by Kat Kinney
“Damn. Strong start.” He bit his bottom lip, fighting not to smile. “I’m listening.”
“I never know when I show up to work whether I’ll flip on the lights and discover rubber centipedes spilling out of the air ducts. Which, by the way, is every girl’s fantasy.”
“To be fair, the last time, they were all bearing valentines addressed to you.”
“Not. Helping.”
That cocky grin again. “Remind me after dinner I need to delete an order.”
“Jackass.” But I was smiling, too, despite the tears in my eyes. “It was always going to be you. Since that first day in gym class when I took off around the track, hoping you’d catch me.”
Some love stories blossomed overnight. Others burned hot and fast, shooting stars plummeting to Earth, every stolen second precious. Ours was like that late summer Texas sunset, the sky a thousand shades of periwinkle blue, blush pink and wheat gold. Day transforming to night. One thing becoming another so softly that if you blinked, you might miss it. I’d thought I didn’t believe in happy endings. It turned out Dallas and I just had to find our own way there. And maybe that was the sweetest story of all.
Dallas leaned in to softly bite my neck. “You like being chased, sweetheart?”
—and lunged for me just as I bolted up the porch stairs.
An hour later, we were stretched out in bed, a half-empty box of cupcakes between us. The sun was setting, painting the walls of the room in soft shades of amber and rose.
“I’m sensing a theme.” He examined one of the pickle cupcakes warily, going so far as to sniff the cream cheese frosting and poke at the mini gherkin on top, but not daring to take a bite.
“Ghoulish pregnancy cravings?” I poked him in the side. “The maple bacon sold out in half an hour. You’re lucky I managed to save you one.”
“We should talk.”
“Is that man-speak for you telling me to get my razor out of your shower? Because I should inform you that I’m actually part werewolf. You won’t like the results if you deprive me of my grooming implements.”
“Deal, but I get to keep my flatscreen.”
“That thing can be seen from outer space.”
“And from the kitchen while you mix up cupcakes and I make you dinner.”
“Point taken.”
“And I think we should get married.”
My breath caught. I whirled to face him. “I swear if this is your idea of a joke—”
He caught my hand, sitting up and staring down at my fingers. “We could do it this summer. Maybe out by the lake at sunset, surrounded by cicadas and fireflies. Bring everyone back to the ranch after and have a cookout under the stars.”
I bit my lip, heart thundering. “Maybe we should wait.”
“Why?”
“I can’t get what one of the vampires said to me back at the farm out of my head. ‘How do you think we took all the others? Your friends can search all they want. They’ll never find you.’ This could be a real lead to tracking down Ben.”
Dallas was silent for a long moment, lips grazing the backs of my knuckles. “Think you could be right about my dad. I’ll pass it along to Mom and River. But we’ve put our forever on hold long enough. And if my dad were here, he’d say the same thing.”
I traced a strand of dirty blond hair away from his eyes. “And if I want to custom design a five-tier cupcake tower for our wedding cake?”
He snorted. “Like I thought we were gonna go with a box cake from the grocery store.”
His cell phone buzzed. When he checked the screen, he raised an eyebrow. “Sure you’re up for this?”
“I just took out two vampires, located our cat, who by the way, seems to have used Alexa to order a cloaking device in our absence—”
“Epic.”
“And baked ten dozen cupcakes. All before noon. And this is after Naomi told me to cut back on the caffeine.”
“Scaring me a little, sweetheart.”
I bared my teeth. He swiped to answer.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” Even on a video call, River Caldwell sounded cold and deadly. He was in his SUV. In the background, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of cactus and stark canyons.
Dallas laughed. “We’ve only had the news for twenty-four hours and Mom’s already sent a contractor out to the house. She wants to update everything and make sure it’s child-safe.”
“Well, that’s Mom for you.”
