Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf (Black Swan 4)

by Danann, Victoria

  As an afterthought, he decided to revise the comment about finding other werewolves like himself. Humility just wasn't a good fit with his personality.

  The next day he was to meet a guide and make plans for a tour of some of those other worlds. He walked until he found himself near Drift's encampment. As he approached he amused himself with the thought that he had been walking aimlessly and had "drifted" there. The old wolf didn't care for human-style structures. He had never slept in a building for even one night of his long life. His home was teepee style, made of thick tanned buckskin fitted together like patchwork, then stitched with latigo lacing.

  The tent flap was up in welcome. "Son of StalkingShadow, come. You are welcome in my home."

  Stalkson smiled and crouched so that he could enter. He sat across the small fire from Drift, who was smoking a thin pipe. Age had drained the color from his eyes making them exceptionally pale and a little eerie looking.

  Drift took the pipe from his mouth. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

  "About what?"

  Drift laughed. "Going. Or staying."

  The king didn't answer at first, but appeared to be concentrating on something in the blue flames. "I don't have the answer."

  "Well, when you do, you will know."

  Grey smirked at him. "Was that supposed to be profound or just your usual folksy bullshit?"

  Drift laughed harder. "Let me know when you find out for sure."

  "I didn't see your name on the list."

  "Oddly, I was ready to pass in peace and reunite with my mate, but the prospect of this fine adventure has made me a little sad that I'm too old to start over."

  Grey nodded. "And LongPaw? Does he also think he is too old?"

  The old wolf had a curious look on his face. "You'd have to ask him." Stalkson rose to go. "Spirits with you, Alpha."

  "I'm coming back, old one."

  "See that you do."

  He'd received very specific instructions from the youngster Glen Catch. By face phone, Glen had told him that his guide, named Deliverance, would arrive at 0900. Grey's initial reaction had been to think, "How bad could someone be with a name like Deliverance?"

  As preparation, Grey had been told that Deliverance would transport him to Jefferson Unit by highly unusual means, that he would need to maintain physical contact during the trip, and that he should not let go under any circumstances. Highly irregular, but easy enough.

  He hadn't asked Catch what to wear, but the kid had volunteered that he should dress for comfort. At 0830 he had wolfed down some venison flank steak and eggs with a little overcooked spinach mixed in, showered, dressed in jeans, pulled his hair back into a leather tie, and was waiting. At exactly 0900 there was a polite knock at the door.

  When the king opened the door, the visitor became a guest for all of thirty seconds. Before Grey knew they were leaving, Deliverance had taken the wolf's forearm into his powerful grip and delivered him to the conference room next to Sol's office. The king wanted to take the occurrence in his stride, but there was a difference between entertaining a thought and processing an experience. The fact of being instantly transported across the country was a shock that took getting used to. And his stomach felt a little queasy.

  He recognized Catch, Monq, and Elora Laiken, of course, but there was another man and woman he had not previously met.

  Litha was closest to their point of arrival. Deliverance pulled her into an embrace and kissed her temple. "This is my daughter, Litha."

  Litha beamed like a daddy's girl. "Hello."

  The king noted that father and daughter appeared to be the same age, which meant they must age like werewolves.

  Waving her hand toward Sol, Elora said, "This is Sovereign Nemamiah, your wolfiness."

  Sol gave Elora a look of reprimand then offered his hand to Grey.

  "I see you've met the demon."

  Grey's head jerked toward Deliverance. "Demon?"

  Deliverance shook his head and smiled, "A rose by any name..."

  "S'okay, Grey. He's a semi-good guy." Elora tried to reassure him.

  "Semi?" He scowled at Elora.

  "You worry too much." She pointed to his forehead. "Those what-the-fuck lines between your eyebrows are just going to get deeper and deeper until they're frozen there even when you smile."

  Sol stepped in. "Please forgive the Lady Laiken. She meant no insult."

  "Actually," said the werewolf, "I'm used to being insulted by Mrs. Hawking."

