by Ivy Sinclair
As they emerged into the open area of the quarry, he could see it hadn’t changed at all.
He looked at Tony, who shrugged. “I did some checking after I got back. Apparently, it was purchased by a private buyer shortly after the events in 1999. It hasn’t been used for commercial purposes since then, so it’s pretty much just been sitting here abandoned.”
“Don’t you find that a little odd?” Eric asked.
“At this point, anything that was normal I would question instead,” Tony said.
Eric had to admit he understood how his friend felt. As the Humvee came to a stop in the makeshift parking lot, they all stared at each other.
“Let’s get this done,” Kyle finally said. He was the first to get out of the Humvee. Eric followed after him. He, Tony, and Kyle walked to the edge of the lake. They stood there just as they had stood there eighteen years ago. “Do you ever wonder why she didn’t take us?” Kyle asked.
“Whatever we did, whatever we called up, I just don’t think it was strong enough,” Tony said thoughtfully. “It was like a newborn that had come into the world and was still somewhat defenseless.”
Eric didn’t look at it that way at all. “She was far from defenseless, but I agree we were stronger together than she anticipated. That’s why this time, she’s planning to be stronger.”
He turned and looked behind him. Nina, Maggie, and Kelly were standing next to the Humvee, watching them. Kyle had given them instructions to stay back, but Eric knew that nothing would happen without Nina. Nina was the key.
He moved away from his friends then and motioned to Nina. She came to his side. Her face was pale, and her hair curled around her shoulders in a way that in the evening sun, lit her up and made her look like an angel. For the rest of his life, he swore to himself he would remember this moment. He took her hands. “Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath, and she nodded.
“It was out there,” he said, pointing toward the center of the lake. He stepped back then. It was something that he and Nina had discussed. He didn’t tell Kyle or Tony about it, because he wasn’t sure if it would work. They needed to draw Jillian out. Regardless of seeing her around Copper City, the focal point of Jillian’s energy was here in the quarry. It always had been.
Nina started to undress. Eric held his hand up to stop Tony and Kyle from moving closer to them. As soon as she stood there naked, he whispered into her ear. “Let it guide you. It knows what to do. Just don’t lose yourself in the process. I am right here when you need me.”
Nina looked up at him hesitantly. “What if I can’t turn back?”
Eric touched her cheek gently. “Always remember that you are the one in control. You let it out, and you put it back. As long as you do not lose yourself, you will be fine. If you struggle, don’t worry. I will find a way to bring you back.”
It took everything he had to make himself stand still and not interfere any further. He didn’t like this plan, and he didn’t want it to happen. It had been Nina’s idea. He had to trust her. He would be there waiting for her when she came back.
She gave him a short nod and then she began to step slowly into the water. She had only gone a few more steps when he saw the change take hold, but she was in control. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen when suddenly Nina’s human form was gone, and there was a beautifully striped red rattlesnake moving across the water. She had done it.
“What is going on, Eric?” Kyle demanded.
“She’s trying to draw her out,” Eric said. “We wanted to take the fight to her. Nina is going to help us do that.” She was his mate. It was his decision. Kyle knew that.
He couldn’t see her anymore as the snake made its way to the center of the lake. They waited. It felt as if they waited forever, but Eric knew it had only been a few minutes. That was when the lights began to pulse beneath the water in the lake. It was happening again.
He walked to the edge of the lake. He peered out, trying to see what was happening. It twisted his gut that Nina might have gotten wrapped up in whatever had happened out there. He hoped that he had not sent her to the same kind of fate that had befallen Tiffany and Allison.
The pulsing began to quicken. That was when he saw her. Nina was still in her snake form, and she was shooting back across the lake toward him. But then he saw the figure rise from the water at the center of the lake. It sent chills down Eric’s spine.
Eric rushed out into the water. Even as he lifted his hands underneath her, Nina phased back into her human form. She stared up at him with a wide-eyed expression of terror. He swept her up into his arms and pulled her out of the lake. He pushed her behind him even as Jillian walked toward them across the water. Her steps were slow and deliberate. She had been waiting for them. He had no doubt.
Just like that night so long ago, her eyes blazed in fiery orbs that were a startling counter to her stark white dress and pale skin. The pulsating light around her was like a red strobe light that hurt his eyes. He could hear the murmurs of discomfort coming from behind him as well. As he stood there, he felt Eric and Tony move to his side. He wanted them to leave, but there was no way he could make them. This was between him and Jillian.
As she approached them, a smile grew on her face.
“You’ve come back, lover. Welcome home,” her voice echoed in his head. Eric put his hands up to his ears and tried to keep the noise out. He could see Kyle and Tony struggling with the same thing. She was using the voice of the alpha by talking in their heads, and he wondered if they had made a huge miscalculation. She stopped about ten feet away from them, still on top of the water. There was no way they’d be able to reach her to deliver the serum unless she came closer.
“I see that you have brought friends,” she said as she looked across the way at Maggie and Kelly. She seemed satisfied. “We are going to have such fun together.”
