George took the phone call at his desk.  He was pleased that Jolen was being resourceful and that he was acting somewhat as the leader of his group, even if he was looking to Iskender for guidance.  That is why he sent Iskender along, to help guide the boy.   He told Grayson he was pleased and that he would be reimbursed for the food the four ate. Then he hung up and pondered how Jolen ended up at Grayson’s doorstep in the first place.  Grayson was not a highly ranked wolf in his pack, although he and his wife did come from an old family, the two preferred to stay to themselves and breed.  The last he had heard from Grayson was over the matter with the schools, when he had asked all wolfkin who were being negatively impacted by the law to report in.  He reported one of his children was no longer receiving special services, but the others were doing well in their studies, at home.  From what George recalled there were eight of them, and Grayson was an out of work teacher due to this law, working odd jobs to feed his family.  George stroked a very generous reimbursement check.

 

The scent of something delicious wafted into the room rousing the sleeping forms on the bed one by one.  Edna stood smiling in the doorway and watched as her cooking disturbed their slumber.  She hoped that one day her children would go on their quests to seek the Ulfric, and when they did, they were treated as well by a stranger.  The young man who seemed to lead this group sat up first and stretched.  He looked down on his friends and smiled, then slipped out from the bed.  He had stripped down to his skivvies to sleep, and was in the process of pulling on his jeans when he noticed her standing there.  Blushing scarlet, he yanked up his pants and buttoned them quickly.  “Thank you for use of your bed.”

“You are very welcome, Jolen.  Come on downstairs, the children are curious.”

“Yes ma’am.”  He grabbed his shirt and shoes, and then followed her out of the room.  The ‘children’ ranged in ages from just in their mid-teens to toddlers and were not just Edna’s children.  Jolen looked at them, then looked at Edna.  “Who are they all?”

“They are wolfkin, or will be one day.  Go in there and get to know them, let them get to know you.”

“I should finish dressing,” Jolen indicated his shirt which was still in his hand.

“Actually, I was going to suggest you remove the pants.”

He looked at her almost horrified.  “They’re children.”

“They’re wolfkin.”

“I’m not sure their parents would approve.”

“You can ask them, they’re in the kitchen.”

Jolen looked toward the kitchen and took a deep breath, finding he could scent a myriad of scents coming from that room — wolfkin.  “I’ll keep the pants, for now.”

Edna nodded and smiled at him.  “Get to know us Jolen.  We never really approved of your father keeping you so separated.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons.”

“We know he did, but you are here now.  He is giving you to us now.  We want to know you.  Allow us.”

Jolen nodded, considering this to be another strange ritual.  “They aren’t changed?”

“Some are starting to feel some stirrings, but there are no greetings to observe or rituals to attend.”

Jolen was visibly relieved.  Edna smiled. 

“Go, I’ll make sure the others are up for dinner.”

“Thank you,” Jolen said as he stepped into room where the ‘children’ were contained.  It was a boisterous group just before he entered, but when he stepped in they were all quiet, even the littlest of them.  Then Alvey came over to him and turned to address the group. “See I told you he wuz here.  His name’s Jolen just like everybody’s been saying forever.”  Then Alvey stood up on his tiptoes and sniffed him.  Jolen did not know what to make of it.  “He even smells like wolfkin.”

“How can he smell like wolfkin, we all know he wasn’t raised with us.”

“Don’t believe me, smell for yourself.”

And they did; all of them.  Jolen found he was pinned to the floor with noses shoved in the most embarrassing places where they sniffed him.  He struggled at first then tried his best to just lay there and take it.  Finally, one of the older ones thrust her neck in his face.  “Smell me Jolen, know me.”  He took a deep breath and knew her scent was different from Lorna’s scent, although he could not tell how he knew, just that they were.  Then they were all clambering for him to sniff them, and he had no choice to obey until he taken in the scent of all of them, including the smallest.  By the time he had finished his other friends had joined them, and were chatting with the older ‘children’ quietly until dinner was called.  They would be eating outside, as there was a hog roasting in a pit out there.  Other dishes had been made inside to be served along with the meat.  Jolen had never been to a family gathering before and was a lot lost, but they made him feel at home.  The adults treated him like an emerging adult, and the children treated him like a large child.  Overall, it was good for him to see how family acted together and he was sad to take his leave.  One of the men offered to give them a ride to their next destination, and not being stupid, Jolen accepted it.

