by Bryce Evans
Apparently her little scene didn’t make people judge her wrongly. The members of the pack continued to smile back at her more. It felt more relaxed in the room now that she had slammed Jena to the ground. That seemed funny, but hey what did she know. These were werewolves and maybe it wasn’t a party until somebody was slammed; even if it was one of their own.
Toward the back of the room, London met the narrowed gaze of Jena. She wasn’t going to back down as she returned her glare, and Jena turned her head first looking out toward the window.
Victory! Victory! Take that! London sang to herself. She was doing her own little happy dance in her head. Nope never again would she allow someone to make her feel unworthy of anything she wanted. She was going to make her dreams come true in New York. Nobody was going to stand in her way. She had a new job and a new home. Life was going to change for her. Not even the likes of Ryder Malone could change that. Not even a good-looking prick, jackass, oh and control freak.
“I would like to introduce an old friend of mine.” Me-Len smiled shyly as she introduced her friend. London turned toward her grandmother and the man she had been talking to. She almost choked when she looked down and noticed that Me-Len had put her hand on the man’s hand before she spoke.
“This is Meryl Pierson. He’s the wizard that advises Ryder in Alpha City.” Me-Len smiled shyly as she introduced the man. London couldn’t believe the blush that showed up on Me-Len’s face. She looked excited and happy. It was odd seeing her grandmother flirt with a man. Never in a thousand years would she have believed that Me-Len would act like this, but London loved the look on her face. The glow that appeared shined brightly as she smiled back at the man.
Meryl Pierson was a handsome man. He looked to be in his fifties, and he was tall with a big build. When she looked at him, it wasn’t his looks that got her attention, but the beautiful lights that surrounded him. If he was really a wizard then he must be a powerful one. He was practically glowing. She wondered why she had never seen it before. Has magic always been around me? Why haven’t I ever seen it?
London held her hand out and shook the man’s hand. “It is nice to meet you, Sir.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, London. I knew your parents for a long time. You look like both of them.” Meryl Pierson made her day with the compliment. He seemed sincere when he spoke.
She could see now at how much her grandmother was enjoying herself, so she smiled back at her letting her know that she approved. Me-Len was a strong willed woman and she wouldn’t let anyone run over her. The way they were looking at each other was sweet and hot-in a gross kind of way. Damn, she didn’t want to think about her grandmother and Meryl Pierson together-together. The thought made her a little sick. Then she looked over at Zoey, she was watching Me-Len and Mr. Pierson too. Zoey smiled and winked at London.
Her stomach growled letting everyone know she was hungry. If she didn’t eat something soon she was going to give the people in this room another scene when she threw up all over their nice table.
The waitress had perfect timing when she brought in the salads and London watched as Nolan Banks walked back into the dining room with Ryder trailing behind him. Ryder continued to look mad, but Nolan just smiled and winked at her as they sat down. She glanced over at Zoey who also noticed how her brother was acting.
Shrugging her shoulders, London looked down at the best salad she had ever seen. It was filled with everything. Nuts, cheese, dried fruit, and even bacon. Without waiting for everyone to sit back down and start eating, she took her first bite. When the flavors of all the ingredients hit her palate her eyes closed as she moaned tasting the food. She opened her eyes and continued to eat with gusto.
Swallowing the last bite was disappointing as London put her fork down and glanced up. All the men sitting at her table were staring at her. Immediately, she wiped her mouth with the napkin thinking that she had food on her face. When that didn’t stop them from staring, she looked over at her grandmother. She was smiling like she was going to laugh.
Leaning over trying to whisper, London had to find out why everyone was staring at her. “Why are they staring at me?”
Me-Len couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped her lips.
Smiling, London whispered again, “What’s so funny?”
“You were making the sweetest sounds while you ate your salad and it has gotten a lot of attention.” She nodded toward the Alphas, as London’s face turned fire engine red. Then she looked back up at Ryder. His eyes were glowing yellow. They looked like they were on fire. Usually the looks he gave her were tight with pain and irritation, but this look was different. Maybe because you feel it too, dummy.
London dropped her gaze then peeked up at the other Alphas who were also staring at her. Jeez, I was famished and I enjoyed it, so what, London thought.
“Uhm sorry. I was hungry.”
Zoey and Me-Len laughed out loud enjoying the scene that was playing out in front of them.
Nolan Banks leaned forward. “You make the best sounds while you eat, beautiful.”
London smiled, her face glowing with embarrassment, and then she made the mistake of glancing back at Ryder who was scowling at her and Nolan.
What is wrong with him? He is always frowning at me. He acts like he hates my guts. I need to hurry this along so we can get out of here. No matter how good looking this man is it doesn’t give him the right to treat me like he has. Like I’m a piece of shit that he smells. I just met him for god’s sake.
She needed this night to end. Finally having enough of all the strange looks she was getting, London looked back down at her plate until her steak arrived. Slipping bite after bite into her mouth, she let her hunger take over as she enjoyed every bite she took.
