by Raven Steele
I scooped him up again.
"Thank you." His eyes closed.
I held still for a few seconds feeling things I hadn't felt since I was a child. I had always loved my uncle. He had been the fun one in the family, giving piggyback rides to the kids or sneaking us candy under the large dinner table. He would also hand out quarters, which felt like a lot of money back then.
But, he’d also been intense. I remember overhearing him fighting with my father. I can't remember what it was about, but I remember being surprised to see that side of him. I guess we all had those sides though.
I took off again, jogging the best I could and trying to think about where to hide him. I had no doubt they would come looking for him. And with my disappearance, they’d suspect I had something to do with it. I had to trust that whatever Luke decided to tell them would keep me out of harm’s way.
The sounds of a river up ahead was music to my ears. Just what I needed to not only wash myself off but to also help cover our tracks.
When I reached the water's edge, I gently set him down on the bank. "I'll be just a second. Believe me, I'm doing this for both our good."
Taking the jacket with me, I waded into the river that spanned maybe thirty feet across. It only reached as high as my waist but that was enough. I dunked under the water and rubbed at my skin furiously. I ran my fingers through my hair and shook the long tendrils out while still under the surface. I also scrubbed at the inside lining of the jacket before rising out of the water dripping wet and freezing, the jacket feeling like a hundred pound weight. It was a lot colder now, but at least I could stand the smell of myself.
I walked back to shore and scooped up my uncle to carry him across the river. We nearly fell a couple of times, and my feet received their fair share of cuts, but we made it. I continued walking for another mile until my uncle stirred within my arms.
"I think I can walk now.”
"You may, but it's still faster if I carry you."
"Where are you taking me?"
"I haven't decided. I could check you into a hotel, but someone might see us. I don't know who in this town works for Dominic.” I bit my lip, thinking. “I don't trust my roommates yet, or I’d take you back to my place."
"I have a place. No one knows about it. It's on the east side of town in the warehouse district."
I cringed. "That's really far away. I don't see me carrying you that far.” Especially halfway naked, but I didn’t say that. “If I let you walk, it would take us all day." I looked up toward the sky, which was beginning to grow light. "I have an idea how we can get there. Someone I think we can trust."
He nodded weakly. “Great.”
Relieved that we’d reached my clothes, I set my uncle down and dressed quickly. I found my phone and called Roma, hoping she would be awake.
I wasn’t certain I could trust her, but I didn’t have much of a choice at this point.
She answered on the first ring, almost as if she'd been waiting for my call. "Yes?"
Weird. "It's your lovely lone wolf, Briar. I need your help."
"I expected as much."
“You did?”
“Sure. Premonitions, remember?”
Oh, yeah. Those. "Can you pick me up where you dropped me off?"
"Sure thing. I'm only a few minutes away."
"How? It’s ten miles from town."
"Like I said, I expected your call." The line went dead.
"Who was that?" My uncle gave me a wary look.
"No one we need to worry about. She’ll take us where we want to go."
He looked up at me and shook his head. "Why are you helping me? I don't even know you."
I cleared my throat. "This is something I do. Go city to city, saving one shifter at a time."
"You joke about everything, don't you?"
"I like to keep things light."
"Because you've had a rough past." He didn't phrase it as a question. He just knew.
I shrugged and shifted my weight, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
"My name is Vincent. Vincent Moretti. It's nice to meet you. You said your name was Briar?"
I nodded and turned my gaze toward the forest. Only darkness stared back, hiding beneath the canopy of trees, and yet, I couldn’t ignore the cold chill kissing up my spine.
“You look familiar. Do I know—”
I grabbed his arm and silenced him with a look. A twig had snapped. Then another.
I pulled him to the ground and pressed my finger to my lips. His brown eyes widened, and his face paled. Whatever I was hearing, he didn’t seem to notice. He kept his focus on me, waiting for instructions.
The sound of a car’s engine sounded not far away. It had to be Roma.
Movement in the forest was followed by hushed voices. This, my uncle heard, and he gripped my hand with skinny, bruised fingers. I pointed to the road, indicating to crawl forward. We had to be quick, if we were going to escape these shifters.
As if sensing our predicament, Roma’s car stopped only feet from the shoulder. She threw open the passenger door. “Get in!”
I shoved my uncle forward, half carrying him to the car. The forest behind us came alive with pounding footsteps and loud voices. My heart beat painfully fast.
Just as I got my uncle seated, two shifters exploded from the trees down the road, fangs and claws shining in the moonlight.
“Drive!” I yelled and did the only thing I could do.
I jumped on top of the car and held on for dear life.
Chapter 9
Lying belly flat on top of the cold metal car, I gripped the edge just above where my uncle sat, the door still open. Roma propelled us into the night, driving like the mad woman she was. My uncle held onto the door handle to keep it from shutting onto my hand. Part of me was terrified as I stared into the darkness rushing past me, tears stinging my eyes from the sharp wind, but another part of me, my wolfie side, loved the thrill.
Once we were a safe distance away, Roma slowed to a stop. I slid off the side and into the backseat, grinning big.
