Contents

Description

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

1 Wake Up Call

2 First Sight

3 Synchronicity

4 Awakening

5 Denial

6 Running

7 Cold Truth

8 Meeting

9 The Pack House

10 Heading Home

11 Invitation

12 First Date

13 Shared Warmth

14 Watching

15 Catching Fire

16 Supernatural Investigation Institute

17 Blurry Words

18 Training Wills

19 Touching Base

20 Dipping In

21 Miralina

22 Love Bites

23 Pillow Talk

24 Empty Walls

25 Preparations

26 Boarding

27 Turbulence

28 The Simms

29 Calgary

30 River and Sky

31 Remembering

32 Shifting

33 Homecoming

34 Conscience

35 Answers

36 Home

More Dakota

Before You Go

More DarksbaneBooks

Acknowledgements

Pronunciation Guide

About the Author

Awakened

Part of the Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd

by Shei Darksbane & Annathesa Nikola Darksbane

You can't unsee the truth.

Geeky lesbian Dakota Shepherd was just a bored night security guard, working at a museum in Knoxville, Tennessee until one fateful encounter changed it all.

A rogue wizard. A demonic ritual. A silver chalice.

Dakota Awakened, Hellfire blazing from her hands.

Dakota's powers are a danger to herself and everyone around her, and she has to learn to control them quickly or risk losing her one chance to finally fulfill a lifelong dream.

While coming to terms with her new reality, she stumbles upon a secret that changed the course of her life.

Now she wants to know who is responsible for the holes in her memory, the blocks that hold back her powers, and all the years she spent alone.

Who put her back to sleep when she Awakened years before?

Awakened

A Dakota Shepherd Novel

Part of the Auralight Codex

By Shei Darksbane

&Annathesa Nikola Darksbane

Copyright © 2015 by Shei Darksbane.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America.

First Printing, July 21, 2015

Darksbane Books
247 Macedonia Loop
Jasper, AL 35503-5959

DarksbaneBooks.com

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people and events are coincidence.

For my wife, without whom I wouldn’t be anything that I am, without whom this world would not exist.

1

Wake Up Call

I watched in horror as sickly green flames erupted from my palms for the first time and the rest of my world just faded into the background. The police had just left, taking with them the stranger I’d tackled in the middle of what I’d originally taken to be a heist. Albeit, even in all the excitement of finally seeing an intruder on the job, I managed to wonder why anyone would pick, out of all of the far more valuable items available, the unremarkable silver cup the guy had been messing with when I’d spotted him. It was a cup. I mean, that’s it. Just a cup. Not a solid-gold cup, or one bejeweled and signed by Elvis himself. It was just a stylized silver chalice with engravings around the rim, and it couldn’t possibly have been worth enough to warrant the risk of breaking into a freaking museum.

The dark-eyed crazy guy I’d caught messing with it seemed to disagree. I was still sitting in the middle of the mess he’d made, a ring of chalk encircling the display pillar where the silver cup sat, and an array of objects scattered around it that made it look like a scene from The Craft. Candles, crystals, bones I hoped had come from animals, and a sharp-looking knife still coated in the stranger’s own blood lay scattered around the scene in a pattern of ordered chaos. Or maybe, just a pattern I didn’t understand. I wasn’t sure what he’d been hoping to accomplish, but I was sure it hadn’t been a simple robbery.

And the ritual had obviously accomplished something. Mostly on account of how my head was still aching from the unfathomable, deific voice that had invaded my thoughts, seeming to fill my mind to the breaking point; the words she had spoken still rang in my ears. “So be it. Thy pact in blood is made.”

My eyes had drifted across the markings and components on the floor long enough for me to wonder what purpose all of them served, but my fascination with the scene waned, my attention returning against my will to the fact I’d been numbly hoping to avoid: that my hands were somehow on fire and yet not… burning. I stared at my hands entranced until the flames suddenly flickered out, leaving no trace of their presence to prove I hadn’t just lost it entirely.

I panicked.

I turned from the point of impact, and ran. I ran until I was out of the building, and I kept going. I ran all the way home. And somehow, though I don’t remotely remember how, I managed to wake up in my own bed the next morning, still in one not-on-fire piece, and at least arguably still sane. But something, something important, had changed.

I walked outside to get the mail, and ended up standing there on the sidewalk in an oversized t-shirt that read “I am Sherlocked” and PJ pants, my short, brown hair sticking out in a ridiculous approximation of what a hedgehog probably looks like first thing in the morning, staring at the people walking down the street as if I’d seen a ghost. And for a moment, I almost wondered if I had. All the people looked somehow different than they had the day before. They looked, well, gray. Like the world was in color, but the people inside it were walking around in black and white, as if they’d marched straight out of an old TV show. After gawking for a moment, I realized, it wasn’t the case. I could still make out their colors; their skin, and eyes, and hair all still possessed various hues. But it was like there was no real vibrance or clarity to them. Like they were all missing something they needed very badly, but none of them seemed to notice.

I went back inside and paced around my apartment, hugging myself with eyes wide and talking to myself out loud. “This isn’t real.” I said. “This isn’t happening. The people aren’t in black and white. My hands weren’t on fire last night. Was I drinking?” I knew that was ridiculous. I didn’t have a social life to speak of, I never drank anything heavier than malt beverages, and I’d never touched a drug in my life. I spent most of my spare time alone in my apartment watching shows like Sherlock on BBC, The Legend of Korra, and Castle and geeking out over the fandoms for said shows on Tumblr.

But as humans, we sink so easily into a comfortable lie, especially when the alternative is an uncomfortable truth. Thus I managed to convince myself that I’d been to some kind of party or managed to let myself drink too much, and the whole night before and all the weird tricks my eyes were playing on me this morning were just the miserable consequences of chemical intoxication of one variety or another.

So I called in for the night, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and curled up in the comforter from my bed as I plopped down on the purple camo bean bag in front of the low desk that held up my laptop. I turned on A Study in Pink, the first episode of my favorite show, and I spaced out for an hour or so, trying not to let my thoughts creep back to the unbelievable events of the previous night. And amazingly, they didn’t. Despite all of the craziness of the night before, and the very real shock and trauma I was experiencing at present, the only thing my mind kept drifting back to was… her.

2

First Sight

“Dakota,” my boss called my name as I passed him, hurrying to the clock so I could check in for the night before it was too late to be on time. I glanced back as he hustled to catch up with me, and decided against cracking wise at the “big, strong man” having trouble keeping up with the only “short, skinny girl” co-worker he had. The last time I’d teased Joe about outperforming him, he’d put his money where his mouth was and let’s just say my mouth was better at winning wrestling matches than the rest of me. I turned to face him, jogging backward toward the clock with a shit-eating grin, which was really just about as bad as if I’d opened my mouth. Joe scowled as he caught up to me at the clock. “Hold the hell on. I got a special assignment for you tonight.”

“A special assignment? What? Am I double-oh-Dakota now? Or should I introduce myself as ‘Shepherd. Dakota Shepherd.’?” I smirked at him as I went through the motions of clocking in. I could tell that it was driving him crazy. He’d worked with me long enough to know that smirking was my way of exuding snarky remarks without putting them to words. And if I didn’t say it out loud, he never had a chance to refute whatever I was silently teasing him over.

“Kiss my ass, Shepherd.” Joe began with his usual level of eloquence, leaving it to me to keep the “witty” in our banter. “There’s some rich-assed patron coming through tonight and the curator has advised me that it’ll be the job of the guard on duty to see to it that she’s let in and given a tour.”

I leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow. “Oooo.” I cooed, “La-ti-da. So this patron’s so hoity-toity she can’t be assed to do her touring during the day when the museum’s actually open and there’s real tour guides who actually know what all this shit is and how to present it?”

Joe scoffed and gave me a conspiratorial smirk. “I know right? Wish I was so rich all the normal rules didn’t apply to me.”

“Eh. I don’t.” I shoved off from the wall and started down the hall toward the break room. “So what do I have to do?”

Joe followed me and I stopped purposefully outpacing him since I actually wanted to hear his reply. “Let them in, walk them around and let them see the exhibits. Don’t let them steal anything. Make sure they leave and everything here stays where it belongs. Babysitting, essentially.”

“Great.” I strode into the break room and approached the row of lockers we night security guards used to store our personal belongings during our shifts. I opened mine, and dropped my Captain America lunchbox inside along with a bottle of water. “This is going to go horribly, you realize?”

Joe knew me too well. “Why do you think I’m leaving early?”

I slammed my locker shut and turned to face him. “You are not! You’re kidding, right?”

It was Joe’s turn to smirk at me. “Nah, Shepherd. You got this! Just check the folder over there for the details.” He pointed at a plain yellow folder laying on the break room table and started to back out of the room. “Besides, I got a date!”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Right. You bastard. You owe me one.” Joe ignored me as he walked back out into the hall. “If I screw this up and get fired, I’m blaming you!” I yelled to the empty hall despite knowing he’d already departed from it. I sighed and walked over to pick up the folder he’d indicated and flopped it open. I read a list of names and general descriptions from a memo on company letterhead that was signed by the curator himself. Well at least I know this isn’t some dumb prank. I dropped the folder on the table and headed out to get started on my early-shift duties. The memo had said the patron’s party would be arriving around midnight. Who the hell visits a museum in the middle of the night?

I was standing in the lobby at a quarter to midnight when the perimeter guard’s voice crackled through my radio to inform me that the patron’s party had arrived. I headed over to unlock the front double doors and let the fancy rich people inside. I waited as the outdoor guard escorted the small party of finely-dressed individuals just to the threshold before turning to abandon me - Me! The smart-assed one who couldn’t keep her mouth shut - to deal with the uppity fancy patron. It turned out to be the nicest thing he ever did for me.

She walked into my life with slow, languid steps, the click of her heels on the polished marble floor echoing in the quiet, uninhabited entry hall. My body reacted to her presence the moment I laid eyes on her, tingling with some mixture of excitement and anxiety, or whatever you call the feeling an average girl would have the moment she laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the world.

She was utterly breath-taking, which, now that I think about it, could have been the reason for the tingling by itself. She was a little taller than average with the most perfect figure I’d ever seen, all luscious curves in all the right places. The woman before me was a porcelain-skinned goddess with immaculate ebony hair spilling down her back and over her shoulders. Her lips were this perfect shade of red that offset her look with the only splash of color it really needed. And it was the only splash of color I spotted, too. She was wearing an elegant black evening gown that clung to her breasts with its heart-shaped neckline which rose on one side to glide across her delicate shoulder where the dark fabric was decorated with intricate designs in silver and clear, shimmering gemstones that could very well have been diamonds for all I knew. The gown fit her curves perfectly, accenting her small, feminine waist and her softly rounded hips before flowing to her ankles like some inky waterfall, baring an enticing sliver of pale thigh as it parted just above the knee.

I must have looked like an idiot, staring at her with a slowly slacking jaw as she entered, nodding her appreciation to the other guard and myself for letting her in. I stood for a moment in wide-eyed shock, feeling my cheeks warming pre-emptively as I must have known on some level that I was about to horribly embarrass myself.

So of course, I flopped off my hat and gave an exaggerated bow. “Welcome, my lady, to the Knoxville Museum of Natural History!” I said in my best impression of a 1920’s radio announcer. Don’t ask me why I picked that. I still haven’t figured that one out. I replaced my hat as I straightened, and put on the world’s cheesiest grin. She glanced at me with a hint of humor in her wide blue eyes and a soft, sly smile curled her gorgeous lips. She tilted her head ever-so-slightly as a noble graciously acknowledging the peasantry.

Her lips parted as if to speak, but before she could get a word out, another finely-dressed woman took hold of her arm and escorted her away, leaning in and speaking quietly as they passed from the entryway into the museum proper. So, feeling like a complete ass, I closed the door and locked it up as per my instructions, then trailed along behind her party of five with the most awkward feeling I’d ever had regarding the spectacle I’d just made. She spoke softly with her friends as they toured the museum, gliding elegantly from exhibit to exhibit, pausing to read the plaques and study the displays. I followed along as quietly as possible, hoping I wouldn’t be needed for anything, lest I embarrass myself further by having absolutely no idea how to control my idiotic sense of humor in the presence of such an insanely beautiful woman. Not that they needed me. The girl of my dreams seemed to know more about the exhibits than I did. Maybe that’s why she didn’t mind visiting in the middle of the night.

An hour or so later, I was rewarded for my patience as we circled back to the front door and the late-night touring was over at last. I turned the lock for them once more, and the rest of her party was filing out into the warm Tennessee night air when she paused, the other young woman still curled around her arm, to turn her attention to me. “Thank you for the tour.” Her voice felt like velvet: gloriously soft and warm, with a faint European accent I wasn’t fancy enough to identify. My typical Tennessee-Southern accent likely did far less for her than her soft, delicate syllables did for me.

“You’re welcome. Any time. I mean, it wasn’t my fault-- er, that is… I’m just the night guard… but you know… I’d be happy to tour you anytime. Let you tour. I mean. That.” My face was probably actually on fire.

She laughed and I could just see the flames erupting on my cheeks. But her sly smile returned and she leaned in, pressing a finger to the embroidered name on my shirt. “Shepherd?” Great. I just knew this meant she was going to report me for being a tool.

“Yeah. It’s my name. And Dakota. That’s the other one.” I stuck out my hand out of general habit and immediately wished I hadn’t. But in rather than staring at my proffered hand as if it were contagious like she did in the image my nervous mind had conjured the instant I’d reached out, she took my hand and shook it delicately, her eyes still sparkling with humor and delight.

“Well, thank you, Dakota. It was lovely.” She paused and looked me over as if seeing me for the first time. The way her smile climbed to one side suggested some private satisfaction, or maybe she just thought I was funny-looking. “You’re a cute one.”

What? I grinned stupidly and tried to think of something clever to say, but instead, I blurted, “Yeah? Well if you plan to tip, I’d take your number.” It was like I was on an embarrassment rollercoaster and I just kept going down big hills.

But to my surprise, she laughed again and slid her fingers into a little purse I hadn’t noticed before and deftly removed a little black card with silver writing and offered it to me between two extended fingers. “Very well then.” I accepted the card with a goofy smile and turned it over to stare at the words written on the front. The shiny letters proclaimed “Amorie” in a flowing script above a phone number and email address. I looked up and smiled at her broadly, meaning to say my thanks, but the younger woman on her arm tugged at her and whispered something in her ear and the two of them turned away and vanished into the night, hours before I could recover. I was so bewildered by her smile that I didn’t really notice the daggers her companion glared at me as the two of them walked away.

3

Synchronicity

My heart sank as I pulled the remains of the black and silver card from my washing machine the next day. I’d gone home giddy and distracted by thoughts of Amorie, and unthinkingly dumped my work uniform in the wash without remembering to remove the card from my front pocket. The paper was destroyed and the numbers were illegible. I’d sighed and pouted for a day or so before deciding that it was probably for the best. I had no idea what I’d have done with her number if I hadn’t lost it. Would I have called her? If I had, would I have regretted it? I had no delusions as to how big of a fool I’d have made of myself if I’d ever actually managed to call her up and— what? Ask her out? It really was for the best.

But that hadn’t stopped her from stealing the sanctity of my dreams and invading my nights with the lingering aroma of her beauty. I saw her day after day (I was a night security guard, remember? I sleep during the day, so that’s when my dreams happened.) and it was always the same. She’d appear somewhere that I happened to be and I’d awkwardly try to ask her for her number again, but every time, the dream would end when she made it clear she had no memory of me, and I’d slink away in shame. I didn’t dwell on her forever. But I can’t say I’d entirely put her out of my mind the next time I saw her outside of my own mind, which was only a few weeks later.

I had decided to take a few days of sick leave and head down to Gatlinburg to unwind. Gatlinburg is a walking city. The main thoroughfare runs along the Parkway with all the main attractions, and most people just take the sidewalks to get around. I had been there before plenty of times with my family when I was younger, but it had been a while since my last visit and I was trying to remember how to find my way to one of my favorite restaurants when I saw her.

She was every bit as lovely as the first time I’d seen her, as if not a single moment had passed. Her ebony hair was bound in a loose, but elegant style that left a few roguish ringlets to cascade freely about her face and shoulders. She wore a gorgeous dress cut from some shimmery black fabric that tumbled softly toward her feet in fluttery sidelong layers. I spotted her walking toward me from half a block away and panicked. What could I do? How could I approach her? I glanced around and my eyes landed on a little stall with free information booklets commonly found around the city to help the tourists find ways to spend their money. I darted over and grabbed a little folded paper map before resuming my post, dead center of the sidewalk where I would be in her way. I unfolded the map and made a show of reading it, pretending not to notice her coming closer until she arrived.

“Dakota?” She remembered my name. I glanced up from my map, trying to look surprised. I noticed that the tall, muscular man who I’d previously assumed was just walking along the same path must have actually been there with her, as he paused with her, though he stood off to the side, unobtrusively. Though unobtrusive was pretty difficult for him. He was six and a half feet tall and built like a truck, with strawberry-blond hair that hung to his shoulders and a straight-up Viking-styled mustache and beard complete with little beads. He wore a tight black t-shirt and Levis jeans. I recognized the little hammer he wore on a sturdy cord at his throat as Mjolnir, Thor’s Hammer. What? I’m a geek; I love comics. Anyway, I noticed the Viking guy was eying me curiously, paying me more attention than I’d have expected.

But interesting companions aside, I was far more concerned with the fact that Amorie had remembered my name! I put on what I hoped was a winning smile and lowered the map to greet her. “Hey! Amorie! Fancy meeting you here!” I knew I’d butchered her name which I’d pronounced like “Am-murry”. She smiled in return and gave her companion a glance that said that all was well. I decided he must be her bodyguard, and determined with another glance at Viking guy that I should make sure to avoid doing anything that looked threatening. It would take like six of me to make one of him and if he was her bodyguard, I wasn’t interested in finding out what would set him off.

She laughed softly and drew my attention away from Viking guy again. “It is a small world indeed.” She looked me over and smiled. “What are you doing here, Dakota?”

Play it cool, hot shot. I’d heard that in a movie somewhere, so it seemed the right thing to say to myself. “Me? I was just, you know. Shopping, and well, right now I was just heading to Huck Finn’s for some dinner. They have the best catfish and— ” Cooler, would be better. “—food.” Sigh. “So, what about you? Have you eaten?” Her smile was growing steadily broader and I couldn’t tell if she thought I was funny or pathetic, or both. My best hope at this point was both.

“No, I—” She began, but I was apparently still determined to make a fool of myself and just kept talking.

“Because you could go too, if you wanted. I mean to Huck Finn’s. For dinner. It’s a good place. Though maybe not quite fancy enough for you. But if you like catfish…” I met her eyes with a hopeful smile. “You could go with me if you wanted.”

She did me the service of looking like she was interested, smiling over at her companion for a moment before looking back at me with an apologetic, or possibly pitying expression. “I’d love to.” My heart literally skipped a beat. “But I have a previous engagement this evening.” She indicated Viking guy and I wilted. Oh. Not her bodyguard. Her date.

I tried to hide my disappointment behind a smile and put on an excellent show of shrugging it off. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, I understand. I didn’t mean to intrude.” I gave a glance toward Viking guy and hoped he wasn’t the territorial type. Though I lost interest in her beefy companion entirely when she took a step closer to me and leaned in.

“But, perhaps another time?” I met her eyes and realized she wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better. She was actually asking me out! I felt giddy.

“Yes!” I might have spoken a little too loudly, or too quickly. “I’d love to. Though, do you live here? Because I’m not normally in Gatlinburg. I mean if you want to meet here, I can though. But I live in Knoxville—” She pressed a cool, slender finger to my lips, and her confident eyes told me she felt none of the anxiety I was experiencing. With a smile, she pulled another little card from her purse and started to offer it to me but paused.

“If I give you this, are you going to call me this time?” I suddenly felt like an ass again.

“I— what? Yes! Of course! I mean, I was going to last time, but something awful happened and when I got home, your number was… uh… gone.”

“Gone? Did it disappear?” Her sly lips smiled at me as if to say “I know the truth.”

“Yes. It was viciously attacked and devoured by the washing machine and I mourned its passing with a vow of silence.” I heard Viking guy snort at that, and I mentally gave him a cookie for getting the joke.

The smile reached her eyes again, “I see. That is tragic.” I nodded gravely. She put the card away and my stomach sank for just a moment before she pulled out a phone instead. “Well, why don’t you give me yours this time. I’ll be sure to keep it safe from vicious washers.”

I grinned and nodded, then recited my phone number slowly and carefully, pulling my own phone from my back pocket and flicking the screen on. I input her name into my contacts and asked her for her number again. This time, she gave it with her voice and I enshrined it in my phone, never to lose it again. I showed her the contact file I’d just created to make sure I’d gotten it down correctly and once she nodded her approval, I put the phone away. “Great. Thanks. I can’t wait to see you again.”

She smiled and glanced at Viking guy again. “I look forward to it, Dakota. For now, I really must go. Please excuse me.”

I nodded, smiling. “Of course. Have a great night.” She turned and stepped away, daintily offering her arm to Viking guy who almost grudgingly accepted and escorted her down the street. To my surprise, as they departed, he nodded to me in what I would have described as an amiable manner. And here I’d thought he didn’t like me.

4

Awakening

I didn’t hear from Amorie over the next few days. I decided that calling her first would seem desperate, and so determined that waiting for her to call me first was the more dignified course of action. That, or the less terrifying. Regardless, I didn’t reach out for a few days, and in those days, I finished my long weekend, returned home, and got back to work. It was Friday of the next week when I heard from her again, though it couldn’t have happened any more differently from how I’d expected.

Thursday night, I was working my usual shift, wandering about the museum with one earbud in, listening to a motley playlist of varied genre, when I heard something odd. It was a strange scraping sound coming from another room. I plucked the earbud out and clicked my music off, quietly crossing the room to investigate. I carefully approached the sound, figuring it was just one of the janitors or something, when I saw an odd light emanating from the other room in a strange, pulsating pattern. I leaned cautiously around the corner and peered in. In this room, most of the displays were settled against the far wall, with just two smaller pedestals taking up the center space. I noticed right away that one of the two pedestals had been pulled to one side, clearing a space around the other one. That could have been the scraping noise I’d heard.

I looked up to the other pedestal, and that’s when I spotted the intruder. He was a middle-aged man with long black hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He had pale skin, a wicked, short, beard, and crazy eyes. Maybe all the strange symbols he’d drawn on the floor and the honest-to-goodness wizard robe added to the feeling that he was a few marbles short of a hot dog stand. Whatever he was using to make that cool glowy effect was actually pretty awesome, and I considered casually strolling in and asking him about it before my training kicked in and I settled on taking him more seriously. Crazy people could be highly dangerous.

Whatever I might have done, the decision to act was made for me when he reached out toward the shiny silver cup displayed on the pedestal. I couldn’t let him steal museum property. If he even touched it, he could mess something up. A lot of the display items were rather fragile, after all.

I sprinted across the short distance from the door to the pedestal just as a strange green light erupted out from the cup and spiraled toward the man I was right in the middle of tackling. I felt something strike me in the side as I landed on him, pushing him hard to the floor as he wailed and cursed me, kicking against my pin. I twisted his arm into place and cuffed him with some difficulty as he struggled. I wasn’t very strong, but I knew how to use leverage to my advantage, and I was pretty fast. Whatever had hit me in the side hadn’t seemed to hurt me; it hadn’t really even felt like it’d done anything, but I had a distinctly odd feeling all the same.

I started to think about what had just happened as my radio rasped out, “Shepherd? Are you okay?” it was Joe. He was working perimeter tonight. “Shepherd? What was that sound?” I had no idea what he was talking about. I just kept my hold on the strange man who bucked and cursed. I stared determinedly at his back for an unknowable amount of time, my arms straining to hold him, though I hardly noticed the burning sensation slowly creeping through my shoulders and into my back. Shadows seemed to dance all around me, flickers of the pulsating, glowing lights, and shadowy forms that couldn’t really be there.

Some time later, whether minutes or hours I couldn’t say, Joe came rustling into the room and some uncertain amount of time after that, police had arrived. I watched with idle curiosity as they took the angry stranger, kicking and spitting curses, out of my sight and out the door. He was calling out strange-sounding names and phrases; I’m pretty sure there was some kind of Satanic ritual stuff in there, but I wasn’t really registering any of it. I couldn’t stop staring at him as his tall, slender frame diminished into the dark of the main hall. Why was he glowing? And how had he managed to make the glowing light he seemed to be emitting pulse and change colors like that?

At some point, I must have convinced Joe that everything was all right, because I was alone with the cup when my hands suddenly burst into sickly green fire. I gazed at my hands in abject horror, too stunned to even scream. When the flames suddenly extinguished themselves - the fire that hadn’t burned me leaving as quickly as it’d appeared - I finally reached the proper reaction, and panicked. I ran out of the museum and didn’t stop running till I was home.

5

Denial

The next day was hard to handle. It was difficult enough to accept that it had all been a dream when I was still in denial and telling myself I’d just partied way too hard. When I went down for the mail and spent several minutes ogling the strangely desaturated passersby, I began to realize that no amount of partying could really explain these things away. It was with a rising sense of urgency that I pulled out my smartphone and thumbed over to Amorie’s number. I thought about dialing it over and over again. But no. She barely knew me. I was only considering calling her because I had no one else to turn to.

At least, I had no one else I really wanted to turn to. Ultimately, my choice was made for me, however, when my phone rang, startling me from my indecisive reverie. I was surprised to see the call was from Shannon, one of my co-workers, a day-time museum employee who had bullied me exchanging numbers during a company meeting. Why was she calling me? She’d hardly ever spoken to me before. I almost thumbed the ignore button, but some part of me was really curious why she was calling and another part reminded me it could have something to do with the incident last night at work. I took the call. “Hello?” I really was out of it. Not even a clever answer quip.

“Hey! Dakota!” Shannon’s chirpy voice immediately grated on my nerves, almost as much as the way she pronounced my voice like “dak-ota” instead of “duh-ko-ta” like a real person would say it. “How are you?” I thought about answering her with a variety of colorful choice words, but she barely paused for breath. “Listen! The girls and I are going out tonight and we were hoping you’d join us!” What? Why would she want me to go out with the girls? They’d never asked me out before. On the one hand, I was just a lowly night security guard and “the girls” were all proper daytime museum workers with college degrees and salaries. On the other hand, I was the obvious lesbian who was less “out and proud” than simply “couldn’t keep her mouth shut” when it came to things like being asked if she thought male coworker A or B were attractive. Which is to say, on either hand, they’d never asked me out before and I had no idea why they would want me to go out with them now.

Regardless, I listened on as she spewed out an explanation of where they were going and how it was some new club with some kind of show, and music, I think. I didn’t realize that I’d completely spaced out again until Shannon’s voice finally broke for the requisite oxygen. “So? Will you go?” It was an interesting question. I didn’t particularly want to go out to a new club with a bunch of people I barely knew. I didn’t usually go to clubs at all, and I wasn’t really that fond of hanging out with people who existed outside of a screen. After all, my television idols never put me on the spot or judged me. But as I was standing there, listening and deciding, my eyes had drifted to my hand where just hours before, a sheath of emerald flames had—

“Yeah. Sure. What time?” I silently assured myself that I was not in denial.

6

Running

A few hours later, I was showered, dried, and standing in front of a mirror in my underwear, trying to decide if a dress was really necessary for my evening destination. After a moment of agonizing over the clothing options my closet had to offer, I caught sight of my face and ended up taking a long, hard look in the mirror. I was what my Nan would have called “a scrawny slip of a girl”. Five-five with a petite frame and boyish figure. I was allergic to exercise for exercise’s sake so my body lacked any real tone despite my generally active career path. My bust was too small to be attractive, at least by my own standards, and I was otherwise altogether uninteresting with medium-brown hair in a short, shaggy cut, and unremarkable light golden-brown eyes. I spent a moment studying my face: a soft, pointed chin with a feminine jawline, more or less average lips, and an ordinary, slightly upturned nose. My skin was fair of tone and generally bore no evidence of any lasting relationship with the sun. Working nights will do that for you, as will generally preferring indoors-only hobbies.

I sighed. It didn’t really matter what I wore. I wasn’t going to impress anyone, and I didn’t even want to. I started to pick the button-down shirt and slacks in one hand over the simple black dress in the other, but just as my mind was made up, I realized I felt oddly disappointed, and so decided the dress it was. I returned the first outfit to its place in my closet, and pulled the dress off its hanger, discarding that into the floor of my closet. I pulled the sleeveless black shift on and straightened it, watching my reflection in the mirror as I did. The length was a little less than I’d remembered, but then the last time I’d tried it on had been a couple years back. I considered my appearance for a moment, then fetched a pair of black tights and the only pair of heels I owned. A few minutes later, I looked at least passably dressed up, even if I had no idea how to make my hair less ordinary, and makeup… Well, I didn’t want to make myself look even worse.

I took a few steps back and plopped down onto the bed, still eying myself in the mirror, which was fortunate when I realized I’d need to try and remember that dress-wearing meant my legs should try to get to know each other better tonight as well. I leaned forward with a long sigh and placed my head in my hands, comforting myself only momentarily before my hands on my face reminded me of the sickly green fire and I shifted them to my torso instead. I sat there for a few seconds, hugging myself. I realized it was more than a few seconds when my phone’s alarm sounded, reminding me that it was time to go. I was really uncomfortable with how easily I’d been losing track of time. It reminded me too much of the troubles of my youth. But I didn’t want to think about that right now. I had trouble enough without lapsing into regrets from days gone by.

I walked to the address Shannon had given me, guided by the GPS app on my phone, and managed to get there at least fashionably on-time. There was a line and a little red rope-thingy and everything. I’d never been into the club scene so I’d only ever seen such things in movies. I figured if Shannon was inviting me, she would know how to get us in, so presumably she wasn’t already waiting for me inside. I glanced around for a moment, hoping to spot her, but she snuck up on me while I was looking the wrong way and startled the crap out of me instead.

I guess I was a little jumpy. I felt a strange warmth on my hands and almost panicked again, but when I jerked my hands up to inspect them, they were perfectly devoid of burning. I sighed in relief, even as the strangely-gray-looking Shannon and the group of girls accompanying her gave me a curious look. I excused it off as having just realized I’d forgotten to wear a particular bracelet, (as if wearing jewelry was actually something I’d have thought of doing) and played it off as a momentary fear that I had lost it. One of the other girls slipped off a pair of thin, metal bangles and offered them to me consolingly as Shannon guided us to the front of the line and caught the attention of the bouncer. She must have known him or maybe she’d bribed him, because he let us right in.

I felt so immensely out of place in the club. It was dark with flashing lights and music so loud it was nigh painful, though my hearing had been kinda sensitive today. There were so many people. A part of me wanted to bolt. But I didn’t relish the idea of being home all evening, alone, either. I followed along with Shannon’s crowd and settled at a table with them, accepting a drink someone had picked for me, and generally nodding and smiling at everything they said without trying too hard to really pick out what they were saying over the noise of the club. After a moment of idle chatter, Shannon turned to me and leaned in to yell, “So Dakota, we heard there was some kind of break-in at the museum last night. What happened?”

I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Shannon’s gossipy nature could have revealed the reason for her invitation if I’d had the focus and clarity of mind to really consider it. “There was just some … guy.” I really didn’t want to think about it. If I thought about the guy, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about the fire, and the glowing, and the stupid silver cup…

“Was he a robber?” Shannon yelled across the thumping base. I sighed and resigned myself to explaining.

“I don’t know. He didn’t steal anything. He was just—”

“I heard he was a devil worshiper and he drew some kind of Satanic markings all over the floor in the gallery.” Shannon and her friends went on discussing what they’d heard for a few minutes without missing my input. I was okay with that. I found myself drifting away from the conversation as I slowly examined my surroundings.

The club was full of strangely-gray people. I stared at a pretty-enough woman with pale-blond hair and it took me far too long to figure out that her hair was blond and not silver. I couldn’t make out the color of her dress in time before she moved too far away for me to keep my eyes on her. I studied the man she’d been talking to instead: short black hair, pale skin, nothing out of the ordinary really. Except that the satiny vest beneath his tailored suit jacket was a rich, and vibrant, crimson. Not only that, but he was surrounded by a dim, deep-purple light with patches of black and gray. I must have stared too long again. The man looked up from his small table and noticed my eyes on him. His eyes shone with a dim red light behind the dark of his irises. I felt my heart rate quicken. He quirked a humorless smile, and eyed me like a wolf hunting prey.

“Dakota?” Shannon’s voice cut across the violent din of the music and the crowd.

“Huh?” I articulated cleverly. “Sorry… I…” I glanced back to the other table and the red-vest guy was gone. I panicked. I stood up too suddenly and everyone at the table had to clutch their drinks to avoid them tipping over. Shannon wasn’t quick enough and her Cosmo made a valiant effort to ruin her night. I distantly registered her shouting and the other girls crowing over the tragedy of a spilled drink, but I was far too busy feeling hunted to care about social propriety. I backed away from the table and glanced around for the nearest exit. I had to get out. Now.

I desperately pushed my way through the crowd, and as I did, I noticed red-vest guy wasn’t the only person here who wasn’t all 1950’s television. There was a woman in a firey-red dress sitting at a table in the corner with a trio of pretty boys leaning on her arms, their expressions bleary, as she stroked idly at their hair and watched the room like a contented cat. A taller man with thick-rimmed glasses danced with a full-figured woman in a deep blue suit, and both of them were teeming with swirling colored lights. I tried to back away from all of them at once and ended up stumbling into someone out of reckless fear. I whipped around as my heart thudded in terror, fearing the red-vest guy had sneaked up on me, but when my eyes landed on her porcelain skin and her blushing ruby lips…

“A-Amorie?” I breathed shakily. Her brows were knitted together in concern as she held a hand out to me, offering assistance or comfort, or possibly both. I accepted it, stepping closer to her, then froze. She was cold. Not just her hands, but her body as well. The lack of bodily warmth stood out like a klaxxon in a library. I jerked my hand away in fear, meeting her eyes with a  look of disbelief and betrayal. “Wait… you too?” I noticed her crimson lips once again, then the lovely azure shade of her eyes. Her body was wreathed in a light like a bloodied bruise. I numbly backed away from her even as she reached out to me.

“Dakota? Oh… Oh dear.” She followed me slowly, steadily, as if trying not to spook me. “Listen to me, Dakota. Everything is going to be all right.” She managed to keep her voice soft, even while raising it to a volume still audible over the roar of the club. I wanted to believe her. More than anything, I wanted to let her take my hand again, and I wanted to believe that she really could make everything all right again. But I didn’t believe that. In fact, I was terrified of her. Because she wasn’t… I didn’t know what she wasn’t… but she was one of them. And the other one was out there, hunting me.

I turned without thinking and bolted for the emergency exit. I fixed my eyes on the little sign above the door and figured the unfortunate club-goers in my path could sort out the aftermath of my charge on their own. I cut through the crowd to several alarmed cries, one of which I vaguely registered as Amorie’s, and hit the bar on the door, shoving through the final barrier between me and freedom from the trap that the club had become.

I stumbled out into the night and backed away from the building, my heart still doing an impression of a dubstep song. I glanced around and headed for the alley leading back to the street. Suddenly, my back impacted the brick wall beside me, and the red-vest guy’s dimly glowing eyes met mine once more. His cold body was pressed against me in such a way that I could hardly move at all, his thighs pressing painfully hard against mine, and his arms pinning mine to the wall to either side of my head. I screamed and he dropped one of my arms to slap his palm across my mouth. My eyes were stinging with fearful tears as he held me there, my body stuck to the wall, entirely helpless. He leaned his head in close and grinned at me, a wicked expression that promised he was enjoying my dismay far more than a good man should.

He shushed me and met my eyes, “No need for all of that.”. He pressed his torso against mine too tightly for comfort. “It’ll all be over soon.” His lips parted in a dark smile, revealing elongated canines that came to horrifying points. Until that moment, I had known he was going to hurt me, and I was terrified that he intended to rape me, but when I noticed his dreadfully sharp fangs, I knew that my earlier instinct was correct. He intended to eat me.

I screamed against his palm, struggling with every ounce of strength I possessed. I didn’t want to die. Not here. Not now. I’m only 28 and I haven’t even done anything with my life yet. I’m not going to die here! My despair transformed into resolve as I realized that one of my hands was still free. I tried to push him off of me, but he may as well have been a statue for all I managed to move him. He chuckled as if my struggles were amusing to him, then lowered his head to my shoulder and lashed his tongue along my neck. I screamed again and tried to picture the ugly, emerald flames bursting from my hands. I tried to imagine the fire catching on his jacket and I pictured him leaping back from me in terror as I ran down the alley to safety. I felt the palm of my hand growing warm.

“Reynold Cuthbert. That is enough.” Amorie’s melodic voice carried her disapproval like a dagger’s edge. My eyes darted toward the alley and her voice as the red vest guy, Reynold Cuthbert, jerked his head away from my neck, whipping his face around toward her as well. “Release her at once.” She demanded, taking a few steps closer.

“This one’s free game!” Cuthbert insisted with a growl that would have made me cringe away from him if I’d had anywhere to go.

“This is my city.” Amorie proclaimed with a hint of admonishment. “So unless I say otherwise, the ‘game’ is mine.” She stepped beyond the lip of the alleyway and settled her features into a cross expression.

Cuthbert snarled. “You can’t claim everything. I found this one first, so it’s mine.” His grip on my wrist suddenly became even more painfully tight and I cried out behind his palm.

Amorie narrowed her eyes into a dangerous expression that sent a chill down my spine. She shifted the bottom of the long black drape she wore across her shoulders to reveal something he must have recognized that I couldn’t make out beyond a glint of silver. “Leave. Now.” Her voice was adamant. Her eyes and her posture said she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Cuthbert growled again, a sound of anger mixed with frustration, and released me all at once, pushing his body away from mine and moving away in one swift motion. He approached the alley, and Amorie thusly by proxy. His expression screamed of the threat he was apparently too wise to speak aloud, but to my dismay, he turned that dark look on me instead as he departed by the alley beside the club.

I felt my legs quivering with fear and pain, and the betrayal of heels I hadn’t the practice to wear. I would have sunk to the ground but for Amorie whose body was suddenly just in front of me. Her arm went around me gently as she pulled me away from the wall. “There now. Are you all right, Dakota?” Her voice was soothing and soft, but my instincts were still on edge. Her cold body mirrored his cold body, and that just reminded me of how frightened and betrayed I’d felt at her cold touch in the club. I almost pulled away, but she kept a firm but gentle pressure on my back where she held me steady. It was probably for the best; I was still rather shaky on my feet.

“I… What was he? What… What are you?” I shivered despite the warmth of the night, wondering if I was even safe now that I’d been rescued.

Amorie shushed me softly. “It is all right. I will not harm you. I did not harm you before, did I?”

I shook my head and thought about that. “What did he mean? That I’m free game?”

Amorie shushed me again. “I will explain. But we should go somewhere else. You should sit down. You are trembling.”

I was. But I was still afraid. And I didn’t know if I could trust her. “Go where?”

“Wherever you like. Wherever you feel safe.” Her eyes were full of compassion. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe in her. Whatever the reason for her cold body and the muted, bloody colors that danced at her perimeter, I wanted to believe that she was safe. But a little voice said it would be stupid to show her where I lived, and stupider still to go anywhere with her alone.

“There’s a diner… on 14th street. It’s 24 hours and there’s always people there. We can go there.”

Amorie smiled warmly and nodded once. “As you like, Dakota. Will you let me take you there?”

“I’ll walk.” Getting into a stranger’s car was like grade school no-no. That’s elementary-my-dear-Watson level hell no.

“All right. Will you let me walk with you?” I thought about that for a few seconds as she offered her arm, before deciding that anything she could do to me while walking me down the street, she could just as well do right here without going to the trouble of convincing me.

“Okay.” I timidly accepted her arm as I glanced toward the alley and my stomach filled with dread. What if he was still there? What if I saw him again? That look he had given me… I dared to hope he wouldn’t give it to me again in my nightmares. I tightened my grip on her arm without thinking. All things considered, I’d rather take my chances with whatever Amorie was than to walk down that alley right now alone.

7

Cold Truth

We walked to the diner in relative silence. Amorie seemed willing to give me time to calm down, and never pushed me to speak. She just walked beside me, not touching me since I’d pulled away from her grasp as we departed the alley behind the club. The walk felt like it took only seconds. I realized I had likely zoned out again. All of this trauma couldn’t be good for me. We settled down in the last booth at the back of the diner, away from the Friday night crowd, but safely visible to all.

I glanced up at the desaturated waitress who immediately arrived to query about an order. I hadn’t even considered food, and with the tightness in my stomach from earlier events, I wasn’t sure I could keep anything— My stomach growled loudly as I realized I hadn’t eaten a bite since that cereal this morning. Amorie maintained her gentle, neutral smile. “Order what you like. It is my treat.”

I appreciated the gesture, even if it did shift the scale of my suspicion one tick further against her. People who offer to help you usually want something in return. Right? I grabbed the laminated, single-sheet menu and gave it a quick glance. My head was still spinning from all the fear and adrenaline. “Uh… I’ll have a coke. And a burger with everything. And some fries. With cheese. And chilli. And a waffle on the side.” I handed her the menu with a sheepish expression. Despite my demure figure, I’d always been a big eater. I glanced over at Amorie as the waitress turned to walk away, still working on jotting down my order. “What? If you’re buying, I’m eating.”

Amorie’s genteel smile remained, her cheek quirking slightly with amusement. “It is fine. It is good that you are willing to eat.” She laid a hand on my hand which I’d left in front of me on the table. I started to pull away, but her expression was soft and concerned, and I wanted the comfort. Even if I couldn’t trust her, there was no harm in letting her comfort me here in a public place where I was safe.

I stared for a moment at our hands, marveling at the coolness of her touch, and at the utter stillness of her body. It was unsettling now that I thought about it. She seemed frozen, like a sculpture in ice, unmoving, devoid of warmth. I couldn’t even tell that she was breathing. She gazed at me with her wide, vibrant blue eyes and she fluttered her lashes, making me chuckle slightly. “What… are you?”

“I am a vampire.” The word sounded so sweet with her beautiful European accent sheathing it. I nodded slowly, considering the facts I had available to consider. She was cold. She was still. She parted her lips just enough to reveal the points of her two elongated canines. Fangs, I supposed.

“Was red-vest guy a vampire too?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it.

“Red-vest guy?” She tilted her head just slightly, then her face warmed with amusement. “You mean Mr. Cuthbert? Yes.”

“Are you going to eat me?”

She laughed softly and quirked her sly little smile. “If I were going to eat you, it would have been far easier to do so in that alley than here, no?”

I knew what she was saying made sense, but a nagging feeling in my gut kept telling me that I was in danger. “Then why do I feel like I’m not safe?”

“You are Awakening. You have noticed that some people have brighter colors than others? They are Awakened too. And some of them are not human. Like me.” She kept her voice soft and unthreatening. I was still nervous, but I realized, it wasn’t her that was frightening me. I glanced around the diner. Most everyone here was gray. There was one woman paying her check at the register whose colors were not muted, and one shadowy figure, but I didn’t see any others. Amorie noticed me eying the woman at the counter. “Now that you can see them, they will notice you too.”

I felt a chill and pulled my hand away, opting to hug myself instead of holding hands with the vampire. “Am I in danger?” That feeling in my gut was telling me the answer already, but again, I wanted to know what Amorie had to say on the matter.

“Not while I’m here with you. But you will be, if you are alone.” That was exactly what I was hoping not to hear.

“What do I need to do?” I wasn’t sure I could even trust her answer. But it was better than nothing.

“Typically when a human is Awakened they must seek the shelter of an appropriate group in order to avoid being, as Mr. Cuthbert claimed earlier, ‘free game’. There are organizations of different varieties that could protect you, such as SII, but for you, I think  there is a better fit.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a little card and a pen.

“So, wait. What does it mean? ‘Awakened’? Like I was asleep before? You mean like The Matrix?” I was tempted to feel the back of my head for a metal port, but I restrained myself. Amorie began to write on the little card.

“In a sense, you were. There are people who could explain it far better than I. But, yes. You were…” she seemed to search for the appropriate word, “unaware of many things that exist in the world.” She finished writing and lifted the card, offering it to me across the table with warmth in her eyes I knew was not present in her body. That warmth reminded me of how utterly attracted I was to her.

“Like I’m the last horse to cross the finish line?”

She laughed softly and shook her head. “Most humans are Unawakened.”

“Ah. So… then it really is like The Matrix?” I stopped restraining myself and lifted my hand to check the back of my neck. Everything was normal, but the action elicited another smile from my gorgeous companion, so I wasn’t mad at myself.

“Perhaps in some ways. Though there is no great conspiracy that has kept them all asleep. There is no machine uprising, or evil government— well, not like that at least. For the humans, there is no one to blame. They have chosen to be this way.”

I frowned. That sounded awful. “Really?”

She nodded. “They have done it to themselves.”

I nodded slowly. That made a sort of sense. People are excellent at hiding from their fears. If there really were vampires and… A burning question interrupted my thoughts. “Wait… they?”

Amorie nodded again.

I frowned deeply. “What do you mean… they? Don’t you mean me too?”

Amorie pursed her lips as if trying to decide how to say what she meant. “I do not believe you are human, precisely.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I am not certain. But I have a suspicion about what you are.”

“What I am? As in what? What do you mean?” Panic rising. Dakota status: not so good.

“I am not sure I am the best person to explain it to you.” She gave me an apologetic expression and leaned back from the table as the waitress brought my order and laid it out. I took one look at the food and decided I was not hungry. Then my stomach growled again in protest to my decision and I picked up the burger, overruled. I glanced up as I bit in and realized I hadn’t accepted the card Amorie had offered me. I’d been a bit too distracted at the time. She laid it on the table as the waitress walked away, then slid it over to me. I read the card while chewing.

“Ralof Gunnarsson? What do you think I am, a Viking?” I thought about that for approximately one half of a nano-second before blinking in surprise. “Wait… Viking Guy? From the other night?”

Amorie nodded. “He is… a friend. And I believe he can help you.” She was smirking. “I believe he is the one who should tell you more. It is more his place.”

“Why?”

“Because… it is his place to take care of ones such as you. Assuming I am right.”

“What, people who Awaken?”

“No…” She handed me the ketchup just as I reached toward it. “Let Ralof explain. It is his job to take care of your kind.”

I applied the ketchup to my fries, noticing that Amorie’s nose crinkled just slightly as I did so, as if she didn’t approve of adding that condiment to that food. I wondered idly why she cared. Vampires didn’t eat normal food, right? Isn’t that what all the movies said? “So you think that he’ll take care of me?” I emphasized the last four words with a gesture like a gunshot to my head.

Amorie smirked again and shook her head, sending the cascade of softly curling dark locks that framed her face to tumbling all about. “He will help you get your bearings. And you will be safe with him.” She considered for a second or two then smiled up at me through her dark lashes. “I would take you in myself, but to do so would require certain…” she smiled just broadly enough to show me her fangs indicatively, “concessions on your part.”

I figured that she was trying to be playful, or humorous, but I straightened and felt myself leaning away from her at that. “Uh…”

“Do not worry, Dakota, I was only teasing. I will not harm you. And I would do no such thing without your permission. Though, I do not believe it would be possible for me to turn you, regardless.” Her face still held a warmth I knew her touch belied.

I watched her expression very carefully, hoping to understand her motives. “Why?”

“Because of what you are. Or at least, what I believe you are.” I could tell she wanted to deflect from the possible misstep of teasing me about turning me into a vampire. Good move, really. “Are there any other questions that I may answer for you right now?”

I scooped a handful of fries through the chili and cheese adorned with ketchup, then paused, hovering the drippy concoction over my plate while I considered that. “What about tonight? Will I be safe if I go home and sleep in my apartment?” I leaned my head back to drop the gloopy potatoes into my mouth. My world may have just gone sideways, but at least I still had comfort food.

“You should be all right for tonight.” Amorie assured me gently. She seemed more amused at my messy eating habits than disgusted, which was better than expected. “It is late, and you will be safe at least from my kind when the sun rises.”

“So that’s true then?” I tried to speak intelligibly around mouthfuls of food. “I mean about vampires and the sun? What about stakes and garlic and running water?”

Amorie smirked at me and cocked her shoulder up, leaning her head toward it coyly. “Trying to figure out how to kill me already?”

I snorted. “Right… because I was so effective against the other vampire.”

She smiled rather brightly and indulged me. “Many of the things you have read about supernatural creatures are true. Some things are merely myth or folklore. But many such tales have within them, a seed of truth.” She lifted my mostly-drained glass as the waitress approached to refill it. I managed a muffled “Thanks” around a handful of fries.

It was then that I realized at last that Amorie must have stuck out in this place like a sore thumb. She was dressed like a rich person, which presumably, she was. Her floor-length black evening gown was bejeweled along the single shoulder strap and down along one side with sparkling, colorless gems and layers of shimmering silver beads, all surrounding a small area of empty space where the dress revealed the soft, pale excellence of her side, just above the hip. Her hair was pinned in the back in an elaborate style, held by an ornate clasp that circled her head from just above and behind one ear to the same place on the other side. The clasp was silver and covered in sparkling gems to match her dress, and it was designed with gracefully curling spirals and intricate knots. Her hair tumbled down in front in a cascade of delicate little curls which framed her cheeks and dipped just lower than her chin. She was stunning.

And here I’d brought her to a crummy little diner, one step less refined than a Waffle House, and yet it seemed that no one had taken note of her. I wondered about that as I glanced around. Perhaps they had noticed when she walked in. I’d been entirely too busy panicking to really pay attention. “Why does no one seem to notice you?”

Amorie glanced around the room as if noticing the people there for the first time. I could see her considering her answer. Her mouth quirked up at the corner and I knew the response she gave would be a playful one. “Vampire powers.”

I smiled, amused. “Vampire powers? That makes you sound like a superhero. Do you get little tights and a cape?”

Her eyes cut to me with a dominating, sultry expression. “I do if I want them.” Her voice carried an air of power that settled around me like a blanket. I shuddered at the tingling shiver it sent down my spine. The sound of her power steeped in her accented voice had managed to turn me on.

“Oh…” I shuddered again and considered a few crazy things I would undoubtedly have said any other night when a vampire hadn’t saved me from another vampire trying to eat me after the night when my hands had caught fire and— “Why did my hands catch on fire?”

Amorie blinked at the sudden question and tilted her head. “Your hands…?” Crap. She didn’t know about that.

“Yeah… that’s what started all of this. Or at least, I guess it is. I didn’t tell you about it though, did I?” I felt rather sheepish. Then again, it was just last night and a lot had been going on since then.

“I fear not.” She looked both interested and concerned. “But it sounds as if you should explain, no?”

“Sure.” I stacked my empty plate under the second one which held up the waffle I’d ordered. I drizzled some syrup on it and started cutting it while I spoke. “There was some guy at the museum last night. Some crazy guy. He broke in and scribbled some kind of Voodoo Wicca stuff all over the floor around a cup we had on display. I noticed him and tackled him. Something weird happened… there was some kind of pulsing green light. And… after the police took him away, I was standing there trying to figure out what I’d seen and my hands caught on fire.”

Amorie fluttered her lashes, indicating that she was still surprised. “Your hands were on fire… Were you hurt?”

I shook my head, stuffing a bite of waffle into my face. “Nah, it was weird. Like they were on fire… but not burning. And the fire was green, by the way.”

Amorie went still.

I frowned and set my fork down. “What?”

The set of her shoulders told me that something was wrong. “Green fire? You are sure?” I nodded, furrowing my brows. “I see.” She pulled a smartphone from her purse and touched the screen in a series of deft motions I wouldn’t have expected from anyone over legal drinking age. “Can you show me the cup? Is there a picture on the museum’s website?”

I frowned and shook my head. “I don’t think so. It wasn’t anything important. I think it was just something some patron donated a year or so back. It was off in one of the side galleries. Not something they’d still be advertising.”

Amorie frowned and glanced up from the phone. “I suppose that you have not taken a picture of it?”

I shook my head and chewed at my inner lip.  “No… but…” I started to grab my phone and frowned as I realized I’d left it at home since purses were one step girlier than I’d felt I could manage and the dress had no pockets. I reached for Amorie’s phone instead. “Here. I might be able to find it.” Amorie let me take her phone, so I started Google-ing. A moment later, I offered it back displaying an article from the local newspaper’s site. A photo of the cup was front and center at the top of the page.

