Grave Origins

by Lori Drake

  Joey let him finish. Let it not be said she was ungracious.

  But let it also not be said that she didn’t make use of his momentary distraction to circle behind him. As soon as he finished shifting, she leaped at him again, hoping to knock him down. He was still trying to get his bearings, but he spun when he realized she wasn’t in front of him. She crashed into him, and he staggered but remained on his feet, a solid wall of lupine muscle.

  They circled one another then, tails low and wickedly sharp teeth bared. Growls rumbled from their throats. Joey took in the way he favored his injured foreleg, knowing that it was going to be key to bringing him down. If she could get her teeth into another leg, that would tip the odds even further in her favor.

  She waited for him to make the first move, knowing that she didn’t have the mass to knock him down. When he finally charged her, she braced as if to take the hit but twisted aside at the last moment. He tried to follow, snapping at her bushy red tail, but his weak leg buckled, and he had to retreat.

  Joey grinned at him now, tongue lolling, and crouched low in front with her tail in the air as if it was all a great game. He snarled and charged her again, but she just kept dancing out of the way, all but running circles around him with her superior speed and agility.

  “Don’t get cocky!” Sam shouted.

  Joey took her eyes off Lucas for a split second, but that was all the distraction he needed. He leaped at her again, and this time she wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way. She hit the ground hard under him, and he went for her throat. Squirming, she kicked him hard with her hind feet, digging her claws into his hide. His breath was hot on her pelt, but his jaws snapped just short of her throat. They growled and snarled, rolling over and over until she managed to spring free and dart a few feet away, shaking herself and taking stock. Her shoulder ached from the way she’d landed on it, but he hadn’t punctured her skin with tooth or claw.

  He ran at her again, teeth snapping and a ferocious snarl tearing from his throat. This time she snapped back, managing to score a hit on his muzzle. Her teeth raked the thinner skin there, opening a gash that bled down the side of his snout as he sprang back.

  She pressed the advantage, not wanting to give him a chance to regroup. They met in a flurry of snapping jaws and snarling once more, but the next thing she knew, she was on her back again, fending him off. How the hell did he keep doing that? He was all muscle and teeth, knocking her around and going for her throat at every opportunity. There was no finesse to it, just raw strength and ferocity.

  A lucky kick to somewhere particularly soft earned a yelp, and he backed off enough that she was able to snap her jaws at his face, taking a chunk out of one of his ears. Lucas lunged again, but she wiggled her way out from beneath him and dashed off again. He gave chase. She ran him around the backyard, leaping over a bench and rounding the fountain twice before halting abruptly and spinning to meet him when he came around the other side. He put on the brakes, but inertia was a bitch. She leaped over him, landing nimbly on the edge of the fountain, and when he tried to follow her, he ended up tipping over the edge and falling into the water with an enormous splash.

  Lucas came up out of the water with a snarl, but Joey jumped in after him. His paws had trouble finding purchase on the slippery bottom of the fountain, but finally she was on top. Even her slight weight was enough to push him down under the water, and she clamped her jaws down on the back of his neck, holding him there until she had to relent or drown herself.

  Then, suddenly, a ripple of energy flowed through the water around her and the hide beneath her jaws turned into thin human skin. Now-human Lucas pushed himself up out of the water, flinging her aside with supernatural strength in the process. She hit the edge of the fountain and pinwheeled out, landing on the ground with a yelp and a jolt of pain to her hip.

  Lucas stood in the fountain, naked and very much human, fury in his eyes.

  “The challenge is complete,” Reginald declared. “The challenger prevails.”

  Joey’s people cheered, and Chris rushed over to her while she hauled her achy carcass to her feet and resumed her human form. The air was cold on her wet skin, and Chris hastily removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “You did it, baby. You were amazing.” He kissed her, and she clung to him but was very aware of Lucas glaring at her from the fountain.

  Joey pulled away from Chris and got to her feet, looking up at Lucas from the ground. She met his gaze evenly, chin high. “Lucas Grant, you are no longer welcome in my territory. Pack your shit, and get out of my house. My lawyer will contact you to work out the details.”

