her.
Outside an ambulance went by, its siren wailing as it edged its way through the heavy traffic. The bustle of London was very different to the peaceful Scottish Highlands where Decembrius had been raised. These days, he preferred the noise of the city. He stared into his empty coffee cup and realized he’d been thinking about his young cousin Kalix a lot recently. He could still picture her, fighting with an unquenchable fury. Decembrius almost smiled. Kalix was insane in battle. Insane in other ways too, depending on which member of the family you listened to.
She was beautiful as well, in a waif-like way. What had she been doing since Sarapen’s death, he wondered. But Kalix’s location was a secret. Technically she was still a fugitive from the clan, and the Mistress of the Werewolves was not about to risk having her youngest daughter dragged back to Castle MacRinnalch to face punishment. Thrix and Dominil probably knew where she lived, but they wouldn’t pass on any information to a recent enemy like himself. Kalix was hidden, by secrecy and sorcery, and couldn’t be found.
Decembrius pursed his lips. Was she still seeing Gawain? She had taken up with him at a young age, in an affair that had scandalized the clan. Gawain had been banished, though they’d gotten back together eventually. Whether their renewed relationship had survived the trauma of the MacRinnalch feud, Decembrius didn’t know. He hoped it hadn’t. Decembrius had never much liked Gawain.
Decembrius scowled as he ordered more coffee. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had some time to kill before meeting the Douglas-MacPhees. It wasn’t an encounter he was looking forward to. Duncan, Rhona, and Fergus were a vicious, criminal trio of wolves who had no regard for the clan or anyone else. Or rather, they had been a vicious trio until Kalix had killed the huge werewolf Fergus. Remembering this, Decembrius almost smiled. Fergus had also been fighting for Sarapen, but Decembrius couldn’t pretend he was sorry about his death. Kalix had destroyed him—ripped him apart in the full fury of her battle madness. Fergus’s superior size and strength had counted for nothing.
“Duncan and Rhona won’t be quite so sanguine about it,” mused Decembrius, and he wondered if they might be seeking Kalix, looking for revenge. The thought troubled him, and he resolved to find out from them if they had any clue as to her whereabouts.
Chapter 5
Moonglow’s anxiety over Kalix’s debut at college persisted throughout the day. No amount of entreaties from Daniel could ease her concern.
“Should we pick her up after class?” Kalix’s college wasn’t far from their university building, just south of the river.
Daniel was against the idea. “If we meet her at the gate, she might think we’re treating her like a kid. It’ll just annoy her. Stop worrying. Everything will be fine.”
Moonglow was unconvinced. As she traveled home with Daniel, she was too preoccupied to listen to anything he had to say. His eternal campaign to persuade Moonglow to go out with him was proving even less successful than usual. He’d tried to explain to her how he’d powered his way through level nine of Grimcat, his current favorite game, but she hardly seemed to listen, even though Daniel was sure the story reflected well on him. Level nine was notably difficult.
When they arrived home, Moonglow hurried up the stairs to their small flat above the empty shop.
“I’ll make tea for them. It’ll be welcoming. And maybe I should light a scented candle. Something soothing.”
A few minutes later, the downstairs front door banged heavily, and there was the sound of two pairs of booted feet ascending the stairs. The living room door opened, and Kalix trudged into the room. As Moonglow greeted her brightly, she kept on trudging, an obviously unhappy werewolf.
“Stupid college,” she muttered and disappeared upstairs to her room.
Vex bounded into the
Outside an ambulance went by, its siren wailing as it edged its way through the heavy traffic. The bustle of London was very different to the peaceful Scottish Highlands where Decembrius had been raised. These days, he preferred the noise of the city. He stared into his empty coffee cup and realized he’d been thinking about his young cousin Kalix a lot recently. He could still picture her, fighting with an unquenchable fury. Decembrius almost smiled. Kalix was insane in battle. Insane in other ways too, depending on which member of the family you listened to.
She was beautiful as well, in a waif-like way. What had she been doing since Sarapen’s death, he wondered. But Kalix’s location was a secret. Technically she was still a fugitive from the clan, and the Mistress of the Werewolves was not about to risk having her youngest daughter dragged back to Castle MacRinnalch to face punishment. Thrix and Dominil probably knew where she lived, but they wouldn’t pass on any information to a recent enemy like himself. Kalix was hidden, by secrecy and sorcery, and couldn’t be found.
Decembrius pursed his lips. Was she still seeing Gawain? She had taken up with him at a young age, in an affair that had scandalized the clan. Gawain had been banished, though they’d gotten back together eventually. Whether their renewed relationship had survived the trauma of the MacRinnalch feud, Decembrius didn’t know. He hoped it hadn’t. Decembrius had never much liked Gawain.
Decembrius scowled as he ordered more coffee. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had some time to kill before meeting the Douglas-MacPhees. It wasn’t an encounter he was looking forward to. Duncan, Rhona, and Fergus were a vicious, criminal trio of wolves who had no regard for the clan or anyone else. Or rather, they had been a vicious trio until Kalix had killed the huge werewolf Fergus. Remembering this, Decembrius almost smiled. Fergus had also been fighting for Sarapen, but Decembrius couldn’t pretend he was sorry about his death. Kalix had destroyed him—ripped him apart in the full fury of her battle madness. Fergus’s superior size and strength had counted for nothing.
“Duncan and Rhona won’t be quite so sanguine about it,” mused Decembrius, and he wondered if they might be seeking Kalix, looking for revenge. The thought troubled him, and he resolved to find out from them if they had any clue as to her whereabouts.
Chapter 5
Moonglow’s anxiety over Kalix’s debut at college persisted throughout the day. No amount of entreaties from Daniel could ease her concern.
“Should we pick her up after class?” Kalix’s college wasn’t far from their university building, just south of the river.
Daniel was against the idea. “If we meet her at the gate, she might think we’re treating her like a kid. It’ll just annoy her. Stop worrying. Everything will be fine.”
Moonglow was unconvinced. As she traveled home with Daniel, she was too preoccupied to listen to anything he had to say. His eternal campaign to persuade Moonglow to go out with him was proving even less successful than usual. He’d tried to explain to her how he’d powered his way through level nine of Grimcat, his current favorite game, but she hardly seemed to listen, even though Daniel was sure the story reflected well on him. Level nine was notably difficult.
When they arrived home, Moonglow hurried up the stairs to their small flat above the empty shop.
“I’ll make tea for them. It’ll be welcoming. And maybe I should light a scented candle. Something soothing.”
A few minutes later, the downstairs front door banged heavily, and there was the sound of two pairs of booted feet ascending the stairs. The living room door opened, and Kalix trudged into the room. As Moonglow greeted her brightly, she kept on trudging, an obviously unhappy werewolf.
“Stupid college,” she muttered and disappeared upstairs to her room.
Vex bounded into the
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