I stepped out into the cold evening. I should have brr:ed and pulled my parka close, but the cold didn’t bother me. Wilson did though, but I would have some time before he was back hounding my ass again. I quickly put Wilson out of my mind. I had some names and addresses, but I was afraid that Marc and Dominic would have spread the word. Phil Drummond or Martin Simmons was the question. Derek would have to wait until last, since I believed Nick Carter when he said that that was the only way they would accept their Mael’s death. And if I could pull it off, I wouldn’t have the whole pack after me. But either way Derek Carpenter was a dead man!

  All in all, I hadn’t spent more than fourteen hours in custody and now the sun was setting again. Even though everything seemed to conspire to make me night person, I had at least gotten a glimpse of the sun.

  My cell had not been comfortable. I was lucky to have gotten at least some sleep. It was sorely needed, because I had been chasing rumors and leads all over the place, and that wasn’t going to change. It would only get worse, as I had to start to move faster now if I was going to have any chance to get the bastards who killed Tony. The names and addresses I got would only be good for so long before they all set traps for me. My luck couldn’t keep being this good forever.

  As I walked down the street contemplating three more murders, I noticed I had caught a tail. No one, but two parties, no less. One was the cops and the other was two of Simon’s goons. I even knew them by name: Jamal James, known as JJ, and Marcus Vance, known as T-Bone. JJ was obvious, but I had no idea where T-Bone came from. They were also not the smartest pair of lowlifes I had met. I knew the moment they spotted me. The “Hey! There’s the biatch!” was a dead giveaway. Even cops heard them, and now they were eyeing each other. It was almost funny watching the amateurs realize that the cops were tailing me as well. Not to mention the cops’ reaction to having company.

  I would shake all of them as soon as I got a good opportunity.

  I hadn’t exactly forgotten about Simon Burns, but I hadn’t spared him much thought since killing Dimitri. Simon was very likely rubbing his hands together in malicious joy at the thought of getting to kill me. If he had left Chicago, I would have left him alone. Because he was small fish and I had given my word. He would give me more problems dead than alive. But that was a moot point now that intelligence reserve was chasing after me.

  The image of Dimitiri dead in his chair was etched into my brain. It still turned my stomach just thinking about it. Killing Dimitri like that bothered me. It was murder, I can’t say that it wasn’t, but I would do the same again if I happened to find myself in the same situation. Still, it was wrong – it felt wrong. At the same time, it had been the smart thing to do, considering the circumstances. And the world was a better place without Dimitri or Sergei in it. Especially Sergei.

  The upside was that the amateurs would have trouble coordinating and getting information. And most would probably keep a healthy distance to this contract. Those who realized that this was way out of their league anyway. I would leave the idiots alone if they did me the same courtesy. With the exception of Simon Burns. His free card had expired.

  I needed kill Simon. I would surely be the primary suspect if Simon disappeared or turned up dead. But he had not listened to my warning. He even took a contract on me, thinking he could get away with killing me instead. I would bury him like so much garbage. And since Simon’s benefactor was now dead dead, together with Sergei, I wouldn’t get much more trouble for taking him out.

  Taking out Sergi and Dimitri would escalate the hunt for me. The clock was ticking and I knew I was running out of time. I had a couple of days, perhaps as many as four, if I was lucky, to pull this off.

  If I succeeded with taking out the killer here, I was going on a man hunt- I was going to hunt down John Goosan and kill that son of bitch! Then I would be going after Mike Sunderland and company.

  Thinking about those bastards made my blood boil. The anger threatened to overwhelm me and start the change. John Goosan was one of the biggest reason why Tony was dead and it made me furious. He would get his due, but he was a low-threat target. One to be dealt with as time permitted. At length.

  That thought didn’t calm me much. The anger just wouldn’t go away this time!

  The bones in my face started to change shape. The jaw snapped, cracked, and popped as I fought to hold back the change. But this time it wasn’t working. I managed to slow the change down, but nothing I did made it recede. I knew then that I couldn’t stop it this time.

  I increased my pace, heading for the nearest park.

  As soon as I hit the park, I stopped trying to hold back the change. The pain I felt from stopping the change from happening was excruciating, and I had a hard time not screaming my pain as I ran for cover.

  I really can’t describe the feeling of the change. It was pain and bliss, falling and flying, cold and hot, and more feelings that I just can’t put into words. But most of all it was terrifying. The panic and fear that filled me as I felt myself dissolve and reform almost drove me insane. It wasn’t that I actually dissolved but that is the best description I had.

