Ravening Hood

by Kendrai Meeks

  A shell-shocked werewolf in his huey form clutching a bed sheet proved to be an amusing sight. “What?”

  I crawled into bed, despite the fact that I was still wearing most of my street clothes, minus my jacket, shoes, and socks. “What good is it to tell her and then just leave her behind? We should offer to let her come. Let the Ravens see I protect my own, and at the same time, we can get her trained up a bit while we’re there. After all, you and the others will be sleeping all day long. It’d be nice to have someone spend the daylight hours with.”

  “Daylight hours? Trained up a bit?” Tobias repeated as he turned his back and dropped the sheet to the floor.

  I didn’t look.

  For too long.

  He continued as he nudged around the pile of blankets atop the dog bed into an agreeable form. “What exactly are we going to train Manhattan Barbie to do?”

  “To fight. Or at the very least, to defend herself. I can teach her how to handle a blade, you can teach her some wrestling, and I’m sure Caleb can teach her some martial arts. He’s actually quite good at Krav Maga.”

  “I don’t see how learning to play video games is going to protect Amy,” Tobias said through a yawn. “Unless the Ravens are going to take the battle into World of Warcraft, probably not much good for Amy to master either.”

  “It’s not a video game. It’s a type of hybrid boxing-judo-other-stuff thing. And don’t pass her off so easily. The woman didn’t flinch this morning when I pulled a knife on her.”

  “Did she try to wake you up early again?”

  “She’s got spirit,” I said, ignoring his quip. “With a bit of patience and motivation, she could hold her own.”

  “Not if she can pay someone to hold it for her.”

  “Look, it was your idea to tell her anything. I’m just saying, that’s going to have consequences. These are the consequences. Are you going to help, or should we reconsider having Igor toss her memory around?”

  I reached over to the wall and flicked off the light, but his voice still reached through the darkness.

  “Seeing as I can’t stomach the alternative, yes. But if you think she’s convinced you and I should be a thing now, just wait until she knows I’m a wolf and you’re a hood. Were a hood. You know what I mean.”

  “Why would that make a difference?”

  “Because it’s Amy. Doomed relationships are her superpower.”

  FIVE

  I’d grown up in the supernatural world. Never had there been a time when I’d been in the dark, and never had there been a time that I thought it was my place to bring people into the light. It wasn’t that no hueys knew of the supe world, as the several dozen vampire-aware hueys at WWL attested. It was that hoods (and wolves, frankly) by nature didn’t trust outsiders. In my twenty-two years, I could think of only one I knew who was intimately integrated into our society, and she to the point of immersion: the gatekeeper of Schloss Wolfsretter, the reds’ ancestral estate, deep in the Black Forest.

  Hueys were so not my area of strength.

  “So, Amy...”

  She looked up expectantly from the couch, balancing a ballpoint pen on the palm of her hand.

  Okay, so now what? “What was it you said you were doing after graduation?”

  Her head cocked to the side. I’d gone from zero to what-the-hell in one-point-two seconds.

  “What? Oh, going home, I guess. I’ll probably go to grad school in a year or two, but I just want to take some time and live a little, you know?”

  “Oh, I know. I’d like to live too. Ideally, of course.”

  “What?”

  Heat pricked in my cheeks as I tried to overcome the oddness. “I mean, I’d like to have an adventure. I’m not in a rush to go home. I’d like to wait for all that stuff with my parents to blow over.”

  Amy set the pen and notebook down, her eyes softening. “Still on the outs, are they?”

  “In a way. They’re not talking to each other, and neither of them is talking to me.” I took a seat on the armchair next to the couch. “Anyway, I was thinking, would you be interested in going on a trip with me? I mean, it’s not just with me.”

  Her eagle eyes narrowed in my direction. “Is Tobias going on this trip too?”

  “Yup. Also Inga Rosenthorn and Prof. Karmarov.”

  Any amusement she wore melted away. “The creepy boss lady from your internship and the creepier biochem prof who has his weird lab at school?”

  “They are not creepy!”

