by SJ Himes
Ghost went closer, his spirit and awareness gaining a better perception of his surroundings. He peered downwards once he got to the outside wall of the building, and he would have gasped if he were more corporeal. *Gabe.*
Gabe came closer at his name. Ghost tugged on the alpha, and he poured more of his Spiritsight into the meld. Kane sensed his rising suspicion, and Burke hurried back.
As more of Ghost entered the meld, the stars bloomed in greater details, their colors became more distinct. The few in the common area near the wall below them glowed with dulled reds and blue, and the insidious veins of tarnished silver snaked amongst the stars. One near the end was a gentle, soft blue, almost that of a summer sky without a cloud to be seen, and it was near the red and blue stars. The only difference was that there was no silver stain poisoning this star, and it was almost human but for the vibrancy and the way the light of the soulstar moved.
Gabe halted, froze, his thoughts and emotions churning. His attention sharpened and Burke pushed at the same time.
Wolfkin soulstars tainted by silver poisoning. Gabe’s epiphany rolled through the meld just behind Ghost’s realization.
*It’s them. Dear Goddess, it’s them. My father! My uncles! Ghost, it’s my family!* Gabe’s mental voice was ragged with elation and disbelief.
Burke’s awareness became stronger, more present, and pushed harder, reaching out for the soulstars. No returned contact, but Burke was able to reach out and get very close. Ghost sensed the dulled and painful rhythm of wolfkin minds, and as the seconds whirled past, Ghost knew it to be true.
*We found them.*
Before the Battle
Gabe, for lack of a better word, lost control. Ghost tried to calm his friend, but the young alpha was overwrought by emotions, pain and fear and desperation coiling together with relief and sharp elation.
*We can’t do anything here, not like this. Let’s get back to our bodies and start planning our next move,* Kane whispered.
*No! I’m not leaving them!* Gabe cried.
*Michael!* Burke called out, the Speaker’s voice a layered echo of sound, reaching out past the meld and contacting the shaman back at the mansion.
Gabe’s mind became chaotic, the red and blue being swallowed by darkness, the Voice unravelling as Gabe fought back. Just as Ghost began to worry for Burke, Gabe’s mind dropped from the meld, his spirit disappearing. Burke settled, and Ghost would have breathed out in relief if he was in his body. Michael’s brief mental touch a moment later told them that he’d used his gift to nullify Gabe’s ability and broken him free from the meld.
Kane’s awareness and Burke’s came to surround Ghost, the new shape of their meld adapting quickly. *Burke, can you hear them?*
*Nothing concrete. The silver poisoning is severe. They are dying, though, I can tell that much. The damage to their systems is extensive.*
*I can see the damage, too. But for the mind, there,* Ghost drew their attention to the soft blue soulstar that hummed gently beside the tainted stars. *The mind and soul of whoever that is—he is untouched by the silver poisoning. I would say human, but the soulstar is too similar to wolfkin. Can you hear him?* Ghost asked.
Burke was quiet, but Ghost could sense the Speaker pushing his awareness toward the sky blue star. *I can, but I don’t know if he can respond. It’s as if he’s a youngling who hasn’t found his wolf yet.*
*The hybrid?* Ghost asked, and both Burke and Kane reacted with surprise.
*Maybe,* Burke replied, his awareness quieting, as if he were trying to come to terms with the reality of the unknown creature’s existence. *Might just be a young wolfkin who hasn’t found his wolf yet, but then he would still be able to hear me. A youngster may not be able to answer, but he would hear me. I don’t think he can hear me, though.*
*We will know soon enough,* Kane responded, interrupting them. *Burke, how many wolfkin?*
*The count matches those still missing from Gabe’s family. I think we can assume the missing wolves are all accounted for—and if the strange one is not the hybrid, we have a youngling that hasn’t been reported as missing yet.*
*Let’s get a firm count. Note locations, patterns. We will come back tomorrow and free them,* Kane said. Both Kane and Burke began counting the humans, and Ghost returned his attention to the sky blue soulstar.
