by R L Medina
“I’ll bring some food for you later. Unless you want to eat with the others?”
Nadia’s eyebrow arched at Michael’s question. A warning? I shook off the unease and squared my shoulders back.
“I’ll just eat in here. Thanks.”
He smiled and closed the door, shooing Nadia away. I stood and pressed myself close to the wood, waiting until I heard their footsteps fade away before turning the lock. I didn’t want them to know I was scared.
And hell, was I scared. I needed a plan and fast.
5
After the medicine and shower, I put on the fresh clothes Michael left for me. All except the underwear because clean or not, I just couldn’t bring myself to put on someone else’s underwear. Just no. The jeans were a little loose around the waist, but the tank top was a perfect fit. Even better, it was black.
I stood by the window, staring at the beach below, breathing in the salty air coming through the window I’d finally been able to open. The sky was a brilliant pinkish gold, the sun lowering. My stomach groaned, and I debated whether I should join the rest for dinner or wait for Michael to bring my food. The thought of sitting at a table with a bunch of werewolves made me shudder.
But this was my chance. I could talk to them and see if anyone them knew this wizard my mom sent me after. Would Rafael help me now that I’d saved his life? I flushed. Could I really call it saving his life when I’d been the reason, they’d been at risk in the first place?
Making up my mind, I threw on the bulky sweater over my tank top and ventured out of the room. Noisy laughter drifted from down the hall. My shoes thumped against the polished wood floor. It grew quiet. Could they hear me?
Not that I was one to shy away from strangers, but the thought of walking in and every eye turning to me made my heart drop to my stomach.
The smell of food lured me forward. I glanced around at the crowded room, hoping to spot Michael or one of the others I knew. Instead, my eyes met Nadia’s. She sat in some dude’s lap, guzzling down a beer as she stared at me. The guy’s face was pressed against her neck, buried beneath her curls. Growls and the sound of sloppy kisses came from their direction.
Gross. Talk about PDA.
Trying to get that image out of my mind, I walked on. Some sappy, old-timey, love song played, sounding way out of place for the casual mix of people there drinking their beers. Where were all the wolves that were supposedly my age? Everyone looked like they were pushing thirty. A couple walked past with plates topped with pizza. My eyes widened. Yes.
I looked up to find Michael walking up to me, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a tight shirt. He smiled and handed me a paper plate with two giant slices of cheese pizza.
“Figured I couldn’t go wrong with cheese.”
“Thank you.” I took the plate from him.
A whiff of his cologne caught my nose, smelling more like something the rich academy boys would wear than the average werewolf. Then again, I doubted these were average wolves. The mansion itself easily cost more than my vineyard in Sonoma. The familiar ache filled my chest as the image of home flashed in my mind.
Would I ever see it again?
“What’s wrong? Should I have grabbed a different slice? There’s more,” Michael interrupted.
I waved away the memory. “No. I’m fine. This is great, thanks.”
The cheese was still too hot, so I blew on it.
“Where’s Rafael and the others?”
He shrugged. “Around. I wouldn’t suggest you go looking for them though. These dinners can get… a bit rowdy.”
My eyebrow arched. “Yes, I’ve seen.”
A look of concern flashed on his face. I bit back a smirk. Is that why they called him Ángel? His protectiveness reminded me of Javi. Papi would have liked him. Sorrow blossomed inside me. I glanced away, trying to compose myself before Michael could see me.
Don’t cry. Who the hell cries while they’re eating pizza, anyway?
“You want something to drink?” Michael’s question snapped me to attention.
I smiled. “Sure. I’d love a beer.”
He frowned. “Not alcohol.”
“Hey, you asked.”
“Come on, Ángel. Let the girl drink,” Leo interrupted. He strode toward us with a drink of his own.
“She probably needs it after the day we had.” He winked at me.
Michael scowled at him. “Don’t you have a poker game to start?”
