“She’s gone,” I croaked out through my now too small windpipe.
For the record, Liam looked like he just finished changing the batteries in a remote control. “Good.”
I pressed tightly up against the window. It was too bad I couldn’t pull a Kitty Pryde and phase through the side of the bus. Sure, we were running seventy miles an hour down the Interstate, so there were some risks involved there, but I was willing to take them if it meant getting the Hades away from Liam.
“What was that?” I finally asked since my attempts at becoming intangible weren’t panning out.
“What was what?” If I hadn’t been focusing so hard I might have missed the way he said the words a little too fast or the way his pulse sprinted erratically in throat.
“You kissed me.”
“I created a diversion.” Definitely not my imagination… he was talking fast.
The corner of my mouth lifted slowly and little bubbles of glee bounced under my skin as redness started creeping up the back of his neck. He’s blushing, I thought. Just like--
And with that thought my mouth flattened and all my bubbles popped.
What was I doing? This wasn’t some random cute guy. It was Liam. Alex’s brother. How could I even think of thinking the sort of thoughts my brain was starting to think?
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice back to normal, if you call really quiet and slightly freaked out normal. “I wasn’t being careful. I won’t let it happen again.”
Liam’s head jerked in a quick nod.
“Do you think she knows who I am, or that she’ll tell the police?” It was an honest concern, and really should have been the more important issue at hand. Being more worried about who I was kissing or almost kissing than whether or not we got caught said something about my priorities, and it wasn’t a very nice something.
Liam didn’t look at me when he answered. “I think she’s just a nosey old lady.” I followed his gaze up the aisle where she was now blatantly reading over the shoulder of the middle aged woman she was sitting beside. “But we’ll have to be extra cautious once we get to Fargo.”
“I can do that.”
The look I got in response said he highly doubted it.
***
Fargo looked nothing like I imagined. In my head, it was a quaint little place with a general store ran by a man named Fred who wore flannel and flirted with Sally the waitress at the diner down the snow-filled street. In reality, it was just like any other mid-sized American city. The buildings were industrial looking and dirty, the stores boasted names so familiar they felt like old friends, and there wasn’t a flake of snow to be seen. Sure, it was cold, but not so much that it made me happy to have on the wig and hat.
Liam was back to the silently aloof person I met over a year ago, which was fine by me. I needed some distance. What happened on the bus, the way I reacted, wasn’t okay. At all.
At the bus station Liam pulled out an until-now-unseen phone. “I’m at the Greyhound station,” he said by way of greeting. “How soon can you be here?”
Almost no time at all later, a silver BMW pulled up to the curb. Liam was opening the back door before I understood this was supposed to be our ride. I rushed to catch up, and jumped into the seat beside him. I felt kind of silly with both of us getting into the back, but since Liam had left the door open and slid over behind the driver’s seat, I figured it was what was expected of me. The seats were upholstered in a soft brown leather that smelled new and the windows were tinted so dark I wondered if they were actually legal. The driver was a black man in his mid-fifties who sported what appeared to my untrained eyes to be a rather expensive business suit. With the two of us in the back seat and the driver looking all posh while silently driving us through the city, I felt a bit like I was being chauffeured around, which would have been ridiculous enough for a girl like me even if I hadn’t just finished a twenty-seven hour bus ride and was in dire need of a shower and change of clothes.
We ended up in one of those rich people subdivisions, which apparently looks the exact same no matter where you are. The BMW didn’t stop until we made it to the very back corner of the little community. The house wasn’t one of the biggest we had passed, but it wasn’t exactly small. The arched doorway and professionally manicured lawn made it look more impressive than it actually was, as did the detached three car garage where we parked.
“That’s a Rolls Royce,” I said, staring at the car next to us. I had no idea as to what model it was, but I did know it was old and in pristine condition. I decided there was no way I was getting out on my side. I would crawl across Liam’s lap if I had to, but I didn't want to accidentally ding a car worth more than my parents’ house.
