The Werewolf Dates The Deputy (Nocturne Falls Book 12)

by Kristen Painter

  “Do you want it to be?”

  A longing filled her eyes that surprised him. She nodded. “I do. So long as your feelings for me don’t change.”

  “They won’t.”

  Her smile was quick, then gone. “We’ll find out tomorrow.”

  “Are you nervous about that?”

  She couldn’t make out the thump of Titus’s heartbeat over the bubbling water, but she could feel it where her cheek lay against his shoulder. “I am. The same way I’d be if I were headed into battle. It’s more anticipation than nerves. Although there’s more riding on tomorrow than any battle I’ve been in.”

  “And you trust that Ingvar still has the skill necessary to do what needs to be done? Even after being away from that work for years?”

  “I do. Although…”

  “Although what?”

  Jenna didn’t want to speak ill of her friend, but maybe getting Titus’s opinion would help. “She looked thinner than I remember, but that doesn’t really mean anything. And she seemed tired to me too. Did she seem that way to you?”

  “Does she always have such dark circles under her eyes?”

  “No.” Jenna sighed. “She told me she’s been studying long hours, working at her craft with the kind of intensity she didn’t expect, but I felt worried for her. Still do. Especially now that she’s going to use more energy on my behalf.”

  “You have every right to be concerned, but if she can’t do it or isn’t up to it, she’d tell you, right?”

  Jenna twisted a little to look at him. “Valkyries don’t let little things like personal health get in the way of what needs to be done.”

  He sighed. “So what’s the answer? You won’t let me call Alice. Do you know of any other seers who could help?”

  “Yes, but the answer is Ingvar will do it. Whatever it takes, she’ll make it happen. I just have to put my concerns aside.”

  “And if she doesn’t? Or if the wraith realizes we’re on to him?”

  Jenna thought about that for a moment. “Then we tell Alice and the coven everything we know and get them involved for our next attempt.”

  “You’re assuming we’ll get a next attempt. What if tomorrow night goes wrong? Really wrong?” He sat up a little. “Jenna, this wraith wants to kill you with your own sword.”

  “I realize that. It’s not the first time in my life I’ve come up against an opponent who wants me dead. None of them has succeeded.”

  “But this is no ordinary opponent. This one started out as a berserker.” Titus shook his head. “I don’t like this at all.”

  “I’m not crazy about it, either, but you have to remember that I’ve faced down wraiths before. Granted, none of them was out to get me personally, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

  He didn’t seem amused by that. “How do you deal with one on the battlefield, then? Tell me how it goes.”

  “A seer reads its energy to understand why it hasn’t crossed over, then one of us uses that information to talk it into coming along.”

  “And that works?”

  “Yes. Sometimes.” Actually, it worked only with the really confused ones.

  “That doesn’t seem like the way you’re dealing with this one.”

  “We’re not. We’re going straight to plan B.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because the wraiths we encounter on the battlefield aren’t usually berserkers. That means we’re dealing with a warrior who’s already prone to entering an impenetrable trancelike state. There’s no talking to a berserker in that frame of mind. It’s doubtful this wraith has the ability to see beyond his goal of becoming mortal again.”

  “Great.”

  She settled in against him, enjoying his nearness. “It’s going to be fine. We know how to do this. And remember, the more he strengthens, the more vulnerable he becomes.”

  “Explain that to me in simpler terms.”

  She grinned. “Once he becomes solid, I can put a sword through him.”

  He kissed her temple. “Fortunately, I have no doubt you’re very good at that.”

  “I am.”

  They sat for a while longer, talking, drinking their beers, and relaxing, but when her second beer bottle was empty, Jenna decided she needed to turn in. She said good night to Titus with a long, slow kiss that almost turned into more.

  Finally, wrapped in a towel, she went back inside, changed into sleep clothes, and went to bed. The ice cream could wait. Titus was really all the dessert she’d needed.

  The evening had been perfect. Titus had been perfect.

