by Vella Day
Kalan’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’ll ask Dad to keep an eye on you while you’re at the shop.”
Her initial reaction was to say no, but in light of the recent circumstances, she’d welcome the added protection. “I’m good with that.”
“Thank you. I’ll call him. Then I need to set up a reading by Deanna Landon at your parents’ house.”
She’d met Deanna, but didn’t understand why he’d need a reading. “Have you used her before?”
He rubbed her arm. “Not personally, but her psychic abilities have helped in other cases.”
That was pretty cool. “I thought you said the case was closed since you found the murderers.”
“As far as the police are concerned it is closed. But there is still the murder of that Darden fellow.”
That made sense. “Hence the reason why your father will be my invisible bodyguard and why you want to see if Darden’s killer might have been in the house, right?”
“You’re a smart one.”
“Given you came here directly after arresting that man, I’m guessing you haven’t told Brian anything about capturing the killers?”
He dragged a hand down his jaw. “Not yet. There are a few things that aren’t fitting neatly into place.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “You don’t believe Brian was in on it, do you?”
“No, but I think somehow he might have unknowingly seen who they were right before the home invasion,” he said, expressing his concern.
“If I didn’t know Brian was my brother, how would they have figured it out, unless my parents told the killers?”
Kalan snapped his fingers. “Your brother said company arrived at your parents’ house that first night, which was why he left before he was finished speaking with them. That company might have been Darden and Melton.”
“Only one way to find out,” she said.
“Ask him. Trust me, I intend to.”
As curious as Elana was about Brian, she was still thinking about what to say to him. Maybe after Kalan had his spoke with her brother, she’d ask to see him too.
*
After dinner, Elana insisted she clean up, so Kalan ducked into the bedroom and called his dad to ask if he could help keep an eye on his mate—or rather his soon-to-be mate.
“Are you still expecting trouble? I though you said you caught those two Changelings?”
Kalan had not specifically said who they were, but the assumption was valid. He went through the series of events and how someone had killed Darden. “I’m thinking this killer might have been planning to kill Melton before he did something stupid, only we got to him first.”
“That sounds reasonable. You’re right to be careful. I’ll make sure no one gets near Elana. You can count on me.”
“I wasn’t able to count on you to keep your mouth shut about Elana being my chosen mate. What were you thinking?” Once the words were out, he realized this call might have been an excuse to chastise his dad.
The long silence told him volumes. “I don’t keep anything from your mother. If she ever found out I knew something and didn’t tell her….let’s just say I would be sleeping on the sofa for a long time.”
His parents having sex wasn’t something he even wanted to consider. “Telling Mom is one thing. Blabbing to Elana is another. Didn’t you think it would be awkward for her—a human—to be told she was destined to be with a bear shifter?”
His father cleared his throat. “She seemed so taken with you that I thought it would be okay.”
It wouldn’t do any good to rebuke him any further. The harm had already been done, though he had to admit Elana had taken the mating thing a lot better than he’d expected. Then again, he hadn’t bitten her yet, so nothing was set in stone. Having his urges grow exponentially as soon as he did bite her wasn’t something he could handle right now. “I’ll text you tomorrow when we leave the house.”
He disconnected then called Izzy, hoping she could provide him with Deanna Landon’s number. If he’d had Teagan’s number he would have called her instead, as Deanna was her boyfriend Kip’s sister.
After a round of phone calls, he received the number he wanted. The big question was whether the psychic would be free tomorrow to go through the Stanley home to recreate the crime scene. When he finally reached her, she seemed more than willing to help.
“Can you meet me at the house tomorrow around ten?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Do I need to bring anything with me, like photos?”
“If there are photos in the house from when they were alive, that should suffice.”
Worked for him. “See you there tomorrow.”
Not wanting to keep Elana waiting, he returned to the living room. She looked up when he walked in. “How did it go?”
“Good. Dad will be your shadow for a while. In the meantime, I’ll be meeting Deanna at ten tomorrow morning.” Kalan didn’t want to dwell on all this negative stuff. It wouldn’t be good for her. “You up for a walk around the lake?”
His mind worked better when he was moving, and being surrounded by nature always calmed him. He might even shift and play, though under no circumstances would he let her ride him. He had his pride. When they returned, she could ride him a whole different way.
“I’d love to.”
Chapter Seventeen
‡
Kalan stood off to the side watching Deanna do her psychic thing, as she’d asked him not to disturb the air in the room. Apparently, she needed to absorb the energy. She was a tall girl, in her early thirties, with delicate features, and long dark hair. Pretty, but she seemed a bit too serious to enjoy life.
Several photos of the deceased couple were prominently displayed on the mantel, all from their travels, and she studied them for several minutes.
The crime scene unit had cleared the scene, and Kalan didn’t tell her where he’d found the bodies or anything about the crime, other than two people had been murdered.
“I’m sensing a lot of anger and pain,” she said, “especially around the area of this sofa.”
