Five Moons Rising

by Lise MacTague

  The occasional sign of hope did a lot to reassure her. Cassidy was now eating cooked food and Mary Alice would overhear occasional murmured snippets of conversation between her and the female from inside the metal box. They knew when she was close, however, and the conversation quickly dried up if she tried to eavesdrop. She asked once, what the female was telling her sister. She hadn’t been prepared for a lecture she received as a result. The female disapproved mightily of the fact that she’d made no real effort to clue Cassidy in as to what was going on. After that, Mary Alice didn’t ask. If the female wanted to give her sister werewolf history lessons, she wasn’t going to argue, not if it got Cass through in one piece.

  One thing the female insisted upon was giving Cassidy her own space. When Mary Alice tried to pin her down on why she wasn’t spending all her time with her sister, she only received a vague answer about not wanting the wolves vying for dominance within Cassidy to be unduly influenced by her presence.

  Mary Alice had tried to get a more concrete answer from her, but the female was adept at avoiding her prodding. Mostly, Mary Alice spent her days in the second floor studio, trying to keep herself calmed down to the point where Cassidy could tolerate her presence. The evenings she spent in her living quarters, carefully avoiding the female.

  She was sitting on the couch, trying to get past the fourth chapter of her very battered copy of Stephen King’s The Stand when the freight elevator groaned to life. The female was curled up in front of the couch in wolf form. Her head lifted and ears pricked up at the sudden noise. She liked to spend her time out of the box in Mary Alice’s general vicinity. Mary Alice wasn’t sure why, but the female’s presence wasn’t something she bore easily. She felt ill at ease with her. It was probably the guilt talking, but then why was she constantly thinking of golden eyes peering out from beneath a veil of blond hair?

  “Get out of here.” Mary Alice vaulted over the back of the couch without waiting to see if the female complied. The scrabble of toenails on concrete let her know she’d headed out of the room.

  Mary Alice reached under the end table and detached the pistol she kept secured there. The .45 automatic was reassuring in her hand. The hollow-point rounds she kept in it would take out most supranormals that could attack her here.

  Is it the furries? Did they track me down, finally? Maybe vamps. The gun wouldn’t be enough to slow down a full-grown vampire. She could bring a newling to its knees with a few well-placed shots, but a vampire that had come into its own would barely notice the bullets.

  She darted from the living room into the kitchen and slammed open a drawer. It was full of combat knives; her cooking knives lived in a wood block on the counter. She grabbed the biggest one she could get her hands on and rushed through the opening that passed for her front door.

  By the sound of it, the elevator was passing the second floor, coming right up to the top without stopping. Mary Alice would be able to get the drop on somebody in only a few places in the third floor’s vast echoing emptiness. She chose the space to the right of the elevator. It was probably the most obvious, but it also had the advantage of being the closest. The last thing she wanted was anyone to get too close to the metal box where Cassidy was being held. She’d built it to keep her sister from hurting herself, but now it held her, trapped and unable to flee.

  Her palms prickled and sweat made her shift her grip on her weapons as she waited for the door to grind open. They clanged as they reached their widest point and she threw herself around the corner, pistol at the ready.

  “What the hell, Malice?” Uncle Ralph’s gruff tones barked at her from within the elevator’s depths.

  “What the hell, yourself.” Mary Alice skidded to a stop just before the opening. “What are you doing here, Ralph?” She peered at him, and then slowly lowered the gun.

  “You haven’t answered your phone in days.” He stepped out of the elevator and strode toward her living quarters. For all of his bulk, he moved pretty quickly.

  Mary Alice darted forward, making sure to stay on his right side so he wouldn’t veer off toward the area where Cassidy’s box was concealed behind the temporary walls of her home. “I’ve been busy.”

  Uncle Ralph raised an eyebrow at her and Mary Alice tried not to blush. The excuse had been transparent when it came out of her mouth, and she knew it. “Well, I have.”

