At First Sight: A Timber Wolves Companion (7 page)

“A bunch of guys with a lame tattoo?” I guessed.

“The people we write a check to twice a year for no good reason,” was Charlie’s answer.

“Our ruling body. The strongest of the strong.” Talley looked straight at me. “They are the people who could sentence you to death for insubordination. Toby didn’t just do the right thing; he did the only thing he could have. What did you want him to do? Get himself killed? Get
you
killed? Is your pride really worth that much?”

“This isn’t about my pride--”

“Of course it is.” Talley threw back her shoulders and made some sort of ridiculous face that was probably supposed to be righteous indignation or some such thing. “This is my land. Go away,” she said, her voice pitched low. “She’s my sister. Don’t talk to her, or I’ll punch you in the face.”

My fists clenched. “You’re the one who said they’re going to kill her. She’s your best friend. Don’t you think she’s worth it?”

“You know I love Scout and would die if anything happened to her,” she said, “but you’re overreacting. For one thing,
I don’t See the future.
I shouldn’t have said anything to Toby about it. It was just that all of a sudden there was this Shifter in my class, and then I remembered that stupid dream I had over the summer, and I just panicked. I freaked out a little then, and now you’re freaking out a lot.”

“I am not freaking out.”

She cocked her head to one side and blinked her too-blue eyes at me. “Jase, your face is almost purple, and you’re shaking so hard I can feel it all the way over here. You’re freaking out.”

“You don’t understand!” No one did, and that was the problem. I could feel it in my gut. The Coles were bad news. They were going to ruin everything and everyone I loved. It wasn’t pride or dominance issues or anything else Talley might argue. It was instinct, and I’m a coyote. My instinct isn’t to be ignored, especially on this. And I knew I wasn’t alone. Charlie felt it too. It was written all over his face when we were standing in their pitiful excuse for a yard. And Toby… Toby was acting like a worn out old man. That’s not who Toby is. No, the wrongness of this situation was getting to him, too. We all felt it, but I was the only one demanding we do something about it.

“I do understand,” Talley said in a clearly patronizing voice. “But I promise you, Alex is as far from the enemy as you can get. He’s a good person. I Saw it. And he would never hurt Scout. He loves her.”

Charlie growled low in his throat. “He doesn’t even know her.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but I think he does.”

“You know what’s crazy?” Toby asked. “The three of you thinking you have any say in this matter whatsoever.”

Before I could say something that would’ve contained more than a few words Mrs. Matthews would take offense to, Charlie said, “You invited us to come along, not the other way around. If you didn’t want our input, you should have left us at home.”

“Next time I will.”

“No, you won’t,” Mrs. Matthews said, getting up. Once she was lording over us all, she continued. “These children are the future of our pack. One of these two will one day take your place as Pack Leader, and my Talley will step up to be the new Pack Seer.”

“Ummm… Aren’t I already a Pack Seer?”

“Until then…” She turned her attention to the couch where we three “children” sat. “You will follow your Pack Leader without question. He made an arrangement with the Coles, and you will adhere to it or face the appropriate discipline. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Talley and Charlie both intoned. Since I couldn’t force the words past my throat, I merely nodded.

“You are all going to be great leaders some day, but today isn’t that day. Now, apologize to Toby.” She said it in the same way every single mother on earth says it to her child after they’ve done something wrong, but she didn’t mean it the same way.

It took a great deal of convincing on my brain’s part to get my legs to move me in front of the chair where Toby sat. Charlie and I sunk to our knees at the same time and offered our throats in submission. The last time I had to do this, Toby bit me at the place where my neck meets my shoulder. Hard. I carried a bruise there for two weeks. Everyone, including my girlfriend at the time, assumed some girl did it in a fit of passion. It was a humiliation that just kept on giving. This time, however, Toby stayed in his seat. He sounded tired when he told us to go ahead and get up off the floor.

“And now you, Talley.”

Talley looked up at her mother with horrified eyes. “But I didn’t argue with Toby, Mama. I agreed with him.”

Mrs. Matthews’s lips hardened into a sharp line. “You wasted his time with this stupid vision nonsense. Now, apologize and promise it’ll never happen again.”

A new surge of anger ripped through me as Talley pulled herself off the couch and shuffled over to Toby. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears and her bottom lip quivered. I never wanted to punch anyone as much as I wanted to punch Mrs. Matthews at that moment, which was saying an awful lot since I had already successfully hit a couple of people that day. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to control myself at the sight of Talley yielding her neck. Thankfully, Toby didn’t let it go that far.

