by Maria Lima
“More how?”
“Those vandals that hit the cemetery?”
“Yeah?”
“I think they’re responsible.”
A million thoughts whirled through my head. “How so?”
“I saw some of the same tagging signs there earlier today,” Carlton said. “Along the back and side walls. Some more down by the deli. I had one of my guys take some pictures, hoping that the more evidence I could get, the easier it will be to nail the bastards when they’re finally caught. Only now…”
“Now what? Did the entire café burn down?” My heart sank as I considered this. Bea’s Place—the café established by her long-dead parents, the place we’d practically grown up in—burned to a crisp? Sure, I could pour money at it, rebuild, but the memories… This couldn’t be happening. But it was, the saner side of my brain insisted. It was and it is and it’s all your damned fault.
“There’s a lot of damage,” Carlton admitted. “More than I would’ve thought for a simple grease fire.”
“Grease? I thought you said vandals were responsible.”
“I did. Some greasy rags were up against the back door, as if someone dropped them there when they dumped the trash.” He paused a moment, then continued. “Keira, the entire strip center is damaged. Smoke and water, some fire. The deli caught some sparks and it went up pretty quickly.”
I sank into a chair and buried my face in my hands as I handed the phone to Adam.
“Larsen, Walker here. Were there any other injuries?”
“What? I mean. No. Just Bea. Her aunt and uncle weren’t there. Noe was, but he’s okay. Is Keira okay?” Carlton’s voice softened a little.
“Not particularly,” Adam responded. “We’ll go pick Bea up at the clinic.”
“They’re keeping her overnight for observation,” Carlton said. “Just in case.”
I grabbed Adam’s arm. “No,” I whispered. “No blood tests.”
“Thank you, we’ll be in touch.” Adam ended the call and whirled. “Niko. Get out there now. Pick her up. Do whatever you need to.”
Niko flew out the front door, keys already in hand.
“Do whatever he needs to?” I gave Adam a quizzical look.
Adam put the phone on the counter and came to sit with me in the armchair. I scooted over to give him room. “He will glamour whomever needs it to get Bea home. You can check her out when she gets here.”
“In the meantime, I’m going to check out Tucker. He’s still shaking. I don’t like that.”
“Nor do I.” Adam rose and walked over to the couch where Tucker, swaddled in blankets as if it were winter at the South Pole instead of high summer in Central Texas, looked at him with a baleful glare.
“I hate this.” My brother’s voice came from below the blanket, muffled. The only part of him exposed was from his eyes to the top of his fiery red head.
“As you should.” Adam reached down and placed his hand on Tucker’s forehead. “His fever is rising, Keira.”
“Damn it.” I joined him, my own hand sliding below Adam’s. Tucker’s skin burned with heat. His eyes glazed over as he watched me. “I’m going to have to try something else,” I said. “Adam, can you get Isabel on the phone, please? Tell her what happened and what I’ve done. See if she’s got any suggestions.”
“Will do.”
I pushed Tucker over as much as I could so I could perch on the edge of the couch next to him. “Close your eyes,” I said in a gentle voice. “Relax as much as you can.”
He nodded and complied.
Taking deep breaths, I focused inward, calling to my energy, the part that lived deep inside, at my core. Normal healing spells never touched this, but I didn’t have a choice. I’d done everything I could under usual circumstances, used every trick I’d been taught, but still, Tucker’s fever raged. The ant bites had all but disappeared, healed and gone in mere minutes. I had no idea why he was still burning up. With an effort, I pulled energy out my arms, to my hands, let it swirl around me as I once again passed my palms over Tucker’s body. For a brief heart-stopping moment, I couldn’t feel him. My eyes flew open, only to see him still shivering in his blanket cocoon.
“Sorry, hon,” I said. “I need to do this.” I began unwrapping the covers, exposing as much skin as I could. He was nude underneath, having stripped down in the car, afraid of lurking ants. I couldn’t help but admire his strong, tough body, defined muscles deceptively smooth underneath tanned skin. No bodybuilder physique, only that of someone born to fight, born to run wild. Run wild. An idea occurred to me. “Tucker, shift.”
