To Live and To Love (Black Wolf Agency Book 1) (14 page)

The next day, they got up at their usual time, before dawn, and got ready to go to work.

“Thank you for taking care of things last night, so I could go to bed,” Kate said to James as they walked to work. “I was exhausted. I feel great now, though. Well, as great as any pregnant werewolf woman could feel.”

They both laughed at her remark.

Kate had been emptying her stomach just an hour before. It was not a pretty sight, but both were too happy to care. James was going to make sure she took it easy, though. He was finishing his training and then will become a full agent. Kate can take the desk job so she’d be safe. They just had to talk to Yvonne about it, but knowing his aunt, she would probably already have a plan to provide work for Kate while keeping her safe at the same time.

“I’m glad you feel better, honey. I could tell you needed the sleep. You could barely keep your eyes open on the way home.”

Before they knew it, they had arrived at
Black Wolf Agency
. Making sure no one was looking, James and Kate snuck through the first door and carefully made their way inside the facility.

As soon as they stepped in, they saw that every one of the employees of
Black Wolf Agency
were present in the room, all seated at the meeting table.

“What’s going on?” asked James.

“We’re not late, are we?” asked Kate, worried. The last thing she wanted was to get on everyone’s bad side.

“No, you’re fine,” answered Yvonne. They could tell she was a bit angry, though. They just didn’t know what about yet.

James studied everyone at the table. He met everyone in the agency at one time or another. However, there was one man who was unfamiliar to him.

“Who are you?” he asked the stranger.

“James,” said Charlie, as he and the man stood up and approached them. The stranger was undoubtedly only in his twenties. He was tall and fit and had a tanned complexion, green eyes, and dark-brown hair; all the makings of a very attractive man. “Let me introduce you to my son, Marcus.”

Life Goes On

“Where are you brining me, father?” asked Marcus as he and Charlie arrived at the shabby door outside
Black Wolf Agency
early that morning. He had no idea what his father was about to reveal to him.

“Listen, Marcus, you know those leads you’ve given me over the years while you’ve been a Homicide Detective?”

“Yes.” He wondered what his father was getting at.

“Well, when I told you I was a private investigator… Well, that isn’t really what I do for a living.”

“You mean you lied to me and my mother all these years?” Marcus glared at him; he was angry, and he had every right to be. “What the hell is it that you do for a living then?”

“This place I’m about to show you is top secret,” whispered Charlie. “You mustn’t tell anyone about it, alright?”

“Okay, I promise I won’t tell anyone. You know I’ve been good at keeping secrets.”

“Yes, I know, and that’s the main reason I’m bringing you into all of this; because I know I can trust you.”

Charlie inserted the key into the tarnished doorknob and opened the door, leading Marcus through the maze of security. When they finally made it into the facility, Marcus was speechless. He had never imagined a place like this existed. The fact that his father was a part of this all these years, right under his nose, left him completely dumbfounded.

“Good, no one is here yet,” said Charlie with a sigh. “Come with me.”

Charlie led Marcus into his office and offered him a chair to sit in. He sat right across from him, making sure he had his son’s full attention before he began to speak again, “This place is called
Black Wolf Agency
. I began the agency with my best friend, Yvonne shortly after you were converted to a werewolf.”

“And you named it that because I turn into a black wolf, huh?”

“Yes, I did. You were the inspiration behind all of this. You’re the reason this place exists. I created it to protect people from werewolves, yet, other than you; I’ve never even seen another werewolf. I did some research over the years and asked other paranormal creatures about them, and from what I’ve learned, their sole goal in life is to protect humans from vampires.”

“So, the werewolf that bit me most likely bit me by accident?” he asked. “You mean to tell me my entire life, and what I am, is based on a simple accident?”

“I’m afraid so, Marcus.”

“So, I’m still wondering, why am I here? Why did you tell me all of this? Why now?”

“I am getting too old for this job. I plan to retire soon, and you’re the perfect person to take my place.”

Marcus heard a door open in the main lobby. He looked in that direction, curious as to whom it might be. Charlie had a feeling it was Yvonne. She always came into work about this time, just before James and Kate usually arrived.

