Ty strolled down the gangplank to the dock on a perfect May morning. The weather was cool. A clear, blue sky promised things would warm with the sun’s help. Activity centered on the Belle’s handlers unloading the massive payload.
Free men of color diligently worked at hauling a steady line of flag-draped pine boxes down the walk. Bound for transport back to a hero’s burial, the northerners who’d ventured into harm’s way headed home for the last time. A pang of sympathetic regret flooded his conscious as he recalled all the southerners, whose burial spot was a cornfield in Pennsylvania rather than the family plot back home.
He noted the bulging bales of cotton, as the precious cargo swung precariously from an intricate system of pulleys and ropes, making its way over the side of the paddle wheeler before depositing the heavy bale onto the dock where the precious cargo waited for sale to the highest bidder. The crisp, clipped voice of a dock foreman shouting orders to the hands carried clearly on the morning’s breeze. “Step it up you lazy bastards. This ain’t no Saturday night social. Get a move on.”
The smell of the fishmongers hawking their catch, mingled with the murky, muddy water churning beneath the boats laying anchor in the shallows. Peddlers squawking their wares, or owners directing their laborers increased the noise level to a steady roar as the bustle of activity signifying life went on despite a nation’s people divided in war.
Ty bit into the cheroot he pulled from his pocket, spitting out the butt. With a sulfur match, he lit the smoke he’d purchased from a hawker several stalls up from the lower dock where all activity centered around the loading and unloading of the vessels presently anchored there. Ideally watching the activity, he waited. No need in giving anyone anything curious to become concerned over.
Smitty, along with Abram Clemens, strolled up as his match caught. Ty took a long drag on the first tobacco he’d tasted in a long time. “That’s a good smoke.” With a nod, Ty indicated they walk further away from the Union families come to take their brothers, sons, husbands and cousins home for the last time. When they were a goodly distance from the line of wagons turned hearses, he paused. Taking out a pack of cards, they settled down over a barrel. Ty flicked the cards out with a flourish.
“There’s passage available on two of the outgoing steamers as well as a barge, Lieutenant. No one will allow free travel. The cheapest fare is one hundred U. S. dollars per person.”
Ty’s whistle was sharp. He’d expected inflated accommodation charges, still the factual amount proved staggering. “The war hasn’t missed an industry, boys. Everybody’s got their hand out it would appear. Prior to the firing on Fort Sumter, a man paid less than five dollars to book a crossing.” He took a long contemplative drag on his cheroot and released the fragrant smoke slowly. “You’re sure you checked with all those leaving before week’s end?”
“Aye, we did,” Smitty offered. “The lads know as well. If the street urchins catch wind of a boat setting out for New Orleans anytime within the next seventy-two hours, they’ll get in touch.” His Irish brogue worked the words to his liking as he gave his ample stomach a pat. “Now, all we have to do is wait.”
“And watch,” Ty added.
Clemens nodded in agreement. “Yes, sir, Mr. Taylor, count on it.”
Ty glanced sideways at Clemens before remembering his directive for everyone to go by an alias. “Our lives are going to depend on it, Chester.” Winking, his halfcocked grin spread. It took Clemens a moment to recognize Ty was talking to him. “Waiting will be a hard pill to swallow with the vampires able to pin us to one spot. Despite the spells Hortence used to cover our tracks, I still smell the vermin. Shorty, we’ll come across more of the bloodsuckers.” This time the vampires held a trump card with the wanted poster. “We’ll have to be careful not to draw attention our way. Did you find anyone willing to sell us silver or weapons?”
Smitty drew closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “There’s talk of a dealer. He lives ‘under the hill’.”
Ty’s brow drew together. “Under the hill – what’s that?”
Smitty shook his head. “It ‘pears there’s a sort of hole in the hill, a group of caves north of here full of folks loyal to the cause, who’ll do just about anything to make a dollar.” He winked as he clutched his coat lapels, before settling against the crude wall of a fishmonger’s stall.
