Harvest Hunting (18 page)

I cleared my throat. “Don’t sweat it. As long as you aren’t pulling a Jerry Springer on us, it’s all good.” Turning to Katrina, I said, “So, yes, I’m a two-faced werecat who’s half-Fae, half-human. I’m also a Death Maiden. It’s no wonder you sense other energy clinging to me.”

We settled back, the only sounds the rain pounding down on the roof and slashing against the windows. After a few moments, Nerissa let out a long sigh.

“We have some tricky questions for you, but trust me, we wouldn’t ask them if they weren’t important.”

“Whatever it is, it sounds serious,” Katrina said.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Lives depend on finding out the information we’re seeking. We don’t know if you can tell us anything, but we have to try all avenues.”

“All right, I’ll help you if I can. Please, ask what you need to.” She sat up straight, shoulders back, hands primly on her knees, eyes front forward on me.

“Have you ever heard of anything called Wolf Briar?”

Katrina immediately reacted. She blinked, then recoiled, and a look of distaste crossed her face. “Yes . . . yes, I have. It’s a hideous drug.”

I let out a long breath. “Have you heard of anyone in the area making it? We found a hotel room booby-trapped with it, and it knocked my sister—Camille, who’s a witch—on her ass. Lucky for me, I wasn’t in aim of the blast. We found one trap that had already been triggered, and we think it was used to kidnap a female, pregnant werewolf. Luke’s sister Amber, actually.”

“Oh, my Goddess.” Katrina made a small sound. Luke echoed it, and I wondered what it signified but didn’t have time to ask before Katrina looked up again, furious. “I can’t believe someone would do that to a pregnant female. Is she an Alpha Bitch?”

Luke shook his head. “No, she’s not. I can’t help but wonder if my brother-in-law did it. She left him, came up here from Arizona, and at first I thought that he followed her to take her back. But Wolf Briar . . . I don’t know if even Rice would be capable of using such a fucking rotten trick.”

“What Pack are they with? Is it the same one you were excommunicated from?” Katrina didn’t seem shy in the least.

Luke arched his eyebrows. “Have you ever heard of the Zone Red Wolves?”

Apparently Katrina had. “Great Mother, preserve you. You escaped alive from them? And you say your sister is married to one of the males?” He nodded, and she bit her lip. “I’m sorry, then. The Zone Reds . . . they hate our Pack, and we’ve been attacked by a few of their males over the years. We’re just lucky they live in Arizona, and we live up here.”

“Why would they hate you?” There was so much about Earthside Were politics that I was still learning. The Rainer Puma Pride—from which both Zachary and Nerissa hearkened—didn’t like me all that much because of my half-Fae heritage. They claimed I wasn’t true Were, and in a sense, they were right, but their righteous indignation rankled more than anything.

Luke clasped his hands between his knees. “The Olympic Wolf Pack is matrilineal in nature—one of the few werewolf Packs to be so. They’re run by a council of women, not men, and that goes against a long tradition among the lycanthrope clans, especially a heavily patriarchal clan like the Zone Reds. It’s almost considered heresy against the race.”

He quickly darted a look at Katrina. “Not that I agree with that mind-set—hell, I was kicked out for my inability to accept the authority of the Packmaster, especially when injustice ruled.”

She nodded. “You are no longer Zone Red material. That’s a compliment, in my book. But even so, back to your sister . . . the Zone Red wolves are as violent as they are stubborn, but you’re right. I don’t know if even
they
would be capable of using Wolf Briar.”

“If the Zone Red wolves are the worst of the lot, then maybe we’re not dealing with werewolves here. Maybe somebody else kidnapped Amber. But who, and why?” Nerissa stood. “Do you mind if I start some tea?”

Katrina blushed. “I’m so sorry—I should have offered. Go right ahead, Ness. I have a feeling your friends have more questions for me.”

“That we do.” I leaned back in my chair, smiling. I liked Katrina. She seemed with it and together. “So next questions: Have any werewolves, especially male, vanished without a trace over the past months? And do you know of any enemies to the werewolves in this area, besides the hate groups?”

And then it hit me: Exo Reed had said that the goblins and Tregarts were trying to abduct a couple of the beta werewolves. Had they been in on making the Wolf Briar? It was too late to find out, but I made a note to remember to tell the others about my suspicions.

