Nisha's POV
New Orleans Coven House
"So, she is over the worst of it," I asked as we closed the door on Niesha's sleeping form in our guest room at the mansion. I'd spent the last week caring for her with the help of the staff and the doctor.
"Heroin withdrawal is not over quickly, but I think the worst of the symptoms is over," Doctor Anders said. "She may experience strong cravings for the drug, nausea, fatigue, restlessness or depression. The past week has been difficult for her. The Suboxone has moderated the intensity of the withdrawal. You can't think this is over now, she can feel effects for months, and long-term sobriety rates are not encouraging."
"Can she travel?"
"Not alone," she said. "And she needs to continue her treatment wherever you take her. It's not just the heroin addiction; she's been through hell and needs ongoing counseling for the abuse she's endured."
I nodded; I loved my sister, I wanted the best for her, but I couldn't give her the full-time care she needed. I had my own work to do, and some people were going to die on my claws soon. Alpha Todd was the easy one on the list, but he would be the last one I'd go after. I wanted Niesha to watch the life drain from his eyes, and she wasn't strong enough for that.
"I'll need the records of your treatment of her," I said. "I will ensure she gets all the help she needs when we get home."
She reached into her bag and removed a manila envelope. "I expected you would ask for this. Jarrod told me you were a guest here." She handed me the records. "I hope your sister is able to heal from this in time."
"Me too," I said as we reached the door. "Thank you for your help." I let her out, closing the door behind me.
Malcolm approached as I opened my eyes again. "I will keep someone watching her, Jarrod needs to talk to you," he said. I nodded and headed for the downstairs entrance, going through the double doors since it was still an hour to sundown. Jarrod was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs; I threw myself into his arms and cried.
He picked me up and brought me over to the couch, sitting down and holding me on his lap. Marcy came over and hugged my back, she had been my closest female friend since she rescued me at that gas station four years ago. It took a while until I was calm enough to talk again. "I can't take care of her and avenge her at the same time," I finally confessed. "And I vowed to avenge her."
"You did, and you are close to fulfilling that vow," Jarrod said. "While you have been caring for your sister, we have been working as well." Vampires didn't need to sleep, so they could get a lot more done than I could in a day.
"Did you find her son?"
"We think so. Of all the Packs in North America, only one has a single Alpha male heir who was born at about the right time for what happened to Niesha, and no other male children."
"Why did you search that way?"
"Niesha said the man raped her to get an heir, meaning either he didn't have a living mate or his mate couldn't give him an heir. Alphas are most likely to be obsessed with an heir, since the Pack normally remains headed by the male bloodline. It's more likely they only have the one child, but it's also possible they have an older female child but don't consider her an adequate heir."
I snorted. "Like that would happen."
"We also ruled out Alphas who were unmated, as even a bastard child could inherit the Pack. The only reason for an Alpha to use a captive surrogate is that you don't want the Pack to know it didn't come from their Luna."
I looked up and saw Eduardo had his computer hooked up to the large flat-screen TV on the wall. "This is Alpha Justin Heranus of the Copper Mountain Pack in Colorado," he said. "He's been mated for over seventy years to Rhoda. He found her when she turned eighteen and he was thirty." He moved to another photo, showing the two of them holding a baby in a blue blanket. "Just over three years ago, he told his Pack that his mate was pregnant, but it was a high-risk pregnancy since she had multiple miscarriages over the years. He sent her to stay with her uncle, where their Pack had a specialist to care for her. She returned with a newborn baby boy they named Philip. This is what they look like in the official photo from the last Alpha Council summit."
The eyes... the hair... there was no doubt in my mind this was Niesha's son. "I'm going to fucking fillet him slowly, dip him in alcohol then let him heal and do it again," I said. This was my NEPHEW he had gotten by raping my sister when she was fourteen years old. I started to shake, my wolf wanted out.
"Relax," Jarrod said as he rubbed my back. I pushed back against my wolf; I wanted blood too, but we had to do this right. Finally, I was under control. "Good."
