Immortal Ties

by Jane Hinchey

  "Soon. But I need to fix this first."

  "No, you don't. Let me take you in. Just for questioning, Nate, just a formality. We don't think you're guilty, the evidence is circumstantial, but we still need to bring you in."

  "No. I will clear my name."

  "You're making this worse, I swear. If you don't come in, the director could end up issuing an arrest warrant. Then it's going to be even harder to sort this mess out."

  "I'm sorry," he said again, dropping one last kiss on my lips, and he was gone. I sighed. Damn foolish vampire. I wasn’t sure how much was male pride and how much was a vampire thing, but either way, he was going about clearing his name all wrong.

  I knew I should report him for this. Attacking an SIA agent, off duty or not, was a serious offense. Mulling over my options, which were all of two, I pulled my bound hands under my butt, wriggled until they were under my legs, and finally maneuvered until I'd pulled my legs through and my hands were now bound in front of me. He'd used standard plastic cable ties. Strong, but easy to break if you know how. Raising my hands above my head, I brought them down sharply against my upturned knee. The plastic snapped with a sting to my flesh. Picking up the broken tie and shoving it in my pocket, I headed for home, too wound up to finish my run.

  I didn't care to examine my plan not to turn in this little stunt of Nate's to the SIA. Not reporting him could mean my badge, but the minute I shoved the plastic restraints into my pockets I'd subconsciously made the decision not to report him, or the incident. I had to be crazy. I briefly considered calling Carter, asking him to use his wolf senses to track Nate, but again, I did nothing. Nothing more than return to my car at the SIA and drive home.

  As dawn painted the sky in oranges and pinks I sat cross-legged on my sofa, notebook open on my lap, and mapped out all that we had on the case. The SIA had been focusing on the murders, the human hunts almost an afterthought. Yet they had to be connected. We just needed to find out how. Chasing Nate all over the city to bring him in for questioning wasn't going to bring us any closer to finding out what the hell was going on. We needed something concrete, and intuition told me the human hunts and auctions were where our attention should be.

  I woke up several hours later, stretched out on the sofa, my notebook on the floor and my doorbell buzzing. Groaning, I made my way to the intercom by the front door and pressed the button.

  "Yeah?"

  "It's me." Carter's voice boomed out of the speaker.

  "Come on up." I pressed the button that would unlock the main door downstairs and give Carter entry to the building. I stood waiting in the doorway, leaning against the frame as the elevator made its way to my floor. Carter stepped out, looking fresh in his blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and thrown over the top, a checkered red-and-white button-down.

  "You're looking good." The compliment tumbled out. I blamed my sleep-fogged brain.

  "Thank you. You look like you just woke up."

  "I did. Fell asleep on the sofa. Put the coffee on while I freshen up, will ya?" I was already heading up the stairs to my bedroom. The front door clicked shut and I could hear him puttering around in the kitchen. After taking care of my bladder, I quickly ran a brush through my hair, leaving it loose to fall down over my shoulders. Splashing water over my face, I dried off and quickly changed into fresh jeans and T-shirt before heading back downstairs.

  "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I slid onto a stool at the breakfast bar and pulled the steaming cup of coffee he'd just placed in front of me closer to my chest.

  "Well. It's my birthday in a couple of days, and the pack is throwing a BBQ. I wanted to stop by and invite you in person."

  "Your birthday again already?" I made a mental note to make sure to buy him a gift. "And sure, I'd love to come. Just tell me what time and what to bring."

  "Next Tuesday, when we're in swing shift." Swing shift was the four days off we got off in between day and night shifts. "And you don't need to bring anything. The females of the pack go crazy with the food."

  I laughed. I'd been to several social events with Carter's pack and it was true, they catered for hundreds. I always came home with my arms full of leftovers.

  "So this couldn't wait until shift tonight?" I teased, sipping my coffee. He looked sheepish, gazing into his cup before meeting my eyes.

  "I feel bad that things have been a bit off with us lately. Tense. I wanted to clear the air."

