by Shae Mallak
"Miss Aberdeen?" I straightened again, wiping a dribble of vomit from my mouth onto the shoulder of my shirt, then turned and found a straight-faced man in a black suit standing at my right elbow. "My name is Agent Stafford," he flashed a badge at me briefly then tucked it back into his jacket. "If you have a minute, we really need to talk about what happened tonight."
"Right now?" Greg asked indignantly. "You can't even wait for her to see a paramedic?" He gestured emphatically to me then the pool of vomit at my feet.
"Oh, uh, I didn't realize—by all means," Stafford said, gesturing to a pair of paramedics nearby. "Miller and Borensen can see to any injuries, Miss Aberdeen." The two men hopped forward at the sound of their names.
"Uh..." I hesitated, eyeing them with more fear than I wanted to admit. "Is there a, uh, woman I could see instead?" I asked.
"Of course," Miller replied, looking a little relieved. "I'll fetch Avery. It'll only take a minute, Miss Aberdeen."
"Have a seat over here," Borensen said, gesturing to the back of an open ambulance. I shuffled over with Greg still holding onto me and Kinney limping behind us. The CPL agent faded into the crowd; I was glad he didn't hover. There were enough people doing that already.
"Um, is he going to be okay?" I asked Greg, eyeing Kinney. His fur was so badly matted with blood I couldn't tell what color he was supposed to be, and he was licking his front paw where I could see an open wound.
"He'll be okay," Greg nodded. "Just give him a few hours to recoup and he'll be his usual horrible self." Kinney growled at him, but Greg just laughed. As promised, it didn't take long for Miller to fetch the woman he called Avery.
"Hello," she smiled warmly at me. "I'm Stephanie Avery. Can I call you Evelyn?" I nodded. "Great, Evelyn. I think," she eyed the men standing around us, "We ladies need a little privacy?" The other paramedics skittered off, but Greg and Kinney didn't move. "It's okay," she said to both of them. "She'll just be right inside with me. You can both stand guard at the door." From the looks on both their faces, they were going to do just that.
I crawled up into the ambulance with Stephanie's help and she closed the doors softly behind us, keeping one of them slightly cracked when Greg protested. I tried sitting on the gurney at first, but hissed in pain when my butt touched the cushion.
"You better lay down on your stomach, then," Stephanie said. I did as I was told. My legs weren't going to keep me upright for much longer and sitting, I already discovered, wasn't really an option. Slowly, she pulled away the blanket and tenderly pulled down my underwear. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured softly.
I wasn't sure what she saw but I could make a good guess it was something to do with a mark and a really bad burn. She opened a bag on the counter and started smoothing something cool over the area and asking me questions.
"Did he..." she hesitated only a moment. "Penetrate you?" she asked.
"No," I answered.
"Then the mark wasn't sealed," she said with a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens for that," she murmured. So she was one of those paranormal doctors Jonah mentioned.
"He really marked me?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Partially," she replied. "It's a superficial burn; when it's fully healed, it'll be unrecognizable. Just a little spot on your bum at most."
"Oh. That's good." I wasn't sure what else to say, but I was relieved. From what Jonah told me about marks, I was glad Trent's wasn't permanent. Not that it negated the rest of the horrors of the night.
"Do you think you can talk about it, sweetie?" she asked softly after a few seconds of silence. She was carefully placing a bandage over the area and when she finished helped me sit up, leaning awkwardly to one side to avoid the pain of sitting on it again. She took a wet wipe from the bag and started dabbing my face gently, the wipe coming away red. Trent's blood.
"I want Jonah," I said instead of answering her question. Surely, after everything that happened, he was free and clear of all charges. They couldn't keep him locked up in light of everything!
"I know, sweetie," she replied. "But they need to know what happened first."
"Okay," I nodded. "Get Hobbs." I wasn't going to talk to the stiff suits. Jonah knew Hobbs, seemed to trust him to an extent, even if he did arrest Jonah. He at least sounded repentant about it before. I hoped he didn't bring his partner Cutler with him. I did not like that woman.
