Shadow Moon

by Gaja J. Kos

  To anyone watching, it would look like pride. But I knew…

  A growl trickled from my lips and rolled through my room, my gaze burning into Schultz’s broad face—

  The feed went black.

  “No…”

  The footsteps and voices were almost at the door now, but I was transfixed by that pitch darkness. Even my breaths were nonexistent as terror, possibilities, and a vision of a future I didn’t want to see rushed through me all at once.

  Then, as if flipping a switch, something inside me unlocked.

  I sprinted towards the door, taking the fucking thing right off the hinges in an explosion of splinters and trampling those who were standing the closest along the way. Shouts ricocheted off the walls, the mass of bodies shifting—some aside, some leaning over as if they could hope to stop my maddening run.

  Fingers wrapped around my hind leg, followed by a flash of pain in my joints. I careened into an office door, then jerked around and clamped my teeth on the woman’s wrist. She swore, but loosened her hold.

  I got the fuck away before she could realize her mistake.

  Scents of ICRA agents and Zentrum employees rode the air. Some of the latter recognized me, calling out my name, while the agents opted for force.

  Without thought or remorse, I snapped at their hands, their stomachs, at whatever the fuck got in my way as I aimed for the stairwell. The ICRA agent I’d smelled in the break room earlier had brought friends, the three of them now moving to block my path, guns out and aimed to kill.

  At the very last second, just as I felt the tension within them permeate the air with the sickly scent of perspiration, I changed my course.

  I slid low across the ground, then leaped over the banister. Shots fired in my wake, but there was nothing but the compound walls for the bullets to embed themselves into as gravity pulled me down.

  My paws connected with solid ground, claws scraping the linoleum as I rounded the corner and sprinted on. I cleared the surprisingly vacant stairwell without pause, my muscles burning as I pushed them harder—then nearly tore a tendon as I came to an abrupt stop.

  The lobby—it was teeming with agents.

  Thanks to the unnatural currents of the air conditioning, as well as my own haste, I’d failed to sense them earlier.

  The sight of armed supes, however, didn’t frighten me. Just fed my fury.

  Isa had brought her people in. But they were here instead of out there on the court where the true danger lay. They weren’t a barrier to prevent the storm, but the fucking cleanup crew who would follow its tracks all the way to where it originated.

  The impulse to rip into them all until they were nothing but carrion ran highly in my veins, but I knew that with their firepower and training, I might have harmed, even killed, a lot of them, but I wouldn’t emerge on the other side victorious.

  So I twisted my body around with a snarl, shoving my wrath onto the back burner. Movement erupted from behind me. I sprinted back to the first-floor landing, several deafening shots zinging past my fur. Fortunately, my four legs were faster than even my closest pursuer.

  Another bullet sped past me, narrowly missing my perked ear, plaster exploding up ahead. Fuck, this didn’t come from a gun.

  It came from a bloody rifle.

  Digging my claws into the linoleum, I turned right towards the offices that overlooked the courts. I crashed through the door that was the closest, not stopping for even a second before I leaped onto the desk and propelled myself straight out the window.

  Glass shattered at the impact, a rainfall of sharp, vicious shards following my descent and tainting the air with my blood. But still I kept running. I crossed the stretch now sprinkled with glass, not daring to think about the cries that rose from the banisters as I pushed myself to go harder, faster.

  A crescendo of shots erupted from the building.

  Snarling, I veered to the side where the green canopy of trees and sprawling bushes at least partially hid my form. My progress was slower this way, but I couldn’t risk the main path until I was out of the agents’ range. Thankfully, there was no one in immediate pursuit. A small mercy.

  As the distance between me and the Zentrum proper became sufficient, I darted into the sunlight again.

  Four regular guards were blocking the back entrance to the court, but while they were armed, they seemed to not have gotten the memo of a certain werewolf on the run.

