Checkmate

by Elyce de Reefe

  She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was almost four in the morning. The phone call would have to wait until tomorrow. That was good. It gave her time to figure out exactly what she was going to say. She sat there going over the files and searching for clues for a long time before finally calling it a night. The pale light of dawn was just creeping through the cracks in the heavy motel curtains. She got up and stretched and went to brush her teeth. She had a feeling she was going to have a hard time falling asleep after the events of this past night.

  Chapter 8

  A bind is a tactic that creates a hold on an opponent’s position, usually by means of pawns. It is a severe type of restraint that prevents free movement by the opponent. A good bind places a stranglehold on the other player, preventing them from moving forward with their plans.

  — From the Journals of Aster Ardennes

  Aster pulled out her phone and squinted down at the screen. She glanced around the small park, trying to steel her nerve. Ducks swam peacefully in the pond at its center, while late afternoon sun glinted off its surface. She really couldn’t put this off any longer. The only question was should she call Lucas or Dean?

  Actually, that was no question at all. Strolling down the path that circled the pond, she suppressed a grimace. She definitely didn’t want to hear what Lucas had to say. She had no doubt he would go all grumpy big-brother on her. If they would just trust her to take care of herself, she might have risked contacting Dean a lot earlier and had this whole thing wrapped up by now. She felt a tiny niggle of discomfort. Were you, or were you not just caught in a net hanging from the ceiling?

  She scrolled down to Dean’s number, steeling herself. It had been so long since she’d heard his deep voice. His quiet certainty— so different from her constant need for action. She sighed. There was no avoiding it anymore. This was way bigger than her and her need for revenge. This could impact the entire existence of the People.

  Aster took a deep breath and pressed the button to connect the call. She hoped like hell Dean had some relevant information because she was pretty sure her days of liberty were numbered. Now that Jesse had an idea of where she was. She’d checked out of that motel, but still…

  Aster’s stomach tightened as the line began to ring. She hadn’t spoken to Dean in a long time. Not since she’d tricked him and ran away from the pack.

  “Allô?” Dean’s deep voice shivered down her spine. She’d almost forgotten how distinctive it was. How much it affected her.

  “Dean, it’s me. Did you get the data I sent you earlier?”

  “Aster! Where are you? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “Um… Jesse didn’t tell you?”

  “No. We haven’t heard from Jesse since last night. He was supposed to check in, but he never did.”

  That made her pause. Jesse hadn’t reported her debacle? Not even after he left? Hmmm…

  “Aster?”

  “Sorry. I met up with Jesse last night at one of the labs. The one I sent you the data from today. He went to check up on some disturbing references possibly relating to his uncle’s family, the Tylers. Have they left the Mont-Tremblant Pack?”

  “Not that I know of. But I haven’t back to Mont-Tremblant in a while.”

  “Oh.” She paused for a moment, wondering if she really wanted to know. “Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been a lot of places.” There was a slight bite to his reply. “Binghamton, Scranton, Brooklyn, Utica…”

  Aster grimaced. She’d been right. She shouldn’t have asked. Those were all locations of the labs she’d been investigating.

  “Now I’m up here in Rabbit River,” he continued, “trying to analyze this latest batch of samples. Aster, do you know what this stuff is?”

  “That’s why I called. To me, it looks like they’re working with DNA from the People. Please tell me I’m wrong about that.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  That made her smile in spite of herself. So Dean. “What is it exactly that they’re trying to do? Can you tell?”

  “Two things. The research at the restaurant, and from what I can tell, the lab you visited last night are working on a fertility treatment. An oral fertility enhancement based on enzymes. Enzymes only created with the DNA of the People.”

  Aster gasped. The implications— “Do they know?”

  “It’s not clear from the research if they know they’re working with non-human DNA. It’s possible they think they are utilizing pre-human DNA remnants found in the general human population. Which, in some ways, they are—”

  “In English, Dean.”

