Wolf Quest (6 page)

“Wait a minute,” Jesse said, drawing her attention. “Some of your relatives are magic users? What gift do you have?” His gaze condemned her for not coming clean sooner, and she bristled.

“My nona and aunt are both witches, I guess you’d call them. They do spells, dance under the full moon and things like that. My mother always thought they were crazy, but when I was little, I realized that occasionally I could feel the energy of the forest and its creatures. My nona said I had healing talent and helped set me on the path toward veterinary school. She felt so strongly about it, she even paid for my education. Mom and my stepfather wanted nothing to do with it. They wanted me to be a lawyer. My stepfather’s a very successful attorney. Mom’s a society wife with a drinking problem, if I’m being brutally honest. I think she started drinking when my father died. I always felt she married Frank on the rebound, trying to forget my real father.”

“I’m sorry,” came Sally’s understanding voice over the small speakers. “I never knew my parents. I was raised by foster families and never really thought I had any family out there until I met Leonora a few weeks ago. She showed me that the affinity I always had for growing things came from her influence in my ancestry. It seems we part-dryads are able to make our family tree visible by using our magic to call it. That’s how I know you are one of my cousins and that I have a sister I’ve never met. My line descends from Leonora’s daughter, Marisol, who married a werewolf several centuries ago, so I have a bit of werewolf in me. Not enough to shift or anything, sorry to say. In me, the dryad magic is much stronger than anything else. I can make plants grow and hear the song of the forest. Trees speak to me.”

Maria shifted on her seat, uncomfortable with the description. Part of what she heard was very familiar to her and something she’d denied for a long time because of her mother’s disapproval. Maria had consciously limited herself to healing animals. Talking to trees had been strictly forbidden by her class-conscious mother from the time she was old enough to toddle.

“I’m a vet. I heal animals, and usually only in the conventional way. Occasionally, I think magic comes into it.”

“You deal mostly with forest creatures, right? Wolves, mountain lions, bears? Jason said you run a sanctuary for wild animals,” Sally prompted.

Maria found herself nodding. “Those are the creatures I’m drawn to help the most.”

“Makes sense.” Sally shrugged. “They are part of the woodland too. They are part of what we were born to protect and nurture.”

“I still don’t know if I believe all of this. I mean, I know about shifters. I’ve dealt with one once before, and just a few minutes ago I saw a bear turn into a teenager in my guest room. I know they’re real. And I know magic is real. But I don’t know if I believe I’m part-dryad, or that I’m related to you. I think Nona or my aunt would’ve known if we had other relatives out there. They’re all about family. Especially Nona. She keeps track of everyone and holds the family together.”

“I’d love to meet them.” Sally’s voice was filled with an eager sort of longing and a tiny bit of pain. Maria remembered then that this woman—a strong, capable police woman from all accounts—had never really had a family of her own. Maria’s heart went out to her.

“I’m sure they’d love to meet you too, Sally. Once this crisis is over, why don’t we all get together and figure out where you come from and how my family fits in?”

A smile broke over the woman’s face on the screen. “I’d love that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Frankly, I’m really intrigued by all of this and willing to listen—more now than when your brother-in-law broke down my kitchen door in the middle of the night.” She chuckled, shooting a mock glare at Jesse.

“Speaking of which, Maria, you need to be really careful. The guys who tried to snatch you don’t mess around. Those men were part of a group that shot a teenage girl from the Pack, trying to abduct her. Failing that, they grabbed a young boy and set up a highly explosive booby trap for anyone who tried to rescue him. These are not nice people. Terrorists with a magical agenda.”

“They want their Destroyer of Worlds back, right? Jesse was just telling me about it.”

“Jason and Jesse know more about that than I do. I’m pretty new to all this. I only found out about Others a month ago. Before that, I lived in San Francisco and didn’t really understand much about the magical world. Only that I could make things grow. But living in the city, I was limited to urban gardens and potted plants.”

