by Jami Gray
They made it to the kitchen, and Tala reached up for the sliding glass door. He caught her hand before it could touch the metal and shook his head. He grabbed a hand towel hanging from the stove, wrapped it around his hand, then pulled the door open. Fresh air rushed in, displacing the choking haze.
Cheveyo tugged the back of Tala’s shirt, and she looked back. “Concealment.” He kept his voice low, but didn’t wait for her nod before setting the spell that would weave a curtain of shadows to mask them from anyone watching. Once it was in place, he said, “Go.”
Ash went first, then Tala. Cheveyo followed them out. They stuck close to the cabin as they went down the deck’s steps. Hidden in the shadow spell, they made their way down the side of the cabin. At the corner, they stopped. When Tala turned and leaned toward him, Cheveyo met her half way.
“If we merge our magic, we can cast a wider circle.” She inched back to study his face and offered her hand.
He didn’t hesitate but wrapped her hand in his. After ensuring the concealment spell was solidly in place, he dropped the ironclad protections keeping others from touching his magic and let Tala in. Her magic slid along his, latching into place with a disconcerting ease, even as the power between them grew. He let her take the lead, adding his strength to hers as she cast the magical net in ever widening circles.
The flames brushed against their combined power. While it was started by magical means, it had taken on a more natural life, finding fuel in the surrounding woods. He picked up Tala’s relief at the cabin’s isolation and echoed it. No nearby neighbors meant they might be able to stop this with minimal damage. When the detection spell reached a mile beyond her wards, she reeled it back in. They were as alone as they could be. Whoever set this in motion was long gone.
Shoving his frustration aside, he shifted his magic to align with hers as she began crafting a spell to utilize the surrounding elements. Together they built the hint of an approaching storm into a reality, manipulating the moisture gathered above. Rain began to fall in a soft mist, slowly gaining strength as they continued to shape the storm’s energy, building it higher and higher until a deluge poured from the skies.
Keeping the storm focused was draining work, but he kept funneling his power into Tala so she could direct the rain. Long minutes passed as they fought the fire, but bit-by-bit the rain snuffed out the flames. Eventually, they managed to drown the last ember leaving a heavy silence in its wake.
He did one last sweep, ensuring no threat lingered, then he helped Tala re-strengthen her wards. By the time they finished, only the cabin’s wall at his back held him up. Tala slumped against his chest, her breathing ragged as if she just finished a marathon.
Their magic slowly untangled, and he found he was strangely reluctant to let her go. It took an effort of will not to fight her retreat, but he couldn’t resist pulling her closer. Her arms tightened around his waist, and she stopped pulling away. Grateful, he pressed his lips to the top of her head, stealing a moment to relish having her in his arms.
As the storm receded, soft breezes replaced the rain, and the acrid bite of smoke drifted away. Against his chest, Tala sucked in a shuddering breath and his skin pebbled. “We need to go inside.”
“In a minute,” he murmured. “Not sure I can stand just yet. It’s been a long night.”
That earned a weak laugh from Tala, but it shifted into sobs as the night’s events finally hit her. His heart ached, and he didn’t bother denying the tears seeping down his face as heart-wrenching sobs were torn from the woman in his arms. She needed this. Hell, they both did. Real or not, losing Aponi left him hollowed and hurting. He could only imagine what Tala was dealing with. Well, besides her obvious anger at him for forcing her to leave their daughter.
He rested his head against the cabin’s side and continued to hold her. When her shudders and soft hiccupping sobs stopped, he let the night’s hush settle over them. After long minutes he finally asked the question battering his soul, “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
She stilled, then shifted in his arms, pulling back so she could see his face. Even wrecked by soot and tears, she still made him catch his breath. Her dark eyes studied him and, although his heart stalled, he appreciated that she didn’t rush to answer him. He had no idea what she was looking for, but would’ve willing given it had she asked.
A complex combination of remorse and discomfort flitted over her face. “Shouldn’t that be my question?”
