by K. N. Banet
“Yeah…” I leaned back again, frowning at my drink. “I was just messing with you. Trying to take your advice.”
“We could leave earlier…” he suggested, pushing his empty glass away. “Get there by dawn. We’d have to get some shut eye now, though.”
“And you would need to ask Geoffrey to bring us that vehicle sooner,” I pointed out. “Do it. I want to be there at dawn if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” He pulled out his phone and started texting.
I slid out of my seat, finished the whiskey, and went to the bar to order another one. The bartender didn’t say much when I gave him my order and told him to put it on my room’s tab. I got Heath a second beer because I was feeling nice, though it might have been my own natural bartender tendencies. People didn’t sit in a bar without a drink unless something was wrong. A cellphone rang, and I turned to see Heath frowning. The drinks were slid in front of me, and I grabbed them quickly. I gave Heath his beer as he found himself on the phone, talking to someone. I listened in, tilted my head slightly to try to catch the voice on the other end.
“You’re running around with a werecat, Heath. Geoffrey let us know. And yes, I know it’s the werecat that helped you out last year, but it doesn’t—”
“Harrison, it’s Jacky, and she’s up here trying to—”
“Oh, yes. Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan,” the other wolf snapped. I recognized his voice now, thanks to Heath saying his name. “Wish we had known that last August, damn it. He should have told everyone during the Tribunal she was his actual daughter. How long have you known?”
“Less than twenty-four hours,” Heath answered softly. “She’s here, trying to find out what happened. This is not a big deal. I owed her, Harrison. I owed her more than she asked me for. She wanted an introduction to Geoffrey, and I got that for her. Tomorrow, she and I are heading out to find more about his missing wolves and her dead werecats. Considering Geoffrey told you who she is, he must have told you what was going on.”
“Yes, but none of that is the problem. You are helping a werecat—”
“You’ve been trying to convince your local werecat for months to work with you and failing,” Heath snapped, a growl ending it. “Maybe if you didn’t give out several demands and tried to find something they need or want, you might have better success. Don’t say I’m betraying our species for succeeding where you’re all failing. You’re pissing the cats off because you’re bullheaded.”
“So, what do we do? The Tribunal changed the Laws. A minor but significant change. We have to make sure these cats can’t carve paths of destruction through our packs if we’re at war without another pack and they get pulled into it.”
“We won’t,” I snapped. Heath narrowed his eyes on me. “Oh, you knew I could hear,” I told him, shaking my head. “Harrison, we won’t attack you without cause. The only reason the Law was changed was to protect me because I did the right thing.”
“You got involved,” Harrison growled. “And fuck you, Heath.”
“We were at the hotel bar together,” Heath explained mildly, but his eyes were still narrowed on me.
“To protect Carey, a human innocent. None of you understand nuance.” I shook my head, frustrated. “Don’t use werecats as your family’s personal bodyguards, and they won’t need to kill anyone in their way of protecting someone. How about that? That solves all the problems you think you’re having right there.”
“She has a point,” Heath said diplomatically. “Now, I’m not here to pick the werecat side. I’m here because a werecat needed my help. My favor to her is done. Now we’re both trying to find out what caused all the deaths out here. I’m going to help Geoffrey with his four missing wolves while Jacky looks into what killed the two local werecats and finds her brother.”
“Jabari the General,” Harrison spat. “Geoffrey is a damn idiot sometimes. He should have gotten eyes on the cat or scheduled a fucking meeting.”
“You can yell at him for that. You’re not going to give me a hard time on this, old friend. I don’t have a pack, and I don’t work with or for any of you anymore. I’m my own man. If you need anything, you know how to reach me.” Heath hung up, growling. “Geoffrey called the North American Werewolf Council, thinking they might like to know who you really are and how I’m helping you. He just so happened to call as I was texting Geoffrey about the car.”
