by Amelia Jade
“You live here?” she asked, sitting up in the passenger seat as it became clear that they were finally almost home.
Well, Lex’s home, not hers. But just then, she wasn’t going to complain, not even in the slightest.
“I do. It’s not much, but it’s mine.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” she said dismissively, looking up the road as it cut back and forth while heading up the side of a hill. She peered through the windshield. The land seemed driveable enough now, but up ahead it seemed to take a rather steep incline, almost sheer, but not quite.
“How much farther? That looks more like a cliff than a hill,” she said, pointing.
“That’s our destination,” he said as the truck emerged from the forest into a clearing that surrounded the base of the rock face.
Petal’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as his house was revealed to her.
“You live in the hill itself. Like a cave. You live in a cave.”
“I do. Crazy, right? But trust me, it’s nice in there. South-facing, lots of light. Nice and cozy.”
“No wonder you were so comfortable in the cave when we got trapped. It was like a second home to you.”
He smiled. “Well, that and the company wasn’t too bad.”
She rolled her eyes. “Pig.”
Lex chuckled as he pulled the truck onto a flat part of earth that had obviously been leveled for that purpose. She got out before he’d even killed the engine, walking around to admire the cave-house.
It was pretty, she had to admit. Lots of glass and dark stained wood. It had a mix of modern design made from old materials. Sleek lines covered the front of the house, capped off with two giant logs that held up a slanted roof nearly three stories off the ground.
“Protects against boulders and such. Those logs are actually filled with a steel alloy and driven ten feet into the ground. The roof has metal supports twelve feet into the face of the hill itself. I’ve not been hit with anything huge yet, but I’ve had a few table-sized rocks bounce off it. No damage besides some scuffs.”
She just nodded, trying to appear impressed.
“Your little man-cave.”
He grinned. “It’s not nearly as manly as you might think.”
“Right.” Petal turned to look at him, pieces of the puzzle all clicking into place. “Lex,” she said, eyeing his cave-house.
It was more of a den, really.
“Yes?”
“Are there such things as werewolves?”
Lex sucked in a bit of air, his head coming around to stare at her. She met his gaze steadily, her blue eyes unyielding. They stood like that for several long moments before Lex dropped his gaze and stepped back from her. Then he did the craziest thing she’d ever seen.
He transformed into a familiar gray and white wolf, right in front of her eyes.
“Holy. Fucking. Shit.”
26. Revelations
Lex
He didn’t stay in his wolf form long, switching back to human form right about the time Petal began to speak rapidly, sentences overlapping one another as she asked about ten different questions at once.
“Whoa, okay, okay. Listen, I’m going to explain everything to you. But first, can we go inside and sit down? I need to eat, and you probably do too, and I’m exhausted. I know you’re going crazy right now, but I think I answered your question.”
To his surprise, Petal laughed. “I suppose you did, didn’t you? Not quite the answer I expected, but nobody can deny you were straight with me. Holy shit. Damn! Werewolves.”
Suddenly she stood ramrod straight, looking around. “Should I be worried about you? How do I know I can trust you?”
He’d been expecting that question, preparing himself to face it since he’d realized just how much Petal meant to him. Still, with all the time to get used to the idea that she’d asked it, hearing the words still hurt more than he’d expected.
“You don’t need to be worried about me, no. I don’t lose control and turn into a ravaging beast.” He paused. “There are types like that, yes, but I’m not one of them. I can control my abilities. They do not control me.”
“So there’s other things out there?”
“Well, you saw a wind sprite earlier today. What do you think?”
Petal’s face had a little smile to it. “Is that what they’re called?”
“Um, well, that’s what they are. Beings of the air. They call themselves the Auri, but in most circles they’re simply called Banshees.”
“Banshee. Yes, that would make sense. The howling of the wind. I get it. Very appropriate.”
Lex smiled. “I’m glad you agree.”
“Okay, so, there are werewolves and Banshees. What else?”
“A lot. Ever read fairy tales?”
“Sure.”
He didn’t respond. Petal was smart; Lex didn’t think it would take her long to understand. He was right.
“You’re kidding. Those are based on real things?”
“Yes, mostly. Some exaggeration or twist.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t answer my second question, Lex.”
“I know. I don’t have an answer for you. That’s something you’re going to have to decide on your own. No matter what I say, you’ll still have doubts unless you decide for yourself.”
He smiled sadly and opened the door to his den.
“I know what I want you to pick, but I can’t make you do anything.” He stepped inside, leaving the door open for her to follow, if that’s what she decided.
He wanted her to, desperately. But unless Petal decided that she could trust him, they could never have a relationship. He needed her to believe fully and completely that he wasn’t dangerous to her. And that was something only she could decide. It was something that would take time, and that she would have to think long and hard about before—
The door closed behind him and Petal kicked her shoes off.
Or not.
“Nice place.”
He smiled. “That didn’t take long. What made you so positive, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Something the Auri said, actually.”
Lex simply lifted his eyebrows, inviting further explanation.