“I can’t imagine living in the city. I grew up on an estate with a big manicured garden and lots of animals. My stepfather had an apartment in the city where he’d stay over if he was on a case. Otherwise, he’d commute a few days a week.”

“My, my. I’m not sure we’re socially acceptable among the country-club crowd,” Jesse joked, listening in. She made a face at him and Sally laughed on the other end of the connection, having heard Jesse’s words through the laptop speaker.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I gave all that up to live out here with the animals. I call this place a sanctuary for a reason.” Maria rolled her eyes at Jesse and then sobered. “I thought I was safe way out here in the middle of nowhere, but this morning proved me wrong in a big way.”

Sally looked grim when Maria refocused on the screen. “The hunters shot Leonora with a silver bullet. You know silver is poison to magical folk, right? The forest is keeping her alive for now, but she’s the main reason I’m so eager to find all of my relations quickly. She said we need to put our energies together to heal her. The sooner we can do that, the better.”

Maria could tell Sally felt very strongly about the dryad. Maria’s tender heart was touched by the unspoken plea in Sally’s voice. Maria would think long and hard about this as she got to know these people better. She was wary by nature, but if her instincts were correct and they were on the level, she would do all she could to help Sally and Leonora.

She just had to get through the current crisis first.

At that moment, Jason’s hand appeared on Sally’s shoulder on the screen. The other woman looked up for a moment and then turned back to the screen.

“Jason says the Lords are ready to talk to your guest. I’ll sign off for now, but I hope we can talk again soon.”

“I’d like that. Nice talking to you, Sally.”

“You too, Maria. Bye.” Maria watched Sally remove the headset and hand it back to Jason. Maria was treated to another crotch shot as they changed places in front of the camera and had to hold back a giggle.

“It’s show time,” Jesse said, reaching for the laptop. He’d already unplugged it. It would run on battery power for an hour or so. Probably much longer than they’d need.

Maria followed Jesse into the hall and paused when he did to knock on the doorframe of the guest room. Zach was still in bed with his eyes closed, but he opened them the moment Jesse knocked. He was alert but also clearly still exhausted and in a bit of pain.

“I’ve got my brother and the Lords on video chat. They want to talk to you, Zach.” Jesse walked into the room and left the laptop on the nightstand while he helped the teen sit up. He then transferred the laptop to the kid’s lap. “Just talk, they’ll hear you through the laptop’s mic.”

Maria stayed by the door, not wanting to upset Zach.

“Hi,” the kid said, his voice filled with doubt and uncertainty.

“I’m Jason Moore, Alpha of the Wyoming wolf Pack.” Jason’s voice rang with an authority he hadn’t used when talking to Maria.

“I mean no disrespect, Alpha, but I don’t know you, and people who said they were friends have turned out to be enemies lately.”

Maria heard Jason’s audible sigh. “I understand, son. Which is why I called the Lords on your behalf. I’m going to patch through the video now. Hopefully they can convince you.”

There was a moment’s pause and then Maria saw the teen’s shoulders stiffen. She couldn’t see the screen but assumed the so-called Lords had replaced the image of Jason Moore.

“Zach, is it?” a new voice asked through the computer’s speakers. “I’m Tim and this is my brother, Rafe. We have someone here who thinks he knows you.”

There was another pause and then Maria clearly saw tears form in the teen’s eyes.

“Uncle Rocky?” The youngster’s voice was filled with emotion. Hope, fear, joy, sorrow, and most of all, relief.

“Zach, my boy, what happened to you?” A gruff, deeper voice came through the speakers, filled with urgency and tinged with anger at what had been done to the kid on the other side of the connection. “Where are your parents?”

“Captured trying to give me a chance to escape.” The kid broke down at that point, tears falling from his eyes, but his determination helped him remain strong and able to talk through his heartache. “I ran, but I’d already been slashed by silver. I was weak and my magic was blocked by the poison and something I’ve never felt before. Really evil, sinister magic. And then they shot me. I managed to keep running as long as I could, but I ended up in somebody’s backyard and humans caught me. I thought that was better at the time. They drugged me and I woke up in a cage.”