He was certain it was the hybrid. Still alive, and untouched by silver poisoning. Ghost drew closer, curious.
Walls were nothing, lines of shadow and light that he walked through with ease. Cages in two lines filled a corner of the basement. Muted stars glimmered, Gabe’s family suffering under the imprisonment and the silver drugs. Ghost wished he could help, but he was on the far side of the city…he had no body, no hands to lay upon their bodies.
A whisper. He startled, and turned. The sky-blue star morphed into a humanoid shape. He approached the cage, and knelt. A young man, about Ghost’s age, slumped against the back corner, shivering. He was thin, the cold of the late winter night wracking his frame, even in the basement of the odd building.
Eyes opened, locked on his. Ghost startled again, awed. The young man…this hybrid…looked like Marla. Like Ghost’s mother. It was there in the eyes. The shape of his jaw. There was no color to this world aside from the stars that shined within the living, so he could not tell what color the hybrid’s hair was, but the part was familiar, the thick waves and the way it fell across his brow. He was reminded strongly of the portrait that sat on Caius’ desk. Ghost’s awareness shivered, and the hybrid’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. Could he see Ghost? He was curious, and shifted, the narrowed eyes tracking him, the young man’s confused expression changing to one of certainty. The hybrid may not know who or what was watching him, but he knew something was.
Ghost knew that look, that emotion. Perfect certainty. Like Marla the hybrid may be, but his expression was all Caius. Ghost quaked. Alarm skittered across his mind. How? How could the hybrid look like Marla, like Caius? When did Remus get access to his mother’s or his grandfather’s blood, this thing Harmon called DNA? Ghost knew his mother fell in the ambush, the massacre Roman orchestrated with the late Remus brother.
Roman.
Ghost would have sat on his haunches if he was more than thought and energy. Roman. Of course. Roman, son to Caius and brother to Marla. Worked with the Remus brothers for twenty years. His own testimony before his death told Ghost that Roman participated in the sexual assaults and experiments on wolfkin. Roman revealed during his questioning that he gave his seed to the cause, and this youngling might well be the result.
*You may not hear me, cousin, but you will be safe, and soon. I swear to you.* He might not be able to hear Ghost, but he tried anyway, pushing outward with determination, with conviction. The youngling in the cage jolted, eyes searching, but unable to see Ghost.
The youngling in the cage sensed something, but Ghost could not tell if his words made it through.
*Little wolf,* Kane whispered. *We must get back, tell Caius everything. We need rest before we can return and free them.*
*Coming,* Ghost murmured. He backed away with reluctance, his cousin’s form blurring, returning to shadow and star.
He was about to return to his mate when something pulled at his mind. A whisper, and he turned, looking to the corner of the room. A curtain hung, haphazard, figures moving behind it.
Humans.
Ghost approached with caution, though he knew the humans would not be able to tell Ghost was there. Humans were blind to the soul, the spirit world. He got to the edge of the curtain, and peeked, curious and nervous at once.
Humans sat at a couple tables and computers, talking to each other, their stars muted yellows with dull brown lines snaking through them. His lip would have curled if he was wolf—these were rotten souls, as rotted as Roman’s rogue wolves who attacked Ghost in Baxter weeks before. Evil corrupted both their species.
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There was a long table, a single occupant stretched out. Ghost hovered, curious. The body glowed with a dull light, the flesh alive. It was living…but…there was no soul.
A soulless wolf lay upon the table, hooked to wires and tubes. A heart still beat, lungs filled and released air, but there was no consciousness within, no soul, no spirit.
Horror filled his mind, and Ghost froze, stilled by terror and an utter sense of despair. A sheet covered most of the poor creature, disguising its features, tape over eyes and a tube stuck down its throat. Kept alive by mankind’s machines.
The wolf who slumbers. She would call it home, but how? It was empty, flesh without spirit.
*Ghost!* Kane called again, urgent.
