The Truth in Love: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Virgo

by K. C. Stewart

  Owen went over to his kitchen and opened a cabinet. "Well, she doesn't really know you and said that after the last two enforcers I wouldn't be able to find a willing participant." He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

  "Well, congratulations then." Carter accepted the tumbler and clinked glasses with Owen. "Cheers."

  He sat back down, the grin still in place. "All joking aside, you sure about this? I know you talked to Tyson."

  Carter nodded. "I am. Police work is what I was meant to do. If that means doing it for my pack, as well as my community, then so be it."

  "I'm glad. Seems like you had good weather on your excursion."

  He had beautiful weather. No rain. Few clouds. Carter had gone so far into the mountains he found an area unaffected by the storms last month. Colorful leaves still grasping at their trees, not ready to fall yet. It was a damn near perfect trip.

  "Tyson said that your little bear Emilie is no more?" Owen watched him over the rim of his glass. If he had a fault, it was that he got involved in everyone's life, especially when it came to relationships. Carter's ticket had been pulled and he was up next.

  "For now we are. She needed to focus on the problems back home. My jealousy was getting in the way. When she comes home we'll pick it back up."

  Owen tilted his head. "But you don't think she's coming back?"

  Carter grunted. "She says she is." And he had to trust her on that. At least, he was trying to. The problem with their relationship was it was too new yet to have a solid foundation of trust. Because of this newness, she could go back there and remember why she had spent years with Bobby and was ready to marry him. Carter didn’t want to believe it would happen but he knew it was a possibility.

  "Well, it's both good and bad timing for my trip then," Owen said as he put down his cup. "Bad since we can't start your training but good because I need someone here while I'm gone. It might help for you not to be at home, so why not stay here?"

  "You trying to distract me, Owen?" Carter asked.

  "Damn straight. Sitting at home, worrying about something you have no hand in, will make you do something you will regret later. Keeping busy is what you need."

  He wasn't so sure that this was the distraction he wanted though. "But babysitting?"

  "Hey, these are the people you are going to be standing for. Might as well get to know them a bit better. Make nice with the wolves and it will make the transition from pack member to enforcer that much easier."

  Damn him but he had a point. Carter sighed, resigning himself to an odd few days. "Fine, I'll babysit for you."

  Owen grinned like never had any doubts. “Excellent.”

  Thirteen

  A Virgo has the ability to convince themselves that you do not miss them, love them or want them.

  zodiacspot.com

  * * *

  "Can you go over one more time about how you were shot?"

  Emilie looked at the detective, her face void of absolutely anything and decided right then that she was done. For the last three days she had humored him but enough was enough.

  "No."

  Surprise registered across his face. "Excuse me?" he said.

  She shook her head and looked to her lawyer. "I'm done." Both Detective Davis and her lawyer looked relieved. It had been their suggestion that she go along with Rose's questions but none of them had expected it to continue this long.

  "Well, we certainly appreciate all your time and your patience Ms. Williams," Davis said.

  Rose looked like he wanted to say something but there was nothing that he could do. She wasn't being held there and had only come back each day to ease suspicion for the local wolf pack. The last thing she wanted was for someone to begin snooping around shifters. Plus, they loaned her their detective and their lawyer. The least she could do was play nice.

  Emilie was free to go and her case was now closed.

  Dean had gotten tired of it all days ago and headed back. All he ever did was get pissy with Detective Rose anyway. They were there to not make waves and he was a cannonball in a silent lake. Emilie had told him to go. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it. Although not her idea of a good time, the trip did bring with it the closure that she needed.

  And on the bright side, she got her car back.

  She drove back home with a clear conscious knowing she had done the right thing.

  She hoped that Carter would be at home when she arrived but knew it was probably unlikely. She wanted to get this "break" sorted out right away. Both her bear and Emilie had been feeling the separation from Carter. Neither of them liked it either. It was at night when she felt it the most. When she laid down and tried to shut down, he would pop into her head. How could someone mean so much in such a little amount of time?

  Emilie lugged her suitcase inside and sighed. This here was home. She felt it in her bones.

  There was a note on her fridge from Dean, he had stopped by to check on everything and said he would update Carter.

  Em,

  There is stew inside. Cynthia made it for you. She says to call when you are back in town. Roy says take your time. Between us, I think he's been enjoying having Cynthia subbing for you this past week. I haven't been able to contact Carter. As far as I can tell he hasn't been home in days.

  Dean

  Days?

  Emilie frowned. If he wasn't home, where was he?

  She got the stew out and onto the stove. Then she got a load of wash started. All was done on autopilot. Her mind was still hung up on Carter being gone. It changed things, made her confidence at this separation falter. Something about his vacancy didn't sit well with her. Her bear even less. The animal wanted to go hunting for him.

  She decided to take a less aggressive approach. A text laying it all out for him. She spent all night composing it. It would inform him of her arrival back home, just as he requested. That she and Bobby parted mutually. Finally, it would explain how she had felt these last few days. How suggesting that they "take a break" made her feel a lack of trust. Emilie didn't say things just to hear herself talk. When she said she was coming home, she meant it. The fact that he doubted her sincerity had hurt.

