Eternal Mourning

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  That was the story he was telling himself anyway. That, and the fact that he was a Healer and couldn’t walk away from someone in need. There was no other reason for his desire to help her.

  He had to find her, had to see her, to make sure he was right. Kameron and Max stood by him now, confusion obvious on their faces, but he turned to run back to his clothes. This was one of those times when Walker wished he could speak to others in his wolf form. The other two followed, and were soon shifting alongside him, all of them sweat-slick with their wolves in their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Kameron asked, not bothering to pull on his pants. “Did you sense something?”

  Walker shook his head and pulled up his jeans, too anxious to even finish buttoning them. “I think I figured out what’s wrong with Aimee.”

  Max came out from behind the tree where he’d been changing in private since he didn’t like to show off his scars and frowned, but he didn’t say anything. Walker wasn’t surprised.

  Kameron narrowed his eyes and gave Walker a tight nod. “Go do your research or talk to her or whatever you need to do.” His brother rolled his shoulders before bending to pick up his clothes. “I’m going for a run in human form if you need me.” Since they’d all just changed back and forth so quickly in a short period of time, none of them would be shifting back to wolf form anytime soon without rest or food.

  Walker nodded at the other two before running back toward the center of the den. He wasn’t sure where he’d go first—Dawn’s to see Aimee or to his office—but as soon as he came out of the clearing, his choice was made.

  Aimee stood alone on the dirt path that led from the center of the den to the forest Walker had just moved from. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she had a faraway look in her eyes as if she weren’t really seeing anything in her field of vision.

  She looked…lonely.

  And his wolf pushed him to move forward, riding him harder than it had before. “Aimee.” He hadn’t meant for his voice to be a growl.

  She jumped as she looked toward him and then glanced up since he was now right beside. No one else was around since they were all in different parts of the den or inside their homes. It was just the two of them.

  Instead of telling her what he’d figured out or doing something smart like taking her inside so she didn’t tire herself out, he leaned down and cupped her face.

  “Aimee,” he repeated.

  “Walker?” she breathed, her lips parting.

  And since his wolf pushed at him, needing something more than he could comprehend, he leaned down closer and kissed her. Just a soft brush of lips, barely a whisper of sensation, but a kiss nonetheless.

  He pulled away, the surprise on her face matching his own at his actions. He hadn’t meant to do that and wasn’t quite sure why he had at all, but now there was no ignoring what he’d done.

  But first, he had to tell her what he’d sensed because doing what he’d just done again was idiotic.

  “What was that?” she asked, blinking quickly.

  “That was my wolf.” Her face went blank, and he could have kicked himself. “I was just looking for you.” He truly wasn’t saying the right things, but when he cleared his mind and got his head out of his ass, he’d apologize for handling all of this so poorly.

  “Oh? What’s wrong?” She took a step back, but he reached out and gripped her hand, stilling her.

  “I think I figured out what’s wrong with you.”

  She froze. “What do you mean?”

  He let out a long breath. “It’s not an illness, Aimee. You’re not sick. You’re cursed.”

  She didn’t say anything, but the shock on her face was clear.

  “And I’m going to do everything in my power to rid you of it. I’m not going to let this curse take you. Do you understand? It’s not going to win.”

  And it wouldn’t. Because he was a damn Healer and he knew there was something in Aimee that called to him beyond his duty.

  So he would figure it out, and he’d just have to pray he wasn’t too late.

  Because if he was? Well, that wasn’t something he could think about.

  Chapter Four

  Aimee swayed on her feet, and Walker reached out, gripping her upper arms. The warmth of his skin penetrated the coldness that had seeped into her bones.

  “Cursed,” she repeated, her voice sounding oddly small. “Like…a curse-curse?” That question didn’t make any sense, but then again, nothing did at the moment.

  She couldn’t quite keep up with everything that had happened in the last few moments, and considering that her life usually revolved around waiting on tables, that was saying something. One minute, she was outside of Dawn and Mitchell’s, escaping the ever-diligent watch of the couple and her other two friends’ care for a brief second so she could get fresh air; the next, she had Walker’s mouth on hers; and yet the next…well, then he was speaking about curses and her illness as if he hadn’t just made her sway on her feet for more than one reason.

  Her lips tingled, and she could still taste him if she flicked out her tongue, but the thoughts of whatever had happened were fading so fast it was almost as if it were a dream.

  Maybe she was now hitting the delusional part of her sickness because that seemed like the only logical reason at this point for what on earth had just happened.

  Walker frowned before reaching out and running his knuckles along her cheek. She blinked, almost swaying into him, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure she could. There was this connection between them she couldn’t name, and it was so strong, it almost overpowered everything else.

  Even the most important thing.

  Her curse.

  She swallowed hard, pushing away the odd feeling that made her want to move closer to him and tried to catch her breath.

  “I don’t know what exactly made me think of it,” Walker said softly, his gaze on hers. “I’m a Healer, and I needed to know what was wrong. Because, no matter what the doctors say, and what human science thinks, I knew something was wrong just as much as you did. But I couldn’t think of what it could possibly be. I didn’t want to force you to endure more tests and procedures to settle my brain, and that meant I needed to focus on what I could do. I needed to settle my wolf down, so I went for a run.”