“Clever.” Amorie nodded her approval as she examined the photo, concern apparent on her features. “I will look into it. It is not something I immediately recognize. But…” She set the phone down and looked up at me with a serious expression that commanded my attention. “Be careful with that, Dakota. You should try not to use it if you can avoid it.”

“Use what? I didn’t do it. It was just… there. And then it wasn’t.” I couldn’t help glancing at my hand and flexing it at the memory.

Amorie seemed to consider that and nodded. “It is possible it was just an effect of the ritual the magicien— the mage was doing. But you should be very careful. If… if it did come from you… Then you should do your best not to summon it up again until I can find out more about it. That fire—” I’d only managed to remain quiet so long due to the waffle I’d been chewing on when she’d said “mage”.

“Mage?” I half-shouted. I immediately regretted speaking so loudly as half a dozen people looked up at me and I shrunk into my seat. I was terrified for a few seconds that I had really screwed up and given it all away, but everyone just went back to what they were doing before, seeming more annoyed at my volume than really caring at all about what I’d said. It was weird. I felt like I had a secret that I’d just blurted to a crowd, but as it turned out, no one really gave a damn about that kind of thing.

Amorie seemed amused at me. “They will just think you are discussing a book or perhaps, a film.” That made sense. If people were Awakened just by hearing the word “mage”, I doubt there’d be so many people still Unawakened. What with Peter Jackson and Harry Potter and all. “But about the fire.” Amorie drew my attention back to the more pressing matter. “It is possible that it came from you. And if you are not careful… it could do much more harm than you would wish to cause.”

I frowned deeply and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be careful. Can you tell me what it is?”

Amorie shook her head. “Not just yet. I would prefer to be sure.” She put her phone away. “I will make some calls and see if I can find out for you. I will try to have an answer for you by next eve.”

I smiled at her weakly. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. I mean… Why are you helping me?”

Amorie smiled and fluttered her lashes at me again, strengthening my smile. “Perhaps it is just because I like you.”

I thought about that for a second and decided. “I like you too.” We smiled at each other more broadly. “Maybe I shouldn’t.”

Amorie feigned a hurt expression and touched her fingers exaggeratedly to her chest. “Why, Dakota, what are you suggesting?”

My smile stretched out further on one side. “I dunno. Maybe it’s just harder to trust someone who could eat me.”

Amorie smirked at that. “You trust other people all of the time. It is not unheard of that people have eaten other people, no?”

I snorted. “Well, you don’t really look like the Jeffrey Dahmer type.” When had we leaned closer to each other? I straightened up suddenly and pointedly stuffed the last quarter of my waffle into my mouth. “So, I’ll be okay if I just go home then?”

Amorie leaned back as well. “I would say so. As long as you go straight home and stay inside until morning. Then you should really go and speak to Ralof as soon as possible. Call him first thing in the morning. This is not something you should wait around on. Though, I will see to it that you are safe from my kind at least for tonight.”

I wanted to ask her a million other questions. But I was feeling overwhelmed already, and she seemed to want me to preserve the bulk of my queries for Ralof anyway. So I decided to file my curiosities away for tomorrow. I scooted to the edge of the booth and paused. “I guess I’ll go home then. I should get some rest if I’m expected to be alive during daylight hours.” I slapped a hand over my mouth at the unintended vampire joke, my eyes going wide. Amorie, however, laughed, a merry sound trickling from her lips which contorted into a quivery smile at the end. “I’m so sorry.” I stage-whispered. “That wasn’t meant to be racist.”

Amorie snickered again and shook her head a little. “You really are cute.” I could feel the warmth of my features’ betrayal. “Go home and rest. See Ralof tomorrow. I will call you some time after sun down.”

I smiled, glad to have amused her again. “All right. I will.” I stood and glanced at the table. I started to reach for the wallet that wasn’t there but before I could remember that I’d just stuffed some cash in my bra, Amorie stilled my hand with a wave of hers.

“Just go. I have it.”

I smiled. “Right. Thanks.” I wanted to say more. In a way, I wanted to stay with her. At least for right now. At least, it was less frightening than going out there and being alone. “I’m going to call a cab.”

Amorie nodded. “That is wise. I would offer to have you driven home, but you seemed, perhaps wisely, hesitant to allow me to offer transportation before.”

I grinned wolfishly. “Perhaps wisely?”

Amorie smiled. “It is wise to retain a measure of caution with strangers. Especially now.”

I nodded and tugged at my dress, bringing it down to a more reasonable level on my thighs. “Okay. Well. Good night, Amorie. And… thank you. You know. For rescuing me.”

Amorie nodded in a manner that felt more like a bow. “You are welcome, Dakota. Take care of yourself.”

8

Meeting

It was hot out. So much so that I was glad to see that the place where Ralof had said to meet him was solidly within the shade at this hour. I’d slept poorly the night before, failing despite exhaustion to actually stay asleep for long periods at a time. It was unusual for me to be in bed during night hours and that can’t have helped, but mostly, I just couldn’t sleep through the nightmares I had of ravenous green fire, the vampire pressing his body against me so tightly I couldn’t escape, and other splendid monsters all flowing along the theme of “things that would like to eat me and worse”. I’d started awake at six in the morning and decided that five hours of sleep would just have to do for tonight.

I’d waited until seven to call Ralof. Even then I’d worried that I was being rude by calling too early but Amorie had said to call as soon as I was awake, so I assumed he wouldn’t mind. Ralof had sounded awake and not at all annoyed, so hopefully I’d been right. Amorie had apparently given him a call after I’d left her the night before, so he was already expecting to hear from me. He told me to meet him at one of the picnic pavilions at Great Smoky Mountain National Park for lunch and that sounded fine by me. I spent the forty-five minutes it took the cab to take me to the park from Knoxville thinking about the conversation I’d had with Amorie the night before. What did she think I was? And what would it mean for my life? What could the green fire be that it was scary enough to elicit the reaction it had from a vampire? Well… fire might be enough. I thought idly. Vampires didn’t like fire, right? But something told me it was more than that.

The conversation with Amorie had certainly left me anxious for some answers, and so I was grateful to spot Ralof approaching the pavilion just as I’d arrived. Whether thanks to the presence of better lighting or the absence of Amorie’s beauty to distract me, Ralof looked a bit different to me than he had the first time I’d met him. Or maybe it was just that I was less afraid of him now that I knew he wasn’t some big, scary bodyguard about to punt me over the moon for getting to close to the pretty lady.

He was still ridiculously tall and muscular, a fact that his skin-tight black muscle shirt did nothing to hide. Beyond that, he wore blue jeans and a pair of thick, heavy hiking boots. His hair was a touch more strawberry than I’d first thought, though the sunlight brought out the golden quality as well. His beard was braided today in addition to bearing a pair of nifty Viking beads. As he neared, I noticed the shifting lights that radiated from his form. They were mostly earthy colors, greens and browns, but there were some smaller pockets of white, red, and purple. I noticed that the light turned a more brilliant, golden color toward the inner edges. I wondered for a moment what the colors might mean, or if they meant anything at all.

Ralof lifted a hand, and the six-pack of sodas it was carrying, in greeting as he approached, and I mimicked his gesture politely. His other hand was clutching a large bag from a local burger joint that smelled like heaven. I realized that since he’d invited me for an early lunch I might have expected that food could be involved, but it had somehow utterly slipped my mind.

“Dakota, right?” He thumped the bag, and sodas onto the picnic table and met my offered hand with an enthusiastic shake in which he gripped my entire forearm. I was pretty sure my teeth were rattling when he released me and gestured to the bag invitingly. “So, Amorie tells me that some explanations are in order.” He sat down on the picnic bench next to me and started to open the bag I hadn’t touched yet. “I only spoke with her briefly last night, so I’m not sure what all she has told you already.” He pulled out a couple cartons of fries, standing them on the table before upending the bag, which turned out to otherwise be full of burgers, onto the table. He shoved half of the dozen burgers toward me and started to unwrap one of his own.

I chuckled. “Are you sure that’s going to be enough for you?”

“I ate a few on the way, so don’t worry about it.” Welp. Wasn’t expecting that. Ralof gestured to the food again and I felt reasonably assured that he would insist until I ate something. So I picked up a burger and started unwrapping it. It didn’t take much to convince me to eat it. It smelled delicious. I took a bite while contemplating how to begin.

“Well, the first thing I’d like to know is what is it that she thinks I am that apparently means I’m yours to take care of?” I plucked a fry from the box on my side of the table and looked up at him.

Ralof finished chewing a bite before answering me. “Werewolf. She did not tell you that much already? Hmm.” He lowered the burger thoughtfully. “I had assumed she would have gone at least that far. But perhaps it is for the best that you heard it from me instead.”

“What?” I stared down at my hands. Werewolves didn’t make green fire explode from their hands, right? “But… I’m scrawny and… small! And I-I’m practically allergic to being outside.” This wasn’t real. I wasn’t a werewolf. Werewolves turned into, well, werewolves! On the full moon, right? Well some stories liked the idea that it wasn’t just the moon that called the beast from the man so to speak. “But if I was a werewolf, wouldn’t I have turned into one by now?”

He lifted the burger again and finished it off in the space of a minute before wadding the wrapper into a ball and ringing the nearby trashcan. “You have never changed before?”  His voice was deep and resonant, rumbling in his chest when he spoke, and I was trying to pick out the origin of his accent, though I was pretty sure it was something Northern European. He looked me over consideringly before picking up another burger and beginning to unwrap it. “That is decidedly odd for someone of your age. Usually the first change would occur early in your teens.” The way he emphasized early suggested that he had taken me to still be a teenager. Sigh.

“I’m twenty-eight.” I took another bite of my burger and tried not to feel awkward about correcting him.

“Hmmph. That so?” He grumbled a thoughtful sound before devouring another helpless burger. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and noted to myself how proper his speech and movements seemed to be. I don’t know why I expected otherwise, but I think it had more to do with how much he resembled a Viking than any assumption about werewolves.

“Yup. And I’ve never turned into anything unusual on the full moon.” I frowned, lowering the burger in front of me. “At least… not that I know of.”

Ralof tilted his head and watched me curiously. “Hmm? What are you thinking?”

“Just… something that happened when I was younger.” I chewed at my lip. “Or rather, it was a condition that I had.” Ralof grunted and the vibration of his voice felt as though it were nudging me onward. “When I was a kid, I had this… problem. The doctors called it ‘Transient Global Amnesia’. Translates to ‘blackouts’. I’d just… lose track of where I was and wake up somewhere else, not remembering how I’d gotten there.”

Ralof frowned and dipped his head in a way that felt as though he were saying, “Go on”.

“That’s it really. It was a long time ago, so I don’t really remember all the medical stuff so well. But I still have troubles with my memories surrounding those times. I try to think back on when I was sixteen to nineteen and it’s just a jumbled mess. A lotta holes in what I can recall. And sometimes, I still see… things that aren’t really there.”

Ralof raised an eyebrow. “Things that are not there?”

I shrugged. “Nothing big. Just… shadows. Like memories that aren’t fully there.”

Ralof tilted his head. “What do the doctors have to say about that?”

“Nothing really. It just means that sometimes I think I see someone standing near me, but it’s just a shadow or a trick of the eyes.”

Ralof furrowed his brow at that. “So, did you hurt someone?” His expression was sober, gentle even.

“What? No. I just blacked out and wandered off a bunch of times apparently.”

“Ah, I thought perhaps you saw someone because… Nevermind.” Ralof seemed to ponder what I’d said as he took a handful of fries from his box. After devouring the fries, he reached for the six-pack and broke off a frosty can, offering it to me before taking another for himself. He promptly popped the tab and guzzled half of it in one long draw. He thumped the can onto the table with a pleasurable “Ahhh!” before waving a hand as if prompting me to go on. “What sort of places did you wander off to?”

“The woods near my house and the even bigger woods near my Nan’s house, mostly. As far as I can remember. Like I said, it was a long time ago. It all started when I was like fifteen or sixteen and it’d stopped by the time I was nineteen. I don’t know other than that.” I took another bite of the burger and looked up at him. I could believe this man was a werewolf. He was so… big. And strong. And he had a magnificent beard. He could be a werewolf. There was just no way I could be a werewolf.

Ralof grunted again. “Ah. There. But there is something odd about this still.” I tilted my head, asking, and apparently the body language was enough. “It is conceivable that you would begin changing, and perhaps not remember it. But it is not very reasonable that you would then stop changing again. It would be more likely that you would eventually change and remember it. Or that… someone would get hurt. Changing and not remembering is not completely unheard of. But the changes just stopping… That is not something I have heard of before.”

I frowned. “Then, how are you even sure I’m a werewolf? I mean…” I trailed off as Ralof met my eyes. Something in his posture commanded me to be silent and still. And I was. And that’s when I felt it. Deep down inside, there was this feeling. It was the same feeling I’d had the night before that was gnawing at me to run from the predator in the club. The same feeling had told me to avoid getting into a car with the vampire. And that feeling right now was telling me to do as Ralof desired. I gazed at him bewildered. “It’s… true…” I conceded. “I can feel it.”

Ralof nodded. “Mmhmm. Your wolf is… distant. Like she is hidden away somehow. I have never felt anything quite like it. But she is there. And the wolf knows.”

“You mean… your wolf knows.” I meant it as a question. Ralof nodded again. “You knew before? When we met on the street?”

“Mm. I was not completely sure at first. And that made me wonder if perhaps you were something else. Fae perhaps. But now that you have Awakened, it is clearer. I can smell it, as well as feel it.”

I nodded slowly. “So, what does this mean? Am I going to start changing into a werewolf every month on the full moon? And does being a werewolf have anything to do with my green burny hands?”

Ralof tilted his head, furrowing his brow. “With what?”

I waggled my fingers. “Green burny hands. Did Amorie not say anything about that?”

Ralof frowned and shook his head. “No. What do you mean by that?”

I shrugged, staring at my hands. “Green fire came out of my hands the night I Awakened. Amorie said she might know what caused it, but she wanted to look into it before telling me more.”

Ralof hmm’d thoughtfully. “I am not very familiar with magic, and there are no magic-users among the pack. Perhaps it is best that we wait to see what Amorie can find out for you, for now. But I am certain at least that it has nothing to do with your being a werewolf.”

I nodded. I didn’t expect it to have anything to do with being a werewolf necessarily, but I couldn’t help it if I’d wished he’d had an answer for me all the same. The suspense was killing me. “So then, what about turning into a werewolf on the full moon and terrorizing the village folk?”

Ralof quirked a smile. “Werewolves can change at will. The moon calls to us. Calls to the wolf to run, to be free, to be with pack. But we do not turn into ravenous monsters without control. Unless…” his smile receded. “Unless one is not in control of the wolf. As is often the case with the young.”

“So, you’re saying that young werewolves turn into ravenous monsters on the full moon?”

Ralof shook his head. “No. Just that young ones who change for the first time alone may often find themselves out of control, and they can do a lot of damage before the pack finds them. As I said, the moon does call to us. It is not the full moon that makes us change. But it does rile the wolf, and thus, it can make it more likely for one with little control to change.”

“And I guess changing into a half-wolf-half-person is likely to cause problems if you’re living in a city or something at the time.” I imagined how horrible it would be for a werewolf to turn if they were living in a dorm or a hotel or something.

Ralof rumbled. “It can be. Though it is not always the Varulf that one changes into the first time. More often, it is just the wolf.”

“The Var-what?”

“Varulf.  The war-wolf. A Norwegian word from which ‘werewolf” derived. It is how we refer to the hybrid form you mentioned.” Ralof’s accent seemed to go with the Scandinavian word like it belonged there, so I decided he was probably Scandinavian or something very similar.

“So, Var-vulf and normal wolf?” I knew I’d said it badly, but I sucked at picking up words from other languages so it was expected.

“Mm. Though it’s said ‘var-ulf’. Varvulf, I believe, is Swedish for the same.” he corrected gently. “The varulf is as you said, half-wolf-half-person. But the wolf is simply wolf.”

I thought about that for a moment. It made a kind of sense. In the old stories, werewolves were people who could turn into wolves, but in some stories, they were people who turned into furry, fangy wolf-man amalgamations, like the varulf Ralof was telling me about. In other stories though, they were just big wolves. So maybe the truth was that some stories came from encounters with one form, and other stories came from encounters with the other form. As I considered that, I came to another realization that immediately set me on edge. “Wait. Why am I not freaking out right now? This is ridiculous. You just told me I’m a werewolf. I’m not supposed to be this calm, am I?”

Ralof patted me on the shoulder softly. “You Awakened, Dakota, but your expectations are still built around the facade of the Unawakened world. You grew up with movies and books that taught you how an Unawakened person would react to startling revelations. You have relatively little experience, I would imagine, with how an Awakened individual reacts.”

“So, Awakened people react differently from Unawakened?”

“What you have to understand is that the vast majority of humanity is Unawakened. And the vast majority thus believes in some things they have come to accept as true. They do not believe in monsters and magic. For them, believing is very difficult, because to believe is to push against the reality they have chosen, as a people, to accept.” He said the last as if he found it somewhat distasteful.

I considered that for a moment, then nodded slowly. “So because I Awakened, I’m somehow magically freed from disbelief?”

Ralof shook his head. “Not precisely. The Unawakened world has accepted a truth. When you Awakened, you essentially broke that truth for yourself because you saw what was beyond it. It is like if you suddenly saw your mother taking off a mask and realized the face you had always thought was hers was not her real face. You would not be able to go back to believing in that mask, would you?”

I shook my head. “No. I would always know.”

“And once you know, you can not go back to not knowing.” He gazed steadily into the distance, appearing thoughtful.

“Can’t unsee.” I muttered as I thought about that for a long moment, and considered my feelings on the matter as well. Ralof was right. If I thought about it directly, I wanted to question it, but it was because that’s what I knew I was supposed to do. If I just considered my feelings, I knew what he said to be true. I could feel the wolf inside me. I could feel the call of Ralof’s presence pulling at her. I knew that what he said was actually, factually true. So I pushed the worrisome doubting thoughts aside and chose to get on with my life. “Okay. Then I’m a werewolf. Sweet. So… how do I turn into one?”

The question seemed to amuse him and I got the feeling he’d been waiting for it. “Well, normally it happens on its own the first time. But the situation with you is unusual, and uncertain. So I would say that it is probably best that you simply try it.”

I glanced around. This section of the park was deserted and I wondered suddenly if that was the reason Ralof chose it. “Here?”

“You could.” Ralof turned to face me. His posture reminded me of the way a father might stand at the ready to catch his toddler who was trying to take a step.

“Okay, so just… what?” I set the remainder of my burger down and wiped my hands off.

“You said before that you could feel it.” I nodded. “Focus on that feeling. Find it. Grab hold of it. Then try to become it.”

I nodded again and considered the feeling. “Will it hurt?”

Ralof nodded. “Oh yes. But you will get used to it.”

I nodded again and stretched my arms around, preparing myself for the potential of pain. I clapped my hands together and rubbed them briskly, working up my nerve. I closed my eyes and focused on the place where those feelings had been the night before. The place that had rumbled inside when Ralof met my eyes. That part of me knew that he was wolf, that he was like me. I focused and found that place, and when I did, I just pushed.

And I felt… nothing happening.

I opened my eyes just to be sure and glanced at my hands, but they were just the same as they had been before. “It’s not working.”

Ralof frowned. “That is odd. I can feel your wolf stirring.” He looked me over as if he expected some explanation to appear on my skin. “Hmm. There is something going on here that is very unusual indeed.”

I frowned, sadly. “What does it mean?”

Ralof shook his head, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. Despite the fact that I barely knew him, it was incredibly comforting. “I don’t know. But I will help you find out.”

I nodded. “So… what do we do now?”

Ralof patted me softly. “There is still much for you to know. You must learn about the world, and the supernatural. And you are still a werewolf. Even if you are having some trouble with the change.”

“What does being a werewolf mean for me then?” I glanced up at him. “And why is it your job to take care of werewolves who Awaken?” I remembered the gesture I’d made with Amorie the night before  - like shooting myself in the head - and tried not to smirk at him.

Ralof straightened and lifted his chin. “I am the Alpha of the Lower Appalachian Pack.”

I blinked. Of course he was. And now that he mentioned it, many of the feelings I’d been having with him made plenty of sense… How I’d felt like I could trust him, how I’d felt comforted by him, even how I’d felt compelled to do as he wanted. “So that means you’re in charge, eh?”

Ralof nodded. “Mmhmm. And it means that it is my job to take care of the wolves in my pack.”

I glanced up at him. “But I’m not in your pack. I’m not even really a wolf.”

Ralof smiled and it made me feel warm. “You could be. And of course you are. Just because you can not change, it does not mean that you are any less of a wolf.”

I was amazed at his gentleness, at the kindness and comfort in his voice. I shouldn’t have been. But it was just not what I’d expected from the big, beefy, Viking guy. I smiled. Then I started laughing. Ralof cocked his head at me in question, and I laughed even more because I understood his body language. I think I laughed a bit too long, but Ralof wasn’t bothered, or at least I assume he wasn’t, considering he joined in and started laughing with me. “Nothing. Just… when we met before, I really got the wrong idea of you.”

Ralof huffed mildly. “Oh? What did you think of me?”

“At first I thought you were Amorie’s bodyguard. Then I thought you were her date. And I wanted to hate you quite a lot for that.”

Ralof snorted. “Her date? Hah. No. Elisa would shave stripes in my fur.”

“Elisa?” I grinned at the thought of a big bad werewolf made festive by electric razor justice.

Ralof smiled proudly. “My mate. You will meet her soon enough. As for Amorie, we are… acquaintances. It is more business than pleasure.”

I tilted my head with curiosity. “Oh? She referred to you as friends.”

Ralof snorted again. “Ha. She would. Vampires.” He tossed his head as if no more needed saying.

I thought about the night before, the feelings I’d had when I was with her. “Does that mean she’s not safe for me to be around?”

Ralof considered me for a moment, hesitating. “You can not trust a Vampire, Dakota. They are always looking after their own interests.”

I nodded. “Mmhmm. But then, isn’t everyone?”

Ralof smiled, amused. “You could say that, I suppose. But with Vampires it is more certain that they are looking to get what they want regardless of the cost to others.”

I smirked. “So Vampires and Werewolves don’t really get along?”

Ralof shook his head. “It’s not so much that we do not get along with them as it is that we have common sense. We know to keep our distance, and to be cautious when dealing with them.”

“So you are saying that I shouldn’t be around her?”

“No. Not precisely. But it would be wise for you to approach her cautiously. And…” he gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I would be more comfortable if you would promise me to be careful.”

I looked up at him. Ralof’s eyes were a pale blue color. His expression was soft around the edges, but like iron inside. I could feel his concern. He cared about me, even already. But his will was like stone. And he was urging me to take care. Something inside of me wanted very much to avoid displeasing him. “I will.” I smiled. It felt really good to have someone caring about me.

“Mm. Good.” Ralof turned back to the picnic table and continued his vicious assault on the poor burgers. I followed his lead, turning back to the table and focusing on my food for a while. A breeze meandered it’s way through the trees, visible before we could feel it, but it made its way to the pavilion eventually, wiping the Tennessee heat from my brow like a caring mother tending a feverish child. I closed my eyes, still chewing, and sighed. It felt good to be here. I wasn’t sure what exactly felt so good about it, but I knew that something here felt more right than I was used to.

Ralof kept a companionable silence with me as we finished the meal. I managed my way through two burgers and all my fries, finished off the soda and decided I’d had enough for a reasonable person for one meal. Well, I’m not a reasonable person, am I? I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the idea of being a werewolf. Actually, I was even a little reluctant to accept that I wasn’t something way cooler. When Amorie had refused to tell me what she thought I was, I admit I’d had some pretty crazy fantasies about what sorts of awesome, eldritch creatures a person with green flaming hands might be. Like… the scion of some green-fire-handed deity, or a descendant of Merlin like in that one movie with Nicolas Cage. A werewolf was nowhere near the top of my list of awesome things to be. And what did it have to do with green burny hands?

In lieu of being a reasonable person, I considered my stomach. I was not full. Not really. I could have eaten more. But neither was I hungry. I had always been a big eater. Maybe that made more sense if I really was a werewolf. Maybe I was just being accidentally racist again. Then again… My eyes drifted back over to the mass grave of burger wrappers Ralof’s meal had left behind. He must have caught me eying the massacre because he smiled at me with no small amount of humor and clapped me on the back. “Still hungry?”

“Can’t decide. I feel like I already have a lot to chew over.”

He nodded. “We can always take it with us.”

I nodded absently, still somewhat lost in my own thoughts, but the statement caught up to me a few seconds later and I glanced up at him curiously. “Wait, what? Where are we going?”

Ralof picked up the paper sack and started piling the remaining food back into it, arranging it so the bag would still stand on its own. “Would you like to come back with me and see the Pack house?”

“The Pack house? The Pack has a house?”

“Well technically, I have a house. But it is also the headquarters more or less where Pack business is conducted. And several other wolves live there as well. So ‘Pack house’ is perhaps a more fitting description.” He rolled the paper sack down and left it standing on the table.

I considered his offer for a moment. As I did, he started gathering up the remaining trash on the table. I started helping him automatically, focusing more on my thoughts, and half-tripped as I stood to take my half of the papers to the trash can. I stumbled, losing my balance spectacularly and for an instant, I was on my way to the hard, concrete floor of the pavilion when my downward momentum stopped against one of Ralof’s strong, sturdy arms. Still clutching a handful of trash in each hand, he’d managed to react and steady me with one arm. “Woah… You all right?”

I felt like an idiot. “Yeah… Thanks.” He hmph’d at me in return, going about his business as soon as I was obviously steady on my feet. I stood there for a moment examining my feelings, and the question at hand. Was it safe to go back to the Pack house with him? I felt incredibly safe around him. I felt safer with him than I had this morning before I left home. Amorie had sent me to him. She hadn’t made any warnings or even suggested I meet him in public as per my typical standards. And when he’d caught me just now, I hadn’t felt remotely threatened like I would with most men if they grabbed me suddenly, saving me from my own clumsiness or not. Ralof’s arm hadn’t felt threatening to me. Only comforting and natural like it belonged there, in a totally platonic way that I was struggling to fully comprehend. Amorie had said that it was Ralof’s job to take care of my kind, and it felt like he took his job pretty seriously. I suddenly felt guilty for being a clumsy, fledgling runt. “Sorry.” I muttered softly, more to myself than anything.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” He responded from across the pavilion. I hadn’t expected him to hear me. I should have figured that werewolves have better-than-average hearing. All the movies agreed with that one. Rather than focusing on the minor incident, I decided it would be better to try to move past it. I took the trash in my hands to the can and deposited it, returning to face Ralof at the picnic table.

“How far is it?”

“Not too far. It’s in the lower part of the mountains near Gatlinburg.” He picked up the sodas and the bag of leftover burgers.

“Nice. So, can I ride with you? I don’t have a car.” And the cab would take a while to get all the way out here.

Ralof nodded, a jovial expression on his face. “Of course. Come.” He turned and walked away from the pavilion toward a visible parking lot opposite the side I’d come in on. I followed him automatically and we walked the intervening green field without further comment. Ralof approached a sable, king-cabbed 4x4 Dodge Ram with a cooler in the bed below the little sliding windows in the back. He dropped the six pack into the cooler which was half-full of ice, and had a few bottles of water floating around in it as well. He opened the truck with a keypad he’d fished out of his pocket, tossed the burgers onto the seat and turned to face me. “There’s just one more thing we need to take care of before we go.”

I cocked my head in query. Ralof turned to face me directly and put a hand on my shoulder, lowering his eyes to meet mine. I stared back at him, unsure of his intentions, but unafraid. I wasn’t sure what was happening at first, but then that deep-down part of me reacted, and I could feel the draw of something behind Ralof’s eyes, calling to me. I peered back at him and felt an invisible struggle beginning. He was the Alpha. He was the strongest. He was the most dominant wolf. Of this, there was no question. And that is why it surprised me when I felt that deep-down part pushing back. I felt the wolf, somewhere deep inside, pushing and fighting back against the growing pressure of Ralof’s mighty gaze. She pushed and fought, building a pressure and tension between us that tightened for a long moment that stretched out until I was afraid that something was going to snap inside of me, when suddenly she gave in. The wolf dropped back and I reflexively dropped my eyes. “Good.” Ralof said quietly, and to my surprise, rather kindly. He squeezed my shoulder once, then turned and got into the car.

I stood for a few seconds trying to work through the feelings inside. What had just happened? I wasn’t sure. But I was sure of one other thing; My Alpha was in the truck, waiting for me. So I walked around to the passenger side and climbed up into the king-sized Ram and closed the door.

9

The Pack House

I watched the trees dashing past my window as Ralof took the curvy mountain roads with the ease of long practice. I didn’t get out to the mountains that often, even though they were only about an hour away from my apartment. The forest out here was lovely. Why don’t I get out more? I sighed wistfully. Because you’re a geeky hermit and you prefer to get your nature from a screen. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of gravel crunching under the Ram’s tires. I glanced up as we pulled into one of many parking spots in front of a lovely, two-story cabin in the glorious mountain woods.

The cabin was of modern construction but with log-cabin-styled siding. The siding was real wood in a rich, chestnut-brown color that might have told a smarter person what sort of material it was made from. The roof, shutters, and banisters were a gorgeous, hunter green which accented the richness of the cabin’s natural wood colors. The supports and chimney were made of natural stone in various grays and browns, and I could even see a little red here and there. The front of the house had an elaborate, heavy door with an intricate pattern engraved around the edges, with two simple, rectangular bay windows standing guard to either side.

The cabin sat on an uneven piece of ground, as was common in the mountains here, with the back portion of the house being held up by tall stone pillars of the same natural rock as the rest. A balcony porch wrapped around the second level, running down one side, and seeming to continue around to the back. The balcony created a broad deck on the side facing left of the driveway, and a happy little wooden bench swing hung in it’s shade. The flower beds were lined with the same natural rock as the house, and ran the length of the side opposite the balcony. One golden currant bush was taking over the middle of the bed, whereas the rest seemed to be planted with thick, overflowing herbs, a few tomato and pepper plants, and a couple of flowers I didn’t recognize.

Ralof parked the truck. “Here we are.” He reached for the door, but paused. “There are a couple of things I should go over before we go inside.” He rolled down the windows and turned off the ignition.

“All righty. I’m listening.” I figured that any advice he had was worth hearing before literally walking into the wolf’s den.

Ralof settled back in the seat and shifted to face me better. “What happened before we got into the truck earlier was important. Do you understand what passed between us?”

I thought about that for a few seconds before shaking my head. “Not really.”

“It is something that must happen between all wolves at some point. It is the establishment of dominance.” He held my gaze firmly.

“Meaning you’re in charge. I get that.”

Ralof nodded barely. “Yes, but there is more to it than that. The wolf in you recognizes the wolf in me—”

“Wolf-maste?” I grinned cheesily. Ralof didn’t get it. He furrowed his brow with confusion until I shook my hand, waving the horrible joke aside like a bad smell.

Ralof continued. “Your wolf understands that my wolf is more dominant. So she has acquiesced to me. She has accepted that she is below me in the pack hierarchy. Which means more than who is in charge.”

I nodded slowly. “What else does it mean?”

“It means that you are mine to care for. Mine to protect. That I am responsible for your well-being. Such is as it is with every wolf in my pack.” His love for the pack radiated from his form in a palpable manner. I felt warm and cozy. “But for you, it will be different with each wolf. You will meet some who are more dominant than you, and so it will go with them as it did with me. You will feel a battle rising inside, and the two of you will fight for dominance, until your wolf gives in. You will also meet some who are less dominant. Those wolves will give into you, and you will feel a different sort of bond forming. You will feel responsible for them. They will be yours to protect, just as they are mine to protect.”

I mulled that over. “So it’s an emotional thing? We just connect and decide and that’s it?”

Ralof shook his head. “Sometimes this is as it was with me: occurring entirely inside of us. Sometimes, especially when two wolves are very dominant, they will fight in a more physical manner to determine who is more dominant between them. It can get rather violent - even dangerous - though we try to keep it from going too far when we can help it.”

I shivered at the thought of fighting a werewolf. “So I’m basically going to have to go through this with every wolf I meet? How many are there?”

Ralof’s mouth quirked up into an amused smile. “Not too many. Just sixty or so.” My eyes grew very wide. Ralof laughed at me. “But don’t worry, Dakota. It’s not like in the old country. You won’t have to fight them all in one day.”

“Not so comforting.” I squeaked, exaggerating a rasp.

Ralof laughed again. “There are only seven or eight wolves at the house right now, myself included. And you won’t meet the rest all at once. Remember, our pack spans a large area. It will take you some time to meet them all.”

I grinned an obviously fake grin. “Right. Just seven or eight. I can handle that.”

Ralof shook his head, chuckling. “You won’t have to fight them, Dakota. It will be all right. I doubt that will come up so easily. It is more common that you will feel each other out and it will be obvious where you stand. And that is the point of this. It is very important that each wolf knows where they stand with everyone else.”

“Why?” I asked honestly.

“Because, the pack runs together, hunts together, and sometimes, fights together. We defend ourselves, our territory, and one another from any that would hurt us. And if you are running with the pack, you must know how to react if someone gives you an order. You must know exactly how to respond to each of your pack mates. You must know who will rely on you in turn. And it must all be instinctual. Which is why this battle occurs: so that your wolf will always know where she stands with everyone else.”

I nodded slowly. “That makes sense.” I chewed at my lower lip.

Ralof patted me lightly on the shoulder. “It is not so bad. But I wanted to warn you that since this is your first time visiting the pack house, and since you are new, you may want to avoid eye-contact with most of the wolves you will meet. If you meet their eyes, you may be forced to decide dominance right away. I don’t want you to be overwhelmed.”

I looked up at him. “So it’s meeting the eyes that does it?”

Ralof nodded, then looked thoughtful. “It is one trigger. There are other things that can bring it about. Being overly aggressive, getting too close to something or someone they are protecting, or for some, just being in their territory. Though there are none so touchy here today.” He glanced at the door to the cabin. “At least, not that I know of.”

I laughed humorlessly. “Heh… Great. Well, let’s go see how well they keep you informed, eh?”

Ralof flashed me wolfish grin before opening the door. He got out and beckoned me to follow. I grabbed the bag of food and slipped down from the high seat of the truck, closing the door behind me. Ralof opened the front door and walked in, dipping his head just a little as he passed the threshold. He really was tall. I was used to people feeling tall to me, but seeing him in opposition to a normal door brought the point home that it wasn’t just me this time. I followed Ralof into the house, glancing around at the entryway as he moved further inside. I closed the door behind me and paused to stare at my immediate surroundings.

The entryway held a motley row of coats ranging from very large to rather small, in a variety of styles and colors. Beneath the coats were various shoes, mostly neatly lined against the wall, and a basket containing a few fold-down umbrellas and a couple of solid Maglites.

I turned my eyes next to the living room which the entryway led into. It was a huge room with high ceilings, maybe 30 feet tall. The stairs on either side of the room led up to a sort of crosswalk, on which a couple of doors were visible. The crosswalk led into hallways on either end, passing on into what must have been the rest of the second story. The room below was cozy despite its size. The vast hardwood floor was covered in the center by a thick, floofy white rug. A giant sectional sofa wrapped around the rug in front of the fireplace. At the adjoining corner, a big screen TV was hung so as to be visible from the entire room. Below it, a cabinet held other electronics, such as a DVD player and a collection of movies.

The far wall of the cabin was dominated by glass. The windows ran from floor to ceiling, though they were broken up by metal frames, and a large, sliding glass door graced the center. From there, I could see that the backyard held a fire pit with a circle of wooden benches surrounding it, and beyond that, there was a broad, neatly trimmed lawn that sloped steadily downward until the grass disappeared into the treeline where the yard met the forest.

But the thing that caught and held my attention was a cork board on the wall just before the leftmost staircase. The cork board was large and covered in a cloud of pushpins. No papers, or pictures. Just pins. I started to examine the curious board closer when Ralof startled me out of my boots with a boisterous cry, “Elisa! Get out here, woman! We have a guest!”

A woman’s voice responded from an entryway to one side of the expansive living room. “Has our guest no legs, that she can not come in here to me?” Elisa emerged from the kitchen, all the same, wiping her hands on the end of a well-loved apron and extending her arms immediately to the man who towered over her, despite her being a taller than average woman.

Elisa was not what most people would consider a beauty. She was too tall for a woman, about six feet, I was sure. Her shoulders were broad, and her arms looked strong. Her whole frame was broader and thicker than most women I’d seen. She had long, pale blond hair braided and looped around her head, accenting a face that must have been more attractive before acquiring a number of disfiguring scars, including one long, jagged ravine that ran the length of her face, and another that had taken a small piece from her ear.  One arm had a patch of shiny skin with a crinkling center, and she was missing the tip of one finger on the opposite hand.

But to see the expression on Ralof’s face as he crossed to this woman and took her into his arms, she may as well have been the most beautiful creature of all. Despite her stern expression, she embraced the Alpha with obvious affection, parting after a deep squeeze, and a gentle gesture in which Ralof laid his forehead briefly across hers. I couldn’t help smiling at the display.

Despite her earlier complaint, Elisa pulled away from Ralof and crossed the room to face me. “So, who is this you have brought with you?” Her voice was rich and warm despite her mildly cross tone. I imagined right away that the crossness was just part of her personality, and not indicative of any actual anger or upset. She spoke with an accent I could imagine having roots similar to Ralof’s, but I wasn’t expert enough to pick it out. If I had to guess, I’d still place it as something Scandinavian, but I really wasn’t sure. Her accent was much thicker than his at any rate.

“Elisa, this is Dakota Shepherd. The new wolf I told you about this morning.” Ralof turned to look at me, sliding an arm around Elisa with an expression of pride that resonated from within. “Dakota, this is my mate, Elisa.”

I reached for Elisa’s hand with a smile. “Nice to meet ya.” I noticed the rich colors swirling about her and wondered again at the meaning of them. She was swathed in rich browns that melted into a steely color toward the center with a hint of the same glimmering gold Ralof had.

Elisa shook my hand with a firm grip and nodded to me. “Welcome to our home, Dakota.” She said my name oddly, almost pronouncing the first syllable separately, like “da. kota.” I decided immediately that I liked it.

“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you. So you’re the one who keeps Ralof straight?” I gave myself a mental badum tish!

Elisa hmph’d at me and glanced up at the tall man beside her and as she did, I noticed that one of her eyes didn’t track. “Someone has to.” Ralof grinned at her and Elisa scoffed at him, and shoved him away. “Come. Come into the kitchen and help with dinner.” She turned and started away.

Ralof frowned and called after her, “Elisa, she is new. She doesn’t have to help us cook.”

Elisa turned back in the kitchen’s doorway and scoffed again. “If new wolf is worth feeding, she will not mind helping.” And with that, Elisa had spoken. She returned to the kitchen and I shrugged at Ralof helplessly as he did the same to me. I passed him and walked into the kitchen with a smile.

The kitchen was a glorious mix of rustic wood architecture and contemporary appliances. The floor was made of broad natural rock which climbed halfway up the wall, creating a backsplash to the counters and the stove. The ceiling was finished wood with polished logs serving as cross beams. The cabinets were made of wood with a rustic, almost rough-looking finish, but the countertop was polished and sealed wood in a darker color than the rest. The counter wrapped around the room, then turned a corner and stuck out into the middle of the room, forming a solid bar with a stacked log front and long, smooth log benches.

Otherwise, there was a ceramic cooktop, a sleek, black oven and microwave, a dishwasher and a double-sided sink, and the largest refrigerator I’d ever seen. A door to one side of the fridge was standing open to reveal a large pantry with a chest freezer at the back. A window over the sink overlooked the back yard, as did the glass door and bay windows to the side of the bar.

The kitchen was neat and clean, but welcomingly cluttered. There were spices and cooking utensils setting out from where a meal was being prepared, a cutting board with a knife still resting on the wreckage of whatever vegetables it had been savaging some time earlier, and myriad other interesting decor, such as a few bunches of herbs hanging near the pantry, and a rabbit— yup, that was a whole freaking rabbit, just hanging over the sink by its feet.

Elisa hadn’t been alone in the kitchen. Another, younger woman was still busy, stirring the contents of a five-gallon stock pot when I came in. She looked up as Elisa and I walked in and gave me a friendly smile. She had a strong resemblance to Elisa, though she lacked the battering of scars. I smiled back as Elisa crossed to the counter and plucked a large mixing bowl from where she’d obviously left it, and slung it into my arms.  “Here. Mix that.” She handed me a wooden spoon, before turning back to the oven to check whatever she’d been cooking before Ralof’s homecoming had interrupted her. “Raelya, this is Dakota. She is new wolf.”

Raelya turned to me and smiled, offering a hand. I returned the smile and dropped the spoon into the bowl to accept her hand. “Nice to meet you, Raelya.” I hoped I’d repeated her name correctly. I tried to copy the way Elisa had said it like “rail-ya”.

Raelya tossed her head, throwing her braid over her shoulder. “Nice to meet you too, Dakota. So. I hear you are new?” Her accent was like Elisa’s, but softer and a little less pronounced. She said “Dakota” a little more smoothly, though it still sounded cooler coming from her lips than from mine. The way she queried the obvious denoted a hint of the sparkling humor I saw waiting at the ready in her eyes.

“You could say that. I just found out this morning.” I started stirring the contents of the bowl in my hands as we spoke.

“Mm. That is odd. You are a bit older than most for it.” She glanced into her pot and decided to place the lid on it, turning to lean against the counter as she faced me. “Welcome to the Pack.”

I smiled and silently blessed her for not assuming me a child. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you guys.” I stirred at my bowl and took Raelya’s appearance in. She was taller than average, but not quite as tall as Elisa. I’d have placed her at five-nine at a guess. She had the same fair skin and pale blond hair as Elisa had, and the same cool blue eyes that Elisa and Ralof also shared. She was fit-looking with delicate curves and an ample chest, an altogether attractive woman with the exotic quality of the Scandinavian women I’d seen on the Olympics, and a confidence that rode in her bones. Her colors were a vivid mixture of hues swirling amid the same earthy colors both Ralof and Elise had. I was increasingly certain that the colors held some particular meaning. “So, are you Elisa and Ralof’s daughter?”

She hmph’d at that, seeming somewhat amused. “More or less. Elisa is my aunt, but Ralof… he has adopted me.” Her expression said that I hadn’t stumbled into a sore topic. I was grateful for that.

“Ahh. I just figured you were related…” I glanced up in surprise as Elisa suddenly took the bowl from me, turning her back to both of us and humming lightly to herself as she went about pouring the batter into a baking pan with many round wells.

“It is the hair that gives it away, yes?” Raelya stepped away from the stove and took a seat at the bar, gesturing for me to do the same. “So you are new here. What do you want to know?”

I settled in next to her and smiled. “A lot, actually. It’s kinda hard to sort through it all. I don’t even know if I know enough to ask the right questions.”

“Probably not. There are many things you should know about if you have just Awakened.”

Elisa turned to us and dropped a bag of potatoes on the bar alongside a couple of peelers and a paring knife. Raelya picked up a potato and a peeler without pause and began working as we spoke, so I took the other peeler and followed suit. “Like what?”

“Depends on what you know so far.”

I dug at an eye on the potato that didn’t come free when I swiped the peeler across it. “I know there’s vampires and werewolves. I know people are funny colors if they’re Awakened… or something like that. I think that’s about it.”

Raelya took the potato from me and dug the eye out with the end of her peeler and finished peeling it before setting it into a bowl that had materialized since I’d looked up last. “Very much to know, then. The people with funny colors as you say. They are Awakened, yes. Though, some are Awakened humans, and others will be other things.”

“Other things?” I started on another potato, trying to be less of an embarrassment this time around.

“Yes. Things like Vampires, Fae… Things like us.”

“So Awakened humans, Vampires, Werewolves… Fairies?”

Raelya nodded. “And some other things. Those that are not humans or Unawakened. You will see these colors with them. It is their essensen. Aura, you would call it.”

“Aura?” I frowned. “Like…”

“Like one’s spirit. Like… the thing that makes you what you are.” She tossed another potato in the bowl.

“So it’s their soul?” I furrowed my brow.

“Yes… and no. I think it would be better to say that the soul is what makes the aura, but the aura is what shows the soul.” She tilted her head, peering at me. “Does that make sense?”

“I think so. But why don’t Unawakened people have it then? They still have a soul, right?” I dug the peeler into my finger a bit by mistake and let out a little hiss.

Raelya smirked at me as she deftly finished another potato. “Yes. But…” She frowned then, pausing her breakneck potato-prepping to consider a way to convey her thoughts to me. I took advantage of her pause, and tried to catch up to her. This resulted in another hiss. After a moment, she continued. “It is, perhaps, like a leg that is not used. You are not walking around, so the muscle becomes less strong.”

“It atrophies.” I supplied.

Raelya nodded. “That. And the souls of people are similar.”

“You’re saying that ordinary people aren’t using their souls?” I started the question incredulously, but I couldn’t finish it as strongly as I’d begun. I lowered my gaze to the potato in my hand.

“Not that they are not using them. Not entirely. Just that they are not… building them up. The life they are living, it does not draw the depths of their being from its dormancy. They are living in a state of rest. Hiding from the truth. It is easy, but it has made them all dimmer. Less brilliant. Less… just… less.” She looked a little sad as she said it.

I considered that as I finished my potato and placed it in the bowl. “But there’s some really awesome people out there. What about like… Elon Musk, or Nikola Tesla? Or Hayao Miyazaki? Or, I dunno… Gandhi?” Raelya smiled at me softly as I realized the answer to my own question. “They were all Awakened?”

Raelya nodded. “I do not know all of these people that you name, but it is likely so. There are some people who are Unawakened who will do incredible things… but it is less common than if these things are done by those who are Awakened.”

“Wow. This is a lot to take in.” At least now I knew what to call the colors besides “swirly colored lights.” I went to reach for another potato but the bag was empty. I looked up and saw that Elisa was standing on the other side of the bar, peeling along with us, silently. The potatoes were finished as soon as Elisa and Raelya placed their last ones in the bowl. I was assigned peel-disposal duty while Elisa took the finished product to a pot on the stove, and Raelya washed up the knives and peelers. I was grateful for the pause in the conversation. It gave me a moment to think about things. I sat back down a moment later when Elisa seemed to have no further use for me.

Raelya joined me a moment later, setting two glasses of juice on the bar in front of us. I smiled my thanks and took a drink. “Mmm… This tastes really fresh.”

Raelya gestured toward Elisa. “Elisa does not like the store bought kind. It is too sugary. I am inclined to agree with her. So we make our own twice a month. We keep it in a huge jug in the fridge with a little spout. It is different depending on what fruit is in season.”

I smiled “I figured you guys were pretty good with cooking. I mean, I have no idea what half the things you’ve been doing are for… but I noticed your herb garden on the way in.”

Elisa harrumphed from the stove. “I do not understand how you young ones are without skills so basic as preparing food. How do you survive?”

I shrugged. “Fast food and microwaves?” Elisa gave me a scornful look and I grinned and lifted my shoulders more exaggeratedly. She rolled her eyes, or eye, I suppose; the one that didn’t track didn’t seem to move at all and I’d come to the conclusion that it was a glass eye. She shook her head and muttered something disparaging in what I presumed to be her native tongue and went back to whatever she was doing with the stove. I glanced back to Raelya. “So what about werewolves? We have these auras obviously, but we don’t have them before we Awaken? So we still have to Awaken like humans?”

Raelya nodded. “We are still human. We are just also wolf.” That made sense. At least, kinda.

“So no one can tell you’re a werewolf before you Awaken then?”

Raelya shook her head. “No, it is possible to scent you. Especially the Alpha could detect it before you are Awake. And we watch families we know to have wolves among them to be aware if their children are wolves.”

“Wait… So you mean, you’re… born with it?” My brow knitted together.

Raelya nodded and smirked at me. “It is not like in movies. You do not get turned into a werewolf by tooth or by claw. Such things are legend, the tales of many ages ago.” She made a playful clawing motion at me. I laughed. “It is passed down through blood.”

I frowned at that. “Then… it runs in my family?”

Raelya shrugged, “Well, you have the blood from someone in your family.”

I stared down at the juice in my glass. Someone in my family was a werewolf? I thought about that. My parents? No way. They were so… normal. And well, the more I thought about potential wolves in my family, the more certain I was that this was a fluke. Then again, I would never have looked myself in the mirror and thought that I was one either. That gave me an idea. “Is it possible that it never came out? I mean, I can’t shift for some reason, so maybe—”

“You can not shift? What do you mean?” Raelya looked concerned. Elisa had looked up from her cooking at that as well.

I glanced up with surprise. “Ralof didn’t… oh, I guess not.” I shrugged. “I can’t shift.  Ralof said it was odd and he didn’t know why.”

Elisa frowned. “That is odd. You are definitely wolf. I can smell it. Sense it.” Raelya looked thoughtful.

I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what to say. I tried. I felt something stirring inside, but nothing happened.”

Elisa stirred a pot absently, obviously more focused on my dilemma at the moment. “I wonder what is wrong with you.”

“What’s wrong with who?” A tall, muscular man, though I would have called him neither if Ralof were the point of reference, with medium-length dark hair and a sun-kissed complexion joined the room. He wore a gray tank top and camo cargo pants, and a boat load of ink. He was covered in tattoos, all over his arms and shoulders, what I could see of his back, and his neck. They were lines and intricate patterns, angular knots and arcane-looking symbols all intertwined and highlighted in accents of intense red to offset the predominant black. In other words, he looked totally awesome!

Raelya smiled. “Dakota, this is Ralof’s second. Andr—”

“Andrei Ward.” Andrei stuck out his hand with a smile. “Pleasure to meet you.” I set the juice down on the bar and shook Andrei’s hand, erstwhile taking in the dark cluster of reds and charcoal patches that crowded close to his body, though brighter colors dominated the bulk of his aura.

“Nice to meet you too.” I glanced at the bar as Elisa laid a bowl of rolls on it, hot from the oven, and covered them with a towel before turning back to the stove. Andrei glanced at Elisa’s back, then flashed me a grin, and slipped a roll from under the towel and shoved it in his mouth, dropped it back into his hand, danced it momentarily from palm to palm while blowing at it, and then stuffed it in his mouth again.

“Andrei, take this to the table.” Elisa turned back around with a heavy-looking pot and scowled at him, eying the roll in his mouth. Andrei tried to hide the roll by stuffing it fully into his mouth and grinning with puffy cheeks. Elisa rolled her eyes and gestured the pot at him, dropping it in his hands as soon as he reached for it. Andrei flashed me a roll-full smile and headed for the door. “New-wolf. Take the bread. Do not eat bread. Raelya, here.” I stood and collected the bowl full of rolls as instructed and followed after Andrei. I had a feeling I was going to like him.

We carried the food into the dining room which adjoined the kitchen and living room. The dining room was a modestly furnished room, with a long, rustic wood table that could easily seat a dozen people, surrounded by matching chairs. The room was otherwise mostly plain with the same wood plank walls, and plank-and-log ceiling. The floor was polished hardwood. The room’s walls held a China hutch, a couple of tasteful paintings, and one huge tapestry depicting a large wolf with a circle of wolves surrounding him. The edges of the tapestry were patterned with knotwork like that I’d seen on the door, a more angular knotwork than the typical Celtic kind I was familiar with. Raelya paused as she entered the room, glancing up at the tapestry as she slid over next to me. “It is an old thing. Something Elisa and I made for Ralof. It was a gift one year at Yule.”

I smiled over at her with honest appreciation. “Is there anything you two can’t do?”

Raelya flashed me a grin. “Perhaps we will think of something eventually.” She turned and placed a heavy-laden dish upon the table. From the appetizing, meaty smell, I imagined it was the main course. “You like the tapestry?”

I nodded in earnest as I settled the bowl of bread on the table next to Raelya’s covered dish. “It’s incredible. My Nan used to do stuff like that. I never had the knack for textile arts.”

“Oh? It is simple to learn. Just takes practice to master the skills.”

“Nan tried to teach me to crochet when I was little. She gave up when I’d spent a whole afternoon on this one big piece I was going to sew into a little pillow case that just unraveled as soon as she tugged at the weave. I’d done something backward and weirded it all up and it was just a disaster.” I offered a cheesy grin and an exaggerated shrug.

Raelya smirked. “So you can not cook, and you can not handle cloth arts? Do not say it too loudly. Elisa would have a fit.”

Andrei snorted from across the table where he’d begun laying out the table, taking the place settings from the hutch. “Don’t I know it?”

I smiled at him, pleased to feel less alone in my ineptitude. “I take it you’re no good with such things either?” I came around the table and began helping him with laying it out.

