Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set

by Multiple Authors

  Owen’s eyes hardened. The easy smile slipped from his face. “He’s fine.”

  “Then why do you look like he just bit your mama?”

  “You should rest.” He stood making it obvious how he felt about continuing that line of questioning. But she had to ask one more question before he left. His reaction worried her and after everything she just learned she had to know.

  “Is he…”

  He shook his head before she could finish. “Fred is a wolf. Simple as that.”

  “Oh…ok.” The disappointment was a surprise. Sadie wasn’t sure what she had been hoping for but it was gone now.

  “Rest now. Lee and I will help you pack some things when you wake.” He brushed a hand over her head and laid a kiss on her hair. His touch was soothing. “Sleep,” he said again in a soft dreamy voice. She hadn’t been tired but now her head lulled to the side with exhaustion. God she was so tired all of the sudden. Her eyes began to droop as he left and closed the door. Within seconds she was asleep.

  ChapterTwenty

  “I’m out. Try not to bake me out of house and home again.” Lee grumbled with little annoyance. She wasn’t mad, not really. Lee was forced into having a roommate for a few days. Anyone would be a little peeved in her shoes.

  Sadie sat at the small round table in Lee’s kitchen with a cup of coffee and a half eaten muffin. She had baked apple cinnamon muffins yesterday. Blueberry the day before. There were a few dozen cookies and three pies that Lee had already loaded into her car headed for The Wick.

  She was bored. Except for her bruised body she was four days into her “change” and she felt exactly the same as she had before Jack attacked her. From what Lee had filled in after Owen’s not so great “welcome to the furry face club” introduction, there was a chance that she might not be a wolf after all. It was a small, infinitesimal chance. Really not even worth mentioning but she held on to that hope with dear life. Anything to get her out of this house and back into some kind of life.

  After a few ‘come to Jesus’ talks from Lee, Sadie had accepted what she said as truth. Seeing her change in front of her helped too. Although, now that her eyes were open, could she just go back to normal. What was normal anymore? Not this. This was monotony at its finest. She couldn’t work—Chuck’s orders. Apparently he too was a pack member. She couldn’t go home because things were supposedly about to change for her physically. Actually, it was that Owen had never had a new wolf quite like her before and was worried that she might change before the full moon. That meant, Sadie needed a babysitter.

  “Can’t I come with?” she asked as Lee picked up her keys.

  “Nope. You know the rules, Chicky.”

  “I really don’t like your rules.”

  “Not mine. Owen’s. Alpha’s.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered.

  “Cheer up. It’s almost the full moon and the fun is about to start.” Mischief and knowledge danced in her eyes. She hated not knowing what Lee knew.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  Lee smiled. “Oh, nothing…well, you’ll see.” Before Sadie could hound her with more questions, she left.

  And it took only seconds for the boredom to hit. Her fingers twitched at the thought of making a cheesecake but she held firm. No baking today. None. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house unaccompanied so she would have to find something to do but it could not involve flour, sugar and butter.

  There are plenty of things to make that don’t involve either of those ingredients.

  “Shut up,” she muttered to her coffee. Her cold coffee. She put the mug down with an audible and lengthy sigh. “I wish Fred was here.” At least then she’d have someone to talk to. Owen said he was just a wolf. Lee said he was a wolf, they ran with him from time to time and that’s how they knew him. Even Chuck had told her to stop dreaming up things. Fred was a wolf. Plain and simple. But was he really? Sadie couldn’t shake the feeling that they were hiding something. Well, besides pretty much everything. In the case that she didn’t change to a four legged canine and go romping through the forest, Owen wanted to spare her any unnecessary knowledge.

  She didn’t believe there was such a thing. He however, was just looking out for his pack. A secret like this if it got out could be disastrous. So once they knew what she did, then she could learn all there was about being a wolf.

  Joy.

