“Not my business.” Shepherd took a cigarette from the pack before tucking it under his sleeve. After lighting it, he flicked the matchstick on the floor and walked over it. “You two fighting?”
“No,” I said on a sigh. “He just likes taking off without telling me.”
“Huh.” After a quiet moment, Shepherd chuckled. “I thought for a minute Kira might shift. They sometimes do that when startled. She had that look.”
“I guess she has more control than we give her credit for.”
“I hope she’s been letting her animal out. You’ve seen how Viktor gets when he puts off shifting. His wolf gets aggressive. Wasn’t her father a wolf? I don’t need that kind of risk around my kid.”
“Maybe she’s a defect. I’ve heard about Shifters who can’t shift.”
Shepherd and I split ways, and I wandered to an arched window overlooking the courtyard. Gem floated in the swimming pool like a flower, her gown spread out and the blue-green colors shimmering.
“Christian, where are you?”
Chapter 7
My old blue pickup barreled down a dirt road, leaving a trail of dust as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” blared on the radio.
Blue held her hair back as the wind cut through the open windows. “Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for Christian?”
I turned down the radio. “He knows we’ve got a case, but clearly he thought staying out all night was a better plan. I don’t have time to figure out where he is since he left his phone in his room. I’ll give him an update later, but it’s probably better this way.”
“That’s for sure. The last thing a pack wants to see rolling up their driveway is a Vamp. Sorry. Vampire.”
“The Vamp in me isn’t offended.” I laughed and shook my head. Breed were offended by the silliest things.
Both of us were dressed down. A T-shirt and jean shorts for me, and Blue had on a sleeveless turtleneck with brown cargo pants. Some of her scar showed on her left shoulder, but she didn’t seem interested in covering it with a button-up shirt.
I removed my sunglasses when we reached a large house in the middle of the woods. Most packs had ample parking, so I found a spot by a sedan to the right of the house.
We received a lot of inquisitive stares from the kids out front who were swinging from a rope tied to a large oak tree.
Blue reached for my hand before I shut off the engine. “Don’t let your guard down. Sticking our noses in pack business is a dangerous affair. People have disappeared for less.”
“The Packmaster’s expecting us.” I killed the engine and gave her a long look.
“Shifters are an old Breed, and we’re superstitious. Some of them practice the old ways, and the Councils have no authority.”
“What are the old ways?”
“It’s not just wolves that used to do this. People gravitate toward strong, fair leaders, and it’s hard to get in those circles. Those at the bottom of the barrel either struggle alone or join anyone just to get protection. In the old days, they used to share some of the women. People were chained, and you really don’t want to know all the rest. Councils put a stop to that, but sometimes you get these small clusters living outside the Council’s reach.” She ran her fingers through her long brown hair and then gripped the door handle. “Anyhow, just watch yourself. Don’t insult the Packmaster or anyone’s mate. Be careful what you say. We’re not on neutral ground anymore. This is their territory, and they have every right to defend it if they feel threatened. We’re outsiders, and tight-knit groups like these are suspicious.”
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?”
She chuckled and got out. “I’d rather listen to your music than a barrage of questions.”
Fair enough.
I didn’t want to know every sordid detail. It might tarnish my view of those I cared about by learning the dark history of Shifters. I’d heard plenty about the brutality of pit fights and slavery but little on the dirty deeds some of them participated in. Did Breed children get a history lesson on this type of stuff? Might be something to ask Switch later.
I glanced up, and the treetops seemed to disappear in the sky. A flock of birds circled overhead, and the sweet smell of pine filled my nose.
“What’s your business here?” A dark-haired man in overalls rose from his seat on the front porch and blocked the steps.
“We’re here on behalf of the higher authority,” I said, taking notice of the knife on his hip. “Your Packmaster is expecting us.”
“You don’t look like Regulators to me. Did they run out of red coats? Josiah’s busy.”
“He invited us.”
The man smirked. “Were those his exact words?”
I refrained from plucking out his eye with his own knife. “Look, he said he was a busy guy. I get it. We just have a few questions.”
The man narrowed his eyes. “What kind of questions?”
Blue stepped forward, immediately catching his admiration. “Just a routine errand. We’re visiting all the Shifters in the territory, packs included, and have to complete some boring paperwork. We don’t want to take up your time or interrupt your schedule. Since Josiah’s a busy man, could we speak to the beta instead? If he can’t see us, we’ll just scratch your name off our list and be on our way.” Blue leaned on the railing and tipped her head in a beguiling manner, her gaze softening as she reeled him in with a glance. “We get in big trouble if we go back with blank papers, so could you help us? Pretty please?”
The black-haired man gave a tight-lipped smile and actually blushed. “Well, I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. Andy’s out back, but don’t get your hopes up. He’s got certain opinions about the higher authority these days.”
“You’re a saint,” she said, turning on her heel.
As we paced off toward the side of the house, he called out, “Hey, if you’re single—”
“Thanks again!” She waved her hand while rolling her eyes at me.
“You need to teach me that trick.”
“It’s not hard,” she said, twisting a leaf off a bush. “I’ve seen you in action. You’re using your sexuality, but that’s not the key.”
“Then what is?”
“Men want to be noticed. So you notice them. And despite what they say, wolves just love a damsel in distress.”
I snorted. “You could have just dropped your pen and bent over.”
“Then I would have had to gut him like a fish when he made a move on me.” She tossed the leaf into the grass.
Three kids zoomed by us as we neared the back of the house. The immediate surrounding area was clear of trees except two, and they each had target boards nailed to their trunks. An older woman emerged from a garden carrying a basket of tomatoes. In front of a shed, a man and woman hung sheets on a clothesline, one stretching them out while the other snapped a clothespin on the line. I searched around and noticed a slim guy smoking a cigarette on the porch steps. His skin was whiter than the sheets, so he probably spent all his time inside reading.