“No sex,” she said before hopping out of bed and going into the bathroom to clean herself.
By the time she came back into the bedroom, Jonah was sitting up and looking at the wound in his leg.
“How does it look?” she asked him, opening her bag and pulling out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved olive-green shirt.
“Healing,” he told her. “Almost completely closed.”
“Good.”
She heard him rustling around as she pulled her shirt over her head just to feel him come up behind her. His arms snaked around her middle and he kissed the scars on her shoulder that were exposed by the wide neckline.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she said, just remembering what had struck her as odd the day before.
“What’s that?”
“Pecora looked at my scar yesterday and he wouldn’t touch me. I mean, I didn’t want him to touch me, but it was just strange.” He pulled her even tighter against him and met her eyes in the mirror that hung on the wall in front of them.
“He’s not going to touch you. In fact, no one, except family, will touch you now that you’re mated. We’re a little possessive around here.”
“Huh. I never realized that.”
Jonah gave a slight shake of his head. “This may sound old fashioned and a bit…controlling, but now that you’re mated, no male will touch you, especially an unmated male.”
“Then how does Pecora treat mated females if he can’t touch them? He is the doctor around here. Is there someone else they see?”
“Nope. Just him,” Jonah said, releasing her and taking a step back. “He treats mated females, but it’s with their mates present. It would be different if I’d been in the room with you or if he knew you better.”
She sighed. “My father taught me a lot about the shifters, but apparently not everything. Learn something new every day.”
He patted her backside before heading toward the bathroom. “You have the rest of your life to figure it out and me with you every step of the way.”
Maggie smiled as he shut the bathroom door. The water of the shower turned on a minute later and she made her way into the kitchen. She’d found the coffee the day before when she was acquainting herself with his kitchen, so it didn’t take long to get a pot brewing.
She was sitting at the island, sipping her first cup, when a knock sounded at the door. Jonah stood in the bedroom door, leaning against the door jam as he pulled on a pair of basketball shorts, his brows scrunched.
“Who?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“Jonah!” Penny’s voice rang loud and clear.
She didn’t miss him roll his eyes and shake his head as he came out of the bedroom and headed toward the door. Maggie beat him to it.
When she opened the door, there was Penny on the other side carrying a brown box that smelled suspiciously like muffins.
“Good morning, sweetheart! I brought you breakfast.”
Maggie moved to the side to let her in. Penny breezed past her and beelined for Jonah, who had stopped in the kitchen and was leaning against the counter. His father stepped onto the porch a second later and nodded a greeting as he came into the house. She closed the door behind them and went back to her seat at the island.
Penny had cornered Jonah, opening the box for him. “I hope you’re taking care of that leg,” she scolded as he pulled what looked like a blueberry muffin out of the box.
“Maggie’s taking good care of me,” he told her before going to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.
“Of course, she is!” Penny exclaimed, bringing the box of goodies towards her and setting them on the island in front of her.
“My friend Imelda owns the diner and she makes these. That woman can bake. She sends her love, by the way,” she said, directing the last sentence to Jonah.
“I need to talk to you,” Rick said as Jonah sipped his coffee.
“Then talk.”
Rick glanced between Maggie and his son. “It’s a private matter.”
“Anything you say to me needs to be said in front of her. She’s my mate.”
His father didn’t argue. “Fine. I talked to the Elders last night after the meeting Travis called in town.”
“How did that go?”
“Well, the consensus is that we’re going to have a twenty-four-hour watch. One man will take a two-hour shift daily and they’ll trade off.”
Maggie frowned. If a twenty-four-hour watch was all they were doing, it wasn’t going to be enough.
Jonah had a grim expression on his face. “One person can’t be everywhere at the same time.”
“It will be three or four people on at the same time and they’ll be making rounds and looking for signs of the fae.”
“That’s all the Elders wanted to do?”
Rick nodded. “Yes. They’re not convinced that the fae would be brave enough to try attacking the town. The general belief is that what happened to Schram was a one-time thing and you know they’re not going to listen to the word of a dragon, especially one who isn’t even here.”
Jonah was shaking his head. “They’ll believe it when the fae run their asses into the ground with hardly any warning. It’s stupid to think they won’t try something. Do the Elders truly want to mess with all the lives of the people in the town?”
Rick let out a huff of air. “Travis and I tried dissuading them, but they wouldn’t hear of it.”
“If they want enforcers, you’d think they’d listen to what one had to say.”
“I know, son, but they don’t want the entire town to panic over nothing. I get that too. I would be different if McIntyre were here, but right now it’s just he-said-she-said.”
“Did the poisoned arrow in my leg not convince them that what happened to Jimmy Schram wasn’t a one-time deal?”
“I know you’re upset,” Rick said.
“Upset doesn’t quite cover what I am right now.”
“Jonah let’s just be grateful that you’re home and in one piece. We’ll work the rest of it out,” Penny said.
To Maggie’s chagrin, Jonah didn’t say anything else in argument, but she could see the frustration on his face. His mind must have been moving a mile a minute because Maggie knew hers was. She was perhaps just as frustrated as he was. To have people ignore the warnings just spelled disaster. The fae would come, she knew it in her gut, and the town wouldn’t know what hit them.
