by Ellen, Jo
Entering the restaurant, they found a table by the windows. They both ordered sweet tea as soon as they sat down. It was nice to be in an air-conditioned building after the heat outside.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Stephanie said. “Would you tell the waitress I’d like a Caesar salad when she comes back?”
Lisa ordered a garden salad for herself. No need to look at the menu; it was too hot for a cooked meal.
Gazing out the window, she saw a man staring at her from across the street. She glanced around, thinking maybe he was looking at someone else. Peeking out again, she could see that he was still looking at her.
The guy was tall and not easy to overlook. He had his long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail and he was very handsome with his dark brooding looks. Looking puzzled, he seemed to be studying her. I would remember him, if I had met him before, she thought. Maybe, he thinks I’m someone else.
She looked towards the restroom, trying to see if Stephanie was coming out. As she looked back across the street, he was gone. She leaned towards the window so she could get a better view of the street, but he was nowhere to be seen. She thought maybe he went into one of the stores, but if he did, he really had to be moving fast.
Returning with their drinks and then taking their lunch order, the waitress distracted her.
Stephanie returned to the table, sat down and gulped her tea.
“Lord, I’m so thirsty. You’d think that since we have been living here all our lives that we’d adjust.”
“Nope, nobody can adjust to summers being over a hundred degrees daily,” said Lisa.
She debated on whether to tell Stephanie about the guy across the street, but then again, it was probably nothing. Nevertheless, he had seemed a little strange though, so she wanted Steph to know about him, just in case.
“Here you go. Just give me a sec and I’ll refill your tea,” the waitress said when she returned.
“Stephanie, while you were in the restroom, there was this tall guy across the street staring at me. Okay, that didn’t come out right. Makes me sound conceited.”
Laughing, Stephanie said, “Well you are pretty cute. He was probably trying to get his nerve up to come talk to you.”
“No, that’s not it. I don’t know how to explain it exactly. It was like he knew me, you know? He was just kind of all nonplussed.”
Lisa felt silly now. It was nothing and she was making a big deal out of it.
“Forget I said anything. I’m probably just imagining things.”
“No, tell me about him. I can tell he really bothered you.”
Lisa tried to explain what it was about the man.
“I don’t know. I felt like he needed me for something. Never mind, that’s just dumb. He probably thought I was someone else.”
“Okay, when we’re done eating, we’ll go straight to the car. You just watch for him and tell me if you see him. Also, tell me if you get a feeling like he’s somewhere watching us. I’m a big believer in trusting your gut.”
Leaving the diner, they looked around for the stranger. As far as they could tell, he wasn’t anywhere around.
Arriving at Stephanie’s car, they quickly scrambled in and locked the doors, and then they looked at one another and burst out laughing.
“Nothing like a good scare to get your adrenalin going, is there?” grinned Stephanie.
Stephanie didn’t want to upset Lisa, but she was concerned. She decided she would tell Colin about the man Lisa had seen, because she firmly believed in women’s intuition.
Turning the air-conditioner on high, they pulled out and headed for the highway.
Chapter 7
Dunstan watched as the women drove off. He couldn’t believe what he had found. The female wolf shifter was interesting, but the unclaimed match of another was perfect. There was also some kind of magic around her. He just didn’t know what kind it was. No matter, he’d find out later. Why hadn’t they finished the bonding? He felt drawn to her. He decided that she must be the one to help him.
Being able to move faster than the human eye could see, he’d simply backed into a storefront doorway when the redheaded woman had looked away.
Stephen came down the sidewalk searching for Dunstan. Where was that freaking fairy? I summoned him to do my bidding, he thought; not to wander off on his own. He found him standing in a doorway.
“Dunstan, where have you been? You know I needed your services. Why the hell do you think I summoned you?” he demanded.
Dunstan decided it was time to inform Stephen that he was his servant. The moron thought he had control over him.
The man had a dirk that had once belonged to him. By not learning more, he thought having that item and knowing his name to summon him was enough. The idiot did not know that he had to have his full name and that was a closely guarded secret.
Dunstan grabbed Stephen by the throat. He cast a shimmer to cover them so the people on the street did not see them. If anyone came close, they would simply feel a compulsion to step around them.
“Shut up. You will now do as I say. Summoning me without understanding my power was your first mistake. Now we will go to your car. I have someone I want you to follow.”
Stephen followed him silently. He felt like he had no control over his body. He tried to fight internally against the pressure. He was not totally powerless. His psychic ability had led him to the dirk, and also the fae’s name. He couldn’t understand why the man wasn’t under his control.
The papers he’d bought at the auction had told him how to summon. Most people’s conclusion was that they were just a bunch of folk tales, but he knew better. As soon as he’d seen them, he knew.
As they sped down the highway, Dunstan wanted to know how he’d known to summon him and where he had gotten his knowledge. It was ironic that by summoning him, Stephen was actually his rescuer. He’d never thought a human would release him from his prison.
