Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  He stared at her, coldly. “I don’t know what you are playing at, but I’m not interested.”

  She laughed, standing up slowly. “Fair call,” she said. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  He stood up as well. He continued staring at her. “I think you’ll have to find someone else to help you with that parcel,” he clipped. “I’m late for something.”

  He turned around, heading back up the stairs towards the theatre. He was just about to walk through the doors when he saw Maya, standing there as if she was rooted to the spot. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

  “Maya,” he called out. But she turned around quickly and ran back towards the dressing room.

  Evan cursed under his breath, running after her. She must have seen, of course. A fierce anger burned in his veins, threatening to overwhelm him.

  He had been set up. It was so obvious now. That girl and Leonie were working together, to discredit him in Maya’s eyes. They must have realised that he wasn’t about to fall willingly into a honey trap and decided to force the issue. While making sure that Maya saw it all.

  He reached the dressing room door. It was closed. He banged on it.

  “Maya,” he called. “It’s not what you think! Your friend set me up.”

  The door opened a crack. He could see her brown eyes through it.

  “Please, Maya,” he entreated. “Let me explain.”

  She opened the door. He could see that she was pale and trembling. But she didn’t fly at him, demanding an explanation. Instead, she was icily composed.

  “Evan,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I think that it’s better that we don’t see each other, anymore. And I’m going to talk to Vera this afternoon about getting you reassigned. I don’t want you as my bodyguard, either.”

  He stared at her. “Maya, I know that you are angry. But it’s not what you think. That girl set me up. She forced me to kiss her.”

  Maya laughed, bitterly. “She forced you? Evan, will you listen to yourself? I let you sweet talk me about Leonie. I believed you when you told me that you weren’t interested in her, and that I had got it wrong. But fool me once, shame on you.” She took a deep breath. “Fool me twice, shame on me.”

  Evan felt the blood draining from his head. “I am not trying to fool you. It’s your so-called friends who are doing that. They…don’t want us to be together.”

  Maya stared at him. “That makes no sense whatsoever. Why would they both try to sabotage what is happening between us? Just for the fun of it?”

  “I don’t know.” He took a deep breath. “But I intend to find out.”

  Maya took another deep breath. “Don’t bother,” she spat, her eyes narrowed. “Not on my account. You see, I don’t believe you, Evan. Leonie tried to warn me that you were a player, but I ignored her. Now, I see that everything she said was true.”

  Evan’s eyes glittered dangerously. “Leonie is a liar,” he said. “And she has been trying to play both of us. She told me that you are mentally unstable and dangerous. She said that she believed you killed David Wagner. That was why she wanted to speak to me in the café that day. To slander you, Maya.”

  Maya straightened her shoulders. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “Leonie is my friend. She would never say things like that about me. And if it was true, why are you only just mentioning it?”

  Evan hesitated. “Because I didn’t want to hurt you,” he replied. “I didn’t want you to know how she’d betrayed you. But I did try to warn you about her. I told you a few times that she can’t be trusted.”

  Maya smiled slightly, but he could see her hand shaking on the door handle. “Evan, I am trying to prepare for a big production. I can’t afford to be distracted with all this.” She hesitated. “It would never have worked between us, anyway. We are such different people. Worlds apart. I want you to respect my decision.”

  Evan swallowed painfully. “I know you are upset,” he said. “And I’m going to leave you alone. But think about what I have said, about Leonie. She is trying to undermine me, and she has brought Rachel into it as well. And you could very well be in danger.”

  Maya took a deep breath, staring at him. “I’m a big girl, Evan. And it’s time for me to fight my own battles. I am stronger than you think, and I don’t need you to be my protector. I don’t want you to be my protector.” She paused. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

  She closed the door, firmly, before he could respond any further.

  ***

  Maya leaned back against the door frame, tears streaming down her face.

  “You’ve done the right thing, you know,” said Leonie, standing up and walking towards her. “I know how hard it is, Maya, but you are a strong woman. You will get through this.”

