New Territory (6 page)

Kara found a t-shirt and some soft pants and underwear for Keva, and took a moment to quickly call up Cian. “Hey! Get over here, now!” She hung up the phone before he could reply and then ran to help Keva dress. It was awkward, but Keva was finally dressed appropriately. She admired herself in the mirror, smiling at Kara’s ecstatic smile. “So, do you think we could go clothes shopping tomorrow?” Keva asked, teasing Kara. Kara’s grin grew even wider. “Of course! You’ll need a whole wardrobe. Plus, Cian is paying for it all!” Keva laughed, and startled herself again. “I’m still getting used to this human laugh,” she said with a chuckle. Kara laughed. “At least it’s not a snort, like before!”

The two girls giggled together until Cian burst into the room. He wrapped Keva in his arms, and Keva gasped at the sensation. “Oh, my love,” he whispered in her ear. “I was so afraid I might lose you. You are so beautiful,” he said as he pulled away to look her up and down. “Very sexy,” he said with a wink. Keva looked confused. “Sexy?” Cian looked at Kara with disgust. “Kara, haven’t you taught her what ‘sexy’ means?” Kara blushed under her brother’s glare. “Cian, I thought that was something
you
should teach her,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. Cian’s laugh rumbled against Keva’s chest as he held her close. “I suppose that’s definitely something I could teach her,” he mused. Keva felt a strange instinct to hit him, so she smacked him. “Be nice to your sister, Cian,” she said with a warning glare. Cian burst out laughing, making Keva lose her stern look. “You
are
going to be a feisty one, aren’t you?” He winked at Keva, meeting her ice-blue gaze with his own gaze of molten gold. With an arm around Keva, he led her to the living room where they all sat down on the couch. He took Keva’s hand, and began softly playing with her fingers, and she turned blood red at the way it made her feel. She could hardly concentrate on the conversation as Cian and Kara began discussing Liam’s upcoming confrontation with Elder Garr.

“We aren’t going to try to blackmail him,” Cian explained, as he traced gentle circles on Keva’s slender hand. “Liam is going to explain that he overheard a conversation between two elders about others like Keva. Hopefully that will provide enough of an incentive to get the Elder thinking about it, at which point, you, Keva, will enter the cabin and read his thoughts to give Liam the leverage he needs to intimidate the Elder.” Keva looked startled. “Me? Why can’t you just try to get him to confess the scheme? Surely you know enough about it, from my conversation with Elder Miella.” Cian looked thoughtful. “Liam needs some leverage. He needs a way to
prove
he knows what he does. Otherwise, Elder Garr will simply laugh at his accusations.”

Keva chewed at her lip, until she realized what she was doing and stopped.  “Wait, what am I doing? I’m trying to think!” Kara chuckled. “Keva, sweetheart, that’s a nervous habit that some humans have. Although it’s strange that you would develop it so quickly, it’s not unusual.” Kara’s befuddled look cleared into one of understanding. “Oh. I see. Well, I was trying to come up with a reason not to involve myself in this. But it seems that my skill is needed, as you predicted, Kara.” Kara smiled. “You’ll find that I’m usually right about most things, Keva.” Cian grunted. “Well,
some
things, at least.” Kara picked up a rubber band from the coffee table, and shot it at Cian. She missed, and it hit Keva in the face. Keva jerked, and stared at Kara in shock. Kara burst into laughter. “Oops! Sorry, Keva. I meant to hit Cian in the face, not you!” Keva recovered quickly and smiled. “I had no idea humans were so…violent,” she said. Kara directed an evil grin at Cian. “Mostly, it’s just brothers and sisters that are this violent,” she explained. “I’ll show you some videos about ‘sibling rivalry’ later.” Keva smiled at the brunette, sincerely glad she had made such a fascinating friend. “I look forward to it, Kara.”

“Great!” Kara said, and then focused her golden gaze on Cian. “Cian… now that Keva has managed to shift…she needs clothes,” she said bluntly. Cian grinned. “Tomorrow, you can take her shopping. I know how much you’ve wanted to.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled a credit card out of his wallet. “Here you go,” he said, handing it to Kara with a flourish. “Just don’t go crazy, okay?” Kara took the card with a glazed look in her eyes. “Wow. Keva, we are going to get you an awesome wardrobe,” she said with glee. Cian glared at her, and she wilted a bit, but not by much. “Cian, she needs a whole wardrobe! We’ll get some awesome deals, I promise!” He shook his head and chuckled, pulling Keva closer. Keva sighed deeply, marveling at the warmth that flowed into her. Human affection was much more demonstrative than wolf affection. “Anyway, back to the question at hand. Keva, will you join Liam in his confrontation of Garr?” Keva took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I will. I have the feeling that I can catch Garr in any lie he tells.”

