Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild)

6

Sebastian sat in the kitchen, sipping bad coffee and staring out the window. Fog lay low over the ocean, turning the water the same dark pewter as the sky.

The monochromatic view fit his mood.

He should have stayed in Lily’s bed. He could be enjoying fresh ground coffee in her beautiful, sunlit kitchen right now, watching her make that promised omelet for his breakfast, just soaking up the pure joy of being in her presence.

Instead, he was drinking instant coffee because he’d been too pissed off to make a fresh pot, waiting for a showdown with his father that was sure to be unpleasant.

He rubbed his finger across the bridge of his nose. The scratch where Lily nipped him had completely healed. He almost wished it had lasted longer, proof of a most amazing yet frustrating night.

A reminder he needed answers. Lots of answers.

He sensed his father before he saw him. Felt his presence with the sense of something unclean entering his consciousness. He’d never noticed it before Lily, but Aldo Xenakis carried an almost oily feel about him.

Where Lily was fresh and clean, a shining ray of magical energy and life, his father left the psychic taint of a sewage spill. Why hadn’t he sensed this before?

“Ah. So the social butterfly has flown home.”

Sebastian turned slowly, frowning. “Excuse me?”

His father was practically chortling. “How was it? Sex with the princess?” Before Sebastian could respond, Aldo slapped both hands on the table and leaned close, until they were eye to eye. “I know you nailed the bitch. How’d it go?”

Rage flashed. Sharp, burning rage, striking hard and hot as lightning. He reacted. His hand clamped around his father’s throat before the man finished speaking.

Aldo’s eyes went wide. He gasped unintelligible words, but they were enough to call the power to throw Sebastian across the room. He slammed up against a wall of cabinets and slid to the floor, stunned. Remnants of mage energy sparked and danced over his skin, but he shook it off and shoved himself to his feet, shaking from anger, not fear. He spoke his own words of power, and the remnants of Aldo’s spell slid away.

At least the old bastard looked rattled. He raised his head and glared at Sebastian. “Don’t ever lay your hands on me again.”

Drawing deep breaths, Sebastian stood tall and ground out his own threat. “Then watch your mouth, old man. Do not speak of her that way.”

“I could kill you, you know.” Aldo folded his arms across his chest and studied Sebastian as if he were some sort of insect. Power radiated from him, shimmering about the room.

Power but no aura.

Sebastian clenched his jaw. His father probably could kill him. He wished he had a better idea of the man’s basic nature, though he knew his magic was strong. How the hell the old bastard managed to hide a feature so intrinsic to a soul as an aura was frustrating as hell.

“You probably could kill me. But you won’t.” Probably not the smartest thing he could say.

“You’re right.” Aldo smiled. “I have plans for you. You are my sole heir, after all. Heir to more than mere wealth.”

Shivers raced along Sebastian’s spine.

Aldo walked over to the counter and pulled out the coffee grinder and fresh beans. “So, how did the reception go? Did you have a good time?”

Just like that, he switched off the wizardly display of power and was suddenly Sebastian’s loving and concerned father, interested in his son’s night out.

Sebastian refused to react. Instead, he brushed off his tuxedo slacks and walked across the kitchen to stand in front of the large window. He’d had enough coffee, and he really wanted to put some space between the two of them. “You already seem to know all the details,” he said, staring at the pewter sky. “In fact, I have a few questions for you.”

Aldo was suddenly standing beside him at the window. Sebastian hadn’t heard the man move.

“I always loved this view,” Aldo said. “San Francisco has its own kind of energy, but it’s stronger near the water. Do you feel the magic?”

“I always feel the magic.” Sebastian turned and stared at his father. “I felt something else last night. A sharp blast of power using my brain as a conduit. It would take a powerful mage to wield that kind of energy.”

“What kind is that?”

“The kind that can do harm. The kind that went straight for Lily Cheval and knocked her unconscious.” Sebastian watched for a sign, any flicker of emotion that would tell him his father was connected.

“Interesting. And who do you think was responsible?”

