by Kimbra Swain
“Denial looks bad on ya, Levi,” I teased.
“Nothing looks bad on him,” Kady said.
“Too true,” Riley added.
“I agree,” I said. “Looks even better with nothing on, but if I said that out loud, they would probably agree.”
“I’ve got to get out of here,” he said as he started to slide off the seat toward the door. I reached across, grabbing his hand.
“Stay. I’ll stop,” I promised.
“They won’t,” he whined in my head.
“Chicken shit,” I said. He eased back in the seat, but wouldn’t let go of my hand. I deserved that I suppose. We might as well be uncomfortable together.
“Who is Lisette?” Wendy asked.
“Levi’s ex-ex-ex-girlfriend,” Kady provided.
“She is a Creole voodoo priestess that we ran out of here last year,” I said. “It makes sense that they recruited her.”
“Swamp witch,” Wendy muttered.
“But when?” Finley asked. “If they recruited her before Levi came to Shady Grove, then they knew more about your Father’s plans for you long before we realized. Perhaps Lisette luring Levi to the bayou was part of their plan to keep him from coming here.”
“Dylan said that Jeremiah had mentioned me to Nestor, and they had a disagreement about it. Dylan, of course, didn’t want me here,” Levi said. Thinking back to the words I’d read in Dylan’s story, I knew Levi was right and that the ORCs had been in play for a lot longer than I had noticed. We were so focused on Stephanie and Brockton that they had slipped past us. Slicker than shit on linoleum. One thing was for sure, they were doing everything they could do to separate me from Levi Rearden. Thankfully, they hadn’t, and they wouldn’t. Not ever.
Tabitha stared at me across the table. “Something is different about you today,” she said.
“No, not really,” I replied.
“I think so,” she said as she waved to Nestor to bring her another drink.
“Where is Remy?” I asked.
“Working on some houses. He said Levi has helped him out a lot,” she replied.
“He has, but I’d rather him be home a little more often,” I said.
“Oh, so, you are ready to admit that you love Levi Rearden?” she teased.
“No,” I said flatly. “But he’s family, and now he’s the only adult in that house with me. I need to keep my sanity.”
“Aydan is progressing very well. Now that he’s talking, I suspect he won’t shut up,” she laughed.
“He’s hilarious, actually. I love them both to death, but I need adults,” I said.
“Tough thing to find in this town,” she said, looking across the room.
I turned to see who was back behind me. I thought I’d seen everyone that had come into the room, but I hadn’t noticed Dominick there with a few of the other wolves from Troy’s pack.
“Good grief,” I moaned. “Please tell me he’s staying on that side of the room.”
“He is. He cuts his eyes this way, but he won’t come over here,” she said.
“How do you know?” I replied.
“Because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to tangle with Levi,” she said.
I knew that if he talked to me again or tried to ask me out, Levi wouldn’t be able to hold back no matter what his new position in town had become. However, if that is what it took to keep Dominick away from me, then so be it.
She watched the men on the other side of the room as they played pool and joked around.
“That crew gets loud sometimes,” Nestor said setting a drink in front of Tabitha. “But they are harmless.”
“Who is the dark-haired one?” Tabitha asked.
“Huh?” I turned back to find dark eyes staring back at me. He took two steps toward me, and Dominick put his hand on the man’s arm. He jerked it away, approaching us despite the warning. I turned back to Tabitha and rolled my eyes. She giggled but hid it behind her hand as he sat down next to me.
“Hi,” he said. Now that he was closer, I could see his darkened skin, not by the sun but by heritage. His black eyes twinkled in the darkness of the bar. “I’m Atohi.”
“Hello, I’m Grace. This is Tabitha,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, Grace. I’m part of Troy’s pack, but I guess you know that” he said. “I promise I’m not here to bother you. I just wanted to introduce myself. If there is anything I can ever do for you, please feel free to ask. You protect us here in this city, and I’m willing to do my part.”
“Do you work with the police?” I asked.
“I do, but there isn’t much to police around here,” he said.
“Hey man, come on,” Dominick said from the front door.
“Go ahead. I’ll catch up,” Atohi called back to the other wolf. Dominick only met my eyes for a moment, then slipped out the door of Hot Tin.
“I appreciate your offer, but I’m sure that all my needs are met,” I said. I hadn’t decided if this was his angle or if he was genuinely trying to pay some sort of homage to me. The fact that Levi hadn’t shown up yet, probably meant that I didn’t feel threatened or uncomfortable around him. “May I ask what your name means?”
“Atohi is Cherokee for the woods. I love the outdoors, and my father foresaw that when I was born,” he said.
“Perhaps he ensured that you would love it so that your name would mean something,” I offered.
He smiled widely and replied, “Perhaps. I never thought of it that way, but it fits me.”
“Cherokee,” I said.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“My fiancé was of the First People,” I said.
“I knew of the Thunderbird. I hate that I never met him. From what I’ve heard, he was a great man,” he said. “And now your son carries that tradition.”
“Yes,” I replied, thinking about how Remy promised to summon up some of the First People to bless my little thunder clapper.