“No, stop,” he said when she started to lower herself onto the floor. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Tal. You did the right thing calling me.” He reached up, grabbed one of her hands, and gave it a squeeze. Her cheeks immediately turned red. “I don’t know if you really had a vision or not, but I do think your powers are stronger than you know. Maybe you picked up on something from Alex without realizing, or maybe you encountered Liam earlier in the summer before your powers fully manifested and got something off of him then. Whatever the situation, I feel confident you didn’t waste my time. And if Liam wasn’t Alpha Pack, I would make sure they were as far away from here as possible. But, as is it is, I can’t do that. I promise you, though, I’ll keep an eye on the situation and make certain everyone under my protection stays safe.” He squeezed her hand again. “Believe me?”

A fat tear dripped from her eyelashes. “Of course, Pack Leader.”

“And you two. Do you believe me?”

Charlie squeezed the back of his neck, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a loud breath of air. I’m pretty sure if Mrs. Matthews hadn’t been standing there that breath of air would have taken the shape of a four letter word. “Sure. I believe you’ll try.”

It was obviously not the vote of confidence Toby was seeking, but he took it. “Jase?”

My eyes darted over to Charlie, and the two of us immediately came to an agreement. “I believe they won’t touch anyone under your protection,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t let them.

Now that you know the rest of the story,

remember how it all began...

Chapter 1

John Davis smells like Play-Doh. When we were in elementary school, it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, we were kids. Play-Doh was pretty high on the awesome scale. But there comes a time when a guy should stop smelling like crafting supplies and develop a more manly scent, like campfire or gym floor.

I had been roaming up and down the crowded street trying to ditch John and his noxious odor for over an hour, but he was too oblivious for it to work. He followed me to the trashcan, stood in line with me when I ordered a second corndog, and even waited outside the girl’s bathroom.

“I still can’t believe our senior year is finally here, you know? I feel like we’ve been waiting for this one year our whole lives.” He paused to lift up his NASCAR hat, running his fingers through his hair. My attention drifted as he blathered on about post-graduation plans. I briefly considered stabbing him into silence with the pointy end of my corndog stick, but decided there were too many witnesses. Granted, most everyone was too busy oooh-ing and ahhh-ing as Jase Donovan regaled them with his
I beat the NCAA’s top Point Guard in a one-on-one
story to notice my existence, but I figured the screaming and blood might draw some attention.

I was trying desperately hard to not be jealous that Jase was entertaining the masses, leaving me at the mercy of the only other social outcast within a five mile vicinity. I knew this would happen the moment he suggested heading out to The Strip, a mile long stretch of road that served as Western Kentucky’s go-to summer spot. The shops and tourist attractions of The Strip were overrun with vacationing families and tanned locals. It was the second group that mobbed Jase the moment we got out of our car. My brother had taken his rightful place as the center of attention while I was relegated to the Loser’s Table with John Davis, who’s inability to grasp the fact we hadn’t been friends at any time during the past twelve years was truly spectacular.

I was coping by playing a round of Anywhere But Here, imaging myself trekking through Europe with nothing but a backpack and limit-free credit card, when John nudged me back to reality with his elbow. “Do you know them?” he asked, nodding towards two guys sitting on a bench in front of Lynda’s Beauty Parlor and Tanning Emporium. They were obviously brothers, both possessing the same chestnut colored hair and aristocratic bone structure. The younger one was sprawled out, a book propped against one knee. I tilted my head, attempting to read the title, but he was too far away to make out the words. I was half-tempted to just go over and ask. The slight smile playing on his lips as he scanned the pages made me think he wouldn’t mind the interruption.

In contrast, the older brother looked as though he might be inclined to eat children on occasion. It wasn’t just his size; there something about the way he sat, as if he was waiting to pounce on the first person who wandered too close. He scowled at the world in general, and me in particular.

They say a person can get used to anything. Maybe one day I’ll get used to being stared at, but I doubt it. According to my mother, people stare because they’re intrigued by my “unique beauty.” Of course, she’s a mother. She has to say stuff like that.

The thing is, there really isn’t anything horribly wrong with any of my physical features when taken individually. Hair that is so blond it looks silver? Kinda cool. Pale ivory skin that can only manage to burn and blister in the sun? Appeals mostly to the Goth and Victorian crowds, but not a tragic flaw. Eyes a peculiar shade of icy blue that makes them seem almost translucent? Even those might have looked okay on the right person. The problem occurred when you put all those monochromatic features on a single individual. It made me a freak, a fact driven home by my bottom-rung social status and an endless supply of gawkers everywhere I went.

