Shadowed Instincts

by Wendi Wilson

  When she stopped crying, he said, “Okay, why does he think someone poisoned me? I could have eaten something bad, or I could have a virus or something. How does he know it was intentional?”

  Melanie swallowed thickly, determined not to cry again. “I went downstairs to get activated charcoal. He said it would absorb anything poisonous in your system and flush it out. I saw the aspirin and grabbed it, thinking you might need it for pain. Dad had just opened the bottle yesterday to take two and it was half empty. The bottle held a hundred pills, Jeremy. Someone wanted you dead.”

  Jeremy laid his head back and stared at the ceiling in stunned silence. Melanie’s last words ran through his head over and over, causing the pain there to spike to an almost unbearable degree. He tried to smile, but it came across as more of a grimace.

  “My head is killing me. Grab me a couple of aspirin, will ya?”

  “So not funny, Jeremy.”

  “Too soon?” At her raised eyebrow, he said, “Sorry. Couldn’t help it.”

  Melanie ran her hand over his forehead and gently massaged one temple, then the other with her fingertips. “I need you to tell me what happened last night. Who were you with? What did you do?”

  Jeremy’s eyes had closed with her gentle ministrations, but they popped open again when she asked the questions. His brow furrowed as he thought.

  “Well, I was hanging out with Chris. We were in the entertainment room, shooting pool and goofing around.”

  “Did you eat or drink anything?”

  “Sure. We had some nachos. Chris had soda and I had a sports drink I found in the fridge behind the bar.”

  Melanie’s eyes widened. “There was a bottle on your nightstand this morning. I tried to give you some, but you choked on it. I ran to get my parents, and when we got back here, it was gone.”

  She hopped up off the chair and dragged it away from the bed. Getting down on her hands and knees, she lifted the bed skirt and peered underneath. She stood back up and looked behind the nightstand.

  “It’s not here, Jeremy. Someone came into your room and took it after I ran out screaming for my parents. That has to be it. Whoever did this put the aspirin in your drink.”

  Melanie pulled the chair back to its spot beside the bed and plopped back down into it. They sat in silence for a few seconds, mulling over everything they had discovered. Finally, Melanie broke the silence.

  “Was the seal broken on the drink when you took it from the fridge?”

  “No,” Jeremy said, shaking his head. “It was brand new.”

  “Okay. Did you and Chris ever leave the room?”

  Jeremy gasped and looked at Melanie with wide eyes. “Yes. I left to go to the bathroom. When I got back, Chris was gone- he had gone to find another bathroom to use- but someone else was there, alone.”

  “Who?”

  “It was Declan.”

  “Declan? What was he doing there?”

  Jeremy shrugged. “He said he was bored and wanted to hang out. Chris walked back in a minute after me and the three of us played pool for a while. It was actually fun. Declan and I were making progress. I thought maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy, after all.”

  Melanie stiffened. “Jeremy, he was just here. I caught him sneaking out of here when I got to your door.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said he was just checking on you, but you were sleeping. He seemed totally clueless about the aspirin, so I didn’t say anything. My dad could be trying to keep that under wraps for now.”

  “It could be an act. He could have gotten the aspirin from the pantry before he went to the entertainment room. That’s means. He, very obviously, wants you for himself. That’s motive. He was alone in the room with my drink. That’s opportunity.”

  Melanie let his words sink in for a moment before she responded. “If what you’re saying is true, then we have to be careful. Don’t let anything you eat or drink out of your sight, for even a moment. It’s doubtful he’d try again so soon and risk getting caught, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “Will you go to your dad with this?” Jeremy asked, placing his hand on hers.

  “Not yet. Declan is the son of the beta. I can’t go throwing around accusations without solid proof. I may not understand everything about pack politics, but I do know that. We just have to keep our eyes on him and hope he slips up.”

  Chapter 25

  After talking for a while longer, Jeremy eventually drifted back into a peaceful sleep. Confident that he was out of the woods, Melanie quietly left the room and went in search of Tara. She found her out by the pond, but she wasn’t alone. She was with Declan.

