Wolf Quest (18 page)

She wanted to say more on the subject, but the sound of the forest changed and she knew their time in this idyllic place had come to an abrupt end.

“We have to go,” she said in an urgent voice, reflecting the new tenor of the trees. “Something’s happening. I think the storm is coming.”

The clouds had been spreading all day, darkening and deepening. The early morning rain had stopped and faded into an overcast sky that hadn’t produced any more rain. But she sensed that was all about to change.

Chapter Nine

Maria was right about the storm. A moment after they reached the SUV, the heavens opened up and rain gushed forth. Luckily, she’d had time to stop in the rest room and clean up a bit on the way.

She was fairly certain Zach had some inkling of what they’d been doing up in the woods, but she’d rather not advertise. She could only guess how sensitive a werebear’s nose was and hoped she’d been able to wash enough to tone down the smells of what they’d done. Jesse had sniffed her when she came out of the ladies room and nodded, so she guessed she’d been good enough to pass the muster of a werewolf’s nose. That would have to be good enough.

“I don’t like this weather,” Jesse said, watching the clouds as he pulled out of the rest stop and back onto the highway.

“I don’t either, but aren’t we getting awfully close by now?” she asked. “The sooner we find the source of this storm, the sooner we can stop it.”

“Yeah, we’re close. While you were in the bathroom, I checked in with my brother. They’ve got confirmation from the local bloodletter, and Dmitri vouches for the guy. That’s as solid intel as we’re going to get.” Jesse’s face was grim as he handled the SUV through increasingly difficult conditions. “Zach, your parents are still alive. We know where they are and we’re going to get them out. My men are approaching from the other direction and should get there only minutes behind us, but every second counts.”

“Are they okay?” Zach sounded understandably anxious.

“As near as the vamp can tell, their magic is being used to power this storm against their will. It’s not good for them right now, but they’re still fighting. They’re still alive, and where there’s life, there’s hope.”

“Well, one good thing is that we know where we’re going now and don’t have to guess. Will the vampire help or is he strictly there as a lookout?” Maria asked, wanting to know more. This entire situation was so different from anything she’d ever dealt with before, but yet it seemed only natural to go riding into battle at Jesse’s side.

Not that she expected him to just let her tag along. He’d probably tell her to stay with Zach in the car or something. She’d try to follow that directive, but she knew deep down she’d be too worried about him to stand idly by while he walked into the heart of the storm. Zach wouldn’t sit still either while his parents were in danger.

And something about this situation called to her. On a magical level, she understood the power of the storm and felt it reaching out to her. The storm itself wasn’t good or evil. It merely was. But it was susceptible to the control of strong magic, and right now it was being controlled in a malevolent way.

Something inside her told her she could change all that. She didn’t quite know how, but when the time came, she would be ready. A lot of her magic was intuitive. She’d learned not to question her instincts. At the moment, every last one of them was screaming at her to seek out the heart of the storm with her mate.

Her mate. Just thinking those words caused a warm glow to spread through her body and brought a tiny hint of a smile to her face. Mother Earth had truly blessed her with the man She had sent in Her infinite wisdom.

Sure, they’d gotten off to a rocky start when he broke down her door in the middle of the night, but he’d been making it up to her ever since. Making it up in the most delicious, delectable, delightful ways…

“The vamp is an unknown quantity to me. I’ve heard of him but never worked with him directly. Dmitri says he’s a bit of a recluse, even among his own kind. He’s very old. Ancient, in fact. His name is Marco and we speculate he goes back to the time of the Roman Empire.”

“Seriously?” Maria was impressed. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Being an ancient means he’s very good at what he does. By the time a bloodletter has a couple of centuries on him, usually he’s gained a level of control over his abilities the younger ones lack. If he makes it to the five-hundred-year mark, he’s got both skill and control. Those who are older than that are usually either Masters or hermits. This one is among the latter, at least in recent memory. Dmitri fought alongside this guy the last time the
Venifucus
threatened our realm, which says a lot for the kind of man he was back then. What he is now? I really can’t say until we get to know each other better.”

