by Amelia Jade
Jarvis was easily twice their size, a truly colossal beast that towered over her. All it would take was one swat of his huge paws to end her life.
The giant creature shuddered slightly, and then dipped to one knee in a graceful manner that belied its bestial look.
“You want me to climb on top?” she asked when her voice returned to her.
The creature did its best approximation of a human nod.
“You must be insane. This is your plan? You want me to ride you like a damned pony?” She threw out the last word on purpose, wondering if she was truly insane, teasing a two-ton animal that could rip her open for fun if it so desired.
Jarvis the bear growled, but there was a twinkle in the eyes, a sign of intelligence that she would never see in any wild animal.
He moved himself in a way that was akin to telling her “Get on already.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, moving alongside the animal. “How the hell am I—Eeek!”
She’d been trying to figure out how to climb on top of him when a giant nose had scooped up her rear and given her a boost onto his back.
“If you want to kiss my ass, I’d prefer you do it in your human form,” she told him. “And on both knees. While groveling and massaging my feet.”
The bear snorted, but there was no other response.
“H’yah!” she said, bouncing her feet gently off his sides as she got settled, using her best approximation of a cowboy.
Jarvis cranked his head around.
She smiled.
So did he.
The difference was, when Jarvis smiled, finger-long teeth were exposed as his lip pulled back.
“Right. Sorry. Not a pony. Good boy,” she said, giving him a gentle pat.
The bear rolled its eyes and started off.
Carrie wasn’t ready and she went tumbling to the ground, where a nice muddy pile broke her fall.
“Oh, okay, that was uncalled for,” she said, standing up and brushing herself off as the bear chuffed—what she took to be its laughter.
“Now, get me back on this thing,” she said, waiting for his boost this time.
Seated and ready, she reached forward and gave his head a scratch. “Okay, let’s go check this out. Something is going on, and we need to find out what.”
Jarvis growled agreement, and off they went, her on his back.
What a day it has been!
Chapter Nine
Jarvis
He stirred the vegetables in the pot.
“I still don’t know how the hell you managed to convince me to come here. Let alone stay the night,” Carrie said, waltzing into the kitchen.
“Because I said I’d stay here with you, of course,” he teased, though there was an undercurrent of seriousness to his tone as well.
When he’d first suggested the idea, Carrie had nearly lost her cool. But he’d pushed and pushed, gently, but relentlessly, until she’d caved.
It would be good for her to get back there. Jarvis knew she had plans to sell the place and to start again, but he didn’t think she should do that. The market in Cloud Lake was terrible at the moment, and she would lose a lot of money if she sold. Not only that, but he felt she would never truly get over what had happened.
By staying with her, he ensured that she wouldn’t have to face it alone. Something he knew could be extremely intimidating. Now that she’d seen his animal, however, he felt that she would be more confident knowing that she had something just as fierce between her and any danger she might face.
Plus he’d offered to make dinner. That had helped. So, when they’d gotten back from their excursion he’d taken her right to the grocery store. Now he was putting the finishing touches on a delicious beef soup. The scent had permeated the house, and he was salivating over it.
Carrie snuggled up against him in response to his earlier statement and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
“So, anymore ideas?” she asked.
“Not really. Obviously someone was living out there, but the real question, is why?”
Hill A, as they were calling the one closer to the road, hadn’t revealed anything to them besides the fact that they could see the road from where they were. Hill B, however, had showed them an excellent overview of Cloud Lake, but they’d also stumbled upon the fresh remains of a campsite.
Someone had been out there until a day or two before.
But the why of everything was still escaping him. Something was going on, and he got the feeling it was bigger than either of them expected. But he still couldn’t figure out what it was.
“It makes no sense. There’s nothing at those places,” she said in frustration, trying to put the pieces together as well.
He shrugged.
“It must mean something.”
He began ladling the soup into bowls, serving them both several heaping scoops. Then he filled a second bowl for him. Shifters needed a lot more calories, after all.
“Dinner is served,” he said, setting their portions down at the kitchen table.
“Smells lovely,” Carrie said, following him over.
Just before she could sit though, the phone rang.
“Sorry,” she apologized and reached over to get it. “Hello?”
Jarvis bent over his soup and began blowing on it to cool it off slightly. He wouldn’t start until Carrie returned.
“Who? No, I’m sorry, may I ask who’s calling?”
He frowned at her words. Wrong number? But why would Carrie care who it was then?
Maybe it was a human thing.
“Oh, okay. I’ll be sure to tell him that, thank you so much.”
The cheer in her voice was evidently false. Jarvis knew her well enough by then to know her sincerity versus her faked emotions. At least, he thought he did. This one was obvious enough he’d have been able to pick it up no matter what.
Carrie set the phone down. She came and sat down in her chair, looking perplexed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when she didn’t immediately speak.
