Wolf Ties (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 2) (12 page)

She winked, and I smiled. “You’re the witch that sealed the house after the werewolf died, aren’t you?”

Ilsa didn’t appear surprised at all. “Yes, I am. Now, come this way to the counter. Mind you don’t touch anything I haven’t cleared you to. Right here. Good.”

I stood at her cluttered counter, and rather than set the odd assortment of bobbles aside, she swept them over the end of the counter, but I didn’t hear any of them hit the floor behind it.

“Now, how many werewolves do you want to kill?”

My eyes widened. Was she another person impartial to all, or did she hate werewolves? “I don’t want to kill any of them!”

“I didn’t think so,” she said. I wasn’t sure if I believed her.

She didn’t look directly into my eyes, but I sensed no fear of me. “I need enough wolfsbane to put a dozen werewolves to sleep for three days, maybe four. As I said, I don’t want to kill them, and I need you to be discrete.”

She frowned. “Honey, do you understand it’s a wolf’s nature to want to run? By keeping them asleep during the full moon, well, it’s almost cruel.”

“I know, but it’s necessary. Will you sell me the wolfsbane, or not?”

“Calm down, honey. Of course I will. I run a business after all.” She grabbed what looked like an ordinary electronic calculator, and her fingers flew over the keys. “Let me see how much you need and what it will cost you. When do you need it by?”

I braced for bad news. “Now.”

An excited cackle. “Goodie. That will cost you extra.”

“Wh—” I didn’t bother asking. I would have to pay it anyway, and I wasn’t in the mood to try to negotiate. Nor did I have the time.

“Now, honey.” She waggled a finger at me, and I wished she would stop saying honey. “You’re going to have to get imaginative with this idea of yours. The wolves can smell the wolfsbane, and they’re not stupid enough to get anywhere near it. You can’t just clunk them over the head either because their healing will kick in. It’s like fainting and jumping right back up.”

“I’ve thought of that. Thanks.”

“Okay, well if you’re sure. Be careful, Rue. Don’t want anything happening to you.”

I didn’t react to her knowing my name, being used to nonhumans in the city already having an awareness of me. Why shouldn’t this human witch, who must have all kinds of connections?

“Ilsa, can you visit the library?”

“No, I’m human.”

“But you use the paranormal underweb.”

“Nonhuman and magical people can use it. I’m the latter.”

“Ah.”

After I settled my bill and received instructions about how much wolfsbane would be needed for each werewolf, I said good night and moved on to my next, trickier, task.

Chapter Twelve

I stopped by the hospital before I called Silvano and asked him to meet with me. Enough anesthetics to put down a dozen bulls. Actually, I just needed it to buy myself a few seconds. I believed with coordinated effort, Nathan, Trace, and company would be under my control. However, for everything to work as planned, I needed the assistance of the vampires. That was the tricky part, but I couldn’t afford to worry about whether I could pull it off.

I met Silvano on the street, and we strode together as if we were taking in the night air. I paused to gather my thoughts, and Silvano nudged me. At the edge of my mind, he prodded, but when I glared at him, he backed off.

“What’s this about, Rue?”

“I would like to join your coven.”

He appeared pleased. “I hear a but in there somewhere.”

“I’ll join on one condition—if you agree to consider my friends your allies, meaning you won’t hurt them.”

The pleasure left his expression. “Who are these friends?”

“Werewolves.”

Silvano hissed and then pulled himself together. “The werewolves and the vampires have never been allies. We have sometimes fought on the same side, most often as enemies. Today, we coexist, neither friends nor enemies. What is this about?”

“Silvano, before I tell you any more I need to know if you’ll agree to making them allies. I don’t want them hurt for as long as the agreement is in place.”

I sensed his impatience and anger. “How long are we talking?”

“One night, maybe four.”

He relaxed. “All right. I agree.”

Relief washed over me. “Great. I need your coven to help me to subdue the werewolves through the nights of the full moon and to protect them while they’re unconscious.”

His eyes widened. “Why in the world would you do that? It’s only natural for the beasts to run off the energy they build up during the month. If they don’t get it, they’re liable to be awful to deal with for both nonhumans and humans alike.”

“Violent?” I worried.

“No, just grumpy, and probably nonproductive. No one wants to deal with that.”

“I’d rather handle a grumpy werewolf than a murderous one.”

“Explain.”

“The details aren’t mine to share, but one of the werewolves is a close friend of mine, and the rest are his.”

Silvano’s frown deepened. I already knew he was attracted to me, or pretended to be. He should be happy. He was getting what he wanted.