“I wish you well, Queen. Nice to meet you, Doctor,” he said as he stood. He made a slight bow to me. “If you would excuse me, I need to catch up with the guys.”
“Of course, thank you for your generous offer,” I replied.
He made his way to the door but never looked back. Once the door shut, Tabitha let out a long sigh.
“What?” I asked.
“If I wasn’t involved, I’d take a dose of tall, dark and wolfy,” Tabitha said.
I laughed, “I’m telling Remy.”
“Nah. I’ll keep ol’ Silver Tongue,” she said.
“Now that is a fitting name for him,” I said.
“You should know,” she smiled.
“Oh, I do,” I replied. “Do you think the wolf was working an angle?” He still struck me as suspicious. Troy had sung high praises for Dominick, but he had never mentioned Atohi. I made a mental note to ask him about the dark wolf in our next meeting.
“Grace, if he was, I couldn’t tell. You attract all sorts of men though. Who knows?” she said.
I ignored her jab about attracting men. Other than Dylan and Levi, I had always attracted the wrong men. Well, except maybe Remy. He was a good guy. We just met at the wrong time. It made me happy to see him with Tabitha. They seemed very happy together.
“We should meet and chat more often. I miss this,” she said.
“I agree. More adult conversation please,” I said. We talked for another hour before Levi showed up to drive me home. I told him about the dark wolf, and he said he hadn’t met him. I knew that tone of voice though. Levi would make a point to meet him since the wolf had approached me.
Winnie groaned as she looked at the paper on the dining room table. “Why is math so stupid?” she asked.
“You used to love math,” I said.
“Not anymore,” she replied.
“Besides math isn’t stupid,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” she insisted.
Levi was sitting next to her trying to help, but she was in full “I don’t want to” mode.
“It was the only incentive I could think of,” he said.
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to make that the habit,” I replied.
“Thanks, Mom,” he said.
“I am not your mother,” I said. Winnie giggled. She was catching on to us as well.
“Yeah, incest isn’t my thing,” Levi said. I almost choked on the orange soda I was drinking. He grinned watching me flounder.
“You may have not been taught this in Texas, but incest requires sexual contact,” I explained.
“So future sexual contact doesn’t count?” he asked.
I glared at him for a moment, then responded. “In your dreams, Dublin.”
“No, that would be the past,” he replied. Before I could think of a reply, he asked, “You and Aydan going to the diner with us?”
“Ice cream!” Aydan exclaimed.
“I guess that answers that question. Your Uncle Levi is spoiling you, Little Bird,” I said.
“But it’s yummy to my tummy,” he smiled.
“Yes, it is,” I conceded.
“Aydan, you look just like your daddy,” Betty exclaimed as we came in the door. The pang of sorrow faded quickly as I looked at my child. Instead of allowing Betty’s comment to distract me, I focused on how much she was right.
“He does look so much like Dylan,” I said with a smile. I had moved forward from my grief to a point where my heart still missed my fiancé but being thankful for what I had had taken the place of that pain.
“Acts like him, too,” Levi said.
“How so?” I asked as we took stools at the counter.
“All that thundering around,” Levi grinned. Dylan definitely had his moments, and Aydan was using his thunderclap more often.
“I wanna see him do it,” Betty said.
“No!” I replied.
Aydan who sat in my lap looked up to me when I raised my voice. He watched me closely. The thunderclap only came when I was upset. He knew a genuine upset from a fake one. I hadn’t been able to provoke him by pretending to be mad. In fact, if I pretended to be mad, he would just laugh at me. Little Stinker.
A group of young men entered the diner making their way to the other stools. Part of Troy’s pack. Atohi and Dominick were with them. A smaller man entered after them. He moved toward them but flicked his eyes to me. I saw fear in them.
“You see that?” I asked Levi who rarely missed a thing.
“Yep,” he replied as he ordered a strawberry milkshake for Winnie.
“What about you, Grace?” Betty asked as I watched the wolves interact.
“Um, nothing for me, but a small bowl of ice cream for Aydan,” I said.
“Ice cream!” Aydan exclaimed. Betty laughed at him.
“Your daddy liked ice cream too!” she said.
“Who doesn’t?” Levi asked.
“Weird people,” Winnie answered.
Betty hustled off to take orders from the pack. The smaller man stood behind everyone. He didn’t seem like he was going to order anything when Atohi called back to him.
“Runt, get up here and get some food in you,” he said.
“Okay,” he replied timidly.
“That’s rude,” I said.
“Unless there is trouble, you should let Troy handle it,” Levi said.
I had agreed to stay out of pack business unless it interfered with Shady Grove’s stability. Troy and Amanda kept a tight rein on the shifters in town. Since October, we had added a few more panthers and a family of snapping turtles. They kept to themselves for the most part. The wolves had grown in number as well. Several litters had been born, and the size of the pack had grown to almost fifty. Amanda kept me updated on new arrivals and births. She and Troy seemed to be managing it quite well. Troy had made Dominick his Beta, but watching him with this group, I questioned that decision.
