Page 14 of Her Wolves

“And he took a little wallop from the mantis viper’s venomous leg while he was at it,” Lon said, stepping around me for a better look at the patient.

Tilting his head as if to wave it off modestly, Kris said, “Well, the crawly bastard got the worst of it.I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Lon and I traded a knowing look at that.He’d just unwittingly repeated the very words Lon used on our way back here.

“Mm-hmm,” said Lon.“Seems like you were in exactly the right place.”And I could just about hear the words he wasn’t saying.And we know exactly what you were doing there.

Kris mentioned, “Our ‘guest’ in the holding center still isn’t talking.Whatever the Soorn knows about the vipers or how they got into the underground springs, he’s not saying.Just like he’s not talking about who he’s working with.”

“Meaning they’re probably lurking somewhere around the Capital now, planning their next move or waiting for their next move to be sprung,” I said, rubbing my chin.

And Tara still had Kris’s hand in hers.“And we don’t know what kind of mutated creatures they’ll send at us next.”She tensed her shoulders, suppressing a shudder.

“We won’t let them get you,” Kris said, looking more like a puppy dog at her than a trained wolf Guard.

She gave him a sweet-looking smile in return, and I swatted from my mind the image of her “come face” while she lay under him.

“Nothing is going to get you, Tara,” I said confidently, not adding the words, except us, where this kid had you.“I’m sure you know security is being tightened everywhere, and that includes the underground springs.”

“I just hope while you’re sealing out any more mutants, you haven’t sealed in the Soorn spies,” she said.“If they’re cornered, they might be that much more dangerous.”

“Then they’ll find out just how much more dangerous we are,” I promised.

“So this single-pawed protection of the Princess ought to look pretty good on your record, after your earlier quickthinking with the spy,” Lon brought up.“After this, I wouldn’t be surprised to see you get another claw on your uniform.”

Kris rolled his eyes and curled his lips a bit.“Eh.What I’ve really got myself is a write-up.”

“Really?A formal reprimand?” Lon said, glancing over at me and my one raised eyebrow.

“Well, yeah,” Kris replied, “considering where I was when I protected Tara.”He looked over at her; they were both embarrassed in spite of everyone knowing.“I mean, she invited me to dinner, and…and…”He trailed off, not needing to mention that “one thing led to another.”There wasn’t anyone in the Capital who didn’t know exactly where things led.

I crossed my arms and stroked my chin again, thoughtfully.“I wouldn’t worry about that.You’re not the first Guard to be caught in that kind of situation with a member of the Regency family.Our logs are full of write-ups like that.They’re a formality.The higher-ups do it because they have to.Old-fashioned ideas about position and propriety that frankly should have died out before the first interstellar ships left the Solar System.Nothing will happen.The Prime Regent’s citation for bravery in protecting his daughter, that’s what will count.The rest of it will be just another story of a Guard and a Regency daughter.”

“That’s right,” said Tara reassuringly, this time giving his hand a squeeze.“No one will think anything about…you know.”

Even though no one would think anything about Kris being in her bed, she was still being “a lady” about it.Some manners never change.

“What people will think about, especially within the Guard,” I said, “is how you seem to have very sharp instincts.Your instincts caught a spy and saved Tara’s life.People will be thinking about that.And talking about that.”

“What do you think they’ll say?” Kris wondered.“It won’t mean I’m getting a promotion, will it?I just got here; it’s too soon to promote me.”

“Maybe not a promotion,” I replied.“But people will have their eyes on you.In fact…I’ve got an idea already.”I looked over at Lon, who looked at me as if he were trying to look into my head and see the wheels turning.

Together, Kris and Tara asked, “What idea?”

Eyeing them both, thinking I liked what I was thinking better every second, I simply said, “Never mind right now.”And directly to Kris Tynan, I said, “You’d better rest up.Mind the doctors, get those toxins out of your system, and get your arm out of that thing.I’m going to talk to some people.”

“About what?” Tara asked insistently.“Who are you going to?What are you going to talk to them about?”

“Don’t worry,” I said.And to Kris I repeated, “Just get yourself better.”

“Uh…yes, Sir,” Kris replied, a little bewildered.

“Come on, Lon,” I said, tapping him on the shoulder.“Let’s give the Sub-Lieutenant here a chance to rest.”

Lon stepped after me and we started back the way we came.Tara and Kris watched us go.I looked at them over my shoulder and said to Kris,“Rest well.Lon and I will be in touch.”

And we left the two of them to wonder just exactly what I had in mind for the young hero.

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