Sleepwalker

by Brandy L Rivers

  “Remember that slice of beach we spent so many summer days at?”

  She stopped, her eyes going wide. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Evangeline helped me find the person who owned that land. I bought it from them. Built a beach house, hoping one day I’d get to bring you there.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  He shook his head. There were so many things he fucked up on, he had to get a couple right. “Come on. I won’t be long.” He opened the door and let her pass. He felt eyes on him, but didn’t mention it. He didn’t want to wreck the moment.

  “Stay put. I’ll be back.”

  * * * *

  Savon walked through the living room. She found scratches in the wood and paint in hard to reach places. She ran her finger over the deep groove under the railing.

  “We did that,” the familiar voice whispered. “When Killian slammed the door on you. You screamed, and he started to shift. We kept him in the house, and he destroyed the living room when he couldn’t chase you down.”

  “What’s wrong?” Nate asked.

  A nervous smile crept across her lips. “The day before I left, I came here. I wanted to know where you were, what happened. Killian wouldn’t even give me that. Slammed the door. Guess my anger set the spirits off.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, the whole house has similar marks. Mostly down here. The contractors fixed a lot of them, but not everything. Dad said he left them as a reminder to me that you were dangerous. I left some because I wanted to prove I wasn’t afraid.”

  “He told you about it?”

  “You gave him nightmares. I wanted to see for myself.”

  Her head tipped. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  “I always knew about your father. I suspected you had the same gifts. I don’t know. It’s part of you. It’s never bothered me.”

  “Wasn’t ever like that before then.”

  “Was too. You didn’t always notice it, but I remember a few times someone hurt your feelings, you’d lock it away, but bad things happened to jackass.”

  Her brow pinched.

  “Sav, come away with me. Let me wipe away the worry. I know you’re overthinking. Don’t.”

  She nodded, emotion bubbling up. He knew. Nate accepted.

  He closed the distance, stared into her eyes, and banded his free arm around her waist. “Stop thinking. Say yes.”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  His lips covered hers and she opened. His tongue swept in, passion burning deep.

  Nate leaned back. “We’ll have all day for this. First, I want to show you what I did.”

  Chapter 35

  The day got off to a pretty damned good start. With the longing for Savon evaporated, Jay felt like he could take life by the reins and move on.

  First, Killian needed to die. And if Nate did the honors, that left Jay an escape from Silvertail Ridge. He’d been in town for five years and no one sparked anything inside until Savon walked into his bar. If he were to find a mate, it would be somewhere else.

  Canagan waltzed into the bar, while it was still closed. The doors had been locked, but she could always get past that. “Whose side are you on?” she demanded.

  Jay looked up. “Mine, as always.” He kept an eye on her. He didn’t want to resort to magic and give away what he was, or his immunity to the bitch, but he had a feeling it might be coming to that.

  “You don’t seem very interested in Killian at present. Or Nate for that matter. I hear he stole Savon from you.”

  “Savon was never mine. And Killian isn’t around. Quite honestly, I’m beginning to wonder why I’m still here.”

  “You don’t need to be.” She crossed the distance. “You’re no longer useful. Your lust for revenge has died off.”

  “Can’t kill Killian if he’s not on this plane. Now think about this, Canagan. Out of all the people I know who could find him, it would be you—if he were in this realm.”

  She paused, her head tipping. “What do you think you know?”

  Smirking, Jay leaned against the counter and bent to look into her eyes. “His body never shifted back to human when he died. In fact, it’s still a wolf in that coffin. I looked. He’s not dead. But where is he? Hopefully, someone is torturing him. But right now, I can’t get to him, and I don’t really care.”

  “You don’t want to be Alpha?” she protested.

  “What? You really believe I want to tie myself to a bunch of disloyal beasts? Nate isn’t his father. He has his own beef with the bastard. As long as Killian winds up dead in the long run I don’t really care who kills him. Especially if it means I won’t be stuck here forever.”

  “So you aren’t on his side either?”

  “Told you, I’m on my side.”

  She took a seat at the counter and leaned toward Jay. “You were ready to take the pack before Savon waltzed in here.”

  His doubts about taking the pack started before Savon showed back up.

  Damn near three months ago, after killing Killian’s enraged wolf—or so he thought, he shifted back from full wolf and stood over the wolf’s body.

  Nothing changed.

  Not a damned thing.

  The wolves surrounding the corpse howled, but not for him. No magic shifted. Nothing.

  Nate stood his ground, fully human, though the moon was coming. The majority of the other werewolves had already shifted.

  Jay forced a change to half-beast, shooting up, towering above Nate, who only lifted a single brow, clearly unimpressed.

  “I challenge you,” Jay seethed.

  “Want to wait until you have time to heal the damage?” Nate nodded at his hip.

  “No. You don’t have shit on me,” Jay growled.

  Nate stripped off his dress shirt and pulled off the undershirt. Muscle rippled. He dropped them on the ground and smirked. “Go ahead, underestimate me. Killian always did.” He opened his pants, shoving them down thick, muscular thighs.

