Falling Silver (Rising Bloodlines Book 1) Read online

  What she didn’t hear, in her highly focused quest, was the footstep just behind her as Karina slipped out of her hiding place with a silver chain in hand. Adam slid his bullet into place and raised his gun, then saw Karina fling the weapon at Tanis’s wolflike form.

  She missed.

  Tanis lunged at Adam. Karina was at her heels, inching toward the fallen chain for another try. Tanis, sensing the silver weapon, wheeled on Karina and then squirmed aside like a bolt of lightning.

  Adam, loaded and ready, nodded at Karina. She’d bought him time. The Chimera wolf weighed her options as Karina bent towards the chain and Adam aimed at the shadowy form before him.

  But Tanis was fast, very fast. She whirled from Karina to try and place her bite onto the back of Adam’s neck, and Karina’s bloodied wrist took a dose of wolf spit.

  Oh, how she screamed, wild with the poisoned sting of the curse, twisting with the convulsions of the transformation. Karina lashed and spat, her shoulder blades tingling with energy and her heart racing with the rage of what was happening.

  She saw that Adam’s gun was aimed at both her and Tanis, his eyes huge, and she felt an odd scorching of the air near the fallen silver chain. But that was nothing, nothing, as she lunged and tore the throat out of her bitewolf, howling into the night, her new fangs dripping blood.

  Tanis’s dying bulk fell upon the chain and immolated, leaving Karina unscathed.

  Selena heard the querulous howl of a new wolf, and set off towards its source, breaking off pursuit of a mother and daughter Hunter team to race to the aid of the newest Chimera.

  Karina turned on Adam. The shock of her new state was still horrific but her mind was now oddly clear and overflowing with memories of the brutal treatment that Adam and Reese had put her through. They locked eyes, Hunter and wolf, in a mutual death stare, inches from one another.

  Adam, shaking, watched her as she seemed to reason through the situation and to reach a decision. The cobalt-blue wolf backed away gingerly, avoiding the burning air surrounding the traces of silver, and other instincts began to take over. Turning for one last glance at the Hunter, Karina loped off into the woods to locate her new pack. The night’s animal sounds, both supernatural and expected, were gone; everything seemed to hold its breath and listen.

  Adam slumped to his knees, his hand brushing the wet leaves where Karina’s Chimera form had slavered. He wiped the blood off the scratch on his cheek. And he realized that too late.

  In that instant, he’d cursed himself.

  Secrets

  in the Sun

  Karina awoke groggily and feeling slightly nauseated. She was lying outside under pine trees somewhere, suffocated by volumes of loose, soft clothing. People were there. Birds screeched in the branches above. Someone passed a moist, warm towel across her forehead and she fiercely swatted it away.

  “Have you seen the sun?” a female voice asked gently.

  Startled, Karina rolled to one side for a better look at the speaker. Ugh, her head hurt. Those damn birds, too. Who was this woman?

  “Don’t look at me, Karina. Look up; up, towards the sun,” the woman continued. Such a familiar voice. Karina squinted at her and tried to push the unfamiliar clothing away. The woman looked like someone she ought to know.

  “Look up, Karina.”

  “Can’t,” she responded hoarsely.

  “Karina!”

  Karina shot upright. Everything was in focus now but she felt as if she had a terrible cold, weak and achy. Several women stood nearby, looking quietly concerned. The birdsong was clear and gentle now, the fleecy sweat clothes cozy and comforting. The woman kneeling in front of her cupped Karina’s face in her hands and held it upwards. The sun’s rays felt like warm water, cleansing and pure. Her breathing relaxed and deepened. She was able to open her eyes a little.

  “So thirsty,” she whispered.

  “Not right at the sun, darling, just look up.”

  Presently Karina felt almost normal, and the woman handed her a cup of water. She saw the others withdraw.

  Karina swallowed and turned to thank the woman, jarring to a stop.

  “Good morning, Karina,” Selena’s eyes were full of emotion.

  Without another word, Karina threw herself into her grandmother’s arms.

