Howling Bonds

9

“As you wish, Alesce Popescu.” I smiled and watched the four men retreat, carrying the young hunter’s body. Cold sweat stained my shirt and trickled down my spine. Killing one of his men before Council Inquisitor, Alesce, was like feeding a hungry beast with a cut hand. It was as if I could see the face of Andrew, the Chief Inquisitor of the Scarlet Council, and his dark-haired, dark-eyed, condescending face.

And the picture of him holding my father’s skin in his hands, smiling in triumph. It was the only target I had as a teenager practicing for battle, and I will never forget it until the day I die.

Now, the pack required an ally since enemies surrounded them. The situation was so complicated that it was mind-numbing. Sitting on the roadside steps, all I could do was light a cigarette because my blood felt like boiling iron. I let the frosty night air blow in my face while I listened to the roar of engines and the angry shouts of drivers. Then I saw the loaders and porters coming and going as they stood in the shadows of large cargoes. They whispered and laughed in disorganized languages, which sounded noisy and unreal, like they were from another planet. I imagined working with Anne and Leighton, those sword fights, and Andrew’s warm blood splattering my paws and face. I could sit facing the corpse of this rogue wolf until the world ended, until his magical associates, and even Andrew himself, found me. But a phone call pulled me back to the human world.

Emilia’s voice was urgent and restless. Before she could utter a second sentence, I pulled the car door closed and headed for the hospital. I didn’t know why she was there, but I was sure she needed me more than anything.

Wounded victims of cases, infected patients, unconscious, and the critical filled the hospital. These days, the number of CEOs and corporate executives here surpassed that of some summits. In a peaceful, lifeless white, I saw Emilia talking to some doctor. She stood out from the crowd, so beautiful and so eerie.

I sat on a bench in the waiting area for her, my ears filled with a thin, dripping sound that pulsed in rhythm. The sound of incandescent lights, EKGs, and currents of various instruments cluttered through, with a soft light enveloping the hall. I could not contain the urge to direct my gaze in her direction. The EKG instrument would show crazy lines if they connected it to me right now.

Emilia walked toward me. She smelled like dark clouds, fresh rain, spring grass, and it was intoxicating. It washed away the blood of the vicious battle that had just taken place. I felt grateful and worried. “‘Tis a friend of yours?” I asked. “Where was she attacked?”

“At the Pasafino apartments.” She took a deep breath and peered up to stare at me. Tears filled her eyes, like reflections of raindrops in the city. Glossy on the surface in all their luminous splendor, but easy to break. “The damn place is under construction, with mud everywhere. You’ve been there?” She stared at my feet.

I realized I looked out of shape, my feet covered in mud and dried blood. “Yes, I went to track—”

She didn’t give me time to finish the following words, and in a flash, Emilia held a sharp carving knife at my neck. I clutched her wrist, but it still nicked the flesh, leaving a bloodstain. The silver blade was at my throat, but she didn’t make another move. Her fingers shook, and her expression appeared like she was wrestling with what to do next.

I now understood everything was different from what I had imagined. The wound on the side of my neck burned almost instantly, unbearable pain gnawing at all my bones. “We need to talk, Emilia,” I muttered. “There must be some kind of misunderstanding here.”

“No! I don’t think it’s a misunderstanding.” Emilia’s eyes were a pale gray, even lighter than her skin, like thin ice breaking on a winter lake. “I just can’t pretend to be oblivious anymore. Werewolves have ruined my life since I was a little girl. These furry things are destroying everyone around me.”

She looked back at me, but only for a few seconds, before turning her face away. “Yeah, I know there are some assholes among us,” I explained and implored her with my eyes. “But we’re all different people. And I’m trying to get this on track, and you’ve seen the visions, which means—”

“Yes, the visions!” Her voice rose an octave. “That’s what I wanted to ask you about. Since I started seeing them, things have attacked everyone around me. My boss, my product manager, my f*****g landlady downstairs, and Lydia! Am I being treated like a surveillance camera for target hunting, like Shared Vision for games?”

I laughed. “How’s that possible?”

“Why can’t I just stick this f*****g chip down your throat?” Emilia’s voice took on an almost sobbing tone, but there was a fire dancing in her gray eyes. As I looked closer, I saw radio chips affixed to the edge of her carving knife, suggesting she mistook us for robots. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“I’ve done nothing bad to you, I swear.” I held out two fingers. The wound on the side of my neck was healing itself. The night breeze was blowing from the hospital entrance, and my jumbled brain was calming down. I understood what I was up against, and couldn’t expect the humans of Tacoma to have any goodwill or trust in the werewolves in such a situation. The last thing I should have said tumbled from my mouth. “These visions came about because you are my destined mate through natural selection.”

“Natural selection,” she repeated. “Darwin will crawl out of his coffin and scream in your nightmares.”

“Darwin has been doing that since I was a kid. I’m a werewolf, darlin’.” I raised my eyebrows. “He even argues with Mendel in my dreams.”

She seemed to be on the verge of exasperation and pursed her lips. “It’s the third decade of the 21st century, Nell. And you want me to believe this nonsense about destined mates? You should get with the times, darlin’.” She rolled her eyes.

“I understand your skepticism,” I replied, “but it is real. In our pack, this has continued for hundreds of years. It’s a destiny, leading to many wolves who formed pleasant unions and strong alliances. But I’m here for something else.” I pulled the removed rogue wolf’s claw out of my pocket. “It’ll lift the curse on the girl. She’s a human, and it will be difficult to save her if she falls into a deep coma caused by the curse.”

Emilia seemed to lock her emotions behind that cold, pretty face, but the side of her cheek shone like lights illuminating the city. “How can I believe you?” She dropped her knife and rubbed the bridge of her nose, staring at me with narrowed eyes. “Although what I have experienced in the last two days has shocked me, this seems too much like primitive witchcraft,” she said.