  Suddenly I was a wolf. A big wolfish thing anyway. I estimated my weight to be somewhere around one hundred and fifty kilos. There was no way anyone would take me for a dog. I was a fucking pony-sized dog. My head was bigger than I expected, my snout felt like it was a bit broader than my recollection of the wolves I had seen on TV. It was wolf-like but more powerful, and my mouth was full of really, really big teeth.

  What surprised me was that I was in there; I was still Maria. There was no loss of self exactly, but at the same time I was not wholly in the driver's seat either. There was a wolf personality with me. Or perhaps that the body gave me wolf tendencies? I was in control and not in control.

  I did feel a lot of things. Instincts drove at me, new thoughts and cravings flashed through my mind, and it was hard to ignore them. It felt so natural. All the movements and instincts just fell into place. Just to see the world around me – to scent the world – was new experience. New, like a man born blind that suddenly had sight. It was impossible to describe it.

  And the power! Dear God, I thought I was powerful before, but it was nothing compared to the wolf form. It crackled around me like static even though I did my best to conceal it.

  It was a powerful feeling of moving through the trees and bushes keeping low and unseen as everyone looked for me. I could have killed them all in a matter of seconds – and it was tempting to do something that my instincts told me was a good thing – but I wouldn’t. I forced my mind to focus on avoiding people, even though the wolf seemed to think it was beneath him to skulk like that from prey.

  I turned away from my prey and moved towards the center of the park.

  I caught a scent from someone I knew. It was a fresh scent, and as I followed the trail, the sense of her grew as well. She was here, Gemini! And I could sense that she wasn’t alone. The wolf growled low with mischief and anticipation.

  I shut down my scent and the sense of my power as much as I could and crept slowly forward. No reason to leap into a situation just because your libido tells you it’s a good idea.

  I crept slowly closer towards where I felt Gemini was. Slowly. Painstakingly slowly. I had to see if I could creep up on them. Or at what range they would pick me up. But scaring the shit out them for fun was too much temptation to resist.

  “You could have warned me!” The voice was male and very urbane. He sounded like a Chad.

  “Would you have believed me?” Gemini answered. “I didn’t think they were that crazy, but they are. They must be crazy to do this. I don’t know what else it could be, do you? Would you seriously back a war in Chicago right now?”

  “I guess not.” The man continued. “But Derek has kept himself on the right side of wrong for some time. You really think he is deliberately trying to start a war?”

  “I hope he isn’t, but Derek being stupid wouldn’t be a good thing either.” Gemini answered.

  “There will be war sooner or later. Things have been simmering for quite some time. So why not sooner? Some are not pleased about how things are,“ the male said.

  Gemini shrugged. “Isn’t that always the case?”

  “So why should we try and stop this one? Oh, I agree that killing Derek is not a bad idea. Maybe it’s time for a change?”

  That got him an amused smile from Gemini. “Well, do you want to challenge the Council? Or would you like Nahanha to take control over them as well?”

  A deep shudder shook the male. “No, definitely not!”

  “There are only four people who can stand a chance of blocking Nahanha from becoming the absolute ruler of Chicago. Not that she necessarily would be a bad ruler, but she is too powerful as it is. She doesn’t need more power, and you can be damned sure that she would get more power from a war. So why do you think a war is a good thing?”

  “Well...”

  “What I mean is,“ Gemini continued, “Nahanha wouldn’t start a war. She prefers more subtle ways, but she wouldn’t hesitate to move if she saw an opportunity to get more power.”

  “She is mad!” The male snarled. “She rules the Guardians with an iron fist. And her followers are everywhere.”

  “But she keeps out of politics. She won't take a council seat because she wants to rule. She does not want be a part of a group of equals, even if that would make her first among equals. And Nefti, you tried to kill her not fifty years ago. I’m surprised she let you live, to be honest.”

  “I thought I had the bitch, but even half-dead she defeated me like I was some youngling. It was embarrassing,” he muttered. It was definitely a sore point with him.

  “You tried to kill her after she killed Aron and Edwin, and most of their clan. She was seriously wounded, but you couldn’t kill her and now you’re thinking about it again? Are you stupid?”

  The man straightened his back. “She has her followers and creatures everywhere, and they are as dangerous as she is. You should know!”

  “Careful. I’m not her follower nor her ‘creature’, and I would caution you to keep it civil, Nefti!” There was steel in Gemini’s voice. “There are other things to consider as well. Do you really want an all-out war between all of us and between the Syndicates as well?”

  “No, it would destroy Chicago. And many would die needlessly.”

  “Then we need to see if she can do what she has wowed to do”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Well, well, It seemed to be a discussion about me.

