Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,37
if Aldo Xenakis is working magic beyond what’s considered normal for practitioners, even those who touch the dark arts. Is he delving into something we’re missing, doing something that would give him enough power to affect his son’s actions?”
“That’s a pretty big stretch, sweetheart. He’s not Chanku. Telepathy and some minor mind control is natural for us.”
Lily chuckled. “It’s a good thing the humans haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Here’s hoping they don’t. We’ve already got enough trouble. Besides, Aldo would have to be working death magic for the kind of power it would take to control his son. Sebastian’s not weak.”
“No. Sebastian is definitely not weak. And he is telepathic. We linked at the reception. Clearly.” Lily focused on her father’s eyes. “As far as Aldo’s power, there have been a lot of dead women, and their numbers are growing. Plus, the killings are coming closer together now.”
Anton’s silence was telling. Then, as if speaking to himself, he said, “Aldo Xenakis is awfully high profile for murder.”
“I know. But he’s also one of our staunchest detractors. He’d like to see all of us reclassified as animals, not humans. He has an agenda, and he’s been very open about it. He wants all Chanku banned from commerce, from voting, from all rights as citizens. He maintains a respectable public demeanor, but the man is a complete fanatic. I wonder if he might be insane.”
Her father nodded. “I’ll find out what I can. What else?”
“See what you can learn about the military program to create a Chanku army. I want to know what happened to those Chanku that were discovered. For all we know, the military could still be using them, but under top secret conditions. Or they could have destroyed them, or maybe they just went back into the general population. Battle trained wolves could create a lot of trouble set loose on society. Or with the wrong alpha.”
“You’re really making me nervous now, Lily.” He scribbled something on a tablet she’d not noticed. “Anything else?”
“Sebastian’s mother. She died a couple of years ago, but he claims he’s not Chanku. I’d bet good money that he is. My wolf says he is. Maybe she just never found out. I told you he shifts using magic. He draws it from the trees, from the mountain. Draws it out, but gives nothing back. Could this be the source of his darkness? I don’t know, but I think his mother is the key.”
“He hasn’t taken the nutrients?”
“I asked him, and he said he hadn’t, but he also said if I gave them to him, he’d give it a shot. But he was gone this morning, before I could give him any.”
She had plenty of the capsules with her. Every once in a while she’d sense her own need for the nutrients or someone would ask for them. So many people wanted to be Chanku, but so far they’d found very few. Not nearly as many as they’d expected.
The Tibetan grasses their race had once relied on were the one way to guarantee whether someone was Chanku. Ingesting the right combination of nutrients was usually all anyone needed if they had the right genetics.
Lily was almost positive Sebastian fit the profile.
“Another thing, Dad. I need to visit Eve. I haven’t been on the astral in ages, and I’ve missed her. Maybe she’ll know something about Sebastian’s mother. Plus, I want to ask her if she’s sensed the military Chanku. Have you spoken with her?”
“Not recently, but Alex has. Last week.”
“Alex?” Alex never walked the astral. At least not if he could avoid it. “Whatever for?”
“He’s frantic, Lily. The killings are getting to him. He’s catching flak from a few locals who are trying to stir up trouble in town, and he’s worried about the young women he knows.”
“And goddess knows, Alex knows more young women than most.”
He slanted a rare, disapproving glare her way. “So true, but it’s not a joking matter. Kalispell has always been very open to us, very welcoming, but the killings have all the hallmarks of a wolf and human combination, plus they’re occurring in areas where Chanku populations are largest, in the Bay Area and here in Montana. People are scared. They have a right to be, but it’s affecting our relationship with people we’ve known and trusted for years. People who have trusted us.”
Before Lily could apologize for her flip comment, her dad paused and glanced over his shoulder. Lily saw her mom in the background and waved. Keisha