She Wolf

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  She also got that there were things in the world that once upon a time were relegated to folk legends and fairy tales and that were now understood to be reality. It still didn’t mean she needed anyone outside of her own organization. They were smart, capable, and skilled, even if they were from a small, rural area. That didn’t equate to hick cops. She and her department were anything but hicks. She had faith in her own skills and faith in her people.

  “I don’t know, Sam, but I’m damned well going to find out.”

  “Kinda looks like an animal attack.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “You know, Sheriff, I’ve lived here all my life, except for when I went to college, and I’ve seen my share of animals that have been attacked by other animals.”

  “Your point?”

  “I have never seen anything like this. If this was done by an animal, it was rabid or sick or something. Nothing around here kills like that.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, she agreed with him. This went beyond a cougar or a bear or any other animal that could potentially attack a human. Or at least the types of animals they were accustomed to dealing with. This was not a native, so all they had to do was figure out what it was and stop it. Did it fall into the category of paranormal? She doubted it. That’s why she believed they could handle this and was growing more and more irritated by the thought of the paranormal hunters on the way to her town.

  *

  Her plan was a good one, yet right at the moment, everything appeared to be in complete disarray. Bellona stared at the inside of the barn and shook her head. What a distressing mess. After all the years of being alone, it was nice to have a family again, yet this family could be trying. She would never create such havoc.

  Her own fault really. She’d let her lust overcome good sense. She’d been so enthralled by the beauty, and well, yes, the wealth of her precious Little Wolf that she let herself be blinded to her failings. She was exciting and willing and all the things she hoped for. She was also rash and filled with a bloodlust that was going to get them in trouble if Bellona didn’t get her under control quickly.

  Not that she wanted to take all of Little Wolf’s fun away. That wouldn’t be fair. She’d earned the right to hunt. No, the real problem was, she had to tutor her student better. The blame had to fall on her shoulders. She was older, wiser, and far more experienced. All she needed to do was spend more time with her, and she would get it. If she was honest, Bellona would have to admit that when she first came into her true being, she’d been just as rash and enthusiastic as Little Wolf was now. The difference was she had family to guide her and show her the way. Years of practicing what she’d been taught had brought her to where she was today.

  Right now, however, she had a mess to clean up. Exposure was dangerous, and so she really had no choice, not if she wanted to stay here, and she did. A movement to the left caught her eye, and Bellona jerked back in surprise. Well, well, well. Now wasn’t this a surprising turn of events? She studied the young man sprawled across the pile of hay, his naked body smeared with blood, his long hair tangled.

  “He’s pretty sweet, isn’t he?”

  Little Wolf stood in the open barn door staring at the man, her eyes bright and her smile even brighter. She was undeniably proud of her guest. Bellona shook her head, a wry smile on her face, and, with one arm, pulled Little Wolf to her side. She kissed her on the cheek.

  “You made a mess, you know.” An understatement if there was one.

  Little Wolf’s eyes swept the disarray that covered the open barn floor and shrugged. “I didn’t mean to. It just got away from me. I mean, I’m having so much fun I can’t seem to rein it in. And then I saw him…” A smile spread across her face.

  Even in the condition he was in right at the moment, Bellona could see why Little Wolf was drawn to him. She had the urge to go over and breathe in his scent, trace her fingertips across his muscular chest, and run her tongue over his full lips. Men weren’t her first choice, but every now and again, they could be fun. She saw potential in this one. “He is handsome.”

  “He’s fucking hot,” Little Wolf said confidently. “I want to keep him. Can I? You told me not to turn anyone, but come on. Just look at him. How could I kill him? It would be a waste.”

  Was there anything she would refuse this precious one? Not really. She’d searched a long time to find a place like this and a woman who made her feel again, or as much as anyone could, given that no one would ever measure up to the one she’d loved with all her heart. Together she and Little Wolf could create their own utopia. From the doorway she studied the man and thought about what it would mean to bring him into the fold. It wasn’t a good idea, and yet sometimes the bad ideas turned out to be the most fun. In truth, she believed there was plenty of room for the young and, as Little Wolf described, the fucking hot man.

  She allowed a rare smile to turn up the corners of her mouth. “Of course you can keep him.”

  Little Wolf kissed her hard, her tongue pushing between her lips and skimming over her tongue. “You won’t be sorry,” she said against her lips.

  Bellona leaned back, took Little Wolf’s head in her hands, and said, “I hope not, and now, this mess has to be taken care of.”

  Little Wolf smiled broadly and raised one eyebrow. “I’ll clean up hottie.”

  Bellona pointed to the shredded body in the middle of the floor. From where she stood, she wasn’t sure if it had once been a man or a woman. “How about that?”

  Pulling her close again, Little Wolf kissed her hard. “Can you take care of her, pretty please?”

  She wanted to say no and make her do it herself, but as her father had always taught her, if she wanted something done right, do it herself. She sighed, patted Little Wolf on the cheek, and said, “Of course.”