What she didn’t know was that Charlie had called all the employees in for a meeting, and they would be arriving at any moment. He had made sure to wait until the day Kate and James were due back from their honeymoon to hold the meeting. They had become an important part of the team, and he made sure they would be there, too.

The time had come to tell Yvonne everything that was going on, before the others arrived.

Charlie and Marcus briefly thought about what had happened only a little while ago. Then James’s voice snapped them back to reality.

“Your son? I didn’t know you had a son,” said James, shocked.

“Me, either,” said Yvonne, glaring at Charlie in anger. Suddenly, they knew why she was so angry.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I’m especially sorry I kept this from you, Yvonne,” said Charlie. “I know you’ve always been a great friend and all, but I had to keep this secret. You would understand if I told you why.”

“Why, then?!” she demanded. “What could be so awful that you had to keep your son a secret from your best friend for almost twenty years?!”

“Don’t feel bad, Yvonne,” said Marcus. “You’re not the only one he’s kept a secret from. I just found out about this place last night. Seriously, I want you all to know right from the beginning that when my father pulled me aside, I was shocked. I don’t know if I will even be any good at his. I like to work in the field, not sit behind a desk. But I did take a chunk out of dad’s ass for keeping the truth form me. He should have told you all about me, and me about all of you. It would have made this all so much easier.”

“I have my reasons for that, Marcus.”

“So, what’s this big secret about Marcus, then?” asked Yvonne impatiently.

“Just tell them, father,” said Marcus. “Keeping this secret isn’t necessary anymore.”

“Alright, you see, the reason I didn’t tell you about Marcus… Well, it’s a long story.” Charlie paused for a second to take a deep breath and gather his thoughts. “One night, just after Marcus’ fifth birthday, he was playing outside at nighttime. I looked away for a second to talk to my wife, Mary, and when I looked back, he was gone. I searched for over an hour, and I finally found him about a mile into the woods. He apologized for wandering off and told me he had followed a dog into the woods and got lost. I brought him home, and all the while, he was telling me he was bitten by something, but it was too dark to be able to tell what it was. I expected a small bite, from a bat or something, but when I got him inside, under the light, I saw the bite wound on his arm. It was huge. I took him to the hospital to get him rabies shots and antibiotics, just in case, but he quickly developed a high fever. Luckily, it only lasted a few hours.”

Kate and James looked at each other, worried. This story sounded familiar, all too familiar.

Charlie continued with his story, “After that, Marcus was never the same again. A month after receiving the bite wound, he had a temper tantrum and turned into a wolf. Luckily, Mary wasn’t around. I was the only one who witnessed it. I had a talk with him and told him he must never tell his mother about this. I also revealed my secret to him that I’m a wizard and that his mother didn’t know about that, either. I knew she would never understand about our differences. We were able to keep our secrets from her, and over time, I taught him how to control his abilities, so no one would be able to tell him apart from humans.”

“So, your son is a werewolf? And you never told us?” asked Yvonne, still feeling hurt.

“Yes, and I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I only did it to protect him. You must understand that.”

“I do, Charlie,” said James. “I understand.”

“Thank you, James,” he smiled.

“In fact, we’ve been keeping a secret from everyone as well.”

“James? You, too? Both of you?” asked Yvonne. Apparently, this was all getting to be too much for her. She wasn’t normally a trusting person, but when she did find she could trust someone, she expected them to treat her with the same respect. She hated secrets.

“Yes, I’m sorry. You may want to stay seated for this one.”

James explained everything to her and the rest of the
Black Wolf Agency
team. He started at the beginning with when he met Kate, found out she was a vampire, and fell in love with her despite that fact. Then, he told them how she had taken her own life to escape her life as a vampire, and he resurrected her after realizing he couldn’t live without her.

Then, of course, there was the part about how he was bitten by the werewolf. He told them about that, and how they went on a quest to see if they could convert Kate as well.

“So, you and Kate are werewolves, too? Is that what you’re telling us?” asked Yvonne, her face in her hands.

“Yes, it is,” answered Kate.