Andrei waggled his eyebrows and gave me an exaggerated grin in response.

Raelya shook her head. “Elisa just believes that everyone should be able to take care of themselves if they were on their own. She has a good point. I have always tried to learn from her.” Raelya smiled fondly, admiration apparent in her eyes.

Elisa walked in just then with a large dish. She glanced around at us, seemed to approve of our work ethic, and settled her addition onto the table. She was followed by two young men and a young woman I’d yet to meet. As they all unburdened themselves of the dishes she’d obviously recruited them to bring, the three began to seat themselves, as did Andrei and Raelya. Ralof walked in, carrying nothing, and brought himself to the head of the table. Elisa took the place opposite of Ralof, and soon I was left standing there looking uncertain as everyone else looked up at me.

I glanced over the table hurriedly and noticed that Raelya had set a place for me right next to her. I gave her a grateful smile and pulled out my chair. As I settled down, I happened to catch eyes with the young woman who’d settled down just opposite of me. She was slender and youthful, with a voluminous cloud of lavender hair. She wore an oversized, wide-necked shirt that hung off one shoulder over a tank top and shorts. When our eyes met, she halted all motion and stared back at me. I held her gaze for a moment, feeling that deep-down place rising up inside of me. I remembered what Ralof had said too late; before I thought to pull myself away from her gaze, she blinked once and dropped her eyes, tilting her head just a little to one side. The deep-inside part of me felt rather satisfied. I hoped I hadn’t just done something wrong.

Feeling somewhat nervous, I glanced around the table to find that no one seemed upset or surprised. That was good. Everyone was just sitting there, waiting, it seemed. I glanced up toward the head of the table and Ralof arched a brow at me quizzically as I realized I was the last person to turn my attention to him. Ralof drew his steady gaze across the room, making it clear that he was speaking to all of them. “Everyone, we have a new-comer among us.” He gestured to me with an open hand. “This is Dakota Shepherd.”

I flashed everyone a grin. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you all. Well, some of us have met already.” I smiled at Raelya and then at Elisa. Elisa hmph’d lightly. Raelya just smiled at me warmly.

Ralof continued after I shut up. “You have met Elisa, Raelya and Andrei. I’ll let the other three introduce themselves.” I looked toward the others expectantly.

The lavender-haired girl put on a sunny smile and waved at me in the most adorably exaggerated way. “Hi! I’m Stephana Lindquist, but everyone calls me Steph.”

I smiled at her. “Nice to meet ya, Steph. I like your hair.” I also liked her particularly bright and cheery-colored aura. Though I wasn’t sure how socially acceptable it was to compliment the visual projection of another’s soul, so I decided to keep the admiration to myself.

She beamed at me. “Thanks! I’m loving this color, but it was a total accident. The dye was supposed to be darker, but now I hope I can get it to do this again when it wears out.”

“Maybe if you look it up online? I mean, someone’s bound to have had the same outcome. Maybe you can find out what caused it?” Being helpful is good. Doin’ great so far! I told myself.

Steph lit up, grinning brightly and hopping in her chair slightly. “That’s a great idea! I bet I can find out how! Thank you!” I just nodded and smiled. She leaned to the side and wrapped her arms around the bicep of the young man sitting next to her. “This is Kenneth.”

Kenneth looked up at me with that mild shyness I usually associated with well-behaved younger men. “I’m Kenneth Lynwood. Nice to meet you.” He was a little toned, but otherwise lanky, with tousled brown hair and green eyes. He wore jeans and a camo tee, a style rather common to these parts. He didn’t seem to mind Steph’s familiarity despite otherwise seeming shy.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ken.” He was surrounded by light yellowish hues with some browns mingling through and a few lines of darker grey.

Kenneth shook his head. “It’s Kenneth. If you would.” He seemed a little embarrassed, as if worried he’d offend me by insisting.

“Sure! Sorry. Force of habit. I have this thing about nicknames… My bad.” Well, that’s one misstep out of the way! Moving right along to the next one!

I turned my attention to the other young man. He was a little shorter than average for his age. As far as I could tell, all three of these were just teenagers, though this one looked a little bit older than the other two. He had jet black hair in a longish cut that just brushed his shoulders in places. His aura was a blurry confederation of greys with a few lighter and darker areas, and some white near the center. He wore a white shirt in an unusual style with broad, straight sleeves and a pair of loose gray trousers that seemed to go with it. He returned my friendly smile by placing a fist into his palm and bowing toward me seriously. “I’m Elliot Lost. Pleased to meet you.”

“Wow!” I geeked awkwardly. “That is a cool name!” The young man regarded me levelly, seeming unsure how to respond. “Sorry. Just, that sounds like ‘main character in a movie’ material to me! Elliot Lost.” I grinned to myself enthusiastically. Elliot just smiled at me politely. I wasn’t sure if he secretly approved or if I was just being hopeful.

Ralof cleared his throat, saving me from myself. “Now that introductions are out of the way, let us have dinner.” The other wolves all turned their attention to the Alpha, waiting for something familiar. Ralof lifted his plate with one hand and began loading it up from the dishes on the table. He acquired a healthy serving of each dish, then settled his plate back onto the table. As soon as he did, the table exploded with movement as the other wolves all began to pick out their meals from the waiting bowls and plates. Everyone was really polite when you consider that they were literally a pack of wolves. Andrei seemed to purposefully exaggerate the ravenousness with which he acquired his own meal, though I couldn’t be certain that he wasn’t hamming it up to mess with me. Elisa just waited for everyone else to be finished, rolling her eyes with an air of exasperation. She muttered something in her native tongue that I mentally translated as “Children”.

10

Heading Home

I stayed just a while after dinner, sitting with Ralof on the comfortable sectional as we chatted lightly about my introduction to the pack and he assured me I hadn’t blundered it up. Andrei started through the room after a while, having stayed behind to help clean up after dinner, along with everyone else. Ralof had excused himself, and me, being that I was a guest. Ralof called out to Andrei as he passed. “Andrei. Did you show Dakota your tattoos?” I’d just asked Ralof about them a moment before. I turned in my seat to face the pack’s second. Andrei stopped where he was and nonchalantly pulled his shirt over his head, revealing that the incredible ink on his arms and neck covered just about every inch of his torso as well. After a few seconds, he spun to show me his back which was equally covered, and that the ink on his neck disappeared into his hairline.

“Wow. That must have taken forever. Did it hurt?”

Andrei grinned at me. “Oh yeah! But it was a long time ago. So it doesn’t matter now, eh?” He threw his shirt back on cheerfully and came over to join us on the couch. I smiled as he settled in next to me, seeming easy with my presence.

“I thought about getting one once. But I could never decide on what I wanted, so I just didn’t.” I frowned at myself as an uncomfortable section of my life began to surface in my memories and I regretted mentioning that particular point of conversation. I hoped silently that no one would ask me to explain further.

“Oh yeah? What made you want to get one then?” Great. Andrei smiled at me easily.

I started fidgeting. “Uh… well… Just, I had a girlfriend once who was a tattooist. And she kept offering to do it. But I just never thought of anything I figured I’d want for life. You know?” Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. I shifted tactics. “But you know, maybe now I will. Maybe I could get something wolf-related.”

Andrei smirked. “That might be more difficult than you’d think.”

“Oh? Why?” I shifted in place. Good. Topic evaded.

Andrei glanced at Ralof who gestured at the group of us. “Because werewolves regenerate when damaged. We tend to push the ink back out before it has a chance to settle in.”

I frowned, looking up at Andrei, who was, I noted, grinning like a maniac. “Then how?”

Andrei flexed an arm at me. “I’m just awesome like that. Once something gets around me, it wants to stay that way.”

I smiled despite feeling perplexed. Elisa snorted as she entered the room. “Hmph. Is that where the smell comes from then?”

Andrei flashed her a cheesy grin. “The smell of awesome? I’ll claim the credit.” Elisa rolled her eyes and started up the stairs. I found I already adored them both.

Ralof was smiling when I looked back to him. He glanced at his watch then back to me. “When do you need to be home?”

I blinked. I’d completely lost track of the time. “Oh! Uh… What time is it?” Ralof showed me his watch which read that it was nearly six. I grimaced. “I actually need to get going. If that’s okay?”

Ralof nodded easily. “I will drive you home.” He rose and headed for the door.

I stood, frowning. “Are you sure? I can just call a cab. I don’t want you to have to go out of your way for me.”

Ralof was already seated on a wooden bench near the entryway, slipping on his boots. “It is no trouble. Besides, I want to make sure you get home safely. You are still new to the supernatural world, and there is much yet for you to know.”

“All right, if you’re sure.” Ralof gave me a look and I stopped arguing. I turned back to Andrei and offered a hand. “It was great meeting you.”

Andrei stood and took my hand briefly, using it to pull me into an unexpected hug. “You too! Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

I grinned as we parted. “I’m sure I’ll be around.” Andrei gave me a winning grin, then slipped past me and went out into the back yard. I moved over to the door and slipped my feet into my shoes without bothering to untie and retie them properly. Ralof stood and lifted a keyring from a hook by the door.

From behind me, I heard a soft voice. “You are leaving?”

I turned to face Raelya with a smile. “Yup. But I’ll be back around soon, I’m sure.”

Raelya held her arms out, asking. I answered with a happy hug. “It was good to meet you, Dakota.” She smiled at me as we separated.

“You too, Raelya. I look forward to seeing you again. And tell your mo— eh, tell Elisa I said thanks for dinner? It was great.” I grinned as Raelya grinned and shook her head.

“If I did, she would just roll her eyes. But you are welcome, regardless.” She followed me to the door, leaning into Ralof’s side briefly as he opened the door. Ralof bumped his forehead against Raelya’s head gently then headed out for the truck with me in his wake. I wondered, as we climbed into the vehicle, if I would eventually understand what that gesture had said to them.

Ralof explained more about werewolves on the forty-five minute drive home. As I listened, I marveled at the fact that I was moderately okay with the idea that I was one of them. Before visiting the pack house, I had been nervous and uncertain. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of being a big, furry monster with a bad temper. But after meeting Ralof’s family, and the few other members of the pack, I felt for the first time, in longer than I could remember, like I was leaving home, rather than trying to get back to it.

11

Invitation

“Dakota?” Amorie’s creamy voice filtered through my phone’s speakers from where it lay on my bed. It was just past seven. I’d made it home about fifteen minutes ago, gotten into the shower, and I’d still been in it when the phone had rang. Knowing it would be Amorie and having no desire to miss her call, I’d hopped out in a hurry and put it on speakerphone as I started towel-drying my hair, my body still dripping on the carpet.

“Amorie! Hi.” I tried to sound casual, instead of rushed and drippy. “How was your day?” I winced at myself as soon as I said it.

Amorie let a pause hang in the air before replying. “Uneventful. And yours? Did you meet with Ralof?”

Great. At least she had a sense of humor. “Yep!”

“How did it go?” She sounded hesitant.

“It went great. We talked. He told me what I am. Then he took me back to the pack house to meet the fam. Had a great time overall.” I tossed the damp towel at my bathroom door and turned to rummage through my dresser for underwear.

“I am glad to hear it. So, I imagine that means I was right about what you are?”

“Well, if you put your money on me being a werewolf, you oughta go collect.” I slipped on some panties and tossed a bra on the bed.

“I see. I am glad I have not led you astray by sending you to Ralof then.”

“Not at all.” I opened my closet door and stared at the contents. “So, did you get to make those calls about the green burny hands?”

Amorie put on a playful tone. “Perhaps. I suppose that means you would like to hear what I found out, no?”

I grinned to myself as I rummaged through the hanging clothes. “Please, fair maiden. Do tell.” Did I really just say that? I didn’t remember being that cheesy when I flirted with normal people.

“I would be happy to tell you what I found out. Why don’t we speak over dinner?”

I stopped with a shirt in one hand and some jeans in the other. “Um. Sure! That’d be great.” Holy crap. She was asking me out. For real. I dropped the clothes I’d just picked in the floor and rummaged through the closet some more. “Where should we meet?”

12

First Date

I felt out of place as I entered the restaurant Amorie had invited me to join her at. It was a fancier place than I’d ever set foot in. Even in the dressy black slacks and loose, silky v-neck shirt I’d chosen, I felt practically naked as I eyed the attire of the other customers— hell, even the wait staff was better dressed than I was. I momentarily considered going back outside and calling Amorie to let her know I wasn’t dressed properly when the hostess approached me and bowed politely. “Miss Shepherd? Miss Amorie is expecting you.” She gestured for me to follow, so I did. The hostess, like most of the other people around me, had that desaturated look. I skimmed the crowd in passing, but didn’t notice any auras. She led me to a booth in a dimly-lit corner where the candle on the table flickered and cast its dancing light on Amorie’s fair face.

She rose to greet me and my jaw dropped. “Wow.” I helplessly devoured her form with my eyes. Amorie just swayed her hip to the side and smiled at me, seeming pleased with my reaction. She wore a glamorous black evening gown which wrapped around her form from side to side, forming a sash at her natural waist before rising to cover her breasts and glide gracefully across one shoulder. A cut out in the center of the cloth revealed the line of her cleavage. The dress flowed downward from the sash into a floor-length skirt which revealed a long section of her pale leg and thigh. Her hair was loose, curling softly about her shoulders, and diamonds dripped from her ears and throat. I peeled my eyes from her body to meet her amused expression with a smile. “You look... incredible.”

Amorie was kind enough to appear amused. “As do you, Dakota. I have to say, this is a big improvement from the security guard uniform. Even if that was also rather cute.” She looked me over pointedly, eyes lingering on the dipping neckline. The quiet hunger in her eyes made me feel somewhat naked. Or maybe that was just because I had chosen to opt-out on the bra. My breasts were not so large that it was strictly necessary, and bras were harder to hide in a top with a low neckline like— wait. Did I just meet up with a vampire wearing a shirt with a low neckline? Well, crap.

“Thanks.” I glanced around nervously and moved to sit down. Amorie obliged me and sat as well. “I’m not too… under-dressed, am I?” I totally was.

Amorie smiled. “You look wonderful, ma chérie.” French! I figured out that Amorie’s accent was French.

I grinned like an idiot. “You’re too kind.” A waitress in a crisp white button-down and black slacks laid two glasses of water on the table, then, to my dismay, folded a napkin into my lap. When the waitress tried to give Amorie the same treatment, my stunning date took the napkin from her with a genial expression and folded it into her own lap. As the waitress departed, a man in a fine black suit arrived, bearing a bottle of wine. He and Amorie went through some kind of ornate wine-approving ritual before Amorie smiled and nodded her appreciation, earning a pleased expression from the man who poured a glass for each of us and left the bottle in one of those little tubs full of ice nearby.

I watched the whole thing with a ridiculously giddy feeling that I struggled to keep off of my face. I’d never seen something like that outside of a movie. Amorie smirked at me, obviously seeing through my casual mask. “Please, have whatever you would like. It is my treat.”

I glanced at the menu that had appeared in front of me without my noticing who had placed it there. “Normally, I’d complain because you treated last time… But I think this is a bit above my price range— Holy crap, that much for a six ouncer?”

Amorie’s smirk grew deeper. “It is no worry. Have what you want. Have ten steaks if you like.”

I shook my head at the audacity of the prices. “If you’re sure…” Her raised eyebrow said that she was. When the waiter appeared as if on cue, I ordered. “Just give me the largest steak on the menu.”

The waitress sneered at my peasant-talk. Actually she smiled at me pleasantly and I imagined the sneer because I felt like a peasant in this place. “Is the pan-seared asparagus and baked fennel all right to accompany, or do you wish to select something else?”

I smiled like I knew what she was talking about. “No, those are perfect.” I folded the menu and offered it to her. She took it as Amorie handed hers over and politely declined a meal. With that, the waitress was gone and I gave Amorie a hopeful grin. “What the hell is a fennel?”

Amorie took a languid sip from her wine glass, perching with her clever eyes just over the rim. “You will find out momentarily, no?”

I gave a half-hearted laugh, and snatched the wine glass from the table, taking an inappropriately large drink. “Oh, that’s good.” I stared at the glass for a moment, swirling the liquid around. “That’s really, really good.” I drained the glass in one confidence-boosting draw. A waiter materialized out of thin air to refill my glass. His disapproval at my manners was palpable, even as he smiled at me like a servant to a queen.

Amorie settled her glass on the table again. “So, how did your talk with Ralof go?”

I took a more moderate sip of the excellent wine. “Well, he told me I’m a werewolf.” I glanced around as if expecting the supernatural conspiracy police to jump out of a potted plant and lowered my voice, leaning in to the table. “And for some reason I can’t shift.”

Amorie frowned. “That is unusual. And disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing you as a wolf.” She gave me an adorable pout. I melted.

“Do you think it has anything to do with the green burny hands?”

Amorie shook her head. “No. But I did discover some about that.” The waitress appeared again and placed a small plate on the table, laden with slices of meat, slices of cheese, and two creamy concoctions I didn’t recognize. Amorie gestured to the plate encouragingly so I picked up a slice of meat and put it in my mouth. I groaned aloud at the flavor as the sliver of divinity melted in my mouth. I gestured for Amorie to go on. “It is what I was worried it might be.”

I tilted my head. “An’ wha’ is ‘at?” I slurred through the next delicate sliver from the plate.

“Hellfire.” Amorie spoke gravely. The seriousness of her tone put that deep-down part of me on edge.

I swallowed. “Hellfire? What’s that? Besides the obvious… You mean fire? From Hell? Seriously?”

Amorie nodded. “It is terribly dangerous. It is not like normal fire. It is far deadlier, far more powerful. Some would say it has a mind of its own. And it is always hungry.”

I frowned. “That sounds horrifying.”

Amorie met and held my eyes. “It is.”

I slowly lifted my hands and gazed at my palms. “So, what does that mean? Are you saying I’ve got idle hands?” Amorie tilted her head. I glanced up at the motion and realized she didn’t get my reference. “The Devil’s playthings?”

“Mm.” Amorie nodded as she caught on. “No. It was the ritual that the rogue magician was performing that did it most likely. See—”

“Rogue magician?”

Amorie nodded patiently. “A magician who has gone against the laws of the Magister’s Court.”

“Wow. Cool.” I dipped my finger into the first creamy substance on the plate and my tongue was not disappointed. “What even is this?”

Amorie’s smile returned. “Pâté.”

I glanced up at her face. “I’m eating it wrong, aren’t I?”

Amorie shrugged mildly. “Eat it however you like, ma chérie.”

I shrugged and ate it with a spoon. It was ridiculously good. “Oh, so, the crazy guy was a real… wizard?”

Amorie nodded. “More or less. He was performing a ritual to attain power through forbidden magics.”

“So he wanted green burny hands for himself, but I got in the way?” I ate another spoonful of Pâté.

Amorie shrugged again. “I can not say for certain. What I found out is that the cup he was interacting with is attuned to a demon.”

“Which explains the Hellfire?”

“It does. And considering the particular demon in question, it explains it quite well.” She sipped her wine.

“Why? Is it the demon of green burny hands?” I grinned and wiggled my fingers at her.

Amorie’s expression sobered. “It is best that you do not make light of the demons of the Circles of Hell. Even in passing, it is very dangerous.”

I lowered my hands slowly, my humor deflating. “Oh. I…”

Amorie shook her head. “You are all right. Just do not make a habit of doing so, even mildly.”

I nodded and consoled myself with a spoonful of the last untried substance on the plate. It turned out to be some kind of soft cheese and it was divine. “Why does that particular demon explain it quite well?”

Amorie softened her expression. “Because the demoness in question is well noted for her mastery of Hellfire.”

“So that cup belonged to a demoness known for Hellfire, a crazy rogue wizard tries to use it to gain power, I mess up his ritual and get in the way, and I end up with green burny hands. I guess that does make sense.” I stared at my hands again. “So how do I get rid of it?”

Amorie tilted her head. “You wish to be rid of this power?”

I glanced up at her, surprised. “Of course. You said it’s terribly dangerous. And a demoness is involved. Shouldn’t I want to get rid of it?”

“That is entirely up to you, ma chérie.” She reached across the table and laid a hand on top of mine. “You could seek to be rid of it. Or you could seek to master it.”

“And that would make it safe?” I let my hand settle into her cool grasp.

“Safer.” She squeezed my hand. “Nothing involving the Circles is ever completely safe. Though, you could be reasonably safe if you learned to control it.”

I looked at my hand in hers. “With great power…”

Amorie shook her head, amused. “You are incorrigible.”

I smiled up at her. She smiled back at me, her soft blue eyes sparkling in the candle light. I laced my fingers with hers and squeezed her hand softly. I leaned closer and gazed into her eyes and whispered softly. “I don’t know what that means.”

Amorie’s laugh broke the air suddenly. She shook her head at me and put her other hand to her lips. “Terrible!” she chided gently.

I grinned, squeezing her fingers and pretending it was a joke. “So, what should I do about my green burny hands?”

Amorie calmed her laughter, reasserting her self-control. “You should go and speak with someone at SII. They will be able to explain things and help you better than I.”

I tilted my head. “SII? I think you mentioned that before. What is it?”

“Supernatural Investigation Institute. They are an organization that specializes in keeping peace between different factions in the supernatural world.”

“So like the supernatural police?”

Amorie shook her head. “They are not really an authority of that nature. But they do attempt to keep balance between the Awakened and Unawakened worlds. They will explain it better than I can as well.”

I nodded. “Okay. Will you tell me how to find them?”

Amorie nodded. “Of course. I will put you in touch with them. They will be able to answer many questions for you.”

I glanced up as the waitress brought out a large tray and placed before me a dish fit for a queen. I figure I literally drooled as I stared at the luscious, incredible-smelling steak and whatever the pile of vegetables on the side was. I have no idea how long I did so before noticing that the waitress was standing there, waiting on something. I glanced up and she looked at me expectantly. I looked to Amorie for aid. Amorie smiled at the waitress and nodded her approval of the dish. The waitress bowed to Amorie respectfully, then turned her nose up at me and stalked away. Or maybe she just left. Who could be sure?

I turned my attention back to the food. Amorie smirked. “Should I leave you two alone?”

I laughed softly. “I’m sorry. I’ve just… I’ve never…”

Amorie smiled warmly. “I am teasing, ma chérie. Please, enjoy.”

I didn’t need any more prompting than that to dig in. “Oh, this is so tender! You can cut it with a fork!” I laid a juicy piece of steak on my tongue and savored the flavors and the excellent texture. “Mm. It’s perfect.” I glanced down at the plate and examined the meat with its perfect char and rich red center. The bloody juices flowing onto the plate suddenly filled me with both hunger and dread. “Amorie?”

“Hmm?”

“Do werewolves eat people?” I hesitantly poked the steak with my fork, my stomach suddenly too tight to continue eating.

“If they did, that would bother you?” Amorie swirled the wine in her glass idly. I got the feeling she was doing so to have an excuse to avoid meeting my eyes.

“Well, yes. I don’t want to eat people.” I did want to eat the steak, however.

Amorie shrugged mildly. “Mostly they do not. It has happened before. But it is not very common. Mostly they eat animals. Unless they have lost control. Then it is possible they will hurt someone, and I suppose they might eat them. Ralof could answer this better than I, as he is a werewolf and I am not.”

I frowned thoughtfully and took another bite of my steak. “You seem unhappy. Did I do something wrong?”

Amorie shook her head. “No, of course not.”

“Then what is it?” I put the fork down and touched her hand again gently.

“Dakota, you do realize that I am a vampire, yes?”

I nodded. “You told me so.” Then it dawned on me. “Oh… Because you do eat people.”

Amorie nodded slightly. “I do feed upon humans, rather.”

“I’m sorry if I was offensive. I didn’t—”

“No, ma chérie. Just… It seemed upsetting to you, to think of beings who feed upon humans. I do not wish you to dislike me for it.” She looked more vulnerable than I had expected. I kinda felt bad.

“No! I don’t blame you for it. I mean… you have to eat too, right? I just…” I stared down at the bloody flesh on my plate. “I just don’t want to become some kind of monster.”

Amorie squeezed my hand gently. “Dakota, you do not need to be a werewolf or a vampire to be a monster.”

I met her eyes and she smiled at me softly. “You’re right. And I guess… Being a werewolf doesn’t necessarily make me one either.”

Amorie smiled gently. “There are many, many humans who are far, far worse.”

“Ralof didn’t seem like a monster.” I suddenly grinned. “Well, not today, when I met Ralof the werewolf. He seemed much scarier when I thought he was your date.”

Amorie laughed. “Ah. Is that what you thought?”

I grinned. “I was terrified of him.”

“And you flirted with me anyway?” She was leaning closer to me again.

“I guess it was worth the risk.” I was leaning closer to her again too.

She smiled at me, looking deeply pleased. “You are terribly sweet, little wolf.”

I did my best to grin wolfishly. “You’re terribly worth it.”

Amorie smirked at me wryly. “Now you are doing it on purpose.”

“Does sweetness only count when it’s inadvertent?”

Amorie laughed. “No. I do not suppose it does.” Her foot grazed against mine under the table. I felt tingly little sparks fluttering up my legs and into my spine. My breath caught. Amorie grinned at me, a warm expression that spread slowly across her features.

So of course, the waitress came over to ask us if all was adequate. Amorie gave her a look that managed to feel withering despite its civil exterior. Or maybe I was projecting. The waitress refilled our glasses, and the interruption passed, but so had the moment. I returned my attention to my steak. “So I have a question.” I said, mostly to fill the silence that lingered in the absence of her touch.

“Ask and I will do my best to answer.” Amorie sipped the fresh glass of wine.

“Why don’t I have an aura?” I’d looked down at my arms, torso and legs. I’d looked in the mirror. I wasn’t desaturated like the Unawakened, but I had no colored lights.

“You do.” Amorie looked me over pointedly and smiled to herself.

I tilted my head. “But…” I glanced down at my arm.

Amorie nodded. “You can not see it. No one can see their own aura, ma chérie. It is just the way it is.”

“Oh. That makes sense, I guess.” I stuffed another chunk of steak in my mouth and chewed it over along with the next query. “Is it okay to ask what mine looks like?”

Amorie nodded. “There is no reason why you can not.”

“Then…” I prompted hopefully.

Amorie fixed me with a hungry, wanting smile. “Your aura is like fire. It is radiant, and warm.”

I liked the sound of that. “Like fire…” I smiled to myself. “Does it mean anything? I mean, the colors. Do they mean something particular?”

Amorie nodded. “Of course. But it is not something so simple to explain. You see, the aura is an expression of a person’s spirit. It is not a physical thing. If we both look at the same person, we may see very different colors.”

“Because… we’d be seeing whatever colors would make sense to our own perceptions?”

Amorie smiled brightly. “Exactly so! Clever, little wolf.”

I smiled proudly. “So, if I perceive white as meaning something is good, then I will see white in a good person’s aura?”

Amorie considered that then nodded. “Mostly, yes. It is not entirely right to assume that it means they are a good person. Just that there is good in them. Do you understand?”

“Ahh. Yes. I see what you mean.”

“Though, such things as good and evil, they are difficult to assess so clearly.”

I tilted my head. “Oh?”

“What is good?” She leaned back and watched me.

“Uh…” I thought about it for a moment. “It’s… uh… being nice? Doing the right thing?”

Amorie nodded, speaking in a tone that suggested she was leading me. “Mmhmm. But how can you define this when two parties both believe they are doing what is right?”

I chewed at my inner lip and thought about that. “I guess… it’s not so simple, is it?” Amorie shook her head softly. “Then why would I see white in someone’s aura?’

Amorie shrugged softly. “I would imagine it is because they possess some quality that you would see as goodliness. At least, in the case that white represents goodliness to you.”

I nodded slowly. “So it’s basically a secret, private language. It speaks to each individual in the way they would understand?”

Amorie nodded. “More or less.”

“So like Tongues? In the Bible?” I met her eyes curiously. “Each person simply understands what they hear, or in this case, what they see?”

Amorie considered a moment then nodded. “It is like that, yes. Though, that is not what this is. Some beings do exist that possess such gifts.”

“Wow.” I stared at my plate for a long moment, considering the many colors I had seen in the auras of those I’d met today. What did all of them mean? Ralof’s earthy tones could be because of his being a werewolf. I saw that in Elisa and Raelya too, but then, I wouldn’t say I had seen it in the other wolves I’d met. So maybe not. What did the gold in Ralof and Elisa’s auras mean? And the darker colors in Andrei’s? And the blood red and bruise-like purple in Amorie’s?

I must have spent longer in thought than I’d intended because Amorie poked my hand with a smile. “So thoughtful, ma chérie.”

“Sorry.” I said with a smile. “There’s just—”

“It is much to take in, no? Do not worry. I do not mind.” Amorie’s smile invaded her eyes. She was so pretty.

“Thank you.” I breathed quietly.

“For what?” She tilted her head and her hair spilled across her shoulder in little ringlets and curls.

“For being here.”

13

Shared Warmth

“So the Captain yells to the First Mate, ‘Fetch me brown pants!’” Amorie burst into a tinkling laugh. I smiled proudly and settled back against the soft leather seat. It was the first time I’d ever ridden in a limo and the experience was still sinking in. I’d hoped the pirate joke wouldn’t be a bit too low brow, but to my relief, Amorie seemed amused, and not at all disturbed by the crassness of the subject matter. “So where are we going?”

Amorie shrugged lightly. “No where, really. I told the driver just to drive us around. You were not comfortable with me taking you anywhere more private before, so I did not wish to assume.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” I squeezed her hand which had been clasped with mine between us since we’d first settled into the car. “I’m sorry for that.” Amorie raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s just… I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what’s safe and what’s likely to get me killed.”

Amorie brushed my hair back from my face softly. “I understand, ma chérie. But if I had wanted to harm you, do you not think I would have done so before now? It would have been much easier when you were Unawakened, and especially before introducing you to your Alpha.”

“I know.” And she really was right. I knew inside that Ralof would protect me, no matter how new I was to the pack. Amorie didn’t strike me as very afraid of him, but then, she didn’t strike me as easy to read, either. “But it’s just… How do I know, you know?”

“You can not know.” She stroked my hair idly. “But this is so with anyone you meet, no?”

“No.” I agreed absently. “I mean yes!” Amorie and I laughed together. “I mean, you’re right. I’m just trying to be smart about this. There’s so much I don’t know. And if the movies have any say in the matter, vampires are manipulative and charming, and not to be trusted.”

Amorie grinned at me and leaned her head against my shoulder. Her hair was so soft. “I know, cher. And I am sure that Ralof has told you that vampires are dangerous too, no?”

I slid my arm around her shoulders. “He did. And he didn’t seem too sure that you were safe company.”

“I have no desire to harm you, Dakota.” She met my eyes through her long, dark lashes.

I gazed down into her eyes, feeling the warmth of our connection despite the chill of her skin. I felt a tension building inside, and this time, it wasn’t fear. I closed the gap between our lips and she returned my kiss with passion. There was no hesitation or preamble. I could feel her desire in the way she pressed herself against me. She wanted me. My body responded to her desire with the warmth and tightness of its own hungers. I shuddered against her mouth as she slid her body atop mine, the long slit in her gown allowing her to straddle me effectively. I slid my hands along her thighs, up her hips, and rested them on the small of her back, pulling her against me as she broke contact with my lips to trail tender kisses down my cheek to my jaw.

I rolled my back with the shiver that ran down my spine as Amorie’s lips brushed my ear. Her wet lips caressed the skin just behind my earlobe and I groaned. I felt a tension building deep inside, but I figured it was just nervousness and ignored it. Her hands rose along my sides until she reached my shoulders, then pulled me into a soft embrace. I whispered her name in a pleasured sigh as she brought her chest firmly against mine, and much softness ensued. That feeling was nagging at my stomach. Her lips brushed my neck. I tensed suddenly and pulled away.

Amorie frowned and tilted her head. “Dakota?”

“What are you doing?” I demanded. Even I could hear the fear in my voice.

Amorie’s eyebrows knitted together in concern. “I am sorry. Did I do something you did not like?” I helplessly lifted a hand to my neck. Amorie’s eyes lit with comprehension and then apology. “Oh! Forgive me, Dakota. I should not have gotten so close.”

I was chewing at my lip again. “You mean, you weren’t going to bite me?”

Amorie quickly covered up a touch of hurt and shook her head. “No. Of course, not. Never without your permission.”

I nodded slowly. “I… I’m sorry.” I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“No, it is my fault for giving you that impression.” Amorie seemed to consider the closeness of our position. I thought for a moment she was going to move away, but she stayed, holding me gently instead. “I have pushed you, haven’t I?”

“What? No.” I pulled her closer. “I wanted this. I want you.” She still didn’t look convinced. “I just…” I glanced at the darkly tinted window. “I just don’t want you to bite me.”

Amorie nodded. “Then I will not.” I smiled up at her, relieved she wasn’t mad. She seemed hesitant. “May I ask why?”

I thought about that for a few seconds before answering. “Because, I don’t know what it would do to me. I’m afraid that it would make me… enthralled to you or something. Or, that you…”

“That I only want you for your blood?” The tone in her voice stung my heart. She was obviously sad that I would think that of her. “I understand.” I felt awful.

“I don’t… I don’t actually believe that you only want me for my blood.” I did my best to sound consoling, while showing the honesty in my voice. “I’m just afraid that if you did, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Amorie slid softly off of me and rested against my side. I slid my arm around her shoulders again and pulled her close. She wrapped an arm across my stomach and hugged me gently. “I understand. It is difficult for you to know what is true. I wish I could tell you that you are wrong to concern yourself with such things, but you are not. If I wanted you for your blood, and I wished you not to know this, you would not know.”

I played my fingers through the loose curls that dangled along her shoulder. “Then… How do I know?’

Amorie looked up at me. “How can I prove it to you? Even if there were something I could say to give you proof, you would not believe that you could be certain I spoke the truth.”

I thought about that as we rode for a long moment in silence. She was right. There was nothing she could say to solve my concern. If she told me an answer that satisfied my fear, I’d just believe she was playing me. I chewed that over for a long moment before speaking again. “Are you going to eat me?’

Amorie shook her head. “I do not wish to eat you. I can not say I would not like to drink of you. But I would not ever wish to eat you.”

“If you drink from me, does it hurt me in any way? I presume it doesn’t have to kill me.”

“It would hurt, only for an instant, and then no more. It would not leave any lasting harm, and there would be no marks. It would do you no harm that would last beyond the morning.” She felt so small and soft in my arms. I felt awful for drilling her like this. But that tension in my gut urged me onward.

“Would it put me in your thrall? Or influence me in any way?”

Amorie met my eyes. “I could influence you with words. With my smile. I already have. Just as you have influenced me. With your wit. With your humor. With your adorable face.” I smiled despite the seriousness of the conversation as she gently stroked my cheek. Amorie’s expression softened. “It would not magically influence you for me to feed upon you. There is… an effect that takes place when a vampire feeds upon another creature. It is a sensation of pleasure that floods the donor’s body. It will not mystically deprive you of your senses, nor will it rob you of your will. Though you could become accustomed to it, and desire it more.”

“A sensation of pleasure, huh?” I waggled my eyebrows at her and she laughed, laying her forehead against my chest before meeting my eyes again.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I smiled at her softly.

“It can be. Some of my kin would make it so.”

I frowned. “Like Cuthbert?”

Amorie shrugged. “Perhaps. I do not know him well. He did seem possibly to be the violent type, no?”

“But you’re not?”

Amorie shook her head. “I do not typically enjoy feeding upon an unwilling participant. I prefer to drink what is freely given.”

I mulled that over for a few blocks before nodding again. “All right.”

Amorie tilted her head, lifting it from where she’d been resting against my shoulder. “Hmm?”

“I’ve decided to trust you.”

Amorie smiled at me warmly. “Just like that?”

I nodded. “You’re right. I can’t know if you will manipulate me. And we all manipulate each other anyway. All the time. I’ve been trying to manipulate you into liking me since the moment I first laid eyes on you. And you’ve had plenty of opportunity to hurt me if you’d wanted to. On top of that…” I considered then nodded to myself. “If Ralof had thought you were going to eat me, he would have told me to stay away from you.” That tension in my gut eased a little. I remembered that deep-down feeling was likely my wolf. I guess she believed in our new Alpha already too.

“He would have.” Amorie agreed. “He is a good Alpha.”

I felt that my wolf agreed with her. “So, what do we do now? I guess I kinda broke the mood with all my concerns.”

Amorie squeezed me softly. “It all depends on you, Dakota. If you are not comfortable, I understand. But if you do not wish me to bite you tonight, I will have to go soon so that I may feed myself before dawn.”

I frowned. I didn’t want Amorie to leave. The wolf felt uneasy inside me. I was unsure. “I don’t want you to go…” I murmured softly.

Amorie frowned apologetically. “I am sorry, ma chérie. I do not wish to give you such a decision, but food is a necessity.”

“Does hunting really take that long?” I leaned my head on her head, inhaling the incredible aroma of her perfume.

“That depends on many factors. It might not take too long, but I must also have time to get back to Nashville and to the safety of my home before dawn.” She shifted against me, pressing her cold cheek against my bare shoulder.

“Oh, right. I forgot your place was all the way out there.” I frowned. Nashville was a solid three hour drive if you obeyed the speed limit. It was still over two if you didn’t. I considered at length as we rested against each other. Finally, I gathered up my courage and squeezed her against me. “Do it.”

“Are you certain?” She leaned toward me hungrily.

“I am.” I hoped I was.

Amorie leaned in and kissed me again. I felt her weight settle back onto my legs as I kissed her in return. I marveled this time at how little she weighed. Before, I’d been rather caught up in the moment and had not thought much of it, but I realized now she was not simply holding her weight off of me. I knew because she settled herself down on me and busied her hands with guiding mine back to their prior post on her lower back. The mood, as it turned out, was not lost after all. I felt my body reacting to the intoxicating feeling of her desire for me. She kissed me hungrily, and I showed her just how hungry I was in return.

Amorie’s body rolled against mine so elegantly. Her movements were fluid and graceful. I was hot beneath her chill touch. She trailed her cool kisses down my cheek and along my jaw, just as she had before, until she teased at my ear once again. I gasped at the sensation just as I had the first time. She laughed softly and whispered against my ear, “A sensitive spot for you, my little wolf?” I let out a shuddering little laugh and nodded dumbly. Amorie grinned against my ear as she pulled me tight against her, pressing her breasts against mine. I groaned. And then she struck.

I felt the sharp prick of Amorie’s fangs as they touched my skin, and it hurt for just an instant as she pushed them into my neck. I sucked in air through my teeth but I let it out in a breathless whimper. Her power washed over me, and the pain was gone. It was like we were suddenly connected on some level I couldn’t define. It wasn’t sheerly mental. I could feel her flooding my senses, rushing along my veins, pulsing in my chest. She wrapped her power around me and I was in ecstasy. My fingers curled against her back and I felt my hips gyrating toward her. She had me.

I groaned and pressed for her until she threw her head back, gasping in her own pleasure as she moved her hips against me. I watched her tongue roll languidly across her ruby lips before she ducked her head to my neck again and lapped up the blood that had spilt from twin punctures. Finally, she pressed a soft kiss to my neck and it sent a tingling chill along my neck and down my back. I rolled my hips with hers, filled with need. She leaned in close and laid her forehead against mine, breathing softly, “So good, my little wolf…”

I strained to reach her mouth with mine. She grinned at me teasingly. “Kiss me.” I demanded. Amorie smirked at me and complied.

14

Watching

The next night, my shift was unbelievably boring. It was hard to stand attentively and guard when memories of the night before kept drifting into my head unbidden. I couldn’t get Amorie, her scent, her cool skin, and her softness out of my head. Our evening had been wonderful and satisfying, fulfilling on many levels, some of which I hadn’t been fulfilled on in quite a long time, and some new levels I hadn’t been fulfilled on before at all. Amorie was just that good.

It was half-past nine when the the rumbling of Ralof’s Ram startled me out of the pensive staring contest I’d challenged the parking lot to an hour ago. Ralof pulled the oversized pickup into the parking space in front of me, and Andrei waved at me enthusiastically from the passenger’s seat. I smiled as my Alpha and his second got out of the truck and strolled up to the railing of the small side ramp I was standing on. Andrei wore a pair of khaki board shorts and a dark muscle shirt that showed off his copious ink, but Ralof was neatly attired in a dress shirt and slacks. I whistled at him playfully as he got out of the truck and he grinned in response. Ralof hoisted a fast food bag in a sort of wave and I wondered if this was some kind of secret werewolf greeting that I needed to start mimicking in the near future. Ralof handed the bag to me as he leaned against the railing in front of me and smiled. “Hail there, Dakota.” I grinned at his archaic language.

“Hail yourself. What’s this for?” I opened the bag and found a couple of thick sandwiches that smelled deliciously of roast beef and a box of curly fries. My stomach grumbled.

“With us, I find it is almost always helpful to have food around.” Ralof replied with a smirk. “Hungry werewolves are grumpy werewolves. Grumpy werewolves make poor company.”

“I bet. Hey there Andrei!” I waved at him as I unwrapped one of the sandwiches.

Andrei lifted his fist toward me and I bumped it with mine. “Hey there little sister. How’s it going?” The nickname made my chest feel all warm and fuzzy. Or maybe that was just Andrei’s infectiously cheery attitude. Either way, it felt wonderful to be accepted and cared for.

“Could be worse.” I mumbled through a bite of roast beef. “I hate perimeter duty. This humidity’s no good for my mood.”

“I hear ya.” Andrei grinned at me conspiratorially. “That’s why you swap the schedule around when no one’s looking to avoid the outdoor shift when it’s mucky out.”

Ralof stole a fry from the box I’d propped on the corner of the railing and gestured at Andrei with it. “Hah. Don’t give her advice she should not follow.” He gave Andrei a playfully reproachful expression and Andrei cheesed up his grin.

I smiled at the two of them, marveling at how comfortable I felt in their presence. “So what brings you two to my place of work this evening?” I glanced at Ralof’s fancy duds pointedly. “And why’re you all dressed up?”

Ralof grunted curiously at me. “Dressed up? These are just my work clothes.”

“Work clothes? Do you run a bank or something?” I took another bite of my sandwich.

“I work as an attorney.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise and Ralof continued. “I spend a lot of my time handling legal matters for the pack, and for other… werewolf-related events.”

I blinked. “The government knows about werewolves?”

Ralof shook his head. “No. But that’s exactly why it’s important for werewolves to have someone who can represent them in legal matters who knows how to handle the Unawakened without raising any alarms.”

I considered that. “So basically, you’re a lawyer slash spin doctor?”

Ralof nodded. “You could say that. Though I do several other things as well, like defending our local preserves, protecting the rights of the local wildlife, and representing the tribes from time to time.”

“Wow. More like lawyer slash superhero then.”

Ralof grinned at me. “The money is not bad either, and that allows me to take care of the pack and provide a safe place for them, even feed them from time to time.” He nudged the fast food bag.

I nodded as I finished my sandwich. “Thanks for the food. I didn’t have time to grab breakfast on my way out so I was kinda ravenous.” I stuffed a few fries in my mouth and eyed the other sandwich.

“Oh?” Andrei grinned at me. “Stayed out too late partying?”

I smirked at him as I opened the other sandwich. “Maybe.”

“Ooo. Hope you didn’t have too much fun without me.” Ralof thumped Andrei lightly on the shoulder, eliciting an even more wolfish grin from the younger man.

I grinned at them both. “I had a date.”

Ralof stiffened ever so slightly and I knew he’d guessed who my date had been with. Andrei nudged my arm with his knuckles. “Oooh. Was he cute?”

I crinkled my nose. “She. Was… gorgeous.” The look Ralof was giving me said he had definitely guessed and he didn’t seem super excited about it.

Andrei waggled his eyebrows. “Ahh, she. Sweet.” Ralof gave him a look and Andrei tilted his head slightly in a jerking motion I felt I should have understood but didn’t.

Ralof captured my eyes, “With Amorie, I take it?” Yup. He’d guessed. I grinned in reply. Ralof made a rumbling sound that resonated from his chest. “Be careful, Dakota.” He hesitated just slightly as if he was considering his words more carefully. “We can not trust the vampires. I do not want you getting hurt.”

“I think if she’d wanted to hurt me, she’d have done it when I was Unawakened. Or at least before handing me over to you for protection.” I felt my head ducking ever so slightly even as Ralof held my gaze.

“Perhaps. But with vampires, we can never be so sure. Just…” he put a hand on my arm. “Be careful.”

I nodded my head once. “I will, Ralof. Thank you.” He nodded, acknowledging my acceptance of his warning. I liked that he was looking out for me, but I really hadn’t wanted him to tell me not to see her again. One part of me felt I’d be hard pressed to go against him directly, but the other part wasn’t so sure I’d have listened. “So… Did you find anything out?”

Ralof nodded, resting his arms on the rail in front of me again. “I did. I found out that your situation is indeed unusual. None of my contacts had heard of such a thing as a werewolf who could not shift at your age. I did some calling around, and finally got in touch with SII. I hate to think that they can find the werewolf answers that I cannot, but… Sadly, I’m afraid talking to them will be your best option at this point. They will likely know what to do, or at least where to go from here.”

I nodded, chewing my roast beef thoughtfully. “Can they help me with the green burny hands thing too?”

Ralof furrowed his brow and huffed slightly. “I still do not know anything about that, but I imagine they will be able to help you get in touch with the Magister’s Court if nothing else.”

“Okay. So, how do I get in touch with them?”

“I will take you to them. Their nearest headquarters is in Nashville.” Ralof said.

“Oh. Okay. That’s less cryptic than I was expecting. So when?”

Ralof seemed amused. “We could go the day after tomorrow if you are available.”

I thought for a moment then nodded. “I could swing that. I’ll just swap a shift so we don’t have to rush back.”

“Good. I will pick you up on the way out.” I caught an expression pass over his face as he obviously thought of something else. “Dakota, the green… burny hands you keep talking about… Can you show me?”

I shrugged. “Sure. Just…” I glanced around.

“No, not here.”

“Yeah, I figured that would be a bad idea.” I glanced toward the camera on the wall behind me briefly.

“Perhaps on our way out to Nashville then?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We’ll just have to find some place safe to stop so I can show you.”

Ralof hmph’d thoughtfully and nodded. “All right. We’ll want to leave a bit early. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Okay. I’ll be ready.” I gave him my address and we said goodbye. Andrei hopped up onto the concrete ramp and hugged me over the railing. I grinned as I protested, shooing him off so I could do my job.

“All right. I’ll let you get back to standing there doing nothing!” Andrei teased as he hopped into the truck. They left me standing alone in the muggy Knoxville Summer night and I felt the emptiness of the lot around me more distinctly than ever before. The absence of their presence struck me and I realized that new or not, the pack was already a part of me. I needed them. And I hated being separated from them. This was an entirely new sort of experience for me, someone who had spent most of her life alone and generally avoiding human contact on even the most basic level. I didn’t have friends. I didn’t really even have a family except for Nan. Not as far as I was concerned, anyway. Nan was the only blood-related person I still spoke to at all. I wasn’t welcome back home, but I didn’t want to think about that right now. The feeling of having such people in my life again was distinctly preferable to the alternative, but I definitely wasn’t used to thinking of myself as part of a family anymore. I had been a loner for so long, it was kinda hard to adjust.

I sighed and glanced around the parking lot and decided that standing still was only making matters worse. It was as good a time as any to do a good walk around. I shoved the last few fries in my mouth and headed for the nearest trash can. Walking a bit would clear my mind, and at least if I got myself moving, I’d be less likely to keep standing there fawning over the ghosts of Amorie’s touch that still lingered on my skin, and the ghosts of the past that wouldn’t leave my thoughts alone.

I’d walked about a quarter of the perimeter when I heard a soft shuffling sound. I glanced toward the faint noise and saw nothing but an empty car that belonged to one of my co-workers and an empty soda can on the ground. I debated the thought that the sound could have been the wind pushing the can to the side. It hadn’t sounded metallic, and I’d felt my hearing was getting better ever since I’d Awakened. But there was no one there.

I continued around the back side of the building. As soon as I turned the corner, a tingle went up my neck and I knew someone was watching me. I hadn’t heard any doors open so I knew it was not one of my fellow night guards stepping out for a smoke or anything like that. I decided to just keep walking and pay attention. If someone was out there, I didn’t want them to know I realized they were there. I reached into my pockets and pulled out my earbuds and stuffed them into my ears, leaving them loose enough that I could still hear well past them. I went through the motions of thumbing at my phone so it seemed like I was turning on music, and put it back in my pocket.

As I passed the mid-point of the back edge of the building, I heard three definite footfalls by the corner behind me. Someone was following me. I was starting to panic. I’d dealt with intruders before, but what if this one wasn’t human? My mind went to the vampire from my first Awakened night. The wolf part of me was anxious and uneasy. I pictured her pacing back and forth, fur standing on end. In my imagination, she was snarling at something behind me. I wondered how “imagined” that really was.

“Shepherd. All clear?” I nearly jumped out of my boots as the radio gave a sharp burst of static followed by Joe’s voice. I tried to catch my breath as I pulled the radio from my belt and clicked it on. “Far as I can tell. It’s so damn humid out here, I thought for a bit it was gonna rain.” I put the radio back on my belt as Joe responded with a “Ten-four.”. I picked up my pace and strode around the next corner toward the other side exit. The statement about rain was a code. It was a way to suggest suspicious activity without alerting someone if we thought we weren’t alone. Especially if we thought we weren’t safe. Joe would come out to check on me and I wouldn’t be alone if whatever was out there decided to show itself.

As I rounded the corner, I angled myself just so and caught a glimpse of a dark figure striding slowly along behind me near the wall. Fear spiked in my chest as I stepped on around the corner, and the side door opened. Joe stepped out with a flashlight in one hand and his other hand on his sidearm. He flashed the light at me and I shielded my eyes as I hurried toward him. “Dakota? You okay?”

As soon as he spoke, I felt the presence of the other person vanish. I hurried up to the side door all the same. A smart security guard didn’t take unnecessary risks. I nudged Joe back inside and closed the door behind us. “Call the cops. Have them do a drive around. I saw someone in the parking lot. Probably just some kid or a drunk, but better safe than sorry.”

Joe caught my eyes and put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey. Dakota. Are you okay?”

I realized I hadn’t answered him before. I nodded and fixed him with a stare. “I’m fine. Just gotta go piss.” I grinned to emphasize that I was my normal self. Joe didn’t seem fully convinced, so I urged him again, “Call the cops.”

He blinked once then glanced away from me. “Right. Go on, I got it.” He didn’t meet my eyes again as he pulled out his phone.

I thought about that as I walked away. Joe was my boss. He was a tough son of a bitch and he’d always been, well, bossy, to put it lightly. The way he’d reacted to my telling him what to do was about as normal as a Japanese music video. I pondered our exchange as I hurried off to the bathroom to make myself an honest woman.

When I returned, Joe told me the cops were on their way and I followed him to the camera room to check the feeds, but I knew we wouldn’t find anything. Whatever was out there had left as soon as Joe had stepped out, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t come back tonight. Still, we spent the rest of the shift checking the feeds, walking our perimeters as a pair, and communicating with the friendly, read: incredibly grumpy, graveyard shift beat cop we’d been blessed with who was at least good enough to come back once an hour and drive around the building just to be sure.

As our relief clocked in, Joe clapped me on the shoulder and said goodbye. “Hell of a night, Shepherd.” He hurried on out and I could tell he was as spooked by the whole affair as I had been. Maybe he realized he’d been following my lead all night too and maybe he was as weirded out by it as I was. Or maybe the spooky presence had bothered him too. Unawakened or not, people still knew when they were being watched. I wished I could ask him if he’d felt it too without coming off as crazy as a loon. After all, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen shadows lurking along behind me, and I had no proof that this one hadn’t just been another figment in my mind.

15

Catching Fire

Ralof picked me up at 6:45 a.m. on the morning of our trip to Nashville. Since I was used to being up all night, sleeping after work the night before had been mostly fruitless and I’d given up after a couple of failed naps. I’d wanted to call Amorie before heading out, but had completely failed to consider that she, being a vampire, would be asleep by the time I’d thought about it at five o’clock in the morning. To be fair, I had no idea what she was doing at five in the morning. I had just assumed she would be sleeping in a coffin somewhere. That’s what vampires do. Right?

I opened my door, mostly dressed, with a toothbrush in my mouth. Ralof smirked at me as I jerked my head in a gesture that said “Come in”. He stepped into my tiny loft apartment and closed the door. I held up a finger and ran back into the bathroom. “Good morning to you too!” Ralof called from the entry way.

