This news seemed to shock her. “She’s Sweeney Todd.” She brought up the name the media had given the serial killer that had been taking out cosmetologists months back as she put two and two together: the murders with the existence of vampires.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Did you know?”
“Not until the last one. She almost killed me too, but Hades and Percy saved my life.”
“Whoa,” she said, her eyes bugging wide, her scent mellowing.
I leaned back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
I waved my hand for her to go on.
“How old are you, really?”
I smiled. “Well, I was born around 1853 and I was 24 when I was bitten, I think, so over 180.”
“Damn, girl, you’re ancient,” she said, a slow smile developing in her lips.
“Well, not compared to Percy,” I said.
“I heard that!” said Percy, entering the break room. “The police called, they traced the number and are dealing with it.” She seemed to have abandoned her glamour for good.
“Finally,” I said. “Did they say who?”
“No. Amanda, I hope you will be staying on?” Percy patted Amanda’s hand.
“For now, at least. I’ve gotta go where the money is, and if this place goes down, I’ll have to go somewhere else.”
“Perfectly understandable, dear. I’ll leave you girls to it, I have work to do.” Percy patted her hand again, then left us.
“So are we still friends?” I asked tentatively.
“Yes, so long as you don’t try to eat me.” Amanda raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re not my type.”
“Gretchen!” she slapped my upper arm with the back of her hand.
I laughed and drank my now cold tea. “I make a point of not eating friends. However, if I find out who our caller is, all bets are off on him.”
“He’d probably think it was hot,” she said, throwing it back at me.
“Ew! Gross!” I shuddered at the thought.
“You’re okay, Gretch.”
“Thanks, you are too.”
She smiled. I could tell she didn’t completely love the idea of me not being completely human, but it was a step in the right direction.
The next few days felt almost uneventful. I filled out my hated registration paperwork and saw their doctor. He drew my blood, weighed me, and asked a hundred and one questions pertaining to how I was changed (I told him I didn’t remember), how old I was, and what my abilities were. I lied my heart out, trying to make myself sound more golden retriever than attack dog.
Doug and Evangeline did the same, and I was shocked that my young charge kept her cool. No one knew about Emery, so I didn’t bother to enlighten them.
Likewise, Percy and Hades told the doctors nothing about their hired hands or even the pack of freaks living on their property. I was kind of stunned that Meredith had forgotten to mention them. Or perhaps she hadn’t connected the dots.
I completed another hat, identical to the one I had given to Evangeline, but in a deep royal blue. It wasn’t a color I normally wore, but it turned out that I loved it for a small pop of color.
Evangeline wore hers constantly. She was a new child since her brother arrived. She was smiling, talkative, and even sometimes helpful. The grim reaper shadowing her had disappeared, she knew she was going to live.
I’d written a letter to their pack alpha, requesting that he hand over custody of Emery as well.
A week later, I received a phone call from Alpha Victor.
“My answer is no,” he said without preamble.
“I don’t think you understand. The boy stays with me unless you can take him from me. We both know you can’t, even if you chose a second, your pack simply isn’t strong enough.”
He growled into the other end of the line.
“I understand your frustration, I really do, but you can’t afford to keep the wolves you have. A hungry wolf is a dangerous wolf, and in the current climate, we can’t afford for people to fear us, or haven’t you heard of the registration act?”
“I have.” Victor’s voice was heavy.
I suspected he wanted to do right by his pack, but couldn’t afford to.
“I won’t keep you from your children. You may come to my territory at any time for a visit. But that invitation will be revoked if you are at all aggressive towards me or mine. Understood?”
“Perfectly,” he said, sounding defeated.
“That said, if you ask for help for your pack, I will freely give it,” I offered.
“Thank you.” Victor’s voice was strained, and he hung up without another word.
I didn’t expect to hear from him anytime soon, which was sad. He needed help, but he was most definitely too proud to ask or accept.
I knocked on Emery’s door after I got off the phone.
“You can stay,” I told him as soon as he opened up.
He broke into a wide grin. “Really? Thank you, alpha!” he wrapped me in his thin, strong arms.
“I’ll let you tell Eva. She’s out working with Christina in the shop.”
Emery let go of me and bolted out the door in search of his twin.
It looked like I had another kid. We might actually qualify as a real pack. I felt my wolf sigh in contentment, and I felt just a slight bit more in control. If this was what it felt like to be in a pack, I wish I had done it sooner.
The strange thing was, I still felt the full weight of being the alpha, not a shared responsibility with Doug like I’d hoped. My wolf could handle including him in the decision making, so long as she liked the outcome. I dreaded the moment we disagreed on a major pack issue. Another week passed, and I felt my wolf taking control as the full moon approached.
Percy was working with me every day in obedience training. Why did Slim Jims have to taste so damn good? I found myself wanting to earn them. Blast Percy and her sneaky ways!
I woke and stretched languidly. Someone had turned up the heaters in the kennel, and I think I may have slept in a bit. I stood and stretched some more, lacing my fingers together and reaching towards the ceiling, then retrieved some blankets to cover my drowsy pack, who were just on the cusp of waking up. I let myself out and made my way up to the house.
