Harvest Hunting

by Galenorn, Yasmine

CHAPTER 9

  It seemed odd, heading out with Nerissa and Luke, when I was so used to handling cases with my sisters. Iris waved from the door, and I waved back, feeling an abrupt sense of loneliness.

  The sky was dark, rain looming again, and the wind, chill. I watched as a murder of crows perched in the tall oak near the back of the house. Morgaine, come to spy on us? Shaking the thought off—I was getting paranoid in my not-so-old age—I slowly inhaled a deep breath. The scent of woodsmoke and air made crisp by the sparkling raindrops filled my lungs, followed by the deep, pungent scents of cedar and fir, moss and mildew. This was Hi’ran’s season. The Autumn Lord ruled over these months, and once again, I felt a longing to summon him to my side, to talk with him. His presence was becoming oddly soothing, and I felt calm when I thought about him.

  A sudden movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, but there was no one there. A second later, I felt someone cup my elbow. Hi’ran? I could feel his heat, and yet—and yet—again, it wasn’t him. Shaking my head but feeling less lonely, I unlocked the Jeep and motioned for the others to get in.

  Nerissa called shotgun. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved top, and stilettos that brought her to my height. Her golden hair trailed down her back, curling in tendrils that made me smile. She really was beautiful; I could see how Menolly had fallen for her. Luke sat in the backseat, his face a tense slate of worry. He was hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

  “Could you please sit back and put on a seat belt. I don’t want to be responsible for killing you if we have an accident, the gods forbid.”

  Blinking, he obeyed without question. As I inched us out of the driveway, I could tell he was struggling with something.

  “Are you okay, Luke? Whatever it is, you can tell us.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just . . . as much as I hate Rice, I hope to hell he’s not the one who did this. Any member of the Pack who would use Wolf Briar against another member should be shot. I don’t want to think about Rice having the balls to use it, especially not against my sister. One thing Sharah didn’t mention to you, apparently—and perhaps she doesn’t know, we tend to keep a tight rein on the information—is that too much exposure to Wolf Briar can lead to domestication. Ultra-submissiveness. Wolf Briar can turn a Were near the top of the Pack into a groveling slave. Forever.” Venom filled his voice.

  I winced. “Not good. I didn’t know that, and I don’t think Sharah does either. I take it you’d prefer that information to be kept quiet?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah, if you and Nerissa would be so kind. If it leaked out to the general public, do you know what the hate groups would do with it? Or anybody with a beef against a werewolf?”

  I could see his point. What if the Freedom’s Angels got hold of this information? They’d crossed the line from hate speech into action, and they would have no problem with funding the production of Wolf Briar and using it. Anything to get rid of the object of their fear and disgust.

  “So, why does your friend Katrina live in Seattle when her Pack is over on the Peninsula?” I turned onto Greenwood Avenue.

  “She works over here, and it’s easier for her Pack to keep their paws in the Supe Community Council activities with one member nearby.”

  We headed north through the Bitter Lake area, then took a right onto Westminster Way, then left again on Dayton. When Dayton intersected Carlyle Hall Road, we curved left and continued along past the Shoreline Community College area, where the woods were still thick and the city took on a greenish hue. Seattle wasn’t called the Emerald City just because somebody liked L. Frank Baum’s books. Eventually, Carlyle merged into Third Avenue, and shortly after that, 175th Street, where we turned left.

  “She lives out there a ways, doesn’t she?” Luke said.

  “Katrina lives near the sound, on Sixteenth.” I quickly turned onto Tenth, and we wound our way through more wooded suburbs, until we came to 167th. From there, it was a short jog, and we were on the right street, the last street before Puget Sound. I slowed as we drove through the cul-de-sac, stopping in front of a modest house that had recently been built at the end of the road.

  As I parked, I glanced at the view and thought that, modest or not, this had to have set the werewolf back a pretty penny. Waterfront property—and that included anything with even a remote view of the water—was mega-expensive.

