Allie nodded, taking a bite of her pie. It was good; flaky pastry and tender chunks of meat in a delicious gravy. But she barely tasted it before putting it back on her plate. Food just didn’t interest her that much anymore. Maybe she had been turned off it after being forced to eat hospital food for so long.
“You know that his trial is tomorrow,” her mother said gently. “It was in the papers this morning.”
Allie stared at her, absentmindedly. “You mean Dr. Morgan?”
Her mother nodded. “Yes. That evil man.” She frowned, picking at the pastry on her pie. “I still can’t believe that he did all that. What would possess a doctor to put a dangerous cell, or whatever it was, into the city water supply? And then shoot you when you discovered it?”
“An amoeba,” Allie said slowly. “It was an amoeba. I think that he was being blackmailed.”
“How would you know such a thing?” said her mother, gazing at her and shaking her head. “Never mind. We need to put it all behind us now. Has your work been in contact?”
Allie nodded. “Yes. Final payouts processed and all that. They wanted me to come back, you know.”
Her mother frowned. “I hope you told them you had no intention of ever setting foot in that place again! Imagine! It would be so traumatic for you, Allie.” She took a deep breath. “I know that you are conflicted about coming back to Worwood with us, but you must see it is for the best. For a little while, at least. It will give you time to think what you want to do next.”
Allie nodded but didn’t say anything. She hardly knew how she felt about returning to Worwood.
In one sense, it would be a relief. A chance to think, like her mother said. Lick her wounds, after all that had happened. The truth was, she wouldn’t feel safe here anymore. She had suffered so many attacks, and then been shot. It had been dramatic, to say the least. Like something out of a movie. A part of her longed for a quiet life, to be as far away from this city as she could possibly get.
Closure. That was what her parents kept saying, repeating the word as if it were a mantra. As if it were a talisman that could ward off everything. She needed closure.
Well, she was getting it in some ways. Dr. Morgan was being brought to justice, at least. In one way, she felt sorry for him. She knew that he had never intended to become what he had. That he had been forced into it. That didn’t excuse his weak choices, of course.
And then, there was Caleb. Or whatever his name really was. She would never know now.
He had simply disappeared, melting away into the shadows. There had been talk, which her parents told her after she had regained consciousness, that he was being charged with attempting to murder Dr. Morgan. But apparently a security tape of the lab that night had landed in the police commissioners’ hands, anonymously. It had exonerated him completely; it was very clear that he had been acting in self-defence and to come to her aid.
And letters had arrived on the police commissioner’s desk, too. Letters that detailed Dr. Morgan’s discovery of the amoeba. It had been enough to get them suspicious of him, and then they had found the culture he had used.
As soon as he had regained consciousness, they had placed Dr. Morgan under arrest.
She had thought that Caleb might visit her at the hospital. Just to see how she was, at least. She had waited for him, her heart thudding every time the door to her room had opened.
But he had never come.
She sipped her coffee, wincing slightly. It was hot and bitter. She must put Caleb Stone out of her mind completely. It was very clear that he had never wanted to get involved, and his actions since proved that. He didn’t want to know her anymore. And she must learn to accept that.
It didn’t matter. She was starting over. Leaving the city. Putting it all behind her, just like her parents wanted her to.
Soon, all this would be a distant memory.
Which was just the way she wanted it.
***
Allie walked down Main Street, amazed that it still looked exactly the same. She might have changed, but it seemed that Worwood never did.
There was Palmer’s Drugstore on the corner, advertising cough syrup and headache tablets. She walked past it slowly, seeing old Mr. Palmer behind the counter, handing change to a customer. He didn’t see her, and for that she was glad. She had already been stopped twice by people on the street, their eyes wide, asking for details on her adventure. She had given them the basics, but kept on walking.
It was so difficult to sum it up in a few words. The whole experience. It had been like a whirlwind, full of colour and light, but also darkness. Sometimes, she had trouble believing that it had actually happened.
She turned left, looking into the window of Gerry’s Diner. She could see high school kids in there, sipping sodas just the way that she used to. Once upon a time. A lifetime ago.
She suddenly felt claustrophobic, like she needed to escape. She didn’t want to be walking these streets anymore, no matter how familiar. She had come out today because she had thought it might be comforting, but it only reinforced how alien it all was to her now. She was no longer a part of this place.
But where did she belong?
She headed towards the lake, on the far side of town. She would be able to sit down and reflect. Maybe make some plans. It had always been a spot that she had liked. She remembered her parents taking her there as a child to feed the ducks. Especially in the days after her brother had died.
She understood why they were so protective of her and had insisted that she leave the city and come back here. They had thought that they would lose her, just like they had lost him. She was all they had. And she loved them for it, of course. She wouldn’t have made it through her ordeal if not for their care and support.
But it was getting a bit much now. They trailed her, always asking where she was going and what she was doing. Their eyes were fearful, as if she might walk out the door and never return. And that wasn’t healthy, for any of them. She was a grown woman, not a child.
