Winter Wolf

by RJ Blain

  ~Freeze it,~ the stone ordered.

  Fire and lightning were my strengths, but the cold came at my call, defying the Californian heat. If the plague liked the warmth so much, I would do as the stone commanded, preying on the plague with the cold as it preyed upon the Fenerec with fever. Then I’d purge the body hosting me of illness so I could take back what was rightfully mine.

  The sick Fenerec and the two humans accompanying him departed. I felt the wolf’s disgust, though I couldn’t tell what upset the wolf within. Had it been because he had strayed so close to our hiding spot without noting our presence?

  Her confirmation came strong and swift.

  After thinking about it, I decided the sorcerer and Dominic needed to be dealt with first. The Fenerec woman in my body would have to survive until I eliminated the threat. Then I would worry about ensuring she had a body healthy enough to return to.

  With reluctance, both the wolf and the stone agreed.

  When all fell quiet, I emerged from my hiding place and hunted for the men who had turned me into a beast.

  ~~*~~

  I prowled the outside of the mansion, peering in through the windows until I found my prey. Dominic stood in his living room, waving his arms while talking to the woman possessing my body.

  She did not look happy. A red mark marred her cheek and hand-shaped bruises discolored her face. Dominic hissed something to her, and when she denied him, I could smell his anger from my hiding place. One of the suited men was the same Fenerec I had smelled before. I identified him by his scent, the gray cast to his skin, and his slumped posture.

  Whenever Dominic drew close to the woman, she shifted away from him, keeping her chin ducked and her throat covered. After he stalked her around the living room several times, she sat on one of the couches, arms crossed over her chest.

  Three men in suits stood guard, guns holstered at their sides. They watched the windows, but they didn’t notice me lurking in the shadows, head lifted enough to peer over the sill.

  ~Hunt,~ the wolf demanded.

  The wolf within and the moonstone urged me to take action, but I ignored them. All of my attention focused on the woman and her behavior. She sat rigid and tense, and she shook. It was hard for me to identify the body as mine. She looked like me, but when she spoke, there no sign of hoarseness. There was anger and grief in her voice—in the voice I had possessed before I had become a wizard.

  Her tone intrigued me, as did the lack of hoarseness. Perhaps the book’s destruction had reversed the book’s influence on my body. Maybe the fact she wasn’t a wizard allowed her to use my lost voice. Either way, she sounded as I once had so many years ago.

  Jealousy froze me in place. She had my body and my voice. I swallowed my urge to howl at the injustice.

  She said something in a clipped tone, and Dominic whipped around to face her, his hand lashing out. As I watched in shocked silence, he struck the woman across the cheek so hard her head snapped to the side.

  Had Dominic always been so aggressive? Had he always been this violent person beneath his well-dressed exterior? Had he been the one to bruise her face? The fact there were bruises made me wonder how long I had been unconscious—and when he had started beating her. The thought of Dominic hitting anyone repulsed me.

  Everything he had done had been an act to fool me, to capture me in his trap… and it had worked.

  But I took some satisfaction in the woman’s defiant refusal to cooperate with him. She hadn’t wanted to kill me, and she hadn’t wanted my body either. I don’t know where my confidence in my realization came from, but the moonstone and wolf agreed with me.

  We were both victims.

  I bared my fangs as the sorcerer emerged from the hallway. He crossed his arms over his chest, talking in low, calm tones. With a glare of disgust at the woman on the couch, he made a gesture at Dominic.

  They glared at each other, arguing while making brisk gestures with their hands, but I couldn’t hear what they were fighting about. When they finished speaking, Patrick stood at Dominic’s side in silence.

  I abandoned the thought of interrogating either one of them. After I rid the world of the both of them, I’d find a way to undo what they had done to us.

  The suited men looked the other way, focusing their attention on something—anything—other than the man lifting his hand to once again strike the woman he had forced into my body.

  Rage from the moonstone and wolf smothered me. The wolf wanted to crash through the window and tear out Dominic’s throat. The moonstone wanted to call down the power of lightning and fire and burn him as it had torched the sorcerer in Las Vegas.

