Gemini walked in like she owned the place. Head high and no sign of having been mashed into concrete walls. Her attitude annoyed me. As did the fact that there wasn’t a mark on her – she had healed up in just one minute. Me, I still felt the kick to my ribs.

  I’d be damned if I could make up my mind about her. She wasn’t a tease; she didn’t need to be. But even though I knew she could kill me and not lose one minute of sleep over it, I was drawn to her.

  And she was drawn to me.

  “Nice place…” Gemini let her voice trail off, insinuating disdain.

  “Well, it’s me.” I gestured with my hands. “At least I have a place I can kill my guests where the neighbors won’t hear a thing. A good thing, actually.”

  Gemini nodded and walked past me. Heading for the lower level. “I didn’t snoop around. Just so you know!”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “It’s the principle of the thing. Or perhaps, the instinct of the thing.” She stopped at the staircase and looked at me. “Go ahead,” I answered the unspoken question, “You’re invited!”

  “That’s a stereotype. It is not needed as you noticed,” she answered coldly.

  I had no idea what she was talking about.

  We walked down to my real living quarters. I was glad I had cleaned the place now. It almost looked tidy. It was like night and day, compared to the upper level. I noticed some change in Gemini as she looked around. It was obvious she had me tagged for a slob and was pleasantly surprised at being wrong.

  “Have a seat.” I indicated some crates I had placed around a big cable spool that I used as a table. “I haven’t had any time to get any furniture, so this’ll have to do. Anything to drink?”

  Gemini hesitated. “Ah, no thanks. I ‘m fine,” she said as she sat down.

  “Hope you don’t mind me getting some tea. I need some Lapsang right now.” I squinted trying to remember where I had put my kitchen stuff.

  “I thought you were a coffee-person.” Gemini asked, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

  “Well, I am, but you can only drink so much coffee, before it affects your aim. And your heartbeat. I hate the muscle tics I get in my ‘pecs when I drink too much coffee.”

  “Ah…” Gemini said as she scanned around. “Why didn’t you show you were alpha, with Dominic?”

  I got the tea-sieve and waved it triumphantly. “No threat-no need.” I said as I scanned for my tea stash.

  Gemini almost choked on that. She coughed and re-focused on me. “You think Dominic is no threat?” Her voice was incredulous.

  “At that time, he wasn’t. Perhaps he would be at another time and place, but right then there wasn’t any threat. You two were too focused on answers.” I switched on my water boiler and turned and faced her. I knew what she was asking, as I had seen some documentaries about wolves and other pack predators. Alpha didn’t exist, but there were leaders, and unfortunately the term alpha had become the most widely used term. I had no idea if I was alpha, or only a loner with some abilities in common with whatever Gemini thought I was.

  “You don’t make sense, Maria. You can’t be alpha when you want. It’s mostly instinct, but you reacted like a human. And Dominic should have sensed you being alpha, but he didn’t. You made Dominic doubt himself and that doesn’t happen often.” Gemini frowned. “And how did you know I was here, let alone where I was? I was shielding like damn.”

  I shrugged again. “I felt you. I have already sensed how you use your power, and I just knew you were here.”

  “You’re a tracker!” She exclaimed. “You’re a true tracker!”

  “Perhaps,” I answered.

  “Thank God, I never tried to merge with you!” She shook her head. “But that mean I’ve only got more questions than answers. No-one would let a tracker leave their pack – alpha or no! Who taught you and left you ignorant about everything else?” She shook her head again in disgust.

  My water boiled and I poured my tea. I didn’t answer her question. She was here to find out what I was. And I had no answers.

  She wasn’t the only one who wanted to know.

  “I don’t know if can trust you enough to tell you anything about me, Gemini.” I said quietly. I wasn’t comfortable that she knew where I lived even. “You don’t really inspire trust, you know?”

  She just looked at me. “I’m here, right?”

  I laughed. “Trying to say that you have put yourself in my hands? You’re more dangerous than I am, and more skilled as well, so don’t give me that crap.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she muttered darkly.

  “Well, I am!” I said with certainty. It wasn’t as I had any male ego that needed stroking. My female ego might, but not at that moment, and I try not to lie to myself.

  There were other things I would like her to stroke. I tried to halt those thoughts. Just because I was attracted to her didn’t mean my brains had dropped down to my crotch. This was a dangerous situation. Even more so because it didn’t appear to be dangerous.

  “You must understand, Maria, that things are very tense in Chicago right now. And you’re a big unknown that are making waves that might make the dam burst. We research your background and there is nothing we found that marks you for a Breed.” Gemini shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Perhaps,” I almost agreed. “How important is this to you, Gemini? If I tell you anything, I must know that I can trust you with what happened to me. Otherwise, I’ll tell you nothing.” I looked at her.

