I leaned back in my chair and continued to sip my tea while staring out the windows.
And then there she was.
She carried a bag of something in one hand. Groceries maybe? And just like in my picture, she wore a purple shirt. When she paused at the flowers to smell them before passing by, I noticed the way the sun glinted off her red hair, making it brighter like in my painting.
“Damon, look. There she is,” I said, leaning forward until the edge of the bistro table dug into my stomach. “She’s right there, smelling the flowers.”
Damon swung around, and I knew the instant his eyes landed on her because I could hear his breath leave his lungs with a hiss. He stood swiftly and grabbed his coffee, but also my cell. Hope bloomed through me as I thought he would hand it to me, but instead, he made his way to the door.
“Damon, wait! We had a deal,” I shouted while rushing after him.
I had to get home. I had to get back to Gran.
“After I introduce myself,” he insisted. “I need to know she’s the one first.”
Couldn’t he feel her Mystic magic coming off her? I could.
I opened my mouth to say as much but closed it when he charged toward her. The poor woman was oblivious to his presence seconds before he bumped into her with his shoulder, knocking the bag of groceries she carried from her arms. The contents scattered across the sidewalk, and I rolled my eyes. Bumping into her was such a cliché thing to do.
Wait. Why the heck did I care how Damon chose to introduce himself? As long as he did and learned that he learned she was the one he was searching for nothing else mattered.
Judging from the magic pulsing in the air around her, there was no denying she was a Mystic. And from the lovesick puppy expression on Damon’s face, I knew she was the Mystic for him.
When he bent to help gather her groceries, he tossed me my cell without her noticing. Something he’d said had her laughing, and I knew she was just as smitten with him as he was with her. I caught my cell and marveled at his smoothness. Damon winked at me as though he knew what I was thinking, or maybe it was his way of saying thank you. Either way, my gaze drifted to his goons, and the tallest one made a gesture with his hand that signified I should go.
Nice. I’d just saved Damon Kincaid’s life by finding his Mystic and he couldn’t even have the decency to give me a ride home.
I spun on my heel as I scrolled through my phone, looking at the missed calls from both Gran and Nash. There were a few from Liam, and a couple of unknown numbers I assumed were either Tris or Penny. I tapped on Gran’s name first. The phone rang, and I started speed walking in the opposite direction of Damon and his goons. I didn’t know where I was going, but that didn’t matter. Only two things did—hearing Gran’s voice and figuring out how the hell I was getting back home.
“Sam?” someone answered after the fourth ring. My heart dropped to my stomach because it wasn’t Gran. It took me a second to process the voice belonged to Nash. He didn’t sound like himself. His voice was raw and rugged. I knew him well enough to know that it was because his emotions had gone haywire. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Is Gran okay? Is she still—” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
“She’s still here.” He paused before saying the words I knew were coming next. “She’s gotten worse, though.”
“Just tell her I’m coming, that I’m making my way back home,” I said, walking faster. The urgency to get home was overwhelming. My bear was nearly hostile because of it.
“Where are you? What happened? And who the hell were those guys?” Nash demanded.
I cut a right at the next corner and kept walking straight. My feet knew where I was going, even though my brain didn’t. “No one. Don’t worry about it.”
“Wrong answer. They abducted you. Clearly, they’re someone to worry about,” Nash insisted. “And, they were snakes, Sam. How the hell are you mixed up with a den of snakes?”
“It’s nothing. I’m not mixed up with them. I’m fine. Their alpha is a buyer. He’s bought multiple paintings of mine. He also figured out about my gift. He wanted me to paint him something using it,” I said, trying to fill him in while also sounding nonchalant so he’d simmer down. I could tell he was pissed, his tension filtered through the phone.
“Couldn’t he have just fucking asked?” Nash seethed. I didn’t have to see him to know the veins in his neck were bulging and that his face had most likely drifted through ten shades of red as his anger grew.
“He did. Multiple times. Heck, he even offered to pay me, but I shot him down… which is why he came after me. Look, none of this matters. I just wanted to see if Gran was okay. I’m fine, and I’m headed back to Gem Creek now.”
“How are you getting back? He took you.” I could hear Nash’s anger still bubbling through his tone. “It’s not like you have your vehicle.”
Crap. He was right. I didn’t even have my wallet.
I had nothing except my phone.
“Tell me where you are. I’ll come get you,” Nash insisted. I could hear the sound of keys jingling in his hand.
I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temple. The dull pain of a building headache twinged. “No. It will waste too much time. I need to be making my way to you. Like right now.”
“Okay. Let’s think. Is there a way you can snag that asshole’s vehicle? I mean, he does owe you.”
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “No. When he said I was free to go, I bolted. I’m not even in that section of the city anymore.”
I glanced around. Where the heck was I?
“Good. Okay, um… is there anyone you could ask to borrow their vehicle? I mean, you probably made all sorts of friends in the city you call home now, right?” His tone was off. I wondered if it was because he was worried I’d made lots of male friends while living here.
