Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  “The water won’t let them,” Kira repeated. “As long as Sasha, Katerina and I don’t want them to cross, they won’t be able to. The water will stop them.”

  “But what about the air?” Katerina asked. “You said air mages can fly.”

  “They can control currents and that allows them to fly, yes. But that’s why we need everyone possible armed with firearms.” Evan placed a hand on her shoulder. He’d rejected her involvement originally but he’d been outvoted by her family. She was an adult. She had transformed and hunted. Until she was thirty, social taboos would not let her participate in any type of mating activities but, in the eyes of the Wolves, she was an adult. Her contributions were similar to the non-breeding members of a wolf pack. She would hunt and help tend to the children but until she was older, she would not be permitted to mate.

  Gregoravitch nodded. Sweeping his hand over the map, he identified positions. “We defend from the buildings in the center of the clearing. We’ll have weapons in the hands of every curse wolf here and some of the blood Wolves from inside the gate have come to join us as well. They will have a great deal of firepower at their disposal. We should number thirty-five or more and from what Evan was told, they should number around fifteen. But let’s not get too confident, they are gadje.”

  He rattled off the names and models of the weapons but they meant nothing to Evan. He didn’t care how powerful they were. What mattered to him was that there were a lot of individual weapons and that they could fire rapidly. When the planning had begun, the Wolves weren’t sure how much help the curse wolves could be in the battle except as targets. When Evan explained he needed a way to keep the air mages busy, Alexi and his father had shown Evan the arsenal. Some of the people would be firing multiple weapons. Like the old western films, some of the curse wolves would literally have a gun for each hand.

  “The more airborne projectiles coming at them, the better. A mage can still be killed by a bullet. We have no special protection and I doubt they’ll bring a healer with them. The standard strategy is to either use your fire mages to block the firing of the weapons by not allowing the guns to fire or using your air mages to block the flight path of the projectiles. The more incoming the better,” Evan explained. “Now most would use a mixture but Carsten won’t…”

  “How do you know what he’ll do?” Zev’s voice turned Evan’s head to the green-eyed Wolf.

  “I know,” Evan said grimly. “We had the same master for many years. I know a bit of how he thinks. Besides,” Evan turned back to the group. “Carsten is an earth mage.”

  “Like you,” Katerina chimed in.

  “Yes,” he agreed, hating any comparison between the man and himself. “Like me. As an earth mage he isn’t comfortable with air magic. He understands and can facilitate fire and water magic much more easily. That and since he has Julien, he’d be a fool to waste him on something as simple as controlling the guns.”

  “So those of us who are just your everyday curse wolves and not big bad mages will just sit around shooting our little guns while the rest of you do the important work.” The bitterness was apparent in the voice of William’s friend Kelan.

  Kira blinked in surprise at the sharp tone. Kelan was generally a pleasant if standoffish young man. He and William had been friends for some time. He’d never displayed such an attitude toward any of the blood Wolves and he’d treated the other curse wolves with respect and courtesy. But his antagonism toward Evan had been nearly tangible since they began preparations. Evan had even asked her if Kelan was jealous but as she’d explained to her mate, she’d met the young man only once before and he showed no signs of interest in her. She had left out that she had a feeling Kelan was interested in someone present. And if she was right it would mean trouble, trouble if his feelings were not returned and trouble if they were.

  “No,” Evan replied with a trace of irritation escaping into his voice. “We are counting on you to keep the air mages so busy trying to control the firepower that they don’t have time to think.”

  Kelan didn’t respond. He pushed away from the table and called to the men who would join him. Carrying the guns and ammunition, they headed toward the buildings closest to the river. Evan watched them go. He’d be joining them soon, the central location being the best to watch the incoming mages and the buildings providing him with cover.

  “Kelan’s right,” William sighed. “Let’s get into position. It’s going to be a cold night.”

  “Remember,” Gregoravitch spoke to everyone present. “Rest in shifts. William, make sure Katerina is resting. I will watch out for Sasha. She’s not as young as the rest of us.” He winked at his sister.

