Natural Born Enemies (Cedar River Series)

by Murray, Gemma K.

  Luna gestured at me to close my mouth.

  “I don’t know, Rock. We’re just sifting through stuff at the moment.”

  “Madeline wanted me to tell Bowie about an empty cottage on pack lands, if you wanted to use it until you re-build, but I guess I can tell you instead.”

  Luna eyes grew wide, but she kept her mouth shut as she turned her attention to her oatmeal.

  “Well, thank you, Rock. I appreciate it, but I’ve got a place to stay.”

  Rock grimaced, “I figured as much, but Maddy thinks I need to extend the olive branch before we lose our princess altogether.” He placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

  I noticed the tears in the corners of her eyes as she reached up and took his hand in hers.

  “Princess, your mama and I would like you and Adam to come to dinner soon. Do you think you could make it?”

  Luna turned her eyes up to look at me. How could I tell her no? Something was happening around here and I’m not sure what it was. I nodded sharply.

  Her face lit up like a child on Yule. “Sure, Daddy. I’ll call Mama when we have a handle on things.” She hesitated for a moment. “Bowie’s organizing a clean-up at Adam’s land in a few weeks. We want the weather to warm up a bit. The women are bringing food and Adam is providing the burgers and hot dogs. If you aren’t busy, maybe you could lend a hand?”

  Rock smiled like I’ve never seen him smile before. “Of course, we’ll be there. Do you want a few tents and tables? I’ve got some heaters we could set up to help people stay warm.”

  I was stunned. “That would be very helpful, Rock. Thank you,” I said as I stood to shake his hand.

  I began to calculate the cost of this clean-up. If you’ve ever fed a village of shifters, then you’d understand.

  “Give me a call a day or two in advance and I’ll put out a notice to everyone. You, two, have a good day,” Rock said before he joined his pack mates at a table in the corner.

  Luna was smiling broadly. “I feel like I’ve stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh, “Then, I’m right there beside you”

  ***

  We got up to leave and the waitress didn’t have our bill. “Rock said he’d take care of your breakfast this morning.”

  I tipped my hat to Rock who gave me a short salute as we left. Luna was humming the Twilight Zone theme song as we got in her car.

  We stopped off at the sheriff’s department. Callum was working the desk. “Hey, Adam. Luna.”

  “Morning, Callum. Is Bowie in yet?”

  “He’s been here and left again. I don’t think he ever went to bed last night. He’s so pissed off right now.”

  “About this fire?”

  “Yeah, he’s been out to your place sifting through things trying to find a clue to who did this. Oh, that reminds me; he took your truck and parked it behind Luna’s. Here are your keys.”

  I turned to Luna, “I should be out there helping Bowie.”

  Luna took my hand and dragged me out the door of the office, “Bowie said you were taking the day off. Besides, we need to get you some things if you’re staying at my place for the time being.”

  She turned to Callum, “Have a good day, Callum.”

  Callum was grinning as I struggled half-heartedly against Luna’s tugging.

  ***

  We did stop by the site on the way out of town. “Gods, baby, it looks worse in the daylight.”

  Luna simply held my hand tightly in hers.

  “Show me where you were hiding last night,” I asked her.

  She led me to the old cedar tree I’d wanted to cut down. I was going to make that damn thing a shrine now.

  There were her tiny footprints in the snow. Beside the tree was a batch of larger footprints. I knelt down to inspect them further. I pulled out my cellphone and took pictures. The footprints looked familiar. It hit me where I’d seen them before and it was like a punch to the gut. Not many people around these parts would buy this particular brand of boots, but I was aware of one person who did own a pair. I felt sick to my stomach as I text a message to Bowie and sent him the picture.

  Luna put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, honey?”

  I composed myself and looked at her. “Sure, just too much drama for a day.”

  We walked back to her car and the world felt as if it were sitting on my shoulders.

  Chapter Nineteen- Luna

  Something was weighing on Adam’s mind and he just wasn’t sharing his thoughts. I’d let him keep them for a little while longer, but I needed to know what was going on.

  We made it to the store and back without any problems. Adam had a conniption at the prices of clothes, but we did get the missing pieces from his wardrobe.

  I enjoyed watching him fuss over his silk boxers. He could care less about the jeans he wore, but he had to have silk boxers. Of course, I loved his underwear. To look at Adam, you would never suspect the sexy underwear he had hidden.

  We stopped for a burger and fries before going home.

  I fell asleep on the way back to the apartment. Adam gently woke me as we pulled into my parking spot behind the store.

  “Luna, baby, we’re home.”

  I sleepily opened my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  My rugged man simply took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “Why don’t you go inside and put on your pajamas? I’ll be inside in a minute and we’ll take a nap.”

  I kissed his hand back and pulled our bags from the backseat. I opened the door and turned to see Adam pull his cellphone out of his pocket.

  I shook my head as I went inside. I’d ask Ana. She’d tell me what was going on. My guess is Adam knew who was behind the fire and Bowie was in on the secret. If Bowie knew, then Ana would probably know.

