“I didn’t agree,” I said, preparing the grill.
“You didn’t know what we needed to talk about,” she said, sounding more than a little angry.
“No, I didn’t, but I still chose watching over her to talking politics with all of you.”
“And because of that you missed something that could be potentially harmful to Valerie,” she said, sitting down at the large wrought iron table that sat to the left of my back door. I threw the match into the coals and spun to face her.
“Explain,” I demanded in an alpha tone that would have had most people cowering at my feet and crying out their explanation. The tone didn’t faze her one bit. She just looked at me until my wolf backed down.
“Don’t use that voice on me,” she finally said. “I’m not a pup you can make piddle on the floor with a look. You can be scared all you want, but it is your fault you don’t know what’s going on in the world around you. You didn’t come to the meeting as ordered.”
When I didn’t drop my glare or say another word, she went on. “We don’t know much. We don’t even know if the rumors are true, but there has been some talk coming from the western part of the country that humans may have caused the sickness. Which humans or how, we don’t know. The rumors are coming from a small coven of witches on the coast. They say about fifteen years ago one of their warehouses was emptied and that the spells and ingredients stolen could have aided in causing the sickness.”
“Why are we just now hearing about this?” I asked, thinking the rumor sounded a bit shaky.
“We aren’t. The coven reported the break in when it happened, and the witches did investigate the incident. At the time, they hadn’t found the culprits, and the sickness hadn’t started, so they didn’t think much about the stolen items since the thieves had taken so much.”
“Okay, so what happened to reopen the case?”
“We haven’t reopened it yet, but a familiar of one of the witches died recently, and she found his journals. As they were lovers, she thought to relive his memories of her by reading them. In the journals, she found an entry that said a group came to him wanting his help in what they told him was a spell that could give all familiars magical powers. He hadn’t believed they could do it, so he declined, and they accepted his decision without much fuss. This note in the book coupled with the sickness caused the witches to reexamine the stolen inventory and question their familiars. Most of the familiars don’t remember anyone approaching them and asking them if they wanted to be a part of such a thing. There were a few who recalled a group approaching them around that time, and some, now that they know about humans, are sure that not all in the group that approached them were familiars. This revelation has sparked some outrage against the humans.”
“Have there been any attacks on the humans here?” I asked, fighting the urge to hunt Valerie down and make sure she was all right.
“Not yet, but we’ve sent non-essentials back to their world for the time being and put guards on the others and on the portals. We have to keep the doctors who are working on a cure for the sickness. They are too close to put their research on hold.”
“What if one of them is part of the group who created it?”
“All the humans that we know are here have been spelled to reveal any deceptions. They are all clean.”
“What about Valerie?”
“We don’t have to do anything like that to her. You’ve mated her. That mark means she has no ill will toward us. She can’t act against us in any way.”
I relaxed a bit at that, but my urge to find her didn’t dissipate.
“Don’t worry. You can have a family meal with us. She’s just fine. I have people watching her. Right this second, she is in her apartment preparing her afternoon meal. Now put that meat on. I’m starving.”
While Rose talked, Stephanie had brought out two plates piled high with food.
Reluctantly, I nodded and did as she ordered. I wouldn’t be happy until I got back to Valerie, but if Rose had people watching her, my mate would be all right until I could get to her. There was still the possibility of a threat to her, though, which meant I wouldn’t be able to give her the time I wanted her to have to get used to my world before becoming my mate. The longer she appeared to be unmated the more of a target she’d have on her back.
29.
~~Valerie~~
Saturday was a busy day for me. Stephanie came to my apartment early that morning. She planned to give me a tour of the town. We wandered around Greenleaf until nearly one in the afternoon. She dropped me back at my apartment, telling me that she had some family thing to attend, but that she would be back in a few hours. She returned later that afternoon to take me to dinner and on a walk through the park at night, as the town was an entirely different place after dark with the fairies lighting certain areas.
In between her two visits, I unloaded my groceries and other essentials and mulled over one of the conversations she and I had had that day. I had told her that I wanted to move on to the next city before too long and why.
She had all but ignored the request. She and I both knew I was lying about wanting to leave, despite my insistence. The discussion ended with me promising to give Greenleaf another month or so before making that decision. We both knew that I was growing attached to the town and the people. Unfortunately, I was also starting to feel an intense pull toward my mate that was trying to hold me to the town—something I didn’t tell Stephanie.
For dinner that night Stephanie had had a particular restaurant in mind, one I hadn’t eaten at before as it was only open on Friday and Saturday nights, but I had insisted on going to The Grove for dinner as usual. My insistence had aggravated even me, and I hadn’t understood why I felt I had to go there and not to the other restaurant until I saw Jackson sitting at his usual table.
Stephanie didn’t comment on my insistence that we stop by his table to say hello to him, but I could tell she wanted to say something.
