Saving Autumn (11 page)

Though part of him wanted to go back and interrogate his father about
Tala’s whereabouts, he decided to stay focused on Chogan and continued to knock on doors. He was met by more sleepy, confused, and sometimes angry people, some of whom he knew, others who were strangers to him.

None of them had seen or heard from Chogan, but a couple did say members of their families, those Blake knew to be shifters—such as
Enyeto—were also missing from their homes.

Chogan. Where the hell are you?

With no other options, he made his way back to his father’s house. Lakota Wolfcollar sat on his threadbare couch, a mug of coffee clasped between his hands. Another mug sat growing cold on the coffee table. Blake assumed the cup was for him. He didn’t want to be angry with his father, not after only recently being reunited, but he couldn’t help wondering if he would never have felt the need to leave if he’d been told the truth. In a way, his father was as responsible for his absence as Chogan.

With a sigh, he sank onto the armchair opposite, the springs twanging at his weight. He picked up the lukewarm coffee and took a gulp before asking, “Have you seen
Tala lately?”

“No, why?”

“Her neighbor said he’d not seen her for the last couple of days, and her house didn’t feel lived in. Someone in Chicago told me that a woman who fit Tala’s description was seen with Chogan, but I can’t be sure it’s her or whether or not she’s still in the city, though she doesn’t seem to have been around here. Might she just be working long shifts?”

“I don’t know. Let’s call them and find out.”

Lakota went to the phone, had a brief conversation and hung up. He shook his head. “They’ve not seen her for a couple of days. Said she’d called in sick with the flu.”

“Damn it.”

Lakota frowned. “She’s a grown woman, Blake. You can’t expect her to report in every time she wants to leave town.”

“I wouldn’t expect her to, but I’ve got a feeling she’s up to no good. Chogan is trying to
out shifters, and I think when I find him, I’ll also find her.”

His father nodded, his hand at his mouth. “They were always close, even though they fought more like brother and sister than cousins.”

Chogan had replaced him there then. He wasn’t sure if he should be jealous or grateful. “But Chogan is up to no good. There have already been killings and protests in the city because of what he has stirred up. I don’t want him getting my sister involved as well.”

“Your sister is a grown woman,” Lakota repeated. “She knows her own mind.”

“She’s not even a shifter,” he growled. “She has no business in this.”

He wished he had a cell phone, but not being able to carry a phone most of the time was a problem shifters encountered for the same reason they struggled with finding clothes.

He was no closer to finding Chogan. But with everything going on back in Chicago, he had a feeling that if he followed trouble, he’d find his cousin. And where he found his cousin, he’d also find his sister.

Chapter Thirteen

IN DESPERATION, CHOGAN had called another meeting with the other shifters.

He kept running the interview with Annabel Christie over in his head, wishing he’d answered differently, that he hadn’t come across so brusque. He should have known he wouldn’t be able to trust a reporter. They would only ever be out to get the most controversial of news stories in order to boost their ratings. He’d had no reason to think Ms. Christie would have been any different.

Night had fallen once more, and this time he was on high alert for the presence of anyone who shouldn’t have been in this part of the forest. His wolf ran on ahead, hackles raised in anticipation of a fight, ears flat against the animal’s head. Though Chogan was fully aware of his surroundings as he walked, part of his mind was filled with the path up ahead, one he hadn’t seen with his own eyes as of yet. At least the rain had held off tonight, though the fall air was still chilled. He barely noticed, his shifter body heat protecting him against the elements. He stuffed his fists into his leather jacket and walked with purpose between the trees. At this hour, there shouldn’t be any chance of bumping into hikers. The only people he expected to see here were the ones he had invited.

He reached the abandoned homestead. The windows had been boarded up with plywood, though pieces of broken, jagged glass still poked from the frame. A rickety porch ran around the perimeter of the wooden building, the railing snapped, the fractured pieces of wood sharp and splintered. A sign was positioned at the entrance, warning of the imminent demolition of the building, tape stretched across the entrance to the porch. Chogan ignored it and pushed through, ripping the tape from the porch banister. The sign dropped to the ground. It cracked beneath his foot as he walked across.

