On the Edge (Adirondack Pack Book 3)

by K. C. Stewart

  He tried to run an assuring hand over Mira’s shoulder but she remained tense. “Rabbit,” he whispered for only her to hear. “Take a breath for me.” He hadn’t seen her breath since her mother started talking.

  She turned her head. Every inch of her face was completely distressed. Owen cupped her chin trying to smooth away some of the worry. He hated to see her so upset. Lies were one of those hard lines she had and her mother had been lying to her since birth.

  “Don’t see it, do you?” she pleaded with those big brown eyes. He didn’t know what she was talking about.

  “What don’t I see?” He ran a thumb down her chin.

  Terror, like he had never seen reflected in her face before, gave him reason to pause. Mira shot a look around the room. Tyson and Sadie had taken over the conversation. He eyes shifted to her mother where it was hard to tell if she felt more fear or betrayal.

  “Whatever it is, Rabbit, I’ll keep you safe. What has you so frightened?”

  She swallowed. “Owen, I might be submissive. I might be…one…one of you.”

  Owen hadn’t considered that and their reactions to the news were quite different. While Mira tried to control her labored breathing, he found himself holding back a smile. There was a chance that Mira was one of his kind. His partner in love and life was most likely holding a submissive wolf inside of her.

  She didn’t see it now, but this was very good news.

  *****

  Lee rushed into the back door and right into Chuck.

  “You’re late.”

  Yes, she knew that. Hence the rushing. “I don’t have time for this Chuck.” Lee pushed past him and dropped her purse in her cubby. Being that it was right beside hers, Lee couldn’t help but notice Sadie’s purse. The sight of it made her want to scream.

  “What the hell, Chuck?”

  “What?” He strolled over to her and looked over her shoulder. “Oh, that. Well, you were late and I couldn’t reach you. I called Sadie to fill in.” He smirked like the bastard he was.

  So far, her boss and beloved friend had been considerate of her situation and feelings and had not scheduled Sadie at the same time as Lee. They worked opposite shifts so the most she would see Sadie was in passing on her way out.

  “I was on my way!”

  He raised a brow. “Lee, Sweets, you are two hours late.”

  “What?” No way. Well, actually it was entirely possible. Lee had blacked out again. Woke up on her kitchen floor bare ass naked. The wolf had gone out to play instead of letting her sulk and work herself into the ground. What she was doing wasn’t exactly running away with her tail between her legs, but in her wolf’s eye, it was. Lee had started to look into moving. It made her stomach roll just thinking about it but this, here, wasn’t working anymore.

  “Ok whatever, I’m sorry. Now make her leave.” She grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist, then pulled her hair in a ponytail.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “What? Chuck, I’m here,” she said reasonably if not a little frustrated.

  “I’m aware. I’ll give her the option but if she wants the hours I’m not going to force her to leave just to come back in three hours.” He pushed open the door and held it for her. Expecting to see the usual lunch people she was surprised to only see two, Sadie and Vince.

  Her shoulders slumped. Luck was not on her side today.

  Sadie smiled politely at her. It was a look she was getting to know well. And then there was Vince, who brightened up with a grin that spread halfway across his face.

  She stood mesmerized for a moment. What did she do to deserve that? Walking through a door should not warrant a heart-stopping smile.

  At Chuck’s discreet cough, she moved again. “Pushy,” she said over her shoulder to him.

  “You were staring.”

  “Was not.” Oh, she totally was. Lee looked back to see Vince still had his eyes on her. Those brown eyes drilled past her barriers. Stripped naked and defenseless was how she felt when he looked at her like that.

  “Hey Lee,” Sadie said. When had Sadie moved? Oh hell, she was staring again. Her mind still wasn’t with it after earlier. The wolf inside continued to have some sway over her. Every time it lasted a little longer before she found the strength and clarity to take full control.

  Or maybe her wolf was just giving her the illusion of control.

  Well, wasn’t that a happy thought?

