by Heather Karn
“Do you all have a public bathroom?” I whispered to the closest male, but it was still loud enough for the others to hear.
“This is not happening,” Lee groaned, wiping hands over his face, muffling his words. “Don’t you remember the last time you had to pee while on the job?”
“Yes, but I went before we left the house this time,” I growled back. “It’s not my fault that apparently I have a small bladder.”
“Find a tree,” Luella grumbled.
“I’m sure they have a bathroom she can use,” Shannon quipped, eyeing the male I’d spoken to. “Right? It’s her second day of training, and she’s actually easy to deal with, unlike my trainee. Koda won’t cause any trouble, I promise you.”
“You’d better be right or I’m going to take your head off before I lose mine,” the man growled, jerking his head toward the house. “This way.”
Keeping my gaze ahead, I followed him toward the mansion. The gray stone exterior made the place almost appear and feel like a castle instead of a house, especially with the large arches that held the windows. I was used to small, square windows that were easy to clean. Someone would have difficulty cleaning these.
He led me to the door Jezzelle had entered with Raven and Avery, and once inside I found a long sunroom occupied this entrance. Bubbling laughter echoed throughout the wood and stone rooms as I followed the man down a hallway until he pointed into a large half bath. Even though it only sported a toilet and a sink, I almost passed out at the décor. I’d never seen a bathroom this fancy. At least not in person. Movies, yes. Real life, never. It almost made me want to turn around and use the tree Luella had suggested, but the man pulled the door shut behind me. On a whim, I turned the lock. Not that it would keep out a determined shifter. That alone had me hustling to take care of business and get back outside to the others. Raven and Avery could take care of themselves.
“What’s this?” Jezzelle asked from out in the hallway as warm water washed over my hands, rinsing the soap from them. Her voice sounded miffed, all traces of laughter gone.
“She had to use the bathroom,” my escort replied.
“Which one?”
“The youngest girl.”
I flinched away when a sharp knock echoed in the room. Shutting the water off, I wiped my hands on a towel enough so they wouldn’t drip.
“Koda, get out here,” Raven barked through the door.
My feet stopped. The Captain was back, and he wasn’t pleased with me. But like I’d told the others, it wasn’t like I hadn’t used the bathroom before we’d left, and all the stress of navigating the tank I’d driven had finally worn me down. Another knock sounded on the door, so with breath quavering, I crossed the room, twisted the lock, and opened the door.
Raven stood in front of the door, eyes blazing. Jezzelle stood right behind him, now covered in a silky dress, although it did little to hide her many curves. She eyed me with the same intensity that Raven did while Avery shook his head behind them. My escort stood off to the side, glaring at me as well since apparently I’d gotten him into trouble.
“Next time I’ll just find a tree,” I muttered, attempting to walk past Raven, but he grabbed my arm.
“Look at me.” I did as he directed. “Is the only reason you came into this house to use the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
My direct answer, with the continual eye contact, seemed to ease his mood, but not by much. “We’ll discuss this later.” The warning settled as well as watching my trainer enter the house with Jezzelle, who still looked ready to murder me.
Raven opened his mouth to say something else when one of Jezzelle’s men entered the house and came our way. “They’re back.”
The Alpha Female lifted her chin a bit higher. “The kits?”
“All three are in the custody of the Elite. Apparently two of our teenagers decided to kidnap and play with the wandering kits, so they brought them home.”
Raven turned his head to the woman. “Will you hand over the culprits to us so they can be formally charged?”
“I won’t stop you from taking them,” she responded. “I don’t want child torturers in my pack. I’ve already made that clear, I hope.”
“You did. I’m going to leave their arrest to Jonas. My team will take the kits to a hospital. I’ll be in touch.”
Her syrupy smile was back when she stepped close to Raven once again and placed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You’d better be.”
Raven’s wrath was the only reason why I didn’t lock myself back in the bathroom, to puke this time. With a chuckle, Avery slid past the pair and slipped an arm around my shoulders and led the way out of the building. My initial escort stayed behind, which was just as well. I’d had enough of naked people today.
Chapter 12
“How badly does Raven regret taking me on?” I muttered to Avery, who gave his signature, light-hearted chuckle.
“He doesn’t.”
“It sure seems like it sometimes.”
“Don’t worry. After a while you’ll learn to read him better. He’s not actually mad at you. Surprised you had the guts to enter Jezzelle’s domain is more likely. Now, back to work. There’s our kits and the teens.” Avery pointed to the four coyotes who’d left to find the kidnappers. “You’d better climb in behind the wheel. Raven’s going to want to leave quick, especially with Reed in the car.”
Even though Avery wasn’t my trainer, he knew Raven well enough to know how this would go down, so I didn’t question him. Bypassing the rest of our team, who had kits in hand, I strode to the SUV. I also ignored Jezzelle’s boisterous laughter once again, and tried not to choke on the still dense perfume stench in the car. Raven was right. Shannon was trying to burn our nose hairs out.
“You still breathing?” I croaked to Louis, strapping myself in with the seatbelt.
“Barely,” he responded, voice just as harsh. He had to have coughed his way through our meeting with Jezzelle.