  “Derek must die!” she hissed. “He must! Because he is killing the pack and making them crazy with bloodlust. A crazy pack is worse than anything else, Maria, and no one really believes me when I tell them, but I know the signs! Oh, do I know them…”

  The last was not meant for me. She was reminding herself about something. Re-living it. “So, you want me to kill him? Just like that?” I asked even though I knew the answer.

  “Yes.” Her eyes held me fast.

  “I won’t do it without something more than your word, Gemini. I don’t kill people just like that.”

  “You will have to, because he will kill you if you don’t. Do you think he will allow you to kill his pack brothers and pack sisters and just walk away? Even if he personally had nothing to do with the murder of your friend, he would have to hunt you down and kill you. He might be crazy, but he is not stupid. He could not let that pass and keep his authority. He will hunt you down and you will die, if you don’t kill him first.” Gemini’s voice was almost back to normal.

  “And I’m the only one who can do this?” I asked.

  “Yes. Right now, you’re the only one who can kill Derek without starting a war. The only one the pack will accept killing him. You have cause, others do not. Not quite true, but others do not have evidence enough.” She held out her hands. “In a year the situation might be different, but it might not as well. The likelihood of the situation changing is low.”

  “Why?”

  “Well for one thing, Werewolves are the most archaic of the breeds. Probably because they’re too wild and too powerful to be solitary. They need iron rules and an iron fist to keep them in line. That means that it’s almost certain that Derek ordered your friend’s death. Not many Werewolf packs have dominants that dare to act on their own like this.”

  “But other Breeds?” I asked.

  “Rats, lions – well any of the cat packs – are not that rigid. Still, it’s a move that very few would even contemplate, not to mention go through with it.”

  “Okay…” I tried to decide what to tell her. Should I tell her all, or just the abbreviated story?

  “There is nothing I wouldn’t do to kill Derek short of starting a war! A war would kill too many innocents,” Gemini said. Emotion was back on. Her voice was ragged, and her eyes were molten silver again with just a hint of electric blue.

  “Okay! I get you. Damn,” I muttered. I had already decided, but her last comment just cemented it. “I haven’t been a supernatural for very long, Gemini.”

  Gemini looked at me with a frown. “No shit?” she asked with heavy sarcasm. “How long?”

  “Eight days.” I answered sipping my tea.

  Gemini fell ominously silent. “No! That’s not possible!” Gemini went from calm to rages in a blink of an eye.

  “It’s true alright.” I said, waiting for an explanation for her rage.

  “You’re a Doppelg?nger!” she hissed.

  “Gesundheit,” I said calmly. “I’m a what?”

  “You’re a throwback. A Mimic!” She grated her teeth and her eyes were tearing up.

  “Calm down, Gemini. Explain to me why you’re so angry.”

  She drew a deep breath and looked at me. “I had hoped that you would kill Derek, but if anyone finds out you’re a Doppelg?nger they will kill you on the spot. Everyone will hunt you down, and Dominic will probably be first in line.” She put her head in her hands.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because a Mimic killed his parents.”

  “Shit!” Not good. Not good at all. “So why is everyone so against Mimics?”

  “Because you have power, but not the instincts to go with them. Pack hierarchy, dominance, hunt instinct, and so on. You sometimes seem to display them, but I guess you’re acting.”

  I glared at her. “Not acting. I’m acting on instinct, or whatever leads me. I might be what you say, but I do not lack those things. I was bitten and had blood in open wounds, something changed my mental state and instincts, so don’t tell me I have all the perks, Gemini!”

  “Perhaps you have some, but not enough, Maria.” She sobbed. “Oh God, just my luck…”

  “Snap out of it and explain!” I barked. Well, not literally.

  Gemini drew a deep breath. “A Doppelg?nger is a throwback, a being more like an Other, but without the mind to handle it. The change doesn’t tax the body of a mimic.”

  “And why is that necessarily bad?” I asked.

  “Because a Breed’s body stop before the mind breaks of too many changes. Mimics almost always go mad in the end. There is power in each form. Human, were-man, and animal. The most powerful is the true animal form, for Breeds, but in that form an animal Breed is usually restricted in a human environment. Paws are not really suited to press keypads and so on. But you can always tear down a door to get what you want. A strong Breed can rip a steel door from its hinges.” She sighed. “I will have to explain everything. Damn this will take a while…”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  I put away my cup and seated myself. “I’m listening.”