  Maya nodded, biting her lip. Leonie reached out, and they embraced. Maya sobbed into the other woman’s neck.

  “There, there,” said Leonie gently. “Let it all out. You will feel better if you have a good cry.”

  Maya cried harder. Leonie held her, not saying anything. Eventually, her tears started to dry, and she stepped away. She stared at the other woman.

  “Thank you,” she said tremulously. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “Oh, Maya,” said Leonie, staring at her sadly. “I hate to see you going through this pain, but I did warn you about him. I can pick men like him out in a line-up. I’ve had more than my fair share of experience with them.”

  Maya nodded slowly. “I can’t believe he lied about what you said to him.”

  Leonie nodded. “I told you, didn’t I? That he would try to discredit me when he was cornered and caught out. That’s how men like him work. They try to break apart friendships.” She took a deep breath. “You must know that I would never talk about you like that. Especially with him.”

  “Why did you talk to him that day?” Maya asked, staring at her.

  “I was warning him off,” said Leonie. “I wanted him to know that I had his measure, and that I didn’t like it. And he didn’t like that. He told me to back off, that whatever he did was his business. And then…” She took a deep breath. “He made a play for me. Blatantly. He reached across the table and took my hand, telling me that you weren’t the only pretty ballerina he had noticed.”

  Maya gasped. “And then he did the same thing to Rachel.”

  Leonie nodded. “I don’t know why she asked him to accompany her to her car. She shouldn’t have done that. But she knows now, along with the rest of us, what he is really like. Everyone will, and we will all be wary of him. Everyone will have your back, Maya.”

  Maya nodded. “I trusted him. But it’s true what you said. He isn’t a good man, after all.”

  “No,” Leonie said softly. “He’s not. And there are so many like him, Maya. That’s why our group of girls is so important. We all know it, and we stick together. We defend each other. No man can ever hope to break into our circle.” She took a deep breath. “You are one of us, now. A defender. A strong woman, who understands they are all liars and cheats. A woman who will do what she must to defend the circle.”

  Maya stared at Leonie. The other woman made it sound like the group of girls that lived in that house were like a cult. Or a group of revolutionaries. It was quite intense, and her rational mind shied away from it, a little. But then she relaxed. Leonie was only speaking so strongly because she was angry that she had been hurt. And Maya was so grateful to have a group of strong girlfriends that were willing to support and defend her. She had never experienced it before, and it was wonderful.

  “Take a deep breath now,” continued Leonie. “We have to get back to rehearsals, and you can’t let him rattle you. Remember what I said. You are a strong woman, and now you are part of a circle of strong women. Nothing can hurt you again, Maya.”

  Maya nodded. She was a strong woman. She tried to ignore the pain bleeding inside her as they stepped out of the dressing room, ready to face the world.

&nb
sp; Chapter Thirteen

  Evan leaned back against the wicker chair. He stared around the room, noticing the view from the bay windows of the sea gently lapping against the shoreline. It was beautiful here. Who wouldn’t want to sit in this room, staring out at that?

  But then, he noticed the generic prints on the walls and the sturdy furniture. This wasn’t someone’s beloved home. He watched as a frail old man, supported by a worker, sat down on a sofa on the other end of the room. The worker settled him down then turned on the television for him. The old man stared at it, not blinking. His gaze never once strayed to the spectacular vista outside the windows.

  Evan covertly checked his watch. He had been waiting here for almost twenty minutes. He was just about to get up and check when another door opened and a little woman with snow white hair walked in on the arm of another worker.

  “There you are, Mrs. Johnston,” said the worker, settling her down across from Evan. “You have a visitor. Your great nephew.”

  The little old woman smiled up at the worker, vacantly. This was his great aunt Kathryn. Evan could barely remember the last time that he had seen her. Had it been at the family reunion, over ten years ago now? She had been sprightlier then. Now, she looked as if she was about to sink into the cushions of the sofa and disappear entirely.

