“I was afraid you'd say that,” Emily muttered, and he shared her dismay.
Regardless of identity, the witch responsible for these abductions had opened a can of worms that could have some devastating repercussions. According to Travis, now that they knew uninformed humans were being used to satisfy a vendetta, if Hunter's Moon didn't resolve this case soon, the chances were extremely good that The Crucible itself would get involved.
Mortals had been put at risk, and Caleb had no idea what the Order would do to rectify it, but the situation was too complicated and dangerous for anyone's comfort. So the sooner these matters could be resolved, the better, even if The Crucible's methods turned out to be unforgiving.
He also wasn't surprised when Emily stated, “I guess this means the carnival is off since things are more dangerous than we'd thought.”
Finally, he smiled, confirming, “Nah, it'll be fine. I got you something for magic protection.”
At that, Caleb rummaged through his jeans' pocket, having taken his uncle's suggestion to heart. On the way home, he'd stopped by Aislinn's shop for something to keep them safe, producing a ring with a simple band possessing several pentacles etched into the surface.
Handing it over, he explained, “I was lucky enough to find Aislinn at Strange Brew before she left for the carnival, and asked about magic protection for you. She said there's no foolproof method because we don't know if the witch is human or not, but she gave me this ring and said your new knowledge of the supernatural will make it potent enough to thwart spells.”
Emily examined the ring, asking disbelievingly, “Really? All it takes is my knowledge?”
“That's what I said, and she told me I'd be surprised how far simple knowledge could go to power magic. Oh, and before you ask, I got one, too,” he stated, pulling a cord from beneath his collar with the same type of ring attached.
Smiling, Emily slipped the accessory onto her thumb. “I feel safer already. But did Aislinn say anything about this memory magic?”
“Yeah, she said we're fortunate it requires a physical presence to cast, like hypnotizing. So whoever's doing this can't just make us forget things at random.”
Emily let a loud, relieved sigh. “Good, and thank you, Caleb.”
With that said, she leaned up to kiss him in gratitude. It was a simple display of affection, but he pulled her in for something deeper the moment she tried to sit back.
Slanting his mouth over hers until he heard a soft whimper, he broke the contact to whisper, “You don't have to thank me, Emi.”
Her gaze met his with a smile, and he forgot all about their concerns with the case being investigated. There was so much warmth in her eyes, reminding him of both his growing love for her, and his worries for their relationship, yearning to get everything out on the table and learn why she'd been so distant.
But Emily surprised him by asking, “Will you stay with me tonight?”
He tensed in desire, wanting nothing more—and for a lot longer than one night. But after they'd argued about this very thing just yesterday, he had to remind her, “I thought you didn't want that.”
She pursed her lips. “I know I got upset yesterday, and I'm sorry. But the truth is I wanted you to stay.”
“Then why did you ask me to leave?” Hesitantly, he decided to admit his knowledge of her need for independence, hoping she wouldn't get angry in the process. “Is it because you feel like a burden?”
“What?”
At her confused question, Caleb quickly added, “Joslyn told me you've always felt like you rely on others too much.”
Emily blinked. “Well, yeah, sometimes I do, but that's not why I asked you to stay home.”
Now it was Caleb's turn to be confused. “Then what's wrong? Because you've been distant this past week, and I'm worried.” Pausing, he added reluctantly, “Are you rethinking things between us?”
“What? No, not at all,” she rushed out, relieving some of his worry, though the way she groaned and gazed down at her lap didn't inspire confidence.
“Emi?”
Frowning, she finally stated, “I don't want to argue before going to the carnival, but I've been distant because I wanted to pace myself.”
“Pace yourself with what?”
“With us,” she returned pointedly. “I enjoy your company, Caleb, I'm just afraid we'll move too quickly and make a mistake.”
Move too quickly? Caleb wasn't sure he followed, at least, not as far as arguing over her reason was concerned. If what Emily truly desired was to move more slowly instead of pushing him away for independence, he'd be relieved, not upset.
Lupines complained about human companions wanting to slow down their relationships all the time. When one partner had strong instincts to guide them that the other lacked, such problems became commonplace, and weren't always difficult to deal with.
On the other hand, Caleb needed to protect Emily, not because she was incapable, but because he cared far too much not to.
So he replied easily, “I'm not gonna argue with you about that, and if you feel like we're moving too fast, I need to know so I don't make you uncomfortable.”
A marginal amount of relief showed on her face in response, as if needing to hear him say so. “Really? Because that's something else I've had a problem with.”
“What?”
“Wondering if we're on the same page, and worrying something I say might upset you. So no, I'm not rethinking anything. I'm with you now, Caleb, and this past week has been … well, one of the best I've ever had. But I wanted to make sure we know each other well enough to move forward. Does that make sense?”
“Plenty, and I don't want you feeling like we're rushing,” he confirmed, pulling her into his lap with little effort before adding, “but we're never gonna know each other better if we push each other away, either.”
