G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters (25 page)

“I don’t understand? Why isn’t this a good thing?”

Freddy took off his glasses and couldn’t look me in the eyes when he
replied, “It means they could perform the ritual more than once.”

“Wait. Are you saying that they have been skinning these kids over and over?”

“In all likelihood,” Freddy frowned, “Possibly multiple times a day.”

“The pain would be excruciating. Surviving would be worse…” Erika tried.

The room went deathly silent. I didn’t know how to make them feel better. Hell, I didn’t know how to make myself feel better. I’d never understand people who hurt children or animals. But there was one thing I did understand…

There would be a reckoning for those who did this. I didn’t even want to ask any more questions, but we had to know as much as we could.

“Okay, you said the kids gave them the best chance to succeed, what do you mean?”

Freddy cleaned his glasses before putting them back on his face and looking at me. “I believe it is the only way to truly create a werewolf skin. Unlike a normal animal, a lycan is basically two life forces. All shifters are. There is the human, and there is the animal. As the lycans age and embrace their wolf, they merge into one spirit. When they are young, they are still two separate entities. If you were trying to steal the essence of the wolf, this would be the time in their life to do it.”

“Yet another reason there is so much rage in the air,” Erika added. “The young wolves have no control of their emotions.”

“And the other emotions?”

“They are new to the change. It’s sort of like the birth of their wolf,” Erika added, her meaning clear.

Kara met my eyes, just in case I didn’t understand what Erika was getting at. But I understood. Something about the birth of the wolf was what caused her to go into heat. At least now we know why she’d broken into my house and acted so very un-Erika like. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay, so now we just gotta figure out why they’re doing it?”

“To build a lycan army,” Danny offered.

“Sure, but for what purpose?”

“Why limit them to one?” Vector asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Just seems to me that they are trying to kill two birds with one stone. Think about it. If you wanted to make an army, you’d build it in secret. Not in the middle of a big city where people would eventually catch on to what you’re doing. Especially since it has such an effect on the current lycan population,” he replied.

“You believe that they wish to be discovered?” Freddy asked.

“I think they wanted the local packs to feel it. I think it’s a coup. They cause the two major packs to fight and weaken each other. If they’re lucky, they even attract a Red to the party. Then, when their opponents are on their last legs, they strike,” Vector said.

“That makes a lot of sense,” Erika said, “Especially since the easiest way force the change of a young wolf, outside of the full moon, is the call of an alpha.”

“Meaning one of the pack leaders?”

“Possibly. Or any other dominant wolf strong enough to be an alpha,” she said.

“Well, this fighting has been going on for weeks. If someone is making a play for the packs, it can’t be long now.”

“It’s going to be sooner than you think,” Erika said.

“She’s right,” Freddy added.

“Okay, why?”

“The full moon,” Vector said.

“Because it stirs up the wolf?”

“Especially in the young. These skinwalkers are made from new wolves. The full moon will bring out their rage and probably make them as strong as they can be,” Erika said.

“Okay, so we have a day and a half, tops?”

“I think you mean half a day,” my brother corrected.

“But the full moon is tomorrow?”

“Correct,” Freddy said. “But in this case I’m afraid tomorrow means after midnight.”

“The full moon is just before one AM,” Vector said.

“What time is it now?”

“A little after two,” Freddy answered.

Just then one of the nurses walked over, an older lady, round and friendly. She wore pink scrubs and thick-rimmed glasses. I caught her eyes first so she spoke to me, although her message was for us all.

“There was a call from upstairs. Gideon would like to thank you personally,” she said.

“Who the hell is Gideon?”

“The Alpha of the Potomac Pack,” Danny said.

“If I’m right and it is a coup…” Vector started.

“…Then Gideon will probably know who’s after his throne. Let’s go.”

It turned out that Gideon was waiting up in Dutton’s office. Danny and Erika were staying in bed and Kara could use all the rest she could get. So it was just me, Vector, and Freddy riding in the elevator. Up to the fifth GHOST floor and Ms. No Nonsense sent us right in. As we walked past I noticed one of the Amazon ladies, Twintail, sitting on the couch, waiting patiently. Ms. No Nonsense didn’t seem the least bit worried, which made Dutton’s secretary even scarier.

We entered the office to see our mammoth boss Dutton, sitting behind his desk, smoking a cigar. He had a half smile as he talked with Gideon. The Alpha wolf was sitting in a chair in front of the desk, one leg across the other, also smoking a cigar. He turned his head and smiled in our direction as we entered.

