Page 5 of Wind with a Chance of Wolfsbane

Had he left them alone and allowed yellow fever to take them, they wouldn’t have spent years in agony, living life as something they hated.

Guilt still ate at Jonathan to this very day. He’d tried to right the wrongs of the past. To make amends. He watched over and raised his brothers’ sons as if they were his own but never dared to have any children himself or pass the curse to another through his bite or blood.

His nephews had been born with their wolves being part of them. And they’d not shown the same signs of splintering as their fathers. As much as Jonathan had discouraged his nephews from starting families, they’d done it all the same. Thankfully, no other Harkers had suffered the same ill fate as his brothers, but Jonathan knew it was only a matter of time before his luck ran out with them.

Hell, he, himself, had already begun to show cracks in his mental well-being. He hid it all behind a laid-back persona. A false façade. One that left him wearing whatever was hip and trendy at the time without being too much. He often came off as a slacker to some, yet he had a good work ethic. He used humor to keep others from noticing the inner war he was waging with his wolf and his darkness.

Right now, his darkness very much wanted to take a chunk out of the driver of the white van. Jonathan watched the white van drive off. Shortly thereafter, a large dark SUV pulled up to a stop near the edge of the walkway. The passenger-side door opened, and out stepped Dwayne Harker.

Dwayne had only recently joined the Detroit team, and Jonathan wasn’t planning to leave him in the area for long. Dwayne and his family weren’t even supposed to be in Detroit at all right now. They’d been stationed out of New York City, where Dwayne and his teenage son, Kellan, had been tasked with watching over someone precious to the man in charge of everything to do with Van Helsing Industries.

Abraham “Bram” Van Helsing had not taken the news well when he found out his daughter, Dana, and Kellan had a budding romance. The feelings between Kellan and Dana were intense yet innocent, but that hadn’t stopped Bram from overreacting. Bram had reacted the way most fathers would when it came to a boy being around their daughter.

Considering the fact that Bram had been around for over a hundred and fifty years, he should have more than known the way of things between teens. Then again, that was probably what had set him off to start with—knowing precisely what had been running through Kellan’s mind.

Bram had yanked Dwayne and his family from New York so fast that everyone had whiplash. Bram had then thrust Dwayne at Jonathan as if it were his fault that teenage hormones existed.

For the foreseeable future, Dwayne’s family would be staying far from Bram to keep Kellan off Bram’s radar and ensure his safety.

Jonathan had a soft spot for the young shifter. In many ways, the young shifter reminded Jonathan of himself and his brothers. They all had one brown and one green eye and the same brown hair. Complete heterochromia was something of a Harker family trait right up until Jonathan and his brothers. Then it hadn’t been seen again in the family until Kellan had been born.

Kellan had Myron’s softer nature too. He was a gentle soul who didn’t take well to the wolf. Much like Myron. As Kellan’s godfather, Jonathan took the boy’s safety seriously, and pushing Bram too far wasn’t safe. The man could be more than deadly.

Dwayne glanced him over and shook his head. “I’m guessing you flew first class like that.”

Jonathan glanced down at himself, wondering what the issue was. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a screen printing of the Beatles on it and a pair of faded jeans with holes in them. Black military boots finished off the look. He had a flannel shirt tied around his waist. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

Dwayne snorted. “Nothing. It’s basically what my son wears, and he’s how much younger than you are?”

Jonathan’s clothing choices were somewhat unique, considering his age. He didn’t look anything close to his age and long ago gave up on being prim and proper. He wouldn’t be caught dead in a double-breasted frock coat or wool of any kind if he could help it. And he no longer owned a morning coat. He didn’t miss the fashions that were popular when he was actually a young man. They were stiff, uncomfortable, and restricted motion.

Now he went around doing his best to appear carefree. He was anything but. He lived in a constant state of vigilance, always worried what lived in him would overtake him, causing him to break mentally.

Jonathan walked toward the SUV and handed his bag off to the other man. “Then Kellan has better taste than you.”

“That’s what I told him,” said a man from the driver’s seat of the SUV.

Jonathan dipped his head to peek into the open window. When he saw Leonard “Leo” Van Helsing, he inclined his head. “Sorry for your loss.”

Leo swallowed hard but nodded. “Thanks, man.”

Dwayne put the suitcase in the back of the SUV and came back around, opening the passenger-side door for Jonathan. “Your chariot awaits.”

Jonathan took a seat and met Leo’s gaze fully. “Know that I’m only here to help. Not to take over. We’ll find those responsible for what went down, handle them accordingly, and we’ll get you ready to take over operations here.”

“Me?” asked Leo, his eyes widening. “No. Not me. Someone else would be better suited for the job. I’m not really management material.”

Dwayne climbed into the backseat and shut the door. “Yeah, who is better suited? You’ve got the most seniority and know this office and area like the back of your hand.”

Leo twisted around to face Dwayne. “You knew he was looking at putting me in charge?”

Dwayne shrugged. “Maybe.”

“It was his suggestion,” stated Jonathan.

“Way to throw me under the bus,” said Dwayne.

Leo faced forward, put the SUV into gear, and pulled away from the airport, seeming lost in thought.

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