Chapter 4
I stop when I get well into the trees. The air is cold, fresh with the smell of rain and cedar trees. The cold makes the tiny hairs on my bare arms stand up. I’m only wearing a flimsy camisole. I should go back before I freeze out here but I’m not ready to. I need to be alone, and in the trees is the only peaceful place available.
I tilt my head back and close my eyes, letting the soft breeze whip my hair wherever it pleases. I could stand here all night if I didn’t have goosebumps. I go farther in, tripping over fallen branches scattered with leaves, and I smell smoke. Campfire smoke. What, is someone camping in the woods behind my house?
I follow the smell and it’s not too long before I hear voices, and I see the smoke wafting up through the trees. I twist through the brush, trying to be as quiet as possible. I think its working. I can’t even hear myself. I was about to walk into a sort of clearing when I see a group of people gathered around a bonfire in the center. I duck behind a tree trunk, hoping no one saw me. I crouch low behind some bushes and look through a gap in its branches to get a better look at the people.
Adam is there. And so are Deon and Anker.
I squint; wondering if this is some sort of gang inauguration when I remember: they’re werewolves. Of course. This is a meeting.
The light from the flames flicker across their faces and I get a better look at the others. There’s a girl with short black hair wearing all black and another girl with short, curly copper hair wearing a red cardigan and knee high lace up boots over leggings. There’s a very tall guy with blonde hair wearing a white thermal shirt, and another very tall guy with shoulder length black hair wearing a leather jacket over a fitted white t-shirt. Deon had his hood off, his honey brown hair sticking out at odd angles, and Adam wasn’t wearing his hat. He also was wearing a leather jacket, but it was zipped up unlike tall boys’ jacket. My heartbeat sped up just by looking at him.
Black haired girl throws something in the fire and it sparks. “It’s not the vampires. Of how much I’d like it to be, it’s not.”
Tall boy shakes his head in frustration. “Then who is it? We’ve been working on this case for months. That girl was drained of blood; how is that not a vampire’s work?”
Copper hair girl steps up to the fire, also throwing something in. “There were no bite marks on her neck, Riordan.”
So Tall boy was Hunter. I should really leave but I can’t get my legs to obey. I’ll leave when they leave. I sit on my knees behind the bushes to get in a more comfortable position, and one I could jump up quickly if I have to get away for some odd reason. It’s better than going home.
“There were no bite marks on the secretary, either,” Deon says.
Blonde boy looks at Hunter. “Should we talk to the Fey?”
Hunter shakes his head immediately. “We don’t want to get involved with the Fey right now. The Seelie queen is already angry with me for accusing her ‘best warrior’ of the murder of that little boy last year.”
“We don’t wanna get involved with anybody right now. If you weren’t such an idiot, we’d have solved this case by now instead of going around accusing the first supernatural we see,” Adam says, irritated. He shoves his hands into his pockets, the flames casting odd shadows across his face.
Hunter throws him a hostile look. “Oh, so I’m an idiot now?”
Black haired girl puts a hand on his chest and gently pushes him back. “Calm down, boys.”
Adam looks Hunter straight in the eyes, his face a mask. “You heard her.”
Copper hair ignores all of it and continues the conversation. “What if the suspect isn’t a supernatural at all?”
“You mean the suspect could be human?” Deon asks, but it sounds more like a thoughtful assumption.
Oh. I think they’re talking about the string of murders that broke out across Salem and Portland. I don’t watch much TV so this is all news to me.
Copper hair sighs. “Or a half-blood.”
“It can’t be a half-blood, Winters. No half-blood has that kind of power,” black haired girl snaps, her hand still on Hunters chest, who still looks angry.
Copper hair is Victoria Winters.
“How do we know? There’s a whole population of half-bloods out there we don’t even know about,” Anker speaks for the first time. He looks stoned. No doubt he is.
My legs are falling asleep; I shift so I’m just squatting on the ground. I bet this looks hilarious from the back.
“I think we should keep it that way,” blonde boy says. Hunter turns to him in disbelief.
“Half-bloods are not supposed to exist, moron.”
Blonde boy throws his hands up. “Exactly why we should just forget about them. Most of them don’t even know what they are anyway,” his eyes flash orange as Adam throws a hunk of wood in the fire, flames shooting up in a hiss of sparks.
Hunter sighs. “Back to the matter at hand here. I acknowledge the suspect could be human, but I highly doubt it. Did you bring the files, Woodruff?”
Blonde boy is Blaine Woodruff. I prefer to think of them with their first names. Sounds less formal.
Blaine pulls a folded manila folder with ripped edges out of his back pocket and hands it to Hunter, but looking at Adam. “Your mom wouldn’t give it to me at first. Said it was “too curious” for us to deal with or whatever.”
Adam raises his eyebrows. “You talked to my mom? How? She works in the CFSS department.”
Adams’ mom works in the CFSS? I thought she left when he was 8?
Blaine just shrugs.
Hunter pulls some papers from the folder and scans them, his eyes moving quickly over the page, “It is mentioned the suspect could be human, but no one thinks so.”
Black haired girl, which could only be Mercedes Rayne, narrows her eyes. I think I recognize her from like, elementary school but I can’t be sure. “The girl was found in her own apartment, with all the doors and windows locked, the front door deadlocked. Her keys were in her hand. There were no signs of a struggle and nothing was stolen or damaged. The lock was not picked. Winters and I looked in her records and it said she just moved in like not 3 weeks before, so it’s unlikely someone else had a key. There were still unpacked boxes in the living room. How is that a humans work?” she explains, her voice monotone like she was bored. I get the feeling she doesn’t like her job that much.
