Page 49 of Blood Pearl

“Let’s not do that, Gerry. Unless you're not alone? We can dispense with the formalities.”

“As you say, Flint. Yes, I’m alone. I would not call in the presence of others when we are to discuss such a sensitive subject.”

“Sensitive subject, eh? Now I am intrigued. Go on.” I hear Flint settling either behind his desk or in a chair.

“Her suicide took me completely by surprise. I was not expecting her to ingest poison.”

“Suicide? Poison? What? I thought it was supposed to be a celebratory meal. Aurora is dead?” Flint has completely blind-sided me.

“Aurora is dead? How? When? Everything here is so normal. How can that be?” My mind is spinning.

“Wait, what? Who are you saying took poison?” Flint sounds as confused as I am.

“Eve Planter, of course. That’s why I’m calling you. To fill in the gaps from my written report. What are you saying happened to Aurora?” I’m on the verge of slamming the phone down and finding Raina so she can fill me in with any details.

“OH! Thank the Goddess. I was expecting you to call and fill me in on your meal with Aurora. It seems we have some crossed lines of communication here.” Hearing Flint’s comments has my heartbeat slowing. Not back to normal, but certainly slowing.

“The meal can wait. Let me tell you about my attempted apprehension of Eve.”

“Yes, let’s deal with the unpleasant meeting first, then we can hopefully end on a high note.” Flint’s voice sounds as relieved as I feel.

“I found her where I expected, at her new home. She was under the impression that she was distanced from the mercenaries she hired. The leader of the mercenaries, however, was interested to know who would pay such an amount for the death of an Alpha female. Eve had not done enough to cover the transfer of the funds. He was more than happy to give her up for his freedom. When I arrived, I was shocked by the state of the place. It had degenerated almost to a hovel. It will need some work if you intend to let anyone live there.”

“That bad? I visited the place before we gave it to Eve, just to ensure that it was suitable for an ex-Council member. I thought many would be glad of such a place. The gardens were being well planted and tended, ready for her arrival,” Flint reflects on his visit.

“I suggest you go back and see how far she had regressed. It was as though her ‘evilness’ had taken on its own personality and killed everything good or beautiful around her. There wasn’t a living thing to be seen.” Another thought occurs to me. “Flint, were you aware that her wolf, Misty, had deserted her? She asked the Goddess to take her away from Eve.”

“Eve had lost her wolf? No, I was not aware. She was obviously far worse than any of us realized. I will speak to Ulmer personally. He will take this news hard. I’m sure the entire Council will, but Ulmer was a friend to Eve for many years. Porter was too, but to a lesser degree. I will visit Ulmer as soon as we conclude this call.”

“She seemed so convinced, when I told her what she was charged with, that her plan had succeeded. She began spouting more vile comments about Aurora and she took a jug and began drinking glasses of what I thought was just some fruit tea or something. It wasn’t until she finished the jug, threw it at me, and stated ‘she would stand before no Council’ that I realized what she meant. I was too late to do anything. She was dead before she hit the ground. I saw the life leave her eyes.”

“It sounds to me, Gerry, she had this planned out to its ultimate conclusion. You don’t have a jug full of poison handy in the house, ‘just in case’, now do you? Her decisions have saved us from having to make our own tough decision. We had those decisions to make once before with Holah and Anika. Thank the Goddess Eve prevented us from having to go there again. I will speak with the Council. It may be that we only share this information with pack Alphas. We cannot in good conscience keep this a secret, but I see no good in it becoming common knowledge with pack members either.”

“Thankfully, Flint, that is above my paygrade, at this time anyway.” Thanking my lucky stars that I’m not going to be involved in that meeting, I continue. “Now, as for my meal with Aurora. It was exceptional. The food was out of this world. Cook Ivy puts your Council chef to shame. The quality was unbelievable, and she was only given a few hours' notice to design the menu, gather the staff needed, prepare the food, the room, everything. It was totally flawless, right down to a wine waiter. I could talk about that food for hours and not run out of positive things to say. There isn’t a negative that comes to mind.”

“So, the food was excellent. I get that. What of the company?”

“When Aurora walked into the room, I was struck speechless. She was nothing short of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I stood there, gawping like a pup that has seen its first raw meat meal. I was totally transfixed. She was a gracious host and overlooked the fact that I just stood there staring at her. I even blurted out that I couldn’t decide what to devour first. Her or the food! I was mortified, but I brazened it out.”

“You said WHAT? It seems that you were suitably impressed, then?”

“Impressed does not do it justice. We talked the whole evening. We even discussed chosen mates. I can’t believe I went there.”

“You instigated a discussion on chosen mates? How much alcohol had you ingested by that time?” Flint’s sarcasm is not lost on me. I am not one to discuss my feelings or emotions.

“My phone battery is dying. I need to get it on charge.” Grasping at the first thing that comes to mind to get me out of this hole I’m digging for myself.

“Very well, Gerry. Of course it is. I do, however, need to go speak to Ulmer. Good luck with your newfound friendship. I wish it all the success it deserves.” Laughter accompanies the ending of the call.

Looking at the cell, I shake my head. What possessed me to tell him such things? I don’t doubt that he’ll be having some fun at mine and Aurora’s expense.

Knocking on the door breaks my train of thought. Opening the door has me looking at Xavier.

“Xavier? What can I do for you?”

“I’m ready to start my recon for any other rogue structures, underground or otherwise. Thinking the supply runs over, I was wondering if you’re okay to head out with me tonight? We can drop some supplies off and save you a trip in a couple of days. If I don’t find a structure in the first couple of days, I may not need a second supply run.”

“Sounds good to me. I can be ready when you are. I’ll speak to Alpha Aurora and get the supplies organized.” Nodding to him to show I’m okay with his thoughts has him grinning.