Finally, Emily smiled in amusement. “Yeah, that's true, and I'm sorry I made you think I was backing out, because I feel really damned good about what we have. I just care about you way too much to ruin it by jumping in so fast.”
Caleb didn't bother stopping the wide grin that split his lips in response, nor did he bother restraining himself from grabbing her in a tight hug.
The quick movement must've startled her because she gasped, “Oh! Caleb?”
Kissing her neck, he lifted his mouth to her ear and stated, “You have no idea how stupidly happy that makes me.”
“It does?”
Lifting his head to see her smiling, he nodded. “I just wanna be with you, Emi, and okay, maybe I'd get annoyed by taking things slow when my instincts tell me our relationship is good, but that's always been a problem between lupines and humans. So I'd do my damnedest to remember that you don't have those same instincts to guide you.”
As if he'd said precisely what she needed to hear, Emily grinned. “That makes me feel a lot better, and you don't need to worry.”
Hopefully, he asked, “I haven't been too pushy? Or possessive?”
She shook her head, stating sincerely, “You are possessive, but … I like it.”
The way she spoke the last heated Caleb's blood, a suggestive smirk raising the corners of his mouth when he replied, “Good, because spending so much time apart has starved me for your attention.”
She bit her lip. “What kind of attention?”
“All kinds,” he answered pointedly. “So unless you wanna skip the carnival and go to your room, we'd better get a move on.”
For a brief moment, the look in Emily's eyes made him think she was actually considering postponing their outing so they could spend some time together alone. Thanks to mother nature, it'd been a week since their first sexual encounter, and he knew they were both feeling it.
Yet she shook her head. “We've got all night, and besides, I have something serious I want to talk to you about later. So let's go out and clear our heads with a little fun first, okay?”
Her description pricked Caleb's curiosity, and he nearly asked what the t
opic was about. But they'd just had a serious discussion, and Emily was right—a little fun was in order after everything they'd learned that day alone.
Besides, she may have wanted the time to consider what she needed to say. So he didn't push, allowing her to stand from his lap and tug him to the door, somehow knowing the entire way that this carnival wouldn't be one he'd soon forget.
Chapter 32
The carnival taught Emily an important lesson about lupines; they were suckers for cotton candy.
As she and Caleb gratefully forgot the troubles going on by visiting booths and rides that evening, they encountered a number of the Arkin City wolves enjoying the amusement for themselves—and almost every single one had a bag of the fluffy confection in hand.
Not that Emily could blame them. She'd always had a soft spot for it, and discovered it was even more enjoyable when fed to her by a handsome wolf of her own.
But as it turned out, lupines weren't the only supernatural beings enjoying the carnival. Some of the local werewolves had also made an appearance, specifically Aislinn and her mate, Troy. The couple was standing near the carousel with a group of several beautiful women in their company, all possessing pointed ears, vivid eyes—and one had glowing skin.
Emily couldn't help but stare at the radiant females, asking Caleb, “Who are they?”
Tossing their now empty bag of cotton candy into a nearby waste bin, he replied, “They're fae.”
“Fae? Is that like a fairy?”
“I think they're related, but I do know fae are basically nature personified, and the one that glows is Adriana. She's mated to a werewolf in Troy's pack.”
Looking their group over, he added, “I guess she brought some friends out to have fun.”
As if to prove his point, Adriana took ice from her cup to sneak into the back of another fae's shirt. It took a moment, but the brunette soon squealed in surprise, and the rest laughed as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever witnessed.
Snickering, Emily asked, “What can they do?”
“A lot,” Caleb returned. “Healing, talking to animals, that kind of stuff. Actually, I should probably get you away from them. They've been known to accidentally charm people, especially humans.”
Already, he was urging her away, but Emily barely took notice, even while asking, “Really?” Instead, she was too busy watching the fae eagerly awaiting their turn on the carousel.
It wasn't until she rounded the corner with Caleb, and the women were no longer in view, that she realized she'd been staring with no idea why. Charm? Seems more like entrancement.
Shaking her head, she finally turned her gaze up at the elegantly designed carousel with twisted, golden poles dotted by tiny white lights. It looked antique, and Emily grabbed the camera hanging around her neck to get some shots.
While adjusting the settings, she heard Caleb muttering dejectedly, “Well shit.”
“What's wrong?”
Looking back, she saw him staring off in the opposite direction of the carousel where the funhouse was located, its walls decorated with ghosts, clowns, and depictions of the old west.
Yet none of the lights were on, and she read a sign at the door mentioning why just as Caleb muttered, “The funhouse is closed for maintenance.”
“That sucks. But it gives us a reason to come back again. What's in there, anyway?”
“They switch stuff up every year with different themes. Like last year they had this lame enchanted forest. But one thing they always have is laser tag.”
Snapping a shot of the carousel, Emily's head jerked in his direction as she exclaimed, “Oh my god! I haven't played laser tag in years! We're definitely coming back when they reopen.”
Caleb grinned as if her interest in the game couldn't have been more pleasing. Yet his expression soon turned curious when the front door of the funhouse opened and one of the carnival employees stepped out.