“Do what?” he murmured.
“Shift.” I rose and pushed the low coffee table aside. “Bring the wolf. I think it will help.”
With no sound, Tucker closed his eyes. His body shimmered, faded, and was still.
“Tucker?” I tentatively reached toward him. He hadn’t shifted. Could he not?
“Keira, don’t.” Adam’s warning came too late as Tucker’s arm whipped out, grabbed me and pulled me to him. I landed flat atop him, my back to his chest. His right arm gripped me tight against him. A growl came from his lips. I could feel the slobber dripping against my neck, sharp fangs pressing against the skin. I struggled, but couldn’t budge his iron grasp. His left hand stroked my cheek, my neck, traveled down my body, cupping my breast in some parody of a lover’s touch, caressing my belly, farther, down. The growl softened as his fingers sought to slide underneath my waistband.
In a flash, Adam was there, his hands on Tucker’s, ripping them aside and pulling me away. My brother snarled, his face half twisted in the shift, part wolf, part human. Saliva flecks flew as his head shook from side-to-side, fast, faster. I stumbled back against Adam, my heart in my throat, trying to gather what little wits I had left. My brother, my own brother had… No, stop. Don’t dwell on it. Figure out how—I threw a hand out toward him.
“Subside.” The freakish subharmonics of my command voice echoed, bouncing off the walls and the furniture, the very air shuddering with its strength. Tucker whimpered, convulsed and was still. Slowly, his face and teeth shifted back to normal. I fell into the armchair, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
Adam crouched next to me, running his hands over my arms, cupping my jaw, kissing my forehead. “Keira, are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I’m…” I looked over at my peaceful brother, now fast asleep, no longer shivering. “What happened?”
“The fever affected his ability to shift,” Adam said. “Isabel…” He motioned to the phone, now broken on the floor. “She was on the line, telling me that you shouldn’t let him shift, when…”
“Yeah, well. Too late.” I gave a weary chuckle. “Did she say anything else?”
“To put him to sleep—no, not that way,” he said as I jerked my head up and glared. “He needs to sleep it off. He’s weak and the fever and shivering will just make him weaker.”
“Well, I guess I eventually figured that out.” I sighed. “Could you phone Isabel back? She’s probably going a bit bonkers right now. I don’t think she has your phone number.”
Adam kissed my forehead again and rose. “I will. You relax here in the chair, okay? I know it’s foolish to think you’ll go to bed.”
“Well, yeah.” I snuggled into the chair, my arms cradling my head against the side. “I’ll keep an eye on him. At least, until Niko gets back with Bea. Then he can take over.”
Adam glanced at the kitchen clock. “He’ll be at least an hour, assuming all goes well.”
“Where’s Antonio?” I asked. He’d gone to use the facilities when we’d returned, but I hadn’t seen him since.
“I glamoured him.” Adam bent to pick up the pieces of the broken phone, pulling out the SIM card.
“You did? Why?”
“He needed to sleep. I preferred to not have him wandering around.”
“You don’t trust him?”
Adam shook his head, his dark hair obscuring his f
ace. “I do not. I would not say this with Niko present, as he feels a certain reverence toward the priests of his religion, but I find that this man is too much of an enigma. His story makes sense, though I do not understand why he is so eager to help us. For all I know, he plots against us.”
I yawned and shuffled my body to a more comfortable position. “Plots? I’m not sure he’s gone that far,” I said.
“Keira, I was married to the woman he loved. The story he told us? His version only: that he rejected her and she committed suicide. Fact is, the only truth we know is that she drowned. Did she truly kill herself and her unborn child rather than be with Antonio or with me?” Adam raised one eyebrow at me.
“Okay, you’ve got a point,” I admitted. “But if you don’t trust him, why did you agree to have him come along earlier?”
“He’s the only one I know who can re-consecrate that cemetery,” Adam said. “At least, he already knows about us. It would be rather awkward and perhaps dangerous to involve any outside clergy at this point.”
