"I didn't see anything, not at first, but I could smell it. Blood. I went forward a little and I saw the pile of organs and a lot of blood spilled. I could smell one of ours and something new—the scent of someone I didn't know. Human though, but there was no sign of anything or anyone. The blood was still a little warm, so it hadn't been long. I tried to follow, but whoever it was out here—they were cagey. Hard to track. I didn't want to waste a lot of time out here on a wild goose chase, and I knew what that pile meant, so I called you guys." Shane's eyes were dark and troubled.
Rafe looked back and forth between Shane and Finn, still not understanding why they looked so grim. "I'm sorry if I'm not Davey Crockett or whatever, but I still don't get what that pile means."
Finn looked at him, and there was nothing joking about his expression. "That pile means an animal was dressed." When Rafe still looked lost, Finn elaborated. "It means we've got a hunter."
"Worse than that," Shane piped in. "It means someone's hunting us."
Chapter Eleven
Kess let herself into the studio with the key Mebis had given her. The lights were off, the mats were still stacked in neat piles against the wall, and the place was empty. Odd, Mebis had always beaten her here; every time she’d come before, he’d been in the middle of stretching or doing his own practice. Still, it wasn’t unheard of for someone to be caught in Miami traffic, assassin or no. His particular skill set would be useless there, especially since dead bodies wouldn’t actually help the traffic go any faster.
She flipped on the lights and set her bag down against the wall. May as well get the place set up. Kess grabbed the first mat on the stack and dragged it down onto the sanded hardwood with a loud thump. Keeping busy was a good thing for her these days; it kept her mind off of everything she missed.
If she were in North Carolina, she’d have started her freshman year of college. She’d be with Cormac. She wouldn’t have to worry about the pressures of leading a clan.
She’d been looking forward to being a just another college student. Kess had gotten a brief taste of normalcy and found she liked it very much. It was wonderful to be worried about nothing more dangerous than what class to sign up for and which shift to work. She enjoyed the change of pace of not having complicated problems to deal with. And now she was kind of angry and feeling cheated that her brief flirtation with a normal life had pretty much been yanked right out from under her.
Setting up the mats helped alleviate her frustrations, at least for a little while. It was heavy, demanding work, much like sparring with Mebis was. Kess enjoyed it because the sessions with Mebis let her focus purely on the physical; she was rooted in the present of dodge and strike and block and kick. In a way it was very similar to when she transformed into a leopard—she was all sensation then, rooted in her physical senses like she rarely was in human form.
When she’d finished with the mats, she stretched out on them, doing the warm-up exercises that Mebis had taught her. She was stronger than she’d ever been. Mebis’ training program—or torture as Kess referred to it in her head—was designed to make her faster and stronger, and to teach her how to fight hand-to-hand with a stronger, more skilled opponent. When she wasn’t in leopard form, Kess was far more vulnerable. She and Mebis were trying to change that.
After finishing her stretches, Kess checked her watch. Mebis was over twenty minutes late, which wasn’t like him at all. The werejackal was meticulous about being on time, and he would have at least called if he’d gotten seriously delayed. Kess wondered if something with the Keepers had come up suddenly. That would explain the lack of a phone call.
Kess felt a prickling on the back of her neck. He would have called her, unless the Keeper business he’d been called away on was about her. She shook her head in effort to rid herself of the paranoia she suddenly felt. The Keepers were keeping a close eye on Miami—she knew that. Just as she knew that if they didn’t like her leadership, they’d find a replacement for her. What if Mebis had been called to dispatch her? Kess didn’t like to think that way, but she had gotten used to planning for the worst.
Quickly she gathered up her things, trying not to start at every stray noise. Kess tried to tell herself that if Mebis wanted her dead, she’d already be buried by now. He knew her and her house. He knew where she’d be today, and that she’d be there alone. Mebis had ample opportunity to kill her and he hadn’t. Unfortunately the logical side of her brain was having no luck convincing the rest of her. Her palms were sweating and she thought she saw movement out of her peripheral vision all the way to her car.
Kess tried to calm herself once she was safely inside her car. Not that she was any safer; she knew that too. But being enclosed certainly helped her think. She got out her phone to see if she’d missed a call from Mebis, perhaps canceling today’s session. Then, because it was logical and not at all related to panic, she dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail. She decided against leaving him one.
She made her way home on autopilot, her mind able to navigate the way without her close attention, leaving her open to think about where Mebis could be. It wasn’t out of the question that he’d miss practice for something simple and mundane, like errands taking longer than expected. But the werejackal was almost always unfailingly polite and considerate—he would have called to let her know he was running late.
So that left her with the idea that he couldn’t call. And that meant Keeper business. Whether it related to her and Miami, or something else completely unrelated, she had no real way of knowing, at least not until Mebis came back.
Kess pulled into the driveway, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek. She hated feeling like she had no control over a situation; it reminded her too much of her life when she was on the run from her father and brother. She’d been forced to live her life by reacting and not acting. Kess had hoped she was through with all of that now that she’d finally agreed to take control of the cat’s territory. Funny how life had a way of showing you how wrong you were.
