I bit my bottom lip. Brock didn’t do anything without his Alpha’s knowledge. Declan had to know.
Urgh. I would kill him.
“As you’re already aware, our Hunter is indisposed at the moment.”
“Then call him back.” I still didn’t know where the hell James was, but Brock did. Now was as good a time as any to finally call him home.
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
Gold flecks filled his gaze, his lion rising to the surface. “I said, no.”
I leaned back against my desk. “You do realize who you’re speaking to, right?” I didn’t know all the ins and outs regarding Pack procedure, but I did know as Declan’s mate, I was the second in Pack hierarchy. The only person who could trump me was Declan, and he wasn’t here at the moment.
I didn’t want to play this card but if it kept Caden safe, I would.
Brock gave me a condescending smile. “I do. But I won’t help you without the kid. Those are my terms.”
I swore an oath. I needed Brock’s help and he knew it. This was not cool. I wouldn’t put Caden’s life in danger for the sake of anyone else. Not even Melody. He had to know that.
“I like you, Aria. You’re a fighter and you’re a good fit for Declan. I consider you his mate, as do most of the Clans, but you’ve yet to go through the bonding ceremony and you’ve yet to formally accept your position within the Pack. Until both of those things happen, I don’t have to follow your orders.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s my choice.”
His words stung like a whip. “I’m not putting Caden’s life at risk. If I have to do this without you—so be it.” I ground out, trying to cover the hurt in my voice. I knew there was a mating ceremony or something that Declan and I needed to go through but he hadn’t mentioned it since I’d move back in and I felt awkward as hell bringing it up.
“He’s a werelion. He’s hardly at risk by doing a little sleuthing.”
“You don’t know that.” For all we knew whoever took Melody might come back. If Caden was there—No. It was too dangerous.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a drink, glaring at Brock over the edge of my mug.
“He’ll have two other shifters with him. He won’t be alone,” Brock argued.
Not good enough. Devin was tough as nails, but Eric Delaney was a recovering alcoholic and as a werewolf, that was saying something. It took a lot for any shifter to achieve a buzz let alone get drunk.
“You know Devin and Eric won’t be enough. Not if there is a fight.” I felt like shit saying that aloud. Eric was still finding his footing within the Pack after a several-year-long hiatus. His wife had left him. His son had been murdered. He’d lost everything, including his sobriety.
He was on the mend and he’d been sober for several months now, but he was far from fighting shape. If shit hit the fan, he wouldn’t be much help. If anything, he’d be a liability.
“He’s one of my best trackers.”
“But not one of our best fighters,” I countered.
He growled. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Then leave. Like I already said, I’ll do this without your help,” I reminded him.
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
I took another drink and lifted a single brow. Sure did.
Caden fidgeted beside Brock. I was honestly surprised he’d stayed quiet this long.
Like I said though, smart kid.
Heaving a sigh Brock tugged on his lone gold earring and gave me a placating look.
“Caden is hunter born. It isn’t a title randomly bestowed. It’s in his blood. It’s who he is and there is no escaping that. He needs to learn to track and he needs to train. That includes fighting and walking into potentially dangerous situations. He needs to hone his instincts. But I’ll concede that Eric wouldn’t be much help and I understand you want more than just Devin for backup. If Robert agrees to go with them, will that suffice?”
I ground my teeth together. As head of Clan Canidae, Robert’s strength and dominance were right up there with Declan’s. He could take care of himself and he could protect Caden.
I still didn’t like it, but Brock was good at what he did and this was a prime example of his skills at work. He’d backed me into a corner. If I said no, I’d be insulting the Alpha coyote.
Robert would never let that slide and Brock would make sure he heard about it.
“You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
Brock smiled. He knew what he’d done. I didn’t have to spell it out for him.
“Fine. If Robert goes, I won’t make a fuss.”
“Thank you.”
He and Caden turned to leave, but before they made it to the door my words brought Brock to a halt.
“You know I’m not going anywhere,” I told him.
He inclined his head. “I do.”
“And Declan and I will have whatever ceremony it is that we’re supposed to.” At least, I assumed we would. I was his mate. I didn’t see a reason why we wouldn’t. But I also didn’t see why he hadn’t mentioned it lately. Was it because I wasn’t a shifter? Did he change his mind about me in some way? I mean, I knew we were mated for life but since I wasn’t a shapeshifter did he want me to remain outside of the Pack.
A sharp stab of pain pierced my heart but I shook the feeling away. Declan wouldn’t do that.
Brock nodded and tilted his head to the side in silent question.
“I wouldn’t suggest pissing me off just because you can. I hold grudges as good as the rest. If anything happens to him, I’ll hold you personally accountable.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” he said. And the two of them left.
9
Hours ticked by at a snail’s pace. I hadn’t heard from Brock, and the wolves and Caden were still sifting through the scents in Mel’s apartment. They were doing what they could to follow the trails, but so far, we had nothing.
I didn’t know what to do next. I was a mercenary, not a private investigator or a tracker. My way of finding the bad guys usually consisted of making a lot of noise until whoever was responsible couldn’t ignore me any longer and decided to deal with me or make me go away.
