Chapter Fourteen

We settled in the living room. I listened at the bottom of the stairs for Carson, but he slept soundly. Newt offered to make a pot of tea and disappeared into the kitchen. I sat in the rocking chair and tried not to be too obvious as I studied Tony. After a slight hesitation, Tony chose the armchair and settled himself into it gingerly.

“You’ve really been wolf for five years, yet not turned wolf completely?” Eliza leaned forward from her seat on the couch and fixed Tony with her full attention.

When he nodded, she shook her head slowly. “I’m…amazed you could come back.”

“So am I. It feels,” he lifted one shoulder, “strange.”

“Is that why—” I stopped as both the Weres focused on me. A flush raced up my neck and I hoped no one noticed.

“Why what?” Eliza asked.

“Your eyes. Are they still part wolf?” I darted a look at those amber eyes, somehow dark, yet full of honey.

Eliza’s brow wrinkled, then she snorted a laugh. “Nope, just Tony’s eyes. Some Weres’ eyes change between forms, some don’t.”

“Oh.” Even my ears felt like they blushed and I fought it down, tried to play it off as insignificant. “Just wondering.”

Newt came into the room with mugs of chamomile tea for everyone and said, brightly, “So what’d I miss?”

The room felt somehow lighter with him there and some of the tension left my shoulders.

Newt took a seat next to Eliza, who said, “Not much. Tony’s been in wolf form for the last five years, and I mentioned I was surprised he hadn’t lost himself completely.”

“Become a wolf in truth, you mean?”

“Yes. We refer to it as turning wolf. It happens.”

Tony said, “Some of the packs I encountered assumed that was the case—that I’d turned wolf. They were kind to me.”

Eliza nodded. “Of course they were.”

“That’s how you found out about what happened? From another pack?” I asked.

“Yes. I overheard them discussing Dave.”

I broke our shared glance as he continued.

“I am deeply apologetic and shamed on behalf of my brother and my family. I—” He paused, and his expression displayed his search for words. “I wasn’t ready to go back to Greybull, but after a while, I realized I slowly travelled in this direction. I wanted to see the pup, Mac’s pup.”

With a start, I remembered Tony and Mac had been friends—childhood friends and rivals, two of the full moon Weres in Greybull.

“He was a good Were,” said Tony, now entirely focused on me. “He would have taken good care of you and your son.”

I knew he meant it kindly. Or perhaps kindly wasn’t the word, but he didn’t mean to give offense. Nonetheless, I felt myself straightening in my chair.

“I know I’m just a human.” I paused and made sure no bitterness leaked into my voice. “But I am doing my best to take care of Carson. I do appreciate your help in waking us up on the night of the fire.” I inclined my head to Tony formally.

He lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Eliza, who looked exasperated.

“Just ignore it, Tony.”

But he didn’t. He leaned forward in his chair. “You, mere human, stood in the wilderness and dared me to attack you. Ran into the woods in the middle of a fight to warn your friends about me.” He ticked off points on his fingers. “Hunted murderers in Las Vegas. Faced the mafia. And—are you fleeing right now? Have I interrupted plans for you to run away and leave your friends here to deal with the Salamanders?”

“No,” I said, stung, then realized I furthered his argument.

“So.” He leaned back and folded his arms. “What I meant was: I am sorry my brother robbed you of Carson’s father and your lover.”

“Mac and I broke up.” The blood rushed hotly to my face again and I took a deep breath over my tripping tongue. “I mean, Mac and I had broken up a long time ago. Before I even knew I was pregnant. We didn’t work out as a couple. He was—I mean—I—actually, he didn’t even know about Carson, which was all my fault. I didn’t tell him.”

Shut up, Julie. I closed my mouth against the wild babbling. What was with me tonight?

I wished I could read Tony’s expression.

“Anyway. Um—excuse me, I think I hear Carson. I’ll be right back.”

I escaped up the stairs to regain my composure and check on my baby. Only after I reached the bedroom did I remember the two Weres knew it’d been an utter lie. Their hearing was much better than mine. Carson slept quietly.

****

When I came back to the living room, they talked about a safer topic: the Salamanders. Newt was in the middle of explaining Eclipsers to Tony, who nodded.

