He cleared his throat. “I heard that you’re going to visit Nik. I’d like to go with you.”
Technically, Nik was still well within the shaman’s territory, even if he was outside of Derrick’s.
“Why?” I leaned against the door frame.
“There is something private I need to discuss with him.”
“And you couldn’t have gone there on your own? Don’t you have some mystical mojo that tells you where everyone is in your territory?” It wasn’t that I was trying to be rude, but I’d always been curious about shaman powers. Ones that could elude even me at times. Charlie never elaborated when I asked him.
Ajax’s eyes shifted away. “I’m still figuring it all out.”
That I could understand. My sensor abilities didn’t develop until around puberty and it was a lot of information to hit me at once. I was bombarded with people’s emotions, supernatural signatures, and I became a human lie detector. My adopted parents were mortified when I tried to tell them so learned to hide it.
In those early months, I’d had no idea what was going on or why. It wasn’t until later that another sensor found me and helped me to understand my abilities and master them. Ajax didn’t have that kind of help. Who knew what a shaman might need to learn? Then again, there was no time like the present to figure it out, considering the current situation.
“I’ll let you go with us on one condition.”
A wary look came over his eyes. “What?”
“I assume you’ve heard about the plague spreading around?”
He nodded.
“Paula—the vampire doctor—needs help during the day taking care of everyone who is sick. Since you’re immortal now, you should be immune.” He could technically be killed with enough firepower like what happened to the last shaman, but he couldn’t get sick or age anymore, which was what mattered.
Ajax remained quiet for a moment. “I can do that. My mother might be willing to help, too.”
I’d met his mother, Beth, at Charlie’s wake. She was a nice woman with a good head on her shoulders—plus she was human and not susceptible to the current plague. That would be a huge help for Paula if she could have a couple more people there during the day.
“It’s a deal. Come inside.” I waved him in.
We had coffee while waiting for Emily to come downstairs. As much as I wanted to leave right then, I had to wait until I was certain she wouldn’t go back to bed after we left. That had happened once before and I’d learned my lesson.
She came clomping down in heavy boots just as I was considering pouring another cup. The teenager was wearing black jeans and a tight-fitting sweater. She’d braided the front strands of her hair and put on heavy make-up that almost gave her raccoon eyes. Sadly, this was actually a conservative look for her.
“Okay, guys, we can go.” I stood up.
“Are you certain you don’t want to put a burlap sack over her first?” Kerbasi asked, glancing over at Emily.
I shrugged. “She’d only take it off the minute we’re gone.”
“Not if we sew it to her properly.” He looked her up and down, clearly planning how he’d go about it.
“That’s not funny!” Emily gave him an irritated look.
Sometimes, Kerbasi’s dark humor amused me.
“Maybe next time.” I gave the resistant teenager a hug, then grabbed my backpack and keys. “Be good. I should be home when you get out of school.”
“Don’t rush back on my account,” she said, picking up the toast I’d made her.
“Come on, Sable,” I called the shape-shifter cat to me.
No way was I leaving her unattended during the day with the plague going around. She’d stay home if I ordered her—until she got bored and forgot. Cats had a ridiculously short attention span.
While Sable and the men got into the Jeep, I unplugged the vehicle from the extension cord that ran to it. The shorter end of the cord that poked through the grill hung about half a foot down. During my first winter in Fairbanks, I’d forgotten a few times and accidentally drove off with it still connected. I learned my lesson eventually and now went through the plugging/unplugging process almost without thinking.
“How long will it take to get there?” Ajax asked as I started the vehicle.
The nice thing about it already being warmed up was that it didn’t take long for hot air to come through the vents. That alone made it worth all the trouble, aside from the fact it also protected the engine.
“About an hour, assuming the road conditions aren’t too bad.” It hadn’t snowed in the last couple days so I was hoping for the best. “Another half hour or so to walk.”
“Through the snow?” Kerbasi’s face screwed up.
“No. I thought we’d swing through the trees like monkeys this time.”
“Well, that would be better,” he replied, as if that idea actually had merit.
“Then you can try it out first and see how it goes.” And I’d record him making the attempt on my phone.
He grunted. “Something tells me that’s a bad idea.”
I pulled the Jeep out and headed toward Steese Expressway, which would get us close to Nik’s place. Eventually the road would turn to gravel, but not before we had to pull off. He’d only moved far enough to be out of Derrick’s hair. According to Josslyn’s letter he had no desire to leave Alaska even if he had lost his leadership position.
Other than Kerbasi’s running commentary on the dreadfulness of snow, the trip was uneventful. I found a small turn-off near the highway and parked the Jeep. We’d have to walk the rest of the way. It was also dark so I grabbed a couple of flashlights from the glove compartment and passed one to the shaman in the backseat.
He shook his head. “I don’t need it.”
“Are you sure? Once we get into the trees it gets hard to see even for immortals,” I warned.
“I haven’t had any trouble getting around since…things changed.”
“Okay.” I put the spare one back.
When I got out of the Jeep, my feet sunk into the snow almost up to my knees. It was deeper here than near my house or Fairbanks. I had to hope Sable could find the easiest path to walk. The shape-shifter had a knack for that.
“You need to do your thing, guardian.” I waved my hand at the Jeep.
He knitted his brows and began working protection magic onto the vehicle so no one would notice it and a second spell to keep the vehicle warm. I only had him do it when there wasn’t a place to plug it in or I worried it might draw attention while left out in the open. He didn’t complain since he didn’t want to end up stranded. Always a good incentive for him.
“It’s done,” he announced a few minutes later.