  Not merely a doctor. The guy worked out, and Jay hadn’t had any inkling. Didn’t matter. He’d spent hundreds of years honing his skills. This guy had a few decades behind him.

  Nate shifted, faster than Jay expected. His height shot up, his hands forming deadly claws. He stepped forward, ready for battle.

  Jay started to rethink the plan, but it was too late for that. The challenge was issued. Time to man up and tear down Killian’s pup. He struck out.

  Nate rolled to the side and came up, driving his claws into his thigh, tearing down the muscle. He stepped back, waiting.

  Agony tore a scream of hatred from him. He landed on his knees. “One well-timed strike, that’s it,” Jay snarled.

  Nate moved forward, and Jay lifted an arm to block him. Nate changed directions and spun, grabbing Jay under the ribs, lifting him up as razor sharp edges bit deep.

  Jay hit the ground hard, the air leaving his lungs as blood flowed freely from his thigh, abdomen, and arm.

  Nate straddled his chest and grabbed his throat. “Submit and this is over. My fight is not with you.”

  Two choices. Let Nate kill him, or step down.

  “You win,” Jay answered, staring back at him, fully expecting the bastard to kill him anyway. Killian would have.

  Nate stood and stepped back far enough he could assess the damage.

  “Shift back to wolf. I left no permanent damage. But don’t try that shit again.”

  Jay dipped his head, closing his eyes.

  Still, the alpha power didn’t shift. Nate was no more Alpha than him, which left them in a precarious position.

  The doctor had gained his respect that night.

  “You know, Nate might be what this town needs.”

  “No. Savon will tear the control from him.”

  “Like you want to attempt with me?” Jay snorted. “I’m amazed you haven’t realized that you don’t control me. You never have, and you can’t.”

  She sno
rted. “One day, that will change.”

  “No, because I’m smarter than Killian. I want nothing from you.”

  She smiled coldly. “Then you’ll die with Nate and his bitch.” She slid from the seat, and he lifted a hand, breathing the spell to track her.

  Sooner or later, something big was going to happen. He wanted to make sure the right people were warned. Which was why he wanted to stay in the bar and glean any information he could.

  * * * *

  Bran carried the tray of food down to the basement cell. The mages had come by to work some fancy magic. No sound penetrated past the door, which was good, because the fucker had taken to howling all night every night, and most of the day, when he wasn’t passed out.

  For some reason, the fucker wasn’t healing. And Bran noticed something. There was a dark patch on his chest that was slowly spreading. The sweet cloying scent of death wafted from the asshole.

  He slid the food into the cell. “Why aren’t you healing?”

  Clay glared at him. “Why the fuck do you care?”

  “We may be on different sides, but we have no intention of letting you suffer if we can fix it. So, what’s going on?”

  He rubbed at his chest, well above where Nate had damaged him. “Started before you brought me down.”

  “Canagan?”

  He closed his eyes. “She wants Killian gone.”

  “So does everyone else,” Bran snapped. “Canagan is out for more than freeing the pack of Killian. And I honestly believe she wants to rule through someone else.”

  “But—but no. She wouldn’t.”

  “She would. How old is she? Killian made her what she is. A vindictive bitch, and she may have every right to want revenge on the bastard, just like every other person in this town, but that doesn’t mean her way is right. So what the fuck is going on?”

  He leaned against the wall. His eyes slid to the food. “She wants something, but I don’t know what anymore.”

  “We’re going to help you. We’ll brew something to knock your ass out, because I don’t trust you.”

  “Never have,” Clay snarled. “Why should I trust you?” He drank down the tea in the glass.

  Bran watched as his eyelids drooped.

  “Don’t have to.”

  Clay slid to the side.

  Bran let out a relived sigh and opened the door for Fran.

  Stepping inside, she eyed Clay. “You’re sure he’s really out?”

  “Yeah, I’m positive. You don’t have to do this.”

  “I do, if I want things to be right in town. If I fix this for him, maybe we gain his trust, and some of the other wolves. I’ve heard rumors that Canagan is swaying more to her side. And with Jay not playing her games anymore, she’s getting desperate. Which is why I’m wondering why you all let Nate and Savon bail. Seems to be shitty timing.”

  “Nate has a point. Killian isn’t here to take the pack from. And right now, we have to wait until Savon is recovered before we go after them. And her old landlord brought someone to help train her sorcerer side.”

  “Where is Killian, then?”

  “Not on this fucking plane, or we could have finished this battle already.”

  “Huh? How?”

  “Shit, um…why don’t you take care of the asshole over there, then we can discuss the rest of that. Especially since we may need your talents to make sure Nate can properly challenge the fucker.”

  Frannie’s mouth popped open. “He’s finally going to challenge him.”

  “Yup. He’s ready and has even more motivation than before.”

  He opened the door and stepped in. “Need him shackled?”

  “Nah, I’ll keep him under with a spell on top of the potion.” She stepped in, and he followed, still worried Clay might wake up too soon.

  Chapter 36

  The scenery passed by in a blur, bringing back so many good memories of their younger years. Savon leaned closer to Nate, sliding her hand over his thigh.

