(CMS:BT) Chapter 14

Standing in front of the elders' meeting hall, Corliss tried to gather up the courage to enter. The folder in hand, she wanted desperately to tell them what the Upper Circle had done, but Trent's scared voice echoed within her mind. They were only trying to ensure that the Macrea didn't complete any more power grabs like they had done many times in the past. She didn't want to hurt Trent's career either by allowing the information he was given to get to the elders, but she had to protect her clan.

She snorted, her clan… is that what she really thought the Macreas were. No, her clan was the Faustos despite the last name that she carried. Seeing her beloved brother, Julian, had made her remember that. Though Silvio had always been the annoying older brother who thought he knew what was best for everyone, she had still seen his loyalty to her in his eyes as well. They had both been told that she was no longer a Fausto and to treat her like an outsider, but she never realized until last night that they truly didn't believe it.

Looking down at the folder in her hand, Corliss sighed before looking at the large guard in front of the elders' door. "Ready to go in?" He asked.

"No, and it would be wise to forget that I was ever here to begin with." She said and walked away but not before he gave a nod in response.

Making her way to her room, Corliss hid the folder under the mattresses of her bed. She knew that Adriel had combinations and keys to all of her safes, and that he personally checked them all. Once it was safely tucked away, she heard the gently knock at her door.

Opening it, Ellice stood silently in front of her. Corliss curled her upper lip, "Get in here, now."

With a deep swallow, Ellice entered the room, and flinched when Corliss slammed the door behind her. "Listen, Corliss, I spoke… I spoke with Julian and he told me that they had talked to you. I… had to lie, I swear I did. It was for the good of the Faustos, don't you care about your family anymore…"

"Stop rambling, Ellice. I am not going to hurt you, though it had crossed my mind." Corliss took a deep breath, "All I want to know is where Amelia is, and then we can forget this whole thing."

"I haven't seen her in a while, she contacted me once after Rylan's body had been found, then not since after that." Ellice fiddled with her fingers nervously.

"Where can I find her?" Corliss asked again.

"Just like Julian told you; the only place I can think of is those abandon apartments not far from the Blue Berry Inn." She looked into her angry eyes.

"Why did you do this?"

"Rylan told me that if we brought down the Macreas, then he and I could be together. That's the only reason that I did it." She watched Corliss walk over to her bed and sit down.

"It was the Upper Circle that you were working for? You are the Shadow, aren't you?" Corliss folded her hands in her lap, and tried to keep her voice calm.

"No, I swear I am not. I don't know who the Shadow is, Amelia and Rylan knew, but they never told me." She sniffled still afraid that Corliss might become enraged. "The Upper Circle didn't even know that I was helping them. No one pays any attention when I am around, so people are willing to talk. Except Marcellus and Adriel, they don't trust me, because of Farquay. Please, believe me, Corliss. I speak the truth this time, I swear."

"Why did you lie to me, but tell me about a pup being involved?"

She shrugged, "I figured that you already knew, I guess. I wanted to look like I was being helpful is all. I don't know, I am so sorry, I really am. Please, don't tell Farquay what I have done, please, I beg you."

Corliss nodded, "I won't, you have nothing to fear. However, I can't protect you either, if someone ever finds out, I will not put my neck on the line for you." Walking to the door, Corliss opened it for her.

Ellice stared at her for a moment, "You…" She shook her head and began to walk out.

"I, what?"

"You smell like my brother, Corliss." She swallowed, "Maybe you should take a shower and brush your teeth before Adriel or Kaleb or anyone else for that matter comes to visit."

She gave a nod, "Thank you, I will."

Shutting the door, Corliss threw herself onto her bed. She inhaled deeply of her clean sheets, before getting back up and preparing herself a shower. Her mind was always on the folder underneath her mattress, and she knew that she needed to let Trent know of her decision, and the information that Ellice had given her. Though it wouldn't be easy to talk to him now, not after the way she had recovered it.

---***---

Having spent the day with Isaac and the dogs, Trent entered his apartment. Their investigations had been fruitless that evening, and though they tried to locate Amelia they had not been able to find the abandon apartments. With a heavy sigh, he threw his keys on the coffee table and then himself on the couch. The investigation had been the last thing on his mind that day, as he tried to think of how he would explain his loss of critical information to his father.

