The other meeting was more ritual, and one where they met outdoors to be at one with nature, to bond more deeply to the elements, to their wolves.

  Anything said in those meetings held great meaning. And he…

  He had promised the opal.

  There was ample room here for the small team to congregate. Kodiak winced as their annoyance filled the space. Annoyance at him. He’d kept them waiting, and Olcan had no doubt wasted their time with whatever mission he’d sent them on.

  They wanted to get out there and look for vampires. Their inner wolves wanted a fight.

  He got that. The same need stalked his blood, too. His wolf wanted that same fight.

  But not all fights were equal. And he didn’t want wild and free. He wanted, needed, strategy, meaning. He needed to win.

  With vampires showing up so close to the clubhouse, the fight was probably coming much sooner than anyone expected. He had to make sure they were ready.

  Ash sat on the floor, cross-legged on the threadbare carpet beside an old oil stain, a result of all the mechanical work going on in the garage. Her damp hair fell down her shoulders as she crouched over her laptop, typing furiously. Kodiak inhaled sharply, hoping she had found something that would give them a much-needed advantage.

  Shota stopped giving Fern a shoulder massage on the long couch as they adjusted themselves to look at Kodiak. Skoll finished his last push-up, jumped lithely to his feet, and settled down on the shorter couch.

  Kodiak liked the way his presence in the room made them all focus on him. A tacit move that acknowledged him as a leader: their leader. Something, no doubt, Olcan hadn’t missed.

  The man was aging. Times always changed. But the digging in was natural, too. Kodiak knew that, just like he knew he’d be the one to make that challenge.

  It was Olcan’s timing that, in his need to stay and push Kodiak, was off.

  But right then, there wasn’t a fucking thing he could do about it. He stood in the centre on the group, fists on his hips, stance wide, in the best position to address them.

  “What happened to you?” Onai slouched on the worn three-seat couch against the far wall. He slid his phone into the pocket of his track pants as he sat up, swinging his feet to the floor.

  Kodiak shifted his attention to him. The problem with Olcan undermining Kodiak’s authority to solidify his own, was this: the rumblings of dissent.

  “Do you have a problem, Onai?”

  The other wolf’s eyes narrowed. The hunger for more power burned bright.

  Power didn’t just come with physical strength. It came with also understanding burden and responsibility.

  Onai might have the first, but he was too brash to embrace and shoulder the other things. He would have to try harder if he wanted to climb the pack ladder. Kodiak would make sure of that.

  Part of holding a position like his own, like Olcan’s, was to train the next leaders.

  And make sure you weren’t so weak and shortsighted that the wrong person took over.

  “Asking a question.” Onai met his gaze. “Boss.”

  The others slid their attention to them.

  Curse Olcan sending them on what, he guessed now, was nothing more than a menial or fool’s errand.

  “We’ll come to me.” Kodiak held that gaze until Onai glanced away first. “I asked you a question and I expect an answer.”

  “No problem. Just….” He sighed and looked past Kodiak.

  Looking no doubt for Olcan. “He’s not here right now. Speak freely.”

  “I don’t like doing pointless things while you’re with—”

  “Careful,” Kodiak said quietly, “on how you finish that sentence.”

  “The human.” The other man sighed. “She’s integral in this, somehow, I see that, but our alpha isn’t happy and he’s taking it out on us.”

  The meaning shone clear. If Kodiak pissed off Olcan, then the pack leader would be pissed at all of them. Take it out on the rest.

  “I’ll handle him. That’s my job.” Then he raised his voice. “What did you find?”

  As he waited, he could feel that deep, sluggish bite from the vampire’s attack. Though his skin had healed, his muscled knitted back together, a supernatural’s attack always had more power than a human’s, than one of his own.

  But it was something he understood, and something he could use as a reminder that this situation was poised to be dark and dangerous. Life and death. War.