“They can shove it,” I snapped. “They’re reactionary assholes who are passing off their own traits onto the werecats near them. We’re not going to jump up tomorrow and start a war because we feel threatened. Them, however…I could see them starting a war based solely on their own imagined slights.”
“Like I said a couple of weeks ago, Jacky…a certain supernatural reminded us we aren’t the most powerful or dangerous kids on the playground. We’d forgotten.”
I grumbled and drank my whiskey. “At least you don’t feel that way.”
“Most of the Alphas don’t, but you left quite the impression on Harrison just by telling him you were going to break the Law.” Heath snorted. “They don’t realize how different you are from the rest of your kind.”
“They better figure it out quick,” I said before tipping my head back and swallowing the last of my whiskey. “Now, I’m off to get some shut eye.”
“I’ll come up later. I want to make sure Geoffrey gets the car here.”
“All right.” I slid off my stool and walked away, exhausted. “Good luck with the wolves.”
“Good luck with the cats,” he replied. I left the bar yawning. It was such a long damn day, and tomorrow didn’t seem like it was going to be much better. I made it to my room, locked the door between my room and Heath’s, then threw all my clothing on the floor.
A shower. I need a shower.
Turning on the water, making sure it was hot, I stepped in, sighing happily as it rolled over my shoulders. I hadn’t expected what I found today. No one had expected this to be much bigger than two dead werecats, which was serious, but the idea it could be worse wasn’t something anyone had really considered.
And now, my wolf is helping the other wolves. I can trust Heath, I know I can, but I don’t think anyone else is going to. Hasan sure doesn’t want to. Jabari is going to flip when he finds out I brought him. And my family has good reason not to trust wolves.
I would speak up for Heath for as long as he proved worth it. If he betrayed me, there would be nothing I could do to protect him from Hasan’s wrath, but as long as he remained the Alpha I figured him to be, he was safe.
I scrubbed my face, thinking about him as the wolf I thought him to be. The image of him in those soft pajama pants flashed through my mind, and I hissed as shampoo dripped into my eyes, mimicking the burn I felt on my cheeks. Why did he have to look like that? Why hadn’t I expected him to look like that? He was a wolf in his prime, one who would always be in his prime. He was an Alpha who knew he had to fight to keep his position, even if he had walked away from having a pack. Of course he would look like that.
It was a far cry from the beer bellies I saw every day at the bar. Heath knew how to dress to hide the real extent of his physique yet still look in shape. I hadn’t looked past the suits or the simple button-ups and jeans. I should have. Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a shocker to finally see those fucking things he probably thought were normal abs.
That man has children! Adult children, at that! He’s not supposed to look like that!
Then again, Hasan has even more children, and he’s an ancient male model.
I nearly gagged at considering Hasan gorgeous, but it was the truth. Both men were uniquely beautiful. Hasan had some ancient quality to him like he was from a different time. Someone who didn’t have a proper vocabulary would call him exotic, but I spent enough time with him to realize he was some blend of ancient African and Middle Eastern, like he walked out of Babylon or Sumer one day as the de facto ruler of the werecats. Heath, on the other hand, was an almost typical American dreamboa
t, just a couple of centuries older. His face pointed to a purely European ancestry with the classical masculine jawline. The blue eyes, the black hair. It was all so typically gorgeous.
I wondered for a moment if supernaturals chose their children based on their looks sometimes. I looked down at myself—light tan, small curves, and scars, though I hadn’t had those when I was Changed, boring brown hair, and hazel eyes—nothing extraordinary.
No, Hasan wasn’t aiming for looks when he Changed me.
I finished washing up, then stepped out in front of the large mirror and sink, washing and lotioning my face before looking at myself. I had deep bags under my eyes, thanks to the full moon and not properly resting after.
No, definitely not for my looks.
I crashed that night in bed, my hair still wet and a weird thought continuing to pester me. Maybe it was because it was the only distraction I had from the shit going on around me.
Heath was fucking hot.
