by Meg Ripley
But Nikki could still hear that frantic tone in Drake’s voice as he argued with Clint. The doctor wasn’t the kind of guy to get ruffled easily; that much she knew about him. “I’d rather just get it over with.” She pulled away from Neal. It was a long way across the living room without anyone to lean on, but she finally got to the front door and pushed Clint gently out of the way.
Drake looked completely frazzled. His hair was in disarray, and his skin glimmered with sweat. He’d been neatly dressed the other times Nikki had seen him, but his shirt was half-untucked and covered with dirt. “Nikki.” He sounded so relieved to see her.
She stepped outside onto the porch, knowing it would only cause more problems if she invited him in. “What is it?”
He took her by the hands. Her palms lit up with electricity that shot up her arms and to her heart, expanding outward in her body. She felt a small scratch at her wrist but didn’t have the energy to pay attention to it. His dark blue eyes were pools of worry. “Nikki, Piper’s dead.”
She reeled as Drake’s hands tightened on hers. “That can’t be right. Why would you tell me such a thing?”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to have to tell you that. But I saw her body with my own eyes out in the woods. Someone—or something—mauled her. I had a few guys from the clan head out to transport her body.” He dared to pull her a step closer so that their bodies were only inches apart. “Nikki…I think you might be in danger, too.”
“No…” Her breaths came in quick bursts, and she felt the backs of her eyes burning.
Drake leaned close, pressing his mouth close to her ear. “These guys are up to something. You’ve got to get away from them. I think they might’ve been behind Piper’s death.”
But Nikki couldn’t even focus on the warning. She could only imagine what her life would be like without her sister. Why did their last conversation have to be about kicking Piper out of the clan? That wasn’t how any of this was supposed to be. How could Piper be gone? “I just…I just don’t understand.” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks now.
“I’m so sorry.”
The men were out the door behind her. She sensed the wall of hostility they were erecting toward Drake.
But he ignored them, focusing only on Nikki. “Please, at least think about what I said.”
She nodded feebly as she fell back into the arms of one of the men, her tears blurring her vision so much, she didn’t even know which one it was. Nikki let them guide her back into the house where she slumped onto the couch. “Piper’s dead!” she sobbed.
“We heard,” Clint said softly, his arm around her. “I wouldn’t doubt that Drake had something to do with it.”
“But—but he said…”
“Sshh. You know you can’t listen to him. He’s the one who’s been poisoning you. He’s been killing you physically, and now he’s putting the icing on the cake by trying to kill you emotionally. He did this, and he made sure the timing was just right so it would hurt you the most.”
Nikki soaked the front of Clint’s shirt with tears. That wasn’t what Drake had said, but she couldn’t find it within herself to argue against her mate. “I’m so confused. I just don’t understand any of it. How could I lose her?”
“Come on.” Max pulled her up off the couch and put her back to bed. “Just rest. It’ll all be clearer after a nap.”
She thought about arguing with him, but Nikki felt almost drunk with exhaustion and grief and fell into bed. The sound of the door closing as Max left rattled through her body, jerking her into consciousness once more. She tried to get comfortable in this bed that she’d spent too much time in, and something itched at her wrist. Nikki vaguely recalled the sensation on the porch, and she put her fingers up her sleeve to scratch at the irritation.
Inside the cuff of her sleeve she founded a folded piece of paper. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, but she knew it had to be from Drake. ‘Come find me. Alone. We need to talk.’ She frowned at the note, wondering if that had simply been a precaution in case he hadn’t had a chance to talk to her at all, or if he had more to say. Either way, deep down, she knew she had to explore this. She didn’t know how or when, but she would have to.
12
Drake rushed to Fern’s house as quickly as he could. The witch had texted him that she’d finished the potion. It was earlier than either of them had expected her to get it done, but he knew Fern wouldn’t care too much about breaking the spell once she heard the news.
Her front door was standing open. His body pulsed with adrenaline, and he double-checked that his pistol was still tucked into the back of his waistband. Fern had always known when he was coming, but a door standing open like that was a sign something was severely wrong. If someone had followed him there and taken Fern out of the equation, he’d never forgive himself. There was already so much on the line, and he’d already let one person down.
Drake turned off the engine and coasted into the driveway, leaving his car door open so any intruder might not hear him approach. He needed the element of surprise on his side. Withdrawing his weapon, he held it at the ready as he stealthily ascended the porch stairs.
Fern’s voice greeted him as he arrived at the top. “Come on in!”
He lowered his weapon but kept it out just in case. “You okay?”
“Of course.” She came out, dressed in a long yellow dress with tiny blue flowers, her face bright. “I’m wonderful, actually. It was a lot of work trying to get this all figured out. I stayed up for two days straight. But now that it’s done, I can get back to normal life again.” She held up a tiny glass vial, the last rays of the sun glinting in the liquid inside.
Drake’s shoulders sagged at her lack of caution. He pushed her gently into the house. “Get inside. I don’t think it’s safe out here.”
