Veil of Lies

by Nicky Charles

Roxi made a non-committal sound. Nice was just so…so…boring.

  Ryne sat in his favourite corner at the Broken Antler. It was dark and secluded. The perfect place to be left alone.

  Daniel’s band was playing some song that had everyone crowding the stage and hopping around in time to the music. Well, not everyone. He was in his seat and so were some of the older-timers, not that he included himself in the group. Sitting in the corner gave him a chance to observe Melody dancing.

  Her honey-blond hair spilled down her back in an array of loose curls, swaying as she moved and giving tantalizing glimpses of the bare skin that peeked out of the fashionable holes in her shirt. The concept of buying a shirt that was already worn out made no sense to him. However, she was happy and it did look damned sexy on her.

  They were on a date night, something that was tricky to do in Stump River, but they were managing. Dinner at Ruth’s, drinks and dancing at the Broken Antler, and when they got home, a movie in bed…which would hopefully lead to something else. Bryan and Cassie had agreed to babysit so the potential for the evening was better than most nights.

  When he’d suggested the outing, Melody had been pleasantly surprised. Lately, she’d been asking him if everything was all right, seeming to sense he was holding something back from her. That was the double-edged sword of a blood-bond; it made keeping secrets, like Lucy still being alive, much more difficult.

  The original lie had been easy to maintain. Melody had been new to all things Lycan and then, over the course of time, the lie had been pushed so far to the back of his mind it had become lost in the business of daily life. Now it was back in the forefront and he was working hard to keep it from damaging his relationship with his mate, while not breaking his vow to Lucy.

  A waitress came by and delivered another beer. He nodded his thanks while eyeing her speculatively. Melody had delivered the inside scoop on the woman to him a few weeks ago.

  “There’s a new citizen in Stump River.”

  They were lying in bed, her head resting on his shoulder while he idly played with her hair.

  “Really? Who?”

  “Her name’s Jenna Lewis.”

  “Lewis?” He frowned. “I don’t remember any family with that name in the area. Why did she move here?”

  “Well, the rumour mill claims she’s recovering from a bad breakup and wants to make a fresh start here.”

  “No, I mean why Stump River? Why not some other small town?”

  “You sound suspicious.”

  “No one moves to Stump River.”

  “You did.” She gave him a gentle poke. “And so did I.”

  “Because it’s in the middle of nowhere. And you moved here to spy on me.”

  “Oh. I see what you mean. Apparently, she stuck a pin in the map and picked the closest town to it.” She gave a soft laugh. “She’d been sticking pins in a picture of her ex when the idea came to her.”

  “She sounds vindictive.”

  “No, I’ve talked to her and she seems nice. I think she was just really hurt by her ex. He was probably a bastard.”

  “That’s what you called me once, and look at us now.”

  “That was different.”

  “Yeah, you were being a nosey reporter at the time.”

  She gave him a dirty look before settling at his side again. “Jenna isn’t a reporter. She’s running some kind of internet marketing business. Right now she’s working from home—a place she rented on the lake—but if it takes off, she’s going to open a store front in one of the empty places downtown.”

  “Hmph.” His interest in the newcomer was dwindling. Melody’s breath was fanning over his chest, her fingers tracing patterns increasingly lower on his torso.

  “Right now she’s working part-time as a waitress at the bar.”

  “Good for her. Now let’s talk about something more interesting...” He muttered the words as he rolled over to kiss his mate.

  Now Ryne noticed Armand was watching the new waitress and he eyed him speculatively, wondering if there was a potential romance there. Both were on the rebound so at least they had something in common.

  Picking up his drink, he wandered over to the bar.

  “Hey, Armand.”

  “Yes, my friend? Is there something wrong with your beer?” Armand glanced at the nearly full drink.

  “Nope, it’s fine.” He took a swig to prove his point. “I was wondering how you were doing.”

  “Fine, as always.”

