Hour of the Wolf

by Bell, Dana Marie

  When Noah opened the door, the man from the hospital was standing there, Paisley and Carter right behind him. “Good morning, alpha. My name is Gary Jones.” The young wolf tilted his head in a sign of respect for his alpha.

  Noah touched Gary’s neck in recognition of a pack member then stepped aside. “Welcome to my home.”

  “Thank you, alpha.” Gary began to walk in, but stopped when he saw Milo. “Hello, Mr. Wulfenbach.”

  Milo straightened his shoulders. “Hello, Mr. Jones.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.” Gary held out his hand, shaking Milo’s. “I’ll be staying here to watch over you and your sister. Will that be all right?”

  Milo eyed him sternly. “Can we watch Avatar?”

  “That can probably be arranged.”

  “Okay then.” Milo and led Gary into the house. “We watch TV over here.”

  Noah shook his head at his nephew’s antics. “So easily bribed.”

  Paisley slapped him on the shoulder. “He’s a good kid, Noah. Let him be.”

  “I know that. Ass.” Noah led Carter and Paisley into his home.

  Carter shut the door behind them. “So, what’s up? We’ve got a shooter?”

  Noah met Iva in the kitchen, taking the sack of clothing and coffee mug she held out to him. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  Iva smiled sweetly and moved past him, handing both Paisley and Carter mugs. “Sorry, I don’t have clothing for you.”

  “We’ve got it covered, ma’am. Our bags are in the truck.” Carter took the mug. “Thanks, I’m going to need this.”

  “Rough night at the fire station?”

  “Just got off a forty-eight. I’ve got two days off now.” Carter took a sip of the coffee. “Man, that’s good.”

  Paisley turned. “Let’s head out. I’ve been told where Kathy was shot. I think the dryads will be meeting us there.”

  Noah nodded. “I’m driving.”

  “Sorry, alpha.” Carter held up the keys. “My truck, I drive. She’s my baby.”

  Noah growled.

  Carter immediately handed over the keys without missing a beat. “Of course, I could always lend my baby out to you, alpha.”

  “Some enforcer you are.” Paisley pushed Carter out the door. “Weenie.”

  “That’s me. I’m the weenie master.” Carter ran for the truck. “Shotgun!”

  “Someday he’ll grow up and become a real boy.” Paisley followed, her boots clacking on the cement driveway. She’d worn clothes that were easy to scramble out of. A pair of denim shorts, a tank top and cowboy boots made up her outfit. Carter was similarly dressed.

  Noah hadn’t had time to change, too busy with the kids to worry about his clothes. At least his jeans and T-shirt were easily removed, and he’d gone with flip-flops on his feet, shoes that would be easy to kick off.

  He slid behind the steering wheel of Carter’s truck, closing the door and adjusting the mirrors and seat to his liking.

  “You need to head toward Big Savage,” Paisley said from the back seat. At least Carter had an extended cab on his truck or Paisley would have been sitting on her brother’s lap. “Kathy was shot at the base of the mountain, about twenty yards from the ranger station.”

  “Fuck.” Noah took off, hoping he wouldn’t be pulled over for speeding. Whoever this was they needed to be eliminated. “Does Rock have kids coming in today?”

  Paisley straightened up. “Oh, shit. It would be so easy to take the kids.”

  Carter grabbed hold of the console. “Go faster.”

  Paisley called Mina, but Noah paid little attention to their conversation. “Call Rock. Have him call off the tour.”

  Carter nodded and began dialing. Soon, they were at the ranger station. Rock stood outside, his hands on his hips. He gave the impression of being sturdy and impenetrable.

  The man lived up to his nickname. Nothing would get through him to any kids inside the station.

  Noah got out of the car and waved at Rock. “Hey.” He glanced toward the ranger station. “You have kids today?”

  “Not until this afternoon.” Rock strode forward, shaking Noah’s outstretched hand. “I got a call about Kathy. Any word on her condition?”

  “Not yet, but I’ll head to the hospital after this.” There was a leader of the owls, but Noah was in charge of all shifters in the area except for the dragons. They had their prince, who didn’t bow to Noah or anyone else, no matter how strong Noah was. He kind of admired Prince Vasile for that.

