by T S Paul
Thirteen of the fourteen Were inductees began to strip and start the change to Wolves. Most Weres, with practice, could do it in less than five minutes with Alphas being even faster than that. LJ was on a mission. He intended to reach his goal first and then change. Nothing in the rules said he had to change to hunt.
Adam watched the lone man run down the hill and commented. “Interesting. Do you know that one’s story, Nate?”
“It’s Reverend Austin’s get, the biker,” Nate answered.
“This hunt just got a little more interesting,” Adam replied as he watched the last of the changers finish.
Thirteen wolves took off like lightning in pursuit of the prey.
Half a mile away Chris hid inside one of the many tunnels. He’d planted what he thought was bear musk at the entrance to the tunnel and swept up all his tracks. There was another tunnel that jumped the berm giving him several hundred yards of advantage over his pursuers. There was even a tunnel cover that could be used to block the entrance. It was a trap for him he knew if he stayed there. But he planned to lure them in and close the door. He could then run for it or backtrack which was his initial plan. Chris had noticed that each of the berms had a ladder.
The first of the wolves to break Chris’s trail was Sybil. Her lithe body gave her a tiny fraction of speed over the others. He yip was heard by some of the watchers who radioed it in and started cheering.
Others in the small group caught up quickly and outpaced the slender female. The first obstacle was a division of the trail. Three forks each heading off in a separate direction. Only the middle path went anywhere. Chris had stood in the middle and tossed his dirty socks over the side into the other paths. His scent, carried by the socks, was strongest on the left and right paths. More than half the wolves took a left while the rest the right. Only Sybil went down the middle, and that was just because she was disoriented after the rest ran over her.
The howls of the temporarily trapped wolves alerted the watchers who in turn cheered. Everyone in the stands had run some form of this hunt. The paths changed a little every few years. With occasionally more than ten years between hunts, they sometimes made drastic changes.
LJ Austin ignored all of that. He was in control of his body and still in its human form. He had one goal in mind, and it wasn’t the lone human loose in the course. He wanted to end the curse his mother put on him once and for all. The human prey was somewhere to the West, but Gundi Moon was just ahead. He could smell her unique scent on the air. It called to him, drawing him closer and closer. Searching around him, he spotted her. She sat atop one of the berms in what looked like an observation post. There wasn’t a ladder in sight. How to get her down?
<<<>>>
Gundi could hear the crowd roaring and was following the progress via the headset all the proctors were wearing. She’d seen a shirtless Chris Fox a few moments ago fleeing toward the creek bed. The rope bridge was a great place to leave your scent. He’d be better swimming for it. Scanning for movement her eyes caught something. Hitting the controls, she called it in.
“Control, this is Gundi. I’ve got a man down with what looks like a broken leg at station fourteen, do you copy?” She stared down at the man called Jack by the others.
“Copy Gudi at station fourteen. Do you need further assistance?”
Gundi picked up her radio. “Negative control. I’ve got this.”
Almost all Weres could heal basic wounds. From the look of this one's foot, he must have landed wrong. Gundi jumped down with a basic first aid kit in her hand. “What happened?”
LJ turned toward the object of his desire and pressed with his alpha sense. “Nothing. Why don’t we take a nice walk together, Bethany!”
Gundi froze as she was overpowered by this newcomer. While he’d had a faint smell of Alpha before now, it was full on and directed right at her.
“What do you want?” Gundi asked. She was gritting her teeth in an attempt to not submit to him.
“You, of course. Submit, and the pain will go away.” LJ pressed harder.
Tears started to pour down Gundi’s face as her body betrayed her and submitted to the more powerful Alpha.
“Finally. Now come along. We have so many games to play. Don’t you remember, Mother? You’ve always liked to play games.” LJ grabbed Gundi by the arm and jerked her in the direction of the western part of the course.
“We’re going to have so much fun.”
