Pack of Freaks: Beasts Among Us - Book 2

by Jennifer Zamboni

  I wish I could say we came home to a nice relaxing night together, but my plans were thwarted. As soon as we made it through the side door, I could sense there was something wrong. A gathering was taking place in the kitchen, which at the time, was abnormal.

  “What’s going on?” Doug asked.

  “Evangeline is missing,” Percy stated.

  “Define missing?” My hands went to my hips in clenched fists as my wolf scratched to be set free from my skin.

  “She’s not in her room. She’s not on the grounds. And there are things missing from her room.” Robert’s wife, Jane, spoke up. “We’ve searched high and low.”

  “Any idea when she could have left?” I asked, impatience coloring my voice as my claws dug into my palms.

  I received head shakes all around.

  “Seriously?” I asked as I started to remove clothes so I could give in to my wolf’s wishes. “Stay human?” I asked Doug as my bones began cracking and stretching.

  He nodded then gathered up the clothes I’d dropped and folded them, placing them in a pile on the table.

  I took a few minutes to complete my shift, then shook out my fur and headed to the pup’s room to see if I could find anything the others had missed.

  Doug followed me, opening and shutting doors. I could have done it myself, but it’s a lot less damaging a task with opposable thumbs.

  Evangeline had packed herself a single backpack of clothing and necessities. I noticed the missing soap, hairbrush, and deodorant. Apparently, she had taken my warning on cleanliness seriously, even though she had run away.

  Her scent was strong in the room, mostly on her bed. The freshest smells were somewhere between three and five hours old.

  The gift bag I had left earlier was still there, but the hat and the card were both missing, which gave me hope.

  “Three hours, four hours gone?” Doug asked, interrupting my search.

  I sniffled air out my nose in affirmation. His nose was excellent even in his two-legged phase. I tugged at his clothes with my teeth and whined, then wagged my tail.

  “Shall I shift then?”

  I sniffled.

  “Right.” He stripped quickly and changed in agony. It never felt good to hurry.

  Together, we raced down the stairs and out into the night. We ranged around until Doug found her scent and howled, sinking back on his haunches. We ran, our noses to the ground, not wanting to lose her scent for even a moment. And then it ended.

  She’d made it 10 miles south on the road then the trail disappeared. My best guess was that she had hitched a ride.

  Doug threw his head back and howled long and loud.

  I nipped his snout. It wouldn’t help for humans with guns to show up to shoot the wolves.

  I ran home with Doug in hot pursuit. We burst into the kitchen where everyone seemed to have remained. I changed back into my human form and accepted Percy’s fluffy bathrobe thankfully.

  I tied the belt of the robe tightly around my waist. “We followed her trail for 10 miles south down the road. Her scent stops there.”

  “She hitched a ride,” Hades stated.

  I nodded. “Looks like.”

  “Let me call Bob.” Hades pulled out his phone and left the room to call his chief of security. As long as he was in this plane, he might be useful. If not, it could be weeks before he called back.

  I leaned over a bit and hugged Doug around the neck as he whined softly.

  Hades returned within five minutes. “Bob and his team should be here by 6 a.m.,” said Hades. “It’s the best I can do.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Do you think Bob would let me work with him?” I didn’t have much work at the salon and I wanted to find Evangeline before she drew any attention.

  “He will if I tell him to,” Hades promised.

  It must be nice to be king or whatever he was.

  “Good. I’m going to get some sleep then. Doug?”

  We stood and headed for our room where Doug maintained his wolf state. I wish he had changed back, though I doubted talking would have given us any new leads, so I didn’t complain. I just got ready for sleep, crawled into my bed, and curled up next to my husband.

  The next day, Saturday, was Chaos Theory’s first day of recording. Mark wanted to start right off with the song I had been working on, so I was careful with my packing.

  Doug dropped off a giant thermos of anti-wolf tea with a wink, one less thing for me to do, tucked the leakproof container into my bag and turned to thank him, but he’d already left the room. Oh well, I’d hopefully catch him before I had to leave.

