“I don’t think I’m human, I don’t think I could join her.” Admitting my woes out loud made everything seem dire.
“No.” She sighed. “I don’t think you are either.”
“Then what am I?” I asked.
“Male through and through.” Her tone held an edge of wry humor.
Chapter 20 – Pack Lands
We traveled to the truck, put into neutral, and pushed it to one side. I plundered the food. Julianne found an emergency radio and battery to take with us. She made me carry them.
On the way back to the elves’ hideaway, Julianne convinced me to clean myself up. Ripe was the kindest word used. Julianne practically threw me into the water. Drying off was awkward but I was unmistakably cleaner by the end. Bathing in a natural stream felt wonderful.
By nightfall, we made it to the camp where Evan and his grandfather stayed. Our trip was far less desperate since it was already too late. Julianne took the radio then headed out with cowboy elf to watch for pack members. She believed they would be back soon with a ride out of here.
My shirt was almost dry. I sat near the fire pit with Evan. The flame was small and well-tended, proving that even elves didn’t object to the occasional fire now and then. The younger elf readied himself for round two of our little talk.
“I’ve found the limits of what I can say, but I doubt it will help,” He said.
“Can’t be worse than what I have now.” All I had now was a whole lot of warning that knowledge was dangerous, but no idea why. I didn’t like how shaky he looked while he tried to talk.
“I told you that you had laid claim. You must know this much about yourself in order to do that.” Evan’s body drooped from lingering exhaustion.
“I do.” It was one of the few things I did know. Frequent glances were shot towards Evan to ensure he didn’t fall into the fire. He shouldn’t be speaking now. Sweat started to drip from his brow as he attempted to concentrate.
“It is absolute. It is frightening, it is an old calling. Any Speakers you have claimed feel it like a gong that beats in time with the pulse of our hearts.” He paused, gathering his energy to try and betray a smidgen of information that wasn’t protected by whatever binding had been placed on him.
I waited for him to continue.
“The first time it is easy to miss. The second is harder, and each time after that until your calling drowns everything else out.” The elf was getting worked up talking about it.
“Like Candy?” I had tracked her several times in the last few days.
“Yes,” He answered.
“And Kahina?” I was suddenly worried that maybe my former girlfriend’s obsession came from the tracking process. How many times over the years had I searched for her?
“Who?” Evan asked in confusion.
“The black woman, you called her a Bloodletter.” It must be an old term for vampires. It sounded formal and silly.
“She will feel it too, any of the…” There was a flash of soft light from behind his eyes and he gasped then slowly started over. “She will feel it. Part of her will know that you are claiming her and try to respond.”
“Why?” Was that part of why she fixated on me? If tracking her fueled the feelings then she would have felt my calling years ago.
“Does it matter? Either you truly think she is yours, or you do not.” Evan spoke gently. It was like Julianne’s words were coming out of his mouth.
“You make it sound simple.” I was tired of this, nearly as tired as Evan sounded.
“Like most, you make simple things seem hard,” Evan said. That was a statement I couldn’t argue with. “But I fear something.”
“What is that?” I feared a lot when it came to Kahina.
“While the stories say she cannot change you, it is possible that you may change her. I wonder what she will become.” His words felt, I don’t know, they felt true. Like his sincerity traveled across that bond of dominion. That claim where Evan called me Lord and I answered.
Silence sat between us for a handful of minutes. I stared into the fire and watched as wood crackled. Each quick flare of energy drew the scattered portions of my mind together. For a moment, nothing else mattered but the dancing flame.
Evan’s cough brought reality back to the forefront. I shook my head and asked “Any other hints?”
The blond elf didn’t respond. He too seemed captivated by the fire. His eyes closed and there was a soft glow from behind the lids. I watched him slip slowly forward, then finally tip as if he couldn’t hold himself upright. By the time I reached him, he was snoring on the ground.
