Marked Clan #2 - Red

by Maurice Lawless

  “Do it, girl.”

  The way she said it reminded me too much of my mother. My arms lifted the shirt up over my head, and I sat there topless in front of a distant relative and a total stranger. I realized that Connor had mirrors on the wall that reflected against each other so clients could see tattoos in odd places. I angled myself so I could see the injury better. My stomach turned at the sight of it.

  “It’s a match,” Slate said. “He got the first rune onto you.”

  She traced the shape on my flesh, and it was my turn to shiver. There was a single stroke next to it. It looked interrupted. Slate traced that as well, comparing it to the page. “He didn’t finish the second, but he started it. Your blood is probably still pure. We can test it.”

  She picked up a fresh needle from Connor’s worktable and handed it to me. “We already know it won’t kill me, so give me a little and we’ll see what happens.”

  “Wait, what?” Serena piped up. “Donald said her blood could kill us all. Why doesn’t it hurt you?”

  “Long story,” I said. “Now shut the fuck up until I ask you something else.”

  She did. I poked the tip of my finger and drew a large bead of blood onto the needle. Slate took it and dabbed it on her tongue. After a beat, she nodded.

  “Good. It still has a sting. You won’t change, but I can’t predict what else the mark might do to you. You should be watched.”

  Should I tell her about the dreams, or did she already know? Wait a second—

  “Could that unfinished stroke be what helped me heal so fast?”

  Slate stepped back. “Possibly. There’s a way to test that too.”

  She moved before I had time to ask. The tip of the needle sliced down my back in a long diagonal swipe. At first all I felt was cold, and then blood began to fill in the cut. Pain came with it.

  “FUCK, Slate! You could warn a girl before you do that!”

  “Watch,” she said. Despite the pain, I did. I watched my back in the mirror. For a good minute and a half nothing happened at all—I just dripped blood onto my jeans.

  I sighed. “So much for mutant healing powers I guess. Might have come in handy.”

  As soon as I said it, the bleeding stopped. I watched with increasing horror as the slice stitched itself up, left to right, until the only evidence left of a wound was the drying blood on my skin and clothes.

  Oh fuck. I’m one of them now. No way. No fucking way. This can’t be.

  I managed to make it to Connor’s trash can before I revisited last night’s dinner. I stayed there, muscles locked, puking everything I had until my heaves ran dry. When I finally gave up and leaned against the wall, I had the presence of mind to ask for my shirt back. Slate continued reading while I was out of commission. She spoke as I pulled my shirt back on.

  “From what it says here, Donald has been making more wolves of his own, using more or less the same rites that made him.”

  “For what?” I asked.

  “Money,” Serena answered. Slate and I looked at her, and her eyes went wide. “What? I may be a junkie, but I’m not stupid. I saw the bags he brought in. The ones he traded with the Mexican-looking guys for other bags. He’s muling for them. I know a drug deal when I see it.”

  Great, things just kept getting better. Now on top of finding Donald, I’d have to plow my way through a drug cartel too. What ever happened to trolling the bars for strays?

  “Where is your den?” Slate asked. It was apparently time to get down to brass tacks.

  “It’s a place on the east side,” Serena said. “Near Chinatown. But you won’t be able to walk in. The drugs he’s running must be big, he’s bought protection.”

  “Other wolves?” I asked.

  Serena shook her head. “The only wolves are ours, but he has a bunch of muscle from that gang. They carry big guns.”

  Slate gathered up the pages and made for the door. “We should prepare. Get some more information on his den, and then strike.”

  “Wait,” I said.

  She stopped short of the door. “The longer we wait, the stronger he becomes. He’ll come after you again.”

  I know that, Captain Obvious. “I just don’t think we should get that close to them without a little more information. I know someone who might be able to help. He deals with some of the gangs around here.”

  Slate thought about it and nodded. “What about her?”

  “You can babysit her for me,” I said. Before Slate could protest, I put up a hand. “Wait. Hear me out. Donald thinks you’re dead. We can use that, but you need to stay put for a little while. I’ll take Dree with me to see Manuel.”

