Daughter of Anat (4 page)

Calum went after a really big one.  The wolf.  It took some major guts and I appreciated the gesture, but he’s a Hunter, not a robot.  He can still get hurt.  Then out of nowhere, Calum jumps on top of the giant almost seven foot Werewolf that I had yet to know who is.

Why were they attacking us?  And who is attacking
who?

I saw a woman running frantically into the clearing from the path that leads to where our vehicles were parked.  She ducked under the brush after seeing the situation making me guess she was a
Were, since nothing else fit.

I took off towards Calum intending to stake the beast with my knife to his knees hoping it would incapacitate him enough for Calum to back up, but no—Calum had to go for seconds.  I plunged my #2 into his kneecap and watched him flinch as Calum slid down him like a playground slide.  Now Calum was huge compared to the many months ago when I met him, but not like this guy.  A hand ripped me back making my butt thud to the ground.  As a black steel-toed boot entered my peripheral, I jumped up knowing the assailant would be sharing my space and try to stop my violation.  I doubled around and gutted the
Were hating it all the while.  Why would Cord’s people attack us?

Looking back at Calum still pounding away at Frankenstein Were Giant boy, I couldn
’t help but be a little disguarded by the fact that Calum was too often needlessly off task.  He chased the fight, not the better good.  I would have to remember that in the time of grave danger.

Oh, since this is not.

A scream let out of the female variety and all heads fell in that direction.  A Were woman, in her forties I’m guessing, lay bleeding on the ground with her arms sliced up and her face covered in blood.  Beside her, a Vampire stood dripping crimson frost and making the face of one who was about to flee.

Oh great, a setback.

We were supposed to be taking Borgon out, not making more havoc among our own. 

Scanning the battlefield, I noted that the majority of the Weres were falling back and slowly making a perimeter circle barrier to keep him from escaping.  They probably didn
’t know he was a rogue and was most definitely not with us. 

I eyed the red furred wolf and sensed he was still on my side.  We both stepped into the heat of it being weary of Mr. Bloody Hellraiser.  The Vamp wiped his chin on the sleeve of his filthy black t-shirt and singled a look just for me.  All in a matter of five seconds flat, the Vamp flew towards me, was intercepted by a Valkyrie swordsman, a rock hard Hunter, a teeth baring Were, and the leader of his own kind.  All I knew was he was dead when the tornado of bodies finally cleared, in pieces rather than just dead.  I
’d never seen anything like it.

As if everyone had the same thought, a collective silence continued until I stepped forward making a split second decision to let Cord lead this little bru-ha-ha, but he wasn
’t budging.  I didn’t think about the fact that he couldn’t talk in animal form.  The things I didn’t know about my world and I called myself intelligent.

Covertly eyeing the guys before Szar silently announced that they needed to step back and let me take the lead, I pushed forth the confidence I needed to portray for this particular crowd.  It seemed to me that, for the most part, I was just an actress in an endless
story book where the author forgot to make me this fabulously brave heroine.  I only hoped I could come as close as possible.

Cord read me fast enough he headed my way stepping over Vampire parts.  His huge head looked at Cas and then jumped four feet in the air behind the trees.  Mostly hidden.  Cas threw something into the trees and then a mostly naked Cord came strutting out.  He stepped up too close giving too much of an intimate appearance in our acutely obvious past acquaintance stage of friendship.  I allowed it simply because it sent a better message than a possible enemy causing trouble.

“I can see your mind is at work,” Cord murmured without feeling and complete for the first time without expression.

“Borgon was never here, was he?”

Cord nodded a no.

“Can we apologize and explain the mix-up or will they listen?”

“They will do as I say,” he growled his true colors shining through.  “I neglected to mention that they were attacking only a Vampire and I guessed a stray Were, not the camp."

“We tell them we were given false
intel and see if they have information. If the camp was abandoned by you or your predecessor, then I’d like to look around and see that it has remained so.  It will be easy to see evidence of anyone staying here unnoticed.”

