by Lib Starling
“But you did it. That’s amazing. At least now we know it can be done—in case she traps anybody else that way.”
Then Roxy’s mind spun back over the story, hearing again what Katrina had said. Making breakfast…in that camper. Though her heart pounded with a new ache, she tried to keep her voice and body language casual as she said, “So…Chase was living with you? Or just sleeping with you?”
To Roxy’s astonishment, Katrina’s face flushed bright red. “He was staying with me, but just so he could get away from Blackmeade for a while. Honestly, I think he should stay away from Blackmeade—this isn’t the right place for him. But we’re only friends, Roxy. Yes, we used to date, but that’s all over between us.”
“I’m not concerned by it,” Roxy insisted, shrugging again. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“Besides, I think Chase is still hung up on you.”
Roxy snorted in wry disbelief even as her heart gave a secret leap. “Well, I’m over him. He wasn’t exactly a gentleman, and I’m not going to waste my time with boys who can’t grow up and be men.” She felt a little guilty for her vehement denial, so she added, “But I’m glad he’s okay—I’m glad you could help him. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be one of Scarlett’s victims, so I’m glad you were there for him, Katrina.”
“No one deserves that kind of treatment,” the witch mused. She turned to gaze out across the snow-patched sagebrush, to the dark spires of Blackmeade University. “It’s abysmal, what Scarlett did. No decent witch would abuse the Powers that way, or use Power so cruelly against another living thing. We have to find a way to stop her.”
“We?” Curious, Roxy stepped to the witch’s side, peering up at her angular face.
“I want to help you all,” Katrina said. “I won’t put up with a rogue witch. I know your kind and mine have always been at odds, but we don’t need to be. We can work together.”
Roxy studied Katrina for a moment. She sniffed surreptitiously, trying to read the witch’s emotions from her scent. The hard, steely odor of determination was there, but beneath it ran a warm, citrusy current of selfish scheming.
What’s in it for you, Katrina? the inner fox wondered.
Roxy bit her lip, on the verge of asking the question aloud. But she thought better of it. Whatever Katrina wanted from Alpha House, she had ventured into Blackmeade Village alone—a witch in shifter territory—to try to help Chase when no one else could. And she’d done it, too. She may be scheming for her own ends, but Roxy was warily convinced that Katrina was on the Alpha boys’ side. That meant she was on Roxy’s side, too.
And as a witch herself, she might be the only one who could figure out how to track Scarlett down, and put an end to her attacks.
“I think we can work together,” Roxy told her. “And I’m glad we’ve got you for an ally.”
I just hope it doesn’t break my heart, seeing you around both Chase and Alexander.
.5.
C hase was already starting to feel a little more like himself by the time Katrina and Roxy came back inside. He’d marched up to his room, naked and dazed, all thoughts blotted from his mind by the trauma of what he’d been through, not to mention Roxy’s sudden appearance. The sight of her had been like a sledgehammer blow to the brain, jarring and intense, leaving nothing inside him except harshly vivid memories of her—voice, hands, mouth, body—and the feeling that he’d been soundly clobbered.
Thank God Alexander had thought to give Chase a simple command. Chase couldn’t even resent him for it. Get dressed, Alexander had said, and Chase’s body moved on autopilot, obeying the words of his alpha while his mind slowly adjusted to reality. Carefully, Chase had opened the dresser in his room and found the clothes he’d left behind when he’d moved out hastily months before. He pulled on boxers and jeans because he knew Alexander wanted him to—doing anything for the alpha was surprisingly grounding at a moment like this—and by the time he’d dug a white undershirt out of the dresser, comprehension was returning, but slowly and easily enough that it didn’t throw him for a loop.
Okay, he told himself, you were force-shifted. You were stuck inside your wolf. You almost… He swallowed hard as he pulled the shirt on, grateful just for the act of putting on clothing, for having a human body to dress… You almost were lost. But it’s okay now. You’re back.
