Only Human (38 page)

“Can you explain to me what you do?”

He looked uncomfortable.

I didn’t say it as a question, but a statement. “You can’t share it with non-vampires.”

“Sorry.”

I started thinking out loud. “Sutherland and I have the same skillset, we can make weapons out of energy, weapons that become light weapons, weapons of fire, sort of. It’s theorized that since Sutherland’s grandfather was a Berserker, and the Berserkers may be the original werewolves, that Sutherland may have been able to take control of the pack. But, Cora was with me, and somehow I
protected
her from Sutherland. I didn’t take her from Randall, I took her from Sutherland. I wonder if Randall and the rest of the pack would now be bound to Sutherland, if I hadn’t killed him?”

Randall walked in wearing his pants and no shirt, and I hadn’t realized how studly he was before. He was a few inches above six feet tall with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He had hair that wasn’t blond and wasn’t brown but somewhere in between, and shimmery brown eyes. But, he’d heard what I’d said and he seemed thoughtful.

“If this is true then our pack owes you a debt of gratitude.” He sighed. “And, I fear it may have been true. Also, when you put it like that, it
would
appear you took Cora from Sutherland and not me. She is yours, of course, no matter, though. You won the match.”

Finally, I raised my voice to him. “Just how thickheaded
are
you? I don’t want to own her! She’s yours,
your
wolf! I just want her friendship. Help me figure out how to unbind her and I’ll do it!”

“You’re serious?” He seemed genuinely surprised.

“Yes! I told you up front I came here for your help in figuring out what’d happened, and that if I’d done anything I’d like to figure out how to undo it!”

“And then I forced you into a battle you didn’t want to fight.” His shoulders slumped and he took a step back. “Hell, you didn’t fight, you just stood there and defended yourself, and let me beat myself.”

I stopped yelling and went back to talking. “Remember, one of my stipulations was that no one outside of the room know who won.”

“You did that to protect me. I thought it was part of a nefarious plan to…” He shook his head as if shaking off a stupid idea. “Never mind.” He turned to Abbott. “She is under your protection, and under Aaron Drake’s protection. I don’t know what good it will do to give her even more, but with your permission I’d like to pull her into the pack and thus put her under our protection, as well.”

“I doubt Kirsten will take kindly to you asking my permission. I suggest you fully explain the pros and cons to her. I will offer her counsel, but the final decision will be hers.”

Randall faced me again. “Sutherland was calling to me the next day, pulling me. It was only a matter of time until he fully owned me, and thus everyone bound to me. Since you apparently saved our pack from being ruled by a tyrant and a murderer, and since you acted with honor here today, and since you are metaphysically bound to our number three, I would like to offer you a position in the pack. What I am offering is not an honorary position, but an actual one. You’ll be required to be with us on two full moons a year, more if you wish, and you’ll be required to vote for our top twenty percent. You would also be eligible to be voted into that top twenty percent, though should that happen and should you challenge me, our fight would not limit me to being in human form, of course. You aren’t the first human to be offered such a position, though you would be the only one at present time.”

He ran his hand through his hair as he seemed to consider something, and added, “The rules are slightly different for humans, and I’ll have to go back through some history books to pull them up, but they’re designed for fair play within the hierarchy since a human isn’t a match for a wolf. Though, it’s clear to me you aren’t really human, no matter how much you may smell like one.”

“I
am
human. The energy weapons are the only thing I have that make me different, and I gained those after years of study of how the energy around and in things works.”

“Not true, you have more than just your weapons, your reflexes are much faster than a human’s.”

“Ah, that’s because I used to be a professional juggler. My reflexes aren’t because of anything metaphysical, I’ve had those reflexes since my early teen years when I first started juggling. Plus, I spar with werewolves a decent amount at Drake Security, so I’m kind of used to the way ya’ll fight.”

“Perhaps you were a professional juggler because you were born with fast reflexes? Maybe the juggling didn’t create the reflexes, just honed a talent already there?”

