by Lynde Lakes
Thank God tonight was the last full moon this month. But at the rising of the next full moon, he’d be faced with trying to control their lupine behavior. Curiosity had really done a number on him and it appeared even more possible that it could actually kill him.
Chapter Nine
Damon followed Hugh, still in lupine form, to where Kat had been dumped. He almost gagged at the smell and bloody scene. He leaned a shovel against the boulder, kneeled, and prayed for her soul. He stood again and wiped the tears from his eyes. Kat, I wish I could have been there for you. But where was there? Looking at the area around the body, it wasn’t here. Someone had murdered her elsewhere and dumped her body on his property. What if the police didn’t see it that way? Dare he trust them to ferret out the truth? From past experience, he’d say no. It was obvious someone wanted to involve him. No matter what, this brutal attack would affect the work going on in the lab, and his daughters’ future. If he just buried Kat, Angela might never forgive him. If he reported the murder to the police as he should do, the crucial lab tests would be put on hold, if not thwarted completely, and would stop or delay discovering a cure for his daughters.
On the other hand, if he didn’t report the murder to the police and buried Kat, it would destroy possible evidence and the killer would go free. He wished he had taken time to discuss this with Angela. But he’d feared if someone else found Kat on the Lamont grounds, the blame would fall on him and the wolves housed in his lab.
His throat constricted. What about Kat’s longtime just for now lover, Deeto, the guy she called her Italian stallion? He’d cared for her enough to propose several times. A hasty burial like this might make the poor guy go off the deep end. This vicious attack will touch so many lives.
He heard a soft, mournful moan and looked down at his werewolf half-brother and wondered what he was thinking. He, too, had been a friend to Kat. And he, too, would be affected by this decision. Hunters would swarm into the area to kill all wolves, not just the werewolf who did this. With strong values battling with his relentless determination to save his daughters, Damon began to dig.
Years ago, he’d buried Hugo while in wolf form after his other werewolf half-brother had killed him. Was Hugh thinking about that day, or was his heart too heavy over this current loss? Hugh had risen from the dead. Had Reeves risen, too? He’d tried to kill Kat in another life. Had he finished the job in this one? And was the revenge aimed at Kat or him? He gripped the shovel so tightly his hands ached. If the killer was Reeves, it was probably both.
If Reeves had risen from the dead, he was not only a cunning predator, but a supernatural monster bent on destroying all that was good and pure. Damon thought of his virgin daughters. Whatever the cost, he had to protect them.
So many secrets were harbored within the walls of the mansion. Anyone living or working in the house had to know, or at least suspect that the household operated on secrets. How did he keep this latest tragedy under wraps?
Angela heard the front door slam and rushed downstairs. Damon strode into the room like the devil was on his tail. His jeans and boots were dirt smudged and he carried the dirty white shirt over his arm. His wide chest glistened with sweat. In two quick moves, he drew her into his arms and hugged her so tightly she could scarcely breathe. “Damon, what is it?”
He grabbed her arm. “We can’t talk here. Upstairs.”
Fear shot through her. “Is it about the girls?”
He shook his head, as if whatever he had to say was too painful to utter out loud. But if their girls were all right, what else could have him this upset?
Once inside the master bedroom, he closed the door and faced her. “Is Hugh all right?” she asked.
“He’s fine.” He pulled her into his arms again. “Please, Angela, no more questions until I get this said.”
She heard the agony in his voice and her heart went out to him. She nodded, reached up, and massaged his neck. Then it hit her. “There’s been another wolf attack, right?”
His tight, grief-stricken expression revealed his torment. Tears glistened in his eyes. “Honey, Kat’s dead.”
The room spun around and Angela’s knees buckled. All that kept her on her feet was Damon’s strong arms. He led her to the bed. “I want to go to her,” she managed to mutter.
“I buried her.”
She stiffened. “You did what? How dare you make a decision like that? She deserves a fine funeral and beautiful rites. Deeto will probably kill you.”