  Perhaps to his credit, Lucas didn’t protest the outcome. He gathered his clothes and walked away without a word. Much to Joey’s relief, Nicole and Blake followed him. She had no idea what she would’ve done if the two of them had wanted to stick around. She was going to have enough trouble with Vince. But she had one more problem to attend to before she could address that one.

  Maria rushed over with Joey’s clothes gathered in her arms, but Joey waved her off and walked over to Sam. Still shivering from the cold and aching from a few bruised and bloodied spots, she looked her brother in the eye.

  “Samuel Grant, I challenge you.”

  Not everyone was surprised, but one of them was Reginald. He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Kitten, are you sure? Now doesn’t seem like—”

  “I concede,” Sam said.

  Joey blinked. “What was that?”

  “Yeah, what was that?” Jon asked.

  “I concede,” Sam repeated, taking a knee for good measure and baring his throat. “I put myself at the mercy of the Alpha.”

  Joey sighed and grabbed his arm, tugging him up. “Back on your feet, dickhead. I accept your concession. Do the rest of you?”

  She took in the assembled Grant pack members, not expecting trouble from anyone but perhaps Jon. They all lowered their eyes in submission.

  “Great,” Joey said, holding out a hand to Chris. His warm fingers enfolded hers, and together they faced their assembled packs. “Before we go inside, I have an announcement to make. This is my mate. From this day on, his pack is mine, and mine is his. Our packs are one, and we are your Alpha.”

  30

  The pack largely scattered after the challenge, but a few remained behind to help with the ritual to restore Vince’s human half. It had taken no small amount of convincing to get Jon on board with letting Sara help. Chris didn’t know what Sara had said to him in the end that’d swayed him, but thankfully it’d already been settled beforehand.

  “Thanks so much for doing this,” Chris said, leaning in to kiss Sara’s cheek.

  Sara, who was just into her third trimester, practically glowed. She smiled, the faint blush of color rising to her cheeks complementing her pale blue maternity dress. “Glad I can help. Is everything ready?”

  “Should be. You can inspect it yourself if you like. Cathy and Dawn are set up in the family room.” Chris offered her an arm and guided her through the house once she took it. Not that she didn’t know the way—she’d lived there, so she knew the way as well as him if not better. Though once the thought occurred to him, another swiftly followed. “Are you planning to move back into the house?”

  Walking on Sara’s other side, a glowering Jon replied, “Maybe.”

  Chris winced. Jon and Joey still had some fences to mend, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to step in the middle of it.

  Sara saved him from having to comment on it, at least temporarily. “We kind of like the house in the city, and the commute is better for Jon. We’d come out here for full moons, of course… we’re not sure what we want to do yet.”

  Chris squeezed her arm. “Well, as long as you know you’re welcome. Both of you.”

  “What about you?” Sara asked. “Surely you and Joey aren’t going to continue maintaining separate properties forever.”

  “I’m not sure yet. I don’t really want to
sell my house, but there’s plenty of room here for everyone. And that little pocket of trees I have isn’t much room for a pack to stretch their legs. Of course, this place is farther out of town, which would make it harder on Jenny, Adam, Lucy, and C—” He stopped himself and shook his head. “We’ll figure something out. For now, we’ve got more pressing things to deal with than who sleeps where.”

  “Indeed,” Jon muttered.

  They crossed the threshold into the family room, and Sara gasped softly, putting a hand over her mouth. Her wide blue eyes scanned the ruins of the room. “What happened in here?”

  “Hurricane Vince,” Joey said, turning from the folding table that’d been set up amidst the chaos. She’d gotten dressed, but her hair was still wet from her romp in the fountain with Lucas. “We figured it was already trashed, so it’s not like he can do any more damage if things go south. Not that they will, of course.” She walked over to claim a hug from Sara, then accompanied her to the table where Cathy and Dawn also stood.