  “But she is a Mimic!” Nefti spluttered.

  “So?” Gemini asked. “You’re Brood, you don’t care! Why this obsession with what she is?”

  “Because the solution might be worse than the problem!”

  “Worse than war?” Gemini asked incredulously.

  This Nefti guy was tall. A bit over two meters with a powerful build, long dark hair, powerful jaw line and disturbingly pale eyes. He was dressed in jeans and boots with – of course – a long black leather coat like all the other shithead supe brigade members.

  Why did they all have to bigger than me? I wanted to meet a pygmy supe, someone I could look down on for a change. All these tall, dark, and dangerous supes made my teeth itch. Even though I seemed to be more powerful than most of the supes I had bumped into, I would have liked, for once, to be taller as well. Okay, I was taller than Gemini, but that didn’t count.

  “Perhaps not. But damn, Gemini, this is also like gasoline on a fire. And the things move in the night now. The Gh?la is too active with their mind controlled pests scurrying in the darkness.”

  “You never know what is creeping around in the bushes,” Gemini said sagely

  That was too good a cue to pass on. I leaped out from my hiding place.

  “Damn!” Gemini jumped back. “Don’t do that!”

  I stuck out my tongue in a grin.

  Nefti was thirty meters from where he had stood. I had startled the hell out of him. “Change!” He was giving commands. And he was pissed.

  I snapped my jaws at him, making my sentiments about his attitude clear. The wolf thought he was an ass.

  Gemini was looking me over with a curious eye. “Damn, you’re big, Maria! But Nefti is right, would you mind changing back?”

  I was pretty sure that my clothes would be gone when I turned human again, but there wasn’t much I could do about that. I would miss my 49:ers jacket though. Butt naked in a park in late fall – I was going to freeze my ass off, supe-constitution or no!

  The change was instinctual, so I had little problem changing back, but the panic and fear was as strong as before, if not even more so. It was the worst thing I had ever experienced.

  I remember Gemini’s words about the change taking its toll on the were, but I felt nothing out of the ordinary. Physically. The fear and panic made me hyperventilate for a little while, so I didn’t need to put up much an act this time. I would probably never have to act, because I doubted that I could ever face the sense of melting and loss of identity without shitting myself.

  “You're trespassing!” The male started.

  “Well, I guessed I just should have killed my tail before I hit the park then?” I asked genially. “I can do that the next time.”

  “You’re making jokes?” That was a challenge. Not one I was going to accept. At least not butt-naked.

  “At least Nahanha was polite. You’re an ass.” I said in a sweet voice.

  That made them both flinch.

  “Tell me you didn’t strike any deal with her!” Nefti spluttered.

  “I have hunting rights, other than that – none of your damn business!” I muttered, trying to preserve whatever dignity I had left. “I guess that means I have hunting rights in all areas in the city?”

  “That’s one way to put it, yeah,” Gemini said calmly and then continued. “Another way to put it is that you came this close to dying!” Gemini shouted and held her index finger and thumb about an inch apart. She pinched the bridge of her nose in a tired gesture. She had her hair in a braid today, and it suited her. And the thing that really got me going was black jeans and a white top. A really tight white top. I was two seconds away from drooling and howling “hubba hubba hubba” at the top of my lungs.

  I was such a dog.

  “Do you have some clothes I can borrow?” I asked Nefti, turning my gaze away from Gemini in an effort to regain some control. My dignity was already in tatters thanks to the scent from my arousal I was sure they could smell.

  Nefti walked away muttering about idiots, but it seemed like he was going for something I could use for covering myself.

  “So why is he so pissed?” I nodded in the direction Nefti had disappeared.

  “Well, Nahanha, rules the Guardians here...but no one rules Nahanha. One or two on the Council might be as powerful and perhaps a one or two others, but the rest she could kill without breaking a sweat – and she is totally insane. You didn’t strike a deal with her, did you? Please tell me you didn’t!”

  “No I didn’t. Though she did insist on reparations for trespassing.”

  “Thank the gods!” Gemini said fervently. “You might consider expensive chocolate as reparation. I know she likes those dark chocolates with chili and do buy a big box. Or several boxes. The good brands only! You don’t want her to think you’re cheap.”

  “I’ll do that.” Maybe I did need a keeper after all.

  “You must be the luckiest woman alive,” Gemini muttered as she stomped away. “If I calm down a bit, I might be able to speak…” she muttered to herself as she disappeared further into the park. I was guessing she needed some space and time to mull the situation over.

