A few streaks of grey mist slither around me. My mind detaches. My feelings fade and die.
My body is weightless, hanging in the mist as though I’m underwater. I’m all pure consciousness, nothing more.
An old deer just died so a fawn must be born. A snap of lightning struck against a field, killing two humans, so two humans must be born. Lilith’s bastard killed a mermaid, so an angel must kill one of his brothers.
“Good job, darling,” Ravna says, clapping her hands. “I’m so proud of you.” She strokes my head. “Sweet dreams.”
“The same to you.”
She sniffles. “Thank you, darling, but you know I never sleep. I’m always on guard. Or I used to be always on guard. It seems like I can’t change my old habits.”
She vanishes before I have the chance to say something, and I’m back on my bed. I detach from my other self. Here, I’m only Coyote, a wolf. There, I’m Balance. The baggage of responsibility Balance carries could crush Coyote and make a vegetable out of him, so I learned to separate my job from my life a long time ago.
Someone must do this. I’m single. I have a gift—I’m the ultimate strategist. My family deserve happiness and peace. They made the world a better place after all.
I do what has to be done. For my family. For all the supernatural creatures. For all the humans.
I wish I had a wife to support me. I will never have a wife—my job could kill her.
My family support me. That’s a lot.
I close my eyes and drift off into oblivion.
Evelyn’s mouth wrapped around my dick wakes me. No, it’s not real—it’s just a dream. Evelyn’s not here, but my dick is so hard it hurts. I plunge my hand under my pyjama pants and stroke my cock up and down. Images fill my head—my dirty fantasies. Evelyn is on all fours and I’m pounding her from behind. Her large tits bounce with each thrust. She whimpers with each thrust. She praises my big cock and demands that I fuck her harder.
I cum hard, moaning her name.
I can’t get Detective Smith out of my head from the moment that mess with Gabriel’s wife happened. Reagan overreacted; Gabriel was unstable from worry about her, so I had to help them. Somehow, Evelyn had to help them too. We met in the woods. Kind of. I found Reagan while being in wolf form. Evelyn found her too. One glance at Detective Smith, and I knew she was my mate. But we’ll never mate. Evelyn is a human. I’m a wolf and I’m very busy, holding the whole world on my shoulders. My job is the love of my life. Has to be.
I get up, and my mom serves breakfast. I eat and help my dad repair the sink in the kitchen. In the late afternoon, we all put nice clothes on and go to the clubhouse. It’s full of people as always. Adva spreads her arms as her cobalt eyes fill with joy.
“My boy,” Adva says, hugging me and kissing me.
“How are you, grandma?” I ask.
“Fine. You?” Her eyes narrow and she tilts her head. “Oh dear.” Concern fills her eyes.
She grabs my elbow and pulls me into the quiet corner of the bar. I sit down on the worn out couch and she takes a seat beside me.
“Talk to me,” Adva says. Her hand searches for mine, and our fingers lace together.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh really? You think I’m old and demented?”
“No, Grandma. You’re as good-looking as an eighteen-year-old.”
“There’s a woman in my boy’s life?”
“She…”
“Is a human?”
“And we can’t…”
“Be together.” She sighs. “Bring her to the clubhouse, so I can assess the situation myself.”
“But—“
“I just want to meet her, that’s all.”
“You think?”
“I’m old, Coyote. I’ve seen a lot in life. I don’t believe in the never or in the impossible. Bring your girlfriend to the clubhouse.”
Kadmiel drops onto the couch with his baby girl pressed against his chest. I take her over from him and pull her to my chest. She screeches and yawns as her sleepy eyes shine cobalt.
“Hey, Cheryl,” I say and kiss her little head. I glance at Kadmiel. “Grandma Rive fine?”
Kadmiel nods. “My wife needs plenty of sleep now.”
“Your wife needs a break from bearing your children,” Adva says with sarcasm.
Kadmiel grins. “Adva is always right.”
I nod. “Yes, Grandpa.” I look at Adva. “I mean—“
Adva nudges my chest with her elbow and takes Cheryl over from me. “She looks like my Nineve.” Sadness coats her voice as she rocks the baby on her lap.