A low rumble came from his stomach causing Trent to realize that he hadn't eaten or drank anything the entire day. Though, strangely enough, he hadn't been hungry not even when Isaac and the dogs had bought hot dogs. He grinned to himself when he remembered Samara asking him if they were still on for Friday and he agreed, though he truly didn't want to.

Standing up, he walked over to the kitchen and began to dig around for food. He didn't have much and was about to order pizza, when the knock came at his door. Slowly opening it, he wondered who would be visiting him at nine in the evening. Opening the door to reveal Corliss brought both anger and relief to his heart, the anger faded when he saw the folder in her hands. She looked more beautiful now then he had ever remembered her. Dressed in proper kine attire, he remembered how she looked the first time he had met her. All prim and proper, the look suited her well. Her dark red hair pulled back in a bun with several stray curls, a gray dress suit, and that same red lipstick.

"I have been calling you all day. Why haven't you answered your phone?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

"I was working; you know the investigation that we were assigned to do." He tried not to sound angry, and he knew he shouldn't bring up the folder.

Corliss gave an almost embarrassed nod, before noticing Trent's eyes fixed firmly on the folder in her arms. She immediately held it out to him and Trent tried his best not to snatch it away from her, but instead take it gently as if he had known all along she would bring it back.

With nothing else said, Corliss turned her back to him and began down the hall. Trent was not about to let her go that easy, so he stepped out into the hall.

"Wait." He watched her turn toward him. "Did you tell anyone?" He asked with both fear and hope in his eyes.

Her head gently shook, "No… I decided against it."

His quick motion towards her caused her heart to jump in fear, as for a moment she thought he was going to attack her. Instead he cupped her face with his left hand and gently kissed her lips three times.

Corliss put her hands to his chest and calmly shoved him back, "Don't do that anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like it." She crossed her arms.

Trent frowned, "Why? Because I'm human?"

Her eyes looked down the hall, then back to him. "Just don't."

"No, I want a straight answer. It's because I am a human, so you think that you are better then me."

"Fine, yes, because you are human. Do you know how much trouble that I would be in…"

"Don't give me that, you and I both know that Adriel told you to…"

It was her turn to interrupt him, "Yes, but not enjoy it, not want it. I was suppose to make you trust me enough to give me top secret information, that is all. After this is finished, there will be no place for us. We belong to different worlds, you know that just as well as I do."

He nodded, "I know it well enough." His eyes fell to the carpeted floor beneath him. "Are we still going to work together?"

Corliss sighed, "Yes, I suppose that we have to. Ellice told me that she was working with Rylan and Amelia for the Upper Circle. She doesn't know exactly what they were working together to do or who the Shadow was. However, she did reinstate Julian's theory that Amelia is at the abandon apartments near the Blue Berry Inn."

"We looked for them today, and didn't find anything remotely abandoned." Trent said.

She cleared her throat, "Well, I will ask Ellice for clearer directions tonight. We will go see her tomorrow. We should probably bring the pups. She might feel safer and more willing to talk in their presence."

He was a little more then surprised to hear her invite the dogs along. "Good idea."

"I'll see you in the morning then." Corliss began down the hallway.

"See you then." With that he turned back into his apartment, and headed for the telephone knowing that his food was only twenty minutes away.

After ordered his large pepperoni pizza the knock reoccurred at the door. Opening it, Corliss had returned, her eyes held her nervousness.

"Then again," She began, "no need to worry about what's happens afterwards until we cross that bridge, right?"

Trent grinned, "I just ordered pizza, you want some?" He stepped aside to let her enter.

"I have never had pizza before, is it any good?" Corliss entered the apartment as she brushed her shoulder against his chest.

"It's the main staple of my diet. Like the round greasy base of my food pyramid." He said as he shut the door.

She chuckled, "I think I am in the mood to try something new." Her grin turned to him as he helped her remove her coat.

---***---

That morning Corliss called Ellice for specific directions, and in typical kine fashion she discovered that the apartments were only abandoned by kine terms. Ellice gave her the apartment number that she knew Amelia normally stayed at. Before long Corliss was driving to them with the pup's car close behind them.

Isaac had not been happy to see Corliss in Trent's apartment that morning, but had kept to himself on the matter. He didn't want the dogs to know about the occurrences between the two, or much less that Corliss had stolen their files. He had been put to ease slightly, when Trent mumbled that she brought back the files. He still did not trust her, after all she had seduced his partner.

