by Celeste Raye
“It wasn’t worth it, Dahlia. That’s all. None of this is worth it except saving those kids. After that, I don’t know if I want to be in this world. It’s too complicated for me. I like a simpler life.”
Dahlia smiled a little wistfully and agreed. “We shut down this orphanage, and we’re going to have to go hide in the woods somewhere up in the mountains. We will have all we can handle with the simple life soon enough.”
Justin liked her answer and the fact that she saw the two of them together in the future. He was sure as hell thinking about her in that way as well.
“That really doesn’t sound all that bad to me, Dahlia. As long as we’re together.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dahlia thought that Justin was just the sweetest man, but he didn’t seem to really understand the danger that he was in, that they both were in. After seeing Davey though, now Dahlia was starting to think that maybe he was in too deep. He was having second thoughts, and maybe she was supposed to push it.
“I think that we should consider just walking away, Justin. Now you have seen why I am so worried about you. I know that it isn’t what you want to hear, I know you want to save those kids, but it doesn’t seem like something that is going to happen. What if we both end up like Davey?”
“I won’t let that happen. With the information I got from Davey, I think I might be able to find some of my other family, or at least go to where my parents are from. I might find more like me. They would help. I have never met them, but I am convinced that they would help us.”
“That’s a whole lot of ifs, Justin. What if they don’t?”
“We got some witches on board. Now I think we should try to get some of my kind involved. It would be good to have more than just a few people against these witches, right? They are strong and all of that, so I think that we should make sure that we have as many on our side as possible. Who wouldn’t want to save the children?”
Dahlia smiled and agreed as much as she could without going too overboard. He was trying to help humans because he thought of himself as one for all of his life, save for a few days. It was going to take time for him to really understand the separation that existed. He was going to quickly see that not everyone cared about the humans, any humans, like he did.
“I hope you’re right, Justin. I really do. But why don’t we get some sleep, okay?”
Justin agreed, but there was something else that he wanted to talk about. She fell for it, thinking that he wanted to talk, but finding out quickly that he wanted to distract them both, and Dahlia was more than willing to be a participant. It was time for them to both come to terms with what was going on between them.
Dahlia listened to Justin sleep and went to her single bag that she had managed to take with her. She was hoping that she would be able to do a conjuring spell, but she was exhausted. Instead, she just grabbed some protection crystals and said a little spell to keep them cloaked and safe. Dahlia had a feeling that the next day was going to be a long one, so she was convinced that she was going to have to use all the protection they could get.
She woke up to Justin watching her sleep, and she sat up, feeling a little strange to have all the attention on her. She touched her hair and could feel it all over the place.
“I must look a mess.”
“You’re beautiful, Dahlia. I like you this way.”
She smiled at his compliment and accepted the kiss that he pressed against her lips. He always knew just what she wanted and needed, and that was exactly what she had on her agenda at the moment. Dahlia almost pulled him down, back into the bed, before he pulled away.
“So, what is up with those crystals on the end of the bed? I don’t remember them being there last night.”
“It’s just a protection spell, Justin. So that we could sleep and not worry about them finding us. It’s cloaked us to magic. I am sure that is how they are finding us wherever we go. We’ve been careful, so it has to be the bond you have with them. I want to talk about that dream and anymore that you’ve had.”
He looked uncomfortable, and she tried to lighten the blow. “I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to have them, but they really can be of some use to us. I wouldn’t mention it if I didn’t think that it could be something that worked on our side.”
“Right from the start, huh? Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped kissing you.”
“I’m more than willing to give you another chance to change your mind. The crystals will keep us safe, and we can go wherever we want to go.”
He shook his head. “As tempting as it is to get back in this bed with you, I promise you that I will never be able to enjoy you fully until we take care of the kids at the orphanage. Then we can ride off into the sunset.”
She blew out a breath and sighed. “Well, then let’s get up and do what we can do.”
It wasn’t as hard as Dahlia had thought to find his family. Davey had given them a lot to start with, and Dahlia made a few calls to get the rest of it. They were pulling into the driveway of an uncle that Justin had never met before and Dahlia was hopeful that everything was going to go well. Justin was nervous, which was understandable.
“Are you ready for this?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to expect. I feel like I am going to be a disappointment. There is so much that I don’t know.”
“It’s going to be fine. I have a good feeling about this. All we have to do is show him who you really are, and he will see that you are a great addition.”
“I wish everyone thought about me like you do. You see me as a man that can do no wrong.”
“I certainly wouldn’t go that far, but I do know that I am proud to know you and even though we are facing unspeakable danger, it’s like you’re unflappable.”
“I’m not, but having you next to me certainly helps. You make me feel invincible.”
