by K. N. Banet
“You swore to protect Carey,” he corrected. “I’ll never ask you to protect me. I’ve been doing that pretty well for about two hundred and fifty years. I’m not a young werewolf. Neither is Landon.”
“You live in my territory.”
“So? I didn’t move here expecting you to give your life for me. I didn’t move here, expecting this.” He lifted a hand and gently grazed the tips of his fingers over my cheek, the line of my jaw, and down my neck. Without warning, he gently tugged the collar of my shirt and revealed an old gunshot scar on my shoulder. “You have suffered enough for me. I really am sorry for today.”
I pulled his hand away. The scars didn’t bother me, not really. They weren’t disfiguring, so I ignored them on most days.
“You mentioned one of the BSA has a rune of power on her necklace. The little mean one, Agent Robinson?” He didn’t move, but he changed the topic so swiftly, I was nearly thrown off from shock.
“Yeah.” I moved off the couch and grabbed my bag, digging to grab the sketchbook. “I should recognize it if I see it again, but some of these are so similar. Like, one line is tilted in a slightly different way similar.” I sat on the floor, my back to the couch, and stretched my legs out with the sketchbook on my lap.
“Oh, that’s going to make this hard.” He slid down to sit next to me, shoulder to shoulder. “I saw the necklace, but I didn’t think anything of it. People like obscure jewelry.”
We started flipping through the pages. I knew Heath wouldn’t be too helpful, but I enjoyed his company. I was rattled, but the anger was gone. The further I was away from what happened, the less likely I found it to be a problem. The BSA could look into me all they wanted. All they would find is a carefully crafted fake life and a series of lawyers to stop them at every turn, courtesy of Hasan.
“This?” I said, pointing a finger to a page, frowning. “No…It’s got a second line here. I don’t think the one she was wearing did.”
“What’s this one do?” he asked, leaning over, his dark hair blocking my view somewhat. “Conceal? That’s all it says.”
“I’d need to ask Jabari or Zuri. The descriptions in this thing don’t make a lot of sense.” I sighed and flipped another page. Then stopped, growling softly. “Fuck, if it was that one, that may mean she was concealed from magic. What if she…” I took a deep, angry breath. “I need to go. I need to take this to Jabari and Zuri now.”
“She smelled human, and there wasn’t a lick of magic to her scent. I don’t think she was a witch,” Heath said, moving back again and giving me the space to get to my feet.
“I’ll let them know. She smelled human to me, too, and didn’t register as a supernatural in my territory, but I need to make sure.” I closed the book and shoved it into my bag. By the time the bag was over my shoulder, I was ready to go, and Heath was back on his feet as well. Before I could get out of the room, his arm wrapped around my waist and held me pressed against him.
“Are we okay?” he asked softly, his grey-blue eyes searching my face.
“We’re fine. I’ll figure this out, and we’ll go from there.” I chewed the inside of my lip, staring at his eyes, then dipped to stare at his lips. I leaned in and kissed him softly, letting him know everything was okay.
“I promise not to spring anything like this on you again,” he whispered. When I pulled away, he held me in place.
“I believe you.”
He wrapped a hand around my neck and held me close. Once again, I had no desire to move away. There was something heady about the way Heath liked to handle people, me especially. Even though the morning had shaken him as much as it had shaken me, he held me with confidence. A small arrogant smile crossed over his face as his fingers began to trace small lines on the back of my neck.
“Landon took Carey shopping,” he murmured. “And your siblings are probably busy.”
“They probably are,” I agreed. Considering the time, it was their business hours, including Hisao’s, even though it would be incredibly late at night or early in the morning for him. He was in Japan, so there was a chance it was already the next day for him, though I couldn’t guess exactly because I was bad with time zones.
When his mouth returned to mine, I gave in, knowing we didn’t have many moments like this. We barely found ourselves alone once a day, much less twice, and there was no denying I loved the way he kissed me. His hand on my hip began to push up my shirt, making his intentions clear. Obviously, he wanted to make the best of this sudden alone time, even more than I did. Maybe it was an apology for the bad morning. As my shirt went up and uncovered my ribs, a bolt of indecision ran through me, like it always did. I didn’t know how to stomp it out. I wasn’t sure I should.
What if I’m just doing this because I’m lonely? What if he’s just bored with werewolves and humans? What if I’m just a shiny toy to play with? What if we’re only doing this because it’s dangerous?
‘What if’ was a dangerous question, and the weight of it made me stop his hand and shake my head. He didn’t make a sound, his lips not leaving mine, but his hand trailed back down to my hip, letting my shirt fall.
I slowly pulled away from him as his phone picked the opportune time to begin buzzing, drawing a long, slow groan from the Alpha.
“That’s probably more news about werewolf stuff you don’t want to know about,” he said as he reached into his pocket to check.
“Saved by the bell?” I grinned and darted for the door, making it out before he could catch me.
I heard him chuckle behind me as I made it to my Nissan. He leaned in the door as I got into my car, smiling at me. I waved, then drove off, not looking back.
5
Chapter Five
When I got home, I tried calling my family. Thankfully, a couple of them picked up.
