Violet (The Silver Series Book 4) (10 page)

She turned the white cup in her hands
several times and her eyes tightened. “Randy went camping with his
friends when he was fifteen. They were older than him and I
shouldn't have let him go, but Roger said he just wanted to be one
of the boys, so I let him.” She gave a half smile. “We spent the
day buying camping equipment, a zero degree sleeping bag, a tent,
thermal underwear, and a dutch oven. I went overboard seeing how it
was the middle of summer and ninety degrees even at night, but he
was our only son and we wanted him to be prepared.”

She frowned into her coffee. “When we got
the call, I didn't understand what the officer was saying. All I
could make out was that something had happened at the campsite. I
hung up the phone and I asked Jenny, the neighbor girl, to watch
Nikki who was seven at the time, and we rushed over. Camp Mead was
only an hour from our house, and Randy made it in half that. Cops
were everywhere when we arrived, and the other kids' parents got
there soon after us.”

She took a steeling breath. “The cops tried
to keep us away, but it was our son and we got past them. There was
blood everywhere. Body parts they hadn't collected yet were strewn
around like hunks of firewood.” She closed her eyes and rubbed them
as if to chase away the images.

“
They said it was wild
animals, but Roger minored in Zoology and knew that an animal in
its right mind wouldn't attack and kill so many humans like that,
and the extent of damage done to so many boys meant either more
than one animal had been working together or the animal was
something Roger hadn't studied. We pressed the cops, but they
wouldn't tell us anything. The other boys' parents more or less
accepted what had happened, held their funerals, and let it drop,
but we couldn't.” She looked at me through haunted eyes. “I
couldn't. We started to research mass killings and body mutilation.
At first, it was like we were at a dead end before we began, but
then we started to find things, references to similar situations
hushed like ours. We dug deeper, found out about werewolves, and
then it was only a matter of time before the Hunters contacted
us.”

“
Hunters that hunted
werewolves?” Roger had mentioned it, but all the Hunters I knew
were on the werewolves' side, so it was hard to imagine.

She nodded. “Hunters started out like us,
parents, husbands, wives, friends who had lost someone or known
someone hurt or killed by werewolves. They became organized,
started tracking the packs and systematically wiping them out
regardless of whether the werewolves were trying to live peacefully
in society.” She tipped her head toward the house next door. “Like
Jaze and his mom.”

A smile touched the corners of her lips.
“When they moved in, I thought nothing of it. I didn't know they
were werewolves and Jaze kept pretty much to himself as far as I
knew. That is, until the Alpha werewolf here who had been dating
our daughter tried to kill her,” she glanced at me, her eyes
apologetic. “Roger and I set her up because we were trying to
figure out who was killing off the Alphas around here. Anyway, the
Alpha sent his pack after Nikki and Jaze fought them off; it nearly
cost him his life.”

She took a sip of coffee, then grimaced.
“Cold. Can't stand cold coffee.” She rose, dumped the contents in
the sink, then poured a fresh cup. “Want some?” When I shook my
head, she sat back down with her cup. “Jaze helped us see that not
all werewolves are bad. He organized the peace between the Hunters
and werewolves. He may be young, but he's got a good head on his
shoulders.”

I thought about her words for a minute. “Did
you ever find the werewolf who killed Randy?”

She gave a small shrug. “Don't know, really.
Never found one that killed with the same pattern, but as a whole,
the Hunters wiped out so many it's a wonder werewolves survived at
all.”

I took a sip of the coffee, fought down my
own grimace and remembered why I liked the smell better than the
taste, and rose. “I'd better get back to Rafe.”

“
He won't wake for another
day or so if he's lucky,” Meg said gently. “It's fifty-fifty
whether he'll wake up at all at this point.” I bit my lower lip to
keep it from giving away how deeply her words tore into my heart;
she shook her head apologetically. “After the incident with the
cops, I believe in telling things straight out. I hope I'm not too
blunt.”

I shook my head, but my heart felt heavy.
“Not at all. I appreciate you telling me. Rafe's strong. If he
can't make it, nobody could.”