Stephanie opened the door and called to a passerby to fetch him. It only took a minute for him to appear at the back of the ambulance, recorder at the ready and pen in hand. Slowly and a bit disjointedly, punctuated by bouts of crying and winces of pain when I forgot not to sit on my left butt cheek, I told Hobbs everything I knew.
"I'm glad you're okay, Miss Aberdeen," Hobbs said when I was finished. "Sounds like Kinney arrived just in time—" he glanced down at the wolf. "Never thought I'd be saying this, but Kinney, I think you're a bon a fide hero." Kinney sniffed, but whether out of pride or insult I couldn't tell.
"I want Jonah," I repeated firmly.
Three days before, I never would've thought I'd be saying those words and mean them with every ounce of my being. I wanted Jonah. More than anything—more than food or water or air, I wanted Jonah. I hated to admit it, but I was pretty sure I was in love with him. And I hated him for it, too.
"You got it, Miss Aberdeen," Hobbs nodded. He stepped away to speak with a pair of CPL agents, then pulled out his phone and dialed. I heard only snippets of the short conversations, punctuated with anger and confusion, but after a few minutes, Hobbs returned. "He'll be here in five minutes, Miss Aberdeen," he announced. That was all that mattered.
It felt like forever but it probably was really only five minutes like Hobbs said when a black SUV pulled up into the thick of the chaos. Everyone froze and went silent when an agent got out and stood next to the vehicle with a blank face.
Slowly—nauseatingly slowly—the door to the back seat opened and Jonah climbed out, searching the crowd. It didn't take long to find me; I was the only one moving, running across the pavement in my shirt and underwear. He met me halfway and we slammed against each other in a desperate tangle.
"Ev," he murmured, burying his face in the crook of my neck as he held me, lifting me off my feet. "Oh, Ev, I'm so sorry—"
"It's not your fault," I protested. "I'm sorry—I was stupid and I should've known—"
"No, Evie," he said adamantly. "Do not blame yourself for any of this!"
I pulled away a little and frowned at him. "Did you just call me Evie?" I asked in surprise. He blinked at me a few times then started laughing.
"Yeah, I guess I did," he replied with a wide smile, then hugged me closer.
"I just remembered something!" I cried, pushing him away again. He scowled at me when I slid down to stand on my own feet and took a step back. "I'm mad at you!" I declared. His mouth fell open in genuine surprise.
"What for this time?" he asked indignantly.
"For a lot, actually!" I retorted. "For not telling me the truth about you," I began, "for not answering your damn phone when we called you a million times and I thought you were dead! For not telling me the truth about what my dad was mixed up in. For chasing me through the damn woods!" I hollered, making Jonah blush guiltily. Good. Make him sweat a little bit. He deserved it for what he put me through the last three days! "For hauling me up to the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain of all places! Especially when you had this—" I gestured to the house behind me. "What was that about, Jonah?" I cried. "Couldn't risk me running off in search of better company? I think I've heard you answer about a million phone calls in the last three days!" I groaned."Do you ever stop working?" A few people chuckled around us but I ignored them. "You used my father to get to me with your silly contract," I accused. "Not to mention your stalker-file on me and my dad in your office! You tore me away from my family, upended my entire life, made me fall in love with you and then kicked me out of a burning build—"
Jonah clamped a hand over my mouth to make me stop t
alking. "What did you just say?" he growled at me.
"I said you kicked me out of a burning building!" I repeated, removing his hand from my mouth with a glare. But I knew he could see my amusement. I had a terrible poker face.
"You love me." He wasn't asking. The evidence was written all over my face, after all. "Say it again," he demanded.
"I love you, Jonah," I said. The night roared with cheers and applause but they were all drowned out when Jonah closed the gap between us and held me against him in a hungry, fiery kiss I could feel sizzling all the way down to my toes.
