by Melissa Haag
* * * *
I rolled over in bed and wrinkled my nose at the weak light of a new day. Sleep hadn’t come easily and had fled too readily. Why? Because my dumb head wouldn’t stop replaying those few moments by the door with Oanen. What had been up with his hands?
Grabbing me to stop my fall, I understood and appreciated. Moving his hold to my shoulders might have been to give him a better means to control me in Aubrey’s presence. Given my previous issues with her, I again understood and appreciated the gesture. But that swipe of his thumbs on the back of my neck? Completely unnecessary and in no way understandable. My skin still itched and tingled there, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
He’d never shown signs of interest. Had he? No, I didn’t think so. Although I may have been too busy drooling over his chiseled abs to notice. I had two options. I could pretend it hadn’t happened and carry on as usual. Or, I could confront him about it and probably make a fool of myself.
“Pretending it is,” I said to myself.
Sitting up, I looked out the window at the still overcast sky. The droplets on my window didn’t invoke hope for sunshine anytime soon, which meant another boring day inside.
I decided to entertain myself by making an omelet. Cooking had been Mom’s thing not mine. However, since Mom left, I’d managed a few basic meals. Stuff I’d helped Mom make over the years or I’d learned on my own on the occasions she stayed over somewhere. Now, I used the internet to search out a recipe for a broccoli and cheddar concoction that made my mouth water.
Heating the pan, I whisked my eggs and set about making myself some happy food while listening to the birds. I hummed over the caws and poured the eggs into the pan. While they sizzled, I went to the fridge for the cheese. A crow zipped past the kitchen window just as I turned. It looked way too big up close.
Shaking my head, I added my leftover broccoli bits and cheese. A sudden flurry of crows cawed loudly then quieted.
I frowned and turned off the burner before standing on my tiptoes to look out the window over the kitchen sink. They’d sounded like they were right outside, but I couldn’t see anything.
With my face inches from the glass, I almost screamed when another crow flew up, flapping its wings right in front of me before it drifted back out of sight.
“What the hell is going on out there?”
I slipped on my shoes and went out the kitchen door. As soon as the screen slammed shut behind me, a chorus of caws rose from the back corner of the house.
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I shuffled forward slowly, a sense of something bad building inside me. Not so much dread as much as aw-crap-I’m-not-going-to-get-to-eat-my-omelet-anytime-soon.
A half dozen crows took flight when I rounded the corner. With their cries ringing in my ears, I stared down at the very dead body on which they’d been feeding. I’d beaten people to the point of hospitalization, but seeing the waxy color of the man’s skin did something to me. I started to shake.
He had been partially eaten by something much bigger than a crow, however. And, although bits were missing, and blood stained much of his clothes, and he lay face down, I still recognized him.
“Shit.”
Heart hammering, I turned and ran for the house. When the door slammed closed behind me, I already had my feet on the stairs, racing to get my phone.
My hands shook as I dialed 911. I couldn’t unsee the body. Every time I blinked, the image refreshed in my mind.
“Moonlight Market, how can I help you?”
I jerked the phone from my ear and looked at what I’d dialed. Yep. 9-1-1. I put the phone back to my ear.
“I dialed 911,” I said
“Oh, honey, Uttira doesn’t use that. Tell me what’s happened.”
I hesitated a moment. Who in the hell decided it would be a great idea to route 911 calls to a damn grocery store?
“There’s a dead body outside my house. Crows and something else have been eating him.”
“Oh my. I’ll send Trammer right away.”
The line disconnected, and I dialed my only lifeline.
“Hey, Megan,” Eliana chirped. “Want some company?”
“Yes. This town is fucked up.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t sound like you.”
“There’s a dead body outside my house, and I called 911 and got the grocery store. The grocery, Eliana. Do you know how crazy that is?”
“Holy Mary and Joseph.” I could hear her running down some stairs. “I’m on my way. Don’t hang up.” She covered the mouthpiece, but I could still hear her.
“Megan Smith just found a body outside her house. Yes. I’m going there now.”
The muffled sound left the phone.
“Tell me what happened,” she said.
“Beyond discovering a chewed-on body being pecked at by crows? Nothing.”
“Chewed on? By what?”
“I don’t know. Do I strike you as a walking Animal Planet reference guide?”
“No. Sorry,” she said quickly. “Any idea how it got there?”
“I’m about three seconds from hanging up on you. Of course, I don’t know how it got there.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m not good at this. What should we talk about?”
“My omelet.”
“Uh, okay. What’s your omelet’s name?”
“Cold and soggy. Damn body interrupted my breakfast. But that’s not the worst of it, Eliana. I know who it is.”
“Who?”
“That guy from yesterday. Jesse.”
She gasped.
“Yeah. I know.”
After that, we didn’t really talk about much. I listened to the sound of the car engine and her soft, erratic breathing until she pulled up in front of the house.
“Bye,” I said a moment before racing downstairs and pulling the door open.
