by R. E. Carr
The guy of the Japanese pair sauntered up and took the spot next to Sam. He sized up Kyle from under a mop of black and green-streaked hair. He gave a little wink and a nudge over to his companion. “He really does look like a Viking.”
“Riku,” the green-haired guy said, extending his hand.
“Dr. Rikuto Nakano,” Sam corrected, taking his hand and giving what could only be described as a shit-eating grin to Kyle. “Oh, and this is his mom, Dr. Reiko Nakano, and the newest member of our crew—”
“Oh my god, is this Paige?!” a loud voice cried. Paige found herself staring practically into the belt buckle of a giant of a guy, with a buzz cut and adorably pudgy pink cheeks. “I’ve heard so much about you . . . some of it slightly unrepeatable. And you must be Red!”
“Kyle,” he said, as he too had to look up. “And you are?”
“Holy shit the evil supermodel is here!” the new guy said, pointing one if his massive hands toward the van. Paige turned to see a suddenly concerned Jonathan Dean running at full speed toward them – claws out.
“You!” Jonathan growled, taking a swing at Sam. Sammy popped out his claws, and got between the Nakano clan and the furious Jonathan.
“Everyone stand down!” Paige barked. “Now!”
“Williams?” Jonathan asked. “You’re still with these guys?”
“Wait, you know these guys?” Paige asked. Before she could make heads or tails of the situation, she saw her old friend from high school, Tina, and her scraggly ex-bartender, Alistair, now joining the crowd. “Holy shit, Tina! Man-bun . . . wait, is that . . .?”
Another, smaller guy, this one with squirrely eyes and a mighty, braided beard, peered around the RV while holding what looked like a crossbow. A taller, genial-looking Haitian man put his hand on the newcomer’s arm and made him lower the weapon, “Bernard! Wesley! Toy found you guys too? Holy crap, everyone is here,” Paige said, stunned.
“Where’s your mountain-man brother?” Williams asked, pointing to Jonathan.
Jonathan looked confused. “You mean human brother? It’s a little confusing, here. Wait - you know these guys, Paige? Who the hell are all these people?”
“Who is that guy?” Bernard asked. “Where’s the Morganator?”
“Yeah, where’s Morgan?” Sam asked.
“Which one is Morgan again?” Jonathan asked.
Paige let out a whistle. Everyone turned to face her. “It’s good to see everyone—”
Bernard practically drooled as Nadia and Kayleigh joined them in the group. Everyone stared confusedly at Jonathan until Billy blurted out, “Paige, are you pr—?”
Nadia growled to silence everyone this time. Paige gave her a little thank you nod. “You all found us. It’s amazing.”
“Toy told us all to be here today - we’ve been scoping out the town, trying to figure out where all the damn bloodsuckers went,” Sam said. “She said you needed us, but what is that bloodsucker chump doing here?”
“Everybody, this is Jonathan Dean. Jonathan, meet the rest of the pack. Wow, this really is everyone. Um, Jonathan is one of us now. Look, there is a lot to go through . . .”
Toy stepped forward. “I got this, Shorty. Come on, if you want to hear all the story, hop in the RV with me. If you want to see the new place—”
“I’ve got that,” Maria said, making tour guide motions.
Soon Paige, Jonathan, and Kyle were left alone in the parking lot. Jonathan raised a brow as he watched Maria lead Tina and Al toward the restaurant in progress. “That is a lot of people, and one of them has a man bun. It’s like a friggin’ werewolf army with a token barista.”
“Wait until they find out that we have three-and-a-half vampires stashed in the group,” Paige muttered. “Come on, let’s go see this place while Toy and Nads hopefully smooth things over.”
A few hours later, as the sun went down and the work crew headed home, the small army of werewolves congregated in the dining room of their new property. Tina, Man-Bun, and Maria all talked menus while the other groups caught up. Bernard kept tapping at walls and checking the doors and windows. Finally, he declared, “Well it’s not the least defensible position we’ve ever held, but it’s no Fortress of Solitude.”
“Superman, I got that,” Jonathan said, prompting Bernard to run over and start grilling him about comic books. Billy took the opportunity to sneak over.
