by Kat Bellamy
“What’s happening to me?”
“You’re becoming an Alpha, but there’s a long way to go before you’re anything resembling useful,” Evelyn replied. She slipped a set of keys from her clutch and dangled them in front of Colt. “There’s a black car waiting for you outside the window. Take it and hide out until you go back to normal. Oh, and try not to get pulled over for speeding. If you get caught, you don’t know me. Mention my name or a word of my involvement, and I’ll make everyone you love pay for it, starting with that tasty little dish you brought here tonight.”
A snarl of rage ripped out of Colt’s throat, but a purposeful series of rhythmic knocks at the door drew his attention. Evelyn smiled patiently. “Go on, now. I’ll be in touch.”
Colt hesitated before reluctantly crawling through the bathroom window. Sure enough, the car waiting for him at the curb behind the hedges responded when he pressed the button on the key fob Evelyn had given him. He felt like shit for deserting Jason, but compared to what he’d just done and the consequences of staying while he looked like even more of a monster than usual, it was a far lesser sin than any of the others he had on his conscience.
Chapter 25
Three fucking days and Colt still saw a monster whenever he looked in the mirror. Actually having physical mutations to hide made him feel like a pussy for all the angsting he’d done over his metaphorical transformation. While the darkness in the veins underneath his skin had faded somewhat, his eyes were redder than ever and he was starting to think they were going to stick that way. At least he didn’t look like the Thriller werewolf, as he’d heard could happen to some Alphas, but it was a small blessing since he still couldn’t return to work. His damn nails kept growing to sharp points within hours of cutting them, and his fingertips looked like he’d dipped them in black paint.
Jason had finally stopped calling, but Colt had the top bolt fastened on his door just in case he thought of coming by. Colt had tried to call the night of the party to apologize for ditching him yet again, but he knew Jason wouldn’t believe his bullshit excuse about suddenly having to go out of town for work anyway. He also knew getting Jason to forgive him this time would be a lot harder, but all he could do for the moment was hole himself up and hope he went back to his new version of normal.
When his phone rang and it wasn’t Jason, it was almost certainly the Browns. Their voicemails had gone from concerned to panicked, but Colt didn’t know how to tell them what had happened without putting them in even more danger. Evelyn was already using them to blackmail him, and knowing he had committed the worst possible crime according to ghoul standards would only make them complicit.
Evelyn was nowhere to be found now that he actually needed her, of course.
By the fifth day, Colt had given up on going back to normal and started making contingency plans. After three days of calling out sick in the middle of negotiations for the biggest project the firm had gone after yet, it wasn’t like he’d have a job to worry about. Figuring that the best chance he had at protecting the people he loved was to disappear from their lives completely, he’d looked into getting plane tickets somewhere far from home. Evelyn couldn’t use anyone against him if he stayed gone, as impossible and unbearable as that idea seemed. Of course, there was always the chance that she was as petty as he feared and would retaliate anyway out of spite. For that reason alone, Colt fell asleep planning a more permanent contingency plan that he’d thought he had long since purged from the darkest places in his mind.
When Colt woke the next morning and ran a hand down his face, he was alarmed by the fact that for once, he didn’t claw himself. He looked down at his hands to find that his skin was clear and his nails were short and square.
Colt bolted upright and went to the bathroom mirror, nearly tripping over his rug in his haste. It wasn’t just his hands that were back to normal. The only sign of his Alpha shift was the redness at the very edges of the whites in his eyes. It was noticeable and not quite faded enough to write off as bloodshot, but he could cover it with sunglasses. He rummaged through the catch-all drawers in his kitchen until he found a pair and took off down the steps of his apartment building.
He had a hell of a lot of damage control to do, starting with Jason. Always with Jason. But Colt was almost out the door when he collided with someone coming in through the side entrance. He looked up and grimaced when he realized it was Stan.
“Colt,” the older ghoul said, his tone and expression full of the disappointment Colt had expected from the very beginning. “Where on Earth have you been?”
Colt hesitated. He’d gone over his cover a thousand times and God knew he’d had the time, but he couldn’t remember a word of the bullshit he’d planned to spin now that he was standing in front of Stan. “I...uh…”
“I’ve been a father long enough to know what a lie in formation looks like, so spare me,” Stan muttered. “Whatever the reason, there’s something more important you need to know.”
Colt froze.
“Ronnie and Susan are fine,” Stan said quickly. “For now, at least. But I’m not sure any of us will be for much longer. Liam Carver is dead.”
“What? But nothing happened at the party, Jason would have said something.”
“It happened an hour ago, at a press conference,” said Stan. “He was shot from the crowd. The news media is saying it was mob related, but I think we both know the truth.”
Colt’s heart was beating so fast he could barely hear Stan talking. “Jason, was he—?”
“He was there when it happened, but he’s alright. Roland just texted me saying he’s with the others, giving his statement. I came over because I thought you’d want to know, and I know we aren’t the only ones you’ve been avoiding.”
Colt winced. “Listen, Stan, it’s not what you think. I didn’t just go MIA for no reason.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Stan said in that calm, fatherly tone that was better at prompting a confession than torture. If Colt could have told him the truth, he would have. “People rarely do things without a reason, but in my experience, the reasons that keep us from communicating with the people who care most about us are rarely as compelling as they seem in the moment.”
