The Bite of Winter (International Monster Slayers Book 2)

by Bethany Helwig

  “But I didn’t stop him, did I?” I finally meet Jefferson’s gaze. “I just got there in time to stop something worse from happening but he had already won. How many people did he turn? How many people are still missing? We can’t change any of it, Jefferson. He gets to sit in that stupid little cell and gloat about it because we can’t change the past. We were too late. We’re always too late.”

  For a second I fear I’ve said too much. He holds his jaw rigid, his eyes dark, and I realize I probably touched a nerve. After all, without even meaning to, I alluded to Jefferson’s own past mistakes and what he wasn’t able to stop—like my parents’ murder, his wife’s murder, and his daughter’s disappearance. My face goes red and I quickly look away.

  “You can’t stop every bad thing from happening,” he says gruffly. “Stop trying to blame yourself for things that were never your fault in the first place. You blasted kids are going to give me a coronary. And don’t you dare correct me calling you kids because right now you’re acting like a child.”

  That makes me angry again and I glare at him.

  He points a blunt finger in my face. “See? There it is again.”

  “I’m not acting like—”

  “But you also have a point,” he says, cutting me off. “There’s enough evidence that we ought to be cautious. These vampires of yours are acting odd and there’s no telling what they’re up to. Now, then.” He grabs my arm again and steers me into the passenger seat of the Green Monster. “You’re going to stay out of sight of any teachers and I’ll finish checking the area with Jaeger.”

  “I’m supposed to meet Ashley inside,” I protest but he just waves me down.

  “I’ll make sure she gets out safely. You just sit here.” He closes the door on me but then leans in against the window and says loudly through it, “Don’t. Move.”

  He stalks away and I slump in the seat with my arms crossed. I hate being stuck on the sidelines, but I respect Jefferson so I do as he says. Every couple of seconds I check my watch for the time. Charlie eventually passes by and gives me the okay sign with his fingers, letting me know the coast is clear of danger. I nod and he strides back to his SUV before taking off. I give a little sigh of relief but don’t let my guard down. Just because we didn’t find anyone right this moment doesn’t mean there isn’t someone close by or coming.

  Eventually I hear the faint ringing of the school bell. Students emerge in a flood heading for the buses neatly parked in front of the entrance or for their cars out in the lot. I slide down lower in the seat and flip up the hood of my parka to hide my face. I don’t need anyone pointing out my reappearance lest the teachers catch wind of it. I wait another good ten minutes before the buses pull out and take away most of the crowd with them. Once the parking lot thins out and only a few stragglers are left, Jefferson emerges from the school with Ashley by his side. They hurry over to the Green Monster, each of them glancing this way and that. I slip out of the car once they’re close.

  Ashley hurries forward to clutch my arm. “What’s going on? I thought you left with that other agent for an emergency. You weren’t coming back until tomorrow. Now he’s coming to pick me up—” She jerks her head in Jefferson’s direction, “—and your message really freaked me out. I’m not in trouble, am I? I swear I’ve been taking my doses and filling out my logs and I already talked to that counselor about my little incident in Duluth and—”

  I grab her by the shoulders and give her a small shake. “Ashley, calm down. It’s okay. You’re not in trouble.”

  “I’m not?” Her face twists up in confusion.

  “No. It’s . . . uh, some new information came to light after I left.” My eyes flicker to Jefferson and he raises an eyebrow at me as he goes to stand at the driver’s side door and rest his forearms across the hood of the Green Monster. His eyes stay glued to me, clearly waiting for me to continue with my explanation. “You haven’t noticed anyone following you have you?”

  Her whole body tenses. “What?”

  “Is that a no?”

  “I don’t know!” she shrieks. “I haven’t exactly been checking to see if I’m being stalked. What’s going on? Am I in danger?”

  Her voice carries across the lot so I smile to try and make her relax. I wish Hawk was here. He’s better at this.

  “How about we talk in private?” I say and start guiding her over to her old, brown Buick Century on the other side of the lot. I look to Jefferson over my shoulder and say, “We’ll meet you at the cabin.”

