The next few days came and went in a blur. Most of them I stayed in my room trying to cope with the latest developments in my complicated and twisted life. Oh Moon that even sounds horrible. I crawled out of bed late to shower having gotten no sleep the night before.
After showering and dressing I was on my way back to my room when I caught the sweet coppery scent of dried blood from Viv's room. I rushed in realizing it wasn't her scent.
"Vivian!" I cried running to her disheveled body on the floor.
"Cyn, Cyn I can't remember. I showed Aiden what I am and he freaked so I ran and afterwards… I cant remember what happened. What if that's his blood." She shook as sobs raked through her. I held her as I took a deep whiff of the air.
"It isn't his blood honey, it is human, but not Aiden's." I confirmed remembering the scent of his from the last time I had seen him and he had cut himself on a knife.
"What have I done?" She asked wiping of her mouth on the sheet.
"Nothing I'm sure there is a logical explanation for this." I told her unable to believe Viv could do this. Also deciding to, for the time being, ignore the whole big reveal.
"What am I? I'm evil."
"No," I shook my head making her look at me "I have known you all of your life there isn't an evil bone in your body." I told her strictly, She meekly shook her head. "Go clean your self up. I'm going to throw out these sheets and get some spare ones from the linen closet. It doesn't look like it got on the comforter, but I'm going to wash it anyway. After you are dressed we can go to Starbucks. I will buy you one of those muffins you like so much." I told her reassuringly already stripping the bed. I'm damn good under pressure, I thought confidently.
I ran a hand through my hair after putting new sheets on Viv's bed and putting her blanket in the dryer. Still waiting for Viv to get dressed I decided to go head on downstairs where I waited at the front door for her.
When she finally walked down stairs I quickly ushered her into my car.
After Viv decided she didn't want food we just got some frappe chinos and starting walking around leaving my parked behind an abandoned building, As we walked we unintentionally came in front of a very crowded street corner… Tooley's bar.
Behind me came a clatter of boot heels and a jingling of chains. Viv and I whirled to face the noise and saw the Five.
The twins and Gregory almost danced, they were so full of electric excitement. "Hell, Vivian. You look like shit," said Finn. She flipped him off.
"Ooooh, she's sooo tough," Gregory responded.
"Of fuck off Gregory Nathaniel Worthington." I responded snidely using his full name without even making eye contact as I cleaned my nails.
He went to respond, but Willem shoved him. "Leave them alone."
"Better not let Gabe know you're still sweet on those two," Gregory told him.
"Yeah. He'll kick your ass," Finn said. Willem spat at his twin. Finn dodged the wad. Rafe hadn't spoken a word. He just stared at us with a look of smug amusement on his face. Ulf stood beside him fidgeting.
What's happened here?" Vivian asked gruffly. Ulf finally spoke. You would think as much as they ran their mouths we would have been flowing with the latest scandal of our small town.
"They found a body behind the Dumpster." Ulf's voice was squeaky.
"Some guy." I felt a cold lump form in my gut.
"We didn't get to see it," Willem told her. "But there's a lot of blood."
"A goddamn river of it down to the drain," Gregory added with relish.
"How pleasant." I commented sarcastically.
"I heard some cop muttering about wild animals." He cackled with delight. Across the street an ambulance took off quietly. One of the police cars followed. Wonder where this is going to go.
Lucien Dafoe came around the corner. That didn't surprise anyone; Lucien was Tooley's best customer. He leaned against the door-jamb of the bar entrance and grinned at all the activity. He should have the sense to look shocked even if he didn't care.
"Did you see anything?" Rafe asked directing the questing towards Viv. She seemed zoned out in another world I discreetly nudged her with my foot. No one noticed.
"What?" Rafe folded his arms and cocked his head.
"I said, did you see anything, Viv?"
"Huh?" Oh fuck me! Viv was failing miserably at trying to remain remotely innocent sounding. My work was cut out for me.
"Down here. Last night. I saw you in your wolf-skin under the bridge. You were heading this way." Rafe informed.
"No way. Rafe you must be seeing things Viv and me were at home watching a scary movie on our traditional scary move Saturday." I assured knowing no one would know that we hadn't done that in years, only knowing it was a common thing that we did together at some point.
