Dirty Blood (13 page)

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Hunters don’t have
aftershocks.”

“Oh.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and ran hand over his face.
“Next time, tell me immediately, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

“You do realize that someone is possibly trying to
kill you, right?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice icy. I crossed my arms in
front of me.

“You’re impossible,” he said, throwing his arms
up.

“And you’re overprotective,” I shot back.

Wes looked down at me like he was about to lecture me
further. Instead, he just shook his head and got back in the car.
And just like that, the feeling of connection that had lingered
since our kiss evaporated.

~ 12 ~

Jack’s house looked only slightly less deserted this
time around, mainly because of the shiny black Lexus sitting out
front. The sleek paint glinted off the filtering sunlight and
contrasted sharply with what looked like brown leather interior. I
noticed the engine was creaking, like it was still warm. I eyed it
in much the same way I had Wes’ car.

“Whose car is that?” I asked.

“Miles. He’s a friend.”

“And a Werewolf?”

“No, he’s a Hunter.”

Wes led me to the front door and I waited while he
knocked. Fee answered. Before she could even speak, my skin hummed
and tingled and I pushed it aside as best I could, to nod at
her.

She broke into an immediate smile when she spotted
Wes and pulled him into a quick hug before stepping back to let us
enter.

“Tara, I’m so glad you decided to join us today,” she
told me, squeezing my hand. “Jack’s in the clearing, already
building the fire with Miles. We’re going to have close to a full
group today.” She seemed excited by the prospect. Meanwhile, I
wondered exactly how many Werewolves made up a ‘full group’.

“I’ll go help him, then,” said Wes, already heading
for the back door before I could object.

“Come on in, Tara,” said Fee, leading the way through
a doorway opposite the living room.

I followed her and found myself in a wide, brightly
lit kitchen that, again, contrasted sharply with the outside of the
house. White marble countertops shone brightly against the light
and spanned the room on three sides, broken up by stainless steel
appliances that gleamed like new. In the center was a marble-topped
island with three barstools. Fee stopped at the island and began
stirring the contents of a bowl.

I followed and perched on one of the stools while I
watched. “What are you making?” I asked, unsure if I really wanted
to know but trying to make conversation. I mean, who knew what they
served at Werewolf parties.

“Brownies,” she answered. “Listen, Tara, I’m really
glad you decided to come today. Jack said he knew you would but I
wasn’t so sure. And Wes, well he didn’t think you should. But I’m
glad you did.”

“Wes and I disagree on a lot of things,” I said.

Fee gave me a knowing look.

“Good for you. Have you had a chance to read through
the Draven yet?”

“A little. Mostly the stuff about fighting. The
history is kind of heavy,” I admitted.

“It is,” she agreed. “But it might help you
understand a little better what it is that we’re doing here with
The Cause.”

“From what I gather, it’s completely opposite of the
current way of thinking, for both races,” I said.

She nodded. “It is. Which is why we have to work so
hard to get people to listen.”

“How does it work?”

“Well, as for what will happen today, a meeting is
probably the best way to describe it. Other Weres that we’ve
partnered with will come and report on whatever assignment they’ve
been working on. Any problems will be discussed and new assignments
given.”

“Assignments for what?”

“For furthering The Cause.”

“What sort of things would be assigned?”

She stopped stirring and blinked at me. “Wes didn’t
tell you much of anything did he?”

I thought about telling her what I knew, but I held
back, wanting to see how her version would match up with the one
Wes had given me. I shook my head, and she continued.

“I’ll give you the short version since that’s about
all we have time for now.” She went back to stirring while she
talked. “The Cause is made up of a group of volunteers, a mix of
Werewolves and Hunters that work together towards a common goal.
It’s been around for years, mostly underground to avoid violence by
the opposition, and progress has been slow because of it. We keep
our circle tight and are very selective about newcomers as a matter
of safety, so you should feel honored that you’ve been invited to
be included.”

“So what’s the common goal?”

“To peacefully unite Hunters and Werewolves.”