“When they get in, I’ll get us out of here fast so we can roll down the windows.”
“That would be greatly appreciated.” He punctuated the statement with a stream of barking coughs. When he spoke again, his voice was even more hoarse. “What’s taking them so long?”
I watched them all as Raven and Jezzelle approached and spoke with the rest of the team, and I took my first look at the kits. From this distance, I couldn’t see many wounds, although some dark splotches marred their fur. Each one was no bigger than a brand new Labrador pup. The Alpha female took time to see each kit for herself before excusing herself to stomp over to the teens.
Jonas’s team joined mine after Raven waved them over. After a brief conversation, Shannon and Jackson led our team back toward the SUV. I didn’t wait until they reached us to start the engine, which earned me a slight nod from Raven. Either that or I was imagining it, which was just as likely.
With as much haste as possible, they all climbed inside. I was already reversing before the last door closed, needing fresh oxygen as soon as possible, for both me and Louis. No one commented on my jerky stops and starts. I didn’t hit any other vehicles and made record time moving the tank. If anyone had made a comment, they would’ve been let out to walk home in a heartbeat.
“Bless and curse you,” Louis moaned when Raven gave the order to open all windows. I could agree with Louis’s sentiment, but I did so silently. Avery may have thought everything was fine between me and Raven, but I didn’t believe so.
Our first stop on the way to the hospital was to drop off Louis. Raven asked him if he wanted an escort, which he declined as the sun started to set. When the Captain commented that Louis had earned another twenty percent for his patience, the Stalker had a lighter step to his walk. I wasn’t sure how much money he made as base salary, but if twenty percent on top of the rest of what he’d been promised made him that happy, it had to be quite a bit.
Raven had called both the police chief and hospital on our way back, and when we pu
lled in, officers, parents, and medical personnel were all gathered near the emergency room entrance. By Raven’s orders, I kept the SUV running while those holding kits exited the car. Anyone not holding a child stayed put, and we were joined minutes later by the others.
“Take us home,” Raven muttered when the final doors closed. “Actually, stop by the first fast food restaurant you see. I’m not in the mood to wait for dinner prep.”
“That makes several of us,” Luella muttered.
“Something with a lot of meat please,” Jackson called, and I had to fight not to turn around to stare as Luella griped at him to go fur again. Like me, she’d seen one too many naked people today. With a threat from me that I’d be ordering vegetarian meals, the wolf shifter grew fur in record time.
After a quick food stop, we were home by the time the sun’s last rays disappeared behind the horizon. I was sure everyone didn’t want to wait for me to back in, so I stopped and let them all out to start eating dinner. The only person who stayed was Raven, which didn’t surprise me. It seemed like every move I made he had to witness and judge.
Parking wasn’t nearly as terrible as I’d expected, though I had to readjust twice per Raven’s orders because I was a bit crooked. When he was satisfied, I cut the engine. He didn’t budge, even when I released my seatbelt, so I waited, sensing I was about to find out how today had gone down in his eyes. He didn’t leave me waiting long.
“How do you feel today went?” he asked instead of listing everything I needed to work on, which shocked me into silence.
When my brain had recalibrated for the new question, I sat back and stared out the windshield at the fading light. Shadows crept through the yard, and the dysfunctional fountain took on a haunted look. Raven really did need to fix that thing.
“Is Jezzelle always so…” I couldn’t think of a word that wouldn’t be completely disrespectful, especially if Raven and she were or had been involved.
“Forward? Yes, she is.” His supplied word was much better than anything I’d thought of. “She bothered you?”
“Is it absolutely pathetic if I say yes?”
“No, it’s understandable. Most women can’t stand her, and in return, Jezzi dislikes most women. Shannon’s met her twice and Luella once. Neither like her. I should have warned you about that detail, but I thought you could handle yourself around her.”
Did that mean he was starting to see me for what I could do beyond my pathetic fighting skills? Maybe and maybe not.
“Can I ask a personal question?” The question slipped from my tongue as I thought it, and my hands tightened on the wheel, waiting for his response.
“Yes.”
“What did you do when she took you inside?” The only options I could come up with weren’t ones I wished to dwell on, so I’d tried to keep my mind occupied with other thoughts.
Raven shifted in his seat, making himself more comfortable. “It looked bad, I know, but nothing happened. Jezzi, Avery, and I have known one another for years. She trusts us, and on a non-business level, we trust her. She may run her father’s pack like he did, which includes many lucrative and illegal means, but she abhors useless violence, especially against children and those who are smaller and weaker than a coyote. When she took us inside, drinking and becoming a bit cozy were a cover for her and us to be able to open up more about the situation. Avery came with us so that we wouldn’t be alone and we’d both have a witness as to what was happening. She doesn’t know you, so I couldn’t take you along.”
“Plus I’m a woman.”
“Yes. She would have been more comfortable with Avery bringing Lee if someone else had to come along. In hindsight, that’s what we should’ve done.”
Raven arched an eyebrow when I snorted. “Hey, my brother doesn’t need any more female attention than what he gets from Luella. It makes me queasy just thinking about it.”