  The wind was whipping a froth on the sound as we climbed out of my Jeep. The scent of brine hung heavy as it filtered in, and the screech of seagulls made me nervous. I didn’t like the water—most werecats didn’t. Even though we were nowhere near any danger of falling in, the mere sight of such a vast expanse of silvery waves unsettled me. I never could figure out what people found so soothing about the water. To me it was all one big scary bathtub.

  Luke, on the other hand, lifted his nose into the air and sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes as the wind whistled past.

  “I love this weather,” he said. “I love this area. I’d never go back to Arizona, even if the Pack asked me to return.”

  “Let’s go,” Nerissa said. “Katrina’s waiting for us. I don’t know if Luke gave you the rundown, Delilah, but a few pointers: never stare down a werewolf. It’s a challenge, and even though Katrina’s not an alpha bitch, it will set her on edge. When you greet her, smile, nod, but don’t lock gazes.”

  “Good point,” Luke said. “I’m pretty good about controlling the impulse, but a lot of werewolves haven’t been able to master their inner beast.”

  “I’m glad you told me, because in the feline Were world, it’s the opposite.”

  We headed up the sloping lawn to the house, where Nerissa rang the bell on the freshly painted house. The smell of paint had faded and now mingled with the smells of overturned earth—which meant Katrina probably had a garden—and woodsmoke. A glance at the roof showed she had a chimney and yes—it was puffing away.

  The door opened, and a dark-haired, rather intimidating looking woman stood there. I don’t know what I’d expected, but it hadn’t been to see a woman in a corporate skirt suit, with her hair done up in a bun, wearing wire-framed glasses. She was trim and petite, barely five five I guessed, and her jaw was set strong and firm. In days gone by, she would have been called a handsome woman. Her eyes, though, were arresting. Dark, brilliant brown, like molten chocolate, ringed with a circle of topaz.

  As she saw Nerissa, a smile washed over her face, and the stern primness turned to warm beauty. “Nessa! Long time, no see. Are these your friends?” She glanced at Luke and me. “Weres, both of you, but you—” She pointed to me. “You have something else in the mix. You’re not a typical Were.”

  Just then a crack of thunder rumbled overhead, and the clouds broke, drenching us with huge, fat raindrops. Nerissa squealed and covered her head as Katrina slipped away from the door and ushered us in.

  “Good grief, where are my manners? Get yourselves in here. Come on.” She hustled us into the living room near the fireplace. I gasped as I saw the huge bay window that faced Puget Sound. Enough of the obscuring greenery had been cut away for us to be staring out over the huge body of water that Seattle nestled itself against, and the sight was breathtaking, picture-perfect.

  “How lovely,” I whispered, sinking down onto the window seat that jutted out from the house, providing a panoramic view. With glass and rocks and plenty of ravine between me and the water, I could appreciate the sight. “You have a wonderful home,” I added, glancing around.

  Polished, rich hardwood floors underscored cream-colored walls, and the built-in shelves and trim matched the color and grain of the floor. The furnishings were dark and heavy, leather and wood, and matched perfectly with the brick of the fireplace. The décor was that of a hunting lodge but upscale and comforting.

  I sucked in a deep breath and looked around. Yuletide, I thought. It smelled like Midwinter. Sure enough, a jar of blue spruce-scented potpourri rested on an end table next to an oversized chair. Cinnam
on sticks poked out of the mix, and cloves, and what I suspected was a dried vanilla bean.

  “Thank you,” Katrina said, sitting down in a wooden rocking chair that had been covered with a patchwork quilted throw. I had a feeling she’d made it herself.

  Nerissa motioned to Luke. “This is Luke—he’s the Were who’s . . .” She paused, glancing at him, her face flaming.

  “What Nerissa is trying to say without offending me is that I’m the Were who’s pariah to my Pack. I was excommunicated and turned out on threat of death many years ago.” He pulled back his hair, and I gasped as a notched ear came into view. “I bear the mark of the unworthy.”

  If Katrina was surprised, she didn’t show it. Instead, she offered him her hand. “Luke, it’s nice to meet you. Welcome to my home.”

  It was as if some unspoken acceptance ritual had passed between the two, and by the look of relief that washed over his face, I knew I was right.

