All of a sudden Ava stiffened, and the hand holding her latte started to tremble. He jerked the wheel to his right and almost drove off into the gravel before straightening the car. “What’s wrong?”
“The air’s changed,” she said as her eyes scanned the horizon. A whisper of concern in her voice captured his immediate attention. “Something is out there.”
He took a deep breath and tried to pick up on whatever she was sensing. Didn’t smell any different to him, and it sure didn’t feel any different. “I’m not getting it.” Not that he really expected to. He might be able to raise the dead, but beyond that he was pretty much a regular guy.
She was shaking her head. “It’s not like that. It smacked me like a wave or a blast of power that sent every nerve in my body buzzing. I’ve only had that happen a couple of times before.”
Whatever it was that touched her so powerfully blew right over him because he didn’t feel any different than he did a mile ago. They were getting closer to Colville and the day was fading. Dusk was settling in and pushing out the light, making the trees on the side of the road dark and ominous. He glanced over at Ava and believed what she was telling him even if he didn’t feel it. The shadows he could see in her eyes hadn’t been there a moment before, and the color in her cheeks was long gone. Something had hit at her at a very deep, instinctual level. This was a development he didn’t much like.
Kyle took another deep breath and still couldn’t distinguish any difference in the air. To him it was plain old fresh air of the type he didn’t often experience in the larger California cities he often found himself in. “Tell me what it is because I’m not feeling anything odd, and nothing is making the nerves in my body buzz.” Now she was making his body buzz, not that he thought it was a good idea to tell her that right at the moment. He figured there’d be time enough for that later.
Her head was moving right and left as she scanned the landscape outside the car window. “I don’t know,” she told him. “I can’t seem to pinpoint what it is or where it’s coming from. Ever experienced a feeling like someone was running a feather up your spine?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “That’s what it feels like. An ice-cold feather whispering across my nerves. I don’t like it.”
“I’m thinking it’s not a good thing.” He was, in fact, starting to get a bad feeling about this. What he knew from working with Ava before was that she was incredibly sensitive to the environment around her. If she said she was sensing something odd, then she was, and it meant whatever they were about to face was pretty darned powerful. He was even more grateful that their team lead was Lily.
Ava turned her face toward him, her eyes dark and serious. It was nice to see a little of the color returning to her face, even if her words were grim. “I think it’s a very bad omen. Kyle, how quick can you find where we’re supposed to be? I need to talk to Lily.”
Glancing up at the navigator mounted on the dash, he told her, “I say we’re fifteen minutes out, give or take a few.”
“It’s waning,” she said almost absently as she turned around to peer out the back window and the terrain fading behind them. She turned back around in her seat and put her hand on his arm again. “I still think the sooner we meet up with Lily the better. This is pretty unusual.”
She sounded calm, yet the tone of her voice made him jumpy. “On it.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and glimpsed what could have been the flash of a tail disappearing into the trees. “Did you see that?”
She shifted in her seat and once more stared out the back window. “What?”
“I could have sworn it was a coyote running into the trees.” Or a wolf, he didn’t add. But then again, it could have been his imagination. He’d wait and see.
Chapter Four
Despite the appearance of the Jägers hunter on her doorstep, Jayne was still far from convinced that her killer was of the preternatural variety. That the bastard was anything except ordinary old flesh and blood was going to be a hard sell. This person was, without question, an evil soul, only in her experience it would probably turn out to be one who was very human. She’d spent her entire professional career dealing with people who were cold-blooded and could harm others without so much as blinking an eye. This wasn’t much different than cases she’d run up against in the cities across the country where she’d been sent in to stop criminals.
Okay, maybe this was a little different. Actually, things around town had been off lately. Everything had been oddly quiet. Not that Colville was exactly a hotspot for activity. It was, however, a typical small town that happened to also be the county seat, and under normal circumstances, it sort of buzzed with low-key activity. People stopped and talked to each other, and gossip flowed like water. For whatever reason, the last couple of weeks had been hushed. She attributed the change to the suspicious deaths, and she didn’t blame folks for being cautious and sticking close to home. These kinds of things were upsetting even in the big cities. Here it hit the residents even harder. She figured once the killer was apprehended and locked up, everyone would wander back out and life would get back to normal.
The fact that the city council had called in the Jägers and couldn’t wait for her to do her investigation grated on her big-time. If the meddling sons of bitches would just let her do her job, she’d get this thing handled. But no, their dear sheriff needed outside help to bring down the big, bad killer. She’d like to think it was just because they were afraid the perpetrator was not completely human. Deep in her heart she knew it was more complicated than that simple explanation. It really came down to the fact that she was a woman, as in the first woman sheriff ever elected in this county, and they didn’t believe she had the balls to do the job right.
To be fair, not everyone held her gender against her, and she had a lot of support throughout the county. If she didn’t, she’d have never been able to beat Phil Redman in the election…twice. So, the last thing she should have to deal with right now was being second-guessed, yet all it took was a cranky few who still believed in the good-old-boys system to convince the entire council to take the call that pissed her off.
