Dark Veil (8 page)

Malcom pulled out a folded map and laid it out open on the table. The locations of where the bodies had been found had been marked with red crosses. “See here?” Malcolm pointed to a spot at the top of the map. “Inverness. This is where the first body was found. The Society there didn’t bother so much; they were just strays in their eyes. Then the next one moves down a bit, still Scotland, but just before the border.” He ran his finger from one point to the next. “Then this one—Cumbria.”

Cade grabbed a pencil from the pot in the middle of the table and indicated to the map. “May I?” 

Malcolm gave a curt nod. “Of course.”

Cade added red crosses to six more locations on the map, then pointed to one. “The one here was found dumped in an alleyway. Same thing ... homeless, tattoo behind the ear.” He moved onto the next cross, and then the next, giving details about each incident. Each and every one had been a vagrant, each marked behind the ear. “Then we have this one, tonight.”

Malcolm stood looking down at where Cade was pointing on the map, his expression pensive with each new bit of information.

“When did the one in Cumbria happen?” Stephen asked him.

“It was August—late August.”

“So that is just before the first one we have,” Cade said contemplatively. “The one before tonight’s was three weeks ago ...”

“That means this dump was recent,” Stephen mused.

“Exactly.” Cade frowned. “Did we have a high tide recently?”

“I don’t know.” Stephen glanced down at the map, his mind looking for links. “Five bodies are a lot for the area. They get killed, and whoever it is moves on.”

“Chances are they have moved on again then,” added Cade.

Stephen took the pencil from Cade and drew around the Manchester area. “Here,” he said and then drew around Liverpool. “And here. One is left, one is right. They're the two major places if we’re looking for Society areas.”

Malcolm studied the map in a long silence and then nodded slowly in agreement. “I think you’re right. So far, these bodies have turned up near Societies. There is a little one in Lancaster, but that’s part of this one mostly.” He glanced at Stephen and then Cade. “I need you to both go scope these areas. One each. Cade, you go to Liverpool,” he pointed at Stephen, “and you take Manchester. I’ll call their alphas and let them know you are coming. This stays under wraps. You speak to the alphas only. I want to know if there are more. If this is something
Human
…”

“We can't let them know we know,” Stephen agreed.

“We can't give them a head start. I’ll make arrangements for you to stay somewhere.”

“And Phoenix?” Cade asked Malcolm. “I can't leave him home alone, and I can't leave him with my father. Trevor would …”

“Take him with you,” Malcolm cut him off.

“He’s just a kid,” Stephen protested. “Maybe we can take Gemma, too? She can look after him.”

Cade shot Stephen a look of
What the fuck
… but Stephen ignored him.

“Fine. Gemma goes, too. The four of you leave tomorrow first thing. Get your animals focused. I’ll make the arrangements.”

There was nothing else to discuss. Malcolm left the room, leaving Cade and Stephen staring after him. They said nothing to each other as they emerged from the room and out into the hallway. A sound from the stairs had Cade’s head whirling around, his heart thudding fiercely in his chest as his eyes fell on Gemma standing there.

After a minute, Stephen rested his hand on Cade’s shoulder. “I’ll see you out.” This wasn’t the place for the shit they needed to talk about.

Once outside, Cade turned to Stephen. “What was that all about?”

Stephen raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“Us all going.”

“Well, you are in an impossible situation, and how could you leave without being noticed? Take it as fate offering you a hand. Now you can both leave your homes. They expect us to be gone a while. You’ve just been handed a head start. Now you have to decide if you want to take it. Just make the right decision.”

Stephen left Cade at his car debating his words. He didn’t have a clue whether Cade would grab the opportunity or not, but he hoped to hell that his logic would make the right choice and not lead them onto a path that got them killed.

Chapter Nine

Gemma leaned against the window, staring at Cade as he stood outside talking to her brother. He didn’t look her way at all, absorbed in whatever it was they were talking about. She pressed her palm against the cool glass and felt the prickle of tears behind her eyes. He didn’t even glance back at the house as he walked away. Maybe he had decided he wanted nothing more to do with her. Maybe he really was that upset with her. Her heart was so heavy in her chest that it made it hard to breathe.

Days had gone by and she hadn't seen nor heard from him. It wasn’t like him—not at all. It was against the
wolf,
too. She thought his
wolf
would have been clawing at the walls to get here … but apparently not. It left her feeling unsettled inside. She had thought that he would never leave her, that it would never be over between them—it couldn’t be—yet, as he took each step farther away from her, her crying heart began to wonder.

She ran a hand over her flat stomach. Their unborn child was growing inside her every day, and she was alone. This wasn’t how she had imagined it would be when she had a baby. It was meant to be a magical time, not one that made her scared not only for her life, but for Cade’s and the baby’s, too.

