It had taken me so long to get over her leaving for college, for me to realize that she wasn't coming back, that she had a life elsewhere, that now that she was back, I wasn't sure how to handle it. It was only meeting Sarah that had changed my outlook on life. She saw the broken-hearted side of me and didn't care. She accepted that I'd fallen in love with a girl in high school but never talked to her. All she cared about was whether or not she and I loved each other. And we did.
So much.
Pain shot through my chest and it literally felt like my heart was breaking all over again as Sarah's face seemed to fill my mind. Just thinking about her sent shockwaves of pain through me, but they weren’t nearly as bad as they used to be. Time definitely helped. The pain was still as intense, but somehow I’d grown bigger so it didn’t affect me quite so much.
Emma was certainly intriguing. Maybe as a first date. I’d been thinking about going on one. Ten years was long enough to wait, I reckoned. But nobody had caught my eye.
Except Emma.
And for some reason, I didn't think anyone would. There was just something about this woman that turned my head, always had, always would. How to go about asking her out, I had no idea. I hadn’t asked a woman out since, well, I couldn’t really remember doing it other than when I stumbled over my words asking Sarah out. And that was a very long time ago.
Maybe there were videos online about how to do it. I’d have to remember to check.
“Daniel!”
I sighed and turned to face the wolf pack’s new, very young alpha. “Nathan.”
Drawing on my inner magic, I shifted into my animal form and shook out my fur. As a bear shifter on wolf territory, this was pretty unusual, but the situation was severe. The bears usually kept to our own territories, but the wolves feared us. The pack shifted around me, snarling and snapping. But they wouldn’t go on the offensive. Bears were known for their brutal attacks. The wolves might have outnumbered me, but in experience, size, and knowledge, I made up for it. I was worth ten of these pipsqueaks and they all knew it, which is why none of them advanced toward me.
It wasn’t always this way. There wasn't always this tension. Nathan, I was your father’s best friend. I watched you grow up, from afar. I mentally pushed the words at the wolf alpha. Thomas was my best friend. His loss was a blow to us all. Whether you want to believe it or not, he was friends with all the other shifter communities in the area. This tension wasn't always there.
Bullshit. Nathan's voice rang in my head like a bell clanging in the distance. I never once saw you here. You keep saying that you and Dad were friends, but there's nothing to back you up.
My bear wanted to roar and smack the absolute shit out of him for being so dense and untrusting, but I couldn't blame him. I'd probably be the same in his shoes.
Your father, your alpha, was protective of his son. He wasn't willing to risk anything harming you. You're his heir, and he didn't want to risk a hair on that adorable little head of yours. After you were born we never met here anymore. Always off pack property, away from you, though that didn't mean your dad ever shut up about you.
He never talked about you. Nathan's voice was salty as though he was jealous of the time I spent with his father, or the fact that Thomas held his cards close to his chest. He wasn't pissed off anymore though, which was a good thing. Besides, I agreed with him on that point. The man had been so obsessed with keeping Nathan safe that he didn't think what it would be like for Nathan to be isolated from the other shifters in the area.
Nathan shook his head. His long gray fur rippled over his body as though he was standing in a gust of wind. He paced back and forth in front of me, but it was no longer aggressive; it was a man working off the adrenaline of preparing for an attack and none coming. I'd been there. Sometimes it could take a while to calm down.
Nathan shook his head, and his long gray fur began to recede as he shifted back into his skin. Watching always made me feel like I was intruding on something private, but I also knew if I turned away now it would be both an insult and make me look weak. So I watched as his skin seemed to absorb the fur that had once coated his wolf.
It happened with any shifter with fur; our bodies just seemed to reabsorb it, just like it did with our clothes when we shifted into our animals. It creeped me out to watch though. Maybe I watched too many movies but I always wanted the clothes to shred when I shifted into my bear and the fur to turn into dust on the wind when I shifted back or something. My wallet was certainly happy that I didn't explode out of my clothes every time I shifted. Gods, could you imagine how big your closet would have to be just to keep up with yourself shifting, let alone the families with moody teenagers that shifted every two seconds? I was exhausted just thinking about it.
The young alpha stood on two legs once more after a tense moment where he was halfway between wolf and man. Another reason I was grateful we didn't lose our clothes was because I didn't want to see Nathan naked. I doubted he wanted to see me that way either.
With a sigh, he nodded once. “Fine, Bear. Why are you here?”
I shifted and strode forward, straightening my clothes as I went. “I’m looking for her brother.” I nodded my head in the direction Emma had driven off.
“And I told her. I don’t know where he is.”
I looked him in the eyes and believed him. I believed that he didn't know where Henry was, but he had his suspicions. “Fine. What do you know?”
He motioned for me to sit in the chair beside him. “As I told the women, he got busted counting cards, but the Vamp Mistress made everyone let him go. My guys don’t have him.” He spread his hands. “As far as I know, he went home. If anyone’s got him, it’s the blood suckers.”
That wasn’t good. “Okay, thank you.”
“So, you working for the department again?”
I stiffened. “Not exactly. Just still helping with the occasional supernatural case.”
