by Mari Freeman
He saw something shiny and red sticking out from under the bones and ash. He used his boot to nudge the pile harder, spreading out its contents. There was a chain of beads at the bottom. Red, yellow and black skull-shaped beads alternated around the length and a silver charm that looked like a dagger dangled from the center. He fished it out and tucked it in his pocket. He suspected Mi-ma might know what the chain of beads symbolized or where it came from. Then maybe he could track this guy.
He stepped back and saw markings carved in the vinyl floor of the bathroom area. Several crude skulls, a spiral, something that looked like a lizard and a couple other things he couldn’t figure out at all. He memorized as much of the scene as possible to be able to share it with Mi-ma.
He should be sharing it with the Council, but he needed to get back to Nell as soon as possible. He couldn’t protect her while he was sitting on his thumbs protecting a crime scene or in front of the Council sharing evidence.
The smell was getting to him. He stepped outside and locked the door behind him. He paced the length of the room along the walkway.
He should have never left her alone after the initial attack. And he certainly shouldn’t have hurt her the way he had in the park. He ran his fingers through his thick hair. Damn his genetics. He closed his eyes and remembered how she felt in his arms, the smell of her skin as she rode him on that swing. He growled.
He knew if he gave in he’d go insane with wanting her. He’d always wanted her. It would be harder now. Now that she carried some of his blood, now that he had been inside her, felt her, loved her, Trent could no longer suppress his feelings. But he had to try. Had to push her away, make her leave town again, make her not want him, even hate him if that’s what it took. He could live with her hating him, but he’d never be able to live with himself if he killed her.
And he would. Like his father had done to his mother, and his father before him. The burning jealousy, the Alpha temperament and the history was all the evidence he needed. His nature would not allow a normal life with a mate. The cycle would stop with him.
He ceased his pacing and banged his head against the metal door of the cheap motel room. “Get your head straight.” There had been a serious attempt on Nell’s life. He needed to concentrate on that. If he kept his mind on the job, he’d be okay. He’d discovered the who, now he needed the why. Crey had spun a spell that had possessed a human and tainted his blood. The Sorcerer was still out there. This guy was no simple lowlife, as Carson had said.
Trent glanced at his watch. Twenty more minutes.
* * * * *
With her reading glasses teetering on the end of her nose, Mi-ma inspected the box again. She carefully turned it this way and that, tapping here and there with the pad of her middle finger, listening to the sound of the wood as she went. They all watched without interrupting. All the granddaughters were tense, leaning forward at the long dining room table, waiting for a verdict. The only sound in the room was their grandmother’s gentle tapping and the ticking of the kitchen clock.
She lowered the box as if she was going to speak…
And the doorbell rang. All four women jumped, Trina screamed and a sudden rush of adrenaline washed through Nell, making her heart pound and her toes tingle. She so loved that rush.
They all sat silent for a moment before Mi-ma burst out laughing.
“Who the heck is that?” Sonja asked.
Nell stood and headed toward the door, still enjoying the feel of the rush of being frightened. “Let’s see, Miss Psychic, it’s almost four a.m., we’re holding something I’m sure the Council would love to get their hands on…” She looked over her shoulder and nodded at the box in warning. Sonja took her cue and slid it off the table, tucking it under her chair before Nell opened the door.
“And, we had a huge fight earlier. Care to guess?” she finished, swinging the door wide open. Trent stood there with his hands jammed in his pockets, as if it would make him look less imposing. “No one called you.”
He started to walk in. Nell blocked his way. “I’m not here to talk to you. Not yet anyway.” He didn’t make eye contact.
Nell thought that rather cowardly and chose to point it out. “Are you going to lower your head every time you’re around me from now on?” It was a sign of submission in the pack, and she knew it.
He met her accusing gaze. “No. I’ve had a very bad night, Nell, and I’m trying to keep it from getting worse by arguing with you now.”
So…wild swing-set sex with her was a bad night for him? Ouch. Why did she let him hurt her so much?
