Cold Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “You must be Wes.” He stepped forward until he was shoulder to shoulder with me. “I’d shake your hand but…” He made a gesture to the invisible line that separated us. “I don’t want to get expelled over a handshake.”

  Wes, who’d wrenched his glare from Alex, relaxed and looked at Logan. “I understand. It’s nice to meet you, too. I was telling Tara that I’m glad she’s made trustworthy friends here.”

  “How do you know we’re trustworthy?” Cambria stepped forward with eyebrow raised. It seemed she’d recovered from her earlier shyness and was back to her old self.

  “She told you about me, didn’t she?” he asked. They didn’t answer. “And Miles?” This time they nodded. “Then she trusts you. And I trust her judgment.” Cambria and Logan smiled and I knew they’d officially been won over. “What I can’t figure out is what you all are doing out here. Isn’t that sort of dangerous if there’s been a breach in the wards?”

  “We’re patrolling,” Logan explained.

  “Patrolling?” Wes frowned. “Why would you need to? That’s what the wards are for.”

  Logan opened his mouth to answer, but Alex was suddenly at his side, laying a hand on his arm and shaking his head. Logan turned back to Wes and gave him a helpless shrug. Wes glared at Alex again, only this time, Alex was much closer.

  “What’s your problem?” Wes all but growled at him. “We were talking. Private conversation.”

  “The subject matter is not his to tell.” Alex let go of Logan’s arm and stood with his hands loose at his sides. He glared back at Wes without flinching. At a glance he might look relaxed and unconcerned, but I could see the tension in the muscles along his shoulders and arms.

  “If it concerns the wards it concerns Vera, so it’s my business as well.”

  “Not this time it isn’t. Vera works for Wood Point right now. Not your Cause.”

  “And Tara out here patrolling unsecured woods is also my concern,” Wes went on.

  Alex snorted. “Tara can take care of herself pretty well from what I’ve seen.”

  Something about his tone made me think back to that first day when I’d kicked him in his…

  Wes barked out a laugh, and I froze. He was looking at me and seemed genuinely amused by something.

  Then it dawned on me. I rejected it at first. There was no way; he wouldn’t do that to me twice. But the way he’d laughed right at the exact moment I’d thought of it…

  “Logan, what’s today?” I asked.

  Wes quieted; the smile disappeared.

  “Sunday, why?” Logan answered, sounding confused.

  “What moon phase is it?”

  “Um, full, I think. Why does that matter?”

  I couldn’t answer him. All I could do was stare at Wes. I couldn’t even think, which was a good thing, since whatever thoughts I did have would’ve been plucked right out of my head, anyway.

  “That’s how you knew about Alex. That’s why you’re here now,” I said.

  “No, it’s not why I’m here,” he said, shaking his head, looking incredibly guilty.

  I could feel my temper beginning to rise. Seeing him look at me like that only confirmed my suspicions.

  “What the hell does this have to do with me?” Alex demanded.

  I ignored him and stared at Wes. I was angry, yes, but I also couldn’t help but feel hurt and betrayed and used. He’d come here to find out what sort of things Vera–or I–was keeping from him. Only, he didn’t trust me enough to tell him the truth out loud. He picked the one day he could get it from me whether I was willing or not.

  “No, Tara. It’s not like that.” Wes took a step forward, and Alex moved closer to me.

  Wes’ gaze swiveled and locked onto Alex, full of fire and venom.

  “I can’t believe you,” I whispered, still trying to process all of the reasons he’d come, and all of the thoughts he’d heard from me so far.

  “Tara, it’s not because of the full moon. I missed you.” He put extra emphasis on the last part, but it was too late.

  “You should go now,” I said, not meeting his eyes.

  “I’m not leaving like this.”

  “She said go,” Alex said.

  Wes glared at him and took another step forward, this one towards Alex. I could feel a vague vibration in the ward’s line. He was getting dangerously close to crossing.

  “I’ll go when I’m ready. This has nothing to do with you,” Wes growled at him.

