“I still can't believe Evan was helping them,” Joslyn groused. “And Fiona's cousin. Oh, I never got a chance to ask, but how are you doing after finding out she was … you know.”
“I'm okay, just … confused,” Caleb admitted. “I blamed myself for so damned long it seems wrong not to. But Emily keeps insisting it's not my fault, and I honestly don't think I'd be dealing with this so well if not for her.”
Joslyn smiled, moving ahead with the checkout line. “She's right, and whatever happens next, I hope they find out who did it and how so Fiona's family can be told the truth.”
“They deserve that much,” he agreed, silently adding that he'd drive to Atlanta to tell them himself if it was possible.
Sadly, the Elliot's wouldn't be able to hear everything, but letting them know their daughter was actually murdered and the killer had been apprehended was all that mattered. Certainly, they'd ask for details, but just as Hunter's Moon had reported John Cooper's death as a hunting accident, the Order would find a way to fill in the blanks without raising suspicion.
Just as he had the thought, his phone rang, and Caleb tugged the device from his pocket, fully expecting to see that Emily was calling to make sure he was on his way.
Instead, Travis' name showed up on the ID.
“Speak of the devil,” he remarked, informing Joslyn of who it was before answering with a simple, “Yeah?”
“Hey Caleb, is Emily around?”
“No, I'm at the store with Joslyn. Why? Do you have news?”
“Yeah, and I was hoping she'd be there to hear it, but I'll just let you relay everything.”
Caleb groaned at his tone of voice. “Shit, that doesn't mean it's bad, does it?”
“Some is, but most is just stupidly complicated. So brace yourself for bullshit.”
When Travis paused, Caleb did just that, waiting until his uncle announced, “You might wanna go to Aislinn for something to protect against magic, because we've got a goddamned witch involved.”
• • •
“Emily, I want that sundress.”
Sara's comment came when Emily entered the living room of her apartment after preparing for an afternoon at the carnival with Caleb, and the decision on what to wear hadn't been difficult. In the end, she wanted two things; something cool for the summer heat, and an outfit that would grab Caleb's attention.
So she settled on a light blue sundress cropped midway around her thighs with a halterneck that offered a modest amount of cleavage.
The outfit seemed to have done the trick as well because Ashley grinned from her place on the couch, pointing out, “It looks like you wanna be the main attraction at the carnival.”
Emily snickered, taking a seat next to her. “You guys don't think it's too much?”
“Oh, I think it's just right,” Sara returned.
“Definitely. You're gonna drive Caleb crazy.” Looking down at Scarlet settled in her lap, Ashley asked, “Isn't that right, pup?”
The baby shoved her fingers into her mouth and drooled.
“Oh look,” Sara started, “Scarlet thinks it's lunchtime.”
“Sorry kid, but these don't work yet.” Emily grinned, then focused on Ashley. “So, are you and Cade going to the carnival? Or did you have other plans in mind?”
“Other plans,” she responded. “I'd only go to the carnival if I could take Scarlet, which is obviously out of the question until she's older. So we're just gonna catch a movie and then grab something to eat.”
“Sounds like a fun first time out, but I bet you're both a mess about leaving her with anyone.”
Ashley gave her a look that said you have no idea. “Mama Hodgins had to talk us into it, and then we had about five people fighting for babysitting rights.”
Sara raised her hand. “That's why I'm here!”
Emily grinned, finding the way Scarlet's aunts and uncles fought to keep her for an evening amusing—and they'd had to compromise. Joslyn and Conner were keeping her until they were ready to go to the carnival, and then Sara would take her home to grandma before her shift at Blue Moon started.
But the arrangement brought up a curious question. “Sara, are you going to the carnival at all?”
“I don't know. I had arrangements for a date tomorrow night, but it fell through. Like always,” she added as an irritated afterthought.
Hearing this, Ashley pointed out, “I didn't wanna say so before, but you have the worst luck with men, Sara.”
“Tell me about it,” she muttered. “Ever since high school, it's just been one bad date after another.”
Emily shook her head, somehow finding it hard to believe the raven haired beauty across from her had any trouble whatsoever. Then again, maybe it was her lupine instincts being picky.
The thought prompted her to ask, “Why high school? Have a lot of boyfriends?”
“Nope, just one, Eric Sullivan. He was really nice, a born warlock actually. Caleb used to call him string bean because he was so tall and skinny.”
She snickered at the memory, yet her expression turned solemn when she related, “But he moved away, so … ”
As she trailed, Sara almost looked as if she'd forgotten something important, gazing to the side in thought. The movement prompted Emily and Ashley to exchange a questioning look, the latter asking, “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just thought I remembered something about him, but it's gone now.” She shrugged, then changed the subject. “So how are things with Caleb?”
Emily smiled, answering honestly, “Oh, I'm still in that stupidly infatuated stage where every time you hear his name, or catch his cologne on your clothes, you get heart palpitations.”
Both ladies chuckled over her description, and Sara returned, “Yeah, but you've put a smile on his face, too.”
Emily grinned, genuinely glad to hear it. The past week had given them some downs to deal with, but the ups surpassed expectation, and she secretly thrilled whenever he came to visit, or just called to talk.