The previous night, at the dinner table, she had remarked offhandedly that she would have to think of where she was going soon. What she would do with her life.
“There’s no rush, Allie,” her father had quickly said. “You stay here as long as you need.”
Her mother had gazed at her, her eyes wide. “You don’t need to leave at all, Allie. You can live with us forever, you know that.”
Allie had smiled. “I know that,” she said. “But it isn’t the nineteenth century, Mom. I don’t want to be living with my parents as the spinster daughter, in the top room, all my life. I understand that you are anxious about me going off again, but it will have to happen, one day.”
Her mother’s eyes had filled with tears. “I know, but I just don’t know how I will be able to bear it, again. Wondering if you are safe. Even if you don’t live with us, you should stay in Worwood. Big cities are dangerous.”
Her mother’s words echoed in Allie’s mind as she reached the lake, sitting down on a park bench. She knew more than anyone how dangerous big cities could be. And yet, she didn’t know if she could stay here all her life, either.
The lake was a perfect blue, shimmering like diamonds beneath the late afternoon sunlight. She breathed out, slowly, already feeling more relaxed. There weren’t many people here. She could see an older couple strolling on the path, walking their dog. The woman stopped, and leaned down, patting the animal. She glanced at Allie and smiled, but didn’t say hello. And then they were gone.
They were lucky, thought Allie. They had each other. Just like her parents had each other. She had wanted that, once. But it didn’t seem likely anymore. She simply couldn’t imagine meeting someone else.
She didn’t want to meet someone else. All that she could think about was Caleb.
She had tried to stop. She had told herself, over and over, that it was useless. He was gone, out of her life forever. He hadn’t even bothered to see how she was when she had still been in the hospit
al. That was how much she had ever meant to him.
And yet…there was a hazy memory. She didn’t even know if it was a memory, or if her mind had imagined it.
She remembered opening her eyes, in the hours after her surgery. Briefly. Her mind had been a haze. She had seen her parents, hugging each other, beside her bed. But then her eyes had alighted on the door. She had seen him. Caleb. Looking into the room, watching her. She had fought to stay awake, but it had been too much. Her eyes had closed again, and she had been back in that twilight world, where the dreams loomed larger than reality.
Back where the demon chased her, and the wolf howled into the darkness.
Had it been him? Had he come to see her, briefly, but never returned? Or had she imagined it entirely?
Well, she would never know. Caleb Stone was gone out of her life, had slipped away like the phantom he had always been. She thought again of the wolf, and how it had been protecting her. And the knowledge that Caleb was the wolf.
It didn’t seem fanciful anymore. She knew there was more to life than she had ever dreamed possible. She had been attacked by a demon, and she knew that it was real. Why then couldn’t there also be men who turned into wolves?
She hadn’t told anyone, of course. About the demon and the wolf. Her parents would think that she had gone crazy, as would anyone else.
But she knew. It was real.
She tightened her coat around her, shivering. It was getting late. She could see that the sun was sinking lower. She should head back home before her parents started to worry and sent out a search party for her. But still she sat, almost passively resisting the idea of moving.
A single tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away, viciously. There was no point to tears. He had made his choice, and she had to accept it. But still her heart yearned for him, with a fierceness that would not abate.
“May I sit down?”
She quickly turned her head. A man was standing there, dressed in a dark winter coat. He had a scarf around his neck, and his black hair was hidden beneath a woolly cap.
She would recognise those green eyes anywhere. They seemed to burn in the darkening light, as if they were made of glass.
She gasped. It wasn’t possible. Had she started to hallucinate?
“Allie,” he said softly, his eyes caressing her.
“I don’t understand.” Her voice seemed to come from far, far away.
He sat down, slowly, gazing at her as if he were the one seeing the vision, not her.
Was he real?
She put out a hand, tentatively, and touched him. He felt real. He was real. Caleb Stone was here, on this ordinary afternoon, in her hometown. How had he got here? How had he known where she was?
And how dare he?
As the last thought slid into her mind, she rose from the bench. She turned and started running. But she didn’t get far before his hands were on her, spinning her around to face him.
“Allie,” he pleaded. She could feel his warm breath against her face.
“No,” she said. “How can you do this to me?” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “You never came, Caleb. You never came!”
His eyes were so full of pain she could barely look at him. She flinched, as if his touch burnt her skin.
“I wanted to,” he whispered. “I had to fight myself not to. The only reason I didn’t is because I thought that you were better off without me.”
She glared at him. Only a moment before she had been aching for him. But now, it was like fire had come into her veins. All her hurt, and anger, boiled to the surface.
“Allie, listen.” He took a deep breath. “I want to tell you the truth. About all of it. Will you let me?”
She glared at him, harder. “Why should I?”
“Because I love you.” His voice had lowered to a whisper. “I’ve always loved you.”
She gasped, feeling as if she were a tyre that had suddenly deflated. Air had left her body, completely. She staggered against him. His hands came up, cradling her face.
