by Laura Hysell
Jared wiggled his eyebrows at me and pointed at Vanessa, holding up three fingers. Then he mimed stalking up behind her and jumping out at her. I rolled my eyes, but I was content to play along. Vanessa was frequently jumping out at me and trying to sneak up on me during our training sessions. It would be entertaining to get a little payback. I nodded in agreement.
We slowly stood and moved into position. I watched Jared, waiting for his signal. Vanessa moaned, and both our eyes turned toward her. That’s when I realized she wasn’t alone. Tattooed arms encircled her waist, and one hand moved to squeeze her bare ass. The man started to stand up, and both Jared and I turned on our heels and ran back down the path.
Jared finally tugged on my hand, urging me to stop. “Did she know we were there?” I whispered, even though we were likely out of hearing range.
He shrugged and whispered back to me. “No clue. Let’s cut back through here,” he said, pointing at a smaller game trail that ran through the forest.
I nodded and followed him through the narrower trail, where we had to pick our way between thorn bushes. After about ten minutes, we finally came to the edge of the forest and stepped out. The lab was visible in the distance, and we both turned to walk through the open field. “Did you see who the man was?” I asked.
Jared shook his head. “I was busy trying not to look,” he said, shivering dramatically. “Didn’t catch his scent either, but I was trying not to smell as well.”
I laughed and nodded in agreement. “Same here. It’s weird though. She didn’t mention she was seeing anyone.”
“There are a lot of wolves here, and more show up every day. Whoever that was probably isn’t her only fling, if you catch my drift,” Jared said, waggling his eyebrows at me.
“Really?” I frowned. Vanessa hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort to me, but then again, we didn’t talk about much except my training.
“Vanessa is a free spirit.”
“I can see that,” I returned. “So, you and Vanessa?”
Jared barked a laugh and shook his head. “Ha, no way. Like I said before, she’s like an annoying little sister to me.”
We were halfway to the lab when Mark walked out. His eyes latched immediately on to me, then over to Jared beside me. I felt a moment of worry at the frown that had flickered briefly on Mark’s face before he had schooled it. He walked toward us in long strides. I stopped walking and waited. Jared stood beside me, hands at his waist, seeming relaxed but ready to spring at any moment.
“Jared,” Mark said by way of greeting.
“Good to see you,” Jared replied, holding out his hand.
Mark looked at his hand, then flicked his eyes back up to his face before clasping him in a quick hug. I let out a breath at the grin on Mark’s face. “Good to see you too. Quit being such a stranger,” he added.
“Sorry,” Jared said sheepishly. “I’ve been taking a lot of patrols lately.”
“Avoiding us,” I murmured.
Jared ran a hand through his short hair and chuckled. “Just a little. Although now I may be avoiding Vanessa. I don’t think I’ll be able to look her in the eye for a good week!” He shivered dramatically and made a retching sound.
I laughed, doubling over in mirth as Mark frowned at the two of us. “Don’t ask,” I said as I moved to Mark’s side. He wrapped an arm around my waist and I smiled in relief. Mark had been reclusive and distant since the incident with Henri, and growing slowly worse despite the assurances from Justin that the vampire’s hold was no more. I think until Mark met Henri again face to face, he’d worry about the vampire’s control over him. The reality was, we all worried about it. Mark just wasn’t very good at hiding it.
“Time to get back to the house, I suppose,” Mark said, glancing up at the darkening sky.
“Let’s take the direct route,” I urged, turning away from the forest where Vanessa had last been seen.
Mark shrugged, and the three of us walked back to the house. Jared told Mark about our stalking incident on Vanessa, and all three of us were laughing about it by the time we reached the main house. The camaraderie between the three of us lightened a weight on me I hadn’t realized had been dragging me down. This was the way it was supposed to be, I thought. We walked into the back door, where Lucas was regaling two other men with his own story.
“First I bit her lip, then I fucked her hard,” Lucas said in a mock whisper.