  “And this is Delilah,” Nerissa said. “One of Menolly’s sisters.” When her voice touched on Menolly’s name, there was a hint of pride in it, and I repressed a grin. Nerissa had it bad for my little sister, all right.

  Katrina shot me a long look. “You’re right, she’s definitely pretty—but she’s not as flamboyant as you mentioned.”

  “That would be Camille, her other sister,” Nerissa said, turning bright red. She glanced over at me, flustered. “Trust me, I don’t talk about you guys to everybody,” she offered. “Just to my friends. Oh wait—that didn’t sound right . . .”

  I cleared my throat. “Don’t sweat it. As long as you aren’t pulling a Jerry Springer on us, it’s all good.” Turning to Katrina, I said, “So, yes, I’m a two-faced werecat who’s half-Fae, half-human. I’m also a Death Maiden. It’s no wonder you sense other energy clinging to me.”

  We settled back, the only sounds the rain pounding down on the roof and slashing against the windows. After a few moments, Nerissa let out a long sigh.

  “We have some tricky questions for you, but trust me, we wouldn’t ask them if they weren’t important.”

  “Whatever it is, it sounds serious,” Katrina said.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Lives depend on finding out the information we’re seeking. We don’t know if you can tell us anything, but we have to try all avenues.”

  “All right, I’ll help you if I can. Please, ask what you need to.” She sat up straight, shoulders back, hands primly on her knees, eyes front forward on me.

  “Have you ever heard of anything called Wolf Briar?”

  Katrina immediately reacted. She blinked, then recoiled, and a look of distaste crossed her face. “Yes . . . yes, I have. It’s a hideous drug.”

  I let out a long breath. “Have you heard of anyone in the area making it? We found a hotel room booby-trapped with it, and it knocked my sister—Camille, who’s a witch—on her ass. Lucky for me, I wasn’t in aim of the blast. We found one trap that had already been triggered, and we think it was used to kidnap a female, pregnant werewolf. Luke’s sister Amber, actually.”

  “Oh, my Goddess.” Katrina made a small sound. Luke echoed it, and I wondered what it signified but didn’t have time to ask before Katrina looked up again, furious. “I can’t believe someone would do that to a pregnant female. Is she an Alpha Bitch?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, she’s not. I can’t help but wonder if my brother-in-law did it. She left him, came up here from Arizona, and at first I thought that he followed her to take her back. But Wolf Briar . . . I don’t know if even Rice would be capable of using such a fucking rotten trick.”

  “What Pack are they with? Is it the same one you were excommunicated from?” Katrina didn’t seem shy in the least.

  Luke arched his eyebrows. “Have you ever heard of the Zone Red Wolves?”

  Apparently Katrina had. “Great Mother, preserve you. You escaped alive from them? And you say your sister is married to one of the males?” He nodded, and she bit her lip. “I’m sorry, then. The Zone Reds . . . they hate our Pack, and we’ve been attacked by a few of their males over the years. We’re just lucky they live in Arizona, and we live up here.”

  “Why would they hate you?” There was so much about Earthside Were politics that I was still learning. The Rainer Puma Pride—from which both Zachary and Nerissa hearkened—didn’t like me all that much because of my half-Fae heritage. They claimed I wasn’t true Were, and in a sense, they were right, but their righteous indignation rankled more than anything.

  Luke clasped his hands between his knees. “The Olympic Wolf Pack is matrilineal in nature—one of the few werewolf Packs to be so. They’re run by a council of women, not men, and that goes against a long tradition among the lycanthrope clans, especially a heavily patriarchal clan like the Zone Reds. It’s almost considered heresy against the race.”

  He quickly darted a look at Katrina. “Not that I agree with that mind-set—hell, I was kicked out for my inability to accept the authority of the Packmaster, especially when injustice ruled.”

  She nodded. “You are no longer Zone Red material. That’s a compliment, in my book. But even so, back to your sister . . . the Zone Red wolves are as violent as they are stubborn, but you’re right. I don’t know if even they would be capable of using Wolf Briar.”

  “If the Zone Red wolves are the worst of the lot, then maybe we’re not dealing with werewolves here. Maybe somebody else kidnapped Amber. But who, and why?” Nerissa stood. “Do you mind if I start some tea?”

