Snow Covered Moon

by L M Adams

  “You should let Jack care for you, sleep with Lucien, and stop giving Tabari a hard time.” Peter says back in an equally sarcastic drawl. Asshole.

  “And you still owe me a beer.”

  But his banter makes me smile, putting me at ease. I rub my neck and let my mind quiet; channeling the parts of me that love the hunt, letting all the other trash of the day seep from my immediate thoughts.

  “Ok, two by two; one good sniffer with one good shooter. I’ll head up the lead. He lives on the thirteenth floor. Apartment 13A. We want him alive,” I say pointedly at Lucien. I think to make him leave the sword in the car so he doesn’t lop the not-wolf’s head off. He’d never agree.

  “Something goes wrong, get out and get out fast, don’t touch or pick up anything lying around. I learned that the hard way. Ok people, ears and eyes. Hand signals only. Tabari you’ll figure it out.” The man has no formal training really. As a master of magic he’s not usually called in until after the killing is done. If needed he just turns himself invisible. But stalk, hunt, destroy, that’s all my and Lucien’s department.

  Jack has been around a while so I think he can manage. And I’m tiptoeing around his ego until further notice; yeah, that’s what I’m concerned about going into what could be a firefight. Awesome.

  We walk up to the door. I wait for Tabari to do his little trick over the panel, the door unlocks with a click. I pull it open. The inside of the building is dim and dark. Only one or two lights still work; one flickers every so often. There are muted white tiles on the floor. The walls are a putrid green that makes me think of vomit. I sniff the air. Nothing but the unpleasant scent of humans rotting in their own filth. I can smell the despair of the souls in this building.

  Fight god damn you, I think. But no one hears; they wouldn’t hear if I yelled it from the roof tops.

  In the middle of the building, on the right, is the elevator. We could take the stairs easily. But our group is small enough, why waste the energy? I hit the call button; the elevator comes to a grinding halt the doors screech open and then bang.

  I have second thoughts about the elevator business. Wouldn’t do to get stuck waiting on the fire department while on a hunt, but I squash my misgivings and get in, moving to the side with the buttons. Once everyone is in the elevator, I hit the thirteen button; it lights up, barely.

  I think of the last time I was in an elevator and flush. I look over to Jack, he smiles and Lucien grunts. Really this is ridiculous, can’t be nice to one, can’t be mean to one. God I hope I get to kill something soon. Murder is so much easier than relationships.

  The elevator finally reaches the floor we want. I sniff the air, nothing. I lean out and check the hallway quickly and step off nodding to the guys. The damn thing didn’t stop level to the floor. I’m sure falling in an elevator thirteen stories wouldn’t kill any of us, but it would hurt like a som’bitch. We are taking the stairs back down, and that’s that.

  I point to Lucien and Peter and signal them to go down the hallway to my left. Tabari, I point to and make a fist, and then pause and point down to the floor. He gives me an exasperated look. I roll my eyes and motion Jack to follow me to the right.

  We don’t make a sound. I’d practiced in the boots to keep them quiet. Jack’s dress shoes are silent on the floor. I feel him tense and ready to spring in action. Adrenaline drums through my veins too, it’s better than vodka.

  I stop and sniff at every door. I’m not sure which way the apartments run, I look again. Yeah were going in the wrong direction, but I check each door anyway. He may have buddies. Jack matches my movements on the other side of the hallway. We reach the end quickly and turn. Lucien and Peter are standing in front of a door, pointing their guns at it. They are almost at the end of that side of the hallway where the stairs are. Lucien points a finger straight up in the air and circles quickly. Rally to me.

  I pull my gun and hold it two handed on my right side. Jack does the same and we move quickly to Peter and Lucien. Tabari follows behind me, I smell ozone and a shit load of it.

  I stand on one side of the door and sniff near it, oh yes, not-wolf, and its inside. My heart thumps. This door takes an old-fashioned lock and key, deadbolt. I point to Peter and Lucien I hold up three fingers: on the count of three.

