by Tanith Frost
“Who’s in there?”
“New residents at the compound. Gordy’s gone.”
Another grunt. “God knows what might happen if you didn’t have someone around to protect your sorry ass.”
Paul chuckles. “We don’t have much need for strength in numbers, but I can’t be everywhere.” He motions for us to come out.
“Go ahead,” Daniel says.
Joseph’s eyes sparkle with mirth as I climb out of the Jeep. “That your new bodyguard, then? Not much to her.”
“Packs a big punch, as I’ve heard it,” Paul says. “That’s Aviva. Daniel there is only here for a bit, but she’ll be staying a while. Thought introductions might be in order.”
“Kind of you.” Joseph offers his hand, and I shake it. His skin is dry and calloused, his grip strong. Not stronger than mine, but impressive. I’m glad it doesn’t turn into a pissing contest. He releases my hand without testing me or attempting to prove his dominance with a handshake. I’ve never liked people who do that.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I tell him, resisting the urge to add a sir to the end of the statement. I’ll offer him respect until I see he doesn’t deserve it, but I won’t defer to him just because he’s old.
Daniel has left the vehicle, but Joseph doesn’t offer him the same greeting. Whether it’s because Daniel is temporary or because his expression is far less welcoming than mine, I’m not sure.
“Quiet up here,” Paul comments.
Joseph hitches up the back of his jeans, which are maybe two sizes too big and held up with an old leather belt. “Not many around right now. Most of ’em are waiting until the females clear out. You’ll see them soon enough.” He scratches at the back of his neck, just below his ear, and looks to me. “Not a lot of space to go around, you see.”
“Cobham here?” Paul asks.
“Nope. Just got Doxy in there now. Plus O’Hara and Mitchell, of course, and they signed in last night.”
Paul crosses his arms. “Cobham didn’t sign out. Perhaps you’d be good enough to remind your pack we need to keep track of who’s coming and going.”
“I might just be.” Joseph turns to me. “Not sure if Paul here explained your job to you. You feel up to the task of being a pain in my ass for however long you stay?”
There’s faint humour in his voice, and I smile. “I certainly hope so.”
He lets out a low bark of a laugh. “We’ll see. Now, if that’s all, I have a warm fire to attend to inside.”
“Actually,” Paul says, “there is one other thing. You seen your grandson lately?”
Joseph’s shoulders tense. “Can’t say I have. What’s he done now?”
“Daniel and Aviva saw him and a few wolves hunting moose well outside of the sanctuary borders last night.”
Joseph seems unimpressed. “I washed my hands of that boy when he split and took half my pack with him. Whatever he’s up to has nothing to do with me or mine. Thought I’d made that clear.”
“Seemed worth asking. Thank you for your time.”
Joseph nods to me, then turns and walks back into his cabin. He moves with a stiffness he didn’t have when he came out, and I wonder whether the fire helps with that. I don’t know what happens to werewolves when they get old. I can’t imagine this one being cooped up in a nursing home, even if he didn’t have his changes to deal with. He seems as much a part of the woods as any creature we might find living here.
We pile back into the Jeep and drive down the road, turning to continue our circuit of the sanctuary.
“That went better than I expected,” Daniel says.
“Like I said, he’s not bad,” Paul agrees. “Rude old sod, but it’s better than what you’ll get from Silas when we find him.”
“And the females?” I ask.
“Be lucky if you get a word out of any of ’em.”
We cross the creek again, or perhaps a different one, and drive through an open meadow. There’s a cluster of cabins at the far side, but all of them are dark. Paul slows as we pass, window rolled down.
“As I thought, no one there. How many did you say you saw?”
“Four in total,” I tell him. “Three chasing the moose, one pissing on the road.”
Paul presses his lips together, obviously displeased. “We only have two besides Silas signed in right now. Guess we’ll head back. No point looking for the females. Not one of them could talk to us even if they wanted to at the moment. For now we’ll assume these fellows are back on sanctuary land and just don’t care to speak to us.”
“Why are you so sure it wasn’t the females we saw last night?” I ask.
“You said he raised his leg to piss, didn’t you? Besides, Irene keeps things quiet. Can’t say I like her, but she does make things easier than Silas ever has.”
I hold my next question until we approach the low lights illuminating the compound fence. “What are the consequences when they disobey the rules?”
Paul purses his lips. “For not signing in and out? Docking the pay we give ‘em to cover the week of the month they’re not working.” The disgusted tone of his voice tells me exactly what he thinks of the system. “It’s the ones who are here permanently who give us the most grief. They think because we don’t pay them that there’s nothing we can take away.”
“Are there many of those?”
He stops the Jeep outside the gate and shakes his head. “No, and I’m glad of that. Joseph, Silas, and Irene are all here all the time. Pack leaders take their responsibilities seriously. Silas was born outside, as they all are, but he’s been here since he was maybe ten years old. Literally raised by wolves, that one, and he acts like it. There are a few others who have found it easier to just retreat from human society entirely, and they live here full time. I suspect some of them spend more time as wolves than as humans. They don’t cause much trouble, generally, but they’ll all get hurt if Silas and his pack are stepping out of line. We make sure they have all the food supplies they need when they’re human. Not like they’re heading out to the grocery store once a week, you know?”
