But his mother came to my door. Told me to fight for her son. How could he be at odds with them when she dictated I try to patch things up?
His forefinger tapped under my chin before putting just enough pressure to raise it, encouraging my eyes to meet his once more. "It appeared that way for a bit. Until my mother intervened."
I stared at him as my mouth gaped open.
A small smile began to form. "Yes. It shocked me too. But she stood toe to toe with my father and told him to basically stay out of my love life." His low chuckle followed. "Now that was a sight to see."
"I guess so." Thoughts blurred inside my head as I tried to make sense of what he was trying to say.
He sobered a bit. "Mother pointed out a few other things to me. About how I was too much like my father in some instances, namely work and how much of myself was given to the Familia." He reached up to cup my cheek as he retained eye contact. "She's right."
"What does that mean?" I whispered.
"That I'm learning to juggle my responsibilities, but no longer will you be at the bottom of my totem pole. In fact, you get to go straight to the top."
"To the top of your pole?"
A wicked smile flashed on his face. "The very top."
With a blink, I felt the building tension slowly ease, allowing my muscles to relax, my shoulders to relocate to their normal position instead of the turtle pose they attempted to replicate before.
Leaning in, he nuzzled my cheek before whispering saucily in my ear, "I happen to like it very much when you slide up and down my pole."
Oh, boy.
Chapter 13
"Feel up to a tour of the pride grounds?" Meat intertwined his fingers with mine, bringing our bound hands up for a kiss.
"Sure." I jotted this down as another attempt to allow me into his life more, to trust me with his pride. Besides, a few hours with the sexiest man on earth never hurt.
With a grin, he led me through the door, hit a well-worn trail, and played informative tour guide. He pointed out houses and shifters, introducing me to a few who happened to be close by. While each greeted me politely, they also stared at me with a mixture of confusion, amusement, and haughtiness.
"This is the records house." The liger led me up to the front glass door.
"What's a records house? Like a library?" I peered through the door, but the sun's glare made seeing anything near impossible.
"Think of it as a museum with records of our pride back thousands of years."
I glanced up at him. "Thousands of years? Wow. Shifters were around that long ago?"
He chuckled. "Baby, we can live a thousand years each, barring accidents or pissing the wrong person off. When you consider that, it's not a big leap to go back three or four generations or more and come up with thousands of years in the past."
"Good point."
Pulling open the door, he ushered me inside. The walls were covered with pictures, paintings, and even a couple of tapestries. Two shelves were lined with floor to ceiling book shelves, crammed with books of all sizes and colors. To the left, a desktop computer sat at a large wooden desk. And straight ahead, glass cases covered presumably the most important or valuable objects.
"Wow."
"Yeah, it's quite a collection."
"Tygerius. A moment." Meat's father's voice boomed through the small area. Micah stood with the door open and gestured at his son.
Meat looked at me apologetically. "I'll be right back. Why don't you look around while I'm gone?"
I nodded and watched him leave, my eyes locking on his exquisitely shaped rear covered by light blue denim. Boy howdy.
No sooner had the door shut behind them both than I made a beeline for the far wall and the cases. A radiance of color caught my attention. Slowly stepping closer, I gasped with recognition. The Talisman Stone sat on a small pedestal covered by a glass cube, very reminiscent of how I first saw the rock sitting at the city museum. Only, I figured this time, if I tried to lift the lid, even with magic, I'd be caught red-handed. A large extended family full of magic-bearing shifters would guard against such.
Reds, blues, purples, and oranges sparkled in the dim light, making a cascade of beauty and a promise of goodness.
Come to think of it, goodness might be a bit over-exaggerated. Sure, the stone brought a dinosaur to life, but barring a few paleontologists, most people would prefer the huge beast remain extinct rather than find a new favorite snack, namely humans. I could live without the silly beast waking up again and viewing me as a Twinkie.
While pretty, the stone held little appeal to me.
"Are you sure about that?"
I startled and swung around to find an old man standing at the doorway. His gray hair and deeply cragged face spoke of age. Black eyes told of wisdom while his slightly bent body as well as the use of a cane put him probably toward the geriatric category of shifters.
"What?" He either read my mind or I'd lost mine.
"Are you sure the Talisman Stone has little appeal to you?"
Well, crap. The grizzled man can read minds. That particular ability never boded well for me. I shrugged. "I'm not sure the world needs live dinosaurs. That being the case, yeah, I'm sure."
He tsked as if I were an impatient child. More than likely he saw me as such, considering our potential age differences. "Can't see the trees for the forest."
"Huh?" Now he lost me.
"My dear, you don't realize the gift you carry. How rare and wonderful an ability. To work the Stone at all puts one in a select group. To bring objects back to life, it's unheard of."
"Objects? It was one dinosaur." I furrowed my brow. Why couldn't he just spit things out? Oh, yeah. Because shamans and wise men revel in convoluted twists and turns. My brain just wasn't sharp enough to read between the lines.
He shook his head. "It's not what you brought back to life, it's the fact you did so."
"Okay…" I studied him further, noticing a glimmer in his eyes. "I'm Shy, by the way."