  A run when it came to wolves didn’t mean a jog in the park. No, it meant that he’d shifted into his wolf form and let his beast out. At least, that’s what Mitchell had explained to her when he’d talked about his wolf. While she knew Dawn better than Mitchell, her best friend’s mate had been a wolf for far longer and was also learning to open up to people who cared for his mate. Hence the fact that Aimee knew more about wolves from him rather than Dawn.

  The run while in wolf form would also explain Walker’s naked, sweaty chest. Once again, she swallowed hard and tried to keep her mind on task.

  “And the run helped you figure out that I’m cursed?” How on earth had she become this person who could talk about these things so easily? Curses and wolves, and being held by half-naked men that made her body ache. This was her new normal, and she wasn’t sure she was quite equipped to deal with it.

  “It let my wolf come closer to the surface so I could think. And because I’m a Healer, or maybe because—” He cut himself off and shook his head. He gave her a strange look as if he wanted to tell her something else that had nothing to do with being a Healer but couldn’t. Or perhaps…wouldn’t. And a small part of her needed to know what that was. “I don’t know why it took me so longer to figure it out, but I know it’s a curse now. We both know it’s not truly medical and nothing human. And you are human, so it’s not a connection to the moon goddess or something wrong with your powers or being a wolf.” He paused. “Because you aren’t one. But I’m going to figure it out, Aimee. I’m not going to let whoever did this to you get away with it.” He growled the last part, and his eyes glowed gold.

  She almost took a step back at the intensity of it but
stopped herself.

  “You’re saying someone set a curse on me, and that’s why…that’s why I’m dying?” It wasn’t easy to say the words aloud, but she knew the truth. She’d known for some time now.

  Walker let out a growl, and she froze. She’d heard the others in the Pack growl, of course, and had met many of Dawn’s former Packmates, as well, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever heard Walker growl. He was so laid-back most of the time, that it was hard to remember he had a wolf lurking beneath his skin.

  There was no hiding it now.

  “We’re not going to let that happen. I’m not going to let it happen.”

  If there were a way to truly trust the promise in a vow like that, she would. But she knew that even if he was right about the curse, there was no guarantee that they would be able to fix it. No one had been successful in helping her at all so far. In fact, most of the doctors she’d seen in the past had thought she’d been faking her issues rather than looking beyond the surface. It wasn’t as if they knew about curses and the mythical.

  “Aimee? What’s wrong?” Dawn ran up from behind her, Cheyenne and Dhani on her tail.

  Her three friends couldn’t be more different yet, at the same time, she saw their similarities in the way they were connected to each other—Aimee included. Before they found out that Dawn had been born a wolf, Aimee had thought her friend more similar to her than the other two. And in some ways, that was still the case as the two of them weren’t as outspoken as their friends. But Dawn had always had a slight edge to her, a protectiveness that came out when they least expected it. Aimee would have liked to think she had something similar, but nothing she had compared to a wolf. Dhani could be as soft as Aimee but had a temper that rose out of nowhere sometimes when it came to any perceived injustice. And Cheyenne was fiercer than the three of them combined—and she wasn’t a wolf.

  They’d each come together slowly in such mundane circumstances that Aimee wasn’t even sure how they’d become the fearsome foursome they were. It was as if they’d always been a tight unit. And though each of them held their own private lives and secrets because everyone needed that, she knew she could trust them completely. Hence why she’d finally told them about what might be ending her life. And why she would now tell them what Walker had just told her—vague as it was.

  Dawn cupped her face, and Aimee blinked. “What is it? Aimee?”

  She’d been lost in her thoughts again and had worried everyone. Again. She needed to stop doing that. Of course, as soon as she thought that, a wave of nausea swept over her and she swayed.

  Walker had his arms around her from behind in an instant, eliciting strange looks from the other women as he pulled her close.

  “Do I need to take you back to the clinic?” he asked, his face close to hers once again after he rotated her in his arms. His hold was so strong yet gentle, and the warmth radiating from his bare skin seeped into her bones, giving her the strength to pull away so she didn’t make a fool of herself once again at the most inappropriate time.

  “I’m fine,” she said softly then shook her head. “Well, not fine, clearly, since I’m here for a reason, but it was just a little nausea.” Her face heated since she hadn’t meant to mention that to Walker, but he was a Healer and had probably heard and seen worse.

  Dawn pulled her closer while Cheyenne and Dhani hovered nearby. “Let’s get you back inside at least, then we can talk.” Her friend looked over at Walker and frowned like she wanted to say something else but wasn’t sure what. Aimee wasn’t sure there was much to say at all at this point.

  Walker stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’m going to get the rest of my clothes and do some more research. I’ll let you all talk about what I just said, but I’ll be back soon.” He met Aimee’s gaze again, and she barely stopped from sucking in a breath. He always did that to her, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. “I’m sorry I dropped this on you, I didn’t mean to. I’d planned to have notes and an actual plan rather than just blurting it out.”

