Stain of Midnight

by Cassandra Moore

  “Let’s keep it that way,” she agreed.

  She’d offered her trust to him. Maybe, she’d even offered her heart to him. And he’d be damned to the lowest pits of Hell if he’d betray that.

  With a gentle tug, he pulled her into a lingering, tender kiss. If she wouldn’t believe what she heard, then let her believe what she could feel. The heat, the want, the earnest adoration. Let her take her proof with her on her lips, let her taste it after she drove away. The moon only knew, he would.

  “See you in a few,” he said, lips still against hers.

  “Don’t kill anyone,” she murmured in return.

  “You say the most romantic things. Though we’re going to have to talk about what a killjoy you are.” He chuckled as he pulled away. The door creaked as he opened it.

  “Tell you what. You don’t kill anyone who doesn’t need it, and I’ll show you a joy I won’t kill for you.”

  He paused halfway out the door. “You want me to walk into that meeting with my pants fitting badly?”

  Her smirk didn’t help the fit of his trousers. “Call it a reminder.”

  “You’re a hard woman.”

  “I don’t think I’m the one ‘hard’ suits best.”

  “Point to the evil woman in the driver’s seat.” He gave her a little wave, then shut the door behind him before he could delay any longer.

  The Wooden Nickle had decked itself out with stereotypical imagery for Oktoberfest. Overflowing steins, overflowing brassiere cups, and lederhosen. Cameron didn’t get too excited over the holiday himself, but he stopped in once or twice during the season with Dani, who did. The bratwurst was decent, the seasonal beers were novel, and the change of routine did everyone good.

  Walking into their occasional haunt made the fresh memory of Dani in a cage, bloody feet leaving wet prints on the floor, cut all the deeper. Cameron had wanted to charge out of Sonja’s outbuilding to rip Teresa Espina’s head clean off. Even now, he couldn’t tell if his stop in to see his friends before he’d headed here had been a needed inspiration, or a tactical error that left his temper raw.

  Guess I’ll find out when I talk to Russ. No wonder Sonja reminded me not to indulge in a cathartic homicide.

  The rest of the werewolves had gotten a large table in the bar’s adjacent dining area. Russ himself, a muscular blond man with silver in his beard and at his temples, sat at the head of the table with hands around a pint glass of some light golden brew. Not an amount that would even nudge him toward impaired; it would take six times that before he would feel it. Werewolves tended not to get drunk out of concern for their wallets as much as anything else. The rest of his pack notables sat around the rest of the table, nursing their own beers. They paid the alpha as much deference as Cameron would expect.

  Cameron made note of the three Sonja had described. Had they bothered her at the alpha’s behest, or on their own impetus? Curtis Levitt, Belt Buckle Man himself, sat in the middle of the trio, face neutral but eyes hard. It didn’t take much for Cameron to figure out that Curtis didn’t approve of this get-together.

  The alpha spotted Cameron and motioned him over. Here goes nothing. He crossed the room to join them. “Afternoon, Seattle. Thanks for the invitation for a sit-down.” Nevermind that he’d suggested it himself.

  “Always glad to have a chat,” Russ said, and extended his hand. “We might have gotten off on the wrong foot earlier, Roswell. You can imagine we’re all a little worried about the state of affairs here.”

  Cameron took the offered hand and shook it. He wondered if they would do the who’s-more-dominant handclasp routine, but it didn’t happen. “No more than we are, I promise. Last night didn’t go as we planned, but we got some valuable information. And we all came out alive.”

  “Let me get you a beer. Sounds like a story that needs one.” Russ motioned a waiter over.

  One of the three men who’d tried to intimidate Sonja exchanged glances with Curtis but said nothing. Cameron filed that away.

  Once the beer arrived, Cameron set about explaining the situation in broad strokes that defined the important points without filling in too many details he didn’t feel the other pack needed to know. He explained Kiplinger’s disappearance and unexpected reappearance. The corruption of the ley lines, the rituals, the fearful withdrawal of the local vampires when they discovered who Kiplinger had decided to play footsie with. When Cameron told the story of the raid the night before, he noted “one of ours” had pulled them out, and didn’t bother to mention what that meant. Neither did he volunteer what he’d learned about the unique power the pack enforcer had.