Nineve died many years ago. She was Adva’s daughter and Rive’s sister. She chose a human life because she fell in love with a human man. They both died on the same night.
“Rive said the same as you, Adva,” Kadmiel says. He throws his arm over my back, tossing my hair, and I feel like I’m five. “You’ve got a girlfriend, right? Bring her to the clubhouse, so I can assess the situation myself.”
“I will, Grandpa.” I take a deep breath. “I thought… the Salvation—“
Kadmiel grins. “Ghosts. Yes, you could help the Salvation Ghosts for a while. I don’t need you here and they always have a lot of work to do.”
“Things are stable here,” I say.
“Yes, they are,” Kadmiel says. “And one special chick will be closer to you too. Go to those archangelic motherfuckers, be useful to them, and enjoy life.”
“Kadmiel,” Adva hisses.
“Sorry, love,” Kadmiel says.
Adva shakes her head. “No wonder all your daughters curse as professionally as sailor men.”
My female cousins and aunts surround me and bombard me with questions about Evelyn. They squeal and shriek, making me almost deaf, until my grandpa Ettrian saves me.
He leads me outside the bar, shoving a bottle of vodka into my hand. We drink in silence. This is how he is—silent and reserved, but at the same time, the best grandpa I could wish for.
Rick and Ashton take me to the casino after midnight. We get drunk and earn money. We sleep in a hotel, have dinner at a nice restaurant and visit The Happy Stars Bar.
Declan and Brad are sitting at a table. The boys and I join them. Declan’s face has a grey tinge as though he hasn’t slept for weeks and there’re two thick scars across his cheek.
“You okay, Declan?” I ask even though I know why he’s not okay.
“My wife.” Declan’s voice breaks.
I know. I’m Balance. I know things, but I can’t tell him anything. He must remain oblivious. Guilt pricks my heart. Cleaning up the shit caused by Aurora and Cael had side effects. They hit Declan.
“You have a wife?” Yes, I can lie like a professional.
Declan nods. “She…” He shakes his head. “Let’s get drunk.”
He looks like he doesn’t want to talk, so I nod. We get drunk in a graveyard-like atmosphere.
Two hours later, I rise to my feet and squeeze Declan’s shoulder. “Have a break, man.”
Declan looks at me with dark brooding eyes. “I don’t need any fucking break. You’re talking like my president Hugh. What’s wrong with you all, people?”
“You need a break, brother,” I say. “Believe me.”
I can’t do more or there’ll be a crack in the greyness.
Evelyn
Three weeks later.
I open the navy folder and go through the reports once again. We can’t find that serial killer. Not that I have compassion for their victims or something. They were scumbags, all of them, but the killer must be put on trail.
A cold breeze sneaks into my office through the window that’s ajar. The sound of a siren follows. I rise to my feet, walk over to the window and breathe in the cold air. My skin feels hot like I have a fever, and this cold breeze gives me relief.
I return to my seat and prop my elbow on the desk.
My phone rings. I shove my hand into the pocket of my brown jacket and take it ou
t. I can’t recognise the number, but I answer the call.
“Detective Evelyn Smith?” a husky voice asks, sending consuming heat into my veins.
“Yes, it’s me on the phone.”
“I’m your new psychic, sweetheart.”
“Who sent you?” I growl, my mind hazy for some mysterious reason.
Gabriel never called me while I was in my office. In fact, I always called him. He said he’d give me another psychic, but the guy shouldn’t have called me while I’m at the police station. Officially, I don’t work with psychics.
“Gabriel said you’d need me,” the husky voice says. “I’m Coyote. Can we have lunch together or something?”
“In two hours?”
“I’ll pick you up from the police station.”
“Sure. See you then.”
“See you, Evelyn.”
I disconnect and put my phone back into my pocket. Something is wrong, but I’m so excited with the prospect of meeting my new psychic in person that I can focus only on putting pink lipstick on my lips and correcting the low bun made of my hair. Coyote has an alluring voice. This is the kind of voice that burns a memory into your mind and touches your very soul. My God, I feel as shaky as a teenage girl in love.