I spit into the sink and called back. “Sorry! I’m almost done!” I pulled on a black button-down shirt over the bra and tank-top I’d already donned above a pair of black slacks and my nicer, black leather boots. I tugged at the shirt which was fitted to hug curves I didn’t have and sighed at my reflection. “Whatever.” I muttered as I smoothed down my hair and ran out to smile at my Alpha. “Ready.” Ralof was taking in my “lair” with an unreadable expression. I assumed he thought I was a slob, since I kinda was, so I tried to hurry him out the door.

As we settled into the Ram, Ralof plucked a thermos of coffee from the center cup holder and handed it to me. It was hot and smelled awesome. “You’re the best Alpha ever. You know that?”

Ralof grinned at me and pulled out of the parking lot. He drove us out of the city center and bypassed the first ramp to the interstate. I assumed he knew where he was going and took the time to perform the sacred coffee-drinking ritual that raises non-morning-people from the dead on a daily basis. By the time I’d finished my coffee, we were turning down a gravel road that ran into one of the myriad parks in the area. This one was more of a hiking trail hub than a proper park, and it wouldn’t likely be occupied this early in the morning on a weekday. I assumed this would be the spot Ralof had chosen to bear witness to my awesome hand-burning powers.

We got out of the truck a moment later, wandering away from the small forest-bound parking lot toward one of the marked trail heads. “You know, the woods might not be the best place to try this out.” I commented idly as I followed Ralof into the tree-line.

“You know, that crossed my mind as well.” He teased. “There is a rocky cliff just a couple hundred yards in, to the left.”

I had to walk double-time to keep up with Ralof’s incredibly-tall-guy pace, and was soon puffing at the effort. “Sounds good boss.” He glanced at my breathy response. “Too damn early for jogging.” I flashed him a grin. Ralof shook his head.

A moment later, we stepped into a broad clearing that ran, just as Ralof had suggested, right up to a rocky cliff. “Perfect.” I commented, glancing around. I stepped out in the the center of the empty space and settled my eyes on my hands. “So, I guess I’ll just… try this out.”

Ralof took a step back from me. “Mmhmm.” His posture told me he was on alert.

I sighed and extended my hands, closed my eyes and imagined them catching fire. There was a warm, tingling feeling in my arms, a rush of pressure in my head as if I hadn’t slept all night and… yeah I realized all of that was just me being tired. I opened my eyes and stared down at my hands. “Oh come on. You aren’t seriously going to do this to me, are you?”

I flexed my hands, rolling my fingers and my neck. “Okay. Let’s do this. Green burny hands, go!” I extended my arms with a snap of my wrists. Nothing. I frowned. “Burny hands time!” I wiggled my fingers mystically. Nada. I glanced up at Ralof and shrugged with a sheepish grin.

“How did it happen the first time?” He offered helpfully.

“Hmm.” I considered how to answer that. I thought back to the first night, to the ritual that had opened my eyes and changed my life forever. I thought about the feelings I’d had at the time when the green fire had first made its appearance. I had just tackled a crazy guy with a crazy light show— No, he was a rogue wizard and he’d been casting some kind of ritual spell, I corrected myself. His spell had slammed into me when I’d tackled him. I hadn’t really realized how incredibly strange I had felt at the time. The rippling sensations of effervescent power had not registered to me then as it did now, looking back at that moment with open, Awakened eyes. I felt a shiver run up my back as I recalled the feeling of the power that rose within me, slowly at first, like a mild electrical pulse, and then more vibrantly as the flames had erupted from my palms. I have no idea what I did right, but I was as startled as anyone when my hands suddenly burst into flames.

Ralof leaned back just slightly. “That… does not look healthy.” He was talking about the fire, I imagined. It looked downright diseased to me. Could fire be diseased? The light it put off was muted and weak, somehow dimmer than it had any right to be. “Can you control it?” He asked, staring at my hands thoughtfully.

“I have no idea.” I admitted. I glanced at a rock on the ground near me and wondered if I could shoot the fire out of my hands like in the movies. I held out one verdant palm and thought about making the rock catch on fire. I tried to command the flames to jump to the rock. I even shouted a few classical magic words. But no amount of silent wishes or “Open Sesame’s” had any effect on the fire or the stone. I shrugged. “Okay, maybe not.”

“It is all right Dakota. Once again, I fear I am definitely going to have to defer to the wisdom of others in this matter. Sorcery, unfortunately, is far beyond my area of expertise. But I will help you find the right help. That is all I can do for this part of your situation.”

“Thanks, Ralof.” I smiled at him warmly.

“Now put it away.” His voice was just slightly edgy, as if he were nervous, but he didn’t look afraid.

“Okay.” I stared at my hands and the flames remained. “Crap. I have no idea how.”

Ralof frowned. “That is not good. I doubt you should get in the truck like that.”

“Yeah, no.” I glared at the flames and tried all the same methods I’d attempted to summon the flames with but in reverse. None of that made them go away. I frowned and thought about how they’d gone out during the first night. I had just been staring at them in abject horror. I hadn’t done anything. I had just stared at them until they’d quit burning. I tried to remember that moment, focusing on it mentally and emotionally. The flames suddenly flickered out. “Oh thank you Raptor Jesus.” I breathed, relieved.

“Mm. I should not have asked you to do this.” Ralof commented, seemingly to himself. “The next time I have a pup with such talents on my hands, I believe I will take them to the experts first, and ask them to show me their tricks after they’ve learned more about them.”

“That might be a good idea.” I smiled at him as we started for the trail. We returned to the parking lot and soon, Ralof had us back on our way to Nashville as planned.

I watched the scenery roll by with drowsy eyes for a moment before remembering the other thing I wanted to talk to him about. “So, the other night at work, after you and Andrei left… something happened.”

Ralof glanced at me briefly. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I figure I should tell someone about it. But I’m kinda nervous.”

“You do not have to be nervous with me Dakota. As your Alpha, you can tell me anything.”

I shifted and put my feet up in the seat, leaning to the side to rest my neck against the door. “Oh I know. I just don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”

Ralof hmph’d quietly. “Perhaps it is too late for that, eh?”

I grinned to myself. “Maybe. But I don’t want you to think I’m crazier anyway.”

“What happened, Dakota?”

I tensed slightly. The tone in his voice seemed to compel me to answer him. I didn’t think he was trying to force me to talk, but it still felt odd. I had already noticed that when a more dominant wolf told me to do something, I seemed to want to do it. With the way the pack hierarchy worked, it was for the best, but I was still not used to feeling like I had to do as someone else told me. I squashed down the pride that nudged me toward purposeless rebellion and imagined I wouldn’t have minded so much if I hadn’t been actually a little scared to admit what I’d seen. “I saw a shadow form following me at work.”

Ralof glanced at me again, his eyes lingering on me slightly longer this time before returning to the road. “A shadow form? Like the ones you described seeing before? The memory thing?”

I nodded. “I think so. But it was different this time.”

“Different how?”

I chewed at my lip for a few seconds before answering him. “I heard it this time. Heard a sound. And it felt more… I dunno. Real.”

Ralof frowned concernedly. “Are you sure it was not something else?”

I shrugged. “Not completely sure, but how could I be? I’m not experienced enough with supernatural stuff to be completely sure what it was, and it’s not like anyone else saw it. But it looked like the shadow figures I see. Just… none of them have ever made a sound before. None of them have seemed to follow me either. But mostly, none of them ever really scared me this much before either.”

Ralof rumbled thoughtfully. “How certain are you that the shadows you see are in your head?”

“I don’t know, Ralof. They have never done anything before. They’ve always seemed more like an optical illusion than an entity. This was the first time I’d ever felt like something was really there. It seems related to… whatever’s wrong with my head. And maybe Awakening has made the shadows more prominent. Maybe they were always more prominent and I, being Unawakened, simply never realized it.”

“That is… reasonable.” Ralof didn’t sound convinced. “Perhaps another thing to bring up with SII.”

I made a soft agreeing sound, my eyes slipping closed. The road lull and my inverted Circadian rhythm were starting to drag on me.

“Dakota?” he asked after a minute.

“Hmm?” I peeked up at him sleepily.

“Is there anything else? Besides blackouts and shadows? Anything else you have not mentioned? Even if it seems insignificant, it could be important.” I could hear the worry in his tone.

“Not really.” I immediately frowned at myself. “Er, well, maybe.” I had to think about it for a moment. My brain was too sleepy to work it out easily and the coffee I’d drank earlier felt like it was much further away than it actually was. “I have holes in my memory, as I said before. Sometimes if I think about those times, it gives me a bad headache. Sometimes bad enough I have to lay down. A couple of times, bad enough I’ve passed out from it. But I learned long ago not to push that hard.”

Ralof nodded quietly, seeming to think about my situation. “It does not sound like anything I am familiar with. Nothing is ringing a bell anyway.” He glanced over at me with concern in his eyes, then smiled softly and patted my feet as he turned his eyes back to the road. “Get some rest, Dakota. You look exhausted.”

“Yes sir.” I murmured quietly, drifting off to sleep.

16

Supernatural Investigation Institute

I felt bad about sleeping through the three-hour car ride. Ralof had just laughed off my apology, and waved it away. He said he’d enjoyed having a little quiet time. I figured that was rare for an Alpha, but I still felt kinda rude for leaving him alone all that time when he was only making this trip for my sake. I’d yawned loudly and stretched my way out of the truck and into the parking deck. I’d glanced around for the elevator and noticed a woman in a smart gray business suit walking briskly from the stairwell with a small child in tow. The child was glowing with a sturdy purplish aura just a shade dimmer than the business woman’s irritable green one. I raised an eyebrow at Ralof and he shook his head, nodding toward the elevator.

Once we’d stepped into the elevator and the doors had closed, Ralof looked over at me and said quietly, “She was not really a child.”

I blinked in surprise. “Come again?”

“The child you saw.” Ralof rumbled, the deep basso tones of his voice vibrating into my chest at such close proximity. “She was not really a child.”

“Then what was she?” I found myself chewing at my inner lip and made an effort to stop.

“Fae, I think.” He seemed to consider. “It is the most likely thing. She could be a magic user, but it is more difficult to disguise one’s size with magic. More likely she was a Fae using a glamour.”

I leaned back against the elevator wall just as the door popped open with a ding. I threw my hands up exaggeratedly, making Ralof smile. “So like fairies? Little people?”

Ralof nodded. “Though, they are not all so little.”

I pondered that quietly as I followed my Alpha into the building before us. It was a newer construction, built with the sleek steel and white I’d seen on finer office buildings in Knoxville in the past few years. As we walked through the front door, there was a pressure like I’d just walked into a body of water, only I felt perfectly dry. My wolf felt distant suddenly, as if she were very far away. I glanced around sharply, drawing more than Ralof’s attention. “The hell was that?”

Ralof smiled at me, amused. “I should have told you about wards, but with so much to tell to a new wolf, something always gets missed, I suppose.” He put a hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the entry way as a group of four men in what looked like some kind of black combat leathers made their way out past us. I almost didn’t notice them, but then I did a double take. They had swords strapped to their backs. Swords. Real ones. “There is one at the pack house as well, but I negated its effects upon you when I invited you inside.”

“So it’s some kind of force field?” I queried lamely.

Ralof smirked. “Something like that. It is a magical barrier that protects a building against entry by unwelcome intruders.”

“So like an A-T field for a house?” Ralof tilted his head, showing me a confused expression. “Nothing. Like a force field. Got it.”

“It is fair to point out that a ward does not necessarily bar all unwanted entry.” Ralof explained. “If someone is not allowed to cross a ward, they can still physically cross it, but the ward will strip them of some of their power. Stronger wards strip more power. So the better the ward, the safer you are.”

“So it doesn’t actually keep the bad guys out?”

“Not entirely. But if the bad guys were to come inside, they would only be making themselves an easy target. So it is still an effective protection against supernaturals and magicians none the less.” The lobby was a tall room with a set of stairs in the back and hallways leading off in all directions. A variety of food smells drifted out from an open doorway which led into a cafeteria from which I could hear a garbled bundle of conversations.

Ralof guided me over to a desk in the middle of the room where an attractive woman with the dusky brown tones of a Native American bloodline solidly dominating her skin sat picking at the keyboard in front of her. She had silky black hair pulled back in a tidy braid and she wore a brown sleeveless shirt with a draped neckline over sleek black pants. I grinned at her and she returned my expression with an irritably fake smile. “Welcome to SII Nashville. Do you have an appointment?”

Ralof nodded to her. “I am Ralof Gunnarson, Alpha of the Lower Appalachian Pack. Mr. Michaelangelo—”

“That’s right.” She cut across him idly, plucking the keyboard of her computer more actively. “Mr. Michaelangelo senior informed me that he will receive you personally. His son will be handling your charge.” She glanced me over as she emphasized the last word. I was still marveling at the fact that she’d just spoken right over Ralof like that. No one spoke over the Alpha. Well, except maybe Elisa. “Up the stairs to the right.” She informed me before dismissing my presence with her palpable disinterest. She turned her eyes to Ralof briefly. “You know the way, right?” Ralof nodded, so she went back to her work.

Ralof started toward the stairs with a jerk of his head that told me to follow, but I ignored him for a moment and stuck out my hand instead. “Hi. I’m Dakota Shepherd. Nice to meet you.”

The woman glanced up at me with a look that told me her standoffish attitude was usually more effective, but to my surprise, she accepted my handshake and responded in kind. “Taya Nitana Swiftrunner.”

“Woah. Cool name. I didn’t think Native Americans still used names like ‘Swiftrunner’.” Having grown up two hours from a reservation, I had met a number of Native Americans in my life, and most of them used rather ordinary American names and surnames.

“Most don’t. I prefer to claim my heritage whether other people are willing to stand up for it or not.” She crossed her arms, then let a devious smirk creep onto her face. “I take it you’re newly Awakened.”

“What gave it away?” I grinned.

“You’ve got that look. Like a small town tourist in the big city. Like you have no idea what anything is, and everything still impresses you. Don’t worry. It’ll fade.” She seemed to think that was a good thing.

“You say that like it’s a good thing.”

She snorted mildly. “You’ll get used to it.” She hooked a thumb toward the stairs. “Up the stairs, to the right. It’s the office with the double door. Don’t keep him waiting.”

I decided to quit while I was ahead and just nodded my thanks, scooting past her to follow her instructions. “Thanks, Tay—uh…”

She rolled her eyes. “Nita.”

“Thanks Nita.” I hurried after Ralof as she went back to her work.

We followed Nita’s instructions to the top of the stairs where Ralof pointed me in the right direction and we parted ways. I walked up to the big double door and knocked. A polite sounding voice said, “Come in.”

I stepped into the office and glanced around. It was a nice, moderately roomy office with dark plush carpet and rich burgundy walls. The room felt somewhat dated, but in a purposeful way. I approached the desk and the young man seated behind it. He was a handsome younger guy with long blond hair pulled back in a neat low ponytail. He wore a fitted suit with a tie that matched his electric cyan eyes. His aura was moderately close to his body, pulsing with a strange current of lambent blue that coursed through the shifting array of varied colors like a living thing. The streak was reminiscent of the lightning in those cool novelty devices with the static electricity that followed your hand if you touched them. “Welcome.” He stood, offering a hand over his desk. “I am Adrien Michaelangelo.”

“Dakota Shepherd. Nice to meet ya.” I shook his hand and then we both sat down.

“I have been informed by your Alpha that you have a particularly unique case, Ms. Shepherd. It is fortuitous that you have made your way here.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard you guys can help me with my uh… problems.” I flexed my hand inadvertently.

Adrien noticed, his eyes flicking over to my hand and back to my face. “Indeed. It is likely that we may be of service regarding your newly acquired power. I was speaking also of the difficulty Mr. Gunnarson related in regards to your inability to shift.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that too. I guess the other just feels more pressing, all things considered.”

“I understand and concur. Though, unfortunately, I may be less capable of truly assisting you with latter than with the former.”

I frowned. “The which with the what?”

“I’m sorry. Perhaps we should simply take one problem at a time.” He smiled as he rose and stepped over toward a small counter running along one wall. “Could I offer you some coffee, Ms. Shepherd?”

“Bless you.” He smiled at me and started to prepare a couple of cups.

“How do you take it?”

“Preschool style.”

He looked up at me and blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“Full of milk and high on sugar.”

He smiled politely and went about preparing the drinks. I didn’t think my humor was really landing with this guy. Something about the way he spoke was bothering me. He sounded like a native English speaker, and he looked pretty white-bread to me, but his manner of speech was somehow slightly off. He returned to his desk and handed me a steaming cup of alertness. I inhaled with a happy sigh. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble, Ms. Shepherd. Now, regarding your ability to produce…” He lifted a paper on his desk, reading from it. “…green fire from your hands. This is related to the incident in which you were Awakened.”

“Crazy Wizard Guy and the Goblet of Green Fire?” I grinned my cheesy joke grin.

Adrien smiled politely. “I suppose one could put it that way.” Wait. Did he just miss a blatant Harry Potter reference? Now I was seriously intrigued to know more about this guy.

“What was up with that guy anyway?”

Adrien glanced up. “You mean the rogue magician you encountered the night of your Awakening?”

I nodded. “Yeah, if he’s some kind of wizard, couldn’t he just turn invisible or walk through the walls or something and get out of jail? I mean, should I be concerned?”

Adrien smiled. “You needn’t worry about him, Ms. Shepherd. The Magister’s Court has relieved the police of such burdens and have taken him into custody directly. His fate is in their hands now, and he should not be available to bother you again any time soon.”

I chewed at my lip a little as I nodded. “So he’s off to Azkaban then?”

Adrien tilted his head slightly, his brown furrowing slightly. “No, I would imagine that he is incarcerated.”

“Okay.” Wow. He definitely didn’t understand that reference. “So about the green burny hands then?”

Adrien nodded, smiling politely again. “It is imperative that you understand what you are dealing with, Ms. Shepherd. The fire you conjured is incredibly dangerous. We refer to it as Hellfire. It is a potent and vicious power that resonates namely from the denizens of the Circles of Hell.”

“I have been told that much by my…” I started to say “girlfriend”, but really, I guess we’d only gone out once. “By a friend. And yeah, it sounds pretty scary. So how do I get rid of it?”

Adrien gave me an approving smile laying the paper down and folding his hands on top of it. “Well, first we must determine whether you wish to be rid of it, or if you seek to control it. Unfortunately, the former could be more difficult than the latter.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry. That expression is—”

“I apologize. I said something out of place didn’t I?” He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile.

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just… I get mixed up sometimes.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“I see. I meant that it may be easier for you to take charge of this power than it would be to relieve yourself of it. Does that make it clear?”

“Crystal.” I smiled sunnily in the hopes that I could undo whatever faux pas I’d stumbled us into. “So I can’t get rid of it.”

“You could, perhaps. But it would involve either interacting with the demoness to whom the power you have acquired truly belongs, or perhaps beseeching something even worse for aid.” He took a paper from a folder and passed it across the desk to me. “This dossier has a little about her.”

I frowned as I accepted the paper. I stared at it for a few seconds before setting it down on the desk in front of me. “So what kind of demon is she?”

Adrien tilted his head curiously at me. “As it says just there, she is Lady Nihasa, demon of addiction, poison, and intoxication.”

“Ni-ha-sa” I pronounced carefully. “Ni-ha—”

Adrien rose from his seat and cut me off, extending a cautionary hand toward me. “Ms. Shepherd! It would not be wise to repeat her name as such.” He looked somewhat apologetic and softened his tone. “Doing so at all has the ability to draw her attention, something we do not wish at this point.”

I frowned. “Sorry. Just trying to make sure I had it down.”

He nodded as he sat back down. “It’s no matter. Just, please, refrain from repeating her name out loud as much as possible. There is much you need to learn, and we don’t want this visit cut short by an unfortunate encounter.”

“Yeah, no.” I agreed with a grimace. “So she’s about… drugs and stuff?” Adrien nodded. “Then what does that have to do with my green burny hands?’

“Among other things, the Lady is known for significant talent in commanding Hellfire. While it is accessible to many of those of the Circles, few can wield it with such prowess as she.”

“Ah, so it’s one of her things. Right.” I stared down at my hands. “So, what do I… do about it?”

Adrien gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. Shepherd. You are far from alone. This is precisely the sort of quandary which we at SII attempt to assist with. Rest assured, we will do what we can to aid you.”

I smiled at him weakly. “I appreciate that. Truly. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. There’s just so much for me to come to terms with. I mean…” I felt the sting of tears suddenly rising in my eyes as if lining up for the diving board. I batted them down with a few blinks. “A week ago, I’m just an average girl with an average job. Then this guy breaks into my job and… screws everything up. Now I’m a werewolf? And my hands are on fire? And I’m stuck with the powers of a demon? I don’t even believe in demons!” I took a deep breath and tried really hard to push those tears back down. I didn’t want this. I will not be a victim. I straightened up and shoved the weepy emotions back into my chest, hardening my resolve and my expression. It was more difficult, somehow, with my wolf feeling distant, like she was just beyond my grasp. “So what do I do about it?”

Adrien had apparently decided I needed consoling, and was reaching toward a box of tissue when I snapped back to myself. He gave me an uncertain look. “Well…” he began slowly, plucking the box of tissue from his desk which he brandished at me helpfully. I stubbornly declined and he nodded almost apologetically as he set it back down. “Regarding the Hellfire, we can educate you about the demoness, advise your actions regarding her, and offer an instructor who may tutor you in the command and control aspects of magic. That should help ensure that you are able to control what happens with the fire.”

I nodded as he spoke, absorbing and mentally re-listing to myself the things he’d said. I blinked my eyes several times as he listed the various types of aid they could give. He seemed to notice my little ritual and tilted his head. “Sorry. It’s a thing I do. Just, committing what you’re saying to memory. I’m uh… I’m using my mind palace.”

“I’m sorry?” He frowned thoughtfully.

“My mind palace. I learned about it from Sherlock. It’s uh… this memorization technique where you make up a place…” I didn’t typically geek at people this openly. I felt my face warming uncomfortably. “I’m just, making note of the things you say.”

He smiled and nodded. I took a big drink of my coffee. Geeze. This social stuff is hard. Adrien opened a laptop I hadn’t noticed due to the files he’d apparently left laying on it earlier. “Regarding the difficulty with your inability to shift…” He tapped the touchpad a few times as if searching for something. “We can find someone who is competent enough with Mentalism to determine the cause, and hopefully such a person will be able to resolve the matter.”

“Mentalism?” I grinned.

“Magic which focuses upon the mind.” Adrien explained.

“Ooh. So like mind reading and mind control?”

“Yes, although, mind control is a debatably unethical practice.” He tapped at the keys of his laptop slowly, as if he were somewhat uncomfortable with it, which confused me. What guy his age wouldn’t be familiar enough to use a laptop comfortably?

“Oh. Yeah.” I said sheepishly. “So wait. You think that the reason I can’t shift is… something in my head?”

“Your Alpha related to me that you had a history of fugue— That is, blackouts. You stated you were in your later teen years when these states began and ended?”

I nodded. “As far as I can remember. Though, we are talking about blackouts here… so…”

He nodded. “But the pertinent fact is that these events occurred during the period in your life when you would have been most likely to begin shifting forms. A reasonable hypothesis would be that you did shift, but that for some reason, your mind has lost those memories. Perhaps you had a medical condition which caused the fugues, and the amnesia. Or perhaps…” He paused his typing, glancing upward as he considered. “Perhaps you began Awakening, but your mind resisted… refused to accept the truth. Perhaps your mind pushed it all away, and you suffered an unusual consequence as a result.” He thought about that briefly then shook his head and returned to the computer. “Regardless, we should leave it to an expert to determine such a thing. Fortunately, there is a member of our administrative staff who is incredibly gifted with Mentalism, and he is willing to assist you.”

“Great. That’d be awesome. When?” I shifted forward in my chair and leaned to peek at his screen.

Adrien smiled at me patiently. “With any fortune, very soon. However, he is not local to this area. He is stationed in Calgary.”

“Calgary? Like… Canada Calgary?” I frowned. “I don’t know how I would manage that right now.”

“If transportation is the issue, I am capable of offering a means of travel without incurring any cost to yourself. Would that make it viable?”

“Wow. Of course. Just… I mean, I don’t want to be a burden. You guys are already helping me out so much.”

Adrien shook his head. “It is no trouble, Ms. Shepherd. And besides, it is our job to help the newly Awakened who come to us. Normally, your Alpha would be more responsible for your needs, but your situation is rather unique and it is touched by circumstances which are beyond his influence. Thus, it falls to us to give you the aid you require. If you are willing to make the journey, I will arrange it.”

“Yes, definitely. Just, let me talk to Ralof and I’ll need to work it out with my job.”

“Of course. I have informed Mr. Simms that you will accept his aid and I will make arrangements as soon as you have secured a convenient date for your journey. All right?” He closed the laptop carefully with both hands and turned back to me.

“Thank you. That’d be awesome.”

“Excellent.” He smiled, leaning back into a more comfortable position as he lifted his coffee. “Now. Is there anything else you’d like to inquire about? You must have many questions since your Awakening.”

I nodded and started to settle back as well, but realized my cup was about empty and straightened back up. “Do you mind if I…?” I gestured toward the coffee pot and Adrien gestured welcomingly. As I stood and moved over to the alertness refill station, I considered the myriad questions I’d been wanting to ask. “Uh… I guess I’ll just go for them in order as they come to me if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

“What’s the deal with your aura?” I picked up the coffee pot and glanced back at him.

Adrien swiveled his chair around to face me, coffee in hand. I gestured with my pot toward his cup and he shook his head with an appreciative smile. “What is it that you find peculiar about it?”

I found his use of the word “peculiar” well… peculiar. “I guess, perhaps more bluntly, and I hope not rudely…” He gestured for me to go on. “Your aura is… odd. Not like other people I’ve seen. What are you?’

He smiled at me so I knew I hadn’t deeply offended him, but he took a breath and let out a long sigh. “Ah. You are correct in the assumption that I am not… merely mortal.” He crinkled his nose just slightly as if he held some distaste for the turn of phrase.

“I knew it.” I poured myself a fresh cuppa and proceeded to drown it in creamy sweet additions.

“I would advise you, that in many cases, it is considered… inappropriate to ask another about their Aura if you do not know them very well. I do not mind. I have invited you to ask what questions you will, and aside from that, it is not particularly troublesome for me to answer you. But just so that you are aware in the future, it can be a point of contention for some people. Many, even most Awakenings are somewhat traumatic. In fact, it usually takes something traumatic to shock someone Awake. And others might not wish to reveal what they truly are. So if you happen to ask the wrong person about their Aura, or their Awakening, even what they are, it may end in tears.”

I winced. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s quite all right. As I said, I am unperturbed. I just felt I should give you that warning before proceeding.” He smiled reassuringly and I relaxed. I brought my cup back over to sit across from him. “To answer your question,” he continued, turning his chair back to face me again. “I am human… at base.” He glanced sidewardly, casting his eyes about thoughtfully before lifting them to meet mine again. I was once again struck by the vivid electric cyan of his eyes. “However, I am, as I said, no longer merely mortal.”

“You’re… older than you look, aren’t you?”

Adrien tilted his head. “What makes you say that?”

“The way you talk. And… you’re not comfortable with technology like a guy your age should be. And… I dunno. Something about your eyes. They aren’t… young eyes.”

He smiled at me warmly, and his irises pulsed once with a faint glow. “Indeed. You are correct of course. I must admit I am somewhat disappointed that it is so obvious. I do my best to avoid standing out as such.”

I smiled. “I don’t think it’s that obvious. I’m not quite as stupid as I look. And I’m more observant than most people seem to expect.”

Adrien laughed lightly. “I did not assume you were stupid, Ms. Shepherd. Though…” he considered me briefly. “I suppose I did not expect you to be so observant. Though I should have considered it. You are, after all, a security guard by trade, are you not?”

“Yup. Though I don’t really attribute that to my skills of observation.”

“Yet it would follow that you might be skilled in such a way if you have chosen such a course for your career, would it not?”

I smirked. “Perhaps it would.” I chuckled. “I’m sorry. Your vocal patterns are fascinating. So what’s the story? Why do you talk that way?”

Adrien set his coffee cup down and folded his hands on the desk. “Would you believe me if I told you I was born in Victorian America ?”

I blinked. “Wow. Really?” Adrien nodded. “Cool. I mean, yeah. Why not? You certainly sound like it.” He sighed again, seeming disappointed with himself, so I added. “A little. I mean, I can see it. So how are you still alive?”

Adrien showed me a sad smile. It was a smile in that his lips turned up at the corners, and he was trying to press it into his eyes, but it was one of the saddest expressions I’d ever seen. “I am what the Chinese call Xian.” It sounded like he was saying “Shawn”, but fancier. “Immortal in our tongue.”

“Immortal?” I intoned quietly. I thought about that for a second then blinked. “Wait, like Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom?”

A little humor touched Adrien’s eyes, but quickly fled the scene as he continued. “We are but a few. Some would say fortunate, others would say cursed. A few who are born with a purer spark of life than most people are burdened to carry. We can be harmed, but we will be renewed. We can be severed, but we will come back together. We can be struck down, but we cannot die.”

The weight of his words piling one by one onto the heavy-hearted expression he bore was enough to deflate my humor. I felt my face sinking into a compassionately sorrowful expression. I tried to say something, but found myself at a loss for words.

Adrien pushed a little light-heartedness into his eyes with a visible effort. “It is not so bad. It comes with its perks, after all. But there are many tragedies to such a life. Not the least of which is… Well. Ours is a life laden with unavoidable conflict.” He gained the upper hand with his expression, finally managing to bring the smile to his eyes. “I’m told that the aura is rather spectacular, however.”

“It is.” I tried to let his smile infect me. I didn’t do sad very well. “I mean, it’s super awesome. It’s like there’s some kind of neon lightning cyber-fluid moving around in it!”

Adrien laughed, brightening to his prior state. “Well, I’ve never heard it put quite so before.”

I grinned. “Your eyes are awesome too.”

He smiled and tilted his head in an appreciative nod. “Thank you, kindly.”

“No problem. So uh… other questions?”

“Certainly.”

“How do I learn more about auras? Like, what the colors mean, and stuff?” I thought about what Amorie had said about individual interpretations, but I wanted to know more.

“I can provide you with reading material to explain that in more detail.” He stood and moved to a filing cabinet as he spoke. “There are some other topics I should pull for you as well. Werewolves, other supernatural creatures…” He started thumbing through files.

I frowned and chewed at my lip. “Um. Actually, maybe you could just tell me about it?”

Adrien paused and looked up, tilting his head a little. He looked as though he were picking his next words carefully. “Is there some particular reason why reading about these topics is troublesome, Ms. Shepherd?”

I sighed. “Kinda. I’m dyslexic.”

Adrien’s face washed with relief and understanding. I realized he had probably come to the conclusion that I was illiterate when I’d rejected the document on the demon earlier. “Ah, I see.” He brought the papers he had already pulled out over to me, coming around to the front side of the desk to lean against it. “I am truly sorry, Ms. Shepherd—”

“Dakota is fine, if you don’t mind. I actually am the age I look.” I grinned, hoping that the lightheartedness would soften any discomfort he might have with dealing with my situation.

“Ah. So you are…” he considered me. “Around twenty years of age?”

I sighed, exaggeratedly slumping. “Okay, or maybe not.” Adrien looked apologetic and I grinned at him with an overstated shrug. “I’m twenty eight.”

He smiled. “I apologize. Ms.— Mm. Dakota. I am not terribly good with guessing others’ ages. Perhaps I am somewhat inept at matching appearance to age at all.”

A grin flooded my face. “Did you just make a joke?”

Adrien laughed softly. “Perhaps not the best one if you had to ask.”

“Nah, it was good.” I laughed.

“So. As I meant to say, I am not deeply familiar with that condition. I would be more than happy to accommodate you in any way I can, but I am afraid I would require some education on the topic in order to adequately provide you with said accommodations.”

“I understand. Honestly, I’m kinda surprised you haven’t had to deal with this before.”

“I am sure someone in the company has, but it is the first time for me. If you could advise me as to how I could best convey the information to you, I would do my best to comply.”

I smiled appreciatively. “I truly appreciate that. It’s not so difficult really. If you have all that in digital format, you could send it to me. It’s a lot easier for me to read on my e-reader than on paper. I can adjust the size of the text, and use a font designed to make reading easier for dyslexic people.”

Adrien’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “I was unaware such things existed.”

I shrugged. “Most people don’t know about that. It’s not something most people have to deal with so they don’t find out.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I would be happy to help you with that, but I will need to consult with Mr. Simms.”

I tilted my head, blinking once to draw up the memory of where I’d heard that name earlier. “The… Mentalist in Calgary?”

Adrien nodded, stepping back around his desk to settle into his chair again. “The very same. He has been leading an initiative to convert all of our documentation and paperwork into the digital age. Mr. Simms is significantly younger than myself, and is much more acclimated with the information technologies as such. He will know how to get the information to you in a form that you can utilize as you have suggested.”

I smiled approvingly. “Awesome. Do you need my email or something?”

He glanced up as if that thought hadn’t occurred to him and then nodded. “That would be helpful.”

I snatched a pen and a sticky note from his desk and scribbled my email address down carefully. I read it twice then handed it back to him.

Adrien accepted it with a nod and stuck it to the desk in front of him. “I will send this over when we are finished. In the mean time, what else did you want to ask?”

“I have two more questions for now. I figure you can give me the rundowns pretty easily in text after this.” He nodded so I continued. “First, I wanted to know more about SII. What it is, what you guys do. How people uh, get involved in it.”

Adrien’s face lit up with a warm smile. “Ah. Of course. Normally, we have an opportunity to explain this earlier on, but you had some more pressing concerns to attend to.” He settled himself into a comfortable posture. “SII, Supernatural Investigation Institute,” he began in a tone of recitation, “was founded in the early 1900’s by Mr. Ayadeen, a Cambion who saw the need for such an organization in the Americas as the Templar had overtaken the majority of the European continent and had finally begun casting a considering eye upon the new world.”

“Cambion?”

“One who is half human, born of one of the Circles.” He explained patiently.

“A half-demon?”

“Precisely. Or half-devil. There is a distinction. As I was saying, Mr. Ayadeen founded our organization and we have since spread across the entire continent, and more recently, into Canada as well.” I nodded as I listened with interest. “It is the solemn duty of our agents to protect the balance between various factions that exist in our world. Not merely to protect humanity against the supernatural, but also to protect the supernatural against the encroachment of humanity, and even to protect various factions in the supernatural world from being too destructive of one another as well.”

“So you really are like the supernatural police?” I grinned helplessly, thinking back on what I’d said to Amorie at the diner before.

“Eh… no. But we do serve some similar functions at points. Settling disputes, investigating crimes, and sometimes, indeed, incarcerating individuals who are in violation of various treaties and codes of conduct that we uphold in the States. I suppose I should say, in the Americas. Our expansion into Canada is rather recent, and I’m still getting used to it.”

“Wow. That’s pretty cool. So you’re more like the supernatural FBI?” I grinned excitedly.

“That is… somewhat accurate as well. Though, truly, I would say that there is not an adequate comparison to mundane organizations. Often, our work involves more deduction and negotiation than anything. Otherwise, it involves a great deal of counseling and relief efforts.”

I leaned on my end of his desk. “So you fight bad guys and protect the good people? Regardless of what they are?”

“Yes.” He said hesitantly. “I believe that description is accurate enough.”

“Sweet. So… how do you get involved in it?”

“You are interested in signing up?”

I straightened up and tried to look casual. “Hmm. That might be an idea. What would that entail?”

Adrien was not remotely fooled by my act, but he did at least seem amused by it. “Well, you would need to fill out an application, and then you would need approval from my father as he is the head of the local branch.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Though, I am afraid that you would not be accepted until Mr. Simms could ascertain the suitability of your mental state. If someone has interfered with your mind by magical means, then it would not be safe for you to act as an agent until you were cured of such interference.”

I deflated. “Oh. So… Because of the blackouts…” I felt my heart sinking in my chest.

“I’m afraid it is a troubling concern. However, if Mr. Simms can do something to alleviate this obstacle, then I would imagine that it would no longer be a hindrance to your application.” He looked apologetic.

“So if he can fix me… I can join?” I glanced up at him hopefully.

“Certainly. I can see no reason why you could not.”

I tried my best to cheer up. It wasn’t easy. This felt entirely too much like a re-run of my many failed career paths and it was completely disheartening to run into that again, even now that there were vampires and werewolves and freaking magic. “So what all is involved in the job?”

“Well, first you would go through a training period that lasts a minimum of two years, though the training is all paid. Then you would be matched with a team and you would start going out on missions, acting as an agent in various cases.”

“That sounds pretty awesome. Do I get a sword?”

Adrien blinked. “Each agent is responsible for choosing their own methods of combat and defense. So that is really up to you. Though I would imagine you would focus more upon your shifting than upon learning to wield a melee weapon. A werewolf who is capable of fully controlling herself is a weapon enough without need for additional armaments.”

I smiled. “Cool. So what are the employment benefits like?”

Adrien settled back in his seat again. “The entry-level salary provides a decent middle-class wage, assessed yearly to adjust for inflation.” He slid a piece of paper across the desk to show me an explanation of benefits. The numbers were eye-catching, though not extravagant. “We have a government-level insurance policy, and you get considerable benefits, including paid vacation and sick leave, and of course maternity leave if you should have need of it. The pay increases considerably upon completion of the training period.”

I blinked and settled back in my seat. “Wow. That’s a nice gig.”

Adrien titled his head slightly. “Gig?”

I smirked. “Sounds like a good deal. It’s gotta be better than what I’m making now, that’s for sure.” I considered it all for a moment. “I imagine I’d learn a lot about the supernatural stuff from the training, right?”

“Certainly. It would be an excellent way to educate yourself regarding the world around you.”

“And then I’d get to help people and… make a difference.” I felt an old, tear-stained and neglected dream battling its way to the surface in my heart. I did my best to keep it from reaching my face. “Can I put in an application now?”

Adrien opened a drawer and pulled out a form. “Of course. Though, as I said, it will not be considered until we have word from Mr. Simms regarding your condition, most likely. But you can return it to me whenever you are ready, and I will hold onto it until then if you like.”

“Thanks.” I took the form and stared down at it.

“If you need help with it, you need but ask and we will have someone help you go through it.” He offered hesitantly.

I smiled at him. “Thank you. That would be very helpful. It’s just… It’d take me a lot longer to work through it on my own. It’s not in the best font and the words are small.”

He nodded, seeming to accept my reassurance that he had said a helpful thing and not an insulting thing. “I wasn’t aware that was problematic. I will make a note. Perhaps Mr. Simms can provide us some solution for the future in case we have other dyslexic applicants. Perhaps he could alter our forms to use the… fonts you spoke of.” He seemed to have some difficulty with the word “fonts”. I imagined it hadn’t been a terribly useful word in Victorian America. Unless you were a book maker or something, which I imagined he wasn’t.

“That’s awesome. I’ve never even heard of a company as thoughtful and accommodating as this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

“We do our best to make any reasonable accommodations we can.” He smiled and I could tell he was rather proud of the organization he worked for. That was a good sign. “But you said you had two questions left. What was the other?”

I blinked. I’d almost forgotten. “Oh, right. The shadow people. Ralof wanted me to ask you about that.”

“Shadow people?” Adrien furrowed his brow.

“I see figures sometimes. Like a shadow of a person just standing there. Like if a person could be made out of blotchy darkness that blurs their features until you can’t tell who they are or what they look like. I used to see them rarely, just standing somewhere nearby, but since I’ve Awakened, they’ve seemed to appear more frequently. And the other night, one of them seemed to be following me, and it made noises which was totally a new thing.”

Adrien looked concerned. “That is troubling, Ms. Shepherd. Very troubling.”

“I always thought they were in my head. Something to do with the blackouts.”

Adrien pursed his lips. “No one else has seen them?” I shook my head. “Have you seen one at any point that you were around another supernatural or Awakened human?”

I thought about that for a moment then nodded. “Amorie was with me at the diner when I saw one there, shortly after I Awakened.”

“And Ms. Amorie did not recognize the being of which you speak?” I shook my head again. Adrien leaned back in his seat, seeming to consider deeply. “Interesting. This is most perplexing, Ms. Shepherd— Sorry. Dakota.” He glanced at his laptop then decided to type on it again. “I’ll make a note of this and forward it to a couple of the other administrators and see if it rings any bells in particular, but I believe your hypothesis is the most likely one.”

“That it’s all in my head?”

Adrien nodded. “That it is some symptom of whatever is troubling your mind. If it were one of the myriad creatures that could perform such feats, Ms. Amorie would certainly have taken note of it.”

“Maybe she did and didn’t say anything.”

“Then it would be prudent to ask her, should you meet her again.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll do that.”

“Otherwise, when you visit with Mr. Simms, perhaps he will be able to shed some light on the reason for the phenomenon. Regardless, it is another matter we would want to clear up before proceeding with your application to SII.”

I nodded acceptingly. “Right. Well, thanks for looking into that too.”

“Of course, Dakota.” Adrien smiled at me warmly.

“So, is there anything else at the moment?”

He shook his head. “Not unless you have further questions.” I shook my head. “I make arrangements for your trip as soon as possible. Just write down your phone number for me here with your email address so I can contact you.” I took a pen from his desk and did so. “Meanwhile, if you are able to stay around this afternoon, I can have someone show you the basics of magical control so that you will at least have a rudimentary understanding of how to avoid setting anything on fire accidentally.”

“You know what? That would be great.” I smiled as I stood and stretched. “So, where should I go for now?”

“Well, if you’re hungry, you are welcome to go down to the cafeteria and help yourself. It is available at all times for anyone employed or visiting. I will have someone come get you for tutelage as soon as it is available. If that is all right?”

I nodded. “That sounds excellent. Thank you so much for everything.” I extended my hand and he shook it.

“It is my pleasure to be of assistance, Ms.—” he caught himself. “Ms. Dakota.”

I grinned. “It was good to meet you, Adrien. I hope I’ll get to work with you in the future.”

“It would be my pleasure.” He assured me as I left his office, closing the door behind.

17

Blurry Words

I wandered into the cafeteria with a form in my hands and an enticing aroma guiding me. I glanced over the crowd, but didn’t see Ralof. I figured he was still in his meeting, so I decided to investigate that delicious smell. Wandering over to the long buffet line that dominated two walls of the room, I meandered along behind other people in line and shopped around for my meal. I finally centered on the scent that had drawn me in. A hearty curry dish stood on offer next to a covered serving dish which, upon further investigation, held fresh white rice. I rolled up the application form and stuffed it in the band of my pants then hurried for a plate and picked out a few other dishes along the way, choosing by smell as I didn’t recognize half of them.

A moment later, I stood ready, tray in hand, with food and drink aplenty, and glanced around the room for a place to sit. The cafeteria wasn’t crowded, but there were a lot of people there nonetheless. I was just about to sidle into a relatively empty area on one long table when I spotted a familiar face and decided to change course. I dropped my tray lightly and settled down as Nita started and then glared at me. “Hi. It was Nita. Right?”

“How impressive. You recalled four letters in the correct order.” I already liked Nita. I grinned at her and pulled the application out, dropping it on the table between us.

“Maybe more so than you realize. I’m dyslexic. Adrien said you could help me with this.”

“I—” Nita opened her mouth and closed it firmly. Her reaction was priceless. She seemed to feel embarrassed or ashamed for all of two or three seconds before settling comfortably into “annoyed” again. She narrowed her eyes at me minorly. “Did he? How kind of him.”

“Well, he said someone would. And you’re someone. Right? So, would you mind? Please?” I said “please” like a 5th grader would, stretching it out cheesily.

Nita rolled her eyes, but her face contorted into an amused scowl. Yes, an amused scowl. “What’s so difficult about it that you need my help?”

“It’d be a lot easier if you could read the questions to me.” I patted my pockets and pulled out the pen I’d borrowed. “It’d be far more entertaining if I guessed, but if I do it all without any help, I’m going to be here all day, and I figure we all have better things to do than sit around watching me painfully blunder my way through this thing.” I was exaggerating the difficulty to some degree. Dyslexia didn’t stop me from reading. It just slowed me down a lot, and I knew I’d get through the application a lot faster with a little help. Besides, I wanted the chance to make friends with Nita, and it was an excellent excuse.

Nita shifted in her seat and snatched the pen from me, shoving her food aside to make room for the papers. “You really can’t read?” She seemed skeptical, but held her hand ready to fill out the form for me regardless, which actually was more than I’d asked her for.

“I can read it, just very slowly. And it’d be a lot harder. Think of it as similar to helping an old lady across the street. She could probably manage it on her own eventually, but you can make her day a lot easier if you give her a hand.” I picked up a spoon and dipped into the curry. My stomach was rumbling and it smelled entirely too delicious to let it get cold.

“Hmph. I thought being dyslexic just meant you reversed a few letters here and there.”

“Common misconception.” I said through a mouthful of curry. “It actually means that your eyes see things differently, and it makes reading unfamiliar words pretty hard, especially if you have to do it quickly. Most people with Dyslexia have a lot of trouble with reading and spelling, even if they’re really smart.” I tapped the application. “And this is really hard for me to read because it’s written in a small serif font, so it’d probably take me a while. Anyway, it’d sure be sweet of you to help me out, if you don’t mind.”

Nita rolled her eyes and settled in to write. “Let’s just get this over with. Name. Dakota Shepherd. S-h-e-p-a-r-d?”

I closed my eyes. “S-h-e-p-h-e-r-d,” I recited carefully.

“I thought you had trouble with spelling.” Nita commented idly as she wrote down my name.

“I do, but I’m pretty familiar with my own name, as it turns out. I’ve also learned a few tricks to help me cope. Such as my mind palace.”

Nita glanced up at me with a long-suffering expression. “Your what?”

“My mind palace. It’s this memory technique I learned about from watching Sherlock, where you make up a place and use it to store information…” She was glaring at me again. “Yeah, so next. Age? Twenty eight.” I grinned broadly for a beat then went back to eating while she wrote.

As we worked on the demographics, Nita decided to be personable. “So what made you want to sign up?”

“It’s actually kinda a dream job for me. I always wanted to do something where I could actively protect people. I especially liked the idea of being some kind of investigator, solving crimes and catching the bad guys, you know?” Nita snorted and shook her head as if that amused her. I shrugged her off and continued. “When I was in high school, I wanted to join the army. But my medical history got in the way.”

Nita glanced up at me and tilted her head. I put my finger on the application randomly. “Global Transient Amnesia. You can put that under the medical history section. Some people call it ‘fugue states’ or ‘blackouts’. It happened several times when I was a teenager, but eventually it stopped and it hasn’t happened again since I was like twenty or so.”

Nita frowned. “And that stopped you from joining the army?”

“Yep. They don’t allow people with certain mental dysfunctions to join, for some very good reasons. Since it was never fully diagnosed or explained, and no one knew for sure that I wouldn’t just keep having them, they couldn’t risk the liability.” I felt a wave of grumpy irritation surge to the surface, but I pushed it back down.

“That’s reasonable I suppose. Why didn’t you try again when you stopped having the blackouts?”

“Eh. By then, I was a little older. I’d decided I didn’t want the army after all. I wanted to be a cop. I hadn’t had the fugues in years, so I didn’t see a need to mention that to my friend on the force who was putting in a good word. I tried to do the police academy thing, but I failed out.”

Nita tilted her head. “What happened?”

“Dyslexia. I’d never been diagnosed with it.”

Nita straightened up and frowned sharply. “What? How?”

“I went through the public school system. I struggled, but never so badly that I qualified for special education assistance. My mother told me I just needed to try harder. So I did. I tried as hard as I could. I skipped by with barely passing grades, and everyone always assumed I just didn’t care or wasn’t that smart. And I had no idea that they weren’t right.” I took a long drink and carefully held my emotions at bay. I didn’t want to end up ranting in the cafeteria.

Nita, apparently, was not burdened by such concerns. “That’s ridiculous!” she half-shouted. “How can these so-called ‘educators’ miss something as obvious as that? I mean if a kid is trying really hard, you can tell. Why didn’t they realize something was wrong?” I winced, glancing around to notice that half the room had looked up at her raised voice, but was relieved when everyone just went back to what they were doing as if it wasn’t that unusual.

I grinned at her fervor on my behalf. “I have no idea. But remember, this is the information age. At least kids now won’t have that problem as much. Most people are more aware of such issues than they were twenty years ago.”

Nita settled back into her writing position, grumbling annoyedly about the system. I had to smile. She was a passionate one, and frankly, I liked that. She must have been more interested in my story than I’d originally thought, as she prompted me to continue. “So you did badly at police academy and gave up?”

“Nah. I failed the exams, and my buddy noticed that a lot of what I’d gotten wrong was stuff he knew I was plenty familiar with. He took me aside and asked if I’d ever been tested for Dyslexia. I said no and he explained how it looked like I might have it. I went and got tested and turns out, he was right. I found out there were courses that you could take to learn how to cope with it and I started taking them. It took a while though, and I ended up picking up some other jobs along the way before I could finish it. Eventually I landed myself in overnight security and by that time, I had learned a lot about the police that made me less interested in joining. Red tape, politics, and all the corruption in the system. I figured someone like me would just end up getting hurt in a job like that. So I stuck with the security thing for a while.”

Nita nudged me to answer another question on the application and I did. “So you settled then.”

“Eh. Not completely. I eventually tried to join the FBI. But they didn’t really care if I’d learned to cope with my reading disorders or if my fugue states were years past. They don’t really take people who aren’t in top-notch condition, you know? Too many possible disasters could come from me getting mixed up in a moment when I really needed to act quickly and concisely. So regardless, that was a no-go as well. So then I… yeah, I guess I settled at that point. What else could I do?’

Nita looked up and met my eyes. “I don’t know. But you never give up on something if you want it badly enough.”

“I guess that’s the answer to your original question then.”

Nita hmph’d at me lightly and asked me the next question on the page.

Half an application later, an electric jolt went up my spine as Ralof entered the room. I caught eyes with him, noticing that his presence had immediately drawn my attention, and additionally, that he was supremely agitated. I lifted a hand in greeting, but Ralof just nodded to me brusquely and went over to pick up some food. He thumped a tray down in front of me a moment later with a huff and picked up a whole steak with his fork. “So,” I began in an obnoxiously casual voice. “How did it go?”

Ralof gave me an incredulous expression for just a second before erupting into a belly-laugh that he then cut short as he tore a bite from his steak. “Hmph. That man is a piece of work.” He grumbled as he chewed.

Nita elbowed me. “Current occupation.”

“Sorry. Night security guard.” Ralof gave me a look. I grinned at him. “So, I have news.”

“So it would seem. What did you find out?” he asked.

“That I’m even more awesome than previously suspected.” Nita scoffed and rolled her eyes. Ralof just looked puzzled. Tough crowd. I shrugged. “So the green burny hands equals Hellfire and apparently I owe the acquisition of that power to a demoness.”

Ralof nodded as he chewed. “Hmm. Seems about right.”

“As for the other, well, who knows. Adrien said I could go visit a Mentalist and see if he can figure it out and maybe even fix it. But I’ll have to travel abroad.” I gave the remnants of my curry a mournful expression and started nibbling the other dishes on my plate adventurously. Many of them were utterly foreign to me.

“Abroad? As in out of the country?” Ralof had stiffened slightly.

I tilted my head, curious at his posture. “Yes? The guy lives in Canada.”

Ralof relaxed. “Ah. Hmm. Well that should be okay. Most likely.” He chewed on the steak thoughtfully.

“He said they can send me there. I just have to get time off from work and let him know when to arrange it.” I took a bite of a savory-looking dish topped with crumbled soft cheese then blinked in surprise. “What is this?”

Nita glanced at my plate. “Ov’kombre. It’s a Fae dish, namely dark elven. A couple of our local agents are particularly fond of it, so it shows up on menu pretty often.”

“Holy crap, that’s good.” I glanced up at Ralof, expecting him to seem impressed as I was, then remembered that, unlike me, he hadn’t just fallen off the turnip cart. He smiled at me nonetheless. “Other than that, I need to hang around this afternoon for a bit. They’re gonna set me up with a tutor who can teach me to control the Hellfire.”

Nita sighed loudly. “Two guesses who that’s going to be.” Ralof and I grinned at each other.

18

Training Wills

Nita was assigned to tutor me. Ralof said he wanted to go check on a few pack members who lived in the area while I was busy, so he would be gone for a few hours. He told me to call him if I needed him, double checked that I had his number on my cell, and enough charge to last me, then agreed to leave me in Nita’s care until he returned. I smiled at his concern, overcautious as it might be, and thanked him. He reminded me of Nan-how she used to check on me before I went on a school trip or a vacation with the family, asking over every little detail and stuffing a twenty in my sock in case of emergencies.