I should have counted on Hasan always taking my calls.
“Jacqueline, it’s good to hear from you,” he greeted, smiling in that kind fatherly way he did when he was in a good mood.
“Hey, Father,” I greeted in return, still testing the word. I’d used it consistently for months since I had been taken and beaten, since we fought together. I still slipped into calling him Hasan sometimes, and in my head, he still was just Hasan, but there was something more between us now. For the first time in over a decade, I really looked at him as my parental figure—a source of guidance and refuge. Today had nailed home how much I really appreciated him. Even though I was less worried than I had been hours before, I still wished I could hide in his office and pretend like nothing bad was happening, like the world couldn’t get me.
“You seem concerned,” he said gently as another video feed booted up, and Davor appeared.
“Ah, fuck. What have you gotten into this time?” he grumbled. I saw his eyes roll and worried they weren’t going to come back down for a moment. The only person I knew with an eye roll that impressive was Carey.
“Davor,” Hasan snapped. “We just started the call. Why don’t you sit quietly and listen?”
“Yes, sir.” Davor’s feed had a little mute symbol come up. It was probably for the best. The man had no filter. If he said anything, at least no one would hear it.
“Today, I learned the hard way the American BSA regularly checks in with werewolves…particularly those with human children. Along with CPS, which I mean isn’t the problem,” I started, sighing. I wasn’t really sure how to phrase it all as Zuri jumped onto the family call.
“The BSA? An American organization, I’m assuming?” Hasan was frowning, and that reminded me he wasn’t a local. He had territory in New York, but he didn’t live there. He was so ancient, most things didn’t faze him. On top of that, I figured he was too busy with the Tribunal and the werecats to be bothered by one government’s organization to deal with public werewolves and the secretive witches and fae.
“Yeah. The BSA is the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, and CPS is Child Protective Services. What I’m trying to get to is, I met some agents from the BSA t
oday.”
“No worries,” Zuri said, chuckling a little. “I rushed to take this phone call?” She seemed a little incredulous. “This must be your first time. We’ve all had run-ins with human governments at some point or another. Kind of you to let us know, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Really? I’m not even done—”
“You have a legally impenetrable identity,” Hasan said kindly, and I caught the small smile he wore. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“No, you don’t—” I growled softly. It was good of them to think so, but that only helped so much. Getting cut off repeatedly was fucking annoying.
“Really? This is what we get emergency calls about now?” Davor snorted. “So what if they sniffed around? You have werewolves nearby. That was bound to happen. It’s going to. Just keep saying you’re human, and they won’t figure it out. Eventually, you’ll have to move on since you don’t age, and that will be that.”
“She was wearing a rune of power! An agent of the BSA came into my territory wearing a rune of power,” I snarled, finally getting the unconcerned smiles to go away.
“Which one?” Zuri asked carefully. “Was she human?”
“Of course, she was human. If she had been a supernatural, I would have already mentioned that, but you all keep cutting me off.” I groaned and ran my hand over my face. “I don’t know which one. I can try to sketch it and send it over to everyone—”
“Send it to me,” Zuri said with a snap. “If I don’t know it, I know who to ask. No reason to drag the entire family into this.”
“Your mother doesn’t even know all of them,” Hasan said, serious as well. “Even if this rune of power was a problem, though, and not some sort of protection spell or meaningless, I still don’t think there’s a reason to worry about the BSA, Jacky. Now, you mentioned CPS is…child protective services? Why were they there?”
“Yeah…Heath never mentioned it, and I had never heard of it, but apparently, the U.S. government tracks werewolves with human children and makes routine visits to decide whether the parent is fit to raise a human child.” I rubbed my arms, goosebumps forming as the very idea made me ill. It was discriminatory at best and wasn’t public knowledge. I might have kept my head down for years, but I was pretty sure I would have caught an article or something about it at some point. I never had, and of course, werewolf parents weren’t going to embarrass themselves and bring it up to the press. “The BSA, I think, just backs up CPS in case the werewolves give them a hard time.
“The only reason I got pulled into the visit was because Carey accidentally brought me up. They wanted to know about the new adult who hung out with her, which is…reasonable, I guess. There was a really hateful bitch, the one wearing the rune. She noticed the ones Jabari and I drew around my house. She obviously knows what they might be. I played it off like I was just another human with my own superstitions.”
“Good thinking,” Hasan said, nodding slowly. “I think you’re fine. The werewolves are very good at covering for everyone, not just themselves. They know it’s a Tribunal matter if they accidentally or purposefully expose another species, and it would be an ugly thing to happen. Alpha Everson has always seemed like a smart man. I don’t think you’re at risk.”
“I just wanted to make sure.” I was already feeling better. I grabbed a piece of paper and drew the little symbol the human had been wearing, then took a picture and texted it to Zuri. “There you go, sis. You can figure that out.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling again. “I’m glad you trusted us to call,” she said softly. “I like when you call with questions.”
“Do I want to ask?” I asked and rubbed my face, trying not to acknowledge the heat of my cheeks and the redness that was probably taking over.
