Cursed by Fire (Blood & Magic Book 1) (14 page)

T
he following morning I pulled up to the Pack Compound. It was thirty minutes, by car, out of Spokane and nestled on one hundred and seven acres of forested property. I drove my little Civic up to the looming wooden gates. The Compound building was surrounded by a fifteen-foot fence constructed from large grey bricks and mortar. The thing was solid and imposing and I had a feeling that even though the fence was there to keep outsiders from getting in, I’d have one hell of a time getting out if something went wrong. My hands gripped the steering wheel more firmly as the double doors groaned before me, slowly opening. I crept my car forward, taking in my surroundings.

The structure that looked impressive from the outside was daunting as I drove through its gates. Its height was nothing in comparison to its girth. The wall stood at least a foot deep. There was no way I’d be able to go over it, certainly not through it, and if I had to guess, the shifters had ensured that no one could pass under it either. They had built themselves a pretty little fortress.

Driving farther I found myself following a winding path surrounded by enormous evergreens. After five minutes, the Compound itself finally came into view. It was a fortress. Heavily protected and fortified, not only was it constructed from large stone blocks but also the entire perimeter was teeming with activity. I counted over a dozen shifters on patrol and those were only the ones I could see from my current position. The shifters had successfully created a nearly impenetrable building and I was positive that whatever weakness the Compound held, it was diligently monitored and patrolled at all times.

I parked my car and I sat for several moments, trying to rein in my emotions and remember every detail I knew about the Pack and its Alpha. The Alpha of the Pacific Northwest shifters was none other than Declan Valkenaar. He was a white Bengal tiger and in human form he had nearly white hair and emerald colored eyes. In tiger form, his coat was snow white with stripes the deepest shade of black.

How did I know this? I found him on Wikipedia. Not all information is found by sleuthing through darkened streets. I also know that he has led the Pacific Northwest Pack, which encompasses all of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, for nine years. He has yet to be challenged and that fact alone scares the hell out of me. Typically an Alpha is challenged on nearly an annual basis. To be unopposed for nine consecutive years meant one of two things, either he was one scary sonovabitch and no one thought they could take him, or he was the perfect leader and everyone was happy with his rule. I had a feeling that of the two, the former was true.

Finally mustering the courage to leave my vehicle, I opened the door making sure to keep my face devoid of any expression. Cool as a cucumber, that was my motto today. Walking towards the main doors I was met by two shifters. One man and one woman. Babysitters, yay me.

The man was short and stocky, wrapped in cords of muscle that gave him the appearance of a tank. Dressed in black fatigues he screamed former military. The military cut hairstyle added to the effect. The woman on the other hand looked almost delicate. She was petite and wore a pale blue sundress and strappy gold sandals. Her straight blonde hair blew in the breeze and I had to bite my cheek to keep from grinning. She had honest-to-god freckles and looked like she should be on a cheerleading squad, not out here greeting me on the pack grounds. She was so damn tiny I couldn’t imagine what she turned into. The man though, he was bear without doubt. He may not have been tall but he was thick and the way he walked was like a rhinoceros stomping through mud.

“Welcome to the Compound. My name is Jennifer and this is Mauro. We will be your guides,” the woman said in a singsong voice. I inclined my head in thanks and followed them into the Compound.

The hallways were wide. Several shifters walked past me, ignoring my presence as if I didn’t matter. Not that I wanted them to notice me but still, a simple hello or excuse me would have sufficed. I continued to follow my appointed guides down what turned into a labyrinth of hallways, my boots making soft clicking noises with each step. Despite Mauro’s size, his footsteps were silent, as were Jennifer’s. A part of me cringed over the ruckus I was making. How the hell were they able to remain silent when I sounded like I was stomping on bricks? Maybe it was the shoes? More likely though was that the flooring had been engineered to make noise.

Shifters naturally moved silently. They were predators and stealth was in their very nature. I on the other hand was not given that gift. Obviously.

Turning a sharp corner Jennifer opened a set of double doors that led to a staircase. I looked up; they were practically never-ending. Just what I needed, more damn stairs, not like I could ever have enough of those.

Seven steps up Jennifer paused and looked down at me. “Do you need an elevator?” I shook my head. I would have loved to take an elevator, really I would. Only I’d turn into a five-year-old yelling to let me out, so unfortunately, the never-ending stairs it would be. She nodded and continued making her way up as I began to follow, Mauro already a full flight above us.

On the fifth flight I could feel the strain in my lungs as my breathing became more labored. By the sixth, sweat was dripping from my brow and between my breasts. Wonderful, now everyone could smell me a mile away. Yuck.

By the seventh floor I had to grit my teeth and push my legs forward by sheer force of will. I would not be seen as weak. I would climb these damn stairs and I would not take a break.

When we reached the eighth floor, we finally stopped. Mauro reached forward and gripped the door handle leading out of the stairwell, an audible sigh of relief exited my mouth. I turned my head from left to right to loosen the tension in my shoulders hearing the slight pop of my neck. There was nothing I could do for the stiffness in my legs though, not here anyway.

I was led down yet another hallway, this one bathed in amber lighting, illuminating the space in a soft glow. The walls were bare and made of simple stone, lined with doorways on either side. At the end it branched off in two directions. We turned to our right and followed it down to a lone doorway. Two shifters were posted outside the door, standing guard. Each wore jeans and a black shirt. Nothing as dramatic as the black fatigues Mauro wore but they still held a military presence. I was beginning to get the idea that none of them had actually served, rather they were just combat-trained and always at the ready. A personal army for the Pack.

Jennifer nodded towards both men and they nodded to her in kind. She opened the door and ushered me through. I took a deep breath before I walked in.

