Lone Wolf

by Karen Whiddon

  One step ahead of him, Marika was already fully dressed and halfway out the door, with him close on her heels.

  She came to a halt so abrupt that he nearly ran into her.

  Though the wee hours of the morning were usually quiet, this time they both knew something else was amiss. The empty streets looked like something from a movie, as though giant aliens had swooped down and exterminated anything that moved. Not a single car, bus, truck or airplane disturbed the complete and utter stillness.

  His uneasiness accelerated.

  “There’s not even a bird,” she whispered, already tensing into a battle crouch. “Something’s very wrong here.”

  “Brigid.” He spoke the word like a curse. “I don’t know what she did or how she did it, but I can feel the residue from her magic lingering in the air. I can feel it surrounding us, closing in.”

  Though she nodded, she kept moving forward.

  “Marika, wait. I think we’re walking into a trap.”

  As though he’d spoken his own form of spell, people began to appear in the early morning streets. At first one, then two, six and then ten, they spilled from every doorway and came from around every corner. They moved in unison, with single-minded intent, their wooden steps, rigid posture and vacant stares suggesting zombies or sleepwalkers. They were obviously laboring under some kind of magical spell.

  And as one, they all headed directly for Beck and Marika, moving with an unblinking intensity.

  Beck and Marika exchanged a glance.

  “Hellhounds,” he said.

  “Ditto,” she snarled. “I don’t know if they’ve been sent to capture us or kill us, but I don’t intend to wait around to find out.”

  With that, she spun on her heel, taking off at vampire speed, with Beck right behind her.

  They zigged left, then right, each time coming up short at the wall of people blocking their way. There was nowhere to run.

  Around every corner, no matter which way they turned, a dead end waited. Throngs of people blocked their way.

  People—all kinds. Human and vampire. Shifters, too. All with the same vacant stare. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands. And still, more kept coming.

  They were completely, utterly surrounded by a circle of Brigid’s minions.

  “We’re going to have to fight,” she said.

  With anyone else, Beck would have found the odds against them astronomical. But this was Marika, and he’d seen her magic work against Brigid before.

  “Use your magic,” he urged. “That’s the only way we stand a chance.”

  “I’ll try.” Though she didn’t sound hopeful, she sounded fierce.

  Back to back, each assumed battle stance. All he had was his loaded Glock and a little extra ammo. Glancing at the ever-tightening circle of people, he knew it wouldn’t matter. If he shot the front line, the others would simply keep coming. There weren’t enough bullets or time to take down so many.

  Where her shoulder blades touched his back, he felt a tingling so strong it was a vibration, which became a gradually increasing heat. Burning. Power. Magic.

  Palms up, Marika held out her hands. “Stop,” she ordered.

  As one, the crowd stopped. Dead in their tracks, some even with their foot raised in the act of taking another step.

  As if they were under a spell.

  “You used magic,” he said, amazed.

  “No. Yes.” She held up her hands, staring at them as if she’d never seen them before. “I guess I must have. I don’t know.”

  If she’d been anyone else, he would have suspected she was playing with him. But the wild look in her eyes told him she was serious.

  “Who am I to question it? If whatever I’m doing is working, then I’ll go with it.” She shrugged, the slight quiver in her no-nonsense tone telling him she wasn’t nearly as collected as she tried to appear.

  “Try for more.”

  With a slight frown, she stared at him. “What?”

  “My guess is that you don’t know what you can do. Am I right?”

  She gave a small nod.

  “Then see if any of them know where Dani is. If they’re under your power, you should be able to make them tell you. Or, better yet, show you.”

  Dipping her chin, she turned to face the nearest group. Still frozen, their expressions unchanging, they didn’t even appear to realize she’d moved closer to them.

  Squaring her shoulders, Marika took a deep breath. “Listen up, all of you. If anyone here knows how to find my daughter, step forward.”

  Not a single soul moved.

