The Lycan Society (The Flux Age Book 1) (13 page)

A fairly big man, Jack was able to muscle his way to the front of the crowd. He draped an arm over Yasmin’s shoulder, holding her close to him. She felt an inexplicable chill on the edge of her mind. The effect was disconcerting to say the least.

Not twenty yards away the lone figure was passing by. It shimmered in white, its clothes hanging from its frame in tattered rags. ‘It’ was probably the only apt description for the figure - Yasmin couldn’t determine any gender or indeed any human characteristics. It stood at least seven foot tall and seemed impossibly thin. The shimmering white light it generated made it difficult to pick out details, but Yasmin was certain the thing had a skeletal face.

But that wasn’t the worst thing about the creature. The way it moved made Yasmin’s skin crawl. It seemed to slide across the ground as if hovering less than an inch above it. Yasmin held on to Jack as tight as she could, wondering if the world was about to end. Once the dreadful figure had moved on, dragging the crowd with it, all she could do was look at Jack expectantly, hoping against hope he had some kind of explanation.

“Wight,” he muttered under his breath. “Come on, there’s not much we can do here.”

Jack took Yasmin in the opposite direction, hurrying along 5th Avenue. They passed several squad cars, no doubt alerted to the freak show.

Jack began talking quietly. It took Yasmin a moment to realize it was to someone else. The way he held his ear it was probably someone back at the lycan chapter house. He was describing what he’d seen in a grim voice.

The pair didn’t talk much on the way back to the chapter house. They didn’t need to - the spa rendezvous was worth a thousand words, enough to fill the night with the promise of something grand. Or so Yasmin hoped. She was content to huddle against Jack as they trod the immense foundation tunnel under the city. The crash of the ocean took on a more ominous tone at night.

Jack escorted Yasmin right to her room and kissed her on the cheek. It was a lingering kiss, full of care and affection. Then he was gone.

Yasmin lay herself down with a star burst of thoughts running through her head. Somehow her buzzing mind found its way to sleep.

Florence’s voice plucked her from sweet, dreamless sleep at dawn, but Yasmin could’ve sworn it was only five minutes later. She felt incredibly thick-headed, immediately feeling guilty for spending her first lycan night out on the town.

On the other hand, Florence looked just as seedy as she felt.

“Big night?” she asked her new mentor before Florence could ask the same question.

“You got me,” the redhead said with a sigh. “Damned barman has his claws in me.”

Yasmin chuckled, still riding a sweet high from the previous night.

“We have five minutes,” Florence reported sleepily. “The plane leaves within the hour.”

The werewolf left Yasmin to collect herself. She couldn’t help but smile as she began rummaging through her clothes. If
this
was what being a lycan was all about, life was about to get very interesting indeed.

New York, USA

FLORENCE GATHERED HER travel documents and submitted to customs, keeping Yasmin in her line of sight at all times.

Her head had only just stopped throbbing and her mouth wasn’t quite so dry. She silently cursed herself for letting that fucking barman seduce her yet again. She was almost thirty - surely at some point she should stop acting like a teenager? But even as she scolded herself she knew it wasn’t entirely fair. The fact was she wasn’t
like
most humans - she was a werewolf, with a werewolf’s needs and desires.

Not only did she
crave
the attentions she received last night, she knew the hangover wouldn’t last very long. By the time they reached Berlin she’d be very close to 100%. She almost felt guilty that she was able to party so hard and not suffer the same consequences humans did.

No, the real issue was her failure to lead by example. That arrogant Jack Foley had clearly spent the night with Yasmin last night - it showed in the dark pits under her eyes. It showed in her almost impossibly pale skin.

If Florence was going to be an effective mentor to the girl, she needed to set the right example. She also needed to keep her away from Jack Foley. Like many werewolves he was hopelessly narcissistic, the ravages of time warping his sense of loyalty and common decency.

Florence was sure that he would chew Yasmin up and spit her out. It was what he did with women. He justified it by claiming that he was only protecting them from long term pain. His favorite saying was that no one outlived a werewolf.

Of course, Florence usually had a thousand retorts ready, but she wasn’t exactly a monk herself. It always came back to a werewolf’s unusual needs. Perhaps there was no easy solution to the problem of human-werewolf relationships. Besides, now that the Flux had begun, things were about to get much more complicated.

Once she’d cleared customs, Florence sat with Yasmin, warning Foley away with her eyes. The brooding werewolf went and prowled the terminal with Paulie, Eddison and Max. She could tell the males were already preparing themselves for action. She couldn’t fault them for that. Things were liable to happen very quickly in Berlin.

While Yasmin sipped an apple juice, Florence checked the New York Times on her phone. She knew about the appearance of the wight in Times Square - Jack had briefed her on the way to the airport.

The newspaper had published the most dramatic photos taken by civilians on the scene. The wight certainly looked horrifying. The garish lights of Times Square seemed to drain the thing of color.

She wondered what Mother Aurora made of the incident. Apparently the wight had gone underground and had not been seen since.

One thing was certain - sightings such as this one were about to be far more commonplace. Not only that, but it was only a matter of time before someone was attacked and killed by a spirit creature. The world was filled with lunatics - when one of these types found some way to connect with their spirit animal, who knew what would happen?

Florence shivered inside. She’d gotten used to the idea that she would always have the edge on anyone that attacked her - unless they were another lycan. And now? Now all kinds of creatures would be emerging from the dark, each of them with varying strengths and weaknesses. There was a whole division of the New York Chapter devoted to the study of flux creatures as they appeared during the Dark Ages. A visit to the library might well be in order when she got back …

Florence’s thoughts were disturbed by a boarding announcement. She and Yasmin boarded the 767 and secured their seats, the werewolf making sure her young charge was safely window-side.