Dahlia wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She didn’t want him to think that and then get hurt. She had never worried so much about someone in all of her life. It was hard to reconcile it in her mind.
They walked up to the house hand-in-hand, and Dahlia squeezed his reassuringly. It was a big step for Justin, and even though it was a horrible time, it reminded her that life had good in all of the bad. If this wouldn’t have happened, they wouldn’t have met; he would never know that he had an uncle that wasn’t too far away.
She asked him again if he was ready, and instead of answering, Justin knocked loudly on the door. It vibrated through the house, and her apprehension went up. The man must be coming to the door because she could pick up his scent all of a sudden.
He was tall, almost as tall as Justin, and that was not where the resemblance stopped. The two men had the same square jaw, frown lines at the forehead, as well as the darkest emerald eyes. She had noticed Justin’s getting darker before he changed, and she wondered if the other men did as well. Conan stopped.
“Do I know you?”
Justin was speechless, so she started for him.
“We are sorry to bother you, sir, but we have a lot to talk to you about. This here is your nephew, Justin Lexington, and we were told that we could find you here. You are Conan, right?”
Conan took a step back like someone had hit him, and Dahlia wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She wanted to believe that she knew what was going on, but in reality, she had no idea. Did he not believe them? Was he upset?
“You’re my nephew? Whose kid? There were nine of us, so you’re going to have to be more specific. I don’t remember a Justin.”
Justin was looking like he didn’t want to be there, but Dahlia knew that she had to push on.
“Your sister, Anna?”
“Anna, she’s been gone for almost twenty years now. We were told that her son was killed in the fire.”
Dahlia smiled. “No, I have good news. He is right here, and we have a lot to talk to you about.”
Conan looked stunned and finally moved to let them in. To Dahlia, it was
the first bit of good news that she’d had all day. Justin was really worked up about everything, and she was hopeful that his instinct was right. They were going to need more help against the Stein witches, and a big family of eight or nine could be very valuable, considering they could all have children of their own. It could be like their own little army.
“Thank you, Conan. You can’t know how happy we are that you’re willing to chat with us.”
“I have to know why my nephew is traveling with a witch. I bet this will be a good one.”
Dahlia smiled, but it was forced. She didn’t want to start off on that foot. She had forgotten for a time how strange it was for the two of them to be together. Conan reminded her of that.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The meeting was intense at some points, but they all came to an understanding and Justin had been right. He’d known that his family would help. He didn’t even know he had a family, but by the end of the day, the Lexingtons had an impromptu family reunion, all to welcome in the new man that had been taken from them while he was young. For that reason alone, they were willing to help them shut down the orphanage and, hopefully, the Stein witches.
It was better than he could have imagined, but once the night was upon them and they asked him to stay, Justin didn’t know what to do. His family was not too happy that he had a witch by his side, but Justin couldn’t walk away from Dahlia. She meant too much to him.
“I am sorry, Uncle Conan, but I can’t let her go. I love her, and I know that there are rules against it, but I don’t care. She is mine, and she stays by my side. We can meet up in the morning if that changes the invite.”
Conan was quiet for a moment, which worried Justin, but finally, he smiled and broke the tension. “I am glad you have your own voice. Don’t lose that, Justin. If anyone says anything, which they won’t, you let me know, and I will take care of it. I run this family, and I won’t let you feel like you don’t belong. Both of you are welcome here.”
Justin thanked him and waited for him to walk away before he asked Dahlia what she wanted to do. She had a funny look on her face.
“You love me?”
He shrugged. “For a bit now.”
“We haven’t known each other that long.”
“No, but I knew I loved you pretty quick.”
Dahlia had a devilish grin on her face. “That’s because I was your first.”
He shook his head to the contrary. “That’s not it. You’re so much more than that to me, Dahlia. You’re the woman I’ve been waiting for before I even realized that I was looking. I don’t care what you are, or what I am; that’s never going to change. The plan is the same. We close down the orphanage, and then we go off into the sunset together. That’s all I want.”
“What about your family here?”
“I am sure that we can come and visit, but you’re my family, Dahlia. No one else is ever going to take that place.”
Dahlia leaned against his shoulder and then he tilted her head up for a kiss. As much as he wanted to believe that he could make it work out, he knew that it was up to fate now.
“Now that we have more help, I think we have one more person that we need to see.”
“Linda?”
“You remembered.”
“Of course. So, are you ready to go back there? It seems like a dangerous move.”
“It’s the one that my mom wants me to take. I need to know what she brought her up for.”
Dahlia didn’t like the idea of it, it was clear from the frown on her face, but he was convinced that it needed to happen. Justin knew the risk. Linda wasn’t exactly on his side.
“Well, let’s see if I get another direction in my dreams tonight.”
Justin didn’t believe that to be the case, but he could hope.
