by Ian Thomas
“And so you don’t see the difference between the world as you saw it then and the world as you see it now?” Connie asked.
“Exactly,” Rebecca cheered, grateful someone articulated it for her.
“That’s been my view since we took him in.”
“Don’t get me wrong, this is all kinds of messed up, but look at the headlines. Regular people do some pretty horrific things to each other so maybe the supernatural is easier accept than it should be.”
“No truer words,” Connie replied. “I’m sure you have plans for Thanksgiving but if you’d like to come, we’d love to have you. Dylan says he’s coming home. Our first proper family one in years.”
“I’d be intruding,” Rebecca said, startled. Her idea of the supernatural being a new normal was dispelled with her next thought. Would they make it to Thanksgiving? Would the accords hold until then? If they did then Thanksgiving might take on a whole new importance.
“Nonsense. Frank and Dylan wanna deep-fry a turkey so I’m gonna need someone to sit in judgement with. You’ll just need basic first aid is all.”
Rebecca laughed, ignoring the notion that her and McLachlan were at the ‘whose-folks-do-they-spend-the-holidays-with’ stage. But then a day ago she didn’t know they were at the ‘meet-the-parents’ stage. Neither did he.
“Think about it. Now, if y’all will excuse I’m gonna have a word with my son,” Connie said, excusing herself from the kitchen.
_ _ _
The house had emptied while she’d been in the kitchen. Too many names for her to recall, Connie appreciated Hayley’s numbering system. Especially when applied to a group of men who looked like they’d never been spoken to like that by a woman before in their long lives.
Wandering the lower level she found McLachlan in the study. Matteo was on the phone while her son leaned against a low cabinet.
“Mom,” he said, starting toward her. “Everything okay?”
“You tell me,” she said, standing outside the room to draw him away.
The sudden droop to his shoulders and he was seventeen again, resigned to being told off for some recklessness. But this wasn’t car-surfing with Pauly Deluca.
Only when they were in the living room off the study did she finally speak. “Mind telling me why I feel about as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party?”
“Wow, full Texan, I am in trouble.”
“Don’t deflect.”
“You’re very welcome. It’s great to see you. I’m really glad you’re here. It’s just…unexpected.”
“I’d believe that if you hadn’t paused.”
“I just wish it were under better circumstances. Lot of crazy shit going on.”
“There’s always crazy shit going on with you. And watch your language.”
“Really?” he asked but from her stern look he saw his mother was not in the mood for further deflection. “Okay crazier sh–tuff than usual.”
“You mean crazier than your brother getting sliced open by someone you used to call a friend?”
A dismissive rejoinder was on his tongue. She knew it, but he held it back. “Yes.” He took a breath. “I’d rather you were anywhere else than here.”
“Didn’t help Dylan.” It was a cheap shot and Connie knew it. “Sorry, that’s unfair.”
“No, it’s totally fair,” he replied evenly. “Problem is the big threat now? It’s right here. It’s in the city. And it’s gonna strike whenever and wherever.”
“So why don’t you leave?” she asked. “Take Rebecca and get to safety?”
“Because I don’t run,” he replied.
“But is this your fight to have?”
“Some is, some isn’t. Mostly it’s his,” he looked toward Matteo. “So that makes it mine. He’s family now too.”
One thing she’d always loved about McLachlan was that being an orphan hadn’t shut him off from having a family. Rather he’d continually built one around him. First, the Taylors. Then his college friends. Then Matteo, Rowan, and so on.
“Just promise me you’ll think about leaving soon?” he asked awkwardly.
He wasn’t pushing her away as such. Just looking out for her. Rightly so, she would admit with some reluctance. One of his friends was already dead so he had a right to be concerned and protective.
“Either home or London. I don’t care. I’ll pay for flights. I just want you safe.”
“Same here, kiddo,” she said, pulling him into a hug. He wasn’t too old for his mother to give him a hug, she thought, even with all the chaos in his life. “I’ll look at flights after dinner.”
