by H. D. Gordon
“I assume you read about it in the papers?” he asked.
I nodded. “They said he got into it with some drifter earlier in the night before he went missing. I saw the wanted posters around town.”
I handed the paper back to him, and he returned it to a stack of other papers near a briefcase I hadn’t noticed until just this moment.
While he did so, I slipped my hands into my pockets to keep them from shaking. I prided myself on my ability to keep cool in tense situations, but this had come out of nowhere, and I was still absorbing the shock of the revelation.
“So you’re… What, a Hound or something?” I asked, making sure to keep my tone light and only mildly interested.
Hounds were the police of the world, and in my world, the oppressors.
Erek nodded slowly, rubbing the dark stubble on his chin as he looked over the papers atop the desk. “Yes,” he confirmed, and my stomach dropped down to my shoes. “Second year. I’m actually here looking into the rebel faction… but this is a personal matter.”
I fought to keep the blood from rushing to my cheeks, my hands tight fists in my pockets, and said, “I’m sorry… Was he… a friend of yours?”
Erek shook his head, his dark hair falling across his temple. He brushed it aside absentmindedly, and I refused to think the movement endearing.
“Not of mine,” he said, and lowered his voice a little when he added, “In all honesty, I was never fond of the male, but he was the brother of a close friend of mine.” He shrugged. “So I promised to look into it while I’m here.”
Not here on official Hound business, then. Which meant that Ezra’s disappearance hadn’t warranted a full investigation. I supposed that was good, though it did nothing to loosen the knot that had tied in my stomach.
The small room was beginning to feel stifling, but I managed to keep my cool. “Well,” I said as I moved toward the door once more, “I’ll be sure to let you know if I hear anything.” I paused before closing the door behind me. “This was fun,” I said.
Three minutes ago that would not have been a lie.
Erek smiled that charming smile, his green eyes aglow as he looked at me with utter appreciation, no doubt replaying some of the higher points of our exploits in his mind, oblivious to the turmoil raging inside me.
“Yes, it was, Miss Silvers,” he agreed. “I hope we can do it again.”
We would absolutely NOT be doing it again.
It was all I could do to keep my steps at an easy pace and my shoulders from going tight as I slipped through the streets of Borden, putting as much distance between me and the Hound as was possible.
What the hell had just happened? What the hell were the odds?
Dawn was not far from breaking, and the early shipments sailing into port down the Zouri blasted their whistles in the quiet of early morning to signal their arrivals. As soon as I reached the edge of town, I shifted into my Wolf form and ran at break-neck speed back to The Mound in an attempt to expend some of the nervous energy coursing through me.
By the time I hit the border of the Wolf slums, I was panting hard. I paused at a nearby trough and lapped at the cloudy water there, staring at my rippling, furry reflection as I gulped down the liquid.
I still could not believe Erek’s revelation.
Shifting back into my mortal form when I reached the house, I slipped inside and bolted the door shut behind me. Only then did it feel like I actually exhaled as I slumped back against the door and braced my hands at my sides, as if in an unconscious attempt to seal away the world behind me.
A Hound. I’d just slept with a fucking Hound.
And I could get beyond that, even. Really, I could. Sleeping with the enemy was not the worst thing in the world. There was a certain allure that hung around forbidden fruit, and I was not immune to it, but Erek Blackwood was not only a Hound. No, he was a Hound who was investigating the disappearance of the Wolf I’d murdered.
A personal matter, he’d called it.
All of this flying through my head was the reason I didn’t see Devon when he emerged from the back room, no doubt having sat in my corner watching our siblings all night in my absence.
He sniffed at the air in my direction, and his brows raised a fraction.
“Fun night, sis?” he asked.
I knew he meant nothing by it, but I was in no mood for any kind of interaction, so I ignored him and went over to the hearth. Our father was in his usual place on the couch, Jodi in the armchair beside him, both in deep, drunken sleep from the previous evening. The smell of tobacco and Wolfsbane hung in the air, and the ashtray on the coffee table was indeed full of butts and dubies.
My father and stepmother didn’t smoke in the house when I was there, because I’d demanded it, and had even gone so far as to beat Jodi’s ass out front of the shack in order to obtain their adherence. Ada and Analise were hardly five years old, and that shit was not good for their lungs. So I’d convinced my father and Jodi through both force and reason to indulge their habits outside the small space we all shared to live in.
But when they knew I would be gone for a night, they would chain smoke for hours, and then pass out in exactly the manner they were now.
As I said, I loved my father, but part of me also hated him.
Kneeling before the hearth, I began peeling a few of the potatoes I’d bought at the market last week and cutting them up so that I could fry them over the flame. I placed the iron skillet that hung on a hook on the hearth over the fire, and poured in a bit of oil in preparation.
Devon joined me in my work, sitting beside me and helping me cook.
“You want to talk about it?” he asked after some silence had passed.
“No,” I answered.
My brother nodded, as if this was exactly the answer he’d expected.
Chapter 12
The girls did not have lessons on Sundays, but this was the day we spent preparing for the week ahead. Our routine was as efficient as it was necessary.
