“Then why would you question this? He’s been leading that pack for almost twenty-five years. No one survives that long as an alpha. That must mean he’s strong, cunning, and powerful.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Then he needs sedation while here.”
“I’m not disputing that, I’m just pissed that you decided to use some weird, experimental drug that will knock him on his arse for the next who knows how long.”
“Not my problem.”
I hope he’s right, I really do, but the sinking feeling in my gut doesn’t comfort me.
“How long will it keep him down for?”
Maury glances upward, visibly thinking. “Not sure. Could be three days. Could be a week. It seems different on every wolf.”
I drag my itching fingers down to my sides. “You’d better hope we don’t need him.”
“And why would we need him?”
“The Dire Wolves are one of the strongest packs in Angbec. Not the biggest, but the strongest, and that’s all down to him.” I point a trembling finger down at Wendy. “It’s his command, strategy, and skill that keeps them all alive, and without him they barely stand a chance. If this new pack and the powers they have are really as dangerous as you think then you’ve just incapacitated our strongest ally.”
Maury sniffs. “You’re overreacting.”
“You’d better hope I am.”
He studies the retrieved jet injector, then shoves it into his pocket. “Okay, fine. The wolf is powerful, but maybe there’s another way.”
“Like what?”
“Well, he pledged to you, right? So you control him now?”
My stomach drops right into my toes. I cast a glance at Shakka, but it’s plain he’s heard every word.
The goblin’s eyes are as wide as I’ve ever seen them go, and his mouth is open to match. He slides off the step stool to give me his full attention. “What?”
“Nothing, I—”
“No, no, no, Karson, what did I just hear? Did that idiot wolf pledge himself to you? Did he say the words?”
Damn it. “Yes.”
Shakka’s eyes take on a sinister gleam. “So you control the Dire Wolves.”
It irks me. It frightens me. It distresses and angers me, but there it is. That’s the truth.
“If you breathe a word about this—”
“Me? Don’t be silly.” Shakka lifts his hands, palm up.
“I’m serious, Shakka. No one else knows and it needs to stay that way. Do you understand?”
He cocks his head. Rather like Maury, I can see him thinking it through, but his tell is the way his gnarled and knobbly hands abruptly start rubbing together.
“What’s the problem?” Maury, as ever, has failed the see the larger picture. He cuts straight across Shakka to once more address me. “He pledged to you, which is perfect. Why don’t you tell him to bring in all the Dire Wolves? That way they’re safe from whatever is on the street and we also get a chance to question everybody about what they’ve seen and when. It’s a win-win from what I can see.”
How can one man be so painfully clueless?
“No alpha would ever order his entire pack into SPEAR custody. If I tell him to do that we’ll have a war on our hands within the hour.”
“But—”
“Don’t be so blind, Maury. If I give that order, every member of his pack will know he’s no longer in charge of them. They’ll kill him immediately for being weak, then come after me to reclaim power. Once that’s done, there will be dominance battles to decide who the new alpha is. And given the state of the packs right now, a new leader will have new ideas about how things should be run. This is more delicate than a string of wet lace and you want to set fire to everything.”
Maury glances at Shakka, then me again. “I still say you’re overreacting. We should be grasping every lead and advantage with both hands. There’s no way I can allow you to sit on this perfect opportunity.”
“Well, you’re going to have to, because I’m not doing it. Shakka?”
The goblin stops dry washing his hands long enough to look up.
“If anybody finds out about this, I’ll know it’s you. I’ll know and I’ll come back to get you. Understand me?”
He tuts at me. “Threatening a fellow SPEAR employee? Whatever next.”
Indeed.
I can’t take any more. I need to leave.
It’s that or else I’ll be the one locked in a cell.
I walk away, from Maury, from Shakka, from Wendy and the other two wolves. All of it.
“Karson?” Maury’s angry voice follows me toward the door. “Karson, where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Home.” I wave an angry hand over my shoulder. “I’m clocking off before I end up doing something none of us enjoy. See you this evening.”
Chapter Ten
A bath will make me feel better. It always does.
I keep the thought in mind as I sink into the tub, letting hot, soapy water slosh over my body.
Perhaps if I tell myself that, perhaps if I believe it in my heart of hearts, then the words will prove themselves true. Perhaps.
My mind wanders as I recline against the bath’s sides, pacing back and forth over Rayne, Wendy, and Maury. How can it be so early in the day and yet so much of my temper has been pulled, twisted, stretched, and frayed?
I sink into the suds and hold my breath for a while under the water.
Somehow, down here it’s easier to think. Yes, of course sound is muted and my sight is hindered by the fluffy underside of bubbles, but it also muffles my thoughts. Allows me to pick at them one by one and study each in turn.
Norma?
She hasn’t come home, but I didn’t really expect her to before sundown. No doubt she’s huddled up with the rest of her clutch mates back at SPEAR HQ, causing mischief and havoc in my name. Atta girl.
Rayne?
Nothing I can do about her until she wakes. That will be one hell of a conversation, but at least I know what I need to apologize for. Sometimes that’s the best place to start. And I know I was out of line this morning.