  “You’re sure about becoming Alpha? This is what you want?” she asked.

  “Is it a deal breaker? If it is, we can go anywhere,” he answered automatically.

  And she knew he would pack up and leave the second she told him where she wanted to go. That scared her. She liked the idea of settling in.

  “No. And I want to know what you want, Nate. I’m easy. I need to be able to sneak away when I want, and I need to create when the mood strikes, but other than that, I need you. That’s it. I don’t care about where we are. So tell me what you want.”

  “You.” He sighed and pulled into a garage attached to a beach house full of windows.

  “What about the pack? Do you want to lead it?” she prompted.

  “I’ve given this a lot of thought. And yeah, I want to make Silvertail Ridge a town people are proud to call home. And I like working in the hospital here. But if you hate it here, I can make any place my home.”

  “I want to stay. Honest. And as long as this is what you want, I think it’s the right place for us. Besides, I’d miss Bran. And Frannie. Man, I’m a bad friend and sister. At least I talked to Bran.”

  “Because he called you.”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

  Nate turned toward her and caressed her face. “You won’t be able to shut everyone out if we stay.”

  “Don’t want to. I miss the town. Not everyone in it, but enough of them to want to be there.”

  “They won’t make fun of you now,” Nate murmured.

  “Don’t care about that. As long as you aren’t worried how they’ll perceive the Alpha’s mate being something other than werewolf or human.”

  “They’ll learn to deal, even if I have to put them in their place.” Nate ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “Come on, Sav. Let me show you our escape. I plan to make good use of it when we can. There’s even a room that’s ready for all the supplies you want.”

  She slipped out of the car and reached into the back to grab her bag. Before she managed, he grabbed hers and his and hurried to the door.

  Laughing, she caught up. “This looks familiar.”

  “You used to dream about a home like this. Painted it a few times. I have one at home.”

  She side-eyed him. “You do realize how creepy that sounds, right?”

  Sighing, he dropped their bags by the door and pulled her into his arms. “Do I scare you, Savon?”

  She shook her head, her eyes dancing with light.

  “Sorry if I did at one point.”

  “Nate, shut up. We’re moving forward, never backward. Don’t even want to think about the past.”

  “Past made us what we are,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers as his hands slid into her back pockets.

  “Sure, but we’re us now. The rest doesn’t matter. Yeah, we have to deal with our parents still.”

  “And you need to finish reading the letters.”

  “Yeah, but with her alive, she can just tell me. Right? I hope. Shit, those letters just piss me off. It’s a lame excuse. Dad was scared, Mom went along with it. Promise me one thing, Nate. When we have kids, we won’t pull that shit. We’ll make sure they know what they are and how to control their powers.” She pulled away, walking toward the back windows. “I’m done not knowing what I can do. Nadya wants to teach me, and I’m ready.”

  “She’s just a girl.”

  “Looks can be deceiving. Nikolai was more than three hundred years old.”

  “What?”

  She turned back. “Nate, your father is thousands of years old. My mother is too. She knew Canagan. She knew her and got involved with your father anyway, though she didn’t wind the same bonds Canagan did. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nate asked.

  “I’m not really sure whose side she was on, or if she even knew. Maybe crazy just runs in the family.” She let out a nervous laugh
. “I mean, look at me.”

  “You’re not crazy, Savon.”

  “If you think I’m only considering you showing up when I was awake, I’m not. I’ve always been disconnected. And sometimes, I break down because I stop giving a fuck.” She leaned against the wall and stared out. “Sometimes my head is a dark place.”

  He closed the distance and placed his hands against the wall on either side of her shoulders. “Look at me.”

  She faced him and looked into his eyes. “What?”

  “Everyone has dark moments. That doesn’t make you crazy. No, that makes you human.”

  “I’m not human though.”

  “Are you afraid of yourself?”

  “Sometimes,” she admitted.

  “Me too.”

  She tried to duck under his arms.

  He caught her biceps, holding her in place. “Afraid of myself, not you, Sav, never you. The other day, when I needed answers, I shifted and pushed my claws into someone, squeezing organs to hurt without causing permanent damage. I wanted his pain, I wanted him to hurt for trying to hurt you. And Nikolai, you have no idea what I wanted to do to him for touching you in any way you didn’t welcome.”

  “Doubt it was as bad as I wanted to do.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Feared I wouldn’t stop there. Sometimes I feel like I’m falling off the ledge.”

  “We can hold each other up,” he whispered.

  She closed her eyes, pushing it all away. When she looked into his eyes, she smiled. “Show me your beach house.”

  “Ours.”

  “Okay.”

  “Mean it, Sav. Everything that’s mine is yours.” He stepped back, twining his fingers with hers, and pulled her through the two-bedroom home. Windows stretched across the walls, shutters, glass doors to a deck. Down below was the sandy patch they used to lie in.

  She stopped at the window in the bedroom to watch the storm roll in. “Still like the rain?”

  His hand closed over her hip and he leaned against her back. “As long as we’re naked in it,” he purred against her ear.

  She reached between them, working his belt.