Cut to the Crone

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I think he respects Aric and doesn’t want to give him a reason to pick a fight. It’s not that he wouldn’t stand up for himself, mind you. It’s just that Gunner doesn’t like to fight when it isn’t necessary.”

  “Most people are like that.”

  “I’m not. I’m always in the mood for a fight. It’s kind of like my cardio.”

  “I’m right there with you. Aric is more like Gunner. They’re both laid back but willing to throw down when necessary.”

  “He’s a good match for you.”

  “And Gunner is for you.” Zoe flicked her eyes back to me. “You’re like me. You have a mouth, and you run headlong into danger without thinking. You’re strong and brave. I’m not just saying that to boost my own ego. I’m trying to give you a bit of advice so you can avoid some of the pitfalls Aric and I fell into.” Zoe looked at me intensely. “He’s always going to choose you. You can see it when he looks at you. He’s completely gone, and it’s not one of those things that will burn bright and then disappear. He’s the loyal type, and he’ll be with you to the end if you let him.”

  My cheeks burned under her somber scrutiny. “We haven’t been dating all that long.”

  “So? When you know, you know.”

  “When did you know?”

  “I knew when we broke up. At the time, I couldn’t see beyond what I thought he’d done. I was a child then. I didn’t realize what was happening. I thought he’d betrayed me, and in some ways he had, but he also put everything on the line for me.”

  “You stayed broken up, though.”

  “For almost a year.” Her eyes shifted to her husband, who had his chest puffed out as he gestured at something on the ground. Gunner matched him stride for stride, the alpha wolves at play. “I’m a firm believer that things happen when they’re meant to happen. I went to college thinking I was a normal girl. I expected parties and fun. I got a whole lot more. I met people who changed my life, including Aric. The thing is, I’m not sure if our relationship would be as strong today as it is if we hadn’t gone through a little hardship.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “You’re different, Scout. You don’t have immaturity weighing you down. At least not the type associated with entitled youth. Your bond is strong already and will continue to grow.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so, and I’m telling you this for a reason.” She turned unnaturally somber. “While I don’t know what this Children of the Stars thing is, it feels big. How big, I have no idea. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. That I’m certain of.”

  I didn’t know what to say.

  “My advice to you is to lean into it,” she continued. “Let him be there for you. He wants that more than anything and you need it. You’re strong and capable, but even those who stand between death and others need someone to lean on. He’s your someone.”

  “I have no intention of breaking up with him. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “I know you aren’t going to break up with him. Don’t push him away either. Build a partnership. You don’t always have to be the strongest one in the room.”

  That’s when things clicked into place. “Are you always the strongest one in the room?”

  “Only in a magical fight. Aric is the strong one when it comes to our emotional wellbeing. Let Gunner do the same for you.”

  I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  “I’m sure you will. I—” She broke off when a screech coming from Sami startled her.

  “It’s a skunk!” Sami raced away from Rafael, who was bent over at the waist laughing. “He had me tracking a skunk!”

  Zoe heaved out a sigh. “Sometimes, no matter how absurd, just go with it. Neither children, vampires, nor husbands can be controlled.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Acceptance is better than battle in some instances.”

  “Good to know.”

  GRAHAM PLACED A CRYPTIC CALL TO GUNNER and asked us to meet him at my cabin. I was suspicious but we picked up a bucket of chicken and potato salad for lunch and set up a picnic on the front lawn.

  Sami was no longer talking to anyone because she claimed laughing at her was the same as stabbing her in the heart, so she’d carried her plate about twenty feet away and was seething in a cloud of gloom when Graham pulled up in front of the cabin.

  “That smells good,” he announced, dropping a heavy folder on the blanket and reaching for a piece of chicken without being invited. “I’m starving.” He plopped down in what was supposed to be Sami’s spot and glanced around expectantly. “What happened to the other guy?”

  Since Rafael was the only one missing, it was obvious who he was referring to.

  “He’s got sources in the area,” Zoe replied sourly. “He’s checking in with them.”

  “Sources?” Graham didn’t look impressed. “I don’t suppose you know who those sources are, do you?”

  “No. He refuses to squeal. I’m thinking of torturing him to get the information.”

  Graham’s eyebrows rose. “Like ... with knives?”

  Zoe wrinkled her nose. “No. I’m going to make him watch the Kardashians on a twenty-four-hour loop. He’ll be ready to crack within two hours.”

  Gunner almost choked on his chicken but remained silent. Graham, on the other hand, shifted his gaze to me.

  “That’s what you did to the minion, right?” Graham asked. “You made him watch that show until he was begging to give you answers.”

  “Dawson’s Creek,” I acknowledged. “He had it coming.”

  “Great minds think alike,” Aric teased, poking his wife’s side. “As for Rafael, give him a break. He’s trying to keep us safe without burning his contacts. We’re hardly the only people in his universe.”

  “Oh, you’re standing up for him,” said Zoe, “even though you’re not best friends, right?”

  He scowled. “Stop spreading that rumor. You’re my best friend.”

  “Uh-huh.” Zoe turned her attention to Graham. “What’s in the big, scary file?”

