Lunar Bound, page 6
part #4 of Sky Brooks World: Ethan Series
Pointless.
I’d seen packs consume themselves with challenges. It was a flawed system, but it was the way of all packs going back to the first, when survival was a constant physical struggle. We’d evolved since then, but the old ways held; pack cohesion depended on it. Challenging an Alpha who could no longer lead was a necessity. In my time, I’d seen brothers, friends, and lovers kill and maim each other for the good of their pack. Challenging a capable Alpha strictly for the sake of personal ambition was an abomination, but it happened more frequently than we cared to admit.
Sebastian was a modern Alpha. He’d made the pack strong, brought stability, but he’d also made the pack prosperous. He didn’t face frivolous challenges because I, as the pack’s Beta, didn’t suffer fools. A were-animal who couldn’t put the pack above their personal ambition got shipped to the fringe packs. Within the Midwest Pack, I was the only were-animal strong enough to challenge Sebastian, but there was no need, not unless he became incapacitated or otherwise unable to lead. In that case, I’d have no choice but to challenge him.
With Sebastian, all challenges were to the death, no exceptions.
He was in the prime of his health and faculties, and not prone to needless risk. Challenging him wasn’t something I considered likely, or desirable.
It was midnight before the house of cards finally collapsed. On the drive home I considered stopping by Sky’s to check on her. I started to text her to see if she was awake, but I was exhausted. By the time I reached my own bed, I was already half asleep.
I woke up two hours later to my phone ringing. Steven.
“Yeah,” I said, sitting up on the edge of the bed.
Steven’s voice was level, controlled, the way it was when shit went south. “Michaela burned down the greenhouse. Sky almost killed her.”
My heart raced. I was instantly alert. “Is she hurt?”
“She’s bruised a bit, but nothing serious.” He sounded incredulous as he said, “Michaela got the worst of it.”
I switched the phone to my other ear as I fished fresh clothes from my dresser. “Is she still there?”
“She’s gone. Sky is at the neighbors’ house.”
That was a mistake. If Michaela returned to finish the fight, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill David and Trent to get to Sky, or to spite her. Eventually, Michaela would come for revenge. The only question was whether Demetrius would join her.
So much for the trip.
“I’m on my way.”
I texted Tim to find out if the fire or the fight had been called in, then remembered the time. I’d have to assume a call had been made. Steven would know how to control the situation, but that didn’t stop me from getting there as fast as possible.
At nearly twice the speed limit, I only had a few minutes to bury my anger. Sky had ignored my warnings and possibly started a war. I had to talk some sense into her before she went after Michaela or decided to rebuild the greenhouse. She was stubborn that way, once she’d made up her mind. If I’d learned anything in my time with Sky, yelling at her only made her dig in her heels. I needed to calm down, get my emotions under control.
Focus on the problem.
The fire department was the first challenge. They’d realize right off that the fire was arson. That meant an investigation, questions. Teenagers, I decided, an isolated random incident. Sky caught a glimpse of them running away, but nothing identifiable. Not the easiest story to sell, but without an insurance claim the fire investigators would find it difficult to challenge Sky’s story. The theory of a psychotic, vengeful vampire wasn’t likely to come up.
There would be police as well, as there were with any fire call, but they’d defer to the fire investigator—unless the fight was reported, a distinct possibility. The only neighbors close enough to notice were David and Trent. The investigation might quickly get out of hand unless one of the pack’s detectives caught the assignment. At this time of night, that wasn’t likely.
I needed to get Sky aside, explain the story before the questions started.
Turning onto her street, I noticed a dying trail of gray smoke rising from her backyard and a notable absence of fire or police. The lights were bright at Trent and David’s house. Through the curtained windows I could see people moving about, as if pacing. I parked in the driveway next to Sky’s car and walked into her townhouse. Steven was inside, waiting.
Before he had a chance to say anything, I asked, “How bad was it?”
“Sky did some damage.” He couldn’t avoid a proud smirk, despite his worry. “I think Michaela underestimated her. Sky was about to stake Michaela when I stopped her.”
That was no small feat. Next time, Michaela wouldn’t underestimate Sky again, and there would be a next time. Sky should’ve let the greenhouse burn and left it at that. Instead, she’d nearly killed Michaela, who was not the forgiving sort. Fortunately a war with the pack wasn’t in Demetrius’s interests, but she could be patient when it came to blood. She’d whisper in his ear for years until she steered him onto a violent path, or she’d just take her revenge and cover her tracks. Demetrius would stop her if he could, but I doubted he’d give her up or even punish her after the fact. If she was determined to start a war, she’d probably get it.
“Have you called Sebastian?” I asked.
“Not yet. I figured I’d wait for you.”
“I’ll talk to him. Let our people watching the Seethe know to stay awake.”
The pack kept a low-key surveillance on the comings and goings of the Seethe. It wasn’t round-the-clock, but frequent enough to catch any major developments on their part. We’d have to increase the surveillance until we were sure there would be no retaliation. With any luck, Michaela might take a short vacation to lick her wounds rather than show the Seethe how close she’d come to being killed by Sky.
