“You know L.J.?” Riley asked, trying to divert and regroup.
“I do, we met many years ago.”
“Let me come at this from a different angle, Doctor Bascomb, and maybe you’d be more obliged to answer my questions. Let’s just say for example that I have traits just like L.J., and according to L.J., just like you. And let’s suppose for a moment that a hypothetical lady I know has those exact same traits as well. Let’s also say that through a medication that her mother forced on her years ago, she’s not even aware of these traits, but I am because despite this medication, she has already presented some of those traits. Are you following me?” But before the doctor could answer, Riley went on. “Now, all I’m asking is, if this hypothetical female stopped taking said medication, how long before those traits fully manifest and is there any danger to that female?”
There was a long sigh on the other end of the phone. “What kind of traits is this hypothetical female displaying?”
Riley stood up and started to pace his living room with the phone tucked to his ear. “Her eyes shifted after seeing a like shift in a male.”
“Extraordinary.” The doctor said and then cleared his throat. “I need to be there to keep an eye on her; I’ll have to rearrange my schedule, but this I need to see.”
“Can you answer my questions, Doctor Bascomb?” Riley prompted.
“Oh yes, apologies. Your hypothetical female has extremely strong genetic predisposition if what you say is true. If she desists in taking the medication, she should have little problem moving past what’s in her system. She would likely transition fully at the onset of her next ovulation cycle with the increase in hormone levels. As for danger, it would be the equivalent experience as any other shift- ah, person with those traits.”
Riley closed his eyes and smiled. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Then the doctor continued. “As for Tara Mason, I believe I will pay her a visit there while she’s staying in Malsum Pass so that I can be available to answer any questions and concerns she may have. As she is no longer a minor under her mother’s care, she has a right to a full understanding of the consequences of stopping any current treatment she may or may not be undergoing. Thank you, for informing me, Mr. Cooper, and I hope to meet you when I arrive.” The doctor hung up before Riley could say more.
He sat down on the couch again. With the doctor on his way, they would have to tell Tara sooner rather than later. Better her getting a heads up from them and knowing she has their support. He’d have to call Vahl and L.J. and tell them what he’d done. When he’d talked with Vahl earlier about the situation, the man had been in agreement to get her off the pills the soonest, while L.J. had wanted Tara to make the choice. He fully expected an ass chewing from that corner. But how was there even a choice to be made? She was a shifter and it was time she knew it.
After several back and forth phone calls and a thorough lecture from L.J., they decided they would wait until the doctor, of whom L.J. spoke quite highly, arrived and then go to Tara as a team: L.J with Addie for a woman’s perspective, Vahl, and Doctor Bascomb whom Tara was already familiar. Together they hoped they would be able to answer any questions and allay any fears. They had tried to exclude Riley saying he wasn’t family or her doctor but Riley was adamant that he needed to be there, so they finally conceded rather than argue the point further.
Luckily, Doctor Bascomb had been so intrigued by Tara’s case that he wasted no time in calling his office staff and having them work on rearranging any appointments so that he could make the drive from Maine and spend a day or two in Malsum Pass. They had given him directions to The Powder Keg where they all felt it was safest to have a private conversation before converging on Tara at her house, and he would be there around noon tomorrow.
Tara had called L.J. between one of their many calls when she discovered the theft of her pills, which had resulted in another ass chewing as well as snarls and growls from L.J. and Riley was sorry that she was now frightened about “the intruder” who had obviously pilfered her medicine cabinet thinking they were some kind of narcotics. As soon as he saw her, he would put her mind at ease, but confessing to her before the scheduled meeting they had decided on would have her asking him why he’d done it and him with no answer he could give as yet.
Riley pulled himself off the couch, yawned and headed upstairs to his bedroom. “Tomorrow, sweetheart,” he said out loud “it’ll all come together for you tomorrow.”