“I heard you were mostly just sticking to your cabin.”
I almost asked if he’d had his boys watching me, but I didn’t. He was still figuring this whole thing out, so if he wanted his boys to watch me, I had no issues with it. If I smelled them in my territory though, we’d have another issue altogether, just like every shifter knew. My family had been in this town as far back as anyone could remember. We still owned massive sections of the woods, even though after adulthood we were given our own territory and could only cross into each other’s areas with permission.
It was a bear thing. A bear thing that every shifter, vamp, and witch alike knew.
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, a man can only do so much hunting, fishing, and reading before he gets a little bored.”
There was something in his eyes I couldn’t read. Did he wish wolves were like bears and that he didn’t have the weight of his entire pack on his shoulders?
“Just be careful,” he says. “Mystic Hollow isn’t the same town as when you were in charge.”
Didn’t I already know that? “I appreciate it.”
“And the sirens have gotten a little pushy about wanting to buy some of our land bordering the water.”
My muscles tensed. “No matter the price--”
“I know. Those rich jerks can offer any price, but this is wolf land.”
I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The sirens were the most powerful, wealthy bunch in our town, but I was still shocked they even tried to buy the lands from him. Every shifter with an ounce of common sense would never sell their lands. They must have hoped he was dumb as well as inexperienced.
“Well, let me know if you have any problems with them and I’ll pay them a visit.”
He smirked. “I’m the alpha. I don’t need anyone to intervene for me.”
“Of course,” I said, trying to hide my doubt.
Sighing, I rubbed my hand across my face and looked around. The wolf pack, now that they knew I wasn’t a threat, went back to whatever they’d been doing when I drove up.
; I furrowed my brow. Which was, apparently, cleaning. Black trash bags were stacked by the meeting house, and some of the younger wolves were scrubbing paint off the side of a house. “What’s going on? The houses are looking rough up here.”
Nathan chuckled, but the sound was sad, not amused. “I know my dad was a better alpha. There have been a lot of issues with the shifters, but I’m trying.” He met my gaze. “I really am.”
“Can I help?” I knew he’d turn me down, but I had to try, not just because he was Thomas's kid, but because he was good at his core. I knew that he would be a fair, strong alpha; it was within him. He deserved having all the help he wanted or needed.
As expected, he shook his head.
I sighed and smiled at him. “You’re very much like your father, Nathan. If he’d lived longer…”
Nathan’s eyes moistened, and he cleared his throat. “Well, he didn’t. Now, I have to do the best I can with what I have.”
If his father had lived, the boy could’ve been molded into an incredible alpha. He had a lot of growing to do, but I had to be careful. Too much advice or given the wrong way and he would shut me out completely.
Standing, I held out my hand. “Please, Nathan. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate. I loved your father very much. I’m here for you.”
Nathan shook my hand and looked me in the eye like a man. He would grow into his position and learn from mistakes. I just hoped those mistakes didn’t hurt too much.
I turned and returned to my car. Sitting there for a moment, I looked out at the wolf’s camp. I spent many days and nights there with Thomas before he became a father. We were eerily similar to the wolves I saw in front of me now, or at least I suspected so. Drinking around the bonfire, seducing shifter females with no idea if one of them might turn out to be our mate and end our bachelor shenanigans. I would be willing to bet that they went cliff diving just like we used to. For just a moment I could almost see a young Thomas moving among them.
It was easy to feel invincible when you were that age. Adults, but just barely, most with no real responsibilities yet, just out to have a good time. Once you lost someone, though? You realized how fragile we all were even if we were shifters.
As I looked around, I realized that this was no longer a safe place for me, however, and these wolves were no longer my friends. They may never be, at least not to the degree that Thomas was, and that was okay. Things evolved, changed. They had to.
Off in the distance, there was a boom and a slight shaking of the ground. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I’d have to remind the dwarves to be cautious with their mining. There was a lot we could explain away to the humans, but we supernaturals still couldn’t be reckless.
I turned on my car and drove off the pack lands, heading toward my cabin at the edge of town. Already, my warm fire and slowly cooking chili were waiting. That was one thing the boy hadn’t been wrong about; I did spend a lot of my time home. Bears were naturally homebodies, but with a case to focus on, and the mysterious Emma back in town, I finally had a reason to spend more time around society.
Which might not be a bad thing.
Now, I just had to wait until nightfall. Time to see the vampires.
12
Emma
Ugh. I’d forgotten about the mess.
Deva had dropped me off at my house. It was nowhere near nightfall, the late afternoon sun mocking me, and therefore there wasn’t much we could do until we could talk to the vampires. Deva had to go deal with some stuff at her restaurant, and Carol had claimed she needed to open the store for at least a little bit.
With a sigh, I hung my purse on the hall tree and picked up a picture with the glass cracked right down the middle. It was of my brother with our parents. I could almost remember that day. We had gone to a cider mill and picked some apples from their orchard. Henry had been happy because they were fresh and crunchy. The sky had been a brilliantly clear blue which made the fall leaves look even brighter against it in the background. My heart panged thinking about our mom and dad.