  “What could possibly be more important than tracking down those fur-freaks?” He stomped into her home, making a beeline for the kitchen. “If they continue to make my life difficult, you can bet I’m going to make yours impossible.”

  She paused at the doorway for a moment; then hurried to catch up with him. To the best of her knowledge, he’d never been in her home before, and yet he seemed to know the layout very well. Ralph puffed a little bit as he poured himself a glass of water.

  “You have anything stronger?”

  She shook her head.

  There was a rustle of movement behind them and Mary Alice’s stomach plummeted. The female was going to expose her. And why not? She’d been holding her captive for days now. There was no way she could expect any kind of loyalty from the beast, though she’d hoped the female would feel some responsibility toward Cassidy.

  “So that’s why you’ve been so busy.” Approval dripped from Ralph’s voice and Mary Alice turned her head.

  The female stood in the doorway, clad only in a sheer T-shirt and a pair of Mary Alice’s pajama pants. They hung low on her hips, accentuating their curves. As usual, it was chilly in the loft, which was perfectly illustrated by the female’s nipples straining against the shirt’s flimsy fabric. She rested her weight on one leg, watching the two of them for a second before languidly strolling into the kitchen.

  “What’s going on, baby?” The female snaked an arm around Mary Alice’s waist and snuggled herself into her side.

  The female’s warmth and the way the pajamas molded every dip and curve of her ass derailed Mary Alice’s thoughts. All she could think of was how well they fit together and how good it felt to be touching someone.

  “Baby?” The word was whispered in her ear and Mary Alice shivered. Goose bumps broke out along her right side and cascaded over her skin.

  “Um, yes?” She licked her lips nervously. This was awkward; she didn’t even know the female’s name. Uncle Ralph was staring at her expectantly and she was caught flatfooted.

  “Oh, for crying out loud.” The female’s voice was slightly pouty. “I’m Ruri.”

  “Y-yes. This is my Uncle Ralph.” Mary Alice wanted to slap the smirk off his face and she reflexively wound her arm around the female’s waist to keep from swinging at him.

  “It’s good to meet you, Ruri.” Ralph gave her a little half wave. “I’d greet you properly, but you’re not exactly…” His hand sketched the outline of her curves in the air.

  Mary Alice tightened her arm around Ruri’s waist, and then stepped forward, hiding her from his prying eyes. “Now you know. It’s time for you to go.”

  “Have a nice day, Ruri.” Ralph leaned around Mary Alice to get one last look.

  Mary Alice grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him out of the kitchen and through the front door.

  “It’s very nice that you’ve gone and gotten yourself a girlfriend, Malice.” Gone was the irritating smirk. In its place was a penetrating gaze. “You still have work to do. Don’t be so caught up with fucking her that you lose sight of the bigger picture. And whatever you do, she can’t find out what you do.”

  “Thanks for the advice,” Mary Alice snapped. “I’ve got it taken care of.”

  “Good. Then you won’t mind emailing me your full report on all the events related to the North Side pack. I want it in my inbox tomorrow.”

  “No problem.” Her voice was stony and she made no effort to soften it. Their relationship had always been contentious, but he was treading in some dangerous waters. He had no idea how close she was to telling him to fuck off. Him and Uncle Sam.

  “That’
s a good girl.” With stunning audacity, Ralph reached out and patted her on the cheek.

  Mary Alice closed her eyes and leaned back. Ralph gave her another smirk and stepped onto the freight elevator. She stood in front of the door as it closed and listened as the ancient cables creaked and groaned their way to the first floor. She waited until she heard the front service door slam, then finally let herself relax, slumping and leaning against the wall next to the freight doors.

  That was too close. She needed to get Cassidy taken care of, and soon. But first, she needed to get that report to Ralph and quell some of his suspicions. That would get him off her back for a while at least.

