by Tasha Black
“Um, no.”
“What did you do?”
“I poured it.”
“Exactly. And did you have to think about it?”
“Of course not,” Ainsley said.
“That’s the problem,” Grace said. “It needs to come naturally to you. Try it now. Pretend you’re just throwing a softball, like in high school. Okay?”
“You don’t really think I can throw this stuff, do you?” Ainsley laughed out loud. “I can barely evoke it at all.”
“You can do anything you want, Ainsley. It’s your magic and you have plenty of it whenever the you-know-what hits the fan. Now just pitch it over to the watering can.”
Ainsley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It turned to steam in the cold air.
“No!” Grace admonished her. “No weird breathing, no stiff posture. Just throw it, like you’ve done all your life. Send that watering can back to the dugout!”
Ainsley laughed. The tension drained from her frame. Without a thought, she threw.
A perfect sphere of energy flew at the can, blue light trailing behind it like the tail of a comet.
The watering can fell over neatly with a small metallic crash as it hit the gate.
Ainsley saw the change in her friend’s expression a few seconds after she smelled the new presence approaching from the side yard.
She had to hand it to him, he was getting quieter.
Ainsley turned to see Julian standing at the gate, holding Camilla Parker Bowles in his arms. The little dog was trying to wrest herself out of his grasp. But he appeared not even to notice, he was so transfixed by the sight of Grace.
“Hey, Julian,” Ainsley called.
“Well done, Ainsley,” he said. “Have you been meditating?”
“Nope, just mixed in a little cottage magic,” she said. What did you think?”
“I think you have a fantastic teacher,” he said with a smile.
Grace looked down modestly, but her lips lifted slightly at the corners. Ainsley wondered if Julian would notice the dash of I-told-you-so.
CHAPTER 19
Grace’s heartbeat sped up and warmth flooded her cheeks.
She wasn’t ashamed. Julian had seen what Ainsley could do under her instruction. And when she had performed better under Grace’s tutelage than his own, he hadn’t been angry. He was a mature man, the real deal.
And he was hers.
By the time Grace shook her giddiness, Ainsley had already opened the gate. Julian put down the dog and headed over.
“I’ll grab the dog some water,” Ainsley said, heading up the steps to the house. “Be right back.”
Julian stood close to Grace. Too close.
“Hi,” she muttered shyly.
“Hi, yourself,” he said with an arched eyebrow. “Does Ainsley know?” he whispered.
She nodded.
“Is she okay with it?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t she be?” she asked coyly.
“Isn’t there some sort of code?” he asked.
“Sisters before misters?” she teased.
“Something like that,” he said.
“She doesn’t care. She has Erik.”
A strange look crossed Julian’s face. Not jealousy, but something dark.
“What?” Grace asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said, kissing her lightly on top of her head.
A shiver went through Grace. His slightest touch was capable of igniting her fiercest desire. She looked up to see him shake his head slightly.
When he caught her looking, he smiled ruefully at her. He must be feeling it too.
Before they could acknowledge their feelings, the back door closed and Ainsley came out. She bent over to put a metal mixing bowl down on the porch floor.
“Camilla Parker Bowles,” Ainsley called.
The little dog trotted over and sniffed at the bowl.
“Where was she?” Grace asked, looking at the dog.
“She was digging under the rhododendrons by the front porch. She probably got distracted by a chipmunk on her way home. She must feel odd being so close to her home, but not allowed in.”
“Ainsley, can you watch her today?” Grace asked. “I’ve got a double shift on call and I hate to leave her in a cage for so long.”
“Sure, Grace,” Ainsley smiled, then turned to Julian. “What brought you here, Julian?”
Grace’s best friend had become so direct since taking leadership of the pack.
“It’s not easy, but there’s something I need to come clean about. To both of you.”
“I knew it,” Ainsley said. “You’re gay.”
“It’s not that. Wait, what?” Julian stammered. “Why does everyone always-“
“I’m kidding,” Ainsley interrupted. “What’s on your mind?”
“It might be better if we sat down,” he suggested, motioning to the picnic table on the back porch.
Grace took a spot next to Ainsley, a hollow feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. Julian sat on the bench across from them. His jaw tensed. This wasn’t going to be good.
“Ainsley, Grace, I’m a member of an Order,” he began. “As such, I have been sworn to secrecy regarding certain matters. What I’m about to reveal to you would mean my life if my brothers knew. May I rely on each of you to keep my secret, no matter how you feel about me at the end of this conversation?”
The hush of the frigid breeze shivered through the trees. Grace shuddered in sympathy and shoved her hands into her coat pockets.
“Grace,” he turned to her. “You are a member of an Order yourself. And you are sworn to protect and to serve.”
“You mean the Tarker’s Hollow Police Department?” she asked.
“The Tarker’s Hollow Police Department is different from other police departments,” Julian said softly. “And my Order is unusual as well.”
“Are you with the FBI?” Grace asked.
“I’m with a magical order, Grace. An order that is sworn to protect the very evolution of mankind. I’m in Tarker’s Hollow for a reason. And that reason is not to teach Russian Lit.” He turned to Ainsley, “Though I do love the Russian masters, that part is real.”
