Looking around, he wondered where his clothes had gotten to, but he was in his hybrid form, and everyone around were lycans, so he just said 'screw it' and padded out the door and over to the house.

  "Does this mean the next machine is done?" Silver, Hunter's mate, asked as he entered the back of the house.

  Sean nodded. "Yup, get a couple of people to move it over with the other ones and start using it."

  "Okay, I'll let Oak know."

  Sean nodded and went down to Deidre's room. Opening the door ,he stepped in to find her going over some papers and doing something with an Excel spreadsheet.

  "Master Sean! What brings you to my most humble abode?" Deidre asked with a smile, looking up at him. She didn't miss the fact that he was naked; she also didn't miss the fact that he was looking tired.

  "I thought I'd find out just where we were financially." Sean yawned and stretched again, then spying Deidre's bed, he shifted back into human form and spread out on it, face down.

  "Worried about those helicopters you promised Chad, Master Sean?" Deidre teased.

  Sean nodded. "Just a bit."

  "Well, we've got just a bit over two million in the accounts right now."

  "Ugh, I think those helicopters are like seven million apiece," Sean grumbled.

  "Actually, Master Sean," Deidre said getting up from her seat and coming over to him, "they're only four to five million."

  "Only?" Sean chuckled.

  "Well, the GSA is auctioning one for under a million, and we're making a bid on it, but Terri has told me it will probably need at least a couple million dollars worth of work to bring it up to airworthiness."

  Deidre put a hand on his back. "You feel rather tense."

  "I've been bent over a workbench for the last seven hours," Sean grumbled. "I think I ate lunch, but I honestly don't even remember."

  Deidre ran her hands over his back; Sean really was an extremely well-built young man, but then again, he was a lion, so she wasn't all that surprised. Climbing up onto the bed, she straddled his butt and started to give him a backrub.

  "Oh, that feels good," Sean sighed. "So just how are we set financially?"

  "Well, the necklace machines are putting out almost two hundred and fifty units a day, each. If you just finished another one, that means we're looking at thirty-three hundred units a week, or three point three million dollars."

  "Whoa, that much... wait, how much are they going for now? That's only like a grand each?"

  "Sawyer is holding the price steady at two thousand dollars," Deidre said as she started in on his neck muscles; they were definitely tight.

  "Why do we only get half?"

  "Because that's the deal you made with him, and he is fronting us the money."

  "Sawyer has that much cash?" Sean asked and then all but purred as she hit a tight spot.

  "Apparently. Though I'm sure we won't be giving him all our necklaces, right Master Sean?"

  Sean nodded, there were going to be a lot given away to those they freed.

  "What are the tags selling for now?"

  "About five thousand."

  "And Sawyer gets half?"

  "Yes, Master Sean."

  "I'd say we may have to renegotiate with him eventually, but he's been a solid ally in all this. How many tags are we selling?"

  "Out of the six hundred or so we make a week, only half, so a hair under eight hundred thousand a week."

  Sean gave a small nod and thought about it, enjoying the effect of Deidre's hands as she worked her way down his body. She really was quite skilled, and it felt incredibly nice.

  "So, we're making three million a week now?"

  "Not including the money from the rhodium sales, Master Sean," Deidre said, and leaning forward, she started kissing him on the back. "That money takes longer to come in, but it's looking like three hundred thousand a month."

  "So it sounds like I really need to build some more tag machines." Sean was feeling a lot better now that he knew their financial situation wasn't as dire as he'd feared. Also Deidre's kisses on his back, along with her talented hands, were definitely giving him other ideas.

  "What you really need to do, Master Sean, is roll over," Deidre teased in a husky voice.

  Smiling, Sean decided to do just that.

  I Have Seen

  "Ah, there you are," Sean's friend John said to him as he came out of the master bedroom, wearing a pair of shorts and toweling his hair dry. "Isn't it a bit late for a shower?"

  "Eh, been working all day," Sean said with a grin. "What brings you by?"

