Natural Born Enemies (Cedar River Series)

by Murray, Gemma K.

  I carried boxes down to my truck and I noticed her watching out the window, but her eyes were as cold as they could be. When I had the final box in my truck, I walked through her apartment once more. I’m not a pervert by any means, but I wanted to take something of hers when I went to face what could easily be my death. In her drawer was a white lace thong. I tucked it in my pocket to take with me. My life had never been easy and this next move was the most difficult of all. I didn’t want to hurt Luna, but to ask her to take this leap with me was too much to ask her to do.

  I walked in the back door of the kitchen and watched her work. She raised her eyes to look at me and I could see the sadness lingering there.

  “Luna,” I began. She held up her hand in a gesture for silence.

  She washed her hands and leaned against her counter. “So, you’re not staying,” she said matter of factly.

  I started toward her and the hand went up again, “Luna, I can’t stay with you anymore. I need my own space.”

  She nodded her head at me, “We couldn’t have talked about this?”

  “Baby, there is nothing to discuss. I love you and I want to be with you, but right now, things are chaotic.”

  She pursed her luscious lips together and stared at me. “That’s fine, Adam. I just wish you would talk to me about what’s going on with you. You tell me you love me. You make love to me like you mean those three words, yet you decide on your own that this relationship is over. Nice form, Adam.”

  I looked at her. I had expected tears and anger instead I got cold indifference. “I wish I could explain this to me, Luna. I don’t want to hurt you because I do love you. I always have. Can you give me some time to figure things out?”

  She turned back to her chocolates, “Take all the time you need, Adam. Just don’t expect me to be sitting here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for you to come back.”

  Those words stuck like a dagger in my heart. “That’s fair, I guess,” I said as I walked toward her.

  “Just go before something happens we both regret,” she said.

  I took one final look at her and turned on my heel.

  ***

  Brand was waiting at the house when I arrived. He sat on the front steps, shaking his head as I walked up the walk. “You’re an idiot, man.”

  I unlocked the door, balancing the box I carried against the house and my knee. “I know.”

  “How can you walk away from somebody like Luna? I only ask because I’m curious.”

  “I’m trying to work some things out and Luna clouds my thoughts.”

  We walked out and got more boxes.

  “She’s a woman. She’s supposed to cloud your mind.”

  “It’s not always a bad thing, but at this point in time, I need my head as clear as I can get it.”

  “I just think you’re screwing up a good thing, man. This may be something you can’t fix,” Brand said.

  It made me angry. I turned on my friend, “Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I don’t understand the consequences of my actions? I could have thrown away the best thing to ever happen to me and it’s killing me inside! We’ve loved each other since we were seventeen years old, man. There has never been anyone else for me except Luna. If you think walking out on her was easy, then you are sadly mistaken.”

  I could tell Brand wanted to say more on the situation, but he kept his mouth closed.

  ***

  Bowie was waiting for us when we arrived at my property. It still was a devastating sight to see.

  “We’ve been over this, Adam,” Bowie began. “I’m not sure what you’re looking for exactly.”

  “I don’t know either, but there has to be something which can be traced back to the person who started the fire.” I pulled on my gloves and began to sift through the debris laying the snow.

  Tossing out what were left of my pots and pans, I rummaged through what had been my kitchen. Bowie made a pile of what could be saved like my silverware and a few plates. Brand was sorting through what had been my living room. I noticed the looks he and Bowie were exchanging, but I said nothing.

  “Hey, did you have a party and not invite us?” Brand called out. He was holding up a Jagermeister bottle with part of the label burned off.

  “Not me,” I said. “I don’t drink that crap.” I turned back to my task and it hit me. I don’t drink Jagermeister so why would the bottle be in the remains of my house? “Smell it,” I told Brand.

  He looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.

  “Trust me on this. Just sniff the bottle.”

  He stuck his nose to it and held the bottle away. “It smells like diesel fuel.”

