Serpent Moon

by Unknown

  Tatya was gathering her purse and clipboard in a hurried fashion and didn’t seem to notice anything odd about what was going on. Ivan leaned back against the wall and regarded her for a long moment. Finally, when it seemed she was ready to leave, he spoke.

  “Vere exactly are you taking our new Alpha, Tatya?”

  Eric winced inwardly. Ivan’s voice was taking on a Russian accent. That was never a good sign. If Tatya noticed, she didn’t show it. She was patting her pockets, apparently looking for something, and didn’t even bother to turn his way. She tucked her hand into her purse and extracted a cell phone. “I’ve arranged for a mobile MRI trailer in Cortez to save me the last spot on their schedule. But we have to leave now to make it before they go. It’ll take at least an hour to get there.”

  It took another long silence before it finally occurred to Tatya that something was amiss. Maybe it was the growing wave of power flowing from Ivan that stung skin. Eric hadn’t seen him raise power like that in a very long time. Of course, he was always capable of it. You don’t rise through the Wolven ranks and then get to be the personal guard of the Chief Justice if you can’t fight off even the toughest opponents. But Ivan was remarkably even tempered. Normally he didn’t raise much of a fuss about anything. Now, however, Tony backed his stool a little and winced, then scratched at his bare arm, likely to relieve the same biting ants sensation Eric was experiencing.

  A deep, resonant growl rumbled from the great bear’s huge chest. “And how exactly did you plan to hide the evidence this time, Tatya? You are, according to your own words, on the schedule. There will be lists and reports and data—photographs—in a computer. You vill be having human technicians looking at scans of, one would presume, a supernatural throat and chest that have stumped our best people. Ve have no idea vat they’ll find. Super capacity lungs? An abnormal voice box? Are you going to ask Wolven to clean up your mess again? Vill we have to threaten them, pay them off, or even kill them? Vat could you possibly imagine you’ll find that vould be worth that sort of trouble?”

  There was a long pause, and while Tatya seemed at a loss for words, her underlying scent wasn’t confusion or fear. It was anger. “I’ve already worked out the details, Ivan. It’ll be in my report to the council, and is none of your concern.”

  Ivan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Doctor Santiago, the council has given you a great deal of leniency due to its affection for you and your husband and things you’ve done in the past for the Sazi. But you’ve already proven your inability to vork out the details. You’re barely off probation for the fiasco in Boulder.” He raised one hand in a frustrated gesture that matched the scent now roiling off him. “After all of Wolven’s efforts, in conjunction with the council, the healers, and the seers, to keep the testing of Mr. Thompson a complete secret, why would you make plans, to satisfy your own personal curiosity, that could ruin everything?”

  She gritted her teeth, obviously unaccustomed to being spoken to in such a manner. Her scent was strong enough to choke on, peppery and thick with anger and embarrassment. “I am not ruining anything. I simply thought of the MRI at the last minute. I have contacts with the company we used to use in Boulder. They’re discreet and allow me to handle the equipment personally while they go out to dinner. I’ve been trained and have my certifications. There’s no more danger in this situation than there was when I was the healer in Boulder and had someone’s knee scanned. As soon as I explain the situation to the council, they won’t have a problem with it.”

  Ivan’s eyes narrowed even further. He had small eyes anyway, but when they narrowed, they nearly disappeared from his face. “Then pray proceed. Explain the situation.”

  She stood in an odd attempt to look down on him. That was impossible, of course. Even sitting, he was taller than the tiny blonde. She raised power in a hot wash that let them know she wasn’t one to be trifled with. Yet Ivan simply stared at her until she was forced to speak. Her words dripped honey, and her scent was sweet and cloying, betraying the dark glee that lurked underneath. “If there was a council member here, I would.”

  “There is, so please proceed.” Uh-oh. He’s using that voice. That’s never good. Eric moved back from what was about to become a battle zone and made several sharp jabs with his thumb so Tony could see it behind Tatya’s back. The other man casually stretched and stood, moving with Eric toward the rear of the room, near the emergency door.