  “She’s on my side of the line right now, pup. Which means she’s my responsibility, and I will protect her, even from you.” Alex hadn’t stepped forward but he hadn’t backed up either.

  Through the veil of tears covering my eyes, I finally realized how serious this was getting. Wes was shaking, struggling to stay in control of his human form. I needed to do something before someone crossed the line.

  “We’ll go, then,” I said. I turned to walk away, but Alex stayed where he was. I sighed and grabbed hold of his arm, pulling on him. “Let’s go.”

  “You think because it’s a full moon I can’t take him?” Alex spoke through clenched teeth, his eyes on Wes.

  I dropped my hand from his arm. “Are you serious right now? You actually think any of this has anything to do with you? Let’s go!” I was shouting now, with fisted hands, and I could feel myself shaking. In three seconds, I already felt closer to the edge than that night in the woods with Cambria and Logan.

  “No, I don’t think it’s about me. Are you okay?” Alex’s expression had gone from pissed to concerned, and he held me lightly by the shoulders. His arms shook along with me.

  “Tara?” Wes’ voice was urgent and close. “Tara, what’s wrong?”

  I turned to look at him, and all I could see was how mad I was for what he’d done. I couldn’t think in coherent sentences, much less talk in them. All I could do was glare. Some sound erupted from deep in my throat. I couldn’t hold it in. I opened my mouth and uttered a growl.

  Everyone stopped and stared.

  It surprised me enough that the shaking ceased, and I felt a little calmer.

  “Um, okay. Feel better?” Cambria asked.

  I nodded. Wes and Alex were still watching me, but with totally different expressions. Alex looked concerned, and a little confused. Wes looked… almost animal. His head was cocked to the side in a gesture I knew wasn’t even conscious, and he looked curious more than anything else.

  “We should go,” I said. I was glad my voice sounded somewhere close to normal. “We’re losing light anyway and we’re not done with patrols.”

  As I’d hoped, reminding Alex of the job at hand got his attention. “Right. Let’s get going,” he said.

  No one else looked back at Wes but me. He stayed right where he was, watching with a pained expression until I reached the briars and waded inside.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Monday and Tuesday passed. That was the only way to describe it. I didn’t know whether the days had been quiet, or loud, or easy, or hard. They simply… passed. I was in too much of a haze to notice the details. I went to class, did my homework, ate with Cambria and Logan, and trained with Alex. None of them brought it up. I guess they all knew I wasn’t going to talk about it until I was ready.

  Alex seemed the most out of sorts, which surprised me. He was usually so good at putting up a front, but there was serious tension on his part. So much that we’d gone back to running for the entire session, in silence. Victoria had even given up on torturing me since nothing she said seemed to get a reaction. I guess I wasn’t even a fun victim at this point.

  All I could think about was Wes and how he’d ruined it. I should’ve been happy to see him that day in the woods, even if it sucked that I couldn’t touch him, but he’d had to ruin it by coming on the full moon. Did he really distrust me that much? And then there was all the extra information I’d handed to him, through the power of my wandering thoughts. The one that bothered me most was, of course, Alex. I’d convinced myself that I
would’ve told him had I been given the opportunity. I wasn’t a two-timer. But now, Wes had only my disjointed and guilty thoughts as explanation. Did he even know I hadn’t been the one to initiate the kiss? Had that come through in what he’d heard?

  Not that I cared what he thought. I mean, I was mad at him. And for good reason. So, why did I care so much how he felt?

  And then there was the pull. That was all I knew to call it at this point. That strange magnetic feeling I’d gotten that, in the end, had led me right to Wes. It scared me enough that I couldn’t bring it up to anyone, not even Cambria. I’d felt a similar–though not nearly as strong– pull to him when we’d been together back in Frederick Falls. So was this pull somehow responsible for my attraction to him? Would I even be drawn to him without it? And where did it come from?

