“I don’t know, but I do need to know for certain the body we saw was his.” I swallowed hard. “I can’t explain it, but I feel as though he’s still living. Something inside me tells me he’s alive, even if everything else points to him being dead.”
He took the hair from me and nodded. “If it will help you come to terms, yes.”
The front door opened. “Danial?” Cia called. “We’re back.”
I hugged him quickly, grabbed up Elle, and left for home. When we arrived, Suri came out to greet us. She hugged me, and that small act from her who’d always been so hard and strong made me cry again.
“Will you stay?”
“Of course,” she said, nodding. “I heated up some soup. Come in and have some.”
After a quiet meal, Suri went downstairs to sleep, and I began the process of introducing my pets to Elle. Elle liked the cats and dogs, but they didn’t like her. They were wary of her, the way they had been at first with Theo. She kept trying to play with them but they just growled or hissed at her. She finally curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, looking forlorn. I felt so sad for her I let her sleep with me. After setting up her litter box in my room, I fed her. A short time later, I fell asleep holding her.
A week passed and then two. I finally told Suri it was okay if she left. I’d gotten Elle on a schedule now and was able to take care of her, my pets, and myself. Suri looked at me with worried eyes, but she left that night, telling me to call her if I was lonely. I wanted to tell her I was lonely, but the person I was lonely for was gone. I didn’t want anyone else’s company but his and Elle’s.
Danial called later that night, excited. “Sar, you were right. The body wasn’t Theo. He may be alive,” he said hopefully.
“What can we do?” I said, the spark inside me rekindling.
“I am going back to Europe, Sar. If he is there, I’ll find him.”
“Danial, be careful please,” I said, worried. “I don’t want to lose you too.”
There was silence. “You will never lose me, Sar,” he said softly. I’ve got to run. I’m flying out tonight. Take care.”
I hung up, musing. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make us think Theo was dead. Why? Who did it?
I immediately thought of Samuel. He had known there was something more between Theo and me than guardian and guardee. Would he have killed him?
Elle crawled up onto my lap. I petted her, and she purred, still a small rumbling sound more like a far-off blender than Theo’s deeper and full-throated purring. I smiled, thinking how much I loved her and how much I loved her father. She was growing at a phenomenal rate and was now about fifty pounds. If she got much bigger, she wasn't going to fit in my lap. I was glad, too. The cats and dogs were starting to accept her.
With effort, I brought my thoughts back to Samuel. He was a man who cared deeply about the whole oath/choker tradition. He’d thought me to be cheating on Danial with Theo, which had to have pissed him off. Could he have tried to kill Theo or taken him to punish? He could have. He had the power and resources to do it. Enough men against Theo, and he’d have fallen. He wasn’t invincible, just resilient. Yet Samuel should have been angry with me as well as Theo. Instead, he’d been the picture of politeness. Further, what reason would Samuel have to interfere with a fellow Ruler’s errant lover and her bodyguard? We weren’t his subjects.
Aside from Samuel, who else might want Theo dead? Whoever was below him in ranking, the sixth through the tenth, which made five people total. They should be easy to discover because they would have to brag or at least admit to killing Theo to move up in ranking. I’d have to ask Danial where those bodyguards were ranked.
In addition to the six suspects I already had, there were probably a lot of people who had it in for Theo. Danial had many enemies now as Vampire Ruler of the U.S. Logic told me those would have killed Theo in an easier way and not tried this elaborate scheme.
That left me with the single most probable killer: Tawny’s husband. He’d had reason to want Theo dead and could have easily tracked him and me when we’d brought Elle from the hospital. Still, it made more sense Tawny’s husband would have wanted payback on Tawny…
I sat bolt upright. Had Tawny’s death been accidental? From Terian, I knew there were potions that could be given to induce what looked like a heart attack.
I tried Terian, but got no answer. I left a message, telling him Theo was missing and asking him to call me as soon as he could. Then I called Danial and left a long message relating my suspicions about Tawny’s husband.
The next day, I went in person to see my boss to explain what had happened and to ask him about coming back to work. He was apologetic, understanding the circumstances, but said things had needed to go on without me and my job had already been filled by another person. I asked my boss to call me if that didn’t work out, and he said he would. His eyes said I’d let him down. There had been one too many times where he needed me and I hadn’t been there.
Dejected, I drove home dry-eyed. I’d reached that familiar plateau where nothing hurt because everything felt as if it was happening to another person. My job was gone; so what? I’d have to find another one soon, but it could wait for a little while.
The month passed slowly. Danial called most every early morning from Europe before he slept to tell me how things were going. He’d spoken to Samuel, but Samuel had denied doing anything. He’d also spoken to someone involved with the ranking and been assured though Theo had been officially removed from the ranking, no one had come forward bragging about killing him. Those below Theo had moved up, but it was normal succession, as when a ranked person died from natural causes. He’d agreed with me with those two possibilities cleared, Tawny’s husband was the prime suspect. Danial was working on tracking him down, but as Theo had been listed as Elle’s father, he had no name to go on.