  Eric didn’t sit down until he was right next to the door and immediately began pulling on his shoes. He needed to be ready in case he’d be running through the cactus in a few minutes to escape the explosion.

  The healer let out a small laugh, either not knowing, or uncaring of the great bear’s anger. “You’re not a council member, Ivan. I know all the council members.”

  Ivan stood slowly, stepping closer to her, keeping the same level of power as he approached. She let out a little shudder, but didn’t otherwise acknowledge the magic. “Perhaps you did at one time, but you’ve been out of favor for some time now. You’re neither an Alpha, nor the wife of a councilman. I was voted the council representative of the bears at the last quarterly meeting.”

  She stiffened. “Lucas didn’t tell me that.”

  Ivan tightened his power around her. Tatya’s purse dropped from her shoulder and she didn’t move to pick it up. She didn’t have the ability to do anything. Ivan had frozen her in place. “Lucas was advised to keep a tighter grip on his tongue as you’ve proven you’re incapable of keeping secrets. With the addition of the Hayalet and the volatile situation in Bosnia, the council decided that a new seat was needed. I was elected unanimously.”

  It must have taken a tremendous amount of will-power to speak, but somehow she managed it. The words were mumbled, making it sound like she had cotton in her cheeks. “What new member? What situation? I’ve only been out of contact for a few months. That much can’t have hap—”

  Ivan increased his power just enough that she froze completely. “And yet, that much has happened. The ghost tiger, Rabi Kuric, was nominated for a full council seat as the representative of the Hayalet Kabile, in order to secure safe passage through his territory to keep watch on our enemies. With Antoine Monier as his new brother-in-law, Angelique’s raptors unrepresented until she recovers from her injuries, and the additional support of Ahmad for the snakes, Charles had little choice but to approve the nomination. As for the situation in Bosnia, that is none of your concern. It’s a Wolven matter and, as I said, I doubt Lucas will have much to say to you about it.” He raised his eyebrows and crossed his massive arms over his chest. Then he released the woman so abruptly that she stumbled and wound up on her knees. “So, explain to me your reasoning for this test.”

  Ivan mentioned enemies, which was confusing. To the best of Eric’s knowledge, the Sazi had no enemies, just lawbreakers. If that had changed, he needed to know before he took over a pack that might have to be protected. It might not be a bad idea to spend some more time with Ivan . . . perhaps when Tatya was talking with the technicians.

  Before the doctor could get to her feet, Eric raised his hand to catch Ivan’s attention. “You know what, Ivan? Let’s just go ahead and do it. I’ve always been kind of curious, and the scan’s already on the schedule. I know you have good aversion magic. If Healer Santiago can handle the equipment, we can be in and out of there before the technicians even know what happened. And once we get a healer posted down here, maybe we can try the tests again.”

  Ivan’s sigh spoke volumes and Eric felt himself tense. “I wish we had one available, my friend. There simply aren’t that many.”

  He felt his head shake even before he could think of the words to say. “I don’t like that. We’re too far from a decent hospital, particularly with the Boulder pack splitting up. I’m going to be the only Alpha, and if anyone gets seriously injured in a dominance fight or hunt, we’re in real trouble. Could we at least get a piece of one? Someone who comes around every few weeks or so on rotation?”

&n
bsp; This time it was Tatya who shook her head. “There truly is nobody. Right now there are only five true healers in the world. Me, in Paris; Amber, who splits her time between Germany and Washington; Raven, who’s second in command of Wolven, and he already has five packs to keep track of. Betty’s in Albuquerque, but that’s too far to travel here that often—”

  Eric felt a growing unease. “Patrice, the healer in the Canada pack, recently died, and they haven’t found a replacement for her either.”

  “Oh!” Tatya looked stricken, turning to him abruptly. She actually smelled wet with sorrow, which threw him off guard. “I hadn’t heard about Patrice’s death. I’m so sorry. Please offer your mother my sympathy. Well then, I guess there are only four of us. There are a few with minor healing abilities, like Raven’s father, Raphael, and Duchess Olga in Chicago, but they lead their own packs. They can’t just leave to visit yours at the drop of a hat.”

