by Lexi Blake
He reached for my hand. “Let’s go further out. I want to map where this thing ends and the real world begins again. Now tell me we’re still looking for a wolf and not some crazed Hell plane resident Sloane unleashed.”
“Why would I unleash something?”
Trent practically jumped out of his skin. The man was not used to being startled. “Damn it. How am I supposed to protect us if I can’t use my nose? Is there something tamping down noise, too?”
Gray frowned Trent’s way. “Maybe I move quietly for a demon. Now why would I unleash something?”
“Racha was saying the moss folk think there’s something worse than the rabid wolf out here,” I explained.
“Moss folk?” Gray asked. “Tell me that’s a family name and not that there are weird Fae creatures out here who look like moss.”
For a half-demon, Gray got a little freaked out by some of the more odd Fae creatures. “Yeah, I think that’s pretty much what she meant.”
Gray’s hands went to his hips and he glared around the forest floor. “I am not responsible for stepping on things that are camouflaged. I’m warning you if a tree opens its eyes and looks at me, I’m probably going to shoot it. So why would…” His eyes closed briefly. “My father, of course. I’ve got a call into the coven, but apparently they’re not happy my father didn’t come himself. I doubt they’re going to be honest with me.”
“I’ll have Liv start working on a spell to see if we can uncover any supernatural activity.” I started to walk toward the sound of the river. We did need to figure out how far this spell of Eddie’s went.
“You’re getting nothing?” Gray asked Trent.
Trent took a deep breath. “I can’t even smell you. It’s like you’re not here. I can see you and hear you, but I can’t hear what’s going on in that tent. I know what I should hear. I should be able to hear Lee playing video games with Casey. Meredith was in her lab working on something incredibly stinky. Should be able to smell that from a mile away. I should be able to hear Liv’s teeth grinding.”
Gray chuckled at that. “You might not be able to hear it, but you know it’s happening.”
“I thought she was all into Casey,” Trent admitted, following behind us. “Kelsey doesn’t gossip enough. I’ve been out of the loop. Of all the things I thought I would miss, gossip wasn’t one of them. I didn’t realize how much other people fucking shit up entertains me. Is Casey doing Meredith? I always thought she wouldn’t touch another vampire.”
“What’s her story?” I was sure there was a file on the companion somewhere in my office, but I wasn’t a big reader. “When the queen introduced me to her, I felt some serious guilt coming off her.”
“No matter how long she wears that crown, she never learns how to hide her feelings,” Trent said with a sigh. “Thank god. There it is.”
He was breathing deeply, letting the scents and smells of the forest wash over him.
I kept walking because it was obvious my wolf needed a little space. Despite the fact that our tiny tent turned out to be a pocket universe mansion, he needed to be outside. He needed real nature and not some spell. “It looks like the spell doesn’t go out to the river. I think it stops at this tree line. Why would Zoey feel guilty about Meredith?”
“I can’t imagine why,” Gray said. “From what I understand, Meredith and all the companions owe their freedom to the queen. I doubt Donovan would have been willing to cause that bit of chaos without his wife’s influence. When he freed the companions, he caught hell from his vampire allies. Luckily, most of the time vampires treat companions well.”
“There were a few acrimonious divorces,” Trent allowed. “And a couple of companions demanded protected status, so no vampire could come within a hundred feet. Sarah Day is responsible for some hefty wards on those companions. I’ve heard ignoring the warning bells ends in the vamp getting the magical equivalent of being tased, and hard.”
“So why would Zoey act weird around Meredith?” I was curious. The queen was open about most things. “The Council paid for her education. She doesn’t have to worry about being kidnapped. She seems pretty happy, if a little uptight, and not very aware that Liv is super annoyed with her.”
I was with Trent. There was something soothing about being outside. The night was distinctly chilly, but I didn’t mind. The moon wasn’t quite full, but it shone in the sky, illuminating the forest where it could get through the thick trees.