Rick drummed his fingers on the island’s slate surface. “The other thing I wanted to talk to you about – talk to you both about – was Duncan.”
“What about my father?” Maggie asked.
Rick looked at her. “Have you thought about how you’re going to tell him you’ve mated?”
She hadn’t really thought about it except for the knowledge that she’d have to tell him at some point. She was still upset with everything she’d learned about how he’d inserted himself in her relationship almost a decade earlier.
“No,” she bit out.
“He’s not going to be happy you’ve mated a shifter,” Penny interjected. “He’s always made it clear that he wanted a human life for you, sweetheart.”
“A human life is not an option,” Jonah cut in.
“Of course not. Your father and I only want what’s best for both of you, but we worry about how Duncan will react to the news.”
“He’s always been very vocal about his preferences,” Rick said. “He wanted the townspeople to leave you alone. The first time Jonah met you when you were little, he called us and told us to keep him away from you.”
That was news to her. “He did?”
Rick nodded. “We didn’t like keeping you two apart, but your father was stuck on it.”
“I think even when you were little you must’ve already known,” Penny said, looking from Maggie to Jonah. “I always thought it was a possibility when you were children, but then it was just a matter of time once you reconnected. I don’t know why it didn’t happen then. Everyone knew it
would.”
“My father had something to do with that,” Maggie told her.
Penny tsked. “Duncan should know better. He’s been funny like that since he met your mother and left town.”
“I’m not worried about my father. I’ll tell him when the time is right.”
“There’s nothing that can be done about it now anyway,” Jonah said, his gaze fixing on her. Heat bloomed inside her belly and her heart quickened in her chest.
“No,” Rick agreed. “Nothing.”
His parents left not long after, but only after helping them polish off most of the muffins and the coffee. Jonah’s father slowly began to warm up to her the longer they stayed. Maggie assumed his standoffish behavior was most likely related to her father’s influence, while Penny, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. She chitchatted and laughed and hugged Maggie again before they left.
“I need to ride over to the station. Do you want to go with me?” Jonah asked her a little later. He’d been quiet since his parents left, appearing to be deep in thought.
She nodded. “Sure.”
He disappeared into the bedroom before emerging a few minutes later, dressed in his uniform. She was pulling on her boots as she looked up and saw him standing in the door frame.
“You make that uniform look good,” she said with a laugh.
He flexed his arm. “Does that do it for you? I never took you for a uniform kind of girl.”
“Oh, I’m not,” she said, rising to her feet. “I’d much prefer you out of it.”
Jonah laughed. “We can work on that later.”
It didn’t take more than a few minutes to get to town. Jonah parked next to another police SUV and Maggie hopped out as soon as he cut the engine. Drizzle splashed her cheeks. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds.
The bell rung over the glass door when Jonah pushed it open, holding it for her to enter right behind him. He waved to the tall, middle-aged woman who sat behind the metal desk.
“Jonah!” she exclaimed, jumping from her chair. “How are you feeling? I heard about what happened.”
“Much better, thanks.” He looked toward Maggie. “Dana, this is Maggie Alfieri. Maggie, Dana Yoder. She’s the one who runs the place.”
Dana laughed and flipped her curly brown hair over her shoulder. “You’re too good to me,” she said, a wide smile still plastered on her face as she sat back in her chair.
“Dana is also my cousin,” he told her. “Her mother was my father’s sister.”
“Was?” Maggie asked, confused.
“Mom passed away a couple years ago. Breast cancer.”
Maggie’s heart sank. “I’m so sorry. My mom also passed away due to breast cancer.”
Jonah cocked his head. “I didn’t realize that.”
“Yeah. I was five when she died. By the time they found it, it had already spread all over her body.”
“It’s a terrible disease,” Dana commented. The somber look on her face brightened. “Congratulations on the mating!”
“Thanks,” they both said in unison. Maggie had a feeling she wasn’t done saying ‘thank you’ considering how fast news seemed to travel around the town. She had a feeling she’d be saying it at least a dozen more times by the end of the day.
Dana opened her mouth as if to say something else when a door swung open behind her. Travis was sitting in a rolling chair, leaning back.
“Hey,” he said. “Get in here and let’s chat.”
Jonah grabbed her hand as if to make sure she followed him into the office. “It was nice meeting you,” she told Dana.
“You too!”
Jonah shut the door once they were in Travis’s office. The area was cramped and no bigger than a large closet. There was a metal desk littered with papers and a computer that looked fresh out of the nineties. One metal folding chair leaned against the wall.
The chair Travis rolled around on looked as if it was able to collapse beneath him. He was robust, tall and muscular with enough power to leave the chair in pieces. She was surprised it hadn’t given out yet. It creaked under him but somehow managed to stay in one piece. Just like Jonah, Travis had bulked over the years. She wondered if Jennie was still in his life, although she doubted it. She’d have to find the time to ask about the girl later.
