by Sharon Joss
“I’m not the one that put you in here, so don’t attack me. You’re free to go. Don’t dick around and come after me; there are more who still need my help getting out. Go.”
I opened the stall and stood back, waiting for her make a run for it, ready with the flashlight if she decided to turn on me.
She was surprisingly graceful for a creature with so many legs. She sidled through the gate and backed toward the portal, her eyes never once letting go if mine. She hissed and kept her tails raised in strike position the whole time. Once she was gone, I raced back to get the wolves.
Tom was in the most urgent need of attention. He’d shifted completely into wolf form without any water to ease the shock to his body. In beast form, he’d slipped out of the manacles they’d used to restrain him. He smelled terrible; like raw meat left in the sun too long. Loose in his cage, he threw himself at the bars like a rabid dog. I tried talking to him like Sarah had done, but he wasn’t Tom any more. They called it ‘mad wolf syndrome’, but other than getting him to water and letting him run free in the wilderness, I didn’t know what else to do for him. No one but Silas was in any shape to shift without getting rehydrated and fed first. If I let Tom out last, they would be helpless against his madness.
I found a catchpole from one of the cupboards and used it to maneuver Tom’s wolf toward the tunnel and outside. Once he scented the creek, he paid me no attention and I cut him loose. I followed him out to check on the Nagual, but she was already gone.
Silas was next. He was in pretty bad shape. Too weak to shift, but able to move on his own. I showed him the tunnel. “Once you’re outside, you’ll be on the Tor. You’ll be safe there.”
Silas’ golden eyes gleamed with intelligence. It was weird, but I could feel his presence in the back of my head, and I was pretty sure he felt it too.
“There’s plenty of water and a deer down by the creek at the bottom of the trail. As soon as I get everybody out, we’ll see what else we can find. The moon will be full for the next three or four nights. Everyone is going to need a lot of protein before they can shift. Some of these guys have been locked up for months.”
But Silas proved too weak to scramble up the tunnel. I half-pushed, half-carried the white wolf to the surface cave. The white scorpion cowered there, trying to hide herself in the rocks, using her front claws like hands to cover her eyes. The wolf growled.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s one of the Fae. It’s too bright out here. The sun will be down soon. I don’t think she’ll bother us.” I carried him down to the creek and went back inside for the rest of the weres.
None of the other wolves were strong enough to stand on their own. I gave each of them the breath of Xenotchi and carried them up to the surface and down the rocky cleft to the creek. They were too dehydrated to drink. I lay them down beside the creek and rinsed their mouths with handfuls of water until they were able to manage on their own. The sight of them gasping limply beside the water was a grim reminder of what Ozzie and Vince and the others had done. My anger grew each time I opened an occupied cell.
Of the fourteen captive wolves chained inside the bestiary, only seven still had a heartbeat. As each regained consciousness, their names became known to me. There was Tanner, the old Beta; Sarah’s client, Kevin, twin brothers Corbin and Conrad, Lenny, Wynn, and the little black wolf, Rizzo. Silas made it eight. Tom’s tan and black wolf had taken off at a dead run. I didn’t know if I would ever see him again. I could only hope that he’d be able to find us when he regained his senses.
We lingered at the creek until sunset. I helped them to drink and eat until they were able to manage on their own. Tanner’s wolf was the first to rise to his feet and feed. He tore at the carcass for several minutes, choking down huge bites, then moved away to lay exhausted in the grass. Once he was resting comfortably, I unfurled Xenotchi and Silas and I went hunting.
We got lucky and caught a beaver that had strayed too far from the water. After taking a few bites to take the edge off our hunger, we returned to the pack. All the wolves were on their feet, and seemed willing to follow us back to where we’d left the beaver. The additional sixty pounds of sweet fatty meat, in addition to the remains of the buck, was enough for everyone to get their feet back under them again.
