Deceived By the Others

chapter 5



Nick and Sean offered to take me out hiking tomorrow once the rain cleared up. Chaz was going to be busy dealing with some pack politics and helping their newest member cope with some of the pre-change weirdness his body was going through. Ethan had accidentally gotten caught up in a scuffle between two Weres that became too heated. One of them nicked him with its teeth when he tried to rush off, and he’d been too afraid to go to the hospital to get the vaccine.

This was not altogether surprising. Most of the big hospitals report lycanthropy infections to a database that’s only supposed to be accessed by government and law enforcement agencies. Theoretically, the database would help lead to the culprits of any unauthorized Other attacks, since a good ninety-five percent or so were by newly turned vampires and Weres who hadn’t mastered their hungers yet.

However, the number of Others who had disappeared over the last couple of years—even accounting for violence by groups like the White Hats and the Anti-Other Alliance—had caused enough comment and speculation that few Others were willing to risk going to hospitals. There was even some paranoia about going to private practitioners, since some of them reported their findings as well. The problem was that the major hospitals were the best source of the vaccine that could, if administered quickly enough, halt the spread of lycanthropy infection. It didn’t work every time, but if it meant the difference between staying human or becoming part of a Were pack, most people would damn the consequences and take the medicine.

Ethan had been infected and had waited too long to treat the virus. A couple days ago, one of the other pack members had found the poor guy freaking out in the parking lot outside a doctor’s office. Someone inside had just delivered the news that he was beyond treatment. The Sunstrikers had taken him in, made him part of the group, and would help him through his first change.

This was as much for their protection as his. Without a mentor, Ethan could have gone rogue and ended up injuring himself or, worse, some innocent human, in the process of the change. No Were or vampire likes to hear the news that innocent bystanders got hurt by one of their own. It was bad publicity, made it harder for them to bolster their ranks, so the majority of the time they’d take in the strays. Plus, the rash of panic and angry hunters that inevitably followed in the wake of a newly turned Other with no experienced mentor to guide them or rein them in made life hard on all the rest.

I’d heard stories about what some of the vamps did to their own after unsanctioned kills. It was the stuff of nightmares. The only time I’d ever witnessed it happen, it had turned into a bloodbath. Max Carlyle had negotiated his way out, but I’m reasonably certain the only reason he wasn’t toast was because Royce would not have been able to kill him without too much cost to himself.

Weres were more understanding, but no more tolerant. They were as likely as vampires to hunt and put down one of their own who made an unsanctioned kill, though perhaps they did it a little more cleanly.

Ethan was currently holed up in one of the cabins with a couple of other pack members. Chaz had promised to check in on him frequently and had cautioned me to stay away from him until after the height of the lunar cycle was over. They weren’t so concerned he would accidentally Were. The problem lay in his becoming attuned to my scent and trying to hunt me down the first time or two he was shifted. Curious as I was about him, that was deterrent enough to keep me away.

Through the rest of the day, I met a lot of Sunstrikers whose names I did my best to keep straight. As Chaz had mentioned, they were people, too. Every one of them came from a different background and walk of life. Some of them were as friendly and cordial as I’d been promised. Others did not seem so happy to meet me and, I was sure, only shook my hand because Chaz was standing next to me.

Later in the afternoon, just before dinner, we were hanging out in the game room playing pool with a bunch of Chaz’s buddies. Seth and his cronies swaggered in, trying to look tough in their piercings and leather jackets. Mostly they looked like teenagers trying too hard to be cool. We ignored them, getting on with our game, chatting amiably as we took turns at the two pool tables. The foosball game across the room was free, and the four troublemakers headed over there, not bothering the rest of us—probably because there were three times as many of us as there were of them. A few too many for them to pull anything obnoxious.

I sat on the edge of one of the chairs lining the room while I waited for my turn, talking quietly with Paula and Kimberly. They were a lot nicer and more willing to chat than I’d thought they would be. Turns out they were both fascinated with my job, about as much as I was fascinated with the fact they were Weres, and we were having a great time swapping stories between turns.

“How long have you been doing the P.I. thing?” Kimberly asked, sipping her beer. Chaz kept glancing over, clearly listening in, but I wasn’t quite sure what he was so concerned about. Aside from the comments earlier, she and Paula seemed nice enough.

