by Sonja Bair
“Someone there?” A deep male voice cut through the quiet.
In my surprise, I nearly lost my balance and had to shuffle my feet and wings to keep a steady perch. Alrik was at my side in a matter of two seconds. We both retracted our wings, so no evidence of supernatural could be seen.
“Who’s down there?” called Alrik.
“Who’s up there?” replied the mystery man, amusement creeping into his voice. “And how in the world did you get up there?”
I looked at Alrik, no convenient excuse coming to mind.
No excuse must have come to him either since he searched the ground below him but didn’t answer.
“I’ve been down here for the last few hours,” called the man again, chuckling slightly. “And I think I’d’ve seen a person or two climbing up a tree. And I didn’t. So care to explain what is going on?”
I grimaced in regret for what I was about to do and answered him.
“Don’t you remember? You actually just got here. We watched you walk up, but you didn’t notice us up in the tree.” An ache bloomed at the base of my skull from forcing the false memory on him.
“Nope, I’ve been here for a while. I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“It may feel like that, but you actually walked over a minute or so ago. Sorry if we frightened you.” A sharp sting, much like an ice cream headache, joined the throb in my skull. Groaning almost silently, I dropped my head to Alrik’s shoulder and he patted my back a few times. He knew how much it hurt me to influence someone’s perceptions, especially if they were the resistant type.
There was silence below us for a few seconds and then he answered back. “Well, that’s an interestin’ revelation. Anyways, why don’t you come on down here and we can meet each other proper-like. I dislike talkin’ up to a tree.”
Alrik climbed down first, with me following haltingly, trying to keep my head from moving much and further upsetting the angry swarm of bees currently residing there. A branch scraping across my back reminded me that I was only wearing my specially designed, wing-accommodating halter top and Alrik was bare-chested. I mentally shrugged. Both of us being basically shirtless would be convincing evidence for a story of two lovers taking in the night sky while sitting in a tree.
By the time I was on the ground, Alrik was already talking with the man. I couldn’t see him, as Alrik’s back was blocking my view, but I took a moment to survey the area under the trees. The forest floor was relatively free of underbrush and the scuffed, hard-packed earth was evidence that we weren’t the first group to use this as a hideaway. Next to an oak tree lay a small, worn backpack with a freshly opened pack of cigarettes, the pull-tab still dangling, laying on top. The lingering smell of cigarette smoke didn’t mask the other scent in the air—werewolves, and they had left only recently.
“And is the trail you were following on public land? Because this is private land you are on now.” Arms crossed, leaning forward on the balls of his feet, Alrik was in mid-interrogation.
“Take it easy, man. So you were up in a tree with your lady. That’s your business.”
The closer I got, the more familiar the voice was, and my stomach dropped at the realization of who Alrik was talking to. What were the chances of this third random encounter?
“Hello, Nick,” I said in what I hoped was a calm tone.
“Well, howdy there, Freya.” He leaned around Alrik and looked me up and down. “What are the odds of us running into each other again?” He smiled broadly, tucking his thumbs behind his belt, which once again sported the massive ruby-studded buckle.
“That’s exactly what I was wondering. I’d say the odds are almost non-existent. Are you stalking me?”
He raised his arms, palms up, as if proclaiming innocence of any wrongdoing. “Me, stalkin’ you? But you guys were the ones who dropped on into my restin’ spot. I’d say you are stalkin’ me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alrik’s face harden and his eyes narrow. My guess was that he realized the same thing I did—I hadn’t changed Nick’s memories. In the past, I had run into more resistant individuals to memory planting, but with the magnitude of push that I had given him, Nick should have being singing my song like a nightingale. I had never not been able to plant a small memory like this one.
“We saw you meet some people here. Why? What did they say?” I asked, hoping to distract him.
“Now, Freya, didn’t your mama teach you better than to be so rude? On the plane, you didn’t want to give me the time of day and now you are pushin’ your nose into my business.” Tsking his tongue at me, he slowly shook his head.