“Nothing’s wrong. I think.” Carrie’s head came up, her eyes meeting his. “That was Worldwide Bank of Commerce.”
Jarvis raised his eyebrows, but didn’t comment. He knew who the WBC was. They were a huge international banking firm.
They were also one founded by, and home to, most of the shifters from Fenris. Especially the wealthy, powerful ones.
“What did they want?”
“They couldn’t give me many details. Security reasons and all. But apparently the landlord at Angelo’s place had my number as a contact for him. So he gave that to the bank when they called trying to find him. So they called me. Something about confirmation of a deposit, and needing a security code once it goes over a certain size.”
She looked at him quizzically. “Any idea what that means?”
Jarvis wiped at one eye with his thumb as he fought for time to bring his voice under control.
“Not this instant,” he said, “but I have a feeling it has to do with what we’re trying to discover he was up to here.”
He very carefully did not tell her his deepest suspicion, the one that jumped right out at him.
Angelo had been working with Fenris, and this was in regard to the payoff. The bank official must not be in league with Fenris, and had made a slipup in trying to locate Angelo. This was a break on their part.
Unfortunately he had no idea how to use it to his advantage.
“Let’s eat,” she suggested when neither of them came up with anything further to say.
They dug in, the soup quickly disappearing. It was even better than he’d anticipated.
Talk about good first impressions!
“What we really need here,” he said between mouthfuls, “is a breakthrough. A clue that helps us tie it all together. Something big and revealing.”
“Like a notebook with all the evil plans written down and described in perfect detail?”
“Now that would ju
st be so nice,” he said with a laugh, moving on to his second bowl. “But I don’t think we’re going to get that lucky.”
“Me neither,” she said with a sigh. “Me neither.”
Then her mood brightened.
“What?” he asked cautiously, staring at her as he downed the last few spoonfuls of his second bowl.
“We could still get other sorts of lucky,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Oh really now?” he asked, shoving his bowl back as he finished it.
Carrie nodded, biting her lower lip.
“Shouldn’t we digest first?” he joked.
“We’ll cuddle,” she replied, standing up from the table and reaching out a hand.
He looked at it in surprise, caught slightly off guard by her directness and initiative. “I’m not being given a choice, am I?”
“Absolutely not,” she said, pulling him after her as she headed for the stairs. “Not right now, and not in a bit either.”
Intrigued, he followed after her without a word.
***
Carrie
Something was bugging Jarvis.
She’d sensed it the night before, right around the time they sat down for dinner. It had faded into the background as they made love, but this morning as she lay in his arms, she could feel it.
He was distracted.
At one point Carrie had seen a photo going around the internet. It had been of a man and a woman on a couch, sitting apart from each other. There had been a huge inner monologue from the woman, about how he was distracted, not talkative. She’d used her own mind to convince herself that he was cheating on her, that their relationship was over.
In the guy’s mind, his monologue simply stated that his motorcycle wouldn’t start, and he couldn’t figure out why. That was all.
Resolving not to be like the woman in the photo, she decided to do the smart thing.
“Jarvis,” she said, rolling so that she could look up and make eye contact with him, though his arms were still around her.
“Yes?”
“Something’s bothering you, and I’d appreciate it if you would tell me, so that I don’t make up fictional things in my head.”
“Well that’s direct,” he said with a chuckle.
“I don’t want to start a fight, but I also want to make sure it’s not something to do with me. So, what’s bugging you?”
He licked his lips. “I’ve been thinking about things. I was wondering. Where around here could someone go to scuba dive? I don’t know of any places like that, do you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I mean, the coast is only about four hour’s drive, but still, that’s not really what I’d call close. Nor are there really any good diving spots here anyway. They’re all farther south.”
Jarvis nodded. “Exactly. There are plenty of places to go climbing, sure. Mountains, etcetera. So why bring all the scuba gear? I saw it—it’s not high-end stuff, not custom. It’s pretty well-used, to be honest.”
Carrie’s hair bounced as she shook her head back and forth. “I have no idea.”
“Me neither.”
“But that’s not what’s truly bothering you, is it?” she asked after studying him for a moment.
She saw him hesitate. Then his shoulders slumped slightly. “No, not entirely.
“Is it something about me?” she asked, voicing her concern at last. “Did I do something to hurt you?”
Jarvis’s head came up, eyes blazing. “No. You haven’t done anything like that. It’s not about you. Well, not something you did, at least, but it might affect you.”
“Okay…”
“The bank that called yesterday. I know them.”
Carrie frowned. “So? There are plenty of banks out there, but it’s not a surprise you’ve heard of one.”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. Carrie, that bank was founded by shifters from Fenris. It’s still run by them to this day, though it of course does plenty of business with people from all over.”
Carrie sat up, letting the information work through her mind.
