by C. J. Pinard
“I’ll walk you out,” Kellan said, kissing the top of my head and ushering me forward with his hand on the small of my back.
Chapter 19
Jeffrey hadn’t said much on the ride back, just reiterated that he was happy I was all right. I think I was growing on the flower-eating elf. He had been gracious enough to stop by the cell phone store so I could get a new phone, and I was just happy they were still open. I just reported that my other one had been stolen and Jeffrey used Kellan’s card to pay for another since I had no wallet either. My previous phone was cracked and scratched to hell anyway from all the scrapping I’d been doing lately. I was excited to see I had a text from Kellan with a heart emoji, and I replied back that I owed him four hundred dollars for the phone.
I literally groaned in pleasure as soon as I unlocked my door and saw my bed on the other side of the loft. I stripped out of the strange clothes and tossed them into the laundry. I hadn’t decided if I would keep them, but it didn’t feel right throwing them in the trash, either. At the very least, I’d donate them to the thrift store.
I took another shower, as hot as I could stand it, and then put on some loose shorts and a tank top. I padded over to the fridge, thankful I had only been gone a few days and my food hadn’t gone bad. I found a small box of leftover Thai takeout and heated that up. I sat on my bed while I set up my new phone. I was glad the contacts had been imported, and I dialed my brother first.
“Holy shit,” he answered the phone. “Are you all right?”
“Better than all right, bro,” I replied before shoving some pad thai into my face. I couldn’t believe how starving I was.
“Where you at? I tried calling a few times before my dumbass realized you probably lost your phone.”
“One of the vampires took it, but I didn’t have time to deal with it so I got me a new one. Needed one, anyway. I’m at home now.”
“Sanja and I are coming over,” he said.
“She’s with you?” I asked, suspicious. “Where’s Celeste?”
“She’s here too, we’re all coming.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had once thought to maybe try to set up Sanja with Aden, but once he got with Celeste, I knew he’d found his mate. I don’t think Sanja was interested in him, anyway.
“Bring food. Wait! And booze.”
“Okay.” He chuckled.
I finished off the last of the little bit of noodles I’d had and was still hungry, hoping Aden would bring something good. I always got insatiably hungry right before the full moon. Which reminded me to get that app set up on my phone to remind my stupid ass before I had another accident. But the look on Alexander’s face when I’d shifted though… I started laughing at the memory. I was so glad that asshole was dead.
The app told me it was six days until the full moon, so I knew I needed to talk to Evan to see if I could chill with him again in his wolf cave. That also reminded me to call him. I found his contact and hit the FaceTime icon. I looked like shit, but didn’t care.
“Ayla!” he answered, smiling when he saw me.
I nodded. “Hi. You okay?”
“I’m awesome. Just wanted to check in. How are Karina and her brothers doing?”
“Hang on,” he said. During the pause, I could see that he was walking down steps into the basement. “I didn’t want to talk about them in front of them. They are okay. They’ve just been looking for Malcolm for so long, I think they feel a little lost or something. I’ve never seen them so somber. I thought they’d be celebrating and what not.”
I frowned. “I understand how they feel, I’m a little melancholy myself. It feels weird. I’m just happy that Kellan and the others are out from under his control. He was an awful man, and I’m glad he’s dead.”
“We all are,” Evan replied, looking sympathetic.
“I’m gonna take a few days off, boss, if that’s all right.”
He chuckled lightly. “You beat me to it, I was just going to tell you that not only do we not have any jobs right now, but that we are going to rest until the new moon. Would you like to shift here again?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Ayla,”—he pierced me with a serious stare and then flipped the camera around to show me the wolf cave, and then back to him again—“I told you before, you can come here to shift whenever you feel like it. In fact, I would feel much better knowing you’re here, safe, with us, rather than alone in your apartment, or with your pack. I know it’s hard not to be with Aden and everyone up at Wolfe Point, but I also can’t imagine how lonely it is.”
I nodded, grateful he was so understanding. “You have no idea.”