Gemma cracked the window open slightly so that she could listen to them, but they were too far away to hear anything above a muffled sound. She tried to lean in closer, but she only caught words here and there—nothing that she could make any sense of. Stephen saw Cade to his car and then he stood at the foot of the driveway to watch him drive off. Longing tugged inside Gemma as she watched the glow of the red lights slowly vanish in the dark of the night. Cade was going back to his home and his life, and it seemed she was a part of neither. He had seen her, yet he had left.

She slumped onto her bed and hugged herself for comfort. Her
tiger
pushed inside, asking for release. She hadn't shifted in days—not since she had found out that she was pregnant—but her
tiger
grew more demanding with each passing night. Gemma lay on her side, curling her feet up on the bed and closing her eyes. Nothing mattered. Not even running. Her
tiger
could very well burst through, but she didn’t care in that moment. She lay with her hand resting on her stomach. It was still flat and she couldn’t feel the life growing inside her yet, but she knew that it was there. Her skin hummed with the new life, a strange calmness to it—some kind of peace within. Maybe all expectant mothers felt this way. She wished she could ask her own mother, or even share these moments with her. Even that had been stolen from her—from both of them. Emily had borne three children. Gemma sighed and let her eyes close, hoping that sleep would take her and give her some peace. She didn’t wish to be awake anymore. But just as sleep reached for her, there was a light knock on her bedroom door before it opened, jolting her from her limbo.

“Gem?” Stephen entered without invitation or answer and closed the door behind him. There was no need to turn the light on—they were both
tiger
, their eyesight perfect in the dark.

“He’s gone home?” she whispered.

“Yes.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair off her face, his gentle touch soothing. It was more than she deserved, but she needed this connection, the warmth that he was offering.

“I've fucked everything up, haven’t I?”

Stephen’s lips curled into a small smile. “A little bit, but life is boring without the shit we throw into it.” He slid further back onto the bed so that Gemma had to move her legs to avoid getting them crushed. He patted the side of the bed next to him and motioned for her to join him. She sat up and shuffled over with her blankets, wrapping them around herself as he placed and arm around her and she nestled against his chest.

He must have been for a run. He smelt of the earth, a scent that she craved, one that called to her inside. She closed her eyes and made herself push past it, but her skin prickled, her
tiger
agitated.

“He’s not going anywhere, you know.”

“He didn’t even say hi.”

Stephen pulled her in tighter against him, making her feel safe for a moment—safe from the outside world at least. “He doesn’t want to fight.” Stephen shifted to get comfortable, but didn’t let Gemma go. “Are you really going to let him get mated to one of those woman?”

“What choice do I have?” she said miserably. She had thought through every possibility at least a hundred times. Her mind was tired, none of the damn scenarios seeming to end in any kind of happy ever after. Most of them ended with her or Cade, or both of them, dead, and that wasn’t something she was willing to risk. “If I get rid of the baby, then there is no threat. Everything would be how it was.”

Stephen slid down a little so that he could face his sister. He stroked her cheek with warm fingers. “If you get rid of the baby, Cade will never forgive you … and maybe neither will you.  Can you really do it? Could you let someone kill your child?”

No. No, she couldn’t. She knew it, Stephen knew it, and maybe deep down inside, Cade knew it, too. She closed her eyes and rubbed down her arms. The itch bubbled just under the surface of her skin, all the stress of everything making it feel a hundred times worse.

“Are you okay?” asked Stephen, frowning. “And I don’t mean all of this shit, I mean physically.”

She bit down on her lip and nodded. “What was he here for? Cade, I mean.”

Stephen hesitated, concern etching his features. When Gemma waited patiently, he said, “I found a girl today. She was dead … probably murdered.” Gemma’s breathing grew shallow, as if she was struggling to breathe. Stephen scowled at her. “Are you sure nothing is wrong?”

“I’m okay,” she whispered. “Tell me about the girl.”

He paused before reluctantly continuing. “I was running near the Estuary and I spotted her in the water. Some fucker had weighted her down, but the tide must have gone out and I saw her. I had to call it in ... got the DSA down there.”

“Cade is working on it?”

“Yeah. He got called out.”

Gemma sat up slowly, crossing her legs as she did. Her mind swam with everything, her
tiger
very close to the edge. One wrong move from anyone and she was going to snap. The
tiger
just needed the nod. “Was it someone important?” she asked. Not that she cared so much right then, but it helped to focus her mind.

“Just a stray.”

Gemma opened her eyes and frowned. “I don’t understand. Why did Cade need to come here if it was just a stray?” She rubbed up and down her arms again, the itch seeming to spread upwards. No matter how much she scratched, she couldn’t quite get rid of it.

She could feel Stephen watching her, but she couldn’t stop scratching. The itch inside just got deeper and more intense. “She was body number five.” He eyed her suspiciously. “They all have tattoos on them, so they are linked in some way. We needed to tell Dad that.”

“What do you mean?” Gemma started scratching at her legs, her nails digging deep into the flesh of her thighs.

