Chapter 5
Trevor stood outside Night Light looking at the eerily silent front door with the sign ‘closed for renovations’ still hanging there. He didn’t really like doing this, but if things continued to escalate the way they had been… PIT didn’t have a choice.
Opening the front door, he stepped into the cool interior and cocked an eyebrow at the light show going on over the dance floor. His sharp eyes took in the werewolves moving along the upper scaffolding, checking the connections and making sure everything was working okay.
He inhaled slowly, searching for Envy’s scent and spotted the shifter clans clustered in front of the bar talking about the Halloween party. Some of the conversation he’d actually picked up on the wiretaps he had scattered through the club. They’d never been removed and this was one of the times Trevor was thankful for that.
“All right, shutting it down,” Micah's voice echoed across the building.
The dance lights shut off and for a moment there was complete darkness until the regular house lights came on with several loud clicks. Trevor stood at the edge of the dance floor with his hands shoved in his pockets waiting to be noticed. He turned his eyes away from Envy’s the same second she turned as if feeling him there.
Envy felt her heart thud hard in her chest at seeing Trevor for the first time since she’d practically run from him at Chad’s apartment. She hadn't changed her mind about staying friends with him but she hadn't expected to see him mere hours after the encounter either.
She glanced over to find Devon watching her closely and quickly gave him a comforting smile.
“Great job with the lighting,” Quinn called up to Micah. “But you might want to check the connection on the last one by the back wall. The movement is still a little jerky.”
“Hey, what’s up, Brother Bear?” Micah called over the speakers from the sound booth.
Trevor shook his head and sighed, apparently Devon’s habit of giving him cutesy nicknames wasn’t restricted to just the jaguar. Well, at least Micah’s nickname for him wasn’t as annoying… in fact Hunter had called him such from time to time.
His gaze caught Kane's and held for a moment wondering if the vampire was ever going to out him… he hoped not. People who could read minds usually knew how to keep secrets and stay out of other people’s love lives.
“Hey Trevor,” Kat said with a bright smile and wave, “What brings you here?”
“Business I’m afraid,” Trevor answered as he approached the group. At least saving Kat’s life had won him a warmer welcome within the group.
Quinn signaled over his shoulder for Micah to come down and Trevor took a deep breath when Titus and Boris joined in the impromptu meeting.
“Is there any way we can get the whole clan together?” Trevor asked. “That includes the wolves. I have a proposition for everyone if they’re willing.”
“What kind of proposition?” Titus asked with a deep frown. Being Alpha made him feel like anything dealing with the wolves had to be run by him first.
Trevor gave Titus a serious look knowing if the alpha refused to allow it then the wolves would back down from his offer. “I need everyone that wants a real place in this war to step forward and the members of your wolf pack are ideal candidates because of their strength and awareness of the situation.” He hoped that was enough ass-kissing to at least get their attention.
“A real place?” Boris asked from behind Micah. With him being Titus’s enforcer, any important pack decisions would have to go through both of them.
“I’d rather talk about it with everyone here,” Trevor said not wanting to repeat everything… anything for that matter. Envy was still watching him with a soft expression and it was all he could do to stay focused on why he was here.
Micah nodded, “Okay… you’ve got the floor.”
Walking over to the bar, Quinn picked up the house phone and hit the announcement button on the receiver. “Can everyone come down here? I think the war is about to get a bit more interesting.”
It didn’t take long for the main room to be filled with the rest of the werewolf pack. Trevor pretended to be sizing the wolves up, but he was really watching Envy weave her way around the wolves on her way closer to him.
“What’s going on, Trevor?” Envy asked deciding to stand right beside him to give him encouragement with whatever he was planning. She hated the fact that she could read his emotions… especially since he seemed depressed. She swallowed her guilt. “Whatever it is, I’m behind you.”
Trevor looked over at her and mentally sighed. He didn’t feel bad about what he’d done to her last night… but that was the problem wasn’t it.
“We need every able-bodied individual who’s familiar with demons to join the police force.” Trevor explained turning back to the crowd. “Too many humans are taking the panicked calls at the station and getting themselves hurt or killed. They are good men and women who have no power to protect themselves against demons.”
“So you want us to take their places?” Quinn asked with his arms crossed over his chest. “With all of the precincts scattered all over the city… that’s a lot of replacing.”
