I nodded. Being thrust out like that was always disorienting. Richard knew that. Fuck. "I'm okay." I pulled away from Nathaniel and had to call information for the number for The Lunatic Cafe. Richard was in the meeting room in the back of the restaurant. Raina had owned the restaurant, and according to pack law, it could have belonged to me, if I hadn't used a gun to kill her. It had to be mano-a-mano, hand-to-hand, or claws, or at least a knife before all that was hers would be mine. Possessions anyway. You can't get anyone's power by killing them. It just doesn't work that way. And anyway, who would want it to? Guns were considered cheating, so I didn't inherit all of Raina's stuff.
Richard picked up on the second ring, as if he'd been expecting the call. "Richard, it's Anita."
"I know." His voice was angry, closed, and tight.
"We need to talk."
"I'm in the middle of something here, Anita."
Fine, if he wanted to play it brusque and hostile, I'd play. "Where's Gregory?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Why?"
"Because, you might try and rescue him, and you're not lupa anymore. The pack would defend itself, and I don't want you shooting holes in my wolves."
"You leave my leopards alone, and I'll leave your wolves alone."
"Anita, it's not that simple."
"I got the explanation, Richard. You freaked when you found out Gregory may have infected me with leopard juice. You had your enforcers grab him, and you've charged him with killing your lupa. Which is just stupid, I'm not dead."
"Do you know what the pack is voting on right now, right this minute?"
"Not a clue."
"Whether I will be picking another lupa from the pack before the next full moon."
"I guess you'll need one," I said, and even hearing myself acknowledge it made my stomach clench.
"A lover, Anita, they're wanting to force me to pick a lover from the pack."
"You mean we can't date now?"
"That's the vote."
"Stephen, one of your wolves, and Vivian, one of my leopards, are living together. No one seems to care about that."
"Stephen is one of the least of us. They wouldn't tolerate cross-species dating for a dominant. And they certainly won't tolerate it for their Ulfric."
"Human is good enough to f**k, but not leopard," I said.
"We are human, Anita. But we aren't cats, we're wolves."
"So you won't be dating me, or anything, now?"
"Not if I want to stay Ulfric."
"What happens to the triumvirate?"
"I don't know."
"You're going to give me up just like that." I was suddenly cold, my stomach like a hard frozen knot.
"You've been out of my life for over half a year. How do I know that something else won't scare you off again?"
"I planned on dating you both, Richard, on being with you both." I realized as soon as I said it that I meant it. I'd made a decision and hadn't realized it.