Bold Mercy

by Cane, Laken

  No. They’d died, and their spirits had been absorbed by their hosts.

  I clutched Joe’s hand, caught somewhere between extreme relief and enormous disbelief. “I killed the demons,” I said. “I didn’t kill the humans.”

  “The wolves are safe,” Joe said, patting my hand.

  “For now,” Zach agreed. “But this thing that happened here today is a preview of what’s to come.”

  I pulled away from Joe and knelt beside the groaning human. “Jared will be ready now,” I said. “He will make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I stared down at the man on the ground. “Why did you come here?”

  He tried to sit up but failed. Finally, with Joe’s help, he managed to climb to his knees. He stared around him with a dazed expression, but one that was fast turning angry. “What is this?” he demanded. “What the fuck is this?”

  I stood, then pointed at the discarded weapons littering the ground, then at the three other men who had yet to awaken. “You and your friends came here with guns and attacked this community,” I told him, grimly accusing. “You got your asses kicked.”

  But he shook his head and finally managed to get to his feet. He stumbled to one of the men and gave him a solid kick. “Kev,” he said. “Get the fuck up, man.” He ignored the other man, as though he didn’t know who he was.

  When Joe and Zach took a step toward him, he backed up, pointing his finger, his eyes wild. “Stay away from me.”

  “Sir,” I said, calmly. “Joe can drive you home. You need to get out of here. The cops are on the way.”

  He didn’t look like the type who’d want to talk to the police. I felt sorry for him, really. He and the other humans would have no idea what they’d done or why they’d done it. The others who’d fled would hopefully lose their demons quickly. They might try again, but I doubted it. They’d tried and failed, and they’d seen a demon slayer with a killing blade take out some of their own. Whatever deal they’d had with the vampires wasn’t worth dying for.

  “Kev,” he shouted, delivering another quick kick. And finally, Kev woke up. He was as disoriented as the first guy, but we stood back a comfortable distance and watched as they both managed to stumble down the street toward the stone exit gates.

  Rick Moreno slowed as he passed them, but then he drove on to where I stood with Joe and Zach. He took his time climbing out of his car, then stood with his fists on his hips as he surveyed the area. I didn’t rush him. Finally, he made his way to me.

  “There’s a dead guard at the gates,” he said. “And a dozen abandoned pickup trucks at the side of the highway.” He looked around at the weapons on the ground, the pools of blood wetting the pavement, and the human lying a few yards away who had yet to awakened. “Is he dead?”

  “No,” I said, though honestly I wasn’t entirely sure. He was sprawled face down with one of his arms at an awkward angle, and I vaguely remembered peeling half his face off with my blade. “Wake him up, Joe, and send him on his way.”

  Zach went to retrieve the scattered guns. When the detective and I were alone, he said, “The mayor wants you to come see him. I’ll take you.”

  “Good,” I said. “I need to speak with him, as well.”

  He eyed my bloody clothes but didn’t comment upon them. He was used to seeing me dressed in rags and blood. “What happened, Kait?”

  “The humans came.” I couldn’t help but shudder at the remembered image of those armed humans and the damage they’d caused. “They were full of demons. I killed some of the demons. The rest ran.”

  “And the humans?”

  “They’ll be okay once the demons take off. They won’t remember what happened. The ones you saw had no idea why they were here.”

  “That’s lucky,” he said, his voice grim. “How did they get into Shadowfield, Kait?”

  “They had help.”

  “Just the demons, or from the inside?”

  I hadn’t wanted to consider there was a traitor in Jared’s pack. They wouldn’t have appreciated hearing that—not from me. And I’d probably be the first one they’d accuse. Or my mother. “The demons,” I said. “And the vampires, and the magic Avis Vine is using.”

  We watched quietly as Joe succeeded in getting the last human up off the ground. He dusted him off and helped him down the street. After a few steps, the man pulled a cell phone from his pocket—probably to call someone to pick him up.

  “Joe,” I called. “Get him outside the gates.” I didn’t want whoever he called to come into Shadowfield to fetch him.