“I like you finally trust us,” she explained, her smile unfading. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
I shook my head as I leaned back in my chair. I caught her looking at her phone and frowning.
“I don’t immediately recognize it. It looks like an incorrect concealment rune,” she murmured, mostly to herself, her head tilted to the side, causing her long braids to fall over her shoulder. “If it was a correct concealment rune, we’d have a problem, but this would be powerless if that was the effect intended.”
“Really?” That made me curious, but not worried. If the rune had no power, then I had nothing to worry about. I was curious what the concealment rune did, though.
“A concealment rune would have hidden a supernatural from your territory’s notice,” she said with a small growl. “It’s a problem if she had a real one. She wouldn’t have fooled your nose, but you wouldn’t have known what she was until you caught her scent.”
“She smelled human. So, in theory, if she had the correct rune, she could have been a witch.”
“Yes, though you might have smelled magic on her as well. A werewolf would have picked it up without a problem, even if you couldn’t.” She finally put her phone down and looked back to her camera. “There’s nothing to worry about with the concealment rune, though, or we would have warned you about it ages ago. First, not many know the runes of power, and most have been too butchered by humans over the centuries to have a place in modern magics. Even if someone did use it, it would only get them so far. Second, not many want to toy with werecats. There are people who work for the Tribunal who don’t want to toy with even the youngest of our kind.” She gave me a pointed look I could have assumed was directed at anyone else, but I wasn’t an idiot. She was making sure that sank in with me. “I also can’t think of a reason a witch would target you specifically. Jabari and me? We have history with them, but that was thousands of years ago.”
“So, this human probably had some bogus reason she thought the rune would help her, but it’s powerless. Seen it before, will see it again,” Davor said, nonchalant and dismissive. Bored. There was something bored in his tone. “Are we done?”
“You can go,” Hasan said, his words only betraying the barest hint of annoyance. Davor disconnected without another word. I kept my mouth firmly shut. I would not ask Hasan for the hundredth time why he thought Davor was worth the trouble. Knowing my werecat father, he would only remind me Davor often asked the same question about me.
“He can be such a petulant boy,” Zuri commented, chuckling. “Don’t mind him, Jacky.”
“I wasn’t minding him,” I said with a stiffness that betrayed me.
“I can’t smell the lie, but I can see it on your face,” she retorted. “Before we go, since it’s just us and Father, I feel like I should say something.”
I noted Hasan’s face didn’t change at all. At this point, it seemed like he was waiting on the sidelines like a referee, ready to break up his children if needed.
“Say whatever you want,” I said, killing the silence Zuri had left in her wake. “You know you can text or call me any time.”
“Well, this is just something I’ve been thinking about, and now seems like a good time to bring it up after your brush with human authorities. Jacky, the best way to avoid being exposed is to close your circle of friends. It would be safer for you to distance yourself from the wolves…and from Carey. When this all started, none of us knew human authorities might take an interest in a werewolf father and his human daughter, but they do, so it’s time to consider taking a step back from them. It would be safer in the end, at least until Carey is an adult. You’ve done a lot for them, and I’m certain they’re friends, but…” She trailed off with a look of ‘you know what I’m saying.’ I totally understood every word that came out of her mouth, comprehended the sentiment, and I couldn’t refute it.
It would be safer if I never saw the werewolves again.
She doesn’t even know how deep it goes.
“I swore an oath to Heath when he asked to move his family into my territory to protect Carey for as long as she lived here. Or something like that. I don’t remember exactly what I said,” I explained, swa
llowing. There was no reason to bring up that I was intensely attracted to the Alpha, or that he had the insane ability to make me want more than I had wanted in over a decade. No reason to bring up that I was risking everything to dabble in the taboo of getting physical with our mortal enemy.
No reason at all.
“I’m certain he would understand needing more space for your safety and the necessary secrecy of your life,” she said with a motherly sternness that made me a little more worried. There was a hardness to her stare that made me want to squirm.
There was no way she knew, I was certain of it, but the rush of fear in the back of my mind and the tightness in my chest were instinctive reactions.
“I’ll take it into consideration,” I promised, looking away. “It won’t be easy, though. They’re friends, and I love Carey. I really do. It would be hard losing her in my life. She’s so young, and she wouldn’t really understand…”
“Just think about it,” Zuri whispered, her stare too intense for me to be comfortable.
“I will,” I said with more conviction.
She disconnected first, and I rushed to cut off whatever Hasan opened his mouth to say. I stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity.
Zuri’s advice rang in my ears like some sort of condemnation. Distancing myself from the wolves was smart. Distancing myself from Heath was potentially lifesaving.
Zuri always gives out good advice, I’ll give her that.
I just have no intention of listening to it.
With my mind made up, I felt more resolve. I could keep my fling with the local werewolf a secret until I figured out exactly what I wanted out of Heath Everson.
“Well, at least they aren’t worried about my little run-in with the United States government,” I mumbled, finally closing my laptop and standing.
Taking a deep breath, I set myself to an evening of cleaning. I could still smell the human scents lingering in my space, humans I didn’t know and didn’t trust. There was no way I was going to leave them to dissipate naturally. They had to go.