  Then the group to their left parted, splitting clean down the middle like the Red Sea parting for Moses. A single woman moved among them, her walk fluid and unencumbered by the constraints of magic. Behind her trailed three others.

  Renenet, the vampiress they’d feared destroyed in the house fire.

  When she reached Marika, she made a slow turn, taking in the still-frozen crowd. One artfully shaped brow rose. “Brigid was afraid you’d figure out the extent of your power. I told her the stress of losing your daughter might help bring it to the forefront of your subconscious, but she wouldn’t listen.”

  “I haven’t lost my daughter. She was taken from me.”

  “Ah, you’ve found her then?” One corner of Renee’s perfect mouth lifted, a sign of amused contempt.

  Crossing her arms, Marika glared. “You know damn well I haven’t. What do you want?”

  “You said if anyone knew where your child was hidden, they should come forward. I might have an idea where she is, but it’s plain to see I’m not wanted.” She turned to go.

  “Wait.” Marika’s soft-spoken order acted like another spell, causing the other vampire to freeze in place.

  “What have you done?” All traces of amusement vanished. Instead rage and a glimmer of fear flashed across Renee’s face. “Release me, this instant,” she demanded. “Your magic doesn’t work on me.”

  “Doesn’t it? Where is Dani?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You just said you did. Now tell me. Where is my little girl?”

  Beck moved up to stand beside Marika, giving Renee a warning look. Behind her, her entourage clustered together, their hoods concealing their faces.

  “I said I might have an idea.” Renee moved her arms up slowly, grimacing as though lead weights had been tied to them. “Brigid doesn’t know for sure, either, but she has had some visions of Dani and others. Something to do with the lights.”

  Dani had mentioned the lights. She glanced at Beck and saw comprehension flash across his face.

  “The ghost lights?” Beck asked, referring to the mysterious phenomena usually seen near U.S. 67 east of Marfa.

  Of course. The ghost lights.

  “Yes.” Fury still blazing from the other vampire’s eyes, she struggled to turn herself to face him. As she moved, Beck swore he could see the bones beneath the perfect layer of creamy skin. He remembered Marika telling him that Renee was very old.

  Her effort to move slowly worked. Finally, like a dog shaking off water, Renee shook herself and then faced Marika. “Brigid doesn’t have your girl. She’s looking for her, as well. Her and all the others like her.”

  “We figured that. What we don’t know is why.”

  “I don’t know. She’s been looking for one like her for years. You know there are others. I think there are thirteen. Maybe more now. Even with all her power, Brigid hasn’t been able to capture a single one. They might as well be dragonflies with the entire sky to fly in.”

  Marika’s expression didn’t change. “That seems odd. Do you know why? She’s so powerful. How can it be that her magic doesn’t work against them?”

  “No one knows. Brigid herself doesn’t even know. That’s one of the reasons she wants so badly to capture one.”

  “You speak of them as if they’re things, not small children.” Beck moved closer, wishing he could read her expression. But when she turned her gaze on him, there was n
o mistaking the animosity in her eyes. He wondered where that had come from. She hadn’t reacted to him like this before. Hell, she’d barely even noticed him the last—and only—time he’d seen her.

  “What’s it to you, shifter dog?” Her lip curled.

  “As if you don’t know.” He ripped the words off, impatient. “I’m Dani’s father.”

  The contempt vanished, and shock and confusion flashed across Renee’s face before she managed to school her expression back to a neutral one of control. “Her father.”

  “You didn’t know?” Marika asked, watching her closely.

  “No.”

  “Brigid knew. I wonder why she didn’t tell you.”

  “Because she doesn’t entirely trust me,” Renee admitted. “And that would explain why, when we met the last time, I was supposed to capture you both. When she wouldn’t tell me why, I refused. That’s why she blew up the house.”

  Beck and Marika exchanged a look. “Brigid blew up that house?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Renee looked disgusted. “Though she knew we wouldn’t die, she wanted to punish me for what she calls ‘insubordination.’ But I don’t work for her—never have, never will.”