Chapter Nine
Tara had a rough night. It had been bad enough that Riley had scared the crap out of her, but to find out someone had been up in her bathroom – seemingly right after she’d gotten out of the tub – had probably been right there lurking in the hallway as she had made her way to the stairs to investigate, had her shuddering. After she’d gone to bed, any and every sound had her jerking awake, her heart racing. She’d finally given up and went downstairs to make a pot of coffee and sit with her gun right next to her as she surf the internet on her laptop. She may as well shop for hiking boots.
Now that the sun was finally up, she felt safe enough to actually do something. A nice brisk morning run toward town should do the trick to clear her head, so she braided her hair, got dressed in one of her many pairs of yoga pants and athletic tops, stuffed her gun, iPod, and some cash in her small pack, put on her running shoes and took off toward town.
It was actually a pretty smooth run considering she was on a dirt road, and she didn’t see any cars until she was in the town center, but at that point her stomach started growling and she decided she may as well stop in at the diner and have breakfast and then maybe go visit Addie.
She was just about to push through the door to the diner when it jerked open seemingly on its own, and a woman about her mother’s age with a long fall of black silky hair, wearing a red tailored business suit with a black silk blouse stepped out. She had a lovely face despite the obviously heavy hand she used with her cosmetics, and light blue eyes. She stopped cold upon seeing Tara a look of surprise on her face. Then her eyes narrowed and her lips compressed into a grimace of distaste.
“So you’re the pup the bitch whelped.” She said, walking forward to make Tara step back or risk being knocked over. The woman then did a slow circle around her, looking her up and down like she was some sort of oddity.
“Excuse me?” She asked with indignation. Had the woman really just called her a pup like her mother was a dog?
Sherry Pierce stopped at Tara’s back, leaned in close and sniffed her neck before growling.
Tara whipped around to face her. “Did you seriously just growl at me after implying that my mom was the dog? You better look in a mirror, bitch.”
The woman snarled, actually snarled before saying “If your mother was alive I’d rip her throat out right now despite the preservation laws whelp. Be thankful I’m feeling so benevolent at the moment or I’d do the same to you. Let me be very clear, I’ll accept your presence in this town because I love my husband, but don’t for one second believe you can cross me. I will put you down like the mongrel you are.” Then she spun on her heel, her black hair arcing out behind her to walk to a black SUV and Tara just stood there, mouth open and gawking.
She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. Unbelievable, the woman certainly had a great love of dog metaphors. Tara took a breath and reached out to push open the door to the diner, her hand was noticeably shaking. It’s from the adrenaline. You’re not afraid of that woman she told herself.
She sat down in a back booth where she could watch the door. Sherry Pierce definitely struck her as someone you didn’t want to turn your back on which made her think of Riley’s wild animal advice. She wondered if she should have made herself look as big as possible and made loud noises to scare the woman away. She chuckled and shook her head. Had it been just last night that she was comparing Malsum Pass to Utopia? Now in less than twelve hours she’d had the scare of her life, been tackled to the floor, had an intruder in her home, had her posses
sions (or at least one possession) stolen, and had a confrontation with the evil step-mother from Hell.
“Addie’s on her way, honey.” Lucy said, placing a mug of coffee and a menu in front of her. “I saw you outside with Sherry Pierce. I couldn’t intervene, but I did call Addie if you need a ride, or someone to talk to.”
Tara was impressed with how thoughtful Lucy was and was reminded of her father’s words of how the town looked out for its people. Apparently some of those people already considered her part of the town through her family. It was heartwarming and reaffirmed her belief that this town was special. “Thank you, Lucy. I appreciate it.”
“She’s a hard woman, but she’s kind of high ranking in the town, so pretty much everyone bends to her rather than kick up a fuss, easier that way.” Lucy ended with a shrug.
“Easier or safer?” Tara asked with a chuckle, her humor returning. “That woman is psychotic.”
Lucy laughed as well, “You just give a holler when you’re ready to order, honey.”