 

Jolen had been correct about the rebus, and looked at the seedy hotel. “I know I don’t want to stay there,” Jolen said, shaking his head.

“Me either,” Lorna agreed.

“We might not have to,” Loki said, “there could be another clue, you know at the desk.”

“Then why don’t you go in and find out,” Jolen told him.

Loki shrugged.  There was nothing in the rules against him retrieving messages. 

“You don’t mind if we stay here, do you?” Jolen asked their driver.

“Nah, I wouldn’t want to go in there either.”

Loki shrugged and got out of the car, then went inside the hotel’s office.

 

“Hello, I think I may be expected?” he said to the clerk behind the counter.

“An’ you are?” she said as she popped her gum.

“Iskender.”

“Oh yeah, there’s a message for a party with that name on the list.  Hang on.”  She turned around to look for something on the table behind her when Loki heard the door open from the hotel itself.

“This the one honey?”

“Um, yeah,” she nodded at the man who had entered.

“If you will come with me…” he said as he grabbed Loki’s arm none too gently.

Loki wanted to protest, he wanted to fight, but he had Jolen to protect.  “What do you want?” he managed to squeak out as if he were afraid.

“What do you think we would want of the Ulfric’s son?”

Loki’s stomach twisted in a knot.  They had grabbed the wrong one, but they did not know it yet.  “My father won’t let you get away with this.”

“We hope he won’t.”

“What do you want?”

“You to shut up for now,” the man backhanded Loki.

Loki cowed back and tried not to attack the man, now was not the time to attack.  He hoped Jolen would not come into the hotel, but he had the feeling he would, and he needed to get his would - be kidnapper as far away from the front lobby as he could before the real son of the ulfric showed up.

 

Jolen sat and waited for as long as he could stand it.  “He should be out by now.”

“Iskender is a big boy.”

“He is my responsibility.”

“If he heard you say that he would laugh,” the driver said.

“He told me that himself.”

“How is that?”

“When he was teaching me about dominance, I didn’t understand, but I think I’m beginning to.  If you ever make someone submit to you or if anyone ever submits to you voluntarily then you are responsible for him or her.  They are yours to protect.”

“That is true.”

“Then he is my responsibility.”

“Iskender would never submit to you without a fight,” he said in disbelief.

Jolen blushed.

“You fought?”

“I guess you could call it that.  I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time, and I’m sure he didn’t think I would win… it surprised us both when he forfeited the kiss.”

“He forfeited with a kiss?”

Jolen nodded.

“And you accepted it?”

“Was I not supposed to?”

The driver smacked his own forehead with his palm.  “Remind me to yell at your papa the first chance I get.  Go in there and get Iskender.”

Jolen got out of the car and was in the hotel lobby in less than three heartbeats.

He looked at the young woman behind the counter.  “My friend, he came in here… did you see him?”

She blinked at him and popped her gum. “Yeah he left with a man, must not have been much of a friend, yanno, got a better trick and left ya hanging like that.”

Jolen took a deep breath and did his best not to scramble across the counter at her.  “We came here to pick up a message.  Do you still have the message?”

“Oh yeah that.  Found it after your friend left.” She held it up.

Jolen held his hand out for it.

“How do I know it’s for you?”

“Look if anything is happening to my friend, you will not live to see another sunrise.  Now give me the message.”

Her eyes widened in fear and she handed the note over.  Jolen opened it up and read it.

 

“Congratulations, you’ve made it to the first clue.  Ask the ditz behind the counter for your room key, and you will find clue number two.”

 

Jolen read it again then looked at her again.  “May I have my room key please?” 

“Oh sure.”  She fumbled with some keys then handed him the key for room 111. 

Jolen thanked her then went back out to the car to get the others.  The driver insisted on coming with them, at least for a moment, until they could find Loki.  They surmised he could be in the room waiting for them.  When he was not Jolen became worried.  Lorna found the clue quickly enough, and got busy on figuring it out while Jolen went back down to the lobby to talk to the girl about Loki.

“Miss.  My friend, he isn’t up in our room, did he say where he was going?”

“No.  He left with this guy, you know?” she made a rude gesture.