Bastard. “The same one who did something to my mind later so that I lost at least half an hour while running as a wolf. Lost all sense of who I was, who Lily was. My lack of attention almost got us killed.”

That seemed to set the old man back a bit. “What do you mean? What happened?”

“You tell me. Lily and I were hunting as wolves. Next thing I know, I’ve got her cornered in a cavern on Mount Tam, trying to rape her.”

Aldo’s eyebrows lifted. Then he frowned. “You mean you didn’t?”

Sebastian took a step back, an instinctual need to put space between himself and the man. “You sound disappointed. Of course I didn’t. I don’t rape women, but two other wolves showed up, intent on fighting. Or rape. I’m not really sure. We didn’t stand around and chat. They must have been rogue Chanku, because they were obviously intelligent, but the threat of the two males snapped me out of whatever had taken control.”

Nodding, Aldo glanced away. “I see.”

“No, father dear. I think I finally see.” And why hadn’t he, before now? How in the hell could he have been so stupid? “It was you. You somehow got past my shields at the reception. You’re the one who hurt her. And later, when I thought the wolf had taken over, it wasn’t my wolf nature at all. Again, it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, Sebastian.” He sighed, and his condescending tone made Seb’s jaw ache from clenching. “You give me far too much credit. I’m strong, but controlling your mind from a distance ? That’s impossible. Not that I wouldn’t embrace power like that, but I fear you’re mistaken.”

Sebastian glared at his father, realized he was clenching his fists as well as his jaw, and forced himself to relax. “You have no aura,” he said, which wasn’t what he’d intended to say at all. Hell, he didn’t know what he wanted to say. What he believed.

Aldo raised his eyebrows. “No aura? What are you talking about? Auras don’t exist. They’re pseudo magic. Auras have as much validity as palmistry.”

“So you say.” Sebastian slowly raked his gaze over his father. Nothing. No hint of an aura, no sense of anything about the man, though the oily, evil stench felt stronger. He turned away. He really had to get out of here.

“There was another one, you know. Early this morning.”

Sebastian stopped, turned slowly, and stared at Aldo’s bland expression. “Another what?” But he knew. Damn it all, he knew exactly what the bastard was talking about.

“Another young woman murdered.” He shrugged. “Depending on when you left Ms. Cheval’s home on Marina, you probably just missed it. Her body was found on the grounds at Fort Mason. Raped, mauled by animals. Wolves. Or wolf. One very strong wolf might have managed the kill. One who could shift could have raped her as well.”

“Don’t just prance around it, Dad. What exactly are you implying?”

“What time did you leave Ms. Cheval’s?”

“A little after four.” Damn. Why did he automatically answer the bastard? It was none of his business.

His father smiled. Sebastian clenched his fists to keep from punching that smile off his face. “Reporter said she died between four and six this morning. I hope you have a good alibi.” He paused. Raised one expressive eyebrow. “Should you need one.”

There was nothing to say. Not a damned thing. Sebastian spun around and left the room. Alibi, hell. Like anyone would believe him if he told the truth. When he left Lily’s bed, he’d driven straight home and then walked back to Ocean Beach to watch the sun rise.

Except it had been foggy and the beach was empty, and he’d sat there feeling like shit, knowing he had to face his father. Knowing he had to find out if the man was using some sort of mind control, but as always, Aldo had turned everything around.

Turned it around until Sebastian was left wondering if he’d done as he thought. Had he really spent the early morning hours sitting alone on a beach, freezing his ass off? He’d lost almost half an hour last night while running with Lily. Behaved in a manner that was the opposite of the man he thought himself to be, and yet he remembered none of it.

Had he somehow shifted and murdered a young woman? Was he capable of living an alternate life, one entirely separate from what he knew as his own reality?

In the past, when he’d run as a wolf, he’d retained his sentient thought processes. His senses had been enhanced, his ability to see and hear and smell so much stronger that it was intoxicating. Even so, he’d never lost time during a shift.

Or had he? Had he murdered and raped that young woman?