He pointed to Jonathan. “That is . . .?”
“Sort of,” Paige said.
“And Morgan?”
“Gone, he gave himself up,” Paige said, looking away. “It’s complicated.”
“Everything is complicated, but we’re here now. I mean, it’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard of - but I’m pretty sure ridiculous is our wheelhouse,” Billy said. “Um . . . did you and Kyle hook up?”
“What?” Paige said, nearly choking on her own spit. “No, just friends. I guess Sammy moved on though.”
Billy cringed a little. “Yeah, he did, and he really wants to rub it in Kyle’s face. I love my bro, but he can be a little vindictive. I asked him to tone it down a little, you know, in the interests of werewolf peace. Sounds like we have enough to fight.”
“Yeah . . . but for the first time ever, I feel like things are looking up.” Paige put her hands on her belly. “Maybe I can get enough of a breather to worry about normal stuff.”
“Yeah, I meant to ask—” Billy started. Before he could continue, Jonathan darted back and gave Paige a desperate look.
“Please, babe, you have got to need me for something. I am not ready to argue if Magneto or the Joker is a better counterpoint villain with this Bernard guy. We just haven’t progressed that far in our relationship, and everyone knows it’s the Joker anyway, no matter how good Magneto was in the Claremont days.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for this conversation,” Paige muttered. Billy took the hint and went back to talking with Toy. Paige surveyed the werewolves talking and laughing, and smiled. She raised a brow as she finally noticed that Jonathan was holding her hand.
“I mean, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just talk about something different, not just all the catch-up and the boring party talk?” Jonathan asked softly, gazing at the rafters overhead.
Paige looked over at him, at his green eyes and faraway expression. The stubble and Southern accent took her far away from that night in Tina’s backyard, but she gulped as he looked right at her and asked, “I dunno, you wanna talk about aliens or something? It just seems like the right thing to ask, and I don’t know why, but I think . . . I think I’m starting to remember.”
Paige gulped and blinked quickly, trying to keep the waterworks in check. A sweet scent drifted into her nose and she turned to see the last members of their band of merry men finally wander in to meet the group. Gail and Steve both paused slurping their travel cups upon seeing the sheer number of werewolves waiting for them.
Gail didn’t make it five feet before Sam, Bill and their RV crew ran to meet her. Gail nearly toppled over as the elder Dr. Nakano tackled her with a huge hug. Paige smiled at the reunion. Steve yawned and wandered over. He handed his second cup, one with an opaque straw, to Jonathan. “It’s a magic shake, just for you.”
“Thanks, bro. I mean it. You’re looking a little perkier if I do say so myself,” Jonathan said with a small grin.
Steve blinked a few times and surveyed the crowd. “Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said that Lorcan was raising a werewolf army.”
“I don’t really remember doing this,” Jonathan said, before taking a slurp. “I guess I’m still Jonathan Dean for a little while longer.”
“Enjoy it while you can. Vampires are assholes,” Steve said with a laugh. Their group heard a few exclamations of “Wait, you’re a vampire?” as Gail and company walked by.
Paige let Steve and Jonathan joke awhile. She sat back and enjoyed the chaos of the crowd. Shouts of dinner plans echoed among the cacophony. “Yo, I ordered pizza,” Toy cried. “I know it’
s not Tina or Maria’s chow, but I found a great place and they will even deliver out here.”
“Hey, there is a truck rolling into the lot,” Bernard cried, peering through the windows with binoculars. “I don’t see a pizza logo, guys.”
“What now?” Paige grumbled, as Nadia and Toy flanked the door. Sammy took point while the other werewolves held their breath. A young Japanese man in a suit slid out of the passenger side door, while a much larger Asian guy with a shaved head waited behind the wheel, engine still running. The slender, rather nebbish-looking man pushed his glasses up his nose and held his hands in the air. One hand held a black envelope with the green wax seal of house Jaeger.
“My name is Shinosuke Matsuoka, representative of the Matsuoka Corporation and House Jaeger. I’m here with a message and a delivery for Stefano DeMarco von Jaeger from his sister, the illustrious Lady Minerva Fenstermacher von Jaeger. I swear by the fourth law that my family and the Jaeger family holds dear, that I am only here as a messenger.”