  "We're okay, Carter. We'll always be okay, you know that, right? Just because you get all pissy every now and then—"

  "Hey!" He cut me off. "I swear to God half the time you do stuff just to antagonize me."

  "That's possibly true." I winked and took another sip of my coffee, unable to hide my smile.

  "Bitch," he grumbled, but he smiled back. Pulling something out of his back pocket, he placed it on the counter in front of me.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. It couldn't be...it was! The latest release of my favorite video game, Storm Girl.

  "Oh, you clever, clever, boy!" I squealed, throwing one arm around his neck in a quick hug before snatching the game up in my hand and racing to the entertainment unit, coffee forgotten. I tossed him the second controller and plopped myself in my usual spot on the sofa, waiting impatiently as the game scrolled through the opening credits.

  The cushion dipped as he sat next to me and I planted a wet kiss on his cheek and said, "Thank you"—all without my eyes leaving the screen.

  "You're welcome." He laughed, knowing this game was my weakness. I'd racked up too many hours to admit to over the years and I loved that he knew me so well. This was the best gift he could ever give me. The game itself and playing it with me. He was a true friend.

  We played for the rest of the afternoon until my alarm went off. Time to get ready for work. I rushed upstairs for a quick shower and changed into my uniform. Carter had his in the car, saying he'd change at work. While I was getting ready he thumbed through the notebook with my thoughts on the case.

  "So, I was thinking about the case, going over the stuff you have here..." He dropped the notebook back onto the coffee table. "We still need to bring Wilder in, but you and I both know it's not going to give us the answers we're looking for. So in the meantime, what do you think of sussing out Wolf Hill? Try and find that cave where the humans were being held. What do you think?"

  "Can't hurt. We can do a run-by of the club and Nate's home first. Maybe he's turned up."

  "Agreed."

  At the office, we managed to avoid the director, logged our plans, then did a drive-by to Crimson Mist and Nate's house in the Garden District. Naturally, they hadn't seen him and didn't know where he was. They were lying of course. Then we headed out to Wolf Hill. Wolf Hill was more than a hill; it was acres of land and mountain ranges, where the wolves, well, anyone for that matter, could run, hike, camp. Humans and supernaturals used the land, but mostly the wolves used it.

  We drove as far as we could, parking in the last car park up the mountainside. The air was crisp and my breath came out in white puffs. I shivered, pulling my heavy winter coat around me and zipping it up to my chin. I pulled a red knitted beanie from my pocket and pulled it over my head, tucking my hair under as well. Carter's mom had knitted it for me last winter, and while it wasn't standard uniform, it came in handy at times like this.

  Carter grabbed his backpack and tossed me mine. I rummaged inside for my night vision goggles.

  "Follow me. Stay close behind and don't trip over anything." I was happy to oblige. Up here in the dark, I was virtually blind without the goggles. I didn't possess werewolf vision like he did. He'd once told me that his night vision wasn't that much different to daylight. He had the same definition and clarity; it just looked like a black-and-white movie.

  Carter pulled out an evidence bag from his backpack. Inside was the T-shirt the wolf Miller had been wearing the night we arrested him. He'd been up here, and chances were Carter would be able to catch his scent and track where he went. He held the T
-shirt up to his nose and breathed deeply, closing his eyes. After a moment he shoved the T-shirt back into the plastic bag, sealed it, and returned it to his backpack.

  "This way."

  "You picked up his scent already?" Amazing.

  "Only slight. There's been a lot of activity up here, but I got a very faint trace. We need to move away from the car park and go deeper. Hopefully, I'll get a stronger lead."

  "Lead the way." I pulled the goggles into place and the world took on a green hue.

  "Try and watch where you're walking. We don't need to advertise we're up here, although Lord knows they're going to hear you tramping through the woods."

  "Pft. I'm as light as a feather."

  "Not to a wolf's sensitive ears, you aren't."

  As I followed Carter into the woods the trees blocked out what little light there was and I was grateful for the magic of night vision lenses. But even with them, I was glad I had Carter to follow, he moved through the night with ease. And speed. If I'd been on my own I'd be a lot slower.

