Fighting Furry

by Katharine Sadler

  Finally, her rational words sunk through my thick skull. “You're right. Are you sure I have time?”

  She nodded. “I'll call Max. He'll keep us informed.”

  I huffed. “Okay. Call Max while I think.”

  She walked back into the kitchen and I paced in front of that enormous door. The urge to burst through it, to run to Axel and pulverize anything that got in my way was still there, but I knew I couldn't win this with my fists. I had to use my brain. I considered my options. I couldn't reason with the council, I couldn't fight the council…Maybe I could build an army and wage war against them. I thought of Axel's pacifist pack and I knew that would never work. We'd need time to train, to learn to work together. No, Desiree was right. I was going to have to outsmart them.

  “Max is on it,” Desiree said, walking back in. “He said I need to watch you closely. He thinks you might be a spy.” She smiled when she said it, so I figured she wasn't really worried.

  “Can I borrow your phone?” I asked. “I need to call someone.”

  She handed it over without a question. I dialed the only number I knew by heart. “Julie,” Shelly said, her voice breathless. “Are you okay? It's all over the news.”

  “I'm fine,” I said. “But the council, the ruling body of werewolves, wants to execute Axel for revealing our nature to the world.”

  “Oh, my god,” she said. “What are you going to do?”

  “He's decided to sacrifice himself to the council. I'm not going to let that happen, but I have no idea how to stop it.”

  She sighed and I could picture her rubbing her temples, concentrating on the problem. “Tell you what,” she said. “If these council guys don't want the world to know about werewolves, I bet they're the ones saying you and Axel and the others were filming a home movie with amazingly realistic special effects.”

  “Are you kidding me? Three humans shifted into werewolves and several vampires had their heads physically removed from their bodies. Is anyone actually buying that bullshit?”

  “Some are,” she said. “But a lot of people aren't. The video wasn't doctored and it was supported by video and pictures from other people at the scene. Those council guys are probably freaking out about that mess right now.”

  “Okay. How does that help us?”

  “You never went into a fight without knowing your opponent's weakness, right? Those videos are obviously a weak point for the council. How can you hit them there?”

  “I've got no idea, Shel. Do you think you could come here and help?”

  “It's crazy here, Jules. Can't you conference me in or something?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “We'll figure it out.”

  “Okay…Wait…You need a whiteboard.”

  “What?”

  “No great plans were ever made without a whiteboard, baby.”

  She hung up and I looked at Desiree. “Do you have a whiteboard and a computer by any chance?”

  She smiled. “Baby doll, I've got it all.”

  ***

  “Seriously?” I asked. “This is amazing.” Desiree had brought me to a room with a huge, oaken conference table, an entire wall that was white board and another that was all screens.

  Desiree shrugged. “I think it should have everything we need.” She'd driven us to downtown Phoenix, to the twenty-third floor of a modern skyscraper. Her business took up two floors of the massive building and everything was state-of-the art and fancy, including her staff, all of whom walked around the place like they had things of earth-shattering importance to do.

  It was the kind of room where a person could get things done. The kind of room where lives could be changed, the earth saved from imminent destruction. The kind of room where we could plot and plan and find an unstoppable way to rescue Axel. I felt fired up, ready to take on the world, just like I did before a big fight. I bounced on my toes, getting in the mindset to kick some ass and take some names.

  I turned to Desiree. “What's the plan?”

  She sighed and shook her head and, just like that, I deflated, because all the technology in the world wouldn't help if we couldn't come up with a plan. “The first step to any plan is figuring out what the other party wants.”

  “And their weakness.”

  Desiree smiled and nodded in approval. “Usually the two intersect, if they aren't simply one and the same. So.” She walked over to the white board, picked up a marker and wrote: What the council wants, with a line under it. “What does the council want?”

  I paced, thinking. “Money, obviously. They don't want the public to know werewolves or witches or vampires exist.”

  She nodded, scribbling. “And why don't they want the public to know werewolves and vampires exist?”

  “Because humans might be frightened of us and kill us all.”

  She pursed her lips. “That is the party line, yes, but I've always suspected it's more than that. If the world knows about werewolves and vampires and witches, the council would be in some way answerable to the world. If a wolf stepped out of line, they couldn't punish him or her without adhering to human law, without anticipating the opinion of humans.”

  “They're able to act in the shadows,” I said. “So, another want is to maintain their power.”

  She scribbled it on the list.

  “So,” I said. “Their weakness is any threat to their power, the primary one being exposure.”

  She scribbled those under weakness. And added a third, disagreement.

  “What's that about?”

  She shrugged. “The council is composed of a disparate group of people with different opinions on every issue that comes up. They fight often.”

  “If we could find a way to divide them, to make them disagree…”

  “We'd have a shot of convincing them that killing Axel is the wrong way to go.”

  I sighed. This was going to be more complicated than throwing a punch or dodging a kick. “We're going to need some food,” I said. “And every bit of information we can dig up on the council members.”

  “I'll call Max,” she said. “You ring down to Larry at the front desk and ask her to order whatever food you want.”

  In moments, we had Max's face on one of the screens and an order in for the breakfast buffet of champions.

