by Jenna Kernan
Bess didn’t like it. There was no love lost between her and the Dream Walker. But she knew that Nick would not relent. He never did. It was one of many reasons they didn’t suit—they were both too damn stubborn, like two old donkeys.
She sighed, not liking her options. “All right, then.”
Nick brightened again, like the sun passing out from behind a cloud. “Jessie will be so happy to see you.”
Bess knew otherwise but fixed a smile on her face. “Surprised, you mean.”
“That, too.”
He led the way. Bess felt overdressed in her long-sleeved suit with the knife-slit skirt, so she added a jacket with banded peak lapels and matching cuff details as they crossed the road to the barn. She refused to give up her sequined platform ankle boots despite the uneven ground.
She let Nick draw ahead of her, giving him a moment to announce her arrival before she disrupted their domestic bliss. Nothing like an old flame to put the kibosh on new love. If it came to that, she’d leave, because she cared for Nick too much to cause him such trouble.
She heard Jessie’s voice, louder than Nick’s murmur.
“What? Here? What’s happened?”
Nick’s murmur again and then Bess stepped into the barn. Jessie exited one of the stalls, dressed in her perpetual attire of faded denim and polar fleece, now dotted with bits of hay. Her lovely long hair was pulled back severely into a ponytail, but instead of being unflattering, the style only accentuated the perfect oval of her face and made her honey-colored eyes look even larger.
Bess had been barely civil to Jessie when the Dream Walker had sheltered Nick after the grievous injuries he suffered at the hands of three humans possessed by Nagi’s ghosts. The Thunderbirds had carried him to Jessie. Nick first feared the Thunderbirds had brought him to his enemy for a quick death. But the immortals must have known that he and Jessie shared the fabled soul-mate connection.
In any case, Bess had received Nicholas’s distress call and found him here. When Jessie refused to let Bess take him, she had taunted that the Dream Walker would never keep him. Damn if the little Spirit Child hadn’t done just that, but at the cost of being banished by her kind. Bess admired Jessie’s inner strength, but she still thought she could kick the Dream Walker’s ass in a fight.
Bess was certain she would be as welcome in Jessie’s home as a falling hornet’s nest. She waited as Jessie removed her worn leather gloves and set them aside. Then she opened her arms to Bess. “Welcome back.”
Bess glanced at Nicholas for some confirmation that his girlfriend was not planning to stick a shiv in her ribs. But he only smiled and waited as Jessie embraced her, pressing her soft cheek briefly to Bess’s. This was only the second Spirit Child she had ever touched. The other was Cesar and the connection with Jessie held none of the zip of energy. In addition, she could not read Jessie’s mood through the brief contact. With Cesar, one touch and she knew exactly what he was feeling, for she felt it herself.
Bess gave Jessie an awkward pat on both shoulders and then Jessie drew back.
“Nick didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“Because he didn’t know.”
It had been nearly four months since they had faced Nagi’s ghost at the ranch outside of Bozeman, a fight they would have lost if Bess had not delivered her message bringing the Seer of Souls to their aid.
“Come inside. The temperature drops at night like a stone tossed down a well. I swear it feels more like December than April.”
She and Nicholas exchanged a look over Jessie’s head for they did not feel the cold the way humans and Niyanoka did. Bess had her feathers and he his fine wolf skin that protected them no matter their form.
Nicholas linked arms with Jessie. Bess trailed the couple, noting the way Nick needed to touch the Dream Walker, briefly as they left the barn, taking her hand to assist her through the dark. Nicholas’s night vision surpassed Bess’s and far surpassed the Dream Walker’s, but the night was not so black as to blind the woman. Still, Nicholas did not release Jessie until they entered the house. He’d never done that with her. But Cesar did.
Stop thinking about him. He’s a killer, like all Niyanoka.
Bess looked at Jessie, staring up at Nick, her aura glowing a soft, pale pink. She loved him. There was no question that these two enemies had somehow overcome their differences. But Jessie had never killed one of his pack and Nick had never fought against her people.