  Lucien shakes his head no then holsters his gun. He kneels next to the door and pulls a lock pick from the blond loc in the back of his hair. He looks like he knows what he’s doing. He keeps lock picks in his locs?

  I glance at Tabari with a questioning look; he only shrugs his shoulder. Huh, I have to ask him about that later. I hear the deadbolt give; the doorknob is almost laughable as quickly as he unlocks that. Lucien stands up and shoves the lock pick in his pocket, He takes his gun from the holster again, standing and waiting for my order.

  I look to Tabari and hold a finger to my lips then circle us around. I hope he understands to hide us under a magical spell, I can’t think of an official hand signal for that. But he nods his head in understanding. I point to Jack and then myself, he nods his head. I turn the door knob and open the door quietly although I’m pretty sure I could bring a marching band in here and they wouldn’t notice. Tabari is just that good. Still, I won’t always have him with me and practice makes perfect.

  I’m first in, Jack quickly behind me. I sweep the living room, nothing. It’s a small box of a place, and clean, really clean, but no windows. I always expect for these places to be disgusting. Black sofa, coffee table, a small table and chair sit in a corner, no TV. The furniture is cheap, but it’s there and not milk crate cartons. The walls are bare and cheap threadbare carpet is on the floor, it’s some shade of dark brown. Easier to hide the blood?

  I don’t see anyone but I smell them; there has been a not-wolf here and recently. But no one is here now. Still better check; rather be safe than sorry.

  I sniff again, there are two of them usually here, definitely. Although the not-wolf sent is overwhelming I can smell human. The not-wolf has a friend maybe?

  I press against the wall that sections off the kitchen. I peek down the hallway, same brown carpet. I stoop low and peek into another doorway to my right, the kitchen, no one is in there.

  I turn back to the guys, pointing at Tabari and Lucien and hold my fist in the air. Then I point to Peter and point to my eyes and then the front door; we need a look out. He nods and I keep walking past the kitchen, gun still at my side. My hands itch to holster the gun and go for my knives; I’m more comfortable with them. But I’m not in a rush to get that close to a not-wolf anytime soon.

  A closed door is to my right. I point to it, Jack checks it. Bathroom, he shakes his head no, I nod. That leaves the bedroom, last door on the left. I take it. I wait, listening. I don’t hear anything.

  I open the door, slowly stepping in. I sniff the air again, nothing. A queen-sized bed sits along the wall to my right. Small windows with metal grating are above the bed letting in the afternoon sun. There are clear plastic tubs that seem to act as nightstands on either side of the bed. Along one wall is a small flat-screened TV sitting on a folding table. My TV is bigger, I think with a smile. Always good to know the good guys have better shit than the bad guys. The bed has sheets on it and a black comforter. The not-wolf didn’t make their bed this morning, but then I hadn’t made mine either, Jack did.

  I turn and yell, “Clear!”

  I hear a responding round of clears from the guys peppered throughout the apartment. Well, I guess it’s time for some good old-fashioned sleuthing now.

  I holster my gun and turn back to join up with the guys. Jack follows me back down the hallway.

  “No one is here, we can check around see if we can find anything. But I’m in no rush to touch anything,” I scratch my leg in flashback sympathy. A shudder runs through me.

  “There’s a laptop here,” Jack says, standing over the small table in the living room. We all walk over to it. I hadn’t noticed it; it was covered with a newspaper. Jack has nudged off the newspap
er with his gun, I guess he wasn’t in a rush to touch anything either. Funny, everyone leans over to sniff at it in the same moment. We almost bumped heads, snicker and back away.

  “Looks expensive… looks CNAE,” I remark thinking to myself that yet again here’s evidence of human authorities in the middle of this.

  I look over to Peter at the door I nod my head towards the table and take his post as look out as he walks over to it. I don’t know shit about laptops.

  See I know when to sit one out. Peter’s eyes look very wolfy. But I haven’t felt the pull of his wolf in so long. Still, full moon is tonight. I shouldn’t have him out the house in a high stress environment.

  Tabari comes over to the door with me. “What’s next?” he asks.

  “Our scent is all over the place. I doubt we can set up an ambush at this point, and they’ll probably move.” I think out loud.

