"Are they dangerous?" Ashe searched Winkler's face for clues.
"Yes and no," Winkler said and left it at that. "Come on; let's go meet the candidates for Principal. You can tell me what you think."
* * *
Ashe shook hands with Catherine Copeland and her husband, Barton, from the Louisville Pack, learning that Catherine had been Vice-Principal at one of the school districts there. "I've already examined the test scores," Catherine said to Winkler as they settled in the DeLuca's family room. "They're all right but I think they can be better." Ashe disliked her immediately.
"Which scores?" Ashe asked. "There aren't very many students. Which scores are you talking about?"
"That's to which scores are you referring?" Catherine corrected his English. Ashe mentally intensified his desire to pass the GED.
"My apologies, ma'am," Ashe nodded politely. "To which scores are you referring? And how will your feelings toward shapeshifters affect your ability to run a school such as Star Cove Combined?"
"I will only answer those questions for the interviewing panel," Catherine replied haughtily.
"What if I want to know?" Winkler lifted an eyebrow. Catherine Copeland's head swiveled toward the Dallas Packmaster. She'd been courting him the entire time, Ashe knew. It was Mr. Winkler this and Mr. Winkler that, but when a prospective student opened his mouth, she became cold and arrogant.
"Children will be treated the same in my school," Catherine insisted. Ashe wanted to point out the lie, but held his tongue. He imagined that Winkler could smell a lie just as easily as he could.
"Of the seventy-eight students here, how many are werewolf and how many are shapeshifters?" Winkler asked innocently.
"Fifty-six werewolves and twenty-two shapeshifters," Catherine replied promptly. Winkler had asked that question for a reason, Ashe knew. If the race truly didn't matter, then she would have pointed that out. It was obvious that she'd studied this—had looked through the records already and knew which students were werewolf and which were shapeshifter. Ashe didn't want another bigot in the Principal's office. He'd seen enough of that already.
"How do you feel about moving to Texas?" Winkler turned his attention to Barton, Catherine's husband.
"Not a problem. I've been promised a position by the Grand Master if Catherine gets the job."
"What position do you think that might be?" Winkler straightened the crease in his black jeans. Ashe wanted to smile. Winkler dressed casually unless he had a business meeting, but he always looked tailored and well-dressed anyway. Ashe figured the jeans alone had cost quite a bit. The snakeskin boots? Probably made to order for the werewolf Packmaster.
"Some sort of administrative position, I think," Barton replied coolly. "Perhaps assisting Catherine in her work. I ran an insurance office in Louisville."
"Did you like selling insurance?" Winkler asked.
"Of course. I still do that part-time. If you have any insurance needs, I can give you one of my cards."
"I'll consider it," Winkler inclined his head. Ashe knew what that meant—Winkler was dismissing Barton Copeland politely. He was seeing a bit of the Winkler who sat in boardrooms and important meetings. This was a colder, more calculating Winkler. The Dallas Packmaster had already assessed Catherine and Barton Copeland, finding them shallow and inadequate.
"Ashe, are you ready to go?" Winkler stood with an easy grace.
"Yeah." Ashe stood as well and followed Winkler out of the DeLuca's house. They walked past Ashe's home on their way to the Anderson's. Ashe hadn't seen Wynn anywhere and imagined she might be with Dori. Dori's home was Winkler's next objective; he strode purposefully toward the Anderson home, leapt up the steps leading to the porch and rang the doorbell with a flourish, turning to wink at Ashe while they waited for someone to answer the door. Ashe's assumption proved correct—Dori and Wynn both answered the door.
"We're here to visit with Dexter Beesley," Winkler announced, smiling at both girls.
"He's in the kitchen, schmoozing Mom," Dori muttered, refusing to look at Ashe. He wasn't surprised, either, to find Sali, Marco and Cori sitting at the island with Lavonna Anderson. Dexter Beesley slid off a barstool and introduced himself to Winkler first. He wasn't as tall as Winkler—his hair was a medium brown with eyes nearly the same color. Dexter was dressed in a suit, even in such hot weather. "Dexter Beesley," he pumped Winkler's hand enthusiastically. "From the Boulder, Colorado Pack. I've always wanted to meet you, Mr. Winkler." Winkler managed to pull his hand away, resisting the urge, Ashe figured, to wipe it on his jeans afterward.
