Sword of Mercy

Chapter 1

The plane landed in a small private landing field fifty miles from Bucharest in Romania. Boris Lancaster gazed out the window at the dreary landscape and felt a connection to the old country. Animals grazed nearby and barely glanced in the direction of the plane as they taxied. There were no overt signs of prosperity. If crops had been planted in the fields opposite the small landing strip, nothing showed above ground. From his vantage point inside, everything appeared frozen in time.

Had it been a century ago, he had bartered his soul for a position of power with Lord Konstantin? Or longer? His father had been certain the stately older man had the answers to all life’s problems and all but worshipped Konstantin. Those had been the days, the government sat back and allowed men to rule men without interference. He sighed and shifted in his seat waiting for the plane to come to a complete stop, and longed for the comfort of his Colorado condo. The weather was cold, crisp and perfect this time of year.

Roderick, the leader of the Liege, sent him to oversee Hawke’s downfall and to capture his mate, Angus. Time confused Roderick, made him forget critical elements of the Black Wolf’s nature. Once a black wolf tasted freedom, they would die rather than return to captivity. The chances of Roderick “unwrapping” Angus were slim to none. But since Roderick had allowed him to bring the crown prince of project LOBO, Damian, he kept those facts quiet. Especially with the last insult, they had asked for his resignation as lead on LOBO, Boris was not inclined to remind any of the ingrates of many things, like the covenant, or the limitations of their products or that Damian lacked a proper tracking computer chip. Next time they won’t be so hasty to undermine him.

Damian, seed of Hawke, his prize protégé, had been born and raised within the Liege compounds and was one hundred percent loyal to them. He had no idea of pack, or family or memories that needed altering. The pup had been refitted with metal arms and legs when he reached his teens. Damian passed every test they had, and scored higher than everyone, except Asia and Hawke, while maintaining control of his beast. He and Roderick agreed field testing for the young Alpha would help prepare the wolf for future jobs. Several countries requested services similar to the ones Asia had performed and they wanted to send Damian after testing. Gordon, another Liege, requested they spend additional funds on surgeries for the pup and insisted they invest the same money and time on Damian as they had on his sire, Hawke, or at the very least, Asia. Dealing with Gordon would tax his patience, but he would complete his version of this assignment and return to LOBO by the end of next week, or sooner.

The door to the plane opened and Councilman Jeddick stood at the bottom of the stairs. Damian walked out first, scenting the air as he buttoned his sports coat and scanned the area. He took a few steps looking around and then looked over his shoulder and nodded. Boris stepped onto the ladder, holding his satchel filled with documents that needed work. Hawke made a mess of the files and some would never be recovered, which set them back on the projects he’d been working on. The tranquilizer formula for one thing had been erased and a team of scientists had been trying to recreate it in the lab but hadn’t gotten it exact. Which put a dent in their financial and marketing plan since they had to cancel pending and incoming orders.

“Welcome home, Lord Lancaster,” Councilman Jeddick said bowing low. Boris walked past him without acknowledging the greeting. Instead, he headed to the car and slid into the back seat while Damian rode up front with the driver leaving Jeddick on the tarmac.

There had been too many losses and he needed to rectify that as quickly as possible. Jeddick would be eager to get on his good side and would make a decent sacrifice to the cause. Pity they’d lost Councilman Connall, he had been a quick thinker and kept the Liege current on things they needed to know. Jeddick made it known to them that he welcomed a closer alliance with the Liege, but refused the surgical implant, which would allow them to monitor his movements and see through his eyes. The kill chip had been the deal breaker in the end stopping negotiations.

Boris opened his bag and pulled out two pictures. Hawke and then his mate, Angus Black Wolf. Of all the rotten luck, Hawke and Angus, those two would be difficult to destroy, but that was his mission and he refused to fail again. His phone beeped with an incoming message. He shook his head.

“I knew you’d be pissed,” he murmured reading the message from Lord Gordon. Boris glanced at his watch and then shoved his phone into his pocket as they turned onto the main highway leading to Odessa. Gordon would be a problem. The man thought of Damian as a son of sorts and objected to him being on the continent without a full vote of the board. With Lord Phinneas’ recent filling of Griffith’s spot, and Roderick approving Damian’s trip, Gordon would have been out-voted but that wouldn’t stop the hard headed man. Even though the man had not mentioned his arrival, Boris expected Gordon to arrive within days.

When the car pulled in front of the luxury hotel, Damian got out, checked the area and then opened the door. Boris walked into the lobby without looking right or left, expecting the hotel manager to meet him and escort them to the floor he’d reserved for his use. The manager, a short, stout Midwestern man stood in the middle of the lobby and personally ushered them to their space.

Once alone, Boris placed a laptop on the table and motioned to Damian, who stood near the kitchen area, to boot it up. Boris pulled out a sheaf of papers and made plans to bring Hawke to his knees. After all the surgeries Hawke endured, killing him would be near impossible. Plus, who knew what a mated Hawke could do at this point. The only way to get to Hawke would be through his mate. Angus’s age, over three hundred, and his connection to La Patron, made taking him down hard and risky. The challenge of defeating these two powerful Alphas caused his heartbeat to race with excitement.

He glanced at Damian. The young wolf favored his sire, but lacked the mental sharpness and strong will of Hawke. Boris couldn’t think of a more fitting end, Hawke destroyed by his son’s hand.

He pulled out a private cell phone and placed the call. “I’m here. Pick up the package so we can finish this. No failure, no excuses, no second chances.”