Her hunger had made a huge appearance tonight. London always had a big appetite but this place was ranked with having the best steak around and they didn’t disappoint her tonight. The steak was tender and the juices were flowing in her mouth as she chewed.
Lost in her meal, London continued to eat, until finally, she felt full. The grumbling in her stomach had stopped. She didn’t want to eat anything else and now all she wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. It had been a whirlwind of a day. Getting up at the butt crack of dawn to pack the rest of her stuff and put it in her car. Then she had to get ready and go fill out the papers to have her mail transferred to her apartment in New York.
Then graduation and passing out in the bathroom after graduation, now all of this with Ryder, plus the three shots of tequila was weighing heavy on her.
Processing this day of events would have to wait for another day. Zoey would be upset if she left so quickly after dinner. She needed to hold on a little while longer for Zoey.
Chapter 9
Ryder jerked his head up at the sounds coming from London as she ate her salad and steak. The woman was driving him crazy, with the erotic sounds. She was making him ache. He could feel his teeth elongating as she continued, unaware that she was doing it.
He looked over to see that the guys were not immune to her sounds either. If looks told him anything, then Nolan was about to come in his pants and he wasn’t far behind him. He needed to get control or he was going to jump over the table and take her right in front of the pack and that wouldn’t go over well with her grandmother.
Then she stopped and put her fork down. The look on her face was more than he could take. It was pure innocence. Some women tried to dress sexy but with London it came naturally. She was without a doubt the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.
He couldn’t stand the fact that she was leaving tonight to go and live in New York. It was her dream and he knew he couldn’t stand in the way of that. He had to let her go and it was pissing him off so much that he couldn’t stop it from radiating through his body. He needed to at least try and talk to her without saying things that would only aggravate her. He only wanted to help her, but his words came out wrong.
When she moved he co
uld see something sparkle around her neck. Leaning forward he could see the necklace as it glinted in the light. Wow. He had only read about it, until Meryl had been kind enough to explain to him that London’s family was in possession of the Tree of Life. Now he could see why the magic was so powerful in her.
The necklace was beautiful. It fit the woman who wore it. He had read in the scribes that this gem was an agate gemstone, and very powerful, and whoever wore it would be given some type of power, but if the Tree of Life found you worthy then you would be granted more. He believed in the power because over the years he had seen witches do some powerful magic. There were some things that couldn’t be explained even if he had seen it with his own eyes. Hell, he was a werewolf, and that was magic in words that couldn’t be explained so easily.
Ryder pointed at her necklace. “Do you know what your necklace means?”
She glanced up as though unsure he was talking to her. Reaching up and grabbing her necklace, she cleared her throat and responded in a sexy raspy tone, “Me-Len gave it to me for graduation.”
“It is beautiful, but do you know the history behind it?” Ryder asked again.
His voice softened and London seemed wary of him, as she answered, “It’s an Agate gemstone that was found a long time ago. Our ancestors found it and passed it down through the generations. It’s called the Tree of Life.”
Leaning forward until she met his gaze, he filled in his knowledge of the stone. “It’s said that the family that possesses the Tree of Life was given powerful magic. The stone doesn’t release this magic just to anyone in the family. Only one with a pure heart can be worthy of this magic. Are you that witch, London?”
* * * *
London let out a short laugh. She couldn’t believe what he was asking her. A witch? Of all things? She wasn’t a witch, just a computer programmer. To her surprise, no one else was laughing at his question.
“You can’t honestly believe that I’m a witch?” London scoffed. When she looked back toward her grandmother for her to confirm it for Ryder, Me-Len was staring at her hands. She wasn’t a witch. Me-Len was the witch in the family. She couldn’t cast spells or turn people into toads.
London reached over and touched her grandmother’s hands. “Tell him, Me-Len, that I’m not a witch.” Her face paled as Me-Len’s head slowly came up along with the truth.
“You possess the gift, London. You were never taught, but your magic surrounds you, and when you put the necklace on, I could see it. It grows brighter on you than on anyone else in the family who has worn it. Your mother wanted to forget about her gifts and she took you as far away as she could so that I couldn’t teach any of the old ways to you. I only wanted to prepare you for what you were born to do.”
London sat there silently in shock. Her mouth had to be catching some big flies by now for as long as she had it open. This couldn’t be true. Her mother would have told her. She told her everything. Could she really keep this from me? London’s mind was swirling around with all this talk about witches and her mother’s deception. She felt sick to her stomach as she looked up at everyone who was quiet at the table.
She was the center of attention as they waited for some type of reaction. It was too much, she felt like a freak of nature under a crowd of accusing gazes. Betrayal burned in her chest, and she felt stupid telling him about the necklace.
London could feel her face turning red as her breathing became short and choppy. “Excuse me.” Rising quickly she headed toward the restrooms. She remembered seeing an Exit sign next to them.
Grabbing her cell phone out of her pocketbook, London called a cab service. Luckily, for her a cab was close by and she ran to the corner to catch it. Jumping into the car, London finally allowed the tears to fall.