She pulled the car into the garage. Finn was working on the Ducati. The motorcycle had been her brother Sek’s, and rather than sell it, she’d given it to Finn. The bike might as well get some use from someone who appreciated it.
“You’re back early,” Finn said, poking his head up as she got out of the car.
“Mebis never showed.” She pulled her bag out of the passenger seat.
Finn stood, wiping his hands off on a stray rag. “Did he call?” When she shook her head, he said, “That’s not like him at all.”
“I know.”
“It’s probably nothing. Just Keeper business or something like it.” He looked down for a moment, then said, “You don’t think it’s about us—the council, I mean—do you?”
Kess shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. Finn was expressing the same concerns she had. “I don’t know. We’ve got those missing hyenas and someone hunting us. But we only just found out about that. How would Mebis even know yet?”
“Keeper magic?” Finn half-smiled as he said it. Keepers were powerful, but they weren’t magical. Well, not anymore magical than a werecreature was naturally.
Kess smiled, the expression feeling strange after the tense frowning she did in the car. “I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“Do you want me to call Laila?” Finn offered in an attempt to be helpful. “I can see if she’s heard anything.”
“No, don’t bother her with this. If Mebis is on a mission, we’ll find out later. I wouldn’t want to get her in trouble if it’s not something we should know about.” She opened the door that led to the house, then stopped on the threshold. “But if you need an excuse to talk to her, by all means, use me. I would hate to get in the way of young love.”
Finn’s explicative laden response had her laughing as she entered the house.
Chapter Twelve
Lukas waited for the werejackal to awaken in its cage. He wasn’t pleased with the beast, but Zamiel had assured him tha
t this animal would be worth it. Lukas had been wary; Zamiel had done almost all of the legwork on this one, practically leading him to the man he now hunted in animal form. He’d tazed and drugged the young man in parking garage—it wasn’t how he usually liked to work, but he’d made do. The drug that forced the change was administered via hypodermic needle, something he didn’t like doing because the effects on an unconscious subject were never ideal. Still, it had gone off with a minimum of fuss.
He’d collared the beast while it was still unconscious, so that way it couldn’t change shape and ruin his hunt. It was imperative that he kill the creature while it was in jackal form; there could be no trophy otherwise. He put the night vision goggles over his eyes so he could see when the werejackal began to wake.
The animal twitched. Lukas put his finger on the button on the remote control that would open the door to the animal’s cage. Only a few more minutes and his hunt would begin.
The jackal slowly pushed itself to its feet. Lukas was somewhat disappointed by the lame front foot of this one, but all of his intel served to tell him that this werecreature was highly trained and deadly despite his injury. He watched as it examined the confines of its cage while the last of the drug wore off.
Lukas hit the button and the door at the end of the cage slid open. He saw the jackal begin to investigate the opening, tentatively sticking its nose out of the cage, then drawing it back in. Then it sat, as if contemplating its options. Which was exactly what it was doing—and it was why Lukas loved to hunt weres. They had the human capacity for reason and thought, but in an animal’s body.
He waited several more minutes for the jackal to make a move. When it didn’t, Lukas slowly picked up his rifle, careful to make as little noise as possible. It wasn’t the one he would use for his kill shot; rather, this one was a motivator. He sighted just across the jackal’s flank then gently squeezed the trigger. The suppressor dulled the noise, but the jackal’s ears still pricked up.
The bullet scored a graze across the animal’s flesh, forcing it to move, just as Lukas wanted. A hunt was no fun if the creature being hunted refused to cooperate. The jackal streaked out of the cage and took off deeper into the swamp. Lukas gave it a few minutes head start, then began to follow.
Lukas soon recognized several tactics that the animal was using to try and throw him off the trail: backtracking in its own footsteps when near water, crossing standing water wherever possible, and even using a branch held in its teeth to erase signs of its passing. Lukas smiled with each successive evasive maneuver. He was right to choose this one, despite the paw.
Night passed. He stayed close to the animal, using his gun when it looked like the jackal might break for an area that led too close to an exit. Lukas wanted to keep the jackal away from any avenue of escape. He was impressed; this was the longest hunt he’d had. They were still several hours from daylight, but Lukas was aware that time was running short. Zamiel had been right to bring him such a challenge. The was no hunting from a stand for this one.
Lukas was near a marshy bog when he lost sight of the jackal. Dead trees pierced the still waters like skeletal fingers. Lukas stopped where he was and reassessed his surroundings. A shiver ran up his spine: he was being watched. He began to backtrack to the last area where he’d had a line on the animal, when something plowed into his legs, knocking him to the ground. The rifle fell from his hand. Something was on top of him, biting at his hands and arms.
It was the jackal. How the damned thing had gotten the drop on him, he didn’t know, but he had to admit he wasn’t expecting the attack. The beast snapped its jaws around his forearm, taking a chunk out of it. Lukas reared back with his free hand and punched the animal in the side of the head. The jackal released his arm, snapping at his face instead. Then it bounded off of him and away into the night.