Gray’s hand found mine as we continued our walk.
Trent moved in front of us, scenting his way along the trail we found. “The way Dan tells it, Zoey was there when Meredith was sold off to the highest bidder. She couldn’t do anything about it at the time, but she still feels like she should have saved Meredith.”
Yikes. Yeah, I could see where the queen felt bad about that. I’d never witnessed an auction, but I couldn’t imagine it was good for the companion. “I don’t think Meredith was one of those companions who fell in love with her vamp.”
Most did. It was precisely why my bestie was worried about falling for Casey. Vampires and companions fit together. They were natural opposites and they complemented each other. A vampire on companion blood is stronger, smarter, faster than one without a wife. The companion’s blood enriches the vamp, but it also addicts them. The vamp who gets his fangs in a companion will do just about anything to keep her.
Except academics. Once again, they prove to be the weirdoes of the supernatural world. Where a warrior vamp might keep his companion under lock and key for fear of losing her or out of jealousy, the academics often find their lives being run by their companions. Rather like a normal relationship. And academics could form tight bonds with non-companions. I thought Liv wasn’t giving Casey much of a chance, but who was I to give her relationship advice?
“No, Meredith was not in love with her master,” Trent affirmed. “I believe he was quite jealous when it came to her. He was on the Council at the end. I think he took Marcus’s seat in those last days. She wasn’t allowed to speak with anyone not in her household, so I didn’t know her the way I did some of the others. She always seemed sad to me. When she had the chance to go back to her old life, she stayed on with protected status for a time. I have no idea why she didn’t take the king up on his offer to go home, but she seems happy enough now. She had Sarah take the wards on her off recently and a lot of us think she’s ready to have a relationship with another vampire.”
“She and Casey seem close,” Gray said as we stopped at the edge of the river. “Maybe she feels the pull now. A vampire always wants a companion. Trent, do you hear anything? It’s the forest at night. Where are the sounds? We’re out of the zone, right?”
Trent’s head tilted. “There are bats in those caves. They should be active at night.”
“It’s not very late.” I looked up at the spot Trent had pointed to. There seemed to be a group of caves to the north of us where the mountains began to climb up. “But you’re right. It’s awfully quiet for the woods. We’re on national forest land, right? Shouldn’t there be more campers? It’s spring break time in the human world, but I don’t sense any humans out here.”
“No, but we’re pretty far out and I can’t imagine Lupus Solum doesn’t have this place warded against campers.” Trent was still looking up the hill as though he could see into the caves.
“I thought the group didn’t like to work with outsiders.” Gray brought my hand to his lips and then let it go. He moved beside Trent. “Why would they work with witches?”
“Oh, they’ll work with lots of people when they need to,” Trent explained. “They have designated family members who are allowed outside the compounds. Mostly men. The Lupus Solum packs consist of the alpha, the strongest of the men, the elder, typically the former alpha in his remaining good years, and the high priestess, who handles the breeding program. There would be a few beyond that who would be trusted enough to deal with the outside world. They would be the ones who go into town, deal with law enfo
rcement, and make arrangements with other supernatural creatures. Make no mistake—the family will use any means to survive and bring about the wolf king. But the good news is they won’t bother us as long as we don’t try to intrude on their territory.”
Trent turned, frowning as he looked off to his right.
“Don’t they consider the forest their territory?” Gray asked.
I heard him, but I was watching Trent. He’d gone on alert. It made me open my senses, too.
“Hence the wards,” Trent replied absently. “Hopefully we won’t be here long enough to be forced to deal with them. If they show up and want to know why we’re here, I’ll let you and the Nex Apparatus handle that meeting. They don’t like to deal with the outer world, but they understand titles. They will definitely work with a prophet. Roll those eyes back in your head and spout something poetic and you’ll have them eating from the palm of your hand. Something’s coming.”
Gray took my hand. I stared at him and he dropped it. “Sorry. I haven’t been with you in the field very often. My instinct is to protect you.”
