Ruffskin Read online

  "John?"

  "Father, a wolf just nearly killed Peyton. Blue is bringing their feuding into our territory and hurting our people."

  Ontoniel hung up without another word; no doubt he would immediately turn around and contact Blue to let them know they had officially pissed off a Dracula.

  Johnnie punched the next speed dial. It rang three times before finally picking up. He didn't give Rostiya a chance to speak, simply said, "Get over to the Bremen, now."

  "On my way," Rostiya replied and hung up.

  Last, Johnnie called Micah. "Get whoever you can and get to the Bremen immediately. Someone just tried to kill Peyton." Micah, like Ontoniel, hung up without a word.

  "If you are finished calling the cavalry," Grim said, "I could use some help."

  Johnnie snorted, even as he obliged. "You do not need my help with him. I would only hinder, I should think." He knelt before Peyton, grimacing at the horrible state he was in. "At least his wounds do not seem too severe, even if he will not be doing much around the bar for a bit. I guess they are hunting for one wolf, but not opposed to bonus kills."

  "I can tend the wounds," Rostiya said from where he and his vampire lover Jesse had just appeared behind them, and he knelt in Johnnie's place as Johnnie stood up.

  Leaving him to it, Johnnie started to inspect the damage around the bar more closely. He stopped short when he saw that Jesse was kneeling beside the other wolf. Moving across the bar, carefully avoiding puddles of blood, Johnnie joined him.

  "Dead," Jesse commented, and he dipped his fingers in a pool of blood and licked it idly. "Hmm, Alpha blood. Peyton just killed either an Alpha or a Candidate."

  "Hardly the first time," Johnnie replied. "Anyway, it was in self-defense."

  Jesse shrugged. "I am not going to lose sleep because a wolf is dead. He is lucky he is dead, really. If he were alive, he would be dealing with your lover and your father."

  "I can take care of myself," Johnnie snapped. "Anyway, he was not attacking me. He was after Peyton, in case you missed that."

  "No, I caught that," Jesse said, amused. "But when wolves are like this, they'll kill whatever falls into their path, up to and including the reckless sons of Draculas." He motioned to the dead wolf. "Know who he is? Other than Blue, obviously."

  Johnnie shook his head. "My father—" He broke off as Ontoniel appeared by the door.

  "What is going on here?" Ontoniel asked sharply.

  Johnnie sighed and stood up. "Grim and I went upstairs to speak in private. I called you. A few minutes after I hung up, we heard a ruckus down here and found them trying to kill each other."

  Ontoniel looked at the mess, eyes dark, mouth tight with anger. When he looked at Johnnie, however, he said only, "We need to find the source of this commotion; you and Grim are best suited to that task. Do it. I will tend matters here. Be careful, John."

  "Yes, father," Johnnie replied and shrugged into the jacket that Grim held out for him, one step ahead as Grim so often was. Accepting his cane and fedora from Grim, he led the way out into the rain.

  "If we are going to be stuck under an umbrella together all day, it seems to me I should be doing something a lot more interesting than hunting for wolves."

  Johnnie pressed a kiss to his jaw, breathing in faint traces of myrrh and musk rose and a hint of the fruit candies Grim occasionally ate. "I'll let you make it up to me later."

  "Brat," Grim replied and stole another kiss.

  "So how shall we begin?" Johnnie mused aloud. After a moment, he quoted, "Where does a wise man hide a pebble?"

  Grim's mouth curved in a slow smile, and he tugged down the brim of his cap as he quoted in reply, "On the beach."

  "Where does a wise man hide a leaf?"

  "In the forest," Grim answered. "So what beach or forest are we looking for?"

  "The same one Peyton went to when he came here," Johnnie replied.

  "You think Hudson came here and tried to settle in all legally?" Grim asked. "He may as well have called up his pack and said 'come and get me'."

  "Until today it worked for Peyton," Johnnie said and quoted, "He never once thought it probable, or possible, that the minister had deposited the letter immediately beneath the nose of the whole world, by way of best preventing any portion of that world from perceiving it."

  Grim grunted. "No one ever tries that trick with me."

  "No," Johnnie said tartly, "but you certainly feel free to employ it yourself."