Lukas levered himself to his feet, checking the damage to his arm. The wound was bleeding freely, but it wasn’t bad. The only down side was the blood would make him easier to smell, both for the jackal and anything else that might be out hunting tonight.
He pulled the other rifle from his back and took off after the jackal. He caught sight of it after a few minutes. It was moving south, toward a heavily forested area of the glades. Lukas dropped to one knee, holding the rifle up to his shoulder and sighted after the fleeing animal. This gun was loaded with the bullets that Zamiel had given him.
They never missed their target.
He held his breath, keeping the barrel steady. The sound of the rifle firing split the night—he never bothered with a suppressor for this gun because it didn’t matter once he fired. There was no escaping these magic bullets. The jackal was as good as dead.
Lukas used his night vision to watch the jackal juking wildly on the marshy ground, trying to avoid the shot, the lame paw slowing it down only slightly. It was nearly to the tree line. Suddenly, it flew sideways, blood spraying into the humid air as the bullet struck. The jackal hit the ground, jerked once, twice, and then lay still.
The hunter smiled. He counted this one as a hunt well done. He took a moment to savor it, then went to collect his kill.
Chapter Thirteen
Kess dropped her bag and keys on the entryway console table, making sure to lock the door behind her. Mebis had missed another sparring session and still no word came from him. She was at a loss. He’d missed a council meeting and two sparring sessions and none of the other members of her clan had seen or heard from him in over a week.
“Hey,” Rafe said as he passed by on his way to the den. He stopped in mid-stride. “You okay?”
She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “I’m not sure. Where’s Finn?”
Rafe stared at her for a moment, as if he were taking in everything her face said that her words didn’t. “Want me to get him for you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Can you both join me in my study?”
Rafe took off to find the werewolf while Kess headed in the opposite direction. Her study was across from the library; she’d repurposed an old bedroom rather than have to work the old study--in the place where both her father and brother had spent so much time. She sat down on the edge of her desk, a simple modern thing made of steel and glass.
“No Mebis?” Finn asked before he’d even fully entered the room.
“Nope.” Kess waved Finn and Rafe toward the chairs scatted around the room. “No one has seen or heard from him.” She met Finn’s gaze. “I’m thinking it may be time to call Laila.”
“Did you try calling him?” Rafe asked.
“Yeah. His voicemail is full.”
“That’s not good.” Finn noted.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Kess softened the sarcasm with a smile.
“No need to get bitchy about it,” Finn said mildly, not bothered by the sarcasm at all.
Rafe spoke up suddenly. “Do you know what kind of car he drives?”
She shook her head. “It’s a black one.”
“That’s helpful.” Finn snorted. “Oh, wait. No it’s not.”
“Speaking of not being helpful…” Kess gave the werewolf a scathing look. She didn’t think now was the time for their verbal sparring.
“Can you two just focus for half a second?” Rafe broke in, still trying to solve the riddle of Mebis’ disappearance. He frowned at the both of them. “Kess, do you have any contacts at the police department?”
“Masud does. Why?” Masud was her clan counselor; he helped her make decisions that would directly affect her clan’s interests.
“I think it’s time you used them.”
* * * * *
“Go ahead, Masud. I’ve got you on speaker.” Kess glanced at Finn and Rafe who had arrayed themselves in chairs in front of her desk so they could hear Masud on the other end.
“I’ve got some news, although whether it’s good or not remains to be seen.” Masud’s voice sounded tinny over the speaker.
“What did your guy find out?” Rafe asked.
Kess chewed on
a thumbnail, waiting for news. She had a churning pit in her stomach, as if she had already been given bad news. There was just something inside her that warned, once again, that something wasn’t right. Between Mebis’ strange disappearance, the missing hyenas, and the signs that someone was hunting weres, Kess had prepared herself to accept the worst.
Masud continued. “The police have impounded a car matching the description you gave me. I did some digging and it is licensed under one of his aliases. It had been left abandoned in a parking garage. When he didn’t show up to pay, the garage owner had it towed.”
“You’ll have to tell me how you were able to dig up one of his aliases,” Kess said, impressed at her clan member’s ingenuity.
They could all hear the smile on Masud’s face when he spoke next. He was obviously pleased by her compliment. “They didn’t find anything in the car though.”
“No cell phone?” Finn asked.
Kess thought it was a long shot that Mebis would have been careless enough to leave his cell there, but it never hurt to ask.
“Nothing at all was found in the car.” Masud’s voice dropped. “Kess, do you want me to try to find out anything else? That’s all I’ve got so far, but I can see if I can dig up something that may have been missed.”
Kess scanned Finn and Rafe’s faces. Neither of them looked very hopeful. She frowned, nibbling on her thumbnail again as she thought things through. It looked like they were at a dead end, at least for now. She hadn’t wanted to ask this, but it seemed they had no choice. “Can you have your guy try and track his number? See if it has been active at all in the last week?”
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