Black Wolf (15 page)

Sonja regarded
him measuringly for a heartbeat or two, then spun away to get back
to work. Kevin decided to take that as meaning she believed him:
not a given with everyone in Haven, but a reasonably safe bet in
this case.

He had no
doubt, though, that she and Nick would be keeping surreptitious
watch in this direction. Nor that Tomas, who owned the Brewery and
had been Kevin's teacher in magic, would be watching as well,
though the reason would probably differ. Nor that others in sight
would keep a wary eye out for any hint of anger. Haven remembered
what he'd just as soon forget.

Rebecca leaned
back in her chair, apparently completely relaxed. "So. How's your
foundling doing?"

"In another
couple of months he may be able to come to Haven unshielded without
pain. He doesn't remember any of it, luckily. Which means we can
take our time explaining about Haven without throwing him into
shock. Are you happy that Gisela and I barely managed to save his
life? And that he may have permanent damage that will never heal?"
Although I did the worst of the damage, really. Once again, she
got me to hurt someone who didn't deserve it.

She shrugged.
"He's nothing special. His whole lifestyle appears to be built
around breaking laws and avoiding being caught for it. I was
curious about him when I found out he was still alive, and asked
Duayne to see what else he could find out for me. Would you like to
know?"

"No. Anything
Jesse wants us to know he'll tell us himself."

"What if he's
a threat to your coven?"

"In what way?
He wouldn't deliberately..." He caught himself mid-sentence.

"Wouldn't
he?"

"No. He
wouldn't. I won't say he doesn't have the potential to turn into a
control freak, if and when he knows what he can do, but he'll have
Bane and Eva to teach him. With any luck, he won't end up insecure
and messed up like some wolves I know."

The low rumble
that came from deep in her throat didn't sound like threat, more
like annoyance; despite it, she smiled, showing pointed canines
that were barely longer than their neighbours. "You're so cute when
you say rude things to try to keep me at arm's length. Like a puppy
growling and showing his milk teeth." She took a delicate sip of
her drink as Sonja set it on the table; her eyes, two-tone like
most wolves, velvet blue with a tawny starburst around the pupil,
never left his.

"Maybe I say
rude things because they're what you deserve."

"You didn't
used to think that."

"No, and at
that point, I was also pleased with myself for beating Flynn up.
He's forgiven me for that but I haven't and possibly never will.
So, y'know, it's a whole way of looking at the world that I think
I'm better off without."

"What a waste.
A phoenix in a wicker cage playing at being a canary, and careful
every instant to keep the cage intact. All for the sake of jealous
pigeons and sparrows."

"It's better
than being the hawk that preys on them." He'd heard her use
variants of the analogy many times, and it was never comfortable;
it struck too close to his own feelings at moments. "Isn't it
lonely, Becky? With no one to trust or love or share with? No one
as an equal, only rivals and subordinates?"

"I had an
equal once. You left."

"You didn't
want a partner. You didn't want me. You wanted the strongest mage
in Haven who was still young enough to be manipulated. Not
Kevin
."

"You're so
sure of that."

He looked
away, disturbed by the intensity of her gaze. No, where she was
concerned, he was never entirely certain of anything and never
could be again. All he could do was pretend he had steady ground to
stand on, though. "I'm sure of your mind-games. Rebecca, it's over.
It has been over for something like two years, which is a lot
longer than it even lasted. What I'd like is for you to live your
life and stay out of mine, and leave Jesse alone. That's all I ask.
I really think you should leave before Deanna comes."

Rebecca shoved
back her chair abruptly and got to her feet, the growl much deeper
now and her eyes narrowing, hands curling into claws.

"Have it your
way. Have fun with your new pet. If you end up being sorry you ever
let him in your house, it'll be your own fault." She took a swallow
of her drink, left it there half-empty, and departed.

He heard
Deanna's cheerful greetings to Nick and a handful of other friends
before Sonja could take the glass; her smile vanished instantly,
muscles tightening visibly across her shoulders. "Rebecca's been
here."

"Been and
gone," Kevin said wearily. "And I think I've lost my appetite."

"Come on,
then. We can have supper some other night. Let's go home." Her hand
on his shoulder spoke worlds of sympathy and understanding, to him.
"Don't pay any attention to whatever lies she was weaving this
time. Rebecca always lies."

* * *

"You and
Deanna came in awfully early last night," Bane commented, matching
strides with Kevin easily as they walked down the country road.
"Weren't you going out for supper?"

"Rebecca found
me, first, while I was waiting."

Bane winced
sympathetically. "That would ruin my appetite, too. That explains
why you've been so down all day when I've seen you around classes.
Let it go, Kev."

"It isn't that
easy," Kevin said shortly. "Even knowing her as well as I do, some
of what she said I can't get out of my head."

"Tell me?"

"Just...
nothing."

"About
Jesse?"

"I'd rather
not. You're already not sure you want him here."

"You think I'd
chase him off because of something Rebecca said? Please, phoenix.
Give me some credit."

Kevin was
quiet for a time. "She said Jess is a threat, that he's broken a
lot of laws, and we'll regret letting him in the house."

"We agreed
already, what Jess does outside of Haven is his own, only what he
does here matters. As unsure of him as I am, I can see the sense in
that." He laughed. "Until the day he decides he wants my place as
alpha wolf, anyway."

"I thought you
didn't believe he'd ever be able to shapechange."

"I don't, but
with Flynn and Gisela both so insistent, I pretty much have to
concede the possibility that I might be wrong. And, honestly, for
his sake I'm beginning to hope that I am. I'll give him that, that
his behaviour on his second visit was a vast improvement over the
way he acted when he first came. He might be worth the effort after
all."

Peace for a
time, simply enjoying the company and the winter road.