  Channing shook his head and shrugged as he pushed away from the couch Onai had claimed. “Vampires are out more at night—obviously. But what I mean is, there are more than usual. Not just at the club, either. You can smell them on the air. They seem to be looking for someone or something.”

  Kodiak didn’t need to guess who the vampires were looking for. It had to be Tamaska. And what was with the vampire who attacked her this afternoon? Vampires were restricted to coming out at night, yet it was out during daylight.

  They didn’t normally come so close to the clubhouse at the best of times. Normally the vamps stayed far from shifter territory, no matter if abandoned or rarely used. The one earlier had ventured close, even though Kodiak had been around.

  Even though his scent would have been on Tamaska.

  “Have any of you seen them during the day?” asked Kodiak.

  “Of course not,” said Channing as he started to pace in short, sharp steps.

  Kodiak watched him quietly. He sensed the frustration boiling within Channing. The young pup wanted answers, and his wolf wanted to kill vampires. As if that would make things right again.

  Something they all had in common: wanting to kill the bloodsuckers.

  But again, the need to fight had to be balanced with intelligence and strategy.

  “I had to deal with one in the park,” said Kodiak. He deliberately moved his gaze to each of his team members, noting their concern.

  “That’s close to our club room,” said Ash, looking up from her laptop, still typing away. “And since when could they come out in daylight and not die?”

  “Too close and not normal,” Onai said.

  “When you say deal with, do you mean you killed it?” asked Fern, leaning forward to sit on the edge of the couch.

  “Yes.”

  “They’ll come for us now.” Onai looked about, a challenge in his expression. “We’d better get ready.”

  “It’s not us they want,” Kodiak said.

  “No?” Onai raised an eyebrow and glared.

  If only Onai knew what the vampires really wanted and what Tamaska had to do with it. But something told him not to go there.

  It wasn’t about trust.

  Even with Onai pushing at him, and Channing wanting a way to draw blood and punish without thought, he trusted them.

  No, this was more about protecting them, keeping them safe. He needed, however, to say something.

  Kodiak said, “The vampire was after Tamaska.”

  “Oh, her again.” Fern rolled her eyes.

  Kodiak let a growl rumble up from his throat until Fern cast her eyes down submissively.

  “Whether we like it or not, she’s involved in this, and it’s our duty to protect her.” Kodiak placed his hands behind his back. “She’s human, and we don’t need to like them to do what we need to do. Protect the innocent. The weak.”

  Tamaska wasn’t weak in spirit, but in pure strength? She was no match for any of them.

  “Humans,” muttered Channing.

  Kodiak chose to ignore him. “We protect the weak, and we’re good at hunting vampires.”

  “Let’s get hunting, then.” Skoll bared his teeth as they elongated into their wolf forms. Blood dripped down them after the sudden change.

  “We can’t.” Kodiak met his gaze, halting the transformation that seemed imminent. “At least, not yet.”

  Skoll growled. His body shook as if he were having an internal fight, before his teeth retracted. “Why not? We should strike now, kill them all. That’s the only way we’ll ever have peace.”

  “Too risky,” said Kodiak calmly. “We have to be smart about how we attack. Our pack isn’t as big as it used to be.”

  “We can always turn humans.” Onai fisted his hands on his thighs as he looked about.

  “Against their will? Because that’s the only way to do it and keep our secret.”

  “Why not?”

  “We meant to be keeping a pure bloodline,” snapped Kodiak. “The wolf shifter ability has been in our genes ever since our first ancestor came to Australia. We have always resisted converting humans like the vampires do; we breed and pass on our genes to the next generation.”

  “Except we can’t breed,” Fern said. “We need to reconsider turning humans to build up our numbers.”

  “Maybe we need to start considering this,” suggested Kodiak.

  “How are we going to do that without spilling our secret? Do we kill the ones who say no?” asked Ash.

  Onai shrugged. “Why not? They’d kill us.”