  His mouth full of chicken, Graham held up a finger until he swallowed. “It’s info on the missing girls. I made a copy of our files. I’m having zero luck. I figure our new secret weapon might have a better shot at uncovering something.”

  I frowned. “Who told you Zoe was a secret weapon? Has someone in our group been talking? I bet it was Marissa. I’m going to drown her in that creek myself if she’s not careful.”

  Graham’s eyes lit with amusement. “Actually, I wasn’t referring to your friend Zoe, although I’m sure she’s fantastic.”

  I was confused. “Then what secret weapon were you referring to?”

  “You, dummy.” Gunner flicked my elbow and grinned. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve managed to uncover a whole pile of secrets since you landed in town. He wants you to go through the files and see if you can come up with something.”

  “Oh.” My cheeks burned. “I ... um ...”

  “She says ‘thank you for noticing,’” Zoe teased, grabbing the file on top of the stack and opening it. “What can you tell us?”

  Amusement wafted over Graham’s features. “I didn’t realize you’d joined the team full time.”

  “It’s more of a temporary placement.” Zoe glanced at her pouting daughter. “That one won’t last much longer without her dog. She’s already melting down under the pressure.”

  “I heard that,” Sami snapped.

  “That’s good,” Zoe shot back. “I wasn’t whispering. I’m glad you heard it.”

  “Whatever.” Sami shoveled a heaping forkful of potato salad into her mouth and chewed with methodical exaggeration.

  “She gets that from you,” Aric complained as he stared at the image of a sunny blonde over his wife’s shoulder. “Are all the missing still shifters?”

  Graham nodded. “At least that we know of. It’s possible others have gone missing and we haven’t heard yet, but that doesn’t seem likel
y.”

  “No,” Aric agreed. “Whenever a young woman goes missing, people tend to report it.”

  Graham was all smiles as Sami stomped in our direction, her lower lip jutted out. He seemed amused by the girl’s antics and didn’t look away as she tossed her paper plate into the trash. “What’s your problem, little spitfire?”

  Sami rolled her eyes until they landed on him. “Parents are stupid.”

  “Of course they are. That’s a rite of passage. What did your parents do to you?”

  “They laughed when a skunk threatened to kill me.”

  Graham’s lips quirked. “A skunk threatened to kill you?”

  Sami nodded, solemn. “It’s the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Oh, please.” Zoe was having none of it. “You were chased in the woods by a pack of ravenous vampires, separated from Rafael at a time when you didn’t know if we were still alive, and had to live under a dome by yourself for a night. Us laughing at the skunk is hardly the worst thing to happen to you this week, let alone ever.”

  “I also had to watch you and Dad kiss in front of my teacher when you dropped me off at summer camp the other day,” Sami added darkly, her gaze drifting to me, as if looking for sympathy. “There was tongue.”

  It took everything I had not to laugh. “That must have been traumatizing.”

  “It was.” Sami glared at her mother. “Everyone at school thinks my parents are sex maniacs.”

  “That’s only because your friends come from frigid families,” Zoe said. “That one friend of yours — Butterscotch or Peppermint, whatever her name is — is lucky her mother managed to unclench the one time her parents had sex.”

  “Gross.” Sami shook her head. “For the record, her name is Hershey.”

  “I fail to see how that’s different from what I said.”

  Sami ignored her. “Also, you guys were seen ... doing stuff ... outside camp two years ago. People still bring it up.”

  “Hey, if we hadn’t shown up that day, you would’ve been killed by your little zombie friends,” Aric argued.

  “You didn’t have to get dirty in the truck while you were watching!” Sami was shrill enough that Graham started chuckling.

  “She’s at the funniest age ever,” Graham cracked. “I love it.”

  “Yes, it’s like living in an episode of Roseanne on a daily basis. The original, not that abomination of a reboot,” Zoe said. “Let’s focus on real issues now. What’s up with the missing girls? How many are we talking about?”

  “We’re up to eight,” Graham replied. “All the information is in the file. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone where you got that from. It might cause some blowback.”

  “No problem. I like lying to people.” Zoe’s forehead furrowed. “What about the people in the wrecked vehicle?”

  “We’re nowhere on that right now. We’re still trying to track down information. The vehicle was a rental and only one person, a man, signed the rental agreement. We have no idea if anybody was with him at the time of the crash.”

  “There were wolves and vampires at that scene,” Gunner said. “We’re heading out into the woods after dark to see if we can track the prints. It’s the night before a full moon tonight, so we can use that as cover for why we’re running.”

  Graham nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  Sami perked up. “I forgot it was almost the full moon.”

  Aric immediately started shaking his head. “You can’t come with us.”

  Sami’s pout returned with a vengeance. “Why not?”

  “You know why.” Aric stared at her pointedly. “If we run into trouble, we might not be able to protect you. It’s better if you stay with your mother.”

  “But ... I want to shift, too. It’s important to me because I’m a wolf and stuff.”

  Zoe snickered. “That was almost convincing, Sami, but you’re staying with me. If you want to shift, you can do it while I’m watching and stick to Scout’s yard. Your father and Gunner are going to handle the search tonight.”