_ _ _
“Thanks,” he replied, a weight lifting. He wished that his anxiety came more from his mother meeting his girlfriend for the first time than the possible threat against her life. That anxiety would kick in eventually, but for the moment Colton was the only thing he could worry about.
“Keep me posted,” Matteo said then hung up the phone.
“We should go soon,” McLachlan said to his mother as they parted. “Alquin’s meeting us at the restaurant.”
“I’ll go freshen up.”
Once Connie had left McLachlan turned to Matteo. His friend looked haggard. Face drawn and dark circles beneath his eyes. Usually the picture of health, Matteo’s ability to heal was struggling with the emotional cost of the situation. Especially this close to the full moon.
“What’s the latest?” he asked.
“The video’s been taken down. But Max is worried it’s been downloaded and shared. Michael’s algorithm worked on images not video so he’s unsure. The system’s still slaving away so we’ll know soon enough.”
“What’s the likely damage?”
“Hard to tell,” Matteo replied, sitting back in his chair. “Blackthorne doesn’t know which is a plus. But Proctor does and he’s none too happy. Hopefully he’s distracted enough with Hayley’s trip to put it out of his mind.”
“If he knows, Isaac knows. And Isaac’s a dick.”
“He also knows to keep his mouth shut.”
“Aside from them, any other wolves seen the video? Ones we should be worried about?”
“Not that I know of,” Matteo replied, his thoughts running through different scenarios.
“I get that you’re probably super sensitive about this – it is pretty much the werewolf equivalent of a sex-tape – but this is the internet we’re talking about. Whole lot of random shit out there. This’ll blow over in no time. Just feels horrible because it’s about your kind.”
“I hope so. I want to believe that. And ya know I’m old enough to have a lot of experience with the fickleness of society. But the internet is a beast I don’t know. One I don’t understand.”
“Trust me, there’s very little to understand besides narcissism, porn, and cat videos.”
Matteo smiled. First of the day? Actually, McLachlan wasn’t sure. Seemed he was just getting past one ordeal – lowercase – before another one came along. Admittedly it was true for all of them, but Matteo wore it differently. Not just because he was the Pack Lord but because he cared so deeply.
“Just gotta hope some celebutard says something dumb on Twitter and we’ll be good,” Matteo said, getting up from his desk and walking to McLachlan. “So any minute now really.”
“Pretty much.”
“You guys should go,” Matteo said. “Have a pleasant evening away from us. Enjoy your family.”
“You should join us. You offered to foot the bill. You do remember that, don’t you? Amid the…”
“My pleasure,” he replied as they walked out of the office. “Besides Alquin wouldn’t like that.”
“He’s coming around. Slowly.” Connie and Rebecca were talking near the bottom of the staircase, coats on and ready to leave. “You gonna be okay tonight?”
“Yeah, Eddie’s with Jason, so I’m gonna change up here somewhere. Let it happen naturally for once.”
“When’d you last do that?”
“Gonna say months
back.”
“Hence the looking like shit?”
“Great bedside manner you got there, Doc.”
“But I’m not wrong.”
“About what?” Rebecca asked.
“That sneakers and jeans will always look odd,” Matteo replied.
“It’s true,” McLachlan said, walking to the front door.
Opening the front door, he stepped back, shocked at the sight that greeted him. On the doorstep was Mills supporting a young, black man. Bleeding. Somerset.
_ _ _
“Mills!” Rebecca cried, moving to him
But Matteo moved faster, smelling the blood and change on the man. Blocking the door, he turned to McLachlan.
“Out the back. Now.” His friend already stood protectively in front of the two women. “Through the garden. I’ll handle this.”
“But–”
“Man says we go. We go,” McLachlan snapped, cutting Rebecca off.
“This the crazy you talked about?” Connie asked as McLachlan pushed them toward the rear of the house.
When the rear door clicked shut, Matteo quickly ushered the two men into the house. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“I got a text,” Mills said, as they staggered into the dining room.