There was still a lot we needed to talk about—about paranormals, my dad, and Kinney and everything with Trent—but I didn't care. It could wait. The most important thing in that moment was showing my dragon how much I wanted him. If his claim on me was a paranormal proposal, that kiss was my way of saying hell yes!
Eventually Jonah and I were forced to pry apart, not only because we were standing in the street and surrounded by dozens of people but there was still matters to take care of. Kinney was in his human form, I noted, when I began noticing the world outside of Jonah again. He was half-dressed and covered in dried blood, being seen to by Borensen while he conversed with two of the CPL agents. It was the direction Jonah headed almost immediately while keeping one arm wrapped around me. When we reached the little group, Kinney was explaining his side of the story.
"The whole encounter was heard over the phone line," Kinney explained. " I came as quick as I could, and when I arrived—Joe," Kinney greeted. "Finally."
"I hear I owe you a great debt," Jonah said a little stiffly.
"Think nothing of it, Joe," Kinney replied, sounding genuine. "I couldn't let the beast hurt her. My morals may be a bit more.." he glanced at the agents warily, "gray than yours these days, Joe, but I'm not one to let an innocent woman be hurt when I can prevent it. With you in jail," he smirked, "I figured it was my duty as your friend—" Jonah raised his eyebrows curiously at the use of the word. "to step in as protecteur temporaire."
"You were aware of the dangers of Trent Gallegos beforehand?" one of the agents asked.
"Only that he was the one who attacked them on the mountain," Kinney answered, nodding his head at us.
"Attacked?" They both turned to Jonah and I curiously.
"It was reported to Officer Hobbs and Cutler," Jonah said simply.
"Cutler is MIA," one of the agents replied. "Has been for a few hours now. Found evidence in her desk suggesting she was working with illegal potions. The CPL has a warrant out for her arrest."
"What?" We gaped at them in shock. Cutler? Stiff-necked, never-cracks-a-smile Cutler?
"Illegal—? Never mind," Jonah shook his head. "Hobbs will have the report. The Ash Mountain fire was the result of an attack on my property by a green dragon whose identity, until now, I did not know. It was my goal to find out, and had in fact reached out to Kinney for help on the issue, when I was arrested."
"Why didn't you tell me you asked Kinney for help?" I asked Jonah quietly. "You didn't even call me when you were arrested," I added, the hurt written clearly on my face. As always.
"It's complicated," Jonah replied. I glared up at him. How dare he use that excuse with me! After everything! "We'll talk later," he murmured.
"It's always later," I groaned. "There are a dozen conversations half-finished with the promise of later! Well, Jonah Carson, later almost didn't happen and I'm not in the mood to wait for you to decide when to share your secrets with me!" I wasn't sure where the vehemence came from so suddenly but it rolled through me hot and quick and it was all aimed at Jonah.
Kinney snickered in amusement and the CPL agents and the paramedic still cleaning the wounds all over Kinney's upper body both stayed wisely silent. Jonah gaped at me at my outburst, anger rising in his own eyes to meet mine. He opened his mouth several times to retort but no sound came out before he closed it again. I stood my ground, unwavering.
"I, uh..." one of the agents hesitated, turning his attention to Kinney again. "If you could explain what you found when you arrived?" he asked.
"Gallegos' car was parked around the corner—I ran past it," Kinney began, "I could smell him from the yard—he wore a special cologne that disguised his dragon, otherwise I would've known him sooner."
"Is that what that smell was?" Jonah said in surprise, breaking my gaze. "I thought he smelled strange!"
"A witch's brew," Kinney scoffed. "He must've had a connection in town to get a ready supply of it—it's not cheap and not many witches can make it. I'm working on fishing out anyone he was working with—maybe even your shady cop," he nodded at the two agents. "But they'll all fly the coop as soon as this reaches the news—" he gestured to the chaos. "Too late," he added, spying a news van. "You knew him prior, didn't you?" Kinney asked me. I nodded. "Did you know any of his other friends?" he asked.