He tilted his head. “Why are you covered in butterflies?”
She headed back to the table and her sisters, putting her back to him so she could hide the hurt she knew was showing in her eyes. “They, unlike others, are attracted to me, Prime. You can leave now.”
“I need to talk to Mi-ma.” He took several steps toward the table.
Mi-ma stood and reached for Nell. “Trenton Nicholas. You have some nerve. I don’t know what’s happened here—yet. But I can tell you did something stupid.”
Nell let her grandmother embrace her. Coming back home had been a mistake. Coming back for him had been a bigger mistake. What had she been thinking?
Eight years. That’s what she’d been thinking. Eight years should have been enough time for a young, headstrong Werewolf to mature. Instead, he had gotten more stubborn and more self-centered. She wished she weren’t so stubborn. Then she wouldn’t have set him up by tempting him in the park. Then she wouldn’t know what his lips felt like as they peppered kisses on her neck. She now knew the thrill of his barely harnessed animal nature.
Over Mi-ma’s shoulder, Nell saw Trina’s face fall. Her youngest sister took a step back, stumbling over her chair. Nell turned to see Trent dangling a beaded chain between his fingers.
He looked past Nell to Trina. “You know what this is?”
Trina gathered herself. “Where did you get it?”
“It was in a motel room with the remnants of a very nasty ritual spell.” He tucked it back in his pocket as if to shield them from its power. “There were human bones and a dead cat on the offering pyre. I was looking for the guy who attacked Nell. I found this in his room.”
“Who is it?” Nell asked.
“A lowlife cretin named Crey. I have no idea why—”
Trina held up her hand to interrupt him. “Were there symbols painted on the walls in blood?”
Trent shook his head. “Carved in the floor.” He looked at Mi-ma. “You have any paper? I can show her.”
So, his night had sucked. Nell felt a little better that his comment hadn’t referred only to his time with her. “Human bones?”
Sonja got a scrap of paper from the kitchen. Trent stepped toward Nell and nodded. He tried to soften his look, to no avail. Those features were all animal. She guessed he still hadn’t changed, that his wolf was straining to get out. “Nell, this is serious. This is how the human you killed was possessed and his blood tainted. Do you have any idea why a blood-magic spell that powerful was aimed at you?”
She stepped back, away from him. “You asked me that a week ago and the answer is still no.” Moths fluttered over her chest.
Trina spoke as Trent began drawing the symbols. “Santerian black magic. But that spell should’ve had to have been performed by a Palero. A very powerful Santerian priest.”
“It was a scumbag Sorcerer.” Trent shifted and Nell knew the moment he saw the box on the floor. His eyes got bigger. “Where did that come from?” He glanced around the room. “What are you ladies up to?”
Sonja sat. Not so subtly, she pulled her chair a little farther under the table to hide the box better. “We’re trying to comfort our sister.”
Trent flinched but seemed to shake it off quickly.
Sonja smiled sweetly at him. “Some pain needs all the help it can get. You can leave us to our midnight mojitos and bitch session.” She looked at Trina, who took the hint and scooted to
the bar, started mixing drinks.
Trent looked at Sonja suspiciously. As he should, Nell thought. None of them could act their way out of a paper Witch’s hat.
“Are you staying here tonight?” Trent crossed his arms and stood firm in the dining room.
Mi-ma sat back down. Nell didn’t. “No.”
“When were you planning on heading back home?” One of the moths flitted over and landed on his forehead. Sonja snickered. He scooted it off and it took flight briefly, only to land on the top of his head.
Nell raised an eyebrow. “Later.”
“Nell, I am going to protect you. I lost Crey. I don’t know if he’s still on the mountain or not. You’re going to be in protective custody until I figure this out.”
“Go to hell.” She figured it was Crey she’d shot in the basement. Judging from the amount of blood trailed out of there, he wasn’t coming back soon.
“Nell.”
