Secret of the Wolf (15 page)

A
round ten o’clock that night, Dante couldn’t get Tori on the phone, so he decided to head over to her place. He wanted to talk to her about what Manny had said about the rogue’s signature; plus, he wanted to return the rift device and schematics. He was more than willing to lock them up in his gun safe, but she hadn’t said she wanted him to keep them yet.

He knew Tori usually didn’t go to bed until close to midnight, so he wasn’t worried about waking her. But when she didn’t answer, his concern for her grew. He banged on the door with his fist.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he heard Randall yell. In another couple of seconds the door swung open and Tori’s brother stood there with his hand on the knob and a scowl on his face. His hair was wet and he was wrapped in a navy-blue robe. He must have just gotten out of the shower. “What the…” His gaze hardened. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know what time it is?”

“I do, actually.” Dante didn’t like Tori’s brother. At their introduction, the guy had been a jerk, and Dante didn’t see much change now. Granted, he’d shown up on their doorstep late at night, but from what he understood, Randall was out late most nights anyway. “Is Tori around? She’s not answering her phone,” he said by way of explanation.

“She’s sleeping.”

Dante frowned. “Is she all right?”

“What’s it to you?” Randall crossed his arms.

Dante tightened his jaw. While he was sure it would be highly satisfying to plant his fist in this little prick’s jaw, he was equally sure Tori wouldn’t appreciate it. He was also sure he wouldn’t be leaving the rift device and schematics here tonight. “We’re friends. I’m concerned.”

“Right. Friends.” Randall didn’t seem too keen on the idea. “She’s fine.”

At first Dante didn’t give a damn whether Randall wanted him to be friends with Tori. But then he figured one of them had to be the grown-up here, for Tori’s sake. He’d make an effort to connect with her brother. Pasting what he hoped came across as an interested expression on his face, he asked, “So, how’d the council meet and greet go?”

Randall just stared at him.

“I’ve never been to one, obviously,” Dante said. “I was just curious about it.”

“Yeah, humans don’t get invited to those. Just prets.” Randall gave a careless shrug. The fingers of one hand began drumming against his thigh. “I didn’t go.”

“Really?” Dante knew enough about these things to know they were a big deal as far as the council was concerned. A really big deal, yet Tori’s brother hadn’t bothered to go. “Why?”

“Wasn’t interested in meeting the council.” The look on Randall’s face suggested he was confused and irritated at Dante’s probing. “Anyway, what’s it to you? You’re not my keeper.”

Oh, yeah. Tori’s brother was a douche bag and not scoring any points here. “I imagine your not showing up isn’t going to make things any easier on your sister.” At Randall’s low growl, Dante held up one hand and said, “Look, man, I was just trying to get to know you a little, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well,
man
, I’m not interested in that, either.” His sneer was pronounced. “I’ll let Tori know you stopped by.”

“Thanks. Ask her to call me, will you?”

Without responding, Randall closed the door with a solid
click
.

All Dante wanted to do was remind her about having dinner at his place the next night. He hoped her little punk of a brother would give her the message, though Dante suspected he wouldn’t.

The next morning, his belly full of eggs, bacon, and toast, he drove to the station. His cell phone rang, and as he pulled it free from its holder his heart jumped at the thought that Tori might be calling. When he saw the main dispatch number on the display, he squelched his disappointment, his greeting less than enthusiastic.

“We’ve got a DB over on Fifth Avenue by the horse fountain,” the dispatcher told him. “First uniform on scene said it looks like a werewolf attack.”

“Got it. I’m on my way.” Dante made a U-turn at the next intersection and headed toward the crime scene. He drove up Marshall Way and pulled to a stop next to a marked unit that was parked sideways, blocking off the roundabout where the horse fountain was the centerpiece. He lifted his chin in greeting to the uniformed officer standing sentry at the perimeter. “Joe,” he said as the man lifted the yellow tape for Dante to duck beneath.

“Dante.” The officer thumbed over his shoulder. “It’s a real mess over there.”

“Any witnesses?”

“Nope. It’s pretty quiet around here. Some of the coffee shops and restaurants have been open for business for about an hour. If anyone was here when this went down, they’re not talking.”

