Rebellious Hood

by Kendrai Meeks

  “Wait a FREAKING minute!” I fell back into the chair behind me. “Are you telling me that Tobias and I are... That we’re... I’m in love with my cousin?”

  “A very distant cousin, yes,” my mother said flatly, like she was only confirming it had rained that morning.

  Caleb coughed a laugh. “Five minutes ago, you didn’t raise a huff at the idea of marrying Markus, but someone you shared a grandma with three hundred years ago? Oh, be still my scandalized heart.”

  My head whipped back and forth so hard, my brain pingponged. “You’re saying Tobias is also...”

  But when I took two seconds to think on it, it fit. Tobias had been attracted to me even before Kara died, something that should have been impossible. He’d been able to sense me from almost as far away as I could him, more so than any other wolf I’d ever met. Most convincingly, he’d fallen in love with me before Vlad had ever done anything to him.

  “An asenaic, yes.” My mother put into words what I couldn’t find the strength to do. “As is my husband and my daughter. You seem convinced that I am against you, Gerwalta. Maybe that’s part of your wolf nature, too, or maybe we’re just a typical clashing mother and daughter. But I assure you, everything I have done, every secret I have kept, has been to protect my family.”

  “If that’s true, help me now.”

  For the first time since Caleb and I had emerged, Brünhild wore surprise. “To do what?”

  “Include me on the team going into Spain.”

  “Geri, you are my daughter, and I love you. But I am also the Grand Matron, and you are not recognized as a member of this community. I couldn’t possibly include you on the team. Besides, Vlad will want you above all others. I’d be handing him a gift-wrapped package by sending you.”

  “I know. And I know that’s against our... your traditions. I’m asking you to do this not for my sake, but for the sake of those asenaics. I am one of them, they’re more likely to trust me than the leader of the community who has shunned and ignored them for three centuries. Then I can also be there to save Tobias. Besides, no one you have here is a better fighter than me. You know that.”

  Her eyes went to the fireplace. “I’d need to get the council’s blessing before agreeing to that.”

  “But I thought you were the Grand Poohbah,” Caleb said.

  My mother swung an acidic glare his way. “It isn’t a dictatorship, Mr. Helsing. I am a queen who serves only with the support of the nobles. They have so far let go my insistence to use our resources to track Gerwalta—they are all mothers, after all, and understand my concern—but as you saw, support for my office is waning.”

  Daring her objections or worse, her indifference, I stepped forward, taking one of my mother’s hands in mine. “Please, after I save Tobias and warn the others, I swear, I won’t ask you for anything again. I will go about my life alone.”

  It took a moment, but at last, Brünhild’s fingers hooked around mine. “I have to consider the ramifications. There are some matrons,” her eyes shifted accusingly to the side, “who do not believe the slayers are worth protecting at all. I will not exchange your heart for a whole race’s welfare. I’m sorry, but I cannot include you on this mission.”

  I dropped her hand and my expectations. “I see. Caleb and I can go out the way we came in.” I took a few steps back towards the hidden door.

  “However—”

  My mother’s words arrested me. I spun, my heart racing, my thoughts filling in all the ways she could finish that sentence. “Yes?”

  “As I am no longer your matron, I cannot forbid you from being any particular place at any particular time, and if Markus, while visiting you in Rebecca’s cottage, were to accidently mumble the plans in his sleep today before we depart at sunset, how could I hold it against him?”

  “Are you saying—” Why was my mouth going dry when there were such salivating developments? “I can be part of the mission?”

  “No, I’m saying I can’t stop you from undertaking your own mission. Understand, Gerwalta, if dangers arise which force me to choose between aiding my own team or you, I am obligated to them first. However, as your mother, I cannot advise you to abandon your heart. You must do what you must do.”

  This tender moment died on the sword of Caleb’s ill timing.

  “Great, so now I have to choose between two different teams to be on?” He ran his hand through his perfect ‘do. “Don’t suppose we can flip a coin?”

  “You’re not going.” “You’re not coming.”

  Brünhild and I locked gazes right after our synchronized words.

  Caleb took a moment to wipe away his shock before clearing his throat. “Why?”

  “The slayers need you,” I said. “You’re too valuable to risk against the Ravens.”

  “Not to mention,” my mother continued, “you’re the only surviving male of your kind we know of who’s gone through his rites. Just as with our kind, only a female matron can awaken the gifts of her clan, so too must the other male slayers rely on you to do the same when the opportunity arises. If you die, then your race ends with its current generation.”

  I turned to my mom. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Why would you? You’ve never needed to.”

  “You got to be kidding me!” Caleb moaned. “Geri, look at me. I told you not long after we met that the Ravens killed my parents. If anyone has the right to go after them, it’s me.”

  I couldn’t deny his rationale, but as much as I’d be loath to admit it, my mother was right. “We can’t risk it. You have to stay here and keep working with the slayers. Didn’t you say you wanted to try and perform rites with some of the guys this coming new moon? You need to get them ready for that.”

  “As the saying goes, I don’t have to do anything but pay taxes and die, and I’m really good at tax evasion.” The slayer crossed his arms over his chest. “Neither of you wants me on your team? Fine. I’ll make my own team. You aren’t the boss of me.”