“So, an encampment of southern sympathizers resides in the caves north of town. Those tunnels will be full of cutthroats and thieves. We’ll have to watch our step.” Dropping his cheroot on the wooden plank, Ty ground out the fire and glanced back to see both pairs of eyes on his. “All right, we’ve put out the bait. We’d better get back to the others. Time will tell whether we’ve done any good here today or not. Let’s go.”
As they made their way back up the steep embankment anchored with piecemeal steps, plank walkways or narrow earthen foot holds, Ty got a whiff of the foulest of odors only one creature possessed – there were vampires lurking nearby in the dense undergrowth. Sheltered by the heavily tree-lined perimeter flanking the riverbanks, they peered unrelenting at the Rebels. “Watch you back, boys, we’ll have company by nightfall,” he said.
***
Nightfall came with all the sounds of a bawdy, rousing city full of excitement and social activity. Standing close to the balcony door, Ty listened to the sounds of the night. Here in the heart of the boisterous St. Louis, the entertainment was under way. A piano clinked out a raucous tune as women’s laughter trilled out of the doorways of the saloons dotting the town’s seedier side. Small, squat beams of light spotted the dirt street as pedestrians strolled or stumbled along the board sidewalks. Peering in or hurrying by, depending on their inclination, they made their way at a steady clip.
Jeb stood guard outside Briann and the boys’ room. He’d given her his word no harm would come to them as they slept. He whittled to pass the time.
“You got another smoke?” Ty’s question was companionable as he stepped up beside the former Confederate major general.
“What’s got you up so late, Lieutenant? I’d have thought you’d be entertaining Mrs. Brooks by now.” He peered at Ty with a wary eye over the stream of smoke from his cheroot.
Ty didn’t miss the attempt to rile him over his relationship with the widow Brooks. “I have something to discuss with you. I thought it best to wait until all the women had bedded down. Would you walk with me?” When Jeb glanced back at the widow’s room, Ty was quick to suggest, “Smitty will watch Briann’s door. We need to talk.”
They headed for the glass-paned door at the end of the hall. Leading out to a small veranda, the two men stood watching the activity below. The sounds of the city drifted upward.
“What’s on your mind, Lieutenant?”
Ty gazed out over the street. Laughter rose from the swinging doors of a saloon. Someone cursed long and loud. A four-in-hand drove past. Ty leaned heavily on the iron rail. In the darkness on the edge of the horizon, a scream rose before fading into the mist.
“We’ve got to come up with a plan to cross the river unnoticed. The Union guard is everywhere. I need your help in locating the vampires nest located in St. Louis as well as seeking out any that escape my attention. Can I count on you?”
“Of course.” Jeb surveyed the scene below. “You have to ask? That offends me, Lieutenant.” Jeb leaned on the rail next to Ty.
“I ask because I know you take your overseeing of the widow and the boys seriously. I’m adding to your burden with the request.”
“You could say that.” He shifted, drawing deep on his cheroot. “My choice was taken from me or I wouldn’t be standing here.” Throwing the cheroot down, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I want no pity. I want revenge.” Smoke circled his head as he gazed ideally out at the activity below. “The only fear I harbor is the enemy will seek those I care for to harm in order to draw me out. My loyalty is to you and yours, Lieutenant. By eliminating those that seek you, I benefit my own responsibility. Agreed?”
Ty nodded. “Agreed.” Glancing at Smitty, who stood guard inside the doorway, Ty missed the first one swoop down almost at the same moment the vampire struck a blow to his neck.
Jeb lunged at the vampire, his fangs exposed. The momentum sent them both tumbling over the rail.
Ty had time to draw his gun as the second one attacked. The werewolf turned Ty’s features grim as fur and claws emerged. Ty’s wolf completed the shift. The gun fell from his hand. Strong paws fit with talons reminiscent of his ancestors took the gun’s place as he defended against the vermin. “Don’t let them in!” he growled at Smitty, who held the balcony door.
The vampire reached out gripping Ty about the neck.