  Slate growled at me. “I will not be caged. Not with her.”

  Time to change the subject. “How is Lupin doing?”

  “He’s healing,” Slate said with a long sigh, “Thanks to your doctor.”

  “So I did you a favor,” I said. “One Mackenzie to another. Now I need you to do me one in return. Stay here and don’t kill her.”

  “I will not,” she said through clenched teeth. “Yet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was strange driving Dree around town again. If not for the fact that it was still daylight (and we were being tailed by a very conspicuous police cruiser) we might have been just having a night out on the town. My life had been simpler before the wolves—drink, fuck, go to work the next day. Now, not only was I being hunted by a big one, I had one of their marks on me doing god-knows-what. At least I wasn’t going furry…for now.

  “Talk to me, PJ,” Dree said about halfway to Manuel’s store. I hadn’t really said much, caught up in my own thoughts.

  “He marked me,” I said. “I don’t know what to think about that.”

  “It could be worse,” she said. She didn’t need to elaborate. Yes, it could. We could have ended up pack sisters, changing and hunting by the light of the moon, surviving on warm blood and cool water under the stars, and why the fuck was I thinking about that?

  I parked in front of Miguel’s store, and Dree put a hand on my arm. “I’m not your enemy. You realize that now, right?”

  I would have answered, but the contact with her triggered another flash in my head. The car and the daylight melted away, leaving just a forest clearing lit by the moon. I was naked, human, and cold. I swallowed, and tasted blood. In this form it wasn’t a good taste.

  Two wolves walked out of the shadows—one large and black, the other smaller and slate gray. They looked at me expectantly.

  “I can’t do it,” I said. “I left him back there. I don’t care how horrible a person he was. He didn’t deserve that.”

  The wolves didn’t respond. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I curled myself into a ball against the cold. I heard their almost-silent footfalls as they came toward me.

  “What about PJ? Alan? I have a life!”

  Something cold nudged the small of my back, followed by a warm lick. The smaller of the wolves sat down behind me, laying the length of her soft fur against my body. The larger curled up in front. I couldn’t help but feel a little better. Part of me, somewhere in the back of my mind, stirred.

  I felt it rise up onto all fours and give a long howl. The howl sent shivers down my spine, followed by pinpricks across my skin, and finally unimaginable pain. My bones cracked, shaped and bowed. My face, hands, and feet filled with searing heat and pushed outward. It was over in a matter of seconds, and I wasn’t cold any more. I lay between my Alpha and his mate, warm and content. They licked my muzzle, and rose. This time when they left, I followed.

  “PJ? Are you okay? You zoned out there for a minute.”

  The car was warm, but I shivered from head to toe. Dree reached for my arm again, and I yanked it away. “Don’t touch me! Fuck, what did that son of a bitch to do me?”

  Dree leaned back in her seat. “What do you mean? What just happened?”

  “I saw you—no. I was you for a minute there. I was inside your head, feeling what you felt. I think it w
as the night you disappeared. You were in the woods, crying, talking about how you—”

  “Didn’t want to go with them,” Dree finished. “Holy shit, PJ. I think that mark did do something. It connected you to us somehow. Slate did that to me once—she let me inside her head. Has it happened with her?”

  I nodded. “It happened when I was in bed this morning. I don’t think she realized it. We were running from some farmers, or hunters, or something. She kept worrying about her pups.”

  Dree shook her head. “She wouldn’t have let you see that on purpose. I barely got a few details of that story out of her. It’s a painful memory.”

  We jumped at a knock on my driver’s side window. The uniformed officer who followed us waved, and I rolled it down.

  “Are you two okay?” he asked. “You’ve been sitting here an awfully long time.”

  “We’re fine,” I said. “Got some catching up to do, I guess. Are you going to hang this close all day? I only ask because my friend in there isn’t really comfortable around cops.”

  The uniform raised both hands. “I’m at a distance, but I can’t let you completely out of my sight. Lieutenant’s orders. Sorry.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Well, just try to keep a good distance. We’re about to head in.”