Perhaps I could push the issue by calling upon whatever bond he thought we had, but I wasn’t sure I wanted an answer. I wasn’t sure he’d survive me pushing at it. Not if he was passed out in exhaustion after he managed to tell me nothing useful.
“Jay!” Julianne shouted while running up to the small fire. I intercepted the tiny woman and pulled us away from Evan’s resting place.
“What’s up?” I asked once we were further away.
“Problem. Daniel and a huge number of his men have started up the road.” Julianne broke away from my grip and started pacing. She didn’t even appear upset that I had basically herded her.
“What? How?” I paused and started over. “What?”
“Seems Thomas told them we had Arnold, and told them he was dead. Judging by the convoy rolling up here your friend didn’t believe it.” Julianne bit her lip and looked off towards the city far to the south.
“Hell,” I said. One arm raised to run through my shortened hair.
“No joke. They’re armed too.” Julianne put one hand into her pocket. She was likely holding on to the small firearm from before.
“Daniel carrying a lot of silver?” I licked my lips and stared at the short woman.
“He’s headed into pack woods, against both law and orders from his superiors.” Julianne stared up at me and nodded. “So yeah, I’d bet heavily on him carrying enough to put down everyone.”
“And they’re trained.” I clenched both my fists and contemplated hitting something hard.
“Yep.”
What the hell was he doing bringing an army up here? Was he going to take over and root around trying to find Arnold? Daniel knew Arnold was dead.
“Your pack’s response?” I asked. Daniel heading into pack lands could be minimized if no one got in his way. At worst it would be me, Evan, and his grandfather. Julianne could easily hide somewhere or be escorted out with her brother.
“Pack’s not going to let anyone march into their lands. Western Sector or not. This has been our-” she shook her head “-their, territory for generations.”
“Of course not.” I understood the need to protect one’s things.
“They’re running in full bore, but I don’t know if they’ll be in any condition to help. Plus they waited to tell me.” Julianne ground her teeth for a moment and displayed a wolfish impersonation of annoyance. She may not be pack, but the woman had fooled me for a long time.
“It’s okay.” I tried to sound reassuring.
“My grandfather is almost here already. He’s getting up there in age, but the old guy can cover some ground.” Julianne looked fidgety. She wasn’t making eye contact, which was not an action I expected from her.
Shifting eyes around, refusing to meet a stare, both were signs of submissive pack members. Julianne had always given me the exact opposite impression. There was something happening that I would like even less.
“What?” I asked with a sharp tone.
“Um. My brother’s an idiot?” Julianne’s accent sounded sheepish.
“I figured.” My response was dry. The guy was too damned cheery when he talked, a smart ass cheery. “Anything else?”
Her eyes went wide, and I watched her look past me and wince. My body turned just in time to be bulldozed by a fuzzy battering ram. Soft fur and a quiet snarl coupled with very sharp teeth dug into my muscles.
Hell
.
From my angle, there was only one eye visible that was glaring directly into mine. The teeth on my collarbone and the message in the glaring orb were begging for an excuse to rend flesh.
“Stacy?” I guessed.
The bundle of fur and angry teeth clamped down upon my neck, grumbling. Her teeth dug in, but the jaws didn’t shake back and forth. I could be extremely violent and take the damage, but there was no need. If Stacy wanted to harm me she would have already.
“If you want to talk, then shift.” I had to remain calm. It was like I was bouncing at the door. Momentary eye contact, just enough to give a solid connection that pierced through the haze.
Stacy, if it was Stacy, huffed in my face. Teeth pulled back from my neck and the wolf backed up. A moment later I had a frowning and startlingly naked woman yelling at me. There was a sign of something strapped to her shoulders, a travel pack?
“I can’t believe you brought them out here! What the hell were you thinking?” Stacy yelled while pointing at my face. At least she wasn’t violently slapping me.
“Stacy!” Julianne shouted back.