We stopped in the doorway, and he turned around to look at us in surprise. “No you didn’t,” Vanessa said as she walked in from the dining room. Lucas whipped his head around to argue with her, where she stood with her hands on her hips looking down on him. He opened his mouth, then wisely shut it and walked past her out of the room, the other two men following him. “Man, he’s such an ass,” she muttered, shaking her head.
I suppressed a chuckle, but Jared didn’t hold back. “Damn, V, you sure told him,” Jared laughed.
She shrugged and narrowed her eyes at us. “Were you two out by the cemetery?” she asked.
“Were you?” Jared retorted.
“I was in the area. I thought I caught your scents.”
I averted my face, sure it was on fire, and busied myself opening the oven. What was left of the large roast Beth had made sat warming in the oven. “We saw Kirk’s grave. Someone put flowers there,” I said, hoping to change the subject.
Vanessa was suddenly behind me, her warmth pressing against my body. I stood up slowly and grabbed a plate out of the cupboard. “It was you two,” she hissed.
I stopped moving, the plate held awkwardly in my hand as I turned to look at her. “Us two?” I asked, widening my eyes in mock innocence.
Jared chuckled, and Vanessa’s eyes flashed angrily as she turned on him. “Don’t know you better than to spy on people?”
“Don’t you know better than to get busy in the woods, in the middle of a frequently used trail, where anyone could just walk up?” Jared retorted.
I quickly filled my plate with food and moved to the table while Vanessa and Jared stared each other down. Jared was smiling widely, his arms crossed over his chest. Vanessa was naturally tan and didn’t visibly blush, but her mouth gaped open and she seemed at a loss for words. “You can’t say anything,” she said suddenly, her voice dropping to a whisper. “If word got back to my family that I was dating a human, they’d disown me for good.”
“A human?” I asked, my voice squeaking in surprise. There were only a few humans on Jed’s land.
“Dating?” Jared questioned.
Vanessa shot me a look as the back door opened. Jed and John stalked in hurriedly, with Hugo on their heels. “A vamp was sighted,” Jed said as he moved through the kitchen toward the front of the house.
I dropped my fork and we all followed our Alpha. He led us to the front of the house and outside. Several men and wolves stood in the yard already. Henri wasn’t supposed to show back up for another two weeks. He had sent all his info to Jed through human couriers, and had confirmed the time and place of the next meeting. The sky was dark enough for older vampires to roam, as long as they kept to the trees and shadows. Logan jogged into view, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and tennis shoes. Sweat covered his upper body, soaking through the tank top he wore, and he was breathing hard.
“It’s the one named Thomas,” he said as soon as he reached Jed. “He came alone and waits at the edge of the property line.”
Jed nodded his head and motioned for everyone to follow him. “We’ll go to him,” Jed said. “Tell him to wait there.”
Logan nodded, turned, and ran back down the gravel driveway ahead of us. We moved briskly to follow, with several of the wolves racing ahead to scout around. As we neared the end of the long driveway, I spotted Thomas leaning casually against the hood of a black sedan. He waved when he saw me, and I smiled automatically before waving back. Hugo frowned at me and I shrugged in response. What could I say? Despite the fact that Thomas was a vampire, I kind of liked him. Stupid, maybe, consi
dering my luck with vampires.
“Izzy, great to see you,” Thomas said, smiling as we neared him. Tonight he wore a white tuxedo, complete with a black bow tie and red handkerchief in the pocket. He turned to Jed and pushed away from the car. “Jed. Thank you once again for not killing me on sight.”
Jed nodded and said, “For the time being.”
Thomas shrugged as though he had expected that answer. “I told you I’d pay you a visit after I spoke to my boss,” Thomas stated as he pulled out a cigar, twirling in between his fingers. “He decided it’s time to play a more active role.
