Young Writers Society

Chapter Five

For the next two days, Aubrey did nothing but rest. He was left for the most part undisturbed, though every now and then someone would bring up food. He was struck by how normal and mundane it all was; nobody wore black or talked about the dead. It seemed that, like Silas had once said, life did really just go on. He wondered when the House would arrange for the funeral. That was even if werewolves held funerals. Perhaps they cremated their dead. It was hard not to slip into morbidity, especially when he thought about the other boy, and it came as a relief when his boss announced they would be leaving the next morning.

Aubrey didn’t expect any grand gestures and was not surprised. The doctor pronounced him fit for travel and he made his way downstairs, where the Ylf was already waiting. The entire space was otherwise void of people. No one came to see him off and he preferred it that way; it was not like he'd cared much about the lot of them anyway. Except for Silas.

It was almost surreal, walking across the very same hallway as he had several times before but under different circumstances, and he didn’t know how to react. There was no trace of violence anywhere, the floors and walls had been bleached clean of the blood spatters. The only evidence would be in the minds of the witnesses. He swallowed and turned away from the spot the Alpha had fallen, looking directly into his boss’s eyes.

“Can we go now?”

Flitchling nodded and they pushed past the glass doors to emerge into the sunny day. It was a brisk and quiet walk out of the compound to the streets, where a familiar and welcome sight waited for Aubrey. He smiled at the gleaming sports car parked at the curb and took a deep breath, exhaling in one long gust.

The ride home was shorter than expected, even while keeping in mind the elvensteed’s speed, and they pulled up in front of the office in the late evening. He followed the Ylf’s lead and got out of the car, taking a moment to stretch his arms and legs. Once empty of all occupants, the car hummed back to life and the teen watched with wide eyes as it accelerated and disappeared down the street on its own.

“So, that’s how he pulls the disappearing act.”

Flitchling nodded wearily and sighed. “Well Aubrey, I appreciate all you have done in contributing to solve this case. Go home and rest, your wages will be in the mail and I will call you when I need you.”

Aubrey nodded and threw a backward wave at his boss as he walked away. “Sure. Later.”

He didn’t have to wait long at the stop for the bus home. The teen walked into his quiet apartment with a murmur of relief and marched straight for the bedroom. He had forgotten to shut the windows when he left for his boss’s summons; luckily it hadn’t rained in the past ten days. Aubrey shed his clothes and put on a pair of pajamas before crawling into bed. He slept the sleep of the dead.

*****

Flitchling looked up with an indulgent smile when the front door of the office swung open and slammed shut hard enough to leave aftershocks. How else would he ever know that his assistant was reporting for duty? He had called the younger man earlier, requiring him to come into the office. Heavy footfalls thudded in the hallway outside the door; there was a crashing sound, followed by a muffled curse, and the Ylf cast his eyes to the ceiling. The door swung open and the lanky teen walked in, bearing a handful of envelopes.

“Hey Flitch, thought I should check the mailbox on my way in. You know, see if your imaginary mailmen left you any mail.”

His assistant still hadn’t gotten over the fact that letters mysteriously appeared in the mailbox without being delivered by the national carrier service. Flitchling raised an eyebrow, hiding his smile as he accepted the papers. “Well your thoughtfulness is certainly appreciated.”

He picked up the letter opener by his side and efficiently began slicing through the envelopes, perusing their contents with just a few glances.

Aubrey watched him from across the room for a few moments and then murmured, “Do you ever get any bills, like gas or electricity or even credit cards?

The Ylf lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. “I do not cook and all other essential utilities are taken care of directly through my account. I believe this allows me to focus my complete attention on my clients and their many demands.”

“So all those letters?”

“Cases and commissions handed down to me,” he finished and the teen gawked.

“B-but that’s a lot of cases.”

Flitchling leaned back into his chair, casually flicking the letter opener in the air. “Indeed, but we do not complain when business is good, now do we? The cases are handled depending on necessity, urgency and the importance of clients. A majority of them are trivial and easily solved within a few days.”

Aubrey nodded in understanding, thinking back to the kinds of people he and his boss had worked with in the past few months. “So we have a new case?” He was taken aback by his own eagerness for a moment, considering the fiasco they’d emerged from only five days ago.

