Entangled Interaction

by Cheyenne Meadows

  "Please. You have to live. Just stay with me. I'll get you…"

  "Paybacks are hell." A male voice drew my attention from my critically injured boyfriend. Glancing over, I found a light-haired man of medium build leveling a handgun at me.

  "You're the dancer who distracted me while he closed in on me. Hot damn, it's my lucky night after all."

  I struggled to maintain my attention on the healing process and hold a conversation with the shooter at the same time. "I don't understand."

  He sneered. "I had a nice little scheme going. Cull the next woman, play the role of her playboy, then take my just desserts before moving on to the next one. Until he intervened. Turned me over to the cops."

  My foggy brain latched onto a name. "Jack? Jack the Ripper-offer?"

  "Oh, you remember me. Too bad. I so love blondes, but can't have witnesses, either."

  He aimed the gun at Meat and then back to me. "Say your final prayer."

  "Wait." The warmth began to fade in my hands. Damn it. I forced myself to pour more energy into patching Meat as best as I could in the limited time before Jack decided to do me in as well. Desperate, I prayed for a way out of this mess. I could teleport Meat and me, but took the chance on Jack shooting before we flashed out. Not to mention the crazed idiot would just track us down again. If I could only turn his gun around…

  No sooner had I had the thought than Jack's hand began to turn, not stopping until he looked down the barrel of his own revolver. His eyes widened as fear covered his face in the lights of the parking lot.

  "What are you doing? Stop it! Stop it right now."

  I might not have been able to help Wills but, by damn, I wasn't about to sit there and let some revenge-seeking crazy guy kill the man I loved again. Not when I could do something about it. Rage and determination drove me to the edge. I pushed harder.

  "No!"

  I closed my eyes, pictured his finger pulling the trigger, and sent one final mental surge.

  Bang. Thud. Clang.

  When I opened my eyes again, I found Jack lying on the ground, the gun flung a few feet away. He didn't move, and I didn't bother to go investigate. Instead, I pictured Meat's parents' house and teleported us out.

  In a blink, we ended up in the floor of their living room. I immediately started screaming for help as I poured my attention back to healing my boyfriend.

  Running footsteps announced the cavalry had arrived.

  "What happened?" Micah kneeled at Meat's side.

  "He's been shot. I'm trying to stabilize him, but…" Tears began to fall in earnest. "He can't die. Not now. Please, let him live." I don't know if I begged Micah or a higher power, but it didn't matter. I'd give anything for my boyfriend to sit up, wrap me in his arms, and declare himself healthy as a horse.

  Daphne ran in, dragging an older man in her wake. "The healer is here."

  He went to his knees, checked Meat's carotid pulse and frowned. His gaze met mine. "What happened?"

  "He was shot. Once or twice. I don't know. When he went down his head banged on a car. I've been trying to heal…" My words faded on a sob.

  The healer placed his hands on Meat's chest, murmured some foreign words, and gave a small nod. "Let's get him to bed, and I'll see what I can do."

  Before I could utter a sound, Micah, Meat, and the healer disappeared.

  Daphne latched onto my elbow. "Shy? Come on. Let's get you cleaned up while the men work."

  I looked up into her worried face and found compassion. For the first time, I glanced at my hands and clothes, finding more blood than I cared to see. "Will he…?"

  "He's in the best hands. The fact the healer took time to move him comforts me."

  I nodded, suddenly worn out from the whole ordeal. Worry and guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders. "Let me arrange for someone to pick up the boys first." Grabbing my cell phone, I punched in a familiar number. "Jessica?"

  "Shy?"

  "I need a huge favor."

  "Anything."

  "Can you please pick up the boys from daycare for me?"

  "Sure. Aren't you going to be home tonight?"

  "I don't think so." I sucked in a breath. "Meat was shot. I got him to his parents. The healer is with him now."

  "Oh, no. Is he going to be okay?"

  "They think so, but I want to be here…"

  "Understandable. Don't worry about a thing. I'll get the boys and take care of them until you get home. Tell Meat that I wish him a speedy recovery."

  "My car is still at Meat's club."

  "We'll get it back as well."

