by Hannah Pole
Already he looked like a different wolf; his grey hair had some bounce to it, his skin had more colour, and the bags under his eyes were slowly disappearing following a good night’s sleep.
‘Well, what can we do? I’m not working in some coffee shop or bar.’ Saph played with her hair and grimaced.
‘We could work for the police? It’s a bit like what we do now only, safer?’ Carl suggested.
‘Tam, how did you find Alison?’
‘I, ah, I found the spots of blood on the floor and followed them to the building. There was a hatch in the floor that led into the basement.’
‘You were a reporter, right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So your investigation skills are top-notch?’ Sapphire questioned.
‘Well, yeah, I have got a nose for it,’ Tam chuckled.
‘So the police would really be an option, all of us could stay working together that way.’
‘Yeah, but there are entry exams and training, I’m not sure we’d get through.’
‘Why not? We’d be good at it.’
‘Yes, but it takes time, and what if they’re not hiring?’
Tam chewed on this for a little while. God, she hadn’t thought about what she was going to do when this was all over. She would like to go back into investigative journalism, yet it probably wasn’t such a good idea; it was just a little too high-profile and with her current situation, she needed to stay under the radar. The problem was, the idea of having a desk job, with no hunt, no drive to find the story, the evidence hidden beneath, seemed like hell to her.
What could she do that would keep her under the radar, but gave her the opportunity to investigate Kent’s deepest and darkest secrets?
‘Is there not a private investigators firm near here we can look into?’
‘I don’t know, but PIs are notoriously picky about who they work with. It’s a shame because that would be a perfect idea.’
‘The Council have a private investigation agency, you know.’ Carl grinned. ‘Shame we can’t apply to work with them.’ He laughed. ‘Bunch of controlling bastards, probably wouldn’t have let us anyway; it’s not our “race’s role”, after all.’
‘Well, beats me!’ Tam smiled. ‘If these last few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that I really should take a step back and assess the situation before diving in head first.’ Sapphire snorted. ‘I say we play it by ear, though maybe this is something worth looking into. After all, I’m a good investigative reporter, but I can’t be anywhere near the media because of this situation.’
‘And a PI firm is the next logical step; you can use your investigative skills and Carl can work in the office and start making a family with Kaylee.’ She winked at the male in question, who grinned so wide Tam was surprised it didn’t crack his face. ‘And I am brilliant in the field. It’s under the radar and it would make us some good money.’
Private investigation. Tamriel chewed on the idea. It seemed logical, and hell she knew she would be good at it. She had always liked the idea of being a PI or working in some branch of law enforcement. They just had to find a firm that would take them on, and that was going to be a struggle; Sapphire was right, PIs were indeed notoriously difficult to work with. They liked their space and were picky about who they chose to deal with. But at least they had a starting point for the money side of things.
Dax’s huge body filled the doorway, blocking the light streaming in, making Tamriel jump. His harsh, husky voice rang out as he strode straight up to them. ‘I’ve just spoken with Julian. Something’s wrong, he wants to come and meet us. Get dressed, we’re going out.’
Tamriel couldn’t help the buzz of excitement as she walked into the small bedroom she and Sapphire were sharing.
If Julian was coming, then maybe Leyth was too?
She pulled on a pair of jeans Saph had given her and slid on one of the female’s T-shirts. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she decided that would do; her hair was OK, it was a bit scruffy but it was fine, and she never wore make-up much anyway. The jeans fitted her nicely, which was a surprise, she and Sapphire may be kin but that female had more curves than you could shake a stick at. Thankfully, Sapphire, like every other wolf in the pack, usually carried a large knife, and had a pocket stitched into the side of her jeans that Leyth’s bolo just about fitted into. The damn knife was the last thing she had of her male, and she would be damned if she was going anywhere without it.
Tam went to her bag, searching frantically for a jumper of some description, but she didn’t have one. It was cold outside, the winter’s chill was still riding the air and the last thing she wanted to do was catch a cold. She snorted at the thought, her healing abilities were second to none these days; the cuts and gashes she’d gotten only days ago were already fully healed, only a thin pink line of scarring in their place. Could she even catch a cold?
Her eyes fell to Leyth’s jacket. He’d given it to her to keep her warm when they’d gotten back from their walk in the woods. When they’d decided to give this relationship a chance. Pain rose like a storm, but she shoved it away.
Grabbing the jacket, Tam slid it over her shoulders. It swamped her in size but it was warm and smelt of Leyth. She flared her nostrils and closed her eyes, getting lost for just a moment in the memory of her male. She tugged the edges of the jacket closer around her, hugging it to her chest and abruptly stopped dead as her hand crunched over something inside.
She slid the thing out, revealing a folded scrap of paper with Leyth’s handwriting on it.
Sitting down, her heart in her throat, she slowly unwrapped the note.
His handwriting was scruffy, as if he’d rushed to write it.
The ink was smeared in places where water or maybe tears had fallen onto it.
Tamriel,
I just wanted to tell you that you that I have always cared for you and I know in my heart that you are the other half of me. You complete me in more ways than I ever cared to believe.
