Chapter Twenty Five
Andre paced the room he'd been put into. Cell, really. A simple light fixture hung from the ceiling, illuminating a double bed, a desk, and a computer chair. No windows.
It would not be so uncomfortable if Mary was with him. She had been taken away the moment they got to the Bear headquarters, or whatever this was. His nerves chewed at his stomach, but Mary had made him promise to hear out these Bears before he made any move against them.
Waiting was his only option, and it didn't seem like much of an option at all.
Finally, the door swung open, producing the tall blond that set Andre's teeth on edge. His Bear growled, and he shifted into a defensive position, sizing up his opponent. The blond was taller, broader, and had an unmistakable air of command and power about him. A haughty, arrogant expression twisted the man's features.
"Where is Mary?" Andre balled his fists. It would probably be a bad idea to attack this Bear. Better to try to talk it out first.
"Just down the hall. Our evaluators have determined that she is not a physical threat and her care for you seems to be genuine."
Andre growled. "Let me see her."
"I think not."
Rage bubbled up Andre's throat. With difficulty, he kept his head clear. Now was not the time to lose his temper! He dug his fingernails into his palms, breathing deeply through his nose. "I want to see her."
"I'm sure you do. But you will have to take my word that we have not harmed her in any way."
Andre nearly lunged forward, but thought of Mary and reeled himself back, rocking on his heels. At the moment it was all he could do, take the Bear's word that Mary was unharmed and that she would stay that way. He closed his eyes, exhaling.
Stay calm.
"But I am being rude. My name is Grant Easton. We talked on the phone."
"What do you want from us?"
"Zoe was planning to reach out to the Wolf community Mary is from. All their children are born with Wolves. There aren't any other Shifters in the world that have that kind of vitality. We would like to know how they do it."
Andre narrowed his eyes. "If you want to talk to them… you should seek out Peter Locke."
The words were bitter on his tongue and he would have rather have told Easton to rip off Peter's head. But he couldn't. From what he knew, the Wolf was in a unique position to influence change in the community, and there was a chance that he might actually want change. What happened to turn him from the murderer that killed Isadore and Eve into a person wanting change, he didn't know.
But if he cared enough about Mary to help her escape and be with a Bear, then perhaps he cared enough about the rest of them to try to stop the cycle of violence that they perpetrated on other Shifters.
"Can you tell me about the community? I understand you observed them for quite some time."
Andre remained standing as Easton sat. He ran a hand through his long brown hair and wished he had something to tie it back with.
"They isolate themselves from the outside world. Although they have close relations with the humans in the nearest town and occasionally intermarry, the humans don't know they're werewolves. They have their own school, though it seems like most of the children are homeschooled, and poorly educated at that. They marry very young. Their daughters are usually only sixteen, their sons only a few years older than that."
Easton frowned. "All fascinating, but what are their defenses? What sort of fighters do they have?"
"Defenses?"
"We have been looking for these werewolves for years. Decades, even." Easton stood. "They have always struck like shadows, killing mercilessly. Then they just disappear again. We have a general idea of where they are now, but what town are they close to? How have they managed to remain hidden? How do we destroy them?"
Andre's eyes widened. "Destroy them?"
"Of course. Zoe wanted to talk and look where it got her. She's dead! They can't be trusted. You know that better than anybody. We are going to find them, extract their secrets, and kill all those who are a threat."
Andre's Bear roared with approval. Let all the killers be killed. Give all their victims some peace and justice. "But how will you decide who is a threat?"
Easton raised a brow. "Those who are old enough to be already indoctrinated in their ways are a threat. The young ones, eight years old or so, will still have minds that can be shaped. We'll let them live."
Eight. Andre could hardly believe what he was hearing. They were going to massacre the entire community, even children if they were older than eight? His hands clenched.
If they had attacked when Mary was there, they would have killed her, even though she was one of the gentlest people he knew. Julia, the thin, helpless Wolf he had attacked in his bloodlust, was no threat to anybody! And Mary told him about her other siblings. Her brother Matthew was only twelve.
Would they kill a child for the sins of his father?
He almost had. And Easton would not listen to Mary's pleas for him to stop.
"You can help us." Easton stepped forward. "I know what happened to your wife and daughter. Those Wolves brutally murdered them. Now is your chance for revenge. Where are they?"
Isadore's smiling face floated into his mind, followed by Eve's. And then their bodies, cut open by the Lockes and left to rot. "Not all of them are murderers."
"Your daughter was only six when she was killed, wasn't she?" Easton peered at him, then nodded as though he saw something he liked in Andre's expression. "That will be the age then. Six and under will live. The rest will die. Just tell me where to find them."
"Children," Andre said, "do not deserve to die."
He lunged forward, but before he could reach Easton, the blond had embraced his Bear. Fabric tore, bursting apart at the seams. Rippling white fur gleamed in the fluorescent light. A massive paw crashed into the side of Andre's head. He flew backwards, white lights blinding him. Spasms of pain jolted through his shoulder and knee.
Andre rolled onto his stomach, calling for his Bear, but Easton was on him, his massive jaws around Andre's head, his polar bear body pinning him to the floor. A low, rumbling growl vibrated from his body into Andre's, and Andre made himself go still.
Easton withdrew and suppressed his Bear. He looked down at his ruined clothes and sighed. "Well. I can see you aren't going to cooperate. I'm disappointed. Did Isadore and Eve mean so little to you?"
"Paul Locke killed them and he's dead. Killing his children won't bring my child back."
"Very well." Easton shrugged. "We'll just have to find them another way then."