by C. T. Adams
I followed along grudgingly. Nobody was telling me anything, and it was starting to annoy me. I spent a little time checking in with Sue in my head. It turned out that Pamela was Yurgi’s wife. She was human and also worked in an office. She was delighted to have someone to shop with. Sue swore she was being extra careful and looking at every male teenager she encountered, just in case Scotty had changed his appearance.
A pilot was phoning for a taxi when we arrived. He was fine when we first arrived, but not after a few minutes. As he waited on hold he started getting really fidgety, glancing our direction and gnawing at his lower lip. The hot and sour soup scent of his fear roared through the room, hitting me like a brick between the eyes. I was suddenly very glad we’d eaten the sandwiches. Even so, it took all my willpower not to attack him, rip his throat out. I forced myself to sit down and closed my eyes to blot out the images, but I heard the bang of the receiver as he hung up the phone in a panic and bolted from the room. I couldn’t blame the guy. I was feeling twitchy, and it showed. The moon was roaring over my skin, even through the snow, and I longed to race out into the cold to chase the quickly moving workers.
Once he was gone I rose and began to pace. Hunger burned through me and it was only Bobby and Asri’s power that kept me in check. My skin itched and burned. I wanted to rip it off, tear it to shreds and let the fur escape.
The room we were in wasn’t much to look at. A single couch sat next to a potted plant and a short row of chairs faced a small table holding the phone and a directory. The roaring of jet engines as they passed the building rose and fell painfully in my ears as I watched the activity outside. I was glad for my ear plugs.
One long window faced the runway, so it was easy to watch for arriving planes. Fortunately, a pilot would be too busy following directions and driving the jet into the hanger to look in the lounge. There were no windows between the lounge and the hanger, so we would remain hidden until he stepped in the room.
My ears perked up when the sound of one jet didn’t match the rest. I stared out the window, squinting into the swirling snow, and saw a small private jet quickly moving in for a landing. I whistled silently as it passed by. I’d seen one of the custom-made Maverick Leader jets only once before. They’re pretty, but pricey—over two million a pop. Still, my friend swore by his.
I focused my eyes on the cockpit, barely lit by the instrument panel, as the wheels touched down and it glided to a stop on the wet pavement with a descending roar. A Latino man with salt and pepper hair was surrounded by thick band of blue-white…no, wait—I blinked and he was suddenly different. The face was still broad, but the sweep of the nose was different, the lips fuller. The hair was dark brown and wavy. This man was white with an “I-spend-all-my-time-in-the-sun” tan, and the band of color surrounding him was now thin and golden. What the hell? Had I only imagined the first image? The jet passed by me in seconds, leaving me little time to muse on it.
“Is that your guy?” I pointed to the jet. Bobby and Asri, who were once again trading whispered barbs at each other, stopped in mid-battle to look out the window.
Bobby nodded and quickly began to zip up his jacket and return his hat to his head. “That’s the plane. Was a woman piloting it?”
“No,” I replied, both shaking my head and furrowing my brow. “It was a man.”
“What did he look like?” came the muffled words from behind the ever growing layer of knitted color.
I gave a short sniff of exhaled air, not quite a chuckle. “Good question.” A very good question.
Asri spoke when her jacket was again secure. “The storm is growing worse. The timing of this visit could be better. Tony will need to hunt soon and it will take time to reach a park.”
Bobby glanced at her sharply. “Don’t you mean that we will need to hunt?”
Asri’s eyebrows raised. “I seldom hunt on the moon. Usually I swim.”
I pursed my lips. I guess it never occurred to me that other species might treat the moon differently. Maybe dragons need to swim the way wolves need to hunt. I know they can swim. It hadn’t occurred to me it might be necessary.
Bobby was equally surprised, and opened his mouth. But he didn’t get a chance to ask his question, because the door to the lounge opened.