Wendy?
All I can do is my job. Whether he’s being set up or not, I need to find out what’s actually happening with the werewolf population of the city and bring it back under control.
Sounds simple on paper.
My air runs out before I can turn my thoughts to Maury, and I allow my body to bob upward in the tub. My hair breaks the surface and water streams down my face and ears in warm, thick streams.
Not enough to block the sound of my phone though.
I’ve no idea how long it’s been ringing, but I lean out of the bath to tap the screen, thus bringing the call to life. Another tap transfers the call to my speaker function.
“Karson.”
“Oh, good, you’re awake. I needed to talk with you.”
“Jack?” I peer at the phone again. The number is one I don’t recognize, but that’s certainly Jack’s voice crackling down the semi suitable line.
“Yes, sorry, I had to call from—” He clears his throat. “This isn’t my phone, but they wouldn’t let me grab mine. Look, I need an update on these werewolves.”
“I only saw you this morning.”
“I know, I know, but…but you really need to figure this out. Sooner than you think.”
I let the water slosh a little, just to cover the parts of me currently exposed to air. “It’s in hand.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Jeez, what’s your problem today?”
There are strange sounds coming down the line. Unlike Jack’s normal phone, this one seems to carry a lot of background sound. I catch the hum of low voices, the grunt of an engine, something large and heavy like a truck perhaps. Shouting.
“Where are you?” I ask.
“Away.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“The only one you’re getting. Come on, Danika, I need you to focus. You�
��ve got to take this seriously.”
All my moving in the tub has caused a tiny pink shadow to appear on the water between my legs. It reminds me that my period is something strange and unusual. Something that I need to get checked as soon as possible. Preferably by one of the Foundation doctors, since my usual GP won’t have the slightest clue. A fact I’ve learned the hard way.
“—they will take over everything and I don’t know how that works.”
“What?” I snap away from my thoughts with a jolt. Hadn’t realized Jack was still talking. “What did you say?”
He sighs. “You didn’t hear a word of that, did you?”
“No, I—”
“I don’t have time right now. They’re listening, and I have another call coming through. Just…” His voice hitches, almost trembles. “Be careful. I can’t help you if you’re on the wrong side of all this. Please remember what you’re supposed to be doing and do it quickly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I can’t—”
“Jack?”
Water splashes as I attempt to stamp my foot before remembering where I am.
“Fine, I…there’s a protocol. It’s new and untested, but it’s a contingency for Angbec to be used if edanes get out of control. I think it’s called Project Revival and—”
“But I’ve never heard of it.” I splash away a few more threads of pink wriggling through the water.
“Good. No one is supposed to know. You need to trust me when I say you don’t want this contingency enforced. You have to figure out what’s going on with the werewolves before someone gets hurt.”
“Like I said, I’ve got this. Why don’t you trust me?”
“I’m trying to.”
The background sound on the call abruptly becomes louder. The hum of voices evolves into a questioning mumble and the engines sound closer than ever.
“Jack, where are you?”
“I…I need to go,” he murmurs.
“Wait, Jack—”
The line dies.
I sit back in the water again, nibbling my bottom lip, running over the conversation in my mind again.
Project Revival? What the hell is that?
And now that I think about it, who are “they”?
* * *
I know I should sleep, but I can’t. Not only does my body seem to be rebelling against increasingly irregular work hours, but all I can think of is Rayne.
Tossing and turning against those sheets, I try to plan out all the things I want to say when the suns drops. I ponder the best ways to apologize and explain that my hormones have gotten the better of me. Just thinking such nonsense makes me cringe. After so many years, what has suddenly changed in my body to do this to me?
My rational mind calmly points out that Foundation drugs are a work in progress and may have side effects we don’t yet know about. The rest of me is cruelly pleased that Mum will never know. At least not if she continues to give me the silent treatment.
“But it wasn’t my fault.”
I’ve said it at least once a day, every day since that night at Club Starshine. I did everything I could to save Pippa, truly I did. Hell, I beheaded a smooth-talking, vampire bitch-queen with an orc-made battleaxe. But despite everything I did, how many rules I broke and how hard I tried, the only way to save Pippa had been to make her a vampire. Something Rayne did for me, not in spite of me.
I remind myself of that fact too.
My watch beeps and the automatic shutters on the windows to our house begin to lift.
Sundown.
So much for the nap.
I turn in bed again, facing the door, wondering how I’m going to do this.
Thirty seconds later, someone raps at my door. Three guesses as to who.
“Hi, Rayne, come on in.”
She tiptoes through the door like a timid little thief and shuts it softly behind her. Her gaze is pinned to the floor, where her bare feet scuff back and forth against my carpet.
So. Fucking. Beautiful.
Her hair always looks a little crazy, whether she’s just woken or not, but I love it regardless. Soft strands sticking up every which way to frame the delicate features of her near doll-like face. That mouth, those eyes, her soft, smooth skin. She has her underwear on, but nothing else, clearly having come straight to my room on waking. It’s a mismatched set of black panties and baby pink bra but she has never looked more perfect.