The Ylf shook his head and gestured toward the door. “Unfortunately, not yet. It seems there is some business from the Bone totem affair to attend to.” He watched as his assistant’s face freeze and fell with those words and quickly clarified. “We will once again be paying host to the Alpha of the young pack of Tae, who should be here presently.”

The teen stiffened all over upon hearing that, a hard frown appearing on his face. “Yeah well I don’t see why I got to be here for that. You’re the one they got business with and I’m just the assistant. Honestly, I never want to be in the same room as that bastard ever again.”

Flitchling listened and considered his words for a moment before gently shaking his head. “Come now Aubrey, that will not do. You must be able to keep a neutral mind to others, particularly in a line of work such as ours. Do not take things personally, because you cannot close all doors to people you do not like and expect to have many allies. I would not have many commissioners if I had taken offense to every one of their ways that I do not care for.” The younger man still had a mulish expression and he made an impatient sound. “Besides, I called you in because your presence was requested by the Tae. Therefore, I expect you to be your usual polite and courteous self.”

Aubrey rolled his eyes at the obvious buttering and shrugged. “Whatever but if he makes one wrong move, I’m shanking his ass.”

The front door opened while he was speaking. They both got to their feet, walking out of the office into the hallway outside, where group of four stood, looking around. They turned around and the teen stiffened, recognizing the one in the middle instantly.

“Silas!”

Flitchling raised an eyebrow at his assistant’s outburst and the younger man pointed to the grinning werewolf.

“That’s Silas! He made it – he’s still alive.”

The Ylf turned back to the group and nodded. “Well I would hope so, considering the House of Tae is still recovering from the loss of their last Alpha.”

Aubrey stopped and frowned, jerking a thumb across the room. “Wait, he’s the Alpha you were talking about? No frickin’ way this guy beat Bruce. He’s the runt of the pack, the weakest link, the – ”

“Okay we get your point, idiot,” Silas countered, mock glaring at the other boy, who was still at a loss for words. He turned to Flitchling with a more serious expression. “Hello Mr. Flitchling. I have a message from Leland. Do you mind if we go somewhere more private?”

The Ylf gestured to the office behind them. “We can discuss in here.”

The Alpha nodded and began crossing the room, following the other two inside. Aubrey threw a glance at the other three who were still standing by the door. They would continue to maintain that position until their leader said otherwise. Such was the authority Silas had over them. It was almost unbelievable, the other boy's rapid elevation, but already the power he wielded fitted him like a second skin. He eased himself into the seat Flitchling offered him, scooting back against the wall so he could keep the both Ylf and assistant in his sights.

“How the hell did you make it out alive?” Aubrey didn’t care if the other boy came in on ‘official’ business, he was dying to know.

The werewolf chuckled and shook his head. “I swear I don’t know either. I was just trying to buy your slow ass enough time to clear the hallway. It all happened so fast, I still got whiplash thinking about it.”

The teen nodded in understanding, leaning back to prop against the edge of his table. “I know! Craziest thing I ever saw – you just exploded! One minute, you were standing there and the next thing, this big dog thing was jumping on Bruce. Damn man, I was like, what the hell? I thought you said you guys can only do that when the moon’s fully out.”

The Alpha nodded, dragging a hand through his longish hair. It had grown dramatically, since they saw last. “I don’t know man. I was just thinking, I had to keep Bruce away from you no matter what. It just happened. I’ve never called my second form that quickly but it hurt like hell! Just imagine all your bones breaking and mending in one second.” He grinned as Aubrey winced and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It didn’t help that I ended up swallowing the Bone.”

“What, you swallowed the bone? Only you Silas!”

“Ah bite me; Bruce was all over my ass. I didn’t even see it at first but the asshole had it on a chain – he frickin drilled a hole through the Bone! Anyway, I was thinking, I gotta get it away from him. But the thing was so small, next thing I know it’s choking me!

The other two nodded in understanding and the Ylf quietly murmured, “That was how you gained the strength to defeat him.” He was looking at the Alpha with the same expression he gave Joey with the revelation of his powers. His assistant caught it, but was too distracted by the story to think much of it.

Silas made a sound of assent, his face darkening as he thought back to the night. “It was like coming off a meth trip once he no longer had it. The way he came at me, I knew he would rip through my stomach to get the Bone back. So I had no choice but to kill him.” His voice cracked slightly at that and Aubrey took a deep breath.

