Shauna had been different. Being with her had caused a floodgate to open inside him.
The contentment he had felt had been absolute, filling him, yet emptying him at the same time.
Danyon not only wanted to share her bed, he wanted to share her heart and share his with her. He had never felt more emotionally raw, vulnerable or befuddled in his life.
Shauna was the Keeper of the weres, so she had a right to know about the death of Kara’s were. That’s what he kept telling himself. But it was only half the truth and mostly an excuse. He simply wanted, needed to see her again.
Danyon moved slowly through the crowd, making his way to the front counter. If Shauna wasn’t there, working the register, he knew one of her sisters would be. And they’d know where to find her.
When he finally made it to the register, he saw Caitlin pounding away at the keys. A long line of customers waited their turn. He stood off to one side, waiting for a break in the action so he could talk to her. Caitlin must have sensed him watching her because she glanced over and gave him a hesitant smile.
A moment later, she peered over at him again. But the fifth or sixth time she looked his way, her brow was deeply furrowed. Either curiosity was getting to her or she was worried that she might have a stalker on her hands.
It didn’t take long before she gave in and turned to face Danyon. “May I help you?” A middle-aged man, who had been next in line, let out an exasperated sigh.
Evidently hearing the customer’s distress, Caitlin quickly turned back to the man and offered her apologies. “Thanks so much for your patience. I’ll only be a couple more seconds.”
With that, Caitlin faced Danyon again. “Is there a reason you’re just standing there staring? Do I know you from somewhere?”
“I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name’s Danyon Stone. I’m looking for Shauna.” There were too many people around for him to identify himself as the alpha of the East Bank pack.
Caitlin’s frown deepened. “What do you want with my sister?”
“I’m a friend of hers,” he offered.
At first, his answer seemed to puzzle Caitlin all the more, then a twinkle lit up her eyes and she smiled.
“So you’re the infamous Mr. Stone,” she said.
Wondering what Shauna might have told her sisters about him, Danyon cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I am, yes.” He smiled. “Is Shauna here?”
Caitlin chewed her bottom lip, as though trying to decide if she should divulge any information. Finally she said, “Shauna’s in the reading room. Take a left after the row of curios, then head straight back. You’ll see a heavy blue curtain. Push past it, and you’re there.”
“A reading room?”
“Yes…oh, sorry. I figured you already knew. I read Tarot cards, our oldest sister, Fiona, reads tea leaves, and Shauna palms. We do all of our readings back there.”
Taking in that nugget of information, Danyon thanked Caitlin for her help and headed for the room with the heavy blue curtain. He wondered if Shauna had read his palm without him knowing it. He didn’t know whether to smile or cringe at the thought.
As soon as Danyon laid a hand on the curtain’s edge, ready to pull it aside, he heard voices in the room beyond it. It sounded like two men—another woman.
Shauna wasn’t alone.
He hesitated. Ordinarily he would have knocked, so as not to seem intrusive, but there was no door.
Caitlin directed you here. If she’d thought you’d be interrupting on a private matter, she wouldn’t have…
With that thought in mind, Danyon pushed the curtain aside and stepped across the threshold of the room. Their conversation stopped abruptly when they spotted him a few seconds later, but he heard scraps of their conversation in the meantime. He felt his heart drop to his feet.
The room wasn’t very big, maybe ten by twelve and sparsely furnished. Shauna was indeed inside. So was her older sister, Fiona, Jagger DeFarge, the vampire homicide detective and another man, tall, square-faced, someone Danyon didn’t recognize.
The collection of people wasn’t what made Danyon’s heart drop. It was their topic of discussion—his dead weres. He had gone on blind faith that Shauna would honor his request to keep the information about Nicole and Simon quiet for twelve hours. And if he went strictly by the clock, she had fulfilled that request. But after the intimate time they had spent together last night, he had stupidly assumed she would extend that vow of silence until they at least had a chance to discuss the matter again.
He felt betrayed, even though he knew he had no right to the emotion.
Shauna had fulfilled her obligation.
She owed him no more.
His disappointment must have shown because the tentative smile Shauna gave him when she spotted him in the room suddenly collapsed to a frown.
“Danyon, how good to see you again,” Fiona said.
He gave a small nod. “Good to see you, too, Fiona.” He had only met Fiona twice before, and the last time had been over a year ago. He was surprised she remembered him. “Sorry for the interruption. I was looking for Shauna. Caitlin said I’d find her in here.”
Fiona offered a small smile. “Not at all. Please, come in. I’m sure you know Detective DeFarge…” Fiona motioned to Jagger.
“Yes, of course,” Danyon said.
“This is Ryder Mallory,” Fiona said, introducing him to the man he hadn’t recognized. As soon as Fiona said his name, Danyon remembered that Ryder was the shape-shifter and bounty hunter who had come into town a few months ago in search of the walk-ins. Ryder had been instrumental in bringing that battle to an end. He, along with Caitlin and the leaders of the other subcultures, had literally saved the city from destruction.
Danyon nodded a greeting to Ryder, and he returned it.
