CHAPTER 8
Werewolf Games
Suddenly Hardison being left to die in front of Eliot made more sense. "He was killing you to get even for Griff." Eliot's words were quiet but there was a storm of emotions that rolled through the pack bonds.
Hardison put a hand to his chest with a gasp and stared at Eliot.
Parker patted Eliot's shoulder. "You better dial it back or teach Hardison how to."
Eliot looked at her with confusion until he felt Hardison in the bonds and could tell that he felt overwhelmed. "Sorry."
"How is that getting even?" Hardison frowned
"I killed Griff." Eliot expected to feel disgust or judgement but instead, all he felt from Hardison was sadness and curiosity. "And Hawthorn killed you."
"Griffith was really hurt, probably dying, but the bad guys wanted him to die slow and in pain, so Eliot helped him." Parker moved to sit on the arm of the couch near Hardison.
Eliot couldn't look at them yet, so he studied a spot on the floor near his feet.
"Was Hawthorn there?" Hardison was already looking for a military record for Hawthorn but so far, he wasn't turning up anything.
Eliot looked up with a frown. "No. It was just me and Griff. We were the last two left from our squad."
"Then how does he know?" Hardison asked while his fingers flew over his keyboard.
Eliot shook his head. "I didn't think that anyone knew." He braced his hands against the back of the couch and looked down at his feet so that his hair would hide his face. Once he was sure he had a grip on the bonds so that what he was feeling wouldn't be broadcast to the others, he told them what happened. "Right after I killed Griff the guard came for me. They did a lot of things that left me in pretty bad shape. They weren't done with… Something spooked 'em and they cleared out in a hurry. I don't know if they thought I was dead or just didn't care what I might tell someone. So, they left me. I don't know how long after they left before a local found me. He spoke about three words of English and my Pashto was pretty sketchy but he drug what was left of me outa that cave and made a phone call when we got back to the village. I was pretty out of it for a while after that, but I think someone got ahold of a French military unit that was near there 'cause I woke up in a French mobile hospital." Eliot took a deep breath and could tell they were waiting for the rest. "The US disavowed all knowledge of me because of the mission I'd been on so they couldn't come and get me. The French couldn't keep me because I was an American where there shouldn't be any Americans. I was a political land mine. So it was decided that they'd put me on a supply chopper that was making a run to an allied base and maybe from there I could hitch a ride to the closest American base. I was able to make a call to the officer that had been overseeing my mission but all he told me was 'Eliot Spencer is dead.' before he hung up. I didn't think it would go well if I did make it back to the American base so when the civilian flying the supply chopper said he knew a guy that had guys like me on the payroll I took that as my ticket out."
"That's how you met Damian Moreau." Parker's eyes were wide.
"I worked a couple of PMCs first but, yah, eventually that's how I met Damian." Eliot looked at Parker and couldn't help the smirk as he saw the look on her face that said she was sliding pieces of a puzzle together.
"Who told Hawthorn that you killed his brother and that you're still alive?" Hardison was moving through classified databases and wasn't looking at Eliot.
"I don't know and I'm not sure it matters since Hawthorn is already in Portland." Eliot stood up and checked his watch. "Okay enough of that. We need to go for a run."
Parker kissed Hardison's cheek. "He means you." She slipped his tablet out of his hands while he was distracted.
"No. I got all this stuff here. We need to find out where Hawthorn is now." Hardison reached for his tablet, but Parker held it away.
"Come on Hardison. Wherever Hawthorn is he isn't here so you can track him down later." Eliot tossed a duffle bag at Hardison who was only wearing sweatpants. "Get dressed in something you can move in."
Parker set Hardison's tablet on the bed and looked out the window.
Eliot could feel how alone Parker felt. "Parker, I need you to dress really warm and give us a twenty-minute head start."
Parker turned with a smile. "What are we doing Sparky?"
"After you give us a head start, I want you to ride your zip line to the other side of the property. We'll meet you there." Eliot pulled on shoes he could run in. "Bring an empty duffle bag and one of your ropes that will reach from your zip-line-harness to the ground."
"I still think I should be looking into this other stuff." Hardison complained while he tied his shoelace. "I'm not even trying to get out of whatever you've got planned. I just think this stuff is more important than werewolf games."
"You're right that stopping Hawthorn is important, but you are more important. I need you to get control of the wolf and learn what your limits are. I want you to be able to go back to doing the things you love. Things that you have to pass as human to be able to do. Like your game nights with all your little geek friends, and spending time with your nanna, and all the rest of the stuff you do." Eliot felt the twist in Hardison's emotions when he told him he needed to 'pass as human.' It was a hard thing when he had to acknowledge that he was no longer human, and he imagined that it wouldn't be any easier for Hardison even though he'd known what was coming.
"Alright." Hardison reached for his coat. "What are we doing?"
"You won't need your coat." Eliot smiled. "We're going to run."
Hardison shrugged and followed Eliot out the door.
"Remember what I said about bringing your wolf forward?" Eliot started walking down the long driveway.
Hardison quit hugging his elbows and thought about how warm he felt as a wolf and relaxed as he felt a tingle just under his skin. Suddenly he wasn't feeling cold anymore. "That really works!" Hardison started stretching arms and shoulders as they walked.
