“It’s the letter he wrote to you the day before you abandoned Molodoy. I saw him leave it at your house and I took it.”
Stasia’s mouth hung open. “But...why?”
“Because...” Tears filled Ashley’s eyes. She turned her head away and swallowed. “Because you were my friend. My only friend. I couldn’t let him take you from me.”
“Oh, Ashley.” Stasia shook her head. Angry tears stung in the corners of her eyes. “How could you?”
Despite the frustration of having a letter stolen from her many years ago, she felt pity for the woman standing in front of her. She knew all too well what it felt like to have no one in the world. That’s why she’d run away from home that summer. Her baby siblings were turning two-years-old and her parents seemed too busy with their youngest children to spend any time with their eldest.
The royal functions she was forced to attend were filled with people as insincere and fake as the photos in her glossy magazines. It felt like she hadn’t a friend in the world — until she came to Molodoy. And then she met Billy and things seemed to fall into place. She couldn’t blame Ashley for acting so irrationally. She’d done the same to her own family.
As the shock subsided, she got up off the bed and placed a gentle hand on Ashley’s trembling shoulder. “Thank you for telling me and for keeping the letter all this time. I’m not angry at you. Kids do foolish things.”
“But that’s not all.” Tears trailed down Ashley’s face. She fidgeted in place and tugged on the loose hair falling from her buns. “I did something even worse after I took the letter.”
Stasia closed her eyes and dread filled her heart. “You were the one who turned me into the guards, weren’t you?”
“Yes.” Ashley’s voice grew quiet. She fought back a sob and bit her fist. “I eavesdropped on your secret meeting at the lodge. Heard you tell Billy you were a princess. Momma always told me not to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help myself. You guys never invited me along to your hideout. I was jealous. It was the only way I could make sure he never took you from me. It was stupid.”
It was all starting to make sense. The blame and the hurt she’d attributed all those years to Billy had been his little sister’s fault. The result of the jealousy of a kid old enough to know better. Stasia steadied herself and faced the young woman.
“I hope you know you’ve caused a lot of pain over the years.” Her voice was flat.
“I know.” Ashley began to sob. “And I’m so sorry. So, very sorry.”
Stasia took a deep breath in and wrapped her arms around her friend. As she held her tight, the waterworks really began to fall. After what seemed like an hour, Ashley hiccupped and wiped away her smeared mascara with the bottom half of her tank top.
“I know you won’t stay,” she said with another hiccup. “But for what it’s worth, I’m not jealous anymore. I know there’s room for more than one person in your life. And Billy’s a great guy. I hope you two make up.”
“I’m not sure if that’s possible, now,” Stasia said, sorrow filling her eyes. “But thank you for the thought.”
If only Ashley’s wish could come true. But, Stasia had seen the lasting impact of her inability to trust. She’d taken an honest and caring young man and torn him apart. He wasn’t like the nobility she was so used to being around. They played with people like pawns on a chess board. Instead, she’d become like the very people she disliked and left him standing with his heart in his hands. How could she ever be forgiven for that?
Stasia waved goodbye to Ashley on the doorstep and then she closed the door. Sitting on the bed, she willed herself some extra strength. Enclosed in her hand was a letter almost eighteen years overdue. Carefully unfolding the fragile pieces, she sighed happily at the sight of Billy’s handwriting in black ink scrawled across the page. Time hadn’t erased his precious thoughts. At the bottom was his name — Billy. She ran a finger lovingly over the ink and smiled.
Dearest Stasia — the letter began. Stasia scanned over it, her cheeks burning bright pink the further she read. Billy had recounted their few weeks together. The joy of meeting her for the first time. The way he loved how they could spend hours together, talking about nothing. How she made him feel when he was alone, picturing her beside him. And all the ways he could envision them spending the future together.
At the bottom were the words she had been waiting for — the feelings that she should’ve realized herself at that tender age. In a nervous scrawl, Billy had bared his soul.
I realize that you think yesterday might have changed everything between us. That now that I know you’re a princess, I won’t treat you the same. But that’s not true. I love you, Stasia. I have since the first moment I met you. And I always will. I would die to protect you. Please don’t ever forget that.
Billy
Stasia blinked back tears. It felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. If only she had known this all those years ago and not jumped to conclusions. If only she would’ve trusted him and realized not everyone in this world was fake. Would she have returned Billy’s feelings? Could things have turned out differently for them both? She’d never know.
But maybe, she could do one last thing for Billy Finley and help change his future for the better.
Stasia glanced at her watch and jumped off the bed. A plan was whirling through her mind. A daring, unlikely plan, but still, she had to try. If there was one thing Billy deserved, it was all her effort. She owed him that much. He might never forgive her for everything she’d done, but that was something she’d have to live with. At least he still had a shot of going on with his life with a guilt-free conscious. But she only had hours to pull it off.
And right now, she needed to see about a troll.
Chapter Sixteen
Billy looked around at his tiny home and sighed heavily. He was going to miss this place. It’d been a haven for a short while. A refuge from the past and a place for him to be himself. Now, it was a harsh reminder of another failure at life.
