Among Wolves (17 page)

Charlie gestured to the sofa. "Have a
seat."

A moment later, JP's voice came through the
door. "Dinner's on the table, Charlie, Roman!"

"Okay, thanks, JP!" Charlie shouted back and
rubbed his face, feeling the sore skin around his mouth.

Roman appeared, dressed all in black; back
V-neck sweater, black slacks, black shoes…

He reached out to Phil who stood up when
Roman entered the room.

Roman's power was so evident, Charlie was in
awe of him.

Phil said, "Christ, you working out? Jesus,
Burk, are you a gym junkie or into 'roids?"

"I work out." Roman nodded to the paperwork.
"What have you got?"

Phil handed him a file. "Everything we could
find. Including the local sheriff's reports on the ritual
killings." Phil leaned closer and shook his head. "Christ, boys,
how rough is your sex? Jesus. You two punch each other for
fun?"

Roman ignored him.

Charlie blushed and said, "Uh, Roman, JP just
came by to tell us Connie's got supper on the table."

"Go. I'll be right there."

"Phil, you wanna join us?" Charlie put on his
coat.

"I'm good. Have to get back to the office."
Phil waved. "I'll be by here tomorrow. Watch over this brute." He
pointed to Roman. "He looks like a fucking wolf even without the
fur."

Charlie didn't answer, putting his hat on and
making for the door. "Don't be long," he said to Roman.

"I won't."

Charlie left the cabin and looked up at the
sky. The snow clouds were back and it felt as if it was going to be
another pure white winter landscape when they woke. He touched his
skin again and hoped no one got close enough to inspect the cuts
he'd had inflicted. He wished he had a list of excuses if someone
did.

The moment Charlie entered the house, Harley
went crazy barking at him. Suzie picked the crazy dog up and locked
him in a back room.

Charlie took off his hat and coat and met
Butch's gaze. They hadn't sat down for dinner yet. It was as if the
family were waiting for him and Roman. "Why don't y'all go on an'
eat. Agent Dean is here and he's talkin' to Roman at the
moment."

"All right." Vernon motioned to the table.
"Everyone, have a seat."

"Ya wanna beer, Charlie?" Butch held his up
and offered to get one for Charlie.

"Yeah. I do." Charlie washed his hands at the
kitchen sink, smelling the roast beef and fried potatoes.

Butch approached him, holding out the beer.
"You're all scratched up. That fucker show up when you tried to
nap?"

Charlie unscrewed the bottle top and checked
to see where everyone was. "Yeah. He did. Fucker got Roman
good."

"I need to stay with you. I need to." Butch
drank from the beer bottle and glanced at the family nervously.

"Roman turned crow and attacked the
beast."

"Was it wolf or man?"

"Wolf." Charlie noticed the group look at
them as they began passing the food around the table. "Come on."
Charlie sat down in an empty chair, one of three left vacant at the
table. Butch was on his left side, an empty chair for Roman on his
right.

"We should wait for Roman," Sherlane said,
handing off the potatoes.

"No. It's fine. I don't think he'd mind."
Charlie took the rolls and then placed one on Roman's dish before
giving it to Butch.

"Did ya get to nap?" Goat smiled as he spoke,
"…or…"

Charlie felt self-conscious and his cheeks
grew hot.

"Ya got beard burn." Goat laughed, pointing
to Charlie's face.

"Hal," Suzie, said, "Don't embarrass
Charlie.

"Too late." Charlie took a slice of the beef
to his plate.

Connie said, "Vernon, why don't you lead us
in prayer before anyone begins eating."

Everyone stopped serving and lowered their
heads.

Butch gave Charlie a worried glance and
Charlie returned it, keeping quiet. He wasn't into religion, but he
did respect Vernon's household.

Vernon said a quick, "Thank you, Lord, for
the food we are about to eat and the company of our loved ones,
amen."

"Amen," was muttered and everyone began to
eat.

Charlie tried not to 'wolf' the food down,
but not only was it fabulous, he was famished. "It's wonderful,
Connie. I sure do miss the meals here."

"Thank you, Charlie. We all miss you too."
She smiled sweetly. "Why didn't you invite Agent Dean to come join
us?"

"I did. He said he had to get back to work."
Charlie wiped his mouth with a red and green plaid cloth
napkin.