“Then it’s settled. You get some rest and I’ll see you in five days. Do you have any plans for the holiday?”
Crap, my mom’s Memorial Day barbeque. “Yeah, I actually do.”
“Good, have fun.”
We said our goodbyes, and just as I was loading more apps on my new phone and putting in passwords, the doorbell rang. I jumped up to answer it and smiled when I saw my brother, his fiancée, and my best friend at the door.
“Oh, my God! I’m so happy to see you!” I hugged my brother, who was balancing two large pizza boxes on one hand, then Sanja, and said hello Celeste. I didn’t think we were on hugging terms, which was dumb since she was going to be the mother of my little niece or nephew.
Aden set the pizzas on the counter, and Sanja had a two liter of Pepsi, a bottle of Jack Daniels, and two bottles of Fat Tire beer, and set them next to the pizzas. I grabbed plates and a couple of glasses. After we dished up the food, I gestured to the couch. “Come, sit down.”
We sat, ate, drank, and talked until it was near three a.m. and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I groggily walked them to the door before I shut the blackout curtains, cutting off my view of the city, and collapsed in bed.
I blinked my eyes open slowly and squinted at my bedside clock, which read 5:55. Uh… a.m. or p.m.?
I stretched and got out of bed. I headed into the bathroom and took care of my aching bladder. Then I opened the curtains and saw it was dark still. Again? I grabbed my phone to see that I’d slept the entire day and part of the evening away. I threw a pod in the Keurig and yawned as I checked my phone. Mom had a group text reminding us about the barbeque, and I also had two texts from Beckett:
Where you been, girl? I got lots to tell you.
Call me.
I dialed his number and he answered cheerily. “Girl!”
I laughed. “It’s good to hear your voice. I have a lot to tell you, too. You’re not gonna believe the shit I’ve been through in the last four days.”
“Let’s meet for drinks.”
I pulled the steaming mug from its perch and opened the fridge. “After coffee,” I stated. I poured some cream in and took a sip. “You back in town?”
“Been back, and been trying to call you for a couple days.”
“Lost my phone,” I replied quickly, lacking the energy to go into it. “Just got a new one yesterday.”
“Okay, see you at Moon Chasers at ten. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” I replied, ending the call. I sat at my small kitchen table and savored my coffee as I scrolled through my rarely checked social media sites.
It felt so good to be in my black leather pants, shiny tank top, and black combat shit-kickers. I got to Moon Chasers early, and after Janine brought me my first drink, I texted Kellan as I waited for Beckett:
I miss you.
His response was almost immediate: I miss you too, little wolf. Did you rest well?
Me: I did. I’m at Moon Chasers right now. Hint Hint.
Him: I know. You look lovely tonight, by the way.
I gasped and looked around. My eyes landed on the front door when I saw Kellan, Maurice, and Phil walking in. Kellan was pocketing his phone, but staring at with me twinkling eyes. I jumped up and ran into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He kissed me passionately and I ta
ngled my hands in his hair. He still had the scruff along his chin and jawline, and it prickled against my chin.
I broke the kiss and he set me down. He looked down at me and I reached up to touch the short beard. “I like it. But it tickles.”
“You can bet your sweet arse it does. Just wait until—”
“Ew, get a room, you two,” I heard a voice say.
Beckett stepped out from behind Phil’s and Maurice’s hulking frames. Gavin was at this side, and I ran over and hugged my friend.
“Missed you, girl,” Beckett said, pulling back from our embrace.
“Hi, Gavin,” I said, squeezing his hand.
He smiled and stared at me with his intense purple-blue eyes. “Hi, Ayla. You look well.”
“I am,” I said, turning and heading toward the table and my drink. Beckett, Gavin, and I sat, while Kellan went behind the bar to talk to the manager, and Phil and Maurice posted up on either sides of the bar.
I see nothing’s changed. I laughed a little.
Kellan looked up and smiled. “Lots of things have changed, you’ll see.”