  That was a load of crap. When Armand had returned from Chicago, he’d been as surly and taciturn as a badger. It had required a good deal of cajoling and a large quantity of after-hours drinking to get the man to spill what had happened. Ryne couldn’t blame Lucy or Armand—they each had their reasons—but it was a shame they hadn’t managed to find a compromise.

  Armand was slowly coming around from the experience. There was no twinkle in his eye, no loud bellows of laughter but he wasn’t moping either. Mostly he was just…quiet.

  “Your new waitress, Jenna, is doing a good job.”

  “Yes, she is.” Armand’s gaze drifted to her.

  “So maybe you’ll ask her out someday.”

  Armand shrugged and concentrated on polishing the surface of the old bar.

  Ryne knew when to push and when to wait, so he drank his beer and watched the band. Eventually, Armand cleared his throat.

  “If you didn’t have Melody, if she had turned you down when you asked her to be your mate, how would you have felt? What would you have done?”

  Ryne rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s hard to say. I would have been angry I guess.”

  Armand nodded.

  “Maybe...” He cleared his throat not liking to admit to feelings, but Armand was a friend and you did things for friends you wouldn’t do for others. “Probably hurt and sad.”

  “You would have felt as if your heart had died, that life wasn’t worth living.” Armand stared into the distance, his hand slowing in its polishing of the bar. “And yet, you wouldn’t be dead. Life would continue on around you.”

  “Yep. That’s probably how I’d feel.”

  “And eventually others…good friends…would urge you to do something.” His eyes grew focused again and he stared directly at Ryne. “Would you listen?”

  Damn, this was hard. A life without Melody in it was incomprehensible, however he did his best to reply honestly. “I wouldn’t want to, but I suppose I’d have to believe my friends were looking out for me. That maybe they could see what I couldn’t.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking.” He nodded and sighed. “Tonight, I’ll ask Jenna if she wants to stay and play a game of darts.”

  Ryne gave a nod. Armand didn’t sound thrilled at the prospect, but it was a step forward.

  “Ryne!” Melody appeared at his side, her cheeks flushed. “I convinced Daniel to play a slow song. Come and dance with me, please?”

  “Convinced, bribed or blackmailed?” He looked down at her and smiled. Damn, she was beautiful. He was a lucky man to have a mate such as her.

  “That’s between me and him. Reporter’s oath of confidentiality and all that.” She gave her hand a negligent wave.

  “Is there such an oath? Or did you make it up to avoid answering? And if there was an oath, wouldn’t it only count if you were interviewing him?”

  “Who’s to say I’m not?”

  “Are you?”

  “Can’t say.” She folded her arms, a smug smile on her amazingly kissable mouth.

  He laughed and proceeded to kiss her quite thoroughly. When he was done, she was breathless and clinging to him in the way he loved.

  “So, will you dance?”

  “For you, anything.” He downed the rest of his drink and let her lead him to the small dance floor.

  She wrapped her arms around him, her cheek resting on his chest. He could feel the warmth of her pressed against him, the sweet scent that was uniquely her. His wolf murmured contentedly. There was nothi
ng better than being with your mate.

  “I love you, Ryne.” She pressed a kiss to his neck where it showed in the open vee of his shirt.

  The soft sensation of her mouth on his skin still caused that wonderful electric charge to shoot through him. His hands drifted lower, cupping her butt and bringing her close so she could feel his response.

  “Ryne,” she giggled. “Behave.”

  He laughed and gave her rounded lower cheeks a squeeze before moving his hands back to a more respectable level and kissing the top of her head.

  “I love you, too, Melody. More than you can ever know.” He slowly turned them in time to the music, his eyes half closed as he enjoyed the closeness of the dance.

  Eventually he noticed Armand watching them. The man was taking his loss hard, even harder than he had the first time Lucy had left. Poor guy. Would he ever be able to pull himself together?