“Who’s this boss of yours?” Hugo interjected, his deep voice booming. I looked up at the big man, with his red hair and large chest. Any sane person would be cautious around such an imposing person. Thomas merely glanced at him, then back to Jed.
“My boss wants things back to the old ways,” Thomas continued. “I don’t think it’ll ever be the same, but no one is happy about the current situation. Except Petrivian himself, I imagine.”
“What exactly is your boss willing to do to help remedy the situation?” Jed asked, crossing his arms over his flannel clad chest.
Thomas held the cigar between his teeth, biting it with his fangs. “We’re going to join you when you and Henri’s lot attack Petrivian in September.”
“How did you know about that?” Hugo growled suspiciously.
“We know things,” Thomas replied with a shrug.
Jed cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s eyes back to him. “When you say you’re going to join us…”
“I mean we’re going to join with the wolves. None of the bosses are happy with Henri either. And you know Henri will betray you the first chance he gets. He’s planning on it.”
“Of course he is,” Jed said simply. It had been one of the points of contention among the other Packs. The fact that the vampire would betray us wasn’t in question, it was more a matter of when he would betray us. “So your bosses are going to fight with us against Henri and Petrivian? And we’re supposed to trust that you won’t betray us.”
Thomas chuckled and pulled the unlit cigar from his mouth. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? Trust is a fickle thing.”
“Especially when it comes to vampires,” I added, and received a wide grin from Thomas.
“We’d need assurances,” Jed reiterated.
“I figured you would,” Thomas said as he opened his jacket and pulled out a paper.
Jed took the offered paper and unfolded it, reading it quickly. “This just says that any and all vampires under the protection and rule of the names listed will not attack or harm any werewolves under my protection, for the space of one year. Any vampires who do so, will turn to ash and die. Any werewolves who attack those vampires will also die,” Jed continued, the doubt in his voice plain. “After one year, this contract is void.”
Jed held the paper out so we could read it. It was only a few sentences, outlining what Jed had just said. At the bottom of the page were a list of signatures, presumably from vampires. There was an additional place for Jed to sign as well.
I reached my hand out to touch it, when Aidan suddenly popped into my head. That thing’s full of magic.
Magic? I asked, pulling my hand away.
Oh, yeah. Can’t you feel it?
No. I studied the paper, but all I saw was paper and ink.
“How does this contract work?” Jed asked as he folded the paper. “Magic?”
Thomas nodded and fumbled around in his pockets, pulling an old-style quill pen out. “When you’re ready to sign, use this.”
Jed gingerly took the offered quill, looking at it dubiously. “Is this a magic quill?”
“No, of course not,” Thomas replied with a chuckle. “The magic is imbued in the parchment itself. All signatures are done in blood too. That’s what binds the contract. When you’re ready, cut yourself and sign with your blood. Then it’ll be done.”
“I’ll need to have this looked at before I sign anything,” Jed stated, holding both the paper and quill gingerly.
“Of course. That’s why I timed my arrival to coincide with your magician friends. They should be arriving shortly,” Thomas added, glancing at the watch on his wrist. He pulled out a cell phone and tossed it to me. “Give me a call when you’re ready to plan.”
With that, Thomas climbed into his car and started it. We watched as he turned around and drove down the road. Jed didn’t move, so neither did we. He stood quietly, staring down the road. After a few minutes, car lights became visible in the distance heading toward us. I shifted uneasily, thinking on Thomas’ comment regarding magicians. Sure enough, when the car came to a halt in front of us, Declan climbed out of the passenger seat.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You seem to be expecting us,” Declan Murphy said in his thick Irish accent as he leaned against the open car door. He was dressed impeccably in a deep blue suit and matching gray and blue tie. He had his glasses off, and his gray eyes seemed to shine in the darkness. Werewolves could see in the dimmest light, another perk to turning furry, so I didn’t need the sliver of moonlight to catch Declan’s piercing stare. “Shall we head up to the house?”