Later that night as she and I talked about the town and life and walked, I found myself leading her toward the part of the park that had a shallow river running through it. Jackson was leaning against the wood railing of a small, arched bridge that covered the river. He was talking to an older man. Both men smiled and nodded at us, but didn’t stop conversing amongst themselves. I found it odd that despite our nearness to the two men, I, again, couldn’t hear what Jackson was saying or even make out the sound of his voice.
I tried to position Stephanie closer to them, but she wouldn’t let me direct her toward the two even though she knew what I wanted. All she told me about the conversation was that it was pack business and none of our business. She wasn’t mean about it, and I understood that as an outsider, there were certain things about their world I wouldn’t be privy to for a very long time.
That night, after Stephanie left me at my apartment, I took a seat out on my balcony as usual, but Nick didn’t come. As far as I could tell, he didn’t come home at all that night or the next day.
I did catch sight of an autumn colored wolf prowling our neighborhood that I was sure was Jackson in his wolf form keeping watch on me. Whether he did it to protect me or protect his town from me, I wasn’t sure.
30.
~~Valerie~~
The next day, Azure knocked on the apartment’s back door a little after breakfast. The sound of her knocking vibrated the apartment and made me jump two feet off the sofa. For a second I didn’t know from where the knock came. At the sound of the second knock, I remembered the unused door. I hadn’t opened it since I’d never had to come into the apartment any other way than through the store.
“Azure, sweetie, you scared me,” I said, answering the door and motioning for her to come inside.
“Is it okay that I stopped by?” she asked sheepishly.
“You’re welcome here anytime. What are you up to today?” I asked, motioning for her to join me on the sofa.
“I wanted to come by to see if you would like to visi
t the orphanage and maybe introduce yourself to the other kids. Ezra and Allison have been talking about you to them, but I thought it might be a good idea if you stopped by so they can see you outside of the bookstore.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Let me change clothes. Sweats and a t-shirt will not make a good impression with the people who run the orphanage nor will it inspire the other kids to take me seriously.”
She beamed at me as I left the room, making me feel proud of her and myself.
I spent most of that Sunday at the orphanage—a large building that looked more like an inn or bed and breakfast than like the creepy old buildings I’d seen on television. The adults were accommodating, and the children were fun. The smaller ones and the older brave ones asked tons of questions about my world. I talked until I was nearly hoarse from the stories I told, enjoying every second of the day.
To my surprise about three hours into my visit, Jackson showed up. He silently entered the large sitting room, but I knew the second he opened the door. Children surrounded me, listening to my stories. I smiled at Jackson and graciously took the glass of water he handed me. I was careful not to touch his skin when I took the cup. He smiled at me. I said thank you, and, just when I thought he would finally speak to me, a woman poked her head into the room and called his name.
“They’re here,” was all she said when she had his attention. I let my gaze follow him out of the room, but I couldn’t see past the door to find out who the “they” were.
The kids in the room stared at me in awe while I took a drink before returning my attention to them. I raised a questioning eyebrow at their awe and asked if something was wrong, but no one said anything. I imagined that they were surprised to see the Alpha of the local shifter pack, and their mayor, treat me with such kindness. None of the kids had been mean to me, up until then, but they were a great deal nicer and warmer to me afterward.
That afternoon, Azure walked with me back to my apartment. I invited her to stay and have dinner with me. While I cooked, I asked her what had so entranced the kids when Jackson had come into the room and who he had been there to meet. I harbored hope that he had just been there to see me.
“Jackson is a god to most of those kids. He’s the alpha of all the shifters there and everyone else’s Archon. No matter how often he comes by or how much he interacts with them, the kids usually behave that way around him until they are about ten or eleven years old. I also think the shifter kids know you are his mate. The witches might also. Species that can intermingle and mate one another can usually sense when mates are near each other,” she said, helping me prepare our meal.
“Azure,” I playfully scolded her, nearly dropping the pot I was holding. I was shocked that she would say it like that aloud.
“What? I didn’t tell them the two of you were mates. I haven’t told a soul that you have a mating mark and who I know your mate is.”
“You can’t know. Mr. Nichols doesn’t bear the mark, sweetie. You have to know that by now. If he doesn’t have the mark, he can’t be my mate.”
“I smell magic on him. I think he’s glamoured his mark. I know in my gut that you two are mates. Why he hasn’t acknowledged it yet, I don’t know, but I’m betting he wants you to have time to get to know this world better before dragging you into a mating.”
“If that is so, he could at least tell me that. His lack of mark and his not claiming me just makes me feel unwanted. Not only that but…” I stopped myself before going into details on how much I yearned for him, how horny I was all of the time, and how that feeling doubles whenever I was near him, which I’m sure all the supernaturals in the vicinity of us could smell. I was not going to have that conversation with a teenager.
“But what?” Azure asked though the glint in her eyes said she thought she knew what I was about to say.
“Never mind that. If you didn’t tell the kids I was Mr. Nichols’ mate, why do they think I am?”