"You sure you don't have something to tell us, babe? Something we should know about? Huh?"
"You're full of shit, Rafe." Told him finally sounding somewhat confident in herself.
"You tying to call me a liar Rafe?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"There's nothing more to see here. I'm sure Esme will fill us in on the details after her next shift." Viv added. Returning her and I to our rightful place as team V and C tag teaming since birth and kicking ass at it.
We turned to go.
"Don't think you're any better than us, Cyn," Rafe called after us. "We saw what you did to Astrid."
I turned back walking to stand right in front of him glaring at him coldly. "Don't you dare, what I did to Astrid was all because she wrongfully attacked my aunt and I was not just going to sit be and watch. I actually have a heart unlike you. It may be black but it is still there." I told with my signature calm coldness I had mastered long ago.
"Better watch your back." Rafe replied almost as cold but he lacked a certain seriousness that was needed.
"Don't let Gabe here you say that, might kick your ass." Willem said repeating words once said to him.
"If wanted to hurt her I could do it and Gabriel won't be able to do anything." Rafe spat Gabriel's name out as if it was the plague. I didn't mind though I was to busy punching Rafe right in the nose with a resounding crack. The impact and surprise sent Rafe to the ground and I was gone and around the corner long before he could even gather his bearings.
CGCGCGCGCGCGCGCG
I woke up the next morning rather glad that I wouldn't be home today. As captain of the schools Color Guard it was my job to go pick out the pattern and fabric for next years flags and uniform, so I was dressed quickly and gave my hair some slight curl deciding to be different and cheerfully headed down stairs to an absolutely dreadful sight: Gabriel. He was standing in my foyer with Vivian and Rudy.
"Oh the love of the moon this is why I don't bother to happy in the morning." I groaned annoyed.
"Cyn don't be rude and where do you think your going?" Esme asked from above me in a much to short summer dress. So much for giving the guy to me not that I wanted him.
"You cant be serious. I told you at dinner I would be gone till lunch. I'm driving into the city to look at fabrics for Color Guard." I informed her for the second time.
"Oh well Gabe's here to talk about the body they found over by
Tooley's so you will have to go some other time." Esme told me walking past me to welcome Gabriel.
"Your kidding right? I have been planning to go for weeks!" I complained. The past few days since my encounter with Gabriel I had been significantly bitchier than usual.
"Probably be gone by the time next school year starts anyway." If looks could kill Gabriel would be half way to hell.
They all settled in to the living room, where Esme described in detail the condition of the corpse. From how the marks were shaped to the bodies placement and condition down to the amount of blood remaining in the corpses system.
As the words flowed from Esme's mouth I became more assured Viv was innocent. Viv wouldn't do that, she couldn't. But again she remembered the blood on her sheets.
"The people at the bar think the killer was a rabid dog or a big cat someone was keeping as a pet that got loose," Esme said.
Vivian spoke up although she shouldn't have. "Maybe that's what the cops think." I remembered that Gregory had mentioned a policeman mumbling about wild animals. "Their forensic specialists are going to be pretty confused when they try to identify any hair, saliva, or blood they might find," said Rudy. "And the size of any bite wound won't make sense."
"If it was one of us they shouldn't have a problem matching the salvia to that of a canines." I informed.
"Is that good or bad?" Vivian wondered out loud.
"That might depend on whether it's an isolated incident," Gabriel answered. "The night Astrid led a run by the river," he said, pinning Vivian with his piercing, icy eyes. "Did they bring someone down?"
"No." The intensity of his gaze upon Vivian made shift feeling rather defensive of my cousin.
"No one I've talked to so far has heard of any other mysterious bodies appearing, either," Gabriel said. "So if it doesn't happen again, maybe we'll be all right. Maybe after a while, when they can't identify the killer, the police will write the incident off as a weird one-timer they can spook the rookies on night shift with. Meanwhile, I'm going to order that no one go out in their fur if possible. The police are going to be searching for a large animal." Esme looked as if she wanted to protest but didn't dare.
"What if it does happen again?" Rudy asked. Way to be optimistic not that I wasn't thinking the exact same thing.
Gabriel scowled. "Our job is to not let it."
"We need to know who to stop, first," Rudy said. "Got any ideas?"