“A text?”
“Yeah, said he needed help. Sent me the address. I didn’t know where else to go.”
“No, you did good. Let’s have a look at him,” Matteo said, resting the man against the table. “Somerset, what happened?”
“What always happens,” he said, raising his head a cruel smile on his face. “Playing on people’s kindness.”
“Get back!” Matteo yelled at Mills, but he was too late. Somerset started changing, first claws, then muscle. But he was conscious, shoving Matteo back. He grabbed Mills, claws puncturing his skin, and threw him at the staircase. The young man landed on his back, head hitting a step hard.
“Good reason he shut me away all those years ago,” Somerset said, standing over Matteo, his change continuing. The pain seemed a sweet pleasure to the man. “Liked the killing a little too much.”
“This isn’t you.”
“Oh it very much is, Oh Pack Lord, My Pack Lord. Even dear old Dominic knew it.”
“He’d never sire a killer.”
“No, that sounds like something you’d do, isn’t it?” Somerset asked, one foot on Matteo’s chest. “And not just any killer but the blessed Master of All Killers.”
“Colton.”
“He woke me up.” His change complete, Somerset was renewed as a wolf. “Brought me back to life.”
“You’re better than this. Dominic wanted better than this for you.”
“Dominic was a fool. Wasteful as a wolf. Wasted as a man. Didn’t know what he was unlocking when he sired me.” The beast leaned closer to Matteo, his smile cruel and violent. “Why do you think he sold his soul for that ring? He found out all too late what siring brought out in me. Couldn’t bring himself to kill me. His sainted scholar. His black wolf. Didn’t know what lay dormant. What he unleashed.”
“A monster!”
Somerset laughed, the sound mocking everything Dominic had wanted for his wolves.
“I was a prisoner. A slave. But now…well, now I’m free.”
“Hell you are!”
Matteo grabbed the leg pinning him and pushed the wolf backwards. Rolling, he found purchase on the floor, made it to a crouch and lunged.
Somerset was not a trained fighter. Never had been. This fractured side of him was fueled by rage and cruelty. No skill there, Matteo thought, tumbling to the floor with the beast. Deftly, he turned and struck before Somerset could recover. Where the wolf was scrappy, Matteo was restrained. Striking whenever the wolf left himself open. Which was often. Savage claws only managed to tear Matteo’s clothes. Meanwhile he opened a cut over both eyes, dislodged a couple of teeth, and felt ribs crack from his hits.
Wildly Somerset charged him, but Matteo jumped at the wall, pushed off and drove his fist into the back of the other man’s head. Something cracked and then the wolf dropped to the floor.
As he was about to check on Mills a force hurled Matteo to the far wall below the staircase railing. Unable to move, Matteo watched helplessly as Colton entered his home.
“Good to see you can still hold your own, old man.”
“Let me down and I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”
“Why would I do that when I can continue torturing you?” Colton said, stepping over Somerset and standing before Matteo. “Or did you forget I like to draw things out?”
“Well actually I hoped you were dead. Rotting in the ground somewhere, worm food. On the plus side, I do get to kill you myself.”
“With words? I can see to that.” Matteo’s face started to burn, his lips were on fire. Then he felt his mouth forced shut, the skin knitting together to seal his lips. “Oh that’s much better.”
“What the fuck?!” Eddie cried, running out of the basement. Matteo wanted him to run, shut the door, barricade it and protect Jason. That’s who Colton was here for after all.
“Ah nephew, good to see you.” With a twist of his hand, he snapped Eddie’s neck. Matteo tried to move but he was held fast. The spell on his mouth just as unrelenting.
_ _ _
As Eddie hit the floor, Colton walked past him and down into the basement. He was almost giddy at confronting his sire. Would that he had come earlier and he could have confronted his would-be killer from all those years ago.
But never mind, the disgust and horror on Matteo’s face would suffice. In truth it would do more than that. He’d anticipated that moment for five years. The reality exceeding even his twisted expectations.