Berlin, Germany

The flight was smooth and without incident. Florence watched the news while Yasmin caught up on sleep. There was no update on the New York wight, but there were reports of a strange emergence from the Black Sea near Istanbul. Eyewitnesses swore they saw what appeared to be some kind of amphibious humanoid. Apparently it dived back into the water before it could be approached.

There were also vague reports of an immense creature in the foothills of the Himalayas near Lhasa, China. Florence took that story with a grain of salt - for every true story there were bound to be a hundred hoaxes. Switching off the news, she settled into a restful state, practicing an ancient form of mindful meditation. It was her way of staying alert without expending too much energy.

The plane descended through grey cloud to touch down at Berlin Schonefeld Airport. The werewolves and Yasmin took a private shuttle to the center of Berlin, where they checked in at the Chancellor Hotel. Yasmin was endearingly wide-eyed for the entire ride in, probably pinching herself at how quickly things were moving.

Florence made a mental note to monitor the girl’s state of mind. Already overwhelmed, the poor thing had yet to confront the diviner and learn her spirit beast. The best case scenario was for Yasmin to be confirmed as a lycan and for Herr X to be taken out without collateral damage.

Florence’s career as an operative for the Lycan Society was notable for its success. Until the unfortunate incident with Martin Halliday, she’d never seen a lycan badly injured, let alone killed. Things were different now. For starters, Herr X was bound to know of the Flux and would be hell bent on finding this diviner.

Florence was tempted to simply take the diviner back to New York. Identifying lycans would be so much easier with someone like that in the fold. And yet Mother Aurora had mentioned nothing about stealing the diviner away. It was probably against the Lycan Code of Honor. Anyone who joined to the Society had to do so of their own free will. Florence found some of these ‘honorable’ notions to be impractical and hopelessly out of date.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus on her immediate surroundings. The hotel was comfortable enough. She’d insisted on sharing a two bedroom suite with Yasmin, who didn’t seem to mind.
Good girl
. Despite her obvious infatuation with Jack, she showed a good awareness of the very real danger Berlin represented.

Florence had only just managed to stow her day luggage when there was a knock at the door. She knew who it would be. It seemed the Berlin Chapter was quite efficient. Sure enough, a male and female stood in the corridor. Florence could tell they were werewolves from the somewhat predatory way they stood, as if waiting to pounce. It was a subtle thing, but a helpful way of identifying fellow lycans.

The male extended his hand in greeting. “You must be Underwood,” he said simply. “I’m Adam.” He had a medium build and tight brown curly hair.

“Nightjar,” said the female. Her severe, close-cropped hair did little to detract from her pretty features.

Another female werewolf! Florence couldn’t hide her grin as she took Nightjar’s hand.

“Refreshing to meet another one,” she gushed a little too enthusiastically. “I get lonely in New York.”

Nightjar nodded in sympathy. “I know what you mean,” she said in low voice. “There are only three of us in Berlin.”

Florence liked the woman immediately. On the other hand, Adam seemed nervous, as if he couldn’t wait to leave.

“Come in,” she said quickly.

The Berlin werewolves refused a seat, but couldn’t hide their interest in Yasmin, who nodded shyly from her bedroom doorway.

“We’ve been tracking the diviner for days,” Adam said. “She’s currently at the Hotel Grand Ferdinand.”

Florence’s mind whirred into gear. “Which means she’s -”

“- probably in the hands of the Berlin Club,” Adam said.

Florence felt a surge of anger. She hated when males finished her sentences.

“We know that Herr X is in town,” offered Nightjar more softly. “Looks like both your targets have aligned.”

Florence considered the situation. It was no surprise that the diviner, if indeed she had that skill, would fall into the hands of the Berlin Club. Which meant that her presence at the Grand Ferdinand was an obvious trap.

“What does Mother Udaan suggest we do?” she asked Nightjar. The head of the Berlin Chapter was considered every bit as wise as Mother Aurora. If overly cautious.

“The Mother knows you are hellbent on destroying the Berlin Club,” Nightjar said with a hint of a smile. “Officially, she wants nothing to do with you.”

“And unofficially?” Florence asked hopefully.

“We are yours to command,” said Adam with a heavy trace of bitterness.

Florence nodded in satisfaction. “Then you’d better meet -”

Jack and his boys entered the suite on cue. They sauntered with the air of killing machines, sniffing at the Berlin operatives with obvious disdain. Florence had to admit they looked impressive in their attack gear. For missions such as this werewolves favored grey, skin-tight suits that expanded when the shift occurred. Not only did the suits offer superb camouflage in urban settings, but came with useful utility belts that allowed the storage of grappling hooks, hand weapons, battlefield salve and other useful items.

Florence went and changed into her suit while the others exchanged awkward introductions and bought each other up to speed. Yasmin hadn’t yet been allocated a suit, and would need to wear civilian clothes. Florence had a sinking feeling she would be forced to use her ward as bait.

Dressed and ready, she rejoined the werewolves.

“This is a tricky one,” Jack said curtly. “Herr X has laid the trap. Do we walk straight in?”

Florence steeled herself before responding. She instinctively knew what had to be done, but Jack wasn’t gonna like it one bit.

“Yasmin needs to meet with the diviner as planned,” she began tentatively. “Once that’s done we can assess our options in regards to Herr X.”

As expected, Jack grimaced and looked across at the platinum-haired girl.

“Florence is right,” Yasmin squeaked. “We’ve been given a chance to see this diviner and I think we should take it.”

“Florence would use you as bait,” Jack spat in disgust. “Don’t think for a minute she has your safety at heart.”

Florence’s anger spilled over. She stepped forward so she was close enough to feel Jack’s breath on her nose.