Ghost spun away. He pushed his awareness towards his mate, letting Kane and Burke pull him back to themselves, the meld retreating. Burke pulled back on his awareness and Ghost diminished the Spiritsight, and the shadow world fell into darkness.
He thought of his body, sitting beside the coffee table in his grandfather’s study. The warmth from his mate’s body sitting next to his, the way his scent filled his senses and gave him comfort.
He opened his eyes on a gasp, blinking, tears running down his cheeks. Burke was coughing, Gabe holding him up. Kane slumped, catching himself with one arm before he fell to the floor.
“Are you well?” Michael asked, leaning over him. Ghost nodded, coughing a few times.
“We’re okay,” Ghost breathed out. Exhaustion hit him, and he swayed. “We found them.”
“So Gabe said,” Caius replied, standing over him. “He came back frantic. What can you tell me?”
“We found the missing wolfkin, Sir. Almost two dozen humans, half of which I would think are well armed guards.” Kane explained, and Burke nodded.
“I found three more wolfkin nearby, a block or so away from the building. I was able to break through their mental walls—they are surviving members of Roman’s rogue wolves.” Burke slowly stood, Gabe helping him. “Based on the structure and location, I can tell you it’s part of the old campus grounds of the university. That used to be the old storage facility for the Science Department back when I was a student there.”
Kane crawled over to Ghost, who gladly let his mate pull him onto his lap. Ghost sagged, utterly spent. Kane kissed his hair and then looked back to Burke. “Have you been in that building before? Do you know the layout?”
Burke was going to answer but he staggered, Gabe having to catch the bigger alpha, both of them nearly falling to the floor. Caius shooed Gabe away and lifted Burke one-handed back to his feet, keeping a grip on his upper arm. “The four of you are about to pass out. You all managed a feat of magic I did not think possible. I’ll alert the scouts to the building and have them set up a perimeter. Get some sleep, and we’ll discuss our plans this afternoon. We go in tonight and I need my Heir and Speaker functional.”
“Yes, sir,” Kane said, and Ghost let sleep take him when Kane got to his feet, holding Ghost securely in his arms.
They all slept for hours, waking in the late afternoon. Ghost found himself alone in bed, a brief mind touch enough to tell him his mate was with his tactical team in Caius’ study. A tense atmosphere hummed through the mansion, and Ghost felt like he was on edge himself, ready for something to happen.
He showered, and thinking of the night’s activities, actually managed to put on a normal enough outfit. A couple bags of clothing with store tags still attached appeared in the room while they were sleeping, likely from a helpful beta. Boots, dark jeans, and a dark sweater was all he could tolerate, and he grew out his claws long enough to slice the sweater’s collar, loosening it around his neck. He still disliked wearing shirts, but walking around the city at night without a shirt in winter would draw more attention than he wanted.
Ghost left the suite and headed for his grandfather’s study. A few wolves were about, and they paused and stepped to the side, eyeing him with something akin to awe, their eyes wide and their hearts thumping harder when they saw him. No one said anything, and Ghost was too impatient to think about why they would react in such a way.
The scent of deer made him perk up, all but jogging when he slipped inside the partially open door of the study. Kane’s tactical team lined up along the walls and near the rear of the room, some nodding to him as he entered. He smiled, but hurried forward, stomach growling as he narrowed in on the platters of warm food on the coffee table. Slabs of seared venison and oven-baked potatoes made his mouth water, and he only ended up using a plate because Burke shoved one into his hands, laden with food.
Kane was in the middle of what seemed like a briefing, reminding Ghost of all the human police shows he used to watch with Cat every night on television.
“The scouts report that there’s been no activity. No shift change. Wherever the humans are sleeping it has to be in the building somewhere. It’s been almost twelve hours since we discovered their location. They may do twenty-four hour shifts, so when we go in tonight, we may or may not run into a shift change.” Kane was standing next to a large flat screen TV on a stand with wheels, and a small remote he was using to switch between pictures of an abandoned building with signs around it with red lettering. “We aren’t going to take the chance that Remus will notice the scouts and move the Ashland wolves. We go in tonight. Live ammo. Kill the guards. Doctors or scientists …”
“No,” Ghost said, dropping a piece of meat before he bit into it. “Those men, the scientists—their souls are rotted through. They know too much and have committed horrible acts against our people. Sparing them will only give them a chance to harm us again or share what they know with more humans. Kill them all.”