Chapter 20
Visions of violence. That is what I imagined was going to happen in the next few minutes. We knew who was killing the women and we knew where he was. The problem I foresaw was he was surrounded by several hundred Weres who might not want to give him up without proof. The warrant came through, so we were legal. If any of the Moon Pack interfered with my arrest of Lucas Jack Austin-Pepin, then I could arrest them as well. All the way up to and including, the leader of the pack, Adam Moon.
The streets and parking areas surrounding the Moon estate were jammed with cars and SUVs. Chuck had to pick his way around some of them and resorted to driving through yards and over curbs. Every detour we took lost us vital time. If Austin was a part of this event they were having, he might be easily captured. But the trace of foresight that I possessed was screaming that we were going to be much too late. Too late for what, I was at a loss to say. One of grandmother’s coven members told me that cursing the Gods was a favorite Oracle pastime.
“Boss, roadblock.” Chuck slowed our SUV as he approached a barrier. Two of Sheriff Bowen’s men stood over next to their police cruisers, shotguns at the ready.
“We don’t have time for this or for them to detain us further.” I stroked one of my bracelets. Muttering a phrase under my breath, there was a sudden flash of light.
Both officers stood frozen in place. Only their eyes could move.
“Do you have room to get around the cars?” I asked.
Chuck squinted as he tried to visually measure the distance. “Maybe. It’s going to be a bit close.”
“Hold on.” I waved my hand and telekinetically slid one of the cars sideways.
“Cool, thanks, boss.” Revving the engine, Chuck easily drove around the frozen officers and the police cruisers. “They’re not dead are they?”
I smiled at the back of his head. “Would I do that?”
Cat chuckled darkly. “Yes. You would if you thought they threatened us in the least.”
“True. How much further?” I asked.
“Through those gates over there.” Cat pointed.
Following her finger, I could see several men standing in front of an ornate gate.
“Are we stopping, boss?” Chuck asked.
“No. Head for the gate,” I replied. Readying my Magick, I visualized a fireball outside the SUV. In my mind’s eye, I could see it form and spin. It gained traction from the speed of our vehicle.
Chuck yelled, “Hold on tight. Ramming speed!”
I launched my fireball seconds before our car hit the gates. There was an explosion of light and sound. The massive wrought iron gates burst open with an enormous clang and crash. Were guards flew in both directions landing in bushes and plantings. As our car flew by I could see them spitting dirt as they recovered.
“Don’t stop for anything, Chuck!” Concentrating, I cast the travel spell I created for my mentor Jack. It would keep the car upright and deflect most small arms fire.
The estate was on top of one of the area’s small mountaintops. Adam Moon owned much of the valley to the rear of the house. From what we saw on the Boogle satellites Chuck suborned, it was divided up into a track or maze of sorts. We were sure that was where the hunt took place. The winding driveway reminded me of Grandmother’s house back in Maine. Thoughts of home flashed, but I resolutely tamped them down. No time to think of anything else with the foresight prodding me with “hurry!”
“Get ready Agatha,” Cat warned me.
Using my mage sight, I caught a brief glimpse ahead. They knew we were
coming.
A multi-car barricade was set up in the front with Sheriff Bowen, Deputy Jenkins, and Adam Moon pointing rifles in our direction. Off to both sides were several dozen Weres in battle form. These people were ready for war!
Chuck slammed on the brakes causing the SUV to slide. Turning into the slide, he controlled the car. It stopped, presenting one side to the Weres, a perfect shield for us.
“This is private property! We will shoot you this time!” Adam Moon shouted at us.
My team and I bailed out of the far side of the SUV. Speaking a single word, I energized both Defender and Pathfinder. If I needed to, I could potentially take this place apart with my bare hands. But we needed this pack whole.
“Adam, we have a federal warrant for the arrest of a Were! If you impede us, it could be taken as an act of war.” I shouted to the men. All but the sheriff were paranormals. They could hear me.
Sheriff Bowen couldn’t believe the guts of these feds. Who takes on hundreds of pissed off Weres with only four people? He heard the Witch yell, but couldn’t make out what she said. Glancing at Adam, he could tell he had heard her. “What did she say?”