“What’s so hard about that?”

“Our races have always been enemies, for longer than
anyone can remember. Trust is not easy after so many centuries of
war. On top of that, the opposition is big and loud and quick to
stamp out our message. So it’s been difficult to change people’s
minds, on either side. Our group has dwindled over the years but
we’re hoping that changes soon.” She stopped, abruptly, and bit her
lip, giving me the impression she thought she’d said too much.

“Why has the group dwindled?” I asked, wondering
about the way she looked at me now.

Her expression lightened, and she looked almost
relieved by my question. “I guess we never really recovered after
that first attack. Times were different when Jack and I met. It was
a time of open mindedness, for both races. We got involved with a
group that thought maybe there was a chance for peace and we
pursued that possibility. We campaigned and travelled around,
speaking out about it, hoping to make others realize the benefits
of coming together. Our kind had been so close minded and one way
about the two races for so long, it was hard to convince people it
could be different, it could be better.

“For awhile, though, it looked like it might be
possible. Our numbers grew and everyone seemed to be really
listening to us. Then, word got out about the marriages.”

“Marriages?”

She gave me a wry smile. “You’ve never seen political
scandal like that, before, believe me. It was rocky at first but in
the end, it made people listen even harder, and it made them think.
The Council was formed and talk of a treaty began. Then the babies
came and everything changed. The attack happened not long after.
Most of the founding leaders of our group were killed and the rest
scattered. All progress was lost.”

“I don’t understand. Why would marriage and babies
make people so angry?”

“They were inter-marriages. A Hunter and a Werewolf
as husband and wife. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, until they
had children. After that, people were scared and even more closed
off than before to the idea of peace. Fear of the unknown does
that.”

“So the babies were a mixed race?” I was starting to
understand the reason for the controversy, though it seemed a
little impossible to me.

“Yes. It scared people that we had no idea how they
would turn out. And people don’t like change.”

“Did you know all of the leaders who were
killed?”

Fee nodded and her eyes misted. Her smile was sad.
“Some better than others, but yes, we were all good friends.”

I hesitated only briefly before my next question. I
had a feeling it would give away my real reason for asking, but I
was hoping she would answer anyway. “Did you know a man named
Sebastian St. John?”

Fee looked surprised by that. “Wes told you about his
parents?”

“His…Oh, yeah.” I tried to recover quickly and not
give myself away, but my shock made it hard. I swallowed. “He told
me about him and Audrey being a part of the Council and then the
attack happened.”

She looked at me with an odd expression. “Not just a
part of the council. Sebastian was the leader, well for the Hunter
side anyway. He started the whole movement, won a lot of people
over, too, even after his marriage to Audrey. Her father was the
alpha in the pack and after Sebastian won him over, it brought a
lot more Weres to their side.”

“Yeah, he said that,” I mumbled, my mind still
reeling and putting the facts together. No wonder Wes had been so
upset about their deaths. Did he remember anything? Was that
another reason that made it hard to talk about? And the biggest
mind boggler of all: Wes was half Werewolf – half Hunter? I looked
back at Fee and spoke carefully. “Wes didn’t go into this very much
and I was just wondering, how is it possible? To be half… of each,
I mean.”

“We don’t know,” she admitted. “Or at least we didn’t
at the time. None of us ever imagined it would be possible for a
couple made up of each race to conceive. But it happened. When Wes
was born Sebastian took blood from Audrey and from Wes, to have it
analyzed and try to understand. The biggest question was what he
would be, obviously. Coming from one of each race, well, we all
wondered what that would mean for him.”

“How did they figure out he was a Werewolf instead of
a Hunter?”

“Wes was two. He was in the middle of some temper
tantrum with Audrey, and he just shifted. Soon after that, the
blood samples came back and it was determined he had both genes,
but for whatever reason, the Werewolf gene was the dominant of the
two. Sebastian was determined to learn all he could about it, and
spent a lot of time researching the blood samples and Wes, himself.
But then, he and Audrey were killed, along with the rest of them,
before any more answers could be discovered.”

