Bound By Darkness

For the first time, the dog’s ears perked up. He might not trust humans in general, but he did seem to enjoy the time he spent outside in the run. The last time Larem had coaxed him into accepting a leash, he’d taken the dog for a long walk as a reward.



Judging by the slow tail thumping going on, it was time to try it again. That pleased him every bit as much as it did the dog.



“Son, I don’t know where you got your magical touch with skittish animals, but it’s been a real godsend around here. I wouldn’t have given that fellow any chance of ever making his peace with people, not after the way he’d been abused. He still doesn’t like the rest of us much, but at least he’s willing to take a chance on you. That’s something. By the way, that’s the name we’ve been using for him—Chance.”



Larem didn’t know what to say to that, but the vet’s validation of his worth meant a lot to him. It had been a long time since he’d felt appreciated for more than just his strong sword arm.



“We’ll be back in a while. Once he’s had a good run, I’ll try to convince him to let you give his injuries a quick check.”



“Sounds good.” The vet turned his attention back to the small dog he’d been examining when Larem walked in.



Larem tried out the dog’s new name. “All right, Chance, let’s get you out of there for a while.”



Chance lurched to his feet, favoring his right back leg. The bones were healing up fine, but it was clear that it still hurt. Larem opened the cage door and set more treats down within easy reach. Eventually, he hoped the dog would accept the offerings directly from his hand, but there was no need to rush things.



The two pieces of freeze-dried liver quickly disappeared, and then the dog walked right up to Larem and rubbed against his legs. Larem reached down to pat Chance on the head and got his fingers snapped at for his efforts. Still, the attempt had been only halfhearted, a reminder that they weren’t yet BFF.



He smiled at the dog. “All right, then, I’ll watch my step. Let’s go.”



Outside in the run, he let Chance off his leash and sat down on a bench to watch the dog explore his surroundings. That in itself was a huge improvement. The first time Larem had lured Chance outdoors to one of the runs, the dog had huddled in one corner and growled anytime Larem made a move in his direction.



Larem took it as a compliment that right now Chance was totally ignoring him, meaning the dog sensed Larem posed no threat. After sniffing his way around the pen, Chance slowly walked toward Larem. He stopped a few feet away, his head cocked to one side as he considered his next action. Finally, having made his decision, Chance closed that last bit of distance and rested his head on Larem’s knee.



This time when Larem raised his hand to pet Chance’s head, the dog sighed softly and accepted the offer of friendship. Larem lifted his face to the sun, offering himself up as a conduit of its healing warmth. Slowly, the bright, healing light poured through him to soothe the dog’s pain and encourage his leg bones to knit. After a minute or two, Larem eased back on the flow.



His gift was still too new for him to know how much was enough without overwhelming an animal’s ability to cope with the accelerated healing, especially in Chance’s weakened condition. Most of the time Larem settled for easing pain and soothing traumatized spirits. Convincing an injured animal to accept care was half the battle.



He still wasn’t sure what it was about this particular dog that was so special. It certainly wasn’t his appearance, although the dog looked a whole lot better now than when he’d first arrived at the shelter. That first day, the dog had been all bones and dried blood. He’d already put on considerable weight but needed to gain a few more pounds. Standing about thirty inches high at the shoulder with an intelligent face, Chance bore a striking resemblance to a white wolf.



When Larem had asked Dr. Isaac what breed Chance was, the old vet just laughed. “All I can say is that his ancestors weren’t very particular who they mated with. From his build and size, I suspect he’s got some Great Pyrenees in him and maybe some shepherd, but there’s no telling for sure. He’s his own man and a loner by nature, I would say.”



Now that Larem thought about it, that assessment might just account for why he and Chance had hit it off. Both of them had been hurt by those who mattered to them the most and were struggling to find some peace in their lives.



“How about we take that walk now?”



Chance agreed, whining softly as Larem snapped the lead back on his collar. Larem often walked the streets of Seattle, trying to outdistance the restlessness that plagued him more and more lately. At least with Chance trotting along at his side, he didn’t feel quite so alone.



Sasha was about half a second from going stir-crazy. What the heck had happened here in Seattle? She’d spent the past few days reviewing the budget and meeting with various department heads, and so far, it was unanimous: no one was happy. Everyone had their hands out wanting more money, more staff, and more supplies. God, if she granted even half the requests, the Regents would fire her for incompetence.



However, even at first glance it was obvious that some of the complaints were legitimate. Right off the bat, she’d ordered all departments to inventory their supplies, figuring there was no way to tell what was needed until she knew what they had.



But it was definitely worrisome that she’d heard the same complaints from all corners. Promises had been made but not kept. Less important items had been stockpiled while orders for others, especially those crucial to the well-being of the Paladins, had been either delayed or out-and-out denied. From what she could tell, jealousy and competition had been encouraged between the various factions. No wonder the resulting work atmosphere had become so toxic.



It was as if someone had set out to torment the entire Seattle contingent, making it all but impossible for the group to function. Only the dedication and loyalty of the support personnel, not to mention the Paladins themselves, had kept the organization performing at all and the city from being overrun with crazies.