“Figures, not that I can blame them. I imagine seeing a werewolf attacking someone is a scary thing.” Even from where he stood, Dante could see evidence markers all over the scene. He walked over and stood at the edge of the crime scene, a small bricked area with a few round concrete picnic tables and large planters with yellow flowers in them. George, the council ME, was bent over the victim, and several criminalists were at work, taking pictures and collecting data.

Dante went over to a tech who was busy sketching the scene. Dante watched as he accurately represented the scene on graph paper while studiously ignoring the cop peering over his shoulder.

Someone walked up and stood next to Dante. He glanced sideways and saw the werewolf liaison from quadrant four standing there. “What brings you to my crime scene, Ash?” Dante asked.

“From the description, this sounds like it’s my guy. So dispatch sent me instead of Tori.” He raked dark blond hair off his forehead. “Crap. Even from here this looks bad.”

Dante was glad Tori was getting some time off but he missed not being able to talk through the case with her as they walked the scene.

The ME glanced up from the body suddenly and motioned them over. They both took care where they placed their feet as they joined him. The closer to the body they got, the stronger the smell of bleach and ammonia became. “You smell that?” Dante asked Ash.

“Yeah, I do.” He huffed a sigh. “Damn it.”

Dante hunkered down and looked at the body, or what was left of it. It was a man, his head turned to one side, the neck clearly broken. His clothing lay in tatters around him, and blood smeared nearly every inch of his skin. The torso was ripped open, a gaping, bloody hole where organs should have been. This reminded Dante of one of the early scenes in his career on the Special Case squad, about a year ago. He looked over at the ME. “Please don’t tell me the suspect ate part of this poor guy.”

Ash squatted down and gave a few sniffs, wrinkling his nose before standing back up.

“I can’t say, because that would involve supposition on my part,” George replied, as persnickety as ever. He took off his latex gloves and dropped them near the body, then grabbed a small cylindrical container from his shirt pocket and pulled off the cap. He shook a toothpick out and stuck it between his teeth, then replaced the container in his pocket. “What I
can
tell you,” he said with teeth clenched around the small wooden stick, “is that all the internal organs are gone. They were ripped out, not cut, and from the amount of blood in the thoracic and abdominal cavities, I’d say the victim was still alive when this all started.”

God. The poor bastard had been eaten alive? Dante shared a look with Ash. “If this is the same rogue that’s been turning people,” Dante said, “why would he kill this guy instead of turning him?”

“He’s succumbed to bloodlust,” Ash murmured. “Shit.”

Dante glanced from the werewolf liaison to the ME and back again. “Bloodlust?”

Ash drew in a deep breath. “It’s a fine line we draw, those of us—like shapeshifters and vampires—who have a taste for humans. If we deny ourselves too long, we can go into a frenzy when we finally do get a bite. Or if we’ve been indulging too much, it basically shuts down our body’s response to satiety.”

“Leptin levels drop and ghrelin levels rise,” George added. “The release of cholecys…” He trailed off and sent Dante a chagrined look. “Sorry. Geek speak. Let’s just say that our brain doesn’t tell our stomachs that we’re full. So we feel hungry all the time.”

Ash looked at the carnage. “Not just hungry. Ravenous. So we kill again. And again, the taste for humans becomes an addiction we can’t fight. We don’t
want
to fight.” He rubbed his chin and met Dante’s eyes. “I’ve been close to that condition, man, and it’s a hard thing to turn away from. The sense of power you get, taking someone’s life, is a heady feeling. I can pretty much guarantee that all our guy can think about now is when he’s going to get his next meal, when he’s going to feel that way again.”

This was bad. Very bad. “So we have a starving werewolf on the loose? Great.” Dante stood and glanced around. He itched to investigate further to see if the killer had left his signature. “What’s your TOD, doc?”

“I put time of death around two, three hours ago, just before sunrise.”

Dante shot Ash a surprised look. “That’s kinda pushing it, isn’t it?”

Ash shrugged. “It was still dark, plus there was a full moon out last night.” He paused, his face darkening. “Aw, hell. I hope that doesn’t mean we have more than one vic.”