The wolves were loud and boisterous, except for the little one. He ended up getting the tail end of most of the jokes. I felt bad for him, but I could also see the look in Levi’s eye urging me to stay out of it. Dominick didn’t instigate the jokes for the small guy, but he certainly laughed at them. He made eye contact with me a couple of times. For those moments, I didn’t see the humor in them. But it wasn’t shame either. I couldn’t figure the former Alpha out.
Of this group, though, Atohi was clearly the most outspoken.
“Eat up, Runt. We have fights tonight,” he said. The other wolves laughed.
“They have fights on Friday nights. I’ve seen them. It’s pretty brutal, but Troy says it helps with aggression,” Levi said.
“That small one will get obliterated by those bigger guys,” I said.
“Don’t discount a small wolf. They can be fast and nimble. I’m willing to bet Callum will give them a run for their money,” Levi said.
“Callum,” I repeated. “You know him?”
“Yep. He’s young, but a good kid,” he said.
“Levi, you are all of 25 years old,” I said.
“I am 26 thank you very much,” he grinned.
“Same difference,” I said. “What’s your middle name?”
The devil grinned but didn’t answer.
The ruckus across the room got louder as they continued to tease Callum. Once Betty brought out their food, the noise lessened, but not by much. They were extremely polite to her, thanking her for refilling their drinks, but when it came to the smaller wolf, they were relentless.
I wanted to bound out of my seat and defend him. He took it all in stride, never showing weakness to them. I may not understand pack politics, but I knew what bullying was.
“We need to go before I lose it,” I hissed to Levi.
“Yeah, sure,” he responded. “Can I get a to-go lid for Winnie’s milkshake?”
“Sure thing, honey,” Betty responded to Levi.
I hoisted up Aydan, but Levi quickly took him from me. He grabbed my arm in the process because my attention was on the pack.
“Leave it, Grace,” he urged.
I huffed but marched outside to drown out the noise and frustration. The late fall night called to me. A still quiet. A light breeze. Dark figures emerging from the shadows.
“Levi!” I said.
He was behind me in an instant with Aydan on his hip. He’d left Winnie inside.
“Here take him,” he said, handing my child back to me.
“Momma!” Aydan said pointing at the men emerging from the shadows of the trees. I didn’t have time to count as I walked back into the diner.
“Give him to me,” Betty said reaching across the counter. I handed him over as they ducked down.
“We’ve got your back, Queen,” Dominick said.
As I returned to Levi, I found him standing in the parking lot holding Excalibur. The sword brightened the darkness. The wolves filed out around us to face the men crossing the street. They were dark-skinned and wore feathers in their hair. Most of them were dressed plainly in jeans and flannel shirts. They were most certainly Native American.
“Did you feel them cross the ward?” I asked Levi in a low tone.
“I felt something move, but it was so fast that I didn’t detect it as human,” he replied.
“My Queen, if I may?” Atohi said, striding up next to me.
Levi and I turned our gaze to him. “What is it?” I asked.
“They are First People. I will speak to them if you wish,” he said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I do not fear them. Nor should you,” he said.
“Alright. Go ahead,” I said.
Atohi walked out in front of us with his hands outstretched at his waist. He spoke to them in a language that I didn’t know. I felt a presence close to my shoulder. I cut my eyes to the side, realizing Domini
ck had moved closer to me. Levi still stood in front of me. He showed more maturity than I expected, not taking his eyes off the approaching men. I felt his intensity through our bond. I also felt the power that rushed to him as he held my father’s sword.
After speaking for a moment with the men, Atohi turned to us.
“They are here to bless your child,” he said. “The Thunderbird.”
Levi lowered the sword. We had been waiting months for them to show up to bless Aydan and his abilities. To accept him as Dylan’s son and heir. I didn’t know specifically what we had to do, but I was thankful that Atohi was there to translate. I felt a warm hand glide up the inside of my arm.
“Careful with him, Grace. He isn’t what he seems to be,” Dominick muttered.
“Get your hand off her,” Levi spoke softly through gritted teeth. The warmth of his hand disappeared. I didn’t dare look to indicate that I missed it, but his touch was heated. I pushed the sensation to the back of my mind. Levi took two steps back, putting himself between Dominick and me.
“Sorry, but you should know that he isn’t a good person,” Dominick said, then walked away calling the wolves to him as he left.
Atohi looked over his shoulder to Dominick and nodded. Dominick returned the gesture, and the wolves shifted, bounding off into the darkness. Atohi walked back over to us.
“On my honor, these are the men that the Star Man called to bless your child,” he said.
“I’ll call Remy,” Levi said as he stared off in the direction of the departing wolves.
“Levi,” I said softly.
“I’m fine,” he muttered as he pulled out his phone.
“Levi,” I repeated. He put his hand on my shoulder turning slightly to look down at me as his phone dialed in his other hand. I leaned over putting my cheek on his hand.
“I contained it for as long as I could. I’m sorry. I’ll get better,” he responded.
“Don’t let him touch me again,” I said.
His eyes darted to mine as the slick twang of Remington Blake murmured through his phone.