“The hospital had Tawny’s address, but it’s a dead end,” Danial continued. “It was an apartment, in Tawny’s maiden name. I’m not sure if her husband even knew of it.” He sighed. “Someone cleaned out all of her belongings long before I got there. The landlord doesn’t remember seeing anyone come get them. It’s entirely possible he sold them for back rent.”
“Didn’t Theo have anything with her info on it? A phone number?”
“Her number wasn’t in his cell phone, even though I had the memory chip accessed. He didn’t have a phone outside of that. It doesn’t matter anyway, as Tawny didn’t have a regular phone in her apartment, only a cell phone, whose number has long since changed hands”
“What can you do?” I asked.
“I have one lead left: Tawny’s landlord thinks she had a sister. However, he didn’t know her name, or where she lived. He had only her maiden name to go on, the same as Tawny’s.” He sighed. “I have all of Europe to search.”
“Danial, maybe you should turn this over to someone else there—”
“I will not,” he replied, his tone like dark freezing water. “Theo would not give up looking for me, if I were the one missing.”
My anger sparked hearing him suggest that had been what I’d meant. “I’m not advocating we give up,” I yelled into the phone. “You can only work at night, and you’ve got no one watching your back.”
“Suri, Ivan, and Demetri are here with me,” Danial replied patiently. “They are doing most of the legwork during the day. Feel free to calm down anytime.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, relieved. “I didn’t know.”
“I know you’re worried, but I have to do everything I can before I give up,” Danial said bleakly. “I want badly for you to be right, for him to still be alive.”
“I don’t have words for telling you what it means to me that you’re still there looking,” I said softly.
“He was my best friend, Sar. I could do no less for him. Take care, until tomorrow.”
I hung up with a sigh.
The phone rang immediately. It was Terian.
“Thanks for calli
ng me back promptly,” I said sarcastically. “I need to know something.”
“I’ll be by tomorrow,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry I haven’t called back until now. I just got your message today.” He paused. “Have they found him?”
“No,” I said heavily.
“They will,” he said resolutely. “Get some sleep. Expect me about noon.”
* * * *
Terian was there promptly at noon. He hugged me tightly, telling me again he was sorry. Then we sat on the deck and watched Elle play on the lawn with Ghost and Darkness.
“She’s getting big,” he said in admiration.
“Be careful, Terian,” I cautioned. “She still likes to be picked up. She’s about seventy five pounds now.”
“I can probably still manage to lift her, Sar,” Terian said with a laugh.
“I forget how strong you are,” I said with a smile. He smiled back, his cherry wood eyes sparkling. “How is Sundown?”
“I’m thinking about proposing,” he said hesitantly. “I’m not sure if I should. I’m immortal and she’s not. What do you think?”
“Ask her, but first be honest about your immorality. If she says no, tell her you still want to be with her. Don’t be afraid to tell her because of what Danial and I went through.”
Terian gave me a considering glance and nodded thoughtfully. “Why did you ask me to come over?” he said, after a pause.
“I wanted to see you,” I said, not wanting to admit I’d have settled for talking on the phone, and he had kind of invited himself over.
“That may be, but that familiar note means you need my help with something is in your voice. What is it?”
I relayed my suspicion to him about Tawny’s heart attack. “Any ideas?”
He considered it. “I know of several things might have been used. How will this help you find Theo?”
I handed him my phone. “Call Danial and leave a message with the names of the potions that could have been used and the names of whomever you know in Europe who could have made them. Danial can track them down and see if they have any record of someone purchasing a potion in the four months leading up to Tawny’s death. She wouldn’t have been able to hide the pregnancy after the fourth month. She hadn’t told her husband, but he might have suspected the child wasn’t his.”
“The potion would have only been good for a few days after creation,” Terian said quickly. “He would have had to buy it and give it to her in the span of seventy-two hours.”
“Please call Danial and tell him that.” I dialed the phone and handed it to him.
He took it and shortly began talking quickly, dictating a list to one of Danial’s foxes.
When he finished I took the phone back. “Stay for dinner? I’ve made lasagna.”
“Of course,” he said, grinning. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
After we’d finished the meal, he headed out, saying he had a lot to do on the way home. “Most of all, I have to come up with a way to tell Sun I’m part demon.”
“If she loves you, she’ll accept it,” I told him. “I accepted Theo being werecougar.”
“Sar, I’m so sorry about Theo,” he said softly, hugging me good-bye.
“So am I,” I said to him sadly. “Good luck.”
* * * *
Danial called back later to thank me for the information, and he would get started on it right away. I wanted to ask him if he had appointed someone else to run his business since he’d been gone so long from his territory. Part of me worried irrationally Devlin might have been left as makeshift regent, ludicrous as it was. More likely, Danial’s life had been put on hold the way mine had been.
Another week passed. With me not working, I was able to get a lot of work done in preparation for winter. The garden Theo and I had planted last spring had taken a turn for the worse while we’d been gone, but with Elle’s help, we got it under control. She was also able to help me cut wood, by rolling pieces with her paws and moving logs over, so I could cut them through. Despite her youth, the intelligence in her eyes revealed she was more than animal. My only concern was how limited her cougar form made communication between us. She still had not changed form yet to human once.
