The Keeping

by Nicky Charles

  She gave her head a shake. Ryne had mentioned that he liked to run through the woods, but doing so naked at night when the temperature was near freezing… Well, that was just too weird and emphasized why she needed to get away from Stump River. Ryne wasn’t only a bastard; he was some kind of perverted nudist-flasher type as well.

  Walking up to the cabin, she set the clothes on the floor by the door, not quite sure what to do with them. After the way he’d treated her, there was no way she was going to do him any favours and go out of her way to return them. Maybe she should just throw them in the garbage. It was what he deserved. Deciding to think about it, she went to the bedroom to start packing.

  It didn’t take long to gather her things from the bathroom and closet. In no time at all, the room was stripped of her presence. Taking a last look around, she zipped up the suitcase and set it by the door before taking the sheets off the bed. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have time to wash the bedding Beth had left her, but she didn’t think the other woman would mind.

  When she lifted the pillows to remove the cases, she spied the T-shirt she slept in folded underneath. Oops! Almost forgot that, she muttered to herself. As she picked it up, she recalled the erotic dream she’d had on her first night in the cabin. It had been extremely satisfying, but unfortunately, one of a kind. Closing her eyes, she pressed the shirt to her chest and allowed herself to relive the memory. Mmm… Her imagination had certainly out done itself when concocting that man. Everything had been so realistic…

  Suddenly, a horrible thought entered her mind and she snapped her eyes open. Oh no! Surely not! But… A feeling of dread swept over her as a theory developed in her mind. Could it have really happened? She hurried into the main room and stared at the pile of Ryne’s clothes. If the man was willing to run home naked in the middle of the night, would he also be the type to creep into a bedroom?

  Her skin crawled at the idea that Ryne—still a stranger at that point—had touched her so intimately. As she contemplated the possibility, her breathing accelerated and panic tightened in her chest. Calm down, calm down, she told herself. It might not be true. Forcing herself to breath slowly, she tried to figure out how Ryne could have entered her room. There’d been only one set of footprints and all those wolf prints… Of course Josh said they were old prints and it had something to do with the frozen ground being farther from the cabin… But the weather forecast had said it was above freezing… Mel ran an agitated hand through her hair. None of it made sense. Why would Ryne… ? And how… ? A shudder swept over her as mental images formed of the man looming over her as she slept.

  She made herself push the thoughts from her mind. The hows and whys didn’t matter; what was important was the fact that she was lucky enough to be getting away from Ryne sooner rather than later. After all, if she stayed around, who knew what weird, abnormal thing he might have done next? The very idea spurred her to action. As fast as possible, she finished tidying the cabin and packing her car, now more anxious than ever to leave Stump River—and Ryne Taylor—far behind.

  *****

  Ryne was thankful that there was a rush on tires that week. It kept him busy all day and gave him a chance to work out his anger without damaging anyone or anything. His encounter with Melody had left him in turmoil as his head argued with his wolf over what had occurred. Hours of lifting tires and struggling with rusted bolts and nuts had taken the edge off his mood so he was able to present a relatively calm face to the world.

  As he put away his tools and began to wash up, Ben wandered in with Harley at his heels. The dog immediately went over to Ryne and wagged his tail, fawning around his legs. Ryne scratched his ears and gave a low rumble of approval that had Harley sighing happily. The beast licked his hand before flopping down on the ground, obviously feeling that all was right in his world now that he had the Alpha’s approval.

  “See you got a lot of work done today.” Ben had a stack of completed work orders in his hand. “I’d have thought that fighting over that girl last night, would have left you all tired out, but if anything you’ve worked faster than ever.”

  Biting back a sigh, Ryne explained the situation yet again while inwardly grumbling; didn’t these people have anything better to do with their time than gossip about what he did? “I wasn’t fighting over her. I was just trying to talk to her, and Watson took exception to the fact. He swung at me first.”

