Blood and Chocolate

Among the crowd were strays who had gravitated to the pack when it came to the suburbs, and others Vivian didn't know well who had worked at the inn when she was much younger. Many of those who had gone to join relatives when the trouble started hadn't come back.

Vivian felt a pang of loneliness. This is all that's left of us, she thought. And no one I feel close to. Not even Mom anymore. She curled up smaller in her armchair.

Astrid laughed at the boys' antics. When she tossed her head, her red hair flamed against the green curtains.

With her sharp features and plump rear, she reminded Vivian more of a fox than a wolf.

Gabriel paced restlessly in front of the fireplace. Astrid glanced over at him repeatedly until she finally caught his eye; then she winked. His grin was slow and smoldering; she sat back with a satisfied smirk.

Vivian's mother saw the exchange, too. "Bitch," she muttered. She leaned across Vivian to complain to Renata Wagner, then looked over at Gabriel and licked her lips pointedly.

Renata laughed. "Stop it, Esmé."

Vivian turned away, embarrassed.

"Can we have quiet, please," Rudy shouted.

Jenny Garnier flinched and clutched her baby closer to her. She'd been as raw as a trapped rabbit since she'd lost her husband in the fire. Rudy reached out from his perch on the overstuffed arm of the couch to pat her shoulder reassuringly.

Everyone looked his way expectantly. Well, almost everyone.

Willem and Finn cackled and batted at each other to either side of Ulf, who dodged between them, a panicked look on his small, pale face. Rafe was telling the awestruck Gregory how big some girl's breasts were.

Rafe's father, Lucien, twisted around in the easy chair he slouched in. "Quit it," he growled, and raised a fist. Rafe glared at his father, but he waited until Lucien turned away before he gave him the finger.

"The insurance money's come through," Rudy said into the silence. There was a brief hiss of whispers. "We've got enough to do what we want now."

Vivian bit back a yelp of outrage. This was the news they'd been waiting for and Rudy hadn't told her. They had eaten breakfast together, for Moon's sake.

"And the funny thing is," Rudy continued, "we wouldn't have got the money if Sheriff Wilson hadn't spent so much effort covering up the evidence that the fire was arson so his buddies wouldn't get in trouble."

"Three cheers for Sheriff Wilson," Bucky Dideron called, to gales of laughter.

Rudy raised his arms. "Okay, okay."

The room quieted.

"My agents checked out some viable properties," Rudy said. "It's time to choose where the pack will go."

"And who'll lead us," Gabriel said. Vivian was irritated to see Esmé smiling. There was no mystery about who she supported.

On the floor in front of their oblivious mother, Gabriel's sisters  -  disturbingly similar eight-year-old triplets - were intent on finding out who could sit on top of the others the longest. Vivian itched to go over and smack them till they yelped. Before she gave in to the itch Gabriel leaned over and whispered something to them and they settled down.

Old Orlando Griffin spoke up in a quavering voice. "Rudy, you're the one who's pulled it all together. You took us in when we were homeless, helped us settle in an unfamiliar place, found the lawyers, and found the agents. You've been a good leader while we've been here." He pointed to Rudy with a burn-scarred hand. "I vote you leader for the move."

"I appreciate your support," Rudy said. "But I'm not going with you."

"Rudy!" Esmé exclaimed.

Rudy ran his fingers through his badger-gray hair. "My life's here. I was willing to help while I could and get things going again, but now it's time for you to move on, and for that you need a different type of leader than I have the strength or the will to be."

"You're assuming a lot," Astrid called from her window perch.

Rudy's brow creased. "What do you mean?"

"What if we don't want to go?"

Vivian was amazed when Astrid wasn't immediately shouted down.