by Sonja Bair
“Yes. And?” Dad was not being helpful.
“Well, we are both Alva. You know that it can get really sticky when two Alva date. Besides, in the wholly unlikely case that we would get married, since we are both Alva, we couldn’t have Alva offspring.”
“Hmm,” Dad said. “That sounds like Alrik would have to do a lot of serious thinking before starting to pursue you.”
“Yes. Exactly. He obviously hasn’t thought this through.”
“Well, that is one conclusion you could make,” Dad said slowly, as if talking to a dim-witted child. “And have you seriously thought about the situation?”
“No,” I said with a sigh. “Alrik came at me from nowhere. Plus, I just moved and now I have this weird Jia problem to deal with.”
Mentioning Jia was a good distraction. My dad was off and running, giving me all sorts of advice about how to track down Jia and keep myself safe. In lieu of listening to his advice, all of which I had already thought of, I listened to the love in his voice as he tried to help and protect me. David was right in what he had said the second time we met: I had more than my fair share of loving support. Not that I was complaining.
Chapter 14
“Come on in, Philip,” I called through the screen door. Alrik had left for an early morning run as soon as Philip’s car pulled up, so I was temporarily alone. Philip bounded into the room. It was stupid o’clock in the morning and I could hardly manage to string a sentence together. Philip, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to take the world by storm. Compared to David and Alrik, Philip was short. He had a round figure, verging on heavy. From shoulders down, he appeared almost as a solid block. But he didn’t move that way—he moved with the energy of a teenager although he was probably in his early forties. His hair was thick and straight, and he wore it in a hairstyle slightly longer than a buzz cut, but not long enough to necessitate a part. His eyes were a light brown and it looked like he might have normally worked the night shift since his skin was slightly pasty. By far, the most attractive feature was a sense of humor and lightness he seemed to carry into any room.
“How’s life?” I asked.
“No one has tried to kill me yet this morning, so I’d say it’s going well.”
“I commend your sense of levity, Philip. It’s been a rare sight around here recently.”
“I aim to please.” He swept into a distinguished bow and, on the return, presented some rolls of bandages as if they were a bouquet of the finest flowers. I smiled. Here was a man who did not take himself so seriously. It was a pleasant change of pace.
“While your presentation is impeccable, I doubt I’ll need that many bandages. The burn seems to be shrinking in on itself and is only a little oozy at last peek.”
“Good, good. Still, I want to take a look—because nothing is more appealing to me than oozy things.” He set the bandages down and motioned for me to show him the area. Again, with practiced efficiency, he had the covering off and the burn lotion applied before I could even process his actions. It hurt, but not as much as it could have under some less talented hands.
“You are good at this, Philip. How long have you been a nurse practitioner?” I asked.
“I’ve wanted to be a nurse as far back as I remember.” He smiled and cut a strip of bandage. “Can you imagine how that went over with my father—the werewolf?” He laughed at the memory and continued without waiting for my answer. “Yup, about that good. It was somewhat of a consolation that I turned out to be a werewolf. My two big and tough older brothers aren’t werewolves.”
I was intrigued. “So could you turn into a werewolf as a kid?”
“Yeah, I definitely used that to my advantage.” He laughed again. “Maybe that’s where I got the idea to be a nurse; I had to go with my brothers to the ER when they got all those stitches from ‘dog bites.’ On the other hand, you better believe I got a whooping by my dad when we would come home from the hospital. But to answer your first question, I got a BSN in college, worked in the hospital a few years, and then decided that I wanted more independence and responsibility. So I got my nurse practitioner degree, oh, fifteen years ago.”
“And you have been in Santa Fe that whole time?”
“Yes. If you are a werewolf, you stay with your pack.” He stopped and sighed. “Or you try to stay with your pack.”
“Besides you, Pedro, and David, do you know of any other wolves who have left a pack?”
“No. What David did and is doing is unheard of. When a pack gets too big, the members can mutually agree to split, but no one just leaves their pack and survives for long. Within a couple of moons, lone wolves lose all control and have to be tracked down and killed.”