For the first time, a grin lightened up the wrinkles in his face. "This I already know. The unusual human who has the young alpha's heart in her hands. The girl who can heal and teleport."
I snorted. "Someone hasn't been honest with you. My teleportation stinks."
He waved a hand dismissively. "A matter of concentration is all."
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I know lots of things, including you hold unlocked magical abilities deep inside." He walked over to stand beside me, staring at the stone under glass. "I know you can bring things back to life. People. Animals."
My brain hiccupped as I blinked at him. "Whoa. People?" I swallowed loudly.
He turned to meet my gaze. "Yes, my dear. People." He puffed out a deep breath. "You can bring back your deceased husband."
I covered my gasp with my hand. This conversation just declined from informative and quirky to downright scary. "How…?"
"You can work the stone, bring the dead back to life. Your precious husband, the love of your young life, as well."
My heart thumped loudly as I stared at him, trying to determine the truth to his words. I can bring Wills back to life? Excitement flared and hummed.
He nodded. "Yes, you can. However, a word of warning." Slowly, he shuffled back toward the exit. "Gifts aren't received without consequences or payments. Especially large ones such as the return of a life."
"But… the stone could bring my husband back?"
"Yes." With one final look, he pushed open the door and walked through.
For the longest time, I stood in place, still watching where the man had left. Thoughts flew through my mind like a high powered tornado, swirling, picking up bits and pieces, then rejecting some to plummet away. The possibility of having Wills back, safe and whole, called desperately to me. My dream for four years could come true. All I had to do was borrow the Talisman Stone again and whisper the magic words I used before in the museum. Then I could have my love back. We could share ou
r lives together as we always dreamed. Raise our twin sons. Life would be as it should.
Gifts aren't received without consequences or payments. Especially large ones such as the return of a life.
The warning dampened my enthusiasm as a shudder coursed through my body. I didn't know much, but did understand a few things. There was a consequence to each and every choice and action. Some sat firmly on the good side of the line. Others fell to the other with dramatic ramifications.
I could have Wills back, but what price would I have to pay for the greatest present of my life?
"Shy?"
Meat stuck his head through the door. Catching sight of me, a wide smile appeared on his face. "Ah ha. Found an old friend, huh?"
I forced a grin. "Something like that." With a final glance at the glittering rock, I hurried over to my boyfriend. "Can we finish that tour now?"
"Sure." He tilted his head. "You seem tense. What's up?"
I sighed, not wanting to ruin our day, but unable to lie to him either. "There was a very old man here, kinda creepy. Like he knew everything about me."
"You met Sawyer then."
"Sawyer?"
Meat took my hand and guided us down another trail. "He's the oldest of us. Over a thousand if the records are accurate. Gray headed with a cane?"
"That's him. It's like he knows everything about me."
Pulling me to a stop, Meat swung me around to face him. "He knows everything about everyone. No one knows how, but he always has. It's strange, even a bit frightening, but I can vouch that he only means well."
I nodded. This Sawyer wore a white hat. Good to know. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the dilemma he tossed into my lap. Unwilling to talk about the old man's words, I went up on tiptoe and brushed my lips over Meat's. He responded in kind, wrapping me tight in his embrace.
Moments later, he pulled back and met my gaze. "Okay now?"
"Yeah, he just rattled me is all."
"He's good at that. Believe me."
"You, too?"
Meat wrapped my hand in his and resumed our stroll. "Oh, yeah. When I was a youngster, he used to bug the crap out of me, making predictions, telling me things about myself that I didn't even know."
"And?"
"He was always right."
Chapter 14
"Mommy? Will you play a game with us?"
I glanced up from my dinner plate. "Sure, Chance. When we're done eating and the kitchen is cleaned up."
Sasha groaned. I couldn't help but smile at their youthful impatience.
"We're done." Chance nodded.
I checked their plates and didn't argue. "Okay. Go wash your hands and pick which game you want to play while I clean up the mess."
"Goody!" They literally ran out the kitchen door, and loud footsteps declared them on the way to the upstairs bathroom. Knowing them, they'd be in the living room in less than two minutes with the game already out of the box.
Standing, I gathered their plates and scraped the remainder of their meal into a scrap bucket used to feed the crows. My plate followed, though not much had been touched.
I couldn't get Sawyer's words out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.
The temptation proved oh so great. To have Wills back. The boys would have their father. I'd have my husband. We'd continue life where we left off, living in bliss and raising the boys together.
A nagging voice reminded me that while possible, that particular scenario would be the tip of the iceberg in options as well as the ideal. A whole gamut of other situations could happen. Certainly, I never knew details on how Wills died. What if he returned but was a quadriplegic? Or had no memory of me? Or worse, couldn't think, move, or interact any longer, dependent upon machines to keep his body alive?
A cold shudder coursed through my body. How would bringing him back under those circumstances be a gift? Instead of a happy reunion, the bittersweet renewal might be a trial of cruelty and torment. So many possibilities and none were more or less likely than the other. Truly a gamble dictated by fate. The chances of him being whole and perfect with all his faculties probably existed along the lines of winning the lottery. But to have him back. Oh, my dream for the past four years could come to existence and be so sweet. The things I'd tell him. Pictures of the boys. All the words I wished I'd said before he left. To have one more chance to tell him how I felt and explain about Meat.
