Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

O n their way to Rivière Du Loup, they called Wolf Meadow and spoke to Travis's aunt.

"Aunt Amy, it's Travis and Skylar."

"I'm told congratulations are in order. Skylar, if it was anyone other than Travis, I'd tell you to run like hell if you want to remain a cop. But he's pretty enlightened for an alpha wolf. I credit that to his mother because God knows he didn't get it from my brother."

Skylar laughed. "Trust me, there's a lot of your brother in there as well. Amy, Travis told me last night that your pack is descended from dire wolves?"

"True, and some of that DNA still runs in our veins. There's nothing bad about it—it's not like you'll have mutant children or anything like that."

Skylar grinned at Travis. She adored Travis's aunt. "That wasn't my concern, but Travis did say there were stories about some of the fated mate pairs in your ancestry who could shift into a single, merged wolf."

"Our history is riddled with stories like that. It seems that it can only happen when there is great danger—if someone is facing overwhelming odds or is in the presence of true evil. Why do you ask?"

"Skylar is working a murder case, and there are pieces of it that seem supernatural… for lack of a better word."

"Really! How interesting," said Amy.

"I've had dreams, nightmares really, since I was little, about some kind of evil manifesting itself in my life. Last night, the dream took a turn. Instead of waking up panicky and disoriented, I woke in Travis's arms and was very calm."

"Was something different about this dream?" asked Amy.

"Yes. The evil had a more corporeal form. Well, it was kind of like a misty ink blob and it had a henchman. I couldn't see the henchman's face, but he was definitely human. The evil used it to do its bidding." Skylar took a breath and continued. "They were coming for me, but this time I wasn't alone. Travis was with me and we both shifted, but instead of two wolves, there was only one enormous beast."

"With two heart beats and two souls?" whispered Amy.

"Exactly. How did you know?" asked Skylar.

"Travis knows I'm obsessed with our pack's lineage. I have been ever since I first started hearing the stories of La Guerrera Lobo or wolf warrior. It's fascinating that even though our wolfen society is so male-dominant, it is the female version of the Spanish word for warrior that is used."

"There is actual written history about it?" asked Travis.

"Written yes, but the writings come directly from an oral history. Much of what we know about ancient history comes from the written versions of long-told oral legends and tales. But La Guerrera Lobo is mentioned throughout these stories up until the late eighteen hundreds."

"Amy, is there anything written about how the two wolves merge?"

"Not much and what there is has to be filtered through what was common knowledge at that time. The most recent date I have is back when Wolf Meadow was first established. They say that when the fated mate pair begins to shift, there is a change in the shimmer that surrounds them—it intensifies and expands, surrounding them both."

"How so?" asked Skylar.

"Mind you, I've never seen it, but you know how when you shift, you can feel the air go soft and a bit out of focus with a kind of mild static charge running through it? The stories say that not only does that occur, but there's a kind of electricity—actual lightning bolts occur within the shimmer, crashing all around the pair. The air snaps and crackles and the very magic that allows us to shift is changed as the two become one. Again, the interesting part—given the femininization of the name—is that the resulting dire wolf is male. It is said that only the alpha wolves in our family who have an alpha wolf as a fated mate can be fusionada, or merged."

Travis shook his head. "Why isn't this common knowledge in our own pack, if not in wolfen society at large?"

"I've thought about that too," answered Amy. "Wolves are no different than humans in not trusting what they've never seen and wanting to scoff at things they cannot do themselves. Everything I've read or heard leads me to believe that shifting into a dire wolf is rare. I suspect that because our pack were ranchers, we focused more on practical survival than what sounded like romantic fantasy."

Travis chuckled, "Better to bet on your Winchester saving your ass than being able to merge into some superhero wolf creature."

"Exactly," agreed Amy.

"Any stories about how it's done?" asked Skylar.

"Unfortunately, that's where the details get really sparse. My best guess is that it happens when the male alpha realizes all is lost and seeks to unite with his fated mate. As they're shifting, he commands her to come to him and be a part of him for all time. Nothing more specific than that. Are you two in danger? Should I tell Gabe to send help?"

"If my dream is some kind of portent of evil, sending more wolves isn't the answer. The answer lies within Travis and me. We may end up putting that legend to the test."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"Well, that's more than we knew before. Thanks, Aunt Amy," said Travis.

They ended the call and made the rest of the drive in a kind of communal silence, with Skylar's hand resting on Travis's thigh. She loved visiting her pack and family and began looking for forward to finally getting there. The sweeping drive from the road to Rivière Du Loup always held a nostalgic welcome, but she realized she no longer thought of it as home. It was where she'd grown up and where those that she loved best—with the exception of Travis—still lived. But if Rivière Du Loup was no longer home, then where was it?

"You have a funny look on your face," Travis said as he turned down the drive.

"I was just wondering when Rivière Du Loup had ceased to be home."

"The day I moved you into our loft."

"Hot news flash for you. The loft isn't home either."

