Fox Lost (The Madison Wolves)

by Robin Roseau

  I continued to cry, the sense of loss overwhelming. Finally, Elisabeth raised her voice to a bellow. "Serena!"

  I heard a clatter through the walls, a door bursting open, and then running in the hall. The door to this room opened, and then I heard Serena's heartbeat.

  "What's wrong?" Serena asked.

  "Get Lara on the phone."

  I hadn't even bothered opening my eyes. Elisabeth continued to hold me, and then Serena was on the bed with us, her arm around me.

  "The fox woke up," Serena said into the phone. "She's upset."

  "She's gone," I said. "She's gone!"

  "Oh, Little Fox," said Lara over the phone.

  I opened my eyes and snatched the phone from Serena, pressing it to my ear.

  "Lara?"

  "I'm right here, Little Fox," she said. "Shhh. Everything is fine."

  "I couldn't feel you. You were gone."

  "I wanted to check on the plane myself," she explained. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

  "I meant... Inside. I couldn't feel you inside. I thought you had died."

  "Oh honey, I'm fine. Everyone is fine."

  Slowly I calmed down, Lara talking quietly to me.

  "I'm sorry," I said eventually. "I was being silly. Of course I couldn't feel you anymore."

  "Honey," she said, "I miss it, too."

  "Why did you do it, Lara?" I asked. "Didn't you like feeling me inside?"

  "I did," she said. "And I liked feeling your love for me. But there's something I needed a lot more."

  "What?"

  "To have all of you, not the shadow that the thrall left. All better?"

  I sniffed. "I guess. When are we going home?"

  "Well," she said. "It's ten-thirty Wednesday morning. We can leave this afternoon if you're up to it."

  "I want to go home," I said in a small voice. "Please take me home, Lara."

  "Of course, Little Fox," she said. I heard her smile, but it felt strained.

  "Are you up to flying that far?" I asked.

  "Yes," she said. "I'll be fine. I'll let Elisabeth help fly. Let me talk to her."

  I handed the phone to Elisabeth but said, "She said she's going to make you sit in back and I get to fly. She said it shouldn't be too bumpy."

  She groaned and took the phone, but I heard Lara laughing. "I said no such thing, Sister. I said you could help fly."

  "It's far too much airplane for me, Alpha," Elisabeth replied. "Do we need to bring June down to help?"

  "We'll be fine," Lara replied. "Can you and Serena handle things there and get a ride to the airport? Bring food for the flight. I'll call the St. Louis pack and get permission to refuel there."

  "We'll see you in an hour or so," Elisabeth said.

  She hung up and returned the phone to Serena. "Get her cleaned up and dressed. I'll arrange for something to eat and transportation."

  "I'm not a child," I said. "I can take care of cleaning up myself."

  "Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth said. "But you aren't going to ditch your security detail, are you?"

  I sighed. "No."

  "Elisabeth," said Serena, "We're spreading ourselves thin, and we're not at home."

  "If Carissa wants to play games with us, there's little we can do to stop her," said Elisabeth. "The sooner we get home, the better we'll be."

  * * * *

  Serena watched over me as I showered and got dressed. I eyed the dress I'd bought in Asheville. Serena saw me looking at it and stepped to my side.

  "Save it for times Lara can enjoy it," she suggested.

  "But-"

  "But you're worried she won't love you?"

  "That's silly, isn't it?"

  "Yes."

  "She wants me to dress like this."

  "She would like it if you dress like this from time to time, but it should be special. Trust me on this, Michaela. I think right now it's important you return to the pack as the Michaela everyone knows and expects. And I think Lara needs to see that, too. And honey, we're not home. I would really prefer if you wore your knives."

  I turned to look at her. "Really?"

  "Yes. No one is expecting trouble, but I like knowing you aren't helpless. We all do."

  "All right." And so I dressed in a long skirt and blouse. I used to prefer jeans, but if I needed to move quickly, I could shift right out of a skirt, but I tended to get tangled in jeans. And I could reach the knives on my ankles more easily in a skirt.

  By the time I was dressed, Elisabeth had returned with breakfast for me. While I ate, she and Serena packed for us, and twenty minutes later found us bundled in an SUV with one of Carissa's human servants driving.

  * * * *

  The flight was uneventful. I sat in back, Serena directly across from me, and I zoned out for a while. Serena and Karen played cards. Lara and Elisabeth talked about something, but she isolated the intercom system, splitting it so the rear seat passengers were on one channel, the she and Elisabeth on a separate channel. I couldn't quite hear what they were discussing.

  I grew bored and considered sleeping, but I'd been sleeping enough lately.

  I felt unsettled, and I thought everyone else was as well.

  "What's wrong with everyone?" I finally asked.

  Serena and Karen both looked at me, then Serena turned to Lara and tapped her on the shoulder. When Lara looked over her shoulder at Serena, Serena tapped her earphones.

  "What's up?" Lara said a moment later.