  She needed to stop with the moping and get on and accept what was probably going to happen. Owen promised to take care of her. He felt responsible for what happened. Not that he said as much, but she saw it in his eyes. Those sad green eyes of his were in a perpetual state of fatigue. Lee had told Sadie that he had recently lost two pack members whom he was close with, one to death and one to sorrow and heartache. It had been a shock to the pack but more so to Owen who had always considered them family. He hadn’t been the same since.

  Sadie stood and rinsed her mug out then placed it in the dish drainer to dry. Lee’s kitchen was simple and tidy, as was the rest of her house. It had rustic white cabinets and a soft brown counter. Only a coffee maker and a bunch of bananas graced the counter everything else having a place hidden away and only to be brought out when needed. By the end of each day Sadie had completely destroyed the small clean kitchen with brownie batter splattered on the countertops and backsplash, flour was lightly dusted on every surface available, butter had been smeared with sticky fingerprints on the mixer and the faucet. Sadie was not a clean baker. After Lee’s distressing choke of breath the first day, Sadie made sure to clean up well before her roommate got home.

  Not today though. She turned out of the kitchen and made her way to the couch, which she was currently calling her bedroom. Lee’s place didn’t have a guest bedroom. The second bedroom had become her office and gaming central. Lee was apparently a big gamer. Her computer, which was disguised as a command station, took up two walls from floor to ceiling of the square room. Multiple monitors all with large screens and such high quality resolution that the images were more lifelike than life was. Every night, Lee would excuse herself into the office and for the next four hours Sadie would hear laughing, yelling, cursing that made her blush and cheers of victory as her level 62 Necromancer battled on with her guild in the land of Tyria.

  Lee, she learned, was highly independent. This was a woman who could change the oil in her car, build absolutely anything with her hands, hunt as a wolf and also with a bow, make biscuits that don’t come from a tube and knit a baby blanket for a friend who was due in November. Sadie had snooped in her closet the day before. For a woman who owns a v-neck fitted t-shirt in every color and pairs a different one with jeans every day, she hadn’t expected to see the closet full of dresses. From sundresses to ball gowns, Lee had at least 25 different ones. All of which, still had a price tag on them. None of them had ever been worn.

  It was a mystery but one she couldn’t ask about because then she’d know Sadie had been snooping. In the few weeks they have known each other, Sadie had never seen Lee out on a date or flirt. Men were interested. Oh boy were they ever interested. Lee got the best tips at the Wick, sometimes even when she didn’t even help the customer. Her fuck off attitude attracted rather than warded her from men.

  Then again, they were all human. Or, at least, she thought they were. No one had told her how to tell the difference yet. Maybe it was a wolf thing. Maybe you can only date other wolves.

  There goes the dating pool.

  Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She cheered to the distraction whoever was calling had given her. She grabbed the phone and greeted her mom.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey? That’s it?” she said in a huff.

  “Um…how’s it going?”

  “You disappear for days and that’s all you have to say?”

  “Disappear?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach you since Friday!” her mother yelled. “Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been here. Calm down. Everything is ok. There must
be something wrong with my phone because I haven’t had any missed calls or anything.”

  “Why are you not at work?” she demanded.

  Sadie frowned. “How do you know where I work?” She had never told her exactly where she worked just like she never told her exactly where she lived. It saved her from unexpected drop ins.

  “Kent told me.”

  “Of course he did.” For a cop, he had a big mouth. “How did you know I wasn’t at work?”

  “I called.”

  At least she hadn’t shown up. “Hear anything more about the Rileys?” Subject change.

  “No, I haven’t. Are you worried about it?”

  Kind of. Maybe. Well, not really. She didn’t know. There was more on her mind at the moment. “No. Just curious. As you said, the evidence is pretty substantial against him.”

  “Have you met anyone suspicious? If they are anything like Peter then you better keep your eyes open. I wouldn’t put it past them to visit you. Or at the very least watch you.”

  Suspicious? Here? No. There was just a pack of wolves that were also humans and she might be one of them. Nothing suspicious here. “Everything is fine here.” Lies, lies, lies.

