IT WAS TOO quiet.
The stink of fresh blood hung heavy in the air. Not even a breath of breeze moved it, so it felt like the scent was plastered to Eric’s skin. The door to the office was open, hanging off one hinge, and as they approached, the lights went out, throwing the whole compound into inky darkness. Heavy clouds that should have meant rain, but didn’t smell of it, blocked the light from the moon and stars.
Tatya immediately shifted to wolf form in the shadow of the sedan and Eric helped her pull the clothing from her fur. With a nod, she slunk into the trees to start checking the perimeter. She was a pack leader, and from everything he’d heard about her, a skilled hunter, so he didn’t spend any time worrying about her.
Ivan handed over his gun and moved close to whisper in his ear. “Stay in human form. The gun is loaded with silver. I’ll get to higher ground to see how many are left.” Left was the operative word. There had to be some, because there weren’t any bodies, and there was too much blood for just one downed person. He squatted down next to a pool of blood the consistency and color of Hershey’s syrup in the dark.
As Ivan stripped off his shirt and pants and carefully put them through the car window onto the seat, Eric dipped a finger in the blood and brought it to his lips. He spat it immediately out. “Viper.”
Ivan let out a little growl. “Then they could be anywhere. Keep watch in the bushes, and I will hope there are more rattlesnakes than tree-climbers.” Eric had figured higher ground probably meant climbing a tree, and that would definitely be easier with the eight-inch-long claws Ivan had in bear form. Plus, he had the advantage of thick winter fur. Even a Sazi snake would have a difficult time reaching flesh through the undercoat.
Eric felt air press against him from the distance. His hackles rose and he turned the gun toward the rustle of a bush ahead. The scent of sage and creosote dusted the air as a stray breeze moved. Ivan nudged his shoulder with a wet nose and then lumbered off into the night.
He’d spent many nights in the pitch black Outback and had learned to focus in on the slightest sound. Black on black moved ahead and Eric didn’t wait for confirmation. He pulled the trigger and felt the pistol jump in his hand. But his wasn’t the only flash to light the area. Twin shots rang out to his left, a hairsbreadth faster than his, and then a hiss and shout of pain filled the air before all went still again.
“Nice shot, Thompson.” It was Tony’s voice and it came from above. He spun in a circle, looking up and finally spotted the waving arm on the roof. He flicked a cigarette lighter to highlight his face and called out with a hand cupped to his mouth. “All clear, everyone! That was the last of them.”
He closed the lighter, slid down the roof feet first, and as soon as he reached the end, flopped onto his stomach, grabbed the gutter with black-gloved hands, and dropped neatly to the ground. “Glad you finally got here. I was starting to get cramps up there. But I couldn’t get them to come out of their holes until you got here to lure them.”
Tony reached inside the building and flicked on the light switch as the hum of fluorescent lamps buzzed in his ears. The sudden bright light made Eric blink more than once but he ignored it as he went to inspect what they’d shot. It was easy to tell which was his bullet, because it was a small dime-sized hole in the snake’s spine, versus the quarter-sized shots from Tony’s massive .50 caliber. One shot was right between the eyes and the other high on the back, where the heart would be. He wore the big gun in a shoulder rig and the damned thing stuck out like a sore thumb. “Nice shots. How do you keep that thing concealed, anyway?”
Tony looked down. “Nah, yours was better. I have the advantage, in that I can see the target. You tagged it blind. And this isn’t my carry piece, for what it’s worth. It’s from the armory inside. There’s bigger stuff too, but it’s hard to move around quick with them. Don’t know why Lucas set this place up with this much firepower, but I’m glad he did.”
“Where is Lucas?” Tatya’s voice was both a command and a cry. They turned at the same time and saw her looking around frantically, sniffing the ground, searching for any sign.
Tony thumbed toward the building. “In the basement. I’d like to say everyone’s okay, but I’d be lying. They’re in bad shape.” Tatya was gone like a shot and before they could reach the rectangle of light, they heard her cry of anguish. But she was a healer. If they could be saved, she’d be the one to do it. It was best not to follow and get in her way.
Ivan appeared then, dressed once more in his brown polo shirt and slacks. He reached out his hand toward Eric and flicked his fingers. Eric returned the gun and watched as he checked the chamber and smelled the barrel. He motioned with his head toward the snake. “Were they all vipers, Tony?”
He shook his head. “No. There were raptors and spiders too. God, I hate those damned spiders! I’ll be having nightmares for a week.”
Ivan’s eyes narrowed as he looked around the empty yard. “And where are all these attackers? How is it that Lucas is injured, but you—a three-day wolf, are not?”
