pack in the Midwest and stay there forever, damn the loss in rank. Of course, this was assuming he was going to get out of here.
John excused himself and left the room. Royce turned away from the pair of prone Weres while Mouse patiently held them at sword-point. She’d returned the tip of her second weapon to Ashi’s throat when Royce backed up, and seemed to have no trouble remaining perfectly still, keeping them pinned in place.
A few minutes later, John returned, this time with a young man in jeans and Coke-bottle glasses following behind him. The newcomer hid his nervousness by pocketing his shaking hands and greeting Royce from across the room with cautious familiarity. His eyes widened behind his glasses as he spotted the damaged window and two men trapped in place by swords wielded by a short, pretty girl who looked far too nice to be doing that sort of thing.
“John said you needed an urgent favor?”
“Yes,” Royce drawled, walking over to shake the mage’s hand. Arnold met his gaze, though tiny stress lines appeared around his eyes at the vampire’s touch. “Thank you very much for coming on such short notice. Do you recall that charm we were discussing in the waiting room while Shiarra was being admitted to the hospital?”
Arnold frowned, considering, then blinked and nodded. “Yes.” His gaze slid over to the men lying on the floor, and his frown deepened.
Royce waved Analie over. “They’re from a West coast pack attempting to branch into New York. They’re violent, and I need to ensure that these two don’t do any more damage.” As Analie came closer, he smiled grimly, looking down to her. “Arnold, I’d like you to meet Analie, a member of the Goliath pack. Analie, Arnold. Would you kindly shift for Mr. Moore? Be careful of the statuary, please.”
Analie had felt a tingling sensation all over her skin when Arnold had walked in, and being near him only increased it to pins and needles. She tried not to scratch or fidget too much, but she couldn’t help it. It was like fire ants were swarming all over her. However, at the mention of shifting, she almost forgot her discomfort.
“Shift? Yeah!” she exclaimed—but her enthusiasm was soon tempered with caution. “It’s going to ruin my clothes again.”
She couldn’t see Royce’s expression and hoped he wasn’t annoyed. “That’s fine.”
She checked around to make sure she was standing in a relatively clear area and closed her eyes. Soon she started to grow. It hugely exacerbated the itching and she snarled, trying to rush the change. She shifted faster than usual and as a result was extremely sore. She pinned her ears back and crouched, keeping her head down to prevent herself from denting the ceiling.
Royce appeared as the usual outline, but with that haze again. It was bigger now, almost filling up the vampire’s silhouette. Analie gave him a doggy smile and stuck her massive head under his arm.
Both Christoph and Ashi made loud choking noises.
Arnold rapidly backpedaled when he saw that she was still growing at twelve feet. This was not normal. Not that Weres were particularly normal, but he was gaping by the time she was finished, particularly when he saw her acting affectionately toward Royce. The vampire had the mildest smile as he watched Arnold’s reaction and scratched around Analie’s fuzzy, laid-back ears.
Analie’s jaw dropped open in a happy grin, revealing massive fangs. Christoph was looking at her as if she had a piece of cake and he didn’t. She felt sorry for him.
She was disappointed when Royce stopped scratching and had to shake herself to remind herself that she was not a wolf or a happy little doggy, but a Were, and she should have dignity.
'And head scratches.'
Mostly dignity.
John, like Arnold, had also retreated to the wall, pressed against it and looking anywhere but at Analie.
“What the hell?!” Arnold exclaimed.
“You see why the charm is needed, I take it.”
Arnold just looked at him.
“Thank you, Analie,” Royce said, patting her lightly on one massive shoulder as he approached Ashi and Christoph. “These two are bigger than she is—and, as I mentioned, of violent temperament. Can you provide the charm?”
Arnold stood there, staring silently at Analie for a long time. Eventually, he found his voice again. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Bigger?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God.”
Royce barely restrained a growl. “Will you do it?”
The mage’s voice was hardly a whisper when he managed his answer. “I’ll do it. God help me, but I’ll do it.”
“Would