  By Wednesday morning, I was deep in my own pity party. I was so distracted by it that I didn’t notice anything wrong right away. I was halfway across my room, my eyes still heavy with sleep, when I caught a whiff of something foreign and wrinkled my nose. I looked back at my half of the room and froze.

  All of the laundry that had scattered the floor had been shredded. It looked like giant claw marks had cut my clothing into little pieces and let it lay where it fell. Scraps were scattered on every surface, including my desk and bed. I ran back over and yanked on my dresser. Everything had been pulled out of the drawers, down to my underwear. No piece of clothing remained intact.

  I sniffed the air again and frowned. What was that scent? It smelled like something burning.

  I followed it all the way to the floor underneath my bed. The only thing there was my empty suitcase. I yanked on it and pulled it out, flipping it open with caution. I stared down at it in horror. I’d forgotten. It hadn’t been empty. I’d been keeping the stakes and weapons Cambria had gotten for us in here when we weren’t on patrol. Now, they were a pile of ash and burnt wood. The smell of smoke burned in my nose and I knew whoever had destroyed them had done it recently. I had a sinking feeling I knew who that someone was.

  I marched down the hall and banged on Cambria’s door. She opened with a protest about beauty sleep but quickly shut her mouth when she saw the look on my face. I stepped inside and told her what had happened.

  “Crap. You think she’s going to rat us out for the weapons?” she asked.

  “No. I mean, if she did, she’d be telling on herself for burning the evidence. She’s got something else up her sleeve.”

  “You want to borrow something?” Cambria asked, looking sympathetically at my pajamas.

  “Oh, um.” I hesitated. Cambria’s style wasn’t something just anyone could pull off. I mean, her pajamas consisted of a black lace cami with black leggings that had skulls going up the side of each leg. She topped it off with kitten slippers.

  Cambria must’ve noticed my scrutiny. She rolled her eyes. “Not me, my roommate. Her style is a little more…you.”

  I ignored any underlying meaning to her words. “Won’t she be mad?”

  “Always absent, remember?” She gestured to the closet that was opposite her own, and I tried not to show my relief. It was filled with plain jeans and tee shirts.

  “Thanks,” I said, walking over and rifling through until I found a size that would work.

  “Don’t mention it.” She waited until I pulled out a shirt and then said, “But seriously, don’t mention it. My roommate will be pissed if she finds out.”

  “My lips are sealed,” I promised.

  We showered and dressed and headed up for breakfast, and I was glad, for Victoria’s sake, that I’d had time to cool off before facing her for destroying my property. But as soon as we walked into the dining hall and I caught sight of her perched at her usual window table with all her loyal subjects fanned out around her the fury was back.

  “Come on. Let’s get this over with,” Cambria said, marching straight for Victoria’s table.

  That surprised me. Cambria was usually the one who tried calming me down or talking me out of a scene, since we both knew I was unpredictable in a face to face.

  “Well, well, look who it is. Love your outfit, Tara, is it new?” Victoria’s smile lit up and shined a new level of evil over the rest of her features.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but Cambria beat me to it. “All of you.” She was looking at the rest of the kids gathered at the table and her gaze meant business. “Scatter,” she said, once she’d made eye contact with them all.

  One by one, they all got up and walked away, taking full trays of food with them. Most of them relocated but some actually left the dining hall completely. I stared at Cambria until I began to recognize the intense way she was watching the last of the retreating kids.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Victoria demanded, rising.

  “Sit down,” Cambria said. She seated herself across from Victoria, looking calm and controlled.

  “I don’t take orders from you,” Victoria snapped “How did you do that? You better not be using compulsion.”

  “I’m charming, what can I say? Now, sit down, and don’t make me have to use my powers of persuasion to get you to do it,” Cambria said.

  I watched Victoria from across the table with my arms crossed and had to hold back a smug smile as she lowered herself into her chair.

  “What do you want?” she snapped. She sounded impatient, but I thought I saw a small glimmer of fear pass over her before she replaced it with her usual bitchiness.

  “A truce,” said Cambria.

