Dresden lifted his head and sniffed, his eyes snapping to Sam’s face. “You don’t smell like a wolf.”
Sam shook herself and stepped back; she had just turned to Nafarius when her sensitive hearing caught a distinct ‘pop, pop’ from near by. Nothing in nature made that kind of sound. Sam, already facing the right direction, took off into the woods.
“Sam!” Nafarius swore and went after his mate; a moment later a blur shot past him. Roland, back in animal form, would catch up to her faster. Nafarius wouldn’t risk changing, not while the Council was present and Sam was unable to defend herself.
Sam skidded to a stop; reaching out, she grabbed Roland as he tried to shoot past her, his momentum carrying them both forward for another few feet. Sam shook Roland sharply when he nipped at her to let him go. “Do you smell that?” she asked.
Nafarius joined them and answered, “Gun powder.”
“And lycan,” Sam said and started forward slowly.
Nafarius reached forward and grabbed her, none too gently. “You are not going out there to investigate.”
Sam would have protested but one look at Nafarius’ face warned her it would be useless. She’d pushed him today, defying his attempts to keep her safe and he was pissed. This latest threat was one that he wouldn’t risk exposing her to. At her nod, Nafarius sent Roland around to the south while he headed north. Eventually, they would both circled around until they found the spot where the shots had come from.
Nafarius hadn’t come across any indications that the lycan had headed north but he was careful. Whoever fired those shots could still be nearby. Roland found a trail leading away from where the shots came but didn’t bother to follow it. Whoever it was had headed south, away from where they were now and away from the pack. There would be time to investigate later; turning north, he went to find Nafarius.
Nafarius stood in a small clearing staring down at the crumpled body of a young pack member. Michael was one of the young men he’d sent out when word of the Council’s approach had come. He’d been shot once in the heart and once in the head; the wounds were fatal, no matter what type of bullets. Carefully lifting the young man into his arms, Nafarius turned and carried him towards home.
Sam saw him coming; even from where she stood she could see the pain and anger in Nafarius’ eyes. Together they walked back to the pack. Confused, wondering what was happening, a number of pack members milled around the clearing waiting for Sam and Nafarius to return. Standing off to one side, the Council members clearly stood apart from the rest of those gathered. Nafarius didn’t spare them a glance; instead he headed inside to deliver Michael’s body to his parents. Within moments, the sound of grieving could be heard outside in the clearing.
Sam remained outside; she knew Nafarius would be back to question the Council. Quietly, Nafarius ordered the patrols to pair up; no one was to walk in the woods alone. Roland was sent with four others to investigate the area around where Michael’s body had been found. Turning to the Council, he asked, “Who else did you bring with you?”
Jonas stood up as tall as his back would allow. “No one; this was not our doing. We would never sanction the unjustified killing of an innocent.”
“Maybe not,” Nafarius said, “but this followed you here. Who else knew you were coming?”
“Only the Council members,” Jonas said, “we told no one else.” Looking from Nafarius to Sam, he added, “When we first learned of your mates… abilities… we collected and sealed all of the records. The Council met in closed chambers to discuss the matter and we decided it was best to send a small group instead of requesting your presence before the full Council.”
“How many members are on the Counsel?” Sam asked.
“Seven,” Lillian answered. Turning to Jonas, she reminded him, “Not all of the Council members were in residence when we learned about Samantha. It is possible that information got out when we sent for the others.”
Jonas nodded. “It’s possible.”
A moment later Dresden slipped back into the clearing. Sam hadn’t realized he’d been gone. Dresden caught her watching him and gave a slight nod. Turning to Nafarius, he said, “Whoever it was is gone. They headed south before following a logging road back into town. Based on how their trail ends, they didn’t leave on foot.”
Nafarius nodded; a moment later Roland returned and reported the same findings. Nafarius paced the clearing, the sounds of grieving from within the cave an accusation in his ears. Death was a part of pack life, he knew that better then anyone having lost both his father and brother to the violence of power. This was different.
“Nafarius?” Roland and the others were waiting. “Do we retaliate?”
“Against who?” Nafarius asked, not expecting an answer. “This wasn’t an attack by one of the other packs in the area; they wouldn’t have headed into town and certainly not by car.”
Roland nodded. “They also wouldn’t have used bullets.”
“Not wolf,” Sam said. “I smelled cat.” Suddenly, she had everyone’s attention.
“You smelled cat?” Jonas asked, his voice carefully neutral, “Any idea what kind?”
Sam shrugged. “More like sensed it, one of the big breeds,” she said looking at Dresden, “not panther.”
Jonas nodded but didn’t say anything else. No one had mentioned Dresden’s animal was a panther. It was possible that Nafarius had shared that information with his mate but Jonas doubted it.
“Warrick’s animal is a lion,” Nafarius said, naming one of the Council members. As pack leader, he knew the names and animals of all seven Council members. He had met with all of them at one time or another; he wouldn’t have thought any of them capable of this kind of attack.
Lillian echoed Nafarius’ thought aloud. “Warrick would never do something like this.”
“The Council wouldn’t do something like this,” Jonas stressed.
“Not the Council,” Dresden said. “Storm.”
“Who or what is Storm?” Sam asked.
“Storm heads a paranormal, paramilitary force that was organized to prove the existence of supernatural creatures,” Dresden answered.
“Well, he obviously knows of the existence of lycans; why kill Michael?” Sam asked.