  He drew in a breath. “Okay. Since they are working with incomplete strands of DNA, it’s possible they are not aware it comes from a different species. Almost all humans contain some level of pre-human DNA in their makeup. They may think the DNA they’re using to replicate the enzymes come from pre-human remnant strands from within a normal human genome.”

  That was English? Aster bit her lip.

  “But, Aster— the samples Jesse sent me…” There was a short pause and then she heard Dean exhale loudly on the other end of the line. “They are working on a cure for the Sickness.”

  “What?”

  “I know. I don’t know why. Or even how they could have found out about it, except…” Again, there was a short pause. “It seems Marten took some of his loners to a free clinic a few years back…”

  “What?” Her voice had risen almost a full octave, but she couldn’t worry about that.

  “Dr. Evans’ notes indicate they are researching environmentally-triggered schizophrenia and insanity.”

  Aster went cold. That sounded like the Sickness all right. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “I wish I were. But the research is fascinating. They haven’t pinned down the cause, but the environmental trigger angle is extremely interesting, and there are several possible avenues of treatment laid out—”

  “Dean!” He cut off in mid-sentence, and she felt slightly bad. But only slightly. She needed to concentrate.

  Aster took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions. This was it. This was exactly the proof she’d needed all along. “So that means Marten was supplying them with DNA of the People. Supplying direct evidence of our existence to human labs. That’s got to be enough to prove him unfit. So what’s the next step? Who do we present this to in order to force him out? As soon as he steps down, Lucas can go home and take his rightful place as Alpha.” She breathed out a sigh, relief flowing through her body. “We can all go home.”

  There was a long pause.

  “Dean?”

  “Um… That was your plan? Have him declared unfit?” Aster heard him blow out a breath. “Actually, that might have worked, if we could have gotten the council to address the issue. Which is not guaranteed these days. These days it’s almost impossible to get them to address anything—”

  “Dean. What do you mean it might have worked? What are you talking about?”

  “First of all, there is no evidence that Marten revealed anything to these scientists. Just because one of the People—before he was even an Alpha—sought outside help to treat the Sickness, that doesn’t make him unfit. Just unusual. A forward thinker.”

  “A forward thinker!” The words burst out of her. “You weren’t there last night with that freaky serum. What the hell is that stuff? The scent was so strong it was almost impossible to think. That’s what you call forward thinking?”

  “Aster, calm down. I’m just saying the evidence isn’t there yet. Maybe once we go through all the data, we will find a link that implicates Marten, and then we can try to go through proper channels—such as they are—but, Aster, Lucas can never go back to Mont-Tremblant.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because, when he found out you were missing, he declared his own pack. The Rabbit River Pack.”

  “He did what?” Aster cou
ldn’t believe her ears. She’d been out of contact for less than three months and he’d started a whole new pack? Shock slammed into her. This was something she’d never considered. She’d thought she’d have some significant work ahead of her to convince him to take the pack he’d been born to. And now he’d started his own?

  “He won’t ever take the place of Marten, Aster. One Alpha can’t just take the place of another. Not without declaring an all-out war. The Law precludes that to prevent larger packs from just absorbing smaller ones. And Lucas would never declare war. Not against People he’s known his whole life.”

  “But… I don’t understand.” Her voice sounded weak. Like a little girl, but she couldn’t help it. “Why would he do that?”

  “He did it for you. So he’d have help finding you.” Dean’s voice was almost gentle. “He’s had Jesse, Gage, Aaron and Cray looking for you for months.”

  Jesse. Another bolt of shock hit her. He was part of her brother’s pack. And he hadn’t reported back about her. What did that mean?

  She glanced over at the pond, the reflected sunlight making her squint. All her careful plans, all her calculations… backfiring. What about the pack? She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed between her brows. How would she take down Marten? She could not let him win.

  She drew in a deep breath and continued down the path. “Did he know?”

  “Know what?”

