Page 33 of Licence To Howl
He threw her an irritated glance and strode towards them. There was no sign of Moretti himself but Devereau recognised a few faces and individual scents from the previous night’s encounter. He smiled broadly in a bid to put the other werewolves at ease and then inclined his head to show a modicum of respect.
‘You’re earlier than I thought you would be,’ Devereau said to nobody in particular. ‘So I apologise for keeping you waiting.’
‘You knew we were coming for you,’ rumbled a dark haired male with ominous intent.
Devereau looked him up and down. The Lupo clan didn’t appear to wear helpful tags indicating their ranking like the London clans did. All the same, he reckoned this fellow was a beta. He had both the age and the poise to be one of Moretti’s most trusted wolves.
‘I did indeed,’ Devereau said cheerfully. There was no reason to antagonise the man. In fact, the more amenable and less aggressive he could appear, the faster he’d extricate himself from whatever idiocy Moretti had planned for him. The clock was ticking after all and there was the far more pressing concern of Christopher Solentino to worry about. ‘My name is Devereau.’
The older wolf rolled his eyes. ‘I know who you are.’ Then he glanced at Scarlett and his demeanour changed instantly. ‘Scarlett Cook. It’s a pleasure to see you again.’ He looked as if he meant it.
‘Orsetto, the pleasure is all mine.’ Scarlett grinned at him.
‘You’re not with this pezzo di merda, are you?’
Devereau wasn’t sure what pezzo di merda meant but he could certainly guess. ‘She’s already told me off for not following the appropriate traditions,’ he said.
‘I’d expect nothing less.’ Orsetto raised his busy eyebrows at her. ‘Are you coming with us tonight?’
‘That depends,’ Scarlett said. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Il Colosseo.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘I thought you might be heading there. It wouldn’t be my first choice of evening’s entertainment.’ She pointed at Devereau. ‘But I can’t afford to let this one out of my sight. If I do, he might run away when I’m not looking.’
Scarlett’s words were an obvious dig at his own attempt to get her to leave the city. Orsetto didn’t know that, however. His head snapped towards Devereau and his eyes narrowed, a sheen of lupine yellow lighting up his irises. ‘If you run, little Englishman, we will rip the fangs from your mouth, the fur from your body and the tail from your bony arse.’
Devereau frowned. ‘Bony arse? I havesomecurve appeal.’ He nudged Scarlett. ‘Right?’
She clicked her tongue but he was sure he could see at least some amusement flickering in her face. ‘Ignore him,’ she told Orsetto. Then she tilted her head and softened her voice. ‘I am not apologising for Devereau Webb and I’m certainly not excusing his actions. But he is here in Rome because he must deal with a serious, time-sensitive matter. Do you think it’s possible to appeal to Alpha Moretti’s better nature and let him off with a warning on this occasion?’
Orsetto’s response was immediate. ‘No.’
Scarlett’s mouth twisted. ‘I thought as much. You understand I had to try.’
‘Of course.’
‘He’s a new wolf but he’s no weakling,’ Scarlett said.
‘So we have heard.’ Orsetto’s eyes gleamed. ‘But that is all the more reason to ensure he understands his place.’
If there was one thing Devereau despised, it was being spoken about as if he wasn’t here. ‘Come on then,’ he said aloud. ‘Let’s get this over and done with.’
‘I wouldn’t be in a such rush if I were you,’ Orsetto smirked. He snapped his fingers and half a dozen other werewolves immediately stepped forward, encircling Devereau and separating him from Scarlett.
‘I always wanted an entourage,’ Devereau murmured. He smiled again, although his thoughts were in turmoil. Just what sort of shady shite was he about to find himself in?
‘One question,’ Scarlett said, from over to his right. ‘Will you make him wear the costume?’
‘If we’re going to do this,’ Orsetto replied, ‘we should do it properly. Right?’
Devereau could hear the smile in her voice. ‘Right.’
Now he had areallybad feeling about this.
* * *
Although it was barelycocktail hour, Rome was no different to London at this chilly time of year. Sunset had been and gone and the sky was dark and cloudy. Devereau could only catch a bare glimpse of the moon as he was marched out towards one of several waiting cars.