Petal smiled. “She told me that she would be able to use my blood to destroy Surrey. That it would be the worst storm yet. Because I was not only in love, but it was True Love. She said it like it was an actual thing, something quantifiable, not just a hopeless dream. Something she could use to give extra fuel.” Petal shrugged. “There’s only one person that I could possibly be in love with. If it is True Love, then why would I have fallen for someone who is going to kill me? It makes no sense. I choose to believe that you care deeply for me, and that you fought her today to protect both Surrey and me.”
“I did,” he said solemnly.
Petal nodded. “We’ll talk about you and me later. For now, talk. Tell me everything.” She finally moved past him out of the entryway and slightly off to the left, plopping down in one of the couches laid out there, giving a nice view out the massive bay window.
Lex bobbed his head several times, grabbing some beer from the kitchen.
“One for me too, please,” Petal said. He nodded, bringing the bottles over to the table before returning to the kitchen. He snagged some junk food, chips and a bag of premade popcorn—mmm, white cheddar, his favorite—and returned to the sitting area.
Petal promptly popped open a beer and grabbed the bag of popcorn before he could claim ownership to it. He sagged in defeat before grabbing the chips. Petal gave him a wink.
“Okay, let’s see. There’s a lot to tell, so I’m going to give you a condensed version for now. We can go more in depth in certain things. But first and foremost, the most important thing.” His voice grew harder than granite.
“What’s that?”
“If you speak of this to a human without approval, you are condemning both yourself and them to death.” He shrugged helplessly. “
That’s not my choice, but you will be found out, and the punishment carried out. There is nothing I can do about that. Got it?”
Petal’s hand had gone still halfway to her mouth, popcorn falling from it slowly.
“Uh, yeah. Of course,” she said weakly. “Keep my mouth shut. Got it.”
He nodded, convinced that she would keep the secret. “Okay, well, the easiest way to say this, is that all sorts of creatures and things exist unbeknownst to most humans. There are far too many to name, but you can imagine some of them. Werewolves, elemental beings like sprites, golems, and others. Fire, wind, water, earth, etcetera. Dragons, trolls, goblins, blah blah. I could go on.”
Petal munched away busily on the popcorn.
“Now, most of them don’t live in this reality, I guess you would call it. Most of them live in a place called the Underworld. Real original, I know. But your lore actually stole it from us, so, stick a sock in it.”
The beautiful blonde laughed lightly. “Okay.”
His heart ached at the sound.
“So, werewolves. You’re not the only one then?”
“No. We’re not as populous as we once were. Humans hunted us close to the brink of extinction. Our numbers are rebounding, but for how ignorant most of you are, you did a damn good job of it several hundred years ago.”
“I don’t feel like saying thanks, since you’re talking about a genocide, but you act like I should,” she said awkwardly.
“Sorry. Don’t worry about it, nothing to do with you. I, at least, don’t hold a grudge.” He very carefully didn’t mention his father, who did.
“Okay. Now, the Banshee said something about remembering you from last time?”
He nodded. “Yes. A century ago she started to lose her mind, and I banished her back to the Underworld. I knew she’d be back, but it takes time to build up the energy to come forth for a sprite, or any of the spirit-type beings really. Those of us with true physical forms can come and go as we please.”
“So you fought her and won, and she came back for more?”
“Kind of. Her name originally was Gabrielle Wortley. She—”
“Used to live there,” Petal said excitedly. “David mentioned that to me at the shop. Said the place had been abandoned for a century since the last Wortley died…Oh. I see. She didn’t die. You killed her.”
“Banished. This time I killed her.”
“With salt?”
He shrugged. “It binds a spirit of the wind to the earth. When you do mortal damage to one while bound, they are unable to return to the Underworld, and so die for good. I didn’t want to, but after what she’d done, I knew it was the only option.”
Again, he didn’t mention his theory that she’d had help on the other side. He’d have to check into that himself, but sending her back for another century of aid before she could re-emerge was not a happy thought.
“Wait. You said a century ago. How old are you?” Petal asked.
“A hundred and forty-seven,” he answered promptly.
“Huh. And yet you told me you were only forty-seven.”
“I did? Damn. I guess I missed a number.”
“Kind of an important one, don’t you think?” Petal asked before tossing another handful of his popcorn into her mouth.
“I guess.”
She shook her head. “How long will you live for?”
“Not sure. Another two centuries probably. Maybe a little more, or maybe a little less. Depends on the stress of those two centuries. How much nagging I have to deal with,” he said with a tease.
“Hah. Well, you’ll only have me to deal with for another sixty or so years. I doubt I can shave a hundred and fifty years off your life.”
They both laughed, though Lex was thinking over another piece of lore he’d heard, wondering if she was limited to just those sixty years.
“So, you’re going to stick with me then?” was what he said instead. Petal hesitated and he held up a hand. “Look, I know it’s a lot to ask, a lot to go over. I’m not going to ask for an actual answer now. You just had your world rocked. Most humans can’t cope with what you’ve just learned, and they think they’re crazy. You don’t have to answer about staying with me now. I’ll give you some time to think about it.”
