Dead Wolf Walking

  I saw no point in asking him. Renzo would deny it, same as he had before. And maybe he wasn’t related to Zack at all. Maybe I’d jumped to conclusions too quickly and Alura had been about to say something else before being cut off. Maybe all this was wishful thinking on my part so Zack wouldn’t be an orphan.

  Since I had no proof, I couldn’t repeat to Zack what I’d overheard or tell him about my suspicions until I had a confession from Renzo. With everything going down with the vampires, I probably wouldn’t get that anytime soon.

  Renzo and Alura had quit talking, probably switching to telepathy.

  Not loving the idea of explaining to Zack why I was standing inside the doorway of the weapons room, I took a deep breath and entered the training room. When Renzo and Alura glanced over, I waved the sword.

  Zack emerged with his own sword a moment later and we split off to our usual teams. I trained hard, until I could smell my own sweat and my muscles quaked. As I forced my body to work harder, my mind drifted. Renzo had a secret—of that I was sure. If the secret was him being Zack’s dad, what was keeping him from telling Zack?

  † † †

  Sweat trickled down my back and I fought for air, wheezing as my lungs strained. From my spot against the wall where I’d landed, I stared up at Alura.

  She slapped a fist onto her hip. “You’re distracted.”

  I’d broken up with a guy I was madly in love with and then learned his dad might be right under his nose. Yeah, I was distracted. My eyes automatically searched for Zack and Renzo. I patted the floor next to me and she slid down.

  I overheard you and Lucio talking earlier. I hit her with a smug look, one brow up.

  Her whole body jolted and she pulled back, her gaze flitting back to Renzo for an instant.

  After that reaction, any lingering doubt in my mind had totally dissipated. Glad you’re not going to try to deny he’s Zack’s father.

  “No. I’m not.” She dropped her head against the wall. I don’t want to lie anymore. I’ve been trying to get Uncle Lucio to tell Zack from the beginning, but he keeps saying it’s not time yet.

  Despite Renzo’s denials over him being Zack’s dad, I’d actually nailed it weeks ago. Shock had my lungs emptying. I quickly composed myself, not wanting to draw Zack’s attention. What is he waiting for?

  He wants a real relationship with his son. The last thing Uncle Lucio wants is for Zack to be cooperative just because he’s his dad. The problem is my uncle never believed he deserved Favianne’s love, and he deserves Zack’s even less. And since he’s been gone all this time, he believes he needs to earn Zack’s love and respect.

  But he already earned Zack’s love when he was small, I said, remembering Zack’s expression anytime he’d talked about Lucio.

  She offered me a tight smile. That’s what I keep telling him. But he has so little experience with kids and he usually doesn’t know what to do. I’m sure you’ve noticed he’s not a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. It’s going a little slower than he expected, but he’s trying.

  I guess that makes sense. I sighed. But I hope he doesn’t wait too long.

  It’s already been too long. She bumped my knee with hers. In a day or so, he’ll have no choice but to tell him.

  My head snapped up. What about Favianne? Was Renzo able to see her before she died? Was that why he was at the hospital?

  She nodded, her head angling down. Yeah, that’s why he was there. I only wish he’d been able to change her into a werewolf.

  Me too. But I couldn’t think about Favianne. And Zack losing her. Dwelling on that made me sad and threw me off course. “She was pretty awesome. I miss her.”

  Renzo loomed over us, scowling. “No one informed me it was break time.”

  I scrambled to get up and Zack appeared, giving me a hand. Against my better judgment, I let his fingers wrap around mine. Tingles swept over my skin and as soon as I was vertical again, I stuffed my hand in my pocket.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  Yes! His dad was alive and soon he’d know it. I squashed the urge to tell him, pressing my lips together so the words didn’t sneak out. “Yeah, all good.”

  “Let’s get back to work,” Renzo bellowed.

  What was with Renzo? If he wanted to reconnect with Zack, why was he almost always such a tool? Ordering us around and being grumpy wasn’t going to give us the warm fuzzies.

