He led me down a dimmed hallway I'd never seen. We arrived at two enormous glass doors. He opened one and gestured for me to go through. I entered a wide-open entry with a sprawling gold desk. Mirrors lined one wall that led down a brightly lit hallway.
On the other side was a waiting room with luxurious-looking leather sofas. Paintings of hot springs, mountains, and cherry blossoms lined the walls. A long fish tank with coral and bright fish sat in the corner. Soft instrumental music played in the background.
I took Carter's hand and walked over to the tank. I could identify most of the fish. That made me sad because I had no idea why I knew their names.
"Hello," came a soothing feminine voice from behind. A slender, beautiful girl about my age with hair flowing to her waist smiled at us. She gave a slight bow. "I'm Yurika. May I help you?"
Carter nodded. "This is my special guest, Victoria. Anything she wants is hers—and on the house."
Yurika clasped her hands. "My pleasure, Victoria. What can we get you started with?"
"One other thing," Carter said.
"Yes?" Yurika turned to him.
"If she likes it here, she may decide to assist you."
The girl's eyes lit up. "Oh, delightful. Things have been harried since—"
"Yes," Carter interrupted. "For now, she's the most important guest here. After her treatment, feel free to ask her about assisting—only if she's interested."
Yurika bowed. "Yes, Master Jag." She turned to me. "Are you ready, my lady?"
I glanced at Carter. He pressed his palms on either side of my face and his mouth came down on mine. Before I could react, he pulled away. "Enjoy yourself, beautiful. You deserve it."
My breath caught.
He held my gaze for a moment and then spun around and left. I couldn't look away from the closed door.
"What would you like to start with, my lady?" Yurika asked.
I turned to her, unable to answer.
"My suggestion is a facial when you're stressed. Clear your skin and your mind." She smiled sweetly.
"Okay."
She looped her arm through mine. "Follow me."
Chapter 13
Toby
I paced the length of the bar.
Tap shot me an annoyed glance. "You're scaring away my patrons."
"Seriously?" I fanned my arm around the busy room. Not a single customer was paying me an ounce of attention.
"Friend, you're driving me nuts." The troll scowled at me.
"Where is she?" I exclaimed.
"Soleil will be here when she's done. Do you think she can just walk into the Jag and tell your girlfriend to pucker up?"
"That would be nice."
"You and I both know it wouldn't go over well. Go home. I'll send her your way when she gets back. It could be hours." His bushy brows furrowed.
"I doubt my pack will be very excited about a valkyrie showing up."
"You're the alpha. Tell them to get over it."
My skin bristled at the thought. "I'm not a traditional alpha, Tap. I'd think you'd know that by now."
"You mean you're not your father."
A low growl escaped my throat.
"See? That's exactly what you meant."
"Right. I'm not a traditional alpha. I don't treat my guys like dirt or the women like objects." The wolf inside me clawed to get out and attack something. Being that it was so close to the full moon, turning was possible but it would wreak havoc physically. I pushed him down.
"You can still tell your pack to chill when Soleil arrives. They're doing pretty well with that vampire in your home." Tap arched a brow.
I nodded, but didn't want to mention that I had used the alpha card to convince some of them to relax. Anyone following me knew I was against the ancient werewolf-vampire animosity. Hatred, really. Too many wars had been fought, too many lives lost. It was pointless.
Any werewolf who followed me had to agree to act in peace toward all other supernaturals.
"They are doing okay with her, right?" Tap asked, breaking my thoughts.
"Yeah, no one would dare cross either Jet or me." Ziamara was the lone vampire living in my home because she was Jet's wife. They'd met under my watch, years earlier when I'd been training Jet.
"So, they'll be fine with Soleil."
"An angel of death is of a slightly different caliber than a vampire."
"How so?" I asked.
"I'm pretty sure our blood isn't toxic to valkyries."
"Fine. Sit down and have a drink. Just stop your bloody pacing."
"Oh, all right. You win."
Tap wandered over to the liquor. "What do you want?"
"Surprise me." I pressed my face against my palms and shook my head. What would Soleil learn about Victoria? If she couldn't remember me, what else had she forgotten? And along the same lines, how much would the valkyrie be able to read if Victoria herself didn't know the answers?
A glass hit the counter next to my elbow.
"Try that," Tap grunted.
I glanced up to see the same rainbow drink Soleil had ordered earlier. "What is that?"
"I said try it." He folded his arms.
It bubbled and seemed to shine with glitter.
"Seems a little girly for me."
"Wuss," Tap muttered.
I grabbed the glass and swallowed the drink in one gulp. It tasted of citrus and other fruits, and practically fizzled and popped in my mouth. The sensations continued down my throat and into my stomach.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
It left me with a strange mixture of relaxation and energy. I wasn't as worried as I'd been, nor did I feel like pacing—I was ready to run a marathon.
"You wanna head home, and I'll send the valkyrie after you?"
I wiped my mouth. "Yeah, sure."
Half of Tap's mouth curved up. "Glad to hear it. See you later."
"Have you been to my house?"