  There were thirty-seven members of the council and Max knew something about each of them. He knew more about some than others, since some were new, and he told us everything he knew. Desiree called in one of her staff and had her create a database with names and pictures and the information we needed. I chowed down on bagels and bacon and tried to follow what was happening.

  “What about exposure,” I asked, when Max was reaching the end of his knowledge. For some reason, that word kept tickling at my brain, which didn't make any sense, werewolves had been exposed, the worst had happened, there was no way to undo it.

  “What?” Max asked, sounding a bit tired and grumpy.

  “Does everyone on the council agree that exposure would be bad, or are there some who think it would be good for werewolves to be exposed?”

  Max reared back. “No one thinks exposure is a good idea, Julie Jacobs. We remember too well how wolves were exterminated in the middle ages.”

  “Really?”

  He raised his brows.

  “You all remember the middle ages?”

  Max muttered something under his breath. “It's a figure of speech.”

  “Okay, but you don't think there's anyone, not one single person, who thinks maybe times have changed and humans would be more accepting of wolves now? You don't think anyone believes exposure might actually make them more powerful?”

  Max scratched his head. “More powerful? How do you figure?”

  I shook my head. “I don't know, it's just an idea. Never mind.” We didn't have time for philosophical debates, we needed a plan and we needed to save Axel.

  “No,” Desiree said. “Continue that thought. Let's see where it takes us.”

  I sighed. “It's s
tupid. It's just that the world already knows there are humans with some wolf blood, right? No one really batted an eye at that. So, what if werewolves came out of the closet and people didn't want to kill us. What if they wanted to be us?”

  Desiree crossed her arms over her chest. “Go on,” she said, while Max screeched in the background that I was crazy.

  “We're strong, we can turn into fluffy wolves and people fucking love wolves. If the exposure was played right, werewolves could be rock stars. You can't tell me no one on the council has had that thought.”

  Desiree looked at Max. “Can your brother dig a bit?”

  Max threw his hands up. “What's the point?”

  “Because,” I said. “If anyone in the council is in favor of exposure, it could give us a way in, a way to convince the council Axel doesn't deserve to die.”

  Max shook his head. “I'll ask, but don't hold your breath. I'm not expecting to get the answer you want.”

  He clicked out of sight and I sat on the conference table to study the white board. “This is going to take too long,” I said, drumming my fingers on the desk.

  “It's all we've got,” Desiree said. She was also staring at the white board.

  “We need more. I'm calling Shelly.”

  I called her because she was my chosen sister, she was the one I'd always gone to when things seemed darkest, and she'd always had my back. She was also one of the smartest fucking people I knew. She was on the path to building an empire to rival Desiree's and I knew she'd be able to at least throw a new idea into the mix.

  Shelly answered and Desiree got her up on the screen where Max had been. Shelly listened to what we told her and looked over the information on the white board. She pursed her lips and considered, her expression very similar to Desiree's when she was thinking. “You should expose them,” Shelly said.

  I looked at her, surprised. “Expose who?”

  “The werewolves,” she said. “The council. You're Julie Jacobs. Tell the world that you can turn into a wolf, tell them your story, and tell them Axel is going to be killed by this council. People are going to love this story, Jules. Use your platform to save Axel.”

  My heart leapt for just a moment. It sounded like the perfect solution. I could make Axel famous. I could save him.

  “What about the video of Julie and the others killing the wolves?” Desiree asked. “How are we going to explain that?”

  Shelly frowned. “Um…Well, I…”

  “We're going to have to reveal vampires, too,” I said, a plan forming. “If we're going to tell this story, we're going to have to tell the whole story.”

  “Why would anyone believe you, though?” Shelly said, her gaze distant. “Unless…”

  “Unless I have a vampire backing me up,” I said, mentally high-fiving myself. This was an awesome plan. Okay, it was our only plan, but it had to work. It would work.

  “Good luck getting a vamp to do anything,” Desiree said. “Especially when they're a million times scarier than wolves.”

  Damn it, she had a point. “Until we come up with a better plan,” I said. “We have to try. And we have to do it quietly, so the council doesn't get wind of it.”

  ***

  “Are you insane?” Alpha asked. He stared at us through the screen on the wall, and I prayed this wasn't a mistake. If anyone was going to alert the council to our plan, it would be Alpha. Luckily, he didn't need to know every detail of our plan in order to help us.

  “Just ask them,” I said. “All I want to do is talk. Isn't there anyone who might be willing to talk to me?”

  Alpha sighed and shook his head. “I really fucking hate inviting vamps into my house. They're over here enough as it is. If I ask for a favor…” He shook his head again. “It's just not worth it to save some guy I don't even fucking like.”

  I shrugged. “I don't blame you. It'll benefit you if they execute Axel, right? You'll get to move your pack into his territory and the vamps will get his pack and, hopefully, leave yours alone. It will be lovely for you until you wake up one night to find you've lost a vital part of your anatomy.” I tapped my chin. “Yeah, I think you'd deserve a slow death for betraying Axel and his pack to side with the council and then not doing me the smallest favor. I wonder how long it takes a man to bleed to death from a penile amputation?”

