Shepherd's Moon (36 page)

They all stared at me like I had sprouted a second head.

“What?” I asked defensively. “Two of my tutors were twins. I was curious, so I asked.”

It’s a common misconception that twins are identical in every way. As it turns out, the chemical markers that attach to the genes can influence everything from personality to disease. I explained this to them as quickly as I could, but from the looks I was getting, they either didn’t trust my response or didn’t want to think a female who never had a formal education could know so much about DNA.

Victor cleared his throat. “Assuming that is true, I’m not sure how it applies. According to you, neither of the strays were similar in coloring or behavior — even the way they carried themselves was different.

“Another misconception about twins,” Caleb said softly. “Coloring and behavior can vary as much as behavior.”

I waited, hesitant to even bring up the next point. I didn’t want to sound like a lunatic, but I wasn’t sure there was a way around it. In the end, I decided the cloning theory could wait. Telling them now would only cloud their judgment on the rest of the situation. I leaned back in the chair and tapped the pen I held nervously on the conference table. “I’m not even sure we’re dealing with real animals,” I lifted my eyes to the screen and waited for a reaction. When I saw none, I continued. “I wasn’t able to read them. At all.”

Caleb grunted. “Explain.”

I shrugged. “Just that… I couldn’t access their thoughts. It’s like they were mind blind or something. I’ve never run across it before.”

All fell silent on the call, and I could suddenly hear my own breathing. Caleb was the first to break the silence. “Has anyone else run across anything like this?”

They shook their heads.

“If this is true, we could be dealing with something we haven’t seen before,” Vic said quietly, echoing everyone’s thoughts. “You’re certain there’s no other explanation that would account for your inability to read these creatures?” He leaned in closer to the monitors. “I have to be honest, Alex. The extent of your injuries is disturbing. Have you sustained any injury that could be interfering with your abilities?”

I choked back a laugh. “My injuries are a
result
of my inability to read these animals. They got a hold of me before I felt them coming.” I shook my head. “I won’t deny that I haven’t been getting as much sleep these days, but it’s nothing that would interfere with my ability to read animals.”

I watched as a series of mixed emotions ghosted over their faces. On one hand, the Council’s ongoing fear was that I would one day become more powerful than they. Whether this was due to being a female, which these Shepherds believed would make me far more sensitive to animals, or something else entirely — I didn’t know. On the other hand, a Shepherd — even one as unproven as myself — doesn’t just wake up one morning and lose their ability to read animals. And assuming that this happened to me, it may easily happen to them.

“To clarify, you can still read other animals?” Victor asked quietly.

I nodded. “Better than ever.”

“We need to follow up with this.” Caleb made a note on the paper in front of him — something I should have been doing.
Damn it…

“Alex, I want you to make this your priority. Determine whether these are isolated incidents or if it extends beyond these strays. You say that this —” he checked his notes, “this ‘Daniel’ is still in your home?” When I nodded, he continued on. “Focus on him. Pay particular attention to any other animals within his proximity. And be sure your pack is on alert for unusual behavior.”

That wouldn’t be hard. My pack didn’t trust Daniel as far as they could throw him. But that was another fact the Council didn’t need to know about. “Does this mean I have approval for access to the ELO?”

“Were the cats scanned for chips?” Adolfo asked.

“No,” I answered. “We don’t have a working scanner at the house.”

“I’ll have one shipped to you in the morning,” Caleb said, making a note on his paper, presumably to remind him later. “For now, let’s wait on the access to the database.” He glanced up at the other Council members who nodded in agreement. “I’m not sure the information will assist you in your investigation, and access is not something we grant lightly. If you make no progress, we can revisit the topic at a later date.”

Later
could very well be far too late, but I held my angry response.

“Let’s move along to the subject of your injured jaguar.” He motioned to the cubs lying next to me, and shook his head in sympathy. “These are the cubs?”

I nodded and placed a hand in Tau’s scruff as he looked up at me made a soft chuffing noise, before placing his head back on my knee.

“How badly is the mother injured?”

“We’re not sure,” I said gravely. “The doctor is with her now.”

“And what of the vampire you opened your home too?” Victor cut in, scanning over the notes on his desk.

I wish I knew, I thought. But out loud, I said, “Bren has been away today.”

“It would be most beneficial if he could offer the ailing mother his blood.”

Adolfo made a low noise in his voice that was partially a growl. “I have never heard of a Shepherd who considers either a vampire or human being as a member of their pack.”

I met his dark eyes, challenging him. “Well, now you have.” Anger curled through me and I moved my hand from the cub to clench my fists.
Deep breaths,
I thought before turning my attention to Caleb.

“Since Modnik is injured and Bren is missing, I may be in need of additional assistance. Once we begin the investigation, I’ll have even more people who are unavailable, and strays are turning up faster than we can bring them down.”

“Of course,” Vic nodded. “I can spare two enforcers. I’ll have Jeffrey and Mark make preparations immediately.” They were two of his best, and I smiled gratefully.

“Things are quiet here,” Caleb smiled. “I have two that I can send down as well, Alex.”

Adolfo leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I have already sent several down to the South to regulate a border issue, and my territory can’t bear the loss of another.”

I’ll bet,
I thought, although I was secretly relieved. It was far more likely that he had them in my territory at this very moment, sniffing around for some kind of weakness in my region. And even I had to admit that such a weakness would not be difficult to find these days. It wouldn’t be the first time he had tried to take over our territory, and I suspected it wouldn’t be the last. While he had no idea that I knew about his covert attempt to get me eliminated from the Council, I wisely kept my thoughts to myself this time.

