“Did the dog escape too?” Carlo blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him.
“Yes,” Benedict said, looking annoyed. “The dog was right at their heels when they fled.”
Carlo looked relieved. Ottavio gave his brother a look of contempt.
Unease skittered through Dominic.
Zoey’s neighborhood was pretty far north. Of course, there were guard stations all across the city’s northern border, dedicated to keeping any magic spillover away from the city.
But still – one bite from a ghoul was fatal to humans, and mages too for that matter. Within minutes, the bitten turned to mindless, rage filled husks of their former selves. The fact that shifters were immune to the effects of a ghoul bite was one reason why they were so vital to the city’s defense, and why they mage’s council hadn’t made a move to eliminate them.
Dominic saw the look on Arturo’s face. Ghouls walking to a river? It almost sounded as if they’d done that so they could wade in the water and throw off the trackers. That would indicate planning. Intelligence. If there were some new type of ghoul spilling out of the portal, the type with the ability to reason, then humanity was hosed.
“They couldn’t have come through the portal.” Arturo tapped his fingers on the table, his thick brows drawing together. “The guards would have reported back.”
“Yes, I know,” Benedict acknowledged. “No ghouls have emerged from the main portal. There’s always the possibility of a lesser portal having opened.”
At least lesser portals never stayed open long. It was unheard of for them to be open for more than a few hours.
That wasn’t to say they weren’t dangerous; six months ago, one of them had opened in a shopping center on the north side of the city, and an angry twenty-foot tall ogre had come barreling out. Seven deaths, thirty-seven flattened cars, total destruction of several city blocks. Insurance companies were still rebuilding out the
Funnily enough, the potential danger of a visit to Encantado was actually part of the thrill for a lot of tourists. However, if it got too real, and especially if it headed south, to the tourist areas, they’d be a lot less thrilled.
Arturo’s gaze never flickered. “I can put my best scenters on it. Maybe they can pick up something that the police missed.”
“That would be appreciated. Have them report to our headquarters.” Benedict nodded at Arturo and the others, and left.
Ottavio waited until he was gone before spinning on Dominic with a snarl. “Your wolf just had to bite her, didn’t it?”
“Yes,” Dominic snapped. “It did. Would you like to discuss the matter further?” By which he meant, did he want Dominic to make him into a matching jacket and boots?
Romano let out a low, rumbling growl of support, but hung back.
Ottavio leapt to his feet, face going furry, and Dominic followed suit. Carlo suddenly noticed what was happening, and quickly shifted, glancing up at his older brother, waiting for an attack order.
“Enough!” Arturo barked, and they were blasted with a wave of energy which froze them on the spot.
“Ow!” Giuliana squealed. The energy wasn’t directed at her, but she could feel it just by being so close.
Arturo ignored her. “I have enough to deal with, I don’t need to watch you assholes having a dick measuring contest.”
Dominic couldn’t breathe. Spots swam in front of his eyes. Ottavio’s face was turning purple.
When he released them, they both staggered back, muscles cramping, gasping for breath.
Arturo’s voice battered them. “Ottavio. We don’t control our wolves mating bite. Dominic. Ottavio is speaking out of loyalty to me and concern for the pack. This matter is settled, what’s done is done. Let it go.”
They glanced at him, and then very reluctantly, at the same time, each inclined their heads to the side, exposing our throat. Under the circumstances, this meant they were calling a truce and apologizing. To appear submissive like this was excruciating for both of them; it shredded at their wolves and made them howl with pain and rage inside. Their beasts called for them to attack, to tear, to die before submitting. Arturo knew that, of course; it was part of their punishment.
He stood there glaring at them for what felt like a very long time to make sure that they got the point. Finally, he nodded, and they both raised their heads and took a step back.
His cold gaze swept over them.
“Both of you need to watch your backs. The Bianchi pack has it in for us. Put the word out.”
Dominic nodded, feeling a swell of frustration. This should be the time that he dedicated to Zoey. No matter what it took, he’d make sure that he had time for her over the next month. He needed to woo her, to convince her to come home with him. Sleep was over-rated.
Once he and Romano had left the room, he turned on his subordinate with a growl.
“You started going furry back there. Don’t,” Dominic bit out the words.
“Just didn’t like the way he was talking to you.” Romano shot a dirty look over his shoulder.
“You think I need you to fight my battles for me? You think I need you to make me look weak?”
A look of shock crossed Romano’s face, but vanished instantly.
“I know you have my back. I appreciate it,” Dominic said, tamping down on his temper. Now that his wolf had bitten Zoey, it wanted her by his side immediately. The memory of her sweet scent tantalized his nostrils, and flooded his brain with images of her soft, curvy body tangled up in his sheets. And in his arms.
Romano nodded, his face serious. “My wolf just reacts. That’s just how we’re wired.” Then he grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like…”
Romano was a born wolf. He was closer to his animal than Dominic ever would be. If Dominic had cubs – when Zoey gave him cubs – they’d be like Romano in that way. That was a good thing; made wolves were considered lesser by some, lower in prestige. He didn’t want that for his cubs.
