by Maria Lima
“He left a few things out,” I remarked drily, ready to smack my not-so-helpful brother. “He left out all the really important stuff.”
“Why are you their ruler? Mark’s the pack leader, right? What have you got to do with werewolves?” She said the word with a hesitant pause, as if still tasting its validity.
“Bea, Adam and I co-rule the area for real. Representatives of every paranormal group in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana are coming in about a week to pay their respects and swear fealty.”
“Say what?”
“I know it sounds medieval, but it’s reality. Gigi sent us back to be rulers, not just to come home.”
“Where does Gideon fit in?”
Oh that is indeed the gazillion-dollar question. Would that I had an answer. My former lover—and now, I suppose, sort of brother-in-law—may be out of sight, but as long as I didn’t have a handle on him, he’d not be out of mind.
“I have no idea what she plans for him, other than leaving him with his father and the Unseelie Court,” I said to Bea. “Adam thought it was an appropriate punishment. He said his father, despite his being an ass most of the time, wouldn’t take kindly to learning what Gideon did to force the Change—well, and the fact that Gideon pretty much tried to kill me.”
Her fixed stare made me realize that she knew absolutely nothing of what had happened in Canada. With a sigh, I told her the whole story, leaving nothing out.
“I don’t even know what to say to all that.” Bea slumped against the back of the seat. “It’s just too …”
“Too,” I echoed her earlier phrasing. “Enough about me. I’m fine here without Gideon and as long as he’s in Faery, he’s no threat. What are you going to do?”
“Pray?” She said it as a question but then sat up, her face determined. “Yeah, pray. You’ll call it meditation, but I’d like a few days to think about this situation, maybe go to church and just sit quietly and pray that I can come to a good decision.” She sipped her coffee. “Jacob’s been really good to me, you know.”
“Jacob? The same hot, thirtyish, bodyguard-type you’re lusting over?”
She nodded, both hands wrapped around her mug as if to seek warmth. “He’s been around a lot and doesn’t have much to do over at the deli. He’s spent a lot of time here just hanging out. We’ve been chatting. He’s pretty religious.” She shrugged. “You know I still believe in God.” She glanced up from her coffee cup and gave me a steady look. “I don’t go to church much because of the café, but I do pray. It’s hard to not have anyone other than Tia and Tio to talk to. Jacob and I, well … we’ve talked a lot about life and free will versus destiny and God’s plans.” She gave a short laugh, more rueful than amused. “Funny thing that. Rather ironic, wouldn’t you say?”
Every word I owned, every appropriate bit of vocabulary I’d ever learned in any language just failed me. I took a long, deep breath and then let it out. “Tabernac.” I muttered a joual oath, grimacing at its appropriateness. Most Canadian dialect French curse words were based on the Catholic religion. “Since when are you that interested in religion?” The blunt words slipped out, even as I cursed myself internally for not being more thoughtful.
Bea set her coffee mug down and glared at me. “Since I had no one else to fucking turn to, okay? I couldn’t talk to my aunt and uncle about you, about magick and what happened a few months ago. Couldn’t breathe a fucking word to my seventeen-year-old nephew. The only people—you and Tucker—who I could bare my soul to were in fucking Canada. Then when Tucker got back, well, he was busy and wasn’t all that available. What else was I supposed to do? Jacob was a stranger, sort of, then a friend.” She snorted. “Don’t worry, I never said anything about your magick or anything.” A sip of coffee, then more quietly, “I guess I could have, though, huh?”
I buried my face in my hands. The last time Bea had said “fucking” that many times, she was cursing the death of her brother and sister-in-law at the hands of a drunk driver. She herself had been six sheets to the wind on tequila shots and all of twenty-two, drunk off her ass after the funeral and sobbing into my shoulder. Noe, their infant son, hadn’t been in the car with them. They’d left him in their elderly aunt’s care for the night, not knowing that the arrangement would end up more or less permanent.