I pulled my GPS out of my backpack and set the coordinates. “Let’s go.”
The men and the cat followed me into the woods. What little light there had been before didn’t make it through the trees. I could make out shapes and see things moving well enough with my enhanced vision, but the details still weren’t clear. The flashlight helped. You never knew what might be roaming around and my senses couldn’t detect animals.
Sable whined as she tried to make her way through the deep snow in lynx form.
“Fine, you can change into a snow leopard, but stay close so we can cover your tracks.”
She started to shift right away. Her paws got bigger, her body larger, and her fur filled out to an even thicker coat. She went from a bob of a tail to a much longer and heavier one. Her coloring changed as well, to a yellowish-tan with black spots and rosettes. She stretched out, getting a feel for the different shape.
“Is that wise to let her do that?” the shaman asked.
“If we see any humans Kerbasi can always compel them to forget, but it’s dark so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Ajax still had a lot to learn if he couldn’t consider all the possibilities of magic. No wonder he was looking for help.
“I could compel them,” he offered. “I’ve managed to master that skill.”
Well, at least he had one thing. It was a start.
“We’ll worry about that if it comes up.”
We continued on for about twenty minutes before my senses lit up. Nik and Josslyn were about half a mile southwest of us. I put my GPS in my backpack and pointed Sable in the right direction, letting her lead the way and covering her tracks as I went.
“I should have flown instead,” Kerbasi groused when he stepped into a spot where the snow went up to his thighs.
“Walking is good for your health.”
He glared at me.
Before long my nose twitched from the scent of smoke. Nik and Josslyn must have been using their fireplace—burning logs had a distinct smell, sort of homey.
A small cabin came into view, lit up by the moonlight. Nothing fancy, just a one story place that looked to be about forty by twenty feet. There were windows on either side of the door, but they were blocked by heavy curtains. A small storage shed was off to the side of the cabin with the hum of a generator running inside. Both structures looked new and solidly built. Josslyn had mentioned they’d had to construct their home when they decided to settle out here.
We passed Nik’s black SUV as we walked up, but there were no tire tracks to reveal how he’d gotten it there. Maybe there was a road somewhere under all the snow. From the looks of it, he’d have to wait until spring to get it back out.
“And I thought my living accommodations were primitive,” Kerbasi said. “I can’t imagine what they do to pass the time out here.”
Considering this was Nik, I had a pretty good idea. I shot Kerbasi a warning look and knocked on the door. A shuffling noise came from inside. I shifted on my feet as a minute passed with no answer. The emotions I sensed coming from within the cabin were a mixture of surprise and wariness. They would have heard us talking when we walked up and known who’d come to visit.
The door finally creaked open. We were greeted by a slender woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair. She had a pale face and dark bedroom eyes that were likely the main feature that drew Nik to her. A red silk robe covered her body.
“Come inside,” Josslyn urged.
Sable ran past her legs and disappeared around the door. The rest of us followed, moving into the warmth of the cabin. We trailed clumps of snow in our wake onto the unpolished wood floor—there hadn’t been a place to kick our shoes clean. I gazed around and got a feel for my surroundings.
On the right there was a full-size bed with rumpled sheets and blankets. At the foot of it was a large wooden trunk, a few folded shirts lying on top. An open door next to the bed revealed a small bathroom with a walk-in shower. On the other side was a closet.
Directly across from me a kitchen counter with a sink ran along the wall for about six feet. There was nothing on top of it except a half-full wine bottle and a coffee maker. They didn’t have a fridge or stove, but vampires didn’t need them. Liquids were the only thing they could ingest.
I set my backpack down on a table in the middle of the room and headed to the sitting area on the left. Nik—the master vampire I sought—stood in front of the fireplace with Sable lying on a rug at his feet. She was already giving herself a bath and looking content.
The light from a nearby lamp allowed me to see the vampire clearly. His face was freshly-shaven and he’d kept his dark hair at medium length. Like Josslyn, he wore a silk robe, but his was partially open to reveal a bare muscular chest.
Nothing seemed all that different about him other than his haunted eyes. Despair, bitterness and self-loathing all rolled into one. He definitely wasn’t over Felisha’s death yet. He’d loved her, but things had never worked out so they could be together.
Felisha had been a fairy and expected to marry someone from among her own race. She’d kept pushing him away until after Josslyn had shown up. By the time Felisha realized her true feelings it was too late. Nik cared for his vampire lover enough that he couldn’t break her heart by leaving her for another woman. Now he’d never know if he could have made things work with Felisha.
“Melena, I’m surprised to see you here,” he said, sounding like his old self.
I’d half expected him to be drunk and depressed. Instead he as strong as ever and there were no signs of the special alcohol sups used to get drunk—wine wouldn’t do the job. Two points for whatever magic Josslyn was working on him.
“Sorry to show up unannounced.” I gave him an apologetic look. “But we wouldn’t have bothered you if it wasn’t important.”
“I’d rather not have bothered him now,” Kerbasi muttered from behind me.
Nik lifted a brow. “Derrick can’t handle it?”
The guardian snorted. “He’s only slightly more competent than you.”
“One more snide comment,” I warned him, “and I’m going to christen Nik’s cabin with guardian blood. Do you hear me?”
He took a seat at the table where Ajax and Josslyn had already settled.
“Tell me you have something to eat,” Kerbasi demanded of the female vampire. “The sensor only gave me potato chips for lunch.”
She shrank into herself.
“Sorry, but we don’t normally get visitors here. There’s no food,” her voice barely came above a whisper. Poor woman was deathly afraid of the guardian.
He studied her and my senses caught him using magic to tap into her mind.