Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

You have to send for her.”
    Rule’s face was tight. “Two things you need to know. First, she isn’t under my authority.
     Second, she’s a young mother with a new baby, and Friar wants to kill her.”
    Hope drained from Jasper’s face as visibly as water swirling down the drain. “Then
     you won’t—you can’t—”
    “I can’t send for her. I can ask her to come.” Rule looked at Lily for a long moment
     and sighed. “I will call her.”
    “Like hell you will!” And Cullen sprang at him.

TWENTY-NINE

    L ILY transferred quickly to the couch to get out of the way. Rule parried Cullen’s charge
     with a variation on a hip lift—and sure enough, Cullen crashed into the chair she’d
     just vacated. It toppled. Lily sighed. “So much for the undamaged furniture.”
    “What—” Jasper turned wide eyes on her. “Aren’t they going to stop it? I thought those
     men were Rule’s guards, and he’s the big leader. The Rho. Why are they just standing
     around?”
    “Cullen is Rule’s friend. He’s got certain privileges.” She winced. The next exchange
     of blows had been so quick she didn’t see who got hit where, but when they separated
     Rule’s nose was bleeding. “Plus Cullen is Nokolai, not Leidolf, so Rule is his Lu
     Nuncio, not his Rho. The rules are different for a Lu Nuncio, and Rule hasn’t ordered
     Cullen to stop.”
    “Being friends means it’s okay for Cullen to beat the hell out of Rule?”
    “Not that different from human men, are they? Don’t worry. He can’t hurt Rule too
     much. Cullen’s fast, but Rule’s a much better fighter. He—shit!”
    Rule had gone sailing this time, skidding on his back into a table—which nearly went
     over, but Scott darted forward and steadied it at the last minute. Lily sent him a
     pleased smile. “Rule wants to let Cullen burn off some steam. The Finder you want
     so badly is Cullen’s wife.”
    “His…but lupi don’t marry.”
    Lily looked down at her ring. “Cullen’s unusual in many ways. And your assumptions
     are out of date.”
    “I know. Sorry.” He waved a hand. “But I thought you and Rule were the first to decide
     to tie the knot.”
    “You can’t believe everything you read. Cullen and Cynna kept their wedding quieter
     than we are keeping ours.”
    “Cullen—” Rule ducked a roundhouse kick. “I’m trying not to break any of your body
     parts,” he said, exasperated, “but you need to start calming down.”
    Cullen crouched. “When you tell me you aren’t going to drag Cynna into this—”
    Enough. “He won’t have to.” Lily stood. “I’d already decided to call her.”
    Cullen spun to face her, anger and incredulity vying for control of his ridiculously
     beautiful face, which was bleeding where one of Rule’s blows had connected with his
     cheekbone. “You would do that?”
    “Before we left, she asked me to promise I’d let her know if we needed her. I did.
     She wants to be sure it’s her decision, not yours or mine or Rule’s.” She glanced
     down at Jasper and added gently, “It doesn’t mean she’ll come. She may not be able
     to. But I will ask.”
    Cullen stared at her, turned, and stalked into the bedroom. He was limping slightly.
     A few seconds later she heard the water come on. He must have noticed the blood and
     decided to wash it off.
    She went to Rule. In the few seconds since the fight stopped, both his eyes were turning
     black and his nose had swollen. Lupi healed fast, but they went through all the stages
     first. He was breathing through his mouth. “Ouch. Your poor nose.”
    He touched it gingerly. “He’s a quick son of a bitch. It’s displaced. Mike, you put
     Samuel’s nose back when it got knocked out of—”
    “I’ll do it,” Cullen called from the bathroom.
    He sounded peevish rather than furious, but Lily raised skeptical eyebrows at Rule.
     Cullen had the training—if he’d bothered to finish, he could have gotten his medical
     degree—but how careful would he be at the moment?
    “He messed it up. He can put it back.” Rule looked around the room. “Not too bad,
     considering.” He took a couple of steps and righted the chair. “The leg’s a bit loose,
     but it isn’t broken.”
    “Scott saved the table.” Lily retrieved her notebook and coffee cup from the rescued
     table. In spite of Scott’s care, most of the coffee had slopped out, so she went to
     refill it. Whether through chance or instinct, the combatants had avoided the