The Burning Claw

by Quinn Loftis

  “Counter a question with a question, could work, but sometimes flies back in your face,” Zara’s commentary of their fight continued.

  “Because you don’t have a period, or thong issues, or underwire poking at you,” Jen ticked off the things she dealt with one by one on her fingers. “You don’t carry a watermelon sized baby for nine months and then push her out of a hole much smaller than a watermelon. You don’t become a milk machine and have big round stains on your shirt when your nursing pads fail to do their job!”

  “Oh, wow, busting out the big guns with female-only issues. Let’s see how our Alpha handles that one,” Zara again added her part to the fight.

  “You can’t keep using those things as ammunition,” Decebel started.

  “Why not?” Jen snapped. “They happen on a recurring basis, some of them like clockwork. And will continue to happen for the next thirty years. I think I can dang well use them as often as I need to. Now what made you late?”

  “And she brings it full circle. Well done, Jen, well done,” Zara praised.

  Jen shot her a quick grin and then turned back to her mate, her frown plastered back in place.

  Decebel let out a resigned sigh.

  “And here it comes, folks, the moment we’ve been waiting for—the truth,” Zara whisper-yelled.

  Decebel growled at her. She wasn’t impressed. Yep, Jen liked her a lot.

  Suddenly a Cheshire cat grin spread across his face. “I was late because I got my period.”

  “Men don’t—” Jen started but stopped when Decebel held up his finger at her.

  “You have told me many times in very creative ways that males do have a time of the month.” He made quotations with his right hand as he said the words.

  “Whoa, it’s an upset. That was totally from right field, folks. What will she do now? How will Jen pull through to take the win?” Zara said dramatically. Titus giggled next to her and Jen bit her lip to keep from smiling.

  Her mate had backed her into a corner and had made her eat her own words. That was not going to fly. “Since we all know” —she turned and looked at Titus— “well all of us except Thia and Timmy—”

  “Mrs. Jen.” Titus shook his head. “It’s Titus. My name is Titus.”

  “That’s what I said, Thia and Titus.” She rolled her eyes. “Any who, we all know that you did not in fact get the dot at the end of a sentence. So let’s just get real here. Let’s set aside our frustrations and prejudices and let’s get to the heart of the matter.”

  Zara quickly chimed in when Jen paused. “What is she doing, folks? What. Is. She. Doing? I do believe our Mrs. Jen has an ace up her sleeve. Let’s watch and learn from a pro.”

  “You obviously didn’t want me to be late, correct?” Jen asked but didn’t give him time to answer. “In fact, you were so concerned that I not be late that you listed exactly what I was not to spend my time doing because those were the things that often made me late.” She tapped her chin as she stared at her mate whose grip on the steering wheel was tightening. “You made this big deal about me not being late and then you were late yourself.”

  “I think we got that, counselor,” Dec huffed.

  Jen grinned. “And” —she held up a finger as she made her point— “being late yourself after such a fuss, you are the one disgruntled. Now, as your mate, and mother of your child” —she glanced back at the peanut gallery and winked— “I have grown to know you quite well. So well, in fact, that I know that if you were late for a legitimate reason, you would be frustrated and apologetic. You would not be acting snarky at the rest of us.”

  “And look at her go,” Zara quickly threw in.

  “Therefore, I deduce that your lateness could only have been caused by something illegitimate. Something so illegitimate, in fact, that you would feel much shame if the true reason for your lateness came to light. Now…I must work through the things that I know about you that might possibly cause you great shame. Granted, that’s not much to work with, because you rarely are ashamed. But alas, I will do my best. Let’s see.” Jen steepled her fingers in front of her chin and cocked up an eyebrow as she thought. “I know that there was some shame when that doghouse fell on you—I mean fell apart,” she corrected, barely holding in her laugh as his eyes narrowed.

  “Things are really heating up, people, really heating up,” Zara once again continued her commentary.