  “Uh huh.” Ben nodded, but Ryne could tell he didn’t believe the story. “Well, whatever. Thing is, she seems to be a nice girl and you could do worse. She likes Harley, after all.”

  Harley lifted his head and thumped his tail at the sound of his name.

  “Funny thing though,” Ben continued with a puzzled frown on his face. “When I was talking to her yesterday afternoon she told me this story about seeing Harley out in the woods and thinking he was a wolf. I guess, she’s never seen a real wolf before, because Harley doesn’t look much like one, if you ask me. Anyway, I told her it couldn’t have been him, since I took him to the vet clinic on Tuesday for his rabies vaccine and then kept him inside for the rest of the day.”

  Ryne froze, his mind racing and connecting the dots even as Ben kept on speaking.

  “She had a funny look on her face then. I guess she realized she must have really seen a wolf. You know, you could use that to your advantage, boy. Tell her that there are wolves around, but you’ll protect her.” Ben chuckled. “Not that you need help with women. Anyway, I just came back here to tell you to take tomorrow off. You got us caught up on all the pending jobs. I figure with that big house you’re fixing up, you can always use some extra time to work on it.”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure. Thanks Ben.” Distractedly, he took his leave of the older man and loped out to his truck.

  He drove home, functioning on autopilot, too busy thinking about what he’d just discovered. Melody had mentioned something about him not even being honest about a dog. At the time, the comment hadn’t made sense to him, but now it did. She knew it wasn’t Harley she’d seen by the river and she knew he’d lied, but had she made the ultimate connection? Given how she’d been acting this morning, he thought not, but it still made him feel on edge. Hopefully, he’d offended her sufficiently that she’d be only too happy to forget everything about her experiences in Stump River. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach but he did his best to ignore it.

  If things went according to his plan, Melody would be gone by tomorrow night at the latest. With her out the picture, he’d be able to focus on what was really important; his new pack members. He’d have to inform Bryan and Daniel about their arrival, look for suitable lodgings for the family, and find Marco a job… Ryne forced a smile to form even as his fingers clenched around the steering wheel. This should be a joyous time, yet he was filled with a sense of foreboding.

  Realizing that he was now in front of his house, he shut off the engine and went inside. The television was blaring as per usual, making it easy for him to locate his pack mates. Stalking down the hallway, he stood in the doorway to the entertainment room and took in the sight before him. Daniel was sitting in the corner, his head bobbing in time to whatever song he was listening to on his mp3 player while typing away on the computer. Bryan was lazing back on the sofa, his feet on the coffee table while he idly flicked from station to station. Yep, some werewolf pack they made; he definitely needed to give them more work to do.

  Ryne walked up to Bryan and kicked his feet off the table, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

  “Hey! I was watching that!” Bryan stood up, his expression indignant and attempted to snatch the remote back.

  “Pack meeting.” Ryne spoke tersely and nudged Daniel. The boy looked up and immediately unplugged from his music.

  “What’s up, Ryne?” Daniel looked at him curiously. They seldom had ‘pack meetings’ since it was just the three of them.

  Ryne leaned against the fireplace and surveyed his friends. “You know how I was away yesterday? I was meeting a fami
ly—the Loberos—and… ” He paused for effect. “They’re going to join our pack.”

  It took a moment for the news to set in, then Bryan and Daniel gave out whoops, leapt up and high-fived each other.

  “Hey, that’s great! It’s been too quiet around here.” Bryan was grinning from ear to ear.

  Daniel smiled, his response slightly calmer, but still showing his pleasure. “Yeah, it’ll be nice to have more members. I miss being part of a big group.”

  Ryne’s mood momentarily lifted as he watched the happiness of the other two. Wolves were pack animals and it had been a strain on everyone being such a small group. Thankfully, the townsfolk had unknowingly helped fill the emptiness, but it still wasn’t quite the same as being around their own kind. He gave them a few minutes to enjoy the news all the while knowing he’d have to put a damper on things.

