Antione
He stared at Longnose in shock. “Are you serious? You just said that the Voduists hurt Camille, and now you want to drive to New Orleans to meet one?!”
The older Alpha nodded. “Like I said, the Voduists don’t always work together. Where one might use their gifts for evil, many more fight on the side of good. I don’t know if this was a deliberate attack against us or if Camille was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the more people on our side, the better off we’ll be.”
He gripped Antione’s shoulder next, and the younger wolf couldn’t bring himself to fault the other for his logic. They needed help. Camille needed help. Every second wasted arguing was another moment his little sister was suffering. And Antione couldn’t let that continue.
I’m sorry, Robert. Camille comes first. He slowly nodded in resignation and turned to Bernard. “Help me carry her to my car.”
Bernard started to, but Longnose said, “We can’t bring Camille with us. The rules won’t allow it.”
“What?” Daymond cried, staring at the older werewolf in disbelief. “What do you mean we can’t bring her with us? How is she supposed to get better if we don’t bring her to your friend?!”
Longnose raised an eyebrow and kept calm. “We don’t know where the rougarou came from. The venom is certainly beyond a normal one’s efforts, but we can’t risk upsetting the Voduists if they aren’t already.”
Daymond opened his mouth to argue, but Longnose raised his hand and continued. “I know what this sounds like. But all of you need to understand something. This world you’ve discovered is your birthright. But you don’t know how to survive, not just in the swamps and bayous, but in the rest of the world. There are many rules in place, just like the human ones you were raised on. They are meant to protect us. If we bring Camille into New Orleans, and something happens, then we’ll be held responsible.”
“Even though we’re trying to get help? Shouldn’t the ones behind the rougarou be held responsible?” Bernard asked.
Longnose grinned, but it wasn’t reassuring. “In a perfect world. It would be. But don’t look so upset, my friends. You may not have formally joined my pack, but I’ll consider all of you members regardless. You will always be safe with us. And that’s a vow I’ll make under the full moon if you wish.”
“That… sounds big,” Antione said.
“It’s one of our most sacred oaths. Think of it like the Greeks invoking the River Styx.”
Antione looked at his brothers and saw Bernard nodding. “That makes sense. The full moon is often associated with werewolves.”
“And vampires,” Daymond added.
“Indeed,” Longnose lightly ruffled Daymond’s hair. “The full moon is sacred to many supernaturals. But that isn’t the point right now. We can’t bring Camille with us, but we’re not leaving her defenseless. Everyone here will protect her while Bruno, Bernard, and I accompany you to New Orleans, Antione. The drive won’t be an issue. I can do it so you two can rest.”
“Wait a minute,” Daymond grabbed Longnose’s wrist. “What do you mean Bruno and Bernard are going? I’m part of this, too. I want to help!”
“I know you do,” Longnose soothed, pulling Daymond into a one-arm hug with a soft smile. “You’re a good boy, Day. I know you want to help. But I need Bruno to come with us. He knows more about vampires than anyone I know. We need his expertise. And as for why Bernard is coming…”
He looked at the second-oldest with an expression Antione couldn’t figure out. It’s almost like he wants to apologize, but why? I don’t like this. But he said nothing, hoping Longnose would finish explaining so they could leave.
Longnose released Daymond a moment later. “Let’s just say having Bernard come will help make things easier. He always comes up with good ideas, and I need you to help Luna and the others keep Camille safe. We’ll return as soon as we can. I promise.”
Daymond opened his mouth, but Bernard squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t understand it either, Day. But we’ll keep you guys posted, alright? We’ll call you when we get there and again when we leave.”
The youngest boy didn’t like it, but Daymond took a deep breath and stepped back with a nod. “I’ll call you guys, too. In case Camille wakes up or something?”
“We’ll appreciate that,” Longnose said in a tone that sounded too happy to be real. The older Alpha turned to Antione and gestured for him to lead. “Let’s get to your car. We don’t want to keep Camille waiting.”
Bernard
Nothing happened on the way to the car. Antione handed the keys to Longnose, and Bruno sat in the passenger seat, leaving the brothers to claim the back. The radio came on automatically, but it was full of static, so Longnose turned it off. “That’s depressing. I love listening to the radio while taking a drive.”
“It’s probably a side effect from the fog. Whoever’s controlling it doesn’t want people to be out and about,” Bruno said while staring out the window. And that was all Bernard needed to let his curiosity take over.
