She ignored him, which was all she could do with the therapist standing right in front of her. He was the last person she needed thinking she was insane. Or demon marked.
When her fingers closed on the card, the same light she’d seen envelop Ceri enveloped her. It washed through her in a strange wave of emotions. She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts.
“That was not normal. What the hell did you just touch?” Angel hovered by Dr. Stone’s head, frowning at her. “I can’t believe you took a magical item from a stranger.”
She was surprised at the demon’s anger but would have to deal with it later. Turning the card over, she was confronted with something much more worrying.
A man hung by his foot from a tree. The other leg and his arms were crossed behind his back. A golden halo shone from behind his head that was almost beautiful, but she couldn’t get over how vulnerable the man looked.
“Is this one reversed too?” she asked.
“No, the Hanged Man is simply upside down on the card.”
“The Hanged Man? That doesn’t sound positive.”
Angel swooped over to look at it. “It certainly doesn’t. I’m glad you’re intelligent enough to recognize that, at least.”
She glared at him before remembering not to react.
“This card is all about surrender. You need to look at things from a new perspective and make some changes. That could mean letting go of old beliefs or behaviors. It’s different for everyone. You should take the card with you and do a little research. The answers are most clear when you find them yourself.”
Her head snapped up. “That’s sounds like absolute crap, you know that right?”
Dr. Stone grinned at her unapologetically. “Yet, it is true. Good luck, alpha.”
He headed toward the mansion and the door opened a moment later, revealing an aggravated looking Ceri.
Amber shoved the new tarot card in her back pocket, hoping Ceri hadn’t seen it while her attention was focused on the therapist.
“Keeping secrets are we?” Angel whispered in her ear.
“Shut up.”
Chapter 8
Tommy
Tommy opened the front door and saw Derek coming down the driveway. It was just past nine pm, which was late even for Derek.
Instead of hurrying to the woods like he’d planned, he jogged toward Derek. The guy’s dark brown beard was out of control now. He looked like he was either a mountain man or a hipster.
“Hey, Tommy.” Derek nodded in greeting. “Any leftovers?”
He snorted. “Only because I hid a plate in the microwave. Hopefully Woggy didn’t find it. He’s gotten really good at climbing lately.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Derek said with a laugh, walking toward the house.
“You aren’t avoiding the pack are you?” Tommy blurted out. He hated asking questions like this but no one else was.
Derek stopped, scratching his head uncomfortably. “Maybe a little. Not really the pack though.”
“Ceri?” Tommy suggested. “You know we all know about the…thing.”
“It’s not because of…that.” Derek shook his head firmly. “I’m not really an emotions guy. If there’s a problem, I want to just fix it. But Ceri’s not okay and I can’t fix her. Maybe the pack can help her.”
He kicked at a loose rock on the ground. “I mean, you’re part of the pack.”
“Nah kid, I’m not. I know y’all like having me around, but that’s different.” Derek shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Anyhow, I need to eat and crash. Early day tomorrow, and I’ve got some work for you if you’re up for coming in around eight with Amber?”
“Sure thing,” he said with a nod. “It’ll save me from another full day of studying.” The thought of that made him shiver involuntarily. Despite his increased healing and strength he was still sore from today’s tortures.
Derek laughed. “See you then.”
Tommy watched him walk away for a moment before realizing he was running late. Amber knew he’d been going into the forest every few days and hadn’t tried to stop him or question him about it. It wasn’t about keeping it a secret, it was just the only way to get any privacy around a bunch of werewolves that could hear everything in the house.
He ran toward the forest, easing into a sprint. It felt good to stretch his legs like this. The wolf loved it too.
He’d been trying to listen to the wolf more lately. It was dumb considering the wolf was literally part of him, but he envied the wolf’s confidence.
Through practice, he’d found that he could tap into the wolf without a shift. The shift was a physical change, and it gave the wolf greater influence, but that didn’t mean the wolf was dormant when was he was in human form. It shaped his instincts, emotions, and reactions now. Becoming a werewolf had changed him through and through. For the better.
As the trees whipped past, he reveled in the scent of the forest. Somewhere in the distance was a creek. Water bubbled over rocks and the branches overhead creaked as the cold, evening wind blew through the trees.
“Lost in thought?” an amused feminine voice asked from just behind him.
He slid to a stop, kicking up dirt and debris. Panting, he looked up at Evangeline with a smile. “Just lost in the run.”
She laughed, the shimmery swirl of lights that she had appeared as jiggling. Kadrithan, Amber’s demon, was always shadow and flame, but when Evangeline had first come to him she’d been like this. Pure light. They’d guessed that was due to her angelic side.
He sat down on an old moss-covered log, digging his toes into the cool earth. “How’s the beach?”
She sighed. “Sunny. It’s relentless. There’s sand everywhere. And mosquitos.”
“I’m sure it’s awful.” He couldn’t resist smirking at her. Only she could manage to hate the beach.
The light puffed up in annoyance. “I was going to show you something I’ve been working on, but I’m not going to if you keep mocking me.”