I went back to the operating room, but Rafe
hadn't moved. I ran a hand through his dark gray fur and prayed
that he would come back to me. I sat down and listened to his
heartbeat, wondering if it was helping him heal or pouring more
blood into the soaked bandages along his stomach and back.

***

I couldn’t take the waiting any longer and
walked through the quiet house to the front door. A soft night
breeze rushed in to tangle through my hair and I ran my fingers
through it to push it back, catching in snarls and rats from our
hasty flight. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the humid
air, different from the crisp clean scent of the forest but
welcoming with its smells of humanity.

Footsteps sounded behind me and I turned to
find Meg near the kitchen door. “You need a break. I’ll watch over
him.”

“
Are you sure?” Guilt
flooded me at the need to feel the fresh air against my face, but
the urge to phase had grown stronger and I couldn’t fight it
anymore.

“
Definitely,” Meg replied.
“Go for a run.” She turned to go down the hallway, then paused.
“You might want to stop by Jaze’s. I’ll bet some of the others
would like to get out, and you don’t want to get lost in a strange
city.”

“
Thanks,” I said. The
thought of not running alone was a welcome one.

I crossed the lawn and paused when the door
opened and a girl stepped out. The scent of mint and apricot
touched the air and I recognized Nikki, Jaze’s girlfriend, followed
by Taye’s sunlight and flower aroma. Taye paused at the door and
peered out into the night. “Colleen?”

Nerves fluttered in my stomach and I fought
back a weak laugh. “I, uh, need to go for a run and was wondering
if anyone wanted to join me.”

“
Of course,” Taye replied.
She smiled warmly and turned back to the door. “Let me see if
anyone else wants to go.”

She disappeared inside and left Nikki and I
alone. I remembered with embarrassment that Nikki wasn’t a
werewolf. “Sorry to, um-“

“
Don’t worry about it,”
Nikki replied with a laugh, saving me from the rest of my apology.
“I’ve gotten used to it with Jaze. You’ll be safer with them
anyway.”

“
Safer?” I pressed. Concern
touched the edges of my mind.

She let out a small sigh and nodded. “Life
as a werewolf isn’t without its dangers, as you’ve seen. Jaze works
to protect everyone, but small bands of extremist Hunters, a few
psycho scientists, and the rare individuals who feel werewolves
should be exploited as monsters make life a bit more complicated.
It’s safer not to run alone.”

A shudder ran through my skin and I cringed.
I didn’t want to phase in the street. Nikki’s blue eyes softened.
“Come inside. You can phase in Jaze’s room.”

Gratitude swept through me and I followed
her quickly into the house. The scent of home-cooked food, clean
laundry, werewolves, and humans filled my nose, but I was grateful
no one was in sight as I followed Nikki up a set of stairs. “Are
you sure Jaze won’t mind?” I asked as another shudder traveled up
my spine.

“
Jaze, Jet, and Mouse left
on a call,” she replied. She pushed open the door at the end and
gestured that I was welcome to step inside.

“
A call?”

She nodded. “They have their work cut out
for them since finding a group of werewolf fighting rings down
south. They’re still working on rehab for the werewolves pulled
from Dr. Tannin’s labs, and there’s some trouble between werewolves
and Hunters in the eastern states.” She sighed and a touch of
sadness sounded in her voice when she continued, “It’s a full time
job getting everyone back to their packs in safety, or finding new
packs for those who don’t remember where they’re from.”

Charts and maps filled the walls of the room
I stepped into. A twin bed sat in one corner and a huge desk
covered in organized piles of papers around a computer occupied the
far wall below the window. It had obviously once been the master
bedroom, but Mrs. Carso’s scent was faded and Jaze’s was dominant
in the room. I wondered how long ago she had turned it over to meet
the needs of the werewolves he helped.

“
It’s got to be hard
dealing with all of this,” I said, turning back to
Nikki.

She let out a small breath and nodded. “It
is, but it’s worth it. Jaze works so hard, and he cares so much
about the werewolves and Hunters. It’s amazing what he’s been able
to accomplish.”

The pride in her voice toward her boyfriend
made me smile. From what I had seen of Jaze, he definitely deserved
it. Neither Kaynan nor I would be here without him, not to mention
Rafe and Grace. “Thanks Nikki. I really appreciate it.”

