Chapter 22

 

Reece tensed the minute she pulled into Andre's driveway. She could feel the energy before she saw any cause for it. Hecate darted glances around the area too.

"Do you have your bracelets on?" Reece asked Jenny and Joseph.

"What is it?" Joseph asked. "It's not a witch."

"You can tell the difference?" Hecate asked.

"It doesn't feel like you or Reece."

"Then stay close to us, and be ready."

They held up their wrists and put their fingers on the secret clasp.

Reece started for the house and could see that Spikes and Choco were pacing restlessly back and forth past the windows. Damian stepped outside. He scooped Jenny and Joseph into his arms. "There are wolves in the yard. Be careful."

When someone stepped from behind a tree, Reece raised her arms, ready to blast.

"Damn it, I'm not in the mood to be zapped. Neither is anyone in my pack." Wedge Durrow , impressive in human form, stalked toward them. In the moonlight, his tawny hair and eyes looked bronzed. "We need to talk. We've waited for you and Hecate. We'll go inside together, or your cubs will go crazy."

"Why's that?"

"Because if we're with you, they'll know we're friends, not rogues."

Reece gave a quick nod. She turned to Jenny and Joseph. "These are good Weres," she told them. "But we have serious business to discuss. Why don't you go upstairs to keep Mom and Eugene out of the way?"

With a nod, Damian released them, and Joseph took Jenny's hand to disappear inside the house. Fifteen to twenty werewolves stepped out of the shadows onto the patio. They were all in their human forms, and they all gave off surges of power.

Andre and Damian motioned them inside the kitchen. Andre had a cooler filled with cold beers. "I asked my mom to watch over my restaurant tonight. I had a feeling I'd have more important things to do. We don't want to have a war council without something to drink," he said.

Damian brought a glass of wine for Reece. "I know you hate beer."

She briefly touched his hand, amazed at his constant thoughtfulness. She took a sip while the wolves filed into the house. A dozen were crowded around the cooler when one of their own tried to step through the door and was bounced backward.

Hecate's head snapped up. So did Wedge's.

The man lay, flat on his back, on the cement patio. He was unhurt, but surprised. "What happened?" he asked.

"Grab him!" Wedge snapped.

The two Weres closest to him reached for him, but he sprang to his feet and started to sprint. The last man in line, who was bringing up the rear, grabbed him by his shirt collar and hauled him off the ground, his feet still running. Desperate, the trapped Were began to change into his wolf form.

"He's a traitor!" Wedge called. "He couldn't step past the witch's spell. Deal with him."

Reece stared in surprise. A traitor? Did wolves turn against their own? Just as quickly as the traitor changed, so did the wolf holding him. As a man, he was over six feet tall and built like a bull—thick shoulders, wide chest, and heavy muscles. In his wolf form, he was terrifying. When the traitor lunged at him, he dangled him like a plaything and gave him a hard shake. Then he ripped out the traitor's throat.

It was a quick death. It reminded Reece of a lion's kill on Animal Planet—efficient. The traitor went limp and began to change back to a tall, lean man in his mid-thirties.

The big Were dropped the body on the ground and looked at Wedge. Taking a deep breath, he began to change back too, calmly collecting his torn clothing. Wedge tossed him a dishtowel and he draped it in front of him, then strolled into the house and got in line for a cold beer. He took a swig and went to stand by Wedge. "Care to explain that?" he asked.

"It's a protection spell. No enemies can pass it."

"And they only protected the house?"

Wedge raised an eyebrow at Reece.

"That's all the potion we had at the time," she said. "We just made more."

"Satisfied?" Wedge asked.

"Why could we pass it?"

Wedge gave him a look. "Are we enemies?"

The big man shrugged. "Guess not. Smart spell. It knew more than we did." He looked at the Weres in the kitchen. "When we leave here, someone take care of the body."

They gave quick nods.

Wedge turned to the witches. "Reece, Hecate, in case you can't tell, this is Bull Bellows, my second in command."

"Bull?" Reece looked at the mostly naked man standing in front of her. The name suited him.

"A nickname," Wedge explained. "You can see how he got it. Bull's the Were that Bones attacked."

Who in their right mind would attack Bull? Reece had thought Bones was huge when she first saw him as a rogue, but he was a runt compared to this wolf.

