Blood of Eden

Chapter 15

By the time they got Victoria home the entire house knew that the disappearance had been innocent rather than malicious and there was a definite feeling of celebration in the air. Her mother was waiting anxiously for her at the door, her eight and a half month pregnant stomach taking up the majority of the large doorway.

Katherine couldn't help but feel a tug on her biological clock when she saw Victoria wrap her arms around her mother's stomach with a kiss for the baby and offered her mom the sweaty Toblerone bar that had been the source of all this mess. She glanced over at Quinn without really meaning to and saw that he had a curve to his lips and wetness in his eye. She lowered her gaze before he could catch her watching him intently. She didn't want him to jump to any conclusions on her part, yet. Mom was a title that she wanted someday, just not at the present moment.

She and Quinn received more than one slap on the back congratulating them on finding the little girl so quickly. Katherine took it in stride and tried to brush it off as just another day's work but inside she felt a sense of peace in the fact that, despite all threats, the family was still safe.

Pierre was waiting for them both in his study. He ushered them into the room then shut the heavy door behind them, blocking out the still resounding sounds of the news as it spread and changed in detail from person to person until it resembled a fairy tale ending.

Katherine's feelings of peace evaporated when she saw that the room was already occupied by her three brothers, her mother, and several trackers, one of whom was Rachel. Anthony rose to give her a kiss on both cheeks and Quinn a firm handshake then returned to his seat on the long leather couch and waited for their father to speak.

When he did his voice was soft. "You both did well today. Thank you for bringing Vicky home to us."

Quinn nodded while Katherine mumbled, "You're welcome." The feeling in the room was serious and she felt somewhat reluctant to speak until she was filled in.

Pierre returned to his chair behind the large desk and sat down, tenting his fingers and tapping them against his mouth. For a few seconds, the room was silent as they waited.

"Anthony has brought us some news. His group of trackers managed to find positive proof that there is, indeed, a hunter in Montreal and that he has been responsible for three deaths of pack members. He is one we haven't come across before, someone new or someone really old. Either way, he is smart and appears to know the local areas as well as we do which seems impossible yet is." He looked across the room to the woman sitting quietly in the corner and nodded gravely, "Rachel, please report what you've already told Anthony and me."

Rachel stood confidently, her long blond hair pulled back in a low chignon that was both tasteful and respectful of her position. Katherine could see Anthony watching her and wondered again at their relationship. The thought was fleeting, however, and disappeared as soon as she began her report.

"Jason and I were canvassing the St. Luc area and came across an extremity buried shallow enough for a wolf to be able to smell but too deep for a dog or cat. It was wrapped tightly in plastic with holes punched through so as not to hide the scent. The object was soon discerned to be a forearm," at this, her voice broke for a moment and she cleared her throat, trying to appear unaffected and failing, "a forearm with a tattoo on it that reads "My business is to create."

Katherine's head filled instantly with a cacophony of white noise and she felt her chest swell with grief. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, opening them only when Quinn put his hand on her arm and squeezed, worry and questions evident in his eyes. One glance around the room showed that all of her family was closely watching her reaction to this news while Rachel and the trackers tried desperately to look away from the intimate moment the family was sharing.