“It’s fine,” Dominic shrugged. “I’ll be on edge until Zoey’s part of the pack.” Once a wolf had bitten its mate, it wanted her close at all times. His wolf knew that she hadn’t accepted Dominic’s claim yet, and it made the animal itchy and restless.
The fact that his wolf was taking to Zoey so easily soothed his conscience – a little.
A face from long ago swam in front of him, and he was ashamed because that faced had blurred with time and he couldn’t bring it back into focus. I tried to save you. I tried to die for you. It’s been so long. Is it wrong for me to want to feel something again?
Chapter Four
With a few hours of sleep under her belt, Zoey marched over to the apartment of her neighbor Danielle, a water witch and friend of hers. Danielle was on the neighborhood improvement committee with Zoey, and she worked the night shift at the utilities department, getting home at 7 a.m. On a power scale of one to twenty, she was about a five. She could cause extremely small areas of rain or widespread mist. When she worked with a lot of other witches, their power was amplified, and they could summon a decent rain cloud. That ensured that the desert city always had water.
She didn’t like her job, which everyone had to hear about on a regular basis. And she was not a morning person. Her pre-noon crankiness matched Zoey’s cheerfulness in equal measure.
“Too early,” Danielle groaned, standing in the doorway in her pajamas. “Go away, Satan’s alarm clock.”
“Ooh, good one. But it’s 3 in the afternoon. We have to talk about Monday’s meeting. Stewart and Andrea and Lorenzo are meeting us at Mary’s. I will coffee you until you’re human again.” Danielle and Zoey were part of an informal “neighborhood improvement committee”, and the local business owners and community leaders had agreed to meet with them on Monday to talk about the garbage problem.
“Fiiiiine. Give me five minutes to get dressed, horrible wench-face,” Danielle mumbled, and Zoey waited at the door until Danielle returned wearing jeans, calf-high boots, and a light blue sweater. She grumbled a
ll the way to Mary’s Diner, so Zoey kept up a line of cheerful patter about the lovely weather, just to annoy her.
As they rounded the corner, they saw the other members of the committee standing there waiting for them – Stewart and Andrea. Andrea’s teenaged son Lorenzo was with them, tall, skinny, and sullen, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. Stewart was a carpenter who owned a small shop down the block from Zoey’s apartment building. His white mop of hair and round gold-rimmed glasses made him look older than his fifty-something years. Andrea, a gawky brunette in her forties, was a graphic designer. She’d moved with her son to Encantado when it was discovered that Lorenzo was a fire wizard with just enough power to light candles. Her husband had reacted differently – he’d promptly filed for divorce.
They were all standing in front of Mary’s Meetinghouse – staring in dismay.
The windows were boarded up, the magical anti-burglar runes that had been painted over the doorway were no longer glowing, and there was a “closed for business” sign painted on the front door.
“Seriously,” Danielle said, staring at the shop. “This can’t be, and yet it is. You know what fuels my perky Pollyanna personality?”
Zoey gave her a sidelong glance. “Say what, now?” She looked at Andrea. “Have I missed something?”
“Caffeine,” Danielle said miserably. “That’s what makes me human. Do you see what I see? A caffeine desert.”
“Perky Pollyanna personality. That’s a lot of Ps in one sentence,” Zoey said to Danielle. “So, are you now a crabby caffeine-deprived crumpet?”
“Nothing is funny until I get coffee. What gives? Why does this keep happening to me? I mean, to us,” Danielle groaned. “But mostly me.”
Zoey shook her head. “No idea. I was in there two days ago and they didn’t say anything about closing up.”
Another one. A ghost of uneasiness whispered through her. Why were so many businesses in her neighborhood folding? Did they know something she didn’t?
“Maybe it’s the trash?” Stewart shrugged.
“We live in a trashy neighborhood, all right,” Stewart said. Zoey and Dominique let out obligatory groans. Stewart prided himself on his painfully bad puns. Andrea giggled. Her son Lorenzo rolled his eyes and started to walk away.
Andrea’s smiled faded. “Where are you going?” she called out after him.
“Home!”
“Don’t go anywhere else! And go straight home, don’t stop off anywhere!” Andrea yelled as he vanished around the corner. Zoey felt a twinge of sympathy. Being a single mom with a surly teenaged son would be challenging enough, but in a city like Encantado, it would be especially stressful.
They looked at the piles of garbage near the street garbage cans.
“It’s not like there are no customers for these businesses. People still need to eat,” Andrea pointed out, looking at the closed-up café and shaking her head. “They still need to shop.”
“Yeah, that’s true. All right, the closest coffee shop that I’m sure is open is Big Betty’s. Twenty blocks,” Danielle moaned. “Screw everything in the world.” They trooped off down the block, heading west.
“At least it’s a nice day out,” Zoey said. “Sunny, no clouds, and the breeze is currently carrying the scent of garbage away from us.”
“Thanks for the weather report. By the way, why are you walking funny?” Danielle yawned. “Hot date last night?”
A blush burned Zoey’s cheeks. “Ha ha, you’re hilarious. No hot date, I worked last night.”
