Sharkbait Ch. 56-65

"Back in the car," I ordered. The three warriors started to push towards the rear door of the car, where the driver waited with the engine running. Some members of the crowd saw what we were doing and moved to block us, but a loud growl from the dog stopped them. Hands reached out to grab us, and I heard a rip as the sleeve of my dress tore in someone's hand. Amy pulled loose from another's grasp, and our guards formed a wedge to make a path for us. Amy and I grabbed onto their suit jackets to keep up after we broke out of the people. The first warrior got the door, and Amy and I piled in the back with our guards. As soon as we were all inside, we were moving. I watched as our fans filled the street, watching us drive away. "Everyone all right?"

Nothing more than bruises with my ruined dress being the only damage. Since we were werewolves, we pulled out another dress from the emergency clothes we kept in the car, and I quickly dressed behind the tinted windows. The driver looked back as we stopped at a light. "Where to, boss?"

"Home for now," I said. There was no point in us trying to go to orientation, not when the reaction was like this. No one said anything as we drove. The ten-minute drive took twice that, as we shook the paparazzi trying to follow us to the condominium the Three Sisters Pack maintained near the campus for Pack students. I just shook my head as we moved through the city, amazed at how things had changed. I'd been famous before, I'd hung out with celebrities, and I could handle crowds. My newfound wealth, and the scandalous manner I'd attained it, had the gossip rags out for blood.

We parked in the garage, letting it close before we got out. No one at the school knew where we were living, and we weren't going to advertise it. "I need to talk to the Alpha about this," the lead warrior said.

"I'm going to call the Dean's Office and see what we can do," I said. "It's more than Campus Security should deal with."

"I don't think it will calm down that quickly, either," Amy said. "Too many people want a piece of you, and they'll go after me to get to you."

"You're pretty popular on your own," I teased.

"I'm happily married, though. You're the dream girl," she teased as she went into her room.

I looked up the number for the Dean's Office and had him on videophone a few minutes later. "I want to apologize for the commotion," I told him as I closed the door to my room to talk.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Miss Lawrence," he said. "I've already been briefed by Campus Security. We should have assigned more people to you knowing your celebrity."

"It was more than I normally get," I said. "I thought this would work for me, but it won't. My presence puts the school and your security team at risk. I'd still like to meet you and the faculty I'll be working with, but walking around campus won't be happening." We discussed some options and agreed to a new plan before I hung up.

"Are there any good barbecue spots around here," I asked as I came back out.

"Way ahead of you, Sharkbait," Amy said. She handed me the tablet, which had the menu for Bill and Tim's Barbeque and Taphouse. "All of us have our orders in already." I added a brisket sandwich and a full rack of rib plate to the list of food and charged it to my new corporate card. My accountant and investment lawyer knew I'd need more anonymity, so they formed two entities. The "Three Sisters Investments, LLC" card was for personal use, while "SB Fashions" was for business. It made it easier to separate things come tax time.

"We meet starting at noon, so there's plenty of time for the food to arrive." I explained the arrangement I'd come to with the Dean. I'd linked it to the warriors as I talked through it, so I knew the Alpha was in agreement too. "All of our course work is going to be online since it's too dangerous for us to attend classes. We meet in the administration building with the Dean. He is arranging for all our Professors to stop by between one and four. We'll get a chance to meet them, get our course materials, and ask questions." I guess when you are rich and famous, the Dean assigns real staff to you. Our fellow freshmen would be lucky to see a professor, as graduate assistants teach undergraduate classes.

"So much for having fun as college students," Amy said.

"We're heading back to the Pack tonight," the lead warrior said. "You can stay and relax for a few days while Alpha Steven works out a plan for your security. You saw what it was like here; it's going to be like that everywhere." I hadn't seen it because we'd stayed home and flown a private jet up here. This morning was my first public appearance; I could just imagine the circus my next Bodyglove event would be.

"I should do an interview or something to get the media off my back," I said.

"I bet Mercedes would love that," Amy said.

I sent our boss a text, asking her for help in setting something up.

The import of what Alpha Steven wanted finally hit me. "We're going to have to move," I said. Amy groaned, she liked our place. "The cops won't keep people away from our rental home forever, and it isn't big enough for the security we will need."

