24. Raul

24

RAUL

A s nighttime was drawing in, I realized a secret hope that I hadn't dared dream could come true, to ride into my hometown with Monica.

The reality felt ten times better than my imagination. I felt like a king, taking one hairpin after another on his chariot, with the woman that I loved behind me. She attempted to talk to me once or twice. I picked up phrases like "be careful" and "beautiful view," but that was all I could hear. The thundering of the headers on the bike, combined with the magic feeling of superiority didn't allow me to focus on much else.

I was, finally, the master of my own life. Monica was safe and sound. Everything was good. Great even. The best it had been in my entire life.

Taking the last, right bend, we entered my neighborhood. Before we got close, I noticed something weird in my front yard. There were cars and pickup trucks parked on the right side of the road and a large gazebo, as long as two cabins put together, had been set up. There were empty plates on the table inside of it with silverware on either side. Easing on the brakes, I saw my sister Nora emerging from her cabin. She had a white apron tied around her waist.

"Move your ass, Ray!" She yelled at our brother over her shoulder. "Those vegetables aren't going to cut themselves!"

I revved the bike as I backed it into its parking spot. I loved the feel of the engine rumbling between my legs. Nora glanced over and rolled her eyes as I parked. I swung off the bike then helped Monica to do the same. Hand in hand we walked over to my sister.

"Hey, Nora," I greeted, looking around at the setups. "What's all this?"

"We're launching a new space shuttle," she said with a wide, shit-eating grin, "it's called ‘Dumbass One,'" she mocked. She quickly closed the distance between us. "What does it look like, other than a family dinner?"

"Thanks," I muttered, slightly irritated she was being snarky in front of Monica whom she hadn't even met yet.

"You must be Monica," Nora said, turning her full attention to the doc and blatantly looking her up and down with an appraising look.

"And you must be Nora," Monica said with a genuine smile as she offered her hand. "It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine, honey," Nora said, shaking her hand. She glanced over at her cabin. "By the way, we've got company."

"Yes, you do," Helena said, her feathery voice was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night. In a pair of black jeans and an orange sweater, she strolled out of the kitchen and joined us. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Welcome," I said taking in her more casual attire. "It's, uhm, nice to see you in regular clothes."

" And without my staff," she emphasized. "Well, things are quiet now. I thought I could let my guard down a bit. I would like a word with you, though, if that's okay with Monica."

She gave Monica a dazzling smile but the look in her eyes made it more than clear that she was only being polite by giving her an option, she was going to talk to me one way or the other.

"Of course, it's fine," Monica assured, her eyes settled on me, squeezed my hand then kissed me on the cheek before following my sister towards the house. "I'll be inside if you need me."

I watched her go, enjoying the warmth that suffused my chest and limbs. Monica was beautiful. Incredibly so. I didn't think that I'd ever seen a more gorgeous woman in my life. Everything about her set my heart on fire.

"Ahem," Helena cleared her throat, forcing my attention back to her.

I kept myself from growling, barely, and gave the witch my attention, albeit reluctantly.

"So, what's the big emergency?" I asked, following her away from the cabin.

"It's not an emergency per se," Helena said in a calm voice. She looked around before speaking more, assuring that we were far enough away to be out of earshot of even the enhanced hearing of my brothers and sister. "I want to tell you a few things you don't know. About me."

"You going to tell me you're a witch?" I asked, joking.

Her frown killed any humor that I had been going for, and then she pursed her lips into a tight line.

"First born," she said. "These are serious times, act like it."

"Right," I agreed, running my hand through my hair and pushing it back from my forehead. "Okay, hit me. What you got?"

"I have spies, ones that let me see beyond Shandaken and Dawson," she said.

"I can't say I'm surprised, but okay," I said, and she snorted, shaking her head.

"I use eagles and hawks, other creatures too, but those are my fastest ones. You need to understand that there are limits to my power. I can teleport anywhere I like within a fifty-mile radius, with the catch that I have to have been to my desired destination before. Otherwise, I risk ending up in the void."

"Fair enough," I said with a nod. "I appreciate the information, but what are you getting at?"

Helena had been anything but forthcoming about herself since I'd met her. Suddenly telling me her limitations made my hackles stand on end. There was something she wasn't saying and that worried me. She was building to it in her own time, but patience had never been a trait I had in any measure.