  "Working? Is that what they're calling it now?" John teased, "Actually, I came by to invite you to a sweat. I talked to my cousin, the one I told you about that's one of our medicine men, or shamans, if you prefer. He told me to bring you by."

  Sean stopped drying his hair and looked at John. "When?"

  "Now."

  "Now?" Sean asked, surprised.

  "Yup. So grab a shirt and some shoes if you want, and let's go."

  "Damn, hold on, I need to let the girls know where I'm going!"

  'Comments?' Sean prompted the First as he went and found Jolene; Roxy was nowhere to be seen.

  'Be polite. It's bad luck to piss off a Mystic.'

  "Where's Roxy?" he asked, looking around.

  "Oh, she's dragging that secret service guy all over and introducing him to the different lycan leaders. I think her dad is actually flying up for dinner tonight."

  "Damn, talk about throwing him into the deep end!" John laughed. "I've heard stories about her dad."

  "Really?" Sean asked. "From who?"

  "You mostly." John grinned. "But Sawyer is deathly afraid of him, even Claudia minds her P's and Q's when he's in the room."

  Sean shook his head, "I keep forgetting you've known all these people for a lot longer than I have."

  "So, what's up?" Jolene asked.

  "I'm borrowing your hubby, here," John said.

  "Hmm?" Jolene asked, looking between the two of them.

  "John wants me to meet his cousin, he's a shaman?"

  John nodded. "When I told him I was friends with Sean, he asked me to bring him out tonight."

  "Well, just don't keep him out too late." Jolene smiled and gave Sean a hug and a kiss. "We've got plans for him tonight."

  " I guess that's why he looks so tired," John said with a smirk.

  Sean just shook his head and sighed.

  "Well, let's go," John said and grabbed Sean's arm.

  "Wait, can't I get dressed first?"

  "We're going to a sweat, trust me, the shorts are more than enough."

  Sean shrugged and let John drag him outside to his van.

  "Where's Cenna?" Sean asked, looking around as he got in

  "Meeting the parents. Oddly enough, they like her."

  "Why is that odd?"

  "'Cause they've hated every one of my girlfriends I've introduced them to before." John shrugged and started up the van.

  "Well, two points for her I guess. So just what is a sweat?"

  "We all sit around in a sweat lodge and do just that, sweat."

  "Why?"

  "Because it's where things happen."

  "What kinds of things?" Sean asked, curious.

  "Visions mostly. I would never have told you this before, because you would never have believed it, but my cousin is quite gifted."

  "Is this the same one that married Jane?"

  John laughed then. "Oh no! That's Pad."

  "Pad?"

  "His real name is 'Walking Bear', but we just call him Pad for short; 'padooa' means bear."

  "Oh." Sean nodded and thought about that a moment. "So what's your real name?"

  "John."

  Sean looked over at him, and John just shrugged. "My dad isn't much for traditional names. Not everyone on the res is, you know."

  "Seeing as I've never been there, I wouldn't know," Sean said with a shrug. "Like you said, I was about as mundane as they come. All I wanted was a good job and a nice income so my mom and I could move out of that damn trailer and live someplace nice for a change."

  "Well you got all that now, right?"

  "Yeah, I guess I do," Sean agreed. "But some of the baggage that's come with all of this?" Sean shook his head and snorted. "Can you imagine it? Me of all people, leading a revolution?"

  John nodded. "Actually, yeah, I can."

  "Seriously?" Sean asked him.

  "Yeah, you always had this vibe going on that you were this bunched up wild animal, just waiting to break free and pounce. I thought it was just because of all the crap you had to put up with to help your mom put food on the table and keep a roof over both your heads. But now, now I'm starting to think it was just staring me in the face the whole time, but I just couldn't believe a guy like you actually had something spiritually powerful going on inside."

  "Gee, thanks," Sean grumbled.

  "Don't mention it," John said, grinning. "Now, let's see what my cousin wants with a lion."

  "Hopefully nothing that makes me miss dinner," Sean said and stretched, yawning.

  "Don't they let you sleep?" John teased as they pulled onto the reservation.

