They drove together to the diner, Kristina wearing her favorite comfortable jeans and a thick sweatshirt while Magnus tugged at the leather bomber jacket. “Wow, it fits perfectly.”

“One of the advantages of having a mate who’s got shoulders the same size as you,” Kristina joked. “I got that jacket twenty years ago on a trade deal with a trucker who came through town. I ended up giving him probably double the value of it, but it’s lasted, and I had the authentic bomber jacket I wanted. Only one problem with it.”

“What’s that?” Magnus asked, checking for rips or tears. “Feels like it’s in perfect condition.”

“It is . . . but it’s lined in sheep’s fur. I’m Aklark, and it’s got to be pretty damn cold before I can even think of wearing that thing without sweating my tits off.”

Kristina blushed, glancing at Magnus. “Sorry, I’m not usually that crude.”

Magnus laughed. “It’s okay, really. You don’t want to know how crude I get after some of the inter-clan meetings, where it’s all Lord this and Lady that, full names and as little cursing as possible. Days on days of standing stiff and still while the Alpha Lords and Ladies from other clans look at you with what could best be described as civil disdain. Nah, I curse like a sailor those days when I can.”

“You really don’t like the Lycan system, do you?” Kristina asked. “Yet you work for one of the strongest Lycan clans in North America. Maybe one of the strongest in the world, now that the Lockwoods and the Thornbloods fall under a single Alpha Male.”

“I am Lycan,” Magnus said simply. “Part of it, and I’ll be honest, I look at some of the weaker Alphas, and while they might be bigger than me, I could whip them and take their clan if the fight would be legit. But the clan wouldn’t unite behind me. Simply put, Kristina, except for Keith Waldwyck and a few Alphas like him, I’m equal to any Alpha in the world.”

Kristina looked and felt no deception on his part, and she thought he was right. She might be physically stronger than him, but in the sharing of memories, he was more than equal to any Kenai she’d ever met, and she wondered if their mating had somehow awakened this side of him. “Magnus . . .”

“We’ll discuss that later,” Magnus said with a knowing smile. “Your link is still bleeding over. Not hard, but it’s there. Keep it up, just in case.”

They reached the diner, where inside, Magnus could see Ben Stormstout sitting on one of the big stools, Pauline next to him. He paused, looking at Kristina. “I can use the backup.”

“I’ll be by your side,” she promised, giving his hand a squeeze. They got out of the truck and went inside, where Ben and Pauline were deep in what Magnus could only call an intimate conversation.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our guest from down south,” Ben said as the door closed. “Oh, don’t worry, Fiachan, it’s just us. Pauline knows who you are, don’t you, baby?”

“I’ve met your . . . new girl already,” Magnus growled, letting a bit of his wolf out. “In fact, she tried to meet me right outside the Kenai meeting hall, didn’t you?”

“You disrespect me, Lycan,” Ben said, standing up. “You want to watch your mouth.”

“And you disrespected me when you spoke to me with just my last name, but you already knew that,” Magnus said, staring at Ben. “You might be a manipulative hick of a country-fried politician, Ben Stormstout, but you’re not an idiot. And I think you know exactly what your new soulsucker here is doing.”

Ben stepped closer, his right hand flashing out to try and punch Magnus, but he ducked, his fist flashing forward to impact with Ben’s huge but still steel hard gut. Ben showed no signs of pain at all, and Magnus knew that he was in trouble. He might be able to outmaneuver Ben Stormstout, but in the confined space of the diner, he couldn’t move.

“That’s enough!” Kristina said, grabbing Ben’s arm just as he brought his hand back for another punch. “This is still neutral ground, Ben! Your word backs that!”

Ben stopped, and Magnus could see Kristina struggling to hold his arm back. Magnus growled, jerking his head toward the parking lot. “Outside, Stormstout. You can change, I can change, we go into the woods, and we settle this.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Pauline trilled, putting her hand on Ben’s arm. “Do you, honey? I think Magnus can be swayed to listen to reason?”

She turned her eyes on Magnus again, her voice purring as she, Magnus now realized, turned her power on him. “Can’t we get along, Magnus? I’d very much appreciate it.”

“Bitch, he’s immune to you,” Kristina growled. “And if you don’t back off, you’re going to find yourself short an arm.”

Pauline hissed, her beautiful face twisting in anger as she confronted Kristina, but she backed off. Ben stared at Kristina in anger, and was about to say something when the door to the diner opened, and a Mountie walked in. “Good evening, Ben. Is anything wrong?”

Ben lowered his arm, Kristina letting go, his eyes flashing dangerously as he dropped his arm back to his side, stepping back from Magnus and Kristina. “Not at all, Vince. I just had a weird crick in my shoulder, and Kristina here was helping me stretch it out. What’s up?”

“Oh, just coming through town on a patrol and wanted to grab a bite. What’s on the grill tonight?”

“Let me see who’s in the back and they’ll be right out to help you,” Ben said before leaning in to whisper to Magnus. “This isn’t over, Fiachan.”

“I didn’t think it would be, Stormstout,” Magnus said, stepping back. He waited until he was a few steps away before he turned and, sliding sideways to avoid the Mountie, left the diner. Outside, Kristina opened up their link.

What was that? Did you go in there trying to pick a fight with him?

A little. I don’t like fighting, but I had to see just how much control Pauline has over Ben. It’s worse than I thought. She didn’t even need to say anything and he was in my face.

Yeah, well, next time, warn me? I might be stronger than the average Lycan, but I’m still a girl, and Ben’s a strong male Aklark. You’re lucky you don’t have a fractured sternum right now.

I’ll keep that in mind. Now, we need to prepare. I don’t want him coming to us, but our going to him will keep him off balance.

What do you want to do?

Magnus glanced into the diner again, where Ben was once again seated on his stool, laughing and gladhanding the Mountie. I’d prefer to not hurt him. Before this whole thing with Pauline, he was a dick, but the Aklark seemed to be doing okay.

Most of us.

Magnus looked over at Kristina, chuckling and shifting to speaking. “Wanted to talk with you about that. If you’d like . . . well, I’ve got space in my apartment in the Lockwood Tower.”

Kristina raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “Can’t I keep the guest quarters in the manor?”

“We’ll see. First though, we have a bigger problem,” Magnus said, getting into the truck. “How the hell do you get rid of a succubus?”