  She just hoped that getting romantically involved with him was the right decision, all things considered.

  Titus was surprised in the morning to find Jenna in the kitchen and coffee already made when he walked in. “You’ve been up for a while?”

  She nodded and sipped her coffee. “Lots on my mind.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a spoon in the sink. “Did you already eat your ice cream?”

  “I had a few bites.”

  He came over to get coffee but kissed her forehead before grabbing a cup. “Tonight’s going to be all right. Because there is no other option.”

  “Exactly. No inspector today, huh?”

  “No, but part of moving the visit to next week was me promising to get my reports in to him ahead of time. That’ll keep me busy for most of the day. Sorry. I’m sure you have things you’d rather do, but I’ll be neck-deep in paperwork.”

  “That makes two of us. Birdie’s already texted to ask if she can bring me the paperwork that’s been piling up. I said yes. I’ll be buried in daily activity logs and reports all day.” She shrugged. “Might as well.”

  “That sounds…” He laughed. “Sorry, that sounds as terrible as my day.”

  She chuckled. “It is. But it’s the perfect thing to do when you can’t be out in the field. Besides, it’ll help out the deputies picking up my shifts.”

  “All right, then. Let’s get this coffee down and get the day started.”

  And so they did, making the trip to Zombie Donuts before heading into the station. Jenna helped him cook breakfast again. Birdie showed up about halfway through with two banker’s boxes of paperwork for Jenna to do. She stayed long enough to have a short stack of pancakes and inquire about how their relationship was going, then she went back to the sheriff’s department after Hank called to see what was keeping her.

  The day seemed to drag on, but at the same time, it sped by. Five o’clock rolled around, and Jenna found herself on edge with the anticipation of what was to come.

  She was quiet on the way back to Titus’s. They’d picked up cold-cut subs from Mummy’s Diner, but she wasn’t sure she could eat.

  “You okay?” Titus asked.

  “Yes and no.” She smiled. “I just want to get this whole thing with the wraith over with.”

  He nodded. “Me too. There’s nothing I’d like better than for life to go back to normal.”

  When they got home, they ate out on the back deck. Both mostly quiet, both lost in their own thoughts.

  Jenna ate half her sub, then wrapped up the other half. “I can’t eat any more. Maybe later.”

  He did the same. “When this is all over, maybe we’ll go into town and treat ourselves. Some celebratory hot fudge sundaes. Or the ice cream we bought last night. Whatever seems right.”

  She smiled. “I’m in. Whichever way we go.”

  They cleaned up the kitchen, still without much conversation, then went to change. Jenna decided on black tactical pants, a black T-shirt, and black combat boots. It wasn’t the armor she would have worn in service, but it was close enough.

  She came back out to find Titus in the living room, wearing a very similar outfit in desert tan. She smiled. “Great minds, huh?”

  “Yeah. Also? This whole SWAT look? Very hot.”

  “Thanks.” She grinned despite the anticipation running through her. “You
look pretty hot yourself.”

  They settled in to read while they waited for Ingvar to arrive, but Jenna found herself staring at the same page in the magazine, unable to concentrate on the words.

  Thankfully, Titus’s doorbell rang a few minutes after they’d sat down.

  Jenna closed the magazine she wasn’t reading. “Ingvar.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure.” He answered the door. The seer stood on the other side, the car service she’d used pulling out of his drive. She was all in black and wore all the same jewelry, except she’d added a circlet around her head made of tiny vertebrae. He moved out of the way. “Come on in.”

  She shook her head. “I have already prepared myself. I don’t want to fight the energy of your home.”

  Jenna jumped up. “Hi, Ingvar. Where do you want us to meet you, then? Around back? We can go into the forest from there.”

  She nodded. “That’s fine.”

  As Ingvar started down off the porch, Titus closed the door. “You ready?”

  Jenna took a breath. “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  They went out the back and down the steps. Ingvar was just coming around the side of the house. Dusk approached, darkening the horizon. She had a large cloth bag with her. Supplies for her work, no doubt.

