“Jenkins is a warlock?” she guessed.
I nodded.
“That makes a lot of sense.”
“Does that help you at all?” I asked as I peeked at her from my peripheral.
She leaned back in her seat and swallowed. “It does.” She fiddled with the radio and settled on an old-school song from Metallica.
I smiled at her though my heart hurt to see her work through old feelings, even if I was still upset with her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m okay. Whatever you find out, your interactions with Laird, all of that, I don’t need to know. And that’s fine. You do what you have to do and you get yourself out of here, okay? As fast as you can.”
“Okay.”
Before I knew it, we were on the gravel road leading to the small collection of homes that belonged exclusively to weres.
Normally, a family get-together could draw a crowd of cars around a house. But since the other members of the community lived so close together they could spit on Laird’s house—one could only wish—so it came as no surprise to find Laird’s car the only one in his driveway. Though a bike was parked there too. We heard the music and the laughter as we climbed out of my sedan.
Mom took a deep breath and smoothed the front of her sweater. Did she care what she looked like? Was it a nervous habit as she mentally prepared herself?
All of the family were out back. We traipsed through the grass around the side of the house and unlatched the gate to the tall, wooden, fenced yard. The whole pack was here—minus Marco. I felt his absence. He’d had one hell of a smile when he used to see me. Anyone on the outside would never have thought this get-together was for a deceased family member. The mood was as upbeat as the music.
A half-dozen or so weres swam and played around in the lake. The rest of the family sat in lawn chairs or at one of the three picnic tables. Laird barbecued on his big, red, egg-shaped barbecue that he kept on the deck. I met Noah’s eyes as he lowered his beer from his mouth. He nodded to me. As always, my stomach clenched at the sight of him. I hadn’t liked the way I’d felt when MacGregor told me they’d found a body, and I’d immediately thought of him.
“You’re late,” Laird called down to us. I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to me or Mom. Smoke from the barbeque billowed up around his chest and face. He squinted through the cloud and waved it away with a metal spatula.
“Sorry. Work was busy, but I brought some things from the cafe.”
Olive Marshall, Douglas’s wife barreled toward us. She reached for the paper bags, and I handed them off with a smile on my face.
“Well, as I live and breathe… You’ve grown up nicely.” She nodded to me. “Maybe a little underweight, but we’ll take care of that.”
I glanced down at my body. I wasn’t sickly thin. I could have stood to gain a few, I guessed. I worked so much, including more overtime than I wanted, and sometimes that meant I didn’t eat as much as I should. Also, I likely looked much thinner than I was with Mom’s clothes hanging on me.
“Good to see you, Olive,” I told her, trying to sound warm.
“Come on up.” She said to me before pointing to the deck. “Laird. Give this girl some meat!”
He nodded. “I got it covered, Olive.”
“I hope she’s not on a diet,” she said to my mom. “You know how all those city girls like their diets. They all want to be tall and thin. Those girls don’t always have the stuff to make pups.”
“She’s perfect the way she is,” Mom said sharply.
I couldn’t believe she went there. Pups? Seriously? “I’m actually a vegetarian,” I said, hoping to irritate her further.
Olive gasped, and over a dozen pairs of golden eyes looked in my direction for much longer than could have been considered polite. They looked at me like I’d just sprouted horns.
Olive shook her head at me. “Well, that won’t do.”
“I said she’s fine,” Mom said. “Leave her be.”
Mom glanced up at Laird, which surprised me. It was as if she was looking for help from him, like she had when they were still married. Like they were a team. I didn’t like it.
“Why don’t you take those bags into the kitchen for Grace,” he said. The bite to his low voice was unmistakable.
Olive ruffled at that. “No need to be touchy. We’re family. We speak the truth here. A vegetarian pack member? I’ve never heard the likes of it in my life.”