  Brünhild grinned. “Mr. Helsing, I admire your drive, but if you do not comply with my order to stay settled here, I will...”

  “I’ll tell Amy that you have a crush on her,” I inserted.

  My mother spun on me, brow furrowed, lips pursed. Caleb, in the meantime, threw his hands up in surrender.

  “Okay, I yield. You play dirty, Kline. So dirty.”

  As we grumbled our way back down the hidden staircase, Caleb in the front to light the way, he said, “Mind if I ask you about something you said back there?”

  “Why not? You seem to know all my secrets now anyways.”

  I imagined his smile. I’d give that to Caleb, he smiled more than anyone else I’d ever met.

  “When you said your mom hit you with silver flame, what did that mean?”

  “I told you about that,” I said, my hand tracing the wall with each step. “My dad tried to arrange for me to take my fire with his bloodline, the yellows. My mom found out, freaked out, and relinquished me to keep me from claiming my birthright.”

  “Yeah, you told me about that, but you didn’t mention anything about silver flame. I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Of course not, it’s a hood thing.”

  “A common hood thing?” He paused, looking back over his shoulder.

  “I mean, not common. Really rare, in fact. So is flying, but she can do that, too. Hardly any hoods can anymore. It’s a trait we seem to be losing through the generations.”

  He turned back and trudged on. “If you say so. All I’m saying is, I’ve never heard of silver flame until now.”

  And as I followed him, I had to wonder if, outside of my mother’s ability, I had ever heard of it either.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  I’d made many mistakes in my life, but so far, none so big as writing off Amy Popowitz as a man-gobbling, college coed more interested in getting drunk and screwing guys than being bothered with actual relationships. I’d also underestimated her grip, and if she didn’t let me go soon, she might
choke me to death.

  “You’re acting like I’ll never see you again.”

  “What? No, I’m not. Of course, I’m going to—”

  I wrestled myself out of her hold and held her at arm’s length. “We don’t say anything. No goodbye, no good luck. We just go do and get back.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Well, you guys suck then.”

  I pulled back and made a final check of the weapons in my sack. Silver, of course, several bricks of it, but there was also a titanium curved blade I was itching to try out. Wooden bullets and a gun with just enough force to project them without splintering rounding out the kit. “I’m sorry you can’t come along, but...”

  “But I’m just a huey,” she said for me. “I know. I get it. I’m getting better at the hand-to-hand stuff, but I’m not an idiot. I’m not ready to do things at your level yet. Hell, those twelve-year-olds playing Mulan in the courtyard could kick my ass. But, now that I’m a Casper...”

  “Castellan.”

  “Whatever,” she said. “I should spend my time figuring out what that means. I’m sure it involves regulating Caleb’s conquests. The slayers didn’t get out of a vampire’s harem just to be dragged into his.”

  “I’m sure you’ll keep everyone in line.”

  I turned to Anya, who held Mina in her arms. Lupines led the growth curve, but even I was shocked by what one week had done.

  The baby’s eyes followed me, predatory senses already developing.

  “She’s tracking you,” Anya said. “She knows you’re her m—”

  “I’m not,” I cut off the slayer. “Please, Anya, don’t put me in that role. I’m her guardian, and that’s all.”

  I was so not ready to be anyone’s parent, let alone a mythical creature whose blood was the opposite of mine, with the power to steal the life from a vampire instead of extend it.

  “Remember that Petunia will be stopping by to check in on her every day.”

  “Of course, we’ll expect her.”

  “Hey, Little Red!” Cody escorted my dad up the walk, Pietro’s own weapons kit hanging heavy at his side. I got a nod as my dad passed by and Cody hung back. “I really feel like I should be going along on this wild ride.”

  I shook my head. “Lisa’s going to deliver any day. You need to be there when she does. Family first, pack second. And, frankly, neither Tobias or I are either of those things to you.”

  His hand cupped the back of my head. “You’re always going to be family to me, Geri Kline. You’re like my weird sister who I used to make out with.”

  “You always know how to spoil a tender moment, don’t you?”

  He pulled me to him then, kissing me on the forehead. “I’m going to turn on my phone the second I land in Marquette. You let me know when you’re out and you got him.”

  “And you let me know when Lisa delivers,” I said. “I want to kiss that baby when all this is over. And tell Lisa I hope she’s well.”

  And for the first time since Cody and I had broken up, I really meant it.

  From the outside, the van we were allowed to borrow to “do some sight-seeing” didn’t look that different from any other vehicle. On the inside, though, it was perfect for supes. The driver and front passenger compartment had been outfitted with the same kind of glass Igor had had in his car back in Chicago, allowing Yan to sit comfortably in the middle of a sunny day without scorching. I hadn’t even considered asking the vampire-in-residence to come with us, but in his improvised “sleep talking,” the offer had been made via Markus. How could I turn that down? To my surprise, my mother hadn’t ordered him to stay behind when asked.

  “So what happens after all this?”

  My father’s question from the driver’s seat broke me from my reverie. “What do you mean?”

  “You get your wolf back, your mother kills the Ravens, and what after that?”