It was a logical question, and one that Eric had been about to ask as well. Tony’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and anger sprang into the air. His words were clipped but careful. “The simple answer is, I don’t know. I was inside working on the data, and Lucas was outside with David looking at whatever he’d found. I heard a commotion—growls, snarls, and hawk noises and grabbed the first gun handy and went outside. Lucas and David were already down by then, and I shot at whatever got in the way so I could get to them.” He let out a frustrated breath and stared into the sky. “The birds were trying to pick them up to take them away. I clipped the wings on one and it dropped Lucas. They did take David’s body, which pisses me off.”
“Wait.” Eric raised his hand to stop the story. “You said they’re in bad shape downstairs. Who else was here?”
Tony cursed. “Shit! That’s right. You were already gone by then. Charles showed up just after you left. He’s down there too.”
Charles? Charles was so injured he couldn’t stand outside to tell his own story? Eric believed this tale less and less. “The head of Wolven and the Chief Justice of the council are so injured they needed help, but you’re okay? I’m thinking we should cuff you right now, because something smells really foul.”
Ivan’s voice rumbled, his eyes fixed on the new wolf. “You do work for the highest bidder. Lucas made that very clear to the council.”
Tony’s voice likewise lowered, and a thick Italian accent took over. “Let me make this crystal clear—and be sure your noses are primed and ready. I. Am. Not. Involved in this. I didn’t set anyone up. I didn’t turn my back or close my eyes when it started. I don’t know why I’m still kicking, other than I’m a damned good shot. I don’t know where all the bodies are. I spent my time getting the wounded secured and guarding them. I was inside until you showed up. All I can figure is that they carried away their dead.” He paused for a long moment, letting them both take a long smell to see if he was lying, but there was nothing other than anger mingled with honest confusion. “I don’t know why they didn’t target me, but they didn’t. Unless I shot at them, they flat-out ignored me. Take from that what you will. You want to call Aspen to check me out, then call her.”
Aspen Monier, now going by Josette Cooper, was the only seer Eric had ever heard of who had hindsight, the ability to see the past in someone’s mind. That Tony was willing to subject himself to that spoke of his innocence more than anything, because Aspen would be outraged to hear of a serious injury to either Lucas or Charles, and wouldn’t be gentle with whoever might be involved.
A long shadow cut across the compound and they all turned, ready to take on whatever might come. It was Tatya, naked except for a pair of boxer shorts that didn’t fit very well, and an oversized T-shirt. There was blood splattered across the white cotton and she looked about ready to collapse.
“They’re stable, just barely. But I can’t wake them up, and I don’t know why. They’re in some sort of deep coma and their wounds aren’t healing right. It’s as though they have no magic of their own to heal. I’m having to do all the work.”
Ivan nodded toward the doorway. “You should go lay with Lucas. You’re his mate. Just having you nearby will do more good than anything.”
She nodded wearily. “I’m just so tired. I could really use some meat. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” She looked around into the darkness, frustration plain on her face. “What the hell happened here? Why are all the bodies gone and what could take both of them down?”
Tony let out a deep sigh. “There is one way to find out.”
Tatya narrowed her eyes. “I’m not letting you near Lucas right now. I don’t trust you. In fact, I’ve never trusted you, and have no idea why my husband ever did!”
Tony threw his hands into the air and smelled peppery with anger. “What is this, anyway? Beat on the new guy day? You’re giving me a hell of a lot of credit to think I could hurt either of those guys. I’m a fucking three-day, people! I have second sight and hindsight and I’m a good shot. That’s it! Nothing more. I’ve wondered for the better part of two years now why Lucas keeps stepping in for me . . . why Charles keeps telling everyone to leave me alone.”
He paused and his face grew startled. “Maybe that’s it,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “Maybe this is why they’ve been keeping me around.” He waved his hands at the looks of disbelief on their faces. “No, no. Stay with me on this. This attack was coordinated, like a war. Air force, infantry, and marines, all timed to wear us down. They waited until you left, they took their dead and injured, and they left one person alive to tell the tale. Someone wanted me to live. We just don’t know why.” He nodded and crossed his arms over his solid, muscled chest. “I need to hindsight one of them, and I’m thinking it should be Charles.”
A three-day with both second sight and hindsight? That was just plain weird. Those gifts were normally reserved for the strongest of alphas, not a wolf who had no control over when he shifted and had to shift on every night of the full moon.
Now Ivan was nodding. “We all wondered why you were so important, but Charles was adamant. If he saw this event as a possible future, you would be the only person able to find out the truth. He would want you to stay close to Lucas.”
