by R. J. Blain
“I can’t see them like that,” Richard admitted. “Some witches claim they see ghostly figures, but I’ve never experienced that myself. I’m aware when they’re close, though. This went a lot better than I expected it to. Did you? See her wolf, I mean?”
“I did. She was wary at first, and then she became curious. Then she smelled around at Amber’s head for a while before sniffing at me. I got a light nip, but then she went to Amber and the shift started.”
“We nip a lot, so that doesn’t surprise me, and you’re a single male. The bitches love the scent of single male wolf.” Richard brought several paper-wrapped packages of raw meat I’d gotten from the butcher. “These are recent enough it won’t bother her, but we don’t give anything raw that’s been in the refrigerator for more than two days. We cook it first. Nothing is quite as bad as a new wolf sick from food poisoning on top of having ritual sickness. Most make beef stew, but for some reason, I expect you can do better than that. Petra, however, won’t care if it’s older than two days, so don’t worry about that. Fenerec are more sensitive to raw meat.”
“I rarely have anything older than two days in the fridge anyway. I tend to thaw it same day for her. Things were just a little hectic.”
“It’s fine,” he replied, handing me the meat. I tore into it, grateful I had Petra’s cut into small cubes so she wouldn’t choke on it. I offered the first piece to Amber, and she swallowed it whole before squirming in my arms to get to more of the meat. Richard observed while I fed Amber everything he’d brought out of the fridge. Once she’d eaten, he said, “I’ll get Desmond, and we’ll deal with the mess, and he can help handle finishing the rabbits.” Flinging open the door, Richard bellowed, “We need some help in the kitchen, Desmond.”
“Coming,” Desmond called back, and after a few moments, he stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind him. “Petra and Nicolina are romping. It might be a first, Richard. There’s a mundane canine that my daughter isn’t trying to bite because of you.” Lowering his voice, he asked, “How did it go?”
“She pulled through. It went better than I thought it would, but she’s expelling a lot. Declan’s going to either need you to take over holding her and cleaning up the mess, or you’ll have to handle the rabbits.”
“I already took care of turning and checking on the ones outside, so I can work the rabbits in here, too. I may not be a chef, but this is within my abilities.” Desmond crouched. “You okay with her being in my pack, Richard? You’re already stretched thin being so far away from your pack, and I can give her more attention.”
“Take her. Nicolina will cope with it, and it’ll keep Amber with Declan. Her wolf’s already introduced herself to him, so that’ll keep her comfortable.”
“Hand her to me, Declan. I want to be as gentle with her as possible for this.”
I obeyed, and Desmond sat beside me, stroking his hand over Amber’s fur. “You’ll get all the pampering you could ever want, so you just try to relax. And if we don’t pamper you right, Wendy will let us know about it later.”
Amber coughed, and to my relief, she didn’t resume hacking or throw up her lunch, which had weighed more than she did.
Magic worked in mysterious ways, and I wondered how the tiny wolf, who had a bulging stomach from having just fed, managed to hold everything we’d given her.
Richard grabbed his soiled shirt, scrubbed at the floor until the mess was mostly cleaned up, and eyed my fireplace.
“Remove the food before you toss that into the fire,” I ordered.
Grumbling curses, Richard checked the rabbits and his bread, declared them all to be finished, and transferred everything into the kitchen before consigning his shirt and Amber’s clothes to the flames. “The shift happened pretty fast, Desmond.”
“Amber was old and dying. The wolf would have known that and hurried things along. There’s no blood outside a few drops? Why is Declan bleeding?”
“I told Amber to bite him instead of scream,” Richard replied in a rueful tone. “She sank her teeth in and didn’t let him go until the very end. I am taking that to mean the wolf wanted to stake some claims, as she held on, even after the worst of the shift was over.”