Dante turned to the ME. “Were there any other victims?”

“Not that we’re aware of,” the ME said. “The senior tech said so far there’s no evidence of anyone else on scene, but then again, there’s little evidence that the attacker was here, either.”

“Except for this guy,” Dante said with a dry look at the victim.

“Yeah, except for that,” George replied. “As usual, he used bleach and ammonia.” He gestured toward Ash, who was wiping his nose with a plain white handkerchief. “I know it bugs you that you can’t pick up on his scent.”

“Hell, I won’t be able to smell anything for at least a day.” Ash took in the crime scene. “Is it okay if I take a look around, doc?”

“Yeah, I’m done here.” The ME motioned for the morgue attendants to come forward. Looking at Dante, he said, “They’ll take the body back to the city morgue, where your ME can have a look at it. I’ll get my report over to him ASAP.”

“Thanks, George.” Dante moved out of the way and walked the scene with Ash. At the southwest edge he stopped and knelt down to look at something curious.

“What is it?” Ash hunkered down as well.

Dante pointed to a row of dead leaves lined up on the bricks beneath one of the large planters. “Look at that.”

“Six in a row, just like my other scenes.” His phone rang and he stood and pulled it out of the back pocket of his jeans. “Asher.” He paused, listening to whoever was on the other end of the call. “Yeah, I’m here right now.”

Dante stood and watched Ash’s face.

The werewolf liaison’s “What?” was shocked and hard-voiced. He listened with a clenched jaw. “I’ll be there as soon as I wrap up here. Give me half an hour or so.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket and told Dante, “There’s another victim up in the north quad. Rivera’s on scene now.”

“Two in one night? He’s escalating.”

“No kidding.” Ash shook his head. “I shoulda known he wasn’t finished. He was simply storing energy.”

“Or that break really fed his addiction.” Dante walked Ash to their parked cars. “He started going into withdrawal, and so last night was a…feeding frenzy.” It almost made him sick to his stomach to phrase it that way, seeing as how the “food” had been some poor bastard’s inner workings. And there were plenty of unknowing humans in this town who could be this monster’s next meal. They needed to stop whoever was doing this and fast.

“Damn it.” Ash huffed a sigh. “Rivera said the killing up north happened about seven hours ago.”

“So…dinner and then breakfast?” Dante asked.

“I guess.” Ash paused by Dante’s truck. “Let me know if you find out anything else, all right?”

“You got it.” Dante watched the werewolf liaison walk to his flashy red-with-black-racing-stripes muscle car. Dante had his own sporty car he wanted to buy. Maybe he’d finally get one when they put this case to bed.

He climbed up behind the wheel and started his truck. The diesel engine rumbled to life, and Dante backed up several feet before making a U-turn and driving away. He’d made it about halfway to the station when his cell rang. He answered with a terse, “MacMillan.”

“Hey.” It was Tori. She sounded alert, her voice bright and energetic. The extra sleep had clearly done her some good. “Rand told me you asked me to call when I woke up, so…here I am, calling.”

Well, what do you know? Her brother had actually delivered the message. “How’re you feelin’?”

“I’m fine. Those meet and greets really take it out of me. I don’t know why. But I’m not planning on doing much of anything today.” She paused, then asked, “Did you want something in particular, or did you just want to chat?”

“Oh, we have plenty to chat about, believe me,” he said. “But not over the phone. What I wanted was to remind you about dinner tonight at my place. Steaks on the grill, and maybe a ride if the horses will tolerate having a werewolf around.”

 “You had me at steak.” She laughed, a soft trill of sound that went in his ears and shot straight to his groin. “Should I bring anything?” she asked.

“Hell, no. You’re my guest.” He made a turn onto the street where the station was located. “How does six sound?”

“Six is great. I’ll see you then.”

“Oh, and I still have the thing, so we can work on it again.”

“Okay.” Her tone softened as she said, “I’ll see you tonight.”

That sultry voice did it to him every time. His cock stiffened. He could come up with no other response except a quiet, “See you later.”

Mind on the job, MacMillan
. Otherwise they’d never make it to the food or the device.

