by Jess Haines
“Oh,” she said, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What sort of investigations do you do, then? I thought I heard something about divorce cases and cheating spouses—”
“You’re up, Shia,” Chaz cut in, stepping aside and leaning casually on his pool cue.
“We’ll chat more later,” I promised, excusing myself. I rose, studied the layout for a moment, and bent over to line up and take a shot. “Five solid, corner pocket.”
“You’ll scratch if you take that shot.”
I threw an annoyed glance over my shoulder, not liking Seth’s amused smirk as he eyed my backside. “Who asked you?”
“Nobody. I’m just saying.”
“Fuck off,” I muttered, ignoring him again and concentrating on my shot.
“You’ll mi-iss,” he singsonged.
“Shut up,” somebody muttered from the other table. Chaz growled softly, low in his throat, eyes narrowed in anger. Seth raised his hands and took a step back, still smirking.
I gritted my teeth and took the shot, pleased when the cue ball hit and the five slid smoothly into the corner pocket. Stepping back, I gave Seth my own smart-ass smirk, though I didn’t keep it up for long. Taunting Weres is never a good thing, even when you’ve got a bigger, badder Were there to protect you.
“Nice shot,” he acknowledged, turning away. I fought back the urge to stick out my tongue at him, and just returned my attention to the game.
We continued for another set, and by the time we were done, the smell of dinner drew us out toward the dining hall again. It was early but, as everyone would be furry tonight, it wasn’t a bad idea for us to eat while the sun was still up.
Seth stayed behind, but it was unnerving how he and his buddies watched us go, mostly keeping an eye on me or Chaz. Nobody else seemed concerned, but I had to wonder what was up his sleeve. When he saw me staring, he blew me a little kiss. I curled my lip in distaste and pressed closer to Chaz, doing my best to take no notice of him as the others were doing.
Mrs. Cassidy had made a few dishes in bulk to feed the Sunstriker pack. Everyone had turned out for this little get-together, and the few members of the pack who hadn’t been present to fight against Alec Royce and the Moonwalker Weres had come along for the ride this time. Some of those I hadn’t met were too young or too old to fight. Others were just new to the pack, strays like Ethan who had been taken in and one or two who had left other packs to join this one. There were just shy of fifty members, and all of them except for Seth and the three yahoos shadowing him, as well as Ethan and his two babysitters, were here for dinner.
“Hey, good to see you,” one of the Weres seated near the door said, smiling warmly at me as he leaned back in his chair to brush his fingers over my hand. As the others took note of our entrance, the hum of conversation died into a low murmur of welcome, some of them lifting their hands in cheerful waves, others rising to greet us. A handful moved to the back, out of the way, but their dark looks were easily lost in the crowd of well-wishers.
“It’s her, look… .”
“Remember me? Hi!”
“I can’t believe she came!”
I suddenly found myself surrounded by warm, friendly hands, brushing over my hair, shoulders, arms, crushing my hands as they shook them. One of the guys who’d grabbed my hand shouldered his way a little closer, grinning at me happily. “I know I look different without the fur, but I hope you remember me. Thank you so much!”
I turned wide eyes on Chaz, who had stepped to one side and was simply grinning with amused tolerance. “What the hell is going on?”
“You saved them from getting overtaken by the Dominari Focus, remember? They’re just happy you’re here.”
“You’re a hero,” another said, pounding me enthusiastically on the back. “Better, you’re one of us, not one of those pansy Moonwalkers. It’s an honor to have you here.”
The nods and words of agreement that flowed around me were so embarrassing, I thought strongly of retreating to our cabin and forgoing this weird dinner. Sadly, I was surrounded. Though I had wanted to get to know Chaz’s pack, I certainly didn’t want to be fawned over like this. The Focus had been designed to give a dangerous amount of power to its holder, and I’d destroyed it mostly out of fear of what Royce or Chaz or even Sara’s boyfriend, Arnold, might have done with it. That it meant assured freedom for these guys was just an added bonus.