  “Roger that,” he says and slides into the Green Monster.

  I walk Ashley to her car and then take the keys from her since her hands are shaking. Oops. She’s freaking out already and I haven’t even mentioned vampires yet. This is going to be a long afternoon.

  The second we close the doors and I turn on the engine, Ashley swivels in the passenger seat to face me.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” she demands.

  The Buick rumbles out of the lot and I navigate the icy roads through Moose Lake. I roll my lips together, considering how much I ought to tell Ashley and what she shouldn’t know.

  “Well, last night we found the vampire that attacked you in Duluth. To summarize, he ran, we chased him, he got away, we were arrested. Good times.” I shrug and decide not to mention finding Gillan tied up in a warehouse after having been tortured. “Anyway, we’ve been scouring video to figure out where he went and I watched the night he went after you in the alley.”

  “Okay, yeah,” Ashley says, clearly impatient. Her leg is bouncing fast and she’s starting to bite her thumbnail. “So, what happened?”

  I give her a sideways look before returning my eyes to the road. “Have you ever seen that guy before?”

  “No. Why?”

  “He was following you, Ash. He ignored plenty of other better targets and went after you. I don’t know why and it’s possible he’s still after you.”

  Silence fills the old sedan as Ashley takes that bit of information in. We don’t speak again until we come to a stop next to the black SUV in front of the cabin. Jefferson is closing the doors to the barn after having parked the Green Monster and meets us outside.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Ashley asks and hugs her arms to herself.

  Jefferson turns to me. “Yes, what’s next, Phoenix?”

  Startled, I stare at him. I thought he was going to be the one coming up with the plan. He’s the lead agent after all. I shrug and he gives me a hard look.

  “Okay . . .” I wring my hands together and nod slowly to myself trying to think of what a full-fledged IMS agent would do. “Ashley should stay where it’s safe until we know for sure whether there is or isn’t a threat.”

  “Good,” Jefferson says. “What else?”

  “What else? Sorry, that’s as far as my plan goes.”

  He rolls his eyes. “You need to pay better attention to the details.”

  “I don’t plan ahead, Jefferson. I just roll with the punches.”

  “I’ve noticed.” He rests a hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “Safest place for you right now is here.”

  She shakes her head. “I need to tell my parents. Oh my gosh, what about my parents? Do you think they’d be in danger too?”

  That’s a scary thought and one I haven’t considered to be honest. It would also be sort of awkward trying to explain the situation to them since they don’t even know Ashley is a werewolf. She wanted to keep it a secret—as is her right—because, as she put it, her mother is “the biggest gossip to have ever walked the earth.” That, and her father has heart issues. She didn’t want to scare him into a heart attack.

  “Okay, new plan,” I say. “We’ll say we’re having a sleep over and I’ll stay the night at your place. Then you’re safe, your parents are safe, everyone’s happy.”

  “Except my parents,” Ashley says in an undertone. When I give her a sharp look, she shrugs and says sheepishly, “They don’t think you’re a good influence.”

  “And rightl
y so,” Jefferson says under his breath which earns him a glare. He ignores the gesture and continues, “Well, that sounds fair enough to me. I’m sure you can handle things on your own. I’ll stay here with Junior Agent Jaeger and keep going through the surveillance feeds. Keep in touch, Phoenix.”

  “Right. And you’ll keep me updated?”

  “Sure thing.”

  He moves off to the barn and I playfully punch Ashley in the shoulder to try to lighten the mood. The scowl she gives me would have impressed a centaur.

  “Wait here a second,” I say and hurry inside. Jogging into the cabin, it takes me only a second to grab what I need. I’ve got a “go bag” under my bunkbed with two sets of clothes, a flashlight, a revolver and tranquilizer gun plus ammo, as well as a few personal care item essentials like toothpaste and deodorant. Jefferson was impressed when he discovered I had a go bag—although, it’s really more of an “escape bag.” Ever since Hawk stopped taking the serum and our first attempt at running away was unsuccessful, I’ve kept a bag handy in case we need to flee on a moment’s notice.