“Olive!” Douglas stood up from the picnic table at the foot of the deck stairs. Though he had to be in his late sixties, he’d aged well. He had faint wrinkles on his forehead and around his mouth. His hair was salt-and-pepper gray and it looked more distinguished than old. At six foot three with muscles that still showed definition under his well fitted clothes, he still looked the same beast he’d been as the Alpha I’d known. Everyone still minded him.
Olive hugged the bags to her chest and hurried away, not saying another word.
I’d have thanked him for making her go away if I didn’t still hate him. Yes, I hated him. Him and Laird both. As I saw it, them and them alone had caused my brother’s death. Douglas for banishing my brother and Laird for enforcing it. If it hadn’t been for them, my brother would never have… Well, he just wouldn’t have.
Mom and I found a seat at one of the three picnic tables in Laird’s backyard. We were part of the pack, though most of them didn’t interact with us. Rex came and sat with us for a little while, and we made polite conversation, but that was about it. I wasn’t sure why Laird insisted we came. And by the time we’d finished eating, Noah still hadn’t come to talk to us. I tried not to let that bother me, but it did. We’d been closer than that. I wondered if our time together yesterday was because he’d been made to come and get me. If he really had any interest in being near me at all. I glanced up at him as he talked with Laird on the deck. When he caught me staring, I looked away.
“How long do we have to stay?” I whispered to Mom before taking a sip of a pop.
“Not much longer, I hope. Let me go and ask him. I can’t imagine why he’d make us stay.”
Mom pushed up from the table and met up with Laird on the deck. He sat in a chair now, with a beer bottle in hand, and his brother Jordan on one side of him and Noah on the other. They’d been engaged in an intense conversation. About what, I didn’t know. But I was curious.
She bent at the waist and whispered in his ear. He turned his head to whisper back in hers. She straightened and marched back to me. I didn’t have to ask her what he said. I could tell by her pinched lips and the tension in her shoulders.
“That went well,” I said, to try and lighten the mood.
“He’s an ass.”
I smiled and nodded. I wished she’d discovered that so much earlier. As the night drew on, the younger kids playing about went home with their mothers. The men remained. It was near ten o’clock then. Mom and I had taken to playing cards on the picnic table. Sonja, Douglas’s oldest daughter played with us and her son, Michael, who was the cutest ten-year-old redhead I’d ever seen. His wide set eyes and the intense look he wore when he concentrated reminded me a lot of Noah.
“We should be going,” Sonja said.
“So soon?” I said, trying to be nice. I liked her and was grateful they both made an effort to include us.
She laughed. “I have to get this one to bed.”
“I don’t want to go to bed,” he said with a pout.
“And I don’t want to work seven days a week or do laundry three times a day, but that’s life, kid.” She waved to us as she left. Michael kicked at the ground and kept a good three-foot distance between them all the way to the wooden gate.
“You never liked to go to bed early either,” Mom said.
I swatted away a fly that neared my nose. “I used to have nightmares.”
“I remember.”
They were always so vivid. When I’d woke from them I’d sworn they were real. And they were always
incredibly similar. A voice calling to me in my old house. I would follow it, and it would lead me to the mirror in the bathroom. I’d look at my reflection. I’d see me but it was never exactly me. It was always a little different. And the girl staring back at me wouldn’t mirror my movements. It was as if there were someone else on the other side. Before long, slashes would decorate her body, accompanied by the sound of a whip. She’d scream, and the light inside of her would bleed out. I’d wake up from those dreams screaming. I’d almost forgotten about them. I hadn’t had one in a long time, not since my father had died.
“This is ridiculous,” my mom said suddenly, snapping me from my memories. “I’m telling him we’re leaving.” She glanced at her silver watch. “Ten fifteen. I have to work tomorrow.” She started to stand, but I gripped her forearm.
“No. I’ll do it this time. I’ll be right back.”
Reluctantly, she nodded and sat back down. No sense in her having to deal with him again. Laird was still on the deck. Jordan had left, but Noah was still there. Douglas sat there now too. I didn’t make eye contact with him. It would have been hard for him not to know how I felt about him. But then, he wasn’t a big fan of mine either.
