Retaliation

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Hunting Cabin, Middle of Nowhere, Siberia

It had been a busy couple of months for Boris and his command group. Often they had to split into two groups, with Danislav leading one assault and Boris with Janna leading the other. Occasionally, four separate and simultaneous attacks occurred. Mopping up the outposts, bases and separated forces of the NVG had fallen to his group. The Russian military had been given the information, including that the group’s leader had been a German citizen. Given the potential political fallout from this, a compromise had been negotiated between the military establishment and Boris.

The number of criminals and former criminals that had been found amongst the casualties by military analysis teams was above twenty-five percent. The NVG needed to be broken up before someone strong took the helm. The military was leery of doing it, as were the internal police forces and the Border Force. That left calling up the national guard, as it was their role in Russia, legally speaking, or using Boris’s forces and calling it ‘fighting amongst criminal elements.’ He had agreed to take on that role if two conditions were met. The first was full clemency papers for every member of his group for the duration of the ‘necessary actions for the security of the state.’ The other was payment.

His group had provided enough of the papers and files to show that Konrad’s intention was to use the NVG to force the government to dance to his tune. Boris could prove that despite Romanovka’s history, they had never been a danger to the state. The NVG was. Some in the military were suspicious of his motives when he added two provisions to the deal. One was the monetary payment, which was about the same as it would have cost the military to mobilize units and neutralize the remaining NVG. The second was two suitable pieces of land surrounding bases of his choice to explore the repatriation and relocation of Romanovka’s people if they so wished. Throughout the negotiations, he had implied that his forces were mercenaries who he was either paying himself or owed him favors.

Considering what had happened with China, who had accepted the refugees, not to mention… other political concerns, they had decided not to press that point. Most of the military bases in question were in the east anyway. The Russian government was currently running a program giving land to foreigners to attract settlers to Siberia. So it wouldn’t cost the state anything if the price of that land was rolled into the existing program.

In exchange for their graciousness, Boris had agreed to hand over any prisoners. He had made sure any Were amongst the NVG died in battle. They had all fought to the end so it had not become an issue. The Weres knew the punishment Boris would exact for joining a group willing to commit mass murder. Better to die cleanly in battle had been their unanimous choice.

The exception was Shen, who remained with Boris’ team. The Werebear commander had permitted him to let his parents know of his safety so they didn’t worry. After weeks of working on small projects, mostly cross-checking captured records for them, Shen seemed a comfortable fit within the team.

He was still, however, a prisoner with work that was important but always double-checked. Shen was an essential part of the eradication of Konrad’s organization. It was important that it be eradicated, rather than cutting its head off only to have it grow back like a hydra. He had ten guards assigned to him permanently, both for protection and control. Considering that Shen was now free to shower, eat whatever he wanted, and sleep in a proper bed. His living situation had improved tremendously. It was evident that he appreciated the improvement and was becoming more comfortable with the team itself.

Boris knew that it was not ADAM or Tom’s fault that Janna had been almost killed, but it did not seem to calm his nerves anytime that he remembered the appearance of her unconscious body. His knowledge of the great abilities that they represented could not totally overwhelm the protective instincts of a Were for his mate.

Boris thought about how the last few months had changed him, his relationships, and the world around him. Behind his closed eyelids, he mentally compared his world before Bethany Anne and now, smiling a bit in reminiscence. He opened his eyes after his thoughts returned to the present, realizing that they were nearly at their destination.

They had a dozen small outposts left to conquer and the one large base, the Archangelsk. If only they could figure out where it was located. Its precise geographic site had been absent from all the notes. ADAM and TOM had tried several methods to try and find it from orbit but to no avail. The scans hadn’t picked up anything particularly of interest.

There was something peculiar about how Konrad had referenced the base, in every entry where he had written about it. Boris knew that there was something important there, something that teased his brain and tugged on his intuition. Bethany Anne agreed with him, knowing that it was important and feeling just as frustrated over their joint inability to locate it.

“Boris, stop that,” Janna said sleepily as he kept going over things in his head. “You agreed with Danislav’s choice of commanders to take out the recruiters and recruiting stations. When you go all analytical like that for long enough, it always wakes me up.”

She snuggled her naked back against him. The contact of her warm form brought back other, pleasant, memories of the last two months. He had been both surprised and pleased that combat gave her an uncommon reaction. She had been demandingly affectionate when they had reached safety after each mission. Not that he was complaining. It had been very enjoyable, he thought. It was nice to have found someone with whom he could share all of his life, rather than fleeting moments that were edited carefully. Being able to just be himself gave him a freer feeling than he had ever had.