  Gemini gave me a tired look. “Yeah, your life depends on it.” She ground her teeth, her eyes looking far away. “If you’re wounded a change between the true forms will heal almost anything. The half-form will not heal you…damn I don’t know how to tell you everything. I’m jumping from one thing to another with no real thread to it.”

  “Never mind, just tell me whatever pops in your head. Come on, Gemini.”

  “Okay. There are five groups of supernaturals; The Breed, The Brood, The Ghilan, The Others, and The Outsiders. The Breed are weres and shifters. There are several kinds and…let’s just say that there’s a hierarchy and the werewolves are among the most powerful. There are a few others that are more close to what the Others was in the beginning, but Breeds are mostly about physical change. A Doppelg?nger can steal forms and some of the power from other Breeds or Broods by killing them and tasting their flesh. Some think they consume the soul as well.” She looked at me. “What happened to you?”

  I glared at her. “Someone showed up unannounced, much like you, and tried to kill me. I took his head off. I was close to dying, but when I awoke, I was all healed. It took days.”

  “You don’t understand, Maria. For most, the first change takes months! Not days! Your whole body changes and that isn’t done in an instant. Whatever makes a Breed live through the change takes years for the body to get ready for. You know when you hear about someone displaying irrational rage and unnatural strength, the police almost always call them PCP-heads, but some of those cases are weres that are overwhelmed by the the changes to their body being close to going through their first transformation. Their bodies and minds are bombarded by the sensations of the first change. The Breed has several institutions, prisons, Juvenile Halls, army training, and so on where they can go through their first change and learn to control their powers. Other factions have something similar adapted to their own conditions. You already have full control, but you don’t have the instincts to go with it. Don’t ever let anyone know you’re a Doppelg?nger!”

  I nodded. Of course, I wouldn’t. I wasn’t that stupid. ”I don’t have full control, Gemini. I almost change when I’m angry or exited. I have some instincts, perhaps I’m not a true Doppelg?nger?”

  “You’re kidding, right? Keep this to yourself always! Never tell anyone! And never lie outright,” Gemini continued. “Some can sense lies.”

  “So how do I kill them? I mean, I got lucky with Freaky Fred. If he hadn’t been so green, he would just have killed me. He was babbling like an idiot. Talking about becoming a true Pack member or something like that. You don’t talk to a mark, you kill it! Damn, he was green.”

  “It was an old ritual of Passage once. You killed an enemy to the pack to be counted as an adult. I didn’t know he had brought that piece of idiocy back and twisted it,” Gemini muttered. “Well, all supernaturals react to silver and gold, that is what you will need if you plan on taking them on. It doesn’t do much but slows them down. And make it so that they can’t shift away their injuries. In the end it is strength, speed, and skill that does it. We are all affected by white gold, or rather electrum. All of the Cursed that are alive or have been alive. That don't include the Gh?la, though white gold affect them as well.”

  “Gold? Silver I’ve heard about, and the reasons. Most conductive, light reflective, and so on, but gold? Never heard it would influence a werewolf.” My tea was getting cold, and I was thinking of things not so cold, like Gemini’s breast and lips. “And what is the difference between a shifter and a were?”

  Gemini rolled her eyes at me. “I don’t have the time…okay. A shifter is a person that can become an animal but have no other state and there is not much of an overlap of abilities. A shifter is somewhat more capable than a human. A were have three states and all of them powerful, I’ve told you all this, haven’t I?” She looked at me with those gorgeous eyes.

  “Ah, no…” I said, trying not to fall into those eyes.

  “Well, the werewolves are one of the most powerful races of Breed. Probably because they were among the first of the Breed, the first ones cursed. ”

  “Cursed?” She was losing me here.

  “Never mind,” she said acidly. “Silver affects the power of the were. It slows down healing and lessens its power, but if you can change between the true forms that doesn’t matter. That’s why you need gold. Enough gold can stop a were from changing form. Chains of gold in the myths, you know? ”

  I was stumped. “Never heard of it.”

  “Okay, just take my word for it. The true weres are connected to the new moon, not the full moon. The darkest night of the month to shield you from prying eyes as the curse takes hold. The first change is at the new moon when the body is ready. That is the only time a were has to change, rest of the time it is voluntary. Some weres are infected others are cursed, but all are powerful. Some are not anything close to human in any form, but they seem to avoid cities and live in the wild. Some just disappear, and no one knows where. Most have huge anger management issues and severe ego-problems. It seems to come with the power. And the instincts. As for the change, your average were can only phase perhaps two times a day. I don’t know if there is an upper limit, but the more powerful you are, the more often you can change.”