Tatya shook her head and leaned against one of the iron posts holding up the steel roof over the porch. “No, there’s Aspen. I’d rather call her in. I can keep them stable until she arrives.”
Ivan shook his head grimly. “She’s been missing for nearly a week. Only the council knew. Her husband’s frantic. He’s been calling in every favor he knows to find her. The last lead he had was that she was somewhere in Arizona, but he couldn’t figure out who might have taken her, or if she went there voluntarily. It wouldn’t be the first time she disappeared on her own. Sometimes she removes herself from the puzzle, so she doesn’t interfere.”
Eric turned to Tony. “Is your ability a secret? Does anyone other than the council know you have hindsight?”
He shrugged and pursed his lips. “Secret? No, not really. I’ve been working for Wolven for a year now. The hindsight is what I do to close up old cold files. Pretty much anyone who’s anyone knows. Pack leaders, healers, the psychiatrists.”
Eric raised one finger and started to pace. It always helped to move while he thought. He often went for a run when he was trying to figure out a case. “Maybe we’ve got this backward. Maybe they left you alive because of what they don’t know. Charles was known to be so secretive that it drove everyone insane. Lucas was following some sort of thread about a big, world-ending plot for nearly a decade now, but nobody knew the details. If they got Aspen out of the way—”
“Because she’s far too powerful and unpredictable—” supplied Tatya.
“And relied on me to get the information—” Tony added with a growl.
Eric found himself nodding. “They could capture you and force you to tell all. They have to know we’d be rabidly curious about this—blood everywhere but no bodies and two of our greatest warriors out cold. That just screams mystery.”
Ivan let out a short bark of a laugh. “They apparently don’t know Tony very well. He doesn’t . . . squeal.”
Now Tony smelled distinctly disturbed. “No, I don’t. But they might not have to torture me. Has Ahmad told the council about our little adventure in Atlantic City? Did he mention the new drug the followers of Marduc came up with? The one that makes people compliant zombies?”
The bald man nodded grimly, while Eric tried to figure out who or what Marduc was. “My very thought. Are you certain you didn’t get any injuries? Could you already have the drug in you?”
Tony shook his head, but his eyes were nervous. “I’ve smelled it before, and I haven’t here, to my knowledge. But I can’t be certain. The sucky part is that if I had swallowed it or had it injected, I wouldn’t know because the first instruction is not to remember taking it. Goddamn it!” He let out a deep sigh. “I guess that answers it then. I can’t do a hindsight. We can’t take the risk. But if I don’t, we’ll never know what happened.” His eyes went blank, as though he was seeing something nobody else could. With a strangled sound of pain, he dropped to his knees and pressed his fists to his head.
Tatya moved toward him, her eyes wide. But Ivan held her back. “Someone is contacting him mentally. This happens every time. Don’t interrupt him or it’ll only be worse.”
“Shit. Shitshitshit!” Tony said after a few long moments. He took a few long pulls of air into his lungs and tried to get his eyes to focus. After a few blinks and shakes of his head, he looked up at them. “Not good, people. Really, really not good.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and swore at the lack of bars on the lighted display. “Bet they took out the towers.”
He stood up and moved toward the building. “We need to move this conversation inside, and quick.”
Eric followed the others down the stairs and finally got his first look at Lucas and Charles. They were laying on the floor, nearly naked and definitely unconscious. Tatya had done her best, but they’d nearly been ripped to shreds. Fang marks mottled their skin with poison, and talon punctures laid open their rib cages. Part of Charles’s ear was missing, which should have healed itself by now. It was a small miracle that Tony had been able to keep them from being taken if the tear marks were any indication. They were breathing on their own, but he could see why Tatya had said it was touch and go.
Tony plopped down on a stool and motioned for Ivan to shut the door to the stairwell. “That was Nikoli contacting me through the pack link. Chicago was also attacked, and it seems like it was at nearly the same time as us. From the coordination I saw here, I’m betting it happened everywhere. We need to figure out a way to contact all the packs, prides, and nests, and find out how many people are left. Nikoli reported the same things I saw—snakes and raptors with a few spiders.”
Ivan went pale and he stared at Charles’s still form. “He foresaw this nearly fifty years ago, and I remember every detail he revealed. He told me a little of what he saw—a new Ravaging, like what happened long ago. But this time, from within.”
“Sazi upon Sazi?” Tatya’s voice was horrified, and for good reason. There’d never been a true war among their kind.