The man I saw last in the cockpit entered the room. He saw Bobby first, and a blue streak of muttered swearing caught my ear. His eyes flowed over Asri briefly, but spent a much longer moment looking at me. I’ve spent my whole adult life trying to remain unnoticed, so I’m acutely aware when someone does. It’s all in the eyes, and his showed recognition. All of my senses went on full alert. His scent was like fresh cardboard coated with lemon oil. He was dressed in worn blue jeans and a denim shirt under a leather bomber jacket that is the twin of mine, except brown. He looked away when he caught me staring, and his face went to schooled blankness. I continued to study him, watching for any chink in the armor.
Bobby’s mouth was still open, and his eyes had too much white. His jaw moved, but nothing came out.
“Bobby. You’re looking well.” The voice was as white bread, ail-American as the face and perfectly matched his football quarterback body.
“But…but you’re dead! For Christ sake, Greg—I saw you die!”
I didn’t know anyone named Greg, but it was apparent that Bobby did. Asri was also studying the man. She seemed confused, which told me that she was expecting to meet someone else. Her narrowed eyes relaxed and returned to normal. She was going to wait it out and see what happened.
“No, Bobby, you didn’t. You only thought you saw me die.”
Bobby’s surprise turned to anger in the blink of an eye. “I know what I saw, damn it! You ran back into the house and it exploded. I know you’re powerful, Greg, but nobody could have walked away from that!” He took two steps toward the man and stared at him, his eyes flashing.
“Unless that person planned the explosion,” came the quiet reply. “It was the end of the road for me, Bobby. I’d been in Wolven too long—made too many enemies. It was time for me to die.”
Bobby’s face was contorted in fury. I was surprised when he took a swing intended for Greg’s face. The bigger man caught Bobby’s fist and held him effortlessly.
Ah ha. His eyes flashed for a moment when he got angry. If I hadn’t been watching so close I would have missed it. A brief flash of blue-white flared from his pupils before it settled back to gold. The voice dropped a few notes past the normal solid baritone, and betrayed his growing annoyance.
“Knock it off, Bobby. Other people have left the company and nobody ever cared. Why am I any different?”
“You devastated us, man! Fiona wouldn’t talk to anyone for nearly a month. Raphael quit the agency and has never been the same. You self-righteous, self-centered son of a bitch!”
Wow. I guess I didn’t realize that they were close. Bobby’s never really been close to any of the guys since I’ve known him. Now I knew why.
Greg shook his head—small, quick movements that ended with a harsh release of breath. “You’ve got it all wrong, Bob. Fiona knew. You think I walked away without my pension? Why do you think Fiona does the payroll herself? I’m not the only dead agent, you know. And as for Raphael—we both know his leaving the company had nothing to do with my death. He brought about his own downfall.”
Bobby’s arms were crossed tight over his chest. His initial fury of pain had gone cold. “Why now, Greg? Why show your face after all these years?”
The reply was sarcastic and biting. “I didn’t intend to show my face, Bobby. You surprised me, remember? And—speaking of which…” He turned to Asri. “I don’t know you. Who are you and why are you here?”
She stepped forward slightly and raised her face to meet his. “I am Asri Kho. I was sent here to welcome you to Chicago on behalf of Nikoli Molotov and drive you back to meet him.”
A shadow of a smile passed over his face. “Fair enough. I did ask who and why. Perhaps I should have asked how? How did yo
u come to be here—in Gary, Indiana—at this time—in a snowstorm? How are you here?”
She shrugged her shoulders, which drew a frown from Greg’s face. “I’m afraid I know very little. I was instructed by Nikoli to pick up the pilot of the jet that just arrived. I didn’t know who would be in it. You would have to ask Nikoli about the details.”
Greg nodded his head briefly as his nostrils scented the air. I couldn’t quite tell whether he’d spotted Asri’s lie, but I could see it in her eyes. He pursed his lips and casually sat down on the stiff wooden chair at the table. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. “Let’s try that again. I think we should all sit down and have a chat before we go see Nikoli.”
Bobby sat down on one of the chairs automatically. He was still angry, but the thick antifreeze of curiosity won out. Apparently Asri had been bullshitting us all evening.