15
Chapter Fifteen
Acutely aware of the man next to me, I kept my eyes on my phone the next morning. It was early—very early. We left at ‘way too fucking early’ in the morning since the park ranger we wanted to talk to asked to meet in a little town called Darrington. Heath had never gone out that way but knew Seattle better, so he drove.
“You okay?” he asked. “I know riding with me anywhere must be awful, but Darrington is only an hour and a half away.”
“No, I’m just distracted.” I was playing Tetris. “Nothing new to talk about.” I didn’t want to look at him. Maybe I was a little too lonely because my mind had summoned all sorts of images it hadn’t needed to during the night. It had been a very long time since my mind was capable of conjuring those sorts of images about anyone in my life.
“Well, okay, then.” He sounded a bit off like I had somehow hurt his feelings. I gave him a side eye, looking over his profile. There wasn’t much light in the car, but there was damn sure enough for me to see him. He didn’t look disappointed. If anything, he looked as tired as I felt.
“Did you get enough sleep last night?” I asked, trying to see how he was really feeling.
“Enough. I’ll be fine for the day. You?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
The conversation died again.
I wish mind reading was a werecat ability. He never gives off enough of a scent for me to pick up what he’s feeling. Probably useful in his world but downright annoying right now.
I saw his nostrils flare for a split second and knew I had just given him something in the air to smell. He didn’t say anything, and I narrowed my eyes on him.
“What could possibly be annoying you this early in the morning?” he finally asked.
“Nothing important.” I went back to my Tetris game.
“I don’t believe women when they try to say that to me. What’s bothering you?”
“Fine. Nothing I want to talk to you about.”
“That I’ll accept.”
“I wasn’t looking for your approval.”
“I’m just saying you promised to open up to me because I want to know the woman who is completely and utterly idolized by my daughter. I figured knowing what annoys you might be a good thing to know.”
“It’s really not a big deal.” I’m annoyed because I can’t figure you out, and my subconscious definitely wants to know a lot more about you.
He stopped trying, and we rode together in silence. When I saw a sign for Darrington, I sighed happily.
“Do you think she’ll be there?” I asked. “Like on time?”
“I’m more hoping she brings the other two. She mentioned there were two other rangers who knew about Gaia and Titan. The more people we can talk to, the better.”
“Of course.”
He turned into a little place called Country Coffee and Deli and parked but didn’t get out. I followed his lead, sitting up and looking around. It was already six thirty in the morning, and the sun was out, just post dawn. A large pickup truck drove in and parked across the lot from us, followed by a second. Three rangers in uniforms jumped out, and one of them pointed to our little rental.
I got out first, hoping I would be the least threatening one. It didn’t matter, though, because Heath didn’t bother to wait for me to make introductions. He jumped out as well and walked up beside me.
“Haley?” I asked, looking between them. Two were women, and I didn’t know who was who. “Heath, here, called yesterday and asked to meet.”
“You must be Jacky,” one said, smiling. She had dark hair and eyes, giving us a wary smile. “And Heath.” She looked over at the wolf. “You…asked some uncomfortable questions over the phone yesterday. Geoffrey also sent word you would be in contact.”
“Then you know what I am,” he said, eyeing her.
“A werewolf? Yes. Jacky…” Haley looked at me, frowning.
“Werecat,” I said, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was around. “You three knew Gaia and Titan.” I didn’t phrase it as a question. I knew they had contact with the deceased werecats, and there didn’t need to be any beating around the bush about it. No one had time for that. “And you’re all human. So, let’s cut to the chase. Who found their bodies?”
“You’re a lot like the last werecat who rolled through here,” the other woman said. I raised an eyebrow. I was a lot like Jabari? He would have a hernia if he heard that. “I’m Gina. This is John.” She motioned to the older gentleman, who had to be in his late forties. “And yes, we knew them. John and I found their bodies. Haley went with us to check on Titan after we discovered Gaia was dead.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Heath said gently. “We’re going to have a lot of questions for you three. Is there anywhere more private to talk?”