I finally raised my head, no tears in my eyes. I had no idea what to do now. Bloody great leader I was. I could shapeshift, heal, forecast weather, cast all sorts of minor charms and spells, but dealing with a human friend’s very valid emotions? I was utter crap.
“What can I say to make this better, Bea?” I spoke as calmly and quietly as I could. “You’re absolutely right. I wasn’t here for you, and I’m sorry. All the powers, the Talent I’ve been granted, can’t turn back time, as much as I’d like to go back and be there for you. I can just be here for you now. Be your friend and give you the best advice I can.”
Bea burst into tears and slid out of her seat and next to me, burying her face against my shoulder. “I know, I know.” She sniffed the words out. “I’m not blaming you, it’s just …”
“The situation, I know, chica,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. “It sucks.” Now how in all the hells was I going to tell her about the possibility of genetic disorders and that she or her child could be at risk? I made up my mind in two seconds. There wasn’t a way to broach this subject without completely destroying her right now. She was too vulnerable. I decided to play the chicken card on this one. Leader I might be, but there was no way I was going to slam Bea with another issue right now. I’d let Dixxi know the situation before I took off to the wers’ property, and perhaps she could come over and talk to Bea later.
Ianto came out of the kitchen, worry on his face as he took in the view before him. She okay? he mouthed.
I shook my head. Not really, I mouthed back.
He pointed to the clock and I nodded. We had to go.
“Bea, sweetie,” I said. “I’m sorry, I have to go now. Liz is going to come over here and help you today while I’m gone, okay?”
“Where are you going?” Bea raised her head and wiped her eyes.
“Mark’s asked us for help,” I said. “Some of his pack are missing.”
Her eyes grew round and she nodded. “You’ll be back later?”
“Yeah, I promise. We’ll talk later tonight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ON THE WAY OUT TO the property, which, by road, was a good forty-five minutes to an hour from Rio Seco, we hashed out some strategies for searching. Lev and Luka accompanied Rhys, Ianto, Tucker, and me—a tight fit in my Land Rover, but it was a better car for maneuvering onto undeveloped land than the van.
“Why did you ask Liz to stay with Bea?” Lev asked me as we neared the property. “She’s okay, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” I said. “Since we still don’t know why your wolves are missing, nor why someone shot at us last night, I’m not taking chances on anyone’s safety.”
“Keira, has it occurred to you that some outside group wants revenge on the wer for us meeting with them early?” Ianto asked.
“I don’t understand what you mean, Ianto. Those wolves went missing before Mark invited us out to the game.” What was he getting at?
“No, I realize that, but I’m talking about the shooting.”
I thought about this a moment as I tried to find a good place to pull the car off the shoulder without running over cacti and mesquite. We’d arrived at the property, signified only by a small stake with purple plastic ribbon drooping from the top of it. “Not much for signage, are you?” I said to Lev.
“Didn’t really need it,” he said.
I addressed my brother as I pulled off the road and parked a few yards onto the nearly barren ground, trying to avoid the patches of prickly pear. “Ianto, we’ve practically invited everyone who’s anyone within the Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana—hell, the whole fucking Southwest—to come to a party. A party I’d rather not be throwing, mind you. In an
y case, who’s to say somebody hasn’t jumped the proverbial gun and shown up early? It could have happened, and yes, it’s possible that our early meeting with Mark triggered—no pun intended—someone’s jealous streak.”
“Why?” Luka asked. “That’s kind of dumb.”
From the mouths of babes. Dumb, yes, but if my own family was any indication, the rest of the tribes, groups, and packs of the supernatural world could be counted on for the same levels of intrigue and conniving: read as “dumb.” Once again, I thanked Lady Luck, who’d finally decided to shine on me and let me return to my beloved home with my own crew, my own well-loved family members, instead of having to remain in the midst of familial machinations and maneuvering. Not that I thought I was getting out of the cesspit of politics entirely, but here, Adam and I were king—so to speak—and we got to call the shots. Yet Ianto had a very good point.
