Origins

by Sandra Kaye

  “We are all aware of that, however, you do have a proven history of figuring things out. That’s all we are asking. The setting things straight part my friends and I are more than willing to handle the heavy lifting on.”

  “Okaaayy. I guess, if you put it that way. I will have to make sure Ses is down with the changes. I do have to say, I’d enjoy knocking that dweeb at your post down a few pegs. You do know with all the shifters out of the vampire catacombs, it won’t be easy.”

  “We aren’t all out. Just most of us.”

  That surprised me. If the shifters could endure this to get us information, I truly couldn’t see how Ses and I could decline to help. I still owed her the option to decide for herself if she wanted to take the risk, though. If we didn’t succeed in getting Leon back in command, pissing off the new head vamp wasn’t going to make our lives easy in the near future.

  We finished our food and drinks, then I dropped Teddy at his apartment. Looking at the clock told me it was too late to drop by Seslie’s to give her the news of this latest development without making it a late night for both of us, and Monday mornings always seemed to come too early.

  Chapter Ten

  Monday morning arrived too damn early for all that I had running through my brain. The office was hectic all morning, and it was early afternoon before I even had a chance to look at my phone. When I did, I found a text from Seslie saying we needed to talk and a voicemail from Teddy asking me to call as soon as I talked to Ses. I messaged Seslie to tell her I’d stop by her place on my way home from work and texted Teddy that I’d call him later tonight with an answer, then finished the rest of my day on autopilot.

  Seslie must have been watching for me, because as I opened my car door to get out, she opened the front door and waited. I walked up, met her in the doorway with a brief hug, and followed her into her apartment.

  “It’s about time,” she complained as we made our way to the kitchen.

  “Well, I missed you, too, sister,” I mocked with a smile reaching into her fridge to grab a bottle of water.

  “You’re so funny. Not!” she replied as Reya and Gabe joined us at the breakfast bar.

  “So, I know you said we have to talk, but I was about to text you the same, so why don’t we get comfortable? This may be a long chat.”

  Ses gave an odd nod but kept quiet as she ushered everyone into the living room. After we were seated, she started right in, “Leon’s not in charge anymore. Some English vamp is, and all the shifters are fired or being used as a food source.”

  Maybe our conversation was going to be shorter than I thought. “I heard. In fact, that was why I said we needed to talk. The shifters want to pay us to keep investigating and to help them find Leon. Wait, where does that leave you, Gabe?”

  “They don’t seem to know I’m a half-breed so, so far I’m fine. My position hasn’t changed, so if you keep on the case, I could help you. They trust me.”

  Seslie had yet to answer either way. “Well, I’d be okay with that, but I won’t do it without Seslie. Though, if we don’t, I’m not sure we shouldn’t turn things over to the Paranormal Council.”

  “We can’t do that,” Gabe stated.

  “Why not?” I asked, and Seslie’s look seemed to be asking the same.

  “Well, if we do, I’ll be out when they realize I work for PIA. Plus, turning things over to the council wouldn’t help the shifters or Leon. Leon’s your family, and Teddy and the guys are as close to family as you can get. You can’t just leave them to the English vamps.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but Seslie still hadn’t said anything either way, so I stayed silent and looked to her.

  “I can see things both ways, truthfully. We could help the shifters and possibly find Leon, but what then? We have no pull to help him get his throne back. If we leave things to the council, we could still help investigate, and chances are we would be the team to take out whatever is doing the killing. Find the killer, chances are good you find Leon.”

  “That doesn’t help Teddy and his friends, though,” Gabe pointed out.

  “Nor will informing the council guarantee anything will be done. Right?” Reya questioned. “I mean, we all know that if it doesn’t involve exposure to the humans, the council doesn’t really care.”

  They both had valid points. Still, Seslie seemed to be thinking, so I tried to give her time to ponder. If we did this, I didn’t want her to feel like she was pushed into it. The room was silent, all eyes on Seslie.

  She finally looked to me. “And you're okay with taking their money?” she questioned.

  “I didn’t ask for it, and we could use it. Besides, if we can’t find Leon or help them, they don’t have to give us anything.”

  “I guess you’re right there. So, we’ll try if you want?”

  “I’m in if you are, sis. Without you, I’m out.”

  Seslie looked to Gabe and Reya. “And you are good with this?”

  “Yep, I’m in,” Reya agreed.

  “I think it’s the best option,” Gabe seconded.

  “Then, I guess we proceed.”

  “I’ll call Teddy and let him know.” I started to reach for my phone.

  “Did you ask him about the site, so we can rule out the Raven Mockers?” Seslie asked.

  “No, with everything that has happened, I completely forgot. I will now.”

  “No need. I know all the sites. I can show you to one,” Gabe stated.

  I shrugged and looked to Ses as the phone rang. She nodded as Teddy answered, so I just informed him we were in and set up a get-together for the next night at my place. After that, everyone was in the mood for a glass of wine, and we made more plans over takeout before I headed home.