  "What's wrong with everyone?" I asked again. "You're all acting like we lost. What aren't you telling me?"

  Lara looked at me. "Nothing is wrong, Little Fox," she said. "We didn't lose. We're a little worried that you're okay."

  "I don't feel like we won."

  "We didn't," Lara said. "Carissa won. But we're all alive and only marginally worse for wear."

  "You don't think I should have helped her."

  "I wouldn't have," Lara said, "but I am fairly certain Deirdre would be dead if you hadn't."

  "I didn't get to spend time with her afterwards. I wanted to get to know her better. She's the first fae I've met."

  "I liked her," Karen declared. "But when you get involved with vampires, the only ones who win are the vampires."

  We all turned to her. "You knew her!"

  "I knew of her," Karen said. "She uses the local pack when she wants werewolf assistance."

  "You didn't work for her while at Lima?" Elisabeth asked.

  "No. And no, I can't tell you what Lima did for her. Everything like that was on a need to know basis, and I didn't need to know. I could make guesses, but I would rather not."

  "Did we lose?" I asked.

  "I think in the short run, we did," said Lara. "Perhaps in the long run, we're ahead."

  "What can we do to minimize our losses?"

  Lara smiled at me. "Make sure we're all okay," she said. "Make sure none of our relationships are damaged."

  "We're not all okay?"

  Serena and Karen both turned to look at me.

  "What?" I said after a moment. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

  "Actually," said Elisabeth, "We think you're probably better than okay. How's your hearing?"

  "Right now? Horrible. This airplane might be quieter than our others, but it's still loud."

  "Okay," she said. "Fair enough. Sense of smell?"

  That was when I realized why I felt something was wrong. I sniffed carefully. "What am I smelling?"

  "Leather seats?" suggested Karen with a grin.

  Lara had turned forward again, so I couldn't read her expression, and I could barely see Elisabeth, so I studied Serena. "What am I smelling, Serena?"

  "You're smelling yourself, Michaela," she said. "We're all fine. Physically, so are you. But you are worried, and it's putting the rest of us on edge."

  "What are you worried about, Little Fox?" Lara asked.

  "That you all hate me," I said. "That everything is going to change. That you're mad at me, Lara." I looked out the window. "That
you don't want me." I grew quiet.

  Lara looked back, the motion catching my eye, and I could see her smiling. "And if I absolutely promise you none of those worries have merit, then what?"

  "Everything is okay?" I asked.

  "Yes, honey," Lara said. "As long as you're okay."

  "I'm okay," I said after a moment. "So, about scuba diving."

  * * * *

  I stepped through the front door, Lara immediately behind me. Rebecca and Celeste were seated on the sofa, enjoying a rare moment of television viewing time. They must have been deeply engrossed in whatever it was, because they didn't notice our entrance immediately. Lara stepped next to me, and we both looked at our daughters.

  Then Rebecca's nose began to twitch, then she began sniffing in earnest. A moment later, her head snapped to face Lara and me.

  "Mommy Fox!" she yelled. "Mommy Wolf!"

  She launched herself from the sofa, pushing off from her sister to do so, and flew much of the distance from the sofa to Lara and me. Lara stepped forward and caught our daughter, then barely handed her to me before she had to catch Celeste as well. Rebecca threw her arms and legs around me and hung onto me tightly as I squeezed her to me. When I glanced over, I could see that Lara was holding Celeste the same way I held Rebecca.

  "Hello, babies," I said to my daughter.

  "We're not babies anymore, Mommy!" Rebecca complained.

  "You're right," I said. "You're not. Hello, Darlings."

  Rebecca took a deep sniff of me then said, "You smell different, Mommy."

  "I do, Darling?"

  "Uh huh," she said.

  "Do I smell bad?" I asked.

  She sniffed again. "No," she declared. "Just different."

  I glanced at Lara, but she was pointedly not looking at me.

  "I'll have to ask Mommy Wolf about that later," I finally said. "Have you been a good girl while I've been gone?"

  "Yes, Mommy Fox," she said. "Down now!"

  I set my daughter down, and she immediately turned to Lara. Lara gave me Celeste and hoisted Rebecca in her arms. Celeste wrapped herself around me and asked, "Where did you go, Mommy? Mommy Wolf cried and cried when you left."

  I looked at Lara. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

  "It wasn't your fault," she said.

  "It's a long story, Celeste," I said. "And Mommy Wolf and I haven't decided how much we should tell you."

  "Tell me all!" she said strongly.

  "I'm sorry, Darling," I said. "You know sometimes your mommies do things that we can't tell you about. Have you had dinner?"

  "Cheska fed us," Celeste said. They both still had problems pronouncing Francesca's full name.

  I lowered my daughter to the floor.

  "I'm glad you're home, Mommy Fox," she said. "Will you tell us a bedtime story tonight?"

  "Your Mommy Wolf and I will tell you a story together," I said. "If Mommy Wolf has time."