Nita led me across the building into a big, empty room with some padding on the walls. I glanced around the barren expanse. “So what’s this place for?”

“Normally, we use it for various forms of combat training. In this case, it’s just a big enough room that we can attempt this without as much danger of setting the building on fire.” She set down a cast iron bowl she had picked up from a storage closet along the way, then dropped a piece of paper in it.

“As much?” I grimaced.

Nita gave me a level look then gestured at the paper. “The first step will be for you to set the paper on fire— Not yet!” she slapped my hand as I raised it to comply with what I’d incorrectly perceived as a request. “And then you will snuff it out. First I will explain a bit about how magic works.”

I crossed my ankles and dropped to the floor, Indian-style. Nita did the same. “I’m all ears.” I was grinning despite myself.

“Magic is when a construct of will is used to overcome the mundane order of the universe.” She rolled her hand at the wrist and brought her palm upward, and an orange flame sparked from her hand, flickering in the air before me. I leaned closer, peering with interest at the incredible sight. Nita pulled her hand back, giving me a disapproving look. “There are two kinds of magic: sorcery and wizardry. Wizardry is when magic is learned through memorization of techniques which carry power. Sorcery is when forces of nature are bent through sheer will. Like so.” She indicated her hand. “Sorcery is what I do, and it is what you will attempt to use to control the power that you have come to possess.”

For the next few hours, Nita drilled me in the ways of mental control. I produced the Hellfire and she showed me how to snuff it out again successfully. After that, I projected the Hellfire onto the paper in the cast iron bowl. She showed me how Hellfire was incredibly dangerous, far more so than normal fire. While I would expect a normal fire to die once the paper was gone, Hellfire was not so easily defeated.

When the paper was devoured, the Hellfire clung to the bowl and began to spread and destroy that as well. Nita let it eat through a small section of the bowl in way of demonstration before coaching me through the process of withdrawing the horrifying thing I had released. The Hellfire didn’t simply snuff out at my command. Instead I had to kind of draw it back into myself. Otherwise, it just kept burning. This served to prove to me the deadly power of the gift I had been given, and it successfully discouraged me from wanting to play around with the stuff unnecessarily. Ultimately, I thanked Nita for the lesson and we went our separate ways. She assured me we would be seeing each other again when I returned from the trip to Canada. “Or at least,” she stated dryly, “that’s how my luck would have it.” She was smiling despite her flat tone.

19

Touching Base

It was almost sunset by the time Nita pronounced me “as good as I was going to get for the time being” and sent me on my way. I hadn’t learned enough to make calling the Hellfire safe, but I had learned enough to know that it was never going to be. On top of that, I had at least successfully called it out and then snuffed it out again at my will several times, and I had even learned to project it onto things other than my hands. I figured that would be pretty useful if anything tried to stalk me again, like that vampire guy or if whatever had been following me at work turned out to be more than an illusion in my mind. At least I knew if it came down to it I could defend myself.

Though, the more I had learned about Hellfire, the more certain I was that it was better if I never had to use it at all. That stuff was a serious fire hazard. I mean, obviously; it was fire. But it was even worse than normal fire. It was fire that seemed, well, hungry. It had just continued burning and spreading as long as I had let it, and it hadn’t stopped at the ends of what I considered flammable materials. Nita had said it would burn virtually anything on this plane of existence, whatever that meant.

I stretched as I wandered back into the main lobby which was quieter now than it had been a few hours ago, though still occupied. Apparently this place didn’t close early. I pulled out my phone and called Ralof.

“Dakota?”

“I’m all set.” I leaned against a wall out of the way.

“All right. I will finish up here and come get you shortly.” He replied.

“Actually, I was thinking… I was thinking I might stay the night in Nashville.”

Ralof made a sound that vibrated through the phone. “You mean to see Amorie.”

“Yeah. She lives out here, and well, I haven’t been able to see her much. It’s a hell of a drive.” And from what I gathered from what little she’d told me about her work, it apparently kept her rather busy. “I figured I’d at least call her up and see if she’s busy while I’m in town.”

“Hmm. Do that first. Let me know. If not, I will take you home.”

I couldn’t help grinning. “Ralof, I’m a grown woman. You don’t have to baby me so much. I can take a cab if I need to. I’ve done it plenty before.”

Ralof made a rumbling noise that sounded like he wanted to protest. “I… I know Dakota. I am sorry. You are still very new to the supernatural world and I worry about your safety. Besides, you are one of my pack.”

“I thought you said being part of the pack would give me some protection. People wouldn’t mess with the pack so easily and all that.”

“Yes, but not everyone will know you are part of the pack at a glance, and I wonder if they can tell at all given how suppressed your wolf is. It will take time for people to know that you are one of us, and that they would be better off leaving you be.” His voice was concerned, but not overbearing. I knew he was just trying to protect me.

“I appreciate it, Ralof. If you’d feel better, I’ll call her first and get back to you.”

“I… would appreciate that, Dakota.” He sounded somewhat relieved. “I will wait here until you call again.”

“Thanks, Ralof. It’ll just be a sec.” I hung up and paged down to Amorie’s entry on my contact’s list. I’d only dialed her number a small handful of times. We’d talked since the date, just chatting for a few minutes here or there, but I hadn’t actually gotten a confirmation from her that we were going to see each other again. At least a little part of me was worried I’d been a one night stand to her. That possibility made my stomach drop. A cold chill spread over my skin as I tapped her name and waited for the phone to bring her voice to me.

“Hello there, little wolf.” The sultry tone of her greeting caressed away my concerns.

“Hey Amorie. I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh? And what is that?” I shivered at the seductive quality of her voice.

“Me! Ta-da! I’m in Nashville.”

“Oh… Well, that is a nice surprise. I suppose that means you have time to come and see me?” I could hear papers shifting in the background. I really needed to remember to ask her about her work.

“I’d like to. Could we meet up? I haven’t had dinner yet…”

“How convenient, neither have I.” She purred. My pulse quickened. “I am sure we could work it out, ma chérie.”

Yes. “Awesome. Where do you want to meet?”

“It would be best if you could meet me at my home. I will have to take care of a few things first, and then we may go out to eat.”

I smiled to myself excitedly. “All right, text me the address and I’ll be over soon.”

“Very well, ma chérie. I can not wait.”

I did my best not to look as jelly-legged as I felt as we said goodbye. The room was not empty, and I didn’t really want everyone around to realize just how much Amorie’s voice alone had turned me on. I decided that now was a good time to step outside. Maybe I should have done that before I’d called Amorie. I stepped out front and as soon as I reached the sidewalk, I felt the wolf in me stirring, bounding eagerly to the surface. For a moment, it was almost overwhelming. I had struggled to be sure that the feeling of my wolf wasn’t just my imagination before, but feeling her suddenly after the wards had been suppressing her all day made it very clear that she was really and truly there. I wandered over to the curb and watched the cars passing on the street as I called Ralof back. He answered with a grunt. I tried to speak as normally as possible. “Hey. So yeah, it’s fine. Amorie has time for me. So you can just go on and I’ll make my way back in the morning.”

Ralof rumbled, “Are you sure you will be all right?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just get a cab home in the morning.”

“All right. But if you need me, you will call me.” My wolf seemed to take comfort in Ralof’s concern.

“I will. Thanks, Ralof. And thanks again for bringing me out here. I’ll come see you soon.”

20

Dipping In

The cab dropped me off in front of a freaking mansion. With the way that Amorie typically dressed I should have guessed her house would be nice, but this was way above any expectations I’d had. I walked up to the big, fancy double doors and pressed the doorbell which chimed in beautifully ethereal tones inside. I took a couple of steps away from the elegant, ebony door to admire the front of the house again. It was a modern, three-story mansion with obviously Baroque influences. There were fewer windows than I thought a house of that size should have, but as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I realized that probably just meant that Amorie must have had this house built to her own specifications.

I glanced over the lawn and my eyes lingered on the gorgeous statuary fountain that had caught my eye on the ride in. The statue depicted a beautiful woman in a long flowing gown that draped from her arms where she held a pitcher bearing the water down into the pool below. Her face was melancholy, yet serene. She gazed down into the water where it fell with her eyes of stone and the emotion of her expression was so incredibly rendered that I just knew there was a story behind her creation.

The sound of the door opening drew me from my thoughts and when I looked back, Amorie had filled the doorway with her beauty. I took a step toward her and paused to take her in. It struck me every time I saw her how absolutely beautiful she was. Tonight she wore a tailored black suit with a button down top and a slender skirt with a slit on the side, and stiletto heels. The fine cuts and material suggested it was designer work. I drank in her form with my eyes and sighed. “One day, you’ll have to teach me this sorcery that makes you even prettier each time I see you.”

Amorie’s mouth curled at the corner as she leaned on the door frame, emphasizing the curve of her luscious hips even more. “Bonsoir my little wolf.”

I stepped over to her, smiling. “Hey Amorie.”

“Welcome to my home.” She gestured for me to follow as she stepped out of the doorway, inviting me in past the thick, tangible ward that parted like a curtain around me as I entered. I fell into step beside her and we moved into the foyer. “What do you think?”

I glanced up at a stunning Baroque-styled crystal chandelier which held dozens of candles, which given the lack of flickering, appeared to be electronic, which at first seemed a bit odd given the richness of the decor, but then I figured, hey, vampires and fire, eh? The room was grand but tastefully appointed, darkly adorned in burgundy velvet and rich, dark wood. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I am happy that you like it.” She took my hand in hers and pulled me close. My breath caught at the unexpected closeness. “I am also glad you are here.” She slid her arm around my back and pulled me against her.

Oh… Me too.” I settled my arms around her and gazed up at her happily. I wasn’t sure where I stood with Amorie, but apparently we were at least still a thing at this point. “So, I’m guessing you have room for me to stay—”

Amorie covered my mouth with a kiss. I found the cool contrast of her lips too distracting to care about what I’d been saying, and kissed her back. Her hands slid down my back and she picked me up against her, lifting me to my tip toes. I melted against her curves, kissing her with growing hunger as she caressed my back. I found the neckline of her suit with my fingers and started to work through the line of buttons standing between us as she pushed her hands under the fabric of my black button-down, pulling it halfway up my back. I groaned at her smooth touch which sent chills up my spine. Her mouth left mine breathless as she kissed down my cheek toward my neck, and the excitement and thrill of having her near my neck, knowing well what her fangs could—

Amorie’s cell phone rang in her pocket and she cursed, pulling back just enough to reach for it. She slung the phone to her ear with an annoyed expression and answered it. “What is it?” She kept one arm around me and held me close, stroking my back as she listened. I grinned at her, amused at how annoyed she was to be interrupted. That felt encouraging. She smiled at my grin, then frowned and sighed, “Truly?” She closed her eyes. “No, I will have to do it.” She lowered her hand from my back and found my fingers, twining hers into them. “Give me half an hour. And tell him not to leave. If I postpone my evening plans and he does not wait for me, I will be severely displeased with him.” She puffed lightly at whatever the caller said in response. “You could say that. À bientôt.”

“Of course.” Amorie put her phone away again with an irritated sigh. “I am so sorry, Dakota, but there is a matter that requires my attention.”

I frowned. “Aww. I guess if you have to…” I kept my tone teasing but I was actually pretty disappointed that she had to go. I hadn’t really been able to spend too much time with her since we’d first met. Being that she lived all the way out in Nashville and I lived in Knoxville, tonight had felt like a rare opportunity for me to spend more time with her and I was more disappointed than I wanted to let on. Being an adult and all that.

“I am so very sorry. But I must.” She kissed my cheek softly. “But I will make it up to you when I get back.” She stepped away and started toward the stairs, my hand still held in hers, so I followed. “I am also afraid it interferes with the reservation I had made for us.”

“That’s okay. I’m more concerned with spending some time with you than with where we eat. I can just make a sandwich if…” I firmly reminded myself I was in a vampire’s house. “If…”

“There is some food in the kitchen. I do not keep very much, as you might have suspected.” She smiled over her shoulder at me. “But I will bring something back for you when I return if you like.”

“That’d be great. I’m pretty hungry despite having stuffed myself earlier at the SII cafeteria. But I had a busy day, so I’m not surprised.” We reached the broad, marble tiled landing where a huge painting in an intricate iron frame hung on the wall above. I paused briefly to admire the wispy, abstract design of a feminine silhouette peering over her shoulder in a breezy field beside some dark, tangled trees. The style of the painting made the girl appear fuzzy and almost transparent, as if she might have been a ghost or a dream. “Wow.”

Amorie took my arm, “Isn’t she lovely?”

I nodded. “Beautiful.”

Amorie led me down the hall. “Most do not notice her immediately. Because of the style of the painting, she appears like one of the trees at first. I’m impressed that you saw her right away.”

“Dyslexia actually has its advantages. Being highly visually-oriented is one of them.” Besides that, I was pretty accustomed to noticing shadowy forms by now.

Amorie tilted her head. “You had not told me you were dyslexic.”

I shrugged. “Hadn’t come up. I don’t tend to mention it if it isn’t relevant.”

Amorie nodded slowly. “Of course. But does that not mean my texting you is more complicated than a call? I do not wish to burden you, ma chérie.”

I shook my head as we reached a door at the end of the hall. “Neh. I can read just fine if I can take my time.”

“Ah. I am sorry I do not know more about this condition. I do not wish to offend you with my assumptions.” She opened the door and let me into an expansive bedroom, elegantly furnished with the finest decor I had ever seen in person.

First off, the room was a suite more than just a bedroom, with a sitting area near the door and an open archway leading into the bedroom proper. The sitting area consisted of a Baroque-styled black and silver settee, two matching chairs, and a pair of end tables dividing them, with a rich burgundy rug beneath. “You’re not.” I commented coolly, doing my best to hide how out of place I felt in the elegant mansion. “I don’t expect you to know everything, after all.” I grinned at her.

Amorie smiled back. “I am glad to hear it.” She stepped past the settee and chairs and beckoned me into the bedroom with a wave of her hand as she hurried toward an ornate dresser styled to match the end tables in the sitting room. “So you should tell me what you learned today. I don’t have long for now, but I can spare a moment while I dig out this old key.” She opened a drawer that seemed to be full of odds and ends and started rummaging through it.

“In brief, someone may have messed with my head, and SII is going to send me to Canada to meet a Mentalist who might be able to fix it, my hands catch fire because of Hellfire, as you suspected, and the cup that caused it was connected to a demoness called Ni—” I remembered how Adrien had reacted to my saying her name out loud. Amorie glanced up at me, pausing her search to peer at me curiously. “I’m… I’m actually supposed to avoid saying it out loud. We’ll just call her Mufasa.”

Amorie raised an eyebrow at me as her face contorted with humor, then a look of realization struck her. “Ooh. I know of the one of which you speak.” She turned to dig in the drawer again. “I have met her before.”

“You have?”

“Yes... She is not so bad. There are others who would be far worse for you to have a connection with.” She finally plucked a little silver key from the dresser, then slid it into a pocket and closed the drawer.

“Oh? Well, I’m not really sure what I’m going to end up doing with that. It was suggested that I might confront her and discuss my situation. After all, I have no idea what my current situation really is. And it’d be better to know than not. And if she’s unhappy about me having this power, I’d rather give it back to her than for her to feel badly about it. Whatever I do, I know I don’t want to mess with Mufasa.”

Amorie walked back over to me and slid her arms around me again. “That is very true.” She embraced me and kissed my cheek again. “We will talk about this more later when I am not pressed for time, but… If you do decide to go and speak with her, please, allow me to take you.”

I blinked. “Seriously? You’d do that for me?”

“I would much rather go with you than for you to have to go alone, ma chérie. At least I could introduce you to her and it would not be as difficult for you.” She kissed my other cheek softly.

“That’s… I mean, thank you Amorie. That’s so kind of you.” I kissed her lips.

Amorie smiled at my touched expression. “I like you little wolf. I want you to stay in one piece. So it is not entirely selfless.” She kissed my cheek a bit lower, right above my jaw and I shuddered. She groaned lightly in frustration. “I wish there were more time for now. But I must go. Make yourself at home while I am gone.” She kissed again and I gripped her arm tightly.

“You keep that up and I’m going to protest your leaving, and I’m going to stop being so adult about it.”

Amorie laughed and released me, stepping back and smiling down at me. “I am sorry Dakota.” She gave me a sly, sultry grin. “I want to stay as well, believe me.” My breath quickened at the look she was giving me, but she straightened up and tucked the look away. “Make yourself at home, as I said. There is some food in the kitchen, there is television, and…” she considered briefly. “Do you swim? There is a pool out back. If you like, you may borrow a swim suit from me.”

I perked up a little. “That sounds nice. It’d make it easier to wait for you anyway. I like swimming.”

Amorie seemed relieved by my response. “Let me find you a suit and you may do as you like then.” She went into what I presumed was a closet and came back with a little black bikini on a hanger. “Here you are.” I stared at the tiny swatches of fabric and tried my best to hide my nervousness. I imagined the bikini would have looked amazing on Amorie, but I didn’t feel I had quite the assets to fill it out. Amorie’s eyes glimmered as she smiled at me innocently, and somehow I got the feeling she hadn’t chosen the least revealing suit she’d had.

“Thanks.” I took the bikini and smiled at her. “Go, and hurry back, okay? I’ll be waiting.”

“I will not be gone very long. An hour, maybe two at most.” She gave me an apologetic frown. “I will bring you steak. You like them medium, no?”

“That sounds good.” She smiled and kissed me quickly once more, then turned and hurried out the door, clearly escaping before we could procrastinate any longer. I stood alone in the grand bedroom and took in the furnishings. Amorie’s bed was huge and draped in a rich, velvety canopy with wispy, gauzy fabric hanging between the tied-back opaque drapes. A fluffy duvet, and half a dozen pillows covered the bed. The carpet was plush and dark, and the walls were painted black, accented by a silver chair rail, and a textured silvery gray lower half. I had to give it to Amorie; I liked her style.

I considered my situation; I was hungry, but not so hungry I couldn’t wait for Amorie to return. I figured hanging out in her pool would be more fun than poking through her kitchen, so I stared at the bikini in my hand again and pondered the bits of cloth. At least no one would see me in it, except maybe Amorie when she returned. I supposed that would be all right. She seemed to like how I looked well enough.

I stripped off my clothes and put the bikini on. It was tiny and I felt rather naked. I stepped in front of a full length mirror and turned as I looked myself over. Not terrible, I supposed, but I would have been more comfortable in something with more cloth. This one had a tiny patch in front and back on the bottom, and the top was a classic bikini style. My smaller bust didn’t fill the cups out fully, so the material felt like it was in danger of falling off. I reminded myself that I was alone, and that it would be okay, so I made my way out of Amorie’s room and headed for the pool.

21

Miralina

I found my way to the back yard where a full sized pool languished amidst a gorgeous paua shell and charcoal slate tile. The pool had nifty underwater lights and the approach was dimly lit by the back porch light and little path runner lights. Motion lights on the corners of the house would have made it brighter, but they didn’t come on as I stepped out back. I figured they were on motion-sensors so I stayed to the center of the path to keep the nifty effect of the underwater lighting in the mostly-dark intact. All in all, it seemed like the perfect place for an evening dip.

The air was still pretty warm from the day’s heat and the pool looked inviting. A pool house stood to one side of the pool so I raided it for fun stuff, and was not disappointed. I found a water hammock, towels, and ironically, sunglasses. I set a towel out on one of the loungers nearby, eased into the water, settled into the water hammock, and put the sunglasses on for no reason whatsoever. I lounged in the cool water and paddled about a bit with my hands and legs, laying comfortably at the surface. The water felt great. I hadn’t realized how tense some of my muscles had been until I was floating happily in the center of the pool, feeling weightless. I closed my eyes and drifted…

The wolf inside of me surged to the surface and jolted me out of a bare doze. I blinked my eyes open, surprised and wondering what had caused the wolf to stir. As I glanced around, a dark shape appeared in the shallow end of the pool. I felt the hair rising on the back of my neck, and the wolf was on edge. I knew the shadowy figures that frequented my peripheral vision were most likely just hangovers from the transient amnesia of my past, but this was different.

I was being hunted.

I jerked the sunglasses off to get a better look, but there was nothing where the figure had stood a second before. I blinked and whipped my gaze around the pool, but no one was there. I tried to tell myself to relax, but the water rippled just a foot to my right and I started to panic. I threw myself out of the water hammock and swam for the shallow end. My swimming wasn’t that practiced, so it took me longer than my wolf liked. I settled my feet on the bottom of the pool and jerked my gaze around to check behind me but there was still nothing. I breathed shallowly, listening to the echoing of water and air against the pool walls. Nothing.

I tried to tell myself it was nothing. I almost decided it had been a dream, that I’d dozed off just enough to have a vague nightmare and freak myself out. But my senses, and my wolf told me otherwise. There was something here. I carefully scanned the pool and strained to feel the presence I’d felt just a moment before. Still nothing, no auras, and nothing moved. I raked my eyes across the pool, from the right side where there was nothing, all the way across to the left—

I almost jumped out of my skin as my eyes landed on a girl with long dark hair rising out of the water beside me. She leaned close as I inhaled a breath to scream. “Who are you?” she asked with a tone of mild curiosity.

I held onto that scream for later and gave her a second look. She was pale, a little shorter than me, and pretty with an exotic darker undertone that looked like it didn’t belong with her pallid skin. I frowned as I realized she looked familiar. “I… I’m Dakota. Who are you?”

“I’m Mira.” She slid closer to me and I backed an equal distance away. She paused and tilted her head. “What are you doing in my pool?”

“What? This is Amorie’s pool…” I glanced up at the house and then checked to either side. There were no other houses nearby, so there was no way I had wandered into the wrong pool. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Amorie’s pool?” The wolf was still uneasy, and I was not much better.

“I’m Mira.” She pronounced it again as if I were dense, saying it slowly and carefully. I noticed a faint accent but couldn’t remotely place it except to determine that it was definitely not American. “I live here.”

I eyed her suspiciously. “You live… here? With Amorie?”

Mira sighed loudly and frowned. “She didn’t tell you about me? Not at all?” She managed to pout and look miffed at the same time.

“Uh… Sorry. No. I don’t think she did.” I was sure I had seen her somewhere before but it still wasn’t coming to me. Mira let the pout turn into a deep frown, and then she just looked sad for a few seconds, before suddenly turning her eyes on me again, this time looking jealous. That’s when I realized who she was. “Oh! You were the girl…” I gestured ineffectually, trying to find my words. “The girl from the museum!” That was it.

Mira drew herself up and frowned at me distinctly. “No. You were the girl from the museum. I was the girl with Amorie.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean, sorry. You were there with Amorie that night when she came to the museum for a tour.” She’d been walking with Amorie, holding her arm like an escort. I remembered her jealous expression when Amorie had complimented me and suddenly felt uncomfortable again. “So, Mira. Nice to meet you.” I hoped.

“Hmph. She never even mentioned me?” She looked supremely annoyed, then that emotion suddenly washed from her face and she simply looked curious. “Can I bite you?”

“What? No!” I back-peddled even further, bumping into the side of the pool. I realized now that the pallor of her skin made sense despite the undertones if she was a vampire.

Mira drew closer, staring at me with her wide, dark eyes. “Why not?” She sounded innocent and curious and I was not buying either.

“Because! I’m not okay with it.”

“Why not?” She moved even closer.

“Because! I don’t want you to drink my blood.” I sidestepped to avoid her closing on me.

“But you are a werewolf, right? You can make more.” She shifted to the side and pursued me into the corner.

“I don’t care! I don’t want to be bitten!” I leaned as far away from her as I could manage.

“But you let Amorie bite you.” She said it almost whiningly.

“Amorie’s my girlfriend!” I shouted without thinking.

Mira drew back a little, looking shocked. She was quiet for several beats before she replied. “Oh.” I glanced at the empty space she’d left between me and the stairs and bolted for the safety of dry land. Mira didn’t move. At all. I darted up the stairs and grabbed my towel. Mira stared at the empty place where I’d been as if she hadn’t even tracked my movement. I doubted that was the case. She just stood there, and as I watched her, she seemed to finally deflate. She just drooped where she stood and sighed. I started to wonder if I’d hurt her feelings, but she suddenly cut her eyes to me and focused again. “Then why can’t I bite you?”

I blinked at that. “Because I don’t want you to!”

“But why not?” she sounded almost angry, and I suddenly noticed that the air around me felt electric and tingly. The wolf surged in me again and I bolted for the door. I ran inside and slammed the glass door shut. I didn’t look back to see if she had followed me. I just ran up the stairs to Amorie’s bedroom and closed and locked the door. I darted over to where I’d left my clothes in a pile on the floor and fumbled for my phone. I heard the door open and close downstairs and I felt like I was in a horror movie with the ruthless killer stalking me slowly as I struggled futilely to get away.

I ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I paced from one side of the room to the other, making sure there wasn’t a second door in, then walked over to the luxurious shower and turned the water on. If she broke into the bedroom, I didn’t want her to overhear me. I almost dropped my phone in my effort to tap Amorie’s icon on my contact list. I slid myself down against the wall next to the shower as the call connected. “I am almost finished, ma chérie—”

“Amorie, help. A vampire is stalking me and she wants to drink my blood.” I could tell I was scared considering I didn’t even turn that “w” into a “v”.

The line went so quiet I thought for an instant that the phone had died. Amorie’s voice came back to me very seriously. “Where are you?”

“What? I’m in your house! I was in the pool and this creepy girl just appeared out of nowhere and—”

“Oh.” She let out a long breath. “Dakota, it is all right. That is Miralina. I am… so very sorry, ma chérie. I should have warned you about her.”

“So it’s okay?” I started trying to relax, but I was still pretty nervous.

“Yes. Mira will not harm you. She is my friend. If anything, she is only trying to scare you.”

I chewed at the inside of my lip. “Well she succeeded! But, she kept asking me to drink my blood even after I told her I didn’t want her to and she backed me into a corner and it was creepy and…” I stopped for a breath and Amorie slipped into my silence.

“I am so sorry, Dakota. But I assure you that you are perfectly safe in my home. I will be home in…” she paused for just a moment, “Forty minutes. Until then, perhaps you could talk to her? It would be very sweet of you to keep her company for me. And I would like it if the two of you could be friends. She is very dear to me.”

I frowned at the phone. I didn’t want to talk to the crazy girl downstairs. “I… I guess I’ll try.”

“Thank you, ma chérie. You are so sweet.” That was good to hear at least.

“But… what if she tries to bite me again?”

“Put her on for a moment. I will take care of it.”

“I… okay.” I sighed and stood up, reached into the shower and turned the water off. I hadn’t heard Amorie’s door open, so it seemed the tactic had been wasted anyway. I walked over to the door and opened it. Mira stood in the doorway. I yelped and stumbled back, almost dropping my phone. Amorie’s voice queried from the line, but I just straightened up and marched back over to the door. “Amorie.” I handed her the phone.

Mira took the phone and held it up to her ear, keeping her eerily unblinking gaze on me. She listened for a moment. “Yes, mistress.” She handed the phone back to me. “I am… sorry.” She sounded hesitant.

I nodded, trying to accept that; it didn’t remotely sound like a heartfelt apology. My wolf wasn’t so sure either. “It’s… it’s okay.” I glanced down at myself, still wet and bikini’d with a bunched up towel held to my chest, and my jeans dangling from my other hand. My shirt lay on the floor along with my underwear. “Just… give me a minute, okay?”

Mira blinked once and drifted back from the door, disappearing from my view. I sighed and walked over to close the door. “I’ll be just in here.” She said suddenly, startling me once again. I pulled the door shut with a glare.

I took a shower, dried off, and re-dressed myself. I was feeling a little less harried, but still didn’t like the idea of hanging out with Ms. Creepy for the next thirty minutes. But, I’d told Amorie I would. So I walked back into the bedroom.

Mira was sitting on a little sofa staring at a large wall-mounted TV. I glanced at her then up at the TV which was off, then back to her. “So… hi.”

“Hi.” She sounded subdued, almost sad.

I perched on the arm of the sofa. “So, you’re Mira.”

“Yes.” She dropped her gaze forlornly to her toes. She’d pulled her legs into the seat, and rested her chin on her knees.

I decided there was no “almost” to it. She looked depressed. “I’m sorry if I got you in trouble with Amorie.”

“No.”

I frowned. She wasn’t seeming very talkative anymore. But maybe I could still pull this one out. “Do you want to watch a show with me?”

She shrugged, was silent for several seconds, then pointedly drew in a breath for the purpose of sighing. “Maybe if it isn’t anything dumb.”

“I’ve got my favorite show on a flash drive. It’s called Sherlock. It’s this great modernization of Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumerbacht and Martin Freeman, and it’s witty and really clever and… Well I love it. Do you want to give it a try?”

Her eyes lifted very slightly as I described the show. I thought she looked interested. She shrugged slightly. “That… doesn’t sound terrible.”

I dug a small flash drive out of my pocket and went over to the TV. It was one of the fancier new models that had a USB port on the side, so I plugged it in and turned the first episode on. I went back to the sofa and settled down next to Mira. The show began, and within a few minutes, her somber expression was replaced with a curious tilt of her head. She smirked at a few funny moments, then settled her legs down more comfortably. I tried to make small talk, making comments about what I really loved as it occurred. Mira engaged only minimally but she seemed less sad, and I at least had done as I’d said I would. She didn’t seem so scary now.

22

Love Bites

I heard the door open downstairs when Amorie returned. The episode wasn’t over, and Mira didn’t move. The bedroom door opened a moment later and the smell of hot steak filled the air. I smiled at Amorie as she walked into the room, her face flooded with apology. Mira glanced up at Amorie, then dropped her eyes, looking ashamed. She stood up. “I’ll go.” She started for the door.

“Hey, Mira.” I called. She looked back at me. “Did you like the show?” She nodded absently. Her eyes were sad again. I walked over to the TV and took the flash drive, then walked over to her and held it out. “Here. You can borrow it.”

Mira tilted her head slowly to the side and stared at the flash drive in my palm. “You don’t mind?”

I smiled at her. “It’s okay. There’s nothing on it I don’t have a copy of at home. You can give it back to me later.”

Mira blinked her eyes a few times in quick succession then closed her fingers around the drive. “Thank you.” She smiled at me faintly, then turned and left the room.

Amorie was smiling at me deeply. She closed the door behind Mira and set the pair of takeout boxes in her hands on the little coffee table, then held her arms out to me. “Thank you so much, my sweet little wolf.”

I walked into her embrace and squeezed her tightly. “I did my best.”

“You did well. Mira is… difficult. I am so sorry again. I should have told you about her.” She kissed the top of my head.

“It’s okay. Things were a bit hectic earlier. And we were a bit distracted.” I smiled, then stepped back from her. “That smells great.” I dropped onto the sofa.

“Go ahead and eat. I will slip into something more comfortable, no?” She touched my shoulder softly and sauntered out of view. I turned my attention to the tasty-smelling boxes.

I tore into the steaks. Swimming usually makes me hungry, but after running scared from a creepy, volatile vampire girl, I was practically ravenous. I was halfway through the second steak when Amorie stepped back into the room and all thoughts of food fled the scene. I stared at her with open desire, taking in the brilliant way her clothing accented her curves. She wore a soft black bodice which hugged her trim waist before blooming around her breasts in soft little flutters of bunched cloth that formed a lacy neckline just below the swell of her cleavage. The skirt she wore was also black, and poofy, consisting of multiple layers of soft fabric with varied ruffles that cascaded down the back into a short train, but which ended in the front at her mid-thighs. The open area of the skirt left a drool-worthy view of her very luscious legs, the lacy garter she’d adorned her left thigh with, and the delicate heels she’d replaced the stilettos with.

Amorie paused and flaunted her curves, swaying her hip to the side as she grinned at me. I didn’t even try to hide my appreciation of her appearance. I looked her over from head to toe, smiling wider all the while. She seemed to appreciate the compliment. I rose from the sofa and crossed the distance between us. “You know, I’m feeling startlingly under-dressed.”

Amorie fluttered her lashes at me. “You look perfectly fine to me, little wolf.”

“You’re too kind.” Really, she was. My jeans and T-shirt assured me of that.

“I am not saying you do not dress up well.” She circled around behind me and my skin was tingling with anticipation already. “I rather enjoyed you in the outfit you wore on our date. But I do not expect you to dress differently simply to please me.” She slid her arms around my waist and pulled me back against her.

“But what if I want to please you?” I shuddered against her. She laid her head alongside mine and breathed a cool breath against my cheek.

“There are many ways for you to please me, little wolf. I do not want you to change yourself for me.” She kissed my cheek tenderly. “Besides, if you wish to please me, ma chérie, you do not have to wear anything at all.” I gripped Amorie’s arms where they wrapped around me and turned my head to kiss her, heart racing with desire.

Amorie held me tightly against her and slowly ran her hand up my side, her cool fingers playing against my warm skin. I shuddered at her touch and slowly turned into the kiss. Amorie caught my hand as I turned and broke the kiss to lead me, smiling, over to her bed. I grinned and chased her onto the soft mattress.

Amorie caught my weight as we fell onto the bed together and rolled me to the side, coming up over me and taking my mouth captive once again. I felt an odd surge from inside as if the wolf had come to the surface again, but I didn’t feel any sense of danger, so I ignored it, and let her kiss me. I ran my hands along Amorie’s sides and appreciated her curves with my fingers. She repaid me by caressing my side beneath my shirt. I ventured up to the lacy edge of her bodice, and she didn’t seem to mind as I tickled along that fluttery hem. I laid my palm against her breast and groaned as she ran her chilled finger along the line of my jeans. I was on fire for her, and I couldn’t wait to let her go further. I craned my neck to look at where her hand met my hip, and she pressed her lips to my neck. I gasped at the teasing touch and arched my neck toward her further.

Amorie hesitated, nuzzling my neck then kissing just behind my ear. “Are you sure you do not mind, my little wolf?” She licked my ear slowly and I shuddered out a moan.

“Hey, you brought me dinner…” I quipped, trying to sound like I had more resolve than a puddle of gelatin at the moment. Amorie laughed softly into my ear and kissed it. I closed my eyes as she drew her mouth back to my neck. The wolf perked uneasily and I started to look up just as Amorie sank her fangs into my flesh.

Everything melted away. I relaxed as the world slowed down, and Amorie was all I could sense within it. She must have unbuttoned my jeans at some point, because her fingers slipped below my underwear and I groaned out a sound of pure pleasure. I threw my arms around her and gripped her back, digging my fingers into the cloth of her bodice as she rocked me beneath her, drinking from my neck. I closed my eyes again and let the rest of the world fade into the background, as Amorie consumed me.

23

Pillow Talk

I opened my eyes in the dark, cool bedroom and Amorie was all around me. We lay together, entwined, limbs among limbs, and her body was still and cold as the grave beside me. I nuzzled my face against her hair and sighed happily. “Well… That was a thing.” I grinned at her playfully. Amorie smiled up at me and pulled me closer, drawing our bodies together in the dark. I shivered slightly and she blinked, then bent to grab the duvet we had unsettled earlier and pulled it over us. I cuddled up to her, snuggling my way over with exaggerated motions and a happy smile. “Thanks.”

“Forgive me if I forget such things, my little wolf.” She kissed me softly.

“It’s okay.” Her body was still mostly cold, but I was plenty warm enough for the two of us after all that.

Amorie smiled at me. “What is on your mind, little wolf?”

“A lot, honestly.” I looked up into the canopy and sighed. “You, us… what we’re doing.”

“I could tell something was bothering you.” She stroked my side softly. “What about us is upsetting you?”

“Nothing about us… Well… I don’t think so anyway.” I squeezed her. “I guess, I just… What is this?”

“Hmm?” Amorie tilted her head slightly. “What is what?”

“This. What are we? Are we dating? Are you my girlfriend now?” I met her vibrant blue eyes with hope and fear in mine.

“Is that what you want, little wolf?” She smiled her sly little smile.

“Maybe. Yes. I mean, of course. Why wouldn’t I? I’ve only wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I love your smile, your laugh, the way you talk…” I frowned at myself suddenly and furrowed my brow. “Geeze, that sounds way more shallow than I’d like…”

Amorie tapped my nose with her fingertip. “That is not shallow, ma chérie. That is just honest. You are attracted to me. There is nothing wrong with this.”

“Yeah, but typically I put less emphasis on the physical.” I looked down, feeling guilty.

“Oh, my little wolf, it is not something to be ashamed of. Every relationship must begin in some way. Some begin through common interests, or arranged encounters, and others begin through physical attraction. How it begins does not determine how worthy the relationship is.” She squeezed me softly and I settled into her arms, relaxing.

“I guess… I guess you’re right.” I nuzzled against her hair. “I just… I don’t want to be shallow. I mean, I think you’re really interesting also. I like you for… just being you.”

“Then what has worried you so?”

I sighed. “I just feel like I don’t really know you at all. I want to. I’ve wanted to ever since we first met. I wanted to talk to you more, learn more about who you are. But there hasn’t been time. And we haven’t been able to see each other enough to make time for it.”

Amorie stroked my cheek softly. “A lot has happened for you since we met, little wolf. It is nothing to trouble yourself over. There is not a limit of time upon our getting to know one another.” She kissed my forehead tenderly. “Ask me something.”

I smiled, feeling a little better. “All right. Umm… What is it you do? I mean your job?”

“I am more or less in control of the entire state, ma chérie. I do many things.”

I blinked. “The whole state?”

“At least the vampiric parts of it, yes. And much of the surrounding areas.”

I whistled lightly. “Wow. So you’re pretty important then?”

Amorie gave me a coy smile. “Those who have entrusted me with such seem to think so.”

I thought about that for a moment. “So you’re working for someone else? Someone even more influential?”

“Hmm. One could say that. Whereas I am generally autonomous, I work alongside several others scattered across the country, all of whom are closely allied or turned by the one that turned me.”

“Is it like in the movies then? The one that turned you commands you? Or…” I quickly swallowed a spike of jealousy. “Or, you’re enthralled with them?”

Amorie laughed softly and tapped me on the nose again. “Nothing so melodramatic, ma chérie. It would be perhaps, unwise to delve too deeply into the well of vampiric secrets with you at this point, but let it suffice to say that no one controls my mind but me. Never forget there are many types of influence one can put over another. And whereas it is true that I care for her and she does influence me, I serve her out of my own preference to do so. Servitude, in fact, being possibly too strong of a word.” She grinned. “And you need not look so jealous, little wolf. I will always love my maker, but she is not in competition with you at this point.”

I gave her a sheepish grin. “I can’t help it. I don’t feel like I have much of a position from which to hold onto you. You’re… amazing. You’re beautiful and smart and wonderful to be around… And I… I’ve got nothin’.”

Amorie laughed softly. “You are adorable, my little wolf. And you make me laugh. You are sweet, and kind, and brave. There is much to love in here.” She traced her finger over my heart.

“You really think so?”

“I do.” She lay her forehead against mine and smiled at me through her thick lashes.

I hugged her tightly and sighed happily. “I hope so.”

Amorie caressed my back in a slow circle. “Do not doubt yourself so, ma chérie. You demean yourself far too much.”

“Sorry. I try not to. Self-deprecating humor is just how I keep myself from getting out of hand with all the awesome.”

Amorie laughed. “Well, try not to over do it then, no?”

I grinned. “No.” She shook her head at me. I rolled my eyes back up toward the canopy as I thought about what else I wanted to ask her.

“So, you didn’t tell me you had another vampire living with you.”

Amorie sighed. “I should have thought to tell you earlier on. As you said, there has been little time for us to speak. Though I should have made sure to introduce you before leaving you here with her. She has made herself scarce of late and there was a pressing matter occupying my mind earlier.”

“It’s okay, really. I just felt bad when I said you hadn’t mentioned her and she looked all sad. Then creepy. Then depressed. Then she wanted to bite me.”

“That sounds like Miralina, indeed. She is… troubled. Though I love her very much, she can be difficult at times to understand.” I could see the sorrow in her eyes. I think she saw the jealousy in mine as she mentioned loving Mira. “Do not look so jealous, my little wolf. We are not together like that. We have not been for a long time.”

I snapped my gaze back to her. “You mean you used to be together?”

Amorie frowned thoughtfully. “We have lain together before if that is what you ask. Though we have never been together in a relationship quite like the one I have now with you.”

“So you never dated? But you slept together?” I frowned.

“She is very dear to me, Dakota. Miralina is my daughter.”

I blinked. “Your daughter? But you said you were…”

Amorie shook her head. “I turned her.”

“Oh.” I hope Amorie couldn’t see me blushing in the dark.

Amorie seemed amused. “Because she is my daughter, we have always been very close. And yes, for a time, we shared a bed. We used to spend much time together, but it is not the same as the relationship you and I share.”

I considered that and nodded slowly. “I get it. I guess… I just worry that will make her hate me or something.”

Amorie shook her head. “She may not like it at first, but Miralina will not resent my happiness, so I do not believe she will blame you for it either.”

I hoped so. I thought about how she’d appeared in the pool and the wolf in me felt terribly uneasy. “Yeah. So you’re not… together… like that… anymore?”

Amorie quirked an amused smile. “No, little wolf.” She seemed to consider for a moment. “I take it that you would prefer a monogamous relationship?”

“Huh? Of course.”

“Do not be so surprised that I ask. You are young, and there is only one obvious way for a relationship to work in the society you have grown up in. It has not always been so, nor is it as such in all the world right now, neither in all Unawakened human societies, nor in all Supernatural societies. In fact, many types of Supernaturals have never held monogamy as such a value as most humans currently do.” She shrugged a little. “I asked to be sure. If it is what you want, then as long as we are together, I will be with no one else.”

I smiled at that. “Thanks, Amorie. That makes me feel a lot better.” I kissed her gently. “So, I’m going to need to go home tomorrow. I have to get some things in order and prepare for my trip to Canada.”

“You should be very careful, ma chérie. I wish that I could go with you, but there is much demanding my attention right now that I can not so easily release myself from.”

“It’s all right. I’m a big girl.” I grinned.

Amorie grinned back at me. “Yes, but you are a very small wolf.”

“Hey, no spoilers. No one’s even seen my wolf yet.”

Amorie laughed and shook her head. “It is a shame you can not stay longer. If you were not going home so quickly, I believe I could take most of the night away for us tomorrow.”

I widened my eyes with a silly grin. “You mean it?”

“Mmhmm. It is most likely.”

“Hmm. I guess I could hold off just one more day.”

24

Empty Walls

I stayed with Amorie as promised. She told me how the dawn would go. “When the sun rises, I will become very weak. I will sleep to pass the time.”

“So the sun just makes you sleepy?” I asked.

“If only, ma chérie. If only. The sun’s light would burn me very badly if I allowed it to touch me.” She didn’t seem comfortable even talking about it.

“I guess that’s why there’s no windows in here. I should have realized that earlier.” I snuggled against her side in the warmth of her bed.

Amorie smiled at me. “I do not wish you to be afraid. As soon as the dawn breaks, I will want to go to sleep.”

“But you’ll just be asleep, right?” I was a little nervous about the whole thing. Amorie could get a little creepy when she was being very still. I imagined she’d be even more still when she was sleeping.

“Only asleep, my little wolf. You need not worry about me.”

I tried not to, but it was a little difficult. When the sun rose, she caressed my face once before her eyes slid closed, then her body became death. I felt a pang of sorrow for her, and a touch of fear, at the look in her eyes as the light that made them her slipped away. I laid with her, held her, and in a way, doing so made me feel better even, but I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that my Amorie was simply no longer there. Even the steady, if far slower than normal heartbeat dropped away to nothing, leaving a dead thing behind in her place. But the body that lay beside me was hers, and in a way, I felt better knowing that I was there to protect it.

The night that followed was great fun. Amorie called off all her meetings and spent the night with me at her place. We watched movies, cuddled, talked, and just enjoyed each other’s company. At one point, when we’d lost interest in our movie in favor of making out, Mira drifted in unannounced, thoroughly creeping me out when I came up for air and found her just sitting there on the other side of Amorie. She looked up at me as if there was nothing unusual about that, and waved her fingers at me daintily. I forced a grin back at her, while hiding how freaked the hell out I was. Amorie just smiled at her fondly and asked her how she was feeling. Mira commented vaguely about having been enjoying the show I’d given her, then she just drifted back out.

When the night grew to a close, I laid down with Amorie once more as she prepared for the dawn. I kissed her as the sun rose, and just as she closed her eyes, I understood the look I had seen in them the morning before. She’d looked scared. My heart ached for her.

I slipped out of the room and made for the door, but as I turned for the stairs, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Mira was standing in the hallway, staring at me as I came from Amorie’s room. I put a hand to my chest and panted out the scare. Mira tilted her head, almost birdlike, as if she didn’t understand what was wrong. “You are leaving?” she asked quietly.

“Yep. I’m heading home.”

I was just about to add that it had been good meeting her and all when she replied, “Good.” Then she slipped past me and into Amorie’s room. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I imagined if Amorie lived with her, she trusted her. I had wanted to ask Mira how she was staying up after the sunrise if Amorie wasn’t able to do so, but she hadn’t really left me any opportunity. I sighed and peeked back into Amorie’s room just to make sure Mira wasn’t going to hurt her, but the creepy vampire had just curled up on the sofa, and appeared as still as Amorie had when I’d left her.

I called a cab and slept on the way home.

When I was back in my apartment, I stretched and sighed, and looked around the little one-room home and for the first time in many years, I truly felt the awful loneliness of my life. I hugged myself as I stood there alone, missing my Amorie and my pack. Nothing felt right.

I dialed the pack house, meaning to speak to Ralof but Raelya picked up. “Ello?”

“Raelya!” I was honestly happy to hear a friendly voice, even if it wasn’t the one I’d been aiming for. “Hey. Is Ralof around?”

“Dakota? No, he is at work.”

I had laid back on my bed, cherishing her voice in my ear as it chased the lonely feelings away. “Okay, could you give him a message?”

“You could call him at work if you want to. I can give you his number.”

“I should get that soon, but could you just give him a message for now?” I didn’t want to try to memorize his number right now. I was too sleepy for stuff like that.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Just that I’m home safe and I’ll be coming by to see you guys uh… I guess after I get some sleep if that’s okay?”

“You are always welcome here, Dakota. You are pack now.” Those words settled into my heart and warmed the lonely parts of it so quickly I couldn’t suppress a happy laugh.

“What is it?” Raelya asked.

“I’m just… happy I found you guys.”

“Ahhh.” I could hear the smile in her voice, and it was easy to picture her smiling face.

“Could you do me one more favor if it’s not too much trouble?”

“Most likely, yes.” She said teasingly.

“Could you just… talk to me a bit, until I fall asleep?” I desperately wanted to avoid that lonely feeling coming back right now. I didn’t like the idea of trying to fall asleep while feeling that way. I rolled to the side to get comfy, and my eyes brushed across the silent shadow of a form I knew wasn’t really there. Those things didn’t bother me anymore, but they also did nothing to make me feel less alone. Though it was starting to creep me out that they seemed to be appearing more frequently now that I’d Awakened. “I mean, I know that’s probably pretty weird and all but…”

“Not so weird. You are new wolf. It is difficult for you right now, and you have probably many feelings that pack would make it easier for you to deal with.”

“Thank you for understanding.” I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but at least she didn’t think I was a creeper. I kicked my shoes off and settled into my bed.

“What do you want me to talk about?”

“Anything. I just want to hear your voice for a while. It won’t take long. I’m a day sleeper so I’m pretty tired.” I glanced at my alarm clock and it was half past nine. “Tell me a story, Raelya?” I begged in a playful, childish tone.

Raelya laughed. “All right. Let me see…” Raelya launched into a fairy tale about an old woman who traded three favors to a troll for an old cooking pot. I was actually pretty interested in how it ended, which is just my luck, because I drifted off halfway through it with ease.

25

Preparations

I woke up at sunset. I knew it was sunset because I’d left the stupid curtains open and the relentless evening rays had dragged me out of a deep and dreamless sleep. I lay in bed for a moment, sighing at the silent emptiness of the room around me and my thoughts drifted back to Amorie. I held my hand up to watch the orangey-gold rays playing on my pale skin. She’d looked scared.

I wanted to hold her and say, “Everything is all right. I’m here.” But I wasn’t. And the sun wasn’t down yet, so I couldn’t even call her. I pushed myself up from the bed and out of my darker thoughts. I needed to go to the pack house. I got a shower, dressed, and headed out the door, leaving that lonely shadow in my apartment where it belonged.

An hour later, I knocked on Ralof’s door as the cab pulled out of the drive. Steph answered the door. Her lavender hair was pulled up in a puffy high ponytail with strands picked free all around her face to frame it. She wore a tight fitting baby doll t-shirt with some anime characters I didn’t recognize, and shorts short enough to make me feel old for wanting to tell her they were too short. I smiled at her cheery expression, “Hey Steph.”

“Hey uh… Dakota right?” She shifted out of the way to let me come in, and I did.

“Hey, you remembered.” I glanced at her shirt. “So you’re into anime, I take it?”

Steph’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes! Wait. Oh my gosh, please tell me you are too?”

I sensed that I was about to be in trouble, but she looked so excited, I just couldn’t spoil it for her. I knew what it was like to wish I had someone to geek at after all. “Yeah, some.”

Steph exploded into a cloud of geekery. She started talking so fast, it was hard to keep up. I floated into the living room with her as she went on about her favorite series, her current obsession, her favorite ships, and then made her stance clear on subs versus dubs. I listened quietly until she paused for air.

“So what about you?” she asked. “What’s your favorite?”

I had to think about it for a second because I didn’t watch that many animes, but given her patience, I figure she took it for me having to decide. “Death Note, I think.” It’d been one of my favorites because it focused on investigation, logical thinking, and a battle of wits for the ages.

“Oh my gosh I love Death Note!” And she told me exactly how much she loved it. Then how much she loved each character. Apparently, she loved all of them. I couldn’t blame her much on that part. She hopped a little as she finished literally squeeing at the love she had for the series and I just admired her exuberance. “You know what I mean?”

I grinned at her. “Yeah. I honestly had a hard time deciding who to root for. That was one of the things I loved most about the series. You kinda wanted the bad guy to win, but you also kind wanted the good guy to win.”

Steph’s eyes grew wide. “Woah. You really did watch it…”

“Uh, yeah? I said I did, didn’t I?”

“Usually when people name a series like that and then don’t say much, they’re just saying something to shut me up.” She frowned a little and then the frown hit her eyes. Poor kid. She was so vibrant, and it seemed she really wanted for someone to actually listen to her.

“Well, I don’t do that. I just didn’t say anything because you generally said what I was thinking about it.”

She grinned at that, the little hint of sadness gone as quickly as it’d come. “I’m so excited that you’re here.” She hopped forward and glomped me. I knew she was glomping me because I’ve watched some anime in my time and I knew what a glomp looked like, and how it differed from other kinds of hugs. And because, now, I knew that Steph was the kind of girl who glomped people.

I hugged her lightly in return and she stepped back just as Ralof came thundering down the stairs. “Dakota!” Steph backed out of the way as Ralof approached. He leveled his eyes at me and I grinned sheepishly.

“Hey Ralof.”

“Had a good time in Nashville?”

“I did.” I glanced sidewardly at Steph who looked way too interested. “Sure did. Yup.” I stepped toward the kitchen. “Mind if I grab a drink?”

“Of course not. Make yourself at home.” He walked with me into the kitchen. I got a soda out of the fridge and opened it, leaning back against the counter.

“So, I need to go to Canada. SII is going to send me for free. This is a really big deal for me. I get to find out what happened to my mind to make me have all those blackouts and forget how to shift or whatever.”

“Yes, I remember. And it is important that you take them up on this offer.” He frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you going so far on your own.”

“I figured you would say that. What can I do?” I didn’t want to go alone either.

“I would be happier if someone from the pack went with you.” He leaned against the bar and crossed his arms.

I nodded. “I figured you were going to say that. So are you going with me then?”

“Sadly, I can not. As the Alpha, it is my job to stay here and protect the pack. But there are many good wolves among us, and many of them would be happy to accompany you.”

I pursed my lips. “Yeah. But I don’t really know anyone that well yet. And I’m not sure anyone would really want to go traveling with me. I mean, they don’t know me either. And I’m not… I mean… I’m not really even a werewolf properly yet. Am I? I can’t even shift… Doesn’t that make me some kind of freak?”

Ralof stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “You are pack. I do not care if you can not change your shape.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps not everyone would agree with me, but if anyone gives you a hard time about it, you will let me know, and I will put a stop to it.”

