by Kimbra Swain
“You make it look beautiful.”
“Damn, Mark.”
He laughed. “I know, but it’s the truth.” He reached out and touched the compass which hung just below the notch in my neck. My key still hung down around my neck, but it was below the neckline of my shirt as I always wore it. “You know that no matter where you go, there are people here that love you. Home may end up being somewhere else, but Shady Grove is always a good alternative.”
“Shady Grove will always be home,” I assured him.
“I gotta run. Pack meeting tonight,” he said.
“Good luck.”
“I don’t need luck.” It was the first arrogant thing I’d ever heard him say, but it was the truth. Mark would navigate his world, and I would mine. In the end, we might end up in the same place. Either way, I knew that we had an understanding. I loved Mark Maynard, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. But deep inside, I didn’t feel like he was the end game for me.
He shifted into a burst of fur and ran off into the woods. As I walked back to the house, I heard him howl, and it made me smile.
I walked inside to find Levi and my mom standing in the kitchen cooking something that smelled great.
“Are you making spaghetti?” I asked. Mom knew it was my favorite.
She wore cut-off blue jean shorts and a t-shirt that said, “Trailer Park Queen.” I pointed at it and laughed.
“Yes, it’s spaghetti, and Levi got me the shirt. I felt obliged to wear it,” she said, which meant she loved it. I gave Levi a thumbs up. Kyrie sat at the piano with Killian. I walked over to watch my brother playing only to find that Kyrie was playing with him.
“You play?” I asked.
“No,” Kyrie responded, but continued to duet with Killian who tried to change the tempo on Kyrie, but he caught on quickly. I watched them and laughed each time Killian tried to trip him up. Eventually, he did, but I knew Killian had just been toying with Kyrie.
We sat down to a large family dinner. Aydan brought Isabella, and Callum brought Michael. I was surprised to see them still together. They never seemed like a match to me. Kyrie had noticed the necklace, as had the rest of my family, but no one asked about it. They all knew who had given it to me.
We said our goodbyes after dinner. Uncle Levi opened a portal with his sword, and we stepped through to my apartment. Kat and Cat sat on the couch. Neither of them moved when we walked in. I knew they knew we were there, but cats. I walked to the kitchen counter and popped open a bottle of red wine from the orchards of Summer. Both felines bounded off the couch as I poured it into their bowl.
“What is this?” Cat asked.
“It smells delicious,” Kat said.
“It’s wine from a Summer realm orchard. Especially made by the king in thanks for your help in finding his son,” I said.
“Aw, it was nothing,” Cat said.
“I’ve decided that I want the vampirate,” Kat informed me.
“No, he’s mine! We discussed this,” Cat protested.
“Drink your wine!” I ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” they said, then began lapping up the fairy made wine.
Kyrie took a seat on the couch, and I curled up next to him.
“Your mom makes a mean spaghetti,” he said.
“Yes, she does. It was always my favorite,” I said.
“We will have to go back more often and have it again.”
“Mark gave it to me,” I blurted out.
“I know that.”
“It’s pretty.” My fingertips grazed over the cool metal.
“It is, and it’s perfect for you. I’m a little jealous that I didn’t think of it.”
“Do you think he thinks I’ll come back to him?”
“I don’t think that’s a question that I can objectively answer.”
“He said that the pack is giving him hell, not just because of a mate, but because of me.”
“Why?”
“I’m not wolf. A phoenix can only have one child, and that child would be a phoenix. They need a wolf to lead them. It would always be a huge destabilizing thing for them to have a queen that wasn’t wolf with the added difficulties of being phoenix. They are just concerned about their future well-being.”
“Seems stupid to me. Love is love.”
Kyrie had a way to make everything simple.
“I am here with you.”
His arms tightened around me.
“And I am very happy that you are. You hold my heart in your flaming fists.”
“Then it is in the safest place it could be.”
He kissed my cheek, then my neck, then nibbled on my ear. I got up and led him to the bedroom, and we shut the door on the cats.
I sat at my desk waiting for Nick to arrive so we could start tracking the fairies again when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I said.
“They got out,” Levi said.
“The Sanhedrin?”
“Yes, we underestimated them.”
“I don’t know what it is about you and the Shady Grove law enforcement, but you have issues keeping the bad guys imprisoned,” I said, remembering a few incidents from my childhood when they’d let others escape.
