Glacier (VLG Book 9) Read online

  “You’re sure about taking her on your next mission then? You think she’ll follow the rules you set?”

  “Yes.” He waited to see what response he’d get.

  Kelzeb sighed again. “Fine. You’re responsible though. You’re also going to need to keep her away from other Vampires, from what you’ve told me. That’s going to limit where I can send you.” He hesitated. “Are you willing to do that for her? I’m talking wilderness shit. Maybe even assigning you to be a guardian to a Lycan pack. You’d have to keep her in their territory and out of cities.”

  His chest tightened. “I know.”

  “Damn, Glacier. Are you thinking about mating her?”

  “It’s too soon. I don’t know yet.”

  “Alright. I know you hate snow and request places to avoid it, but you’re shit out of luck. We have a family-association pack in Wyoming. Hawk’s brother-in-law is alpha there. Chaz and Fray visit their uncle whenever they have some down time. The pack hasn’t asked for a guardian, but they might accept you into their territory with Mandy. There’s also Colorado. One of the VampLycans clan leaders, Trayis, has a half-brother alpha there. They would probably be open to having a Vampire in their territory, since I’ll make it clear you’re responsible for her. I’ll reach out to both alphas today. Hopefully one of them agrees. They’re two packs we can trust not to betray that she’s there.”

  “Thank you.”

  “The down side is, they’ll expect guardian duties provided. That means you’ll be scouting at night. I guess you could have her fly patrols with you. Otherwise, you’ll be working while she’s awake. You’re also going to have to find a way to feed her.”

  “She can control human minds. That’s going to be a bonus when I must deal with poachers. Frankly, I hope they have a bunch of them. She’ll have a source of food.”

  “True.” Kelzeb hesitated. “I know you hate being stuck in one location for more than a few months. As long as you’re with this Mandy…”

  “I know. My wandering days are over.”

  “You thought this out?”

  “I have. I’m prepared to stay in one location for as long as needed to keep Mandy safe.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you later today. It would be rude to wake up alphas this early to ask a favor.” He chuckled. “You’ll hear from me around noon your time. I’ll find you a place to live.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Good luck.”

  Glacier hung up and entered the shop from the alley he’d used for privacy. Pest waited inside. “What’s the verdict?”

  “Kelzeb is cool. He’s going to find me a Lycan pack to become guardian to. That way, I can keep Mandy off council radar. No Vamps can report her if they don’t see her. I’ll just keep her deep in Lycan territory. I should know where we’re going around noon today.”

  “I’ll get you a cargo van as soon as the rental places open. I figure that will be good to transport her and your motorcycle in.” He lifted his phone, tapping at it.

  “I’ll just wait until tonight and drive my motorcycle with her. She’s going to need clothes though, and I don’t have a second helmet. I’ll go shopping today while you watch over her.”

  “I’d rather shop, bro. No offense, but do you even know what size she wears?”

  “No, but I’ll just ask her.”

  Pest snorted. “I’ve got this. Unlike you, I have girlfriends from time to time. Not just one-night stands. I don’t have to risk my balls by asking a woman her sizes. Some get weird about it or embarrassed. Save yourself the headache. I’ve learned to size them up accurately. Have you ever bought a woman clothes before?”

  Glacier shook his head.

  “Yeah. I didn’t think so. I’ll go. I didn’t get a good look at her breasts though, since she’s been wearing your shirts. Then again, I’d be doing you a favor if she didn’t wear bras.”

  “Hers is upstairs. I’ll take a peek.”

  Pest snickered. “Don’t get caught, pervert.”

  Glacier flipped him off. “Then I’ll just ask her.”

  “Don’t.” Pest turned toward the stairs and raised his voice. “Hey, short stack? Can you come down here for a minute?”

  Mandy joined them right away. She’d showered recently, and sported another borrowed shirt and a pair of boxers. Her gaze went to Glacier. “You want to talk down here?”

  “I actually had a few questions for you about this council.” Pest motioned to Glacier. “You go up and wait for her. Text me what I wanted to know.

  Glacier nodded. “Remember the helmet. I want something with tinting to keep anyone from seeing her face tonight while we’re traveling. Hair dye, too. One of those quick spray-in deals. The reek from that will help mask her scent too, and we’ll only need her hair color changed while traveling. Those wash right out. Black. I want to change her appearance. Maybe some makeup to hide how pale she is, since we’ll be making stops for gas. Can you handle all that?”

  “Easy. I’ll leave soon. There’s one of those twenty-four-hour superstores not too far from here. I won’t have to wait for anything to open by shopping there.”

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he said to Mandy, rushing up the stairs to dig up her bra size. He found it quickly and texted it to his brother, then took a seat on the bed.

  “Do you have a phone number for the council?”

  Mandy shook her head at Pest. “I had Corski’s number on my cell phone and an emergency contact number in case I couldn’t reach him, but your brother tossed my phone. It had a tracker in it.”

  “Understood. My brother said there’s a second assassin in town. Would she have those same numbers?”

  Mandy’s heart raced. The question implied that Olivia still lived. She had been too afraid to ask Glacier if her friend had found him yet, or if he’d gone after her. Part of her didn’t want to know the answer. “Yes.”

  “Do you know what full name Corski is going by?”

  “Joseph Corski.” She spelled it. “New York City. I doubt he’d be listed in a phone directory, though.”

  “Probably not.”

  “Can I ask why you want phone numbers? Are you planning to let the council know what went down here? It’s a good idea, but I can’t tell you with certainty that Corski can be trusted. He might be the one who covered for Marco. Corski is the one who gives us our orders.”

  “Fair enough.” His phone beeped. He smiled. “That was it. Go talk to my brother.”

  Mandy found Glacier sitting on the bed. He’d removed his boots. She closed the door to give them some privacy and leaned against it. He looked sexy but then, he always did. The bed seemed small with his big body sitting on the side of it. The hole in his jeans by his hip bothered her. She couldn’t pick up any blood but something had happened. It hadn’t been there when he’d left.

  His pale blue eyes were beautiful as they locked with hers. “My boss is going to assign me to watch over a Lycan pack on my next assignment. I’ll find out where we’re going later today. The pack will keep Vampires out of their territory. You’ll be stuck inside their perimeter, but no one will be able to see you to tell the council you’re alive. I asked Pest to buy stuff to help change your appearance while we ride my bike tonight.”

  “I heard that part. Black hair like you, huh?”

  He smiled. “You look good as a blonde, but I liked the black hair with blue streaks you used to sport, too. We’re going to either Colorado or Wyoming. It means we might be on the road for a few nights.”

  “Day travel is out. I’m sorry about that. You’re probably not used to having your movements restricted.”

  He shrugged. “No biggie. The nice thing is, I might need your mental abilities. Packs deal with poachers more than you’d think. You can make them forget our encounters and embed them with the urge to never return to the area.”

  “We’re going to be work partners then?”

  He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. His gaze slowly lowered down her body before he sta