by M. D. Massey
“Didn’t happen just now,” she whispered, looking away from me.
“It’s not a chance I’m willing to take,” I replied.
“So, where’d you take us?” Hemi asked.
“To the nature preserve where the Austin Pack conducts their monthly hunts—among other things. Look, I’m not supposed to bring non-Pack members here, but considering the extenuating circumstances, I figured bending the rules a little wouldn’t hurt. But those feds are going to be here within the hour, and the clock starts ticking as soon as we leave the Grove. We need to secure a vehicle, grab some supplies, and be in the wind long before they arrive.”
Hemi tilted his head toward Jesse. “Forget something?”
“Ah, hell. Jess, c’mere, so I can deal with that tracker they shot you with. I can’t remove it, but I can nullify the magic for a while. Once things settle down, we can get back to Finnegas and have him deal with it.”
“Sure, whatever,” she said as she stood and pulled up the sleeve of her t-shirt. She pointed to her shoulder, a few inches from the small incision left when the device burrowed into her skin. “I can feel it right about here.”
“Alright, hang on. It’ll take a few seconds to get this right.”
I looked at her arm in the magical spectrum, just to ensure that my stasis spell only affected the foreign object. The last thing I wanted to do was freeze the blood in a major artery and cause her arm to go gangrenous. Once I had a lock on the tracker, I encased it in the smallest stasis field possible.
“Done. Just remember that I’ll have to renew the spell every few days, or else it’ll wear off and we’ll have Mendoza and his team up our butts again.”
Jesse nodded, avoiding eye contact as she pulled her sleeve back down. I looked at Hemi, who just shrugged. He was just as clueless as I was when it came to the female species. I cleared my throat, needlessly.
“Alright, so here’s the plan. We’re about a quarter-mile from the Pack’s second clubhouse, which is on private land adjacent to the nature preserve. Once we leave the Grove, I’m sending it on its way—after that, we’re on our own. So, we’re going to haul ass to the clubhouse, grab some supplies, gear, and spare clothes, and then we’re going to borrow a vehicle and get as far away from Austin as possible. Questions?”
Hemi shook his head, while Jesse just hugged herself and looked away. I laid a hand on each of them and willed the Oak to send us Earthside. Once we were standing in the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, I told the Oak to go hide in the Void. One minute the tree was there, and the next, nothing.
I wiped imaginary dust from my hands. “Well, let’s get moving. And if we run into anyone, let me do the talking.”
“Yeah, because the Pack just loves you,” Hemi quipped.
“To quote Machiavelli, ‘it is much safer to be feared than loved,’” I replied as I took off at a jog toward the clubhouse.
“Unless you’re feared by an entire pack of werewolves,” he muttered, following along and somehow managing to keep the pace in his flip-flops.
No matter how cold it got in Austin, the big Maori always dressed like he was hanging out on Waikiki. I glanced back to check on Jesse, worried she might go all mystic-ballistic again if there were any werewolves nearby. My fears proved to be unfounded—she jogged behind Hemi with her head down and eyes set on the ground in front of her.
As for her sudden withdrawal, I didn’t know whether it was guilt, or losing her connection to the Grove, or the fact that she felt out of sorts in her human body. Or maybe it was not having complete control over whatever magic she had left? Obviously, she had to be struggling to cope now that she was human again, but I had no idea how to help her through the readjustment process.
And while I truly did feel sorry for her, the last several months I’d spent dealing with her as “dryad-Jesse” had seriously damaged our relationship. Sure, I still had feelings for her, but right now I felt little desire to rekindle our romantic relationship. I knew it wasn’t fair to hold the things she’d done while under the Grove’s influence against her, but those wounds were still too fresh to allow me to fully trust her yet.
And then there was the matter of Belladonna. It occurred to me that I hadn’t missed her all that much while I was training with Click inside the Bag, and even less so during my time in the Void. I’d spent the Earth equivalent of years apart from her, and rather than absence making the heart grow fonder, it’d had the opposite effect. During all that time I realized that I still cared for Belladonna, but like Jesse, I no longer felt the same intense attraction for her that I once had.