Colt clenched his jaw. “If you knew--if anyone knew--it would put you all in danger. You, Susan, Ronnie, Jason, my parents. You’re just gonna have to trust me.”
Stan seemed to be contemplating his words. With a heavy sigh, the man finally said, “Alright.”
“Alright?” Colt asked in disbelief. “That’s it, ‘alright?’”
“You’re not going to tell me either way, are you?”
“No…”
“Then alright,” Stan said with a shrug. “Now, shall we get to the station before Roland traumatizes your boyfriend even further?”
Once they arrived at the Sheriff’s station, Colt found Jason waiting in a plastic chair outside an office where Roland was questioning one of the other witnesses. Jason’s disheveled state was enough to stop him in his tracks. He’d only ever seen Jason so upset that he was shaking once before, right after his brother’s death. Even when they’d been attacked in the woods, Jason’s need to make sense of the utterly illogical had been enough to hold him together where others would have fallen apart. Colt wanted to run to him, but the fact that Andrew Wilbur had stepped in to take the place he should have been at all along gave him pause.
When Jason’s eyes met his, they filled with relief for an instant, but the relief was immediately replaced with hurt. He wished Jason would just be pissed at him. Knowing he was hurt was so, so much worse.
“Colt?” Jason’s voice sounded hoarse, frail. Andrew’s arm remained draped around his shoulders until Jason stood.
The Assistant DA had clearly been getting comfortable with his own assistant.
“I’m sorry. I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay?” Colt asked, taking Jason by the shoulders to look him over for any sign that he was hurt. He couldn’t help it. It was instinct
, even though Stan had told Colt that Jason was fine.
Jason pushed him away, his face contorting into the anger Colt knew he deserved. “Where the fuck have you been?”
It wasn’t like Jason to lose his cool in public, but Colt wasn’t sure whether his disappearance or the horrible event he’d witnessed was getting to him more at that moment. “I told you, I got called out of town to --”
“Bullshit,” Jason seethed. “A ‘work emergency’ doesn’t explain why you’ve been ignoring my calls.”
Colt swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry. We can talk about this later. Right now, I just need to know if you’re okay.”
“No, I’m not fucking okay,” Jason snapped. “Carver is dead. Someone shot him onstage and I was right there, and I couldn’t…” He trailed off, tears pooling in his eyes. Colt had only seen Jason cry a handful of times, and not in years. He reached out to pull his boyfriend into his arms and Jason collapsed against him, still trembling.
Andrew stepped closer, watching Colt with a calm demeanor, as if he was only tangentially connected to the whole affair. If Colt hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have had any trouble believing Andrew was a ghoul. “Mr. Jager. Meeting like this seems to be a pattern.”
Jason pulled away to look at his boss, but Colt kept an arm wrapped firmly around his waist. Sure, it was posturing but he wasn’t above it. Not now that his instinct to protect Jason had been sent into overdrive. “Guess the city’s just not as safe as it used to be,” he said coolly.
“No,” Andrew said with a stiff smile. “I guess it’s not. Certainly not now that Liam’s gone.”
“He was a good man,” said Colt. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I admire your composure. If I were you, I’d be more upset.”
It was an accusation and Colt could tell Andrew knew it, but it was one that seemed to escape Jason’s notice for the moment.
“Jason,” Stan said, walking toward them. He’d let Colt head in while he parked, and it was clear from the look on Andrew’s face that it wasn’t the first time they’d met. “I’m so terribly sorry for what happened. Are you alright?”
“I will be,” Jason said, looking up at Stan in confusion. “Why are you here?”
“Forgive me. I went to pick Colt up at the airport and I heard the news through my brother-in-law, so I brought him down to the station.”
Colt knew Stan didn’t like to lie more than he had to, but the fact that the older ghoul was willing to back up his bullshit excuse for disappearing meant more than it should have. Jason looked over at Colt, seeming somewhat less hurt than he had been a moment ago.
“Oh. Wait, your brother-in-law?”
“The Sheriff,” Stan said matter-of-factly. “Colt didn’t mention it?”
“No,” Jason murmured. “He hasn’t mentioned a lot of things.”
“It must have slipped my mind,” Colt said, casting Stan a grateful look. Jason was still pissed at him and Colt knew he would be for a long damn time, but at least he had a chance at repairing the damage his sudden disappearance had done. Stan didn’t seem like the type who would cover for a friend who’d spent the long weekend cheating on his partner.
“Wait, so you’re the Sheriff’s brother-in-law and you’re friends with Colt?” Andrew asked suspiciously.
“That’s right,” Stan said casually.
“Colt knows Stan’s wife through...I’m sorry, how do you know each other again?” Jason asked, rubbing his head like it ached.
“Uh. Temple?” Colt offered. Hopefully Susan wasn’t religious, or that lie was going to catch up to him fast.
That seemed to satisfy Jason, at least. Andrew, on the other hand…
“Providence is starting to feel more like a small town,” Andrew mused thoughtfully.