Unable to resist, he brushed a touch along her cheek. “I won’t lie. It hurts you never said a word.” She flinched, her eyes dropping away. He nudged her chin up until her gaze came back to his. “But, right or wrong, the decision was yours to make. Given our situation then, I can’t blame you for making it either.” He searched her face, hoping his words were getting through. “So, I’m going to ask again, do you forgive me?”
She caught his hand and drew it to her heart. “Here, yes.” Then she tapped her head. “Here, I’m working on it.”
He blew out a soft breath. “That’s a start.” That earned him a questioning look, and deciding now was as good as a time as any, he decided to push his luck. “Maybe you can add forgiving yourself to your to-do list.”
She jerked, but anticipating her reaction he kept his arm locked around her waist so she couldn’t jump up and leave. Finding her escape attempt thwarted, she narrowed her eyes and frowned, her jaw set with mulish intent. “You don’t understand—”
“You’re right,” he cut her off. “I don’t, but it won’t stop me from getting you to admit that our daughter’s death was not your fault, Tala.”
She sat in his lap, facing him, body rigid, whether with fury or disapproval, he didn’t know, and wasn’t sure he gave a damn right now.
“I promised you I’d never lie, and I won’t, not even to spare you further pain, so listen close.” After what went down in the dreamscape, he was more determined than ever she let her unfounded guilt go before he lost her. “You didn’t kill her. Your decisions didn’t cause her death. You are not being punished for whatever imagined sins you think you carry. There is nothing I can give you to explain why she died, why it had to be our daughter, but she’s gone. You named her Aponi in honor of the butterfly, so open your hands and let her fly. Cherish her memory and let her laugh among the stars, but don’t trap her here.”
He could feel Tala’s tremors, and his chest loosened when she clutched at his wrist, holding his hand in her lap. He watched her fight through her emotions, her throat moving as she swallowed, and then she blinked to keep the pooling tears at bay.
He cupped her face, his voice softening as he added, “Let her go, awéé, and honor her with your strength.”
Tala let out a shuddering breath and slowly leaned forward until her forehead pressed against the center of his bare chest. Warm puffs of air fell against his skin and a long minute passed before she choked out, “I’ll try.”
Relief left him tightening his hold, but it was short lived. Ash, who had been sitting in front of them, suddenly rose to all fours. His focus aimed at the lingering haze drifting along the dark edge of the woods. His low growl rumbled ominously as he lowered his head, the fur along his spine rising in warning.
The soft woman in his arms disappeared, replaced by the warrior as she rolled out of his arms and to his side, coming up in a crouch. They rose to stand side by side, their magic moving in tandem toward the unseen threat. Recognition flowed back as their power lit up the night and revealed the two wolves standing just outside Tala’s wards. The larger of the two sat first, before the second followed his example.
“Toby.” There was no trace of Tala’s previous emotional upheaval, just a cool greeting from one leader to another. “Kind of late for a visit, isn’t it?”
The larger wolf canted its head, tongue lolling to the side as his lips pulled back in a canine grin.
Tala considered the alpha, and only Cheveyo heard her sigh as she stepped forward, moving away from him and out into t
he yard. Ash fell in at her side while Cheveyo held his position and played silent sentinel. When Tala stopped and opened her wards to let Toby in, Cheveyo’s magic slipped into position.
Proving shifters were every bit as sensitive to magic as the Magi, the alpha turned his stare to Cheveyo who simply raised his eyebrow in challenge. After everything that went down tonight, his trust of late night visitors was at an all time low.
Toby sneezed then rose and stepped over the ward. He and his companion stopped a few feet from Tala and Ash and waited.
Cheveyo wasn’t surprised when Tala asked, “Cheveyo, could you grab a couple pairs of sweats for our guests?”
He shot the two wolves a pointed look and reconfigured his magic to narrow its focus to the shifters.
Toby’s lips pulled back in a silent snarl.
“Consider it a precaution, Alpha,” Cheveyo advised with lethal intent. “We’ve had a damn long night, and I’m not feeling all that social right now.”
Toby gave a full body shake and resettled on his haunches.
