Nine
sat down in front of his laptop, opening it up to look at some of the photos he had taken over the years. Memories from different periods of his life illuminated the screen all at once.
His mom, Sarah laughed as she was pushed on the wooden swing his father had hung in the large tree that overshadowed their backyard. The early mornings on Christmas day when he would sneak into the living room to tear open his presents before his parents woke up only to be caught by his sister, Bree. She would blackmail him to do something for her to keep her from telling their parents. Memories of him and Bree in their Halloween costumes at the age of six. It all reminded him of how simple life used to be compared to now.
Bree left home after their mom died, to find work in marketing and journalism. Damien rarely ever spoke to his sister. They usually always fought and she made it clear she never wanted him there in the first place.
Damien continued scrolling through the photos, each carrying a mix of both joy and sadness at the happiness their family used to have before his accident.
The full moon had just begun to peak over the trees. It made Damien wonder if Jill was out in the form of the beautiful wolf whose photo he still wanted to add to his album. He’d meant to get it when he first saw Jill transform but once again, he didn’t have his camera.
Pushing his rolling chair away from his desk, Damien looked up at the ceiling. His head rested on his arms crossed behind it.
A knock on his door caught Damien’s attention. “Come in.” he said, his voice muffled by the pen in his mouth.
Charlie opened the door, dressed in his police uniform. Grant Callahan, his deputy came in with him.
“Dad, what’s going on?” Damien inquired, his brow raised in curiosity and slight aggravation.
“Dame, Chelsea’s missing. Her parents haven’t seen her for almost a month now and none of her girlfriends have seen her and neither has Rob.” Charlie paused to run his hand over the back of his neck.
“Your point?” Damien replied, angry at the accusation he could hear hidden in his dad’s voice.
“A witness says you’re the last one who saw her.”
Damien turned in his chair, dropping his hands in his lap. “Are you kidding with this? I didn’t see her after she left at the college, that’s it. I went to class with Professor Hanson and then sent you a text, remember?”
“I remember but I have to ask, where were you in the time after you left class to when you sent me that text?”
“This is unbelievable. Are you actually interrogating me? I was with my girlfriend. Ask Alexander Kain from the bowling alley, he saw us.”
“Wait, you have a girlfriend? When were you going to tell me?” Charlie inquired, taking on a more dad-like demeanor than a cop.
“I was going to tell you at Christmas. I hadn’t seen Chelsea since the college. Can I stop being treated like a suspect now?” Damien replied, sarcastically throwing up his hands.
“I believe him, Charlie. Damien’s never been one to lie. We can go ask Alex next, he’s usually pretty honest.”
Charlie rose from the bed. “I’m sorry, Damien. I was just doing my job. Take care and if you do see Chelsea, please tell me.”
“I will, thanks for the heads up. You could have just asked without Callahan here.”
Charlie smiled. “I know. I will next time, I promise.”
****
The morning following the “interrogation,” Damien was in a really foul mood. He felt humiliated for being questioned in front of the sheriff’s deputy without so much as a warning.
“I was just saying, maybe next time you could give me the courtesy of a heads up the next time you decide to come into my room in full uniform with Callahan and start questioning me like I’m some sort of kidnapping lunatic?” Damien was almost yelling at his dad across the kitchen.
“Damien, I told you I was doing my job. Now show some respect. You still live under my roof. I don’t care how old you are, you will show me some mutual respect.” Charlie replied, angry yet trying to keep his voice down. He knew he should have approached Damien before he brought Grant into it but he needed to know.
“Respect goes both ways, I’m a grown ass man, not a child. You know what? Forget it. I have finals coming up next month and a term paper to write.” Damien grabbed his jacket and backpack, opening the door and letting it slam behind him.
****
The weather had gotten colder as fall began to transition into winter. The clouds heavy with snow held back in waiting for the biting December winds.
Damien hugged his coat around his body, stepping to the side of the old tar road upon hearing the engine of a car.
To his surprise, as it slowed next to him, he recognized it as Kain’s car.
Kain rolled down the window. “You look cold, Damien. Get in. I have somewhere we can go.”