  “Kathy often comes in to say hi before she heads off to take her pictures. She’s nice.” Rock’s cheeks turned a bit red. “She even tried to give me some advice on my love life once. Brought me some books to read.”

  “Romances?” Paisley chuckled.

  Rock nodded. “I couldn’t believe how some of the guys acted in those books. They were total assholes.” Rock shook his head. “Anyway, we need to track someone, right?”

  “Whoever shot Kathy could still be on the mountain.” Noah stared at the mountain. It was intimidating even to those who knew its secret places. There were plenty of spots for a sniper to hide, and Noah didn’t have a scent to go on.

  “Hmm.” Rock closed his eyes. “The wards the witches cast should still be in place, but if we’re dealing with a powerful demon he could have weakened them enough to let his men slip through again.”

  “Or they could be just outside the wards, firing through them.” Paisley was part witch, so Noah had to take her words into account.

  “The wards prevent anyone from seeing our town.” Rock pointed toward the mountain. “That includes parts of Big Savage.”

  Paisley put her hands on her hips. “So? The demon, or someone else with power, could provide the Van Helsings with a way to watch us through it.”

  “Who, though?” Noah was really getting tired of their town being invaded by assholes.

  “I have no fucking idea.” Paisley scowled. “And that’s pissing me off.”

  Greer, Mina and Ash stepped out from under the shadow of the trees, joining them in front of the ranger station. They greeted everyone before turning to stare at the mountain in unison.

  “The trees are whispering,” Mina said quietly. Her stare was intent, but Noah had no idea what she was seeing. She had the same blankness to her gaze that Iva did when she was listening to the sounds of the forest. “Blood has been spilled, and more will come.” She shook her head and glanced at Noah. “Where’s Iva?”

  “With the kids. Sana had a meltdown and demanded that Iva remain behind.” He could still hear her cries. Her utter terror had been overwhelming.

  “Let us help,” Ash said, placing his hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Those kids deserve the best after what they’ve been through. Greer and Selena might be able to do something for them that Owen can’t. In fact, let them talk to Owen. He might be able to recommend some ways they can help.”

  Greer nodded his agreement, adding, “Have Iva bring them to the Throne. They love it here, and they’ll be safe there.”

  “I’ve got pack watching them all. They should be fine.” Noah loved the fact that Mina, Ash and Greer were so eager to aid him and his family. “But I’ll give Iva a call and find out what she thinks.”

  “Tell her to bring the pack as well.” Mina growled, and damn if it didn’t sound almost draconic. Dragos was certainly rubbing off on his mate. “We’ll protect all of them.”

  Noah called Iva. “Want to take the kids on a field trip to the Throne?”

  Iva sighed. “Yes, please. They’re watching Avatar with Gary as promised, but both of them are still jumpy. I think they’ll feel safer there, especially if Mina reassures them.”

  He passed his phone to Mina. “Can you talk to the kids?”

  “Of course.” She snatched the phone away from him. “Iva? Go ahead and put them on.” She wal
ked a little bit away from the group, speaking softly.

  “They’ll be fine. Iva will be there. Nothing will get through to them.” Greer grinned, his expression one Noah was coming to understand. It was Greer’s killer instincts coming out, ready to silently stalk and kill his prey. It creeped him the hell out. Greer’s words were almost cheerful, except for the bloodthirsty edge to them. “Then we’ll find whoever tried to hurt one of our own and rip their limbs off.”

  Noah had to agree. Creepy or not, the man would get the job done swiftly and with prejudice. “Damn straight.”

  “Think we need any of the others?” Rock held up his phone. “I can call in some of the others, like Vasile or Trajan, get some aerial support.”

  “They shot an owl, man. You think they won’t take a shot at a dragon?” Ash shook his head. “I say we lay low, hunt on the ground. They have to have left behind signs.”

  “I can take to the trees, give some of that higher-up perspective you want,” Greer added.

  Noah shook his head. “It was a flyer who was shot. Vasile will be pissed if he’s not involved. Call him.”

