Banewolf (Dark Siren Book 2) (22 page)

Two hours later, her shoulder was still throbbing. Kali rubbed it absently as she studied her answer to a review question for the night’s reading assignment, Part 1 of Faulkner’s
The
Sound and the Fury
. She’d barely finished the section. Her mind was muddled with other thoughts, making it even more difficult to follow the narrator’s leapfrogging stream of consciousness. But the answer was essay form. It left some wiggle room for error.

Satisfied with the final product of her efforts, she closed the notebook and exchanged it for her laptop. Bailen lounged beside her and cracked one eye open as she switched positions. Kali patted his head. Wagging his tail once, the canine closed the eye again. She turned back to the laptop. It was time to do the work she loved. Entering data for the reports Wesley had sent over didn’t take long. Soon
she was finished emailing the completed reports to the office, and sat wishing there had been more. As she tapped her fingers forlornly against the keypad, a thought occurred to her. Rather, it was a name. Eleazar.

By Shannon’s (and the Reaper who possessed her) admission, Eleazar had played a significant role in arranging for Kali and The Siren’s Heart to be sold to Gabriel. Apparently, murder, blackmail, and extortion weren’t beneath this guy. He sounded like a man willing to do anything to get what he wanted. But what did Eleazar want? What was his role in all of this? Builders wanted to either save the world or destroy it, depending on which side was in question. Gabriel wanted revenge. Mack wanted to save his family. Shannon wanted to be cured. But Eleazar was a mystery.

Power, money, or women motivated most men’s actions. If Kali was a betting girl, she would have put her money on Eleazar’s money. He must have, in some way, stood to benefit financially from the whole scheme.

Kali wished there was a
full name to go on. Googling “Eleazar” turned up hits mostly for some dude from the Bible. Not helpful. There was also a computer science professor who specialized in research on human genetics. That sounded promising. Unfortunately, the picture that went along with the profile wasn’t. Eleazar Wretchen didn’t look like a mastermind of supernatural events. Nor did he look like a man who would murder the elderly. But appearances weren’t everything.

As she started to bookmark the page for later research, Kali remembered Shannon had referred to Eleazar as
mister
. Eleazar had to be a last name. People hadn’t inserted mister before first names since the nineteenth century American south.

A soft voice broke into her thoughts. “Kalista.” She looked up. Orrin watched her from the doorway, all six feet and four inches of flannel and bootcut jeans. “I knocked. But you did not hear me.”

“Sorry. I was finishing up some work for the office.” She closed the laptop and welcomed him in.

He remained at the door. “Rhane called. He will be home shortly for dinner.”

Right on cue, her stomach growled. “Any idea what we’re eating? I’m starving.”

A smile chipped at Orrin’s serious features. “You worked up quite an appetite during sparring practice today.”

She winced, thinking of York’s head and feeling her own shoulder. “It was a good practice.” It was obvious that Orrin wasn’t going to come to her, so she got up and went to him. Bailen followed.

“He still feels it.” His fingers were a whisper on her injured shoulder. “Let Rhane look at you. He can help.”

“Uh…okay.”

Orrin offered his arm. “May I escort you downstairs?”

She grinned. This gracious and stoic kin couldn’t have been more different from his twin brother. They were night and day. “Absolutely.”

As they took the stairs side by side, Orrin turned to Kali with an expression she couldn’t quite decipher. “I once got into a fight with a giant of a guy. He was almost too big and strong for me to even consider fighting.”

“Oh yeah? What happened?”

“Well…he threatened to mop the floor with my face. I told him he would be sorry if he tried.” Orrin fell silent as they neared the bottom of the staircase.

“So, did he hit you?” she prodded. “What did he say?” 

“He was not intimidated at all. He taunted me.” Orrin’s voice changed to imitate the man he spoke of. “Who’s going to make me sorry? You’re nothing.”
Then his voice was normal again but got more excited with the retelling of his story. “Now this guy was huge, even bigger than York. But I looked him straight in the eye.” He paused near the bottom step, light brown eyes drilling seriously into Kali’s, commanding every ounce of her attention. “And I told him he wouldn’t be able to reach into the corners very well.”

A full two seconds passed before she realized Orrin had told a joke. Then Kali burst into a gut cramping laugh.

York was sitting on the living room sofa and booed. “Aw, come on. That was awful.”

Orrin blushed. Kali rested her head against his shoulder and squeezed his arm reassuringly. “Don’t listen to him. You did good.” She frowned at York. “Stop it.”

“No. Really. He can do better. I’ve taught him better.”

“Okay. Tell me a better one.”

“You know what 69 is, right?”