“It ain’t your fault man. It was you or him, we all saw what he did to Zander. If anyone, blame him for not listening to me or you.”

The Alpha nodded slowly, a wan smile hovering around his lips as he turned back to Flitchling. “Anyway, good thing he came in right about then cos the Bone was beginning to get to me too. It was the ultimate power trip, combine all the drugs together and it don’t come halfway close. I can kinda see why the Houses keep them hidden… no one should have access to something like that.”

The Ylf smiled, eyes twinkling in approval. “Indeed, and I am especially glad that you did not fight me too hard for the Bone totem. Even if you crushed a fragment in your struggle.”

“What,” Aubrey exclaimed incredulously, and his boss nodded.

Silas blushed and looked down at his feet. “Yeah I still got a piece of the Bone in me but it’s such a little bit, hardly matters at all. It was gross man, he made me throw it back up!”

They both glared at Flitchling in shared disgust and he raised an eyebrow. “That was the safest way. I could not let him digest it after all.”

Aubrey blew out his pent up breath and shook his head. “Wow man, what a trip. You scared the shit outta me, I thought you were a goner for sure. So why are you here again? Said something about official business.”

The werewolf blinked and then chuckled, remembering the reason they took the long trip from South Dakota in the first place. “Yeah that’s right.” He got to his feet, handing an object over to the sitting Ylf. “The House of Tae thanks you for your intervention, which has helped to avert a disaster both upon the House and the werewolf race.” He turned back to the watching teen and tossed something his way. Aubrey caught the projectile and raised it to eye level. It was a single fang, hanging suspended in a silver chain.

“Wow, thanks man.”

Silas rolled his eyes to the ceiling with a long suffering sigh. “It’s not mine, you idiot, this is coming from the Elders of the clans. I guess they don’t want you to slam them with a lawsuit.”

The other boy chose to ignore the jibe and pocketed the fang. “So does this make me like an honorary werewolf?”

The other two looked at each other in a moment of shared laughter at his expense and the Alpha shook his head. “No it makes you like a liability to us. A human who’s with one of those on gets to move around in werewolf territory without becoming roadkill. It’s very rare for us to give them out, so don’t lose it.”

Flitchling nodded, getting to his feet. “He is right. This is high honor from the House of Tae and we appreciate your kindness. Now if you would excuse me.” He walked to the door, opened it and then turned back. “This might be a tad neurotic on my part, but I feel the need to say that my assistant had better be here when I do return. Your predecessors have not been very kind to him.”

Aubrey resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the Ylf exited the room with a chuckle. They sat in silence for a few heartbeats and then Silas sank back into his chair, gesturing around him with a hand. “So this is your joint here.”

“Yeah, ain’t too bad, right?”

The werewolf shook his head. “Nope, almost too good for ya.”

“Shut up, dumb ass, no one asked for your opinion,” the teen shot back and they both chuckled. He sat properly on the desk and crossed his arms. “So you’re Alpha now, doing Alpha things. I kinda feel bad for the pack already.”

Silas shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal after all, just more things to keep an eye on than usual. And I get to hang out with the Elders once in a while… that’s the scary part.”

Aubrey nodded, thinking about Leland’s grim visage. The older Alpha must not have taken it too kindly to having his son deposed and the position occupied by the very lowest of the pack. He wondered how the other boy would handle the new pressures and uncertainties that he’d inherited, and considered telling him all they already knew of Joseph's demise. Except Flitchling said it was strictly up to the new Shaman to divulge that information. So he swallowed the words.

“So, you and Anita huh?”

The Alpha groaned and got to his feet. “Have a heart Aubrey, she’s lost two boyfriends on the same day… besides, I was never interested in her. You were the one panting like a dog.”

“Hey, it’s all them werewolf pheromones and shit.”

“Yeah right,” he countered with a wink and took a step closer. “With everything on my plate, I don’t want to deal with fending off guys from a girl I don’t even want. But I know I’ll eventually have to. That’s just the way it is. Honestly, a part of me thinks I should let one of the other guys that actually likes her beat me just so everyone’s happy.”

The other boy thought about this for a moment and then shook his head. “But then then you’ll stop being Alpha. Or do you hate the gig?”

Silas made a sound of dissent and rubbed his eyes. “No, I actually like it. But it’s not like we’ve being doing much yet, just trying to recover from Bruce’s stupidity.”

