The mail carrier stuck out his hand when he finally reached me. “Jedidiah Eubanks, at your service,” he said, deliberately enunciating each syllable.
I took his hand and shook it. “Vincent Lasco. Nice to meet you.” He nodded to me, and then I turned to the other man, shaking the hand he offered as well.
“This is my better half, Thaddeus Wells,” the postman said, introducing us.
“Nice to meet you,” I said as he stared at me with those startling blue eyes.
“Nice to meet you too.” He slowly turned to his partner and lifted the cage which I could now see held two small ferrets. As he lifted the carrier, I noticed he wore a wedding ring. I checked…and sure enough, Jedidiah wore a matching ring. “Gotta get these guys to Doc Baker,” he said slowly.
“Are they sick?” I asked, curiously. They seemed to be fine, happy, and playful ferrets.
Thaddeus slowly turned to me and smiled. I noted that he had amazing dimples. Both old guys were stunning in their own way.
“Nope. It’s just time for their checkup,” Thaddeus replied.
“Well, get goin’, darlin’. I’ll meet you at the diner for lunch,” Jedidiah said slowly. “That should give you time to have Orlando and William seen by the doc and do a little shoppin’.”
The white-haired Jedidiah had a southern drawl. I’d lived all over the US and I was sure his drawl had origins in Virginia or West Virginia…maybe Georgia? I couldn’t be precise.
When Jedidiah leaned close to Thaddeus and kissed him full on the mouth, I couldn’t help but be charmed as hell. The two old men who moved like sloths, were the sweetest couple I’d ever met. I felt a sudden jolt of electricity in my hand, and I looked down, realizing that it was the hand I’d used to shake the two men’s hands. My gaze shot back up as I stared at them, wondering whether the shock had come from the handshakes. It had to be…so why had it been delayed?
They moved as slow as snails…no, that wasn’t right. I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you sloth shifters?” I blurted. Apparently, I had absolutely no filter this morning. What was happening to me? Ever since meeting Romeo, everything about me seemed to be changing.
Both men threw back their heads and laughed. They slapped each other on the shoulders and shook their heads as they completely ignored my question and shuffled off, going their separate ways, leaving me standing and wondering in the middle of the street. I shook myself out of my musings and headed for Prosper Woods Antiques.
Greg
Sam and I stood in the sheriff’s kitchen the day after the only life I’ve ever known ended. What on earth was I thinking? Other wolves in our pack had always called me names because I was impulsive and didn’t always think things through, and they’d been right. If I hadn’t told Sam to try and make friends with Vincent the vampire last night, both of us would still have a home. Sam would still have his car and all his clothes.
“Have some coffee,” Sam said. He pushed a mug toward me, and I stared down at it, feeling sad. I was too ashamed to look up even when he called my name again. “Look at me, Greg.”
I finally glanced up and saw the look in his eyes. He smiled at me, and I noticed how pretty his eyes looked. I’d always loved them. He slung an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close, leaning up to kiss me on the cheek. I was a lot taller than Sam, at least six inches. I bent so he could reach me better, loving how soft his lips felt on my cheek. He tightened his grip on me as I squeezed my eyes shut, still unable to look into his eyes.
Sam turned me to face him, and when I finally opened my eyes, he was standing so close, I could smell the toothpaste on his breath. He smiled again and reached up, circling my neck with both arms and pulling my head down so he could lean his forehead against mine.
“We’re gonna be okay, Greg, and I need you to know that.” His eyes looked like they were pleading with me. They weren’t sad at all. The skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled like it did when he smiled at me. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Greg.” He seemed to stop for a second, and I wondered whether he’d changed his mind about what he’d just said. “Do you believe you did something wrong, or do you believe that Floyd is a bully, and he should have never been made alpha to begin with? I need to know.”
Sam’s forehead felt warm against my skin. The way his arms held my neck, and his fingers rubbed the back of my neck felt so good, I wanted to…what did I want? For it to never end? That was it. I wanted the feeling of Sam touching me to never end.