This time, Percy was awake and dressed—and in an exceedingly good mood.
“Good morning, my dear!” she handed me a steaming cup of tea and heaped protein-packed food onto a plate to set in front of me.
I took a seat and dug in. “G’morning.” I didn’t want to discuss anything until I had food in my rumbling belly.
“I have wonderful news, wonderful news,” she said, practically bouncing with excitement.
I swallowed a mostly chewed mouthful. “The government issued an apology?” I guessed hopefully.
“If only. No, no, it’s your wolf, you’re obedient!” She clapped her hands and beamed at me, like it was the best news in the world.
“Say that again?” I put my fork down, having suddenly lost my appetite.
“You started to obey commands! My trick was to have Hades help out. You followed his commands right off, then we alternated, and I took over! There’s not much you’re not willing to do for a Slim Jim. Isn’t it marvelous!” The warm floral smell of excitement poured from her.
“Great.” I slammed my forehead down on the table.
“No, this is good news for you. Apparently, this is how it used to be, or so Hades told me. Packs used to have a master or a mistress to look out for them. As a result, weres used to be more in tune with their wolves all month long, more as one.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that, but I was pretty desperate to gain control.
“Just think of it, no more constant warring with yourself. Inner peace,” Percy continued, clasping her hands under her chin.
I finished my breakfast, not daring to comment. I didn’t kn
ow what I could say without coming off as ungrateful. Control was essential, now more than ever. But did I really want someone else to be able to control me? Even for inner peace? I stilled as I considered the repercussions of giving this ancient being so much power. As much as I had loved and trusted her in the past, this wasn’t about just me anymore.
My pack joined me, and I said nothing to them on the subject, though I planned to talk to Doug in private.
“Join me in the library?” I invited my husband.
“Of course, ma colombe.”
I excused myself from the breakfast table, sought out my knitting, and adjourned to the library to work on my blanket squares. Caleb waved at me and smiled when I sat down next to his tank. I wondered if he had any regular visitors, now that he was out of the seclusion of the barn. I felt bad for the kid, leading such a lonely life. At least when he had been a part of the sideshow, he had had almost constant company. Now, he was separated from all that was familiar. The freaks rarely hung around the house. I couldn’t blame them, the purer fae rarely made them feel welcome. Although Sabrina did help out Christina and Percy in their little workshop, the others were just given chores. The kids, Caleb, Angelica, and Burn, were pretty much kept in seclusion for safety’s sake.
Doug joined me shortly.
“What’s up?” he asked, kissing my cheek. He seated himself next to me and placed a gentle hand on my knee. He knew I was feeling agitated.
I repeated, as best I could, all that Percy had told me and the thoughts that were churning around in my head.
“I agree, ma colombe, having Percy as our pack mistress sounds dangerous. On the other hand, you are right, control of our wilder sides is going to be essential to our survival. Perhaps we can get someone to replace Percy?”
“Yeah, but who?” I asked, I sank back into the love seat and pulled him along with me, so I could rest my head on his shoulder.
“I don’t know. It bears thinking on, do you agree?” He absently ran a hand up and down my bare arm.
I nodded. “It would have to be someone we trust, obviously. Maybe someone who doesn’t have any magic of their own.”
He nodded, his head brushing my own. “Yes, or an agenda.”
“True story,” I said, glad I had someone to share my worries with. We would have to choose a master or mistress very carefully.
Saturday found me in the recording studio. This time I was the last one there, and the tension in my boys was so thick I was almost afraid to enter the room and upset the delicate balance of tempers.
“What’s going on?” I asked, gently setting my things on the floor.
“There seems to be a problem,” said Austin, easily the most diplomatic member of the group.
“You’re the problem,” Scott spat, staring daggers at me.
My jaw dropped as my eyes narrowed. “Me? What’s going on?” I stood my ground and attempted to remain calm as I tried to ascertain this sudden turn of events.
Mark scratched at the back of his head with one hand. “There’s this list, it just came out online.”
“Of fae. You’re on it, werewolf.” Scott spoke as if he thought werewolf was a dirty term, and I’d heard him say much worse without a pause.
I hadn’t been made aware that the list was being published yet.
“Yes, I am.” I decided not to beat around the bush, I had informed him before that I was a freak.
“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Mark asked.
“Would you have believed me? I didn’t really want to be on the list but someone exposed us.” I explained as best I could, with Scott’s continued glare.
“So the eyes,” Mark pointed, “not contacts then.”
I’d stopped wearing the muddy brown contacts that hid the natural amber color of my irises, right after I finished filling out my paperwork. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the look on the town clerk’s face, when I dropped it off on her desk.
“Nope.” I smiled in what I hoped was an encouraging manner.
“Cool,” he said.
“Not. Cool.” Scott slammed his hand against the wall he was leaning against with each word. “She lied to us.”
“No, she didn’t,” said Austin. “She’s right, we wouldn’t have believed her.”
