by Bella Falls
“Let me clarify, I don’t mean that I would put the town’s well-being over Lucky’s. I think y’all know me better than that,” Nana conceded. “If it comes to shutting everything down to save our friend, I’ll do it.”
Mason took out his notebook. “Let’s make a list of anybody we think might be a candidate.”
A few names or descriptions of people got shouted out. I added my dislike of Earl and his friend that tried to disqualify Horatio. I still wanted to talk to Big Mouth Bass and Fireball, but other than hearing a minor argument, I didn’t have a solid reason to say their names.
Henry added, “Steve and I are still trying to track down whoever’s running the bets.”
An idea dawned on me. “Maybe we could use me as bait.”
A collective groan rose in the room. Matt ruffled my hair. “Explain what you mean, Birdy.”
I batted his arm away. “Don’t call me that.” Running my fingers through my hair to fix it, I followed my train of thought. “Henry, do you think it’s possible to get anyone who places a bet to believe I’m a dark horse to win? In other words, can we affect the betting?”
My assistant considered the idea. “I see where you’re going with this. If everyone here tells whoever they can that your flying today was a fluke, maybe we could affect the odds. And then if you place either first or second and they win even more money because they bet on you—”
“Then the likelihood that he or she is the one who possesses Lucky’s fortune increases,” finished my brother. “Not bad, Birdy. And before you tell me to stop calling you that, remember you registered under it for racing. I think a whole lot of people are going to be cheering for you with that name after tomorrow.”
Nana sighed. “It’s the best plan we’ve got so far, and your next race is first thing in the morning. Huh,” she exclaimed. “I never thought I’d be saying this, but I can’t wait to hear Charli ‘Birdy’ Goodwin being called out a broom racing champion.”
Instead of a cheer, a yawn escaped my open mouth. Nana dismissed everyone, reminding them to keep their spell phones charged and on the ready in case things changed. I promised the girls I’d be home soon and stayed to help my grandmother clean up. Averting my eyes, I concentrated on collecting the stray plastic cups instead of watching Nana kiss Billy Ray goodnight.
Mason helped me collect plates and start bringing in food to be packaged up. “You really think it’ll be easier knowing we’re looking for something that could hold the luck?”
I shrugged, too tired to give a further interpretation of my powers. “It’s worth a shot at least.” Taking the empty plate from him and dumping it into the sink full of dish soap, I leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. “Thanks for helping. You should go get some rest.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I’d like to talk to Nana in private for a few minutes. Don’t worry, I’ll get home safe on my own.”
Mason pulled me into a warm hug. “I know that,” he murmured into my head. Throwing the damp dish towel at me, he backed away. “I’ll have enough time to pull off one more task tonight.”
“What’s that?”
The left corner of his mouth lifted in a sly grin. “I’m going to enlist Lee’s help in making T-shirts emblazoned with ‘Team Birdy’ and the number thirteen on them.”
I splashed a large amount of soapy bubbles in his direction, but he hurried off, laughing.
Left alone, the gravity of my plan settled into my gut, and I ignored my creeping doubt and forced hope to replace it. For tomorrow, I intended to place my highest bet on myself.
Chapter Fifteen
After making one last pass through the parlor, I found Nana slumped in her seat at the small wooden table in her kitchen. I rubbed her back in slow circles.
“Can I get you anything?” I offered.
She shook her head but remained eerily silent. Even the song the cicadas chirped didn’t seem to cheer her up. I pulled out the seat next to her and waited.
“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” Nana muttered.
It freaked me out to hear my grandmother admit any form of weakness. “Doing what?”
She placed both hands on the table to steady herself. “Be the leader Honeysuckle needs. Maybe I’m too old for this stuff.”
All my life, Nana had loomed larger than anything else in the world to me. Even when Pop Pop was still alive, she took up most of the air in any room she entered, and he adored her for her strength. It was his choice to legally change his last name to hers to keep the Goodwin name front and center. To hear her doubt herself crushed me.
“You’ll never be too old for anything,” I reassured her.
Nana scoffed. “Child, you out of most people should understand that life is fleeting.”
“And you always tell me to live it to its fullest, right?” I reminded her.
She furrowed her brow but the sparkle in her eyes relieved me. “Don’t be usin’ my own words against me, Birdy.”
I covered her hand with mine. “I’ll use whatever I need to keep you from giving up too soon. Besides, I think Matt has enough on his plate with the birth of his first child coming up quick to take over on the council.”
“That’s right.” Nana snapped her fingers. “I’m about to have a great-grandbaby to spoil. Although you could take over on the town council. Tucker’s success so far proves that maybe we need more young blood to shake us up.”
With a gasp, I pulled my hand away. “I can’t take the council seat. I’m not a full Goodwin.”
Nana scooted closer and cradled my chin with her fingers. “I dare anyone to deny that you are my family and deserve a seat on the council as much as your brother does.”
I met her gaze with doubt. “I’m not saying I’m not a part of the family. But I’m not blood-related, which means I shouldn’t take on the family legacy.”