“I considered all that, I swear, but I weighed everything against the best interests of our girls. We can give Kat a beautiful wake. But it will have to be kept a secret.”
“More secrets? How can you believe you can keep something like that a secret anyway?”
“It’s up to you and the girls to understand and cooperate. I’m doing the best I can with a devastating situation. I cared about Kat, too.”
“Then how could you just bury her like garbage?”
“It wasn’t like that. I got down on my knees and prayed for her soul, wishing her joy as she passes through the pearly gates. Given the emergency situation, I buried her with all the humanity and dignity possible. When I finished, I rolled a huge boulder over the grave to protect it from invaders. It was the best I could do under pressure.”
Angela sat quietly, glaring at him, unable to accept his rationalizations for the quick burial. “Damon, this is just another example of you controlling everything, other people’s feelings be damned.” She wanted to get away from him, but tonight, she only had strength enough to bury her head in a pillow and cry her heart out. Kat was gone, brutally, brutally gone.
Damon tried to gather her into his arms, but she pushed him away. He stroked her back and kissed her hair. “Leave me alone, Damon,” she said through her tears.
“I’ll go check on our girls. Remember, I did this for them. They were out there tonight. Someone could have seen one or both of them and they could have been linked to the attack.”
He rose and left the room, leaving her with a resentment that had never been completely extinguished and a heart-wrenching sorrow that seeped through her like spilled acid.
Damon winced as his thoughts threatened to sink deeper into the emptiness his life would become if he lost Angela over this. What caused most gaps between them was his need to win in every situation. That’s what made him a great businessman, but not a great husband. But this time, it had nothing to do with winning. It had to do with keeping his family safe. Facing death when he fought Reeves was nothing compared to this dark moment of his soul. A sharp pain shot straight to his heart. God help me. I know I acted rashly, but the thought of exposing my daughters’ affliction to the world and trapping them in a cursed existence is unacceptable. Lord, help me make Angela see that.
He tightened his jaw against the agony and then opened the door to the girls’ bedroom. Rick was sitting on a window seat with one leg up, his eyes masked. Behind him was the golden glow of dawn, finally bringing blessed relief to Hugh and Valerie. Victoria, already morphed to her human state except for her wild onyx mane, sat on the bed cross-legged in her red cotton pajamas with white hearts on them. His heart warmed at her look of sweet innocence.
Valerie and Hugh were on the exercise mats on the floor, softly growling at the painful twitches of morphing. They clung to the sheets over them as their half-lupine bodies jerked and their muscles convulsed. Finally, glistening with sweat and wailing, they morphed into their human states.
“Victoria, how did you morph back so quickly?” Damon asked.
“I found some moon poppies and ate them.”
“Moon poppies?”
“Yeah, the Internet claims the remedy works for a day. I’ve tried it twice with a counting technique Valerie and I have been practicing. The combined efforts seem to work.”
“Hmmm. Maybe I should give you a job in the lab. You may have hit on something our scientists failed to tell me about.”
Victoria laughed. “Why not? I rela
te well to wolves and I look pretty good in white.”
“One problem. Your mother would never allow it.”
Victoria laughed again. “Never say never. Isn’t that what you taught me?” She tilted her head saucily. “By the way, you need to fire Rick. He’s a lousy bodyguard.”
Rick jerked his head in her direction then looked up at the ceiling and shook his head without commenting. Damon felt sorry for him. His daughter could be a handful. “Hmmm. Really? Why do you say that?”
“He isn’t one of us and doesn’t understand our special needs. Your hot shot bodyguard tied a rope around me and dragged me home like a naughty pup. Can you believe it?”
Damon snorted. “Naughty pup, huh? So he turned down one of your childish advances, did he? Good work, Rick. Keep it up.”
Victoria threw a pillow at Damon’s head. “Thanks, Dad, for the support. When he ravages me, it’ll be your fault. Don’t forget that.”
“And don’t you forget you’re a virgin and I expect you to stay that way until Mr. Perfect comes along.”
She laughed. “If it were up to you, no one would ever fit that category.”