I called Cia the next day, explained my concern and asked her for advice. She told me to bring Elle to see her that night.
We drove over to Danial’s home after dinner. Seeing the house again, I was struck by the feeling if I could only go inside, Theo would be there waiting for me. He had just been away on a long assignment. He would be so happy to see us; he would relish seeing how Elle had grown and there was so much he could teach her...
Tears slide down my cheeks and I wiped them away angrily, driving past the house on to the fox communal compound.
Cia was overjoyed to see us and gave us both a big hug. She took us to her room, and then Janice came in dressed in a robe.
“I can’t change, Sar, because of the baby,” Cia said apologetically, “but Janice will.”
Janice disrobed and gradually changed into her fox form. She did it deliberately slowly, as Elle watched her with wide eyes. She wasn’t scared as I expected her to be. Janice barked once, and Elle came over and sniffed her. They ran around a little, and then Janice changed back to human. Again, she did it slowly, deliberately. Elle watched, but she seemed not to know what to do.
Cia shrugged her shoulders. “She just must not be ready,” she said, as Janice got back into her robe.
“How long did it take you to learn to change?” I asked. Cia was the only werefox I knew for sure that had been born were.
“I changed when I was five or six, I think. It’s hard to remember.”
I leaned over and whispered to her “Cia, if she takes that long, her vocal cords may not develop correctly. I’m worried—”
“Sar, if you rush her, she might be hurt then, too,” she replied. “So what if it takes her a little longer to speak?”
“You think I shouldn’t worry?”
“Do you see how big she is?” Cia said meaningfully.
“What are you saying, Cia?”
“I’m saying Elle might only be a few months old, but she’s maturing at the rate of a cougar, not a child.”
Realization swept in, and I felt shock. Why hadn’t I noticed? “You mean—?”
“Yes. Elle might change and be five years old already,” Cia continued.
My eyes closed, as I fought to control myself.
“Relax, Sar, you are doing the best you can,” Cia said, trying to comfort me.
I remembered Theo saying those same words to me and began to cry. Cia held me to her, not speaking, her thoughts likely the same as mine.
Even if we eventually did find Theo, even if he somehow found his way back to me, he’d never get this time with his daughter back. I worried she was already forgetting him.
* * * *
October came and once again, I found myself scurrying to be ready for winter. The garden had done well, and I busied myself putting up vegetables Theo and I had planted, the same ones he’d never seen grow into fruition.
I also decided it was time to face facts. I had to find work soon.
My SUV had died a month ago. I had been saving up to buy a new car since the spring, but I had needed that money in the last months to pay my bills. It was now early September and winter would be here soon. I had Theo’s truck, which was almost new, but my other savings were also nearly gone. With careful scrimping, I had enough money left to see Elle and me through this winter. Then I was going to have to get another job, and this one would have to be a full time one.
I had debated trying to use some of Theo’s money. He’d had a bank account somewhere, but I’d found no paperwork on it in his belongings. Aside from his clothes, guns, and woodcarving equipment, there was not as much as a photograph. I could’ve asked Danial to access it, sure, but that made me feel like I was giving up on Theo, declaring he was dead. I wasn’t ready to do that, not while I still had money of my own. There wa
s also the worry I wouldn’t be able to get Theo’s money, anyway because he and I hadn’t married. There was no death certificate for him, and his daughter was for all legal purposes a cougar. Elle’s paperwork from Europe didn’t include so much as a social security number.
I had a lot to worry about, especially when I considered my responsibilities to Elle. Yet I tried not to think about them, pinning my hopes on Danial. He would find Theo and everything would be all right. I also devoted myself to spending time with Elle to teach her human words for the world around her even if I couldn’t teach her to speak. She had grown fast in the last month and was almost one hundred pounds now, all of it muscle. I was beginning to worry about leaving her alone with the cats, but she’d given no sign she thought of them as anything other than her family. In the way she watched me, she understood my words to her and knew to nod or shake her head if I asked her a question or to indicate she wanted something with her paw and a look. She’d been housebroken for some time now, but she still had not changed form yet.
Danial called late in the last week of October. “I found Tawny’s sister. She gave me the name of Tawny’s husband, but said she had no idea where he was. She hadn’t seen him for months.”
“Does she know about Elle?’ I said hesitantly.
Tawny’s sister was blood relation to Elle. I wasn’t. I was afraid of losing her.
“Sar, Tawny’s sister didn’t even know about Theo,” Danial said with a sort of disgust. “I didn’t mention Elle. She’s staying with you, no matter what.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully.
“I do have real news. She showed me a picture of Tawny’s husband,” Danial said oddly.
“What is it?” I asked intently.
“This man, Tawny’s husband, was named Will. In build and size, Will was a dead ringer for Theo.”
“So the body we found was—”
“Will, yes. That was why the head had been taken. We’d have known it wasn’t Theo at once.” He paused. “I always wondered how Peterson knew of our true natures. It’s not something Theo or I advertised. Will was the one who betrayed us, Sar. He told Peterson what we were, and that’s why they asked us to be there that particular week.”
Taken in the Night Page 8