They would wake up not long after sunrise, and Devon and I would feed the girls and Demarco breakfast, leaving two portions extra on the table for our father and Jodi whenever they decided to join the world again.
After breakfast, my five siblings and I headed down to the small stream that ran along the western edge of The Mound, a branch off of the great Zouri’s abundant supply. There, we bathed and washed our clothing, finding a spot that was not yet taken by others, and relaxing for a bit while we completed these tasks.
“Demarco,” I snapped from my position on the stream bank. “Come here.”
My younger brother sauntered over to me, and I snatched the gold chain with the E pendant off his neck, making him wince and rub the back of it.
Examining the necklace, I saw that it was indeed Ezra’s, and that the fool had likely taken it from his body before getting rid of the evidence.
“Idiot,” I snapped in his head. “What the hell were you thinking, keeping this?”
Demarco gave me a sheepish look. “It’s real gold, D. I ain’t never worn real gold in my life.” He shrugged. “I figured, what could it hurt?”
I suppressed a growl. “You really are a Gods damned idiot if that’s what you figured.” I slipped the chain into my pocket, making a note to sink it to the bottom of the Zouri first chance I got. Out loud, I said, “And wash your damn draws, boy.”
Demarco grinned lopsidedly, the mischievous gleam ever present in his dark eyes. “Come on, Dita,” he complained, though he was clearly relieved I’d let the subject of the gold chain drop. “I washed them last week.”
The twins giggled as they splashed each other in the spray, and Delia muttered, “That’s disgusting.”
“Males are generally so,” I replied with a smirk.
Beside me, diligently working on a stain in his best trousers, Devon snorted. “Not all males.” His blue eyes darted over to our younger brother. “And Demarco is just particularly disgusting.”
Demarco waved a hand
at us as he went running by in his undershorts and leapt into the stream. The water was deep enough that his splash was impressive, and the twins giggled again as Devon, Delia, and I were soaked on the shore.
Though I was annoyed, I had to suppress a laugh at my older brother as Devon rose slowly from where he’d been meticulously cleaning his pants. Water dripped from his handsome face, and his eyes lit up Wolf-gold in anger.
Delia and I exchanged amused glances, and hooted and hollered at the two idiots as Devon dove into the water and attempted to pummel Demarco.
In all the excitement, the twins ran out of the stream and shifted into their Wolf forms. They yipped and bounced all around, showing the simple joyous enthusiasm only puppies seemed truly capable of.
After we were all reasonably clean and had also reasonably cleansed our attire (I had to inspect everyone’s garments outside of Devon to make sure they’d cleaned them to my satisfaction) we headed back to the cabin and hung out the now-wet clothes to dry. We had two pairs of pants and three shirts each, but when I’d purchased the items, I’d made sure they were of good quality, so it was really all we needed.
Once this task was accomplished, we headed into Borden, aiming for the riverside market that was held every Sunday morning. Usually, only Devon and I went, and Delia and Demarco would stay home with the kids, but today, the twins begged to come along. Though it would make the trip more difficult, after a while, I sighed and gave in.
Then Demarco and Delia said they would come along, too. So off the six of us went.
After all, I was not at all inclined to tell them that there was a certain Hound I was trying to avoid, and going as a group would make it much harder to remain incognito. On top of that, if I made it too obvious that I was avoiding him, that might only serve to raise Erek’s suspicions.
Either way, by screwing him, it seemed I had effectively screwed myself. I would need to call the ladies together this evening and have a little chat with them, make sure we were all on the same page.
We reached the market without any fuss, however, and upon arrival I did not spot Erek Blackwood anywhere in sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned back to my siblings. Both Demarco and Delia were grinning innocently at me.
Devon chuckled and took the twins by the hands. “I’ll get these two some frozen cream,” he said.
I nodded and reached into my jacket pocket, producing a handful of coins. Delia and Demarco both eyed the money covetously. I divided the amount among them, and let my mouth tip up in a small smirk when they balked at the amount.
It was more than twice the largest amount I’d ever given them—which wasn’t a lot, but “a lot” is a very relative term. Both Delia and Demarco scuttled off quickly in search of whatever treasure they could afford.
I took a moment to watch them go, feeling good about the fact that I could provide for them. It had been a while since I could remember feeling so, and I tilted my head back as a crisp breeze blew in off the Zouri and kissed my face. Perhaps things were at a turning point for us. Maybe I really would reach those goals that had seemed so far beyond my grasp for all my life.
Erek’s arrival had complicated things, yes, but my dealings with Lukas Borden, while still very new, were going even smoother than I had anticipated. It was funny how one could start off being dirt poor, and as soon as they earned a little money, their mind began racing with how they could earn even more money by adjusting and augmenting the process.
I’d told myself when I’d first hatched my plan that I would not get greedy. Greed got people locked up, or killed. But I had not anticipated the rush of confidence that would come when I’d sold that first batch of moonshine to Lukas. I had never known what it was like to put good money into the hands of those who I cared about, as well as my own, and the pride that would come along with this. The hunger that would make me want to repeat the process again and again.