Depending on my mood, I tend to handle the staring in one of two ways -- either I ignore it or I meet and hold their gaze, knowing that people find it unnerving to have the freak stare back. Thanks to John, I was all kinds of annoyed, which made it a see-if-you-can-make-them-flinch kind of day. I raised my eyes to meet his and waited for a reaction.

He never even blinked.

I didn’t realize how tense I was until someone grabbed my shoulder. I reacted to the sudden invasion of my personal space without thinking. Luckily, Jase managed to block my right hook. The sight of my fist trapped in his hand caused my stomach to clench. Had I really just tried to hit my brother? What was wrong with me?

“Do you want to go get ice cream? Yes or no?” Jase asked slowly, as if I was mentally impaired. I heard someone behind him snicker.

Two corndogs and an order of onion rings had more than filled me up, but I ended up agreeing to dessert just as an excuse to stay near Jase and put some distance between me and Bench Boy. The plan had been to stick with the group, but after a few minutes of watching Ellie Davis, John’s somewhat skanky little sister, throw herself at my brother, I decided I was willing to risk being on my own. After everyone got their order, I quietly slipped away, heading towards the lake.

“What happened back there?” Jase asked as soon as we were out of earshot. I hadn’t realized he followed me, but I was grateful. Although, I could have done without the whole concerned hovering thing he seemed intent on doing since my little episode.

“I wasn’t trying to hit you. You just caught me off guard.”

“I said your name like five times. You were seriously zoning.” He jumped ahead, blocking my path. “Was someone bothering you?”

“It was just some guy with a staring problem.”

Jase worked the muscles in his jaw.

“Calm down. It was nothing.” I spotted a nice flat rock in the shade and started towards it.

The lake was considerably less crowded than the surrounding shops, restaurants, and attractions A few families splashed in the water, but most people preferred the public pool, since it didn’t have the top layer of green slime that may or may not contain byproducts from the nearby chemical plants. We had a large chunk of the beach to ourselves, which suited me just fine.

Despite assuring Jase it was nothing, the incident with Sir Stares-A-Lot had shaken me up. I’ve dealt with my fair share of jerks, bullies, and weirdos over the years, but none of them had ever affected me like this guy. He hadn’t done anything but look at me a whole lot longer than was socially acceptable, yet I was genuinely frightened of him.

I would have driven myself crazy trying to convince myself that he wasn’t, in fact, a serial rapist or mass murderer, but luckily I had my brother there to distract me.

“I’m going back-to-school shopping,” I said as Jase polished off the last of my banana split, “and I’m going to buy antimatter, baklava, a cyanide capsule, a D&D manual, an Easy-Bake Oven, the
Footloose
soundtrack, a genetically modified goldfish, a harmonica, an imaginary friend, a janitor’s uniform, a kidney off the black market, a loincloth, and...medieval weaponry.”

“Medieval weaponry?”

I gave a smug smile. Mom introduced us to the alphabet game when we were little with the purpose of keeping us entertained on long road trips. Over the years it evolved from a simple memory game to a contest to see who could come up with the most ridiculous items.

“Okay, then I’m going back-to-school shopping and I’m going to buy antimatter, baklava, a cyanide capsule, a
Dungeons & Dragons
manual, an Easy-Bake Oven, the
Footloose
soundtrack, a genetically modified goldfish named Gabe, a harmonica, an imaginary friend, a janitor’s uniform, kidney, loincloth, medieval weaponry for with which to slay, and...” He recited the alphabet under his breath. “N. Nude photos of Betty White.”

It was obvious who was winning this round.

“That’s just gross.”

He threw a hand over his heart and squeezed his eyes shut as if he was trying to hold back tears. “How can you say that about my Betty? She’s such a beautiful woman.”

He may have gone on, extolling the virtues of naked senior citizens, but I wasn’t listening. The guy from the bench -- the big, scary one -- was leaning against a tree about twenty-five yards away.

“Ground Control to Major Spazz. Can you hear me, Major Spazz?”

“Huh? What?” Jase was standing in front of me. I wasn’t quite sure when that happened.

“You okay?”

“He’s back,” I said, my voice a whisper for no good reason.

“Who?”

“The guy with a staring problem.” I nodded towards the small cropping of trees.

I knew by the way he called, “I’ll be right back,” over his shoulder as he took off down the beach that he intended for me to stay where I was. I gave the idea some serious consideration before taking off after him.

“I know the rules,” Jase was saying as I approached. “This is our
territory. You either fight me now or leave.”

