Hyena Moon, page 2
He saw her moving through the cosmetics counters, her hair a fiery flash above the other women's heads and shoulders. He knocked into a couple of people in his haste, picking up speed once he was through the gauntlet of older women hovering near the perfumes. He thought he heard Kess yell something at him, but ignored it in favor of gaining distance on Teresa.
He was in the mall now and caught sight of her again. She was moving quickly, not running, but only barely. His feet pounded the floor as he slid around slower shoppers. He shouted apologies to those people he jostled, but he wasn't going to stop. He held his shorts up in one hand, afraid they were going to slip off his narrow frame as he slithered between kiosks and knots of stalled pedestrians.
Rafe lost sight of her for moment, so he put on a burst of speed. He swung around a corner. He stopped, dropping his hands to his sides. No sign of Teresa. He took a quick look in the shops on this short arm of the mall, but didn't see anyone who looked like his sister.
He'd lost her.
His hands balled into fists. He may hate Teresa with the fiery heat of a lava flow, but he still wanted to talk to her. He wanted to know what was going on at home. He wanted news of their mother. He craved familiarity, even if it came in the form of his hateful sister. Despite what Kess said about being free to go home at any time, Rafe knew that wasn't the case. His mother wouldn't want him back unless she asked for him; if he showed up, he had a good idea of what kind of reception he'd get from his pack of werehyenas, and it wouldn't be pleasant for him. No, if he wanted to go home, his mother would need to send for him, or he'd have to go armed with information worth the price of accepting him back.
Rafe trudged back to the main avenue of the mall to find Cormac and Kess strolling up, obviously moving at a much slower pace than he had. "Everything okay?"
He stared at her, knowing he must look far from okay. From the look on her face, she knew the answer to her own question, but he supposed she had to ask something. "Fine. Just thought I saw someone I knew."
Kess didn't pry or push him. She probably should have--another possible weakness, he noted--but Rafe was grateful she let it drop. He felt like an idiot for haring off after a freaking figment of his imagination. Teresa was good, but she couldn't just up and disappear into thin air. He must have imagined it.
He put his head down and walked back to the department store where he'd left his stuff, feeling like people were staring at him more than ever. His pile was still where he left it when he went sprinting out of the store. He gathered up the last few articles of clothing he needed. He felt worse than stupid—if Teresa was in town spying on him or Kess, she wouldn't have been caught out so easily. She was smarter than that.
Or maybe she wasn't. Rafe saw a leggy brunette on an intercept path with Kess. She was one of Teresa's friends. He wasn't sure what she was doing here, but he didn't believe it to be a coincidence that he could swear he'd seen his sister and here was one of her friends. They must have orders to be in town. He highly doubted that Teresa would be eager to go against their mother so soon after her last failure, although nothing would surprise him about his family.
He saw the girl draw back her hand for a swipe, caught the telltale sign of claws. "Look out…" he shouted on instinct, then he wanted to smack himself for what it would look like to the other hyena.
Kess didn't need his warning; she had swayed out of the way. Cormac stiff-armed the brunette away, dodging a swipe of his own for his trouble. Shoppers were beginning to point and stare. The girl took off, bounding away from the scene of the disturbance. Cormac turned to go after her, but Kess grabbed him and shook her head.
"How did you know?" Rafe hadn't expected Kess to notice much of anything with so many strangers around. Surprising. Something else to file away.
Kess gave him a shaky smile. "I have a lot of experience looking over my shoulder." She walked over to the counter and handed the clerk her credit card.
Cormac's expression was dark. "This isn't going to work. How can we keep them out if we have no way of knowing who's what?"
Rafe nodded, even though he knew Cormac wasn't speaking to him. His mother could send in any number of hyenas for scouting missions or whatever, and chances were Kess and her leopards would never know. There wasn't a way to tell a were from a normal person. The only way to be really sure was to catch one in the act of changing forms. Then there was no doubt.
He knew they'd lost some pack members in his mother's ever increasing obsession to take Miami. He'd been home for the delivery of several of the boxes that Kess' brother, Sek--the previous clan leader--had sent to them that contained the heads, or other random body parts, of the spies he caught. But far more of their pack came and went from Miami with no problem that made it worth the risk. As long as they were careful not one of the leopards would ever know they were there.
"I'm working on it," Kess said in a tight voice, signing the receipt. She started handing out bags to all of them.
Rafe stilled, head cocked. He was curious. What could Kess do that would enable her to know when an enemy were was inside in her territory? How would she be able to tell were from non-were? In the hyena's case, all she had to do was look for someone looking ridiculously beautiful, but they were in Miami—almost everyone here looked like a supermodel. Kess couldn't go around laying waste to people just because they were of above average attractiveness. Did she have another, more foolproof way, in mind?
Rafe saw Cormac looking at him, a huge frown on the werewolf's face. He did not look pleased that Rafe had heard that. "Let's get out of here before anything else happens," the werewolf said.
