None of her arguments dissuaded Lily. She was more than insistent that they go tonight regardless of what time it was or the lack of daylight. Jayne had to wonder if all the team leads from this mystical, in-the-shadows organization were as stubborn as Lily. One way or the other, she was determined to visit the dump sites. Jayne quickly picked up that it meant she’d go, with or without her.
In the end, Jayne caved because she felt it was more important to be with Lily and her team than to impose her own will. Why, she wasn’t really certain. It was more about a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her to stick close to the three strangers currently in her car. That damned little voice was whispering in the back of her mind again, and it was telling her these hunters might, just might, be able to add something to her investigation. Damn it anyway, she just wanted them to go away and things to get back to normal. Shut up, little voice.
“Here,” she said as she pulled off the road and put the car in Park. “This is the location where some hikers discovered the first body.” She stared through the windshield to where the trail the hikers had started out on so optimistically disappeared into the trees and the blackness beyond. In the daylight it was beautiful and peaceful. In the shadows, it was ominous. “I’ll be surprised if either one ever steps foot out here again.”
She popped the lever for the trunk and then circled around to the open trunk and grabbed the large flashlight she kept inside. When she clicked the On switch it sent a flood of light across the forest floor. Trees, underbrush, and fallen branches popped out of the shadows. The spot where the body had been spread out, battered, and shredded was covered with a light layer of snow. At first glance, she saw an early winter forest scene, clean and beautiful. In her mind’s eye, however, blood still soaked into the ground and scavengers circled the sky above.
As they moved from the car to the forest no one said a word. Her take was they were each using their particular brand of paranormal to see what they could sense. She didn’t put much stock in that until Lily stopped exactly where the body of Clinton Bearns was found. Some might call that a coincidence. She didn’t. Never believed in them and even now, when she didn’t want to give any credence to her unwanted guests’ self-proclaimed abilities, she couldn’t quite make the leap. Though she couldn’t explain how she knew, Jayne was certain it was no coincidence that Lily knew exactly where his body had been left.
Only when they stopped did she notice that Lily carried nothing with her, while Ava had a tote bag over one shoulder and Kyle carried a messenger bag across his body. She was as curious as to what Ava and Kyle carried in their bags as she was about why Lily had nothing despite being the clear leader. Surely the great Jäger hunter had some kind of tools to do her dirty work. Lily had no gun on her, no knife, no weapon of any kind beyond a cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans. So how much help was she going to be exactly?
The answer to any questions would have to wait. Lily wasn’t standing around. She strode ahead and stopped in the center of Jayne’s light as it fell on the spot where the body was discovered. She closed her eyes, pressed her lips together in a thin line, and tilted her head back. Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically as she took in deep, full breaths. Jayne wasn’t sure if it was a calming technique like those used in yoga or if she was attempting to pick up something in the night air. If it was the latter, she figured it was a bust because nothing unusual was floating around tonight, just the scent of a forest in the snow. Or at least that was her impression. Lily appeared to have a different one, because with each breath she drew, her body seemed to quiver as if something unpleasant passed through her. Jayne felt nothing but a cool breeze carrying a hint of the moisture that brought the snow.
At last, Lily tilted her head down and turned her gaze to Jayne. “The body was here.” She pointed to her feet.
Jayne nodded. She’d been correct in her initial conclusion that Lily’s stopping where she did was not a coincidence. “Yes. What was left of him.”
It still made her a little sick to the stomach recalling what she’d witnessed. Despite having been around a long time, what she’d seen that day came as a shock. It was the first time she’d ever witnessed the aftermath of a body ravaged in such a brutal manner. This killer went beyond warped, and the nightmares the scene gave her continued.
Lily turned a full circle slowly, her arms out and her eyes focused on something Jayne couldn’t see. “He wasn’t killed here.”
“No,” Jayne confirmed quietly. “He was not. Just as I told you back at the house, his body was dumped here. We’re not sure where he was actually killed.” Earlier, as they’d pored over the crime-scene photos, she’d explained what they’d learned so far, including the fact that all three victims had been killed elsewhere and dumped where they were discovered.
“He was dragged here from”—Lily turned full circle and then pointed—“from there.”
A cold chill raced up Jayne’s spine, and it had nothing to do with the wind that was picking up in intensity and flowing through the pines. How could she possibly know that? She spoke as if the forest floor had been sprayed with luminol, lighting up the trail of blood like a neon sign. “I’m going to ask you one more time, what are you?” As she did earlier, Jayne reached out and put a hand on Lily’s shoulder. The same shot of electricity traveled from her hand up across her shoulders. “What the hell are you,” she whispered.
It was both the same question and the same reaction from earlier in the day, neither of which she had received an answer to. She took hold of Lily’s shoulders and turned her so they were face-to-face. Dark eyes held hers as she waited for Lily’s response. This time she was going to get an answer.
“I’m a Jägers hunter,” Lily said calmly, her gaze steady.
