by Rider, C. P.
He did, and I got out of the tub, dried off, and wrapped the towel around me. We went into the bedroom, where I rifled through the clothes in my suitcase, pulling out a pair of black yoga pants, a sports bra, and a long, pink T-shirt. I'd intended to sleep in the outfit, but it worked as loungewear, too. It would be comfortable to travel in.
While I was changing in the bathroom, I heard the bedroom door open and close. It was too early for Lucas, so I figured Guillermo had decided to leave. However, I was disabused of that notion when I reentered the bedroom to find him sitting cross-legged on my bed. He wore a pair of navy-blue sweats and a gray T-shirt with a blue farm brand logo. His feet were ensconced in matching blue socks.
"Your brother brought you some clothes?"
He sniffed the shirt, scowled. "Smells like him. I didn't see who brought it."
"You need to forgive your brother," I said.
"Is that an order, Alpha?" Guillermo smiled with his mouth, not his eyes.
"Oh geez, not that again. I'm not your alpha leader. I'm not even a real shifter. I'm just a messed up telepathic spiker baker." I jabbed a finger at him. "But you need to check yourself. You have no idea the danger Juan put himself in to find you. That man brought down sanctuaries. Yeah, that's with an '-ies,' wolf. He's been looking for you for a year. An entire year of his life, entirely focused on finding you. Even when everyone told him it was hopeless, that you had to be dead, he never stopped."
Guillermo stared at me. "You sleeping with my brother or something?"
I threw up my hands. "No. I'm sleeping with the knucklehead I told off in the front yard. I like Juan. I respect him. And I wish with all my heart I had a brother that loved me the way he loves you."
A little of his brokenness filtered into his voice. "No matter what I think of him, I'm going to have to let him bring me into the pack again. I'm vulnerable, and my dire wolf is unstable. Other than Auntie Gert, Johnny's the only wolf strong enough to take me on. Unless you want to be my alpha." He gave me a shaky smile.
"Do you know how to bake?"
"No. Only barbecue."
"Then I'm going to have to respectfully decline. I have my hands full at the moment." I climbed up on the bed and sat cross-legged next to him. "Tell me more about Legion."
"You saw the worst of it. The hospital room. Ewan North and the three dickheads." The smile slid off his face. "I was set up by another shifter. An addict. She sold me to a sanctuary, who handed me over to Legion."
"Was it the woman in your hospital room? The one Ewan North killed. The rose?"
He made a fist and lightly punched his calf. "Her name was Rosie. She'd been clean for seven months, but when her mother died suddenly, she had a relapse and did some pretty bad things. When Rosie realized what she'd done, she tried to help me and they grabbed her, too. They used her to force me into compliance, then they killed her."
"She called Juan."
His head popped up. "What? He told you that?"
"Yes. That's how he knew you were in trouble."
"It wasn't her fault. Addiction is… She wouldn't have done it if she'd been in her right mind. And she tried to make it right." He shrugged. "I don't hate her. I did for a while, but I'm tired of hating things. That's what Elijah teaches. Hate for yourself and every other shifter."
"Juan said you weren't supposed to be a dire wolf."
"No. I wasn't chosen. It used to bother me. Now that I know what it feels like to carry this beast inside me, I pity my brother, Dad, and Auntie Gert." He took three short, harsh breaths in rapid succession. I felt his panic, and tried to do what he'd done for me earlier. I slowed my breathing and pushed the feeling toward him.
His breathing calmed.
"Who are these people? This Legion?"
"Two of the three you met in the garden are—were—mystics. Different kinds, I don't know exactly what. They kept part of my brain in the dark." Another three breaths, which I was starting to recognize as a precursor to a panic attack. "It was so dark."
I reached for him, clasped his hand in mine until his breathing slowed. "Why do they call themselves Legion? Elijah? Is it a biblical thing?"
"Yes. Sort of. Mostly I think it's because the Bible story fits their narrative, and they use it as a tool of manipulation. If you want to get a whole bunch of decent people to do something horrible, the best way to do it is by making them believe that God commanded it.