Instead of Eliana on the porch, I found Oanen. He filled the opening as he looked down at me with concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked. A siren wailed in the distance, the sound growing louder by the moment.
“I don’t know. Am I? I don’t know.” The shaking hadn’t stopped. That probably wasn’t a good thing. But why was I shaking? I honestly didn’t care that Jesse was dead. I think I was more pissed that someone had killed the guy and eaten him.
Oanen took me by the elbow and led me to the couch. The simple warmth of his hold helped calm me. When I sat, I saw Eliana hovering just behind him.
“Where is he?” Oanen asked, drawing my attention.
I shook my head and instead of telling him, stood up to show them. His hand wrapped around my arm to stop me.
“You can stay here. You don’t need to see that again.”
“No, I can’t stay here. I need answers. Why is he dead? And why is he at my house? He was alive when he left that alley yesterday, Oanen. Who killed him?”
Outside, the siren silenced. Instead of moving toward the back of the house, I went to the front door again. The two walked with me so I wasn’t alone to greet Trammer. Together, we watched him leave his car and give his duty belt a tug before walking our way.
“Why am I not surprised?” he said. “Trouble seems to like you. Or maybe you like it?”
I didn’t respond. Eliana’s small hand around mine was the only thing keeping my temper from igniting out of control.
“Well, show me what you found,” he said impatiently. I could hear in his tone that he didn’t believe I’d actually discovered a body in my yard.
Turning around, I led the way out the back door. When I reached the corner, just enough to see the body, I stopped and pointed with my free hand. Eliana gasped, and her fingers twitched against mine.
“Sweet mother of mercy,” Trammer said under his breath.
He stepped around us and looked at what remained of Jesse.
Between the side of the house and the pines, I caught a flash of silver as a car pulled up in front. Trammer exhaled heavily and crossed his arms. Car doors c
losed. A soft murmur of voices floated to us from around the house.
I turned toward the driveway. A moment later, two well-dressed adults and Adira appeared.
“How are you, Megan?” Adira asked.
“Uh, not good. There’s a body in my yard.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Not just any body,” Trammer said from behind me. I turned and saw he’d rolled over Jesse.
Trammer’s hard gaze met mine. “You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this after yesterday?”
“What? You think I killed him?” I snorted. “This is not what comes to mind when I think home-cooked meal. He’s been gnawed on. Who eats people?”
Trammer opened his mouth to say more, but someone cut him off.
“We don’t think you did it, Megan. But, we are interested in how it makes you feel.”
When I looked at the other adults, Adira was now missing, but a simmering circle remained where she’d stood. Before I could ask why my feelings on the subject mattered, a wolf appeared through the portal. Adira emerged just behind the creature. No one spoke as the wolf trotted forward and sniffed around the body.
One moment I stared at a mottle-colored canine, the next a naked older man. I quickly averted my eyes. That was not the age bracket of nudity I wanted stuck in my retinal memory.
“Based on the feeding, it’s one of ours,” the man said in a deep somber voice. “But, the rain washed away any hint of scent. I’ll start asking around to find out who was on their own last night.”
“Might want to check with your boy first,” Trammer said.
The man turned his steely gaze on Trammer, who paled slightly. Even I wanted to cower from that look.
“You believe Fenris did this?” the man asked.
“You said you would ask who was on their own. Per the Council’s request, Fenris rode with me to return this guy. I left him on this side of the barrier, where he’d wait for a ride back to town, but he wasn’t there when I returned.”
“Aubrey was out last night, too,” Oanen said. “She stopped here looking for Fenris.”
The man exhaled slowly, his gaze going to Adira.
“We know that neither of them killed this human.”
“We do?” I asked.
His hard, silver gaze turned to me. Eliana’s fingers twitched in mine.
“No one without a mark could have left the barrier to kill this man and bring him here. I’ll start questioning the pack.”
“Thank you for coming, Raiden,” the well-dressed man said. “Please let us know what you learn.”
“Shouldn’t I be there to question them, too?” Trammer said, frustration lacing his words. “It’s my job, after all.”
“No, Trammer. It would be best if you left this to the Council. Thank you for your services, but all we require is that you burn the body and remove all evidence of the man’s return.”
Trammer’s face flushed.
“I’ll go get a body bag from the car then.” He stalked off.
“I will return you, Raiden,” Adira said before looking at me. “Megan, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She and Raiden disappeared into a shimmering hole that vanished quickly behind them.
“Will the two of you stay for a while?” the woman asked.
“If that’s all right with you,” Eliana said.
I glanced between Eliana and the woman, and the woman caught my look.
“I apologize, Megan. We know so much about you and have forgotten you know very little about us. I’m Anwen Quill, and this is Lander, my husband.”
Holy crap. Those were Oanen’s parents?
“Hi. Sorry we’re meeting because of a dead body in my yard.”
Anwen smiled slightly.
“It happens occasionally. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get it sorted out.” She turned her gaze to Oanen. “We’ll see you for dinner.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The pair of them walked away, passing Trammer with his arms full of body bag.