“That was where we found Mrs. Stanley’s body.”
Deanna faced him. “There are a lot of signatures here too, and it’s hard to tell which ones belonged to the homeowners, the killers, and the officers who investigated the crime.”
That wasn’t good. He didn’t see how she would be able to separate all the people then. “If it helps, we believe the murderers were wolf shifters.”
“That may help.” Deanna walked over to the spot where Richard Stanley had died. “I sense greed right here.”
Okay, that was a bit creepy. “Can you tell how many angry people were in the living room at the time of the murder?” That might eliminate the officers.
“I’m sensing five people, two being the victims.”
He didn’t want to sound excited and throw her off balance, but his heart rate didn’t seem to be having any such restraint. “If I show you a picture of one of the men who was here during the murders, can you say if he’s the one who actually did the killing?” That was an odd question, but he didn’t want say the man claimed his partner had done the actual murder.
“Is it a photograph?”
“It’s on my phone.”
“I can try.”
Kalan retrieved the department’s photo of Hank Melton and showed it to her. She placed her hand on the screen, though he didn’t know what good that would do.
“I’m getting a weak response, like he wasn’t the one responsible for the actual deaths.”
Kalan should have taken a picture of the dead man, but it was too late now. He’d spoken with Jackson on the way over and his brother said even the best evidence man wouldn’t be able to find where he’d buried the body.
Whoever had murdered Chris Darden had probably come back to dispose of any evidence and ending up killing Darden. While Melton claimed there were only two men present, most likely he was protecting the third person.
Possibly someone he feared.
“Can you tell me anything about the other two men?” Chris Darden was of average height, had a round face, and a soft middle, but he’d keep that information to himself for now.
Deanna closed her eyes then squinted them as if the image in her head was blurry. “I see darkness swirling around the one who delivered the final blow, as if he enjoyed the kill. The leader of the three was tall and quite large. Something is wrong with his leg. It might be from a wound or a badly healed bone.”
A shifter would have been able to heal himself, though it was possible he was born with a deformity. “That’s great.” She swayed and grasped the side table. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine. This takes a lot of energy, especially when those involved are so dark.”
He understood. Even in his human form, he could sense things other humans couldn’t. Unfortunately, the number of people who’d been in a room wasn’t one of them. “You’ve been a big help. Thank you.”
Once he escorted Deanna out and locked up, he had one more person to talk to before he went into work and began the heaps of paperwork—Brian Stanley. But before he did, Kalan wanted to stop at Elana’s store and make sure she was doing okay. He missed her more than he was willing to admit. Having her image pop up randomly made it hard to do his job, and he wondered how Rye had succeeded at first—or had he?
*
As much as Elana enjoyed being back in her store, just knowing that someone had been in her apartment destroying her things had her on edge. She’d spotted Mr. Murdoch a few times across the street and then as he passed by her window. He’d stop, check out the display, and then move on. She’d be the first to admit that his presence provided her with a lot of comfort.
Keeping busy was good for her, but at some point, she’d have to make arrangements for her parents’ funeral, and she was still having a difficult time believing they were dead. The silver lining was that providing the flowers for the service wouldn’t cost too much. The big question now was if she had a service, would anyone show up? Her parents hadn’t been in town long enough to have made any good friends.
The bell above the door chimed and she jerked out of her reverie. When she looked up and found it was Kalan, her pulse soared. His hair was pulled back, and the top was a bit messy as if he’d stabbed his fingers through it many times. She stepped from behind the counter and rushed over to him.
“What are you doing here?”
He laughed. “Is that how you greet your customers?”
If his eyes hadn’t twinkled, she would have turned twenty shades of red. “Should I have done this instead?”
As if that witch was standing right behind her, urging her on, Elana wrapped her arms around his neck, drew his head down, and kissed him. His outdoorsy scent had her reeling, and when he pulled her close, she sagged against him. If they weren’t in plain view of everyone on the street, she’d have popped open his pants and sucked him dry.
Pulse racing, she opened up and invited him in. Only because his eyes turned amber and his facial hair grew did she step back.
A huge grin split his face. “Now that’s a welcome, but only for me, mind you.”
She laughed. As if she’d ever be that friendly with anyone else. “We’ll see.” As she’d hoped, he responded with a growl. “Did you stop by because you missed me?”
“Absolutely, and I thought you’d want to know that I just finished with Deanna.”
She’d totally forgotten about the psychic reading. The thought of anyone being at a crime scene as part of her work—or rather at that particular crime scene—had her pulse turning erratic and her chest hurting. “Did she learn anything?”
“She confirmed my suspicions that other than your folks, there were three additional people there the night of your parents’ murders.”
One was dead and one was in custody. That meant the third man was unaccounted for. From the way his brows rose, that was all the information he was going to provide. “So what’s next on your busy cop agenda?”
“I’m on my way to speak with Brian.”
At the mention of her brother’s name, she sobered. Now would be a good time to tell Kalan her decision. “I want to meet him.”