In hindsight, we’d barely gotten past the physical attraction stage. And we rarely got along, except when we were screwing like rabbits. Belladonna was a hard nut to crack. I’d tried and tried to get close to her emotionally, but every time I thought I was making progress, she’d push me away. It was incredibly frustrating.
Bells had been a good friend, that was undeniable. Did I care for her? Of course, and that would never change. But did I love her? I could have, if she’d have let me. But if I was being honest with myself, I certainly didn’t now—not any more than I felt romantically inclined toward Jesse. It was time for me to be honest with myself, and with the both of them as well.
Admitting that is such a relief, I reflected with a sigh. So, what now?
I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t want to deal with it just yet. Besides, it was hardly the time to have a sit-down with Bells, or a heart-to-heart with Jesse. With a mental shrug, I decided I’d deal with everything once we were safely out of Mendoza’s reach.
Yeah, right—sure you will.
For a moment, I wished I was back in the Void. Monsters were so much easier to cope with than relationships.
7
A few minutes later, we exited the woods and stepped onto the long gravel drive that led to the Pack’s second clubhouse. We were in the middle of the moon cycle, so I doubted anyone would be here. Still, it paid to be careful.
“Try to stay out of sight until I give you guys the all-clear,” I whispered.
Jesse glanced around furtively, then trained her eyes on the ground with a nervous nod. She looked scared, but of what I had no idea. I made a mental note to ask her about it when the time was right.
“Um, does Samson know you’re borrowing his stuff?” Hemi asked.
“No, and I think it’s best we keep it that way. Heck, we’ll probably return everything before they even know it’s gone.”
Hemi scratched his head. “If you say so, bro.”
I watched them fade back into the tree line, then jogged in plain sight up the driveway toward the house. Soon the clubhouse came into view, and I cocked an ear as I scanned the area. The place looked empty, and the only sounds were birds chirping, a squirrel chittering in the trees to my right, and the wind rustling leaves in the trees nearby.
Looks like no one’s home. Peachy.
Taking the porch steps two at a time, I stopped just before the top step, lifting it up to retrieve the spare key that the Pack kept underneath. The steps were made from heavy slabs of red granite, so only a shifter would be able to lift it. And besides, who’d be stupid enough to break into a place owned by a pack of werewolf bikers?
The only problem was, the key was missing. Someone cleared their throat nearby, and I jumped as I spun toward the sound. Fallyn leaned against the corner of the house, arms crossed as her face split in a wolfish grin. Her hazel, almost yellow eyes sparkled, a good indication that she’d been stalking us since we’d stepped foot on the property.
“Ahem, looking for this?” The she-wolf dangled a house key from her finger.
“Fallyn! Didn’t expect to see you out here,” I said, bringing the pitch of my voice down a few notches.
“Meh, I was out here checking on some things. Somebody tripped our trespass alarms, but all I found were coyote tracks.” Her eyes narrowed, then she arched an eyebrow. “I was about ready to head home until you showed up, Golde
n Boy. You want to tell me why you’re here?”
“We were in the neighborhood, and I just, you know, wanted to drop in for old time’s sake.”
She snorted. “You are such a sorry liar, Colin. Don’t even bother feeding me that line of horse shit, because I already know why you’re here. Maureen called to warn us about the raid, and she filled me in on the rest.”
“Did she, uh, tell you about Jesse?”
Fallyn pushed off the wall, tossing her chestnut hair over her shoulder. “The broad strokes. We’d best not waste time—I don’t want those cops showing up here with a warrant. We have enough trouble keeping Fish and Wildlife off our backs when we hunt in the refuge.” The werewolf nodded toward the driveway. “C’mon inside. Those two can come along, too.”
Hemi stepped out of the woods, waving. “Heya, Fallyn,” he said with his usual cheerful grin.