“If it doesn’t stop bleeding in a few minutes, we’ll check it, Declan,” Desmond said. I became aware of several wolves howling in my head before quieting. “There you go, Amber. All done. Try to catch your breath, digest your meal without throwing it up, and remember you’re not actually dying, even though you probably feel like it right now. You’ll feel better soon. As soon as you’ve digested that some, we’ll get you shifted back to human, where you can end up throwing up even more. You’ll have a great time. Richard, do you want to break it to my daughter or do you want to sacrifice me to the cause?”
“However enjoyable sacrificing you to the cause is, let Declan handle it.”
“Me?” I asked. “Why me?”
“You control the brownies, and he who controls the brownies controls all right now. I should be more upset than I am over that, but I’ve tried your brownies, and I’m hoping you’ll share the recipe with me.”
“I will trade the brownie recipe for your best stew recipe.”
“Deal. I’ll even give you two stew recipes, because your brownies are that good.”
Desmond shook his head and handed Amber back to me. “Take Amber outside, tell my daughter, and let the puppy run around a little to stretch her legs. Once she tires herself out, we’ll get her shifted back to human, tuck her into your chair, feed her whenever she’s awake, and hope for the best. She’ll be fine, but I don’t know how hard the next few days will be on her.”
“It depends on the cancer, I take it?”
“It does. It depends on how badly deteriorated the rest of her body was before the ritual, too. Amber has been using a lot of illusions to hide her health problems.”
“She didn’t want anyone to know she was eating a lot and still losing weight.”
“We’d guessed. Nicolina has been in denial. Expect tears. If you can get the tears to stop in a reasonable time frame, I’ll get Wendy’s spaghetti sauce recipe out of her hands for you.”
“You want that recipe,” Richard informed me.
“I want every recipe I can get.” I cradled Amber in my arms, got to my feet, and stared down at my bloodied shirt. “Should I do this while wearing blood?”
“Right. Petra. I’ll come with you and make sure there are no problems on that front. Do you have a leash for her?”
I pointed at Petra’s leash, which Desmond retrieved. “Are we using a cover story?”
“No, we’ll just tell Nicolina the cancer was progressing faster than anticipated. She’s in denial, but she’s not in that much denial. She’s a smart woman.”
I expected problems, but as I had no reason to delay, I took Amber outside, whistled, and said, “Petra, heel.”
My wolf disengaged from where she’d been rolling around on the ground with Nicolina and bolted over, sitting at my side. I crouched, careful to keep a firm grip on Amber with one arm, while taking hold of Petra’s collar with the other one. “Good girl. This is Amber.” As I never could tell how much Petra understood, I said, “Try to be nice.”
The wolf pricked her ears forward and sniffled at the pocket-sized wolf. After a few moments of thought, Petra began to groom Amber, starting with her ears before addressing every hair of visible fur. Desmond observed, and once Petra finished, he nodded his satisfaction and clipped the leash onto her collar.
“I take it that’s what we wanted to happen?”
“Amber smells sick, and since you’re holding her, that means she’s a sick pack member. We want to cultivate that behavior. I think she’ll make an excellent house wolf. I’ve never tried having a mundane wolf so close to Fenerec before, but it looks like it’s working well for you. Hey, Richard? Do you think we should try to turn one of the packs into a wolf rescue? If Petra’s adapting this well to Declan, this might work with the other packs.”
> “Declan’s probably an Omega, Desmond.”
I stared at Richard, and while Amber had mentioned her belief, I’d thought Richard had pegged me as an Alpha.
“Why do you say that?” Desmond demanded.
“I just performed the ritual, and his wolf didn’t even think about coming out to play. There was zero evidence of a control battle. I didn’t have to worry about him at all. He did exactly what he was told, his wolf did the same, and while he was curious, that was it. And yes, Declan, I was testing you. Alphas tend to have to control the pack during a ritual, and I’m skilled enough I could have easily controlled you if needed. It wasn’t needed.”
Interesting. “Amber had said something similar, that I seem to have a singular Omega trait, but I’m otherwise an Alpha, and since I could avoid shifting for so long, that I can’t be a regular Alpha.”
“Right.” Desmond shrugged. “You’re defying classification, and that’s fine.”