  Circle of Wolves

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Worlds Collide

  Midnight had long passed and the waning moon was sliding lower, sinking into the tree line that hid the horizon. Evan slipped from the small house that held William, Katerina, Alexi and two armed curse wolves. Three more groups were scattered along the buildings near the southern bridge. Evan moved silently through the shadows toward the central building, a communal market where the villagers traded goods and bartered services. The thirty or so curse wolves and their families had developed their own system of trade that rarely involved the actual exchange of currency.

  Along the sides, the stall doors had been pulled closed. The eleven curse wolves, including Kelan, were crouched at the rear windows of the deepest stalls. Most of them were not Elena’s people. Most of them were werewolves who had no family or whose mate was purely human. If they died, only they died. Elena’s people were concentrated farther back in the compound with the unmarried men and women closer to the front.

  From this building the view of the river was unobstructed. Evan moved into the stall left of center and joined Kelan and Elisabeth. There was an angry silence radiating from the man like rays from the sun, so powerful his anger was almost a glow lighting his tense features. Elisabeth, looking everywhere but at Kelan, almost seemed relieved when she noticed Evan creep into the stall. Whatever was happening between the two, the timing sucked and Evan really didn’t need to know the particulars.

  He knelt next to Elisabeth and raised an eyebrow in silent query. She gave him a tense smile and shook her head. Subvocalizing each word so that only those like them, those who felt the blessing or the curse of the wolf, could hear he asked Kelan, “Still good from here?”

  Kelan gave a curt nod and did not take his gaze off the river bank before him. Evan laid a quick hand on Elisabeth’s shoulder in reassurance and moved to the next stall to the right. Kira knelt beside Sonya, both holding large automatic weapons. The names still held no meaning for Evan beyond the fact that they claimed they fired more rapidly than he thought was actually possible but the women had requested these specific guns. “There is virtually no recoil on these and they are as dummy-proof as a weapon can be,” Kira had explained. “Even someone who didn’t understand much about guns could use one effectively. So if we’re hit, anyone here can pick them up and use them.” She glanced pointedly at Evan. The weapons had a laser sighting system that helped with targeting but the first thing Kira had done was shut this feature off. “The little red dot that shows up on your target is a dead giveaway. I’m assuming controlling the bullets would be easier if they know what we’re shooting at.”

  Evan paused a moment to look at his mate. She was beautiful in the moonlight, even kneeling on the floor of an abandoned building. The shift she wore created an almost humorous image. All the she-Wolves wore them. They were battle gear for the female blood Wolf. Easy to slip off if they needed to transform. The male Wolves wore what looked like flight suits, one piece zip-up numbers they could shed quickly and all were barefoot. There was no need for such clothing for him, Kelan or the other curse wolves. They would not be transforming at any point of the night. Instead Evan wore an odd sort of uniform that had been issued to as many curse wolves as the Gregoravitches could outfit. The chest, abs, back and thighs had pla
tes of a lightweight metal stitched into a layer of padding. “Better than any bulletproof material on the open market,” Alexi assured him. “Developed by our own research and development people.”

  “Why not market it?” Evan had asked. “You could save a lot of lives.”

  “Yes,” Alexi agreed, “but it would end up costing a good number of Were lives if the hunters got a hold of it.”

  “How so? Wouldn’t it just protect them as well? Makes sense that the fighting decreases when you both know you take the other out.”

  Alexi laughed. “And I suppose you believe Communism fell because of mutually assured annihilation? It fell because its infrastructure collapsed. Me, I’ll take weapons superiority over mutual assurances of anything, thank you. But more importantly I’m personally glad they don’t have this armor. What would you use to keep your air mages busy then?”

  Shaking off the thoughts, Evan crept toward the window. He nodded to the curse wolf who sat against one wall of the stall, his head tipped back as if he rested but his eyes were sharp and alert. He’d met him at the gathering to raise the Arnot’s house earlier in the week. Evan stared out at the dark and empty clearing across the river before kneeling down beside Kira. She smiled tightly at him.

