Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Someone shaking Jenny was what roused her from her sleep.  She hadn’t realized she’d dozed off.  She sat up in her seat.  She recognized the motel she saw out the windshield.  It lay on the outskirts of the city, but in a spot that you could reach anywhere fairly quickly.
“I need you to go in and rent a room.”  He said, handing her a wad of cash.
“You woke me up for something you could do?”
“I probably could, but you never know who’s watching.  They’d recognize me before they’d recognize you.”
She looked around, but didn’t see anyone.  “Do you smell one of your kind?”
He smirked.  “There are some humans that know about us.”  Jenny’s raised eyebrow made him chuckle.  “We call them familiars.  They’re are the ones that we use when...”  He trailed off, trying to find the right word.  Jenny beat him to it.
“When you need someone dispensable.”
He stared at her for a moment.  “Yes.”  He quickly added.  “Not all of us use them.”
“Does that make me your familiar?”  She said, setting him with a steely glare.
He returned the glare.  She’d hit a nerve again.  “Of course not.”  He turned away from her and looked out the window.  “If this is too much for you, I’m not keeping you here.”
She wasn’t sure what to think.  It was all a little too much, too fast.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to be caught up in this world, but now that she was here, she wanted to see it to the end.
“I’m sorry.  It’s not that I don’t want to help you...”
He turned to her.  “I need someone I can trust.  I believe I can trust you Jenny Cooper.  They know that I’m protecting the boy, but not many know that you’re involved.  I think you’d be valuable to protecting Sam.”
That put her at ease.  At least he wasn’t using her for fodder to keep some giant dog-man distracted so he could get away with the boy.  Without another word, she took the money and went into the motel office.
Behind the counter sat a short, chubby blond haired man.  He sat eating from a Chinese takeout box and watching a shoddy looking t.v., with a screen that would flicker every once in a while.  As Jenny walked in the man shot to his feet.
“Well, hello!  How may I assist you?”  The man’s voice made Jenny think of a rat squeeling.  The way he looked at her made Jenny want a shower real bad, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she hadn’t showered since yesterday.
“I’d like a room, please.”
Jenny could tell that the man was unsuccessfully trying to hold back a grin.  He used the back of his hand to wipe food from his pencil thin mustache and made his way over to the check-in computer.  It looked like it hadn’t been updated since the eighties, but the man began clicking away at the keyboard.
“We have quite a few openings.  Any special requests?”
Jenny thought for a moment.  “No windows.  Two beds.”  That brought an inquisitive look from the clerk.  She didn’t care.  She was thinking tactically.
“Um.  We don’t have anything like that.  All rooms have at least a front window.”  The clerk said.
“As few windows as possible.”  She looked out the window.  She could still see Xander at the wheel of the car.
“Room 2 okay?  It has two beds.”
“Fine.” She said as she took the key from his out stretched hand.
“It’s fifty a night.  I’ll be by in the morning with fresh towels.”
Jenny dropped three fifties on the counter.  “I don’t know if we’ll be staying that long, but just in case.”
“Certainly, but there is a fee for early checkout.”
“Of course there was.”  thought Jenny.  “That’s fine.”  She said and turned and left.  She could feel the man’s eyes on her as she walked back to the car.
They drove to the parking stall in front of their room.  Jenny went in as Xander took Sam out of the back seat and into the house.  Once inside, Xander did a sweep of the room.  He found nothing, just as Jenny had.
Jenny sat at the dining table that was near the kitchenette.  Xander locked the door then made his way over to her.  He reached behind his back and pulled a knife from somewhere.  It wasn’t the double bladed one she’d seen him use on their would-be assassin, but it was sinister none the less.
“This will have to do till I can get you some sliver bullets.  It’s silver plated and won’t need sharpening.  Try not to get close enough to use it.  Regular bullets should slow a Ze’ev down enough to get away.”
“Where are you going?”  She said picking up the knife.
“I need to find out where Killian is and any info on who he might be working for.”
“Are you sure he’s working for someone?”
“Positive.  Killian cares about money, not status.”  He passed over to the door.  “Don’t answer the door.  I’ll bring back food.”
With that he left.  Jenny locked the door behind him.  Turning back to Sam she said  “Well, any ideas on how to kill time?”

