Chapter Twenty-Two #3
“Nothing. I mean… he didn’t do nothing . He was fucking pissed when I went running after him to try to break his concentration, but he never commanded me to do anything.”
“Why didn’t he use it on you?” I ask as I think back on it.
The vampire was pissed and threw Julian, but when Julian came back at him, he could have commanded him to leave.
Hell, Julian was nervous enough that he’d probably have bitten onto that suggestion and run with it, but instead, he let Julian distract him enough that the group of us could escape.
“Maybe he can’t affect wolves?” Julian asks. “I… almost wondered if it was limited because he didn’t follow us. Casimir, you were bleeding horribly, and I wasn’t much of a fighter against him, so if he’d followed us and controlled you again, we’d have been done. Unless there’s a limit to it.”
“That would make sense,” I say. “Vampires can usually only do it so much. Like I can’t do it when I’m severely wounded. I stabbed him, so maybe that broke his ability for the time being.”
Julian nods while looking thoughtful. “Maybe.”
“This is what happens when vampires are allowed control,” Terrance grumbles, and I contemplate whether Julian would notice if I chucked him out the door.
“Ha. Nah, Dad, there’s a reason you’re here.
The vampire said that this had nothing to do with Casimir.
He said that Casimir was only involved because he’s the leader.
I… think he was pretty confident he was going to kill Casimir, so he didn’t talk much.
But he said to ‘Ask the wolves what they did and the vampires what they covered up.’”
Terrance raises an eyebrow. “You’re pushing the blame onto us?”
Julian’s expression tightens as he stares at his father and I question, not for the first time, how Terrance could have played any part in making someone so different.
“Dad, isn’t it enough? People are dying.
You think I just decided to come up with some stupid story to get you involved?
I want to know if something happened.” He turns to Cyrus.
“What about you? Can either of you think of something?”
Cyrus grabs a chair and takes a seat as he thinks. “I guess that’s hard for me to answer. So much shit is happening constantly. Did he imply it happened to him?”
“I don’t know,” Julian says.
“We could go back and ask him before I kill him,” I declare.
Julian’s raised eyebrow tells me that he’s not impressed by that idea, but I’m not sure what the problem is. “Let’s not run face-first into a vampire who clearly has the power to control us, alright?”
“I can ask Ezio if he can think of any cases in the past that could line up. Just… pray that he doesn’t annoy me so much that I accidentally crack open the window. I wouldn’t kill him, just remind him that I could,” Cyrus says.
I nod approvingly until Julian looks at me, and I’m forced to stop approving this. Honestly, he’s too picky.
“Dad?” Julian asks. “Anything that’s gotten covered up?”
“No, the werewolf attacks are quite controlled. I mean, we occasionally have attacks, but everyone who has been turned has either been drawn into our pack or they’ve joined another.
We haven’t had any deaths in… hell, fifteen years in our area.
Of course that’s not to say areas around us remain as diligent as us, but it’s never anyone from our pack doing it.
I’m extremely strict that everyone has to be locked down tight on a full moon. ”
“You lock yourself in the basement of the bar, right?” I ask.
“Yes. Most of the pack does.”
“But not all?” I question.
“No, not everyone.”
“What if Casimir swings by and talks to the pack tonight? I have a night class, but I’ll come afterward,” Julian says, literally tossing me to the wolves.
In what universe could he foresee me willingly chatting with the wolves or them giving me something of use in return?
Terrance seems to think the same thing as he grimaces. “Fine.”
And now I can’t back down or I will look like the problem.
“FINE.” It comes out much more menacing than I’d planned it to, which results in everyone staring at me.
Julian clears his throat, like he wants to pretend I’m not having a temper tantrum over this, and says, “Wonderful.”
“Is it?” I ask.
“It’s wonderful .” And with that, he tosses a beaming look my way and sees the others off with the promise that we’ll all do our best to look into this issue.
The moment they are gone, I stare the man down, prepared to show him just how I feel about all of this, using only my eyes. “You will live to regret this.”
Why he smiles in response to my threat, I’ll never understand. “I’m just glad you’ve admitted I’m going to live. I thought after mentioning that you’d go with my father, you might not even let me do that!”
