5. Deacon
Chapter five
Deacon
Once I’m certain Vasile has left the building, I curl in on myself on the sofa, gritting my teeth. Everything hurts still, though I’m sure the wolfsbane is gone. These are just the after-effects.
It’s a while before the pain begins to pass. The bulb overhead is stark, and I turn my face into one of the sofa cushions, letting out a heavy breath.
Vasile knew I was hurting. But I can’t let him know how much. He already clearly feels so guilty for everything that happened with Tamesis, and though part of me will forever be angry with him for keeping me in the dark, I am—and always will be—angrier with myself.
Still, that’s not why I’ve spent the best part of a hundred years avoiding him. No, less than that. I close my eyes and sigh. After I woke up in our house after that night, I ran. I couldn’t face what I’d done, so I made sure Vasile couldn’t follow, and I shifted, and I didn’t see another soul I knew for more than a decade.
Chaya found me. The treaty was signed, ink dry, and the alpha they’d chosen lay dying. She wanted me to come and take my place—never mind that we didn’t know each other.
She’s always been persuasive.
Not tonight. Though that’s not fair. I think she knows what I want, which is to keep this pack safe, and her protests against me spending the night away from our pack were, at best, half-hearted.
Vasile…
My mind spins back towards him in the same way it always has, and I find myself wondering, not for the first time, if the last century of his life has been like this, too.
Does he know what happened the moment our bond shattered?
Does he know that there is no one for me but him?
Does it matter?
I press the heels of my hands into my eyes before I lever myself off the sofa and strip in the centre of the room. It doesn’t matter. It can’t matter.
One thing is true of wolves and their mates. One absolute finality that up until a century ago, I believed in the same way I know grass is green and the sky is blue.
A wolf cannot hurt their mate.
But I did, didn’t I? Tamesis did something to our bond, sure, but all that means is that it was weak enough to be susceptible to tampering.
All it means is that I failed.
I growl, the shift coming easily, and in one blink to the next, I’m still injured, still guilty, but in the form of my wolf.
Not that there’s much distinction between the two of us. Running wild for so long… Sometimes I think I’m more wolf than man.
I pad around the flat, picking up the scents of the pack members down the hall. There’s a gossamer-thin thread that ties me to each of them, Kieran having accepted me as the alpha above them all. It hums contentedly when I brush up against it, and I wander through into the small bedroom.
The bed is made up, and I know I should be polite and shift back, but things are so much easier in this form and besides, the pain isn’t so bad. I jump up onto the bed and turn in a little circle before I curl up, my face towards the door.
There are other ways that being my wolf is easier. My wants are simpler. Tamesis, dead. Vasile, mine. One after the other, so as my wolf, there is little point in worrying about Vasile at all.
But that jagged, broken bond still exists, dulled after all this time. I do not brush up against it. I hardly dare focus any attention upon it.
I close my eyes. Sleep will take me and carry me into tomorrow.
I wake to a knock on the door. The hazy light coming through partly opened blinds tells me it’s late in the morning, and I feel the bite to the air. I stand and shake out my fur, then jump to the ground and pad over to the door.
Another knock. Kieran’s scent reaches me, and I let out a little yip, hoping he interprets it correctly. I could shift back, but I yawn instead, stretching my back just as he opens the door and enters the flat.
He smiles faintly when he sees me, and there’s a hint of wistfulness to his scent. No envy, though, and I’m glad of it. I was careful before I asked him to take on his own pack, but Chaya, Orion, and I had talked about it beforehand. Orion had pointed out the obvious. What if he was too consumed by what he lacked to be of any use to the others?
He is not. Could never be, by any measure.
“Just wanted to check you were feeling okay,” he says, eyeing me as if he is somehow privy to my thoughts. “It was me or Sam, and I figured you might bite him, so…”
His grin is quick, letting me in on some joke, and I huff out my own amused sound. Kieran nods and crosses to the sofa, then drops onto it.
“Well, that and he went out this morning. He wanted to look for that mage, but they must’ve been back and grabbed what was left of the spell bags because he couldn’t find anything.”
Annoying. I walk over to the pile of clothes I left on the floor the night before and shift back. Kieran doesn’t look away, just watches expectantly as I dress.
“You shouldn’t have let him go out alone,” I say, my voice hoarse from lack of sleep and the memory of pain still in my system. “He’s basically the only advantage you have if Tamesis comes calling.”
“The only advantage we have,” Kieran corrects, almost absently. “Yeah, you’re right. I mean, he didn’t go alone, but he needs to be more careful.”
“We can discuss it at the alpha meet,” I reply. “Some of the other packs have a mage or two, though none as powerful as him.”
“ Mages mages, or…?”