"His followers would do anything Elijah said. To them, he's a prophet."
This was not good news.
Guillermo continued, "So, the story goes that the prophet Elijah accused King Ahab of being the 'troubler of Israel' for having supported the cult of Baal. Elijah asks him how long he planned to waver between two opinions. Either follow the Hebrew God or Baal. Basically, choose a side."
"So, I take it the two 'gods' this Elijah is referring to are paranormals and humans."
"No one cares about the humans. That's just a front to gain support from the sanctuaries. They're talking about magical paranormals—mages, mystics, witches—and ones like you—spikers, trancers, empaths."
"Then who's Baal in this scenario?"
"Us, of course. Shapeshifters."
"That has got to be the most convoluted, reaching, backbended distortion of the Bible I have ever heard." I frowned, then added, "I really don't think any of those people ever went to Sunday School."
"Well, if they did, they must have been out sick on Ten Commandments day," Lucas said as he strolled into the room. He stared down at our clasped hands for a long second, but said nothing about it. "Good to see you again, Gil."
"Likewise, Luke."
"Lucas, Guillermo is telling me about what happened." I scooted over and patted the mattress. "I'm still mad at you, but you can come sit down and listen if you want to."
If it bothered him that I was still angry, he didn't show it. "What was the deal with the bees? That was creepy as hell," he said as he sat down.
"I'm allergic when in human form,” Guillermo said. "Elijah figured it would be an efficient way to torture me, to bring forth my prehistoric side. It took a year, but they were patient." Guillermo said this with a healthy dose of spite. "Every morning they broke me, and every night they put me back together."
"Brainwashed you," I said.
He nodded. "That's when I forgave Rosie. Because I think being addicted to drugs is a lot like being brainwashed. You start to believe the lies your pain tells you until they grow so big it's the only thing you can see."
We all went silent for a moment.
"Are you okay now?" I asked. "Not feeling like you might slip into berserker mode?"
He shook his head. "No. Because of you, I think. You gave me something to hold onto in that garden. Hope." He looked at me then, gratitude in his gaze.
"I'm glad." I meant it, even if what had happened in that garden had rocked my world.
"Well, I'm going to find Johnny. He needs all the information I can give him about Legion while I'm still able to speak." He released my hand and slid off the bed, faced Lucas. "I'll have to shift tonight. I'm too fragile in this form. My wolf is pretty attached to Neely, so don't get upset if he finds his way back in here. He's been brutalized and she comforts him."
Lucas stood, walked to Guillermo, and hugged him. Ruffled his hair. "There. You now have my scent on you. In case my tiger decides to play hardball where his mate is concerned. He'll recognize you now."
After Guillermo left, Lucas climbed on the bed with me again.
"Why did he say he was too fragile in his human form?" I asked.
"Things are simpler for the animal. When you shift, survival mode takes over. A biological throwback, I guess. Fewer things to worry about makes it easier to maintain a laser focus on the kill."
"You're saying it's easier psychologically?"
"Yeah. Alphas always encourage traumatized shifters to spend an extended time in animal form to heal. Our animals break it down pretty simply if there are no predators around. Food, sleep,
mate."
"That's all you think about in animal form?"
"If there are no predators around." He frowned. "It wasn't that way for you?"
"No. I freaked out and panicked the way I always do."
"If you're a cross—" He caught himself. Lucas hated the term "crossbreed" as much as I did, if not more. He said it made me sound like a Labradoodle, so I'd come up with a better name a couple of months ago. "—a goddess of fur and spike, that might make sense."
"Maybe."
We both quieted, lost in thought.
Lucas broke the silence first. "I didn't tell you I thought you were a shifter because I wasn't sure."
"You suspected. How long?"
"I don't know exactly. There were a lot of clues, but nothing solid. You dad not telling you he was a wolf, the prehistoric that was unable to change you at the sanctuary, even that time with Xavier Malcolm when he told you that your mother was a wolf and that it was in you, that it called to him—granted, it was your dad, not your mom, but Malcolm saw something I couldn't because he was a wolf … like you." He stroked a finger over my knee. "Given identical circumstances, I would handle the situation the same way a hundred times over. So, I won't apologize, because it would be insincere."