With fangs bared, Ty’s wolf used his superior strength to shove forward, ramming the vampire into the railing. Landing atop the bloodsucker, he wrapped hairy paws around its neck. “I’ll have the satisfaction of killing you,” he growled. The vampire was strong. Using all his wiles, he fought back. Ty could sense the attempt to hypnotize him. He threw his wolfen guard up as the lecherous bastard attempted again. “Ha! You must think me an idiot, vampire. I know all about your magic tricks.” Levering the vampire sideways, Ty managed a roll. Soon the vampire found himself pinned under the dark, hairy wolf. “How does it feel to be bested?”
Spit shot from the fowl vermin’s mouth, hitting Ty’s wolf mid-snout. “That’ll get you a fine room at the inn here, you sick bastard. I’ll make sure we find you the cream of the crop in accommodations during your stay.” Ty hauled the vampire up by his collar, holding the vermin tight.
Suddenly, Sonja came rushing out. “Let him go, Ty!”
Disbelief actually formed on his wolf’s face. “You want me to let him go? This is one less we’ll have to worry about.”
She shifted almost as smoothly as he dropped his pants before getting into bed. “Yes, I’ll take it from here.” With the statement, she wheeled, sending out a ferocious kick to the vampire’s head. His senses lost, the creature fell to the balcony floor with such force as to go tumbling through. Jeb was ready for him.
“I had this under control,” Ty growled. His nostrils flaring, he pawed the wood, leaving claw marks in his wake.
Fire shot from her eyes as she shifted back into a woman, clutching her arms across her privates. “Yes, they came because of me, though! They’re my responsibility to end.” Shivering, she glanced about. “Where’s Smitty?”
“How the hell should I know?” Ty’s next words weren’t ones he wanted to share aloud. He concentrated on shifting, instead. With one last snarl in her direction, he left Sonja to join Jeb on the street. “Thank you, general.”
“My pleasure, Lieutenant.”
Ty’s brow wrinkled in a study of perplexed scrutiny of the major general.
“What, you wondering how it is I would end one of my own?” Jeb’s laugh was like broken glass. “It’s easy, actually. I still care. They’ve lost the last of their humanity, Lieutenant.”
Jeb’s rational was good enough for Ty. Giving the major general a pat on the back, he lifted his eyes to gaze into Sonja’s hypnotic gold ones glowering at him from the balcony. “All’s well. Go back to bed. I’ll be there soon.”
She didn’t utter a sound, simply turned, disappearing from view.
Jeb followed Ty’s gaze with narrowed eyes. “Your woman is upset with you. Why?”
Ty’s laugh contained shards of glass. “I took matters into my own hands.” He flicked a glance at his companion. “Apparently, it wasn’t something she wanted me to do.”
“Well, apparently, you’ve got some explaining to do. Win her over to your way of thinking, Lieutenant. I wager you’re up to the task.” Jeb grinned into the moon light, his teeth gleaming against the darkness.
“You wager, eh?” Ty rolled his eyes. “I may be a fool, but I’m going to take your bet.” With an easier grin on his face, he offered Jeb his hand. “Meet me down at the docks tomorrow before the sun rises.”
“I’ll be there after the sun rises. You forget I have wolf blood in me, as well.” The general smile was wry.
Ty nodded, his smile accepting of the general’s words. “When the rooster crows, I’ll meet you to explain the rest of my plan, General.” Turning to leave, he called over his shoulder, “I appreciate your help tonight.”
The general had lit another smoke. With the cheroot between his fingers, he examined the smoke rising idly from the tobacco. “Think nothing of it, Lieutenant. We’re all in this damn war together.”
***
She rolled to face him as he entered the room. “How dare you plan an attack without me.”