  “But you used about eight hundred pounds of nails on the second dog house, so I’m pretty sure you weren’t late because it fell on you again. I mean, fell over again. And then there was that time when I stepped into the bathroom and—”

  “FOR THE LOVE OF PEACE, I WAS LATE BECAUSE I FELL ASLEEP!” Decebel roared.

  Jen shot a fist in the air. “YES! Yes, yes, yes!”

  “And the champion still reigns. Ladies and gentlemen, that is how you do it!” Zara said as Titus cheered.

  Jen couldn’t stop laughing as her mate pouted in the driver’s seat.

  “I’m not pouting,” he growled, picking up her thoughts through the bond.

  “Jen, that was a thing of beauty,” Zara called from the back.

  Jen turned and eyed Zara and then smiled. “Awesome commentary,” she told her as she reached back and gave the girl a high five. “You’re going to grow up to be kick ass.”

  Zara laughed. “We’re the same age, Jen.”

  Oh yeah, we are the same age, Jen thought, that’s weird. “Yeah, but with the mating and the baby making and then the child bearing, I’ve got like seven plus years of experience on you.”

  “What is this, a video game?” Decebel snorted.

  “I’ll give you that,” Zara nodded. “Titus, you see that older lady up there?” He nodded. “I want to be just like her when I grow up,” Zara finished.

  “Older lady? Not cool, Z, not cool.” Jen called back. “Tito, who do you want to be like when you grow up?”

  “Ugh, it’s Titus, Mrs. Jen. And I want to be like my daddy.”

  The vehicle went quiet at the boy’s declaration. Jen’s heart hurt for Sally and her mate. She prayed that Titus would get to grow up with Costin as his father because he would grow into one heck of a man if that’s who he wanted to emulate.

  They finally pulled into the drive of the Romania pack mansion and though there was still a little tension from Titus’s words, Jen felt some happiness over the fun that they’d had with Zara and the little boy.

  Decebel was the first one out of the vehicle, and Jen was pushing her door open when she heard her mate’s growl. It wasn’t his I’m irritated with you growl; it was his I’m going to rip someone’s head off growl.

  “Dec?” Jen said as she swiveled back in her seat to look across at him. He was as still as stone, the only movement the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She realized he was scenting the air.

  “Take them in and get Vasile,” he practically snarled. “Now.”

  Jen scrambled out of the seat and got Thia out of the car seat. She motioned for Zara and Titus to hurry and she ushered them inside, looking back over her shoulders once to see her mate taking off his shirt. “Well, crap,” she muttered.

  Jen took them straight to Vasile’s office and handed Thia off to Rachel who was already waiting for her. She pushed through the group to the front of Vasile’s desk. “Decebel needs you now. He’s out front.”

  Vasile was up and over the desk before she finished. Jen turned to follow and saw Jacque standing, looking confused. “Give my future son-in-law to Alina and get your butt in gear,” Jen yelled. Fane, move it!” She hurried after the Romania Alpha. She had a bad, bad feeling about this.

  She heard Jacque and Fane behind her and, by the time they reached the front door, Fane was moving in front of them lunging outside, placing himself between them and whatever was waiting outdoors.

  Jen and Jacque watched as the three males lifted their noses into the air and took deep breaths. Jen tried to do the same, but her sense of smell, though bet
ter than a human, still wasn’t even close to her mates.

  “Do you smell anything?” she whispered to Jacque.

  Jacque shook her head. “I got nothing.”

  When Decebel finally dropped his nose and turned to look at her, his eyes were bright amber. “Blood,” his wolf rumbled. He’d already stripped to his boxers. The wolf was ready to hunt. Vasile and Fane were also stripping their clothes off and movement to her left caused her to look at Jacque who was already in her bra and underwear. Jen raised a brow at her.

  Jacque shrugged. “Childbirth stole my modesty.”

  Jen snorted. “You don’t even remember giving birth.” She let out a sigh and started stripping quickly to catch up with the others who were already phasing. When her four feet hit the ground she heard her mate’s howl mixed with Vasile’s. They were making their presence known. They took off at a run toward the forest as the sun continued to slip further from the sky and the moon began to take its place.

