by Tasha Black
“Are those the books you were looking for?” she asked, her eyes wide behind the glasses.
“These?” he asked, tucking the paper back inside. “They’re just some overdue library books. I’ll run them back in the morning.”
He handed her a cardboard box with the word PUNKINS written on it in sharpie, then grabbed a bin of orange lights for himself.
As Mary headed down before him, he opened the book and stole one last glance at the notebook paper.
What the hell was going on in Copper Creek?
Chapter 23
Charley Coslaw sat on the wooden bench in the middle of Triangle Park, Garrett Sanderson storming and pacing around him.
Charley found if he concentrated he could tune the other man out enough to enjoy the view of the sky, bordered by the brilliant yellow of the trees that formed a perimeter around the park.
Too soon, Garrett’s tone took a sharper pitch and Charley had to tune back in.
“--so why the hell did you hesitate?” Garrett was asking, “We could have finished them off!”
Charley took a deep breath.
“Garrett, you’re too impulsive.” He spoke in calm, measured tones. “Our Order has waited hundreds of years for this. Your temper is not going to ruin it now. You already screwed up with the old woman”
“She is of no consequence,” Garrett said, flicking his hand like he was shooing away a pesky fly.
It made Charley mad. He knew she was one of the pack, but there was no need to treat Sadie Epstein-Walker like she wasn’t worth anything. Charley had learned long ago that everything held value to someone.
“Plus, you told me the cop wasn’t a threat.” Charley said. “If I’d known she had that much power, I wouldn’t have given her the chance to act. What was it you called her? A ‘two-bit palm reader?’”
“I’ll deal with her,” Garrett shot back. “We need to concentrate on the alpha bitch. Once she’s out of the way, we’ll have access to search for the key at our leisure”
“Did it ever occur to you that it’s not that simple?” Charley asked. “There is no way her friends and her pack are going to just let us get away with that. We’d have to kill half the town to do it your way.”
“Once the Elder is released, the town is doomed anyway,” Sanderson said lightly.
“Not if we don’t find the key first,” Charley reminded him, “He will emerge too weak, even after the sacrifice we provided. We need the key, so we can release him on our terms, without interference from the pack. We need to find it, fast.”
“I was sure Sadie gave the key to the Connor girl,” Garrett mused. “That was a mistake. She obviously doesn’t have it, but she and her friends will be looking for it, now. We need to make sure we get to it first.”
“So what else could Sadie have done with it?” Charley asked.
“You’ve known her a good deal longer than I have,” Garrett replied.
Charley thought about it. He remembered Sadie from when he was a boy and she was just Mrs. Epstein, the beautiful older woman who paid him to shovel her walk and do chores so she could focus on traveling to wonderful places and tending to her beautiful garden.
“There’s not a lot of mystery. All she does nowadays is fiddle with her plants,” he said.
“I’ve searched the property thoroughly,” Sanderson replied.
“And traipse around town with that little dog,” Charley added.
“Which you lost,” Sanderson said accusingly.
“I had my hands full,” Charley said, struggling to keep his anger in check. “In case you didn’t notice when you were pulling your vanishing act. Plus, I scanned the mutt when I had it. Nothing.”
“So it’s got to be behind some serious protection if we can find it with divination. Where?” Garrett asked.
“The Connor house is pretty much a black hole. I thought the protections would fail once I had the parents taken care of, but I haven’t been able to get a read from there,” Charley admitted.
“And you’re sure it’s not the warlock?” Garrett asked.
“Yes,” Charley said. “It’s not his specialty. He’s a formidable opponent in battle, but he’s not skilled enough to weave a protective cloak that tight. I saw the wards he put on the doors.”
“It’s too bad your sheriff friend is no longer around,” Garrett frowned. “It sounds like we would have more luck if we sent him to sniff it out.”
The pieces clicked together for Charley.
“The dog,” he said simply.
“You already said you checked the dog.”
“The dog,” Charley breathed. “When it jumped out of the car, it made a beeline right for Ainsley’s front garden. It always pulled in that direction when I walked it past the Connor house.”
“And Sadie would’ve known it would be beyond our power to magically locate it on Ainsley’s property,” Sanderson said, his nostrils flaring.
“I just bought a new, non-magical shovel from the hardware store,” Charley said, a grin spreading across his face.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter 24
The silent car ride to the hospital had been tense enough. But by the time she and Julian were in the hospital’s glass elevator, Grace could feel the electricity between them escalate further.
She tried to distract herself by looking out over the Springton Falls. The oaks that stretched over the water were a brilliant red.
“Grace,” Julian said simply.
She squared her shoulders and gazed out over the woods.
“I know I wasn’t honest with you in the beginning, but if you really think about it, can you blame me?” he asked.
She couldn’t. Not really. She hadn’t been honest with Landon when they were getting to know each other. But she hadn’t felt this way about Landon, she hadn’t felt this trust, this...love. And that made her mad.
“You insinuated yourself into Tarker’s Hollow business. Ainsley and I have let you in on every secret. You know every weakness, every quirk. And all along you’ve been hiding everything from us,” she said, without turning from the window.