“You were listening. How convenient.” Sarcasm dripped from his statement. Ty moved around the bed to sit on her side. He reached out, giving the cover a tug. She held fast. He pulled harder. “Since you’re so good at listening, hear this. I won’t be put in a position like tonight’s again. Do I make myself clear?” His eyes narrowed on her as she glared back. “I want what’s best for you, Sonja.” She turned away. He reached out, yanking her chin back. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.” Pausing, Ty tried again. “I’m a full grown man with enough sense to take care of what’s mine.” He took her face in his hands. She resisted. He merely tightened his hold. “Don’t. Don’t fight me on this. You’ll only lose. I want you to understand something. I’m grateful to you for saving me. I’ll always be in your debt. Without you to save me, without your blood to heal me, I would have surely died.” He gentled his grip, tracing her cheek with the tip of one slim finger. “As a man and a former lieutenant in the Confederate Army, I am quite capable, no, able, to take care of myself and what’s mine.” He pointed a finger at her right under her pert nose. “You, my dear, are mine. I had the situation under control. The next time you interfere, I’ll take you over my knee.” With the last words, her eyes grew big as he lowered his mouth to capture hers. She beat against his chest, pushing, groaning when he wouldn’t release her. Ty held firm. Crushing his mouth to hers, he captured her lips in an unrelenting assault. The kiss began as possession as he forced his demand on her with his lips and tongue. Soon, the moist heat of her mouth against his, led Ty to gentle the kiss. He sucked her bottom lip and groaned when she shuttered. Growling soft and low in his throat, he dragged his mouth away. The heat of her soft breath coaxed him to return as his tongue entwined with hers. Her fingers urgently racing through his hair set his nerve endings on fire. She wrapped her arms around him as another soft moan left her lips. He explored her breasts, her stomach, finally finding the spot he sought in her tight, hot heat. “So much woman. I can’t stop thinking about sliding between your legs to feel you wrap around me.” He eased back, drinking in her beauty. The need surged up, catapulting him higher. “Nymph, you understand me well. You know a kill stirs my juices, makes me crave what’s mine.” He growled, a low feral sound, as he buried his head in her soft woman’s flesh.
“Me too,” she whispered. “Will you make love to me, Ty?” She arched with his touch. “I need you so badly.”
Running his tongue along the inside of her silken thigh, Ty moaned deep in his throat. Her skin was as baby-soft as he remembered. The scent of her called to him. He leaned in, stirring her arousal. The tender stroke of his tongue sent shivers rippling through her flesh. She moaned as she reached for him. Lacing fingers with hers, he rose up, gazing into her face. A sweet yearning showed in her eyes, his woman, his heart. “You’re beautiful like this.” The need to speak the words rose unbidden. “I love you, Nymph. I always will. You’re the one. The one I’ve searched for.” He shook his head only inches form her face. “Don’t shut me out.”
She furrowed her brow. “I’d never do that.”
“You have. You don’t realize the fact, but you’re trying to do that. I’m your mate, your equal. Yet, you try to protect me as if I were unable to stand for myself. A man can’t deal with such a situation. Let me be a man.”
She searched his face. Her eyes soon filled with tears. “I’m
sorry. I had no idea.” Brushing at the moisture, Sonja blinked, before shaking her head in denial. ‘I only wanted to protect you.”
“I know and appreciate your concern. I can take care of myself.” He dipped his head to touch her lips with his.
“Um, Nymph, I dream of nothing else except being with you. You’re my partner, my soul mate, my heart.”
“Shh, come here and love me.” Her fingers threaded in his hair as she tugged him closer. A soft nip of his lip before her tongue plunged deep into his mouth. Tracing a path of abandonment, Sonja suckled his tongue in unison with the arch of her hips to meet his. Each thrust, each tug of her teeth, was sweet torture to his arousal. Her kiss spilled through his soul. In cadence with hers, his hips moved of their own volition. So taken by her touch, her sweet coaxing, Ty couldn’t contain the need to fill her. As he did, the first thrust brought such pleasure he was afraid he might come. Bearing down on the release, he focused on her pleasure. His reward, her eyes glazed with the first quiver of ecstasy. He followed where she lead, falling heedlessly over the edge. In the aftermath, he buried his face in the soft skin at her nape, sucking deeply of her flesh, marking her as his. No other had a right to calm her except him. The wolf rested sedately in the arms of his lover. He was hers.
***
The cock was crowing when Ty stepped onto the gangplank connecting the higher bluff with the river landing below.
Iron clanged against iron, whoops went up, hollers surged upward as men put their backs into their work. Orders and voices exchanging information flowed freely up and down the dockside. Gossip, banter and conversation already filled the air as men unloaded the latest boat to dock at the St. Louis harbor.
Wolfen Secrets (The Western Werewolf Legend #3) Page 5