“So where are we at?” Jonah asked as Maggie leaned against the wall.
Travis shook his head. “Not where we need to be. There’s a watch going on and the men are trading off shifts. It took a four-hour long meeting last night to come up with even that.”
“Jesus,” Maggie muttered.
Travis snorted. “Things don’t always move as quickly around here as they should.”
“I noticed.”
“What do you want to do, boss?” Travis asked Jonah.
Jonah shrugged. “How do you really prepare an entire town for a potential attack?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
The hours ticked by. Jonah and Travis discussed possible scenarios, weaponry. Everything that Maggie couldn’t help with. Eventually, she went with Dana to the diner where they picked up a late lunch and then it was back to the office. The men ate in the office while she sat in the main room with Dana.
Phone calls were made, other preparations started, all the while Maggie made a small grocery list and wished she could be helpful. At that point, however, she felt that if she interrupted to ask if she could be of assistance, it would just slow them down.
The sun was going down when Jonah remembered she was there. “I’m going to drive the perimeter with Travis,” he told her. “Do you want to come?”
She shook her head. “I’m going to walk over to see Mr. Martin in a few minutes. I need to pick up some things.”
Jonah hesitated as if debating the danger of her running across the street. “Alright,” he said after a second. “I’ll meet you back here in a few. It shouldn’t take us long and then we’ll head home.”
Home.
The thought of them sharing a home felt odd to Maggie. She was just waiting to get used to it and didn’t know if she ever would any time soon. She’d spent so many years trying to get over him that it would take her some time to get used to all the recent changes.
New mate. New home. New life.
It was a lot for her to process, but she was happy to do it. She loved Jonah and she loved the town. She still couldn’t help but worry about her father’s reaction, but she’d deal with that another day after she’d had time to figure out exactly what she wanted to say.
Jonah and Travis headed out and Maggie left for Mr. Martin’s a few minutes later. The walk itself wasn’t bad and it felt good to stretch her legs after spending the day cramped in an office. There was no one around and she reveled in the silence, even enjoying the mist that clung to the air. The sky darkened above her and she quickened her pace.
A minute later, she was pushing open the door to the general store. The bell chimed above her head and she let the door close behind her. She stood there for a moment, running her fingers through her hair as she glanced around the store. There was no sign of Mr. Martin, but he wouldn’t be far away.
“Mr. Martin?” she called as she picked up a basket.
The place was quiet with no response from the old man, almost eerily so. Maggie went down on of the aisles, becoming more alert by the moment. An icy chill ran up her spine.
She felt ridiculous. Mr. Martin was probably in the back and she was just paranoid because she’d spent the day listening to Jonah and Travis go on and on about the fae and different attack methods.
She shook her head, trying to dispel the uneasy feeling, before calling out for the old man again. “Mr. Martin?”
She clutched the basket in her hands, gripping the plastic handle in her palms. Turning down the aisle with the canned goods, her ears straining for a sound that wasn’t her own increased breathing, she finally caught a small sound. It wasn’t more than a single light step – too light for the old shifte
r – but she’d heard it. She was queasy, wanting to flee, but she forced herself to keep walking.
Goosebumps erupted over her skin when she reached the end of the aisle. There on the creaky wooden floor was a single drop of blood. Taking a shaking breath, she stepped forward. One drop turned into two and then there was a third. Following the trail, she glanced around but saw no one. No movement. Nothing.
When she turned down the next aisle, she saw him. A scream built in the back of her throat, but she was too shocked to even open her mouth.
Gerald Martin laid on the floor, his eyes unseeing, his flesh translucent. He’d been gutted. His insides protruded from his abdomen; his body lying in a large pool of blood. The basket she held crashed to the floor as she vomited.
The sound of laughter behind her had he standing up straight, one hand covering her mouth as she looked over her shoulder.
The fae, covered in blood, was standing behind her. Droplets fell from the roughly hewn knife he carried at his side. Sharp teeth shined when he opened his mouth.
Maggie spun around and took a step back, sliding over the blood on the floor. She gripped the shelving to keep from falling.
“You’re not who I expected to see, witch,” he said as he took a step in her direction.
She said the only thing that popped into her mind. “I’m not a witch.”
Maggie recognized him as one of the fae who had been in the woods that day. He’d been there when Jonah had been shot with the arrow, buzzing above their heads.
Jonah, I need you.
He laughed again, shaking his head. Drops of blood that clung to his dark hair flung onto the cans next to him.
“You’re very much a witch. Your aura gives you away. Although I’m sure my king would find it interesting that a witch has mated a shifter.”
When he took another step toward her, she took another step back. She didn’t look down but could see Mr. Martin’s body in her periphery. Staying focused on the fae in front of her, she tried to keep as much distance between them as possible.
“I wonder what your mate is going to do when he feels you take your last breath.”
No.
Her heart threatened to explode. She had to get out of the store, away from the fae warrior. She had to get back to Jonah. As far as she knew there was only one way in or out and that was the front door, which now felt miles away.
When Sparks Fly (Netherworld Series Book 3) Page 18