“Um, thanks, guys. Really, it was nothing.”
An older guy threw his arm around my shoulders, guiding me to one of the tables right in the middle of the mess of seated Weres. His gruff voice was husky from years of cigarette smoking and carried a touch of some European accent I couldn’t place. “Facing that mage and his spelled minions by yourself—especially without the pack there to back you up—takes a kind of bravery and courage most of us had never seen before. Let us have this moment to thank you in our own way. We never had the chance to before.”
I warily nodded agreement, doing my best to relax my stiff posture. It was a little nerve-wracking to know I was one of few humans in a room full of predators who could tear me apart or even eat me if they were so inclined. Having a bunch of them putting their hands on me made me jittery. They meant well, but it was still freaky.
Chaz had never said anything, so I hadn’t realized that the pack felt so strongly about what I had done. The only Weres I’d seen after the big fight above La Petite Boisson were Rohrik Donovan, who came to thank me in person at the hospital, a few of Chaz’s friends who’d been around for movies or dinner, and that cab driver whose name I’d never learned. Maybe since I was human, they were afraid to approach me themselves and had just been waiting for a moment like this to thank me.
“Relax, you smell afraid. Don’t offend your fans,” Chaz whispered into my ear as he leaned down to seat himself next to me. I gave him a withering look. He portrayed nothing but bland innocence.
Eventually, the casual chatter returned, many of the Weres drifting back to their seats. The clink of silverware and chiming of laughter from a table across the room sounded so normal, so human, that it would be easy to forget what they really were. Blending in this way was as much survival instinct as it was sheer habit. Some of the people in this room had been born Were. Most started out as fullbloods, like me, and then contracted the infection later. They wouldn’t do something so crass as to act uncivilized until their furry side came out. Once shifted, they’d still be doing their best to stay as far out of humanity’s sight as possible.
Except for me. I’d get to see them as they really were.
“Hey, Shiarra?” A voice I didn’t recognize piped up from across the table, mangling my name. I twisted in my seat to see a young kid, maybe five or six years old, seated between a couple I took to be his mom and dad and waving to get my attention. “My dad says you’re an investigator. Do you fight bad guys like that scum-sucking leech Alec Royce all the time?”
“Hush, Billy, she doesn’t want to talk about that kind of thing right now,” the guy seated next to the kid said, giving me an embarrassed, apologetic look. He probably hadn’t realized he’d been overheard or hadn’t expected to have his kid parrot off his description of the elder vampire.
“No, it’s okay,” I said, amused with the way the kid was squirming with delight that I was paying some attention to him and his not too far off the mark description of Royce. “I try not to fight bad guys if I can avoid it. My job isn’t to fight them, just to find out stuff about them. Most of the time, I’m hiding somewhere they can’t see me, taking video or pictures.”
“But Dad said you killed some bad guys!” He was now giving his mortified father an accusing look. “He said you fought a mage and a vampire and the Moonwalker leader.”
It was my turn to feel embarrassed, especially as an intent, interested hush fell across the room. Everyone else was listening in for my answer. Peachy. “I did fight them once, but they’re stronger and faster and a heck of a lot scarier than I am. I almost died.”
His eyes widened;
he was suitably impressed. “Wow! Did you get hurt? Do you have scars?”
“Yes, I have some.”
He promptly tugged up his shirt, showing me a purplish line just under his ribcage. “I got my ’pendix taken out. Does it look like this? Can I see?”
“Billy,” the woman next to him hissed this time, “put your shirt back down!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, it’s like that. Don’t worry, ma’am, it’s okay. I’ll tell you what, Billy, I’ll show you later.” Somewhere not in front of fifty pairs of prying Were eyes.
His parents both looked extremely gratified that I wasn’t upset, though Billy’s mom was still mortified. Billy looked like he’d just won the biggest prize at the carnival. Chaz was grinning at me, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Much better.”
I gave him a wry grin of my own, and a suggestive waggle of my brows. “Practice.”