A light knocking on the door diverts my attention and one of the investigators walks in.
“Morning,” he says.
“Morning, Tony.”
His eyes travel to the folder spread on my desk. “Looks like a magical seven. No more corpses. No trace of our serial killer either. We’ll have to close the case if there’s no culprit or there are no more corpses.” Tony drops into the chair and puts two cups of coffee on my desk. “Fancy having lunch with me?” His pale green eyes gleam.
“I have other plans. Sorry.”
“Your plans are including that boy outside your office?” A wide grin crosses his asymmetric lips.
“What?” I rise to my feet, pushing the desk. It scrapes against the wooden floor as the cups wobble, spilling the coffee over the top. “What boy?”
“He said you were expecting him.” Tony chuckles, clearly having fun at my expense.
Tony is my cousin. He has funny freckles on his face and curly ginger hair. His round belly brings images of happy bears to one’s head. We grew up in one town and played in one playground. He married my best friend, Sandra, five years ago. Our mothers are sisters and our fathers are best friends. We’re one big family.
I rush over to the glass door and exit my office. Passing two desks, I look sternly at the female officers sitting at them and that cuts their giggles. My eyes travel to the tall figure standing in front of the double glass door that separates our offices from the interrogation rooms and the temporary holding cells. It’s a young man. He’s wearing a hoody, a pair of jeans and a cut. Right. He’s a biker. I’m not surprised at all.
My heart pounds in my chest as I move closer to him and my eyes meet the amber flame of his. I’ve never seen such beautiful eyes. They bring images of wolves to one’s head, and thick dark eyebrows frame them. He raises them and they form a line. Yes, he looks like a young beast. The man’s hair has an ash brown shade with a few auburn streaks. I think of an autumnal morning with the streaks of sunshine illuminating the carpet of fallen leaves.
My eyes slide to his hand holding a bouquet of red roses. My heart stops beating.
Chapter 3
Evelyn
“Coyote?” I mumble. My hand rises and I twine two wisps of hair around my fingers. “You’re Coyote, right?” I tuck the wisps behind my ear.
He nods. “I thought you might be hungry or something. We could have breakfast first and then lunch.” He flashes me a grin that’s fierce and boyish at the same time.
We shake hands. His palm is so hot it almost burns my skin. A tingle runs down my spine.
“I’m at work,” I say, smoothing a hand over my bun. Then a thought floats through my mind. So what? There’s no harm in taking a day off. My mind spins out of control, and I feel euphoric. I repeat to myself that I’m at work and force myself to say, “I’ll be free in two hours.”
He’s so young I feel my heart sink. He looks twenty-two at most. My God, I’m itchy like he’s going to be my boyfriend.
“I can wait,” he says and shoves the flowers into my hands. “I thought…Hope you like them.”
“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” The smell of roses invades my nostrils and diffuses into me like sweet intoxication.
“I can wait until you’re free to have lunch with me, no problem.”
“No, wait. I have a horrible cold.” I raise my voice so everyone can hear me, but I wink at Coyote. “I think I need to see a doctor. I have a very high fever. And shivers. Oh my God, it may be contagious.” I smooth the back of my hand across my forehead in a dramatic gesture and force myself to cough.
“Go,” Tony says behind me. “Or you’ll infect everyone in the office.”
I hear the officers murmur in dread.
Tony pats my shoulder and introduces himself to Coyote. They shake hands and Coyote gestures for me to go first. I exit the office as my feet dance. I feel so light. So drunk with happiness.
Coyote
She calls her HR and tells them she’s unwell as we make our way to the parking lot. The sound of a siren tears at the air, but five police vehicles remain in place. The police station stands opposite the ambulance station. It must be one of the ambulances then. There’s also a supermarket across the road and an old church built of grey stone that profiles behind it.
“So, you’re free, and I’m immune to all the bugs of the world,” I start.
“We need to talk.” Seriousness coats Evelyn’s voice. “You can’t just walk into my office and demand that I see you.”
“There’s a nice café across the road. We can sit and talk about the rules of our cooperation in there.”
