“Ummm. Sorry, boss. I didn’t mean to be…whatever that was…to the boss-boss.”
There was a hint of laughter in his words when he said, “We’ll meet at the entrance of the compound.”
“It’s as good a place as any to start hunting, but Zeb was never stupid. If he’s heading home, he’ll go in through a back way. Like through my land. So I’m heading home and will start searching at the boundary.”
“I see. One of us should go to the compound’s entrance. I’ll send T. Laine there. She may have some amulet that will let her find magical tracks. I’ve never asked that particular question. Where else should we start searching?”
“If all of the remaining kids are in dog form, and if they all managed to evade the vampires and cross the river safely, then either of the properties to the sides of my land are likely entrances. So go up my road, past Esther’s, then hike in on the left for the Stubbins property, which is where the kid named Harmon Stubbins is most likely to seek sanctuary, or drive past my house and park on the right where the deer stand used to be. The one all a y’all destroyed when you was keeping the churchmen from spying on me. If you’re four-legged, I suggest you track right, into the Vaughns’ property, around the house out of sight, and back toward the church.”
Rick said, “I’ll send a cat to the Vaughn boundary where the church land meets yours, and two others will take the Stubbins side. I’ll meet T. Laine Kent at the front gate.”
He went silent, and I stared at the scrub on the side of the road, glad it was clumped and piled with ice. Otherwise I was sure I’d be staring at my naked boss-boss.
“Are you and FireWind all right working together?”
It would be hard going, steep uphill on icy footing, to the top of my land, where the new cell tower perched. Then a cliff drop down to the church land. I was about to say we’d take forever, but FireWind, in his gobag clothes, walked out of the scrub, wearing light sneakers, and slid into the passenger seat. His black hair was loose and flowing, not braided, and he looked warm despite the lack of layers. Just the jeans, white shirt, and sneakers.
“We’ll be just fine. Ingram out.” I turned off my comms as my boss-boss opened the door and slid smoothly into the passenger seat. The door closed softly.
I swiveled in my seat and said, “Something you ought to hear, FireWind.”
“Other than your apology for your tone?”
“I apologize for my tone. I’d have felt a lot worse and my tone woulda been a lot meaner if I’d hit you with my car.”
FireWind inclined his head as if he understood I had been angry for almost hitting him. He pulled his hair around and began to braid it.
I reached into the console, found a rubber band, and placed it within easy reach. “There might be a lonely woman or two in the church compound who will offer you something. Food, drink, wine, rest, a bathroom break, cookies, bread, steak, and their own bodies. To acceptanythingfrom anyone, other than my family, implies a distinct and unmitigable interest. You will be considered interested in the possibility of marriage if you accept anything up to sex, and married by the church if you sleep with anyone.”
FireWind’s black eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. “Thank you for the warning, Ingram. If I am in human form, I’ll make certain to decline with theproper gentility.”
As opposed to my fussy tone. Gotcha.I didn’t say that part. I pulled into the traffic and headed home on the ice-patchyroads. Overhead, sunlight broke through, and everything everywhere glistened. It was so bright I stuck my hand into the console again and found a pair of sunglasses by feel and slid them onto my face. I also reached behind the seat and grabbed my gobag, the one with the food bars in it, and placed it on the console near the elastic. He’d be hungry.
FireWind finished braiding his hair and tied off the end, opened and devoured three protein bars, and drank a large bottle of water. When he had wolfed it down, a thought that made me smile, he took over comms and told the entire team what he’d discovered as he tracked the kids.
My hands clenched on the steering wheel when he described the scene where one of the injured devil dogs had fallen behind. The vampires had captured him. There was no indication if he was still alive. It wasn’t Zeb. But that didn’t make it okay. Three kids still on the run. Last night. Alone.
* * *
Expecting FireWind to shift back to wolf, I parked my vehicle in front of my house and ran around to the back at the shed-porch. The door stuck from all the wet weather, and I had to put some muscle into a hard yank to get it open. The door rammed back, into me, and dislodged the rusted iron horseshoe that had been hanging over the door since I moved in with John and Leah. It nearly hit me on the head and I caught it in midair, surprised but rather proud that I had seen and caught it. I set it by the low step and searched for a machete, a rope, a carabiner, and my leather yard-work gloves.
Cherry went nuts and raced into the enclosed space, accepted some pats, and went back inside. The cats peeked out the back window, decided I wasn’t interesting, and vanished.
Instead of shifting, FireWind followed me and when I came back out said, “I need a weapon.”
I handed him the machete.
“I need agun,” he said. He held up the machete. “Not aknife.”
“Wrong. That’s for you to cut yourself free if the tree objects to you being on the land. And a gun won’t help you fight the tree.”
“Ingram. What—” He stopped. “You think the tree will object to my presence?”
“It knows you as a cat.” I shrugged and led him back to the car. Together, we drove as far up the hill as possible, to a spot where the snow was still solid and pristine except for animal tracks. I parked, got out, and dropped the car’s floor mat to the ground, sat on it, and put both hands flat on the ground.
“Ingram.” His voice was hard and commanding. I opened my eyes and focused on him. “Attempt tonotget buried in roots this time.”
I gave him my happiest grin, watched his face react, and shoved myself into the earth, through the snow, and found the roots to the vampire tree. I closed my eyes and it reached for me, showing me the close-up face of the Green Knight, no visor but looking mad. To FireWind I said, “Give the land a drop of your blood, right here in front of me.”