  Grim winced. "Good point. So our runaway wolf registered here and clearly received permission to stay. But did he use his real name?"

  "That I doubt," Johnnie said. "If he had, Peyton would have noticed, and I think he was avoiding Peyton at least as much as his pack. Of course, this is all supposition for the moment."

  "As if you're ever wrong," Grim said and smiled at him. "Very clever, Highness. I was simply going to see if I could follow any residual energies I might pick up from the watch he left and hope they led me to a larger trail."

  Johnnie savored the bright smile, so freely offered, because not so long ago Grim had not been much for smiles like that—not with him. "Not a bad idea, either," he said. "We could split—"

  "Don't even think about it, Highness," Grim said. "I'm not stupid enough to leave you unsupervised, even if I thought your father wouldn't slay me for it. You attract life threatening situations like flowers attract bees."

  Johnnie smirked. "You mean I attract death?"

  Grim lifted his eyes to the sky and pointedly ignored him, instead fussing with the Rolex on his wrist, no doubt put there for safekeeping and easy access while he tried to follow whatever it offered. He was obviously unused to the weight and feel of it and probably uncomfortable just with the idea of such an expensive watch in general.

  The kind thing would be to leave him alone about it. Johnnie harassed him. "I hope you're not expecting one of those for your birthday."

  "What?" Grim asked, taken aback. "No—of course not, Johnnie!"

  Frowning, Johnnie leaned up and kissed him. "I was teasing you, idiot shepherd."

  Grim scowled. "There's nothing wrong with being a shepherd."

  "I certainly approve," Johnnie replied. "But, if you want a Rolex—"

  "I don't," Grim said hastily, firmly. "I hate fancy crap."

  Johnnie bit back a smile and decided he would have to buy Grim a piece of 'fancy crap' for Christmas. Or maybe Halloween, that seemed rather more apropos. But all he said aloud was, "Good, because I bought your birthday present last week and returning it to buy a silly watch would have seemed extremely gauche."

  Grim's eyes snapped to him, flaring ever so briefly with white light. "You got me a present? What is it?" he demanded, looking surprised and delighted and so boyish Johnnie couldn't remember how to speak for a moment.

  When he could remember, he turned and strode off down the street, taking the umbrella with him. Looking over his shoulder, he quoted loftily, "Patience, and the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown."

  "I am a kind of burr. I shall stick," Grim quoted in retort, and then caught up with him.

  "Now who is quoting Shakespeare?" Johnnie muttered. "Take us to the offices of admittance."

  "Yes, Highness," Grim replied, but the tone of his voice said that the matter of the present was not over yet, only postponed. He held Johnnie close, and then they vanished.

  They reappeared in front of a rather plain looking office building on the west edge of the city not far from the shoreline, though it was too rocky there for good beaches.

  Grim slowly let him go and tugged at the brim of his cap. "So what now?"

  "Ask if they've seen him," Johnnie said. "I think his delivery job was authentic. Slender—too slender for a wolf, really. Short hair, I could see none of it beneath that cap. Shy, nervous." He made a face. "If I go in there and ask, they will tell me everything they think I want to hear."

  Nodding in agreement, Grim said, "Do not move so much as a finger while I'm gone, Johnnie. I'm serious. If
you move one toe out of place, I will tie you to the bed—and you won't enjoy it," he added when Johnnie started to smirk.

  "I managed just fine by myself before I was saddled with a babysitter," Johnnie said, annoyed. "I think you've gotten worse since openly sleeping with me."

  Grim only smirked. "Hold still." He shook Johnnie briefly in warning and went inside the building. Johnnie leaned against the wall and rolled his eyes, and then settled on glaring at the rain and going over what little information they had.

  Though ordinarily he was thrilled by a mystery, this one had nearly gotten Peyton killed. Peyton, who had already suffered enough and just wanted to be left alone to enjoy his bar and quiet life. Peyton obviously still carried a torch for the alpha's son he had left behind—a man who had bought Peyton an eight thousand dollar watch. Who was trying to reach Peyton, and who was probably the reason Peyton had nearly died, and had murdered another high ranking wolf.