"I can't live alone yet, and I don't want to move in with Mom and Hammer," Amy said dejectedly. Her vision loss meant she couldn't live alone.

"I'll start looking for a bigger place to rent," I said. "Something with five or six bedrooms." We'd need three or four for us, plus room for the guards.

"Call your investment guy. Real estate is a good investment, and he'll probably want you to buy for tax reasons." I did, and Amy was right about his advice. We spent the next hour looking at places for sale in Coronado; we liked being close to the base, and I wanted a house with a boat slip, pool, and hot tub. It was quickly apparent that the pool wasn't happening, at least on Coronado Island. Real estate was too valuable to waste on a swimming pool. The houses were built as big as possible, right up to the zoning setbacks. The canals gave the most expensive homes private piers that could access San Diego Bay. I found a few candidates and sent them off to my investment guy to review. "We've got one other problem with buying a house," I suddenly realized.

"You've got the cash and the roommates," Amy said. "We just have to find the right one!"

I shook my head. "No. The Vampires." Amy and the other warriors looked at me, not understanding the problem. "Part of our arrangement with the Vampire Master in Los Angeles when we came out was that we would be living there temporarily while your husband was in training. Luna Adrienne set it all up for me. It's quite a different story to be buying a house there. Now your Mom and brother have moved in, and she might turn Hammer? Instead of four students, we could have a former Luna, a new Werewolf, an Alpha heir, four Beta heirs, and as many as four warriors living in two houses in Coronado. The Vampires will rightly see us as a Pack setting up in a major city."

"You'd think you'd have some pull with the Vampires now," Amy said. "You can work it out."

I had to laugh. "I think I'm good with two of the Masters, but to the others? They have to know I poisoned and killed one of their strongest Masters and got away with it. I don't know if they'll be proud, scared, or pissed."

"You need to talk to Adrienne," Amy replied.

"Yeah." I went back to my room to make that phone call. It took ten minutes to update her on everything happening to me.

Adrienne reminded me that Master Vampire Caroline Grey was over the Los Angeles region, but San Diego was a large enough city to have a coven of four vampires in it. Coronado was technically not within the San Diego city limits, but it was right across the bridge. "I can't see the Vampires allowing a small Pack into their backyard, Vicki. You should think about moving elsewhere, and not just for that reason," she said. "You've seen the properties in San Diego; there are no yards, no woods to run in, no place for your wolf to get out. Security is a nightmare there. Homes have no buffer zones to the property lines, you have access from both roads and water, and you are unable to shift with the people and surveillance around."

"It hasn't been that bad," I said.

"There's more. Land prices are insane, even with your wealth. Kai is only there for a year, then he and Amy might end up based on the East Coast. Susan and Luke are with Hammer now, and he can't learn to be a wolf out there. Why would you go long-term on a short-term situation? Is this the place you want to set down roots? You could find your mate tomorrow, Vicki."

I had to laugh at that, but she had a point. I was eighteen and not ready to tie myself down to anyone or anything just yet. "What should I do instead?"

She hesitated for a moment. "You need to meet with Master Caroline sooner, rather than later," my former Luna said. "Susan, Luke, Kai, Amy, Makaela and Noelani are all one family; you and your security are not. Your mantle, your deeds, and your fame make it unlikely that she will let you stay in Coronado with the security detail you'll need. Perhaps you can work something out for a more rural location between San Diego and Los Angeles, or up in the mountains."

Wonderful. "You are right in that we have to meet," I said. "I will call the Master tonight and set up a meeting," I promised. "Can you be there?"

"I could, but I shouldn't," she said. "I'm not a representative of the Council, I'm not your Luna, and I'm not part of your group. You need to handle this, Vicki. Your reputation exceeds mine, and you should use it."

"I suppose." I heard the door open, and that meant lunch had arrived. "Thank you, Aunt Adrienne."

"You left to make your way in the world, Vicki. So far, you've gone far beyond anything I dreamed. Be well, Sharkbait."