Here goes nothing.

The room was large and structured like a small auditorium. Where we had entered placed us on the ground level. The outer edges were raised with four rows of elevated benches. As if those who entered typically had an audience. In the center of the room was a large wooden table surrounded by seventeen chairs. Eight on either side of the rectangular table with one chair at the end serving as the head. Standing at the head of the table was Declan. I could tell by his platinum white hair and emerald green eyes that he was the Pack’s Alpha but what I hadn’t gathered from the pictures online was just how imposing he was in person. The room was large but he felt larger. He was impressive, standing by his chair he looked over six feet tall, roped in corded muscle with an angular jaw and a sharp slash of lips. Thick brows gave him a hooded expression but his eyes were what truly captivated my attention. They were twin gems that glittered in the light and they were currently narrowed in my direction. Lucky me.

So much for first impressions. Making my way farther into the room, I quickly assessed the other individuals. Aside from Mauro and Jessica who were currently behind me, and Declan who stood ahead, there were five others. Two women and three men. As I approached the table, each eyed me with varying levels of hostility as they stood beside the table. I took it that they didn’t appreciate a human meddling in their business. To Declan’s right were both of the women in attendance. The first was dressed in casual denim jeans and a solid red t-shirt. Her ebony mane fell in waves to her waist and her bronzed skin coupled with her brown eyes gave her an exotic appearance. The woman beside her was almost her compete opposite. She had creamy skin and copper-colored hair pulled back in a tight bun atop her head. She wore jeans as well, along with a white t-shirt that dipped low enough to put her ample cleavage on display. Her eyes were cold and calculating. I could tell right away that I’d already made her shit list and I hadn’t even opened my mouth yet.

Across from the women were the men. Each stood behind their respective chair as well and each was stacked and I do mean
stacked
. The first had bronze skin, military-short hair, and dark brown eyes. Tribal tattoos adorned his bare arms and his black shirt hugged his thick muscular frame. Seated beside him was another man with almost identical features. His skin was maybe a shade lighter but he had the same military-styled hair, chocolate brown eyes, and almost identical tribal tattoos.
Weird.

The third man at the table had blonde hair and blue eyes. His olive skin tone and sprinkling of facial hair gave him just enough of a roguish look but without the facial hair, he’d be boy-band pretty. His features were clearly defined. High cheekbones and a small but sharp nose. If he wanted to, even in our current society, he could have easily modeled. He was that good looking.

When I reached the edge of the table I stopped, waiting to see what would happen next. I knew more about how the Pack operated than I should and that knowledge made me aware of that fact that there was a very strict sense of order. Their position in relation to Declan meant something and I didn’t want to fumble this and take the wrong seat so I waited, patiently. Or at least as patient as I was capable of which really wasn’t saying much.

Jennifer walked past me along with Mauro and each stood behind a seat, Jennifer to the right of the copper-haired woman, and Mauro to the right of Jennifer. With everyone in place, Declan finally spoke.

“Welcome to the Compound.” His voice booming in the enclosed space.

I attempted a smile. “Thank you for having me.”

He nodded and continued. Pointing to his left, he began making introductions. Indicating the exotic-looking woman he began, “All of the Pack’s Alpha’s were not able to make our meeting, however, a representative from each pack is here. This is Eva, female Alpha of the Feloidea.” He didn’t bother explaining what that meant but I knew Clan Feloidea encompassed hyenas, mongooses, and civets. “Beside her is Yvonne, Alpha of Clan Muridea.” The rodent clan. “Jennifer who you’ve already met along with her mate Mauro are the Betas of Clan Bear.” Whoa, didn’t see that one coming. I mean sure Mauro I figured for a bear but Jennifer, she was less than a third of his size. I just couldn’t picture it.

“To my right,” Declan continued, “are Tegan and his twin brother Derek, joint Alphas of Clan Wolf, and last is Robert, Alpha of Clan Canidae.” Canidae were foxes, jackals, and coyotes. Robert flashed me a feral grin. I was pretty sure he was a coyote. When he smiled he took on a manic look, giving me goose bumps all along my arms. I did not want to find myself in an empty stairwell with him.

“I am the Pack’s Alpha, and leader of Clan Cat,” Declan continued. “Please, take a seat.” Indicating the seat beside Robert and inwardly I cringed. If he bit me I was going to bite back, and then light his ass on fire. Declan took his seat and I along with everyone else followed.

Right as I sat, the door I’d previously entered through opened and in walked James. I exhaled a sigh of relief. I was wondering if he would show up and having him here helped set my nerves as ease. James inclined his head toward Declan in greeting before taking a seat beside me. I resisted the urge to move my seat closer to his and farther from Robert and instead folded my hands on the table’s wooden surface and waited for Declan to continue.

“As many of you know, James has brought to our attention through his work with Ms. Naveed, that we have a third party in our midst that is trying to cause a war between the Pack and the Coven. Our relationship with the Coven is subtly hostile at best but it will not benefit either side if we go to war.” Several heads were nodding in agreement but one in particular seemed to disagree.

“The vampires are not our friends. They’re our enemy and war is imminent. That has never been a secret. Why bother preventing the inevitable? Our numbers have grown over the years. In the end, we would prevail.” Eva was smiling as several grunts of agreement sounded. I stared at the beautiful brunette wondering if she was dense.

“That may be true,” Declan said. “We would likely be the victors. However—” he paused, making eye contact with each individual at the table, “—our casualties would be in the hundreds and when the dust settled, we would be vulnerable to further attacks. There is a third player. We know little about them or what they are but what we do know is they want our city. If the Pack and the Coven go to war, we open the streets for whoever they are to waltz right through town and take what we fought for. We would lose.”