She laughed. Knowing York, things weren’t headed in a good direction. “
Yeah. Who doesn’t?”

“
Alright, so what’s 6 point 9?”

“
I dunno.” Kali shrugged. “A really bad sequel?”

“No.”
York grinned. “It’s a really wonderful thing, ruined by a period.

“Oh my god. That’s terrible,” she said, shaking her head.

“Okay wait. I got another one.”

“No. You do not.”

He went on anyway. “What do American beer and making love in a canoe both have in common?”

Kali wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. “I—”

Rhane entered the living room from the kitchen at that moment. York sat up straighter even before he spoke, guilt written all over his face. “Yorkshire Rose, Guardian of Whytetree, Bear from the Plains, you will not finish that joke.”

War and Rion trailed behind Rhane. At the mention of York’s full name, they burst into a roar of chuckles.
Kali joined them. Even Orrin smiled, though he did not laugh out loud. Rhane simply shook his head.

“When did you get in?” York asked sheepishly.

“Long enough to hear the beginning of your stand-up routine.”

“It’s a good joke.”

Rhane nodded. “For bars and whores. Not for teenage girls.”

York’s face reddened even more. He scratched his head. “She looks older. I forget.”

“Well, remember.” Rhane picked up a sofa cushion and tossed it at York’s face. “Dinner’s ready.”

Her
stomach growled. “What are we having?” She didn’t try to mask her eagerness.

Rhane answered without looking at her. “The Fat Italian.” His gaze had moved to the ceiling, down the wall and to the front door. His expression was guarded. The other kin
had stilled and grew silent. She studied each of their faces. Whatever they were sensing had spooked them. Even Bailen got to his feet, ears erect. Everyone, including her, now stared at the heavy, wooden front door.

A single knock sounded. Rhane went forward. York made a move to follow, but
halted when Rhane signaled for him to hang back. The door opened, and Kali peered into the darkness.

She
finally saw what all the fuss was about.

Ian stood on their front porch.

The kindred alpha’s unannounced visit to the manor was a surprise, but not an unexpected one. Any good leader had a responsibility to the men he led. Ian had come to check on his charges. But to see him standing at the kitchen bar with a piece of pizza pinched between two fingers, sniffing it suspiciously, was a bit of a shock. He was barefoot but otherwise fully clothed. The suit he wore was an old fashioned one. Originating in the fifties, Rhane guessed. Considering the amount of wrinkles adorning the pants and jacket, it was almost comical how Ian had taken time to neatly knot a yellow polka dot tie to a rumpled dress shirt.

Having Ander and Matthias live among them for the past few weeks had made being in such close proximity to the kindred alpha a lot less stressful for the other kin. Even York behaved in a
more relaxed manner.

“What’s with the suit?” War asked.

It was exactly what York had been wondering. “Not that we aren’t grateful you’re wearing it,” he amended quickly.

“My species has rare cause to dress as humans.” Ian took a bite of pizza and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed. “If the peculiar sauce were congealed blood, this meal would be vastly improved.”

The color drained from Kalista’s face. Rion felt ill. He coughed dryly a few times. Puking felt like a strong possibility. Maybe the alpha wouldn’t notice.

Rhane couldn’t blame the boy. He recalled how
much his stomach churned the first time he’d learned about a kindred’s normal diet of fresh kills and the frequent scavenges of carrion. “Had I known you were paying a visit tonight, I would have tried to accommodate your dietary needs.”

York scowled. “How?”

“I could have stopped by the butcher.” Rhane shrugged. “Picked up a couple of steaks.”

Ian smiled. “What a most gracious thought.” He looked down at his clothing. “I realize my dress is rather formal. This was the only garment available from my last outing.”

“Thank you, Ian. The gesture means a lot.”

The alpha turned his sharp, red gaze onto Kalista. “I am pleased to see your siren is thriving.”

It was her first time being in the same room with Ian. Especially since she had killed one of his brothers, Rhane couldn’t blame her for being nervous. But Orrin stood next to her. And he was a formidable guardian. Kalista would be safe at his side no matter what. Still, Rhane wanted to go to her. But if an alliance with the kindred were to have any chance of success, he couldn’t give the direct impression that he needed to keep Kalista safe in the alpha’s presence or that he didn’t trust Ian.

Rhane inclined his head, politely accepting Ian’s motion of concern. Thinking he could put Kalista more at ease by steering the conversation away from her,
he changed the subject. “Ander and Matthias are currently guarding the perimeter. I will send Rion and War to relieve them.”

