by Bella Falls
Elodie dished out some potatoes and poured something over them. “Now, this here’s red-eye gravy, which has been a staple of these here mountains for over a century. It’s made up of the remains of the country ham I fried up plus some coffee.”
“Coffee?” I exclaimed.
“Back in the day, they used whatever liquids they had on hand to degrease the pan. My great-grandma Jolene used to cook this on a wood-burning stove. Add in some salt and pepper and maybe a little sugar if the coffee’s too bitter. But it makes a tasty gravy,” she explained.
I shoveled food in since Dash hadn’t stopped on the road for more than gas and a quick restroom break before I fell asleep. The fact that his aunt was a fantastic cook made the meal even more pleasurable.
“So, what are you gonna do about Zach and his parents?” Elodie asked.
Dash frowned midbite. “I’ll have to go visit James and Lucille tomorrow. But first, I’d like to do some digging around on my own. See if I can figure out what happened to the boy before I talk to his parents.”
Cameron took a big gulp of her drink. “If the buzz about the pack is to be believed, it sounds like we might have another drug-related problem on our hands.”
With a grunt, Dash tore into a fried chicken leg with gusto. “If someone has dared to bring that filth back into our territory, they’ll have a lot to pay for. Maybe you, me, and Max should have a meeting first thing in the morning.”
Cameron narrowed her eyes and pointed her empty fork at him. “What time?”
“Since I’ve got to return Max’s truck to him, I’d say first thing. You can pour enough coffee down your gullet to wake you up,” he said, turning to me. “She is so not a morning person.”
Cameron smacked his arm. “Don’t go influencing Charli’s opinion before she’s even gotten a chance to know me.” She passed the basket of biscuits across the table at me. “If there’s anything you want to know about this massive grumpy pup of a man, you come to me.”
“Hey, don’t be tellin’ stories on me, because if you start, you better believe I’ve got some big whoppers I could tell that would turn your mama’s hair gray,” he threatened.
“It already is,” Elodie replied, acting nonplussed about their banter. “You kids always thought you could get one over on me.”
Dash clapped his hands together. “Challenge accepted. I’ll bet you didn’t know that Tommy Chambers asked her to marry him at his eighteenth birthday party.”
“Hey!” Cameron shouted, widening her eyes to plead with him to stop.
Dash’s eyes gleamed. “And then she decked him so hard that she knocked him out for a good minute.”
Cameron face-palmed while Dash emitted an evil villain-style laugh. I watched the whole interaction with pure fascination, enjoying the spectacle of the tough shifter so relaxed and at ease.
“Ha!” Elodie shook her head as she dished out more food onto her plate. “Of course I knew. Tommy’s mom came to me, wanting me to punish Cam within an inch of her life.”
Her daughter glanced over at her. “She did? How come I don’t remember that?”
“Because I told her that her son was an idiot, and that no daughter of mine was gonna be tied down to someone who didn’t know whether to check his butt or scratch his watch.” The older woman smiled once at her daughter and shoved a forkful of food in her mouth with great satisfaction.
Dash’s eyes widened in surprise until a great big guffaw burst out of his mouth. He pounded the table as he gave into the laughter that shook his body. Cameron and I giggled until tears threatened to run down our faces.
“I wish I could have seen her face when you told her that. No wonder Mrs. Chambers has always given me the cold shoulder.” She glanced at her mother and mouthed a silent thank-you out of absolute adoration. “Of course, we knew she was no peach when she kicked Tommy out for being gay. Guess that’s another reason I should be grateful I had you as my mother.” Cameron blew her mom a kiss.
Elodie winked at her daughter. “Chickadee, I knew who you were bound to love even before you were brave enough to tell me. If you can find a slice of happiness in this world that makes you a better person, who am I to define who that’s supposed to be?”
Dash stopped smiling. “We could blame the atmosphere of intolerance on my father’s influence. He didn’t exactly promote acceptance in the pack. I hated his motto of no weakness. Especially since he was the one who was so weak in his morals and ethics.”
I placed a hand over my heart as if I could rub away his storm cloud of anger welling inside me.
Elodie put her fork down. “Well, that’s all in the past, and I think you’re doing a fine job fixing this pack and making it stronger. Now, help me carry these plates into the kitchen and clean up. I’ve got some apple stack cake all ready. We should always end a meal with something to sweeten us up.”
I refused to leave the main house until I made sure that all of the dishes were clean or in the dishwasher. It was the least I could do for such a fine welcoming meal and a glimpse into a side of Dash that I’d never witnessed. By the time we left, stars sprinkled the wide sky and the chill of the night bit into my skin.
Dash drove us down a dirt road that angled further into the Christmas tree farm. At the top of a steep hill, I spotted a shining porch light on a small cabin.
He parked in front of the porch. “There are four new cabins that are complete and ready. This one will be yours for the night, but if you want a different one tomorrow, it’ll be no problem to set another one up.”
It scared me a bit to be staying by myself in such an isolated spot, but I pulled up my big-girl panties and got out of the truck. “Sounds good to me.”
