Jack’s house looked only slightly less deserted this time around, mainly because of the shiny black Lexus sitting out front. The lustrous paint glinted off the filtering sunlight and contrasted sharply with what looked like brown leather interior. I noticed the engine was creaking, like it was still warm. I eyed it in much the same way I had Wes’s car.
“Whose car is that?” I asked.
“Miles. He’s a friend.”
“And a Werewolf?”
“No, he’s a Hunter.”
Wes led me to the front door and I waited while he knocked. Fee answered. Before she could even speak, my skin hummed and tingled. I pushed it aside as best I could.
She broke into an immediate smile when she spotted Wes and pulled him into a quick hug before stepping back to let us enter.
“Tara, I’m so glad you decided to join us today,” she told me, squeezing my hand. “Jack’s in the clearing, already building the fire with Miles. We’re going to have close to a full group today.” She seemed excited by the prospect. Meanwhile, I wondered exactly how many Werewolves made up a “full group.”
“I’ll go help him, then,” said Wes, already heading for the back door before I could object.
“Come on in, Tara,” said Fee, leading the way through a doorway opposite the living room.
I followed her and found myself in a wide, brightly lit kitchen that, again, contrasted sharply with the outside of the house. White marble countertops shone brightly against the light and spanned the room on three sides, broken up by stainless steel appliances that gleamed like new. In the center was a marble-topped island with three barstools. Fee stopped at the island and began stirring the contents of a bowl.
I followed and perched on one of the stools. “What are you making?” I asked, unsure if I really wanted to know but trying to make conversation. I mean, who knew what they served at Werewolf parties?
“Brownies,” she answered. “Listen, Tara, I’m really glad you decided to come today. Jack said he knew you would but I wasn’t so sure. And Wes, well, he didn’t think you should. But I’m glad you did.”
“Wes and I disagree on a lot of things,” I said.
Fee gave me a knowing look.
“Good for you. Have you had a chance to read through the Draven yet?”
“A little. Mostly the stuff about fighting. The history is kind of heavy,” I admitted.
“It is. But it might help you understand a little better what it is we’re doing here with The Cause.”
“From what I gather, it’s completely opposite of the current way of thinking, for both races,” I said.
She nodded. “It is. Which is why we have to work so hard to get people to listen.”
“How does it work?”
“Well, as for what will happen today, a meeting is probably the best way to describe it. Other Weres who we’ve partnered with will come and report on whatever assignment they’ve been working on. Any problems will be discussed and new assignments given.”
“Assignments for what?”
“For furthering The Cause.”
“What sort of things will be assigned?”
She stopped stirring and blinked at me. “Wes didn’t tell you much, did he?”
I thought about telling her what I knew, but I held back, wanting to see how her version would match up with the one Wes had given me. I shook my head, and she continued.
“I’ll give you the short version since that’s about all we have time for now.” She went back to stirring while she talked. “The Cause is made up of a group of volunteers, a mix of Werewolves and Hunters who work together toward a common goal. It’s been around for years, mostly underground to avoid violence by the opposition, and progress has been slow because of it. We keep our circle tight and are very selective about newcomers as a matter of safety, so you should feel honored that you’ve been invited to be included.”
“What’s the common goal?”
“To peacefully unite Hunters and Werewolves.”
“What’s so hard about that?”
“Our races have always been enemies, for longer than anyone can remember. Trust is not easy after so many centuries of war. On top of that, the opposition is big and loud and quick to stamp out our message. So it’s been difficult to change people’s minds, on either side. Our group has dwindled over the years but we’re hoping that changes soon.” She stopped, abruptly, and bit her lip, giving me the impression she thought she’d said too much.
“Why has the group dwindled?” I asked, wondering about the way she looked at me now.
Her expression lightened, and she looked almost relieved by my question. “I guess we never really recovered after that first attack. Times were different when Jack and I met. It was a time of open-mindedness, for both races. We got involved with a group that thought maybe there was a chance for peace and we pursued that possibility. We campaigned and traveled around, speaking out about it, hoping to make others realize the benefits of coming together. Our kind had been so close-minded and one way about the two races for so long, it was hard to convince people it could be different, it could be better.
“For a while, though, it looked like it might be possible. Our numbers grew and everyone seemed to be really listening to us. Then, word got out about the marriages.”
“Marriages?”
She gave me a wry smile. “You’ve never seen political scandal like that before, believe me. It was rocky at first but in the end, it made people listen even harder, and it made them think. The Council was formed and talk of a treaty began. Then the babies came and everything changed. The attack happened not long after. Most of the founding leaders of our group were killed and the rest scattered. All progress was lost.”
“I don’t understand. Why would marriage and babies make people so angry?”
“They were intermarriages. A Hunter and a Werewolf as husband and wife. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, until they had children. After that, people were scared and even more closed off than before to the idea of peace. Fear of the unknown does that.”
“So the babies were a mixed race?” I was starting to understand the reason for the controversy, though it seemed a little impossible to me.
“Yes. It scared people that we had no idea how they would turn out. And people don’t like change.”
“Did you know all of the leaders who were killed?”