  I could understand that. If I only got instinct-light, I could very well understand that those guys had a God complex. Powerful and predatory in a world full of prey – heaven if you could act on your instincts. Hell, even if you couldn’t.

  “Why isn’t the world overrun with supes?”

  “Genes, magic, talent. All must come into play for change. Most do not even get affected, about two to three percent, and of the few who do get affected, perhaps four percent of those live. The others only get like a bad flu. There is so much we don’t know. But our DNA, no matter what type of The Cursed, is one hundred percent human. But it shouldn’t be, considering what we are and what we can do. A normal person cannot flip a car over. There are even some beings that nullifies every hi-tech equipment around.”

  “That must be awkward nowadays. What about Wolfsbane?” I asked.

  “Only if you like a very horny were on your hands,“ Gemini answered.

  “You got to be kidding?”

  “No. It’s a very effective aphrodisiac for weres. Ever seen a cat and catnip? Add to that a very strong sexual arousal and you have Wolfsbane.”

  “I’ll skip that then.” I said delicately.

  “Good idea,” Gemini agreed.

  “So how hated is this Derek?” I needed to change the subject so that I could get all the images of a naked Gemini out of my head.

  She continued after a look I couldn’t decipher. “Derek is dangerous because he drives his pack more and more wild. Feral, almost. Many want him dead, but the Pack would never allow an outsider to just kill him without a decision from the Council, and it hasn’t gone that far. Yet. Still, many have tried to kill him, but failed. I know he’s up to something but whatever he is doing, he’s managed to keep it secret. Let’s just say that many want him dead.”

  “That doesn’t sound enough for him to keep breathing.”

  “It’s not that simple. The Council don’t like to intervene unless there is no other option. And someone in the Council ranks is blocking. The local Thorpe can’t do anything other than petition for an intervention, because the Dockside Pack would never accept anything but a challenge or a Council edict. Derek has connections and he is very powerful, which is why it would cause a war.”

  “And you?” I asked. She knew I was this Doppel-thingy. She could easily get me killed, try to blackmail me, or something else.

  Then I would have to do something about that. Not a happy thought.

  “I couldn’t…I can’t…I want Derek dead!” Her voice went from exasperated to frozen helium.

  “I won’t give in to blackmail, Gemini!” My voice was equally cold.

  “Then listen to reason, you idiot! Derek will hunt you down if you don’t kill him!”

  “We’ll see. I believe that you believe what you’re saying, but that doesn’t necessarily make you right.”

  “Do you really think that any Mael would stand for what you plan to do, without trying to kill you?” Gemini asked.

  “No. But I only have your word for it. Still if he is responsible, then he will die. Or perhaps I will. Never mind, Gemini, go on. Tell me more.” I waved her protest away. We would have to come to terms about some things sooner or later, but right now I needed more information.

  “We don’t know where their true lair is. We know where they gather, but we don’t know where the rituals are held. Most Maels are less archaic and more open, but that is like calling the Pope a radical liberal. The werewolves are the most traditional of all weres. Probably because they were among the first, if not the first. Derek is the Mael and he is as paranoid as they come, and no one who got close enough to try and kill him have survived. “

  “Can’t you take him to task for that?” I asked. If he was killing of other supernaturals along the way, some revenge was in order, right?

  “No. Their territory – their rules.” She sighed again, the scent of sadness rolling off her. I really hated seeing her so distraught. I really shouldn’t care, but I did.

  “It’ll work out somehow.” I said, not really believing it.

  “Liar.” She answered with a weak smile.

  “Yeah, well I’m a sucker for a pretty face.” I smiled back, trying to sound like I was sarcastic. “But perhaps it will work out…I could be right, you know?”

  “Perhaps…” The sadness was back in her voice. She slowly removed her coat. And then she was all business again. Her face showed nothing of the sadness that had been in her voice. “The Compact is what keeps all groups from each other’s throats. All groups are big on purity, you know like the human racist groups, except for The Outsiders. We consist of members from every group but The Gh?la. We even have some gifted humans.”

  “What the fuck is a Gh?la?”

  “One Ghoul, several Gh?la. They are...body snatchers, I guess you could call them that. They claim human bodies as their host.” Gemini leaned back and the scent of her made my brain do its best to make my hormones go into overdrive.

  “So you’re Outsider?” I asked inanely, trying not to look at her breasts. I was almost drooling. I shifted my position as sitting still was become very, very hard. But moving only made it worse. I winced.

  “Yes.”

  “Does that mean anything special, or are you just a splinter group?” It was getting hard to concentrate.