Steven casually took a bottle of water from the fridge, retrieved his keys from the counter, then left. Glancing outside the window, I watched him give an appreciative glance at my GT before driving away.
Rather than join Sky next door, I decided to keep my interactions with the neighbors to a minimum. They’d be asking a hundred questions. I had no idea how she was answering them, but I didn’t need the same questions thrown at me. Better to wait. She’d come home eventually, and I needed the time to push my anger even further down. She’d be expecting a fight. I wasn’t going to give her one.
I was starting to lose my patience when I heard someone outside, whispering. Striding to the front door, I was surprised to find David fondling my GT like he’d just discovered love. Next to him, Sky’s hair was drawn back into some bastardized version of a fishtail braid, as if a child had done it.
He squatted down to examine the Savini wheels on gunmetal titanium rims.
Sky gawked at him in disbelief. “I think when you ogle something like that, you should buy it dinner first.”
“Sorry, it’s gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” I said, startling them both.
David jerked upright. For a moment, he blinked at me, then glanced away rather than hold my gaze. Sky gave me a sheepish frown, anticipating a reprimand and an ensuing argument.
“Gotta go, Peaches,” David declared, catching Sky by surprise as he hugged her tight. She winced from the pressure around her ribs. The triggered groan was quickly calibrated to sound amused, but her pain was obvious. She didn’t want me to know that she’d probably broken a rib or two in her fight with Michaela.
I walked back into the house and waited at the kitchen counter, leaving the front door open for her. She took some time before joining me to get her dander up for a fight. I was still struggling to hold my anger and worry in check, but the unguarded surprise in her expression at my comforting smile was worth the effort. There was no point in being predictable.
She glanced back to the front door, as if she might’ve walked into the wrong house.
“Hi.” Rising from the counter, I gently slipped a finger under her chin and examined her injuries. A small cut swelled beneath one eye and blood still smeared her lips, streaking across her pink-bruised cheeks where she’d attempted to wipe it away. Her shirtsleeve was torn near the shoulder.
Self-conscious, she stepped back from my touch, glanced into the hallway. “Where’s Steven?”
“Gone. I wanted us to be alone.”
Her gaze narrowed at me, waiting, but I remained silent. Sky didn’t like silences; they annoyed her.
After a long minute, she blurted, “She started it.”
Still smiling, I circled her once. “Você estás magoado?”
She hesitated, surprised. I’d been studying Portuguese for months without telling her, as a surprise. It was a language she’d only shared with her adoptive mother, who’d passed away several years ago, killed by the vampires that had tried to kidnap her.
When she didn’t answer, I thought I’d spoken wrong.
“Probably a broken rib,” she admitted, reluctantly raising her shirt to show me the bright red lines that wrapped around her side. One rib was slightly out of place, rising above the others beneath her skin.
Listening to the slight hesitation in her breath as she inhaled, I knew she was in pain. She handled it well. Training with Winter had given Sky plenty of experience in dealing with injury. Pain was a temporary state, to be tolerated rather than coddled. Unless silver was involved, we healed quickly.
I laid a gentle hand against her side, intended as comfort. The warmth of her fingers wrapped around mine, guided my hand over the displaced bone. A slight shiver rippled beneath my touch. Her skin was hot to the touch. At the slightest pressure, she hissed, scowled.
I asked softly, “Você quer um pouco de gelo?” Do you want ice?
Defiant, she pretended to not understand.
Humoring her, I repeated in English as I slowly walked around her, “Do you want me to get you some ice?”
“No.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Good.” Taking her wrist, I gently guided her to the sofa in the living room. “Let’s talk.”
She sat, still defiant as I chose the oversized chair across from her, leaving an ottoman between us.
“So at what point of the day did you decide that your life wasn’t complicated enough and you needed to start a war between us and the vampires?”
“She destroyed my property!”
“Did she?” I heard my tone hardening. “Or did she destroy something of Quell’s? You don’t require a greenhouse nor do you have a use for Hidacus, do you?”
“It was something on my property for Quell,” she insisted. “Michaela destroyed my property. How can you all just allow her to behave like this? She does whatever she wants with impunity and everyone just turns their heads because it’s Michaela, the otherworld’s psycho bitch, and she gets a pass. Well I am not going to give her a pass.”
“She’s also the Mistress of the North and responsible for creating the most vicious of her kind. Yes, she warrants certain consideration. But you didn’t answer my question, what exactly did she do to you?”
I moved to the ottoman, surprising her. “Skylar, answer me,” I pressed. “What did she do to you?”
She remained silent, glaring, but I saw through her defiance. There was no need to repeat my argument.
Shifting the conversation, I asked, “What exactly are you doing with him?”
“What do you mean?”
I held her gaze for a moment while she searched my expression. “I want a real answer, Sky.”
“We’re friends, nothing more, nothing less.”
It wasn’t entirely the truth. Their relationship was far more complicated than it should be. “If he is your friend, then you need to make better decisions to ensure that he stays alive—or whatever vampires are. You’ve played your hand. She knows how much you care for him. Michaela would rip off her own nose to spite her face and isn’t above killing him just to get back at you.”
