by Jan Stryvant
"Good."
"Have you seen Raban?" Karl asked Otto much later that night. Chloe had been monopolizing his evening, not that Karl minded.
"He's hiding from you," Otto said with a chuckle as he sat in the kitchen sipping a beer.
"Raban is hiding from me?" Karl snorted. "I find that hard to believe. Usually I'm the one hiding from him."
"Yes, well, you're asking him the one question no one wants to hear the answer to."
"What happens to our homes," Karl said with a sigh, and grabbing a beer himself, he sat down as well.
"We're never going back there, Karl. You might as well get used to it. Someday, somebody will. It just won't be us."
"I'm starting to realize that," Karl grumbled.
"So are you going to join us?"
"Us? I didn't know you were in the Kitesh, Otto."
"I wasn't. But when I realized I wouldn't be going back, I decided to join with them. I've already sent for Carol and the kids. They'll be here in a few weeks. Chloe wants me to infect you, you know."
Karl sat up straight in surprise at that. "She does?"
"Of course she does. She wants you, and I get the impression she's not one who is used to not getting what she wants."
"Why the hell would she want me? I'm almost old enough to be her father!" Karl said, his eyes wide.
"Because you're an alpha male? You're very good at taking charge of things, Karl. At running things, taking care of people. So yes, she wants you, and she wants you to be a wolf, like us, because she knows it won't be long until you're someone important."
"She wants you to bite me so I'll be important?"
"Well, she wants children, too," Otto said with a wink. "So there's that as well."
Karl digested that for a minute.
"I'm surprised she hasn't bitten me herself then," is what he finally said to Otto.
"I'm sure if she gets desperate enough, she will," Otto said with a smile. "But normally you don't want to be the one to infect your mate. You have a tendency to look similar to the one who infects you. Of course her being female and you being male, there would still be a fair bit of difference."
"You just gave me a lot more to think about."
"We need you here, Karl. Here. In this place, in this organization. Bilkie told me that losing Berlin lost them a lot of their people. It hurt them, and it hurt them bad. They're scrambling now to try and pull things together."
Karl nodded and thought about that for a moment. He wasn't surprised; it seemed that everybody had lost someone, and a lot of people were wandering around in shock. Just because the Kitesh people always seemed to be happy and smiling, that didn't mean they weren't hurting, too.
"So what's it like, being a werewolf?"
"I like it. But then, I was born this way, so it's all I know. We're big on family; we're big on our packs, which are really just an extended family. Taking care of each other and watching out for one another as well. I'll miss my old pack, but Raban talked to the pack leader and told him I was needed here, so there wasn't any drama over my leaving."
"They don't like people leaving?"
"It's not so much that they don't like it, it's that they worry about you."
"Everyone has their place?"
"Everyone has a place, yes. Most lone wolves don't do well. Oh, it happens, but it's the exception. So they want to make sure you're going someplace where you'll be with others."
"You know, that doesn't sound at all bad," Karl said after a moment.
"So, should I infect you now? Or in the morning?" Otto said with a wink.
"Let's see how I feel in the morning."
"Tired, I'm sure, once Chloe gets through with you!"
Karl grinned. "Yes, I'm sure that will be the case."
Stewart Takes the Initiative
"Why are we doing this again?" April asked Stewart as they drove through the area surrounding the university.
"Because I need this guy, that's why."
"He's one of the professors from the college," Rachel said.
"And now that the school's been closed, I need to find a teacher if I'm going to finish learning what Sean wants me to learn," Stewart added.
"He's still here? After all this?" April said with a surprised look on her face while waving her hands around at the buildings outside the car window, some of which were no longer standing.
"I overheard Daelyn complaining that a lot of the faculty hadn't evacuated. Apparently the school administrators thought this wasn't going to stop them from holding next semester's classes and weren't letting anyone out of their contracts."
"I'd think self-preservation would have kicked in," April said.
"Up until this last battle, April, there wasn't much to convince people to run," Rachel said with a shrug. "Chad and the others were doing such a good job, it looked like Reno was safe."
"Anyway," Stewart interrupted. "Daelyn ordered a mandatory evacuation and sent the troops out. So I got an address on Professor Cruz and figured I'd grab him before he was swept up and sent to who knows where. He teaches all the advanced programming classes and was one of the people Sean recommended when he went over the syllabus with me."
"So you're gonna hire him?" April asked.
Stewart nodded. "Something like that."
Stewart turned onto University Terrace and started looking at house numbers. It didn't take him long to find the right one. There was an Army vehicle in front of it, with an attached trailer. There were also a bunch of werewolves who were moving stuff out of it and putting it in the trailer quickly, while a young woman was standing on the lawn crying with two young children holding on to her legs.
"Guess Cruz is married," Rachel said.
"I see Daelyn wasn't fooling when she told the Army to come down here and clear everyone out," Stewart said with a grimace.
"She's doing it for their own good!" April piped up. "Most people probably would have just left them to die. Look! She even has people moving their stuff for them!"
"She's got a point," Rachel said to Stewart.
"She always does," Stewart said with a smile. "Now, let's go find our man."
Opening the door, Stewart got out of the car and immediately went to the werewolf in charge of everything.