It made her endeavor to take things slow extremely difficult, to the point that she'd argued with Caleb about spending the night. She knew he wanted to protect her from danger in addition to being close, but deep down she was so frustrated by her desire to let him warring with her need for time to assess her feelings that she'd lost her temper—and it wasn't making things any easier to figure out.
Pacing herself had seemed like a good thing at first. But time to think also meant time to doubt, and some nights, all Emily wanted to do was sneak over to Caleb's and curl up next to him in bed just to be closer.
Was that an indication of love? Did she even know him well enough to love him? Or ask him to be turned?
Did he love her?
Emily was so baffled by the numerous questions that she was all too glad to forget them the moment Conner and Cade walked through the front door, the latter heading directly to his wife and child.
“You ready to go, Ash?”
Wiping some drool from Scarlet's chin, Ashley sighed. “No.”
They all snickered, and Emily couldn't blame her. Scarlet was nothing short of adorable in her floral onesie with a pink bow at the collar, especially when she smiled at the sight of her daddy kneeling in front of her. It was enough to make Emily think her parents would change their minds about leaving altogether.
But Cade lifted Scarlet so Ashley could grab her baby bag and make certain their supplies were all packed, and the sight of the big alpha wolf holding his tiny daughter was too damned cute for words.
It also brought to mind a question that Emily didn't hesitate to ask.
“Hey, just out of curiosity, when will Scarlet be able to turn into a wolf?”
Cradling her against his chest, Cade answered, “Kids don't start to turn until they're fifteen, and I'm in no hurry.”
Emily grinned, knowing why—parents never wanted to rush their kid's childhood. Yet her curiosities didn't end there. “Will she have trouble adjusting to it?”
“No
t really. It takes time to control the change under the full moon, but aside from learning how to hunt and work as a wolf, we all catch on pretty quick.”
Emily pursed her lips. “What about for turned humans?”
“It's the same, as long as they have the right guidance. Why, are you considering being turned?”
“The thought had occurred to me,” she answered plainly—but that was a partial lie. Emily hadn't simply thought about it, she'd found several reasons why having a serious discussion with Caleb over the possibility would be in their best interests.
She simply hadn't found the right time to bring it up yet.
But she didn't admit anything more to Cade than, “I just wanted to know how hard the change might be to deal with.”
Smiling, he related confidently, “You'd do fine. But uh, Ashley would have better insight.”
Handing her baby bag over to Conner, she qualified, “I can say one thing for sure; whatever you do, devise a strike system. Sometimes my temper got the better of me, so I gave people mental strikes for getting on my nerves. Then again … ,” she thoughtfully amended, “that might not apply to you because I had trouble adjusting after the uh … fights, you know.”
Emily nodded, knowing precisely what Ashley had gone through after her involuntary turning now. Over the past week, Caleb explained what happened to her, and Emily was sickened by the thought of it.
Yet she was also amazed to hear Ashley say she'd go through it all over again if it meant being with Cade.
The sentiment proved their bond as mates was significant, reminding her of the connection she'd felt with Caleb—a sensation that had only grown stronger over the past week. He was fun loving, attentive, genuinely kind, and their strengthening ties had Emily wondering more and more.
If she was turned, would their bond be like Cade and Ashley's? Or Conner and Joslyn's?
It certainly made the prospect of becoming a lupine much more appealing, as did the way Caleb's family interacted. Emily grabbed her camera from the coffee table to take shots of Cade and Ashley kissing their daughter goodbye, then more of Conner holding Scarlet with Sara making baby faces over his shoulder.
And they definitely made it easy to want to join the family someday.
Finally, Conner managed to get Scarlet's parents on their way, and as they exited Emily's apartment one by one, Caleb's truck pulled up to the curb outside. Emily stepped onto the porch as he and Joslyn exited the vehicle, and she quickly noticed that neither of them looked particularly happy.
But their dour expressions changed the moment they saw Scarlet. Joslyn started cooing while Caleb greeted her with a kiss and the promise that she'd see him again soon.
Then, on his way into her apartment, he gave Emily a look of longing that confirmed her outfit was definitely working.
Yet his grim expression returned once they were inside alone.
Shutting the door, Emily almost asked if he was okay, concerned she might have something to do with whatever was troubling him. But he quickly erased that worry by pulling her into a sweet kiss before a single word could be said.
After their lips broke, she sighed dreamily. “Hello to you, too.”
“Hey,” he returned with a grin, kissing her again as if for good measure. “Looks like you're ready to go out.”
She nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, but what about you? You didn't look too happy when you came inside.”
“I know,” he muttered. “It's because Travis finally called with news, and not all of it was good.”
Emily grumbled—they'd both been waiting and hoping all his uncle would have to say upon calling was we found them all, case closed! But naturally, nothing was ever so simple.
So she braced herself, asking, “Okay, what's going on?”
“It's actually kind of complicated,” he started, urging her to have a seat on the couch.
Emily took one without hesitation, waiting as he sat next to her and added, “So you know they got a human witch to hypnotize everyone, right?”