Parking on the street, Corliss and Trent waited on the sidewalk as Isaac parked his own car. The apartments were hidden behind a large grocery store, and looked like they needed a couple coats of paint. Children ran from one side of the building to the next, screaming as they played a game of tag. One ran into Corliss' leg and bounced back onto the sidewalk. Corliss stood her ground and acted more like a leaf had rammed her then a seven year old. This only reminded Trent, once again, that Corliss was not human.

"What's the number?" Isaac asked with Samara and Coyle close behind him.

"Three eighteen." Corliss said after looking at a piece of paper she pulled from her jacket pocket.

"We should knock. Seeing a kine might scare her off." Samara more so demanded then suggested, she had been rather grumpy that morning.

After seeing Corliss in Trent's apartment that morning, she had been no happier than Isaac. Of course, she had noticed that Corliss was not wearing her shoes nor was Trent appropriately dressed for kine guests.

"Amelia worked with Rylan. I doubt she has any hang ups about the kine." Corliss informed her as they continued their walk down the narrow concrete path.

Amelia's apartment was on the third floor on the building, the stairs and doors were available from the outside. Climbing to the top, the cement stairs creaked and cracked as each of them placed their weight on them. At the top, Samara pushed passed Corliss to stand beside Trent as they knocked on the door.

Corliss frowned as she stared at the dark haired pup in front of her, until she felt a light touch on her hand. Looking towards Trent, he gave a brief grin before turning his attentions back to the door.

Slowly it opened, and the blonde haired werewolf from the video tape stared at them. Dressed in gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, she looked as if she had just awoken, except that her hair was freshly done in curls. She didn't look shocked to see the strange mixture of breeds outside her apartments, and only gave a deep sigh.

"I was wondering when you would find me." She said with a grin, before stepping aside to allow them entry. Amelia's eyes went immediately to Corliss as she passed her.

---***---

The apartment was no bigger then Trent's, but clean and well decorated with earth tones. The pups took a seat on the couch along with Isaac, while Corliss and Trent took to the large chairs across the room from each other. Amelia had already taken the seat next to Corliss, which had caused Trent no small amount of annoyance.

"You look so much like Rylan in the face." Amelia's soft voice said to Corliss, "He spoke often of you. I feel as though I know you."

Corliss snorted when she realized that the others were watching her, "I don't know why you would. He barely knew me."

Her head nodded slowly, "No, I suppose he didn't." Amelia looked towards the others. "How may I help you?"

"We need to know about your relationship with Rylan Cullen." Samara said.

Amelia nodded, "We were partners, nothing more. Rylan was helping the Upper Circle in a project to ensure that the Macreas would no longer cause problems among the kine. It seems whenever there was a dispute, many of their pets would end up dead."

"Why would he be partnered with a packy, though?" Coyle asked. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since she opened the door.

"And why do so many people believe you were having a romantic relationship?" Samara asked, a little disgusted to be in her presence, mostly because of her brother's behavior.

"There was no romance between Rylan and myself. We only used it as a decoy of sorts…"

"But what good would that do?" Samara asked.

"And what about PAKA?" Corliss added.

Amelia sighed, "You all have been thorough. Let me start off by answering a question posed to me previously, about why he would be partnered with a packy, maybe that will clear things up a bit. I could get into places that Rylan could not, as we all know kine are not often welcomed into certain…businesses. Not only that, but in Sacramento where I worked for PAWS, I often went undercover. I was natural choice for this mission."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"As for PAKA, the Upper Circle wanted us to see if it was a sham. There have been several similar organizations that claim to help cross breed partners, but instead murder them." Amelia rubbed her left hand, "We played along with the whole arrangement, until we were asked to get married, then we called it off. Rylan refused to be wed to a packy even if it helped his assignment. He was very much against pack and kine relationships, but didn't believe they should be killed either."

Corliss tried to hide her relief from everyone, as she had known all along that her brother wasn't the type to toy with a pup, but all evidence said otherwise.

"The bed at the Blue Berry Inn, your scents were mingled." Samara said more then questioned.

"We would often lay on the bed together and discuss matters, it was nothing intimate. Please, believe me when I say there was no romantic relationship between Rylan and myself." Amelia's words were directed towards Corliss.

Corliss gave a nod, "I believe you."

"Tell us then about your mission with Rylan." Trent demanded.

