Rose: Briar's Thorn (19 page)

I snorted when Snow flicked Rachel's nose with a finger and said, “Bad doggie.”

Parker cleared her throat and we all turned to her.  She looked embarrassed, then said,  “We don't seem to have enough room to haul everyone and Fluffy even if I ride on the two-wheeled death trap with Ella Marie.”

Ella looked wounded. “That's no way to be talking about my baby.”  Then she looked at her wrist at a make believe watch and said, “Besides, that problem should be rectified right about...  now.”

A black sedan pulled into the lot beside the borrowed police cruiser and a tinted back window lowered.  A smiling Helena asked the group, “Going my way ladies?”  I have to admit, I was getting to like the shyster.  My nose twitched and I looked down to see the werewolf lifting a back leg and peeing on Parker's foot.

The woman backpedaled, blurting out, “Come on Daria, I was just kidding with all that Fluffy stuff.  You know I love you.”  The wolf grinned and stuck its tongue out.  It was such a human thing to see on a wolf's face.

Helena screwed up her face as she looked at Parker's wet foot. “Let me rephrase, anyone but Parker need a ride?  You're not coming into my car with that foot.  I don't care if you are sleeping with my grandmother or not.”

Ella blurted out in her French accent, “Helena!  Ladies, we must be going, oui?”

The well-coiffed councilor chuckled and said, “Sorry Marie.”

Red looked at me.  “Do you want to stay behind Rose?”

Nicole answered for me with a mischievous smile, “As long as I am with her, she can't poison anyone.”

Parker smiled and said, “You look much healthier this morning, Rose.”

I nodded and smiled as I snuck some vines behind the four evil women who mocked me through the wall this morning and yanked their feet out from under them, then quickly called my vines back inside myself.  I gave them what I hoped was an innocent look.  I haven't been innocent in a long time.

They got back to their feet chuckling then we all spun at a man's voice saying, “Those two are of my line.”  We all had weapons and vines drawn and at the ready, I noted that with an effort of my will, the ends of the healthy green vines grew black, thorn-lined tips.

A familiar man with a chiseled jaw stood there with the Scales.  The man was well dressed and had an air of power and aloof danger to him, he shared similar features with his brothers.  Cristian Marcus!  His lips curled up in a snarl as he looked at Rachel and Amanda.  He started speaking in a tone full of immense compulsion power.  “Wolves...”

The next instant he was on his back with a huge wolf on top of him with her jaws at his throat.  His skin was sizzling and foaming everywhere it came in contact with her.  His eyes flung wide at the sight of her.  He made a twisting move almost too fast to follow and was rolling off to the side into a three-point stance, his throat bleeding freely.

He spoke at Daria, “Sit!”  She half sat, as did the rest of us, but she shook her head clear and then made a growling howl sound and the man staggered when an equally powerful wave of compulsion flooded over him.  He gasped and started forward when he realized we all had weapons pointed at him.

Wilhelm stepped in the middle of everything making calming gestures both ways.  He spoke to  Cristian, “They aren't your wolves anymore, they belong to the Avatars.  They believe you were threatening them.”

The Alpha glanced between them and Daria and pointed, “A werewolf by day!  With Alpha abilities!”

Jacob said, “She is not a werewolf.  She is something... new... unique... unexpected.”  He added, “That is Miss Daria McQueen.”

He looked at all of us then Daria, and the two cursed of our group and then said to Daria,  “I'm sorry.  I was only trying to pacify them.  Compel them to no harm.”

Gretta strode forward, her eyes glowing amber then white, on their way to red, her own voice held power as she said, “Nobody lays a compulsion on my pack.  No matter the intent.  Any compulsion is against a beings free will and it will gnaw at them and drive them slowly insane, not being able to exert their own will.  You will not do that to my mate nor my beta.”

He bowed his head as if he recognized Snow.  Did he know of Perchta?  He said, “My apologies.  I was trying to right a wrong.  Perhaps I need to rethink my approach.  I know of things forced upon you that you did not wish for and have no control of.”  He looked down at his self, palms up.  “I never wanted to be... this.  I need to fix my brother's wrongs.  I can feel my children across the globe, all one hundred and three.  I need to pacify them somehow.  Make amends for the curse that is upon them because of my blood.”

The Red Hood strode up to him, challenging him by looking directly into his eyes.  She absently wiggled her fingers at her side and Daria slid in beside her.  Mari's fingers digging deep into the wolf's pelt and scratching her.  Cristian averted his eyes first but covered it by looking at Daria.  “She's beautiful.”  Daria growled and he inclined his head to her and said, “You are beautiful Miss McQueen.”

Red inclined her head, “Yes, she is.”  Then she asked, “You are going to hunt down all of your line?  They are the last of the werewolves.”

He nodded and looked distracted as he examined Maireni intently, then said, “So you are the Red Hood.  I heard my brother's speak of you many times during my captivity.  They all feared you.  You were what they had tried to become when we all became afflicted with this monstrous curse.  Styche's final trick on them for daring to command him.  It was our due for daring to think we could control the Trickster of legend.”

Then he added, “You suffer none of the negative effects?”

She shook her head. “The wolf bleeds through at times.  I can't enjoy cooked meat as much as raw anymore.  I have to control my temper at all times.”

He looked around as we saw people arriving at many of the buildings, returning from the surrounding areas they had evacuated to.  He inclined his head again. “It appears they were right to fear you.”

She shook her head and looked around our group.  “I had a little help from my family here.”