“Well, I think the magic that holds our town together has already recognized your authority before. But I guess I’m not ready to find out for sure anyway.” She released me and got up from the table. “And now that I’m done feeling sorry for myself, let’s discuss what’s going on with you and those two boys.”
“Men, Nana,” I corrected.
She filled up an old kettle from the tap and clicked on the gas burner to boil some water. “I think both of them have been a bit childish in their mistakes with you. Until they correct their courses, they’re both boys to me.”
I rolled my eyes and then checked to see if my grandmother saw. “I’ve been putting off discussing anything big with them until we solve this thing with Lucky.”
Nana grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard and set them on the counter. “Don’t you mean King Fergus?”
“You know?” Of course, Nana knew.
“He told me back when he came to Honeysuckle. Wanted me to know his background and if I was comfortable that he chose to live here. I told him anybody who was the source of the mythology surrounding the sword Excalibur could take care of themselves when the time arose.” Nana turned off the burner when the kettle whistled. “He didn’t understand at the time that when he became a part of our town, it meant we would fight for him, too.”
I scooted back in my chair. “Wait, how is he part of the myth of King Arthur’s sword?”
Nana scooped a mix of herbs and leaves into small strainers to steep. “How do you think he exchanged his sword with the sea god?”
I thought hard and came up with the answer. “He threw it into the water.”
My grandmother winked. “All myths start somewhere.” She quieted down while she finished preparing our drinks. Despite the warm temperatures where we lived, she believed in the healing properties of a good cup of hot tea.
Taking a sip, I pondered where I stood with Mason and Dash. Both had made their interest in me known at some time or another, but what happened between me and them on an individual basis clouded my emotions.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on with those two men?” Nana em
phasized the last word.
“You gonna tell me what’s really going on between you and Billy Ray?” I deflected.
My grandmother grinned. “Sure. He pursued me about a month after he moved here and I accepted his advances. We’ve been dating steadily for a couple of months.” She blew on her tea. “He’s even stayed over—”
I put my mug down on the table and placed my hands over my ears. “La, la, la, I don’t want to hear anymore about this.”
Nana giggled. “You’re the one who said I wasn’t too old. Guess my body already knew that since it still remembers how to—”
I threw a hand over her mouth. “Don’t finish that sentence, I beg of you.”
She licked me, and I pulled my hand away, wiping it on my shirt. The grossness of it all worked as a nice distraction from my serious man problems.
When her amusement faded, my grandmother pushed me again. “Are you going to tell me what’s happened so I can help you figure things out?”
I opened my mouth, but closed it again with a sudden realization. Nana had always been my safe spot, and when I had a problem to work out, she was the one I came running to. But this time, I figured both guys deserved better.
“You know, Nana, I think I’m going to figure things out on my own first. If I hit a brick wall, maybe I’ll ask for your help. But don’t worry, I’ll keep in mind all the advice you’ve ever given me about boys.” I brought my mug to my mouth. “I’ll see if it’s worth anything.”
“I’ll always be here when you need me, Birdy,” she said with a wink. “And you’re getting awfully good at doing that for me, too.”
An owl hooted in the distance when I opened the front door of Nana’s house to walk home. The light of the moon shone bright through the trees, casting moving shadows on the ground and reminding me of those we’d seen tonight hovering over Lucky. A slight shiver ran down my spine.
“Can I walk you home?” Dash stepped out of a dark corner of my grandmother’s front porch.
I jumped a mile high, clasping my chest. “Don’t scare me like that.”
He chuckled low. “Sorry. I’ve been a little too used to hiding lately.” His footsteps creaked on the wooden porch. “Didn’t mean to startle you. But I’d like to walk you home if you don’t mind.”
I’d told Mason I could make it on my own, and it didn’t take magic to conjure up the reason why Dash wanted to be my escort. The walk would give him the opportunity to finally tell me what had happened to him and anything else he wanted to say to me.
Curiosity forced my brain to go blank when trying to find a reason to tell him no thanks. With a sigh, I gave in. “Okay.”
Cool moonlight let me see the corner of the wolf shifter’s mouth curve up. “That was easier than I thought.”
I walked down the porch stairs and headed in the right direction. Dash caught up to me with his long strides until he reached my side. I focused on the crunch of our feet on the ground, giving him space to start the conversation.
After more than thirty crunching steps, he finally spoke. “I almost died.”
His words sucked the oxygen out of my lungs and I stopped. “What does that mean?”
He shuffled forward, encouraging me to start walking again. “It means that without help from several friends, including Georgia and her two sisters, I’d be a ghost who haunted you.”
I didn’t want to admit to him that even alive, he’d been haunting me a little bit ever since I’d met him. “It sounds like you have a lot more to tell me than I expected.”
Dash reached out and took my hand in his grasp without asking. “Leaving Honeysuckle when I did, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Until I went to war with my own brother.”
He slowed his steps so I didn’t have to rush to keep up with his pace. My hand squeezed his to encourage him to keep talking.
“If you remember what I told you, I created the vacuum of power that allowed my middle brother Kash to take control of the Red Ridge pack. That was after I’d killed my own father.” Dash snorted at whatever memory he relived. “If I was strong enough to take down one bad leader, I should have been strong enough to take over and run things.”
