The last response from Fane made me think that perhaps he was willing to reveal more about himself. After all, at the end of Bound all that we knew of him was that Roxana had died, and he had split his Pack from his former Queen, binding them to himself instead. Surely there was more to come. The change in Chain & Sprocket hinted at that much.

So, it led to the ‘obvious’ question off the list which I had submitted to the Hellhound Alpha. “My final question …” I was not willing to admit that I felt I had managed well just to reach this point. I cleared my throat. “My final question is this. How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?”

I told myself that the last thing I could show right now was fear, but then I forgot one key thing. Fear is what Hellhounds can scent from their prey, and the way that Fane’s eyes narrowed, that infinitesimal flare of his patrician nose, and that slowly, so slowly, growing smile, all of them told me that I could try all that I wish, but the Hellhound Alpha sitting in the really quite small office with me could not only smell my fear but he relished in that scent. Nectar to a bee. That would be it.

“What the fuck are you? Some kind of agony aunt? Or do you just have a fucking death wish, human?” The smile was more than just a hint now.

“Do you appreciate what it means that I have broken my oath of loyalty to my former Queen? Let me explain Hellhound politics to you. If you thought human elections could be cut-throat and full of vituperation, you have never seen the Hellhound version.”

“Well, I know it was an oath, so does that make you some kind of oath-breaker and thus a sort of outlaw?” I was taking a guess, if he said it could be worse that some of the anger and hatred generated during a political campaign.

“Hellhounds are created with one purpose and one purpose only: we exist to serve our Queens. We are their bodyguards and we are the ones who provide their food in the negative human emotions. The Queen’s Alpha conveys that ‘food’ to her, and in return, either she will share some of that bounty with her pack, or … other things might happen.”

I had heard rumours of those ‘other things’, and certainly, Fane showed no signs of impairment. Then again, after nearly six months since seeing his Queen, it was not surprising that he would have healed.

“I tore my Pack from our former Queen. Not just said, see you later. I tore us from her service. The Pack is now bound to me, through my use of blood magic: my own blood and that of my late sister, Roxana.” Fane’s voice had taken on a patient tone, almost like he was explaining to a child. I was too fascinated to take offence that he might consider me as such.

“With the energy that my Pack generates now flowing into me, I am the sole beneficiary, but it is a positive feedback loop. What they generate, I refine and feed back to my Pack. You humans might say “You scratch my back, I will scratch yours”. So, how do I feel abut my life right now? Pretty fucking good.” I had the impression that there was more.

“I will give you this much, human.” Fane leaned back in his chair, the leather squeaking under him. I jumped when a cat, incongruously wearing a leather vest, jumped up on the desk, before I recognised the workshop pet, Thing. Fane laughed at the visible sign of my tension. “It’s only a fucking cat, human.” He seemed to find this more than just amusing.

“I will admit that there are things I wish to change. But …” Again there was that smile. “… the point of this interview is that you find out about me, and I reveal just enough that it might tempt someone to read more about me. Am I correct?”

Fane sat up, leaning towards me, steepling his fingers, elbows on his knees. “Suffice it to say, there will be a couple of fairly major changes to the Anghelescu Pack in the very near future.” Again that smile. “Some fairly major changes.” He repeated. “They will involve all my Pack, not just me. Also, you may be certain that my former Queen is not going to just give up on my being her Alpha. She needs me as much as I might have needed her in the past. Roxana used to call me the ‘fucking Energizer Bunny’, and that is at least part of what I am to her. But I have also set a dangerous precedent. I broke free from my Queen, and my Pack thrives despite us not having a Queen to lead us.”

He smiled. The smile was wider. “Think about that, human. My Pack is thriving. We will continue to thrive and our former Queen will not enjoy any of that power. Do you really think she will let bygones be bygones.” He sat back in the chair again, watching me, waiting for my reaction.

The swallow was inadvertent, I swear it was. “I suppose when you put it that way, no, I doubt she will let you just continue on your merry way.” My voice was quiet. From what I knew, his former Queen was beyond vicious, and in breaking away, Fane had harmed both her power base and her reputation. Shit hitting the fan was an understatement. There was also the unknown of his relationship with Stefania, whom I understood had been appointed temporary Pack Beta following Roxana’s death. “She’s going to come after you, is that what you mean?”

“State the bleeding obvious, why don’t you, human.” Fane’s tone was derisive to say the least. “Of course she will come after me. She will want me back in service. More than that, she will want me to be her obedient slave. If she succeeds, anything she did to me before will seem mild in comparison.” Again that smile, the relish in the challenge facing him. “Having enjoyed six months of freedom, I have no intention of becoming a slave again. Of that you may be certain.”

Standing, he moved to the door. “Interview is over.”