  Something deep in his gut told him exactly when Carsten would strike. The man was practically egomaniacal and every move was calculated for effect. He’d want this dramatic, he’d want to leave the Wolves with an overwhelming impression of his power. When he withdrew from this engagement it would be because he had advanced to a specific predetermined goal. Though he’d do damage, it was the fireworks display that would be the most impressive. Evan knew the man’s attitudes toward the Weres and other dark creatures. He saw them as primitive life forms, life forms that were to be controlled and manipulated to his means. He’d once actually suggested they would do well to enslave the sanvi and the psyvi to use as weapons against the Weres. Vampires and incubi. Evan cringed inwardly. You could not control monsters and to suggest using them against other sentient creatures was an abomination. But then Carsten had once used that word for Evan himself. He’d only kept Evan’s secret all this time out of fear of Ryder. Another reason for Evan to oppose the dark mage.

  There wasn’t much time left, the upper curve of the moon shone in a half circle between the branches, the lower half having dipped behind the heavy woods. When it disappeared, an hour at most, then Carsten would attack. There would be no stealth, the entire area would know the man had arrived. Evan sat with his back to the wall and watched the women watch. In the corner of the room was a large metal trough that glowed faintly. Inside rested one of the undines that Aegia had brought back with her. Mizu was not a familiar spirit but he had chosen to come and to serve the fight. Aegia said he owed her a favor and this was his repayment. It must be a serious debt. The water sprite who was currently paired with Sasha was a bit more personable. She too had once served Cassie. Nitu had examined both Kira and Sasha and chosen to work with the older woman.

  Kira felt Evan’s tension rising as the moon set. She’d noticed the correlation and didn’t need to be told her mate saw it as an hourglass whose sand was steadily running out. She watched the river. She’d been impressed by the undine who had agreed to partner with her for the evening but the feel of its touch on her skin was wrong. Evan had explained this was because they weren’t compatible. If she worked with a water spirit who was compatible, it wouldn’t feel this way.

  “Rest,” Evan whispered to his mate. She nodded. She’d napped that afternoon but the more rested she was, the more she’d be able to pour into the magic. Kira turned from the window and laid the gun across her lap. She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the wall.

  * * * * *

  Evan’s curse woke her. In an instant she was alert and ready. She could hear it too. All the wolves, blood or curse, would hear it by now. Evan had been right. This was not meant to be a surprise attack. They were meant to know that the mages were coming. Evan’s tension was rushing back at her down the link along with the fear that was beginning in his gut. The fear shocked her. He’d felt nervous and edgy all day but the absolute beginnings of fear surprised her from her brave and strong mate. But when she looked deeper, Kira saw the reason for his fear. Hers. She was afraid. It was a new experience. Even when she’d rescued Elena and the others she’d not known fear. Her blood had surged at the challenge. But then her battle had been against men. Now it was against the gadje.

  “It’s all right,” Evan whispered softly to her. “Call Mizu. We’re going to need him.”

  Kira edged over to the trough and touched the water inside. The young man’s form rose up quickly. “I know, they are either very bad at stealth or they want the entire countryside to hear them approaching.”

  “Both,” said a soft child’s voice behind Kira. She turned quickly and saw Keita. The soft rustling of little feet moved Kira’s eyes to the shadows and she saw a small boy standing there. “This is Damek,” Keita said politely and then pointed to Evan. He was standing now, just to the side of the window with his hand on the shoulder of an older boy. “This is Adem.” The older boy scowled at her but nodded.

  “Just tell me none of the lizard people are coming,” Kira sighed.

  Mizu let out an angry hiss. “Oh, they are coming.” His voice sounded a bit muffled. “But we will douse their sparking little tails.” Kira noticed Adem nod in agreement.

  “And we will chain those flittery air mages too.” Keita’s voice sounded angry, as if she truly hated the air mages.

  But it was Adem who held Kira’s attention as he turned to Evan. “I don’t like this. To help them goes against everything we are and every oath you’ve ever sworn.”

  “Adem, now is not the time to have this argument.” Evan’s voice was firm. “If you feel so strongly I’ll speak the spell that will release you. You don’t have to be part of this.” The mud brown face looked shocked and horrified. “I don’t want to,” Evan looked down at him, his voice softer. “It would hurt me deeply to lose you but I won’t bind you if you feel that strongly about this. I respect you and care for you. I have no wish to coerce or harm you.”

