Malcolm Smith took his time showing up. I flipped through the television channels in the bar at least half a dozen times, trying to find anything about the Purge almost two thousand years ago. The closest result was a video talking about the chaos when wolves, vampires, and elves had first stepped into human lives to mingle.

Ann dismantled her gun and cleaned it. The kit she used came from the car. Two waitresses had come back out to clean up the tables then made themselves scarce. My guess was they were taking an unadvertised break somewhere.

Charlie had come and gone. His thinning hair was still in a ratty ponytail. Between a slight hunch and the stereotypically thick glasses anyone would have pegged him as a shady bookkeeper. It was probably because he hadn't looked at anything more than ten feet away from his face for years.

He wanted to know if I was still interested in doing my old job. I declined due to my other obligations. The offer was left on the table. I think he'd been trying to close up all the books now that the bar had stopped acting as a loan service for sports bets. People had worked up quite a debt and Charlie had hoped I would help collect.

"Hiya Jay. Been waiting long?" Malcolm finally strutted in the door.  The man wasn't tall, short, or bulky like most other wolves. It might be a tan, might have been natural complexion. He looked like the sort of guy you could throw a ball cap on and get lost in any crowd.

"Not long." I tried to sound pleasant.

"Good. The guys said you looked peckish this morning, figured I'd let you finish grubbin'." Malcolm said. He was the oddest Alpha I ever met. It didn't surprise me that his last name, Smith, was as commonplace as he looked. There was always this hint of a joke in his eyes.

"Food helps."

"You got the low down on twenty-thirds little problem?" The Alpha asked.

"Kind of." I responded. The trio from before had given me an idea of what to expect.

"Guess it wouldn't make much sense outside the pack," He said.

"No, I understand some."

"Good, because under normal circumstances it'd be easy enough to get you up north, no problem. However, they're all twisted up lately." He didn’t seem interested in sitting down with us. Malcolm at least made standing up seem comfortable.

My natural reaction to frown was muted in front of the Alpha. The side of one lip tucked back in annoyance. I understood exactly what the pack was in a ‘twist’.

"Pack tries to keep this stuff under wraps, not anyone's business what we do, right?" I nodded at Malcolm’s words. "But when something screwy happens, like the chicka’s death, it tends to linger. Worse, this mess hits their Alpha."

"How so?" Shaggy asked.

"Because he's in charge." I knew this one. Julianne had provided me a lot information on pack ways over the years.

"Too true. It's a mental thing, packs rely Alphas to keep everyone's head on straight. Like an anchor. Alpha gets shaken up?" Malcolm hung his head and shook in back and forth. "Bad times. We've got laws, but I can't step in without approval."

"Pack laws?" Shaggy brows scrunched for a moment.

"Packs got rules. If shit storms hit, like this one, a buddy Alpha, yours truly, opens up his pack for anyone to switch over. Like a mental vacation from the constant reminders. Home away from home." Malcolm really looked like he wanted to sit down now. I stood up slowly from the bar stool. Shaggy stayed sitting down working on her firearm.

"Why not do that here?" She asked.

"The goals to cut out those hit hardest. Shrink the problem. Too many people here, besides, I can't, won't, and shall not have Charles in my pack. He'd screw up the hierarchy." Malcolm turned a little bit to lean against the bar counter.

"Charles?" I said while wrinkling my forehead.

"Julianne's grandpops? My bad, I thought you knew his name. Charles Dunham." That would make Julianne's last name Dunham? That sounded familiar. Malcolm’s desire to keep Charles out of his pack made sense. The man was commanding. He had been an Alpha long before becoming pack.

I finally nodded.

"You wanted words with Evan, right? That raggedy elf from the woods?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes. Before tonight." We should have enough time, maybe, to make it north and find Evan. To the side, Shaggy started reassembling her gun. At least she wasn't pointing it at Malcolm.

"Can do. It will take a creative solution. Consider it payback for that favor a few months ago." He said.

"Just doing my job." I'd tracked down one of their own who'd tried to screw over his family financially by running away with their life savings. The wolf had been easy enough to track, but we'd never found the money.

"Ever find the cash?" I asked.

"Nope. All dead ends. Not sure how it vanished like that." The man had stolen four hundred thousand and tried to skip town. Skipping town failed, stealing the money was successful so far.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry, wolves take care of our own. Cleaning up messes is half an Alpha’s job." Malcolm shrugged.

"Like Thomas?" Shaggy rejoined the conversation.

"Like yours, Jay." His voice had shifted a little from half-joking to much more serious.

"What?" Now I was uneasy.