  Glen's eyes widened. "She lets you call her Mrs. Hawking?"

  Grey laughed at him and just like that the tension over the demon in the room dissipated.

  Ram came in, his blonde hair looking damp from the shower and darker than usual. He raked his wife with a look of sexual interest as he closed the door behind him. She responded with a promising smile. Observers probably wouldn't guess that they were married and had been sharing a bed together just a couple of hours earlier.

  "Sorry for the tardy. Nanny was runnin' behind as usual." He nodded at the king. "Grey."

  "Please, everybody. Sit." Sol took his usual place at the end of the table closest to the door. "There's a coffee and tea service... Can we get you something?"

  "No. Thank you."

  "Very well, then. Let's discuss what we came to discuss. As I understand it, the number one priority is finding a situation where there are available females for mating purposes." Even though that was a statement and not a question, Sol looked to Grey to confirm or deny.

  "That is the priority, although about half my tribe has expressed an interest in migrating to a place more conducive to our way of life. To answer your point, would it be possible to look for mates in the, uh, same dimension our ancestors colonized?"

  Sol looked to Deliverance to answer that question. He stared back at Sol until Litha said, "Dad. He wants you to field that question."

  "Field the question?"

  "Answer it."

  "Okey-dokey." He looked at Grey. "I don't have to tell you that werewolves are typically territorial. Most of the time they wouldn't be welcoming off-world males come courting. They'd see it as poaching.

  "However..." He stopped for a dramatic pause, "...I do know a dimension where male werewolves routinely mate with human women. The human male population dwindled because of war and male infant mortality, but the female population thrived. Their biology must be a little different because they breed without any problems and their offspring are werewolves - strong."

  "Hybrid vigor," Monq said thoughtfully while stroking his chin like he had an invisible goatee and looking at Glen.

  "An overpopulation of human women that are attractive to us. And they produce purebreds?" Grey sounded hopeful and dubious at the same time.

  Deliverance grinned. "Oh, yeah. All you can eat pussy buffet."

  "Dad!" Litha was stifling laughter while trying to appear scandalized for propriety's sake. The overall effect was a suggestion of rapid cycle bipolar. Truthfully, she knew from experience that it was better to laugh than to try to domesticate her sire 'cause that simply wasn't gonna happen. Others, however, were not always as tolerant of his antics.

  "What?" The demon looked baffled as to why his daughter was doing that correcting thing she did.

  Litha turned to Grey. "He's an incubus, which means his perspective on sex is very unorthodox, which means inappropriate comments are inevitable."

  "Hellooooo. I'm in the room, you know." He rolled his eyes at Litha and continued. "We would still have to get clearance from the occupying species, but it's not an overpopulated dimension. There may be enough open space and available females so that neither would be an issue for them."

  Ram and Elora had both seen Glen bristle when Stalkson Grey specified that he wanted offspring to be "purebred". Naturally they both felt defensive about their boy. Ram quietly excused himself, holding up his phone as if to say he needed to step out and make a call, but when he walked behind Grey, he flipped him off with a big grin for G
len who smiled in response and relaxed, knowing there were two retired knights who had his back and his feelings, too.

  "We could establish a territory of our own?"

  "I don't know everything about how wolf politics work. Could be tricky, but I can ask if the idea appeals to you."

  "And you could cause interdimensional ill will that gets us banned from contact for generations." Litha turned to Sol. "Honestly. The idea of my father as diplomat is scarier than a French horror movie. When you asked if he could assist with Order business, it never occurred to me that you were going to try and make an ambassador out of him. The phrase 'lost cause' comes to mind."

  Deliverance cocked his head and looked at her with interest. "So. What are you saying?"

  Sol cleared his throat. "I understand your concern, Litha, but our demon is the only game in town."

  Arching an eyebrow, Deliverance said, "Our demon???"

  "Um, forgive the error. Definitely a misplaced pronoun." Sol looked at Litha. "I get it. Diplomacy is hard. One wrong word..."