  Crawling into bed in the middle of the afternoon felt a bit lazy, but after the emotional night we had, it was necessary. I don’t remember Adam coming to bed, but he was beside me snoring softly when I awoke a couple of hours later. I popped in one of Mrs. G’s casseroles for dinner. My hands were itching to do something creative so I got dressed and went downstairs to make some chocolate.

  I melted the dark chocolate and poured it into the molds to harden. I pulled the amaretto from the cupboard and measured out a portion. The fondant was made and waiting for me to create. I added the fondant to a bowl with the amaretto and entered “the zone.” The CD player played loudly in the background as I worked.

  The fondant was creamy and smooth. The chocolate shells were hardened and perfect. I dropped a dollop of cream into each center and covered what would be the bottoms with a layer of warm chocolate. I slid the molds back into the cooler. My mood was lifted and I felt like I had accomplished something today.

  I was singing along with the radio as I cleaned up the mess I’d made. I set the dishwasher to wash and washed my wooden spoons by hand. I turned around and screamed.

  Adam was leaning against the doorway to the stairs with his hands in his pockets, smiling.

  “What the hell are you doing? Trying to take thirty years off my life?” I asked with my hand pressed over my racing heart. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Funny enough, I didn’t want to scare you,” he responded with a chuckle.

  “Good job at that then,” I said slightly irritated.

  He walked across the kitchen and pulled me into his arms, “I really didn’t want to scare you, honey. I love to watch you move. You move with such grace.”

  How could you stay mad when he makes statements like that? “Adam Thomas, you flatter me.”

  I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. He wasn’t nearly as attentive as he usually is, I noticed. Then, I realized he was reaching for a candy , which were waiting for me to box them.

  “Seriously?” I asked as I pulled away from him.

  He smiled around the chocolate in his mouth and reached for my hand to draw me back into his a
rms.

  “Nope, just let me go,” I teased as I turned back to the dishes.

  “Darlin’, I’m in heaven. These are delicious.”

  I scowled at him, “You avoided me for the better part of two years. Now, I’m beginning to think you’re only here to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

  He smiled a Cheshire Cat smile, “If you’d have stayed in bed, I would have been able to satisfy a few other things.”

  “Shameless. You’re absolutely shameless.”

  “Come back upstairs and you can give me something to be ashamed about.”

  “Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

  “I promise it won’t take that long,” he said as he bent his head to kiss my neck.

  I snorted, “Oh, boy, aren’t I a lucky girl?” but I let him take my hand and lead me back upstairs.

  ***

  Mrs. G’s turkey pot pie was a little brown around the edges by the time we got to it, but neither one of us could complain. We watched television while we ate dinner on the sofa. I studied Adam’s profile as I sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “There’s nothing wrong. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on in your head.”

  He snorted, “Good luck, honey. My head is about as empty as it can get tonight. I’m worn out.”

  “Too worn out to talk?” I asked.

  “Not at all. We need to get some things out in the open.”

  I took our plates to the kitchen and rinsed them off. He had turned the television off by the time I returned. I sat down at the end of the sofa and turned so I was facing him.

  “Talk to me,” I said as I pulled his feet into my lap.

  “There’s not a lot to say, honey. I was over in the Middle East. I saw things I wish I’d never seen. I did things no one should ever do. You know I see a doctor for this though, right?”

  I studied him for a bit before answering. “I know you see a doctor, but I don’t know why. I always assumed it had something to do with being overseas.”

  Adam’s eyes grew dark. “I have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. There are nightmares and terrors, but we’re dealing with this. I don’t dream of killing anyone so please don’t be afraid. My dreams are usually of the people and the places, the things I saw and can never forget. I’m wounded, angel, you just can’t see the wounds.”

  I felt sad, knowing I couldn’t really relate to his situation. I squeezed his foot. “It doesn’t matter whether I can see the wounds or not, Adam. I know they’re there. It doesn’t change my love for you.”

  His smile turned sad, “It might not change it now, but what about later? When there are kids involved, will it change then?”

  I scowled at him, “My love for you will never go away. It will grow and change throughout the years, but, Adam, it will never go away.”

  He held his arms open to me and I crawled into his lap. The comfort he sought in my arms flowed from me. We sat in the silence for a long time, the ticking of the wall clock the only sound in the room.

  Then, Adam spoke, “Honey, we are going to be going through a lot of changes in the next few months. I don’t want to say too much until I have all of the information, but this ride we’re on is going to be rocky.”

  I lifted my head from his chest to look in his eyes. “What are you saying, Adam?”

  “I’m giving you an out, Luna. If you don’t think you can handle it, then now is the time for you to say so.”

  I was so pissed at him. “How could you, Adam? How could you say that?” I got off the sofa and stalked off to my bedroom. Slamming the door, I felt relieved, but also a little childish. I stood on the other side of the door and allowed my breathing to slow. The fact that he doubted me cut to the quick, but if I looked at things from his point of view, I could understand. Whenever things went rough in his life, the people who loved him, with the exception of the Goldens, pushed him away.

  There was a soft knock on the door and it startled me. “Luna,” he said through the door.

  I opened the door slowly and saw Adam’s beautiful face through the opening. “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “No, it’s my fault. I’m just pissy tonight. Come out here and talk to me.”