The lock clicked and Xander quickly slipped into Jenny’s apartment.  It hadn’t taken him long to pick the lock, so no one saw him slip in.  He took a look around the living area once he was inside.  The place had the normal accommodations, couch, TV, coffee table.  It was sparsely furnished otherwise.  It was as if, to him, that Jenny didn’t spend much time at home.  He glanced in the fridge to prove his point.  It only held an almost empty gallon of milk, a jar of pickles, and a box of baking soda.  The baking soda wasn’t doing it’s job very well though. Xander figured without heightened senses he’d still be able to smell the curdled milk.

He stopped by his own apartment before using the phone book to find Jenny’s.  He’d picked up a few changes of clothes, some more money, and a box of silver bullets.  He’d acquired those from a pack of hunters he’d met a few years back.  If the Ze’ev had found out he hadn’t disposed of them, he’d be on the chopping block for sure.  He’d kept them anyway and he was glad he had.
He made his way into Jenny’s bedroom.  This looked to be the room she frequented the most.  There were pictures on her dresser and a well made bed.  It looked as though Jenny liked to keep things well kept and in their place.  He made his way to the closet.  He found a duffel bag in the bottom.  He began to pull clothes out of the closet and the dresser.  He felt weird going through her things, but he figured she’d want a change of clothes.
He pulled out a couple sets of clothes that he figured matched well enough.  He grabbed another pair of sneakers from the closet and shoved them in the bag as well.  He scanned the room to see if he’d forgotten anything.  His eyes stopped on a picture of Jenny with another woman.  Both were in uniform.  Jenny had her arm wrapped around the other woman’s shoulder.  Both looked to be very happy, Jenny with a big open-mouthed grin and the girl making a funny face.  That brought a smile to Xander’s face.  Jenny was very pretty when she smiled.  He hoped he’d get to see that smile one day.
The click of the door knob brought Xander out of his thoughts.  Someone was coming into the apartment.  He silently crossed the room to the bedroom door.  He cracked it so he could hear who was in the living room.
“I don’t think anyone’s here.”  The voice was a bit on the nasally side.
“This is where Killian said the girl that was with MacTire lived.  He thinks she might know where the kid is.”  This one’s was a little on the raspy side.  Xander recognized Frank and Eddie anywhere.
Lately, the two were Killian’s go to guys when he came back to the city.  It was because they’d do anything for money.  When they weren’t working for Killian, they were hitmen.
“Look at this!”  Eddie’s said with a snort.  “She’s a cop!”
Frank’s raspy reply was somewhere between a laugh and a cough.  Xander heard a picture frame hit the wall and glass tinkled on the floor.
“I always wanted to off a cop.”  Frank wheezed.  “Never got to do that before.”
Xander heard them shuffle through the kitchen area toward the back room.  He moved over to the window and shoved both his and Jenny’s bags out onto the fire escape.  He turned back just as the two entered.
“What the....” Eddie had no time to finish his thought.  Xander barreled into him, which in turn knocked Eddie back through the door and into Frank.  Xander quickly got to his feet and stepped over them.
“Who the hell was that?”  Frank croaked as Xander’s feet rushed by his head.  Xander moved into the living room.  It was a bigger area to make a stand.
The rush he felt as his bones popped and snapped as he assumed wolf form was something he couldn’t describe.  It was like the falling away of all his inhibitions.  It was time for the hunt.
Xander’s golden eyes followed the two as they barreled into the room.  Both drew their guns at the sight of him.
“Well, well.”  Eddie snickered.  “Looks like we found MacTire already.”