  There’s an odd plastic crunch when I sling it over my shoulder. I set it on the floor and check the outer lining pocket to find several candy bars stuffed inside with a note written on the largest in black permanent marker.

  Just in case. —The Better Looking Twin

  Hawk’s note and surprise present make me smile. Thanks, Brother. I needed that right now. Picking the bag back up, I meet Ashley outside and we take her car to her family’s quaint two-story house at the end of a rutted and slushy gravel driveway. The engine falls silent at the twist of the key and we both remain seated staring out at the bay window of the house where soft yellow light ebbs out.

  “So, what do I tell them?” Ashley asks in a small voice.

  “Sleepover,” I say. “That’s it. Nothing crazy. It’s all good. This is only a precaution and me being paranoid. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “You really think so?”

  No, but I’m not about to tell her that. Instead, I nod with a smile and step out of the Buick. When we enter the house, her parents’ reaction to my presence is about what I expect. Her mother is a small plump woman with a mop of curly brown hair and is rather unassuming except for the intense scowl she gives me when I wave at them both as I walk in the door. She’s organizing a bookshelf and Ashley’s dad, in his plaid flannel shirt, is sitting in a recliner reading a newspaper. Their scowls match perfectly.

  “She’s spending the night,” Ashley says in a rush and points to me as if they can’t figure it out for themselves who she’s referring to. “That’s okay, right?”

  Her mother crosses her arms over her chest. “That’s short notice.”

  “We have a paper due tomorrow,” I say, stepping in. “We’ve got a lot of work to do so we figured we’d make a night of it. It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Nelson.” Then I give her dad a nod. “Mr. Nelson.”

  He makes a sound like “harrumph” and turns back to his paper. Ashley grabs my arm in a fierce grip and drags me up the stairs to her bedroom. On the upstairs landing we’re met by Ashley’s golden lab, Duke, that follows her around like a puppy. He comes over to me once to lick my hand before sticking to Ashley like glue. I guess he’s discovered his alpha of the Nelson family. We move down the hallway and when we reach Ashley’s room, she shuts the door behind us and lets out a heavy breath.

  “That was awkward,” she says.

  “I’ve had worse,” I say and absently gaze around at her walls that are plastered with posters of comic book heroes, action movie stars, and an enormous collage of pages torn out from some celebrity magazine. “I once farted in front of a whole line of centaurs. Then Hawk was there which made it worse.”

  When silence follows I turn around and find Ashley fixing me with a look like I’m insane. Right. I guess she wouldn’t understand centaurs don’t laugh or find humor in much of anything. They’re all very uptight and stern so it was an incredibly awkward silence for about five seconds before Hawk started laughing hysterically. Mind you, everyone else was dead silent at the time and all the centaurs gave us the look of death.

  “Never mind,” I say and wave my hand dismissively.

  “So . . .” Ashley sets her backpack at the foot of her dresser and slums onto her bed. “What now?”

  “Well, if you have any homework, now would be a good time to do it.”

  She plays with a lock of her blonde hair and twists it round and round to the point I fear she might pull it out. Of course she’s nervous. I just told her a vampire might be stalking her. I know I should comfort her but first things first. I go to her window and check the surroundings outside. The sun is already starting to set and twilight is moving in. There’s a small backyard directly below overshadowed by the forest that borders the edge of the property. The trees would provide great cover if there is someone out there watching the house. I keep that thought in mind. At least the snow seems undisturbed except for dog prints.

  When I turn back Ashley is mindlessly petting Duke and by all appearances is miserable and close to tears. So, trying to do what Hawk would do, I take a seat next to her on the bed and cross my legs beneath me. I lightly punch her in the shoulder to get her attention. She gives me another cold scowl. I guess I should stop punching her. That tactic isn’t exactly producing the desired effect.

  “Hey, is there anything you want to talk about?” I ask.

  She shrugs noncommittally. “I don’t know.”