Meat. I stacked the dishes in the dishwasher and sighed. What am I going to tell him? How can I choose one man over the other? Just by asking for access to the stone, I'd be telling my present boyfriend that I picked the potential for my deceased husband over him.
How could I look into Meat's eyes and tell him I wanted Wills back? After everything we'd been through. With his patience, his sense of humor, his love and devotion to my boys, which showed in his actions and their excitement whenever he dropped by. To them, Wills would be the stranger.
Indecision pressed my shoulders down and weighted my spirits. How do I choose one man who I love with all my heart right now over the man who owned my heart in the past?
"Mommy!"
"Coming." I closed the door on the dishwasher, washed my hands, and followed the sound of Sasha's voice.
Maybe an answer would come to me in the form of divine inspiration. I could only hope for some guidance and soon.
Chapter 15
"What's up with you? You've been quiet and distracted since we returned from the visit to the pride." We walked from the front door of the club and into the parking lot as Meat escorted me to my car. I'd dropped by earlier to watch him dance and spend a little time with him before heading home since the boys were at the parents' night out party at the daycare.
I looked up, met Meat's concerned gaze, and knew I had to lay everything on the line. "Remember Sawyer spoke to me?"
"Yeah."
"You said he's never wrong."
"As far as I know he's never been. But it's still possible. Why do you ask?"
I plucked at imaginary lint on my shirt. "He told me with the stone's help, I had the power to bring Wills back from the dead."
Meat's mouth fell open. "He what?"
"Since I brought the dinosaur back from the dead at the city museum with the stone in hand, he told me I had unlocked magic, including the ability to bring back my deceased husband."
"That's a damn big difference and gamble. Magic doesn't always work out the way you want it to." He held my gaze as his voice lowered. "Didn't you say he was lost on a particularly dangerous and violent mission? What if you try it and he's a completely different man? What if he's a quadriplegic? Or a vegetable?"
I lowered my head, trying to process his words. He had a good point, ones that I'd vaguely tossed back and forth myself. Unfortunately, I still couldn't wrap my mind around the golden opportunity with a huge risk attached. "I know it's possible. The same way it's possible he could return safe and whole."
Running one large hand through his dark hair, Meat turned and walked a couple of steps before spinning back to me. "Are you going to do it?"
I chewed my bottom lip. "I don't know."
He sighed heavily. "Damn Sawyer."
"I agree." He tilted his head as bafflement flashed over his features. "Hey, it's not like I wanted to know that particular tidbit, which put me in a horrible position. I would've much preferred to remain ignorant."
He stared at me for a long moment, then pulled me into his snug embrace. "I know you loved your husband deeply. You wouldn't have waited four years to start dating again if you didn't."
A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed hard.
Meat pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "If you're positive after thinking about this for a while, I'll get the stone for you."
Astonished, I pulled back enough to peer up at him. "You'd do that for me?"
"Don't you realize your happiness means more to me than anything else?" His cobalt blue eyes flashed with truth and emotion.
My heart lurched. "Thank y
ou." The words seemed so inadequate, yet my overwhelmed mind refused to come up with anything better. How could I choose one over the other? By bringing Wills back, I was essentially turning my back on Meat. The impossible question remained unanswered.
Crack. Crack. Gunfire erupted from nearby, nearly deafening me with the loud blast. Meat slammed against the SUV behind him, banged his head, and crumpled to the ground.
Panicked, I dropped to my knees beside him. "Meat. Please. Say something." He remained silent even as his breathing became more labored. Blood pooled under his head while a smaller puddle stained his shirt.
Frantically, I searched for the shooter, not finding anyone close. Fear like I'd never known turned my blood to ice, set my heart to pounding through my chest, and sent my thoughts into a chaotic whirlwind. Meat lay shot and somewhere a deadly hunter more than likely stalked us like cornered prey. I forced my overwhelmed mind to basic functioning and concentrated on one task at a time.
"Oh my god. Just hang on. Damn it. Listen to me, you hardheaded cat. Stay with me. No matter what." With newfound courage and determination, I placed my hands on his chest and focused.
I had discovered my ability to heal in my mid-teens; however I never ventured into training or cared to admit the skill to many people. After all, I lived in a volatile world and acceptance remained elusive for many. My luck, someone would discover my magical abilities, declare me a witch, and try to burn me at a stake.
"I know you're out there, you son of a bitch. If you're not already dead, you soon will be."
The male voice sounded a distance away. I took a deep breath and set about stopping the river of blood from flowing from Meat's body. Keep him from bleeding out, then figure a way out of this nightmare. First things first.
Heat warmed my hands and entered Meat's body. I knew little about healing, just how to send the energy into the victim, where the waves seemed to know how to repair damage on their own accord. Good thing, since typically my abilities were only used to treat simple skinned knees and paper cuts. Gunshot wounds were way out of my league.
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