  All I wanted was my gun. I wouldn’t waste so much precious power on him when a bullet would suffice.

  It frightened me how easily I used my magic to pull the weapon from the holster around my throat. A ghostly hand gripped the weapon, shimmering as frost formed in the air. I lifted the gun, taking aim as Amber had taught me. Part of me wanted to shoot Dominic over and over and let him suffer as he bled to death.

  Wolves, however, didn’t toy with their prey. They hunted to kill. And like it or not, I was a wolf. I needed to take him out in one swift, lethal strike. He deserved a lot worse of a death than the one I was about to give them both.

  My anger at his betrayal of me and the Fenerec woman steadied me. It frightened me how easy it was for me to smother my apprehension.

  It was too easy to discard the years of false friendship under the strain of raped, slain women and the theft of my body.

  I picked my target and waited until Dominic straightened. The woman lay sprawled on the couch. She didn’t rise, but she clutched at the cushion, her body shaking from either pain or rage—probably both. Using my magic as an extension of myself, I felt the weight and heft of the gun as though I held it in a human hand, familiar after so many times of firing it at the Inquisition’s compound. I curled an intangible finger around the trigger, confirmed my aim, and fired.

  Dominic’s body jerked. I didn’t watch him fall. I shifted my aim to Patrick and fired again. My second shot didn’t hit true, striking the sorcerer in the shoulder. I shot a final time, catching him in the chin as he staggered.

  The three suited figures reached for their weapons, shouting in shock. Holstering my gun with a thought, I pelted away from the broken window. I paused long enough at the corner of the building to obliterate my trail with a blast of ice and wind.

  I hoped the woman had the wits to free herself, because I wasn’t going to wait for her. We would meet again soon enough, when I reclaimed my body.

  First I needed to rid my new form of the plague and find a way to cure the rest of the Fenerec. The woman could remain a caretaker of my body until I came to take it back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  An overabundance of electronics warned me something was going on beyond the wall of Dominic’s property. I skidded to a halt, ears back as I eyed the stone blocking my way to freedom. The wolf wanted to jump it and I felt her anticipation of the challenge.

  While I had mastered walking and running on four legs with frightening ease, jumping over a spike-tipped wall was another matter entirely. If I missed, I’d either ram my head into the stones or gut myself. Keeping close to the wall, I circled the property to the front gate. Under the cover of dusk, I approached it.

  No matter what, I needed to get as far away from Dominic’s house as possible—preferably to Amber and my father. Stuck as a wolf, I needed the help of someone with hands if I wanted to make things right and return to my true form.

  If anyone could figure out what to do with a human trapped in a wolf’s body, it was them. Maybe they would know a way to undo what the sorcerer had done. Since Amber hadn’t come charging to the rescue, I’d have to find her one way or another. Considering how late it was, the witch probably knew something was wrong. I hoped nothing had happened to Amber after I missed our rendezvous.

  I cautiously peered through the wrought iron bars, ears pinned
back. Far more cars than usual were parked on the street. A group of people gathered not far away, and I backed away until I hid in the shadow of a cluster of palm trees. I closed my eyes long enough to hone in on the mechanism controlling the gate. I sent electricity pouring into the device and activated it. There were several clicks before the entry swung open. I sent a surge of power through the line to the breaker to ensure it would stay open.

  Startled cries came from the street. I pressed low to the ground until I was better hidden in the shadows. Several figures walked through the gate, guns held at the ready.

  Relief flooded through me when I saw Amber. I considered how to approach her without getting shot—and how to tell her who I was. I tried to think of how a dog would behave, and settled on a wagging tail, drooped head, and ears perked forward.

  The wolf within was disgusted. I ignored her. All I felt from the moonstone was amusement. I brought the stone closer to me, using magic to adhere it to the hostler slung around my neck.

  I made a yipping noise before trotting forward while whipping my tail side to side, hoping the universal sign of a happy dog would keep them from shooting me.

