by Dannika Dark
Claude lifted his legs onto the couch and twisted so he was lying on his side, head propped in his hand. He was so tall that one leg hung over the armrest, the other bent at the knee. “I enjoy watching you females at work. It’s better than a detective novel.”
“Photos are a good idea,” Blue said, ignoring him. “How do we verify if the males are alphas?”
“Compensation,” Christian offered.
We all gave him the same “what planet do you live on?” look.
Striding toward us, he put his hands in his pockets. “If you’re working on behalf of the higher authority, who has Shifters’ best interests in mind, ask them if the victim is an alpha. They’ll answer, to be sure. Alarm will set in, so that’s when you give them assurance that the higher authority will offer compensation for the loss of an alpha for the obvious reasons.”
I collected the loose paper clips. “We can’t lie to these people. Not unless you want to make a ton of enemies.”
“’Tis not a lie if you pay. Lenore and Viktor are quite chummy these days, and I’m certain he can twist her arm. Heaven knows she probably has an obscene amount of money to waste. Use her name if you’re pressed, and we’ll make it work.”
A smile touched my lips. “I like the way you think, Mr. Poe.”
He bowed.
Blue gathered up the papers. “Wyatt, give me your phone.”
He frowned. “Not even a thanks?”
“Your friend did all the work.”
He rolled all the way back to his desk. “See if I dial the dead for you again.”
Chapter 23
As tempting as it was to call everyone right away, we had to take into consideration the late hour. I spoke to a few rogue Shifters, and Blue dialed three or four packs before putting off the rest until morning. The ones we offered compensation to bought the lie. It sounded like a move the higher authority would make to save face. Ren seemed a little skeptical about sending me a picture of his former packmate, but he still gave me what I needed.
Wyatt set up a temporary email address for those who didn’t have photos saved on their phones. Blue and I camped out in his office all day, eagerly waiting for callbacks and emails. It was important that we were thorough, made no assumptions, and heard from everyone.
“Delivery girl!” Gem sang, skating into the room with white paper sacks in her hands. She did a twirl in front of my beanbag chair and handed one bag to me before skating over to the sofa and giving Blue the other.
“What about the drinks?” I asked.
She pulled her long duster to the side before plopping down on the sofa. “Niko’s on his way up with the drinks. Since you’re hard at work, we thought you might want everything while it’s hot.”
Blue unwrapped her bacon burger. “Thanks. Where’s yours?”
“Alas, they didn’t have the salad I wanted, so I’m making one later.”
Blue held out her fries. “You can have these. I think two burgers will do it for me.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She happily accepted the large container.
Blue finished chewing a mouthful of burger. “Are you sure Viktor doesn’t mind us eating in here?”
“He’s got his hands full with all the kids,” she said, her cheeks flushed. Some of the black liner around her violet eyes had smudged in the corners. “Shep and Wyatt are busy unloading food from the van. I think they’re going to sit in the dining room, because Claude was looking for extra chairs earlier.”
I pinched off a piece of cheese and ate it. “I bet Kira’s having a heart attack over the junk food.”
We all quietly snickered. Junk food made the stress melt away. The fries were deliciously salty, and the burger had the right amount of cheese and secret sauce. All I needed was a vanilla shake.
“Coyote Burger is the bomb,” Blue said, staring at her half-eaten burger. “It’s too bad they don’t have more locations.”
Niko walked in with a handsome grin on his face. “Who’s thirsty?”
I raised my hand and then felt instantly stupid. “Everyone.”
Niko approached with the cardboard carrier that held four drinks. I peered at the transparent lids and claimed the vanilla shake.
He approached the couch and sat between Gem and Blue.
“Thanks, amigo.” Blue’s cheeks hollowed as she sucked down the chocolate.
“Strawberry for me,” Gem said. “Unless you want it.”
Niko set the tray beside him. “I’m not picky. Whatever’s left is fine.”
Gem set her drink on the floor. “This is fun. We never get to eat dinner in here together.”
Niko finished sipping his drink. “How are your calls coming along?”
“Almost done,” Blue said, wiping sauce off her cheek. “Just a few people we can’t get ahold of. We’re also waiting on photographs. I think there are two left who haven’t sent us anything.”
I set down my burger and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “I think they’re afraid of getting in trouble. King’s ghost confirmed a few, so we didn’t have to call those people. I still haven’t been able to reach Harper.”
Blue licked her thumb. “Harper was the woman you and Christian met at the bar?”
I nodded. “I guess she’s busy with work. Either that or she’s done talking about her dead mate. We’re probably picking at old wounds.”
While digging into my fries, I watched Wyatt saunter into the room with his drink and a fast-food bag. He sat down at his desk, switched on the computer, and opened up his desk drawer.
“So disgusting,” Gem said as he cracked open a can of cheese dip.
“Another email,” Wyatt announced.
I flew up from my seat and stared over his shoulder. “From who?”
“Some guy named Andy.” Wyatt opened up the attachment and wolf whistled when a beautiful redhead smiled back at him. It looked like a private picture of Alisa, taken on the bed with her head resting on a pillow and a loving smile on her face.
“Well?” Blue asked.