“Let’s get this straight, shall we, Rue?” He linked his hands behind his back, the picture of tranquility as he strode along. “For a temporary alliance with the werewolves, you will become a permanent member of my coven?”

I cringed. That sounded too binding. “I’ll be a member as long as it’s favorable for both of us. In other words, I won’t dump you guys right after this whole thing is over. How’s that?”

“I supposed I’ll have to accept those terms. You have yourself a deal.”

I squeezed his arm in thanks, and he stopped walking to face me. “Do you plan to use wolfsbane to subdue the wolves?”

“You know about that?”

He shrugged. “I make it my duty to know my potential enemy’s weaknesses to protect myself.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Yes, I’m going to use anesthesia to put them asleep first, and we’ll have to move fast to get them surrounded with the wolfsbane so they remain unconscious.”

“You’ll need somewhere to house them and containers to transport them there, roomy enough for their bulk but not too much so the plant will stay close enough to surround them. I have a warehouse we can use and containers.”

“Why in the world do you have containers just big enough for werewolves in human form?”

“Coincidence, I assure you.”

I didn’t believe him, but I wasn’t in a position to doubt either. Violet believed Silvano was involved with something illegal. She hadn’t shared the details, but I began to think she was correct.

“Rue, I’m going to take you to my warehouse,” he said, “and I’m going to trust you to keep your word before you swear your allegiance to me and the coven.”

A chill raced down my back.

“Anything you see there, you will keep to yourself both now and later after this whole affair is behind us. Is that agreed?”

“What exactly would I see there? If you’re harming humans, I’m not going to stay silent.”

“I assure you I’m not. We feed from them. It behooves us to look after their well-being.”

I eyed him in silence and then relented. “Fine.”

When we arrived at the warehouse, I glanced around the wide-open space with cement floor and high windows on the walls. Each of the windows had been painted black already, and I sniffed the air, but nothing stood out as being suspicious. Metal shelving lined the walls and created rows at one side of the space. Boxes were placed there, but other than ordinary scents of products found in any warehouse or store, I couldn’t imagine what Silvano thought I would see that I shouldn’t repeat. Maybe he meant the address itself.

Two gigantic doors slid open at the far end of the warehouse, and a man strode in, carrying a clipboard. I recognized Francis as the one who had uncloaked enough for me to see him. He approached Silvano and ignored me. “We have enough. I’ve loaded them on the truck, and we can move out whenever you’re ready.”

I glanced at Silvano, and he smiled at me. “We’re all set on our end, Rue. The others will come when I give them the signal.”

“You mean you’ve already told him about the boxes?” I looked from the one man to the other. Then I remembered. Silvano had said he and his people communicated in their minds all the time. On our way over to the warehouse, he must have informed Francis, who in turn checked their inventory for the boxes. What a well-oiled machine. If I did my part right, this crazy scheme just might work. “I’d like to see the boxes for myself, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem,” Silvano said, and he led the way. The other vampire scowled at me, but I raised my nose and followed Silvano. From the hostility coming off Francis, I sensed I hadn’t made a friend in that corner. When he started to follow us, Silvano waved him off. Francis cloaked himself, but I believed he wouldn’t disobey. He wanted to intimidate me. Well, he failed.

Silvano unlocked the back of the truck and opened the door. I gaped at the boxes, all of them wide and deep rectangles, fit for people as big as Nathan. A chill raced over my skin as I imagined the boxes looked like coffins.

“There will be twelve of them, Silvano, but one in particular is important to me. Nathan Harris. If you or any of your people hurt him, I will grow strong, and you will be my prey. Even if it takes a hundred years, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. And I will kill you.”

“I understand.”

My gaze flew to his because I expected him to tell me it would take more than a hundred years to catch up to his strength and skill, but he didn’t mock my vow. For that, I was grateful.

“It sounds like you care for this werewolf.”

“Very much.”

“I admit I had hoped you and I could… Well, I’m a patient man. Everything changes with time, and I can wait for you. As an immortal, I’m used to it.”

He sounded sad but sure of his assessment. Perhaps he believed by my joining the coven, he would have more chances to woo me away from Nathan. He might be right. After all, when I fell in love with Ian, and then he later made me a vampire. I thought we would be a couple forever. I had been with Ian eight years, and then he abandoned me. One never knew anything for certain in life.

“Do you think your people will accept me?” I asked Silvano.

“I’m sure of it. I’ve been discussing you for a while, and all of them are aware of my interest in you.”

“Your
interest
?”