“So how come David could leave and survive?”
“I’m not really sure. David was second in the pack to the Alphas. He is an incredibly strong and powerful werewolf. In fact, I know that he was more powerful than the Alphas, but he wasn’t interested in the leadership role. In the pack, he’s always been the odd duck, or should I say, wereduck?” Philip snickered at his own bad joke. “He was much more interested in his company and outside friends than living in the werewolf world. Sometimes, even in Santa Fe, it seemed as if he didn’t need the pack. I think that attitude bothered the Alphas. Robert and Maria needed people to fear and obey them. And though David played the part of submitting, it was clear that he wasn’t intimidated by them.”
“But then things went bad in the pack, right?” I knew I was prying, but for some reason, Philip was willing to talk.
“Yeah.” Philip answered my question but then fell silent. Maybe I went too far. He finished with the dressing and I put my shirt back on.
In a burst, Philip started talking again. “Things went bad is a nice way of saying it. Things went to hell is a better way. And David should have stopped it long before he did. That’s the negative part about being so disconnected from the pack. Shit went down, and he wasn’t there. He neglected his duty.” For the first time, I saw an angry side of Philip. But then the emotion seemed to blow away as quick as it came. “He has paid for that mistake many times over.” He shrugged.
“So are you, David, and Pedro three lone wolves living together now? Or are you a pack?” I asked.
Philip gave me a look I couldn’t decipher and said, “Things are in flux right now. I can’t give you a good answer.” He had given me a lot more information than I expected for a supernatural whose life had been turned upside down. Usually, supernaturals are tightlipped when it came to discussing problems in their ranks. I didn’t push for more information on the past.
“Do you think David would be willing to do another energy trail investigation at the church? We are trying to track down where Jia may be hiding out.”
“Who is the ‘we’ you refer to? I smelled another Alva here, but didn’t recognize him.”
He had been so forthcoming that I felt the need to reciprocate. “Yes, an old friend and my Flock’s Arbitrator showed up to help with the situation with Jia.”
“The Flock’s Arbitrator? That sounds like a euphemism.”
This was the same topic I had discussed with Alrik less than twenty-four hours ago. I laughed softly. “Yes, it is euphemistic sometimes. But for the most part, he only goes into situations where communication has broken down and tries for a decision that is agreeable to both sides. He is actually very good at listening and mediating.”
“But then if the mediating doesn’t work…”
“He is fully capable of cracking heads together if there is an unreasonable person. But he can only do it with the permission of the Elders.”
“Fascinating. Does he only arbitrate between Alva, or is it between species, too?”
“For the most part, it’s only between Alva. The vast majority of Alva are in Europe and, to be honest, the Alva are a pretty powerful influence in the supernatural community there. Not a lot of supernaturals go after the Alva.”
“How did you end up in the US?”
�
��My parents moved here. My mother is an Ambassador to the Union of Supernaturals and a driving force behind its growth. She felt like Europe was too stuck in the old ways to foster interspecies cooperation. She thought that if she could come to fairly neutral ground, maybe the different supernaturals would start to talk and collaborate. And I’d say it’s working, but it still needs more time.”
“I like her style. Werewolves in the past have been incredibly insular; it drives me nuts. In the digital age, no one can hide, but the Alphas for the most part have circled the wagons and refused to join the rest of the world.”
“Don’t tell your opinions to my mom unless you want to end up Ambassador Philip.”
Philip shook his head and gave a sad smile. “First I need a stable pack.”
The mood in the room turned somber. The pack situation tugged at my heart. It seemed so unfair that these three men had been ostracized by their pack when all they did was try to make things better. I wish I knew how to help, but I hadn’t the faintest idea of where to start. And as Alrik kept reminding me, I had the Jia situation to deal with as well.
“Back to the question of David accessing the energy trail. Do you think he would?” I asked.
