Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick

by Mandi Casey

  “Sydney, your desire for me is strong in the air when you become wet, thinking about me, about us being together.” His expression became dark and his lips parted in a sensual gesture. The vision and touch of those lips would be seared into my memory for all time.

  I pulled away from him with a sharp yank of my arm and shot off the sofa, feeling more embarrassed at that moment than ever in my life.

  “Blake, you need to focus, okay? There’s something we really need to talk about. If you keep veering off in that direction, how are we supposed to get anything done?”

  Sitting on the sofa with a smug look on his face, he replied, “We don’t need to get anything done. Come here and sit next to me.” He patted the seat next to him. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.” He raised an eyebrow when I hesitated. “At least one of us is being honest, and it isn’t you. You’re not being honest with me, or yourself. Your desire is blatantly obvious, even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself. The smell of you wanting me is all around us, so if you truly don’t want me to touch you, to caress you, to put my lips to your lips, that’s fine, for now.”

  The thought of him doing all those things to me, and more, just made it worse. My panties were moist, but there was nothing to be done about it. The mere thought of letting Blake have his way with my body would just open a whole new set of problems. He’d just have to wait, maybe forever.

  I let him pull me back down to the sofa next to him, his body heat distracting me until the reason we needed to talk popped back in my head.

  “Blake, when you come into the store, it’s obvious to me that you’re not fully human.” Putting my hand up, knowing he would argue, I said, “Let me finish. When you come into the store, there is a strong wave of heat that comes with you. It’s a sort of comfortable warmth. Last night the same thing happened, the same warmth filled the air, but it was off. It hurt. There was something wrong with the wolf outside of my house. What do you think that means?”

  He took a moment to respond. Thoughts reeled across his face while he figured out what he wanted to say.

  “First of all, it’s unbelievable you left your house last night with a rogue wolf hunting the grounds near your home. You need protection from the rogues, and from yourself. Second, that is what you must have sensed. When a wolf becomes disassociated from their pack, they become more wild, more so than they already are. When a wolf leaves a pack, they leave the central bond that is formed among the pack members. It’s like they lose a part of themselves and become broken.”

  For some reason, his condescending tone irritated me. “First, don’t go all macho on me. I’m not going to let this war between you and the vampires affect what happens in my spare time. Second, I’m not going to let a strange wolf make me go running for the hills or hide out in my house. That’s just not going to happen.” I paused, as some of what he’d said sank in. “What do you mean central bond?”

  Blake resituated himself on the sofa and put his thigh, which was almost twice the size of mine, against my right leg. He didn’t seem to notice he was touching me with his body, but that’s all my mind could focus on. I pulled my thigh away and crossed my legs at the ankles to give him more room, and to enable me to try and regain focus on the conversation.

  “The central bond is a communication pathway between members of the pack, all of the members. A special ceremony is held when new members are welcomed into the pack or when current members choose to leave it. Those who choose to leave the pack and not join another tend to go feral for they no longer have the constant support of the other members helping them keep their humanity in check and not allowing the wolf to take over. Most rogues are less human and more wolf. They have little control over their animal instincts. That’s who commits most of the attacks on unsuspecting humans. Wolves that do belong to packs tend to get clumped in with the reputations of rogues when humans find out about our existence. Humans tend to be afraid of us because they can’t differentiate between a bonded wolf and one who isn’t.”

  That was confusing. “I thought werewolves were always pack oriented? How was it possible for a werewolf to choose to leave their family, their entire pack, to be alone?”

  Blake shrugged, his shoulders signaling that what he was about to say was obvious to him, and he didn’t quite get what a person didn’t understand about pack mentality. “There are different ranks amongst the wolves in every pack. Sometimes there are those who have a difficult time going along with what the pack leader feels is important, and some just can’t deal with it. It’s no different than a child leaving a family to go through life on their own, not allowing their parents or family members to have any say in what they do.”

  “But why would they choose to lose all that love and support? And besides, they know when they leave the pack, if they don’t have another pack in mind to join, they’re going to lose themselves to the wolf. Right?”

  “Sydney, there isn’t really a simple explanation for it. For some, the power structure within the pack becomes too much to tolerate. Some wolves think they are made of alpha wolf material, but they aren’t strong enough to challenge the pack leader for the right to that title. They leave because living a life subservient to someone they don’t believe should be wielding power is not acceptable to them.”

  “So you consider yourselves subservient to Morris?”

  He laughed. It was hard to imagine Blake being told by his father, or anyone, what to do.

  “When it comes to matters of the pack, yes, my father is an excellent pack leader. There may come a day when he makes a decision I don’t particularly care for. Until then, I’m fine with the way things are. We love him and trust that his interests in the pack are genuine. He cares for all of us, and sometimes he has to make difficult decisions that would be hard for anyone to make. Overall, he does a pretty good job.”

