by Vella Day
Turn around and look at her, his wolf said. Being on earth has changed her.
He’d seen enough. Devon headed toward the conference room, trying to block the raging emotions swirling through him, as well as the fact his cock was pressing against his zipper. Unfortunately, the light steps following prevented him. Asking Kip to watch her meant his coworker was to keep her in his office, not walk behind her down the hallway.
No one ever listened. But just because she was there didn’t mean he had to acknowledge her. If Vinea wanted to come into the room with him, she’d have to walk through the closed door.
“Devon, please?” she begged.
He ignored her. As he entered the conference room, he glanced behind him, but Vinea was gone. Okay, that worried him.
“Where did she go?” he asked Kip.
“She just disappeared.”
It was for the best. “See if you can find her.”
“I’ll try.”
Inside the room were his dad and his uncle, along with Connor, Jackson, and Sam. “Where’s Rye?” Devon asked.
“Izzy just showed up, and he went to speak with her,” Connor said. “I assume you saw our unexpected visitor?”
“Vinea? Yes. She stopped by with some sob story about wanting forgiveness.”
Sam stiffened. “Vinea is here?”
Devon held up a hand as Sam started toward the door. “Hold on. I admit she’s evil, but I do think she has changed a little—softened since your attack.” While her hair was back to what he believed to be her natural auburn color, her eyes held a depth like never before.
Sam Pompley got in his face. “She’s fooling you, like she fooled all of us before.”
He hoped that wasn’t true, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to stake his life on it. “Remember, I told you I held her down against the pink quartz.”
You’re softening toward her, his wolf said with too much glee. I’m glad.
I most definitely am not. I just don’t need Sam to go off half-cocked after her, that’s all. No telling what she might try again.
You’re wrong.
“I know,” Sam shot back. “But then she kidnapped my cousin. Does that sound like someone who’s all goodness and light?”
Devon pulled out a padded chair from the table and sat down. “She’s had her say. I think she left, but I asked Kip to check.”
Jackson grunted. “Sam’s right. You were a fool once, Devon. I don’t want to see it happen to you again. That woman does something to your brain every time she comes near you.”
Vinea did more than just affect his brain, but he’d keep that fact to himself. “I won’t let her get to me this time.” What sounded like a deep growl came from the main area of the building, and all he could think of was that Vinea hadn’t left and was up to her old tricks. “I need to check that out.” She might have done something to Kip.
“I’m coming with you,” Connor said.
Devon and Connor shot out of the room then rushed down the hallway to the large room off the lobby. The scene before him took him by surprise. Izzy was holding her baby boy, Logan, while Rye was looking on. The part that didn’t fit was Vinea had her hand on Logan’s forehead. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were in a grimace. Kip was standing nearby.
“What’s going on?” Devon demanded. Surely, Rye remembered who she was.
Connor rushed up next to her, and Vinea stepped back and then staggered. Not thinking, Devon shot around Rye to steady her. Vinea opened her eyes, and when she looked up at him, he swore he could see into her soul. Inside was pain, an expression he didn’t think she was capable of experiencing.
“I wanted to help,” she said, her voice weaker than before. “That’s all.”
“Help?” Connor asked. “Since when do you help?”
“Logan has a raging fever,” she said. “I really was only trying to take it away from him.”
Izzy placed a hand on his arm. “Logan ate something this morning, and I think it might be poisoning him. I called Missy, but even her magic only helped a little. Rye could sense something was wrong and said to meet him here to decide what to do.”
The pain crisscrossing Vinea’s face almost hurt Devon. Once he made sure Vinea was stable, he let go, his hand burning at the touch. With sweat beading on her forehead, Vinea stepped away, her face pale. As much as he didn’t want to care, he did. “Are you okay?”
Her lips seemed to want to smile, but she appeared to be struggling. “I just need to sit for a moment.”
Devon led her over to the sofa. “Would you like a glass of water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Dev, please,” Connor chastised.
