The Devil's Wolf

Alatar handed her a canvas bag. "Grab anything off the shelves that you think might be useful, whilst I mix the glamours. You, feather boy," he fixed Cael with a pointed finger. "Sit on the stairs. With those wings, letting you wander in here would be like letting lose a bull in a china shop."

"I can retract them, but it hurts," Cael sat on the stairs, sulkily.

"Yes, I remember Lia saying something to that effect," Alatar muttered, already busy over the table. "She doesn't fly much. Perhaps that is why."

"I think it's more because my father worries that if she's flying frequently, she might become a target. She stays on pack lands unless he's with her," Ashlynn said from amongst the shelves. "Smoke bombs," she crowed tucking a few of the small pouches into the canvas bag. "I remember these from when I was a kid."

Alatar chuckled. "Always a favorite amongst the cubs," he agreed. "They like to hunt each other through the smoke," he explained to Cael.

The bell over the door to the shop rang as it opened.

"Ah, shit," Ashlynn pulled a face as her father entered. "Alatar," Raiden greeted the warlock.

"Raiden," Alatar was not surprised by the werewolf's arrival.

"You told him where we were!" Ashlynn accused. "And played us to get our plans out of us!"

"Of course, he did," Raiden growled. "He is my friend, Ash. But, I was already on my way here - you told Nate you were going to visit a warlock you knew. Of course I knew you meant Alatar."

"Shit," she had, she remembered.

"Told you, you should have kept your mouth shut," Cael muttered.

"Her idea is not without merit, Raiden," Alatar said, continuing to mix ingredients. "Glamouring the vampires in order to infiltrate their nest to locate and assassinate Elior's vampire uprising is creative but plausible." "Then you and I will do it, Alatar. Ashlynn, you and Cael will return to pack lands," Raiden glowered at Ashlynn. "And your other mate, who is, by the way, understandably furious."

"Shit," Ashlynn pulled a face. "There are other things Cael and I can do to help, dad. We could go to the Fae Faire, or try to spy on the humans to find out what's-"

"Ashlynn," Raiden was patient. "I know you want to help your mate but putting yourself in danger is just increasing Elior's worries, not easing them. Sometimes the most helpful thing a person can do is to stay out of trouble." Alatar looked up suddenly, his expression alarmed. "Talking about trouble. Something powerful just crossed my glamour."

They heard the squeal of tires and Raiden cursed, pushing Ashlynn and Cael towards the stairs. "Alatar," he turned to his friend. "Any ideas?"

"Fight," Alatar replied.

"Are they humans, or vampires?" Ashlynn demanded.

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"I don't know," Alatar replied.

"Cael, take Ashlynn from the roof," Raiden met Cael's eyes. The devil inclined his head.

"Here," Alatar shoved a pouch through the stair railings into Ashlynn's hands.

"What did you do that for?" Raiden demanded.

"In case we don't win," Alatar replied grimly. "Her plan has merit, Raiden. Plus, we might need rescuing ourselves."

"Go," Raiden barked over his shoulder at Ashlynn as the door was kicked open. "Go! Go!"

Ashlynn started to protest, but Cael propelled her up the stairs. She heard glass shatter and a crash, and smoke followed them up the staircase. Either her father or Alatar had released a smoke bomb.

The staircase narrowed around them, and Cael cursed, as they pushed into the hallway, the walls of which shrunk and warped ominously.

"What is this?" He demanded.

"There must be humans amongst those that are breaking in downstairs," she replied throwing open the door to the staircase to the roof. "Alatar's expansion spell is shrinking as it would be noticeable to them if the building inside is twice the size of what it is outside. They shouldn't have been able to find their way to the shop," she added as they reached the roof. "It's glamoured to disguise it..."

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"If they were tracking your father, and he led them in, surely that would expose the glamour?"

"No, it doesn't work like that..." She trailed off. Alatar had said something powerful had crossed his shield. What was powerful enough to put that look of alarm onto the warlock's face?

Cael pulled her against him and lifted into the air. As they rose above the street, she saw three faces looking up. "Shit," she said. "It's the Wingless."

"So it is," he replied with interest. "I wonder - are they tracking you, or your father?"

She threw up a shield deflecting a spell. "There's your answer. Take us higher, Cael!" Spells rebounded off her shield several times before Cael took them beyond firing range. "Shit," she strained to see through the clouds. "I didn't see if dad and Alatar won or lost."

"They lost."

"Oh my god, what did you see?"

"I saw them get into one of the cars, and your father did not look happy about it. I know that expression on his face well, as it's how he looks at me," he was amused by that.

"Crap," she looked at the cloud below her feet as if the solution lay there. "Well, there's nothing for it. Take us back down Cael. To one of the rooftops of the Vampire Square. We'll cast the glamour there and see what we can find out. Maybe we'll find out who has dad and Alatar."

"As you command, my mate," he replied cheerfully.

"You're awfully happy," she looked up at him suspiciously.

"I was imagining the look on your father's face when I rescue him," he grinned wickedly. "He'll hate that, almost as much as he hates being my father-in-law. The saying is right - it is the small things that bring the most joy."