“That was quick.”  Frank said as he trained his weapon on the beast across from him.  “Where’s the boy, MacTire?”
Xander didn’t respond.  He kept his eyes moving between the two.  They slowly moved apart, keeping their weapons aimed at him.  They were going to give him nowhere to escape.  He had to think fast.  Quickly he grabbed underneath the couch and flung it toward Eddie.  In the same motion he jumped, attempting to pin Frank to the ground.
Frank was faster.
Xander felt a searing pain in his shoulder as the gun cracked in response.  He could tell they were packing silver bullets, because the pain continued to burn.
He landed on Frank as he heard Eddie grunt under the couch.  “I can’t get it off me!”  He yelled, but Frank couldn’t respond with Xander’s long taloned fingers at his throat.
“Where’s Killian?”  Xander growled.
“Right here!”
Xander turned and was met by a brown blur to the chest.  Xander slammed fists to the side of Killian’s head as the two barreled through the far wall.  Xander’s air rushed out of him as the two broke through mortar and brick to the open air beyond.  Frank and Eddie had been a diversion, Killian had known Xander was there.
Just as Xander caught a breath it was knocked from him again as the two hulking behemoths slammed into the roof of a parked car.  Xander ignored a woman’s screams as a fist slammed into the bullet wound in his shoulder.  He yelled in pain as another followed.
“Where’s the boy MacTire?”
In response Xander threw a punch at Killian’s head.  Killian knocked it away with ease.
“Don’t make me ask you again.”
Xander began to hear shouts as people began to come out and see what the woman’s screams were about.  He looked back at Killian with a growl.  Another searing pain shot through his shoulder, this time it continued as Killian shoved the palm of his hand into the wound.
“I’m losing my patience.”  The brown wolf rumbled adding more pressure to Xander’s shoulder.  Far off sirens could be heard and more shouts and screams filled the air.
“Who wants to know?”
Killian smirked, as much as he could in his current form.  “Wouldn’t you like to know.  Let’s just say I have an interested party and you, my friend...”  More pain as he stuck a taloned finger in the wound. “...are throwing a wrench in my plans.”
Xander turned his head to see a cop car round the corner five blocks away.  “Do you really want to get caught out here?”
Killian turned to see the squad car approaching.  “What are they going to do?”  He looked back to Xander.  “You’ve always forgotten, they are beneath us.”  With that Killian stood up, pulling Xander with him.  He flung Xander toward the car, sending him into the windshield.  The car careened into a fire hydrant, sending a spray of water into the air.
Xander rolled off the hood of the car and looked up to find Killian nowhere in sight.  A click from behind signaled that at least one of the cops had recovered.  Xander felt a slight prick, followed by the tingle of electricity.  The cop was trying to taser him.  Xander turned, causing the taser to pull out of the cops hand and sending him back a step.  Xander stared at the man, who returned the look with wild eyed terror.  Xander turned and barreled off down the closest alley.
Shots rang out as he reached the fire escape.  He quickly climbed up, grabbing the duffel bags as he went past, and was over the edge and out of sight before the cop reached the mouth of the alley.
Xander didn’t stop until he was thirty blocks away.  He slumped against the side of a roof entrance.  He looked down at his shoulder.  The blood was slowing, but the wound was still bleeding.  Healing was always slowed significantly by silver.
He grunted as he climbed to his feet.  Killian had just made life more difficult for him.  A fight in front of humans would not make his alpha, let alone the Ze’ev as a whole, happy.  They’d spent most of their lives staying hidden from humans.  In one fell swoop, Killian had given him a death sentence.
Xander, as quickly as he could, made his way to the motel.

