by S. A. Ravel
Lia spoke before Parker had the chance. "Nora, Parker isn't investigating the town. He and Sheriff Ward are investigating Mel's death."
The witch's eyes widened in horror and her eyes darted to Parker for confirmation. "Was she..."
"We're still looking into it, Mrs. Davis. Any information you can give me will help us find out what happened."
Nora hesitated. She looked at Lia, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Hon, I'm sorry. She made me promise not to tell anyone. Not even you."
"Tell me what, Nora?" Lia asked gently. Parker couldn't help but admire how well she was keeping control of herself. The first time he'd questioned someone it was all he could do not to scream at them for being cagey.
"A couple of months ago Mel thought she was pregnant. She wasn't," she said off of Lia's wide eyes. "But once she thought she had been...Lia she was so happy it was all she talked about. She asked me to help her."
Parker glanced at Lia, hoping she would take the hint and keep Nora talking.
"How did you help her?" Lia asked.
Nora's eyes filled with water. "Um, pot marigold and cinnamon at first, fennel and ginger after that."
Parker pulled out his cell phone and jotted down the ingredients. "Anything else?"
Nora nodded. "Meadowsweet, bergamot, acorn and clover."
Parker saw the change in Lia immediately. An aura of tense sadness surrounded her. It was so potent that he could feel it, he could almost touch it. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to go to her and hold her.
"That's a lot for a bout of upset stomach," he said.
Lia shook her head. When she turned around, Parker saw that there were tears in her eyes. "The last four aren't for nausea. They're for a fertility spell."
He looked between the two women, waiting for Nora to correct Lia. She didn't.
Lia stayed quiet on the walk back to her house. Parker half expected her to burst into tears, but no, not his Lia. She curled up on the couch and breathed deeply until the tears were fully at bay.
He knelt beside her and caressed her cheek. "I should check in with the Sheriff. Are you okay?"
She shook head and reached for his hand. "Probably not, but if you're asking if you need to worry, then no."
Even so, Lia gripped his hand with trembling fingers. "Stay?"
There were half a dozen reasons why it was a bad idea for Parker to spend another night with Lia, but one thing trumped them all. Lia was his mate, and she needed him.
"For as long as I can."
There was always a chance Ward would find something for him or Ethan and Branden would change their minds. But nothing pulled him away from Lia's side that night. It was the next morning when the trouble started.
10
Lia grumbled and rolled onto her stomach. She heard the damn doorbell, but two dings in 15 seconds felt excessive for that hour of the morning, so she had ignored them. Apparently, Parker didn't have her stubbornness or tolerance for annoyance.
The doorbell rang again.
"Lia, he's not going away." Parker whispered.
"So go answer it!"
"As the Arcane Affairs agent or as your bear shifter lover?"
Smart ass.
She rolled onto her back. The best night of sleep she'd had in a week vanished, leaving behind one pissed off witch.
"Maybe they'll go away." She pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes again.
The doorbell rang.
Lia groaned and climbed to her feet, snatching her pajamas from the floor. "Alright, point taken."
She stumbled to the front door and tugged it open to find Preston Malloy on her doorstep. His eyes moved over her bare arms and exposed thighs without even a hint of shame.
Lia cleared her throat to bring his attention back to her eyes. "Can I help you, Preston?"
"I came by to see if you'd considered my offer." He smirked. "Should I take this as a good sign?"
"Only that you just made my shit list for waking me up."
Preston shifted his shoulders and ran a hand over his slicked back hair. Everything about him made Lia's skin crawl.
"Then let me make it up to you." Preston brushed past her into the house.
Lia tried to grab him by the arm as he passed. Preston didn't mean her any harm, he wouldn't have been able to cross her protection wards if he had, but the last thing she needed was Preston finding Parker in her bedroom.
"I can make my own breakfast, Pres, thank you," she snapped.
"I make it better." Preston whirled off his jacket and put it against the coatrack with flourish. "Besides, it gives me a chance to bring you up to speed on some of the projects Mel and I were planning."
As Preston sauntered toward the kitchen at the back of the house, Lia glanced toward her bedroom door. Parker stood in the doorframe, clad only in boxers, one eye brow cocked in question. She waved him off as she followed her unwanted guest.
"Mel didn't have any projects," Lia said. "She was focusing on her wedding."
Preston smirked as he tugged open the refrigerator door. "That's what she wanted everyone to think, but it turns out Mel was a bit more complicated that she let on."
Lia folded her arms across her chest. "And you think you knew my sister better than I did?"
He set a jug of orange juice on the counter. "On this I know I did. Mel and I had a private meeting a while back about the Harvest Festival. I don't think she was as excited about marrying her brute of a fiancé as she wanted everyone to think."
That made twice in as many days someone was telling Lia they knew her sister better than she did. It took everything she had not to grab the glass from Preston's hand and smash it against his head. She settled for putting her hand over the mouth just before he poured juice into it.
"I don't like games, Pres. Speak your mind or get the fuck out of my house."
Preston pressed his lips into a tight smile and set the jug back down. He reached out and ran his finger over her lips. "That's what I like about you, Amelia. You have such a way with language."
