by K. C. Blake
She shook her head. Her hand reached up, grasped the chain, and yanked on it. It broke easily. She held it out. “It didn’t burn, not even a glimmer of heat. This is not my necklace. Someone switched it.”
They both looked at Isobel.
“Hey, I didn’t take your stupid necklace. I don’t believe this crap. I came here, helped you out, and the two of you are still accusing me of things I didn’t do. I didn’t take the rock, and I didn’t take the damn necklace.”
Maybe Jack was crazy, but he believed her.
“If she didn’t take it, who did?” Jack asked.
Silver slipped the necklace into her pocket with a shrug. “My money is still on her. But if I’m wrong, my next suspect would be Ian Carver. He sleeps a couple of doors down from mine. It wouldn’t have been very hard for him to get his hands on it.”
Lately the trail always led to Ian Carver.
Silver said, “We have to either clear the guy or find proof that he’s guilty. This is getting ridiculous. I can’t believe someone, anyone, would help Jersey.” Her eyes went to Isobel. “Except for another werewolf. A werewolf would have a reason to help him. If he dies, they lose their immortality.”
“You think I care about that?” Isobel approached them slowly, making angry gestures with her hands. “I didn’t ask to be made into a werewolf, honey. Okay? I would love to be human again.”
“Then help us.” Silver took a step towards Isobel, a confrontational step. “If you’re really on our side, find Jersey. Trap him. Kill him. Or send us his way so we can take care of him.”
Jack slipped an arm around Silver. He half-pushed, half-pulled her to the door. “I think we need to go see your parents. They should know about the necklace. Maybe they’ll be able to figure out who’s helping Jersey.”
They walked out into the bright sunlight and got into her car. Silver drove down the dirt driveway. Jack glanced in the side-view mirror. The curtain in the front room of the house fluttered. For a split second he caught sight of a familiar face. His blood chilled, and his mind argued with him over what he’d seen. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.
The face in the window had belonged to Summer.
******
Chapter Twenty-One:
LOST OR FOUND
While Silver showed her parents the fake necklace and gave them a brief rundown of what had happened at the Miller place, Jack sat on the far end of the sofa. His mind whirled in dizzy circles, replaying what he’d seen… what he thought he’d seen. Summer had been his girlfriend during his vampire days. She’d gone ballistic when he’d become mortal again. One night she had sneaked into his bedroom, and she’d bitten him. She’d been desperate to turn him back into a vampire.
Lucky for him Silver had been there to save him. She had driven a stake through Summer’s heart, instantly killing her. He remembered seeing Summer burst into a cloud of ashes. No way was she alive.
But he’d seen her.
He was sure of it. It had been a quick glimpse: blond hair, wide blue eyes, creamy white skin. His mind reeled with the implications. He couldn’t see her working with Jersey. She’d hated werewolves with a passion that not many vampires could produce. Still, if she’d come back to life somehow, she would be out for blood. His blood and Silver’s.
“What do you think, Jack?”
Jack’s mind went blank. He looked around and saw all the eyes in the room on him. They were waiting for him to answer a question he hadn’t heard. Should he admit he hadn’t been listening?
The sound of the clock ticking in the background became a driving force in the room. Awkward wasn’t a strong enough word for the situation. Silver frowned at him. Vanessa and Andrew exchanged worried glances. Ian cleared his throat and shifted in the plush chair he currently occupied.
Jack shrugged.
“You have to have an opinion,” Silver said. “You always do.”
“Don’t press him,” Vanessa said. “We don’t know what it’s like to use this power. It may be painful or draining, or maybe he doesn’t think it will work.”
Power? They had his full, undivided attention now. He chose his words carefully. “I’m not sure exactly what you want me to do.”
Silver sighed. “It’s not that big a deal. You do it all the time.”
What?
“I apologize for being a bit slow,” Ian said, “but how exactly does this power work? And how is it going to benefit us?”
Jack had a suspicion Ian was asking the question for his benefit. Somehow his uncle had figured out the truth; Jack had been daydreaming instead of listening and was too proud to admit it. Ian smiled at him. Jack returned it with gratitude. Maybe Ian wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
Silver explained. “At first Jack had to touch someone to see into their memories. He was inside of their heads, hearing their thoughts and feeling their feelings. Now he just thinks about the person and sees a memory.”
“Any memory?” Ian squinted at Jack, a look of disapproval in his eyes. “Can you control what you see?”
“Partly. Sometimes I concentrate on what I want to know and a memory dealing with that issue comes to me. It doesn’t always work though.”
“Do you think you can do it now, find out who took Silver’s necklace by thinking about it?”
So that was what they wanted him to do.
“I can try,” he said. “I’ll think about the necklace and about Jersey. We know he had something to do with its disappearance. Someone is helping him. Maybe I can see who his new assistant is this time.”
Vanessa reached over from her side of the sofa and patted his hand. “Do you need anything? Water? Food?”
“I just need a quiet place where I can be alone for a while.”
“Maybe you should go home and do it there then. Even with a suite of rooms, we don’t have much space here at the motel. I couldn’t guarantee your privacy.”
