Ravening Hood

by Kendrai Meeks

  “I’m not dead.” Caleb’s fingers laced through mine. “But I’ll admit that I’m not that clean. I can, in fact, be very dirty.”

  “Yeah, well good luck with that,” Amy muttered. “You’re sharing a room with Tobias.”

  Inga pushed on as though no one had interrupted. No doubt she was accustomed to Caleb’s twisted tongue. “A tool isn’t inherently good or evil. It’s the intent the user brings to it that determines its utility. In any event, it seems that Vlad and the Ravens are very good at what they do. Several I contacted in Amman and Tel Aviv have been approached. None have any idea how to find the Ravens on purpose or where they’re located.”

  “That’s a shitty attempt at building a client relationship,” Amy said. “There’s something missing there. They’d have to know that some would stew over a decision like that, and want to change their minds. How were these vampires told to get in touch if that happens?”

  Inga grinned. My little huey roomie proved impressive when pitching in the big leagues. “They were told if they changed their minds, they were to come to Istanbul. No further instructions than that, not even if they should come to the Asian or the European side.”

  I chewed over the revelations. “There’s something fishy about that. Something missing. Can vampires sense each other’s proximity the ways hoods and wolves can?”

  “Wait, you know when each other are near?” Caleb passed narrowed eyes over Tobias and me.

  “Not me anymore. But yeah, before my mother did her little disowning ceremony.”

  “The only good thing to come of that whole event,” Tobias added. “I’m no longer a living Geri-emotion-meter. Thank god that happened before this trip.”

  I turned over my shoulder to examine the werewolf lounging on the couch behind me, managing to stay serious despite the comic vision of him, naked, with a pink throw pillow covering up his unmentionables. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. Just... I’m in a crowded city, stuck indoors, and I’m jet-lagged. In short, Red, I’m in a foul mood.”

  “So our first objective should be finding out where the clutch rests during the day.”

  Inga’s statement made my eyes twitch. “Why?”

  Beside me, Caleb released my hand and rolled to the front of the cushion. “Because that’s the best time to kill them, when they’re asleep.”

  “Kill them?” I nearly choked on the words. “Without even talking to them?”

  My boyfriend looked like a deer caught in headlights, not really sure if there was more danger in staying where he was or dashing off in another direction. “Baby, that’s the whole reason we’re here.”

  “It’s not entirely why we’re here.” Tobias sat up finally, putting an emptied cup of tea on the table. “They’re going to die, trust that. But sounds like Vlad Inc. isn’t just an old boy’s cricket club. If they’re distributing, they have a network—whether that’s a handful of others or hundreds. We off them without understanding what kind of network they’ve built up, we’ll just be clearing the corner for someone else to set up shop.”

  Igor, who had remained silent, finally stirred. “I agree with Tobias, though I do think we need to be cautious. The moment he feels you’re a threat, he’ll destroy you.”

  “What, and you’re safe?” Amy asked.

  “We are of his blood,” Inga said to the unaware. “A vampire cannot kill another of his bloodline. It destroys him in the process.”

  Amy snapped her fingers. “Well, isn’t that a meatball?”

  Caleb poured himself another cup of tea. “With all due respect, Igor, I think we’re better off destroying the Ravens and letting the chips fall where they may. Once it gets around that there’s one slayer still out there and he killed off the most infamous vampire of all time, anyone else will think twice about following in old Vlad’s footsteps.”

  “I am in agreement with Caleb,” Inga said. “We tried to be rational before, Igor. We thought we could handle this problem ourselves by sealing the Ravens away until their time to expire had passed. Somehow they survived, and now, we must deal with the consequences in a way that leaves no opportunity for survival. Every moment they’re left to live, we risk the lives of all supes. We’re not trying to defeat our enemy, we’re trying to destroy him.”

  “So where do we look?” I posed. “I mean, this is a HUGE city. Something like ten million?”

  “Plus five million more,” Tobias said. “You really did no research before coming here, did you?”