I frown. “The other one, I think.”
Kieran hums in agreement. I can’t say I truly know the difference between mages like Sam and mages like Ophelia and Dante. Magic is magic.
Clearly, it matters. “Will they be able to help?” I ask.
“Of course,” Kieran replies with a frown. “How happy are their alphas going to be to have them working with us?”
It’s my turn to frown as I finish buttoning up my shirt. “You have a pack. They’ll do it.”
His gaze is far too knowing. “You’ve told them about us?”
“Of course.” I sigh and take a seat at the other end of the sofa. “They’re all aware you have a pack and where your territory is. I know I should have introduced you before now, but things have been hectic.”
“It’s not that. How’d they all take it?”
How much should I tell him? Most of the alphas were fine, though a couple seemed unsure, and some were outright hostile. We made note of those. Not that I think they’ll do anything should they come across Kieran and his pack, but it’s better to be safe.
“Fine,” I say and Kieran snorts.
“Yeah, sure,” he replies. “And all of a sudden, I can shift.”
“All right. Some did not take it well. You will all still have to work together.”
Kieran raises an eyebrow. “And I’m not about to challenge anyone who crosses my path, but it helps if I’m aware that some wolves might outright not want to deal with me or my pack. I have a responsibility to them, Deacon.”
“I know.” I hold his gaze, and he doesn’t look away. In the back of my head, my wolf doesn’t mind. He recognises something in Kieran and is happy for him to brush up against the edges of behaviour that, in another wolf, would be grounds for a challenge.
I know better than to think it’s because my wolf thinks he isn’t a threat.
Maybe someday he will take my place.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and Kieran blinks in surprise. “You’re right. Some of them were a little… hostile. Are you ready to deal with that?”
He shrugs. “Of course. Won’t be the first time I’ve dealt with tetchy wolves.”
“And Sam will come with you on Monday?”
“Like I could keep him away. Will the others have their seconds with them?”
“Of course.” I shake my head before he can speak again. “I know it is not ideal. If Tamesis were to attack… But that is why we will hold the meet in the middle of the day and take precautions.”
“Good job Sam’s coming,” Kieran mutters, but he doesn’t tell me it’s a terrible idea.
It is all we have. I need to make sure all my alphas are on the same page so that we can actually fight this threat. And to do that…
“I should head back,” I say.
“You’re all healed?” Kieran’s gaze is suddenly sharp.
I nod. I could use a few hours more of rest, but I’m tired, not hurting, and I’ll fix that tonight. Possibly today, if Chaya works out how much sleep I need and sends me for a nap.
No one ever told me that taking on the position of alpha would lead to my betas occasionally treating me like an overgrown toddler.
Kieran stands and I follow him out of the flat, putting one hand on the side of his neck when we pause outside of his flat. The scents of his pack reach my nose, and they settle me in a way I’m not expecting.
“Be careful,” I say. “I expect to see you on Monday.”
“I’ll be there.”
I squeeze once before I let go and make my way out of the building.
Once outside, I take a deep breath of the frigid air. I left my suit jacket behind last night, and my journey home will get me more than a few strange looks in just my shirt, but wolves run hot, and I’m no exception.
I walk away from the building and come to a sharp stop when I’m standing on the pavement.
There’s something…
I inhale, filtering out the usual scents of the city, and frown.
There’s a dead body nearby.
People are walking down the street, though not many of them, and all are rushing to get out of the cold. There is a cluster of bushes in the corner, and I head towards them, following my nose.
A shoe sticks out from under one of the bushes and I clench my teeth. I glance around before I push my way between them, eyeing the body with no little distaste.
He looks a little older than Kieran, smells human. Dead, for certain, and has been for a few hours, lips as pale as the rest of his face. I take in a mop of dark hair and scowl at the mess that is the side of his throat.
My heart stops when I see an envelope clutched in the corpse’s hand.
Well, not clutched. Placed.
I crouch down and tug it free. Vasile’s name is written on the front, and I swear under my breath, shoving the note into my pocket.
This body has been left for Vasile, but I do not for a second think that it is not a message for Kieran, too.
I pull my phone out and dial his number. He answers on the first ring.
“Deacon? Everything all right?”
“I need you to come outside. Now.”
I remain out of sight in the bushes, standing only when I hear the building door open, and Kieran’s scent reaches me. He jogs over when I wave to him, and his face pales when he sees the corpse.
I climb back out of the bushes, joining him on the street.
“Do you know him?” I ask.
“No,” he replies. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
He isn’t lying. I need to call Moreau. If this human isn’t part of Kieran’s pack, then he’s the Council’s responsibility—especially in death.