Ian’s right handed drifted through the air. “I have already spoken with them. They are quite content in your care and spoke outstandingly of your fledgling soldiers.” He paused for a moment. “It was they who advised me to venture inside and try this most unusual pie.”

Rion and War started to snicker. A murderous look from Rhane stopped them short. Though really, he wanted to laugh too. The alpha was often unintentionally funny. But it was too easy to offend and so much harder to mend. The young kin needed to learn more discipline.  Duty obliged they learn it from him.

“I’m glad you accepted their invitation.”

“That they feel welcome enough to invite a guest into your home, speaks highly of your lordship,” Ian said.

“We are glad to have them, not just their service.”

Ian reached for the Fat Italian box but stopped. “May I commandeer another helping?”

Rhane
answered with a cordial smile. “Commandeer as much as you like.”

Looking like a human child on Christmas morning, the alpha took another slice. He returned his attention to Rhane. “May I speak with you alone, Banewolf?”

Rhane nodded. He really hoped Ian wasn’t about to collect on the debt for Kalista’s life. He was currently neck high in dealing with other things. Once they were alone, he asked outright. “Is it time for that favor?”

Ian studied him for a long moment. Rhane was more than a head taller, but the alpha had a presence that made him seem much larger
than his small stature. “Now that we are allies,” he began slowly. “Debts shall no longer incur between us. What is done shall be so out of duty and loyalty to one another. And perhaps, in time, loyalty and duty will become friendship.”

The statement struck an eerie note. And suddenly Wesley’s words resonated in Rhane’s head.
Leave past hatreds and find new allies. It’s the only way.

He and Ian were allies. Yes. But Rhane still didn’t trust the alpha enough to call him a friend. The sting of old betrayal was still too true. “What you did for Kalista was a good step in the right direction.” He could give Ian that much.

Something in the alpha relaxed a small fraction. Though his expression did not change, Rhane sensed that Ian welcomed the concession very much.

“The time has not arrived for you to honor me with your duty.”

“Why did you need me alone, then?”

“I do not know how freely information is shared between you and your men. To exercise upmost care in that regard, I thought it best to present this gift solely to the bane wolf.”

Great. This means bad news.
“Okay.”

“Communication between rogue hives of this region and East Asia has increased tenfold in the past lunar cycle. But what concerns me more, Banewolf, is the escalation in rogue activity just beyond your patrolled borders.”

Rhane frowned. When it rained, it poured. “How do you know this?”

“I have friends in sordid places.” Ian’s face twisted to express displeasure. “While I do not condone the way my kindred have sullied themselves in association with those sun devils, the resulting information does sometimes prove to be quite profitable.”

The news was indeed very disturbing. Rogues were watching, but being careful to maintain enough distance to escape detection. With Reapers at every turn, in Kali’s school and at her job, he couldn’t afford to expand patrols. Besides, at so far a distance from reinforcements, he wouldn’t trust anyone except York, River, or himself to be able to take care of business in the event of trouble.

“Do not become anxious, Banewolf. I added two of my brothers to your guard, expanding the
patrols of your boundaries.”

Rhane was stunned. Thank you wouldn’t cover the gesture Ian had made in his favor. Grasping the alpha’s forearm as he would have a Warekin general under a neighboring command, Rhane grinned. “Ian, if we were not allies, I would be in your debt.”

At first, Ian’s red eyes went wide with surprise. Then the alpha embraced Rhane’s forearm with a grip of iron.

“Not to press my luck…but might that guard’s presence be extended beyond a return to my homeland?”

Ian’s gaze sharpened. “Why does the bane wolf desire to return home?”

Rhane hesitated. Really, he had yet to be truthful even with his brother on the matter. “I have questions only Primes can answer.”

“Do these questions involve the long standing agreement between the sun devils and your Primes?”

Rhane blinked. He had
never known Ian to be so plain spoken. He would have to phrase the next question carefully. “This agreement you speak of, is it fact?”

“It is but an unconfirmed rumor, repeated by too many to be false.”

He was still searching for a response when Ian continued. “Were you to venture home, Banewolf, I fear you would not return.”

“You’re beginning to sound like my brother.” Rhane kept his tone light, but the reality of the kindred alpha expressing concern for his welfare gave him a very bad feeling. “Put your fears aside, Ian. Everything I care about is here. Nothing on this earth could keep me from returning to them.”

“So may it be.” Ian turned abruptly, sinking to all fours though he remained in human form. Rhane suspected the alpha would change once he reached the shadows.

Bounding away
a few paces, Ian stopped. His voice softly called back to Rhane. “Gabriel the Fallen, he once wore the mark you bear…the mark of Banewolf.”