It was also something he had never really dreamed could be an option. His mother’s warning against turning someone had pretty much ruled that out for him. He had never found a female vampire to his taste, since many of them were among the Forsaken. The few that were not had possessed an arrogance that set him on edge. Trying to build a relationship with a Were faced two problems. The first was that he was a Pack Leader, with the obligations that went with the position. Additionally, he was an oddity among Weres in that he had an extended lifespan. If he had taken a fancy to a Were, it would have complicated things within the pack, and he would have lost his mate after what was only a small portion of his life.

He felt a warmth in his heart that he had rarely experienced before in his long, long life. He realized that his life before he met Janna — apart from the all too short love a century ago — had been just marking time. He had causes and people for whom he cared but after seeing so much of the worst of humanity, he had kept them at arms length with very few exceptions. Paul, Danislav, a handful of others, he had let in close. But none of them as close as the redhead lying next to him.

“I know a way to distract you from your damned introspection,” Janna said with mischief in her voice. She rolled over and changed her word to action with a deep, lustful kiss.

They had a late and leisurely breakfast. After eating, Boris sat on the couch and Janna sat on his lap, kissing him and trying to prod him back to bed. It was not likely that they would have another chance at an uninterrupted weekend for some time. Boris was basking in her affection, and not tempted in the least to move at all. Both were noticeably startled and upset for different reasons when there was an interruption.

Their phone rang. It was set to only let four people ring through. Danislav, Paul, Bethany Anne, and Frank. Janna reached it first.

She looked at the name, clicked the button and started talking, “Frank, what’s so important that Boris and I can’t get a full weekend alone after nearly two months of combat operations back to back?” she said, unable to keep the irritation completely of her voice. She was worn to the bone. Everyone else involved, even Danislav, had already had some time off to avoid combat fatigue.

“Hey Janna, I apologize for the interruption, but we have two important items to give you updates about. Would you please put me on the speaker?” There was a pause, as she switched the phone to speaker. “Boris, I figured you would like to know you two didn’t end up splitting up Paul’s marriage by changing him. While Alecta was not happy, she used the situation to first insist, then argue, then finally ask that she and their sons have the right to choose the same change if they so wished. This was after not talking to Paul for two weeks once he got out of the medipod. Once she was properly respectful, Bethany Anne made sure she understood the risks. She ignored everything she had just been warned about and decided she wanted to be changed as soon as possible.” They could hear the amusement in his voice

Boris sighed and said “She was always worried that if he got severely injured on one of our jobs or missions that I’d change him and that afterward, he’d feel she was somehow less. That was just paranoia in my opinion. Paul dotes on that woman.”

“I’m more worried about what this will do to our longtime friendship. I am more than his boss, he is my friend. It would grieve me terribly if that changed. I do not want to lose his friendship and our closeness. Besides, this is worse in some ways. Until recently I didn’t know I, personally, could change people. Previously, Paul would only have been a werewolf. Now he is a werebear, which is not something his wife had ever prepared for or even thought about.”

Frank continued, “Bethany Anne agreed that inactivating the Pricolici protocols for the nanocytes in Paul was a good idea, so we used his as the base. Their sons are undecided as of yet. Alexi agreed to help the reconciling couple get used to their other forms a few weeks ago. I think he must be one of the few people who likes Paul’s sense of humor.”

There was a pause on the line, the two of them heard some paper shuffling, “The second thing that you need to know is that you need to get moving. Paul and Alecta will meet you at the location I plan on providing you. We have narrowed down a likely site for the Archangelsk Base. Just give me a time.”

Before Boris could answer, Janna said “We’ll get back to you.” She quickly killed the call.

“Just one more day Boris?” she asked, a pleading look in her eyes.

“Janna, this is important. We need to find the site. I am not thrilled about having to go to Archangelsk or the region near it, since it was the only place that I always got the headaches apart from being near Michael and Barnabas before Bethany Anne fixed me. I can now feel when the Etheric is drawn on but it no longer hurts. Also, my mother told me some family legends about the region that were somewhat terrifying, even when I think of them now. It is said that there was a beast in a cave there from whom our ancestors had fled but…” Boris said

“Wait… headaches?”

“Yes. Terrible headaches, triggered by the Etheric draw of the new technology.”

“Give me another day with just us and I’ll tell you of a way that I think we can vastly reduce the time it will take us to find the base.”

“Or you could tell me this miraculous method now and we could find it a day sooner,” Boris said in a teasing tone. He knew their time alone together would be cut short as soon as this weekend was over.

Boris, please? she thought to him, the need to continue their time together flowing with her thoughts.

Boris smiled and picked up the phone. He sent a quick message to Frank and said, “Okay, but we leave at noon tomorrow.”

He was almost knocked to the floor by the unexpected and very enthusiastic tackle hug. It was going to be a pleasant and very sweaty day he suspected.