  “So, how many are coming?” Daniel sat back down but kept his eyes fixed on his Alpha, obviously eager for more information.

  “Four in total. Marco, his mate Olivia, and their son, Angelo, as well as Marco’s sister, Tessa.”

  “Ages? Jobs?” Bryan actually looked the part of a Beta at that moment, already trying to figure out how the new members would be assimilated into the pack.

  Ryne was pleased to see a serious side in Bryan. When he’d taken the young man on as his Beta, it had been a question of necessity rather than a belief in Bryan’s innate abilities, but he was showing signs of growing into the role. Just look at how he’d handled the little incident at the bar, smoothing things over so no one was any the wiser.

  Realizing that he hadn’t yet answered Bryan’s question, Ryne shared what he knew and ended with a half mocking warning. “And Bryan? Give Tessa a break. She’s had a hard time and doesn’t need you sniffing around her the minute she arrives.”

  Bryan actually looked offended. “Hey, I wouldn’t do that to a pack member. She’s family now.”

  Nodding, Ryne pushed away from the wall and began to pace the length of the room. “There’s something else I have to tell you. It’s about Melody—Ms. Greene.” He shoved his hands in his back pockets and lifted his chin. “I’ve severed ties with her.”

  “What? You’re kidding? After last night?” Neither Bryan nor Daniel looked like they could quite believe what they’d just heard.

  “Yeah, especially after last night.” Ryne rubbed his neck and sighed. “Uh… thanks for helping out last night. You both did good… real good. But it just re-emphasized to me that my wolf is getting too attached to her and it’s too dangerous to have her around. She’s here to ask questions about me and I can’t take the chance that some day she might fit the pieces together.”

  “The Keeping?” There was no smile on Bryan’s face as he uttered the words.

  “Yeah. We have new pack members joining us and I have a responsibility to them.”

  “Mel seems harmless enough,” Daniel added quietly.

  “That she does.” Ryne stared out the window, a vision of Melody’s big brown eyes and soft golden hair forming before him. He turned away from it and tightened his jaw. “But looks can be deceiving. A while back, I was talking to Kane and he said a reporter had been looking for me in Smythston, specifically mentioning the wolf photo. It was Mel.”

  The other two looked solemn, knowing the story behind the picture.

  Bryan spoke first. “Why didn’t you say something when she first came? All you said was to stay away. We figured it was just a territorial jealousy thing your wolf had going.”

  Ryne felt a bit sheepish. “In part it was, but mostly it was caution. I wasn’t sure if she knew anything about Lycans or if she was just a reporter with a bee in her bonnet about me. Either way, I decided to wait and watch for a bit, to see what she did and then make my decision.” He shrugged and tried to hide the regret he was feeling. “I’m pretty sure she has no suspicions, but, as I said before, I’m done taking chances. This morning I sent her packing.”

  “Um… Ryne?” Daniel looked worried. “There was an e-mail today from the Registry.”

  “Really? About the Loberos?” It was the only reason Ryne could think of at the moment.

  “No. Someone from this area was going through the Lycan site and made an application for membership. They wanted to know if we were aware of anyone in the area who was a shifter.”

  Bryan frowned. “How would the Registry know it was from here?”

  Daniel rolled his eyes. He was the ‘computer geek’ out of the three of them. “The IP address. When someone gets an e-mail, you can usually get a general idea of where it came from by right clicking on the sender. You go to view message source, find what IP address it’s from, and then do a search where it’s located. There isn’t a specific home address, but a general area appears. I didn’t think much about it, when I read the e-mail this morning—I figured it was probably a hoax. You know, some kid playing around, but now, from what you’ve said about Mel, I’m not so sure.”

  Ryne felt a chill wash over him. Had Mel been searching for information about werewolves? Was it because of the slip-up he’d made over Harley? Or was it just a coincidence as Daniel had said, some kid fooling around?