Did Jessie know who Nick’s father was? Bess was sure that would be a deal breaker. She determined not to say a word, for she was happy for what Nick had found.
“Have you eaten? I have some stew in the Crock-Pot and a batch of corn bread.”
Bess thought this was a joke and smiled. The Nick she knew ate in the finest restaurants in New York, L.A. and London. He was the CEO of a land reclamation foundation and ran one of the largest “green” stock funds on the S&P. He didn’t eat corn bread or anything that came out of a Crock-Pot.
But Nick gave her a look over Jessie’s head that warned her to silence. Bess’s smile faltered. Who was this guy and what had he done with Nicholas?
“Ah, that sounds…lovely.”
Nicholas flashed her a grin and Bess was mildly surprised that his approval did nothing for her.
Damn Cesar.
“Great.”
Plates clattered and silverware was slid into place. She accepted a drink of red grapefruit juice as Nick poured himself two fingers of bourbon. Thank the Great Spirit some things hadn’t changed completely.
Jessie sat beside Nick and folded her hands on the table. The emerald-cut diamond on her left hand caught the light and flashed.
“Oh,” said Bess, motioning to the ring. “Congratulations.”
Jesse admired the ring briefly and then grinned at Nick.
“Thanks. We’re very excited.”
Then Jessie proceeded to chatter about the farm, the horses, the hay, the raccoons that had been stealing the grain but had now all inexplicably disappeared. Bess looked to Nicholas, quite certain she knew what the wolf had done with those pests, but he didn’t look up from his meal. When Bess had finished her supper, Nicholas looked at Jessie, who nodded her approval.
“So, what’s up?” he asked.
Bess faced Nick and filled him in on the killings.
“Nicholas, I went to the Spirit World to speak to the mothers,” Bess continued. “There are two sets of twins that I know of, but perhaps more. I’m not certain how many more.”
“What did you find out?” Nicholas sat stiffly, with his fists bunched at each side of his bowl, bracing as if he already suspected the answer.
“Nagi is the father.”
Chapter 15
“But how?” cried Jessie.
“Not possible,” said Nicholas, his denial sounding not nearly as positive as Bess would have liked. He and Jessie exchanged looks.
“What do we do?” Jessie asked.
Nicholas’s eyes flashed, reflecting the power and strength of his wolf self. Bess would not want to face him in battle, for he was a skilled fighter, like his father had been.
“Tell me what they look like.”
She did. And then she told him about Cesar’s unwillingness to hunt and kill them when they were still vulnerable.
Jessie touched Nicholas’s arm and he stared at her. She did not speak, but Nicholas nodded and then turned to Bess.
The silent exchange sent a chill down Bess’s back. What was happening between these two?
It was Nicholas who spoke. “What kind of Niyanoka found the body?”
“His name is Cesar and—”
“Cesar? Cesar Garza?” Jessie interrupted, her face reflected alarm.
Nick’s hand brushed Jessie’s and a moment later he did a double take. Finally he shifted his ice-blue eyes back to Bess. She shivered, realizing she was witnessing the connection they had, the communication that required no words at all for perfect understanding.
“What is his gift?” h
e asked.
“He is a Soul Whisperer,” said Bess.
Jessie cringed and instantly broke eye contact. So this was the reaction of one of his own people, the response that Cesar endured at each meeting. No wonder he was alone.
The Dream Walker fell back in her chair. “I know of him. All my people know him. He’s…I’m not sure what to call him, legendary. No, that’s wrong, infamous would be more accurate.”
The uneasiness was back, causing Bess’s stomach to clench and her muscles to twitch. Was it worse than she’d imagined? “Why?”
“Because he worked with a famous Mind Walker, a clairvoyant named Robert Winter Elk. Winter Elk was the best known lawman my people ever had, and we were shocked when he chose a Soul Whisperer for a partner.”
“What’s so shocking?” asked Bess.
“They’re unclean,” said Jessie, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Bess leaned forward, palms flat on the polished oak table. “Like Skinwalkers?”
Jessie shifted in her seat. “It’s different. They speak to the dead.”