“They have a warrant.” Adam glowered. There was just the faintest growl coming from him.
The crowds at the rear of the house suddenly roared and began cheering. Adam twitched but didn’t turn. “If we defend ourselves is it an act of war?”
Bowen wasn’t the expert to ask. From what he knew about the laws on the books, defying a federal agent wasn’t good. When it came to war, he was completely out of his element. “They’re feds.”
Adam gripped the Burnside rifle in his hands. His fingers found the familiar groves and trigger. He’d carried the weapon for longer than anyone here had been alive. He took a deep breath and yelled, “Who? Who is the warrant for?”
I stuck my head up over the hood of the SUV. “Lucas Jack Pepin, but he goes by Austin now. He’s the one we want, Adam. We have the proof we need.”
“Austin,” Adam said the last name as he listened. He turned to the sheriff. “Call Nathan, tell him to get out here.”
Adam waved his arms at the growling Weres on either side of him. “Stand down!”
Cat gave me a nudge, and I looked down at her. She was crouched low, her body behind the front tire.
“What’s going on?” I asked her.
“He told the sheriff to get ahold of one of his men. Moon’s trying to tame the Wolves. I can feel his power,” Cat informed me.
“Are you and Chuck fired up, just in case?” Cat was my ace-in-the-hole. She didn’t display her form when we were here last time, and I forbade her from changing while we were in town. No one expected such a little woman to be what she was.
“We need to call the state police or the Army! They’re going to kill us!” Blake started to tremble and kept placing his hand on his sidearm.
I glared at our new agent. “Get back into the car.”
Blake looked at me in surprise, “what?”
“Car. In.” I pointed. “It’s armored, so you’ll be safe.”
Blake’s face flushed. He got defensive. “I can do my job. I’ll have you know that I had the finest training at…”
He never finished. I zapped him with a quick spell, and he froze in mid-speech. “Chuck, if you’d be so kind?”
Chuck snorted and with a smile, loaded Blake into the SUV. He maybe wasn’t as gentle as he should be.
I gave him one of my patented glares and held up my hands.
He responded with, “So? You know he’s annoying.”
Shaking my head, I looked back over the hood at the Moon group. Some of the battle-formed Wolves had transformed back into their wolf form. The rest was wandering around behind the cars. Nathan, Moon’s chief enforcer, ran up from the house.
“What are they doing here?” Nathan asked.
“She says they have a federal warrant for Lucas Austin. You did the backgrounds. Could she be telling the truth?” Adam looked at Nathan.
“He’s the one claiming Reverend Austin was his father. The biker packs are the ones he used as references. Our investigators didn’t find anything major. Why him?” Nathan asked.
Adam looked away from his man and toward me for an explanation.
“He’s a suspect in the death of Bethany Pepin and others. His arrival in town matches the timeline, and he has Alpha potential. Lucas might have been able to shield his thoughts from others.” I said.
“Fine. You and the Were’s only. The human stays here with my men. Agreed?” Adam yelled back toward us.
I snapped my fingers triggering a shield spell. It covered the three of us in a basic shell. It wouldn’t stop a concentrated attack, but it would shield our scents from others. “Let’s go.”
Even I have to admit we look kinda impressive for FBI agents. Because of who we dealt with on a daily basis we were allowed to use class four body armor. My grandmother’s coven even kicked ours up a tiny bit the last time we all were in Maine. In addition to stopping an armor piercing round, they could survive fire, electricity, and some blade attacks. Chuck used a cross-draw rig with the most modern sidearms available. Cat and I were more comfortable with bladed weapons. Swords and fighting knives worked best for our needs.
Both my bracelets glowed for effect as we approached the cars.
“Jack is participating in the Hunt. It’s going to take time to find him out there.” Adam motioned with his head. He and the sheriff started back toward the house with us in tow.