“Greg? Are you listening to me?”
I looked into his beautiful eyes again, and then nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, you know that Floyd is a bad guy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And that he’s been hurting females for weeks, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And that he’s the one who’s at fault for what happened last night, not you, right?”
I leaned back and right away, I missed the way his forehead felt so warm. “I didn’t think it through,” I said, looking down at my big feet. “I’m the one who made you talk to Vincent the vampire. You didn’t want to sit with them. That’s my fault because I made you.”
“I know we needed peace in the pack, and there’s only one way to do that. We can’t fight the vampire. He didn’t do anything wrong. That’s what I know. You were right last night. I was the one who was wrong, Greg…”
My eyes snapped up to meet his. “No!” I shook my head, reaching out and grabbing him by both shoulders. “You weren’t the one who was supposed to be kicked out. I should have been. It should have been me, Sam! You didn’t do anything wrong.” I felt tears burning behind my eyes and was so afraid I’d start crying and make an idiot out of myself. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me because I just jump in headfirst as always, and this time, I got you all messed up with Floyd. Now he hates both of us, and he thinks we’re traitors to the pack.”
“He’s the one who’s a traitor,” Sam said, arguing with me. He always was good at that. “Listen, I’ve been wanting to leave the pack for a long time, Greg.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Greg, it’s been on my mind for a long time, leaving the pack, getting away from Floyd. You understand?”
His eyes were so pretty. “No. Why? You have so many friends there.”
Sam shook his head. “I only have you, Greg. The only reason I stayed in the Frederick pack was because I was born into it and I couldn’t leave unless you went with me. No one else in the pack is a real friend to me or to you. Besides, the way they all treat you…do you really think I could be friends with anyone who would treat you badly? That’s why I’ve been thinking of leaving the pack for a long time. That’s why, Greg.”
“What? You’re the first one to tell me that wolves are pack animals. The worst punishment we can have is being kicked out. I should have just stood up and taken your punishment for disobeying Floyd,” I said. “I should have grown some balls and explained that you eating with the vampire was only because I told you to do it. If I was a real friend to you, I would have done that.” I looked away. I was too ashamed and everything I said was true. I didn’t want to see Sam go through the scourging. He might not survive it.
“Look, Greg, I was little when Floyd became alpha but some of the older pack members said we’ve had better alphas over the years…alphas that have good businesses instead of stealing scraps from poor pack families and drinking all day while the men are away at work.”
“So, you could leave now that you’re free.” I felt a big lump in my throat.
“No. Neither one of us are leaving, Greg. We’re both going to do whatever we have to in order to help our pack get free of Floyd and his asshole enforcers,” Sam said. He squeezed my arms. “Do you understand me? We’re gonna do whatever it takes even if it means using the unicorn, and the vampire, and the witch, to help us save our pack.”
My heart beat hard in my chest, and I crushed Sam to me, holding him t
ight. I really hoped there was going to be a way to save the pack from Floyd, but I wasn’t so sure about it. I liked the sheriff and I wanted to trust him. He had a good aura around him. It was purple, a good color for an aura. I leaned down and kissed Sam’s hair as he hugged me, fitting into my arms just like he was supposed to.
Romeo
Sally and Precious got to the station at just about the same time that morning. I was rereading Sheriff Willis’ autopsy report and looking at the crime scene photos Sally had emailed me from her digital camera. The only thing that stood out in the evidence we’d collected was the fact that he’d died of natural causes and that there was no evidence pointing to how the hell the body got in there.
“Good morning,” Sally said.
I looked up, seeing her standing in the doorway holding a cup of coffee. I smiled and held out a hand to a chair in front of my desk.
“Hey there! Good morning, Sally. Have a seat.”
She moved over and plopped her round butt into one of the padded chairs in front of my metal desk. I slid the autopsy report across the desk to her.