I’d never considered that. I looked at Abbott, who said, “Your dad juggles too, right?”

“Yes”

“We’ll concentrate on that side of the family tree, then.”

I shook my head. “My mom’s side of the family is where the brains are. Scientists who hypothesized about the nature of infinity in the early nineteen hundreds.”

“You’re looking for an ancestor who wasn’t human?” Randall asked Abbott.

“Yes”

“Good, if she knows what blood she’s got in her it’ll help her to know what her talents should be, and you can better help her train.” Randall looked back at me. “Will you accept a position within our pack?”

I’d been around Drake Security enough to have men only show me respect after I either won a sparring match or held my own with them for a while before losing, but it always surprised me that there was rarely any animosity after a match — it went straight to camaraderie. So, I wasn’t thinking this was a supernatural thing with Randall now, just a male thing, and I didn’t question it. I’d beat him; he respected me now.

“You’ll require me present three times a year? Two full moons and the vote thing?”

“The vote happens during a full moon, so that’s twice, but there will be other occasions your presence will be requested. You won’t be required to attend them all, but there will be some I will make a requirement for you.”

“Ah yes, you would be my Alpha, right? I’d have to do as you say?”

“That is the way the pack works, yes.”

Abbott? No way in hell am I taking that deal.

Then politely tell him no, but realize you’ll be giving up the protection of over three thousand wolves. He isn’t just the local pack leader. His territory is all of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the mountains of North Carolina. He is Alpha to all of the pack leaders in his territory.

Polite. Okay, I could do that. “I’m human, you understand, and I don’t mean to offend you, but that doesn’t work for me. I’m my own woman, so to speak. You’ll remember when you asked Abbott permission on my behalf, and he responded it would be my decision? That’s because I’ve carefully crafted my life so how I live and what I do is
my
decision, not someone else’s. Is there an Option B you can put on the table?”

He was quiet a minute, debating. Or, perhaps talking to Zach mind to mind. “Yes,” he finally said, “I can declare you a friend of the pack. You would be welcome at any of our full moon gatherings as well as any other meetings we have, though you won’t have voting rights. Anyone who harmed you would know they would bring down the wrath of the pack for doing so. You’d be under no requirement to do as I say, though there is an obligation to not openly challenge my authority in front of other supernaturals, and especially not in front of members of my pack.”

“So, if I’m going to challenge your authority I should ask you to walk into another room so I don’t do it in front of anyone?”

He smiled with a twinkle in his eye. “Correct.”

“Not a problem, I kind of already did that by requiring we kept the winner a secret, even when I wasn’t obligated. Anything else I should know?”

Cora spoke up. “Before you travel outside of Randall’s territory he’ll need to make arrangements with the pack in that territory to give you safe passage. You may be required to meet with the local Alpha and thank him for his hospitality. At present there are only a handful of places with hostile packs that we must avoid, and none are in touristy areas.”

“What about China, any problems going to China?”

“The packs in China fled the mainland long ago,” said Aaron. “There’s a pack in Hong Kong, but they keep a low profile and don’t cause problems as long as visitors are only there as tourists.”

I aimed my thoughts at Abbott,
I’m guessing you think I should accept this, but that’s because you want me to have allies. If I didn’t need allies, would you still counsel me to accept this offer?

Yes, it is an honor. One you should not turn down.

I aimed my thoughts at Cora,
Is there any reason for me to turn this down?

It’s a good offer. One he doesn’t offer lightly.

I turned to Randall. “I accept your offer. What happens next?”

“I’ll put the word out that you are to be considered a friend of the pack. You’ll need to be at our next full moon so I can make it official in front of the pack. The full moon was last night, but we’ll have another gathering tonight since the moon is still so close to full and it’s Friday night. I know it’s short notice, but if you could come tonight we won’t have to wait another month to make it official.”

“What time would I need to be there?”