“I’ll ask, but I’m sure that he would give it a shot if you wanted.” Philip started to pack up his kit. “Your burn looks good. In fact, based on the rate of your healing so far, I bet that by tonight, the blisters will be all gone. You can take off the dressing tonight and be done with it.”
“Thank you for all your help, Philip.” I said gratefully. Although I am a science teacher, I have never felt comfortable around blood, even my own.
“No problem. I haven’t done any nursing for a couple of weeks now. I miss it.” He stood up and grabbed his keys. “I’ll pass the word on to David that you would like him to help investigate.”
***
Alrik was waiting for me at the end of the school day. It appeared he decided on being bodyguard as well as an investigator. Since he wasn’t learning his lesson about when to show up and when to give me space, I set him to grading the homework that the kids had turned in today. It was an easy assignment, something I had given them to ease them into the idea of science, but from the sounds of disgust he was making, some of the kids weren’t doing well enough for Alrik’s taste. After only a few papers, he was muttering about the state of American education. I don’t think he had even realized he had switched over to speaking Swedish. I watched him from the corner of my eye and smiled. After the third spell of muttering, I wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at him. He looked up, startled.
“Do you really think you were any different as a teenager?” I asked, speaking in Swedish as well.
He bristled at the question. “Absolutely. I knew that seaweed was a plant when I was their age. Good Lord, I think I knew that it was a plant when I was three years old. How much paint have these artists been sniffing anyway?” he sputtered.
“Not much paint at all, as they happen to be right. Seaweed is not a plant. It belongs in the protist kingdom, not the plant kingdom. Biochemically, in many ways, it is closer to an animal than a plant. ”
Alrik pushed his chair back and squinted at me in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Ask one of my artists; they would be glad to give you the details. And they will probably be able to look beyond your inferior overseas education.” I tilted my nose in up in the air in superiority.
Alrik sat back in his chair and looked me quizzically. “You like teaching, don’t you?” He asked the question as if he was realizing something for the first time.
“Of course I do. Why do you think I’m teaching, the pay?” I laughed at the idea.
“I thought that it was an escape plan to get out of the USN.”
“Yes, it was an escape as well, but is a passion of mine, and I’d like to think I do it fairly well.”
“Like it or not, you had a passion and talent working with the USN, as well. There was a big hole when you left.”
“Thanks for the flattery, but I think they are getting along fine without me.”
“Of course they are. But you brought something unique to the Union. You were able to go into situations with supernaturals who were skittish about joining and convince them that the USN needed them, and vice versa. There are quite a few now-active members who say their tribes were feeling desperate, or even violent, about the world changing around them, but because of your interaction with them, are hopeful. You went into dark places and brought some light. That’s your unique gift.”
I slammed down my laptop cover and crossed my arms.
Alrik continued before I could speak. “And this is where you bring up Florida and make the excuse that because you had one bad encounter, what I said can’t be true.” He held up his hand to stop my protests. “The USN learned a hard lesson that not all supernaturals are going to be happy about species joining forces. And that they need to send protection going into new situations. You were on the wrong side of that particular learning curve. But your talents are missed, and there is so much more work to be done. We are at a pivotal point right now as supernaturals. Do we allow the world to roll over us and crush some species? Or worse: do we allow some species to feel so threatened that they need to lash out at naturals and lay down a path of destruction and chaos in their angry wake? Being a teacher is a good career, but you are wasting a golden chance of changing the supernatural world for the better.”
I was shocked. I had no idea that Alrik, or anyone, felt this way. My mother had half-heartedly protested when I first quit the USN, but her motherly need for me to be safe outweighed any protest for me to continue working with the organization.
There was a moment of silence before Alrik spoke again. “Does that surprise you? I’m shocked that no one has told you this before. It’s common knowledge at the USN.”
“No, I haven’t heard that before. I don’t know how to reply to you other than to say I am happy with what I’m doing right now.”
Alrik stood up and walked over to me. He placed his hands on top of my shoulders and very lightly started to rub. I resisted the urge to lean my head back against his body. He was being so nice, it was disconcerting.