  The whole time she was writing the message, she hoped his truck would pull up. As it rounded ten o'clock, she knew it was time to send. He wouldn't be home that night.

  So, I'm back. I couldn't help but notice that you are not at home. Dean tells me that you haven't been home for a while now. Is it horrible of me to hope it is because of Lee or another pack problem and not because you are doubting our relationship? You know, the one you put on hold?

  Bobby and I are done. I'm sure if I had shown any kind of desire to begin something with him again, he would have tried. But like mine, his heart wasn't in it. Bobby had already begun moving on, just as I have.

  I still don't understand completely why you thought we needed to put our relationship on hold while I handled everything. Although you said it was for my benefit, we both know that wasn't the case. For future reference, I can always handle my shit. So if you want to lay something on me, you will have to do a better job with the excuse.

  These last few days have sucked. They could have been bearable had you been there. Every night I wanted to call you and talk things out. I could have used a laugh in amongst all the lies, but you weren't there. I know it was hard seeing that picture but some benefit of the doubt would have been nice. Separating yourself from the situation, from me, hurt. I came back here determined to prove you wrong but you aren't here either. I can’t fix this if you aren’t here.

  My mind worries that this is the beginning of the end. Is it a sign that you aren't here? Are you trying to tell me something? Please let this just be unfortunate timing. Because I may be angry but I've already forgiven you for your idiocy. Just please get back to me so we can move forward.

  That is, if that is what you still want.

  When Emilie woke the next morning she had her response.

  Or rather, no resp
onse.

  His silence, in her mind, was stronger than any words he could have given her.

  She checked her phone only once, because more was just torment. With no new messages staring her in the face, she put her phone down, rolled over and pulled the covers up and over her head.

  Carter had started his new job in Andora a few days back. Last night he found the missing charger to his flashlight from Westlin. He had to get it back to them or get charged for it. Carter was driving through town and stopped at a red light when he saw her. Emilie was getting out of a car across the street outside of the library.

  He watched her, his eyes taking her in. Everything in him stilled. She came back. Carter let out a laugh, his lips quirking up in a smile. For a week he had been all out of sorts from seeing that damn picture. Not talking to her had been a mistake, he knew that now. If he had kept contact she probably would have eased his mind. But he was impulsive by nature, something she wouldn't understand.

  He raked a hand through his hair and glanced back at the light, still red.

  Emilie was walking up the steps of the library when she turned and looked right at him. Carter's eyes crinkled at the sides and he lifted a hand to wave. There was a spot up a head he could pull off into. His hand didn't make it past the window. She wasn't smiling, wasn't anything. Emilie looked at him, her brows knitted, her jaw set. When she turned her head, he swore that there were tears in her eyes.

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel. The car behind him honked. Carter jerked his head forward and saw the light had turned green. As he drove through the light, he looked again but Emilie had gone inside the library.

  What the hell was with that look? He couldn't tell if she was angry or hurt. But she shouldn’t be either of those things. Emilie should have been running down the fucking street and jumping in his arms. They should be kissing right now, not whatever the hell this was.

  Carter sped past the empty parking space fighting the urge to stop and go after her. He had to get to work. New job, he couldn't be late.

  It wasn't until he was on his way out of town that he figured it out. He was such an idiot. So excited to see that she was back, he had overlooked the part where she hadn't told him. How long had it been? Emilie could have gotten back days ago and not told him. He asked her to call him when she got back in town and she hadn't.

  That said it all, did it not?

  Hell, maybe she wasn't going to work just then. Maybe she was resigning. Maybe she was only in town to get her stuff and head back to Bobby.

  "Fuck," Carter snapped and pounded on the steering wheel.

  He'd given her the perfect out. Pausing what they had only gave Bobby a chance to get in there and steal her. Carter knew he should have gone with her. He had tried but Miss Independent wanted to do it alone.

  His phone was on the seat beside him. Carter grabbed it and made sure the volume was as high as it would go. Maybe now that he had spotted her she would call. Emilie had been outed, she might as well come clean.

  Fourteen

  Virgo needs, needs, needs, needs, their alone time. It keeps them sane and helps them with whatever emotions they may be dealing with that they don’t want others to pick up on.

  zodiacmind.com

  * * *

  Emilie was enjoying the third day in a row off work by losing herself in yet another book. Reading was all she seemed to be happy doing lately. Nothing new, Emilie wanted a sure thing so she kept with her old favorites. She'd read five books since last seeing Carter. Hours passed into days as she sat in bed or on the couch and read. She'd come up for air only to notice that the morning sun had turned into an evening sunset.

  It was no surprise when the door opened and Dean walked in. He'd been calling her for days, but she had been ignoring everything outside of her book and didn't bother to call him back. Her brother looked furious but didn't say anything. After looking her over, he toed off his boots, hung up his coat and dropped a shopping bag on her coffee table. Dean disappeared into her kitchen for a moment and returned with glasses of water and spoons.

