Mike looked thoughtful for a moment, and then clapped me on the back, “Drink that beer before it gets cold.”
We chatted about normal stuff for a few minutes then, until we were called to the table. I could tell Sierra had taken to Jenna, and could also tell that fact had surprised her more than it did me.
I decided the best shot I had at healing Jenna without being noticed was an extremely slow and steady approach, I could even numb around the area I was working although she would feel a slight tugging at times, even if it didn’t hurt. It seemed to be working, she made a few faces and had squirmed a little once or twice, but she didn’t look alarmed.
I actually got finished about halfway through the meal despite the distraction of keeping up with the conversation. Not that I minded that distraction, I was having a good time. At least I was until the inevitable awkward questions.
Jenna asked with a smile, “So how did you two meet?”
I didn’t know what to say, Sierra however just went with the blunt truth.
“He saved my life.”
Jenna sat back a little in surprise and asked, “What happened?”
Sierra and I shared a look and she turned back and said, “I was being held against my will actually about nine months ago. He got me back to my family safely and never asked for a thing. A few days ago we ran into each other… and I’m really glad we did.”
Jenna just about melted, luckily she didn’t ask any follow up questions. I could feel Mike’s penetrating gaze but shrugged it off. I’d already told him to ask me again if he wanted to know.
As dinner wound down Jenna got around to the point of tonight’s little gathering.
“You know we’ve been trying to have children for years. I’m… I tried just about everything, including alternative medicines and treatments. Nothing helped though. So… we’re thinking we are going to adopt.”
I… had no idea what to say to that, the universe is such an absurd place sometimes. I couldn’t exactly tell her she was pregnant now. Eventually though, I opened my mouth and made it work.
“You’ll both make great parents, have you already started?”
She nodded and gushed a little, “It takes weeks, if not months. We filled out the initial paperwork and we’re still waiting to hear back, but I don’t think there will be any problems. It’s a long process, but I’m excited about it.”
She held up her wine and toasted family, it was all I could do not to knock the glass of alcohol out of her hand and keep a smile on my face. I was happy for her though, and I wondered if they’d adopt anyway when she finally found out she was pregnant. I wouldn’t have bet against it. The rest of the night we talked about how hard it was to adopt nowadays, and all they had to go through to get it done.
I felt a little nervous as Sierra and I went back to my apartment, we’d both had a great time. We were both in a good mood and all the troubles of the last few days simply felt far away in the moment, so I decided now was the time to take a chance. Our date had gone really well, so why not?
When we got back to the apartment I turned to her and caressed her cheek slowly, giving her plenty of time to back out before I leaned in and kissed her, like I’d been wanting to do for over a day now. I wondered not for the first time if she could hear my racing heart, or my breath pick up when she was touching me.
The truth was, she was just as lost in me as I was in her. I could see it in her eyes, the same longing that burned inside me. The desire between us was almost palpable as our first tender kiss turned more passionate, and she felt so good in my arms. I just felt right. She joined me in my bedroom then, and the intimacy that followed was incomparably better than I could ever have imagined…
Chapter 17
Saturday, May 21st, 2016, 07:44 AM
I woke up with a smile on my face, which lasted until I moved my arms through the emptiness next to me, and realized Sierra had gotten up already. For some reason I couldn’t pin down that bothered me. I felt her in the kitchen so I rolled out of bed and jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. When I got downstairs there was a pile of scrambled eggs, at least a pound of bacon, and ten pieces of toast.
Sierra had already showered, and was wearing a more conservative sundress, it was aqua blue with flowing purple and white designs on it. She looked great in it of course. Sierra smiled up at me from her seat at the table, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, had I done something wrong? I was a lot more confident in most things, but women still confused me for the most part, and I was pretty sure things had gone well last night, really well from my point of view, so… I was really wishing my power would work on her so I’d know what was going on in her head right now.
“Morning, I was starving so got up to make breakfast. I thought I’d let you sleep a little longer.”
“It looks good, thanks,” I said as I poured myself a coffee.
I grabbed a plate of food and sat at the table. The last few meals we’d shared, there was a comfortable silence as she consumed her pile of food, this morning’s silence however was… strained. I wracked my brain trying to figure out if I’d done something, or if this was more about her, but came up blank. I supposed I could just ask, but I thought maybe it would be best to let her work through whatever had wigged her out this morning.
Or maybe the sorcerer in question was just a big coward, I had to admit that last one was a possibility, but my powers were talking to me about other things than my personal life, and the day had a heavy feel to it. I also needed to be in my office by nine today for some reason. With my new understanding of my abilities, I tried to pull more information, and figure out why I needed to be there. But it didn’t work, maybe because I didn’t have a solid connection to whatever would happen?
I still had a lot to learn.
When breakfast ran down, it was a little after eight, and I let Sierra know about me needing to be at the office.
She nodded and asked, “Katie is okay? She’d have started her day by now.”
“She’s fine right now, if Karl has someone watching it may take time before they can all get there and take the bait.”
Sierra looked thoughtful for a moment, “You’re right, I’m just worried about her. Both her and Selene were both like mothers, or maybe older sisters to me when I joined the pack.”
