Nobody carried around silver bullets unless they meant to fight shapeshifters. Silver was too expensive and there were better and more accurate rounds available.
The eardrum-bursting roar of enchanted water engines announced the Pack vehicles passing along the road behind us. We kept moving.
The last echoes of the engines faded.
“Where are we going?” Desandra asked.
“We’re going to Blue Ribbon Stables,” I said. “It’s the closest place to rent a horse.”
“Why?” Desandra asked.
“Because I can’t keep up with you on foot,” I said.
“And she runs like a rhino,” Derek added. “You can hear her a mile away.”
Traitor. “I thought you had my back?”
“I do,” Derek said. “The rhino running is nice. Makes it easy to keep track of you. If I ever lose you, I just have to listen and there you are.”
“Yes,” Desandra agreed. “It’s convenient.”
I laughed.
“Are you always this casual?” Robert asked.
“Derek and I worked together for a long time,” I told him. “He’s allowed some leeway.”
“What about Desandra?”
“She only bothers with protocol when she wants something. The rest of the time it’s lewd jokes and descriptions of plums.”
Desandra snickered.
Robert’s eyebrows crept up. “Plums?”
I waved my hand. “Don’t ask.”
Ten minutes later the wooded path spat us out into Troll’s Ferry Road, and fifteen minutes later we stopped next to the fence near the gate leading to Blue Ribbon Stables. Half an hour gone. We didn’t have much time.
“You better go in by yourself,” Desandra said. “Or they might get scared that Derek and I intend to blow their house down.”
“If there is an issue,” Robert said, “we’re only a few feet away.”
I heard a low guttural sound and I realized it was Derek laughing. Well, at least his sense of humor was coming back. Thank the Universe for small favors.
I jogged to the door and knocked. The door swung open and an elderly black man leveled a crossbow at me. I held up my hands. “Mr. Walton? I need a horse. I called you yesterday and asked you to hold one for me.”
Mr. Walton squinted at me. “About that . . .”
“Yes?”
“I’ve done rented them all.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. “You said you had one and would hold it for me. I sent one of my people here and he told me you took the money.”
“I did say that and I did take it. But you know. Money is a funny thing. The more of it, the prettier it looks. You said you might need a horse and it wasn’t a sure thing.”
Argh.
“You want a refund?”
“I want a horse.”
“I’m all out of horses for this week, but I’ve got a mammoth jenny.”
“A what?”
“Come, I’ll show you.”
He led me to the stable. Inside in the third stall something large moved. It looked like a horse, about sixteen hands or so tall. The man raised a feylantern. A long face with two-foot-long ears looked at me with big blue eyes. A donkey, except it stood about eight feet tall, hoof to ear. Big white spots painted its black shaggy hide.
“What is this?”
“That right there is a mammoth jenny. A female American Mammoth donkey.”
“Is she magic?”
“Nahh. They developed them in the early twentieth century, primarily for mule breeding. She’s a good mount. Good on a trail. She’ll give you a twenty-mile-per-hour gallop in a pinch, but not for long. One thing, though. Most of her kind are sweet. She’s what we call in the business a freak of nature. Smart, stubborn, and ornery.”
“What’s her name?”
“Cuddles.”
Perfect. “I’ll take her.”
The moment I walked Cuddles out of her stall, she turned to face me, stood erect, and put her ears forward. Okay. When a horse was ready to be aggressive, she typically put her ears back. This, I didn’t know. Donkeys were a new territory for me.
“What do the ears mean?”
Mr. Walton shrugged. “Means she isn’t sure about you. Donkeys are stoic animals. They’re not horses with long ears, you know.”
Okay. If Cuddles were a horse, I’d wave the lead at her to make her take a step back. In horse dominance games, whoever moved first lost face. Something told me it wouldn’t work here. “Do you have any carrots?”
Mr. Walton crossed the stable to the front and brought me a large carrot.
“Thanks.” I took one, bit into the top, and made loud chewing noises. “Mmm, yummy carrot.”
Cuddles opened her eyes a little wider.
“Mmm, delicious.”
Cuddles took a step forward. I turned sideways and tried to chew louder. Cuddles clopped toward me and nudged my shoulder with her nose. I held the carrot in front of her and petted her cheek. She ate the carrot and looked at me.
“Very nice,” Mr. Walton approved. “You’re a donkey whisperer.”
“You got more carrots?”
Two minutes later I packed three pounds of carrots into Cuddles’s saddlebags. He let me have them for free “on account of Cuddles isn’t a horse and I did rent your mare out from under you.” If a herd of giant donkeys crossed our path and needed to be subdued, I had it covered.
I rode out of the stables on top of an eight-foot-tall donkey that looked like she had robbed a Holstein cow and was now wearing the stolen clothes. Robert gaped at me. Desandra made a weird face: her right eyebrow crept up, her left went down, and her mouth got stuck somewhere between surprise and the beginning of the word “what.” Derek’s mouth opened and didn’t close until we came to a halt next to him.
“What the hell is this?” Desandra asked.
“This is Cuddles. She’s a mammoth donkey.”