“My feelings for you,” he corrected, but too late, he reminded me of what Nathan had said previously about us vampires being cold-blooded, aligning ourselves for advantages it would give us. I realized I had done just that, and agreeing to be a part of Silvano’s coven had nothing to do with family. I doubted there would be a single person, including the leader himself, who felt warm and fuzzy over my joining.

I studied Silvano and wondered if there was anyone in the world he truly loved, anyone he would give up his immortality for. He had shared that he was about Ian’s age in vampire years, but Silvano was much more animated than Ian. His behavior came off as pretense where Ian seemed truer to himself. Did I feel love because I was still young? No, Ian had professed to love me.

Then left.

I suppressed a groan and dismissed the confusing thoughts. There was nothing I could do about Ian or Silvano or even Nathan’s way of thinking. I was living and experiencing life along with its uncertainties according to my own code, and that was all that mattered.

“I’ll call you when I’m ready,” I said to Silvano. “I need to take care of a few things before we move ahead with the plan.”

“I’m at your service.”

I left him at the warehouse and went to see if I still had a job, which I probably didn’t. After all, I had humiliated my boss in front of a bar full of people along with Orin and Pammie.

* * * *

The bar was quiet and empty to my surprise. Tonight might be a weeknight, but Almonester never closed. I stood just inside the door and listened. No sounds reached me from his office, but there were some coming from the storage room. I headed that way and opened the door to find Orin taking inventory. He bent over a stack of stapled sheets, checking off items as he counted the bottles and boxes.

“Where’s Pammie?”

“Not here.”

“Where? Another job with Almonester?”

“Let it go, Rue.”

I strode over to him and snatched the pages from his hands. He glared at me and whispered some odd words in the elven language. I recognized them because I had had dealings with a fae not too long ago. Of course, I couldn’t repeat the words. As quickly as I heard them, I forgot what he said. Not that I cared to recall either way.

When Orin completed the short phrase, the pages disappeared from my hand and reappeared in his. He went back to his task while I marveled. “Teach me those words so I can do that,” I begged, dropping to the floor beside him.

“You can’t use fae magic.”

“But I can use magic. I know I can. Ian, my sire, used it all the time.”

“All magic isn’t the same. Some chants aren’t magic, they’re…” He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his jaw. “Some are a part of the natural laws of this universe. So anyone who knows them can use them, if they’re a magic user or not. It’s why that kind isn’t dissolved by those who can resist magic.”

“Like vampires.”

“Yes.”

I studied his face. He was as handsome as ever. My fingers itched to play with his long, golden hair. “You’re speaking, but I feel your anger.”

He smiled.

“False,” I said.

His lips twitched.

“What is it? Are you avoiding telling me Almonester fired me, and I’m not welcome here? I did humiliate him.”

“You provoked him! Like you provoke everyone, Rue.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You walk around with your head in the clouds, expecting us all to excuse your ignorance.”

“That’s a lie.” I bunched my hands into fists atop my thighs. “I wouldn’t be half as ignorant if everyone didn’t tiptoe around me as if I’m the sleeping beast!”

“Now you’re exaggerating.”

I scoffed at him. “It’s true, and you know it, but I’m not going to apologize for moving forward with my life. I’m actually proud of myself for taking it all in stride. I didn’t find a corner to cry and feel sorry for myself.”

“Shall I throw you a party?”

I gritted my teeth. “No. All I’m saying is don’t presume I will respect you and yours if I don’t know what I’m respecting.”

In truth, I wasn’t sure I had made good points about my position or his. Maybe I was being insensitive or deliberately closing my eyes. How should I know what my friends needed if they didn’t tell me? Not that Orin or Pammie were friends. They kept themselves separate too much for that, which again proved what I was saying.

“I’m vampire, not psychic,” I quipped.

Orin didn’t respond.

Wait, I
was
psychic, in a way. I could read his mind to see what was going on, and I would help if I could.

“Don’t.”

I froze, and Orin turned to face me, standing.

“Don’t get into my head, Rue. I know that’s where your thoughts were taking you.”

I tried not to look guilty but suspected I already did.

He tangled fingers in his hair, groaning. “I can’t tell you what…I can’t tell you.”

“How does that make sense?”

“Think about it.”

I did, and I began to suspect Orin was blocked from speaking to me—maybe to anyone—about his dealings with Almonester. “You don’t have to confirm it, but let me just say what I think is going on. In some way, Almonester overcame your magic using, well, I guess his own. I know he’s not human, but I’m not sure what he is.”