He stood as tall as she did in her heels, putting his height around six feet. His short, shaved black hair was almost lost against his dark skin. Big eyes seemed bright in comparison, staring intently at the lycans in front of him. His face was narrow as was his nose. Thin lips and a pointed jaw finished his head. His jacket was tight black leather, with a high closed collar covering his neck. He wore fingerless gloves with silver studs across the knuckles. Shiny black leather pants were tucked into knee high biker boots, laced all the way up to the top. He guided his lady to a spot just in front of their blond enforcer and glanced our way before putting his full attention back on the other wolves. I had no idea what the protocol was or who was supposed to start, so I decided to play icebreaker.
“I’m sure it goes without saying that the GHOST appreciate your willingness to put your difference aside and meet in this manner. Why don’t we all take a seat?”
Then I stepped forward and plopped myself down in the chair in front of me. The seating was quite interesting. As before, the vine had built enough chairs for everyone in the room. There were twelve total, and they were positioned in three clear groups. Two sets of three chairs were on the east and west sides of the table while six chairs were at the north end. The chair I had chosen was the right center seat of our six, putting me at about equal distance from either side should I have to act. Freddy sat to my left, in the other center seat and the rest of the team dropped down around us. Kara took the chair next to Freddy, with Danny on her left. Erika took the seat to my right, with Vector sitting next to her. The Alpha males each took their center seats with their mates sitting in the chairs closest to us. The Betas sat on the outside and since everyone was settled, it seemed like the time to begin. Freddy started us off.
“The Circle welcomes us all. It is our hope that we may find a peaceful resolution to the conflict facing your packs. As per the by-laws of the council and the rules set forth in the Treaties of the Moon, the first to arrive may speak first,” he said.
“Let the Creek start,” snarled the old man on the right.
I learned two things right there. The first was that the Potomac Pack had arrived via the east stairs and the Rock Creek Pack by the west. The second thing was a bit frightening. Judging from the scowls on their faces and the sharpness of the old wolf’s response, tension was still high. I could still feel the calming power of The Circle washing over me, so there was only one logical conclusion. This was as calm as the wolves got. A frightening thought. I looked over at the leather-covered Creek to see how they would react.
The Creek Alpha male, whom I’d decided to call Leather, was leaning forward on his elbows, the tips of his fingers pressed together in front of his face, and his eyes staring with a scary intensity. To his right, Bustier, his girlfriend, was draped over his arm, pressed against him, her chest moments away from bursting out of her top. I had a feeling that I was going to witness my first werewolf wardrobe malfunction. Let’s hope the vine doesn’t work for the censors. Leather tilted his head from one side to the other before replying.
“We have started nothing. But, if the attacks against my pack continue, we will finish it,” he stated.
Bustier growled through a smile as a point of emphasis while Dolph just sat there, his arms crossed, his attention on the lycan across the table. Oldie, the Potomac Alpha, didn’t seem impressed. In fact, I caught the hints of a smile that made me think he had very little respect for these younger wolves. Twintail sat calm and relaxed next to her man, she had her hands folded in her lap and didn’t seem even a little worried. Her sister, Spikey, was mimicking her pose. The twins were perfectly calm and relaxed, which could mean a few things. It was possible that the room was having an effect on them and holding their anger in check. But I worried that it was something else. In my experience, the calmest person in a situation like this is often the most dangerous. Feel free to let you mind wander on how scary Oldie must have been to have gained their loyalty.
“Your empty threat aside, do you truly take no responsibility in these attacks?” Oldie asked.
“My threats are far from empty, old one. Your reign is coming to an end,” Leather smiled.
Oldie smiled wide and relaxed back into his chair a bit. “Until it does, I suggest you speak to me with a bit more respect.”
Leather started to cackle and his lady joined in. Dolph didn’t react and kept his attention on the Potomacs. I was waiting for Oldie or the twins to react in some way, but they all just sat there, smiling and content with themselves. It took a little bit of time before Leather’s cackling died down. Watching them I realized something that should have struck me the first moment they walked into the room: they were crazy. I don’t mean like they go skinny-dipping or have wild parties, I mean they were nuts. An aura of insanity was oozing off of them. I don’t know how else to explain it. Once the laughter died down Leather responded.
“My predecessor was a fool to even extend you that courtesy,” he said.
“The Macs are weak, while strength lies with the Creek,” Bustier said.
As if I needed more proof, her voice and tone screamed crazy. There was no doubt in my mind that this lady wasn’t playing with a full deck. I leaned over towards Erika and kept my voice low.
“Under new management?”
“About a year ago,” she whispered.
I nodded and continued to watch the display.
Oldie continued to smile and responded softly, “I was wondering when the bitch would speak up.”