A cold shudder ran through Lia, but she wouldn't let herself flinch. "Get your hands off me, Preston."
"The Harvest Moon is tomorrow night. I wish you would consider my offer. We could do amazing things together."
"I think she's heard about all she wants to hear from you."
Lia turned her head and saw Parker dressed and standing in the doorway. Preston looked back and forth between them, confusion wiping the smug smile off his face. She couldn't help but smile.
"I didn't realize you had company, Lia."
"I didn't realize that was any of your business."
Preston slid one hands into the pockets of his suit pants. He held the other out to Parker. "I don't believe we've met. Preston Malloy, and you are?"
Parker glanced at Preston's hand. "A friend."
He tried to keep his face blank, but Lia knew better. She could see the flush of his cheeks, the flash in his eyes. He could have ripped Preston apart if he wanted. It was a side of Parker she'd never seen before...and it was sexy as hell.
Preston dropped his hand and slid it into his pocket. "Hm. Well enjoy your stay in Belmont Cove. I can see myself out."
Lia waited until she heard the door slam to speak again. "Claiming your territory?"
Parker grinned. "You were throwing off all kinds of anxiety, babe. I thought you needed a hand."
"Preston's a self-important asshole, I can handle him." She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"His story was interesting though. Is there any truth to it?"
Lia tugged Parker's shirt out of his waistband and slid her hand beneath the fabric. "There is a Harvest Festival and it sounds like something Mel would organize even if she didn't want to."
Parker grinned, wrapping his hands around the curve of her ass. "What about her fiancé? Was she thinking of leaving him?"
"Not a chance. Mel was head over heels for Branden."
Parker didn't seem at all surprise
d by the information. "That meshes more with what Nora said. But I'll know more when I talk to the people in Blackthorn."
Lia's heart sank a little. "You're heading out already?"
Parker hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. He pressed his lips against hers and pulled away. "I'll be done by nightfall. Well, I'll be back by nightfall."
"You better be," she said after he closed the door.
With Parker gone, the house descended into silence again. She'd have given anything to go up to Blackthorn with Parker. Branden was on Blackthorn, the last living connection to her sister, the closest thing to family she had.
No...not just him...
Lia went to the living room and pulled the sheet from her crystal ball.
11
Parker's bear grew anxious as he pushed his rental car down Blackthorn. After he left Lia's, he spent the whole day on the mountain trying to get someone to talk to him. Most people wouldn't open their doors. The few that would said the same things. Yes, Melora had seemed a bit off, but they took it as nerves. Yes, everyone on the mountain loved her, or at least was neutral on her.
Nobody admitted to knowing that Mel and Branden were already mated. At least, they didn't admit to it out loud. Shifting glances, uncomfortable shoulder shifts, and a few stammers told Parker what he needed to know. Most of them knew, none of them wanted to get Branden or Ethan in trouble.
He had to admit, it made more sense for Melora's killer to be from Belmont than Blackthorn. The loss of a mate was physically and emotionally devastating for a bear, the loss of a claimed fated was disastrous. Not every shifter found their fated, but every shifter understood and respected those ties. No shifter would kill another shifter's claimed fated unless they started a war.
By dusk, he was ready for a hot meal and a warm bed, preferably with Lia. But something nagged at his mind as he drove toward town. Something had his bear on edge and the closer he got to town, the worse he felt.
When he got to the Harper house to find the place dark, his instincts kicked into overdrive. Lia afraid, why would she sit in a dark house? Even with wards and spells in place for protection, she would want to see what was coming.
Parker ducked into a tactical position as he approached the door. There were no cars in the driveway other than his and Lia's, but someone could have gotten to the house on foot.
The ever-present cloud of incense that hung-over Lia's house was so thick Preston could see it. A middle note was missing from the hodge podge or smells coming from the burner. He followed the dim light from the living room where he found Lia stretched out on the rug, a crystal ball on the table beside her.
Agency training told Parker he should check the rest of the house before checking on Lia, but three years of training was shit compared to his bear's need to protect its mate.
Parker ran to Lia's body and knelt beside her, feeling for a pulse. She had one. He checked to see if she was breathing. She was. He checked for any signs of injury. There were none.
His heart rate dropped back toward normal as he sat back on his heels. Every outward sign suggested that Lia was only sleeping. So why hadn't she woken up when his heavy footsteps hit the floor below her head?
Parker shook her shoulder. "Lia?"
Lia's eyes flew open she gasped and shuddered."Hnnn..."
"Ssh, you're okay," he whispered as he pulled her still limp body into a sitting position. "What happened?"
Lia's head lolled back for a moment. "I had her..."
Parker tapped her cheek gently. "Had who? Lia? What do you mean?"
"Mel..." she whispered.
Parker's brow furrowed. His eyes darted around the room, searching for something to give context to Lia's drowsy words.
The crystal ball...
Incense was a powerful conductor of energy and intent. Any burned herb could move through the air, taking its magical properties with it. Sage to purify and soothe. Rosemary to woo a lover. Cedar to call the dead.