  “Sadie,” she greeted just as politely. Lee was too tired to play this game right now.

  “You ok?”

  And you care because? “I’m fine.” Lee walked around Sadie and grabbed herself a glass of ice water. The shock of cold helped her snap back to herself. She was a fucking mess.

  It really didn’t help that Vince was still watching her. Every time he moved his eyes, she could feel the tracking heat of them on her skin. It made her unsettled. The deep breathing with her back turned didn’t help calm her at all like it should have. She knew they were all staring at her, which, of course, shot her anxiety up and undid all those deep breaths. Why did they have to stare at her? Sure she was the one freaking the fuck out right now but that was no reason to increase her anxiety with their pity. She didn’t need their concern; she didn’t need anything from them.

  Absently, she rubbed a hand over her sternum. If she could just breathe, things would be easier.

  “Excuse me, Lee?” Vince’s heavy voice filtered into her anxiety driven brain. “Lee?”

  “Yeah,” she said breathlessly as she turned.

  There was no pity on his face. No concern or worry, judgment. All Vince had with his scruffy beard and scruffier voice was approval, which confused the hell out of her. Why did he approve of her anxiety? This man was going to drive her insane.

  “Did you need something?” she asked a little steadier and more like her normal self, with a hint of bitchiness. She got it then, what he was doing. Vince gave her a task to get her mind off the tightness in her chest.

  Sneaky wolf.

  “A burger would be great,” he said with a smile, completely ignoring her tone.

  “Medium rare, bacon, barbecue and onions with chips?”

  She knew she had screwed up when he flashed a confused smile at her. “Aw Lee, I didn’t know you cared.” He was teasing but there was a truth to his words that knocked her back into that stunned silence she had been stuck in earlier.

  “That’s your usual, isn’t it?”

  He nodded like a predator who had just cornered his prey. “It is, but I didn’t think you knew that. Sadie or Chuck usually waits on me.”

  Shit. He was right. Lee ignored him most of the time and only ever got him a drink if she absolutely had to. That didn’t mean she wasn’t hyper aware of him and his all of his preferences.

  “You just know shit when you work here as long as I have. I’ll go put that order in.” And get the hell away from you. She turned and found Sadie had not left, instead, she was restocking glasses with a smirk.

  Lee didn’t have the time or patience for any of this shit.

  *****

  This was just too much fun. Vince watched with a smug smile as Lee huffed her way passed Sadie into the kitchen.

  “You are going to make her run into a wall if you keep looking at her like that,” Sadie said with a laugh.

  “Then I better be ready to catch her.”

  Sadie looked at the kitchen door then came down to his end of the bar. “What’s your game?”

  “Why do you care?” he countered.

  She flicked him in the side of the head. “Even though she is being difficult at the moment, she is my best friend. I’m not pushing anything like Owen is, I figure she’ll come around when she wants. I’m not holding anything against her. Lord knows I’m not one to judge.”

  That seemed fair enough. “I like her, a lot. I always have even though she gave me the cold shoulder most of the time. There was always something familiar about her. ” And now he knew that was because Lee
was Glilee. Intuition told him there was more to her icy stares and bitchy attitude.

  Vince wondered just how much Lee had shared with Sadie about her gaming life. It wasn’t a secret, Owen’s knowledge told her that. But how much did she discuss it? “Did she ever talk to you about a Valek? He plays with her online.”

  She had to think about it. “I don’t know. Maybe? It sounds vaguely familiar from when I was crashing on her couch. She really didn’t talk too much about it. Just slunk off each night to go play.”

  No, and she wouldn’t. Not with anyone she had to face daily. “I’m Valek, Sadie. Now, you can’t tell her you know. I only just found out that Lee is Glilee. She kept herself hidden from me for some stupid reason. I just put it all together last night, and she has known from very early on, which is why I think she has always been so cold to me.”

