Chapter Seventeen
Two male voices and one female filled her ears, as Helena emerged on the siblings’ yard. Raul and Dean were outside, accompanied by Kate. Happily, there was no panic in them. On the contrary, they were in the middle of a calm conversation. She let Darren’s head slip out of her grasp, and then dropped his body down to the ground, instantly drawing their attention.
“Hello, boys,” she said, with a smile of contentment on her face. “My agent informed me of McGee’s presence in the area. I couldn’t help myself.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Raul shook his head in mock wonderment, returning the smile, as his confident footfalls led him closer to her; “great job.”
“We should burn him,” Helena suggested, throwing a quick glance down at the body. “We can’t leave him here. Redfield will send out his scouts, if he hasn’t done that already.”
“We will,” Raul affirmed. “You told Kate his clan is after the humans. There’s nothing I’d like more than to go out there, and kill those bastards. We have four new members since we last saw each other, but…” he faltered. “They’re not enough. The vampires still outnumber us two to one.”
“Where are they?” she asked, maintaining a relaxed tone, in an attempt to hide her concern.
“Actually, they’re coming over now,” The Alpha said, his baritone picking up volume. “They couldn’t wait to meet you. As soon as Kate broke us the news about those bloodsuckers, I sent Martin out to get them. They’ll be here any minute. Why are you asking?”
“Because: I’ve been meaning to meet them, too. We’ll soon be working together. It’d be nice to know what they’re made of underneath the packaging,” Helena declared, averting her gaze from him to look at Kate. “I trust you’ve told them about New York as well.”
“Every single detail,” Raul answered her question, before her friend had a chance to utter a word. “You don’t need me to tell you that you did an amazing job out there. You know that. You did the right thing with the FBI guy, though.”
“The right thing?” asked Helena as she squinted up at him.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I wouldn’t have been able to have a relationship with Monica if I always had to hide from her. You can’t live in fear of exposure, Helena. I mean, sooner or later, he’d find out. What do you think he would do?”
“Well, freak out.” She sighed, as she brought her gaze back to his face. “I can’t imagine the fate that would befall you, in such an event.”
“This way, rookies!” shouted Martin’s hoarse, cheerful voice, which interrupted their conversation, as he turned around the corner of the estate. Helena watched, as the sixteen new pack members followed right behind him. The Alpha had not exaggerated back in his grandfather’s sanctuary, when he spoke of their youth. None of them could be more than twenty-five years old. Blessed with the shifting nature, they were all tall, and robust, including the four females. Their small number didn’t at all surprise Helena. Shifter women might be strong, but they didn’t appreciate life in the pack. Tolerating loud, often offensive males isn’t easy for them. However, as the four, athletic females in question approached her, an idea flashed through her mind.
“I think you all know who the lady is,” Martin assumed a stricter tone, as he turned around to face them.
“Martin, there’s no need for formalities,” Helena put a little force in her voice. “Good evening, everybody: I would really love to get acquainted with each and every one of you. You are all to be commended for volunteering to protect your town. I’m afraid we don’t have time for that, though. My plan requires females only. The males can go home.”
“Just females?” inquired Raul, his face contorting with confusion, as the males she had just dismissed started chattering with one another. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Patience is a virtue, my dear firstborn.” She winked at him, as a wily smile spread across her face. “You’ll find out soon.”
“Alright boys, you heard the lady. Take a hike,” Raul commanded, putting his hands on his waist, as he turned to them.
“Line up,” Martin urged the females, as the males began to disperse. Helena began pacing, up and down the line of women, examining them, as they obeyed. For a moment, she felt intimidated. She was 5’6”, and the shortest one of them was at least three inches taller than that. Still, their sheer size was perfect for the plan she had in mind. Longer legs meant longer strides; they would all need them if they wanted to get rid of the vampire threat once and for all.
“From left to right we have: Amy Benson, Olivia Hunt, Ava Gordon, and Breanne Thomas.” The scout stated as an introduction.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, girls,” Helena addressed them with a polite smile. “Now…” she sucked in a deep breath. “I believe your Alpha has told you a lot about what we are up against. Vampires are really fast and dangerous over short distances. What you probably don’t know yet, is that the Redfield clan is planning to attack Shandaken. Within days, that town will cease to exist as you know it.”
“That’s right,” Raul interjected, stepping beside the witch, as the four women glanced at one another in disbelief. “The vampires are out for blood. Unless we stop them, the humans will be slaughtered.”
“Generally speaking, they’re unpredictable,” Helena went on. “Do not forget how cunning they are. They’ve already misled us once. I’m sure they’ll try again, if we let them. But, just like you, they have instincts, and they’re guided by them. For my plan to work, we need to appeal to their most basic instinct.”
“Don’t tell me you want to send those girls over to seduce them,” Raul scoffed at her suggestion.
“Please; don’t interrupt me again,” The witch requested, flashing him a sullen look. “I spoke about their most basic instinct, firstborn. There’s a more powerful instinct in this world than breeding. I’m talking about feeding. I’m going to give Kate one bottle of human scent, for each one of you. Make sure to bathe in them. Otherwise, the vampires won’t take the bait.”
“H-human scent?” stuttered Amy, as her jaw fell open in shock. “You can do that?”
“Yes, I can,” Helena replied with a firm nod. “The reason I sent the males away is that women are romantic. It’s more likely for them to take a walk in the woods than men. Believe me; if Redfield’s goons smell four humans in the vicinity, they’re going to go wild.”
“Ok, you lost me,” Raul confessed, his confusion sending his voice down an octave. “Let’s say they take the bait. They hunt them down. Then what?” he questioned, completely clueless.
“I forgot to mention. Girls, don’t get too close,” Helena advised, intensifying her stare. “When you smell them, stop. You don’t need to get deeper into their territory, for them to catch a whiff of you. And we sure as hell don’t want the entire clan chasing you. There’s an abandoned windmill, about half a mile northwest of Shandaken. Meet me there tomorrow night at 4am. I’m sorry, but, if we succeed, the rest of their kind will want to storm out into town. They’ll think twice if dawn is too close.”
“It’s good,” the Alpha commented as his eyes filled with appreciation. “We lure them out, we take them out. Where will you be?”
“Out of sight,” Helena said, as a smug smile burst upon her lips. “Don’t worry girls; you’ll know where I’ll be. Bring them to me. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Smoke…” Raul murmured, as he sniffed the air around them. “It’s faint; it’s coming from the west.”
The witch glanced up at him, ready to ask more about it, but, before she could do so, Ray’s truck roared down the road to her left. The tires screeched, as the vehicle entered the driveway. The Alpha’s brother jumped out of the vehicle, and, for some reason Helena couldn’t fathom, he burst towards them.
“Guys, it is Riker’s building!” He cried, his face hard with panic, as he neared them. “It’s on fire!”
“I’ll look into it,” Helena spoke, her voice cool, unaffected by the information. “You boys stay here.”
“No, you stay here!” Raul growled, furrowing his brow, as he leaned closer to her. “It’s time we did something.”
“You will, if my plan works,” she stated with an emphatic tone, as she glared up at him. “The FBI doesn’t have anything against you, but no one said the case is closed. That place is still considered a crime scene. They could be on their way there as we speak. Do you really want to risk them seeing your wolf?”
The Alpha didn’t have a rebuttal to her short rant. Raul dragged his gaze away from her, keeping his mouth shut, in silent approval to her suggestion.
“That’s what I thought,” Helena added. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Notify me, if anything changes. Goodnight.”