Wearing the gray jumpsuit of a repairman, he turned around to lock the door while talking to someone on a headset. Emily couldn't hear what he was saying, even when the music of the carousel died to let the current passengers off.
Yet Caleb suddenly grinned—deviously.
“What? Can you hear him?”
“Yep.”
“And?” she urged.
With a sexy, mischievous smile, he answered, “He's a repairman, and just told some guy named Ernie that he's not done working on the damned thing yet, but someone needs the keys. So he's gonna leave the backdoor unlocked and come back to work some more in a bit.”
Hearing this, a slow grin lifted the corners of Emily's mouth. “Oh really? I wonder how long in a bit is?”
Motioning toward the side of the building, Caleb asked, “Wanna find out?”
Snickering, Emily nodded, and they waited until the repairman had vacated the area, then casually moved around the side of the structure to keep from being detected.
Arriving at the back only moments later, they found more than one door leading inside, and the first Caleb tried was locked. But Emily was more successful, turning the knob on the second with ease, and when it opened, she quietly waved him over with a huge grin.
Inside was a storage room too dark to allow her to see well, but Caleb led her through it without incident, eventually coming to a hall that was illuminated by lights the repairman was probably using to work.
And the couple took full advantage.
Maybe it was the thrill of sneaking, but checking out portions of the closed attraction was more fun than any other part of the carnival they'd visited that day. Just as Caleb mentioned outside, there was a laser tag arena with neon paint covering the walls in various colors, and the couple scoped it out to gain a tactical advantage against their friends during future visits.
The theme this year was also better than the previous, being a haunted house sporting various attractions set up to mimic horror movies and scare visitors. But of all the points of interest available, Emily was drawn to a large photo booth set up as an old west saloon in a ghost town.
A few tables stood around a wide bar counter with bull horns tacked to the overhang, nice enough to look like the real deal. Additionally, the dressing room possessed various props that were a blast to play around with. The couple took turns getting pictures of each other at the bar in various outfits, and when Caleb came out dressed as a sheriff, Emily nearly fanned herself. He can arrest me for trespassing any time.
But sadly, knowing the repairman could return at any moment had them putting the props away after only ten minutes. Emily found herself waiting near one of the tables for Caleb to finish while she flipped through their shots.
“This was so stupid!” she exclaimed once he returned to the set. “We just incriminated ourselves.”
Grinning, he moved in behind her to look at the images, pointing out, “I just wish we could take one together.”
“We will when we come back, though I'm sure the photographer won't be as good as me.”
Though she was joking, Caleb agreed wholeheartedly. “True, but they'd still be better than the ones I just took of you.”
“Are you kidding? The one's you took are great, Caleb. Only a few are blurry.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her ear. “Maybe, but just like your bikini shot, they'll never be as good as the real thing.”
Grinning, Emily shut the camera off, then turned in his embrace and slipped her arms around his back. “So now that we've seen the place, and we've got the bar all to ourselves, what should we do?”
There was a devious glint in his eyes when he looked around and pointed out, “The bar looks sturdy.”
Emily's smile grew scandalous. “Oh my, you're not suggesting we do something naughty here are you?”
“Like you said, the bar's all ours.”
Her heart fluttered at his suggestive tone, not that it would've taken much to tempt her to engage in more risque activities. After all, thanks to her ill timed curse of the month, a week
had passed since their last—and first—intimate encounter.
But that was all over with now, and she playfully suggested, “Does that mean my wolf's still hungry?”
“Not sure hungry is strong enough for it,” he admitted, stroking his hands up and down her back. “And just so you know, it drives me crazy when you call me your wolf.”
“Why do you think I do it?”
Hearing this, Caleb growled as if he wasn't certain whether to thank her, or bend her over the table, and a rush of excitement ran through her. The thought of doing something naughty when there was a chance they could get caught was arousing—and surprising. She'd never fantasized about anything remotely like this, wondering if her former sex life just hadn't been good enough to make her imagination run wild, or if it was just because she trusted Caleb. Maybe a little of both.
In fact, the thought gave her an idea, and she suddenly snapped her fingers. “Wait, I know what we should do.”
With a look of extreme interest, he asked, “What's that?”
Emily smirked deviously, preparing to give him a ride the carnival couldn't offer.
Caleb had no idea what Emily was about to suggest, but the look on her face said he was in for the ride of his life.
Parting from his embrace, she asked, “You know how I said I was worried we're not taking enough time to get to know each other?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, she took a few steps away and mentioned, “I've got an idea for a game to play that'll prove how well you know me.”
“A game, huh?” Smirking, Caleb asked, “What kind?”
There was an excited glint in her eyes when she directed, “Okay, just stand right here.”
Though he was uncertain why she'd asked, he complied, staying at the table as she crossed the room to the bar about eight feet from where he stood.
There, she turned to face him and hoisted herself up onto the counter, offering the rules. “I'll sit here and ask questions to see how well you know me. If you get the answers right, you can take a step forward, and if they're wrong, you have to do what I say.”
Hunter's Moon Page 27