  Chapter Three

  Lily rolled her head and listened to the cracks in her neck. She would complain about getting old if it were not for the fact she was not just old but rather what some would classify as ancient. A few cracks here and there were not a big deal, given how many years she had been walking the earth. Or more accurately, running from continent to continent. “Okay, Senn. I’ll quit giving you a hard time and get to work.”

  “Very well. You can dig into my troubled psyche when you find this werewolf and stop him. Until then, I’m not the problem.”

  The werewolf. She hated hunting werewolves for what she considered were obvious reasons. Oh yes, she understood them all too well, which was one of the reasons she was always sent in when one was causing havoc. Understanding them didn’t make it any easier to hunt and destroy them. It was a little like looking in the mirror and pulling the trigger. No matter how many times she did it, she never walked away with a good feeling.

  “Deal. Now, about this sheriff…”

  “Jayne Quarles.”

  “Yes, right, Jayne Quarles. Where do I meet her? At the police station or somewhere more covert? If she is not happy to see me, I do not necessarily want to barge into her office uninvited. I have the sense she’s already pissed off, so I don’t need to rile her up even more.”

  Those who were 210-friendly were still in the minority despite how things had evolved across the globe. The term evolved came from the time of the first written records of the Jägers to a day two hundred and ten years later, when they came out of the shadows and experienced the first official acknowledgment of their presence. Times had changed over the last few centuries, and no longer did the Jägers exist as something whispered about but never seen. Slowly over time, they had become a resource when all traditional methods failed. In law-enforcement circles they were relegated to a status similar to that of psychics: cops didn’t really believe and they really didn’t disbelieve. When there was nothing else to try, they called in the Jägers. In this instance, law enforcement had not called them in. They’d called themselves in after reports of the recent deaths made their way to Senn’s office. A discreet inquiry with a 210-friendly town council memb
er and they were on their way. When they were certain a preternatural problem existed, they came on scene to assist whether they were invited or not. The reality was traditional law enforcement wasn’t equipped to deal with the kinds of creatures she hunted.

  She and Senn talked for a few more minutes and came to a joint conclusion: covert it was to be. Once they’d confirmed the details of when and where, she put the cell phone in her pocket and stood for a moment longer staring at the town spreading out just down the highway. Despite the fact it was halfway across the world, in many ways it reminded her of home. A light dusting of snow made it look as though powdered sugar had been sprinkled across everything. In the distance, mountains rose, their peaks capped with white. The air was chilly though fresh and clear. It did, indeed, remind her of home.

  Lily’s mind flashed back to another time when the air was cool and the mountains were capped in snow. It was to have been the start of a new life for her. The term was to have been wasn’t exactly correct. It most certainly was the start of a new life, just not the one so carefully orchestrated by her father. Everything about her life had changed that night, and nothing had been the same since. She wasn’t the same either. The young, idealistic woman was long gone. In all ways that counted, she had ceased to exist that very night. Who she was these days wasn’t quite clear. What she was did not suffer from the same identity crisis.

  Back in the car, she covered the last couple of miles into Colville in less than ten minutes. She didn’t stop in town. Instead, following the directions Senn sent to her phone, she drove past stores, the post office, and the town park until she located Onion Creek Road. A few miles down, she pulled up in the front drive of the large log home and whistled. This, according to Senn, was the home of Sheriff Quarles, who, as she’d suspected, was not in favor of meeting her at the police station.

  Lily’s first thought as she sat staring at the massive home was that being sheriff in this northern rural county must pay pretty well. Her second thought was that if all the places around here looked like this, she could easily live here. The rustic appearance of the large log home again gave her that wistful feeling of being home, though in another time and in another land.

  Her appreciation of the home and lush landscape was interrupted when a woman came striding out the front door. She was medium height with short, sandy-blond hair that had an intriguing curl to it and crystal-blue eyes that caught the rays of sunshine as she walked toward the edge of the porch that ran the entire length of the house. The tan, long-sleeved sheriff’s uniform with a full belt at her waist fit her well, emphasizing her powerful build and toned body. One long-fingered hand rested on the big black gun in her holster. Her lips were set in a thin line, her eyes narrow as she stared at Lily. Translation: one unhappy woman who was not pleased to see a senior hunter of the Jägers walking up to her porch. Even frowning and unhappy, Sheriff Jayne Quarles was, in Lily’s opinion, kind of hot. Perhaps it was the fitted uniform. She always was a sucker for a woman in a uniform, and this woman wore it really well. Could also be that it had been a long dry spell for her, and she was simply reacting, as anyone would, to a good-looking woman. On the other hand, it might be time for a date.

  Except she did not have time to go out for dinner or anything else, for that matter. In fact, she could not even remember the last time she went out with a woman on a real live date. There had been a couple of hookups over the last few years, one-night stands that scratched an itch without her having to get emotionally involved. Those nights had been actually pretty nice, and the women, exciting and fun. If she’d given them a chance, perhaps there could have been more. She didn’t even try to find out. One night and that was it. Safer that way.