“But everything is going to be safe very soon,” she argued, confused. “All Nikki has to do is drink this potion. Like I told you before, it’ll break the illusion that’s been cast over her. She’ll be fine, and she’s always been such a strong person, anyway. I have no doubt she’ll get solid revenge on whomever did this to her. I have a few ideas, but an unenchanted Nikki can probably help us out with that.”
Drake locked the door and tucked his gun away before rubbing his forehead. How was he going to tell her this? “Look, things aren’t as hunky-dory as you think they are. You might want to sit down.”
Fern set the tiny bottle on the coffee table and watched him carefully. “You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to, but there’s something you need to know.” Drake sat down, too. He was still processing what he’d seen earlier that day. “Piper called me this morning and told me Nikki had summoned her. I’d told Piper to let me know her whereabouts at all times, just to be safe. I was going to meet up with her in the woods between her house and Nikki’s to see what they said.”
Fern leaned forward in her chair. “Goddess. What happened?”
He licked his lips, trying to summon the courage to tell her. This wasn’t the same as the incidents that happened when he was serving in the military, when he’d been able to adopt a colder, more distanced attitude. This was getting far too personal, and he felt terrible for what he was about to say. He’d seen Piper’s body in person, and from the slash marks in her skin, he knew exactly what had happened to her. “I found her, but it was too late. She’s gone.”
“No.” Fern’s face crumpled as tears spilled over her lashes. “No, that can’t be right. Please tell me this is some sick joke.”
“I wish it were. I really do, and I’m so sorry. But she’s definitely gone, and I think I know who did it. Nikki’s mates are the only ones who were in that region that I know of. I wish that I’d had my men watching the area of woods between the sisters’ houses, but I didn’t perceive that much of a threat to Piper. As horrible as this is, it means that it’s even more important now than ever to break this spell. There’s no telling how many people these men will kill t
o get whatever it is they want.”
Fern gulped and swiped at her face, her chin trembling as she gestured toward the potion. “That’s not good, because the potion won’t work as well if Nikki doesn’t take it willingly. You can’t just hold her steady and pour it down her throat, although I’m starting to think that would be an easier option.”
“Fern, I’m really so sorry to have to tell you about Piper. She was a great person, and she cared so much about her sister and her clan, and about you. She trusted you completely.”
The witch pulled in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. “I trusted her, too. She was one of my best friends. I feel like I’ve let her down.”
“There was nothing you could’ve done,” he said, putting his hand on her arm. “You were already doing so much for us.” As he said the words, Drake realized just how much they applied to himself. People died, and just because he’d saved some of them didn’t mean he could have saved them all, including Amanda. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It only makes things more difficult. Trust me.”
She nodded. “I’ll try, but please come to me if there’s anything else I can do to help. If Piper had to die for this cause, then I want to see it through. I don’t want her life to have been lost for nothing.”
“I will, I promise. I’m going to take this to Nikki and see what I can do.” He secured the potion in his pocket.
He called Hudson on the way. “I’ve got a potion that should break the spell on Nikki, but her guys aren’t going to let me anywhere near her. I need some sort of distraction.”
“I think we can manage that,” Hudson replied smoothly. “I’ve been surveying the house, and I found the blueprints for it on file with the city. I’d like to get in there and plant some bugs, but it’s difficult when there’s always someone home. Anyway, the master bedroom is at the east corner of the house. I suspect Nikki’s spending most of her time in there.”
That made sense to Drake. “Perfect. If you can get her goons out of the way, I’ll get to her. There’s only one caveat: she’s got to drink the antidote willingly.”
“Dude, this shit is crazy. I can handle all the tech you want to throw my way, but spells and witchcraft make it pretty complicated.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I’ll position myself in the woods and wait for your signal.”
Hudson laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll hear it.”
Drake couldn’t leave his car at Piper’s house in case someone came snooping around, and he definitely couldn’t just pull right up in front of Nikki’s place. Instead, he parked in a small lot at the head of one of the numerous hiking trails in the area. It was the middle of the week, so there was only one other car already there. He had to hope it wasn’t anyone who was afraid of bears. As soon as he was sure he wasn’t being watched, he shifted and melted into the woods.
His bear form enabled swift progress through the woods toward Nikki’s, but it also made it difficult to control his rage. He was desperate to get Nikki away from those bastards, and he wanted revenge for Piper’s death. This was all so crazy, and none of it was necessary. For a moment, Drake entertained the idea of ditching the plan he’d made with Hudson and going with one of his own, one that involved barging right into Nikki’s house on all fours and challenging the three men. He could easily envision himself ripping them apart with his teeth and claws, and it didn’t matter that he was outnumbered. His rage and his passion would make up for that.
But he’d already directed his men to get in place, and it wouldn’t be right to throw them off like that. So he lumbered up behind Nikki’s place and waited.
He didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes.
A long and lonely howl came from the other side of the house, bounced off the trees and seemed to come from every direction, but Drake’s sensitive ears gave him a more accurate location. The lion’s roar that followed the howl would have scared off any hikers who’d wandered onto private land.
A commotion started up in the house, and Drake heard several doors banging. The men were coming outside to see what was happening. Good. It was working.