There was a small, cracked mirror in a carved oak frame hanging beside his window. Chase had no idea how old it was; it had come with the room, and might go back all the way to Blackmeade’s founding, for all he could tell. The silvering had gone bad long ago, speckling and filling with shadows, but he could still see his reflection. He stared at himself for a long time, taking in his overly stubbled jaw, the hair nearly grown into a short beard; his dark hair rumpled from what he’d just been through downstairs; the paleness of his face and its determined, angry frown. He was human again, all right. He checked his totem, and felt the wolf respond with alert readiness. It was unharmed, too—but relieved that things were back to normal. It had no desire to come to the surface again unless it was sorely needed.
You got off easy, Chase. But you’re back now.
And Roxy was back, too.
Roxy’s words from the last time he’d seen her still rang in Chase’s ears. They’d never left him. I never want to see any of you again. She had meant it; Chase never doubted that, and hated himself for having pushed her to that point. He deserved her scorn—what kind of idiot falls for a trick as simple as the one Scarlett pulled on him?—but still, he’d do anything to make amends and win her back.
Now here was his chance. Maybe she still hated him, and never wanted to see him again. If so, he wouldn’t blame her. But if there was any chance, no matter how small, Chase would take it.
Bracing himself and pulling a red-and-navy plaid shirt over his undershirt, Chase headed back downstairs.
His eyes met Roxy’s when his foot hit the final step, just as she was coming back through the door. She paused when she saw him, one hand still on the door knob, her soft features shadowing with thought. Then she turned resolutely away and followed Katrina into the living room.
Jack and Logan were sweeping up the last of the salt and dirt that had formed Katrina’s magical circle. Darien held a trash bag open for them while Alexander watched the proceedings with distant, speculative eyes. Those eyes flew to Chase’s face, pale and suddenly focused, and Alexander nodded as if he’d come to some momentous decision.
“Darien,” Alexander said, “get everyone back together here in the living room. We’re having a meeting. Chase, don’t go anywhere.” For a moment, Alexander was all alpha again, the same old haughty command evident in his voice and his bearing. Then he pressed his lips together, watching Chase where he stood beside the stairs—and remembering, Chase sensed, their fight. Alexander added, “Please.”
“I’m happy to stay,” Chase said.
He took a seat on the couch as the brothers filed into the room. Many of them smiled at Katrina; a few pounded her on the shoulder as they would one of their frat brothers—which Katrina bore without a flinch. Those who were still wary of her powers at least offered nods of thanks.
Beside the witch, Roxy stood with her hands jammed awkwardly in the pockets of her jeans, silent and pale, her big eyes flitting around the room in obvious anxiety. To Chase’s dismay, the only time Roxy looked settled was when her gaze fell on Alexander. Then she would linger, watching the icy blonde as he gave quiet instructions to one of the brothers or took a head count. She studiously avoided glancing at Chase, but he couldn’t pry his eyes from Roxy.
Finally Alexander began: “It’s obvious that we can’t be passive about Scarlett any longer. What we witnessed today should be a wake-up call to all of us.”
The brothers murmured their agreement.
“This witch will continue to plague us until we finally stop her in her tracks.” Alexander spoke on, telling of his aggressive plan to locate Scarlett’s hiding place, but the words breezed through Chase wit
hout his really hearing them. He watched Roxy steadily, his heart swelling at the sight of her. After all he’d been through, just the fact of her existence seemed like a miracle. That she stood in the same room with him was beyond anything he could hope for. And yet he did hope for more. Maybe it was foolish to think she could ever love him again, especially since she wouldn’t meet his eye—but he was renewed today, and he couldn’t just let this opportunity pass him by.
“…and that’s why I want you all to put full focus on Scarlett,” Alexander concluded. “This is the most important thing any of us faces now. What happened to Chase could happen to any of us, and we can’t assume we’ll have Katrina to fix the situation if more of us end up trapped in our totems.”
“Full focus?” Logan said. “Like…no school, no studies?”