Within moments, Addie was bustling into the diner, a concerned look on her usually chipper face. She was wearing a loose summer dress with big flowers, her short curls were sticking up at odd angles like she’d just rolled out of bed and it looked like she had two different shoes on. Tara was touched that the woman had rushed out of her home with such speed to be here for her.
Addie plunked down onto the opposite bench seat of the booth and took a few labored breaths. Her face puckered with a concerned frown. “My goodness, Tara! Are you alright? If she laid one hand on you, I’ll… I’ll… well I’ll let L.J. have strong words with your daddy, let me tell you.” She ended with a sharp nod.
Tara grabbed the older woman’s hand and held it. All of this concern was really lightening her mood and filling her with love for these people. “I’m fine, Addie. It was just insults and threats, nothing physical. I think considering everyone’s fear and concern over our eventual meeting, things actually went better than expected. Now, how about we have some breakfast?” Tara asked with a smile.
“I think I could go for a stack of blueberry pancakes right about now,” Addie said. “You should try them, Tara. I swear they are the best you’ll ever taste.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to get up out of this booth, much less make the jog home if I have pancakes.” Tara laughed.
“Nonsense, child, a few pancakes isn’t going to hurt your figure that bad. Besides, I’ll drive you home. L.J. has an old friend coming in today for a visit and he wanted to bring him by to meet you. That way, I’ll already be there and he doesn’t have to waste time picking me up.”
“Well, in that case,” Tara said, and then raised her voice, “Lucy, two of your blueberry pancakes.”
“With bacon!” Addie added with a grin.
“So… Full…” Tara grumbled before flopping face down on her couch. Addie just laughed, but Tara’s stomach felt close to bursting after putting down three plate sized blueberry pancakes with syrup and two strips of bacon, plus coffee and orange juice. Admittedly, Addie had been right about those pancakes, they were definitely the best Tara had ever tasted. So good in fact, that she couldn’t seem to stop herself from cleaning her plate. Now, she would suffer for it.
She flopped over onto her back, threw an arm over her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh, “You’ve killed me, Addie. You killed me with pancakes.”
Addie laughed again and poked Tara in the arm “I think you’ve missed your calling, honey. You should be acting in those movies you write.”
Tara nudged up the arm that was covering her eyes so she could peek out at Addie. “Thank you, Addie, but I’d prefer they do well at the box office. I’ll stick to my writing.” Then she groaned. “What time is Grandpa coming over? Do I have time for a shower?”
“Your grandpa thought his friend would be getting in around noon, so you’ve got plenty of time.” And then as she watched Tara stifle a yawn, “Why don’t you go on up and take a nap. L.J. told me what happened here last night so I’m sure you didn’t sleep well. I’ll wake you when they get here and entertain them until you come down.”
“You’re an angel, Addie, despite trying to kill me.”
Addie chuckled and swat Tara’s arm. “Go on, honey. Get some sleep.” And Tara was more than happy to comply.
The next thing Tara knew, Addie was saying her name and rubbing her arm. She looked blearily at the big digital display on her alarm clock that read two fifteen and groaned. “Wow that was a longer nap than I intended. I’m sorry, Addie. Is Grandpa here yet?”
“He is, honey, and while you were sleeping Coop stopped by to fix the kitchen ceiling, but don’t you apologize, I’ve always said that when a body needs sleep, it should sleep. Now you go ahead and get in the shower and then come on down. We’ll be waiting for you.”
Tara took a quick shower, threw on jeans and a tee and just combed the tangles out of her long hair so it fell down her back. It wasn’t the most convenient way to wear it as it often got in her face, but she didn’t want to waste more time braiding it. Her grandfather had brought a friend for her to meet and she didn’t want to be rude.