“First of all, this city isn’t my home. I don’t think I’ve ever really thought of it as home either. Not in the way I have about Gem Creek. And second, yeah. There is someone I can ask,” I said.
“Oh?”
A smirk twisted my lips. “She’s human, though,” I said, listening for his sigh of relief. When it came, a shiver of satisfaction slid through me. “Which means when I convince her to come with me, nothing bear related can happen around her, capeesh?”
Nash laughed. “Capeesh. That’s something I haven’t heard in a long time.”
“I’m serious, Nash. I don’t want to scare her, and I don’t want to open up her view of the world. I like her as she is.”
“We run a campground that’s always filled with human campers. I think things will be fine, but I’ll let Liam know so he can tell the others if it makes you feel better.”
“It does. Thank you,” I said. “I’ll see you soon. Tell Gran I’m on my way.”
“I will. Drive safe.” There was hesitation in his tone before he hung up. It was almost as though there was something else he’d wanted to say.
Did he want to tell me that he loved me?
It had been over a year since I’d heard those words from him. My heart skipped a beat at the thought, sending sadness spiraling through my bear and me.
I pocketed my cell and continued speed walking in the direction I’d been going without realizing—Karen’s place.
Chapter Ten
I stared at Karen’s apartment door, debating what reason I should give for needing a ride back to Gem Creek. How could I explain how I’d gotten here without pulling her into shifter stuff or having her call the cops on Damon?
I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I should have thought this through more.
Karen wasn’t the best choice for this situation. I should have reached out to someone from the Maverick Crew instead.
What was I thinking?
I pulled my cell from my back pocket and started walking toward the elevator.
“Sam?” A voice called from behind me. “What are you doing here?”
/> I spun around, wide-eyed. “Karen. Hey. I was, um, coming by to say hi.”
“No, you weren’t.” Her brows pinched together. She always had been able to read people so well. It was how she knew instantly whether someone actually liked a piece she was showing them or if she was wasting her time. “Is everything okay? You look a little flustered.”
“I am.” I deflated. There was no point in trying to pretend. She’d see right through it.
“Is your granny okay?” Her voice was soft, and I knew it was because she didn’t want to upset me.
Karen was a true friend. That was why I’d come here and not to one of the members of the Maverick Crew. I hadn’t connected with any of them, not in the way I had with her.
“No, she’s not,” I said.
“Then, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you with her?”
Legit questions. One’s I wished I could give her real answers to.
“Let’s head inside,” she said, motioning for me to follow her inside her apartment.
“Wait. Weren’t you just leaving?” I asked, remembering.
She waved my words away. “You’re way more important than the guy I was supposed to meet for a drink. Honestly, you probably did me a favor by intervening. He seemed like a real bore. I just haven’t been out in a while, so I figured I’d take him up on his offer even though we don’t have much in common.”
I smirked at her. The reality was, she probably would have found something wrong with the guy within the first two seconds anyway. She always claimed I was picky, but she was the picky one.
“So, tell me what’s up,” Karen said as she closed the door behind us and flipped a few lights on.
My face scrunched up. “I need a favor. Well, a few favors.”
“Anything. You know that. What do you need?” Her eyes filled with concern.
“I need you to give me a ride back to Gem Creek. Like right now,” I said. “Please.”
“Oh. Um okay. Did your car break down or something?”
“No. I didn’t drive here. Which brings me to my second favor—please don’t ask me any questions about how I got here.” I knew one question would lead to another, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to answer any questions she had about the pickle I’d somehow gotten myself into.
It was best if she knew as minimal an amount of information as possible.
Karen’s face grew serious. “Sure. I can do that. No questions. Well, just one. Are you sure you’re okay?” Her eyes bored into mine.
I loved her for being so concerned.
“I am. Or at least I will be once I get back to Gem Creek,” I insisted, smoothing a few stray hairs away from my face.
“Should we leave now?” Karen asked.
“If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Road trip!” She shouted as she kicked off her heels and headed to her bedroom.
Twenty minutes later, Karen had packed an overnight bag and changed into some comfy driving clothes. She’d gathered us some healthy snacks and each a bottle of water while I cleaned myself up in the bathroom before we left.
When we arrived at Gem Creek a few hours later, I directed Karen toward Gran’s cabin. She pulled in behind my SUV but didn’t say a word about why it was here or ask how I’d gotten to Denton without it.
“Looks like you have a lot of people eager to see you again,” she said, nodding to them. “Is one of them the guy you were so heartbroken over?”
Nash made his way down the steps toward Karen’s car before she came to a full stop. His brows were pulled together, and every muscle in his body seemed tense and tight as he walked. I knew it was partly because he was trying hard to rein in his bear and not let his eyes flash.
“That would be him,” I said, my gaze never wavering from Nash.
“He looks like the type to break hearts,” Karen gushed.
My bear grumbled. She wasn’t a fan of others ogling Nash. He was hers.
I popped open the car door and slid out. Nash scooped me into a hug. My bear sighed with relief. This was where she wanted to be—heck, it was where I wanted to be—in Nash’s arms and in Gem Creek.
