by R K Knightly
There were candles and some small cabinets in the cellar, all of them packed with necessities like nonperishable foods and flashlights. Some of the doors were open and he wondered if the scent he was smelling was a scented candle. It was quite lovely. Like fresh apples being baked into a pie.
Jillian lit a few candles and blew out the long-stemmed match before tossing it to the ground.
“We’ll save the flashlights for later if need be,” she told him, coughing into her hand.
Caleb passed her a towel and she blew her nose into it, using the remainder of the fabric to wipe the grime from her face.
“Do…do you smell that?” she asked, scenting the air.
“That apple scent? Yes,” he replied.
“No…not apple. Cedar. Cedar and pine.”
Caleb blew his nose again, clearing more of the blockage away. When he sniffed again, he stilled and looked at her.
She smelled of wolf. Wolf and baking apples.
“I only smell apple pie,” he said before lifting his nose into the air again. He moved closer to her, leaning in when he was close enough. “Are you wearing perfume?”
She laughed, a musical sound if there ever was one. Something perked in his gut. A sudden hyper-awareness that he couldn’t identify.
“I don’t even use scented bodywash,” she told him. “Too many insects that like to get too close if you smell too flowery. But that scent…cedar with a hint of pine? It’s coming from you.”
Caleb sniffed his shirt. It smelled like Tide as always, nothing of the great outdoors about it.
“I don’t smell anything on me,” he confessed, though he took another large whiff of himself. He hadn’t even used cologne that morning when leaving his hotel room. He had run out in San Diego and couldn’t be bothered to buy more. “But I can smell you’re a she-wolf. Are you part of the local pack?”
“Yes. I am,” she said.
“Ah, I was heading for a visit to your land. Good to know I was on the right path.” His nose still felt clogged and he wondered if there was some bottled water he could use to wash off his face and clean out his nostrils with. Having inhibited senses really irritated him. He relied on his keen senses as a wolf on strange land more than ever. “Do you have any water? I’d like to wash the grime off my face.”
She smiled at him.
“Afraid of a little dirt, pretty boy?”
Pretty?
“I’m not some pampered prick with a dick, sweetheart,” he told her. “But I’d like to be able to use all my senses on foreign lands.”
She handed him a bottle of off-brand water and took one for herself. Caleb used some to wet another paper towel and run it over his face before turning his head upside down and using the water bottle as a makeshift neti pot. He inhaled a bit and choked, causing Jillian to snicker.
“Good idea, though it’s not the most comfortable feeling.” She mimicked him and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt she could finally smell the air again. Cedar and pine. The fragrance was stronger than ever.
After she blew out the excess water she looked over at him. He was standing, staring at her like he had never seen her before. She blew her nose into the towel, never taking her eyes off him. The look he gave her was strange yet somehow familiar.
“You,” he whispered under his breath.
“Me?”
“You’re my mate,” he told her, taking a step forward.
“I…well.”
That couldn’t be. Her mate was gone, far away from here…just gone.
“Impossible,” she told him, though something perked up inside her. Could it be? “My true mate rejected me a long time ago.”
“As did mine,” he replied, taking another step forward. “I’ve been searching for my second chance.”
“You were…mated before?” Something in her tone spoke of jealousy, and his lips twitched at her reaction.
“No. We never mated. She…she didn’t want me.”
“What? Why?”
“She was a greedy, egotistical female who wanted another. A friend and my Alpha,” he explained. He hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close to her and was only inches away from touching her for the first time. His hand reached out to pluck at a blond lock, though he fell just short of making contact.
“Mine was…he didn’t want me either.” Jillian looked down, but not before Caleb saw the shame she felt ripple across her face. “He preferred a human female, one he got pregnant.”
“Fuck.”
She nodded.
“My words exactly.” Her tone was half-wry, half-hurt. She had come to terms with her loss. Sort of.
There was a long pause as they both breathed in the other. It was calming, soothing. It was bordering on awkward-as-fuck before Caleb spoke.
“He was stupid, your mate,” he told her. “You are exquisite.”
Her eyes opened wide and flashed up at him in surprise.
“I look horrible,” she disagreed. “There’s more dirt on me than on the ground outside and I smell of manure and livestock. I-“
“You are as pretty as a picture and smell like heaven,” he finished, finally closing the last few inches of distance to pluck at her hair.
Her breath caught and lip wobbled. It felt like ages since someone had paid her a compliment. The nicest thing she had heard recently was praise when she helped foal a calf just this past spring. There was little time for niceties and kind words when tending to animals and a farm, and that particular birth had been quite difficult. It started out as a breach.
Caleb caught a tear just as it slipped past the rim of her lower lid.