"Just the others in the carpool," I answered with a shrug. "He didn't talk about other friends or family," I said.
"Mr. Kinney," the agent prompted with an impatient sigh.
"Right," he nodded. "Witch's cologne—could smell it from the front lawn," he reiterated, jumping back into his story. "I heard her scream when I reached the front door; shook the house."
I stiffened next to Jonah, not sure if I could listen to someone's recount of the events. Jonah wrapped both arms around me and held me close to his chest but didn't offer to leave. I buried my face in his shirt—which smelled like stale sweat and beef—and let the tears fall as Kinney described what he found in the office.
"I lunged for his neck," Kinney said. "There wasn't time to do anything else. I dragged him off of her and tried to finish it quickly, but Gallegos was a fighter and didn't make it easy." There was a long pause, then he continued. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through, Miss Aberdeen," Kinney said softly. "I wouldn't wish it on my enemy. Did he—" he faltered, cleared his throat, and began again. "Did he finish the mark?" he asked.
Jonah froze. I wasn't sure how much he'd been told about the circumstances, but evidently that particular detail had been left out.
"He marked you?" he growled.
"No," I shook my head, my voice cracking. "He didn't—it wasn't finished," I said into Jonah's chest. "You—" I turned my head enough to look at Kinney. "You attacked him before he could...before he could do anything more than...than..."
"Thank heavens for that, at least," Kinney sighed in relief.
"Oh, Ev," Jonah sighed, leaning to kiss the top of my head. "Oh, my Evelyn, if only I'd been there—if I'd known it was Trent—Oh, Ev," he sighed again.
"Carson," Hobbs joined the group. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, nodding acknowledgement to me. "Stafford noticed your security system and was wondering if you had any cameras...?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Several in fact. Let me get you access—" he started to pull away from me then stopped, torn between going inside the house with Hobbs and staying outside with me. I knew without a doubt I couldn't return to the house. I shook at the idea of taking a single step inside the door.
"I'll stay with her," Greg appeared beside me. Jonah looked to me for confirmation or permission, I wasn't sure, but I nodded and melted into Greg's arms instead, watching him walk away after Hobbs.
"There was no choice but to kill him," Kinney said. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or to the CPL agents, but I listened anyway. "There was no other way."
"Of course," one of them agreed. "Acting in self-defense. We understand, Kinney. No one's pressing charges against you."
"We both know they wouldn't stick even if they tried," Kinney replied with smug laughter. "If you'll excuse me, I have a woman tied to a bedpost to return to," he smiled. "Don't worry, Nathan," Kinney chuckled, patting one of them on the shoulder. "It's quite consensual." A second later he was a wolf again and trotting off down the street while the rest of us stared after him.
"I hate that guy," Greg muttered. "Even if he did save you, Evie, I still hate him."
"To be honest
, when I saw him here, I expected him to be on the other side of the law. I was excited to finally be able to haul the bastard in," the agent he called Nathan admitted.
"Sorry to disappoint," I murmured. "Greg? Where are the twins?" I asked in a sudden realization. "You left them home alone?"
"I was a little more worried about you, Evie," Greg pointed out. "They're fine!"
"How do you know that?" I cried. "For all you know Ava and Addis could be—"
"Just fine," the agent interrupted. "There's a car outside your house right now, Miss Aberdeen. Your brother and sister are just fine."
"Calm down, Evie," Greg said softly. "You're okay—everyone's okay, now. You can relax—we're taking care of everything!"
"But if—I can't—" I stuttered over my words, emotions overwhelming me until I wasn't sure what I was trying to say in the first place, so instead I started crying again, soaking up my tears with Greg's shirt. I was doing a lot of crying; surely, eventually, I would run out of tears but there didn't seem to be an end to them. "I want to go home," I blubbered after awhile.