Regret soaked every one of his words, earning my sympathy. “So you came here to Honeysuckle to hide. I remember,” I admitted.
He snorted. “I’d like to think I came here to recover, but you’re right. I was hiding. And then you came barreling into my life, forcing me to remember that there were things worth living for. Shining the light of hope into the darkest crevices of my pain.”
I shivered again, his words shaking me to my very core. Dash stopped walking and pulled me into a warm embrace, asking me if I was cold. The only response I could give was a nod of my head. I couldn’t let him know how much I needed to hear him confirm my importance in his life out loud.
“I mean it, Charli,” he mumbled into my hair. “You saved me. I only wish I could have been a better match for you.”
I closed my eyes, swallowing the response that he could be if he tried. “I know,” I muttered into his shoulder. Needing to protect myself, I pushed him away with more reluctance than I expected.
He didn’t take my hand again but matched my strides while he talked. “A shifter battle over territory and pack leadership can get ugly in the best of times. With Kash, I had to wage an all-out war to beat him. Do you remember Trey?”
Of course I couldn’t forget one of the rogue wolf shifters who helped Damien almost kidnap me. Who tried to choke me. “Yes,” I grunted.
Dash bumped into me to break me out of my memories. “He was lost and going down a dark road when you met him.”
“No kidding.”
He clarified, “Trey wasn’t such a bad guy really. And his connections were crucial to recruiting allies to fight my brother.”
“How could he help from jail?” I asked. After he’d been caught, he was supposed to be serving time.
“It took a little convincing and some promises made, but I had some legal help to get Trey’s sentence shortened to time served and released on probation.”
“Ben,” I muttered. “Did he help you?”
Dash waved off my accusation. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. Trey helped me gather enough support from those under Kash’s thumb to help me attack my brother from the outside in. First, we took down his drug trafficking business, which was trickier than we expected because he’d involved humans. With his main source of money cut off, we went after his biggest supporters. That’s where we got into some trouble.”
A low rumble of a growl underlined his words. I guessed he might be holding back specific details if telling me the basics caused his animal to reveal itself.
“Kash had a couple of nasty witches working for him,” Dash continued. “He had them strung out on some kind of drug that lowered their inhibitions, allowing them to use every ounce of their magic to help him. For a hot minute, I thought I should save these two pathetic, skinny strung out kids.”
In my year of traveling around, I’d come across cases of witches addicted to human drugs and magical ones. Goblin fruit gave wardens the biggest headaches. Once a supernatural got hooked on the stuff, it became the only thing that mattered. A witch could drain their bodies by not protecting themselves when they used magic. Even if Dash wanted to save his brother’s witches, they’d probably die anyway doing everything they could to get their hands on more of the foul stuff.
“Do you think he was dealing magical drugs, too?” I asked.
Dash shrugged. “I told the local wardens about it afterwards. It’s up to them and any other organization to figure that shit out. My problem came with my brother’s clever way of using the witches’ powers to help defend himself.” A growl ripped out of his throat and his golden eyes glowed in the dark. He held out a hand to stop us. “Give me a minute.”
My heart thumped in my chest when we stopped. Dash struggled to gain more control over his animal. If he was so volatile while recounting his story, ma
ybe he was too dangerous to be around.
Panting, he blinked his eyes open and shut until the glow disappeared. He started again with heavier steps. “Sorry. It’s all still too fresh.”
I wanted to touch him, to reassure him. But the closeness of his animal scared me enough to force my hand into my pocket. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Dash said. “But I’m doing the best I can, and I need to get through this so you can understand.”
I waited for him to choose what else he thought I needed to know or why he didn’t think I understood his good intentions for all the violence.
The shifter chuckled a couple of times. “You know, I credit you for how things turned around in our favor.”
His words surprised me. “I didn’t even know you were going through any of this. How could I have helped you?”
He reached for my hand once again. “Because I kept thinking of you the whole time. Remembering that there was something, someone out there in the world worth all the fighting so I could see them again. See you.”
Dash stopped and lifted my hand up to his mouth, planting a light kiss on my skin. Confused emotions or not, his touch caused excitement to spark to life, buzzing through my veins.
He pulled me a little closer until the heat from his body warmed me. The last time we were this close, he’d broken my heart when he left. But I couldn’t find it in me to tell him to stop.
Tipping his forehead against mine, he breathed in deep. “Your scent was always with me, calling me back when I gave up on hope. Helping me push harder to win.” He clasped my face with both his hands. “I shouldn’t do this.”
“Do what?” I squeaked, my heart beating a wild rhythm in my chest.
With one finger, he tilted my chin up. “This.”
Dash covered my mouth with his. Fireworks exploded behind my fluttering eyelids. My hands moved of their own accord. One cradled his scarred cheek while the other cupped the back of his neck, pulling him in a little closer.
A low growl returned to his throat, but it sounded more pleased than threatening, rumbling like a satisfied purr. He deepened the kiss, smashing his lips against mine with raw need.