Leo smiled, a big dimply smile that made me flush. There was a reason so many romance books featured werewolves and I was beginning to see it. Though the GRIMMs weren’t bad looking at all either. Grayson’s face flickered in my mind. I took a bite of pizza and pushed the vision away. Far, far away.
I couldn’t think about him or the others. Not when there was so much other crap to figure out.
“You two kids have fun then. Watch out, Michael. Don’t forget she’s jailbait. And a GRIMM.” Leo laughed.
He leapt out of Michael’s reach and strode away, laughing. Michael shook his head, brow furrowed.
“So, he seems fun.” I broke the awkward tension.
Michael grunted. “He’s trouble. Not worth the trouble. Stay away from him.”
My cheeks flamed. “That’s not what… I didn’t mean that. I have a boyfriend. And Leo’s like what thirty?”
“Almost,” came a voice behind us.
I turned to see Mateo, the mellower of the brothers, walking toward us. Though they were twins, I noticed Mateo was slightly shorter with less bulk, but still Malibu gorgeous. Did everyone that lived there have to look like a freaking model?
“Lucian recover?” Michael asked him.
I turned to him to hear his answer. I’d forgotten Rafael ordered him chained.
“Almost. Raf says he’s going to keep him caged overnight. The fight got to him,” Mateo replied.
“Is he going to be okay then?”
They glanced at me.
“He’ll be fine. Once the drug wears off.”
Mateo scoffed. “He won’t be fine if he develops an addiction.”
Michael’s jaw clenched. “He won’t.”
“It wasn’t his first time taking Midnight Rush. And it was double the dose he took last time.”
“Shit. You don’t think… he did it on purpose?”
I picked up my pizza and took a bite as I listened to their exchange. Lucian was an addict? That was a scary thought. Manny’s wild eyes came back to haunt me. I shuddered. Is that what made him kill my father or was he also working for the Luna Negra?
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there, but I recommended Rafael not let him meet any more clients alone.” Mateo shook his head, “He trusts him too much.”
“Yeah. But he’s his beta. He’d never betray Raf.”
Mateo sighed. “I hope so.”
They fell silent and glanced at me as if remembering I was still there. I swallowed another bite of pizza and stared back.
“Can’t you put him like in rehab or something?” I asked between mouthfuls.
“It’s not like any kind of drug you’d know,” Mateo answered.
I frowned. “What, it’s like a magical drug?”
Mateo shook his head. “We shouldn’t be talking about this.”
Michael nodded in agreement.
“Why? I’m not going to turn you in or anything if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Who would I even tell? I couldn’t face my tío or the others again. I shoveled in the last bit of crust and wiped my hands on my jeans. Stomach satisfied, it was time to figure out what to do next. I couldn’t just spend the rest of my life with the wolves, running drugs and whatever other shady things they did.
“Do you know who I can talk to too about the wizard? Someone who might remember when Rafael’s dad was alpha?”
Mateo and Michael blinked at me. My cheeks flamed at the pity I read in their stares.
I’m not crazy.
“All the wolves here would remember,
but none of them can tell you about this wizard. Raf was about your age when he became alpha. 18. I was younger, and I definitely don’t remember any wizard.” Mateo stared into the distance. “There hasn’t been a wizard in Malibu in years.”
“Decades.” Michael grunted.
Mateo’s lips pursed thoughtfully. “I believe eighty years or so.”
My heart sank. That couldn’t be right. What did Mom’s letter mean? The one place, I was almost sure to find information would be back at the academy, but how could I get to it now?
The song changed to a Spanish ballad. One Papi sang to me as we worked the fields, harvesting the grapes. Tears stung my eyes as I tried to push the memories away. I watched as some of the wolves paired up and started swaying to the music.
Voices and drunken laughter echoed from the other side of the room where Leo sat in a poker game with a group of werewolves I didn’t know.
My eyes landed on Rafael as he entered from the hallway, Nadia close on his heels. It was too loud to hear what they were saying, but Nadia looked pissed. When had she abandoned Mr. PDA?