“Tell us more about vampires. That “lesson” of yours wasn’t nearly enough. You said you liked to travel. Have you ever been to Romania?”
Bruno laughed, a short bark of a laugh, and nodded. “That’s the first place I visited. Most werewolf legends come from there. Many even see it as our homeland… even with the vampires controlling everything.”
“Have you fought any?” Antione asked, a strained hope shining in his eyes. “Is any of this normal?”
“Nothing about this is normal,” Bruno said, meeting their gaze through the window’s reflection. “Vampire law is swift and full of holes. To them, justice is served as long as someone takes responsibility. Although, if they find the killer. It won’t matter how many people have died. That one sealed their fate the moment they took a vampire’s life.”
“Then what’s the point of a deadline? Why give me time to decide if I want to take Robert’s place? Why do they want me?”
“Sorry, pup. I don’t have an answer for you.”
“But you have a guess,” Bernard pressed, knowing he was right even as Bruno glared into the distance.
“Guesses aren’t good enough,” the larger werewolf began, but Longnose interrupted.
“It’s still better than nothing, my friend. I know you still feel guilty about what happened with Jean-Claude, but this isn’t the time for that. We’re a pack. We must work together. Speak your mind so we can move forward and be stronger for it.”
Bruno winced and rubbed his temples with a groan. “It’s not my place to say.”
“Say it anyway,” Longnose urged. “We have time to kill, after all. It’s going to be a long drive.”
“Alright, but… keep in mind. Most of this comes from Jean-Claude.”
Everyone nodded, but it was still several moments before Bruno began. “The reason that Jean-Claude became the Alpha for our pack is because Robert broke one of our laws.”
“He told me about that,” Antione said.
“But did he say which one?” Bruno asked.
Antione shook his head. “He kept dodging my questions. I don’t think he was ever going to say anything.”
“Sounds like him.”
“You were in his pack for a long time, then?” Bernard asked.
“Long enough to know that he’s not a bad leader. Just a stupid… stupid man. He took the time to bond with all of us, even took Jean-Claude under his wing when we found him… It wasn’t a bad pack… Jean-Claude’s way was different, but he kept us together…”
Except when he decided to kill Dad. No one said it, but Bernard knew Antione was thinking the same thing. Longnose hummed. “Still a ways to go. Don’t stop now.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Bruno said and turned to look at the boys. “I wasn’t there when Jean-Claude and some of his followers drove Robert away. But I did see the way your father was acting right before that. Jean-Claude claimed that your father… got too close to a vampire. He accused him of mating one.”
“Mating as in… sex?” Antione asked, face turning pale as he dug his fingers into the seat.
Bruno nodded. “Most supernaturals don’t mix very well, but there are stories about offspring surviving such unions… We call them Chimeras.”
Longnose tensed, looking between Bruno and the boys as he tried to smile, but gave up as he said. “That’s… well that would do it for sure. But… that’s also an easy claim to disprove… Did he try?”
“What do you mean?” Bernard asked, reaching for Antione’s hand. He hoped they were wrong… because if they weren’t, then… Dad didn’t marry any of our moms. Was he not able to, or is there something else going on?
“Mating is for life. Werewolves use it to bind their souls to another person. It can’t be undone,” Bruno stated quietly.
“I’m guessing there’s an obvious way to tell if that happened?” Bernard could hear Antione’s breathing get harder, and he squeezed his brother’s hand, silently offering comfort while also trying not to tear his world apart.
“The eyes turn blue,” Longnose said.
“An unnatural hue, Bruno agreed. “You’d know it if you saw it.”
“But Dad has brown eyes…” Bernard said as Antione nodded, squeezing his hand back.
“Except when he’s mad or transformed. Then they’re bright gold.”
“Which means Robert can’t have mated with anyone,” Longnose said as Bruno faced the windshield.
“He didn’t mate with a vampire, but Jean-Claude said he didn’t deny sleeping with one. That was enough to get Jean-Claude the right to assume control of the pack. He wanted Robert dead, but your father was smart enough to evade capture.”
“Until he brought us to the forest,” Antione muttered.
“Yes,” Bruno replied. He should have known better.”