Jenny paced the floor of the small hotel room.  Her nervousness had been growing worse the longer she waited for Xander to return.

She passed the t.v.  Scenes of a local food festival played across the screen as the local news played.  She’d muted it about an hour before, sick of listening to the droning of the news anchor.

Sam continued to draw at the table in the kitchen area.  She found some blank sheets of paper in a closet, along with some pencils.  In her pacing she’d caught what he was drawing.  Scenes of two giant beast fighting.  Well, at least she knew what kind of impression the days events had on him.

She glanced at her watch again.  It had only been five minutes from the last time she’d looked at it.  It was approaching three hours since Xander had left and still no word.  She began contemplating whether or not she should get in contact with the department.  She hadn’t checked in with them and now she’d been a no show for work today.  She’d probably get fired if she didn’t explain herself soon.

Sam looked up at her as she passed again, but quickly went right back to drawing.  This time a scene of the monster ripping off the roof of what looked like a car.

She glanced at the t.v. again.  The headline caused her to stop short.  She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

“.....giant bears fighting in the middle of the street.  Melissa Rourke has the story.  Melissa.”

The scene changed to a blonde woman with very large hair.  “Thanks Frank.  Residents of one hundred and fourteenth street were stunned this evening when many caught the scene of what looked like two giant bears fighting on top of a car.”

One hundered and fourteenth!  That was her street.  The scene changed to an unkempt African American man in a dingy tank top and shorts.

“We heard this loud crash.  I came out to see what all the ruckus was and there they were!  Two giant monsters, one brown and one black, fighting on top of that car.  Snarling and growling at each other.  Then one jumped at the cop car.  Then both of them ran off.”

The scene changed back to the on scene reporter.  “Police on scene say that the altercation started here.”  She pointed up to a large whole in the side of Jenny’s apartment building.  “The two animals busted through the wall of the apartment of local detective Jenny Cooper.”

Jenny dropped onto the dingy couch in shock.

“Police aren’t sure how Detective Cooper is involved as they are unable to locate her.  She hasn’t been seen since last night and never came into work this morning.”

The camera followed the reporter as she slowly walked down Jenny’s street.  “Cooper was investigating a missing boy and the death of his two foster parents.  Police aren’t sure if there is a link between the case and this strange incident.”

Jenny put her face into her hands.  This wasn’t good.  The scene changed to Jenny’s boss, Lieutenant Don Baxter.  “We’ve checked with local zoos and none are reporting missing animals.  We still don’t know what kind of animals it was, but we’ve found hair and blood samples from the one that attacked the police cruiser and we’ll make a statement once we know.  We’re also not sure how Detective Cooper is involved, but we are trying to locate her, so anyone who has information we are asking they come forward as quickly as possible.”

A picture of Jenny popped up on screen with a caption of her name.  The reporters voice came over the screen.  “Anyone who has seen or has any information on the whereabouts of Detective Jenny Cooper can contact local police or Local News 9 with any information.  Back to you Frank.”

Jenny muted the t.v.  This was just getting worse and worse.  Now she knew why Xander was so late.  There was blood at the scene, which meant he was hurt or possibly dead!  Jenny put her head back in her hands.  She, of course, had no way of contacting Xander either.

“Where’s Mr. Xander?”  Jenny looked up to see Sam standing over her.

“I...I don’t know.”

“I hope he’s going to come back soon.  He makes me feel safe.”

“Me too, sweety.  Me too.”  She pulled Sam close and hugged the boy.  She’d been pulled into all of this because of this boy.  He was supposed to be this prophesied hero, but right now all she saw was a scared little boy showing a brave face.  Jenny squeezed him tighter.

Jenny nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone on the end table began ringing.  Sam backed away as she stood up and and grabbed the receiver.  She put it to her ear and before she could say anything...
“Jenny, you need to leave now!”
Jenny recognized a frantic Xander on the other end.  “Xander!  Where are you?”
“No time for that.  I was attacked at your apartment.”
“I know.  It’s all over the news.  Where are you?”
“I need you to leave.  I know a safe place you can go.  I didn’t want to get them involved, but they’re my only option.  I’ll meet you there.”
“Get who involved?  Are you okay?”
“No time.  I need you to go to the church on Bellin.  Do you know it?”
“Yeah.  I’ve drove past it.”
“Good.  I’ll meet you there.  Tell them I’ve sent you.  They’ll take care of you.”  She heard him begin sniffing on the other end.  “They’re close.  Please, hurry.”
The click on the other end told her that the conversation was over.  She put down the receiver and looked at Sam.  The boy smiled at her.
“Is Mr. Xander okay?”
She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she knew she was failing.  “I think so.  We need to go.  Mr. Xander wants us to meet him someplace.”
“Okay.”  The boy immediately went to action, picking up the papers off the table.

Jenny threw the car into park in front of the church.  The church looked like something out of the middle ages.  It was a tall grey building, with three spires.  The middle spire towering above the middle two.  There were many stained glass windows in the church.  As Jenny stepped out of the car she noticed many of them depicted wolves in them.
Jenny and Sam walked across the cobblestones in front of the church.  It was strange to Jenny, because where the church building ended on either side was concrete, but the in front of the church was cobblestone.  It was strange that they’d go through so much trouble.  