  Chapter 24

  Lou reached the top of the stairs and leaned against the newel post. Walking up all those flights seemed harder than ever. She was out of puff, her legs barely wanting to carry her. She’d been doing this climb several times a day for over two years, so it made no sense for her to suddenly be out of condition.

  Maybe it was due to her winter coat and boots. Snow had arrived early this year—it was only mid-November—and she wasn’t used to the extra weight of heavy clothing. Or it could be the fact she’d increased her course load this year, determined to finish her degree sooner rather than later. Burning the candle at both ends, that’s what it was called, wasn’t it? At least she was getting good grades and the professors were really starting to take notice of her. Hopefully that would help when it came time to apply for a job.

  The smell of cooking drifted down the hall and she made a face. Perhaps her problem was she’d never really recovered from the bout of food poisoning she’d picked up at that restaurant Neil had taken her to. He’d been so apologetic even though she assured him it wasn’t his fault the fish had been off. It had crossed her mind that she’d never gotten food poisoning when she was with Armand but she’d tried to ignore the thought. Comparing Armand and Neil was a habit she tried to avoid…and failed miserably at.

  Regardless, her digestive system still hadn’t forgiven her for the awful experience. She had no appetite and preferred to stay curled up in bed whenever possible. And bed was where she was heading right now. Taking a deep breath, she forced her legs to move and crossed the short distance to the apartment.

  She unlocked the door and took off her coat, then struggled to remove her boots. Winter sucked.

  “Hey, Lulu.” Roxi wandered into the foyer munching on a tuna sandwich.

  One look at the concoction and memories of the food poisoning debacle came rushing back. Hand over her mouth, she ran to the bathroom and heaved.

  When there was nothing left in her stomach, she sank down beside the toilet and leaned her head against the wall, shaking and clammy. Would she ever be done with this punishment? She promised Neptune or whoever the king of fishes was, that she’d never again eat one of his subjects if only her stomach would quit going into reverse.

  “Here.” Roxi appeared and handed her a washcloth.

  “Thanks.” She wiped her face and then stood up, got out the bottle of mouthwash and began to swish.

  “So, when are you going to tell me you’re pregnant?”

  The question had her spewing mouthwash all over the vanity and it took a moment to clean up the mess, which at least gave her time to regain her composure enough to reply.

  “I am not pregnant!” She glared at Roxi, appalled she’d even suggest such a thing. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “You’re tired. You’re sick all the time—”

  “I had food poisoning and you damn well know it.”

  “When was the last time you had your period?”

  She huffed indignantly and folded her arms. “It was… Umm…” When had it been? There’d been a bit of spotting but…

  Roxi began to rummage around under the sink, pulled out a small bag and handed it to her. “Pee.”

  “What?”

  “Pee on the stick.”

  “Where did this come from?” She stared suspiciously at the contents of the bag.

  “I had a scare once—turned out I was just late—but now I keep one on hand. Nothing worse than walking into a store, scared shitless you’re prego, and trying to pick a pee stick.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m not pregnant so save it for yourself.” She tried to hand the bag back.

  Roxi refused to take the package, instead grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her towards the toilet. “Pee!”

  “I’m not a dog, you know. I don’t pee on command.”

  “I don’t care. You say you’re not pregnant. I say you are. Prove one of us right so I can get back to my sandwich.”

  “Fine. Anything to get you to leave me alone so I can take a nap.” She shoved Roxi from the bathroom, opened the box and read the instructions. Why she bothered, she didn’t know. There was no way she was pregnant.

  Ten minutes later she was still in the bathroom. Roxi was pounding on the door.

  “Lulu, it doesn’t take that long to pee and read the test! What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  She opened the door, feeling even shakier than she had after throwing up. “It says I’m pregnant.”

  “Wow.” Roxi stared at the stick that lay on a neatly folded bunch of toilet tissue. “I was right. Are you okay?”