Rafe followed the two of them out to the car, eyes alert for any sign of Teresa and her cronies. His sister hadn't exactly covered herself in glory so far. But maybe that wasn't the point of her being here. Maybe she and Samara were issuing a warning that they were still out there, or trying to scare Kess. Or perhaps his mother was testing him, trying to see if he remained loyal to his pack. Or it could always be that Teresa was an idiot who didn't know when or how to pick her battles. That was also a distinct possibility.
What truly sucked was that he had no way of knowing.
His mind picked at the problem of recognizing weres when they were in human form. If Kess really had an idea for how to do so, it would be worth a great deal to his mother. If he could ferret out Kess' plan, he might be able to uncover something hugely important, not just for hyenas but all were-kind. And then his mother would have to accept him back.
Chapter Four
Cormac slid inside the doorway to Kess' office and parked his shoulder against the doorframe. She was behind her desk, drumming her pen against the blotter, the thumps muffled by the dark leather. The desk was a massive mahogany thing that dwarfed her whenever she sat behind it. Cormac always thought she looked like a little girl playing pretend in her daddy's office. Unfortunately, there was nothing playful about her current position.
He watched her for a moment. Her eyes were fixed on some in-between place, her mind obviously somewhere else. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he came all the way into the room and closed the door behind him. She looked up at the sound of the door closing and stood up.
"The kid is back in his bedroom." He'd checked on Rafe before coming to talk to Kess.
He saw the corners of her mouth pull down in irritation. "He has a name, you know. You might try using it." Her voice was sharper than usual.
Cormac stopped, brought up short by her tone. "Ooookay." He looked at her carefully. "What's bothering you?" She'd been unlike herself the past few days; in fact, she'd been different ever since they'd been saddled with Rafe. Cormac had attributed it to nerves, but now he wasn't so sure. Even at her most stressed, Kess had never been this broody before. She was worried about something.
Kess raked thin fingers through her dark hair as she came out from behind the desk. "Same old problem. How do I keep track of all of the weres in town? You saw what happened today."
"I did." He tried to answer carefully, not wanting to stress her out further, but something must have crept into his voice.
He saw her eyes narrow. "What is it? What's wrong?"
He began slowly, needing her to listen and not just dismiss his concerns. "About today. And about the kid…." At her look, he amended his words. "About Rafe—I think you need to be more careful about what you say in front of him." He had seen the look on the kid's face when Kess had mentioned working around the known were problem. Rafe was too interested in what Kess might have in mind.
She tensed, and he knew he'd struck a nerve despite his efforts to be non-confrontational. "I get that you don't like him, Cormac, but come on. I highly doubt he's paying attention to every word coming out of my mouth."
He took a deep breath. She needed to hear this, to open her eyes to the possible danger she was placing them all in by allowing Rafe to stay. "Kess, you didn't see the look on his face. I did." He leaned forward, pitching his voice lower in warning. "You need to watch out. And it's not that I don't like him--I don't know him. I don't trust him. He hasn't earned it yet."
"He warned us about that hyena in the mall." She tilted her chin up stubbornly.
He resisted the urge to rise to her bait. He didn't want to get in a fight with her over this, but he wasn't going to just roll over either. "Or it could have been a setup just to get him in good with you. Think about it, Kess."
Her face flushed and he knew he'd made a mistake. She didn't like to be condescended or talked down to, and telling her to think probably wasn't a real smooth move on his part. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she started first. "I am thinking! I do nothing BUT think—about Rafe, about Samara, about the clan, about this stupid territory my brother stuck me with! But do you know what I think the most about? I think about not becoming what he was—a paranoid freak show that sent people's heads back in boxes via express mail!"
Cormac subsided, eyeing her cautiously. "Sek wasn't exactly the poster boy for mental health."
She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "I'm not like him. I don't WANT to be like him. God, the things I read in his journal...." she shuddered. "That's why I have to give Rafe the benefit of the doubt. What do you think Sek would have done to him?"
Cormac leaned against the arm of the leather chair, making it creak. "Your brother would have killed him." He looked at her. "I get it." He did understand her fears of becoming like her brother; her fear of both his mental instability and his cruelty. But Cormac didn't think she could see how she was overcompensating with Rafe. Kess was usually pretty sharp about these things, but in this she seemed determined not to get it, even if it might cost her. It was up to him to remind her of what she stood to lose.
Kess rubbed her temples. "Do you?" She sounded like she didn't believe him.
He got up, coming over to her. She was stiff when he put his arms around her, pulling her close. He could tell she didn't want to relax against him. Why would she when nothing they were talking about was remotely relaxing? He held her, waiting her out like he always did. "I do."
"But?"
He chuckled, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. Trust her to hear the unspoken but in his words. "But Sekhmet was fighting a war. I'm not saying he was right in his methods, but sometimes you're put in a position where you have to do some unpleasant things for the good of the whole." He paused and looked down at her. "You have to start thinking like an Alpha." If she wanted to hold Miami, she couldn't afford a mistake like Rafe. If she was wrong about him, a lot of people were at risk.
She frowned. "I'm not going to murder someone for what they may or may not do in the future." Kess shook her head. Cormac knew he sounded like an Alpha himself. Like my father.