“Let’s go inside,” Eliana whispered.
I readily agreed, and we escaped into the kitchen.
Fourteen
I took my time in the shower and thought about the day before.
A dead body.
A weird conversation where adults hadn’t seemed overly concerned about who’d made the body dead.
And Oanen.
He’d managed to weird me out again. After Eliana had ditched me in the living room to warm my breakfast, Oanen had sat next to me on the couch and watched TV. Simple. No big deal. Except he’d put his arm behind me on the back of the couch. Still not that big of a deal. Until I’d felt his fingers on the back of my neck again. The soft stroke, up and down, had spread a tingle of something racing under my skin.
I’d bolted. Me. I didn’t bolt. I decked people.
I groaned and stuck my face in the spray of hot water, wishing I didn’t have to go to the Academy. The idea of skipping Monday check-in bounced around in my head until I remembered how Trammer had come for me the last time. If I wanted to avoid a ride in his dead-body car, I needed to go with Eliana.
Turning off the water, I mentally prepared myself for another Monday.
By the time Eliana pulled up in front of the house, I’d talked myself up enough to greet her with an enthusiastic smile.
“Hey, Megan,” she said when I got in. “You look much better than yesterday. Headache gone?”
I only felt a tiny bit of guilt that I’d lied about having a headache to get her and Oanen to leave.
“Yep. All better.” I leaned forward and eyed the skies. “No Oanen?”
She shook her head slightly. “He’s running late, but he’ll be there.”
I settled back in my seat as she took off and debated asking her about him. He was like her brother. Did that make him a closed topic?
“Can I ask you about Oanen?”
“Sure. But you better make it quick. I’m not sure how long it’ll be before he catches up.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
Instead of the yes I was hoping for, she let out a crazed shriek that nearly gave me a heart attack.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I was right. I mean, I saw you checking him out that first day we rode together, but I wasn’t sure if it was check-checking him out. He’s going to go crazy when—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Timeout. I wasn’t asking because I’m interested.”
“Right.” She drew out the word in obvious disbelief. “I’m a succubus. I know you’re interested every time I get a whiff of your l-lust when you look at him.”
I ignored her stumble on the word and her beginning blush.
“What? No way.”
Her peal of laughter filled the car.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I said quickly, denying the possibility of me with Oanen. “It’s like window shopping. I might like looking, but I have no intention to buy.”
“Too bad,” she said. “Because I’m pretty sure he has his eye on you. And he really wants to buy.”
“I’m not for sale. Ever. We talked about this. I have way too many issues to be someone’s other half. I’m barely my own half. I just need to know what to do.”
“Do? What do you mean? Did something happen?”
A distant cry cut through the air.
“Never mind,” I said quickly.
She said no more but grinned the entire way to school.
As usual, our flying escort zoomed ahead as soon as we reached the gates.
“Can you let me off at the front?” I asked her.
She did as I requested, and I quickly closed the door on her knowing smile. Once again, Adira waited for me in the main lobby.
“Good morning, Megan.”
“Morning.”
I followed her to her office, took my seat, and released a slow, calming breath, relieved that I’d managed to escape face to face time with Oanen.
“Is everything all right?” Adira asked.
“Yeah. Sure. I mean, except for finding that body over the weekend, everything’s great.” I might have been more convincing if I’d managed something other than a sarcastic tone.
“Yes. The body. A man named Jesse who was into human trafficking. Would you like to talk about him?”
“Not really. He was a scumbag. That much was clear when he detailed how he wanted to rape Eliana then sell her. I can’t say I’m overly bothered that he’s dead. I am bothered by how none of you seem too concerned about who did it, though.”
She smiled slightly. “Good. That should bother you. I’d like to change things up for you, Megan. I think you’re ready, and very able, to start attending sessions daily.”
Disbelief coursed through me.
“What?” I fisted my hands, already knowing how this would end for me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”
“Whenever you start feeling angry, I want you to let me know who triggered your anger.”
“Before or after I beat them bloody? I mean, that’s why I’m in Uttira, right? Because I don’t have much control over my temper. Because I want to hurt everyone and everything ninety-eight percent of the time. Adira, I don’t have many people in my life the way it is. The few friends I have managed to make, despite my amazing personality, are going to bail when I start getting into fight after fight.”
“You’re not among humans anymore. You might be surprised by how your friends here react when you do fight. However, I encourage you to come to me before you beat someone bloody. If you can manage.”
I sat back in my chair and considered what she was asking of me. Try to control my temper? My gut reaction demanded that I laugh in her face. But I couldn’t because, as Oanen had pointed out, I had managed to control my temper with Jesse. However, I’d had Eliana right there. It wouldn’t be that way here, though. I doubted Adira would be too impressed with my efforts on my own. I’d probably get into so many fights that she’d kick me out of school. Maybe even Uttira. Two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have cared. Now, though, I had a friend. Maybe more than one if I counted Fenris and Oanen. Although I did want to be able to leave town, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be banished from it or whatever their punishment would be.