  "...has been known to start wars," Litha finished for him.

  "Yeah."

  Everybody was silent while they absorbed that. Ram was as inconspicuous as it was possible for Ram to be when he came back into the room. As he took his seat, Elora gave him a smile of approval for the well-placed bird and a silent high two.

  "Well, if you won't be needing me further, I'll just slip away..."

  "Sit down, Dad. We need you here. And stop looking like your feelings were hurt. That won't play either."

  Litha got a perfectly demonic grin in response. She shook her head and rolled her eyes like a teenager.

  Having been quiet for some time, Stalkson spoke directly to Deliverance. "It seems to me, if I'm understanding correctly, that you've been visiting these various worlds and mingling with their inhabitants off and on for a long time."

  The demon nodded. "Eight hundred years. Give or take."

  "How many wars have you started because you said the wrong thing?"

  "None."

  "In that case, on behalf of my people, I would like to ask that you do what you can for us. We will be obliged for whatever that is."

  The demon said nothing, but offered his handshake in the custom of Loti Dimension humanoids. "Very well, wolf. You've got yourself a guide."

  As they shook hands, several of the meeting attendees, who were there to ensure that an agreement was reached, were thinking that they should have stayed out of it and let the demon and the wolf handle it between themselves to begin with.

  As Stalkson Grey, the werewolf king, and Deliverance, the Incubus, talked quietly, beginning to devise a plan, Sol said, "I think the rest of us are just in the way. We might as well go about our business and call this a success."

  Sol was first out of the room. Litha waved to Elora and disappeared before Elora could ask how 'things' - meaning pregnancy issues - were going.

  Glen filed out with Ram and Elora. "Thanks, Mom. Thanks Dad."

  In a clear gesture of affection, Ram put his hand on Glen's shoulder. "'Tis Sir Hawking to you, rookie."

  "Hey, you should give me some respect. In two years I could be running this place." Glen looked around like he was imagining it before turning back to face Ram and Elora. When he saw the smirks on their faces he laughed. "Yeah. I don't believe it either."

  Three nights later Stalkson Grey was reading an Isaac Asimov treatise on alternate dimensions by his fire and getting drowsy enough to think about going to bed, when he heard a knock at the door. He stood and set the old-fashioned, paper book on the table next to his mug of mulled wine that had gone cold before he'd finished it.

  The king opened the door to a shirtless demon. "Deliverance. Come in. You must be cold."

  "No. Not at all."

  Grey's brows drew together slightly. "Can I get you something? I can warm up some mulled wine."

  "I only consume sex energy."

  "I see. Well, not really. What do you mean?"

  "Dude. Do you not know the meaning of incubus?" Grey looked like he might be struggling for the right words. "I don't eat or drink. I'm sustained by having sex." He held his arms out. "And, as you can see from the state of my vigorously thriving good health, I do alright. You could say I'm prosperous."

  "Well, would you like to sit down then?"

  The demon sat in a large, leather chair that was worn but generously sized and comfortable.

  "I have some properties to show you that match your specifications."

  "Properties?"

  "I heard it on 'House Hunters'."

  "Oh."

  "Okay, seriously. I tried the dimension where most of your ancestors settled. When I explained the situation, they said their world can easily accommodate another tribe. They kept calling you cousins and they almost seemed to like the idea of assimilating you.

  "Then there's the dimension I told you about that's been favored with an overabundance of feminine occupants who are human with the propensity to whelp werewolves. They're not really interested in immigrants, but they agreed to give your young males one month visas to look for mates. If in thirty days they find a bride and convince her to go, it will be with the blessing of the local authority.

  "We can move everybody in your tribe who wants to go to Lunark, where your 'cousins' are. Your boys can go vie for brides in Shrifthet and then join the others on Lunark when they're mated. I can show you some uninhabited dimensions that would be suitable if you prefer a true frontier, but this seems like it might be the best fit."

  "You think the Shrifthet females would be willing to leave their families?"