The boys ordered cocktails when the waitress came over, and once she left to make them, I turned and said, “So give me the scoop.”
At the same time, though, Beckett said, “Give me the four-one-one.”
I laughed and said, “You’re so old.”
“I know. So you go first.”
“No, go ahead. Age before beauty,” I said with a grin.
He shrugged a shoulder. “All right.”
Janine came back and set the drinks down and we ordered hot wings and fries. Once she walked off, Beckett took a sip of his mojito, and Gavin picked up his wine and began sipping it while he scrolled through his phone.
“Well, after the incident at Love Is Love, we headed straight for Gavin’s family cabin in Woodland Park. That’s a town just out west of the Springs.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know where Woodland Park is, Beck.”
“Okay,” he said, nodding. “So we get there and, girl, my head was such a mess.”
“It was,” Gavin replied, not looking up from his phone.
“Quiet, I’m telling the story,” he scolded his boyfriend while biting back a smirk.
Gavin chuckled. “Okay.”
“So anyway, after I calmed down, I told him about my history with Jacquez. We hadn’t gotten that far in our relationship yet to talk about the past, but it was time. Gav wanted to leave the cabin and go find him and kick his ass right then, but I was too drained. I needed to recharge. So after a couple days of rest, we went into Manitou and found a dark club with donors. I was able to feed, and then I took Gavin out for some human food. After that, we had planned on heading back to the cabin, and as we were about to get into the car to leave, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I could literally feel his presence. I turned around and saw Jacquez standing about three cars away, just staring at me. Goosebumps. My whole body, girl. And not in a good way. It was super creepy and disturbing.”
I sipped my Red Bull and vodka through the little black straw with wide eyes. After swallowing, I asked, “What happened next?”
“Well, I raised my chin and said, ‘Are you following me, you asshole?’ And he came slowly around the car. He appeared to be alone, but I knew he wasn’t. Gav warned me that there were other vampires around. So Jacquez looked warily at Gavin and asked if he could approach. My man can definitely command some respect, let me tell you.”
Gavin grunted, but kept typing on his phone.
“Love ya, babe!” Beckett said, dramatically batting his eyelashes and looking in Gavin’s direction, but Gavin just smiled a little and kept typing with this thumbs.
“You’re definitely the scary, silent type,” I said to Gavin. “I wouldn’t fuck with you after I saw what you did outside the club.”
He set his phone down on the side table and raked his fingers through his white-blond hair. Before it fell back over his ears, I noticed for the first time they had a slight point to them at the top. “I would never hurt you, Ayla. You have to know that. You kill the bad vamps and then have good ones for friends. You’re the best kind of supernatural.”
I was floored at his compliment, and I was speechless for a bit. “I got your back. Always.” And I winked.
I loved making new friends.
“Beware of the fair folk,” I heard Kellan say with a chuckle. I’d never get used to that.
I ignored him and looked at Beckett to continue.
“So anyway, he stopped about six feet away and told me he was sorry, and then with our bond, which I didn’t know we still had, he told me telepathically that he hoped I was happy and would never bother me again. Then, he broke that bond and blitzed off. It was super weird.” He put his hand up for emphasis.
That was the first time I had heard of anyone else having a romantic supernatural bond, and I wanted to ask questions, but again, I sort of liked that nobody knew about me having one with Kellan. Maybe I’d have my man explain it to me later. I kept meaning to ask him about it, but we’d been just a little… busy.
“That’s crazy. Do you think he’s telling the truth?” I asked.
Kellan came over at that moment and told me he had to go check on the other clubs in the area, and that he would be back to take me to his place later.
“You are one lucky girl,” Beckett said, watching appreciatively as Kellan walked out.
Gavin raised his eyebrow at Beckett, and shook his head.
“What? I can whet my appetite anywhere I want, as long as I come home to eat, right, babe?” Then Beckett looked at me.
“Hands off,” I said, snorting back a laugh and pointing in his face.
And he did, putting them up in surrender.