"Word came in that Fifty Five lost binds with three members." The Alpha didn’t frown, but he did look kind of annoyed. It was hard to tell with the way his face lifted to one side every time he talked.

"When did you get that?" I shouldn't underestimate the pack bond. Likely their Alpha had noticed the minute they passed on through whatever connection they shared.

"Did you have anything to do with that? Their Alpha phoned me personally and said they were all on a business trip out here. The woman gave me chills from a thousand miles away." He asked. All I could think of was Fifty Five's Alpha being a female. That took some doing in a pack's world.

"If there was another pack in the area, wouldn't they tell you first?" Ann asked for me.

"In today’s world? People come and go so often it's hard to keep track. I don't want to know about every wolf that hits an airport for a football game or concert. Way I figure, if a wolf gets the balls to leave his territory for a night then he don't need me and mine pestering." Malcolm sounded joking, but the normal amusement I expected from him was gone.

"Why question us?"

"Sector Agents showed up on your woman's doorstep an hour ago." How did he know? Maybe they were required to notify the Alpha of the region. "If it was vampire they'd let you all sort it out. Sector means someone else was involved."

"Could be human." I responded. It took focus not to look directly at Malcolm while talking. Look at the room, check out any other movement besides the wolf in question.

"We both know that a vampire’s people are covered by Tribunal law, once they sign on the line. And you can't bother Sector since last I checked you don't exist on paper." Malcolm didn't hesitate in leveling his gaze on me.

I wanted to stare back. It was hard not to respond with my own challenge. One of the waitresses moved about the room again checking for dirty tables.

"So was it you?" Malcolm asked.

"If it was?" I said slowly.

"Then you're in for a world of shit. They're not a friendly bunch." The Alpha answered.

Shaggy put together the last of her gun with a slow, deliberate click. Malcolm looked over at her, then down at the table top at my bagged gloves. Sometime during our talking she pulled them out and set the baggie in plain sight. His normally calm face drew back to the side in a barely suppressed snarl.

"I see," He said slowly.

"Those wolves are part of why I need to see Evan," I said. There was no direct connection between the attacking pack and an outcast elf, but hopefully Malcolm wouldn't pry.

"We'll do it. Like I said, returning a favor." He kept gauging me and the bag as if weighing what exactly had happened and who was responsible. The makeshift claws were clean and only slightly malformed. They were clearly intended for fighting people allergic to silver.

I nodded in response to Malcolm’s statement.

"But if mine get mixed up in this, I'll throw you under the bus and run you over myself. My people will always come first." The Alpha said.

"They're pack. It's expected." I risked looking directly at him.

Malcolm's gaze settled on my own and it was strange not to look away immediately. This was one of those moments where I had to keep the eye contact and let him know I was serious. There was irritation in his expression along with barely restrained flakes of amber that grew outward from the center of his irises. Tension rippled across his face and neck, it seemed like an unconscious response.

I still kept his eyes, not moving too much, trying not to tense in response. Serious, no challenge, a slight tilt of my head and shoulders. A posture Julianne had shown me that should equate to 'listen well to me'.

Hell. I didn't know how to use the pose without threatening someone. Normally it was combined with a flash of teeth when trying to collect from deadbeat wolves. Listen well to me worked great when I was demanding repayment. They got the message on all levels.

Slowly the color in Malcolm's eyes receded back to blue. Then his grin returned and I could see his neck loosen up as control came back. My breath slowly let out at the peaceful outcome. Alphas were picked for their ability to stay calm under pressure. It was like a mental rock for the rest of the pack. Physical strength was only one factor.

"You're an arrogant bastard," He said.

"Just a well-dressed thug." I responded.

His laugh broke the eye contact. By the time he looked back my gaze had shifted to his shoulder. It was for the best if we avoided a second staring contest. My gloves were in the bag and this place didn't feel familiar anymore to be mine, not without Julianne. I would have been at a complete disadvantage if he responded physically to the challenge.

"Alright. We'll drive north a bit, follow my car." Malcolm said.

"How far?" I asked. Going all the way into the woods wouldn’t work out well. That was endless hours Kahina didn’t have.

"To the border. We won't step into their territory. That should keep Charles from flipping shit." He reassured me before my protest was uttered.

I looked over at Ann. Her response was to holster the assembled gun and stand up. We followed Malcolm out of the door. Shaggy drove and skipped the small talk. Months of attempted chatter had clued her into how much I hated vehicles. Something about them grated on my nerves.

Malcolm's ride kept a quick pace and Shaggy followed him like she had been trailing speeding cars all her life. At times I could swear she played tag with the other drivers on the road, only they didn't know about the game so it stayed one-sided.

