“That’s the kind of reasoning Diana’s been trying to stop,” Isaac started but Jason was still talking.
“Wolves in London, though … Moon, they could be … who knows what they could be like? If there were wolves in London they may be even madder than the Beech wolves—mad as a bag of cats. Capable of anything. Got to be more than coincidence that wolves and druids have died and both sides suspect it’s wolves, doesn’t it? We thought the Beeches, they think there are urban wolves, but either way… And remember how she was when she saw Kage and Zar? Scared. Her pulse went right up when she saw them. She’d never have met with us at all if it weren’t for you, believing that you were trying to help us find the killers, not that we were the wolves doing the killing.”
I watched him while he talked, first to me, then looking at window glass again, voice harsh, speaking fast as he rambled.
“How do you know that?” I asked. “That she was scared?”
“Watching you lot, wasn’t I? And she was scared now. Just a bit.”
Isaac nodded.
“If she was so afraid and so sure wolves murdered two of her people, why did she invite us home at all?”
“She trusted you. Like I said.” Jason glanced at me. “Maybe druids have their own sorts of sixth senses about these things. She believed you were who you said you were. If we’d showed up to ask them questions alone, like that one Elijah says hasn’t been around lately, they’d have legged it. Could be the Aspens will never see their druid pal again. Now we know why.”
“Did you notice, though, they don’t have solid evidence either?” I said. “She says there are urban wolves and they hate everything that their more natural kin and her people stand for. But they don’t know who killed those two druids any more than we know who killed the seven wolves. Just because both sides of the victims happen to think this could be wolves doesn’t mean it’s not a coincidence either. We can’t run back to your pack and tell your silvers, ‘Why, yes, turns out, all the paranoia was right, your own people are murdering you.’ This is the kind of information that leads into an investigation. Not the kind that leads to convictions.”
Jason pulled a face, back to looking out the window.
“What?”
He didn’t say anything.
I looked to Isaac. “Does that not make sense to you?”
“It does make sense, Cassia.” Isaac watched the road as he drove. “It’s a lot to think about. None of us want to believe that wolves are killing wolves. How to prove it or disprove it, and the consequences either way, it’s only … a bit overwhelming. If packs are murdering each other, we could have a civil war on our hands. If they’re not, then we still don’t have any answers. One way or another…”
“Overwhelming.” I let out a breath, also looking ahead. After a long silence, I added, “I’m sorry. For what’s happening to you. That wasn’t … what I’d been hoping to learn.”
“You’ve no account to be sorry for anything, Cassia. You made contact with the druids and gained information and a lead to follow. Just for finding Ellasandra we’re in your debt.”
Jason was probably right that she’d only trusted us at all because of me. Maybe right also that she had some sixth sense born of her connection to the natural world. It made me want to know druids better. But what I really needed to know better right now were wolves. And so did they.
I watched the road in evening sunlight.
So much different, somehow. Thinking what they had was an inside job. And were there wolves in London? If that was true, Jason must be right. Those wolves could be anything. Dangerous was the first adjective that came to mind.
Then there was the Beech Pack. Apparently top suspects all along. But justifiably? Or only fear and mistrust of a group of outsiders?
And why was I upset about these new realizations, about what Jason had said, and them not bothering to tell me what they’d already believed?
Wasn’t I done? I could scry and see if I could spot a werewolf in London, but what good would that even do? Surely they were best at finding their own kind.
Another reason to suspect wolf killers, though: it takes a wolf.
I thought about my breathing and didn’t say anything else on the way back.
I’d meant to stop for snack food and a can of soup. There was a pot in the trailer. A mere dot of a fire would be enough to heat it. Now, after the cream tea with Ellasandra, I was more than satisfied. At least when it came to food. For everything else … I felt painfully unsatisfied.
Chapter 20
Back at camp, Andrew scouted to make sure no one spotted them, and Kage and Jason tidied up from the crushed brush tracks for Isaac to pull the Jeep through the wood up to the caravan. They wanted to reconnect it so we could haul it out in the morning.
While Kage and Andrew were asking us about the druids, I was already looking around for Jed. It was the first time I’d wanted to talk to him. And the first time I couldn’t find him.
“Where’s Jed? And Zar?”
Kage shrugged.
“Could you elaborate?”
“What’s wrong?” Kage crossed his arms.
“I’m sorry, Kage. I’m … happy to see you. I’m looking for Jed to ask a question.”
“That you can’t ask us?”
“Where is Jed?” I almost shouted.
Kage hunched his shoulders and frowned. “He and Zar changed to go over to the river.”
“In broad daylight?”
“Keep your skin on. It’s evening. They’re around. So what’d you find out?”
“I found out you already had a prime suspect and didn’t bother to mention it.”
He tipped his head to one side. Andrew, though, also watching, didn’t look like this was much of a shocker.
“The Beech Pack?” I snapped at Kage.
“Oh … right. We’re all supposed to act like there’s nothing wrong with those carrion-eating tossers and they’re not mad or anything.”