"I love you." I hung up and went back out, the smell of barbecue filling the room. It was all right for Eugene, never to be confused with a barbecue hotspot. Loading into the car again, we drove back on campus and pulled into the parking garage at the administration building. Out of sight of anyone else, Campus Security escorted us to a conference room where the Dean was waiting.

The meetings were a mix of logistics and solicitation. The faculty was helpful and supportive, thrilled to have us as Ducks.

The fact that we hadn't started classes yet didn't stop the Dean from pushing me for donations to the University.

Ah, the joys of sudden wealth.

Ch. 59

As it turned out, we didn't have much choice about whether we should move. We had a one-year lease on the condo, but that didn't matter. All the police activity created a 'nuisance' for residents, and that was a violation of the lease agreement. I didn't care; we'd already determined the condo wouldn't work for us, and we didn't have that much there anyway. I passed the details on to my accountant with instructions to close things out by the end of September.

Amy flew down to San Diego to rejoin Kai's sisters in the townhouse, with Kai's mother as her escort. Alpha Steven wanted me to spend some time at his Pack, and I needed it. I drove back to Three Sisters with the rest of the guards. My wolf wanted to run, and the mountains had me raring to go. The guards could tell; as soon as we crossed onto Pack lands, they asked if I wanted to run the rest of the way with them.

Hell yeah, I did!

The driver pulled over, and I stepped out and tossed my clothes in the back before shifting. It felt great to be in my fur again. I shook out my grey-over-white coat before I trotted over to the side of the road with the two warriors. They ran into the woods with me following close behind the pair.

It felt so good to stretch my legs, and the two set a fast pace. The warriors had size on me, but I was a better runner. I paced them until I recognized the trail heading home. Barking out the challenge, I sprinted ahead of them and ran hard for the Pack House.

They had no chance. I sent a mental call to the Alphas, letting them know I was minutes away from the front door.

I broke out of the trees into the clearing and tore across the lawn. The pups were playing in the grass, and they barked and ran towards me as I blew past them at full speed. I didn't slow as I approached the six steps leading up to the overhanging porch at the front door. Instead, I leaped high, shifting in the air and stumbling towards the front door where an amused Alpha Steven kept me from crashing into the wall. "Having fun," he asked as Luna Carolyn tossed me a T-shirt dress out of the cabinet nearby.

"Loads," I said as I pulled it over my body. The two warriors were just breaking out onto the lawn, breathing hard from trying to keep up. "You have no idea how badly I needed that run."

"I think I do," he said. "Get your things to your room and then come to our office. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Yes, Alpha." My luggage was by the door; I grabbed the suitcase and bag and walked through the big lounge area towards the stairs leading to the third floor. Makai ran over and took the suitcase from me. "Thanks, little guy."

"I'm not so little, I've been working out," he said to my smile. Makai was Kai's 14-year-old brother, whose name means 'goes toward a sea' in Hawaiian. "Can I swim with you in the morning? Kai tells me that's the best workout."

"Swimming has always been my favorite," I said. "Easy on the joints, and builds strength without all the bulk. Be down here at five with your swimsuit, towel, and running shoes."

"I'll be here, Sharkbait. How is my brother doing?"

We reached the room I was assigned in the hall with the other Pack Betas; it was the smallest, but I was rarely here. I set the bags on the bed as Makai sat at the desk chair. "He whines a lot," I said with a smile. "SEAL training is incredibly hard, and his body needs time to recover on the weekends. He spends a lot of time sleeping and in the hot tub."

"How can he sleep with Amy there? I figured he'd be banging her like a broken screen door in a tornado."

I whipped a t-shirt at his face, and he wasn't fast enough to catch the unexpected missile. "That's your sister-in-law!" I said in my outraged voice.

He grabbed the shirt and tossed it back to me. "He is, right? I've got money down that she's pregnant before the New Year."

"You shouldn't bet on such things, because you'll lose. Amy and Kai have a lot going on with her vision loss and his training. If they decide it is not the right time for them to start a family, then they will take steps to prevent it. Regardless, it's none of your business what a mated couple does in private." I pulled out a pair of sandals and a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom. "Even if they broke the bed twice already."

"I KNEW IT," Makai said as he ran for the door. "Alpha says ten minutes."