She felt betrayed, embarrassed, and most of all hurt by her grandmother. She knew everyone thought she was a witch now. She never imagined that she would do this to her. Today should have been filled with joy not crying or telling family secrets.
All her bags were packed and in her car when she arrived at the dorm. She needed to see it one last time before she left. Looking back, London stared at the room she called home for four years. Taking it into memory, she closed the door and walked down to her car.
The place she had called home would now be a reminder of what happened during graduation. Her thoughts felt jumbled and now she wasn’t even excited about moving to New York anymore. She had dreamed about it since she was a little girl. Now, her thoughts were of witches, keeping secrets, and people making fun of her. Damn It, Me-Len. Why did you have to say that out loud? Why did that cheeky bastard ask if I was a witch in front of everyone?
London sat down on the bench outside her dorm and took one last look at the beautiful campus before she left. She would call Zoey later and tell her that she needed to leave before she beat the shit out of her brother. She was so angry. He had been so mean to her all night. The man didn’t even know her, but throughout the meal, he made her feel like she was nothing but a freak show.
It had to be the background check. He found out something and now thought she wasn’t good enough for Zoey to be around. She was good and pissed now, but she couldn’t shake the underlying feeling of sorrow. Since Ryder didn’t like London, the chances of spending Thanksgiving and Christmas together with Zoey were extinct. Boy did he play you. Made you look like a complete fool. Zoey probably believed she was a witch too since her brother just called her out in the restaurant.
Right now, all she could think about was driving as far away as she could. Her emotions were so close to the surface that she wanted to beat someone to a pulp.
Taking in deep breaths, London closed her eyes. She opened them again at the sound of a stick hitting the ground, surprised to find a man walking toward her slowly. He was dressed in old blue jeans, and a brown button-down shirt and he walked with a limp. The cane he used looked different from any of the others she had seen before. This one was hand made out of a piece of driftwood.
He had been looking around at the trees as he walked until his eyes focused on her. He looked surprised to see her sitting there on the bench. London glanced down at her hands, hoping he would just pass her by.
“Hello. Do you mind if I sit down?” The man asked. London moved so the man could sit down beside her. She half smiled at him as he sat down.
“Sorry if I startled you,” she said.
“No, you didn’t startle me. I come here around this time and never see any students around. I’m glad to have someone to talk to.” London smiled at him, but not knowing what to say, she glanced down at his cane.
Apparently, the man thought she was looking at his leg so he pulled up his pants to show London the titanium rod that replaced his leg.
“I like to walk around here this time of the day when most students are inside or gone for the summer. Why are you still here?” The man asked. London didn’t have the heart to tell him it was none of his business and for some reason the man put her at ease.
“I graduated today and I was looking at the campus one last time before I headed out. I spent four years here and I loved it. I will miss it,” she answered. They both sat silently looking out at the quiet campus.
“I lost my leg last year in Iraq, and the doctors said that I needed to walk with the new leg so I could get used to it. I live nearby and love the campus and the peace it brings to me. Plus, if no one is here then they can’t stare at me while I walk. I feel useless enough, but coming here, looking at the trees makes me feel better for some reason.”
London didn’t know why the man was telling her his story, but he made her want to listen. The man stopped talking for a few minutes as the wind blew a breeze across their face. London tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She waited for him to continue with his story.
“We’d heard that they would put explosives on the kids and then send them out into a crowd of American soldiers, but this kid was a survivor. He walked with a cane too just like this one.” London look
ed down as the man showed her the cane.
“It’s pretty and different. I like it a lot.” London whispered. Listening to the story broke her heart. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened but she didn’t push him into explaining his story.
“I happened to be walking out of one of the houses we were checking when this kid walked up on his cane. He looked at me just before the bomb went off that was strapped onto him under his clothes. For that brief second, I could see the sorrow in his eyes, like he didn’t have a choice. All I remember was an explosion and being thrown backwards into the house. I guess what saved me was the door to the house was still open and the blast drove me inside. But my leg had too much damage to it and they had to take it off. Now I can’t work. Nobody will hire me. I was a cop before I got deployed and not being able to run and jump…well, they didn’t have to tell me they didn’t have a place for a cripple.” London turned her head so the man couldn’t see the tear that dropped out of her eye. He didn’t need her pity or sympathy. He needed to feel like he belonged and mattered in the world.
“What did you do with the police department?” she asked.
“I was a detective. I loved taking one small clue and putting all the pieces together and solving a case.” The man smiled as he continued to tell London his story. She could tell that he missed his work.
“I’m sorry, my name is London Grey.” London held her hand out to the man. He looked down at London’s hand and smiled.
“It’s nice to meet you London my name is Mac. Mac Evans.” Mac shook London’s hand then turned back around and continued to stare out into the campus grounds.
“Well Mac, I’ve got to go, but I may need someone not with the police department, that can help me sometime. Do you have a cell phone where I can reach you if I want to chat?” Mac Evans stared at London like she had an eye missing. She couldn’t help but laugh, and then got her cell phone out to show she was serious.