  "It's not just them; it's all the other people who want a piece of my time."

  "Well, don't fall asleep on us, Kweeda will not take it lightly."

  "Kweeda?"

  "My cousin. It means 'smoke'."

  "Oh."

  Sean looked at the small domed hut they'd pulled up in front of. There was smoke coming out of a small chimney on the far side, and an older sedan parked next to them.

  Getting out, he followed John over to the entrance, where they were met by a man who really didn't look all that much older than Sean or John.

  "So, you would be Sean?" Kweeda asked.

  "Yes, and you're Kweeda?"

  "Call me Ken, I know it makes it easier."

  Sean shrugged. "So what do you want me to do?"

  "Come inside and sit. We'll talk, discuss things, and see what we learn." Kweeda looked at John. "You too, Kosse."

  "Kosse?" Sean asked, looking over at John. "I thought you said you didn't have a name beyond 'John'."

  "It means 'dust'," Kweeda laughed, "and seeing as his job is often about obscuring things, I thought it was fitting to give it to him."

  "See? This is why I don't hang out with you anymore, Kweeda," John grumbled.

  Sean grinned. "Now now, John. Don't go pissing off the shaman, it's bad luck!"

  "Ah! See that, Kosse? Your friend is already proving wiser than you thought! Come, let's go inside and get comfortable. I scored some nice dwarven ale so we can relax."

  Sean nodded and followed Kweeda inside. It was a rather small room, with a bench built into the walls. The only light in the lodge came from a small, glowing fire that vented out from the far side of the door. John came in a moment later, after Sean had gotten comfortable. He'd stripped down to his boxers, and he pulled a cloth curtain over the opening and sat down across from Sean.

  "Now, let us begin. Sean, Kosse tells me that you know nothing of our traditions, so don't worry about what your role is. Kosse and I will say the blessings and make the prayers. Then, we can talk."

  Sean just nodded, and as he watched, the two of them went through a number of prayers or something. Sean couldn't tell, as they weren't speaking any language he'd ever heard before. But it was low and rhythmic, and he found it rather relaxing to follow along. By the time they were done, it had gotten quite warm inside the small lodge they were in, and he was covered in sweat.

  "So, Kosse and Cenna have both told me a great deal about your struggle; what's it like being the savior of your people?"

  Sean shrugged. "I'm not really their savior, I'm just a guy with a job to do. Hell, six months ago I wasn't even one of them."

  "You were always one of them, Sean. You just didn't know it. You were born a lion, you will die a lion."

  "I don't know about that," Sean chuckled, "I had to be bitten, infected, to become one."

  "Physically, perhaps, but ask your soul. The other lions, do they accept you as one of their own? Is your soul one of theirs?"

  Sean blinked. "Yeah, they do. They were all very surprised that I became one of them. They didn't expect it."

  "As I said, you were born to this; the spirits that move the world, the gods, they saw a need, and they created you to fill it."

  "Well," Sean said, thinking about it, "I guess so far I've done what they sent me here to do. We're freeing everyone; with any luck, by the end of the summer, there won't be a lycan in bondage anywhere in North America."

  "Are you sure that's your job?" Kweeda asked and handed Sean a mug with ale in it. It was warm, but it was wet, and it tasted good.

  Sean took a drink and then, lowering his mug, he looked into the glowing embers of the fire.

  "Well, yeah. You said it yourself; I'm the savior of my people. The lycans are my people, and I've been saving them."

  "No, Sean. The people of this country, of this land, of this continent, even those of the world, are your people. Those are the people you have come to save."

  Sean looked up at Kweeda, but he was gone, the lodge was gone, John was gone. He was sitting at a fire, a weakly burning one. It was dark outside, though he had the feeling it was always dark here, wherever 'here' was.

  Standing up, he looked around. The trees were all black, so too were the grass and the bushes. There was a soft breeze blowing, carrying the scents of things he didn't recognize. He heard the sound of a soft footstep and, putting his hand on the pommel of his sword, he turned towards the sound as a demon charged out of the trees at him. It looked like a raseri djevel, the same as the one he'd fought in Eugene.