  Multiple weapons jerked to point at me and I ducked my head lower, whining as I belly crawled to Amber’s feet. She halted, mouth hanging open as she stared down at me. For a moment, I thought she was going to shoot me, but she lifted a hand. The people with her lowered their weapons.

  “I don’t know you,” she said in a puzzled tone.

  I could smell her fear.

  “Ma’am?” One of the men stepped closer. Unlike the others, he kept his gun trained on me. I cocked an ear back. The wolf wanted to bare her fangs, but I restrained her and kept still. She growled in frustration, which was echoed by the moonstone.

  I wasn’t a Fenerec. If he shot me, I wouldn’t get up again.

  When I didn’t move, Amber turned her attention to those with her. “Secure the place. I’ll take care of the Fenerec.”

  “Roger.”

  If my guess was correct, those accompanying the witch were also Inquisitors. They hurried towards the house, spreading out as they drew closer to the building. Amber scratched at her brow, eying me warily.

  “Is there a problem, Miss Amber? What is the delay now?”

  My father’s voice startled a whine out of me. I backed away, slithering on my belly while keeping my head low. I wanted to roll over and expose my throat and belly, but I managed to control myself.

  It was his frown that unsettled me; nothing good ever happened when my father frowned. Old fears smothered me. I retreated farther and his unwavering gaze fell on me.

  “I smell silver, blood, and gunpowder,” he said, his tone colder than ice. “You told me this place belonged to a Normal, Miss Amber. Why are we finding a Fenerec in this condition here? I do not recognize such a beast. She looks like she hasn’t been fed in days. Most of her fur is gone.”

  “I’m as surprised as you are, sir,” Amber replied and I could hear the worry in her voice. “Someone opened the gate to let her out. Do you think they hoped to set a mad Fenerec on us?”

  “If that is the case, they seem to have misjudged her control.”

  Amber’s phone ringing ended the conversation. Pulling out her cell, she pressed a button and answered, “What is it?”

  “There are three bodies here, ma’am. A Fenerec who has died from the plague and two men.”

  My father grabbed the phone. “Who was the Fenerec?”

  Someone retched in the background. “I’m afraid he is beyond casual identification, sir.”

  “A male?”

  “It appears so, sir.”

  “What killed the humans?” My father asked, gesturing towards the house. When I didn’t move, he stopped to glower at me. I stared at the house and the realization of what I had done hit me. The sorcerer’s death didn’t bother me as much as the fact I that had pulled the trigger and killed Dominic without hesitation. If I went back into his house, I would have to look at his body. I shook, backing away. My father’s eyes followed me.

  “They were shot, sir. One was taken down with a single shot to the head. The other was shot twice; one hit in the shoulder near the chest and the other in the face.”

  “Figure out who they were.” My father hung up and tossed Amber’s phone back to her. “As for you…”

  My courage shattered under my father’s scrutiny. With my heartbeat throbbing in my throat, I turned tail and ran out of the gate. Terror and guilt whipped me to speeds a human could never hope to match.

  “Stop her!” my father bellowed.

  The concussive blast of gunfire rang out. Sparks and a spray of gravel burst from the asphalt next to me. I recoiled into the lights of an oncoming car. When I froze, the wolf took over. I felt my muscles bunch up and tense as she launched us into the air. When my paws hit the hood of the car, her control faded. I rolled over the windshield, claws screeching over the metal as I fought for purchase.

  The car slammed on its brakes and I managed to leap off of the vehicle, twisting around to hit the sidewalk.

  “You idiot!” Amber shrieked.

  People surrounded me, far too many people for the curving road skirting the fringe of Griffith park. Most of them stared, but a few ran towards me. I jerked my head side to side trying to figure out where to run.

  A weight landed on me from behind and an arm wrapped around my throat. My attacker threw me to the ground, pinning me down with a knee pressed against my shoulder and stomach. A hand clamped over the top of my nose and shoved down hard. I made a sound reminiscent of a dying animal and thrashed.

  “Careful, she might have been shot!” Amber shouted.