  “That’s not fair.” Sami folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t get to do anything.”

  “Two nights ago, you were completely on your own and managed to survive. I think that’s more than enough independence for one trip.”

  “Whatever.” Sami’s eyes were glittery slits of hate. “I hope you know that I’m going to write a book about you guys one day and the whole world is going to know how horrible you are.”

  “We’re crushed,” Aric said. “You’re still not going. This is something Gunner and I have to do ourselves.”

  “Besides,” Gunner offered helpfully, “you don’t want to become one of the missing girls, do you?”

  “Good grief!” Sami shrieked. “I’m not like those other girls. I can take care of myself. I’m strong.” She mimed flexing for good measure. “I think you should take me with you.”

  “No.” Aric was adamant. “You’re staying with your mother, and that’s all there is to it.”

  Sami’s face was so red I expected her to turn into a cartoon character and emit steam from her ears. “I’m going to include every instance of child abuse for my entire fourteen years when I write my book. You’re going to be really sorry when Oprah interviews me.”

  Aric glared at his wife. “She definitely gets that from you.”

  Zoe merely shrugged. “She’s aiming to model her life after the best. What can I say?”

  All I knew was that it was going to be a really long night.

  Sixteen

  Watching Sami Winters pout, harrumph, and let loose ridiculous sighs that would only be appropriate in an after-school special made me wonder about parenthood.

  “We won’t let our kids act like that,” Gunner announced hours later, moving behind me. His shirt was off and he was getting prepared to shift.

  I cast him a sidelong look over my shoulder and snickered. “Isn’t that the thing all parents tell themselves before they have kids?”

  “Probably. It’s true, though. We’ll be tougher.”

  The fact that he could say that with a straight face dumbfounded me. “I think it’s a little soon to be talking about kids,” I teased.

  “I don’t want them anytime soon.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my temple. “That’s not to say I wouldn’t mind practicing for the big day. I’m just saying, she’s a lot of work.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “She’s at the worst possible age. Those years between twelve and sixteen are hell.”

  “Sometimes I think her parents coddle her. Other times I think they’re strict with her. It’s weird.”

  “They’ve struck a balance. They pick and choose their battles. They’re smart.”

  “I guess.” He sighed and then tugged on my shirt to turn me. “Are you okay with this?”

  “You being shirtless?” Automatically, my hand went to his chest. “I’m fine with it.”

  He smirked. “I meant me running off with Aric.” He hesitated and then barreled forward. “It’s usually you and me. We’re the dream team. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t leery about being separated from you.”

  It was a sweet sentiment, and completely unnecessary. “I’ll be fine. Emma isn’t going to attack with Zoe present. She’s afraid of her.”

  Gunner’s expression went dark. “I hadn’t even considered that. I was more concerned with hurt feelings about being left behind.”

  I knew exactly what he was thinking. “You’re going. If there are shifters out there, you and Aric have a better chance of figuring out what they’re up to. We’ll slow you down.”

  He brushed his fingers against my cheek. “Just be careful. I know Zoe is supposed to be the baddest badass who ever badassed, but this feels big.”

  I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I cocked an eyebrow. “As opposed to what? As far as I can tell, our lives have been big since we met.”

  “Yes. It’s fun, huh?” He grinned and leaned i
n to give me a kiss.

  On instinct, I wrapped myself around his strong body and hugged him hard. “Be careful.”

  He held tight, burying his face in my hair. “You, too.” He was quiet and then added, “Don’t take any unnecessary risks. I won’t bother to ask you not to take the necessary ones.”

  “That’s probably good.” I rested my cheek against his chest and leaned, the romance of the moment only dissipating when Sami decided to lodge a formal complaint.

  “This is crap!” She let loose a barrage of magic aimed at a nearby group of trees, blowing the branches off one as a dead limb on another burst into flames.

  Zoe, who had been murmuring softly with Aric, was furious. She stomped toward her offspring. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s crap,” Sami insisted, although she suddenly looked fearful as she stared at the tree. “I ...”

  Zoe shook her head and raised her own hands, briefly shutting her eyes as a cooling dose of blue magic shot out. Within an instant, the fire had been extinguished, although the other damage remained.

  “You can’t do that, Sami.” Aric was grave as he regarded his only child. “You know better than venting that way.”

  Sami had the grace to be abashed. “I didn’t mean—”

  “You never mean it.” Aric’s broad shoulders were squared. “You can’t do things like that. You have to be responsible.”

  Sami made a protesting sound. “Mom vents all the time. You don’t give her grief.”

  “Your mother vents on magazines in our home. That’s different. This isn’t our property. Now we have to pay for the tree.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him that wouldn’t be necessary, but he shot me a quelling look. “You have to learn control, Sami.”

  Sami’s eyes flooded with tears and my heart lurched when I realized she was going to start crying. “You’re only taking Mom’s side because she makes the magazines fly around your head and form hearts when she does it. You think everything she does is cute.”

  “Not everything,” Aric countered. “Your mother is an adult, though. She’s had to learn control, too. You didn’t see that because it was before we had you. I’m not saying this to be mean.”