The beaver kill was in a good location. Close to water, with the woods nearby and on a slight rise of land so we had good visibility if anyone was to approach. As long as the moon was full, none of the wolves would be able to shift back into human form. That meant three days at least, maybe more. Right now, the Tor was the best place for us, but I’d need to do something to hide us from the mercs who would no doubt come looking for us. Time enough to hunt and rebuild the wolves’ strength, but I needed a plan; I couldn’t chance someone shifting into human form on the Tor. I wasn’t worried about myself; I’d never pass for human again.
I gave serious thought to leaving the wolves while I went after Sarah. My desire to tear Ozzie to pieces burned like acid in my gut. Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured the look of terror on his face when he saw me coming for him. He would pay for this, if it were my last act on earth.
But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go after them on my own. I had no idea where Ozzie had taken her. Tom’s wolf was still running wild out there, somewhere on the Tor. I couldn’t leave the wolves unprotected. They were my wolves, now. My responsibility. I felt connected to each of them. Leaving them was not an option.
Tehuantl’s memories and knowledge were mine now. His contempt for Gordon’s amateurish blood wards was mine too. I knew that Tehuantl’s magic would hide us better than the Mage had hidden Mythica, and rejoiced in the certainty that I had the skills and know-how to make it work. We needed a sanctuary. A base camp where we would be protected from the hunters who would come after us, and a place where we could shift into human form without alerting the Fae.
I paced out an area roughly fifty feet square around the carcass of the dead beaver. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the shaman’s magic to fill me. It welled up from the earth at my feet, filling me completely, like liquid metal into a mold. A shimmery heat of power rippled across my skin. A mild tremor rumbled beneath me as I lifted the ward from deep within the earth. A moment later, the glamour was in place, and I was once again in the grip of a blood thirst.
I gritted my teeth and turned my back to the wolves while I shook off my compulsion. I would never go there. Wolf blood would never be food for me; any more than the flesh of humans or the sap of opium poppies. The call of warm blood was strong, but not irresistible. I recognized my need for nourishment, but any protein would do, and beaver meat would be good enough.
When I stepped outside the ward to check my work, the pack disappeared. Unlike Gordon’s clumsy blood ward, my glamour shimmered with a faint silvery outline that only I, with my newly improved vision, could see. I tested the air by opening my senses to Xenotchi, but neither the scent of wolf, blood, or beaver was detectable. Pretty cool.
As I stepped back inside the ward, I grinned as the itch of magic slid across my bare skin. Farley and all the wolves were watching me, ears pricked forward, their heads all cocked in the same direction. As I came closer, the wolves shied warily. I stopped and crouched down to their level. They seemed to understand that I wasn’t going to hurt them, but there was no trust there; they were just too weak to run away. I didn’t know if they’d understand me, but I gave it my best shot.
“Okay, here’s the deal. For now, we’re safe. If anyone comes after us, they won’t be able to see us, hear us, or smell us. They’ll come to a dead end on the scent trail. For the next three or four nights, this is our home base. So remember where we’re parked.”
The effort of setting up the wards made me ravenous. Farley stayed right beside me while I gathered up enough dead wood to start a fire, then settled against my side as I heated chunks of meat on a ring of stones that encircled the flames. After I ate, I stretched out near the fire, with Silas and Farley c
lose by. Eventually the wolves settled down as well.
Hang on, Sara, I prayed to the First Jaguar to keep her safe until I could get to her.
Patience, priest. You would serve none by acting out of passion. Give your brothers time to heal. You cannot succeed without them.
Is that how it is now, Xenotchi? Do I serve you as Tehuantl once did?
I could feel Xenotchi’s confusion as he considered his answer.
That is not a question that can be easily answered. The jaguar clans are children of the earth no longer.
Does that mean you’re not a god any more?
I am First Jaguar. I am Xenotchi. I am eternal.
What do you want from me?
Xenotchi didn’t answer. I could feel him working on it, though. In the distance, a howl floated across the Tor, followed by another and another. The wolves snarled and snapped themselves awake. I sent out soothing pheromones and almost immediately, they settled back into their restless dreaming.