Trevor exhaled loudly, “The choice is yours, but I would rather ask paranormals that I’m already familiar with and can trust. I don’t know most of you but have worked with you and I like to think that I can turn my back on every one of you without worrying about my skin or that of a teammate. Plus, if the majority of law enforcement on duty are wolves, then you can watch each other’s backs when you get the not-so-normal calls. Another plus is the fact that you’re already used to hiding stuff from the humans.”
“You’re asking us to become part of the PIT organization?” Micah asked, really liking the direction this proposition was going.
Trevor nodded, “That’s right. Do you realize what we’re up against? There’s more demons right here in this city than PIT has ever had to face at one time. Without everyone’s help it’s not looking too good. But together we can do for the city what we did for Hollywood Cemetery last night. We’ve got some really powerful people on PIT… but being outnumbered and trying to keep the humans oblivious to the fact they are smack in the middle of a demon war is one hell of a headache.”
“What about the officers who are working now?” Warren inquired.
“For each one of you that takes me up on my offer, one of the human officers will be transferred to a safe location… preferably out of state.” Trevor answered. “The sooner this happens, the better.
“The paperwork for each one of you can be faked as far as experience and credentials go. We are backed by an even higher authority than the CIA, so whatever we say goes. The pay is good but I’m not going to sugarcoat this. It’s a very dangerous job right now. Even the wolves will need to stay in teams and work together.”
Micah looked over at Titus, “That would work for me, and it would give us an opportunity to look for Lucca at the same time.”
“The pack has been getting restless lately and they enjoyed assisting at the graveyard. We’ve already interacted with a few PIT members so at least we won’t be complete strangers,” Titus admitted. “Besides, it’s still too dangerous to reopen the club yet.”
“I’m in,” Micah said.
“As am I,” Boris announced.
One by one, almost every wolf in the room shouted out their agreement with exception of the cougars and jaguars who offered to be on call only for the emergencies like what had gone down at Hollywood Cemetery. Trevor knew the Fallen worked fine on their own so he didn’t add them to the headcount.
The only ones who didn’t voice anything were Kane, Damon and Michael. Kane was leaning against the bar nonchalantly, smoking a cigarette, Damon was standing behind Alicia with his arms wrapped protectively around her, and Michael was lounging in one of the chairs at a table next to the dance floor railing.
“What about you guys?” Trevor asked when he saw the vampires hadn’t responded.
“We’ll do as we always do,” Michael answered. “If Syn needs us we’ll be there, but being on the Force,” Michael shook his head, “that’s not exactly how we operate. We can take down more monsters on our own.”
Trevor smirked and nodded, “Fair enough.”
“I don’t know,” Kane said with a smirk, “I’ve always wanted to be on the asking end of an interrogation… a stainless steel chair under my ass and a full carton of cigarettes sitting next to me to taunt the prisoner with.”
Michael looked over at Kane with a deadpan expression, “You’re retarded aren’t you?”
“Nah,” Kane shook his head. “I came out backwards.”
“Not even born and you were already telling the world to kiss your ass,” Damon muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
There were more than a few snickers and suppressed snorts of laughter at the look on Michael’s face.
“Would you like to be an interrogator?” Trevor asked with a grin. “We have a mind reader doing it now but if needed… you could always put them under your thrall and make them tell the truth.”
Kane gave him a look, “No, because if I’m shut up in a room then I can’t be out here having fun.”
“How’s Zachary doing?” Envy asked having heard about him going down for the count from her brother this morning.
“We’re not sure,” Trevor answered. “That’s another reason I’m asking for your assistance. If these things are strong enough to wear down Zachary and take him out for any length of time then we’ve definitely got trouble.”
No one here really knew who Zachary was personally, but the wolf pack had heard rumors or seen him as they ran from Anthony’s mansion the night the old Alpha was taken down. They’d gotten a second wind of him when it was rumored he’d been the one to cause the spectacular explosion that had been seen by everyone across the graveyard. If shifters appreciated anything besides honor, it was sheer power.
“Count the wolves in,” Titus said in all seriousness.
“I’ll start calling you in a couple at a time,” Trevor said. “As humans are transferred, you guys will slowly take their places. PIT doesn’t like asking for help but this is a situation where you’re already in danger and we are just giving you a way to fight back… so thanks.”
With that Trevor left the club and walked back out to his car. He half hoped that Envy would follow him and actually waited a few minutes. When she didn’t come out, he leaned back in the seat. He almost wished Devon had joined the police force… it would have given him a lot more time with Envy. Maybe he’d have to work on a reason to make that happen.