“What do you mean?  Some one asked him to have sex with him?”

“No, the dude was like waiting for him.”

“Any young man who came through the door, or him specifically?”

“Look all I know is that a man came in this morning and got that room for you all, and shortly after the other guy arrived.  He has hung out all day you know, so I just assumed it was some kind of like sting thing for the person who picked up for that room.  You know this isn’t the best like place to stay.” She popped her gum.  “He went with him willingly enough after he called him by his title or something.”

“What did he call him?”

“Son of a Yulefrick,” she laughed, “personally I like son of a bitch better.

 

Jolen paled.  He was supposed to be keeping an eye on Loki and now he was kidnapped right under his nose.  He turned to the other wolfkin, “I’ve got to do something, and now.  I can’t let them keep him.”

“No you can’t,” he agreed, “but what do you think you can do?”

“Well first thing I can do is let my father know he was taken.  Then I can begin looking for him.” 

“Start by looking for him, no need to upset your father if you don’t need to.  He could still be in the building.”

Jolen nodded and turned to the girl again. “Did the other man get a room?”

“Nope.” 

“Do you have any other occupied rooms today?”

“Yep.”

“Can you tell me which ones?”

“Nope.”

Jolen sighed.  “Can you tell me which direction they went in?” he asked finally. 

She nodded and indicated with the flip of her hand.  Jolen headed in the proper direction and not too far down the hall he picked up Loki’s particular scent and he was ever grateful for the lesson the children gave him earlier.  He also got a good idea of what Loki’s captor would smell like, but he would not be certain until he got closer.  They followed the traces down the corridor and out a side door, where it became much more difficult to follow.  Jolen lost it completely in the parking lot.

“What do you think?” the driver asked.

“He got in a car and went with him; although I don’t know why he would do it.”  Jolen said as he paced in the parking lot as if the pavement would give him a clue.  Finally exasperated, he returned to the girl in the office.  “The man my friend left with, you got a good look at him, yes?”

“Yeah sure, he was like, here all day.”

Jolen grinned.

“Do you think you could describe him to me so I could draw him?”

“Why would you want to do that?  I probably got him on tape.”

Jolen’s eyebrow quirked up.

“Tape I could have?”

“Well, I could copy it for ya, yanno for a price.”

“And what would that price be?”

“I get off in about ten minutes… you got a room and no friend.”

Jolen blushed, looked at the driver, and nodded.  “Copy the tape. If the person my friend left with is on there with a clear face shot, then you get 15 minutes.”

She popped her gum, “Cool,” and started the process of copying the tape.

 

There were several good face shots of the man, and Jolen recognized him as one of the members of the organization his mother belonged to.  The very thought that Loki was with this man churned his stomach, but that his mother might be involved hurt him even more.  “I don’t know his name, but I do know how to find out.” Jolen said after he had paid for the tape.  Lorna was still giving him dirty looks, even though he used a condom, although Kryn told him it was really unnecessary as wolfkin did not catch ‘those’ type diseases.  “I have to go home.” Jolen said finally.

“It’s forbidden,” Kryn told him.

“I don’t care.  Loki has been taken and my mother knows this man.  I cannot sit here and do nothing.  Besides, how happy do you think the Ulfric will be when we arrive if he finds out we let his son get swiped from right under our noses?”

“Did you know he was the Ulfric’s son?” the driver asked gently.

Jolen sighed.  “Not for certain, but I suspected it.”

“What made you suspect it?”

“The way people acted when he was around.”

“And you observed this?”

“Yes.”

“So it was as if they were always talking around him, like they knew something he didn’t know, that they didn’t want him to know yet.”

“Yeah it was really annoying.  No one really laughed at him or anything, but it was just wrong.  If he was something or someone, then they should just tell him and be done with it, but they didn’t.”

“What if by telling him, they were putting his life in danger?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Ulfric is a very powerful man, and his son, when he first comes into his power is an unknown power.  Trouble is some people would rather see that unknown potential dead rather than see it developed.   The Ulfric took a chance and let his son develop naturally as possible, then waited to see what kind of man he would be before making the decision of whether or not to let him live, because you see, a young man of so much potential can be a rival or an ally.”

“I don’t think Loki would be a rival for his father.”