  My suspicions were correct. There was only one person I knew who wore the boots who made the prints around the cedar tree, drank Jagermeister by the gallon, and had free access to diesel fuel.

  Bowie looked at me and he knew exactly what my thoughts were.

  Chapter Twenty-Three- Luna

  If I said I wasn’t devastated about Adam leaving, I would be lying. However, the last couple of weeks had been hard. He had been hell-bent to put a stop to what was going on. I don’t know what his suspicions were, but there was a deathly air around him. It was hard to breathe.

  I was washing up my pans when Ana stopped by. “I’m so sorry, Luna. Bowie told me this morning about Adam. I would have called you if I had known sooner,” she said.

  “It’s alright, Ana. I’m sure they didn’t want me to know so they said nothing to anyone about it.”

  Ana studied me for a few moments. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Of course, I’ll be fine. I don’t want to hold onto any man who doesn’t want to hold onto me. I’ll go upstairs tonight, have a good cry, take a hot bubble bath, and eat a bucket of ice cream. I will not let him destroy me.”

  Ana came around the counter and hugged me tight.

  Day in and day out, I felt like a circus sideshow as people came in to gawk at the broken-hearted woman. My customers gave me these pitiful faces. I wanted to close up the shop and let my pity party begin. However, I’m stronger than that so I forced myself to tough it out, accepting people’s “I’m sorry” until I couldn’t take it anymore. When Kelsie showed up for work, I retreated to the kitchen.

  Lorelai Golden didn’t let Kelsie’s protests deter her when she went around the counter and sought me out. “How are you, Luna?”

  “Aahh, Mrs.G, I’m fine.”

  The older woman hugged me to her. “Sometimes those boys of mine drive me crazy.”

  I tried to hold back the tears, “He made his decision and I can’t make him change his mind, Mrs. G.”

  Lorelai held me by the shoulders, “Who says?”

  I smiled sadly, “He told me love me, then he packed his boxes and left. What man does that?”

  “A stupid one. I know Adam has a lot going on in his mind, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what the hell he’s thinking.”

  I poured Mrs. G a cup of coffee, “Me either, but I’m not going to mope around about it. He clearly doesn’t want me in his life. That’s his decision. I’m moving forward.”

  Lorelai sat at my stainless steel counter and sipped her coffee with a sad expression on her face. “Just don’t shut your heart off to him, Luna. That is all I can ask of you.”

  “He has and always will have my heart. It makes me a little sad to say those words, but it is the truth.”

  We sat in my kitchen in silence until Lorelai decided to leave. I hated to see her go, but I needed to clean up the store. Tonight was mine.

  ***

  I checked my e-mails and made the appropriate responses. I had a couple more orders for events in late summer. One was a wedding in Marquette which would yield me plenty of new customers if I could pull it off.

  I turned off my phones and turned on my Adele CD. 21 seemed like the perfect album for my mood. I lit a few candles and filled my tub with my bubble bath made from my Bitten by Chocolate perfume oil. A little chocolate, some b
ad-ass chick music, and a glass of Southern Comfort seemed to be in order.

  I climbed into the water which was as hot as I could stand it and sunk into the bubbles. I sipped on my drink. I sang along with Adele about “setting fire to the rain,” and let my emotions take over.

  My tears had been pent up for so long and it scared me how easily they came. I cried for the teenager who loved the teenage boy. I cried for the baby the young woman had lost. I cried for the scared boy who ended up in a desert in the Middle East with no sense of what was going to happen to him. I cried for the woman who got the love of her life back, then lost him again.

  When I was all cried out, I ducked my head under the bubbles and let the water rush over my face. I felt refreshed when I came to the surface. I pulled the plug and got out of the tub. Blowing out my candles, I pulled on my fluffy robe and carried my glass to the kitchen for a refill. Screw the ice cream! I was going to get drunk instead.

  I wasn’t going to try to get inside Adam’s head. I’m sure he felt he had a good reason for doing what he did, but there was no reason good enough.