  Making sure nothing could throw me off-balance, I rammed right through them just as someone yelled to watch out. I cast them aside, then, after maddening seconds as I sprinted down a corridor, emerged right in the heart of the court.

  Panting, I stopped on the clay, my eyes instinctively closing shut against the brightness that had swept across the venue. I fought against the light, blinking until my sensitive werewolf sight adjusted to the sudden change. Screams charged the air—screams, but no movement.

  And when I finally took it all in, I realized why.

  Every single person present was rendered immobile, pinned to the spot by ropes of pure, vivid gold.

  24

  For a long moment, I found myself at an utter loss to do anything but drink in the sight. The presence of power commanded the air, the bright gold something so beautiful it made my eyes water.

  This was…

  It was divine.

  The kind of presence that made a person want to kneel.

  Not out of fear. But respect.

  I’d heard Jens and Jürgen tell stories about the power their pack mate had grown into. I’d even seen it once, when Rose had come to watch one of my matches and catch up with my life, then showed me a glimpse into hers.

  But tales and modest displays were nothing compared to the sheer strength she was exhibiting now.

  She stood proudly on the clay, her strawberry-blonde hair reflecting the aureate glint of the energy she wielded. She was extraordinary. A werewolf who had become a deity. A true member of the Trinity of Death. And the protector of souls on this side of the gates that separated the realm of the living from the underworld where her husband reigned.

  I had known Rose almost my entire life. Our different paths might have kept us occupied, but I had grown close with her, especially after the War when the general state of things calmed. And yet seeing her now, I could hardly resist the impulse to bow. Show my respect and admiration for the embodiment of power she was.

  The single thing that was keeping me shuffling forward was the need to see if Nathaniel was all right. I shifted shape, the rush of my native magic clearing my mind enough to turn my trudge into a run. Clay tickled my bare feet as I traversed the court, but the sensation was kept at bay by my uncertainty.

  I swallowed, angling my head to see around the cluster of officials.

  A cry slipped from my lips.

  Nathaniel was there, perfectly human and perfectly alive. Although more than a little pissed. His gaze was pinned on Schultz’s immobile form, but once I came into his line of sight, something visibly shifted. Not only in his eyes, but his entire posture.

  My breath hitched, and a smile broke across my face, my feet moving without my guidance.

  Nathaniel met me halfway and drew me into a fierce hug, not minding my nakedness or blood. A pleasant perk of him growing up in a werewolf family.

  His scent echoed his arms, wrapping around me until I was cocooned in his essence. I inhaled his warmth, almost unable to comprehend how good it felt to hear his heartbeat.

  “I owe you my life,” he whispered into my matted hair.

  Sniffling, I pulled back and shook my head. “You’re family, Nathaniel. You don’t owe me anything.”

  “I’m pretty certain your brothers would disagree.” A handsome smile danced across his open features. “I’ll probably need to supply them with beer until I die.”

  “Hopefully, that arrangement will last a long, long time.”

  “Offering to give me a loan?”

  “Nope.” I grinned, then looped my arm through h
is and let him lead me over to the net where the rest of the gang was waiting—sans Jens and Jürgen.

  They were around somewhere. Possibly angling to ambush me. Again.

  I shook my head and kept walking.

  Rose was still gazing up at the banisters, observing the golden light as it held thousands of people in check. She sensed my approach and glanced my way, a corner of her lips tugging up into a warm smile that reached all the way to her midnight-blue eyes and ignited the smattering of gold specks within them. Beside her, clad from head to toe in elegant, tailored black, stood another deity. Another member of the Trinity of Death—and Rose’s consort. Veles.

  Aside from the necessary scare, the crowd sure got their money’s worth this year with two gods making an appearance.

  Refusing to let go of Nathaniel just yet, I tugged him along when he started to retreat to give us a second alone.

  His responding laughter swirled around me just as I said, “Thank you, Veles. For playing messenger—and delivery boy. Or is that delivery god?”