  “It’s probably time we made a report to the Kindred. Humans are definitely involved more than we thought before. This isn’t a few humans we can disappear quietly. Not if that’s a CNAE laptop,” Tabari says.

  I was starting to think the same thing; this is no longer an inter-species problem. Someone is definitely letting out our dirty secrets to the humans. Real proof or not, it’s time to tell the big guys. I’m not risking everyone in this room for my pride. Yes, I want to solve this on my own, my first assignment as a Grigori. Yes, I hate that I already have to ask for help. But then not asking for help is what got me in so much trouble all those years ago.

  “Ok, you send a report when we get back home.” I turn to the room.

  Peter is sitting in front of the open laptop. He looks irritated. Jack is behind him making suggestions, I’m not quite sure if they’re helpful. Lucien is standing and looking at a wall like it holds the secrets to the universe. I guess he’s still pissed.

  “Take the laptop. Let’s pack it up, this place gives me the creeps,” I say.

  Peter closes the laptop and winds up the power cord. Jack walks over to me then Lucien. I check the hallway again. “We’re taking the stairs,” I say and move down to the end of the hallway. We make it to the door of the stairs when I hear the elevator door open. I turn as two figures step off the elevator.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Trapped like rats

  Peter isn’t close enough and dodges back into the apartment as both men pull their guns and begin shooting at us.

  “Get down!” I yell and pull my own gun out.

  I pop off three rounds into the smaller one, the not-wolf. One of its hands is a wolf paw. It’s the same one that followed me yesterday.

  We rush through the door to the stairwell as a couple shots zing right over my head. The door closes behind me with a thump.

  Shit, Peter is pinned down. He might be hit, I don’t know, trapped like a fucking rat. We cannot let them reach that apartment. I look to Lucien, he nods his head. I go down on one knee in front of him. Lucien pulls that beast of a handgun, cracks the door open and lets off two into the bigger man. He’s the same one that was with the smaller fellow that night Peter and I were at the city gate. He falls on the floor; he’s the human I smelled.

  The smaller man takes him by the arm and yanks him back into the elevator leaving his legs hanging out so the doors won’t close. Fucking Mexican standoff, just fucking great, doesn’t everyone die in those?

  I turn to Tabari standing on the stairs next to Jack. “Can you stop a bullet?”

  He looks to me wide eyed, “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You can redirect lighting and burn shit up until only craters are left in the ground but you don’t know if you can stop a bullet?!”

  “I’ve never tried to stop a bullet and I don’t think this is the time to experiment,” he says, irritated.

  Fuck, we will be having that experiment very soon.

  “Peter!” I yell through the still cracked door.

  “Yeah, Jae!”

  “How are you? Are you hit?”

  “Yeah, one in the shoulder, one in the leg, but I think I’ll live.” His voice is strained but remarkably calm.

  Well he should live, he’s a wolf now. Anything less than some serious internal damage or taking a werewolf’s head, they’ll live through. He could heal it; we just have to yank that bullet out. Not going to be fun.

  “What’s the guy’s name?” I yell down the hallway. I know he can hear us. I’m trying to make him understand how unimportant he is to me.

  “Craig.” Peter says.

  I remember what he looks like. He’s a white male, middle aged, or maybe younger with a hard life and a lot of drinking. I’m thinking it’s the latter. He has small brown eyes; the hair on his head a dirty blond, or rather blond and dirty.

  I lean back into the hallway yelling to Peter again. “He doesn’t look like a Craig.”

  “That’s his name, Jae,” Peter yells at me.

  Lucien sighs impatiently.

  “Craig, can you hear me?”

  “Yeah bitch, and I’m going to kill you and that big ugly motherfucker that shot him.”

  “How’s your friend doing? He’s human I know. If he’s still alive, he won’t be much longer.”

  “He’ll be fine, bitch.”

  He knows my name, but instead of calling me Jae, he has to call me bitch? Why can’t bad people ever have a little home training? Just because you’re evil doesn’t mean you have to be rude.