  Trying with all her strength not to charge over and jerk her best friend away from him, Melanie strolled over as casually as possible. Before they noticed her, the two of them were laughing at the antics of the ducklings swimming in the water. Declan leaned close to Tara and whispered something. She burst into laughter and shoved him playfully.

  “Ahem.”

  Tara and Declan turned quickly at the sound of Melanie clearing her throat. Declan took a slight step away from Tara. Her cheeks turned crimson. Melanie arched an eyebrow at her best friend.

  “Tara, can I talk to you?” She looked over at Declan. “In private?” she added for his benefit.

  Declan raised his eyebrows at Melanie’s obviously rude behavior. Melanie stared pointedly at him, refusing to back down. His shoulders slumped and he heaved a deep sigh before starting forward.

  “See you later,” Declan said to Tara as he walked by her. He nodded at Melanie as he passed her and headed back toward the house.

  Melanie grabbed Tara’s arm and dragged her away from him, toward the other side of the pond. He was walking slowly, so she knew he was trying to spy on their conversation.

  “Mel, what’s going on?”

  “Not yet,” Melanie said, and saw Declan’s shoulders lift in a shrug before he started walking at a normal pace. When he reached the back porch and headed up the steps, she whirled on Tara. “What were you doing with him?” she asked angrily.

  “Woah,” Tara said, taking a step back. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  Melanie took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m sorry, Tara. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe it’s p.m.s. or something.”

  “You looked like you were jealous.”

  Melanie laughed harshly. “Jealous? What on earth would I have to be jealous about?”

  “I don’t know,” Tara said, arching a finely plucked brow at her friend. “You tell me.”

  Melanie bit her lip as she thought. They were too close to the woods here. Someone on patrol could walk by and hear them. She needed to get Tara somewhere private. Tara needed to know about her suspicions and Declan’s possible involvement in Jeremy’s poisoning.

  “Come check out my new Jeep!” Melanie said, trying to inject some excitement into her tone.

  “But I already-”

  “You have to see it! It’s so awesome!” Melanie interrupted, grabbing Tara’s hand and dragging her back toward the house.

  When they reached the car, Melanie fished the keys from her pocket and climbed in, saying, “Dad said I could drive it on the property. Get in! Let’s go for a spin!”

  Tara climbed in and Melanie cranked the car. She backed up and turned around, heading down the long drive. When they were half way down, Melanie applied the brakes and put the Jeep into park. She turned the radio up so that it would drown out their words if anyone was patrolling nearby.

  “What are you doing?” Tara asked, a confused look on her face.

  Melanie tried to keep her words vague. “Do you remember what I told you this morning?”

  “Yeah, about-”

  “No names,” Melanie interjected quickly. She almost rolled her eyes at her own paranoia. “Don’t tell anyone about the method. You haven’t said anything to anyone, right?” When Tara shook her head, Melanie continued, “Good. What I’m about to tell
you is strictly confidential. Got it?” Tara nodded with wide eyes. “Okay. Jeremy and I think he may be the one who did it,” she said, nodding her head back in the direction of the house.

  “Who? De-”

  “No names! Yes, him.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Melanie nodded at her. “I know. That’s why I was so angry that he was flirting with you and you were flirting back.” Tara opened her mouth to protest and Melanie held up a finger to silence her. “Yes, you were. You can’t help it, I know, it’s just how you are. I just need you to be careful around him, without letting him know that you suspect him. Do you think you can do that while we figure this out and find some proof?”

  “Of course,” Tara said indignantly.

  “Good,” Melanie said, shifting the car into drive. “Now, let’s see what this baby can do.”

  They had been driving around the property for about twenty minutes when Tara turned down the radio. Melanie looked over at her with an arched brow and slowed down to a crawl. Looking back at the road, she asked, “What is it?”

  “What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff, Mel? Driving to the middle of nowhere, cranking up the radio, ‘no names.’ I don’t understand why you couldn’t have just told me that by pond.”