  I dressed comfortably in baggy pants, tight tee, and a sweatshirt. I didn’t know if I’d be standing or sitting, so I opted for a pair of sneakers.

  It was early yet, about 5:30 a.m., when I headed down for breakfast.

  Bob had arrived and was sipping a cup of coffee, while his zombies cooled their heels outside.

  “Good morning, wolf.” He greeted me with a raise of his mug.

  “Morning,” I replied, pouring myself a cup of tea from a pot bundled up in a cozy.

  I kept my eye on the necromancer who was, as usual, covered, except for his eyes, by veils like a Middle Eastern woman, to see if I could catch him actually drinking. His mug was emptying, I’d seen him pour himself several refills, but I never witnessed the intake.

  Of course, what I could see of Bob was creepy enough, blood red skin, black eyes without any pupils or whites, plus the heavy veils and robes. I could only imagine what he was hiding under there.

  Doug walked in and kissed me. “Did you fill your cup, ma colombe?”

  “I did, thank you.” I followed him with my eyes as he got a drink of water. His personal scent carried an extra edge of fresh air.

  “Go for a run already?” I asked.

  “Yes, I couldn’t sleep so I rose at three. I still found nothing.” He looked crestfallen.

  “Have you met Bob yet?”

  “I have not.”

  “Well, I’ll make the introductions then. Bob, this is my husband, Doug Wolfemin. Doug, this is Bob, Hades’s chief of security. He’s a necromancer, so don’t be too surprised if you see some walking corpses.”

  “Pleasure is mine, monsieur Necromancer.” Doug shook the proffered hand firmly.

  “Don’t worry, my charges are perfectly safe, so long as I maintain control,” said Bob. “And congratulations to the both of you on your marriage.”

  “Thanks,” I said, trying not to think about what kind of terror the zombies would get up to if he lost control.

  “Yes, thank you,” said Doug. “What time do you have to be in Portland?” He turned his attention back to me.

  “Ten. I’ll leave in a little bit. I want to have plenty of time.”

  “Good luck, or is it break a leg? Is that just for actors? Or musicians too?” Doug pondered.

  I shrugged my shoulders and finished my breakfast.

  “Before you go,” Bob stopped me from leaving, “the King tells me you wish to be involved in the search for the child when you return.”

  I nodded.

  “This is good. I can use a good nose and someone who knows her.”

  “I don’t really know her all that well,” I confessed.

  “You know her better than I, which will be a great asset. We have ascertained that she caught a ride in a big rig from the spot where you found her scent disappear. We are currently checking in at various truck stops, asking questions, and watching security footage,” Bob explained.

  “How does that work?” Curiosity overtook me. As far as I knew, all of Bob’s employees were dead.

  “Some of my charges are fresher than others and can pass as human. My form magic can keep the smell away,” he explained.

  “Huh,” I said. “Well, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

  I headed back upstairs to finish getting ready and threw in a little more practice.

  On my drive down to Portland, I listened to a m
ix of Paganini, Godsmack, and Fleetwood Mac. Good inspirational music and an uneventful drive are always a plus, wouldn’t you say?

  I took my time finding parking, after locating the recording studio, and reintroduced myself to the producer.

  I was the first one there, so I warmed up slowly in a soundproof booth, letting myself go only slightly wild as I improvised on Clarissa.

  When I looked up, I noticed the producer’s smug smile through the glass. He pressed a button on his intercom. “Any time you want to record a solo album, you give me a call.”

  I laughed. “I’ll do that.” And toyed with the idea of letting loose on my own recording.

  Producer-man would probably run screaming, just like I suspected my band would.

  Scott was the next to show up. “Good morning, ladylove” he greeted me as he pulled out his bass.

  “Seriously, don’t,” I warned him, then went to get myself a drink of tea so I wouldn’t have to be alone with him.

  As luck would have it, my other boys showed up within minutes. They provided a much needed buffer between Scott and me.