I couldn’t sit. I was too edgy, but I did at least lean against the wall near the towering ficus in the corner.
“I would prefer to stand,” Asri said calmly.
The blinds on the window suddenly dropped and snapped shut, just like Bobby had done at my house. “And I would rather you sit.” The word ended with a dagger edge and I watched Asri’s face grow startled and her eyes change from defiant to nervous. I knew why. A blaze of light emanated from Greg. It surrounded her and began to compress. She slowly, but methodically began to sit on the couch. Her every muscle fought the action, but she was outclassed. He had finesse, I had to admit. Once seated and leaning back into the cushions, one of her legs crossed over the other and her fingers interlaced and hugged one knee. Only her face showed the fight she was putting up. Her teeth were gritted and sweat painted her brow. Her panic made her bold. A furiously bright glow of amber light struggled and strained against a wash of blue-white. I had to shut my eyes against the blaze. Bobby didn’t even seem to notice the light, but he did notice the struggle. He looked a little uneasy, which surprised me.
“Now—once again, Ms. Kho. How did you know that I would be arriving tonight at this airport?”
She opened her mouth, but it took two tries for words to come out “I…told you…I don’t know.”
Greg sighed and shook his head briefly. The blaze of light intensified. The effect of his magic was startling. Asri began to sink into the couch, pressed into the springs by the sheer weight of Greg’s power. Springs squeaked and then groaned. The vinyl stretched and started to rip.
Asri gasped. I could hear her heartbeat race. The scent of fear finally erupted from her intense pain showed on her face. The smell made my stomach growl. I wiped a line of spittle from the corner of my mouth. This was not the time for me to be smelling fear.
Bobby couldn’t stand it anymore. He stood in a burst and advanced across the room. “Greg—Stop it. What the hell is wrong with you? This isn’t like you.”
“That’s because it’s not him, Bobby,” I replied quietly from the corner. All eyes turned to me.
“What the hell are you talking about, Joe? You’ve never even met Greg Hamilton before. You were barely a kid when we worked together in Wolven.”
Greg’s eyes had narrowed as they stared at me, and once again I spotted the clear signal of recognition with just a hint of…something. Not quite fear. I shrugged and stared right back. I had finally figured out who he really was, but I didn’t care if anyone else knew or not.
He forced his gaze from me and turned again to Asri. “Once last chance, Ms. Kho. Tell me what you know or I’ll compress you into a puddle of tissue on the floor.”
Asri’s breath was coming in short, pained gasps. I couldn’t say I was very sorry after what she’d done to me, but Bobby couldn’t take it anymore.
“She doesn’t know, Greg. Back off.” He lashed out at Greg with his own magic, a whip of green energy. It didn’t even dent the handsome football hero. Bobby’s anger was torn from him when a second bolt of energy—this time fully blue-white—smashed Bobby against the wall. The scent of fear now erupted from a second source.
“Stay out of this, Bobby. This is a security issue. I told no one of my plan to come to Chicago tonight. If Nikoli Molotov has a spy in our organization, I will find out!” He turned a face seething with anger to Asri. “Now—tell me! How did Nikoli know about my plans?”
Asri’s chest was compressed so that her voice was strained and hoarse. “I…swear. We did not expect you. It was Lucas Santiago who was to come tonight.”
“And how did you know that?” Asri jumped as one of the springs under her broke with a sharp snap. She sunk even further down, her body bent nearly in two.
I put a hand up to shield the glare and narrowed my eyes so I could continue to watch the action. Greg noticed. But once again, he forced his attention back to Asri. But I knew he’d get back to me eventually.
“Tat…Tatiana Santiago told us. She…was arriving for a conference in the city. She called…the…Duchess and said her husband would be…joining her.”
Greg released his magical hold on both Asri and Bobby so suddenly that they both let out a small yelp. He turned to me.
“And what does that mean to you, Tony?” Yeah, I figured he knew my name. It was the blue-white light that gave him away.