“And if it were you and your father? Would you be rivals or allies?”

Jolen looked at him oddly. “I… I don’t know.”

“You really should think about it, he is wolfkin you know.”

“I know.  We have not had much time to talk about it since my finding out.  He has kept me so… sheltered from other wolfkin.  I really don’t understand why.”

“Maybe he wanted you to live.”

Jolen looked at the man, “I don’t understand.”

“Think about it Jolen, you are not stupid.  Iskender is your friend, I can see that much between you.  Was he your friend before your father introduced you?”

“No.”

“Were you instantly friends?”

“Not exactly instantly friends, but close.”

“Did you ever wonder why?”

“I… I liked him.” Jolen said searching for the words, “and he… liked me?”

“Or maybe he was ordered to like you?”

“Ordered?” Jolen looked at him confused.  “You can’t order… that.” Jolen shook his head in denial.

“Maybe not what it turned into you can’t but I can guarantee you, it can be ordered at first.”

Jolen looked over at Kryn and Lorna who had been quiet during this conversation.  “Were you ordered to like me too?”

Lorna shook her head.  Kryn grinned, “I think a fist fight precludes that way of thinking.”

“So it was just Loki.”  Jolen began to pace, “And Ishak was sent there to keep an eye on him, or so my father said, but in reality they were both keeping an eye on me.”  Jolen stopped pacing and looked at them, “They took Loki thinking he was the son of the ulfric.  Is that a literal term as in biological child or is it another one of these terms that I’m not aware of yet?”

 

 

George looked at the newest note.  “We have your son….” the rest was a blur.  Iskender had failed.  Tears flowed freely down his cheeks.  All he had done to protect him had been for nothing, ending with those words. 

“Sir, is it bad news?” Ishak asked from across the room.

“They’ve taken Jolen.”

“Sir?”

“They’ve taken Jolen, I don’t think I can be any clearer than that.”

“We will get him back.  Iskender will hunt him down.”

“Iskender has failed,” George growled, “he will die if my son is harmed.”

“Sir…” Ishak gulped, “don’t you think that is a little premature?”

“Would you if it were your son Ishak?  You do have sons don’t you?” 

Ishak nodded. 

“Go find Iskender and bring him to me.”

 

“It means the biological child, Jolen,” Kryn said softly.

“We can’t stay here.” Jolen turned to the man who had been driving them.  “It’s not safe for you to stay with us, but we need your car.  I hope you do not mind.  Really I don’t.”

“It’s yours,” he handed over the keys.  “Just fill it up before you return it.”

Jolen grinned and ushered the others out, leaving the clues behind.  He no longer needed them to find the Ulfric.  He knew where to find him, however, he needed to find Loki first, and for that he needed someone else entirely.

 

The sun was setting as Ishak opened room 111 hoping to find everyone inside asleep, thinking they would have had a traumatic day, come up here and drank some of the beverages he had left out especially for them.  However, there were no bodies lying around except one.  A male he did not recognize at first, and then when he did, he blanched.  He was a third son, granted, but from a very old family.  One who gave their allegiance to the Ulfric willingly out of the old ways, and he was dead.  Ishak sat on the bed and wondered where the others were.  Martin was supposed to take Jolen and the others were supposed to come up here and think.  They should have been too tired from their trek over here to do much more than eat and drink the supplies and fall into the beds.  That was the plan.  It was a simple plan.  Where did it go wrong?  He went over to the one bed that was more rumpled than the other, sniffed it, and smelled nothing more than the reek of sex and air freshener.  Ishak growled and headed down to the front lobby.

“The girl who was on duty earlier, where is she?”

“She went home.”

“When?”

“When I came on.”

“At what time?”

“Oh, like, I’m not supposed to give out, like, that kind of information, yanno?”

“Has it been more than an hour?”

“Oh yeah.”

“More than two hours?”

“Um, no.”

“Thank you very much,” Ishak left out the front door and wondered how long before that did Iskender take the others and leave.  It could have been any time in the eight - hour shift before since he had caught the girl coming on her shift.  Ishak wasn’t sure where to go to start his search, but he knew of all the safe houses that Iskender knew of, so he decided to start with those and work his way around town from there.