  Russ set his beer down when the story ended. “So, it’s just you and two other wolves still on your feet and ready to fight? It’s amazing you came out of that without the same problem the others have.”

  “I’ve always had a strong constitution. That, and I’ve been a werewolf a long time. Probably helped.” Cameron took a sip from his glass.

  “Could be.” Russ let it drop. “Let me see if I understand, then. Kiplinger reappeared with a vampire powerful enough to send the local biters into hiding. This vampire has a demon in a box giving her power, and she’s trying to feed it the local energy so it’ll let her keep the power she’s grown accustomed to. And you three think you can stop her yourselves. I hope you’ll forgive me when I say that sounds damn unlikely.”

  Cameron held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture, careful not to tip beer out of his glass as he did. “I know it sounds like a long shot. But this isn’t a problem we’re going to solve with overwhelming force. Last night proved that. More people just meant more targets for Teresa Espina to hurt and use. The three of us have a better chance of stopping her than a whole pack together.”

  “I’m not sure I agree.”

  “Hear me out.” Cameron set his glass down. “Teresa Espina is getting her power from an external source. Take that away, she’s just an old biter, and we’ve dealt with those before. This isn’t about beating her down. It’s about kicking her support out from under her. After we do that? It’s old hat.”

  “And you know how to do that.” Russ looked as skeptical as Cameron felt. His plan currently consisted of figuring out what Espina’s deadline looked like, then holing up for a metaphysical siege until she blew it. Not at all decisive, or even inspiring.

  Cameron nodded. “We’re close. Last night went to shit and back, but it gave us the clues we need to find answers. Unless you happen to have any?”

  He deliberately asked the question to put Russ on the spot. A man without answers couldn’t much complain when someone else didn’t have them, either. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had cause to deal with demons. Until today, I’m not sure we even knew they existed.”

  “Consider yourself lucky.” Cameron smiled his most genial smile. “None of us had any idea Kiplinger had dug himself into a hole with a nastier predator, but I don’t suppose he was too keen on admitting it himself.”

  “We know why he got involved with her?”

  “Who knows?” Cameron spread his hands. “I can make a couple guesses, though. Maybe he didn’t have a choice. She made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Or could be he went looking for a way to dislodge Pirelli from his position and stumbled into the nice lady with her pet demon.”

  “Could be.” Russ nodded. “Roswell, I’m going to be honest with you. I hear what you’re saying, and I appreciate all of it. But there’s three of you willing to fight. You folks have a problem I’m not sure you have any hope of dealing with, and Seattle’s not that far away. If this biter with her pet demon does what you say she means to, it’s going to affect every pack from Seattle to Olympia. Maybe even as far as Portland, and you know how long it took them to get straight again after Saint Helens went up.”

  Cameron nodded. “I know it looks bad from the outside. Hell, it looks bad from the inside, too. But not so bad I think we can’t do what we need to. I’m not willing to give up our turf yet.”

  “You haven�
��t got a choice.” Russ made the words a soft, gentle display of dominance. A statement of the obvious, one that would give Cameron an excuse to surrender in defeat without losing his dignity. No one could blame a person for giving over to what would happen either way. “Two alphas have told me what a good enforcer you are, Cameron. It’s your job to protect the pack, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “That what you’re doing right now? Think about it.” He looked over toward Curtis. “If it were you, what would you do?”

  Curtis lifted his shoulder in a too-casual shrug. “I’d be pissed. A pack swooping in to take my territory? Change my pack? You bet I’d be madder than a wet hen. But my job’s keeping my pack safe. I’d be a damn fool to think I could do that with three.”

  For all Curtis struck Cameron as a bully and a slimy eel, he had to admit the man had a point. Any other situation, Cameron would have seen the takeover as a move for the good of the pack. What pack I have left. Even now, he wondered if his initial reaction had gone the wrong way. Seattle had a big, established group. Strong alpha, plenty of magical resources in their city. Let Teresa Espina try her hand against them and see how far she got.