  Ruri perched on the edge of one of the stools at the kitchen island. She’d heard every word of the conversation between Malice and her so-called uncle. If he was her uncle, then she was Malice’s mother. It seemed impossible that the woman could even have a mother, but Cassidy had to have come from somewhere, so she supposed Malice must have as well.

  A small smile played around her lips when she remembered the gooseflesh she’d raised when she whispered in Malice’s ear. She was glad to know she could incite emotions in Malice other than rage.

  Malice walked back into the room and stopped awkwardly at the threshold. Ruri looked at her steadily. She wasn’t going to help her with this. Malice was the one who had kidnapped her. Let her do the heavy lifting in their conversations. Ruri’s entire body warmed, and unbidden, she relived the feel of Malice’s arm around her.

  “Is your name really Ruri?” Malice’s voice was hesitant, as if uncertain about how the question would be received.

  “It really is.” She smiled, showing more teeth than really necessary. “Surprised to find out the animal has a real person name?”

  Malice’s face fell, and Ruri realized it had been as open as she’d ever seen it. She kicked herself for missing that.

  “It’s okay,” Ruri said. “I’m sorry, that was shitty.”

  Malice lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “So is kidnapping you and holding you here against your will.”

  “There is that.”

  “So can I call you that? Ruri, I mean.”

  “I guess so.” It was Ruri’s turn to shrug, though inside she was heartened. If Malice saw her as more than an animal, there was a better chance she would survive this nightmare with her hide intact.

  “You can call me Mary.”

  Without her enhanced hearing, Ruri would have missed the whispered offer. “Mary? That’s a…pretty name.” There was no answer and Ruri flailed around for something else to say. Something was there, chemistry, a small spark, perhaps, and she didn’t want to lose the tenuous connection. “It doesn’t suit you.”

  She was rewarded with a crooked smile, half amusement, half something else she couldn’t identify. Malice moved all the way into the room and took one of the stools across from her.

  “It’s my first name. Middle name’s Alice. So, Malice. Get it?”

  “I guess. Who stuck that one on you?”

  “My platoon when I was in training. They thought Malice was funny because it didn’t really fit me back then. Mary was a much better fit. But things change. Enough that it was issued to me as an official code name when the time came.”

  Ruri tilted her head, watching Malice closely. “So who was the asshole?”

  Malice smiled. “That’s certainly an appropriate description. He isn’t really my uncle.”

  “Really?” Ruri let her mouth drop open in exaggerated surprise. She was rewarded by a tight grin. “He didn’t smell anything like you. Your sister smells more like you, even with her…issues. Even with your issues.” She delivered the last under her breath.

  Malice gave no indication that she’d heard the final sentence. She simply looked to one side and sighed heavily. “Really. He’s my handler. I get my assignments from him.”

  “So that’s how it works? You get assigned which of us to kill based on the say-so of an overweight white guy who looks like every cop drama’s stereotypical schlub detective? That’s very reassuring.”

  “I don’t know where he gets his intel. He reports to someone else, that’s all I know about our command structure. It’s highly compartmentalized.”

  Ruri opened her mouth to ask another question, but snapped it closed when Malice’s cell phone rang. By the eye roll at the sound of the ringtone, she wasn’t thrilled with whoever was calling her. She still answered the phone, however.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  It took an effort of monumental proportions not to laugh out loud. Her lips quivered, but Ruri thought she’d done a pretty good job of keeping a disinterested look on her face. From the dirty look Malice shot her, she hadn’t succeeded.

  Malice turned away and spoke quietly into the phone. “I’m good. How are you?” She paused, listening to the answer on the other end. “I was surprised, too. I thought she was getting serious with that finance major, but then she up and leaves for a service trip to Honduras right after midterms? Hopefully she’ll get some perspective and get it together.”

  That was interesting. Malice did a very good job of not letting on that anything out of the ordinary was going on in her home. It could have been any other day where she wasn’t entertaining one wolven in the kitchen with another locked up in a box not thirty feet away. Did Malice’s family not know anything about what she did? Unbidden, a small kernel of compassion for the Hunter bubbled up within her. What would it be like to keep a secret like that hidden from those she was closest to?