The problem was, I didn’t know what trees to shake or where to shout. I had nothing. Melody had been missing at least twelve hours now. The clock was ticking and the longer this took, the shittier our chances of finding her.
I drank my coffee and stared at the clock. Sitting here wasn’t going to accomplish anything. I should’ve headed back to the Compound except … I scrubbed a hand over my face.
Except Inarus was there and I was avoiding him.
I was a horrible person. There, I’d admitted it. I was a horrible person and a shitty friend and I really needed to get over myself, but I couldn’t.
The longer I sat there, the more it dawned on me that Inarus didn’t just like me. I was pretty sure he loved me, and not in the sort of way you loved a friend or relative.
And that same thing he’d been afraid of was settling in deep in my stomach. He was my friend and colleague. He was one of the best guys I’d had the pleasure of working with at Sanborn Place. He was smart, efficient, and I could trust him to have my back.
But his feelings for me were like a storm cloud hanging over my head. I didn’t want to lose him. But I was with Declan. Was it possible to keep him in my life knowing —
My cell phone buzzed for the umpteenth time. I checked the caller I.D.
Dia.
I didn’t want to answer the call but I’d been avoiding her all afternoon. I released a breath. Time to face the music.
“Hello.”
“It’s about time you answered.”
I sighed. “It’s been a busy afternoon. What do you need?” I was pretty sure I already knew.
“I need you to be here. You just up and left. My brother almost died because of you and as soon as he wakes up, you take off. What the hell is wrong with you?”
My stomach clen
ched. Yep, I definitely won the shitty friend of the year award. Not that I’d admit that to her.
“Look, my friend Melody is missing. I’ve been at Sanborn Place almost all day. I know I should be there, but Inarus is fine. He has you.” I took another drink of coffee. It was cold but better than nothing at this point.
“He does have me, but he needs you.”
I stared up at the ceiling, wishing the sky would appear and answers would fall down into my lap. I wasn’t that lucky.
“Tell him I’m sorry. I need to find Melody. I can’t do that sitting around in the Compound.”
She was talking to someone, but I couldn’t make out her words, and then suddenly she was back on the line.
“Fine,” she ground out. “Inarus said to call the witches. They might help. He also said to remind you he’s not dead so be careful. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
I swore. The witches had a chronokinetic—Marcella Fields, barely twelve and shy as hell. She was a psyker able to manipulate time and space. A super rare ability even among psykers.
Her mother, Olivia Fields, was high up in the witch hierarchy, but even she hadn’t been able to keep Marcella safe which is how our paths had crossed.
I’d been hired to find her and bring her home safely when she was abducted earlier this year. As thanks, Marcella filled me in on a bit of my future. Personally, I would have preferred she didn’t but there was nothing I could do about that now.
Marcella had a vision or prophecy or something like that, and in it, she’d seen a battle and blood, with lots of death and destruction. Her vision had been linked to my recently acquired telekinetic abilities. Long story short, I needed to get a handle on my powers or I’d destroy the city.
So, I practiced and I trained. I meditated daily. I kept my stress levels low—well, as low as could be expected in my line of work.
I’d thought things would get better, and for a while they did. Then all of a sudden Marcella’s mother called to deliver a message. The Telekinetic has to die. Ominous am I right?
She couldn’t tell me who or why or when. Only that someone had to die in order for me to live.
With everything going on, I’d forgotten about that message.
Inarus was a TK, and he’d almost died at the hands of the H.A.C.
Dia was also a TK and she and I had had one hell of a fight before she came over to our side. At the time I was pretty sure only one of us would be walking away from that fight but here we were. Both alive and well.
The only other TK I knew was Jason. Last I checked, he was doing just fine and still enjoyed kicking my ass during training sessions on the regular.
So, no telekinetics had died. And I didn’t intend to let any of them go off into the light either.
I wasn’t willing to sacrifice any of my friends for my own safety. My life was of no more value than any of theirs.
Maybe I’d get lucky. Maybe I could call the witches for help finding Melody, and Marcella would tell me my future was bright and clear. Nothing but sunshine and rainbows for here on out.
I snorted. Right, and maybe pigs would fly.
“Thank him for the suggestion. I’ll give the witches a call.” I hung up and stared at my phone for a few minutes. It wasn’t a bad idea. The witches were supposed to be our allies, but Melody missing was a personal problem, not a Pack problem.
Though Declan had already given me free rein to utilize Pack resources. Would this be overstepping?
I chewed my lower lip. I hated being in this position: stuck between doing right by my friend and ensuring the integrity of my position within the Pack. When it came down to it though, Mel’s life was too important.
I made the call and waited for Olivia to answer. When she finally did, I filled her in on my situation and asked if she would help.
“I’m not calling on behalf of the Pack.” I didn’t want there to be any confusion.
“You are mated to the Alpha of the Pacific Northwest Pack. Whether you are calling on their behalf or not makes no difference. Assisting you curries favor with the shapeshifters. We will help you.”