“Is it true that Jed knows the most about them?”
“Should be.” Kage shrugged. “Involved with them not too long ago.”
“He was? He knows the pack?”
“He must. Ran with them for seasons, didn’t he?”
“I wouldn’t know.” I glared at Kage. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
“If I understand correctly, Jed thought he’d picked out a mate from the Beeches,” Andrew said. “It didn’t end well. No idea why or what happened, though.” He glanced at Kage, who shook his head.
“If you’re wanting information out of Jed, you’ll need more than putting his skin back on,” Kage said. “Maybe strong drink and an electric goad.”
“He won’t talk about what happened because a female hurt his feelings?” I asked.
“Well—” Andrew chuckled. “If you talk to him like that he’ll fess up, no problem.”
I pushed a hand into my hair and stood there a moment. “You’re right. That was uncalled for. I’m just frustrated that I was asked to help but no one bothered to give me half the information in this case. And there’s more.” I dropped my hand. “The druids believe there are wolves in London.”
Andrew frowned at the leaves over his head.
“How?” Kage asked. “There can’t be wolves in London. They’d go mad.”
“That’s what Jason said. But I think it’s worth exploring since you already had a hunch this was wolves killing wolves. Maybe rebel packs like the Beeches. Maybe urban wolves who really are not right in the head. Could you let me know when Jed gets back? And ask him to change so he can talk to us.”
“Sure, because he’ll do whatever we ask,” Kage said.
“Then just let me know. I’ll speak to him.” I retired to my trailer while Kage asked the others what else the druids had said.
Isaac filled them in on the two matching victims.
I’d only been inside a few minutes—bathroom, wash hands, wipe neck and face with a cold washcloth, still water left—when someone tapped a
t the door.
There were only two members of this company I could imagine tapping and one of them was currently running about the woods with claws and a tail.
“Hi, Jason.” I opened the door.
“Are you all right?”
“All right?”
“Yeah…” He looked uncomfortable, dropping his gaze. “I didn’t mean to be short with you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Jason. I’m just tired. And now … I don’t know…”
“That was the other thing. You … this isn’t your fight. I know you’re trying to help, to figure this out for us. But you did what you said you would.”
“Funny how it doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything. Only brought up more questions and brought you back to something you already knew.”
“Sort of knew. The elders won’t believe that wolves would turn on wolves. They’re living in denial. They’re living in a different century.” He still didn’t look at me.
“Do you want to sit down?” I remembered as I indicated the little table and bench that I had a question for him as well. This may not be the time.
Jason hesitated but I stepped back.
“Come on. No one has even a shred of evidence about this Beech Pack, do they? This really is only suspicion?”
He followed me to sit on the table bench. I sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward and sipping from my water bottle.
“None of them have died as far as we know—not like they stay in touch other than a rare exchange with Diana.”
“That’s not evidence either. You think Jed knows them well?”
He nodded. “Digging a den, according to some. Convert and everything. All for some Beech female.”
“Convert?”
Jason shrugged. “They don’t think like us. The Beeches follow their own Moon.”
“Religious differences are hardly a reason to suspect murder.”
“It’s not that. They’re different, the way they live, and they hate us. That’s what was so weird about Jed running with them. Usually, they won’t let outside wolves around their territory. I don’t think there are any other wolves in our packs who know anything about them the way Jed does. And I’ve never heard him talk about them.”
“Surely for this—matter of life and death? If he knows something…”
Jason didn’t answer. After a minute, he said, “Anyway, Cassia, I respect what you’re doing. You didn’t have to help us at all. But … you don’t need to keep trying to solve this. You know that, right? We’ll take you home tomorrow and we can tell Diana what we found out. Perhaps we’ll…”
“Look for wolves in London?”
Shaking his head. “I just can’t believe it could be true.”
“Thank you, Jason. I know I’m not bound by a blood oath or signed into a contract. I only … if I can help you, I want to. I’ll try to scry for London wolves and talk to Jed and … we’ll go from there, okay?”
He looked at the tabletop. Watching him, I thought of hair and fur color—matching versus not. Jason’s hair was as jet black as his fur had been. All around dark, lean, sinewy, brooding. It was hard to explain other than the hair, but, somehow, he did look a bit like the canine he’d been that morning. One striking difference was his eyes. Jason’s eyes were even darker than Zar’s, looking black in indoor light. Really a deep umber. In fur, however, they’d been bright gold—pure wolf eyes.
I thought again of all the questions I had for them about who and what they were, how it worked. This time, though, watching those eyes, how miserable he looked, I refrained from asking for entirely different reasons than before.
“Jason?” I said quietly after a pause. “What about you?”
He glanced up. “What about me?”
“Seems to me you’re the one who’s not all right. What’s wrong?”
He looked out the open window, toward the camp clearing and site of last night’s carnage and this morning’s piles of fur. Kage, Isaac, and Andrew stood out there talking about the druid meeting and the Beeches.