  Gemini seemed to want to tell me something, but I guessed that me getting hunting rights, whatever that entailed, from Nahanha was a shock to her. She was walking around talking to herself and waving her hands in the air. I heard her speaking, but it wasn’t in any language I had ever heard.

  “So why is Nahanha here? I mean if she’s so powerful, why hasn’t she stuck out on her own or something?” I asked Nefti when he returned.

  “Are you stupid?” He asked and threw me the clothes.

  Levis’ jeans and flannel shirt. Great, the flannel lesbian stereotype.

  “Assume I am and tell me anyway.” I suggested and started to hum the Lumberjack Song from Monty Python.

  “Nahanha rules here. Well, she rules the part where we can exercise our instincts. She might not be Council, but anyone who wants to live here will have to get permission from her. If they want to hunt, that is. All poaching, so to speak, is punished with death or slave contacts for a long, long time.” I thought I saw a ghost of a smile, as if he recognized my dissonant humming.

  “Boots?”

  “Sorry, no can do.” Another smile, but this one was not friendly.

  “So, the Council set the rules, but Nahanha controls the rest, which means she is queen frog in this pond.”

  “You might put it that way. It’s not that simple, but you could interpret it like you say. Except Chicago has always been a center for supernaturals. Why do you think so many books about vampires and other creatures are placed in Chicago? People know even if they don't believe. New Orleans is another center for those who live by the Compact.” He laughed. “But I digress. Nahanha is so powerful not only because she can kill almost anyone one on one, but also because she is The Head Guardian of Chicago. The only thing she can't control are the Brood, Breed, or Gh?la territories. Those without territory can only hunt by permission, and permission that can only come from Nahanha. Not many have their own territory, even in a city as big as Chicago.”

  I understood what Nefti was saying. Nahanha ruled the parts of Chicago that was public access, well supernatural public access. She could probably make their lives uncomfortable if she restricted access to these public areas. From what I heard and understood, she would do that whenever she wanted to.

  There were more things I wanted to know, but I had better ask Gemini those questions. It wasn’t a good idea to show more ignorance. Nefti was suspicious enough already.

  I would have to keep my ignorance from showing. I had to balance out the fact that most of this shit was all things I was ignorant about with that I needed information. Acting on things you didn’t fully understand was a good way to turn up dead. So, things were snowballing at an ever-increasing rate and if I couldn’t get handle on things I would get buried. My catch-up game was weak, and I needed all the help I could get. I was in a world where none of my experiences really mattered and the only thing that had worked for me so far was the fact that I wasn’t expecting to survive this.

  I guess desperation reads the same in all living things.

  Even if I had more information than I had before and knew where some of my targets might be, I had no real idea of how to get to them. Tracking them down one by one would never work. Hunting things that have intelligence tend to make them join forces, and they had to know that they were hunted by now.

  “So how did you get changed?” Nefti asked.

  “None of your business.” I said coldly.

  “But where do you hail from?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “Touchy subject?” Nefti’s arrogant tone was getting on my nerves.

  “No. Just none of your business.”

  Nefti shrugged, trying to look like he didn’t care. “Anything you’d like to ask me?”

  “No.” I was more interested in Gemini than chatting with Nefti, who seemed too curious by far. And I needed to get some boots. I had no idea where my clothes had gone when I shifted, but they weren’t coming back. And that was why I was dressed like a hillbilly boy.

  I noticed that I wasn’t freezing. My feet should have been burning with cold, but my body had revved up my temperature so that I wasn’t feeling it.

  A look from Gemini made Nefti turn and walk away.

  “You’ve got to teach me that.” I quipped.

  “Shut up, Maria.” Gemini muttered.

  “Yes, ma'am,” I saluted.

  “We need to get you some shoes.” Gemini said and started walking.

  “We need to get me some clothes, because this, “ I gestured at my clothes with a pained expression, “isn’t me. It’s definitely not me!”

  Gemini smiled at that. “You look cuddly.”

  “Ouch, there went what little respect for your fashion I had left….together with my libido.” She gave me that small special smile that totally scrambled my brain. I had trouble gathering my thoughts. “Ah...shopping? Boots...but, please I beg you, not at Supes R’ Us. You wouldn’t find me dead in one of those black leather coats.”

  “I don’t think your libido went anywhere, Maria,” she said as she inhaled. “It seems to be working just fine.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said as my cheeks turned a little pink.

  “You’re cute when you blush,” Gemini laughed. “That’s a nice shade of red. No other makeup needed.”

  “Oh, shut up!” I muttered.

  Gemini took my hand as we walked. It was a nice feeling, just holding her hand. There had only been violence since the date, so this was a nice change.