  "Stop," he whispered. I stopped immediately. Carter was motionless in front of me. He reached back, grabbed hold of my hand, and attached it to the belt loop of his pants.

  "Don't let go. And keep quiet."

  "Okay."

  "Ssshh."

  Right. Crouching slightly, he began moving forward. I followed trying to be as quiet as possible, but even with the goggles, I couldn't see much. He kept stopping and I kept bumping into him. Each time I did I'd mutter, "Shit. Sorry." And he'd hush me.

  I heard him breathe in deeply through his nose. He'd caught the scent. He moved forward again, fast, and my fingers slipped from his belt loop. Shit. Hurrying after him, my arms outstretched in the dark, it dawned on me that I couldn't hear him anymore. My fingers brushed the bark of a tree to my left, then the right. I thought I heard a twig snap up ahead so I hurried my pace to catch up. It had been a long time since I'd used night vision goggles and now I remembered why. I hated them. Everything was green and unfamiliar, confusing my brain. I couldn't tell a person from a tree!

  Suddenly my goggles were wrenched from my face. What the hell? I froze, holding my breath. Nothing. Not a sound. And without the goggles I was totally blind, it was so damn dark out here. That's when I ran face-first into a tree and promptly ricocheted off and onto my ass. Forehead stinging from the contact with the rough bark, I scrambled back to my feet. I badly wanted to turn on the torch I had stashed in my backpack, but that would give us away—if I hadn't already—if the hunters were out here tonight.

  Something brushed past my cheek and I sucked in my breath, holding it to quell the startled squeal that almost escaped. Whoosh. Again, on the other side. I spun, arms out, but of course, I couldn't see a damn thing. Someone was here. Someone was playing with me.

  I raised my hand, ready to release my power. I'd freeze any son of a bitch who tried to get near me. But what if I incapacitated Carter? And now that I was all turned around I didn't know what direction he'd gone in. My fingers uncurled, hand dropping to my side.

  Snap. Off to my left. I swung around, squinting into the darkness. Then suddenly I was propelled backward until my back hit the trunk of a tree. Nate. He was here. He had me pinned up against the tree, his body flush with mine. His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin under my jaw.

  "What are you doing?" I whispered.

  "Isn't it obvious?" His breath in my ear made me shiver. The guy didn't take no for an answer and the thought crossed my mind that I was very vulnerable, out here in the dark, alone, with a vampire pinning me to a tree.

  Perhaps he felt how rigid I'd become, or perhaps good sense finally penetrated his thick skull, because he eased back, putting some space between us.

  "Please don't." My words were soft. I thought he'd known from the last time he kissed me that I wasn't into him, so his actions tonight surprised me.

  He cursed, and then he was gone.

  "Black?" Carter was returning.

  "Here." Our voices hushed. Within seconds he was by my side, clasping my hand in his.

  "Stay close. Someone's out here."

  I swallowed. I already knew someone was out here. Nate Wilder. Carter leaned in close, so close our noses were practically touching. I could barely make out his face in the darkness.

  "I see Wilder found you."

  "Oh." He knew. Of course he knew, with his wolfy senses he'd have known Nate was here before I did.

  "Are you...bleeding?" Disbelief colored his voice. "Did that bastard bite you?"

  "What? No!" I raised my spare hand to my forehead where I'd nailed myself with the tree. I had an egg-sized lump and the skin felt damp, grazed.

  "I ran into a tree. Scratched my forehead."

  "Typical. And where are your night vision goggles? There's a wolf out here. Stay behind me. Hopefully, I can block your scent, but it's going to be harder with the smell of your blood in the air. This time don't let go."

  After a few minutes of Carter dragging me through the woods, he stopped, turned to me and pushed me over. What the hell? I landed with an oomph on my butt.

  "You're slowing me down. Stay here. Literally right here, on the ground. Pull your hat down over that cut. And for the love of God, just once, do what I say."

  "Okay," I whispered back. Considering I'd been following his orders all evening, I didn't see what he was so pissy about.