  The store phone rang, making me flinch at the sound. I picked up the phone by the third ring. Brianna was on the other end of the line. She and Michael had already made it home to Chicago, safe and sound. My entire body relaxed. I hadn’t realized how stressed out it made me having her so close to the whole vampire/werewolf mess until she was well away from it and back with my mom. I had to get to the bottom of what was going on. Knowing that my actions would have a direct impact on whether my sister lived or died didn’t sit well with me.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning as I walked into the store, the answering machine was recording a call before I was able to lift the phone from the receiver. A male said since the summons to move in with the vampires at the request of Kieran wasn’t answered last night, the master vampire of the local coven was sending a delivery to my store this afternoon with an item to help me if there ever came a time of great danger.

  What could he possibly send that he would think wasn’t already at my disposal in the form of protection? The pink ruby necklace was an instant deterrent for the wolves and vampires, if they decided to attack me. Grandma said the stone was a symbol of the vampires’ protection, and the threat that came with it should anyone actually hurt me.

  What more could a girl possibly need? According to Grandma Maria, even the rogues were aware of the symbol and the threat behind it since they, too, belonged to a coven or pack at one time or another. Apparently it wasn’t the first jewel-encrusted gift given to a Selected by the vampires to signify what would happen should anyone decide to harm her.

  There was no need to pick up the phone since the vampire didn’t really have anything critical to say, or need an answer to. He must be one of the humans addicted to vampire blood because the sun was blazing outside, and none of the vampires would be up this early in the morning. The tone of the caller was a bit snooty, and it sounded as if he was leaving a message for an insolent, misbehaving child.

  There were boxes in the storeroom that needed to be opened, and it was a good opportunity to deal with the deliveries since it wasn’t time for the store to be opened yet. Having Blake visit every day took time
away from chores, forcing me to use my spare time wisely. The shelves were wiped down, and half of the delivery boxes were unpacked before the first customer came in through the door.

  The young woman had been in the store a few times and usually didn’t buy anything, especially when there were other customers present. She was shy and seemed to feel embarrassed by her beliefs of using charms and traditional modes of helping others through spells and such. Today, she bought some recipes to enchant stones of various types to help some of her family members.

  I saw her looking at the recipe card to enhance a man’s desires for a woman.

  “You know, I’ve had a lot of customers say that particular recipe works wonders. You have a special man that you want to get his attention, that’s a sure way of doing it.” I didn’t feel like I was lying to her. Aunt Judith swore by recipes.

  The woman’s cheeks pinked up. “Well, yes. There is this man I’ve worked with now for a few months, and he doesn’t really know I exist. So, I thought what the heck? Do you really think this will work?”

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” I waved my hand at the recipe rack and said, “That there recipe card, on the top right, is the hottest selling one in the store. A few customers have come back and said that they’ve had great results with it. ”The woman still didn’t look too sure, so I added, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you the recipe card if you buy the ingredients.”

  Ka-ching. Am I great saleswoman, or what?

  My next customer was a young man looking to make a woman fall in love with him, since it was February and only a few days away from Valentine’s Day. It looked like we needed to stock up on love potions and enhancement charms. Then another customer walked in. The temperature rose a few degrees the second he opened the front door. Werewolf.

  My lovesick customer took one look at him and left immediately. The air in the room became sparse, like being stuck in a box. The skin on my arms began to burn, trailing lines over my nerve endings, and every single hair on my body felt like they were standing at attention.

  The stranger strode up to the counter and around it to where I was on my hands and knees, panting from the pain. I tried to catch my breath, gasping for air. The sickening hot heat in the room made my entire body break out in a cold sweat. Beads of moisture dripped off my nose and began to form a small puddle on the floor in front of me.

  “Well, looks like we don’t have to bother with pleasant introductions, Selected. Your body has an impressive response to my presence. Seeing you in such despair is quite enjoyable to me. I’m here to tell you we know you’ve been dealing with the local pack leader and his son. If you continue to do so, we shall punish you. Do you understand?”

  I could barely grit out a response. “What do you want?”

  “I only want what all lonely wolves want, my dear. You will not help the Midwestern Wolf Pack get what they want, you will not help them against the vampires, and you will cease all communication with them, or else.”

  “What do you mean by, ‘or else?’” The pain and heat scorching my body didn’t lessen the more time the rogue werewolf stood in front of me. When the rogues were near, their distance from me had a direct relation to the intensity of my reaction to them.

  He leaned over, allowing me a better look at his face through my panting. His dirty-blond hair looked greasy, like he hadn’t showered in the recent past. Black beady eyes stared back at me. They were too close together, only enhancing his wild, psychotic appearance. My vision was blurred, but I’d be able to recognize the wolf if we ever ran into each other again. Hopefully next time it wouldn’t be with me alone in the store.

  The man sneered. His rotting teeth were stained a dingy brown. “Or else we will take your aunt and do very horrible things to her for a very long time, and then, if she proves to be entertaining, we will infect her with the virus that makes us what we are. Is that clear enough for your feeble little brain to comprehend?”

  “Why are you doing this? I’ve done nothing wrong to you or to anyone.” That’s when my body decided it no longer wanted to hold my breakfast. My stomach lurched, and I projectile vomited onto the floor I had earlier mopped.

