by Casey Lane
Their minds connected, she brought them back to the chill of the bathroom floor and opened her eyes.
He blinked, groaned. “Oh, my head.”
A quick examination showed no bump. “What happened?” She sat back on her knees as he rolled to a sitting position.
“I was going to ask you the same question.”
She peered into his eyes, but there was no fog as there had been the last time. Taking his wrist in her hand, she monitored his heart rate. “Outside of a slightly elevated pulse, you seem fine. You have no memory of what happened?”
“I came in here to shift.” He frowned. “I…I couldn’t find my wolf. I called, and he didn’t answer. He’s always answered.” Panic slid into his voice.
“Car first, then we go to Sol.” She scrambled to her feet, held out a hand. “Sol owns Alexandria’s. It’s…an interesting bookstore. There should be answers there.”
“And if there aren’t?”
Megan saw him fighting the panic, and she moved into his arms. “There are answers. We will find them.” She rested there for a moment, more content than she had ever been. “You know, you changed when you were healing. It was instinctive, something that your body just knew it could do.”
“What are you saying?”
She squeezed and released him. “I’m saying that maybe, for whatever reason, the poison that your body has been processing might have tampered with your changing abilities. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.” Patting his chest, she added, “Finish dressing. We’ll figure this out, I swear.”
To his surprise, Raven’s truck was where he’d left it. There wasn’t even a parking ticket. They drove back to the hospital, parked his car in the staff parking of the garage, and took off again in her reliable compact car.
To take his mind off her driving skills, he focused on her, rather than the road. “Tell me about Alexandria’s, and about Sol.”
“I haven’t been there much. But I knew the original Alexandria. My father made sure of it. She was…magnificent. I’m not sure what, entirely, she was. Maybe a witch, maybe a goddess. Her physical body was the typical happy, plump granny. Silver-white hair, the scent of cookies, the best hugs. But overall, it was her spirit, her heart, that filled you up.”
“What happened to her?”
Megan gave a deep sigh. “There are differing accounts of that day. Sol was there, though, locked upstairs. Said she did that deliberately. Sent everyone home in the middle of the day, locked up the store, made sure he was safe. Then she dealt with what came.”
“And what came ended up killing her?”
“Yeah.” She wiped at her eyes. “Sol won’t talk about it. But he spent days cleaning up.”
Tears trickled down her cheek. Moved, Raven gently wiped them away. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Megan sniffled and wiped her eyes again. “The world lost, that day. She said it was foretold.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but the store is as vibrant as ever with Sol in charge. You only notice the missing element if you know it had once been there.”
Megan stopped talking, and Raven was content with silence. He had a lot to process, what with their connection, her uncertainty of him, and his current inability to shift.
And they were no closer to answering why he came out to California in the first place. At least now he knew the wolf pack here had also suffered losses. Not that it made the horror any easier to bear.
“We’re here.” She had parked along a residential street that also carried some shops closer to what looked like a major intersection.
“It’s down on the corner?”
“No. Here.” She gestured to the house up on the right.
Two stories, it covered a lot twice the size of the house next to it and boasted a small parking area in front, already filled with cars. There was no front yard, but there was a porch where two rocking chairs sat.
The house had a freshly-painted look to it, white, with crisp navy trim. It broadcast a welcome that enfolded Raven from where he sat.
“Come on. Let’s go in. We won’t learn anything by sitting out here.” Megan got out of the car, and Raven followed more slowly.
The welcome wrapped around him the minute he stepped foot into the place. Laid out partly like a house, partly like a store, there were comfy chairs and bookcases everywhere. Display tables showed crystals, decks of Tarot cards, and lengths of fabrics.
It was a moveable feast for the eyes, the mind, and the soul. Alexandria still reigned here. He moved next to Megan, bent to her ear. “She really is an amazing spirit, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. Come on.” She led him to a more ‘store-like’ configuration in what he judged to be the middle of the building. An imposing black man stood behind the register, helping some leggy teenage girls who had the case of the giggles.
As they headed to the front door, still giggling, Megan approached the counter.
“Hi, Sol. It’s been a minute, yeah?”
A wide grin split his face, his teeth showing white. “Miss Megan, as I live and breathe.” He came around the counter; his arms opened wide. “Give me some sugar.”
Raven watched in bemusement as she launched herself into his arms. Love flowed freely between them, even as Sol’s gaze latched onto him over Megan’s blonde head.
“You brought me a wolf, Megs.” He kissed the top of her head and set her gently aside. “Introduce me.”
Raven noticed his toothy grin now had a bit of a challenge in it, and he appreciated it. He stepped forward. “Raven Malick, at your service.” He gave a short bow rather than offering his hand.
Sol’s eyes sharpened. “Malick. Arizona. Near Flagstaff?”
“Yep, that’s me.” Raven appreciated the detail he left out. “Though I will say I hadn’t heard of Alexandria’s until today. Megan gave me the lowdown.”
Sol’s gaze darted between the two. “My guess is this isn’t a how-are-you type visit. Excuse me a moment.” He took a few steps toward the back hallway. “Jolie? I need you to watch the register.”