CHAPTER 40: BROTHERS OF THE FANG
In spite of the full moon, I kept a small campfire going all night. The wolves were nervous; unable to relax, and the light seemed to offer them some comfort. To my immense relief, Tom’s wild wolf stayed nearby, and the rest of the pack backed off to let him feed on the leftovers. He ate enough to fill his belly and took off, but didn’t go far. He’d lost his rage and bad smell, but didn’t quite have the scent of healthy wolf yet, nor the golden gleam of understanding behind his amber eyes like the rest of the wolves.
Silas trusted me, but none of the other wolves did. They didn’t run out of the camp, but they couldn’t seem to settle down. They wouldn’t even eat until I backed away. They huddled together the first night, keeping the fire between us. Every time I moved, all seven heads came up and they crouched, as if on the verge of running off. I didn’t blame them for being wary of me. After what Ozzie had done to them, I understood. And I was certain they’d never seen or smelled anyone like me.
The only time they appeared to lose their anxiety was when I sat quietly and spoke softly to them. They liked that, I could tell. They wouldn’t look at me, but they settled a bit and their ears twitched in my direction.
So I talked to them. I told them about growing up on the lake and about all the stuff that Striper Dave and I had done as kids, and how we spent most of our time hiding from Ray Tarwater and his gang who were two years older than we were and had better, faster, bikes. I told them about Tom and how he’d taught me to fish and tie flies. I told them about worm farming, and showed them how to call worms out of the ground; something the little black wolf, Rizzo, seemed to find amusing until I reached out to try and pet him. I described the different species of fish that lived in the lake, where to find them, and what kind of tackle to use. I told them everything I could remember about the habits of the snapping turtle and the smaller, more common painted turtle. I even told them the real story about Hector Clemente and what really happened in his basement. And how his brother Diego had set Randall and his werewolves on me and how Tom had gotten bitten. After that, I had to stop when my emotions got the best of me. Gradually, their heads lowered onto their front paws and their eyes closed. Serenaded by the small sounds of the Tor wilderness and the snapping of embers on the fire, I kept watch while the wolves slept.
* * *
For the first time in years, I woke up in my own, albeit new skin. I felt like a new man; literally. I was no longer held hostage by the threat of Tehuantl. He was well and truly gone. Through his memories, I remembered giving the breath of life to countless chubby, brown-skinned infants. I recognized weeds and plants by their Olmec names and knew how to use them to heal the sick. The knowledge was as deeply ingrained within me as muscle memory. I shared Tehuantl’s craving for warm blood, but realized it was connected to his use of magic. Every time I used his magic, the blood thirst rose. Raw meat took the edge off, but only the blood of a fresh kill quenched it. My worries that Tehuantl had been like the vampires proved unfounded.
The First Jaguar was still there, but except for being able to maintain my form when asleep, our relationship remained pretty much as it had been. I now realized that Xenotchi was connected to a shared consciousness that was too vast for me to grasp. The wolves were there, but it was more than just wolves and jaguars. I sensed coyote, foxes, bears, and other cats. Sarah had been right about embracing the beast. I didn’t know if the wolves could see beyond the First Wolf like I could see beyond the first Jaguar, but it seemed as if all the predators were somehow connected.
I worried about Sarah. Several times, I considered leaving the wolves and crossing the Tor to find a phone. There was no way I could report her abduction in person. One look at me and even Dixon would have me locked up with no questions asked. I had to believe that the hospital had reported her missing, and that there was already an official investigation underway. The thought of her in Ozzie’s hands nearly drove me mad, but I didn’t know where Ozzie had taken her. Going after them alone was not an option. My plan wouldn’t work without the wolves. She was tough; she was a fighter. I had to trust that she would stay alive until we were strong enough to come and get her. I tried to imagine that she’d fought her way free or been rescued, but couldn’t convince myself that it was true.
Waiting for the wolves to recover was the hardest. I had to keep reminding myself to be patient. I’d made a rookie mistake on my first big bust by pushing for the warrant and takedown too soon. We’d ended up with nothing more than a couple low-level couriers and missed the big game. Except for hunting, waiting for the wolves to gain back their strength was a lot like working undercover: hanging out with a bunch of guys who didn’t trust you, waiting for them to get used to you and finally accept you.