They talked for a few more minutes. Andrew held the fake necklace in his hands, scowling at it. “Whoever did this is an evil genius. I can’t even tell it’s not the same one.” He stood and hugged Silver. “I am so glad you’re okay, honey. Don’t worry. We’re going to get your necklace back. Somehow we’ll find Jersey Clifford and his thieving employee.”
“I shudder every time I think about it,” Vanessa said. She joined them in a three way embrace. “My baby being led into a trap. They could have killed you.”
“They might have if it wasn’t for Jack.”
Andrew nodded at Jack, his mouth a grim flat line. “It seems we owe you again.”
The conversation turned to irrelevant junk as they headed for the door. Vanessa thought Silver should take a sweater in case it got too cool for her outside. They talked about the weather for a couple of minutes. Andrew warned Jack not to keep their daughter out for very long. They made Silver promise she would return before midnight. Then Vanessa told them to be careful.
Ian remained silent throughout, his facial features a taut mask.
At that moment Jack kind of wished he could read minds.
******
Jack wasn’t surprised to find Billy gone when he got home. His brother was still staking out the werewolf house. At least Billy had left a light on for him. Even though Jack could see better in the dark than any other living person, he hated walking into a dark house. Most evil creatures avoided light. As long as the lights were on, he felt relatively safe.
After he opened the door, he motioned for Silver to step inside first. They stood in the foyer for a moment. His eyes went north, looking at the ceiling where his bedroom was located. “I guess I should use my room instead of the living room. Billy could come home early.”
“Call me as soon as you know something.”
Silver turned for the door, but he caught her hand in his and said, “I’d rather you stayed. It feels like my power is stronger when you’re here. We should do this together.”
“You mean you want me to go with you into Jersey’s memory?”
&nb
sp; “It wouldn’t be the first time.” He watched her eyes for a sign of reluctance. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. You can go home.”
She smiled. “I want to stay.”
They went upstairs to his bedroom. Jack sat on the edge of the mattress and took his shoes off. He tossed them to the corner. Blanca hissed at Silver before bolting from the room. Ignoring the shape-shifting cat, he lay down on the left side. Silver reclined next to him on the right.
She held her hand up and he took it, lacing their fingers. Perfect fit. He told her, “I don’t know if it will make a difference or not, but you should try concentrating too. Think about Jersey and your necklace.”
“Okay.” She turned her head and looked at him. “Any special instructions?”
“No. Just think about your necklace and Jersey. We’ll find out if there’s a connection.”
They lapsed into silence. Jack closed his eyes. It was a lot harder to focus than he thought it would be. Silver’s hand proved to be a huge distraction. It was warm and soft, but he remembered how that hand had punched a werewolf in the face. Pride swelled inside of his chest. She was his girlfriend, and she loved him. He was a lucky guy. His thoughts veered further and further off course.
Before he knew it, she’d be leaving for college. Then what? Should he stay behind and wait for her or go with her?
She sighed, and he realized she was waiting for something to happen. Flushed with guilt, he was glad she had her eyes closed. He pushed everything from his mind except the two things he was supposed to be focusing on. Jersey sent someone to steal Silver’s necklace, and he wanted to know who it was before they did serious damage.
A few minutes slipped by. A weak current of electricity tingled across his nerves. Sucked down into the past, he found himself in a most peculiar place.
They were still in his bedroom, but they were on their feet now, standing near the window. He frowned at Silver and told her something must have gone wrong. She pointed at something on the other side. They weren’t alone. Jersey and Isobel were in the bedroom too. The two werewolves stood on opposite sides of Jack’s bed, facing each other. Jersey stripped off his black coat and tossed it onto the mattress. His pale blue eyes were glacier cold.
“Why did you summon me here?” Isobel asked.
Jersey threw a framed photograph onto the center of the bed. “Recognize him?”
She picked it up and studied it closely. “It’s Tobias! His face is different, but I would know those eyes anywhere.” She turned and scanned the bedroom. “Does he live here? Is that why you wanted me to meet you here? Was he reincarnated?”
“I believe so.” Jersey nodded once. “At first I didn’t realize it was even him. I was drawn to him and didn’t know why.” He sneered. “Now I know. The great Tobias has returned to seek his revenge.”
“You’re going to kill him again, aren’t you?”
“Not unless he forces me to.” Jersey walked to the window, and Jack jumped out of the way, not wanting the head werewolf to walk through him again. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation. Jersey added, “I always regretted killing him, and that’s saying something since I’ve never regretted a single termination, except for my wife and my best friend of course. No, I won’t kill him again unless I have to.”
“Then what?” Isobel reached behind her, removed a silver dagger from the waistband of her jeans. She kept it hidden from Jersey and asked, “What are you planning?”
“I plan to bring Jack to our side using any means at my disposal. I have already tried friendship. It didn’t work. Silver Reign has a tight hold on him. Love can sometimes make an unbreakable chain. I am hoping he still has feelings for you. He loved you once. Make him love you again.”
“No problem.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her dark eyes.
Jersey headed for the door.
Isobel’s next question stopped him cold. “How did you get to this point? How did you figure out it was him?”