Katrina crossed to the window, staring out at the blustering weather. The trees were whipping in the wind, the firs bending from the tops of their towering spires. Mama Earth was brewing up quite a storm.

“You know, now that I think about it, there might be a couple males missing. I go to the Supe Community meetings, and I met a couple of werewolves there about six months ago. We started getting together once every few weeks, for drinks, to shoot some pool—”

“You shoot pool?” Luke asked, his eyes lighting up.

She shrugged, tossing him a grin over her shoulder. “I may appear to be the local librarian, but that’s only for work. I ride a Harley, and I can run the table better than you ever dreamed, I’ll bet.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” he said, his eyes glinting.

“Maybe you’ll take me up on it someday,” she said, a curl of smile tipping her lips.

From where I was sitting, I could smell Luke. He was interested, all right. And by the lingering look she gave him, so was Katrina. Great! Nerissa and I could go into business as match-makers. But that didn’t help us with Amber.

“Anyway,” Katrina continued. “I’ve been hanging out with them for a while, but last time we met, three of the guys didn’t show. Doug Smith, Paulo Franco, and Saz Star Walker. Here, let me get you their phone numbers.”

As she opened her Rolodex and began jotting down notes, Nerissa returned, carrying a tray with tea, mugs, and a box of Oreos.

“Now we’re talking!” I snagged up three of the cookies and bit into one, the sweet, crumbly taste of chocolate and cream filling my mouth. I could live on cookies . . . if only Iris would let me.

“So here’s the information. I haven’t had a chance the past week or so to call them and see if everything’s all right. We normally don’t check in with each other on a regular basis. Casual buddies, nothing more.”

“Thanks,” I said, folding the paper and sticking it in my pocket. “So, do you know of any enemies the werewolves might have in this area? Maybe a sorcerer, or wizard or . . . someone of that sort?”

Katrina shook her head. “I’m sorry, I really mostly focus on my own Pack’s needs and concerns. We get enough flack from everybody else as it is, and not many werewolves in this area worry about
us
. I can tell you that for sure.”

We spent another few minutes making small talk and eating cookies, and then headed out. As we reached the car, Luke paused.

“I’ll be right back—I forgot something.” He jogged back to the house.

Nerissa and I climbed in and shut the doors against the slashing rain. “Ten to one he asks her on a date,” I said, grinning.

“Ten to one she says yes.” Nerissa snorted. A moment later, Luke was back and slid into the backseat, fastening his seat belt.

I glanced over my shoulder. “So, she agree to go out with you?”

A long, red blush crept up his cheeks, making him look totally adorable. He ducked his head. “That obvious, huh?”

“Ya think?” Nerissa chuckled. “So dish. Did she say yes?”

With a hiccup that sounded suspiciously like a giggle, Luke nodded. “Yeah, she’s going out with me. I can’t believe she said yes. Good god, I haven’t had a date in years, and I’m scared shitless.”

“You should be,” Nerissa said as I eased the car back down the street. “That girl’s gonna take you for one hell of a ride. Just jump on and grip tight.”

 

 

We stopped at the FH-CSI headquarters so I could call the potentially missing Weres. I could have used my cell, of course, but it seemed like a good idea to let Chase know about the possibility of other missing Weres. However, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen when we got there.

“Yugi, can we use a private room with a phone?”

He motioned me into one of the conference rooms. As I pulled out the piece of paper, Nerissa opened her purse.

“Coke? Candy? I see a couple vending machines out there, and I know you can’t stay away from the sweet stuff.” She waved a dollar bill in front of my face.

I pulled out my netbook—a recent purchase that I loved—and flipped it open, starting it up before I called the first number.

“Mean woman. You’re a
mean, mean
woman. I think I had enough cookies, actually.” I didn’t want to admit it, but I was on a sugar high from hell, and my body suddenly didn’t like the feeling. “Maybe just some sparkling water if they have it?”

She nodded and headed out the door. Luke pulled out his cell phone and moved to one side. I heard him mumble something and realized he was checking in at the bar. As he flipped it shut, I glanced at him, and he shrugged.

“Chrysandra says it’s going to be a heavy night, but they have things covered for now. I have a little time before I have to check in.”