  “Don’t you think,” said Kodiak, “that murdering humans to keep our secret makes us as bad as the vampires? Just like turning people against their will.”

  No one spoke for a long moment.

  “And just say we meet a bunch who want this, they won’t be able to control the change like we do.” Ash shook her head as her fingers paused over the keyboard.

  “What are we going to do, then?” asked Fern with a frustrated huff.

  “Go out tonight and see where the vampires go,” Kodiak said.

  “Hasn’t worked the last few nights.” Onai went to stand.

  “Try harder, then.” Kodiak bared his teeth in warning, and Onai quickly cast his eyes down, remaining in his seat.

  “Have you found anything, Ash?” Kodiak turned to her.

  “Nothing solid. All you can do with the Blood Opal is buy it and show everyone you’ve got more money than you know what to do with.”

  So nothing more to be found about its powers, about why the vampires wanted it. A ritual, he knew that. But to what?

  What kind of horror did they want to unleash? Or was it just a power surge?

  Maybe those were the same things.

  “Is it for sale?” he asked.

  Ash shook her head. “No. I’m talking about how it looks on paper. Or the computer screen. It seems to be for a show of money, status, and the power those things bring.”

  Skoll scoffed at Ash’s comment. “And the vamps have more money than they know what to do with.”

  Kodiak frowned. “We’ve done as well as the vampires have financially, and we’ve done better than them by not converting humans to boost our numbers.”

  “Let’s hope that won’t count against us,” said Skoll.

  “What was that?” Kodiak’s tone rose sharply.

  Skoll shook his head and looked away, avoiding a confrontation.

  “You must have found something helpful about the gem, Ash,” said Kodiak, running his hand through his hair. “Something.”

  Ash exhaled heavily, and her shoulders slumped. “This is going to sound airy-fairy.”

  Every part of him went on high alert at her words.

  “I don’t care,” Kodiak said. “Anything and everything is useful.”

  “Airy-fairy isn’t hard facts.” Ash bit her lip.

  “Not until it is.” And he knew there was something more, something big. Mystical. Yes, he wanted facts and hard evidence, and he also wanted to decide for himself what information would be useful.

  He wanted that without leading them along a path or taking them into danger.

  “Well?” he asked.

  Ash snapped her laptop shut and looked directly at Kodiak. “Opals are thought to have metaphysical properties.”

  Onai groaned. “No, I’m not hearing this bullshit.”

  “Continue,” said Kodiak. He shot Onai a dark look. “And you’re what? Scoffing when you’re a shifter? Open your mind and listen. Truth lurks in all sorts of places.” Then he swung his attention back to Ash. “Go on.”

  “The opals are believed to amplify powers. They can also absorb powers.”

  “You’re right, this is airy-fairy,” added Skoll as he rolled his eyes. “You can do better than this, Ash.”

  She glared at the other shifter. “Hey, you guys are going out at night and can’t even fucking keep up with a vampire. We’re going around in circles.”

  “Shut up, Skoll,” growled Kodiak. He wanted—needed—to hear what Ash had to say.

  Lives might depend on it.

  Tamaska’s life.

  Skoll clamped his jaw shut and held Kodiak’s gaze for a moment before lowering his eyes.

  “Ash, why do you think this is important?” asked Kodiak.

  Ash was excellent at researching and piecing information together. Even if her results sounded crazy, she must have a reason for sharing them. The pack needed to hear her out.

  She took a breath. “The vampires might believe it could make them more human.”

  “Nothing could make those pieces of shit human,” spat Onai.

  Now that was a sentiment he could get behind.

  Kodiak levelled his gaze on Ash once more. “Go on.”

  “But this isn’t any opal.” Ash looked up at Kodiak. “It’s a Blood Opal. It has incredible, almost unheard-of, veins of rich red. Its connection to blood heightens its properties, which could help the vampires become more human.”

  “I don’t get it,” said Channing, rubbing his temples.