  ◆◆◆

  Simon, on the other hand, was inconsolable. His early morning pacing had given way to a numbed silence. He sat on a rock in a close grove of pine trees, about a thousand yards from the Chimerae’s temporary morning camp, Greg leaning beside him.

  Sayuri, the woman who had aided Karina the night before, had paused to see if Simon had any immediate questions, but disappeared after quietly bringing the men blankets, some beef jerky, and coffee just after sunrise. All of it remained untouched.

  “They don’t bite like that,” Simon had kept repeating the night before. “The Chimerae don’t want to spread the curse.”

  He and Greg had been following the Hunters into the woods in an attempt to protect Selena when they came upon the attack.

  “Some do; and we know that Tanis actively wanted to,” Greg had responded, “and that had nothing at all to do with you.” But Simon could not be calmed.

  Images of Karina’s attempts to save Adam played over and over before his eyes. Tanis, the Chimera wolf, had been fixed on Adam Hunter, waiting for an opportunity to seize him and render him as her final Hound.

  Greg read his thoughts. “Simon, there was nothing you could do. If you’d called out to Karina, Tanis might have killed the both of you. Then Adam would have been her Seventh Hound anyway, and she’d have had her killer pack.”

  It was weak consolation, and Greg knew it. There was nothing else he could think of to say. Without speaking of it, he and Simon shared a feeling of guilt and weakness about having to run for their own safety and abandon Karina to her new fate.

  “Imagine how she’d have felt if she’d killed you,” Greg offered yet again. “And there was at least one other Chimera right about where we were. We had to leave. Come on, Simon, give yourself a break.”

  Suddenly Simon stood up, as Selena and her granddaughter approached, Gwen not far behind. Karina now wore baggy black leggings and a cobalt crescent over a clean blue sweatshirt that hung loosely around her.

  Greg’s impulse to talk a fresh wolf through the new experiences was powerful, particularly in light of a first kill. Never mind the circumstances, that one was always a tough thing to handle. Still, he moved away from the three as they approached one another, allowing Selena to do her job as pack leader. Seeing this, Gwen invited him to walk back to a breakfast campfire where the other Chimerae were seated.

  There were only a few of them present; two of the men – Tanis’s “Hounds” - had been immolated the previous night. Greg was surprised to find an air of relief among the surviving Chimerae.

  “It is sad, to a certain degree. But we do not approve of collecting an Artemis Pack,” Sayuri said firmly.

  “We look after one another,” explained Gwen. “Tanis was not the kind of person we need in our pack. I guess it is sort of sad, but she was bad news. Now we don’t have to worry about her any more, and now we have Karina! Oh, sorry …” Gwen noted the dark look fall across Greg’s countenance. “I mean, we’re all we have. We will look out for her, I promise!” She smiled brilliantly and seated Greg across from her, handing him a mug of coffee from a giant pot. “We take extra care of the new people. We even try and make it fun!”

  Greg shook his head. “Fun? Well, I’d like some help with that.” His attempt to chuckle lacked any mirth, and he changed the subject. “In 150 years, I have never heard about an ‘Artemis Pack.’ What the heck is that?”

  The remaining four men who’d been camped outside the imprisoned Tanis’s caravan laughed wryly as Sayuri explained. “If one of the Chimerae – we are usually women – wants to start her own hunting pack, she enslaves seven men as her Hounds of Artemis. She does this with a bite that grips, at the back of the neck, no
t just one that inflicts the curse. This passes an extra dimension to the curse. You will see, now that Tanis is gone, that the men are no longer in thrall.”

  The men nodded.

  “You mean the curse is broken?” Greg’s coffee mug paused inches from his lips. If Vertigo died, perhaps the curse of madness on Old Jake could be lifted?

  “No, sadly, no. Only the thrall is lifted. As you see, your friend Karina is now one of us in spite of the death of Tanis.”

  “But … I’m thinking that one of us, well … he was bitten as a little boy by a Firewolf. He’s not like the rest of us. We thought it was because his bitewolf tortured him for decades, until our pack got hold of him. But maybe it was a, what kind of bite do you call it?” Greg leaned forward, “I mean, maybe if we can destroy the bitewolf himself, we can destroy the madness.”