“Coming, Daddy.” A beautiful young lady came their way, gave Raven a not-so-subtle up-and-down look of appreciation as she took her father’s spot at the register. “You all going into the Basement?”
“I don’t know, little girl. Maybe. You know the drill, yeah?”
Her full lips quirked. “Yes, Daddy. I know. Shoo.”
Sol sighed heavily. “She’s my sassy one. Let’s go to the talking spot.” He led them to an alcove just down the hall that held a couch, a chair, and a table between.
They settled, and Sol pinned Raven down. “Why are you here?”
Megan touched his arm, quieted his rising anger. “Raven was shot with wolfsbane while he was coming up to see me. He was shot in my hospital, after hours,” she emphasized. “Sol, this isn’t normal.”
Sol twisted his full lips, gave Raven one more once-over before shifting his awareness to Megan. “He looks fine. You must have pulled him through, Doc. What’s the issue?”
“I can’t shift.” Raven laid it out as starkly as he could.
Megan rushed into speech. “I used wine, then the antidote from my herbs. He recovered. I thought he was fine, until today.”
“So you haven’t been able to shift since then, boy?”
Raven took a calming breath. “Apparently, when I was healing, I shifted while unconscious. Instinct.” He shrugged.
“We got him up to my apartment. Within six hours, he was back to his human form.” Megan reached for him, and he took her hand, knowing full well that Sol missed nothing. The big man’s eyes took on a thoughtful mien.
“So you can change. What’s the problem?”
Raven rubbed Megan’s hand when it tightened on his. “I can’t change on purpose. I’ve always been able to before this. You know as well as anyone that weres aren’t tied to the moon cycle.”
“You’re technically shifters in that regard, true.” Sol sat back. “So you tried, and what happen
ed?”
“I called for my wolf. He was nowhere to be found.” At Megan’s sound of distress, he kissed her hand. “He’s been with me since birth, my wolf. Playful pup, angsty teen, angry man. He’s always been there, tied to me. A part of me. Now?” He shook his head. “Nothing. No, not nothing. More like an echo chamber. No, that doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does. You speak into a void that is usually filled. When your wolf is there, he responds. When he is not, as you have found, your words echo within you, searching for a response that does not come.” Sol steepled his fingers.
Raven fell into his dark eyes, searched for answers there, fully aware that Sol was gauging his strength.
“There is a place you should go, the two of you. There is a cave, not far from a popular tide pool spot in Ventura County. Leo Carillo Beach.”
“A cave?” Megan sent a bewildered glance to Sol. “Why would we want to visit a cave?”
“There are rumors. Apparently, it was once used as a demon hideout, prior to a horrific, bloody party.”
Megan’s harsh intake of breath took Raven by surprise. His jaw tightened. “What else is important about this cave?”
Sol gazed at him from under lowered lids. “They say it’s a favorite of vampires.”
Electricity shot through Raven. “I see.” He thought he did, too.
“But shouldn’t we search the Basement?” Megan’s worried voice broke the spell between the two men. “To help Raven get his wolf back?”
Raven noticed Sol’s gaze as it flickered between their joined hands and the bite mark on Megan’s neck, visible to only those who could see. He stood. “No, my lovely.”
She jumped to her feet. “But Sol, why?” Her distress was palpable.
“Raven’s wolf hasn’t left him. He’s still there. Whether it’s some leftover ramification of the poison or some other thing, ultimately the answer lies within him.”
“But you’re sending us to a cave.” Megan shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why?”
Raven rose and pulled her to his side. “He has his reasons, my love.” She stilled at the endearment, but he pressed on. “Thank you, Sol. I appreciate your candor.”
“You know what needs to be done, how to handle it?”
Raven knew he was talking about Megan and the mark on her neck. “I can see a way forward for her. I’m still seeking my path.” He ignored Megan’s questioning glance and kept his gaze on Sol.
The big man nodded. “Take good care of her.”
“Oh, I shall.”
Raven kept his hand on her back as they went through the shop and out to her car.
“What was all that about, there at the end? All that macho posturing?”
Raven felt her gaze but didn’t turn to meet her gaze. “Just as you said. Macho posturing. He is protective of you.”
“Does that bother you?” She unlocked the car.
He waited until they were inside and on their way before answering, surprised at his complex reaction to her question.
“On the one hand, I’m grateful you have champions.”
She sent him a wry glance. “But on the other hand?”
“I’m here now.” He gazed out the window. “So, are we going to this cave?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. You got a better time? I want to investigate the cave. You know where it is.”
He heard her take a long breath before pulling onto the 101 Freeway northbound.
“The cave it is.”
Chapter Four
They picked their way down the rocky sea wall, Raven following carefully in Megan’s footsteps. He was good on his feet, but he didn’t know this area, and she did.
“There are a lot of caves in this part of Leo Carillo State Beach.” She landed on the sand with a laugh. “Gods, I love the beach. I don’t get here often enough.”
“Do you know of any wolf pack in this area? Some of these canyons would make great running grounds.”
She sent him a measured look. “Not as far as I know. You thinking of starting one?”