  It had taken him a few hours to sort it all out. Glilee had met him in a small town with no other players around at the time. He had been rearranging his attributes and not playing attention to the one other person who had stopped in to sell some stuff. A few minutes later the town chat popped up. She asked how his session was going. It was just a friendly chat between players but they teamed up and went on a mission they both had yet to do. He had failed that mission two times before on his own, but with Glilee they dominated. They quested a few other times and then just stuck with each other. The game was still fairly new then, and they had discovered other ones together along the way.

  What he figured out last night was that their first encounter was no mistake. Glilee had known somehow that Valek was his character. That was the part he still hadn’t figured out. Like Lee, Vince didn’t talk about his online persona to others. He didn’t keep it secret either, though. If someone knew him well enough, they knew he was a gamer.

  “Now that I believe. So what are you going to do with this newfound knowledge?” Her smile told him that she had an idea. He did too.

  “I’m going to keep her off balance for a little while.” He smirked. “I’ll tell her soon enough that I know.”

  Sadie nodded. “Don’t tease her too much. She’s not up for it.”

  No, she wasn’t. Lee was a fraction of the woman most of them knew her to be. Hopefully, he’d be able to help her forgive herself.

  Sadie wandered back down the bar. He waited another five minutes before Lee came back out of the kitchen holding his meal. Vince had chosen this time of day for a reason, he just hadn’t known she was going to be late. Rarely did anyone come in between three and four. He knew he’d have most of her attention that hour. It would make ignoring him harder.

  “Do you need anything else?” she asked while putting his burger in front of him.

  “A little company would be nice.”

  Immediately she looked down the bar to Sadie.

  He smiled. No, she wouldn’t get away that easily. “Let me rephrase. Your company would be appreciated.”

  “But why?” Lee asked, unable to keep the surprise off her face.

  Sadie, being the smart woman she was, took her leave to the kitchen. With no one else around he hoped Lee would loosen up a bit. “Because I enjoy your company.”

  “No, you don’t. I’m a bitch.”

  Vince cut his burger in half. “You aren’t and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put yourself down.” He picked up one piece and bit into it, while he chewed he nudged the plate toward Lee. “Eat.”

  “What? No. I’m not going to eat your lunch.”

  He pushed it closer. “Eat. You’ve lost weight.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Eat anyway.”

  Lee pushed the plate back his way. “Why do you care? So I’ve lost weight, who are you to notice? I’m not good company, Vince. Or haven’t you heard?” She crossed her arms around her midsection and stepped back to lean against the counter, putting two feet of space between them. “You can just stop trying to be nice to me. It’s better to run far and fast now than wait till I disappoint you. And that’s not an if I disappoint it’s a when. I’m a bad bet right now. Talking to me alone could give you seven years bad luck. So please just keep your smiles and your consideration to yourself. Don’t waste them on me when there are twenty other females out there swooning over you.”

  Vince wiped his hands on his napkin and then stood. Interesting points she had. He especially liked the fact that she noticed his increased female attention. Did that make her jealous? She watched him wearily as he walked down the length of the bar and then around to her side.

  “What are you doing? You can’t be back here.”

  “I think I can handle Sadie if she catches me. Chuck too, if it comes to it.”

  Lee had backed herself into the corner with no escape but up and over the bar. Vince didn’t stop, he went right up to her and wrapped her in a hug. “I have never met anyone who needed this more than you.”

  Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. Her arms were still awkwardly crossed between them but as he rubbed slow circles on her back, he felt her hold soften and then melt. Her shoulders slumped and she fell into him. It was a few minutes that he held her together, slowly swaying with her back and forth. Someone had opened the kitchen door at one point and then softly closed it. He didn’t think Lee had even heard.

  When her hands unfisted his shirt, he moved back an inch to check her out. Strong and defiant as ever, he thought as he looked at her. “Feel better?”

  “Why did you do that?”

  She hadn’t let go of him completely yet so he felt it alright to hold on to her. “Because I saw someone who needed it.” Lee nodded. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because she did not look any happier. “Because you needed it Lee. You needed a little comfort after the beat down you give yourself every day.”