Right now, he didn’t need his brother’s scorn, but it would help remind him not to get sucked into her siren ways.
Izzy passed Devon’s nephew to Rye. “I think he’s improving,” she said.
Connor moved closer to his oldest brother and placed the back of his hand on Logan’s forehead. “He’s still hot to me.”
“Connor, why don’t you get the meeting started. Rye and I will be right in.” Devon didn’t need his headstrong brother to cause any more problems. That was Vinea’s job.
His brother glanced between Vinea and Devon. “Sure, but watch her.” With that, he strutted off.
While Devon wasn’t sure what he believed about Vinea, he didn’t need Connor stirring the pot. As soon as Connor left, Devon poured Vinea a glass of water and took it over to her. He then sat across from her, partially because he wanted to make sure she didn’t try anything else. He also had to ensure she wasn’t really sick. While Vinea looked human, she was still a goddess, or so he assumed.
Rye stroked Logan’s forehead. “Izzy, his fever is gone!” With the baby in his arms, he walked over to the sofa across from Vinea and sat down. “How were you able to heal him?” His older brother’s tone was filled with awe.
Vinea smiled weakly, as if it took her effort. “Once the evil left my body, I was able to heal people. Personally, I think it was meant to be a curse for me, or some kind of punishment, because after I draw out the illness, I’m affected. I’ve never had any long term effects, but I do feel a lot of pain.”
Izzy rushed over and sat down next to Vinea. Devon wanted to tell her it was some kind of goddess trick. Sure, she might have cured Logan, but it had to be a ploy.
“Will you be sick for long?” Izzy asked.
“I hope not. So far, my immune system has been holding up. I’ll be back to normal in maybe twenty minutes, but those minutes are not pleasant.” She sipped her water.
Devon stood. “I have a meeting to attend.” Rye needed to be there too, but perhaps he had doubts about Vinea and would want to stay.
Instead, Rye stood and handed a sleeping Logan over to Izzy. “You should take him home. He needs to rest.”
Izzy cradled the baby in her arms and then touched Vinea. “Thank you.”
“Sure.” She looked up at Devon. “Mind if I sit here for a few minutes?”
He’d look like a real cad if he said no. Besides, even if he tossed her out, she could reappear at will. “Sure. Take all the time you need.” He nodded to Kip who motioned he’d keep watch.
With that he rushed toward the hallway with Rye at his heels.
*
Vinea felt like crap, but the pain and nausea would pass. While she was thrilled to be able to help Logan, she questioned her own motives. The moment she saw the baby having difficulty breathing, her heart went out to him. Poor little fellow seemed to be in such distress. Without thinking, she had rushed over and placed a hand on his forehead, despite Kip telling her to stop. Izzy’s hold had tightened, and Rye actually growled, but once she told them what she was doing, they calmed down. It only took a minute to draw out the fever and his pain.
Vinea wondered if she had cured the child because she felt sorry for the baby, or had she hoped that Rye, the Clan’s Alpha, would decide to support her? After all, he was Devon’s older brother.
&n
bsp; If nothing else, Vinea was practical. Reaching Devon would take a whole lot more than helping his nephew. Devon was skeptical by nature—or at least he’d become more so after Vinea had tricked him one too many times. His job meant the world to him, and she understood that. Curing a sick baby, while nice, wouldn’t convince him she’d changed. The only thing that would help would be if she aided in taking down the Changelings.
Vinea had to inwardly chuckle. To those in Silver Lake, the Changelings were these terrible creatures. Compared to those in the dark realm, they were tame. Nonetheless, they harmed people, and that had to stop. Who else but a goddess could get the job done?
Feeling a little better, Vinea wanted to try something new. Sure, she could disappear at will—if that was even the right word—and appear someplace else, but she could be a little directionally challenged sometimes. At least by her second attempt, she would usually be at her desired location. This meeting that Devon was attending seemed very important. If their Clan’s Alpha was in attendance, it could only mean one thing: the Changelings were acting up again.