He caught her wariness and sidestepped the question she didn’t ask. “When I can run again, I don’t want to run on another pack’s territory without permission. The bane of being a lone wolf.” Now was not the time to tell her what he truly wanted. She wouldn’t be able to accept it, anyway.
“Come on. I think it’s up this way.”
“You can find this cave just from the vague detail that Sol gave you? Seriously.”
“He did say Leo Carillo.” She shrugged. “I took the location from Sol’s mind. He thinks in very clear pictures.”
Raven walked alongside her, enjoying the sun on his back and the slight breeze. The air was salty, refreshing. Why couldn’t he have been from a California pack, instead of Arizona?
He breathed deeply. Felt the last vestiges of the poison leave his system. Gratitude for this day, for this woman, surged inside him and he captured her hand. Yes, there were steps to take, conversations to have, but right here, right now, his heart was full. The rest would come with time.
As if their minds were on the same wavelength, she glanced up at him from beneath her lashes.
“What was your sister like?”
“Lisette?” He laced his fingers with hers. “She was gentle. Loving. An artist. Her husband was away on business when the attack occurred.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Her husband is devastated. Fell into a depression that he hasn’t been able to shake. I’d like to give him some good news.”
“You’d like to bring the vampires responsible to justice.” She nodded. “I get that.”
“I want to end their existence. Vampires live to prey on humans. Now they’re going after the wolves. Who will be next? What if they open a portal to the Fae Plane? What would a Fae vampire look like?”
“Gods. I don’t even want to think about it.” She drew her hand from his and picked across a particularly tricky section of tide pools until she reached the sand.
He followed in her footsteps, looked at the area. “We’re close to the cave, aren’t we?”
“Yeah. You feel it too?”
“I do.” Raven studied the rocky cliffs in front of them. The folds of the cliff line didn’t hew to the shoreline; rather, they meandered, thrust into the sand, retreated from it, dancing in and out along the beach like the lace hem of a dress.
“You do your thing, I’ll do mine, and we’ll find this. Yeah?” He squeezed her hand and released her to move further along the cliffs. He sniffed at openings, but the only information coming back to him included seaweed, and sand, and the trash of humanity.
“Here.”
He turned at her voice and saw her staring at the cliff, fairly close to where he’d left her. He backtracked.
“Yeah?” He studied the cliff, shook his head. “I’m not seeing it.”
She glanced at him. “Have you ever seen those graphic images, where there are other images embedded into them, but you have to, like, I don’t know. Go cross-eyed to see the images?”
He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying.”
“So, look right here…and blur your vision a bit. Soften it. The opening is there, kind of an hourglass shape. Look for it.”
Raven took a couple of steps back, scanned the cliff. “Blur my vision…” Wishing for his wolf ability, he deliberately let his sight soften until for some reason the rocks took on a different dimension. Just to the right, there seemed to be a shadow, an hourglass shape as she had described.
“Fascinating. Shall we?” Without taking his eyes off the opening, he held his hand out for Megan, relieved when she took it without comment.
They walked toward the opening, free hands outstretched. Megan reached it first.
“Oh.” With a note of surprise, she released his hand and disappeared.
“Fuck.”
“Come on,” she called, her voice echoing.
Raven set his jaw. Since when di
d he allow a Fae to walk ahead of him? Since her, he admitted. He took a breath, and two more steps until he was face first in the cliff. A sidle to the side and he slipped through the opening that was surprisingly wide, considering the visual trick used to hide it.
He blinked at the almost instant darkness, with the only light filtering in from behind him. “Megan?” A moment later his eyes adjusted, and he found her studying the walls of the cave.
“This is fascinating,” she murmured. Igniting a light in her hand, she lifted it over her head, left it hanging there, and turned so they could both see the inside.
About ten feet high, and just about as wide, the walls were thick with a drawing style that Raven had never seen before. He sniffed the air.
“A demon has been here, but its scent is faint. As for the artwork, I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s not the work of teens with spray cans,” he added.
“No, it’s not. I caught the scent of demon, as well, and I agree. He hasn’t been here in a long time. When we have time, remind me to tell you about this demon. In the meantime, this cave feels deeper than it looks. Do you want to go first, or should I?”
“I’ll go.” He interpreted her smirk and sighed. “And not because I’m a guy. But please keep the light going, so we can see where we are. I don’t know why I didn’t think of a flashlight,” he muttered.
“I do. Wolves see just fine in the dark. I wish you could change, but it’s probably not a good idea at this point. If you knock yourself out, like you did earlier…” Megan’s voice trailed off.
He raised his eyebrows. “Yeah. Okay, fine. You go ahead with the light, and I’ll be right behind you.”
“I do have my moments, you know.”
Even in the gloom of the cave, he could see the wicked grin on her face. Unable to help himself, he scooped her up and planted a hard kiss on her sassy lips.
Her heat, her taste, almost undid him. And when she pressed her body against his, fisting one hand in his hair, he moaned against her mouth. Moaned again when she eased away from him with a shimmer of her body against his.
He opened his eyes to find her eyeing him with anticipation. “Hm?”
