O’Neill’s eyebrows lifted. “Jillian? As in yourle'ven'a?Yourwoohanna le'ven'a.”
It didn’t surprise Wolf that O’Neill knew who Jillian was. The warrior seemed omnipresent, knowing things he shouldn’t know. Wolf nodded. “Indeed.”
“Damn…” O’Neill shook his head, his expression befuddled. “Has a warrior spirit claimed a female before? Let alone awoohanna?”
The question didn’t appear to be a dismissal of Wolf’s announcement though, which came as a surprise. Was his instant acceptance because of Gracie’s claiming? Wolf had struggled longer to accept the news.
Drumming his fingers against the surface of the stainless-steel table, O’Neill’s gaze turned inward. “What in shadow’s name do these female claimings signify? Why now? Why them? There must be a reason.”
Wolf released a frustrated breath. “Without aTaounaha, there is no way to seek wisdom from the Shadow Warrior.”
The reminder brought O’Neill’s eyes back to Wolf’s face. “Have you spoken with yourjavaanee?”
“I have. Now we wait.”
O’Neill grunted. “I’ve never been a fan of waiting.”
Neither was Wolf.
The warrior sitting across from him looked tired and rumpled. He was wearing the same t-shirt and pants as the day before—stained and wrinkled now. His cheeks and chin carried a cloud of stubble. The only thing that wasn’t disheveled was his hair. Buzz cuts didn’t have the length to throw an attitude.
“Your meeting with Muriel…and Gracie…appears to have gone well.” The fact Gracie had confided in him about her wolf claiming indicated trust.
O’Neill offered a slow nod before his eyebrows turned down. “You could have told me Daniel had a twin, asshole.” He didn’t sound all too annoyed by the omission though.
“That secret was not mine to tell.”
“I suppose warning me that I was about to hop onto the last flight to The Neighborhood wasn’t yours to tell either.” He sounded more annoyed by that omission.
Wolf shrugged. “I had faith you would secure lodging.” He paused, before asking curiously. “Where did you sleep?”
His appearance so early meant he’d grabbed the first flight back to base this morning.
“On Samuel’s couch. Although Rawlings offered to host me.” His green gaze turned inward again. “It was late enough by the time Gracie finished talking that it made more sense to crash on the couch than to call the squid to come collect me.” He stifled a yawn with his fist. “Which reminds me, I promised Gracie I’d show her around base, so expect her to show up later today.”
Wolf shrugged and reached for his coffee cup. “Did Gracie share her spirit gift? That could tell us why such a strong animal clan chose her.
O’Neill shook his head. “Doesn’t sound like it’s manifested yet.” He leaned across the stainless steel, his face tense. “What ofyourjavaanee? How did he react to your dream advice? Did he buy it?”
Obviously, the warrior was in search of a connection to the elder gods, someone to offer counsel on his daughter’s role in the loomingWanatesa. For this, Wolf found no fault. He was in the same position.
Wolf raised the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip, grimacing as coldness spread through his mouth. He set the mug back down and pushed it away. “Aiden’s reaction was unclear.”
Indeed, his brother hadn’t said anything following Wolf’s interference.
The sound of the cafeteria doors whooshing open turned both their heads. Wolf stilled as hisjavaaneestalked through the door.
“Speak of the devil,” O’Neill muttered, as Aiden headed straight for their table.
“We need to talk,” Aiden said tersely. “But not here. At headquarters. We’ll need access to your war room.”
Wolf and O’Neill exchanged glances, but Wolf was the one to ask the question on both their minds. “Why?”
“Right.” Adien scoffed. “You’ll probably eat this bullshit up.” Frustrated irritation flickered across his face. “But here goes—last night Benioko, your newly dead shaman, showed up in my dreams.” He coughed out a sarcastic laugh. “In case you’re wondering, yes, the dude’s as annoying in death as he was in life.”
Wolf froze. Benioko had walked through Aiden’s dreams? He intuitively knew why. The old one must be acting as an intermediary, passing information from theTabenethainto the waking world, using Aiden as his physical mouthpiece.
“We’ll need Capland’s computer skills,” Wolf said, referring to the base’s computer specialist. The warrior was brilliant, his mind as sharp as a freshly honed blade. After grabbing his phoneand leaving Cap a message, he swung his legs over the bench and stood. O’Neill followed him up.