If she had any chance of proving to Devon that she was a legitimately nice person, she’d have to help take these evil werewolves down. How she would do that Vinea had no idea, but sitting here wouldn’t get the job done.
“I’m going to head out,” she told Kip.
He crossed his arms. “Goodbye. I don’t think Devon wants you back.”
“I know.”
With a nod of her head, she disappeared, but instead of leaving the building, she hovered outside of the conference room door. Kip’s footsteps sounded down the hall. Most likely he planned to attend the meeting, which meant she’d have to maintain her shield of invisibility. Holding it for more than a few seconds, however, took a lot of strength and concentration. Rarely had she needed to stay invisible for longer than it took to go from one place to another. This clandestine activity would be quite a challenge.
Kip entered the conference room. Concerned voices sounded inside. Because she wouldn’t be welcome if she walked in, she floated through the door, hoping she didn’t suddenly take her human form. That could be catastrophic. Hell, then they’d never trust her.
Vinea planned on staying for only a short while, just enough to learn what was going on. Once inside, she looked around, recognizing most of the men in the room. While she’d never seen the two older gentlemen before, it was easy to guess who they were: Mr. McKinnon and Mr. Murdoch. Rye looked strikingly like his father, and Jackson was a spitting image of his dad.
Connor stood at a table on a raised platform that faced a large U-shaped table big enough to seat twelve. Devon and Rye occupied the end positions.
Connor glanced around to each and every member of the team. “While we lost a good man in Will, and he will be sorely missed, the good news is that Roger Devoe is out of surgery, but it’s still touch and go. The bullet missed his major organs.”
Mr. McKinnon’s shoulders sagged. “If the paramedics hadn’t been called, I bet he would have been able to shift and heal himself,” the elder McKinnon grumbled.
“Dad, some things can’t be controlled,” Connor said.
“I know. That’s why I told Roger time and again that he was too damn old to be a guard on an armored truck.”
“He knew the risks,” Connor said.
She had to conclude that someone had tried to rob the truck, and gunshots were exchanged.
“Is anything being done for the Rosewood family?” Devon asked.
Connor nodded. “After the funeral for Will, Lexi started working on a fundraiser for his wife and children. I know she’s placed a few ads in the paper for help too. Will had two kids, one being a newborn. It’s such a shame. He will be missed.”
They all bowed their heads for a moment. Vinea had never seen anything like it. The sorrow in the room was almost palpable, and even her own soul had turned heavy. When she too bowed her head, one of her hands appeared. Dear Androf. Heart beating hard, she focused on remaining invisible. She couldn’t go until she at least learned who they suspected of the robbery. Knowing the McKinnons, and this team, they’d blame it on the Changelings. Though from what she knew of them, they might be guilty.
“Did you learn anything else?” the elder Mr. Murdoch asked Connor.
“Rye? You want to tell us what you know?” Connor asked.
“I’ve asked around to see if anyone has heard anything, but so far there haven’t been any rumors. Personally, I’m voting for the Changelings to be behind this.”
Told ya!
Connor held up a hand. “I don’t want to accuse anyone without proof, but the craft store is up for sale, and the map Jackson has indicates there is sardonyx under it. Maybe they needed the money to help pay for the purchase.”
Mr. Murdoch had a piece of paper in front of him and was taking notes. Seeing how everything was so state of the art around here, she would have thought he’d have a tablet or a phone to record the proceedings. “So they might have motive,” the father said.
Rye nodded.
“How much did they take?” Mr. McKinnon asked.
Connor looked over at Jackson who scrolled through his tablet. “It looks like a little less than fifteen thousand. Will was able to press the alert button in the van, and the cops were out the door in seconds. We’re guessing the thieves heard the sirens and then high-tailed it out of there, which would explain why so little was taken.”
“Did the cops see what happened?” Mr. McKinnon asked.