Aubrey thought that was work enough. He felt like Silas was likely more equipped to handle the House's future problems than testosterone filled jerkwads like Zander and Bruce. The Tae would need someone with a level head, and none of that damn arrogance. So he shrugged and kicked a casual leg to the other boy.“Well then hang on and deal with everything else when you get there. No use worrying over something that ain’t happening yet.”

“I guess... but I'm still gonna retain the right to jump ship.” Silas took another small step closer, the beginnings of a smile hovering around his lips. “So you were scared for me back there with Bruce.”

Aubrey nodded vigorously. “Hell yea! I mean there’s puny you and Bruce the beast, I thought you were done for real. And then Flitchling had me really worried when he started saying stuff about seeing only two bodies.”

The smile on the Alpha’s face widened, his dark eyes lighting up from inside. “Cool, I’m glad.”

The other boy blinked confusedly. “Why would you say something like that?”

He took a few steps closer, until they were standing toe to toe. Their eyes held for a long moment before he smiled shyly. “Cos for so long, I wanted to do this.”

“Wait-”

But that was as far as Aubrey got before the other boy’s lips firmly clamped on his and a warm tongue invaded his open mouth. Silas's grip on his neck was vicelike and he was unable to move or even breathe while the werewolf gave him a thorough kiss.

“Oh… excuse me.”

They jerked apart, turning around to Flitchling, whose startled expression was quickly giving away to amusement. “I will leave now, give you two some privacy.”

His assistant made a strangled squawk, eyes bulging out of their sockets, while Silas merely shrugged and shook his head. “Nah it’s alright, time we got going anyway.” He walked to the door and hesitated, turning back to the other boy, who was still rooted in shock. “Later Fuckin' Aubrey, try not to get yourself killed. There’s a lot more where that came from.”

The Ylf’s eyebrows shot up but his guests were already making their ways out. He shut the door and, giving his assistant another sideways glance, returned to his seat.

Aubrey staggered back unto the desk in a daze. He had just been kissed by another boy. No scratch that. He had just been kissed by another boy, who also happened to be a werewolf. Were there gay werewolves? He shut his eyes and opened them again, squirming as the image played again and again in his head, a ball of heat writhing in his midsection.

Silas kissed him: what the actual fuck?

He risked a glance across the room and stiffened when he saw that his boss was looking at him expectantly.

“Well Aubrey, it seems like there was more than business on your mind back at the House.”

The teen made a gurgling sound and hastily shook his head, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “He kissed me, I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even know he was gay! Are there gay werewolves? What happened to the whole animal instinct thing? He’s the fucking Alpha!”

Flitchling shut his eyes as the words continued to tumble out in a confused torrent. Eventually, Aubrey spent himself and he opened his eyes.

“What you do and with whomever you do it, is no concern of mine… as long as it does not jeopardize our work. I suppose he will not be the first Alpha to seek a Beta, but he is certainly courageous for courting a human—”

“C-courting, what do you mean courting,” Aubrey cut in but he blithely ignored the interruption.

“It all makes sense now, why he was willing to risk his life for you, not to mention the focus and will to force a Turning.” the Ylf trailed off and looked across the room, eyes gleaming like headlamps. “He must be quite serious about how he feels.”

“Hold up, hold up man! I am not gay, and I’ve never given him any reason to think I am. Why the hell would he think I am?” The teen dragged a hand through his hair, staring at his boss as though he held the secrets to the universe.

“You never gave him any encouragement?”

“No, none! We never even said anything that would come close to encouragement!”

Flitchling leaned back into his chair. “Well seeing as I have no firsthand knowledge of what transpired between you during your stay, I am afraid my help will be limited. However, with what I know of werewolf customs, they have strict rules of engagement. Human or no, your Silas would not have kissed you as he did if he did not think it would be reciprocated. That was a gesture of possession– death fights have broken out over simpler things.”

“He’s not my anything and there was no reciprocating anywhere! He was the only one doing anything,” Aubrey hastily countered, feeling his face warming up from just thinking about it.

The Ylf waved the details away, fingers linking together under his chin. “Tell me Aubrey, did he ever do anything for you?”

The teen blinked in puzzlement. “Do anything?”

“Well, other than save your life, did Silas ever go out of his way to do anything for you… such as feed you or run an errand upon your request?” Flitchling waited, his smile widening when his assistant’s expression shifted from confusion to recollection and finally, consternation.