He lifted his hands in surrender. “Alright, I apologize. What have you been working on?”
The light twisted. Slowly the loose specks of light condensed into an opaque form. Legs stretched down toward the forest floor pushing away the shadows. Wobbly arms extended to either side and something sort of like a head perched on top. She had comically large eyes that were brighter than the rest of her form.
He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing, then cleared his throat. “That’s great progress!”
The bright eyes narrowed. “I’m still working on it.”
“Of course,” he said, still just managing to suppress the laughter.
She sighed and popped back into her original form. “It’s harder than I expected.”
“Has Kadrithan been helping you with it?”
“Not really. He says you can only learn by doing. He gave me the basics, but I’ve been on my own since then.”
“Have the boils and stuff finally gone away?”
“Yeah, that’s all gone completely now.” She didn’t sound entirely pleased about it.
“But?”
The light shifted grumpily. “But I can feel the demon side getting stronger.”
“Yeah? Can you do anything new?”
Evangeline was still bitter about being half demon but they’d been working on acceptance. There was no changing it, so she kind of needed to learn to deal.
“Has anyone ever told you how obnoxious your optimism is?”
“Yeah, you. Last week,” Tommy replied with an unabashed grin. “Oh, watch this.”
He jumped up and stepped into a handstand. Finding balance in this position had been hard at first but now it was easy. Holding his legs in just the right positions, he lowered himself until his nose was almost touching the dirt, then pushed back up.
“Why couldn’t I have been a werewolf?” Evangeline muttered.
He dropped his legs and dusted his hands off. “I’m pretty sure you’re just as strong as I am. Bes
ides, even humans can do that. It’s just a matter of balance and a little upper body strength. Why don’t you try it?”
“Maybe I will later.”
He padded back over to the log but sat on the ground this time, letting his head fall back against it. It was a clear night so the stars were bright, blinking in and out as the branches waved in the breeze.
“Has Kadrithan talked to you any more about what it is he wants from you?”
She sighed and pooled on the ground next to him. “Not directly. He obviously thinks I’m going to have to do some fighting eventually. I’m working on using both kinds of my magic even though he looks kind of…murderous when I’m using the angelic spells.”
“Did he answer those questions about your parents?”
She snorted. “No, and he said it didn’t matter. He was completely dismissive.”
“Maybe there’s someone else you can ask.”
“Maybe.”
She shifted closer and her light warmed him, taking the chill out of the air.
“How long can you manage this time?”
“At least another ten minutes. It gets easier every time.”
He sat up abruptly. “Want to have a race? That’s bound to help make you stronger.”
“You’re turning into Deward.”
Before he could object, she zipped away. He jumped to his feet and raced after her.
Chapter 9
Amber
Amber did her best thinking in wolf form these days. Her paws dug into the dirt and she let the wolf take over, retreating into her mind. The nip of cold air against her snout was energizing and the thud of her heart in her chest grounded her.
There were myriad things to think about. The strange tarot cards was one, but those seemed like the lowest in priority. Shane was another, but again, that whole thing wasn’t a priority. He couldn’t blame her for not following up on that promised date after everything that had happened.
The thing she needed to sort out was The Gathering. Paul, the alpha that had asked her to be his sponsor, was going to go through his Alpha Trials during the conference. Having that happen during such a prominent event filled her with unease, not that it’d be any better without that. After the sabotage she’d endured she couldn’t bring herself to trust the supposedly honorable werewolf community.
Tommy’s scent flooded her nose but she immediately realized it wasn’t fresh. She snickered in her mind. This must be where he snuck off to chat with Evangeline. The memory of the half demon made the wolf growl –– she disliked the girl even more than Amber.
If it had been anyone other than Tommy, Amber would have worried they were being corrupted, but he seemed immune to that kind of thing. He was probably slowly reforming that bratty demon somehow.
She wasn’t sad Evangeline was gone. Her presence had put everyone at risk. It also reduced the chance that Tommy would get an even bigger crush on the girl. Possibly.
A low howl echoed through the forest and she slid to a stop, cocking her head to the side. It sounded again and she recognized the wolf. It was Shane. She must have been running longer than she realized. Or they were early.
Lifting her head, she howled back in welcome, then started running in his general direction. A few moments later, she spotted his snowy white fur between the trees. He was beautiful in this form. Her ruddy fur looked dirty in comparison.
She yipped in greeting as he trotted toward her, sniffing the air curiously. Crouching low, she wagged her tail playfully. They couldn’t talk but she was pretty sure he got her intention when he also tensed.
She charged him, changing directions at the last moment and racing back toward the house, laughing inside. He barked, half-annoyed and half-amused.
The wolf could tell what every yip and bark meant and she’d gotten used to communicating like that when their pack went on runs.
She pushed herself to run almost as fast as she could. Her competitive side and alpha instincts wouldn’t allow her to let him win the impromptu race.
He was quite a ways behind her to start but was slowly gaining. She waited until she burst out of the tree line to put on more speed, leaving the white wolf in the proverbial dust.
Leaping over the porch banister, she slid to a stop, nearly crashing into the swing. Her claws left gouges in the wooden planks.