My mind slowly unwound and the other sight kicked in. A version of the world overlaid my vision with strange after images. Each inanimate object grew dull and tasteless. Living things were so much different. Shaggy had a sharp brown hue to her, the edges crisp compared to most people. As we drove her form was preceded by a shadowy image.

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One trailed behind her as well, the entire thing showed the shifting motion of where she had been, where she was, and where she was deciding to go. Everything living had a similar effect with different colors. I never figured out if the colors were imaginary or some real aspect of this sight.

So far my abilities were one of a kind. No online research or useless documentaries helped. Combing through old books was nearly useless. The Purge had been effective, even two thousand years later and amazing technological jumps were barely making headway.

I studied the cords that connected me to the objects under my care. Things that were mine could be tracked. Normally I needed to own something related. Like hair off the person, their favorite jacket, or an old photo family photo of them. In some cases, I didn't even need the items. Evan and Kahina had both acknowledged ownership which made tracking effortless.

Four threads lope into distance. Deep purple and uneven red blobs. Dangerous Mate. Colorful dull tangle goes towards Sanctuary. Third, dim, dead. Untouched.

The dim cord connected to something, but I wasn’t sure what. Something about it must have been a strong bond, but it slipped my mind. Even thinking about it made my wrist itch a little. Oh well, for now my goal was the connection going to Evan.

Vibrant bundle of colors. Elven. Shimmers as if unable to make up its mind. Incomplete Servant. Will feel if I call. I pull gently on his cord. It pulses slowly. The act brings exhaustion. Senses close.

I nodded off again. Drowsiness was the primary side effect of these abilities. Healing, tracking, amping up strength or speed, it all put me to sleep. Or it might have been the boredom of watching trees flick by.

Things felt better after a second nap. This time knocking on the window woke me. Both Malcolm and Ann were standing outside waiting. Ann leaned against the front door chatting.

I got out the other side of the car and looked around. We were in a parking lot near a deep tree line. Malcolm was already opening the back of his car which revealed an electronic monster that weighed more than I did.

"Here.” Malcolm gestured to the giant device. “Normally packs use this with the newbies. Setup is fairly standard. Two-way should work well. Plus this baby's rigged into the car battery, so we got the juice."

"What does Evan have?" Ann asked for me. I liked when she did that. It made my life so much simpler.

"He's on a wind-up, probably won't last long if he hasn't been grinding the charging handle to a nub." The Alpha said.

"A wind-up?" I was confused.

"One of Charles' crew drove it out to your raggedy elf a few months ago. They figured Evan was out there to stay, might as well be humane and give him a lifeline, in case an ambulance is needed. Word is his constitution is bad." Malcolm shrugged and held up a receiver for me to take. I reached over and held on to the device while he started turning dials.

I didn't ask how difficult that had been. These woods had belong to the Twenty Thirds pack. It must have been a shock to find an old Elven clan left in the depths. If Evan had wanted to press the issue he'd have a legal claim on a good chunk of the reserve.

"This reaches all the way out there?" I asked.

"Well, there's repeaters all over with shelters. Never know when a wolf will get stranded. But it’s gonna have static." Malcolm said. The radio whistled and ground as he turned knobs.

It was hard to be upset with only a radio. Malcolm went out of his way to give me assistance. This tip toed around my banishment. Hell, Julianne's grandfather might consider it stepping foot on pack lands. He swore to kill me if I ever came back. My balls weren't nearly big enough to take on an Alpha. Not anymore.

I closed my eyes and tugged on the cord that connected to Evan. It was easier to focus on that rather than woolgather about my issues with various pack members.

"All fired up for you. Don't break it if he doesn't answer. Not sure I have the funds to replace it." He said. I doubt Malcolm had the funds for anything nice since he had to deal with the cash stolen from the Sauter family.

I clicked the button on the radio, marveling how the background static dropped off for the briefest moment. My hands rubbed against the worn edge of the button a bit before finally pressing.

"Evan?" I said.

Nothing responded.

"Evan? You there?"

"Don't know if he's even got juice right now," Malcolm said.

"Evan?" I shifted my thoughts back out to Evan's cord. He told me that I was this Lord thing, and he would answer when called. The cord shimmered and pulsed strongly in my mind's eye.

"Here, Lord." Evan's voice sounded winded. My breath seized for a moment. Calling him had worked. It wasn't a fluke.

"Time's short and I've got questions." I turned and waved the other two away. Getting a wolf to walk far enough away from his property was difficult.

"As always, I will answer if I can." His voice drug out words in the same slow manner of someone who was still figuring out how to speak English. Then added in a helping of depression.

