by Trina M. Lee
My wolf didn’t understand. She whined and scratched at my insides, demanding I go to Shaz and nuzzle him, to show him that our love lasted even if our time together didn’t.
Breaking eye contact, I stared at my feet and willed myself not to cry. It was a ridiculous need brought on by the intensity of the moment. Maybe later I would mourn the picket fence life I never knew I wanted. Then again, maybe I never would.
Giving myself a mental shake, I concentrated on my two dear friends. Coby was as handsome as ever in his tux with his short, dark hair combed into place. His hazel eyes were all wolf. He was still new to our kind and easily overwhelmed. He held tight to Ky’s hand.
They seemed to be oblivious to the rest of us. So caught up in their eternal vows, they had eyes only for each other. Again I felt reassured that good things can come of evil. Perhaps it was the greatest trick the light ever pulled on the dark.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister said, closing the Bible in his hands. “You may kiss the bride.”
Coby pulled Kylarai into his arms, kissing her with a tender display of emotion. She touched his cheek with the soft caress of a woman who had found her soul mate.
I did cry then. It was impossible to stop the tears that escaped me. Touching a hand to my face, I was relieved to find them clear and pure. Blood tears at a wedding wouldn’t go over well.
The guests applauded and cheered. A few whistled. Jez leaned in close and whispered, “I’ve never been so jealous in my life.”
I nodded, choked up and unable to speak. She pulled a tissue from her cleavage and passed it to me, turning my tears into laughter.
It didn’t take long for a dozen werewolves to go from serious ceremony to reception party. The guests took their turn lining up to congratulate the bride and groom before hitting the open bar where they helped themselves to drinks.
Kylarai had decided a buffet style was easiest. She was right. The caterers had set everything up and then left.
Speakers placed at varying points around the yard pumped out a lengthy playlist of tunes. Though she’d wanted a live band, it hadn’t worked out due to the short time frame she had to plan.
I lingered near the table that passed as the bar. With a glass of whiskey in hand, I watched my best friend’s face beam. She moved about the yard, making small talk with the same wolves who had demanded I be removed as their leader.
“Are you feeling sorry for yourself?” Jez sidled up with a raspberry vodka cooler in hand. “Because that shit isn’t allowed at weddings.”
My lips twitched as I hid a smile. “Me? No. Of course not.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to slap it out of you.”
The sun had set. Darkness stole into the backyard, broken up by a few strategically placed yard lights. People would start to shift soon. What would a werewolf wedding be without wolves?
“Do you want this, Jez?” I asked, watching Shaz across the yard speaking with Coby. “The whole happily ever after thing.”
She took a long swig from the cooler before answering. “I didn’t think so. I doubt I’m really marriage material. But yeah, I’d like the whole happily ever after. Who wouldn’t?”
“You’re not marriage material?” I laughed. “Well, that makes two of us then.”
“Do you think you’re robbing Shaz of this kind of life?” She followed my gaze to where he stood smiling and joking with Coby.
“No. I don’t think it. I know it.” In a very unladylike move, I slammed back the rest of my drink and promptly went for a refill. What the hell? It was a wedding after all.
Jez studied me, curiosity in her emerald stare. “I think you’re wrong. Shaz knows what he’s doing. Don’t be so quick to take the blame for things that are out of your control.” When I didn’t respond right away, she nudged me with an elbow. “Come on, let’s go dance.”
A handful of people had claimed a free part of the yard as a dance space. They danced as couples and singles, spilling alcohol on the dying grass while their laughter echoed in the treetops.
I turned back to Jez. “I don’t think I’m drunk enough for that yet.”
“Well then bottoms up, lady.”
She bumped my drink hard enough with hers to cause whiskey to splash over the side and hit my foot. I squealed and laughed, scolding her for almost spilling on my lovely dress. We were joking around, having a good laugh, which I desperately needed, when I felt that honey sweet energy wrap around me.
I spun around to find Kale standing at the edge of the yard.
Those gorgeous brown and blue eyes lingered on me as he drank in my appearance. Dressed in a black suit, he wore his leather duster and held a small gift-wrapped box in one hand.
I took an extra-large sip of booze before I crossed the lawn to where he stood. “I didn’t expect you to come. But I’m glad you did.”
“I’m not staying long. I just wanted to tell Kylarai how happy I am for her.” Kale’s gaze fell upon the cross lying against my chest. Boldly, he reached to touch it, touching my skin in the process, sending a slight shiver through me. “You wear it?”