  “That by forming a new pack, he was giving up his chance at leading Mont-Tremblant?”

  She hadn’t known. That was for sure. Of course she’d never considered this possibility. And if Lucas had known, that might have been further incentive to form the new pack. He’d never wanted the responsibility for Mont-Tremblant. It was a large pack. One of the largest. It had consumed all of their father’s time.

  She remembered her father commenting on Lucas’s reluctance once. “When what you see is not the power, but the duty, and that duty weighs down heavier than a mountain— that’s what makes a good Alpha.”

  But she’d been sure Lucas would see reason and step up.

  And he probably would have, said a snarky little voice inside her head. If you hadn’t forced his hand and made him choose otherwise. She winced, and then realized Dean had never answered her.

  “Dean?”

  “Well…”

  “Well, what?”

  “I think so. I mean… we never discussed it. But I’m pretty sure… Then again, maybe not. It’s a pretty esoteric piece of Law. It’s not like this situation comes up—this just doesn’t happen anymore. Not until very recently anyway. I did hear about a pack in—”

  “Dean! Focus!”

  “Right. The short answer is, I don’t know. I assumed he did, but ... It’s not like I was here advising him.”

  “Why not?” Okay, maybe her tone was a little sharp, but he wasn’t even helping her brother?

  “Aster, I’m not even an official member of the pack.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Well… no.”

  “And why is that?” Okay, so that was a direct challenge, but come on.

  “Aster.” Dean’s voice was quiet, matter-of-fact. “I was looking for you.”

  “Oh.” She felt humbled by that simple admission. True, Dean didn’t believe in her ability to take care of herself, but he had spent a lot of years being her friend.

  “Aster, you should put Lucas out of his misery. Come up here and let him keep you safe.”

  “Um… Yeah, no. I can’t.” She rubbed her forehead again. She’d made a full circuit of the pond and was back at her starting point. She headed over toward an empty bench. “Not just now. Wouldn’t want to start a war.” She’d been going for rueful, but the words came out sounding bitter. How had she messed this up so badly? This was a disaster.

  “So, listen,” she continued, trying to sound breezy. “I need to get you those samples. I can send them next day air—”

  “No need,” Dean said, cutting her off. “Jesse is probably still in the area. He can pick them up.”

  Jesse. Right. Like that was a good idea. Still, he hadn’t ratted her out yet. Hadn’t dragged her back to Lucas by her hair, caveman-style. He hadn’t even gloated after saving her bacon. “Okay. I guess that would work as long as you don’t tell Lucas until after Jesse picks them up.”

  “Aster. You can’t ask that.”

  “You said yourself he’s not your Alpha.”

  “He’s Jesse’s Alpha.”

  That was still so hard to believe. “Leave Jesse to me. I can handle him.” She only hoped that was true.

  There was another short pause, and then amazingly, he agreed. “Fine. I’ll text him to meet you for the samples. Where should I tell him?”

  Okay. So that was a good question. Should she give her new motel, or pick someplace public? Aster made a face. The place really didn’t matter. Either Jesse would set her up—and take her back kicking and screaming—or not. Even if she picked somewhere public, he’d just follow her until he found a place where he could pounce. The man had mad tracking skills. And it wouldn’t be just Jesse in that case. It would be the whole pack. She blew out a breath. Might as well find out what she was dealing with. She gave Dean the address of the motel.

  “What time should I tell him to meet you?”

  “I should be back there in about an hour, maybe two. Any time after that is fine.”

  “Okay. I’ll let him know.” He didn’t sound particularly happy. “But Aster, I’m asking you as your friend, please lay low. Please don’t go into these labs anymore on your own. It’s just not safe. I can come down there. We can work together.”

  That sounded so nice. But no. “Dean, you need to continue your research. We have to figure out what these scientists are up to. How much they actually know. I’ll be careful. I’ll work on the data end and see what I can unravel from the records. I’ll let you know what I uncover.”

