Chosen by Sin (36 page)

“I never condoned what he did. Nor did our mother. We loved him, but we
hated him. And we grieved for you, Dex. We all did. Bodin most of all.”

While he was still in shock, she slipped out of the room.

Silence surrounded him, broken only by Bodin’s slow, weak breathing.

As if he was in a trance, Dex walked to his grandfather.

He stared down at the werewolf he’d hated for so long, and he tried to
feel pity for him.

Forgiveness. Compassion. Something. But he couldn’t.

“I hope you rot in hell,” he said, before whirling around and going
after Amanda.

Bodin wasn’t able to tell him anything about the solstice gates.

But maybe Dex’s sister could.

As soon as Dex’s plane landed in the States, Lucy met him at the
airport. She hugged him hard. When Lucy had told him about Jes contacting
Mahone, Dex had filled Lucy in on the Legend of Wolves and the reasons Jes had
sought Mahone out. Lucy hadn’t said much then, and she didn’t now, either. She
simply asked, “Are you okay?”

She was his favorite Para-Ops team member for a reason, he thought
tiredly and nodded his head. “I will be. What’s going on with the press
conference?”

“It’s about to start. Let’s find a television and check it out.”

They found a bar and pissed off a few football fans by changing the
channel on the big screen TV, but the bar pretty much cleared after Dex’s
colorful response. Lucy smiled and shook her head. “I’m glad to see you’re the
same old were.”

“What did you expect? That less than two weeks in France would make me
a better man?”

Despite his attempt at humor, his joke fell flat. Lucy looked away and
Dex swore she was trying not to cry.

Fuck. “Lucy—”

But he was interrupted by the sounds of the Presidential Address
commencing. Grim-faced, he and Lucy watched as the President was introduced.

He spoke on various topics, domestic and international. Just when it
appeared he was winding down, he said, “Recently, I vetoed the award of federal
funds that Congress set aside for a shape-shifter awareness campaign. My
thinking was the money would be better served to hire more border agents. I’ve
given it more thought. I’ve weighed the importance of strengthening the
relationships between our citizens versus protecting our nation’s resources. As
we’re still recovering from war, it’s often easier to look outside ourselves
and see enemies when what we must do is look within. I don’t know how much you
know about shape-shifters, but in truth, I probably don’t know much more. That
can’t continue. Many fear shape-shifters because they are a mystery. Today I’m
challenging us all to learn more about them. In order to let go of our bloody
past and embrace a brighter tomorrow, I am authorizing the funds for a
shape-shifter awareness campaign.”

The journalists in the room exploded into action, peppering the
President with questions.

Lucy turned to Dex, her gaze mirroring his own disbelief.

“We did it. The First Lady did it. She convinced the President to
change his mind.”

“I don’t believe it,” Dex said. “She must have some ulterior motive.”

“Of course she does,” Lucy said, slapping Dex’s arm. “But for one
second, can we simply enjoy this small victory? We need to confirm the
shape-shifters are actually going to abandon their plans now. And we’re still
going to have to attend the meeting and propose a long-term plan in order to
avoid something like this happening again. But right this minute—”

She grinned and for a second, Dex’s mood, weighed down by his grief
over Jes, lightened slightly. “Yeah,” he said. “Only I’m not relying on the
shape-shifters just telling us they’ve changed their minds. We have to assume a
great number of them will still try to bridge demons through the solstice
gates. We need to stop them. We might not be able to stop them forever, but if
we can ensure they don’t do anything now, when emotions are still high, we
might buy the President the time he needs to prove he’s serious about working
with them.”

“But how can we stop them?”

“I spoke to a werewolf in France, one who believes I can help close the
solstice gate in the United States while she tries to close the one in Europe.”

“Is this about the legend Jes told Mahone about?”

“Not necessarily. Apparently, werewolves have been charged with this
duty for centuries. They fight the demons in human form; it’s the only form
they can take once they enter a solstice gate.”

“Then they—
you
—can
be killed.”

“But if I am part of the legend, maybe I can prevent one of them, a
significant one, from being killed.”

“Small problem. You don’t know how to access your gift to give it to
anyone. Do you?”

“No. Jes tested my blood but came up with nothing.”