“You know cars?” the driver asked, speaking for the first time.
“Just enough to know a Rolls when I see one,” I answered honestly.
He smiled and it was one of those great big smiles that show all your teeth. I felt myself relaxing at the sight of it, despite knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt this man was a Shifter, and if my aura-reading was anywhere near accurate, a fairly Dominant one. “I’m not exactly an aficionado myself. My wife picked this one out for me, and that one was an inheritance from my father.”
“That’s an awful nice inheritance.”
“It is,” he agreed, “but I’d rather have my dad.”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. I could feel my face flaming red. Seriously, how stupid could I be? I really shouldn’t be allowed to speak. “I didn’t mean--”
His smile was more subdued, but the kindness in his eyes was evident. “Of course you didn’t, sweetheart. I wasn’t chastising you, just voicing my grief.” He opened the door and got out of the car. I was waiting for Liam to move so I could scoot across the seat when my door opened. Our driver stood outside and offered me a hand. “You know, my dad died more than ten years ago, but I still miss him every single day.”
“I know what that’s like,” I said, letting him help me out of the car. His hand was roughly the size of my mom’s favorite frying pan, but having it wrapped around my elbow made me feel protected, not shackled.
“I thought you might,” he said. His hand squeezed my elbow ever so gently. “It’s in your eyes.”
“Funny, it’s my heart that hurts.”
With a small, sad smile that said he understood, he let go of me and gestured for me to walk ahead of him toward the door. I wasn’t completely comfortable at having another Shifter at my back, but I allowed it since he seemed to be one of the good guys.
“You went and found yourself a poet,” he said to Liam, who waited for us by the door.
Liam didn’t even acknowledge the statement or anything it implied. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
The older man clasped him on the shoulder. “You know I’ll always come for you, son. Always. No matter what.”
And with that I knew this man, no matter who he was, had my trust, one hundred percent.
We entered the house through the backdoor, which opened up into the kitchen. More specifically, the kitchen where a curvy Latino woman with greying hair was making cookies that smelled like warm-baked heaven. “Liam!” she squealed in a way more suited for a fourteen year old girl than someone old enough to be the mother of a fourteen year old girl.
Liam wrapped his arms around the lady, his face filled with pure joy. She squeezed him back with as much zeal as you would expect from an adult who squeals.
“And who is this you have with you, Bombon?” She asked once she pulled back.
“This is Scout. She’s a Shifter.”
I’m pretty sure neither of the adults would have looked more shocked if he told them I was an alien.
“Hi,” I said, bouncing awkwardly from one foot to the other. I lifted a hand, thinking I would shake theirs in that whole nice-to-meet-you thing done in polite society, but then decided that would just make things more weird, so I stopped with it kinda stuck out, but not really out far enough to be seen as an inv
itation. As an attempt to make things, me in particular, seem less awkward, it failed miserably.
“Forgive Liam’s manners,” the lady said, recovering much more quickly than I did. “I tried to teach the boys, really I did, but this one was a lost cause.” There was no real venom in her admonishment, just the same exasperation my mother had in her voice when she spoke about Jase. “I am Miriam, dear. And this is my husband, Hank.” As she came forward I offered out my hand nice and proper, but she ignored it to wrap me in a hug almost as bone-crushing as the one she gave Liam. “We are so, so very happy to have you here, Princesita.”
Over Miriam’s shoulder I could see Liam. I had already figured it out, but if I hadn’t, his complete embarrassment over her enthusiasm would have clued me in on their relationship. If I had to venture a guess, I would say these were the people who took in Liam after his parents died.
“Oh, you’re a beautiful one,” Miriam said pulling back. I decided she was either really blind or really kind, because not only did I look wrinkled, rumpled, and generally icky, I smelled it, too. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen another arctic wolf, and certainly not one such a pure, silvery white. And your eyes, it’s like God carved out two perfect pieces of a glacier and put them in your head.” She patted my cheek. “Honestly, I don’t know if beautiful is a strong enough word. You, my dear, precious child, are magnificent.”