I showered quickly before dressing and heading for the Pack offices in the opposite wing. The Alpha and Luna shared a big office with a conference room on each side for more private meetings. I sent that I had arrived, and they called me in.

Alpha Steven was sitting in one of the oversized chairs near the window, Carolyn on his lap. "Have a seat," he said as he pointed to the other chair. There was a glass of lemonade waiting for me, and I nodded to the Luna in thanks. "I guess we know school isn't going to work for you now."

I had to agree. "Maybe we could get away with being celebrities at UCLA, but not Oregon," I said. "And it wasn't just me, Amy's fans mobbed her too. Who knows? In a couple of years, if we stop modeling and doing appearances, it might get better?"

"I don't see that happening for you, though," Carolyn said. "Your modeling career is just taking off, and you're a rich woman. You'd have to find your mate and drop out of public life for a few years, and even that might not work."

"I didn't ask for this, but I'm going to make it work for good," I replied. "Amy and I are still under contract to Bodyglove for another nine months, and I already committed to additional events. I won't go back on my word. I need extra protection, and I'll pay for it. It isn't fair for the Pack to have to support my work otherwise."

"Getting people to help isn't the problem, Vicki. We have plenty of trained warriors and Betas willing to take on such thankless duties in crappy locales." That drew a laugh from Carolyn too. "If not for Amy needing to be near Kai, I'd ask you to stay here."

"I thought about that, I even thought about going back to Minnesota, but I told Amy I'd stay with her. She lost her sight because of me, and I need to be there."

"It wasn't your fault," Carolyn said.

"I know, but she's my best friend, and Amy needs me. Kai sees her on weekends, and he's sleeping for half of that time. She does her best, but she can't see well enough to live alone. We take the same classes; I can help her study while the twins are in high school. Susan has Luke with her, and she has enough stress to deal with already. We need to be there on weekends, and I don't want to be in a hotel." I told them about us getting evicted, and my conversation with Adrienne about the Vampires. "It's just for this school year. By next summer, Kai and Amy will be moving, and the twins will have graduated."

"October tenth they come of age, and who knows what will happen then? Imagine if those SEAL trainee twins are their mates? What a wrench that would be in the works."

I wouldn't mind that a bit as I liked Ricardo and Manuel almost as much as the girls did. The only thing holding them back was the knowledge that human mates were uncommon. As Beta females, the Pack would host a large party for them, inviting eligible males from Packs across the entire Northwest. "If their mates are out there, I pray to Luna they find them before the Scratch and Sniff."

"Your wolf needs to be out more often than you are letting her go, Vicki. I know you can't shift in Coronado, so you need to head somewhere at least every other week to shift and run. I need to be with you when you meet with Master Caroline," Steven said. "The Council brokered the deal with the Vampires, but you are MY responsibility. We should set up the meeting before you make any other plans."

He was right. There was no point in looking for another place until we knew if the Vampires would let us stay. He made the call; we arranged to meet Master Caroline at her office in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. He reported the meeting to the Northwest Region Councilman while I chartered a private aircraft to take us down and the Alpha and his bodyguard back home.

I enjoyed my downtime, relaxing with other singles my age, and taking advantage of the Pack lands. It was all too soon when Alpha Steven led me into the 40^th-floor office suite of Caroline Grey. Two imposing vampires opened the doors and followed us in, remaining by the door. "Alpha Dauntless, welcome to Los Angeles," Caroline said as she stood up behind the glass and stainless steel desk. "And Vicki Lawrence, I've heard so much about you," she said.

"A pleasure to meet you," I said as I shook her hand.

She raised my hand to her nose, sniffing the skin. "It's true," she said. "You let Master Alexander feed from your neck."

"Once, and never again," I said.

"Please, sit," she said. We sat in the black leather and metal chairs. "You are far more than the college freshman and model that was represented to me when you moved out here, aren't you?"

"It has been a rather busy summer, and not the one I expected," I said.

She stared at me, and I held her gaze. Caroline was a beautiful woman, looking to be in her late twenties even though she was centuries old. Her skin was perfect, and her ink-black hair hung straight down past her shoulders. Her eyes were old and cold, and I had to look away before she could see into my very soul. "Tell me how you killed Master Alexander," she demanded.