  Recording in a studio was much different than playing live or even rehearsing. Stop, start, adjust, repeat. It didn’t help that the first time I got through the introduction, Mark shouted, “That’s what I’m talking about!” and pumped his fist in the air, instead of coming in with his part.

  We all had a good laugh at that, which eased some of our nerves.

  The music flowed from us after that, despite the fits and starts, which we got used to. I can’t say we had ever played so well. In fact, we managed to finish recording the first song. Which I hadn’t expected, this having been our first day.

  We went out to dinner at a little Japanese restaurant to celebrate. The boys went easy on their drinks, knowing there would be a long drive home, so the conversation was slightly more serious than usual.

  “So how’s the kid working out?” Austin asked, making me realize that I hadn’t thought about her all day.

  I was flooded with guilt as I pulled out my phone to check for any updates. There weren’t any.

  “Um, missing,” I spoke quietly.

  “Missing?”

  “Yeah, she ran away last night.”

  “Dude,” said Austin, laying a calloused hand on my shoulder.

  “I know, yeah. We know she hitched a ride with a trucker and nothing more.”

  “Trucker? That can’t be good,” said Mark.

  Yeah, especially for the trucker.

  As soon as I returned home, I searched Bob out.

  “No news yet, Mrs. Wolfemin,” he said before I could pose any questions. “At least no concrete news. We know she has left the state. We found some security footage from a truck stop in New Hampshire. She got in another truck, and we are now researching the trucker’s route.

  “Well, it’s something at least,” I said, wishing she had been found, but thankful the news wasn’t worse.

  Bob held up one black silk gloved finger. “The first trucker is fine, by the way. She did not lose control. Yet.” He slammed the hand down as if he thought it was inevitable.

  That “yet” was the biggest issue. It was only a matter of time before Evangeline lost it.

  “Anything I can do?” I asked, feeling useless.

  “Just remain available. We need you to be involved with the pickup when the time comes.”

  Peachy. I nodded. So now I was simply to wait. I hated waiting. Obviously, patience wasn’t one of my virtues.

  “Good. I’ll be in touch then.” He inclined his head, sending his veils fluttering.

  “Any word on our stalker caller?” I asked Percy at breakfast the next morning.

  “Not as of yet.” She bustled around the kitchen. “I don’t know if that means the tracer didn’t work or if the police just don’t feel the need to keep us updated. He called at least 10 times yesterday and we did the number thing every single time.”

  “Well, that’s frustrating,” I said, shoveling a massive amount of scrambled eggs down my gullet.

  “Yes indeed.”

  I was about to take another bite when Bob came floating in through the back door. I put my fork down and stood.

  “Yes, Mrs. Wolfemin, I have news. We located the pup at a music festival down in Connecticut. She’s gotten herself into a bit of trouble.”

  My body stilled. “What kind of trouble?” I asked, afraid of an answer.

  “She got in a fight and put a few youths into the hospital. Don’t worry, the police don’t have her, my charges do. Though I’ve made sure they don’t get too close.”

  I didn’t know how to take this news. I stood from my chair, with no actual plan of what I should be doing.

  “Come, we must leave immediately. We’ll take my van, it’s equipped for difficult quarry, if it comes to that.” Bob exited without waiting for any reply from me.

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” I pulled my cell out of my pocket and hit Doug’s name on speed dial.

  “Hello, ma colombe—”

  “They found her,” I interrupted. My heart began to pound, but my wolf didn’t take advantage, for once. As one. That part of me seemed to think cooperation with my human half was important.

  “I’ll be right there, give me five minutes.”

  My cell beeped as Doug disconnected. He had left for a run not long before I had come down for breakfast, so he must have been on his way back.

  I grabbed a handful of Slim Jims and an armful of water bottles and headed out to Bob’s van.

  “Get in.” Bob held the door open for me.

  “Doug is coming too,” I said, dumping my armful of snacks on the seat next to mine.

  “Very well, will he be long? We have a long drive ahead of us.” Bob closed the door behind me, his movements elegant and smooth, despite the slam that accompanied it.

  “I’m right here,” said my slightly breathless husband.