Tony shook his head and sighed. “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not. The whole world’s like this right now—everybody right on the edge of something massive. A war to end all wars. I hate it . . . but I also don’t know how to stop it.” He slammed his fist down on the desk and the monitor shuddered and blinked out for a second. He swore and hit the same spot again and the image on the screen returned. “Damned crappy equipment. I’ll fix it later . . . if there is a later.”
Ivan squatted down next to the Chief Justice. “Charles and Lucas have been making plans for a very long time. But they wouldn’t bring anyone in to their confidence, so now we know nothing of what they’ve set in place to correct this.”
A phone rang just then and they looked around frantically, seeking the source of the noise. It was coming from the corner of the room and sounded like it was behind a wall. No, not a wall. A safe.
He reached for the handle and twisted. For some reason, it wasn’t locked. Inside was a cell phone that was of an odd design. It was larger than one on the shelf, and much heavier. Eric couldn’t tell if it was an old phone, or a really new one. He flipped it open and put it to his ear cautiously. “Hello?”
“This is Cat Turner, Alpha Female of the Albuquerque pack. Who is this?” The voice was female and snappish, each syllable beating a staccato rhythm on his frazzled nerves.
“Eric Thompson,” he replied. “Alpha of Four Corners. If there’s a pack left.”
“Is Ivan there? I was told to call him.”
Eric passed over the phone. Instead of plastering it to his ear, Ivan held it out so everyone could hear. “Good to hear your voice, Cathy, but I’m afraid I have bad news.”
She interrupted him, sounding sad, angry, and frustrated all at once. “At this point, I probably know more than you do. Charles contacted me mentally when he was being attacked, and gave me very explicit instructions. I’m calling at the very second he said to call, when he knew you’d be in the building and able to find the satellite phone he had me order for them.”
She let out a little choking sound that nearly ripped out Eric’s heart. “Here’s all I’m allowed to tell you at this stage, and please don’t try to get everything out of me until it’s time to tell you. I’d probably say the wrong thing and then everything would get screwed up. Anyway, you’re to instruct Tony Giodone, if he’s still there with you, to do a hindsight on Charles. He said to be really careful, because it’ll be hard to tell what is the past and what is a potential future—which will look like the past, but isn’t.”
“Oh, fuck,” muttered Tony. His annoyance mingled with fear and rode through the room on air-conditioned comfort. “Like I need that kind of pressure.”
“Uncle Chuck said that both Holly Sanchez and Eric are supposed to attend the hindsight.”
“You mean literally?” Tony asked the question with astonishment on his face. “I’ve never taken two people on a ride, and certainly not into a seer’s mind.”
“It’s not negotiable. That part I was told to tell you,” she said with a finality that made Tony shut up and just shake his head with a frown, eyes glittering with pent-up anger.
“I’ve arranged for Holly to be there tomorrow at his request, and Charles said that Asri Kho is on her way to you too.”
“Any idea what I’m looking for in the big guy’s mind?”
“Yes,” she said with confidence. “You’re looking for a location. He said his conscious mind has been blocking the information so he needed to be unconscious for it to reveal itself. He let himself be attacked and apparently refused to fight back.” She sighed loud enough it came over the wires. “Seers really confuse me, so I don’t know how literal he was being, but I got the impression that it was him that kicked Lucas’s butt so he’d stay out of the way.” She paused. “Tatya? Are you there?”
“I’m here.” Her voice was dull with fatigue and probably shock at the news. “What am I supposed to do?”
Another pause, so long that Ivan had to prompt to be sure she was still there. “Cat?”
Her words chilled Eric’s blood. “I know you and I have never gotten along, and I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this. But Charles insisted. There’s a chance . . . just a chance, mind you, that Lucas won’t make it through this. Charles said if it’s a choice between you and Lucas, you have to pick you. He said both he and Lucas are expendable.”
The healer’s voice was flat and cold. “Charles can go to hell.” She didn’t look down at him when she said it, as though not even acknowledging he was there with them. “I plan to make sure both of us make it through whatever this is.”
That made Cat laugh. “I’d say the same, so you go, girl! I just hope we both wind up with husbands. Because Raphael never came back from rounding up the pack members and I can’t find him in my head. I don’t know whether to go look for him or not. Who’ll protect the babies?” Her voice cracked just a bit, and Eric felt a pang of sympathy. He’d heard Ivan updating Lucas on the Albuquerque pack when they were driving him here from the airport. Who’d have ever thought a jaguar and a wolf would be double-mated? And with newborn twins . . . he didn’t know what he’d decide either.