Gone was the golden tunic and leather bracers of our first meeting. Now he wore a pair of khaki pants and brown loafers with no socks. His short sleeve button-up shirt was purple and there were a pair of sunglasses sitting in its front pocket. But, as I looked him over in the brighter lights of the office, I realized that he didn’t seem quite as weathered as he did in the Circle. His skin was still rough and tanned, but his silver hair had a sharper, less old look. I wondered if the magic or weird lighting of the circle did something to show more of a person’s wear and tear. He got to his feet and gave me a small nod of the head.

“I appreciate what you did today, rescuing the little one,” he said.

“That’s why we’re here, to serve the community.”

“Yes, of course.”

It was very clear that he was speaking to me specifically and not the rest of my team. I didn’t know if I was doing something to draw his attention or if I just happened to be standing in the middle. It was odd. Almost like he was looking for something behind my eyes.

“We think there is a good chance that the rest of the kids are still alive as well. You might be able to help us find them.”

“Anything I can do,” he smiled.

There was so much more behind his smile. I got the impression that he was sizing me up as we talked. It also seemed clear that when he said “anything” he could do, it meant anything that fit his plans. There was a great deal of calculating behind his eyes. I didn’t get the impression that he was plotting something evil, but rather that he viewed life as a chess match. This was just another chance to make a move. Any other time that might have caused me to hold back information and play his game. But kids lives were at risk, and the sooner we rescued them the better. So, I just told him exactly what we thought.

“We have a theory about who’s behind the skinwalkers.”

The very mention of the word skinwalkers sent a bolt of anger through his body. His eyes flashed yellow and I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten. He held my gaze and I didn’t look away. After a slow
exhale through his nose, his eyes returned to their usual dark color and he gave me a half smile.

“My apologies, there’s something in the air,” he said.

“No worries. So, here’s what we think is happening. Someone is trying to get you and the Creek to fight in order to weaken your packs. Then they’re planning to take over this area with their own pack. One comprised of skinwalkers. Any idea who that might be?”

“You didn’t look away?” he smiled.

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t matter. What leads you to believe that I’d know who was behind this?”

“Because we think it’s a lycan, one strong enough to be an alpha. A dominant wolf, if you will.”

“There are quite a few of those in the area, some in our packs, some not. That isn’t narrowing it down much,” he said.

“Okay. But surely some of them are more ambitious than others.”

“Most dominant wolves are ambitious. They all poke and prod in an attempt to find weakness in the current Alpha. I’m afraid I’ll need a bit more to go on.”

“Can you narrow it down to any wolves that you’ve had recent conflicts with?”

A wide smile crossed his face, “I’m over two hundred years old, boy, and I’m sure you and I have a very different definition of recent. Besides, challenges are practically a daily thing.”

The two hundred years old thing shocked me enough that I let the “boy” comment slide. As I said before, Gideon looked to be about fifty years old, and I’m sure the fact that he was in such incredible shape caused people to see him as a bit younger. Later, after we’d saved these kids, someone was going to have to explain lycan life spans to me.

“Fine, so they all challenge you all the time. But obviously someone as cunning as yourself would have a list of the most likely suspects?”

His smile turned to a smirk and I knew that my compliment had served me well. Dutton had remained quiet, watching as always. Although, his attention seemed to be more focused on me than Gideon. I wondered if he was worried I’d step over some line. Probably why the meeting was up here.

“How can you be so sure the Creek are not behind this?” he asked.

“We can’t. But even those nut jobs didn’t seem capable of something this gruesome. Not with children. This is a sickness way beyond wearing too much leather.”

“If that is true, then things are even more dire than you believe.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the Creek have been crippled. We struck this morning. While victorious, our pack has also suffered great losses. If there’s an outside party preparing to strike, now would be the opportune time,” he stated.

“Shit.”

“Exactly,” he agreed.

“Between that and tonight’s full moon, we’re running out of time.”

“So it would seem.”

“Look, we know this person is using some type of Native American ritual to make the walker skins. Is there any chance you have some medicine men among your dominates?”

“No, we have no Native…” he stopped, his eyes looking away briefly as he got lost in thought.

“What?”

His eyes again locked on mine, “Three years ago, there was a powerful wolf who challenged me for the pack. Obviously he was unsuccessful. But, his mate, she was a Navajo I think. The woman was a powerful witch. She attempted to assist him in the Alpha challenge. This, of course, disgraced him in front of the pack. He fled in shame before I could have him permanently dealt with.”

“Freddy?”

He cleared his throat before speaking. I got the impression that he wasn’t real comfortable. Perhaps Gideon was more intimidating in bright light.