I pull my phone from my pocket again, Kieran leaning forward to peer at the corpse’s face as though he might see something he missed before, but before I can dial, two hunters come striding around the corner.
I recognise one—Naomi, Moreau’s right hand—but not the other.
“Alpha,” she says, and I put my phone in my pocket, next to the note. Her eyes slide to Kieran, and she greets him the same way. “We got word there was a body here.”
I frown. “I was just about to call.” I wave at the bushes and the other hunter, a squat, burly man, pushes his way inside. He lets out a distressed sound and I take a step closer to Kieran, placing myself between him and them.
Naomi looks at the other hunter. “Arty?”
The man climbs back out. His face is pale. “It’s Nathan,” he says.
Kieran’s scent—distressed, frantic—floods my senses, and I turn to him, grabbing his arm. “Are you all right?”
Kieran doesn’t answer me. He’s looking at Arty. “You’re sure?”
Some complicated expression crosses Arty’s face. Naomi takes a look herself, nodding when she re-emerges. “Yes. It’s him.”
“I need to—” Kieran looks at me. “Sorry, I have to talk to Lucien. I have to tell him—”
“He’s here?” Naomi says sharply, and Kieran’s entire demeanour changes, body almost vibrating with the need to protect his mate.
“He didn’t do it,” he snarls.
“How can you—”
“His scent isn’t anywhere around here,” I say, and Kieran relaxes minutely. I let go of his arm. “Go to your mate. I will return to your pack when we’re finished.”
Kieran nods and is off like a shot, racing back into the building. Something inside me eases at the thought that he and his pack are behind Sam’s wards. They’ll be safe there.
Naomi crosses her arms over her chest. “He was clearly killed by a vampire.”
“Or someone who wants it to look that way,” I reply, trying not to think about the note in my pocket. I could show it to her, but I don’t know the other hunter, and I know she would want to open it, read it. Vasile’s relationship to Tamesis is not hidden knowledge, but it does not mean he is involved in what Tamesis is doing.
Naomi sighs. “Wait here.”
I wait while she and Arty close off part of the road, making things look official enough that passing humans won’t question it, won’t do much more than gawk. More hunters arrive, and they climb in and out of the bushes, taking note of the crime scene before they finally remove Nathan’s body.
By the time they’re finished, I’m sitting on a low wall, watching. Naomi ducks under the tape they’ve put up and sits beside me.
She’s holding a small bag in her hands, and I bite back a growl when I see what’s inside.
“You recognise this?” she asks, holding up Vasile’s signet ring.
It is the one I gave him one hundred years ago. Of course I recognise it.
She knows it, too, by the look in her eye.
“Yes.”
“When did you see Vasile last?”
“Last night.”
“Where?”
I swallow. “Here. We were attacked by a mage on our way to speak with Kieran. I was injured, so I stayed. Vasile left.”
He left. He didn’t kill this hunter. And if he did, he wouldn’t leave his body to be found.
I called Chaya while I waited. I thought Nathan’s name was familiar, but she filled me in. He hurt Lucien, endangered the clan.
Vasile has always been a better killer than that. Leaving a body behind is clumsy if it is not purposeful.
Naomi sighs. “Moreau may wish to speak with you,” she says. “Or the rest of the Council.”
I nod. That is not unexpected. “Do you require me for anything else right now?” The rest of the hunters are clearly ready to go, and I want to check on Kieran and his mate.
“No,” she says. She pushes the bag containing Vasile’s ring into her pocket. “Unless there’s anything else you have to tell me?”
Will the note help? I’ll have Vasile read it and see. “No. Not right now.”
She nods and when she gets to her feet, so do I. She heads towards the van that’s idling at the kerb and I frown. “Naomi?”
“Yes, alpha?”
“How did you know to come here? I only just discovered the body when you arrived.”
She hesitates for a moment, clearly deciding whether or not to tell me the truth, but in the end, the truth wins out. “We received a call. Anonymous. Had to have been about twenty minutes before we got here.”
Someone was watching us? I like the idea of that even less than that someone left Nathan’s body outside Kieran’s building. “Thank you,” I mutter, and she nods and gets into the van. Only when it pulls away do I head back into the building.
When I knock on the door to Kieran’s flat, Drew answers, ducking his head in greeting. He is pale, but that is nothing in comparison to Adam, curled up against Sam in one corner of the sofa, or Lucien, who is on Kieran’s lap, his face tucked into Kieran’s neck.
Kieran’s eyes snap to me as I close the door. “What happened?”
“Tamesis, if I had to guess,” I reply. “Unless you think Vasile did it?”
Lucien’s head shoots up. His eyes are rimmed red, but his gaze is fierce. “Our crai would never—”
I raise my hands in surrender. “No, I know. But someone’s gone to great trouble to make it look as though he did.”