Silas’s wolf, Farley, and I brought in smaller game several times a day. Raccoons, mostly; there was plenty to eat. Gradually, the wolves lost their fear of me and edged closer. On the second day, their ears and tails began to perk up. Their coats began to thicken and take on a bit of sheen.
On the third night, the big wolf, Tanner, scented a deer, and the pack took off in hot pursuit. There was no way I could keep pace with a wolf pack on the scent. Eventually, however, Farley turned the deer back toward me, and this time, the pack circled for the kill just a few hundred yards from camp. It was the first time the cat had been with the pack at the kill.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they followed me back to camp, where I built up the fire and waited for them to shift. Screened behind the safety of the wards, not even the Fae would be able to sense them in human form.
Silas shifted easily enough, followed by the little black wolf, Rizzo, Tanner, and the rest. In human form, they appeared gaunt, but clear-eyed and alert.
Wynn Lambert had been Ambrose’s lone wolf lawyer for more than a century. He’d never actually been a member of the Mythica pack. He bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Gregory Peck. Cobb had managed to persuade Ambrose to put Wynn aside, saying he would do a better job managing the nest’s legal interests.
Wynn had been imprisoned inside the bestiary the longest. “There were other wolves already down there when I first arrived. When they died, Ozzie fed them to the Fae creatures. He told me he’d do the same to me when I died. I don’t think I could have lasted much longer. I managed to get at a little moisture seeping up through the floor of my cell. I think that’s the only thing that kept me alive.” He shivered. “I kept thinking someone would come looking for me. Gordon and I had been friends, or at least I’d thought so.” Like me, Wynn had been drugged with a shot of Glamour.
Sarah’s former client, Kevin, never knew why he ended up in the bestiary, but suspected that the pack’s Omega, Phelan had set him up. He had no memory of who’d hit him with the ketamine dart.
Tanner was the oldest-looking were-man I had ever seen. His hair was completely gray; he and Vince had served together in Korea. When he retired from the military, Vince had convinced him to join the Mythica pack. He had been Vince’s Beta f
or decades. One day, Tanner suggested to Vince that Ozzie needed psychiatric help. The next day Ozzie drugged him with ketamine when he went for his distemper immunization.
The twins, Corbin and Conrad, had been hired as landscape developers for the estate. They’d also been drugged with Glamour shots by Gordon on their very first day of work. Ozzie told them he’d never heard of twin lycans before; and decided he wanted to ‘experiment’ with them.
Lenny had been caught trying to break into The Bloody Fang one night after the park had closed. He had a string of misdemeanor offenses as a juvenile, but had kept his nose clean after contracting the ALVS virus on his second tour of duty in the Middle East. Vince had him cold on the park’s surveillance camera.
“Vince gave me a choice. Thirty days in lockup in the clinic, or he’d turn me and the tape over to the sheriff. I took the thirty days, figuring I’d get free squares and a cot while I was in. As far as I can tell, it’s been more like three months of hell.”
The little man, Rizzo Torino, turned out to be a hit man hired by Felix to make Ozzie’s death look like an accident. Unfortunately, Vince had caught him tinkering with the brakes on Ozzie’s car. Vince brought him down to the bestiary to give Ozzie a crack at finding out who’d hired him. Of all of us, Rizzo was in the worst shape. Hollow-cheeked and sallow, he looked like a concentration camp refugee. But his grip was firm and his eyes fierce when he thanked me for rescuing him.
“My family is from Calabria,” he explained. “Omerta is a way of life for us. Ozzie and Vince will be repaid for their actions tenfold. I will not rest until that debt is paid.”
With the introductions complete, Silas filled us in on the latest. “When Mike disappeared, everything started to fall apart. There was a huge argument between Ambrose and Cobb. Rafe broke it up, but it wasn’t over. Ambrose shut down the park, saying it would remain closed until Cobb apologized. It was pretty tense.”