Cry Werewolf (Godhunter Book 20) Page 17

  “Can we hold it together long enough for the grown-ups to have a conversation?” I asked my men as I waved a hand to Amy.

  She laughed, a high, but pleasant sound. Shinno leaned back, and repositioned his sunglasses.

  “My apologies,” Shinno said to my men. “It was an automatic reaction to a lovely lady looking at me.”

  “I was noticing your mixed ancestry,” I explained. “Though technically, it isn't really your ancestry, is it?”

  “No,” Shinno smiled. “I believe I'd look closer to one of them,” he waved his hand out to my husbands, “than this,” another hand wave to himself, “in actuality.”

  “Enough nonsense,” Hachiman growled. “Show her the video, Amaterasu.”

  “See what I mean about nicknames?” Amy grimaced at me. “Alright, Hachi,” she winked at me when the god growled at her for slicing his name. “Fenrir contacted me, asking why the Yakuza have been targeting his wolves. He seemed genuinely surprised, but I have known him for a long time. Long enough to know that he is an expert liar.”

  Trevor began to growl.

  “Trevor,” I snapped.

  “You know your father too, I'm sure,” Amy said gently. “He is a sly wolf.”

  Trevor let the growl fade.

  “So I asked to speak with you, Vervain,” Amy went on, “in the hopes that we could find the truth together.”

  “I appreciate that,” my hand went unconsciously to my belly and her eyes warmed.

  “When are you due?” Amy asked.

  “February twentieth,” I said with a smile.

  “Oh,” she blinked in surprise.

  “Lion pregnancy,” I shrugged.

  “How wonderful,” she whispered, “to not have to wait so long before you hold your child.”

  “It's very nice,” I agreed. “But, Amy, what is this all about?”

  “Sorry,” Amy tapped the tablet and then handed it to me. “This was taken three weeks ago in Kyoto. There was a Sakazuki being held, a very special ritual of purification and honor among the Tekiya. Partway through, a local hot springs is visited, leaving the hall mostly empty,” she tapped the screen again. “This is what happened while the men, who are under my protection, were visiting the springs.”

  The screen showed a virtually empty room, expansive, but filled with numerous tables. At one end, there was an altar, with three scrolls hung above it. I couldn't make out what was on the scrolls, but they seemed to be images of people. As I was focused on the altar, a pack of wolves ran into the room, sending the wait staff, who had been laying out a feast, screaming from the hall. When the room was completely empty, the wolves demolished it... starting with the altar.

  I gaped at the screen until a delicate hand came into view. Amy pushed the stop button.

  “Those are not Froekn,” Trevor growled as I continued to gape.

  “Your responses seem genuine,” Amy nodded. “But if not you, then who? I have had dealings only with Fenrir and the Froekn Pack.”

  “But there are other wolves,” Trevor insisted.

  “Why would they attack us?” Amy asked. Her hand drifted out, and a long, cream-colored fingernail tapped the end of the screen, right over the altar. “Those are representations of myself, Shinno, and the Emperor of Japan. Ripping them to shreds seems personal.”

  “I'm so sorry,” I whispered to her. “Obviously this is something you hold sacred, and it's horrid that someone did this. But I swear to you, the Froekn would never do something so underhanded. If they had an issue with you, they would attack you head on, and you would know exactly why.”

  Amy's face lost it's sweetness, and she turned to commune with her companions. There seemed to be a silent exchange between them, and finally, she turned back to us.

  “One of Hachiman's casinos has been attacked as well,” Amy said. “That was just three days ago. If you will come and investigate with us, find the true culprit, then I will call off the Yakuza, and this will not be elevated.”

  “Elevated?” I lifted my brows.

  “She means this won't turn into war,” Trevor sighed.

  “Yes, Wolf Prince,” Amy smiled again, but it was a vicious grin. “Find us the wolves who did this, and we will not cry 'havoc' to release our own hounds.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  We traced over to the site of the most recent wolf attack. It was a flashy casino in Tokyo, but it's flare was hidden in the basement of a luxury high-rise, and there was an aura of secrecy about it. The bouncers at the door bowed deferentially to Hachiman, but eyed the rest of us suspiciously, and I got the distinct impression that their job was not only to keep unwanted people out, but to keep victims in.