“Sometimes. It means a lot to me.” I covered his hand with mine and peered into him. “You mean a lot to me.”
I wasn’t sure why I said it. Perhaps it was the romance of the atmosphere. Perhaps it just had to be said.
I felt Arys before he stepped out of the house onto the patio. Immediately Kale and I each took a step back. Kale mumbled something and swept past me to find Kylarai. I touched the cross, feeling robbed of a special moment.
Arys wore a suit with no tie, his bedroom messy hair the same as always. I loved it though. It made me long to run my hands through his untamed tresses.
“Who invited Sinclair?” He sneered as he approached.
I swirled the whiskey in my glass and frowned. “Who do you think? Kylarai did. Got a problem with that?”
“Should I?”
“You’re kidding right? We are not doing this tonight.”
Arys shrugged and pulled me close. “Sorry. The first thing I saw when I came outside was you in this knockout dress and him drooling all over you. What can I say? I have a jealous streak when it comes to him.”
“I’ve noticed. And he was not drooling.”
Arys silenced me with a kiss. It was a dramatic display, purely for Kale’s benefit I was sure. I broke it off before it could cross the line into inappropriate for public display.
“How was the ceremony?” Arys surveyed the backyard, making note of those present.
“Beautiful. Heart wrenching. I may have been more than a little envious.” The liquor was breaking down my walls, encouraging me to speak candidly when otherwise I might have censored the depth of my emotions.
“I understand. It’s hard at first, to watch those with mortal lives live out their days in ways that you never will. But it goes two ways. You will experience things they will never know.”
I shot Arys a cynical look and scoffed. “Oh, please. You’ve actually been married. Don’t make it sound like you didn’t spend some of your vampire years playing human.”
“I married her because I was pining after you, long before you were even born. Remember that. It was always about you.” His expression was stone cold serious.
Taking my hand, he kissed the tips of my fingers. I sighed. His touch never failed to seduce me. The energy simmered between us, a low-level burn that held the promise of more.
“I think it may have been harder on Shaz,” I admitted. “I suspect he’s starting to accept that he won’t ever have that with me. Honestly, I don’t want to stand in the way of him having it with someone else.”
“Don’t you dare say that to him,” Arys warned, running a finger along the back of my hand. “You’ll crush him.”
Guilt and regret surfaced to swim in the waves of emotion crashing through me. “I kind of already did. I encouraged him to join the city pack.”
“Is that why he’s dancing with that old lady instead of you
?”
I followed Arys’s gaze to find Shaz dancing with the oldest member of the Stony pack, a sixty-year-old grandmother who doted on her family and kept her wolf a well-hidden secret.
“That old lady would cut your head off with just her claws if she heard you say that,” I laughed. When I spied Kale and Kylarai talking privately together, I tugged on Arys’s arm. “Let’s go congratulate Coby.”
Making small talk with my former pack was one of the hardest parts of the night. I didn’t do small talk very well, finding it awkward and unnecessary. I didn’t for a minute buy their shows of feigned interest in my life any more than I expected them to think I cared about their day-to-day activities.
By the time I made it to Coby, I’d successfully managed to talk my way out of three different conversations and refill my drink three times. I would always respect these wolves. They’d been a huge part of my life for many years. But they weren’t family anymore.
Coby’s hug was extra special. It lasted longer than a standard polite embrace required, which warmed my heart because I knew that he had accepted me as family. It more than made up for the loss of the others. I wouldn’t trade Coby’s affection for all of theirs combined. A lot of wolves understandably despised the one who attacked them. Of all the people who might hate me, he was the one who deserved to most and yet didn’t.
“Congratulations,” I gushed. “Words can’t possibly express how thrilled I am for you both.”
Arys and Coby did the manly handshake thing while exchanging pleasantries. Then Coby flashed me a knowing grin, looked at Arys and said, “Do you mind if I dance with your girl?”
For a guy that hadn’t known me that long, he knew when I was uncomfortable. But with the whiskey burning its way through my veins, I handed my empty glass to Arys and let Coby lead me away.
“Oh dear,” I muttered as I tried to find the rhythm. Feeling a little drunk and very clumsy, I managed to keep up with him without tripping over his feet.
“Thank you, Alexa. For everything. And mostly, for not killing me.” He chuckled, and the sound was so cheerful I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“Don’t thank me. It was Kale who pulled me off you.” I nodded toward the tall, dark, and mysterious vampire engaged in discussion with Ky.
