Ilona Andrews own the kate daniels series.

A/N: Mystery whispery...

Un-beta'd

Chapter 8 - Day One

I woke to the bright sunlight from the window by my bed, in my room at the Pack headquarters. Every muscle ached within my body, like I'd been out cold for too long. One question remained clear in the forced sleep I'd gone through; Why'd Kate attack me?

"Curran?" Kate's voice reached me. I rose and turned to meet her face. I was shocked by how pale and grey she looked, sitting on a wooden chair. Instantly, my fury died. God fucking no. No more fights. "You're awake. Dear God, I'd though you'd..." She broke off, her hair covering her face. Her shoulders shook. Overwhelming protectiveness ran through me. Fuck. She was crying. My Kate was crying, because she's scared she'd lost me. The mortality, and value, of my life hit me in that moment.

I pulled her into bed with me. For several minutes we remained like this; Kate making barely contained sobs into my shirt while I murmured softly into her ear. We broke apart. Her eyes looked bloodshot. Bags hung under her eyes. She sniffed.

Beautiful.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Fourteen hours." I was stunned into silence. "It's nine-fifty in the morning." She got up and went to speak to Derek by the door. "Derek's going to get you some chicken soup." A wry smile curled her lips. "It's like the flare again. We've switched roles instead."

"Kate," I started.

"Seleyda made me do it," Kate went on. "She told me-" Kate stared at me, and suddenly her eyes got misty. "S-She'd told me that you have ninety percent chance of dying on the battlefield." Her hands shook; something I'd never seen happen to Kate before. "And I did what she said."

Ten percent. Ten fucking percent of survival.

Kate saw the look on my face. "She didn't set us up. Her estimate had just been a little too optimistic. She'd hoped that the branch here wouldn't be up to standard, and this was on the possibility that she was wrong."

"She could be a very good actress," I said with little caution.

Kate raised an eyebrow. She folded her arms. "Against the both of us? Not likely." She sat back down. "Curran, please, can you honestly tell me that you couldn't sense she was the least bit scared when we were talking? Or even when she was talking to you?" Her eyes lit up. "She'd told you to not miss, remember? Before the fight."

"Yes," I agreed.

"But before that, she'd disliked-" She saw the look on my face and huffed. "Okay, fine, hated you. Didn't it seem weird that she cared for you?"

"Yes." I could see where it was going, but didn't want to stop.

"Wouldn't that mean, theoretically, she was scared because she cared for you?"

"Perhaps, but there's always a level of risk to any battle plan," I pointed out to her. "And with any sort of risk, there comes fear."

Kate smirked. "That's not an answer."

"Did we suffer any loss?" I tried to get up. Kate stopped me. "Is Seleyda here?"

Kate hesitated. "There was a mass stampede back to the fort. It took several hours to calm everyone down and more to count our people."

"But?" I could sense it coming.

"Twenty of ours are still unaccounted for." Kate looked straight into my eyes. Fear filled their dark depths. "Julie and Derek are some of them."

Fucking godammit.

I stared at the scene before her.

More than a dozen shapeshifters from the Pack's ranks had been ensnared by the song of the Wild Hunt I'd sang. Which led them to follow me, whether they were willing or not, into Unicorn Lane. One of which was Julie Olsen-Daniels, ward of the Beast Lord and pack princess. A few notable others were Derek Gaunt and Ascanio Ferrara.

"What are you doing here?" Julie demanded.

"Hunting shifters. The ones we were fighting yesterday," I replied. "You can't leave now."

"No shit, Sherlock," Julie commented.

I watched Julie with cold eyes. "That need of yours, to find me before, remember that?" The shifters nodded. "The same compulsion drives the mad shifters to find me as well. For the time being, the closer you are to me, the safer you are."

"You can cast spells?" Derek asked. I sighed.

"Yes, the compulsion was due to a spell. No, I won't break it. So shut your trap, princess, and keep your eyes open." A sardonic smile curled her lips as she shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you might even learn something before running back into Daddy's arms."

"Curran's not my parent!" Julie shot back. "Mine are dead. Kate adopted me." Oh.

"My mother died when I was two. I've never known my dad," I quietly said. Does that help?

Julie shrugged. "Whatever."

"Okay." I surveyed the lot of them. "Alright, I need names and I'll be putting you in groups." I sheathed her swords. 'If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear it."

"Some of us are injured," a female voice came from behind me. I turned. A tanned female appraised me. Jennifer. I tasted the air with my tongue. Wolf, but with something...more. The musky, earthy undertone hit me. Pregnant, with a little girl. Four months, maybe? I was instantly angry.

"Why the hell is a pregnant alpha allowed on the battlefield?" I demanded. Gasps sounded in the clearing. Her face was pale. Not public knowledge, then.

"M-My l-l-lady - "one of the wolves began, horror and terror clearly on his face. She silenced him with a single look. Where the hell is her mate? The male wolf alpha? If it'd been Drew, I'll have killed him for such insolence. Gold edged her blue eyes.

"Allowed?" She said. "I'm the female wolf alpha. The battle has already ended, therefore any power you held prior returns to zero."

