Claws by Karolyn Cairns Page B

time
around.”
    Jericho was gratified to see Eli tense.
“What do you mean she’s in no condition to name them? The birthing
went well didn’t it?”
    “She hasn’t woken up since you left,”
Jericho bit out. “It appears you have that effect on the women in
your life. Let us hope it doesn’t last forty years this time.” He
gazed at Eli in contempt and spun on his heel, slamming the door to
his office behind him.
    Jericho smiled as he watched his leader
stalk out of the compound within the hour on his way to the
airport. Tania was furious when she learned where he went. She
found him working on his car and slammed the hood down on his
head.
    Jericho let loose a growl of annoyance
and glared at her, wiping his hands on a rag. “What was that
for?”
    Tania stared at him in fury. “What did
you say to Eli to make him leave?”
    “Only the truth; his place is with his
mate right now,” Jericho told her and enjoyed seeing her fume over
it. “See how he runs to her side, even now, after months with you?
I’d say your days in his life number in the single digits,
babe.”
    “We’ll see about that,” Tania said with
an audible hiss, golden eyes glowing. “There’s more than one way to
skin a cat, Jericho. Remember that and don’t get in my
way.”
    “Baby, where did our love go?” Jericho
mused aloud and rolled his eyes. “You got two choices as I see it.
You can move out of his room and plan a long vacation or my guess
is you’ll be asked to leave when he gets back.”
    Tania let loose and growl. “I’m going
nowhere, do you hear? Eli will come back to me.”
    “Alright, whatever you say,” he drawled
with a grin. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I hope you have lots of
sunscreen, babe. My guess is you get shipped to Florida. Do you
even own a bathing suit?”
    Tania flung him a glance of annoyance.
She stalked from the parking garage in a flurry of rage and
Christian Dior, slamming the hood back down on his head before she
left.
    Jericho rubbed his head and grinned.
Things were looking up. His leader had his head halfway out of his
ass and he almost got his new transmission installed. A productive
week, he’d say. His yellow green gaze softened to think of Vivvie,
recalling the weeks she came to him in his dreams.
    Jericho was an old cat,
hardly eager to jump into the fray brewing between Ty and Eli over
Vivvie. Been there, done
that , he thought with a grimace. He knew
such a battle would yield nothing but her going back to her
mate.
    He knew Eli. If he didn’t love Vivvie
still; he wouldn’t have gone to her side. He also knew Vivvie.
Those carnal dreams they shared all these months were not what she
wanted and needed, just a means to ease her pain over Eli casting
her out.
    Jericho knew that would all change now.
Eli wouldn’t leave her like that in Florida. He would bring her
back, laws be damned. Eli might anger the council by bringing her
back, but he had the right as the Chief.
    His worry over Vivvie prompted him to
call Florida. He warned Ty that Eli was on his way. He could almost
bet the two would scuffle over his treatment of his wife. Ty
hesitated in the past to claim Vivvie as his mate, fearing his one
soul would doom them both. He gave her up to Eli and went on his
way, thinking Eli could make her happy. His true feelings for Eli’s
mate came out loud and clear now.
    He was prepared to challenge Eli for
her.
    Should he win; Ty would be able to take
Vivvie from her mate. It was another of their laws. It was an old
and primitive custom. An Alpha had the right to take the mate of
another by right of challenge. The ramifications were obvious. Both
compounds would be on opposite sides. The conflict would be sure to
split the whole tribe in two.
    Eli was unbeatable in battle. Ty was
past caring anymore. He would challenge him for Vivvie. He was
feeling responsible for leaving her to Eli.
    As Jericho once predicted; the fur
would fly.
    ~ ~ ~
    Ty met the limousine at the locked
gate. Eli