"Well, make sure we leave Roman some food,"
Connie said, "I know how you boys eat." She handed off a plate of
peas and carrots.

Charlie met Butch's worried gaze and tried
not to fret over the earlier events. They were here to get this
settled, one way or another.

~

Seated on the couch, Roman read over the
paperwork.

"You didn't answer my question," Phil said,
standing over him.

Roman ignored him and tried to get a picture
in his mind of how the Alpha white wolf fit in with these cult
members. It simply didn't add up.

"Agent Burk!"

Roman gave Phil a tired look. "You're not my
lead. Don't pull rank. Let me finish reading this."

"You have. You have turned into a fucking
animal again. That's why you're so interested in this shit now." He
crossed his arms.

Roman continued to read, flipping the
page.

"What am I supposed to do? Huh? I have to
tell our supervisors. I swear, Burk, you're a pain in the ass!"

"Me?" Roman looked up at him. "Oh, so sorry,
Dean, to be inconvenient to your boring life."

"Is Butch? Huh? Did you turn him as well as
Charlie?"

"No. Now shut up and let me read." Roman
refocused on the reports.

"My life's not boring," Phil muttered.

Roman tried to keep his concentration.

"These ritual killings," Phil asked, "Are
they from your kind? Do you know?"

"My kind?" Roman met Phil's eyes. "My kind?"
he asked loudly. Roman noticed Phil's gaze dart to Roman's shoulder
holster, lying where he had left it, near the sofa where Roman was
now sitting.

"You turn wolf on me and I will shoot you."
Phil pointed in warning.

"Don't piss me off then." Roman finished
reading the reports and tossed the paperwork on the coffee table.
"Are you going to help me, or do I have to do this on my own?"

"What can I do?" Phil sat beside him,
interlacing his fingers on his lap.

Roman took a huge leap of faith and confided
in his ex-ATF partner. "Someone located me and Charlie in
Nevada."

"Someone." Phil appeared deadly serious.

"Or some thing."

"What are we talking about?"

"I wish I knew." Roman ran his hand over his
hair and took a deep breath. "He showed up last Friday."

"What's its name?"

"I don't know. He's not human."

Phil cracked a smile, then as if he thought
about it, his smirk fell. "What is he?"

"He said he's an 'Alpha', like in wolf. And
he is. Phil, he changes into an enormous white timber wolf."

Phil opened his mouth in surprise but didn't
reply.

Roman added, "And in human form, he's a big
fucker, wears black, carries a fucking broadsword."

"A sword?"

Nodding, Roman said, "He looks like he's from
another time period. When he speaks, his voice is out of sync. And
yes, it's literally as fucked up as it sounds." Roman pointed to
his cracked lip. "He attacked me and Charlie right before you
showed up. I got this battling him off."

"Why didn't you shoot him? A sword? Totally
justified."

"I can't shoot him. He shifts from wolf to
man and passes through walls."

Suddenly Phil gave Roman a look of
skepticism. "You had me until that last line. And that's only
because I've seen you and Charlie as wolves. And you as a fucking
crow."

Roman held up his hand to stop the sarcasm he
knew was coming. "Are you in or out?"

"I'll ask again. What do you need me to
do?"

Roman thought about how to respond. Then he
sank in the sofa cushions and said, "Christ. I don't know." He
covered his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes in
exhaustion.

A touch to his shoulder brought Roman back
from his thoughts. Phil was gazing at him in sympathy. "We'll hunt
the fuckers down. I'll call Nick. Get him to give me
resources."

Roman felt a lump in his throat. "Thank
you."

"Don't thank me yet. I have no idea how to
hunt an alpha ghost from a different century." Phil stood and
checked his mobile phone. "My office is close by, my apartment is
closer. I can be here in ten minutes if you need me."

Roman walked him to the door. "I wish I had a
panic button to summon you. My paws are too big to dial."

Phil laughed and shook his head. "You stupid
asshole. Who told you to walk into that fucking room back at the
deserted factory?"

"You did." Roman cupped the nape of Phil's
neck affectionately, shaking him.

"Don't you dare kiss me." Phil leaned
away.

"Why? Tempted?"

"No!" Phil nudged him back. "And if you bite
me, I
will
shoot you. I don't want what you and Charlie
have. Believe me."