  “They are the definition of creepy,” Amy insisted. “I looked up that Inga woman after she offered the job to Tobias. There’s nothing on her anywhere online. How does an executive from a big corporation like that stay off the web? More importantly, why? Why? Because she’s up to freaky shit, is why.”

  “Or just likes her privacy.”

  She continued, undeterred. “And I took one of Karmarov’s classes my sophomore year. There’s just something about that guy that gives me the heebie-jeebies. You and Tobias are going on a trip with them? Is that what’s really going on between you? There’s some kind of weird cult thing or something, one that makes two people who are obviously attracted to each other sleep in the same room but resist temptation?”

  “As I keep telling you, there’s nothing going on between Tobias and me, and there never will be.” Oh, shit. This was my break, wasn’t it? I scooted to the edge of the cushion. “Actually, there’s another person coming on the trip too. His name is Caleb.”

  Now I had her hooked again. “Caleb? That’s a sexy name. Is he cute? Is he available?”

  “Yes, he’s cute. But no, he’s not available. He’s actually... my boyfriend.”

  The pen flew as Amy sat bolt upright. “No. Fucking. Way.”

  “Yes, way.” I quelled my tongue which wanted to add, though not so much fucking. At least, not yet.

  “I can’t believe it! Yes!” The woman actually squealed and clapped. “I have so many questions, I don’t know where to start. Is he cute? Is he a good kisser? Does he dance? Hell, do you dance? Does he ever wonder why he’s never been to your house? Has he been here? Have you been sneaking him in for quickies when I’ve been gone? What about the whole Tobias situation? How does that all work? Have you guys talked at all about a three-way?”

  “Amy!”

  Her eyes went wide. “What?”

  “No, no three-way—and we will never discuss that possibility again.” Now that the cat was out of the bag, I guess I had to outline the whole thing from the beginning. “Caleb and I met last summer during my internship. He lives in the same building WWL is located in.”

  “Oh, penthouse view. He must be rich then.”

  I scanned my memory. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure if he has any money. He’s... friends with Inga Rosenthorn. I don’t think he’s exactly getting charged market rent rates.”

  Amy chewed on that a moment. “Influence is almost as good as money. So, how is he in bed?”

  I gulped. “Um...”

  A switch went off in Amy’s brain. Her beaming pride became withering scorn with a scrunched-up forehead and a tilt of her chin. “How long have you two been together?”

  I counted out on my fingers. “Officially? I guess about eight months, although he travels a lot. And, of course, Tobias and I head back to Michigan all the time, as you know.”

  “Eight months, and you haven’t slept with him yet?” Amy cleared her throat, laced her fingers, and set her hands on her lap. “So he’s as much of a prude as you are.”

  “Caleb is the polar opposite of a prude!” I exclaimed. Wait, was I bragging about my boyfriend’s licentious leanings? “The situation just hasn’t... if you’ll forgive the pun, arisen.”

  She put a hand to her forehead and sighed. “Of course, it hasn’t arisen. You won’t let it. Ever since I got back from New York last fall, you don’t leave the house unless Tobias is with you. And also, you’ve kept this Caleb guy secret from me for, what I’m sure, are good reasons, bu
t that makes sneaking him in on a night Tobias works impossible.”

  I held up my two index fingers. “Actually, can we pause there and drill down a bit? That’s what I wanted to talk to you about: why I kept him a secret. You see, Caleb comes from an old family with a lot of enemies.”

  But Amy was not hearing it. “Yeah, we’ll get back to that later, but I would be remiss as your best friend if I didn’t stage an intervention, and to do that, I need you focused on the problem: Tobias.”

  “So Tobias is a problem now?” If I had hackles, they’d be raised. Again. “You’ve been suggesting that the solution to everything wrong in my life—and possibly a way to bring about world peace—is to sleep with him.”

  “That’s before I knew you were dating a member of the Mafia.”

  “What in the hell makes you think Caleb is in the Mafia?”