She wanted to make him mad, to hurt him as he’d hurt her. It wasn’t very mature but it was how she felt. “And just how do you expect to find this character if you’re babysitting me? He’s wounded. It’s shouldn’t be that hard to find him.”
Trent scrunched up his face. “Nell…” It was more a growl than a spoken word. “How do you know that?”
Trina returned with a tray of lime-colored drinks.
“Thanks, Trina.” Nell took a glass and sipped, not answering his question. The man really thought he could sweep in here and proclaim to be her protector and hero mere hours after rejecting her? The nerve.
Trent appeared to her grandmother. “Mi-ma, talk to her. This is dangerous magic. Somebody wants something.” He nodded to the papers on the table. “I’m guessing you know more than I do at this point.”
Mi-ma shook her head slightly. “You will do your job, Prime. She will fight you. In the end, all will be as it should.”
Trent huffed and headed toward the door. “Demons.” He stopped and turned back to them before exiting. “You’re all hiding something. I know it.”
Nobody answered until the door closed, then Sonja stuck out her tongue. “Pfffft.” She looked at Nell. “I am really worried about this spell business.”
Trina held out her hand. “It’s all about the box, ladies.” Sonja placed it on the table. “Nell, the moths are marking you as the messenger. You’ll have to figure out the secrets of the box and its contents.”
“But first we all need some sleep,” Nell said. “Clearer minds will prevail.” Nell scooped up the box and the papers. She was beat.
“You know he’ll be following you. Probably camping outside your window,” Trina said.
“Counting on it.” Otherwise there was no way she’d go home. She was stubborn. Not stupid. “I’ll make sure it’s an enjoyable experience for him.” Nell swung her backpack over her shoulder and drained the rest of her mojito. “Good night.”
Trina hugged her. “Be careful.”
“Be cool,” Nell replied with an exaggerated point of the finger. It was the same lame reply she’d been giving her fire-starting sister for years.
* * * * *
Nell stepped into the kitchen, fresh out of the shower. Even though she’d washed his smell off her skin, she felt his presence like a blanket when she came down the stairs. The moths had left the confines of the basement and were now happily occupying the entire house. She had gotten used to them already. Trent’s animal energy was another story. It was everywhere. He must have shifted. It made sense. He could easily hide in her garden or under the back deck and be very happy in his wolf form.
“Asshole.” She said it loud enough that if he were close to the house, he’d hear it.
There was very little of the moon left, very little of the night. She was starving. After pouring a big bowl of Trix, she shook the empty milk carton then put it back in the fridge. Covering the cereal with lime yogurt seemed a viable alternative. She choked down the meager meal. Needing a drink, she poked around in the fridge and found a soda hiding behind some out-of-date tomato juice. Right behind that was a package of hamburger meat.
She snickered, grabbed the meat and another bowl. She plopped the raw meat into it and stepped out onto the back deck. She looked around but there was no sign of him. She tried to concentrate, to find his energy. She felt it, but couldn’t narrow it to a location.
“Here, Trent,” she called. “Come on boy. I got some yum-yums for you.” She dropped the bowl onto the deck with a clank. “Come on, Trenton. Din-din.” She headed back into the house, feeling a bit guilty. Maybe that had been a tad harsh, but he had acted like a dog. He’d made love to her and then rejected her. No “sorry”, no “fuck you”, no nothing. She thought she’d meant more to him than that. Even if he didn’t love her, she deserved more than being tossed aside like yesterday’s training paper. They’d grown up together in this small town.
She ran up the stairs and flopped onto her bed. The angry tears burst forth with her usual exuberant manner. It was an ugly cry and it felt great to let it out.
Moths gathered on her bed as her sobs receded. She felt as if she’d lost him, really lost him. It was similar to the pain of her father’s death. She’d loved Trent so long, hoped and waited for years, knowing he would eventually feel the same way. Knowing he loved her too. Believing he was trying to think of his pack, or just being a young Alpha male who needed to live some before choosing his mate. She’d been patient and understanding, giving him time.