“Not really. We could drive further out, but there’s no one here right now, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Haley’s smile was tight.
She doesn’t trust us. Can’t say I blame her. There are probably too many supernatural strangers roaming through for her to feel comfortable.
“Fine.” I sighed, continuing to look around. “We’ve heard there have also been some werewolf disappearances. Do you have anything we should hear about that?”
“No. I try to greet werewolves as they come in. That was a typical group of guys, looking to drink beer and sit around a campfire for a week. They didn’t seem more or less trouble than any other group like them. It wasn’t close to the full moon. They were planning on leaving about three days before. When they didn’t come back down by the full moon, I got worried. Geoffrey started calling me, but I couldn’t find their campsite.” Haley crossed her arms like she was scared of something. “I couldn’t find Gaia and Titan to ask if they had seen the wolves either. The next time we saw them was…when we found them.”
“So, first, the wolves go missing without a trace, and the only ones who could have possibly found them showed up dead two weeks later,” Heath muttered, shaking his head. “We pretty much already knew that.”
I had an idea, but I knew if I didn’t get it done in one day, Hasan would be furious.
“Can you take me to the territory line? Drive me closer to where one of them lived? I might be able to learn something.”
“The other guy, he had a weird name, asked for the same thing,” Gina informed me, looking down. “We took him up there, and he seemed really spooked or something. He just started walking out into the woods with his stuff and hasn’t…come back either.”
“Yeah. His name is Jabari, and he’s got a one-track mind. I promised someone important not to go into the woods.” I ran a hand through my hair, realizing my ponytail wasn’t holding up. I readjusted it and looked at Heath. “What do you say? Want to check out something closer to the area?”
“We don’t have much of a choice. At least, I don’t. I’m going to have to go into the woods at some point.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “You promised to find the wolves.”
“Why didn’t Geoffrey send anyone out?” John asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Are you one of his?”
“No. I’m a friend and came into town with Jacky to figure out what the hell is going on. He wasn’t going to send anyone out until he knew what was going on with Gaia and Titan, and I can’t blame him for that. Why didn’t you tell him they were dead?” Heath eyed the group in front of us.
“We…we didn’t know if he did it or not.” Haley shrugged. “It wouldn’t be hard for wolves or anything else to get out here, and we wouldn’t have any idea. The last thing we wanted was for the wolves to overrun our mountain…Gaia and Titan were important to us. They helped rescue humans, brought them back if they got lost or hurt. They also kept other…things like you out. And sure enough, now that they’re gone, we’ve had two other werecats and a werewolf show up, so far.”
“I’m sorry,” Heath said, calm and composed, nothing bothering him.
I wasn’t calm or composed. These humans had enjoyed a very close relationship with two very reclusive werecats, who had been out there saving people. Did they make sure to do it in human form, or would I find some weird local legends about a big cat that was a benevolent spirit?
“Look, we can bust out some four wheelers and take you up to the trail we used to get to Gaia and Titan’s shared home. Visiting their private homes…we normally park at their shared home and hike in opposite directions. It’s not easy, but you can probably see one of their houses and get back before nightfall.” Gina motioned for us to follow her, and the other two rangers backed off as we stepped forward. She pulled out a map from her pocket and began pointing at different areas. “This is where they would sometimes live together. This is where Gaia lived. Her territory included Mt. Baker. Titan held more territory, reaching down past Glacier Peak. He was a lot harder to visit.”
“Let’s just…get toward their territory.” I was getting more of a feeling as I got closer. The set-up of the land and mountains made me wonder if these werecats didn’t have circular ranges. It was entirely possible they’d had something a bit more unique. The only reason my territory was as clean of a circle as it was? I was lazy and didn’t feel like finding better lines. Their centers would still be their homes, and it would be a sizable distance from any borders. I drummed my fingers on the hood Gina had used as a table for the map.