  “I had a lovely time…you know…the date?” Dammit! Why was I tongue-tied now?

  “I very much enjoyed the date as well, Maria,” Gemini said with a laugh. “You’re a bit awkward, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, well…it’s been a while, you know. Even before all this supernatural shit, my situation wasn’t really congruent with dating, you know.”

  “You’re saying ‘you know’ at lot - you know?”

  “Well, ha ha ha!” I was getting a little grouchy. “You make me nervous. And tongue-tied.”

  “That’s not good for lesbian.”

  “What’s not good?”

  “Being tongue-tied.”

  I groaned. “Damn! Dad jokes?! Really?”

  Gemini just laughed.

  She was killing me. I needed to score as well.

  “Even if I’m tongue-tied, I am very, very good with my hands. Good at sign language and other things, you know?”

  “There you go with ‘you know’ again,” she teased me.

  “God dammit!”

  We walked aimlessly for a bit, just enjoying the moment. If felt weirdly normal, walking hand in hand with Gemini.

  “So,” Gemini squeezed my hand, “how did you end up in Chicago?”

  “Well, it is one of the strongholds of the mob, and most of my contacts are affiliated or running with the other syndicates. But I’m sort of running out of cities to relocate, unless I want to go do Bumfuck Iowa or somewhere I have no connections.”

  “Haven’t heard ‘bumfuck’ in a while,” Gemini snickered. “So, where else have you stayed after leaving Phoenix?”

  “Well, I did L.A. first. I absolutely hated it there. Did New York, but after that I had to skip New Jersey due to some tension between families there. I have some personal connections in New York that weren’t that appreciated in New Jersey. Then I thought about doing Tampa but ended up in St Louis. And now I’m here.”

  “Tampa? Not Miami?” Gemini asked.

  “No, the cartels run Miami, more or less. Tampa is Mob Central in Florida. The Commission would love to take Miami back, but war is bad for business, so they bribe law enforcement, politicians, and judges to disrupt business for each other instead. It’s a war of attrition that’s leading nowhere.”

  Walking around like this was nice, but I was still uncomfortably barefoot. It seemed like a small price to pay.

  “I know you haven’t been doing any CPP work, even if you have kept up your certifications. So what have you been doing to make a living?”

  “Many different things. I usually do street acrobatics, mime -“

  “Mime!” Gemini burst out. “Mimes the most creepy things ever! Even worse than clowns!”

  I laughed. “Ouch! You know how to compliment, don’t you? Should I mention that I have a certification from Clowns Without Borders?”

  “Noooo!” Gemini said with a horrified expression.

  “Yeah, so you just dissed me as a mime and as a clown!”

  “Sorry. I just think they are creepy. Both! Sorry again?”

  “No problem. I like working as a mime, because it teaches me how people move, react and sound in certain situations - and how to mimic that…” I quieted. “Yeah, a bit of irony there, isn’t it? Anyways, it helps me in my work.”

  There was an awkward silence for a while.

  “So, what else?”

  “Hmm, simple things like cleaning, dish washing, simple construction work, industrial espionage, burglary, pickpocketing, working as a baker, and so on.”

  “Baker?” Gemini asked.

  “That’s what you got stuck on?” I smiled. “Yeah, I like to bake. It’s relaxing and practical. And it impresses the ladies!”

  “Yes, we have really low standards nowadays.”

  “Hey,” I pouted. “That was mean!”

  Gemini leaned into me as she laughed. “You really lift my spirits, Maria. There’s no posturing for dominance or power. You have no idea how relaxing that is!”

  We walked in silence for quite some time. Thinking back on all that had happened to me made me realize that I had been an obstinate bitch. Perhaps even in extreme, but this emotional roller coaster ride hadn’t really let me stand still and take the time to learn to cope with what was happening to me. Hell, even I was annoyed with me, with the way I had been acting. Not enough to do something about it at the moment, but still.

  “I think that is only with you, Gem,” I said as I tried to answer the question of why that was to myself. “I’m pretty much obnoxious or a bitch, or even an obnoxious bitch, to everyone else. I have no idea why that is though.”

  “Yeah, well I guess I’m the same.” Gemini’s smile made me feel butterflies. “I usually don’t let people in. Why you would be the exception, I don’t know.”

  “I’m not going to question it! I like you, so anything that makes you like me is not something I’m going to question. Not a chance! I’d rather die…”

  There went the vibe - fuck! Foot, meet mouth.

  “We need to talk,” Gemini said, her tone was back to neutral - like flipping a switch. “But not here.”