Nicolina prowled close, one of her white ears twisted back while one was pricked forward, and her eyes widened. She halted a few feet away and whined.
I praised Petra, careful to respect the wolf’s boundaries regarding petting her, got up, and carried Amber over to Nicolina, sitting down and placing the tiny wolf on my lap. While Richard might kill me over it later, I gave my leg a pat. Nicolina whined again, but then she crawled onto me, nuzzling Amber and sniffing at her. The white wolf weighed more than I expected, and I grunted as I got to deal with her full weight. Nicolina wrapped her paws around Amber and held her close.
“She wasn’t doing well, and I made for a very good scapegoat,” I told her.
Nicolina washed my face with her tongue, and I turned my head to avoid more wolf drool.
Richard chuckled. “It’s already going better than I thought. Not a single mournful howl. We might have to make cookies and brownies for the ladies tonight, Declan.”
“Sure. Is Nicolina going to bite me if I pet her?”
“That’s a lot of tempting fur, isn’t it? Go ahead and pet her. I don’t mind. If it keeps the crying and howling to a minimum, you can pet her all day long. I’ll finish the rabbits and get dinner ready while Nicolina gets that out of her system.” Richard went back into the cabin, and Desmond joined me while Petra heeled at his side.
“That?”
“She’s an overprotective Alpha,” Desmond explained. “Richard already had a chance to get it out of his system, and he was finished with his share of hovering when he confirmed he was all right with me bringing her into the pack. Nicolina will need longer. She’s been worried. And no trying to steal Amber out of my pack, Nicolina. We want to keep her and Declan together, and Declan needs to settle in the pack and get used to it.”
Nicolina grunted, but she bobbed her head.
“Good. Sanders, get everyone gathered up and into the cabin. It’s time to eat, and we need to talk.”
Chapter Eight
Richard and Desmond worked together to force Amber back to human form, and the woman maintained consciousness for less than a minute, dozing in my rocking chair, which resulted in a squabble between Nicolina and her father over handling the basics of caring for the woman. I wrapped Amber in my blanket, and when the fighting continued with no sign of ending, I picked her up, carried her to my bedroom, and tucked her into my bed while Richard followed me around.
My wolf enjoyed the task far more than appropriate. I did, too.
I returned to the main room, a headache brewing from the ongoing dispute between father and daughter. The addition of so many people in my space didn’t help, either. Anthony and Lane sat on the floor nearby, devouring their dinner as though afraid the rabbits might get up off their plates and escape. Elliot and Dante were with them, and they took more time with theirs, but they guarded their food like someone might steal it.
“There’s plenty for everybody, you know,” I muttered. What Amber hadn’t eaten of Richard’s stew had disappeared into the ravenous pits I’d invited into my home. Even Petra had gotten some, a gift from Nicolina, who wanted to earn her way into the animal’s good graces.
I foresaw Petra becoming spoiled within a week.
I gave Nicolina credit, however. The stew and an offering of a small bone kept Petra from trying to beg for a rabbit. The rabbits wouldn’t last long, as even the witches seemed determined to consume at least two.
My wolf marveled at the appetites of our guests.
“They’re idiots,” Richard informed me.
“Which ones are the idiots?” Even Sanders devoured his dinner like it might be stolen, leaving the translator as the only one sensibly eating at the table and taking his time with his meal.
Greig had already packed away three bowls of stew to go with his rabbit.
“Everybody, really. Desmond, Nicolina, please stop. Amber’s been put to bed. You’re fighting over nothing. Declan tucked her in, and she’ll stay plenty warm. We’ll keep an eye on her, and there’s no need to toss her into pajamas.” Richard glared at his wife and father-in-law. “Declan made you rabbit, so eat your rabbit, my beautiful. Then we’ll make cookies and brownies. Amber’s going to be fine.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Nicolina complained, and she headed to the table, which was burdened with food. She grabbed two rabbits, put them on a plate, and brought it to me. “You need to eat.”
Having already dealt with her on a mission to feed me once, I took the plate without complaint and headed for the fireplace to sit. “It was Amber’s choice.”