“Oh, right. The catering. So, you didn’t end up romping with any of the party guests?”
Zoey summoned up an expression of outrage. “I am a professional!”
“That doesn’t really answer my question. And your face is turning kinda red. Why are you walking like that?” Danielle persisted. Stewart and Andrea were looking at her with interest now.
There is no easy way to say “A werewolf bit me on the ass last night and now he says I’m going to be his mate at the next full moon. But then he didn’t like the way I kissed, so he left me. I think.”
So Zoey lied. “Pulled a muscle.”
“You should get that looked at,” Andrea said automatically, with a distracted glance back in the direction that her son had stormed off. “The witch doctor over on Twelfth is open weekends.”
Could a witch doctor treat a werewolf bite? Zoey wondered. Anyway, Zahara the witch doctor was ungodly expensive, so it would have to wait. “All right, we need a proposal for the neighborhood meeting Monday night.” The local business owners, and community leaders, were all meeting at the community center to discuss the garbage issue.
Danielle looked gloomy. “I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like it’s pointless.”
“That’s the lack of caffeine speaking,” Zoey assured her. “Fine, I won’t ask you again until after I’ve poured a double-shot latte down your throat.”
They made it to the coffee shop. Andrea ordered pastry for everyone because that was what she did; she fed people. She and Zoey were a good team. When they held neighborhood meetings, Zoey cheered everyone up, and Andrea worried about people and fussed over them like she was everyone’s mom, not just Lorenzo’s. Danielle was actually a hard worker who hustled a lot, she just complained the whole time.
They settled down at a round table that was painted like a Ouija board, and then nobody talked until Danielle had finished her second cup of coffee. Except for Stewart mildly mentioning that that the coffee shop was full of ‘has-beans’ and then he had to spell it out to explain what he meant, and everyone groaned except for Andrea who laughed kindly because she always had to encourage people, even the world’s worst punner.
“OK, guys,” Danielle finally said. “We have no way to get mass amounts of garbage out of this neighborhood. What are we gonna do, take little baggies of it to the business district and drop it in the public trash cans on the street? That would take a million years, we’d never get ahead. I mean, it’s hopeless, right?”
Zoey was the kind of person who heard “hopeless” and made it into a personal challenge. She leaned back in her chair, and her eyes travelled the room. They lit on the three garbage cans in the corner.
“Compost,” Zoey said suddenly. “How did I not think of that before?’
Danielle looked at her in confusion.
“Compost?”
“Compost, and community vegetable gardens.” Zoey started warming to the idea. “There are so many empty lots. We can start organizing volunteer teams to bring the trash to designated lots and use some of the overflowing dumpsters as compost bins. Yes, it’s going to be a gross job, but no worse than walking down our streets these days. If I spend some time in the community vegetable gardens, they’ll grow like crazy. I’m like fertilizer.”
Danielle went to fetch herself more coffee. “You realize that you just basically called yourself a pile of manure?” she said when she returned.
“Yes, but let’s run with it.”
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Andrea said enthusiastically. “Don’t you, Stewart?”
“Absolutely,” he bobbed his head, although if Andrea had said the sky was purple and the streets were made of taffy, he’d have agreed with that too.
They all looked at Danielle. Danielle took a very long, dramatic sip of coffee and set her mug down. “It’s not completely crazy,” she said grudgingly.
“Woo, coming from you that’s high praise, cranky witch!”
“And Danielle could make sure the gardens got enough water. Since she’s a wet blanket. Get it, wet blanket? Because she’s cranky and also a water witch?” Stewart threw back his head and laughed. Andrea joined him, and Stewart beamed with delight.
Danielle narrowed her eyes. “He’s lucky I don’t waste good caffeine, or he’d be wearing this,” she said to Zoey, glancing down at her third cup of coffee. “Give me strength.”
Andrea rubbed her hands together happily. “All right, we can present this to the committee
on Monday. I’ll find out what empty lots we could use.”
When Andrea went to use the bathroom, Stewart watched her with a wistful expression. “You could ask her out, you know,” Zoey said.
Stewart’s ever-present smile faded. “I have. I guess the timing’s not right.”
Probably because of Lorenzo, Zoey thought. He was about all Andrea could handle right now.
A few minutes later, they were all finished with their coffee and Zoey headed back to her apartment. Suddenly her map sense flared and a big, blaring “obstacle” warning pounded in her head. The obstacle’s sudden appearance almost certainly meant that something, or someone, had just spotted her, and planned to intercept her. Otherwise, her map magic would have warned her about it earlier.
They were in her neighborhood’s business district, on a street lined with shops and restaurants. She glanced around but didn’t see any obvious threats. Was it one of the Blood Oath pack – come to grab her?
She elbowed her way through a knot of warlock hipsters on a corner, earning her dirty looks from skinny men with tight jeans and man buns. Ignoring them, she hurried down the next block, and quickly dodged down an alleyway – but the pounding of footsteps told her that her pursuer was on her heels.
She slid behind a dumpster, praying she wouldn’t be spotted – because the alley was a dead end.
Mated To The Capo (Mafia Shifters Book 1) Page 4