Jesse’s eyes were constantly moving as he drove through the downpour. She assumed he was talking more for her and Zach’s benefit than because he suddenly had become chatty. And it was working. His running narrative was definitely helping keep her mind off the storm and the treacherous conditions through which he drove.

The sky was dark green in spots and the clouds were so dense and gray that Maria couldn’t tell if it was day or night. She wondered if the vampire was limited by the position of the sun regardless of the weather conditions. She knew so little about this world, really. There was going to be a lot to learn…if they lived through this little adventure.

The estate where Zach’s parents were being held was large, which could work to his advantage, Jesse thought as he drove through the increasing storm. Getting in would be relatively easy, but traversing the ground to get to the captive grizzlies was another thing entirely. The cavalry was on its way, but the bears didn’t have a lot of time, judging from the building intensity of the storm.

It was growing fast now, as if the bears had held out as long as they could. Jesse had to act now, but how could he with Maria and Zach in tow? He doubted either one of them would stay put if he told them to hang back. And being a realist, he had to admit he admired them both for it.

It was Zach’s right to help defend his family. Even as a teenager, the boy had serious power of his own that was not to be scorned. And even though he didn’t know all there was to know yet about his new mate, Jesse had seen a little bit of what Maria could do against human opponents. The more he was around her, the more her magical senses seemed to ignite. She was more powerful than she realized.

He exited the highway slightly before the road that would take him to the estate. The note from his jackal friend had said the direct routes were being watched. The back roads would work just as well and allow him to meet up with the one ace they had up their sleeve. The bloodletter.

Ancient as he was, Marco could operate in the hours before sunset as long as the sun was obliterated by heavy clouds. Jesse looked up through the windshield. Clouds didn’t get much heavier than this.

Jesse followed the directions Jason had given him to the outskirts of the massive estate. It probably should be called a ranch, but there were no animals on the land and the farmland had been allowed to become forest over the past century or two. That might count in their favor considering Maria’s dryad heritage.

He pulled the SUV over in a copse of trees, protected somewhat from the whipping wind and rain by their leafy bower. The canopy of leaves was swinging wildly in the pale-greenish light of what was left of the day, but underneath the dense roof of leaves and branches, it was a bit quieter.

Jesse cracked a window, and immediately Maria covered her ears with her hands.

“What?” he demanded, rolling the window back up. “What is it?”

“Sorry. They’re screaming. Frightened,” she sputtered, truly shocked by whatever she’d just experienced.

“My parents?” Zach asked worriedly from behind them.

“No. The trees. The forest. They don’t like what’s happening. It’s…evil, I guess is the best word. They’re angry and the younger ones are afraid.”

Maria looked out her window and jumped back about six inches, straight into Jesse’s arms. He looked past her to see what had frightened her and found a stranger’s face peering into the passenger side window. Despite the maelstrom around him, his appearance was untouched by the wind or rain.

It had to be the vampire.

“Marco?” Jesse asked, knowing the bloodletter’s hearing was as good as his own.

The man nodded. “And you’re Jesse Moore. I’ve been told to tell you that Rocky is almost here. His ETA is about twenty minutes. And your brother sends his regards. Bravo kilo X-ray.”

There it was, the code Jason had set up. This was indeed Marco. Jesse thought hard about his next move. These guys had to be invited in, or so the story went. Did he dare expose Zach and Maria to the vampire at close range? He didn’t see that he had any other choice.

“Would you like to come inside?”

Marco bowed his head to the side in a very old-world motion, indicating he would.

“Zach, move over behind me,” Jesse instructed the teen carefully. The next moments would prove whether Jesse had made a mistake or not.

