by Sarah Noffke
“You had something to show me? If it’s math then this is the last time I go on a dream travel date with you,” Connor said, uncrossing his feet and taking a step in her direction.
“This isn’t a date,” she said, the buzzing in her chest suddenly intensifying.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t worry,” Connor said.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said.
He bowed slightly to her. “Of course, madam. Would you do me the honor of showing me your clever trick?” he said and Adelaide got the impression this wasn’t normal behavior for Connor, bowing and such.
“So my father has detailed the process for different skills that a Dream Traveler can learn. Hypnosis, teleporting, and—”
“Ren could teleport?” Connor said, his mouth falling open.
“Yeah and it was scary as fuck when he just materialized out of the bloody air,” Adelaide said, remembering fondly when he’d pop into a room, pretending like it was no big deal.
“Seriously, your father is the coolest man to ever exist,” Connor said, shaking his head.
“He was all right,” Adelaide said, suppressing a proud smile. “It’s not just annoying that you picked this location, but also ironic. The first time Ren took me here on my very first dream travel, he showed me something. It’s what I’ve been practicing.”
“If you wanted my attention then you have it. What did he show you?” Connor said.
“Well, Ren told me that anything was possible in the dreamscape and I told him that was impossible,” she said and then extended her hand. “That’s when he did this.” In between Adelaide’s fingers a tea cup appeared, complete with brownish tea. She slid her hand under the tea cup’s base for support and held it out, presenting the object that had appeared from seemingly nowhere.
Connor’s eyes widened with astonishment. “No fucking way,” he said. “What is that?”
“It’s tea,” she said, scoffing at him. “The British drink it because we’re civilized.”
“What did you just do?” he said, amazement making his eyes light up.
“I produced an illusion,” she said, handing him the cup. He took it and immediately it vanished. “It doesn’t exist, in this realm or the physical one. And the moment an illusion is touched by someone else the spell is broken.”
“Wow, okay, dream traveling just became even better,” Connor said, staring at Adelaide with a look that felt like too much. It made her want to run away.
Instead of looking away she felt jolted, like from the outside. Her shoulder registered a movement. A tap. She turned to gauge if there was something behind her and then turned back.
“What is it?” Connor said, reading the confusion.
“Someone is trying to wake me up,” she said, disappearing at once.
Adelaide’s eyes were blinking open when Connor pulled his head up from his arm. The girl with the blonde hair stood beside Adelaide. Roya. She was the news reporter Adelaide had sent a message to earlier. It had said,
“Do your fucking job, Roya! Find future events on my pack, you good-for-nothing wanker. Women are being killed in LA and it’s all your bloody fault.
Sincerely,
Addy”
He’d laughed when he’d read it over her shoulder. Adelaide really knew how to inspire people to work. And he’d secretly smiled inside when she called them her pack. That kind of seemed right, because although Zephyr was their alpha, they wouldn’t be together without Adelaide.
“Well, hello, Roya. I think you’re sleepwalking. This isn’t the kitchen, since I’m sure you’re looking for your late-night ice cream, fat-ass,” Adelaide said, rubbing her eyes and failing to cover the startled expression on her face.
Roya, who weighed about as much a large terrier, gave a false smile. “Funny that you wanted me working while you were off sleeping,” she said to Adelaide.
“That’s really not funny at all. Leave the jokes to me,” Adelaide said and then waved her hand at the other girl. “Report. Give it to me. Adults have lives to save.”
Connor took his time running his eyes over Adelaide’s expression as she spoke. She was such a different sort than he’d ever met before. And the girl could produce illusions. She probably thought that people respected her because of her father. But he wasn’t impressed by her because of whom she was related to, but rather because she was like whom she was related to. Adelaide was the embodiment of all of the things Connor had heard about Ren Lewis. She was brave and mysterious and powerful and pulled it all off with the perfect degree of snarky indifference.
“I saw a vision of one of your werewolves,” Roya said.
“Wow, you’re really bad at this communication thing. Obviously you did. Get to the fucking point,” Adelaide said. “Who, what, and where?”
“David Sanders,” Roya said.
Chapter Fourteen
“It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be.”
- Virgil
David couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to escape his sister’s garage, if only for an hour or two. The confining space was starting to feel like the prison they kept him in at that lab. He knew his sister was only trying to protect him. That’s why she’d put the padlock on the doors on the night he changed. That’s why she made him chug a half a bottle of whiskey just before he turned into a werewolf. Apparently the wolf couldn’t handle his liquor because he usually passed out rather than tore up the garage.
Sorting through the change Anne kept in the empty jars on the shelves, David counted out a few dollars in quarters and dimes. It wasn’t much, but it would pay for an afternoon matinee. He sighed deeply, thinking of the smell of the popcorn and the feel of the dim theater. It was an experience that fueled his blood. So many affectionate memories of movie-going were etched into his mind. All he needed to feel better was to merely watch a movie.