It would be best to just move on. And the next bit of news I wasn’t at all anxious to deliver to the Council.

“There’s one more thing,” I said in a hesitant, quiet voice as the Council glanced towards me. Even now I wasn’t sure this was the best move, but under the circumstances, I needed to let them know what was happening. I took a deep breath and released the news we all feared.

“We believe that Diego Jiménez is back…”

Startled, Victor’s chin jerked up and he stared directly into the webcam. “I think you hit your head harder than you thought, Alex. Didn’t you put him down last year?”

“That was the general consensus. But he’s back. In a way, at least,” I amended. Since they wouldn’t grant me access to the ELO, I needed to at least make them aware of my suspicions. “I think if you’ll check the ELO, the DNA testing will confirm that they are matches to Diego. So either someone is using his DNA to create shifters, or he has a bunch of
mini-me’s
running around,” I hesitated. “Obviously, neither scenario is good.”

Adolfo scoffed and all eyes turned to his on the screen. “This is preposterous.”

And this Shepherd is beginning to get on my nerves,
I thought.

I exhaled slowly and met his eyes. “No one hates this scenario more than I. But DNA doesn’t lie, Adolfo.”

The Council glanced at one another, each on individual monitors in different parts of the country. It reminded me of the introduction to the Brady Bunch TV show, and I tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

“What do you find humorous about this?” Adolfo asked.

Heaving a sigh, I placed my head in my hands. “There’s not one single thing that is humorous about this situation, Adolfo. However, I have been up chasing rogue cougars for the last three days. I’ve come very close to losing two members of my pack, nearly orphaning two kittens in the process, and I can’t seem to locate my Enforcer’s brother. I’m frustrated, I’m tired, and I can’t seem to get my fellow Council members to take me seriously. So forgive me if I’m a little out of sorts.”

They stared at me quietly until Caleb finally spoke up. “Alex. Of course we understand the anxiety, and if cloning is actually occurring, it’s a problem that affects us all.” He glanced at the other Shepherds who nodded their heads in agreement. “Given this new information, I believe our next step is to grant access to the ELO. Perhaps the microarray chips will help us discover the truth.”

Every preternatural creature we had ever taken into custody was imbedded with a microchip that fed information to a supercomputer, the location of which, only a few key members of the Council knew. The chips acted as tracking devices, similar to the one I was forced to wear. While I didn’t agree with the practice, I understood the logic. Repeat offenders could be easily apprehended, and the information gathered from the chips was priceless when it came to the science of shifting.

But, that didn’t help me now. I was growing irritated with the formalities of the meeting. I needed a plan of action, not just data. Tau lifted his head and lazily placed a paw over my sore leg. I hoped he didn’t forget himself and extend those claws. Just to be on the safe side, I gently lifted his paw and scooted it to the side as I stroked his soft fur. “I just think we need to get a plan of action together.”

Adolfo spoke first. “Alejandra, we cannot simply take action. There is research to be done. Protocols to follow. I’m sure you understand.” The tone of his voice made it clear he didn’t think I understood at all.

“What I understand is that you guys would rather sit around and wait for something to happen. I don’t work that way. We’ve already lost several people to these… things … and we will lose more. If you are all too cowardly to do anything more than follow protocol, I’ll move forward on my own.”

Tau was awake now, picking up on my anger as he yawned, then tipped his head to one side and stared curiously at me. Pasha shrunk against her brother, feeling the tension that raged through me. I forced myself to take a deep breath and relax. I needed to calm down. The cubs were too young to even be around a meeting like this, and now I was angry with myself for agreeing to let them stay in the room. My judgment was obviously not at its best today.

Victor was frowning now, and Adolfo was positively enraged. “I will not be addressed in this manner by this woman—”

Caleb interrupted him before he could say something he would regret, and for that I was grateful.

“Now Adolfo,” he said, holding up a hand, “we don’t want to upset the cubs, and Alex makes a point. Something must be done, and it will be done. However, as Adolfo has suggested — there are processes that have been in place for well over two thousand years and we will not ignore them.”

I clamped my mouth shut. Now was not the time to push my luck with the Council. I was on thin ice as it was and not everyone appreciated my sharp tongue or my rash way of handling business.

Satisfied that I would remain silent, Caleb continued. “Obviously this situation is more complex than we were led to believe. Alexandra, I assume you have some kind of plan?”

Well, I wouldn’t call it a
plan
exactly…

I nodded. “I do have several opportunities we’re exploring and I would request approval to work on expanding them.

For the first time in my life, I waited in silence, hoping things would go my way. I couldn’t help but feel proud that I was finally demonstrating some grown up restraint. While they really couldn’t stop me from taking any type of action, the Council could make my life, and the lives of my pack, a living hell if I went against them.

The hint of a smile crossed his face before he regained a stern countenance as he addressed the other council members. “I thought as much. I, for one, vote on allowing her the freedom to see it through.”

Victor was the first to speak, which surprised me. “I agree with Caleb.”

Adolfo stared at the men over the monitors, anger in his eyes. With the other two Shepherds on board, he wouldn’t have much choice but to agree. After a long pause, he hissed.

“I want full reports on all actions.”

“Agreed,” I stated. It was better than nothing, and we needed to move quickly.

“Good,” Caleb said. “To summarize, Victor and I will be sending enforcers to your territory. You can expect them within the next twelve hours. We will allow you temporary access to the ELO for the purpose of obtaining information about Diego Jimenez. I emphasize that you will be kept on a tight leash, Alex.”