“Hmm…”
He’s quite proud of himself. “I really can’t help but question what’s going on. Do you think there’s a reason the vampire’s attacking? Like some kind of vendetta thing?”
“It doesn’t fucking matter, he’s going to die,” I declare.
“What if someone hurt Gustov?” Julian asks.
“Then I would crush their body.”
“See? He said the vampires covered it up and the weres did it… so that makes me feel like there was some crime committed, and he’s enjoying taking his sweet time picking through the people. The guy who died at the apartment…”
“Grady,” I input.
“Right, so did Grady do something sketchy in the past? Or maybe he was close to someone we could ask. Did he ever go to any of your super-secret vampire meetings?”
I shrug.
“Like… ‘shrug, I can’t remember’?”
“‘Shrug’ as in if you expect me to pay attention to people enough to notice what their faces look like, you don’t know me very well.”
Julian turns around. “Quick, what’s my face look like?”
“Don’t ask me such useless questions.”
“What color are my eyes?”
“Eyeball color.”
“And what’s my hair look like?”
“You have a long snout with thick black hair. Real big teeth too, pointy ears.”
“You’re just describing my wolf,” he says as he turns back, blue eyes scrutinizing me.
“Ah, I forgot. I have always been able to get along with dogs better than people.”
“So you just want me to run around as a wolf all the time? Is it because I get naked before I shift?”
“You’re naked after you shift too.”
“You’re right… you should get me a doggy vest.”
I reach over and open a cupboard. The moment I do, piles of clothes tumble out since I’d been stuffing in more than what the cupboard is capable of holding.
Julian looks at them in surprise. “Are these… clothes for Gustov?”
I hesitate as I realize I’ve just shown this pesky wolf my deepest, darkest secret.
How the hell will I ever be able to threaten him after this?
What has he done to me that made me relax enough that I opened the secret cupboard?
What is wrong with me? “No, they’re not,” I say as I try to quickly close the cupboard.
“Oh, no, no, no, no… I must see what’s in here,” he says as he rushes over to me as I try to battle against him to get the door open. He’s clearly confused if he thinks he can win a fight against a vampire.
I force it closed because I cannot lose face like this. I can’t let him see me in this light.
Julian jerks away, wincing. “Ow… my back…”
I reach for him in alarm. “What did you do?”
And he pushes me out of the way while grinning maniacally as he whips the cupboard open. “Nothing, nothing at all. Oh my god. A sailor outfit! Look at the little sailor outfit!” He makes sure to dance it in front of my face. “Is this a cheerleader costume? Quick! I want to wear it!”
He drops his clothes just like that and shifts, tail wagging as he impatiently waits for me to put it on him. I sigh and push it over his head as he eagerly pops his paws through before I grab the skirt and try to stuff it on him.
Why am I doing this? What has he done to me? “You’re bigger than Gustov, it doesn’t really fit.”
“ Make it fit! ”
“Well, it doesn’t,” I say as I try to stuff his tail through the tail hole just as the door opens and we both look over at Terrance.
There’s a full minute of silence. Me with a skirt in one hand and Julian’s tail in the other. Julian, who is trying to help, and Gustov who is flabbergasted about the wolf in the kitchen.
Terrance won’t stop staring, and pretending like I’m inanimate isn’t seeming to help at all.
“Please… just leave,” I beg.
“I… wanted to tell you… I’d have the pack there by eight. But now… I’m not sure I want the pack there at all. I also forbid this,” he says as he grabs for his son.
“He asked me to do it!” I protest as I watch him pick Julian up and carry him toward the door.
I sigh, deciding that it really is best if he takes the pesky wolf who does his best to make me look quite ridiculous.
Julian slips free and shakes the clothes off before shifting. Of course, instead of helping the situation, he nearly falls over laughing as he covers himself with his pants. “Oh my god, your face, Dad. I love it. Ah, good times. Good times.”
Terrance, having nothing else to say about this, quickly leaves, and I’m left with Julian laughing until he cries. Maybe our mutual desire to harass Terrance has been what’s drawn us together all along.