Fee nodded and her eyes misted. Her smile was sad. “Some better than others, but yes, we were all good friends.”
I hesitated only briefly before my next question. I had a feeling it would give away my real reason for asking, but I was hoping she would answer, anyway. “Did you know a man named Sebastian St. John?”
Fee looked surprised by that. “Wes told you about his parents?”
“His … Oh, yeah.” I tried to recover quickly and not give myself away, but my shock made it hard. I swallowed. “He told me about him and Audrey being a part of the Council and then the attack happened.”
She looked at me with an odd expression. “Not just a part of the council. Sebastian was the leader, well, for the Hunter side, anyway. He started the whole movement, won a lot of people over, too, even after his marriage to Audrey. Her father was the alpha in the pack and after Sebastian won him over, it brought a lot more Weres to their side.”
“Yeah, he said that,” I mumbled, my mind still reeling and putting the facts together. No wonder Wes had been so upset about their deaths. Did he remember anything? Was that another reason that made it hard to talk about? And the biggest mind boggler of all: Wes was half-Werewolf, half-Hunter? I looked back at Fee and spoke carefully. “Wes didn’t go into this very much and I was just wondering, how is it possible? To be half… of each, I mean.”
“We don’t know,” she admitted. “Or at least we didn’t at the time. None of us ever imagined it would be possible for a couple made up of each race to conceive. But it happened. When Wes was born, Sebastian took blood from Audrey and fr
om Wes, to have it analyzed and try to understand. The biggest question was what he would be, obviously. Coming from one of each race, well, we all wondered what that would mean for him.”
“How did they figure out he was a Werewolf instead of a Hunter?”
“Wes was two. He was in the middle of some temper tantrum with Audrey, and he just shifted. Soon after that, the blood samples came back and it was determined he had both genes, but for whatever reason, the Werewolf gene was dominant. Sebastian was determined to learn all he could about it, and spent a lot of time researching the blood samples and Wes himself. But then, he and Audrey were killed, along with the rest of them, before any more answers could be discovered.”
“Is that why you took Wes in?” I asked, imagining the story from Wes’s perspective, trying to understand what it would be like for a baby born of both blood lines.
“Yes.” Her eyes clouded at some memory, a soft smile on her lips. “Audrey and I were very close and I knew it was what she would’ve wanted. And now, I couldn’t imagine loving him any more if he were my own.”
We were both silent for a minute. I didn’t want to interrupt whatever memory she was reliving, but I couldn’t hold back my questions for long. “So the Werewolves who were against the peace treaty—they knew about Wes?”
“Yes. That was part of the problem, I think. It sparked more controversy and debate, when news surfaced there was a ‘half-breed’ running around. That’s what the Hunter community called it. The Werewolf clans called him ‘dirty blood.’ They said it was a disgrace to their kind. I think it’s what finally led to the attack.”
“Must be hard to know you’re part of the reason for a war,” I mused quietly.
Fee nodded. “He had a rough time for a while. Jack and I tried to help as best we could but there was bitterness in him, probably still is. But he believes in The Cause so that’s something … Anyway, listen to me rambling on when it’s not even my story to tell. I’ll leave the rest for him and I hope I haven’t spoken out of turn.”
“No,” I assured her. “Most of what you told me, I already knew.” She didn’t need to know that, indeed, she was the one who had pieced it all together and spilled the most important secret of all.
Fee turned to slide the brownies into the oven. As she straightened, the back door opened and closed. Footsteps sounded against the hardwood, coming closer, and a man appeared in the kitchen doorway. He strode in, wearing a wide smile aimed at Fee. His dark hair was just long enough to be wavy around the edges and melted perfectly into his tanned skin.
“Hey, Miles. You guys all done?” Fee asked.
The man stepped forward to kiss Fee on the cheek. “Just about. People are starting to arrive. Is this her?”
“Oh, yes. Miles, Tara Godfrey. Tara, Miles Ducati.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, taking his outstretched hand.
Miles smiled at me, looking charming and devilish all at once. “My pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Great,” I mumbled, my anxiety level rising a few degrees as I tried to decide what he could’ve heard and how bad it made me look.
Miles laughed. “Relax. Nothing too bad. Though, we’ll all have to be sure not to leave any metal piping nearby with you around.”
He winked and I felt myself flush, partly from the teasing and partly because, for an older guy, Miles was pretty handsome, in a suave and too-charming sort of way. Everything about him screamed smooth and polished, from his black slacks and jacket to his shiny black hair that didn’t seem to need product to make it stay exactly in place. It made me feel self-conscious about my loose, and probably unruly hair, and casual attire.
“Miles,” Fee scolded. “Quit teasing the girl before she changes her mind and goes home. Get outside and round everyone up. We’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m going, I’m going,” he said, striding out, still smiling.
“Don’t worry about him,” Fee said when he was gone. “Miles likes to give new people a hard time. Okay, he likes to give everyone a hard time. He likes seeing the reaction, so just don’t give him one. You ready?”
I nodded that I was and slid off my stool. I waited until Fee was in front of me before checking on the plunger handles in my back pockets.
~ 13 ~