Throwing a temper tantrum would do little to alleviate the situation, no matter how appealing the thought might be. The real problem was that she had no idea if this had all been part of Kincade’s determined efforts to screw with the Paladins or just a series of unrelated events that had come together to make a total mess of things. Clearly the entire sector had suffered from the lack of a responsible Regent overseeing the day-to-day management.



Right now, she didn’t have time to investigate the history of individual problems in any depth, not if she wanted to get things back on track as quickly as possible. Once she made some progress in restoring basic services, then she’d start digging.



At least the Regents had authorized a certain amount of discretionary funds for her to draw upon as she saw fit. Although substantial, it wouldn’t even come close to covering all the gaps.



She walked over to the window, needing a few minutes to collect her thoughts. “Prioritize, Sasha, prioritize.”



Yeah, right. Great idea, but every department head she’d spoken to had pointed out how crucial the missing items were. The real difficulty was in determining which requests were more urgent than others, and who could be counted on for sound advice on the subject.



All things considered, Devlin Bane was the obvious choice. After all, he knew firsthand what directly impacted his men’s ability to fight and survive the devastating injuries they were subject to. She would’ve talked to him before now, but so far he’d avoided setting a time and date for their first one-on-one meeting.



Granted, she couldn’t blame him for the instability of the barrier, but her gut feeling was that he was determined to duck her as long as possible. Okay, she got that he had no reason to love the Regents interfering in his business, but the situation wouldn’t improve if he didn’t even give her a chance.



She didn’t want to come down too hard on him, though, not if she could avoid it. After weighing and discarding several possible approaches, she’d finally decided it would be best if she invited him and Dr. Young to her suite for drinks, safe from the prying eyes that followed her every move here at the office.



Rather than extend the invitation by e-mail or by phone, she’d deliver the invitation in person. Maybe she was being a bit paranoid, but everyone knew there were several world-class hackers among the Paladins. With the current atmosphere of mistrust, she wouldn’t really blame them for illegally monitoring her e-mails and phone calls. There’d been no sign of that happening, but she sure wouldn’t put it past them.



She’d grab some lunch along the way and then go knock on Devlin Bane’s door. The Paladin might not appreciate her showing up unannounced, but he’d get over it once she made it clear that she needed his input on how to further improve things for his men.



So far, she’d barely spoken to Devlin, but he and Jarvis, his Missouri counterpart, both had reputations of fighting long and hard for those who served under them. If anyone knew what the Paladins needed, he was the man. The fact that Bane’s wife, Dr. Young, was one of the more forward-thinking physicians among the Paladins’ Handlers was a definite bonus. If Sasha couldn’t trust their judgment when it came to the Paladins, they were all screwed.



She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.



Chapter 3



Larem leaned against the wall, honing his boot knife and listening to the ongoing discussion. So far no one had said anything of much use. Finally, Devlin held up his hand, signaling it was time for everyone to shut up and pay attention.



“Okay, here’s how I see it. I’ve been ducking Ms. Willis, but eventually I’ll have to meet with her. By all reports, she’s spent her time doing exactly what she said she’d do: reviewing personnel files, meeting with department heads, and scheduling more of the same. It’s too soon to tell where all this is going—”



Before he could finish that thought, his phone rang. Grabbing the receiver, he barked, “Bane here, what’s up?”



He listened briefly before responding, “Thanks, I owe you one.”



“Speak of the devil. Damn it, just what I needed.” Devlin slammed the phone down and looked around at the men gathered in his office. “Sorry to break up the party, but we have seconds at best to clear out before Sasha Willis gets here. That was the guard calling to say that he just let her in through the alley door.”



Devlin immediately shoved a stack of paperwork out of sight into a file drawer. Then he glared at everyone, making it clear they weren’t moving fast enough.



“Damn it, make yourselves scarce. I’d just as soon she not see all of you here. Don’t want anyone to get the impression we’re plotting against the establishment.”



Although they had been. Devlin had called them together to discuss emergency plans in case the Regents decided to come down hard on anything, especially on the subject of the Kalith living among the Seattle Paladins. Trahern led the parade out the door, followed by Cullen and Lonzo, leaving Barak and Larem bringing up the rear.



By the time Sasha Willis was due to appear, the Paladins were all back at their desks and looking busy. Larem, on the other hand, had some time to kill before heading to the shelter. He followed Barak across the office.



Barak picked up on his situation. “If you need a place to hide, you can join Lacey and me in the lab.”



Larem shook his head. “That’s all right. Cullen set me up with a desk where I can hang out until I need to leave for the shelter.”



“Okay, but the offer is always good.” Barak quickly disappeared, going the opposite direction from the lab, probably taking the long way around to avoid passing Sasha Willis in the hall.



Larem poured himself a cup of tea before settling in at his desk with one of the medical texts that Sworn Guardian Berk had been slipping across the barrier from Kalithia to him. Hunter had brought him the latest stack when he’d driven down to Seattle for the first meeting with their new administrator.



Normally, Larem found the writings of other Kalith who shared his rare healing abilities fascinating, but right now, he could hardly force his eyes to stay focused on the page. Instead, his attention kept wandering toward the other side of the office.