“No, Julie, you could have been shot by that elf. All because this abusive…” She stuttered as her arms struggled to get the backpack off. “MALE needs help to clean up his fucking mess!”
“We put Evan out here!” Julianne leapt to my defense while I tried to stay out of the way. A female shouting was one of my weaknesses and it never seemed to end well.
They kept bitching, literally, at each other. Part of me wanted to defend myself. What could I really say? Sorry my friend Daniel is screwing it all up for everyone?
Other people trickled in. One was the awkwardly naked older man I had seen before. The rest were wolves of varying color patterns. Stacy must have put in the extra energy speeding here in order to knock me down.
“Girls.” Julianne’s grandfather held an incredible tone with one word. It was a gift that anyone would steal if they could. “We’re in mixed company, Stacy. Put something on.”
Stacy narrowed her eyes for a moment before breaking the stare. She finished pulling the backpack off and dug out lighter clothes. They were barely a step up from a nightie. The woman grumbled while pulling a shirt over her head. Stacy’s lips kept moving as she muttered angrily.
I had to give it to Julianne, Stacy seemed like a keeper in more ways than one. She had probably started out reserved since wolves typically were more irritable. One thing I had no desire to run into was an already aggressive woman being turned into a wolf. They were bonfires of rage and burned out quickly.
Wolves in the background wore amused grins. There were maybe twenty total. Each one had a bag harnessed to them somehow. They all appeared to be resting after a long run.
The only one who didn’t show signs of fatigue was Julianne’s grandfather. He also showed no rush to get dressed. I kept my gaze averted. Not because I wanted to seem submissive, but because I was tired of naked men.
“Grandpa!” Julianne switched her yelling to him.
“Yes, child?” His tone of voice didn’t change, but his emphasis on the second word was obvious.
“Put on your pants!”
“In time. There are others coming.” He responded.
“I don’t want to see your penis hanging out!” She shouted while trying not to sound embarrassed.
“What’s wrong with a wolf being naked?” I wasn’t looking, but the old wolf sounded faintly amused.
“Because you’re human right now, and you’re old!” Her yelling didn’t let up.
The wolves in the background fought to contain wheezing laughs. Their amusement seemed to vanish promptly and I risked a glance. Julianne’s grandfather had given his pack a single glare. The wolves’ amused grins stayed put.
“Very well.” He took a pack from off of his shoulders that had a pair of shorts and a plain white shirt. Once he was dressed I felt semi-comfortable looking their direction.
“Where’s Thomas?” Julianne asked.
“Resting. He’ll be here soon, though.” Her grandfather said.
“How far out is Daniel?” She asked another question. I let her take charge in prying information out of the old man. Last time I had dealt with him things were decided against me.
“Hours. They’re moving carefully and slowly.” Her grandfather said.
“You’d think he would just roll in here.” She rolled her eyes and waved a hand around.
Those pack members still in wolf form swiveled their ears at once. Even the human form members looked off into the distance. Julianne turned her gaze too but seemed perplexed. There must have been someone or something approaching. I tensed and worried that Daniel might be here already.
A set of howls echoed in the distance. Julianne’s grandfather frowned and turned to his little gathering. There was a moment where I could have sworn he was talking to them. It was hard not to envy a pack’s ability to connect with each other.
A few members of Stacy and Julianne’s family howled back. There was a moment when I heard noises filling the growing darkness. My senses extended upward and I could feel the vibrations shoot through the clear sky overhead. It was similar to holding an arm out the car window and feeling the breeze ripple across my skin.
All the ears of the pack members swiveled again and the howling stopped. Slowly padding through the trees was another smaller set of wolves. They gave off a skittish vibe. Five in total became apparent. The group settled to their haunches and watched the rest of us.
Fur patterns on one of them looked familiar. There were a few ways to tell the gender of a wolf, but it would be considered rude. I felt sure that the wolf gazing towards me was Francis Sauter’s wife. Last time those eyes had been filled with nearly single-minded annoyance. Now they looked to be a lot calmer and most satisfied.
