Beast Within (Loup-Garou Series Book 3) Read online

  Michael’s arms encased her for only a few seconds, but it was enough to establish the bonds of their new relationship. Katey stepped back, and Logan came up behind her.

  “I don’t know if you two have formally met, but this is – “

  “Logan,” Michael said and offered out his hand to Katey’s fiancé. “We exchanged a few unfriendly words last month, but not much else.”

  Logan was hesitant at first, but firmly shook Michael’s hand. “I was a bit distracted by the situation. I didn’t have time for pleasantries.”

  “That’s completely understandable.” Michael looked to Ben and Dustin and gave his respective nods. “It’s good to see you all again and in such good health.”

  Despite his cordial greetings, the energies of the room were savagely different. Katey could sense the prejudicial anger pulsing from Darren. The others were wary, but not as hostile as the alpha. Despite the hesitant welcome, Michael was not offended in the least. Katey, feeling that she was the link between them all, wanted to make this meeting easier somehow. Her inner wolf gave her guidance, but not enough to tell her how to handle mediation between these people who meant so much to her.

  “How is your apprenticeship coming along?” Michael asked Katey, pulling her from the dizzying anxiety.

  “If you mean my training, it’s going very good. I just learned to change on my own last night.”

  Michael grinned, the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes deepening. “Very good. I imagined that must have taken quite a while to master.”

  Katey beamed under his praise, the exact thing she had wanted from her mentors all along. “Actually, I’ve only been trying for the past few weeks since we got back from Alaska.”

  Michael seemed slightly confused and glanced at the others for explanation.

  “It normally takes us years to nail down that skill,” Dustin joined. “So, it is definitely a big deal that Katey was able to change so quickly.”

  “Well, then I am doubly proud of you, Katey.” Michael’s smile widened to reveal the pointed tips of his vampire teeth. “I knew you were special, but if you were able to do something that only seasoned werewolves can accomplish, I’m sure that nothing is impossible for you now.”

  Katey made no effort to hide her blush.

  “Katey did this against my orders,” Dubose added, casting a shadow over the conversation. “As you know, hunters may be close by, and I told everyone to stay indoors. Katey snuck out and changed without our protection.”

  Michael’s face grew dour and he looked to Katey with renewed somberness. “Is this true.”

  “Yeah, but nothing happened.”

  Michael reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You must be more careful, Katey. You are not just a werewolf or a young lady. Many people depend on you. If anything should happen to you, the world would be lost.”

  Katey felt the heavy weight of responsibility settle back on her shoulders. Michael was right, and once again she felt ashamed for her thoughtless actions.

  “I’ll never do anything like that again,” she said slowly as if to convey her true sincerity with every word. Whether they would accept it, she didn’t know. “You mentioned something about a report?”

  Michael nodded and moved around Katey, his steps slow and lumbering. “Yes. I have been contacting the various covens in North America, informing them of your arrival and the council.”

  He positioned himself in front of Darren’s recliner as if he were about to sit. The alpha let out a deep and threatening growl that was not only heard but felt by everyone in the room. Katey gulped as the sound vibrated in her chest.

  Michael understood the sign of dominance and made a face to show his mild aggravation before moving to the sofa. “Some of the coven leaders are eager for peace, as I am. Others did not take kindly to the news.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Logan asked.

  Michael sighed as he let himself relax in the seat. “There are still some individuals who share Yaverik’s warmongering ideology. They crave violence and revenge, regardless of the truth. Most of them also understand how Katey came into existence and despite our seemingly eternal nature, some prejudices remain the same. When the vampire community heard of Adam and Jane’s union, they called it an abomination against the natural order of things and they still believe that to this day.”

  “Who’re Adam and Jane?” Katey asked, finding it difficult to breathe under what she suspected.

  “They are your parents, Katey. I thought I had mentioned their names before.”

  Katey closed her eyes and let the names float around her mind. Adam and Jane. It felt as if these mere words would complete their identity. The players in her dreams finally had a name, and she could speak them confidently to anyone.

  “Wait.” Darren stepped forward. “What was Adam’s last name?”

  Michael pondered for a brief second, then replied, “Swenson, I believe.”

  Darren reeled and ran his fingers through his hair. The others had similar reactions. Logan went pale. Ben leaned against the far wall and stared vacantly ahead, lost in his own thoughts. Only Dustin and Katey remained clueless.

  “What’s the matter?” Katey asked of her fiancé, touching his arm as if that would bring him out of his shock.

  Logan looked down at her, his eyes searching her face. “I knew your father, Katey.”

  “As did I,” Ben muttered.

  “When did you meet Adam?” Darren queried, obviously familiar with the man as well.

  Ben blinked and looked to his alpha. “We served in Vietnam together. He was the other loup-garou who got captured with me and served as a radio operator. How do you know him?”

  “We spent some time together in Devia before it fell to the hunters,” Darren replied.

  “He tried to train me in the time I spent there,” Logan added, his usually strong voice shaken by ghosts of the past. “I had no idea he had died.”

  Dustin charged in. “Did you say his last name was Swenson?” Michael nodded. “You’ve got to be kidding!” he exclaimed. “Was Geoffrey his father?”

  Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “Yes, he was. Were you acquainted with Geoffrey?”

  “We met in passing once in Italy before I came back to the states. Interesting guy.”

  Katey felt faint and quickly found her way to the unoccupied sofa before her legs could give out on her. “You all knew my father? And you knew my grandfather?” she said, disbelief coloring her words. “And none of you told me?”

  They helplessly looked to each other with mixed expressions, hoping someone would speak first.

  “We had no idea who your father was, Katey.” Darren staggered closer, his gaze studying her face, probably looking for any resemblance. “If you’re Adam’s daughter, then your innate connection with your wolf isn’t surprising.”

  “I don’t understand,” Katey mumbled.

  Logan joined her on the sofa, taking her hands in his. “Adam was an amazing loup-garou. He…” Logan became too choked with the veneration to continue.

  Darren picked up for him. “Adam and his father were adamant believers in the spiritual side of being a loup-garou. Adam was half Navajo, so his mother influenced a lot of his spiritual beliefs, and his father encouraged it. They focused on the connection between their human half and their wolf to achieve the kind of balance you have. You must have inherited his unique abilities.”

  Katey looked to the silently observing Michael and noticed the hint of a pleased smile. “And you have your mother’s strong will,” he said. “That was clear from the first moment I met you.”

  “You said her mother’s name was Jane?” Darren clarified.

  “My daughter’s name is Jane Gennari,” Michael proudly announced.

  Now it was Darren’s turn to blanch. “Gennari?”

  “Did I stutter?” Michael quipped, raising a giggle from Katey in the intense, emotionally saturated moment.

  Darren rubbed the heel of his palm into h
is eye and groaned. “This is too much for me on my night.”

  “It’s your night?” Dustin questioned, clearly unaware of all that had transpired while they were out patrolling the city.

  “Did you know my mom too?” Katey shrieked, hoping to gain more attention this way. Dustin was not about to change the subject on her.

  Darren grumbled a curse. “I met your mother once. It was centuries ago in France.”

  A deep, critical frown formed between Michael’s eyes. “When was this?”

  For the first time since she had known him, Darren stumbled through his words. “It was an accident really. We were kidnapped by this mad man, and I helped her escape.”

  Michael rose from the sofa and peered at Darren’s face. After a moment, his eyebrows shot up. “Yes, I believe I did see you that night. My daughter kissed you before returning to our camp.”

  “Kissed?” Katey squealed, unsure whether to be disgusted or amused.

  The others chortled and spat out questions in rapid fire, none of which were answered. Darren put a stop to the madness by letting a fresh wave of authority wash over the room, calling for order amongst his pack.

  “It was a very long time ago, and I was still a young boy. I never saw Jane after that night, but I am sorry to hear that she is no longer with us.” Darren turned to Michael and inclined his head. “I’m even more saddened to learn about Adam.”

  Michael sighed. “As you say, it was a long time ago. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it, and with Katey with us, the world will be a much better place. Though Adam and Jane are gone, they have given us Katey and created a legacy like no other.”

  The air of excitement left the room as quickly as it had come, leaving Katey with a heart laden with wonder, worry, and too many questions.

  Chapter Ten

  Michael continued the tell the others about the roadblocks he and John had encountered while spreading their message regarding the council. Katey didn’t hear a word.

  Her mind was still in a whirl. They had known her parents the entire time. They had known Jane and Adam for centuries. Her few dreams and biological and spiritual attachment to them seemed insignificant.

  All this time, they had precious memories of her father and all she had were a few fleeting glimpses of who Adam was as a loup-garou. What stories could they tell her? Did he have dreams? Did he have a personality quirk that drove them nuts at times? Or was he as perfect in life as she made him out to be in death?

  They all said he was a great loup-garou, but who was he as a man? With his spiritual oneness with his wolf set aside, was he a good person? Did he help those in need? Was he a leader? An alpha? Did he ever marry before Jane? What did he do for a living? Darren, Logan, and Ben held the secrets Katey so desperately needed to hear, but when could she learn them?

  Looking around to their engrossed faces as they listened to Michael, Katey wanted nothing more than to blurt out her questions and demand answers. She kept her lips tight. There was a time and place for everything. Right now - however much her belly burned with curiosity - was not the time to steal the stage from her grandfather. He was doing so well keeping their attention anyway.

  The tension in the room was all but gone and her pack no longer felt as skeptical toward Michael as they did when he arrived. Everyone was seated now as if a council of their own were being held right there in the living room. Logan stayed close to Katey, their thighs touching on the sofa she had lowered herself into earlier. Michael and Dustin shared the other sofa while Darren took the place of honor in his recliner, and Ben had perched himself on a barstool near the stairs. All their weapons had been set aside and out of arms reach.

  For Michael’s sake, Katey was glad they had decided to trust him. Maybe now, they could communicate like the civilized men they all were.

  “The alpha in Wyoming seemed particularly pleased, but evidently I was the first vampire he had seen in over a hundred years. They hadn’t a chance to develop animosity.”