  “Not the kind that would go into a third-grade geography report, no. But I now have a very thorough and appreciative knowledge of the weapons used by the Ottoman military over its very long history.”

  Tobias rolled his eyes as if to say “Hoods!” Igor, however, stayed focused.

  “The city keeps adding new neighborhoods on its edges, but I’m pretty sure Vlad will have selected a location in the old parts of town, more than likely on the European side. Remember: he’s dangerous, and in part because he’s learned to be tactical. Wherever it is, he’ll have chosen a place that is easily defensible and has access to sufficient humans for feeding.”

  “In one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world?” I asked. “That doesn’t narrow it down at all.”

  FOURTEEN

  Each of us came from a different lineage: slayer, hood, werewolf, and huey, but we had one thing in common. Jet lag had turned our world on end. Even Caleb, who had come from Tel Aviv, a single hour of difference, reeled from the shift.

  “Don’t expect this to be common, Amy,” Tobias warned. “As soon as we adjust to the time difference, we’ll be sleeping through the day. I’m so knackered right now.”

  “I’m not exactly bouncing off walls here,” Amy returned. “But if I’m not allowed to go outside at all by myself at night, and only in the daytime with a ‘special’ chaperone, then you’ll be up and dragging my ass around the city whenever I like.”

  “If you let me train you, I’m sure we can get that changed.”

  She rolled her eyes at my platitudes. “Like me knowing how to throw a knife is going to do me any good.”

  “It’s not just knowing how to fight, you know.” Caleb turned the corner, leading us into a crowded corridor lined on both sides with what looked like a flea market. “Most people like you know how to tell when a situation is suspicious, and most people like us only want easy targets. You figure out how to recognize when you should just leave some place because something doesn’t add up, you’ll be ten steps ahead of where you are now. The best defense is a good offense, as they say.”

  “Actually, I think it’s the other way around. And lest you forget, when I was attacked, it was on a crowded stage in front of... well, a crowd.” Amy coughed as we passed through a flume of smoke rising up from a brazier on the side of the road. “Where in the hell are you taking us? This looks like something out of Aladdin.”

  Caleb stopped and swung around. “You know Aladdin?”

  “Of course, I do. It’s only one of the best animated movies ever made. Answer my question.”

  Caleb grinned, took Amy by the hand, and walked her backward under an archway bearing the seal of the Ottoman Sultan.

  “Manhattan Barbie, welcome to Shangri-La.”

  If not for the fact that I knew this wasn’t a Christian culture, I would have sworn we’d discovered Santa’s workshop. We were mice in a maze, and cheese lay in every direction, making it impossible to know which way to run first. Ahead: leather, spices, exotic and massive glassworks designed in intricate patterns. To the left, polished metal, most of it jewel-encrusted, sparkled. Even without my supernatural abilities, the sight of so much silver made my insides hum. To our right, bags, books, buttons... Anything a heart could desire outside of illegal activities had its place.

  Amy roused herself from her reverie with a clap of her hands. “I’m going to buy one of everything.”

  Tobias raised one eyebrow. “You don’t even know all of what’s in t
here.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” She could barely move forward with anything but her eyes. “I’ll figure out what it all is later.”

  TWO HOURS LATER, I’D learned two new things about Amy. One, she had a penchant for painted tea sets, and two, she could haggle with a tenacity that left Caleb wonderous.

  “I used to think no one could negotiate a price like the Turks,” he said, shifting a bag filled with silk scarves from one arm to the other. “But Amy? She could talk a potato out of its own skin.”

  I nodded. “And she’s limited by the fact that I’m only letting her use cash. Think of the damage she could do if I told her she could use her credit cards.”

  The slayer sucked in air through pursed lips. “That might actually cause an earthquake when we went back to the rental. So much weight might shift tectonic plates.”

  “Fifty-five!” An olive-skinned man standing three inches shorter than the New Yorker pushed five sausage fingers and a bunch of attitude into Amy’s face.

  “Fifty!” Amy held her ground. Her own fingers she left at her side. “And that’s still more than it’s worth.”