"Bravo," I applauded mockingly. "Tough luck, Barbie," I drawled. "It's not done. In fact, the war has just begun. And you're in. My. Way." I folded my arms. "And you think it smart to risk Clan Wolf's only ruler and heir apparent at the same time in some misguided attempt to take revenge for the death of your mate?" Turquoise touched my soul. "Would Daniel want you to do this?"

Jennifer took a step back, shocked. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. "I don't care how miserable your life is without him or how unfair it is that he's gone. I won't condone the misuse and mistreatment of life! Especially that of a child!" Cassandra's face flashed through my mind's eye. I turned to face the man who'd called Jennifer 'My lady'. "You!" He jumped, then cowered. "You'll be her guard. Take another four more. Your choice." Jennifer came out of her shock just then, looking insulted.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she insisted.

I arched an eyebrow. "Could've fooled me." There were several muted snickers. I growled. They quieted. "We are still in danger. Our enemies have just as or more keen sense as we do. Remember that lesson? I distinctly recall making it a point to drill it deep into the crevices of your skulls. Would you all like a refresher course?" Instant silence.

Derek stepped out. "I'll protect Julie."

The man jerked his head up from his convention with Jennifer. "No, Derek. I want you on my team."

I gestured with my head. "Go."

"But what about - "

"I'll guard her." Where the hell did that come from? "I'll guard the Pack princess." Why the hell did I announce that? Julie gave me the 'drop dead' glare. "When the Consort finds out you blatantly ignored and disobeyed her direct orders to remain in your room until such time as to when she deems it safe and joined in a battle you had no right to fight in, you're just as dead. Please note that I said when, not if. You were very lucky to have survived, you know that?" She paled further beneath her Gothic makeup. "How old are you?" Someone should've banned that type of makeup from any fighters.

"Fourteen," she snapped.

I felt a little stunned. We're the same age. I tried to see it beneath the gooey layers of makeup. Nope. "I don't suppose you have any makeup removers in your pockets?" Julie looked stunned. "None, then."

"Why?" She asked.

"The weather." I scooped the soil up. Moist. "No matter how waterproof or smudge-proof a cosmetic claims to be, it will still smudge and get washed away in the best of all circumstances. When that happens, your vision will be hampered for a span of five to ten seconds. In any battle, that's potentially lethal. For the week to come, it's the deciding factor between life and death." I smelled the soil. Hmm. I'll need a little fertiliser to grow anything with this. "I'm trying to save your life, Julie." She set her jaw stubbornly, a fire dancing in her eyes. Street rat. Definitely a street rat.

"What do you think you are? My mom?" She folded her arms in a distinctly teenager-angst-ish way. Not that I'm...it's just how she did...Argh. Why bother.

Never mind.

"I'm just speaking from experience." She gave me a once-over. You wear makeup? I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. Trust me, it's not worth it when you die." Someone snickered. Derek.

"Oh, did you die and come back?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes, I did." I got up. "But that's a completely different issue."

"Oh, you'll do just fine," a black-haired boy drawled. Derek gave him a glare that epitomises the phrase, 'If looks could kill'. Ascanio Ferrara.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the half-cocked arrogant peacock of Clan Bouda. You'll excuse me if I don't roll out the red carpet and fall to my knees begging for your attentions. There's precious few of that around here," I said. There were several snickers. The boy preened, as if I'd given him a compliment. Black hair, angelic eyes and a devilish smile. "I see why you're called the traffic jam generator." Derek bit back a laugh. "He has his...charm." Which I don't need. What I need is a pack of renders. Life rarely gives you lemons, if anything at all.

I appraised the lot of them. "Are there any renders?" A few hands raised themselves. "Form?" One hyena. Two wolves. No cats.

A hyena in warrior form stumbled into the clearing. Ruby eyes met mine with a light of recognition. "Se-LEE-Daaar?"

Oh my god. "Raphael?"

His form shuddered, melting into his human form. I tried not to gape at his...nudity. I could see why Andrea...liked him so much. Raphael sank down on one knee, gashes running across his chest. Crap. I ran towards my uncle, muttering a few choice words under my breath. Brilliant blue eyes blinked blearily. "Seleyda?" He gasped.

"What happened?" I asked. I half-sang a few notes, calling moisture to soak his throat and mouth. Raphael's throat worked for a few moments, swallowing the excess water.

"Thank you," he said. He sounded much better. "I was besieged by two of...them." Hisses ran through the clearing. "I managed to kill one and avoid the other." Surprising how fast the mob mentality invades the mind.

"How far?"

"Awhile," he gasped. "Ago."

"We're on high alert as of this moment," I announced. "We'll split into four groups. Julie," I called. She started. "Split them. Derek will help you. I need to heal Raphael; he's losing too much blood." The wounds weren't healing very fast. Raphael tried weakly to fight. "Don't. Just don't." The look on my face silenced his protests. I ran a finger through one of the gash. He moaned. I tasted the blood. Fuck. He has the silver in him. The same one that made me. "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt a lot."

He managed to smile. "Be my guest."

I covered the gash with my mouth and sucked.

Raphael's scream echoed in the clearing.

A/N: Enjoy you all. Thanks for favouriting and reviewing! Read and Review!