  “This is a koroshi-bako,” Shinno whispered to me. “A killing room.”

  “I beg your pardon?” I looked to him in shock.

  “Not literally,” he chuckled. “It's built to fleece rich people out of their money. Prostitutes will troll bars, looking for wealthy, drunk men, and lure them here to gamble. But everything is a set up. The games are rigged, the entire wait staff is in on it, and even the other players are employees.”

  “No kidding,” I looked around the elegant room.

  The carpet was a tasteful beige, the furniture polished wood, and the art was expensive. Glass and gold featured predominately, especially on the games tables, and the chairs were upholstered in expensive tapestry. It looked about as far away from an shady gambling den as you could get. But that was precisely what it was.

  Except it was torn the hell up.

  That polished furniture? Most of it was in pieces. The gaming tables were overturned, broken glass littering the floor like something had exploded. There had been a small altar in one corner, and it was completely destroyed, black enamel lying like dirty snowflakes across the thick carpet. The carpet itself was stained by a plethora of dirty paw prints.

  I took a deep sniff, and although I recognized the scent of wolf, I didn't recognize those particular wolves. I frowned and shook my head at Trevor. I was utterly baffled, but I'd wait until we were home before I said anything.

  “Here's the security feed,” Hachiman had gone through a door at the far end of the room, and had returned with a laptop. He set it down on a cheap, plastic table which had been set up in the middle of the mess. “Have a look.”

  It was very similar to the last footage we'd seen. Everyone was having a grand old time, gambling away their fortunes, when a pack of wolves ran through the room, scaring the crap out of the rich suckers, and generally making a huge mess. They didn't hurt anyone though, and I found that to be especially suspicious.

  “They didn't attack anyone?” I asked Hachiman.

  He shook his head.

  “Why toss the place and not hurt anyone?” I mused.

  “It's why we had the same done to the Froekn businesses,” Amy shrugged. “Equal recompense.”

  “Yeah, except it wasn't, since we didn't do this,” Trevor growled. “This scent is not Froekn.”

  “We had no way of knowing that,” Amy was completely unruffled. “And frankly, Wolf Prince, if this is not a Froekn attack, it must be someone imitating you.”

  “A set up?” Kirill growled.

  “As I said,” Amy grimaced, “there is only one wolf pack I deal with. If another has decided to make trouble with my people, I can only assume it's in the pursuit of making the Froekn appear guilty. So again, this lies at your doorstep.”

  “We'll find the wolves,” Trevor snarled. “And we'll handle this.”

  “Good,” Amy nodded. “Take care of it and we'll call it even. We have suffered losses and so have you,” she wiped her hands as if to be clean of it.

  “Agreed,” Trevor reached out, and they shook.

  “Could we get copies of those security videos?” I asked.

  Hachiman snapped his fingers at a bouncer. After a quick exchange of words, the bouncer ran off, and then returned with a little thumb drive. The videos were quickly copied onto the drive and handed over to me.


  “Thank you,” I lifted the thumb drive. “We'll take this back and investigate further,” then I paused. “Would it be okay if I returned with a friend of mine. He's a better tracker than I am.”

  “A better tracker than a wolf?” Shinno asked in surprise.

  “A better tracker than a dragon,” I added, and his eyes went round.

  “You're a dragon?” Shinno asked in an awed whisper.

  “He loves dragons,” Amy rolled her eyes.

  “Dragon-sidhe,” I specified.

  “Western fey dragon,” Shinno nodded. “Sexy.”

  “If you flirt with my wife one more time,” Trevor leaned in towards Shinno, “I'm going to say fuck it to this whole investigation and start the war right now... on your face.”

  Instead of getting upset, Shinno burst into laughter. When he finally calmed, he held a hand out to Trevor, “I like your style, Wolf Prince. Peace between us... at least for now. I'm not after your wife, I swear it. I don't like white women.”