As my siblings and I left the market that cool Sunday morning, their pockets bursting with treats and trinkets, smiling like princes and princesses, I assured myself for what felt the millionth time in the past moon cycle that I was smart. I was smart enough to do this.
I would be careful. Very careful.
I would not allow myself to get greedy. I would whole-heartedly resist all temptation.
And I would live to laugh bitterly at the naivety of this belief.
At the naivety of it all.
After the market we had lunch, and Demarco and Devon went into the nearby woods in hopes of catching us a little game for supper to compliment the fruits and vegetables I’d purchased in town. While they did that, I helped the twins and Delia with their homework, checking answers and signing forms.
We were poor, I always told them when they complained about my diligence with their studies, but that did not mean we had to be ignorant.
Eventually, the boys returned home, and I left the house, directing Devon to mind the others and make sure father kept his distance from Demarco. The two had not gotten into it again since that night a few weeks back, but the tension still hung in the air between them, and I had enough on my plate without a rehash of their feuding.
“I’ll be back later tonight,” I told Devon as I stepped out of the house and shut the door behind me. “Please make sure Delia and the twins go to sleep early. They have lessons in the morning.”
“Where are you going?” Devon asked.
I adjusted my jacket, shifting the weight of the guns at my waist. “To take care of some business.”
Devon nodded slowly, studying me. “I could help you, you know.”
“You do help me,” I said. “I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
It was not a lie, and he knew I meant it, but my older brother sighed, and switched to speaking telepathically in my head.
“Is it because I’m gay?” he asked. “Is that why you don’t want me involved with whatever you’re planning? Because you didn’t seem to have a problem with calling me in to help you get rid of a dead body.”
I didn’t reply for a long moment. Instead, I only stood staring out at the barren dirt and endless rows of shacks that made up The Mound. I didn’t even know where to start with what Devon had just said. It was the first time I’d heard him use the word “gay,” and also the first time he’d blatantly mentioned Ezra Ikers since it had first happened.
I met my brother’s eyes as I said, truthfully, “No, it’s not because you’re gay… It’s because I love you and I don’t want you getting caught up. It’s because you’re a good person, with a clean soul, and I won’t allow that goodness to be dimmed in you, not by my actions.”
Devon held my stare, and after a few tense seconds, blew out a long breath and kissed my forehead.
“You can’t protect us from everything, Dita,” he whispered.
I reached up and ruffled his dark hair, earning an annoyed glare from him as he hastily smoothed it back into place.
“No,” I said, “but I can sure as hell try.”
The Murdock Mountains loomed ahead of me just as the sun was beginning to set.
The air had gotten cooler as the day had progressed, and the lingering bit of warmth that I’d enjoyed at the market that morning had disappeared along with the daylight.
Kyra found me again just as I was approaching the magic users’ stronghold at the base, and making my way toward the barren path that would take me to our secret little moonshine-making cavern.
My strong Wolf nose told me that she had already begun drinking without me, and the sounds coming out of the cave as we approached revealed that she was not the only one.
“What?” Kyra said when I raised a brow at her. “You said we could celebrate tonight, so we’re celebrating. Just because you don’t like to partake… Even though I heard you did this weekend.” The Sorceress nudged my arm and waggled her brows. “Heard you left outta that speakeasy on the heels of a fine-looking Wolf.”
I stopped in my tracks, my head snapping toward her. “Who told you that?�
�� I asked, my voice coming out sharper than intended.
Now it was Kyra who paused in her tracks. Her pretty face piqued with even more interest. “Relax,” she said. “Emilia mentioned it the other night. Said she was glad you actually got you some.”
My shoulders relaxed a bit, a movement that did not go unnoticed by my friend. “I get me some whenever I see fit, thank you very much.”
Kyra slung her arm around my shoulder. “Of course you do, boss,” she said. “So do you want to go inside, or do you want to tell me about your little adventure with this handsome Wolf Emilia was yapping about.”
My jaw was clenched, and I forced myself to relax it. I needed to stop letting this Hound get me all riled up. Everything was fine, and as long as the ladies stuck to the story, everything would continue to be fine.
“Let’s go inside,” I said to Kyra, who was still watching me with her curious violet eyes. “I think I better talk to all of you about my ‘little adventure’ with the handsome Wolf.”
The Sorceress blinked at me, her expression going a bit more serious as she took in mine. She waved a hand toward the cavern entrance, where the laughs of the ladies floated out from inside.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like what you tell us?” Kyra mumbled as we passed through the tight mouth of the cave.
“Because you’re a very smart lady,” I replied.
Kyra’s muttered curse echoed from behind.
Chapter 13
A Hound has come into town looking into Ezra’s disappearance,” I said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush.
The happy, playful mood that had filled the cavern only moments ago died as the eyes of every lady swiveled toward me.
Cora tossed up her hands. “Well, that’s just great,” she said, while Cecelia wrapped her arms around herself, a habit of hers when she got nervous. Though they were both Vamps, the two could not be less alike.
Nyla and Zara, the two other Wolves in the crew, went still. And Emilia, the only Fae among our group, glided over from where she’d been drawing on the cave wall, a glass of moonshine in her hand.