“Why are you in Tarker’s Hollow?” Ainsley asked. Her voice sounded brittle to Grace.
Julian studied the grain in the wooden table. Then he looked up. His eyes were so intense Grace could hardly bear it.
“I want you to know that I respect and care for you both. Now that I know you and the pack, I intend to do all I can to help you.”
“Why. Are. You. Here.” Ainsley repeated. And Grace could see that her friend wouldn’t ask again, at least not with words.
“I belong to the Order of the Sanguis,” he replied.
Grace hadn’t taken Latin since high school, but she was pretty sure he was talking about blood.
“What does that mean?” She asked, hoping to stave off Ainsley’s fury.
“It means... I am trained to fight creatures of the darkness, that feed on the essence of the innocent.”
It was like a bad horror movie. For a minute, Grace wanted to giggle.
“Julian,” she said, trying to sound serious. “Are you talking about vampires?”
“For lack of a better word, yes,” he said. “Although probably not how you imagine them. It seems incredible, I know--”
“--yes, yes, it does,” Ainsley interrupted. “But in the context of the people sitting at this table, it isn’t. So what’s your deal? Why are you here?”
Julian paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He must have sensed the same anger that Grace sensed, too close the surface in Ainsley.
“The Order was formed a long time ago, with the sole purpose of protecting mankind from the Dark Ones. But recently we’ve had to increase our numbers. Our mission has become more urgent.”
“How recently?” Ainsley asked.
“I’m one of a wave of new recruits. I was brought onboard in 1892, hastily trained, and
sent into the field undercover.”
“Did you say you were brought onboard in 1892?” Grace heard herself ask.
“Yes,” he told her, and he gave her a sad little smile, which she couldn’t return.
“What happened in 1892?” Ainsley asked.
“Another Order was formed,” Julian wore a disgusted expression. “An Order that sought to bring back the Darkness we had all but banished. It is because of that Order’s presence in Tarker’s Hollow, and because of the gateway here, that I was sent to investigate.”
“What do you mean the gateway?” Ainsley asked.
“The Dark Elders were too powerful to kill outright, so they were entombed in inescapable prisons, each sealed by a powerful, magical gateway.” He looked at them both. “It’s a little more complicated than that, involving extra-dimensional space and some pretty high level quantum magic theory. But you get the picture, yes?”
Ainsley met his gaze.
“Are you trying to tell me that Charley Coslaw is a member of an ancient Order that busts vampires out of tombs?” she asked.
“In a nutshell, yes,” Julian said.
She stared him down and he gazed back at her, unblinking.
“And you chose to hide that information from me, knowing that my pack was in danger, that I was in danger?”
“I didn’t know it was him, Ainsley. Like your mother, Charley has powerful magic for shielding. He managed to muddy the water enough that I didn’t know who it was until he attacked you.”
“Garrett as well?” Ainsley asked.
Julian nodded.
“What else do I need to know?” Ainsley asked.
“Somewhere in this town is a gateway. Your parents and I were working together to discern the location before the accident, and-”
“Murder,” Ainsley interrupted. “There was no accident. My parents were murdered. Most likely due to their involvement with you.”
Grace put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Ainsley,” Julian said tentatively. “I’m so s-“
“No,” Ainsley cut him off again. “You don’t need to apologize. My parents risked their lives to protect the pack with you, just as I’m about to do. But we need to be clear on one thing first.”
Grace had never heard her sound so determined.
“You can keep playing your man of mystery routine, but when it comes to information regarding my pack, or the people that I love...”
Ainsley placed a hand atop Grace’s. Waves of power coursed near the surface.
“You will never keep secrets from me again.”
Grace had never been more thankful to have Ainsley on her side.
Julian swallowed and nodded in agreement.
“So what else to we need to know?” Grace asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Julian regained his composure quickly.
“Charley must have been worried the gateway was going to be disturbed,” he said. “Or he wouldn’t be moving so boldly. And Garrett certainly wouldn’t be here.”
“So we need to find this gateway,” Grace said, glad to be forming a plan of some sort. “Any idea where to start?”
She turned to Ainsley, who stared past them into the middle distance.
“Are you quite alright, Ainsley?” Julian asked. You look like you’ve seen a-”
“The field house,” Grace and Ainsley said in unison.
CHAPTER 20
Erik returned to the little house by the creek just as the sun began to dip behind the mountain, painting the sky a brilliant pink.
A quick stop at Rite Aid scored him the stuff he hadn’t been able to grab from home in his rush to escape Ophelia. He carried the plastic bags up the porch stairs and stepped over the toys to open the front door.
Zeke was playing video games in the living room. Erik could see LeeAnn’s hands caressing a glass of ice tea at the kitchen table, but the rest of her was hidden behind the arched wall.
“Hey, kid,” Erik said. “Hi, LeeAnn!”
He had almost reached the stairs when he heard her plunk the glass down. It was a hollow, awful sound.