“Yes, well.” I smiled at him. “Go on, go call Isabel, love. I’ll be right here.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.”
—Aristotle
Morning came all too soon. Niko had arrived back with Bea around one-thirty and I’d promptly put her to bed, despite her protests. A few quick healing spells later, she was fine and out like a light. Niko had elected to remain with Tucker in the living room. Adam and I had shut ourselves up in the main guest room, as the priest was in the other room. I’d had a long conversation with Isabel and she’d given me a few more tricks of the trade. I’d bundled Tucker up in spells and blankets so he could sleep. She’d said sleep was the best way for him to heal now.
“I want to involve Sheriff Larsen,” Adam said as we readied for bed. Odd thing doing this in the middle of the night. It was normally our peak time. We’d be up and about, Adam doing business in his office, me in mine—a new perk thanks to my being the heir. Some nights I’d skip my own lessons and paperwork and help Adam out or I’d spar with my brothers.
“Do you think that’s a wise move?” I asked. “Carlton’s going to ask all sorts of awkward questions—the primary one being why the hell we’re not at the Wild Moon and why we’re staying at Bea’s. Last time I talked to him, he thought we were on vacation. He’s not dumb, Adam. He’s going to be suspicious.”
“Keira, we’re limited in our choices. The four of us came back of our own accord. I can’t call in our troops, so to speak. I can’t risk them, too.”
I flipped the ceiling fan on high and slid under the covers. “I know that. Just as I know that what happened to Tucker tonight is likely the result of a hex or curse. I’m positive that touching that gravestone triggered it.”
“It’s not just that.” Adam slid in next to me and shut off the bedside light. “We’ve broken Truce. Even if we leave the premises now, we’ve already crossed that line.”
“Then tomorrow, we go back to the Wild Moon,” I said. “In for a penny, in for the entire fortune. We’ll bring Bea—”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’ve already exposed her. She won’t be safe with us.”
He was right. Bea would be better off elsewhere. “How about we send her to Dixxi? Her condo in town is big enough for Bea, Noe, and Tio and Tia. I don’t want any of them here.”
“A good idea. Perhaps one of the deputies can run them into San Antonio tomorrow.”
“We should—”
“Tucker’s not going to be at full speed yet, and you’re not going alone.”
“No, you’re right again. I’m sorry. I’m not thinking.” I kissed his shoulder. “Promise me that you’ll keep reminding me, okay? I’m not used to this—to being heir, to being the one that has to duck and cover while others take the heat. It used to be so simple.”
“I’ll promise that if you’ll promise one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You let me tell the sheriff everything. I think it’s time he knew.”
I pushed away and sat up. “You want to what?”
“We need another ally, Keira.” Adam pulled me back down into his embrace. “I know,” he whispered. “It goes against everything you were ever taught, but we need someone on our side here. He’s not beholden to us, not bonded, but he is a friend.”
I muttered a few choice words under my breath then let out a sigh. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
Adam laughed. “Okay.” He kissed my forehead. “I know it’s not easy for you, love. You’ve barely had enough time to realize you are the heir, much less learn how to react as one. Let’s get through tomorrow, talk to the sheriff and get Bea and her family out of the way and safe, then we’ll go back home.”
“To the Wild Moon.”
“Yes. To the Wild Moon.”
I sighed, content for now. We had a plan, albeit not much of one, but we had to move forward.
At dawn, I woke and left Adam to sleep some more. I needed to check on Tucker. As I entered the living room, I smiled. Poor Niko was contorted in the armchair, one long arm dangling over the side, his head at a weird angle. I hoped vampires didn’t get cricks in their necks, or he was in for a doozy.
I crept as silently as I could to Tucker’s side, wary of being caught out again. He looked to be fast asleep, his breathing regular, normal. Good. Instead of actually touching him, I used a simple diagnostic spell, the same one I’d used on Bea last night. Brilliant, no fever. I turned away, ready to let him keep sleeping. Niko’s hand touched mine as I passed.
“He’s fine, Niko,” I whispered. “No fever. Why don’t you go on back to bed with Adam. I’ll take watch for a while.”