Damien got in, thankful to be out of the cold and in the warmth of the heater. “Thanks, Kain.”
Kain smiled, watching Damien in his peripheral as he drove off.
The drive was silent. Damien spent his time looking out of the window, watching the trees as they rushed by. The way he spoke to his father bothered him but it upset him that he’d been treated like a criminal. Chelsea was his friend, he’d never do anything to hurt her.
When they turned off the main road to a small gravel country road, Damien turned to ask. “Where are we going?”
“You will see.” Kain only smiled, refusing to avert his eyes from the rocky road.
They pulled up to a rustic log cabin that looked like it could have been built during the age of the Civil war, sitting back into the side of a hill, hidden by the line of trees from the main road.
Kain turned off the engine and got out of the car, followed closely by Damien.
“What is this place?” Damien asked, his awe at the old house apparent on his face.
“This is my home. I’m not here too often because of the demands of being an alpha and the full time job at the bowling alley but it serves its purpose.”
A sharp howl rang out in the trees. The sudden sound made Damien tense out of the memory of his encounter with Stoker.
Kain chuckled. “It’s okay. That’s Clint. This is my pack’s territory.” He unlocked the door to let them inside.
Damien closed the door behind him, taking his jacket off and setting his backpack down.
“Make yourself at home. I will get the fire started and make tea and coffee.” Kain said, making his way into the kitchen.
Damien looked around, taking in every detail. The cabin looked like one of those hunting lodges he and his dad would stay in on their camping trips. The brick fireplace served as the only source of heat in the living room. The sofa and chair had leather bases with fabric cushions decorated with native patterns.
Even the stairs were crafted from wood and creaked under foot when Damien walked up into a short hallway with a long runner rug on the floor. From what he could see, there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
All in all, the place felt really old but still modern.
Damien went back downstairs to the living room to find Kain putting wood into the maw of the fireplace.
“I trust you enjoyed the short tour?” Kain asked, smiling at the look of sheer awe on Damien’s face.
“You live here? For how long?” Damien asked, sitting down on the sofa, taking the old tin cup of tea Kain gave him.
“I’ve lived here since I left Europe during the Blood Wars. Things were chaotic at first but then settled down, thankfully.” Kain replied, sitting in the lounge chair, his own cup of coffee in his hand.
“How long? This place looks old.”
“Damien, let’s just say I was here long enough to see the Confederate soldiers surrender to the Union under President Lincoln.” Kain replied, taking a drink.
Damien felt light-headed. Kain was even older than he thought.
“Grant and Charlie came to see me last night at the bowling alley. Something about a friend of yours missing?” Kain said in an attempt to distract Damien from his questions.
“Yeah. Chelsea. Dad interrogated me in my room with Callahan present. I told him I was with Jill and to ask you if he didn’t believe me. Sorry about that, Kain. It pissed me off.”
Kain laughed. “It’s alright. I’ve seen a few things in my day, Damien. I’m more concerned about you. What in Luna’s name were you doing out on the road in the cold?”
Damien sighed. “Dad and I had a fight this morning about what happened. I yelled at him and stormed out. I’m beginning to feel like a stranger in my own room and it’s getting worse.”
“Take it easy. You’re adjusting to some serious changes, Damien. It’s no surprise you’re stressed. Change can be hard and sometimes leads us to do and say things we normally wouldn’t to those we love.” The fire flickered in the lycan’s eyes, almost like he was reliving a memory.
A knock on the door brought a smile to Kain’s face as he rose from his chair. He opened the door to find Jill shivering slightly in the cold.
“I was wondering when you would get here, Jillian.” Kain said as though he were waiting for Jill to take Damien off of his hands.
“Jill!” Damien stood up, excited.
“I know, Kain. I’m late. I got your text in the middle of a meeting.” Turning to Damien. “I heard you and Charlie fought. Is everything okay?”
“Chelsea’s missing, Jillian. There’s been no sign of her in almost a month. Charlie and Grant came to see me at work as well.” Kain interjected, pouring Jill a cup of coffee.
“Chelsea Masterson? Her parents were in my office today. They wanted me to investigate what happened. Do you think it was them?” Jill asked in her more stern voice.
