Afterlife

by Dannika Dark

  He tossed her a stick before shoving one into his mouth. “Call me if you come up with anything. I work with some of these packs. I need to know what’s going on just as much as you do. Have you given any updates to Ren or the other Packmasters?”

  I opened the door. “No, I’m leaving him out of it for now. It’s better that way. He’s a good guy, but he’s tight with a lot of packs. They talk, and I don’t want this becoming a topic of discussion while we’re still in the middle of it.”

  “Good idea. Well, sayonara, ladies.”

  After clearing the table, I returned to my seat and listened to Graham’s car speeding away.

  “Raven, we should think about dropping this. We’ve got nothing. You didn’t promise Ren you’d solve it—only that you’d look into it.”

  I tapped my finger on the table. “I spoke with a Gemini this morning.”

  Her blue eyes widened. “You what? Did Viktor authorize that?”

  “Hell no. Christian knows him through a friend.”

  “I’ve heard about those guys. Nobody wants anything to do with them. Consulting them for advice, yes. But friends? Lovers? No way.”

  “He seemed pretty affable. Real detached though. I can’t explain it.”

  She blotted an orange stain on her shirt with a napkin. “What did he say?”

  “I think he knew more than he was telling me, but he led me to believe I shouldn’t quit. He said an outsider will give us information, but he didn’t say if it would help the case or bury it. Maybe saving a few lives in the process is what we’re meant to do. We freed a woman and—”

  “Almost killed a little girl,” she finished. “I didn’t steal her from the pack.”

  “I didn’t say you did. But you had a bad feeling about them. Maybe you inadvertently saved her from a dangerous situation. I’m sure Viktor will speak with the local Council to see what’s going on with the Donners.”

  My heart ricocheted in my chest when a vehicle pulled up the driveway. Had someone been spying on us?

  “Oh shit. I hope those bears didn’t follow me.” I got up and peered out the small window before releasing a breath. “It’s just Crush. What the hell’s he doing home?”

  A ferocious bark sounded along with toenails skittering up the wooden steps.

  Blue sprang to her feet. “He has a dog?”

  “I gave it to him. Don’t say anything, okay? He knows how it looks with other Shifters, but he needs a guard.”

  Crush flung open the door and peered in.

  I jutted my hip. “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Don’t you hi Daddy me. What the fuck are you doing here in the middle of the day?”

  The dog tore inside and bumped the table as it charged me. I sharpened my light to blast it in case it went for my jugular, but instead, it slobbered all over my face and almost knocked me down.

  “Get down!” Crush clapped his hands, and the dog obeyed.

  Then the bullmastiff sniffed Blue, who didn’t look all that comfortable around him. From what I understood, animals could sense Shifters, but I didn’t know what they thought of them.

  “It’s fine,” Crush said on a chuckle. “His tail’s wagging.”

  She eased alongside the wall. “I better go pick up Niko. We have a stop on the west side of town, and it’s going to take a while to get there. I’ll talk with you later. Nice seeing you, Mr. Graves. Sorry for the intrusion.”

  I gathered up the dirty napkins from the table. “See ya.”

  Right on time, Christian’s motorcycle rolled into the driveway.

  Crush peered out the window. “Grand fucking Central. What the hell’s going on around here?”

  “I just needed to borrow your house for an hour. What are you doing home?”

  He walked into the kitchen, his blue coveralls stained in oil and sweat. “I forgot something.” Crush ran the sink water, dunked his head under the faucet, and audibly sighed with relief.

  Christian quietly entered. “I see I arrived just in time for the shower scene.”

  The dog turned and bared his teeth. Christian lowered his head and stared daggers at the animal.

  I rushed around the table and stood between them. “Don’t hurt the dog. He doesn’t know better. Crush, you need to lock him up.”

  Crush kept bathing his head under the faucet. “You want me to lock up my guard dog? Then he won’t be guarding.”

  When I heard him chuckling, I searched for a leash. The dog didn’t even have a collar on. “Fine. We’ll just be on our way. See ya.”