"So where is home?" he asked.

Skylar thought for a moment and then put her hand on his chest, over his heart. "Right here. I realized home is no longer a place; it's wherever you are."

He looked at her skeptically. "That's a lovely thought, but I'm still siding with your father that the she-wolves need to be on lockdown."

"Of course, you are. You're every bit as chauvinistic and overprotective as he is."

As they pulled up in front of the river plantation where she'd been born and raised, the front door opened and her mother ran down the stairs, her father right behind her, laughing.

"Not waiting," she said as the truck came to a stop. She threw open the door and jumped out to meet her mother.

Her mother embraced her and held her close.

"You are happy?" Darby whispered.

"Deliriously so," Skylar said, pulling back her collar to reveal the fresh claiming mark.

Travis ran up the stairs to greet them as Jean-Michel noticed the alpha's mark on his daughter's neck.

"I thought we had agreed that you would wait until after your bonding ceremony to claim my daughter," said Jean-Michel with a stern face.

Skylar was unsure whether her father was truly angry or just making noise—sometimes it was difficult to tell.

"We did, but when your fated mate urges you to mark her, what's a poor, besotted alpha to do?" said Travis, clearly unconcerned.

Her father laughed and clapped his hands together. "This is so true. We are but putty in their hands."

The two alpha wolves each wrapped his arm around their mates and shook hands before turning toward the towering front doors of Rivière Du Loup.

"It's good to see you, Jean-Michel," said Travis, shaking his hand.

"Welcome to the family. I can see we have much to discuss. Come inside, lunch is waiting."

As was the norm, the communal dining room at Rivière Du Loup was noisy and animated. Travis smiled at everyone and seemed at ease.

"Feel like Wolf Meadow?" she asked.

He laughed. "Only the accents have been changed to protect the innocent. Go sit with your parents, I'll bring you something."

She joined her family at the table.

"Would you mind telling your dear papa, his beta, and his first-born son that they are completely and totally overreacting to the idea that some serial killer will be stalking Rivière Du Loup?" Darby asked her daughter.

"Darby, you and I agreed that the discussion was finished," said her father.

"No, you said it was finished. Why? Because you want to have your way."

"My way is the safest for our she-wolves. What is it you think has been done to you? I have merely insisted that to keep our she-wolves safe, they, including you two, are to either stay here at the main compound at Rivière Du Loup, the main compound at the other plantation or the townhouse in the French Quarter. If you want to move between any of the properties, you only have to ask for an escort and ask permission of JD, Jean-Edouard, or myself."

"And who do you or any of our wolves have to ask? No one. Why, because you pee standing up? It's nonsense," said Darby.

"It is not. There is a serial killer in our city. He has focused on our daughter, and she is here because she believes he may strike at us. Am I wrong, Skylar?"

"You're not wrong about why I'm here, Papa."

"He's not wrong about any of it," growled Jean-Edouard, who was also seated at the table with his mate.

"I can understand being worried about safety," said Bre, Jean-Edouard's mate. "But isn't everyone in danger?"

" Non ," said Jean-Michel. "This bastard only kills women."

Travis sat down at the table with two plates, one of which he put down in front of Skylar and the other in front of her mother. "I'm going back for a plate of my own. Jean-Michel, can I get you something?"

" Non , and I thank you for seeing to my mate's hunger. I suspect, however, she has other needs that may well require my attention before the day is over. Come, we'll get our plates together."

"And leave me to deal with these hellcats you and Travis prefer? Bah! I have always thought better of you, Papa," said Jean-Edouard.

Her father clapped Travis on the shoulder and headed for the buffet.

"It is possible," said Darby, taking a sip of sweet tea, "that someone may die this weekend. I'm not sure it isn't going to be your father."

JD laughed. "You, Mistress, are all bark and no bite. You have been threatening his life and his balls for many, many years. So far, he still has all three."

"Only because I am inordinately fond of those three things. But you take a look at his back, and you'll see I'm not all bark," said Darby, laughing as Jean-Edouard blushed profusely. She leaned over to Skylar and said in a conspiratorial stage whisper, "You'd think your older brother would be used to his scandalous mama by now."

"You'd think," quipped Skylar. "But you'd be wrong."

God it's good to be at Rivière Du Loup .

Travis and her father returned, each kissing his respective mate before taking his seat beside her.

"Seriously," JD said to Skylar. "How credible is this threat?"

"Better safe than sorry I'm afraid," she replied. "If he follows his pattern, and if he chooses to strike here, it will be a brunette."

"How can you know that?" asked Bre as she got out her trusty notebook.

"This can't go in a book, Bre. Not the details. But the guy is posing his victims in a way that is a lot like that exhibit we saw last year in London."

"The Omicidio Cerchio exhibit?" Bre asked.