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Well.” Cambria leaned back in her chair and eyed Victoria like you would a prisoner; all confidence and a little bit like you had a secret. “So far this war has been pretty much one sided. We’ve let you have all the victory.”

  “Let me? Please.” Victoria snorted and tossed her hair, refusing to be intimidated.

  I could feel my temper threatening to break. Logan walked up beside me, eyebrows raised, and I gave him a look that said “not now.”

  “Yes, let you,” Cambria went on. “But if you insist on amping up the battles, we’ll be forced to retaliate.” Cambria leaned forward, elbows on the table, and stared straight at Victoria with wide eyes. “Our patience is running thin. Do you understand?”

  Victoria stared straight at Cambria for a long moment, without blinking. Then she nodded her head methodically – like a puppet on a string. Her pupils were unfocused and I heard her say, “I understand. A truce,” although it sounded whispery and nothing like the Victoria I knew; full of venom and loathing.

  Cambria leaned back and looked away, breaking whatever spell she’d weaved, and Victoria shook her head, obviously trying to clear away whatever had held her. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Cambria like a snake ready to strike. The fear was back in her eyes, though, and this time she couldn’t gloss over it with her attitude.

  “You think you can compel me?” she hissed, looking at all of us. Logan shifted uncomfortably, but I met her eyes unflinchingly. “Think again. Wait until I tell Headmaster–”

  “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Cambria said, cutting her off mid-threat. “That’ll only snap our patience and then the war becomes two-sided. Consider this an example, a whetting of the appetite. So you know what we’re capable of. And consider yourself lucky we allowed the pranks to go on this long. Your roommate has a bit of a temper, you know. You’re lucky she hasn’t taken a bite out of you in your sleep by now.”

  Victoria’s eyes widened like that possibility had just dawned on her for the first time. I almost laughed.

  “Which brings me back to my original offer. A truce,” said Cambria.

  Victoria glared for another minute and then she finally seemed to realize her acid-stare tactics were no longer effective, at least with us. She sighed almost imperceptibly, and I felt some of the tension go out of me. It was the closest to an admission of defeat I’d probably ever see out of her.

  “Fine, whatever. A truce,” she said
. “For now.”

  “It’ll last until I say it doesn’t,” said Cambria. She pushed back from her chair and stood.

  Victoria remained sitting, looking sullen, and I knew that no matter how much Cambria threatened her, our truce really would last only as long as Victoria could reign herself in.

  I followed Cambria out with Logan trailing behind me. We didn’t stop until we were out of the dining room and halfway to the staircase. My adrenaline waned, and I stopped to catch my breath and grin at Cambria. She grinned right back. We stayed that way until Logan interrupted.

  “You both look like lunatics right now, you know that?”

  I shrugged and kept grinning. “That was awesome,” I said, looking at Cambria. “You can be pretty scary when you want to.”

  “You’re both lucky Victoria’s not the type to rat you out,” said Logan, shaking his head. He looked at Cambria. “You’re pushing it and one of these days you’re going to push too far.”

  My smile faded. “What does that mean?”

  Cambria sighed. “He means if any of the staff found out I used my uh, skills, for something other than killing Werewolves, I’d be expelled.” She glared at Logan. “Buzz kill.”

  “So?” I countered. “Why is that even so bad? This place sucks anyway. You could skip it and find a job or something.”

  “You think anyone in the Hunter world would hire her or even trust her if she’s known for using her power against her own people?” Logan said. “She’d be a scarlet letter. She’d have to join the human world and be shut out from Hunters forever.”

  “Oh,” I said, finally understanding the severity of the situation. “Maybe you shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Please.” Cambria rolled her eyes. “It was as much for me as it was for you. The ice queen’s reign has come to an end. I’m happy to be the one to let her know. Quit worrying about me. I’ll be careful.”

  I didn’t know what else to say, so I nodded.

  “Now, let’s go to class and enjoy this truce while it lasts,” she said, smiling again.