  A muscle worked in Ash’s jaw. “The blood component represents life, and the opal enhances it.”

  “Nope, not making any sense.” Channing rolled his eyes. “You’re talking gibberish.”

  Kodiak shot the young wolf a look. “Shut up.” Then he returned his attention to Ash.

  “It could help them go out in sunlight.” Ash’s voice softened, but her tone was hard. “That’s what this opal could do.”

  A chill moved through the room.

  This was why the bloodsuckers wanted the opal. Why…

  Kodiak’s skin prickled. Ash’s crazy talk was quickly adding up. He rubbed his chin, mind racing to fit all the pieces together.

  Fuck.

  Maybe the vampires’ ritual had worked, at least to an extent, and given them the ability to be out in the late afternoon, when the sunlight was weakest.

  It all could’ve been made possible through Tahla’s sacrifice.

  The thought made Kodiak sick.

  Made him sick and brought a twisted sense to the table. Along with a terrible sense of foreboding.

  Because a chilling question remained.

  No matter how much he turned it over in his head, there was no answer he liked.

  What did the vampires want with Tamaska?

  Why was she so valuable to them?

  4

  Kodiak

  The others watched Kodiak closely, waiting for him to say something.

  The urge to go after Tamaska made it hard to concentrate. No matter why the vampires were interested in her, the reason wasn’t going to be good.

  He had to stop them. Keep her safe.

  “I think you’re onto something, Ash,” Kodiak said.

  “What?” Skoll swung his gaze around the room. “That’s bullshit.”

  “We don’t have all the facts yet, Skoll. This is only the start. We need to get out there and get more intel,” Ash said.

  “The vampires are trying to evolve.” Kodiak shook his head, the concept at the edge of his awareness.

  “Like fuck, they are.” Skoll tapped his foot on the carpet to a private, angry beat.

  “If they find a way to use the gem and start going out during the day, imagine the chaos they would cause.” Kodiak held back his shudder. “Fuck me. Ash, would it make them less susceptible to us?”

  She shrugged. “You mean scent-wise?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Time would tell…if they allowed this to happen. But even if it was harder to pick up the stink of a vampire, they’d have more time to do what they wanted. Like go on a rampage, turn more humans, and that meant the shifters would struggle to keep them under control.

  “We can’t let it reach that point,” he said. “If we leave it until they have that, then our job might be too hard.”

  “That,” Channing said, “sounds like defeat.”

  He pinned the young wolf with a frown. “It’s called common sense and thinking out each and every angle. We need to understand our weaknesses as well as strengths.”

  “Which are?” Onai looked about the room.

  Kodiak passed a hand over his head.

  What he needed to do was get his thoughts in order. Because right now, Ash’s reveal, her airy-fairy theory, was anything but. And Tamaska flitted against his senses: the pull of her, the danger that surrounded her.

  Running off without a plan was a fool’s errand, just like he’d told Channing.

  But it was fucking hard not to do that.

  “Like I said. Our weaknesses are we don’t know what exactly it will do to the vamps, or how it might enhance their strengths and reach. How it might affect us in picking them out. But somehow I don’t think that the smell of the bloodsuckers, even diluted, will make too much of a difference.”

  “But Kodiak,” said Onai, “what if it blankets it out?”

  “We’re shifters. Wolves. Our sense of smell is insanely good. And I can’t see it blanketing it out. Not completely.”

  Ash looked up. “What if it’s like our spray?”

  “That works up to a point, and only for so long.” But he’d been in the club, surrounded by the vamps… He swallowed. “The vampires don’t want to hide who they are. They want to make more of them. They want to rule.”

  Skoll glare eased with the realization. “Bastards. That’s why we should kill them now.”

  “But they don’t know we’re onto them.” Kodiak frowned. “We still have a slight advantage.” It wasn’t much, and they could lose it any moment, but Kodiak wouldn’t send any of his friends into a fight unless he was sure they would win.

 

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