I leaned forward. “You have a Project Eclipse problem.” River’s hard expression didn’t change. Not that I’d expected it to. He was too well trained for that. “I’ll go ahead and assume by your silence that you’re aware and are already dealing with it, but you’re also choosing not to keep us in the loop, which has put our people at risk twice now.”
“We know the leak came from the Council,” Dallas added.
“You think we haven’t been keeping tabs on the leaks that have been happening?” River said, so quietly it was like a black hole had sucked all the light from the room. “How stupid do you think we are? Of course we know what’s going on.”
“So why haven’t you shut it down?”
“Someone is acting behind the scenes, preparing to move against Guillermo, most likely. The last time such a coup was uncovered, the resulting bloodshed and shift in power within the Council and the packs resulted in hundreds of lives lost. Given the current state of instability within the vampire nation, I would expect a figure three or four times that.”
Dallas swore under his breath. “Can’t you get into their heads, see who’s behind it?”
“It’s not that simple. We run into two problems the moment I do that. First, all Tracers are well trained at detecting and blocking passive intrusions into their minds. It’s not the same as slipping in and listening for a few seconds to a group of civilians in a coffee shop. In order for me to read the minds of anyone here at the compound, I’d have to forcibly break through the mental barriers they have in place. The second I tried to do that, I’d be found out, which would result in open war on the Council. And that brings me to my second point.”
“Which is?”
“Everyone here is dangerous and powerful. Acting impulsively will get you killed. Better that our enemies stay in the dark until we know more.”
“Nice friends you’ve got there.”
“Cost of doing business.” He rubbed the wicked scar at his jawline, eyes distant. “On that note, I convinced Guillermo to allow me to choose twenty-five humans, those with sons and daughters, sisters and brothers who were bitten and turned, to get their memories back.”
My heart leaped. “My mother?”
“The truth is already out there about shifters. It’s going to come out that we’ve been manipulating people’s memories, and that there have been lasting consequences. Better that it be because we admit we were wrong in some instances and want to coexist with the human population peacefully, and that has to start with an act of faith.”
Tears filled my eyes. Dallas squeezed my shoulder.
“You’ve done good, little bro. I’m proud of you.”
“It’s all I could get for now. To tell you the truth, a lot of people up here are pissed I pushed this so hard.”
Suddenly I thought of Hayden, of the quiet desperation in her eyes when she’d spoken about her sister at Thanksgiving. “What about Ellie?”
Something in River’s expression hardened.
“I’m sorry.”
My jaw dropped. “Just like that? You know she would never—”
“It’s not up for discussion.”
“She’s Hayden’s sister. You were the one who rewrote her memories. Can’t you just—”
“No. I can’t,” River spat, a rare crack showing in that impenetrable armor he always wore. “So fucking drop it already.”
And with that, he ended the call.
* * *
At exactly seven-thirty the following Friday, I stood on the red brick stoop of my child
hood home, a disposable plastic bag of fragrant Indian takeout twisting nervously in my fingers.
Unlike half the houses on our block with their inflatable armies of snowmen and holiday remixes blasting 24/7 on surround sound, my mother had put out a simple potted rosemary bush trimmed in the shape of a tree and tied with a red velvet bow. A string of jalapeno lights twinkled from the windows around the door, the same ones I’d picked out from the grocery store sale bin back in middle school and that we usually hung up together every year while holiday specials played on the TV in the background.
A lump formed in my throat. They’d let me be there when the Tracer from the Council released her memories. Cal and River had tried to warn me what to expect. I’d had nine years to prepare for this day. My mother was going in cold. For better or for worse, she was about to learn everything I’d told her for the past decade had been a lie.
Any illusions I’d had that the truth might magically set things right between us shattered the moment she took one look at me and burst into tears. When she began to hyperventilate, her heartrate spiking to dangerous levels, I was ordered out of the room. Back at home, I clutched my phone like a lifeline while Dallas held me, my calm in an endless storm. Cal had said to give her time, that grief and anger were to be expected after such a violation.