  Slowly, Bryan frowned and walked over to the book shelves. “That reminds me… I didn’t think much of it at the time, but that night Mel slept over, she might have been looking at the heritage books. When I was straightening up in here the next day, I saw they were just shoved back on the shelves.” He pulled the books out and looked at Ryne. “I thought maybe you’d been looking at them and wondered why they weren’t put back properly, since you’re usually so careful with them.”

  Ryne shook his head. “I haven’t had time to look at them in weeks.” He strode across the room and plucked a book from Bryan’s hand, checking the title. It was Lycanthropy. Raising the book to his nose, he took a sniff. A faint trace of Melody’s scent remained. Grimly, he clenched the book in his hand. “I think we have a problem.”

  Chapter 29

  Ryne pulled into the parking area in front of Melody’s cabin and forced his jaws to relax. The drive over had been accomplished at record speed, but the pressing urgency he felt inside left no time for the niceties of traffic laws. He had to find Melody as quickly as possible, ascertain what she did, or didn’t know and deal with it swiftly. Curses had tumbled from his lips the entire length of the drive. His complacency, his arrogance, his lust… all three had combined and conspired against him, causing him to ignore his duties as Alpha. And now, because of him, the lives of his pack and Kane’s could very well be at stake. But no more. Firming his resolve, he climbed out of the truck and slammed the door.

  Long, determined strides carried him to the door. He forced himself to control his knocking. Pounding on the door, as if trying to break it down, would only increase Melody’s reluctance to talk to him. Due to his performance earlier in the day, he’d be lucky if she didn’t slam to the door in his face. Not that it mattered. She’d talk to him, and tell him what he needed to know, whether she wanted to or not. At this point in time, he wasn’t above using some strong interrogation techniques if needed. If she was innocent, she’d just add it to his already lengthy list of sins. But, if she knew more than she should… Well, it didn’t really matter then, did it?

  There was no response to his knocking and he strained his ears to hear sounds of movement inside. After a moment, he determined she either wasn’t home, or she was sleeping. Checking over his shoulder to ensure no one was watching, Ryne strategically applied forced to the door and it popped open. Once inside, he listened again, but the small cabin was silent. He scanned the kitchen area, then quickly made his way to the bedroom, only to freeze in the doorway. The bed was stripped, the closet door open revealing empty hangers. Pulling open the dresser drawers, he swore. Melody had already packed and left.

  A frustrated growl rose in his throat and he ran his hand through his hair, agitatedly contemplating his next move. Her scent was still strong, so she hadn’t been gone too long. Would
she stop in Stump River before she left? Possibly. Melody had made friends with several of the residents and he couldn’t see her just leaving without saying goodbye. Maybe he could catch up to her in town.

  He ran to his truck and hopped in. Gravel spewed from beneath his tires as he gunned the engine and headed towards Stump River, determined to find Melody before she left. He had to discover what she knew and, if necessary, ensure that she never left the area to spread the information further.

  *****

  Ryne parked behind Miller’s Service Station, and jogged across the road. He’d check the diner first, then the Gazette. Surely, between the two places, he’d find Melody or at least information on where she’d gone and when.

  Pulling open the door, he stepped inside. Absentmindedly, he noted the supper crowd was just starting to wander in, the general din slowly rising as debates were held about the various menu selections while Al banged and clanged his pots and pans in the kitchen. Blocking out the noise, Ryne scanned the tables. Melody wasn’t there and he felt his jaw tighten in frustration. Forcing a casual expression, he wandered up to the counter and sat down hoping Lucy was on duty. He hadn’t talked to her much recently, his attention having shifted to Melody, but he was sure the waitress would be willing to chat and share some information with him.

  “Hi there! Can I help you?” A cheery young voice spoke behind him and he swung around surprised. He’d been so intent on looking for Lucy, he’d missed the presence of the other waitress. Pencil and order pad clutched in her hands, a young girl of about seventeen stood smiling at him expectantly.

  “Yeah… I need to speak to Lucy.”