educational portion of this trip ended well before I got a look inside that room. Jeremy set me up in an alley next to the building, where I was to stand watch. This was probably just an excuse to keep me out of the apartment, but I played my role to the hilt, keeping my eyes, ears and nose on alert.
Jeremy and Peter presumably cleaned the room as best they could. Then they brought the wrapped bodies down to the car, which was parked in the back alley, loaded them up, and we left.
After we buried the bodies—okay, after Jeremy and Peter buried them while I played lookout—we had one more job to do: burn Peter’s bloodied clothing. Jeremy knew not to dispose of them anywhere near the bodies, so we headed out of the city. First we dropped Peter off at a nature preserve Jeremy had found on the map. Before we found a motel for the night, Peter had to Change. No matter how difficult it might be with the drugs still in his system, Jeremy insisted on it.
While Peter went for his run, Jeremy and I disposed of Peter’s clothing a few miles away. As we did, Jeremy talked the situation over with me, making sure I understood what had happened and why. He no longer worried that I might be traumatized by such things, nor seemed surprised when I wasn’t. At first I’m sure he wondered whether my acceptance of such things was a cause for concern, maybe a sign that I lacked a conscience. By now, though, we’d been through enough for him to understand the truth about me. I couldn’t grieve for those two dead girls any more than I could ever grieve for any person, human or werewolf, that I hadn’t known.
That didn’t mean that I couldn’t understand the tragedy of their passing. Every death should have a purpose. If it doesn’t, then it is tragedy, and anyone who commits such an act has violated a basic law of nature. The only excuse for killing an animal is for food. The only excuse for killing a human is protection of self or Pack. Even if I could stand there, stone-faced, as Peter and Jeremy disposed of two bodies, that didn’t mean my brain wasn’t processing the tragedy of it, and that I wasn’t storing this lesson away in my memory. What I’d seen that day shouldn’t have happened and, knowing how it had happened, I’d make sure I never let myself get into a similar situation.
Once we’d burned the clothing, we returned for Peter. Jeremy parked a quarter-mile from the nature preserve. Then we walked to the fence, climbed it and headed into the woods. Jeremy followed Peter’s trail to a pile of clothing haphazardly shoved under a tree. He inhaled deeply, sampling the wind. I did the same, and couldn’t pick up a fresh scent, meaning Peter was still running.
"Can we go, too?" I asked as Jeremy pushed Peter’s clothing farther under the bush.
"I suppose so," he said. "Just remember—"
"Hide my clothing better than that," I said. "Yeah, I know." I started to look for a place to Change, then glanced over my shoulder at him. "Can I go find him as soon as I’m done? Or do I have to wait for you?"
Jeremy chuckled. "Since when have you ever had to wait for me?" he said, and disappeared into the forest.
Jeremy was right, of course. Even at Stonehaven, where I could gain a few minutes by tossing my clothing wherever it landed, I could never Change faster than Jeremy. No one in the Pack could, though, so that was some consolation.
When I finished, Jeremy was lying outside my thicket, head on his paws, eyes closed, as if he’d been waiting so long he’d fallen asleep. I snorted and pounced, but he rolled out of the way easily, sprang to his feet, twisted around and pinned me by the neck before I even had time to think of my next move. I sighed, breath billowing out in the cold air. He gave a low tremor of a growl that I’d learned to interpret as his wolf-version of a chuckle.
He released my neck and turned, as if to run, presenting me with his flank. I shouldn’t have fallen for it. Only the most
Jeremy and Peter presumably cleaned the room as best they could. Then they brought the wrapped bodies down to the car, which was parked in the back alley, loaded them up, and we left.
After we buried the bodies—okay, after Jeremy and Peter buried them while I played lookout—we had one more job to do: burn Peter’s bloodied clothing. Jeremy knew not to dispose of them anywhere near the bodies, so we headed out of the city. First we dropped Peter off at a nature preserve Jeremy had found on the map. Before we found a motel for the night, Peter had to Change. No matter how difficult it might be with the drugs still in his system, Jeremy insisted on it.
While Peter went for his run, Jeremy and I disposed of Peter’s clothing a few miles away. As we did, Jeremy talked the situation over with me, making sure I understood what had happened and why. He no longer worried that I might be traumatized by such things, nor seemed surprised when I wasn’t. At first I’m sure he wondered whether my acceptance of such things was a cause for concern, maybe a sign that I lacked a conscience. By now, though, we’d been through enough for him to understand the truth about me. I couldn’t grieve for those two dead girls any more than I could ever grieve for any person, human or werewolf, that I hadn’t known.
That didn’t mean that I couldn’t understand the tragedy of their passing. Every death should have a purpose. If it doesn’t, then it is tragedy, and anyone who commits such an act has violated a basic law of nature. The only excuse for killing an animal is for food. The only excuse for killing a human is protection of self or Pack. Even if I could stand there, stone-faced, as Peter and Jeremy disposed of two bodies, that didn’t mean my brain wasn’t processing the tragedy of it, and that I wasn’t storing this lesson away in my memory. What I’d seen that day shouldn’t have happened and, knowing how it had happened, I’d make sure I never let myself get into a similar situation.
Once we’d burned the clothing, we returned for Peter. Jeremy parked a quarter-mile from the nature preserve. Then we walked to the fence, climbed it and headed into the woods. Jeremy followed Peter’s trail to a pile of clothing haphazardly shoved under a tree. He inhaled deeply, sampling the wind. I did the same, and couldn’t pick up a fresh scent, meaning Peter was still running.
"Can we go, too?" I asked as Jeremy pushed Peter’s clothing farther under the bush.
"I suppose so," he said. "Just remember—"
"Hide my clothing better than that," I said. "Yeah, I know." I started to look for a place to Change, then glanced over my shoulder at him. "Can I go find him as soon as I’m done? Or do I have to wait for you?"
Jeremy chuckled. "Since when have you ever had to wait for me?" he said, and disappeared into the forest.
Jeremy was right, of course. Even at Stonehaven, where I could gain a few minutes by tossing my clothing wherever it landed, I could never Change faster than Jeremy. No one in the Pack could, though, so that was some consolation.
When I finished, Jeremy was lying outside my thicket, head on his paws, eyes closed, as if he’d been waiting so long he’d fallen asleep. I snorted and pounced, but he rolled out of the way easily, sprang to his feet, twisted around and pinned me by the neck before I even had time to think of my next move. I sighed, breath billowing out in the cold air. He gave a low tremor of a growl that I’d learned to interpret as his wolf-version of a chuckle.
He released my neck and turned, as if to run, presenting me with his flank. I shouldn’t have fallen for it. Only the most
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