Jazz's greeting wasn't sympathetic. "What the hell happened the other night?"
"Nothing."
"Bullshit. You were so happy you were practically bursting with it. Felt so good I shared it with the other women in the pack." That got Livvy's attention, but the Mate didn't laugh at the comical look of eyebrows raised almost to the hairline. "Oh, don't look so horrorstruck. I didn't tell 'em who it came from, but I can tell ya this; there were more than a few wolvers the next morning who were happier than pigs in shit. Then wham." She clapped her hands together. "Your heart cried out so hard it woke me up, which by the way, I didn't appreciate since I had a late night, too. Now what the hell happened that sent you from heaven to hell in a heartbeat?"
"Nothing." It wasn't a lie. Everything that happened in her life since she left Gilead had come to nothing but failure after failure.
"Bull..." The Mate began, and then pressed her lips together in a frown. "You're making me break my promise to clean up my language. Let's try this another way. Did Brad do something to you?"
Like make her feel alive? Like make her feel the joy of the run and the magic of the moon? Like make her understand that as hard as she'd tried not to, she'd always loved Brad Seaward and always would.
"Nothing," Livvy answered bleakly. It wasn't a lie. Brad had done nothing that she didn't deserve.
"Did he say something to you?"
Livvy couldn't lie to the Mate. "Yes." She hesitated. "Kind of. Maybe."
"What did he say?"
Reluctantly, Livvy told her.
"Well, shit," Jazz said sounding more disgusted than surprised. She tapped Livvy's knee. "Scootch over. I need to sit down." When she was settled on the bunk, she said, "Tell me again. What did he say? Not what you thought you heard or what you thought he meant. His exact words."
"Those were his exact words." Livvy would never forget them.
The Mate shook her head. "That's just wrong."
If asked, Livvy would have said she had no tears left, but she would have been wrong about that, too. One last droplet slipped from the corner of her eyes and splashed against her hands hooked tightly together in her lap.
"No," she whispered. "It wasn't wrong. It was what I deserved."
Like a heated blanket around her shoulders, Livvy felt the Mate's warmth and comfort envelope her.
"That isn't what I meant," she said, giving Livvy's knee a squeeze. "What did Brad say when you called him on it?"
"I didn't call him on it. I didn't do anything. I couldn't." It was hard to speak when you couldn't breathe through the pain. "It was pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not a mind reader and neither are you." With another knee squeeze, the Mate rose. "You need to talk to him."
"Why, so he can tell me the same thing again? No thanks, I'm not into self-inflicted pain. The Brad and Livvy story was just a teenaged dream that died a long time ago. I know. I killed and buried it, and I was a fool to think I could dig it up and make it breathe again."
"Failure isn't the killer of dreams, Livvy Dawson. It's the fear of it that does the killing. You think on that," Jazz said as she moved toward the door. "And while you're thinking, get that ass of yours up and moving. You've got better things to do than sit here moping. You've got a list to finish." She turned the knob, paused, and looked back.
"Broken hearts can be mended," she said.
"Tony Carmichael said that, too," Livvy sniffed.
Jazz chuckled. "Looks like there's hope for that handsome devil yet."
Livvy snickered. It was as close to a smile as she'd come since leaving Brad's bed. "He also said that all it takes is the right tool and the right guy using it."
"Now that sounds more like Tony," the Mate laughed. "Personally, I would have said the right guy and a little magic. I mean where's the romance in a tool, right?"
Livvy was surprised at that. She'd never seen their practical and no-nonsense Mate as a romantic, or a believer in magic and while she respected and admired Doc Goodman, no one would call their Alpha a hearts and flowers kind of wolver. Even Jazz called him Griz, short for Grizzly bear.
Jazz looked like she was about to say something else but instead, cocked her head to listen. "That's Donna's Subaru pulling in the drive. Ellie's out and Donna knows it. I'll hold her off as long as I can, but if you're smart, you'll get your ass in that shower and come out looking sassy." She winked. "One less thing for her to bite your tail over."