  Zack glared at Renzo. I hoped our fearless trainer improved his parenting skills soon. If Zack joined SWAAST as he planned, then Renzo would be both his dad and boss. If he kept pissing off Zack, I couldn’t see how that was going to work.

  Now I understood the importance that Renzo put on establishing trust with Zack since they would be heavily dependent on that in the future. If he didn’t end up alienating Zack completely. I needed Zack safe with SWAAST, not on his own.

  On the downside, any association with SWAAST painted a bull’s-eye on him. But being a part of a group might provide some kind of backup. All the more reason for him to make nice with Renzo.

  Two hours later, we stopped for dinner. My face steamed from heat and sweat, and my hair stuck to my neck. Though my body healed quickly and I never endured muscle aches for long, my energy had been thoroughly drained.

  “Are we training after dinner or taking a break?” I asked between bites of roasted vegetables. “Because if we’re going to get attacked tonight, I’d like to save my strength.”

  Renzo gave us a small smile. “You two are coming along all right. You won’t win any championships, but any vampire who messes with you will get way more than he bargained for.”

  “Uh-huh.” I aimed a finger at him. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  He muffled a laugh. “There are a couple of tricks I want to show you. Then I’d like you to spend the rest of the evening on vampire debrief before our run tonight. The more you know about them, the better you’ll handle yourself in battle.”

  My stomach twisted at the thought of our run in the woods later. That was the obvious place for the vampires to ambush us since we were out in the open.

  “Why don’t we morph in here later?” I asked. “Maybe we could practice sneaking in bites without getting fangs in us and being bled dry. This way, we’d get our shifting urge out of the way and we won’t be going into the woods to make ourselves vulnerable.”

  Renzo pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea.”

  Alura jerked her head toward the weapons room. “Zack, help me put the swords and daggers away.”

  “What’s she up to?” Renzo’s eyes narrowed at Alura as she and Zack disappeared through the door.

  Good question. Was she leaving me alone with Renzo on purpose so we could discuss fatherhood? While I wasn’t crazy about him, he wasn’t such a bad guy. At least he was here for his son. But I didn’t get why he had wasted so many precious moments letting Zack think he didn’t have a father.

  Then again, if I had come back from the dead and my own son didn’t recognize me, I’d want to wait until we were both ready. I’d want to do it right. I hoped Zack lived long enough for Renzo to drop that bomb.

  So... when are you going to tell Zack you’re his dad? I asked.

  Renzo pivoted slowly and opened his mouth to speak.

  Don’t bother trying to correct me. I heard Alura call you Uncle Lucio. I let that sink in. She didn’t deny it. I think she’s tired of covering for you.

  His face reddened with fury. And now I’m at your mercy to keep my secret?

  I groaned, my patience waning. I’m not trying to blackmail you. I just need a good reason to be silent for you when Zack could really use a parent now.

  Replace one parent for another? He gave me a look that said I was getting more stupid by the second. You think too highly of me, Autumn.

  I disagree. A douche bag dad would’ve forced his way into his son’s life, whether the timing was good or not. And a deadbeat dad wouldn’t have come back at all. When Renzo merely stared at the door to the weap
ons room, I barreled on. He needs to know.

  And he will. Soon. But promise you won’t tell him before I do.

  I gnawed on my bottom lip. And when will that be?

  If things go as planned, he’s going to find out on his own anytime now, whether I want him to or not.

  What was that supposed to mean?

  Is Alura really your niece or is that some weird Pretty Woman thing?

  He frowned, inclining his head. Apparently, he’d never seen the movie where Julia Roberts pretended to be Richard Gere’s niece when she was actually a hooker. Not that I considered Alura anything like a hooker, but the example had worked well in my head when I’d first thought of it.

  She’s my brother’s daughter by blood.

  Since she and Zack were first cousins, I’d never again need to be jealous of her beauty and how well they got along. Not that it mattered now that we’d broken up.

  Alura and Zack emerged from the weapons room and I immediately got caught up in their debate.

  “No way. Vampires are faster. Shape-shifters can’t keep up.” Alura turned to me. “No offense.”