Niko looked over at Tucker, then unbent himself, rising from the chair. He nodded at me, leaned over and touched his lips to my brother’s forehead. Without a word, he walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner. I went into the kitchen and pulled out coffee and filters, enough to make a huge pot. After getting that set up and started, I returned to the chair and curled up in it, watching my brother sleep.
When the phone rang, I started out of a light doze, leaping to get it. It was the land line.
“Hello,” I said, trying to keep my voice down so as not to wake Tucker.
“It’s Carlton.”
“Hey.”
“You weren’t answering your cell phone,” he said. “I tried the ranch, but no one answered there, either. So I tried to call Bea to see if she knew—”
“Yeah, my phone’s busted,” I said. “Sorry.”
“How’s Bea?”
“Good. She’s sleeping.” The coffee’s aroma began to perk me up. I tucked the receiver into the crook of my neck and shoulder and poured myself a cup. “Were you needing something?” I asked after a moment.
“Are you staying at Bea’s?” Carlton asked.
“For now, yes,” I said. “I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“Keira, what’s going on?”
Oh, brother. It really hadn’t taken him long. Our sheriff was no dummy. He’d been in the top ten at the police academy in San Antonio. He was sharp, attentive and very, very good at his job. Only he didn’t know anything about our special natures.
“What do you mean, Carlton?” I blew on my coffee as I frantically tried to buy myself a little time. Was he asking about Bea? About us being back in town? What?
“I drove by the Wild Moon last night,” he said. My heart sank. Damn it. He knew we’d closed up the place. Not typical for a quick vacation. “There wasn’t anyone there. The place looked abandoned. Are y’all leaving?” A note of sorrow crept into his voice. I knew by “y’all” he wasn’t really wanting to know about all of us. He meant me.
“Leaving?” I gulped down more coffee. “No.”
“Then why close up the ranch?”
“Personal reasons.” My mouth reacted before my brain could process what I was saying. Oh, yeah, like that was going to
stop him from asking questions.
“You’re okay? I get the feeling you’re not and you’re just not saying anything.” More sorrow tinged with worry.
“I’m fine.” I was doing an awful lot of that lately, having to tell people I was fine. I was, mostly. Only there was a part of me that wasn’t. That part stayed awake all day and all night, fretting about how we were going to get ourselves out of this mess. I’d wanted action instead of inaction, and had gotten my brother hurt—a man that I’d never seen hurt physically. Ever. Bea’s café had burned down, as had the deli, and no doubt there was damage to all the shops in the strip center. Did they have fire insurance? I fervently hoped so. If not, I was going to help out financially. What good is a fortune if you can’t share it? I didn’t know for sure that the fire was the result of our breaking Truce, but I couldn’t dismiss it. I’d either started some sort of chain reaction when I’d foolishly touched that tombstone, or the arson had just been a harbinger of the “annoyances” breaking Truce brought. Whatever it was, we were smack in the middle of it and I had no more choice but to keep moving forward and hope we could succeed. I needed to. We had to win this game of Gideon’s—or battle—whichever the case may be, as well as concentrate on finding my lost clan chief.
“You don’t sound fine.”
“I’m just tired,” I said. “I was up late with Bea.”
“I think you and I need to talk,” Carlton said.
“We are talking.”
“No, face to face.”
I sighed. “Carlton, what is that going to accomplish exactly?”
“I don’t know, but I’m asking you as a favor.”
“Let me think about it.”
“Thank you. When you call me back, use my cell. We had to close the office because of smoke and water damage. We’re taking dispatch calls out of my house.”
“I will.” Great. The entire strip center damaged meant the only remaining stores in Rio Seco were effectively gone. If the sheriff’s office had sustained damage, then so must have the dry cleaners and the video store. Damn it. Just last week, after the deaths in the pack resulted in the wers closing the deli and moving out of Rio Seco, Jacob—an undercover Texas Ranger and werewolf helping with the investigation—had said that the center looked sad. Now fire, smoke, and water had damaged or destroyed the rest of the businesses. Perhaps Gideon was right—we had killed our village.