And if he had, she wasn’t the first. Hell, he didn’t know anything anymore. His life was spinning out of control, and the one person he’d found, the only one he’d felt any sort of connection to in all his thirty-nine years could be in danger because of him.

He’d already shown her he couldn’t be trusted.

But neither could he trust his father. The man was much too smug, too pleased with himself. Sebastian had sensed something familiar in his mind just before Lily collapsed. But what? The memory was lost in fog.

He tried to recall that blank period from last night. Something had happened. Something he’d recognized at the time, a trigger of some kind, though that sense of recognition, of familiarity, was gone as well. But something had affected his behavior. Something that teased the edges of his memory.

Sebastian raised his head. He caught his father studying him with an expression that could only be described as a self-satisfied smirk. Aldo wiped his expression clear the moment Sebastian caught his gaze, but there was no doubt Aldo Xenakis was terribly pleased about something.

Destroying his son’s life, perhaps?

But why? And to what purpose?

What if Sebastian’s suspicions were groundless—rooted in nothing more than paranoia?

No. This was too real, too deadly to be mere imagination. The answers were out there. He merely had to find them.

But until he had answers, he would stay away from Lily. She already meant too much to him. He wasn’t about to put her at risk again.


“Lily? Are you all right?”

Lily stared at the screen on her phone, at her father’s frantic expression, the way he rubbed his fingers over a heavy silver spoon he held in his right hand. He’d developed the habit of holding something to keep his hands occupied when they talked. She was convinced it was his way of reminding himself she was an adult and he could no longer run her life, so she schooled her features to present a mature, adult appearance. “I’m fine, Dad. I told you not to worry. I said I’d call as soon as I showered.”

“I feel something you’re not telling me. What’s wrong, sweetheart ?”

“Nothing.” Well, almost nothing, but her dad was the ultimate worrier and “nothing” was her standard answer to the question he always asked. The last thing she wanted to do was give him something to worry about that might actually be an issue.

Like Sebastian Xenakis.

“But I do have a few things I’d like you to check.”

“About Aldo or his son?”

Someday, she might actually surprise him. “Both. Here’s the deal. I’m not going to hide anything from you and Mom. Sebastian is . . .” She shrugged and figured her father would read all sorts of things into that. Sometimes she wished phones lacked such good video. “I think he could be the one, Dad. I remember how you said when you met Mom, you just knew. When I saw Sebastian last night, I don’t know how to explain it, but there was a connection.”

“Was that before or after you passed out?”

His dry comment actually let her know he wasn’t totally going nuts worrying about her.

“Thanks for reminding me.” She chuckled softly. “That’s part of what I want you to check. See if you can find out the extent of Aldo Xenakis’s power. I’m convinced he’s a practitioner of the dark arts. There’s something wrong about him, as if the residue of evil clings to his skin. When he interrupted my lunch with Jill Bradley on Monday, I forced him to shake hands, even though my first instinct was to run far and fast.” She laughed softly. “I should have listened to my instincts. I felt like I needed to disinfect my entire body.”

“Obviously you sensed nothing foul about his son.”

She almost laughed at his dry comment, but then she thought about it. Sebastian’s energy wasn’t like hers. “No. Not anything offensive like I did with his father, but definitely something dark. Especially when he shifted last night. Something weird happened. I’m still trying to work through that.”

“Will you tell me?”

“I will, but I don’t want you to judge Sebastian by what happened. I have a strong feeling someone was controlling him. And yes, I’m convinced his father was involved.” She noticed her father’s subtle nod, as if he considered her comments and then filed them for later perusal.

“We started out running, playing tag, just goofing around, and then something changed. He got this feral look in his eyes, and when I tried to mindspeak, he didn’t respond.”

Anton’s look went from fatherly concern to feral wolf in a heartbeat. Her alpha questioned her now, not her father. “What did he do, Lily? Did he hurt you?”

“Boy, do I remember that look,” she said, hoping to lighten the moment. “No, he didn’t, though I think he would have mounted me if he could have caught me. That’s not the man I know. It’s like Sebastian wasn’t in there, if you get my drift.”