  “Then why were you meeting with us on her behalf?”

  “It sounded pretty harmless. She called in a favor and I agreed to meet with you, not capture you. The capture order came after you got there. I refused. I won’t do that to one of my own kind.”

  “What’s Brigid up to?” Marika asked, more a wondering out loud than a direct question.

  Renee, however, decided to answer. “She’s running scared, Marika Tarus. She’s afraid of you, but more importantly, she’s terrified of your daughter and the others like her.”

  “And you? What about you? Where do you figure in all this, and why have you come to me now?”

  “Because I, like you, had a child born of another species, though mine was part Fae.” Renee squared her shoulders, facing them proudly.

  “Was?” Marika watched the other vampire closely. “What happened to your child?”

  A flash of sorrow came and went on Renee’s face. “She was in the first wave of these creatures. The shifters tried to capture her.”

  She shot Beck a look of hatred. “This was during the first Vampire-Pack war, many years ago. They killed her before I could save her.”

  Chapter 13

  Renee had lost a child? Even though she’d said it was during the first Vampire-Pack war, which meant that the child had died centuries ago, her pain was still raw.

  And her rage against his kind. Stunned, Beck could only watch as Marika bowed her head, touching Renenet on the arm. “I’m so sorry. You’ve borne your loss in secret all these years?”

  “I had no choice.” She lifted her chin. “Too many of our kind are distrustful of the griffon children. And even though the war is long over and we have a truce, I’ve never trusted them.” She jabbed a finger in Beck’s direction.

  “But I kept hearing about more being born and realized things were preparing to shift. I could stay silent no longer. That’s initially why I agreed to help Brigid. I wanted to spare other children the same fate.”

  Death at the hands of shifters.

  Until now, Beck hadn’t been entirely sure he could trust Renee. Even now, a niggle of doubt still bothered him.

  Still, shifters were the ones believed to have captured Dani, though he had no proof of that, either.

  Marika, however, appeared to accept what the other woman said at face value. “And now you want to help me?”

  “Yes.” Renee lifted her chin, meeting Beck’s gaze. “Because I’ve seen that Brigid is no better than the shifters who are capturing these children. She only wants them so she can use them for her own gain.”

  Beck crossed his arms, saying nothing. He couldn’t shake the creepiness of having this intimate conversation surrounded by motionless people.

  As though she read his mind, Marika glanced over at him and smiled. “Maybe we should go somewhere else and talk.”

  “I agree. That café is open.” She pointed to a place across the street. “We might have to pour our own coffee, but at least we’ll be able to sit and talk.”

  No one moved.

  Beck shot Marika a quick look, which she returned. They both wanted to get the hell out of Marfa. But not until they heard what Renee had to say.

  Seeing this, Renee sighed. “You have great magic.” Renee clasped Marika’s shoulder. “Crowd control. Yours is stronger than any I’ve seen, save Brigid’s.”

  “Yet it didn’t affect you.”

  “It did, but I was able to break free from your spell.” Eyes twinkling, the other vampire inclined her head. “You should use your magic to find your daughter.”

  “We’re trying,” Marika said with a rueful smile. “So far we haven’t had any luck.”

  Coughing softly, Beck tried to warn Marika not to reveal everything, not yet.

  Again Renee glanced at Beck, though this time her gaze had softened. “I did not know that you are the father. You have as much to lose as Marika. I will help you, too.”

  He spoke for the first time. “I’m not certain we need your help.”

  “That’s your choice.” Focusing her attention back on Marika, Renee inclined her head. “Over the centuries, your name has been well respected. If you want my assistance, I will help you with what I can.”

  “What about Simon?” Beck asked. “The other Pack guy who was there at Brigid’s little gathering? What happened to him?”

  The other vampire turned her clear gaze on him. “I don’t know.”

