by Rachel Hera
“I’ll need matches eventually,” I told Philip.
At first he didn’t say anything. “Will a lighter do?”
It was a rhetorical question, so I didn’t answer. Off he went.
I cracked my knuckles, shook out my shoulders and stretched my neck. I wondered if it would scare Evelyn that I looked forward to this. Did it make me no better than Cole?
My fist flew forward, landing the first jab to his face with a satisfying whump. A right hook followed closely behind. Blood spewed from his nose, spraying the floor.
“You shape-shifters sure are brittle,” I said, reaching out and tweaking his nose. It wasn’t broken –until I shattered it between my thumb and my forefinger. “It’s like you’re coming apart at the seams.”
His scream was voided by the doused cloth in his mouth as blood dripped down his face in a steady stream.
“What was it that you guys were saying?” I stepped back, watching the blood drip from the corner of his mouth. Cole’s chest rose and fell heavily as he tried to breath, the fabric in his mouth making it hard. I lifted my leg up, teeping him in the gut and sending the chair skidding across the small room. He grunted as his head flew back and smacked the wall. “Oh yeah. You were wondering what happened to a werewolf when his mate died.”
I grabbed his chair and pulled it back to the middle of the room, under the central light.
“The better question is –what happens to a fox when it fucks with a werewolf?”
I faced him, grabbing his shoulder and throwing my fist into his gut. The tape softened the blow, and I punched him again, wanting to know it hit him good.
“The lighter,” Philip reappeared. Cole’s eyes flickered to his Clan member, narrow and full of contempt. Almost more than when he looked at me.
“That won’t do,” I muttered, punching him in the nose. His cry was stifled by the doused cloth.
“Should I find the matches?” Philip asked.
“No –that will do,” I reached out my hand, and he crossed the room, placing it in my hand. I clenched my hand around it.
Dante entered the garage. “The bitch is nowhere to be found.”
“That’s fine,” I struck the thumbwheel, the flame catching immediately. I waved it in front of Cole’s face, so tempted to torch him right then and there. But I wanted to drag this out. Memories of my brother came to mind, and I lowered the lighter for a moment. Only a moment. I was scared of being categorized with him in my father’s eyes. But this was different. It had to be. The foxes had overstepped a boundary. You didn’t get off scot-free when you messed with the Pack. “Philip will make sure his Clan knows what she’s done. Won’t you, Phil?”
“She’ll get what’s coming to her,” Philip said slowly.
“And…” Dante watched me, his brow furrowed when I glanced his way.
“Yeah?” I asked, letting the wheel go and pulling back.
“Jason called. He’s still with Evelyn. She’s been trying to reach you. Is your phone off?”
“Just on silent,” I pulled it out of my back pocket. Sure enough, one missed call from Evelyn, and a text message asking me to call her when I had a chance. “I guess this means I can’t drag this out.”
I rolled the thumbwheel again, letting the cloth catch.
Whoosh.
Chapter 43: Maddie
“So let me get this straight,” I said, holding my hand out to stop Victor –or Shayne, as Evelyn called him –from talking. We sat in his living room curled up together; he’d let me take a bath, and given me a change of clothes. Mr. Smith took them and burnt them, just like Shayne told him to. “I was poisoned by your father? Weeks before we were locked in holy matrimony? And just when you finally thought you found me –you found Evelyn instead?”
“Understand that Evelyn and Evangeline bear very close resemblance,” he chuckled.
“I just always assumed I was one of a kind,” I shrugged, eating one of the dozen cookies Shayne had bought me to help me replenish my strength. I’d have to make a joke to Evelyn about never wanting to donate my blood again. Surely she’d laugh.
“You are one of a kind, I can tell you that much,” he brushed a damp lock of my hair across my shoulder. “You were then. You are now.”
“But you just said –”
“There is but one soul like yours,” he cut me off. “And that is how the moment I saw you, I knew you were the only soul in the world I longed for. And I have searched the world for you.”