He’d already known he was the first to reach the building. He’d needed to come as a man, not as wolf, purely so he could provide light for everyone to see by. Though his own night vision was excellent, some of the other shifters weren’t as strong, their gifts given to them later in life, making their powers less. He dropped the large rucksack he’d been carrying to the floor and rolled his shoulder to work out the kink. Stooping to the floor, he opened the bag and fished out the large pillar candles he’d brought. He placed them in the corners of the room and took a book of matches from the back pocket of his jeans. The flare of the match lit the room, the smack of sulphur hitting the musty air. He held the match to each individual candle, moving between them until the flame bit at his fingers, and the room began to flick and burn with the light of numerous candles.

His wolf stayed outside, trotting through the undergrowth, nose to the grou
nd. It stayed alert for any newcomers, and within a few minutes, the crunch of footsteps on the forest floor drew the animal’s attention.

A series of images appeared in
Chogan’s head, and he paused to assess the situation. Heavy black boots, faded jeans, big hands with numerous tattoos climbing up both arms.

He
recognized the man—Rhys, the tiger-shifter who’d been at the first meeting.

Following close behind were the two
shifters Dumas had held captive, Michael and Kasa. The two had clearly struck up a platonic friendship since their ordeal together.

The shifters entered the cabin, each nodding hello to the other, the atmosphere tense and filled with the promise of change to come.

More people joined them, the space gradually filling with bodies, their combined heat warming the cabin, despite the chill on the air outside. Chogan spoke to everyone individually, wanting each of them to understand how much he appreciated their presence. The leopard-shifter, Mishca, arrived, moving somewhat more gingerly than normal, but otherwise well, considering her injuries. She’d been unable to go to a regular hospital, but told him Tala had helped to bandage her wounds. By morning, the worst had healed.

He moved on. As he was speaking to Harry Bernard—it seemed the older man’s opinions had changed after the attack—
Tala slipped in and stood at the back. She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

What was up with his cousin now?

He gave everyone a few more minutes to reunite, letting a couple of stragglers sneak in the back. He clapped his hands together, drawing everyone’s attention and causing quiet to fall over the group.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming here today. I know it’s not the easiest place to reach, but I wanted to make sure we were in a place where we’d notice quickly if people were around who weren’t supposed to be here.

“I’m sure none of you have missed the violence and protests that have erupted in the city over the last couple of days.” A murmur went up. “I felt I had no choice but to try to contradict what people were saying about us, so I went to the reporter who first helped to make our existence public knowledge.”

“You just like getting your
ugly mug on television,” a familiar voice accused, though there was a teasing tone to their voice. Laughter went up, but it was uncertain. He looked around to see who had spoken, his gaze lighting on his old friend from the reservation, Enyeto. He was glad the bear-shifter had made it to the meeting.

Chogan grinned. “I can’t deny that. But in all seriousness, I did feel that we needed a voice. Things are getting crazy out there, with people making it appear to be us who are the ones causing trouble.”

“I say we fight back,” shouted Rhys. “There’s what, twenty of us or more? We should do a protest of our own in animal form and scare those motherfuckers so bad they never attempt to say a negative word against us again.”

A couple of people cheered.
             

Chogan scowled. “Then
you’d only be enforcing what the humans are saying about us. Making us appear to be no better than animals.”

“Animals are a hell of a lot better than most people I know,” Harry shouted
. A murmur of agreement rose around him.

“Who the hell made you the leader of this thing
, anyway?” Rhys continued with a scowl, his voice loud, obviously not willing to let Chogan override his idea quite so easily.

Chogan matched the scowl. “This
thing
was started by me. Before I had the guts to expose who I was, the rest of you stayed hidden. I was the only one with the balls to get the revolution started.”

“Just because you shifted in public doesn’t automatically make you our leader. We don’t live in a dic
tatorship. The rest of us have the right to choose.”

Chogan
cocked an eyebrow, trying to hide the fury bubbling within him. Who the hell did this guy think he was? “And you think they would choose you?”

“I think they should at least have options.”

Chogan lifted his chin and took in the sight of the group. “Does anyone else want to lead this thing? Rhys? How about you? You seem to have a strong opinion on the matter.”

The other man’s face was pinched with anger. “I was only pointing out that you don’t get to tell us what to do.”