  I went through my DVD collection and chose P.S. I Love You. Turning off the stereo, I huddled on the sofa with my soft blanket and cried until I had no tears left.

  ***

  I fell asleep on the couch and woke when my alarm in the bedroom went off. My head was pounding and my mouth felt a little cottony.

  Fumbling with the bottle of aspirin, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like hell. My hair was sticking out in every direction. My eyes were bloodshot and my nose red.

  “You’re seriously going to let him destroy you? Dammit, you are tougher than this!” I said to the person staring back at me.

  I made myself some breakfast in the hopes of getting rid of the headache raging through my brain. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drank it as my eggs cooked. I was beginning to feel better as my body rehydrated. I’m not a heavy drinker by any means, but I’ve gotten drunk on one or two occasions. I know water will help the situation better than anything else.

  I ate my breakfast in front of the television as I watched the weather. The weatherman was forecasting thunderstorms for later this morning. It felt a little ominous. There was a heaviness in the air I couldn’t explain and it felt as if the darkness was waiting to envelop someone.

  Little did I know the darkness was searching out someone I loved.

  Chapter Twenty-Four- Adam

  I spent the next week getting my affairs in order. There was more to be done than I had originally imagined. I tied up all of my loose ends and made arrangements for what was coming.

  The hardest thing I did was write Luna a letter. I explained everything to her and poured my feelings onto the paper as I wrote. Hopefully, she would understand why I had done what I did. I could only hope she would forgive me for the hurt I had caused her.

  Bowie had the letter I had written her safely kept in the gun cabinet at the station. In the event I didn’t make it back, he would deliver it and the news of my death to her.

  I don’t want you to think Bowie was okay with this by any means. We had had one of the biggest arguments we’ve ever had over what was going to happen today. He thought I was a fool for making this decision, but he did understand why I had to do this. I had to stop by and see him before I headed out to the pride land this morning.

  I left the borrowed house with no intention of returning. I tucked the thong I had taken from Luna’s underwear drawer into the back pocket of my jeans.

  ***

  I had no intention of stopping by Full Moon Sweets, but her light was on. My puma was begging to see her one last time. I wanted her image burned in my brain as I went to meet what could lead to my death.

  She was working hard when I entered the kitchen. I watched her move with purpose as she went from station to station to chiller. I could smell the chocolate, but the tones of orange, chili, and vanilla hung in the air as well.

  “Why are you here?” she asked, leaning against the sink.

  “I just needed to see you. I’ve missed you,” I said.

  Her yellow eyes changed to a yellow-orange as she studied me closely. They narrowed slightly as she tilted her head to the side. “You’re up to something, Adam. Something you don’t want to share with me and I’m okay with it. I just want you to understand I’m here for you and I love you.”

  She moved towards me and I pulled her into my arms, trying to keep my emotions in check. “I know, honey, and when this is all over with, I promise I will tell you everything. I just can’t do it right now, okay?”

  I could smell her fear as she kissed me, “Okay, but you had better be careful.”

  I smiled, sadness sitting heavy in my chest, “I will, baby.”

  She pulled away slightly and looked up at me. I had to taste her. This could be the last time I had this opportunity. I claimed her mouth with pure savagery and she met me point for point. My puma met her wolf in a power play that had never happened before. I felt as if I was drowning and reaching sexual completion in one kiss. That’s when I realized she was pushing her power as shaman of her pack into me.

  Her magick was powerful and rare, which is why her father was so hesitant to allow her to leave. She hadn’t had this power when I had left.

  I felt greedy for taking it; however, if I ever needed to have the odds stacked in my favor, today was the day. I took everything she pushed at me and allowed it to wash over me. When we parted, I was stunned. “What the hell was that?” I asked.

  “Just a little reassurance for me,” she said as she turned back to her candies.

  My little wolf knew more than she was letting on, but she was respecting my wishes to keep her out of it.