Stephen could not stop himself from answering. He told him how he was a researcher from a small college in Louisiana and a student of Celtic history. Whenever he heard of an auction with items supposedly from Ireland or Scotland, he always went to see what they had.
He tried to resist telling him that he was psychic, but the compulsion was too strong. Stephen explained how, when he saw the dirk, he could feel something strange about it. When he won the bid and was able to hold it, he concentrated on it and the name Dunstan came to him. He’d been amazed the dirk was up for auction and couldn’t believe his luck in finding it. Stephen had already won the bid on the papers. It was about a year ago when he’d started doing his research.
“I understood what the papers were saying. Anyone else would just read them as fiction. I knew there was more to them as I read them. But my understanding was that if I knew the fae’s name, I had control over him,” he said questionably.
“You were wrong,” Dunstan laughed. “And no, I will not tell you where you went wrong. Unlike you, I’m not stupid.”
Stephen realized he had made an error in his translation. Now he was both worried and scared. His wanting to be famous in his field had brought him to this. Thinking he could use the fae’s magic to his advantage had been a grievous mistake.
“I see the car up ahead. Slow down, I don’t want them to know we’re following. Interesting isn’t it? They seem to be going towards a town called Wolf Creek,” Dunstan said.
“Why are we following them? Who are they?” asked Stephen.
“That’s not your concern. Take us back to the hotel. We’ve followed them far enough.”
Once they got to the hotel, Dunstan started to question him. He wanted to know why Stephen had summoned him to this particular place.
“I had a roommate in college who grew up just north of here. One night after we’d been drinking, he started talking about the wolf people that lived around Wolf Creek.”
“He was from this area and said his grandfather had told him stories about the people when he was a little boy
. They were stories about men and women changing into wolves. It was said they had lived there for hundreds of years.”
Stephen went on to say that, his plan was to spy on the people living there and to try and get proof of the wolf people. His ability to read people had told him his college friend believed the story told by his grandfather.
“I was investigating the town when I got news of the auction. There aren’t a lot of people in this area who are interested in this field. The scholars around the southwest aren’t a big community, so when the papers turned up, colleagues contacted me to let me know about them.”
“After reading the papers from the auction, my understanding was that you could somehow hide me. My plan was to get close enough to get documentation. This would make my name at the college where I work. I would be lecturing all over the world once I had proof of these werewolves,” he cried.
“So you summoned me for a job,” Dunstan said.
“Not just a job, I would be famous,” he shouted. “I would earn the respect of the academic community all over the world.”
“Not anymore. If you become famous, it won’t be through me, or the shifters. I need to speak with the redheaded woman. I memorized the plate, so you’ll do what you do best. Research. I want to know who she is. Find out about the dark haired one too. I want names and addresses.”
Chapter 8
Rafe got up the next morning with anticipation of seeing Lisa again. He hurried through his breakfast so he could get his morning duties done. He had an office in his house to take care of all pack business.
Sitting down in his office chair, he started working on the piles of correspondence on his desk. I really need to hire a secretary, he sighed.
He had a request to put a cell tower on pack land. That seemed like a good idea, he thought. Better reception across their property plus the contract to lease the land it would be on would bring more money to the pack. He was always looking out for the pack’s future.
Only downside he could think of was the construction of the tower. That would bring several humans on to the property while it was being built.
He got on the phone to call the construction company listed in the letter to get a timeline on building the tower. He was on the phone longer than he’d anticipated. It was a little more involved than he’d thought.
Next, he went through the complaints from the wolves in his pack. They never were a big deal. They just needed an unbiased mediator to fix their dilemma.
Finished with those duties, he then called Colin to inform him he was coming over. Problem was, Colin didn’t answer.
“Shit. Should I go on over, hoping he’ll be back soon, or wait?” he mused.
He decided he would speak to Ian first.
“They didn’t see anything last night. There’s nothing new to report. I’m just waiting now for Robert to show up with the guards.”
“All right, I’m going over to Colin’s. No one answered when I called, but I can’t stay here waiting around. If Robert and the guards show up before I get back, get them settled in the house.”
“Will do. Mom said she would come and stay here to feed them while they’re here. Bonus for us! We won’t have to eat our own cooking,” Ian grinned.
Rafe smiled. “I hadn’t thought ahead about feeding them. Thank God for Mom. We need to think about hiring a couple of people. I’ve decided that I need a secretary and we need a cook too. Mom can’t be expected to cook for all of us for an extended period of time. Also, see if one of the teenagers wants to make some money helping Anna. I don’t want to take advantage of her good nature.”
“And hiring a secretary gives you more time to spend with Lisa, right?” said Ian.
“Mom didn’t raise no dummy,” Rafe joked.
“I’ll put the word out to the pack about the jobs,” said Ian.
Arriving at Colin’s, Rafe saw that he was cleaning out the gutters. “Hey sheriff, can’t you get a prisoner to do hard labor?”
“Nope, that’s considered cruel and unusual punishment,” he laughed as he climbed down the ladder.