“Ummm…. Thank you?” I blinked my eyes a couple of times to make sure that my contacts were still in place. “So, you… what? See a Shifter’s animal form?”
“No, dear. I see a person’s true form.”
My true form? I was in my true form. Okay, minus the contacts and wig I was in my true form.
“Speaking of true forms,” Miriam continued, “where is my little imp? Did you leave him to carry in all the luggage again, Liam?”
There are a whole host of things I firmly believe I will never see in my life, like the University of Kentucky winning the Rose Bowl, Paris Hilton taking home an Oscar, or world peace. Up until that moment, seeing Liam Cole, who spoke of the murder of his parents and sister with complete stoicism, cry was at the very top of that list.
“How long ago?” Hank asked when Liam just stared at the floor instead of answering the question. Miriam moaned, a truly heartbreaking sound. When Liam looked up, a single tear traveled from the inside corner of his eye, down his nose, and gave up just shy of his mouth. One tear, and it ripped me apart more than any of Talley’s sob sessions had ever done.
“April.” I didn’t even realize I was crying too until I spoke. “Alex died in April.”
“How?” It was Miriam who asked. “Did they find--?”
“It was an accident. He fell.” Liam cleared his throat. “The Change couldn’t fix it because there was a lot of debris, and--”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because Hank had grabbed him up in a fierce kind of hug. A second later, Miriam joined in. As I stood there and watched the people who had loved Alex mourn his death, I couldn’t help but think he was finally getting the memorial he deserved.
Chapter 15
Miriam called it the guest room, but I knew better. A tattered copy of Ender’s Game and an old PSP resided in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet. Framed pictures of famous Parisian landmarks hung on the walls, but a Halle Berry poster hid on the inside of the closet. And, most telling of all, the pillows inside the shams sported Spider-Man pillowcases.
I expected to dream of Alex that night since I was surrounded by his things, but I woke up disappointed. I considered hiding out in the room until someone came and forcefully removed me, but the smell of pancakes proved too great a temptation. I found Miriam alone in the kitchen, her hips swinging in time to Cee Lo as she spooned more batter onto the grill.
“Butter and syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips?” she asked without turning around.
I pulled myself up onto a barstool. “Chocolate chips, please ma’am.”
Miriam’s laugh was just as warm as the rest of her. “A southern arctic wolf. Doesn’t that just beat all?”
It didn’t seem like the sort of question that required a response, so I didn’t give one. I liked Miriam and all, but I’ve never enjoyed interacting with strangers. I never know what to say or how to act. If it wasn’t for the promise of a carb and sugar ladened breakfast, I would be taking my introverted self elsewhere. Miriam seemed to understand, focusing on her chef duties instead of interrogating me or trying to make idle chit-chat the way some people might. I snagged a left-over cookie from the Snoopy cookie jar and watched her work while my mind floated off to unhealthy places, like trying to imagine Alex and Liam sitting in this kitchen waiting for their breakfast before school. What were they like then? She had called Alex an imp. Did he pull pranks? Use his charm to get out of trouble? And what about Liam? What kind of teenager would he have been when there were adults around to take some of the responsibility off his shoulders? Did he smile? Laugh?
“You’re thinking awfully hard for someone who just woke up,” Miriam said, sitting a large plate of pancakes and sausage in front of me. “Just a warning, dear, the sausage is turkey. Hank has some heart issues, and I’m trying to make him eat a bit healthier.”
“We have turkey sausage for the same reason at my house." I took a bite, smiling as I chewed so she would know I liked it. Or, at least, that was the emotion I meant to convey. Instead, I looked like a mentally challenged homicidal maniac. I know because I caught my reflection in the super-shiny refrigerator.