“Got the autopsy report for Sheriff Willis.”
She looked down at the closed folder, pulling it toward her. “Cause of death?” she asked before even opening it.
“Can you believe it? Natural causes,” I said.
Her jaw dropped open as she flipped the file open. I watched as she looked over the file, reading the autopsy report from start to finish and examining Doctor Willoughby’s sketches and x-rays in excruciating detail. She looked up and closed the file after several minutes before leaning back in her chair.
“How in the hell did he get in that mine? I mean, fine, let’s say he was depressed or whatever…what motive could he have had for slinking off to die alone in that mine? He could have just eaten a bullet from his own gun. Not only that, did he just walk in on his own? Neither of us saw footprints other than those of the kids. I smelled werewolves but there were no claw marks anywhere on the body. He wasn’t drugged and there was no obvious sign he’d a disease or illness. What the hell is going on here?”
I met her deep frown with one of my own. “Exactly. That’s what I was wondering.” I stopped for a second. I did have one thought and it had been percolating all morning, especially after talking to Vincent about the drive-in. “Okay, this is going to sound so fucking weird, I’m just going to lay it out there. Just promise not to shoot me until you hear me out.”
She smirked, lacing her fingers together over her belly. “Fine. Give me your worst, Sheriff.”
“Okay, after the dustup at the saloon last night…” I began.
“Dustup?” she asked, interrupting me.
“Oh, shoot. I forgot. I was at the saloon last night with Vincent. Sam sat down with us along with Sid, the witch—”
“Hang on.” Sally sat forward. “Sid the witch? And who’s Sam?’
I snorted. “Let me back up. I forget that just because I’m new in town, doesn’t mean everyone here knows who everyone is.”
“Right. So, you were saying, Sid the witch? Sid Farrell is a witch?”
I frowned. “Didn’t you know he was a witch? I thought you said you knew about me being a shifter because you said you watched what happened from the trees the night I first transformed.”
“Right, and I saw Sid with you and Vincent that night. I just guess I didn’t realize he was a witch. He didn’t use his powers that night…at least not that I witnessed.”
“No, he didn’t but apparently, he’s a very powerful witch.”
“Okay, well that makes a hell of a lot of sense then. I always knew there was something special about Sid, but I didn’t realize he was a witch.”
“Well, he is. Anyway, also Sam was there. He’s Greg, the bartender’s best friend.”
“Oh, Sam the werewolf,” Sally said, sitting back. She thought for a second and then sat forward again, looking alarmed. “Hang on. Did you say Sam sat at a table with you, Vincent the vampire, and Sid?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, that comes as a huge surprise. Werewolves and vampires are massive enemies as you witnessed that night at Lasco’s cabin.”
“That’s exactly right, and it was the reason we asked Sam to join us for a meal when he came in to talk to Greg,” I said. “I was hoping Sam would be a bridge between the pack and Vincent. To be honest, he wasn’t going to sit with us until Greg encouraged him.”
“Well, that makes a lot of sense. Sam and Greg have been connected since they were pups. Like we discussed before, Greg takes a lot of flak from the Frederick pack about being impulsive, and Floyd not only allows the bullying, but he encourages it. I can’t stand that piece of shit. I wish those boys could get free of that alpha once and for all.” She paused before continuing. “But go on. You were saying there was a dustup.”
“Yeah, so anyway, Sam sat down with us, and Sid showed up to round out a booth for the four of us. We ordered and were waiting on food when Floyd came into the saloon flanked by his enforcers.”
Sally nodded, frowning. “Those assholes are a pain in my side. I’m constantly giving them speeding tickets for charging through town or out on the highway riding their Harleys and scaring everyone. They never pay them of course, and somehow, the mayor lets them get away with it.”
“Why haven’t you impounded their bikes?” I asked.