  Sayuri shook her head. “I am sorry to say that in your friend’s case I do not know. But this Firewolf; he must be the one they call ‘Vertigo.’ He is well known for inflicting this kind of thrall bite.”

  “If Jake could be … normal,” Greg trailed off.

  Sayuri reached over to pat his hand. “I understand your hope,” she smiled, “but in this situation, it is unlikely. We have all heard of Jake; it is a heartbreaking case. His madness is probably from the abuse. Of course, I cannot say for certain.”

  “Worth a try, though. I mean, we want to get Vertigo anyway, but hey, that would be a bonus. Damn,” he shook his head. “Worth a try,” he repeated softly as Simon, Karina, and Selena approached the breakfast fire. Karina held back, unsure of Greg’s reception, but he rose to step forward and embrace her warmly.

  “Gentlemen,” Selena began, “we have two more cycle nights, and a new wolf to care for. Although we know you and have your scents, it would be wise for you to retreat until after that. We will ride you back to your campsite, and then, of course, you are welcome to join us back at ours when our cycle ends. You should be there when we burn the cursed caravan and purify the space.”

  “I’m staying right with you,” declared Simon.

  “You are not,” replied Greg and Selena as one voice.

  “Go on,” Karina came to him and took his hand, noting an odd vibration in the touch. “I’m safe here,” she attempted a joke, “finally.” But her eyes were filling with tears. “Simon, I killed somebody.”

  “I know. I know.” Simon took both her hands now, and spoke gently. “It wasn’t really you. Selena’s explained this to you, hasn’t she? You know you saved all those men from the thrall curse, don’t you?”

  Great tears fell from Karina’s cheeks as she nodded. “But that’s not why I did it. I was so angry. So angry!”

  “New wolves bite hardest,” Simon whispered. “Just follow Selena’s lead. Stick by her, and get to know your new friends here. I’ve known some of them for decades; they’re terrific. You’ll see.”

  “Simon. Time’s moving. Come on.” As Greg put an arm around Simon’s shoulders, the two men thanked the Chimerae for their hospitality. The other Chimera men were approaching on their motorbikes, and motioned Greg and Simon to join them.

  As Selena had already taught her, Karina breathed deeply, taking in their scent so that it would remain with her after the crescent moonrise that night.

  The Help

  Adam, wearing a fresh uniform with the patch ripped off, was wrapped in a blanket and drinking bourbon straight from the bottle.

  The clock struck eight as the morning slowly illuminated Karina’s kitchen, but no amount of looking into the sunlight would erase the nightmare he had just survived.

  He replayed the immediate aftermath of Karina’s turn. All he had done was lose his nerve for that one moment, that one single moment when he needed to stay alert.

  She had been trying to help him. After everything he and McConnell had dragged her through just hours earlier, she was driven to help rather than destroy. And it would have been so easy for her just to stay put. If he had been in her position, after all they had put her through, he could have watched Tanis kill without blinking, never mind intervening. Perhaps it was not so black-and-white to Karina, though … she had a quality … could she possibly care what happened to him? It was too late to know now. The Karina he knew was gone.

  And so, in fact, was he.

  As daylight misted into being through the kitchen window, Adam contemplated his Pigeon Creek Sheriff’s Department badge, which still lay on the kitchen table after he’d removed it to interrogate Karina. McConnell’s disappearance would be easy to explain; he had, after all, been the only FBI cryptozoology agent assigned to this area, and had been undercover at that. His report to the agency only need include his discovery of the body after the next full moon.

  If he even lived that long himself.

  So much for the Chimerae being a tale to scare other werewolves into submission. So much for the Hunters.

  These nearly invisible Howlers had sure done a good job with his team. By ones and twos, the Hunters had timidly knocked on the door to let him know they were heading home. They hadn’t signed up for this. Why hadn’t he told them?

  Red-eyed and unwashed, he’d waved them away. Sure, he said, it was more than he’d bargained for, too, but what did they think they were up against?

  Half of them didn’t even believe in the silver bullets any more. He heard some of the property being vandalized for its silver threading before the traitors burned rubber leaving the grounds.

  Bastards.