“I’m beginning to think that is why Oberon relied so heavily on the death penalty. It’s hard to magically hold extremely powerful magical beings,” Levi said.
“Sounds like a problem you need to figure out.”
“Did you just get smart with me?”
“Yes. Was I wrong?”
He laughed. “No. You aren’t.”
“Don’t say it.”
“You are just like your mother.”
“Aw, Dad, you said it!” Silence filled the line. I heard him breathe hard and swallow. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Winnie.”
“I have one question.”
“You can ask me anything you want right now.”
“I’ve never seen you go down in a fight.”
“I’ve fallen before.”
“Not like that.” He knew I was talking about the fight with the Sanhedrin.
“I just miscalculated her attack.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I knew that you had the situation under control. You needed to handle it. You didn’t need me there. I will always come if you call, but you’ve got this.”
A rare tear rolled down my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Talk to you soon.”
“Yep,” I said, wiping away the tear. He disconnected the call, and I swallowed. I had a father who existed on the other side somewhere. He could see me. But Levi had always been like a second father to me. Subconsciously I supposed I always considered him to be a father-figure despite calling him Uncle Levi. I didn’t regret it, and I heard the joy in his voice. He deserved it for standing by me.
Kyrie bounced through the door with a box of doughnuts and another small box. He slapped the small box down on the table. Hot tamales. I grinned, opened them, and dropped two in my coffee.
“Doughnut?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” I said.
“Where’s Nick?”
“Hell, if I know.”
“We better not have to rescue him again,” Kyrie teased.
Nick walked through the door alone. I expected to see Malphas and Echo with him, but they weren’t.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You and me. Kyrie, do you mind?” Nick asked.
“Um, no, sure. I’ll just grab a doughnut and take a walk around the block,” Kyrie said.
Nick sat down on top of his desk as Kyrie left. I shrugged at Kyrie because he’d given me a strange look before going out the door.
“What’s up?”
“How was home?”
“Good.”
“I’ve got to go. You are going to be in charge. I don’t know how long I am going to be gone. I’m taking Malphas and Echo with me. I’ll send them back if you n
eed them for anything.” He pulled a file out of the top of his desk. He slapped it down in front of me. It jiggled the box of Hot Tamales. “That’s all I’ve got on the trafficking stuff. Check with Seamus. He has some more information for you. You can trust him. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” I said, picking up the file.
“He’s disappointed that he didn’t get to finish your date with him,” Nick teased.
“It wasn’t a real date.”
“I know. Anyway.”
“Where are you going?”
“Lyra and her pack need my help. It’s something only I can do. You have a job here, and I know you can do it. I’m just a phone call away.”
“Lyra, huh?”
He cleared his throat, then his eyes focused on my necklace. “Mark, huh?”
“It’s nice, but I’m with Kyrie.”
“Did he tell you everything?”
“He told me about the packs concerns. He seemed to agree with them.”
“You are okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because no matter how much you want to deny it, Mark Maynard is very important to you. I just want to make sure what he said didn’t hurt you.”
“I can’t say it was easy, but I think we are on our own paths.”
“Good. I have to get going.” He stood and hugged me. “Take care of them.” He meant the rest of the team.
“I will,” I promised.
He hurried out of the office, leaving me alone with the thick file of information. I sat down at the desk and began flipping through it.
There were fairies out there that needed my help. It was my job. My purpose.
A fire of satisfaction stirred inside of me. The compass on my neck felt heavy. For now, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
Kyrie walked back into the office. He looked at the file then at me.
“Time to get to work,” I said, handing him half of it.
“Sure thing, Boss Lady.”
Wynonna and her task force will return in 2020. The next book in the tandem series of Stories of Frost and Fire and Dog River Wolfpack is Wayward Son.
The Trailerverse Expands!
STORIES OF FROST AND FIRE
ZERO HOUR - PREQUEL
FIRST FLAME - BOOK ONE
SECOND SIGHT - BOOK TWO (2020)
Coming in December:
DOG RIVER WOLFPACK
WAYWARD SON - PREQUEL
BAD MOON RISING - BOOK ONE
Dominick Meyer stumbles upon a matriarchal Wolfpack outside of Steelshore while working with Wynonna and the Fairy Bureau of Immigration. Their leader seeks his help to fend off an invasion from another pack. Things get dicey when he realizes that he’s not just against a pack of wolves, but also a banished Winter fairy.