“Is everything all right Trevor?” Evey asked softly.
Trevor smiled, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Can you take me to the station?”
“Of course,” Evey said and started her engine.
*****
A few hours later, Trevor hung up the phone and leaned his elbows on the desk he’d commandeered. The first few humans had been transferred and the police chief had just gotten the offer of a lifetime… Trevor only hoped the man took it. If not, he would have to resort to more persuasive measures.
It wasn’t long before Micah, Titus, and Boris walked into the precinct and approached the reception desk. Trevor immediately rose to his feet and waved them over.
“Glad you could make it,” Trevor greeted them.
“Your call came kind of quick.” Titus said. “Faster than we expected actually.”
Trevor jerked his head toward the back of the office. “Come on. Let us go where no one can overhear us.”
Micah smirked as they walked through the precinct, waving cordially to the few human officers who had arrested him in the past. A few of them he actually ran up to and shook their hands vigorously, announcing how good it was to see them before Trevor dragged him away.
“Cut it out!” Trevor growled, but knew he would have done the same thing if the police had arrested him as much as they’d arrested Micah.
“Oh come on,” Micah complained. “I gotta keep up on how the wife and kids are doing.”
Trevor couldn’t help it and grinned as he shook his head. No wonder Micah didn’t have many friends in the city… he always managed to somehow piss them all off.
“Here we go,” Trevor said and opened the door to one of the interrogation rooms.
“Boy this brings back some memories,” Micah sighed and took a seat on the table.
Titus arched an eyebrow at him, “How many times were you arrested again?”
“Let’s see,” Micah said and pretended to think about it. “At last count it was…”
“Thirty,” Trevor informed him with a straight face, “All misdemeanors and traffic violations that usually resulted in Micah pretending to be drunk so he could get away from Quinn for a few days.”
Micah glared at him, “It worked didn’t it?”
“Yes, it did,” Trevor nodded then shrugged. “But we’re not here to take a trip down memory lane.”
“What exactly are we here for?” Boris asked, speaking for the first time.
Trevor took a seat in one of the chairs. “I need to go over the transference with you since your pack will be the one being brought in. The chief just got an offer to transfer to the other coast and we’ll need someone to take his slot that has a good rapport with the wolf pack. That someone should also have the confidence to delegate authority.”
“Who did you have in mind?” Titus asked.
“I was thinking about Boris here,” Trevor said looking at the older wolf. “The pack listens to you since you are Titus’ enforcer and I’m sure you earned their obedience during Anthony’s reign. You have a better idea of who would be the most suitable for the various positions getting ready to open up.”
Turning back to Titus he added, “I’m going to hand you and Micah your badges and side arms today. I’m putting you in the position of head detectives. This way it will give you the authority you need to get into any crime scene and full reign to conduct your private investigations into the local mob syndicate Lucca is running. I am your PIT leader so I’m the only one you have to answer to. You will also need to come to me if you need anything that the department can’t provide.”
“So the old chief isn’t gone yet?” Boris asked.
Trevor shook his head, “Not yet, but I’m expecting him to make an announcement any time.”
Boris nodded, “I can agree to that.”
“I’m also going to need two more wolves in here before the end of the day so they can start immediately,” Trevor said. “There was a very nasty situation at the hospital earlier and on top of the officers I’ve already transferred out of state, two more officers were killed at the hospital.”
“What happened?” Micah asked.
“Cut in half by something pretending to be the Reaper,” Trevor answered with a frown. “If they had been wolves instead of humans, maybe they could have at least gotten out of the way fast enough to survive the attack.”
“Sounds like it’s right up our alley… dangerous,” Titus said with a hard grin. “When do we start?”
Trevor reached into his jacket and took out two badges with a side arm each, “Right now.”
*****
Carley had taken full advantage of the two days she’d been at Tiara’s side by snooping around the house when no one was really paying attention. She’d also spent a lot of time observing Nighthawk watch Tiara… even now he was right here in the room with them, just unseen.
After the first day, Carley had finally gotten the Night Walker to tell her what his name was so she’d stop referring to him as ‘Indian’. Though he was patient with the few questions she’d asked him, either answering or not, sometimes it seemed like he barely tolerated speaking at all.
Now she sat beside Tiara on the bed pretending to run her fingers through the other girl’s hair comfortingly. Her friend was starting to show the first signs of coming out of her semi-coma. Tiara’s eyes were moving rapidly under her closed eyelids, a sure sign that she was now dreaming.