There was no better motivation to get moving than Aunt Donna coming for a visit. Unfortunately, there weren't enough minutes to prepare.
Chapter 17
Donna swooped in like a giant bird of prey. With the speed of a predator in flight, she zeroed in on the short hallway and went soaring in for the kill. The Mate, being the only obstacle obstructing the woman's path, was left with no choice but to stand aside or be bowled over.
"Where is she?"
Scurrying down the hallway with clean clothes clutched to her chest, Livvy froze like a rabbit in a barren field. It was too late. There was no escape. Arms spread like wings, fingers curled like talons, Donna descended on her target and enveloped Livvy in a bone crushing hug.
"When I get my hands on that no account wolver, I'll do more than draw blood. I'll shred him, and feed the bits to Miz Ezzy's boys." While Mama's exaggerated threats were never taken seriously, with her Aunt Donna's, Livvy was never quite sure.
"Miz Ezzy won't let her boys eat meat," she squeaked against her aunt's substantial chest. Miz Ezzy was a confirmed vegetarian, an unheard of anomaly among a species of meat eaters.
"I'll do it while the crazy old bat is out diggin' roots and collectin' acorns for her supper. She'll never know."
The Mate laughed and raised her hand in farewell. "Now that I know she's not after your blood, Livvy, I'm outa here. And Donna, if you've got plans to feed Brad Seaward to the worms, I'd recommend you do it after dark. See ya."
Donna grunted a noncommittal response. She released her niece from the hug only to grip her by the shoulders and peer into her face.
"You look like hell. Now get in that bathroom and clean yourself up and don't come out until you've got a smile plastered on your face."
"I don't feel much like smiling," Livvy told her. "I'm tired of pretending my life is a bowl of cherries when it's really a crock of..."
"Your life is what you make it, and that bowl is what you choose to fill it with. And I don't give one hoot or holler how you 'feel', you're gonna practice that smile until you can make it look real. You got half of Gilead out there feeling sorry for poor, pitiful, little Livvy Dawson, that sweet little pup they all know and love, and I won't have it. You hear me? You're not poor, you're not pitiful, and while you don't have much size to ya, you're damn sure not a pup anymore. You're as strong as any female in our family ever was. Time you started showing it. Now git, while I go find you something to eat before you waste away."
Livvy watched her aunt stomp down the hall muttering about Livvy withering away with only milk to drink and wondering why Ellie put up with such nonsense. She shook her head and went into the bathroom to do as she was told.
Oddly, Donna's backhanded pep talk worked where Mama's sympathy didn't. Being treated like a pup was one of her main reservations about returning to Gilead and yet here she was acting like one. As much as she'd denied it, Livvy had come back to Gilead to crawl back into the comfort of childhood. It was safe. She was pack. They wouldn't turn her away.
She couldn't blame her mother for it. Like most wolver females, Mama was fiercely protective of her young. Wasn't it Daddy who always said, "They're not pups anymore, El." to which Mama usually replied, "They'll always be my pups, Tom."
Lathering her hair with shampoo, Livvy started to laugh. And wasn't it a kick in the pants that it was her aunt who made her aware of it; Donna, who couldn't let her grown son leave the house without making sure his coat was zipped, who couldn't let poor little Joey become the grownup Joe, a wolver capab
le of finding his own mate without his Mama's guidance and approval. Obviously, it was motherhood that was to blame. It was a flaw that was easy to see in others, but not so easy when it came to yourself.
She dried and dressed and combed her hair and went into the kitchen with teeth and gums bared.
Donna glanced up and snorted. "Ain't seen a smile on you that ugly since you were six. Every time your Daddy said smile for the camera, that's what he got. If that's the best you can do, then best not do it at all. Now sit yourself down and eat your sandwich. We got things to do."
Thinking of the Mate's list, Livvy said, "I already have plans."
"If you're planning on trackin' down that wolver of yours, I already tried. He ain't there. Your brother and Stan were. They said he ain't been around for more'n twenty minutes at a time. He's takin' almost every call that comes in and paying them to answer the phone, radio him the messages, and pull apart those junkers he's got out back."