“You don’t know him well enough to say that.”

“Possibly true. But I’ve never doubted my instincts, and my original response was to trust him. And, Dad, he didn’t mount me.”

Anton nodded. “I’ll accept that. What stopped him?”

She was pretty impressed. Anton Cheval could be rather hotheaded at times, and he was controlling himself admirably, though she wondered if she should mention that he’d just bent one of her mom’s best sterling serving spoons into a perfect U.

“That’s another thing I want you to check on. Remember those tests the army was doing, trying to find Chanku among the troops to create a shapeshifting force?”

“Of course I remember. It was an abject failure. Chanku are killers by nature, but they won’t follow a leader merely because of his rank. The military couldn’t seem to understand that the number of stars on a helmet doesn’t always equate with pack alpha standing. They had no control over the few troops they found.”

“Exactly. But what happened to those Chanku the military discovered? Were they assimilated back into the general military population?”

The silence was telling. Frowning, Anton finally said, “I don’t know. I think a few of them have registered with the pack, but I have no idea how many eventually were turned and what became of them. I should. I generally don’t let things like that slip.”

“You’ve had a few other things on your mind.” Like the expansion of Cheval International and the various other companies within Chanku Global Industries including Pack Dynamics, their search and rescue team. And the pack, which had grown slowly but steadily over the years. It was almost as if her father had taken on the role as monarch of his small country of Chanku, with the vast majority of his subjects living on the extensive holdings he had in Montana, not far from the town of Kalispell.

He hadn’t asked for the role, but it had found him.

And of course, the deadly attacks on so many young women, presumably by wolves and men . . . or wolves who became men.

“Dad, what saved me last night, when Sebastian was chasing me across the flank of Mount Tam with sex controlling his wolven brain, was an attack by more wolves. Big wolves. A third again larger than Tinker.”

Anton stared at her for a long, silent moment. Then he nodded and carefully set the bent spoon on his desk. “What happened ?”

Now he sounded way too calm. “When I first realized that Sebastian was chasing me with more than a romp across the mountains on his mind, I took off and found a bolt hole in a small cave between tumbled boulders. He caught up to me; we were facing off, and I was trying to get him to respond to me as a thinking creature when I scented strange wolves.”

“You didn’t recognize them?”

“Actually, Dad, I did. There were two of them, and I recognized their scent from the place where that girl was killed last week, the one near Mom’s garden in Golden Gate Park.”

“How did Sebastian react?”

“My first thought was that the whole evening was a setup, that he was with them, but it didn’t fit with the way my wolf had so quickly responded to his. Mindspeaking, I told him we were about to be attacked. Finally, something broke through, and he responded to me. I honestly didn’t know if they were friends of his or not. I mean, what a perfect way to kill me—get me cornered in the boonies and call in his buddies, but he turned on them. Snapped the closest one’s front leg while I went after the second wolf. I nailed his nose and then got him by the throat. He was big, but I’m faster. Still, I’m not sure what would have happened, except Sebastian finished with the first one and took out the second one as well. His jaws are powerful. Broke the bastard’s hind leg.”

“Good. That’s good that he recognized the difference between right and wrong. Did he realize what happened?”

“Yeah. Later, he was embarrassed. Devastated, really.” She chuckled. “When he took me home and I invited him in, he was honestly shocked.”

“I don’t think I need any more of the details.” Anton’s dry comment was pure father.

“Good.” She laughed. “ ’Cause you’re not getting them. The thing is, we both knew we needed to talk about everything, and I thought he’d be there when I woke up. He was gone.”

“Have you spoken with him since?”

“No. I called you first.”

“I should hope so.” He laughed. “I’m glad you’re still keeping your priorities straight.”

“There’s more, Dad. I hope you’re taking notes.”

“I’m assuming you’re referring to the murder this morning. It was just a few blocks from your house.”