  "Mommy Wolf has time," Lara said with a smile. "Why don't you two go watch the rest of your show while Mommy Fox takes a shower."

  "Okay," Rebecca said. She grabbed her sister's hand, and the two ran back to the sofa and plopped down. Lara shepherded me up the stairs and to our bedroom. I didn't put up a fuss until the door was closed.

  "Does Mommy Fox need a shower?"

  "Yes," Lara said. "So does Mommy Wolf."

  I leaned in to sniff her, then curled my nose. "I'm not used to smelling everything so strongly," I said. "What is that?"

  "Stress," Lara replied.

  "From me?"

  "Well, and a thousand-mile flight in a twin-engine aircraft. That's the furthest I've ever flown."

  I was surprised. That was the closest I've ever heard to Lara admitting she had limits. "Honey?"

  "I'm fine," she said. She stepped forward and began plucking at the buttons of my blouse. I grinned at her.

  "We can't play if we're going to get back downstairs to read to the girls."

  "Consider this foreplay," she declared.

  Date Night

  "Do I look okay?" I asked Serena.

  "You look wonderful," she replied. "Ready to go?"

  "Will we be late?"

  "Maybe a few minutes. I'm sure Lara will wait."

  I grinned. It was Friday evening. We'd been home a little over a week. Things had been strained, but we had muddled through. But now I was about to meet Lara for a date. I had no idea what we were going to be doing, and the only thing Serena told me was, "Lara liked the heels you bought in Asheville."

  We took the limo. Portia drove, Rory in the front passenger seat, and Serena rode in back with me. For the first half of the trip, we rode in companionable silence. But then suddenly I said, "Serena, thank you."

  "For what?"

  "Everything you do."

  She smiled. "My pleasure," she said. "I talked to Alan this afternoon." Alan was Serena's eldest son. "He is looking forward to this summer."

  I smiled. "How is college going?" Alan had been accepted at Stanford and was finishing his junior year, the same year as Scarlett and Angel. He was deeply missed.

  Serena smiled with pride. "Good," she said. "He's holding a 3.8 GPA."

  "He's a smart boy," I said.

  "He arrived at college well-prepared," Serena replied. "Thanks to you."

  I shrugged. "All the kids make teaching them easy."

  Serena watched me expectantly.

  "What?"

  "Are you really going to make me be direct?"

  I laughed. "I guess so."

  "Michaela, we all do what we can. Emanuel watches over your children. I watch over you. But you watch over our children at the same time. It's part of what it means to be pack."

  I smiled. "I guess it is, isn't it?"

  "But as long as we're on the subject," she said, "I want to talk to you about security measures next weekend."

  "Whatever you decide," I told her. "I'll behave. I promise." We were heading to Bayfield to being construction on the extra bunkhouses we had talked about.

  Everything was, by and large, back to normal.

  Serena kept me distracted the remainder of the ride to the restaurant. I was somewhat surprised when we arrived at the steak house where Michele and I had entertained the truckers a couple of weeks ago. I raised my eye to Serena. We pulled into the parking lot, and Portia lowered between the front and back.

  "Elisabeth is coming," she said. She and Rory climbed out of the car and assumed sentry positions and a minute later I saw Elisabeth and Angel step out of the rear entrance to the restaurant. They approached the cat, and then Rory opened the door. Serena stepped out, and then I stepped into place between Serena and Elisabeth.

  We began heading to the rear door, arriving at the door before Elisabeth stopped me. "You didn't ask to go in the front?"

  "You know I prefer the front entrance," I told her. I shrugged. "If we're using the back, we're using the back."

  Elisabeth smiled. I chose to believe I surprised her with my complacence.

  "You look good," she said. She stepped closer and brushed my bare shoulders. "We can go shopping again next week, maybe Tuesday."

  "All right," I said. "You'd look good in something form fitting, Elisabeth. You too, Serena."

  Two minutes later, they presented me to Lara, waiting with Karen and Eric in the side room we'd used two weeks ago. Lara took one look at me, smiled, and said, "I am the luckiest wolf alive."

  About the Author

  A writer by avocation, Robin has a renaissance interest in many areas. A bit of a gypsy, Robin has called a few places home and has traveled widely. A love of the outdoors, animals in general and experimenting with world cuisines, Robin and partner share their home with a menagerie of pets and guests, although sometimes it is difficult to discern who is whom.

  Robin can be reached via email as robin.roseau@gmail.com. Robin's web site is http://www.robin-roseau.com.

  Fox Lost

  Copyright 2014 by Robin Roseau

  All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Credits

  Mythology

  All Is Right

  Summer Plans

  Business As Usual

  Surprise

  Learning The Rest

  Part Two

  Awakening

  Asheville

  Skulking

  Fly By

  Dialogue

  Part Three

  Planning

  Enemies

  Return Flight

  Recovery

  Home

  Date Night

  About the Author

  Copyright