  “It has to be wrong. I can not be pregnant.” She shook her head and stared at the stick again.

  “It happens. I mean I’m sure you and Neil took precautions but—”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t use birth control?” Roxi’s eyebrows shot upward.

  “I mean Neil and I never had sex.”

  “Well, fooling around can—”

  “No!” She picked up the stick and dropped it into the garbage then pushed past Roxi. “We’ve never fooled around. He kisses me on the cheek. We…” She shook her head. “There’s nothing between us. I go out with him sometimes after work. I like him, but that’s it.”

  “You have another guy on the side?”

  “No! There’s been no one since Armand, so I can’t be pregnant. That was back in August and it’s now November.”

  Roxi counted on her fingers. “It’s possible you just didn’t notice the signs.”

  “No, I’m sure. The test you gave me was old or defective. I’ll take another one tomorrow.” She knew she was talking faster, her voice growing higher in pitch. She clamped her mouth shut and tried hard to calm down. “I’m going to go take a nap. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Lulu, I’m sorry.” Roxi put her hand on her arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I know. I’m just tired and need to rest.” She tried to smile. From the look on Roxi’s face she wasn’t very successful.

  Roxi stood in the hallway outside the bathroom watching as Lulu pushed her bedroom door shut. It was followed by the mattress squeaking and the rustle of covers.

  Yeah, Lulu was pregnant, she’d bet her bottom dollar on it and that was saying something because she never threw money around, at least not her own.

  She returned to the kitchen and finished her sandwich, then dumped the plate in the sink to be washed later. There were several other dishes waiting to be washed as well but she’d deal with them later if the dish fairy didn’t show up. More important things had to be dealt with first.

  About to head to the living room, she did a U-turn and foraged in the cupboards. This would require some thinking and thinking needed brain food. Grabbing a bag of chips, she made her way to the sofa and plopped down.

  Neil wasn’t the father.

  That was surprising, pleasantly so. Nothing against the guy but the few times they’d met, he’d been as dull as beige paint and she’d hate for him to be hanging around the apartment all the time, which he would if he was the father because Neil was the
decent sort. He’d be attentive and fussing and quoting baby books. The very idea made her shudder.

  She crunched on a chip as she considered Lulu’s claim that she hadn’t been messing around with anyone else. That rang true. Lulu was always working or studying or hanging with Neil after volunteering at the centre.

  So that left Armand. It wasn’t unreasonable for him to be the father. Sure, three months was a long time but Lulu’s brain was probably in denial. And then there was the fact that Ursas were weird. They could be a little bit pregnant for months before the cub actually started to grow. It was something to do with their inner bear and hibernation. This cold snap could have set things in motion so to speak.

  Now she had to decide what to do about it. Did she tell Armand? Or tell Lulu she had to tell Armand? Or did she just let things slide and see what happened? Shifters, like most Others, were dead set against humans knowing about their existence. What were the chances the pregnancy would progress normally and not result in any awkward questions? She wasn’t really sure. There were mixed race individuals out there who had no idea of their unique heritage, so maybe it would be okay.

  Sighing heavily, she realized she’d finished all her chips and now needed a drink. Damn, she hated being stuck in the middle of things like this. Getting involved in people’s lives wasn’t her thing.

  Chugging down a glass of milk she decided there wasn’t anything she could do at the moment. And there was a slight chance she was wrong, and Lulu wasn’t pregnant.

  She rolled her eyes. Fat chance of that.

  Armand entered the bar, brushing snow from his coat and stomping his feet. He’d finished shovelling the walk after using the blade mounted on his pickup truck to clear the parking lot. The snow might be falling heavily but there were always a few intrepid souls who would brave the weather for a night of socializing at the bar.

  “Here, let me help you.” Jenna appeared at his side as he shrugged off his heavy winter coat. She hung it on the hook behind the door and then brushed snow from his hair when he sat down to remove his boots. “You look like the abominable snowman.”