  Zack clucked his tongue. “We’re arguing over who we’d rather have on our side in a battle—a vampire or a werewolf. But a vampire didn’t save Cedric and it wasn’t a werewolf either. It was Autumn.”

  “Fortunately, we have both.” She beamed. “Let’s get back to work. We’ll break shortly to morph and train more, then head up to the suite.”

  Relief swept through me that we wouldn’t be braving the woods tonight. And I couldn’t wait to find out more about vampires. I just hoped I’d learn something favorable, rather than more ways they’re superior and how easily we could be killed.

  † † †

  “And here we all are.” Cedric’s sweep of his hand included everyone in his office. “Please, have a seat.”

  I plopped onto the settee with Renzo and Alura, while Zack stood on their other side. Beyond him, Tony and Kayla guarded the door. On the opposite end of the room, Dathan stood vigil in his usual spot by the window, and Cedric sat at his desk facing Regis and Braulio.

  In my peripheral vision, I snuck a peek at Zack and my heartbeat accelerated. Tears licked at the backs of my eyes as he stared forward like I didn’t exist. I powered past the grief and concentrated on Cedric. Stay focused, that’s what I needed to do.

  “Your Majesty.” Renzo stood and glanced around the room. “Autumn suggested we morph in the gym, rather than do the expected and go out into the woods where they might be setting a trap. So that’s already out of the way.”

  “That probably bought us more time,” Regis said. “Either way, we’ve installed extra surveillance in all the common areas of the mansion, including the café, rec room and atrium, as well as around the gym. In theory, the wolves are safe almost anywhere in the building. And while we’re protecting them, we can observe our own people.”

  “Isn’t it unlikely the traitors will speak publicly when telepathic communication is a sure thing?” Zack asked.

  “Yes,” Regis said. “But we can watch for any other suspicious activity.”

  “We have a list of suspects,” Braulio added, waving a piece of paper. “We’re watching for anyone sneaking in and out of the estate. We’re assuming the others will try to bring in reinforcements since they’re down four men. Six total.”

  “And so we just wait?” There had to be something we could do besides be on the defensive. Unable to keep my limbs still, I clasped my hands together so my fingers didn’t tremble. At this rate, I’d be acting like a meth-head shortly.

  “Silly, isn’t it?” Renzo growled, his gaze cutting to Zack. “We have access to secret tunnels, yet we all stay here like sitting ducks.”

  “You can leave anytime.” Dathan sent Renzo a searing look. “I’ll be happy to escort you out.”

  We’d be free and clear, away from vampires intent on killing us, so long as we weren’t tracked. But something about deserting Cedric felt so wrong. We didn’t owe him anything. Hell, we’d already saved his life. But he was a good man and there were people out there trying to murder him. And I was supposed to walk away?

  Renzo was wrong. I wasn’t going to leave, not if there was a chance I could make the difference between Cedric staying in control and utter chaos among vampires.

  Zack, I said silently. The night Cedric was nearly killed and I’d been lying on his floor barely conscious, I vaguely remember overhearing that vampire talk about taking their rightful place in the world. If those guys rule, that could mean danger for every human on the planet. I can’t leave yet. I just can’t.

  “That won’t be necessary, Your Majesty,” Zack told Dathan. “We’re not going anywhere. Can’t we set a trap or something?”

  “We’ve been discussing that,” Cedric said. “Unfortunately, any plan we’ve come up with involves using someone as bait.” He regarded the werewolves in the room.

  “I’m sure you’re all dying to volunteer.” Dathan glanced over his shoulder at us, his lip curving up on one side.

  Renzo had already returned to his seat, but he raised a hand, his eyes flashing to Zack for a split second. “I’ll do it.”

  Zack shook his head. “No way. You’re too valuable to SWAAST. I’ll be the bait.”

  Father and son competing to see who gets the chance to get killed? Just because I’d given up Zack didn’t mean I could stand to lose him entirely. And I certainly couldn’t allow his father to die. Again. “No. I’ll do it. I’m the perfect candidate since they probably think I’m a stupid, weak girl. They won’t be ready for what I can do.”