Damn it anyway, she didn’t need that kind of help, and if she did require assistance, she still had friends in the marshals service, not to mention the Washington State Patrol, the FBI, and a couple other agencies with nifty initials that she was comfortable calling. So-called paranormal hunters were nothing she needed at the moment or ever, for that matter. Nope, she sure as hell didn’t.
Now this little sprite of a thing with long black hair and dressed in blue jeans, a black sweater, and a leather jacket was not just coming into her town to show her up but also basically telling her to go to hell. Righteous indignation was hers to own. The problem was she hated herself just a little for finding this Lily and her attitude rather fascinating. She wanted to despise her outright and not feel a little zing of attraction.
After being informed that the Jägers were sending in someone to assist, she’d imagined the kind of person who would show up. In her head she’d pictured a brute of a man who would stomp in and declare that he was here to save the day with his lightsaber or something equally ridiculous. It was most definitely not a beautiful woman with an intense stare and more than a touch of attitude. This could possibly be a far more interesting experience than she’d first envisioned, and she could hardly wait to see the looks on the council members’ faces when they got their first peek at the hunter sent by the infamous Jägers. No good old boy here, and that actually made her want to smile. She didn’t, though, because it would send the wrong message to this Lily Avergne. Regardless of any tickle of attraction, Jayne still didn’t want her here.
“You’re in my town,” she said. Avergne might be cute, but she was also full of shit, and that Jayne didn’t have time for. There was enough shit going down around her lately. She didn’t need it imported too.
Lily squared her shoulders. “I don’t mean to be rude or disrespectful, Sheriff, I really don’t. You just
need to understand that I am very, very good at my job, and I intend to do what I came here to do. I would prefer to work with you, but I will hunt this monster down and stop it with or without your assistance.”
She was irritating before, but now she was really getting on Jayne’s nerves. “Look, Ms. Avergne…”
“Lily.”
Jayne couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. Enough already. “Lily. I don’t need your help to stop this killer. I don’t know what you’ve been told, but this isn’t my first rodeo.” Not ever having met Jayne, Lily certainly had no idea that she’d spent over ten years as a deputy U.S. marshal before being elected sheriff in this county five years ago. Lacking law-enforcement skills was not how she showed up for her first day at work. She’d been involved in some big and messy cases and cleared them all. When she’d left the U.S. Marshals Service to come back to Colville she had a clean record. As far as she was concerned, she planned to maintain that record here, and she was perfectly capable of doing it without this particular kind of help.
“Exactly how many werewolves have you tracked down, Sheriff?” Lily had her hands folded in front of her and her expression was neutral, though her dark eyes almost sparkled. Her voice was like that of a teacher trying to get a point across to a particularly dense student.
Frankly, Jayne was sick and tired of people throwing around the word “werewolf.” It had been bandied about at the council meeting as well, and it was annoying as hell. How exactly had their society evolved from fairy tales and folk legends to believing it was all real? Yes, she did understand there were some things beyond the realm of what she considered reality. Werewolves and vampires and other such creatures were not, and to her, they were still simply fictional creatures. “That would be zero because there are no such things as werewolves.”
Something flashed in Lily’s eyes that Jayne couldn’t quite define. Up close her eyes were so dark they were almost black, and they were most definitely hypnotic. In the back of her mind she suspected Lily knew that and used it to get her way. Wasn’t going to work on her. She wasn’t the kind to bend her principles on account of long lashes and pretty eyes.
“I tell you what, Sheriff.” Lily didn’t bat her eyes or flutter her lashes. She stared into Jayne’s eyes with a directness that was bold and daring. “Despite your obvious unhappiness with my presence, I’m not leaving, so how about you do your investigation your way and I’ll do mine my way. When it all shakes out, we’ll check to see where you stand on that belief.”
God, how many ways did she have to spell it out to this woman? Were all of them from the mysterious organization this bullheaded? “I don’t need you interfering with my investigation. You’ll only be a liability and get in my way.”
Lily broke the stare by shaking her head. “The way I see it, you don’t have any choice, and as far as anyone becoming a liability there’s far more chance of you being one than me.”
Christ, talk about pissing her off. First, because it was true that she had no choice, and second, because Lily had the gall to throw it in her face. It was beginning to be very clear to Jayne that Lily was as beautiful as she was irritating. She hoped to hell she caught this killer soon so she could send this little spitfire back to whatever dark corner of the earth she’d emerged out of. Biting back what she really wanted to say, she said instead, “No. I don’t have a choice about your being here, so we’ll do what we have to do, and then you can hop back up on the horse you rode in on and get the hell of out of my town.”
Lily nodded. “Fair enough. Now that we understand each other, I’ll go back to town and get a hotel room. The rest of my team should be showing up before long, and I want to get them briefed as soon as possible on how we’ll be working with law enforcement.”
“Great,” she muttered. “More of you.”