The accident had been horrific. Sometimes I could feel the shattered glass under my hands and feet as I crawled out, and saw my parents crumpled in front seats. No child should have to see something like that. I knew death was unavoidable, I had my whole life since we lost my grandparents while I was still young, but someone dying versus being turned into mush by one of those oversized pickup trucks were two different things.
The funeral had been overwhelming. That's what happens when you live in a small town and everyone knows everyone else. Henry had locked himself in his room and just getting him to come to the ceremony had been a battle in and of itself, so when he did the same with the wake, I let him. Which meant it was me and the whole town. Everyone wanting to comfort me, and none of them being able to.
At the time, I'd felt like I was drifting alone on a sea of black. Black suits. Black dresses. Black hats. Black veils. Yes, some of the mourners were that dramatic. All of it punctuated by the white of the lilies that everyone brought. As if I needed flowers in that moment.
The food, on the other hand, was much appreciated.
It wasn't that I couldn't cook, that was something Mom had insisted that we both learn, but neither of us had the motivation to do anything other than call for takeout or heat up leftovers.
I pushed the memories away, knowing that this was a dangerous road to go down at the best of times, and with Henry missing and in trouble, I'd hardly call this the best of times. Swallowing thickly, I tried to focus on the present, but all that seemed to want to invade my thoughts was the past. I tried to sweep them from my mind by focusing on cleaning.
Righting a small table, I grabbed the rest of the picture frames that had rested on it. They’d survived without the glass breaking, somehow. As I positioned them on the table again, a picture of my son and ex-husband caught my eye.
Gross. Now I was stuck thinking about Rick and his froggy-went-a-courtin. I giggled and swiped at the tears on my face. What was I going to do about him being a frog, or toad, or whatever? It wasn’t like I’d turned into a witch that could do—or undo—spells. And even if I could, how would I find the right two toads in the garden? What if they’d hopped home? They could be anywhere in the world by now. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but they could certainly be far enough away from our old house that I didn't stand a chance of finding them.
Stumbling forward, I sank slowly down on the sofa as my breathing shallowed and panic gripped my throat. I stared at the picture of my son with his father and began to cry in earnest, sobs wracking my body. This wasn't a pretty cry. There was no dabbing daintily at my eyes with a handkerchief, oh, no. This was full-blown hiccuping, snot-bubble-forming, drooling crying. It was the kind of thing I could only let loose when I was alone.
This whole karma thing was fun, but I’d turned my son’s father into a toad. Then, instead of keeping track of him, left him outside. He was probably literally slimy now. Hopping around croaking at all the lady frogs or toads. I hoped they all ignored him.
A bubble of laughter warred with my tears, because damn if he hadn’t deserved it. It was that thought that finally had the sobs subsiding. I couldn’t decide if I felt guilty or relieved, but as I wrestled with my emotions, my phone rang in my pocket, a song I’d set just to mean Travis was calling.
Digging in my pants, I pulled the phone out, and nearly burst into another wave of tears when I saw the photo of my son on my lock screen. I took a few deep breaths to try to get the tears out of my voice, swallowing hard as I hit the speaker button, then set the phone beside me on the sofa. “Hey, buddy. What’s going on?”
“You okay, Mom? I just felt like I needed to talk to you all of a sudden.”
I sighed and opened the back of the frame with the picture of Travis and Rick in it. “I was having a moment. It’s like you called at the perfect time. You okay?”
“Yeah, I just got home to do some laundry. Where are you?”
I c
ould almost see him wandering around the house, laundry spilling out of the bag he used since he waited too long to do it. I knew he'd have to go back through the house, picking up socks here and there, grabbing armfuls of t-shirts off the floor, and once he had it all together, I was sure he would overfill the washer. Part of me was embarrassed by the state that I'd left the house in, but he was my son. He knew my heart had been broken by his father, so if anyone was going to cut me some slack, it would be the kid that would bring armfuls of dirty glasses down from his room.
Thinking about it all made my heart ache from missing him. He was more than I ever expected when I found out I was pregnant. Everything about him amazed me. How I'd helped create this human being who was so kind and smart and decent, especially when he had Rick for a father, I'd never know, but would forever be grateful for.
The click of the dial on the washer drew me back from my thoughts. “I actually decided to come back to Mystic Hollow to see Henry and take a little break from reality.” That hadn’t worked out so well. Reality had kinda freaked out on me. “You okay there?” Have you seen any crazy toads jumping around?
“Yeah, but I had wanted to talk to you while I was here.” There was something in his voice akin to apprehension that made my stomach twist.
I banished anything except gentle curiosity from my voice as I said, “About what, Pumpkin?”
“I had dinner with Dad and Candy the other night. It was really awkward.”
I just bet it was. She was closer to his age than Rick’s. “It will be that way, especially at first. Just like any new experience can be at first.” I’d tried really hard through all this not to bad mouth Rick to our son. He was still his father and I wouldn't have Travis resent Rick on my part. If that happened, it had to be all Travis's emotions driving it, not my voice in his head telling him what to think or feel.
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