“And I am happy that you are happy, Freya. But you should consider all options.”
We stayed like that for a second, but then a group of students came banging down the hall; probably some after-school activity had let out. The noise broke the moment and I seized the interruption to ask a question that had been floating around in my head. “So what did you do last night when you left? Did you find anything out about Jia?”
“I basically scouted around your house. There isn’t any sign that Jia has been hiding out or spying on you. Don’t think, though, that she will leave you alone. From your stories and the fire, it seems like she has focused on you. Be careful, especially if I’m not around.”
The fact that I didn’t feel the need to protest the implied statement that he would be around startled me. I guess he was wearing down my resistance. “So what would you suggest we do at this point?”
“Two of Jia’s tribe members are arriving tomorrow afternoon. We should hold tight until then.”
“I don’t like not doing anything. She burned down a church less than forty-eight hours ago. What will she do next?”
“I don’t like it either, but we don’t have any information to work with.”
I remembered the conversation with Philip this morning. David could possibly get some leads off the energy trail at the church. Alrik wouldn’t like it. I wasn’t sure how to get around that hurdle, but I pushed the thought aside. Any information was good information. Even Alrik could appreciate that.
***
Later that evening, Elin stopped by with takeout Chinese for dinner. I don’t know if Elin knew or not, but Alrik was a Chinese food snob. Because he had been to China a few times, he considered himself an expert and considered the Americanized version of Chinese food less than tasty.<
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“Swill. I don’t care that the restaurant is owned by Chinese immigrants. They are secretly laughing behind your back as you order this. Cashew Chicken? They do not eat this in China. Chinese food, indeed. What does that even mean? One in seven people on this planet live in China. Do you think this is what they are all eating? And what province does this food belong in? I’ll tell you what province. The province of Foolish Americans.” Alrik scowled down at the open container of Cashew Chicken, which happened to be my favorite.
Elin smiled at me behind Alrik’s back. I smiled back. “Elin, could you grab me a fork and knife please? I’m hungry.”
Alrik dropped the Cashew Chicken like it had grown horns and scowled at me. He gathered up his fancy laptop and started walking to the front porch. Elin called out behind him, “Hey, my fortune cookie says, ‘Man who turns down free food goes to bed hungry.’” The front door slammed behind Alrik. Elin gave me a look of triumph. “That was easy enough. Now I have you all to myself.” My sister knew what she was doing, alright.
“Tell me about the fire. Tell me about Jia. Tell me about life. You and I haven’t had a good talk since all this went down. You have had more excitement in the last few days than I have had ever since I moved out to the SLO area.” She passed me a pair of chopsticks.
“What do you want to know? Jia is still out there. She destroyed a church because of some wacked-out connection with me.” I hopped up on the kitchen counter and crossed my legs under me.
Elin paused, chopsticks in hand, and considered what I said. “Are you safe?”
I snorted and grabbed a piece of chicken with my chopsticks. “Alrik has assigned himself the role of bodyguard. I don’t think Jia has a chance of getting within ten miles.”
“Alrik is good at his job,” Elin said distractedly, staring off into the distance. I didn’t say anything and let her take a few more bites. I knew that she wasn’t done with this topic but needed some time to work out what she needed to say. With a sigh, she continued, “We’ve known Alrik our entire life. He’s always been there. He and I are the same age, but he never seemed to be that interested in me.” Elin waved her chopsticks dismissively in my general direction. “And, no, it isn’t because I’m not an Alva. I’m attractive enough that almost all men, including Alva, trip over their feet to make my acquaintance.” In anyone else, that statement would have been incredibly obnoxious. In Elin, it was the truth and nothing more. “You have always been the sun and moon for Alrik. Florida could have been his chance to be your knight in shining armor. But you and everyone else saw it as a necessary clean-up to a problem you had solved yourself. Alrik was like a mopey little puppy for weeks afterward. Now, you have gone and gotten yourself into another mess and this time, Alrik arrived in time. He really, really wants to be your hero. Let him, for once.”