  Once he left, I looked at Dree. “We’ll talk more about this later. It’s time for you to meet Manuel.”

  The botanica looked exactly the same as when I’d visited last, down to Manuel and his cigar. The only change was his bandages. He saw I had company, and nodded to Dree. “What can I do for you both today?”

  Dree started to cough, then wheeze, and finally dropped to one knee holding her throat. Manuel dropped his cigar on the counter and helped her to her feet, then led her out the back door. He sat her down on the back steps.

  “Easy there, chica. PJ, you didn’t warn me your friend was a wolf.”

  Dree looked at him, panic in her eyes. “How did you know?”

  He reached just inside the back door and pulled out one of his incense burners. As soon as the smoke from it reached Dree, she started coughing again. He had those things hanging everywhere in the shop, but I never considered what they were for.

  “Wolfsbane,” he said. “To be honest, I never knew if it worked or not. Thought it was a silly superstition. Ironic, if I do say so myself.”

  The uniform stepped in through the back gate with his gun drawn, and I saw Manuel reach back inside the house.

  “Tranquilo, Manuel!” I said. “Officer, please put that away. We’re fine. My friend just had an allergic reaction to some of the incense in there. We had to get her some fresh air.”

  The cop holstered his weapon, but stood by the gate. Apparently he wasn’t going to give us privacy. So be it. I looked at Manuel, “Have you had issues with wolves?”

  Manuel held up his bandaged hands. “You might say that. One of the local g—“

  He looked at the officer and coughed. “Community groups I work with came in asking questions. Thought maybe I knew something I didn’t. They asked about you too. I didn’t give them anything. Said you liked my candles, that’s all.”

  My head hurt. I rubbed my temples and tried not to look at him. “When were you planning on telling me about this? I have enough on my plate without ‘community groups’ coming after me.”

  “Relax,” Manuel said. He tried to put a hand on my shoulder, but I backed away. I didn’t know if my newfound psychic ability extended to regular people, but I wasn’t in a hurry to find out. There were things in Manuel’s past I’m sure I didn’t want to see.

  He leaned in and lowered his voice. “It’s handled. My shop is neutral ground, you see. Any threat to me is a very serious offense. Whatever your wolves have been doing, they scared these guys enough to break a truce. They paid with blood.”

  “Do you know if any of your ‘groups’ are working with the wolves?”

  He thought for a long time. Dree got up and walked around the backyard. It was filled with herbs and plants I didn’t recognize, all arranged in neat rows with sprinklers every few feet. I hoped for Manuel’s sake that it was all legal.

  “I heard a rumor,” Manuel said. “Something about a group near Chinatown.”

  “That’s them. Do you know who they are? How strong?”

  He shook his head. “Not here. Not now. My advice to you—leave them alone.”

  “Unfortunately, Manuel, that’s not an option,” I said, careful to keep my voice just above a whisper. “Either I take out the leader of those wolves or he’s going to do the same to me.”

  Manuel sighed. “These aren’t your usual Houston bangers. They’re from Columbia. Guerillas—very organized and very brutal. Last guy I know got mixed up with them lost his head. They never found it.”

  It was a lovely thought. Dree rejoined us, looking a lot better. “Your garden is beautiful,” she said. “The smells…I’ve never come across anything like it.”

  Manuel beamed. “From someone with your senses, that’s a high compliment. I’m sorry about inside. I can’t be too careful.”

  Dree shook her head. “No problem. I think maybe we need some of that stuff you’re burning in there. It might come in handy.”

  Dree walked over to the officer, and Manuel led me back inside. He paused by the back door and asked, “Is there anything I can get you, officer? A charm, a hex, some candles for your mother?”

  The officer gave him a sour expression, but followed Dree around to the front of the house. Manuel laughed and picked up his cigar as soon as we were back inside. He handed me a pouch full of wolfsbane, and I gave him a five-dollar bill.