Was he insane? This guy could have passed as the Jolly Green Giant’s considerably less green and jolly brother. It was entirely possible he could bench press a Volkswagen. Jase would get broken into a million little pieces.

“I’m not leaving.”

Jase pulled himself up to his full five feet and nine inches, which was less than impressive. “Then we fight.”

“Like Hades you will,” I said, stepping up beside my brother. “Did you wake up on the stupid side of the bed this morning?”

Jase didn’t even look at me. “Go away, Scout. This is none of your business.”

“I’m not leaving until you do.”

“I think you should go, Scout.” I made the mistake of looking up when he said my name. His eyes were an unusual shade of grey, no trace of blue, green, or yellow visible.

“No, thank you.”

He stepped over to me and someone made a strange whimpering sound. Oddly enough, I felt certain it had originated from Jase’s throat instead of my own. The other guy was less than a foot away from me, and I had to crane my neck to meet his steel colored eyes. Being in such a close proximity caused the hair on my arms to stand on end.

He leaned in so close I could feel his warm breath on my neck. I thought he was going to whisper something in my ear, but instead he quickly inhaled twice through his nose.

Well, I certainly had never been
sniffed
before.

“What is she?”

The question was aimed at Jase, but I took the liberty of answering. “What she is, is offended and quickly becoming angry.”

“Leave my sister out of it,” Jase said, sounding like a kid telling the bully to give his lunch money back.

Our new friend’s eyes flickered quizzically between Jase and me. “Do they know about her?”

Jase didn’t say anything, which apparently qualified as an answer. He finally backed away, giving me room to breathe.

“I’m staying,” he told Jase is a quiet, controlled voice. “I suggest your people stay out of my way. I’ll take out anyone who crosses me.” He shot a pointed glance in my direction. “Even her.”

Once he was out of earshot, Jase wheeled on me. “Why couldn’t you have stayed out of this? What am I supposed to do now?” He yelled out a stream of profanities and kicked a nearby tree hard enough to dislodge some bark and possibly a toe.

“Who was that? What’s going on?” My anger matched, if not surpassed, his. “Were you seriously going to fight that guy? He’s like three times bigger than you!”

“He’s not that big.”

“It would have been like The Rock versus Seth Green. Now, tell me who he is.”

“I don’t know.”

Liar.

We glared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Jase stalked off, whipping out his cell phone along the way. I waited until he finished his call to strike again.

“Are you in a gang?” It was the most logical conclusion I could reach. I overheard just enough of his conversation to know he had called Toby, a cop. Convincing his naive young cousin to infiltrate a local gang sounded like the kind of idiotic plan Toby would have.

“Does this look like inner-city Chicago to you?” Jase gestured at the tiny town nestled in the forest. “Do you think the Bloods are doing drive-bys in pick-ups and mini-vans?”

“I think that something very weird just happened. Something about ‘territory’. Something that ended with Jean-Claude van Crazy threatening to snuff me out and sent you running to Toby. Did your idiot cousin put you up to something?”

“Can’t you just drop it?”

“Not likely.”

Jase growled in agitation. “Please, Scout? Just this once? I promise, I won’t let him hurt you.”

“Can you promise that you won’t get hurt?”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said, assuming what must have passed as a tough guy expression in Jase’s mind. “I’m made of 100% awesome, totally untouchable.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Then I’ll drop it,” I said as I began plotting ways to uncover the truth.

Chapter 2

Just five days before school resumed Ms. Northington resigned her position at Lake County High. Apparently, she met a nice Finnish man on a cruise over the summer, fell madly in love, and was moving half-way around the world. Of this I had been informed. What no one bothered to tell me was that crotchety old Mr. Beck had come out of retirement to fill her position. If someone had mentioned it, I would have changed my schedule. AP Calculus was going to be bad enough without having Satan’s right-hand man as a teacher.

One of Mr. Beck’s many faults was believing high school seniors should still be forced to sit in alphabetical order, which left me stuck behind the aromatic John Davis. I knew that between Mr. Beck’s soporific voice and my brain’s insistence on trying to solve the mystery of John’s unique scent, I was going to have a hard time keeping focused.

“Scout, do you understand anything Mr. Beck is talking about?” came a frantic whisper from my left.

“It’s the first day. He’s just going over the class rules and stuff,” I explained as quietly as possible.

The tiny girl in the chair next to me nervously gnawed on her nonexistent fingernails while simultaneously bouncing her left leg up and down at about a million miles an hour. Joi Fitzgerald was sweet, but she could make a Tibetan monk anxious. “How on earth did I end up in AP Calc? I’ll never be able to keep up.”