  Ruri certainly didn’t know. When she’d been turned all those years ago, she hadn’t even tried to go home again. Flashing teeth and glowing eyes in dark woods filled her mind, driving out the sympathy she was feeling. She snatched her thoughts away from the memory, one that hadn’t intruded on her in fifty years or more.

  She’d stayed away from the family homestead. What had happened had been clear to her, and she certainly wasn’t about to endanger her family if she too was going to become a wolf. Instead, she’d skulked alone in the woods until her first full moon. Prints in the snow had confirmed what she couldn’t remember, and Ruri had known she could never go home again. Keeping her family safe was only half of it. The looks of disgust and fear on their faces if they’d ever found out the truth about her would have killed her.

  “Let’s wait until she comes home and ask her about it,” Malice said to her mother. “Besides, I don’t know what kind of phone service she’ll have in the rainforest. I think we’re going to have to wait to grill her.” She listened again, face impassive. “Okay, Mom. Look, I need to go now.”

  The answer on the other end was excited enough for Ruri to make out the tone, though she didn’t understand the words.

  “Yes, I have someone over,” Malice said, her voice raised in exasperation. “No, she isn’t going to give you grandchildren.” She cringed in response to something her mother said. “Yes, I’m sure. I have to go, Mom. Really. I love you and I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

  “So that was your mom?” Ruri asked, face bland.

  “You know it was.” The look Malice shot her was wicked. “Surprised to find out the big bad werewolf hunter has a mother?”

  Ruri nodded, acknowledging Malice’s point. “A little. Though it shouldn’t come as too much surprise since you have a sister also.”

  The thawing that had begun between them cooled instantly. Ruri kicked herself for bringing up Cassidy. No sense in reminding the Hunter who she was. If she was going to survive this, Malice had to see her as an equal, not a monster. This wasn’t the way. Time to change the subject. There was more than one way to end a hunt.

  “So ‘Uncle Ralph’? It’s a command structure, is it?” Ruri watched the Hunter’s face carefully. She didn’t want to spook her, but she needed to know more about her and her strange profession. “What do you even do? It seems like five years ago, all the supras in the area started trotting your name out like you’re some kind of
boogeyman. ‘Better be good or Malice will get you.’”

  From the way Malice blinked, she was surprised. “They knew I was around that quick?”

  “You made quite an impression, especially after you cleared out that nest of vamps who were running kids for tricks.”

  “That was my third month on the job.” Malice smiled again, this time looking pleased with herself.

  “So why are you out here?”

  “I’m here because someone needs to take out your trash.” The smile was gone and in its place was implacable resolve. “Like the trash who did that to Cassidy. You supras don’t do very well at policing yourselves. You each have your little corner of the world and you don’t care what the others do as long as they don’t infringe on your territory.” Malice slid off the stool and paced the length of the kitchen. “How many of you knew what those sick vamp freaks were doing with those kids, but none of you bothered to do anything about it? You think because you can do so much more than ‘normal’ humans can, you don’t need to be held to the same standards of behavior. Someone has to protect humanity from your shit.”

  Ruri slouched down in the seat, unprepared for the storm she’d just unleashed. “We’re not all like that.”

  “Aren’t you?” Malice sneered at her and Ruri wondered if she realized how inhuman she looked right now. “Where were you when Cassidy was being mauled?”

  “Where was I?” Ruri threw herself off the stool and into Malice’s face. “I was probably in the basement of an abandoned house trying to heal and mourning the loss of my family.”

  “Your family? Which of them were your family? Don’t you dare compare your loss to mine!”

  “Loss, what loss? You’ve lost shit, Malice. You still have a sister, despite all your best efforts. They were all family. Every last one of them, even the ones who went with MacTavish. So don’t come crying on my shoulder. You still have a chance. I don’t. I’m alone.”