“I know. And Sebastian wasn’t with me when it happened. I’m worried, Dad. What if he’s involved? What if he really is guilty? I didn’t pick up his scent at the other murder site, but maybe I just missed it. He doesn’t strike me as a killer, but there’s darkness in him. It doesn’t fit with his actions or his personality or even his aura.”

“What, exactly, do you want me to do?”

So simple, really, to ask her father for help. She knew he was worried, knew he had a million questions, but he focused on what she wanted, what she needed.

Not on his own needs or wants, which, she imagined, included shooting Sebastian Xenakis between the eyes. Or maybe just ripping out his throat. She almost laughed, imagining what Anton Cheval was thinking behind that placid exterior.

Even though her father trusted her intelligence and her ability to think logically, he would always be her father, and it was his very nature to protect her. She laid out her requests as succinctly as she could. “I want to know if Aldo Xenakis is working magic beyond what’s considered normal for practitioners, even those who touch the dark arts. Is he delving into something we’re missing, doing something that would give him enough power to affect his son’s actions?”

“That’s a pretty big stretch, sweetheart. He’s not Chanku. Telepathy and some minor mind control is natural for us.”

Lily chuckled. “It’s a good thing the humans haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Here’s hoping they don’t. We’ve already got enough trouble. Besides, Aldo would have to be working death magic for the kind of power it would take to control his son. Sebastian’s not weak.”

“No. Sebastian is definitely not weak. And he is telepathic. We linked at the reception. Clearly.” Lily focused on her father’s eyes. “As far as Aldo’s power, there have been a lot of dead women, and their numbers are growing. Plus, the killings are coming closer together now.”

Anton’s silence was telling. Then, as if speaking to himself, he said, “Aldo Xenakis is awfully high profile for murder.”

“I know. But he’s also one of our staunchest detractors. He’d like to see all of us reclassified as animals, not humans. He has an agenda, and he’s been very open about it. He wants all Chanku banned from commerce, from voting, from all rights as citizens. He maintains a respectable public demeanor, but the man is a complete fanatic. I wonder if he might be insane.”

Her father nodded. “I’ll find out what I can. What else?”

“See what you can learn about the military program to create a Chanku army. I want to know what happened to those Chanku that were discovered. For all we know, the military could still be using them, but under top secret conditions. Or they could have destroyed them, or maybe they just went back into the general population. Battle trained wolves could create a lot of trouble set loose on society. Or with the wrong alpha.”

“You’re really making me nervous now, Lily.” He scribbled something on a tablet she’d not noticed. “Anything else?”

“Sebastian’s mother. She died a couple of years ago, but he claims he’s not Chanku. I’d bet good money that he is. My wolf says he is. Maybe she just never found out. I told you he shifts using magic. He draws it from the trees, from the mountain. Draws it out, but gives nothing back. Could this be the source of his darkness? I don’t know, but I think his mother is the key.”

“He hasn’t taken the nutrients?”

“I asked him, and he said he hadn’t, but he also said if I gave them to him, he’d give it a shot. But he was gone this morning, before I could give him any.”

She had plenty of the capsules with her. Every once in a while she’d sense her own need for the nutrients or someone would ask for them. So many people wanted to be Chanku, but so far they’d found very few. Not nearly as many as they’d expected.

The Tibetan grasses their race had once relied on were the one way to guarantee whether someone was Chanku. Ingesting the right combination of nutrients was usually all anyone needed if they had the right genetics.

Lily was almost positive Sebastian fit the profile.

“Another thing, Dad. I need to visit Eve. I haven’t been on the astral in ages, and I’ve missed her. Maybe she’ll know something about Sebastian’s mother. Plus, I want to ask her if she’s sensed the military Chanku. Have you spoken with her?”

“Not recently, but Alex has. Last week.”

“Alex?” Alex never walked the astral. At least not if he could avoid it. “Whatever for?”

“He’s frantic, Lily. The killings are getting to him. He’s catching flak from a few locals who are trying to stir up trouble in town, and he’s worried about the young women he knows.”

“And goddess knows, Alex knows more young women than most.”