  Johnnie's scowl deepened while his mind raced. Time, he felt, was slipping away, and they could not afford to lose much more of it. Where could Hudson be? Why go to all the trouble to give Peyton an old present only to bolt?

  To say goodbye, Johnnie realized in the next moment. If he had really attacked, and possibly killed, his mother, then Pack Blue would be after him with a vengeance. Blue was no doubt long tired of losing leaders, especially those killed by fellow Blue. For a son to kill his mother…

  Hudson no doubt felt, and not incorrectly, that his days were numbered. Something must have scared or tipped him, however, that he dared to reach out to Peyton to say goodbye before… what? Was he going to run away somewhere else? What had changed things?

  He looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled at Grim. "Well?"

  "They recognized him, said he was here to finish up his paperwork and finally get full citizenship just a few days ago. He's always wearing his uniform: a gray polo with a winged foot and sunburst logo. Fleetfoot Deliveries. They gave me his home address, but I can tell you right now it's bogus."

  Johnnie nodded and pushed off the wall. "That is not surprising. So let us go visit his place of employment; I guarantee they have some sort of authentic address."

  Once they arrived at Fleetfoot Deliveries headquarters, however, Johnnie once more was forced to wait outside, after being strongly admonished by Grim to hold still again, while Grim went inside to extract answers.

  After nearly two hours of waiting, Grim reappeared. "Got it," he said. "You owe me big time for that hassle. I don't think even you are as stubborn as those bastards."

  "Is that a challenge?" Johnnie asked.

  Grim reached out and pinched his nose. "No, it was not. If you try to make it one, we will go right back to tying you up in ways you won't enjoy, brat."

  Johnnie laughed and pressed a kiss to the corner of Grim's mouth. "So where are we going?"

  "Not too far from the Bremen, actually. The really, really bad part of town." He took hold of Johnnie and they vanished, reappearing in yet another part of the city.

  Johnnie regarded the dilapidated looking apartment building, and then looked over his shoulder at the familiar building across the street. He smiled at Grim, sweet and razor sharp. "Such fond memories, babysitter. I really should have figured out when you walked over the cage that trapped me."

  "But you didn't," Grim said smugly.

  I really do not think you need to get cocky," Johnnie replied. "Not with your stalker tendencies, your lying, and do not think I have forgotten your ex from earlier today."

  Grim rolled his eyes. "Why must I be in love with a princess?"

  Johnnie smacked him with his cane and strode up the stairs into the apartment building—

  Only to be thrown back when the double doors leading into it were thrown open, sending him tumbling. His nose throbbed with pain from where the door hit it, and he only barely avoided landing in a sludgy puddle.

  Steady, familiar arms caught him easily and set him up straight again, and then Grim was gone, bolting after the men who had already vanished around a corner. Wolves, Johnnie would bet his fortune on it. Straightening his clothes, he left Grim to his chase and strode up the stairs and into the apartment building.

  When he finally reached it at the end of the fourth floor hall, he was surprised to find the door closed and locked. He had not thought the wolves would bother, given the haste of their departure. The lock was a simple one, and he had it open in a moment.

  Inside, everything was exactly as he had expected to find it. The place was a disaster area, the wolves having thoroughly tossed it. But what had they been looking for other than Hudson? If it was just Hudson, they would not have slit open cushions and torn apart books.

  Johnnie picked his way through the mess, examining every object. By the end, however, he was not really certain he had learned anything beyond reaffirming that Hudson was still in love with Peyton.

  The scent of myrrh and musk rose caught him a split second before he was roughly grabbed and slammed into a wall, and then pinned there by Grim.

  "Unhand me," Johnnie snapped.

  "You are an idiot!" Grimm snarled, ignoring the order. "They could have left men behind! Why are you so reckless!"

  "Because I can handle wolves!" Johnnie snarled back. "I know you and my father persist in thinking that I am some simpering princess, but I can handle myself."

  Grim only made a growly, frustrated noise and kissed him hard enough to bruise Johnnie's lips. "One of these days, Highness…."

  "So did you catch the other two?"

  "Of course I did," Grim said, glaring.

  "And?" Johnnie demanded.