“That’s right,” said Alexander. “I know how big a deal that is—I know I’m asking a lot. But we can’t go easy on Scarlett now. Her powers will only increase. If we work together as brothers, all of us putting in equal effort, maybe we can root her out and stop her before she strikes again.”
Katrina spoke up. “I think she can be stopped. It won’t be easy—the spell she laid on Chase was intense. She’s got some serious Powers. I’ll help you guys—I want to stop her as badly as you do. But I’m not going to lie to you; it’ll be a real battle. She could be very dangerous, and more of you might end up in her crosshairs before we’re through.”
Roxy cut a sharp, suspicious glance at Katrina, but said nothing. She doesn’t trust Katrina, Chase realized. Not entirely.
“Now that I’ve undone Scarlett’s spell,” Katrina went on, “it’s even more important that we act fast, and decisively. She’s realized by now that another witch is in the area, and is onto her tricks. She knows you guys are working with a witch.”
Alexander nodded. “Right. We can all expect her to get more aggressive, more…creative with her attacks. It’s going to happen soon—expect it—so we’ve got to act sooner, and as one body.”
“Well,” Jack said, “we’re a brotherhood. That’s what we do—look out for each other, act as one.”
“I know it’s asking a lot,” said Alexander, “to tell you to give up your studies. There will be penalties from the school, if this hunt for Scarlett drags out too long and we fall behind in our classes. There could be longer-reaching consequences, too. But I really believe we’ve got no other choice.”
“Alexander, you were willing to put your future on the line to help Chase,” said Matthew, a tall, auburn-haired hawk shifter who was the newest pledge at Alpha House. “I know I speak for all of us when I say that we’d all do the same. We’re brothers, and if we work together, well…maybe we can win. If we can’t win…then we all go down together. That’s what brothers do.”
There was a general murmur of agreement.
“All right,” Alexander said. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. Katrina, you said you’re willing to help.”
“Definitely.”
“Then I’ll talk with you first.” Alexander rose from his chair. “Katrina and I will come up with a plan. The rest of you, stay close to the House and stay alert. And keep your stays on. I’ll call another meeting when we know what our next move will be.”
The brothers were somber and determined as they went their separate ways—most of them to their rooms, to process all the astonishing things that had happened over the past few hours, Chase suspected. He dodged through the crowd in the living room, trying to catch Roxy before she left Alpha House. Bodies jostled him, and fists slugged his shoulders in apology for the bumps and collisions, but Chase ignored them all. He was as single-minded as ever he was in his wolf form, hunting in a moonlit forest. He caught up to Roxy just as she stepped out onto the porch.
“Wait, Roxy—please wait.”
She turned to glare at him. Her cheeks were rosy with indignation, and he could imagine her red waves of hair turning to the hackling pelt of an angry fox. But when she spoke, he could hear a certain softness in her voice that didn’t quite gel with her needled attitude. She almost sounded glad to see him. “What do you want, Chase?”
“I…I want a chance to apologize to you.”
“For what?” she asked. But before Chase could spill out all of his regrets for all the ways he’d hurt her, her rapid words trampled right over him. “It doesn’t matter anyway. There’s no point in apologizing because I’ve moved on. It’s fine—really—it’s all fine. So let’s just forget it. Let’s forget everything and just focus on this…witch problem. That’s the only important thing right now.”
“It’s not the only important thing to me.” Chase stepped toward her, his hands out in a pleading gesture. “You’re important to me, Roxy. And I—”
She cut him off, giving a little snort of disbelief. “Oh, come on. I already know that you ran off from Alpha House and shacked up with your ex-girlfriend in her gross hippie camper.”
Chase glanced at the Airstream and felt himself flush. “I wouldn’t call it ‘shacking up.’ ”
“What would you call it, then?”
He shook his head. He wanted to explain to her all about Salt Lake, working at a real job, free from the unrealistic expectations and pre-planned future that Blackmeade now represented to him. But there wasn’t time to tell her all his thoughts here and now, when she was bouncing on her toes, eager to get away from him. Instead, he said, “Why are you so concerned about Katrina?”