  Darren nodded. “Joseph and his pack live in the mountains. That isn’t surprising.”

  Michael smiled. “You seem to know quite a few alphas, Darren.”

  “I’ve been around for a while. He and his sons come to the gatherings in Alaska, but not as religiously as some do.”

  “He assured me that he would be present for the first gathering.”

  “Where are you planning on having this little shin-dig?” Dustin asked, stretching his legs out in front of him.

  “Switzerland,” Michael announced. “There is a castle in the Alps that can accommodate the vampire elders and many prominent alphas around the globe. We are only inviting those who wish to come, of course.”

  “How exactly are you picking the alphas?” Ben questioned. “There are hundreds of them in the world.”

  “Through John’s connections, we are only approaching one alpha from each of the states and countries that have the largest packs. John told me that once they return from the gathering, they will inform the smaller packs.”

  “That’s still going to be over one hundred alphas, plus all of the coven leaders?”

  Michael raised an instructional finger against Ben. “A coven leader is not the same as an elder. I, for example, am an elder and hold sway over many coven leaders. There will only be a small group of vampires at the council to serve as representatives.”

  Katey blinked. “Wouldn’t that leave the vampires outnumbered?”

  “In a way, it would.” Michael chuckled. “I’ve already had a few companions ask me what I’ll do with all the dogs being underfoot.”

  Darren let out another warning growl, but not one near as threatening as before.

  “Pardon my choice of words. They are not my own.” Michael let out a breath. “But, it will be crowded. That is for certain. Some alphas may need to share rooms.”

  “Having that many alphas in one place could be tricky,” Logan added.

  Michael looked to Katey. “With the spirit of peace close by, I’m sure we will manage.”

  Katey wasn’t too sure about that. She had been able to help avoid major fights among her pack at times, but never an entire castle of dominant loups-garous. With how well she had been able to keep the hostilities down lately, she doubted herself even more. “I hope the fact that they all know each other will keep them from fighting. You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket with me.”

  Michael leaned forward, his arms propped on his knees. “Are you saying you don’t think you’d be capable of defusing a fight if one should occur?”

  “I’m saying that even if I tried, it might not do anyone any good.” Katey shrugged. “Who would listen to me anyway? I’m just a kid.”

  Michael’s eyes turned stony. “You’re not just a kid, Katey. You’re the – “

  “I know, I know. I’m not the one who’s going to bring peace, but see how well I was able to keep everyone from turning a gun on you?”

  Michael shook his head. “It’s only because you don’t know how to channel Tanatia yet.”

  “What?” Darren, Dustin, Ben, and Logan all asked in unison.

  If Katey weren’t as mystified, she might have asked the same thing or laughed at them.

  Michael looked to them and paused before explaining, probably astonished by their question as if they should have known exactly who he was talking about. “Tanatia. She is the spirit that lives within Katey. Back at the dawn of our civilization, she was a princess, the first one to ever be born from a mixed paired.”

  “Mixed pair?” Ben asked.

  “The king was a werewolf, and his mate a vampire. When Tanatia was born, it was clear that she was different from both races, yet alike in the same ways.”

  “What do you mean?” Logan questioned, leaning back against the sofa.

  Michael straightened. “She could change into a wolf, as any werewolf could, but she could also drink blood without becoming ill. She was also an empath, as all natural-born vampires are.”

 
“Empaths?” Katey whispered. So that explained why she could sense everyone’s emotions and be so in tune with her own.

  As Michael poured out all of this information, Katey could feel not only her own questions bearing on her mind but the ardent interest of everyone else in the room.

  What civilization? Was it the era that Michael had told her about before? A place where vampires and werewolves existed in harmony with one another? What made Tanatia a spirit of peace? Were there no other children who were born to mixed parents between then and now? If Tanatia was a princess, did that mean Katey was too? Above all, how did Michael know so much about these matters?

  “Yes. I am empathetic, and so was Jane.”

  Katey tilted her head, wondering how he had managed to keep himself so calm earlier when he arrived. The opposition in the house was enough to make her want to scream, and yet he had been able to smile and carry on as if nothing were wrong.

  “So, vampires who are bitten and not born, they aren’t empathic?” she asked.

  “They are not. Quite the opposite. They are incapable of relating to humans on an emotional level.”

  Katey thought back to Yaverik and Martel - her old friend that had been bitten just before he fled from Crestucky after his parents were killed. She recalled sensing a change in him that she despised. Martel used to be caring and sensitive, but the vampire who danced with her at the castle was nothing like that. Malice and selfishness dictated every word that came out of his mouth and in every action.

  Perhaps his condition as a vampire was to blame, and not his mentors. A shadow of shame passed over her heart at the hateful things she had thought about him. Instead of disliking him, she pitied him and the terrible change he endured.

  If Yaverik were turned into a vampire, it would explain his thirst for violence and war. If only that personality flaw could be reversed. If only there were a cure for those who suffered such a fate to be so careless and inconsiderate of those around them.

  Then again, there was a natural design in the way born-vampires were empaths, while bitten-vampires were not. They were the yin and yang, the good and the bad within their race to help balance one another.