Kess continued. "I wouldn't like the kind of person I'd become if I could do that.” She met his eyes, a challenge in hers. “I don’t think you'd like that kind of person either."
Now it was his turn to sigh. She had him there. He loved her for being so generous and kind, but he wanted to protect her—them all really—too. That was why he'd asked Finn to keep an eye on the young werehyena when Cormac couldn't. "No one is saying you have to become that person. All I'm asking is that you don't dismiss Rafe as a threat because you're trying so hard not to be your brother. You aren't Sekhmet, Kess. You never could be." He paused, wondering if he should say the other thing that was on his mind. He decided to risk it; he always tried to be honest with Kess and didn't see why that should change now.
"There may be more here than you're willing to admit. Just like you aren't Sek, neither is Rafe. He's not a replacement for the brother you lost and you shouldn't look at him that way."
Now she wouldn't look at him. "No one is replacing anyone. And no one is dismissing anyone either, okay? I'll keep my eyes open." She met his eyes finally, her green-gold gaze challenging his. "Fair enough?"
He nodded slightly and dropped his arms from around her. It was like he was holding a board for all the give she offered. But at least she'd agreed to watch out around Rafe. "Fair enough." It would have to be. For now.
Chapter Five
Kess wandered the property, not ready to go back inside the house yet. Cormac's words bothered her, like an itch she couldn't quite reach. Every time she thought she had put them from her mind, they came back to her. Like she needed any additional problems on top of the ones she already had. She had come outside with the idea of finding Rafe and giving him what she'd gotten for him, but instead she decided to let her feet dictate where she was headed as her mind tried to sort out everything else.
She wasn't trying to replace Sekhmet with Rafe. That was a ridiculous idea. She didn't miss Sek. She was glad he was gone, truth be told. Wasn't she? She'd been sad that he'd been killed, but that wasn’t the same as wanting him back. As heartless as it sounded--and she'd never admit it out loud--it was easier with him dead. She didn't have to deal with the complicated feelings surrounding what he did to her--she could just shove them back in some closet inside her head and let them rot there.
As for Rafe, he needed some help. That was obvious. Cormac was right to be suspicious, and Kess would keep a careful eye on him, but she couldn't help but feel for him. She'd seen the look on his face when Samara left him to the mercy of Kess' clan. You couldn't fake that look of shock and surprise. His mother had left him to an unknown fate, but one that--to Samara’s mind--most probably ended in death. That wasn't something you just got over.
Kess shook her head. She found it hard to focus on Samara and Rafe without feeling a burn of anger at her own father. If only he'd been around more, been more present in their lives, perhaps it never would have gotten so bad with Sek. She didn't blame her father--her brother's rape attempt had been Sek's fault and Sek's alone--but it was hard not to feel angry with her dad. If he'd stepped in, maybe she wouldn't have had to leave, maybe Sek could have gotten help, and maybe her father might still be alive today. Again, something she didn't want to think about.
She headed toward the boat dock, wanting to look out at the water and try not to think about her conversation with Cormac anymore. She crossed the front yard and moved down the side of the property to where the stairs led down to the waterway.
Rafe was sitting on the boat dock, dangling his bare feet over the edge. He had on one of his new t-shirts and a pair of shorts that actually fit him. He looked like he was watching the waves hit the side of the speedboat that was docked there. Kess remembered that speedboat; Sek had gotten it right before she had left and he'd taken her out on it for its maiden voyage. It was one of her happier memories from before she'd left Miami. Even at rest the boat looked fast, like it wanted to leap from its moorings and zip away over the water, ripping through the waves and leaving white froth behind it.
The werehyena looked up when he heard her footsteps on the wooden steps. She knew she was backlit by the sun so he wouldn't be able to see her face. She could see his though, and he didn't look happy. He looked...well...brooding. She wondered if it was his default setting. He seemed to enjoy sitting in his bedroom doing broody things. Instead of smiling a hello, she called, "Mind if I join you?"
Rafe shrugged. "It's your dock."
Okay, so distant and disaffected was the order of the day. She didn't say anything, but sat down a few feet from him with her feet dangling above the water just like his. Kess didn't want to press him on anything. She knew that it would most likely backfire. She wanted to give him plenty of space to make his own decisions. Still, she had something to give him and didn't want to just drop it and leave.
After sitting in silence for a few moments, he asked suspiciously, "Are you watching me?"
Kess' mouth jerked up in a half-smile, but she didn't take her eyes off the ocean. "What, like spying?" Funny he should bring that up considering that’s what Cormac had just accused him of. At his reluctant nod, she said, "No. I'm not watching you. No more than I watch anyone else anyway." She remembered that feeling of paranoia when she'd first run from Miami. It felt like every eye was on her, even when that wasn't the case.
"Oh." They sat in silence once more. Rafe broke it again after a few more minutes. "So what are you doing here?"
She kept her gaze on the horizon, not wanting to give him her full gaze. He seemed uncomfortable with eyes on him. "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" His voice was guarded.
Now she did look at him, and she tried to keep the amusement off her face. "For what you did in the mall." At his confused look, she clarified. "Yelling the warning. Thank you."