  Zach walked in the opposite direction with an armload of guns, probably to drop them in one of the small storage buildings for the wolves to deal with later.

  “Where is everybody?” the detective asked.

  “They came in shooting, Rick,” I said, and I know he heard the sorrow in my voice. “One of them shot Jared.” I swallowed hard, then forced myself to continue. “They shot him in the back of the head with silver.”

  “Son of a…” He blew out a hard breath. “He’s dead?”

  “No. He’s with his people in the woods, and he’ll heal. This time.” I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold. “But even though they were filled with demons and didn’t know what they were doing, the humans will be back. One of these times, they’re going to find the wolves, and the next time, Jared won’t tell his people to stand down while he tries to calm the humans. They will fight. The wolves will kill the humans. Shadowfield will be lost. The wolves will be forced into hiding. Humans will kill humans thinking they’re supernatural creatures.”

  “They’re doing that now,” he said, “because of the vampires. The world is now full of monsters and the humans are losing their minds.”

  “We’re not monsters,” I said, but I kept my voice emotionless.

  “Sorry.” He squeezed my arm. “Kait.”

  Shadowfield began filling up again as the wolves slipped from the woods. It wasn’t something I saw, but I felt it. I felt the alpha, most of all. Gradually, voices began to drift to us, and fully clothed people walked from buildings and stood in clumps to talk. They’d all gather in the admin building where discussions would begin about what had happened and what their futures held. They’d been taken off guard. They were nonhumans, yes, but they’d integrated so deeply into a human world that they’d become careless.

  It wouldn’t happen again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mayor Hedrick and his wife Amy were wonderful people. They were also stubborn as hell.

  “It would be good for the city, Kait. Let me put you out there. I won’t mention that you found our child after he was abducted. I understand that would put you in an impossible situation. I simply want to give them a champion, to bring someone out of the shadows who has been here fighting for us all along. I want them to know that long before they were aware of vampires, you were actively hunting them, killing them, protecting us.” He slid forward on the sofa and reached across to take my hands, his deep brown eyes sweet and earnest and totally fierce. He wasn’t going to let me say no. He knew it, and I knew it.

  Still, I had to try. “Mayor—”

  “Louis,” he insisted.

  “Louis,” I said, though that felt wrong. “I’m not one for the spotlight. And I’m not the only one fighting the vampires. There are more…likable people out there.”

  “You’re extremely likable,” Amy said. “And you look like the champion this city needs. You’re so…” She hesitated. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but you have a look about you, Kait. It’s…otherworldly. And you see spirits. You’re not a normal human, and it shows. It’s frightening to look into your eyes for very long.” She laughed, but it was just a little uncomfortable. “Even now, I have to fight not to look away from you.”

  I could have told her right then that I wasn’t human, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Just couldn’t do it.

  “Kait,” Louis urged. “Let’s give them what they need before it’s too late.”
r />   So I capitulated. “What do you want me to do?”

  He slapped his leg. “Thank you, Kait. Thank you. I’ll take care of everything, and I’ll call you with the details. I’ll contact some people and get things set up. We’ll get you on TV—and anyone who works with you, bring them if you’d like—tonight. We’ll do it tonight, when it’s scary as hell out there. It’ll give our city hope. They’ll concentrate on you and what you can do instead of the bad guys.”

  “Also,” I said, not quite looking him in the eye, “they need to know that not all vampires are murderous sons of bitches. They’ve been here with us all along.”

  He nodded soberly. “Good. That’s good, Kait. You’ll tell the city everything they need to know, including how best to remain safe. They’ll listen to you instead of the “experts” spouting their nonsense. Did you see the professor on the news last night telling people that if they eat garlic every three hours they’ll be immune from vampire attacks?” He hesitated. “That’s not true, is it?”

  “No,” I said, trying not to smile. I could smell the garlic on both the mayor and his wife. “These rogues aren’t trying to find someone tasty to eat. They’re just killing people and causing trouble. They’re going to do that no matter how a human smells or tastes. But,” I added, “a hungry vampire will avoid biting a human who tastes like garlic. You can’t eat enough garlic to kill the bloodsucker, but you can make him sick.”