Derek grinned, leaning on the fence. “Do you have any self-respect left?”
“Nope.”
“I think she’s cute.” Desandra reached out.
Cuddles promptly tried to bite her. Desandra jerked her hand away and bared her teeth. “Donkey, you don’t know who you’re messing with. I’ll eat you for breakfast.”
“Where to now?” I asked.
“Hold on,” Robert said. “I’m still . . . coming to terms with your mode of transportation.”
“Take your time.” I nudged Cuddles, turning her to give him a better view. Cuddles flicked her ears, lifted her feet, and pranced. Oh dear God.
Derek put his head down on the fence and made a moaning noise. Desandra chortled.
“Okay,” Robert said. “I think I’ve absorbed. I am ready for strategy planning now. Could you please stop prancing?”
“She isn’t done.”
It took another thirty seconds and a carrot to get Cuddles under control.
“How do we get into the territory without being killed?” I asked.
“We can try the northwest approach,” Robert said. “It’s more lightly patrolled. But with the current state of things, they likely doubled the security. They’ll be looking for us.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“I could go alone,” Robert offered.
“If they find you, we’ll never find your scout or the crime scene,” Desandra said.
He spared her a look. “They won’t find me.”
Sure, they won’t. Pointing out that his pride was getting the better of him wouldn’t be politic. I had to say something neutral.
“Accidents happen.” Kate Daniels, Master of Diplomacy.
“We can come in on one of their usual patrol routes,” Derek said.
We turned to him.
“They know our patrol routes,” the boy wonder said. “So we shift them when there’s an emergency. They’ll likely do the same, leaving the original route open.”
“Likely?” Desandra shook her head.
“Like
ly is what we have,” Robert said.
“I don’t like it,” Desandra said. “I don’t know about you, but I have two babies to go home to. We could be walking right into their patrol.”
“We won’t,” I said.
“What makes you so sure?” Robert asked.
“We have a real-life vampire detector with us,” Derek said.
It was my turn to be looked at.
“You keep staring, I’ll have to do a dance or something.”
“You can sense vampires?” Robert asked.
“Yes.”
“From how far away?” the alpha rat asked.
“From far enough to give us time to hide.”
“Okay,” Robert said. “Then I vote for the patrol route.”
Desandra surveyed me as if she had met me for the first time. “What other fun things can you do?”
I winked at her. “Stick with me and you might find out.”
“We can go through the quarantine zone,” Derek said. “Even bloodsuckers stay out of there.”
“There’s probably a reason for that,” Desandra said.
“Fortune favors the brave,” I told her. It also kills the stupid, but I decided to keep that fact to myself. “Come on. We need to hurry.”
5
NIGHT DRENCHED ATLANTA’S streets, blue-black and viscous like ink. It slid down the ruined buildings, gathering in the empty holes of the windows, and dripped into the rubble-choked alleys. Cuddles clopped down the street, the sounds of her hoofbeats sinking into the darkness. Robert and Desandra moved with me on my left, Derek on my right. Robert didn’t jog; he glided completely silently, his movements small and fast. Desandra and Derek had dropped into that long-legged wolf stride that would let them go for miles and miles. Derek’s face had gone flat, neither brooding nor hard, just ready.
I didn’t brood either. I had a target. I would take care of it. The trick was not to think of everything I would lose if I failed.
I should’ve made more time for me and Curran. I should’ve . . .
I slammed that door shut. Fix this mess first. Guilt, regret, and moaning later.
Our people would find Curran and if they failed, I would find him. He was okay. We would be together again. I’d bury Hugh’s head next to Hibla’s grave. I already had a spot picked out for her. Right next to Aunt B. Maybe my nightmares would stop then.
Derek stopped and pivoted on his heel, looking behind us. He tilted his head down, his expression predatory, his unblinking eyes staring at a fixed point in the distance, where ravaged houses cast deep night shadows onto the street. His muscles tensed and his mouth opened slightly, betraying just a hint of his teeth, as if he were a wolf frozen in the moment before a strike.
I reached for my sword. Robert put his hand inside his jacket. Desandra smiled.
“Come out,” Derek said. “You’re busted.”
A shadow separated from the deeper night shadows and stepped into the street. An angelic face looked at us with devil eyes.
Damn it all. “Ascanio!”
The bouda sauntered forward, a picture of pure innocence on his face.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growled.
He pulled on a disarming smile like a shield. “Following you.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
So help me God, I would brain him with something heavy in a minute. “Because why?”
“I wanted to come. It’s too dangerous for you and I’m concerned.”
Derek snarled quietly under his breath.
“You can’t blame me,” Ascanio said. “Anybody in my place would be concerned. You don’t even have a proper horse. You’re riding a mutant equine of unknown origin.”
“Don’t disrespect my donkey. If you wanted to come, why didn’t you say so?”
Ascanio gazed at me, broadcasting sincerity. “Because you would say no. And I would never disobey you, Alpha.”
Argh. “Did you tell Jim where you were going?”
He looked taken aback. “Of course not!”
“Why not?”
He spread his arms. “Because he would say no.”
I put my hand over my face.