Like last time we met, my creep-o-meter was pegged out. The hair on the back of my neck was standing straight out and my feet itched to run away—I was supremely glad that Alrik was around and I wasn’t facing Nick alone. “You’re right,” I said. “We’ll leave you to your business.”
“No, no, no. Don’t be so flighty, my girl. Have a seat over here and I’ll tell you and your lover boy all about my evening. It’s been very intriguin’ so far and it’ll be fun to share what I’ve learned with friends.”
Grabbing Alrik’s arm, I tried to pull him away, but he was as immovable as a mountain.
“We’re probably missed back at our meeting,” I muttered through a clenched jaw.
He looked down at me and then back at Nick. Judging by the calculating look in Alrik’s eyes, he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to talk with the guy who kept mysteriously popping up in my life.
Nick sat next to his backpack and patted the ground beside him. “Have a seat, Freya and friend. Do either of you want a smoke?” He held the pack of cigarettes, but neither of us moved. “No? Mind if I do?”
“You could start a forest fire with that.” I couldn’t help the scolding tone. Elin and Drew were always worried about a stray spark burning their ranchland to ashes, and their concern had infected me.
“Well then, why don’t you sit down right here beside me and make sure I behave?” His tone was bland, but even in the wan moonlight, the smirk was clear.
Alrik broke from my grasp and sat on a fallen log not far from Nick. “So tell us about this interesting evening of yours and what exactly you are doing out here.”
“How about some quid pro quo? I’m guessin’ you two have had an intriguin’ evening as well. Among a variety of other things, I deal in information, so I’m interested in hearin’ about it. My previous visitors found my knowledge fascinatin’ and well worth a little bit of sharin’.”
“I’m not interested.” I turned to walk out of the grove, but Alrik jumped up and pulled me over to the log. As we walked back, he whispered in my ear, “It won’t hurt to hear what he has to say and it may be useful in finding out what Julia and Amir are up to.”
Reluctantly sitting down, I shook off Alrik’s hand and glared at Nick. “Fine, but I get to start with a question. Who are you and why do you keep showing up in my life?”
“Well, dearie, it seems like you asked me two questions. But, bein’ as I’m a nice guy, I’ll answer both of ‘em. First, my name is Nick Smith, just the same as when I introduced myself the first time. And as far as why I keep showin’ up in your life, let’s look at the facts. Two of the three times we met, you chanced upon me, not the other way around. But I’m a big believer in listenin’ to Fate, and Fate has decided you and me have some sort of connection. So I’ll be honest, I’m intrigued by you, Freya, and want to get to know you a little more. So here’s my one and only question—what makes you so exceptional?”
“What makes me so exceptional? I’m no more exceptional than anyone else.”
He leaned back against the tree trunk, cigarette tucked between his fingers, and rested his hand on his propped-up knee. “Oh, but you are. That Jia woman, who was practically a stranger, focused all her unhinged rage on you. But then she ended up dead in an alley surrounded by kinfolk she killed, and yet somehow you survived. Then the rabble-rousin’, disowned daughter o
f another supernatural leader started livin’ in your house. And now here you are at the center of all this big ol’ werewolf mess, but you’re no more a werewolf than I am. So what makes you so exceptional to create all this commotion without even trying?”
My heart nearly stopped at his words. “How do you know all those things?”
“As I said, I trade in information. And there were people around San Luis Obispo who were more than willin’ to whisper some rumors in return for what Nick Smith could provide. But you still didn’t answer my question. How’d you end up creatin’ so much chaos?”
I sat up straight, lowered my voice, and nearly spit out my words. “I don’t create chaos. It only happened to land in my lap these last few months. But that doesn’t matter. You need to stay out of my business. I don’t know or care what your little agenda is here; you need to leave me out of it.”