"For the most part, I was there to inform the Upper Circle and help Rylan with any troubles that he had. After a time, I convinced him that we needed someone closer to Adriel reporting back to us. We had several options… or at least that is what Rylan said, he never told me their names. He wanted to protect them, which is how we came up with the code name Shadow." Amelia turned her eyes to Corliss for a moment, then back to Trent.

"Tell us about this Shadow." Isaac leaned forward.

"The Shadow would email us data that was received from Adriel. We bugged several rooms in the building, the ones we felt were most important, but that didn't mean we were getting all the information we needed. Besides that, Adriel is known well for whispering, especially when it came to matters with other clans." She cleared her throat.

"You do not know who the Shadow is then?" Coyle asked.

"I do not know." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, "There is one thing though. I have reason to believe that the Shadow was more than one person."

"Why would you think that?" Corliss asked the question this time.

Amelia again cleared her throat, "Several reasons, really. Sometimes the Shadow would spell Rylan's name with a 'I' and other times with a 'Y'. The same one that spelt it with an 'I' would always sign his emails, The Shadow, but when it was spelt with a 'Y', there would be no signature." She looked around the room, "Also, they would say things like, 'You should ask the Shade for further details, as they are closer to this issue then I am.' I believe Shade was a code name for the other Shadow."

"Did you ever ask Rylan about it?" Isaac questioned.

"Of course, but he wasn't going to tell me, and got quite upset when I brought it to his attention." She swallowed.

"Anything else, you can tell us?" Coyle tried to sound sympathetic.

She grinned before looking at Corliss, "I think Rylan had other reasons for doing this. Something told me that he wasn't just trying to keep the Macreas out of trouble; this was personal. Maybe he wanted to elevate himself or someone else in the clan."

"Do you have any idea who could have killed him?" Trent asked this time.

Amelia nodded, "I have plenty of ideas, hell, the Upper Circle has a whole list of them. However, logically speaking, I think Rylan was about to pull out. He was going to inform Adriel of everything. Something spooked him."

"Those death threats?" Samara guessed.

She shook her head, "No, someone on the inside found out and got to him, and that could be the reason for his death. Though the Upper Circle knew he was leaving and could have had him killed, or even my old pack, the Blood Fangs."

"They said they were paid off and didn't care." Samara told her.

Amelia snorted, "Their pride was hurt, no amount of money could patch that… only blood."

"Who do you think killed him, above all?" Coyle folded his hands in front of him.

"He was about to spill everything; the two Shadows would have gone down with him. If he told them what he was about to do, they might of tried to stop him."

Everyone stood from their seats, and Amelia followed.

"Thank you for the information, Amelia." Samara shook her hand, "We will be in touch."

"It was a pleasure meeting you all, take care." Amelia followed them to the door, and grabbed Corliss' arm before she could leave. "Your brother never told you, but he respected you for always keeping your loyalty to the Macreas. Even when they treated you poorly… he once told me that, he wished he could be as forgiving and dedicated as you were."

Corliss grinned, "Funny, I always wished that I could be a little more free, like he was."

Amelia smiled back, "So did I."

---***---

Kicking off her shoes, Corliss landed face first on her soft bed and inhaled the scents of the freshly washed comforter. She knew that she needed to inform the elders that she had found Amelia, but still wasn't certain what she would say. After all, she hadn't told them anything about the bugs or the shadow, but lying to them would prove to be difficult. Adriel always knew when she was being less then truthful, however, with her switch to being Kaleb's toy, he might believe she was trying to protect his son.

She sighed heavily; taking a moment to realize how truly tired she was, before her mind slipped onto him. Her lips fought to smile, as she remembered the gentle kiss that Trent had placed on them before she left. It was doomed before it had even began though, this feeling that she had for him. He was too old to be turned and the clan would have her killed before she could ever go public with it.

Sitting up, she shook her head, what was she thinking about anyway? That her and Trent actually had more between them then just desire for control and information. No, she was being silly now, though this did remind her a great deal of a relationship she had back when she was a Fausto. They met at a formal banquet, he was dressed like a high standing kine, which he was. His dark hair pulled back, and his eyes so very green. Back then he was a Macrea and she was forbidden to become friends with one, let alone lovers.

