Chapter 2 Chapter 2
"Can you smell them? What are they? Who killed my wolf?" Jeremiah demanded. I could feel his anger lash out as well as his authority. He was the highest ranking wolf on the continent. Alpha of all wolves in the US and Canada. It wasn't surprising that he demanded answers. Especially if the body was that of a wolf. However I wasn't one of his wolves.
Swiveling my gaze from the body to Jeremiah I let my inner predator peak out my eyes. When I smiled at him my fangs were definitely showing. Some of the color leached out of his face and he shifted uncomfortably. He seemed to get the message that he wasn't the biggest baddest predator in the woods today.
"I'm not smelling any magic users. I think they ripped the portal open and shoved him through without coming through themselves." Nodding towards the body I continued. “There appears to be a stasis spell on him. It would block all scents and sounds. They didn't want him found immediately.” I kept my eyes on him as I shifted from intimidating to speculative. "All of this any witch could have told you. So it begs the question as to why you demanded that I come here."
"I want you handling the investigation. Someone killed a wolf and dropped his body here like he was nothing. You looking for them will send a message. Kill a wolf, deal with Cole Pearson. Nobody in their right mind wants you hunting them. "Jeremiah looked at me with a dangerous slightly crazy grin on his face. My spidey senses were tingling. The old wolf was certainly up to something.
I cleared my throat before I answered. "I'm a liaison, not an investigator. Connor is the badge not me. "
"You do what you want when you want to. Besides, liaison might be your title, but everyone knows you are more of a hit man/shakedown artist for your bosses. In your spare time you solve mysteries. You and Connor Echolls are the best there is out there." He turned to the body. "He deserves the best."
I nodded. Understanding where he was coming from. I knelt beside the body again. Closed my eyes and pushed magic to my fingertips as I moved my hands over the dead wolf's back. The stasis spell broke without resistance. Death assaulted my nose without warning. As did the scent of the wolf letting me identify him. I hadn't given much thought to who he was. He was lying face down and I hadn't recognized his clothes. But his scent I knew well. Beside me Jeremiah swore as he too could now smell him.
I whipped my head around to glare at the alpha. My eyebrows were trying to reach my hair line. “This is Cyrus Howl." I growled at him. "Your representative with the council. He turns up dead; I'm for sure going to be looking into it. So you didn't call me here because you want me involved. So what gives?"
With a wave of his hand he dismissed the wolves that had been guarding the area. A slow smile spread across his face. "You and Connor will be investigating this. Along with my grandson Tristan." He looked at the look on my face and laughed.
"Which one is Tristan? You've got like twenty grandkids. Is he the one that's the sheriff? He might be useful."
"No. That's Thomas. Tristan's Jacob's only son.” The smile was getting bigger.
I flipped through my mental rolodex trying to figure out which one Jacob was. When I found him my eyes about bulged out and my jaw dropped.
"The separatist?! As in the supernatural beings that have chosen to live human? The ones who don't use their gifts and have cut themselves off from those that do?" Yes, my voice was getting squeaky. Separatists? Could this get any worse? Then I remembered the footnote on Jacob. "You want me to take a kid raised by not only separatists but pacifists into an investigation that will undoubtedly end in a fight?!A fight that will most likely have magic, claws, and fangs?! Why in hell would I do that?” I thought my head was going to burst at just the thought of it. What good would a werewolf do me if he wouldn't were or fight?
The look on Jeremiah's face could only be described as evil and enjoying it. That grin was still plastered on his face when he answered my question. "You will take him along. Teach him about our world. Keep him safe. Unless you want me to start talking about what really happen in June 1889." The bastard's eyes started to twinkle as he blackmailed me. "And just in case you decide it would be easier to kill me, I do have an insurance policy."
My blood ran cold. Or it would have if I wasn't already dead. "Your grand pappy was supposed to take that to his grave.” I grounded out between my clenched teeth.
"Here's the boy's address. Let me know when you figure out what happened." He passed me a card with a name, address, and phone number on it. "Good hunting"
He turned and blurred into a pitch black wolf. Let out a howl and disappeared into the woods.
What the hell just happened?