  My, as she thought about that, it occurred to her in many ways she was just like Senn. He chose to hide away in his home, and she chose to hide away inside her own skin. Not a whole lot of difference between the two of them, although she intended to keep that observation to herself. She returned her attention to the woman standing just a step above her.

  “Sheriff,” Lily said as she held out a hand. “I am Lily—”

  She cut her off and not very politely either. “Lily Aver…how the hell do you even pronounce your name?”

  So it was going to be like that was it? “Aver Neen.” She was accustomed to people having trouble with her name. For centuries, she had been patiently giving out the correct pronunciation. Most of the time no one paid attention anyway, so overall it was rarely worth the effort. She did it anyway because, while there was little left of the young woman she’d once been, she still had her name.

  “Ms. Avergne.” Now that was pretty impressive. She might be grumpy, but her pronunciation was pitch perfect. It wasn’t often someone got the right tone when they repeated her name. Made her wonder if perhaps she and Jayne Quarles might have some common Prussian ancestry. That would be nice. It had been quite a long time since she was around others from her homeland, even many generations removed, which logically was the most she could hope for. The sheriff even had the directness that reminded her so much of her father when she declared, “Let’s understand each other right from the get-go. I do not want you here.”

  Not exactly a news flash in that statement. Lily suspected Jayne might not be aware that she gave off a get-the-hell-out-here vibe. Or maybe she was, because somehow Lily had the impression this woman was hyperaware of where she was, who she was, and what she meant to say. She was strong and decisive, and Lily could respect that. Didn’t mean she agreed with her attitude, only that she could respect her style.

  Lily had her own manner, and it was as confident and forceful as that of the woman she faced. What the good sheriff didn’t know was that she’d had a lot more time to hone her confidence and assertiveness. While she might look like a small, delicate woman, it didn’t mean she was one. The reality was quite the opposite. She was small in stature and iron strong in body and spirit. Appearances in her case were most deceiving, and more than one had made the fatal mistake of underestimating her.

  In this instance it also meant that getting everything out in the open right from the beginning was a very good idea. They were on the same side and their end goal was the same: stop the killer. Whether she liked it or not, Quarles was going to have to work with her. There were powers far above her head that backed Lily and Jägers, and they wanted her and her team here. They weren’t going to leave until the threat in this area was neutralized, and that job would be finished a lot quicker if they came together as a cohesive unit.

  Lily let her hand drop. So be it if she refused common courtesies. Rude was nothing new to Lily. She turned her gaze on Jayne and gave her curt nod. “I understand where you’re coming from, Sheriff. I get that you don’t want me or my team on your turf. To make certain we’re crystal clear, please understand that I don’t give a good goddamn what you want.”

  *

  In Deer Park, Kyle pulled into the service station and stopped next to one of the pumps. As soon as he turned the car off, Ava got out and stretched her arms over her head. She still looked tired though she’d slept off and on for miles. “You want some coffee or something to drink?” They weren’t that far from Colville but still had a good fifty miles to go. It was going to be well past sunset before they hit the town limits. Coffee sounded pretty good to him.

  Ava looked over at the convenience store and wrinkled her nose. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked at him with a crooked smile. “I appreciate the offer, but honestly black-tar coffee from a c-store doesn’t hold a great deal of appeal.”

  Looking around he had to admit she was right. It wasn’t like they were out in the middle of nowhere and their options limited. He had a hunch that this little town might have more to offer than gas-station drinks. “Let’s find a coffee stand.”

  She pointed a finger at him and winked. “Now you’re talking, my friend.”

  He finished fueling the car, punched the button for a receipt, and then crawled back behind the wheel
. Ava was already buckled into the passenger seat. They only had to wait for one car before pulling out on the main street into Deer Park. One roundabout and a quarter mile later they were second in line at a nice little drive-through coffee stand. He loved it when a plan came together.

  Once they were back on the highway headed north, he grabbed the tall paper cup and sipped through the two narrow straws. Oh yeah, Ava was right. Way better than coffee out of one those do-it-all machines inside the gas station. This was dark, rich, and brewed just right. He could almost feel the energy flowing through his veins. “Your latte good?” She had opted for steamed milk and espresso.

  Ava closed her eyes and a dreamy expression crossed her face. “Heavenly.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I needed both the stop and the coffee. Even though we’re not that far away now, I was getting twitchy. I’ve been in this car way too many hours.”

  She nodded as she put a hand on his arm. It was becoming a habit he didn’t want her to break. “I totally agree. I’ll be glad when we get there. I’m a bit tired of traveling right now.”

  “I’ll bet you are.” It was a long haul from New Haven to Colville. It was bad enough just trying to get from New Haven to Seattle, and then to throw in the road trip from Seattle to Colville would stretch anyone to the breaking point.

  His observation after a few minutes was the latte seemed to be helping her as much as the coffee was reviving his flagging energy. Color had come back into her face, and she appeared relaxed. In some ways, he’d be sorry when they reached Colville. He liked this time alone together with her in the confines of the car. Once they arrived at their destination, he was going to have to share her. As selfish as it was, he liked having her all to himself.