  Moving slowly and deliberately, Beck pulled his cell phone from his pocket, opened it and punched in the code for Simon’s number. He waited while it rang and rang, and, when eventually the voice mail picked up, he disconnected the call without leaving a message.

  “Still no answer,” he said. “So help me, if anything’s happened to him, Brigid will pay. He just got married.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine.” Marika came to him, slipping her arm around his waist. “Brigid’s not in the habit of harming shifters.”

  “Yet,” he muttered darkly. “I think we should continue to go it alone.”

  “I have more to say,” Renee interrupted. “Will you let me speak before you make your decision?”

  He shrugged, considering, then finally nodded.

  Surrounding by living, breathing statues, Beck couldn’t help but marvel at the surreal atmosphere. He was Pack, a shape-shifter, and had grown up balancing on the thin line between the human’s narrow view of reality and the paranormal side of truth. Of course he’d known that magic existed, that elves and faeries existed in their realm of mists and enchantment, but he’d never actually seen such strong magic at work until the past few days.

  Even worse, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something. Some clue, dangling right in front of his nose.

  As Renenet continued, the words spilling from her mouth rapid-fire, his attention wandered. The elusive clue hovered just out of reach.

  Something in the singsong tone of Renee’s voice.

  Beck needed one of those aha, flash-of-insight moments. Right now, though, they were getting nowhere.

  “Renee,” he interrupted, cutting off the other woman midword. “Even if we could trust you, which I doubt, why should we? What could you possibly bring to the table that we don’t already have?”

  “I was waiting for you to ask that.” Renenet smiled. “Because I bring you this.”

  At her gesture, one of her hooded escorts stepped forward, opening her cloak to reveal a young boy of seven or eight years.

  He stared up at them, his blue eyes huge and unafraid.

  “Tell them what you told me,” Renee ordered, pushing the child in front of her.

  Sandy-colored hair failing over his long-lashed eyes, he offered a nervous smile, gazing at Marika. “Dani’s trying to find you, you know.”

  Marika froze, her expression stricken
. “How do you know this?” she whispered. “How do you know her name?”

  “Because he was there,” Renee answered for him.

  Beck lifted his hand. “Let him speak for himself. How do you know Dani’s looking for her mother?”

  The child blinked, his smile stalling. “Because I was with her. I watched over her and some of the others, because I’m older.”

  Crouching down, Beck made his face level with the boy’s, close enough to count his freckles. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Eli.”

  “How old are you, Eli?”

  “Eight, sir.”

  Beck gave him a reassuring smile. “Are you like Dani?”

  Unsure, Eli frowned.

  “Can you change into a griffon, too?”

  Eli’s eyes widened. “A griffon?”

  Gentling his stern tone, Beck touched his slender shoulder. “A winged creature.”

  Coloring, Eli nodded. “Yes. All of us can do that.”

  “All of you? How many are there?”

  “I don’t know.” With a shrug, Eli began counting, using his fingers and muttering names under his breath. “Twelve,” he finally said. “Thirteen, counting me.”

  Thirteen. Just as Brigid had said.

  “Who’s holding you prisoner? Dani said something about some…dogs. Are they wolves, shape-shifters?”

  Eli raised his brows, looking surprised. “No one’s holding us. I thought you knew. We escaped, a week ago. We split up into two groups. Most of us wanted to go home and did.”

  “But you didn’t?”

  Eli shook his head. “No one to go home to. My family’s gone. I lived in a foster home. There’s nothin’ there for me.”

  “How’d you end up here, with them?” Beck indicated the vampires.

  “I’ve been trying to find Dani’s group,” the little boy explained, his expression solemn. “I’ve been hearing her cry a lot—she’s so powerful, you know? And I’ve been worried.”

  Until now, Marika had stood stone-faced, listening. Now she came closer, dropping onto her haunches and peering intently into Eli’s freckled face. “What do you mean, she’s so powerful?”