  “Check in once a day, okay? Can you do that for me?”

  “Sure, Dean. I can do that.” Aster had to admit, the time for going it alone was over. Things would go faster now that she had Dean to hammer out ideas with. And to decipher the actual science side of it. But she couldn’t join them and bring danger to the pack. And she needed to think. Maybe there was some way to salvage the situation. Maybe she could find some way to bring Marten to his knees after all.

  “I’ll pack up the samples and have them ready. I’m sure you’re dying to get your hands on them. Dean, this stuff is crazy strong. Like unbelievable. Pheromones or something.” Briefly she described the events of the previous night, leaving out any reference to the net and glossing over the battle at the end. “Jesse said it smelled like some kind of artificial mating scent. One of the vials broke and the smell was so overpowering I could barely force myself to think. You don’t think there will be any long-term effects, do you?”

  “No. There shouldn’t be. You didn’t eat it after all.” His voice took on a sudden intensity. “Jesse didn’t eat it, did he?”

  “Eat it? Ew. No. What are you talking about?” Like they would eat some sample of something when they didn’t even know what it was? Sometimes she couldn’t quite follow the workings of Dean’s big brain.

  “Okay.” Dean sounded unreasonably relieved. “That’s good. It’s meant to be ingested. I don’t think you could have ignored it if it was administered as intended. Even just a few drops would be enough. They are trying to design a fertility treatment for humans. But they are using the enzyme that creates the mating scent for the People to do it. That must be what Jesse smelled. He has a very good nose. What did it smell like to you?”

  “Sweet. Too sweet. And weirdly familiar.”

  “Hmmm… That particular batch is probably working with female DNA, which makes sense. They are trying to create a gene switch in human females…” Dean went on, but Aster’s mind was wandering. Why would Marten want to create a fertility treatment for humans? It just didn’t make sense. She wanted to see what she could find in the fe
w files she had been able to download from the facility. She made arrangements to check in the next day and ended the call. She had work to do.

  Chapter 9

  The term Gambit refers to a chess opening in which one player offers to sacrifice a piece, usually a pawn, in exchange for some type of advantage—often quick development for an attack. The gambit (or sacrifice) can either be accepted or declined by the opposing player.

  — From the Journals of Aster Ardennes

  It was three hours later when a knock sounded on Aster’s motel room door. She quickly tucked the samples in the ice-packed cooler bag she’d bought just for that purpose and went to the door. The peephole revealed a distorted image of Jesse on the other side. Even that made her stomach tighten. She opened the door and handed him the bag. She had no intention of inviting him in.

  “Did you find the house? Was it the Tylers?”

  Jesse nodded and leaned against the doorframe. “It was. They left Mont-Tremblant. Seems a lot of families are leaving. They’ve applied to a few different packs and are waiting to hear. I warned them about the lab, but they don’t expect to be here long. Only until they get accepted into a pack.”

  “Right.” Aster had to agree. With an unmated female in their family, they wouldn’t have any trouble. Even if they did have four boys.

  Jesse slung the strap of the bag across his chest. “You should come with me, Aster.”

  “No can do. You know as well as I do that would just endanger the pack.”

  He made a little grimace. “You’re just lucky Lucas never actually ordered me to bring you back, in the unlikely event that I ever actually found you. I’m sure he thought it went without saying. You can bet your ass he won’t make that mistake again.”

  “Thanks, Jesse.” Aster went for breezy, patting his cheek for good measure. “You’re a real prince.”

  The tawny stubble defining his sharp jaw tickled her hand. Her palm tingled slightly. Color crept up Jesse’s neck to stain his cheeks. Aster dropped her hand, her gaze flying up to meet his. Jesse held her gaze. For a second, she was sure he was going to lean in and kiss her. His eyes dropped to her lips and then back up to hers. Her stomach did a little dip, but Jesse didn’t move. She had no idea what kind of expression she had on her face, but it must have stopped him.