Crimson Moon - Never Cry Werewolf Part 3

Instinct led him through the underbrush. Every sense was keened as he neared his grandfather's cabin and sniffed the air. The full pack leadership had gathered. Something was terribly wrong.

Mounting the front steps in one bound, he landed on his grandfather's cabin porch without a sound, but the door opened. His grandfather greeted him with expectation in his eyes and then clasped his forearm in the time-honored tradition.

"We've received important news," Silver Hawk said, ushering Hunter into the emergency meeting. "Sir Rodney sent a Fae missive. The Vampires are on the move and are calling for our ousting. We have one fortnight to gather evidence to show we had cause for the actions we took against Baron Montague and his enterprises and must clearly demonstrate that they were complicit in the chain of events."

"We have that evidence!" Hunter shouted, looking at his grandfather and then his pack lieutenants. "When we brought in the Unseelie Fae traitor, all of that was discussed!"

"True ... but the Vampires are claiming that we did not follow protocol as established by the United Council of Ent.i.ties." Silver Hawk released a weary breath. "This time I do not know if we will be able to beat their charges, unless we can show a valid reason that we breached due process. We did act prematurely, Hunter. We did attack his manor house when he was merely a suspect. The correct process was not a preemptive strike, but rather to bring charges against him at the UCE."

"That's bulls.h.i.t," Hunter said, his voice exploding with rage. "We all know what happened. We all know how the baron sat on the sidelines egging Kiagehul on, helping to twist his already bent mind!"

For a moment Silver Hawk only stared at Hunter. "I know, son ... but you as the alpha leader also know that just because something is legal doesn't make it ethicala"or if it is ethical, that doesn't make it legal. We are caught in such a dilemma, the cobweb of such contradiction as can only be spun by the Vampires. Sir Rodney said the other parliaments are beginning to waffle, becoming shaky in their commitment to hold the voting bloc together. This could be a very bad moon for the wolves."

"Does my brother know yet?" Hunter dragged his fingers through his hair, further loosening the leather thong that held his ponytail in place.

"I sent word to Shogun the moment I learned. I carried the missive myself through the shadow lands and gave it to his top lieutenant."

Hunter held his grandfather by both arms and stared into his ancient eyes. "Grandfather... to travel that way without the family amulet to protect you against the demon doors, during these uncertain times, could have been suicide. I would have gone."

"There wasn't time," Silver Hawk said calmly, staring at Hunter with ageless wisdom.

"You need to rest," Hunter said in a quiet tone, now thoroughly inspecting the elderly man before him. "What do we need to do to make this right?"

"I will go on a vision quest," his grandfather replied, gently slipping from Hunter's hold. He landed a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "This time we must allow cool heads to prevail. We must go back to the scene of the treachery and collect witnesses, evidence, anything we can to show that we were under attack in principle and had a right to defend ourselves."

"Consider it done," Hunter said. He turned to Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow.

"We stand at the ready," Bear Shadow said.

"We've got your back," Crow Shadow said, but then c.o.c.ked his head to the side. "Where's my sister? Been thinking about her all daya"worried, you know, man?" He smoothed the hair at the nape of his neck. "Doesn't feel right. For something as serious as this going down, Sasha should be here, too."

Hunter nodded as renewed fury threaded its way through his system. "The human military has relieved her of her duty, temporarily. Her general was dressed down for the civilian human casualties and the media circus." He turned to his grandfather and let out a breath of defeat. "Doc, the entire team, have all been cut off from the Paranormal Containment Unit. They cannot leave Denver until further notice. A new colonel is sending a team .. ."

"A wolf hunt?" Silver Hawk asked in a low tone that made every set of eyes in the room begin to glow gold. It wasn't a question; it was more of a statement.

Hunter nodded. "This is what it could turn into the moment that new military force hits New Orleans, if the Vampires have their way. So I want you to stay to the shadows and lay low. I need to talk to Shogun and his men about staying out of harm's way until we know what we're dealing witha"but we cannot have any human casualties attributed to us. None."

"Agreed," Silver Hawk said, his gaze narrowed with repressed anger. "But collecting evidence under such circ.u.mstances will be hard."

"Just like old times," Hunter said, determination blazing in his eyes. "But I am prepared to show them all the way of the wolf."

"What were you going to tell me?" Bradley said, holding Clarissa's hand. He leaned in closely and sent the private comment into her ear.

"Later," she murmured back, and then took a sip of beer.

He frowned. "If it's important, we should just step outside. All right?"

She looked up at him blankly. "No .. . because I can't remember what I was going to say."

The group gave Clarissa and Bradley a smile.

"You guys are whispering like a couple of teenagers," Fisher said laughing, pouring more beer for Bradley. "Geez, get a room."

Bradley shoved him playfully as Clarissa shook her head and downed her beer, holding her mug out for a refill. "Can't anybody have a private conversation without your minds going directly into the gutter?"

"Not while we're drinking," Woods said, laughing.

Winters knocked his gla.s.s against Woods's. "Right!"