Eric could only wonder what Jillian’s definition of ‘fun’ was. He had no desire to find out.
“We are done,” he said to her. She was like an apparition dragged up from his worst nightmare. They had unfinished business. It was time that he closed that loop.
“I’m sorry for anything that we did; it was an accident,” Tony tried to add his voice to Eric’s, but Eric pushed him aside.
“This is between you and me. Tell me what you want to leave us alone,” Eric demanded.
“I can’t leave you alone, lover. After all, what does any woman want?” Jillian asked. “If not to simply be with the man she loves?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Eric said. “You know that, and I know that. Let’s cut to the chase.”
“Will you promise not to hurt anyone else?” Nina’s voice rose behind him.
Eric whirled around. Nina had somehow had time to slip her clothes back on. She looked frightened but confident. “No,” he said to her.
Nina brushed around him even as he tried to grab her arm. She was focused on Jillian. “If I agree to what you told me, will you promise not to hurt anyone else?” she asked again.
Eric would not let her sacrifice herself for anyone. Least of all for him. He tried to grab her arm again, but it was as if Jillian took hold of her. Nina was still even as Jillian swept her across the water to face her. Eric had no idea if she could move.
Jillian raised an eyebrow. “You give yourself willingly?”
“I don’t want you to hurt Eric, and I don’t want you to hurt any of our friends,” Nina said. Her voice trembled. Eric made a move into the water to follow her, but there was a voice inside of his head that demanded he stand down. He roared in pain even as he heard similar howls from his friends.
“I do,” Nina said. “That was what you wanted, right? If you agree to let everyone go, then I will agree to whatever you want to do to me.”
Jillian wrapped her arm around Nina’s neck. She pulled her close to her. It was an ugly resemblance of an intimate embrace.
“I cannot promise it will not be painful,” Jillian sai
d.
“Neither can I,” Nina said. Eric watched in stunned amazement as she jammed the syringe with the serum into Jillian’s neck and hit the plunger.
Jillian screamed. It was a sound that reverberated off the quarry’s walls and in their heads. He struggled, trying to see past the blinding pain to see where Nina was. The sound disappeared a moment later.
When his eyes finally focused again, he didn’t see Nina or Jillian anywhere. He burst into the water, and he heard the splashing that indicated either Eric or Tony was right behind him.
It was just several feet off shore where he dove in. Underwater, he looked frantically for her. He didn’t care about Jillian. He just had to find Nina. A moment later, he spotted her ahead of him. He burst toward her. He grabbed her and saw that she was just barely conscious.
She had an angry bruise across the side of her face where Jillian must have struck her when she administered the vaccine. He grabbed her and pushed her to the surface. Even as he came out of the water with her, he heard shouts and yelling coming from the shoreline. He heard the sounds of boots stomping on the ground, and when he looked at the beach, he was shocked at the sight. Kyle stood there with Tony, Maggie, and Kelly. They were surrounded by a squadron of soldiers with guns pointed at them.
Eric made his way to the beach. He heard Nina’s low moans as he pulled her with him. She managed to get her feet underneath her when they reached the shallow water, and he helped her walk up onto the beach. She looked completely out of it, but she was alive.
Eric twisted to look behind him at the water and saw that it hadn’t been one of his friends that had dove into the water after him. It had been a soldier. The soldier walked out with Jillian in his arms. She was unconscious but her body twitched and twisted, and she writhed in pain.
“What the fuck is going on?” he asked Kyle.
Kyle looked like he was ready to punch someone. “The General has arrived.” Eric looked up the crest of the hill and saw a truck coming down toward them. Sure enough, he recognized the man in the front seat. It was Kyle’s father, General Frost.
They waited for the truck to pull up next to the Humvee. The General took his sweet time getting out of the truck. He strolled over to them as if they were meeting on the sidewalk on a casual Sunday afternoon. “Boys,” he said in greeting.
Eric had never particularly cared for the General even when they were kids. He had watched the way the man had treated Kyle and thought he was a royal bastard. The General had proved that six months ago, when he kidnapped Kelly to force her to work on covert research projects. He and Kyle had a throwdown which resulted in Kyle finally claiming his title as alpha of the Urban Dwellers. Kyle had also made it clear that the General wasn’t welcome in Copper City again. Ever.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle said through clenched teeth. “This is Urban Dweller business.”
“Funny you mention that,” the General said. His smile was cruel. “The last time you and I talked there was a conversation about territory. You made it very clear that I was not welcome in yours. That’s fine, son. Just so you know, though, your mother was hurt that she was not invited to your wedding.”
Kyle growled, and the General raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you start that with me, boy. This is one fight you can’t win.”
“What are you doing with her?” Eric demanded. He saw the soldier taking Jillian to the truck that the General had come in on. The General glanced over to watch. Then he turned back to Eric and Kyle. “You boys sure know how to step in one big pile of shit after another. I’ve been helping you out since you were kids. You ought to be glad that I’m on your side, even if you don’t recognize it.”