And even though I knew he was right, my heart didn’t think it could bear the pain of losing my mother a second time. Not after everything.
Fidgeting in my candy-apple red Nikes, I rang the bell again. An SUV with a wreath tied to its front grill roared by. The neighbor’s speakers began blaring out a ten-thousand sleigh bell version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Tears blurring my eyes, I set the sack of butter chicken and lamb vindaloo on the front stoop and started to turn away. The door flew open.
Juliet Blair hurled herself at me so hard I was flung back, would have fallen if it weren’t for my shifter strength catching us both at the last second.
“Mom—"
“You tried to tell me. That first night. I remember now. You called and told me where to find your diary. Everything was there—"
“I should never have told you. It was my fault. Everything that they did to you—”
“None of it was your fault.” Her fingers wove into my hair, twisting as if they were plaiting phantom braids, and a sob choked in my throat. “I should have known. And I’ll never forgive myself for not realizing you were in trouble.”
“You couldn’t have. They—”
“Dallas had been manipulating you for months. Years. All those secret meetings.”
I took a deep breath, knowing we had to face this now if we were ever going to move past it. I had caused this. Not by what had happened after I’d been turned, but with every tiny lie I’d told sneaking out of the house at sixteen, hundreds of dishonesties blurring the truth and building a wall between my mother and me, one I hadn’t been able to see forming until it was too late.
I ate raw steaks and strawberry cupcakes at the full moon, chased down vampires by night in the world’s cutest track shoes, and had a cat who was convinced I was going to eat her if the pizza guy didn’t show up on time. My mom special ordered garlic supplements by the caseload from Amazon and didn’t have any hot paranormal reading on her e-reader unless you counted her subscription to Supernatural Stalkers. Which, I so didn’t.
Nothing true could be built off a lie. The past month had taught me that much. No doubt we would hurt each other countless times as we dug into nine years of memories that had been stolen from us both. But we would heal. And we would come through on the other side stronger for it.
“I lied to you. I snuck out. I don’t blame you for being angry at Dallas, but you should be angry at me, too. I’m the one who betrayed your trust.” I forced my voice to remain steady. “We should go inside, eat this takeout before it gets cold and talk about what happened back then, the truth this time.” I rested a hand on my stomach. It was now or never. “Because after that, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
Epilogue
Dallas
WHEN CHRISTMAS EVE ARRIVED FIVE DAYS LATER, there was cause for celebration. Thanks to Brody and Cal’s fast cleanup job, law enforcement hadn’t been able to find any trace of our presence out at the Christmas tree farm, and the Feds had officially pulled out of Blood Moon in a line of unmarked black SUVs the following day. It had only taken me and Lacey forty-eight hours and two bags of kitty treats to locate Fancy, which boded well for our chances at parenthood. And, oh yeah. She’d agreed to marry me. So I was pretty much on top of the world.
West, Hayden and Brody had gone all out decking out the ranch for our traditional Christmas Eve celebration. A plump ten-foot fir stood in the corner over by the fireplace, its branches festooned with strings of popcorn and cranberry, candy canes and bright red bows, as well as the sparkly plastic golden retriever-proof balls we’d had to get last year after Major melted down with puppy happiness when the honey-smoked ham was brought out and charged the tree. West and I had nearly died laughing. The tips of Brody’s ears had flamed. Apparently the secret high-intensity dog obedience courses were supposed to have had the last of Major’s puppy misbehavior sorted, which was why this year, in addition to moving Mom’s nutcrackers to the mantle and nixing Hayden’s spray snow designs on the Christmas village, everyone had a shift keeping the Furnado in arms reach.
“Who’s hungry?” Coming through from the kitchen, I cleared off space on the serving table. “We’ve got tamales, hickory smoked chicken wings with Ranch, fried mozzarella sticks, stuffed mushrooms, and guacamole with onion and cilantro.”
My brothers descended on the food… well, like a pack of wolves.