  “I love you, Luna,” I said as I walked to the door.

  “I love you, too, Adam. Don’t get killed,” she said as she turned her yellow-orange eyes to me.

  I grinned, “I have no intention of getting killed.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five- Luna

  I had been surprised to see Adam in my kitchen this morning, but I could see the darkness starting to settle on his shoulders.

  My power called to the puma in him and the puma was begging for help. Most people don’t realize I’m the shaman of the McIntyre pack. It is a magick that shows up very seldom, but when it does occur, it is a power unlike any other. I’ve only used it a couple of times and never like I did with Adam. I had no way of knowing if the wolf magick would work on a puma, but I had a feeling by the time the day ended I’d have an answer.

  I watched Adam leave, knowing this could very well be the last time that I saw him. He may not be saying much aloud, but I could tell his mind was whirling around trying to figure out how this, whatever this was, would pan out. I had a suspicion of where he was headed today and it wasn’t going to involve Bowie at all. Bowie would never have allowed Adam to go alone, or would he?

  “Oh my gods!” I said in the empty kitchen, “Bowie has the same suspicion as Adam and Bowie’s letting him go. Son of a bitch!!”

  I grasped the edge of the stainless steel counter and drew one ragged breath after another. Finally, I was able to draw deep breaths that didn’t rattle. I formed one clear thought and that was of Adam. I hated Alpha challenges. Around Cedar River, they seldom happened, but when they did, they didn’t end in death. The problem with this one was I saw death surrounding Adam. Confusion took over because I knew Adam had no desire to be Alpha. I was absolutely mind boggled.

  I turned up the volume on the Celtic Thunder CD playing and tried to concentrate on chocolate. The regular candies were made and ready to be put in the displays. Chocolate covered cherries were sitting and resting. For some reason, I felt the need to make fudge. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder and added some chocolate liqueur. I stirred and stirred until it reached the right consistency. I took it off the stove and whipped it until it began to set, then I stirred in some mini dark chocolate chips before pouring the fudge into the greased
pan. I smoothed out the top and licked the spoon. I smiled. “Death by Chocolate,” I said out loud. It seemed appropriate for the doom and gloom, hanging in my space today.

  At nine o’clock, I opened the shop doors. Doc Goodman arrived for his daily chocolate fix, two pieces of my Kisses at Midnight. Shortly after that, Ana Golden walked through the doors.

  “Good morning, Ana. How are you?” I asked.

  Ana’s eyes held every secret I wanted to know. “I’m okay, Luna. Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course. What’s up?” I asked.

  “Adam told you nothing this morning, did he?”

  “He didn’t have to, Ana. I kind have things figured out. He’s heading out to challenge his uncle because of all the stuff that has been happening to Adam.”

  Ana’s pale green eyes grew big. “Oh, Luna, you’re on the right track, but you’ve got the wrong person.” She leaned across the counter and shared all the secrets she’d been able to pull from Bowie before he’d left for work that morning.

  I was in tears. I had shifted as much of my shaman power to Adam as possible, but it may not matter. This fight was going to be a fight to the death and it could end up being Adam’s funeral.

  ***

  All day long, I watched the clock, the street, the front door of the shop, panicking when someone walked through the door. I kept looking for Bowie to walk in and tell me Adam was dead. My heart was racing and wouldn’t settle down. It didn’t help that I was drinking more coffee than usual.

  I put on a smiling face for my customers who were few and far between today. I wanted to close up early, but the kids would be out of school soon and then people would be getting out of work at five. Instead of closing, I worked on some new recipes. I went through my grandmother’s cookbooks and found a recipe for marshmallows. I made up a small batch and then began to make notes. I could add different flavorings and colors to them. I could dust them will colored sugar. I had a little dark chocolate left so I heated it up and dunked a few marshmallows in it. There used to be cookies my mom would buy that were a cookie base with marshmallow in top, then the whole thing was coated in chocolate. These would be similar just minus the cookie base.