“You think Fenris paid Angelo the money.”
“It’s the simplest and easiest answer, and the majority of the time, that is the correct answer.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, not entirely following the logic.
“It means,” he said slowly. “That whatever Angelo is up to, we can pretty much guarantee it’s designed to hurt Cadia.”
She pulled her knees in to her chest as that realization sunk in.
“Shit.”
***
“So what will you do?” he asked an hour later as they got ready to leave.
Carrie pursed her lips. “Go back to my sister’s I guess. Maybe do some laundry. I think she needs groceries too, so I’ll probably go get those for her. Typical stuff,” she said.
The mention of going back to her sister’s reminded her that she wasn’t there right now. She was actually at her own house.
The house that had scared her away for nearly three weeks now. Where she’d been terrified to set foot in.
Until Jarvis came. The fact that Carrie had not only slept at night, but had actually passed out thoroughly, surprised her. She’d known she would feel safer with him around, but the ease with which he allowed her to return to her normal routine was…stunning. For most of the night, hell even most of that morning until just then, Carrie hadn’t even truly given it a second thought.
Now though, looking up at him as she reached for a jacket in the closet, it became clear that the handsome blue-eyed shifter had played a huge role.
Maybe in time I’ll be able to stay here on my own. Now wouldn’t that be something.
“Hey, what’s that?” Jarvis asked, pointing to the breast of her jacket.
“What’s what?” she followed his finger to where it lay against the yellow crest. “That’s the logo for my work. They gave me the jacket.”
Jarvis’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you said you worked at the power plant.”
She looked at him. “I do…”
“Okay, so I get the black lightning bolt in the middle. But those squiggly lines look more like water than power lines. A lot more.”
She glanced down at the logo. On either side of the bolt were the three lines stacked on top of each other, a symbol widely used to represent water.
“That’s because it is water,” she said slowly, not understanding.
Jarvis looked at her sharply. “What kind of power plant do you work at?” he asked slowly.
“The only one around here,” she told him. “The hydro dam. Remember the one you saw on the wall at the restaurant?”
Jarvis didn’t respond.
“Jarvis?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Holy shit,” he whispered.
“What?” she asked, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. “Jarvis, you’re scaring me. What is it?”
“I know what his plan is.”
“Who? Angelo?”
He looked directly at her, horror in his eyes.
“Where could someone around here go for both climbing and scuba diving?”
He paused, but Carrie didn’t respond.
“A hydro dam.”
Chapter Ten
Jarvis
“I don’t get it. That’s ridiculous. Only a crazy person would go scuba diving near a hydro dam! There’s way too much water moving through it under the surface. It’s just asking for trouble.”
“A crazy person, or a person paid a large sum of money.”
Carrie’s jaw dropped open.
“I still don’t know why though. What does that accomplish?”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew the map. Unfolding it, he located the hydro dam. It was in a gorge just north of hills A and B.
“He’s going to blow it,” he said slowly, drawing a finger down river from the dam. “Look, that’s why he had those two hills circled. Hill A will
redirect the water here,” he said, jabbing south, to the dried-out riverbed they had seen at the road. “It’ll wash away the only link between Cadia and Cloud Lake.”
“And this hill will direct huge amounts of water right at Cloud Lake itself,” she said in quiet terror, pointing at Hill B.
The two of them just stared at the map for a moment, dumbstruck by the revelation.
“That dam is huge,” Carrie whispered into the quiet. “If he manages to blow it, it’ll wipe out a good chunk of Cloud Lake. Thousands of people would die.”
She shook her head in denial. “It doesn’t make sense.” She looked up at him. “You told me that if your kind appears in human areas in animal form, they can get in big trouble. And that if enough trouble is raised, our government will come after you, right?”
He nodded.
“Well, don’t you think this will classify as ‘enough trouble’? This will have my government crawling all over this place, denouncing your kind and going on a witch hunt to find out who is responsible.”
Jarvis gave her a sad look.
“But they won’t find anything.”
“What?! Half the town will be underwater. How could they not find that?”
“You’re forgetting something important.”
“I am?”
He nodded. “Yes. They won’t find anything, because it won’t be a shifter who did it. It’ll be a human. This will be called an act of terrorism instead.”
“Nobody would be that stupid,” she shot back.
Jarvis’s shoulders rose and fell slowly. “Maybe. Maybe not. But all the evidence will point to a human. Fenris will get off from this completely free. Trust me.”
“What do we do?” she asked, looking at him with worry filling her eyes.
Anger burst through his system as he felt for Carrie. He’d only come here recently, and that was only because his enemies had infested the place. Cloud Lake didn’t have a special place in his heart. But to Carrie, it was much more than just a collection of buildings. It was her home. She had friends here. Family, including her sister. If something happened to the town, she would be devastated.