“Technically, I haven’t disobeyed any orders,” Ascanio said.
I pointed at him.
“Okay.” Ascanio took a step back. “I understand you need a moment.”
“Would you like me to beat him?” Derek asked.
“Personally, I don’t think this is a good time to be fighting among ourselves,” Ascanio said. “But if Mr. McBroodypants would like to see how much I’ve learned in the past year, I’d be happy to show him. It would make a lot of noise and draw a lot of attention with all the blood flying around.”
Mr. McBroodypants took a step forward.
“No,” I said.
Derek growled quietly under his breath.
Ascanio shot me another brilliant smile. “I’m sorry for all this trouble. I honestly was just trying to help. But now that I’m here, I couldn’t possibly go back all alone and defenseless. Unless you want to condemn me to certain death. Alone. In the night. In the freezing rain.”
Desandra laughed.
“It’s not raining,” I told him.
“How old are you?” Robert asked.
“Sixteen,” Ascanio said, suddenly dropping the plaintive tone. “Not old enough to drink or sign a contract, but old enough to be tried as an adult if I kill a human. Also old enough to fight for the Pack.”
Robert’s eyebrows crept up. “Old enough to accept the consequences of your decisions?”
“Yes,” Ascanio said.
Robert glanced at me.
That was exactly what I needed. A hundred forty pounds of teenage crazy in a pressure cooker. “Fine.”
Derek glanced at me. “Really?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me, incredulous. “So he gets what he wants?”
“Yes. We’re too close to the People’s territory. If we chase him off, he’ll just keep following us and walk himself into something he wouldn’t get out of. And if the People get hold of him, they’ll use him as leverage against us.”
Ascanio beamed.
“Look at me,” I squeezed through my teeth. “You will obey me. If I say ‘stop,’ you stop. If I say ‘jump,’ you jump. If I say ‘hold your breath,’ you’d better pass out before you start breathing again.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“This isn’t over. If we survive this and get back to the Keep, I’ll have a talk with your alphas. You think the Beast Lord is scary, wait until we get back to the Keep. I promise you, after I am through with you, you’ll regret this.”
“I’m regretting it already,” he promised.
I turned Cuddles. Ascanio trotted over next to Derek. Derek snapped his teeth. Ascanio winked at him. “You know you missed me.”
We turned up the street.
Now I had two of my personal bodyguards. Too bad their average age was seventeen and a half. That reminded me . . . “Desandra?”
“Hmm?”
“The blond curly-haired guy with Jennifer. What’s his story?”
Desandra sighed. “Brandon. He just turned twenty a month ago. A classic case of second child syndrome: he has an older brother who is better than him at everything and he’s pissed off at his parents, because they mostly ignore him. Jennifer is really good at making him feel special. That’s her secret talent. She picked up on his insecurities and made him feel like he’s her hero. From what I found out, that’s how she got Daniel, too. He must’ve had some inner demons that needed soothing. The woman is very good at it, I’ll give her that.”
“How loyal is Brandon?”
Desandra shrugged. “Jennifer is older, attractive, more sexually experienced, and higher up on the food chain. Brandon is dying to be appreciated and praised for the special treasure that he is. Plus, I’m pretty sure she’s playing that whole forbidden-sex card. ‘I want you but we can’t. It would be so wrong.’ I know they
haven’t slept together yet, but she must’ve dropped hints, because she’s got a leash around his dick and when she tugs, he comes running. He would throw himself off a cliff for her. That put-down I did on the bridge wasn’t for his benefit. It was for the others, in case they get any wrong ideas, because let me tell you, Kate, if Jennifer tells him to stab you in the back, Brandon will do it.”
Nice to know. Yet another wolf to beware of.
“Derek?” Desandra looked at him.
“Yes?” he said.
“Let’s say I do make a bid for the alpha spot. What will it take to earn your support?”
He shrugged. “I’m just another wolf.”
“We both know that’s bullshit,” Desandra said. “You’re a member of Curran’s inner circle. You’re practically family. You have a lot of pull in the clan. What will it take? Would you like the beta spot?”
Derek smiled. “No.”
“Aiming higher?” Desandra raised her eyebrows.
“No. I watch them.” Derek nodded at me. “I can see how happy the alpha spot makes them.”
“The sarcasm, it burns,” I said.
“Why do you want it?” Derek asked.
“I can make things better,” Desandra said. “I can make the clan run smoother. I can make the people feel safer and happier. And one of my children is a monster.”
If the younger of Desandra’s twins ever tasted human flesh, he would become lamassu like his father. He’d grow wings and huge teeth. We weren’t exactly sure what else he was capable of.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Ascanio asked.
Desandra smiled at him. “Jennifer will never let him grow up in the Pack. She all but said so.”
Jennifer, you dumbass.
“I’ve spent my life under an abusive alpha,” Desandra said. “I know what it’s like to be at someone’s mercy. My children won’t grow up persecuted. If I have to take the alpha spot and hold it to make sure they have a happy childhood, I’ll do it.”
A deserted building sat on our left, sagging to the street, thin streaks of graffiti staining its walls like tears. Robert squinted at it. “One moment.”
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