She uttered a slight gasp at the thought, knew it was true. “Okay.”
Rising, I walked to the door. “If you have another one built, you won’t have to worry about Michaela destroying it. I will.” I left before the yelling started.
CHAPTER 4
I woke at sunrise to a text message from Sebastian. He was already at his office at the retreat, waiting.
I took a quick shower, dressed, and skipped breakfast. On my way to the front door, I picked up the keys to my GT from the entryway table and froze. Next to the keys was a cheap black folding cell phone I didn’t recognize. From the sticker on the cover, an obnoxious yellow face smiled up at me. Suppressing a growl, I remained perfectly still, listening. The angry thump of my heart echoed in my ears, but beyond the steady hum of the refrigerator and the faint ticking of a clock upstairs, the house was silent.
Whoever had infiltrated my home had left no discernible scent.
Checking the doors, I found no sign that the locks had been picked. The windows had not been forced open. After searching the entire house and finding nothing, I considered that magic had been used, but that would’ve left a trace.
I returned to the phone, already certain what I would find. Flipping it open, I called the only number in the address book and waited. Each unanswered ring brought me closer to hurling the phone against the far wall. When the call finally connected, I didn’t wait for the voice on the other end.
“McClintock,” I growled. “You’ve got my attention.”
Through his voice I could see his smug grin. “Thought I might.”
“Why the theatrics?”
“Thanks to you, I had to burn my old phone. Can’t have you tracking me.”
“If you have a point to make,” I snapped, “make it.”
“Here, now, I thought I made my point clear just yesterday.” An edge crept into his voice. “Last chance. Hundred thousand buys my forgiveness for your unprofessional transgression.”
“No chance.”
“Ethan,” he sighed decades of pent-up exasperation, “you know how I feel about you.”
“You don’t like me.”
“I do not like you, but I’ve always respected you. I’d never put myself between you and a target.”
“Shit happens. Get over it.”
“I figured you’d be a prick about this. Had to give you a chance. Fair warning, I already took the other job.”
“If you’re so desperate for cash, I’ll give you ten dollars to tell me how you got into my house—twenty more to tell me how you masked your scent.”
“Tonya sends her regards.”
He killed the call.
I stared down at the flip phone before I twisted the two halves into separate pieces. I’d missed something. No matter how pissed he was, extortion wasn’t McClintock’s game. He also didn’t make hollow threats. Breaking into my home was his way of letting me know he was serious. There was a piece of the puzzle I didn’t have. I didn’t like not knowing what.
Glancing around, I’d have to do a more detailed sweep for listening devices, maybe explosives.
“I don’t have time for this.”
I was halfway to my Venom GT when I noticed the tires were completely flat, all four of them.
With some effort, I unclenched my jaw to growl, “Tonya.”
Unlocking the garage, I was relieved to find the tires on the AMG were undamaged. A short drive later, I turned onto the retreat’s private road when I answered a call from Claudia.
“Ethan, I might have a solution to your vampire problem. Can you come by the gallery today?”
“I’m going into a meeting with Sebastian. Give me an hour.”
“I look forward to seeing you.”
“Me too.”
I parked in the garage and found Sebastian in his office. Winter, Steven, and Josh joined us. I looked to the door, expecting Gavin.
Winter explained, “He’s out looking for Kelly.”
“Still no word from her?” I was beginning to wonder if he was right. “Has anyone checked out her house?”
“It turns out Gavin has a key,” she said with a cocked eyebrow and a droll voice. “He says nothing is out of place. Since he’s stalking her, I guess we can assume he’d know.”
Steven added, “She hasn’t been at her dance classes.” Taken aback by our surprised, suspicious looks, he quickly explained, “Gavin told me.”
“There’s a surprise.” Winter grunted. “I’ll bet he can describe her tap shoes down to the individual bits of glitter.”
Sebastian interrupted, “She’s entitled to her privacy.” In giving Chris to Demetrius, Kelly had taken what she saw as a moral stand against the pack, against Sebastian in particular. I didn’t agree with her then, or now. She’d put him in a difficult spot. He’d come down hard on her. He figured he’d pressed too hard, frightened her. I knew he blamed himself for her skipping town. Up to now, I believed she’d skipped town as well, but the questions were beginning to mount.
He gestured to me. “Steven told me about the jackal.”
“Probably a wanderer,” I answered. “We let him know he’d wandered into the wrong backyard. By now he’s probably out of town.”
Steven informed me, “Sky’s neighbors said they’d seen some strange animals in the subdivision behind their house. Based on their descriptions, it sounds like our jackal and maybe a lynx.”
“When?” I demanded.
“A few times over the last week.”
I wondered why Sky hadn’t told me, then remembered I’d walked out on her last night. If the jackal had a friend, there were probably more. If the friends shared the jackal’s special ability, we might have our hands full.
“The jackal used magic,” I informed Sebastian. From his lack of surprise, I knew Steven had already shared that part of the story as well, but Josh was hearing the news for the first time, and he didn’t like it—like he needed another reason to resent me.