I flicked my hair over my shoulders and sat up straighter. "Then I won't ask for one, which saves you the trouble."
He drew a figure eight with his finger on my thigh. "You still mad at me?"
"No. I'm glad you're here." I weaved his fingers with mine. "Thank you for the energy boost tonight. You saved my life."
He drew back, frowned. "Energy boost? As much as I'd love to take credit for saving you, I didn't send you any energy, Neely."
"But… Lucas, it had to be from you. I heard you talk to me."
"You heard me? I wasn't sure. I just kept repeating the same words."
"I know. 'I'm sorry. I'm coming for you. Don't be afraid. I love you.' But, Lucas, why were you sorry?"
"Because I wasn't with you when you needed me." His whiskey-colored eyes met mine. "Neely, I didn't give you any energy. I tried, but you were so far gone…"
I scowled. "It had to be you. Guillermo was nearly dead, and Juan threw up a barrier between me and his shifters after I nearly killed them and did kill everything in the field. The only reason Barney the mystic wasn't drained to death was because Amir raced back to the truck, swooped him up, and flew him out of range." My eyes slid shut as my chin hit my chest. "Lucas, I could have killed everyone."
"It's over now." He brushed a hand over my head. "You're safe, and they are too."
"If you didn't send me any help, who saved me?"
"The only one who could have." He lifted my face so he could look into my eyes again. "Your wolf."
My wolf had saved me? I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Grateful, I guess. It was too much to unpack right now.
"My dad knew all along." I sounded as defeated as I felt, and Lucas squeezed my hand. "He's gone too far this time. I don't know if I can ever forgive him."
"I'm sorry. I know it hurts."
Lucas's cell phone chirped.
"You have a message." I sniffed, wiped away the tears gathering in my eyes.
"I'd better check it." He let go of me and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. "It's Chandra."
My heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong? Is she okay? Does she need us?"
"She's fine. Neely, I asked her to look into something before I left. You might not like it."
"Wonderful. What is it?"
He put the phone back into his pocket. "It bothered me that your dad left town right before you were supposed to arrive. It seemed a little too convenient, but I wasn't sure for whom. So, I asked Chandra to tap into some resources. In particular, an information trader she knows. Chandra texted me what the trader found—or didn't find."
"What is it?"
"It's your dad. He's missing."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lucas, Amir, and I drove to my dad's place in a borrowed sedan so bland I'd already forgotten the make of it. I found myself thinking that if Lewiston drove this car, he'd fade out of the universe entirely.
"Do you honestly think we'll find anything?" Lucas asked.
"No, but it's a place to start. He's my dad. I can't do nothing."
"Maybe nothing is the right thing to do."
"No, it's not." I growled at him, then slapped my hand over my mouth, because it was a real wolf growl, not a human one. Lucas didn't comment. "Lewiston was supposed to have my dad call me. I just assumed one of them got busy and forgot. Mostly I blamed my dad, because I'm pretty sure Lewiston can remember what he had for breakfast on July 16, 1999. He just seems the type."
"I agree. It's unlikely he would have forgotten." Amir said this as he stared down at his cell phone.
"What are you looking at?" I asked. "Love texts from Dahlia?"
The skin over his cheekbones reddened. "No. The photographer for my last photo shoot sent me some proofs to look at. I don't have final approval, but it's nice when they ask my opinion." He held up the phone. There was a photo of Amir in a designer business suit posing with a willowy redheaded female in front of a Rolls Royce.
"Wow, I didn't think it was possible for you to get even better looking. Let me see the rest." I flipped through the next few shots. One of them was of a shirtless Amir kissing the redhead.
"Give the man back his phone, perv," Lucas said.
"I will, but not because you told me to," I replied. Handing the cell to Amir, I frowned. "Has Dahlia seen those?"
"No. She has seen others."