  I took his outstretched hand and followed him to the living room. He rifled through my CDs and pulled one out. After making his selection, he pulled me into his arms. Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars began to play as we danced in the middle of my living room floor.

  Chapter Twenty- Adam

  I hated the doubt, sitting in my chest. How could I ever doubt Luna and her devotion? Probably because I’d been pushed aside a lot. I got into trouble and my mom shipped me off to Uncle Roman. When I got Luna pregnant, my aunt and uncle pushed me aside, giving me a couple of options, which led me to the military. Things got a little out of control in the military and I was shipped back home. Poor Luna was bearing the burden and it wasn’t fair.

  I returned to work and got back into my routine. Unfortunately, there was a constant niggling in my mind. I just knew what was coming and I was dreading it.

  Bowie’s investigations brought nothing to the surface. The tires on the ATV were pretty generic. Both the wolf pack and the puma pride had ATVs with the same tires. Of course, so did half the people in the Upper Peninsula.

  I began going for a run before going back to Luna’s. I needed to build up some muscle and run off some of the anger I was feeling. I generally ran alone. My puma needed the time to sort through what was going to be asked for him. Feeling my muscles bunch and flex as I ran down a rabbit or deer filled my mind with things other than the future.

  Luna stopped asking too many questions since she wasn’t getting responses. I thought about moving into Bowie’s old house, but I loved sleeping next to her every night. She kept my demons at bay.

  ***

  Brand Wilder had called in an arson investigator from a bigger town to check into the fire at my trailer. This guy asked all the right questions. He left no stone unturned, but the answers he came up were inconclusive. He encouraged Brand and Bowie to close the case without finding the suspect. No one was willing to walk away just yet.

  I had pulled the gas can out of Bowie’s office and looked at every day since I’d returned to work. There was nothing special about it. The gas container could have been purchased at any random superstore. It was red plastic with the yellow nozzle you would find on any gas can. It hadn’t melted which baffled me. The plastic should have been destroyed. This fact ate at me. Finally, it was time to pay a call to Brand.

  I drove out to the phoenix’s lodge one night after work. Brand was expecting me. He had an ice-cold beer and some barbequed ribs waiting for me when I arrived. I sat down to dinner with the phoenix and his family. While his sisters cleaned up, Brand and I went to his office. “What’s up, Adam? You’ve got something on your mind and I don’t like the look in your eyes.”

  I cleared my throat, “Brand, I can’t get the fire off my mind. Who would do something like this?”

  Brand leaned back in his chair, “Truthfully, Adam, it could be any number of people. You’ve been dating the little wolf for a while now. Her daddy and his pack aren’t happy about it. Your uncle’s pride is upset with you simply because you breathe. You and Bowie helped on the drug bust in Pine Bluff.”

  “Nah, it’s not the drug bust. Bowie isn’t being targeted. Rock McIntyre has done some pretty underhanded things in his life, but if he wanted to keep me away from Luna, he wouldn’t have set my trailer on fire. He would have to know I would move in with Luna if my house burned.”

  Brand leaned forward and put his arms on his desk. “Well, it could be the pride. I even hate to suggest it, but they hate you more than they hate anybody. Roman has them all atwitter at the idea of you wanting the Alpha position.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair, “Why does everyone believe the bullshit? If I wanted to be Alpha, wouldn’t I have just walked in and challenged Roman? I�
�ve heard someone is making threats, but, dammit, it isn’t me.”

  Brand smiled, “I know it isn’t you. Bowie knows it isn’t you. Hell, most of Cedar River knows you don’t want to be Alpha. Someone is out to get you though.”

  “Where exactly did you find the gas can, Brand? The plastic hadn’t warped so it couldn’t have been close to the house. It was alongside the drive to the pack lands. The gasoline can had a rag stuck in it and I believe it was used to accelerate the fire, but it wasn’t the main thing used. I don’t know what was though. We sifted through the stuff, but there was nothing there to give us a clue.”

  I scrubbed my hands over my face, “I think I’m going out tomorrow to see what I can find. Maybe there’s something everybody else is missing.”

  “Don’t go out there alone, buddy, not with all the shit happening around you. You need to take someone with you and I don’t mean Luna either. Call Bowie or me and we’ll meet you there.”

  I stood to leave, “Speaking of Luna, I had better get home. She’s going to be wondering where I am.”

  Brand looked at me with concern, “Trouble in paradise, Adam?”

  I shook my head, “Nah, I’ve just got a lot on my mind lately and I don’t need Luna in any deeper than she already is. I’m thinking about moving into Bowie’s old house for a while. I need to distance myself from her until I can get this resolved.”

  “Take it from someone who’s been there, Adam, talk to Luna about what’s going on. Don’t try to be a hero if she doesn’t want one. Nothing pisses a woman off quicker than be treated like you don’t think she can handle your bullshit. She’ll will knock you down and beat the shit out of you.”

  Chapter Twenty-One- Luna

  Adam was cutting himself off from me and I couldn’t figure out why. He stopped talking to me about the important things. We would chat about our days, but feelings were never laid on the table anymore. Our sex life was intense, but there weren’t whispered words of desire like there had been.