“Hi, Hemi.” Jesse stepped out from behind Hemi, looking self-conscious and out of sorts. Fallyn’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Jesse, I take it? C’mon, darlin’, let’s get you inside. I think I have some clothes that’ll fit you better.”
“Thank you,” Jesse said softly. She walked up the porch, avoiding my gaze. Fallyn placed an arm around Jesse and led her inside. The werewolf’s lips were set in a tight frown, and she slowly shook her head at me as she passed.
I rubbed my chin as I looked at Hemi, and he at me.
“They communicate by telepathy. I’m certain of it,” he said.
“It’s as good an explanation as any,” I replied. “We really don’t have much time, so let’s go grab some stuff while Fallyn is getting Jesse squared away.”
Lucky for us, the Pack kept this clubhouse well-stocked, just in case they had to bug out on short notice. Within minutes, Hemi and I had gathered a pile of camping gear in the living room, including a tent, some sleeping bags, a bunch of canned and freeze-dried food, a couple cases of bottled water, three backpacks, and a few other odds and ends.
Fallyn joined us while we were sorting and packing our loot. “Jesse’s trying on some clothes. The stuff she had on was practically falling off her.”
“They’re Maureen’s, I think,” I said, preoccupied with packing.
Fallyn grabbed me by my shoulders and spun me around to face her. She might have been smaller than me, but she was damned strong—and if she gripped my shoulders hard enough to leave bruises, I sure as hell wasn’t going to mention it. Once I stood facing her, the female ’thrope released me, pressing her lips into a tight frown as she crossed her arms.
“What?” I shrugged.
“You’re completely clueless, aren’t you?” she asked.
“You know me well enough to know the answer to that question. So, I’m not even going to argue,” I sighed. “Just tell me what I did wrong so I can apologize.”
Hemi let out a low whistle as he occupied himself with needlessly rearranging our food supplies.
“I’m not asking for an apology from you, dipshit.” She pointed toward the bedrooms, lowering her voice. “She’s the one who deserves an apology, not to mention a little reassurance right about now.”
I scratched my head and scowled. “What? I mean, I’ve been looking after her, haven’t I? Heck, if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”
“You just don’t get it—but I suppose I can’t blame you. It’s hard to understand what it’s like to leave your old life behind, if you’ve never had to do it.”
“I’m not tracking,” I said, meaning it.
Fallyn lowered her head. “For someone with such a noble heart, you sure are self-absorbed at times. Colin, consider what she’s going through right now. She was a spirit, a ghost, for over two years. In all that time, she never left you. Think about that for a moment. Then, she tried to make it back to you—at great risk to herself, I might add—and ended up locked inside an alien body, and insane to boot.”
“I—”
Fallyn held her hand up, her eyes hard as she interrupted me. “Let me finish. Now, because of circumstances beyond her control—”
“Meddling gods,” Hemi interjected.
“—she’s destroyed any relationship she ever had with the only man she’s ever loved. And, even though she’s alive and human once more, she has no one. No family, because how will she explain coming back from the dead? No friends, because same thing, plus they’ve all moved on by now. No home, because all that and then some.”
“But I didn’t—”
“‘You didn’t think,’ is right. As usual, you’re too busy being Mr. Big Shit to consider what the people around you are going through.”
“Now, where have I heard that before?” I muttered.
“Surprised you don’t hear it more often, Golden Boy. You can only get by on good looks and a smart-assed attitude for so long. Now, listen.” Fallyn poked me in the chest to emphasize her every word. “She. Has. Nothing. So, you need to either find it in your heart to forgive her, or you damned well better fake an Oscar-winning performance and convince her that all is forgiven.”
I slumped down on a couch nearby, exhaling heavily. “Ah, shit. I guess I’m just no good at picking up on emotional cues. Seriously, I didn’t mean to be such a dick.”
Fallyn sat down next to me, patting me on the knee. “You never do, but somehow you always manage to fuck up royal anyway. I know you mean well—”
“I second that,” Hemi said with a nod.