  “That's a terrible idea,” Desiree said. “Allowing him to live without his penis would be much more painful in the—”

  “Fine,” Alpha said. “I'll find someone to talk to you.”

  He called back an hour later, saying he'd found the only vampire in the area who didn't hate my guts. Apparently, she was a UFC fan. He pushed a tall woman, with dark hair and multiple piercings, forward. “Hi, I'm Stasia. Alpha said you had some questions?”

  “Thank you for talking to us,” I said, giving her a grateful smile. “I…” Shit, where did I start. “I was wondering if you could put me in touch with a vampire in the public eye, someone who's trusted, who has built her or his career on trust.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

  I wrinkled my nose, I really didn't want to tell this woman what we were planning to do.

  “Hello,” Desiree said, pushing past me. “I'm Desiree, CEO of Lotions and Potions, and I'm planning a new ad campaign. I've noticed that vampires have the most flawless skin and I'm looking for a celebrity to tout my products.”

  I could have kissed her, the woman was an absolute genius. Stasia grinned. “You think we have nice skin? I've always thought mine was too pale.”

  “Oh, darling,” Desiree said, really laying it on thick now. “Your skin is amazing. Simply flawless. In fact, I'd love to include you in my campaign.”

  “Really?” Stasia was practically bouncing with joy.

  “Of course, darling. You are gorgeous.” Desiree pouted just the tiniest bit. “Of course, there won't be a campaign at all without a vampire celebrity.”

  Stasia nodded. “There's Edie Waxhall, but she's a little old isn't she…What about Lila Dumont?”

  I just stared. Lila Dumont was a UFC fighter. It should have given me great pleasure to learn she was supernaturally strong, but it mostly just pissed me off. “Isn't there anyone else? Anyone else at all?”

  Stasia shrugged. “Not unless they're hiding in plain sight. It's not like we keep a database of vampires or anything.”

  I slumped. I'd really imagined a whole horde of Hollywood elites would be vampires. It would explain so much. “What about this Edie Waxhall?” She sounded vaguely familiar.

  “Old Hollywood actress,” Stasia said. “From when the films were all black and white. Our pale skin wasn't so noticeable then.”

  “Why is your skin pale?” I asked. “Obviously you can walk around in daylight.”

  Stasia shuddered. “Just because we can doesn't mean we enjoy it. Let me know when you want me for that campaign.”

  Alpha popped back up next to Stasia and waved goodbye. Desiree hung up and he blipped out of sight.

  “I take it you know this Lila Dumont?”

  “She's a fighter,” I said. “The one who broke my arm.”

  Desiree's brow wrinkled with confusion. “I thought her name was Lioness.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That's her stage name.” I gave Desiree her number and, in less time than should be humanly possible, Lila's face filled a screen. Didn't anyone work?

  “Jules,” Lila preened. She was wearing a sports bra and had her hair back in a sweaty ponytail so I assumed she'd been in the middle of a training session. “Saw you were faking that broken arm. Not that I'm surprised. You'd use any excuse not to fight me again.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I wasn't faking, Lil. I got bitten. By a werewolf. Haven't you seen TMZ? It's amazing how fast I heal now.”

  Her eyes widened and she froze. Then she laughed, a very fake laugh. “Oh, Jules, such a kidder.”

  “Are there other people around?”

  She bit her lip. “Yeah, and I'm going to hang
up on you, unless you give me one good reason not to.”

  “You fucking owe me,” I said. “And I'll let everyone know exactly how much if you don't take yourself somewhere private.”

  She rolled her eyes and yelled over her shoulder for a five-minute break. Her head bounced as she walked, phone held so we could see her face and not where she was going. A door shut and she sat. “I don't owe you a damn thing, Jacobs.”

  “You do. And you know it's true, otherwise you would have already hung up on me.”

  “I don't even know you.”

  Wishing I could reach through the phone and put her in a headlock until she listened, I rolled my head and forced a smile. “I won't even mention what you owe me for fighting me when you're a fucking vampire and I was a human. But how about Jesse Bentley?”

  Her lips had gone tight when I'd mentioned her being a vamp, but she laughed at the name I'd dropped. “Seriously, Jacobs, that was three years ago.”

  “He was my boyfriend. I actually liked him.” He had great abs and he was good about giving me space. He'd been a decent boyfriend and she'd ruined it, because I will not continue to date a man who's fucking someone else. Especially not when that someone else is my arch-nemesis.

  “Well, you obviously weren't keeping him satisfied, Jacobs.”

  I growled and lunged at the screen, but Desiree grabbed my elbow and yanked. She didn't move me, but she made me hesitate. “Focus on what's important, darling.”

  I drew in a deep breath. “The council is going to kill Axel for exposing werewolves. I'm going to expose myself as a werewolf on national T.V. to save him.”

  Lila's expression tightened. “What the fuck does that have to do with me?”

  I had to play this exactly right or I'd lose her. “I'm going to explain why we killed those vamps. I'm going to tell the world that vampires feed on werewolves against their will, that they're stronger than us and can enthrall us. If you want to put in a good word for vamps everywhere, I'd suggest you join me and explain that the vampires we killed were rogue vamps, acting alone.”