"And who is this?" Dexter Beesley turned his smile on Ashe, extending his hand again. Ashe took it and everything shifted.
* * *
"Just keep him guarded," Winkler ordered. Trajan, Ace and Marco watched Dexter Beesley struggle with the silver handcuffs and ropes that bound his hands. He sat in a chair beside Winkler's desk, growling and angry. He'd shouted at first, but Winkler threatened to end him so he was quiet for the most part afterward. Winkler had already spoken with the Grand Master and now they all waited for Nathan to wake and place compulsion. Weldon Harper merely wanted verification of what Ashe had already seen. Winkler stalked out of his office and went to find Ashe.
"Ashe, they've been hunting this guy for two decades," Winkler settled on the sofa next to Ashe. "His victims—all those young girls—have disappeared throughout the past twenty years. I think that's how long he's lived in the Boulder area. If we figure out where he was before then, well, other things might come to light. Matt Michaels is working on this, too. His contacts at the FBI may be able to close the books on this tonight."
"Winkler, that was the most horrible," Ashe shuddered at what he'd seen, unable to complete the sentence. Dexter Beesley had already marked Wynn as his next victim when Ashe and Winkler met him at the Anderson's. Ashe's throat closed up every time he saw those images replayed in his mind—Beesley had mentally planned Wynn's murder.
"Kid, I'm just glad I decided to bring you along," Winkler admitted. "I didn't like him from the start but I wouldn't have known why."
"What will happen to him?" Ashe asked. He was almost afraid to know the answer, but after what he'd seen in the visions, he wanted an answer of some kind.
"If everything comes out under compulsion, he'll be executed. If Marcus doesn't want to do it, Trajan or I will take care of it. Weldon was clear—no vampires on this one. This is werewolf justice."
"This time, I don't disagree with that." Ashe felt nauseous. The day had gone from really bad to much worse.
"Ashe, this is the way we have to dispense justice. You and I know that werewolves and vampires are different. They're too powerful to be placed in a human jail. It doesn't work; we’ve tried it in the past. This is fast and everybody knows what will happen if they run afoul of the laws and get caught."
"Mr. Winkler, you don't have to convince me. I saw too much of what he did."
"I wasn't sure we were going to get you back for a while," Winkler grimly agreed. "I was calling your name for minutes afterward; you wouldn't let go of Dexter's hand. He was screaming there at the end."
Ashe didn't tell Winkler what he'd done—he'd tried to give as much pain back to Dexter Beesley as Dexter had given to his victims. Dexter begged to be taken away from Ashe after Winkler finally pulled him off. "Come on, there's still one more candidate to speak with," Winkler patted Ashe's knee. "Let's go see what he's about." Ashe followed Winkler out of the house.
* * *
"Alvin Wright," the shapeshifter extended his hand to Winkler. Ashe stared. The man was huge. Nearly as tall as Trajan, Alvin Wright was broad across the shoulders and looked like a powerful, shaggy wall. "But people call me Bear," Alvin Wright grinned. His smile was nearly as big as he was.
"Bear Wright?" Ashe gaped. "That's what the GPS says every time it wants us to go in that direction." Ashe wanted to clap a hand over his mouth after he'd said the words—Bear Wright might toss him into a wall with a careless swipe of a han
d.
"Yeah. I laugh every time," Bear's grin grew wider. "But they called me that before those things were invented. Maybe I should sue for infringement."
Ashe couldn't help grinning back at the man. He was dressed casually and seemed muscular and fit while thick, light-brown hair stood out from his head, lending a more rugged cast to his bearing. Ashe couldn't help but think Bear Wright might fit well in a photo ad for outdoor clothing or equipment. Bear's nose, too, was slightly crooked—as if it had been broken a time or two. Warm brown eyes were still laughing as he pumped Ashe's hand, his grip firm and confident.
"You know the Grand Master?" Ashe asked as they took seats in the O’Neill's living room.
"Yep. Weldon and I got into trouble a time or two when we were younger."
Sharon O’Neill served glasses of iced tea and soft drinks to her guests. Jonas, normally quiet, was content to listen as Winkler and Ashe talked with Mr. Wright. "Got into a big fight with some sailors at the docks in San Diego during dubya-dubya two," Bear said. "Weldon had eight or ten on him. I was a yeoman at the time. I waded into that crowd and dispensed a little justice."
"The Grand Master was in the Navy?" Sharon sounded surprised.