"How much do you know about elven illusions?" I asked quickly. My primary purpose for talking to Evan was to get Candy to stop her harassment. I could only imagine Kahina being attacked and suddenly a vision of wolves wearing tutus and doing a dance would assault me.

"Not enough." He admitted.

"I need to stop some visions." I said.

"Lord? Only a Speaker could cast visions." His words made me cringe. There had to be a way to explain myself without sounding incriminating.

"Candy's been sending visions."

Evan asked me to explain the situation in more detail. I tried between bursts of static. Slowly he got caught up on how Candy had been appearing with messages over the last few months. I didn't tell him that most of those messages called Kahina names and commented on my relationship with her. The fact that Candy had been naked in most of the visions was also left out. If Ann was politely eavesdropping then things would be safer this way.

"Sorry. From what you have said, this is all part of her prevention measures." The elf clicked onto the radio and spoke slowly.

"Prevention?" I slowly dug my feet along the ground. The feel of pebbles was disjointed against the shoe soles.

"There are..." Evan's voice paused as he struggled with words. "Reasons to draw you away from...certain people." He must have guessed at what Candy was doing but was unable to provide anything useful.

"That's not helpful." The back of Malcolm's car had some road dirt piled up. I calmed myself by smearing the small, sandy grains.

"I can not say more, Lord." Evan persisted in calling me that. Not like it was a title, more like it was a description of what I was. A Lord. Which meant damned little.

"Can't you say anything that's actually helpful?" I tried not to be angry at Evan, but it was difficult.

"Say? No." His denial, like everything else the elf did, seemed devoid of any sort of positive tones. He managed to make everything morose.

"You were dropping hints all over months ago."

"It cost me much," He sounded even more exhausted as our conversation progressed. "and gained you little. Today's world is too ignorant on what has never been."

"Does this have to do with the Purge?" I asked.

Silence and static were the only answer.

"Can't say?" I said after a few minutes. There was a pause while I checked the volume on the receiver. Maybe our connection had been lost. Maybe Evan was grinding the charger on his radio.

"No," His voice came at last. "it is forbidden to say."

That was an answer of sorts. Maybe I was going about this all wrong. Maybe there was someone who had information from the past because they had been alive for longer. An older elf? that would reach two hundred years, maybe two fifty, max. Not enough to speak first hand about the Purge.

That left vampires. Older ones were a lot more reclusive. Even if I found one alive long enough there would be the matter of getting the information out of them. If they were anything like Kahina, then one hint of what I was might put them onto my blood too. The last time I bled around Kahina she was reduced to a mewling kitten with only the thought of lapping at my wound. Not at all sexy. Not something I wanted to deal with.

At least I knew her better than other Vampires. She showed signs of respecting the blood donation boundary and was patient.

There were no easy options right now. Evan and Candy agreed on one thing, the fewer people who knew what I was, the safer things would be. They didn't agree on if I should be one of the few people in the know.

"Thanks, Evan." I realized the elf had been waiting for me to respond while thoughts ran by.

"It is my duty to help, Lord. I can, however, suggest two possibilities." The large sentence left him without breath.

"What?" I asked.

"I have a scrap of old writings that may answer some questions. Yet it would leave others in their place." He said slowly.

My mind whirred into action again. Getting out there wouldn’t be easy. If I tried, even in a truck, a pack of wolves would be right behind me. It wasn't even worth attempting without a solid guarantee. Also, Kahina came first, I simply didn't have enough time before nightfall to make it out there and back.

"Or?" I questioned.

"Ask her." Evan said.

"Candy?" The female vixen who screwed me out of an answer the first time? To be clear, she had screwed me for an answer too. Now she taunted me with visions.

"Yes." Evan calmly replied. "The more you call on her, the harder it is to fight your will."

"No thanks." Asking Candy anything always had a price attached. It somehow figured into her addiction.

All elves had them, each unique and twisted. Some elves might be addicted to dancing naked under the moon on a skyscraper, others to snorting crack off a street corner outside the police station. Self-destructive stuff most of the time. Candy's addiction was unknown and probably dangerous.

"Anything else?" Evan asked.

"No." I answered. "Get some rest."

I put the radio back and tried to figure out what to do next. One foot stomped down onto the ground I disturbed earlier and shoved small pebbles into the dirt with a dry squish.

A picture of Candy hovered out of the corner of my eyes. As I turned my head the image became clearer. She laid back in a revealing bikini like she was by a pool sunbathing. Today wasn't that sunny, was she at a spa? A pair of dark glasses covered her eyes. The trail of tattoos that lined her body were more startling when lined with perspiration. One slender arm held a whiteboard sign above her.