"A few," Gabriel answered.
"Astrid?" Esme suggested.
Gabriel shrugged. "Right now she's got an all-night alibi, not that I place much faith in Rafe's word."
Esme rolled her eyes. "Still cradle robbing, huh?"
"What about Rafe's father?" Rudy asked. "Lucien hangs out at Tooley's drinking his meals. He's always getting into fights with that biker Skull and his buddies."
"No way," I informed. "Lucien is a drunk and is to opinionated to stay quite. Someone would have heard it. This had to be quick. The way Gabriel explained the wounds the guy was attacked from behind and the fatal bite was quick and to the point the rest was done after he was dead." Vivian and everyone looked at me strangely. "What, I considered homicide detective before I picked Surgeon as my future career path." I defended matter-of-factly. I looked towards Viv and immediately wanted to hold her. I suddenly see herself there, at the crime scene. Could she bring down a total stranger in that way, without anger, without cause?
"I could understand if this were some harsh winter hundreds of years ago, and we were starving," Gabriel said, his eyes glittering with anger. "But this wasn't a kill for food, it was for pleasure - a pleasure that could condemn us all. I'll be watching; others will watch for me; and when I'm sure who's done this I'll make him pay." His words struck me with the strength of a blow, and for a moment I couldn't catch my breath. Gabriel rose to his feet and paced the room.
I made eye contact with him noting the anger in every ounce of his body. His arms were powerful; they could snap a neck with one smack. His legs were long, and even through his jeans you could sense the muscle and sinew that would allow him to run down the swiftest prey. When he put on his pelt he was a massive, dark, merciless animal.
"I understand the urge to kill as much as any of us," he said fiercely, and no one would deny or ever question his word. Except for me of course.
"But it must be controlled. There's no wilderness to hide in anymore. We can't run in packs in the mountains where travelers go unmissed for months, there are no black forests that stretch on for days, and it's been many centuries since we ruled small kingdoms in the dark center of Europe as if we were gods. Homo sapiens is everywhere, they outnumber us, and Homo lupus must live beside them. As much as we might crave to, we cannot kill them. To do so endangers us." He paused. "Sometimes I think we have outlived our time." He yearns for the old days, I realized bluntly.
I wondered if part of his anger at the killer was because he could not allow himself the same luxury. "I'm sorry this caused you so much inconvenience. I'm sure if you leave now you can make it there and back before dark." Gabriel said me kindly, and I realized he was standing at my chair, studying me. His eyes were gentler than they had been moments ago. The familiar look in his eyes made my reaction a little quicker than usual.
"Oh please any frustration I have isn't because I'm worried about getting home before dark. More like the fact that I'm still here having to suffer your presence.
"Well I just meant that you really shouldn't be going out alone. If one of us can kill a meat boy I don't think they will have a problem killing one of there own." He reached down and lightly stroked her cheek with his fingers. Turned away from him sharply.
"I think I can handle myself why don't you focus on keeping the rest of the pack safe after all it's your job now. I will focus on my own safety." I said standing up and glaring at him.
"It's yours too." Esme added just to spite me.
"Hey gee thanks Esme really appreciate the support."
"Look I'm only being honest here." Esme spoke putting her hands up in defense.
"Whatever you say." I told her annoyed grabbing my purse.
"You can't blame her for being honest." Gabriel said nonchalantly.
"Actually I haven't accepted that role, yet so technically not my job."
"Okay can we please stop talking about my nieces relationship and focus on the problem at hand."
"Right, well whoever did this has had the taste of blood and probably wants more. Like I said all we can do is keep our eyes open see anything you know how to contact me."
"Great we done here?" I asked.
"Yeah we can walk out together." Gabriel said stepping aside to let me by. I brushed passed him and out the door.
"You can't hate me forever you know?" Gabriel questioned grabbing my arm.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I can sure as hell try."
"When are you going to forgive me?"
"Oh honey I don't hold grudges you were forgiven a long time ago. Although I forgave you I can't exactly trust you with the way your behavior changes."
"Don't give me that bullshit. You don't trust anyone that has nothing to do with you hating me."
"Look I'm never going to be able to talk to you, look at you, even think about you without remembering what you did. So, yes I have forgiven you but I just can't possibly forget."