I smiled at him feeling touched. “Thanks, Ralof. It… it means so much to me to be a part of the pack.”

Ralof smiled and spread his arms. I hugged him gratefully and his arms swallowed me whole. “Geeze you’re huge.” I laughed.

Ralof laughed and tousled my hair, releasing me. “I think the problem is more that you are tiny.”

I grinned. “I’m travel sized, for your convenience.”

Ralof laughed again as Elisa walked into the kitchen. “What is funny?”

Ralof turned to grin at his mate. “What do you think, Elisa? Am I too big or is Dakota too tiny?”

Elisa rolled her eyes. “You are both too crazy.” She brushed past her laughing husband to get herself a drink.

I shifted out the way and smiled at her. “Hey Elisa.”

She straightened from the fridge with a drink in hand and looked me over. “New wolf. You are still too skinny. Eat something.” She gestured to a slow cooker on the counter. “There is pork.”

I grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.” I turned and paused as I wondered which cabinet held the plates, but Elisa stepped past me and opened the correct one before heading out of the room. Ralof caught her in a hug and kissed her cheek. She hmph’d at him, but smiled, and it was beautiful. She left again with her drink and Ralof stepped over to lean against the counter next to me as I piled some pulled pork onto a plate.

“She likes you, you know.” He rumbled quietly.

I smiled. “I know. I can feel it.” I put the lid back on the slow cooker and started searching drawers for a fork.

“Good. I did not want you to think she is serious with her sternness. It is just how she is.” He pulled open a drawer to reveal the location of the hidden silverware to me.

I grabbed a fork as I grinned at him. “She’s wonderful. I love it here so much.”

Ralof gave me a soft smile. “It was lonely when you got home, then?”

I froze and lowered my head, suddenly holding back tears I hadn’t realized had been waiting to ambush me. “I have never felt like this before. I’ve lived alone most of my adult life… Suddenly, it’s like I just can’t take it.”

Ralof put a hand on my shoulder. “It is okay, Dakota. We are pack creatures. Now that your wolf is Awake, it is not surprising that you feel the need to no longer be alone.”

I looked up at him with a quivering smile. “What do I do about it?”

“You could move in here, if you wanted.” He squeezed my shoulder softly.

I blinked, my heart jumping. “I… I could?”

Ralof nodded seriously. “Mmhmm. You would be more than welcome.”

I thought about that for a moment. The pack house was pretty big; I didn’t doubt there was room for me. And it seemed that several of the pack members lived here. On the one hand, I liked my little apartment, and it was close to my job. On the other hand, I could always get another job. In fact, if the SII thing panned out, I wouldn’t need that other job anymore. I remembered how I’d felt the first time I visited the pack house. When I’d left, it’d felt like leaving home.

“I… I think I would like that.”

Ralof patted my back gently. “Take your time and think about it. If it makes you happy, then do it. And if not, that is fine too.” He thumped my back solidly and smiled at me, then started for the door. I was quiet as he crossed the room, but then suddenly remembered the pressing issue I still needed his help for.

“Ralof!”

He glanced back at me, pausing in the doorway.

“Who should I ask to go with me to Canada?”

Ralof smiled. “It is up to you. Just ask someone. Other than myself, anyone could go with you if they want to. So it is really your choice who to invite.” And with that, he left me alone in the kitchen with a plate full of pork and a head full of options.

I sat down at the bar and started eating Elisa’s delicious pork and considered my options. I doubted Elisa would want to go. She seemed to have her hands full keeping a house full of werewolves fed and orderly. I assumed she got a lot of help with that, but she also seemed to be the lady of the house, and I didn’t want to be a burden. Andrei was lots of fun and he might enjoy going on a trip with me, but I knew he was some kind of supervisor at the railroad and it might be hard for him to take the time off. Steph, Kenneth, and Elliot were all too young. I’d feel awkward with a teenager for my bodyguard.

Raelya stepped into the kitchen and paused to smile at me. “Ello there, Dakota.”

“Raelya! Just the woman I wanted to see.”

She tilted her head. “Oh? And what did you want to see me for?” She came over to the bar and sat down next to me.

“I have to make a trip to Canada and Ralof wants someone to go with me.”

Raelya smiled sweetly. “You want me to go with you?”

“Would you? I’d really love the chance to get to know you better anyway.”

Raelya nodded. “I would be happy to go with you, Dakota.”

I smiled, honestly pleased that she was willing to go with me. “Awesome. I can’t wait.”

“When do we leave, and where are we flying from?” She got up and went over to the counter.

“In a few days. I’ll let you know when I have the final information. And I think Nashville.”

“All right, so we will drive to Nashville then?” She got down a plate and started picking out some pork for herself.

“I figured we’d just take the bus.”

Raelya tilted her head. “Would it not be simpler to drive?” She grabbed a fork and came back over to the bar.

I shrugged. “Probably, but I don’t have a car.”

Raelya settled down next to me. “Why not? Do you not need one to get around in Knoxville?”

“Oh it would be nice, but…” I shrugged. “I don’t drive.”

Raelya blinked. “You do not drive? But why not?”

I shrugged. “It’s… a long story.”

“Well if you do not want to tell me, I understand.” She started eating and looked away from me.

I frowned. “I don’t mind, just… really, it’s not that interesting.”

Raelya glanced over at me. “Most people your age can drive, so it probably is.”

I sighed. “When I was a teen, I had those blackouts.”

“The ones you are going to see a Mentalist about, yes?”

I nodded. “Because of the blackouts, I wasn’t allowed to get a learner’s permit, or a license.”

“Why did you not get one later on when they had stopped?” she asked around a mouthful of meat.

“Because… the blackouts continued for a few years. By the time I had stopped having them for long enough that I could get the restriction dropped, I had moved out of my parents’ house and I’d been living in Knoxville on my own for quite a while. I was already used to dealing with getting around without a car, and… it just wasn’t a big deal when I was in college.” I poked the pork on my plate. I hesitated and Raelya looked up at me curiously. I sighed. “I had… this girlfriend. And we lived together, so I pretty much just bummed rides off her. Then when we broke up, I didn’t really have anyone to teach me or a car to practice with, so I just stuck to what I knew.”

“This is interesting story. I do not know why you say it is not.” Raelya had finished her plate of pork in the time it took me to tell the story, so she jabbed her fork onto my plate and snatched a bit of mine.

I laughed at her. “I guess it seems like old news to me. You know there’s a whole pot of meat over there.”

“But it is over there. And yours is right here.” She grinned at me.

I grinned back. “Yeah, this is going to be a fun trip.”

26

Boarding

Raelya picked me up the afternoon of our flight to Canada. She’d offered to drive us since I had no car, and she thought it’d be silly to take a cab to Nashville when she was perfectly capable of driving us. Besides, she’d told me, she liked driving. I didn’t argue. I’d taken a lot of longer cab rides lately, and I knew she was right about the cost.

I stuffed my bags into the back seat and settled into the passenger side, smiling at my golden-haired companion cheerily. “So it’s a hundred and eighty miles to Nashville, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.”

Raelya furrowed her brow and tilted her head at me. “What?”

I sighed. “You were supposed to say, ‘Hit it!’.”

“Hit it?”

“Close enough. Let’s go.” I closed the door and buckled my seatbelt.

We chatted on the way, but Raelya could tell I was tired. I shouldn’t have been. It was late afternoon when we’d left my apartment, but I’d been resting terribly ever since I’d come home from Amorie’s place. It just wasn’t easy getting meaningful rest in my lonely apartment.

After a bit, she told me to go to sleep, and when I argued, she insisted that she was fine and that she’d rather have me be alert for the plane ride than the car trip.

“Why so much?” I queried.

“Because… airplanes are not so comfortable for us. For wolves.”

“Why so much?” I repeated in the same tone.

She glared at me playfully. “Because. It is a small area with many people, too many smells. The sounds are very loud. Everything about it tends to put the wolf on edge. I would far rather have your company then. So get your nap. I insist.”

I wiggled into a comfier position. “Are you sure you’re not Elisa’s daughter?”

She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I woke up as we pulled into the Nashville airport. Raelya hadn’t needed to wake me; a plane was taking off at the time and the noise had taken care of that for her.

We parked, grabbed our bags, and headed for the check in desk. After we’d checked in, we sat together on a bench and waited for the plane to be ready for boarding. I stood up after a bit to stretch and wandered a few feet away to stare at the big screen with all the flight statuses on it. When I bored of watching the screen updates, I started back to where Raelya was seated, but as I turned, I saw something that gave me pause.

Down the hall, near the check in desks, two groups of travelers converged just in time to prevent me from getting more than a second’s glance at the familiar face of Reynold Cuthbert, staring right at me. I blinked, disbelieving for an instant that I was really seeing the vampire who’d attacked me the night I’d Awakened, but I didn’t get a second chance to confirm it. The gap in the crowds closed on his face and when they parted again, he was gone.

I felt my wolf rising to the challenge. I could sense her unease as I hurried back to Raelya’s side. My human half wasn’t alone in thinking that we weren’t safe where we were.

Raelya seemed to know I was on edge as soon as I approached. She stiffened and glanced around once before asking me, “What is wrong?”

I frowned. “Saw a vampire.”

Raelya relaxed immediately. “Ah. It is all right, Dakota. We see vampires around—”

I shook my head and cut her off. “Not just any vampire. This one tried to eat me on the night I Awakened. And he didn’t seem too pleased about Amorie denying him his meal.”

“Oh. Well, that is not good.” She glanced around again, scanning the crowd. “I do not see his aura among the crowd. If he is still there, he is suppressing it.”

“You can do that?” I blinked at her, genuinely surprised.

“Of course you can.” She tilted her head at me. “Did they not teach you this when you spoke with SII?”

I shook my head. “They’ve sent me some reading material but there’s a lot of it and I haven’t gotten very far yet.”

“Well, yes, you can do that. It takes practice, but vampires typically have plenty of time to practice simple things.”

I frowned. “I wonder if that was him then…”

“What do you mean?”

I glanced over at her. “One night at work, a couple days before Ralof took me to the SII headquarters in Nashville, something was stalking me at work. I thought it was one of my shadow figments. But maybe it could have been him instead. Repressing his aura so I couldn’t see it.”

Raelya tilted her head. “Shadow figments?”

I bit my lip. “I see shadow figures sometimes. May be related to the thing we’re headed to Calgary over. It’s usually no big deal, but… the one I spotted at work made a sound. None of them have ever made me feel uneasy before either. Maybe it wasn’t one of them. Maybe it was a vampire.”

“But you said you did not see an aura at all?”

I shook my head. “Just shadows.”

Raelya frowned. “I wish I had seen his aura just now then so I could help you compare notes. It is unlikely he could suppress his aura completely. I’ve only heard of very old, very powerful things doing that. But the shadows could have been his aura if it is dark enough to your sight.”

I glanced at her. “The shadow figure doesn’t have an aura.”

“Then it is likely as you say, in your head.”

“That, or it’s very old. Very powerful.”

Raelya frowned thoughtfully and I frowned back. I turned back to the crowd and peered and peered, but I did not see Reynold Cuthbert again.

“Great.” I puffed out a frustrated breath. “Ugh, I hope he doesn’t get on the same plane as us.”

Raelya considered that. “We can board last, watch the other passengers get on, and make sure he is not among them.”

“Wow. Great thought. Yeah, we should do that. I don’t want to be stuck on a flight with that guy.”

Raelya nodded. “It would probably be best to avoid that.”

We kept our eyes open, but there was no further sign of Cuthbert. A few minutes later, we had to move to the boarding area, so we stood near the gates and carefully observed the passengers getting onto our flight but again, he did not appear. As the last call for our plane was made, we went up to the flight attendant to hand her our boarding passes. She took them, looked them over and frowned. “I’m sorry, but this flight is full.”

I blinked. “What do you mean, it’s full?”

“The flight was overbooked, and it’s already full.” She handed me our boarding passes back. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to see customer service.”

“That’s ridiculous! We weren’t even on standby!” Raelya touched my shoulder. I’d raised my voice more than I’d intended to, and the woman in front of me had taken a step back. “Sorry. Who do I talk to?”

The flight attendant pointed us toward a desk and we headed for it. “She was scared of me…” I observed quietly to Raelya.

“Mmhmm. This is why I tried to calm you down. Your wolf is restrained for now, but the Unawakened can still become very intimidated by us if we are not careful. I did not want you to scare her and cause a scene.” Raelya told me quietly.

I frowned. “I hadn’t wanted to do anything like that.”

“I know.” She smiled at me as I glanced at her. “You’re welcome.”

We spoke to the customer service representative who told us they could get us on another flight right away. It was practically the same as our first flight, having one stop and landing us in Calgary around the same time, so we accepted it and moved on. The customer service rep walked us down to the boarding area and personally saw to it that we made it onto the new flight, so all in all, I was satisfied.

As we settled into our seats, Raelya smiled. “That was not so bad.”

“Nah. We’ll still get there and we didn’t have to wait forever, so I’m happy enough.” I frowned as I scanned the other passengers.

“What is wrong?”

I shook my head and sat down. “Nothing. Just making sure Cuthbert’s not here. What if he’d engineered the whole flight-swapping thing so he could get me alone in a can in the sky?”

Raelya grinned at me fiercely. “Then he would have been in for a surprise, as you are not alone.”

I smiled at her happily, then glanced paranoidly around again. “Ugh. It’s like you said. Already feeling uncomfortable in here.”

Raelya patted my arm. “It will be all right, Dakota. I will be here with you.”

I smiled at her. “I’m so glad for that.” I laid my hand on top of hers. “I… I really wasn’t enjoying being home alone.”

“Some wolves do not enjoy being away from their pack. Then, it is a little odd to me that you were fine with living alone all these years. Typically, when one is not with a pack, they would still want to be with someone.” She turned her hand over and clasped mine.

“I can’t say I always loved being alone, but it never felt so… awful… until I first set foot in the pack house. Somehow, meeting you guys, just being around you for even a little while made me feel like I’d crossed some invisible threshold… Like I’d changed things in some unseen way and I could never go back.” I squeezed her hand. “Is that weird?”

Raelya shook her head. “Not so much. Maybe it is because your wolf is… so distant. Maybe because you can not fully connect with her, you are longing for the wolves you can connect with all the more.”

“That… might make sense.” I glanced down at our hands. I was so comfortable sitting close to Raelya, holding her hand. It shouldn’t have been so simple. I didn’t normally find it so easy to connect with other people that I was comfy snuggling up with them when I’d only spent a handful of hours in their company before. But Raelya’s hand didn’t feel like a stranger’s hand. She felt like she belonged there, by my side, so close that our shoulders rested against each other. She made me feel safe, and at home, even in this crowded, noisy plane.

27

Turbulence

Our flight landed on time, and we exited the plane to wait out the brief layover. “The hell are we doing in Dallas?” I wondered to Raelya as we settled our carry-on bags onto a bench. “Why would you fly from Nashville to Dallas to go to Calgary?”

“Perhaps it is because the airport here is a very large one. I think not all the airports are international.” Raelya had napped a little on the plane, resting her head against my shoulder. I hadn’t minded at all. I had just been happy she had felt that comfortable, especially after all she’d said to me about how uneasy planes made werewolves feel. I’d felt strangely satisfied with her resting on my arm, as if everything was right now that I could watch over her for a change. Now her hair was a little fuzzy as wisps had flown free from her braids and I smiled at her dozy expression.

“Probably that. It just feels weird to me to go West and then North. The Chicago layover at least made sense. This feels like we followed a Looney Tunes map.” I walked over to the nearby status board and carefully scanned it until I found our flight number. “But it says this one goes to Calgary. So I guess they didn’t also mess that up.”

Raelya smiled at me. “It will be all right, Dakota. We will get there.”

I laughed. “I know. I’m just annoyed.”

She grasped my hand. “I know.” I smiled at her, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

“Do you smell pizza?” I wondered idly.

Raelya nodded. “Definitely.”

“You know what we must do, right?” I grinned at her.

Raelya grinned right back. “I believe it is becoming clear to me.”

We got up and wandered around for a bit. This trip had been my first time flying and I’d never even been in an airport before this morning. I had been distracted earlier with Cuthbert showing up and all, but now that it was just me and Raelya with some time to kill, I was eager to do a little exploring. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was quite a bit bigger than the Nashville airport had been. We hadn’t bothered to explore the food court in Nashville, so we made our way to the brightly-lit strip of fast food restaurants nearby and sought out the glorious smell of pepperoni and greasy cheese.

I marveled for a moment at the selection of restaurants, but my awe was quickly overshadowed by a glimpse of the prices. “What?” I half-shouted. “I’ve heard that airport food was expensive, but seriously? That much for a slice? I could buy a cheap pizza for that much back home!”

Raelya smirked at me and shrugged. “We are, as they say, a captive audience. Are you going to pay extra or go without?”

I pouted playfully as I reached for my cash. “Please forgive me Mr. Wallet. I’m so sorry I have to do this to you.”

Raelya laughed as we stepped up to the pizza place together.

We filled our rumbly bellies with pizza and soda then split an exorbitantly priced scoop of Ben & Jerry’s. Raelya said she was not picky, but turned her nose up at my first selection of Rocky Roadish, professing a distaste for marshmallows, so we settled on Cherry Garcia because who doesn’t love cherries and chocolate? We finished up the dessert before heading back to the boarding area in search of a quiet corner to rest in until our plane arrived.

As we walked back into the boarding area, I noticed a couple of men in black suits glancing our way from where they were standing near the other entrance, and my stomach tightened a little as they started heading our way. I glanced at Raelya to see how she was reacting to their approach, but she had been digging in a pocket on her bag and hadn’t noticed them when I had. I nudged her shoulder just as the suits paused to address us, drawing her attention to their presence before they spoke. “Miss Shepherd, Miss Gundarsdottir, we need to have a word with you.”

I glanced at Raelya who shrugged at me minutely. “What’s this about?”

One of the suits smiled reassuringly. “We just need to ask you a few questions, ma’am. Our supervisor informed us that you were originally on a flight stopping in Chicago?”

I nodded. “That’s right. And?”

“We need to speak with you privately for a moment.”

I frowned. “What about?”

“You’ve been flagged for an additional security screening. We just need to ask you a few questions.”

This wasn’t how it usually went in the movies, but this was my first time flying, so what did I know? I glanced at Raelya to make sure she was agreeable and she shrugged at me again. She looked a little uncertain, but I figured that she, like me, was mostly just uncomfortable with the idea of going off to talk to strangers in a strange place. But I noticed other airline personnel standing at their stations nearby and even a couple of TSA agents with their iconic blue gloves wandering past the door that led back into the airport’s main concourse, and no one had given the suits any second glance, so I supposed they weren’t as suspicious to those accustomed to airport stuff as they were to me.

We turned to follow the suits out of the boarding area and down a hallway to where a few doors lined one wall and the agents gestured us toward separate doors. I glanced at Raelya as she disappeared into the door next to the one they were leading me toward. She met my eyes just before the wall between the two rooms separated us. The wolf inside of me was starting to feel agitated and I was inclined to agree with her; something didn’t feel right. I examined the man who led me away, but I could not detect any color in his aura. He was Unawakened; I was sure of it. But something still felt wrong.

My instincts started really going haywire when he led me through a door and a faint pressure popped in my ears. I wondered if it was something to do with the X-ray machines or some other TSA equipment, but there was too much on my mind to spare it much thought just then. I found myself in a small room with a table and two chairs, and a single potted plant in the corner. There was another door opposite the one I’d come in. We were alone in the room, except for the shadowy figure in the corner. But that had come with me and I didn’t have time to concern myself with my mental issues right now.

The agent told me to have a seat. I dragged the chair out slowly and sat down, eying him suspiciously. “So what now?”

The agent sat across from me and folded his hands on the table. “As I said before, I just need to ask you some questions. Is that all right?”

The shadowy figure moved a little closer to the agent, which freaked me out considerably more. The shadow figures usually didn’t move. They just stood there, silent, if slightly creepy, and then vanished some time later when I wasn’t paying attention.

I kept one eye on the shadow figure as I crossed my arms. “Do I have a choice?”

“I really need to ask you a few questions.” The shadow figure shifted slightly to the side between one blink and the next.

I frowned, breath quickening slightly in anxiety. “In other words, no. I don’t have a choice.”

“If we could just begin, this won’t take much of your time.” I said nothing, so he continued. “Your name is Dakota Lynn Shepherd. Is that correct?”

“That’s right.” I responded woodenly. The shadow figure came to rest just behind the agent, slightly to the side. I found myself staring at it, afraid it would do something more, perhaps something terrifying.

The agent nodded. “And how old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.” My skin was prickling with unease. “What’s this really about?”

The agent’s expression shifted defensively. “I will ask the questions here, Miss Shepherd. Now, where do you—” The shadow figure vanished between one blink and the next. My stomach knotted even harder. But I didn’t have time to spare it any more thought at the moment. Something about this situation was not right, and I knew exactly how to deal with it.

“Am I being detained?” I asked coldly.

The agent glared at me. “As I said, we just need to ask you some questions.”

I straightened and put my hands on the table. “That’s not what I asked. I said, ‘Am I being detained?’”

The agent glanced at his hands, seeming to lose his nerve. “Miss Shepherd, we simply need to ask you some questions—”

“For what reason? Am I under suspicion?” I started to rise.

“We need to determine your group affiliations. And—”

“Group affiliations?” My temper was flaring. I knew my rights, and this agent was refusing to acknowledge my query about detention. I felt as though the wolf were pacing inside me. She didn’t like this any more than I did. “If I am not being detained, I am leaving.”

I stood and turned toward the door, but as I did, the opposite door opened. A slightly older man stepped in and I knew I was in trouble. He wore a long, black coat over his black suit, and his aura was lit up with yellows and a creamy not-white. Despite the overall cheery color of his aura, my hackles were up as soon as he appeared. He nodded to the other agent who hurried out and closed the door. “Miss Shepherd?” He slowly stepped toward me, tugging on a black glove.

I took a step back, not backing down, but bracing myself. I didn’t trust this man one bit. “Who the hell are you and what do you want?”

The man in black adjusted his glove then started to pull on the other one. I noticed a silver emblem on the back of his glove, an iron cross, and my head was swimming with need to remember where I’d seen that symbol before recently. The man regarded me levelly as he settled his gloves. “Dakota Shepherd, you are a werewolf.” I straightened reflexively; my instincts were screaming danger. “And I will purge you in the name of God.” Crap.

I took a step back. “Wait, what? Why would you need to purge me? I haven’t hurt anyone.” My thoughts were racing. The man pushed his coat aside, revealing a freaking longsword on his hip. The same iron cross adorned the pommel. I had seen that symbol before. I knew I had.

He put his hand on the hilt of the sword. “You are an abomination in the sight of the Lord. Your kind will be cleansed from the Earth in His name.” I heard a thumping sound from the next room, and what I presumed to be raised voices, muffled by the thick wall, but I didn’t have time to think about it.

“Woah!” I was starting to panic. “Hold on there Father Psychopants! I’m not an abomination! I’m just a girl that happens to be a werewolf! I can’t even shift!”

For an instant, I thought I had swayed him. He closed his eyes as an expression of earnest sorrow flashed across his features. “Then may God have mercy upon your soul.” He drew the sword, and I flexed my hand upward, gripping the lambent flames that sprouted from my palm without so much as a thought. The man in black hesitated, taking a step back reflexively.

“Hold the hell on!” I yelled. I was as surprised as he looked that the flames had come to my call. I hadn’t even had to focus on it the way Nita had taught me. I’d barely even formed the idea of bringing the Hellfire forth when it’d just happened, coming as naturally as a breath of air. “Just hold it right there. I don’t know who you are and I have no idea why you want to kill me, but you don’t want to do this. Just put the sword down, and I won’t have to use this.” I held up my hand threateningly. His face contorted in disgust and outrage. I steeled myself. “I know you know what this is.” I didn’t. “And I know you don’t want me to use it.” I hoped. “So back the hell off, and we’ll all walk away from this.” The thumping from the other room was accented by the screech of metal twisting against metal, but I was entirely too distracted to process that at the moment.

The man took another step back but his grip on the sword tightened. “This only proves that you are truly an abomination. A werewolf is one thing, but a werewolf who bears Hellfire is no innocent lamb.” His eyes darkened as he readied the sword. “For a moment, I believed your lies. But now I can not allow you to leave.”

I was getting pretty desperate. I didn’t dare actually use the Hellfire on him. After all my practice with Nita, there was one thing I was absolutely sure of: if I unleashed the Hellfire in force, there was an excellent chance I would never regain control of it. And we were in the middle of a crowded building, full of innocent people, children, old folks, and probably even a couple of puppies. There was no way I would risk all of their lives, even to save my own, and I knew it. But he didn’t. I flexed my arm toward the wall beside me. “Take one step closer and I’ll set the building on fire.”

The man snarled at me. “Fiendish creature!” he spat, incensed. He raised the sword to strike, but snapped his head around to the door as something hit it from the outside, hard, denting it inward and all hell broke loose. Everything seemed to happen at once. The door burst open and I grabbed the metal chair beside me, snuffing the Hellfire out with a force of will, and I swung the chair at him as hard as I could. I put my whole body into the swing, pulling the motion from my feet all the way up through my torso and into my arms as the chair connected with his arm, knocking the blade out of his hand as he turned to face the enraged Raelya who barreled into the room as the door slammed into the wall behind her.

The man called out in surprise and presumably, pain as the chair hit him in the wrist and Raelya barreled into him, ducking low to put her shoulder into his chest. I barely stepped out of the way in time for her to bullrush him into the wall behind me, taking the wind out of him. His head snapped back into the wall, and he staggered as she took a step back. Raelya’s arms were handcuffed behind her back, and there was a sickly smell in the air that made my wolf surge once more in anger. I didn’t know why or how, but I knew that Raelya was hurt, and that absolutely enraged me.

The man in black drew a smaller blade from the his other side and raised it to strike, but Raelya swept her body fluidly out of the way of his slash and spun to the side, snapping a powerful kick into his sternum. That kick had every right to herald the sound of bones snapping, but an odd shimmery light flashed around him and he only flinched at her powerful blow. I readied the chair in my hands for another strike, but couldn’t bring it to bear without risking hitting Raelya.

As he lifted his arm again, Raelya shoulder-checked it into the wall. As they struggled, an Unawakened TSA agent rushed in, glanced at the sizeable dent Raelya had put in the metal door, then paled as his eyes landed on the man-in-black’s sword. He reached for his sidearm. In a split-second decision, I darted toward him as he pulled the pistol free from its holster and clocked his wrist with my chair, causing him to fumble the firearm before he could steady his grip. The agent yelped loudly in pain, and I was sure the sound would draw others down on us, but it was too late to care. I brought the chair back around and floored him with it. I might be small, but I knew how to apply my strength when I needed it. I was a security guard, after all.

The agent crumpled to the floor, dazed and I spotted his fallen gun. I dropped the now-wonky chair and scooped up the pistol, bringing it up to aim as I stepped to the side and sighted the man in black. Raelya had pinned his arm with her shoulder but he had retaliated by winding his hand into her long, braided hair, and was using her golden locks as leverage, trying desperately, teeth clenched, to pry her off of his weapon arm. I steadied the gun with my other hand and breathed out, then fired, squeezing the trigger twice.

The report of the gunfire was agonizingly loud in the tiny room, and the world went quiet beyond it, replaced with the shrill ringing of slightly damaged ears. The first bullet hit him squarely in the shoulder, that strange shimmer rippling over him again, and he bucked against the wall as Raelya dropped low. The second bullet hit him in the arm and splattered the corner behind him like a bloody Jackson Pollock original. Despite being shot, he glared up at me in defiance then glanced toward his sword and I pulled the trigger four more times, putting four more bullets, now with a clear line of sight, right into the center mass. The shimmering flashed twice, then seemed to snap somehow as the last two bullets hit.

The man in black slid to the floor, clutching at his bloody wounds, and I crossed the room quickly to help Raelya up. I closed my free hand around her wrist to steady her and hissed as the metal handcuffs delivered a shocking sting to my skin. I adjusted my grip and pulled her to her feet, steadying her. She looked up at me and her eyes were bleary and exhausted, and oddly golden. My eyes went to the handcuffs which gleamed a little too brightly for steel. I cursed. “Silver?” Raelya nodded tiredly. I made sure she was steady on her feet, then turned to the dazed human agent and robbed him of his keys.

I tucked the gun into the waistband of my pants so I could unlock the handcuffs. “Shit. I shot him. Why hasn’t everyone come running?”

Raelya sighed in relief as the cuffs came free, and rubbed at the angry red burns left behind where they’d touched her. Blood smeared onto her hands as she rubbed them and I realized the ugly wounds were slowly oozing red. I snarled in a surge of outrage that came from deep inside. The smell of her burned wrists and fresh blood was making me angrier than I already had been. Raelya grasped my arm. “Get rid of the gun. We must go.”

I glanced around and my eyes landed on the over-sized pot holding a small tropical plant. I did my best to wipe the gun with my shirt then dropped it into the pot. The man in black groaned as I stepped past him to lose the weapon, and I noticed his hands twisting in an odd fashion near his chest. “The hell…” I wondered aloud. The tingle of magic pricked at my senses and I noticed that his wounds weren’t bleeding anymore. “Crap.” I turned and hurried out with Raelya close by my side.

We stepped out of the room and my ears popped again, feeling this time as if a pressure had eased from them. I shook my head at the effect, and noticed Raelya doing the same. The room emptied us into a hallway which led back around to the boarding area and we hurried that way, trying our best not to look too suspicious. I still had no idea why the whole place hadn’t come down on us at the sound of the gunfire, but I wondered if that odd pressure had anything to do with it. I’d have to ask someone about that later.

But for the moment, we were safe, or at least safer than we had been a moment before, and I felt that was good enough. We slowed down as we exited the hallway and hurried back into the boarding area, making our way to the far corner, hoping to lose ourselves in the small crowd of passengers waiting to board the same flight. Just as we came in, the announcement went over the loudspeaker that our flight was boarding, and we rushed to get onto the plane, hoping, or at least I was, that if we could just get out of the airport, we’d be okay.

A few minutes later, we were seated on the plane, and I whipped out my cellphone and dialed Adrien Michaelangelo’s number. I got the front desk, but they redirected me quickly. “Hello?”

“Adrien? It’s Dakota. We had trouble at the Dallas airport.”

“Dallas? I thought your layover was in Chicago.” His tone was immediately serious.

“It was, but the flight was oversold and they swapped us. Anyway, there was a weird guy in a black suit—”

Raelya cut me off. “Templar. Tell him.”

I blinked but nodded. “Raelya says Templar. He attacked us, and I shot him.” I said the latter very quietly. Luckily, this flight was undersold and there weren’t any other passengers right near us.

“Templar? Are you all right?” Adrien sounded concerned.

“Mostly shaken up, but they put silver handcuffs on Raelya and it looks like she’s burned pretty badly.”

Raelya shook her head. “I will be fine.”

I frowned but nodded as Adrien continued. “Are you safe for the moment?”

“I think so. We’re about to take off.”

“Good.” I heard the steady clack of his keyboard despite the fact that my ears were still ringing from the gunshots. He must have been typing quickly. “I will inform Mr. Simms of the trouble you’ve run into and see to it that an escort awaits you in Calgary to assure your safe passage when you arrive.”

“Awesome. Thanks.” I relaxed a little, sinking back into the seat.

“I am terribly sorry about this, Miss Shepherd. This… this shouldn’t have happened.” He sounded pretty upset.

“It’s not your fault. And we’re all right. I’m just kinda worried that we’ll be arrested as soon as we land.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. It’ll be taken care of.” The typing stopped. “I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”

I laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

“Regardless, you have my apologies. I know you need to go, so for the sake of brevity, well done, Dakota. The Templar are extremely dangerous, and given your lack of experience, it speaks volumes that you were able to survive such an encounter at all. I am impressed.”

“Shucks, Adrien. I just hit him with a chair. Raelya did the real work.”

“Regardless, well done. Now, forgive me, but I need to make some calls and see if I can figure out how you ended up in Dallas in the first place. An escort will be waiting when you land.”

“Thanks.” I ended the call, turned my phone to airplane mode and tucked it away.

Raelya looked up at me. “Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Nothing happened to me really. Just kinda shaken. And angry. Gosh, I’m angry. Am I supposed to be this angry?”

Raelya nuzzled my shoulder slightly, leaning against my side. “When your pack is hurt, it is normal to feel angry.”

That made sense. I put an arm around her and held her to my side. That felt better. The wolf started settling down finally. “For those who dare to harm my pack…” Raelya glanced up at me, smiling fondly. I grinned. “Their misery shall be deep-seated.”

Raelya blinked and then burst into laughter. I squeezed her against my side and she hugged me back. All I needed was a pair of sunglasses.

28

The Simms

Raelya covertly bandaged her wrists before takeoff so no one would notice the bloody welts. Apparently she’d come prepared with a tiny first aid kit just in case, and it was lucky she had since someone would probably have noticed the bleeding otherwise. She and I rested against each other through the entire four-hour flight. I gazed over her shoulder out the little window as dawn broke shortly before our landing. “That was one hell of a night.” I commented quietly. Raelya looked up at me sleepily and smiled. I squeezed her shoulders, happy that she was okay. Her wrists still looked bad, but she’d assured me they would heal given time.

We exited the plane and went down to the luggage carousels to pick up our bags. Those in hand, we moved out of the way to find a place to stand and wait for our escort and our ride. No sooner had we shuffled out of the baggage pickup than I met eyes with a pair of sky-blue eyes that commanded my attention from across the room. He was a slender young man, maybe nineteen or twenty, with golden blond hair, dressed in a white button-down with a black vest, navy tie and black slacks. His aura stood out among the gray-scale crowd with its shimmery blue and purple that seemed to spiral in on its center. More than his eyes or the aura, however, it was the recognition in his expression that told me that this guy was most likely my escort. I nudged Raelya and we headed his way.

The blond guy stood casually with his hands in his pockets, and watched us cross the quiet airport with sharp, clever eyes. I approached to a safe distance and tried not to startle when he suddenly asked in a light tenor, “Dakota Shepherd, I presume?”

I glanced at Raelya cautiously then looked back up at him warily. “Uh, maybe?”

A genial smile touched his features as he pulled a little wallet from his vest pocket and flicked it open to show me a badge with the familiar emblem of SII. “I am Sky Simms, Head of Calgary SII. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He extended his left hand and I stared at it dumbly for a few seconds before accepting it. There was no freaking way he was the right guy. He was just a kid!

“Oh! Wow. Really?” I shook his hand lightly.

“Let me guess, you were expecting someone older?” His smile showed his good humor.

“Heh, I uh… I guess you get that a lot?” I smiled sheepishly. “It’s just, Adrien kept referring to you as Mr. Simms and I was expecting to meet someone a bit, well, different.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it anyway. I’m the youngest office head in SII history, and I’ve been in the job for a few years now.” He gestured for us to follow and we fell in with him as he led us out. “I’m not quite as young as I look, but young enough for the reaction to remain warranted.”

“I’d have been surprised if you were old enough to drink.” I admitted.

“Twenty six.” He smiled over his shoulder at me. “To offer some perspective, I’ve been with SII since I was fourteen, office head since twenty-two.”

I blinked. “Wow. Nice.” He definitely didn’t look his age. He led us to a black sedan waiting at the curb and opened the trunk for us. We put our luggage in, then piled into the back seats as Sky politely held the door for us. “Thanks.”

He got into the driver’s seat and I still had to shake the feeling that he was too young to be driving. He put the car into gear and smoothly pulled out into traffic. “You must be tired after your flight, and the earlier incident. I’ll take you to the hotel directly. We just have to pick up my partner, and then we can be on our way.”

“Okay, sweet.” I glanced at Raelya who smiled at me contently. “This is my friend, Raelya.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Raelya.” Sky glanced over his shoulder, nodding to her.

“And you, Mr. Sky.” Raelya smiled at him friendily.

“Please, you may call me Sky. I’ve asked Adrien to stop calling me Mr. Simms, but he’s always been formal like that.”

He pulled into an alley between the parking deck and another building, then parked on the street.

“So your partner was… hanging out in the parking deck?” I asked.

A woman rounded the corner with a freaking fifty-caliber sniper rifle slung on her back and I ducked reflexively. Sky glanced back at me. “It’s all right. That’s her.”

I relaxed. At least mostly. Sky popped the trunk and I craned my neck to watch the woman as she quickly broke the gun down and placed it into a case and closed the trunk. Her aura was honestly very strange, patchy and mottled, with a wider variety of hues than I recalled seeing on anyone else, but most of them were rather faint, dominated by a milky penumbra and a silvery gray near the center. She opened the passenger door and slid in, glancing first to Sky and then back to us. Sky smiled. “Thanks, darling.”

The woman smiled at him with a sweet adoration in her eyes. “Any time, love.” I looked her over quietly. She was fit with enough strength in her frame to warrant lugging around a gun that size. She had a mottled brown hair that seemed a bit patchy in a couple of places that she wore in a loose ponytail, and her eyes were blue. No… As she glanced back to greet us, I noticed that one of her eyes was green. “Hello.” She smiled at us.

“Dakota Shepherd and Raelya Gundarsdottir,” Sky announced to her sidewardly. I hadn’t introduced Raelya with her surname, so I figured he’d gotten that from Adrien. “This is my wife, Melissa Simms.”

I blinked, a little surprised. She was easily ten years older than him. But eh, love was love. I smiled at her friendily. “Nice to meet ya. Was that a Barret M82?”

“It was. Nice to meet you too.” She glanced over at Sky then back to us. It was the second time I’d noticed her glancing at him like that and something seemed off about it. “I hope you had an easy flight.” She frowned sympathetically, a wash of earnest apology washing over her face.

It was then that my eyes landed on the silver iron cross hanging from her neck and I tensed from head to toe. I finally remembered where I’d seen it before. On my SII reading material, and on the man who had assaulted me in Dallas. It was the symbol for an organization known for terrorizing all non-human beings in the name of the Christian god. The Templar. I jerked back in the seat, reacting instinctively to realizing I was in close quarter with an enemy. “What the hell!”

Sky glanced to the rear view mirror and put up a hand. “It’s okay! She’s with us. Really.”

“But I thought they wanted to kill us!” I wasn’t alone in distrusting her; Raelya had tensed as well.

“Not all of them.” Melissa said sadly.

Sky put a hand on her hand. “Melissa isn’t with the faction that seeks to eliminate supernaturals. She isn’t an agent anymore at all.”

“Anymore?” I eyed her suspiciously.

Melissa glanced back at me and there was sadness in her eyes. “I left them. It’s a long story.” Something passed through her expression that I couldn’t read, but Sky squeezed her hand and she looked back up at me.

I frowned. “Then why do you still wear the symbol?”

Melissa gripped Sky’s hand tighter and touched the cross with her other hand. “It’s a symbol of my faith. And I still believe in, well, not what they stand for now, but… what they’re supposed to stand for.”

I eased a little, but when I glanced at Raelya, I noticed she was still tense, and she would not look up at the woman in the front seat. I frowned and clasped her hand, hoping to reassure her. “Which is… hopefully nothing to do with killing innocent people just because they happen to be a werewolf or whatever?”

Melissa nodded. “I believe in protecting people, in doing God’s work. But I don’t believe in murdering supernaturals who have done nothing wrong.”

“Okay… That doesn’t sound so bad.” I glanced at Raelya but she was still looking down.

Sky interjected, “Melissa is on our side. She’s acting as a liaison between the Templar and SII in Canada. It’s very important that we keep peaceful relations here, and thanks to her, we’ve been able to work together more often than not.”

Melissa smiled at him. “It’s not like I could have done that alone.”

Sky shook his head. “It’s been pretty fortunate that we happened to end up together. I think it’s done a lot of good for more than just us.”

“Heh. Well, sorry for the reaction. Just, a guy with that cross on his gloves tried to kill us a few hours ago.” I said.

Melissa frowned solemnly. “I am so very sorry that you had to go through that. I’m glad you were able to defeat him.”

Sky nodded. “Adrien told me you were attacked in Dallas. If we’d known you had been redirected there, we could have prevented this whole affair.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, most of America belongs to SII.” Sky began. “The Templar more or less own Europe, but they have no foothold in the Americas. Until recently. They have won an equal footing with SII in Canada so far, and now they are trying to seed a movement in Texas as well.”

I huffed. “So we ended up in the one place in the States where they could bother us?” I considered that for a beat and frowned deeply. “That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”

“Exactly.” Sky frowned too. “But at least now that you’re here, you won’t have to worry about that. And when you go home, we’ll make sure that your flights go where they’re supposed to.”

I leaned back in the seat and thought about that as Sky drove us through downtown Calgary. Raelya remained quiet and I could tell something was bothering her. I squeezed her hand reassuringly and she bumped my shoulder with her head. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it seemed like she appreciated my attempt to comfort her at least. After a few minutes of silence, I glanced up again. “So, what are we doing today then?”

“For now, I’m taking you to the hotel.” Sky said.

“That’s right. Adrien said accommodations were being provided.” I said.

“There’s a hotel next door to our office here. Every SII headquarters has some form of housing for when it’s needed,” Sky said. Melissa glanced up at Sky again in that same, off-beat manner I’d noticed before.

“So, why do you keep looking at him like that?” I asked.

Melissa glanced at me with a puzzled expression that quickly melted into realization. “Oh…”

Sky patted her hand. “It’s okay.” He told her, then he glanced back at me briefly. “As you know, I’m a Mentalist. That means I can check into your memories and see what has happened to cause the issues you’ve had. It also means I can speak with others mentally, hear their thoughts, apply force with my mind, and more.”

“Cool! I should have realized all of that. So I guess you’re pretty used to talking to each other that way then. That makes sense.” I said.

Sky nodded. “I’m afraid it’s habit. I do my best to avoid imposing my means of speech upon others, but those who are close to me are rather used to it.”

“That sounds like it’d be really cool. I wish I had super mental powers.” I grinned. “I mean, I interrupted a ritual and all I got was this green hand-fire.”

Sky seemed amused. “There are many who would trade you for such a power. I am not one of them.” He stiffened ever so slightly. “I have seen what those of the Circles are capable of, and I would not desire to have one of them tied to me in such a manner.”

I frowned. “Eech. Sounds like you’ve had a bad experience.”

Sky shrugged. “I was Awakened when I was thirteen. My sister and I survived an event in which a Greater Devil of the Circles inadvertently crushed half our house in an unrelated conflict, killing our parents. So I suppose you could say that.”

I cringed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right.” Sky assured me calmly. “It was a long time ago. I explained to illustrate my point. You should take great care with the Circle members, Miss Shepherd. Believe me, they are supremely dangerous. Tossing a train through a house was nothing to one of them, and he was one of the lower among their ranks. Fortunately, so is the one who gave you the talent you now possess. But even so, they are deadly beyond human reckoning. You would do well to remember that, always.”

I chewed that over quietly as Sky drove us the rest of the way to the hotel. We parked and retrieved our luggage from the trunk, and Sky helped us carry it up. At first I tried to refuse his help, feeling bad about him trying to take our heavy bags as he was a rather smaller guy, but he assured me it was no trouble and lifted them with ease. I noticed he walked as if he had not lifted an ounce, and made a few guesses as to how he managed such a thing. “That’s a neat trick.”

“It beats the alternative.” He smiled at me with good humor. As we stepped into the hotel, I felt the unmistakable pressure of a ward settling over me. I glanced at Sky uncomfortably and he gestured forward. “Dakota, Raelya, please come in.” The pressure eased, parting around me like a membrane had broken and allowed me to pass through it. I sighed in relief.

Sky and Melissa walked us to our room and helped us settle our things onto the two double beds. Raelya moved to the bed farthest from the door and sat down on the end of it.

I turned to Sky when we’d finished. “So what now?”

Melissa stepped out into the hall, sharing a nod with Sky before she went. I imagined she was going to keep watch, being that she’d obviously been covering us with a sniper rifle at the airport. Nice teamwork if you asked me. Sky glanced up at me. “I thought you might be too tired from your trip to begin right away.”

“I’d be happier getting it out of the way, to be honest.” I had no idea what “it” would entail, but I wanted to know what I’d come here to find out.

Sky shrugged and nodded. “Very well, if you’d prefer it that way, I suppose we can at least take a look then.” He gestured to a pair of chairs at a little table. “Take a seat and make yourself comfortable.” I moved over to the chair and sat down, flexing my shoulders once then relaxing. I let out a long breath to calm my nerves. Sky approached me and stood before me, folding his hands politely. “Before I begin, I want you to understand what will happen here, so I will explain my process.”

I nodded attentively.

Sky nodded and continued. “I understand that you had a series of blackouts when you were a teenager, all occurring over a period of forty-three months between your sixteenth and twentieth years, and that the individual events were typically brief events, lasting between one and four hours, most of which resulted in your waking up alone in the woods, commonly without clothing. Was all of that reported correctly?”

I blinked. “Wow, you must have really studied my case. How did you keep it all straight?”

Sky pressed his lips in a flat, bare smile. “It’s a rare gift that I possess: a perfect memory. I remember absolutely everything that I ever perceive in flawless detail, no matter how long it has been.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Everything? Like, forever?”

Sky nodded. “Everything. No matter how great or terrible.”

I winced at that. “Wow. That… sounds like it could be more of a curse than a blessing.”

Sky smiled thinly. “Very astute of you, Miss Shepherd.”

“Dakota is cool.” I tried to imagine what it would be like to recall everything you ever knew, and frankly, I didn’t even want to remember everything I’d perceived last night, less every day of my life. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as I glanced back up at Sky. “If I was like that, I’d stay the hell away from the internet.”

Sky smirked at me mildly. “Indeed, I am rather selective with my sites.”

I grinned. “Can’t unsee.”

Sky sighed. “Exactly.”

“So. What do I do then?”

“Just relax and don’t fight me. I will enter your mind with mine and I will have a look around. In order to find the periods of your blackouts I will have to do a bit of exploring to find the right part of your memories. When I encounter those portions, I will look them over and see what I think about the cause of them. In the process, I will have to sift through your memories. I will see and hear many things, and I can not control what content I will witness. And, because of my gift, I will never be capable of forgetting what I absorb from your mind. As we begin, I must have your complete understanding and your absolute consent, or we can not proceed.” The incredibly serious expression and tone felt out of place on his young face.

I absorbed what he’d said and nodded. “I understand, and I give you my consent to do as you’ve said. Do what you have to do. I… I have to know the truth.”

Sky nodded to me again, then fixed his gaze on my eyes for maybe a minute. I guess I was expecting something flashier like closing his eyes and putting his hands on my head or something like that. I was really surprised when he nodded to himself again and said, “I see. What you have there is a series of mental blocks.” He frowned. “And they were definitely fabricated by a third party.”

I blinked. “That’s it? You just…”

“That’s it.” He smiled. “I suppose you were expecting something more? Mentalism is not typically very flashy, I’m afraid.”

“I mean it was just so quick and I didn’t feel anything at all.” I rubbed at my head idly.

“Well, I’m pretty skilled with it, so I should hope you wouldn’t feel anything. As for the speed, you have to remember that this work occurs at the speed of thought.” He shrugged. “Regardless, I understand what caused the blocks in your memory, and I’m afraid they are also responsible for your inability to shift into your other forms.”

I don’t know what I had been expecting. I mean, I was sent here to meet someone who could fix my problem and tell me what caused it, but now it all felt so sudden. “So… You can fix it? Just like that?”

Sky frowned and shook his head. “I’m afraid not. The blocks that I encountered were placed by a rather skilled Mentalist. More importantly, they were placed very long ago, and if I were to disturb them in the wrong way, I fear it would do you harm, and it’s not something I’d be willing to attempt alone.”

I frowned. “You mean… you can’t fix it? I… I can never regain my memories and learn to shift?” The wolf felt uneasy and miserable inside of me. The idea that I’d never come any closer to her than this…

“Oh, no. I can fix it. But I’m going to need to call in some backup.” He smiled confidently.

I perked up. “Oh? Who?”

“My sister, River. She’s very powerful, and we’ve always worked very well together. I’m confident that together we can remove those blocks safely.”

“Yay!” I grinned. “So, when can we do it?”

“I’ll have to check with her and see how long it will take her to get here.” He sighed and paced across the room toward the door. “She keeps herself busy, and there’s no telling where she is right now.”

I stood up and stretched. “Travels a lot?”

Sky shrugged. “Her… boyfriend… tends to take her on trips fairly often.”

I detected that Sky was not overly fond of his sister’s boyfriend. The protectiveness in his tone was kinda adorable. “Sounds like you don’t appreciate that?”

Sky seemed to consider briefly, taking a deep breath and puffing it out. “Her boyfriend is… a vampire. We don’t get along excellently.”

I blinked. “Oh. Huh. Yeah. Well. I can see why you might have a problem with that.” Not like I hadn’t heard it enough from people who cared about me, after all.

Sky shrugged. “It is what it is. Anyway, I’m going to go for now and see if I can get in touch with her. I will call your cell and let you know when I have an answer from her on when she can make it here. It may be a couple of days. In the mean time, I recommend you enjoy your visit. Calgary is a nice area. Hopefully, it won’t be too long of a wait, but you may as well enjoy the opportunity to see the sights, if you like.”

I smiled, excited. “That’s a great idea. Thanks. And… thanks for…” I gestured at my head.

“Not a problem.” Sky smiled honestly. “I’m happy to be able to help.” He glanced between us, seeming to consider. “Is there anything else I could help with before I go?” He turned his eyes toward Raelya. “I don’t mean to pry, but I’m getting a sense of pain.”

Raelya shook her head. “It is nothing. Just the Templar used silver handcuffs.” She indicated the bandages on her wrists.

Sky frowned. “That can’t be pleasant. If you would like, I could heal them for you.”

I blinked. “You can heal people?”

Sky nodded. “Not excellently, mind you, but I can close a wound at least.”

Raelya shrugged and started peeling off her bandages. “I will not say no.”

I glanced at Raelya. “I didn’t know psychics could heal people.”

Sky stepped over to Raelya and waited for her to finish removing the bloodied cloth. “It’s not really anything to do with my being psychic. Or rather, it’s not my Mentalism that I use for healing. It is possible to do some healing with Mentalism, but it’s much harder than with other schools of magic. So I chose to study curative Necromancy as a tertiary discipline to my Mentalism and Alteration back when I was a field agent. I felt it’d be useful to my team.”

I blinked. “Wait, Necromancy? Like raising the dead?”

Sky shook his head, smiling patiently. “No, I’ve never studied that side of it. I’m not sure how much you know about the schools of magic, but each school is broken into a few sub-schools that cover various aspects of the art. Necromancy, overall, is the magic of manipulating the powers of life and death, mostly life force and living energies. Raising the dead involves pushing living energy back into an unliving thing, you see. But the most potent form of healing is curative Necromancy which involves restoring living tissues, aiding a body’s natural healing capacity, and helping cells to regrow.”

“Wow. That’s really cool. I just had no idea that it was possible to learn healing magic like that. I guess, I figured if it were, more people would be healthy or there’d be some magicians working in each hospital healing the injured and dying, or saving babies and victims of drunk driving accidents.” I watched as Sky reached for Raelya’s hands and she offered them up to him.

“It’s no different than learning any other magic. You can do it by sorcery or wizardry, but either way, it’s just a matter of study and practice. As for healers in hospitals, I don’t doubt that there are many Awakened medical professionals in the world who use their magic subtly to save lives where they can. But using magic blatantly in front of Unawakened people would be an excellent way to drive several other people insane. Thus, it’s not as simple as you might think.”

I frowned but nodded. “I see your point.”

Sky laid a hand over each of Raelya’s wrists and closed his eyes, seeming to focus for a moment. I watched carefully, expecting to see some nifty special effects, but I was disappointed; no flashy lights or nifty sound-effects, but I did feel something as Sky’s aura surged and shifted about, almost dancing. When Sky lifted his hands, Raelya’s wrists were simply better. The bloody welts had become a matched pair of light scars.

“There.” Sky said simply. “How is that?”

Raelya smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. They feel much better.”

“I’m sorry for the scars. I could have avoided that if I were more skilled, or if I’d gotten to them sooner.”

Raelya shook her head. “It is not important. They would have scarred regardless. Worse, even. At least now they do not hurt anymore.” She bowed her head to him a little. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble. I take it there are no other injuries that need seeing to?” He glanced between us and we both shook our heads so he turned and stepped over to the door. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I will go and arrange things with River so we can see to your problem sooner rather than later.”

“All right, thanks. And it was a pleasure to meet you and your wife.”