Huh, maybe I was just self-absorbed, and Sierra’s seeming distance this morning wasn’t about me at all, but worry for Katie. It was quite a while later, after we cleaned up the kitchen, had a second cup of coffee, and were about halfway to my office that I realized that thought was a false hope. If Sierra was just nervous about Katie, her werewolf instincts would have had her wanting tactile comfort from one of her family or me. My stomach sank as I realized she hadn’t touched me once this morning, as usual for me things were ending before they even really got started…
Aitheria sent in exasperation, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and ask the wolf girl what’s wrong.”
I shot Aitheria a look, but decided to take that advice and ask her what was going on when we were in private, I didn’t want to open a can of worms in public, but we’d barely sat down in my office when I heard the door open, followed by tentative footsteps to my office. I should have asked her what was wrong back in the apartment.
A young woman came in, she had short jet black hair, brown eyes, and a pierced nose. She was wearing jeans and a band t-shirt, and had a nervous and distrustful look on her face. When she spoke her voice was very confrontational.
“Your Ben Edwards, the psychic detective?”
I nodded slowly and relaxed back into my desk chair, I hoped that might put her at ease, “What can I do for you?”
She shook her head, “I was adopted as a baby, I want to find my real parents.”
I gestured at the seat, she looked over at Sierra nervously, and then decided to accept my offer and sat down.
“Name?”
She smirked, “Shouldn’t you know already?”
I laughed, �
�You’d be surprised how often I hear that.”
She blew out a breath and seemed to relax a little then, “Sally, Sally Callahan. Though that’s my adoptive parents last name. They’re good to me, I just need to know…”
I nodded, “I charge five hundred a day, is that going to be a problem?”
I hated asking for money, but it was a business after all.
She shook her head and took out an envelope and handed it to me. I looked inside and there was a check for five hundred in there. I wasn’t worried about it taking more time or money, after all I’d learned all the information I needed as soon as I laid eyes on Sally. I wouldn’t tell her that of course, she’d probably freak out. I also knew it was her adoptive mother’s check, and that the woman knew about it.
“Alright, how can I contact you when I have the information?”
She gave me her e-mail address and telephone number, which I dutifully wrote down. I wrote her a receipt for the payment and handed it over.
“I’ll contact you as soon as I know something.”
She nodded dubiously, “Thanks,” and stood up and left.
Sierra was studying me with a conflicted look on her face. I had every intention to get to the bottom of what was bothering her, and even back off from our relationship if I had to, though that would hurt. But before I could I felt anger through the link to Katie. I concentrated on it, and saw in Katie’s thoughts she was under attack. It seemed the universe was conspiring against me. With that absurd thought, I jumped up and pulled Sierra out of the chair.
I mumbled, “Katie,” in explanation at her angry questioning look, and followed the magical connection I’d formed with Katie. As soon as I had a good look at Katie’s surroundings, I had my magic move us there and the world turned into a blur…
Chapter 18
Saturday, May 21st, 2016, 09:18 AM
Werewolves weren’t as fast as vampires, but they were still damned fast. I had to balance my need to keep up with what was happening, but not go so fast it caused me to pass out. It also didn’t make me any stronger, I would fight with magic, the speed was mostly about perception. I sped myself up, and then took a look at the situation. Sierra was already changing as the eight wolves attacked a lone wolf in front of me. Katie was fighting hard, and obviously trying to do enough damage to escape.
I recognized who each of them were, even in wolf form from the information I’d gotten on their pack.
I wasn’t sure where Clint and Gerald were, but they had to be incoming by now, they were only stationed a half mile away. I surrounded myself in a shield of air and then sent tight compact balls of air flying at one of the wolves surrounding Katie. It took her in the side and the wolf went flying across the field with a pained yelp. If she came back, I’d have to kill her, or maybe trap her somehow?
Sierra took one off guard with a lunge and took its throat and she shook her head violently, snapping the neck. One dead wolf. We had the advantage of surprise, and also the fact the pack had been torturing Katie, but with one of their number dead the other pack started to attack in earnest, no longer just playing a sick game.
I knocked two more across the field with air, and Sierra was fighting with the beta of the other pack, Billy. Katie managed to take a second wolf down, and then the fighting seemed to pause as the howls of other wolves approaching were heard, and I felt Clint and Gerald enter my range of connected air. The invading pack broke at that point, having had enough, and ran for the trees.
One of the wolves I’d hit got up and followed, the other two were still, knocked out from my blows. Clint ran straight to his mate and sniffed Katie, who had more than a few shallow wounds and was now lying on her side with the fight over. I walked over and knelt at her side, and studied the wounds with my magic, and then healed her, although it took a good minute or two.
I checked Sierra, and she was fine. She changed then and angrily pulled her dress on as I wrapped the unconscious wolves in air and pulled them toward us across the field.
She stalked over to me, “Why didn’t you kill them!”
I looked at her sadly, we were so happy last night, and I felt something break between us. Sure, I wasn’t in love with her yet I didn’t think, but the feelings I had for her were still deep, and she was in my heart. But there she stood, she was actually shaking with the effort not to attack me.