  Decebel’s heart pounded in time to his paws as he flew across the forest floor. Vasile was right beside him with Fane just a hip’s length behind them. The females were only two steps behind Fane. Decebel hated that Jen had followed him out there when he didn’t know what they were going to find, but he knew telling her to stay behind would have only resulted in an argument which would have wasted valuable time—time that they might not even have.

  When they’d been back at his own pack headquarters, Decebel had thought he’d caught the scent of blood, and something else that he couldn’t identify, but the breeze had changed direction and he’d lost it. But as soon as he’d stepped out of the vehicle in Vasile’s driveway, the smell assaulted him—blood, lots of blood, and one other scent that he now recognized—Costin.

  “What!” Jen yelled in his mind. “You smell Costin? Why can’t I smell him? Is it his blood? Is he okay?”

  “Calm down, Jennifer. I have no idea if he’s okay, but no it is not his blood. It’s animal blood. You should be picking it up—”

  “Oh, man, bloody hell, that’s a lot of blood,” she said, interrupting him.

  “Stay close,” he commanded her, hoping she would at least humor him.

  They veered right, following the smell, weaving in and out of trees and brush. The foliage was growing denser, making it difficult to move quickly. Limbs grabbed at their fur, as if the forest itself was trying to impede them. For a moment, Decebel’s mind slipped back to a time when Mona, the witch they’d killed, had used the forest against them along with its inhabitants. He released the thought. There were no more witches to use the forest against them.

  They began to climb higher into the mountains and the scent continued to get stronger. Whatever it was that was injured, or dead, was either very large, or there was more than one. They’d just crested a hill when he and Vasile were abruptly halted in midstep. The scene before them looked like something out of a horror story.

  “What the…” Jen muttered as she walked up to stand beside him.

  Decebel took in a deep breath, just to be sure, and when it filled his lungs with the scent of his Beta, he knew. Mingled in with the scent of the dozens of dead wild boar was the scent of Costin. These kills hadn’t been for food. The bodies of the animals had been mangled, as though whatever had killed them had been in a crazed frenzy. The stench of reckless, mindless violence hung in the air. No Canis lupus in his right mind would do such a thing. Werewolves killed for food, for the protection of their pack, or when they were directly challenged by another wolf. Those were the only reasons. They didn’t kill simply for the pleasure of the kill or the exhilaration of the hunt, though their wolves did feel those things when the action was taking place. They were controlled killers, not homicidal animals.

  “Costin’s gone feral.” As soon as the words left his mouth, his wolf went into full on protect mode. His first thought was get his mate to safety.

  “Jen, you and Jacque need to get back to the mansion,” he ordered.

  She turned her head to look at him and lifted her lips in a snarl. “I can fight. I’m not a weakling.”

  “You’re the mother of my child and I don’t want you injured or worse to leave Thia without her parents. A feral wolf is unpredictable. Costin, for all intents and purposes, is not our friend right now. He’s our prey. We need to catch him before he kills more than just wild boar.”

  The snarl dropped away as her eyes widened. She realized his implications. He turned and nudged her shoulder with his big head and the others followed. Vasile took the rear position, guarding them from attack, and Decebel took the lead. Fane flanked them on the sides, weaving in and out from left to right providing protection to Jacque and Jen.

  With every step he took his anger grew. What could he have done different to have prevented this? How could he have helped his pack mate so that he’d been able to fight the darkness? Decebel growled. He was Alpha. It was his job to protect his pack and he’d failed Costin. Not only had their healer been taken from them but now his Beta had succumbed to the uncontrolled beast inside of him. There was still a thin shred of hope that he could be saved. If Sally was brought to him quickly enough she might could push back the darkness with her light. But Sally was not with them.

  Decebel was facing one of his biggest fears; the possibility that he was going to have to end the life of one of his pack, one of his friends. To lose Costin meant losing Sally for good as well and the loss of either let alone both of them would leave a huge wound in their family, one that might never heal.