B
y late afternoon Tori had had enough of lazing around. She puttered around in the yard, making sure the flowers had enough water and pulling a few stray weeds out of the graveled landscaping. Then she went inside to get cleaned up for her evening at Dante’s.

It was silly how excited she was about going to his house. She had to leave in an hour, and she felt like a schoolgirl with her very first crush. Her insides trembled, her mind skittered from one thought to another, not allowing her to fully land on anything specific. Even though she had been to his house before, this time seemed more like a date and less like work. Maybe a cold shower would clear her head.

After a couple of seconds of cold water beating down on her, Tori decided cold showers were overrated. She turned the faucet to hot and finished up. As she was cinching her robe around her waist, the smell of Italian spices drew her to the front of the house. She walked past the guest bathroom, and the smell of ammonia made her stop. She peered in and saw the toilet bowl brush resting in the toilet. Hmph. Rand had cleaned? She went into the kitchen, rubbing her wet hair with a towel, and almost ran into her brother. He’d been on his way out when she’d gotten up this morning, stopping briefly to tell her Dante had come by late last night, then he had headed out. He’d gotten back only about half an hour ago.

“ ’Ello,” he said as he easily sidestepped her, holding a cup of tea. “How’d the yard work go?”

“Fine. It’s not like it was hard or anything.” She draped the damp towel over one shoulder and stared at him. “You, ah, cleaned the bathroom?”

He stared at her. “I thought I’d do some chores around here. Is that all right?”

“Sure. Yes, absolutely.” It was her own damned suspicious nature that made her equate ammonia with the rogue werewolf. “Where were you last night?”

He set his cup on the island and turned toward the stove. Donning a pair of oven mitts, he opened up the oven door. “What do you mean?” His voice gave away nothing of what he was thinking, and she picked up no unusual emotional scents from him, either.

“I mean you weren’t at the newcomer meet and greet.” Tori drew in a breath and determined not to let him distract her with that absolutely yummy looking pan of lasagna. “It’s a requirement for all preternaturals new to a city to attend one of those, not just to meet the council members, but also the local liaisons.”

“But I already know the local liaison,” Rand said with a small smile.

“Sorry, buddy. That doesn’t count.” She couldn’t resist taking another sniff or two of the lasagna he lifted out of the oven. “You don’t want to get me in trouble with my bosses, do you?”

He snorted. “They can’t hold you responsible for me. It’s not like I’m your kid. Anyway, this stupid meet and greet is only required in the cities where the councils are located. If I lived down in Tucson or over in Yuma I wouldn’t have to do this.”

“That’s because it doesn’t make sense to have people travel from all over the surrounding areas to come to their regional council. But it does make sense for the council to get a feel for the prets who live in their town.” She stared at him as he put the pan of lasagna on top of the stove and removed a foil bag of garlic bread, then closed the oven door.

He pulled off the mitts and set them on the counter. “Whatever. It’s a waste of time.”

“That may be true,” Tori replied, and God knew she didn’t disagree. “But it doesn’t make any difference.” She took a step closer to him and rested one hand on his forearm. “Since you didn’t show up, the council is going to think you’re trying to hide something from them.”

“Well, I’m not.” Her brother slid his arm out from under her grasp. “I’m not going to jump through hoops like a good little doggie simply because they tell me to.” His irritation hit her nostrils on a wave of burned rubber.

“Rand—”

“No!” He sighed and briefly touched her shoulder. The scorched smell lessened. “Look, I understand that as one of their liaisons you have a job to do. Just this once, can’t you leave the job behind, for me, and just be my sister?”

She bit back a sigh. He was right, though it was hard, distancing herself from work. It was so much a part of who she was now. How could she attest to her brother’s whereabouts, when even she had no idea where he’d been? “I’ll try,” she told him. “I hope you know that if they ask me about where you were, I’m going to have to tell them you chose not to come.” She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She didn’t want to have to choose between her job and her family. She liked what she did and couldn’t imagine not being a liaison.

“That’s fine. You do what you have to do.”

“So…” She tried to be as nonchalant as possible, but she was afraid she wasn’t going to be successful. “What’d you do last night?”