“Why aren’t you? She’s a witch, Chase.”
“And she saved me.”
Roxy sighed. “I know. I can tell she’s not all bad, but…Scarlett is still out there somewhere, and I don’t know what means for me, or for you. For any of us.”
“I can tell you don’t love the idea of working with Katrina to hunt Scarlett down. I saw the way you looked at her in there.”
“I just wonder—what’s in it for her? Why does Katrina care whether some rogue witch torments a bunch of shifters? Why should she bother herself with us, unless she has some personal reason for it?” Roxy widened her eyes and tilted her head, leaving no room to doubt what she thought Katrina’s “personal reason” might be.
Behind them, Alpha House was still rumbling with conversation, and Chase could feel the stirring eagerness of the brothers’ totems. It made even his worn-out wolf feel restless and snappish. Surely Roxy could feel it, too. This was no productive time or place to have a heart-to-heart. Chase could tell there would be no hope for any sort of reconciliation unless he could talk to her alone—away from Alpha House and Katrina.
“Can I talk to you tonight?” he asked gently. “Just you and me, alone.”
Roxy edged away from him.
Chase said quickly, “I know you said you never wanted to see me again, but we’re both shifters, and you heard what Alexander said: we’ve all got to work together if we want to stop Scarlett once and for all. You and I need to sort out what’s between us, Roxy, for the sake of the coming battle, if for no other reason.”
She pressed her lips together. Chase was afraid she’d retort that there was nothing between them, and never could be again. But to his relief, she sighed again and said, “All right. Meet me at the town square tonight, an hour after sunset.”
.6.
T he cold of the early February night was deep and intense. By the time sunset came, the town square of Jackson Hole was abandoned by all save Chase. The few cars that passed cast their headlights through the four tall arches made of discarded antlers, and jagged shadows like the fangs of predators flickered and streaked across the town square’s pathways and the heaps of old, crusted snow, shoveled up in piles where the garden beds and lawns should be.
Chase waited on a park bench for as long as he could, but in time he grew restless and paced from one arch to the next. The cold didn’t bother him, but the solitude did. It reminded him too much of the days he’d spent trapped in his wolf, running alone through the forest with only his memories of Roxy to sustain him.
As d
arkness took over, his wolf-sensitive eyes adjusted to the night, and the blaze of headlights on the streets made him wince and increased his sense of agitation. Maybe Roxy wouldn’t come. Maybe she had decided after all that she meant what she’d said, and she was finished with Chase for once and for all.
He checked his watch again and again. The hour came to a close. A new one began. Still he waited, unable to let go of his fragile hope. But finally, Chase had to admit that Roxy wasn’t coming. He let out a long, defeated sigh that puffed in the cold night air, a cloud of silver steam.
He headed for his Mustang, parked on a nearby block, but before he could pass beneath the western arch and leave the town square and his hopes behind him, Chase heard the soft scrape of a shoe on pavement, and a light, short gait that could only belong to a woman. He turned and peered into the night. At first he saw nothing, but then a car passed, illuminating a figure from behind—temptingly curvaceous, the flame-red color of her hair glowing around the black silhouette of her face.
“Roxy,” Chase breathed, his inner wolf whining in gratitude.
She came toward him and stopped in the center of the square, waiting. Chase went to her like a man in a dream, afraid that if he moved too quickly he would startle her and this vision would evaporate, or he’d wake to find himself alone again. When he drew close enough, he could see her face, cast in a pale blue sheen by the starlight filtering through the leafless trees in the square. She watched him steadily, neither smiling nor frowning, her round face completely neutral. Chase didn’t know what to think, but he realized it was up to him to speak first.
“Thanks for coming to meet me.”
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said. “Darien and Brooke have been like mother hens lately and it took a while to convince them I’d be okay meeting you alone.”