Persephone Alcmedi 00 - Wicked Circle

then into the room with them. I hovered beside the device. I had to figure out how to work it. The buttons had numbers and letters, like a phone. There would be a code to close them. A code to open them.
    And those codes could be anything.
    Then Johnny entered a cage.
    I punched in the numbers correlating to the word close .
    Nothing but a quiet beep. L-O-C-K. Quiet beep.
    S-H-U-T.
    The doors swung closed.
    I sighed in relief.
    Too soon.
    Upon hearing the little motors whir, most of the wærewolves backed deeper into their cages and away from the metal.
    But not Johnny.
    He thrashed and squirmed until he broke through his door, causing the little motor to grind and give.
    “Shit.” I sat very still. Don’t see me. Don’t see me.
    He reviewed the confined state of his pack and studied the doorway. He broke into a gallop.
    “Shit. Shit. Shit.” I swung the broom into the stairwell, twisting up it as fast as possible. When I burst into the hallway of the topmost floor, he was right behind me. He leapt. His paw knocked the bristles of my broom and caused me to swing slightly sideways, but that actually helped me get through the turn to the room with the steps to the roof.
    I was up and out on the roof before he’d topped the stairs.
    Leaning down, I snagged the strap of the duffel, where I’d shoved what ritual items were still usable. Flying out over the edge of the roof into the open air beyond, I twirled around.
    The big black wolf put its paws on the raised edge and snarled and barked and growled at me. “You’re going to have to figure out what to tell the rest of them,” I shouted, not sure he’d even understand me. I’d done all I could.
    I dropped down and entered the parking garage. I unlocked the trunk and put everything inside, including the stone wrapped with William’s fur. The guys in the Audi were still asleep. I knocked on the window and woke them as promised, and was about to get into my Toyota Avalon when a Hummer rolled up the ramp, followed by a Magnum and a white delivery van.
    Hector, the former dirija ’s assistant, was driving the Hummer. I recognized him by his size and his trademark Hawaiian shirt.
    Seeing me waving him over, he cruised close and rolled down his window. “How’d it go?” There were three other men with him.
    “Good, but I need to ask you something. Privately.”
    He put the window up and parked. The others who had ridden with him wandered over to talk to the wæres climbing out of the other vehicles, but Hector came to me. “What is it?”
    “There was a situation,” I said softly. “I think a surge of bloodlust hit some of the wæres. How do you deal with that?”
    “There’s a small meat locker on four. Beau usually supervises us on full moons.” He frowned. “I don’t know what’s in it, we haven’t had newbies in a while and it’s usually just the newbies that act up.”
    I acted casual. “I guess the spell must have made them sensitive.”
    “That happen before with this spell?”
    “Actually, yeah. One of the wæres that changed the first time tried to attack me.” It had been Erik. Johnny had intervened.
    “You all right?” Hector asked.
    “Yeah. I’m a little shaken up, but . . . I’m fine.”
    Beau hurried around the end of the Hummer. “How’s William?”
    “He’s fully wolf—”
    Beau hugged me and danced me around in a circle in the small space between cars. “I knew you could do it! I knew you would!”
    “Beau.” I pulled away, too sore for such antics. “He’s still on the roof, he’s still unconscious and . . . Johnny’s with him.”
    “Watching over him! What a fine Domn Lup.”
    “Yeah, but you should be cautious approaching him. He’s jumpy, okay?”
    “We will be.” Beau walked away. One of the others had pushed the button to bring the elevator down, and everyone was assembling near the gates.
    I grabbed Hector’s arm. “Seriously. Be careful. You understand?”
    He caught the worry I was conveying to him. “We’re wære too.”
    “Still.”
    With concern darkening his features, he nodded.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

    I n Saranac Lake, New York, SSTIX Investigator Kurt Miller eased his Ford Crown Victoria into the garage and cut the engine. He hit the button to lower the garage door and sat checking the emails that had rung in on his Droid phone during the drive home.
    He entered his home via the laundry room, greeted by the mingling scents of “sunshine fresh” dryer sheets, pot roast, and the bread