  He took another swig and glared bleary-eyed at three Hunters who’d just trudged in, badges intact, and before they could speak Adam told them exactly where they could go and what they could do to themselves all the way there.

  “Well, now, Boss,” the tallest began, “I’m Harris, this here is Jones, and that’s Vasquez. We’re staying put.”

  “What?”

  “We’re with you, Boss. The Four Hunter — um, Hunter-skeers, or um Hunter-steers, or — ” Harris fumbled, “Hunter-teers! That’s it. All for one and Howlers for us.” Adam sent him a lethal stare as he took another swig. “Hey,” continued Harris, oblivious to everything but the sound of his own voice, “all the more glory for the four of us, right boys?”

  Four of them. Well, three now, to fight hell knew what was coming, and he couldn’t be a direct part of it. But a spark of an idea began to catch.

  “Here,” Adam passed them the bottle. “Think it over. There are still two more nights to go with this crowd before the whole mess hits in two weeks.” He himself planned a night or two in the guest house. If there was any silver there, he now knew he could sense it. And if not, well, a happy ending to Adam Hunter.

  “We’ll get back at them, Boss, don’t worry. And if not, well, we got all this silver. Odds are with us, right? And they ain’t comin’ in the house, that’s for sure. We can shoot all those Howlers through the windows. Psshhheewww, psheeewww!!”

  Outside the kitchen window, two figures crouched low, listening keenly to the news about the Hunters’ reduced numbers. Gwen and Quinsey exchanged grins, delighted with the information they could take back to their little family.

  “Sayuri will appreciate this,” Gwen laughed as they raced back to where the others were preparing to ride out. “The number four means death in Japan.”

  Girl Talk

  “Drinks before dinner!” Gwen tousled her short blonde hair, poured some champagne into a crystal glass and handed it to Karina. “Here, honey. We always carry some luxuries, even on the road!”

  “We can’t, surely we can’t!” Karina protested, then watched her grandmother, chatting with Sayuri over by her caravan, take a sip of hers. “But … isn’t that dangerous? I mean, won’t we really go crazy with this?”

  Quinsey joined them on some cushions spread out below the steps of Gwen’s caravan, with its doors swung wide open to display the bright pastels of its interiors. Gwen favored a Santa Fe gypsy style, with long fabrics draped among the pillows, and the remains of incense smoking lightly on a
plate by the stove. A small cooking fire was all they needed to prepare the night’s meal.

  “Oh, no,” Quinsey held out her glass to be filled. “It wears off right at the change. Seriously! Don’t worry about it. Besides, what else are we going to have with this faaaaaaaabulous fish?” She flipped the freshly caught trout in the pan over the fire. “Eat up; that’s the dangerous part. Not eating.”

  “I …” Karina began.

  Selena had now joined the little group by the fire. “Karina, it’s all right. Really. It’s not like having an empty stomach; it wears off as soon as the change occurs. Just enjoy yourself. We do this sometimes at Crescent. Not always, of course, but this is a special occasion.”

  “Get as tipsy as you want!” giggled Gwen. “Watch!” and she downed her glass in a single gulp.

  “Gwen, really — no need to make an extravagant point,” admonished Selena, but Quinsey had followed suit and was already popping a second cork.

  Karina joined in the laughter as the bubbles went up her nose, “Imagine if people knew about this — everybody would want to become a Chimera!”

  Quinsey leaned over, clutching her tipping flute, “Karina … or maybe they would want to become any kind of werewolf. Either that or more likely, everyone would claim to be a teetotaler so they wouldn’t be suspected. What do you think started Prohibition?” and the whole party started laughing.

  “Won’t the men feel left out over there?” asked Karina.

  “Not at all,” Quinsey reassured her. “They get enough girl talk as it is. I think they have whisky tonight, anyway, don’t they? Didn’t Ray bag a deer?” She leaned back into the deep cushions beside the caravan. “I don’t know why whisky goes with deer, but I guess whatever makes you happy.” She raised her glass to the flames. “Drink up, ladies!”

  “Ah, Prohibition,” mused Gwen, raising her glass in return. “That was … interesting.”