“Fine,” Chogan said dismissively. “Well, if no one else wants to volunteer, I suggest we continue.” His gaze swept over the tops of everyone’s heads to direct his attention to his cousin. “Tala? Did you find out the names of those who attacked us?” Everyone turned around to look at her.

“
Yeah, I did. But I can’t make a connection with anyone here, and I’ve asked around.” She shrugged. “Someone might have let the meeting place slip accidently. I don’t know why you’re always reading into things.”

What the hell?
Her attitude had changed. What happened to ‘consider it done?’ He didn’t want to pull her up in front of everyone, wanting them to appear as a united front.

He glowered at her. “L
et’s hope you’re right.”

“What about this woman who is supposed to be able to turn humans to shifters?”
Tala said, her eyes locked with his, challenging.

His blood boiled at his cousin. How dare she bring that up again in front of everyone? Autumn’s face appeared in his mind, her name on the tip of his tongue. He was suddenly filled with the bizarre fear that he would blurt her name, revealing her
abilities to so many. But he didn’t. He schooled his face into what he hoped was a serene expression.

“I believe I’ve already said that her existence is merely a rumor. I don’t know exactly who this person is. She may not even exist.”

Tala’s eyebrows lifted, her lips twisted into a ‘yeah, right’ sneer. But she didn’t challenge him any further.

He addressed the rest of the group. “Listen to me. We can’t expect for things to change overnight. The first step is having people acknowledge that we are real. The second will be having equal rights as regular humans, the third will be our domination of places of power—the government, the military—and all will be done on our terms. We have to be patient. The rights of African-Americans took years to win, but now, people who would previously have been hated and feared are in the top positions in our government. The same thing will happen for us. It just takes time.”

“What do you want us to do?” Mischa called out.

“First of all, think carefully about whether you want to be exposed. Remember, these hate groups can track you down if you go public. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” He noticed Juanita Romero, the woman who’d said she had children, hadn’t returned. Considering the chaos going down in the city, he didn’t blame her. “Then, if you’re happy to speak out, I want you to contact local papers, speak at your local libraries. Anywhere people will listen to you.”

“I’ll speak out!” His eyes found the young punk girl, Leah Phelps. “And if anyone tries anything, I’ll kick their ass!” A ripple of laughter floated among them.

“This isn’t a game, Leah,” he warned. “Some of those people are dangerous.”

Her pale cheeks flushed. “I know that.”

“And you must remember to come across as controlled and civilized at all times. Don’t let anyone turn you into the thing they think you are—the thing deep down they probably
want
you to be. A monster.”

He looked back across the crowd to make sure everyone was listening. Two people seemed more involved in each other than anyone else—Rhys
and Tala were deep in whispered conversation. Chogan frowned. Tala must have sensed him watching her for she glanced away from Rhys and toward him, catching his eye.

Jesus Christ. Don’t say
Tala is interested in that guy!
He thought his cousin had better taste. But then she was a grown woman. Who was he to say who she dated, even if the thought did turn his stomach?

“If any of you need me,” he continued, “don’t hesitate to call. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

People began to leave, exchanging handshakes and hugs and promises to be in touch. His cousin stood at the back of the room, her back to them all, staring out of a small part of the broken window that hadn’t been boarded up.

“You should stay away from Rhys, you know.” She turned toward him at the sound of his voice. “The guy is bad news.”

To his surp
rise, she laughed in his face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Chogan. And you don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t talk to.”

“I thought you were going to find out a bit more on the people who attacked us,” he said.

“And I thought you were going to tell me who this bitch is who can change me into a shifter.”

“I never promised anything. I just said I’d see what I can do.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. “Don’t mess with me, Chogan. Just because we grew up together doesn’t mean I won’t bring you down if you provoke me.”

With that, she spun from him and stormed from the building, leaving him feeling as though she had slapped him.

Everyone else had gone. Chogan stood in the middle of the empty room. He had never felt so alone. A pang of longing filled him, and he realized that at the very core of his soul, he ached to see Autumn. His fingertips itched with a desire to touch the creamy skin of her cheek, to brush her golden hair away from her face. Perhaps he could risk just trying to catch a glimpse of her, to check she was all right.

What was the worst that could happen?