“Wrong. It’ll be a piece of cake. He just has to pass our scrutiny and then be brave enough to marry a handful like you.” His thoughts darkened again and he turned to Rick. “As you know, we have an emergency situation going on. My wife’s friend was attacked and killed by a werewolf. I have to take every measure to prevent my girls or my brother from getting blamed for it. Whatever I have to do to clean up this mess, I’ll do. And I need and expect your support. I’m trusting you like family.”
As Damon left the room and headed downstairs to grab a few hours of shut-eye on the den couch, he recalled that Madam Nola said he gave his trust too easily and someday it might kill him.
Damon wasn’t surprised to see Deeto at their front door the next morning. He looked tired, hung-over, and desperate. “Have you seen, Kat?” he asked. His voice was, husky, ragged. “She hasn’t been home all night.”
Damon closed his eyes a moment and then invited him in. He had to face this. It would be better just to let him think she’d finally run off, but he couldn’t do that to a man who’d stuck with her for so many years through all of her affairs. Dear God, the lovesick biker had even proposed a number of times. He needed to be told, so when the grief dimmed, he could move on. He took him to the den and closed the door. He poured Deeto a straight bourbon and handed it to him.
“What the hell is this? Bourbon for breakfast? I like my booze, but even for me this is early. What is it, has she left me? What?”
There was a knock on the door. It was Hugh and Rick. “We thought you might need some support,” Hugh said.
“No. I can handle this.”
Deeto cursed, using coarse biker vernacular and said, “Handle what?”
Hugh and Rick filed into the room. “We’re staying,” Hugh said. “Angela’s orders.”
Damon shook his head. This was hard enough without a damned audience. “Stay if you must. But keep your mouths shut.”
Deep red climbed up Deeto’s neck. He balled his hands into fists. “I didn’t bring my posse. I thought we were all friends, here.”
“We are. Just ignore them.” Damon raked his hand through his hair. “It’s only because we are friends, Deeto, that I’m going to tell you what I’ve done.”
Deeto jumped to his feet, his eyes blazing. “What? You slept with Kat?”
“Good grief, no. Sit down, will you?” Damon counted to ten and then said, “Deeto, I think you are aware that for a long time people have tried to close down our lab to stop us from finding a cure for lycanthropy.”
“Say what?” He scratched his head. “Spit it out in English. I only have a sixth grade education, man.”
Damon shook his head. Deeto had gotten a GED and was taking courses at S.B.V.C. Maybe he still thought of himself as an underachiever. “It’s a werewolf affliction.”
“Oh, yeah. One of those werewolves almost killed Kat once. She said another werewolf saved her.” He shrugged. “Guess there’re good and bad ones.”
Damon rubbed his aching head. “We’re getting off subject. Let’s go back to the werewolf that almost got Kat.” Damon’s stomach was a mass of knots. “This is so hard, Deeto.” His throat felt tight. He couldn’t pussyfoot around anymore. “This time, he got her. She’s dead.”
Deeto’s face paled. “That’s not funny, man. Tell me this is a joke. Tell me she’s trying to get even with me for staying out late at the bachelor party. Tell me anything but that some bastard werewolf murdered her.”
“I buried her, Deeto.” He held his breath and waited for Deeto to explode.
“You what? Who the hell said you could do that?” Deeto glared at him. “If you’re messing with me, you’ll regret it.”
“I wish I were. It would’ve been easier to let you think she’d left you. But that would’ve been unfair to you and to her memory. She loved you.” Damon almost added, in her way, but thank God, he had better sense. “The thing is, the police haven’t done anything about the attack on Madam Nola and I doubt, even if they knew about the attack on Kat, that they’d do any better. If we report this, the police could actually get in our way. Because of your special interest in getting this crazed fiend and your ability to keep quiet, I’ve decided to bring you in on this. We’ll do our own investigation, find the sadistic monster responsible, and quietly and swiftly deal out our own retribution.”