Downstairs, he soon found Jason locked away in a cage.
“Well this is insulting,” he said.
“Who’re you?”
“Oh, right, you don’t know my real face.” Summoning the glamour he used to appear as Henry, Colton approached the cage. “Is this better?”
“You!” Jason ran at the cage door.
“I think you were looking for a ‘thank’ to go with that ‘you’ surely.”
“More like fuck you!”
“That is no way to talk to your lord and sire,” Colton warned, the glamour fading. How dare this whelp tarnish his moment. “I’m not the one who locked you in a cage like an animal.”
“No, you ruined my life.”
“That’s a matter of perspective.”
“Where’s Eddie?”
“I broke his neck.”
“Matteo?” What was with these questions? Didn’t the boy know he was his sire. He was the one to elevate him, save him, make him more than he’d been. What would Eddie or Matteo have done for him? Nothing up to that point. Then they lock him in a cage.
“Incapacitated.”
“Then what do you want?”
“To be a proper sire to you. Unleash your potential,” Colton said. Clunk! The cage door eased open an inch. “Come, we should talk.”
“No,” Jason said, pulling the door shut. “I’m gonna change.”
“Then you should do it in the open like you were meant to,” Colton said warmly, opening the door wide and extending a hand to Jason.
Foolishly, the boy hesitated.
With the same warmth, he had when opening the door, he added, “Now come with me or I’ll explode Eddie’s heart. That really will kill him. Matteo too.”
Slowly, Jason ambled out of the cage toward him. He remained rigid as Colton put an arm around him and guided him up the stairs. “Quite the soundproofed torture chamber Matteo has down there. Didn’t know he had it in him.”
“What do you want with me?” Jason asked.
“For you to be the wolf you were meant to be.”
“What’ve you done with Ben?”
“Nothing,” Colton replied innocently. “My brother has more than enough enemies. Frankly I couldn’t be bothered waiting in that line.”
The
y reached the first floor of the house. Jason gasped when he saw Eddie lying on the ground, his head at an impossible angle.
“He’ll live,” Colton said. “But only so long as you do what I want.”
Still pinned to the wall, Matteo struggled against the spells holding him. The gall of him to think his inane goodness could reverse such magic. He was going to enjoy toying with Matteo. Though the man was his own worst enemy, surrounding himself with people, building some extended pseudo family. All that did was provide Colton with more innocents to destroy. Each one a wound to the old man. A delicate cancer that would eat at him slowly. Without cure or relief.
“Come!” Colton said, placing a hand on the unconscious wolf.
The beast jerked awake. Shaking off his disorientation, Somerset rose to his feet, eyes finding the comatose man on the stairs.
“Kill him if you want to,” Colton said. “But do it quick.”
Brandishing his claws, the wolf started toward the stairs.
“Ungh,” Jason grunted, grabbing his midsection, teeth clenched.
“No time,” Colton stated. “We need to go.”
With the wolf shepherding Jason, Colton led them out of the house and into the street. Now if only Holly had done her job. Colton's hopes weren't high. He'd grown bored of the stupid girl, and he feared she was distracting Somerset.
“Hey-ya!” Holly called out from beside a small four door BMW.
“I told you to get a large vehicle,” he complained. “Jason can’t change in this.”
“City’s not exactly lousy with Hummers.”
“I’m driving,” Somerset growled, shedding his wolf form.
“Shotgun!” Holly called out as the naked black man got behind the wheel.
Feeling the control slipping, Colton shoved Jason into the backseat. He needed to get rid of Holly. She’d served her purpose. Especially now that he had Jason back. Between Somerset and himself they’d make a killer of the boy. That much Colton was very good at.
“Ooh, good thing I put the seat warmer on,” Holly purred, sliding her hand over Somerset’s hard, naked body.
“You?!” Jason shouted, kicking at the front seats. Somerset struggled to control the car. “You fucking bitch! I’m gonna rip you a new one!”