“Yeah. Did they find out where Charles is?”
“Not exactly, but they do know who broke into this duplex now.”
“Who?”
“Carson Elliot.”
Emily stared at Caleb in surprised disgust. Carson, a man who'd harassed her about stripping, had broken into her place and chased her out. The thought made her even happier she'd managed to escape now than before, and Caleb explained Carson's reasons during her thoughts.
“Turns out, he was trying to verify information on me, but got me switched up with Conner. See, when Fiona left for Atlanta, she refused to talk to anyone about me, so they weren't sure who was who.”
Emily canted her head in curiosity. “Wait, didn't you say Fiona died three years ago? Why would they wait so long to send someone to verify that? And what do they want with you?”
“According to Carson, they were laying low, and as for me, I wasn't mated, which made me an easier target. But before I explain more, Emily, this is where shit gets really weird.”
“Okay,” she returned, preparing for possible confusion.
“Do you remember how Evan wouldn't give you a straight answer about his father's death, or how he knew about lupines?” At her nod, he continued, “That's because there are gaps in everyone's memory. Your brother didn't actually witness his father's death, he just knew lupines killed him, and can't remember how.”
It took a moment for the strange information to sink in, and once it did, Emily exclaimed, “What?”
He nodded. “Travis said that when he came out of his stupor, he was extremely unnerved because, up until that moment, he hadn't even realized he couldn't remember his source of information clearly.”
Emily wasn't sure she followed, shaking her head. “Does he have some kind of amnesia?”
“That's one way of putting it. The witch who hypnotized these humans said the information they couldn't recall was so specific it could only mean their memories were magically wiped.”
Emily stared blankly, having no idea what to say until Caleb qualified, “This means we have a witch involved.”
“Oh my god,” she whispered, stunned by this new development. A witch who was wiping people's memories? How the hell were they supposed to deal with that?
Caleb must've had a vague idea because he added, “Hunter's Moon has already contacted the Order of witches with a head's up. But there's no way to restore their memories without taking Evan and the others to the person who erased them so their familiarity might trigger a recall.”
“But … they don't remember who did it, so we're still at square one,” Emily concluded.
“Exactly.”
Despite his explanation, she felt lost, having no experience with magic, or anyone who knew how to use it. That lack of insight left her unable to find one inkling of optimism over locating such a suspect any time soon.
In fact, it seemed downright hopeless.
“Okay, this is really fucked up, Caleb.”
“Yeah, no kiddin',” he muttered. “Still, I'm not surprised someone with full knowledge of the supernatural is involved. I mean if they can erase memories, it wouldn't be hard to get a group of uninformed humans to do their bidding, and not have to worry about facing the penalty because their cronies can't remember who they are.”
With a dejected sigh, he swiped a hand over his face and added, “Travis thinks the anonymous tip that got your brother arrested might've actually come from someone hoping to cut ties, maybe because they didn't have a use for him anymore. So then, Evan's investigated, and they locate anyone associated with him, but no one can point to the ringleader.”
Emily gave a vague nod, thinking that sounded extremely feasible, though the whole situation was so surreal she could barely wrap her head around it—particularly not in the space of a few moments.
Still, one concern stood out among all the rest.
“But why were they after you to begin with?” Hopefully, she added, “Is it just becaus
e Fiona spied on you?”
Emily prayed that was the case, but the groan Caleb let didn't allow for much optimism.
So she prepared for the worst.
Chapter 31
“They were looking into my family because our last name is Hodgins.”
Caleb's anger redoubled when he thought about Carson's motives for breaking into Conner's apartment. Not only did it reveal the reason so many lupines had been abducted and killed from the start, it also revealed what they wanted to do.
So when Emily asked why his name mattered, he answered, “Because it's my uncle's last name. See, the reason they started abducting lupines was to learn our strengths and weaknesses, but also to find the elders of Hunter's Moon connected to Cooper's death.”
Sighing, Caleb added, “But they weren't planning to kill the elders. Instead, they were looking for family and friends with the intention of killing someone they loved to hurt them the same way they'd been hurt by Cooper's death, or at least, that's the reason Evan and Carson gave under hypnosis.”
Emily was now wide eyed, taking his hand in a tight grip, and Caleb thread his fingers through hers to offer comfort. The idea that her brother was willing to kill someone for revenge had to weigh heavily on her, and it took her several moments to ask another question.
Yet she didn't inquire about Evan, or if he'd actually killed anyone himself. Maybe she thought ignorance was bliss, or just didn't feel capable of knowing at the moment, but she only asked, “Did the other humans have a different motive?”
Caleb scoffed. “Yeah. They were just scared of what Evan and Carson told them about lupines and the supernatural, and what it meant for mankind.”
The implication of the statement had Emily groaning. “I guess that's a good example of fear and ignorance leading to violence. But now I'm worried about you. Are they still trying to hurt your uncle?”
“It's hard to say. Charles Roberts is a close friend of Travis', but even if that's their method of revenge, with what those humans said about fearing the supernatural, anyone still on the loose might try pulling another stunt just to kill lupines because they think we're a threat.”
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