  "Thanks, Jessica. You're a godsend. I'll check in with the boys no later than the morning. I don't want them to worry."

  "I'll tell them you got tied up at work or something. It'll be okay. Take as long as you need."

  "I never can thank you enough."

  "Just go be with your man." She clicked off.

  "Everything set?"

  "Yeah. My roommate is going to take care of them for me."

  "Good. Let's get washed up."

  I stood up and followed Daphne to the bathroom.

  Thirty minutes later, I sat on the living room couch, fresh from a quick shower. Daphne offered to lend me clothes. When I declined, she snapped her fingers, and my jeans and pink blouse appeared wrinkle free and clean as if they just came out of the dryer.

  Pulling my waist-length blonde hair into a ponytail, I stared across the room, impatient to receive word about Meat's condition.

  "Patience, dear." Daphne spared me a small smile.

  "It's tearing me up. I need to be with him."

  "And you can, in a couple of minutes." A male voice entered the conversation.

  I twisted around to see the healer emerging from a long hallway.

  "Is he going to be okay?" I jumped up and rushed over.

  "Yes, thanks to you."

  "Me?"

  He studied me for a long moment. "Why haven't you been trained as a healer?"

  I shrugged. "My grandmother thought it unwise with the unstable society we lived in at the time. Besides, I'm human. Who would I train with? People would label me a witch or worse."

  The gray-headed man slowly nodded. "You might reconsider that. Because you were able to seal off the blood pouring into his chest and lungs, you bought enough time for me to finish your work."

  I toed the floor, uncomfortable with the praise.

  He reached out and lifted the sleeve of my blouse. "Why didn't you tell me you were hit?"

  Lifting my arm, I found a groove where a bullet grazed the muscle of my upper arm. Despite my cleaning up, I hadn't known the wound existed. "I didn't feel it. Didn't realize…"

  He covered the area with one large hand. Heat sparked, then faded as quickly as it appeared. When he lifted his fingers, any evidence of a bullet wound had been removed, replaced by healthy tissue with not even a scab or scar.

  "Wow."

  The corner of his mouth hitched up. "You're welcome." He turned his attention to Daphne. "Micah is sitting with him now. Tygerius will probably sleep the rest of the night. I'll be back early in the morning to check on him."

  "Thank you." She ushered him to the door as I made a beeline where the shifter healer came from.

  Two doors down, I found Micah sitting beside a large bed occupied by my boyfriend. Softly, I walked in, took Meat's hand, and kneeled beside the bed. Watching Meat breathe normally, noting that color returned to his face, and feeling the natural warmth in his hand, I released a sigh of relief. The only thing missing was for him to wake up and chew me out for not running to save myself. Let him try. A ghost of a smile teased my lips.

  "Penny for your thoughts," Micah asked from the other side of the bed.

  I met his gaze for a brief moment before my focus returned to Meat. "I was just thinking when he wakes up he's going to read me the riot act for not running to save myself or at least to find help. He's always been quite vocal about his opinion on my safety."

  The corner of
Micah's lips hitched up. "Sounds like him." He stared at his son's face for a long moment. "Maybe this once, he'll realize he's pretty damn lucky. Most couldn't or wouldn't have done what you did."

  A tear leaked out. "I already lost one man I loved dearly. I just couldn't lose another." I met his gaze. "You see, he's my life, now and forever."

  Chapter 16

  Meat held his own throughout the night, sleeping deeply, yet comfortably. I stayed, sitting in a chair while holding his hand, lest he wake up. His parents took turns watching over him from the other side of the bed, no one willing to leave him alone for a second even though the healer promised the danger had passed and Meat would make a full recovery with no ill effects from his attack.

  The clock chimed six am. With a yawn, I looked over at Daphne. "Do you mind staying with him for a bit longer? I need to check on my boys for a few minutes."

  She smiled warmly, an expression that still astonished me, since prior to this, I'd only seen her cold, professional side. "Go ahead. I know you need to hug your children and see to them. The healer should be by soon to kick us all out anyway."