She set a hand on my arm. “It’s nice to have
you here. Stay as long as you’d like.”

“
Thank you,” I replied
again, touched. She smiled and left the room, shutting the door so
that only a crack remained that I could open with my
nose.

A shiver ran up my spine so hard my teeth
chattered. I pulled off my clothes and stopped fighting the phase.
The fact that I could put it off at all amazed me. My time in the
woods with Rafe had definitely improved my control.

Black and cream fur ran up my arms and my
fingers shortened into paws. I knelt on the ground and let my limbs
change shape, relishing the form of the wolf as my mouth and nose
elongated, allowing me to take in the scent of a candybar in the
drawer of the desk next to several newly sharpened pencils and a
pen with a slight ink leak. My brain categorized the scents without
me thinking of it. If I ever smelled them again, I would know
exactly where they came from.

My ears grew pointed and moved higher on my
head, catching the meow of a cat up a tree several houses down, and
the angry scolding of the older woman who tried to order it down.
The faint scrape of a can of cat food being set on cement preceded
the sound of claws on bark and the soft patter of padded feet
hitting the ground. The cat purred as though not at all bothered
with the angry muttering of the woman who picked it up, then slid
open the back door and stepped inside still complaining to the
oblivious animal.

I stretched and a yawn pulled my lips back
from my fangs. I shook to settle my fur, then nudged the door open
with my nose. I padded quietly down the stairs, suddenly nervous at
the thought of being trapped in a strange home surrounded by
unfamiliar werewolves.

My nerves settled when Kaynan’s cedar and
clove scent met me up the stairs along with Taye’s sunlight and
clover. Another smell tangled with theirs, the scent of honeysuckle
and lavender. Peace settled over me at the sight of Grace leaning
against Kaynan, his strange ability to give her sight through touch
when he was in wolf form allowing her to see me for the first time.
Kaynan’s fur was dark red, matching his red eyes and making him
look like a beast out of a horror novel. The light gray wolf beside
him was small and graceful in comparison, and she nudged his
shoulder with the familiarity of one who knew him and accepted him
without question. The effect was beautiful and settling.

I trotted up to them slowly and waved my
tail. I had to remind myself that they were werewolves, not regular
wolves, and excitement grew in my chest at the thought of running
with my brother. What we had gone through was horrible, but after
all I had experienced, I wouldn’t give back being a werewolf, and I
wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for him. He touched my nose with his
in welcome, then lapped a slobbery tongue across my face. I snorted
and nipped at his paws. He barked and nipped back, but I danced out
of reach.

Taye waited by the door, her beautiful fur,
the white of a female Alpha werewolf, glistened in the moonlight
that streamed inside. She gave me a wolfish grin and her blue-gray
eyes reflected the anticipation that filled me at the run. Nikki
held the door open and waved us all through. “Be safe,” she called
after us. “And don’t chase cows!”

Kaynan and Grace huffed in laughter at some
private joke as Taye and I followed them through the shadows along
the dark side of the street. The padding of four sets of paws
sounded loud to my ears while we made our way along the sidewalk
toward dark rolling hills and the whisper of the night breeze
through the trees. The wind ruffled through my fur and I pushed
Kaynan’s back with my nose, urging him faster.

He threw back a grin in response and fell
into the easy mile-eating lope of the wolf. Grace ran beside him,
her tail waving and steps sure as he guided her sight. Their
footsteps fell as one as Kaynan projected to her the dirt road that
eventually faded away to mere tire tracks in the thick weeds and
brush that tried to choke out any signs of humanity. We ran through
the night and I relished the freedom of the open fields and fences
that fell away to plains. The scattered trees grew closer together
and my homesickness for Rafe’s forest eased slightly.

The thought of Rafe slowed my headlong rush.
I didn’t know what would happen if he awoke to find strangers
watching over him. The same thought sent a chill through my body.
When I awoke at Roger’s rehabilitation center, the only one I
recognized had been Kaynan, but my brother looked so different I
barely recognized him. The urge to phase had been so strong I
couldn’t fight it, and it wasn’t until he brought familiar things
that filled my cage with scents of home that I was able to bring
myself to phase back.