  “Hold on.” Crush shut off the water and dried his head with a dish towel. He whistled sharply, and the dog gave one last snarl at Christian before trotting into the kitchen.

  I leaned my back against Christian and gave Crush an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to break in.”

  “You should have told me.” He opened the fridge and bent over. “You know I don’t care. I just don’t like people sneaking around behind my back.”

  “So you decided to keep the dog?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did you name him?”

  “I was thinking about Pickles.”

  Christian barked out a laugh. “Now that’s a grand name for a beast like that.”

  I frowned. “Pickles?”

  Crush finally stood, a giant dill pickle in his hand. The dog gobbled it up before he could offer it to him.

  “Don’t feed him those. They’re probably loaded in sodium.”

  Christian wrapped his arms around me. “Sounds like a match made in heaven.”

  My father shut the fridge door and gave me a stern look—the same one I used to get when I came home late as a teen. “Where the hell’s my chicken?”

  “Oh shit. Was that your lunch? Is that what you came home for?”

  He sighed. “Never mind. I’ll grab something on the way back. Where’s my hug, baby girl? Or are you too good to hug your old man around the Vamp?”

  I broke out of Christian’s arms and gave my father a hug. He wrapped me in his strong arms, water dripping off his head and the smell of oil and sweat filling my nose. The dog began growling again.

  “Don’t let your dog eat my boyfriend,” I said quietly.

  “I’ll have you know I can snap this animal’s neck in less than two seconds,” Christian remarked.

  “Keep it up, peckerhead, and I’ll give him wooden teeth,” Crush snarled.

  I backed away. “All right, break it up.”

  He twisted his mouth and returned to the fridge. I gathered our papers from the table and tucked them in a single file folder.

  Crush rattled plastic. When I looked, he was tossing cheese slices at the dog, who practically inhaled them.

  Christian shook his head. “Jaysus wept. You’re going to back up that mutt’s colon until he shites all over the place.”

  Crush tossed the dog another piece. “I ran out of fucks to give.”

  The red bullmastiff gobbled up another slice of cheese and walked back to keep an eye on Christian. He had a dark face with droopy jowls, but he was solid muscle.

  “Oh, for feck’s sake!” Christian suddenly covered his nose and flew out the front door.

  Confused, I went to go after him when I caught a whiff of what had driven him out. “Jesus, Crush. You need to start feeding him dog food. Do you really want all that gas in your house?”

  Crush straightened his back. “I get gas. So what?”

  “If you light up a cigar, you’re likely to blow this place up.”

  He gave a rolling belly laugh, and it made me laugh right along with him.

  “I’m serious. Stop giving him all that cheese.”

  “Fine, fine.” He threw the dog the last slice and pitched the wrapper into the trash. “I was using food to train him.”

  “I think the pet store sells special treats for that.”

  “And I bet they charge an arm and a leg for it.”

  “I’ll pay for all the expenses,” I said, patting the dog. “If you make him
fat and lazy, he’ll be useless.”

  Crush tied his goatee up with a small rubber band. “True. I liked the way he chased after your Vampire. What’s in the file?”

  “Work stuff.”

  “The same work stuff you won’t involve me in but you’re using my house for?”

  “Have you talked to Ren?”

  Crush scratched his ear. “Two nights ago. Why?”

  “Did he say anything?”

  “No. He’s keeping things tight-lipped now that you’re working on it.”

  “Good. I want you to do the same. I don’t think we’ve got anything,” I said, lying through my teeth. “So if they’re sitting around swapping stories, they’re better off putting an end to all that gossip. You know how your friends run wild with ideas.”

  “Give me a hug before you leave.”

  My father never held back on his affection for me, and I loved the hell out of him for it. Every hug made up for all those years lost, and I wasn’t sure if he was doing it for him or me.

  “I believe in you,” he said, squeezing me tight. “You’ll figure it out.”

  “Daddy?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t name that dog Pickles. What if I named you after your favorite food?”