  It was spooky in the woods with no light, and I shivered. Straining my ears, I couldn't hear a thing. Where was Carter? Where was the wolf he was tracking? And where was Nate? Was he tracking the wolf too? Or us? The darkness and silence were closing in and I was about to scramble to my feet and go and investigate when Carter returned.

  "Lost him. But he dropped this." The glow from his hand indicated a mobile phone. Thankful for even a little bit of light, I jumped up and peered at it.

  "Pretty basic. A burner probably."

  "I'd say so. Let's head back, get this to the lab. I don't think we're going to get much else out here tonight. Especially now they know we're looking."

  I shivered, rubbing my palms across my frozen cheeks as we walked. It was cold out. Even in my coat and hat, I was freezing, my feet blocks of ice. I was visibly shaking by the time we reached the car.

  "Geez, look at you." Carter wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, rubbing his hands up and down my back.

  "F...f...freezing."

  "Let's get you warmed up. Hop in." He pulled open the passenger door and boosted me inside, reaching over to snap the seatbelt in place when my fumbling fingers couldn't manage the task. I heard him rummaging around in the back of the car before he jumped into the driver's seat and gunned the engine.

  "Here." He handed me a thermos and my laughter barked out. He really was a boy scout, thinking of everything. I carefully poured myself a cup of the steaming coffee he'd packed, sighing out loud when the hot fluid slid down my throat and warmed me from the inside out. We drove back to town with the heater cranked to the max.

  12

  I was braiding my hair, getting ready for Carter's BBQ when my phone vibrated its way across the top of my dresser. Snatching it up, I glanced at the screen. Private number. Hitting connect, I squeezed the phone between my ear and shoulder while juggling tying off my braid.

  "'ello."

  "Sorry if I crossed the line." Nate's voice was as clear as if he were standing in the room with me.

  "You need to hand yourself in." I ignored his apology.

  "That's not going to happen."

  "Then I don't accept your apology."

  "I didn't do this."

  "So you say. But running from us doesn't look good for you."

  "I'm not going to sit and rot in some cell waiting for you to prove I'm innocent."

  "No one said you were under arrest. We just want to question you."

  "You already did that."

  "Formally. On the record. With cameras and all that jazz."

 
"Why do I get the feeling that once I step foot inside the SIA I won't be leaving again in a hurry?"

  "I don't know. Why do you get that feeling?"

  He blew a sigh into the phone. "I need to prove to you that I didn't do this. That I'm not involved. I can't do that if you lock me away."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're sounding like a broken record. Look, was there a point to this call? And speaking of, how did you get my number?"

  "I have my ways." He chuckled. "I've been counting the days since I ran into you in the woods."

  "Stalker." I wasn't sure what Nate wanted from me. He was interested, I got that from the way he kept kissing me, yet surely he could feel the lack of chemistry?

  "Did you find anything useful on that phone?"

  "How do you know about the phone?"

  "I was watching. And I know the SIA has staked out a certain area of the woods."

  "Then why ask if you already know?"

  "I wanted to hear it from you."

  "And you know I can't discuss the case with you, Nate. So the question remains. Why the call?"

  The phone clicked in my ear. He'd hung up. Tossing the phone onto the bed, I shimmied into a pair of blue jeans, pulled on a long sleeve red T-shirt with the word “Weird” emblazoned on the front in black writing, and shoved my feet into my knee-high boots. I thought about what Nate had said, that he'd been watching us stake out the woods over the last few days. It had been a waste of time. No one had turned up; we had nothing new to go on. The coordinates found on the phone could have been from an old hunt, for all we knew, although the director had insisted the stake out continue. Thankfully Carter and I had tonight off. It was McConnell’s and Richards’s turn to freeze their asses off.

  Sliding down the banister, I swept up my black, fur-trimmed parka and headed out the door. Carter's birthday bash was going to be a blast. Werewolf celebrations always were.

  More than a dozen cars were parked haphazardly around Carter's house by the time I arrived. He lived a few minutes out of town, the rear of his property backing on to Wolf Hill. Convenient for a wolf.