"The old Moonhaven mansion."
I nodded. We just called it Moonhaven, though that wasn't an important detail. As long as he could point Soleil there. "Thanks, Tap."
"Hope she remembers you."
"Me, too." I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping Soleil found something we could work with, and rose from the stool.
Someone bumped into me. "Hey, watch it."
I turned to see a vampire baring his fangs at me.
"Put those away," I told him. "My blood could kill you."
He jumped toward me, hissing. "I have a silver blade in my pocket, pal. That could kill you." He shoved my shoulder.
"I don't allow fighting in here," Tap said. "You wanna hang out at the Faeble, you get along with everyone."
The vampire's eyes turned red as he glared at Tap. "I could take you, shorty."
"You think so, huh?" Tap came around the bar and held up a fist toward the vampire. "Ever fought a troll?"
"Always wanted to." He lunged for Tap.
I grabbed his shoulders and threw him across the room. "Play by the rules or go home."
He rubbed his head and looked at his palm. "I'm bleeding. You two are going to pay." He ran toward us.
Several others from around the room jumped up from their tables and surrounded the vampire. He was outnumbered by about a dozen angry supernaturals.
"You mess with Tap, you mess with all of us," said a siren.
"Use your song on him," said a water faerie.
"Or I could send him to Valhalla." Soleil stepped around the group and glared at the vampire. Her wings spread open and her eyes turned black.
The vampire stumbled back, his pale skin now white as a sheet. "You're… you're…"
A smile spread across her face. "A valkyrie, yes. They don't like vampires in Valhalla."
He scrambled away, but Soleil blocked him with a wing, sending him to the ground. The vampire pulled himself up with a barstool. "I'm leaving, okay?"
Soleil shook her head, her eyes still deathly black.
"What?" the vampire squ
eaked.
"You owe Tap an apology for coming into his place of business and insulting him."
"I-I…"
She stepped closer to him. "He opens up the Faeble to all supernaturals—even the occasional pet human. All he asks is that everyone put aside their differences and get along. Is that really so much to ask of those he serves?"
The vampire gulped and shook his head. He turned to Tap. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. My friends, they told me to come in here and stand my ground against a werewolf. We-we could smell him from the woods. I was just turned a couple weeks ago, so I don't know all the rules."
Soleil put her hands on her hips. "Then I suggest you learn them. Around here, we stick together."
Tap stepped near the trembling vampire. "Wars have been started from less. If that's what you want—"
"No. I'm sorry. I'll j-just leave."
"Maybe you should."
The vampire ran past the group, stumbling over his own feet. Several others laughed and shook their heads.
"Stupid newbie," muttered the siren and went back to his seat.
Soleil's eyes turned back to green. They seemed a much more vibrant shade than when I'd spoken with her earlier. "Sometimes it pays to be an angel of death." She winked at Tap.
"I could've taken him," Tap huffed and headed back his place behind the counter.
"Oh, I know," Soleil practically sang. She grinned at me.
"Did you find Victoria?" I asked, ready to get down to business.
Her expression sobered. "Yeah. You want to go somewhere more private to talk?"
My heart plummeted. "Bad news?"
"Well…"
I turned to Tap. "Any of your private rooms available?"
He gestured down the hallway. "Take your pick."
"Lead the way, sailor," Soleil said.
"Sailor?" I asked.
She shrugged.
I went down the hall and into the first available room.
"What did you find out?" I closed the door behind us.
Soleil and I sat across the table from each other. She stared at me with her deep green eyes. I couldn't pull my attention away from them. The color was mesmerizing. That was probably one way she lured her prey.
"Her memory has been wiped—"
"Permanently?" I exclaimed.
"I wouldn't know, but I couldn't access what she didn't know. So there's that. Make of it what you will. But I was still able to pick up plenty for us to work with."
The room seemed to spin around me. "What did you find out?"
"She can't access any memories before she came here, and she suspects it has something to do with the jaguars, but has no idea they're shifters. In fact, it appears she has no idea about the supernatural world at all."
My mouth dropped. "But that wouldn't keep her from turning on the full moon."
"No, but being spelled would."
"Spelled? You mean by a witch?"
"I don't know of anyone else who casts spells."
"The curse can be broken with a spell?" I slunk into the chair.
"Seems to be." Soleil smacked her lips. "Spells always leave a foul taste in my mouth. Bleh."
"Tell me everything. Don't leave anything out." I sat up straight and stared at her.
"She feels a connection with you—"
"I knew it. I could see it in her eyes."
Soleil frowned. "It's not much, though. She doubts her own feelings."
My shoulders slumped. "Oh."
"But if I were you, I'd go after her. Make it so she can't doubt. Whatever you two had together, it was strong enough to leave remnants despite that spell. She can't remember her family or anything else about her past, but she does remember you."
"What, exactly?"
Light pink colored her cheeks. "This is where drinking people's essence gets uncomfortable. I experience their memories and feelings as though they were my own."
"Meaning?"
"Though she hasn't gotten close to you, she knows you smell good, feel nice, and are a great kisser. Every time she looks at you, those memories bubble to the surface."