But I have to leave. This letter is goodbye. I can’t see you again; it puts you in too much danger.
It’s breaking my heart to write this on paper rather than look into your beautiful eyes as I say it, but I know we won’t have time.
I will always be thinking of you.
But after this is over, once the Council are done questioning me, I’m leaving the country.
I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do, but I can’t be here, constantly looking for you, seeing you at every corner, wondering where you are.
Don’t look for me; don’t try to find me because I will disappear.
You will never see me again, Tamriel, and I’m so sorry.
Just know that my heart will always and forever be yours.
Leyth
Tamriel folded the paper, and put it back into her pocket. She wanted to cry, to scream and shout but she couldn’t, emptiness had taken over.
Fate was well and truly a bastard; the hand she’d been dealt was so unfair.
All she felt was numb; her male had actually done it, he’d left her.
He’d be long gone by now; the Council would have finished questioning him yesterday. He was probably halfway across the world.
Silent tears ran down her face as she brushed a hand through her hair and patted herself down.
She left the room and walked out of the cottage.
Sitting in Dax’s car, Sapphire and Carl excitedly discussed the details of the private investigation firm they wanted to start up, joking about the sort of jobs they might get in, and how the best way to set it up would be.
Tam sat there, nodding when she was supposed to nod and trying to smile when they laughed, but she couldn’t feel anything.
She couldn’t think. She was just completely and utterly empty.
As they pulled up to the cafe they were supposed to meet Julian in, Tamriel dragged her body out of the car. Pulling the hat she was wearing lower over her face, she trailed behind the rest of them in a daze.
The buzz of excitement, the rush of adrenaline, all gone; Leyth wouldn’t be there. Her heart had left the building, or the country, more to the point.
She wasn’t surprised to find Julian sitting in the corner of the cafe alone; she didn’t flinch at the sorrow on his face as he met her gaze. She didn’t hear the words of sympathy he whispered as he pulled her into a hug, or the reactions of her friends as he told them where Leyth had gone.
She didn’t blink as Sapphire guided her into a chair, didn’t feel it as the female slid an arm around her and quietly embraced her in an attempt at comfort.
The world moved, but she was stuck at a standstill.
The conversation that began was about the Council. Julian explained that someone had come back with intel about the Circle infiltrating the Council or something. Alison. It had something to do with Alison.
Julian was explaining that the female had written him a letter, explaining that the High Lord of the Council was in fact the leader of the Circle as well.
A slither of concern ran through Tam when Julian explained that they had found the female on the floor of her bedroom, clutching the note that explained what had happened to her and who the High Lord really was. Alison was in a coma.
Though she tried to concentrate, her ears were deaf to words, her heart cold, and her eyes blind. The snippets that got through told her that they were now at war. The Circle had become too strong, and was making moves to take over the Kingdom. She half-heard that everyone who worked for the Council had to go into hiding in order to save themselves, and an underground revolution to fight back had begun.
As far as she could tell, they were being called back to base to begin plotting to overthrow the new Council. The Circle had taken over.
Something tinged in her abdomen, a slither of pain sliding through her. Her skin began to itch and burn and something stabbed at her arm. Suddenly, the pain was so great that she couldn’t contain the scream that ripped out of her throat. She clutched at the arm, collapsing into Carl’s strong grip as she fell. The agony roaring through her veins made her eyes water and her wolf recoil. It wasn’t her pain though.
It was Leyth’s.
Julian had them out of the cafe and en route to London so quickly, she was curled in a ball in the rear seat of Julian’s hummer and on the motorway before she properly realised what was going on. Pulling herself up, she stared out of the window. What the hell was happening to her? To Leyth?
‘He was being questioned. But they told me he was released yesterday,’ Julian growled.
‘Before you found out that the Circle had taken over?’ Sapphire asked.
‘Yes.’
Leyth was alone and dying.
The constant roar of pain ripping its way through her body was but an echo of what he was feeling; she could feel him weakening, could feel him giving up.
‘Talk to me, Tamriel,’ Julian barked from the driver’s seat.
‘He’s dying. It feels like they’re torturing him,’ Tam sobbed.
‘Call Doc, get him on the way to London. Bring in all reinforcements.’
‘Roger that.’ Carl pulled his phone out, dialling as he went.
‘Why can Tam feel his pain?’ Sapphire asked, gingerly running a hand through Tam’s hair; the strands were damp with sweat and her body was ablaze with pain. ‘Is there any way to ease it?’ She looked Tam over, her eyes concerned.
‘No, when you bond with your soul mate, you are linked in every way possible, mind, body and soul. You will feel each other continuously. You obviously bonded properly at some point,’ Carl explained, then held up a finger as he started barking orders into his phone.
The woods, Tam thought; their wolves met in the woods. They must have bonded then.
‘Are you going to be OK?’ Sapphire whispered. ‘You should wait in the car.’
‘No. Way,’ Tam bit out, trying desperately to pull herself together. She was going to find her male.
She was going to kill whoever was doing this to him. And she wasn’t letting go of him again.