“Indeed, and they should be here anytime. Kyle sent me a text when they pulled out of Deer Park.”
Jayne really did want to scream now. “Fucking A, like I need more people in my house.”
“We’ll be staying at a hotel in town.”
She might not have any choice about these people being here, but that didn’t mean she was completely powerless. There were some things she could still control. “No, you won’t. You’re here, and I can’t do anything about that. I can make sure you’re not out running around town and causing problems I don’t need. You and your team will be staying right here. Welcome to Hotel Quarles.”
*
Bellona stood on the deck and looked out over the river. The water was blue and incredibly smooth today. It was nice to wake up to this kind of view, and it was one of the reasons the idea of staying here for a while had appealed to her. The landscape was a little like where she grew up, with mountains and forests and fresh air. Sometimes she missed her childhood home. Not very often but every once in a while.
For a change she wasn’t feeling the overwhelming urge to move away, even though she’d been here for a few months. Strangely, she liked it here, and not just because it reminded her of home. It had been a long time since she’d met someone who was so enthusiastic about joining her lifestyle. Most of the time people were frightened of her if and when they learned of her closely held secret. Not Little Wolf. She’d been fascinated, and Bellona was not immune to the feelings of flattery that brought up. When Little Wolf had suggested creating a makeshift family, at first she’d thought no way, and then when she’d pondered it a bit more, it became invigorating. To say it was refreshing was an understatement. As much as she loved what she was and how she lived her life, especially these days, there were times when she was quite lonely. She missed her friends and the feeling of being connected. Lately she was remembering that feeling, and she liked it.
Standing out here with the fresh air filling her lungs, her body buzzed and it made her smile. It always happened this way. The closer the full moon got, the more her nerves tingled with anticipation. The excitement built for days before the night when the moon rose full and golden. Those were glorious nights, and she soared as she absorbed the energy that poured forth from the power of the moonlight. The thought of sharing the full moon with Little Wolf made it even more special.
As if she’d said her name out loud, Little Wolf came walking across the expansive lawn, a coffee cup in her hand. The sight made her smile grow. She loved the way she moved, her long strides and confident manner. It was what had drawn her to Little Wolf in the first place. Every so often she came across someone with the swagger and attitude that matched her own. At least for a while, she would enjoy their company before moving on to her next horizon. This time, the itch to move evaporated, and she knew a lot of it had to do with Little Wolf’s embrace of the lifestyle. She loved it. She loved her.
“Coffee?” Little Wolf offered her the large mug she held in her hands. “It’s cold but it still tastes great.”
Bellona shook her head. Coffee was a beverage she’d never developed a taste for. It had not been something that was part of her formative years, and in fact she hadn’t even been exposed to it until many years later. Excellent tea, now that was a different matter altogether. She rarely turned down a good cup of tea. Her roots showed when it came to her drink of choice.
“No, thank you, love, but I’ll join you for a cup of tea.”
Little Wolf took her hand as she came up to meet her on the deck. She kissed Bellona and then said, “It was so beautiful this afternoon that I had to go for a walk. You were still sleeping so I left you and went out alone. I never noticed how lovely the woods are and how fantastic they smell until you came along. You’ve made everything more interesting and intense.”
She understood what she meant. Most people only noticed things on a superficial level until she gave them what they needed to go deeper. Only then could they appreciate what had been there in front of them all the time. The sights, the sounds, and the smells, all joined together to create a world with depth and flavor.
Her mind turned back to a night long ago. She’d h
oped to share the wonders of her world with the woman of her heart, only it ended badly. She’d never quite gotten over what had happened, though she’d learned some valuable lessons that night. Not once in the years since had she made a similar misstep. Now, Little Wolf, on the other hand, was going to have to be watched. She recognized the same sort of recklessness in her that Bellona herself had embodied in her younger days.
“Did you take your boy-toy with you on your walk?” The last time Bellona had seen him, he’d still been in the barn and Little Wolf was doing her best to clean him up.
Little Wolf shook her head and a frown darkened her face. “He’s sleeping in the cell. Typical guy. It’s like he has a hangover and needs to sleep it off. Hot as some guys can be, they can also be lazy bastards.”
The cell was a locked room-sized gun safe in the basement of the large house that Bellona had used to contain Little Wolf until she had mastered at least some control over her change. It was actually well thought out for her to have placed their newest member of the family in there. She’d seen it before with men. The change was brutal when it hit them, and well, as far as she was concerned, they often took it far harder than women. Whoever said males were the tougher sex had never been around a man going through the change. Oh, he’d be fine in a day or two, but in the meantime, the cell was a very good place for him.
“Good idea. You’ll need to keep an eye on him, although he should sleep for at least another twelve hours or so if history is any indication.”
“He was out cold last time I checked. Come on.” Little Wolf held out her hand. “I’ll make you a cup of your favorite tea. I picked up a fresh supply when I went into Spokane yesterday.”
She Wolf Page 4