"It doesn't bother her?" I glanced at Lucas. "Because if I saw this guy posing in his sexy business suit all kissy-faced with some gorgeous woman, I'd be seriously jealous."
Lucas tipped his head back, keeping his eyes on the road. "Neely digs my business suits. I can't tell you how many meetings I've been late to because of her."
That was a hundred percent true, and I wasn't even a little bit ashamed. "I knew you were sweet on Juan's mom. Will you come out to see her again?" I hung my arms over the front passenger seat so I could see Amir's face.
The eagle shifter sighed. "I have been 'sweet on' Dahlia Martinez for a long time. She's the most beautiful…" He caught himself. "Yes. I'll come to see her again."
"It's just that I've always seen you as flirty and carefree, but you aren't that way at all around her. She's obviously important to you." I grinned at him until he groaned.
"Good goddess." He did an eyebrow raise with eye roll that managed to look sarcastic and sensual at the same time. "You're nosy. And with all the things we have to worry about right now, too."
"Whatever. I'm just happy for you."
"Sit properly in your seatbelt, Neely," Lucas said. "There's construction ahead and Texas traffic makes me anxious. It's like another world here."
"It's not that bad." I flipped back around.
"It's good to see you acting more like yourself," Amir said.
"Who? Me?" I glanced over my shoulder at him.
"Yes. For a while, I wondered if you'd be coming back."
I considered that. "You thought I'd be a wolf forever?"
"No." Amir sat up taller in the seat. "Neely, you haven't been you for a while. It's as if all of your reactions have been off, somehow."
Lucas released a warning growl. "Don't push her, Amir."
"Oh, your fourth isn't trying to hurt me, Alpha Blacke. He's trying to tell me something. Concentrate on the drive—you hate Texas traffic, remember?" I returned my focus to Amir. "Talk. Please."
Lucas growled again, this time at me.
Amir nodded at Lucas. "I mean no disrespect. I was concerned."
"Continue."
"You've been spiking every alpha that half threatens you, for one. That's new."
"Seriously? You, Chandra, and Lucas have all told me I need to be more aggressive, use my natural abilities to defend myself, go on the offensive with my telepathy. Now you're telling me I'm using
them too much?"
"It's not that you're using them too much. It's more that you don't seem to have any reservations about it. And that wasn't a judgment, only an observation." He leaned in closer to me. "For instance, tonight you shapeshifted into a wolf for the first time. Anyone else would be utterly thrown by a development like that, maybe even devastated. I've seen shifters who turn at puberty have lifelong issues with our kind. But you? You took it in stride. There was no lashing out in anger or fear, or any natural emotion in connection with it."
"Trust me, I feel anger and fear. But I'm focused on other things."
"Focused on other things? Well then, perhaps I've overestimated the gravity of the situation. Perhaps you didn't die, shift into a wolf inside the brain of the person you were spiking and bring yourself back to life, form an alpha bond with a prehistoric wolf, come out of the spike shifted, twist your forms up while trying to shift yourself back to human, and have to hand over full control of yourself to an alpha who was not your mate.
"And maybe I'm mistaken that after all of that, you simply yelled at Alpha Blacke, strolled naked into Alpha Juan's house with his brother whimpering at your heels, and took a goddamn bubble bath."
"Amir," Lucas warned.
Whoa. That was pretty much it—except it was bath salts, not bubbles, and I did have a blanket around me, so I wasn't completely naked, but I wasn't the kind of asshole to say that. His point was, I wasn't acting normal.
Amir leaned back, eyeing me. "You should be in a state of panic, but you're as calm as I've ever seen you. Completely unruffled."
I glanced at Lucas. "Do you think this, too?"
He stared straight ahead through the windshield. We'd passed the construction and the worst of the traffic, no need for the level of concentration he was giving the road.
"That's a yes," I said. "Have you been worried about me? For how long?"
"Since we brought you home from the sanctuary," Lucas replied. "But I'm usually at least a little worried about you, so I'm used to it. Amir is new to the feeling."
"You both honestly think I'm not freaking out about this?" My voice rose in pitch with every word.