By this time, Shauna had made her way to his side. She placed a hand on his arm, her touch tentative. “I heard there was another dead were,” she said quietly. “And there was no way for me to reach you. I hadn’t heard from you all day and wasn’t sure when you’d be back.” Her sad, beautiful eyes searched his face. “Three dead in two days…I had to do something. We need back up.”
He studied her, hoping his eyes relayed the message in his heart, How could you possibly believe I wouldn’t contact you again? Did you honestly think I would simply disappear?
Shauna dropped her hand from his arm. “Everyone in here knows about Simon and Nicole, Danyon. We also know there’s been a third murder. Who was it? Anyone from here? Where was he or she found?”
“East Bank were,” Danyon said tersely, then clammed up. He wasn’t about to share any intimate details about Kara’s dead were in front of a vamp and shifter.
Evidently sensing his reluctance, Shauna said, “It’s okay, really. Everyone here just wants to help.”
Danyon looked from her to Jagger. “I appreciate the offer, but we can take care of our own.”
Jagger nodded. “I understand completely. I felt the same way during the cemetery murders six months ago. But I was wrong. Believe me, nobody here is questioning your ability as a leader. We’re only offering more manpower to help you get the job done.”
“I think it’s important for all of us to stick together,” Fiona said. “We had major problems with finger pointing during the cemetery murders, and the same when the walk-ins tried to take over the city. The vampires blamed the shape-shifters, the shifters blamed the weres, and so on. Everyone in our respective communities may have calmed considerably since then, but I believe there’s still undercurrents of sensitivity and wariness running through the city. We don’t need that exploding in our faces.”
“I agree,” Ryder said, sidling up to Fiona. “I get where you’re coming from, Danyon. Just like Jagger, when I came here looking for the walk-ins, I had been tracking them for over two years. The last thing I wanted was anyone’s help. Sharing the takedown after all the time I’d spent tracking those bastards was unacceptable to me. But, man, the truth is I had to g
et over myself. My stubbornness wasn’t helping anybody. People were dying faster than I could count. I needed help fast, whether I liked it or not.” Ryder hooked a thumb in the front pocket of his jeans. “Look, the murderer you’re looking for could be walking down Royal Street this very minute. Maybe scoping out restaurants and bars for that perfect were. Once he targets one, all he has to do is wait him or her out until the end of a work shift, and he’s got himself another victim.”
Shauna nodded. “To keep that from happening, we need more eyes keeping watch in and around the city, especially during Nuit du Dommage. More weres will be working overtime at their jobs because of the flood of tourists. We have to protect them. It’s our job.”
“It’s my job,” Danyon snapped.
“Not only yours,” Shauna shot back. “I’m the weres’ Keeper. It’s my responsibility to keep them safe, too.”
He glared at her and lowered his voice. “You should have discussed this with me before telling them.”
Shauna didn’t even flinch under his stare. Her expression hardened. “I kept my word. Twelve hours, remember? And, for your information, I would have talked to you about it first, but you weren’t around.”
“How did you find out about the third were anyway?” Danyon asked. “Who told you?”
“Banjo Marks.”
“Who?”
“A local vamp,” Jagger said. “The kid lives on the street. Heavy drug user.”
Danyon frowned. “How’d he hear about it?”
“I don’t know,” Shauna said. “Banjo didn’t actually come out and say he knew about Nicole, Simon or a third were for that matter. He sort of…it’s a long story. I’ll have to fill you in later.”
“Danyon, we all have a vested interest in this matter,” Jagger said. “I know the victims of the murders have only been weres so far, but that doesn’t mean it’ll remain that way. Members of the other communities might be targets, as well.”
“No, they won’t,” Danyon said, then immediately regretted letting the words out of his mouth.
“What do you mean?” Jagger asked.
Danyon didn’t answer. The information August had given them about the rogue were, about the metaphysical powers inherent to were claws and fangs, was proprietary knowledge. The only reason August had shared it with them was because he was the victims’ alpha, and Shauna their Keeper. The information wasn’t meant for a vampire or a shape-shifter. In fact, August had specifically told them to keep the knowledge confidential.
As though reading his mind, Shauna said, “We have to tell them everything, Danyon. I trust them. All of them. I’d bet my life that whatever we say will never leave this room.”
“You have our word on that,” Fiona said.
“Have you forgotten what August said about confidentiality?” Danyon asked Shauna.
“Of course not,” Shauna said. “But August didn’t actually come out and forbid it.”
“Semantics.”
“Not really. Besides, I’m the Keeper of the weres, which includes you. I’ll take the responsibility for what is or isn’t said and deal with August myself. You forget that he taught me the ways of a Keeper. Trust me. He’ll understand and respect my decision.”
Danyon slowly swiped a hand over his mouth. Every one in the room was staring at him intently—waiting. It was obvious Shauna hadn’t revealed everything to them and for that, Danyon was grateful. It left him with a little dignity. Shauna would have probably thought that to be petty, but to an alpha, dignity was paramount. His pride had been bruised when he’d heard them discussing what he considered his business. But the truth was he trusted Shauna. They had only been together for a short time, yet he felt he understood the very core of who she was. And that was more than enough for him to trust her with his life. If she believed that strongly in everyone here, he had no reason not to.