“Good. Let me just start with Paulo here.” I punched in his number and waited. The phone rang three times, and then a woman answered.

“Hello, my name is Delilah D’Artigo, and I’m trying to get hold of Paulo Franco. Is he available?”

“Who the fuck are you? Are you having an affair with my Paulo? Because let me tell you something. I’m pregnant with his child, so just back off!” She punctuated her outburst with a sob and the sound of harsh tears.

“Wait—please, no. Nothing like that. I assure you, I haven’t even met Paulo before, but I needed to ask him some questions.” I scrambled to keep her from hanging up—and from believing the worst.

A couple of sobs and a gulp later, she said, “Are you sure? You sure you aren’t sniffing around my Paulo?”

“I’m positive. I promise you. This is in regards to a missing werewolf. I was just wondering if he’d heard anything through the grapevine.”

I decided it was better to play it safe than to ask why he hadn’t shown up to meet Katrina and the gang. On the off chance Katrina had been fooling around with him, I didn’t want to bring her name into the matter. But the woman on the phone saved me the trouble.

“Well, you can make that two missing werewolves. Paulo ain’t been home in almost three weeks. I don’t know where he is. He’s always been jumpy, and when he found out about the baby, he got skittish. But he’s going to marry me, and he promised he’d do right by me.” Her voice now flat, she sounded defeated and out of steam.

“What’s your name? I’d like to come talk to you. Maybe I can help track him down. I’m a private investigator.”

Bingo.
The promise of help seemed to do the trick.

“You mean it? You’d help me? I don’t have much money, but I’ll see what I can come up with—”

I caught a sudden image of a rundown apartment, a pregnant werewolf, and the metaphorical wolf at the door. “Don’t worry about it. As I said, I’m on the trail of another missing Were. I’ll see what I can find out for you, though I can’t promise anything.”

“Thanks,” she said, breathing softer. “My name’s Mary. Mary Mae Vegas. I’m Paulo’s fiancée.”

And with that, I had two missing werewolves on my list. I made an appointment to visit her the next day and took down her address. Then, sipping the water Nerissa bought me, I put in a call to Doug Smith and Saz Star Walker, but struck out. Nobody home. I asked Yugi to run their phone numbers through and get me addresses.

“Sure thing, Delilah. Anything to help out. Give me about ten minutes.”

While waiting, I meandered over to Chase’s office and stood there, my hand resting on the door molding as I stared through the slatted blinds behind the window. Normally, I’d wander in and leave him a note, but somehow, it now felt off-limits. I wasn’t his girlfriend anymore. He wasn’t my boyfriend. We were . . .
just friends
. Part of me wanted to cry as I stared at the glassed-in office.

“You okay?” Nerissa asked, slipping up behind me. She gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

“No, not really. Chase and I broke up. The Nectar of Life is having one hell of an effect on him, and he needs to find himself. It seems I’m in the way of him doing that.” A hint of bitterness tinged my voice, a bitterness I didn’t want to claim. “I understand what he needs to do. I really do . . . but it hurts.”

“Yeah, I guess it would. I’ve always been the one to do the breaking up, so I can’t really say I’ve been there. Except for Venus.” Her voice took on a wistful tone.

“Did you love him?” Venus the Moon Child was the Rainier Puma Pride’s shaman, and he was a wild man in more ways than one. But now he was under the protection of Queen Asteria and training as one of the Keraastar Knights, and the Pride was suffering with his absence, from what I’d been able to gather.

“Love him? It’s hard not to love Venus, but not romantically. No. But he was . . . he’s a powerful man. And power is attractive and addictive.” She let out a soft laugh. “But I’m happier now. Menolly and I fit together. And the men? They’re just for fun. They aren’t for keeps.”

I patted her hand. “I’m glad my sister found you. She needs you. More than she’d ever let on.”

And I needed someone, too, but as painful as the knowledge was, I knew it wasn’t Chase. I’d always love him, but now that we’d parted the sheets, I knew that
we
weren’t meant to be. Someone was out there, waiting for the right time to enter my life. And for some reason, the thought scared me spitless. Because as much as I loved Chase, I was beginning to realize I’d never been
in love
with him. I’d been in love with the idea of
being in love
.