  Rock nodded and dialed. “Vasile? It’s about Kathy. She’s been shot.” Rock grimaced and held the phone away from his ear. The dragon prince’s roar was so loud he was surprised the phone’s speaker didn’t blow. Rock glanced at Noah as he hung up. “He’s pissed off and on his way.” Rock put down the phone. “He should be here in a few moments.”

  “Good.” Noah hadn’t worked much with Vasile Ibenescu. This would give him an even better idea of what kind of person the prince of dragons was. “Once he’s here let’s get started.”

  Paisley nodded and began to remove her clothing. “Carter and I will check the perimeter while you wait. Maybe we’ll catch a scent of something we don’t recognize.”

  Carter followed his sister, packing his clothing away in a plastic bag. “We’ll store our clothing in the station, if that’s all right with you, Rock.”

  “Sure. Go right ahead.” Rock waved toward the station. “We called the school and told them what was going on. They’re rescheduling today’s trip.”

  That was a load off of Noah’s mind. “Excellent. We don’t have to worry about innocents.”

  “I’ve called in Amara to watch the station while I go with you.” Rock grinned. “It will piss Parker off, but oh well.”

  “Seems like everyone wants to piss off Parker lately.” Noah had no idea what the vampire had done, but he bet it had been epic. The man had a wicked sense of humor.

  “He’s a good guy, but he can be annoying as fuck sometimes.” Rock grimaced. “Just the other day he gave me a pet rock.”

  Noah blinked. “A what?”

  “He hot-glued hair and these creepy googly eyes to a rock.” Rock shuddered. “And he added eight pipe cleaner spider legs, the asshole.”

  Noah couldn’t help but laugh. Rock was notoriously afraid of spiders. While he was still chuckling Vasile landed, his wings kicking up dust. The dragon was huge, easily taking up most of the parking lot of the station.

  Vasile shifted into his human form. It was like staring at a darker, meaner version of Dragos. His eyes weren’t Dragos’s shining silver, but a dark gunmetal grey. His black hair hung in waves below his shoulders, where Dragos kept his neatly trimmed. His square jaw was tight, his thin lips pressed together in anger. He was built strong, his muscles coming from flying and running rather than a gym. He killed enemies with cold efficiency and protected his clutch with a ferocity even Noah didn’t have.

  Vasile’s eyes changed, the irises becoming icy blue, dark at the edges and nearly white at the pupil. The pupils went from round to slitted as the blue completely overwhelmed the whites of his eyes. “We have Van Helsings to kill, yes?” His deeply accented voice rolled across Noah, the power behind it matching his own.

  Noah held out his hand. “I’m looking forward to hunting with you, Prince.”

  “And I with you, Alpha. It will be a pleasure, I assure you.” The prince glanced around. “We are all here. Let us begin before another of ours is harmed.”

  “Agreed.” Noah glanced at Rock. “Ready?”

  Rock grinned, the expression feral. “Let’s get us some Van Helsings.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  They’d been searching for about five hours when Carter came loping back. He sat in front of Noah, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth like a goofy dog. “Alpha. I’ve found something that doesn’t smell right.”

  Noah nodded, used to his pack talking to him in their wolf forms. The others wouldn’t be able to hear Carter as they were not wolves nor pack. “Show me.”

  He followed the wolf to where Paisley waited, her nose to the ground. Her hackles were raised, and if Noah had doubted her witch ancestry had granted her powers, he no longer did. Her eyes glowed with an eerie light. Something had his beta truly pissed off.

  Noah took a deep breath. At first, all he could scent was the trees, the rich earth, warm sky and water nearby. But shifting through the scents brought the tang of other, those not of the pack nor of Maggie’s Grove. Humans, thick with gunpowder and deer urine. “They’re trying to hide their scent by acting like deer hunters.”

  Vasile shook his head. “When will they learn that we are not deer and a little urine will not fool us? Besides, it’s not deer season. Idiots.” He glanced around, his dragon eyes taking in the scene around him. “At least we have a trail to follow thanks to their stupidity.”