  “Take me to where you saw the wraith last. I’ll need some time to prepare the trap. Alone. When you return, the wolf must stay as far away as possible.”

  “So you said.” Titus didn’t look happy.

  Jenna did her best to intervene. “No problem.” She smiled at Titus. “I’m not sure I remember how to get there from here.”

  His gaze was still on Ingvar. “Just follow me.”

  They started into the woods, Titus in front.

  Jenna dropped back to walk beside Ingvar. She started to ask her friend how she was feeling, but Ingvar was chanting softly to herself. More preparation for what was to come? Jenna could only assume so.

  She picked up her pace to join Titus. “I don’t want to mess with Ingvar’s concentration.”

  He nodded. He looked tense.

  Jenna slipped her hand in his. “It’ll all be over soon.”

  He glanced at her but didn’t smile. “I hope so. In the best possible way.”

  Silence settled over them again, and they made the rest of the trek like that. What had taken a few minutes to run took about twenty to walk. Dusk fell hard, and within the cathedral of trees, it seemed far darker than it should have been.

  In the distance, the familiar rushing water of the falls thrummed like white noise.

  “We’re here,” Titus said as he came to a stop. “This is where we saw it.”

  Ingvar closed her eyes and stretched out her arms. She stood that way for a few seconds, then opened her eyes and nodded, letting her arms drop. “I can feel he was here. Leave me to work now.”

  Titus glanced at Jenna. “We can walk down to the falls.”

  “Okay.” She waved at Ingvar, who was chanting again. “When should we come back?”

  Ingvar stopped chanting and glanced in Jenna’s direction. Her eyes were completely black. “You will know.”

  Jenna backed up, bumping into Titus. “Let’s go.”

  They started walking, and she shuddered.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She sighed. “Nothing I can put a name to. I’m having some doubts, that’s all. That’s normal, I suppose.”

  “Doubts about what?”

  “Our success rate.”

  “That seems normal.” He took her hand. “How are we going to know when to go back?”

  “Beats me. She said we’d know.” Jenna shrugged. “Whatever that means. In the past I always stayed with the seer, but her skills have probably advanced with all her recent training. This might be a new technique. Hey, I know you have to stay back and all that, but I was thinking, just in case, maybe you should be in wolf form. Not that anything’s going to happen, but…you know.”

  “Yes, I know. I’m faster that way. And the wraith is afraid of the wolf.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Thank you. I figure as long as he can’t see you, it should be okay.”

  They went down a small embankment and came to the water’s edge. The falls were to their right about thirty yards away. The sound was so much louder here.

  Titus picked up a flat stone and skipped it down the river. Then he turned and pointed in the opposite direction. “Let’s go upstream a little. Maybe we can find the right angle to see the moonbow.”

  “All right.” She picked her way up the bank with Titus right behind her. At a small bend, they saw the moonbow appear in the mist. It was beautiful, and Jenna took it as a sign that the night would go well. “That’s really cool. I’ve never seen it before. Heard about it, always wanted to see it. Never had the chance.”

  “I’m glad it was with me.”

  She nodded. “Me too.”

  She looked farther upstream, then behind them. “Do you hear that?”

  He listened, brow furrowed. “It’s just the water. I think.”

  “I don’t know.”

  The low, gravelly rumble grew louder and more distinct.

  He shook his head. “That’s not the water.”

  They turned to look behind them in time to see the wraith emerge from the trees.

  Titus’s first instinct was to snarl back and send the foul creature running, but he had to keep the end game in mind, and for that, they needed the wraith to stick around. He spoke quietly, not sure how much the apparition could understand. “What do you want me to do?”

  She kept her eyes on the creature. “Go down and around, back toward where Ingvar is setting up the circle, then get in your hiding spot. I’ll go back directly. You just keep your distance like Ingvar said.”

  “I will. Be careful, Jenna.”