  “Does it really matter why? Do what we say, and no one will get hurt.” He patted me on the head and said, “You mortals are disgusting, you know that?” As he raised his hand, a ring he wore on his left index finger came into my line of sight. The ring was made of a square cut, dark blue gemstone held in place by a sterling silver setting and band. Somehow that ring seemed familiar to me. It was significant, but I couldn’t think how.

  He stood over my hunched body and walked around the counter, out of sight. I could hear his shuffled gait on the carpet. He headed over to the front window and flicked the light switch on the wall, turning my OPEN sign off, along with all the lights in the store.

  The shuffling sound started to come closer. From my vantage point on the floor, I watched his ragged black boots step into my line of sight again. My stomach heaved, and this time nothing but yellow-tinted liquid came up. My head began to pound along with my heart. Breathing was more difficult with him so close, and my vision began to dim. It was like looking through a camera lens that was being pulled toward me while the shutters were closing at the same time.

  I vaguely heard the door chimes sound as my body slumped to the floor. Drool dripped from my mouth onto the wooden floor. Darkness closed in, and I lost consciousness.

  From a dark, far away tunnel, someone was saying, “Sydney, wake up. You have to wake up!” Someone was shaking my arm firmly as the voice in the tunnel began to get louder. “Sydney! Sydney, what happened to you?”

  My fuzzy brain recognized Blake’s voice. After blinking my eyes a few times, the smell of vomit hit my nose and my gut tightened, threatening to start the retching all over again. Groaning out loud in response, I tried not to get sick again with Blake watching. No matter how reactive my body was to the rogue, there was still my integrity to think of, especially since Blake could probably smell the vomit all over the floor in front of me before he saw it. He picked me up off the floor and brought me over to the couch on the side wall next to the fireplace. After he gently set me on the soft cushions, he went to the front door and locked it. The deadbolt slid into place with a loud thunk. Next, he went to the fireplace and put a few logs on.

  Blake disappeared into the storeroom in the back. He returned with a wet washcloth and started to wipe my face clean. Hopefully my appearance wasn’t as bad as I felt. It was embarrassing enough to have Blake find me out cold on the floor in a pool of my own sweat and vomit. Hopefully there wasn’t any stuck to my hair.

  When he was done cleaning me up, Blake fetched the mop out of the back and cleaned up the mess behind the counter. That was my kind of man.

  No. He wasn’t a man. My mind seriously needed to stop appreciating his good qualities.

  Even though my body felt like it had been put into a washing machine on a cold setting, the view of his backside when he bent over to dry up the mop solution from the floor with a towel was glorious.

  He finished cleaning and came over to the couch. When he sat on the other end, I felt a small sense of relief that he wasn’t going to try and push himself on me during my weak moment. He stared at me, then grabbed my arm, putting his around my midsection and pulling me over and placing my head on his lap. Oddly enough, I was more comfortable with his touch and his presence than expected.

  Then fear struck.

  I sat up so fast, my head started to whirl. Closing my eyes, I raised a hand to my forehead and tried to rub the dizziness away. “Blake, you have to leave. It’s not safe for you to be here. You have to leave!” I didn’t mean to yell in his face with hot vomit breath, but that’s exactly what happened. He didn’t budge an inch.

  Blake started to massage my back. He positioned himself close enough again to put his thigh against mine. His body heat calmed me as it soaked through my clothes.

  “What are you talking about? You’
re probably the safest with me here, so don’t worry. Now, tell my why you got so sick? I was surprised to find you lying on the floor. You had me worried. The store lights were all out, and I wasn’t sure you were even here.”

  I swiveled my head toward Blake, the man that consumed way too many of my fantasies of late, and explained what had happened when the rogue came in. I told him everything he’d said, including threatening Aunt Judith to make sure they had my compliance. Blake didn’t take too much stock in the rogue’s threats about my family, but he didn’t care for the fact the rogue knew where the store was and that they felt they could come in at anytime during business hours.

  “That settles it. You’re going to stay with us from now on, until we can find the wolf that came here threatening you. I’ll remain here until you can close the store, then we will go to your house so you can pack a few things.”

  “Blake, I’m not going to leave Aunt Judith alone with an angry rogue that is just looking for a reason to attack someone.”

  “Well, she can come, too. There’s more than enough room at the den. I’m sure my father would agree. It would be safest for you to stay there until we find the rogue.”

  Looking outside the storefront window, I saw that the night sky was dark. There must have been quite the time lapse between my losing consciousness and Blake’s finding me.

  “Blake, nothing’s going to make me leave my home, and I’m not going to ask Aunt Judith to pack up and leave on a moment’s notice. Surely you can understand that.”

  As we talked, the temperature in the store started to drop to a more tolerable level. The only extra heat came from Blake. The air began to once again fill with refreshing oxygen.

  “Maybe we should go to your house and tell your aunt what happened here. Then she’ll be able to make the decision for herself?”

  I shook my head in disagreement. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s very kind that you and your pack members are looking for the rogue, but imposing myself onto your household isn’t an option. The same goes for Kieran.”