“Oh crap, it’s that insufferable asshole, Colin,” Steve said. “He was a servant of mine, briefly. He was terrible, but he does have a stick up his ass over rules, and he has an unhealthy obsession with pleasing my sister.”
“We have a sister?” Jonathan asked.
“I have an adoptive sister,” Steve sighed. He pushed past the werewolves and held out his hands. “Hey, Colin! Good to see you still have a job. What does Minerva have to tell me that’s so important that you went to all this trouble? Is she gloating? Did she finally land Arthur, or what?”
“The Lady’s relationship to the King is none of your concern, traitor. You weren’t hard to find, you know. I would think that a criminal like yourself would do better about hiding your tracks. Anyway, the only reason I’m here in this sweltering, backwater town is to deliver these articles to you. And if you think you’re going to capture me and torture me, I can already tell you that I know nothing. I was just commanded to find you and give you this announcement, and your gift,” the Matsuoka envoy said, disdain dripping from his voice. “May I get the gift, or are your animals going to attack me if I move?”
“Oh, they aren’t my animals - but, you know, I really think you should go by Colin from now on,” Steve said, with a wicked grin.
“I hate that name. My name is Shinosuke Matsuoka, a noble name, not some obnoxious—”
Steve put a hand on the Matsuoka’s shoulder and looked him right in the eyes. “Nah, you prefer Colin, don’t you?” he asked again.
“I told you, my name is Colin!” he snapped, stomping back to the car.
Paige gave her great-grandfather a disappointed look as she joined him out in the parking lot. Colin pulled a strange mesh duffle bag out of the truck. Paige tried to get a good sniff, but could only pick up fresh asphalt and cat pee in the air. Colin set the bag neatly at Steve’s feet.
“My business here is done,” he said, with a little bow. “I hope I never have to do business with you again.”
Steve rolled his eyes. Bernard came running from the restaurant with thick oven gloves on his hands and a tool kit. “You never know if it’s a bomb, people, stand back!” he ordered.
Paige and Steve raised a brow but did move back into the building with the others. The truck peeled away. Bernard cried, “It’s definitely not a bomb!”
“An announcement,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. “Let me guess, Minerva just has to gloat that—”
He trailed off as he slid open the letter. The smirk faded as all the color drained from his face. Paige tried to take a step closer but Steve recoiled in horror. His eyes kept darting back and forth, back and forth across the script, as his knuckles tightened to the point that the paper began to tear.
“Steve,” Paige whispered. Bernard ran into the building holding up a scared ball of bright orange fur.
“Why did vampires send us a cat?” he asked, confused.
Steve dropped to his knees, his whole body shaking. Paige could now see that the neat script was clearly in German. As she looked back at Steve, his brown eyes turned completely black as his fangs curled over his lips.
“Steve?”
“What’s going on?” Several of the werewolves asked, as Steve howled as loudly as any of them ever had. Gail and Jonathan flanked him, both trying to hold him back. Despite their combined strength, Steve shoved them away and ran for the door. Paige hustled as best she could after him, only able to catch up when he stopped to stare at the moon – tears pouring down his face. “Steve?” Paige asked timidly.
“She’s dead,” he finally choked out. “Georgia . . . is dead.”
Epilogue: Meanwhile in Detroit . . .
Javier Diego Azeri-Gorri Etxeberria de Azarola advanced on the flickering sign of Club Hart-Beat, rain pounding his shoulders and soaking him to the bone. By the time he reached the awning at the entrance, his hair formed a slick mop, and his extensive scars could be seen under the translucent jersey of his T-shirt. The bouncer took one look at Javier’s solid black eyes and took a quick step left. “You . . . are expected.”
“Lo sé,” he muttered as he pushed his way inside. He didn’t have to walk far before a familiar face greeted him. Bella had traded her stripper gear for a tailored jacket and Italian leather pants. She furrowed her brows as she saw the half-drowned wretch standing before her.