“You should sit down.” Cal clapped me on the back. “When’s the last time you got a night off?”
“Nah. Everyone knows this is the best night of the year to cook.” Loading up a plate for me and one for Lacey, I edged my way across the room.
Perched between Hayden and Naomi at the bottom of the stairs, Lacey was rubbing Major’s ears, the golden’s head flopped languidly in her lap. She had on leggings and a deep cranberry cowlneck top, her smoky eyeliner setting off her pale gray eyes perfectly. Seeing me approach, Major leaped to his feet. Naomi grabbed the bright red halter that had been decorated with jingle bells and held him in place, preventing him from tearing off into the kitchen.
“Not exactly keeping it on the down low, big guy.” Passing off one of the plates to Lacey, I snuck a look over one shoulder and tore off a piece of hickory smoked chicken wing.
Tail thumping happily, Major inhaled the morsel from my palm.
“That chicken organic?” Brody barked.
Lacey snorted, leaning in to stage whisper. “We had a deal. No one tells him about all the cookies and Auntie Lacey doggie-naps Snickerdoodle to go running in the morning.”
Clearly besotted, Major gazed up at her and barked.
I grinned. “Sorry, dude, she’s taken.”
Lacey nibbled on a cheesy breadstick, humming under her breath in pleasure. “You remembered the extra spicy pickles, too.”
“You’re carrying Cupcake. That means my job is to feed both of you, check off everything on the honey-do list and make sure you don’t try to do anything crazy like move an oven by yourself.”
She tapped the end of my nose. “Well damn, Caldwell, there goes the after party.”
Over in the corner of the room by the fireplace, Simon and Juliet were sitting close together, engrossed in conversation over glasses of eggnog. Shortly after everything came out, Lacey and I brought dinner over to Juliet’s house. Not gonna lie, there were some tense moments. I mostly listened, answering questions about my family honestly as they came up. After dinner, I did the dishes while Lacey and her mom made popcorn and turned on the Gilmore Girls. After the kitchen was cleaned up, I slipped Lacey my keys and whispered that I’d walk home so she could hang with her mom. The following week, Simon drove up from Austin and we all went out for burgers and sweet
potato fries at a diner downtown. And maybe it was my imagination, but by the end of the night, after exchanging crazy Fancy stories over a plate of onion rings (because of course Simon was awesome and had a cat, too), things just felt like they were in a better place. It was going to take time, rebuilding my relationship with Lacey and her mom the way I should have from the start. I was just grateful that now I had the chance.
On the far wall, the TV abruptly switched over from the holiday movie that had been playing to a news segment.
“There was a vampire sighted in downtown Chicago,” Lacey murmured as they began playing three-year-old footage of the traffic cop’s arrest of #DashCamVlad, the same grainy video everyone around the world had watched so many times we all had the lines and blocking memorized by now. “Dozens of witnesses reported seeing him flash out.”
“What are they playing at now?” The shot passed over Vlad’s face, stirring something in my memory. But— No. It couldn’t be. I blinked, shaking it off.
Catching Lacey’s hand, I tugged her towards the back door. “Got a second? There’s something I want to show you.”
“If you’ve rigged up the patio with silly string and air horns, can I just say you already did that two years ago, and I nearly peed my pants.”
“Like I could forget. You charged across the street, picked up a brick paver and threw it through The Spoke’s front window.”
“While Brody looked on from the parking lot,” she reminded me.
That had been priceless. You two need to figure your shit out, my oldest brother had told me, and then climbed back into his cruiser without another word.
We stepped outside on to the back patio and Lacey gasped. The clear cold night was perfectly cloudless, the air crisp and smoky, a pale crescent moon burning at the edge of the horizon. Thousands of tiny white twinkly lights hung from the rafters of the gazebo, making the air around us shimmer like a constellation of stars. Fat red poinsettias sat on the wrought-iron table. Around them, tiny tea lights shimmered in a crystal bowl.