"Now it makes sense," Bull rumbled. "Timber used to hang with Bones before he joined our pack. That's when he was young and we thought he didn't know any better. They must have still been a team."

Wedge narrowed his eyes, glaring at Timber's corpse. "He's the reason the rogues always knew where we were and what we were doing."

"And Timber's the one I was meeting at a bar the night the rogues attacked me. It was a set-up."

Wedge gave a gruff laugh. "Bones never did like you. You cramped his style."

"Even rogues should follow the rules in Bay City." Bull gave his pack leader a meaningful look.

Wedge turned to Reece. "That's why we came. We took a vote when we heard about the young boy who was in the rogue pack, the one they killed so he couldn't be caught. No Were with any kind of control would harm a child. We almost joined you then, but the damage was already done. We warned Snow—" At Reece's frown, he added, "—the rogues' go-between…"

"Paul Mercury?" Reece asked.

"We don't use real names around humans."

"He's the wolf who attacked me at my studio," Reece said.

Wedge gave a quick nod. "We warned him no more kids. We couldn't tolerate it. Then we read the news article about the young girl who died when she was infected. It was too much. These rogues have no consciences. We called a meeting and took a vote. We're willing to help you, even if each and every one of us has to pack up and leave Bay City."

"Thank you." Reece was in awe of the courage these men were showing.

"So…" Wedge shifted his attention to Damian. "What do you want us to do?"

"We have a plan," Damian said. He explained about the silver nets. "Hecate and Reece are going to make one for each of us—Benito, Aurelius, and me. I don't want to hurt the new rogues. I thought I'd trap them and cage them. If I could deliver them to you instead, it would be easier for us and better for them."

"Could these nets catch and hold one of my pack?"

Hecate answered. "There's nothing that can escape them."

"I'll have to remember that." Wedge looked at Reece and Hecate. "Witches are more of a threat to wolves than I thought."

"Only if you go rogue," Hecate assured him. "Other than that, we consider you allies."

"Are there other witches who know your spell?"

"There can't be many. I'd heard of it, but never learned the chant. I had to look for Luna's old spell book to find it. Damian told me about the nets."

"I used one centuries ago," Damian told him. "I've never seen one since."

Wedge relaxed slightly. "The fewer who know about them, the better for us."

"Will you take the new rogues we catch?" Damian asked.

"Yes, we'll keep them and train them and make them part of our pack. It's the least we can do for them." He motioned for Choco and Spikes to come nearer.

Spikes cringed, unsure what to do. Choco put an arm around her shoulders and stayed where he was, choosing her over the pack.

"We won't hurt you, pups. We can help you. You can join our pack and learn our ways, or you can stay here for now. But we can teach you control and the wolf ways. Soon, there'll be a full moon. You'll change whether you want to or not. You can join us on a hunt, or take your chances with humans."

Spikes still hesitated. "Selena told me that females without mates aren't treated well in a pack. She told me I was lucky I'd found Choco."

"Every pack's different." Wedge grinned and Bull chuckled. "If we didn't treat females with respect, we'd hear about it from our wives."

His tone and answer reassured Spikes. She and Choco went to mingle with the other wolves.

Wedge looked at Andre. "You're invited too, but I think you have a teacher of your own."

"I'm happy where I am," Andre agreed, resting a hand on Hecate's shoulder.

Damian looked relieved. "Thanks for taking those two. We've tried to work with them, but they'll learn more with you."

Bull shook his massive head. "Thank you. You've been fighting our fight. We all know that, gargoyle."

Wedge raised an eyebrow. "Now, for the hard question—what are you going to do with the rogue leaders?"

Damian didn't flinch from the truth. "They'll have to be destroyed, but we don't want to do that until we find their alpha."

"Would you rather we dealt with them?" Wedge asked.

"It has to be done, one way or another."

"Good. We agree."

The werewolves milled around Andre's kitchen until they finished their beers, and then they disappeared into the night as mysteriously as they'd come, taking Spikes and Choco with them.

Andre looked at Hecate. "Talk about a group of men! You could feel the power pulse off them. Is it just because I'm a werewolf now? Did you feel it?"

"Everyone feels it," she told him, "but they don't realize what it is. They just know it's wise to give them a wide berth. You give off power vibes too, more than usual. You must be an alpha. It's better for you to stay with me. If you joined the pack, you'd be challenged."