  “Good. Oh, I’m late for lunch with Miranda.”

  “How is she?” Sadie missed her sister. She hadn’t taken the time to talk to her that much since she moved.

  “Wonderful! She and Sophie are moving in together. It’s happening at the end of the month and I know your labor would be appreciated.”

  Sadie smiled. Her sister and her girlfriend had been dating for two years. It was only a matter of time before they took the plunge into living together. “I’ll see if I can. Give her a hug and kiss for me.”

  “I will. Love you. Stay safe.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  She ended the call and shot off a congratulations text to her sister. She doubted she would go back to help move her. It was still too soon to face her old life and stomping grounds. However, after she was stable and not wanting to chew on rawhide and chase balls maybe she’d have them out here for a weekend. Show them just how fine she was. Even if fine was far from the truth.

  ***

  Lee had come home a few hours later with clean plates and pans. “Sold out at lunch. You have some serious baking skills. Mr. Cosa requests apple pie, by the way.”

  Sadie uncurled herself from the corner of the couch where she had been watching a Grey’s Anatomy marathon. Her legs were stiff and her neck popped as she moved. “I can make that tomorrow.”

  “Cool. What’d you do all day?” she asked as she walked past into the kitchen and poured a glass of water.

  “Nothing. It sucked.”

  “You poor baby,” Lee said with mock sympathy.

  “When can I go back to work?”

  “After you change and can prove you are under control. In the meantime, Chuck requests you keep stress baking. It’s good for business.”

  “It’s boredom baking,” she corrected, already planning what she’d make later that night.

  “Whatever.” Lee came into the room and looked at the TV. “You watch that shit?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Loser.” She winked.

  “Can I at least go home till then?” Sadie picked up the remove and turned off the TV.

  Lee’s back went rigid. “Why, did you forget something?”

  “No.”

  “Then no, you can’t.”

  “Why not? I want to check and make sure everything is good.”

  “I have someone from the pack checking in on it.” She turned her head and sat on the couch. When she looked back at Sadie it was with practiced nonchalant eyes.

  “Do I know them?”

  “Um, I don’t think so. But you’re pack so they will take care of it.”

  More lies.

  “So do you have any questions about what’s going to happen?”

  Sadie knew a subject change when she heard one. She had just done the same to her mom only a few hours before. “I thought you weren’t going to tell me stuff before I changed?”

  “Owen won’t but I will.” She shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

  “Will it hurt?” she blurted out.

  Lee chuckled a bit and shook her head. “Nah, it’s a bit scary the first time but you shouldn’t feel much.”

  “Oh,” she blew out a breath, “good.” Now that that was answered she asked, “How are you even possible? Wait, that didn’t come out right. How…how…” She stumbled to find the right words to ask. “How…”

  “How?” Lee asked with a laugh. “I know what you mean. Stop before you blue screen on me. Let me start with how you are possible.” That seemed acceptable so Sadie nodded. “You are highly rare. No one gets a gift from Gaia. I mean, I’ve known devoted wolves ask for a gift like yours for someone they loved and get rejected. Then there is you who out of nowhere gets the biggest gift she could give. You might have a few dirty looks in the beginning but don’t take it personally.”

  Sadie held out a hand to stop her. Dirty looks she could handle. “Who’s the Gaia?”

  “Oh, sorry. Getting ahead of myself. Gaia is the earth. Do you know any Norse Mythology? We originated from Loki’s son Fenrir. He was born wolf but since Loki was a shape changer, Fenrir’s children inherited the ability to change between man and wolf. Those gods are long gone however, and Gaia kind of adopted us after Loki and Fenrir died. She is our guide and our protector.”

  She had never been very religious so she kept her mouth shut hoping “pack” wasn’t synonymous with “cult.”

  “So this gift you got is rare. I know I said that already but it needs to be reiterated. No one, not even my grandparents or their parents before them have known of someone getting this gift. It just doesn’t happen.”

