Duel Nature (20 page)

“Oh! The bear-wolf?” he asked, his gleam of
excitement back.

I wasn’t overly surprised that he knew about
Awasos.

“Adine, please bring him up,” he said into
the radio.

“As you wish
Director,”
was the tinny
response.

“I wondered where he was,” Gramps said.

“We couldn’t smuggle him over the border, but
I thought he would handle it on his own. The Coven was supposed to
release him once we were on the bus and gone. Looks like he got
impatient,” I said.

“What did he do? Swim the St. Lawrence
river?” Kelly asked.

“Hard to know, but he’s about as fond of
swimming as you are, which is to say, not so much. He might have
snuck on board a truck or boat,” I said.

“He does many things that we haven’t been
able to figure out,” Tanya added.

She didn’t embellish, even though the Malleks
and Stewart looked intrigued.

I thought about explaining his penchant for
opening doors and getting out of locked rooms, but before I could,
the sound of big paws came thundering down the hall, accompanied by
a rattling chain sound.

A moment later the big black and tan form of
Awasos came to a halt in the doorway. A length of chain dangled
from his neck and his fur was a bit matted in places, but he looked
good otherwise.

He scanned the room for a moment, then bee
lined for Gramps, giving the old man a sniff and face lick. Next he
padded over to Tanya and snuffled her to make sure she was okay,
then finally he swiveled around and sat, staring at me in a most
accusing manner.

“Yes, I get it. You’re pissed I left you
behind. But you would have stuck out like a sore thumb on a bus
load of oldsters. Besides, I knew you’d get here on your own,” I
said.

He looked away with obvious disdain, making
his opinion of me very clear.

Everyone in the room, except Stewart, knew
him, so they weren’t surprised, but the Director was obviously
delighted by the exchange.

“My god, but he’s a smart one , isn’t he?” he
exclaimed.

Awasos looked curiously at the old gentlemen,
then glanced at the doorway just as the Director’s assistant
appeared, looking slightly ruffled.

“He’s smarter than most humans,” I said,
moving up beside the big wolf to pull off his chain.

Awasos’s attention was locked on Adine, so he
didn’t move away as I cut off his chain with a mono-edged finger,
but I knew I had a ways to go before I was back on his good
side.

Stewart introduced his assistant around the
room, watching the interchange of personalities with interest.

Brett and Kelly stood stiffly, hackles almost
visibly raised, eyes focused on the wereverine who looked like a
somewhat pretty, very fit, well-muscled young woman of Native
American descent. Today, she was dressed in a navy business suit,
her hair up in a bun of some sort. I suddenly wondered if it was
really long and just how often she let it down.

Tanya flicked a glance my way, her expression
slightly exasperated with my random thought, the gist of which she
felt through our link. Then her brilliant blue eyes slid back to
watch Adine.

Adine Benally wasn’t a hand shaker. Too
aloof, too reserved. Instead she gave each individual a sharp nod,
ignoring the Malleks’ hostile response, glancing briefly my way,
but reserving most of her attention for Tanya and Awasos. She
watched the wolf-bear, but her stance oriented her body toward
Tanya, unconsciously facing what she deemed her greatest
threat.

Gramps snorted then looked my way. “Reminds
me of Korea,” was all he said.

Stewart looked surprised at the comment then
smiled and nodded.

“Very much like soldiers meeting each other
for the first time,” he said.

“Well it’s nice that we’re all meeting and
all, but what’s next?” Brett asked.

“If Gramps is able to be released, then the
next step is getting him home and making sure there aren’t any of
those AIR bastards lurking around,” I said.

“The Pack is watching the farm. Nobody and
nothing is getting near it without us knowing,” Brett replied, eyes
still on Adine.

“What is his prognosis, Gina?” I asked,
knowing she would have thoroughly checked his charts.

“He seems to be fine,” she replied, glancing
at his monitors. “In fact, his numbers look really good, like
amazingly good,” she said, eyes narrowed as she scanned the
electronic proof of his improved condition.

“Well then, let’s get him discharged and
home,” Tanya said, suddenly, not meeting Gina’s glance.