Roma glared at me. “Was that necessary?”
I stared at her blank faced. “What? Jumping on the roof?”
She pulled back onto the road, eyeing the rearview mirror. “You had time to get into the back seat.”
“Oh, come one. Everyone loves a dramatic exit.” I grinned and leaned back in my seat, spreading my legs out.
“Listen to this wise woman,” my uncle breathed to me, then winced in pain.
“The name’s Roma,” she said to him. “And you look like shit.”
“I hear that a lot.” He attempted a smile and rested his head against the window.
"Thanks again for coming to get me,” I said, sitting up and turning to look behind me to make sure we weren’t being followed. “And can you head toward downtown Rouen?”
She glanced at me in the mirror. “Do I want to know what happened?”
“Do you?”
She huffed and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. I stuffed my hands into my jacket pocket, and we settled into an awkward silence.
I stared at the back of my uncle’s head, silver streaking what used to be all black hair. His shoulders were slumped, further than most people’s. Life had beaten him down. Maybe he’d be as relieved to see me as I was him. Someone else to share our burdens with.
Roma glanced at me a few times in the rearview mirror, her expression unreadable. I was surprised by her demeanor. Before, she'd been super friendly and talkative, but now, she didn't seem to want to have anything to do with my guest. I respected that and didn't force the issue. I had no idea who my uncle had become, or how he treated people. Who knew what kind of reputation he had.
Once we reached the city, my uncle gave Roma an address. She nodded again and took off in that direction. After another ten minutes of driving, she parked the car next to a warehouse that looked like it was abandoned. In fact, the whole area looked dead.
/> Perfect. No one would see us.
It was still early, but a line of orange fire had touched the horizon. Seeing the sun rise next to my resurrected uncle made a warm glowy feeling worm its way into my chest. It was uncomfortable. I didn’t like how vulnerable it made me feel.
"Thank you.” I paid Roma with some of my tip money. She took it, then touched my hand. “Just consider me your good luck charm, Briar. Call me whenever you need something.”
I thought that was kind of a weird thing to say, but it was true that I’d been pretty lucky tonight. And she’d stuck around. If I believed in that crap, I’d say she had a point.
She shot me a look, concern evident in her eyes. I gave her my own reassuring glance.
We exited the car, and I watched as she drove away. Maybe I'd make her a batch of cookies or something.
Who was I kidding? I couldn’t bake. Maybe I’d give her some beer. I could do that. It was lame, but I was okay with that.
"It's over here.” Vincent turned down a narrow alley between two warehouses, walking on his own but limping. When he reached the side door, he punched a number into a keypad. It beeped and the door opened. He glanced back at me. "I've never shown anyone this location. I don't know you, but you did save my life so I figure I can trust you."
Hmph. If he only knew the truth about my real reason for being in Rouen. I didn't say anything as he opened the door to let me by.
The room was smaller than I expected. It had worn gray carpet with several dark stains. A single bare mattress was pressed against the wall next to a circular table. Several old papers were scattered over the top.
I turned around. "You want to tell me why the Silver Claws nearly killed you last night?"
He shrugged one shoulder and slowly lowered onto the bed, hissing through his teeth at the motion. "I'm good at pissing off the pack."
I resisted the urge to smile. Pissing off people must run in our blood. "What did you do?"
"I tried to have Dominic killed. Well, not really. I was just caught discussing it. The guy is destroying the Silver Claws. Everyone knows it, but no one can do anything about it with those damned witches around all the time."
“Why don’t you just leave?” I walked to the table and scanned the papers on its top. There were several receipts and a bunch of spreadsheets with rows and rows of numbers. When he didn't answer, I looked up and groaned. "Don't tell me you still have loyalty toward the pack that just tried to kill you."
“I belong to them. I think I can smooth things over."
I laughed out loud. "You want to go back?”
"I want to return to the pack, not Dominic. It was great once, and I want to get it to that place again."
“Why would they ever take you back?"
"Because I'm the guy with the money."
"You're rich?" From what I remember of him, he never had much money. He had owned a construction crew, but there wasn't much building going on at the time. He’d often borrowed money from my father.
He cocked his head to the side and studied me. "What is it about you? Are you sure we've never met?"
That’s my cue to leave. Until I knew more about him, I couldn’t tell him my true identity. "I don't think so. Unless you were at Sinsual the last two nights. I'm their new bartender. Speaking of which, I might have to work tonight, so I better get going."
He rose from the bed quickly. "Thank you again for saving me. I owe you one."
I attempted to swallow a growing lump in my throat, but it was rock solid. Every part of me wanted to tell him the truth, but I imagined a sock in my throat instead. At least until I got to know him better.
“It was nothing.” I walked to the door and opened it. “Maybe I'll see you around."
"We'll meet again, Briar.”
Glancing back at him, I smiled. "Dramatic. Just how I like it."
I stepped outside into the early morning light, feeling the sun’s rays kiss my face. I tilted my face upward to greet it and inhaled a hitched breath.
I wasn't alone anymore.