“We usually handle business before we run, so around nine or nine thirty would be best.”

“Will I need to come alone?”

“You shouldn’t bring a vampire with you. Will it be enough to arrive with Cora? She’s still yours, after all, and without folding you into the pack and making you mine, I’m not sure how to take her from you.”

They were making me a friend of the pack, so I should be safe, right? I nodded and said, “Okay, Cora and I will make arrangements later. What should I wear?”

“Whatever you would wear for a hike. I would like to ask one more thing of you, and you can say no if you wish, but I’d like to create a link so you and I can speak without using words. I can do this with my pack, of course, and I’d like to be able to do it with you. It might keep us from having to step into another room to argue about things, also.”

“It won’t bind me to you, it’ll just be a link?”

“You have my word.”

“How is the link created?”

“It’s one of those things you can’t really explain, you just have to
do
, but other than extracting a few drops of blood, there will be no pain.”

Abbott? Any reason not to?

Up to you, I can think of several pros and cons, but the pros seem to outweigh the cons.

What are the cons?

Any link into your brain can be exploited, once someone is in with limited access it’s easier to manipulate it and gain unlimited access. You have good shields, so you should be safe, but should you be sick or injured he might be able to get in and see things you’d rather he not. However, it has been my experience that Randall has honor, and likely wouldn’t take advantage unless his pack were in danger. The possible benefits much outweigh the danger, in my opinion. Also, Randall is taking the same chance with you, that you could find a way around his shields.

“The link will be of equal strength both directions?” I asked Randall.

“Yes.”

I was having to make too many decisions all at once, but it couldn’t be helped. “Okay, will this happen today or tonight?”

“Now, if you are amenable.”

“You said something about blood?”

“Yes, but you won’t have to drink it, just a dot on a pulse point of your choosing.”

Abbott spoke up. “If you could do it outside, please?”

That seemed a bit rude to me, but then I realized, “Oh, the blood. But, I’ve bled around you before with no problems. Why is today different?”

“There would be no problem today, either, but I’d prefer to not have to explain to the house why the place reeks of werewolf blood.”

“Well, when you put it that way.” I smiled. “I’ll go up with them and sit in their car to take care of it. When I’m done with them I’ll come back. I need to talk to you a bit more, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

The four of us went up and out, and got into a big Lexus SUV, with Randall and me in the back seat.

“There are many pulse points,” Randall told me, “but you’ll likely be most comfortable with the one on the inside of your elbow. Agreed?”

“Sure.”

He pulled his right hand up and a sharp claw came out of his pointer finger. He poked himself on the side of his finger, squeezed to get a drop of blood, and touched it to the inside of my elbow, then his. He then pulled a small needle from a sterile package and did the same to me, dotting my blood beside his on the inside of both our elbows.

I immediately felt waves of energy rolling off of him. Not the kind of energy I use, but different, more powerful. I didn’t like it and started reinforcing shields.

“Don’t fight it. Relax. It won’t hurt you.”

I breathed in, relaxed, and the power was suddenly different. It coalesced, and I felt the link from my arm to his, as if it were a physical thread, and then it dissolved. It was only there a split second, and I thought it hadn’t worked until I heard him in my head.

Kirsten? Can you hear me?

Yes. Your energy is… different. Powerful, but different than anything I’ve felt before.

I am one of the most powerful wolves on the planet, not all wolf energy feels like mine, but you handled it well. Of course, you also kicked my ass without even trying earlier, so it shouldn’t surprise me.

Would you stop bringing that up? Please? I didn’t want to.

Which makes it sting even more, but I will try to drop it. You should go; Abbott is waiting for you.

I switched to voice. “I still need to talk to Cora so we can make arrangements for tonight. I’d rather she arrived with me so I don’t walk into this all by myself.”

“If you would prefer,” Randall said, “I can meet you somewhere and you can arrive with me?”

“It’s your party, I’ll let you tell me what would look best.”