“Director Stewart, I would
very much like to talk to you about the
agents in rebus
after I get my
grandfather home and comfortable,” I said to the white haired
gent.

“I think that can be arraigned. Actually, if
it is alright, I will accompany you to the farm and we can talk as
time permits,” he replied.

Gramps nodded assent, Kelly and Brett looked
slightly uncomfortable, Gina watched quietly and Tanya gave me a
small smile. Adine’s face reflected nothing but her stiff body
language was a mirror of the Malleks.

Chapter 21

Leaving the hospital took longer than it had
any right too, but there was nothing suspicious about the delay.
Simply the standard bureaucratic world of modern medicine. Don’t
sue us for this, take that at your own risk, guarantee the bills
with your soul, and thank you very much…next.

Brett and Kelly left ahead of us, promising
to make sure things were ready. Gramps was uncharacteristically
quiet, not even protesting our fussing. Now in his defense, only an
idiot would protest to having Tanya coddling him, but it was more
than that. He was worrying away at some thought, tearing it to
pieces in his standard manner. I kept an eye on him, not liking his
silence overly much.

We drove Gramps home in the Coven car,
Stewart following with his assistant and several others in a big
black SUV.

The farm was quiet when we got there, just
the dogs, Sherm and Shep, greeting us, although I sensed eyes
watching us from the wood line at the field’s edge. The Pack had
adopted Gramps and his workers, and patrolled the land against
trespassers, two-footed or four, natural or supernatural. The dogs
had learned to tolerate the werewolves that lived next door, but
they actively liked Awasos, probably because they had known him
since he was a pup..er..cub..whatever.

Len was out, overseeing the other hands as
they took care of the little dairy farm, but I radioed him on the
one of the Motorola walkie-talkies that everyone carried about the
place. Gramps was really fine, and now that he was home, his normal
spark reappeared and he stopped letting us take care of him,
disappearing upstairs to take a shower and shave.

I made coffee then started cooking. I was
starving, the farm crew would be in for an early lunch soon and I
knew that Adine, as a were, would be hungry as well. The farmhouse
was old, but the kitchen appliances were modern commercial grade.
The big fridge yielded the better part of a cooked ham, a big block
of New York sharp cheddar from the Amish farm down the road, and
several loaves of sourdough bread. So I whipped up some pan fried
Panini sandwiches(eating three myself as I made them), broke out
bags of chips, cracked open a big jar of dill pickles, and
restocked the fruit bowl that lives in the center of the kitchen
table’s giant lazy-susan. Our farm house used to have a dining room
adjacent to the kitchen, but Gramps ripped out the wall and made
one big room of the two. A huge old rough-hewn harvest table filled
half the room, with two big benches on either long side. We could
seat eight to ten without bumping elbows and could squeeze in
another three or four if we got close.

Gramps came downstairs almost exactly as Len
and the other three hands came in, followed by Gina, Stewart, and
Adine. Gina had taken the Director and Adine for a tour of the
little farm. Awasos appeared, apparently ready to exchange
forgiveness for some fatty chunks of ham. In a blatant attempt at
bribing my way back into his good graces, I dug out one of the beef
thigh bones that Gramps stored in the basement chest freezer for
him. He immediately took it outside to grind into bone chips, his
efforts watched closely by Shep and Sherm.

Looking out the window I could see two of
Stewart’s people standing watch around the SUV, so I loaded up some
plates, grabbed sodas and headed out.

The two, a man and a woman, were facing the
fields and forest that bordered the Pack’s property, their heads
swiveling to watch something that wasn’t visible to my enhanced
eyes. I approached silently, curious, but the tall, gawky looking
male turned before I had taken two steps.

He was human and looked like I had always
imagined Ichabod Crane, bony, tall and awkward. His brown eyes were
sharp though and he had sensed me when a vamp or were would have
been hard pressed to hear me. His long arms showed a surprising
amount of muscle tone.

The female had light brown hair, almost
blonde, and wore glasses over pale blue eyes. She looked a little
heavier than her average height would suggest she should, but
carried herself like she was an ex-athlete. Reminded me of several
stocky softball players I knew in college.