Tatya stared at the phone for a long moment. Her face moved through a dozen emotions and the conflicting scents made his nostrils twitch. Finally she settled on careful blankness. “He’s alive. I’d know if he wasn’t. And so would you, if you could think straight right now. And Catherine, you have to think straight. For him, for your babies, and for your pack. This isn’t just about your own family. You’re the Alpha, whether or not you want to be. So be the alpha. The job’s not all rainbows and sunshine.”
Cat’s voice was cold and dark. “I am aware of that, thank you. I’m not exactly hiding in a closet with the kids, you know. The whole pack is here with me. But Carly’s injured and Betty’s nearly exhausted from treating snake bites. There’s only a dozen of us against more than fifty of them and not a rainbow in sight. I do, however, have twenty-plus dead bodies scattered around a quiet cul-de-sac and no way to remove them. I can only pray nobody’s called the cops yet, or we’re all screwed.” She paused and Ivan opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “My nerves are just a bit frazzled. So, if you have something helpful to add, Tatya, feel free. Otherwise, zip it.”
The doctor glared at the phone and opened her mouth as if to speak. But Ivan gave her a warning look and she shut it again.
“Cat, the pack leader in Chicago mentioned there were raptors and spiders there. Have you seen anything other than snakes?”
“Uh . . . no.” Her voice took on a peculiar, concerned tone. “Should I be watching for birds and spiders?”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Eric said with a nod. “You’re a cat, so you should be able to smell the birds. I’ve never smelled a spider, though.”
Tony cut in. “Gotta watch out for those spiders. They’re nasty bitches. They don’t smell strong on their own, but they can emit some sort of knockout gas from their glands. It stinks bad, but it makes you loopy too, sort of drugged. And they may make a sound, this weird trilling noise like crickets on crack. You can’t miss it. If you hear the noise, find something to plug your noses with or you’ll wind up down for the count.” He shrugged. “Been there, done that. Watch out for their webs too. They’re strong enough to hold a Sazi and big. Oh, and listen for wind chimes. That’s what they use as alarms to tell them they caught something.”
“Eww.” Cat sounded disgusted and Eric couldn’t help but agree. Still, maybe it was meant to be that Tony was here with them, since he’d encountered a spider before and had lived to tell about it. “That’s disgusting.”
Tony let out a little snort of derision. “Don’t worry about the disgusting part. Just concentrate on the dangerous part. They eat Sazi like we eat coconuts. Drill a hole and suck out the juice. Nasty business, spiders. All that works on them, according to Lucas, is cutting off their heads at the same time as taking out their hearts. A sword or several clips of bullets will do the job. If you don’t have either, find them. They’re a bitch to take out. It took both me and Lucas last time, and four clips.”
A sword? Is that why they’d offered Eric his own pack? “I trained with swords in college. Foils, saber, and dagger. Are there any in the armory?”
Tony nodded. “Several. Take your pick. I brought the ones I used in Atlantic City and Lucas had a few already here.” He pointed toward what looked like a walk-in refrigerator at the back of the room. “Right through there. But don’t be long. We’ve got a hindsight to do.”
“Is there anything else, Cathy?” Ivan’s voice held a weird combination of concern and cold determination.
“No. I—” She cut herself off. “Wait. There is one other thing that I’m supposed to tell you. Charles said that when Holly arrives, Eric’s supposed to take her around the perimeter before you do the hindsight. I don’t know why. But it sounded really important that you wait for her to arrive. I think she’s supposed to notice something nobody else does, but that’s just my own guess.” She let out an audible sigh. “Anyway, that’s the state of the union. I’ve got to make other calls now. Keep this phone handy. I’ll be checking back with more information later.”
She ended the call and they were left staring at each other. Tony finally broke the silence. “Well, I guess if we’re supposed to wait for Holly to get here, we might as well get some sleep. It sounds like we’re going to need it. Nobody goes outside alone, and we take turns keeping watch—two per shift. We have no idea if or when they’ll be back. There’s food in the kitchen, and plenty of bottled water.”
Tatya glared at nobody in particular. “I can’t imagine for the life of me what Holly Sanchez has to do with anything.”
Ivan just shook his head and put the satellite phone back in the safe, being careful to shut the door but not lock it. “If Charles believes she’s necessary, she is. Perhaps she brings objectivity, which you seem to be lacking lately.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, neither giving an inch. “I was going to start to call the other packs to check on them. But maybe I’m only objective enough to make dinner. I’ll leave you to do the important work, Councilman.” With that parting shot, Tatya flounced up the stairs with Tony following at her heels.
Eric didn’t know whether Holly would bring objectivity, but he couldn’t deny he was looking forward to her arrival.
Perhaps a little too much for his own good.