“So you’ll cut their supplies?” Daniel asks.
Paul nods. “It’s a start, anyway.” His brow furrows. “If it keeps up, well, I’ve got a dozen silver bullets locked in the office. Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve forced our hands.”
The skin on the back of my arms prickles, and I wonder whether he’s talking about species-wide conflicts or himself, personally. Paul climbs out, opens the gate, and drives us through without bothering to close his door.
“Shouldn’t come to that, though,” he says. “Joseph talks about how Silas is cut off, but their blood runs thick. If the pup is causing trouble, his old man will take care of it long before we step in. Joseph has been around long enough to know that the rules benefit them as much as anyone. He won’t have Silas getting out there and exposing the rest of them to the world. ’Scuse me.”
He leaves us again to close the gate. I wonder how long it takes to get used to that inconvenience.
“So they’re basically self-governing?” Daniel asks as Paul drives toward the compound. “Aside from having to sign in and out.”
“Mostly. We provide for them, they abide by the rules. We offer medical care if they need it, but even then we’re just here to make sure they never risk being found out by a human doctor. They usually take care of their own, or just tough it out like any other animal. Patching Violet up was unusual. Most of the time, we’re just the administration.” He turns to me, one eyebrow cocked. “That disappoint you?”
“Not in the least.”
Maybe I will get my peace and quiet after all. My only questions now are about where and how we’re going to feed. Last night’s meal at the Inferno was good, and I still feel strong. But it would be nice to have that detail squared away sooner rather than later.
Paul presses the button inside the Jeep that opens the heavy garage door—apparently the only real modern convenience Maelstrom has seen fit to
spring for in the name of security. Daniel takes a deep breath as we step out of the vehicle.
“We’ll write a report later,” Paul says. “No rush when there’s nothing to say. Going to feed the dog now.” He unlocks the door that leads into the compound and calls back, “Don’t forget to close the garage door.”
Daniel waves him off. He’s already turned his attention to the ATV, which is missing a back tire. He’s never struck me as a particularly outdoorsy type, but I guess anything with an engine makes for an interesting distraction if you’re into that kind of thing.
I find the smell in the garage nauseating, personally. I need fresh air.
“Going out for a second.”
“Watch yourself,” Daniel says, lifting his gaze to catch mine, but he doesn’t seem too concerned. He’s trained me well enough that I should be able to take care of anything that comes along. That’s a good feeling, and one I never had when I was alive. Getting into fighting form wasn’t fun, but now I’m grateful for every strained muscle and black eye.
Maybe I’ll even thank Daniel for it some day.
I step out into the yard. It’s still full dark, but morning will begin sneaking up on us soon enough.
A pale shape moves next to the fence not far from the compound. I think it’s the same wolf Gordon was talking to yesterday. Irene, Violet’s pack leader. I approach slowly, crouching slightly. She takes a step back, but doesn’t run.
“Hello,” I say, and crouch beside the fence. It’s hard not to use the sweet, calming tone I normally would with an unfamiliar animal, but I don’t want to insult her. Judging by Silas and Violet’s behaviour, there’s a human mind working in there. “Are you Irene?”
She doesn’t nod or otherwise indicate whether I’m correct. She just watches me. Her eyes are deep-set, dark against her white fur.
“I don’t have anything to tell you. Paul checked on Violet earlier, and I think he’s feeding her now. She seemed strong when I saw her last night, but I haven’t been in since.”
I should have checked on her earlier tonight, but Paul had already gone before I got up and said everything was fine.
“I could see now, if you’d like,” I add.
Irene’s gaze shifts from me to something over my left shoulder. I freeze and listen. Footsteps, so soft I didn’t hear them when my focus was on the wolf before me. I open my perceptions, drawing on the dark depths of my gifts. There’s no void power. It’s not a vampire.
Irene turns and lopes into the underbrush as I stand to face whatever’s coming.
I expect to see a canine shape coming for me, footsteps soft, stalking with teeth bared.
Instead, I watch the approach of a man I’ve never met before. He’s young, maybe in his mid-twenties, but looks like he’s done more than his share of living already. Three thick scars mar the side of his handsome face above and around his left eye, stark against his sun-kissed skin. Bright blue eyes watch me from beneath heavy brows that remind me of Joseph’s in shape, if not colour.
He steps closer. Not within striking distance, but close enough that I feel the implied threat of the broad shoulders and the muscular arms beneath the black t-shirt that stretches tight across his chest.
My breath catches in my throat as I speak.
“Silas.”
Chapter Four
“My reputation precedes me, I see.”
He takes another step closer. I could hit him, but if it comes to a fight, I don’t want to be the one who started it. I suspect he’s not here for that, anyway. He could have attacked by now if he’d wanted to.
Still, I glance toward the garage. There’s no sign of Daniel.
“It’s a wonderful reputation,” I say, and force my body out of the defensive posture it wants to adopt. Instead I mirror his open, relaxed, intimidating stance. “I can’t imagine why I’m not happier to see you.”