“Hi, I’m Chris. I thought you might be hungry
so I brought you some lunch,” I said by way of introduction. They
both were looking at me curiously and maybe a bit warily. Then
their attention shifted to the food and their expressions showed
interest. The woman looked at the guy who gave me a narrow-eyed
look, then nodded back at her. Apparently that was the okay,
because they both took the food with softly murmured thank yous.
The woman was Barb, the guy Eric.

The wind shifted slightly and I caught the
scent of werewolf, one that I recognized. Eric’s head came up and
he watched the tree line some three hundred yards distant.

Eric noticed me watching his reaction. He
flushed just ever so slightly and I had a sudden image of a teenage
Eric in high school – shy and awkward. More awkward.

“There is something large in the woods
watching us. It’s dangerous,” he stated, defensively.

“Yes, it’s very dangerous..it’s a werewolf,”
I replied, not adding that the werewolf’s name was David.

“You know it?” Barb asked, suspicious. Her
accent spoke of the deep south.

“Him…I know him. He’s
watching
you
, not
me,” I said, than went on before the sudden frowns on their faces
erupted into speech. “You’re government, and supernaturals don’t
like government, like moonshiners don’t like the law.”

Surprise flashed across her face as my
statement told her I knew roughly where she had grown up.

“Does your grandfather and the hired help
have any idea?” Eric asked.

“Of course. We own the land they live on. I
was the one to offer the lease to them,” I said.

“But you don’t have to live here,” Barb
said.

“You work with Adine,” I said, simply.

“But this is the work I’ve
chosen and I’m a bit different. I’m not helpless against
them
,”

“Well, it took some adjustment, but our help
is very loyal and completely lacking in curiosity. All of them have
worked here for years and have been exposed to some pretty weird
stuff. In the last year or so they’ve learned that being friends
with a pack of super predators is pretty handy. None of our cows
ever get lost, no natural predator will come near this land, and
neither will any thief. Last year a tractor rolled on one of the
guys and the werewolf that’s watching us lifted it off of him,” I
answered, wondering what gift she had that made her not
helpless.

“So you’re what? Psychic or something?” I
asked the two of them.

They froze for a second or two, then Barb
answered. “Something,” she agreed with a nod.

I left them to their lunch.

***

Len, Marty, Kevin and Tom almost forgot to
eat their lunches; they were too distracted by the visitors, or at
least the female visitors. Marty, Tom and Kevin were married, but
you wouldn’t have known it as they bounced up and down, waiting on
Adine and Gina. Tanya wasn’t eating, of course, but standing next
to me while I started the ham bone boiling for split pea soup. Len
sat next to Gramps, mainly quiet, shaking his head as his guys made
fools of themselves and watching Stewart from the corner of his
eyes.

The Director had shaken all their hands, but
seemed to recognize Len, which didn’t surprise me. I had come to
the conclusion in my late teens that Gramps and Len’s military
service hadn’t been your standard, run-of-the-mill careers. Enough
clues (like Len’s knife fighting skills and Gramps knowledge of
modern surveillance) spoke of special ops or military intelligence
type backgrounds. The Director’s comments earlier to Gramps and his
apparent recognition of Len’s face suggested that their service
files had found their way across his desk.

With lunch finally finished and the hands
unable to find any other excuses to attempt flirting with the
polite Gina or the expressionless Ms. Benally, Len ushered them out
the door to continue the day’s work. He gave us a slightly
embarrassed nod, then shut the door firmly.

Tanya helped me pick up the remains of the
meal, while we both waited for Stewart to broach whatever topic was
bubbling just under his curious, smiling expression. For her part,
my vampire had stayed mainly quiet during the lunch. The hired
hands had met her before and were so intimidated by either her
looks or dangerous aura as to be almost crippled in her presence.
They were carefully polite to her, but had focused their attentions
on Gina and Adine.

“I’ve spent the bulk of
a
very
long career
working with the extraordinary, the paranormal and the fringe of
modern science,” Stewart said, changing the tone of the polite
lunch conversation.