It took me nearly two hours to walk home. I was exhausted, and I had a blister forming on my heel. That and being tied to a stupid tree all night made me want to collapse into bed and knock myself unconscious. I’d hoped to sneak inside the house unnoticed, but Lynx was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee warming her hands.
She gasped when I walked in. "What happened to you? Are you okay?" She jumped to her feet and hurried over to me.
I swatted her hand away. "I'm fine, mom."
"No, you’re not. You look like—what is that smell?"
"I guess the river bath didn’t work,” I mumbled, then sighed. “I rolled around in horse manure is all."
"You’re kidding?"
"I wish I were."
"But why?"
I brushed hair away from my face. "You'll find the more you get to know me, those kinds of experiences happen more often than you would expect."
"What about those wounds on your wrist? Is that a normal occurrence for you, too?"
For the first time, I noticed the angry marks. I knew they had been tight, but geez! Parts of my flesh had literally been torn off. I don’t remember them being this bad in the car. It’s like the wound was getting worse. It also hurt like a screaming banshee now that I was staring at them.
"Come here.” Lynx motioned me toward the sink.
I stared dumbly at my hands. I was normally a quick healer so what the hell was going on?
She sighed impatiently, so I did as she asked.
Lynx turned on the water and waited for it to warm. "Stick your hands under this while I go grab some bandages.” She hesitated, and her eyes met mine. “Actually, you already know I'm a witch so do you mind? I can heal this pretty quickly."
That's when I remembered how magic had kept me bound to the tree. No wonder I wasn't healing. Man, how could I forget that? I must really be tired.
"That would be awesome, if it isn’t too much of a bother."
"Not at all. What are friends for?" She smiled at me and grabbed a towel to dry my wrists. She patted them gently.
“You’re more talkative today,” I mused. “What changed?”
“I just needed a little time to get used to the idea of roommates. I mean, I know I was the one who sought you guys out, well, you anyway. Samira was just a bonus—”
“—or a parasite.”
“But when I saw both of you in my house, I guess it made me nervous at first, but after a good night’s sleep, I decided it’s going to be fun.”
She carefully brushed at my wrist. My insides squirmed at her tender touch, and I rolled my shoulders back. I had never had anyone take care of me before. It was a strange feeling. But it was kind of nice, too.
Who knew I could be so emo? Three times in one night.
"Who did this to you?" she asked, her voice soft, yet the words wielded a sharp edge.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I didn't want to get her mixed up in my business. Plus, she might not want a roommate that's a shifter. Some humans, the ones who knew about us, were not too fond of supernaturals.
"It was nothing. I was just playing a game with a friend."
"That involved horse crap and ropes?”
"He's a little off.”
"Can you cut it out already?" She laughed. "I know you’re a shifter."
My eyebrows lifted. "How?"
"Some witches have the ability to detect supernatural creatures. I happen to be one of them."
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because some supernaturals like to pretend they are normal because of horrible things they’ve been through. I wasn’t about to call you out in case you were one of those, but after seeing these,” her gaze dropped to my wounds, “I think you’re okay with being different.”
"And you’re okay living with a shifter?"
"I let you move in, didn’t I?" She turned my wrists over. "Now hold still. This might sting a little."
With her t
humb on the tender part of my wrists, she lowered her head and began to whisper. It sounded like some kind of ancient language. I hissed when my skin began to burn as if someone was touching it with an invisible hot iron.
"That really hurts." I clenched my teeth.
She let go of my wrists. "Did magic do this to you?"
"I think the rope was spelled."
Lynx frowned. "Stupid bitches.”
"Do you know who did this?"
“Blond sisters, right?"
"How did you know?"
Her gaze lifted to mine. "They’re my cousins. I'd recognize their work anywhere."
I remembered Samira saying Lynx was a Morgan. Of course, they’d be related. I touched my wrists tenderly. “I hear they're a pretty big deal in this town."
"They're a big pain in my ass is what they are. But let's not talk about them.” She waved the topic away. “I can still heal you, but it's just going to hurt a lot. Or, you could wait a few days, and the spell will probably go away on its own.”
I shook my head. "I have to work tonight. It's probably bad form to be bartending with rope marks on my wrists. People might get the wrong idea." I raised my eyebrow. “Actually, that could be a little fun.”
“And dangerous.” Lynx walked to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "I don’t usually drink but there are exceptions. I was saving this for the night when I finally decided to tell my mother where she can stick it. You know, the whole liquid courage thing. But I think it will be better used in this situation."
“Thanks.” I accepted it from her and unscrewed the lid. After a nice long swig, I said, "I'll get you a new one. Or better yet, I'll teach you how to tell people off without any liquid courage. People say I'm pretty good at it."
She laughed. "That's probably what got you tied up to begin with.” When I didn’t argue, she took hold of my wrists for the second time. "Let's try this again. Try not to move."
The pain was just as bad, but since I knew what to expect, I kept my composure. The whole process lasted a full two minutes. When she was finished, my skin looked as good as new.
I held them up to the light and examined them. "Thanks. I think you even got rid of an annoying mole I used to have. Speaking of which, I've got this thing on my ass—”