He didn’t fit in anywhere.
It was time for him to move on and accept reality. Find a nice little secluded place in the woods of Canada or somewhere far away and stay clear of anyone he could possibly hurt.
He tossed an empty cardboard box on the kitchen counter and began to drop his belongings into it. It wouldn’t take much longer to pack. He didn’t own much. Just the necessities in life. An hour of packing and he would be on the road before the yellow moon rose in the night sky. No goodbyes this time.
“Woohoo...Billy Finley? Are you there?”
A wrapping of knuckles on his door made Billy freeze. He knew that husky voice all too well. Madge was back and there was no telling what she wanted now. Maybe, if he kept quiet long enough, she’d go away.
“I know you’re in there,” she croaked, knocking again. “I saw you through your window. Don’t make me use magic to break down this door, boy.”
He moved swiftly toward the door, his teeth on edge. If last night had been any indication of the extent of Madge’s powers, he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the witch. Anyone who could tame a roaring fire with the flick of her wrist could probably do some damage. Even to a werewolf like him. He yanked the door open and put on the friendliest smile he could muster.
“Hello, Madge. What can I do for you this evening?”
She eyed him suspiciously. Leaning to one side, she peered through the screen door and made a face at the pile of boxes on his living room floor. “Going somewhere?”
“Just a little spring cleaning.” He rested his hip casually on the door frame. “You know how it is.”
“I also know when someone’s lying to me,” she snapped, yanking the screen door open. “Don’t make me turn you into a frog, boy. Frogs are only good for potions and fried eating.”
He stepped aside as she hobbled into his house. She went directly to his couch, plopped herself onto one of the cushions, and rested her shoes up on his stained coffee table.
“You running away to something important?” She pursed her lips and gave him a stare that could curdle dairy. “I’d say you have all the time in the world right now. And you’re going to give Madge the respect she’s due and sit down right here and listen.”
He resisted rolling his eyes and went to sit on the other end of the couch. Madge had always been a friendly neighbor. Very strange and slightly demanding, but friendly. This commandeering side of her was making him nervous. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life as a frog. Life was hard enough already.
“Tell me, Madge,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “What can I do for you?”
“What happened to you?” she asked, splaying her crooked fingers.
This witch really was losing her mind. He sighed and spoke extra slowly. “There was a fire last night, Madge. Remember? You helped put it out.”
“Don’t speak to me like I’m demented,” she snapped. “Of course I remember.
Billy grimaced and held up his hands in surrender. “Well, then, you’ll also remember that my career plans were tied up in that garage. Now that it’s gone, I’m heading out to find something new.”
“Bull.” Madge leaned forward, her beady eyes flashing with anger. “I call bull. You’re running away again. Just like you did in Alaska.”
Fury filled Billy’s head. He leapt from the couch and clenched his fists. “You have no right...”
“I call it like I see it, boy,” she said with a cackle. “Your mother and father didn’t raise no quitter. They’re turning over in their graves right now, watching you waste your life.”
He turned away from the wrinkled old witch and bit down hard on his tongue until he tasted blood. She didn’t know anything. The last thing he needed to do was take life advice from a woman who would feel at home in an insane asylum.
“I’d suggest you head back to your home,” he said in a controlled voice. “I have a lot more work to get done tonight.”
The empty cardboard boxes were calling his name.
“Aren’t you listening to a thing I say?” Spittle shot from her lips and spotted the coffee table. Her eyebrows had nearly disappeared in her thinning hairline. “You have love in the palm of your hands and you’re throwing it all away.”
“What did you say?” He whipped around and gave her an incredulous look.
Nobody except for him and Stasia knew about his secret confession of love. And he doubted very much that Stasia was going around town gabbing. She wasn’t that kind of person. She was loyal and bold and intelligent. Gossips didn’t turn her ear. She was everything wonderful, except for in love with him.
“That woman,” she said, patting her large stomach with a satisfied grin. “The one with the crazy hair and the doe-eyes? The princess? You love her and you’re throwing it all away. Don’t think I can’t see it.”
Billy shook his head and muttered under his breath. He’d had it with Madge’s matchmaking hobbies. It didn’t matter that she was an old friend of his mother’s. This interference had to stop.
“I’m going to finish packing,” he growled. “You’re welcome to stay on that couch until I load it into the back of my truck. But I’m done with this conversation.”
He reached for a cardboard box and it disappeared in a cloud of white smoke just as his fingers brushed the lid.
“No, we are not done.” Madge snapped her fingers again and the rest of the boxes disappeared. “I’m no fool. The stars and my magics all confirm that you two were meant to be. Why aren’t you running after that girl?”
Blood rushed through Billy’s ears and his face burned hot. He glared at her, feeling the wolf inside getting closer to the surface. At any moment, he could sprout fur and vicious canine teeth.
“Stasia and I have a lot of history, it’s true,” he said, his voice trembling with rage. “But that’s in the past. I’ve shown her how I feel. I’ve told her that my heart hasn’t been able to love anyone else. It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t care about me.”
“I very much doubt that. Are you sure you were clear?”
He huffed. “Crystal clear.”