OTHER TRAILERVERSE SERIES IN THE WORKS:
LA CALAVERA
REVIVAL OF THE SANHEDRIN
MAGIC CITY BLUES
SHORT STORIES FROM SHADY GROVE
THE BETWEEN SEASONS
Visit The Trailerverse Website for details and announcements.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my Patrons from my Patreon account. If you would like to join the account, search for Kimbra Swain on Patreon’s site.
Faye Bonds
Denise Esh
Nicole Hogan
Paul Stansel
Jasmine Breeden
Liza Marie
Bobbie Lawson
Leslie Watts
Carlotta Woolcock
Kat HM
Ranel Capron
Samantha
Stephany Tracey
William Cawthon
Christina Yow-Barker
The citizens of Magic and Mason Jars. Thanks for your constant support and toleration of my constant polls.
To Katy, Caitie, and Tabitha, my crazy women. I love you.
To my parents and parents-in-law. I’m totally blessed to have such wonderful and supportive people in my life.
To my Maleia. You are my light.
To my Jeff. You are my heart and soul.
DOG RIVER WOLFPACK
BOOK ONE: BAD MOON RISING
(COMING IN DEC 2019)
Chapter One
When she stepped into my office, my heart lurched at seeing her again after our first meeting. However, she clearly wasn't here for that this time.
"Lyra, is everything okay?" I asked.
She shifted her weight, sighing deeply. Opening her mouth to speak, regret flowed from her dark green eyes. She hated me. Hated what happened between us. That would explain a lot actually. She had helped me search for Rory and Soraya, but we’d barely spoken.
"I need your help," she mumbled.
Life had taught me to be guarded. Her disappearance had reinforced that principle.
Grace and Levi sent me here to help the supernaturals in this city. Even though Lyra wasn't technically from Steelshore, she and her sister lived close enough. But I didn't dare lower my guard.
"What can I do for you?" I asked, remaining seated behind my desk.
"Wow. I didn't expect such coldness. Not from you," she fired at me.
"Why not? I tried contacting you. You made it very clear that you weren't interested in talking to me," I fired back.
"Perhaps I had more important things going on that responding to a one-night mistake!" she exclaimed. "I should have never come back here."
Turning on her heel, she marched toward the door. Cursing me under her breath where I could hear it, I waited for her to change her mind.
Looking back over her shoulder, the fire subsided in her eyes. Her shoulders slumped. Raising her hands to her hips, she stared at the floor.
Whatever had brought her here was important. More important than her pride. For that reason, I apologized.
"Forgive me. This is not about us, is it? What can I do to help you?" I relented.
Her voice was just above a whisper. "No, it's not about us. It's about my family."
Lyra took care of her younger sister, Tinley, after their parents were killed in an invasion into their territory. Lyra's pack had retained control over the Dog River region, but she lost both parents in the process. Her father was the Alpha with no male heir. However, their pack had always been guided by her great aunts, the matriarchs of the pack. They put Lyra in charge. She struggled to retain control which she didn't outright tell me. However, after one night in bed, I knew. She fought me for control. I let her have it. It was what she needed.
One night. Then silence.
In the end, I knew it didn't matter that I had allowed her take the lead. She had given me more than she had ever intended.
"Nick, another pack is moving into the region. There is discord in the pack. They are losing faith in my leadership abilities. I need an Alpha," she whimpered.
"I'm not an Alpha," I responded quickly.
"Just because you renounced it, doesn't mean it isn't still in you!" she growled.
"I can't lead your pack," I said.
"You won't. It's mine, but I need back-up," she said.
"I'll call Mark. He can send down some fighters to help protect the pack," I responded.
"No outsiders!" she exclaimed.
Her emotions teetered from high to low like a squeaky see-saw.
"It wouldn't be permanent. The Shady Grove pack is trained for this kind of thing. We help shifters all over the country. Not just wolves. They would be under your control," I said.
She stomped back across the room in her killer heel boots and leaned over my desk. Her eyes flashed with the animal inside of her.
"I didn't ask for the Shady Grove pack. I asked for you, but you are a coward. You think because you lost a hand that you can't lead. That no one but your little task force here will listen to you. Get over yourself, Dominick. Are you going to help me or not?" Her voice dripped with fire. The fire I'd come to associate with strong, stubborn southern women.
Grace.
Wy
nonna.
Lyra.
Fuck me.
“Let me grab my jacket.”