I waited by his side while he unlocked the door. He opened it but didn’t enter. “Wait here for one second.”
All I wanted was to get inside to set up my suitcase and rummage through it to find my worn-out sweatshirt that I never got to wear in Honeysuckle. I danced on my feet and rubbed my hands together to stay warm, wondering how long the shifter would take before I could enter.
Dash stuck his head out. “Okay, come on in.”
I got about two feet inside before stopping in my tracks and staring at everything in awe. Instead of the simple accommodations I expected, I found a cozy cabin that made me feel like I was Goldilocks who’d won the house lottery. A large bed lay against the far wall with stacks of pillows piled on top of cushions of bedding. The wood furniture that filled the room looked brand new despite having a vintage look. A small couch and a plush chair sat in front of a fireplace filled with a roaring fire.
“Wow,” I uttered, taking it all in.
Dash grinned with pride. “Do you like it?”
“No,” I said, causing his face to drop. I hit his arm playfully. “I love it. It’s so…homey.”
He wiped his hand across his brow. “Whew. For a second there, I thought you’d ask me to take you back to the big house.”
“You’d have to drag me out of here. This is so amazing.” I beamed at him. “I’m staying in a cabin in the mountains on a Christmas tree farm. How cool is that?”
Dash’s chest puffed out. “Max and I worked with Aunt Ellie and Cameron to design all of the cabins. There are just four right now, but we’ll get about six more done by the end of next year in different areas of the property. And then they can rent them out.”
I nodded, still soaking in the whole room. “It’s a fantastic idea. And something that will attract people all year round. But I bet during the holidays, you could do some special activities and charge more.”
“Now you’re thinking like a pack leader!” he exclaimed. Taking me by the hand, he led me around the modest accommodation. “There’s a suitcase rack in the closet. Feel free to unpack everything into the dresser if you want. I had Aunt Ellie do some basic stocking of your refrigerator so you can make yourself some food in the morning. The coffee maker is on the counter.”
“If you come over before your meeting, I’ll make
you breakfast beforehand,” I offered.
He lifted an eyebrow at me. “You would do that?”
“Of course.”
For a long moment, he stared at me with a quizzical gaze. Although we shared the magical bond, he must have made an effort to hide his emotions because I couldn’t figure out what was going through his head.
“That’s a nice offer, and I would normally take you up on it, but since I’m calling for an early meeting, I doubt you’d want to get up that early.” He let go of my hand.
“How early?” I asked.
“Max needs his truck before he goes to work, so I’m planning on meeting him and Cameron around six.”
I cringed. “Yeah, that is a bit early.”
“And since you and I don’t know how far away we can be from each other without the bad physical consequences to both of us, I’ve arranged for them to meet down at Aunt Ellie’s house.” He crouched down to inspect a scratch on the pine flooring.
I froze in place. “I hadn’t thought about the distance thing.”
“That’s because it’s not much of an issue in Honeysuckle since that’s such a small town. But here, the pack territory is pretty big and spread out over a large area.” Dash stood and rubbed the back of his head. “I actually formulated somewhat of a plan while I was driving and you were snoring with drool hanging out of your open mouth.”
“I don’t snore,” I barked, wiping the edge of my mouth as if the drool was still there. “What’s this brilliant plan?”
“You’re not going to like it,” he admitted with a grimace.
I shifted my stance to my other foot and crossed my arms across my chest. “Just spit it out.”
“Well, I’m going to have to investigate Zach’s death as part of my duty as alpha but also because I want to find out who’s responsible for bringing drugs back into my territory.” The shifter’s brows furrowed. “Quite frankly, I could use your help. One, as an outsider, you might be able to see something I can’t. And two, your tracking powers might come in handy.”
Nothing he said sounded scary. “I’m fine with that. Get to the part you said I wouldn’t like.”
“Well.” He paused, glancing away from me. After drawing in a deep breath, he blew it out. “There’s only one way to explain why I’ll be keeping you close by while you’re here that would be mildly acceptable to my pack.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what’s that?”
His eyes flashed back to mine. “I’ll need to tell everyone that we’re pledged.”
My mind went through all the possible synonyms of that word, but they all led to the same conclusion. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”
Dash coughed. “I’ll give you the night to think about it. But yes, if you’re going to help me solve Zach’s death, then I’ll need you to act as if we’re engaged.”
Chapter Eight
It took two long, steamy showers in the gracious stone-tiled shower and several hours for me to finally calm down enough to get some sleep. Even in my dreams, the issue of pretending Dash and I were engaged played out, and I tossed and turned most of the night.
Consistent knocking on the door matched the pounding in my head once morning came. I tumbled out of bed and shivered. The fire had long gone out, and I would need to figure out how to adjust the thermostat so I wouldn’t freeze. Grabbing the comforter off the bed and wrapping it around me, I shuffled over to answer the door.
Light streamed inside, and I winced. Holding up my hand to block the rays, I found a young woman carrying a casserole dish with tinfoil over it smiling back at me.
“You must be Charli,” she exclaimed with too much perk in her voice. She held a large thermos in her hands. “I’m Etta, Cam’s girlfriend. May I come in?”