When he didn’t answer, I said, “Why are you here? Why did you come along?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, dragging his gaze from the window to my eyes. He always looked into my eyes when he did look at me. No wandering downward.
“I told you, I wanted to come with Kage.”
“For real? That’s the only reason you’re here? Are you another close relation?”
His brows creased. He looked confused. “No … we’re involved.”
“In what?”
He stared at me.
I stared back.
“In a relationship.”
I still waited for the punchline.
Then I blinked. “You’re what?”
Jason doesn’t care so he doesn’t count.
“You’re gay?” I asked—bewildered, not as much by him, but by Kage.
“Sure,” Jason said with a lift of one shoulder. “That’s what humans say. Wolves still use gay like … bright or cheerful.” He smiled weakly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you?”
“I’m sorry, it’s not like you owed me anything. I just wish I’d known. I—it’s—” I took a step and slipped in across the table from him. “The world feels so much more normal thinking there are a mere five guys harassing me or showing off as opposed to six.”
Jason laughed. “Glad to help … if that does. I didn’t know you cared. I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. Andrew says worms can be weird about that sort of thing. Wolves aren’t fussed.”
“It’s never an issue for you—with your family or anyone—that you’re gay?”
“Why would my family care who I sleep with? It’s my life.”
“I think that’s a lovely point, but yes, he’s right that humans can be … weird. Would you mind telling me about something else, though? Kage? Because I didn’t think I was that stupid with reading signs from a guy and I really thought he was interested in me.”
“He is.”
“Uh-huh.” Once again, waiting for the punchline. “Could you fill me in a little? You’re in a relationship with Kage?”
“Yeah.”
“And he’s into me?”
Jason nodded.
“And is this … what? A normal part of your relationship? Him going after someone else? A female someone else? And you’re okay with that? Maybe this is none of my business either but I’m feeling kind of involved here.”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck again. “Not really. Females, yeah, sometimes. Kage doesn’t go in for distinctions like that. Which is fine. I don’t care. Only I guess I thought we were … more … settled.”
“You thought you were in a committed relationship and that’s not what he’s thinking?”
Jason bit his lip. “We’re committed. It’s not a lost kill for him to like someone else. Moon knows we’ve had ups and downs. That’s fine. He just gets distracted with something new like a pup spotting his own tail. Once he’s had a good chase and nip at that, he comes back. He knows I’ll be around.”
Wow. That sounds like such an unhealthy relationship I don’t even know how to answer you.
“Okay,” I said after way too long a pause. “Well, I’m sorry you’re having a hard time with him. I don’t know Kage well but I certainly understand that he can be difficult to deal with. And, I must say, I admire the way you’re treating me. You’ve been nothing but civil to me and if I were involved with a guy who started chasing after another woman, the first thing I’d do would not be to apologize for existing and ask if she had enough drinking water.”
Jason gave me a funny look. “It’s not your fault Kage is attracted to you. I don’t mind you being here. It’s just uncertainty about where he and I stand that starts to feel like a problem.”
“Maybe those are usual sentiments in a situation like this for wolves—if this is a ‘usual’ situation—but, believe me, for humans, that’s radical thinking. We have murde
rs in the human world for this kind of love triangle.”
“Why?” Jason’s eyes widened. “And who?”
“In a comparable dynamic? You, the first wife, would probably be the killer and I, the adulterous lover, would be the victim.”
Now Jason chuckled. “Worms are mad. No offense.”
“Maybe we are. But we worms weren’t trying to tear each other apart last night. Don’t forget that.”
“Sorry. We’ll keep it down tonight.”
“Is that before or after skinning Andrew?”
“Andrew?”
“We drew attention today in the park.”
“Oh.” Jason didn’t look much interested. “He can outrun Jed and Kage. He can outrun any of us by miles. He’ll be okay. Cassia?” He looked around from the window again. “Do you mind if I change? Are you needing me to talk about what’s going on tonight? I just … I think I need a break.”
“You’re not going to go drown yourself in the river, are you?”
Another weak smile. “Maybe just a swim.”
“Sure, Jason. I don’t care if you change. Isaac and I know what was said. All I want tonight is information out of Jed. We can decide on the ride tomorrow what next steps you all need to take. If we can hear each other. Maybe keep the windows up some.”
Speaking of road trips, that was why they were all more agreeable to Jason than to each other. They didn’t see Jason as a threat in this competition they had going.
So five wanted Cassia? But one wanted Kage.
What did the seventh want?
I thought of Isaac and the necklace, Zar and the hidden coves, Andrew’s tongue on my fingers. Then of getting away from this situation, Jason’s reminding me of that reality, and of my sister and Brighton and those men she planned for me to meet.
To think, I’d imagined four men in one trip was … wild.
Jason stood, still looking miserable, and I hugged him on impulse. He returned it, though touching me gently even as I felt the solid muscle of his abs and chest.
“I’m sorry about Kage. If there’s anything I can do, or you want to talk, just…”
Moonlight Desire: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (The Witch and the Wolf Pack Book 1) Page 13