 

George had gotten himself back together a little better and decided to read the rest of the letter.  He was sure they had demands.  They always had demands.  He choked past the words “We have your son.” to read he was unharmed as of yet except for a few bruises, and being well treated.  They wanted him to go to a particular pay phone to receive further instruction, him personally, and they would know because his son, Iskender, would identify his voice.  George stared at the words again.  They had Iskender.  He did not have to do anything.  Iskender knew his duty to him and to the wolfkin.  George sat back in his chair and laughed so hard he cried.

 

Jolen had Kryn drive the car, not because he did not know how, but because he was afraid that he was too nervous and would drive too fast and get a ticket or something.  So, he sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window.

“You do know I’m not supposed to let you go to your house until you’ve met with the ulfric.” 

“Don’t worry I’ll meet with the ulfric on his terms, where ever he wants, but first I intend to get Loki back, and the only way I know to do that is to get to the one person who might know where he is, and she happens to be at my house.”

“What do you mean?”

“That man in the video… he is in an organization my mother is in.  I do not know his name.  She does.  They want to play hostages, fine, we are going to take one of our own.”

“You are going to take your own mother hostage.” Lorna said in disbelief.

Jolen stared out the window and strummed his finger on the armrest.  “No, Kryn is going to take my mother hostage.  I am just going for back up. I need to cover my face somehow; she cannot know it is me.  She doesn’t know I’m wolfkin and she can’t know, she can’t ever know… understand?”

“Yeah Jolen, I understand, I guess.” Lorna said finally, “but she’s your mother.”

“And they took Loki.” he nearly wailed.

“What is it with you and Loki, you know I don’t understand that either.  It’s like, he and you…”

Kryn pulled the car over to the curb and turned to look at her.  “Lorna, don’t go there.  Loki and Jolen, well it is normal, not too common, but normal ok.  It is actually a good thing for them to have happen all things considered and we are looking forward to seeing the out come of their pairings in the future.  My father already is making bets on it.  I would wager so is yours.”

“Loki is from an old family.”

“One of the oldest.” Kryn said as he pulled off again. “And so is Jolen, and that’s probably why it’s happened.  It is how old families form tight bonds between bands making bands of brothers as well as family connections.  My father explained it all to me when I was a child, so lay off.”

“Fine. Although I still don’t understand it.”

“You know, Lorna, some things are not for a woman to understand but to accept.”

Lorna sat back and pondered what Kryn had said and thought about Loki and Jolen, and how they acted around each other, more like lovers than anything else, it was almost as if they were in love, not just Loki protecting Jolen like her parents told her.  Then again, her parents had been wrong about things before.  They had told her that the change would be painless and she would be glad for it to happen. Well it had hurt like hell and she was not glad for it, nothing good had happened since it happened; just everything bad.  She had let Jolen know how she really felt about him and well they had done something she had been wanting to do with him for like ever but he had not seemed interested in, and he was only allowing her to do it because Loki was there.  And now thinking back on it, it probably would not have happened at all if Loki had not been there.  Then she changed like right on top of him, and grossed him out.  She did not remember much more of anything in the bedroom than that, but she was certain he was grossed out.  She was grossed out the first time a boy had changed on top of her.  So, she knew exactly what he was going through.  Now the things he said in the cage she remembered and it all made sense to her.  Jolen being scared and all, but who got him to be not scared, not her, oh no, it was Loki.  Always Loki.  She wished he stayed gone.  She hoped he was dead.  Loki seemed to be interfering in her life in more ways than one, like when he told her parents that Jolen was going to be studying art instead of law like it was planned for him to do.  He would not be a good provider if he studied art, so that made her parents consider him not so good a choice for her as a mate and while she had not really considered him as a mate seriously, well she had not seriously considered anyone as a mate up to now.  She wanted Jolen.  Her body ached for his touch and here he was seeking out Loki.  It made her blood boil.  She wanted to hunt Loki down just so she could rip out his throat her self.  That was not a bad idea, she mused as she stared at the back of Jolen’s head.  Go along with the hunting down of Loki’s kidnapper, find him and deal with him, then challenge Loki to a fight.  It was her right now that she was fully wolfkin.  If he defeated her, the she would by rights be able to ask one boon of him, and if she defeated him, she could order him to do what she wanted… it was the perfect plan.  And that is what she was thinking as they pulled up in the Tanley driveway.