“One can’t be sure but it can’t be ruled out.” Kain replied, tossing another log on the crackling fire.
The renewed flame heated the room, filling it with the smell of burnt hickory. The crackling the only source of noise in the now silent room.
“Why would they care about Chelsea and not Rob? It doesn’t make sense.” Damien added. The silence broken by his curiosity as to why Rob hadn’t been targeted if it was the vampires that took Chelsea.
“Who knows but we have to look at every possibility, Damien.” The threatening tone in Kain’s voice demanded the attention of everyone in the room.
Another knock at Kain’s door came in the late hours of the night.
"I will get it." Kain said, making his way to the door. Jill sat on the couch with Damien, who had begun to fall asleep in her lap.
Gabriel walked in, unshaking despite the cold. "Thanks, Kain."
Kain closed the door while Gabriel walked into the living room, a scowl falling across his face.
"You brought him here? Kain have you given a thought to the threat he poses to us?"
"Gabriel, calm yourself. Need I remind you, you are in another alpha's territory. Honor our laws and respect my authority." Kain warned, his hand on Gabriel's chest halting his fellow lycan's advance. “He is here as my guest.”
“Right. Apologies, old friend. I’m still uptight from the unfortunate company I got today at the gym.” Gabriel dropped onto the floor next to the fire.
“I take it Nathaniel made his presence known without so much as a warning?”
“As usual. Gods, that kid is never pleasant to be around.” Gabriel said, smacking the heel of his palm to his forehead.
Kain smirked. “No, he’s not. Hopefully Chase behaved himself. I know those two don’t really get along too well.”
“You’re telling me. I thought I was going to have to throw them in the ring to cool their heads. The good news is I managed to force him into backing off of Holt. Needless to say he was a bit let down when you didn’t show. He really wanted a chance at taking you on in the cage.” Gabriel replied, half-chuckling.
“Nathaniel aside Gabriel, we need to talk about what Holt said. Jillian can’t keep protecting Damien on her own. Like it or not, the vampires will come for him.”
Jill ran her hand through Damien’s dark hair, smiling at the soft sigh she heard coming from him. “I won’t ask the packs to help. I got him into this, I need to take responsibility.”
Kain and Gabriel looked at each other then back at Jill.
“It’s true. If I had stayed away the vampires wouldn’t have gotten curious so quickly. I just…I can’t help who I love.”
Kain knelt before Jill, placing his hand on her knee. “Jillian, it wouldn’t have mattered. Demetrius would have figured it out eventually. We can’t help what has happened but we can focus on what will come. You were in the meeting with Holt, you know Lilith is planning something. We need to focus on devising a plan.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, Kain’s right, Jill. Closing ranks around Damien right now seems to be the best course of action. If he is what you say, then he’s a threat to them and a hope to us. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pussy.” Gabriel admitted, surprising both Jill and Kain.
Kain stood up from the floor. “It’s settled then. We direct our efforts and energy to protecting him and his family. We all know the vampires will use them as leverage. Chelsea’s already missing. I don’t want to risk Charlie and his friend, Rob’s, safety. For now, Jillian when was the last time you hunted?”
“It’s been a few moons but I’ll be okay. I’m more worried about, Damien.” Jill caressed Damien’s face, relieved he was sleeping so peacefully after the trauma he’d suffered from his run-in with Stoker.
“He will be safe here, we need to hunt. I can carry him to the guest room. Gabriel, go stand guard outside, I will be there in a minute. Jillian, grab Damien’s backpack and come with me.” Kain hoisted Damien up effortlessly, making his way up the stairs to the second bedroom.
Jill came in with Damien’s backpack, setting it on the floor. His jacket, she hung on a hook in the closet.
“I will leave you to say good night. Come join us when you’re ready.” Kain said, closing the door.
Jill sat down next to Damien on the bed, her smile both happy and sad that she had gotten him into such trouble.
“I’m sorry, Damien. I truly never intended for any of this to happen. I’ll see you in the morning.” She said, kissing his cheek before joining Kain and Gabriel to go hunt beneath the light of the moon.