Real Love

by Sophie Martin

  Jack’s phone rang and he grinned, seeing Lucas’s number.

  “Hi, what’s up?” he asked after answering. His heart skipped a beat at Luc’s formal tone.

  “Mr Robinson, I wanted to inform you that Brian won’t be in school today.” Jack’s insides turned cold. Luc knew Brian didn’t have history today. What was going on?

  “Oh?” he answered in the most formal tone he could muster. “Can I know a reason for that? You know it’s not good for him to skip these lessons, Mr Cartwright.”

  “Yes, I’m aware. However, we have some extraordinary circumstances. My late wife’s sister paid us an unexpected visit and, I’m sure you understand, I want the children to spend time with her. They still miss their mother very much, and it will be good for them to spend time with Linda.” Jack’s throat dried out at the news. He didn’t know what was going on, but he had his suspicions. If Ariana had been a witch, then it was almost certain that Linda was one as well. This was bad. What were the odds that this sister was a decent, law-abiding, and ethical witch? Not good, Jack reckoned.

  “I see,” he said calmly. “Thank you for letting me know. I will inform the headmistress.”

  “Good, thank you.” Lucas sounded cool as a cucumber, and Jack had to wonder whether he was under Linda’s spell or if it was a ruse to notify the pack. He hoped it was the latter, but he couldn’t be certain. Some humans had natural resistance to witch’s magic, and then there were some exceptions, like being truly in love counteracting effects of a love spell. It was obvious that Lucas wasn’t one of the lucky, immune humans. He’d been under his late wife’s spell for more than a decade. Jack’s hands started to shake imperceptibly as he dialled Toby’s number. He wasn’t sure why, but in a distress and when needing help, it wasn’t Jason or any other of the powerful pack member that he instinctively wanted to have with him, but Toby. A thought flashed through his head, Was Toby naturally stepping into the role of a pack omega? It was a long defunct role, one that had once held a lot of prestige and was often held by the alpha’s mate. Jack shook off the musings as he heard the dial tone. This wasn’t the time to wonder about their pack’s dynamics. Toby picked up quickly and Jack heard some noises in the background. It reminded him that Toby was at school this afternoon, and Jack wanted to slap himself for forgetting it and disturbing the young man.

  “Hey, Jack, what’s up, do you need help?” Toby sounded genuinely concerned, and Jack felt doubly bad for worrying him. All his housemates were happy with the progress he’d made in therapy but also worried for him, as he had had a few very emotional and even panicky moments after the first few sessions. No wonder Toby would assume the same thing happened now.

  “Hi, Toby, no, sorry, it’s not me. I mean, I’m fine, better than, actually. I’ve finished my therapy and I’m very happy with the results. But there is an emergency and you were the first one I thought to call, and I forgot you were in class, I’m sorry.” He said it all in nearly one breath.

  “Hey, hey, it’s all right, Jack, it’s all fine. Why don’t you try to calm down and tell me what’s got you so stressed? Is there any way I can help?” Toby’s voice was calm, and reassuring, and Jack found himself calming infinitesimally.

  He took a deep breath and used one of those exercises he’d learned at therapy to calm panic and slow his racing heart. “It’s Lucas,” he said when he felt his heart wasn’t trying to escape from his chest anymore. “He called me to say Brian wasn’t coming to school today. Apparently, his late wife’s sister came to visit, and he wants the children to spend some time with her. I think he was trying to let us know that he needs help.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, half of what he said meant no sense or was an obvious lie. I think he was trying not to alert the woman to what he was actually doing.”

  “I see. Okay, I just texted Morton and he’ll be there as soon as he can, but he’s out of town and it’ll take him at least an hour to get back and meet us there. In the meantime, I’m getting Tim to come as a backup. Meet me back at the house and we’ll go over the plan. Thankfully, Jay-Jay was only working half a day today. He’ll be waiting for us at home,” Toby said matter-of-factly.

  “Oh, god, thank you, Toby. You’ve got such cool head. I don’t know what we would have done without you. You know,” he felt the need to add, “it could be nothing. I could be totally misreading the situation and the woman just honestly came to visit her niece and nephew.”