"Nah. He was a Marine. I was Navy. He could have taken them down on his own, but how could you explain that afterward? With my help, no explanation was necessary."
"Quick thinking," Winkler said.
"Had to do something. Couldn't allow a fellow shifter to get in trouble, could I?"
"Uh, could you tell me—do you mind telling me, that is," Ashe began.
"I’m a bear," Bear Wright grinned. "Hence the nickname."
"And what do you think of shapeshifters who turn into tiny bats?" Ashe had to know.
"Kid, every shifter can do amazing things. I don't care if they're a gerbil. Ever see the damage a gerbil can do to walls and carpet? They’ll try to tunnel through anything."
Ashe tried to cover a snicker, and then just let the laugh go. "Heard you had a bad day already," Bear Wright observed when Ashe stopped chuckling. "Don't let things get you down, kid. We're in this together."
* * *
The hour or so that Ashe had spent with Bear Wright was the highlight of his day. Now the uncertainty was back as he waited in the kitchen with his mother. Nathan would be asked to deal with Dexter Beesley when he woke—Aedan usually handled those assignments but there was the letter to consider. Marcus had already told Adele that he'd have some of his werewolves patrol the community. Aedan had the night to spend with his family.
Aedan always knew when something was wrong. Adele sat at the kitchen island, staring at her hands. Ashe had never seen her so defeated. "What is it?" Aedan sighed as he took a seat beside Adele.
"This." Adele pulled the letter from the drawer and handed it to Aedan. Aedan hesitated, as if he could hold off the news and keep his life as it was for a few moments longer. Finally, his fingers grasped the envelope. Ashe watched as the weight of it settled onto his father's shoulders. Slitting the envelope open with a slightly extended claw, Aedan pulled the folded paper out and opened it.
* * *
"Take him to Shirley's groves," Weldon instructed on Winkler's speakerphone. Nathan had placed compulsion, Winkler asked questions while the Grand Master listened in and now Dexter Beesley was scheduled for termination. "I’ll call the Boulder Packmaster and schedule a meeting. Winkler, how hard will it be to bring Ashe to Colorado in a day or two?"
"Let me get back with you on that—I don't know if the Council is recalling Aedan and how quickly he might have to leave if they do."
"Understood. Let me know."
"Will do," Winkler muttered. "Come on, filth," he hauled Dexter Beesley from the chair he'd sat in for questioning. Nathan watched the Dallas Packmaster, his Second and three other wolves carry Dexter Beesley out of the house. Sighing, he walked out behind them, hurrying to get to Aedan's home.
* * *
"I go tomorrow," Aedan said. Ashe watched his father pace on the deck behind their home. "The Council's jet will be here to take me to New York, and then from New York to London on Monday night."
"Aedan," Nathan had come to join them.
"Nathan, it's time they knew," Aedan raked fingers through his hair. Ashe and his mother stared at Aedan. "You have to watch over them, son."
"What?" Ashe started to say something else when Nathan agreed quietly.
"I’m Nathan's sire," Aedan admitted, sitting beside Adele on the glider. "I’m eight hundred sixty-seven years old, Ashe. You’ve always wanted to know—there it is. Nathan, I charge you with taking care of Ashe and his mother."
"I will, father."
"Aedan, don't put this on him. What if they want him back, too?" Adele stood and walked to the edge of the deck, arms folded tightly across her chest.
"Adele, they renewed Lavonna and me last year," Nathan sighed. "Wlodek may be an ass at times, but he seldom goes back on his word."
"So we're not married anymore?" Adele whirled on Aedan. "Go on, say it. Say we're not married anymore." Ashe felt like crying. His mother was in pain and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"Only in the Council's eyes." Aedan was beside Adele in less than a blink.
"Ashe," Nathan had his hand on Ashe's shoulder, urging him up. Ashe rose from his seat and followed Nathan into the house. "We’ll patrol the perimeter while your parents talk," Nathan said. Ashe dutifully followed Nathan from the house and walked beside him as Nathan navigated the street through the Star Cove paranormal community.
Worried over what his parents might be discussing, Ashe shadowed Nathan as Nathan sniffed his way through the addition, looking for anything unusual or out of place. Finally, Ashe spoke. "Nathan?"
"Hmm?" Nathan's focus was elsewhere.
"Dori was able to send mindspeech to me," Ashe said. "I think that's something that ought to be kept away from the Council." Nathan stopped dead at Ashe's words.