Jayne nodded and didn’t look away. Two could play this game. “That still doesn’t answer my question. He,” she nodded in Kyle’s direction, “is a necromancer and she is a witch. That leaves you. What are you?”
*
With whispered words Bellona had called the change, and now she ran from the back deck on all fours. The pulse of the moon, so close to being full, pulled in her veins, and her body reacted. Oh yes, this was what she lived for. The ground was wet and soft beneath her paws. Winter was on its way, but for tonight, the ground still yielded.
Along the river the air was cool and sweet. She stopped and dipped her head to drink, loving the coldness and the unique taste of the water. It was far different from the waters of her home, and often when she ran she missed the smells, the trees, the mountains, and most of all, the people. Yes, the people.
As she sailed over the ground she thought of the one of her heart. So long ago lost to her and yet after all these years, the ache of it still filled her heart. Not even when the moon was full and she soared with the power it granted her did the pain of losing her ever ease. Year after year she searched for her, finding solace in the others who each fell short. That included the woman who waited back at the house for her. As lovely as she was, she too failed to measure up. They all did, and though she scoured the world trying to find another who could fill the void, she never found her.
Running along a ridgeline Bellona gloried in the way the wind ruffled her fur and the scents of the forest that were so comforting. For several miles she ran hard and fast. Her muscles screamed, and the exertion filled her with pleasure. The joy it gave her never got old.
Finally she stopped at the top near the edge. As she stood panting, a scent drifted to her on the wind. It made the hairs at the nape of her neck stand up, and every nerve ending in her body went on alert. Her mind told her it couldn’t be, yet her senses screamed that it was. She brought her nose up into the air and breathed in deeply again and again. The scent was sweet and somehow familiar, like something out of a dream. She whipped her head to the right and once more began to run.
As she loped along the ridge the scent grew stronger, and then she heard the voices carried up to her sensitive ears on the wind. The
sound of women’s voices floated up out of the nightfall. Crouching, she slowly crept forward until she could see them through the darkness. Or rather she could see their shadows. It appeared to be three women and one man. She was less surprised about the man than she was about the familiar scent that she now placed. One who stood below was her kind, and hers was the smell that was carried up to her on the breeze. The others she wasn’t quite certain about. They were something. She just wasn’t sure what that something was. The urge to race down to them was overpowering. Her nose twitched and her muscles tensed.
Before she acted on the wolf impulse that urged her to charge, she took several steps back. The one below who also carried the wolf inside had turned her face up toward the ridgeline. It was as if she’d sensed Bellona’s presence and her gaze had found the place where she stood watching in the darkness. She shouldn’t be surprised. Her own senses were acutely tuned to the scents and sounds of the world, and given what she was certain the one below her was, she undoubtedly possessed the same acute senses. Just as Bellona had picked up her scent, so too would she be aware of Bellona. After a moment’s hesitation, she turned and ran in the other direction. Fear, an unfamiliar emotion, sent her fleeing. It had been a long time since she’d encountered another of her kind and even longer since she’d experienced fright. Every fiber of her being screamed, Beware!
She raced back across the forest weaving in and out of trees, her tracks large and clear in the snow. Instead of going back to the house, she veered toward the river and ran into the water. Swimming downriver, she moved as fast as she could, and when she emerged, she was once again walking on two feet.
Chapter Nine
What was she? Oh, if Lily had a dime for every time she’d been asked that question she’d be rich. Not exactly accurate, considering the fact she was already rich, but it was the point. It didn’t matter where the hunt was or who she was with; they always asked the same question.
And she always avoided answering if at all possible.
“I’m a hunter.” Simple and to the point. True, as well. She was a hunter. What she told her wasn’t a lie. Rather, she simply omitted what was need-to-know only, and the fact was, Jayne didn’t need to know.
Jayne’s shoulders tensed and her eyes grew hard. She’d seen that look before too. “You know what I mean.”
Lily stood tall, or as tall as she could for a woman who barely made five foot, and met her gaze. “I do, and what I’m telling you is it’s not relevant. I’m a hunter and I’m damned good. That’s all that’s important. We’re not going to be around each other long enough to have to worry about life histories.”
As she spoke the wind picked up and brought a scent that gave her the chills. Slowly she turned to her left, where the scent was stronger. There the elevation of the hillside began to rise until above them a ridgeline loomed in the darkness. The distinctive smell of wolf hit her with sobering familiarity, yet the scent was growing weaker as the breeze flowed down and around her.
Her first urge was to strip off her clothes and call the change. She wanted to chase the scent until she found the source. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t in a position to change and go forward with the chase. The wolf was retreating, and by the time she could make the top of the ridge, it would be long gone. The pursuit would be for nothing, and so she held her ground and her human form.
Something about the scent tickled a memory far back in her mind. Somewhere along the line she’d encountered this wolf before. She was a good hunter. No, she was the best hunter, and yet there were times when every hunter failed, even the very best. She was not immune to failure. The difference between her and all others: she didn’t fail twice.