“Ugh! This day is getting to be too much for me. So, how old are you actually, Kate?”

“I’m three-hundred and twenty-eight years old.”

“Oh, sure you are,” said Yvonne, shaking her head. She had been around this kind of stuff for about half her life, but she still didn’t believe what was happening now.

“Also, you know that guy you were with at the wedding reception?” asked James.

“Oh, yes, he’s so nice. We’re actually going on a date later tonight; our fifth one so far!” said Yvonne, happily. “What about him?”

“Well, he’s the werewolf who told us it was possible to convert a vampire to a werewolf.”

“Really? Gee, I always wanted to date a werewolf.” Yvonne said sarcastically. She was apparently beginning to lose her mind. ‘
I’m dating a damn werewolf. Oh, sure,
’ she thought. She was waiting on someone to yell out ‘
surprise!
’, and announce that this was just an elaborate joke. No way could this be happening.

“It’s okay, Yvonne,” said Kate. “We know this is a shock to you, but come on, think. If you can be a witch and the other magical beings here all exist, why couldn’t it be possible for this to happen? Especially with all of us being exposed to paranormal beings every day?” Kate knew they weren’t ready to hear what she and James came across on their honeymoon. This was definitely not the time for that. “There’s no need for you to worry about us. We’re not going to hurt you. And if you’re going to date anyone, Lucius is perfect for you. Who better to protect you than a werewolf?”

Kate’s sweet, gentle voice and thoughtful words comforted Yvonne. She took a deep breath and tried to take in everything they had just told her. “That’s okay. What’s important is that he’s a sweet and caring guy. Being werewolves doesn’t change the fact that you two are nice people as well,” Yvonne said to Kate and James. She was trying to get her composure back. “So, werewolves are basically the good guys, right?”

“Right,” answered Kate and James in unison.

“I wish Lucius was here now, so he’d be involved in this conversation as well.” Apparently, Yvonne had already developed feelings for Lucius. Kate and James were happy that the two of them had found each other. They hoped Yvonne would be able to accept all that she was hearing.

“We should see if he wants a job here,” suggested James.

“Oh, I don’t know if he’d be interested,” said Yvonne. ‘
Could all of this be that easy to accept?
’ she thought.

“Sure, he would,” said Charlie. “Why wouldn’t he be? He could be around his own kind, and his girlfriend. We could at least have him come try it out. If he doesn’t like it, he could always leave. It’s not like he’s going to go tell anyone about this place, being a werewolf himself and all.”

“You’ve got a good point.” Yvonne was beginning to accept and like this idea. “You know, with a couple more werewolves in our agency, we could have this city cleaned up in no time.”

“That reminds me,” said James. “There are two werewolf brothers we know, named Damian and Devon. They told us about how Lucius had converted his vampire friend to a werewolf. Without their help, Kate would still be a vampire. They’re actually looking for a job now, and I think the agency could use them.”

“Good idea,” said Yvonne. She was starting to get on board with all that was going on. “As soon as the meeting is finished, give me their number, and I’ll give them a call. Then, if they’re interested, you can bring them here and give them a tour of the place before they get to work.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be interested. This will be right up their alley. They’ll be so happy to have a job like this.”

“So, I’m wondering,” said Lin. “What was the reason you called this meeting? Was it to tell us about werewolves, or was there a different reason?” Lin was always the calm one; she was always the one to accept new things without question.

The room went silent for a moment as everyone turned to Charlie. His face flushed. He knew the time had come to tell them.

“There’s another reason. You see, I brought Marcus here, so you could all meet him. He’s going to stay for a while and see if he likes it here. And if he’s interested, I’m going to have him take over my job. You see, I’m planning to retire soon and I want to make sure the agency is taken care of when I leave.”

Yvonne glared at him again. Apparently, he didn’t think she was good enough for the job?

“I know what you’re thinking, Yvonne. You would be an excellent person to take my place, but Marcus, well, he’s a werewolf. He doesn’t age. He’ll be able to stay here indefinitely. With his knowledge and abilities from his job as a homicide detective, he will bring so much more to this job.”