“—but someone has to call you on your bullshit. Don’t worry, I still have hope for you. Now, I’d better go pack if I’m going to come along and keep you three out of trouble.”
Fallyn strolled off to the back rooms, leaving Hemi and me to stare at each other again.
“Um, did she say she was coming with?” I asked.
“Uh-huh. You got dropped in it with that girl, aye?”
“No comment.”
While we were waiting for Fallyn and Jesse, I hopped on the Pack’s computer to do a little research into Cerberus on the dark web. I used a VPN, plus warded the machine against magical surveillance, so I figured I was safe. My search turned up diddly-squat on Cerberus, but I found a crap-load of articles and discussion threads claiming the government was doing secret supernatural research.
The conspiracy claims ran the gamut—top-secret islands where they supposedly did Dr. Moreau shit, gene-splicing, super soldiers, the works. Most of it sounded like crazy talk, so it was hard to determine what to believe. Still, my own experiences had taught me there was always a thread of truth hidden within urban legends. I tucked the info away and made a mental note to revisit the topic at a later date.
A few minutes later, Fallyn emerged sans Jesse, motioning for us to follow. She led us to a grey mid-nineties Land Cruiser parked behind the house. The thing was immaculate, and when she cranked it over it ran like a top—no surprise, considering all the gearheads motorcycle clubs tended to attract. Except for a faded Sturgis bumper sticker on the rear window, it looked like some soccer mom’s daily driver, albeit an older one.
The ’thrope turned the engine off, and I followed her as she walked around and opened up the hatch. I looked the SUV over again and chuckled.
“This thing’s kind of tame for a bunch of outlaw biker shifters, dont’cha think?”
Fallyn shrugged as she tossed her gear into the back. “Do you want to blend in, or not?”
“Good point,” I replied. She tossed me the keys. “I guess I’m driving, then?”
“Since you haven’t told us where we’re going, yeah,” she said.
“I call shotgun!” Hemi shouted.
Jesse stood off to the side, staring at the dirt and looking for all the world like your typical basic bitch in yoga pants, boots, a long-sleeve thermal shirt, and a puffy vest. She even wore one of those watch caps with a fuzzy ball on top—all she needed was a pumpkin spice latte to complete the ensemble. To tell the truth, though, she looked kind of cute. She also looked completely lost, and I had no idea how to remedy
that situation.
Fallyn nudged me with an elbow. “You really don’t do peopling very well, do you?”
“Who, me?” I said with a lopsided grin. Fallyn’s forehead crinkled, and my smile faded. “Ah, hell. Truth is, I’ve screwed up about every decent relationship I’ve had over the last few years. Give me a monster to stab, smash, burn, or banish, and I’m fine. But ask me to navigate the vagaries of interpersonal relationships, and I’m as directionless as a deaf bat in daylight.”
“So I’ve noticed,” she observed drily. “Don’t worry, Druid. I’ll look after her until you get your head out of your ass.”
“Um, thanks, I guess?”
My she-wolf friend ignored me as she slammed the hatch closed, then she walked over and asked Jesse which window she wanted. They both climbed in the back seat, where the two immediately began conversing quietly.
“This is going to be a long trip,” I whispered.
Hemi stuck his head out the passenger window. “Oi, you coming?”
I waved a reply as I pulled a dry-erase marker from my Bag. I then began marking see-me-not and “go away, look away” runes and glyphs all over the truck, muttering under my breath about the treacherous nature of relationships and unfathomable mysteries of the opposite sex. Moments later, I slid into the front seat of the SUV and exhaled heavily.
Hemi arched an eyebrow at me. “You alright?”
I sucked air through my teeth with a grimace, and nodded. “Yeah. Just, uh, eager to get on the road.”
Fallyn leaned forward and handed me a phone. “Throwaway, programmed with burner numbers for Pack members who can quickly get messages to Samson, Luther, Maureen, and Finnegas. Don’t use it unless it’s an emergency.”
I took the phone and tucked it in my pocket. “Does your dad know you’re going with me?”