On the Prowl by Kate Rudolph
29
That night'sconcert felt a bit different than the others that Andre had been present for. For starters, he was getting more and more looks from the crew as they wondered who exactly he was to Em. The pictures from that morning had only added more fuel to that fire, but he wasn't going to worry about that yet. His own pack had already sent him half a dozen text messages full of emojis, gifs, and jokes that he would have cursed at if he had been with them rather than communicating via text.
Rowe had given him a call and asked what the real reason was that Andre didn't want backup. Andre had only growled.
But it was all in good fun. If he came back from this job mated to Em, then he knew that the pack would accept her. A lack of acceptance wouldn't have stopped him, but it was one obstacle he didn't have to worry about.
He had to put all of that out of mind. The real reason that tonight felt different than the others was that he had some idea of what he was looking for and an ally in Vi. They had split up their duties for the start of the show and planned to swap roles halfway through. For now, Andre was watching Em and the rest of her band perform the songs that had made her a star. Just as she had suggested, he had found some earplugs, and they made it much more bearable to stand so close to the speakers.
He didn't like that he was cutting off one of his senses, but given the drone of the speakers, it was a necessity. And the more times he attended these concerts, the more he got used to the sensory overload.
His wolf didn't like it. His wolf would have to suck it up.
Halfway through the show, Vi came up and stood beside him as they watched Em finish one of her numbers. This was where they'd had trouble last time. The band shuffled off the stage, and he saw the guitarist be hailed by one of the backup singers and pulled into conversation when he looked like he was about to sneak away to the bathroom or something. The lights went down, and Andre's senses went on high alert.
Was the beast out there waiting to attack Em?
Was it stalking the shadows?
He didn't sense anything.
There was a dull hum coming from Vi, and pretty quickly Andre realized it was magic. She was using those senses to figure out if the beast was out there.
Andre was ready to spring into action. This time he would attack as a man, not a wolf. That was, if he needed to.
The spotlight tracked Em as she walked across the stage, and she gave no indication that she was afraid of a magical attack.
The song came to a close, and the lights went out for a moment while the band rushed back on stage. And then the lights came back on and they went into the next song.
"I didn't sense anything," Vi said. She was looking around backstage as if trying to figure out the variable that had stopped an attack.
"Me neither," Andre replied, uncomfortable with the dissatisfaction running through him. "But is that so weird? Maybe whoever did it just had the opportunity last time. An opportunity they didn't have now."
Vi considered it with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow. "I've got the main stage now. I didn't find anything backstage. Maybe your nose will be more helpful."
Andre left her to it. According to Vi, whoever was controlling the shadow beast would need an altar or something like that to channel their power. And since they were assuming that whoever was behind the attacks was a member of the crew, they were also assuming that the altar would be somewhere backstage.
Andre pictured something huge made of obsidian and covered in melting red wax candles. Luckily, Vi had told him what to look for. It was more likely to be something small, something portable that the assailant could set up in a matter of minutes.
Vi had used her magic senses to try and find it, but now Andre would use his nose. All he knew was that the shadow beast didn't smell like anything. So he was on the lookout for an absence of scent. It was a strange thing to look for, but it was all Andre had to go on.
He started close to the stage and tried not to look suspicious. There were all manner of crew working to make sure that the show went off without a hitch. He had to stay out of their way before they started to think that he was causing some kind of trouble.
He worked down one hallway and then another, testing doors and finding utility closets and dressing rooms, all of which seemed to be used for their normal purpose.
He thought he was onto something on his third utility closet, but the sounds he heard coming from inside it were two crew members stealing an intimate moment, and he decided not to open the door.
They didn't need to be caught, and he didn't need to see two strangers fucking.
His nose didn't tell him anything, and eventually he returned backstage no more successful than Vi had been.
"No luck?" she asked.
Andre just shook his head.
"Maybe you freaked him out last time. Maybe he didn't expect his construct to be attacked."
"Or maybe he’s just too busy tonight. Can you do more…" Andre glanced around at the people near them, "of your stuff and see if you can figure anything out?"
Vi splayed her fingers out, and they glowed faintly in an unnecessary show of magic. "Already planning to. I say we take this as a good sign for now. I'll put up the same protections on your suite tonight. Just be happy you have the breather."
Andre couldn't be happy. He didn't think this was a breather. This was the calm before the storm.