  “There are a couple of things in season that some human could be hunting,” Ash pointed out. Even he sounded as if he didn’t believe it.

  Greer held up a shiny brass bullet jacket. “Fuck. This is for a long-range hunting rifle, maybe a sniper rifle. Kathy must have banked unexpectedly or he’d have killed her instantly with this size bullet.”

  Noah growled his displeasure. “Then these are the men we want.” He sniffed again. “I’m picking up ten distinct scents, all human.”

  Vasile sniffed as well, getting down on the ground and picking up the earth. He brought the moist soil to his nose. “Yes, ten. One, perhaps two, are underage, and one of those underage is female. The rest are male.”

  “Fuck. They’re bringing their kids to work again.” Ash kicked at a boulder.

  “We’ll get them away from their skanky-ass parents, Ash.” Mina’s expression grew hard. “How far out are they?”

  “I’m not sure yet. The scent is hours old. Do you sense anything?” Noah was hoping the trees would do their whispering thing to their queen and divulge the Van Helsing’s location to her.

  Mina lifted her face, closed her eyes, and tilted her head. Above them the trees rustled without a hint of wind.

  They were answering her call.

  Mina opened her eyes. “Yes. They waited here for a short time before moving, perhaps to a better hunting spot.”

  “Fuck. The vamps will come out later, some of them flying with their night-time mates.” Ash was watching Mina, who began to glower.

  Noah realized he was worried about her, of what it would do to her if Dragos were injured or worse, killed. “We need to take care of this before nightfall, then.”

  Ash nodded and called forth his weapon, a bright silver sword that glowed with the rainbow light of his mate.

  “Good idea.” Greer’s sword was normal at first, but it split into two huge hunting knives burning with fiery runes. “Let’s get them before they get any more of us.”

  Noah had to wonder if his mating to Iva had caused her sword to turn into the claw gauntlets she’d used in the fight with the Van Helsings. All of the ruling dryads had a special weapon beyond their silver blades. Each weapon had adapted to their mate, taking on some trait that would indicate who, or what, their mate was. Only Mina’s sword hadn’t changed; she’d instead taken her ancestor’s bow and somehow restored it, making it her primary weapon, o
ne that was fused with her sword rather than an alternate form like Iva’s gauntlets.

  He could remember his mate being all badass with her new metal claws. The image turned him on, the scent of his lust filling the air around him.

  “Ugh.” Vasile waved a hand in front of his face, then quietly began cursing in Romanian.

  “Sorry.” Not sorry. He would never truly apologize for wanting his mate.

  “Let’s follow the trail, lover boy.” Greer passed him by, following Mina.

  Apparently, the queen wasn’t going to wait for them. She was striding off, following the direction of the rustling trees. The ones that she’d passed quieted, while others ahead of her would begin to move, showing the way to their beloved queen.

  “Mina?” Noah had an idea to muffle the sound of their approach. Or rather, the sound of those who couldn’t be as silent as a dryad. “Can you ask the animals to make some sounds, especially when we’re nearby?”

  She closed her eyes again, tilting her head back. Both Ash and Greer joined her, probably adding their own voices to hers. If Iva had been there she would more than likely have joined in.

  “Done.” Mina shook herself. “Now let’s go.”

  “Huh. That’s handy.” Rock also passed him, leaving Ash, Carter, Paisley and Vasile to take the rear.

  Noah decided now was a good time to shift. He took off his clothing and put them in the pack he’d come back for later. Greer picked it up, casually swinging it onto his back with a wink before taking off. Vasile bowed his head to Noah and took the lead ahead of them.

  It wasn’t long before Greer was back in the trees, his passage silent. Ash darted from tree to tree, barely noticeable, blending in with his surroundings so well that if Noah hadn’t recognized his scent he never would have found him. Mina was ahead of them, invisible to his eyes, but the swaying of the trees above him told him she wasn’t far. Rock’s steady presence was just ahead of him, his ranger uniform marking him as belonging. No one would question why a park ranger was out walking through the woods, except perhaps the Van Helsings he was hunting. His wolves flanked the ranger, keeping to the sides of the group. They too blended in to their surroundings.