Bess lifted both her brows. “While I…oh, wait, I speak to the dead, as well.”
Jessie glanced to Nick for rescue and one look told Bess he’d side with her.
“Calm down, Bess,” said Nicholas. His words were innocent, but his tone held a definite threat.
How dare he side with a Niyanoka over his own kind? But Jessie was his mate now. Of course he would defend her to the death, if necessary.
Bess stood and Nicholas followed. Bess considered her options—leave or keep a civil tongue. She didn’t like either choice.
“Do you want to hear this or not?” he asked.
She glowered at him, her pride warring with her need to know. “I want to hear.”
He pointed at the chair she had vacated. She sat, but he did not, choosing instead to flank his little Dream Walker like a bodyguard.
Jessie glanced to Nicholas, who nodded. She drew a breath and then continued.
“At the time, my people thought Winter Elk’s choice was mad, but he insisted that only a man with such a power could be certain justice was done. After all, he told the communities, he could only read the minds of the living, but Cesar could read the minds of the dead. With him at Winter Elk’s side, no murder would go unsolved. After Garza became Winter Elk’s partner, Cesar was not accepted, but he was permitted at public gatherings, something previously unheard-of. Before that, a Soul Whisperer could not work in law enforcement. Generally there is only one born per century and it is a great misfortune to their family.”
Bess felt outraged on Cesar’s behalf and opened her mouth, glanced at Nicholas’s scowling face and closed it again.
“By tradition, a Whisperer is called to discover how a loved one died. It is their lot to bring grieving families their loved ones’ last thoughts. But some do not want a Soul Whisperer to touch their departed. Some say they bring bad luck.” She glanced to Nick. “No one in my family has ever called upon a Whisperer. Their gift is very bad, dangerous and thought to bring ghosts, so only desperate people ever call one. It is equivalent to inviting a devil into your home.”
“A devil?” said Bess.
Jessie nodded gravely. Bess did not know whether to laugh or scream. She held her body rigid and clamped her jaw, squeezing the muscles that locked her teeth together. It prevented her from verbally attacking Jessie. She had never heard such rubbish and the outrage on Cesar’s behalf burned her stomach. These Niyanoka, with their grand academies and written laws, were as superstitious as humans.
After a moment, Bess trusted herself to speak, though her voice still shook.
“So why is Cesar infamous?”
The Dream Walker rubbed a hand across her forehead and then blew out a breath before continuing.
“I’m not sure where to start. Winter Elk used his gifts to look into the thoughts of the accused. It is impossible to lie to a Mind Walker, for they know the truth. So he could tell instantly who was guilty and who was innocent. His invulnerability was the reason it was so difficult to believe what happened next. It is my opinion and that of a few others that Garza might have felt obligated to Winter Elk for raising him above his station. And they had the permission of the Council of Elders.”
Bess could not restrain the low rumble in her throat, frustrated at this babble.
“Together, they identified the killers, Winter Elk by speaking to possible suspects and Garza by touching the dead.” She shivered. “Winter Elk was lead investigator after the war. Many of the other Peacekeepers, their superiors, disapproved of his choice of partners, but he would not take another Mind Walker, defending Garza when no one else would. Only his position and the years of dedicated service enabled him to do something so unconventional. It was only afterward that the true reason for his choice came to light. Winter Elk was put in charge of pursuing the war criminals among the Skinwalkers, their leaders and the ones who committed the worst atrocities. He was very effective.”
Bess felt her face growing hot as she listened to this little Dream Walker speak of atrocities, while recalling the men who came for her father. Her stomach shriveled to a hard angry knot.
Nicholas placed a hand on Jessie’s shoulder. She turned to him, the question on her face. Then her jaw dropped open and her ears turned pink.
Nicholas’s expression was grim and he seemed to speak largely for Bess’s benefit.
“Bess lost her father after the war. He was killed by a Niyanoka.”
Jessie squirmed in her seat. “I’m so sorry.”
The silence grew deafening. At last Nicholas squeezed Jessie’s shoulder.
“Tell her the rest.”