He slanted a rare, disapproving glare her way. “So true, but it’s not a joking matter. Kalispell has always been very open to us, very welcoming, but the killings have all the hallmarks of a wolf and human combination, plus they’re occurring in areas where Chanku populations are largest, in the Bay Area and here in Montana. People are scared. They have a right to be, but it’s affecting our relationship with people we’ve known and trusted for years. People who have trusted us.”

Before Lily could apologize for her flip comment, her dad paused and glanced over his shoulder. Lily saw her mom in the background and waved. Keisha moved close to the screen. “Hi, sweetheart. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve been listening to your conversation. Be careful, but trust your instincts and listen to what your wolf says about your man.”

“I will, Mom. But he’s not my man. Yet.”

Her mother’s soft laughter had Lily grinning. “Why do I hear a very loud but at the end of that?”

“Probably because he’s what I want. But not until I’m sure. There is so much circumstantial crap pointing toward him, that it’s almost too much.”

“What do you mean? What do you suspect?” Her dad studied her in that way he had, forcing her to work through various scenarios in her head to learn what her instincts were trying to tell her.

“Flat out? I think Aldo Xenakis is involved. I think he’s somehow controlling his son, and I also believe he’s setting him up to take the blame for the murders. I have no idea why, but I fully intend to find out.”

She heard a knock on her parents’ door. Keisha blew a kiss at the phone. “Bye, sweetie. I love you, but that’s Xandi, and grocery shopping awaits. I gotta go.”

“Bye, Mom.” She blinked back unexpected tears. “I love you, too. And thanks.”

“You okay, sweetheart?”

She grinned at her father. “You I can talk to all day and I’m fine. I see Mom, and I immediately want to come home so she can hug me and make cookies for me.”

“Your mother spoils you outrageously.”

“Not nearly as much as she spoils you.”

Her father didn’t even attempt to deny it, which made Lily even more homesick. She wanted what her mother and father had, the connection that only mated Chanku could ever feel. That sense of homecoming whether the two of them were together or apart.

She’d sensed that with Sebastian. Just a hint of the potential, and it had been so seductive. Damn it all, she wanted him to be innocent. She didn’t want to think she’d fallen for a killer, but even more important, she wanted him to be the man he seemed to be. The Sebastian Xenakis she’d made love with last night had been special. He’d been honorable and brave, and he’d shown her the stars. For that alone she would fight to prove his innocence, to know his true character.

She chatted with her dad a while longer. She missed her twin brothers and younger sister, and she really missed Alex and Uncle Stefan and Aunt Xandi. She was a pack animal. Most of the time there was no pack close by. The ones living and working in the Bay Area had lives as busy as hers—it was rare for them to get together.

She really needed to see Eve. If nothing else, connecting with the goddess who had once walked among them would ground her. It always had.

And dear goddess, but Lily needed grounding now. She looked into her father’s eyes—eyes so much like her own—and realized what she really wanted. The decision was a no-brainer. She could access the astral from just about anywhere, but it was easiest through the gateway in the cavern beneath her parents’ home.

Montana was only a short flight away. The company jet was available any time she wanted. “Dad? Are you and Mom going to be home this weekend?”

Anton’s eyes lit up. “Are you thinking of a trip home? I realize you never take vacations, but this is business, right?” He chuckled softly.

“Yeah. I need a personal chat with the chairman of the board.” She laughed, suddenly feeling freer, more grounded than she had in days. “I’ve got some things to take care of at the office, but I’ll call and have them get the small jet ready. I should be out of here before lunch.”

“I’ve missed you, Lily.”

“I miss you, too, Dad. Tell Mom I expect cookies at some point during the weekend.”

They closed the connection. Lily threw a few things in her overnight bag. She kept plenty of clothes at the house in Montana—clothing much more comfortable than the designer suits she wore each day to the office.

Throwing on a pair of jeans and a knit top, and choosing hiking boots rather than heels, she dressed for home. Her driver was waiting as she stepped through the door, but her mind wasn’t on the few things she needed to do before she could leave. No, she was already caught up in thoughts of heading home.