  “You just said it yourself: old family, lots of enemies. Wait.” Amy bit her finger. “Is Tobias some sort of bodyguard that Caleb arranged? That would actually make sense.”

  “No, Tobias is not a bodyguard. Well, actually he is, but Caleb isn’t the one who sent him.”

  “Feds?” Amy asked. “Or what are they called in England? MI6? Is Tobias some sort of British agent, using you to get to Caleb’s family?”

  I pressed my fingers to my temple. “This is not going how I pictured it.”

  Again, my roomie steamrolled forward. “’Cause if that’s not what’s going on, then you really need to get him out of your life. Oh, sweetie, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying anything bad about Tobias. I like him a lot, even if his living here has exploded our Drano budget. It’s not your fault, you’re too close to the situation to see it clearly. But him living here is clearly cockblocking your love life—both emotionally and physically.”

  When had trying to tell Amy about the supernatural world become a discussion about my love life? “This isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”

  “But it’s what you need to hear. Listen, Geri—” She reached out and rubbed my arm. “Ever since you came to me two years ago, brokenhearted and ignorant because of your small-town upbringing, it has been my mission to ensure that you fully seize the opportunities your life holds. I got excited for a while when you were seeing the Jess guy, but he turned out to be a flake.”

  “Actually, he turned out to be using me to get to Tobias.”

  “Ah, so that’s what happened.” Understanding brightened her eyes. “Point is, this is what I wanted for you all along. You’ve been with this guy for, what, eight months? Obviously, you have feelings for him. And if he’s not a prude like you, and he’s still hanging around this whole time, it’s got to be because he feels something pretty damned compelling for you too. Don’t blow this. Tobias has lived here for almost a year now. I know he still misses his wife, but like I said: a year. He should be able to fend for himself now. You can still be friends, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be. But please, be a big girl and do what’s right: move Tobias out of your bedroom, so you can get Caleb into it. Even if Tobias is only a friend, trust me, it’s like with dogs. They mark their territory. Tobias is marking you, and that’s why things with Caleb are so dull.”

  “Amy, please. I really need to talk to you, and it’s not about Caleb or Tobias. Well, okay, that’s not true. It’s all about Caleb and Tobias. And me. And other people too.”

  “If you’re about to tell me you’re in some kind of cult, then I have to admit, I already had a suspicion.”

  My train of thought plunged off a bridge. “Why would you think we’re in a cult?”

  “I don’t know... Your tendency for being nocturnal? The way you usually disappear on full moons, and even if you are around, you act like you’re all hyped up on something, the way you put silver trinkets all over the house when you first moved in, your weird obsession with Thai dumplings...”

  “Lots of people like Thai dumplings. It doesn’t mean they’re in a cult!” My hair fanned out from my face as I blew out my frustration. “I was trying to tiptoe you into this, but looks like I just have to lay it all out. Tobias is a werewolf, my boyfriend is a vampire slayer, and even though it’s confusing, Inga Rosenthorn and Igor are both vampires. Not only that, but I used to be what in German is called a wolfsretter, but most people just call us hoods now. I’m actually an indirect descendant of Little Red Riding Hood, and no, not the Disney version of Little Red. In fact, I’m even named after her, which isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, since in my world, she’s just about the evilest hood who ever existed. Which is ridiculous, because actually my mother is the evilest. And, oh yes, my mom... Last summer, she performed a rite of denial which ripped all my powers away, so that now I’m basically just as huey as you are, but with a lot of combat training. Oh, and FYI: that’s what you are to us, a huey. We call humans huey.”

  By the time I finished my screed, I’d worked up both my heartbeat and my lungs. Perched on the edge of the armchair, I watch a wide-eyed Amy glare at me. Finally, after a few silent moments, she blinked, stood, and patted me on the shoulder.

  “I’m only going to say this once, Geri, but it’s said with love. You’re too good a person to ruin your life with drugs.”

  And with that, she slipped into her room.

  SIX

  “She thought you were high?”

  Across the table, seated far from the other patrons of the Italian restaurant near WWL, I couldn’t tell if Caleb was horrified or about to break out laughing.