"Challenged for what?"

"The pack leader is the strongest wolf in the area. Each wolf knows his place in the pecking order. You'd have to find yours."

Andre shrugged. "And if I don't care where I rate?"

"The others would. You'd have to fight them."

With the house quiet, Joseph and Jenny came back downstairs.

"How's Mom?" Reece asked.

"She and Eugene feel a lot safer with their new amulets," Joseph said. "Eugene said he felt naked without his chain."

Reece didn't comment. Eugene had thrown his chain away and then taken Jenny's to protect himself.

Hecate was the one who brought them back to business. She looked outside at the moon. "It's three-quarters. Plenty strong enough to bespell the nets. Let's eat supper…" She glanced at the men. "We do have supper, don't we? And then we can magick the ropes we bought on our way here."

Andre motioned to the table, set for six. "Your parents already ate," he told Reece. "We weren't sure exactly when we'd be eating, so Damian and I made coq au vin and potatoes au gratin. They keep." His voice grew suave. "We'd appreciate it if you took the time to savor your food. It was prepared with love."

"We're not in any hurry," Hecate said. "Mother Moon will travel the sky all night."

When Reece took her first bite of the chicken in its sauce, she understood Andre's concern. Something this wonderful deserved their full attention. Damian poured wine for the adults, milk for the kids, and they ate a leisurely supper. At its end, Reece felt relaxed and indulged, but there was more. Andre brought a tray of fruits and cheeses to serve with coffee.

By the time they left the kitchen, Reece felt so indolent, it was hard to summon the energy to bespell the nets, but Jenny took one of her hands and Joseph the other to drag her outside. Joseph fidgeted, he was so excited, while Jenny hung back a little, unsure of herself.

"We'll work together," Hecate told her. "We'll make these doubly strong."

They went to an open space in the side yard where there were no trees. The grass glistened in the moonbeams. Hecate spread out each net, then raised her face to Mother Moon. Reece joined her. Their voices rose together. Finally, Jenny joined in. The words for the chant rose and fell, over and over again, until the cords of the nets glowed with power. When their voices dropped, the nets shone like thick, silver threads.

"I've worked with many witches." Damian's voice was soft, but easily heard. "I've never seen magic like this."

"It's Luna's." Hecate rested a hand on Reece. "The Rutherford bloodline has always been potent."

Energy tingled through Reece, from her toes to the top of her head. Spells and chants swirled through her mind. She put a hand to her moonstone, and power rippled through her. She had the spell book now. She'd study it. And then she'd study more. She'd make Luna proud.

Joseph looked down on the nets and sighed. "They're beautiful, like giant spider webs."

"Could they catch us?" Jenny asked, as much afraid of them as in awe.

"Silver is a witch's friend," Hecate said.

Andre backed far away from the nets. He scratched his arms. "They make me itch." He turned to go inside. "Damian and his gargoyle friends can deal with those." He put an arm around Hecate to lead her into the house. "Come on, witch. Let me tuck you in tonight."

Damian closed his eyes for a moment before he focused on Reece.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Just a little jealous."

"Of what?" Damian had enough power of his own. He surely didn't want magic too?

"I'd rather spend tonight doing other things than chasing Weres."

Reece grinned. "There'll be other nights."

"I know, but you look all glowy right now. Is that a word?"

She didn't care. She felt all glowy inside at the moment. "It's a compliment. I'll take it."

He grinned, beginning to relax. "Benito believes we might as well start now. I'll take the nets and meet him and Aurelius at the house Rome Nash owns on 83^rd Street. If pups leave there, we'll catch them and take them to Wedge."

Reece nodded. Damian bent to give her a quick kiss, then grabbed the nets and was gone. One powerful leap, and he was flying to the nest he shared with his friends. "Come on, guys." She held out a hand to her brother and sister. "Let's get some sleep."

"He wanted to stay with you, didn't he?" Jenny asked.

"Gargoyles don't get to have much fun," Joseph said. "But I wish I could fly like he does."

"We don't get to choose," Reece told them. "We are what we are. We have to make the best of it." She watched them climb the stairs to her parents' wing of the house before she headed to the study. The fold-out bed seemed too large, too empty without Damian. She was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep, not with her gargoyle out chasing rogues all night. But when her head hit the pillow, her eyes closed. She dreamed of silver nets and moonbeams.