Skylar nodded. "It's how I spotted the pattern. I saw photos from the first two crime scenes and thought they reminded me of something. When the third murder victim turned up, I put it together. There were ten paintings. So far, we have six murders, so four to go. The next murder will be a brunette and she'll be staged in a gazebo. There is some thought that he's targeting me. And if that's the case, the next blonde is number nine."

"The last victim was a blonde and if you didn't know better, you'd think they were sisters," interrupted Travis.

Jean-Michel sat back, thoughtful. "So, he is targeting you, but most likely not this weekend."

"There is still a possibility that he might target our gazebo down by the river," said Skylar.

"Then all of our she-wolves will be closely watched, but all of our dark-haired beauties and you will be located here in the main house and will not be allowed outside without a proper escort," ordered Jean-Michel in a dark voice.

Her father was not a wolf who tolerated the mistreatment of she-wolves and would do everything in his power to keep those within his pack safe.

"The other possibility," said Skylar, "is that he'll kill his victim somewhere else and bring her here to pose. He's done that with four of his previous kills. He was able to lure the other two to the place where he staged them."

"Do you have any idea what the killer looks like?" her mother asked.

"I wouldn't tell my task force about this, but Travis and I visited Mawmaw Chantal yesterday. She has seen what's coming in her tarot cards. She did a reading for me and pulled both the death card and the moon card. She said they indicate an ending and some kind of change. But the—Wait. Papa, did you know your mother wasn't she-wolf born?"

"Neither was mine," said Bre.

"It doesn't matter," said Jean-Edouard, comfortingly.

Skylar reached over and took Bre's hand. "It doesn't mean anything at all. It was just something I hadn't known, and I found it interesting, in the same way I found it interesting that my grandmother was great friends with a direct descendant of Marie Laveau."

Jean-Michel nodded. "The friendship between our families has stood the test of time for many centuries."

"That's what Chantal said. Anyway, after we met with her last night, I had my dream again."

Darby leaned forward, concerned. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"No, it's okay, Mama. For once I wasn't afraid. Travis was with me in the dream, and when we shifted, we merged into one wolf. Have any of you ever heard of such a thing? Trav says his pack believes they are descended from dire wolves."

Jean-Michel nodded. "I have heard that as well. And that dire wolves had some magical—for lack of a better term—abilities, when they shifted."

Travis shook his head. "I'd only heard in passing that we originally came from the dire wolves. I thought it just meant that we were larger and more muscled. I've never heard anything more about it. Perhaps I should call my mother."

"No need," said Darby. "When we knew you were coming, I called Riley and invited them for the weekend. And yes, I did tell them of the threat. They should be here before supper."

After lunch, Travis and Skylar walked hand-in-hand down to the gazebo.

"Did my father give you a hard time about the claiming mark? The first thing my mother wanted to know was if I was okay with it."

"No. Your father is an incredibly grounded individual with a romantic outlook. When he realized you had asked me to do it, he was fine with it. He can also be very cagey."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were getting more food earlier, he suggested, ever so slyly, that if there were other things we wished to indulge in that might be better done with a pack around us to ensure our safety, he would not object."

Skylar laughed. "In other words, if you wanted to knot and tie me to you, he'd be okay with that as well."

"That was the drift of the conversation. The only problem is, in my pack we aren't nearly so subtle about these things. It took me a minute to realize what he was saying."

"Only my father," said Skyler, smiling. "Part of the hold he has over my mother is her absolute obsession with him. She's always been that way. Do you know all five of us were born of a knot?"

"I don't doubt it. My parents are the same way. When I realized you were my fated mate and finally told my dad, he suggested that the judicious use of a strap or switch as well as frequent knotting and tying might be beneficial in keeping you in line."

Skylar turned and looked at him. "Remind me to deck your father when he gets here later today."

They walked around the gazebo, trying to figure out the different ways the killer could get a corpse there, and stage it without being seen. It was in an open area, but nearby there was a patch of woods that led to the maze on the other side of the property.

"Have you thought about what you want to do for a bonding ceremony?" she asked.

"Are you actually thinking about that, or are you saying that to reassure my fragile alpha male ego that you haven't forgotten me?"

"Ouch! Am I that obvious?"

"Yes, but in a totally endearing way. Like I said, you're a lot like my mother. When you see a wrong, you don't wait for someone else to do something, you charge in to fight the evil yourself. I just want you to remember that if I think you're risking yourself foolishly, I have no problem correcting your behavior. As for the bonding ceremony—I don't really care. I have you. You seem to have accepted that we are fated mates and will be together, so anything else is icing on the cake. I am happy to do whatever you like."

She stopped walking and wrapped her arms around him. "I think we should take advantage of my father's suggestion. We'll never be safer than we are here at Rivière Du Loup, and both sets of our parents are here. Why not take our vows in front of them and seal the deal tonight?"

"You do know you will probably be sore afterward."

Skylar stood on her tiptoes, nibbling along his jawline before giving his chin a sharp nip. "I think I've mentioned that I've accepted that as a normal state of being when I'm with you."