Mika is such a fucking asshole, Morgan thought as he pulled his sweater tighter around him. Why in the hell was it so cold in Dallas? Wasn’t the south supposed to be mild? And why the hell did the elements affect an invisible man? He laughed to himself, pushing his long brown hair out of his face as a cold wind pierced him. It reminded him of the wind that Zephyr had shot at him. What a cool skill to be able to control the wind. Morgan had to give Mika credit. He might be a jerk, but he was a brilliant one who created badass superhero types. It was like he was creating a cast for comic books.
Still, Mika had ignored Drake’s advice that it was too soon for Morgan to be in the field. Even with all the technology at Olento Research, healing took time. The large werewolf bite on his left shoulder was still healing, making his range of movement restricted. Werewolf bite actually didn’t quite cover it, since Zephyr had taken a chunk of his shoulder. That dirty, fucking beast. Morgan wasn’t allowed to hurt the werewolves, but if he saw Zephyr again then he’d make a mistake.
He slid his hand to the revolver hidden at his back. Yes, he had the tranquilizer gun in the holster at his hip, but he’d hidden the other weapon. Mika thought he could force Morgan on a mission, but the invisible man wasn’t taking another risk with these damn werewolves.
Pulling his hood over his head, Morgan rounded the corner, pausing when the movie theater came into view. According to the future-seer’s report, David would be approaching the movie theater from this direction in five minutes. Morgan cast his gaze down the street to where a white van was parked. Haiku and his men couldn’t see Morgan since he was invisible, but hopefully they’d be quicker to apprehend David once the invisible man knocked him out.
From the roof of a building Zephyr looked out at the street below, Connor and Rio flanking him. He blinked his eyes and then activated his X-ray vision, focusing it on the white van down the street.
“There’s five men in the van. They have tranquilizer guns, by the look of it,” Zephyr said in a low voice to the others.
“Well, that’s how we know they’re with Olento Research. Ho
w do those demons know about this?” Rio said, rubbing his fist into his palm. It was his nervous tick, Zephyr acknowledged. He was starting to learn all of the ticks of his men. That’s one way a captain can read them and decide how they’re feeling.
“Maybe the same way we do, by seeing the future. Or maybe they’ve been watching David for a while, deciding when to abduct him,” Zephyr said. He knew the last thing he should do was underestimate Mika Lenna.
“You think you can handle the van of men on your own?” Zephyr said to Rio and then eyed his watch. “David will arrive in four minutes.”
“Shoot, I can handle them on my own and then some,” Rio said.
“I thought so,” Zephyr said, and turned to Connor. “You and I will approach David. His file says he is introverted and prefers being alone. Therefore, enticing him with the pack won’t work. I think we need to convince him he’s in danger.”
“Well, judging by the unmarked white van full of police wannabes, you won’t have to try hard to convince him. I’ll try throwing one across the street to really cement the message,” Rio said.
“Try and keep it clean actually. No one dies. Just knock them out,” Zephyr said.
“You got it, boss,” Rio said, kneeling down and throwing his legs over the side of the building. From there, he climbed down using various ledges. Scaling buildings even when not changed was a gift of the werewolf.
Three minutes and it would be show time. Morgan slid his phone back into pocket after checking the time. Mika should have sent Kris on a mission this easy. All he had to do was taze David or shoot him with a tranquilizer and then the security team would pull up and drag him into the van. It couldn’t be easier. And David was considered one of the more docile werewolves. However, Mika wouldn’t assign Kris to the mission even though she had nothing to do except stomp around and seethe. She’d been in a horrible mood since returning from the Lucidite Institute, but wouldn’t tell Morgan the reason. Morgan knew why Mika wouldn’t assign Kris to this case. For the simple fact that she was a woman.
Two minutes before David was supposed to come around the corner, Rio stepped out in full view of the men in the van. He was two feet from the bumper, a smile on his face lighting up his deep dimple on his cheek.
“Looks like you two need a lift,” Rio said, squatting down, his hands gripping the metal bumper. The guards inside scrambled for the door, but just then Rio lifted the van up. With a grunt he pushed the ten-ton vehicle off his chest, knocking it on its back end, where the doors were. Screams and the sounds of tumbling bodies echoed from inside the van.
Laughing, Rio walked around the vehicle. There were two front doors where the men could potentially exit once they’d recovered from the tumble. Rio pulled back his fist and launched it at the crease of the door, tangling the metal into itself. Well, now they weren’t getting out of that door. It wouldn’t open with that kind of damage. Rio ambled around to the other side.
“Once you knuckleheads get through the window then I’ll be ready to go toe to toe,” he said. However, after that display of power, it was likely the men inside the van weren’t eager to escape and meet Rio’s fist.
Morgan pushed off the brick wall where he was leaning. In one minute David Sanders would be strolling around the corner. At his back he heard a loud crash that made him jump. He turned, expecting to see a collision. Imagine his surprise when he saw Haiku’s van toppled over, resting on its back end. Rio Hernandez laughed as he strolled around the vehicle, sizing up the damage he’d just done. Damn, that guy was strong. But he could still be taken out. Morgan pointed his tranquilizer gun in Rio’s direction just as a blast of snow blew in his face.
“Fuck,” Connor said, exhaling, his breath misting in the cold air. “Rio just has to show off.”