Sky smiled at me. “It was a pleasure to meet both of you as well.” He nodded to us, then stepped out, closing the door behind him.

I went over and locked the bolt behind him, then moved over to Raelya and sat down beside her. “Hey. Are you all right?”

Raelya nodded. “I am fine.”

I frowned and put an arm around her gently. “You don’t seem all right.”

Raelya leaned against me. “I am. I was just not so comfortable with that woman around.”

“She didn’t seem so bad. I mean, she said she left the Supernatural Nazis.”

Raelya tilted her head. “Supernatural… I… what?”

I shrugged. “From what I’ve read, it seems like they want a Supernatural Holocaust.”

Raelya shook her head. “Ah. Yes, I suppose that makes sense.” She seemed moodier than I’d seen her before and it was worrying me.

I squeezed her to my side and nuzzled her head softly. “What is it, Raelya? Something more is bothering you.”

Raelya nuzzled me back. “It is just that I do not like the Templar and…” She sighed then glanced up at me. “It is funny that you mentioned the Nazis, the Holocaust.”

“Oh… Don’t tell me you’re Jewish.” I winced exaggeratedly.

Blond-haired, blue-eyed Raelya laughed. “You know I am not.” She smiled weakly. “I was there, however.”

I blinked. “You were what?”

“I was there in Nazi Germany. I was very young then. Elisa brought me to the States to get away from the fighting.”

“You mean you’re…” I tried counting the years and shook my head. “You look… my age at best.”

Raelya smiled softly. “It is one of the fortunes of being a werewolf, yes? We do not age so quickly.”

I shook my head in awe. “Still, that makes you like… what, eighty?”

Raelya nodded. “A little more than that. I hope it does not bother you.”

I smirked. “Oh the jokes I could make…”

Raelya smiled warmly and I was happy to see it touch her eyes. “I am sure you will think of many good ones.” She nuzzled my shoulder again. “I am sorry for being difficult, Dakota. The Templar…” She sighed. “Supernatural beings who have lived a long time… almost all of us have lost someone we loved to the Templar.”

I frowned. “Oh, I’m…”

Raelya shook her head. “You did not know and it is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

I hugged her tightly. “I’m still sorry.”

Raelya hugged me back. “When they separated us, I did not realize what was happening until they put the handcuffs on me. The silver started burning me, and I realized that something was wrong because handcuffs… I thought… they are not made of silver, yes? Then I tried to pull free, and when I was not strong enough to break the chain, I knew something was very, very wrong. Then the Templar stepped in and I thought…” She sniffed at the sudden appearance of tears. “I realized what was happening and I thought they would kill you before I could get free. I was so afraid for you.” She pressed her face into my shoulder and I held her tightly.

“It’s okay Raelya…” She cried softly against my shoulder and I petted her hair comfortingly. “I’m not a proper werewolf yet, but I’m pretty slick. Though, I don’t think I’d have gotten out of that okay without you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for saving me.”

Raelya looked up at me with tearful eyes and smiled weakly. “You are very new to the pack, Dakota, but… I am very fond of you.”

I smiled at her warmly. “I’m fond of you too, Raelya.” I leaned to kiss her forehead and she moved, kissing me on the cheek, so I returned the gesture in kind.

“I will not let anything happen to you while we are here.” She promised.

“I know. And I’m grateful that you’re here with me.” I glanced at the nightstand and spotted a remote. “Want to order takeout and watch a movie?”

Raelya nodded, wiping at her eyes. “That sounds good. Perhaps later we will go out and see some of the sights as Sky suggested?”

I nodded. “That’d be good. But for now, I think we deserve a little rest.”

We ordered takeout and curled up on the bed together to relax. We watched movies and talked and laughed, and Raelya didn’t leave my side for the rest of the day.

29

Calgary

A few hours later, Raelya and I were both feeling much better. We decided to get out and see the sights. A couple of showers, some fresh clothes, and stepping out the door made the day feel like we’d started it over. I stretched as we stepped out into the parking lot of the hotel and smiled at Raelya whose hair glittered in the sunny daylight. “So what do you want to do?”

Raelya smiled at me. “What is there to do?”

I pulled out my phone and waved it at her. “Let’s find out, shall we?” I thumbed through the local attractions on Google and found several fun things we could get into. We spent the rest of the day out sight-seeing and stopping in at various restaurants to see what French, Canadian, and French-Canadian food was like. Raelya had no trouble packing away meal after meal, and I realized I’d never really given second thought to the werewolves’ voracious appetites, but it made me think about how I’d basically always eaten a lot more than seemed reasonable for my size. Which, really, still wasn’t all that much, but it tended to surprise people all the same.

At lunchtime, a friendly waitress informed us that we simply had to visit the Skyline Luge, a long winding ride on little wheeled cars that let you see a long stretch of Canadian countryside. We took her advice and found it to be the most enjoyable thing we could have done. It took twenty minutes to ride from the top to the bottom and we could steer our little cars quickly or slowly down the path as we liked. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again, and so the next hour was filled with a slower trip to really view the scenery, and then a much faster trip in which we raced all the way down, laughing merrily as we passed one another. Raelya beat me to the finish line and I bought her a brownie as a prize for her victory.

After snacking on brownies, we decided to hit a museum. I Googled our options and Raelya cooed excitedly over the Aircraft museum, so I took her there next. We viewed spacecraft, aeronautical science exhibits, and old airplanes. Raelya stood for a long time in front of a World War II Bomber plane while I perused the various aviation gear exhibited around the perimeter of the room. I came over to stand beside her and noticed the tears in her eyes, but also anger. “Hey, are you okay?”

Raelya blinked then nodded and wiped her eyes. “Just… many memories.”

I reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly and she gripped mine in return. I glanced down at the little metal plate before the plane’s exhibit. “Douglas A-24 Banshee. Nice. American, right?”

Raelya nodded. “This one was made in 1941. The United States Military were trying to gain total air superiority at the time, and developed several variants on the Dive Bomber style craft, some for pursuit of the enemy planes, and others with a focus on lightweight bomb delivery. Douglas A-24 was one of the better models they came up with.”

I blinked. “Wow. You know a lot about this stuff.”

Raelya smiled at me. “I told you. I was there.”

I nodded. “But you said you were very young. I didn’t think you would remember stuff like this.”

Raelya shook her head. “I was very young. Fourteen or Fifteen. But I was not a child anymore.”

That statement sunk into me as I stared at Raelya’s face, her eyes fixed on the plane before us, my eyes fixed on the weighty emotions in her eyes. I slid my arm around her and squeezed her gently. She leaned her head against my shoulder for a long moment, then suddenly smiled up at me. “Are you hungry yet?”

I grinned. “Bring it on, Calgary.” We left to find some dinner and, I imagined, a respite from the stirred-up past.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel since we hadn’t eaten too far away, and as we walked into our room, Raelya turned and wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you for bringing me with you, Dakota. I have enjoyed this trip so far.”

I grinned. “Hey you were the one doing me a favor. I’d have been screwed without your help handling those Templars.”

Raelya nodded. “Mmhmm, but you could have chosen to invite anyone along and…” She glanced down briefly, then looked up at me almost shyly, I thought. “Well, I am just happy you chose to bring Raelya along with you.”

I smiled, noticing the adorable warmth of her cheeks. “It’s not a problem, Raelya.”

We stared at each other for a long moment. She leaned slowly closer and pulled me into a soft hug, and as I leaned up into her embrace, Raelya kissed me.

I blinked, momentarily shocked by the unexpected event as Raelya tenderly brushed her lips across mine. I felt a warmth rising to my cheeks, and a tingly tension stirring in my chest. Being close to her felt right, but I stepped back, breaking the kiss.

Raelya blinked at me and then gave me a very vulnerable expression. “I am sorry Dakota… I should not have…”

I shook my head. “It’s all right, Raelya.” I chewed at my inner lip and searched for the words to reassure her. “I really like you. I really enjoy being around you, and I care about you. But…” I squeezed her hand softly. “I’m with Amorie. And I can’t do that to her.”

Raelya nodded, looking down. “I know. I am sorry. I should not have…”

I shook my head again. “It’s okay. I…” I sighed heavily and moved past her to get some distance. I thumped down onto the end of my bed and leaned on my thighs. “It’s not like I don’t have feelings for you too. I really love being with you… Something inside of me feels so right when we’re together.”

Raelya took a step toward me hesitantly. “Wolves like being with other wolves. We are pack creatures.”

I nodded. “Precisely. And I don’t know if I’m equipped to really… differentiate that from other feelings right now. But…”

“But you are with Amorie. And I should not have kissed you. I am sorry.” She stepped over in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Please, can we just forget about it and… go back to having a happy trip?”

I smiled up at her and nodded. “Of course. Thanks for understanding.”

“Thank you for the same.”

I almost stood up to hug her again. The inclination was strong and I could feel the wolf in me wanting to comfort her, but I restrained myself. I liked Raelya and I really did enjoy being with her, but I wasn’t the cheating kind. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand instead. “So, I should check in with Sky.”

“Most likely a good idea.” Raelya smiled at me softly. “I will go and take a shower and you can call.” She moved past me to her bags and then disappeared into the bathroom with some clothes.

I pulled out my cell and called Sky. “Yes?” He answered on the first ring.

I blinked. “Oh. Hi. I was just wondering what you found out. We just got back in from sight-seeing.”

“I called River and she’s on her way. She can be here by morning.”

“Excellent. So what time do you need me?” I kicked my shoes off and flopped back on the bed. All the activity was starting to settle in and I was getting tired.

“Some time in the morning will be fine. Give me a call when you wake up and I’ll bring River around to your hotel room.”

“Oh, okay. That’ll work.” I stretched out on the bed.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” Sky ended the call after polite goodbyes and I threw my arm over my eyes. I startled out of a light doze as Raelya emerged from the bathroom with a towel around her hair, wearing an oversized T-shirt and some lounge pants. I stretched and rolled off the bed, then took my turn with the shower. When I emerged in similar attire, Raelya was curled up on the bed she’d chosen, facing the wall. I frowned. I really hoped I hadn’t hurt her feelings earlier. The wolf stirred in me and I decided to check on her.

I stepped over to the bed quietly. “Raelya?” She didn’t answer so I assumed she was asleep. I picked up the blankets she’d turned down and pulled them over her gently. As I laid the blankets on her shoulders, she reached up and gently grasped my hand.

“Sorry, Dakota… Just a little sleepy.”

I smiled. “It’s okay. Just making sure you’re not cold.” Raelya gripped my hand and I peered at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

Raelya nodded and rolled over to face me, smiling weakly. “I am just tired. It was a long day.”

I noticed her wrist was still red and raw looking. I frowned and settled down on the edge of the bed, pulling her arm up to inspect it. “Is this going to be okay?” The skin was puffed up and still broken in a couple of places, dried blood still hanging in the wounds. It looked like it felt awful.

Raelya sat up a little and nodded. “It will be. We are just slower to heal when wounded by silver.”

I gave her a sympathetic expression and pulled her over into a hug. “Thanks again… for what you did for me.”

“We are pack.” She nuzzled my shoulder. After a moment of quiet she said, “Dakota… would you be uncomfortable to rest with me?”

I thought about that for a second then shook my head. “Not at all.” I slid under the blankets with her and settled down next to her. “I love slumber parties.”

Raelya smiled at me and snuggled up to my side. “Thank you. It will make it easier to sleep away from home if I am not also away from pack. So thank you for doing that for me.”

I smiled and squeezed her. “We are pack.” I mimicked her accent badly and made her laugh. We fell asleep together and rested through the night.

30

River and Sky

I woke up a couple of hours before dawn with Raelya on my arm. I tried to get up quietly but she opened her eyes right away and smiled at me. I smiled back and then disentangled my arm to stretch. “It’s early.” I noted quietly.

“Traveling and napping has thrown us off a normal schedule, it seems.” She yawned and smiled at me sleepily.

I nodded and picked up my phone. There was a text from Sky waiting for me. “River has arrived. We’re at the office waiting to hear from you. Let us know when you wake up.”

I showed my phone to Raelya. “It’s really early… Should I call him now?”

Raelya nodded. “If he did not mean for you to call when you woke up, he probably would have said a time to call after, yes?”

I nodded. “I think so.” I chuckled suddenly.

“What is funny?” Raelya sat up, tilting her head at me.

“I just realized you have a habit of adding ‘yes?’ to questions, and Amorie adds ‘no?’.” I grinned at Raelya who shook her head at me as she climbed out of the bed. “What? It’s funny to me.” Raelya picked up a pillow and chucked it at my head. I laughed and let it hit me. “All y’all foreigners talk funny!” I emphasized my Tennessee Southern accent as heavily as I could.

Raelya visibly winced. “Ah, no! Do not talk like that. Your English insults my ears!”

I grinned. “I know. That’s the point.” I threw the pillow back at her and she caught it, laughing.

“Ugh. Americans.” Raelya took a deep breath and let it out happily.

I stood and stretched again and drawled, “I’m gunna call Sky, then I’m gunna order us some biskits n’gravy an’ some bacon an—”

“Ahh!” Raelya covered her ears and fled into the bathroom.

“‘Merica!” I shouted as she slammed the door. I could hear her laughing on the other side, so the desired effect had been achieved. I touched Sky’s number on my phone and waited for him to answer.

“Good morning.” He responded on the first ring again.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Answer every time on the first ring?”

“Ah. Minor pre-cognizance.” He told me.

I blinked. “Oh. Well, I guess that makes a kind of sense.” He was a powerful Mentalist. Who knew what all that meant? “So I’m up.”

“I gathered.” He sounded amused.

“Yeah yeah…”

“We’ll be over momentarily. Unless you need longer to get ready?” I heard him getting up.

“Nah, I’m anxious to get this over with.”

“We’ll be right there then.” He hung up.

I dropped the phone on the bed and went over to my suitcase to grab some clothes. As I clipped on my bra, I realized it was still dark out and that it would be possible for me to call Amorie if I hurried. I wanted to call her. I had meant to call her the night before and let her know we had arrived safely, but I was nervous about telling her what had happened with Raelya. It was the kind of thing I’d rather tell her in person, but I wasn’t sure I could talk to her now without telling her about it. Which meant I couldn’t call her now either. So I gazed longingly at my phone as I pulled on a jersey tee and a pair of jeans.

Raelya stepped back out of the bathroom in a simple but pretty sun dress, hair freshly braided, and I decided that a call would have to wait, but a text, I could manage. So I picked up my phone and texted Amorie. “We’re in Canada. We’re safe. I’ll tell you all about it later. Bout to see a man about a wolf.”

I dropped the phone on the bed again just as I heard them approaching outside. Three sets of footsteps. I gave Raelya a “Here goes nothing” grin and went to open the door. Sky stood in the hallway with a girl who shared his face and pale blond hair. The resemblance between them was striking. Her aura was vibrant and many-colored, shifting in a swirl of happy rainbow hues. It was also much bigger than most I’d seen, spreading far from her body on all sides. She wore a pretty purple dress with a handkerchief hem that accented her delicate curves beautifully. Her eyes were slightly greenish-blue next to his paler blue. I smiled at her and she smiled back, waving at me eagerly. “Hey. Come on in.” I stepped out of the doorway as Sky stepped in and River glanced behind her, gesturing invitingly at the tall, handsome man who waited behind her.

He was pale, slender and well-dressed with neat blond hair tied in a low ponytail. His aura was dark and bloody-colored, and his eyes were predatory. I might have been new to this, but I knew a vampire when I saw one. Especially when one was dressed in a Victorian-inspired suit with a crimson crushed-velvet cravat. Say that five times fast. The first thought to enter my head decided to drop right out of my mouth without permission. “You didn’t tell me Lestat was coming.”

River grinned enormously and pointed silently at the vampire who glanced to the side then shook his head at her, seeming more amused at her reaction than annoyed at my quip. Sky shot me a look, barely containing a smirk. “I apologize for not mentioning that we would have additional company.” He glanced toward the vampire with a long-suffering expression. “I didn’t know he was going to insist on accompanying us either.” They stepped in and I closed the door then backed out of the entryway.

“Dakota Shepherd.” Sky gestured to the girl at his side. “This is my twin sister, River.” He glanced at the vampire less enthusiastically and gestured to him. “And this is Vincent Cassiano,” he said dryly.

I smiled at River and offered her my hand. “Nice to meet you, River.”

River smiled, and what happened next was hard to describe. At first, it felt like I’d just started daydreaming; a wash of images flooded my head. I had no idea why it had happened. I only knew that River was happy to see me. I blinked once then glanced from her to Sky and back in confusion.

Sky seemed ready to field this. “River does not speak.” He took his twin’s hand and she smiled at him warmly. “Rather, she does not speak as we speak. River is a natural psychic. Words are as foreign, and limiting to her as the idea of living without speech would be to most of us.”

I blinked, stunned. “Wow. That’s… incredible.” River grinned at me sunnily.

Sky smiled. “I’m glad you’re all right with it. Some people don’t react to River so well, being that her method of communication is a bit more… intrusive than most.”

I shrugged. “I figure you guys are here to dig around in my head anyway… So not a problem really.”

River glanced at Vincent and he glanced at her pointedly then nodded to her in a gentlemanly fashion. “Miss Shepherd, I apologize for imposing, but I simply wanted to see River here safely.” He slid an arm around Sky’s twin and that less-than-pleased expression I’d seen Sky giving him before suddenly made sense. “Given your association with Amorie, I did what I could to ensure her arrival would be timely and convenient.”

“Ah. Well thanks. I guess you know my girlfriend then?”

Vincent nodded, smiling unreadably. “Of course. If it is no trouble, please tell her that Vincent Cassiano sends his best wishes for her and her house.”

I nodded. “No problem. Thanks for getting River here quickly. I appreciate it.”

Vincent bowed elegantly. “Of course. Now if you would excuse me, I will retire before you begin. I would not wish to be in the way.” He turned to River who turned to him, smiling brightly, and drew her into an embrace that ended in a less than chaste, but politely brief kiss. Sky glanced away as if slightly annoyed, and I was sure I saw Vincent smirking at him as he turned to go.

Sky lifted a hand as Vincent stepped out, and gestured vaguely causing the door to close itself. “So, if you’re ready, we’ll get started.” River swayed her head from side to side as if listening to a song I couldn’t hear.

I nodded and closed my eyes, cleared my head then looked back up at the two of them. “Okay. So what do I do?”

Sky gestured at a chair and it slid toward me. “Have a seat. I’ll explain everything first, and then we’ll see what we can do.”

Raelya stepped over near me as I settled down in the chair. She moved to where I could see her past Sky and smiled at me reassuringly. Her quiet presence settled my nerves against the fluttery anxiety that had risen in my stomach. I smiled at her and she ducked her head at me, seeming to say “Go on. It’s okay.” Or at least, that’s how I took it. I grinned at her as I sucked in a deep breath and released it, trying to banish my nervousness.

Sky waited until I turned my attention back to him to begin. “All right. First, I’ll explain the proceedings. I’m going to place my hand on your head and focus on entering your mind. I will return to the place where the blocks are and then River will lay her hands on me and she will join me in your mind. We will attempt to break the blocks holding some of your memories from you. During this process, we may witness anything stored near your blocked memories, and you may experience some strong emotions, or remember some events very sharply as our presence in your mind pushes certain memories to the surface. You may feel a bit of pressure, or even a dull ache similar to a headache, but you should not feel any serious pain. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “I think so.”

Sky nodded. “Now, I need you to tell me whether or not you give your consent for my sister and me to enter your mind, view its contents in order to find the area we will work on, and then to alter your mind in order to dissemble the blocks on your memories.”

I nodded. “Yes. You have my consent.”

Sky nodded again crisply then looked at River who tilted her head slightly one way then nodded to him. “Just try to relax.” He said as he approached me. “If you can focus on a time close to when the blackouts started happening, that will make it easier for me to find the blocks soonest.” He placed his palm on my forehead and slipped into my mind as quietly and smoothly as he had before. I tried to think of the first time I remembered having a blackout; I thought it was around my sixteenth birthday so I focused on that as hard as I could, playing the day out in my mind as best as I could recall.

“There.” Sky breathed out quietly. “Good. I found the first memory.” I heard River take a step toward Sky and my world suddenly swam to the side.

My eyes slammed shut, closing out the world that seemed to waver under the pressure of River’s incredible presence in my mind. I shuddered out a quiet sound, overwhelmed by the dizzying vastness that suddenly filled my mind. Are you all right? asked Sky’s voice in my mind.

I’m fine. I thought carefully, hoping that was the correct way to reply.

Don’t worry. This won’t take long. Sky’s voice was crisp and clear as if he were speaking normally, only I knew it was just a thought. It sounded as if I’d imagined it, only it was very, very, real.

I took a deep breath and it quivered out uneasily as the intense sensation continued. Raelya’s arms slipped around me, and I felt steadied, braced by the strength of my pack. The wolf stirred restlessly. I gripped one of Raelya’s arms and she held me tightly. I felt her head resting behind mine, holding me up. The force of River’s mind felt like a floodgate had been opened into my brain. Where Sky had been undetectable, River was unmistakably present, filling all the empty space around my thoughts with her own unique language of images and sounds and intense, visceral feelings. I was overwhelmed and reeling and if Raelya hadn’t been steadying me, I’m not sure I could have kept myself upright in the chair.

A memory suddenly broke through the jumble of thoughts, a moment I’d spent alone many years ago when a beloved pet had died. It filled my mind with sorrow and loss more than a decade old that felt just as fresh and immediate as if it were happening right then instead of many years earlier. I choked out a sob that vanished as suddenly as it’d begun when the memory shifted rapidly away from that years-old moment of remorse to a memory of shame and humiliation I’d felt when a girl from my school had called me out for having a crush on a female classmate. I winced and cringed away from the nervous embarrassment that roiled through me as if my tormentor still stood right before me. Raelya’s arms tightened around me as I let out a distressed cry.

Other memories swam to the surface: some happy, some sad, some frightening or embarrassing. Each moment was as real and immediate as if it were really happening right then. Each emotional response was as pure and valid as it had been a decade and change earlier. And then the flow of memories suddenly stopped as if I’d been a passenger on a train of thought that had suddenly crashed into a wall. More than a wall. Something unmovable, something unbreakable. More like a mountain.

Technically, more like a vault. Sky’s thoughts interrupted my own once again. This isn’t really what I expected to find. It’s bigger, more solid than a normal block. Give us a moment.

Not like I was going anywhere. My mind seemed to hover around a cloud of those stirred-up memories which flickered in and out of my thoughts like a bad smell wafting through the room. I tried not to focus on any one scene for too long, though it gave me a bit of perspective to think back on my teenage years so clearly. Growing up was tough. No wonder kids were so angsty at that age.

I waited for what felt like a few minutes. Then, suddenly, my focus dove inward, my thoughts falling in on themselves as if I’d been standing on the edge of a Pensieve ala Harry Potter, and someone had just pulled me into it. A scene spread out around me. I glanced around at the vision for a moment, confused. I was standing in a grassy field. The outer edges of the field were green and speckled with flowers, but as I looked closer to the center, the grass seemed to dry out and die before giving way to barren, rocky ground. In the center of the bad earth was a solid black cube that must have been a hundred feet per side. Just looking at it, it felt vast, heavy, and dense, immovable and impenetrable. What is that?

Sky materialized beside me, appearing much as he had in the hotel room. River appeared beside him half a heart-beat later, and immediately danced over to the cube, peering at it consideringly with exaggerated motions, tilting her head one way then the other and leaning so far, it looked like she would tip over. Then she did. And floated upside down. I blinked. Woah.

Sky sighed. River, stop playing around in Dakota’s mind. It’s rude.

River glanced up at me as if she’d forgotten I was there. She settled her feet down and folded her hands politely.

Sky looked over at me with a shrug. “Sorry. She forgets herself.”

“No problem. But why are we here like this? I wasn’t expecting a cutscene.” I held my hands out in front of me to reassure myself that I was solid and visible like the others.

Sky smirked slightly. “Well, we were expected to be able to defeat the boss fight on our own, but it seems the developers had a more dramatic approach in mind.”

I grinned helplessly. “Thank you. Good man.”

Sky shook his head. “But back to the matter at hand.” Sky turned to face the cube again.

I glanced at the cube. “What is it? One of the blocks?”

Sky nodded. “Precisely that. And we have a problem.” He started walking and I followed him over to the massive black block. He lifted his hand and placed it on the block’s smooth side, and applied pressure. “River and I assaulted it, but it isn’t budging.”

I frowned. “What? No. No no no. You guys were supposed to be able to break it. You’re the powerful Mentalists. They said you’d be able to do it.” I was surprised at myself for an instant for saying all of that out loud. Then I remembered that the scene around me wasn’t really real, my mouth was just a figment of my imagination, and it made sense that my thoughts were pouring out of it even more readily than they did in real life.

Sky frowned slightly and adjusted his shoulders and set his feet. “I know.” He pushed again, and the cube may as well have been made of titanium for all it gave. “But it’s not budging.” He glanced at River who came over and stared at me pointed, then extended her finger and poked the wall daintily, then shrugged. “Even River can’t seem to move it. And with our power combined, well, we’ve never failed before. Though, we’ve never met an obstacle like this before either. It doesn’t seem to respond to our manipulations at all.”

River nodded and poked the cube again, then shrugged.

I felt myself deflating. My hopes were crushed. If these powerful psychic twins couldn’t remove the blocks in my mind, what could? I was doomed to never remembering what I’d lost, never reconnecting with the other half of my soul, to never shifting, to never truly joining my pack. I’d be a pariah, an outcast among them. I’d be a weirdo. A freak. Just as I’d been with my first family. And my pack would abandon me just as my parents had.

I blinked as River wrapped her arms around me, suddenly appearing before me without crossing the intervening distance. She hugged me gently and patted my back. Had I said all of that out loud again? This time, I wasn’t even sure. I glanced up at Sky as I slumped against his sister. My eyes stung with hot tears, and it took me a beat to realize that the feeling was coming from my real eyes, not the mind-dream-eyes on my mind-dream-face.

Sky gave me a reassuring smile. “Oh, do not despair just yet, Dakota. I said River and I could not move this block. I never said we were finished.”

I perked up with a sparkling of hope as River leaned back from me with a brilliant smile, then wisped her way over to the cube in a swish of inhuman movement that reminded me vaguely of a fish suddenly darting away.

Sky threw me a clever grin. “We can open a way for you.” He set his fingers against the cube as if gripping an unseen seam in the perfectly smooth surface, and set his features into a determined expression. He reached up with his other hand and rolled up his sleeve before gripping the cube with his second hand. River set her hands delicately against the stone and her fingers seemed to sink every so slightly into the blackness of the block. “And then you can take it apart yourself. From the inside.”

I blinked. “Wait, what? But how? What do I do?”

River shrugged and planted her feet against the cube, standing sideways on the wall. Sky focused on the spot where his hands touched the cube, closing his eyes for a moment before answering me as he glanced up. “You go inside. You see what’s in there, and you find whatever’s hidden. That should break the block apart.”

I frowned. “But, how will I know what it is? How can I find it if I don’t even know what I’m looking for?”

Sky set his feet. “You will know when you find it. We’re basically connecting your conscious mind with the memories that were locked away. When you remember whatever it was that you were made to forget, your conscious mind should shatter the block itself.”

“Okay… but what do I do in there? How do I know I even can do it?”

Sky and River both looked up at me. “You’re just going to have to try.” He said.

You can. Her expression seemed to say.

I took a deep breath, feeling my real chest rising and falling in the real body as I did. I stepped cautiously, uncertainly toward the block, and stopped before it. “What if I get lost? What if I can’t find my way back out? Can’t you guys go with me?”

River shook her head sadly. Sky frowned apologetically. “If you don’t want to go through with it, we can go back now. But if you want to find the truth, you have to go find it alone.” River gave me a hopeful expression. Sky gave me a confident smile. “But I’ve already seen what your mind is made of and I believe in you, Dakota Shepherd.” River nodded as if she agreed. Sky smiled at his twin lovingly. “And River believes in you too. River’s always right about these things, so I’d say you have a good shot.”

I felt my eyes burning with tears again. I barely knew these people, but they felt so close, so intimately a part of my life now. They had seen inside me, seen the real me that no one else could see. And they still liked me. They liked me for who I was. And they thought I could do this. I looked up at the immovable blackness that stretched up and up into the cloudy sky that was really my mind. I couldn’t turn back now.

I had to know the truth.

“All right.” I pulled a pair of sunglasses out of nowhere and put them on my face. “Let’s do this.”

River grinned at me then glanced over at Sky who nodded to her once, and with that, the twins started to pull in opposite directions. They leaned against their grips, leaned and strained. And for an instant, I was afraid that they couldn’t do it. But then, the cube suddenly snapped between them, and the surface of it started rippling, peeling back like the page of a book on Sky’s side, and flowing aside like a wave at sea on River’s.

They looked up at me as they held their mismatched opening wide. “Go!” Sky encouraged me. You can do it! River seemed to say.

So I stepped into the inky blackness at the center of the divide, and I immediately choked. I gasped for air in panic, and darkness filled my lungs. Darkness filled my vision. Darkness filled my mind. Then Darkness caved in all around me.

31

Remembering

What’s that sound? I shifted my pillow beneath my head. It was too early. I was too sleepy to get up. The buzzer on my alarm clock squawked at me annoyingly from somewhere near my head. I don’t want to get up. I threw my hand out from under the covers and smacked it around the nightstand until the squawking stopped.

My eyes opened slowly. The blocky red letters on the alarm clock stared back at me. Something about them wasn’t right, but I couldn’t figure out what. I sat up and stretched, then froze. I looked around the room. I wasn’t in my bed in my apartment. But, that wasn’t where I was supposed to be, was it? I peered around at the lavender painted walls, the posters and pictures… I wasn’t in my hotel room either.

I was in my childhood room, in my childhood bed, in my parents’ house in Knoxville.

I glanced down at myself to find a scrawny, practically flat-chested runt of a girl with Batman pajamas on. Oh, well at least nothing’s different there.

I slid my legs out to the side, and started to get up, and it was like my body separated from itself, continuing on and staying seated at the same time. I watched my younger self slip out of bed and hurry around the room with a sudden zeal as she rummaged through her messy closet, picking out an outfit. My hair had been so much longer then. I cringed at the curlers on the dresser, remembering how much I’d hated them. But mother had insisted I “at least make an effort to look nice”.

I started to stand up, but I had no substance, no form. My body seemed to dissipate from the scene until all I could do was watch.

Younger Dakota went through the motions of getting ready for the day. She darted into the bathroom then flowed back out, fresh from a shower and started getting dressed. She curled her hair, put on some makeup, and picked out her shoes. The calendar on the wall was covered in red X’s, all the days marked off save one, the thirty-first of October. My birthday.

Oh, that’s what this is. I was sixteen. I was about to go to the birthday party, my sixteenth birthday party, the first major milestone I’d lost to my faulty memory.

Or to whatever had altered it.

I watched myself finish preparing for a day that turned out to be full of undue amounts of propriety. Gosh, I was so different back then. I wanted so badly to please them. I watched myself showing off my perfectly adorable dress and hair to my mother who proudly approved of my choices. Not my choices. Her choices. I’d just accepted them because I wanted her to love me.

The scene sped up and I watched idly as the day flowed from morning into afternoon, breakfast, preparations, lunch, then the party started. There were family and friends: my mother, my father, girls from my school, a few girls and boys from church. They handed me gifts, they sang and I blew out candles. Everyone had cake.

My blood ran cold as I spotted a familiar shadowy figure sitting idly in the crowd. I felt my presence shifting closer to see it, fear pulsing in my veins as I approached the unknown. The shadowy form shifted as if it noticed me looking, then blurred and suddenly zipped away like an Enderman in the rain. And the scene broke apart.

I was sitting on the old wooden bench-swing, out in the back yard, away from the friends and family I’d left to their fun in the pool. I could distantly hear them, splashing and shouting, laughing. I wasn’t alone. She was lovely in her bright pink and purple bikini. It contrasted her creamy caramel complexion that glistened in the sunlight, still wet from the pool. My stomach was in knots as I leaned closer. She brushed her lips against mine. Kiera was her name. I slid my arm around her as I kissed her back.

Then I was crying, rubbing at my eyes as the door smacked loudly into the wall as mother followed me into my room. “You are going straight to Hell, Dakota Lynn!” Her voice was shrill with outrage and humiliation.

My eyes were burning with tears. I wheeled around to face her and yelled right back. “Just leave me alone!”

“Dakota Lynn Shepherd, don’t you talk back to me right now or so help me!” She stalked over to me and leaned in close. “It’s wrong, Dakota. Homosexuality is a sin. And with a black girl no less!”

“Mama!” I shouted, disgusted with her for what she had said. “I can’t believe you—”

“No, Dakota! I can’t believe you! Don’t you make me out to be the bad guy here!”

I glared up at my mother through the panic in my chest and the shame and the hurt. “I can’t help who I am!”

“Oh don’t give me that bullcrap! Yes, you can! God made Eve to be Adam’s wife and he made you—”

“I don’t like boys!” I screamed as I turned and stalked over to my dresser, leaning on it hard as my mother kept shouting at my back. “I didn’t ask for this!”

“Oh, you didn’t ask for this? What about me? Did I ask for this?” I saw her gesture toward me in the mirror on the wall. “Did your father ask for this, Dakota?”

I lowered my head as tears welled up in my eyes. My stomach knotted in pain as I started to sob. I was so angry. So hurt. So afraid. “Why can’t you just love me anyway?”

My mother threw her hands up. “Why can’t you just be normal?”

I cringed inward, then felt the muscles of my face tightening as I grimaced and started to strain, my fingers pressing hard into the wood of the dresser, as a scream started deep in my gut and rolled up through my chest and out of my mouth in an explosive burst of rage. An impossibly loud sound crashed down, the cracking of splintered wood and scattered belongings flying off my dresser as my mother screamed. Red clouded my vision.

My mother was screaming.

She ran from the room, and I could distantly hear her screaming as she ran through the house.

I panted as the mind-engulfing anger receded and surveyed the shattered remains of my solid oak dresser on the floor. I looked down at my hands.

The wraith of a wolf’s shadow darted past behind me and I whipped around to stare at it as it passed.

I screamed out a fearful cry as the sobbing began.

The ominous shadow-form from before rushed into my room and locked the door behind. The shadow figure came over to me in a hurry. “No, no, hush now. It’ll be all right. We’ll make it right.” The shadow embraced me. I reached for the shadow as I cried.

I was running, the ground speeding past me on both sides, dry leaves scattering beneath my paws, underbrush scraping past as I darted through the trees. The night was cool, the sky was bright with the moon’s light dancing on the clouds. My vision was a bright path in a dark tunnel. A deer looked up, held frozen for an instant before darting away. I was after it like lightning. I was running at its tail, snapping my teeth at its flank.

I screamed as I looked down at my blood-soaked hands. I screamed again as I felt my naked chest and found the blood dripping down from my mouth creeping hotly toward my stomach. Tears stung at my eyes as I scrambled away from the deer’s mauled body. The taste of iron was thick in my mouth as I felt my stomach twist.

I picked my way across the dark back yard, only a dozen houses from home, still tasting the blood in my mouth. I froze mid-step as the flashlight blinded my eyes. Someone screamed. I screamed and ran. My foot caught on a stone and the dark ground rushed up to meet me.

Blue lights flashed in a circle. I tugged at my wrists, but the metal bit into my flesh if I pulled too hard. I was trapped. The wolf-wraith stared at me from the trees beyond the car. I felt my body surging toward her. I screamed again as the metal tore into my wrists. My wrists were too big for the cuffs. The policeman started as he turned to look at me through the window. He stumbled away, next to the same dark figure from before who stood near him outside. The dark figure put a hand on the officer’s shoulder. The officer’s eyes rolled back, and he fell limply to the ground. The dark figure opened the car door and I stumbled out. I ran. I ran for the wolf-wraith at the trees.

Mother screamed at me until she was hoarse. I was crying again. “Never again!” Mother shouted. “That girl will never set foot in this house again and you had better hope to God I never find out you’ve gone and seen her or so help me!”

I burst through the doors of my Nan’s house, still in tears. “Nan!” I searched for her. “Nan!” I was crying so hard. Nan appeared in the doorway and I threw myself into her arms. We sank to the floor as she held me and I sobbed and shook. Nan held me tight and said “Hush now. It’ll be all right.”

I pushed up from the floor and paced away. “I hate her! She hates me and she—” Nan was beside me, touching my arm gently. I couldn’t hear her words. Her voice was so far away. My body was tearing itself apart. Pain flooded my senses; my eyes swam with red. Nan’s hands were up, but not like she was afraid. She turned her hands toward the door, and I rushed outside, pausing in the back yard to throw back my head, and I howled, roaring in unrepentant rage into the night. I ran across the yard until the trees swallowed me up.

The wolf-wraith ran alongside me, anemic and weak, her patchy, shadowy fur barely hanging on, but her golden eyes were bright when she looked up at me, begging me, begging me for something. To follow her. I did. I felt my consciousness separating from the werewolf body that ran forward in memory, deeper into the woods. I turned from that path to follow the wolf-wraith to the side, slipping away from the visions that had been holding me captive until then.

The wolf-wraith trotted ahead of me to the side of the path my werewolf memory-self had run down, and I followed her through the dark woods as she padded gracefully along. She paused and looked back for me every now and then, as if afraid I would stop following her. The dark figure was suddenly in front of me. “Go back.” A garbled, distant voice demanded. I stepped to the side and ran past the figure, my heart fluttering with fear as the dark form jolted unnaturally and vanished into the night.

“It’s for your own good!” The dark figure was in front of me again. I peered past the shadowy, shifting body to where the wolf-wraith was starting to out-pace me, and I darted past the scary shadow-person again.

I ran as hard as I could after the wolf-wraith, trying to go faster, trying to catch up, but my legs felt like jelly, suddenly wobbling beneath me as if I was running in a nightmare, my feet falling heavily, and sticking to the mushy ground that suddenly seemed unstable, sucking my feet downward as if to stop me. “Let me go!” I shouted, determined. “I have to do this! She needs me!”

The figure appeared before me again, the blurry darkness seeming ragged, thinner, almost breaking apart. “Dang it, child, listen!”

I reached down inside and felt the emptiness that had sucked the joy from my life, the incompleteness that had haunted me for half my years on this Earth, the pain and loneliness I’d never been able to salve. I tried to grip that weary, achy feeling and tear it away. It was pinning me there as the figure loomed ahead and the wolf paused to look back, eyes pleading. I heard her whine, begging me not to stop now. We were so close. She’d waited so long.

I glanced down at where my body was mired in the soggy ground below. It felt almost like quicksand, like I was sinking steadily downward, gripped by the ground on all sides. How do I get out of this? I have to catch her! I tried to grip the hard, flat path ahead of me. I tried to drag myself out onto solid ground, but nothing worked. The more I struggled, the more the ground seemed to cling to my skin. The shadow stood on the path before me, and started to grow, swelling up to fill the space between the wolf-wraith and me, blocking out the light, blocking out the path ahead. Cutting me off from myself again.

My head swam in the bleary darkness as the shadow-form circled me all around. “Quit fighting me child! It’s for the best!” That voice, I almost knew it, but the shadows hid the tone just as surely as they hid the face.

“I can’t!” I yelled back. “I have to do this!”

The shadow figure whipped itself around me, closing out the forest, closing out the sky, and started closing in around me on all sides. “You’ll ruin everything I’ve done for you! Everything! You’ll destroy the choice I gave you, the choice your blood denied you! Would you really choose to go back to being scared? To being a danger to everyone around you? To being a monster? Have you lost your mind? Would you really unmake the gift I gave you? Is that what you choose?”

The memories I’d already witnessed swirled around in the shadowy darkness, replaying like a horrific montage of all the worst parts of my young life. I started crying as I watched, helpless in the mire, unable to escape; they were there in the shadows, specters of my bad memories replaying on all sides. I saw the terror in my young self’s eyes, the hurt and the pain and I wanted to look away.

But then my eyes landed on the memory of my younger self sitting naked and bloody in the back of a police car, and the handcuffs on her wrists reminded me of the bloody red welts on Raelya’s wrists, of Raelya, of my Pack.

I looked up at the shadowy figure before me and I made up my mind. “I choose the truth.” I shoved down at the ground, and pushed myself up. I stepped out onto the dry path ahead. This was my mind and I was ready to take it back.

I walked right into the shadows and shoved my way through until the nightmarish wall of misery broke apart around me. The path ahead was clear. I followed the wolf-wraith into the light.

Nan was standing in front of me. I was naked again. The trees loomed in around us, doing little to protect us from the cold rain falling all around. “It’s gonna be all right. I can fix it.” Nan spoke gently, her arms around me. I was so scared. I held onto her so hard, I was afraid my grip would hurt her arms, but I was too scared to let go.

“Nan, I’m so scared. What if—”

“Shh.” Nan leaned back from me and put her hand on my head. “I’ll make it all go away, and you can be free of this curse for good.”

“What do I have to do?” I was shaking from the cold, the fear, the pain in my heart.

Nan pulled me down to my knees, leaned back against a tree, pulled me into her lap, and wrapped her arms around me. Just like when I was little, she held me tight, rocked me gently. “Nothin’ child. Don’t have to do nothin’ no more. Just close your eyes. Nan’ll fix it all. Just go to sleep.”

I leaned into Nan’s arms, sniffling and trying so hard to push the sobs aside. I shuddered against her as I listened to her lullaby.

I was standing off to the side, the wraith-wolf sitting at my feet, watching Nan as she rocked a younger me to sleep. Nan looked up at me, still holding my teen-aged, sleeping self in her arms as the dancing lights around her faded into gray. “I did it for you, Dakota. To protect you. To give you a normal life.”

“No…” I breathed, stunned. “No!” I shouted, my eyes stinging with tears. “Nan, why?”

Nan opened her mouth as if to speak, and the world around me crumbled, the scene before me breaking apart, swallowing me in darkness. I saw one final flash of golden eyes, and then everything was gone.

32

Shifting

When I came back to myself, I had no idea how much time had passed, but I knew I hadn’t recovered right away. The memories I’d been caught up in had buried me in the past, and it had taken Sky’s and River’s careful coaxing to draw me back out of them. I’d seen her before me, holding out her hand, then I was running along behind her, our hands clasped as she led me through the darkness toward a distant light. I’d followed her lead and his quiet, reassuring voice back to the present time, and opened my eyes to see him staring at me with obvious concern. “Dakota?” He touched my shoulder softly. River had moved away from the chair and was now sitting on the bed, thumbing idly at a phone as if nothing odd had just happened.

I glanced up at Sky as he said my name again. “Yeah… Yeah I’m fine.” I shook my head to clear it. “We did it.” Raelya’s arms were still holding me upright. I hugged her arms to my chest to let her know I appreciated it. She bumped her head very softly against mine and I understood what that meant completely. She loved me. She was glad to help. She would always be there for me. Just as she had been there in my mind. She was pack.

Sky nodded quietly. “River and I swept through your memories one more time after the block dissolved. Everything looks fine.”

I nodded steadily as he spoke, slowly thinking back on the journey I’d just taken into my own long-lost past, and as I drew it all back to the surface, I started to feel cold and numb. I held Raelya’s arms even tighter, fighting to keep from adding anymore wetness to my already damp cheeks.

Sky sat down on the edge of the bed in front of me and crossed his arms. “It seems your grandmother is a rather skilled Mentalist. I’ve seen better work than that once or twice, but only just.”

Raelya leaned forward to catch my eyes. “Your grandmother? You mean your Nan?”

I nodded solemnly, trying to keep my features neutral. My heart felt so heavy, burdened as it was with betrayal. “She was trying to protect me. To save me from the life of a werewolf. From being a monster.” Raelya leaned her head against mine firmly. The gesture comforted me distinctly, and I nuzzled back against her by instinct.

Sky shook his head. “I’ve honestly never seen anything like this before. I didn’t know it was possible for a Mentalist to put an Awakened person back to sleep. She basically un-Awakened you. I would never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. I hope you won’t mind if I take my report to Mr. Ayadeen. I’d like to know if he’s ever heard of any such thing before. If anyone in the organization could confirm or deny the uniqueness of your case, the boss man could. And I’d like to know what he thinks about it before you consider visiting your grandmother again.”

I nodded. “Of course. I don’t mind at all. I figure it’s pretty important to know how unusual this whole thing actually was, anyway.”

Sky nodded. “Yes, and if it’s unique to your grandmother, Mr. Ayadeen should know about her talent, regardless. It’s the sort of thing he might want to look into personally.” He glanced over at River who had poked his shoulder to show him something on her phone. He smiled at her briefly before glancing back at me. “Well, Dakota, it looks like we’re finished here. I should get River back to Vincent so he can get her home.”

“Right. But before you go…”

Sky tilted his head. “Yes?”

Hope had started building inside me, and I had one important question left to ask. “Can I shift now?”

Sky smiled and nodded. “There should be nothing stopping you at this point.” Behind him, River suddenly glanced up and her eyes were wide with excitement. She hopped over near Sky and leaned on his shoulder, peering at me exaggeratedly. Sky laughed. “I’d like to confirm that you have shifted successfully at least once before you return to the States, but be warned. If you try it right now, River will pet you.”

I grinned at that and glanced at Raelya. “Go on, Dakota. I can not wait to see your wolf.”

I took a deep breath as excitement rolled through me. “Neither can I.”

Sky glanced at River who looked ready to burst with excitement, smiling at her enthusiasm. “If you’d prefer, we can step out and give you some privacy.” River suddenly jerked her head around toward him and pouted. He just patted her hand on his shoulder. The two of them were adorable; They were like a buddy-comedy waiting to happen, with Sky playing the straight man.

I glanced back at Raelya again and shrugged. “I uh…” I glanced back at River who was leaning toward me and giving me the best puppy-dog eyes and quivering lip imaginable. I laughed. “That’s okay. I think River really wants to stay, and it’s the least I can do to repay her for helping fix me.”

River grinned excitedly and Sky shook his head at her quietly. “If you’re sure. Please don’t make yourself uncomfortable just to please her. If you give her an inch…”

River stuck her hand over his mouth and Sky swatted it away. She grinned at him and he glared at her, the perfect pair of siblings.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” I stood and glanced at myself. “So… hmm.” I turned to Raelya. “Never done this before… Any pointers?”

Raelya nodded. “First you should take off your clothes, unless you want to be tangled up in them and possibly destroy them in the process.”

I blinked. “Oh…” I hadn’t realized inviting Sky and River to stay would mean stripping in front of strangers. I grinned sheepishly.

Sky turned around and pulled River with him. She sighed but relented and slapped both hands over her eyes for good measure.

I shrugged at Raelya who nodded at me encouragingly before politely averting her eyes. I stripped off my clothes and tried to turn into a wolf. At first it felt ridiculous. Here I was, a grown woman, standing in a hotel room with two relative strangers and a recently-made friend, naked as the day I was born, trying to turn myself into a wolf. Yeah, that didn’t sound crazy at all. At first I just thought about shifting. Turn into a wolf! I commanded myself mentally. Become the wolf! I clenched my fists and strained as if that would somehow make me magically change shape. Wolf time! Nothing happened. Wolf-related song lyrics came to my mind unbidden as I started to get embarrassed about standing there trying to change my shape in the buff, but even Warren Zevon was no help to me.

Just as I was about to admit defeat, the wolf inside me surged to the surface and this time, I felt her more clearly than I ever had before. She was really there; she was really real. I felt the part of my soul that was wolf rushing to join with the human part, and the two halves came together suddenly, feeling as natural as taking a step. Absorbing the wolf into the woman was like having an emotion: it just happened and I could feel it near-tangibly in my chest as it rose inside me, altering my perceptions and everything suddenly shifted around me. The bed in front of me rose several inches in height as the pile of the carpet grew more textured and detailed. I shook my head once at the brightness of the lamps that hit my eyes suddenly as if they had somehow become brighter, and I glanced quickly around at all of the noises that had just gone up in volume as if someone had just turned a microphone onto the world. The hum of the lights, the roar of the mini-fridge, and the relative hurricane of human breath, chests rising and falling so loudly it was a wonder anyone could think or talk over such a clamor.

I jerked my head from one side to the other, initially confused at the rapid changes around me. I wondered what was going on and why everything had just become so different. Then I glanced down, spotted my paws, and hopped a foot in the air in surprise. I was a wolf!

Raelya glanced down at me and smiled, cooing out a happy sound as she dropped to her knees and embraced me. “Dakota… well done! You are…” She settled back and smiled at my face. “You are adorable!” River’s head whipped around suddenly and she lifted her forearms in front of her chest, making her hands into fists and grinning wildly. I think Steph would have called that “Squeeing”. River pushed past Sky and dropped to the floor in front of me. She peered into my eyes and nodded, seeming to agree with Raelya as she peered at my face.

I glanced up at Raelya and tried to ask, “I am?” but all that came out was an awkward sounding wolf-noise. I jerked my head back in surprise. I glanced at Raelya who laughed softly, then looked up at Sky.

Sky turned to me as if hearing my unspoken request, and his voice filled my mind just as it had before. No, werewolves can’t speak as humans can. Though, commonly, you can communicate with other wolves through body language.

I thought back toward him. Do my thoughts still make sense?

Yes. He responded. Your thoughts are still human thoughts, though they are blended with the wolf’s instincts so they can come off somewhat differently.

I glanced back up at Raelya and tilted my head. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I wondered why she thought I was adorable and that was the gesture I found myself making when I stopped thinking about how to ask with words.

Raelya grinned at me and ducked her head toward the bathroom. There was a full-length mirror on the back of the door, so I trotted over to look myself over. Raelya opened the door for me. I approached the mirror and peered at myself. I was a wolf. An admittedly cute wolf, with a light cream-colored undercoat and very dark brown on my back and around my head. My face was medium gray around my eyes with fluffy white fur around my cheeks, nose, and mouth. But the thing that really stood out was a series of little dark-brown dots that lined up in an arc under each of my eyes.

I turned my head one way then the other, then flopped my ears down, back, then back up. I flicked my fluffy tail and turned in a circle. I was a wolf. A real wolf. And it was awesome.

Raelya closed the door as I stepped back toward the others, smiling. Or I guess, my mouth was just hanging open a little, but it felt like a smile to me. I glanced up at River and Sky happily. River glanced at Sky excitedly then hugged me without further ado. She squeezed me once then started petting me all over my head and neck. It felt awesome. I turned my head this way and that as she gave me the same treatment as one might give beloved dog. I leaned my head into her touch as she scratched behind my ears; that felt amazing! No wonder dogs liked that! And I turned my head to put her fingers right on the spot she’d brushed that had felt the best.

Sky shook his head quietly and Raelya knelt down to join River in fawning over me. Raelya placed a hand on my back softly and I turned to face her, smiling my wolfy smile. She leaned her head down and bumped her forehead against mine and I found myself returning the gesture. It felt right. It felt wonderful.

River petted me extensively for a while before Sky finally straightened up and gestured at her, catching her attention. She pouted but stood up. “Well it seems that everything is as it should be now.” He smiled at me honestly and took his sister’s hand.

I glanced at Raelya then trotted over behind the far bed and tried to become a human again. Sky folded his hands politely and turned away. Raelya brought my clothes over and laid them on the bed. “It is opposite of becoming wolf. Try to find the human part of you and focus on that. You have to make them separate again.”

I tried following her advice and found it was more difficult than it sounded. I would think about myself standing up and being a person again, but the wolf would surge in me and I’d find my mental image of my human form shifting to the colors of the wolf’s fur. I shook my head and shoved the wolf down, mentally pushing her to the floor beneath me and begging her to let me go. The wolf seemed reluctant to allow me to separate us. I didn’t blame her. A part of me didn’t want to separate from her either. We had only just started and I wanted to feel everything out more than I had. But for now, I needed to thank people and I felt awkward trying to do so on four legs.

I shoved the wolf down and finally managed to put my will on top of her. I put my feet down beneath me and suddenly stood up on two legs, slightly shocked at the suddenness of the change. The pain rippled through me like a hammer blow to the chest and I gasped at the unbelievable aches that spread out across my body. “Ooowww!” I whined as I caught my balance. “Ow ow ow ow ow!” Raelya glanced at me sympathetically and I rubbed at my shoulder which was stinging more sharply than the rest. “Wow… that is… really not comfortable.” I dressed hurriedly as Raelya smirked quietly.

“You get used to it.” She informed me, staring pointedly at the wall in front of her.

I huffed as I pulled my shirt on. “It didn’t hurt much the first time…” I thought about that curiously. “Or maybe I was just too stunned to notice.”