  “I haven’t really had a chance to think about it.” More like I hadn’t wanted to get wrapped up making plans for a future that may never come to be. “Happily ever after, I guess?”

  “Niña, you know it’s not that easy.” His gentle voice wore down the edges of the harsh reality. “Even if your status means there’s no official crime, the biases of lupines and hoods will make you outsiders almost anywhere you go.”

  “I know. But I can’t plan for a world of infinite possibilities. I just want to hope for one that has a chance for Tobias and I to be together.”

  As mates, a couple. I longed to say both of these things, but feared putting so much debt into a prospect that may not pay off. Then, thinking about what that might mean, and realizing that, no matter how odd it was, my dad was one of the few people on earth who I could ask, I said, “Papa, did you bond with mom? Like, you know, the first time you two...”

  “We made love?” He grinned and shook with silent laughter. “There is no shame in saying it. We have been married a very long time. Why do you ask? Are you hoping for that, or scared of it?”

  No. Yes. “Tobias already had a mate, and when Kara died, he suffered like any lupine would. Maybe he’ll love me because of what he is and what’s happened to him, but what happens if he’s the only man I can ever love and it doesn’t work out?”

  “That is not a question you need to ask. The only question you need to ask is, is he worth the risk? For me, that answer was yes. We’ve had our moments.”

  “Like when she exiled you from the clan?”

  Dad shrugged. “For standing against her edict to aid my daughter, which I did willingly and knowing the possible ramifications. Should I have not done that?”

  “Of course, you should have!” Despite the fact that it had also led to my relinquishing. “I just don’t understand how you can forgive her.”

  “Ach, niña. Your mother did not exile me. The Grand Matron did.”

  “Don’t start that. She tried to pull the same thing on me, too. You can’t just divorce the two like that. She’s only one person. What was it Abuela used to say? Don’t try to be everyone to everybody, because we all only get one grave.”

  “Sage words spoken by another asenaic, who knew what it was like to live two lives,” my father said. “You and your mother are more alike than you realize. You struggle to find common ground, because you don’t realize you’re standing in the same exact spot. Same view, different eyes.”

  In the middle row, Yan’s cell phone beeped. He fished it out and read the screen. “Markus says the Muñez siblings have been moved to a secure location. The Yellow Matron in charge of the region says they’ve also confirmed the Raven hideout. You were right, Geri. They’re there.”

  I’d never doubted my instincts for a second, but having them validated with so little effort wasn’t completely reassuring. I tried to ignore the implications and stay focused on the matter at hand. “Where?”

  “They’re holed-up in an old residence of Igor Kharmarov’s. It’s dilapidated now, probably hasn’t been lived in for years, but all vampires of a certain age who’ve passed this way know of it.”

  I nodded. “Once we’re close enough, I should be able to sense Tobias’s whereabouts.”

  Yan looked up from his phone. “How close is close?”

  I shrugged. “If the location is relatively open and sparsely populated, a mile or so. With Tobias, it varies. Why? I don’t know. Moon phases, moods, distraction? Maybe everything.”

  Did the fact that we were both asenaics have anything to do with it, like we were operating on a closer frequency? I had to wonder. Then again, my father was also of the same bloodline, and he had never spoken about any greater ability in proximal sensitivity. Come to think of it...

  “There is a chance, though, that whatever the Ravens did has changed that,” I admitted out loud and to myself. “I won’t know until I know, I guess.”

  My father smiled. “He is your mate. You will know, always.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  We pulled off to the side of a mountain road just before sunset, into a field covered i
n dry grass amid a grove of tall, thin trees topped with plasticine leaves. The car used by the official hood team sat unguarded, empty of any occupants.

  My dad turned to me. “Anything?”

  With eyes closed, I focused on the hum of energy that presented itself whenever Tobias came into my proximity. Concentrate as I may, there was no sign.

  Dad laid his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t force it. We’re still two kilometers from the house. It means nothing.”

  I got out and surveyed the view, leaving Yan in the car. He’d await the final moments of twilight to avoid losing any of his strength to the sun. In the distance, gray mountains highlighted with white patches picked up the amber shafts of light coming from the west. As soon as night rose in its fullness, this landscape would glow under the shine of a full moon. The snow wasn’t deep – one would have to round up to say it was an inch – but it did serve as an archive of those who’d gone before. I squatted down, examining the contours of the footprints heading south.

  “Mother, Markus... Matron Smyth, I think. These two, I don’t recognize.”

  Pietro knelt down beside me. “I suggested to your mother that she recruit two of the local clan to accompany the mission, to avoid political questioning. More than likely, that is them.”

  My dad pointed to the southwest. “Igor’s home is just over that ridge about a kilometer. We agreed that this distance would allow us to have a sufficient staging ground.”

  I pressed my hand to the hood of the late model vehicle Markus had parked. “Still warm, but barely. Given the temperature out here, I’d say that means this car was turned off about fifteen or twenty minutes ago.”

  “According to plan,” my dad added, rising to his feet. “Your mother will engage the Ravens, attempting to draw them away from the home. While they are distracted, we will locate Tobias and if we can, Igor Kharmarov, and free them.”