  “Let’s go then, unless there is any more that wish to join us,” said Bob.

  “Just us,” I said, buckling in and handing Doug one of the bottles of water as he slid into his seat and pulled the door shut.

  He cracked open a bottle and guzzled half of it, the plastic crackling as it emptied. “I’ve never run so fast in my life.” He swallowed the rest and dropped the bottle on the floor.

  “I bet! How far away were you?” I asked.

  Doug shrugged his shoulders and took another bottle along with a few of the jumbo-sized beef sticks.

  “Sorry, it was the best I could do in a hurry,” I apologized for the poor breakfast.

  He reached his hand across the distance and took mine, kissing my knuckles. “It will suffice.”

  Bob was silent and focused as he drove. I noticed a police scanner and radar detector, much like mine, resting in the shotgun seat.

  I glanced to the back of the van, a good portion was caged away from our section. I really hoped we wouldn’t have to put Evangeline in there for the ride home.

  Doug squeezed my fingers. “Don’t worry, I will talk to her,” he promised, seeing what had captured my attention.

  “I think she’s beyond talking to, babe. She put kids in the hospital,” I said, glancing back in his direction.

  “Oh, I didn’t know.” His gaze dropped as he continued to caress my fingers with his thumb.

  “I hadn’t had time to tell you, ’til now. She’s currently being guarded by zombies.”

  “Poor child.” There was great sympathy in Doug’s voice, and the salty scent of sadness poured from him.

  Poor child, my butt. I curled my lip, but kept my growl to myself.

  The van hit a particularly violent pothole, jouncing around a bit before steadying.

  “She is alone and frightened. We don’t know why, yet, she felt the need to fight. But I’m willing to bet she did not purposefully lose control.”

  “No, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t mean to hurt them,” I said.

  “Rest, love. Try and reme
mber to comport yourself, not just as an alpha, but as her parent.”

  I huffed quietly (I hated it when he was right), curled myself into my seat, and tried to take a nap. We probably wouldn’t get there until noon anyhow.

  I woke from my long nap at the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where we stopped for some food. I was all for a drive-through, but Bob insisted on an actual restaurant. It was one of the quirks of all the pure fae I knew, they hated fast food.

  Doug ordered an extra meal, which he planned to give to Evangeline, when we found her. He was shaping up to be a much better parent than I could ever hope to be. Despite the desire I’d always had for a family and pack, I seemed to be lacking the instincts required.

  We had a couple more hours of driving ahead of us, so we took a quick walk around town, then headed back to the van.

  I can’t tell you how happy I was to see signs for the music festival. I really wasn’t a good rider unless I was the one driving. We paid for our parking, then followed Bob, who was drawing stares in his unusual getup.

  I opened my senses, taking in the sounds, sights, and smells, trying to find any signs of our wayward pup. First, I caught the scent of decay. Not fresh death, thankfully, so I figured it was the zombies.

  “Smell that?” Doug asked quietly, wrapping an arm around my waist.

  I nodded and followed my nose, shutting everything else out.

  Soon fear, magic, and dog were added to the bouquet of smells, signaling that Evangeline was near.

  We veered off into the woods and soon found her in the center of a ring of the dead, sitting cross-legged in the dirt. At first, I wanted to yell, to put her in her place, but then I saw her face.

  Tear tracks crisscrossed her dirty cheeks. Her amber eyes betrayed how close her wolf was to the surface, though there were no other physical signs. Her clothes were torn and bloodstained, evidence that she had kept her human form. Some of the blood was her own. The hat I had made her sat slightly askew on her head.

  My heart melted, and I entered the circle with my hand held out to her. “Come, let’s go home.”

  To my surprise, she stood and took my hand with her trembling one. I pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head, and resting my cheek there as Doug joined us. I breathed in deep of my family’s scent. Pack. We each took one of her hands and escorted her to the parking lot. She said nothing as the team of zombies piled into the back of the van. I ushered her into one of the normal seats, while the zombies arranged themselves in the caged area.