They walked up the stairs to the door and Jenny slammed the knocker down three times.  After a few minutes of waiting the large front door began to creek open.  The man that stood in the doorway looked old and grizzled, but still stood straight.  His hair was completely gray, even down to the mutton chops on the sides of his face.  He wore a dark grey sweater over a white button up shirt, buttoned to the top button.  His dark brown slacks matched his dark brown shoes.  He had a cane gripped in his right hand.  Jenny wasn’t surprised to see that the top of the cane was an elongated wolf’s head.

“May I help you child?”  The man’s voice deep, but soothing.  It made Jenny feel comfortable almost immediately.

“Xander told us to come here.”  That made her nervous again.

The old man chuckled.  “He must be in trouble again.”  He looked over Sam and Jenny once more with his kind, twinkling eyes.  He ushered the two in and close the big door.  He limped past them and Jenny and Sam followed.

They walked down the center isle between the pews toward the pulpit.  Before reaching the stairs up to the pulpit, the old man turned left and went through a door.  Through the door were stairs leading down and at the bottom was another door.  Through that door was a large room with tables and chairs.  The room was empty except for a dark haired girl.  Jenny thought she looked to be in her teens.

“Ciaran we have company.  Would you get them something to eat.”  The girl nodded and left through a side door.

The man motioned to a table for Sam and Jenny to sit.  After they had, he sat as well.  He let out a groan as he did and then gave them a warm smile.  “Well, who do I have here?”

Jenny looked at Sam, who looked back at her.  “My name’s Jenny” She motioned to Sam “and this is Sam.”

“It’s good to meet you.  You can call me Liath.”

“That’s a weird name.”  Sam giggled.

The old man’s eye’s sparkled at Sam.  “I suppose it is.”

Ciaran returned with two bowls of stew and some bread.  Sam attacked his instantly.  Jenny Looked around the room between bites.  This place felt comfortable and safe, but off as well.  Liath took notice.

“Is something wrong?” The old man asked.

Jenny’s attention snapped back to him.  She really hadn’t realized she’d been looking around.  “No, I just find it weird Xander asked us to come here.  I don’t picture him as much of a church goer.”

Liath chuckled.  “No, I don’t supposed he would.”  He paused as Ciaran returned with a cup of tea for him.  He thanked the girl and turned back to Jenny.  “We aren’t so much a church as we are a sanctuary.”

“For the Ze’ev?”

For the first time Liath’s calm demeanor seemed to be shaken.  His eyebrow raised in a look of shock and concern.  “Well now we’re getting down to why Xander is in trouble.”  He took a sip of his tea.  “Yes, there are those that need a sanctuary from the rest of the Ze’ev.  We are neutral territory and those seeking help come here for just that.”

“You seemed surprised that I know.  You know that I’m not one of your kind.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Of course I did.”  Liath took another sip of his tea.

“Why did you let us in, then?”

“You came for sanctuary.  I turn no one away.”  The old man smiled, but it was an uncomfortable one.  “Besides if Xander deems you important enough to send you here I couldn’t dismiss that.”

Liath spoke of Xander in an almost reverent tone.  She found it strange that even this man, in charge of this sanctuary, would let in a human and risk the wrath of his kind.  There were limits, even for someone in his position.

“Still, aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

Liath nodded.  “I suppose I should be.  I have it on good authority though that if there was retribution it would be resolved soon enough.”

It struck Jenny odd that the man would put that much faith in Xander, especially considering Xander’s position.  She got the feeling there was something the man knew that he was keeping to himself.