"When?" Nathan's eyes shone silvery in the moonlight.
"When the others were kidnapped and held on St. Joseph Island. I was trying to send mindspeech to her and Sali. I didn't get anything from Sali, but I did from Dori. She probably doesn't remember that now, so forget I said anything."
"Ashe," Nathan sighed, "Send mindspeech to me. I’ll try to send something back. That runs in families, you know."
Can you hear me? Ashe sent. Nathan tried to send something back, but was unsuccessful.
"No luck," Ashe sighed. "I couldn't hear a thing." Nathan pulled his cell phone from a pocket and dialed. Lavonna's voice came through clearly to Ashe's enhanced hearing. "Love, will you meet me in front of the Dodd home?" Nathan asked.
"I’ll be there in a moment," Lavonna answered and hung up. Ashe, worried that he might have stirred something up unintentionally, waited while Lavonna made the trek to the other side of the neighborhood, finding Nathan easily in the dark.
"Love, Ashe will send you mindspeech. When you receive it, see if you might send something back. Concentrate hard, my darling."
"All right," Lavonna nodded. Can you hear me? Ashe sent.
I can hear you! Lavonna's mental voice indicated her astonishment. Ashe was no less surprised to get something back from her.
"It's from you," Ashe whispered, staring at Lavonna Anderson.
"We will not speak of this outside this circle," Nathan instructed softly. "No one else is to know."
"I understand," Ashe said. He did. Nathan didn't want his wife to be targeted by the Council, any more than he might. With the information he'd gotten from his mother on the attempts to turn women, Ashe worried that Lavonna's life might be in danger.
"This is important," Nathan said, gripping Lavonna's shoulders.
"Nathan, I know what they're doing to Adele and Aedan. There's no way I want that to happen to us. The secret stays here." She patted Nathan's cheek gently and walked away.
"It stays with us," Ashe agreed and began walking down the street.
"Ashe, they’ll t
ry to pull you to them," Nathan said. "I had a choice when Aedan made me. He asked me as I lay dying upon the road. I was attacked by thieves," he added. "Aedan appeared and asked me if I wanted to live, no matter what. I said yes. I woke four days later thirsty for blood. You, on the other hand, may not be given a choice."
"Yeah," Ashe nodded, staring at his shoes. "Nathan, I’m sorry if your life has been difficult." Ashe nudged a small rock with the toe of his athletic shoe. It skittered down the paved street a short way before rolling to a stop. Ashe sighed as he watched it.
"It has been bliss, the past fifty-one years," Nathan replied softly. "I hope for another fifty years or more with my Lavonna. And my daughters."
"I hope you have that and more," Ashe said.
"I won't ask that you forgive the Council or any vampire, Ashe," Nathan said. "They can be quite selfish at times in their desire to protect the race."
"I’m glad you won't ask," Ashe said. "Because I won't forgive them. When Dad leaves tomorrow, I don't think things will ever be the same again." Ashe walked away from Nathan.
"If it ever comes to it, try not to let them know you're not susceptible to compulsion. Unless you're ready to defend yourself against them," Nathan called out softly.
"Don't worry about that, all right?" Ashe walked faster.
* * *
"Who wants to take this?" Winkler eyed Dexter with distaste. Trajan, Trace, Marcus, Marco and Ace had all come to a vacant portion of Shirley Walker's groves. Plowed ground and piles of dead vegetation surrounded them as Dexter Beesley's fate was considered.
"I’ll take it," Ace began to unbutton his shirt.
"No. Dad," Marco looked at his father. "It's time I bloodied my muzzle."
"Then do it, son. Don't stop until it's finished," Marcus commanded. Marco jerked his head in a brief nod.
"Come on, filth," Marco growled at Dexter. Winkler and Trajan began to remove the chains from Dexter Beesley's hands and feet. "Get out of your clothes and turn."
* * *
When Ashe arrived at his home late the evening before, his parents had taken the SUV and driven away. He didn't hear them come in until nearly daybreak. Ashe didn't know what that might mean. His mother had gone to bed immediately after, his father had locked himself inside his underground shelter. Ashe, lying in bed awake, hadn't gotten to speak with either of them. He tiptoed out of the house after putting breakfast together and walked past the DeLuca's house to get to the beach for a run. Bear Wright was just coming back from a walk, carrying a few shells in rather large hands.
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