She spoke as she came down the stairs, “Sorry Grandpa, but your wife put me in a carb coma with blueberry pancakes.” She froze at the bottom. Tarvahl was seated in the recliner while the rude arrogant ass leaned casually against the cold fire place. “Dad, I didn’t know you were coming.” She said smiling before she nodded at Riley, “Addie said you fixed the ceiling, thank you.” On the couch was a man she recognized well. “Doctor Bascomb? Are you the friend of Grandpa? I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”
The tall, white haired doctor stood and approached to shake Tara’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, Tara. Your grandpa and I go way back, we use to do what you might call an exchange program during the summer when we were teenagers and well into our twenties.”
“Actually, it’s perfect that you’re here, and such a coincidence. I had planned to call you today. I need to discuss something with you, but we’ll talk about that later.” She said with a smile. “How about I get everyone something to drink?”
Addie stepped forward “You go ahead and have a seat, Tara, I’ll bring out the ice tea I made and everyone can help themselves.”
Tara felt a slight prickle down the back of her neck as all eyes seemed to focus on her. Why did she suddenly feel like she was in the middle of an intervention? But she did as Addie suggested and sat on the couch next to Doctor Bascomb. That prickle only increased as the rude arrogant ass came forward, crouched down in front of her and put his hands on her knees before saying “Look at me, Tara.”
“Ooookay” she said, and then watched as his eyes seemed to change just like that evening on the ledges. And also, just like that evening, she felt that muscle spasm again in her eyes and everything turned slightly yellow and sharply focused. She rubbed her eyes. “What is that? How did you do that? You’re somehow doing that to me aren’t you?” Tara demanded, getting angry.
Doctor Bascomb had stood up and was looking at her face. “It’s absolutely extraordinary,” he said, “completely remarkable. I’ve never seen anything like it in all of my studies. Of course those were all on half-bloods, but still incredible.” Tara had no idea what the doctor was talking about: Half-bloods? What did that even mean? The rude arrogant ass said nothing and returned to his position at the fireplace, before motioning to her grandfather who took Riley’s place crouched in front of her.
“We have something we need to talk to you about, sweetheart.” He said, and pity was clear in his eyes. Oh, no, no, no – was she sick? Dying? Her heartbeat increased and she licked her lips. Her eyes flicking to her father and then to the rude arrogant ass who was frowning.
“You’re scaring her, L.J.” her father said. “It’s not bad news, honey, just some information you may have a tough time processing is all.”
Tara took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Addie walked in a
nd placed a tray with a pitcher of ice tea and glasses on the coffee table and then took a seat on the other side of Tara and started rubbing her back, a sure sign that Addie expected her to cry or freak out or become emotionally unstable in some manner.
Her grandfather cleared his throat. “We in this room, actually everyone in this town are lycanthropes. Do you know what that is?”
Tara shook her head, “Is that like some sort of religion like Presbyterians or Scientologists?”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, L.J., stop beating around the bush.” Riley said, coming out of his slouch to stand just behind her grandfather. “Tara, this is a shifter town. We’re all shape shifters: your grandfather, your father, Addie, me, even the doc over there. And, sweetheart you’re a shifter. That medication you’ve been taking pretty much your entire life was given to you by your mother to suppress it.”
Chapter Ten
The room exploded with noise, Vahl and L.J. yelling at him, Addie telling him he needed to be subtle, the doctor trying to get calm restored, but Tara, the only person he was actually paying attention to, was laughing. She was actually laughing so hard she needed to wipe tears from her eyes.
Okay, so they’d had a plan going into this, and Riley had gone off script. He was supposed to let Doctor Bascomb see her eyes shift to prove to him that she was stronger than the medication. Then L.J. would take over from there to slow walk Tara through what they were and what she was and why she should stop taking the medication. Then they were going to work as a team to answer any questions she may have and assure her that she had a strong support system blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada… instead, Riley’s patience had lasted less than two minutes and he’d jumped straight to the big reveal. Oh well, he mentally shrugged, bandage torn off fast.
But, judging by Tara’s reaction which was humor and flat out disbelief, the slow approach may have been better. He dragged a hand through his hair and then winced as Addie stood up and let out a shrill whistle.
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