“Come on in, I could use a cold drink. It’s gonna be another hundred degree day.”
Rafe followed him inside, immediately looking around for Lisa.
“She’s not here. They went to one of those craft fairs they love so much.”
“That’s probably a good thing. I needed to tell you about Chase coming to see me.”
He began to tell Colin about the warning and about having Robert bring guards back from Faeire.
“Are you sure it’s the unseelie? I mean, we’ve always protected the pond, but I guess I never really thought we would have to defend it,” said Colin.
“I thought so too. I think we’ve become complacent about it. Since the pack has prospered and moved on into the twenty-first century, we’ve begun to take our responsibilities for granted,” announced Rafe.
“You’re probably right. We’ve had it pretty easy for a very long time.”
“I’ve got something else on my mind. I’ve decided to take Lisa back to the castle.”
Colin looked shocked. “I understand how you feel, believe me. It’s just that I thought you wanted to ease her in to our, umm, lifestyle.”
“With the guards coming and the threat of the unseelie, I can’t leave her here. We will be training and patrolling, so I won’t have the time to win her over slowly. I know you would protect her with your life, it’s just that I feel that I need to protect her.”
Colin nodded his head. “I would feel the same about Stephanie. How can we help?”
“I’d planned on telling her about us today. With your permission, I want to ask Stephanie to explain, with me in the room. I don’t want her to be afraid, but that’s just wishful thinking.”
“Of course, Alpha. I appreciate your asking. I will stay in the room too, just in case Stephanie needs me. Lisa will freak out, you know. If she reacts the way Steph did, be ready to duck,” he grinned.
Stephanie saw Rafe’s Tahoe when she pulled into their driveway. “Looks like someone couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you,” she smiled.
“Oh, I doubt Rafe’s here to see me. He’s probably here to see Colin,” Lisa said.
“How do you know I was talking about Rafe? I could have meant Hank,” Stephanie laughed.
“Very funny.”
Lisa got butterflies in her stomach anticipating seeing Rafe. She found she was straightening her clothes and checking her hair as she got out of the car. This is ridiculous, she thought. He’s just a man, but oh-boy, what a hottie!
They grabbed their purchases and headed into the house. The guys were in the kitchen with glasses of iced tea and cookies in front of them.
“Hey, babe, find anything good?” asked Colin.
Stephanie went over and gave Colin a light kiss. “Of course, I did. I bought the cutest earrings.”
Lisa went to get a glass of tea for herself and Stephanie. She felt awkward and didn’t know what to say to Rafe.
“Hi, Lisa. How was the craft fair? Did you find anything?” Rafe asked.
Lisa turned and went to sit at the table. She was excited now to tell him of her find.
“I bought the most beautiful quilt. I love handmade quilts and this one is in all the colors I like,” she said.
“Would you two excuse us a minute? I need to talk to Steph,” Colin said.
Stephanie gave him a questioning look and followed him into the living room.
Well, crap! What am I supposed to say now? Her mind went blank. Okay, think. I usually have no problem flirting or just bullshitting someone.
“Pretty hot lately, isn’t it?” She blushed. Are you kidding me, really? The weather? I am such a moron!
“Yeah, I’m feeling hot right now,” he grinned.
Rafe reached over and took her hand. He was smoothing his thumb over the back, making circles on her skin. Distracting, but nice, she thought. She had no desire to pull away.
“I’m glad yo
u’re here, I wanted to speak to you,” he paused, not sure where to start.
“When I saw you at Charlie’s last night,” he hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Do you believe in fate?”
“Um, kind of. Well, I think fate is basically certain paths put before you, and you choose the one you’ll follow.”
Rafe let go of her hand and stood up. He paced across the kitchen floor while Lisa stared at him confused. She wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say.
“I believe there is one person, one perfect match for each of us. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet mine. You are my perfect One. I felt you as soon as I saw you in that hallway last night. Your soul called to mine,” he stated.
As Rafe stared at her, waiting for her to say something, he clenched his fist. He was a commander, the leader of his pack. Yet, here he was, scared she wouldn’t understand what he was saying, or what he would be asking of her.
Lisa was stunned. Yeah, she remembered feeling that punch in her chest, pulling her towards him, but this was crazy.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. We just met last night. I mean, yes, I’m attracted to you, but we don’t even know each other. What exactly are you saying?”
Before he could speak, Colin came back into the kitchen. He gave Rafe a stern look.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Steph wants to talk to you in the living room,” he said pointedly to Lisa.
Was everyone around here going nuts? All of them were acting so strangely.
“Go on in, Lisa, I just need to talk to Colin a moment,” he hesitated, “You’ll understand shortly what’s going on. Just keep an open mind,” Rafe said gently.
Okay, they were really weirding her out. She turned and marched into the living room. Stephanie was sitting on the sofa, chewing on her fingernail.
Lisa started ranting. “What the hell is going on? Why is everyone acting so mysterious and crazy? Rafe tells me I’m his One, whatever that means, supposedly fate has decided that for me,” she said sarcastically.