“I see. They fear the eclipse will upset the paranormal equilibrium, and they believe Carson’s strength will tip the balance in favor of the Weres,” Tony summarized, then turned to Eliza. “How strong is Carson, in your opinion?”

She spread her hands. “As strong as I’ve ever known. Calling water at six months old?”

“I agree. To me, he seems much stronger than a full moon Were as a full is to a half moon.”

Full moon, waxing moon, half moon, waning moon, crescent moon. What was Carson, then? What were the people always going on about these days, the supermoon? Yeah. A supermoon. Whatever that was. I closed my eyes and wondered how I would handle him as he grew.

“Have they talked about containing his powers?”

My eyes flew open at Tony’s question. “What do you mean? Eliza? What does he mean?”

“Calm down, Julie. No, Tony, not yet.”

“Not yet what? What does he mean ‘containing his powers’?” I said. Once again, the Weres kept something from me.

“Julie, remember before Dave’s trial, I said the council could strip him of his powers instead of killing him?”

“The council could strip Carson’s powers?” I jumped out of my chair and only realized I yelled when Eliza stood to face me.

“The council could strip his powers—temporarily—until he’s older, until he can control himself better. They could reverse the process when he’s older. Probably. But no one’s talked about that yet. At least, I don’t think they have. So just calm down, Julie.”

“Probably? You mean they might not give his powers back. He’s done nothing wrong. He’s not a threat to anyone. He’s just a baby.”

Tony cut in. “He is just a baby—a baby who can call water and turn into a wolf. Who knows what power he’ll demonstrate next? I’m concerned for his own safety.”

I turned on him in fury, then lost my voice as he stood up and took half a step toward me. He held out one hand in my direction. “Julie,” he said and I realized it was the first time he said my name. “I just asked the question. I wasn’t recommending a course of action. No one’s tried to do this—to temporarily strip someone’s powers—for generations. The council wouldn’t risk it unless they were sure of re-investing his powers when he’s closer to maturity. Unless, he posed a real threat to his own safety.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets and felt the adrenaline melt away.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

I took my seat and picked up my tea, now rather cold, but the drink gave me something to focus on.

Eliza watched me. I gave her a half-smile and a shrug, then retreated behind my mug.

“On another note, I didn’t have a chance to tell you about my conversation with the master,” said Newt. I shot him a thankful look. He smiled back at me, with his freckles gleaming like copper. “I need to stay here and hunt the Eclipsers. I won’t be able to go to Portland with you. I hope you’ll give Sheila my best, though?”

I nodded. Eliza frowned, then slowly said, “That makes sense, I suppose, although the Eclipsers may follow us north.”

“In that case, I’ll be right behind them and I’ll meet you there. The master’s worried others will join the two Eclipsers we know about—the two still alive—so he’s sending reinforcements of our own. They’ll be here on Friday.”

I had to do some mental calculations before I realized today was Wednesday. Two days ’til we could expect the other Salamanders.

“Great.” Eliza lengthened the word into two syllables and rolled her eyes. “More Salamanders, just what we need.”

Newt flashed her a grin, hearing the joking tone behind the words—words once filled with disgust.

“Well,” he said, mock-modestly, “they won’t all be as strong as I am, but I’m sure they’ll do their best.”

I snorted.

Tony followed our exchanges with a frown and I wondered if it was hard for him to catch all the interpersonal dynamics, after living so long as a wolf.

My cell phone rang and I jumped to rummage in my purse for it.

“Tim,” I said, after swiping the screen. “Hello? How is she?”

Tim’s voice sounded weary—a token of utter exhaustion, since I knew he usually achieved an even-keel demeanor no matter what the circumstances. I heard ambient noises behind him: someone talking, a beeping sound, the rattle of what was probably a cart moving down the hospital hall. I closed my eyes and listened to feel closer to Sheila.

“She’s doing better. She’s stable and on a lot of painkillers. Hopefully tomorrow, she’ll be more of her normal self and able to talk to you. The facilities here are pretty amazing—top notch.”

“What about Tessa White? She’s there?”

“Yes, she was waiting for us when we arrived.”

“Can she heal her?” I held my breath after asking the question.