"I wasn't going to track anyone down, and he's not my wolver."
"More fool him and more fool you." Donna tossed two cookies on her plate. "You need the sugar," she said around the bite she took of the third. She threatened Livvy with what was left. "You two need to sit down, get yourselves sorted, then kiss and make up."
Welcome to the world of Aunt Donna. "Twenty minutes ago you wanted to hunt him down and shred him."
"What I want and what you need are two different things. One's got nothing to do with the other. Get a move on there. I don't got all day," she said as she left the room. She immediately returned with Livvy's coat, hat, gloves, and a new pair of boots. "Here, put these on. Merry Christmas, and next time don't forget to take them off before you shift," she said of the boots.
"Thank you." The boots were warm and snug and fit perfectly.
"No thanks needed. Where do you keep your car keys?"
Livvy pulled them out of her pocket. "Here. Why?"
"We're taking your car. Why else." She took the keys. "I'm driving. Now get a wiggle on. We don't have all day."
It was Donna who caused the delay. No sooner had she opened the driver's door than she was headed back to the house, taking the keys with her. "I'll be right back," she called and a few minutes later, she was. It wasn't until they passed the Alpha's house that she explained.
"I forgot to leave a note for Ellie. Don't want her thinkin' you run off to drown yourself. Poor woman's got enough to worry about."
"I was never going to drown myself," Livvy huffed. She was miserable, not suicidal.
"Try telling that to your mama. She worries herself silly about you cubs. I keep telling her she's got to let you cubs go and make your own mistakes. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it," she quoted. "Old King Solomon was right, you know. Ellie needs to learn that."
"Pot and kettle," Livvy snickered.
"What's that?"
"You and Mama. Pot calling the kettle black. Or maybe it's what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Whatever, when it comes to letting go, you two are peas in a pod." She started to laugh. "Yeah, that's the one I was looking for. Only when it comes to letting go, you're the blacker pea," she said, purposely mixing metaphors. She thought she was pretty clever until she caught Donna's fierce look.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked hastily. Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask.
"Down to Martin's Market to pick up supplies for the skating party, that's where." Donna sounded like she was ready to bite someone over that, too.
"Skating party?"
"Yes, skating party. Where you been? Oh, never mind," she immediately corrected. "I know where you been. Your Uncle Harvey signed us up to chaperone the cubs while the adults went over the moon. RJ and Opal are taking the pups to their place for a sleep over. Ten and ups are going up to White Owl pond. Brad and your brother rebuilt the shelterhouse last summer and Harvey got the bright idea it was time we used it."
Something about this wasn't right. Uncle Harvey never volunteered for anything. Why should he when Donna volunteered them for almost everything? Almost, because she never volunteered them to do anything on the nights of the full moon.
"Why would he do that? You two love going over the moon." Loved it so much, Livvy used to find it embarrassing.
"To step on my tail, that's why," Donna snapped. "He said it was time I started thinking about fussing over Joey's pup instead of Joey."
"Holy crap! Joe's mated?"
If looks could kill, Donna's would have. "Not yet, he ain't. But it looks likely," she added sullenly. "Harvey put his foot down and said he'd had enough. He said Julie seems like a good match and Joey was old and wise enough to know his own mind and listen to his wolf."
It finally added up. "Joe's bringing her here to run with the pack, isn't he?" Donna's look was answer enough. "That's a good thing, Aunt Donna." It meant his mother hadn't yet succeeded in driving him away. "Maybe he wants her to like it here, like us. Maybe he wants to bring her home. Wouldn't it be nice to have Joe's pups living here where you and Uncle Harvey could spoil them every day?"
"You sound like your mother," Donna complained. "Always looking at the bright side."
Then she was on the right track. "Isn't Julie a teacher?"
"Teacher's aide, though she says she's going to school to be the real thing." Her aunt sounded doubtful.
"Either way, she'll probably want to keep working after the pup is born," Livvy reasoned. "She'll need someone she can trust to watch over him while she's at school."