Cian’s credit card proved to be very useful the next morning, as Kara tried to convince Keva that having more than one outfit was absolutely necessary. “You at least have to have something to wear while the other outfit is being washed,” she said, exasperated. Keva looked doubtful. “Why can’t I just shift while my clothes are being washed?” Kara flinched, and then glanced around the clothing store, glad that no one was within earshot. “Try not to mention that in public, sweetheart. The truth is, you’ll be expected to be in human form most of the time. Besides, I think Cian will soon show you the benefits of being human,” Kara said with a wink. Keva blushed, and acquiesced. “Fine, let’s compromise. You want me to get seven outfits at least. How about five outfits?” Kara chuckled. “Fine, that should be plenty. I still think you need to get in touch with your feminine side. It’s a known fact that most women love new clothes.” Keva tilted her head to one side as she held up a flower-patterned blouse. “Hmm. Well, maybe I’m just more wolf than human,” she said under her breath. Kara glared at her. “I heard that,” she warned, despite the smile on her face.

Eventually, Keva approved five outfits that Kara had picked out, in addition to underwear, socks, and shoes. Keva did find shoes rather fascinating, despite the fact that she liked to feel the earth under her toes when she went running. She allowed Kara to purchase a pair of black pumps, a pair of sandals, and a pair of tennis shoes, but only because Kara insisted she have a pair of shoes for each “occasion,” as Kara called it. When the two girls finally made it home from the shopping mall, both were exhausted.

The two girls managed to get their purchases inside, then headed for the living room. “Ahhh,” Kara sighed as she sank down onto the couch, sprawling her legs out. “That was so much fun,” she continued. “I love spending my brother’s money!” Keva laughed. “It was exhausting, though. I hope I don’t have to get a new wardrobe very often.” Kara giggled. “Silly, you only needed a whole wardrobe because you’re newly human. From now on, it will only be one or two pieces of clothing at a time.” Keva sighed with relief. “Good. I don’t think I can take another shopping trip like that one.” Kara merely shook her head at her friend’s strangeness, and yawned widely. “I think it’s naptime,” she announced, then proceeded to curl up on the couch. Keva was not very tired, but she plopped herself on the matching loveseat and made herself comfortable. She felt drowsy almost immediately, and she soon dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

When Cian came over to visit the girls, he found them both asleep. Kara was sprawled out on the couch, with one leg draped over the back, and Keva was curled up like a wolf pup on the loveseat. He chuckled, and picked up his credit card from off the coffee table. “Wore themselves out, of course. Spending money is awfully hard work, I suppose!” He perched on the loveseat and wrapped his arms around Keva. She made a purring sound and curled around him, snuggling her head into his shoulder. He stroked her hair with one hand, until she finally opened her bright blue eyes. “Cian,” she said sleepily. “When did you get here?” He grinned at her. “Just a minute ago, but I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” She snuggled closer and sighed happily. “Clothes shopping is awful, Cian. Promise you won’t make me go again,” she mumbled. He laughed out loud, his deep voice rumbling against her chest. “I promise,” he whispered.  

That evening was the night that Liam had decided to confront Elder Garr, the pack elder and their spokesman for the Council. With Kara’s help, Keva dyed her hair dark red with a temporary dye. Since the Elder had not been made aware of Keva’s transformation, the group hoped to catch him unaware with her telepathic skill. Keva’s first experience with the shower was life-changing. “Hot water feels so good,” she gasped, as she stepped into the shower in just an old t-shirt to rinse out the extra hair dye. “No wonder humans are such clean creatures!” Kara chuckled at this. “Yes, we do pride ourselves on our good hygiene,” she admitted. “Most women wear perfume, but it’s often so strong that it offends us werewolves’ sense of smell.” Keva rinsed out her hair, but stayed in the shower, tilting her face into the hot stream of water. Kara tapped her foot impatiently. “Come on, honey. We have to dry your hair before your disguise is complete. I promise you can take a heavenly-long shower later tonight,” she added. With a disappointed sigh, Keva complied.