"That's not all it does. When you bring the wolf out like that it gives you all sorts of abilities including speed." Eliot started to jog and made sure that Hardison was keeping up. "Normally I'd tell you not to run on a roadway, but we don't have any neighbors on our road during the winter so we're going to use the road this time."
"I thought you and Parker run on this road all the time?" Hardison was surprised at how good running felt. He'd always hated running before but now he could see why Eliot was always going for a run.
"Parker runs and I keep pace with her and that can be a pretty good workout but it's nothing like running." Eliot smiled as he picked up the pace to a speed that an Olympic sprinter would envy. When he saw that Hardison was keeping up he picked up the pace. Soon they were traveling faster than the recommended speed limit for that road.
Hardison couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of him as he watched the trees go by in a blur. "This is awesome!"
"Slow a little for the corner." Eliot started to slow a little in example. "You don't want to lose your footing at this speed."
Hardison kept pace but it still felt like they were moving too fast as he watched the approaching corner.
"Don't worry. You've got this." Eliot encourage with a smile as he led the way around the bend. "See the dead-end sign?"
More than a mile down the road Hardison could see the small yellow sign. "Yah?"
"Race you!" Eliot pulled ahead.
With a peel of laughter Hardison pushed himself to catch Eliot. Suddenly Eliot seemed to slow and for a second Hardison wasn't sure why. Then he saw the sign affixed to the barricade at the end of the road. He was too close to stop in time, so he jumped, hurdling over the barricade and slowing himself to a stop on the other side. He jogged back around the barricade to where Eliot was stretching and catching his breath.
"That was great!" Eliot smiled. "I hope you're not tired though." He jogged into the woods without waiting.
"That was fantastic!" Hardison trailed slightly behind Eliot as they wound their way deeper into the woods. "How often can we run like that?"
"Until spring when the Richardsons return." Eliot kept a faster pace through the woods than a human could have managed but after that last sprint this was practically a stroll.
"That's it?" Hardison was a little disappointed.
"There's nowhere else around here that would work and nowhere in Portland where you won't end up on a camera. You can run in the woods here any time, but you'll never be able to go full speed between all the trees." Eliot could hear the sound of Parker coming down her zip line and was happy that they'd gotten there in time. "Come on!"
A few more yards and they were in a little clearing that held the small tower for the end of Parker's zip line. Parker came to a stop twenty feet above them. "Stay up there but throw down the duffle. Tie the line off on your harness and drop the loose end." Eliot called up to her.
The duffle and the rope landed next to him in short order. "Okay strip off and start your shift." Eliot crossed his arms and waited.
"Now I know why you double or triple up on all your shirts and stuff." Hardison pulled his shirt over his head. "It's to make up for all the time you're out here running around naked." He shoved all of his clothes and shoes into the bag. "Okay so now I just…." Hardison cranked his head side to side stretching his neck. "Okay. I got this." He hopped a little and stretched his arms like he was about to run another race. Finally, he stilled and with yellow eyes fixed on Eliot he started his shift. This time there was a shimmering tingling feeling in his skin and his joints ached for the barest moment before he found himself looking up just the tiniest bit at Eliot.
Parker let out a whistle that would have been at home in any sports stadium in the world and man and wolf both flinched. "Sorry." Parker laughed. "That was just so cool!"
"She's right that was great." Eliot smiled. "And you did the whole thing on your own." He ran a hand through Hardison's fur and then picked up the rope. "Parker did you bring an extra d-ring? One of the big ones?" Eliot looked up just in time to catch the metal ring falling at his face. "Thanks." He secured the line to the ring and held the ring out to Hardison. "Take her back to the top of the run and then race her back."
Hardison took the ring between his teeth and started off at a jog. "Faster!" Parker and Eliot called at the same time.
In no time they faded into the woods, but Eliot could still hear Parker's laughter through the trees.
Eliot had Hardison tow Parker back to the top of the zip line and race her back to the bottom over and over until Parker started to look cold even through her winter gear. "Okay. This time when you guys get to the top that's it. Parker, I want you to go inside and get a fire started. Hardison, I want you to work on shifting back. If it doesn't happen at first that's okay just keep working on it. I'll meet you guys there." Eliot slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and waited until Parker disappeared between the trees before he turned back to the road. He checked his watch and guessed it had to be around seven thirty in the evening in Ireland. He pulled his phone out and called Nate.
"You and Sophie doing, okay?" Eliot asked when he heard the line pick up.
"We're good. What's going on over there? Have you guys figured anything out?" Nate had been running scenarios in his mind all day, but he didn't have enough information to really do more than brood.
"Yah, we've identified the guy that's after me and why. Hardison's going to be working on tracking down the guy's current location after we have lunch. So, we've got things pretty well handled for the moment." Eliot kicked a rock in the roadway and listened to the clatter it made as it rolled into the underbrush.
"So why is this guy after you and why kill Hardison?" Nate was glad to hear that the team was getting a handle on things but being left out of the information circle was driving him crazy.