  “It is a group of supernaturals that decided that they do not want to be ruled absolutely. If we didn’t exist there would be more wars and more deaths. We take care of the dissidents, the unsatisfied, and the ones that feel like they don’t belong anywhere. And we take care of the dangerously inhuman people that can’t live by the rules in the other groups. We’re on the outside, and we keep others in line. Sort of, anyway.”

  “How?”

  “The Outsiders are often called on to remove threats. And we sometime take a hit if it is according to the Compact. Personal vengeance and personal killings are always allowed. We’re all predators, well almost all of us are, anyway, so it’s not possible to say that killing isn’t allowed. So we have just one restriction – do not endanger our world! Other than that – ‘Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law!’ But it is a personal creed, and that means you do your own dirty work. If you involve someone else, you get feuds or wars. That’s when council edicts becomes necessary. There are always conflicts between packs and groups. Emotions and strong feelings drives revenge where people and supernaturals are killed for the same stupid reasons as always. There is racism between Breed and Brood - and between others as well, like the Gh?la hate everyone else- and sometimes what could be called small-scale battles. All those are tolerated, but we’re called in when no-one else can or want to take the assignment.”

  “And Derek?” I asked.

  “No green light from the Council. Not enough evidence for the Council to step in either.”

  That made sense. The syndicates operated in similar fashion, and it all seemed to even out in the end. I had already figured out that the supernaturals and the syndicates lived side-by-side with some overlap. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a lot of non-humans in the top of several syndicates. There were probably less in the Italian mob than the others, due to their racist attitude towards non-Italians. But Silvio showing up with several bad-asses of the non-human kind, made it clear that there were some on the inside as well.

  “So, you’re like some military force?” I asked trying to focus on Gemini’s eyes, but they almost made me dizzy. I turned my eyes on my tea mug instead.

  “No. We’re tolerated, and we have a seat at the Council, but we’re Outsiders. Malcontents. We even allow some humans in our ranks and that is frowned upon. We’re a bunch of loosely coupled fringe groups with some specialized skills that are useful to the rest of the Tribes. We’re organized enough to keep together, but just barely.” Gemini focused at me with a cold stare. “Some of us would even allow Doppelg?ngers to live.”

  “Fuck off, Gemini!” I said. My voice was neutral, but I knew my eyes were flashing between gold and amber, and my natural blue color. “You can’t blackmail me, and I since I don’t expect to live through this, your threats are a waste of time.”

  “Don’t you want to live?” she asked tersely.

  “Yes, but I don’t expect to. I will be as careful as I can, but if I must die to accomplish my goal, then so be it!”

  “I want Derek dead!”

  “From what you have told me, it is very unlikely that he didn’t order Tony’s death. In that case he is the one I really want. So why the hell are you screaming at me? ” I yelled back.

  “Because you’re stupid!” She continued in a very loud voice. “You won’t listen to those who know, and you insist on doing things that will get you killed needlessly!” She waved her arms in the air. “Gods, why do I care! You're so damn masc you that you should wear a skin and a club!” I had no idea where she was going with all of this, but she seemed to have a need to get it off her chest, so I kept quiet. But she didn’t continue.

  “Derek is probably responsible anyway, but I want to know why you want Derek dead?” I didn’t expect an answer to that question, but I asked it anyway.

  Gemini was quiet for a long time, staring at my table like it was a window to another world, and I didn’t pressure her, but then she spoke with a voice that was like dead leaves rustling over slate. “You don’t need to know! But I would do anything to kill him...short of starting a war. That’s why I can’t kill him. But you can…” The last was almost a whisper.

  Her pain ripped through me. I shouldn’t care and I shouldn’t be attracted to her, but I did and I was. I didn’t understand why my feelings were suddenly so strong. I knew better than this. I knew better than to get emotionally involved with someone connected to a job. A someone who did not have the same goals as I did.

  Whatever was going on, I was responding to something, but I had no idea what. It made all my reactions to her suspect.

  “Tell me why, Gemini.” I whispered.

  I put my hand on her hand and looked at her. I needed to know. I had to, if I was to trust her, I really had to know her motives. Then she shocked the hell out of me. She leaned over and grabbed my shirt and pulled my lips to hers.

  I drowned in that fierce kiss. I lost myself, my heart, and my soul as she kissed me. She nibbled my lip so hard I tasted blood and made my knees buckle. The world stopped and in one clear moment the time stood absolutely still. I surrendered to that inner voice that wanted her, and kissed her back, knowing I was crossing a line.

  “You don’t need to know, Maria Smith…” She whispered with a breathless voice and in the blink of an eye she was gone. The only sound I heard was when the door slammed shut, not even a second later.

  There I sat with puckered lips, wet as hell, and in desperate need of a cold, cold shower.