  Eric mentally tallied in his head once more. “What about Holly Sanchez?”

  Ivan’s brows raised just as Tatya’s lowered. “Who?”

  “Holly. The woman Lucas sent to Australia to deliver the council’s request for me to take over this pack. She’s out of the Boulder pack.”

  Tatya let out an odd chuckle. “She’s not part of that pack anymore. She resigned, as I heard it. She’s the daughter of the pack omega and a human. If she has any healing ability at all, it won’t be enough to be any good to anyone.”

  Once again, Eric felt his hackles rise. “I beg to differ. She’s actually an exceptional healer. Before I came into contact with her in the Outback, she stopped at Crocodile Annie’s place outside Tarcoola. The old woman was nearly dead after a snake bit her, and Holly healed her right up.”

  Ivan blinked in surprise. “How did you come to find this out?”

  Eric shrugged. “Annie’s a friend. We’d meet up nearly every Saturday at the local pub to raise a pint, and when she didn’t show, I went to go find her. She was just getting on her feet again and raved about the young doctor who’d healed her. Holly also fixed up Jake, Annie’s old dingo mix with hip displasia, who, I might add, hadn’t walked properly in nearly five years. Annie called it a miracle and insisted I stay to meet her when she got back from getting supplies in town. Good thing I did, or I might never have gotten your message.” He remembered other things about Holly, too—her bright brown eyes and sweetly scented hair and the way her laugh made his pulse race. If she wasn’t attached to a pack . . . well, why not ask her to join his?

  Tony spoke up. “If she’s the same girl I met in Boulder a few months back, she was pretty damned good. A nurse got sliced up pretty bad and Holly healed her nearly as fast as I’ve seen Betty do. I remember the nurse saying that she’d been doing all their healing for a few months and everybody liked her.”

  Tatya still sounded dismissive. “Well, she’d still have to be tested, and I doubt she’d pass. I’ve known Holly her whole life. She’s not terribly impressive . . . at anything.”

  “So,” Ivan said with more than a hint of disdain in his voice. “When you were taken off probation six months ago, your sole assignment was to find and train new healers so we wouldn’t have such a shortage. You were to visit each and every pack and use your magic to search for the ability. Yet, in a world filled with wolves, you had a potential healer in your backyard and simply ignored it? You never even asked who was doing the healing in Boulder after you left?” The noise that rumbled from his chest was more than a growl, but less than a snarl.

  “The council has lamented the fact that nobody has been presented to the healers’ circle for testing—thinking that perhaps the ability has disappeared from our people, but I’m beginning to think something very different.” He shook his head and turned toward the door. “You must have very strong shoulders, doctor. I will be waiting in the car. I will drive you to this scheduled appointment.”

  Eric winced at Ivan’s words. Tatya only smelled of confusion. After the door had closed behind him, she turned. “You worked with him, Thompson. What did he mean when he said I have strong shoulders?”

  He walked past her toward the door. “It means you’ve been getting plenty of exercise, doctor—digging your own grave.”

  Chapter Two

  “WELCOME TO COOBER Pedy, Australia, darlin’. Good luck finding your sister. Sorry I wasn’t more help.” The elderly man tipped his sweat-stained leather hat as Holly grabbed her suitcase and got out of the pitted, rusty Land Cruiser. The sun was just rising past a series of tall hills of sand, which she’d learned were tailing piles from opal mining. They surrounded the town, making it look like a valley, instead of the flat desert it was.

  Her smile of thanks was genuine, but the one she got in return was not. There was something about the man that was deeply angry, but the emotion was too far below the surface to even inquire about. He probably couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t angry. She smelled it behind the dust and sweat like roasting jalapenos at a farmer’s market. She smelled his fear too—a tang that tightened the glands at the back of her jaw. Still, she refused to let it change her mood, and refused to give into the wolf that lurked below the surface. “Thanks for the lift, Mr. Bates. It would have been a long walk in this heat.” Actually, it would have only been about fifteen minutes, but it was hot so she was grateful for the air-conditioned ride. Even at sunrise, the temperature was hovering around a hundred, if the thermometer in the car could be trusted.