“Tell me child.  What kind of situation is Xander in?”  He was changing the subject.  Jenny decided to go with it.  She didn’t want to push and have him clam up entirely.
“This boy is your prophesied alpha.”  Jenny said motioning to Sam.  “Xander is trying to keep him safe from a man named Killian.”
Liath raised his bushy eyebrows when he looked at Sam.  “Your majesty.”  He said in a mock bow to Sam, who giggled in response.  “What makes him believe that this boy is the one who will gather the clans?”
“I don’t know.  The boy’s foster parents were killed and the boy was taken.  Xander believes they were going to put him through some sort of ritual and then take his Ekkar or whatever he called it.”
“I see.”  Liath sipped his tea.  “Well we can’t have that can we Sam.”
The boy smiled up at Liath.  Jenny began to grow agitated.  She could tell when someone was making fun of her.  She began to object when the door crashed open.
All three of them turned to see Xander stumble into the room.  Blood ran from his shoulder and covered his arm.  Ciaran came into the room to investigate the noise.  She gasped at the scene of a naked Xander covered in blood.
Liath was on his feet quickly and hobbled over to Xander.  He grabbed a tablecloth of the nearby table and used it to cover Xander.
“What happened my boy?”
“I was attacked by Killian at Jenny’s apartment.  They shot me with a silver bullet.”  He stopped and took a deep breath that seemed to cause him more pain than good.  “Killian and I fought in the street...”
“What!”  The man’s calm demeanor quickly dissolved.  He looked at Jenny.  “You neglected to mention that.”
“Don’t blame her.”  Xander cut in.
“My boy, this has put us in a whole mess of trouble.”
“I know.  Can we worry about the bullet first.”
The man motioned for Ciaran to clean off a table.  He motioned for Jenny to help Xander to his feet.  She walked him over to the table and helped him lie down.
“Ciaran go grab my bag.”  Liath said as he began to make Xander comfortable.  He wadded up another tablecloth and laid it under Xander’s head.  “Well need to dig it out.  It’s going to hurt.
Xander nodded, but didn’t say anything.  Jenny could tell the pain was unbearable.
“I thought it had to be in the heart?”
“That will kill him, yes, but if it’s anywhere else it is excruciating and keeps him from healing.”
Ciaran returned with the bag.  “Bring me one of those candles.”  Liath said taking it from her.  He rummaged around inside, producing a pair of tweezers.  Ciaran set the candle down next to Liath and the older man stuck the end of the tweezers into the flame.  Jenny wondered if werewolves got infections, but decided not to ask.
Xander howled when Liath shoved the tweezers into the wound.  “Hold him down.”  The old man said as he continued his search for the bullet.  Jenny and Ciaran tried there best, but Xander was stronger than both of them bargained for.  Jenny had a hard time keeping his shoulder down.
After a moment Liath produced a shiny object from Xander’s shoulder and Xander relaxed.  Liath placed a hand on his forehead.  “Rest my boy.  We have much to talk about when you’re feeling better.

Xander came to consciousness and pain instantly surged through his shoulder.  He continued to lay there with his eyes closed, letting the pain subside.  It finally ebbed into a dull ache.

He went over in his head the events of last night.  He remembered leaving Jenny and Sam at the motel.  The fight with Killian in Jenny’s apartment.  The disaster of being seen in the middle of the street by humans.  He tried going back to the motel, but four blocks away the wind had shifted and he caught a scent following him.  It had caught his attention because it happened to be that same familiar scent he’d smelled in Sam’s room.  The one he’d recognized, but couldn’t place.

The scent had continued to elude him, but he’d decided to hang a left and move away from the direction of the motel.  He’d gone about a mile before stopping and making the phone call letting Jenny know to meet him at the church.  That’s when he saw his pursuer on the roof across the street.  A dark, hairy form of the Ze’ev.  

He’d tried following him, but with the aches and pains all over from his fight from Killian and the increasingly painful bullet wound in his shoulder.  He’d only followed about a couple of blocks before the pain became too much.  He realized he was close to the church and made his way there instead.

Then it was a blur.  He’d remembered stumbling through the chapel, dropping the backpacks.  Falling down the stairs, that one had hurt, and bursting through the door to find Liath, Jenny, and Sam sitting at a table.

The held him down while Liath removed the bullet.  He’d lost consciousness quickly after that.

He continued to lay there with his eyes closed, taking in his surrounding with his other senses.  He was in the room he always stayed in when he was here.  It’s scents were familiar.  He smell the freshly laundered sheets.  The scented candles that Ciaran always burned.  And Liath.