“For what?”
“When we’ve got one of our own.”
His shock slowly faded into a pleased, possessive look, and he leaned in for a kiss. I didn’t care that everyone was watching—no, not just watching, cheering—since it was exactly the response I’d hoped to get out of him.
Chapter 6
Over dessert, a few of the other Weres came over and introduced themselves, switching out seats with ones at our table every few minutes so everyone got a chance to talk to me or Chaz. Some of the Weres who hadn’t been too cordial with me earlier warmed up over this reception.
After dessert, some left, headed for their cabins or the gaming room. Daisy the bartender put a hockey game on the big screen, pouring drinks for the guys who exchanged their tables for bar stools. The evening was winding down.
Paula, Kimberly, Sean, Nick, and two other Weres I knew, Simon and Dillon, joined us for a round of beers at the table. Everyone was pleasant except Paula, who seemed a bit surly and quiet since returning from a short trip to her cabin. I didn’t pay her much mind, as everyone else was making up for her silence.
Simon and Dillon had been present for the fight I had miraculously survived in the basement of Royce’s daytime resting place about a month ago. The same one during which I’d drunk some of Royce’s blood so Max Carlyle couldn’t call me to his side. Seeing them again made it difficult to forget, as I’d tried so hard to do. It must have been hard for them to see me, too; they’d lost their friend, Vincent, in that fight.
Neither one mentioned a thing about what had happened, keeping the conversation limited to sports and movies, and it helped put me at ease.
“There’s a special midnight showing of Rocky Horror downtown on Friday the thirteenth. You guys want to come?” Dillon asked, looking far too excited at the prospect. Most of us groaned. “You know it’s going to be wild!”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Oh, come on! It’s a classic.”
Kimberly shook her head, smoothing dyed blond locks out of her face. “I don’t know. Seeing Tim Curry running around in fishnets and heels is a little too disturbing for my tastes.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sean said, making a face.
“Reminds me a little too much of a vamp. Wonder if he is one?”
Speculation quieted the rest of us for a minute, as we thought over the possibilities.
“I heard you got bound by a vamp.” Paula turned to me suddenly, cutting the easy conversation to bits. Her tone was icy, oddly so considering how nice she’d been earlier. “The news said you signed papers, that you were a willing thrall. That true?”
I was shocked by the directness and malice behind the question. Chaz’s anger was enough to make her turn her brown eyes away from mine, putting up her hands in surrender.
“That’s enough, Paula. If she wants to talk about it, she will.”
She hissed out, venom thick in her voice, even as she shrank back in her chair. “I think we have a right to know if our pack leader brought a leech’s pet to the table.”
A low, collective gasp escaped a few throats, including mine. The looks I was getting from the others now were nothing short of horrified. The only ones who didn’t react were Dillon and Simon; they seemed more surprised at Paula’s hostility than by her announcement, and I’m sure that was only because they already knew I’d been bound.
Chaz inched up to standing, towering over the smaller woman. Slowly, deliberately, he reached out until he had her sweatshirt balled up in his fist, dragging her closer so he could growl right into her face. Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she didn’t fight his grip. “I said that’s enough. Don’t bring it up again.”
I rose a little shakily, not meeting the curious, furtive looks any of the others were giving me. “I’m going back to the cabin. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Shia, wait… .” Chaz’s disappointment was palpable, his grip loosening on Paula’s shirt enough that she gracelessly dropped back into her chair. Everyone’s eyes were on me, the mixture of unspoken disbelief and revulsion too much for me to deal with. I shook my head and hurried away from the table, taking my beer with me.
Once outside, I took a few deep breaths, trying not to give in to the sting of tears. The sun had almost set, leaving deep shadows between the trees.
After this afternoon, I hadn’t thought Paula would be so mean to me. We’d played pool, exchanged beauty secrets and workout tips. We’d talked about movies and music, nothing to do with the pack or my past. She hadn’t given any hint of the malice I’d seen in her eyes tonight. She’d been rather quiet over the beers until that moment, then she seized the turn of the conversation to make sure her words would cut to the bone.