Anyone else would have missed his nod as he turned from me, waved a hand at Cas to join him, and headed towards the closing in
Were warriors in ready-to-fight-again mode.  I followed close behind remaining the mediator in waiting.

Cord seeme
d to just stare for a while at the tall, red haired guy with a snarly attitude then said in a growl, “Angus.”  He was the red furred Were who won the stand-off, I was sure.  He glowered before bowing his head at Cord and took a step back.  The others around him did the same.  Cord turned to Cas and told him the pack understood that this was an isolated incident with a rogue Vampire who Cas vowed to investigate immediately as to why he would be in an abandoned Were camp.  The Were who challenged us was with the Vamp and not part of their groups and no one knew who he was. 

I sure wanted to know both answers. 

Cord gave the okay for us to “look around”.

There was not one ounce of evidence that a single soul had been near the camp in months, maybe years.  Cord had texted on the way that it had been abandoned since before he became leader.  Yet, we arrived to find a rogue Vamp, rogue Were, and two female Were
’s in it hiding.  The situation seemed kind of obvious to me, but no one wanted to admit what we thought they were doing here.  For all I knew, they were outlaws who found love.  But he wouldn’t have killed the girl if he loved her.  I didn’t get it.

One of the guys found a pile of needles hidden in the floor.  Drugs.  For now, that
’s all we had.

And for the time being, we would give this up and question the source.  I made sure that that interrogation belonged to me.

Chapter Five

Most of the change we think we see in life is due to...

The
favor
.

Lee answered my text and agreed to meet me at the warehouse.  Alone.

I arrived early to have my weapons ready, though I needed none of the ones that were inside the giant room where we practiced for the onset I had planned. 

He didn
’t knock.

I was seated facing out at the table where we snacked and hung out often at the corner of the room where the fridge sat.  Two water bottles sat across from each other with sweat dripping down the sides of each with summer standing on
our doorsteps. It was just cold days ago.

He shuffled in heavy steel-toed boots surveying the room noting with a bemused expression that we were alone and immediately his hunched up shoulders appraised he knew I was up to something.  His hands were on his belt like he might draw a weapon.  Mr. Prepared for Attack didn
’t trust me.   Things had changed.

First, I never drove alone. So this was a first for me.  Second, I
’d never interrogated someone and Lee seemed the easiest to make my first. Third, not even Cas knew I was here.

“
I won’t pretend I’m your best friend, but I can see now that we can’t be enemies.  I know you tried to help us; I just want to believe deep down that it’s for a good cause and not personal gain.  You’re information was either bad, or you lied and want me dead.”

And I know he is one hundred percent selfish about what he wants when he wants it. 
Even when it was movie night years ago.  He always got the pick somehow.  So I always liked what he picked.  Who cares?  This wasn’t the movies.  When he lied to Calum on pizza night at Calum’s apartment room, I held it in.  He was a liar then.

A reserved tone in his voice, he sat rather slowly to my left and faced me instead of across where I
’d intended.  He bent a leg over the other jutting his huge knee out towards the doors while I crossed my feet and leaned back in the chair.  He’d become Hunter sized in every way and his rakish appearance told me he was adjusting well.  He was definitely easy on the eyes.  Were there any ugly guys in my life?

I
’m not complaining.

“I told you it
’s to keep you safe,” his jaw tightened.  Even his face was more angular, defined.  His slant-eyed look told me he wasn’t happy.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but it would set me back.  “And you know I
’m immortal with one exception.  Did you set us up?”

“
Immortal doesn’t make you invincible.  Not when a man has his whole life staked on taking you down.  He will not stop Anastacia.  Never.”

Devotion wasn
’t what that was.  I knew he meant it that way and it made me sad.  So maybe he was only ninety-nine percent selfish.  “You know, your loyalty seems obvious when I talk to you directly but I wonder sometimes if it’s because I can’t see past those eyes that were so trusting in the past.  You were the first boy to ever know me Lee.”  I meant most of this more than I’d planned as part of my ploy.  In my head, it had sounded insincere and rehearsed.  It was...in my head.  But it was halfway the truth.