  The only thing I can think of to get her mind off the current situation is to offer up the game Hawk and I play when I’m trying to distract him from his own problems.

  “Who do you think would look better in a wig?” I ask. “A three-headed dog or a hydra?”

  My random, supposedly hilarious question gets me a very severe look from Ashley. That abruptly ends my attempt at humor. I’m trying to lighten the mood, not make it worse.

  “I don’t know,” she says sharply and rolls her eyes. “I swear you’re so weird sometimes.”

  “Oh, gee, thanks,” I mumble and try petting Duke but he shuffles closer to Ashley. Wow, I really feel out of place here. Where’s Hawk when you need him? Oh right, he’s investigating a body shredded to pieces, the same fate I’m trying to protect Ashley from, who now of all times decides to become hostile. I remove myself from the bed to stand guard at the window. It feels like a good move to make. Ashley clearly doesn’t want to talk and truthfully I don’t either. I want to do my job.

  “What’s with you and Ben?” Ashley asks out of the blue.

  I don’t bother taking my eyes off the peaceful scenery outside. “There’s nothing going on with me and Ben.”

  “Okay, then what about you and Charlie?”

  This time I can’t help but roll my eyes. “I don’t have a thing for or with anybody.”

  “Why not?”

  The absurdity of her insistence makes me spin around. “Why do I have to?”

  She pouts and Duke puts his head in her lap. “Ben would totally go out with you if you’d say yes.”

  “But I don’t want to say yes. I’m a little preoccupied with, you know, a whole town of—” I glance to the door before whispering, “werewolves. I don’t need a boyfriend. That’s a whole messy swamp of awkward I don’t want to deal with on top of everything else.”

  That’s mostly the truth, anyway. There are werewolves and vampires to worry about but my biggest concern is always going to be my brother. Who has time to fuss over a romantic relationship when I’ve got family to worry about going dark side when I’m not around? Sure, I’ve seen the movies about falling in love and the action flicks with a side of romance, but I haven’t given it much thought myself. Those are other people’s stories. Maybe someday that will be me, but for the moment I’m fine with my life the way it is.

  “You and Hawk seem to handle it all better than the rest of us,” Ashley says quietly. “Having a werewolf in the family and all that. You make it look
easy.”

  “It’s experience, that’s all,” I say and muse over the fact that this is the second time someone has commented on us being well adjusted with the werewolf disease. I didn’t realize we’re such prize specimens. “Hawk and I have been dealing with it since we were kids. It’s a part of our lives. You’ll get there.”

  “Did you know I got grounded?” she continues in that soft voice as if I hadn’t said a thing. “That night I was bitten and had to stay at that werewolf farm? My parents flipped out because I was missing that whole night and didn’t call. But I couldn’t tell them the truth, Phoenix. My dad, his heart’s been bad for a while and I . . .”

  We’re getting close to teary-eyed territory. Ashley quickly looks away and dabs at her eyes while I stand there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. I’ve never really dealt with this part of the werewolf problem before. When we lived in Underground everyone knew who and what we were. I’ve never had to hide from the people I care about. Then at school there wasn’t anyone we cared about enough to feel guilty keeping a secret from. I have no words of comfort for Ashley. Being a werewolf is going to be tough for her. If only I had acted faster at the high school and stopped her from being bitten.

  I turn to the window and stare out into the deepening twilight to brood. Movement beneath the trees catches my eye. A slim figure wearing a dark hoodie steps out from the shadows.

  Chapter 13

  The figure’s face, obscured beneath the hood, tilts to look directly at me in the window. My heart thunders in my chest and I freeze. We have a staring contest for a solid ten seconds before Ashley speaks up from her spot on the bed.

  “Phoenix?”

  Without taking my eyes off the figure below, I ask, “Where’s the backdoor?”

  “At the end of the hallway just past the bottom of the stairs,” she says rapidly in a high voice, her breathing starting to hitch. I guess she’s figured out something’s wrong from the way I’ve frozen at the window.