  Standing, I straightened and worked the kinks out of my back. Wooden chairs and bad posture for the majority of the night made for sore muscles the next morning. "Thank you. I won't be too long. Just enough time to feed them and get them to daycare…"

  She waved at me. "Go. I'll call if anything changes."

  "Thank you." I met her gaze. "For everything."

  "No, thank you. If you hadn't intervened…" Her face fell for a moment. She sniffed, patted Meat's hand, and a ghost of a smile appeared. "He's going to be just fine, thanks to you." Fixing me with her eyes, she nodded. "Now shoo. Take care of your kids."

  "I'll be back soon. Promise. If he wakes…"

  "I'll tell him where you are."

  "Thanks."

  With a mere thought, I teleported home.

  Scurrying around, I woke the boys, got them dressed, and downstairs for breakfast. By the time they finished and I loaded the dishwasher, Jessica came in, hugged me, inquired about Meat, then promised to clean up the kitchen so I could gather up the boys and get them to school for the day.

  Twenty minutes later, the boys arrived at daycare, teeth and hair brushed, wearing clean clothes, and carrying pictures they drew for their teacher. With hugs and kisses, I sent them off for a few hours. Afterward, I drove back home and wasted no time in teleporting back to Micah's house.

  Amazingly, I made it on the first try. Either my luck improved or I'd finally gotten the hang of poofing. I'd bet on the former instead of the latter.

  Opening my eyes, I found Daphne standing in the middle of the living room relaxed and waiting. "The healer is with him now. He said it may take a few minutes to give Tygerius a thorough exam."

  "He's okay, though?"

  The other woman nodded. "Hungry as a bear after hibernation. He's been eating up a storm and seems a bit cranky at his ordered bed rest. So, yeah, pretty much back to normal."

  I couldn't help but grin at the picture of a normally active alpha liger grumbling over doctor's orders with his equally stubborn father there to make sure he abided by them.

  "Would you like some breakfast? We have plenty."

  "No thanks." I shook my head. My stomach hadn't recovered from the drama of last night.

  Daphne frowned. "He's going to be fine. So why are you looking like the world is coming to an end?"

  I plopped down on the couch and placed my face in my hands. "I killed a man."

  She slid beside me and patted my leg. "To protect Tygerius and yourself. That's as honorable as you can get."

  I shook my head. "You don't understand. I wished he would turn the gun on himself. When it happened, I realized I had made him do it. What's more, I somehow mentally caused him to pull the trigger." No matter that the situation called for life or death, I still bore the brunt of the knowledge that I made Jack kill himself. The fact didn't set easy.

  "You did what you had to do, Shyanne. If you didn't do what you did, more than likely we would have lost both you and my son."

  Her words made sense and mirrored what I'd told myself all night long. Unfortunately, my mind wasn't quite ready to accept them. "I used my magic, my mind, some skill I didn't know I had to kill a man, though."

  "Would it have been any different if you took the gun away from him and pulled the trigger yourself?"

  I considered her question for a long moment. "Then I would have shot an unarmed man."

  "Who nearly killed Tygerius."

  My head bobbed in understanding. "I'd never thought about it like that." Her spin on events sank in, spreading a salve over my guilt-driven wound.

  She handed me a tissue. "It's a hard fact to swallow, but you were put in an impossible situation and did the best you could with what you had. We're all beholden for everything you did."

  After blowing my nose, I stood up and tossed the tissue in the waste can, feeling a little bit better already.

  She stood and waved toward the door with a reassuring smile. "You can wait here or maybe wander around some. I'm sure it'll be a while before the healer is done."

  Too antsy to sit, I opted to head outside into the beautiful spring morning and try to walk off my nervous energy. Absently, I meandered, not realizing my destination until I stood staring at the entrance.

  I pulled open the glass door to the museum, stepped inside, and let my eyes adjust to the dim light compared to the bright sunshine outside. A curvy brunette stood straight ahead, peering into the glass case at the Talisman Stone. Recognition clicked. For a moment, I considered retreating but quickly tossed out the idea. As a shifter, Charity would have already heard and scented me. Leaving would only show cowardice in her book.