  “In that case, I’d like to make a request before we go forward,” Cameron said. “An agreement so we both know the spirit of this.”

  Russ cocked his head. “I’m listening.”

  The words didn’t come easily. Cameron had to all but force them out. “First thing. Noah can’t meet your challenge. Not now. Soon, I hope, but not today. Come tonight, you’ll go uncontested. But I’d like to think this is a temporary kind of help, and we can get our territory back when the crisis is over.”

  “Temporary help,” Russ agreed. “Once Noah’s back on his feet, he and I can talk about splitting the territories again. If nothing else, we’re playing by traditional rules. One moon cycle of leadership, full to full, and the wolves in your pack can start challenging me for rule of the territory. That sound fair?”

  “That’s more than fair.” Cameron inclined his head, even if it all sat uneasily in his gut. “Second thing. Since you’re taking over our area uncontested, I think it’s only right we have a chance at a place in your inner circle. So I’d like the right to challenge for the spot as your enforcer.”

  Tension bristled from Curtis, whose eyes narrowed to irritated slits. “I am positive I heard that wrong.”

  Russ held up a hand to stave off further protests. “That’s not the usual custom with our pack. Under most circumstances, the alpha appoints the enforcer.”

  Cameron leaned back in his chair, cool and casual. “Ours, too, but these aren’t most circumstances. I know you’re committed to making sure the area’s safe for everyone, Russ. So am I, and I’ve got the most information on the situation here. You know I’m good at my job. Let me fight for it. Once all this is over, I’ll bow out without a protest and go back to my pack. On my honor.”

  “You’ve had your chance to fix this, Roswell,” Curtis said. “And this place is fucked fifteen ways to Sunday now. Why the hell would he want you guarding his pack?”

  “I’ve kept my pack alive,” Cameron said, forcing his voice to stay even. “Through a worse vampire attack than you’ve ever dreamed of. And I’ve come out the other side ready for round two. You’d be around to make sure I did it right, naturally.”

  “More accurate to say I’d be around to make sure you aren’t working with that biter bitch,” Curtis spat. “You think you can walk out without a scratch and convince us your shit don’t stink? I ain’t buying it.”

  Cameron gripped his pint glass hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. “You think I’m working with Teresa Espina? Here I’d think you didn’t want to fight me, with all the fuss you’re making about a simple challenge.”

  “I got better things to do than scrape shit off the floor.”

  “Enough,” Russ said, quiet but forceful. “You’ve been enforcer here for a long time, Cameron. Both Peter and Noah trusted you. I’ve never had reason not to. So I’m inclined to allow you your challenge.”

  “Russ—”

  “It’s temporary, Curtis.” Russ turned to look at his enforcer. “You heard what he said. He doesn’t want to be part of the Seattle pack. Give him a chance to keep protecting his turf. We don’t know half as much as he does about the situation down here.”

  Cameron added, “I meant it when I said I’d bow out after this is all over.”

  Curtis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right. Look, I’m sorry I got heated. Pack enforcer’s a position with meaning. You know how it is. Pack’s important, and it’s my duty.”

  The sudden turnaround in attitude set off alarm bells in Cameron’s head. Talk about shit no one’s buying. “I understand. Could be, you’ll beat me, and all this will be for nothing.”

  “Could be,” Curtis said, and plastered on a smile that looked more like a threat from Cameron’s perspective.

  Russ didn’t notice, or took it as part and parcel of a challenge, either. He just nodded. “Then we’ll do it your way, Cameron. Let’s meet tonight. That waterfront park where Peter did that barbecue, nine o’clock. I’ll formalize the new pack leadership, and you two can decide who’s enforcer for the pack. You’ll help me notify the few who aren’t laid up? Tomorrow night is the full moon. We’ll need to meet up for the shift, and a talk.”

  “I’ll be glad to help.”