"The vampire clan," she said, her voice going down an octave. "I've looked into the future. Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the first couple of days. You and Monica are happy together, and your fellow pack mates seem to accept you as their leader."

"Well, that's good, but what's the catch? You're clearly building towards one, so what is it?"

"The third day. That's what has me scared."

"Why?" I ask, nervousness making my heart beat faster.

"Because I can look into your future and Samuel's and Ray's, but not Nora's," she said, her tone darkening. "The reach of my orb knows no bounds. I can look into anybody's future, as long as they're alive. This means that, sometime in the next seventy-two hours…"

"Nora will die," I completed the phrase as cold chills ran over my limbs. I stared off into the darkness, considering. "And you can't see anything about it?"

"No, not a thing," she said, sighing heavily. "As you know there are few creatures that can threaten the life of a wolf shifter. If there was another sorcerer in the area I'd know it. That leaves me to think that it can only be the vampires."

"Shit," I muttered.

"They move fast, Raul. My spies can warn us, but I doubt their warning will reach us fast enough to save Nora. Which is why I believe we have to get ahead of this. Now."

"I'm listening," I declared, folding my arms across my chest.

"The best defense is a strong offense. We have to go out there and track them down," she advised, her eye contact and the steadiness in her tone telling me loud and clear that she meant every word. "Their last known location was Louisville. It's a fishing town, about seventy miles northeast from here."

"Are you kidding me?" I furrowed my brow, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "How the hell are we going to do that? They'll smell us from half a mile away. We don't have a clue where they're holed up, not to mention I just fought last night."

"We don't have to do it tonight," she said, worry speeding up her voice and fear taking over her eyes. "I'm very proud of you for what you did, and I respect your need to rest, but this is your sister , firstborn. Would you rather stay here and wait for those foul creatures to end her?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" I exclaimed, unfurling my arms. "Of course, I want to do something to prevent her death, but your suggestion is just crazy. My pack is about a hundred strong. What should I do? Rally them up and tell them we're going vampire hunting?"

"That's not what I said," she pointed out, her gaze darting over to Nora's kitchen. "It's got to be you and me. Do not worry about our scents. I can use potions to mask them; we'll smell just like those vampires. And we don't have to engage them. All we have to do is find out their movements. Gather information, see if we can figure out if they are targeting her, you, or what. Once we have information, we can protect her. Is that clearer?"

"Crystal," I muttered, looking away from her. As much as I hated to admit it, her suggested course of action was a good solution to the problem. It might have been dangerous, it might have been borderline crazy, but it sounded like our one and only choice. "When do you want to do this?"

"It's not a matter of when I want to find them," she clipped out. "It's a matter of when we can pinpoint their location more easily. Vampires don't go out in broad daylight. They wait for the cover of darkness. That's when they're most active."

"Tomorrow night, then," I suggested, my voice returning to its normal standards. "Ten o'clock. And let's hope those potions of yours work, or it's not likely that either of us is getting out of this shit in one piece."

"Fear not, Raul," she replied, sweetening her tone. "My potions do work. I've been using them to walk around in your town. How else do you think I got to know so much about you?"

I stared at her blankly for too long as I processed that information. Anger flashed, but I knew it was foolish to try and fight her, not even considering she was my best ally against the bloodsuckers.

"You're making me feel like a moron," I confessed. "How long have you been doing that?"

"Long enough," she smiled, her gaze on Monica and Nora. Each carried a tray as they walked to the gazebo alongside one another. "They seem to be getting along well, don't they?"

"Yeah," I agreed, watching the two of them happily chatting. "Here's a question for you. Since you're so worried about Nora, why don't you take her to our grandpa's sanctuary? Wouldn't she be safer up there?"

"Really…?" I detected some irony in her voice. "Let's say I do that. What if tomorrow you or one of your brothers winds up missing? Am I supposed to do that with all of you? I'm not your babysitter, Raul. This is a threat. It's much better to deal with it."

Damn it, I thoroughly believed that my question would have put her in an awkward position. Helena was smart, though. She sidestepped my little trap with ease and put me in the awkward position.

Why? Because I couldn't argue with her. The threat might have been miles and miles away, but it could also be upon us in a matter of hours. It was my duty to protect my blood, bred into my genes. Besides, if I didn't do it, no one else would.