“Who the hell knows,” I answered Luka’s question. “Minerva, our Clan leader, filled me in on a lot of the overarching goings-on, which frankly, weren’t many. Since the Kelly Clan pulled up stakes nearly three years ago, the Southwest region has pretty much just handled things on its own—each group dealing with their own issues. Now, the Kelly leadership is back. Who knows if someone’s not here scoping me out? I’m a relative kid. Adam’s been here permanently all of nine months and, until now, kept a profile so low he was practically off the map. Then, voilà, bring on the fireworks and the blazing neon signs: Kellys are back and taking over.”
“Wow, sis, way to channel Rhys at his most dramatic,” Tucker said wryly.
“Hey!” Rhys smacked Tucker’s head as he opened the back of the Rover. “Not fair.”
I chuckled. “Hardly. The realm of the supernaturals is rife with small fiefdoms, thus Gigi’s not-so-little Machiavellian plot to rule the world via her descendants. Right now, I’m a prime target because not only am I Kelly but I am also Seelie Sidhe, the Court of light. Adam’s heritage and position takes care of the other Court, and here we are, a coup in the making—heirs to the Kellys and both Sidhe Courts all bundled together.” Though, in full truth, I was only heir to my mother’s Court, a lesser Sidhe Court, and not to Angharad, Queen of the Seelie Sidhes’ own throne. She had her own heir, but that was picking nits. It was enough that Adam and I represented the three largest and most powerful groups in existence.
“We’re certainly no threat,” Lev argued. “Why shoot at us? Why target our pack? I think you’re howling up the wrong tree.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But what other trees are there? What choice do I have other than to be über precautious? Before I was even heir, my cousin Marty was killed. Then Bea herself became a target. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. We need to be vigilant, make sure that no one else gets hurt or goes missing.”
Lev eyed me with suspicion. “You think they’re dead.”
I returned his steady gaze, letting him see the conviction I felt. “I’m sorry, Lev, but yes. Even if they’d run into some trouble, it’s hard to believe that no one’s come across them. Your own wolves haven’t been able to pick up their scent or their trail.”
“I was hoping for something less permanent,” he said quietly. “I know Mark is, too. He’s a bit of an optimist.”
“Kidnapping?” Possible, but I couldn’t see the angle. The pack’s got very little cash and it’s really damned difficult to conceive of someone’s holding three wer for ransom for land. How would that work? For that matter, if there were some new player in town strong enough to abscond with three grown werewolves, then the problem is larger than I thought. “Lev, I’m trying to be practical,” I said. “We’ve got a good crew here. I think that the six of us are bound to find something, some clue.”
I surveyed the property. Typical lots of nothing but mesquite, brush, cactus, and a hell of a lot of parched dirt. “You know, earlier this spring, when we were searching for those missing kids, Tucker?”
“Yeah?” he said and walked up next to me. “What’re you thinking?”
“This reminds me too much of that—same kind of landscape. People missing for no apparent reason.”
“You think they’ve run off and are hiding?”
I shook my head. “No, not this time. But it just occurred to me that we’ve still got the old cemetery on Wild Moon property with a cave that opens up into Faery. By any chance do you think …?”
“That we could have Sidhe company?” Tucker put a hand on my shoulder. “It did occur to me last night,” he said. “Ianto and I went out to the cemetery early this morning, just in case. No sign of anyone, wer, Sidhe, or otherwise. Cave’s still open but no indication of trespass. I take it you’re thinking that someone could have come through?”
“Could be. This property’s pretty far away, but stranger things have happened.”
Tucker laughed. “Indeed they have, little sister. Indeed they have. Just so you know, the deadfall at the cemetery’s all cleaned out, too. Place is a lot like when you were a kid.” He smiled at me and gave me a quick hug. “You know there could be another similar place on this property. We definitely should keep an eye out.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed. “Let’s keep the cemetery up, shall we? I feel a certain obligation. Keeping the place cleaned up, I mean.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “My cousin Daffyd, despite his many faults, is my kin,” I said. “That cave is still a door into Faery, and I’d like to keep an eye on it. Maybe one day, some of my less objectionable relatives may decide to come back.”