Hesitantly, Danyon began to recount the story August had shared with him and Shauna. How decades ago a rogue were had been captured and sentenced to death, and why a specific manner of death had been chosen.
When he was done, everyone stood silent for some time, evidently trying to absorb all he had said.
Finally, Ryder asked, “Is this common knowledge amongst your people? The special powers in the claws and fangs I mean. And that if they’re stripped away, the were’s heart will burst?”
“No,” Danyon said.
“Now I see what you meant when you said the other cultures weren’t at risk,” Jagger said. “But you’re still going to need help. I think we should get the leaders of the subcultures together and let them know. If—”
“No. This needs to stay low profile,” Danyon said.
Jagger held up a hand. “Please, hear me out. If what you’re saying is true, then the wolven in and around New Orleans aren’t the only ones at risk. This is much bigger than any one group in one city. Weres around the world could be in danger. The only way this is going to be stopped is if we all band together.”
“Whether the other leaders are told or not, this information has to remain in this room,” Shauna warned. “If it gets out, other scumbags may decide to jump on the bandwagon right away. The problem gets out of control then.”
“Good point,” Fiona said.
“Danyon, I only offer my opinion on the matter, about including the leaders, so everyone can pitch in and help,”
Jagger said. “But we’ll take your lead on this. If you want to keep it just between us, then we’ll honor your decision, and the four of us—Ryder, Fiona, Shauna and I—will do everything we can to support you.”
All eyes were on Danyon now.
As much as he hated to admit it, Jagger was right. He had been so focused on the weres in and around New Orleans that he hadn’t seen the broadness of that scope. Weres in other parts of the United States—around the world—in danger. The vastness of that changed every thing.
There was only one answer he could give them. Any other response would make him an irresponsible leader.
And that was unacceptable.
Danyon agreed to calling the leaders together for a meeting, but kept one thing in mind and to himself. He wasn’t going to just sit on his hands and wait for everyone to join hands in a council meeting. It might take hours, even days, before they got all the leaders together.
Even an hour was too long to wait. Something had to be done now, before another were died.
And he planned to be the one who took care of that something.
Chapter 12
Attending a meeting at three in the morning was not something Shauna’s body or mind appreciated. Both had to be forced into compliance. She was surprised they were able to gather everyone so quickly. The leaders of the three major subcultures in New Orleans owned their own businesses, which made them difficult to pin down even with extended notice. Compound that with the record number of tourists swarming the city right now, and this morning’s meeting was nothing short of a miracle.
Since the business to be discussed was about the weres, August had offered his conference room for the gathering. The elder’s response to having the meeting in the first place had been Shauna’s second surprise. She’d expected August to be miffed that she had taken matters into her own hands and leaked word about the murders, along with some of the confidential details surrounding them. To her amazement, August took the news very well. In fact, he even commended her, saying that keeping the twelve hour vow of silence she had made with Danyon, then carefully deliberating matters before making the decision to get the others involved, showed initiative and integrity, all signs of an excellent Keeper. She had been taken aback and humbled by his praise.
Shauna and her sisters usually met with August and the leaders of the other subcultures at least once a year. The purpose of that meeting was to share basic information about city business, as it pertained to each race, and to generally keep tabs on one another. In the past year, however, they had had to meet multiple times due to major problems plaguing the city.
> Six months ago, it had been the cemetery murders. Two women were discovered lying across tombs in a local cemetery, each dead and completely drained of blood. The exsanguinations heaped suspicion onto the vampires, then fingers pointed to the shape-shifters since they were able to mimic a vampire in appearance and action. Not much was said about the werewolves then, because weres are basic black-and-white. When they kill, they usually slaughter, and the bodies of both women had been in pristine condition. Regardless, that hadn’t stopped one race from accusing the other. Everyone had been on edge.
The situation worsened three months later, when a group of rogue walk-ins tried taking over the city. It was then that Ryder Mallory came into town. Ryder was a bounty hunter and a shape-shifter, and he had been tracking the rogue walk-ins for quite some time. The number of casualties from the walk-in invasion exceeded those from the cemetery murders. So did the number of suspects. This time every race was subject to blame, and the accusations flew at lightning speed. Had it not been for Ryder, Caitlin and Jagger, the entire city of New Orleans might have been destroyed.
Now, here they were again.
Another crisis. More death.
Had there ever been a time when the world was quiet? When no blood was shed because of someone or something’s greed or anger? When no one had to fight to protect some small corner of the earth they called home?
And what about the future? Was it possible to have one without strife and pain? Wars were still fought in the name of peace, and strife still flowed through the streets of the world in the name of equality. Every generation basically did the same thing as the one before it. If the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, then Shauna figured the future was pretty much doomed right out of the gate. All anyone could do was the best they could do with the life that was given to them. Everything else seemed up for grabs.
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