As she looked down at the light dusting of snow, it occurred to Lily that she could follow the tracks of the wolf, find out where it was going. The tracks would be clear as long as the temperature didn’t rise. Unfortunately, it was already warming up, and instead of snow, rain was predicted. The tracks would wash away in even the lightest storm. The wolf would probably be smart enough to the hide its tracks, with or without the rain. Wolves were a smart breed. Combine that with the human factor, and werewolves were one of the most challenging creatures to track and ultimately stop.
That they were smart didn’t deter Lily much. What most of them didn’t understand was that she got them: how they thought, how they moved, and most especially how they hunted. She might not be predatory, but that didn’t mean she was oblivious to the emotions that drove the preternatural creature.
“Bullshit.”
Lily moved her gaze from the ridgeline back to Jayne’s face. “No, it’s not.”
“Look, you want me to work with you, then cut the crap. I’m either in a hundred percent or I’m out, and so are you. I don’t care what the council said when they brought you in. I’ll shut you down in a New York minute.”
“It won’t happen like that.” Her group was old, as in many, many centuries old, and they had influence that went far beyond what could be seen or heard. It went deep, and she knew that once they were here, Jayne could pull every string she had and still wouldn’t succeed in running them out before the job was done. It was easier and quieter if they worked together, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t worked around a reluctant sheriff before. Not one quite this attractive, though, and despite the back-and-forth they kept having, she would really prefer to work with her.
Jayne stood with her feet slightly apart and one hand on her gun. “I don’t care who you’ve worked with before or what kind of political pull you have, I’m telling you I can make this really difficult for you, and I won’t hesitate to do it if you continue to stonewall me. We either play nice together or you can consider it a declaration of war.”
This was one of those moments when she had to make a call. Did she push back or bring Jayne into the inner circle? She let her gaze drift to Kyle and Ava. They were both watching her closely and waiting in silence for her lead. They wouldn’t volunteer her personal information; that was just the way it worked, and for good reason. It was one thing to control magic as Ava and Kyle both could do, but it was another matter altogether to be one of the very creatures they hunted. Exposing herself could be dangerous if not outright deadly. She hadn’t existed this long by being stupid.
Sometimes, however, a person just had to take a leap, and this was one of those times. It wasn’t a big leap because she had a good feeling about Jayne Quarles. She’d been wrong before and had paid a heavy price for that miscalculation. Deep in her heart, she felt this was not going to be a repeat of those errors in judgment. This woman could be trusted. So, she took a breath, rolled her head from side to side, and then said calmly, “I’m a werewolf.”
*
Kyle could have been knocked over by a feather. He’d heard lots of stories about Lily going into a hunt like a ninja. In—prey captured and destroyed—out. Easy peasy, as the saying went. As the legends went, she was a shadow who rarely revealed herself to the outside world. Her backstory was a mystery, and he wasn’t sure anyone knew the truth of it. If she had shared it, only a handful of people were privy to it, and they weren’t talking. The one thing he did know about her was that she kept her true nature very quiet. The other hunters of the Jägers were aware of what she was, and they also knew not to talk about it. The secret was easy to keep because she garnered so much respect even from those, like him, who had never even met her. She’d done much for the world and kept it safe without anyone ever even realizing what she’d accomplished. That she never asked for anything in return made her even more special.
That she so boldly revealed herself to this wholly human sheriff now shocked him. From the look on Ava’s face he wasn’t the only one feeling intense surprise at the revelation. He’d jumped at the chance to work with both Ava and Lily, believing it would be a tremendous experience both to learn from Lily and to be side by side with Ava. When he’d gotten in his car back at his home in California, he’d been clueless about how interesting this hunt was g
oing to turn out to be. Considering they were just getting started, this could be one roller-coaster ride.
He kept his eyes on the sheriff’s face, watching to see what her reaction would be to Lily’s quiet announcement. Again, he was as shocked at her as he was at Lily’s confession. Jayne barely reacted at all. In fact, she simply nodded and said, “Good. Then if, as you say, this monster is a werewolf, you’ll be perfectly equipped to deal with him.”
Lily raised an eyebrow. “Indeed.”
Jesus, were they at some tea party? Judging by the stiff formality of the conversation between the two women, it was as if running into a werewolf hunter was just an interesting afternoon sidebar. It was pretty damned amazing, if you asked him. In fact everything that had happened to him since the Jägers came knocking on his door had been pretty fucking amazing. He was born for this order, and even after four years, it still made him pause in awe and wonder at the things he saw and heard. Jayne Quarles acted as though it was no big deal. As his brother would say, it was a big fucking deal.
“So,” Kyle ventured, not feeling all that brave but wanting to defuse whatever the hell it was going on between the two women. “What do you think, Lily? Should Ava and I give it a go?” It might not be the thing to say because he wasn’t totally sure Lily knew about his special brand of necromancy. He was unique even among the practitioners of his particular art.
The words sort of hung there for a few while Lily and Jayne continued to stare at each other. It wasn’t out-and-out hostility. He didn’t know what to call it. He just sensed that whatever it was, it needed to be redirected before something went kaboom.
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