  I struggled, whining as I was kept pinned in place.

  “Stay back,” a masculine voice said over my head. “Are you trying to frighten her to death?”

  When I couldn’t escape, I fell limp, whimpering with each breath. The cinnamon scent of a Fenerec filled my nose. I shuddered.

  “You idiot,” Amber repeated, her tone surly. “Were you trying to make her run, acting like that?”

  “It seems I underestimated the impact of my presence on her,” my father said, unapologetic.

  My captor snorted. “You, sir, are the equivalent of a nuclear blast for those who do not know you.”

  I sucked in a breath as I recognized the voice. Richard?

  I tried to lift my head, but the hand pressed down on my muzzle kept me from moving. “Take it easy before you do even more harm to yourself. What happened? Someone ripped out all of her fur. She reeks of silver.”

  “It seems there’s something very wrong at this so-called agent’s property,” my father snarled. The wolf within cringed at the viciousness of his tone. “What I do not understand is why we did not go in earlier.”

  Richard sighed. “Mr. Desmond, without any proof, we simply can’t charge onto a Normal’s property with guns blazing. For all we know, she broke her phone again.”

  “If you thought that, you wouldn’t have come out all of this way, Mr. Murphy,” my father replied.

  “You’re right, I don’t believe it. But we didn’t have approval to break in. You know as well as I do what the consequences are if we went in firing rounds. I don’t like it any more than you do, damn it!” Richard adjusted his weight on me, reaching down to touch my neck. “What’s this? She’s been collared.”

  There was an undertone of rage in my father’s voice as he replied, “Collared? Someone collared a Fenerec?”

  “Hold still, Lady Wolf,” Richard said respectfully, pulling at the holster around my neck. He found the buckle and removed it. “What’s this? It’s not a…”

  Amber appeared beside me, reaching out and snatching the holster from Richard’s grasp. With brisk efficiency, she checked the ammo, unloaded the clip, and flipped the gun over to look at the base of the grip. “This is Nicole’s.”

  Richard tensed. “What? How do you know that? And why would this Fenerec have her gun?”

  �
��The serial number, Richard. How else? There are three rounds missing.”

  “Are you saying my daughter killed two men?”

  Loading my gun again, Amber returned it to the holster and gave it to Richard. “Hold onto that.” When she turned to my father, there was a sharp, bitter undertone to his scent. The wolf within identified it as anger. “Sir, with all due respect, given a year or two, your daughter will be a better shot than I am. If she had reason to pull the trigger, I have no doubt she killed her target. That’s what I taught her to do. A better question is why did she shoot? And if she didn’t, who did? Why give the gun to this Fenerec after shooting? We only heard the shots fired a few minutes ago.”

  My father grunted. “We better get inside and find out what happened before the police arrive.” I lifted my head in time to watch my father spin around, hurrying back towards Dominic’s house.

  Amber sighed and threw her arms in the air. “This is supposed to be my operation, Mr. Desmond! I’ve already notified my contact with the LAPD. Richard, deal with that Fenerec.” Spitting curses, Amber ran after my father. “Mr. Desmond!”

  Shaking his head, Richard watched them go. “They’re both idiots,” he informed me, lightening his grip on me. “She’s too worried to use her sight and he’s too proud and stubborn to use his nose.”

  Richard rose and stepped away from me. I staggered upright, ducked my head low, and shook myself off. Tufts of fur shed off me, drifting to the ground. Did he realize it was me? That I was Nicole?

  Amber hadn’t.

  “Alex!” Richard boomed. Within moments, the younger Murphy brother approached, his hands in his pockets. He trembled and the stench of the plague wafted from him.

  Jerking my head in alarm at the strength of the smell, I focused all of my attention on Alex. Fever heat burned away in him and the virus thrived.

  The wolf’s grief smothered me. For a moment, she wrested control from me. Before she could voice her howl, I reasserted control. A whine emerged despite my intervention.

  Her pain woke me to the truth. She knew. She understood what would happen when Alex answered the call of the moon. Richard’s brother was dying.