  "Eat," he said handing her a warm container.

  "I'm not hungry," she told him putting down her books so she could grab the container he continued to hold in her face. She opened the lid and inhaled heaven. "Soup?" She had been expecting Chinese or something. Dean was the king of takeout.

  He glared at her. "Have you eaten anything other than cereal lately?"

  She took the spoon he held out for her but didn't look at him. "You make it sound like I have a problem."

  "Not eating anything but sugar for days is a problem."

  He'd gotten her chicken and dumplings. It smelled delicious and her traitorous stomach growled. Dean smirked and dug into his own container of soup.

  "You going to talk about it yet?" he asked when she had her mouth full next.

  "Nothing to talk about."

  He snorted. "That's a lie. Alright, then how about I tell you what we talked about when Carter called me the other day."

  Emilie choked and put down the soup before she spilled it on herself. "What are you talking about?"

  Dean was looking pretty full of himself since he had gotten her attention. He propped a foot on her coffee table and leaned back on the couch with a smirk that coincidentally, she wanted to smack off his face.

  "He had heard the police had been called to the library and wanted to make sure you were ok."

  Ugh. That.

  Some punk teen, who apparently could not control himself around buttons, had pushed the silent alarm during a teen movie night. She had been supervising the event and was surprised when the whole of the Westlin police department showed up. The kid had turned white at the sight of all those lights and sirens. It had been her own personal hell for a few hours as they had to explain to all the parents who rushed to the library to pick up their kids that it had all been a misunderstanding.

  The worst part was that she had searched for Carter in every cop's face that showed up.

  "What did you say?" Emilie asked Dean, while still wrapping her head around the fact that he called.

  "I told him what went down and that you were there that night. I also told him that besides work you haven't been seen for days."

  She might become an only child tonight. She was a bear and could easily drag his dead body out into the woods and bury him in some remote location.

  "When are you going to call him and tell him about Bobby?"

  Emilie had made the mistake of telling him what happened the day she got back and when she saw Carter on the street. Dean knew how she was and he was completely surprised with her when she didn't plan on pursuing Carter and setting him straight. Usually, she didn't stop until she got the thing she wanted. Well, this time was different. The thing she wanted didn't want her back. Made it pretty easy not to call when he made it perfectly clear where they stood.

  "Never, Dean."

  He rolled his eyes. "You are too stubborn for your own good. Don't you think his mind will change once he knows? He's gone because he thinks you wanted Bobby over him."

  "Well, he didn't stick around long enough to hear the truth. Couldn't even be bothered to talk to me about it. He broke up with me, Dean. What more do you want me to do?" Emilie put the lid back on the soup and settled back into the couch, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She’d just lost her appetite.

  With a raised eyebrow and a smug attitude he asked, "How hard did you try to deliver that truth?"

  She snapped her head around and to glare at Dean. "He didn't try too hard to hear the truth," she snapped. He didn't try at all.

  Dean couldn't argue there. He tipped his head in submission. He'd drop the subject now. And if he didn't, she'd kick him out.

  "When was the last time you left this place?" he asked.

  "Uhhh," she honestly couldn't remember. It was the dark of the moon. She always became a bit of a recluse this time of the month. It was a time of reflection and seeing the bigger picture. Well, that's e
xactly what she was doing. Looking inward. Emilie always saw the forest easier than the individual trees. She tended to miss the fox darting through the underbrush or the lone pine tree in the middle of a maple grove.

  So what if she didn't get out much? She was dealing with a breakup right now...two breakups. She deserved a little time to wallow however she saw fit. Inner reflection, eating sugar and reading were what comforted her.

  Dean set his soup on the table and sighed when he looked at her. She was unshowered with messy hair, no makeup and in her most comfortable, yet the most embarrassing pajamas she owned. Emilie had gone full hermit. She hadn't even been out to get her mail.

  "Let me guess," he said dimly. "You work, come home and then either read or watch TV every damn day. Do you go out with friends? Get a drink after work with co-workers? Anything?"

  She wanted to laugh. Friends. That was cute. Emilie didn't have friends. She had Dean and she had Cart-

  She had Dean.

  She had her work.

  She had her bear.

  Emilie didn't need anything else.

  "You know I'm not that kind of person." Why was he pushing all this? Dean and Emilie had always let the other live their life however they wanted. They interfered when asked or when given no choice. All Emilie was doing was laying low for a bit. Licking her wounds, so to speak.

  "You're not what? The kind to have friends?” His face twisted in distaste. “That's bullshit, Emilie. You are independent, not antisocial."

  She ground her teeth together. "I'm happy as I am." She didn't need a man or friends to be happy. All the social interaction she needed she got from work. And she was really starting to get to know the people in town. The Lasek's had her over for dinner. She was on a first-name basis with every volunteer at the library. And then there was Jessica at the gas station down the road. Already she could tell what mood Emilie was in by her ice cream choice alone. Emilie was content to be alone. Solitude didn't mean loneliness.