“But as I said on the plane, it’s the chaos that is the interestin’ part of life, and I just don’t usually see chaos sparked so easily by one sweet-looking little lady. So you keep poppin’ up on my radar.”
“And you like to create more chaos yourself. Isn’t that right?”
“Darlin’, there’s enough chaos in the world without needin’ to create it. Chaos need only be watered and pruned like a rose for it to bloom into somethin’ beautiful and fascinating.” He closed his eyes and pantomimed holding a flower to his nose and sniffing it.
I jumped off the log and turned to Alrik, but his chin had fallen to his chest, his eyes were closed, and, unbelievably, he was lightly snoring.
“Appears your friend may have been overcome with drowsiness and nodded off. Why, that’s not gentlemanly of him, is it?”
Shouting his name, I shook Alrik’s shoulders until he gradually raised his head and blinked his eyes haltingly.
“Freya? What’s going on?” His voice was thick.
“Are you okay? What happened?” I bent down and raised his chin to look into his eyes.
He shook his head twice and, snapping out of his stupor, jumped to his feet. “Where is he?”
I pivoted on my heels. “Right over…” But Nick wasn’t there anymore.
Chapter 18
“So do you think there actually was a mountain lion?” Gina asked breathlessly. “Or did he make the sound to get you guys to come over? And how did he know that you were around? Was it because of my mom and dad? Were they the ones that told him all that stuff? Or do you think…”
“Easy, easy there. I don’t know the answers to any of those questions. I told you all I know,” I answered.
“Alrik, did you catch anything before you drifted asleep?” Rex asked from the backseat with a smirk in his voice. He was going to spend the night at my house since his parents still hadn’t shown up. If he was grateful for my hospitality, it wasn’t showing, as this was about the third rude comment out of his mouth since getting in my car. In my humble opinion, the kid had about one chance left and then he was going to get booted out of the car, in motion or not.
“Be nice, kid.” I frowned into the rearview mirror at him. “Nick did something crazy to Alrik. It was creepy to see.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alrik’s jaw muscle twitch. He was probably irritated that I was protecting him from a teenager, but it wasn’t Alrik I was protecting, it was Rex. The kid didn’t understand how scary the Arbitrator of the Alva could be.
Alrik replied anyway, scorn dripping heavily. “No, Rex. The last thing I remember is sitting on the log and after that, Freya was shouting my name. But he isn’t a supernatural, I know that. And it wasn’t a supernatural scent I hadn’t experienced before. He had no supernatural scent at all.”
“Everyone keep an eye out for our very own Mr. Sandman,” I added. “I don’t know exactly what trouble he has caused so far, but I’m pretty sure he will cause some more before he moves on. And Rex, I haven’t heard your opinions on the dinner meeting yet. Let’s hear your version of events.”
His version mimicked Gina’s version almost exactly—nothing drastic happened at the meeting, although people were talking to each other now. People were cooperating more than I had previously hoped. The Elders mingled and talked with the Alphas, so much so that I was betting Viktor had finagled the other Alva into behaving. Maybe things weren’t as tense with the Elders as I imagined. Alrik had played down the problems when I had asked him. Maybe I should check in with Mom and see if she has heard anything new, I thought, but then I remembered she was now sequestered away in her own peacekeeping conference. I hoped her agenda was running on a straighter track than mine was.
The twins’ joy at being reunited lasted until we pulled into my driveway, and then the sibling squabbles set in. Rex made some comment to Gina about the coloring of her werewolf coat matching a fire hydrant at the corner of my street. It was an innocuous enough comment, but Rex had to know how sensitive Gina was about it. Gina snapped back that she was glad she wasn’t a shrimp-sized werewolf like he was. And then they were off bickering. Their fighting had the worn feel of years of practice. And they were going to both stay in my very small house. Awesome. I slammed the car door closed with more force than necessary, then winced and mentally apologized to the Eagle. Alrik’s patience, already stretched thin by the night’s activities, finally broke when the twins started bickering about some new topic. He grabbed each of them by their upper arm and lifted them so their feet dangled inches above the ground.