“Since a few months after I graduated from NYU—about six years ago. My friend Sara put up most of the collateral, and together we started H&W Investigations.”

“Wow, that long? I’m surprised Chaz has let you keep doing something so dangerous for so long.”

I frowned at her, not liking that turn of phrase at all. “‘Let me’ do it? It’s not his choice; it’s mine. Besides, I’d been at this since long before I met him, and the type of investigative work I do isn’t as dangerous as the books and movies make it out to be.”

“Oh,” she said, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What sort of investigations do you do, then? I thought I heard something about divorce cases and cheating spouses—”

“You’re up, Shia,” Chaz cut in, stepping aside and leaning casually on his pool cue.

“We’ll chat more later,” I promised, excusing myself. I rose, studied the layout for a moment, and bent over to line up and take a shot. “Five solid, corner pocket.”

“You’ll scratch if you take that shot.”

I threw an annoyed glance over my shoulder, not liking Seth’s amused smirk as he eyed my backside. “Who asked you?”

“Nobody. I’m just saying.”

“F*ck off,” I muttered, ignoring him again and concentrating on my shot.

“You’ll mi-iss,” he singsonged.

“Shut up,” somebody muttered from the other table. Chaz growled softly, low in his throat, eyes narrowed in anger. Seth raised his hands and took a step back, still smirking.

I gritted my teeth and took the shot, pleased when the cue ball hit and the five slid smoothly into the corner pocket. Stepping back, I gave Seth my own smart-ass smirk, though I didn’t keep it up for long. Taunting Weres is never a good thing, even when you’ve got a bigger, badder Were there to protect you.

“Nice shot,” he acknowledged, turning away. I fought back the urge to stick out my tongue at him, and just returned my attention to the game.

We continued for another set, and by the time we were done, the smell of dinner drew us out toward the dining hall again. It was early but, as everyone would be furry tonight, it wasn’t a bad idea for us to eat while the sun was still up.

Seth stayed behind, but it was unnerving how he and his buddies watched us go, mostly keeping an eye on me or Chaz. Nobody else seemed concerned, but I had to wonder what was up his sleeve. When he saw me staring, he blew me a little kiss. I curled my lip in distaste and pressed closer to Chaz, doing my best to take no notice of him as the others were doing.

Mrs. Cassidy had made a few dishes in bulk to feed the Sunstriker pack. Everyone had turned out for this little get-together, and the few members of the pack who hadn’t been present to fight against Alec Royce and the Moonwalker Weres had come along for the ride this time. Some of those I hadn’t met were too young or too old to fight. Others were just new to the pack, strays like Ethan who had been taken in and one or two who had left other packs to join this one. There were just shy of fifty members, and all of them except for Seth and the three yahoos shadowing him, as well as Ethan and his two babysitters, were here for dinner.

“Hey, good to see you,” one of the Weres seated near the door said, smiling warmly at me as he leaned back in his chair to brush his fingers over my hand. As the others took note of our entrance, the hum of conversation died into a low murmur of welcome, some of them lifting their hands in cheerful waves, others rising to greet us. A handful moved to the back, out of the way, but their dark looks were easily lost in the crowd of well-wishers.

“It’s her, look… .”

“Remember me? Hi!”

“I can’t believe she came!”

I suddenly found myself surrounded by warm, friendly hands, brushing over my hair, shoulders, arms, crushing my hands as they shook them. One of the guys who’d grabbed my hand shouldered his way a little closer, grinning at me happily. “I know I look different without the fur, but I hope you remember me. Thank you so much!”

I turned wide eyes on Chaz, who had stepped to one side and was simply grinning with amused tolerance. “What the hell is going on?”

“You saved them from getting overtaken by the Dominari Focus, remember? They’re just happy you’re here.”

“You’re a hero,” another said, pounding me enthusiastically on the back. “Better, you’re one of us, not one of those pansy Moonwalkers. It’s an honor to have you here.”

The nods and words of agreement that flowed around me were so embarrassing, I thought strongly of retreating to our cabin and forgoing this weird dinner. Sadly, I was surrounded. Though I had wanted to get to know Chaz’s pack, I certainly didn’t want to be fawned over like this. The Focus had been designed to give a dangerous amount of power to its holder, and I’d destroyed it mostly out of fear of what Royce or Chaz or even Sara’s boyfriend, Arnold, might have done with it. That it meant assured freedom for these guys was just an added bonus.