Jersey grinned, and a familiar light danced in his eyes. “I have my ways.”
He turned to go.
Isobel jumped over the bed, silver knife held high, and attacked.
Silver’s hand tightened in Jack’s. He wanted to look at her, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of them.
Jersey whipped around and caught Isobel’s wrist with one hand. She cried out in pain as he snapped it backwards. The knife fell to the floor. The face of evil, an evil wolf with red eyes floated over Jersey’s face for a brief time. Isobel cried out again. Fear of being ripped apart darkened her gaze.
The wolf face vanished. Jersey released her. He took a step back and said, “If I didn’t need you, you would be dead now. Fail me and you will die a slow and painful death, I promise you that.”
“What exactly am I supposed to do?”
Jersey grinned again. “Simple. Remind Jack of what he was before, who he is deep inside now, and who he wants to be in the future. Once he loves you, he’ll return to the fold. He will become one of us again.”
She rubbed her wrist. “I won’t let you kill him this time.”
“I told you, I have no intention of killing Jack unless I absolutely have to. In fact I like Jack more than I liked Tobias. He is the brother I never had. Turn his affections and loyalty back to me, and I will reward you beyond measure.”
******
“Isobel took my necklace.” Silver released his hand and jumped off the bed, back in the present. “I knew it! She’s been working for Jersey this whole time, trying to get you to fall for her.”
Jack sat up slowly. “But it didn’t work. I love you.”
His whispered confession did nothing to appease her anger. She paced between the door and window. Her brows drew together in puzzlement. She stopped abruptly. “Wait a minute. What were they talking about? Who is Tobias?”
He had known this moment would come, had feared it. Taking a deep breath, he launched into a long explanation. He told her about the flashbacks, ending with, “Jersey threw me off a building. Then he must have cut my head off to make sure I wouldn’t heal.”
Silver stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
“You were there too,” he said. “Only your name was Katie. Your parents didn’t bother to train you, so Jersey killed you before he killed me.”
Silver put a blind hand out and searched for a place to sit. Her fingers landed on the chair that went with the desk. She sat down without looking at it. Her butt nearly missed the seat. Her face was white as cotton. “I don’t believe in reincarnation.”
“Neither did I.”
“How long have you known?”
He shrugged. “A while now.”
“And you didn’t tell me? What is it with you? You say you love me and trust me, but every time I turn around I find out you’ve kept another huge secret from me.”
He made a face at her. “Are you kidding? You kept the fact I have an uncle from me. I’m not the only one who keeps secrets around here.”
Heavy sigh. “Okay. Fine. Let’s make a pact right now. I know we’ve promised to be honest before, but this time we have to mean it. No more secrets. No more lies. Break it again, and we’re through.”
“Ditto.”
They shook on it.
“Now what?” she asked. “Should I go home and tell my parents about Jersey killing us in the past?”
An idea came to Jack, and a slow smile lifted the ends of his mouth. “It’s not midnight yet. Let’s make a quick trip to the werewolf house. I want to go to bed tonight knowing there’s at least one less werewolf in the world.”
“You just want to suck out a soul.”
“I need all the practice I can get before I take Jersey on.”
“Before we take Jersey on.”
He slipped an arm around her waist, and they left the house together. They took his car and didn’t talk much on the way there. As he parked the car a block from the werewolf house, he remembered Billy was staking it out. Billy wasn
’t going to appreciate them showing up, but his brother was just going to have to get over himself.
Jack and Silver got out of the car, careful not to make any noise. He took her hand. They went through a stranger’s backyard. The werewolf house was quiet, but there were several lights on just like last time. Jack didn’t want to get too close. He didn’t want one of them to smell him this time.
“What’s the plan?” Silver asked.
“I don’t know.” He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Maybe we can draw one out into the open without alerting the others.”
“How?”
Jack’s eyes roamed the area. He didn’t see Billy anywhere. Maybe his brother had gone to see his girlfriend instead. Jack was turning back to Silver when something odd caught his attention. There was a car near the shed that hadn’t been there before. It was covered with a dark green tarp.
“Wait here,” Jack said.
He hurried across the yard, bending at the waist as he ran. Stopping at the rear of the car, he lifted the tarp and looked at the license plate. The familiar letters and numbers hit him like a punch in the gut. He couldn’t breathe.
It was his brother’s car.
They had caught Billy. It was his worst nightmare come true. Why hadn’t Billy listened to him and taken back-up with him? Now his brother was probably dead.
******
Chapter Twenty-Two:
GRIEF
Frantic whispers floated around him, but he didn’t try to catch the words. His mind kept returning to the same thought: Billy was gone. The werewolves had killed him. Horrible visions refused to be dismissed. Pictures of Billy being ripped to pieces taunted him, and guilt ate at him. He should have been there, should have saved his brother.
Jack sat on the sofa in the Reign’s motel room. On the exterior he appeared calm, but on the inside he was screaming like a man being tortured. Nasty visions of his parents being slaughtered also swam to the surface. He saw them die again and again before visions of Billy’s death returned to the forefront of his mind.