  “Hungry Man is a respectable name.”

  We both laughed, and for a brief moment, I forgot all about lions and tigers and bears.

  Chapter 17

  I stared at my dinner plate, my stomach turning.

  Wyatt took off his hat and dropped it in his lap. “What the immortal hell is this?”

  Gem spooned a helping onto Claude’s plate. “It’s my world-famous bacon macaroni salad.”

  Shepherd lifted his plate to his nose and sniffed the mystery meal.

  Viktor turned away from his liquor table and held up a bottle. “Who wants wine?”

  Everyone but Gem simultaneously raised their hand.

  “None for me,” I said.

  Wyatt poked at the pasta salad with his fork. “What are the green things?”

  Gem wiped her hands on her long apron, her fingernail polish every color of the rainbow. “That’s spinach.”

  “And the orange things?”

  “Jelly beans.”

  Niko snickered. “Apologies. I need wine to prepare my palate.”

  I lifted my glass. “I think I’ll have that wine after all.”

  While Viktor filled our glasses, we quietly poked at our food. All except Shepherd, who shoveled it in.

  Hunter fished out the candy, wiped each one with a napkin, and made a neat little pile next to his plate. Claude scooped out his and gave them to Hunter, who looked like he just won the candy lottery.

  Shepherd buttered bread and set it on Hunter’s plate. “Eat some of that.”

  When Hunter shook his head defiantly, Shepherd glowered. “You can’t keep skipping meals. I know you’re hungry.”

  Wyatt spread his macaroni salad between two pieces of French bread. “Maybe you need to yank that tooth out.”

  “Keep it up, Spooky, and I’ll extract your teeth with pliers the next time you get high on those mushrooms.”

  “It’ll fall out when it’s ready,” Niko assured him.

  Shepherd grumbled something inaudible before gulping down his wine.

  “It’s my fault,” Blue confessed. “All that blood on the floor probably scared him. No wonder he doesn’t have an appetite.”

  Shepherd laced his fingers together. “I know he needs to learn about what we do and what happens when we get hurt, but maybe he’s too young.”

  “Nonsense.” Viktor set down his glass. “If the boy lives here, he must see the dangers. It is the only way he will respect this organization. It is not an ideal situation, but we cannot shield him from the world. If he doesn’t learn the consequences, he will not make good judgment.”

  “Decisions,” Gem said quietly.

  “Da. He is part of our family now, and there is no guarantee that he won’t overhear things he shouldn’t. We must teach him the importance of secrets. He must also know that there is always a chance one of us may not come home.”

  Shepherd finished his drink. “I gotcha, but he’s also a Sensor. He didn’t have his gloves on.”

  Viktor nodded. “Understood.”

  Claude set another jelly bean on Hunter’s plate. “Maybe we can move this morbid conversation to another night. You’re frightening him.”

  “Where’s the girl?” I asked, glancing at the empty booths on the other end of the room.

  “Kira is looking after her.” Viktor studied a macaroni noodle on the end of his fork. “That is why we have this wonderful dinner Gem has prepared for us.”

  Wyatt snickered.

  “The girl would not allow Switch to watch her, so Kira cannot return to her duties,” Viktor continued, deciding to risk a bite of the pasta. “I have given Kira time off for next few days. She will stay with the girl day and night until we have resolved that situation. Until then, we are on our own again.”

  “I’ll cook,” Claude volunteered.

  “Dishes,” Blue chimed in.

  Wyatt set down his half-eaten sandwich. “I’m not doing laundry.”

  Viktor lifted his glass. “Then you light candles. Shepherd will wash clothes.”

  Wyatt’s shoulders sagged. “Wait, I’ll do laundry.”

  “Too late,” Shepherd said with a chuckle.

  Wyatt held up his sandwich. “It’s not fair. Candles are a full-time job. And then I get wax all over my shirts.”

  Shepherd lifted his wineglass. “Cry me a river.”

  “I’ll help with the candles,” Niko offered.