Somewhere, a
wolf howled, and was immediately answered by other voices, at first
from the same direction, then from farther away. Bane took a deep
breath, and added his voice to the mix. Kevin listened, faintly
amused, but appreciating the wild beauty of the song. At least once
or twice a week this happened, and no wolf who could possibly join
in ever stayed silent; given that there were over a hundred
werewolves in Haven, it could become quite a chorus. The density
did cause stresses that some wolves coped with better than others,
but those who could said there were good parts to it. Like
this.

Bane had told
him once it was to mark their territory and warn the predators to
stay away; Kevin suspected that while that might be true, they
actually did it mostly for fun.

A strand at a
time, it faded away, down to a couple of voices, then one, then
silence.

"Aren't you
supposed to do that at full moons?" Kevin teased.

"Aren't you
supposed to wear green and live under a hill?" Bane retorted.

"Good hills
are getting scarce these days, and I'm an elf, not Robin Hood."

Still teasing
each other, they resumed their interrupted walk homeward, and Kevin
stopped thinking about Rebecca. Mostly.

The
Quicksilver Sphynx

Miscellanea, January 1994

Nick 'Winter

Sorry about neglecting
my duties last month, but anyone who knows me probably expected it.
Once a year, every year, despite all Liam's best efforts I get
sick... but I do it well!

Kisa 'Natesa is
pregnant and due with our newest wolf in June. As far as I know no
one in Coven Natesa could be the father, but if you open that up to
Covens Prism and Blackrose and their associated solitaries as well,
that offers by my count four possible fathers—biologically, since
the whole bunch, regardless of sex, are acting like it's theirs.
Whichever it is, congratulations!

Trista 'Merrymoon is
popular! We got so many positive comments that we begged,
blackmailed, and bribed her into doing a whole series for us on
smith-magic and related subjects. Tentatively, that should give us
articles for anywhere from the next three to six months, depending
on continued interest.

Re: my challenge about
Alessandria Kore-Tremayne and a seventh child: no dice, kids. An
early-twentieth-century book retelling the legend doesn't cut it. I
said
proof
. As in real, irrefutable (well,
not easily refutable, at least), solid facts. Stop bugging me with
stuff that isn't even convincing Liam—and he half believes the
story anyway!

There are a few things
planned publicly for Brigid, but so far it looks like most people
are planning on more private or small-scale celebrations.

Solomon's Seal has in
the new batch of never-before-seen (or, in a couple of cases, at
least not-in-Canada-seen) books, thanks to our very own publishers
in my hometown Ravenrock BC. There's a comparison and analysis and
evaluation of various astrological systems, which includes a rather
interesting breakdown by race and gift. One's on alchemy as a
modern spiritual roadmap, with emphasis on the elements as witches
experience them. There's a collection of short stories, including
one by Flynn 'Sundark, and one that I think I'm going to have to
buy for my favourite kitchen witch Deanna if her coven doesn't beat
me to it, on suggestions for improvisation and substitution of
tools, materials, and just about anything else.

The Winter Fair is
coming up, the 29th and 30th, at the Community Hall. There's still
time to get in on it, if you haven't yet! We're talking everything:
quilts, dolls, food, hand-made clothes, stuff that's knitted and
crocheted and hand-woven, carvings, jewellery, you name it and I
bet you'll find it there. Liam can do the most wonderful things
with a simple hand-loom, he'll be there, and Flynn 'Sundark and
Glynis 'Artemisia will both be doing card readings, and Lori
'Dandelion will be there with her crystal jewellery.

Historical notes: the
Fair has been going on for forty-nine years, the last weekend of
January every year (the Summer Fair is as old as Haven).
Twenty-eight years ago was the last confirmed report of
demon-summoning and blood-magic in Haven. I don't mean the kind
where you maybe use a few drops to bind a spell, I'm talking
serious bodily harm or death to feed demons. All of Haven turned on
the seer-mage-wolf team convicted of it; the mage and seer were
stripped of their gifts and had other controls put in place, and
justice was served on the wolf by the other wolves—I'll spare you
the gory details. To get away from the morbid subject, Victoria
Phoebe Dominique, Morgan's wife and the healer of Coven Starluck,
was born in 1761 on the 14th. Nathaniel Lioren, noted artist and
Adept, was born in 1913 on the 5th.

That's all for this
month! Enjoy Brigid, and for those who don't like winter, don't
despair... we're past the longest night, days will get longer
now.

10

Jess kept pace
with Shaine, catching him up on street gossip he'd collected that
morning. Shaine only half-listened, more intent on not slipping in
the icy mass of slush that covered the sidewalk and was now
beginning to freeze as the temperature dropped. The sky, flat grey
all day, was now merely a darker and more yellowish shade, lit from
streetlights below rather than sun above; Shaine sent a silent
entreaty to the clouds to just snow or go away, and not spend yet
another day hovering low over the city, but they paid no attention
at all.

Not that they
really had any reason to do anything but ignore him, now.

For another
month, the rent had been paid, and he could make sure Jess had a
safe and tolerably warm place to sleep. Now they needed food to
fill the empty shelves in his tiny kitchen, and though the grocery
store they were headed for was a bit of a hike, it was the cheapest
one in walking distance.

It helped,
that instead of spending whatever money he could make on drugs,
Jess was now helping with the rent and groceries and other
necessities. Jess' wide dark eyes and charming smile were a
definite advantage when he was out panhandling, and Shaine
encouraged him to stick with that and opportunistic shoplifting.
Sex for money meant nothing to Shaine, but he knew Jess too well to
believe his young friend could do the same, and Jess' soul was
already in enough shreds. And Shaine's other, safer ways of making
some extra cash weren't something Jesse could do—even if Shaine had
any intention of explaining, which he didn't.