"Stewart! What are you doing here?"
Stewart smiled as he recognized Beck. "Hey, Beck! Good to see you!" Stewart said and shook hands.
"So, what do you want from me?" Beck asked with a grin.
"Ah, you know me too well! I'd say I was wounded by your lack of trust, but hell, why lie, right?"
Beck laughed. "Right."
"Hi, Stew!" one of the other wolves called while moving out another load, and the rest all saw him and waved, then went back to work.
"This is Professor Cruz's house, from the university, right?"
Beck checked his pad and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"Move his stuff to our base at the airport. I'll take his family down myself."
"I don't know if I can do that, Stewart."
"Call whoever you have to call, tell them to talk to me or Sean. In private. And don't talk to anyone else about it."
Beck thought about it a moment and nodded. "I know you wouldn't be dropping Sean's name without his permission, and Art's already mentioned that he took you on as his student. Yeah, I'll do it. What do you want me to tell the others?"
"I don't know. He's a big-time computer guy, make up a story that there's a secret project or something and not to talk about it."
"Sure, I can do that." Beck stopped a moment, then smiled and asked in a soft voice, "What's the real reason?"
"If I told you," Stewart whispered back, "Sean'd kill me. And you right after."
Beck laughed. "Yup, he probably would. I got it covered. Later!"
"Thanks, Beck," Steward said and clapped him on the shoulder, and then went towards the house. Slipping past one of the wolves who smiled and nodded, another one that Stewart knew, he made his way inside, where a very fluster
ed looking Cruz was trying to argue with one of Chad's captains. Stewart recognized him as well, but couldn't recall his name.
"You can't do this! You can't just come in here and make us move."
"This area is under martial law, I'm sorry but…" The captain turned to Stewart with a hopeful look on his face.
"I'm sorry I can't remember your name, Captain," Stewart said. "I'll deal with Professor Cruz and his family."
"Stewart, right?" the captain said, and Stewart nodded.
"Bell, Captain Bell. All yours, I gotta dozen others to get moved in the next hour. Thanks! I owe you!"
Stewart almost laughed as Bell all but fled the room.
"Who are you?" Professor Cruz said, staring at the large werefox who had just replaced the larger werewolf.
"Oh! Right, sorry," Stewart said and shifted into his human form.
"Stewart?" Professor Cruz said surprised. "You're one of them?"
"Yup, and in a few hours, you're gonna be one, too. So start thinking about what you want to be. Now, come on, we gotta get you and your family out of here. This isn't a safe place, Professor. These things are nasty, and I've seen it with my own eyes. Hell, I've even killed them."
"But this is my house! I can't just walk away!"
Stewart took a big breath and blew it out. "Look, I ain't got time for this. Nobody does. I'm here to offer you a deal because I need you. Now let's grab your wife and kids and go."
"You don't understand, my life savings are tied up in this place!"
Stewart cast a minor mind domination spell. One that was just strong enough to work on a human, but weak enough that they'd know it had been done.
"Go out to the van and sit in the passenger seat," Stewart ordered.
Cruz's eyes widened, but he did as he was told.
"Yeah, I can do magic," Stewart said as he followed him outside. "Think about that while I get your family."
It only took Stewart a moment to cast another spell that calmed Cruz's wife and two children, a boy and a girl, and got them to get in the back of the van. Stewart then put all three of them into a deep sleep and got in the driver's seat, while Rachel and April, who had both shifted back to human form to deal with the woman and her children, got in the back and closed the door.
"Okay," Stewart said, pulling away from the curb. "I wasn't always a werefox. I used to be human, just like you. After a bad accident, my wife April back there," Stewart jerked his thumb towards the back of the van, "bit me and turned me into one. I think Rachel, my other wife, wishes she'd gotten there first and made me a wolf, but I'm happy, and I'm alive. So no one's complaining."
"You can do magic?" Cruz said after he'd found his voice again.
"Yeah, but I've always been able to do that. I'm a magic user, born and raised. Now, I need you to teach me programming. I only got about halfway through last year's curriculum before all this happened." Stewart waved his hand around like April had earlier.
"Why not wait until school starts back up?"
Stewart sighed. "Look, I don't know what they've been telling you, but that school is never starting back up. This whole place will most likely be carpet bombed, and after Reno falls, I don't even want to think of what'll happen then."
"It can't be that bad!"
"Sorry, Professor, but it is; that's why I'm here. It really is that bad. But you're going to get a benefit here."
"A benefit?"
"The djevels can't eat your soul if you're not human. So pick what kind of lycan you want to be, and we'll make you one. Same deal for your wife, and even your kids if you want."
"That's not my wife."
"What!" Stewart said and hit the brakes.
"That's my sister and her two kids. Her husband was killed in a fluke lightning storm over a year ago. They lost everything, so I took them in."
Stewart put his foot back on the gas while shaking his head.
"Sorry to hear that."
Cruz paused a moment, considering something, then looked at Stewart. "Is it true that Sean Valens is some sort of werelion god and is responsible for all of this?"
"Yup."
"He was a student of mine. I remember because he had to drop out. His mother had disappeared and all sorts of other bad things were happening to him."