  Wyatt glowered. “You can’t even see the wick.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Nobody asked you, buddy,” Wyatt muttered as he picked up his sandwich. “Says you.”

  Shepherd looked at Hunter and pointed his fork at Wyatt, who was talking to himself again. “That’s why you don’t do drugs.”

  Gem chewed while studying her plate. “I think I should have used the green jelly beans.”

  “The girl can’t stay here,” Christian said, twisting the stem of his wineglass. “What’s your plan?”

  Viktor buttered a heel of bread. “We have no choice but to return the child and hope the pack does not seek compensation. We have no reason to keep her from her family, and they will come for her if we do not send her back.”

  Blue leaned into view. “Something’s not right with that pack.”

  “We have no evidence. She is not ours to keep. Shepherd, how is her health?”

  Shepherd set down his glass. “Better. She won’t talk to me, but she’s up and about.”

  “Then it is settled. The girl goes home tomorrow.”

  “No!” a voice cried.

  We all turned toward the doorway. The young girl had on a nightgown that was too big for her—probably one of Kira’s. Her eyes darted between the group of adults before she ran behind Blue and clung to her.

  “Please don’t let them take me back,” she whimpered.

  Niko shifted to face her. “How old are you, little one?”

  “Twelve.”

  She sure as hell didn’t look twelve, and everyone else was thinking the same thing. Maybe she just looked young for her age, but she also didn’t look well-fed. Her arms were thinner than they should have been and her cheeks concave.

  Blue coaxed the girl to stand between her and Niko. “What’s your name?”

  “Marelle.”

  “Are you hungry? Do you want some pasta?”

  She stared at Blue’s plate. “I’m not eating that.”

  Wyatt chortled. “Smart kid.”

  Gem elbowed him, and he shut up.

  “Are you feeling better?” Blue asked.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “We’re glad to hear that. You had us really scared.”

  She guiltily looked around the table before lowering her head. “Sorry.”

  “Why did you
get in my car?”

  Marelle shrugged.

  “You can’t stay here. We have to take you home.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Claude’s nose twitched, and a black look crossed his face before he sat back. Gem caught it, and she gripped his arm.

  Blue swept the girl’s hair away from her face. “It’s not up to me. You need to ask Viktor.”

  She peered at Viktor and shook her head.

  I reached out my hand. “Come stand next to me. My name’s Raven.”

  Blue nodded, and the girl quickly walked around Christian and stood on my right side.

  “I bet you’ve never seen anyone with eyes like mine,” I said, trying to distract her.

  She looked at me, and her expression shifted. “Oh cool. Are those real?”

  “Yep. No contacts. Pretty neat, huh?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Is there a reason you don’t want to go home? I bet your mom misses you.”

  “I don’t have a mom.”

  I rubbed her back consolingly. “I’m sorry, Marelle. I lost my mom too.”

  “You did?”

  I nodded. “My dad took care of me, and he’s a really good guy. I bet yours misses you.”

  She looked down at her feet, one of them sweeping against the floor. “I don’t know who my dad is.”

  Viktor shifted to face her. “How do you not know your parents in a pack?”

  Marelle shrugged.

  “Who takes care of you?” I asked.

  “I take care of myself.”

  Viktor sighed. “I am sorry for your parents. But your Packmaster is your protector, and we must return you to him.” He reached for her hand.

  Marelle recoiled and clung to me. She was trembling, and just then, Claude’s chair flipped over.

  “Son of a ghost,” Wyatt exclaimed. “Someone get him out of here.”

  I couldn’t turn my head with her arms around my neck, but I knew that Claude had flipped his switch.

  “We can’t take her back,” Niko said, not inviting any argument.

  Viktor’s face told it all—he was in absolute agreement. Chitahs could pick up emotional scents, and when Claude flipped his switch at the girl’s fearful reaction, it was clear something sinister was going on in that pack. And Niko must have seen something in her light.

  I gave the girl a gentle hug. “It’s okay.”