Stephen pushed himself up. “Gem, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She scratched and then let out a growl of frustration as the itch moved again. It was all over her, like tiny ants under her skin. She leapt from the bed, panting.

Stephen sat up at her sudden movements. “Gem?”

Her eyes were shifting—she could feel it. The world began to change in her vision, the colours blurring into one, like looking out through a kaleidoscope. The sounds around her became nothing more than a muffle. She backed away, almost losing her balance and falling over. 

Stephen was off the bed in a heartbeat. Gemma saw him as a fuzzy silhouette as he rushed to her, blinking to try to clear her vision. She vaguely felt hands as they gripped her arms, Stephen’s voice coming from far away. Sharp canines dug into her bottom lip as her body started to transform of its own volition.

“No,” she whimpered. Pushing her tiger back down, she fought the change. She dug her nails into her palms until the pain started to give her some grasp on reality and helped her focus long enough so that she could take the helm from her tiger. Gemma opened her eyes and found herself crumpled onto the floor with Stephen kneeling down in front of her calling her name.

“Gem, what’s going on?” She tried to talk, but her mouth refused to form the words that lay jumbled in her mind. Stephen narrowed his eyes at her. “When did you last shift? The truth.”

“I don’t know,” she managed breathlessly, the effort to keep her
tiger
back a tremendous struggle. The
tiger
wanted out and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Maybe the shift makes me lose the baby …”

“Shit, Gem.” Stephen pulled her up and tilted her head up so that he could look at her. She stared back at him through eyes that were still
tiger
. “You’ve been holding back? Since you found out?”

“I don’t want to risk it ...”

“And you tell me that you are unsure whether you want this baby. I think it is pretty obvious right now just how much you do. You need to shift, tabby cat,” he said affectionately. “You know you do or your
tiger
is going to make you, and then what? You could lose the baby then for sure.”

“I can’t …” her voice trailed off in a pathetic whimper.

“You can.” He slid his arms under her knees and around her waist, and with no effort at all, picked her up and carried her out of the room. The land at the back of the estate their parents owned was a mass of trees and fields—perfect for running. Stephen carried her away from the house, determination in his every step. Gemma was thankful their parents hadn't heard anything and come out to investigate. When they were far enough away, Stephen set her down carefully. “You need to shift, Gemma.”

She leaned against the fence that surrounded the grounds and nodded. “I know, but …”

“There are no
buts
. You need to do this.”

She stared at him with desperation in her eyes. “What if something bad happens?” She was being illogical, she knew that. Women shifted with babies inside them all the time and nothing happened to them. But what if life was waiting to punish her and take away the gift she had been given because she had been debating abortion.

“What’s going to happen when your
tiger
is feeling so caged that she bursts out without you being able to stop her? You’ll be lucky to survive yourself then.” His jaw set into a grim line. “You need to shift.”

“Are you sure? Do you promise?” she whispered.

“Do you think that Mum didn’t shift when she was pregnant with us? She’s never lost a baby, and she is wife of the alpha. She’d have shifted a whole lot, you know that.”

“I wish I could ask her.” Pain pierced her heart with that thought. She was missing that bonding moment.

Stephen nodded. “I know, but maybe we have to trust nature this time. If you weren’t meant to shift while pregnant, your
tiger
would stay back, right?”

“She’s been the opposite—like she wants out more than anything.”

“See? There can't be any harm to it, because she wouldn’t do that. Your body is made for it. I’m right here ... let your
tiger
free.”

She hesitated, still scratching and gouging her prickling flesh. “Will you shift with me?” she asked, suddenly feeling panic rising in her chest. He’d shifted earlier so he’d have no need for it now, but she needed him there with her. The prospect of running out in the dark alone filled her with dread. She wanted him there, by her side. Maybe if he was with her, nothing bad could happen to the baby. His presence was powerful and made her feel secure. He’d keep them both safe. “Please, Stephen?”

He ran his knuckles down her cheek, a tender brotherly caress. “Okay. Give me a minute, tabby.”

She could have sobbed in relief, even though she knew he’d not have refused her. Stephen would give his life for the people he loved—and that was a very few.  He piled his clothes with hers, thick, roped muscle moving fluidly under smooth skin, the tattoo that ran down his arm and back more like intricate shadows that had always been part of him rather than something he had chosen to mark his body with.

“Ready?”

It took Gemma a few minutes before she was able to see her
tiger
, the apprehension in her mind an obstacle that wouldn’t let her focus. She breathed in deeply and tried to centre herself. She had to tear down the protective walls she had built around her
tiger
and let her out. Stephen was right there—she was safe.

The shift came slowly at first, seeping in slowly. The bones in her hands began to move and realign, her claws and teeth gradually emerging. The feel of her ascending
tiger
was comforting, a friend she had been missing, and she welcomed her.

Please keep the baby safe,
she begged her tiger.
Don’t hurt it.
An almighty growl ripped through her in answer, sending shivers along her spine. When she opened her eyes, it was to look out through those of her
tiger
.