  Melanie winced and pulled the Jeep to a complete stop. “I’m just being extra cautious,” she said, still staring at the road ahead. Looking at Tara, she continued, “Members of this…community traipse all over the woods, hunting, hiking, biking and all manner of other things. I can’t take the chance that someone would hear me accuse Declan and run back and tell him or his father.” Melanie made sure to only mouth the name.

  “Okay. I get it, I guess. Can I tell Chris what’s going on?”

  Melanie thought for a moment. “Just hold off, if you can. I’m not going to ask you to lie to him, but let me talk to Jeremy about it before you volunteer the information, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks, Tara.”

  “No worries. Just be careful, okay?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

  *~*~*

  “So, that’s when I found them by the pond. He was flirting outrageously with her.”

  “Do you think he was trying to get close to her to find out what we suspect?” Jeremy asked, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

  “Hey, are you sure you’re ready for that?” Melanie asked worriedly. “You need to save your strength and rest. It’s been less than twenty four hours since you were poisoned.” She lowered her voice to a whisper with that last word.

  Melanie had gone back to Jeremy’s room after her talk with Tara. He was sleeping, so she curled up and read a book while he rested. It was almost time for dinner when he finally woke up and she told him about her conversation with Tara.

  “I’ve been resting all day, Mel! I’m going to go nuts if I don’t get out of this room, out of this bed, for at least a little while. I’m going to dinner.”

  “Jer-”

  “Nope,” he interrupted. “Not going to talk me out of it. Now, if you love me, come help me. I need to take a shower.”

  Melanie blushed as she rushed over to take his arm. “You want me to help you take a shower?”

  Jeremy chuckled. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t think I’m strong enough yet to take advantage that offer. Just make sure I don’t fall down on my way to the bathroom. I feel dizzy.”

  “You should go back to bed. I know! I’ll curl up next to you and we can nap together.”

  “Please, Mel.”

  “Ugh, okay. But if you fall in the shower and break your neck, I’ll never forgive you.”

  He gave her his megawatt smile. “Thanks, babe. I love you, too.”

  Chapter 26

  After dinner, Melanie, Jeremy, Tara and Chris decided to go to the entertainment room to watch a movie on the big screen. Melanie paid more attention to Jeremy than she did the television. He looked pale and sweat was beading on his upper lip. She nudged his knee with hers and he put an arm around her shoulders.

  Leaning in and laying her head on his chest, she whispered, “Are you okay?”

  He nodded and squeezed her shoulder, not taking his eyes off the television. Melanie’s thoughts drifted back to dinner. Jeremy hadn’t eaten very much and the conversation was stilted, at best. Chris had been the only one unaffected by the uncomfortable atmosphere, being the only person left in the dark about the true reason for Jeremy’s illness. He thought Jeremy only had a stomach bug. Luckily, the Browns went to town for dinner, taking Declan with them.

  When the movie finally ended, Chris used the remote to click off the T.V. and sat back with a sigh. “What do you guys want to do now?” he asked.

  “I’m kind of tired,” said Melanie, hoping to get Jeremy to bed before he relapsed.

  “Ah, Mel, it’s only 9:30! Let’s do something fun!”

  “Chris,” Tara said with a grin, “if they’re tired, we should let them go to bed.” She ended the sentence with a suggestive waggle of the eyebrows.

  Melanie glanced at Jeremy, who was staring at Tara with his mouth hanging open. His eyes shot back to Melanie and he mouthed the words, “You told her?”

  “Oh, God,” Melanie whispered. She put her hands on her cheeks to hide her blush and nodded with her eyes downcast.

  Jeremy chuckled and pulled her tighter into his chest. Arching his neck so that his mouth was by her ear, he whispered, “I hope you told her it was earth-shatteringly amazing.”

  Melanie elbowed him in the ribs, then immediately regretted it when he grunted. “Oh, God, Jeremy, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s okay,” he said shakily. “I’m just sore all over.”

  Melanie tried to pull away from him in shame, but he wouldn’t let her go. He took his free hand and put it under her chin, lifting it up so that her lips would meet his. “It’s alright, Mel,” he reassured her again between soft nibbles on her lips.