  “You too.”

  As he backed away, hating that he was leaving her but having no other choice, she spread her arms in a defiant gesture. Titus hung back in the trees, unwilling to get too far away.

  “I see you, wraith. I know what you want. Come and get it.”

  The creature started down the bank toward her, but Jenna was faster. She darted up and around him, plunging into the woods. She stood in the gray space between moonlight and forest depth. “Come on, you dumb, dead thing. You want me? Chase me.”

  The wraith, much more solid and bigger than he had been previously, lumbered to turn and follow her. It was easy to see now what a mountain of a man he’d been as a berserker. His limbs that had once been more fog than flesh were now as thick as some of the tree trunks.

  When he disappeared into the forest as well, Titus shifted into his wolf form. Thought after thought went through his head. The preparation he’d done hadn’t been enough. He should have done more. Should have called upon his entire pack. Should have filled the woods with wolves, ready to go to battle.

  But Jenna wouldn’t have liked that. Nor would Ingvar. Already, his presence bothered her. And if something he did caused tonight’s effort to fail, he’d never forgive himself.

  He worried Jenna might not either.

  But he’d also never forgive himself if tonight left Jenna injured. Or worse. Because no matter how she tried to play it off, he sincerely believed the wraith was a real threat. It wanted her dead, after all.

  Whatever happened, Titus was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe. And if Ingvar didn’t like that, he’d deal with that later.

  Titus jogged through the underbrush, his ears twitching and turning to capture every sound. The site was just up ahead. He edged farther out until his stomach started to ache. Too far. He came closer, inch by inch, until the ache disappeared.

  Finally, he went past the trap Ingvar had set up. He looped around and went higher to where the elevation allowed him a better view.

  He’d chosen a spot on an outcropping of rock. He was hidden by the trees, but he could see perfectly.

>   Ingvar had scratched out a rough circle in the dirt and leaves, cutting through a few mossy patches and around trees. Something filled the circle. Salt? Silver? It reminded him of the things Alice had pulled from her shelves when she’d tested their blood.

  Five of the trees within the circle had runes etched on them in red paint. At least he hoped it was paint.

  Ingvar stood at the very back of the circle behind one of the largest oaks, probably where she’d be hidden from the wraith.

  Jenna wasn’t quite at the circle yet. She was backing toward it, the wraith crunching through the underbrush as he followed her.

  The breeze shifted, and a gust came up the face of the rock. For the half second it lasted, Titus got the scent of something bitter. Then it was gone. He chalked it up to whatever Ingvar had used on the circle.

  His ears pricked up at the faint footfalls behind him. He lifted his nose into the air and inhaled, picking up familiar scents. He woofed softly in greeting.

  Woofs answered him back.

  Then three wolves joined him on the rock.

  Birdie, Hank, and Bridget.

  Maybe this kind of backup wasn’t what Ingvar wanted, but Titus didn’t care. All that mattered was Jenna.

  He had to keep the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with safe.

  Jenna’s pulse raced with the thrill of the moment. Battle was battle, no matter if her opponent was flesh and blood or air and spirit. This was her calling, her life’s purpose. To defeat evil and rescue the worthy and in need. To help those incapable of helping themselves.

  It was why she’d become a sheriff’s deputy.

  But it was also the first time she was the one in need of rescuing. Leif wanted to kill her. She knew that.

  Helgrind knew that. The weapon thrummed and whined for release, sending ripples of bladesong through her. But it wasn’t time yet. Not until she and the wraith were contained within the circle.

  She’d done this a handful of times before with three different seers. Most often Ingvar, but after she’d left for seer school, Jenna had been paired with a fledgling seer named Gren, then lastly with another, more practiced seer, Sola. Jenna had thought they’d end up as a team, but Sola had had a penchant for the darker things and had lost her way. She’d been dismissed from service. That was the last Jenna had heard of her. The last Jenna had thought of her, too, because she’d left the service not long after that herself.