“I couldn’t kill all of them, it happened too fast.”
What I said was mostly true, I could have sped my body up to the point they were barely moving, but leaving myself helpless afterwards was something I wouldn’t do ever again.
She growled, “I meant the three you hit, those two right there, and the one that got away.”
Katie, Gerald, and Clint didn’t seem all that angry with me about it, unlike Sierra, but they didn’t exactly look pleased either. The way Sierra was looking at me actually hurt, so I looked away and walked over to the two wolves and spoke without looking at any of them.
“I’d have killed if I had to, but I didn’t. I was focused on taking the wolves about to attack Katie from behind, and if one of those had been Karl or Billie, I’d have killed them. These two, Carrie and Todd, are virtually slaves under Karl’s power. I could save them without endangering the pack, or myself, so I did.”
I turned and looked at her, my face now angry, “Carrie is their mystic, with her help Selene can break their hiding spells. She’s not only a mystic, but also was the omega in the pack, she loathes Karl and what she’s been forced to do. If I told you even half of what I know about what Karl has forced on her… it wasn’t good. Todd also hates Karl, but can’t fight the pack bond.
“Those two lying dead in the grass, Paul and Steven. Steven was kind of a bad apple, but Paul wasn’t. I understand they had to die, two wolves fighting is kill or be killed. But that is not so for me. I can disable without killing, and not endanger the pack or me.”
I looked down at the ground and turned, not wanting them to see the sheen of unshed tears in my eyes. Sierra had still looked angry, but not quite so righteous about it. I went over the last few days in my mind, had I been looking through rose colored glasses? And what the hell had turned Sierra against me today, first she looks like she regretted what we did, didn’t even want to touch me, and now I doubted she’d even piss on me if I was on fire. I was second guessing my decision to ally, they seemed all about family, at least until they’d turned on me.
I gathered my magic with angry will. I reached hard and my hundred-foot bubble expanded half as large again, the power increase was even greater as the area was increased by much more than just half. I was now connected to a half sphere a hundred and fifty feet out in all directions but down. I surrounded them all with magic. Clint, Gerald, Katie, Sierra… even the knocked out wolves Carrie and Todd, and I willed the air to take them to the pack house.
I stayed in the field, not sure what to do next. I looked around at the blood on the ground and the dead wolves, and decided a little cleanup was in order. I turned it all to dust with my fire. I thought about just giving up on it and going home, but I dismissed that. I wasn’t a five-year-old who ran home after getting his feelings hurt on the playground. I still needed to stop Karl and the rest of the pack, and not just for my supposed alliance with Derik’s pack, but because Karl’s a murdering bastard.
It was the reason I’d started this in the first place, not necessarily to help the pack, but simply to stop Karl and his murder spree. It was still early in the day, not even ten yet, and I could decide later if I wanted to back out of being a pack ally. The decision was too important to be made in a fit of emotion.
Aitheria didn’t seem inclined to offer any advice. She may have been a woman, but she was also made of spirit and magic, not flesh and blood. I wasn’t sure how big a difference that would make, but she was silently watchful as always, and faithfully at my side watching my back. There was a certain comfort in that.
An even better reason not to back out in anger, was what if Sierra had anoth
er reason to be mad at me, and she just picked the wolves I let live to start a fight? The more I considered that the more likely it seemed, since the other three hadn’t been nearly as upset about it after all. I shook my head in disgust. Sierra and my personal entanglement was definitely making the issue more complicated, last night had been amazing, and I hated the fact I was starting to regret it even happened. I got tired of trying to break the circle of my thoughts, I wouldn’t figure anything out standing here by myself, so I gathered magic around me, and went to Derik’s backyard.
I opened my eyes when the movement stopped, and took in the scene. Both Carrie and Todd were awake, and completely surrounded by the pack’s nine members. They were both still and facing Derik, who looked at them sternly, but not unkindly. It looked like a staring contest to me, but I knew there was more to it, but I couldn’t feel their earth magic.
Maybe he was trying to overcome their pack bonds and free them? I wasn’t sure. No one looked my way, so I just stayed silent and watched. Carrie started to tremble, and then passed out. Todd lasted a couple of minutes longer, until he too passed out. The pack seemed to relax then, and Derik looked at me and gave me a welcoming nod with a smile on his face.
Katie came over and touched my arm, so apparently I wasn’t in the doghouse and still an ally, except of course with Sierra who I noticed didn’t even look my way.
Katie said, “I think I’m done playing bait, can you… remove that spell?”
I nodded and pulled the magic back, “It’s done.”
Katie looked thoughtful for a moment, “Thank you for saving me, and for healing me. I think it would have gone differently without you and Sierra there. Sierra… I’ve never seen her act that way, and I’m sorry for what she said. What you did for those two was a kindness. I think… you should speak to her, and work out whatever happened between you two. Keep in mind werewolves like to know where they stand, it comes from that whole thing about knowing where we stand in the pack. If it means anything, I think the two of you look good together. Outside of this morning, I’ve never seen her look at anyone like the way she looks at you.”
Sorcerer: Trouble with Werewolves: Power of Air Book 2 Page 10