Jesse popped the locks long enough for Marco to climb into the back seat. The rain did not come in with him. The bloodletter seemed to have his own little bubble of protection that didn’t allow rain or wind to touch him. It was a neat trick and a pretty obvious use of magic Jesse had never seen before. Then again, he didn’t know too many vamps reputed to be as old as Marco.

Marco began speaking almost as soon as he shut the door. “There’s not much time to waste. The grizzlies are putting up a valiant fight, but we dare not wait too much longer.”

“What’s the situation?” Jesse was all business, glad Marco was being straightforward. Sometimes bloodletters didn’t feel the same sense of urgency about things as folks who weren’t immortal.

“They’re being held in the outbuilding at the center of the storm. I was able to see them until the eye expanded. I dare not go there now, as it is calm and sunny at the disturbance’s center.” He shuddered but went on. “The building is a pavilion of sorts with a fire pit at its center under a circular opening in the roof. That’s where the mage who drains the grizzlies and powers the storm has set up shop. She has been standing in the center of the fire pit, arms raised to the sky while she funnels the shifters’ energies out of them and upward into the storm. I have seen this kind of magic before. Only once. Long ago.” Marco’s expression turned grim. “The owner of this estate is with her. I’ve been watching him for some time. When we get inside, he is mine to kill.”

Maria gulped, but Jesse understood all about vengeance and this ancient vamp seemed to have a score to settle with the owner of the estate.

“He’s yours. Does he wear thousand-dollar suits, drive a silver Jaguar and reek of expensive cologne?” Jesse asked on the off chance he was the same man who’d been stalking them at the motel.

“That sounds like him,” the vampire agreed.

“I believe he has been on our trail. He had a group of hired mercenaries with him. One was once a friend of mine,” Jesse admitted.

“Curious,” came Marco’s rather dry reply. “There is such a group inside the grounds. Shifters of many different kinds. I have never been clear about where their loyalties lie.”

“Neither am I, though my friend did send us a warning,” Jesse admitted, but as time was growing short, he forged ahead. “Do you know what this storm is all about?” Jesse checked his weapons, impatient to be off. He’d go in human form to better protect his mate and the teenager. Zach could go furry. He was probably stronger in his bear form anyway.

“The storm, if it is strong enough—magical enough—could cause a rift between realms. In this way, they hope to bring back the cursed Elspeth, Killer of Innocents.” Jesse got the impression Marco would have spat had he been outdoors.

Jesse had never heard Elspeth referred to by that title, but he didn’t have time to question it now. He was left with the fleeting impression that Marco might have some personal reason for his hatred of Elspeth and her followers, which suited Jesse just fine. It meant Marco would be firmly on Jesse’s side in the coming battle.

“Is that why the forest is screaming?” Maria asked, still shaken.

Marco looked at her sharply, sniffing loudly. “You are of the woods?”

“She is untrained but descended from the dryad, Leonora. She knows only a little about her magic,” Jesse answered for her, not liking the way the bloodletter’s eyes focused on his mate. The wolf wanted to growl, but Jesse held himself in check as best he could. “She is my mate,” he added for good measure, unable not to stake his claim.

“Understood,” Marco answered quietly, sharing a nod with Jesse that spoke volumes. In his dark gaze, Jesse saw regret and what could have been sadness in the vampire’s eyes, but it was gone so fast, Jesse couldn’t be absolutely sure. “Come. We have much to do.”

Marco opened the door and got out. Jesse watched Maria’s reaction to the renewed noise from outside, but she was handling it better this time. They all piled out of the SUV, and Jesse noted Zach removing the outer layers of his clothing and throwing them back into the truck. He’d be freer to shift into his bear form when necessary if he wasn’t encumbered by three layers of fabric.

Within a minute, they were on the move. The bloodletter had graciously extended his magical shield to cover all of them, and the protection from the wind and rain was much appreciated. Jesse thanked the vamp with a nod of respect, which Marco accepted courteously. So far, he was turning out to be a decent sort of fellow, but time would tell.