  Dhani snorted as she pulled Aimee closer. Apparently, today was tug-on-Aimee day. “Yes, making someone panic by saying things like curse and magic isn’t the best way to go about things. I know this might be a hard thing for you shifters to understand, but us humans need a little lead time to get used to this whole paranormal thing.”

  Aimee winced at Dhani’s tone, but Walker didn’t seem to mind. He just gave them a nod before leaving the four of them standing in the middle of the path, Aimee’s mind still whirling. She wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened, but she had a feeling something big was coming.

  Of course, since finding out that Dawn is a shifter, something big always seemed to be on the horizon.

  “What the hell was that?” Cheyenne asked as soon as Walker was out of earshot—or at least Aimee hoped he was considering he was a wolf with enhanced senses.

  “I have no earthly idea,” Dawn said slowly, but I think we should all go inside and sit down before we try and figure it out.”

  “Tequila would probably help,” Dhani mumbled.

  “Lots of tequila would probably be better,” Aimee agreed, not looking at the women around her. Instead, her attention was focused on the direction Walker had headed. What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she concentrate on anything that was important?

  Soon, she once again found herself in Dawn’s home; this time, trying to explain what Walker had told her only a few moments before—though it wasn’t as if he’d said much. If anything, he’d only confused her more by saying anything at all.

  “That’s it? He got all wishy-washy about being a Healer and said you were cursed?” Cheyenne frowned before starting at Dawn. “Is that how this whole Pack thing works? The wolves rely on magic and…poof, there’s a premonition, and that answers everything?”

  As Cheyenne had a very analytical mind, her words didn’t surprise Aimee in the slightest. Dawn, however, put her hands over her face and let out a small growl. Since the sound came out more wolf-like than human, it surprised Aimee for a moment but, hopefully, she hadn’t let the surprise show.

  “I have no idea what he was thinking, or why he even said it at all without proof or something beyond whatever the hell he just did, but what I can tell you is that Walker wouldn’t have said something at all if he didn’t think it was true. I might not know my new Healer and family member as well as I’m learning some of the other Brentwoods, but I know that much about the man.” Dawn looked up at Aimee and met her gaze. “So, if he thinks you have a curse on you? Then, maybe, just maybe, he’s right.”

  Cheyenne and Dhani each mumbled something but Aimee just stared at Dawn, trying to get her mind to work. She was already exhausted beyond measure and trying to get a grip on the fact that she’d passed out recently and lost her job. And of course…there was the kiss. That kiss. It had come out of the blue and far surpassed anything she could have ever dreamed of, and yet she had no idea what it meant or if it meant anything at all.

  She wasn’t sure she could take much more.

  But she didn’t have a choice.

  She never did.

  “So…a curse.” Aimee said, taking a deep breath. “This is straight out of science fiction, you guys.”

  “More like horror,” Dhani said with a shrug. “What? It’s true.”

  “Okay, so I’m apparently living in my own horror novel,” Aimee said dryly. “What the hell do I do about it?”

  Dawn frowned. “I have no freakin’ idea. I’m new to the whole Pack thing and never really met any witches so I don’t know how curses work.”

  “So, witches are the ones who do the curses?” Aimee asked. “Why on earth would a witch curse me?” And how long did she have if the curse was truly real? Her stomach rolled, and her skin went clammy. She wasn’t sure if that was from the so-called curse itself or just thinking about it.

  “I don’t know, but you’re not alone in this,” Cheyenne said before swearing und
er her breath. “We need to go, Dhani. You have that meeting, and I have work to do at home since I’m on call. We’re only a phone call away though, damn it.”

  Aimee hugged her friends, forcing herself to be stronger than she felt. She’d always had to rely on her own type of strength to get through her childhood and the fact that her family constantly fell into times of despair, but this was something altogether different.

  “I hate not knowing things. I hate not having answers.” Aimee stood and paced in Dawn’s living room, not sure if she should leave and go home, or stay longer. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to go at the moment, and for some reason, she had a feeling if she left, things would only get worse.

  “I’m with you,” Dawn said before standing. “And since Walker is now coming toward the house, maybe we’ll get a few answers from him.”

  Aimee turned toward the door, her pulse racing. Dawn gave her a look and, once again, Aimee cursed shifter senses. Hopefully, her friend would think her reaction had more to do with the subject matter and less to do with the man about to enter the house. As it was, it was already a mix of both.

  When the door opened, Mitchell and Walker stood on the other side, though why Mitchell had knocked on his own door was only apparent when Aimee realized that Walker was blocking the way.

  Walker wore a shirt this time, and she told herself she was not disappointed that she couldn’t see his bare chest and arms anymore. Her heart raced, and she didn’t think it was only because of what he might be here to say. Why couldn’t she control her reactions when it came to him?

  He held a book in his hand she hadn’t noticed at first, and as Mitchell pushed his way into the house behind him, Aimee only had eyes for Walker.

  “I wanted to apologize again for blurting out my thoughts the way I did,” Walker said softly, and though he was talking to the entire room, he was focused on her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, nor would she know how she’d have felt if he looked the other way.