  “I’ll make a deal, you close the elevator door, go take care of your friend, I’ll get my friend and we can settle up another day.”

  “I’m going to fuck you up, just wait. We’ve got something for you.”

  “Time’s ticking Craig; deal is about to expire.”

  “We’ll settle up another day.” I watch as he moves the big guy’s legs back into the elevator and the doors close.

  “Lucien, Jack, find them. Capture Craig if you can. If you can’t, kill them both; he’s probably headed for the first floor. Tabari, you’re with me, we’ll get Peter.”

  Lucien and Jack start down the stairs at breathtaking speeds. They’ll have to be quick to beat them to the first floor.

  I walk back into the hallway pointing my gun at the elevator. The doors don’t open back up.

  “Peter, it’s us,” I yell, so he doesn’t shoot me. The door is cracked; Peter is propped up on the wall next to it with his gun pointed down the hallway towards the elevator. Thank god the angle was wrong; Craig could’ve lit him up with holes. He looks up to me.

  “Why is it every time I go somewhere with you I get shot?” he asks with a smile.

  “I don’t know, Robinson, but I’d like you to remember that the first time you dragged me to the Vampire Bar.”

  He scoffs. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know about the vampire part.”

  “Big Mike is going to tear into me when he sees you. We have to get those bullets out before you can heal. They were probably using silver, too.” I sigh. I look at the laptop, it has a bullet hole now too. Just great.

  “Tabari you get the laptop? I know someone who might be able to help with that. Peter, can you stand?”

  “Yeah, help me up.”

  I hold out my arm, he clasps it and I yank. He grunts but makes it to his feet. He’s hit on the left side in both spots which makes everything awkward. Usually I’d let him lean his weight on me on his bad side, but his shoulder is hurt and he can’t stand the pressure either. So I stand on his bad side and wrap my arm around his waist. He curls his arm in front of him and hobbles. I think I’m just there in case he loses his balance at this point.

  “Let’s go, stairs or elevator?”

  Both of them say stairs.

  Thirteen flights of stairs with a werewolf with a bullet wound in his leg; this will be easy.

  I would say it takes a while, but a while is putting it mildly. Tabari offers to float him down the stairs, Peter growls and that is that. Hell, I’m too keen on that idea. I’m not strong enough to carry him. So
we hobble along. Tabari walks in front of Peter just in case he stumbles. I walk beside him praying that he keeps his balance as he leans on the banister and puts his good leg down on a step then drags his bad leg down to join the good one.

  Lucien and Jack meet us back on the stairs shaking their heads, no.

  Jack tells me the not-wolf left his buddy in the elevator and got off on a different floor. By the time they’d tracked him, he was long gone.

  “And the human?” I ask.

  “Dead,” Lucien’s voice says plainly.

  “Think someone will call the CNAE?” I ask.

  “Maybe when the body starts stinking,” says Peter with a grunt.

  Yeah this isn’t the kind of place that people call the police too often, still. No more time for Peter’s pride. I won’t risk us getting caught.

  I nod to Lucien, he steps forward and lifts Peter over his shoulder. We’d only made it to the tenth floor, for Goddess’ sake.

  “Put me down. I can make it fine! I’ll not be carried like a fucking cripple!”

  We ignore him.

  “Just wait, I’m going to kick all of your asses. Starting with you, Jae, I know this was your idea!” Peter threatens, and so it goes on for ten more flights of stairs. My ears are ringing by the time we got to the first floor; I never knew the man could cuss like that.

  I don’t take offense. I know the silver bullets and movement is hurting him, burning with every jolt; not to mention his pride. He needs a release and cussing us out seems to work for him. So be it.

  Tabari makes the mistake of offering to put him to sleep and then Peter starts in on him. Tells him he can damn well stay away from him with his witchy tricks. He hasn’t forgotten the last time Tabari knocked him out and he’s been meaning to have a word with him about that.

  We finally make it out to the cars.

  “Jack, you take Peter’s car and go back to the house. Tabari, you make the report to the Kindred. Me, Lucien, and Peter will go to Big Mike’s.” I say and motion to Jack to come over to me.