Those raised brows pinched again. “You sure? He said he wasn’t planning to stay in town.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Did he say anything about wanting to at least meet me?” Kalan looked off to the side, confirming her suspicion. “That’s okay. He has no reason to desire a connection with anyone in the Stanley family.”
Kalan stroked her cheek, bringing her comfort. “I’ll see if he’s amenable. It’s probably hard for him too. He finally meets his parents after all this time and runs into a murder investigation. His therapist said Brian’s been on medication for being bipolar. Add in being anxious and a host of other things, and he might not want to stir the emotional pot anymore.”
What Kalan said was right. “I’ll respect whatever Brian wants to do. I certainly don’t want to make his life any worse.”
Kalan cupped her face. “You are a wonderful woman. I’m lucky to have found you.”
No one had ever said anything like that to her before, and her heart nearly burst with joy and robbed her of words. Say something. “I’m the lucky one. Of all the deputies in Silver Lake, I have you protecting me.”
He lifted her chin. “I think the goddess had a hand in that. They knew what I needed—and what I wanted, even if I didn’t realize it.”
If she’d been made of wax, his sweet words would have melted her into a puddle. “If you learn their heavenly address, I’ll send them a thank you note.”
He laughed.
The door to Blooms of Hope opened and Izzy rushed in. “Oh! I didn’t know were here, Kalan.”
There was something about the way Izzy’s eyes sparkled that convinced Elana her friend wasn’t telling the truth. Izzy had mentioned that once she had learned how to change into her wolf form she could sense when other shifters were near.
Kalan kissed Elana’s forehead. “I’ll let you two girls chat. I’ll see you tonight.”
As soon as he disappeared, Izzy’s eyes widened. “I think we need to catch up.”
Elana had to think back to the last time she’d spoken with her friend. Rye must have told her that he and Kalan had caught the killers. “I don’t think we’ve talked since I met Kalan’s family.”
“What did you think? Do tell.”
Elana detailed how amazing and welcoming they were. “I have to admit, I was shocked when Kalan’s father stood, held up his glass in a toast, and then announced I was his son’s mate.”
“What?” Izzy grabbed her upper arm and gently led her to the back room, presumably where they could have an uninterrupted and secure conversation.
The large table in the middle was splattered with cuttings, baby’s breath, and floral foam, but at least the shelves on the opposing walls that contained an assortment of vases, ribbons, stuffed animals, and everything she needed to be creative, were relatively neat.
“He said you were Kalan’s mate? That’s fantastic.” Her face suddenly lost its color. “Does Kalan know?”
“He said he heard the toast, but he hasn’t discussed it with me much.”
“So he hasn’t made it final yet?”
“By biting me?” Izzy nodded. “No.”
“He’s probably in shock, though he knows you two belong with each other.”
Elana moved the shears off to the side and hopped up on the table. “How exactly does a bear shifter know when he’s met his mate? What are the signs?”
“Mind you, I learned this after the fact, but the first thing that happens is there is an overwhelming sexual attraction between the two of you—and I don’t mean just plain lust.”
“I have lust that’s quite overwhelming.”
Izzy laughed. “It’s more than that. The other person almost becomes an obsession.” Elana lowered her chin and looked up at Izzy. “Yes, it’s simi
lar to what you experienced with Kalan, but this undeniable pull is much worse for Weres.”
Dear God. “He’s always working hard not to shift.”
“That’s the first sign, and if you mate, it becomes even worse—at least for a while. This might be too much information, but only now are we able to be apart from each other without clawing at the walls when we’re at work. But that’s taken a couple of weeks.”
Kalan was pretty horny all the time too. She wouldn’t be able to walk if they had sex more than they already did.
“Well, damn. I guess we are fated mates.” She scooted back to get more comfortable. “So tell me what it’s like to shift.”
*
This morning, Kalan had called Brian to say the killers had been caught and to let him know he was free to return to Ohio. Kalan then said he had a few questions for him before Brian took off. While not required by law to answer those questions, Brian agreed to meet with Kalan at twelve thirty in his hotel room.
Kalan hadn’t been in the Silver Lake Hotel in a long time, and the corridors seemed darker and narrower than he remembered. The carpet could use a good cleaning too as it smelled a bit musty.
Brian opened the door on the first knock, and he looked even worse than the last time Kalan had spoken with him. His eyes were red and he hadn’t shaved. Without saying anything, Brian stepped back to allow Kalan to enter. The beds were made and an open suitcase was on one of them.
“Thanks for seeing me,” Kalan said. A two-person table sat in the corner and he dragged out a chair and sat down, trying to put Brian at ease.
“Did you find out who trashed my room? Is that why you’re here?” His level of belligerence was sky high, but that was to be expected.
“We have surveillance showing two masked men tearing up the place. While we can’t see any distinguishing features, we believe they probably were the same ones who murdered your parents.”
“What were they looking for in my room?” Brian remained standing probably because it made him feel more in control.