“Yes. While, um, many Native tribes practiced the skinwalking rituals, the Navajo are probably the most well known. It is very possible that she knows what must be done,” Freddy said.

“Okay, so how do we find this guy?”

“Joshua was his name,” Gideon replied, “That was all I learned at the time. He fled into the Veil, after which I do not know. Wounded puppies are not normally worth keeping track of.”

“Can you tell us anything about him?”

“He was Brazilian, with bronze skin and black hair. He stood about six and a half feet tall and was heavily muscled. His wolf was jet black and he was incredibly strong. Not too bright, though,” Gideon smiled.

“Brazil, huh? That can’t be a coincidence.”

“Pardon?”

“We believe that the Reds came to town from Costa Rica. How much do you want to bet that they received a tip from a local Brazilian wolf?”

“While possible, Joshua was not a planner. I believe you are giving him too much credit,” Gideon replied.

“What about his woman?”

“Perhaps.”

“Okay, so we’re looking for a Brazilian wolf named Joshua and his Navajo medicine witch woman. Where does that leave us?”

The room was silent. Apparently my question sounded rhetorical. Or perhaps they were racking their brains like I was. We needed more information. I gave a quick glance towards my team.

“Freddy, give the Brazil team a call. See if either Joshua or this medicine woman raises any flags. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they were tracking them.”

Freddy nodded at Dutton and me before heading out to make his phone call. I then shrugged in Vector’s direction.

“Okay bro, I know it’s not much to work with, but see if you can find anything.”

Vector nodded and stepped over towards the corner before sliding his goggles on. His hands started their dance and I knew he was searching everywhere he could for our villains. I noticed that Dutton cracked a small smile when I called Vector “bro”. I wondered if he knew about our past already. But those were questions for another time. For now, before heading down and hoping that our prisoner had something useful, I tried to get anything else I could out of Gideon.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but should we also ask the Creek if they know anything about this? They might have different information sources than you.”

“These would be the same information sources that failed to warn them that Reds were in town? Those sources that also failed to warn them to use caution as they exited the Circle? Or do you mean the sources, which had no idea I was attacking this morning?” he smiled.

“Good point. They’re not big on information. But right about now, anything might help. Is there anyone else in your pack that we can talk to? Someone who knew Joshua or hung out with him or something?”

“He was a lone wolf, never part of my pack. He showed up one day and challenged for my chair. There is nothing more I know about him.”

“Well, if you think of anything else, I’d appreciate it. In the meantime, perhaps we should think about getting you into protective custody. You are definitely going to be a target tonight.”

He held up his hand and smiled, “I appreciate the offer, but I do not believe it will be necessary. I’ve been doing this a long time, boy, I’ll be all right. Now, unless there is something else you need from me, I should begin preparations for a siege.”

“Nothing I can think of. Thanks for your help, Gideon.”

“My pleasure.”

With that he said his goodbyes to Dutton and made his way out. He stopped at the door and looked back over his shoulder first at me and then at Dutton.

“You’re right. He is the alpha,” he smiled.

Dutton laughed and Gideon stepped out the door. There was a weird sensation as he left, almost like a heaviness that had been hanging in the air had vanished. I hadn’t really noticed it before. But, I was pretty sure it was the actual force of his presence. Maybe that was why Freddy was so nervous talking. I caught Dutton’s gaze and hoped he’d give me some kind of an explanation.

“Sir?”

“Yes?” Dutton replied.

“Um, was he saying that I’m a werewolf? Because Freddy and Erika made it clear that being bitten by a lycan isn’t contagious.”

“Don’t you have a prisoner to question?”

“Yes sir.”

Dutton didn’t say another word; he just gave me a look. I got Vector’s attention and we headed out of the office. Gideon and his Amazon were already gone, no sign of them in the hallway. I waved goodbye to Ms. No Nonsense as we left, and she ignored me. Hoping that my brother was a good multitasker, I wondered if he understood any more about what was going on in there.

“Did you catch that alpha comment?”

“Yup.”

“What the heck was he talking about?”

“You’re not a shifter, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he smiled.

“Good to know. So, why the alpha crack?”

“I think it was a compliment. He was probably referring to your personality. You do sort of dominate your team.”

“That’s not my fault. If I don’t put my foot down, they’ll let Freddy run the show.”

Vector laughed and continued moving his hands around as he searched the web for information. Our conversation didn’t seem to be distracting him in the least. I guess he could multitask. We jumped in the elevator and started the slow ride down to security. After he was done laughing, Vector spoke up.

“I’m sure the staring contest impressed him as well.”

“What staring contest?”

“The one where you kept looking him in the eyes,” Vector said.