  “But you don’t think so,” Toby stated instead of asking.

  “No,” Jack sighed, “I don’t think so.”

  “Yeah, me neither. It’s all just a tad too convenient, don’t you think? We know your old alpha has a witch working with him, and now this woman, who for all intents and purposes had been estranged from her sister’s family, just randomly pops out of the blue. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.” Jack gasped audibly at Toby’s words.

  “Shit, I haven’t even thought about it!” Jack said guiltily.

  “Of course not, you were too worried about your boyfriend and his kids.” Toby dismissed Jack’s guilt. “Well, let’s meet at the house and discuss the whole thing,” he repeated. “And be safe, don’t be tempted to drive like a bat out of hell. We need you in one piece.” Jack winced at how well Toby knew him. He had indeed been planning to break a few speed limits. Thank heavens for Toby’s voice of reason. Getting in an accident or being stopped by police wouldn’t help anyone.

  “I will. See you there,” he said.

  “See ya,” Toby answered before disconnecting. Jack took a few extra minutes after getting into his car to practice those calming techniques. If ever there was time to keep a cool head, this was it. With one last deep breath Jack pulled out of his parking spot. His focus was firmly on the witch and saving Lucas. He was not going to allow any doubts or distractions to enter his mind.

  Chapter Nine

  The short time it took the pack members to gather and drive to the Cartwrights’ house nearly drove Jack crazy with worry. The witch could be doing anything to Lucas and the kids, and they weren’t there to protect them. Jack’s animal instincts were screaming at him to go to Luc and protect him. To protect Jack’s mate, his family. Jack pushed those thought aside. It wasn’t time for this kind of revelation. His cuberow claiming Lucas and kids as family was something to be considered later, much later. For now, they needed to get to the house and make sure that they were all fine.

  They parked a few streets away and exited their cars. Toby was there as was Jason and the pixie twins. Morton was still on his way.

  “Okay, guys. Everybody knows what we’re doing?” Toby asked, meeting everyone’s eyes. When they nodded, he added grimly, “Good, so just like we agreed, we go in there all nice and polite, but if the witch tries anything funny, we blast her with all we’ve got.”

  “Yes, sir!” Jimmy saluted sharply with a huge grin. The little pixie nearly vibrated with excitement. Jack shook his head. Jimmy was the sweetest, kindest person Jack had ever met, but he sure could be a bloodthirsty little thing when the situation called for it. His brother was much more level-headed.

  As if reading his thoughts Tim gave them all a sarcastic smirk and said, his hands lingering near the daggers hidden around his hips, “Yeah, let’s go and get it done with. Joel and I have a date planned for this evening. I don’t want to be late.” Jack knew Tim’s show of confidence wasn’t totally misplaced. They had dealt with much more overwhelming odds where confrontation with the enemy was concerned, and they won. There was no reason to think that this time would be any different. But knowing all that in his head didn’t help the squirming ball of worms in Jack’s stomach. As he discovered, worrying about somebody else was a completely different thing to worrying about your own safety.

  “Let’s go then, guys.” Toby ordered and they followed his lead. They all moved at once, working like a cohesive unit.

  Unfortunately, they didn’t get far. Just as they went to round the corner onto Stephen’s Street
where the Cartwright’s house was located, they encountered an invisible barrier. There was nothing but air in front of them, and yet they couldn’t take another step forward. Jack tried pushing with his hands, kicking, and even trying to use one shoulder, but the barrier held, completely unperturbed by his attempts. Jack let out an irritated growl, his animal side closer to surface than ever. Toby’s hand on his shoulder calmed him marginally and helped him focus. He looked to his alpha’s young mate who was watching Tim. Tim, in turn, was examining the air and ground in front of them, squinting slightly.

  “She’s left a barrier spell in place, something to stop any paranormal from entering.” Tim shot them a quick look over his shoulder as he explained further. “It’s like the spell Morton cast when we had that first battle, you know? Just that his was more complex as it was designed to discourage any humans from coming close to the danger zone. His was more subtle and sophisticated, but then, this one doesn’t need to be. It’s only aimed at paranormals, and since they know about magic the spell can be as blunt as ever.