  "Depends on incentive I guess. Are your boys attractive?"

  Stalkson had to think about that. "I honestly don't know whether they'd be considered attractive to humans or not."

  "Well, what have they got to offer? Are they skilled as lovers?"

  "Actually, most of them, maybe even all of them will be new to sexual experience with a female."

  Deliverance was abashed. His mouth worked for a few seconds without making sound. Finally he managed to whisper, "Great Balls of Fire."

  "I assure you it's not that they aren't eager."

  The demon's body shuddered involuntarily when he tried to imagine life without women. "Have you... given them instruction?"

  "Me? No! Of course not. They'll figure things out. It's not that hard."

  The demon snorted. "Not that hard? Maybe it's not that hard if you're a wolf mounting a female in heat, but human women? That's a whole other story. Their anatomy, along with their sexuality is far more complicated. It's not hard for me because I was born knowing what to do, but most men never 'figure things out' to the satisfaction of their mates.

  "Somebody had better take them to school before they go shopping for wives. They're going to have to offer some powerful motivation to get girls to give up their friends and families and home world. A push in with a squirt just won't do it."

  Grey winced at that. "What do you suggest?"

  "I don't know. Training classes?"

  Stalkson laughed out loud. "Training classes? Really?" He seemed to grow more serious the longer he thought about it. "Thank you for offering. I don't know how we can refuse."

  "No. I didn't mean I would do it. I'm not a teacher. I'm an incubus."

  "Well, I'm the spirit-damned Alpha of this tribe. You think it's my job to tell a gang of young bloods, 'Put this there'? No thank you very much. You're the one who's qualified."

  Deliverance studied Grey for a minute. "I'll think about it. If I do it, you can come. I mean, you can attend."

  "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Can you show me what we're talking about before we get deeper into planning?"

  "Sure. You ready to go?"

  "Ah, I guess." Bed had been calling before the knock on the door, but Grey realized that he was fully awake. If he went to bed at that point, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

  "First stop, Lunark Dimension. I wore a belt for y
ou to hang onto. Take hold and don't let go until we get there. And, wolf, it would be very bad if you let go."

  Grey nodded and prepared himself for that unpleasant sinking of his stomach that felt like an elevator dropping too fast. The trip took a couple of minutes longer than it had taken to get to Jefferson Unit in New Jersey. One minute they were in halls of gray fog, then, without warning, they emerged onto a pink granite mesa overlooking a large settlement by a wide river with water so teal blue it didn't look real. It was early morning. The sun had barely cleared the horizon. The air was a little crisp but perfumed with a smell like ground thistle leaves.

  "That's it." Deliverance pointed downward. "We'll walk from here. I've learned that it's not a good idea to startle people when you want something from them."

  Stalkson turned in a circle. From that vantage point he could see that there was plenty of room in every direction for running and hunting. Temperate climate. Nature at her very best. He followed his guide down the path toward the village.

  Everyone watched as the demon passed. The locals looked at the strange werewolf with curiosity, but not animosity. They were met by a delegation that included the tribe's Alpha, SilverRuff. She acknowledged Deliverance quickly and nodded toward Grey. "Is this one of them?"

  "Yes, ma'am. This is Stalkson Grey." Grey was careful to avoid holding eye contact with her for too long, as it would be a sign of disrespect. "He is pleased with your generous offer of welcome to his tribe."

  "Stalkson Grey. This world has enough resources to support many tribes for many generations to come. If there are tribes other than yours who wish to leave the human world, we will make room for them as well."

  "Thank you, ma'am."

  The demon looked into Ruff's rust-colored eyes. "Shrifthet Dimension authorities have agreed to give Grey's young males thirty days to find wives. Will your people accept human women?"

  She frowned. "It would probably be easier on your tribe and mine if you establish your own territory. We know how much space we need for hunting and running and will not be greedy beyond that. We will welcome your people, offer friendship, and help you build, but it would be better for your tribe to stay intact and preserve its ways.