  “But…why? Why me?” She hadn’t asked, prayed or begged anyone for help when Jack had been attacking her. Her brow creased. That wasn’t completely true. She had asked Fred for help. Not verbally but when she saw him she felt saved. “I know you’ve said Fred isn’t-”

  “He’s not,” Lee interrupted.

  “I know. But could he be connected with Gaia somehow?”

  She was quiet. Sadie had stumped her. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Owen. He’s the only one I know of that even knows of the ritual to ask for a gift. All Alphas are taught the old rituals even though many have not been used in hundreds of years.”

  “Did Jack know it? He said he wanted to change me. Said I wasn’t the first.” That thought bothered her. How many had he practiced on? How many failed attempts had he had? How many women had he killed?

  “Jack was mental. Even before he had become Enforcer there was something off with him. You know how I told you about Owen’s friends that died? Well it was all Jack’s fault. We know that now but at the time he looked like a victim in it all. Jack had been dating Jenny, turns out he was a Canidae and was spying on our pack.” At Sadie’s bland look, Lee explained, “a group of wolves that believe we should be more wolf and less human. Sorry. I forget sometimes you don’t know any of this.”

  “It’s ok. Go on.”

  “Well, Jack brainwashed her into thinking like him. Tys- um, her brother was the enforcer at the time and was investigating who was the spy when all the evidence turned to his sister. Jack set it up.” Lee took a tired breath. “He had to kill his sister. She admitted to it and it ruined him. He turned to his wolf and ran.”

  “And Jack was the one all along? Did anyone know?” How horrible she thought.

  “The Enforcer knew. He was trying to pin down some more on Jack before he took it to Owen but Jack was quicker. After he turned to wolf no one could find him again so it took a while for us to learn the truth. Owen is looking for the cabin you mentioned. No one has found it yet but it’s a lot of ground to cover.”

  She understood, maybe not to the full extent but Sadie knew her geography, at least of New York. The Adirondacks cover a lot of land and Jack’s cabin
could be anywhere.

  “So what exactly does an Enforcer do?” Titles and ranks, it was like the military inside the pack. She’d have to learn a whole new class system on top of everything else.

  “He’s our legal system.”

  “So police?”

  “Yes, and judge. Any punishments that need doled out; he’s the man to do it.”

  “That’s a harsh life.”

  “It’s not for everyone,” she agreed.

  Sadie slumped back into the couch. Maybe Gaia was trying to rebuild the pack after all that heartache. She saw Jack and what he was doing and saved her? That didn’t seem right but there wasn’t much to go on. With so much to think on, they both sat silently in the room. Lee looked sad. Her eyes were unfocused as they gazed at the half empty water glass on the coffee table in front of her. Jenny’s betrayal and death had hit Lee hard. Or maybe it was this Enforcer who ran away that she was mourning. Was that why she never dated? Had they been a thing?

  “So this Enforcer guy. Were you two…”

  Lee laughed. Her eyes brightened a little. “No. Men in the pack aren’t really my thing. He wasn’t involved with anyone. Most people were scared of him because of his job but he was a real sweetheart if you knew him.”

  “Are you a lesbian?” Sadie blurted out. “My sister is. So I really don’t care. Just curious.”

  Stunned Lee stared at her. After a few second she broke out in a huge grin and started to laugh. “No.” She folded over holding her stomach as she laughed. “Oh god, your face! No I’m not. How long have you wanted to ask that?”

  Grinning herself, Sadie answered, “a few days. You never talk about anyone, let alone go out with them. And then your closet has all those fabulous dresses but all you ever wear is jeans and a t-shirt. I couldn’t figure out what was going on so I left all the options open.”

  With her laughing under control she grabbed the water and drank the rest of the glass. “Not a lesbian. I do like men. Very much. But guys of my kind won’t date me or mate me. I can’t bear children.” She admitted with a ducked head. “So I am of no use to them.”