“Yes, may I join you?” Jed asked as he walked toward the car. Declan nodded and returned to his seat. “Security room,” Jed said to us before he joined the magician in the car.
I have a bad feeling, Aidan said softly. He’ll try to get rid of me.
We turned and began walking back to the house, and I let the others lead the way as I fell back. I have a feeling Jed has already been trying to get rid of you for the past month.
It’s possible. You said I disappear.
This last time you were gone for three days.
Three days? Aidan sounded surprised, and a little upset. I don’t want to cease my existence, even if it isn’t real.
It’s real to me.
“I don’t think Jed will do anything without asking you first,” Mark said. Sometimes it surprised me when Mark could hear my conversations with Aidan. He usually kept quiet about it, leaving us our privacy.
We trailed further behind the others as I slowed my pace. I didn’t want to go back to the house, but there wasn’t another option. If we didn’t arrive shortly after the others, Jed would send for us anyway. Mark moved closer beside me and took my hand. I leaned against him, stopping completely. He put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. The gesture was usually comforting, but not tonight.
“I’m scared,” I whispered against Mark’s chest. My chest constricted as I held in tears.
“I know, baby,” he said, his voice soft and comforting as he ran a hand through my hair. “We’ll figure this out.”
We could always make a run for it, Aidan suggested.
I grinned. Well, I could run. You’d just be along for the ride.
Ha, ha.
“If we don’t get to the house soon, Jed will send someone after us,” Mark said as he pulled away from me. “That’s never a good thing.”
“Because then he’d be angry,” I agreed. “Let’s not try his patience.”
We turned together, hand in hand, and made our way to the house. Jed, Hugo, John, Declan, and two other men were already in the security room when we walked down the stairs. The two strangers had the same strange gray eyes as Declan, but that’s where the similarities ended. The taller man was deeply tanned with long brown hair that brushed his shoulders in unkempt waves. He wore jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He towered above everyone in the room; a good foot taller than Hugo. The other man was average height with pale skin and vibrant orange hair spiked up in front. He was also dressed casually, in jeans and a t-shirt. Both men appeared younger than Declan, but it was hard to pin down their ages. I guessed they were somewhere in their thirties, or late twenties.
Mark closed the door behind us as we descended the stairs. The security room was mostly used to monitor the property, but since Jed’s land was filled with a large assortment of guests,
he had taken to using the room as a private meeting place thanks to the thick soundproof walls. The room held the usual computer desks and two chairs. Even with the sparse furniture, the room was a little tight for eight people.
Declan was holding a paper in his hands, staring at it intently, when Mark and I moved toward the others. I glanced at it and realized it was the contract Thomas had brought with him. Declan nodded and handed the paper back to Jed, who took it and held it in his hands. “It is a magically binding contract, so those who sign must follow it to the letter. Those who violate the contract will indeed be punished according to what is written. I would heed caution before signing, and make sure everyone involved understands the risk. And remember, it is only as it is written.”
“So only those under my protection are part of this contract,” Jed surmised. “Meaning my Pack, but not the other Packs here.”
“Unless you are leading all those Packs. If that is the case, I believe the contract would bind them as well.”
“What about the vampires?”
“They have already signed the contract, so I could already feel those attached. Let us just say, there are a great number of vampires held within this contract.”
“If I sign, you’ll be able to tell which wolves are part of the contract? Jed asked, tapping the paper with his hands.
“Only after you have signed, yes,” Declan replied.
“What about this instantaneous death it speaks about?” he urged.
Declan smiled thinly and said, “I can amend that part of the contract fairly easily. It will apply to everyone though, meaning wolves and vampires alike.”
“Amend it how?”
“Instead of death, I can change it to unconsciousness, or perhaps excruciating pain.”
“That would be better. I don’t like the idea of one of my wolves accidentally hurting the wrong vamp and automatically dying.”
Declan nodded his head. “As long as you haven’t signed, I can still amend the contract, to a point.”
“Anything else you can change?”
