Free Tales Of The Sazi 05 - Moon's Fury by C.t. Adams . Cathy Clamp Page B

accidents.”
    “That would be a great idea!" Cloudsfall said with a smile. "I can tell you that it's going to get pretty ugly down here when this pack finds out. They're likely to wind up drinking too much and saying things that'll get them killed by the Minnesota people.”
    Outrage flooded her and the noise that escaped her would have been considered rude in most circles. She didn't care, though. "Excuse me? That's not saying much for my people, Will! You're making them out to be pissy and petty, and they're not!”
    The Comanche Ranger snorted and shook his head with chin dropped and eyes bordering on insulted. His power rose until it nearly singed the air. "You gonna tell me Paco doesn't have a mouth on him after a few tequilas, Cara? Get real! People down here are used to it, but trust me when I say that the lowest of the people moving down here are bigger dogs than Paco—and he'll get his ass kicked. I'll bet there's not a single member of the Minnesota pack who can even get drunk." He looked at her with cold sureness. "Other than you, Cara, there's not a person in this pack who's not going to wind up on the bottom of the combined puppy pile.”
    After Cara was able to close her dropped jaw, she looked around at the three men with horror.
    "Is that true? Are y'all planning on moving down people who are going to completely eliminate my pack structure? If so, then Will's right. My people will probably fight and die before they're willing to be turned into the kicking dogs—omegas to a bunch of outsiders." Could this be what Ten Bears, or whoever the hell he was, had referred to? Was she going to be forced to send her people into a losing battle with other Sazi? No. She was their alpha and would protect them before she'd send them into danger. "I demand a say in who comes down—their powers, their abilities and… cultural attitudes. Like it or not, human prejudice is an issue, too.”
    She leaned back after her little diatribe, fingernails digging into her palms. She struggled to keep her face blank, her body appearing loose and confident, and her emotions minimal. The silence was deafening and the lack of scent from both Will and Lucas was unnerving. But Adam was bleeding enough emotion for all of them. He bounced from excitement to anger to worry and fear. It was a heady combination of smells that nearly made her sneeze. He didn't say a word, but Cara could tell he was annoyed by how the muscle at the back of his jaw was flexing and how he was struggling to keep his magic in check. It roiled the air around him like an electric cloud. Still, she couldn't hear his teeth grinding, so that was something.
    After a few tense moments where everybody tried to ignore the heightening energy and battle scents, Lucas nodded. "You're right, Alpha Salinas. You deserve a voice in who comes down here. The council didn't discuss the issue, but I'm sure Councilman Molotov would agree. I know I'd want to debate the matter if I were in your shoes." He paused and took a slow breath, obviously thinking hard. He slapped his open palm down on the varnished wood tabletop. Even though it was done lightly, Cara jumped. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. In a few minutes, we're all going to walk out the front door, visible as the sun. We're going to be laughing like old buddies who have just had a friendly lunch. If anyone is on the street that either you or Will recognize, Ms. Salinas, you're going to invite them over and introduce us.”
    "Introduce you as… who, sir? An investor? An attorney? A friend of Will's?”
    Lucas nodded. "All of the above…well, mostly anyway. From now on, though, until this is done we're all on a first name basis. Lucas, Will, Adam, and Cara. That's the only way it'll work. Here's the story on me. I'm an attorney from Colorado who's getting close to retirement. I know some mutual friends of Adam's from Minnesota. I ran into him at the motel and he was on his way to lunch with Will, who he came down here to