She shook her head, shrugging. “Because they scare the crap out of me, Sheriff. If I’m being honest, I’ve started loading my gun with silver bullets but I’m loathe to use them on any of the pack members. In fact, I’ve never fired on anyone and frankly…” She sighed deeply. “If you fire me for telling you that, I’ll quit here and now if I have to do that just to enforce a traffic fine. I have a little one at home who needs his momma.”
I felt such rage at Floyd and his asshole sidekicks, and such compassion for this small woman who just wanted to preserve her own life for the sake of her child’s future. I shook my head.
“No, Sally, you absolutely did the right thing. I don’t trust that guy, or his pack, and I don’t want you to ever feel like your life is threatened by anyone, much less someone who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same free air you do.”
She deflated right in front of me, and I could feel the relief bleeding out of every pore. “Thanks, Sheriff. So, tell me what happened when Floyd and the asshole brigade turned up.”
“Floyd spotted Sam right off and he came over and threatened him. He told him he was already in violation of pack law and that he’d be punished which I guess involves some sort of horrible scourging or something.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s some medieval stuff. I’ve seen what remains of a scourged werewolf. It’s not pretty.”
“You have? Lately?” I frowned deeply.
“No, not lately. It was maybe four or five years ago. Floyd had one of the pack females scourged for rejecting him. She lost an eye and a foot. Sheriff Willis helped get her admitted to a hospital in Stockton, but she never recovered. When she got out, the sheriff told me she took her own life. It was all Floyd’s doing. He’s a brutal bastard.”
“Asshole.”
“You’ve got his number,” she said. “So, anyway, tell me what happened last night.”
“Greg came over to the table when Floyd and his bunch started giving his friend a hard time. I was kind of impressed by the way he stood up for Sam. Needless to say, it didn’t go over well with Floyd. He fired Greg, and then threw them both out of the pack. He also confiscated all of their goods, including Sam’s car. We’re going over to Frederick later today to pick everything up. I’m not letting Floyd get away with that crap. He can’t break the law and steal from Sam, pack rules or not.”
Sally’s eyes widened. “Wow. Well, good for Greg, but then again, I’m not surprised by that. Secretly, I think those two wolves will always be there for each other. As far as Floyd goes, I’m itchin’ to go over there with you but before we do, I’m giving you some silver bullets.” Sally smiled widely. “I
’d kind of like to see you use your magic on Floyd again, though. That was pretty awesome.”
“Okay, I’ll take you up on that.” I stood up. “Let’s get out there.”
Sally stood also. “You were going to tell me about something that happened after the dustup, right?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about the really weird thing.” We walked out of my office to the locked door that held the armory. I’d seen it that first day but wasn’t too impressed with the selection of guns and ammunition. Since then, I’d had Dave do a complete inventory of the contents of the small room, so Precious could order some weapons I wanted to keep on hand. The previous sheriff hadn’t been an especially broad thinker when it came to gearing up, but then again, he’d been fully human, so he wouldn’t have known why—for example—we should have silver bullets on hand.
As we gathered the ammunition, I told Sally about Vincent’s weird experience and what he’d witnessed at the drive-in. She listened silently, and I had the idea that there wasn’t a thing I could tell Sally that would surprise her about this town. To me, it was clear that Prosper Woods had at least one small ghost and at most, hundreds of them who wanted to make their presence known. As Sally locked up, and we bid Precious goodbye until later, giving her our destination, we headed out to the street and got in Sally’s Blazer.
“What do you think? Were you aware we had ghosts or at least that we had one small one?” I asked as soon as we were headed out toward Frederick.
She shook her head as she drove. “I’m not shocked in the least. I’m not sure about the crowd Mr. Lasco spotted at the drive-in. What I mean is, I don’t know why they were there. I didn’t mean I don’t believe he saw them.”
“So, what wasn’t shocking then?” I asked.
“About three years ago, a small boy vanished from a run-down squatter’s camp at the town limits. We never found him, and the sheriff gave up the search after a week.”
True Mate Page 14