Jessie wet her lips. When she spoke again she hurried as if racing to get it all out. “Winter Elk told Garza which Skinwalkers were guilty and which were innocent. No Skinwalkers were taken alive.”
Nicholas spoke. “It is not our way to be taken captive. We fight to the death.”
“Cesar killed them?” Bess asked.
“Winter Elk did the killing after supposedly confirming their guilt. But Cesar helped track them.” Jessie rubbed her hand over her forearm as if suddenly cold.
Jessie placed a hand over Nicholas’s, which still lay on her shoulder and the hard lines about his mouth softened. Somehow, with just a touch, she soothed him.
“They were a very successful team. Garza followed Winter Elk’s orders without question. But when Garza shot a mountain lion-Skinwalker on his partner’s orders, things changed. The lion wasn’t dead and Garza wanted to bring it in. But Winter Elk finished it. Something about the, uh, unfortunate event made Garza suspicious and he read the lion. He later testified to the Council that he had never touched a Skinwalker’s corpse before, but he was able to read it, despite, uh, despite it being of a different race.”
Bess held back a snort of disapproval.
“He reported at the trial that he knew at first contact that Winter Elk had lied. They had killed an innocent creature who had taken no part in the war.”
“Did they lock Winter Elk up or give him a medal?” asked Bess.
Jessie flushed, making Bess wonder if there was hope for her yet.
“Garza confronted Winter Elk. He testified that he tried to convince his partner to turn himself in to the Council, but Winter Elk drew his weapon and shot Garza. All the evidence confirmed the Whisperer’s story that he discharged his weapon only after Winter Elk shot him, firing in self-defense. Garza lived. Winter Elk died.”
“Garza killed his partner,” Bess said.
Jessie nodded, solemn as a priest giving last rites.
Bess tried to imagine Cesar, betrayed by his partner, bleeding and still trying to do the right thing. She recalled the scar under his collarbone, close to the sternum, the one he wouldn’t speak of. It was the bullet shot from his partner’s gun.
Cesar had been tricked by his own kind into hunting Skinwalkers. His fault was believing the word of a man he trusted.
How did he feel knowing that the only man who ever treated him as an equal had really only used him?
Bess suddenly felt numb from all she had heard.
“He shot in self-defense,” Bess muttered. “And he didn’t know about the lion because his partner lied to him.”
“Yes. He was exonerated but…”
Bess’s eyes flashed fire as she vowed retribution for what had been done to Cesar.
Nicholas bared his teeth. “You are in my home territory, Bess.”
She lifted a hand in surrender as she realized Nicholas had seen a threat and acted. Still Bess ached for someone to blame and then she found the culprit, the one who had flown to conclusions and refused to listen.
She had judged Cesar without giving him a chance to explain.
Jessie continued on, her voice low as if ashamed of what she must say next. “Garza lost his position with the law enforcement. I understand he works with humans now, solving their murders and the like. I have to tell you this, Bess, even though it’s hard. There were many in our community who did not approve of Cesar’s actions. They called him a turncoat and a traitor. They did not blame Winter Elk, in fact, many applauded him for killing Skinwalkers, regardless of their guilt or innocence. It was after the war and many thought…” She glanced at Nicholas, her eyes begging for forgiveness. “Many thought that he only did what most wished to do, kill a creature they considered to be a dangerous animal.”
“This does not surprise me,” said Bess.
Jessie’s head hung. “Well, it shames me. As does the fact that there were some who called for Garza’s banishment. He was not banished, not officially, at least.”
“But he’s an outcast?” asked Nicholas.
“Yes, worse than before.”
Bess said, “He spoke to some Council about the new Halflings.”
“His District Council?” asked Jessie.
“He mentioned me and that put an end to all discussion.”
Jessie’s eyebrows lifted.
Bess wondered about the Spirit Child that Cesar had killed. Shooting a fellow was a grave matter among Niyanoka, but Winter Elk had earned his death many times over and she hoped he walked in the Circle of Ghosts for eternity. A moment later she had an unsettling thought.