"Lia...were you trying to reach Melora?"
She sat up and rubbed her forehead. "I wasn't trying. I'd already done it."
He sniffed the air again. "That's cedar, isn't it? And bay leaf?"
Lia leaned against him. Seeing her in such an exhausted state ignited every instinct he had to care for her, but the nagging sense that something wasn't right held him at bay.
"You know your herbs."
"How long have you been trying?" he asked.
"Since the night she died," she said, trying again to pull herself into a sitting position. "Some nights are better than others. Tomorrow will be even better."
A wave of panic shot through Parker. "Lia, you can't try to contact her again."
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why?"
"It's too soon, you could trap her."
She rolled her eyes. "That's some old wives’ tale."
Parker stared at her in disbelief. Lia had known how dangerous it was to contact a spirit before it had fully accepted death. She knew that she risked dooming Melora to an eternity as a ghost...and she'd done it anyway.
"You were trying to trap her," he said.
Lia looked away, turning her eyes down to the floor. It didn't matter. Parker had already seen the emotion she tried to hide. Guilt.
"I wouldn't--"
"I worked a case a few years ago. Three teenage girls scared the hell out of their friend and outed their coven when a spirit they were talking to lashed out. Turned out they had forgotten to add lavender to their incense mix."
"I'm not a teenager."
Parker's chest heaved. His lips curled up almost of their own accord as white hot anger flowed through his veins. "Woman, you will not contact her again."
Lia looked back at him, her eyes defiant. "Is that the Arcane Affairs agent or my lover talking."
"Both."
She brushed a lock of flaming red hair away from her face and leaned back against the couch. "I'll remind the agent that local law trumps his agency as long as a human isn't involved. I'm not doing anything wrong. To my lover I say why the fuck do you think you have a say in what I do with my birthright?"
"It may be your birthright, but it sure as shit ain't right," he said. "There's other people involved in this, Lia."
"What are you talking about?"
"Brendan had already claimed Melora. They were already mated!"
Her brow furrowed. "What does that have to do with--"
"It's not like saying they were married. I mean they were one. He could feel her and she could feel him. He probably felt it when she died."
Tears filled Lia's eyes as she again turned them to the floor. "She's my sister..."
Parker narrowed his eyes. "If she gets trapped here, he'll never stop feeling her. You would do that to the man she loved?"
"Why do you care so much about him anyway?"
"Because he's my brother!"
Lia stared at him, confusion plain on her face. Then realization settled in her eyes.
"When we were kids our parents split. I went with my mom. He stayed here."
"And you came back because your big brother's wife died." Lia released a ragged sigh. "'Helluva coincidence.'"
"Lia, I wanted to tell you--"
"But you didn't. You didn't tell me about Mel and Branden either."
"It's an open case! You know I can't talk about it."
"I--I know. I just..." Lia shook her head and shrugged. "I need some time to think. Alone."
Parker thought about fighting her. Whoever killed Melora was still out there, and may have had Lia on their mind. He needed to be close by to protect her, but it wouldn't do either of them any good to stay.
"If anything happens--"
Lia cut him off. "I'll call you."
"Lia, please, don't--"
"I won't."
Parker hesitated once he was at the front door, but he crossed the threshold anyway. Sheriff Ward was on the other side of the door, his arm frozen in mid-air in a knocking motion.
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Ward looked him up and down. "Agent Kane."
Busted. Fuck.
Parker closed the door. "Evening, Sheriff."
12
Whenever something bothered Lia, Mel told her to watch the sunrise. She swore there was something about the stillness of dawn that made thinking easier. Lia hadn't gone to sleep yet. She waited for the mystical wave of clarity to wash over her as the sky brightened. Hours after sunrise she was still fighting sleep, waiting.
After Parker left she spent hours on the living room floor staring at her crystal ball. The incense burned out, but she didn't move to re-light it. She went through every step of the communication ritual in her head, just as she'd done twice in the afternoon before she started. Each time she'd forgotten the dried lavender from the incense mixture.
The look in Parker's eyes had been the only thing to make her realize what she'd done. So many lies had invaded her life without her realizing it, but the worst were the ones she had told herself. She needed time alone to process.
Hours later, the only revelation she'd come up with was that she and Parker were over. Maybe there had been a point where their relationship could be salvaged, but it was probably two or three lies ago. Some of the lies were his, some were hers. The details didn't matter anymore. All that was left was to make it official, but she couldn't make herself pick up the phone.
Parker saved her the trouble. The phone rang at exactly eleven o'clock.
"Phoning ahead?" she asked when she answered the phone.
"You could say that. How'd you sleep?" From the undertone of exhaustion in his voice, it didn't sound like Parker had gotten any more sleep than she had.
"Like a baby," she said.
"Doesn't sound like it," he said. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm heading out of Belmont. Just checked out of my hotel."
That was it. The weight of his words settled over her, giving a finality to the conversation. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or devastated that he agreed with her.
"You’re giving up?" she asked.
"Preston Malloy talked to Sheriff Ward. Says I threatened him after he caught me naked at your house."