“Knowing what I know wouldn’t have helped Ainsley. It would have intimidated her even more, and you know it,” he said quietly. “Now that she is more comfortable with her magic, she’s ready to know more. I care about you Grace, please don’t shut me out.”
“You have no idea what Ainsley can handle. You’ve known her less than two months. And you’ve done a great job showing exactly how you feel about me and the rest of the town,” she said.
He didn’t reply. Grace couldn’t resist sneaking a look at him.
He was running a hand through his golden hair. His blue eyes were tortured.
Her whole body responded in a wave of love.
Hating herself, she was throwing caution to the wind to launch herself into his arms, when the elevator dinged.
They had reached the 10th floor.
Julian gestured for her to exit first.
Grace caught her breath, and walked past him as calmly as she could. Thank goodness for that elevator. She had almost thrown away her self-respect.
She avoided looking at him on their long walk down the hallway to Sadie’s room. The setting of their incredible adventure now seemed like a plain old hospital hallway again.
Owen was there waiting outside Sadie’s door for them.
“Grace, what’s going on? You sounded so excited on the phone!” he looked confused.
Grace figured she probably looked angry rather than excited now. “I need to see Sadie right away!” she said.
“Okay, but there’s been no change in her condition,” Owen said, stepping out of the doorway to let her in.
Grace strode over to Sadie. She took a deep breath and began to unwind the bandage from around Sadie’s head.
Owen was on her in two long strides. “What are you doing?” he asked, grabbing her wrist.
“What the hell are you doing?” Julian echoed.
“
The same thing I did for Javier!” Grace hissed, wrenching her arm away from Owen. “If you are really protecting this patient’s best interests you won’t interfere again!”
“What are you talking about?” Julian asked.
“Who is Javier?” Owen asked. By his tone, Grace could tell he had given up hope of getting an answer.
“Sadie was attacked by the same person,” Grace said. The bandage was nearly off now. She worked delicately around Sadie’s scalp.
“Attacked? I thought she fell down the stairs!” Owen said.
“Long story,” Grace said, concentrating on the bandage.
“So you think there is still a trace of silver in her?” Julian breathed.
“Let’s hope so,” Grace said, as the last strip of cloth peeled off the angry wound. “Otherwise we’re pinning our hopes on the idea that she somehow cut open her beloved dog to hide a key inside it.”
“Wait, what?” Owen asked. “What the hell is going on here?”
Grace waved her hand over the wound. “I feel something,” she said. “Just like with Javier.”
“Look, we’ve done plenty of scans,” Owen said, “The doctors would have noticed something in there that doesn’t belong.”
“It’s not ordinary silver,” Julian said, “And it doesn’t want to be found.”
“I think I can get it,” Grace said, “but it looks like it might have gone to her brain.”
“If it is something in her bloodstream, it won’t be able to cross the blood-brain barrier,” Owen said.
Grace and Julian exchanged a look.
“Unless this is some kind of ‘magical’ silver,” Owen continued playfully.
Grace gave Julian an inquiring look.
“I don’t really know,” Julian shrugged.
“I wasn’t serious,” Owen said.
“I’ll have to risk it,” Grace replied to Julian. “If it’s progressing, then she won’t have a chance if I don’t.”
“Do it,” Julian said.
“DO WHAT?!” Owen cried.
“Look, just try to keep anyone from coming in, okay?” Julian told him.
Grace had already begun to summon the silver. She could feel it now. Sadie’s own energy was calm, but something in her was buzzing and sizzling away.
It fought her hard. She reeled it, dragging and tugging. But it was like a minnow with the strength of a whale.
“What are you doing to her?” Owen asked, with fear in his voice.
Sadie was so still and tiny, it frightened Grace a little too. But she had no strength left to talk. No room for anything in her body or mind besides the pursuit of this small, evil thing.
At last she felt the thing begin to give way. Suddenly Sadie’s body began to jerk and twist.
“Hold her still!” she called, with the last of her breath.
Julian was instantly there, holding Sadie’s shoulders still.
The pulse of Sadie’s heart monitor quickened.
“I’ve almost got it,” Grace huffed.
“You have to stop!” Owen howled, “You’re killing her!”
There was a horrid low tone as the heart monitor flat-lined. Then an alarm went off.
Grace ignored it all. She had it, the awful thing was in her clutches. Everything else was only meant to distract her.
Footsteps approached the door.
“Clauditis,” Julian said, pointing at the door. The knob turned twice but it remained shut.
“Wh--wh--” Owen began.
“HOLD HER STILL!” Grace yelled, and ventured a glance away from Sadie. She locked her best policewoman expression on Owen.
There was pounding on the door.
But Owen joined Julian and Grace over Sadie’s body. He held her hips to the table.
Grace called on a reserve of strength she hadn’t known she had. Sweat dripped from her forehead, her upper lip, and even ran in droplets down her back.
She felt the horrid thing release.
A tiny, silver droplet emerged from the wound on Sadie’s head. It turned to smoke. Before it dissipated, it took the form of a snake and struck at Grace’s face, dissolving before it made contact.