The knowledge that she’d been wrong, the realization that she could no longer think of her future as their future, left her empty. She closed her eyes to the rising sun.
She heard the clicking of nails on her stairs and the rustle of fur as he brushed past the doorjamb and entered her room. She knew the noise was intentional.
“I can’t fight you anymore,” she said without opening her eyes. She heard another rustling and felt the magic of his change push through the room. “I don’t have anything left, Trent.”
“I need to talk. I need to tell you.” He was silent for a minute. She heard a large intake of breath, as if he were gearing up for something. “My father and my grandfather both killed their mates in fits of rage.”
She head his footsteps cross her room. Nell held her breath.
“Probably my great-grandfather as well. It’s a sickness. I have it too. I feel it constantly. Even when you were gone, I felt the constant jealousy. When Mi-ma told me you were living in that Vampire nest, I destroyed half an acre of trees. Took an axe to them. Hacked for hours.”
“I—”
“Nell, let me speak, please.” His voice was soft.
She stayed still and kept her eyes closed.
“I’ve always loved you. And I have always fought to keep you far enough out of my life to keep you safe. I don’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to know what it was like to feel your body. Because I was afraid once we were intimate, I wouldn’t be able to resist. And then I’d be destined to repeat the sins of my fathers. I can’t, Nell. I can’t be what you need, what you deserve.”
Nell had heard stories about his mother’s death in high school, but considered them rumors based in teenage angst. She’d never even asked Mi-ma or her father about them.
So all this was to keep from hurting her? All these years?
“I’m trying to protect you, not only from Crey, but from myself.”
More tears started rolling down her face. She had been self-centered. In all this time, she had never considered he might have serious reasons for shutting her out. She had thought she knew and understood her wolf.
She was wrong. This changed everything.
She thought back to the last time he’d rejected her, back when they were kids really, and it had felt as if the world were ending. He’d been a jerk then too, intentionally pushing her away. Trying to get her to go on with her life even though he’d loved her. A romantic gesture, sure, but…
“Do you think I can just quit?” She wasn’t sure if he was still in the r
oom or not. He was still close. Trent wouldn’t leave her vulnerable to Crey, she knew that, but was he still in the room?
She sat up to check. He stood at the end of the bed. He looked even more tired than she felt.
“You have to, Nell.” His eyes were pleading. “I don’t have the willpower anymore. I proved that on the playground. I can’t stand not touching you. At the same time, I can’t stand the thought of hurting you. I need you to do this for us, Nell.”
She’d never seen him show weakness to anyone. It broke her heart. “Come lay down.”
He closed his eyes and let his shoulders drop. “That’s not exactly helpful.”
“Just this once. I’ve been up for something like thirty-six hours. I’m sure you have as well. Let’s just lay here and take a nap. Tomorrow, later on, whatever, we’ll figure out the rest.” She held her arms open. “Just this once, let me hold you.”
Trent stood still for a moment. But she saw when his will broke. He stepped forward, crawled onto the bed and scooted toward her. Moths scattered. Nell wrapped her arms around him and held him tight against her chest as they lay back.
There was no way she was giving up on him. Not now.
* * * * *
Her rhythmic breathing lulled him to sleep. Her roaming hands woke him. Trent had no idea what time it was, only that it seemed late in the day. He remained perfectly still, his muscles tight with anticipation, eyes closed. He should get up and go. Hell, he should run. But her hand was sliding south and his temperature was heading north. She was dreaming, her head on his chest. Her body was moving, reacting to an alternate reality in her mind, rocking gently against his side. He held his breath as her fingers made their way down his stomach.
The heat of Nell’s body and the feel of the soft sheets under his back were heaven. This was how it should be. How it would be if he didn’t have the monkey on his back. At that thought, he did try to sit up.
Nell groaned as she clung to his abdomen. “No,” she complained. “Not yet. I was dreaming.”
He knew exactly what she was dreaming and his body might as well have been in the dream realm with her. She ran her fingers through the hair that was a mere inch from his growing erection.