  Chris hung back with Jon while the women conversed quietly. He glanced at his brother, taking in the stiff posture and lingering scowl as he looked around the room. “She’s going to be fine. Even if I weren’t sure that we can keep Vince restrained, Cathy is here. She won’t let anything happen to her.”

  Jon flicked a glance in his direction. “If he lays so much as a finger on her, I’ll kill him.”

  Chris’s brows lifted, but he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised by the sentiment. He'd probably feel the same way if it were Joey in Sara’s shoes. Which led him to the thought of Joey carrying his child, which filled him with… longing? One day. But first, they had a mad wolf to deal with.

  Chris cleared his throat. “I’ll tell them we’re ready.”

  He walked a few doors down the hall to where Sam and Itsuo waited with Vince, who hadn't come back to himself since the day he went native, according to Lucas. Sam and Itsuo had managed to not only wrestle him into a chair but get him tied to said chair so securely that he couldn’t move his arms or legs. A gag had been added for good measure, so his snapping jaws weren’t a danger.

  “Showtime,” Chris told them. They each grabbed one side of the chair and picked it up while Vince glared at him with angry golden eyes, struggling futilely against the bonds that held him.

  Itsuo and Sam set the chair down about three feet inside the family room, still a good ten feet or so away from Sara and the others. Vince continued to struggle, growling and writhing against his bonds.

  Until, that was, Sara turned to face him and smiled. Vince’s eyes, which had been flickering rapidly around the room, locked on her. His body went slack. His growling subsided. In its place rose a soft whine.

  Chris looked back and forth between Vince and Sara a few times, then met Joey’s eyes from across the room. She shrugged, looking just as puzzled as he felt.

  Sara approached, graceful despite the added bulk of her big belly. Beside Chris, Jon went rigid and a low growl escaped him.

  Chris put a hand on his arm. “Easy, bro.”

  Jon remained where he was, but he watched Vince like a hawk. Sara stopped a few feet away from Vince. Cathy and Dawn joined her, one on each side. Cathy held an earthen bowl in one hand and a faintly glowing crystal in the other. Dawn brought a bundle of dried herbs. Both witches were wreathed in golden light, and the bundle of herbs in Dawn’s hand began to smoke as she lit it with a snap of her fingers.

  “Hello there,” Sara said, her focus still on Vince. “I know, this is all very scary and confusing for you. But we’re going to make it all better. Okay?”

  Vince nodded slowly, his gaze never wavering from Sara, his face a mask of reverence.

  Joey joined Chris, standing on Jon’s other side. “Maybe we didn’t have anything to worry about after all. Momma wolf for the win.”

  Chris mumbled, “If I’d known that was all it’d take, I would’ve gotten her over here before he tore the couch cushions apart.”

  Jon elbowed them both, and they fell silent.

  The ritual didn’t take long. There was some chanting, waving of fragrant smoke, and Cathy passed the bowl and crystal to Sara before walking around behind Vince and putting her hands on his head. The magical aura wreathing her spread to encompass his head as she bowed her head over his.

  Sara put the crystal in the bowl, then stepped forward and reached out to remove Vince’s gag. Jon surged forward, but Joey and Chris each grabbed an arm and held him back. He fought them at first, but the longer Vince sat there, completely docile, the more Jon settled. Sara brought the bowl to Vince’s lips and bade him drink. Some of the glowing liquid escaped the corners of his mouth to run down his chin, but he drank and swallowed until she took the bowl away again.

  Then, suddenly, Vince jerked in the chair. Sara took a hasty step back and lost her balance, but fortunately, Dawn was there to steady her. Vince tipped his head back and screamed, his back arching, chest straining against the bonds that held him. Cathy maintained her grip on his head and continued chanting, and a few moments later, Vince slumped in the chair again, panting, chest heaving like he’d run a marathon. Cathy removed her hands and stepped back around to join Sara and Dawn.