“Anything I can help you all with? Or can we get started?” Blake, the producer, poked his head through the door.
“Fuck this,” growled Scott through clenched teeth. “I’m out if she’s staying.” He pointed an accusing finger in my direction, the hate rolling off him in bitter waves.
“If that’s what you want, man.” Mark shrugged his shoulders, his hand remaining shoved in his pockets.
“You’re seriously choosing that animal over a human being?” shouted Scott.
To our surprise, it was Austin who threw the punch that set Scott reeling into the wall. Scott completely lost it. He launched himself at Austin, hitting him like a football linebacker. Mark attempted to pull them apart and got socked in the jaw for his pains.
I cloaked myself in my wolf. “Enough!” I roared. My teeth sharpened and I felt myself start to change shape. I fought to keep control and won.
“That’s enough,” I growled again, stalking forward like the beast I was.
As abruptly as the fight started, it slid to a halt.
“Get a grip,” I said, taking my own advice and leashing my wolf. I grabbed my stuff and walked out, not trusting myself if I stayed.
Back at home, I ran into Bob.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Wolfemin. Because you expressed an interest in helping me out, I’d like to extend you an offer. Ever since that ridiculous list came out, we’ve been having trouble with snoops on the property. I’ve only a few fresh zombies at the moment, and they’re needed elsewhere, would you mind being put on foot patrol? Since you have been outed, it’s unlikely you will need back up.”
“Sure,” I said. There wasn’t much for me to do in the salon, so I had plenty of free time.
“Wonderful. I’ve already spoken to your husband and offered him a job as well. If you two could work out a daytime schedule, I’ll have my charges take the night.”
“All right, we can do that.” I nodded.
“You’ll be paid well. I’ll get you set up with a gun. Can you shoot?” he asked.
I’d dabbled with guns before and could shoot fairly well, though I didn’t know much about their inner workings or the different models.
“Yup,” I said.
“Wonderful.” The corners of his eyes crinkled like he was smiling. “If you don’t mind a meeting after supper, we can go over the particulars then.”
“I can do that,” I said.
Bob inclined his head, turned, and disappeared around the edge of the house.
I had no clients, as I was supposed to spend the day at the recording studio, so I went in search of Doug and the kids. I found them ensconced in the library. Evangeline was working with her brother on math and seemed pretty pleased that she could show him how to do it.
“Hey,” I said, kissing my husband and pulling up a chair so I could join them.
“Hey, yourself, how come you’re home so early?” Doug asked. His eyebrows scrunched in concern.
I waved my hand at him. “Long story.”
“I have time.” He took my hand.
My phone buzzed so I pulled it out of my pocket. The text from Mark read: No more record, no more band :(
I heaved a heavy sigh. “Well, that’s it then.”
Doug gave me a questioning look.
“Chaos Theory is no more.” I filled him in.
“What happened?” he asked.
The kids stopped their work to listen in.
I heaved another sigh. “You know how the list was released?”
Doug nodded.
“The boys read it. Mark and Austin seemed to be all right with what I am, but Scott flipped.”
“Scott? I thought he had feelings for you,” said Doug.
“He did, but now those f
eelings are that I’m the devil. They got into a fight with punches thrown and everything. I snapped and left. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch them.” I turned to the kids. “I left so I wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
They nodded their understanding of my point. Evangeline shifted uneasily in her chair, tapping her pencil. She bit her lip, then finally asked, “How bad did I hurt those guys?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, but I can try to check on them if you like.”
I had no idea how to go about that without revealing our involvement.
“Would you?” Her eyes were just as pleading as her tone.
“I can try,” I repeated.
Evangeline gave me the smallest of smiles, then turned her attention back to her workbook.
“So, I hear you got a job? I’ll take the afternoons if you want to keep the same schedule with the kids.” I addressed Doug again.
“That works for me,” he said. “And I’m truly sorry for what happened with your band. I know how much you loved playing with them.”
“Thanks, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, Scott hasn’t been exactly stable since Penny was murdered.”
“No, he has not. But as sorry as I feel for him, he needs to grow up. You’ve been friends with them for quite some time. Why not continue with the band without Scott?”
I shrugged. “It was Mark’s call, I guess. Maybe he’ll start another band sometime.” Of course, that didn’t guarantee I’d be a part of it. Being a werewolf, no matter my talent as a musician, was a massive strike against me.
“I hope so, it would be a shame to have no one hear you play, especially now that you could really let yourself go with your music.”
I couldn’t help but agree with him. It would be interesting to let loose in front of an audience, to see what 100 years’ worth of practice could sound like. There was also a part of me that was afraid they’d only see an animal standing in front of them, a performing bear.
That night, Bob handed Doug and me each a gun and a box of bullets. He went over loading and cleaning them, our schedules, and our pay.
“Any questions before I leave you?” asked Bob.
Doug and I shook our heads.
“And you are all set to start tomorrow?”
Pack of Freaks: Beasts Among Us - Book 2 Page 28