“Javier?” she asked softly. “Lady Harker said—”
“You seem to have done well for yourself, Bella. It suits you.”
“Beulah . . . of House Harker now. Pigs have officially flown,” she replied, blushing just enough to make her freckles pop out even more.
Javier laughed softly and nodded. “I am happy for you,” he whispered, before giving her a quick kiss on each cheek. “And the others?”
“Everyone you sent here is recovering. In fact, we were about to go for a hunting lesson. You should join us. They could learn a lot from someone like you.”
“I’m just here to see Dama Harker. It is time.”
“Time . . . for what?”
“Time to face my fate. Take care, amiga.”
Beulah gave him a strange look, and reluctantly took her raincoat out of the check closet. Javier smiled, but his eyes remained unnaturally dark, and fixed on the floor rather than his old friend. “Are you sure you are alright?” she dared to ask.
“The truth is painful, and I have faced too much of it this day. Don’t you worry. This is what I want, a chance to speak to an old flame before all the embers burn out.”
“I see,” she whispered, slipping out into the rain.
The club stood empty and silent under the pretenses of a private function. The lights were dimmed, with only a pocket of red illuminating the VIP lounge in the corner. Javier took his time limping across the shiny dance floor. He paused only once to wipe his damp mop of hair from his eyes. This time Mina Harker wore a stark white gown, her hair slicked back into a braid, and her usual colorful makeup toned down to the barest of sheens. She stared pensively at a laptop screen, typing a few final words before turning her gaze toward her guest.
“You know, you always told the best stories, Mina,” Javier said, his voice breaking. “Perhaps you should have been a writer rather than the ruler of a house.”
She pushed to her feet and approached him slowly. “Don’t you see, I am both? My brothers and my sister, they run around trying so hard to be the hero or the villain. I’ve always been more comfortable behind the scenes. Did you do what I asked, my darling fox?”
“I did exactly as you asked.”
Mina took his hand. “I know you did.” Javier flinched at the touch. “I am truly sorry that you couldn’t be with her the way you wanted, but some loves are forbidden, even in our twisted circles. How did you break it to her?”
“I didn’t. I told her next to nothing, and let her believe what she wanted – that I was the whore of the sheriff, and that she did not matter to me. It was easier when all was said and done. Rather than explain my disgust and my shame�
�”
Mina leaned in and kissed his ear before whispering, “You always did have a penchant for taking the easy path, didn’t you, mi amor?”
Javier closed his eyes and growled. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth . . . until now, until the moment when all was rotten and ruined? Does this satisfy your sick need to tell a story with all our lives, Mina? Does it?”
Mina winced. “Perhaps it does . . . but you have to understand, Geoffrey never knew. He so desperately wants to be a Pendragon – to be the son of Arthur and of Lorcan, that I never had it in my heart to tell him the truth.”
“You were ashamed? Ashamed that your precious prince is nothing more than a traitor’s bastard. I see—”
“You don’t see anything, Javier. Yes, I concealed that he was our son, but not because I was ashamed of you. You know as well as I how obsessed the Cesare can be. It was always going to be his choice; but I had to protect him as best I could. I had to protect the name of house Pendragon. If they knew that their precious Lord Pendragon was sterile, the house would fall and my father would be angry. Father ordered me to protect the house any way that I could and I promised I would do my best. I made a promise—”
“And the younger one, Edwin?” Javier asked with a sneer.
“Vlad’s, of course. The irony is that in the end, Lorcan was simply unable to reproduce one way, so we found another. There is a true Pendragon out there, but I doubt it will survive once the Lung find it. Listen, my brother is mad. My father is mad, but we can still fight them if we work together. We can save our son, Javier,” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around him.
“I saw him . . . in Boston. He was not well. I’m afraid that everything Lorcan tried to hide from him has come back to haunt him, and the girl. . . Jesucristo, if you had seen the girl’s body.”
“Oh good . . . you could see it,” Mina whispered, kissing him. Javier’s eyes glazed over as she pulled away. “Javier, you know I have always loved you.”
“I know,” he said softly, closing his eyes again. “I will do anything for you. Just tell me what I have to do to be back with you, and to save our son.”