“So, that was it, he just left without a word? Like… said he was going to leave you alone and he did?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, he did, and I don’t hear his voice in my head anymore like I had when he came back to town. Although I hadn’t heard it for years anyway, so he could just be keeping quiet. Who knows?”
“But you said you felt the bond break. What did that feel like?” I asked, very curious.
Beckett drew circles around the rim of his cocktail glass. “It’s hard to explain. Like a weight has been lifted off of your chest… your heart… your soul. Like your fuzzy brain is now clear.”
“Interesting,” I murmured.
Beckett sipped his mojito and regarded me.
“Hey… If he comes around again, can I kill him?” I asked, smiling at him around the straw at my lips.
“If you can beat me to it,” Gavin murmured.
I looked at the elf and smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
Chapter 20
I dished some baked beans and chicken onto my patriotic-themed paper plate and tossed a couple watermelon slices on top. I balanced the plate on one hand and held a lemon-lime soda in the other. After setting my plate on the table. I sat on the cushioned patio chair under the umbrella next to Sanja. A glance into the sky around the umbrella showed the sun beginning to disappear behind some ominous rain clouds.
Typical Colorado weather. Warm, rainy thunderstorms always ruining a cookout.
I cracked open my soda, took a sip, then set it down. I then lifted a piece of dripping barbeque chicken to my mouth, and my eyes rolled back in my head with a moan. My dad made the best barbeque around.
“So, what’s new with you?” Sanja’s mother, Samantha, asked as she drew a line of mustard with the bottle onto the top of her hot dog.
I snorted and lifted a shoulder. “Buy the book.”
Her eyes got big. “You wrote a book?”
Sanja shot me a look. “No, Mom, she’s being a smartass… as usual. But she really should write one with all the crap she’s been through.”
Samantha smiled at me. “I’d love to read it.”
I swallowed a bite of chicken and wiped my mouth with my hand because I had forgotten to grab a paper napkin tha
t matched the patriotic plates.
Samantha handed me hers.
I thanked her, then said, “I don’t want to write a frickin’ book. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
I heard my mother squeal and looked behind me to see Aden and Celeste walk into the backyard through the sliding glass door that led to the house. He was in black slides, cargo shorts, and a dark polo shirt, and she wore a cute sleeveless, flowing white shirt with pink flowers on it, and some loose-fitting denim shorts. She had her light-brown hair up in a messy bun with some strands left out to frame her face, and she just looked so beautiful. In her hand she balanced a small tray of what looked like brownies, which my mother quickly relieved her of and then handed off to my dad.
I watched as Aden made the introductions. I elbowed Sanja so she could watch, too. I couldn’t wait to see my parents’ faces as they got the news he was about to drop on them.
It had been two days since I’d left the Vlasé’s house of horrors. After Kellan had taken me home from Moon Chasers and kept me up all night the following night, showing me all of his wicked ways, we had been texting back and forth, but not much else. It made me sad that I couldn’t invite him to something as simple as a Memorial Day barbeque. Which reminded me that Aden’s news would be a pebble drop in the water compared to mine. And I didn’t mean mine and Kellan’s relationship, either. When I eventually got around to not wanting to keep Kellan all to myself… minus sharing him with Beckett’s wandering eye… I would let my parents meet him.
I was stressing over having to break the news to my parents that my brother’s murderer was dead, and I wasn’t sure how I’d do it. All I knew was that I had to do it in semi-private and after all the other guests left—supernatural or otherwise.
My mother had held this summer kickoff/Memorial Day barbeque every single year, without fail, for the past twenty years. She didn’t even miss it the year Austyn died, but I had. In fact, in the past five years, I think I’d gone once. And I felt bad about that. One year it had been during the full moon, and we’d all been up at Wolfe Point. I irrationally felt bad about that, too. I just hoped the news I had to deliver today would make up for it all… but knew deep down it would be little consolation, as it had been for me, too. Austyn was gone, and he was never coming back.