  “Then that’s something important to tell the people,” he said. “We need to calm them down. They’re killing each other in their panic.”

  I’d do my best to convince Jakeston that they had people fighting for them. That we were stronger than the vampires. And that not all the vampires were the bad guys.

  I left the mayor’s house and outside, Rick was waiting for me—and Remy Simon was with him. The detective smiled—sort of—when he saw me. He reached into his overcoat pocket and pulled out a lanyard from which a laminated ID dangled. “I knew you’d lose at least one,” he said, “so I had extras made.” Then he felt the tension, saw the way Remy and I were looking at each other, and he immediately dropped into cop mode. He stiffened. “What’s the problem?”

  Remy laughed. “I thought Kait was a hunter like me, but it turns out she’s just something I kill.”

  Rick had his gun pressed to the back of Remy’s skull before either one of us was ready for it. The men in the mayor’s security detail, three of whom were posted outside, started toward us.

  Remy lifted his hands. “Whoa, there, Detective. I didn’t say I was going to kill her. Kait and I will work through our shit.”

  I was shocked at Rick’s sudden ferocity, but I was pretty sure I didn’t show it. I gave Remy a cocky grin. “Maybe we will,” I agreed. “But until we do, you might want to watch your mouth.” Then I turned my back to him and walked to my car, dropping the lanyard over my head as I went. “Thanks, Detective,” I called.

  “Anytime,” he replied, his voice emotionless.

  Before I got into my car, I turned back to look at them. Rick had put his gun away and he and Remy both watched me. “Where are you going?” Remy asked, finally.

  “I’m going home,” I murmured. I wasn’t going to tell them that I had to get dressed to stand with the mayor and speak to the city, but then I thought better of it. Even if I had to put myself in front of the people and be the voice for the ones who protected them, having a crew beside me could only help. “Both of you go make yourselves pretty. Mayor Hedrick is calling in the press and we’re going to be on camera tonight.”

  They only stared, unsure.

  I shrugged. “If I have to put myself out there, I’d like the ones helping me to be there, as well. I’ll text you when I get a meeting time from Louis.”

  I’d call in Max, Joe, Zach, and the alpha as well. Lucy and Ash could come, too. And because it would be dark, I’d ask Bastien for his support.

  Maybe the mayor was right and seeing “superheroes” might give the humans some hope. There was a chance it wouldn’t do anything but piss them off. We’d see.

  I called Lucy. “I’m on my way home.”

  “So are Ash and I,” she said cheerfully.

  I sighed. She was supposed to wait until I got to the house before she even left Shadowfield, so I could make sure the house and area were safe. With everything going on, it was easy to forget that there was a human serial killer with his sights, apparently, on Lucy.

  “If you get there before I do, stay in your car with the doors locked, Lucy.”

  “I’ll will,” she assured me. “Don’t worry.”

  “Why aren’t you worried?” I asked, a little aggravated.

  “Because…” Her voice strengthened. “Because things are going to go how they go. Besides, Susan is with me. She’s almost as good a bodyguard as you are.”

  “Hi Kaity,” my mother called. “There’s a car full of wolves right behind us. Eli wouldn’t let us leave without protection.”

  “They’ll be taking her back to Shadowfield later,” Lucy told me.

  I wasn’t sure if taking Lucy home was a good idea—I just knew there was danger everywhere. She’d nearly gotten shot at Shadowfield. “And Jared?” I asked, my voice a little too casual.

  “We didn’t see him before we left,” Lucy told me.

  I knew the alpha was going to be extremely busy making sure Shadowfield was protected against raiders, human or otherwise. He was also going to blame himself for his wolves getting hurt in the first place. Shadowfield was about to change, and the wolves would change with it. It was how they would survive.

  I wasn’t sure how the pack was going to feel about me accidentally calling all their wolves, but I’d deal with that when the time came. I shouldn’t have been able to force their shifts. I wasn’t their alpha. Without a doubt, it was going to cause some issues.