Lucien shakes his head, curling back into Kieran’s embrace. “I should not—I never—”
Kieran runs a soothing hand down his spine. “It’s not your fault,” he says lowly. “They don’t think Lucien did it?”
“No,” I reply. I glance at Adam. Drew is sitting on his other side now, wedged in between his mates and the rest of the world. “The hunters do not believe anyone in here was responsible. They found Vasile’s ring. We already saw—”
“He was bitten,” Kieran says, voice dark. His other hand tangles in Lucien’s hair. “He’s gone.”
Lucien lets out a little whimper and Kieran holds the back of his neck, keeping him close. I should leave, but the air is thick with fear and sorrow… and no small amount of relief.
“I know some of what happened,” I say quietly and Lucien’s head jerks up again, eyes wide when he looks at me. “If there is anything I can do…”
Lucien licks his lips and shakes his head. “Thank you, alpha.” He glances back at Kieran, a question in his gaze, and Kieran nods. “The truth is, I fear Nathan is the reason Tamesis is here at all.”
I frown, pushing off from the door and pausing by the kitchen counter. “What do you mean?”
“Seven months ago, I attacked him.”
I open my mouth—I know that—but he shakes his head.
“It was… a long time coming. Looking back, I realise he was manipulating me, manipulating all of us from the very beginning, but in the months before, things escalated. He separated me from Elle and Adam, or as much as he could. He tried to turn me against our crai.”
He shakes his head, and Kieran presses his forehead against Lucien’s shoulder. Lucien scratches a hand through his hair and his smile is faint, dropping only when he begins speaking again.
“Nathan had to return to the Council once a month to report on the clan, and that month Adam came to me. He told me what I already knew—that Nathan was cruel and was hurting me, and I needed to leave him. We could go to Vasile and have him removed from his position.” Colour floods Lucien’s cheeks. “I did not listen. I did not believe Vasile would help me, not as foolish as I had been. I told him to leave and went to bed when the sun came up.
“When I woke, Nathan had returned. We were at my flat in the district; I had expected him to return to the clan that night and I was surprised to hear him. He was on edge, pacing in the living room. He told me that he knew Adam had been by, that I was thinking of leaving him, that I—” Lucien’s words stick in his throat. His hands shake when he grips Kieran’s arm, leaning into him.
“What happened?” I ask. Lucien doesn’t have to tell me this—it does not sound like Tamesis manipulated Nathan into being abusive—but I recognise that he wants to.
“He yelled for… maybe an hour. I am unsure. Then there was a knock at the door. He had sent Adam a text while I was sleeping. I did not want to let Adam in, but Nathan said he knew how to lift the shutters, that he would kill everyone in the building if I did not. I knew he had gone too far, and I refused, but he told me if I moved, he would do it and let Adam in himself.”
Adam nods from the other sofa. Sam is scowling at no one in particular, and Drew is shaking about as much as Lucien is, though I think that is as much from the distress in everyone’s scents as it is from the words he’s hearing.
“Adam came inside. Nathan shouted. They argued. I did not—I could not—” Lucien shakes his head, cutting himself off. “I did nothing, and he grabbed Adam and threw him against the wall.”
Adam scoffs. His face is far too pale, eyes dull, but his lips twitch into some semblance of a smile. “Ruined a perfectly good TV.”
“Adam—”
There’s a world of pain in Lucien’s voice and Adam leaps off the sofa, rushing over to his sire. He drops to his knees by the seat and wraps his arms around Lucien’s middle, and when Lucien hugs him back, Kieran rubs his hand over the back of Adam’s neck.
“I bit him,” Lucien says, the words muffled. He lifts his head, and his eyes burn when they meet mine. “He stood over Adam, screaming that he would kill Adam and then me, so I pinned him against the wall and bit him. I would have drained him, but someone had heard all the shouting and called for help. They dragged me off him. I would…”
“It’s okay,” Kieran murmurs. He holds them both and I wonder how long it will be until they have truly healed—if it happens at all.
“Tamesis,” I say, and Kieran shakes his head.
“We talked about it before,” he says, indicating himself and Lucien. “Everything’s happened since then, from me being dragged before the clan, to Sam being framed for Nora’s murder, to Adam being framed for Lazarus’… Tamesis has been waiting. He’s been waiting for a chance to undermine Vasile, and when Nathan attacked, he found one. I think he’s planning to force Vasile to do something. I just don’t know what.”
I don’t know, not for sure, but I can guess.
Tamesis always did like Vasile best as a warrior.
“He wants him back,” I say, and Lucien lifts his head, eyes wide with horror. “And he has no limits. Tamesis will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.”