“Who’s this were you’re working with? You trust her?”

“I have no reason to trust her, yet I do. At least with this. She’s my
half sister, a werewolf sworn to protecting the solstice gates. She says her
destiny and the destiny of all weres is to prevent demons from crossing into
earth. She was in France with my grandfather. Before I left, she gave me this.”
Dex reached into his backpack, then pulled out an envelope with a worn piece of
paper inside. He showed it to Lucy. “According to Amanda, it’s the only known
recording of the Legend of Wolves.”

They scanned the print together.

Protect the wolf whose ancestry none can see.

Protect the one who can gift immortality.

Cast him out before you let him be found.

He’ll drive hell’s demons back underground.

His…will give eternal life to a… ther

But only if he’s gifted his…

Obserwować Demonie Krawcy
.

“The last line means ‘Watch The Demon Tailors.’” Dex explained. “Amanda
said the solstice gate in the U.S. is near Death Valley, near Bodin’s compound.
That the pack is gathered there, prepared to drive demons away until the gate
closes again.”

“Dex, you can’t know for sure you’re this prophesized were! Besides,
even if you are, you don’t know how to gift immortality to anyone. Plus, how
are you going to choose the right were? How do you know he won’t abuse the
privilege? And according to the legend, you need to have gifted
something
to
someone
before you can give someone eternal life anyway. This is all crazy!”

She had valid points. It
was
all
crazy. But something was driving Dex. A feeling that, whether he was part of
the legend or not, he had to be part of this battle. “Look, to gift
immortality, I’d probably need to be in my immortal wolf form. If that’s the
case, how can I gift a piece of myself? Blood, semen, body, or bite, right?”

“I—I guess. I mean, that part sounds logical, at least.”

“Jes didn’t find anything in my blood that showed signs of an immortal
gift, but she confirmed I’m half-vampire and half-were. If I
am
the were spoken of in the legend, the most logical
way for me to gift anyone anything would be through my bite.”

“Haven’t you ever bitten another were while you were in wolf form?”

“Several times. And I killed them afterwards, so my bite obviously
hadn’t turned them immortal. But maybe that’s because the solstice gate wasn’t
open. And I wasn’t near one at the time. Plus, if I’m supposed to have gifted
someone something else, look at everything I’ve given in the last few months.
Even to you,” he tried joking. “Maybe that’ll be the key.”

“You’re reaching, Dex. This is all speculation! That piece of paper is
so faded and ambiguous, we can’t know a damn thing for sure.”

“You’re right, but I have to try, Lucy. And I’m going to.”

Lucy bit her lip in indecision. Then she held out her hand. “Give me
the paper,” she said. “Let me try a spell to make the faded words more clear.”

Instinctively, Dex held the paper away from her. “Have you done that
before?”

“No, but you haven’t gifted anyone with immortality before either, have
you?”

With a snort, Dex handed her the paper.

Gingerly, she held it between her fingers, closed her eyes, and started
chanting. Bar patrons had already been shooting furtive glances at them, but
now they stared. Since the paper in Lucy’s hands had started to glow, Dex
didn’t blame them.

Dex peered over Lucy’s shoulder. “Shit! It’s working.” The faded print
wasn’t reemerging, but the paper itself was glowing so the surface revealed a
faint imprint from where the ink had been. Dex silently read the words.

His
bite
will give
eternal life to
another

But only if he’s already gifted his
heart
to
a lover
.

A quick glance confirmed Lucy’s eyes were still closed. What a cluster
fuck, he thought. He’d given Jes his heart. Granted, she’d taken it and sliced
it open, but it didn’t matter. She might be the key to accessing his gift,
after all. “It worked,” he said quietly. “You can stop.”

Lucy eyes abruptly opened and the paper stopped glowing, returning to
its original form. She scanned it with an impatient frown. “What did it say?”

“I was right. I need to bite another were.”

“But what about the condition? What did you need to already have
given?”

Dex shook his head and glanced away. He didn’t want to think about Jes
again. Didn’t want to think about those fleeting days where he’d basked in her
attention and love. It had all been a lie.
She’d
been a lie. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already done it.”