Hunter shuts the folder. “I don’t know. There’s no evidence; just bodies of random people drained of blood. Are you sure it’s not the vampires? There wasn’t a bite anywhere on the bodies?”
Victoria looked uncomfortable. “No. No bite.”
Hunter sighed in frustration. “Let’s go back to the house. I’ve had enough of this case for one night. Or possibly a week.”
“Good. I left my stash there.” Anker says.
Victoria looks at him. “You should really let up on that you know. No one knows what drugs do to a werewolf in the long run.”
Anker shakes his head in denial and I think I see him roll his eyes. “Well, I guess I’m the walking experiment then,” he splashes a bucket of water on the fire and it sizzles out.
“Do I really have to come?” Deon asks after his bout of silence.
Hunter looks at him funny. “Of course. We’re gonna teach Adam here a lesson about loyalty.”
Adam squints. “Loyalty?”
“Human girlfriend? Surely, Adam, you know that’s against the law. It’d be worse if you told her about us.”
“Everyone knows about supernaturals anyways so what does it matter?” Adam asks in defense.
They’re talking about me. How could they know? Adam was trying so hard not to be suspicious or to be seen with me when they’re around.
“They don’t know who the supernaturals are though. That’s the whole point of the CFSS,” Mercedes says as she wraps her arm through Hunters.
Adams’ jaw tightens but he doesn’t say anything.
I crawl behind the tree trunk and stand up, my legs and feet tingling. I brush the dirt off my jeans and shiver.
“Let’s go,” Hunter says, his voice fading. Branches snap and leaves rustle as they leave but then they stop.
“Wait a second…” Mercedes says. I can’t see her but I know her eyes are searching the woods. I pray silently that she didn’t hear me.
I shut my eyes and try to stay as still as a can behind the tree. If they found I out I was eavesdropping I don’t even want to know what would happen. It’s too dark out for me to see to run and I’m pretty sure werewolves have night vision and can run much faster. I can’t even catch Carmens’ black cat Jack even though he’s so fat his run is more like a lopsided jog.
I lean against the tree as much as I can but it doesn’t conceal me. I hear a twig snap and Mercedes is in front of me, her eyes a glittering hazel.
“I thought I smelled a human.”
“What is it now, Rayne?” Hunter asks, like she does this all the time.
She grabs by arm and shoves me into the clearing so fast it seemed like it was all one move. It made me lightheaded.
Adams’ eyes widen with fear when he sees me. “Tess?”
“Tess, what are you doing here?” Deon gasps.
Mercedes shoves me again to get me to answer. “I was taking a walk. Had to get out of my house.” I answer, my voice a little shaky but otherwise I sounded calm. Can werewolves sense fear?
Hunter looks at me, pity in his eyes, which I can now see are green. He looks at Adam. “Is she your girlfriend?”
Adam looks at him and back at me. He stares at me for a couple seconds then turns to Hunter. “Yes.”
Blaine coughs.
Hunter stares at me, his eyes burning into mine, a muscle in his jaw twitching. He glances at Adam. “Take her home. Make her swear she say’s nothing of this to others.” He looks at me again and then starts to turn away.
“That’s all you’re gonna do? Let her go? She was eavesdropping on our meeting in the bushes!” Mercedes exclaims, starting toward him, dragging me with her.
Victoria backs up and so does Anker. It’s obvious that they were a little more than afraid of her when she got angry. Great. I’m the one practically locked in her death grip. I glance at Adam who looks like he’s about ready to grab me and run.
“She knows all our names. Adam told her the day I was at his house,” Anker confesses, his face looking fiercer than it did when I first met him. And that was fierce. At least I didn’t get cold when he looked at me anymore.
Hunter looks at Adam. “You told her?”
Adam nods, looking a little regretful. Thanks for protecting me Adam, jeez. But he said he was bound to this pack which meant they could tell if he was truthful or lying. That must suck.
“Look, I swear I won’t tell anybody. I get why you need to be secret,” I say. I was telling the truth. Why would I tell anybody? And who would I tell? Two of my best friends are already werewolves and I doubt Carmen would listen. She’s too self-absorbed.
Hunter doesn’t say anything so Blaine answers for him. I wonder if they can read each others minds. “Can we trust her?” he asks Adam.
“She’s the most honest person I’ve ever met. I believe you have her word,” Adam says, and he throws me a tiny crooked smile that was revealed only by the moonlight that illuminated the little clearing.
“What’s your name? I need to know where to find you in case I ever have to kill you,” Hunter asks bluntly, obviously a little unsure about believing me and Adam.
I go to answer but Mercedes cut’s me off. “Who cares what her name is? You can’t trust a human. They’re natural gossipers,” she spats and her hand begins to tingle.
Hunters’ eyes widen. “Mercedes don’t! Calm down!” He reaches for her but he stumbles back like he hit some sort of force field.
Her hand twitches and she throws me on the ground at an awkward angle. I’ll have a huge bruise on my hip tomorrow. I think I know what’s happening without having to see it. I turn so I’m on my elbows and try to scoot back.
Her whole body ripples and she explodes into the air and a massive black and red wolf lands on the ground where she was standing, ears pulled back and canines showing. The eyes are a glittering hazel.
She pounds toward me and I scream, and I see Adam out of the corner of my eye scream something but then he’s gone and I see a flash of dark brown fur before giant paws knock the wind out of me and the most excruciating pain explodes around my shoulder. My last thought before I black out is I just got bit by a werewolf.