  Katrina blushed. “I’m so sorry—I should have offered. Go right ahead, Ness. I have a feeling your friends have more questions for me.”

  “That we do.” I leaned back in my chair, smiling. I liked Katrina. She seemed with it and together. “So next questions: Have any werewolves, especially male, vanished without a trace over the past months? And do you know of any enemies to the werewolves in this area, besides the hate groups?”

  And then it hit me: Exo Reed had said that the goblins and Tregarts were trying to abduct a couple of the beta werewolves. Had they been in on making the Wolf Briar? It was too late to find out, but I made a note to remember to tell the others about my suspicions.

  Katrina crossed to the window, staring out at the blustering weather. The trees were whipping in the wind, the firs bending from the tops of their towering spires. Mama Earth was brewing up quite a storm.

  “You know, now that I think about it, there might be a couple males missing. I go to the Supe Community meetings, and I met a couple of werewolves there about six months ago. We started getting together once every few weeks, for drinks, to shoot some pool—”

  “You shoot pool?” Luke asked, his eyes lighting up.

  She shrugged, tossing him a grin over her shoulder. “I may appear to be the local librarian, but that’s only for work. I ride a Harley, and I can run the table better than you ever dreamed, I’ll bet.”

  “That sounds like a challenge,” he said, his eyes glinting.

  “Maybe you’ll take me up on it someday,” she said, a curl of smile tipping her lips.

  From where I was sitting, I could smell Luke. He was interested, all right. And by the lingering look she gave him, so was Katrina. Great! Nerissa and I could go into business as match-makers. But that didn’t help us with Amber.

  “Anyway,” Katrina continued. “I’ve been hanging out with them for a while, but last time we met, three of the guys didn’t show. Doug Smith, Paulo Franco, and Saz Star Walker. Here, let me get you their phone numbers.”

  As she opened her Rolodex and began jotting down notes, Nerissa returned, carrying a tray with tea, mugs, and a box of Oreos.

  “Now we’re talking!” I snagged up three of the cookies and bit into one, the sweet, crumbly taste of chocolate and cream filling my mouth. I could live on cookies . . . if only Iris would let me.

  “So here’s the information. I haven’t had a chance the past week or so to call them and see if everything’s all right. We normally don’t check in with each other on a regu
lar basis. Casual buddies, nothing more.”

  “Thanks,” I said, folding the paper and sticking it in my pocket. “So, do you know of any enemies the werewolves might have in this area? Maybe a sorcerer, or wizard or . . . someone of that sort?”

  Katrina shook her head. “I’m sorry, I really mostly focus on my own Pack’s needs and concerns. We get enough flack from everybody else as it is, and not many werewolves in this area worry about us. I can tell you that for sure.”

  We spent another few minutes making small talk and eating cookies, and then headed out. As we reached the car, Luke paused.

  “I’ll be right back—I forgot something.” He jogged back to the house.

  Nerissa and I climbed in and shut the doors against the slashing rain. “Ten to one he asks her on a date,” I said, grinning.

  “Ten to one she says yes.” Nerissa snorted. A moment later, Luke was back and slid into the backseat, fastening his seat belt.

  I glanced over my shoulder. “So, she agree to go out with you?”

  A long, red blush crept up his cheeks, making him look totally adorable. He ducked his head. “That obvious, huh?”

  “Ya think?” Nerissa chuckled. “So dish. Did she say yes?”

  With a hiccup that sounded suspiciously like a giggle, Luke nodded. “Yeah, she’s going out with me. I can’t believe she said yes. Good god, I haven’t had a date in years, and I’m scared shitless.”

  “You should be,” Nerissa said as I eased the car back down the street. “That girl’s gonna take you for one hell of a ride. Just jump on and grip tight.”

  We stopped at the FH-CSI headquarters so I could call the potentially missing Weres. I could have used my cell, of course, but it seemed like a good idea to let Chase know about the possibility of other missing Weres. However, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen when we got there.

  “Yugi, can we use a private room with a phone?”

  He motioned me into one of the conference rooms. As I pulled out the piece of paper, Nerissa opened her purse.