“Is… does mating affect a werewolf’s ability to have kids?” Antione asked, desperation turning his words into a whine as he pleaded. “Is there any way that there wouldn’t be a…”
He couldn’t finish. Bernard could feel his inner wolf growling and wanted to join in, but Bruno’s sigh squashed the urge as he quietly said. “Kid, vampires don’t care about anything beyond their kind and their needs. Even if your mother is human. That means she would have to be a donor. A vampire’s personal walking blood bag. And I hate to be the one to say this, but I don’t think that’s the case here… because chimeras are said to have purple eyes…”
Bernard gulped, unsure if the thumping heart he heard was his or Antione’s, but still forced himself to point out. “That doesn’t explain the deadline, or why they’re giving him a choice.”
“The only way to find out is to ask the vampires holding Robert,” Longnose stated quietly as Bruno nodded.
“So, we know why Jean-Claude tried to get rid of Robert. But what about the…” Bernard hesitated before whispering. “Would Jean-Claude have gone after any of our moms?”
“Yes,” Bruno said. “If he thought he could kill them, then yes. But as far as I know. Jean-Claude never found… her, or any of your mothers. The vampire we were looking for was a man. And we never got close to finding him.”
“What was his name? The vampire, I mean?” Bernard asked.
Bruno shrugged. “It’s probably a fake name, but supposedly, he’s Bram Stoker.”
“As in…” Antione started as Bruno nodded.
“As in the guy who wrote Dracula. Yes. Him. Mind you, we have no idea if that’s actually the Bram Stoker, but it really doesn’t matter. Jean-Claude was ambitious… and maybe crazy. I don’t know what he thought he was going to do if we did find a vampire. You understand why, don’t you, Antione?”
Antione nodded. “It felt like I could barely keep up. Clay was all over the place, but his fighting style was weird. He was weird. He kept acting like he was in a cartoon or something. The only reason I didn’t die was because those giant alligators attacked us. I can’t believe he was able to regrow his legs.”
Bernard raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that sounds… way out of the ordinary.”
“And that was just one of their kids,” Bruno chuckled darkly. “Just imagine going up against a fully-trained adult. The pure vampires are in a class of their own. Thank god they can’t have kids easily. Otherwise, we’d all be dead or worse by now.”
“What about the biting thing,” Antione asked. “The whole “neck-biting, turn you into my underling/servant thing?”
“True, technically. But it’s not as easy as the movies want you to think. A vampire can drain you till you’re about to die and make you drink gallons of their blood. But that doesn’t always mean you’ll turn into a vampire. And before you ask, no. It’s not possible for a vampire to bite a werewolf and turn them into something else or vice versa. That’s what’s so scary about Chimeras. They’re impossible… if they can survive.”
Antione shivered at that and gasped. “That’s what you meant during the fight! You saw my eyes and backed off!”
“That, I did, pup.”
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could have used that, too–”
Bruno growled, causing the boys to stiffen instinctively. Longnose looked at him, but Bruno shook his head.
“Because it wasn’t my place to say anything. Chimeras to us are basically Big Foot to humans. Everyone knows about them. He should have told all of you what you were ages ago, especially after what happened with Jean-Claude. He didn’t need to know which one was the product of Robert’s… being with a vampire. He didn’t have to. Your eyes mark you as plainly as fresh ink on paper… I’m sorry…”
Bernard looked at Longnose, but the Alpha’s silence said more than a thousand words. They want Antione because his mom is a vampire, but… “What about the rest of us? My mom is a kindergarten teacher. She…”
“It’s possible her supernatural genes haven’t awakened. That can happen, even if both parents are the same species,” Bruno said quietly.
Bernard nodded. It was science. He understood science. But he still couldn’t help asking. “Is there a way to… check?”
“Does she have any siblings? Or family members she’s close to?” Longnose asked.
“There’s my uncle, her brother. He came over for breakfast shortly after Dad dropped us off after… But he doesn’t smell weird or anything.”
That made both men laugh, Longnose, an honest chuckle, while Bruno snorted as he stared out the window. “And just what do you think he’s supposed to smell like? Hate to break it to you, but most supernaturals will smell like anyone else, especially the ones who blend in with humans. You’re not going to find them by scent unless they kill someone recently. Or you encounter them in both forms and paid attention.”
Bernard squeezed Antione’s hand again and relaxed in his seat. The knowledge was opening new doors, but he didn’t want to jump through them yet. He had to think of a way to help Antione explain to the others that their lives had drastically changed again.