  Maybe with Jared, as well, who I hadn’t seen since he’d gone into the woods to heal his gunshot wound. But I had enough on my mind without adding extra worry, so I shoved the uneasy thoughts of him and his pack away.

  But I wondered, as I was sure Jared wondered, if I could have done such a thing if we hadn’t forged an unbreakable bond in his bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The city seemed to have calmed slightly, whether because of the heavy police presence or mere exhaustion, I couldn’t have said. I was sure that if Avis had anything to say about it, it was simply the calm before the major storm she was about to bring.

  Even in the daylight, the streets were nearly empty, and a hazy, eerie pall hung over the city. Some shops had been burnt out, and the sidewalks were full of overturned grocery carts, garbage, and the occasional brave—or inebriated—person.

  I saw a total of eleven spirits and twice I spotted men who looked like they’d picked up a demon. I kept going. Later I would deal with spirits and demons. Right now, the vampires were getting all my attention.

  I called Joe, Max, Zach, Bastien, and the alpha on my way home. Bastien would be sleeping, but Jared didn’t answer either. I left voicemails asking them to come and to gear up for a battle—not only for the viewing audience, but just in case Avis and her rogues appeared.

  Lucy’s car was parked in my driveway when I arrived home, and the “car full of wolves,” as my mother put it, was parked at the side of the street. There were three wolves inside it—more than enough protection if a killer dared approach Lucy. The wolves were overkill, really. My mother could easily have handled a lone human serial killer.

  I waved at the wolves, then walked my mother, Lucy, and Ash into my house. I inhaled, pulling in the familiar scents, as Lucy hurried into her bedroom to drop her bags and my mother went into the kitchen to put on coffee. I figured she didn’t want to be alone with me just yet. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened at Shadowfield. Her daughter was an alpha. Her daughter had forced her shift.

  Yeah. I wasn’t quite ready for that conversation either.

  I sat on the sofa and patted my lap, and Ash
jumped up to get some love. Funny how he could make the stress melt away—at least for a little while.

  Then Lucy came in and sat beside me. Ash lay down between us and went to sleep immediately, as though he knew playtime was over and it was time for the adults to have a serious discussion.

  “I’m going to cook something,” my mother called. “Lucy, when you can, come help me?”

  “I will,” Lucy murmured, but she stared pensively at Ash as she ran her hand over his back, and finally, as I opened my mouth to prompt her, she spoke. “You’ve lost some weight,” she said. “And I’ve lost the serial killer dreams.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing,” I said tentatively. “Maybe that means he’s not coming for you after all.”

  “Yeah,” she said, attempting a smile. “Maybe that’s what it means.” Then she sighed. “I’ve been having other dreams instead. That one had taken over for a while. Every time I closed my eyes, I was with the killer. I felt him, and it was overwhelming. I’ve never been so immersed in my dreams in my whole life, Kait. I should be glad they’ve stopped, but…”

  “What, Lucy?” I took her hand and held it, squeezing gently, because she seemed to need the comfort. “Tell me.”

  She couldn’t look at me. “My dreams, when I’m having them, are reality. I’m there. To me, it’s not a dream. Sometimes when I dream I become the person I’m dreaming about.” She waved her free hand impatiently. “Anyway. This serial killer.” Finally, she looked at me. “I…I like him, Kait. I like being with him, even though I’m aware of what he’s doing to those women. Even though I’m aware that he killed them. Not dreaming about him upsets me.”

  I didn’t pull my hand away. “You’ve connected with him.” I wanted to say “bonded” but that was somehow worse.

  “I’ve never done anything like this. No matter what I dream, the bad guys are the bad guys and I detest them.” Abruptly she pulled her hand from mine and stood. “I’m going to help Susan. I have a name. A first name. It’s Samuel. I don’t know if that’ll help Detective Moreno or not, but it’s something.” Just before exiting the room, she stopped. “I’ve had that name for two days, Kait. I just couldn’t bear to tell you in case the information got him captured.” She laughed, and it was full of panic. “I don’t want a serial killer, a man who kills women, to be caught.” She walked away and I let her go, because nothing I could have said would have made a difference.