He took a deep breath, turned around and headed back to the kitchen.
The small room was perfectly clean, but a sense of untidiness still hung in the air. LeeAnn sat at the round formica topped table, sipping at a mostly empty tea with a faraway look in her eyes.
Erik didn’t need his wolf senses to know the glass held more than iced tea.
He set his bags on the counter, pulled out a chair and sat down.
For a moment he was quiet, honoring her pain. He studied the cheerful floating coffee cups on the half curtains that framed the window. They seemed garish and silly compared to the poignant view of blue mountaintops beyond.
“What’s on your mind, LeeAnn?” he asked, in his best imitation of Michael Connor’s calming voice. Ainsley’s father had talked him through a rough patch or two.
She put the glass down on the table and traced the rim with a fingertip.
“Jake’s gone,” she said at length. “I don’t know what to do.”
Her voice was expressionless, yet it conveyed a depth of emotion that made it hard for Erik to breathe.
He glanced up at the bags, hoping the Dr. Phil book he’d tucked into one of them wasn’t visible as he scrambled to recall a quote that might be of some use.
“Life can seem like a long ride, LeeAnn, but remember that you are the driver. Every single day.”
He let the words hang in the air. In truth, he didn’t actually have a follow-up.
Just as he had resigned himself to the fact that, of course, the corny platitude had failed, LeeAnn’s nostrils flared slightly. She swiveled her head up from the tea to look at him.
“You’re right.” She nodded, more to herself than to him. “I need to stop sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. I need to get out there and get this town back on its feet. For Jake. For all of us.”
“Life rewards action,” Erik said, pulling from the book again.
LeeAnn was already on her feet, her drink forgotten. She made it as far as the archway, and then turned back.
“I’m glad you came to our town when you did, Dr. Jensen. We are going to need someone like you to get us through this.”
Erik felt a wave of benevolence sweep over him. Though he knew he was not a psychologist - he had just helped someone in need.
If he could just get them through until the pack had a proper alpha again, everything would be fine.
The thought sparked an important question.
“LeeAnn,” he asked carefully. “Have you talked to Mary about what happens next?”
She frowned.
“Jake and me never thought he’d be gone so soon.”
“She has no idea?” Erik asked.
“None,” LeeAnn said flatly.
Her eyes went to the iced tea on the table. Erik winced inwardly. She had been so close. Why did he have to bring up more difficulties?
LeeAnn picked up the glass and considered it for a moment, then she strode over poured it in the sink.
Good girl.
“Can you explain it to her?” she asked. “This is the kind of thing you’re trained for, right?”
“Uh, sure, I’ll talk to her,” Erik replied, wishing he’d quit while he was ahead.
“Great,” she said. “Mary’s in her room, reading.”
Now?
“I’m going to pick up the girls from karate class, then I’m going over to Patty’s. She’ll help me get the other wives on their feet and into action.” LeeAnn smiled at him, proudly. “Thank you, Dr. Jensen.”
With that, she marched to the door, stopping at the coat tree to grab a blue pullover.
“Half an hour more of video games, Zeke,” She said. “Then it’s homework time. Tell Mary to stick a pizza in the microwave, you hear?”
Zeke nodded, his little face awash in the bluish glow of the television.
“Good boy,” she called back to him
as she closed the front door behind herself.
Erik looked over at the boy, but he was engrossed in his game. That left Erik with no choice but to face the inevitable.
He headed up the stairs, unable to shake the feeling that he was about to face a firing squad. When he reached the top, he remembered to knock.
“Yeah?” Mary said, in a surly soprano.
“It’s Erik, can I come in?”
“Sure,” she replied in a suddenly softer more agreeable voice. Oh geez. The crush. Girls this age were impossible.
Erik opened the door. The small room barely had space for a bed and a dresser, forcing him to stand with his knees against the mattress as he looked down at the girl.
Mary sat Indian style, a quilt spread over her legs to combat the chill. Her blonde hair hung loose around he face. Like before, he’d caught her with her nose in a book, only this time, she’d put it down in her lap so he could read the title.
How I Live Now.
“I heard that was good,” Erik said, hoping to break the ice a little before moving to the heavy stuff.
She nodded.
Her finger still held her place, but she didn’t seem to want to break eye contact with him long enough to locate the bookmark by her knee.
“How are you getting along, Mary?” he asked.
So much for easing into it.
She sighed, looked down, and found the bookmark. She placed it in the book, then closed it and began to caress its spine in a way that reminded Erik of how her mother had stroked the glass that held more than just tea.
He didn’t blame either of them for looking for an escape, however brief.
“It’s probably a sin,” she said finally. “But I don’t feel much different.”
“I understand,” he said. “When you’re fifteen, you can feel pretty invisible.”
The look on her face told him that wasn’t the response she’d been expecting.
Before he had time to chicken out, he gestured to the edge of the bed.
“Okay, if I sit for a minute?” he asked.
She nodded at him, her eyes, actually quite lovely now that they had regained some life, never leaving his.
He eased himself down on the very edge of the bed, trying hard not to make it seem weird.