“We tag all the participants with micro transmitters in their food. They never last long in our bodies if we try to implant them. Something about our blood enzymes destroys them. The one assigned to Jack is showing he’s on the Hunt.” Austin showed us on his cell phone as we walked.
“That’s… Efficient.” I was going to say creepy, but the man was standing right in front of me.
“The Hunt is more than just a competition. It’s entertainment for the pack.” Adam remarked to me.
“Give them bread and circuses, and they will never revolt.” Cat murmured at my side.
Adam stopped walking and spun around. “Exactly, Agent Moore. I’m also a student of history. Juvenal, you’ve read his satires then?”
Cat smiled at Adam and cocked her head like a house cat watching a mouse. “I read lots of things.”
We never entered the house. Moon walked us around the house to a sizeable decklike platform in the rear. Stadium seats and large monitors were set up along the sides. The large valley was laid out before us.
Adam pointed at the screens. “They show parts of the course. We have spotters called proctors, set up on some of the berms. They provide medical assistance and keep track of the hunt.”
Cat nudged me. Looking to my left, I could see a large monitor. A man wearing a pair of shorts and running shoes was scrambling down one of the embankments. He was covered in mud and dried leaves. “Is that man a human?”
Adam and the sheriff turned to see what I was looking at. I could read the tension in Bowen’s stance. He knew. They were hunting humans, and the sheriff knew.
“I should shut you down right now and arrest the lot of you!” I told Moon.
“That man is a paid participant in this hunt. We paid him to do this.” Adam informed us.
“Seriously? We will have a conversation about this, but first, where is Lucas Austin?” I demanded.
“Nathan is calling the proctors right now. My sister’s out there as well. It’s a big course, but we have fail-safes in place as well as protection on the outside fences. He can’t get away.” Adam pulled out his phone pressing a button.
I watched as Moon stared at his phone and then typed in a series of numbers. Once again there was no answer. Adam shook the phone and tried again.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“It’s not going through.” Adam looked over at Nathan. “Did you get ahold of Gundi?”
Nathan looked frantic. “She’s not answering. Did she call you?”<
br />
Adam shook his head. “Joseph? Have you heard from Gundi?”
Joseph, Sheriff Bowen, looked away from one of the monitors at the group of us. “What about Gundi?”
“Did she call you?” Adam demanded.
The sheriff pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. He shook his head, “No. Not one today.”
Adam pointed. “Rotate the cameras and find her. Notify the others to look for her.”
Nodding, Nathan grabbed the nearby camera controls and started them spinning. Groans and yells of protest started coming from the crowd.
“Shut the hell up!” Adam yelled and pressed down with his power.
I looked at Cat, and she locked her eyes on me. His power was strong but hers, hers was even more so.
“We’re going down there. I’ll try not to hurt any of your contestants.” I motioned for Cat and Chuck to start down.
“You can’t…” Adam started to say.
I shook my head and spoke, “I will lock up you and any others that interfere. My warrant allows me to shoot you if that is what needs to happen.”
“Whatever.” Adam turned his back on me.
Jogging to catch up, I ran after my team.
<<<>>>
LJ walked Gundi past much of the course and to the furthest berm. This was one of the hollow ones. Tunnels ran the length of it combining into a large open room with a fire pit in the middle. He had Raymond to thank for knowing about this place.
Raymond, the former Alpha of Pepin’s Paws, was the first man outside of LJ’s real father to take the slightest interest in him. The gang was dissolved after the war, but Raymond was already out of it by then. He’d lost half a leg and one arm in a club war the previous year. Most damaged parts and limbs will grow back for injured Weres. Except when the limb was removed using silver and fire.
Ray was really old school and had once been in the Moon Pack. Breaking certain rules about families and females, he’d been exiled. It was Ray that gave him the idea of joining. He was filled with stories about the old pack days and had helped construct the maze.
LJ grabbed at a bush and pushed it away to reveal a hole. “Start crawling and don’t stop until I tell you.”