That didn't stop him from sending the poetry and flowers, all of which, he managed to get into her room without being noticed. Marcellus had been her first and only love, but it all changed when she was forced to marry Adriel's son. Not that they couldn't sneak around anymore that could have easily been done, instead because he was the one who offered the idea to Adriel. It had been Marcellus, who suggested that they take Corliss as one of their own, therefore bonding the two clans. He had meant for her to marry him, but Adriel thought it would calm the war if she married one of his own.

Finding out about what Marcellus had done, she cursed his name and demanded that he never again speak to her. He did as she had ordered him to, and rarely spoke to her unless the situation called for pleasantries. Rylan had fought Marcellus' toy simply because he accused his sister of being in love with the elder. Even though Rylan hardly knew her, he would not allow his sister's name or that of his clan to be soiled. Corliss remembered begging Marcellus for forgiveness and to show him mercy, and had been shocked to hear of the trial's decision. It had been Marcellus who asked that he become his toy, when Adriel demanded his death, and Corliss' father had accepted his son's fate.

Many rumors were sparked because of the trial, mostly about Marcellus and her being in love, which at the time was no longer true. She had heard other rumors that Marcellus often visited her room, though if it were true she was never in.

Her heart ached as she thought of events passed, as well as those to come. When this case was over she would forbid herself from ever seeing Trent. It was for the benefit of them both that they kept their distant. And if like fate was playing a dark and cruel joke upon her, the bedroom door opened, and in stepped Marcellus.

His green eyes pierced into her soul, as she stood up to greet him. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she turned over onto her back, and tried to peer out the door to ensure no one had seen him.

"It's not the first time that I have snuck into your bedroom, Corliss." He told her, as he shut the door. Turning back around, he leaned against it to seal her inside. "It seems we both have issues that can be fixed by the others intervention."

"Oh? And what are these issues?" Corliss crossed her arms when she sat up. He was the only elder that she wasn't afraid of.

"You do not want to marry Kaleb, and I think that Adriel's reign over the Macreas needs to come to an end."

Her arms dropped to her side, "I see." The words slipped from her lips as she sat on the end of her bed. "What are you suggesting then?" Corliss knew how politics worked in the kine world, and this was a common occurrence. Marcellus was giving her a chance to join his side, which meant that if a change of power transpired she would not be killed like Adriel and Kaleb's other toys. However, if the transfer of power wasn't successful then she would be found out and killed as well. The only reason she gave Marcellus time to further explain, is that she knew many of the elders were tired of Adriel. He had made Macreas too political in his time, where they only wanted to run a business.

It was difficult to be within the public eye at all times, and having Adriel running around trying to gain power in the human world had taken its toll. Odds were that Marcellus had most of the elders on his side by now, and they were willing to accept him as their new leader. Corliss was no fool, and though she had been loyal to Adriel for many years, she knew when to change sides.

He grinned, "I need to know everything that you have learned about Rylan."

"What do you mean? I tell the elders…"

Rolling his eyes, he stepped forward. "I know that Rylan was working with the Upper Circle, but I need to know why and how."

"How do you know that he was?"

Marcellus chuckled, and gently laid his hand on her cheek, "He was my toy. There wasn't much that he did that I didn't know of." As he spoke he kneeled down in front of her, placing his hands on her thighs. "I monitored his email and kept his phones under surveillance."

"If you monitored his email, then you know as much as I do. Amelia was not much help other then telling us what was in those emails… actually, with phone surveillance, you probably know more then I do."

He gave a nod, and squeezed her thighs, "Who are the Shadows? I need to know."

"We don't know, but we are trying to figure it out. When I know more, then you will." She stared down into his eyes, her hands folded in her lap.

"Then you will join with me?"

"Yes, as long as you keep the wedding from going forward."

Marcellus stood up and gave a nod, "Several other elders have joined my cause, I am certain that we can prolong the engagement for a time." Turning around, he placed his hand on the door knob, but before opening the door, he looked back over his shoulder at her. "And just so there will be no surprises, when I am the high elder, you will become my wife."

"And if I don't want to be your wife?" Corliss asked defiantly.

Marcellus grinned, "Adriel ruined our plans a hundred years ago, it will not happen again."

"Our plans? I do not recall you ever asking me to marry you, only tricking Adriel and my father."

"Then I will ask when this is through." Opening the door, he didn't give her time to object further.

Corliss sighed, "What is with everyone wanting to marry me all of a sudden?" She threw one of her decorative pillows at the wall.