Raelya shook her head. “The change to wolf is less painful than the change back. Though you are probably right; it was likely partly the shock that distracted you from it.”

I stepped over to Sky and River and stuck a hand out at them. “Guys, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help.”

Sky shook my hand with a smile as River saluted me. “We’re happy to help. I’m really glad we were able to fix it.”

I grinned. “Me too. For the past few weeks, I’ve felt like the lamest werewolf of all time.”

Sky seemed amused. “I can imagine. But at least that’s over now.” He glanced at River then smiled back at me. “River obviously just wanted to pet a werewolf.”

I laughed. “Her motivations are revealed!”

River shrugged innocently and we all laughed.

Sky wished me well and I thanked him again. River hugged me, then waved and walked out, the door opening before her without so much as a gesture or a glance. Sky informed me that he’d arrange my flight home and then he and his wife would escort us back to the airport safely. He also agreed to let me know what he found out from Mr. Ayadeen about what my Nan had done. I saw him out and closed the door behind him, then turned back to Raelya.

“I’m a real wolf now, yes?” I grinned at her excitedly.

Raelya came over to me and hugged me softly. “Yes, you are real wolf now.”

I laughed and hugged her happily. “I feel so much more… right! So much more alive!”

Raelya smiled at me softly. “A whole part of you was missing. And now you are together. It is how you should be. So of course, it feels right. You are one with wolf at last.”

I smiled back at her. “And one with pack at last…”

Raelya gazed at me longingly, and I felt a pull toward her: a desire, and a calling to be closer. I leaned into her as she leaned into me. She hesitated, our lips almost touching, then pulled her face away. I pulled away at the same time and smiled at her, pushing the feelings down hard. “Before all this…” I stepped past her and started packing my bag. “I felt so alone. Now that I can feel the difference… the connection… I realize how horrible it was.”

Raelya steadied herself with a breath and nodded. “We are pack creatures. Wolves desire to be with pack.” She turned and went to the other bed and started packing as well. “I am happy for you, Dakota.”

I smiled, swallowing the thick longing to be near her. “I’m happy too.”

33

Homecoming

The flight home was generally uneventful. Raelya and I chatted about werewolves, shifting, and the legends surrounding our kind. She told me that the full moon did call to us, but that resisting the change on those days was like resisting a really bad craving most of the time: difficult, but not impossible, especially as long as you didn’t neglect your wolf’s need to run and hunt for too long. She told me stories about shifting and running with the pack, and managed to get me excited and hyped about getting home and truly becoming one of them on my first hunt.

“Ralof will want to see you change. Then he will probably take us all running together. You will love it.” She told me. I knew she was right.

Part of me wanted to talk to her about the big revelation of my past and the unbelievable journey I had gone on in my mind to get to it. Part of me just wanted to cry and deny the idea that my Nan was involved. Part of me wanted to hide from the facts and go back to the way things were before I’d learned the truth. But as I’d learned all too well in the short time since I’d Awakened, you can’t unsee the truth. There was no going back. Nan had betrayed my trust and changed the course of my life. Because of her, I’d been denied my pack, my true family, the full potential of my existence, and even half of my own spirit, my wolf, for over a decade of my life. That was a big, hard rock to swallow.

But I kept the conversation lighter because I didn’t want to break down and start blubbering on Raelya’s shoulder in a crowded plane. My mind kept drifting back to the memories I’d recovered, and the years of emptiness Nan’s choice to sever me from my wolf had caused me but I kept pushing them down. I’d talk that out later, no doubt. But not here. Not now.

A few hours later, we emerged at the Nashville airport, tired but happy and generally ready to be home. A three-hour drive still stood between us and our destination, but I was determined to be better company this time than I had been before. I didn’t let Raelya down on the ride home. I told her funny stories about my favorite shows, and generally avoided thinking about anxiety-inducing fact that my grandmother was some kind of magician who had separated me from my true self long ago.

I distracted myself and my driver for a few hours, and then finally, we were pulling into the crunchy gravel drive of the pack house. I practically leapt from the car and stretched my muscles tiredly. Raelya hopped out and we grabbed our luggage and headed for the door. The door opened before we reached it and Ralof and Elisa poured out to greet us. Raelya was swept up in a hug by Elisa and Ralof came over to me, clapped his hand on my shoulder and smiled broadly. “Welcome back, Dakota. How was the trip?”

I grinned. “Eventful.” Andrei and the three younger wolves all came outside, along with a couple of others I didn’t know yet. But it didn’t matter. I knew they were pack. I could feel it. “But all’s well that ends well.”

“So?” Elisa released Raelya and stepped over to me. “What did you find out?”

Ralof gave me a curious expression as well. I glanced at Raelya then around at the others who had all come out to greet me, and I felt a frown creeping onto my face. “I found out where I need to go next.”

Ralof tilted his head. “Oh? Where do you need to go?”

I took a deep breath and resigned myself to the ugly task ahead. “Over the river and through the woods.”

Ralof frowned and eyed me thoughtfully. I gave him a faint smile, then started past him toward the house. “Dakota?” He put a hand on my shoulder and the comfort of my Alpha’s presence was magnified now that the wolf and I were no longer separated by a dozen years and a powerful spell. I almost slumped against him, but his warm confidence steadied me.

I looked up to meet his eyes. “Yeah?”

Ralof smiled at me gently. “I can feel her excitement. I know you are tired, but surely you can introduce us before you settle in to rest?”

I glanced around at the others who were gathered around, eagerly watching, waiting to see my wolf. Elisa stood with her arms around Raelya, her good eye alert and watching me. Raelya smiled encouragingly at me from beside her. “Of course.”

For an instant, I was nervous, uncertain of what to do. Then I met Ralof’s eyes again and his presence steadied me. I started laughing like an idiot as I stripped off my shirt in the middle of a circle of relative strangers. Not one of them batted a lash, though as I pulled off the rest of my clothes, Andrei whooped at me encouragingly, and Steph gave a cheerful little chirp. I barely had time to blush as I shed my clothes and dropped smoothly onto all four wolfy legs.

This time, I was not distracted by the immensely disorienting experience of just having journeyed through my past, or having my mind invaded by a pair of powerful psychic twins, so the pain reverberated through me resoundingly. I cried out as I changed, making an awful sound that shifted from human wailing into a pained howl as I steadied myself on four legs, shook myself off, then looked up at my pack who stood around me making a joyful racket. I realized, a beat later as the pain cleared away, they were cheering me.

When everyone had finished admiring me and patting me on the head and back, Elisa shooed them all inside, leaving me alone with Ralof. He scooped up my clothes and carried them for me, gesturing for me to follow. He led me around to the back yard, dropped my clothes on one of the benches near the fire pit and sat down. “Change back so we can talk.”

I did as my Alpha commanded. I shifted back to my human form with a strangled cry of pain that left me gasping on the ground in front of him. “Oooowww. Holy Flying Spaghetti Monster, that hurts.”

Ralof tilted his head, a confused expression crossing his face. “Holy… what?”

I shook my head as I started pulling on my shirt and pants. “Nothing. Anyway, so…”

“Tell me what happened.”

I took a deep breath and started from the beginning. Ralof seemed a little confused when I started with describing the airport. I realized as I was telling him about the black suit agents that he hadn’t heard about our run in with the Templar yet at all and I suddenly felt a little bad for not calling him. As soon as I mentioned the cross, he straightened, his expression growing dark. He let me get as far as our boarding the second flight before suddenly coming to his feet and growling angrily.

I shrank a little but his anger was not directed at me. He paced to the side, then looked back at me. “Templar? In Dallas?” He wrinkled his nose in the silent semblance of a snarl. “Raelya… She is hurt?”

I nodded, frowning. “She said it was not bad and that she’d be okay. Her arms were all torn up though and they looked pretty bad to me, but Sky healed her so I think she’s okay.”

Ralof frowned toward the house then settled back down. “If it were not all right, Elisa would have told me by now.” He seemed to be reassuring himself with that.

“I’m sorry, Ralof…” I lowered my head.

“Hmm? For what?” he seemed honestly confused.

I peered up at him cautiously. “For getting Raelya hurt.”

Ralof shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Dakota. I sent Raelya to make sure you were safe. It is good that I did. She can take care of herself, and you needed protecting.”

I nodded. “I know, but… I just feel bad that she got hurt protecting me.”

Ralof squeezed my shoulder steadyingly. “Dakota.” I glanced up at him and he held my gaze. “It is not your fault. We are pack. Pack protects pack. You will get hurt protecting pack one day and you will not resent your pack for it. You will not blame your pack. You will only blame the ones who tried to hurt them.”

I smiled helplessly. “Thanks, Ralof.” I choked on a half-laugh-half-sob. “You… You know you’re really good at making me feel better.”

Ralof smiled kindly. “It is part of being your Alpha.” He glanced toward the house fondly. “It is not just about being in charge, Dakota. It means that you are all mine to protect, to care for, to love as my own brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters. You are all my family and I would gladly die for you.”

I slid closer on the bench and hugged him as tears slid down my cheeks. Ralof hugged me back and held me quietly for a moment until I calmed down. I shuddered out a laugh as I straightened back from him. “Sorry… I just… I can’t believe how incredibly warm and happy it makes me feel to… to be a part of this pack… to be a part of this… family.”

Ralof ruffled my hair. “No need to worry about that. It is a good thing. And you will get used to it.”

I pulled my legs up and leaned on them. “Maybe.”

“So, you made it to Calgary?”

I told him the rest of the story and he listened quietly. As I came to the end, I took a deep breath, preparing to reveal the last detail that I’d held off on mentioning as long as I could. “And now… I know why I couldn’t shift.”

Ralof tilted his head curiously and prompted me with a “Hmm?”.

I squeezed my arms around my knees tightly. “My Nan. Apparently, she’s a sorceress of some kind. And she put me back to sleep.”

Ralof growled quietly. “That is… not acceptable.”

I glanced up at him. “I… I think she just wanted to protect me.”

Ralof frowned and shook his head. “It was not her choice to hide your self from you. Look at the damage it has done you. Years without pack. Years you could have been learning and growing, wasted.”

I leaned my chin on my knees. “I really love my Nan, Ralof. She was… always there for me. Even when my parents weren’t. I don’t want to hate her. I’m trying really hard not to.”

Ralof softened his expression and patted my shoulder again gently. “I am sorry Dakota. It just—” He sighed frustratedly. “It makes me angry to think of how selfish that was of her.”

I glanced up at him. “It’s okay. I can forgive her.”

Ralof gave me a firm look. “But you need to go and talk to her about it.”

I winced. “Can I just not and say I did?”

Ralof shook his head. “There are things you need to know. Remember I told you that being a werewolf runs in your family?”

I grimaced, not yet sure where he was going, but already sure I didn’t like it. “Yes?”

“What if you are not the only one she has suppressed?”

I sighed. “Damn it.”

“I am sorry Dakota.”

“It’s not your fault.” I buried my face in my knees for a moment, then looked up. “Well, that’s something I’m not looking forward to doing.”

Ralof gave me an approving smile. “But you will do it.”

I nodded miserably.

“Then you will not do it alone.”

I tilted my head at him.

He patted my shoulder softly. “We will come with you.”

34

Conscience

The trip to my Nan’s house was scheduled for the coming weekend. I had a lot to do after the trip to Canada, so Ralof let me get away with putting it off for a few days. After our talk, we’d gone back inside and had dinner with the pack. I’d been itching for the chance to go running but Ralof had insisted we wait. “Since the Fourth of July is Saturday after next, much of the pack will be coming in for a long-weekend.” He’d told me. “I would like your first run to be a good one.” I couldn’t argue with that.

I caught a cab home after dinner. After telling the driver my address and chatting casually for a moment or two, I receded into the comfortable silence of the back seat and pulled out my phone. I went to text Amorie and noticed I’d missed her response to my brief text in Calgary. “I am glad to hear that you have arrived safely. Call me when you have time? I miss you.” I felt like a complete jerk. Not only had I avoided calling her because I didn’t want to talk about what had happened with Raelya yet, but I’d also completely dropped the ball on keeping up with her via text.

I sighed and texted her back. “Sorry, I missed your last text. Busy trip. Taking a cab home. Will call after I settle in.” And after sending that, I had to accept that I was going to talk to her as soon as I got home. Anxiety started to knot in my stomach immediately. I didn’t want to hurt Amorie. I put the phone away and stared out the window, sinking deep into my thoughts. I had a long list of things to do, and losing my girlfriend might well be among them.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, chirping merrily as I received a text back. I couldn’t bring myself to take it out and read it. I figured I’d save that for when I got home, and so I rested my head against the window and watched the passing darkness of the scenery all the way home.

There was a lot I needed to take care of, so as soon as I got home and tossed my luggage on the floor, I flopped onto the bed and started making calls. The text I’d received earlier turned out to have been from Sky, not Amorie. It read “I have spoken with Mr. Ayadeen. Call me when you get a chance.”

I decided to go ahead and do that in case Sky would be off work soon and inconvenienced by a late call. Not because I wasn’t ready to face Amorie yet. Just being polite. The phone gave me half a ring before Sky picked up. “Dakota. I trust you arrived home safely?”

“Yep. No turbulence this time.”

“Good. So I spoke with Mr. Ayadeen and he informed me he has looked into the matter of your grandmother.”

“And?”

“She was registered with the Magister’s Court once, long ago. She does not keep contact with them anymore, though she is hardly in poor standing. She achieved the rank of High Mentalist long before you or I were born.”

“Is that pretty good?” I figured it wasn’t bad. After all, SII had sent me to Sky because he was an expert Mentalist.

“It’s not shabby. Just one rank lower than myself. Her skill is noted, though as far as SII is concerned, we have little information on her in the past fifty years as she has given us no reason to take notice of her until now.”

“And that’s… a good thing? Right?”

“Oh yes. Well, probably. It means she doesn’t have a bad record with us. It doesn’t mean she has never done anything wrong. Though Mr. Ayadeen did check with contacts at the Magister’s Court and they assured him that as far as they are concerned, she is still a sane, upstanding magician.”

I let out a deep breath. “Okay. Good. Then it’s probably safe for me to go visit her, right?”

“I would think so. Though if you are not comfortable going alone, please contact your local SII office and we can arrange for someone to go with you for safety.”

I smiled at that. “Thanks. I appreciate that you guys would do that for me. But Ralof already said that the pack would come with me, so I’ll be fine.”

“Excellent. Well, in that case, I suppose that’s all for now.”

“Thanks again, Sky. SII or not, I owe you one for what you did. If there’s ever a chance for me to repay you, well, I guess you won’t forget where to find me.”

Sky laughed softly. “Indeed. And again, it was my honor. Though it never hurts to keep contact with good people.”

“No, I don’t suppose it does.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your evening.”

“Thank you for the information. Have a good one.”

“You too.” We hung up and I considered what I wanted to do next. I needed to call Amorie. I needed to woman up and face the consequences of letting myself get too close to Raelya, but I felt like I’d already drawn it out too much and now what if she was even more hurt because I hadn’t called? I decided to wait until I’d taken care of the other calls so I wouldn’t be distracted, but the next task on my list made it no easier. I called Nan.

Blessedly, her answering machine picked up and informed me that she and Gramps were “still kickin’ around somewhere, but it ain’t here”. I smiled sadly as I left her a message asking if I could come see her Friday afternoon and to call me back if that wouldn’t work out, otherwise I’d see her then.

After that turned out easier than I’d expected, I tried to remain hopeful as I dialed the next number. I called Adrien from SII, hoping to leave him a message and at least let him know how things had gone. I figured Sky had reported to him already, but I wanted to thank him and leave a query about my application as well. I was surprised when he answered the line. I’d have thought it was after his working hours by now. “Adrien Michaelangelo.”

“Uh, Dakota Shepherd?”

“Miss Shepherd! I’m quite pleased to hear from you. How was your trip?”

I smiled to myself. “Eventful. I uh… I figure you’ve heard from Sky about most of that?”

“Indeed. And again, I am truly sorry for the trouble you encountered with the Templar en route. That is not something you should have had to deal with.”

“Eh. Not like it was your fault. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m home, trip’s over, everything was a success. My Alpha sends his appreciation for helping me solve this, and I’m eternally grateful as well.”

“Excellent. I’m so very pleased to hear that, Miss Shepherd. Is there anything else I can assist with at this time?”

“I was hoping to inquire about the status of my application…”

“Of course. I received a report from Mr. Simms and it seems that there should be no further trouble with your mental state. As a result, I would be happy to submit your application for review.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Shepherd. I see no reason why it should be declined. Especially after the way you handled yourself with the Templar.”

I blinked. I hadn’t gotten around to telling him the details yet, and as I thought about it, I realized I hadn’t reported the details to Sky either. “Uh, how I handled myself? Someone told you how that went?”

“Actually, my father had the security footage from the airport confiscated for a clean-up operation and I reviewed the goings on myself. Excellently done, Miss Shepherd. Your grace under fire was commendable, and you dealt with the situation far better than most would have without proper training.”

“Well, I’ve had gun training and some security training with my job, and it’s not like it was my first time dealing with a hostile situation.”

“Perhaps not, but it was your first time dealing with a skilled agent with magic and sword training, I believe. So regardless, well done.”

“Heh. Thanks. I guess I just applied what I knew to the situation and did my best. My instincts were telling me something wasn’t right, so I didn’t let my guard down.”

“Having good instincts is a merit in and of itself. Listening to them is a far greater merit still. I think you’ll do fine at SII, Miss Shepherd and I look forward to working with you.”

“Does that mean I’m hired?”

“So long as my father does not veto the decision, but I don’t see why he would.”

“Awesome! When will I know for sure?”

“I’ll check with him tomorrow and let you know. If there is no problem with that, you can come in next week to sign the papers and for initial training and assignment.”

“Sweet! Thank you so much!” A tiny part of me burst into glitter and rainbows as a life-long dream coalesced into reality at last.

“I’ll be happy to welcome you to the team. Now, was there anything else?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks!”

“Well then, good evening, Miss Shepherd.” We hung up, I hopped off the bed and cheered, then danced until I caught my reflection in the mirror and gave myself a sheepish shrug. Now I wasn’t as upset about the next call on my list. At least I had good news to add to the awkward bits.

I settled down on my bean bag and dialed Amorie. After a few rings, she picked up.

“There you are, little wolf… I was starting to get worried about you.”

“Hey Amorie… I’m sorry I didn’t call before. Been a busy trip.” My nerves one-eightied on me and I sank into jitters again.

“It must have been very busy indeed. I was concerned when you did not text me back or call.”

I frowned. “I… I know…” How to say the things…

“Something is wrong.” Amorie’s stillness carried through the phone. I could imagine her stopping in the middle of whatever she’d been doing and going completely motionless as she often did when she noticed something troubling.

I sighed. “I… I just…” I swallowed my nerves and blurted it out. “Raelya kissed me.”

Amorie’s stillness lingered for a few long, silent seconds as my outburst sank in. At last she responded, “Oh.”

I rolled to the side, causing the beans to crunch under my weight as they shifted. “I’m sorry, Amorie… I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone…”

“You are… you are leaving me?” The hurt in her voice nearly broke my heart.

“What? No!” I half-shouted at the phone, suddenly desperate to be understood.

“Then… What are you saying?” Her voice was carefully neutral and the colder shift was unsettling and heart-wrenching.

“I just needed to tell you that it happened! I didn’t kiss her back. And nothing else happened. I just… I didn’t want you to be hurt…” I felt my eyes stinging with the tears that suddenly threatened to fall.

“Oh…” Amorie let out a long breath. “That is all?”

I blinked several times to push the tears away. “Yeah…”

Amorie laughed softly. “Oh Dakota…” She inhaled pointedly and then slowly let it out. “That is nothing to be worried about.”

I laughed helplessly. “It’s not? I mean… I didn’t want you to be hurt…”

“You said you did not even kiss her back. So you are afraid I will be hurt because someone else is interested in you?”

A part of my stomach clenched with the memory of the longing I’d felt to be close to Raelya. I wanted to be honest with Amorie, but I didn’t even really know what all those feelings were at this point. I took a deep breath and let it out. “I just don’t want you to be hurt, period. I care about you… a lot. I want to be with you. And… I’m not a cheater. I didn’t do anything with her. But I can’t say I didn’t feel anything at all.”

“Meaning?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. She’s another wolf and she’s in my pack. It’s weird. There’s this feeling like we belong together. It’s not just her. I get that feeling around Ralof and Elisa and Andrei and… it’s just part of being a wolf, I think. But I’m new to this. And I’m making friends… and I’m not alone for the first time in forever and…” I paused for a breath and Amorie stepped in again.

“My sweet Dakota, it is all right. There are many things that are new to you right now, and you have a lot to process at this point. You are learning new feelings from being a werewolf, from being with a pack, and I think… from some social troubles that perhaps I would like to hear more about at some point in person. I think it is perfectly normal for you to have some such feelings. It can be hard sometimes to differentiate adoration for a dear friend and the romantic feelings we have for a lover. Perhaps especially when that friend has feelings for you.”

“That. I just… I really like Raelya. I mean, she’s my pack, and I feel like we connected on a deeper level even. But… I want you. And I don’t want to lie to you, not even a little. I had feelings when she kissed me. But I pushed her away. I told her that wasn’t me. And nothing else happened.”

“It is all right, my dear wolf. Please, do not worry any more. I am not hurt, and we are fine.”

I sighed a long sigh of relief at finally hearing that. “I am so glad to hear that, Amorie.”

“So,” her voice took on a playful tone. “This is why you did not call?”

“Yeah… I kept trying to, but I didn’t really want to do this over the phone… I didn’t want you to misunderstand me and think I’d cheated or to think I was breaking up with you for a moment. Like just happened.”

Amorie laughed. “Well, I would rather have felt those things a day earlier and heard your voice, ma chérie. And to have known you were safe.” Her tone was playfully reproachful.

“I’m sowwy.” I muttered pathetically. “I’m just a big dummy.”

“Hah… You are a tiny dummy if anything.”

I grinned. “I love you, Amorie.” I blinked, shocked by my traitorous mouth, but I couldn’t argue the truth of that statement.

Amorie was quiet for a few seconds, then when she spoke I could practically hear the smile in her voice. “I love you too, my little wolf.”

We were both quiet for a long moment and I imagined she was beaming at her phone as hard as I was beaming at mine.

After more than a minute I had to ask, “Really?”

“I do. And I am so very happy to call you mine.” She practically purred and the words were salve to my trembling heart.

I felt warm all over. “I’m happy to call you mine as well…” I laughed again, unable to contain the happy feelings inside. “So, I guess that makes us official?”

“I thought we already were.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page then.”

35

Answers

I caught a cab down to the pack house on Friday and when I arrived, I found that Ralof had gathered a posse to back me up on the trip to confront my Nan. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that over all, but I was touched by their willingness to back me regardless. This whole “having a pack” thing was awesome. So I piled into the back seat of Ralof’s truck between Raelya and Andrei while Ralof drove and Elisa rode shotgun. As he settled in beside me, Andrei plucked at my T-shirt which had the words “Powered by” above a molecular diagram. “What’s that?”

I grinned. “The molecular structure of caffeine, of course.”

Andrei laughed at that while Elisa craned her neck to peer back at me then snorted mildly. “Is nonsense.”

I smirked. “But it’s science nonsense!”

Elisa shook her head at me and went back to peering at the scenery flying by as we drove lazily down the mountain.

An hour of riding with Andrei turned into an hour of naming our favorite shows, bands, and then video games as the other three input their favorites edgewise. Andrei’s energy was infectious and despite starting off with a belly full of nerves, I enjoyed the time in the truck with him and managed to calm down by the time we reached my Nan’s house in Morristown, a quaint little town just Northeast of Knoxville with lots of big, green parks, old comfy family homes, and a couple of golf and country clubs.

As we pulled up to my Nan’s white-washed farmhouse with the red roof and the wrap-around porch, I reminded myself that it was only Nan, the woman who I’d looked up to and adored since I was a little kid, who had stuck by me through everything. Nothing to worry about. Except that she was apparently not what I’d thought she was, and she’d been lying to me all along. No big deal.

Raelya squeezed my arm and I glanced over at her. She was smiling at me reassuringly, as if she could sense my worried thoughts. And here I’d thought I was being discrete with my nervous jitters.

Apparently not. As I looked back up, I realized Ralof, Elisa, and Andrei were all staring at me too. I gave a sheepish smile and Ralof reached back to grip my shoulder firmly. “It will be all right, Dakota. No matter what happens, you are not alone.” I brimmed with the warmth of knowing my pack was there with me, and nodded once.

“Let’s do this.”

Ralof nodded to me and we poured out of the truck. I heard the screen door smack into its wooden frame as Nan came out to greet me, pulling up short as she noticed the posse surrounding me. She crossed her arms where she stood and waited for me to come over and explain myself. I glanced at Ralof and held up a finger to let him know I needed a moment, then walked over to her.

Nan was a strong woman, still fit and healthy despite her age. She had been a young woman during World War II, and had staunchly supported our troops, leading her local community of women in war support efforts, fighting the good fight on the home front as she’d always put it. The strict, unyielding air of military authority she’d taken into her self at that time had never left her, and it showed in everything from her trim, short-cut white hair, to her tidy clothes all tucked neatly and freshly pressed. As I approached, I noticed that she looked just the same as she had the last time I’d seen her, except for one new addition: her body was haloed by a swath of steely-blue light washed through with strands of cyan and white. Nan was Awakened.

Of course she is… What had I expected? I guess I hadn’t really thought it through.

I sighed and pushed myself forward, crossing the remaining few feet at a jog before coming to attention before my beloved grandmother with an exaggerated grin. “Heya Nan. I uh… brought company.”

I should have told her I was bringing others with me. Nan was a woman of propriety and she didn’t appreciate unexpected guests, and I’d well known that. Nan raised an eyebrow at me that told me she knew I’d known it too. I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly to show her how I felt. “So… You’re Awakened too… Imagine that…”

Nan hmph’d at me and spread her arms. “Well, come here child and give me a hug.” Her clever eyes, sharp as a hawk, peered past me at the company I’d brought. “What’s done is done. Ain’t no point in bein’ a stranger.”

I tried to relax as I gave her a hug and straightened back, letting out a deep breath. “Sorry… I should have told you I was bringing friends.” I glanced back at the others, gesturing first to Ralof. “Nan, this is Ralof—”

Nan cut me off with a scoff. “Hmph. I know who you are, wolf. And I figure I know why ya’ll are here.”

Ralof took a few steps closer. “We have no intention to bring trouble to your door, ma’am. We are only here to support Dakota.”

Nan glanced at me briefly. “What in the world for?” She glanced at me. Her eyes scanned mine as if searching for something, and her expression stiffened just a little when she apparently didn’t find it.

I sighed. “Nan… I got my memories back.”

Nan blinked, actually surprised. It was one of the few times I’d ever seen her taken off guard. Nan was used to being in charge. She wasn’t used to being in situations where other people had the advantage on her. But she understood the implications of my statement, and frowned, glancing from me to the wolves and then turning abruptly toward the house. “Well, if we’re gonna talk, may as well sit down. Dakota, take your friends around back and I’ll bring out some drinks and sandwiches.” And with that, she marched up the flower-bed lined path and disappeared into the house.

I glanced at Ralof, my nerves still standing on end. “Well, that could have gone worse I guess.”

Ralof squeezed my shoulder firmly. “It will be all right, Dakota. We are here.”

I nodded, took a deep breath, then led them around back. The backyard was a sprawling flower garden with a shaded patio. I invited my pack to settle into the chairs around the little patio table and excused myself momentarily to give Nan a hand with the refreshments. I might be crap with kitchen work, but when I was at Nan’s house, I was polite. Nan always expected good manners from me, so I did my best to give her that.

I went in and helped Nan assemble a sandwich tray in silence. She put a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade and a stack of glasses on a tray and I carried two plates of sandwiches out to the patio table. Once we’d served our guests the refreshments, as was right and proper, Nan and I sat down. She glanced at Ralof and the others, then settled her gaze on me. “So, child, what’s this all about?”

“I’ve been struggling for days to think of a way to say this…” I sighed deeply. This was my Nan. Just my Nan. She loved me. I kept telling myself it would be okay, but my heart wasn’t listening. “But sometimes expressing your feelings is a lot harder than it seems. So I decided to get you this card instead.” I pulled the greeting card I had brought from behind my back and offered it to her. It was in a pretty pink envelope and covered in happy little stickers.

Nan raised an eyebrow at me, shook her head, and took the card. She opened it quietly, snorted at the crossed out “Happy Birthday” on the front that I’d replaced with “So I’m Awakened…” in black marker. She eyed the glittery rainbow unicorn as she read the front out loud then opened it and continued, “and it turns out you’re some kind of witch and you blocked out my memories and stopped me from turning into a wolf and I’m here to ask why. Please don’t hate me. I love you. Dakota.”

Nan snorted and shook her head. “Child…” I could tell by her tone she was amused, but the tension in my belly wouldn’t ease, and the wolf felt restless as well. Nan dropped the card on the table. “Only you would mark out all the words on a birthday card instead’a just writin’ a durn letter.”

I chewed at my lip fitfully. “So…”

Nan crossed her arms and fixed me with a stare. “So what? You know what happened now, and I figure you got questions, so ask.”

This was it. The question I’d asked in my memories that had burned at me ever since the shadow of Nan in my mind had failed to answer it. I ducked my head a little. “Why’d you do it, Nan?”

“To protect you.”

I frowned. “From what?”

Nan sighed and glanced off toward her flower garden. “Dakota… I wanted you to have a normal life. I wanted you to be able to grow up an’ have a family and just be happy. I didn’t want you to be a wolf.” She pressed her lips hard and I knew her well enough to know that was as close to crying as she’d ever get in front of me. She swallowed as I reached over and put my hand on her arm. “Your uncle Robert, my son, was a werewolf.”

“He was?” I had never known my uncle Robert. He’d died long before I was born.

Nan nodded. “He started turnin’ into a wolf when he was still just a boy. I got in touch with the local pack and got him what help I could. Tried to do everything right. Tried to support him as best I could.”

Ralof hmm’d thoughtfully. “That would have been before I took over the Lower Appalachian pack.”

Nan nodded. “It was. The fella what ran the place before ya was a piece of work, let me tell ya. Hateful, angry man.”

Ralof growled quietly. “Believe me, I know.”

Nan glanced back at me. “He helped us figure things out, anyway. And Robert needed helpin’ so we put up with bad attitudes and worse.” Nan breathed out heavily and shook her head. “Then Vietnam happened and Robert decided to follow in his Pa’s footsteps. Before I’d knew it, he’d done run off and enlisted.”

All of my packmates were listening intently despite making themselves busy with their sandwiches. I noticed Andrei and Ralof exchanging a glance at the mention of Vietnam and I wondered suddenly how old they were. I knew Raelya was old enough to have lived through World War II and that had to mean that Elisa was older than her, but Ralof and especially Andrei were still a complete mystery to me on that front. Something told me that Ralof was older still.

“Went over there and got himself killed. That’s what he did. I reckon he figured since he was a werewolf that meant he was untouchable. He hadn’t spent enough time with the pack, hadn’t spent enough time learnin’ about the world. He ran off before I could stop him, and he went over there an’ got himself killed.” Nan’s mouth pressed firmly again and I squeezed her arm gently. I knew she wouldn’t appreciate me making more of a deal of things than that, but I felt bad for her.

Andrei looked up with a sympathetic frown. “Templar, I imagine. They did their best to make sure the Supernatural creatures that made their way into the armed forces couldn’t do much to turn the tides.”

Nan glanced up at Andrei and nodded. “We all reckoned so. He had a mess a’bullet wounds and a couple a’knife wounds for good measure. All of it silver. We figured it had to a’been someone that knew how to fight a werewolf anyway. Templar was as good a guess as any.”

Andrei nodded sadly. “They got a lot of us in ‘Nam. Got a lot of us in World War II.”

Nan nodded. “I learned a lot about just how much damage the Templar had done in the Great War an’ every other war since after Robert died.” She gestured toward me. “And wouldn’t ya know it, this one grows up an’ starts talkin’ ‘bout the Army, and then she starts shiftin’.” She shook her head steadily.

“I… I’m sorry Nan.” I lowered my head a little. “I didn’t know.”

Nan patted my hand. “Course ya didn’t, child. But what ya don’t know can still hurt ya.”

Andrei reached across Ralof and ruffled my hair lightly. “See, kid? It’s not all that bad. Your Nan was just lookin’ out for you.”

I smiled at him and nodded. Nan seemed to appreciate Andrei’s attitude. She picked up the pitcher of lemonade and offered to refill his glass. It was secret Nan-Approval language. I was starting to feel a little less tense now that she seemed to get along with at least one of my pack. “I can see that.” I glanced up at her. “You stopped me from being a werewolf so I wouldn’t get hurt. I can respect that. But…” I wasn’t looking forward to the aftermath of what I was about to say. “When I grew up and all, don’t you think you might should have talked to me about it?”

Nan shrugged. “I didn’t see any reason why I should.”

I blinked. “Uh… how about because it’s my life and I have a right to know the truth about my own mind?”

Nan sighed. “Dakota… Thing is, it’s not so simple as all that. Once a person gets a certain age… Awakening becomes well, dangerous. As people get older, they become more and more set in their ways. And Awakening is all about accepting the truth over what we’ve always thought to be true. Not everyone that gets faced with that sort of thing can actually handle it. Many people don’t Awaken when faced with a situation that should Awaken them. Many people just go insane.”

I frowned and glanced up at Ralof. He didn’t say anything, but the bare hint of a nod he gave me told me she was telling the truth. I considered that a moment then nodded slowly. “So once you’d put me back to sleep, you couldn’t try to Awaken me again without risking that I couldn’t handle it… risking that I’d go nuts?”

Nan nodded. “And I wasn’t about to go through all that trouble of fixin’ ya up and sortin’ ya out just to mess you all up again.” She smiled at me wryly.

But I still wasn’t amused. “I still don’t feel it was right.”

Nan pressed her lips hard and stared at me for a moment. It was hard not to look away. I could hold my own in a staring contest with the best, but I didn’t want to defy Nan. I respected her immensely and it hurt to call her out. “Well what do you want me to do about it now? What’s done is done. I did it because I love ya. You were so young, Dakota, and you were terrified of what you were becoming.” She shook her head suddenly, her expression disgusted. “Your mama couldn’t pull her head outta her ass far enough to recognize how much she was hurting you, and she wouldn’t listen to a word I said. I tried tellin’ her it weren’t worth it, that she was pushin’ you away, but she wouldn’t have it.”

I blinked a few times, pushing away tears I didn’t want. “You made me forget all that too. All these years, I’ve known somewhere inside that I wasn’t really welcome at home, but I’ve never really understood why. I blamed myself for that, you know? I didn’t remember how hurtful she was, how reasonable it was for me to stay away.”

Nan frowned honestly. “I am sorry for that, Dakota. I didn’t have to block that out, not entirely. But she hurt you so much, and I wasn’t sure your wolf wouldn’t break right out of my spell if I let you keep all that pain and rage. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to be safe. And if I had to do it all again, I woulda done the same thing. I won’t apologize for protecting my own grandchild from monsters, even the ones inside, and even the one I raised.”

I gave in and cried. My face streamed with tears that couldn’t decide if they were from the pain of remembering, or the relief of knowing my Nan wasn’t a bad guy after all. “I guess it’s simple enough. I could be mad at you. I am kinda mad that you lied to me, that you messed with my head without my permission… But I can’t blame you for trying to protect me, and I believe you did it out of love. So… I guess I’ll just have to accept that you did the best you knew to do, and there’s no changing the past.”

Nan nodded and held out her arms. “Well, then give me a hug and let’s put it behind us.”

I fell into Nan’s arms and hugged her tight. It wasn’t perfect, but I knew it would be all right. Given some time, and maybe a chance to talk again some time alone, our relationship could be mended. And for now, that was enough.

I settled back into my chair, and Elisa started up a conversation with Nan about her experiences during World War II. Nan had been a home-front hero in many ways. Never content to just wait around for the men to get things done, Nan had organized and motivated the women in her area to fight the good fight from right here at home. She had set up projects to produce supplies for the troops, organized advertisement to encourage people to ration materials and donate useful items to the war effort, and generally had been the backbone of her community.

Elisa conversed with her with interest, returning Nan’s tales with some interesting stories of her own about how she had escaped from Nazi Germany with her little niece, Raelya, who was just a girl at the time. I listened to the two older ladies speaking, marveling quietly at how they both looked decades too young to have been involved in the second world war. Raelya caught my eyes as Elisa spoke of the sounds of bombs falling and the shattering silence that followed. I gazed into her deep, blue eyes as she gazed into mine, and I could feel the weight of her experiences in her expression. She smiled at me quietly and I smiled back.

Nan spoke about Grampa’s tour and Andrei and Ralof got involved in the conversation again, adding their own valorous war stories. I wasn’t sure if it was my earlier nervousness, or just general nostalgia that had me remembering what it was like as a kid to sit around listening to Nan discussing adult things with other grown ups, but I felt a reminiscent need to remain quiet. So I leaned back in my seat, sipped my drink, and listened.

“I did not join until British and later American forces occupied Iceland.” Ralof said.

Nan eyed my Alpha critically. “How old are ya, then?”

Ralof gave a deep, honest laugh. “Closer to four hundred than three, by my reckoning.”

Andrei shook his head. “I never get over that, boss. It’s still some crazy sh—” Andrei glanced at my Nan who raised her eyebrow on cue. “Shtuff.” He grinned.

Ralof laughed again and my Nan snorted mildly. “As for the World Wars,” Ralof continued. “I was born in Greenland, yes, many years ago, and aside from some traveling in Europe, it is mostly where I stayed for a long time. When World War One came around, I mostly stayed to my home, since we were neutral and not involved. I, perhaps naively, imagined that it was not something that affected us there. World War Two was different. I initially moved to Iceland when the threat of invasion in Greenland increased. But then, as I mentioned, British and then later American forces moved in to secure the island. It was only after speaking to some of the soldiers there that I truly came to understand how much world politics had changed and how important it was to not stand by and simply let this war happen. It threatened far more than just my home, after all.”

Nan nodded. “Far more’n most people would understand until it was too late to stop it.”

Ralof shrugged. “I was not concerned with what other people did, just what I felt was right for myself to do. At the same time, I hold no illusions that my involvement helped turn the tide of the war, or anything like that. I saved many lives. I made a difference. That was what mattered.”

Nan nodded and gave a little “hmph” which said to me in Nan-speak that she agreed with him and appreciated his sentiment.

Ralof continued. “I was there when the allies stormed Normandy. I figured that every bullet I took that could not kill me was one less that would strike down a mortal soldier.” Ralof shook his head, eyes staring backward into memory. “After the war, there were those, like Andrei,” He slapped an arm around Andrei’s shoulder with force. “Whom I had grown close to. And I began to look for us a place where we could have a home, a pack, together. I settled on America, and then eventually, here.”

Elisa snorted mildly. “Do not let Alpha deceive you. Was my choice. Did not wish to live on island far away from all cities. Was tired of cold.”

Ralof laughed and grinned at his mate. “Is that why we ended up in the South?”

Elisa snorted again and retrieved another sandwich. Raelya was grinning fondly at the pair of elder werewolves, still politely sipping her drink. I imagined that she was being quiet for similar reasons to my own. Then I remembered that Raelya was not so much younger than Elisa, a fact I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around completely.

Andrei chuckled at the exchange, winking at me as I grinned at him. “I was still living in Ireland back then. Lived there right on up until things got really…” Andrei’s voice dipped into a somber tone I wasn’t used to hearing from him. “…bad in Britain. So I made up my mind to join up even though I was underaged. Lot of that happened back then. Some in Britain, and a lot more in America. If you could pass for seventeen or older, they didn’t ask a lot of questions. So I shipped out when I was still on the back end of fifteen.” Andrei flashed me a grin. “Luckily I was about as tall then as I ever got.” Andrei was plenty tall as far as I was concerned. He was a little under six feet, which might have been less than average for a guy, but I didn’t want to hear it from all the way down here. Maybe he felt short compared to Ralof. Even Elisa was taller than him.

Andrei sighed. “Me and the other boys that I shipped out with, we got sent to some bad spots. None of them ended up making it out. Not that I ever found out about anyway. Our unit was decimated, I got separated, and I had the glorious misfortune of being picked up by one of the occult squads of the Third Reich.”

Nan seemed to recognize that. She straightened in her chair, eying Andrei intently. “How’d ya survive that? Himmler wasn’t exactly the merciful kind.”

Andrei grinned. “Well, lucky me, turns out at the time they wanted some ‘volunteers’ for some special projects and preferred they didn’t draw from their own people for it. The squad that captured me volunteered me. They did a lot of work on me, mostly experiments. Wasn’t particularly fun times. Didn’t even buy me a drink.”

I laughed helplessly, and Nan gave me a slightly disapproving look. Right, I shouldn’t be laughing at stuff like that. It wasn’t polite.

“Of course, that all ended when the big guy over here smashed through a window and saved the day, and me with it.” Andrei leaned over toward Ralof, made a show of batting his eyes and clasped his hands exaggeratedly. “My hero!”

Ralof coughed and inhaled a bit of sandwich incorrectly due to sudden, unavoidable laughter. Raelya and I laughed as well. Elisa and Nan both shook their heads as if the lot of us were crazy.

Ralof managed to clear his throat to add, “You were not exactly a helpless princess through all of it.”

Andrei nodded. “Yeah, truth be told, soon as Ralof broke me free, I kinda lost my sh— mind.” He flashed Nan a winning grin and Nan just shook her head at the foolishness. “I was pretty mad, pretty worked up, after all. Ralof helped me come back to myself, helped get me out of there, and we’ve been together ever since.”

“We fought together for quite a while, but I eventually got him out of the really hot zones.” Ralof added. “He was with the British enlisted, so they ended up taking him off the front lines for examination because it was pretty clear some bad things had happened to him. He ended up getting back into the war, but not until it was nearly over.”

Nan nodded toward Andrei. “So what’d they do? Somethin’ magical about you. I can feel it.”

Andrei grinned. “Would you believe me if I told you they just gave me some wicked tattoos?” Andrei lifted his arms and flexed. “Because they totally gave me some wicked tattoos.”

Nan leaned forward and eyed the tattoos. Andrei quit showing off long enough to present his arms for her examination and slowly turned them to show both sides. “Huh. Well I’ll be.” Andrei tilted his head curiously. Nan gestured toward some of the markings near his wrists. “Seen something like that before. Not the tattoos, mind ya. Just, the symbols.” She shook her head, eyes distant. “T’aint right what they did. The powers they called upon weren’t meant for things like this.” Nan gave Andrei a sympathetic frown. “Shame they had t’ put you through all that. Messin’ up your good looks an’ all t’boot.”

Andrei grinned broadly. “You know, you’re only a little bit older than me. We could go get a drink later.”

I was mid-drink at the time and ended up in a coughing fit. Nan narrowed her eyes at Andrei for half a beat, then barked out a healthy laugh and smacked him across the shoulder, which was Nan-speak for me to know she almost liked him enough to accept. “Get out, boy.” She shook her head, still shaking with leftover laughter.

Andrei leaned back in the chair, tipping it back enough to raise the front legs off the ground just long enough for Nan to glare at him a little, causing him to set the chair back down properly. All flirting aside, Nan didn’t abide people behaving impolitely at a social gathering. “Still though, the work they did, unnatural or not, it served me well a few times since then. ‘Sides, it coulda been worse. They coulda just killed me.” Andrei grinned around at the group of us. “Then where would the rest of you be?”

Elisa tilted her head thoughtfully, tapping a finger to her lips. “There would be much more food for the others.”

Ralof nodded thoughtfully. “Less trouble on several occasions as I recall.”

Raelya grinned over at Andrei, unable to hold a straight face. “Elisa would have fewer headaches.”

I grinned broadly. “But then who’d have founded the Dinner Roll Liberation Front?”

We all laughed, even Nan who was clever enough to pick up the gist of things, even if our jabs were mostly inside jokes she wasn’t a part of.

Andrei grimaced at me and mouthed “Da-ko-ta!” then peeked over to see if Elisa was paying attention, then mock-ducked as Elisa swiped a hand at his head. He leaned close to Ralof and squeaked. “Help, Ralof! Save me!”

To which Ralof replied happily, “Sorry, my friend. I would wage myself against the Nazis, the Templar, and Hel itself, but if you pick a fight with Elisa, you’re on your own!”

36

Home

The ride home was anything but quiet. Andrei and Ralof had gotten into a reminiscent mood talking with my Nan, and as we slid back into the truck, they started the conversation back up. I smiled as I listened for a moment to their stories about now distant battles and days long past. The men and women around me were heroes, all of them. They had fought in wars and protected humanity, even as others had done nothing but hurt them for it. But my mind was too busy to stay focused on their stories right now.

I was still a little upset inside. Not that I was surprised. I figured it would take some time for me to truly accept the things I’d learned today and mend my relationship with Nan. Though at least now I knew I wanted to. When I thought about it, I knew I still wanted Nan in my life. She wasn’t the bad guy here. She was actually pretty awesome. In fact, Nan was kinda like Captain America. Living outside her time, and still looking back on what she considered “better days” with sorrow that they were gone. She did everything she could to protect those around her, gave her all, and come Hell or high water, she was there when they needed her. She’d been willing to risk losing my love to give me a better life, and now that I realized how much she’d loved me, I also knew how hard that must have been for her to do.

I didn’t want to think about the memories I’d gotten back. Facing my mother again wasn’t something I wanted to put on the table any time soon. I saw no reason to stir up that part of my past, and nothing to gain from dwelling on it. Nan was my family, and that was enough. I smiled up at the front seat as Elisa twisted around to add some detail that corrected Ralof’s story, gesturing at him with a fond, knowing smile. Well, Nan, and these guys.

We piled out of the truck and stretched our legs. Elisa drug Raelya and Andrei both inside to help her with dinner. A couple of unfamiliar cars in the driveway told me some other wolves had come in for the weekend while were out, which meant I’d have even more pack to meet soon. I was good with that.

Ralof dropped an arm around my shoulder as we started to wander toward the back yard together. “So, overall, how do you feel?”

I smiled up at my Alpha happily. “Pretty good, Ralof. Pretty good. I have my pack, my girlfriend, and my dream job’s in the bag.”

Ralof smiled warmly. “Your memories are fixed, your wolf is free.”

I grinned. “My Nan isn’t an evil sorceress. And my hands aren’t currently on fire.”

We both laughed as we walked around to the back. Ralof nodded to a couple of wolves sitting over near the firepit as we meandered toward the woods. The Great Smoky mountains were beautiful any time of year, but I loved the colors they showed in Summer. So much green and brown and clear blue sky. So much fresh air and vital energy.

“So, what are you planning on doing now that all your problems are solved?”

“Find some brand new trouble to get into?” I grinned up at Ralof who shook his head, amused.

“Do you plan to keep living alone?” Ralof gave me a sober look.

I shook my head as I glanced back toward the house. “Nah. I was thinking I’d take you up on the offer to move in.”

“Good.”

I grinned. “Well, Elisa seems happier when she has more people to order around.”

Ralof grinned back at me. “Ah, well, if it is just for Elisa, then I thank you.”

I shrugged non-committally. “Eh, it’s nothing. You can pay me back somehow.”

Ralof cast his eyes over the wooded mountain before us. “Hmm. I have little to offer save the run of the hills, the thrill of the hunt, and the love of your pack.”

I didn’t mind the tears that rose in my eyes as I smiled. “Then I guess that’ll have to do.”

Ralof dropped his arm around my shoulder again and we turned to walk back to the pack house where new wolves were waiting to meet me. I looked up and caught eyes with Raelya who had stepped out to bring drinks to the guests and she smiled at me warmly, inviting me to come over, welcoming me back.

And suddenly, my world was just as it should be. Suddenly, finally, I was home.

Want More Dakota?

Buy Hunted

(Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd #2)

Awakened is the first book of what I expect to be a long series that I’ll be writing for years to come. If you want more of Dakota’s snarky wit and heartfelt antics, be sure to check out the rest of the series, coming soon from DarksbaneBooks.com.

Auralight Codex :

Dakota Shepherd Novels:

- Awakened

- Hunted

- Blooded - Coming Soon! Fall 2015

- Risen - To Be Announced.

- And many more…

Auralight Codex is the cultivation of many stories that I intend to explore in the future with multiple series, so be sure to sign up for our mailing list at DarksbaneBooks.com to always receive our updates on upcoming releases, promotions, and special offers.

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For More from Darksbane Books

Check out Annathesa Nikola Darksbane’s

Starlight Saga

Starting with:

Destiny Abounds

On the prison world of Urebai, a notorious Prisoner breaks free of her chains once more. On primeval Fade, a decorated warrior flees her home for the stars to escape her past. And under the light of a distant star, a solitary pilot prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice for her people.

This is how the tale begins.

Branwen Hawke left behind the swords and castles of her homeworld to take solace from the war that consumed most of her life. After stumbling into the role of captain of a one-of-a-kind starship with an unlikely crew, she must find a way to keep them together and thriving. But even with years of experience commanding troops, Branwen has her hands full with a lost pilot from a distant world, an engineer with crippling anxiety, an innocent young medic with a secret, a renowned Kala, and her insanely dangerous baggage.
Now tasked with an important mission that could make or break the crew’s reputation, Branwen must face her inner turmoil and find some sort of peace despite the struggles she can’t escape, while safeguarding the lives that have fallen so fatefully into her hands.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my Wifey for putting up with all the things.

You know which things. All of them.

Thanks to my daughter, Rune, for being awesome, and kind.

Thanks to my sister, Jen, for being the best cheerleader an author could have asked for, and for all the decisions!

Thanks to all the friends who never told me I couldn’t do it, and thanks even more to the friends who told me I could.

Thanks to Eris for sharing that hot dog with me that one time, and for hanging around yelling ideas from the couch while I was trying to write.

Thanks to Mr. Neil Gaiman for pointing me toward my mountain, and for telling me to find the next word.

Thanks to Mr. Thomas Starnes for teaching me two of the most important things I ever learned about art.

Thanks to Hugh Howey for posting wonderful, inspiring, informative posts all over the internets and for caring about other authors and how the industry as a whole is doing. You inspired me more than you’ll likely ever know. It was one of your posts on Kboards that started the self-pub ride for me and mine.

Thanks to everyone at the Kboards Writer’s Cafe and the amazing people who keep that place awesome. You know what you did.

Thanks to Robert Dahlen for being my awesomeness-buddy and for sending me that one reminder when I really needed it.

Thanks to my beta readers for all the wonderful feedback and encouragement.

Thanks to all of my old roleplaying buddies. Every one of you helped me hone my storytelling skills, one game at a time.

Thanks to everyone who reads this for giving me a chance, and I hope you never stop believing.

Pronunciation Guide

In case any of you are as much of a geek for these sorts of things as I am, I’m including this pronunciation guide for the names of major characters in the story.

Names of Major Characters:

(CAPS indicate which syllable is accented.)

- Dakota Shepherd : “Duh-KOH-tah SHEHP-erd”

- Amorie : “AM-or-ee”

- Raelya : “RAIL-yah”

- Ralof : “RAY-loff”

- Elisa : “Eh-LEE-sah”

- Andrei: “AHN-drey”

- Miralina: “Meer-ah-LEE-nah”

- Taya Nitana: “Tie-yah-Nee-TAH-nah”

- Or “Nita” : “NEET-uh”

About the Author

Shei Darksbane is a blue-haired geek with a love of awesome stories of all kinds whether they come in the form of books, shows, movies, comics, roleplay, video games, music, art, theater, etc. She is a proud lesbian and feminist, a human rights activist, and a passionate person in general who loves the wonderful, beautiful world and the incredible creativity of humankind. She refuses to give up believing in magic, fairies, and monsters under the bed, and she feels sorry for those who do. She lives with her wife who has been her partner for over 15 years, their awesome daughter, Rune, and one really cool cat named Velvet.

Shei studied Illustration at the Academy of Art University, worked as a professional illustrator for a while, then gave it up to focus on telling her own stories instead. She turned to writing, inspired by her wife, author Annathesa Nikola Darksbane. Now she writes Urban Fantasy in a world they have been crafting together for more than a decade, and she has enough stories to keep her busy for the next several years. And thanks to the illustration training, she has the fortune of being able to make her own book covers.

When she isn’t writing, co-writing with Annathesa, or working on their cover art, she spends her time roleplaying or playing video games with her family, reading, listening to music, singing, geeking out over her favorite shows, artists, authors, and musicians, or dreaming about traveling and seeing all the awesome places and peoples in the world.