“I was going fucking insane not knowing where those pricks took you.” He grumbled in a low tone so only I could hear him. “You better be glad I didn’t go to the city to bring you back myself because if I had, I wouldn’t have left until I found their sorry asses.”
“I know.” I placed a chaste kiss to his lips. “How’s Gran?”
Nash released his grip on me. “I’m not gonna lie and say she’s doing good or that she’s any better. We both know that isn’t the case with this situation.” He gave me a slight smile. “I can say she’s hanging on, and I think it’s because she’s been waiting for you to come back so she can say goodbye.”
His words pressed against me, weighing down my soul. Tears built in my eyes, but I blinked them away. Now wasn’t the time for crying.
The front door of the cabin opened, and I half expected to see Gran rush out to hug me, but it wasn’t her. It was Tris. The tension in her expression melted when her eyes landed on me.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Tris said. “She’s asking for you.”
I glanced at Karen, wondering what I should do about her.
“Go on. See your Gran. I’ll be fine. I’m a people person.” She winked.
As I made my way up the stairs and inside I could hear Karen introducing herself to everyone. It brought a smile to my face. Liam stood from where he’d sat on the porch and made his way to her, his hand squeezed my shoulder as we passed, offering me comfort. My bear needed it. Penny reached out for my hand and gave it a squeeze next, sending more warmth flowing through me.
I loved my clan.
The cabin was hot and stuffy when I entered. Someone had turned off the air. Was it because it was too cold for Gran to have it on? She’d always loved cranking the AC up. She used to tell me growing up to stop complaining and put a sweater on.
My heart raced as I made my way through the cabin toward her bedroom. The closer I came to the door, the more prominent the presence of death was in the air. Even my bear could feel it.
Voices made their way to my ears as I continued to creep down the hall. Rhett and Vada were talking with Gran.
“Dottie, please just let Tris take some of the pain away for you. Let her ease it some,” Rhett insisted. He was seated beside Gran’s bed, holding her hand and there was a pleading expression twisting his features.
“I’m fine,” Gran insisted with a slight shake of her head.
“You’re not fine,” I said as I stepped into the room, drawing everyone’s attention to me. I flashed Gran a smile. “You’re stubborn.”
Gran shifted in bed, sitting up. “And you’re home.”
I rushed to her side and leaned across the bed to pull her in for a hug. It was the first time she’d ever felt so delicate in my arms. I’d always thought of Gran as one of the strongest women I knew. My throat pinched tight seeing her so fragile. It broke me in ways I didn’t know were possible, sending tears sliding down my cheeks.
“Don’t you start crying. You’re here now, and so am I. Things will be just fine.” Gran untangled herself from me so she could lie back again. She grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed. “Now, I’d like to know what the hell all that nonsense was. Who were those men?” Her tone dipped to the stern place it always did when I was younger and in trouble.
It had me smiling again.
“That would be Damon Kincaid and his guys,” I said. “He needed me to paint something for him.”
“He couldn’t have just asked? What’s wrong with people nowadays?” She shook her head, and I noticed that while she still looked frail, color was finding its way back into her face again.
My painting flashed through my mind—the one of our hands transferring energy to one another. I dipped my gaze to where our hands were clasped together now, and I wondered if that was what was happening.
Was I transferring my energ
y to her?
If so, I hoped it was enough to allow her to stay with me for a while longer because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
Chapter Eleven
When I woke the next morning, snuggled in the cushions of the couch to the sound of Gran humming, I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to her. She was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. I didn’t know what time it was, but I knew it had to be early because the sun was barely peeking through the blinds.
“She sounds happy,” Nash whispered from the recliner.
The two of us had opted to sleep in the living room last night, giving Karen my room. Liam said she could sleep in one of the RVs for the night free of charge, but she’d said she was fine here.
I’d slept with Gran for a portion of the night, but felt like I would wake her with my restlessness, so I made my way to the living room, which was when I’d spotted Nash. He’d been watching TV with the volume on low. We’d talked for a while, and I’d passed out at some point. I hadn’t known he’d stayed the night, but I was thankful he had. It was nice having him close.
“Yeah,” I said, listening to Gran’s sweet melody. “She does sound happy. Today is going to be a good day.”
Nash stood and stretched. The edge of his t-shirt inched up, showing his flat, toned abs and my bear went wild. He caught my eyes and erased the little bit of space between us to kiss me. My body instantly reacted, and my mind dipped back to thoughts of us standing naked together in the cave behind the waterfall. “I am going home to take a shower, and then I need to make my rounds of the campground. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I’m good,” I said, loving that he’d asked.
Nash brushed his lips against mine again before standing to his full height. “I’ll see you in a few.”
“Bye.” I sat up and yawned.
When he was gone, I padded into the kitchen to see what Gran was cooking. She shifted to look at me when I entered. While her face was still filled with color, her shoulders were rounded forward as though it was impossible for her to stand tall. She still looked so frail. I watched her for a moment as she leaned against the countertop, flipping slices of french toast at the stove.
Consumed (Gem Creek Bears Book 7) Page 8