I take a moment to size him up. He’s big, but size isn’t everything. I have no doubt that I’m faster than he is, and based on what I’ve read, werewolves don’t possess the kind of enhanced perception vampires have. Brute strength is their thing. That, and the transformations.
Reports of their intelligence haven’t impressed me, either, but there’s something sharp and knowing in his eyes.
Silas hooks his thumbs in his back pockets and rocks back on the heels of his worn-out leather boots as he looks me over.
“Came to check out the new caretakers?” I ask. “There’s another in the garage who would be quite pleased to meet you.”
“I know. He can wait.”
“Are you the wolf we met on the road outside the sanctuary?”
One corner of his mouth lifts in a smile that stays well away from his eyes. “I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t answer that question.”
“Why were you out there?”
He stretches, rolling his shoulders back. His shirt strains against the curves and planes of his torso. “Why shouldn’t I go where I want? Assuming I was out there. Which I may not have been.”
I roll my eyes. “Did you come out here to talk in circles, or is there a purpose to this visit?”
His upper lip lifts in a silent snarl that reminds me of the growling wolf on the highway. “I came to let you know how things are here. To tell you to stop asking questions. What I do and where my pack goes aren’t your business. Or any vampire’s, for that matter.”
“I don’t care for threats.”
“And I don’t care for bloodthirsty corpses acting like they have any place in my territory.” He leans in, close enough that I could throw a punch if I wanted to, and inhales. “You don’t smell dead.”
I take a deep breath. “And you don’t quite smell like a dog. Fascinating.”
He grins at that, an expression that’s somehow more threatening than his snarl.
He’s definitely the wolf we saw last night, but tonight he appears totally human.
There’s a strong scent of forest hanging about him, and something in his blood that runs hotter and brighter than most people. To all other appearances, he could be a normal, if excessively cocky, dime-a-dozen asshole.
I reach again for my void power, focusing on that strange aspect of his blood. There’s something repulsive about it. Agitating. I feel on edge, and just standing this close to him makes me want to slap the smug grin off his face. It’s no wonder Paul and Daniel hate werewolves. No wonder our kind has tried to wipe their species and this strange, vague, but intensely discomfiting power off the face of the Earth.
I dig deeper, to the place where my personal gifts hide, and focus on that blood-borne brightness as I would on the void if I was feeling out another vampire, tuning myself into its frequency. My mouth goes dry.
It’s raw power. There’s life there, burning so bright that it’s like the force that animates humans is on steroids in him. But there’s something else. Another kind of power, hot and bright. My own energy recoils, not in fear, but from a strange mix of faint desire and overpowering revulsion.
I hate it. And I’m drawn to it, though it feels like I’m staring at the sun and daring it to blind me.
I let the perception settle, and the cold darkness within me covers over the light, easing my frayed nerves, dampening my out of place emotions. I’m calm again, though I still feel that bone-deep, instinctive hate.
He looks me over again from head to toe. There’s nothing salacious in it, even as he lingers on my breasts before bringing his gaze back up to meet my eyes. It’s more like he’s deciding whether I’m a threat.
“Like what you see?” I ask.
He raises one eyebrow. “I think it would be very easy to underestimate someone as small as you,” he says. “But I’ve met enough tough bitches around here to know that would be a mistake.”
It takes me a second to realize he’s not using the word as an insult, but a statement of fact. I have no doubt that Violet, at least, is nothing if not tough enough to handle this guy.
“Things will work best if
you keep to your own space,” he says. “Consider this a courtesy visit. I’ll forget you tattled, and we’ll start over. Stick to your little compound, file your paperwork, and leave the sanctuary to us.”
“I have a job to do.”
“So do I. I hope for your sake that yours won’t get in my way.”
His voice is low and even. Reasonable. My hands clench into fists. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
He smirks. “Hope you don’t find out.”
He glances over his shoulder. Daniel has appeared outside of the garage. He’s leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, watching.
“Your boyfriend?” Silas asks.
“My backup.” I look him over like he did me. “Not that I think that will be necessary.” I’m talking big, but I wish Daniel would come over. A little more physical intimidation might show Silas what he’s up against.
Silas laughs. “I assume we understand each other, so I’ll be on my way. I hope I won’t be seeing you around, Aviva.”
He turns on his heel and saunters off, not offering Daniel any further acknowledgement. As he reaches the corner of the building he turns and walks a few paces backwards, facing me. “Might want to patch the fence at the north end,” he calls. “There are wild animals out there. Can’t have them getting in while you’re sleeping the day away.”
He takes off at a leisurely jog, disappearing behind the compound.
My lips lift in a snarl that mirrors the one he gave me. Cocky son of a bitch. I should have pinned him to the dirt when I had the chance and showed him how unwelcome his little courtesy visit was.
He knows my name. He can’t have got the information from Paul. That means he must have been talking to Joseph, who swore he had no contact with his grandson.
I’m starting to understand why werewolves have such a bad reputation. Even the ones who seem reasonable are lying to our faces.