I didn’t lie, especially as Amber had been the one who wanted us to imply she’d died in her sleep if she hadn’t survived the ritual.
Nicolina grabbed a rabbit, sat next to me, and tore into the meat with her fingers, growling before taking a bite. “I know, I know. She wouldn’t want me to see her die if the ritual failed. And I’ve seen her medical file. There’s nothing any of the doctors could do, and the last few months could be bad. Really bad. It would have been a mercy. I know. I don’t like it, but I know.”
Richard sighed, went to his wife, and bent over to kiss the top of her head. “You can mother Amber all you want for the next few days. She’s going to be pretty sick. It’ll work out with the Russians, too. They’ll see how we care for our new wolves.”
“What if they want her?” Nicolina asked. “I’ll fight them all if they try anything.”
“They’re more likely to want Declan, and if Declan shows any interest in Amber where they can see, they’ll go after them both. Declan? Do you know anything about what they might do?”
“I don’t know anything, sorry. The little I have learned I’ve guessed at. They’re pretty reclusive, although they started with the talisman right away.”
“Just like us.” Richard sighed. “They seemed startled by how we weren’t against holding the boxes. Sure, the talismans are silver, and it’s not precisely comfortable, but the boxes are sufficient to protect us from the silver. Silver barely bothers me, but I definitely notice those talismans. They’re probably confused because we’re all going in and out of your cabin without paying that thing any mind. We’re all trained.”
Well, I shared something in common with the locals. I was confused, too. “Trained? How are you trained?”
“We get locked in suites where there’s silver in the walls until we build some base resistance. It’s annoying. It makes a great way to restrain Fenerec, help with the silver problem, and punish Fenerec without having to use lethal force. Elliot will toss us in if we annoy him, too.”
“It’s one of my few joys. If a Fenerec annoys me too much, I toss him or her into holding. If I like the Fenerec I’m tossing into holding, their mate gets tossed into holding, too. I’m single handedly increasing the pregnancy rate of Fenerec. And then I make Desmond and Richard handle making sure the bitches get through their pregnancies. Also, we need to make sure we’re back in the United States in a week and a half, or we need to import all of the bitches here. I do not want to import all of our pr
egnant bitches, Richard.”
“If I have to go to Beijing, you’re going to have to import the bitches. A trip to China on China’s dime could be fun.”
Elliot narrowed his eyes. “I’ve been wanting to launch a successful attack on China’s wallet for a while. Ignore everything I just said. When we get back to that city, I’ll put in some calls and get visas for our bitches and get them headed towards China. How many need you this moon, Sanders?”
“The pack went on a breeding frenzy,” Sanders replied with a shrug. “My mate is the only one of the lot who isn’t pregnant right now.”
“Again?” Elliot complained.
“It’s Sara’s fault.”
“How is it your mate’s fault?”
“The bitches whined to her, and she can’t tell them no. Her common sense dribbled out of her pretty ears, and now I’m stuck with a pack full of pregnant bitches out to eat Seattle out of pickles.”
Elliot bowed his head. “This is why I don’t usually ask. It’s like I knew, and if I didn’t ask, I could ignore your pack’s tendency to cause me headaches. Desmond?”
“Don’t look at me. Wendy eyed my throat but decided to wait another year before adding to our puppy problems.”
“Next year?” Nicolina squealed. “Really?”
“Only if Sanders and Richard can help and their packs are in an off season. You know how hard of a time your mother has.”
Nicolina turned her attention to her husband and narrowed her eyes.
“You already know what we’re doing in the pack, Nicolina. Don’t involve me in this. Anyway, I’m in the same shoes Sanders is in. I won’t be able to leave Yellowknife at all after the next moon. The only reason I got away with coming now is because the full moon is already over and everyone has been doing all right. I’ve also got a full house of witches helping out,” Richard said. “I’m okay with them coming to Beijing. My pack opted to mate the last week of the season to make it easier on me and keep everybody grouped together.”