  It had been his ability to jump between places in a blink of an eye that had brought my plan into the realm of the possible.

  Veles had organized everything on his end, teleported the gang into the venue’s vicinity to wait for my signal before bringing them here. Granted, it took some convincing to let me do my own snooping instead of having him deposit me in Schultz’s office, but timing was crucial.

  I wanted to go in when I knew with absolute certainty my bastard of a boss wouldn’t be there, which was precisely when Nathaniel needed guarding the most. A shortcut, regardless how pleasant it would have been, just wasn’t worth the risk when even a second’s delay could mean the difference between life and death.

  Veles couldn’t argue once I pointed out he couldn’t possibly want Nathaniel’s soul under his care in the underworld already.

  “One of these days, I suppose I’ll have to start charging for monthly passes,” the god purred, a mischievous glint touching his olive eyes. “Family will have a special fare, of course.”

  I snorted, but Veles simply gave an elegant shrug, as if oblivious to my reaction.

  “Then again,” he drawled, “with our darling daughter being the hellion she is, getting out of the mansion and letting Rose terrorize some murderous assholes is quite a welcomed change to our daily schedule.”

  A hint of hysteria slipped into my tone as I chuckled, and it was then that it hit me. It had truly worked.

  My knees wobbled, and Nathaniel amped up his support.

  “You all right?” He scanned my face. “Do you need to sit down?”

  “I’m all right.” I smiled, then said with reformed strength, “Honestly, I’m all right.”

  I’d actually managed to pull it off, and the people who mattered—the people who were Nathaniel’s family, as well as mine—had played their parts so well the only casualties were the ones I’d left behind at the compound.

  Yeah, I was more than all right.

  My mind drifted to Evald’s mangled neck, to that distinct snap of his spine, but oddly, I couldn’t bring myself to feel any remorse. Not even a trickle of guilt for ripping his throat out.

  The sensation was unfamiliar, but I didn’t dwell on it.

  Good thing, too, since two muscular shapes chose that precise moment to ram into my back and rip me from Nathaniel’s grip—just to snatch me into their own.

  Growling and hugging, my brothers swarmed me until breathing became a serious struggle.

  “Our vicious little sister,” Jürgen rumbled.

  “So fucking proud,” Jens agreed, studying me with false severity. “It’s almost like you’re a real Freundenberger.”

  I snarled and shooed them away, but couldn’t keep a chuckle down. “You know what, I guess I really am.”

  There were certain aspects of letting my predatory nature take the reins that I’d need to think through later on, but right now, I was just glad for the Freundenberger blood running through my veins. After all, it had saved my ass. And Nathaniel’s.

  “As much as I’d love to kidnap you, Schwestie, and fill you with beer”—Jürgen sighed, but the effect was ruined by the smile crinkling his eyes—“there’s someone else who wants to thank the wolf of the hour.”

  Before I could open my mouth, he spun me around, and I found myself face-to-face with an outlandishly handsome, blond Perelesnyk in his human form. One who didn’t hesitate to draw me into his arms, nearly crushing my rib cage.

  These hugs were starting to pose a serious danger to my body’s well-being.

  “Rorik,” I mumbled, my head buried in his shoulder, “you don’t have to—”

  “You saved my Nathaniel,” he cut in, then allowed me to disentangle myself from his arms—although he didn’t let go completely. “If there’s anything you ever need.”

  I smiled, tightening my fingers around his. “Thanks, but just the fact that he’s all right—”

  “Sure you don’t want me to scorch someone’s ass?” He arched an eyebrow and gave me a pointed, if devious look.

  I cocked my head to the side, gaze slipping towards Schultz who was watching me with a mixture of hatred and fear in his eyes. “Well, now that I think about it…”

  “Guys,” Rose called out. “That’s all nice and well, but would someone get those fucking ICRA agents here to weed out the dirt. Holding everyone in check is kind of becoming an itch I can’t scratch.”

  I winced, wanting to apologize, but Veles’s reply was faster.