“You are guests in Freya’s house. You will act civilized. You will stop fighting and do whatever she tells you to do without question. Do you understand?” For most people, it would be nearly impossible to lift a person one-handed off the ground. Alrik was lifting two and wasn’t breaking a sweat. The twins both meekly agreed with him.
“Good. Get inside. I want to talk to Freya alone.” He dropped them abruptly and they scampered off. “I’m glad they aren’t staying at my place—there would be bloodshed before dawn. Gina seems like a typical teenager, but when she gets around that boy, she’s a bratty little kid.”
“She is a kid—she’s seventeen,” I answered, although honestly, I didn’t feel like defending her much at the moment.
“You and your sister never squabbled like that.”
I laughed. “Yes, we did and we do, just not around you. It’s what being a sibling is all about.”
“Then I’m glad I never had one.”
“Oh, don’t be so grumpy. Most of the time, siblings are great. They’re friends, but they also grew up right beside you, so they understand all your history. Elin is my best friend and means more than the world to me. I’m sure it’s the same with Gina and Rex.”
“If you say so. Do you want me to stay the night to protect you from those kids?” He paused. “Or more seriously, in case this Nick character shows up again?”
“No, I’ll be fine. David set up an alarm system after the whole Jia incident. And Nick doesn’t strike me as someone who would attack in the middle of the night. He seems more like the type who would set up a close friend to accidentally poison someone.”
“Am I expected to feel reassured by that statement?”
“Feel whatever you want to. Besides, I can box someone’s ears like a bad-ass Victorian wench. So I’m going in, changing into my pajamas, making some tea, and crawling into bed. Today was a crazy day.”
“And how are you feeling about tomorrow?”
I thought over the plan. Today had been only the introductory meetings. The second day, we would get into more serious matters. Heaven help us, it was going to get worse.
Chapter 19
Elin burst into my bedroom, full of sunshine and morning glories before the sun had risen the next morning.
I groaned, smashed the pillow against my face, and cursed up a blue streak.
“What was that you said, sister mine?” Elin chirped out in her best morning voice.
“I said, ‘How did you get in? I set the alarm last night.’” This was not what I actually said, but it was mu
ch politer, so I went with it.
“You gave me the code when David installed it, remember?”
“No. But it is…” I rolled over and looked at my alarm clock, “...five twenty-three in the morning. I shouldn’t be expected to remember anything at this time of day.”
“That’s why I brought coffee. I have to go back down to LA to meet with someone who could only get together over the weekend. It sucks, but that’s life. So that’s why I’m here early. I wanted to get the full scoop on yesterday before I left for the day.”
I sniffed the air. A wonderful coffee aroma permeated my room, so perhaps I could wake up after all. Sitting up in bed, I snagged the coffee from Elin and took a few deep swigs. The caffeine certainly didn’t have time to soak in and stimulate my neurons, but the placebo effect worked anyway and I started to feel more awake. I filled Elin in on the details of last night, complete with Elders showing up early, Gina barging in, the fistfight, and the bizarre encounter with Nick. She was silent through the story, taking thoughtful sips of her own coffee.
“Yesterday was supposed to be the easy day, only a welcoming day for both the Elders and the Alphas,” Elin said after I finished.
“Tell me about it,” I replied.
“I’m concerned for you. I don’t like how you are being put in the middle of all these conflicts.”
“Tell me about it some more,” I snorted.
“I’m thinking of canceling today’s plans and coming with you to these meetings.”
“No way. I can handle it and you need to go down south to get ready for your show.”
“I know. But family is first and it sounds like you need help.”
“Sorry to be rude, but you aren’t a supernatural, Elin. I don’t know how you can help.”
“I may not be a supernatural, but I think I have a lot more common sense than you. I haven’t gotten into a tenth of the problems you have and my career path is temperamental artist. You can’t keep yourself out of danger.”