A slurry of nachos, cheese fries, and Jack Daniel's competed at the bottom of Sasha's stomach, but the warm buzz and camaraderie were beginning to make her problems temporarily fade. Woods was setting up another round of shots to sling across the tables when the hair stood up on her arms and the back of her neck.

"Look alive, soldier," she said, slowing him down. "Twelve o'clock." Sasha held up her hand and then nodded toward the bar door.

"You have got to be f.u.c.king kidding me," Woods said, elbowing Fisher.

"That just ain't right," Fisher said, wiping the perspiration from his brow with his forearm. "This is our bar."

"Aw, man, this sucksa"big time," Winters complained and downed his shot anyway.

Clarissa leaned in, weaving from the effects of the multiple kamikaze shots she'd just consumed with a beer chaser, and spoke to the group in a hissing whisper. "You guys are off post, right? This is a civilian establishment."

"It may be a nonduty location, 'Rissa," Bradley warned, clearing away alcohol from in front of everyone and bringing food baskets closer, "but anybody in uniform is still subject to military code . .. and just from a political standpoint, it wouldn't do to give the colonel any additional ammunition against usa"a.s.shole though he may be."

"Yeah, especially since he and his men are wearing sidearms off-post. That tells me the SOB is just looking for trouble," Woods muttered.

"He's headed our way. Be prepared to get on your feet," Sasha said to Woods and Fisher. "Maybe he won't be a d.i.c.khead and will just grab a beer and a burger and go about his business."

"There's a hopeful thought," Fisher said, eyeing Colonel Madison and the four soldiers who came in with him.

Sasha studied the men striding into the bar with Madison. The man standing closest to him on the left was a burly black guy who seemed as though he had Madison by a few years; on his flank was an extremely tall, corn-fed white guy who had midwest stamped across his forehead. Bringing up the rear was a Latino kid with zero percent body fat and hungry eyes, who couldn't have been more than twenty years old. Beside him was a laid-back-looking Asian guy whose age was hard to judge, but his eyes told her he was deadly. All of them, including the colonel, were wearing sidearms.

So this was who was replacing her squad, a bunch of cowboys? Sasha's eyes met Madison's immediately and she got to her feet, even though he was across the room. Behind her she could hear Fisher and Woods slowly getting to their feet, followed by the disgruntled sounds of the rest of the team following suit. But she didn't have to wait to know that Madison was going to be a real p.r.i.c.k about making his authority known, even in the Hawg. It was all over his face as he parted the bar crowd and strode toward her, head held high, shoulders back, his squad walking as though they were MPs on the way to make an arrest.

"Good evening, sir," Sasha said, trying to force some cordiality into her tone. She stepped away from the tables and moved toward him, hoping to draw his attention to her solely and to spare her team any unnecessary interaction with the colonel. He wasn't taking the bait.

Madison looked right past her to Woods and Fisher. "Lock it up, soldier."

From her peripheral vision she saw Woods and Fisher straighten up to stand at full attention, rather than the customary at-ease stance that was generally acceptable under social conditions. That was so unnecessary. In a nonduty civilian location it was enough that they'd gotten to their feet and had addressed him with courtesy. This was pushing it. Adding insult to the injury, Madison hadn't even introduced the men with him to her and her guys. It was a total slap in her face that said they weren't a team, weren't welcomed. She hated only being able to identify the colonel's men by their ethnicities.

Sasha counted to ten, her judgment doing hand-to-hand combat with her wolf and the liberal dose of Jack Daniel's that was coating her nervous system.

Madison returned his attention to Sasha, looking her up and down for a moment. "Is this how you led your squad, Captaina"allowing them to take liberties in your presence and to lose discipline and focus? Then it is no wonder you got the results that you did. You are property of the U.S. government at all times while you wear our uniform, whether you're physically in it at the moment or not, so is this any way to dignify that privilege?"

A reply caught in her throat. She wasn't sure if it was a rhetorical question designed to simply humiliate her or if the p.r.i.c.k actually wanted an answer. But the three seconds it took her to a.s.sess all of that sent him into a rage.

"I asked you a question, Captain!"

"Sir, yes, sir," was the fastest response that came to her mind. It was the one that every soldier learned how to say faster than his own name.

Now all eyes were on them. Onlookers craned their necks as Madison's men smirked. That's when she knew she was being set up. If this guy could push her b.u.t.tons and could get her to react with blatant insubordination, he could get her court-martialeda"apparently forcing her out of the unit was not enough.

"Yes, sir?" Madison said, circling Sasha. His tone carried both disbelief and disdain. "This was how you managed your team?"

"No, sir," she said flatly, keeping her gaze past him and on the tavern's door.

"Which is it, Captain? Yes or no? Soldiers don't equivocate!"

"Yes . . . sir," she said, now through her teeth. Jack Daniel's was winning; then again, maybe it was her wolf.

"Your tone is out of order, Captain."

"Step away from the lady," a low, threatening voice rumbled.