  Chapter Eleven

  After I got home, there was nothing to do. Even for a Monday night, it was boring. I had already talked to Seslie, so there was no need to check in with her, not that I thought she would mind. I’d already eaten, so I wasn’t hungry, and we had an idea about what we were investigating, so there was not much to do. I wasn’t much for watching television, so I grabbed a random book from the stack I got at Gran’s. When I did, something fluttered to the floor. I bent down and retrieved the card Xavier gave me with his number on it. In all the excitement, I had completely forgotten about him. Okay, maybe not completely, but I had forgotten he gave me his number. Sitting there staring at the card, I debated internally whether I should call him. Before I even realized, I had picked up my phone and dialed his number. His rich husky tone vibrating across the line gave me goosebumps when he answered.

  “Hello,” he said.

  Suddenly, I was at a loss for words. It was as if his voice had caused a short circuit between my brain and my mouth.

  “Hello, is anyone there?” he questioned.

  “Um, hi. It’s me. I mean, it’s Analese. You gave me your number the other night,” I fumbled. Ugh, I sounded like a moron. I almost wished he didn’t remember me, so I could hang up and end my misery.

  “Yes, hello. I wasn’t sure you were going to call.”

  “Oh, well, I’ve just been busy is all.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I am glad to hear from you, though.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. Why I wouldn’t be?” he questioned.

  “I’m sorry. I meant to thank you,” I rambled. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was thanking him for, but this conversation wasn’t going anything like I had hoped. I couldn’t seem to get my brain and mouth to listen to each other.

  “I guess you’re welcome.” He laughed. “So, what are you up to?”

  My goddess, he must think I didn’t know how to talk like an intelligent person. I was really messing up. “Just family stuff is all, and work, of course.”

  “Is everything alright? With your family, I mean.”

  “Yes, just some stuff we had to get together and discuss is all.”

  He may be a supernatural, too, but I couldn’t just blab to any old person that we were trying t
o figure out what was killing vampires and shifters and helping our friends find their boss, so he could get back to being Vampire King of Illinois. No, that wasn’t first date conversation. Not that it was a date. It was only a phone call.

  “That’s good to hear. I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

  “Thanks. That’s sweet of you.” It really was, too. Most people cared too little about others, as far as I was concerned. “What have you been up to? Anything interesting?”

  “Not really. Just getting settled in. Starting my new job. Looking for things to do in the area. You know, the normal relocation stuff.”

  “Truthfully, no, I don’t. Seslie and I were born and raised in Illinois. She has been a few places since she joined the army, but I’ve lived with Gran and here. That’s all.”

  “Must be nice. I’ve moved a lot. In fact, all my life.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The life of a Druid. To train, we move from colony to colony, based on the area we show power in.”

  “Wow, that’s kinda cool. I didn’t know that. It must have been hard moving from school to school like that.”

  “Druids don’t go to normal schools. We train and are taught everything from other Druids. School might have been nice. It was one of those things you see on television and wonder what it’d be like.”

  “That’s just so different than what is done here. Did you learn stuff like reading, writing, arithmetic, as we did, or did you learn only about powers and such?”

  He laughed, a smooth warm sound that made my toes curl. “We learned those things and all others required for a common education. We aren’t backwoods or anything like that.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you or imply anything like that. I was just curious is all.”

  “I know you didn’t. It’s a common question from those not familiar with the Druid ways.”

  “It does sound very interesting. I’d love to hear more about your teachings and way of life, the things you can do, and what brought you here?”

  “I’d be more than happy to tell you all you’d like to know. Anytime you’d like. Would tomorrow evening be too soon?”

  I was stunned. It sounded like he was asking me out. “You mean like on a date or something?” I needed to be sure, even if asking made me look like a fool. It would be worse to assume it was a date and find out he was just looking to be friends, because I wanted to be so much more than his friend.

  “Yeah, just like a date. We could get a meal and talk, or just coffee if that’d be better to start with. Whatever you’ll agree to, I’ll take it.”

  “Well, then sure,” I said without thinking. As soon as the words left my mouth, however, I remembered that I had to meet with the everyone the following night, and Goddess only knew how long that would take. “No, wait. I can’t tomorrow. I forgot I have somewhere to be and I have no clue how long it will take. But Wednesday night I’m free.” I so wanted to see him. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t, but the thing with Leon and the vamps needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.

  “I could do Wednesday instead. That’s just fine. Since you know the area, where would you like to meet? Do you want dinner, or would you rather start with coffee and go from there?”

  I liked the way he alluded to more dates before we even had our first. “I’m okay with dinner.”

  “Sounds good to me. The more time the better.”

  “Cool, we could meet at The Roadhouse on the west side near the mall if you’re a steak man, or somewhere else if not.”

  “Steak’s fine with me. How does six o’clock work for you?”

  “Works just fine for me. It’s a date.”

  “Alright, I’ll see you then, Ana.”

  We talked for just a few minutes more before saying goodnight. I was walking on clouds.

  Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough as far as I was concerned.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tuesday night’s meeting was not quite what I expected. When I told Teddy we’d meet at my place after work, I figured it’d be Teddy, Seslie, Gabe, Reya, and me. What I got was the five of us and ten other shifters. A few I knew and the rest I didn’t. Fifteen people in a one-bedroom condo was a lot. But when eleven of those were shifters, it was a quite a sight. Let’s just say, I was very glad to have opted for the open floor plan. The living room, dining room, and kitchen all presented as one room with hardwood floors throughout. Area rugs and furniture formed the only separations to the large open area. The staircase to my bedroom ran up the outer wall that connected the apartment to the garage with an open balcony and vaulted ceilings. Once everyone was present, every available surface downstairs seemed to have an oversized male sitting or leaning on it. They made my furniture look like it was child-sized.

  Once everyone had a drink of some kind in hand, Teddy cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. As the room settled, I took a moment to glance at the many faces around the room. The first thing I noticed was that Seslie, Reya, and I were the only females in the group. The second was that every one of the males present was a dessert for the eyes. It was like sitting in a room full of male models. Not that I hadn’t noticed before that the men of the supernatural community were attractive, but with so many in one place, the beauty was nearly blinding. There were every size, skin color, and nationality present. Shifters aren’t necessarily bulky as an overall group, however, most of the ones in my apartment were. Likely, that was why they were chosen by Leon. He liked a certain look in his enforcers.

  Once intros were done, Teddy asked me or Ses to take the floor. Seslie went first with help from Gabe. That seemed like the best idea since they knew more of the men in the room than I did. Gabe likely worked with or was at least familiar with most of them. Since he served as a general for Leon. Even with his position of authority, Gabe was easy-going and well-liked. According to what Reya was whispering to me as Gabe talked, she and Seslie had met most of the group at Leon’s Christmas party last year. They went over our concerns about Leon missing and the EVC takeover. Seslie briefly touched on the failed transitions before passing the floor to me.

  “Before we continue, how does everyone feel about the current state of things?” It was a question I felt needed to be asked, because if they didn’t care or didn’t want things back to normal, there wasn’t much reason to continue, at least not with the group meeting. Seslie and I could still identify if the Raven Mockers were responsible and recruit help from the PIA team to bring things back under control if need be.

  In answer, I got a lot of hostile looks before a dark-skinned man I didn’t know said, “How the hell would you feel being someone’s supper? Leon brought me here to be a guard and enforcer, not a damn snack. Not that you would know anything about that. Now would you?”

  Looking around showed several heads nodding their agreement. Teddy started to stand, but I just waved him off. I could handle things. I just needed to be sure we were all here for the same thing. “I imagine if I went through what you’re all dealing with, I’d be mighty pissed off, too. You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like to be in that position, but I don’t agree with any of it. That’s why Teddy asked us to help. Now, we can’t make any promises, but we are willing to try if that’s what all of you want?”

  That got me more nods. “Okay, then. Seslie and Gabe told you what we know about the takeover. I’m going to tell you what we think might have killed the newlings and the guards.” I paused to make sure they were ready. When it seemed they were, I proceeded.

  “So, we’ve researched several creatures, and it’s looking like we may be dealing with something called a Raven Mocker.” Surveying the room showed no sign of recognition from any of the men. Not that I truly expected it, but you never knew.

  “From what we’ve gathered so far, they’re a little like demons in that their master is a god of sorts that can be summoned, and bargains can be made. These Raven Mockers are minions that do his bidding.” That statement caused a bit of
commotion. I waited while they digested things before saying anything more. People who were emotional didn’t retain facts when given, so waiting was a wise choice. Overloading them too much wouldn’t help our cause.

  “I’m sure that isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry. But if we get lucky when we do our revealing spell later, we could be led straight to the guilty party, or we could rule them out completely. In which case, we will have to go back to the drawing board. At any rate, hopefully we will know something tomorrow.” That got a positive vibe flowing through the room, which was my goal, before I explained what we needed from any shifters who hadn’t already quit their jobs with the vamps. For us to continue getting information about what was happening, we would need more than Gabe on the inside. “Now that you know what we’re doing and planning, it’s time to figure out what you all can do to help us.”

  Reno, an arctic fox shifter, spoke up. “Why do I feel like what you’re going to ask is going to be very painful?”

  “Because nothing to do with this whole situation has been painless for any of us. But you’re right. What we have to ask, I ask with a heavy heart, because it isn’t something I would want to do.” I let that sink in and waited to see if I got a response. One look at the faces around the room showed I wasn’t very popular. When the response came, I was a little shocked that it was from Teddy.

  “You want some of us to agree to stay on as bleeders, don’t you?” His voice carried no heat, just resignation, breaking my heart for even thinking it. Though, the truth was that without inside help, our chances of success decreased drastically.

  I couldn’t seem to find my voice while looking into his eyes, so I just nodded. After a few moments, he replied.

  “I’ll do it. As much as I loathe it, I know you’re right. We need people on the inside.”