  “I'm part Japanese,” I muttered.

  Trevor glowered at Shinno's hand a moment before he shook it, “For now.”

  “Great,” I huffed. “Can we go home now?”

  “Da, let's go,” Kirill took my hand.

  “I'll notify the bouncers to let you through when you return,” Hachiman said.

  “And I will look forward to your call,” Amy said to me.

  “My call?” I asked her.

  “The one in which you'll tell me that the rebel wolves have been found and handled.”

  “Right, that call,” I sighed and we headed for the door.

  “Godhunter,” Amaterasu called after me.

  I looked over my shoulder at her.

  “Happy hunting.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “So the Froekn aren't the only werewolves?” I asked.

  We were back at Pride Palace. Fenrir, Emma, and the God Squad had come to lend us a hand in figuring out who the hell was posing as Froekn in an effort to make the Yakuza cry werewolf. We'd just finished playing the second video when I remembered to ask about the wolves.

  “How can you be the Godhunter, and still be so ignorant?” Horus shook his head.

  “Horus, sweetheart,” Kate, AKA Hekate, got her fiance's attention.

  “Yes, my love?” Horus looked to her.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  “Bravo,” Hades clapped. “And thanks for the plug.”

  “Watch it, under-lord,” Horus growled at Hades.

  “Bring it, bird man,” Hades smiled.

  “Let me make this simple,” Fenrir snarled. “If any of you speak to my daughter like that again, I will destroy you.”

  “Stop it,” I snapped and rubbed at my temples. “Sweet, little leprechauns, what's wrong with you people? Don't you realize I'm pregnant? Fenrir is the least of your worries. I will fucking cut a bitch!”

  Everyone went quiet. Even Fenrir.

  “Thank you,” I took a deep breath. “Now, will someone please tell me who the other werewolves are?”

  “Well, there are several werewolf packs,” Fenrir mused.

  “There's the Greek Lycanthropes,” Persephone offered.

  “The Lobison of Argentina,” Karni Mata added.

  “The Loup Garou of France,” Finn said.

  “Hold on,” I held up my hands. “I thought those were all different names for the Froekn?”

  “No, they're from different pantheons altogether,” Trevor shook his head.

  “There's more,” Torrent smiled brightly. “There's a Lithuanian branch called the Vilkacis, and-”

  “Alright, stop,” I interrupted Torrent. “I get it. There are other werewolf packs. How do we identify these particular wolves?”

  “That's the problem,” Thor said in his booming voice. “The differences are so minute, you'd have to be in the pack to spot them.”

  “So no one can recognize these wolves by sight?” I asked, just to clarify, and I looked specifically at Fenrir.

  Everyone shook their heads. Except for Fenrir, he just frowned.

  “Dad?” I asked him.

  “No, I don't recognize them,” Fenrir sighed. “I wish I did.”

  “I think your best bet lies with a combination of Torrent's skills and Tlaloc's goggles,” Morpheus suggested.

  “I'm happy to help,” Torrent smiled brightly.

  “Thanks, Torr,” I said.

  “I appreciate your assistance on this,” Fenrir gave Torrent a shoulder pat, which was more like a body slam.

  “My pleasure,” Torrent took the good-natured assault like a man.

  “I'll go along,” Fenrir declared.

  “I don't think that's a good idea, Dad,” Trevor said gently. “We have to go back into Hachiman's casino, and I'm not sure if you'll be welcome.”

  “But he has to know this isn't my fault,” Fenrir scowled.

  “He will, after we prove it,” I gave Fenrir a sympathetic look.

  “Fen, let's just go home and keep the children calm,” Emma suggested.

  “Alright,” Fenrir agreed.

  “Good,” I nodded my thanks to Emma. How did we ever get Fenrir to do anything before Emma had come along? “Maybe we should get this over with.”

  “Right now?” Torrent perked up. “Sweet! I've always wanted to see Tokyo. Ever since Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.”