“Yeah, I really thought he’d fight the guards. This was a bit flashier of an approach. We’re definitely going to attract some attention,” Zephyr said.
“The Lucidites will find a way to cover it up,” Connor said, turning his attention in the direction of where David was supposed to materialize in just a moment. Connor and Zephyr walked around a corner where a brick wall took up most of the city block. David would be coming around the opposite corner any second. A flurry of snow swirled around the bend, making Connor’s eyes burn. The flakes blasted him in the face but just then he caught the form of a man several feet away. The snow covered the man for a moment, making his presence known.
“Oh no, not that guy,” Zephyr said, holding up his hand.
“The invisible man?” Connor said, sliding down into a fighting stance.
“Good to see you again, Zephyr. I’ve been meaning to return the favor for what you did to my shoulder,” a disembodied voice said, followed by a click. Connor knew that click. He’d been around guns, had had them held up to his head.
“No!” he yelled, knocking into Zephyr, pushing him away as he held up his hand. A heat scorched in his palm just before a bolt of fire soared out of his skin. It shot forward, connecting with the invisible figure, lighting him up at once. The fire continued to pour from Connor’s hand as a man strode around the corner, his eyes going wide at the sight before him.
David Sanders shot backward as the man in front of him rose up in flames. The fire ran over his clothes and covered his head. Connor had no idea what was happening to him, but the fire felt never ending as it flowed effortlessly from him. Fueling his fear. Feeding his need to protect. Powering his desire to be great.
“That’s enough,” Zephyr boomed into Connor’s ear.
Instantly, as though controlled by his words, Connor dropped his hand and the fire halted.
The man who had been invisible continued to burn and the few people on the street, including David and Rio, just watched. Then David lifted his hand and over the burning man ice flakes fell, slowly dampening the fire. Still the burning man crumpled to the pavement, his body black and bloody from the fire. Connor had done that. Driven by his instinct, a white and blue fire had poured from him. Fire so hot and heavy it could cover a person instantly. He backed up, overwhelmingly horrified by what he’d done. But he’d saved Zephyr from being shot, and that’s what mattered most.
“Come on. We’re getting out of here,” Zephyr said, sprinting forward. The alpha wolf pulled on David’s arm as he ran. “You’re coming with us. You’re in danger and we’re here to help you.”
Not needing any further convincing, David turned and ran with the others. Rio joined them when they passed and the pack sprinted through the streets, not stopping until they found safety.
Chapter Fifteen
“Appetite, a universal wolf.”
- William Shakespeare
Mika pressed his hand to his forehead, pressing away the headache scorching in his cranium. Dead. Morgan was dead. Olento Research had invested over a million dollars to make him invisible.
Muffled cries echoed from the other side of the lab where Kris stood. No one had offered her a hug or any comfort when Haiku reported what had happened in Dallas. This was part of the job and she and her brother knew that danger was a potential. Kris had insisted on following Mika around when he sent Morgan off to retrieve David Sanders. Later she said she had a bad feeling. “A really bad, bad feeling,” she’d repeated over and over again. It was probably due to their connection as twins.
When Haiku’s team returned she burst into tears after just reading the expression in the director of security’s eyes. And of course, Morgan wasn’t with the team. David Sanders hadn’t been retrieved. Kris had run over and gripped Haiku’s shirt, pulling her nose even with his.
“What happened?” she said.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pushing her off him.
Kris had then stormed off and was still crying at the back of the lab.
“You’re telling me that Connor Luce has the ability to create fire?” Mika said. Zephyr had the skill to control the wind. Now Connor had fire. It made sense too, based on his background. The pack w
as proving to inherit abilities connected to their lives. That had been Mika’s hunch all along.
“Yes,” Haiku said, wiping the blood off his forehead where there was a large laceration. “And from our vantage point we think that David was creating ice and snow. He tried to put Morgan out when he was burning to death.”
A loud wail sounded from Kris. Apparently, she’d overheard the report. She really should leave the lab to grieve, Mika thought with a scowl.
“That would explain the snowstorms in Dallas,” Mika said, sliding his fingers over his goatee. “So Rio trapped you in the van. Five grown men and you couldn’t get of the van fast enough to intervene?”
“I was crawling out of the window when the pack ran off, sir. I tried to escape as fast as I could,” Haiku said.
Mika only shook his head. He was almost defeated by this scenario. The werewolves and the Lucidites continued to beat him. He needed Zephyr. If he could just get the alpha wolf then all of this would turn in his favor. But to capture him, he’d need someone stronger and more dynamic than an invisible man. Mika had two ideas. One would take a while to implement. The other he could start on right now. He turned to Drake, who increasingly felt like he was Mika’s shadow.
“Get started on Project Neandertalin right away. I want a subject to undergo the procedure today,” he said to the scientist.
“I’ll have a homeless person brought in immediately,” Drake said, his voice neutral, his eyes on Kris hunched over in the corner, still crying.
Chapter Sixteen
“We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.”
- Thomas Jefferson
Why does the werewolf only come out every seven days? Hunter wondered. He wished he could always be the werewolf. He loved the wolf. He loved being connected to it. The hunger fueled the fire in him. The one that made him need to maim and kill.