Her disguise complete, Keva and Liam headed for Garr’s cabin. Liam looked nervous, his green eyes darting everywhere as if he expected someone to stop them. He looked at Keva, who seemed strangely calm. “You seem confident,” he observed. She grinned at him, her blue eyes twinkling. “Actually, I think this will be a fun way to prove my talents,” she admitted. “Plus, I’m very angry with the Council right now, so I have to admit I have little respect for this elder of yours. Of course, we’ll have to hear his story first.” Liam nodded, sticking his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. “Aye, I’m quite interested in what he has to say, as well.”

As they started up the steps to the cabin door, Elder Garr caught them unawares by flinging open his door. His pointed gray beard seemed more frazzled than usual. He lowered his eyebrows at the two people on his doorstep. “Liam. Who is this?” Liam grinned disarmingly at the old man. “My new girlfriend, Hannah. I met her in town,” he added, wrapping an arm around Keva’s waist. She smiled up at the elder. “It’s so nice to meet you, sir,” she said sweetly. “Liam has told me so much about you.” The elder glared at the young man, who only smiled back at him. “I wanted her to meet you, sir. I knew you would want to approve.” The elder looked Keva up and down, and scratched the gray fuzz on his head. “Oh, very well. Come in, then.” Liam followed him into the cabin, with Keva close behind. Elder Garr swept into the kitchen. “Tea, Miss Hannah?” Keva smiled gratefully. “Oh, yes please, Mister Garr.” The elder flinched visibly at the human address, but said nothing. He turned his back to fill the tea kettle with water, set it on the stovetop, and then turned back to the couple. “So, Liam, how did you meet this young beauty?” Liam shrugged, his eyes dark. “At the bowling alley,” he improvised. “She’s got a great arm.” Keva laughed, and then turned her focus on the elder, listening to his thoughts. The elder seemed surprised at Liam’s answer. He frowned slightly. “Liam, the bowling alley has been closed for six months,” he said slowly. Liam’s face went slightly pale, but he swallowed hard and made his thoughts clear. “Well, maybe I met her at a Council meeting, then,” he said, his tone hard and cold. The Elder blanched. “A Council meeting? Don’t be silly, boy. You’ve never attended one of those.” Liam shrugged. “That’s true, sir, but she didn’t have to attend to be able to listen in, you see.” The Elder’s mouth fell open before he caught himself. Suddenly, the tea kettle began screeching and shooting steam into the room. He jumped, and then hurried to move it off the heat.

“Well…hmm. So, Miss Hannah, what is it that you happened to ‘overhear’ at this meeting, eh?” The elder made quotation marks over his head with his fingers, his yellowish eyes zeroing in on Keva. She decided to throw in everything she had in the first move. “I ‘overheard’ that the Council has been selectively breeding the
lycan
species, both with true wolves and with other werewolves
.
Plus, any half-breed that results is given the option to either join the Council or be ‘eliminated’, particularly by being sent on a dangerous ‘mission’,” she concluded. The Elder stared at her, his eyes wide and bloodshot. “Interesting thoughts, child, but I sincerely doubt you overheard something as horrendous as that.” Keva listened to the thoughts that made up his undertone, and grinned. Beneath the elder’s words had been speculation as to her particular breed of werewolf. “No, Elder, I am not a red werewolf. Yes, I did overhear these things.” The Elder’s face went gray, and he sat down heavily on a chair in the kitchen. “By God,” he murmured, “We’re doomed.”

Liam rose from the couch and went to stand in front of the elder. “Elder Garr, the Council has been keeping some terrible secrets from the
lycan
packs that they were meant to protect,” he said firmly. “Right now, a messenger from this pack is spreading the word of this treachery to each Alpha of the eight main packs, and soon the Council’s schemes will be exposed. What do you have to say for yourself?” The old man placed a hand over his eyes and shook his head slowly, moaning.  “The Council has too much power,” he moaned. “They sought to create an
uber-lycan
, a half-breed with the power of telepathy that doesn’t have to be learned,” he admitted. “Many years ago, the Council decided to reduce lifemates’ chances of meeting in order to prolong their little experiment, placing virile males in packs with females the Council wanted to breed. It was only after I was admitted to the Council that they told me of this heinous thing, and short of throwing myself from a window, there was nothing I could have done.” A hint of pity appeared in Liam’s eyes. “Garr, you have to speak to the pack. I will tell Cian all that you’ve said tonight, and together the pack will vote on whether you must be cast out or not.” The old man flinched, his lean frame seeming to shrink under the pressure of his shame.