“Not much. I sat around and watched TV mostly.” Rand opened a cabinet and pulled out a couple of plates.

Tori watched him closely. “You didn’t go out at all?”

“No.” He took two forks from the silverware drawer and placed them on the plates. “Let’s eat.”

She pressed her lips together. Without coming right out and asking him if he had been turning people into werewolves without permission, she had nowhere else to go with this line of questioning. With Rand being so agreeable, she didn’t want to spoil the mood, which she was probably about to do, anyway.

“What is it?” He glanced at her as he set the plates on the counter. “You don’t like lasagna?”

“I love lasagna. It’s just…” She met his eyes. “I’m going over to Dante’s for dinner tonight. I need to leave in about forty-five minutes. But, you know what? I’ll call him and cancel.” She turned and started out of the kitchen. “It’ll just be you and me tonight.”

“No, don’t cancel.” Rand slid open the utensil drawer and drew out a spatula. “Go have dinner with your cop friend. I have plans tonight, too.”

“Are you sure?” Tori hated the idea of missing an opportunity with her brother, especially when he seemed so open with her. “I’d really like to spend some time with you. I can have dinner with Dante some other time.”

He looked up at her. “No, really. It’s okay.” For the first time since he’d shown up on her doorstep, he seemed calm. Almost serene. “It’s not like I’m getting ready to leave town or anything. We’ll catch up tomorrow. Go. Have fun.”

He seemed to have gotten over his snit about Dante. She was glad, but wondered what had brought about this sudden change of heart. “I thought you didn’t like Dante.”

“Can I say that I’m happy with the idea of you being with a human? No, I can’t.” His gaze, candid and open, landed on her. “He seems a decent enough sort. I mean, he’s a cop, so he can’t be all that bad, right? And he did check up on you last night when you weren’t answering your phone, so at least he’s looking out for you.”

“Right.” She lingered a few moments, watching him dish up half the lasagna onto his plate. She halfway expected him to hit her up for some money, he was being so nice. “Okay, then, I guess I’ll see you later.” She turned and went into her bedroom to get dressed.

She was wrapping a hair band around her still-damp braid when Rand yelled, “I’m leaving now.”

“All right. See you later,” she called out. She grabbed a thin, short-sleeved blouse and shrugged into it, flipping her braid to the outside, and tugged the jacket down over her fanny pack. Once she was ready, Tori headed out the door.

On the way, she stopped at a store and picked up a bouquet of flowers—some carnations, a few bright daisies, and some babies’ breath—for Dante’s sister. When she pulled up in front of his house, she glanced toward the corral. A big Appaloosa, a buckskin, and a cute little burro stared at her car, all three with tails swishing, brushing persistent flies from their hindquarters. Tori grabbed the flowers, opened the door, and got out. The horses threw their heads back, their eyes showing white. The burro drew himself up, standing stiff-legged and looking wary. It wasn’t unusual for livestock to react this way upon spotting a werewolf.

The front door opened and Dante walked out. His full lips lifted in a smile. “Hey.” He walked up to her and leaned over to press a kiss against her cheek. Taking a step back, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. “You look great. You must’ve needed a day off.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying I looked haggard?” She propped her free hand on her hip and waited to see how he’d get out of this one.

“Not at all. You’re always gorgeous. You’re just even more gorgeous today.”

She grinned.

“Those for me?” He glanced down at the flowers. “You shouldn’t have. Really,” he said, humor dancing in his eyes.

“They’re for your sister.” Her smile widened at the relief that spread across his face.

“Oh. Good.” Dante looked over at the horses that were neighing low in their throats and stomping their hooves restlessly. The burro still had his eye on Tori. “What’s up with them, I wonder? They’re acting like there’s a cougar about ready to pounce.”

“I’m sure it’s me.” Tori lifted her face and took a couple of sniffs. “I don’t smell a cougar or even a coyote. Of course, if I’m upwind of something I wouldn’t be able to pick up the scent.” She watched the horses for a few seconds. “I’ve been around horses before, and after a few minutes, when they see I’m not getting any closer to them, they usually calm down, but these guys…they’re still scared. They’re acting almost as if they’re surrounded by predators.” She glanced around the area but didn’t see anything lurking behind the scrub brush and cacti.