  Adem seemed to think about this carefully. Keita watched the two with wide eyes. Damek crossed the room to stand beside her and Kira. Kira felt his little hand slip into hers and she looked down at him in surprise. The large green eyes looked back up at her, upset and shining brightly with moisture. Adem stood taller and spoke first to Evan and then to Kira. “I have no wish to leave you, master. My place is at your side. But the mistress should know that Damek only turns on the tears when he seeks to gain something. He’s learned it works wonders with females of most species.” Kira raised an eyebrow and looked down at Damek. He wore a cheerful smile now and simply shrugged in response to Adem’s words.

  Sonya had backed away from them all and was crossing herself in the corner. Evan’s next words were for her. “Sonya, don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you.”

  Damek let go of Kira’s hand and stepped toward the frightened Wolf. “Hello. My name is Damek. Are you Sonya?” The woman stared at the child before her and nodded. “Then I want to thank you for taking care of my master. He has only warm and happy feelings for you. Like I have for Keita. Like you were a big sister.” Sonya simply nodded. It was Kira who spoke for her.

  “My family cares for Evan. He is part of that family now. And you are part of my family now too, for as long as you wish to be.” Kira turned her gaze to Sonya. “It is a new world for all of us, Sister Wolf. It seems we must learn to accept some of those we have been taught to fear, just as they must accept us.”

  Sonya looked to Kira and then to Evan. “They are with you as the water spirit will be with Katerina?”

  “Yes,” Evan said softly. “Only Aegia chooses to be bound to Katerina. I bound these to me many years ago. They will not harm you or any other member of my family.”

  “Look, this is all very touching and sweet in a sick, twisted sort
of way,” Mizu interrupted. “But has anyone else noticed that the helicopters are getting closer?”

  “Yes,” Evan was almost grateful for the creature’s interference. “We do need to stay focused.” Evan turned to speak to the curse wolf who had been sitting against the wall, only to find him gone and Elisabeth standing in the doorway with large, interested eyes.

  “We need to send a runner to the others. Make sure Katerina and Sasha are ready. The first thing they’ll try to do is get fire inside our lines.” Evan saw the young Wolf pull her eyes away from the creatures and nod. Turning away she disappeared from sight. Evan heard her give the command and from his vantage point saw the shadows of two wolves running in opposite directions toward the locations of the other two water witches.

  “Kira, I need you over here near the windows where you can see. Anything that looks like fire, no matter where you think it will land, douse it.” He didn’t like this. It made her vulnerable. He repeated the same prayer to the guardians over and over. Don’t let him bring hunters. Don’t let him bring hunters. Hunters would come with guns. Guns that fired silver or silver nitrate bullets. Bullets that could easily kill anyone on this side of the river. They would act the same as any bullet on the non-wolf family members here and on the wolves, curse or blood, the silver bullets would act as poison laced projectiles. And the silver nitrate bullets, those erupted inside the body and caused a death Evan didn’t even want to think about. A part of him clung morosely to the fact that if he ended up getting Kira killed, he wouldn’t outlive her but by seconds.

  He saw the lights from the two choppers as they flew into view. They were low to the ground and moving quickly. As soon as they moved into range of weapons, the lights went out. Evan smiled and felt a glimmer of hope. Carsten always tended to underestimate him. He thought human form meant human senses. There wasn’t a wolf here who couldn’t see the planes or track them by sound alone. “Watch them,” he urged Kira. He’d given the order already. The moment the Wolves had a target they were to open fire. But no rockets. He’d been stunned to find that the Gregoravitch arsenal included grenade and rocket launchers. He’d been firm about those after he’d seen them in a demonstration. “They cause a flare of fire when they are shot. One spark catching on the ground and we’ve put out the welcome mat for the fire mages.” Not to mention Carsten would have air mages in those helicopters so no missile or grenade would ever touch them and with a single projectile of that size the air mages would have an easy time of turning it around on them. Again, fire and the open for business sign would be out. Bullets were different. Bullets were small and numerous. So many could be blocked but not individually controlled.