  His gaze softened as he stared at her. He didn’t know her very well; he had only met her a handful of times. But she was his family, and he regretted he hadn’t made the effort to visit her, now and then. She wasn’t going to live forever, and there weren’t many people left on his father’s side of the family.

  He had impulsively decided to visit her, on the way back from the monthly Wild Keepers camping trip. This place was in roughly the same area; he hadn’t needed to detour very far. And he was making little headway into the case back at the ballet theatre in Covenester.

  He smiled grimly. He had been reassigned in the security detail. Maya had been as good as her word and spoken to Vera that very afternoon. He was no longer her bodyguard. He was no longer anything to her at all. Whenever her eyes strayed to him, they immediately slid away, as if she couldn’t bear looking at him.

  He had tried to talk to her, a few times. Explain to her what had happened, again. But she had made up her mind that she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

  It hurt. It hurt very badly. But Evan was also philosophical about it. He couldn’t have offered her anything, anyway. He was living under the shadow of a curse, and he would soon be gone from her life, for good. Perhaps what had happened was for the best. A cauterisation of the wound, before it got larger and threatened to fatally haemorrhage. Before it caused any more pain.

  He still tailed her, sometimes, without her knowledge. Just to make sure that she was okay, and safe. But she seemed fine; she rehearsed for longer hours every day, and when she wasn’t, she spent a lot of time with the other dancers. Especially Leonie, and the other women she lived with. He had seen them heading out for dinner often and to the movies. Sometimes they went to the theatre or an art gallery. She was always surrounded by them. The women who had banded together to make sure that his relationship with Maya never stood a chance.

  Maya had moved on without a backward glance. And so must he.

  “Aunt Kathryn.” He raised his voice a little, leaning towards the old lady. “It’s Evan. George’s grandson.” George had been his grandfather and Kathryn’s brother.

  The little old lady smiled, vaguely. “What did you say? You are Ethan?”

  “No, Evan,” he said, a little louder again. Was this going to be a wasted trip? She didn’t seem to remember who he was, at all.

  But suddenly a light came into her eyes, and she clutched her hands to her chest. “Oh, Evan. I remember you, dear. You just need to speak a little louder. My hearing isn’t as good as it used to be, I am afraid.”

  Evan smiled. “Sorry, Aunt Kathryn,” he said slowly. “How are you? Are you enjoying living here?”

  The old lady smiled slightly. “I miss my own home, Evan,” she said firmly. “This place isn’t home, and it never will be. But I can’t live by myself anymore, and my children insisted that I come here.”

  Evan smiled, a little sadly. He remembered that Aunt Kathryn had lived in a beautiful two-storey house about two miles away from here. A house where she had lived with her husband, who had died twenty years ago, and raised her family. It wouldn’t be easy letting go of that. So many memories of a life that was now gone.

  “It seems like a lovely place here,” he said. “Even if it isn’t your own home.”

  Her smiled widened. “I enjoy playing bingo at night,” she said. “And the food isn’t bad, at least.” She paused, staring at him with her filmy blue eyes. “I haven’t seen you in a long time, Evan. Were you passing by? I remember that you live in Covenester, now.”

  He nodded, pleased. It seemed that his great aunt’s memory was fairly good. Perhaps she might be able to shed light on the mystery of what happened to her grandfather, all those years ago.

  “Yes, I was passing by,” he said. “I wanted to see you, and maybe get some family history…”

  “Before it’s too late?” the old lady piped up. She smiled, a little wickedly.

  Evan smiled. “I think you will live forever, Aunt Kathryn! But I did think it’s about time I learnt something about my father’s side of the family.”

  Kathryn nodded. “Fair enough. What would you like to know?”

  Evan took a deep breath. “I wanted to know about your own grandfather,” he said. “On your father’s side. His name was Horace, I think.”