But of course his men were going to make sure they did a thorough job of it, and when a black column of smoke erupted against the blue sky, Drake had to smile. Garrison was having a little bit of fun for himself.
They’re all heading for us, the dragon announced between fiery breaths. You’re clear.
Roger. Drake pounded forward, his paws gripping the ground as the woods gave way to a shaggy lawn behind Nikki’s house. By the time he touched the cedar siding of her home, his paws were human hands once again, hands more than capable of opening the window and launching his body inside.
Nikki was in her bed, looking more ill than ever before. She sat up against the pillow, pulling the covers up against her chest as she gaped at the intruder. “Drake? What the hell are you doing here? What’s going on?”
He wasted no time in producing the potion. “Nikki, I know this is going to sound crazy, but you’re under a spell. Nothing is as it seems. I don’t have a lot of time to explain, but if you drink this, everything will be okay again.”
She eyed the vial suspiciously. “I think I must be dreaming. I’ve been having such strange dreams, lately…”
“No, it’s not a dream.” He kneeled at her bedside, desperate to find a way to convince her. “Please, just trust me. This stuff will make everything clear. You’ll feel better, and everything will make sense.” He didn’t quite know how to tell her that the men she thought she loved weren’t truly fated to her. It seemed a cruel thing, even if it was the truth. “Please.”
With a shaking hand, Nikki accepted the vial. “Drake, I want to trust you. You seem like a good guy. But everything has gotten crazy since you arrived.” She gripped the bottle in her hand, staring down at it for a moment. “Is my sister really dead?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I wish that was just part of your dreams. But I don’t want something to happen to you next. Please.” He could hear the commotion outside getting closer, and that couldn’t be a good sign. “I’ve got to go. Please tell me you’ll at least think about it.”
Nikki glanced at the door to her bedroom as though she expected one of her guys to come rushing through it, but she didn’t look like she wanted them to save her. She slipped the tiny container inside her pillowcase. “I can do that.”
He knew he was running out of time. Drake had to get out of there, and fast. Despite his fantasies about it, he’d be foolish to try to take on all three of those assholes at once. But he dove forward, putting his hands on either side of Nikki’s face and pressed his lips to hers. His bear swirled in elation, celebrating in feeling his skin come in contact with hers. Drake lost himself in the act, feeling the truth of what Fern had said about the two of them. He was meant to be with her. There was a connection between them that simply couldn’t be denied.
But then Nikki pulled back. She glared at him, and he didn’t even see her pull her hand back to smack him until he felt the sting against his cheek.
Drake grinned. It was still worth it. “Drink it and see what happens. When you’re free, come find me at my hotel.” He gave her the address, hoping she’d remember. But there was no more time to remind her of what she needed to do. He simply had to leave, since he could hear the front door of the house bursting open. Drake dove out the window, tucking and rolling as he hit the ground and popped back up onto his feet. He only had a short run to make it back to the woods, and he morphed on the fly.
Drake! Did you make it out? We spotted one of them heading back your way when they figured out what we were doing.
Just now. I don’t know if I did any good, but I tried. I’m heading back to the hotel. I need one of you to stay here and keep an eye on her. I’m afraid they might try to move Nikki to a different location just to keep me away from her. But we need to figure out what we’re going to do from here. Drake hadn’t even had a chance to tell them about Piper’s murder, and that was probably better said i
n person.
Can do. I wouldn’t mind checking out the woods a bit more, Flint replied.
Drake made a quick drive back to the hotel, ready to make plans. He knew there would be some more fights in the not-so-distant future to get Nikki out of the grip of her so-called mates, and he wanted to be ready. He envisioned himself and the rest of the SOS Force going in with guns blazing, taking no prisoners and refusing to give up until they had what they’d come for. That was how they worked, after all.
But as soon as he walked into the lobby, he knew that everything had changed. He instantly recognized the woman and the two children who lounged in the entrance. “Glenna? What are you guys doing here?”
Lindy shot out of her chair and into his arms, the bright yellow bow in her hair bobbing. “Daddy! Glenna brought us on a vacation to see you!”
He eagerly wrapped his arms around his daughter, melting into the hug, but his relief at seeing Lindy was quickly dashed away by the need to protect her. He eyed his sister. “You really didn’t need to do this.”
“Yes, I did,” she said firmly. “I could tell you needed a Lindy hug, and I think she needed one from you, too. Besides, none of us had ever been to California before. I thought it would be a good opportunity. And don’t say it.” She put up her hand to stop any further argument Drake might have. “We’ll stay out of your way while you do your work.”
“Daddy, did you see the pool yet?” Lindy was bouncing in his arms.
Honestly, Drake hadn’t even noticed there was a pool. It’d been the last thing on his agenda since arriving there. “You really like to swim, don’t you?”
She bobbed her head enthusiastically, her blonde ponytail swaying. “And Aunt Glenna said there’s a zoo here! Can we go?”
Drake didn’t want to make her any promises. As much as he loved his daughter, his mission was his priority at the moment. Lindy would understand when she was older that it was a much bigger deal to save lives than to visit some animals in the zoo, but he still felt terrible about it. “We’ll just have to see, kiddo.”