  A series of Turkish curses followed, after which Amy shoved her purse back into a bag at her side and walked away.

  “That’s it?” I asked. “Fifteen minutes of back-and-forth, and you’re going to walk over five lira?”

  “Oh, Geri...” She grinned a smile that failed to conceal mischief, deliberately moving slowly to where we waited. “Watch and learn.”

  Just as we all turned to walk away, the man from the booth called out, “Miss! Miss! Come back. Fifty, but only because you are beautiful.”

  Caleb leaned into me as the victorious blonde turned to close her deal. “With that sort of cachet, you could probably get some things for free while we’re here.”

  “Caleb Helsing, did you just call me beautiful?”

  “Implied it, actually. Why don’t you try for one of those skimpy belly dancer costumes over there?” He lifted his free hand and pointed to a diaphanous concoction of muslin, bedazzled by belts of silver coins. “I know it looks pretty flimsy, but remember: you won’t be wearing it for long.”

  “Is our relationship at the ‘will you wear this lingerie for me’ stage?”

  “We’ll never know unless we give it an honest try.”

  “Oh, please.” Tobias, two stalls away and looking at some woolen socks, of course could hear us just fine. “At least warn me if you guys are going to talk about your sex life so I can—”

  When a dog caught on to a suspicious noise, what followed was a typical series of mannerisms. He’d stop all action, go still as the dead, and tilt his head in the direction from which the noise had emanated. Werewolves were no different.

  “Caleb, get Amy.” I wasted no time in explanations, and Caleb thankfully didn’t ask for any. He went about the errand as I made my way to the wolf. “What is it?”

  Tobias sniffed, tasted the air, then sniffed again. Even I was picking up on the subtle hints of lupine essence swirling in the air. My sense of smell might be average now, but it had been finely attuned to that particular profile.

  “How many?”

  He didn’t look at me but, instead, began to turn a slow circle. “One, but mixed with recent scents from at least a dozen others. She’s alone, but she’s not a loner.”

  “She?” I didn’t know why I expected the werewolf to be male, but a little nudge in my gut told me the eyes of a man were upon me. Then again, in this crowded venue, that could be coming from any corner, from any kind of creature.

  Tobias lifted a hand, pointing at a booth a few stalls up, to a little shop selling leather goods and postcards for tourists. “There.”

  Amy and Caleb rejoined us, the former with no reserve of cool about being pulled away from her hard-won victory. “This had better be good.”

  “Geri, look.” Above the entry to the door, a silver plate embossed with looping, decorative script hung. “Caleb, can you read it?”

  My boyfriend clicked his tongue. “I can read Turkish but only in Latin script. If it is in Turkish, it’s from the era when they still used the Arab alphabet. That means at least a hundred years ago.”

  “Sounds right. We haven’t used these in about that long.” I took another step toward the shop, sending a chill of anticipation up my spine. “It’s a Writ of Authority.”

  Tobias huffed. “Jesus Christ, even the crazy greens in England did away with those in Victorian times. That can’t seriously be current, can it? I mean, this whole building is hundreds of years old. It has to just be a relic, right?”

  “It might be, except there’s definitely a wolf in that store, standing under an ancient hood marker declaring them in compliance with its enforcement. Something tells me no proud wolf would leave that up for just decoration.”

  “Wolf?” Amy’s complexion went ashen. “As in, werewolf? Here, in the middle of the Grand Bazaar?”

  Caleb’s fingers crackled with power until I pulled at his fingers, forcing the solar rays to dampen. “She’s scared. You’re going to send her into a panic.”

  He proved incredulous. “And you know this... how?”

  “Basic common sense.” Though that wasn’t the whole of it. I was basically a huey now; insights into wolf emotions were meant to have been a thing of the past. Nevertheless, something in my gut told me I was right. Chalk it up to experience. “Let me talk to her, tell her we don’t mean any harm. Tobias will come with me.”

  The wolf stepped in front of me. “Let me lead. Let’s not make her think I’m your bodyguard or anything.”