“I’d hoped we could take a short ride after dinner,” Dante said. “But I can see that’s not gonna happen. I guess they need to get used to you first.”

“Sorry,” Tori said. He shot a look at her and she shrugged. “I’m a predator, and they sense it.” She couldn’t mask her disappointment. She had looked forward to going for a ride. She shot a sidelong glance at him. Maybe she could just save the horses and ride a cowboy instead. She’d have to see how the evening went.

“Come on in,” he said, cupping her elbow. “Meet my sister.”

Tori let Dante guide her into the house. As soon as she walked in she smelled grilled meat, onions, and the fresh scent of rosemary mixed with an orange and vanilla fragrance from a lit candle in the foyer.

The dining room table was set with midnight-blue-colored plates trimmed in brown, glasses—both wine and water—and silverware.

A dark-haired woman by the stove wiped her hands on a dishtowel and came forward with hands outstretched. “Tori! How nice it is to meet you.”

Tori shook her hand as Dante said, “This is my sister, Liliana.”

“Please, call me Lily. Everyone does.” Lily released Tori’s hand.

“Lily.” Tori held out the flowers. “Thanks for having me in your home.”

Lily smiled and took the bouquet. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.” She pulled a vase from the cabinet beneath the sink. After filling it partway with water, she put the flowers in it, arranging them until she had it just so, and carried them to the dining room. She placed them in the center of the table and then went back to the stove. “I should be thanking you, anyway. With you coming over, Dante finally got all his computer crap off the dining room table.”

Tori grinned at Dante’s abashed look. “What can I help you with?” she asked and walked farther into the kitchen. Looking at the other woman, she could understand why Dante was still so concerned about her. She was too slender, probably at least twenty pounds underweight, and the paleness of her skin bore mute testament to the stress she’d been under. Despite her appearance, she seemed happy, and Dante said the cancer was completely gone, so that was most important. The rest of it, well, Lily just needed time. And if the cancer was gone, she had it.

“No, you’re our guest. You’re not going to help prepare the meal.” She looked at Dante. “Didn’t you say the two of you had some work to do? Why don’t you get busy on that? I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

“You’re sure?” Dante walked over to his sister and peered into the pan on the stove. “I’m sure we can—”

“You’ll make more of a mess, is what you’ll do.” She grinned and made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go on, get. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

“All right.” He glanced at Tori. “Come on, then. We’ve been given our marching orders.”

Tori hesitated. It seemed rude to go off and leave all the work for Lily to do. “You’re sure?”

Lily’s laugh was as cheery as wind chimes. “I’m sure. Go.”

“Come on,” Dante said again.

Tori went with him down the hallway and into a home office. More distressed pine in this room in the shape of a complete wall of bookcases crammed full of books of all sizes, and a large desk in one corner. Various pieces and parts of computers lined another wall. She pointed to them and asked, “This is what you had on the dining room table?”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t had a lot of time lately to work on it. I’m buildin’ my own computer,” he added.

“Wow.” She’d known he was a gadget guy, and he’d seemed to know his way around the device the last time they’d looked at it, but she’d had no idea he was such a… “You’re just a geek underneath all that manliness, aren’t you?”

He grinned and tipped an imaginary hat. “Yes, ma’am, I am.” He moved papers and files off his desk and pulled over another chair. “Before we get to work on the rift device, let’s talk shop.” He looked at her, his expression serious. “Did Ash call you about the attack this morning?”

She frowned. “No, what attack?”

“This one happened by the horse fountain at Fifth and Marshall.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Left a row of six dead leaves by one of the planters. It was his second attack last night.” He paused, his face grim. “He
ate
part of the guy, Tori. All of his internal organs were gone. Ripped out.”

“Oh, God.” This wasn’t good. Crap like that would only enflame an already tense situation with humans. It would make them even more afraid of preternaturals and much more willing to do reckless and desperate things to protect themselves.

“There was another killing, prior to ours, that happened earlier up north. I’m sure Ash will be in touch to fill you in,” Dante added. “Or you can go ahead and call him.”