Sasha closed her eyes in a slow blink and turned, only to see Hunter step out of the shadows of the pa.s.s-through near the kitchen. Madison's attention snapped toward the voice, and his lieutenants took aggressive stances.

"Good to see you, man," Winters said, offering Hunter a fist pound that Hunter ignored as he pa.s.sed him. "That's cool.. . We were all just getting acquainted."

Sasha stepped between Hunter and Madison. "Hunter, don't. . ." She gave Hunter a look but could tell he'd heard enough to put him well past reason.

"I suggest you listen to the captain and stand down, soldier," Madison said, striding up to Hunter. "Is this another one of your out-of-ordera""

"I'm not the property of the U.S. government," Hunter said as he tilted his head and rolled his shoulders. "Back off the lady. She's off duty."

"The lady is under my command," Madison fired back. He looked at Sasha. "I see you run your personal life as sloppily as you run your squad. No wonder your mission failed."

"If you have a problem, state it," Hunter said, his voice bottoming out. "But don't be a punk b.i.t.c.h and hide behind your so-called rank."

Winters released a long, quiet whistle.

"What?" Madison took two steps closer to Hunter but stopped just short of being within his swing range, clearly not liking the fact that Hunter was taller.

"I think you heard me," Hunter said, moving in. "Circle her again and it will be your last time to invade her s.p.a.ce."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Okay, okay, c'mon," Sasha said, going to Hunter. "Don't do this, all right?"

"What I said was no threat and the lady will tell you I am no liar. That was a promise," Hunter said, not moving forward, but speaking to Madison over Sasha's head.

Madison turned to his men. "You did hear that, correct? This civilian threatened mea"thinks he's a Billy Bada.s.s."

"Affirmative, Colonel. We heard it, sir," the burly lieutenant to his left said and then smiled at the rest of their squad.

"Then, since we have received a threat, it is my duty to protect U.S. property from misuse by unauthorized hostiles," Madison said, lolling his neck. He returned his attention to Hunter, chuckling with overconfidence. "Care to take this outside so the rest of the civvies don't have to see you bleed?"

"Colonel, that is not a good idea," Sasha said. She turned to Hunter. "Just let it go, all right?"

"Property? Call her that again . . .," Hunter said with his gaze steady on the colonel.

"Dude, I mean, Colonel," Winters said, raking his damp hair, "this is like such a bad idea."

"What did you say?" Colonel Madison wheeled around to stare at Winters hard.

"I'm not a soldier, for one," Winters said, lifting his chin. "So I'm not about to give you the sir, yes, sir, c.r.a.p that Sasha has toa"and for the record, if you go out there in the parking lot.. . you're gonna get your a.s.s kicked. So you might just wanna go order a brewski and a burger and relax."

"Oh, man," Bradley muttered as he popped Winters in the back of his head with a flat palm. "Just add gasoline on the fire, why don't you, genius."

"Hey!" Winters said as he grabbed his head. "Quit it, mana"-it's the truth and everybody knows it."

"Shsssh!" Clarissa hissed, and gave Winters the eye.

"Like the captain ... or somebody said," Fisher added crisply, keeping his stance at attention and his gaze toward the door. "This is inadvisable, sir."

"Affirmative," Woods said, matching Fisher's stance.

"I think this civilian needs a lesson in manners from Delta Force Bravo Company," the colonel said with pure hatred in his eyes as he looked Hunter up and down.

The man on the colonel's flank patted his sidearm. "And if the she-wolf and her dogs make it an unfair fight by flipping out.. . well, we're locked and loaded for any eventuality, sir."

"Okay, now I know it's time for everybody to just stand down before someone gets hurt," Sasha said, looking at Hunter.

"You and your men threatened her with a firearma" one of your own?" Hunter said, moving closer to Madison.

"Just think of my lieutenants as peacekeeping forces so your girlfriend doesn't get nervous under the full moon and decide to break rank, turn wolf, and jump into what should be between men when she sees you getting taken to school," Colonel Madison said. He gave his men a half smile. "I don't think it's going to take much for you to learn what a real leader is made of."

"Believe me, if you pull a weapon on Sasha in my presence, it won't help you. Your arm needs to be connected to your body when you squeeze the trigger."

Hunter hadn't blinked, hadn't stuttered, and was so close to a shape-shift that she wanted to drag him out by his arm.

The colonel looked at Hunter and hesitated for a second and then laughed. "Overconfidence is always the best teacher."

"Yeah ... Let's go outside and learn together," Hunter said as the muscles in his shoulders bunched.

CHAPTER 5.

This was beyond crazy, but there was no stopping the events that were unfolding too quickly. Patrons began flowing out of the tavern behind them, but thankfully Ronnie and his bouncers got between them and the small group that stalked off toward the tree line, telling people he'd call the cops if a crowd gathered.

Yet appalling as the situation was, there was also a small, glowing ember of satisfaction alive within her. The night air fanned it, brought it alive, just as the full moon stoked it, and the sound of her once dejected team trudging behind her made whatever repercussions were sure to follow all seem worthwhile.