  “Then I’ll call some reinforcements down from Seattle. We’ll get this straightened out.” Russ held out his hand.

  Cameron shook it. “Thank you, Russ. I wish to hell it hadn’t come to this.”

  “Me too, Cameron. You know Seattleites don’t often want much to do with Tacoma. But this situation is dangerous to everyone, and in the end, you’re our neighbors. We can’t leave you to swing.” Russ gave a genuine smile.

  He’s a good alpha, but he’s got shit taste in people to work for him. I’d love the story behind how such a decent guy ended up putting his faith in such a shit enforcer. Maybe we’re wrong about Curtis. Maybe he just pretends to be a complete dick at his day job and he’s actually a nice person. Cameron held out his hand toward Curtis. “Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

  Curtis took Cameron’s hand. “I can hardly wait, Roswell. We’ll both learn a thing or two from it.”

  The grip tried hard to crush Cameron’s hand, but Cameron had both size and strength on Curtis. Cameron squeezed back. Curtis’s bones creaked. “I’m sure it’ll be an educational experience.”

  Nope, pretty sure this one’s an asshole. An asshole with an agenda. I haven’t missed these pissing matches, but I can’t say I’m not looking forward to teaching this one a lesson.

  It was the only bright spot Cameron could see in giving over his best friend’s territory to another alpha wolf. Cameron thought about Noah pacing the bars of a kennel as his own enforcer wrapped Tacoma up in a bow to give away, and wondered if even punching Curtis in the mouth would make the situation feel better.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cameron had his shoulders up when he came out of the bar, but Sonja could see the weight of the world on them all the same. Even if Noah had battled for the pack’s well-being for more than a year, Sonja thought Cameron had fought far longer than that to keep his pack afloat. He’d served under Peter. Cameron had kept Regina from dragging the pack down, even as the alpha flagged. Cameron had come to love Noah as a brother.

  And now, with Noah out of commission, Cameron had handed his brother’s pack to another alpha, or so the text said. It broke her heart and made her fiercely proud of her lover. Are you ready to say your beloved, yet, or are you still running from that as fast as you can? asked a quiet voice at the back of her mind.

  I’m still here, aren’t I? she answered.

  Cameron spotted her and trotted across the road to hop into the vehicle. “Sorry if you waited too long, Sunny,” he said.

  She waited for the door to slam closed before she replied. “Not
too long, no. How’d it go?”

  “About as I expected.” His head thudded back against the head rest. “They’re worried about what’s happening, and I can’t blame them. Russ intends to bring more of his pack down to help us get this shit in line. He’ll do the take-over tonight, and then he’ll let me try for enforcer.”

  “So you get to knock that cowboy’s teeth in?” It came out a bit more vicious than she intended.

  Cameron laughed. “I do, indeed. That means I can defend your honor.”

  “Who cares about my honor? I just want him to swallow incisors for being a dick.”

  More laughter. Tension tuned it higher, threaded it through with desperation for levity and emotional release. So she laughed, too, and felt some of the anxious energy drain away.

  A chirp from her phone interrupted them. She dug it out of her pocket. The number on the caller identification screen looked familiar, but she couldn’t place it offhand. That she half recalled it but didn’t have it stored in her contacts nagged at her. “Sonja Carter.”

  “Hello, Carter. It’s been a while.”

  Now Sonja remembered why the number looked familiar. Why she didn’t have it in her contacts. Because I would never call her in a thousand years. What. The fuck. “There are reasons for that. It’s safe to say I didn’t expect to hear from you today. Or this year, for that matter.”

  “Which, if you really think about it, is rather ironic. I’m probably the first one you should have called.”

  A surge of suspicious energy darted up Sonja’s spine, chased by dismayed sheepishness. Of course she knows what’s happening. Every other magic slinger in the city does. Engage your brain, Sonja. “I figured you’d be too busy enjoying it to want anything to do with fixing it.”

  “Hard words from an old friend. Are you going to call me names next? Your insulting biases are getting in your way. As it happens, I am probably more worried than you are right now.”