“But—”

“Drop it, Lucy. We need to go. Amanda has already contacted a
volunteer. He’ll be waiting for me at the gate. Even if I don’t gift him
anything useful, I’ll be there to guard the gate myself.”

Lucy stared at him with uncertainty, then nodded. “I’ll go with
you—”

“No. The gates are werewolf domain. They won’t let a non-were close.
But come to California with me. We’ll postpone the meeting with the
shape-shifters and check into a hotel. I’ll report back as soon as I can.”

“I don’t know, Dex. What’s this really about? Why not go to the meeting
and see if Mahone’s plan worked?”

Agitated, Dex ran his fingers through his hair. He tried to explain the
mix of urgency, restlessness, and purpose he was feeling. “I just—I need
to fight, Lucy. I’m a were. I’ve rejected my heritage all my life, but if this
is what I was born to do, if I really am meant to fulfill some kind of legend,
I need to know. And I need to act. Can you understand that?”

She searched his gaze for several seconds before nodding. “Yes,” she
whispered. “So when do we leave for California?”

Dex pulled two tickets out of his backpack. “Right now.”

***

ALABAMA HILLS, CALIFORNIA

JUST OUTSIDE LONE PINE & DEATH VALLEY

Dex stared unflinchingly at approximately thirty werewolves standing in
front of him. They stared back with expressions ranging from suspicion to
disdain and from hope to envy. Amanda had told him they wouldn’t use guns
because of the tight quarters and the danger of friendly fire. Nonetheless, the
werewolves were armed to the hilt, dressed in leather and gripping axes, maces,
or clubs. At the moment, their guns were holstered and knives sheathed, but
they looked like they had itchy fingers. If Dex was wrong about being able to
trust Amanda, he was shit out of luck. He wouldn’t go down without fighting,
but he was definitely going to go down in an extremely painful way.

His gaze flickered beyond the werewolves, to the hills that stood like
silent sentinels guarding the gateway to the snow-capped majesty of Mount
Whitney. All around him, the prevalent colors of nature were grey and brown,
complimenting the black hair and dark skin of the full-blooded werewolves.
Although the colors should have reminded him of barrenness and death, they
didn’t. Energy pulsed off the sharp granite edges of the Sierras, filling Dex
with determination. At this moment, he truly felt he was facing his destiny head
on. If that resulted in his death, so be it.

A flicker of doubt invaded his mind along with an image of Jes cradling
a baby.
His
baby. If he died, he’d never
see her again. Never see his child.

But as he’d told Lucy, he knew this was the right thing to do.

“So what’s it going to be,” he called out. “Was I wrong to trust
Amanda? Do you want my help or not?” He deliberately glanced at his watch.
“Because according to my sources, the solstice gate is going to open in just
over an hour.

A broad bulky male holding a wicked-looking scythe, stepped forward and
kept coming. The guy towered over Dex by several inches and probably outweighed
him by fifty pounds. Dex didn’t back away and respect softened the other male’s
features. His gaze flickered to Dex’s hunting knife, sheathed at his waist.
“I’m Hal. You came with a pretty small weapon, were.”

“Big or small, it’ll get the job done, just like I will.”

“That’s what Amanda says. Bodin, too.”

Dex frowned but refused to utter one word about his grandfather.

Hal continued. “Your grandfather has a message for you. One I’ll
deliver
after
—if you’re still
alive, that is. Agreed?”

“Fine,” Dex gritted out. “Now tell me, who am I going to bite?”

“You’re not biting anyone.”

“What? Amanda said she’d arranged for someone to—”

“It was Bodin’s order. He said the gift of immortality couldn’t be
given lightly, not even to one of his own, unless you were sure it was meant to
happen. Are you?”

Hell no, Dex thought. He didn’t even know if defeating hell’s demons
was conditioned on him gifting immortality in the first place. That’s what
they’d all assumed, but it wasn’t like the legend spelled it out. Plus what his
grandfather had said made sense. Years ago, Bodin’s own weres had tried to kill
Jes and her parents, forcing Bodin to intervene. What if one of those weres had
been immortal? How ironic that he had the very thing Jes had spent her whole
life searching for, but when it came to dispensing it, he was as cautious as
his grandfather. “Damn it, I’m not sure of anything except that I need to be
here. That I need to fight.”