“Is that why you took Wes in?” I asked, reliving the
story from Wes’ perspective, trying to imagine what it would be
like for a baby born of both blood lines.

“Yes.” Her eyes clouded at some memory, and a soft
smile curved her lips. “Audrey and I were very close and I knew it
was what she would’ve wanted. And now, I couldn’t imagine loving
him any more if he were my own.”

We were both silent for a minute. I didn’t want to
interrupt whatever memory she was reliving, but I couldn’t hold
back my questions for long. “So the Werewolves who were against the
peace treaty – they knew about Wes?”

“Yes. That was part of the problem, I think. It
sparked more controversy and debate, when news came out that there
was a ‘half breed’ running around. That’s what the Hunter community
called it. The Werewolf clans called him ‘Dirty Blood’. They said
it was a disgrace to their kind. I think it’s what finally led to
the attack.”

“Must be hard to know you’re part of the reason for a
war,” I mused, quietly.

Fee nodded, thoughtfully. “He had a rough time about
it for awhile. Jack and I tried to help as best we could but there
was bitterness in him, probably still is, but he believes in The
Cause so that’s something… Anyway, listen to me rambling on when
it’s not even my story to tell. I’ll leave the rest for him and I
hope I haven’t spoken out of turn.”

“No,” I assured her. “Most of what you told me, I
already knew.” She didn’t need to know that, indeed, she was the
one who had pieced it all together and spilled the most important
secret of all.

Fee turned to slide the brownies into the oven. As
she straightened, the back door opened and closed. Footsteps
sounded against the hardwood, coming closer, and a man appeared in
the kitchen doorway. He strode in, with a wide smile aimed at Fee.
His dark hair was just long enough to be wavy around the edges, and
melted perfectly into his tanned skin.

“Hey Miles. You guys all done?” Fee asked.

The man stepped forward to kiss Fee on the cheek.
“Just about. People are starting to arrive. Is this her?”

“Oh, yes. Miles, Tara Godfrey. Tara, Miles
Ducati.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, taking his outstretched
hand.

Miles smiled at me, looking charming and devilish all
at once. “My pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Great,” I mumbled, my anxiety level rising a few
degrees as I tried to decide what he could’ve heard and how bad it
made me look.

Miles laughed. “Relax. Nothing too bad. Though, we’ll
all have to be sure not to leave any metal piping nearby with you
around.”

He winked and I felt myself flush, partly from the
teasing and partly because, for an older guy, Miles was pretty
handsome, in a suave and too-charming sort of way. Everything about
him screamed smooth and polished, from his black slacks and jacket
to his shiny black hair that didn’t seem to need product to make it
stay exactly in place. It made me feel self-conscious about my
loose, and probably unruly hair, and my jeans and t-shirt look.

“Miles,” Fee scolded. “Quit teasing the girl before
she changes her mind and goes home. Get outside and round everyone
up. We’ll be right behind you.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” he said, striding out, still
wearing a smile.

“Don’t worry about him,” Fee said when he was gone.
“Miles likes to give new people a hard time. Okay, he likes to give
everyone a hard time. He likes seeing the reaction, so just don’t
give him one. You ready?”

I nodded that I was and slid off my stool. I waited
until Fee was in front of me before sliding my hands around and
feeling for the plunger handles in my back pockets.

~ 13 ~

I followed Fee out the back door and the moment the
door opened in front of me my body’s warning system kicked into
overdrive; the dull tingle becoming harsh pinpricks and goose bumps
rose so fast, it felt like ants crawling over me. Instinctively, I
searched for the source. My eyes landed on something
unexpected.

At the edge of the yard, through the bare branches of
trees that lined the dead grass, a roaring bonfire was visible.
It’s yellow and orange flames rose several feet into the air and
the branches piled high underneath crackled and popped, sending up
sparks and ash overhead. But the thing that got my attention was
the bodies that surrounded it. Half a dozen human forms ringed the
fire and interspersed between them were at least as many
Werewolves, all in wolf form. I faltered.