Taking the move for consent, Cheveyo made quick work of unearthing a couple pairs of sweats for the two shifters. He stopped just behind Tala, who turned to face him in an attempt to give the two shifters a modicum of privacy for their shift. He waited until the two wolves were replaced with naked men, before tossing over the sweats. “We’ll meet you inside.” Then he turned and followed Tala back to the cabin.
He nabbed a couple of towels from the bathroom before rejoining her in the kitchen. They didn’t say anything as they tried to mop up the results of the night’s storm. He left his towel hooked over his neck, and Tala managed to blot most of the rain from her face. Thankfully her clothes were light enough they were already drying out. They left the sliding door open for the shifters and to air out the cabin.
By the time Toby and Will padded in barefoot, she was pulling down glasses from the cabinet. “I’ve got tea or water, or I can start a pot of coffee.”
The two wolves took their seats at the dining room table. “Water’s fine,” Toby assured her. “Last thing I need is coffee.”
“Same, please,” muttered an exhausted looking Will.
Cheveyo leaned against the sink’s edge, facing the dining room, content to play observer.
Tala set a water-filled glass in front of each wolf then shot him a chiding look. Heeding her silent reprimand, Cheveyo stifled his beleaguered sigh and joined them at the table.
“What happened?” Tala was the first to break the faintly tense silence.
“Shouldn’t that be my question?” Toby leaned back in his chair.
Tala didn’t pick up his volley, simply stared at him and waited.
Toby ran a hand through his hair, then dropped it to scratch at his bare chest. “We were out running, saw the smoke—”
“And where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Will finished in a laconic drawl.
Toby shot him a look, before continuing, “We figured we’d better swing by, just in case.”
Tala shook her head and drew absent patterns on the table. “I appreciate your concern, but we’re fine.”
Toby eyed her. “Uh huh, which explains why you look like someone dragged you through hell backward.” He turned to include Cheveyo. “Both of you.”
“It’s been a long night,” Cheveyo said.
“Very long,” added Tala, earning a sharp look from Toby.
“Funny, that seems to be a reoccurring theme up here.”
Will’s sarcastic observation brought Tala’s head up, and her eyes narrowed. “You two weren’t just out for a run, were you?”
Unsurprised by Toby’s headshake, Cheveyo prompted, “Care to explain?”
The two wolves exchanged a look, then Toby answered, “After this morning’s Triune meeting, we decided it might be best to keep an eye on things.”
Had the Triune only been this morning? Damn. Rubbing a hand over his face, Cheveyo braced for more troublesome news.
Tala’s head snapped up, color riding high on her cheeks. “You’ve been spying on us?”
Cheveyo gave Toby credit, the alpha barely blinked at her lash of temper. Nor did he disappoint as he confirmed, “You can consider it spying, we consider it being prudent.”
“And it wasn’t just you,” Will offered unhelpfully.
The knot in Cheveyo’s gut tightened. At the Triune, the wolves indicated they had suspicions of who could be working against Tala, and Cheveyo had a sinking feeling that things were about to take a very nasty turn. “Who else?”
Toby didn’t fail to deliver. “Teagan and Hadley.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Torn between fury and hurt disbelief, Tala sat there for a moment, absorbing Toby’s words. Since fury offered surer footing, she went with it, not bothering to hide the edge of power slipping into her voice. “What gives you the right to spy on me or my people, Alpha?”
Toby straightened in his chair and leaned forward, forearms braced on the table, and his face wiped clean of his earlier amicable demeanor, in its place was unyielding surety. “The safety of my wolves will always trump diplomacy, Magi Whiteriver.”
An alpha in her own right, and undaunted by his banked anger, she held his furious gaze. “I am no threat to you or your wolves.”
His smile was tight. “Perhaps, but the same can’t be said of your people.”
Calling on every ounce of control, she pulled together her battered patience and gritted out, “Why those two?”
Will cleared his throat, and when both Toby and Tala turned to him, his face tightened, but his voice was rock steady, “Both of their names came up when we went digging through the rumors we mentioned at the meeting.”