“Well, you found me,” I smiled shyly.
“Harry found Evelyn, who led me to you,” he corrected. “But, yes.”
“And you’ll bite me, and we’ll be together forever,” I felt giddy just thinking about it.
“Eventually,” he nodded, leaning down and kissing my hair. “Red hair is captivating. It suits you. Like flames.”
“You think?” I asked.
“I know,” he dropped my hair and caressed my cheek with his thumb. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, since you’ve healed me.”
“I didn’t mean physically,” he murmured.
“I’m still struggling to grasp that it was real. It doesn’t feel real. And sitting here feels like we’re in the eye of the storm. It feels oddly calm after what just happened,” I pulled at a loose string on Shayne’s t-shirt. Part of me knew I should call my mother. I also knew that I would need to talk about everything to Evelyn. “But that’s fine. I’m starting to realize calm is a good thing. Vampires do live calm lives, right?”
“For the most part,” he chuckled. “Once you’ve lived for hundreds of years, things like kidnapping and threatening people just become… tedious, for lack of a better word.”
“Do you think Harry will close down the parlour?”
“I’m not sure what Harry has in store.”
“I don’t think Evelyn will want to work there anymore.”
“No. Probably not.”
We fell into silence. He continued to stroke my cheek gently, his eyes glued to me, as if scared that if he turned away I’d disappear. Or die.
“I’ve been meaning to ask…”
“Yes.”
He smiled, “You don’t even know the question.”
“Just kiss me,” I said, snorting unintentionally.
Victor laughed. “So you do know the question.”
“And now you know the answer,” I leaned slightly towards him, though I teased him by not closing the distance completely.
His breath fanned my face, smelling faintly of mint and tea. And somehow, it was a scent very familiar to me. So were his eyes. And not just because they appeared in my dreams. I had known him in an instant when he walked into the back room of the parlour.
I couldn’t help but smile. “So what are you going to do about it?”
Chapter 44: Blake
Dante didn’t say a word the entire drive home. Philip told us that he’d stay behind and clean up the mess. Neither of us bothered to argue. He’d been telling us the truth all night and there was no reason to doubt that he had the capabilities of using bleach. We pulled into the driveway and the two of us just sat there quietly for a moment. When he didn’t say anything, I instigated the conversation.
“You’ll understand when you find your mate,” I told him, looking at my knuckles on the wheel. They were scabbed, but by morning they’d be fine. The perks of being a werewolf.
“Will I?” he questioned. “What you did back there was kind of extreme, Blake.”
“What they did to Evelyn was extreme,” I retorted.
He didn’t reply as he got out of the jeep. I turned off the ignition and followed him. Carlos met me at the door.
“A word, Blake?” Carlos phrased it like a question, but after the night I’d rather get whatever he had to say about it over and done with.
We remained outside on the front porch for a private talk; deceitful seclusion. They’d be able to hear us from most places in the house. Even now, I could hear Evelyn, Kaya and Jason tal
king in the kitchen. Well, Jason and Kaya were speaking –Evelyn only made small comments.
I wanted to go to her. Tell her it was done. It was over. Cole was dead.
“You can go to her in a moment, Blake,” he sat on the step and patted the spot next to him. I was on to his ways. Side-by-side conversation so that it didn’t seem confrontational. I hesitated for only a second before sitting beside him. Things would go faster if I chose not to fight him.
He stared out across the gravel driveway at the jeep, not saying anything for a moment. Perhaps, trying to find the right words to say. What was he going to say? Or rather, with his quiet demeanor, what wasn’t he going to say aloud? Alpha mode wasn’t engaged –which was strange for our usual sit-downs. Was he trying a new strategy?
“I’m sorry.”
What?
I must have said it aloud, since he repeated himself as he looked me straight in the eye. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I didn’t take the gravity of the situation as seriously as I should have. Actions should have been taken earlier to prevent this outcome. I should have listened to you.”