“Well, he made me lunch once, but it was the night of the full moon! It’s not like I could just barge into their fridge like that.” Aubrey felt his stomach clench as more niggling instances came to mind. Silas had made him lunch not once but twice... he had easily acquiesced to his request for a tour of the house… he got beaten up by Zander practically on Aubrey’s request… oh damn. His eyes slowly trailed back to his boss and the Ylf chuckled.

“Now you see what I mean. Werewolves do not go out of their way to do anything for, or assist each other. Unlike their canine cousins, they are wired to be semi antagonistic to one another. Hence the Alpha's power to control the pack. In fact, only a pair can expect any sort of consideration from one another. In Werewolf tradition, Silas has been running around showing you how good a mate he would make.” He paused and shook his head perplexedly. “However, seeing as they practically kidnapped you, there was no way you could have known. He is asking a bit much from you.”

“A lot, he’s asking a whole damn lot!”

Flitchling nodded sagely. “Well then it should not be hard to rectify. You simply have to meet face to face and explain the situation to him.”

“Thank God,” the teen exclaimed but his boss forestalled him with a finger.

“Until then, however, I would advise you not to start romantic adventures with anyone else. You would not want to add a jealous werewolf to your daily troubles.”

Aubrey goggled at him realizing the full import of his situation. “But…he lives in South Dakota. How the hell am I supposed to get a hold of him? What, am I supposed to stay single because some guy made me his boyfriend without telling me first?”

Flitchling shrugged airily. “You will think of something. Enough of that now, we have a new case on the table.”

The teen went slack, banging his head on the desk in despair. “That’s it, I quit!”

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Preview (The Blood Drop Saga)

“So then, Mr. Zimlos, how may I be of service to you?”

Flitchling leaned closer on his desk, pitching his head forward to rest against the tips of his fingers as he looked politely at his new client. At that moment, the grandfather clock in the lobby beyond the office door began the steady thrum of the third hour past midnight. Neither of them paid attention to the deep reverberation; one because of his nature and the other, because he was so used to these kinds of things by now.

“Mr. Flitchling, your name is one that I have become familiar in recent times. A friend of mine, who has once enlisted your services, recommended you to me. Apparently your performance in a delicate matter of his exceeded his expectations.”

The Ylf modestly inclined his head. “I am glad that my reputation speaks well for me. Whatever your needs are, and they must be quite sensitive to require my particular services, I assure you that they will be handled with utmost discretion.”

Mr. Zimlos nodded, seemingly satisfied by the response, and leaned back into his seat. “Tell me, Mr. Flitchling, what you know about the Blood Drop?”

It was barely noticeable but there was a lilt of condescension in his voice, his eyes critically going over the Ylf’s features.

Flitchling raised a slim eyebrow, reading the expression for what it was and responding in kind. “Mr. Zimlos I am not at all unfamiliar with your kind. What is more, I believe that my services, which it seems you are here to hire, are entirely not on your own behalf.” His client to be stiffened but he paid no heed to the reaction. “In fact, I know that you are only an intermediary; and because of that, I am less inclined to handle this matter with anyone other than one personally involved with it.”

They measured gazes over his words, calmly assessing each other. Mr. Zimlos’ expression gave away nothing to clarify or dispute the charge but he did seem to regard the Ylf more seriously now. After several moments of silence, his stance relaxed and he nodded. “You are as you have been described.” He got to his feet in one fluid motion and stepped toward the door. “We will speak no more of the matter until you, as you say, meet one who is personally involved with it.”

The Ylf shrugged offhandedly. “When you are ready to parley, you how how to reach me.”

It was to an empty space that he murmured the last words, the client was long gone before his shadow faded from the wall. Flitchling sank back into his chair and took in a long breath. A speculative gleam touched his eye as he stared into the chandelier swinging above the office. The index finger of his left hand absently tapped the tip of his nose.

How interesting....

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Side note: This is the last of my Flitchling Series I'm going to publish for a while. I'd like to move on to my other works.But honestly, this is one of my very favorites to work on. I like the characters, the interplay between them, and the slow exploration of the Supernatural world from Aubrey's perspective. The books I've published here were the very first I began with and, several installments later, it is still fun to see how much my writing has grown and changed. I really appreciate all the reviews and comments, and take all the critiques to heart.