Madge waved her hand dismissively. “I know she’s a princess and all, but that doesn’t make her a mind-reader. If you care about a woman, you have to be very up front about it. I’m sure this is all just a big misunderstanding.”
“She doesn’t love me,” Billy shouted. He kicked the leg of the coffee table and instantly regretted it when his toe began to throb. Hopping on one leg and cursing, he glared at the old woman. “And I’m leaving this place for good. Make all the boxes in the entire country disappear if you want. Turn me into a frog or a spider or a speck of dust. I’m still leaving. Once that interview gets out, no one will want me around anyway. She got what she wanted.”
Madge raised a single patchy eyebrow and cackled as if he’d told the world’s funniest joke. “Is that so?”
She blinked her eyes and the TV clicked on. Immediately, Billy’s own voice came through the speakers. He rounded the couch and stared at the screen. It was a video of him sitting in front of Stasia, looking nervous with his tucked-in green shirt and sweaty forehead. She certainly hadn’t waited long to broadcast that interview. It shouldn’t have surprised him, of course. This was the kind of thing that made careers.
“I don’t want to see this,” he said with a groan, placing a hand on his queasy stomach. “Turn it off.”
“No, something from the spirit realms tells me this is going to get real interesting,” Madge said. She snapped her fingers and a bowl of popcorn appeared on the top of her bulging belly. “Hungry?”
He made a face and turned away. From what he could hear, they were nearing the end of the first interview. His confession would be coming up any second now. He needed to get out of there. Forget packing. He didn’t need that shoddy old box TV or the wobbly table or the ratty couch with the loose springs. He was getting out of this town as soon as he could.
He didn’t get far. When Stasia’s voice began to come through the speakers, his legs froze in place. Even now, after everything that had happened between them, the sound of her voice still made his heart go crazy. It was a soothing balm. A bittersweet medley he could listen to forever and never tire of.
“Hi, Billy, this is Stasia. I hope you’re watching. I really need you to watch this.”
He turned around and his eyes grew wide. He’d expected to hear his confession next. A public baring of his soul. Instead, he saw Stasia looking especially beautiful in a sparkling red top, her hair pulled into a low bun, her slender neck exposed. Her honey brown eyes darted from the camera to something behind it. She smiled nervously and chewed on her bottom lip.
The word LIVE flashed in the bottom right part of the screen and Billy realized with a jolt that Stasia was talking through the TV to him at that very moment. His body moved unbidden toward the couch and he sunk into a seat next to Madge as the old witch cackled and shoved a fistful of popcorn in her mouth.
“What is she doing?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the screen.
“I think this is what they call the climax of a story,” she answered, her mouth full. “Now, hush, boy. I want to see how it ends.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mr. Treckle prowled behind the cameras with an eerie grin that stretched from ear to ear and revealed his yellowing crooked teeth. He rubbed his hands together gleefully and glanced at the monitors. Stasia knew the only reason he was helping her was because this was his moment to stick it to Myra. When she’d told him about the vampiress’ plans to take over the company, the troll had nearly lost it. She’d had to shout her plan over his cursing and swearing before he would quiet down and give her a moment.
Now, all that was left was to film the live segment of their show and hope against hope that Billy was out there, somewhere, watchin
g. He needed to see this. Even if they never regained their friendship and she would never feel his strong arms around her again, at least he would have this. That was, if everything went to plan. Glancing at the crooked witch with the vapid smile sitting across from her, Stasia was beginning to have her doubts.
“Hello, Monstrana. This is Anastasia Pavlosky reporting from Lochness Broadcasting Studios.” She peered intently into the cameras, willing her beating heart to slow. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on camera. But for some reason, this felt like the first time. “You’ve just heard the heart-wrenching tale from Mr. Finley himself of the deadly ambush in the wilds of Alaska. I’m joined by my special guest, Ms. Althea Bran. She’s a renowned witch who specializes in communication with the dead. Isn’t that so, Ms. Bran?”
The witch cackled and snorted. She sat slumped in the chair across from Stasia, her hand rubbing her belly. She had thick, raven hair with streaks of silver running through it. She’d lined her eyes with charcoal and coated her last few eyelashes with a layer of black mascara. On each pale cheek was a solid circle of red rouge. Wrinkles surrounded her mouth and age spots dotted her hands.
“Please, call me Thea,” she said in a hoarse voice. “And that’s correct. I speak to the dead, when they feel like cooperating.”
“Do you have a personal connection to Mr. Finley?” Stasia asked, leaning back in her chair. Her hands shook in her lap.
“Never met the boy, but he’s the neighbor to my dear sister, Madge. She called in a favor and asked me to do this interview. I deal with issues of the dead. She deals with issues of the heart.” She smiled and waved at the camera. “Hi, Madge!”
Stasia nodded. If it hadn’t been for the kindly old witch who lived next door to Billy, she might never have found the right person for the job. But communing with the spirits wasn’t like flipping on the TV. There was a lot of static and interference. She crossed her fingers and prayed that this would work.
Bite the Big Heartache: Werewolf Shifter Romance (A Monstrana Paranormal Romance Book 2) Page 10