“Is she the alpha girl or something?”
Michael and Mateo frowned at me. Before they answered, movement caught my attention. Leo stood and flipped over the card table, sending the chips and money flying into the air and clattering to the ground. Angry shouts echoed over his laughter.
He shrugged it off and sauntered over to us.
“Who? Nadia?” Michael answered.
“Nadia isn’t an alpha,” Mateo added.
“Oh. I just thought since she was with Rafael…”
Leo walked up at that moment and chuckled. “Nadia with Raf? She wishes. Raf is a lone alpha.”
“I thought all wolves had mates or soulmates.”
Mateo’s eyebrow arched. “Is that what they teach you at your academy?”
Leo snickered. “No. That’s what the dirty books and movies say.”
My face reddened. How did he know what the books said?
Michael turned to me, his blue eyes piercing. “Were not much different from ordinaires.”
“Says you. We’re stronger, faster, and all around better.” Leo smiled smugly.
The conversation died as Rafael strode toward us. His dark eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. Silence fell in the room and I felt the weight of everyone’s stares.
“Tomorrow night you’re coming with me.”
His command made me bristle. “And where are we going?”
“El Palacio.”
Michael sucked in a breath.
Rafael’s eyes snapped to him. “Problem?”
“Raf, we can’t bring her to the club.”
Club? Why was he taking me to some club?
“I found a witch to meet us there.” His gaze shifted to mine. “She can help you find this wizard.”
Hope flared inside me. Could she really help me?
“Who?” Michael demanded.
Rafael growled at him. “Watch yourself, Michael.”
He snapped his mouth shut and glanced away though his forehead creased in concern.
“When do we go?” I asked, breaking the tension.
“Tomorrow night when the club opens. We’re going to find those witches. And you’re going to help us.”
I stiffened. “What? No. I’m looking for the wizard. I don’t want anything to do with the coven.”
His lips spread into a cruel smile. “Oh, I’ll find your wizard. But I will find those witches too, and they will pay for what they did to my father.”
With that, he sniffed and continued past, disappearing into the crowd of people.
“We’ve been hunting that coven for years, but they always slip away. Now. Now we might have a chance,” Mateo explained.
My body was numb. Was Rafael going to hand me over to the coven? To pay for my mother’s part in his father’s murder?
“The club, huh? I’m in.” Leo grinned. His words broke my thoughts.
His twin scowled at him. “What about… that thing you have to do?”
Leo scratched his stubbled chin. “What thing?”
“The shifter,” Mateo answered through clenched teeth.
My eyes widened. The shifter? I glanced at Michael, but he looked away. Were they going to kill the man? A shudder ran down my spine. Their world was dark and dangerous even without me bringing more trouble. Was this the kind of world Javi and the others were preparing for? I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to push away the doubts creeping in.
The song changed to something faster. People cheered. I watched as the room erupted into a party, wolves dancing, drinking, and laughing. Leo howled, starting a chain reaction. Their cries filled my ears and sent a chill through me. It was another blunt reminder that I was human, and they were not.
But they were happy. They were family. Even if they did horrible things, I couldn’t help but like them. Sorrow gutted me as I thought of my own screwed up family.
You guys sure left me a mess. Thanks.
If my parents were still alive, would things have been different? Would I still have ended up at the academy? Still running from the witches?
Leo grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the throng of people. All dark thoughts vanished as he spun me in the middle of the floor. My cheeks flushed as the others cheered and clapped for us. Though dancing in front of strangers had never been my thing, I couldn’t help but let the music take over, my body instinctively moving to the rhythm.
Michael and Mateo joined in, and soon all the stress and worries of the past events faded to the background. I was alive. I was okay.
Maybe things would work out.
6
The next morning, I woke up, body stiff and throat parched. Sunlight streamed in from the window. I groaned and pushed myself up on the bed. Waking up in a new house was always disorienting. Would I ever wake up and not think I was back home with Papi?