No words came to mind.
“You can take the glory a little bit –you were right,” he said. The way he said it, I knew it was a probe. For what, I didn’t know. Still, I responded.
“I didn’t want to be right.”
He nodded, and fell to silence again, shifting his eyes from me back to the jeep. Thinking again. I looked at the vehicle, too. It was dirty on the outside, the black exterior dulled by dust and dirt.
“I killed him.”
He looked at me, but there was no look of shock. No look of condemnation. “I guessed that. Or else you’d still be out there looking for him.”
“I set him on fire. And left him there for Philip to clean up.”
His eyebrow raised, the only indication he gave of surprise. It fell quickly, though, the lines appearing between his eyebrows as he gave me a hard look. His tone got serious, “You’re not like him, Blake.”
My fist clenched unintentionally. Had I been unconsciously testing the water? Was I trying to see if Carlos thought I was like Keegan? He seemed to think so.
“You know, I’m starting to think the opposite,” I maintained a steady tone.
“I’m serious, Blake. I watched the two of you grow up together, and yes you guys are identical in appearance, but you’re so very, very different. You test boundaries –he crosses them deliberately. And, somehow, I can’t see Keegan seeking revenge for somebody else.”
“And that’s what makes us fundamentally diverse from one another?”
“To me it does. It tells me that you have morals. That you feel like part of the Pack. That you feel something, really. Keegan doesn’t have any of that. Christ, Blake, he killed his best friend to make sure that his secret would remain a secret. Almost killed Noah for that same reason. But you’re right, Blake. You’re… unsettled. And I was beginning to worry about you. But I’m not any more. I’m glad to say it’s because of the young lady sitting at our kitchen table.”
“So you do approve of her.”
“Have I made you doubt that?” another eyebrow raise.
“For a while I thought you were just pretending, you know, to dupe me into obeying orders. Are you going to censor her?”
“Do you want me to?”
“She won’t want to be.”
He smiled. “Then I’ll let you decide what to tell her and what not to tell her. She’s your mate, after all. That makes her special.”
Speaking of special… “Do you know what an Angel of the Moon is?”
“Haven’t a clue. Evelyn already asked,” he said. I felt her presence shortly after her name was spoken. Evelyn was near. Maybe hesitating behind the door, unsure if she could interrupt. Carlos must have sensed her, too, as he rose to his feet. “But we’ll figure it out, Blake. And we’ll help you protect her.”
“Thanks… Dad.”
He patted my shoulder before turning to go inside. He quietly murmured a soft, “Oh.” So he hadn’t sensed her there. Still, I was a little relieved that the discussion was over. I looked over my shoulder to see Evelyn, just where I thought she would be.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping aside to let him pass.
Carlos hesitated only second before passing her. He called out for Dante inside of the house. I wondered if they’d send Noah back over there to help Philip clean up the mess. At least to verify that the mess had been cleaned properly.
I stood up, meeting Evelyn halfway. Her hands reached out for me, arms wrapping around my torso. I closed my eyes as her scent reached my nose. I could still smell blood, but I wasn’t sure if that was me or her. I hoped it was me, for her sake.
“I’ve been cold since you left,” she murmured into my shoulder. I enveloped her in my warmth, pulling her close to my chest. She shuddered, her fingers clenching the back of my shirt. “Just hold me for a moment, okay?”
“Of course.”
She let out a deep breath, her breath hot through the fabric of my shirt. She shifted a little to be able to breathe through her nose, but otherwise we just stood there, embracing one another. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like we should go inside. I mean, if she was cold it would make sense. But I didn’t want to go in and share her company with the others. The illusion of solitude was what kept me out there. It was just me, her, the crickets and the voices inside. But I could tune those out.
Evelyn clenched and unclenched her hand, as if trying to release the tension in her body. Now that I was aware of it, I could feel the unsettled energy coursing through her. I rubbed her back, but that did little to help.