“Will you reject me too?” she asked. Her eyelids fluttered and Caleb’s thick brows darkened in response.
“Never.”
A weight she didn’t know she had carried lifted from her shoulders on a sigh. Her eyes closed briefly, leaning into his large hand.
“Thank you.” She sniffled as his hand cupped her cheek gently.
It may not have been the most ideal of meetings, but Caleb was grateful for it just the same.
And the next day, having marked and mated, they left Kansas for New York state.
Bonus Chapter 2
The applause died down slowly as Elle stepped off the stage at the Norfolk Tavern. The last set of the night had been a success, though her throat was feeling worse for wear after a third encore. Fortunately, she had thought ahead and put out all the stops by singing Elastic Heart by Sia. They had slowed the tempo down and turned it into more of a ballad, but it somehow worked.
And the crowd had eaten it up.
Piano nights had somehow morphed into the most popular time to visit the tavern, and a moderate cover charge was now collected at the door. They’d had to start taking reservations after Elle came back from her “maternity leave” after having the twins, Serena and Arsen. Though she had recuperated quicker than a human, she felt it would have been too telling if she had come back too soon, and instead took the usual few months away from performing at Norfolk Tavern. She wasn’t ashamed of her inner beast, but she didn’t know how the crowd would take it if they knew she wasn’t all human either. And Norfolk was blossoming under her name. It was now a popular place to take a date or go out for a celebration. The extra money went into refurbishing some of the older parts of the building and they had gotten new signage put up just a few months before.
“You killed it out there, angel,” Liam told her, folding her into his arms as soon as she left the stage. As always, she melted like butter in his embrace.
“Thanks,” she croaked.
Liam laughed and pulled out a mug he had prepared for her while she was onstage. Piping hot tea with honey to soothe her throat. She sipped it and closed her eyes, humming at the calming sweetness.
“Good?”
“Mmm…very.”
“Hey Elle, I got someone here that wants to speak with you,” Dave called out when he came up to her and Liam, toting a tall female with winged glasses and a s
mart suit. She was dressed in red and black, from her black-rimmed glasses to the red spiky heels on her feet. She smiled softly, but it looked too practiced. The woman was all business underneath.
“Hi. I’m Elle Stark.” She thrust her hand out to the woman who shook it briefly before introducing herself.
“Margaret Attleboro,” the woman returned in a husky alto. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“What can I do for you, Ms. Attleboro?”
“Please, call me Meg,” the woman told her, a genuine smile leaking through her professional persona just a touch. “And I was wondering if there was some sort of backstage space we could talk in. Privately.”
Dave nodded and headed back to one of the refurbished rooms that they used as a dressing room for the performers. Well – only one performer, unless you counted Dave’s piano accompaniment.
Dave left them there and Meg took a seat before Liam and Elle sat on the Chesterfield couch across from her.
“I’m not one for small talk, so I’ll cut to the chase, Ms. Stark,” Meg prattled off quickly.
“Mrs. Stark,” Elle corrected, glancing in her periphery to Liam and moving her left hand a bit. It set the plum blossom ring that Liam had given her ages ago off to sparkle and Meg’s eyes flickered down.
“Mrs. Stark,” the older woman amended. “That’s such an unusual wedding ring. It’s quite lovely. My apologies on my faux pas. You…well, you just seem too young to be married.”
“I’m twenty. Almost twenty-one,” Elle obliged. “What can I do for you?”
The woman cleared her throat and crossed her legs. Liam relaxed a little, his hand moving over to cup Elle’s right in his and running a thumb over her knuckles.
“Dave has spoken highly of you,” Meg told her. “He happens to be a distant cousin of mine whom I’m visiting and he asked me to watch you perform.” She paused. “I must admit, I didn’t expect much from a small-town singer such as yourself, but I was impressed. You’re like a young Ellie Goulding with a smattering of Rachel Platten. It’s appealing. Do you ever write your own songs?”
The question startled Elle. She was purely a cover singer. She didn’t have the proper inspiration or desire to write her own songs.
“No. I never thought to write my own stuff,” she said honestly, her eyes wide. “I like singing, but I’m not really writer material. I put my own spin on certain songs, but that’s where my creativity ends.”
“No matter,” the woman shrugged off. “We could always hire writers for you.”
Liam sat up quickly at her words.
“Ms. Attleboro-“ Liam sounded almost pained.
“Meg.”
“Yes, Meg,” he hurried through. “What exactly are you proposing? Why would my m-wife need songwriters to sing here at the tavern?”
The older woman’s eyes widened as if startled the couple before her hadn’t put two and two together.