I tensed a bit and shifted my eyes rapidly back and forth between the two parties. If there was a first domino to knock down, that felt like it. But neither of the packs seemed at all insulted. From the matter of fact nature of the statement to the smiley face on crazy Bustier, I questioned whether it was an insult at all. I guess at the end of the day, the term does mean female dog, or wolf in this case. Leather reached over and started petting Bustier gently on the head. She closed her eyes and made playful bites in the air, clearly enjoying it. It was almost uncomfortable to be around, as if they were alone in the room.
“When I speak, she speaks, for we are one,” Leather said.
“Together for the Creek, do we both speak,” Bustier moaned.
Oldie smiled even wider. It was clear he considered the pair of crazies a liability to the Creek Pack. I wondered if he was just confident or reacting from experience. I’ve often found that crazy makes people unpredictable. Now, that can work to their advantage or be an instrument of their downfall. I guess time would tell. Although, considering Oldie’s age, I didn’t know how much longer he might be around to find out. It was then that the temperature in the room actually went up a bit.
“Enough games. What have you done with our people?” Oldie demanded.
“It is you who has taken from us,” Leather spit back.
“We do not use such cowardly tactics,” Oldie stated.
“Perhaps your pack is pulling strings behind your back,” Bustier said.
“Never,” Oldie growled.
It was starting to look like we found the heart of the problem. Members of each pack seemed to be missing and they both believed the other responsible. I wondered if the Reds could be responsible. Although they had only arrived in town a few days ago, I guess it was possible that they started something in motion before. Maybe they were behind the rise in wolf anger as of late. I watched the packs growl back and forth a bit before I felt like I should speak up.
“Is there any chance that the Reds are behind the disappearances?”
They all snapped their heads in my direction, the crazy Alphas and Oldie barring teeth. Dolph and the Amazons held their expressions, but I clearly had their attention as well.
Bustier spoke up first, “Why does one so meek, think that he may speak?”
“Meek? I hardly think that’s fair. I work out and everything.”
“Bruce,” Freddy whispered, clearly trying to warn me.
The crazy couple was staring at me like I wa
s a piece of meat, and Oldie seemed to be pondering something, so I took a moment to look at my team. Freddy’s face was full of worry and concern. Kara kept her eyes alert but she had her finger on her ear shell as if she was listening to check-ins. Danny opened his eyes and looked my way and gave me a thumbs up, which we agreed earlier would signal that the anger in the room was growing. To my right Erika’s body was tense and ready to react if necessary, and Vector was smirking in my direction. At least someone appreciated my sense of humor.
“Look, I’m just saying perhaps you should be focused on your common enemy.”
“The missing started before the Reds arrived in town,” Oldie said.
“They will be dealt with soon enough,” Leather added.
“Wait, so you know where they are?”
“That is pack business and none of your concern,” he replied.
Oldie started laughing out loud, “Which is code for ‘you have no idea where they are.’”
“It is too old to be so bold,” Crazy Bustier said.
“One day, someone will let you off your leash, and you’ll find out just how old I am,” Oldie smiled.
Crazy Bustier growled at him before laughing hysterically. Leather licked the side of her face before joining in on the laugher. Once they quieted down, Leather got to his feet, his lady on his arm.
“This meeting was pointless. There is no reasoning with Macs, they are too old and set in their ways,” he said.
With that the Creek Pack headed back up the west stairs, Dolph watching their backs as they exited. Freddy attempted to call them back, but they ignored him. Once they vanished up the stairway, Oldie looked my direction.
“You can not reason with those who lack sanity,” he said.
“They did seem a bit off their rocker, didn’t they?”
“More so lately,” he stated.
“I know we’re outsiders, but we really do want to help. Is there anything you can tell us about these missing people?”
“Children,” he snarled.
“What?”
“They took our young. Wolves should have more honor.”
“Wait, they kidnapped your kids? No wonder you’re pissed. But, they accused you of the same thing. Did you retaliate?”
“Of course not,” he growled, “We have honor.”
“Right. Sorry. I meant no disrespect. Just trying to fit all the pieces together.”
At about that point Kara let me know that her sensor was tripped and the wolves had left the stairway. I nodded thanks and continued my conversation with Oldie.
“We’d also be more than happy to deal with your Red problem. If you know where they are, please tell us.”
“Of course we know where the Reds are. Unlike the Creek, I always know what’s going on in my city,” he smiled.
“Great. Where are they?”
I could feel Erika tensed up next to me, waiting for the answer.
“Oh, don’t worry. They’re very close. My sources assure me that they knew of our little meeting today. If I were them, I’d take advantage of such appealing targets,” he smiled.
“What?”
“I’m just saying it might be dangerous to be the first to exit this meeting. Especially if they were, say, emotional and not focused. But don’t worry, you heard the Creek, they know all about the Reds. I’m sure they already know to be on the lookout up there,” Oldie finished, a very satisfied grin on his face.
I looked over at Kara and her face went pale.
“I just lost communication with a team at the north end of the stadium,” she said.
“Shit.”