I sighed and returned to my beanbag chair. “Yep.”
Blue checked off her name from a list. “We’re almost done.”
Wyatt tore his bag into a flat square, poured two large fries in a pile, and then drizzled the cheese dip over them. If it weren’t for his Gravewalker DNA, he would have needed a quadruple bypass. “Viktor’s in a foul mood today,” he said, stating what we’d already noticed. “Anyone know what’s up?”
Blue coughed and reached for her drink. “He was supposed to go on a date with Miss Parrish tonight. But now he’s preoccupied with finding those kids a permanent home.”
Wyatt used a fork to shovel in some of the fries. “What about the packs you’ve visited?”
“Some are decent,” she said. “But none were up to snuff. Nobody had a house big enough to accommodate that many kids, and a few of the Packmasters were too strict. Unless they’re new, packs don’t keep adding and adding. They establish a number of packmates, and when someone leaves, they fill the opening.”
Wyatt spun his chair around, cheese on his chin. “Viktor was on the phone with Finn when we came in just now.”
I furrowed my brow. “I thought Viktor wasn’t involving anyone.”
“Finn works for the higher authority,” Wyatt explained.
“Why wouldn’t he just go to Lenore?”
Blue finished sipping her drink. “Finnegan’s a Shifter. I only met him once. He’s young but smart. At the end of the day, Shifters trust each other more, and that’s probably why Viktor called him.”
“Is he a representative or a Regulator?” I asked.
“Neither. I think he’s positioning himself for a seat, but those don’t come into play very often. You have to know someone or pay your dues. He has a lot of access to files. Don’t worry—we can trust him. He’s related to some HALO members, so he knows all about secrecy. You’re still pretty new, so you don’t know everyone yet. I bet Viktor was asking if he knew anyone who could take the kids.”
Niko removed a green throw pillow from behind his back and tossed it aside. “This home was built for children, but it’s no longer a place for them. Though, I admit, I enjoy the sound of laughter in the courtyard. It reminds me how carefree life can be.”
Blue wadded up her wrapper. “Life isn’t carefree. The minute you let your guard down, everything’s taken from you. Just remember why we’re all here. And I doubt you could convince any of those abused kids that life is carefree.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “But it’s an idyllic world we endeavor for. That’s why we’re all here—so one day our kind can enjoy the same life that many humans have.”
“Humans have their own set of problems,” I pointed out. “Granted, they’re not battling Vampires or rogue Shifters who want to slaughter their families, but it’s not always an easy life. I don’t think we can ever create a perfect world, but maybe we deserve more perfect moments.”
Gem raised her cup. “To perfect moments.”
We all silently toasted.
Viktor walked in, dark circles under his hooded eyes. “This room smells like a dirty hamper.”
Gem pointed at the floor beside him. “Wyatt took off his boots. I don’t think he’s cleaned those since the eighteenth century.”
I reached in my bag for extra fries. “Any luck placing the kids?”
Blue cleared up the napkins and bags. “Come sit down.” She fluffed an orange pillow just as he took a seat to her left. “Did you eat? I have an extra burger.”
“I cannot eat. I have too much on my mind.”
Holding my drink, I stretched my legs out and sighed. “We might have to split them apart.”
Viktor rubbed his bleary eyes. “I spoke to a trusted friend who has access to information on local packs. He will keep our secret because exposing us would be exposing himself for accessing files he should not. I cannot place them with just anyone who has room—they must be good men. No troubles, no criminal backgrounds, enough room. But he was not able to find a pack that fits the criteria.” Viktor rested his elbow on the couch arm and covered his eyes. “We have a moral obligation to these children.”
“We’ll come up with something,” Blue promised him. “Sometimes when you think about a problem too much, you can’t see the answer. Maybe if you just get some rest, the answer will come to you.”
“She’s right,” Niko agreed. “We all want what’s best for the children, and we’ll find a solution. Your light is stressed. You don’t want your wolf coming out at the wrong time.”
Viktor folded his arms and muttered something.
“In English,” Gem said softly.
“You are right,” he said. “I am no good unless I sleep. Perhaps Matteo can take them back to the sanctuary.”
“It’s not the right place for them, Viktor. You know it.” Blue handed him her drink. “That place is for Potentials, and they don’t belong. They need parental figures. Shifter kids won’t do well without proper guidance. The guardians there won’t be able to help them through their first change or teach them how to control their animal. They’ll never be fit to live in a pack if they didn’t grow up in one. It’ll be harder for them to be chosen by good Packmasters.”
“You are right, my dear. I am just talking out loud. We are running out of options.” He stretched his arms across the back of the couch and yawned. “You two are busy in here today.”
Slumped in the beanbag, I stared up at the ceiling. “We think we’ve made a connection. We’re still waiting on a few callbacks. I don’t know what it means, but if everyone’s an alpha or a redhead who can make an alpha, then we need to figure out the mystery before everyone else does.”
“Perhaps you should consult the Relic,” he suggested. “It is always best to take advice from a professional. He might have a better understanding. May the fates help us if it is bio warfare. Why does that not sound right?” Viktor repeated the phrase, testing it on his tongue.