  Chapter 15

  “So often things are not what they seem. People say one thing but mean another. They act one way in front of one person, only to turn around and act completely differently with someone else. Frankly, it’s damn annoying. Can’t we all just say what we mean, and behave in the same manner whether alone or with other people? Is that too much to ask? Well, apparently it is. Stupid free will.” ~Peri

  Peri needed to be in Romania attending the meeting that she and Vasile had planned, but instead she stood across the street from a bar called The Dog House and she wasn’t impressed. The pixie who had been staking out the place was standing next to her but was invisible to the human eye thanks to Peri’s magic. Apparently, strong magic, pack magic, had been detected in Oceanside and the trail led straight to the grungy, dilapidated bar currently standing before them. Of course, after her visit with history wolf and the Missouri Alpha, she now knew why there was pack magic in Oceanside. The possibility that she was dealing with those lunatics in the Burning Claw made her want to snarl, not unlike Lucian would do.

  “What is it about liquor, pool tables, obnoxious music, and obnoxious people that attracts werewolves to bars?” Peri muttered under her breath.

  “It’s only fitting,” the pixie spoke up. “Werewolves, after all, are rather obnoxious.”

  “I knew I liked you for a reason.” The high fae grinned down at the little being. “Tell me why you think our Sally is in there.”

  “Because the female I saw working here is new. She has long brown hair, brown eyes, just like you described. But most importantly, she isn’t a wolf, nor is she entirely human,” the pixie explained.

  “Healer,” Peri whispered.

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Funny thing is, I don’t think these wolves even realize the affect she is having on them. Their instincts to protect her were immediate, and all of them seem to be drawn to her in one way or another.”

  Peri’s sharp eyes snapped down to the little pixie. “What do you mean, in one way or another?”

  The pixie’s shoulders tightened and she swallowed. “There is one that has decided he wants to claim her.”

  She let out a string of curses. If this was their Sally, and it certainly sounded like it was, then the last thing she needed was to deal with a wolf that thinks he has some claim upon her. Finders, keepers doesn’t work in the supernatural world.

  Deciding there was only one way to find out what was going on in Oceanside, she crossed the str
eet and headed for the door. She stopped on the threshold and considered whether to glamour herself or simply lay her cards on the table and allow the wolves and Sally to see who she truly was. But she still wasn’t sure that Sally would even recognize her. The pixie had made it clear that she was pretty sure that the girl was not aware that her companions were werewolves. It had only been nine days, nine measly days, since Sally had gone missing and yet in those nine days it appeared that she’d suddenly forgotten the supernatural world even existed. That thought caused Peri to shiver. Only powerful dark magic could make someone forget herself and her past, especially someone as powerful as a gypsy healer.

  Peri was sick of dealing with powerful dark magic. Why couldn’t it be light, powerless magic that she had to face? Okay, so that was ridiculous, but she was really tired of contending with the latter. Just once she’d like to kick evils’ dark butt and stand the victor for, like, ever. Her irritation grew as she stood there and thought about her past dealings against the forces of darkness. The growing irritation helped her make up her mind. She wouldn’t hide behind a masquerade. These wolves were about to learn that they weren’t the only predators in Oceanside—not any more.

  “Are you coming in?” she asked the pixie.

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Peri smiled. “Jen would like you,” she said and then pulled the door open and stepped inside. Going from the brightness of the Spring day, to the darkness of the bar’s interior, was a shock to the fae’s senses, and she had to let her eyes adjust before being able to fully take in her surroundings.

  She was immediately disappointed. The place was…typical. The drab drinking establishment could have been on any street in any coast city in America. Peri didn’t know what she’d been expecting to find, maybe a powerful dark wizard holding court over an army of snarling bloodthirsty werewolves or, perhaps, a bunch of furry mutts walking around and peeing on the bar stools? Okay, so that was probably a little ridiculous, but after all the things she’d seen in the last two years since the Coldspring trio had come into her life, ridiculous was totally a given most of the time.