Damon’s stomach knotted. He felt guilty about misleading Deeto about his real motive for keeping things quiet—his family’s affliction. But this was war and secrets had to be a part of it to protect those he loved.
Deeto’s eyes filled with moisture. “Damn you, Damon. I’m starting to believe you. I want to talk to Angela,” he said, his throat tight. “Now.”
Damon sighed. “Rick, would you please find Mrs. Lamont and ask her to please step in here for a few minutes?”
Rick was gone less than three minutes and returned with Angela. Damon wondered if she’d been listening at the door. “Angela, Deeto wanted—”
Deeto stood and cut in. “I wanted to know if this is on the level. If Kat’s really dead. But one look at your red, swollen eyes—” His voice broke.
“I’m so sorry, Deeto, about everything.” Angela let out a sob and rushed to him. They hugged for several seconds, lost in their grief.
Damon knew when she said about everything, she was referring to him burying Kat with no regard to anyone’s feelings. Except it wasn’t true. He cared. He just didn’t know any other way to protect everyone.
“Do you agree with Damon about all of this?” Deeto asked.
Damon’s heart sank as Angela met his gaze and stared at him for a long, measuring moment. “I seldom agree with everything my husband does these days. But I know he thinks he’s doing what is best for all concerned. You’ll have to make your own evaluation of his judgment.” She sent Damon a narrow-eyed look. “I need to speak with you for a moment in our bedroom.” With that, she turned and left the den, leaving behind an icy chill that froze his bones.
“Excuse me, I’ll be back shortly,” he said. “You guys make yourselves comfortable. Kyle will bring you anything you’d like. Just ring for him.”
When he entered the master bedroom, Angela was standing by the terrace slider, looking out. He approached her from behind. Her rigid stance screamed that she didn’t want him to touch her. But he needed the contact. He wrapped his arms around her and waited for her to shake free. She remained stiff, not moving a muscle. That was worse than if she’d ducked away from him. He kissed the back of her hair. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”
She turned in his arms and glared up at him. “I want you to fire Lazar. This isn’t negotiable. He killed Kat.”
“A werewolf killed Kat.”
“She had a date with Lazar. Now she’s dead. And thanks to you, I can’t even go to the police about it.”
“I’ll talk to Lazar.”
; “I don’t want you to talk to that pompous two-headed snake. I want you to throw him off this property. If you don’t, I will. I don’t want him within five-hundred miles of our girls.”
“I know you’ve never liked the man, but he’s a Nobel Prize winner and top in his field. We’re so close to a cure for our girls. Do you want to throw that away?”
“Let your other scientists find this magical, perhaps non-existent cure.”
Damon felt himself losing ground. “Victoria found something on the Internet about moon poppies that—with a mind over matter ritual she and Valerie have experimented with—actually produced a quicker trip through the morphing experience, and it’s also supposed to produce a temporary cure for a day. Don’t you see? It’s only a few more steps to find a complete cure. We have a duty to see that our girls get their chance to shake the curse and be normal young girls, free to enjoy life to its fullest.”
“I warned you, Damon. Now get out of my way. I’m going down to clean house in your no results lab.”
Damon followed her down the stairs. “Use your head, Angela. This isn’t the way to do business. The man has a contract.”
“Okay. We’ll talk first, then fire.”
He wished she’d keep her voice down. She was acting irrationally because of her overwhelming grief over losing her close friend. It was up to him to stay calm and not let this escalate. “Honey, let me talk to him.”
“Not alone. I want to hear how that snake slithers out of this mess.”
Hugh, Rick, and Deeto came out of the den. “What snake?” Deeto asked.
“See what you started,” Damon said in a hushed voice. “It’s nothing, guys. Just a little difference of opinion between husband and wife. I’ll get back to you after I handle it.”
“You’re not handling me, if that’s what you think. We’ll talk to Lazar together now, or I’ll spill my guts to Deeto. I’ll bet he and his biker gang would be glad to run Lazar out of town.”
“He wouldn’t run him out of town. He’d kill him. Do you want that on your conscience?”