The drive took forever but, when they finally arrived, they ditched the car about a few streets away from the Council’s headquarters, not wanting to be seen.
The element of surprise was all they had on their side, though how they were going to sneak into a Council building that was probably equipped with a security camera, alarm and guards, was beyond her.
Hotfooting it towards the large building, she couldn’t help but be impressed. London was one of the most expensive capitals in the world and the Council had managed to get themselves one hell of a building.
Grand steps led up to a stone-fronted fortress of an entrance. Two huge lion statues stood to attention either side, warning off trouble-makers. And, yup, she could see the cameras and guards from a distance, though thankfully they didn’t seem to have spotted them yet.
As a unit, they scaled round to the back of the grand building, Julian leading them towards a small wooden hatch at the back; it looked as though it could be a drain of some description, perhaps a sewer entrance?
‘The old High Lord built himself a secret emergency escape route, in case he ever needed to leave in an unnoticed hurry,’ Julian had explained in the car. ‘The problem was that the new High Lord killed him in his sleep, so it didn’t really help.’
Bile rose at the thought of how brutally the Council was run, but Tamriel pushed it back down. Act first, worry later, right?
‘Sapphire.’ Julian glanced at her. ‘Think you can take out the cameras?’
‘No worries.’ She nipped into the car park just over the road and dipped behind a beaten-up old pickup truck, as the rest of them lounged on the benches next to the building, studiously trying not to look at the cameras and desperately trying to look nonchalant.
A large crow flew out from beneath the pickup truck Saph had dipped behind and flew its way over to the first of the three cameras, settling down right on the lens. It leant forward so its head was facing away from the camera, then the crow did a little wiggle and flew off. Landing on top of the second camera, it brushed a wing over the metal front, squawking as several feathers got caught in the metal. Finally the bird flew over to a nearby tree and clipped a twig off, before flying to the third camera in the area and wrapping it around the front in an effort to begin a ‘nest’, cutting the view of the lens from the area they were in. The crow dropped back down to the car park, and Sapphire emerged seconds later, pulling her coat back on as she crossed the road.
‘I shit on the Circle and the Council.’ She grinned as she reached them.
‘Ah, I did wonder what the wiggle was about—’ Carl laughed, sliding an arm around her.
‘Let’s get going,’ Julian cut them off. ‘That may have been as inconspicuous as you can get, but three cameras being blinded in quick succession is always going to raise suspicions.’
Carl nodded them forward and they each slipped in through the wooden hatch, Julian holding it open.
As the darkness hit her, Tam stifled a gag. It smelt old and rotten down here, the air thick with dust. For a few moments, they all let their eyes adjust, finding themselves in a small tunnel that appeared to run straight into the building.
The air continued to grow damp and putrid as they moved their way forward; the stone walls were grim with mould and the concrete floor was blackened by time.
As they shuffled onward, the tunnel grew darker, making it difficult to see.
‘Hang on,’ Tam whispered, pausing, calling to her wolf.
She’d done this before and she could do it again…
Focusing on the image of her wolf’s beautiful eyes, she imagined her eyes and only her eyes changing, becoming that of the wolf.
As pain prickled its way behind her retinas, she shut her lids against it briefly; the body’s reaction to pain wasn’t something you could stop.
After pulling herself together, she relaxed into the roaring lick of agony, and embraced the heat that leapt up from her core
.
Finally, as the stinging subsided, she opened her eyes; the seemingly endless pit of darkness had eased, and as her eyes adjusted, she could make out everything, every loose stone, every crack in the concrete… and every confused expression that was directed her way.
‘Sorry, shifted my eyes so I could see better,’ she muttered, pushing forward.
‘That’s really impressive!’ Julian marvelled. ‘Show me how to do that when we’re done here, yeah?’
‘Sure.’
The tunnel dipped downwards, leading further into the depths below the building. Julian’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was on silent, but the noise of the vibration seemed to reverberate throughout the tunnel, making them all wince.
He yanked the mobile out and hit a button. ‘Speak,’ he hissed into the phone, and paused, listening intently.
‘Everyone’s here, they’re waiting outside.’ He motioned to them to begin moving again as he tucked his phone away.
‘Who’s everyone?’
‘The entire south-east frontline.’ He flashed her a grin.
‘Oh.’As far as Tamriel could gather, that would be the shifters and vampires that fought for the Council, each had a base that was situated somewhere in the south-east, and fought the Circle daily, trying to keep their numbers at bay.
A stab of relief ran through her as she remembered the sheer size of the minotaurs; she felt much better breaking in and taking over what was essentially a government base with those hefty bastards at her back!
Pushing forward, they came to a fork in the road, one tunnel leading downward, further into the depths, and one leading towards the surface.
Tam inhaled deeply, picking through the age-old dust and grime; the coppery tang of blood hit her senses, it was faint, but it was there.
Leyth had to be that way; the pain thundering through her had boiled down to a hesitant hum, but it was there nonetheless, and if what she had felt earlier was any indication, blood must have been spilt.
‘I’m going down, that has to be where Leyth is.’ Her voice cracked as she said his name, even as fresh determination fuelled her veins.