That one caught him by surprised.
“Are you going to lie there all day, pretending to be asleep?  Or are we going to talk about last night?”
Xander opened his eyes and rolled his head to the direction of the old wolf.  Liath sat in a chair next to the bed.  His hands resting on the top of wolf’s head handle of his cane.  He gave Xander an inquisitive look.  One eyebrow slightly raised.
Xander began to sit up, pain shooting through his shoulder again, although slightly less painful.  It meant the his rapid healing had kicked in.  He sat to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard.  He turned to look at Liath.
“I was seen last night.”
Liath shook his head.  It wasn’t in disgust that much Xander knew.  It was more like a father trying to decide what to do with a rebellious teen.  “That much I’ve heard.  Why were you seen.”
“Killian set a trap for me at Jenny’s apartment.  At first I thought his goons had just stumbled across me, but Killian was there.  Which meant he was expecting me.”
“And you were seen.”  It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.  Killian pushed us through a wall to the street below.  There were people around.”
Liath shook his head.  “You know what this means.”
“That I’m now top of the Ze’ev’s most wanted.”
“The council likes anonymity.  This will be a death sentence.”
That was not what he wanted to hear.  Xander looked up as the door opened.  Ciaran shuffled into the room with a tray of food.  Without a word she set the tray on the bedside table.  She gave Xander a warm smile and quickly left.  Xander picked up one of the sandwiches.  Until he saw the food he hadn’t realized how hungry he was.
“This is because of the boy.”  Again, not a question..
Xander swallowed and looked at Liath again.  “He’s the one.”  He said matter-of-factly.
“And you know this how?”
That threw Xander off.  He hadn’t really stopped to think about it.  He was just doing what he was told.  He had been told to protect the boy.
“You don’t know if he is, do you?”
“I....uh...I was told he was.”
“And you believe that you were told the truth?”
“Of course.  Why would he lie to me?  He’s looking out for the safety of the clan, even the entire Ze’ev.  Right?”
Liath didn’t respond with an answer.  He let out a “hurrumph” and took the cup of tea off the tray.  Xander had never had a taste for it anyway.  He sat there for a moment.  His head swirling with this new information.  Finally he looked over at Liath.  “He is one of us.”
“Mmm hmm.”  Liath responded, sipping at his tea.
“How do you know the boy’s not, you know, the one?”
Liath set the cup on the saucer and set it on the table.  “You have a point.  I don’t really, but I have my suspicions.  But how will anyone know?  He’s a clan chief, not an oracle.  Is it because Killian is showing interest?”
Xander thought on that for a moment.  He hadn’t been given any information, just that it was imperative that Xander protect the boy.  He’d said the boy was important.  Maybe Xander had drawn his own conclusions.  Xander rubbed his head.  He wasn’t sure what to think.
“I’m not saying for sure that the boy isn’t what everyone thinks he is.  I just don’t believe that anyone but you has the best intentions for him.”  Liath sipped at his tea again.  “What do you think?”
Xander shook his head.  “I’m not sure.  I know that everyone is going through an awful lot to get to him.”  He pulled back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed.  His shoulder only dully ached now and he felt much better after eating something.  He moved past Liath and grabbed his bag sitting on the floor.
“What do you plan to do?”
“I need to get Sam away from here.  Find him a safe place for him...and myself.”  He pulled on a clean pair of pants and shirt.
“Where can you take him?”
“I’m not sure.  I can’t leave him here, because it would put the sanctuary in danger.”
“There’s not many places you can take him without the Ze’ev finding you.”
That struck a nerve.  Xander was backed into a corner.  He couldn’t leave Sam with anyone and he couldn’t have the boy with him.  Either way the boy would be found.  He wished he felt better about his clan’s intentions.  Xander put both hands on the dresser and bowed his head, trying to think.
“You can leave him here if you need to.  This sanctuary’s recovered from a lot more.”
He looked up and turned toward Liath.  “It’ll only be for a short while, until I get answers.”
“From where?”
“Vorgrim.”