“It’s over,” I said quietly. “I took care of it.”
“Cole’s dead?” she asked. She didn’t look up at me.
“Yeah.”
Her shoulders seemed to sag with relief. “And Marissa?”
I hesitated, “Still out there.”
She was quiet for a moment, before whispering, “Blake, I’ve never wanted anyone to die. I’ve cursed them, hoped that karma bit them in the ass... Is it bad of me to wish it for her?”
I drew her in closer to me. All I could imagine was her covered in blood at the parlour. And I grew angry again, despite having taken care of the main cause of it –Cole. But Marissa was also to blame. She had been a large part of it, too. “No. I don’t think that’s bad at all.”
“And how do I face Philip? I mean, he’s not a bad guy, but –”
“He’s still a fox.”
She looked up at me. “How can our relationship be fake when you understand me this well.”
“It’s not,” I said simply. “It can’t be. Unless you think it is.”
No hesitation. “No. Not our relationship. Everyone else in this house though…”
I chuckled, kissing her quickly. Despite the small stab at humor, she was still distant. I placed my forehead against hers. “Are you –”
“You can’t seriously be thinking of asking me that, can you?” she turned her head slightly, dodging my gaze for a moment. I pulled my head away from hers, expecting her to step back out of my reach. But she didn’t move. “Of course I’m not okay. After all the things that have happened this week, nothing feels real. I don’t know what to feel, don’t know what to think. How am I supposed to feel? How does Maddie feel? She was just… pulled. Pulled into a giant undertow of… whatever that was. Not to mention my family –My dad’s finally home, and I…I don’t want to see him, Blake. My sisters are coming down for Thanksgiving, and I definitely don’t want to see them… I don’t know what face to put on when I do.”
“Don’t put on a face,” I told her quietly. “You shouldn’t need to.”
“I feel… I feel broken. I feel like Cole and Marissa broke me. Part of me wants to cry, part of me wants to scream. I had to sit on my hands in your house to keep from throwing a lamp across the room.”
“You can break things. Carlos won’t get mad.” I’d done it a time or two, af
ter all.
“Don’t encourage me, Blake,” she muttered. She pulled her one arm back to her, scratching her nose. Her other hand remained on my waist. “And while it may not be the most pressing matter right now... It’s just –we didn’t use a condom. Not that I’m concerned, though I mean, I am. I think, anyway –like I said, I don’t know what I’m feeling. But I just wasn’t sure if you’d realized that yet. That I might be pregnant. But I guess I’ll find out later. You know, when I either miss my period, or not.”
“That was my fault –sorry,” I told her.
“No, we were both caught up in the moment,” she rubbed her temple hard enough to leave a red mark. “Like I said. We’ll worry about it later. It’s kind of late for the morning after pill.”
“If you are –”
“Let’s just… hold off on these conversations for now,” she put her hand over my mouth. She sighed and kissed my cheek quickly before stepping away from me. “I should go home. I should.”
“But you don’t want to. So stay.”
“If only it were that simple.”
“Why can’t it be?” I asked.
“What would I tell my mother?”
“You’re seventeen, with one final year of high school left. Not even a year –a semester. Why do you need to tell her anything?”
“Carlos really lets you run wild, huh?” she cracked a tiny smile.
“Stay,” I insisted.
“On one condition,” she said slowly.
For her, I’d do anything. “Sure. What is it?”
Evelyn looked down at her hands for a moment. Unsure of whether to ask? Or just unsure of whether she should stay? I reached out and took one of her hands in mine. She smiled half-heartedly up at me, exhaling loudly. “Well… I still haven’t seen your wolf form.”
“Then let’s fix that.”
Epilogue
He stared down at Cole, who gasped and wheezed at his feet like a fish out of water. His face was blistering, covered in third-degree burns. It was surprising that he had lived through a mouthful of fire, but he did, even if just barely. It was a pity –Cole had had such potential in his future with the Clan. And right up until the end he was obeying orders.