“Was it a setup?”

“No.  I was misinformed on the camp being vacant and did not know the Vamp was housed there.  In the future, I will relay with caution.”

Wow!  He just admitted a whole bunch.  He really is a double agent.  He really has some inside because he already knew what we found. (
i.e. one of the good guys told him or he’s friends with the druggies—doubt that.)

“I want a favor.” 

His “aha” was present in the way he dropped his face.  “What?”

Gods, why did a man
’s voice deepen when he didn’t foresee what was coming next?

“I want you to find out if Borgon intends to just kill me or does he have other plans.”

Lee’s jaw tensed.  A painful look flashed across his eyes but left so fast I wasn’t sure if I’d seen what I thought.  “He intends to hurt you, experiment on you, torture, and worse.”

I
’m hard to kill, but if he takes my loved ones, it could very well kill me.  And you specifically think that I am still intact because of you?”

“Partly.”

“Did you send us on a wild goose chase today?  On purpose?”

“Yes.”

I reared my body back with the intention to strike him on impulse, but Lee’s now larger arm that was attached to the larger sized Hunter body, shot out and stopped me. 

“If I hadn
’t, you’d have been right where he wanted.”

I gritted my teeth getting angrier by the second, “And where was that?”

“At the real camp where he lies in precious wait for you as we speak.”

“And you saved me from that?” I seethed hating his continuous empty stare.

“He thinks you went after him based off information found in the bar you went to.”

Club, not a bar.

I wanted to ring his neck.  “You...you’ve been following me?”  I screamed in his face and not meaning to, inched closer.

He flipped me easily across the table, bear hugging me from behind and holding my arms down beside me.  How in the heck could he hold me?

“I know you too, Stace.  I know your moves.”

Ugh!

“I will protect you no matter what I do.  You may continue to think I am the bad guy, but in the end, I will not let him have you.”

The able girl that I am at reading emotion, I was convinced once more that Lee was genuine.

“Okay.  Will you let me go now?”

“If you intend to have a civilized conversation even if we do not agree with all each other has to say.”

Fair enough.  “Fine.”

“What is the other favor?”

“How do you know I have another?”

“Because you
’re still here.”

Okay.  That hurt.  I would try to make good and halfway believe some of what he says.  “I heard once the side talk of some Vamps or someone...oh, I don
’t know, in the said club...
not a bar
.  They said something about some plans the Elves had involving a silver Godslayer.  At the tail end of the conversation, they said my name.”  I didn’t mention the voodoo princess part.  It was too alarming and offensive.   

He cocked his head sideways.  “Done!”

That was easy.  My eyes softened, giving him an in I didn’t intend.  I couldn’t resist.  “You don’t know anything about this, do you?”

I
’m sure now my voice was accusing.

“
No, I do not.”

I checked over his emotional state.  He didn
’t appear to be lying.  I shrugged backward and told him, “Alright.  Text me if you find anything out.”

“Did anyone else hear this?”

I hesitated but answered with a no.  His chest rose in the air as if some type of pride hit him that he was the only one in the know.  No doubt, he wondered why I didn’t tell my “crew”.

My feet pivoted to leave hinting at the dismissal, but he had other ideas. 
             

“Are you going back to the club?”

I absolutely had no idea on his angle on this latest question so I left it open, “If the need arises.”

He nodded, held out a tentative hand in front of me, and looked down to my face.  I allowed him to further move his hand and let him half hug me.  He kissed my cheek.  I figured it was harmless.

He held onto my sleeve making me aware that if I moved, I’d tear my clothes.  He whispered in my ear, “I will protect you.”

After he left, I did.  I thought all the way back to the Cross Manor about what it all meant and why Lee
’s promises seemed true to me.  I think he was telling the truth.

I told Cas that my father heard from Lee what he said about the camp and even shared what he said Borgon
’s plan was in the long run, but I left out the favor he was doing for me.  If Cas knew I left, he didn't say.