Heads turned in his direction, mouths gaped, shocked breaths held. Kane gazed back at him, steady. “Are you sure, little wolf?”
An angry whisper muttered from the corners of the room, behind Ghost’s ear. He nodded. “She wishes this to end. All the humans who participated in this nightmare must die.”
Ghost remembered what the Great Mother told him in the winter meadow. That Remus already had what he needed to destroy the wolfkin. Remus and the human monsters all had to die.
“Do as he said,” Caius ordered calmly from his seat at the desk. “Remus dies as well.”
“We don’t know if he’s there,” Burke spoke up, looking between Kane and Caius. “The scouts can’t tell the identities of anyone in the building. They only got as close as they did without being spotted because they were only taking pictures. Any closer for scents and they will give themselves away.”
“We plan as if he were so we don’t lose him in the chaos. If he’s not there after this op is done, we find him another day.” Kane said, and growls echoed around the room. Everyone wanted this over with.
“Normally I would do this sort of thing with just my team, but the building is too large and we don’t know when or if more humans will arrive once this starts, so I’m calling in everyone with combat experience. My team is trained in firearms and modern tech, but we’ll take anyone from the clan who’s fought before in a structured way. Even if the last time in battle was with a shield and sword. Send volunteers to Burke. We leave tonight at 9pm. Breach at midnight. Be ready to move earlier if the scouts report back that the Ashland wolves are being moved. Eat, check weapons, rest, and wait for my order. Dismissed.”
The tactical team nodded to Kane and Caius as they left the study in pairs or groups to prepare. Ghost happily sat on the leather couch, gnawing at a venison steak he held in his hand. Once the crowd left, he saw Michael near the opposite wall and Gabe was standing next to him, looking exhausted. “Did either of you sleep?”
Gabe shook his head. “Not much, not really. I can’t stop thinking about my father and my uncles.”
“I called Heromindes earlier, but it went to voicemail. I left a message.” Caius said quietly, and Gabe gave the clan leader a wan smile.<
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“His pride was deeply bruised by the events of the Tribunal,” Gabe dared, and Caius actually cracked a smile.
“Don’t worry about Hero,” Caius said. “Leave that to me.”
“I don’t understand,” Ghost said around a chunk of meat. Kane chuckled and hit a button on the remote, powering off the TV.
“Gabe would like to stay in Black Pine,” Kane explained. “Caius already said he could once this is over.”
“You don’t want to go back with your family?” Ghost asked, taking a bite out of a loaded potato.
Gabe shrugged, and looked down. Michael put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed, the young alpha drooping. “C’mon, cub. Let’s both get some rest while we can.”
Michael led Gabe from the room. Burke followed, closing the door behind him as he went.
Ghost ate, ravenous. Kane gave him an indulgent smile and replaced his empty plate with a full one, and a tall glass of water. A quick kiss from his mate, and Ghost went back to eating.
Caius was still at his desk, and Ghost sneaked a peek. His grandfather stared at Marla’s picture, his expression empty, but his eyes were dark. Little of the wolf showed beneath Caius’ steely exterior, and Ghost thought back to what he had seen in the night while their spirits traveled.
The youngling, the hybrid who shared a strong resemblance to his family. The soulless wolf who slumbered, the body nothing but flesh and artificial life, a shell.
“Grandpa Caius,” Ghost said, putting his now empty plate beside him on the couch, clutching his water glass. Kane looked up from his own meal, casting an inquisitive glance between Ghost and Caius.
Caius blinked, and looked away from his daughter’s portrait. He quirked a brow at Ghost, who smiled wide. “You need to come with us.”