He rose, intending to refresh their beers, which had disappeared while they’d talked. But as soon as he got to his feet Petal stuck out a hand, grabbing him and pulling him on to her couch.
“Listen,” she said, meeting his eyes without flinching. “This is crazy. Unreal. Or it should be. But do you have any idea how frigging cool this is? You can turn into a wolf, Lex! That’s amazing. I read so many stories as a kid and teenager about this sort of thing. Now to find out that it really exists? So cool.”
He smiled, unsure of what to say, but amused by her enthusiasm over his world.
“But Lex, I got on a plane to come back to Surrey for a reason. That reason had nothing to do with you growing a bit more chest hair than normal.”
He snorted, unable to contain his mirth this time. “Yeah, sorry about that. At least I don’t shed?”
Petal grinned, a brilliant smile that lifted his spirits and sent them soaring.
“I can’t promise that I won’t go kicking and screaming. That it will be all roses and whatever for me. This is going to be difficult, especially not telling anyone. I’m going to struggle. You’re going to have to deal with a lot of questions. But it’s you that I came back for.” She poked him in the chest. “You that I’m crazy for. The Auri said that I was in love. That it’s True Love. I can feel the beginnings of that, though it’ll take some time to come to the acceptance that love at first sight—or is it bite?—exists. But dammit, don’t think you’re getting rid of me anytime soon.”
He swallowed hard. “You know I can’t leave Surrey, right? This valley is mine to protect. I’m its guardian.”
“I know. Which means I’m coming on out here for the long haul. Trust me when I say my body agrees with that idea. Freedom from the metal and concrete press of the city never seemed so amazing. I can’t wait!”
He grinned, pulling her close.
“And I have the perfect idea for a job.”
27. Changes
Petal
If her life could be summed up in one word since she’d moved to Surrey over a month ago, it would be this: interesting.
The word itself seemed so dull and bland compared to the reality of the situation, but it truly did encompass everything about her new world. And now on to the next new change: A new place to live. Technically she’d been living at a hotel for the moment, adamant to Lex that she would find her own place, and support herself. But in reality she’d spent much of the time at Lex’s. Petal had long been her own person, living her own life, without the help of others. That wasn’t about to change now that she’d found someone amazing like Lex to share life with, and she continued to insist she would find her own living space.
So he was taking her for a drive, having promised her that he’d found somewhere he thought she might like.
“How much longer?” she asked, head bent over as she tapped out another email for work. Despite the different position, the drop in pay and status, she was still a workaholic.
Plus, after sacking Vince, she’d discovered just how much of a backlog of stuff to get done there was. It was a nightmare she expected to be living for the next three to four months, if not more. As if to punctuate her point, her phone buzzed with the notification of another email.
“If I ever see Vince again, I’m going to break his kneecaps,” she snarled viciously after reading the subject of the new email.
More issues.
“Now, now,” Lex chided. “Aren’t you off the clock right now? Don’t make me take your phone away from you.”
“You and what army?” she shot back.
He reached over and plucked the black rectangle from her grip as if he’d been taking candy from a baby. Petal sighed. She’d forgotten about his unnatural s
trength. Again. She had a habit of doing that. There were times it worked in her favor, and one of the walls in his bedroom had the dented drywall in the shape of her shoulder blades to prove it. But then there were times like this, that it really worked against her.
“Put up a fuss, even one word, and it goes out the window,” he warned.
Petal’s jaw dropped, but only until her eyes took in the scenery surrounding them. Then they narrowed and she focused her gaze on Lex. Until then she’d been buried in her phone, ignorant of where they’d been going. He was taking her to see a potential new house she might buy or rent. He’d been reluctant to say which until she’d seen it. But now she realized she knew where she was.
Lex resolutely ignored her gaze as he turned off the road onto a rather familiar gravel driveway that started to twist and turn up the hill through the trees.
“Where are we going?” she asked dangerously.
“I told you, to see a place.” His eyes stayed locked forward, clearly refusing to meet hers.
“Uh-huh. Funnily enough, this looks like your place, Lex.”
“It does?” His voice had a high-pitched quaver to it. “That’s odd.”
Recognizing she wasn’t going to get anything out of him, Petal sat back into the leather seat and folded her arms in front of her. The truck lurched over a pothole and she bounced rather violently.
“Hey!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, this time sounding genuine. “I think the rain last night opened that bad boy up. Didn’t know it was there.”
She shrugged, accepting the apology. The nature of the gravel road and the incline of the hill meant he was always out fixing potholes in his driveway. It seemed insane to her, but Lex insisted, so she let him.
The rest of the ride was smooth, and a minute later the truck emerged from the trees, giving her a glorious view of his house. She shook her head at the familiar sight, until she noticed there was something attached to the overhang. Petal had to squint to read it until they got closer, but her heart skipped a beat as the first words came into view.
Petal, will you—
It was printed on two banners, and she had to flick her eyes downward to read the rest. A tremble had already started in her hands. Was she ready for this? What if it was too soon? A million other questions exploded in her mind before she’d had a chance to finish reading it. Her brain had already filled in the words, and she was formulating her answer when the second half—much smaller writing—became legible.