*****
The sun shone through the front windows of a cabin that Tiara was very familiar with. She smiled brightly remembering the month she and Myra had stayed in this very house… one of the happiest times of her life. According to Myra, Deth had given them this house to live in indefinitely as a gift.
The cabin looked like a basic a-frame house, with glass windows covering nearly the entire front of it. A sturdy frame had been built to withstand the heavy oak door that had been stained a rich woodsy color that nearly matched the surrounding trees. The rest of the cabin actually disappeared into the hill behind it, giving it the illusion that it was smaller on the outside than the inside.
In the back part of the cabin it was always nice and cool… being underground gave a sense of protection and privacy which Tiara had loved the first time she experienced it. She remembered running from room to room of the huge cabin, counting six bedrooms in all, a huge living room, three bathrooms, and a kitchen that could almost rival the one Storm had in his castle.
Water was supplied from an underground spring and the solar panels on the roof ensured they would never have to pay an electric bill… ever. Upon Myra’s death, the house had been given to Tiara in her mother’s Will. But after only a week of living here alone, Tiara had grown very lonely and left the house.
She heard the light tinkling of the crystals hanging outside the front door as they swayed in the wind. Going to the entrance, Tiara opened the door and stepped outside. She smiled softly and took the three steps down from the porch onto the grass surrounding the house. No sooner had she stepped away that her surroundings changed drastically.
Tiara felt a cool breeze touching her face, its soft currents making the ends of her hair lift and tickle her bare skin as she walked through the quiet graveyard. The full moon was fat in the sky and surrounded by clouds creating a beautiful backdrop. Its bright rays shone down like a spotlight, illuminating the area she was standing in with a soft, unearthly glow.
She slowly turned full circle to see if her teammates were with her then stopped, sadly recalling that she’d left them behind somewhere… left her lover behind. A feeling of melancholy filled her heart and mind as she remembered feeling their presence surrounding her.
“Zachary,” the word came out sounding like a wish before the sound disappeared with the night’s breeze.
Straightening her shoulders, she took a deep breath to shake off the longing. She was finally here… alone in a graveyard. She’d wanted to do this since she was a little girl befriending the souls of children. She frowned remembering her mother always sent them away from her.
“You can’t be seen playing with them,” Myra would say in harsh whispers. “What if a PIT member was to find you playing with a soul? You’re not supposed to even have the power to see the souls of the dead yet.” Myra would then dry her tears and tell her that she’d sent the children to heaven to be with their families.
Tiara sighed knowing her mother had been right. The lost souls of children shouldn’t be left behind… even if they were her only friends at the time. Sometimes she would sneak away to play with them while her mother was working but always returned before she noticed anything amiss.
Hearing a soft giggle in front of her, Tiara raised her gaze to a tombstone in front of her. A little girl was sitting on the edge of it with her legs dangling, swinging back and forth in front of the name Lily engraved in the stone.
“Are you Lily?” Tiara asked softly, and then looked around her not seeing any other souls. The moonlight shone on this area of the graveyard, allowing her to see that everything looked like it was at peace. Was this child alone here? The thought saddened her.
“Yes, have you come to play with me?” the little girl smiled hopefully and hopped down from the stone shyly waiting.
Tiara walked forward then bent down in front of the child, “I can’t play with you, but I can send you where a lot of other children are waiting on you.”
“I would like that,” Lily said softly. “It’s really lonely here.”
The sweetness of the little girl’s voice made Tiara’s eyes mist and she held her hand out to the girl. “I will show you the way there.”
As soon as their hands touched, Tiara pushed her necromancy out toward the child only meaning to give her a path to follow… but what happened made Tiara’s eyes widen in horror. Instead of a soft trickle that would lead the child to the other side, her power poured out of her in hard, brutal waves that washed across the ground.
Tiara quickly stood up and looked around her as the clouds parted, lighting up the whole cemetery. She gasped and turned in a fast circle, discovering that it went on and on in all directions… forever.
The ground all around her heaved and zombies started crawling out of the graves, their decomposed hands grasping at anything and everything around them… grass, dirt, even the air. Tiara quickly reached back for the child only for her fingers to grasp the bony fingers of a little zombie.
Not realizing it was just a dream, Tiara fell to her knees with a heavy sob and stared tearfully at what was left of Lily. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.”
“Didn’t you?” a masculine voice asked, “Isn’t this the reason you left everyone that cares about you?”