  "And I secured them so that I could come fetch a certain royal brat," Grim replied. Johnnie said nothing, but he did let Grim kiss him again. "Shall we then, Highness?"

  "We shall," Johnnie replied. "There is nothing of—Wait a moment. Get off me." Pushing Grim impatiently aside, he kicked aside a pillow and knelt, pulling up the corner of a blue rug and picking up what had been all but hidden beneath it. Put there? Doubtfully.

  Standing up, he said, "I think we just missed our quarry." He held the necklace out for Grim to see: a gold medallion inscribed heavily with runes and, from the way he was trying not to sneeze, heavily imbued with magic. It had probably also been washed in demon blood.

  "So he's lost his protective charm," Grim rumbled, eyes turning wholly white as he loosed his full power. "The residual power will shield him for a little while, but I'll find him soon enough."

  Johnnie nodded. "Take me to the wolves, Grim. I want this mystery over."

  Grim obeyed, tugging him close and vanishing. They reappeared in Grim's apartment, a place Johnnie had been surprised to learn about. He had mistakenly assumed that Grim lived with his parents, though in retrospect that made absolutely no sense.

  It was a simple studio with a large bed, a small kitchen, a smaller bathroom, soft carpeting, and practically every last inch of available wall space devoted to overstuffed bookcases. There was not even a door or windows—Grim had bricked up and plastered over both, sealing himself inside a tidy little cell. It allowed him, when he needed, to be completely himself, without any fear of anyone seeing what he could not afford to have seen.

  The first time he'd brought Johnnie there, he'd fucked Johnnie hard and fast against one of the bookcases, leaving bruises in awkward places, and sending more than a few books falling to the floor.

  Beyond the bookshelves, there was very little in the way of personal items filling the place. A few knick-knacks from his mother on the dresser and two pictures beside his lamp and an alarm clock on the nightstand.

  One picture was of Grim's parents, taken while they were at a park. His mother wore mirrored sunglasses to hide her distinctive eyes. They were a very pretty, very happy looking couple.

  The second picture was of Johnnie wearing black slacks and a black, green, and gold vest with matching tie with his shirt sleeves rolled up. He was leaning against the pool table, his cue in one hand and t
he other braced on the edge of the table, smirking at something not in the picture. He remembered the day and what he'd been smirking at, but he did not know how Grim had managed to take his picture without his noticing. Grim, the bastard, refused to say.

  At the moment, two very angry wolves were lying on Grim's bed, tied up and gagged. Their eyes widened, furious struggling freezing when they saw Johnnie.

  "Remove their gags," Johnnie said, voice going cool as he assumed a Desrosiers air. "Do not speak until I give you permission," he said coldly when the wolves' gags were removed. "I do not think I need to tell you that you are on Desrosiers territory and your behavior is seriously out of line. Never mind that another of your pack just attacked and almost killed a very good friend of mine in a bar that I own—it is enough that you came here uninvited and for the sole purpose of breaking laws. My father is highly displeased with your pack at present, and he is fully within his rights to strike out with lethal force in retaliation. You have one chance to tell me something that will cause me to stay my father's hand. If I do not like what you have to say … "

  "We are only trying to find Hudson—"

  "That bastard Peyton had a death order on—"

  Johnnie motioned them to silence and said, "One at a time. I do not care if he is marked to die—he has full citizenship here which means by law he is under the care and watch of my father. If you wanted him, you should have petitioned the offices of the Dracula to get him back. Showing up without permission and assaulting him in a Desrosiers-owned bar… I do not know that you could have done anything more stupid. Let us try this again. Why are you after Hudson?"

  "Because it's safe!" One of the wolves burst out. "His mother is dead; she died three days ago. He can come back home!"

  Johnnie's expression did not change, but he only barely managed to hold back his surprise. He had not expected to hear that. "Safe to return," he said slowly. "Then why are you hunting him down like an animal? Why, if you want Hudson back, did you attack Peyton?"

  "What does that bastard have to do with Hudson?" the other wolf snarled. "He can fucking rot. We found him by chance trying to find Hudson."

  "Hudson moved here because of Peyton," Johnnie told them. "They've been in love with each other for years. If you were hoping to coax back your runaway, then I am afraid that you have ruined whatever chance you had."