“Why, I’m proposing that Mrs. Stark sign a record deal with my label. We’re based in Los Angeles. It’s an up-and-coming new label by the name of TKO Records. We’ve already signed several big names and are looking to expand to signing on newer, less-known artists.”
“No.” Liam looked over at Elle, startled she had made her decision with such ease. He had known she loved to perform from the moment he had first heard her singing in the shower, but if he had been pressed for an answer, he wouldn’t have been able to decide whether the big time was what she yearned for.
“Mrs. Stark-“ Meg began.
“Meg, with all due respect, I don’t want to sign with a record label. I don’t want to be away from my family,” Elle stated. “I sing for fun in my free time. That’s it. I have twins and a…husband at home to care for. On Fridays and some other nights, I sing here. That’s all I want. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m happy where I am. No amount of fame of money could make up for the time lost with my family.”
“Are…are you sure, Elle?” The woman seemed bewildered by the flat-out rejection.
“I appreciate it – more than you know, but I couldn’t be away from my children and husband for significant amounts of time,” Elle explained. “There was a time not too long ago I would have taken for granted my family and the bond we share, but when…well when we were estranged, it made me realize how much I would miss them if I couldn’t see them with regularity. I love my life now and don’t want it to change even in the slightest bit. I want more children and to expand my growing family. My friends are all having babies and I want to be there to see that. Even if you told me I wouldn’t have to be away for more than a week or two at a time it would still be a hard pass. I’m sorry.”
The woman sighed and shook her head.
“I hope you don’t regret your decision in the end, Elle.”
Elle smiled over at Liam who looked almost as proud of her as he did when Arsen and Serena were born.
“I could never regret this decision.”
∞∞∞
“Angel, as much as I appreciate what you did in there, can I ask why?” Liam questioned on their way home that night. He was driving Elle’s brand-new hybrid vehicle and the ride was as silent as advertised. Even the radio was off in the aftermath of the startling offer.
“I told her why,” Elle answered. “I was away from my family for months and I felt horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I want to see every step of our children’s growth whether it’s their first steps or the first projectile vomiting incident.”
“Jesus.” Liam looked a little green at that prospect. Their twins were still in their milky spit-up phase. He wasn’t looking forward to the 24-hour bouts of stomach flu that toddlers got.
Elle laughed at Liam’s squeamishness. From dirty diapers filled with poo to spit-up, Liam seemed less than thrilled about most of the unsavory aspects of childrearing.
“Still, I wouldn’t miss even the tiniest milestone,” she told him, the cool breeze from the open window drying the sheen of sweat from her face and neck. It felt heavenly after the hot lights of the stage. It was her least favorite part of performing. She felt sometimes that she might melt under their steady glare.
“Well, I appreciate your coming to a decision so quickly.” Liam placed a large hand on her knee before stroking it with his thumb. “If it took you took long to make a decision I might have had a cardiac episode. I wouldn’t have liked you being so far from home for too long.”
Elle looked over at him and smiled.
“Don’t be silly,” she told him with a laugh. “If I had said yes, I planned on kidnapping you and the kids to bring with me. There’s no way I could be without them and you for that long.”
Liam looked over at her, surprised. “Then why didn’t you say yes if you were planning to bring us with you if you agreed?”
“Liam. If I had somehow become famous and made it big, what do you think would happen? Paparazzi, for one. They would find out I was a wolf, find out where I lived, and we’d have all sorts of strangers encroaching on pack grounds. Not exactly ideal for the security of the pack.”
Liam nodded. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but was glad his little mate did. That would have been a disaster of epic proportions. A security snafu.
“Besides,” Elle continued. “What if there was a tour? Being away from Plumbrook for that long would kill me. And I couldn’t take you and the kids on tour. You, for obvious reasons. What’s a pack without its Alpha? And who would take care of the kids while I was onstage? It’s a bad idea all around. And one I’m honestly not interested in even thinking about.”
“Let me ask you this, then.” Liam looked over, then back to the road. “If you didn’t have me and the kids, would you have taken Ms. Attleboro up on her offer?”
Elle thought about that and decided quickly that, no, she wouldn’t have taken her up on the offer.
“I would not have taken the offer.” Her tone was firm, though Liam thought she might have been a little too vehement.
“And why not?”
> Elle shrugged.
“I like singing for the fun of it and once a week, maybe twice in a pinch, but I couldn’t make it my livelihood. I don’t have it in me.”
And that seemed to be the end of that as far as Elle was concerned. Nothing Liam threw at her, no scenario, could get her to change her mind. Not that he minded, but he was puzzled all the same. Even a small amount of celebrity could be addicting and heady. He would know.