“Biological warfare is correct.” Gem noisily slurped her strawberry shake all the way to the bottom. “It could also be the beginning of a mutation.”
Wyatt belched. “What’s that supposed to mean? We’re all mutations.”
“Yes, but nobody knows if one Breed began another. Or did we all form separately? And we’re not the only Breeds there have ever been. I’ve read ancient books that talk about species I’ve never seen nor heard of. The extinct ones.”
Wyatt wiped his fingers on his shirt. “So you think natural selection is taking out Shifters? Seems a little drastic.”
She tossed a pillow at him. “I never said I was a scientist. But think about it—the weather is always more intense where there’s more Breed. We know it’s true even though no one has ever done scientific studies on it. Remember that year a whole bunch of Shifters were relocated to that small town in California, and they had that drought and all the fires? So maybe that same type of energy is affecting our DNA. Not many cities have as many immortals as Cognito. What if we’re actually harming ourselves by living in close proximity?”
Wyatt tossed the pillow back. “If that’s true, then we’re all screwed. Might as well start reserving our slots at the cemetery.”
Viktor stood. “Let’s not be dramatic.” He crossed the room and paused in the doorway. “Speak to the Relic and see what he has to say. I have more calls to make in the morning. Spokoynoy nochi.”
“Good night,” Gem said in return.
When he left, I stole Viktor’s spot. “Let me see the list.”
Blue reached for the notebook next to Niko and handed it to me. We wrote down all the names, excluding those we ruled out as unrelated.
I set down the notebook. “I think we’ve got enough. We’re only missing two.”
“Yes, but what if those are the outliers?” she asked.
“Then we scrap the idea. But this is over our head. We need to call Graham and see what’s going on. If he thinks it’s contagious, he’ll have ideas about how we should handle it or who we should turn it over to. There has to be someone who specializes in this stuff.”
Gem curled up with her head on a purple pillow. “Don’t forget, it could also be a genetic shift. Maybe it’s not contagious. Or maybe they have a shared defect.” She yawned noisily. “I couldn’t find anything in my books that looks remotely similar. I wish I could help.”
Blue rubbed her arms as if a draft had blown through, and I could only imagine her fears. What if her own blood was diseased and it was only a matter of time? Alphas supposedly had the most powerful blood and magic. If they all perished, and there was no one left to lead Shifter groups, it would be chaos. They might wind up wiping each other out before the virus did.
Blue rose to her feet. “You’re right. We have enough evidence to connect the deaths. We might never hear from the remaining two. Let’s call the Relic and see what we’ve got.”
Chapter 24
We called Graham, but he couldn’t meet us on such short notice. We made an appointment for Friday evening, and that gave us an extra two days to follow up on the final names on our list. I spent the next day in the rock-climbing room downstairs, trying to scale the walls without a safety harness. After falling twice, I hooked up and took my time until I reached the top. Climbing helped me focus and learn patience. I had a habit of wanting to rush things.
Sweaty and thirsty, I made my way to the kitchen.
“We need to buy a water dispenser for the gym,” I said as I passed Shepherd, who was sipping a drink in one of the booths.
“Take a bottle down with you next time,” he fired back.
Smart-ass.
I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a chilled bottle from the fridge, and returned to the dining room. Instead of joining him, I flipped a dining chair around at the head of the table and sat facing him. “Is Hunter with the other kids?”
“Switch is teaching them all at once so he can keep Hunter on his lesson plans.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I thought they weren’t com
fortable around the men.”
“They saw him teaching Hunter and got curious—wanted to learn what Hunter was learning. Switch has a way with kids. I guess I don’t have that knack. They run screaming.”
I chuckled softly. “Maybe you should shower. Or cover up all your tattoos.”
“Maybe I should smile more.”
I screwed the lid back onto my bottle. “No, don’t do that. When you smile, you look like the guy in the action movie who just landed a chopper and is about to blow away fifty terrorists.”
Shepherd lifted his cigarette. “And that’s a bad thing?”
I perked my ears, listening for the kids. “Where are they?”
“Far end of the property in the woods. Some of them were getting brave and running down the halls, opening doors—they were all over the place. Kira went along, and they’re doing some nature shit out there.”
We both shut up when the front door slammed in the distance. There was a low murmur of conversation.
When Lenore floated in, I froze. Her beautiful blond hair was braided and wrapped around her head like a crown. My hair was wild and midnight black. She walked like royalty, her shoulders squared and grace in her step. I sat slumped with my legs apart. While her peach-colored dress was open down the front and held together by a few spaghetti strings, the matching crocheted jacket gave the illusion of modesty. There was nothing modest about my attire, and my shirt had sweat stains. Sometimes I didn’t understand how Christian could be attracted to polar opposites.
She had a peculiar look in her eyes when she noticed me. “Raven, what a delight to see you again.”
Shepherd jumped to his feet, bowed, and made a fast exit. I should have done the same, but my legs were sore, and I decided to let Viktor make the call. The dining room was a common area, not a private room.
He gestured toward me. “You know Raven.” He flicked a glance down to my skimpy shorts.
I shrugged. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting company. You normally take your guests into the private rooms.”