As Livvy had hoped, the idea of another wolver to boss around made Donna stop and think. "She would, wouldn't she?"
"Yep, and wouldn't Joe be thrilled to know his pup was being cared for by the best Grandma in the world." Livvy was laying it on thick, but Donna seemed to be soaking it up. "You wouldn't be losing him. You'd be adding on. Of course, it would all depend on whether Julie liked you or not. I mean, would you have left Joey with someone who hated you?"
Donna didn't answer which Livvy took to be a good sign.
They pulled into the parking lot where Martin's Market took up one end and The Tooth and Fang took up the other. In between was a strip of smaller storefronts that housed the small hair salon where Hannah worked as a nail tech, a Laundromat, and Doc Goodman's clinic where he treated patients, both wolver and human, several days a week. The smaller stores and clinic were closed, so there were very few cars on that thin strip of parking lot. There were four in front of the Market and one of those belonged to Shelly Martin.
Shelley was behind the counter handing a customer her change. She glanced over at their entrance and then her eyes returned to the convex mirror in the back corner of the store where six leather jacketed figures poked through the coolers at the back and prowled down the snack aisles. Change in hand, the customer scurried out.
Rather than saying hello or going directly to the counter, Donna grabbed one of the small shopping baskets by the door. She took hold of Livvy's arm and steered her away from Shelly and far away from the group who were obviously rogues from the hill on other side of the road.
They were laughing and shoving each other, and making a mess of the shelves. Whatever they didn't want was dropped to the floor. They stomped on bags of chips and laughed hysterically when they popped. A beer can fell or was thrown to the floor and sprang a leak. The release sent it spinning and skidding across the back aisle, eliciting another burst of hilarity.
Livvy wanted to say something, but at Donna's tightening grip on her arm and warning glance, she held her tongue. She watched while they loaded the counter with their purchases and noted how their jackets bulged.
"Well look who we have here, boys," one of them said as if noticing Livvy and her aunt for the first time. He walked up to them. "Fresh meat." He peered more closely at Livvy. "Don't I know you?" His voice was abnormally coarse and abrasive, as if the vocal chords had been damaged. A scar stretched the skin from forehead to cheek, disfigurin
g one eye.
"Leave us alone," Donna told him.
"Nobody's talking to you, bitch," said another.
"That's Sec's piece. I heard she ran off." A third wolver walked up the aisle while a fourth headed toward them from the back, cutting off their retreat.
"Finally saw the chicken shit for what he is, huh?"
The others made clucking noises.
"His name's not Sec and he's no coward," Livvy said in spite of the tourniquet grip Donna's fingers applied to her arm. No one could call Brad Seaward a coward. Not while she was around to hear it. "You're the shit," she snarled.
The rough voiced rogue's laugh sounded more like a dry cough. "Damn right I am, sweet meat. Why don't you stop by on the full moon so I can show ya."
"I'd rather stay home and drink curdled milk."
He made a rude gesture at his crotch. "Won't be curdled, sweet meat."
"Cop," said the one closest to the windows.
At the appearance of the Deputy Sherriff's car, the group disappeared out the door, but not before the last one in line gave Shelly a friendly smile and wave. "You be careful now, hear?"
The deputy didn't come in, but followed the two rogue cars up the road. Livvy watched them until they were out of sight. Donna was already picking up the larger pieces, replacing what could be put back on the shelves and piling up what couldn't. Shelly ducked into the back and returned with a broom and dust pan.
"We should have flagged him down," Livvie said. She took the broom from Shelly and started to sweep.
"And tell him what?" Shelly asked. She was a plump and pretty wolver, red haired and fair skinned with sun kissed cheeks. She looked to be hardly more than a girl, though she and her mate had a daughter the same age as Tommy. Her pretty cheeks, however, were now reddened with shame and her normal welcoming smile was absent. "That six men stole fifty dollars' worth of junk food? What good would that do when there are at least six more of them up at that camp? That's not enough to put them away for more than a night and their friends would destroy this place before the cell door opened."
Shifter's Magic (The Wolvers Book 8) Page 18