I blinked and nodded slowly at the other wolf. She blinked gold eyes back but didn’t nod in exchange.
“Welcome to our woods.” The old man’s voice sounded formal. There was a bobble of heads in the other grouping of wolves as if formally bowing while sitting. They started to shift to human. I winced and stared back at the sky.
“Sissy.” Julianne didn’t bother whispering at me. Not that it would have made a difference.
“Too much skin.” I wasn’t upset about seeing a good-looking woman naked. Nor was I homophobic. Wolves took a lot to get used to.
“You should see some of the places Kahina used to drag me to. Her eighteenth was a blast.” Julianne sounded giddy at finding a soft spot of mine to poke.
“No thanks,” I muttered.
“It’s safe to look now.” The tiny bartender said.
“It’s safe, Jay.” The old man’s voice was calm. On anyone else I would have called it mocking, but it was hard to tell with him.
I looked down. There was a small gathering around me now. Julianne, her grandfather, Stacy, and two of the other wolves.
“Ms. Sauter, Malcolm.” Names and dollar signs were part of my earnings. Thankfully I learned them fast. Different life lessons took far longer.
“We meet again, Jay.” Malcolm didn’t look any more distinct against the tree line than he had in the middle of the city. Something about him was so damned every man.
“In less pleasant times,” I said.
“Well, we owe you one.” The Alpha shrugged. My eyes had a hard time focusing on him and kept glancing around.
“And Francis?” I asked.
“Has left me a widow, sadly,” Jude’s smile said quite the opposite. Pack justice was brutal.
“I apologize.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement. Social niceties were not one of the skills a collections agent such as myself worked on cultivating. Maybe I should be upset that he was dead, but running out on your family with all their money firmly marked him as scum.
“It was no fault of yours I assure you.” Jude waved one arm in my direction and raised both her eyebrows in amusement.
“We’re expecting a few oth
ers,” Malcolm said. Who exactly could he mean? Who else was involved in this? I expected Daniel, but not in a good way.
“I should have picked up some party favors.” Julianne looked around waiting for someone to joke back with her. Thomas wasn’t here so it was on me to give it a try.
“You can give us all a drink when we get done.” I was happy to suggest alcohol instead.
“Them maybe. You? No.” She waved a hand in my face to stop me from going any further. Her joking sounded almost half-hearted. ”You drink like a fish.”
“What I’d give for a sea of booze.” I lamented quietly. Not that it did much good compared to the wolves’ hearing.
Julianne’s grandfather was glaring at me. Malcolm had the same sort of serious look, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes. Like he wanted to laugh, but this was a bad time and place for it. The little bartender had gotten me into trouble more than once.
“Who else are we waiting on?” Trust her grandfather to get to the point.
“Give them a few minutes. We’ve got other things to discuss for now.” Malcolm spoke up again. “What are your plans about this intrusion?” He clearly was addressing the other Alpha in our group.
“This is pack lands,” Julianne’s grandfather said. I still hadn’t learned his name and no one said it yet.
“And you’re okay rumbling with Sector agents?” Malcolm tilted his head down and looked at me. “Come what may?”
“I will not permit him to run rampant in pack lands.” The old wolf said.
“I agree.” The younger Alpha responded while nodding. Neither of them looked happy with their conclusions.
“Wait” I was against the whole idea. “This a terrible idea. Besides, this probably isn’t a sector operation.” A war with Daniel? That was like asking for him to bring in bigger toys. I swear he loved the idea of escalation. It only worked out well in the past because we were on the same side.
“You have alternatives?” The old man had this detached air about him like he was looking over a board for war games. Analyzing pieces then stacking them up against unseen maneuvers.
“Yeah. I hand over the ashes and tell Daniel to shove the box sideways.” I presented my genius plan to the Alphas.
Once Lost Lords (Royal Scales, Book 1) Page 28