  The three women peered at Vince as he blinked a few times and looked around. His voice was gravelly when he spoke. “I don’t know what was in that concoction, but it tastes like something died in my mouth.” He smacked his lips a bit. “No, it tastes like something shit in my mouth and then died.”

  Chris grinned. “Sounds like mission accomplished to me.” He released Jon’s arm and approached Vince. “Hey there. Welcome back.”

  “His aura looks normal again,” Dawn said. “I think it worked.”

  Cathy snorted softly. “Of course it worked. I may be getting older, but I haven’t lost my touch.”

  “You feeling okay, bud?” Chris asked Vince, cocking his head. “Other than the aftertaste, I mean.”

  “Yeah. Better than okay, actually. That was… I don’t even know how to describe it.” His eyes found Sara again, and he stared at her. Awestruck.

  Chris signaled for Itsuo to let Vince loose, since it seemed like the restraints were no longer necessary. By the time Vince was freed, Jon was at Sara’s side again, still eyeing Vince warily. But all Vince did was slide out of the chair onto his knees and grasp the hem of Sara’s dress, kissing it.

  “Thank you,” he whispered fervently.

  “It’s Chris you should thank,” Sara said softly, blushing to the roots of her pale hair.

  Chris shuffled his feet. “I think Cathy did most of the work. All I did was ask the right questions and got everyone together. Really.”

  Vince got to his feet slowly and with obvious effort and thanked both Cathy and Dawn before turning to face Chris. “And thank you, too. I was a real dick to you, and all I can say is I just… wasn’t myself. But I owe you. More than I think I can ever repay. You have my thanks and my loyalty, until the moon ceases to rise.”

  Chris wasn’t sure how to respond to that sentiment, so he smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”

  “This calls for a celebration,” Joey said, clapping her hands. “Who wants to find out what goodies Lucas left in my liquor cabinet?”

  31

  Colt was arraigned and denied bail later that day, much to everyone’s dismay. It hit Chris hard, and it pained Joey to see the guilt in his eyes whenever he was reminded of their packmate’s absence. Colt deserved better, but there wasn’t anything they could do. Jon agreed to represent him, but there was only so much he could do when his client had already pled guilty and entered a confession into the record.

  Days passed, and they settled into the new normal. Joey decided not to move back into the house in the mountains. Instead, she and Chris decided to keep it as a vacation home of sorts—a place to get away to if they wanted some peace and quiet, and a place where the packs could gather to run when the full moon came around.

  Joey moved the rest of her stuff from the house Sam had
rented to Chris’s house and started living there full time. Vince moved in too, having been accepted into the pack with little fuss and not particularly wanting to live at the lodge all by himself.

  “It’s a good sign, don’t you think? Of his recovery?” Joey asked Chris as they sat on the couch, watching Adam lead Vince upstairs to his new room.

  “I think so. Turns out, he’s way less of an asshole now that his wolf side and human side are in balance.”

  “We’ll want to keep an eye on him, just in case.”

  Chris nodded and kissed her temple. “Cathy seems confident that if he relapses it’ll be in years, not days. At least we know what to do if it happens again.”

  “Speaking of which, I called Max earlier, like we talked about. He said he’d talk to Gerald and see if he wanted to try the ritual.”

  Chris nodded absently, but she could tell his thoughts were wandering. She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair, brushing it back from his forehead. He glanced at her and smiled weakly, then leaned his head against hers. She laced her fingers with his, but a knock on the door interrupted before she could coax his thoughts from him.

  Extracting herself from the sofa, Joey trotted over to the door and peeked out before opening it. Sam stood on the other side, holding a bundle of colorful flowers.

  “Hey,” he said, offering her the bouquet. “These are for you.”

  She blinked, taking the bouquet from him. “Hey, yourself.” They hadn’t spoken much since he’d conceded to her. It was awkward. In a way, she was angry at him for not being willing to fight her, but at the same time grateful she hadn’t had to fight her own brother.

  “Can I come in?”

  Joey blinked and stepped out of the way quickly. “Of course, sorry. Please, come in.”