Colorful cursing came from the other end of the computer connection.

“The doctor smelled like magic, but she treated me like an animal. She says she didn’t know I was a shifter, but I’m not sure. And then the wolf showed up and he took me out of the cage and brought me into her house, where I am now.” The rambling words made the young man sound more like the frightened teen he really was.

“I’ve been briefed about where you are, Zach. The doc runs a sanctuary for wild animals. From all reports, she really doesn’t know much about us, though she hosted a female of the Cougar Clan once. She probably didn’t realize you were a shifter. I’d give her the benefit of the doubt, because the moment Jesse told her what you were, they got you out of the cage, right?”

“Yes, Uncle Rocky.” The kid sounded both contrite and obedient. He must really respect his uncle.

“Now about the wolf. I know his brother, Jason, the Alpha, and I know him too, son. He’s a good man. One who will protect you with his life. I know this from personal experience. I’ve fought at his side and know him for an honorable man. He’s on our side in this, Zach. You can trust him.”

Maria was surprised to hear that kind of personal endorsement, but she wasn’t surprised that Jesse was well-respected by his peers. He’d proven, just in these few short hours, to be a capable leader and man of honor.

She was going to leave with him on some kind of odyssey to discover her real place in the magical world. Well, that and to avoid being attacked in her own home again by the same bastards that had shot the young bear and captured his parents. The thought of his parents suffering somewhere at the hands of such cruel people made her blood boil.

If she was going to leave her sanctuary, she needed to make arrangements. Maria left the hallway and headed into her office. She had to make a series of phone calls to be certain her animal guests would be well taken care of in her absence.

Chapter Four

“She’s gone,” Jesse observed when the conversation over the computer paused. “We can speak freely.” He’d tilted the laptop so both he and Zach were in the frame while they consulted with the Lords and the weregrizzly, Rocky, about how best to proceed. He’d known Maria was in the hall, but hadn’t objected. Still, there were some things he’d rather not have her hear.

They’d been questioning Zach about what he remembered from before he was shot. It seemed the kidnappers were in Nebraska. Zach and his family had lived in Aurora, just west of Lincoln. He remembered being driven around for about an hour and then being held at a farm. There had been a big house and a stable full of very high-strung horses whose whinnies of fear hurt his ears.

“As soon as we end this call, I’m on my way to Nebraska, but it’s going to take time for me to get there. You’re the closest, most capable operative we have in the area, Jesse. I know you’ll have the doc in tow, but she could be helpful too, if anyone’s been hurt. And she’s got magic. Maybe it’s untrained, but you said she saw the
Venifucus
tattoos, so she’s got some power and an ability you don’t. She could help you spot them, if nothing else. Somehow, I think she could be of use on this mission,” Rocky tried to convince him.

“I don’t want to put her in even more danger, Rock. I came here to protect her, not make her part of an assault team with very little chance of success.”

“At least do the recon. When I get there, I’m going in guns blazing. It would help if I knew what I was walking into,” Rocky’s voice was firm, demanding.

Jesse thought about it for a moment. He had Zach—their only eye witness to what had happened to his parents. And Zach had already volunteered to go back and show Jesse where everything had gone down. He could at least follow the trail as long as it was safe, but he didn’t know eastern Nebraska at all. For that, the doc would come in handy. She’d grown up around here and lived on her sanctuary outside Davenport for the past few years, but the original address Sally had found for her had been on the outskirts of Lincoln, Nebraska, where her parents still lived. She would probably know the route from there to here and back again reasonably well.

“All right. It’s on our way back to Wyoming.” He sighed, not liking where this was going but seeing no other way. “I’ll scout for you. But you’d better bust your ass getting there, Rock. I don’t like putting either one of them in more danger.”