Parker raised a hand timidly like she was in school and every eye swung to her as we started lowering weapons but not putting them away.  I still wanted to know where Nicole had drawn her blades from.

Parker asked, “What if you ask them?”  There was silence and she clarified, “You know, ask your wolves if they would agree to have you compel their inner wolf to do no harm instead of forcing it on them?  Then it would be their choice, of their own free will.”

Wilhelm cocked an eyebrow in appreciation. Then Cristian chuckled and said, “Because young miss, that would be too easy.” He teased.  Then he grew serious.  “That is a brilliant suggestion.  I had not considered that.”  Then he looked at the group.  “I had not considered that approach.”  Then he looked at the Scales who were nodding.  “What of the ones who do not agree.”

Wilhelm answered, “I'm sure in these modern times, if you work with the authorities in identifying each who declines, they can be put on a watch list.  Without an Alpha, it would be almost impossible for any ferals to rise to a global threat again.”

Jacob added in a dangerous tone, “Unless you decide to follow in your brother's ways.  Then I'm sure the Red Hood and the other Avatars would have no qualms with ending the lupus contagion curse altogether.”

Cristian narrowed his eyes, no Alpha likes to be challenged. “Is that a threat?”

Ella spoke up before anyone else could, she stepped forward, wiping her nose with her thumb and said, “Not a threat, a bloody promise.”

He looked her up and down and shook his head. “I saw you on the battlefield last night.  That's an impressive right cross you have.  You, I believe could carry through with the... promise.  And the Red Hood.”  He exhaled and said, “I never wanted to be the monster I am, and I give my word that I do not want what my brothers did.  If I cross the line, I welcome you ladies to put me out of my, and your, misery.”

Then he turned. “Now if you excuse me, there are one hundred and one of my children I must locate.”

The Scales followed.  Wilhelm winked back at us and Jacob called back, “There are dark things, new threats in motion, the Avatars need to be ever vigilant.”

We turned from the men when Parker asked, “One hundred and one?  I wonder if any of their wolves are dalmatians.”  They all shared a chuckle that Nikki and I didn't share in.  Parker grinned at our confusion.  “I'm going to have to have many movie marathon nights with you two to get you caught up on pop culture.”

We smiled at her then turned back to watch the Scales and the lone Alpha go, but the parking lot was empty.  I hated when they do that!  As one, we all muttered, “Fuckin' Grimm brothers!”

I paused as we started getting into the vehicles to go to what was sure to be a day or two of questioning by various local and federal authorities.  I could feel it.  There was evil in motion, dark things were moving to fill the power vacuum left by billions of werewolves and some of the most powerful magic users on the planet.  And Styche the Trickster was out there somewhere, hiding amongst that motion.

Nicole grasped my hand and laid her head on my shoulder as I stared toward Europe where I could feel the most movement but smiled as my vines slid me into the police cruiser beside Nicole.  Knowing that we Avatars will rise to the challenge.  My companions, sisters, wisters, thicker than blood... my family.

The End

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Chapter 1 – London!

I looked out the window of the old delivery truck as we arrived in London just an hour after leaving Dover.  Taking the Chunnel from Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in France to England was a new and exciting experience.  I thought cars just drove through the tunnel, but boy was I wrong.  You drive your vehicles onto these immensely long trains that are packed like cattle cars.  Then the train makes the passage under the English Channel.  I find I learn something new every day.

I fought my nerves down.  This was my final leg of my backpacking journey across Europe.  The time has just flown by like a hurricane after I packed up my standing bass and headed for the SeaTac Airport all those years ago.  I've paid my way through nineteen countries in five years with my street performances of fusion jazz and hooking up with jazz bands in need of a doghouse bass player.

I smirked to myself, well mostly paid my way.  I've had to get a bit creative on how I financed it.  That and crashing with whoever is willing to take on a starving artist for the night.  I did it, Uncle Slade, just like I promised.  I bit back a sudden surge of emotion and quickly wiped a tear away before the young man, who had left Paris with me less than six hours ago, could see.  Claude had picked me up there last night at the Blue Moon Jazz Club.

I have seen some amazing things in my travels, but London?  London was something else.  It has a rhythm of its own as we traveled the streets.  Like my music, it was a fusion of modern times and historical reverence.  I looked from Big Ben on the Thames to polished glass monoliths of buildings.  The people on the streets seemed a mishmash of cultures and all walks of life.

It reminded me a lot of Seattle, Chicago, or New York.  Well, anywhere Uncle Slade and I found ourselves as he toured the county's Jazz clubs with his old band.  It seemed that the best places for Jazz were the most diverse places.

My Uncle's dream was to one day travel to Europe and play in some of the most amazing cities in the world.  His health and caring for me sort of prevented that.  Something I'll always feel guilty about.  He always said that back in his prime, when he was famous and in demand, he should have taken the leap.  Then after my parent's accident, he took on the responsibility of raising a five-year-old girl.  He would often share that it was the most frightening thing in his life, to be responsible for another person, but he wouldn't have traded it for all the gold in Fort Knox.

After his funeral, when I was eighteen, I couldn't handle it.  I couldn't face the world.  I took Audrey and what little money I had saved up and ran.  Just left everything behind to do the one thing I always promised Uncle Slade.  I always told him I would play Europe for him.

The truck slowed and I looked around, Covent Garden.  London was my final stop before I rejoined the world and went home.  I almost scoffed at that.  Home?  Right.  Seattle is great, but my Uncle was home to me, and I didn't have him anymore.