He woke up with a jolt, and he went towards the nightstand. He woke up Dahlia with the noise, but it wasn’t a big worry for him at the moment. All he could think to do was scribble down what he had seen in his dreams. It was hard to imagine that the images would ever leave his mind, but he feared that was exactly what would happen.
Justin wasn’t content until he had written down everything that he’d seen and everything his mother had told him was going to come to pass. Some of it, he didn’t want to know about. There was to be a lot of death in the near future if he kept going towards the decision that he was making. If he went after the witches, there would be hell to pay.
The problem with the dream was there was no way to get a real sense of what he was seeing. He saw several images that didn’t make sense to him. It depicted him doing things that Justin knew he would never do. It was a reason for him to doubt everything, partially because he wanted it to be wrong.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
He couldn’t even look at her. The scenes flashed in his mind, him as a bear, standing over her, right before he made the fatal blow. The last thing that he wanted was for something to happen to Dahlia. He just couldn’t let it come to pass. She meant too much to him, and Justin knew that he was ready and willing to move mountains to make sure that it never happened.
“It’s nothing. I just had a lot of new images in my dream, and I wanted to get it all down before I forgot it.”
“Let me see.”
He knew that he couldn’t because some of it was about her. Some of it was about the beginning of her demise. He didn’t want anyone else to see the images in his mind. It was a warning, and Justin was convinced that he would be able to change it as long as he kept her away from the battle.
“No, I think I need to go speak to Conan. Today is the day. Will you bring the witches with you today? Are they ready?”
She agreed that they were, but something was holding her back, and he was afraid to ask what it was.
“Yes, I will be back in a little while, Justin.”
“Might as well start early I have a feeling we need to be prepared.”
She agreed, and Justin was thankful that she didn’t harp on the dreams. He didn’t want her to know that. It wasn’t going to happen. Justin got ready after she left and went to see his uncle. He wasn’t going to get some advice though; he was going to move up the timeline. The witches would have been helpful, but Conan had already said that it would be easy to do it without them. Justin wanted to believe it. That meant Dahlia would be away from the danger.
Then she would be safe: safe from him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Conan expedited the attack very quickly, pulling in other shifter clans to help. No one liked the idea of them killing off children, just like Justin had figured. He was sure that the only way that they could do what needed to be done was together.
As they left, Conan asked Justin about his witch and their friends, but he told him quickly that they wouldn’t be coming.
“You said we could do it without them, right?”
He waved his hands around. There were twenty vehicles, all ready to jump the old women in the woods. He was making it clear that he didn’t think that they could be beat. Justin wasn’t that sure; he was too worried about Dahlia and what she would think when she found out that he’d left without her.
Justin knew that she was going to be mad, but it didn’t matter to him. As long as she stayed away from him while he was in bear mode. Justin was convinced that it had something to do with that form and as long as she stayed away, and he didn’t transform, then he wouldn’t have to worry about it. That was the plan anyway.
“You alright?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I will be soon enough. Once all of these witches are down and out, then I will be okay.”
Conan smiled. “You did good, nephew. I am sure that my sister would be proud of the man you’ve become. Considering where you came from, that’s saying a lot. Once this is over, you will come stay with us, and I will teach you everything you need to learn.”
Justin thanked him for the offer, but he didn’t say one way or another if he was going to take him up
on it. The invitation may not be extended to Dahlia. Just because he didn’t want her to be in harm's way didn’t mean that he felt any different about her leaving his side. To him, it wasn’t even an option.
Dahlia was sure that she was missing something. When she got back to Conan’s, she was a little bit ahead of the rest of the witches that had agreed to help. She should have sensed them by now. She was close enough, and Justin was supposed to be bringing some family.
Then, she realized that they were all gone. She was puzzled for a minute, but then a sinking feeling hit her stomach, and Dahlia knew what was going on. They had taken off without them.
Dahlia didn’t know how to respond. She was upset and worried about what was going to happen. She didn’t need to think about it. She already knew what was going on. They had left, and it was because Justin thought he was saving her. He wasn’t though. He was just going to make it even more difficult for her to help him. The shifters wouldn’t be able to do it alone.
She started to panic, and Dahlia told Melinda that they were going to have to go to the orphanage alone.
“Have they chickened out?”
Melinda was hesitant to work with the shifters to begin with and Dahlia didn’t care for her. Now, she liked her even less.
“No, hardly. They’ve left without us. Justin thinks that he’s keeping me safe, but he’s probably just signed his own death warrant. We have to get there, now!”
The other woman wasn’t as worked up about it as Dahlia was. She wasn’t sure it was their coven’s place to help. Dahlia saw it all playing out on the woman’s face, and she hoped that she would make the right decision. She wanted to believe that something good could still come of it.