Panting happily, she sat down and waited for Shane. He arrived much more sedately, trotting onto the porch as if he hadn’t just lost badly.
The front door snapped open and Genevieve stuck her head out. “Seriously?”
Amber huffed in reply.
“Get in here, everyone is waiting on you.”
Feeling pretty pleased with herself, she brushed past Shane and Genevieve and headed to her bedroom to shift back and put on clothes. No matter how comfortable werewolves were with nudity, she was not going to prance around naked in front of other people unless she had to.
Shane followed, hesitating at her door until she nodded her approval for him to come inside as well. He immediately turned and faced the other way as he began to shift. Tearing her eyes away before she saw anything private, she shifted as well.
“You need any clothes?” She yanked her jeans on quickly despite knowing he wouldn’t peek.
“Gen said I could leave them in here, so I’m good, thanks.”
Amber pulled on a shirt that had BITE ME emblazoned in red across the front, then turned around. Shane was fully dressed, but waiting respectfully to turn around.
His hair, normally artfully tousled, was a bit of a mess. It made her feel better that she wasn’t the only one that ended up looking crazy after a shift.
“I’m good.”
He turned around and met her with a smile that turned into a grin when he saw her shirt. “You should bring that to the conference.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I think Genevieve would burn it if I tried that.”
“It would be so entertaining though,” he said with a wink.
“Maybe I’ll try to sneak it in my suitcase.”
He dragged his hands through his hair in an attempt to smooth it. “I was surprised to hear you were going on a run just for the hell of it. You weren’t thrilled about the whole werewolf thing at the beginning.”
She shrugged. “I’ve accepted it. Anyhow, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
He nodded in agreement and opened the door for her. She grabbed a hairband off her dresser, then headed out.
As they walked back into the living room, she saw Paul –– the alpha she was sponsoring that had taken over the Lockhart Pack –– glaring at Captain Jack, his arms crossed.
“What is that?”
“A cat,” Genevieve said with a broad grin, crouching down to pet the beast.
“I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of mutant,” Amber muttered, pulling her hair up into a loose bun. It was hopelessly tangled and she wasn’t going to waste everyone’s time trying to fix it.
“It smells weird,” Paul insisted, his nose twitching like he smelled something bad.
“He stinks,” Amber agreed. Something about the cat’s scent set her on edge as well. Mostly though, he just smelled like cat, and the wolf hated it. “Anyone want anything to drink? There’s sweet tea in the fridge, we also have sandwich stuff and fresh cookies.”
Shane’s mouth twitched. “I could get used to southern hospitality.”
“I’ll take some tea and cookies,” Paul said, finally tearing his eyes away from Captain Jack.
The cat prowled ahead of them into the kitchen, watching Amber intently as she picked up the platter of cookies. She flashed her eyes at him, but his only reaction was to swish his tail in annoyance.
Tommy was at the mechanic shop with Derek today. He’d chosen to stay there and keep helping her brother since, of course, they’d had three people show up needing help right as she was planning to leave for lunch and this meeting. It was a good sign for the business but bad timing since she was about to be gone for a few days.
Ceri shuffled into the kitchen wrapped in a fluffy blue robe. Amber subtly scented her and was frustrated to find that she even smelled tired today.
“You joining us?” she asked.
“I have some other stuff I need to work on actually. Do you need me in there? I wasn’t sure since I’ll be staying here with Tommy instead of attending The Gathering.” Ceri asked, putting a mug of water in the microwave.
Woggy was snoozing on top of her head, strapped down by some curls he had braided together. In the wild, pixies wove beds like that in the trees from grass and vines. Apparently he’d applied the same principle to Ceri’s crazy curls.
“No, if you’re busy that’s fine,” Amber said with a smile. “Let me know if you need anything, all right?”
Ceri nodded absently, eyes unfocused as she stared across the kitchen. The emotions coming from her through the pack bond were as muted as her expression. At first, Amber had thought that meant she was getting better, but she was starting to wonder if that was true.
With a sigh, she joined the group in the dining room. Once everyone had a snack and a drink, Amber leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. It was time to get down to business.
“We leave tomorrow at noon. Shane, is Jameson still alright with us joining his caravan?” she asked, drawing everyone’s attention.
Shane nodded. “Yes. He agrees that it’s important to have that show of support from the beginning. Our packs may not have a formal alliance but he does stand with you, and all bitten werewolves.”
Unease drifted from Genevieve but she wasn’t speaking up.
“Any concerns about that, Gen?” Amber asked, unable to ignore the emotions she was getting from her beta. She needed to know if there was going to be an issue.
Genevieve twirled a strand of bright pink hair that had fallen from her bun around a finger. “It makes a big statement right off the bat. Part of me hoped we could fly under the radar for this thing but I know that’s not realistic.”
Paul chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He took off the baseball cap he always wore and smoothed down his light brown hair. “Your pack made a statement the day you were formed. If you start trying to turtle now, they’ll all just see it as a sign of weakness.”
Misfit Fortune Page 4