  I shook my head, quelling the temptation to cackle. “Ridiculous, isn’t it?”

  “Depends.” Caleb drew a breadstick to his mouth. “Are you?”

  “On drugs?”

  “Yeah.”

  I squirmed in my seat, doing my damnedest not to slither out of the black tube sock substituting as a dress in the process. The moment Amy found out I was going out on a date with the boyfriend of whom she’d only recently become aware and with whom, after eight months, I had not yet slept, she had blocked the door and refused to let me leave in anything less. Or, more aptly put, anything more.

  “I took some aspirin a week ago when Tobias threw me down too hard in the gym.”

  The ire of Caleb’s inner caveman swelled. “He what?”

  “It was nothing.” I took a quick sip of the sparkling grape juice. “The fact that I’m not still a hood doesn’t mean a thing to the Ravens. I train. Tobias helps. He doesn’t go easy on me just because I’m not supernatural anymore... at my request. Sometimes, I get a little bruised.”

  “Well, that stops now. If anyone’s going to slam you on your back too hard, it’s going to be me.”

  “Speaking of which...” The flute balanced on the edge of my lip, a dramatic pause for a dramatic effect. “How’s Inga?”

  The slayer worked his jaw. “Inga and I do not have a thing going on. Yes, she likes drinking my blood—perhaps a little too much—but my neck is where anything physical between us begins and ends.”

  I did like to tease. “And the trip? Was it successful?”

  I waited through his slow, steady chew of the steak he’d shoved in his mouth. “Only confirmed what we already suspected. The Ravens are in Istanbul; the question is where. It’s a big city, you know. Almost fifteen million people, two thousand square miles of land covered in buildings folding in over themselves. Finding them will be no easy task, nor a quick one. You sure you want Tobias going along? Unless I misunderstood, a werewolf has to be with his pack on a full moon at least every three months to keep from going insane. Finding the Ravens’ clutch could take years, and that’s assuming we don’t tip them off and they go scurrying.”

  Amy’s comments replayed in my inner ear. It wasn’t the first time Caleb had said something that suggested putting some distance between the werewolf and myself, but this wasn’t the time.

  “Tobias actually has a bigger dog in this fight than I do, if you’ll forgive the pun,” I said. “I kind of just stumbled into this whole Ravens-werewolf thing. No one is sure if Cody’s
dad’s death had anything to do with it or if it was just coincidence. But we know for sure that Tobias’s mate and brother died because of the Ravens’ quest for eternal life.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “And what about what your mother said last summer?”

  “About the Ravens finding me?” I shrugged. “My mom has enemies all over the world, of every species. Besides, you heard what Inga said. She only suggested my mom kill me when I visited her as a kid because she was scared my wolf-luring ability would be too useful to them. As usual, I think my mom’s real fear was having a situation where she wasn’t the one totally in control of me.”

  “Speaking of control...” He leaned over the table, his voice drifting into a husky register. “I’m having a difficult time with mine.”

  The corners of my mouth twitched. “Good thing we’re so close to your place then.”

  In retrospect, the fact that we shared the elevator with Caleb’s WWL-assigned bodyguard was probably the only reason I didn’t lose my virginity on the ride up. The moment the slayer closed the door to his apartment, however, the game was afoot.

  His hands hovered over the curves of my body, as though it were a glass figure he’d break. “Damn, whose idea was this dress and where do I send the thank you card?”

  I stepped back toward the couch, kicking off my heels. Pink-tinted walls, more glass than frame, ringed my silhouette in city light. “Amy insisted.”

  “Makes me wish you told her about us a long time ago.” Caleb’s grin spoke a silent promise as he, too, shook off his shoes and let his suit jacket fall to the floor.

  “You saying you don’t like the way I dress?”

  My feigned offense had him stupefied. “What? No. Damn it, no. I didn’t mean—”

  His words died on my tongue as Caleb came close enough for me to grab by the tie. I worked my mouth against his, hoping he understood tonight wouldn’t end the way the others had. Tonight, this was going down.