“It’s late. We’re going to head out.”
He shook his head. “Your mother can leave. You stay.”
“She came with me.”
“Give her your keys, and I’ll make sure you get home safe.”
I groaned and looked up at the moon. Barely a sliver in the sky. Dark gray clouds passed over it and briefly blocked it out.
“Why?”
“You left town today.”
My mouth went dry. I’d prepared for this conversation, though I’d hoped I didn’t have to have it. Apparently, there were spies in Clover.
“I told you not to,” he added.
I had to give him credit for not bringing this up earlier or making a scene in front of the whole family. “That wasn’t for me. I left to see some witches about the bullet.”
His eyes darkened. He looked at me from over his beer and lowered it to his lap. He kept his voice even. He even held a slight smile on his lips while he chastised me like I was a child. “You’ve been gone a while. Things have changed, but they haven’t changed that much. I’m your father, your elder, and your Alpha. You do what I say or there will be consequences, are we clear?”
I stared at him.
“This is your only warning.”
“Sounds like she already had one,” Douglas said.
A thin layer of sweat started on my forehead. Laird was a man of his word, and if he listened to Douglas, to save face or satisfy his pride, my mother and I would have been in trouble.
Noah leaned forward in his seat and clasped his hands together. A ring of crimson fire danced inside his irises.
“Noah knew,” Laird said. “He gave her permission. I told her to find some witches to help her figure this mess out.”
Noah. He saved my ass. “I made progress,” I said quickly.
“Although I need to be more clear next time. She doesn’t leave town without a pack member. We can’t risk losing her.” He glared at Noah.
Douglas clucked his tongue and then took a long drawl of his beer.
“Are we clear?” Laird added.
I nodded, but he wasn’t looking at me.
“Yes, Alpha,” Noah said.
“What’s your fella’s name?” he asked me.
I chewed on my lip. He tapped Noah on the shoulder.
“Mason,” Noah told him.
“That’s it! Mason. That’s a nice name. He comes from a nice family, too, I hear. Noah?”
Noah nodded.
“The next time Maisie leaves town without permission, or if she leaves without one of us, I’ll be really upset.” He lowered his menacing voice. “I don’t want to hurt my daughter, she’s the only child I have left, so you’ll take her punishment out on her boyfriend. For every minute I have to worry about her, you’ll break one of his bones. Start small. Maybe a knuckle. Then work your way up.” He exhaled and paused. Then he looked right through me. “So I guess if you take too long, we might actually run out of bones. And then, well, Noah will have to get creative.”
“I hate you,” I wanted to say, loudly so everyone could hear. And I wanted to break his already-crooked nose. The magic inside of me bubbled, like a pot too full with liquid that started to spew over. I curled my hands into fists as my fingers warmed. Not now, Maisie. Even the necklace I wore couldn’t stop my magic from rushing through my veins so forcefully that I felt as if I were trembling. Things would have gone downhill so quickly if I unleashed right now. I shoved my hands into my pockets.
Mom. Mason. I said their names in my head over and over again.
Noah stared at my covered hands like he understood. The slight shake of his head was almost imperceptible. But it was there. I saw the worry behind his eyes as the light in his fiery eyes died out. He knew what Laird would do if I started fires right now. He’d already lied for me when he told Laird he gave me permission to leave town. I didn’t want Noah to have to choose between Laird and me again. He was in an impossible position, and I couldn’t make it worse. Staying in control was important for him, not just for me, my mom, and Mason.
“Good,” Laird said. “I think she understands.”
“She’s too willful and unskilled. She’ll be the downfall of the pack,” Douglas said angrily.
Laird shrugged. “It’s possible. But it’s also possible she’ll elevate us.” He shifted in his seat, and after draining his beer, he set it down on the deck. “Now, daughter, sit down and tell me about these damn witches.”
“Okay. Can I just go tell Mom she can leave?”