  Walking slowly forward, I didn't stop until I stood before the case, angled to the side from Charity. "I'm sorry. I had no right…" The words seemed so inadequate for what pain I must have caused her when I announced in front of Ducian, Meat, and her that I realized who she was. Come to find out, she'd used the very rock in front of us to cast a spell. Unfortunately, the magic backfired, leaving her in a size eighteen body with straight shoulder-length mousey brown hair, a huge contrast to the blonde bombshell she used to be as Misha. Since she hadn't told Ducian, her boyfriend, my words became a machete that split their relationship, leaving strong, hurtful feelings. Sure, the vampire had since forgiven me, even confessed my actions brought him and Charity/Misha closer together, and Meat and I were back on track, but I still held a wheelbarrow load of guilt for the whole ordeal.

  She didn't bother to look at me. "I wonder…"

  "What?" I whispered, curious to her odd behavior. Last time Charity and I were in the same vicinity, she threatened to tear me limb from limb.

  "If I can reverse the spell. Return to my former body."

  I glanced at the stone of shimmering colors, then back to her. "If you changed before, I'm sure it's possible."

  Charity. The literal representative of what the stone's powers could do to a person. Whether the change in her forms would lead toward the better had yet to be seen. Yet, she took her chances and at least in her prior opinion, had lost. What's to say Wills wouldn't meet with the same fate? Alive has many definitions and some could be considered lacking or downright miserably sad.

  She turned to look at me. "How do you know?"

  "I don't." I shrugged. "All I know is what Sawyer said and what seems to be rational and reasonable. But that's a pretty small tip of the iceberg."

  "Sawyer spoke to you?" Her mouth fell open.

  "Yeah. Although right now, I wish he hadn't." My gaze fell to my feet before returning to the stone before us. "He said since I brought the dinosaur to life in the city museum using the Talisman Stone, I could bring my deceased husband back to life as well."

  She gasped, her eyes locked onto my face. "Are you going to do it?"

  I swallowed. "A year ago, I would've jumped at the chance."

  "And now?"

&nb
sp; "And now…" I stared at the stone, intrigued. "As much as I dreamed of changing the past, I realize that my actions affect many others, not just myself. By changing one thing, in essence, I change dozens more. Maybe for the good, but potentially for the bad as well. There's no guarantee anyone will end up with what they expect. The fates aren't that predicable or kind."

  "You're turning down the chance to bring your husband back to life?" She expressed the words quietly and succinctly as if trying to sort out a complex puzzle.

  "I said good-bye to Wills several months ago and decided to move on with my life. I'm pretty happy now and not willing to forfeit my happiness for a fleeting possibility, however bright and glorious that tiny chance might be." I sighed heavily and met her gaze. "Meat is my heart now. He and my boys. Whatever life has in store for us, I'm determined to make the best of it."

  I turned and stepped toward the door.

  "How can you be so sure?"

  Twisting, I spared her a long look. "I looked deep in my heart and found the answers." With those words, I strode back out the door and into the morning daylight.

  Chapter 17

  I walked back up the hill to the home of Meat's parents, expecting to find my liger boyfriend either still asleep or perhaps climbing out of the shower after his ordeal several hours prior. Instead, he sat on a wooden bench under a great oak tree, seemingly relaxing in the temperate spring weather without a care in the world. Only, I knew better. He stared off as he absently fiddled with a small twig, his thoughts obviously elsewhere. Tension rode his body, judging by the tightness of his shoulders as he slouched enough to rest his elbows on his knees.

  Meat. I paused a moment to soak in the image of the man I loved. From the moment he appeared at the small corner table at the dance club, enticed me into a game of 'What's your perversion', and handed me his own money to tuck in his thong, he snared my attention and interest. Perhaps right then and there, my heart knew something my mind didn't because I kept returning, unable to stay away. Through the bumpy roads and hard times, I always drifted back to him, found solace and comfort, friendship, and yes, even love with the alpha liger. His muscular frame and prime, ripped body set my mouth to drooling while his cobalt blue eyes bore straight down into my soul. A come hither grin set my heart to thumping and Shy parts into pleading mode. Meat's personality and caring only added to the whole picture, setting him far above other men in my book.