I moved out of the way so she could enter and spotted Elodie walking up the porch steps carrying another dish covered with tinfoil. “Thought you might like some breakfast. And since Dash is holding an official meeting, I figured we might as well join you.”
The surprise visit woke me up better than a strong cup of coffee. “Um, sure. Come on in.”
Etta had already set out plates and cutlery on the counter. The coffee maker was huffing away to brew a fresh batch, but she poured out three steaming cups from the thermos. “How do you take yours?”
“Milk with a little sugar,” I answered, my wits still too scattered to figure out what was going on. “I should get dressed.”
“Pfft.” Elodie waved me off. “PJs are just fine with me and Etta. Unless you want to put on something a bit warmer. Here, let me turn up the heat a little. Go ahead and serve yourself.”
In no time, we settled into the seats around the cold fireplace, eating food Elodie had made for the meeting at her house. It took me the whole cup of coffee for any of this morning to start making a lick of sense.
Etta kicked back in the cushy chair. “So, Cam told me Dash’s plan about having the two of you acting like you’re his potential mate.”
No amount of crispy bacon in the world could soothe the nerves that jangled to life. “I half thought that might have been a bad dream I had last night.”
Elodie snorted. “No, child, it wasn’t a dream. And in the normal world, it might seem too far-fetched to go along with. But after giving it some thought, I think I’d advise you to play along.”
I opened my mouth to counter her advice but couldn’t find a way to reply that wouldn’t sound rude.
She held up a hand. “Listen, there are already going to be those in the pack who won’t like having you around in the first place. Even though some of Dash’s friends from over there in Mystic helped out, most of the members have a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to witches. So, there’s that to overcome.”
“Plus,” Etta jumped in, “No one will be able to question your presence if you’re declared Dash’s intended. As alpha, they have to just deal with it.”
I placed the plate of food on the wooden side table next to my seat. “Listen, I have a boyfriend already. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go around pretending I’m engaged to another man.”
Elodie shrugged. “Can’t argue with that. We’re just telling you that it will make things much easier on Dash to keep you around. And it will give you automatic protection.”
Something about the way she said the word protection raised my hackles. What kind of a society had I walked into when it sounded as if I was in danger just for being in the area?
“I’ll have to call Mason and ask him first. I won’t do it without his knowledge and approval,” I said. Needing to change the subject, I asked about the meeting. “Do they know anything else about Zach’s death?”
Etta shook her head. “I asked Cam about it, and all she could tell me is that they were waiting on Dash to report the death to the authorities.”
“Wait, you mean the police don’t even know about it yet?” I blinked a few times in surprise.
“You’re going to have to open your mind to worlds and societies outside of your own,” Elodie commented. “Packs handle things a little differently. Justice is handed down within, not from outsiders. Sure, we’ll let our boys who work for the local authorities know, but only when we’re ready for the information to be shared.”
“But surely they would want to be involved in the investigation,” I uttered.
Etta wiggled her empty coffee cup at me to offer me more. “No, the initial investigation will be led by Dash as alpha. He’ll want to find out as much as he can first. And if he figures out who was involved, he’ll be in charge of doling out the punishments.”
My stomach sank. As much as I had imagined being a support to my friend while he dealt with the death of the young man that he cared about, I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into.
I didn’t need more coffee to be on red alert. “Looks like my learning curve just got a bit steeper than I expected.”
Elodie got up from her seat and patted my shoulder. “You’ll be fine.” She gath
ered my plate and stacked it on top of hers. “I’ll leave the rest of the food here with you in case you get your appetite back. You’ll probably want to fuel up for the day that lies ahead of you. Just pop the leftovers in the fridge when you’re done.”
Etta stood to join the older woman in her exit. “I’m sorry if it’s overwhelming. But you should know, Cam thinks it’s a good thing that you’re here for Dash.”
The two women left me alone to stew in a pot full of concerned thoughts. I covered the leftover food in the dish with the tinfoil and stuck the whole thing in the refrigerator. Although I needed to call Mason and talk things through, I dreaded the conversation. Choosing to ignore it for a little bit longer, I picked out some clothes and headed to the bathroom to get dressed for the day.
After finishing getting ready, I heard my spell phone ringing. I rushed over to retrieve it from the bedside table and answered it without looking to see who it was. “Hello?”
“Charli,” Dash said. “I’ll be coming up to get you in a little bit. But I thought I might test out the distance problem before we got started today.”
“Where are you?” I asked, listening to the roar of the vehicle he must have been driving.
“In my car, about to drive away from Aunt Ellie’s place,” he replied. “I thought the easiest way for us to figure out our boundaries is for you to stay on the line and let me know when things start to bother you.”
Holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder, I straightened the sheets and blankets on the bed. “So, I’m supposed to be your fiancée and your guinea pig now?”
“We’ll talk more about the first thing later,” Dash grunted. “But unless you have a better idea, then I guess you could say both of us will be the test subjects. Remember, you won’t be the only one experiencing the side effects.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t hear me.
“Charli?”