“Not exactly.” There was an odd catch in Tim’s throat and he cleared his voice before continuing. “Tessa can’t heal the injuries completely—witchcraft is more subtle than that—but she says she can aid the natural process and prevent Sheila’s hand from losing normal function.”

I fought against the wave of disappointment that passed through me. Finally, I said, “Well, that’s good, anyway.”

“Yes. It is.” He paused slightly before continuing. “It’s quite good. There are a lot of burn patients here and—from what I’ve seen…if Tessa can prevent some of the deep scarring and help the doctors, that will be—huge.”

I held the phone so tightly my hand hurt, so I forced my fingers to loosen. I rubbed my forehead. Tim continued to talk, explaining Sheila would be in the burn center for at least three weeks and he planned to stay in Portland. He called the council to explain what happened and they granted him leave; Eliza should expect a call of her own soon to discuss the situation.

“Here, why don’t you tell Eliza the details?” I said. “Um. Thanks for being there with her, Tim. We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Thanks for—I know she’s your best friend. So thanks.”

“Yeah, she is. But she’s your…” I couldn’t find the right word. “Um, okay, see you tomorrow.”

I handed the phone to Eliza.

“Hi, Tim,” she said. “Listen, before you tell me whatever it is about the pack council, I need to tell you: we made contact with Tony Blythe and he’s on our side.”

Tim said something sharp on the other end of the phone, but Eliza lifted a hand and interrupted him.

“No, I’m sure. He’s not in league with the Eclipsers. He heard about what happened with Dave and the story drew him here to see Carson. Julie too, I suppose.” Eliza listened to Tim for a minute. “Yes, I do believe him. Okay, now tell me about the council.”

I glanced sidelong at Tony and watched him under my lashes as Eliza finished her conversation.

To my side, Newt said in a low voice, “What did Tim say about Sheila?”

“Oh, sorry.” I forgot he didn’t have the Weres’ preternatural hearing. “She’s stable and he thinks the doctors are very competent. Tessa White is there to help—she can’t heal Sheila completely, but at least she can help speed the natural healing and make sure Sheila can use her hand normally. Keep the scarring under control.”

Newt nodded, mouth tight. He stood up and bounced on the balls of his feet for a minute, then rolled his shoulders.

I let out a deep breath. I’d been hoping Tessa would waltz in, cast a spell, and heal Sheila’s injuries completely, as if they never happened. Most of me hadn’t even grasped the enormity of her burns. When I thought about Sheila’s arm, about the red and black flesh, about the pain lines on her face, the images seemed unreal. I was grateful witchcraft could help at all, I really was. I told myself that several times.

A yawn caught me unexpectedly and I blinked, eyes watering.

Eliza snapped the phone shut, reached over, and squeezed my arm. “Me, too. We should get some sleep if we’re driving up to Portland tomorrow. It’s, what, a five-hour drive?”

“Four and a half,” I agreed. “Well, maybe longer with Carson.”

Tony stood up, uncoiling lithely from the chair. “I will stand watch,” he said. “That is, if you trust me.”

I shared a glance with Eliza and Newt, who waited for me to give the verdict.

I nodded at Tony. “Thank you,” I said and felt rewarded by his mouth curving in a smile. I swallowed hard and looked away, after realizing I stared at his mouth.

“Then tomorrow, while you two,” he gestured at me and Eliza, “go to Portland to be with the Witch, I will help the Salamander with the hunt.”

Tony stopped short. “But do you think—that is—before standing watch, may I take a shower?”

****

I curled up in bed next to Carson who breathed deeply as if never damaged from the smoke. Even my human lungs felt easier today, I noticed, as I took a few experimental breaths of my own. Exhaustion overwhelmed me, but my mind wouldn’t stop whirling. I thought about Sheila and Tim at the burn center, wondered if Tim would get any sleep tonight, if he’d be able to stay with Sheila, if they’d called her mom. I hadn’t thought to ask.

The shower started across the hall. I listened to the white-noise hiss of the water and wondered if it had been five years since Tony took a shower. Five years as a wolf. Five years without human contact. The water ran a long time, while I stared at my dark room, gradually lightening as the waxing moon rose. The bathroom door opened, and I smelled the escaping humid air waft under my door along with the scent of soap. I listened to footsteps down the stairs and across the floor beneath me. I envisioned Tony’s bare feet. Finally, I slept.