“Um, thanks, guys. Really, it was nothing.”

An older guy threw his arm around my shoulders, guiding me to one of the tables right in the middle of the mess of seated Weres. His gruff voice was husky from years of cigarette smoking and carried a touch of some European accent I couldn’t place. “Facing that mage and his spelled minions by yourself—especially without the pack there to back you up—takes a kind of bravery and courage most of us had never seen before. Let us have this moment to thank you in our own way. We never had the chance to before.”

I warily nodded agreement, doing my best to relax my stiff posture. It was a little nerve-wracking to know I was one of few humans in a room full of predators who could tear me apart or even eat me if they were so inclined. Having a bunch of them putting their hands on me made me jittery. They meant well, but it was still freaky.

Chaz had never said anything, so I hadn’t realized that the pack felt so strongly about what I had done. The only Weres I’d seen after the big fight above La Petite Boisson were Rohrik Donovan, who came to thank me in person at the hospital, a few of Chaz’s friends who’d been around for movies or dinner, and that cab driver whose name I’d never learned. Maybe since I was human, they were afraid to approach me themselves and had just been waiting for a moment like this to thank me.

“Relax, you smell afraid. Don’t offend your fans,” Chaz whispered into my ear as he leaned down to seat himself next to me. I gave him a withering look. He portrayed nothing but bland innocence.

Eventually, the casual chatter returned, many of the Weres drifting back to their seats. The clink of silverware and chiming of laughter from a table across the room sounded so normal, so human, that it would be easy to forget what they really were. Blending in this way was as much survival instinct as it was sheer habit. Some of the people in this room had been born Were. Most started out as fullbloods, like me, and then contracted the infection later. They wouldn’t do something so crass as to act uncivilized until their furry side came out. Once shifted, they’d still be doing their best to stay as far out of humanity’s sight as possible.

Except for me. I’d get to see them as they really were.

“Hey, Shiarra?” A voice I didn’t recognize piped up from across the table, mangling my name. I twisted in my seat to see a young kid, maybe five or six years old, seated between a couple I took to be his mom and dad and waving to get my attention. “My dad says you’re an investigator. Do you fight bad guys like that scum-sucking leech Alec Royce all the time?”

“Hush, Billy, she doesn’t want to talk about that kind of thing right now,” the guy seated next to the kid said, giving me an embarrassed, apologetic look. He probably hadn’t realized he’d been overheard or hadn’t expected to have his kid parrot off his description of the elder vampire.

“No, it’s okay,” I said, amused with the way the kid was squirming with delight that I was paying some attention to him and his not too far off the mark description of Royce. “I try not to fight bad guys if I can avoid it. My job isn’t to fight them, just to find out stuff about them. Most of the time, I’m hiding somewhere they can’t see me, taking video or pictures.”

“But Dad said you killed some bad guys!” He was now giving his mortified father an accusing look. “He said you fought a mage and a vampire and the Moonwalker leader.”

It was my turn to feel embarrassed, especially as an intent, interested hush fell across the room. Everyone else was listening in for my answer. Peachy. “I did fight them once, but they’re stronger and faster and a heck of a lot scarier than I am. I almost died.”

His eyes widened; he was suitably impressed. “Wow! Did you get hurt? Do you have scars?”

“Yes, I have some.”

He promptly tugged up his shirt, showing me a purplish line just under his ribcage. “I got my ’pendix taken out. Does it look like this? Can I see?”

“Billy,” the woman next to him hissed this time, “put your shirt back down!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, it’s like that. Don’t worry, ma’am, it’s okay. I’ll tell you what, Billy, I’ll show you later.” Somewhere not in front of fifty pairs of prying Were eyes.

His parents both looked extremely gratified that I wasn’t upset, though Billy’s mom was still mortified. Billy looked like he’d just won the biggest prize at the carnival. Chaz was grinning at me, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Much better.”

I gave him a wry grin of my own, and a suggestive waggle of my brows. “Practice.”

“For what?”

“When we’ve got one of our own.”

His shock slowly faded into a pleased, possessive look, and he leaned in for a kiss. I didn’t care that everyone was watching—no, not just watching, cheering—since it was exactly the response I’d hoped to get out of him.