  “One day, I’ll teach you the meaning of ‘on the house,’ chica.” He slipped the five into his till anyway. “Good hunting.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Slate kept her promise—Serena was still alive when I returned. I hadn’t said anything explicitly against restraining her though. My mistake. I walked into my apartment and found the tiny girl bound and gagged at my kitchen table. Slate paced my bedroom, reading Poppa’s book.

  “Her story seems to check out,” I said to her. She dropped the book on my bed and came into the kitchen.

  “Then we attack tonight. I spoke with Lupin. He’s feeling much better. He will meet us as soon as this one gives us an address.”

  She punctuated this one with a swift kick to the girl’s shin. She whimpered into her gag. I almost felt sorry for her. I mean, she was a victim in all this, right? She said herself she had no idea what Donald meant to do to her. Why was I having trouble finding empathy for her?

  Dree pulled off Serena’s gag, and the girl thanked her. “I don’t know an exact address. I just know landmarks. It’s just east of the freeway, a few blocks from the ballpark.”

  I looked at the time on my stove. It was still several hours until dark. Slate couldn’t leave yet, and we couldn’t exactly let Serena out of our sight either. I was at a loss as to what to do until then.

  In the last week I’d been kidnapped, tortured, and found out my long dead aunt was not only alive but a wolf. I figured I could seriously use some R&R away from the pups. I pulled out my phone and shuffled through the contacts. Justin’s number came up. I didn’t remember adding it.

  “You slick son of a bitch,” I said with a smile. He answered almost immediately.

  “Hey, how are you feeling? I tried to visit you today but the cops wouldn’t let me in. They wouldn’t tell me much of anything actually.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’ve got a full house right now, not including the cops. Any chance we could catch a late lunch, early dinner?”

  “Hold on,” he muffled the phone with his hand for a minute. “Yeah, I can get a few hours off. What did you have in mind?”

  “Doc, at this point I’m so not picky. I just feel like if I don’t get out of here soon and do something that doesn’t involve my family and its curse, I’m going to explode.”

  “Should I come by and pick you up?” he asked.
<
br />   “Please. Just be aware that I have a tail that isn’t going anywhere. The cops are being extra vigilant.”

  The background noise on the other line ratcheted up to the point where I could barely hear him. “I’m on my way. I’m sure we can find something to help you let off some steam. Maybe give the good officers a show while we’re at it.”

  I laughed. “It’s a date, Doc. Now get your hot ass over here. I’ll let the bouncers know you’re coming.”

  I hung up and saw three pairs of eyes staring at me. I’d completely forgotten they were there for the whole conversation. Two were confused, and one was smiling. For once, it wasn’t Slate.

  “A doctor, eh? Nice,” Dree said, beaming from ear to ear. “You two serious?”

  I retired to my bedroom and changed into some nicer clothes. Off went the Celtic Knot shirt; on went an emerald green top and my silver necklace. Dree watched me from the bed. Her eyes never left me. Apparently she wasn’t just going to drop it.

  “We’ve gone on a few dates,” I said. “I haven’t run him off yet, so that’s a plus. Even with all this wolf shit.”

  Dree sighed. “Right. The wolf shit. It wasn’t easy leaving you like that, you know.”

  I did know, actually. I’d felt the tearing inside of her as she lay naked and vulnerable in the woods, wrenched between her human life and the wolf she’d become. I felt the two distinct versions of her fighting inside. It must be a constant battle. What about Slate? She’d been like this for decades. It was a wonder she was still sane. She was, wasn’t she? Would a sane person ask me to kill her and all the others like her?

  “Yeah,” I said. “I know.”

  I headed downstairs where Connor stood by the POS doodling on the sketchpad he sometimes used for flash. When he saw me, he pulled me into a bear hug.

  “I’m so sorry, Bon. I should have had better security. This part of town is getting worse. I just didn’t want to admit it. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’ll always have someone guarding the floor when I’m not out here.”

  He actually thought this was just a random crime spree? A hit for what, money? Never underestimate the power of denial. I pushed against him for air, but he didn’t let me go. I felt him shudder. Was he…crying?