CHAPTER 17
I sprang to my feet and sprinted for the western stairs. Oldie’s laughter filled the room as I left, Vector and Erika right on my heels. I thought I saw Kara and Danny start after us, but they weren’t as fast as our trio. We were bounding up the stairs, several at a time, the shallow rise of the steps making long lunges easier. Once we hit the top, I turned towards the nearest dwarf.
“Quick, which way did the wolves go?”
The dwarf pointed towards the proper doorway and another hurled a wooden doorknob in our direction. Vector snagged it out of the air, ran up to the stone door, and gave it the proper turn. Before the door had even finished opening, the three of us were tearing up the stairs. Another twist of the doorknob and Vector had the next stone door open. We flew up the last set of stairs, the regular door at the top already ajar. I didn’t bother to slow down, choosing instead to slam my shoulder into it and knock it open and out of our way. The scene in front of us was not pretty.
The three GHOST guards were down, but the lack of blood gave me hope that they were just unconscious. Two men in black tee shirts and tan military pants were lying on the ground, dead. One had an arrow sticking out of his head while the other had three in his chest. In front of them lay Leather, an arrow through his gut and another through his neck. His big crazy eyes were opened wide as death gripped his face. The closest thing to good news, if you could call it that, was the fact that both Crazy Bustier and Dolph were still alive.
Positioning his body in such a way as to shield her from further arrows, Dolph was fighting to drag Bustier away from danger. There were three arrows in his back and another in his calf. I didn’t know how he was even managing to stand, let alone have enough strength to try and move her. His wounds were obviously taking a toll on him and his movements were sluggish. She had an arrow in her right shoulder and another in her hand as she reached out, desperately trying to take hold of her dead mate. I know I said they were crazy, but even I could feel the crushing sadness of her loss. Losing the love of your life was a feeling I knew all too well. But now wasn’t the time to think about the past. We had to act fast if they were going to have a future.
Erika, Vector, and I all turned to our left and saw two ladies who matched Freddy’s earlier description. The older woman was in her late twenties with jet-black hair and bronze skin, while the younger was maybe sixteen, with fair skin and blonde hair. Both women wore tight black leather outfits, straps and buckles holding them in place and hinting at the curves that lay underneath. There were numerous blades and small weapons upon their person, but the crossbows in their hands were clearly their weapons of choice. To complete the look, flowing like capes, hoods upon their heads, they each wore a red velvet cloak.
More detailed descriptions would have to wait, as they let loose another volley of arrows. Erika’s motivation was clear as she took off towards the Reds. My first instinct was to save the lycan and clearly Vector’s mind was in the same place. I didn’t even want to think about the alternative. We were already on the verge of a pack war and the Creek losing their Alphas was only going to escalate hostilities. Since Vector was closer to the injured wolves than I was, he made a move and let me know that I could follow Erika and neutralize the threat.
“I got this,” he hollered.
I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I started after Erika. He was diving towards the wolves, his body outstretched like a human javelin. Reaching his right arm as far as he could, he got there just in time. Although, his method of protection made me very glad that elves could heal as fast as I do.
The first arrow tore through his palm, its silver tip covered in blood and protruding from the back of his hand. The second stabbed into the meat of his bicep. Twisting his body in the air, he managed to roll across his shoulders, keeping his injured arm from taking any of his weight. His momentum brought him into a half crouch, his body tensed for another attack. As it was, he wouldn’t have to worry, the wolves were no longer the targets.
I watched the brunette pull the trigger and my world slowed down. The arrow was streaking through the air, the silver tip gleaming in the light. I pushed myself forward, trying to will my body to move faster. But I already knew I’d never get there in time. Erika was so quick and she’d left before me. All I could do was watch as the bolt struck its target.
Erika’s body arched forward as th
e arrow impacted her chest. She took a couple more steps before losing her balance and dropping to her knees. Her legs kicked out from under her as she fell to the side. I slid the last few feet just in time to catch her head in my arms before it struck the ground.
The arrow was sticking out of her chest, just left of center, and very likely into her heart. I could hear it sizzling, as all silver does when in contract with a shifter’s skin. As fast as I could, I tore the arrow free and tossed it aside. As I’m sure you know, in most cases the last thing you want to do is yank an arrow from someone’s body. But, when it comes to shifters, silver burning their insides is much worse than the alternative. Luckily the barbs on the arrowhead were relatively small, minimizing the damage its removal had caused. Also, the chain around Erika’s neck reminded me of what Freddy told us earlier, the tags would help. The arrow had only penetrated an inch or two. I figured there was at least a chance that no significant damage had been done to her heart. But the blood pouring out of the wound made it impossible to tell.
“Stay with me. Stay awake.”
I patted her lightly on the cheek as I said it. She tried to smile and started coughing up blood. I held pressure on the wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Vector stepped up next to us and I could see that he had his gun trained on the Reds. A quick glance showed me that they had their weapons up in a vaguely surrender-y fashion. I decided I was going to trust my new friend and his deadly aim to watch my back, while I focused on Erika.
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters Page 15