“Were there any?”
I laughed. “Less objectionable? Maybe. Who knows? I was seven when Dad came and got me. Daffyd wasn’t a bad sort, maybe there are others like him.”
“I still have trouble trusting the fey,” Rhys chimed in. “They treated you like less than dirt.” He dropped his voice. “Keira, when I called you at the game about the guest list: there are some Sidhe on there.”
I stumbled over a small rock. “What? I mean, who?”
“Well, one Sidhe specifically. Name of Eamonn, and a couple of his entourage. Jess told me they had sent a present and a request to attend. I didn’t know what to do. Jess and Lance had already sent confirmation. He wrote that he’s neutral and only means to honor you.”
Crap. Because I’d told them and Rhys to deal with it, they’d confirmed Sidhe presence. I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t know this Eamonn,” I said with a sigh. “I suppose it’s all right. I’d rather not start an interspecies incident over this.”
“But—”
“Let it go, Rhys,” I said. “I have to, so let’s all do.” I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
“You planning to reach out and touch someone?” Tucker teased. “Make up with your mother?”
I snorted. “Yeah, and the moon’s made of Velveeta and Ro*Tel. No, I’m not planning on making up with my mother, but I don’t want to cut off my nose to spite my face. I’m about to greet and take oaths from who knows how many clans, tribes, packs, whatevers. How can I do that and, with a clear conscience, completely shut out the Seelie Court? Besides, they’ve got no interest here anymore. This is Kelly land and Unseelie as well, thanks to Adam.”
“Hey, Keira.” Luka Ashkarian walked around the side of the Rover. “Where do you want us to start?”
“Where’s Lev?”
“Here,” Lev answered and came around. “Just trying to find some water.”
I nodded. “It’s pretty warm already and it’s going to get hotter. Rhys, why don’t you go ahead and shift. The rest of you, make sure to take a canteen with you.”
Luka stuck his head in the back of the Rover and rummaged around the box of snacks we’d stashed there. “These for us?” He took a bite out of an enormous pan de huevo and picked up a couple of polvorónes in the other.
“Growing boys.” I grabbed a canteen. “Tucker, you guys all set?”
“Any food?” Luka mumbled around a mouthful of pastry.
Tucker laughed. “Plenty of other snack
s,” he said. “It’s not like we’re going to be out in the wilderness without resources. In this heat, we’re lucky to be able to stay out here a couple of hours without some respite.”
“Tucker, why don’t you, Rhys, and Luka take the right side of the property line.” I handed them a copy of the plat map Mark had given me. “Rhys, perhaps a bloodhound? Luka, no wolf, okay? If whoever is out there is targeting you specifically as wolves, I don’t want to wave a red flag.”
“I don’t know, Keira,” Rhys said. “Maybe Tucker or I should be wolf and be bait.”
“No bait today. This is recon only,” I said. “We need to see if we can figure out what happened. Then we can decide what to do.”
“She’s right,” Tucker said. “I’m not comfortable drawing out whatever or whoever until we have more data.”
“Good. Lev, you and I will take the right-hand side. Ianto, you have our six?”
Ianto nodded. “I’ll stay in the center, be backup.”
Lev leaned closer to me and reviewed the map. “That circled area there.” He pointed with a finger. “That’s where Gregor got shot.” He looked me in the eye. “You want you and me to go there instead of the others?”
I nodded. “Yes. My brothers may be crack trackers and hunters, but I have other talents I can use.”
He gave me a questioning expression.
“I’m going to see if I can call up a vision,” I said. “No guarantees with this, but I can try. I’ve got a better chance than just with scent and sight.”
“But if you don’t want them to shift into wolf, how are they going to track?” Lev asked.
“We can scent nearly as well in human shape,” explained Tucker. “With Rhys as a hound, we should be covered.”
“Wow, that’s way cool,” Luka said. “As humans, we’re pretty much just human. We’re stronger and have more stamina than humans, better senses of hearing and smell—but nothing close to our wolf senses.”
“Do your best,” I said. “Load up, boys.”