“Well, since I’m here, I’ll see if there’s anyone who needs medical attention,” Stan said, walking down the hall. “Colt, just come find me when you’re ready to go.”
“He’s not going anywhere,” Jason said, narrowing his eyes. “Not until I get an explanation.”
“I’m all yours,” Colt promised, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. He glanced up at Andrew. “Is he free to go?”
“The Sheriff’s already questioned him and he already met with the sketch artist, so I don’t see why not. Of course, that’s really up to Jason.”
Colt frowned. He didn’t appreciate the implication that his boyfriend might not want to be alone with him and he knew macho posturing when he saw it since he was guilty of it often enough himself, but he kept his mouth shut for Jason’s sake.
“It’s fine. We’re just going back to my place,” Jason said quietly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Andrew blinked. “Given the circumstances, I think you should probably take the week off.”
“No,” Jason said in that firm tone that left no room for questioning. Colt knew it well but Andrew was clearly surprised. “Whoever did this needs to pay, and I want to be part of making that happen.”
Andrew nodded. “Alright, then. I could use all the help I can get.”
“I’m going to go talk to the deputy and make sure I don’t need to sign out or anything,” Jason muttered, heading into one of the open rooms.
Andrew looked back at Colt and seemed to hesitate. “Is he always this…?”
“Yep,” Colt said without missing a beat. “Always.”
“He’s quite something,” Andrew mused. “You wouldn’t know it now, but when it happened, he was right there, trying to help Carver. Performed CPR and everything. He tried to go with the body in the ambulance so Carver’s wife wouldn’t show up at the hospital and have to be alone, but Carver was already gone by then and the Sheriff needed Jason here to give his statement.”
“That’s Jason,” Colt murmured. “No matter how scared he is, he always wants to protect other people. He’s always levelheaded.”
“Hm. Interesting.”
Colt cocked an eyebrow. “You disagree with my assessment?” he asked dryly, not in a mood for Andrew’s bullshit.
“Not at all. It’s just strange to hear you say that when Jason told me your reaction to what he saw in the forest.”
“The werewolf?”
Andrew smirked. “He’s quite adamant about it and, as you said, he’s very levelheaded. I’ve come to realize that in the short time we’ve worked together.”
“So the DA’s office is officially investigating werewolves now?” Colt asked with a short laugh.
Andrew shrugged. “We’re investigating a lot of things. It may be purely coincidental that we just so happened to be investigating your friend’s hospital when Liam was killed. The coincidences have a way of following you around, don’t they?”
Colt didn’t say a word, but he wished he could tell his eyes to shut the fuck up before they got him arrested. Jason was walking back toward them with a sign-out sheet in his hand.
“Take care of him,” said Andrew.
“Always,” Colt gritted out.
“Jason, get some rest,” Andrew said when the other man came over. He put a hand on Jason’s shoulder and squeezed, as if to test the limits of Colt’s patience. “You were my rock today, and I owe you. I hope you’ll call me if you need anything.”
Jason gave Andrew a tired smile and touched his hand on his way over to Colt. “Take care of yourself.”
“Good to see you again, Colt. Oh, and nice shades,” Andrew said, prodding an imaginary pair on his own face before he turned and walked down the hall toward the coffee machines.
Colt winced. Jason cocked his head and reached for the glasses, pulling them off before Colt could stop him. “What’s up with these, anyway?”
Colt’s hand flew to his face in a panic, but even though Jason was staring right at him, he didn’t seem horrified. Colt glanced in the mirror across the way and realized his eyes were still a bit bloodshot, but not the stuff of horror movies they had been that morning. “I...got a shiner at the site in Muncie and I didn’t wanna come in here looking like troubl
e.”
Jason squinted and examined Colt’s face. “I don’t see anything.”
“Yeah, well, I heal fast,” Colt coughed, draping an arm around Jason’s shoulder to lead him outside. “So, you really saw the guy who shot Carver?”
“I caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd, but I lost sight of him in the chaos,” said Jason. “I think I’d recognize him if I saw him again, though.”
Colt was just relieved that Jason didn’t recognize him already. “Just keep that to yourself, alright? You can never be too careful.”
Jason gave him a look. “You don’t need to lecture me on investigative procedure, Colt.”
“Yeah, I know. I just worry, that’s all. Ready to get out of here?”
“You have no idea.”
He did, but he decided to keep that to himself, too.
Chapter 26
Jason didn’t feel like returning to his dorm that night, and Colt was eager to offer for him to stay over. If it hadn’t been for the strange food he kept in the back of the freezer, Colt would have broached the subject of Jason moving in with him months ago.
To Colt’s relief, Jason hadn’t pressed his flimsy excuse about leaving at the last minute for Muncie. Whether it was because he accepted it as the truth or because he simply didn’t have the energy to challenge it, Colt couldn’t be sure, but he would take a break any way he could get one.
Despite the fact that Jason had cried himself to sleep and tossed and turned throughout the night, he was awake and dressed before Colt’s alarm went off. “You’re really going in?” Colt asked, sitting up with a yawn.
“Of course. I can’t leave Andrew hanging. The whole office is going to be in chaos.”