would know it.
I grabbed my cellphone and texted Lani, telling her I was called to Duty, and knew she would text me back soon, probably offering any aid she could. I sent a second, requesting any phone number to the North American Werewolf Council that could be safely reached by supernaturals. If she didn’t have one of those, any number would do. There were codes that any supernatural could use to get onto a secure line if needed. It was already past midnight, so all of those things would need to be dealt with in the morning. Right now, I just needed to lay the groundwork. She would be safe for the night, because if any wolf dared to enter my territory before I called anyone, I could and would just kill them, no matter what faction they might be in.
She cried herself to sleep, which was both good and bad. I laid her out on the couch and tucked her in with a blanket, hoping she didn’t get too hot. The AC in the bar wasn’t as good as the AC at the house, but it was the safer location in the end. It had the road access my home didn’t and that would come in handy if a hunting pack came for her.
I waited for Lani, hoping she would answer soon while I watched the sleeping little girl on my couch. Of course, the damn werewolf Alpha had known I was here. How could I be so stupid to think that just because I never caught surveillance that there was none? In the end, it didn’t really change my life too much.
Except for the fact that it meant I was now the only thing between his daughter and a possibly horrifying death.
Lani didn’t text. My phone, at full volume, started blaring the annoying country song I had put for her ringtone. I fumbled with it like a fool as I tried to hit the answer button before Carey woke up.
“God damn it, Lani. I said text me!” I snapped, trying to keep my voice down. Carey was thankfully still asleep. If I guessed right, she had probably been running from the moment her brothers told her to, and that meant she was run ragged. The news of the takeover came out on Thursday. It was now Saturday morning. The poor girl had taken nearly three days to get to me.
“You were called to Duty, Jacky? Explain.” The other werecat didn’t waste any time, that was certain.
I quickly ran down exactly what I knew. Alpha’s human daughter showed up at my bar. I closed down. I didn’t tell her anything about accidentally exposing I wasn’t human. Not yet. Carey was the number one priority. The rest of the mess would have to wait. It had to.
When I was done, I just listened to silence. Lani wasn’t even breathing.
“Lani?” I sounded like a child myself in that moment. When I had run from my ‘father’ and claimed this private life in East Texas, Lani, a smaller-than-average female, had shown up at my doorstep. She had been confused at the presence of a new werecat in Texas. She didn’t know who I was or who my ‘father’ was. She just knew I was new and wanted to get to know me. Since then, she’s been my tentative ally, my only werecat to phone when I had questions or needed advice. Since I wasn’t keen on ever talking to Hasan, I called her more than him.
“It’s been nearly a century since something this big has been invoked for Duty,” Lani answered carefully. “Do you understand that the Duty is going to put you in the middle of a werewolf turf war and you will potentially declare the winner?”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
“Good. You cannot give her to anyone until they settle this among themselves.”
“I know. I was planning on keeping her until the dust settled. What happens if the winner means her harm?” It was an important question.
“You keep her. Your Duty becomes a lifelong commitment. It hasn’t happened in centuries, but it’s happened. You need to tread carefully. Do you have a lawyer?”
“Yes.” Well, not really. I had Hasan’s lawyer, who I begrudgingly used when things were desperate. Luckily, I almost never needed a lawyer. Sadly, this was desperate. “I’ll get him started on the paperwork needed for the human world once I’m off the phone with you.”
“It doesn’t have to be real. Just something to keep human cops off your back. What