"Years ago, I killed his brother. It… He was a friend. I'm guessing it's just taken Hawthorn this long to track me down. He killed Hardison…"
"So that you would know how he feels." Nate cut in, finishing Eliot's sentence. "But you think he's still in Portland. Why hang around? He's done what he came for." Nate mused. "Do you think he knows Hardison is still alive?"
"I'm really hoping that he doesn't. There's no reason for him to think that Hardison survived. I think," Eliot smiled as he put the pieces together. "he's like you, he hasn't had the chance to gloat yet."
Nate ignored Eliot's jab about gloating over the marks they'd taken down. "So, he's not going to go away until he gets the chance to rub your nose in it."
A chill that had nothing to do with the weather slid down Eliot's spine and he decided a change of topic was in order. "Nati said you guys were out with Ewen and Abby when I called earlier."
"Yah they took us on a local tour." Nate hadn't been fooled with the tour. He knew that Nati was just trying to keep them busy. "Was that your idea?"
Eliot snorted. "I got plenty going on here. I definitely don't have time to be working on what's gonna keep you busy."
"How's Hardison and Parker?" Nate had been focusing on the how and why of the situation so that he wouldn't have to worry over the team, but he couldn't help the worry.
"Hardison's doing really great. He's adjusting really well. I think Parker and I are having more trouble with it than he is." Eliot could feel Hardison concentrating on something, and he hoped that something was his shift back to human shape.
"How so?" Nate had thought that there wouldn't be that much for Parker and Eliot to adjust to, especially Parker.
"I think Parker is worried that she's going to be sidelined. I can feel how envious she is of Hardison's new status. I've been spending so much time with Hardison right now because he really needs it to get the hang of everything, but there's so much of it that Parker can't be a part of." He was glad he'd come up with a way to include Parker this morning and he'd have to come up with other things that would keep her involved.
"And you?"
"Seems like I'm fighting all the time to keep every damn thing from becoming an order." Eliot growled. "Anytime I tell Hardison anything I have this urge to make it an order. I meant it when I told them that I don't want our pack to function like the other packs I've seen. But I didn't have any idea it would be this damn hard."
Nate chuckled. "And you called me a control freak." He paused in thought. "Tyrel told us once that the wolves at the bottom of the pack felt better or safer or something when they were given orders. Apparently, it's something in the werewolf make up that makes the whole thing work better. Maybe you should talk to some of the wolves you know or Tyrel and then have a chat with Hardison. Maybe the struggle isn't just on your side."
Eliot could admit to himself that he'd never thought of that. He didn't like taking orders and he'd assumed most people were that way, especially his team. He just assumed that Hardison would dislike taking orders as much as he would. And he didn't want the kind of relationship with his pack that left them no choice in things. He'd have to think on it for a while and maybe he would talk to a few of the wolves he knew. "Thanks Nate. I hope we can get this wrapped up soon so we can sit down over a beer."
"Me too. Here, Sophie is dying to ask you all sorts of things." Nate handed the phone off to Sophie.
"Eliot? How are they?" Sophie sounded worried.
"They're fine Soph. Hardison is getting the hang of things really fast, and Parker has been a huge help." He realized that was another thing he needed to tell Parker.
"Has he changed into a werewolf yet? What does he look like?" Sophie wished they were doing a video call.
"He's shifted into his wolf three times now and he's amazing Soph. I can't wait for you to see him. You won't believe how big he is, and his coloring is …well he looks like smoke and shadows." Eliot surprised himself with just how excited he was to talk about these details. He supposed that this feeling was why moms displayed they're kid's art on the refrigerator and dads kept photos in their wallets. "And he's fast. I think when he figures things out, he might even be faster than me. And he's already learning to get control of his wolf and that's such a huge deal. It's only his second day and he's already pulled off one shift completely on his own!" Eliot let his feelings roll gently through the pack bonds.
"When you say smoke and shadow, you mean grey and black? He doesn't look like you?" Sophie was enjoying the details and was a little surprised that Eliot would share so much.
"No, he doesn't look anything like me…except the eyes. His eyes are yellow like mine." Eliot smiled.
"Oh, I just assumed that he would look like you." Sophie tried to picture Hardison's wolf in her mind.
"Its magic not genetics. I don't know why wolves look the way they do. Most wolves are as unique as the people they are. Nati and Ewen's wolves look similar, but their eye color is totally different." Eliot had never given much thought to why wolves looked the way they did.
"Has Parker seen him? What does she think?" Sophie wished she was there.
"She's seen him. She's been great." Eliot couldn't help the smile when he thought of Parker sleeping, wrapped around Hardison's wolf. "I'll have her call you so you two can girl talk it to death."
"Eliot Spencer! What a thing to say. I mean really!" Sophie did her best to sound exasperated.
"Oh, come on. You know Parker loves it as much as you do." Eliot knew that Parker really enjoyed talking with Sophie because Sophie understood or at least accepted all of Parker's quirks and Parker didn't feel the need to try to be 'normal.'
"Fine. Have her call me. And don't forget to take care of yourself while you're looking after them." Sophie hung up.
Eliot tucked his phone back in his pocket and ran the rest of the way back to the cabin.