Unable to stay seated, Tala pushed up from the table and stalked to the glass patio doors. The night wind drifted through, laced with smoke. Her reflection stared grimly back, and, in the dark surface, she could make out the three imposing, bare chested men at the table as they watched. Any other time she might actually appreciate the scenery, but right now, not so much.
If they were waiting for her to break, they could wait until hell froze over. Thanks to the thrice-cursed spell that tore open her soul, the possibility of betrayal by her cousin and friend barely made a ripple. “And since both are part of the Triune, you didn’t mention their names at the meeting.”
“Discretion and valor and all that,” Toby said. “After this morning’s meeting, I wanted to make sure we didn’t have to deal with any more possible ‘misunderstandings.’”
She couldn’t fault his logic. Realistically, if their positions were reversed, she would’ve done the same. And it was something she should’ve realized earlier, except between the Triune, rushing to Rory’s side, and that damn spell, her capacity for crisis management had long passed critical mass.
“How long have your wolves been on watch?” The intensity behind Cheveyo’s question had her turning.
Toby looked at Will, who answered, “Since we left the meeting.” He looked at Tala. “After spending a couple hours in her realtor office, Teagan came here. She didn’t leave until you two returned.”
Tala shared a look with Cheveyo before asking, “Did she have any visitors?”
Will nodded. “Danny stopped by, stayed for about an hour. Hadley dropped in for about twenty minutes during the afternoon.” He grimaced and grudgingly added, “Can’t tell you more than that.”
Because her wards were too strong to get through. She allowed a tight smile.
Unfortunately, Will’s recitation didn’t do a thing for thinning her and Cheveyo’s suspect pool.
“And Hadley?” Cheveyo inquired.
Will sat back and folded his arms over his chest. “After visiting Teagan, she spent the rest of her day at her office then headed home.”
Catching the drift of where Cheveyo was headed, Tala turned to Toby. “How long did your wolves watch my house?”
Toby shared a look with Will then answered, “Only until you returned.”
&nb
sp; “And yet, you just happened to be running by at…” She looked at the clock on the wall. “…two-thirty in the morning?”
Toby’s lips curled with a wry twist. “Actually, yeah, since it seems to be the only time I get a little me time.” He shot Will a sidelong glance and corrected, “Well, as much me time as a damn alpha can get nowadays.”
His unexpected answer created a pinhole in Tala’s temper, and she felt the night’s tension drop a notch. Her shoulders relaxed, and she gave a soft snort. “Hate to break it to you, but you better get used to it. The whole mantle of authority is highly overrated.”
“And does a number on your privacy,” Cheveyo chimed in. “It’s like your people forget why you ended up in the position in the first damn place.”
“Considering Chay isn’t hovering around, I bet you drive your people nuts with the way you ditch your escorts,” Will grumbled.
Cheveyo’s answering smile was slow in coming and edged with sardonic humor. “My ‘escorts,’ as you put it, understand the best way to do their jobs is to give me space to do mine. It’s an arrangement we’ve all agreed to live with.” His smile faded under a return of seriousness as he turned back to Toby. “However much it rankles right now, it’s probably best to continue keeping your First and Second close.”
“No doubt,” Toby agreed, despite the disgruntled look on his face.
Tala walked back to the table, retook her seat, and got the conversation back on track. “While you were on your run, did you happen to catch a glimpse of whoever may have set the fire?”
Will shook his head. “We weren’t close enough. We didn’t head over until we scented smoke. By the time we got here, you two seemed to have it under control.”
She frowned. “No scents, no trail?”
“Nothing,” Toby said, his voice grim. “Mixing rain and fire is a great way to wipe out scent trails, and we didn’t see any signs of passage.”
Fires weren’t the only possible explanation. Under normal circumstances, she’d be reluctant to share, but this situation was so far from normal. Not to mention she wasn’t comfortable leaving the wolves blind to a possible vulnerability. “A skilled castor could do the same with a complex concealment spell.”