“Sure. They have really nice food. I’ve been to that café twice.”
We walk over to a white building with two sash windows armed with blue shutters. The sign above the entrance reads The Sapphire’s Kiss.
Right. I’m gonna have breakfast with my mate.
Gabriel told me to be discreet, but I just couldn’t stop myself from seeing Evelyn as soon as possible.
Every day without her is like sheer torture. Not to mention my blue balls. My hand is useless and there’s more and more tension inside me. Only my mate could give me relief.
I open the black door of the café for her, and we walk inside it. We sit down at a round table dressed in blue and green. Evelyn puts the bouquet on the tabletop. She lowers her head and sniffs at the roses for a few seconds.
“So, you’re my new hocus-pocus guy, huh?” she says as she raises her eyes to mine and opens the menu.
“The case Gabriel was helping you with is closed. The scumbag is dead.” I put on the most serious of my expressions.
“Really?”
“I sensed him commit a suicide.”
She rolls her eyes. “Gabriel said the same as you.” She nods. “Okay.”
“We are professionals.”
“Of course you are.”
In fact, the Salvation Ghosts MC sorted the shit out. Aurora killed those seven men, but since she’s going to be Cael’s wife, we need to tell Evelyn a nice story, so that she won’t sniff around us. The police will have to close that case in some time due to the lack of evidence. Humans must remain oblivious.
A waitress comes to take our order. I order a glass of apple juice and the chef’s breakfast which is fried eggs, mushrooms, hash browns, sausages and tomatoes. Evelyn takes a cup of coffee and pancakes.
“You are a new asset to the Salvation Ghosts, right?” Evelyn asks. “You’re wearing their cut.”
“Yes, for a while.”
It was my president’s idea that I worked for Raphael’s club for a while. Kadmiel was more of my grandpa and less of my president when he suggested that, but I was going to ask him anyway. So, here I am, talking to Evelyn
about our newly-born cooperation.
She takes a deep breath. Her eyes roll back, and she shakes her head.
“Fuck,” she mumbles as she rubs the edge of her hand against her forehead.
“You okay, Evelyn?”
The pull is so strong that even I feel hazy while being around her. Not to mention my hard dick. I want to bend her over the table and fuck her raw. Make her mine forever. My wolf craves her body and her soul. My wolf wants to do horrible things to her.
But, I can’t mate with her. That could kill her.
“I’m fine,” she rasps. “You sure we haven’t met before? You look so familiar to me.”
“No,” I lie. “We didn’t know each other until today, I’m sure.”
I hate lying to her, but she’s very intelligent. Detectives must be intelligent after all. She knew too much so Uriel wiped a few memories away from her mind.
Humans must remain oblivious or there’ll be ripples and cracks and a lot of bad shit to clean up.
The waitress delivers our drinks to the table.
“We meet up in front of an old warehouse whenever I need you,” Evelyn says. “Nobody can find out about our cooperation. I’d lose my job, you know, and my reputation.”
“Don’t worry. Gabriel has taught me how to do this stuff.”
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.” She swallows thickly. “How’s Reagan?”
“Good.” I take a sip of my juice. “Pregnant and happy.”
Sadness clouds her eyes. She doesn’t look jealous or something, just sad. That sadness of hers creeps into me and wakes a wild, possessive animal inside me. I want to take this off her at all costs. I want to hold her in my arms until she feels happy.
I know Gabriel had banged her a few times before he met Reagan. It pisses me off each time I think about it even though I didn’t know Evelyn then.
“You and him,” I start. I’m jealous despite the undeniable pull between us. I knew we belonged to each other from the moment our glances met, always will even though we can’t mate. “Was that thing between you two serious?”
“No.” She shakes her head as dark redness paints her cheeks. “He’s just a friend to me. Always been just a friend. It’s just that…” She sighs and puts her elbows on the table. “I watch people marry, have kids, you know, live a happy life… never mind. You’re young. You don’t need to listen to an old witch’s moaning.” She takes a sip of her juice as her eyes wander off.
Coyote: Salvation Ghosts MC (Defiant Love Saga Book 2) Page 2