  It surprised him when she laid her head on his shoulder and let him continue his comforting. Lee was tall, taller than most of the women he dated. He liked how they were closer to eye level and he didn’t have to strain his neck when he looked at her. The cider blonde hair that was just under his chin smelled faintly like strawberries. Vince had always admired her hair. It laid just above her shoulders in a straight blunt cut. It had an edge to it that mirrored the one in her personality. The one he hadn’t seen in weeks.

  “Thanks,” Lee said pushing away from him looking even more tired now. The plan had been to tease her a little before he came clean but he found his plans changing. Lee needed someone now. She was flaking away more by the day. He wouldn’t tell her now but tonight online. She felt safe online. He’d let her keep that comfort for a little while longer.

  “My arms are open to you anytime.”

  “Promise?” she asked with a hint of flirt and most like Glilee he had seen yet.

  “Day or night.”

  *****

  Valek Firemourn: You busy?

  Glilee Lunamaul: Yeah. Give me another ten.

  Valek Firemourn: Ok.

  Glilee Lunamaul: Alright, I’m all done. The flute has been saved and delivered into the correct hands.

  Glilee Lunamaul: What’s up?

  Valek Firemourn: I need to tell you something.

  Glilee Lunamaul: Sounds ominous.

  Glilee Lunamaul: Should I be scared?

  Glilee Lunamaul: V?

  Valek Firemourn: I know.

  Glilee Lunamaul: You know what?

  Valek Firemourn: You know, Glilee.

  Glilee Lunamaul: Huh? What’s with the riddles?

  Valek Firemourn: I know that you know who I am, and as of recently, I know who you are. I think it’s time we met in person. I’m coming over and we are going to sit down and talk this out.

  Glilee Lunamaul: I don’t believe you.

  Valek Firemourn: You should, Lee.”

  Valek Firemourn has signed off.

  Chapter Eight

  She couldn’t figure out if she should be excited, nervous or relieved. Vince had figured it out. She wasn’t sure how. Maybe he had found someone who knew her
real name. They were few and far between but if he asked the right person…

  Owen.

  The bastard.

  She had seen him talking with Owen the previous day.

  Well, fuck-a-doodle-doo. That just sucked.

  It figured that her ex-best friend and boyfriend would tell the secret he promised to take to the grave to her crush.

  There was a part of her that was happy to be done with the games. It took a lot of effort not to give herself away on a daily basis. It was simpler this way. He was the one loose end at this point. Lee would admit to lying to him, take his anger and then let him leave. When he was gone she could start packing. There was still the matter of finding a new place to live but even that didn’t seem to be a major rush. She had actually thought to put her things in storage and head off on a working vacation. She could get away while looking for the right town. When she found it, her stuff would be ready to go. Her house could go on the market after she left. There were only a small handful of people who needed to know what she planned: Owen, Sadie and Tyson, not included.

  Only five minutes had passed since Vince signed off. She had another ten at most before he showed up. Her place was a mess but not much could be done about that now. Lee could do a quick cleanup of crap on her floor so he didn’t have to walk the gauntlet that was her living room.

  Lee was scrubbing her kitchen counters when she finally settled enough to take a breath. The living room had been picked up and vacuumed. She even had time to dust, which never happened. The kitchen had followed with emptying the dishwasher, filling it back up, cleaning what was needed and then the counter tops. Usually, her house was pretty well kept together but what was the point? Lately, she didn’t have any reason to pick up after herself if she had no one dropping by. And even if someone would, what did she care if they thought she lived in a hovel? But the busy work gave her something to focus on instead of what would happen when Vince got there.

  It had been longer than ten minutes. Busy work kept her mind off of that fact too.

  Lee looked at the clock and was surprised to see that an hour and a half had passed. “What the hell?” Maybe he had changed his mind? A stab of anxiety ran through her. She walked into her office and checked the chat. He hadn’t signed back on. Valek was still set as inactive. So what was the holdup?