“Like I said, they can sense it, but he was pretty obvious about it. He purposely set out to find you to bring you water. He’s never done that for any of the women at the orphanage, not even Ms. Talia, who follows him around every time he comes to the orphanage. I don’t know who he puts up with her all but throwing herself on him.”
“Bringing me water doesn’t mean anything,” I said, pretending not to care about what she said about Talia’s feelings for Jackson.
At the expression on Azure’s face that said she was about to argue things further, I said, “Tell me who Jackson was there to meet? Anyone interesting?”
“Besides you?” she said, elbowing me playfully in the arm.
I rolled my eyes at her.
“A group of teenage shifters from up north arrived at the orphanage today. The lady who was taking care of them died, and we were the closest orphanage with a large shifter population. Jackson had to be there to take charge of them since he is our alpha and will be theirs while they are here.”
“You don’t sound thrilled about these new kids,” I asked, watching her face and sensing she was unhappy about the situation for some reason.
She shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know. Most of them seem okay, but a few make me uncomfortable. They haven’t done anything yet, but they have that look about them that says they are bullies. There were ten of them, and two of the boys and two of the girls have that violent, angry air about them.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a little uneasy about having to let her go back to the orphanage that night. “I hope it’s just them being anxious to move to a new place.”
“Yeah, I hope so too. My roommate and I will be sharing a room with one of the girls. We’re supposed to be getting bunk beds tomorrow to accommodate her, but for now, I’m sharing a bed with my roommate so the new girl can have a bed to herself.”
“Sounds like a tight fit,” I said, not liking that there were so many kids crammed into one place.
“I’m not looking forward to it.”
“I bet you aren’t. Do you think Ms. Talia and Mr. Stanley will let you stay here tonight, so you don’t have to sleep in a twin bed with another person? I have an extra room and bed that no one is using.”
“Do you mean it?” she asked eagerly.
“Yeah. I mean if you want to, that is?”
“Oh, I do. Let me ask real quick.”
To my amazement, she reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a large pocket watch that had a mirror in each circled half and spoke Ms. Talia’s name into it. After a long moment, the image of Ms. Talia appeared in the top mirror. Her hello rang loud and clear throughout the room.
“Ms. Talia, is it all right if I stay with Ms. Stutts tonight at the bookstore?” Azure asked.
For a long moment, Ms. Talia said nothing as she stared at the young girl in stunned silence. Eventually, she said, “I don’t know, Azure. Ms. Stutts is new to our world. She might want to have time alone to adjust to things.”
“But she’s the one who invited me to stay,” Azure said, sounding heartbroken.
“She did?” Ms. Talia said, shocked at her words.
“Yes, Ma’am, I did,” I said, coming around to face the mirror. “Azure said that ten more children arrived today and that she was going to have to sleep with another girl until you got in more bunk beds. Azure and I have gotten to know each other over the last week. I have an extra bedroom. I wouldn’t mind the company. She can stay over as much as she likes if you allow. In fact, I think I’ll talk to Mrs. Rose about seeing if I can foster Azure awhile. That would give you one less child to worry about.”
I said all of that without thinking about what Azure wanted, but when I looked up to see the child on the verge of tears, I knew I hadn’t misspoken.
The woman on the other side of the mirror stared at me for a long time. I waited patiently. “Thank you, Ms. Stutts. I’ll say okay for tonight, but anything after that I’ll have to speak with Mr. Nichols. I’ll contact Mrs. Rose and Mr. Nichols tomorrow and get
their permission. If they say they are okay with things, we’ll start the paperwork in a day or so.”
“Thank you. I’ll send Azure right over to get a few things so that she can be back in time for supper.”
Ms. Talia smiled and nodded. Then the mirror turned back into a mirror.
“Do you really want me here?” Azure asked, pocketing the watch/phone thingy.
“Only if you want to be here. You seem to prefer the store to the orphanage, and I thought you might like having a room to yourself. Besides, I like having you around. But if you don’t…”
Before I could say anything more, she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I nearly cried as I hugged her back.
To keep from bursting into tears, I gently pulled her away from me and told her she had better hurry up and get her things or I would eat without her. She rushed out the back door and down the stairs in a flash. In awe at her speed and the sheer joy in her movements, from the top of the landing, I watched her until I nearly burned our meal.
31.
~~~Valerie~~~
When I had our supper ready, and Azure wasn’t back from getting her things, I stepped out onto the back stair landing to search for her. I didn’t see her running back, and I was about to go after her when I spotted her and Jackson coming around the side of the building talking.
They weren’t whispering, but I was too far away to make out what they were saying. For the first time, I heard a hint of Jackson’s voice. The sound was deep but not raspy or hard, just manly. Something about the sound felt familiar. If I was a little closer, I might have been able to make out his words and remember from where I had heard his voice.
Feeling drawn to him and the sound, I took a step down the stairs. The slight noise my foot made on the metal got their attention, and they turned toward me.
Marked (Valeterra Series Book 1) Page 12