  He pulled away from the curb just as the lights lining the main street began to flicker off. Holly turned and stared at the attractive rock face of the building housing the Black Opal Lodge. Rose’s letters and phone calls had made the town sound like a throwback to the Stone Age. But while not large, the town had paved streets, landscaping, and seemed like any other small mining town she’d ever visited in Colorado. Oh sure, it had the eclectic oddities. The “Big Winch” in the center of town really was a big winch, and signs warning of the danger of falling into one of the hundreds of mine shafts that dotted the outskirts of the town were all over the airport. Her nose had registered the distinctive scent of decayed flesh wafting on the breeze—some of it human—so the signs weren’t there just to amuse the tourists.

  Her favorite bit of memorabilia, though, was a leftover spaceship from a movie she remembered seeing a few years back. It was one of dozens of old movie props lying around randomly, as if there would be another scene shot after dinner. But hey, even a spaceship was nothing compared to some of the strange things towns on the Colorado plains could boast.

  She wished she’d been able to reach Rose to tell her she was coming, but her phone was out of service. I hope Dale didn’t already give up on the mining idea and move. Holly loved her brother-in-law, but wondered how her sister could stand constantly moving from place to place, to the next get-rich-quick scheme on the list. It had been nearly a month since she’d heard from her sister, which was unusual. Either things were going amazingly well and she was too busy to call, or she was too broke to afford minutes, and too proud to ask for help. Both had happened in the past, so there was no way to judge.

  Still, since Holly had finished the assignment Lucas had given her nearly a week early, she might as well visit. It seemed silly to change the date of the plane tickets when she could have a little fun. She picked up her bag and walked into the motel, letting the cool air evaporate the sweat that was making her bangs stick to her forehead. The young woman behind the counter was about her age. Even though she was professionally dressed in a tailored white shirt and jacket, she wore multiple earrings and a spiked and highlighted blond mop—the style nearly identical to what Holly saw every day in downtown Denver. She looked up from her computer as Holly walked across the tastefully decorated wood and stone entry.

  “G’day, miss. Welcome to Coober Pedy. Can I help you?” She smelled of eucalyptus and spearmint, but with a touch of citrus that said she was happy. But the scents couldn’t completely eliminate the obvious—the girl was a snake shifter. She sme
lled oddly musty, but not with the sharp, pungent tones of a viper. The two women acknowledged each other’s identities with a slight tip of the head that no human watching would recognize.

  “Sure. I need a room for . . . well, actually I don’t know for how long. Tonight for sure, but I’m visiting family, so I might stay with them starting tomorrow. I don’t know how big of a house they have. In fact, I don’t even know where they live yet. It’s sort of a surprise visit.” She smiled ruefully at her own rambling, not sure why she was telling the girl all of it. When she was done she paused, hoping she didn’t sound as stupid as she felt.

  But the woman only flicked out her tongue to lick her lips and then laughed brightly. “Well, you tell me which family and I’ll tell you where they are and whether they’ll have room for ya. There’s not many folks in town I don’t know. There’s not that many of us, as you could probably tell.”

  “Dale and Rose Barry. All I know is that they live in one of the underground houses on the edge of town.”

  The woman tapped one finger on the keyboard and clicked her teeth together. “Barry. Barry . . . They’re not locals. Full blooded?”

  Holly shook her head to show that they weren’t Sazi, but human. “They’re new in town, probably six months. From America. He’s a miner.”

  Another light laugh showed off perfect white teeth that would shrink when she shifted to become tiny rows lining her mouth. “Who isn’t, darls? Not many cockies in this town . . . farmers I think you call them. No, we’re all either diggers, or would like to be, and at least half of us live in dugouts. But I do seem to recall some new people over near Roy’s place. Tell ya what, miss. You check in and get a quick rinse and I’ll make some calls. We’ll find ’em for ya.”

  “That would be great. It’s been a really long day and I could use a hot shower.” She held her hand out across the desk. “I’m Holly, by the way. Holly Sanchez, in case someone wonders who’s looking for Rose and Dale. She’s my sister.”