“We’re about to be surrounded,” Trent said. “Watch my back.”
“Who’s coming?” Gray’s gun made an appearance.
“Not who. What.” Trent pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it my way. “Hold that for me, will you, baby? These are natural wolves and I need to show them who’s boss. Damn it. I should have brought more jeans.”
It wasn’t only his jeans that exploded. His boxers did, too, but it was his boots that could do real damage. Hollywood doesn’t tell you about that, do they? Yeah, well, when a fully dressed man turns into a big old alpha wolf, you better move fast because his boots don’t just lie nicely on the ground. They get kicked up and hit your demon boy in the head because he doesn’t know to duck.
“Oww,” Gray said as he touched his forehead.
I didn’t giggle. Much. I did grab Gladys from the sheath that ran along my spine. I don’t tend to go anywhere without her when I’m working.
I was about to joke with Gray about the potential of getting Trent’s undies in his face the next time when I realized how serious shit got fast. Yellow eyes gleamed from the darkness of the forest. First one pair, and then another and another, and Trent was right. We were surrounded by wolves. They came out of the forest from every side, some of them crossing the river to form their predatory circle around us.
“That’s a lot of wolves,” Gray said under his breath.
Trent in wolf form was a sight to see. He was a large gray-furred wolf with a nice-looking set of choppers on him. He growled, the sound low and menacing as he prowled around Gray and I.
Gray put his back to mine as the wolves moved in closer.
“Packs aren’t normally this big,” I said. A calm rushed over me as I felt my she-wolf handling the situation. She knew we could do this. They were natural wolves. They wouldn’t heal like our wolf or our demon. But it could get bloody. “I count at least twenty. That’s an insanely large pack.”
Unlike the supernatural wolves, normal wolves keep it tight. The werewolf can head down to the local Piggly Wiggly and pick up something for dinner, but the natural wolf has to fill his belly the hard way, hence smaller packs.
“Kelsey, I think there’s more.” Gray’s voice was tight. “They keep coming.”
He was right. They poured from the woods, surrounding us. They formed a circle, prowling and twitching like they were simply waiting for the command to attack.
When I figured we had a hundred wolves around us, I started to feel the adrenaline pumping through my system.
Where the hell were they coming from?
That was when I saw it. There was something behind all those prowling wolves, something massive.
“Gray, I think I found the wolf we’re looking for.”
Trent seemed to have found him, too. He’d stopped, placing himself in front of me as the monstrous wolf prowled toward us.
This was not a natural wolf. There were a few clues. The wolf in front of me was huge. Trent is one of the largest wolves I’ve ever seen, and this sucker was twice his size. The claws he sported looked way sharper and longer than the others. And his eyes glowed a mesmerizing blue. Like I could get lost in those eyes.
Intelligent eyes.
The wolves around us growled and prowled, but they weren’t making any kind of move toward us.
“Something’s off.” I reached down and put a hand on Trent’s back to let him know I was going to move.
“Fuck yeah, something’s off,” Gray said. “We’re about to get taken apart by wolves. What the hell is that?”
He’d turned around, shocked at the massive wolf staring at us from outside the circle.
We all turned to look at the newcomer. Our back was suddenly unguarded, but not a single wolf made a move.
“You’re controlling them, aren’t you?” I addressed the wolf, lowering Gladys to my side because something was off here. Why weren’t they attacking? If this was a rabid wolf, why wasn’t he getting all bloody and killing everything in sight?
“I’m not controlling shit, Kelsey,” Gray replied. “Trent, growl or something.”
I looked back at my lover. “I was talking to the wolf, and I don’t think Trent growling is going to scare them off. I think that big one there is the one we need to deal with. If we can talk our way out of this, let’s do it.”
The sea of wolves parted and the big guy stalked through. But it was weird. It was a tentative approach, as though he wasn’t sure what to do. He sat back on his haunches and looked at the three of us.
Trent growled.