It was common knowledge that Weres and vampires don’t get along. I had ties to both, but I tried not to think too much about having been bound to Royce and to Max by blood. I hadn’t willingly been their plaything, but based on Paula’s reaction, it was clear not everyone saw it that way.
While that part of my past was not exactly a secret, I had to wonder why it had come up now. I sipped at the drink in my hand, wishing I had something stronger, ignoring the chill that raced through me from more than the cold wind sighing through the trees. She had said she’d “heard” I’d been bound. The only people here who had any knowledge about the binding were Chaz, Simon, and Dillon. The group had separated for a couple hours after dinner. Had something happened after we split up? Had one of them told her? I couldn’t understand why they would, particularly now. Why not say something before this stupid trip started? Why wait until we were all stuck here with moonrise coming in another hour or two?
It didn’t make any sense. There might be others who had picked it up through the grapevine, or maybe just clung to the speculations reported in the news at the time. Was someone here trying to make life difficult for me by whispering in the ears of Chaz’s pack?
Who the hell could it be? And why?
“Out here all alone? Not wise.”
I cringed as Seth’s voice broke into my reverie. I couldn’t see much in the shadows. He was hiding somewhere in the tree line, keeping out of sight. I was willing to bet his friends were out here somewhere too. “What do you want?”
“Nothing. Just wondering why you’re out here by yourself, no big, bad pack leader to protect you.”
“I can protect myself,” I shot back, edging toward the doors that led back inside the lodge. Back to safety.
“Not from us.” The laughter that came from the trees had me searching, looking for signs of where the others were. I spotted two by the slight luminescence reflecting off their eyes, glowing cat-like in the dark. Seth and the other one remained hidden from my view. Too far to rush me before I could get inside, I thought. “Not that you have anything to worry about. You’re not my problem.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He’d gone quiet. The two Weres I’d seen walked out into the light, followed soon by Seth and the remaining Were. Their movements were completely silent, not a snapping twig or crunch of dead leaves to gi
ve away their whereabouts. All of them were smirking in amusement, watching me with hungry, predatory eyes. It wasn’t Seth, but one of the others who answered me.
“It means we don’t give a shit whether you live or die. Just stay out of our way.”
The four of them filed inside, one of them turning to give me a grim smile as he went. Shivering, I turned away, unable to meet his eyes as I hurried off in the dark toward the sound of rushing water and the cabins beyond.
I didn’t meet anyone else in my haste to get as far away from the lodge as I could. My thoughts raced as I tried not to slip in the mud, anger and fear warring for dominance in my mind. Coming out here had been a mistake. It had only been one day, and already I was sorely regretting my decision to come along on this crazy camping trip. If the night hadn’t ended so badly, I might have even pulled out the contract to surprise Chaz with tonight after he came back from the hunt. As it was, I had the whole rest of the weekend to get through, and nobody had even shifted yet.
Would whoever set off Paula start whispering in the ears of the rest of the pack? Would the others start giving me venomous looks, or thinking those terrible things about me?
Were they thinking them already?
Rubbing at the tears gathering in my eyes, I thought about digging out my cell phone and calling Sara. Maybe she would know what to do. I wouldn’t have reception, but I could get the number out of my phone and use the landline provided in the cabin.
Thoughts of home vanished when I saw the cabin. The door was open a crack. No lights shown through the gap.
Warily, I stepped a little closer, noting that the wood around the small lock had splintered. Something was burning, the scent strong enough to make me wrinkle my nose in disgust. I listened cautiously, trying to determine if anyone was still inside.
The only sounds I heard were some music drifting from one of the other cabins a few doors down and the faint drip of water pattering on the ground as the wind gusted today’s earlier rain off the leaves.
Pushing the door the rest of the way open, I immediately flicked on the light and stepped aside in case someone was planning to rush me. There wasn’t anybody inside, but what I found was worse. Far worse.