Chuckling, Raven unbuckled his seatbelt, but didn’t reach for the door handle. “Besides Jezzi, how do you think you did overall?”
“You tell me,” I grumbled, wishing I could leave the SUV without being ordered back to finish the conversation.
“I’d rather hear your thoughts first.” Like a dog with a bone, he wasn’t letting this go.
“Well, first, parking is a disaster. My parents don’t have a vehicle quite as big as this, so it’s unnerving. Even Lee’s car is small, and he rarely let me drive it. Second, I always seem to get into trouble because I have to use the bathroom. And third, I don’t know what I could’ve done to help today go better. I’m sure there was lots, but you’ll need to tell me.”
“You doubt your abilities too much,” Raven murmured after a few minutes of silence, in which time I’d almost convinced myself to hop from the car. “Your parking does need work, but you did well. I should have been more patient with you when I explained what I wanted you to do earlier, but you’ll find that once I’m irritated, it takes too long for me to cool down. As for using the bathroom, do what you need to do. Jezzi’s territorial so I needed to intervene. She understands your fear of screwing up again. I explained about the ghoul.”
“So she knows I’m your trainee?” I interrupted, clamping my mouth shut as the question ended.
“Yes, I told her. She may not like you, but she won’t harm you. As for your last concern, let’s go grab something to eat and then head to my office. We’ll write your report together and discuss everything that could have been different, but I must tell you, I was impressed with how you handled it all. It’s your second day and already you’ve helped save three children and faced Jezzelle.”
“And killed a young ghoul,” I added, more proud of that since it was a solo attempt. Without Raven and the rest of the team, I would’ve been lost on today’s mission.
“Exactly. I’ve heard horror stories of other trainees first months, and thus far you’re exceeding most of them. I’m not a patient person, in fact I’m often told I have a bad attitude, so it may be difficult for you to gauge how well you’re doing, but know that I’ll make it more than clear if you start to fail and I feel you can do better. Now, let’s go eat before they eat all the food and heads start rolling.”
“I take it that’s happened before?” I asked as we both climbed from the car. On the way inside, I hung up the key in its usual spot, already knowing I’d be driving the SUV again.
“Only once, but it was a while ago, and Jackson has a short memory.”
Shannon had made sure to leave us enough food that both Raven and I were satisfied when we finished eating. It helped that Jackson had to run upstairs and put on clothes before he ate. House rules: you must wear clothes to meals. Shirts included.
“So, can I ask another random question?” I asked Raven as we descended the stairs to our dark abyss, which my trainer had assured me I’d enjoy after I drank my First Blood.
“Like always, you can ask.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, following him to his office so we could work on writing up my report. “Why do we all eat meals together? Wouldn’t it be just as well for everyone to make their own and eat whenever?”
Raven opened the door and ushered me inside. While I sat in my now usual chair, Raven walked behind his desk and grabbed the same pad of paper I’d used earlier today. At least my hand wasn’t aching anymore, so writing this report by hand would be easier, but no less boring and time consuming.
“We eat together to build unity in our team. It’s the few times per day where we are guaranteed to see one another. Plus, eating together and taking turns cooking guarantees that we’re all at least eating balanced meals and we aren’t wasting food. There are rarely leftovers, so food isn’t thrown away when someone makes something, claims it, and lets it go bad because they forget or no longer want it. Does that answer your question?”
I stared at the lined paper and pen sitting before me on the table. Giving it a pained look, I picked up the pen.
“Yeah, that’s a good reason. I really have to write this report by han
d again? I thought last time was punishment for my stupidity.”
“Consider it a lesson in remembrance not to do foolish things, and also, I’ll be helping you write a better report. Let’s start with arriving at the apartment building.”
For the next three hours, Raven kept me focused on writing the report. We discussed several of the day’s events in detail before moving on to write up the next section. By the end, all I could say was that Raven was thorough and meticulous. Our session had me hoping I wouldn’t have to write up too many more reports by hand.
Before bed, Raven had me complete a short yoga session with him. Clara had tried to convince me to join her in early morning yoga, but I’d mostly declined. I’d watched her on my early morning class days and joined her on a few days when I had late classes and was either bored or semi interested. Those times left me with some knowledge of what I was doing when I tried to mimic Raven’s moves. At any rate, he was satisfied in the end that I could do basic yoga, even if I failed at fighting.
Before separating for the night, Raven warned me to be ready early. It was time to take Lee and I to headquarters so we could be supplied with uniforms, weapons, and computer access. While I walked to bed, my feet dragging in exhaustion, Raven scurried up the stairs to let Avery know the morning’s plans.
Chapter 13
By the time we left for the local Elite headquarters, Raven was back in his usual grumpy, lackluster mood. He barely said three words beyond “Let’s go” the whole morning. Meanwhile, Avery started quizzing Lee on supernatural creatures the moment the doors to the SUV closed. I’d rather have taken Raven’s truck so he would drive, but he’d headed straight for the SUV and climbed inside. Apparently Avery had begun Lee’s knowledge training last night while I’d been busy with yoga. With the questions all being aimed at Lee, it took me by surprise when Avery included me in the testing.
“Koda, what are the Others?”