No. Can’t think about that now.
Dismissing the depressing thoughts, I swung my feet off the bed and slid to the floor. Noises drifted outside my door. Were the wolves already up? I walked over to the window and sighed at the gorgeous view. All the time I’d spent in Malibu, and I’d barely seen its famous beaches.
It was so hard to imagine Luna Negra among the inhabitants there. Javi told me their coven was spread all over with new groups popping up every so often. With so many recruits, why did they care so much about me?
I glanced at my sword on the table. Apart for that enchanted weapon, that seemed to have lost its juice, I was powerless. Why couldn’t they go after someone more skilled with magic?
A knock on my door startled me.
“Rose?” Michael called.
I swung the door open wide. He backed up and greeted me with a hesitant smile. His eyes flicked to the sword and back to me.
“Hungry? Lucian made pancakes.”
My eyebrows rose. “Lucian… made pancakes?”
“Yeah. He’s our best chef.”
“Huh.”
Somehow, I couldn’t picture the big bulky wolf flipping pancakes. That was something I had to see. I motioned for Michael to lead the way and grabbed my sword as we left. Though it remained dull, the firm metal in my grasp gave me comfort.
Michael glanced at it but didn’t say anything. He led me to the kitchen where a group of wolves sat around a table, chomping down breakfast. Everyone looked up at our approach, eyes narrowing on my weapon.
Lucian walked over and dumped a pile of pancakes on a platter in the middle of the table. His stare met mine.
“Breakfast?” His voice was low and gruff.
Michael nudged me toward an empty chair at the end. I felt silly with my giant sword, but I couldn’t leave it in my room. Not in a house full of criminals.
I sank into the chair and set my sword down flat by my feet, careful not to stab anyone. Heat crawled up my neck. The attention turned back to the food. I grabbed two of the fluffy pancakes before they disappeared and smothered them in b
utter and syrup.
Michael sat further down the table and the wolves near me were lost in their own conversation, so I happily tuned them out and ate my food.
After breakfast, the crowd thinned out, most of the members going to their individual weekend jobs. Leaving me alone with the original five plus a few other stragglers. Thankfully, Nadia didn’t seem to be one of them.
I watched Lucian as he cleaned the dishes, the perfect picture of normality. Whatever effect the mysterious drug had on him seemed to be gone. His eyes snapped to mine. I glanced away, flushing.
Great. Now he probably thinks I’m gawking at him.
Rafael, who’d been sitting silently with arms crossed, arched a brow at me. Though he’d agreed to take me to a witch who could help me, he’d been surly all through breakfast. I wasn’t sure how to read him.
“Rose.” His voice snapped me to attention.
The room fell quiet.
Leo paused, mid-bite, syrup dripping from his fork.
“Yes?” I answered.
“You’re going to tell me everything your mother told you about this wizard.”
“I have. She didn’t give me any more information.”
He frowned. “Why the secrecy?”
“I don’t know.”
“She didn’t say anything… about my father?”
I felt the weight of their stares, the curiosity and suspicion burning in their eyes. My throat turned dry. I didn’t know what to say. To tell them the truth would only make them angry, but what else was there?
“No.”
Rafael stilled, his eyes drilling me with their intensity. I met his gaze, unflinchingly. If I were in his place, I’d feel just the same. But my mom was the villain in his story, and I felt only shame and guilt for her part. Why couldn’t you just stick it to the GRIMM without destroying everyone else’s lives in the process? Like mine.
“How did she die? How did she really die?” he continued, studying me with those dark, wild eyes.
“She doesn’t know, Raf,” Michael answered for me.
Rafael snorted. “Didn’t your father tell you? Anything?”
My face burned. No.
He stood abruptly, the movement startling me. “Tonight, we’ll see just how much you’re hiding from us.” With that, he turned on his heel and stormed away.