  Kathryn nodded, again. “Indeed it was. He disappeared when my father was very young. Only a little boy.”

  Evan frowned. “Aunt Kathryn,” he said. “I think that I might know what happened to him.”

  Kathryn’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been working at the Covenester Theatre,” he said slowly. “Apparently, there was a fire there, back in 1902. A man died in the fire. He was never formally identified, but the caretaker there told me that everyone knew his name was Horace Watts.”

  Kathryn’s eyes grew teary. “That was the year that my grandfather disappeared,” she said sadly. “My grandmother knew that he was working on a case, but she hadn’t seen him much. He said that he was too busy. And then…he never came home. She made enquiries everywhere, but he never told her where he was working at the time, and she knew not to ask.”

  Evan swallowed painfully. “Aunt Kathryn…you know about the men, in our family?”

  “That you turn into wolves?” said Kathryn sharply. “Of course I know, my dear boy! My own father died young because of it. And my own brother died young. Again, with your own father. There has been no end of trouble that this has caused our family.”

  Evan felt tears pricking behind his eyes. It was true, of course. The curse. But what was behind it? Why had they all been cursed like this?

  “Do you know why?” he asked slowly. “Why we have been cursed?”

  Kathryn’s eyes grew sad. “I wish I did,” she said. “But it has always been shrouded in mystery. My own mother told me that she believed it started with Horace. He was twenty-seven when he disappeared, presumed dead. The first in the male line to die at that age.”

  Evan nodded. “That would make sense, then.” He took a deep breath. “Aunt Kathryn, if the man that died in that fire in 1902 actually was your grandfather, I think it might be the reason for the curse.”

  “How so?” said Kathryn, leaning forward in her chair.

  “Because it was shrouded in secrecy,” he answered. “Everyone in the theatre knew the man’s identity but wouldn’t tell the police, because they were scared to. They also knew who caused the fire and sent him to his death.” He took a deep breath. “A dancer, who they say Horace had an affair with. It ended badly, and she sought revenge. But no one would accuse her. They were too frightened of her.”

  “An affair?” Aunt Kathryn paled. “
But…he was married to my grandmother at the time. They had two young children, one of whom was my father!”

  “Aunt Kathryn,” he said slowly. “I know it is painful to hear. But it does happen. What I can’t understand is why he would have still been working as a Wild Keeper by that point in time. Usually, the power to transform goes or wanes considerably after the shifter has permanently mated.”

  Aunt Kathryn nodded. “Yes, I know that. But not always. Obviously, my grandfather’s power didn’t leave him. My grandmother knew he was out working on a case at the time of his disappearance.” She took a deep breath. “As to an affair with a dancer…well, I don’t believe it. My grandfather was devoted to my grandmother, apparently. He loved his family with all his heart.”

  Evan nodded. “Of course. Perhaps the dancer fell in love with him, and he didn’t reciprocate. In her own mind he had spurned her.” He took a deep breath. “It was a long, long time ago, and these are only fragments of a story that have survived. The truth could be quite different. And that is if it was your grandfather at all.”

  Aunt Kathryn nodded. “So many questions, still,” she said. “But I think that you are on the right track, Evan. You were told that the man who died in the fire was Horace Watts, and I can confirm that he disappeared the same year. It would make sense that it was him.”

  Evan leaned back in the wicker chair. “Do you have a photo of him at all, Aunt Kathryn?”

  Aunt Kathryn frowned, thinking. “Yes, I do believe I do. My grandparents wedding photo. I have it in a storage box in my unit. Do you want me to find it for you?”

  Evan nodded, trying not to seem overly keen. “Would you be able to do it now?”

  Aunt Kathryn raised her eyebrows. “I suppose so. What is the rush?”

  “I want to take it back with me to Covenester,” he replied. “There are ghost sightings in that theatre that are based on the man that died that night and the dancer. The caretaker saw the man. I want to show him the photo and see if it is our Horace.”