They all started.
Then the door burst open.
“What’s going on in here?” asked a very stern looking nurse.
Owen’s lips moved but no sound came out.
Then Sadie’s eyes flickered open.
“Will someone please stop all that pounding?” Sadie asked politely.
“Go find the doctor, Alberta!” Owen said, finding his voice at last.
Alberta stared for a moment, then turned on her heel and marched away.
Grace hugged Sadie close, “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered in her ear.
“There’s not much time,” Sadie said, pushing her away. “You have to get the key.”
Grace slipped her phone out of her pocket and tapped the contact for Ainsley.
“Just tell me where it is,” she replied.
Chapter 25
The sun dipped behind the college woods as Ainsley left Volker’s house, Camilla Parker Bowles tucked under her arm.
The warmth of the little dog helped to ease some of the stress she’d been building up all day.
The x-rays had come back clean. In a way, Ainsley felt relieved. She hadn’t given much though to how they would get the key out of the dog if they found it. It had been a long shot, anyway.
Hopefully Grace’s hunch was paying off. Ainsley snuggled the dog a little closer thinking about how much she must miss her mistress.
A sharp note of perfume and spice alerted her to Ophelia’s presence just before she appeared from around the corner.
“Ainsley, you have a pet,” Ophelia remarked. “How... quaint.”
“Oh, no,” Ainsley explained. “I’m just watching her for a sick friend. A packmate.”
“Walk with me,” Ophelia said.
“Of course,” Ainsley replied, adjusting her pace to keep up with Ophelia’s long strides.
Just then, the familiar voice of Sting, belting out the chorus of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic exploded out of Ainsley’s phone.
Grace’s ringtone. Shit.
Ophelia raised an eyebrow.
“A friend changed the ringtone as a joke,” Ainsley explained as she tapped the screen to decline the call.
Ophelia eyed the dog, then the phone. “You have...interesting friends.”
“You have no idea,” Ainsley said before she could stop herself.
They walked on in silence for a few minutes toward Ainsley’s house. Overhead, the streetlights turned on, one by one.
“Ainsley, what do you know about your duty?” Ophelia asked unexpectedly.
“To lead and protect my pack,” Ainsley answered immediately.
“That is the duty of an alpha,” Ophelia acknowledged. “But what about the duty of the pack?”
“The pack has a duty?” Ainsley asked. Even as the words left her mouth, she knew what Ophelia must be talking about.
“The location of each wolf pack is no accident, Ainsley,” Ophelia began. “You should have learned this from your parents, but here we are.”
Ainsley felt a pang of regret. Her own stubbornness had cost her her relationship with her parents. And now it was too late. They were gone.
“There are darker things in this life than you know,’ Ophelia continued. “And we wolves are strategically positioned to be the first line of defense between the dark ones and the rest of the world, should it come to that.”
She was talking about the thing under the field house. That’s why the pack had always been in Tarker’s Hollow? Why they couldn’t just relocated to avoid unwanted attention? Was she a glorified, furry prison guard?
“It has been this way for hundreds of years,” Ophelia said. “But lately, we have had cause for concern.”
“Concern?” Ainsley asked.
“Of course,” Ophelia continued. “There are always those who seek to explo
it the dark power to their own ends. And those forces are stirring, as if they are preparing for something.”
Ophelia looked her in the eyes, taking her measure. Ainsley hoped she wasn’t left wanting.
“Most wolves live without the burden of this knowledge. But you are the alpha, Ainsley Connor. You must be prepared, so that your pack, such as it is, can fulfill its duty.”
“Prepared?” Ainsley asked carefully.
“You are a natural wolf, Ainsley, and your lieutenants have trained you well in the mundane skills. You’re mastering your senses and developing your physical strengths. But there is more to being a wolf than heightened senses and quick healing.”
Ainsley paused to take that in. She was semi-awestruck that Ophelia was happy with her hastily learned ‘mundane skills.’ But what else could there be?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Magic,” Ophelia said simply.
“Magic?” Ainsley asked, incredulous.
“More specifically, resistance to magic,” Ophelia told her. “It’s one of the reasons we are so well suited to our role as protector. Wolves and magic don’t mix. Most wolves have some innate resistance to magic, but like your tracking and fighting, it is a skill that can be developed. I can help you.”
They emerged from the woods, and cut across Ainsley’s backyard to the enter on the front porch. Ainsley wanted her superior to see the grandest part of the house first. Old real estate habits died hard.
Ainsley smelled the presence of the two men before they had rounded the corner, and her hackles rose instinctively.
They stepped into the front yard to see Charley Coslaw and Garrett Sanderson standing in the middle of her lawn.
Chapter 26
A low growl built in Ainsley’s throat as she set Camilla Parker Bowles down on the grass. What the hell were these two doing back at her house? And why was Charley carrying a shovel?
Camilla Parker Bowles made a bee-line to the rhododendrons in the flower bed.
Ainsley finally realized what the little dog had been trying to tell her all along.