I was so glad the Covens kept tabs on the werewolves; the files Eduardo showed me on the Copper River pack. It was prosperous, owning a ski resort and outfitter in the rugged Rocky Mountains. Alpha Justin had not participated in the Vampire Wars of the late eighteenth century and had no known enemies. The Pack numbered over a hundred and twenty, living in cabins and a gated housing development in the valley near the resort. It wouldn't be easy to get at him, and it wasn't enough to just kill him.
I didn't know how involved Luna Rhoda was, or other members of the Pack. It didn't make sense that you could capture a werewolf and hold her for at least a year, and not involve others. Rhoda came to mind, she had the most to gain by holding a surrogate hostage, and she was gone from the Pack for months. "Niesha is brokenhearted that her baby is gone," I said. "I owe it to her to get him back. That's my first priority after she is safe."
"What about the Alphas?"
"I'll take care of them after my family is safe. Alpha Todd will have to wait, he's not going anywhere." I stood up, walking over to the screen and looking at the photo of my nephew. My fingers went up to trace his cheek as a tear went down mine.
"I've already talked to Daniel Steele of the Denver Coven. He's agreed to let Eduardo stay with them and set up surveillance on the Pack, and to bring some of our familiars to help," he said. "Eduardo will make preparations, and when it is time, he can help with the takedown."
"No," I said. "Watch, but don't interfere. I can't be seen as working with the Vampires, it would endanger their coven and all of you. I will not start a war over a werewolf matter."
"You're family, Nisha."
"I know, and you've given me everything. I'll figure out a way after I get Niesha back with our family in LaCrosse."
"There's one more complication you should know about," Eduardo said. "That shooting back in Fort Worth has gotten a lot of attention, both from local police and the FBI. The investigation included this man." He put a photo up on the screen; he was young, strong and very good looking. "His name is Ranmo Smith."
Smith. "Oh shit," I said.
"Yes. Ranmo is an FBI agent, but he's also the son of the Sulphur River Alphas. He was there that night, and you can bet he has your scent."
Fuck. Three years since I left this place for my first kill, and I'd never raised the interest of human authorities. Now the Council could use the FBI to find me and bring me to their justice. "What should I do?"
"If you see him, kill him," Jarrod said.
Nisha's POV
New Orleans Coven
I stared at the FBI agent who was able to tie me to the killings in Fort Worth. "Has he identified me to the human authorities?"
"Not that we can tell," Eduardo said. "The police haven't gone public with any suspects, and these weren't the kind of people that are missed. If they have your name or description, they're keeping it close to their chest."
"What about the Council?"
"There you aren't so lucky. We had a person call his office and ask for him, and she was told he was out sick and was not expected to return for a week or more. He's not at his apartment either, according to the doorman he left two days after the shooting. I think you have to assume he knows who you are, and he's looking for you for the Council, not the FBI."
I let out a breath. "Just fucking great," I said. "It doesn't matter, the first thing I need to do is get Niesha home and safe with our family. Once she's safe, I'll head to Denver."
"I want you to have some backup, especially with Smith out there," Jarrod said. "I want Marcy backing you up."
"I'm going up there on my motorcycle, there's no place for her," I said.
"She's flying to St. Paul tonight, the coven there will host her. As long as you arrange for the transfer after dark, she can watch your back."
I thought about it, Marcie was a fierce fighter, second only to Jarrod, but could only be out with the sun down. "Emergency only, I can't have her scent around the Pack or they'll freak out," I said.
"I'll stay well clear," she said. "If you have to make a quick exit, I'll make sure you get away."
"The LaCrosse Pack wolves are family, I don't want them hurt."
"I'll just disable them, not kill them," she said. "I don't want you hurt either. Have you given any thought as to how you are going to do this?"
"Erica. She's near the Pack border, and Niesha will trust her. If anything goes bad, I'm off Pack lands in minutes." We talked for a few more minutes, then I excused myself to go get some rest.
The next morning, Niesha and I roared down the driveway and headed north for Wisconsin.