“You were never on my side,” Kyle said.
“Look, this is the way this is going to play out. For all your talk about territories, you are trespassing on government property,” the general said.
Eric realized they were screwed. When Tony hadn’t been able to uncover who had purchased the quarry, they should have been suspicious.
“You are going to get in your little truck, and you’re going to take your asses out of here. Be thankful that I am not arresting you and throwing you all in a cell for interfering in official government business,” the General said.
“Official government business?” Kyle looked at the man in amazement.
“As I’m sure you understand, ever since the incident here back in 1999, we have been keeping an eye on this particular parcel of land. There are several outstanding questions about what has been going on here since the beginning. In any case, this is government land, and you are trespassing. So get in your truck and leave.” The General widened his stance and put his hand on the holster on his hip as if he hoped they would defy him.
Eric realized that they had lost. They might have won the battle against Jillian, but now that she was in government custody, they would never know for sure that she wouldn’t come after them again. They weren’t even sure if the serum had taken effect.
He could tell that Kyle wanted to argue, and if he did Eric would be there with him, but that was not the smartest move. They were outnumbered. The best move, in that case, was to concede defeat. That was what Kyle did. He motioned for them to follow him to the Humvee.
Eric stopped before getting inside. He looked back at the General. “I need proof that she’s alive. I’ve a murder charge hanging over my head after all.”
The General looked at him and seemed to consider his words. “It can probably be arranged that information to that effect can be provided to the Copper City police.”
“In exchange for what?” Kyle asked.
The General smirked. “Let’s just say, you’ll owe me one.” Eric didn’t like the sound of that at all, but he knew that they had no choice. Kyle straightened and nodded his agreement. “Pleasure doing business, son.”
Ignoring the General’s parting shot, they got inside the Humvee. Not a word was spoken as they drove out of the quarry.
“Is it over?” Nina whispered to him.
Eric put his arm around her. What she had done was amazing. She had saved them all. “I hope so,” he said to her. He pulled her against his chest. “I hope so.”
EPILOGUE
Nina stared up into Eric’s eyes on what was proving to be the happiest day of her life. It had been two months since the events in the quarry. She and Eric had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it seemed that, for the time being, Kyle’s father was fine with his bounty.
Kyle, Tony, and Eric had tried to find out what happened to Jillian, but there was no news. It was as if she had disappeared once again. But the General had proved good on his word. The Copper City police dropped all charges against Eric. They said they had received information that it had all been an elaborate frame job. There also had not been any reoccurrences of anything supernatural around them. Life continued on as it always had.
Except that she was different, and her life was different. It had taken some time to explain to Mia about what had happened to her and then have her trust Nina with Carlos again. She didn’t go into the details of the attack, but it was important for Mia to understand that she was something different now, something more than she had been before. And it wasn’t just the fact that she was mated to Eric.
The pastor who stood in front of them beamed at them. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Eric leaned over and gave Nina a soft, yet intense kiss that took her breath away. This was all she had ever wanted. She had the man that she loved, and she was doing work that she enjoyed.
After some debate, Eric had agreed that it made sense that if he was going to retire, he would join Nina in her business. He had insisted they make it more official, though, and folded it under the overall umbrella of the Urban Dwellers organization. She had fought him a little bit on it, but ultimately, the idea of the two of them working together was the part that she found exciting. Eric was pretty confident in his investigation skills, but
she knew she was going to have to teach him a trick or two. It would still be months before he would be able to come on full-time anyways. He still had a company to run until he was able to sell it and step away.
Eric smiled down at her with a look that made her heart beat faster. She was so happy. They turned as the pastor presented them to the crowd assembled behind them. “I now present Mr. and Mrs. Eric Carmichael.”
A roar went up among the crowd. Nina waved to Maggie and Kelly. Mia, who was her maid of honor, stood beside her and pulled her into a hard hug. “I’m so happy for you, sis,” she whispered in Nina’s ear. No more so than Nina was. She now had the resources to be able to help Mia and Carlos in a way that she had never been able to do before. She felt like her family was safe. All of them.
As they made their way down the aisle, Eric shook hands with many of the guests while Nina gave others hugs. They moved into the large ballroom at the back of the room. Of course, the venue they had chosen for the wedding and reception was owned and operated by the Urban Dwellers and was, in fact, right next door to the club.
The band had already started to play music, and as Eric put his arms around her and kissed her again, Nina felt like she was in a fairytale.
Guests began to converge on them, hugging her and talking animatedly about how happy they were for her. Even though she and Eric were talking to different people, she could feel his proximity to her. It was a feeling she never wanted to lose again.
She felt Eric’s hand underneath her elbow drawing her attention. She turned and looked up at a tall, handsome man that she recognized from the news. She felt a small flutter of anxiety in her gut. This was the elusive and infamous Lukas Kasper. Even though she had known he was coming, it was still a whole other thing meeting him in person. He had the same kind of presence as Eric and his friends. Lukas filled a room all by himself.