My pulse raced. "That's something I can work with. If I brush my hand against hers, she might remember more. I can find the cologne I used to wear—"
"Aftershave. She liked the way it smelled with your soap."
"That's right," I whispered.
"But there's something you need to know." Her tone shot fear through to my very core.
"What?"
"She seems to be building a relationship with one of the young jaguars."
"Why?"
"He keeps taking her to the Jag. I've never seen anywhere nicer, outside of a castle. I can't blame the girl. I'd start to fall for someone who took me there, too."
"No wonder she wasn't impressed with me buying her lunch today at the cafeteria."
Soleil put her hand on mine. "She's confused. Feels alone. Don't take it personally."
"Is there a way to get her memories back?"
"If I were you, I'd find a witch and try to get to the bottom of the spell. I'd also try to spend as much time with her as possible. Tutor her or something, but don't sit around while that young leader woos her."
"He's a leader?"
She nodded. "Next in line to be their version of an alpha."
"Why are the jaguars interested in her? They view werewolves as bottom feeders. Trailer trash. Algae in the pool of life."
"They like her." Soleil shrugged. "She's a daughter of an alpha. Maybe they don't have one in the jaguar world. Jags have to marry by a certain age, or they can't be alpha, right?"
"I wouldn't know. How close is the guy who's pursuing her?"
"No idea, sorry."
I rubbed my aching neck. "None of this makes sense."
"She's back from the dead and remembers your sexy kisses. Use that to your advantage."
"I'm her professor!"
"What's more important? The love of your life or a job? If you really need money—"
"I don't. It's just to blend in with the humans. They already whisper about us because we live on private property in the middle of the woods. You wouldn't believe some of the rumors going around."
"Then don't worry about getting fired. Once Victoria remembers you, you guys can go anywhere. You can even just stay in the woods."
"And we need to act fast. Her body's going to start to deteriorate if she doesn't shift soon."
"Maybe the spell protects her from that. But I'd be more worried about the jaguar. He's probably close to the age of marrying."
"So?"
"He could be banished from his place in his family if he doesn't marry in time—and he definitely has his sights on Victoria."
My nostrils flared. "If he marries her, he won't live to see his next day."
Chapter 14
Toby
Brick came into my study. "Dinner's ready."
"I'm not going to eat with you guys tonight."
He tilted his head. "Everything okay?"
"No."
"Food will help. Time with your pack, too."
"I appreciate your concern, but not tonight." I felt bad saying no because meal times were so important to the pack—dinner in particular. We had large appetites and we tended to bond over a good feast.
"You're our alpha. It won't be the same without you."
"I said no," I snapped.
Brick stood taller and his expression turned stoic. "Yes, sir."
"Wait, Brick."
He spun around and left the room.
I stared at my—blank—notes for the next day's lessons and threw them across the room. "Damn it!"
Not much stung worse than being at odds with anyone in my pack. The only thing worse was being apart from Victoria—and knowing that a pompous jaguar was trying to win her over that very moment. The thought of the arrogant jerk staring into her eyes and running his hands through her hair was enough to distract me from everything else.
I was going to have to wing i
t in class the next day. Luckily I knew math like the back of my hand.
Grumbling and shuffling sounded from the kitchen. I needed to get my mind off Victoria long enough to get through dinner.
Sighing, I picked up the strewn papers and shoved them on my desk. I took a deep breath and stormed into the kitchen.
A dozen sets of eyes glanced up at me. Eleven of my pack mates and one rainbow-haired vampire.
"Toby?" Jet asked, eying me warily.
"I'm just on edge." I turned to Brick. "I apologize for the way I spoke to you in there."
He looked down. "You don't have to, sir."
"Yes I do, and in front of everyone. I have no right to snap at you—any of you." I took a deep breath. "I haven't told you what's going on, and you deserve to know."
They all exchanged curious and worried glances.
I sat at my spot at the head of the long table and took another deep breath. "Victoria is here on the Peninsula."
Gasps and whispers filled the table.
"Why isn't she here?" asked Ziamara. She was not only the lone vampire in Moonhaven, but the only female, too. She was probably eager for Victoria to join us.
My mouth formed a straight line as I considered my wording. "She's having some memory issues."
"What do you mean?" Jet asked.
I hated to say it out loud, but I had to tell my family. "She doesn't remember me."
"Sir!" Brick exclaimed.
"She also doesn't realize she's a werewolf. Someone found a way to get around the curse, and she hasn't shifted."
Mouths dropped and eyes widened.
"I'm trying to figure out how to resolve all of this."
"Have you talked to Gessilyn?" Ziamara asked.
"Not yet. I'm working with someone named Soleil. If she stops in here, I want everyone to welcome her."
"What is she?" asked Dillon, one of my newer pack members.
"Don't freak out," I said.
"I think you just assured we would," Jet said.
"She's on our side." I narrowed my eyes.
"What is she?" Dillon asked again.
"A valkyrie."
Gasps and worried exclamations went around the table. A few jumped out of their chairs.
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