  “Get a room!” Tara yelled from the other side of the couch where she sat curled against Chris. She picked a cheese puff out of the bowl in his lap and chucked it Melanie. “You guys are grossing me out.”

  “Oh, please,” Mel said, throwing the food back at Tara, “I couldn’t count on ten hands how many times I’ve had to see you suck face with Chris!”

  They all laughed and Melanie stood up. “Alright kiddos, I’m going to hit the hay. I have to meet my dad early for a special breakfast, but then I’m free after that. I’ll meet up with you guys then, okay?”

  “Sounds good,” said Tara, snuggling closer to Chris.

  “Sounds good to me, too” he said. He turned his attention to his girlfriend and pulled her onto his lap.

  “Ugh,” Melanie said when Tara giggled. “You ready?” She held out a hand to Jeremy.

  “Yeah,” he said grasping her hand as he stood up. “I think these two need some alone time.” He pulled her toward the door, saying goodnight to Tara and Chris on the way.

  As soon as he had Melanie out in the hallway, he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her hard. Melanie wound her hands up over his shoulders and into his hair, hanging on for dear life. Jeremy broke their kiss but didn’t pull away. He touched his forehead against hers.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that for hours,” he said breathlessly.

  Melanie’s tongue shot out to lick her lips before she spoke. “Me, too.”

  Jeremy straightened and took her hand, leading her to the staircase. As they climbed, he asked, “Do you think your parents would get mad if you stayed with me tonight?”

  “Probably,” she said. “But I don’t care. I’ll stay if you want me to.”

  “I do. I mean, not for, you know. I’m probably not well enough for that, yet.” He glanced over and saw Melanie blushing. “I love it when you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Blush like that. Even in this dim lighting, I can see your pink cheeks and how green it makes your eyes. You�
��re so beautiful.”

  Melanie could feel her cheeks heat up again as they reached the top of the steps and walked toward Jeremy’s room. He opened the door to let her in, but she stopped and refused to walk through it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to go to my room first. You know, to get changed and stuff.”

  “Oh, okay. I’ll wait for you here, then. Just come in when you’re ready.”

  With one last peck on the lips, he walked through the door. Melanie rushed to her room and closed the door behind her. Running over to her dresser, she started rummaging through drawers, looking for something to wear.

  “This is ridiculous,” she whispered, forcing herself to stop and take a breath. “He sees me all the time in my regular pajamas. They’re fine,” she finished resolutely.

  Pulling out a pair of plaid boxers and a white tank top, she bit her bottom lip and threw the top back into the drawer. She rummaged around until she found a black one instead. Don’t want him to think I’m trying too hard, she thought. He said he wasn’t well enough for…that. Not yet.

  Melanie cracked open her door and stuck her head out into the hallway. Determining that the coast was clear, she darted to the bathroom and shut herself inside. She changed into the pajamas, brushed her teeth, and washed her face.

  Stopping by the door to her room, Melanie opened it, threw her dirty clothes through the gap and quickly closed it. She tiptoed past her parents’ room, not knowing if they were actually in there or not. She didn’t want to take any chances, though. The last thing she needed was for them to catch her sneaking into Jeremy’s room. They had cut her some slack and given her a lot of leeway since the poisoning, but she wasn’t going to push her luck.

  Stopping in front of Jeremy’s door, she tapped lightly and twisted the knob. The room was dimly lit with only the light from the dark-shaded lamp by the bed. Melanie’s ever-improving eyesight made navigating the darkened room easier than it would have been a few weeks ago. She walked over to the bed and gazed down at Jeremy, her heart swelling in her chest.

  He was sleeping peacefully, in nothing but a pair of boxers, with one arm thrown over his chest and the other stretched across the empty expanse of mattress beside him. It looked like he had been reaching for her in his sleep. Careful not to jostle the bed, she climbed in curled up next to him. She gently laid her head on his shoulder and extended one arm across his torso. She smiled as she felt his arm curl up around her back, as if in reflex. Matching her breathing to his slow and steady rhythm, Melanie dozed off quickly.