I sighed with relief. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Marcella may see something you’re not happy with. Her visions often end in bloodshed.”
I shuddered.
“Bring us a photo of the missing woman. We’ll see what we can do.”
It took thirty minutes to make my way from Sanborn Place to the Dishman Hills nature reserve. The heavy iron gates stood ominously open. They’d been expecting me, but driving through and watching them close in the rearview mirror had a chilling effect.
The magic was strong here. The hairs on my arms stood on end and a prickling sensation broke out across my skin. I rubbed at my bare skin to get rid of the sensation—not that it did any good.
I drove down the dirt road until it opened up into a clearing that led to … nothing.
Well, I guess this is where I get out.
I parked the Hummer—I still hated it. I still missed my Civic—and looked around. The Dishman Hills nature reserve was a woodland area smack dab in the middle of the suburbs. You had Spokane on one side, and Spokane Valley on the other. Surrounded by homes, it was a little piece of paradise, with all of its lush greenery and towering evergreen trees.
There was a park and hiking trails. Not that it was open to the public. But I’d done my research—thank you, Google—so I wasn’t surprised when I passed the cedar swing set or the play gym and monkey bars.
I wandered around for ten minutes. Someone would come and find me when they were ready to talk. For now, I might as well explore some of the hidden gems within the forest. It wasn’t like the opportunity presented itself often.
There was a series of ravines that ran parallel to one another. I followed them for half a mile, stepping over rocks and branches as I skipped my way between them.
I felt like a child again, the fresh air and rich foliage making all of my worries fall to the wayside. I’d been in the woods before. Hell, I lived in them now, what with the Compound being on one-hundred-and-seven acres of forested land. But this didn’t feel like a forest. It was magic and earth, and something about it sung deep inside my bones.
I could get lost here and I wouldn’t even mind it.
When a woman stepped out through a break in the trees, I jumped.
“Follow me.”
How the heck had she snuck up on me like that?
Doing as instructed, I walked behind her. Somehow, she managed to keep her steps light. They weren’t silent like a shifter’s, but close.
Branches didn’t snap nor did leaves crunch beneath her feet. It was almost like she glided across the forest floor. And here I was, stomping through in my worn leather boots. I couldn’t help it.
With my luck, I’d trip on a fallen branch.
If Declan were here, he’d make some comment about being heard for miles. Just the thought of him brought a smile to my face. I really was put out over missing our lunch plans. But this was more important. We’d have to find alone time some other way.
Sun filtered in through the treetops and kissed the woman’s dark skin, glittering across the beads expertly woven throughout her braided hair.
“Go straight for a bit and you’ll find Olivia’s cabin. She’s waiting for you inside.”
I nodded and did as instructed.
As promised, Olivia’s cabin wasn’t much further ahead. Though ‘cabin’ wasn’t the word I would have used for it. It was more like a two-story lodge. Made from hand-scraped logs, it had a cabin feel without any of the rustic aesthetic you would expect. It was beautiful and the longer I looked at it, the more it fit Olivia. It was strong, could weather any storm, and still managed to make you feel safe, cozy even.
It was the perfect home to raise a child in.
I paused. Where had that thought come from?
Shaking the thought away—I was way too young and we were way too early into our relationship for me to thi
nk about children—I climbed the front porch steps. The door swung open and a freckle-faced girl with shoulder-length blond hair greeted me. “Come in. Come in!” She reached for my hand and all but dragged me through across the threshold, her violet eyes filled with excitement.
“Mom, she’s here!”
“I’ll be in in a moment,” Olivia called out from what I assumed was the kitchen, judging by the smells of coffee and spice wafting from her general direction.
“You brought what I needed?” Marcella asked.
I nodded and handed her a picture of Melody. She glanced at it briefly before directing me toward the sofa. It was a well-worn leather sectional and I sank into the deep-seated cushion.
“Do you think you can … ” I waved my hand in the air. “You know?”
She smiled and bobbed her head up and down. “I’ll try, but there’s something else I need to tell you first.”
I stiffened. Unless it was going to help me find Melody, I really didn’t want to know.
But Marcella looked so excited. I braced myself for whatever news she had. There wasn’t anything else I could do.
“Alright. Lay it on me.”
“One minute. Mom’s bringing coffee. She thinks you’ll need it.”
Great.
As if waiting for her cue, Olivia headed down the hallway, a small wooden tray in her hands, and nestled on top of it were two mugs. She handed one to me and took the other for herself. I stared into the cup, catching a hint of my reflection in the rich brown liquid.
“So…” I may as well get this part over with.
“Drink the coffee, dear. It’ll help with the nerves.”
Right as I took a drink, Marcella blurted out, “You’re not going to die anymore!” With all the excitement and grace of a preteen.
I spit my coffee back into the cup. “Excuse me?”
She smiled from ear to ear. “I’ve been looking into your future for weeks now and I thought you were going to die. I mean, I was almost sure of it. But now I’m almost positive you won’t. Isn’t that great?” She dragged out the word almost which didn’t instill confidence. And had she said I was going to die. Before, not now. But still.
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