  Drawing his sword, he spun it around and thrust at the demon, who dodged at the last minute, drawing a weapon of its own.

  They fenced then for several minutes as Sean started to realize he was wearing armor and holding a large faerie sword, and he was in his hybrid form. The demon feinted at him, tried to slip past his guard, and Sean made a move that he'd never done before and ran his sword through the demon, which suddenly spewed black blood everywhere.

  "We will have you, lion, one of us will have you, I swear it!" the demon gasped as it fell dead at his feet. Only those weren't the sounds that had come from its mouth. How had known what it said?

  "Sean! Sean!"

  Sean blinked; he was standing in the lodge, bent over slightly, swaying on his feet.

  "You okay, buddy?" John was asking him.

  "Yeah, I think I am," Sean said and slowly started to sit back down.

  "What did you see?" Kweeda asked.

  'Yes, what did you see?'

  'Didn't you see it?' Sean asked, surprised. The First always saw what he saw and knew what he knew.

  'No.'

  "I was in a forest, a black forest. It was dark, and a demon attacked me. I killed it with a sword."

  "What else?"

  "Isn't that enough?" Sean blinked.

  "You were out of it for an hour," John told him, "maybe longer."

  "Whoa, an hour?" Sean shook his head and looked at his small cup. It was empty, so he held it out to Kweeda, who filled it. "It only seemed like a few minutes…"

  "Such is the way of visions," Kweeda said.

  "You didn't put anything in this, did you?" Sean asked.

  "The ground we're sitting on is known for its mystical properties," Kweeda said.

  "So what did I see?"

  "Kosse has told me that you fought a demon not that long ago, is that right?"

  Sean nodded. "And this looked to be the same."

  "Only this time you had the weapons you needed to kill it, so you did."

  "Yeah," Sean said slowly, "but this time I wasn't in Eugene. In fact, I don't think I was anywhere on Earth at all."

  "Where else could you be?" Kweeda asked him.

  "I don't know," Sean admitted softly as he continued to think about what he'd just seen.

  "Then perhaps you should meditate on that. But I want you to consider this when you do: I have seen you standing on the hill with an army at your back, facing an unknown enemy. You have a destiny beyond your current one; you would be wise to consider just what it might be."

  "I think I have enough on my plate already," Sean laughed weakly and shook his head. It had all seemed so real.

  "I think we've sweated enough. Let's call it a night," Kweeda said and motioned for John to open the door.

  "Just think about what you saw," Kweeda said as Sean got to his feet a little shakily and followed John out into the cold night air.

  "Oh damn, I missed supper, didn't I?" Sean grumbled.

  "I'll hit the Jack in the Box on the way back," John told him.

  "I don't have my wallet; I'm wearing shorts, remember?"

  "Don't worry, I'll just add it to your bill," John said with a grin.

  §

  "Ah, good, you showed up!" Keairra smiled. "I thought I was going to have to go bother First to drag you here!"

  Sean shook his head, thinking about the fight he'd had in the vision. "I need to learn this, and I need to learn it as fast as you can teach me."

  "Oh? Why?" Keairra asked, looking at him questioningly.

  "Because I had a vision of me fighting a demon, and I had to use moves I don't yet know in order to win."

  "But you did win, did you not?"

  "Yes, but the demon said they'd get me next time, that someone would get me next time. So I don't think that'll be the only fight I'll be having with them."

  "How come you didn't say that in the lodge?" the First said, making Sean jump as he was now standing behind him.

  "Don't do that!" Sean growled. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to tell them, and I was a bit too disoriented after it happened to tell it just to you."

  "What exactly happened?" the First asked, looking at him.

  Sean recounted the entire episode as best he could remember. He didn't miss the look that passed between the First and Keairra, his old mate.

  "What?" Sean asked.

  "It's nothing."

  "Bullshit. Don't hold out on me, Dad," Sean growled.