  “Does anyone else hear the nonsense that's coming out of his mouth?” Horus drawled

  “Disregard Horus,” Pan said to the stricken Torrent. “He has no concept of culture.”

  “Culture?” Horus sputtered. “I'm an antiques dealer. I know all about culture.”

  “Yeah, dead culture,” Pan made a disgusted face.

  “Can you go get my goggles?” I asked Kirill. “I don't want to miss any of this.”

  Kirill chuckled and kissed my cheek, “As long as you tell me vhat Pan says to vin argument.”

  “No problem,” I assured him as he left.

  “What Pan says?” Horus called after Kirill. “Pan never wins our arguments.”

  “Correction,” Pan smirked, “you never think I win our arguments. That's part of the beauty and supreme dexterity of my verbal sparring. I leave you believing you won, when actually, I have.”

  “Impossible,” Horus scoffed.”

  “How did our last argument end?” Pan asked him.

  “You conceded that I was a master baster,” Horus said smugly.

  A collective sound of choking and suppressed laughter circled the group.

  “I rest my case,” Pan crossed his arms and smiled.

  “What were you arguing about?” Brahma asked, looking a little unsure whether he really wanted to know.

  “My grilling capabilities,” Horus frowned at the continued snickering. “Pan said I was a terrible grill master. I argued that I was an excellent cook, it's all in the basting. So Pan conceded that I was a master baster.”

  Hekate burst out laughing.

  “What is so damn funny?!” Horus shouted.

  “Say it fast, darling,” Katie gave Horus' shoulder a pat.

  “What?” Horus scowled at her.

  “Master baster,” she couldn't even say it without giggling, “say it faster.”

  “Master-baster,” he said, pushing the words together with his speed. His eyes went round and his face went slack. “I'm going to cut your horns off and turn them into earrings for Hekate!” Horus stood, and started for Pan.

  Pan jumped up and ran around the table, giggling like a school girl. “You'll have to catch me first!” Pan ran for the door. “Sorry, V, gotta run!”

  “See ya later, Pan,” I called after him.

  “Pan!” Horus chased after him.

  “I win! I win! I win!” Pan shouted as he fled the rage of the Falcon God. “You're a masturbater.”

  Kirill came back in with the goggles, “Tell me vhat I missed,” he put the goggles down, and gave me an eager grin. “I must know now.”

&nbs
p; Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The meeting disbanded, and I headed back to Tokyo with Trevor, Kirill, and Torrent.

  Hachiman was still there when we were let into the casino, but Amy and Shinno were gone. He looked a little surprised to see us so soon. On Hachiman's face, this translated into his eyebrows going up infinitesimally. He met us halfway across the room. I introduced him to Torrent, and then explained how we'd be tracking the wolves, and would probably be jumping in the Aether at some point.

  “Understood,” he turned and barked out some orders in Japanese. A group of men, rather rough looking guys, came over. “They will ensure that you have your privacy. In the event that you need to trace outside my casino.”

  “Thanks,” I was a little surprised by his help.

  “Let me know if you need any other assistance,” Hachiman gave a respectful head bow. “I, unlike the others, understand intimately how easily you can be betrayed. If this was not instigated by the Froekn, I don't believe you should be held accountable. We are responsible for our own actions and that is all.”

  “Vell said,” Kirill nodded.

  “Hey, you know you got a strange line of energy coming in here,” Torrent's head was cocked as he stared at one of the walls.

  “What do you mean by that?” Hachiman focused on Torr.

  “He's the Internet God,” I explained. “He can see Internet energy.”

  “Internet God?” Hachiman blinked. “I was unaware there was such a one.”

  “I can also see phone lines and electricity,” Torrent went quiet as we all stared at him. “What?”

  “Tell me more about this strange energy,” Hachiman urged Torrent.

  “Well,” Torrent pointed to a wall. “I see some phones lines there, but right over them is an Internet vein, and there's a line of red running through that. That's usually a signal in the Inter Realm that something is urgent, or angry, or possibly malicious.”

  “Red?” Hachiman glared at the wall. “Right there?”