"I won't bite you." Roman tried to keep his
sense of humor. "Tomorrow morning Charlie and I are going to check
out the spot where the killings are taking place."

Phil nodded. "I read the report. Same area as
two years back."

"Yes."

"You want me here?"

"I want an army, but having you will
help."

"You find out who is doing this, and I will
get you an army."

Roman felt his emotions tug. Friends like
Phil were hard to come by. He cupped Phil's cheeks and pecked his
lips.

"Roman…" Phil warned. "No bromance shit. Ya
got it?"

"Got it." Roman laughed and walked Phil to
his car, feeling the icy air instantly.

"Keep a cool head." Phil used his key fob to
unlock his SUV, an ATF vehicle with exempt license plates and a
dashboard red and blue light. "I know what happens when you get
mad. You're worse than the Hulk."

Roman gave Phil a playful punch in the arm.
"See ya in the morning."

"Try and sleep. We'll fix this." After
sitting behind the wheel, Phil started the engine, and drove
off.

Roman stepped back and waved, heading to the
ranch house. He glanced at the tail lights fading away, driving
down the lane behind the sparkling white lights around the trees.
He noticed a shadow lurking. His smile dropped and he entered the
house quickly, seeing everyone seated in the dining room around the
table.

"'bout time!" JP yelled, holding up a glass
of wine, possibly drunk.

"Roman." Vernon stood. "Come on. We saved
some food for ya."

Roman smelled the meat and his mouth watered.
He sat at the table beside Charlie and everyone passed him a
platter at once. Roman laughed and said, "Love you guys," as he
took a slice of the meat.

"Back at ya." Butch winked.

Roman caught Sherlane's suspicious gaze and
didn't react, helping himself to the food as everyone laughed and
seemed to be enjoying themselves, the wine, and the beer.

He felt Charlie's hand on his thigh and
looked at him.

"You all right?" Charlie asked.

"I'm fine." Roman handed off the platter of
meat and took the potatoes as Goat enjoyed a second helping. "I'll
fill you in later."

Charlie nodded and put his arm on the back of
Roman's chair, affectionately brushing against him.

Roman began eating and moaned. "Oh, Connie.
So good."

Butch laughed. "Don't lick the plate!"

JP roared with laughter and Roman gave Butch
a reproving eye. "I may." He smiled and tried to pretend this was a
normal family gathering. But he knew…it was anything but.

Charlie was full, tired, and needed to lie
down. After the meal they had all relocated to the living room,
where Connie had set out the desserts and coffee.

Roman had eaten a large amount of the roast
beef, and appeared calm and social, but Charlie knew his man. Roman
was keeping a lid on his fury, his frustration, and tight-lipped on
the information they had.

Butch, holding a bottle of beer, was standing
beside the enormous sparkling evergreen tree, as Sherlane did her
best to entice him into a romance. JP and Goat had Roman locked in
a conversation. If Charlie tried he could listen to it, but he
chose not to. He yawned and checked the time. It was only nine.

"You tired, Charlie?" Connie touched his
sleeve, always maternal over her boys.

"I am. And that meal has put me into a food
coma." He smiled sweetly at her.

She looked at the group in the living room
and said, "Tell me honest, Charlie."

Charlie's smile faded.

"Harley senses it. You two still change. Am I
right?"

Looking into her brown eyes, her hair cut
short, going gray, a pleasant roundness to her cheeks and form,
Charlie didn't know what to say. "I think he can still sense it.
That's all."

Connie appeared to not believe him.

"What do you want me to say, Connie?"

"The truth."

Charlie glanced back to see where Vernon was
in the room. He was sitting in his recliner, dozing. Roman,
however, had zeroed in on his and Connie's conversation.

He didn't need to read minds to get what
Roman was communicating. Charlie said to Connie, "Everythin' will
be jus' fine. Don't you worry."

She gave him a look of impatience in return,
as if he had answered her suspicions correctly, and walked away,
picking up empty coffee cups, and clearing the dessert plates.

Charlie approached Roman. When JP and Goat
realized they had lost Roman's attention, they stopped chatting and
stared at Charlie.

"I'm beat, Roman. I'm headed to rest."
Charlie reached for his hat.