I would have sworn that wolf looked hurt, maybe even a little scared. His big eyes widened, and the wolves crowded around him.
I glared down at Trent. “That was not helpful.” I turned to Gray and offered him Gladys. “Can you hold this for me?”
He stared at me like I’d grown a couple of new heads, and they were all insane clown heads. “Only if I want you unarmed and probably murdered by wolves.”
Trent barked his agreement. Yeah, I speak wolf.
I just don’t always listen to them. I sheathed Gladys because I got the feeling this standoff wasn’t going to be won by the sword.
“Kelsey?” Gray’s tone told me he was not on board with my plans.
“Don’t listen to him,” I said to the wolf with the soft eyes. I had to remember that he wasn’t always a wolf. He had a human form, too. It was the infection that was causing him to kill. Maybe if I reminded him of who he was, I could get through to him. “It’s okay, Chris. We know you’re in there.”
He cocked his head, giving me a curious look.
“It’s okay.” I took a step toward him.
Gray cursed behind me, but the wolves parted.
“That’s better,” I said. “You’ve been out here a long time.” Maybe we didn’t have the whole story here. I’d known wolves who stayed in wolf form when they were emotional or afraid. It was easier to ignore the problems. “Something bad happened to you, didn’t it?”
Trent changed, something that should have sent every wolf in the area on high alert, but they didn’t seem to notice there was a new human, and he was “nekkid,” as my people would say. “Kelsey, something’s wrong with it.”
“Him.” I didn’t take my eyes off the wolf. “You’re not rabid, are you?”
He gave me that look again, the one that said he wasn’t sure what was going on. What if he was traumatized by something terrible? What if he hadn’t known what he’d done? I wasn’t going to try to assassinate him here.
Except Trent’s freedom depended on it.
“Kelsey, I still can’t smell him,” Trent said.
That was weird, but the wolf was standing up, walking hesitantly my way.
“Kelsey.” Gray managed to make my name a warning that he was going to do something if I didn’t.
“Give me a second,” I said. “He’s not crazy. He’s not threatening me.”
The wolf’s head looked like it would almost reach my shoulders when he was sitting back. He was a magnificent beast and I couldn’t help but put my hand out. I didn’t sense anything but curiosity in the wolf.
There was something oddly magical about standing in front of the wolf in the moonlight. He looked up at me and there was none of the posturing and demands for submission I would get from a normal alpha. He was staring at me as though fascinated. When I reached out to touch him, his head came up like he couldn’t wait for the contact.
“You’re just a sweetheart, aren’t you?” I leaned over so I could get both hands on him. I rubbed behind his ears and the wolf practically purred.
“Do you have to pet him?” Trent asked.
“Kelsey, I need you to move,” Gray said.
That was when I saw the red dot right between the wolf’s eyes.
Trent tackled me as a shot pinged through the air and the world turned to chaos.
Chapter Seven
I hit the dirt and there was a mighty howl. It shook the freaking ground and made me a little nauseous.
“Stay down,” Trent yelled, his body over mine, which was normally a super-sexy occurrence, but right then it was mostly obnoxious because I couldn’t see anything. “Gray’s looking for the shooter.”
“Did he hit the wolf?” I’d heard the shot, but Trent had moved fast so I didn’t know if the wolf was injured.
“I don’t think so.”
The wolves were retreating, running away from where the shot had come from, and they did not mind running over the two of us. They didn’t shift their paths to avoid the bipedal, let me tell you. Trent groaned as he took the brunt of all those fleeing claws.
And honestly my clothes would have stood up way better than his bare skin, but I wasn’t going to point that out. I’d get called a nag.
“I think we’re good.” I stayed calm under him because he needs to protect me. It’s an instinct he can’t ignore. Trent’s really good at trusting me. He’ll let me do some crazy shit and pat my butt as I go off to do it, but when the bullets start flying, he can’t help himself. “We should try to figure out who the hunter was.”
