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She continued as Camil e and I listened, eating our food.
"The Great Trickster tried to turn the Koyanni from their path--it saddened him to see Nukpana use the great gift he'd been given to twist Coyote's teachings. And so as the years went by and Nukpana fel further into the dark path, Coyote sent Akai, one of the Fox Brethren, into their midst to steal the gem and hide it. Nukpana, by now old far beyond any natural life span, abandoned his people and chased the cunning Akai through the centuries. Long after he fel , kil ed by the dust of time, the heirs of the Koyanni have searched for the gem, hoping that it wil help them fulfil what they believe is their destiny. They remain true to the twisted lessons Nukpana taught them, far from their origins, and the Great Trickster stil mourns the lost tribe."
"So . . . the Koyanni . . . who fol owed Nukpana . . ."
"They're considered the lost tribe by the rest of us. They turned from the teachings of the Great Trickster and fel into the shadows. The shadow tribes are scattered across the country now--but I know some live up here. And definitely down in Arizona. They could easily have chased down your friend and captured her, though I haven't the faintest idea of why." Marion shook her head. "The Koyanni are vicious and cruel . . . they use trickery to hurt. They don't honor their word."
"Thank you," I whispered. "Question: You said some of the shadow path tribes are local?"
"Oh yes," Marion said, her voice fal ing to a whisper. "They live up here, and they're dangerous and magical and enticing. They use il usion to get what they want, and poisons of al sorts. If they wanted your friend, she's dead and painful y so, unless they have a reason to keep her alive."
Camil e slid to the front of her chair, and the room seemed to take on a darker feel, as if the spel Marion had invoked was wearing off. "Do you know where they live?"
Marion looked up, meeting our eyes. She shuddered. "They walk the city streets. No wild places for them. They live in the urban areas; they haunt the suburbs. I don't have an address, but I know they live in the city--I've heard rumors of a house in Bel es-Faire, but I don't know exactly where. I'l see if I can find out anything. But you can be sure they've a hand in creating the Wolf Briar."
Feeling like the enemy was al too close for comfort, I thanked her, and we left.
"Let's head over to Mary Mae's." Camil e pul ed out of the parking lot. "It's close enough to the time she gave you."
"Sure." As we sped along the streets, I final y looked over at her and said, "So Amber has one of the spirit seals. The one Nukpana wore. And now the Koyanni are after her. They must be able to sense it. Nukpana wore it for so long that it must stil have some of his energy imprinted on it."
"And they fol owed her up here--or contacted friends up here--and took her out with Wolf Briar. But why didn't they just steal it off her when she was out in the hotel? Why kidnap her?" Camil e shook her head. "There's another piece of the puzzle we aren't getting."
"Yeah, and I don't like it. There--that must be the house." I pointed to a smal house set back on a narrow, tidily mowed lawn. Camil e paral el parked with an ease I'd never mastered, and we hopped out of the car.
I glanced at the house. Wel -kept but ragged. Mary Mae and Paulo might be lower income, but they didn't let that stop them from making the place as homey as possible. As I opened the chain-link gate, I could hear a dog bark--probably the backyard. We headed up the walk, but the place looked silent and too quiet.
Once we were standing on what passed for a porch, I noticed that the door was ajar. I gestured to it with a nod of the head, and Camil e caught my gaze. She backed up, and I could tel she was summoning the Moon Mother's energy just in case we needed it. I didn't usual y carry my dagger along with me, but I had a tidy little stiletto affixed to my wrist. Chase would have chewed me out if he knew I wore it--the blade was entirely il egal. But that never stopped us before.
I motioned for Camil e to step back, and she plastered herself against the side of the house. Raising one booted foot, I slammed the door open and darted in, Camil e right behind me. A glance around showed the living room was empty, but Camil e tugged on my arm and nodded to the kitchen.
"I hear something," she mouthed.
We raced toward the open archway. I ducked through, and my first impression was one of blood. Everywhere. The wal s were stained red, the floor covered in a pool of the thick, viscous fluid. And in the center of the pool--a woman, very pregnant. Very dead. Mary Mae. It had to be.
The scent made me reel, and I felt Panther waver, wanting to come forth.
Camil e darted around the blood toward the back door, which was standing open, and disappeared into the backyard. I fol owed just in time to see her shooting an energy bolt at a thin, gaunt man who was racing for the back fence. It hit him, and he turned, snarling.
I raced past her, flipping the wrist blade open. "Stop right there!"
He pul ed something out of his pocket and threw it toward me. The thing exploded on the ground. Wolf Briar. Fuck!
My senses reeling, I screamed for Camil e to stay back, but those were the only words I managed to get out before Panther took over and I found myself shifting, transforming. The minute I was on al fours, I bounded after the man, who was clambering over the fence. In one leap, I cleared the chain-link and was on his heels. I chased him down the al ey and got in a good swipe. The second swipe took him down, and he rol ed over on his back, his eyes wide with fear.
I landed on his chest, growling, knowing I needed to keep him alive, but the scent of the woman's blood was thick on his jacket, and a terrible anger wel ed up inside--fury that he'd taken her life, her child's life, that he had put my sister in danger. Without thinking, I caught his throat in my teeth.
"No, no--" He tried to break free, his arms wrapping around my neck, but I clenched harder, and he let go. A crazed look fil ed his eyes, and I saw my own bloodlust reflected back at me--he was a kil er, al right, I could feel it in his soul. And I could feel something else, too--he was Were. A coyote shifter.
Without realizing what I was doing or how I was doing it, I began to read his thoughts, sensing him lash out at Mary Mae, seeing him thril as he slashed her life away, feeling his relief that she wouldn't be able to say a word about Paulo. He'd kil ed her to keep her quiet, and he'd enjoyed every second of it.
The man was mad like a devil, and it was his time to go.
Startled, I felt Greta next to me, and she gently rubbed my fur as I held him. She knelt beside me and whispered, "No--it's not time for you to learn this.
Delilah, back away."
But I ignored her plea and with one garbled growl, I shook the life out of the coyote shifter. As he dropped to the ground, a limp dishrag, I nuzzled him, rol ing him over. I felt so alive it terrified me.