“Hurry back.”
“Want me to run?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself.
He rolled his eyes. “I see you haven’t lost your smart mouth.”
“It’s the witch in her,” Douglas said, his eyes flaming.
I marched back to Mom.
“No luck?” she asked.
“Oh, no. He said you can go, but he said he wants to talk to me about today.” I rolled my eyes. In the lake, Noah’s cousins, Jed and Taylor splashed about and then they started to ripple and blur as they changed under the moonlight. Their tails wagged as they jogged out of the water and toward the woods at the edge of Laird’s backyard.
“I can wait,” Mom told me.
“It’s fine. I’ll um…” I glanced at Noah. “I’ll get Noah to drive me home.”
She offered a pitying expression. She’d never minded Noah until she’d discovered I had a crush on him. Then she’d grown much cooler to him. She’d wanted me away from this world, and we both knew Noah always had the potential to make me stay.
“We’re just friends,” I told her.
“Sure. Just do me a favor and don’t forget about Mason. He loves you, and you love him. All of this here,” she waved her hands around, “is just noise. A distraction. You’ll regret it if you let what happens in this town trickle into your real life.”
Real life? Was that what my life in Gravewood was? Then why did I feel more alive here? Was it the adrenaline? The rush of danger? I didn’t know.
We hugged and she left, reluctantly. I walked her to her car. When I returned to Laird and the others, they were somber. Laird offered me a beer and I took it, purely out of respect.
“To Marco,” they said in unison.
I raised my glass and took a long drawl of my beer before they started questioning me.
Eleven
I’d expected to talk with Laird after Mom left. Instead, he told me to wait.
“For what?” I asked.
“Until most of the family is gone. They don’t know details, and I’m not telling them anything until I have all the facts myself.”
I patiently waited in one of the lawn chairs arranged in a semi-circle around a fire pit. I faced the lake, watched the dark outlines of a few geese on the water, and I listened to their quiet calls.
The moon reflected on the water, giving it a pale glow. Even though I was annoyed waiting for Laird, I had to admit that I’d missed the scenery and the quiet. Crickets chirped nearby. The family that remained were in the house, and I could only faintly hear the jumbled noise that resembled conversation.
At nearly twelve a.m., Noah came out to find me. Finally. The grass ruffled as he walked toward me in his bare feet. When he sat in the chair next to mine, he put his feet up on a large, blue cooler that had been left out.
I wanted to be mad at him and the threat he posed to my boyfriend, but he’d also saved him—and me—so I couldn’t find the energy for it. I stared straight ahead.
He said nothing, and it bothered me.
“You didn’t have to tell Laird about Mason,” I said finally.
“No, I didn’t. I’m not sorry for it though. It gives him someone else to hurt besides you and your mother. Besides, a bit of a bend in his pretty nose might give him some character.”
I clucked my tongue at him. “I won’t thank you for that.”
“I don’t want your gratitude.”
I rolled my eyes. “I do owe you a thank you for lying to protect me though.” Lying to his pack master had to have been hard for him. Very hard.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right.” I frowned at him and nodded. Okay, we weren’t going to talk about it. But he knew what I meant, and he needed to know I appreciated it.
“Be very careful how you talk to him in front of the pack. He has to show dominance or the pack won’t follow him. You know this, but you still challenge him. Part of me thinks you want him to lash out.”
“Why would I want that?”
“I honestly don’t know. He cares about you, Maisie.”
“Like he cared about Seth?”
Noah put his feet on the ground and leaned toward me. “You knew him three years. I’d known him my whole life. If I can forgive Laird, so can you.”
“He’s your pack leader. You have to.”
“He’s yours too.”
I shook my head and finally took a small sip of the beer, hoping it’d calm my nerves. “I never wanted to be part of this pack. I’m not one of you, and I never will be. Ninety-nine percent of them can’t even look at me without a sour look on their faces.”
Pack Witch (Captured Souls Book 1) Page 10