Tiara spun around trying to find the harsh voice that seemed to come from behind her, but all she saw was more zombies. “This isn’t why I left!” she screamed. “This isn’t what I wanted at all!”
“Then you shouldn’t have run from me,” the voice whispered in her ear.
Tiara froze and her heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice, “Zachary?”
Carley jumped when Tiara screamed out Zachary’s name and suddenly jerked up into a sitting position. Her eyes were wide and her arm was reaching out toward something. Her breath was coming out in short, hyperventilating gasps and she looked around wildly.
Tiara looked around trying to figure out what had happened. She was disoriented and her arm was reaching out in front of her. Realizing it had only been a dream… she lowered her arm and brought her knees up under her chin. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she fought to control the tears that were racing down her cheeks.
Carley sat beside her on the bed wishing for once that she was solid so she could offer Tiara the comfort she needed. “It’s alright, it was only a dream.”
“How long have I been asleep?” Tiara asked.
Carley frowned, “You’ve been out of it for two days!”
Tiara nodded waiting on the after effects of the nightmare to wear off. She wiped at her eyes, “Two days, I’ve been asleep for two days?”
Carley nodded. “You must have used too much power and it wiped you out. I am so glad you finally woke up.” She smiled and made the motions of hugging her friend.
Nighthawk stepped from the shadows he’d surrounded himself with. He had also been waiting for Tiara to wake up as it was a sign she was once more mentally capable of handle the teachings Craven was set to give her.
Tiara flinched when a shadow suddenly moved across the bed from the window right beside her. She jerked her gaze in that direction thinking for a moment that it was Zachary. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Nighthawk standing beside the bed.
Since Carley was with her, she’d thought maybe PIT had taken her away from Craven and Nighthawk… back to PIT where she most definitely did not want to be. She couldn’t face them now… not now that they knew the truth about her.
She stared calmly at the tall Indian remembering everything that had happened and a slow numbness crawled down her body. It was over… she could never go back to PIT again.
Looking deep into Nighthawk’s eyes, she wondered what he was thinking as he stared back at her. Briefly touching his mind, she caught a glimpse of him carrying her away from Nile but she was seeing it from Nighthawk’s point of view. She watched through his eyes as Nighthawk turned to look at Zachary after she had passed out.
She quickly severed the link between them not wanting to see any more… she didn’t want to see the hatred and disgust that must have been in Zachary’s flaming eyes.
“Nighthawk, thank you for saving me,” Tiara whispered cradling her knees against her chest.
Carley swung her head around to look at the Indian but he had turned and was leaving the room.
Nighthawk paused in the doorway still refusing to look back. “I will give you a few minutes before I tell Craven that you have awakened.” Without another word, he vanished.
“So… he wasn’t lying when he said you came with them willingly,” Carley mused out loud, glad she’d been right about him.
Tiara tightened her arms around her knees wondering what Carley thought of her now. “Did everyone make it out of the graveyard?” she asked in a tiny voice hoping everyone… Zachary… was okay.
“I don’t know for sure… I’ve been here with you the whole time.” Carley turned back to look at Tiara then moved closer to her. “But it looked like every demon hunter in the city was there for the party, so there’s no way they could have lost.”
“You haven’t gone back to the castle or told anyone where I am?” Tiara asked in a fearful whisper.
“No, do you want me to?” Carley leaned down so she could look up into Tiara’s face.
“No,” Tiara shook her head. “I don’t want to be found.”
Carley frowned at that but her attention was taken when she heard voices in the distance accompanied by footsteps. She motioned to the chair beside the bed, “You might want to put your clothes on. I think you’re about to have a visitor.”
Tiara looked in the chair seeing her clothes neatly folded and clean.
“I still haven’t figured that Indian out but he washed your clothes by hand then hung them on the shower curtain to dry.” Carley informed her before darting toward the wall. Leaning half in and half out of it, she turned her head and smiled at Tiara, “I really don’t want Craven to see me so now that you’re awake, I’m going to go check on my brother. He keeps calling to me but I’ve been ignoring him.”
Tiara looked up just in time to see Carley wink over her shoulder and vanish through the wall. She got out of bed and dressed quickly, feeling a bit embarrassed that even her undergarments had been washed. As she sat back down on the bed to await her visitor, she silently prayed Carley wouldn’t tell PIT where she was.
At that moment the bedroom door opened and Craven stepped into the room with Nighthawk directly behind him.
“So, our child has finally decided to open her eyes,” Craven smiled charmingly.