  “Of course, srček.”

  Between one moment and the next, he winked out of existence, leaving nothing but empty air behind. I looked at the twins, Nathaniel, Rose, and Rorik, then finally let that touch of hysteria out with a healthy dose of relieved laughter.

  Unfortunately, my good mood lasted about as long as it took for one seriously pissed off vampire to march onto the court and command her troops.

  Senior Agent Isa Fucking Vogt advanced on me like she was seriously tempted to pummel me right into the ground, but the instant she came within reaching distance her steps cut off.

  Granted, the twins suddenly materializing by my side like two mountains of pure muscle might have had something to do with it.

  “Freundenberger.”

  “Vogt.”

  Isa pinned me with the full weight of her green gaze, then drew out a pair of cuffs. “I warned you what would happen if you broke command.”

  I raised an eyebrow as I skimmed the premium-grade steel dangling from her hand. “I don’t think so.”

  While my initial response when I’d seen her had been regret that I didn’t have any clothes to throw on, I had to admit it was almost empowering to face her in the nude.

  She could hide behind her polished facade all she wanted, but I had no need for shield when I had the truth.

  “How dare you…” Her fangs gleamed in the now fading light of Rose’s power. “Your little stunt ruined the entire operation.”

  “Oh?”

  Her fury ramped up.

  “We have no leads to tie any of the players or Schultz to the drug, let alone know who provided it,” she seethed, color flooding her cheeks. “Can your self-absorbed mind even grasp the extent of the setback you’ve caused?”

  Anger rolled inside me, but I only snorted and rolled my eyes. “Check your fucking email before you get all high and mighty. I CC’d you a nice fat stack of those leads you claim to be missing.”

  My reply caught her off guard, but I wasn’t done. The pride and affection radiating from my brothers gave me the strength to take those two steps until there was only the barest sliver of space left between us.

  “Schultz was the ringleader, pulling all the strings from the shadows with the help of his freshly dead assistant. There are documents, linking him to Nill and its engineers. I’m fairly certain it won’t be that hard for you to do your fucking job from there and connect the rest of the dots.

  “So as far as I’m concerned, Senior Agent Vogt
, we’re done. And if you even think about giving Greta a hard time just because my way got the fucking results you failed to obtain on your own, then you would do well to remember your tactics almost cost the life of someone who is very dear to the Trinity of Death.” I glanced at the aureate light that gradually retreated from the banisters and seeped back into Rose. “I really don’t think gold would go well with your complexion.”

  With that I turned around, leaving Isa, if not the treacherous hurt in my heart, behind for good.

  25

  Oh, come on,” I growled, “you’re on the mend not with one foot in the underworld.”

  The next shot swooshed over the net and skimmed the line at a deadly angle. I smiled.

  “That’s more like it.” I placed my trusty Wilson racket against the basket, then walked over to the service line. “Now you deserve a break.”

  Rihard flashed me a blinding grin before dashing towards the bench faster than I could return the expression. I suspected it had a whole lot to do with parking his ass down before I changed my mind.

  Not that I could blame him.

  For the past week, we had slowly worked on building up his physical strength. Day after day, we hit the trails, sweated on the court until he reached that healthy point of flirting with his limits.

  It was the werewolf way of rehabilitation, although I was a bit harder on him than I would have been on anyone else under similar circumstances.

  But Rihard needed the discipline. As well as the motivation.

  When I first saw him after the ordeal at the doubles finals, the effect had been staggering. It was almost as if his brush with death had left vicious little talons in his flesh, keeping him pinned to the very doors of Veles’s. Yes, he was physically weak after what his body had gone through, and I got that. What worried me was the drained state of his spirit.

  The kid who’d been bursting at the seams with enthusiasm two weeks earlier was reduced to less than a shadow. It hurt to see him like that—hurt that a ploy of some bastard had done this, broken him in such a brutal manner and dimming his light.