  “Can you lift it?” Toby asked. looking thoughtful. One of his hands rested in Jason’s who stood behind his mate, eerily still and looking more like a menacing pillar than a living being. Toby seemed unperturbed by his mate’s statue impersonation. Jack was more and more realising that whatever enemies the pack made, they shouldn’t be worried about Jason’s godly abilities or Tyler’s vicious fangs and claws. It was Toby’s calm ruthlessness that should strike fear in their hearts. There was more to the young not-quite-human than met the eye.

  “I can certainly try,” answered Tim, breaking into Jack’s musings. “But I would have to find the exact spot where she anchored the spell. For that I would need to follow the barrier’s circumference exactly, and I’m sure it will cut through people’s garden’s and homes. It will be much easier to wait for Morton. He should be here any minute now, and he can attack the spell directly without searching for the anchor to destroy.”

  “Speaking of the devil…” Toby grinned at the young man hurrying towards them. Morton pushed up his glasses as he power-walked to join them.

  “What did I miss?” Morton asked, out of breath.

  “The witch has erected a barrier spell which won’t let us get close to the house.” Jack’s voice was laced with the growl of his animal part. The young witch’s eyes widened at Jack’s unusual display of aggression, but he only nodded his acknowledgement.

  “Right then. Let me have a look,” he said matter-of-factly. They parted, letting him pass. Immediately Morton let his hands feel up and down the invisible barrier. He followed threads visible only to him, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Hmm,” he said quietly, seeming to speak mostly to himself, “it’s a solid spell. A tad uninspired maybe and lacking any finesse, but sound enough for its purpose. The threads are quite loose. It wasn’t meant to be long-lasting. It’ll be easy enough for me to unravel.” Having said that, he plucked at something roughly at his eye level and pulled. His face was scrunched in concentration as he plucked and pulled a few more times. “Done,” he said after a few minutes.

  As one they strode forward rounding the corner. As they did, Lucas’s house came into view. Jack quickened his step and so did the others. There were maybe three hundred meters between them and the house when the door opened, and a female figure emerged from it. She descended the steps at a measured pace and left through the low iron gate separating the small front garden from the sidewalk. She shot them a quick look before going to a car parked a couple spaces from the house.

  Jack growled. This was the woman who was the danger to his family. Jack’s animal side wanted to hunt her down. He probably would have run after her if another invisible barrier did not pop up to stop him. Jack was furious and he knew his eyes must have turned to the animal-like golden colour as his vision changed. He pounded his fist on the impenetrable air as the car started and then swiftly drove away as if the witch had no worry in the world. Morton worked as quickly as possible on the second barrier, but by the time he managed to unravel it, the car had disappeared behind the corner.

  Jack became aware of the low growl he was still emitting when Toby’s hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

  “Go, check on Lucas and the kids. We’ll make sure that the witch actually left and that she did not leave us any surprises,” Toby said, his eyes full of worry. Jack nodded, unable to speak, then rushed to the Cartwrights’ door. There were no more obstacles in his path as he flung the door open and run inside. He saw them straight away and hastened forward to hug them.

  “Luc! Are you all right? What happened? Did she do anything to you? We got here as soon as we could.” The questions left him in a rush of words barely understandable even to himself. Lucas’s answer couldn’t have shocked him more if he tried.

  “God, I love you, Jack. I love you so much,” the man said, hiding his face in Jack’s shoulder. Jack froze, sure he must have misunderstood. Before they could discuss it though, the rest of the gang came barrelling in.

  “What happened? Are you all okay? The witch is gone, we made sure of that.” Jimmy was the one to speak first.

  “We’re fine.” Surprisingly, it was Brian who answered. Jack could tell Lucas was still too shaken to talk as he kept his face hidden in Jack’s shoulder. “Aunt Linda didn’t hurt us.” The boy straightened and gave them all a strained smile. “Would you like some tea or coffee?” he offered.

  “Tea would be great, thanks.” Toby smiled back in an obvious attempt to put the kid at ease.

  “I’ll have coffee if you don’t mind, Brian.” Morton spoke in his typical formal tone. The others gave their requests, and Brian directed them all to the living room while he busied himself preparing beverages. Even after they all left Lucas still clung to Jack for a bit longer. Jack held him, feeling his animal side relax incrementally with his mate safe in his arms.