  I could feel Zack staring at me, but I didn’t move a muscle. Cedric’s lips twisted as he rolled his shoulders. “I don’t love the idea, but it’ll do.”

  Crap. I’d get to be the sacrifice. Yay me.

  Chapter TWENTY-ONE

  Autumn

  I braced myself when waves of anger radiated off Zack and coursed through me.

  “Not going to happen,” he told Cedric. He’d stepped into my line of vision, his spine rigid. “No one’s using Autumn as bait.”

  For us being broken up, he was being awfully protective. And bossy. Love for him swelled within me, and I fought inwardly to ignore how dry my mouth went just laying eyes on him. I couldn’t allow his protectiveness to sway me. I was about to tell him to give it up when Kayla held up a hand.

  “Relax, wolves.” She sent us each a look that had me closing my mouth and leaning back into the settee. “Your Majesty, the dissidents want what you have—power. The most efficient way for them to accomplish their mission is by gaining control of your wealth and interests, information on witches and werewolves, as well as our database on every vampire in the world.

  “But the thing they need most is Dathan’s location so they can eliminate him before he’s brought out of slumber. Once Dathan is out of the picture, the crown would be ripe for takeover. And right now, the main thing stopping them from having those things is me. I’m your bait.”

  “Well said, Kayla.” Cedric’s eyes darted to mine and gave me a tiny nod as if to silently tell me I’m off the hook.

  “But ultimately, I’m the one standing in the way, the one they fear most.” Dathan rubbed the corners of his mouth, as he contemplated. “Even if they managed to take possession of the palace, they can’t be sure of absolute rule over vampires so long as I’m alive.

  “I was last seen in Australia seventy-five years ago. Two days is reasonable enough time for Kayla to locate me there, then transport me here. If word should get out of my arrival by helicopter tomorrow evening, we could set a trap on the roof for anyone waiting to attack me.”

  Regis nodded. “We can hint that we haven’t yet awakened you, because we wanted you in a controlled environment for the process, rather than risk you biting anyone. They’ll all rush to kill you before you have a chance to wake.”

  Tony rubbed his hands together as he scooted forward in his seat. “While they think they’re hijacking you, w
e’ll be hijacking them.”

  “That’s the plan.” Dathan sent us a devious smile. “It might even buy us more time to observe the palace occupants and collect more intel on the traitors.” Then, as if finished with us, Dathan turned his back on everyone and faced the window.

  We had ten in our army total—three werewolves and a shape-shifter, plus the vampires: Dathan, Cedric, Braulio, Regis, Kayla, and Tony. I figured we stood a pretty good chance. I raised my hand. “If they’ve lost six of their men and no one can leave the premises or enter, they’re probably outnumbered. We can take ’em.”

  Dathan swiveled from the window to stare daggers at me. “That kind of optimism is what loses a crown.”

  “At least I’m not so negative all the time,” I mumbled. Man, Dathan was a crabby-pants. “I can see why everyone lets you slumber.”

  One side of his mouth curled up before he turned away again.

  “We have some serious disadvantages,” Cedric began. “We can’t identify the enemy, nor do we know how many there are. We can’t be sure when they’ll strike or how many others might storm the castle, so to speak. All those factors leave us vulnerable.”

  “Right,” Zack said, “but they’re expecting four wolves and three vampires. We have the element of surprise on our side—three extra they don’t know about.”

  “True,” Cedric said. “But I’d prefer to take every precaution.”

  “On that note...” Renzo pushed off the wall. “I thought I’d educate my wolves on the enemy. As in strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps you can provide anything I’m missing.”

  Dathan spun and like magic appeared in front of Renzo, the fire in his eyes promising violence and daring the werewolf to cross him. “Centuries-old vampire law forbids revealing that kind of information to any other species.”

  Dathan came off quite terrifying when he wanted to be. And I knew he could back it up with real power. At that moment, gratitude swirled inside me that he was on our side. Sort of.