Stewart shrugged. "I wouldn't know about any of that, it was before I moved here."
"I just find all of this so hard to believe."
Stewart laughed. "I grew up casting magic, living around lycans and other beings, and even I still have trouble at times believing we're in a war with demons from another plane."
"So why do you want me?"
"Like I said, I need you to teach Rachel and me programming."
"Why?"
"That's a secret."
"No, I mean why should I? I just lost my house, and apparently my job! I have my sister and her kids to take care of, and I don't think the bank is going to let me stop making payments!"
Stewart felt Rachel's hand on his shoulder. "I'll deal with this, you drive."
Stewart gave a small nod as Rachel turned to Cruz.
"Is it okay if I call you Rob? Saying 'Professor' all the time is quite a mouthful."
Cruz looked at Rachel and smiled a little, she was gorgeous after all. "Rob is fine."
"Okay, first off, you let us worry about the banks. I'll have a talk with someone, and if we can't make it all go away for everyone, then at least I'll see to it that yours is paid off."
Cruz looked skeptical. "You can do that?"
"You know Sean has met the president and is friends with the governor as well as the mayor, don't you?"
"I honestly haven't paid much attention to the news," Cruz admitted. "Teaching takes up a lot of my time, and what spare time I had, I was giving to my sister and her kids."
Rachel nodded and seized on that. "Right, your sister and her kids. What do you want us to do for them?"
"What do you mean?" Cruz asked, eyeing her a little warily.
"Look, Stewart works for Sean, directly. Sean is in charge of everything that's going on. That means we have a fair deal of access and power. What do you want for them? If you want them to live with you, here, we can do that. If you want to send them someplace far away from here, someplace safer, we can do that, too."
"And all I have to do is teach you two programming? That's it?"
"Yes, that's it. And when you're done teaching us, you can leave and do whatever you want. We're not the bad guys here, Rob. But we do need your help, so we're willing to do whatever we can to get that help.
"Now, how about we talk about what you think will make your sister and her kids happy, and we'll go from there?"
Stewart listened to Rachel as she worked Professor Cruz over like a pro. She was quickly proving once again that marrying her was the smartest damn thing he'd ever done in his life. Though why she'd settled for him still baffled him at times. Not that he'd ever complain!
By the time they'd gotten to the new base at the airport down in Minden, she'd set up Cruz's sister with a place to live in Phoenix, where apparently she had friends and family, and arranged for travel and even a nice cash settlement for Cruz's sister. All it had taken were a few phone calls by her and April.
When they finally pulled into the base, Rachel led them all into the mess area, where she sat everyone down, and then she and Cruz explained everything to Cruz's sister Vanessa. It took a little while, and there were some papers to sign, but they had her, her kids, and their belongings on a plane to Las Vegas less than an hour later, They'd take another flight to Phoenix from there, then they'd be met at the airport by one of their cousins.
Stewart watched as Cruz hugged his sister, who seemed to be a lot happier now. He could only guess that seeing all the soldiers and military hardware had finally made it clear to her that this wasn't a safe place for her and her children, and she was going someplace that was.
"Okay," Cruz said as his sister boarded the airplane. "Now what do I have to do?"
&n
bsp; "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that today," April said brightly. "It's been a stressful day, and I'm sure Stewart and Rachel can wait until tomorrow to discuss courses and such. Why don't we find you a place to get settled in so you can relax?"
"Well, I don't…"
"Oh, look! There's just the people I was looking for!" April waved her hand, and Stewart looked surprised as Elliana, Steff, Julia, and Kate—who were all dressed to impress, as always—immediately came over.
"Hi!" they all said to April and then smiled over at Stewart before looking back at her, and then Cruz.
"Girls, this is Stewart's friend, Rob Cruz. He's a teacher. Do you think one of you could take him under your wing and help him find a place to stay and relax?"
"Just one of us?" Steff asked, pouting.
"Well, I'm sure he won't complain if you all want to help, now will you, Rob?" April said, smiling at Cruz, who had something of a 'deer in the headlights' look on his face.
"Umm, what?" he said, looking at April and then back at the girls.
"Go relax a while and have some fun," April said in a softer voice while smiling at Cruz. "This is Elliana, that's Julia, Kate, and Steff is the one holding on to your arm."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh, we're sure," Steff said in a seductive voice and dragged him off.
"Have fun!" April said. "And if you need a few more days to recover, that'll be fine!"
Stewart blinked several times as the four girls pulled Cruz away, no doubt heading straight for their room.
"What just happened?" Stewart asked, looking at April.
April grinned. "Oh, I sent a few texts to the girls, and told them that Rob there is a special friend who has had a very rough time of it, and that 'The Voice' would be quite pleased if they were to help him settle in and relax for a while."
"You…" Stewart stopped and looked back at the departing fivesome and started laughing. "You are an evil woman, April. Which is why I love you."
"Hey, if this doesn't convince him to join up, nothing will."
"Assuming they don't kill him in bed first!" Rachel said with a giggle.
"Oh, he's young yet, I'm sure he'll survive," April replied with a snicker. "Why do you want him infected, anyway?"