“Hi.” Oh, boy, even her voice is gentle and fearful.
Deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
Her shoulders twitch, but she doesn’t leave the door. “Me too. That was a cheap shot and to fire it on the cusp of sunrise was…cruel.”
She’s right, but we’re talking without yelling. I don’t want to do anything to throw fuel on the embers.
“I know you didn’t mean it. It’s okay. I…I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
“You were scared.”
“But I shouldn’t be scared of you. That’s the point we’re making here, isn’t it? You’re my girlfriend. At least I hope that’s what you consider us to be. I should know that you’d never deliberately hurt me.”
At last Rayne looks up. Her expression is one I’ve no idea how to read, but at least I can see her eyes now. They have a faint sheen of silver in them, and when she licks her lips, the tips of her fangs are visible.
“You’re right. I’d never hurt you on purpose.”
Why do I feel like she’s saying something else?
I push the sheets away and climb from the bed. Slowly. When I pick my way through the mess of my room, I can feel her watching me, that calm, assessing gaze she reserves only for me.
Her hand, when I pick it up, is cold. “You need another blood bag.”
She stiffens but doesn’t pull away. “I had one yesterday, I should be fine.”
“Rayne, I’m really sorry. I freaked out earlier and blamed you. That’s not fair. And you’re right. I have been holding back but, cliché as it is, it’s not a you-thing, it’s a me-thing. And I need to deal with it. PMS isn’t helping, but at least I know that’s happening. And…” I consider how to phrase this without sounding creepy. “Wendy said I need to be careful.”
“What?” Rayne’s eyes widen.
“No, no, not like that. No, no, I mean that I need to do something about the…smell.” My own nose wrinkles. “Why can’t I talk today? I mean that with my period in full flow—” I catch myself. “Ha, full flow. Get it?”
She rolls her eyes.
“With my period here there’s obviously going to be blood, right? If Wendy could smell it, the scent must be double for you. So this morning wasn’t your fault. It’s not something you could control.”
“I see.”
“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean vampire, blood, blood, vampire? I can’t believe it took me so long to connect those dots. Now that I know, if I do a better job of being clean, or something, then maybe it won’t be so hard on you.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“Why did that sound more like ‘fuck you’?”
Rayne pulls her hand away. “You always smell like blood, Danika. It fills your entire body. There isn’t a second between us that lacks that knowledge. I can see your pulse. If I focus I can hear your heart beat. If I’m close enough I can feel the blood moving beneath your skin. Every night of my life is full of that knowledge. And every night, I control the urges that leaves in me.”
“But this morning—”
“I came to you this morning because I want you.” The faintest of growls enters her voice. “I wanted to touch and pleasure my girlfriend. Yes, there’s blood, but I didn’t even notice until I found it.”
“But you were so pushy and forward. I thought the blood might—”
“Everyone smells of blood.” She reaches for my shoulders, then stops without touching. “Danika, I can’t forget what I am. Not for a second. When Vixen turned me into this monster she made it impossible for me t
o forget. Every moment, every night, if I’m with humans, I’m thinking of blood. All the time. I smell it, I taste it, I want it, I—” she breaks off with a sigh. “I can control it. I have to control it. I have no choice.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I reach for her hand again, stunned when she pulls back out of reach. “Rayne?”
“Don’t. You’re right. I need a blood bag. I’m going to grab one from the emergency store. Then you can tell me about the meeting this morning.”
The reminder wipes my mind of all this emotional, relationship trouble.
“Wendy’s in trouble.”
Rayne nods. “Let me get dressed. Ten minutes.”
True to her word, Rayne moves at speed and, a mere five minutes later, we’re in the kitchen sitting across from each other over the long, wide table.
Pippa darts back and forth behind us packing for her night, shoving supplies into her bag while she chatters on the phone.
Rayne sits with one leg tucked up beneath her on the straight-backed chair, both hands resting on the table. I’ve flipped my own chair around to straddle it, resting my chin on my overlapped wrists.
“Unlawful lupine infection?” I say again, grinding my fingernails into the soft wood of the chair. “Bullshit, right?”
“Of course. You know it, I know it, Wensleydale certainly does, but you have to remember, SPEAR doesn’t. They have to follow protocol.”
“So I shouldn’t be pissed that he’s in that cell, dosed up with who knows what?”
“That’s not what I said. Phillipa?” She turns to my sister.
Pippa treats Rayne to a questioning look.
“Do you know anything about a new drug given to werewolves on a full moon?”
A slight frown followed by a sharp, “I’ll call you back.” She swipes the phone screen then shoves the whole thing into her pocket. “Yes.” A pause. “There is something. One of the research teams in Scotland synthesized a sedative called Quilax.”
I lift an eyebrow.
“That’s not the actual name. It’s Q174X or something like that, but Quilax stuck because it’s catchy…and because we have some real old school nerds on the research team. Anyway, it contains traces of silver azide and is supposed to be in trial phase.”
Moon Fever Page 9