  “Come on, Luc,” he said once the man withdrew from his arms. “Let’s get some tea in you and try to sort this whole thing out.” Lucas gave him a searching look and a wavering smile.

  “Yeah, tea makes everything better, doesn’t it?” he joked in a vain attempt at normalcy. Jack returned the smile with what he thought was equally useless false cheer. His animal instincts were still at high alert, and he simply couldn’t fully relax after the scare he had.

  They joined the group in the kitchen, Lucas still looking slightly dazed. Sitting next to each other, Jack kept Luc’s hand in his, with the other man squeezing it in thanks.

  “Okay, why don’t you tell us exactly what happened?” Toby asked with a gentle smile. With a nod, Lucas started to relate the events.

  * * * *

  The time seemed to move excruciatingly slow as Lucas struggled to entertain his sister-in-law. Linda was awfully interested in their lives since the move. Did they settle in okay? Did they experience any issues? Did they meet any new people? What were they like? Through serving another cup of coffee and some biscuits, Lucas and the children by some unspoken agreement tried to give as mundane answers to her questions as possible. The kids told her stories from school, about kids they met, friends they made. Luc told her about the job and new neighbours. They didn’t mention anything relating to the pack. Lucas was cautiously optimistic that they managed to hide the truth of their involvement with the paranormal. Linda seemed frustrated, as if she weren’t getting the answers she was searching for, but not willing to push. And then, suddenly, her entire demeanour changed. She sat up, head turning towards the kitchen window as if she were trying to see something in the distance. Then with a grimace of what seemed like a cross between annoyance and triumph, she turned her sharp gaze back at Luc. Suddenly she looked exactly like the feared businesswoman she always claimed to be. With her closely shorn dyed blond hair, prominent cheekbones, and immaculately applied makeup, the coldness of her eyes was more pronounced.

  “It figures,” she said quietly, before putting her cup aside and focusing fully on Luc. “Tell me,
brother-in-law, when did you learn about the paranormal world and joined the pack?”

  Lucas spluttered. “What are you talking about? What paranormal… Are you crazy?”

  Linda gave him a tight smile. “You can stop pretending, Luc. I’m not a novice like my sister. I left wards in two rings outside. Half of the pack is currently hammering on them and I see they brought out the big guns. A pack doesn’t do that for any random stranger.”

  Luc was frozen to his spot, his eyes darting around in fear. He didn’t know what to do. Linda got up and straightened her skirt and jacket. Lucas jumped to his feet, pulling Ruby Rose behind him, and trying to herd Brian there as well with little luck.

  “What are you going to do? What do you want?” he asked.

  Linda sighed. “Calm down, I’m not gonna do anything. I was sent here to gather information about the pack. I told the alpha that it was pointless. You either weren’t a part of a pack and hence didn’t know anything, or you were and you’re too loyal to betray them, but he sent me anyway. He thought I could put a love spell on you and get you to tell me all you knew. Since it didn’t work, I’m assuming you fell in love with someone already. Congratulations, by the way. You deserve it after dealing with my tool of a sister all these years. Anyway, I can feel your pet little demon sacrifice getting closer, and he’ll be able to undo my wards. I’m not keen on getting into an altercation with your nuclear bomb of a pack, so I’ll be going.” She picked up her purse and gave the kids a surprisingly genuine smile. “Brian, Ruby, it was pleasure to see you. You’re both quite powerful in your own rights, and I’m hoping you’ll get proper magical training. I swear my dumbass of a sister didn’t know her head from her ass when it comes to magic, so she wouldn’t have been able to teach you much. You’re much better off with this Foster kid as your mentor. Anyway, it’s a shame we’re on opposite ends of this conflict. I can see my parents and I made a mistake by not keeping in touch with you all. While I do not approve of my sister shacking up with a human, I can see she chose the rare good one of the bunch.” Linda nodded at Lucas in acknowledgement. She strode to the door, her moves confident and purposeful. Lucas could understand why Ariana had always been so envious of her more successful sister.