“No. When they arrived, they found Will dead in the front seat, the back door open, and Roger laying on the sidewalk bleeding. With so much of the money still in the back, the cops clearly had interrupted them.”
What a shame to die while trying to do a good deed. She wondered, if she were ever in that kind of situation, would a bullet kill her too? Before the cleansing, only cutting off her head would do the trick. Now? She wasn’t sure of her limitations. Maybe she shouldn’t take any chances with her life.
“Wasn’t the van equipped with cameras?” Mr. Murdoch asked.
“Yes, but the robbers wore masks,” Jackson said.
Connor nodded to him. “Tell the group what the bank’s doing about tracking the bills.”
“The bank knows the serial numbers of the stolen money, but because it’s not a lot of cash, it will be harder to trace, especially if the thieves spend a little at a time.”
“So what you’re saying,” his father said, “is that if they buy groceries, the money won’t be discovered until after the store deposits the money?”
“Yes and then there’d be no way of knowing who paid with that bill.”
“Well, shit.”
Vinea smiled. She liked Mr. McKinnon.
Once more, a foot appeared, and she now realized that every time she lost her focus, the ability to stay invisible decreased. Time to go. She had some work to do if she had any hope of helping.
Chapter Three
‡
Connor had asked Devon to come down from Pittsburgh with the express purpose of finding the murdering thieves. While happy to help his brother whenever he could, seeing Vinea again had put a sour taste in his mouth. His wolf, however, refused to stop rejoicing. Sure, she looked hot, especially with those long legs of hers, and goddess only knew, his mouth hadn’t stopped watering, but her deceitful behavior from the past spoiled all chance of them ever being together—cleansed or not.
“What do you think, Dev?” Connor asked.
Huh? “About?”
Connor’s brows furrowed. “Bro, if you can’t keep your head in the game, you might as well go back to Pittsburgh now.”
That stung. “No, I’m good.”
Connor nodded. “Okay then. One of us needs to speak with Roger, once he’s alert enough to talk. He might be able to tell us something, though I suspect he won’t add much, which means we’ll have to keep our eyes open and our ears to the ground.”
“Sounds good.” In other words, they had no idea wh
o killed Will. That sucked.
“Jackson, can you send the drone up to periodically check on the Changelings’ behavior?”
“I already have it programmed. We know where John Ernst lives and one or two of the other council members, but that’s all. We can’t track everyone.”
Connor nodded. “Do what you can.”
Sam leaned back in his seat. “I wish we could be a fly on the wall in that compound. Surely, they’d be discussing what to do with the money.”
Jackson sat up straighter. “If you’re suggesting Ainsley sneak in, I would prefer not to bring her into this. You all remember what happened the last time when she used her shield of invisibility. I don’t want a repeat performance.”
Connor nodded. “I agree. We’ll try to keep her out of this.”
Devon had an idea. “I’d like to speak with the owners of the craft shop to see if there’s been any interest in the sale. I went to school with Lydia, the owner. She might be willing to let me know who’s put in a bid.”
“What reason will you give her for wanting to know?” Connor asked.
Lydia was not a shifter, so he couldn’t discuss the Changelings. “I could say a few of the city council members have been worried that outsiders might come in and tear down her place. I could say I’d heard rumors that someone wants to put in an adult sex shop. Lydia would be appalled.”
His dad looked over at Uncle Daniel and then at the rest of the group. “How about I ask Lydia? I’m on the city council. It’ll make more sense coming from me.”
“Sure. That works,” Connor said.
That didn’t leave him with anything to do. “What’s my role?” Devon asked.
This time Sam answered. “How about making sure Vinea keeps out of our hair?”
His muscles tensed, and his stomach soured. That would require him to be close to her, watching her every move—assuming she didn’t disappear on him. If he said he’d rather not do that, they’d question his reason. He couldn’t say she altered something inside him, though he bet a few suspected it. “Why me?”