“The Duchess is Russian royalty and as old as dirt. The name Tatiana is Russian, and is historically a royal name. My bet is that Tatiana and Lelya are kin and you hadn’t considered that particular leak, had you, Lucas?”
His voice changed. It turned deeper and more polished. His scent turned to desert grass and something fruity. The closest I match it to was watermelon. Bobby and Asri both looked at each other in shock. “What gave me away?” he asked with a smile.
“Sue told me once that she met a white wolf with blue eyes. The wolf turned into a Latino man with black hair in a burst of blue-white light. I thought I saw that man as the plane landed. But after you got stressed when Bobby attacked you, your magic turned blue-white, and then I knew.”
He swore again. “You’ve got second sight. Damn it!” He turned to Bobby angrily. “Why wasn’t that in your report, Agent?”
“Second sight? Is that what this seeing colored auras shit is?”
He shot me a suspicious look, but it quickly faded. “You didn’t know? Hmm. It must be new then.”
Bobby was trying to recover from the series of shocks. The first words out of his mouth weren’t an answer. “You can’t both be the same person. Lucas doesn’t have illusion abilities. And you were the pack leader in Boulder when Greg was in Wolven.”
“I have a number of abilities that I don’t advertise, Agent Mbutu.” Lucas’s voice was filled with menace. I recognized that tone. It was both warning and threat. He blurred around the edges—that’s the best I can describe it. I blinked and he was suddenly a different person. A medium-height Latino man stood in front of us where the football hero once was. His salt-and-pepper hair looked comfortable on him. He was dressed in a suit and tie, looking like the lawyer Sue told me he was. I could feel her burst of recognition and happiness in my head. Bobby and Asri were still struck dumb.
Asri was trying, without success, to extricate herself from the couch. Bobby finally had to reach over and offer his hand to get her out of the hole. I started when I saw a color shift as they touched. When Bobby’s green met Asri’s golden, the colors blended and the new gold-green started to crawl up both of their arms. They must have felt whatever I saw, because Bobby let go of Asri’s hand abruptly, before she had her feet completely under her. She stumbled a bit on her first step and stared at her hand like it burned.
I shook my head and turned my attention back to Lucas to give them a chance to recover from whatever it was I saw.
“Sue says hi,” I commented blithely as Greg—now Lucas—stared from me to the two, who were now both staring at their hands. Bobby clenched his hand into a fist and then opened it more than once. Asri was busy concentrating on rubbing her fingers together like she was trying to regain circulation. She looked a little panicked.
Lucas’s brow furrowed but he didn’t comment. He spoke to me as though Sue were standing in my place. He must understand the connection between us better than most. “Hello, Sue. I hope you’re enjoying Chicago. Sorry I had to leave Boulder during your training but, as you can see…”
He spread his arms out with palms up. “I had business to take care of. I’d hoped to do it discreetly.” He turned and put on a black overcoat that had magically appeared on the table next to him. “Apparently, I need to have a long chat with my wife about how to keep secrets.”
I had to agree. People got killed for less in the Family. I would remember not to mention anything important to his wife.
He looked at Bobby and Asri. “Well? We might as well go. My cover’s completely blown, thanks to you three.”
I smirked. “What sort of cover could you possibly maintain by showing up as a dead man?”
He smirked in return. “Better than appearing in two places at once.”
That made sense.
“The case is very sensitive, and none of your business.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll come up with something creative to work it. I always do.” Then he walked to me and held out his hand. “By the way, a pleasure to finally meet you, Tony. I look forward to getting to know you.”
I held out my hand in return. Asri seemed particularly interested in our exchange. “I thought you already knew everything about me.”
He smiled tiredly. “I used to know a lot more. But you keep changing the rules.”
The moment our hands touched, a flare of magic hit me in the chest. I fell forward into a black pit.
When I looked up, there was an old, Native American woman in front of me. The room was all dark wood and muted light. Thick books lined shelves along the walls. A red leather wing chair edged with brass tacks made the woman’s compact frame seem every more tiny.