Miriam didn’t seem to notice. Or if she did, she was too polite to cringe and run the other direction. She wasn’t, however, too polite to stare at me. Intently. For a really long time.
“I’ll put the contacts and wig back on if it’ll make you more comfortable.” I tried to sound nice about it, really I did, but my annoyance was more than evident.
“What?” Miriam looked perplexed, but then the pieces slid together. “Oh no, dear. There is nothing at all wrong with the way you look.”
Of course there wasn’t.
“Listen, I like you. You’ve given me food and a bed, even knowing what I am and how dangerous it is for you to do so. I appreciate it more than I can say. So, please, don’t screw it all up by giving me that crap. We both have eyes, and I’m way past the point of being sensitive about it. Pretending I look like a normal girl is just going to piss me off.”
I usually wasn’t so blunt about it with adults, and the few times I had said something similar to teenagers it was met with lots of stuttering and red cheeks. A few even got a little angry themselves. Miriam surprised me by laughing a big, natural belly laugh.
“Oh, this is good,” she said once she regained her breath. “Liam has finally met his match.”
I decided she deserved my ire. “Speaking of His Royal Crankiness, where is he?” I couldn’t scent him in the house anywhere, nor could I hear him outside.
“That nice but entirely too serious young gentleman you came with is out taking care of some business today. It’s just us girls.”
Uh-oh. I did not like the sound of that one little bit. I am so not a Girl’s Day kind of girl. I’m more of a Nose in Book Day or The Walking Dead Marathon Day kind of girl. If she expected me to get a pedicure and talk about my feelings we were in for a long and painful experience.
“When you get done with breakfast we’re going to head into town to do some shopping.”
Oh God. It was worse than I thought.
“I’m actually supposed to be keeping a low profile…”
“No worries,” she said with a wave of her hand. “The shop we’re going to belongs to a friend of mine. They’re closed today, but he’s going to let us grab what we need.”
Knowing we wouldn’t be surrounded by a bunch of people or get harassed by saleswomen who seem way too eager to give me a bra fitting helped. I wouldn’t say I was excited to change into my one and only clean outfit and head out into the not-so-thriving metropolis of Fargo, North Dakota, but I wasn’t
dreading it with every fiber of my being either.
***
“Miriam!” The owner of the quaint little store stood waiting for us on the sidewalk. “It’s simply marvelous to see you.” Krummholz was a sporting goods place, so I was expecting a gruff old hunter or maybe a has-been athlete. Instead, I got a gay man with skin a bit too dark for the frigid North and rock hard abs evident beneath his thin grey sweater.
“Spence, you are so sweet to agree to see us today,” Miriam said, kissing him on the cheek as if we were French or something. “I owe you one.”
Spence’s face lit up and I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. The handsomeness, however, was lost in the tiny surge of power I saw come off of him at the same moment.
“What are you?” The words slipped out before I realized it was probably a bad idea.
“I’m a small business owner. What are you? A pseudo-goth? Misguided hipster?” He reached out to flick the ends of my wig, and I growled at the invasion of my personal space. Spence snapped his hand back as if it was on fire.
“Sweet baby Jesus and his mama Mary! You’re a… You’re…” His eyes darted up and down the street. “In the store. Now. Both of you.”
I scurried right in, but Miriam sauntered her way through the door, rolling her eyes when they met mine. “Spence, I would like you to meet Elizabeth.”
Spence threw the deadbolt on the door. “Please, tell me that’s not your real name.” He threw up a hand. “No. Don’t. Don’t tell me anything. I don’t want to know anything.” He turned to Miriam. “I mean it. I don’t want to know anything at all. This isn’t my world. Not my problem. Not my neck to be stuck on the line.”
“Don’t be silly, Spence.” Miriam breezed towards the back of the store. Not knowing what else to do, I followed. “Of course this is your problem. A Seer cannot simply hide his head in the sand just because he doesn’t like politics.”
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