  I gave him my best fawning southern belle eye flutter. “But you are my bodyguard.”

  “Reason number five we need to get this wrapped up quickly. You’re ruining my rep.”

  THE SHEWOLF FROZE FROM head to toe, except for her eyes. Those darted around, cataloguing what weapons I might be carrying—two deep green marbles rolling in a game of chance. At her wrists, flesh twitched, as though she fought the instinct that told her to shift into a form better suited for fighting, before the Homo sapiens part of her brain kicked in and reminded her that she was in a crowded marketplace filled with thousands of huey tourists.

  Standing behind Tobias, I raised my hands and showed naked palms. “I mean you no harm.”

  She flinched, but otherwise remained still.

  “Shit, I should have asked Caleb to come with me. I assumed you’d speak English. All the other shopkeepers do.”

  When Tobias stepped forward, his shadow falling back over mine, backlit by a skylight at the top of the booth, she eased, even if just to allow him to approach without argument. Tobias ate up the space between them in cautious, tiny bites, until he stood just inches from her. For a moment, neither moved, locked into each other’s gazes, until at last, her eyes shied to the floor. My werewolf leaned into this new one, scenting her neck as they both began to turn a slow circle. After a moment, he stood still and let her round him alone, all the time drawing scents off her person. It was... one of the most bizarre things I had ever seen, and yet seemed entirely appropriate.

  After what seemed minutes but must have been only seconds, she lifted one hand to Tobias’s brow. Instinct drove my hand to the base of my braid, where it gripped the handle of my grandmother’s silver blade.

  “Geri, wait!”

  Tobias threw a hand out in my direction. The shewolf paused, waiting to see if I’d obey. When I did, her hand continued its northward trek, until delicate fingers touched Tobias between the eyes.

  The werewolf sucked in a heavy breath. “Thank you.”

  What was he thanking her for? Regardless, a moment later, she turned to me with questioning eyes, and I realized she was asking him for guidance where I was concerned. Tobias’s head turned toward the juncture of roof and ceiling, and the shewolf turned away from him and toward me, taking three light steps and no more.

  “Başliksiniz.”

  I looked to Tobias for guidance. He offered none.


  Instead, it was the shewolf who clarified. “You are...” Her hand swept back over her thick black hair, then raked down her chin. “Başlik.”

  “Oh, you mean a hood.”

  I knew the term for my kind in a few languages; Turkish was not one. One might think I should have learned, knowing I’d be spending at least my summer in Istanbul, but how could I have anticipated that here, in the midst of one of the largest metropolises in the world, I’d cross paths with a creature who loathed both cities and crowds?

  “I am. I mean, I was. I...” I stuck my hand out, hoping this western tradition held. “My name is Gerwalta. Geri. Everyone calls me Geri.”

  “Ben Tobias. Ben de kurt.” Tobias’s try at a foreign tongue was admirable, but muddled. Even having no idea what he was saying, I could tell. So could the shewolf, it seemed. “What’s your name? Do you speak any English?”

  “Little.” The shewolf nodded and finally shook my hand. “I am Ayşe.”

  “Good, because beyond I am a wolf, my Turkish only includes the names of foods and a few of the colors.”

  Speak slowly, I wanted to say as I watched the wheels of Ayşe’s mind spin, trying to suss out what the brawny foreigner had said.

  “Are you alone? Are there others here?”

  After a moment’s contemplation, the shewolf sucked in her bottom lip. “This store? My pack store. This month, I run. Another month, somebody else run. Why hood?”

  Her question was for him, though she gawked at me the whole time.

  “She’s my friend.” A simplistic answer, but not an untrue one. “Your pack is near?”

  She nodded. “We live near.”

  That took me by surprise. “Your pack lives here, in Istanbul? A whole pack, in a huge city like this?”

  “Istanbul is not one city. It is many cities.” Then, eyes back to Tobias. “You come eat us?”

  He guffawed. “Cannibalism isn’t my thing.”