“I’m so happy you are recovered,” he said. “I have been watching, at a distance. Not at first. I had to leave Covenester for a while. Until the dust settled a bit, after…what happened at the lab.”
She stared up at him and nodded. “Tell me.”
He sighed. “I was in the desert,” he said slowly. “Going out of my mind with worry about you. I wanted to come back, but they wouldn’t let me. Not until they had cleared me.”
“Who are they?” she asked. “Is it something to do with the wolf?”
He nodded, taking a deep breath. “I belong to a pack,” he said. “We are called the Wild Keepers. We battle the Vilgath—the demons—in the city. That was why I was sent to the Department of Health, to find out if the demons were behind the outbreak and hopefully find the cause of it.”
“A pack?” She stared at him. “You mean, a pack of wolves? What are you?”
He took another deep breath. “I’m a shifter,” he calmly said. “I can turn into the wolf that you saw. It happens every full moon, and it can happen at will. Sometimes, it happens spontaneously. The night that you were mugged, when I first saw you, it happened without me wanting it to. If I get angry enough…”
“You turned into this wolf to protect me?” She could barely speak.
“I did,” he said, staring deep into her eyes. “You obviously affected me from the moment I first laid eyes on you. It doesn’t happen that way very often.”
She shuddered. “I knew, about the wolf. I put it together. The wolf’s eyes…they are your eyes, Caleb. And then there was your leg…”
He nodded. “Yes. I never wanted you to know. It seemed safer that way, and what could I have told you? Would you have believed me? Most people aren’t open to believing it. You would have thought I was crazy.”
“Yes, I would have,” she agreed. “That is, before I was attacked by the demon. Now, I believe it. It seems that there is more in this world than I have ever been aware of.”
He took a deep breath. “So much more.” He hesitated. “There’s another reason I was fighting getting involved with you, Allie. I knew that if I did, it would be serious. I haven’t ever been as attracted to a woman as I am to you. And there is a danger in that, for a Wild Keeper.”
“What danger?” She stared at him, fearfully.
“When a Wild Keeper finds his mate,” he began, “he must leave the pack, because often he loses his ability to shift. Once mated, a Wild Keeper is no longer a shifter. Or not as he once was.” He paused. “And I wanted to remain in the pack, Allie. I thought that I had more to prove. So, I resisted you for as long as I could.”
She stared at him. “So, why are you here now, declaring your love?”
“Because I can’t fight it anymore,” he said. His eyes were brimming with emotion. “I don’t want to fight it anymore. Every day without you is a torment. Every day I wake up, and my first thought is of you. I can’t live without you, Allie.” He gazed down at her. “I’ve tried so hard.”
She swallowed. Her throat felt like it had a lump in it the size of the Grand Canyon.
“I don’t want to be with you,” she said fiercely, “if you are with me under sufferance. It would never work, Caleb. You would start to resent me and wish for your old life back. And I couldn’t endure that. I love you too much.”
His eyes widened at her declaration. He leaned forward and kissed her, long and slow and sweet. She could barely catch her breath afterwards.
“No,” he whispered, into her hair. “It’s not like that. I don’t want to be there anymore, Allie. Thad, the leader, sent me on another case when I got back from the desert. I tried to be passionate about it, but it was all gone. It was a chore. I realised that I didn’t want that life anymore. That my life is with you…if you will have me, that is.”
She stared at him. “What are you saying?”
“I’m making a hash of it,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. What I want to ask is, will you
marry me, Allie Holloway?”
She stared at him, gobsmacked. “Marriage? Are you sure?”
He nodded. “So very sure,” he whispered. “Do you want to marry me? Don’t leave me hanging on a limb here, Allie.”
She gasped, her mind spinning. What did she want?
An hour ago, she had resigned herself to a life alone. She had known that there would never be anyone else for her. And now, he had found her and was asking her to be his wife. It was overwhelming.
“Do you want to go and get a coffee?” he whispered, frowning. “Or a meal? We can talk about it more then, if you like. You don’t have to give me an answer straight away, Allie. I’ll wait for you for as long as you need, and if you never want to marry me, that’s okay, too. Just don’t send me away and say that I can never be a part of your life again.”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She could see that he was trembling, gazing at her so ardently that it was almost painful to watch. He was vulnerable, and he knew it. He had put it all on the line for her, telling her who he really was and asking to marry her. It must be costing him a lot.
“Maybe,” she slowly said. “After a while, if things go well between us. But there mustn’t be anymore secrets between us, Caleb. I mean it. If we are going to share a life together, I have to know everything—the good and the bad.” She paused. “And the downright weird.”
He stared at her. “Is that a yes…sort of?”
“Sort of.” She smiled. “It’s a let’s wait and see. I want to be convinced that you are leaving your pack for the right reasons. And only time will tell me that.” She paused. “And I want to know that it’s what I really want as well. Rushing it wouldn’t be good. We haven’t known each other very long, and most of that time was under extreme circumstances.”
He grinned. “That’s good enough for me.” He picked her up, suddenly, whirling her around. She laughed, entreating him to put her back down.
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