“I owe him a thank you, then.” Coby slowed our pace when the song changed to one with a slower beat. “I just wanted to take you aside and talk for a minute. We don’t really get the chance to do that much.”
“No, we don’t,” I agreed. “I’m glad you’re settling in here, in town with the rest of the pack.”
Coby glanced around at the rest of the guests. “They’ve been great, for the most part. They’re small town wolves though, and you’re not. I know you have a lot to deal with, and I want you to know that I’ve got your back. Always.”
“Coby, you’re too sweet. Really. But you have Kylarai, and soon you’ll both have someone else to take care of. I can’t risk having anything happen to you because of your association with me.”
The wolves were wasting no time pounding back the liquor. For a bunch of everyday types, they sure knew how to let loose when the situation allowed for it. A loud argument about sports was taking place near the patio while two ladies dancing nearby gyrated like the only thing missing was a pole.
“That’s exactly why I want to be involved. I can’t sit here in a small town pretending life is normal when fifteen minutes down the highway things are total bedlam in the city.”
I shook my head and stumbled in a dip in the grass. The whiskey sure did a number on my equilibrium. I was ready for another.
“Coby—”
“Alexa, listen to me. I will do anything it takes to keep my family safe. I trust that you can handle most things, but don’t hesitate to say the word if it becomes too much. You are my family too, and if you need anything, I’m here for you.”
Though I would never willingly put Coby or Kylarai in danger, I knew that this declaration meant a lot to him. He was an Alpha wolf now, even if his pack was small and isolated compared to the city wolves. It was natural and necessary for Coby to grow as a wolf. He needed to make this pledge, and I needed to accept it.
“You’re a good man, Coby. Don’t ever let this crazy world change that.”
As we danced he told me about his big honeymoon surprise for Kylarai. A trip to Hawaii followed by a visit to Italy that she didn’t yet know about. They were leaving in the morning.
“Sorry,” I said with a giggle after I tripped over his foot for the third time. “It’s the whiskey, I swear.”
Coby laughed along with me, but his chuckle was cut short when someone grabbed my hand and spun me away. The spin was a tad disorienting, especially when I found myself facing Falon.
“What the—”
“Pick up your paws, you clumsy wolf,” Falon said, forcing me to follow his lead as he pulled me around to the music. “For such a stealthy creature you sure can’t dance worth shit.”
He was dressed for a wedding in a dark grey suit with a black shirt. His silver wings were absent from sight. The fallen angel was a good dancer, though that wasn’t so surprising based on how long he’d existed for.
“Why are you here?” I struggled to match his rhythm, which made me realize how easy Coby had been taking it on me. I tried to stop, but Falon held tight to both of my hands, dragging me along.
“You actually clean up rather well, Hound. Who would have thought it possible?”
Falon danced as if it was completely normal for us to talk this way. Coby had backed off at the interruption, but he stood stiffly nearby, watching Falon with suspicion. I caught a glimpse of Arys. He didn’t look happy.
“Did you just give me a compliment? Ok, now I’m scared. What’s going on?”
“Don’t get carried away. It’s not much of a compliment. Even a pig would look better with some lipstick and a pretty dress.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that, so I flashed him a mischievous grin and said, “You think my dress is pretty?”
“Of course I’d have to show up when you’re drunk. You stink of whiskey. Are you even going to remember this tomorrow?”
The music changed to a slow song, and I groaned. “Trust me, I’m sure I won’t forget even if I desperately want to. You have a lasting presence. And not in a good way.”
Again I tried to stop dancing, finding that Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing made this situation a thousand times more awkward than it needed to be. Falon pulled me closer, slung my arms around his neck, and put his hands on my hips.
“Just dance. I need to talk to you, and I don’t have a lot of time. Judging by the way your vampire is staring at me, he’s going to come to your rescue soon.”
I tried to put some space between us, but it was difficult. After what I’d done to Falon at Shya’s, this was extremely uncomfortable.
“Talk fast then because I’m about due for another drink,” I muttered, hoping I didn’t do something to embarrass myself.
“You’re lucky I even came tonight after what you did to me at Shya’s, but this is bigger than how I feel about that.” Falon slid a glance to each side of us, making sure nobody lingered too close. “Do not freak out about what I’m going to tell you.”
He paused, waiting for me to agree. I was quickly running out of patience with Falon. “Stop dicking me around and spit it out. You’re kind of crashing the party.”
“I have the scroll.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I was dumbfounded. Then I was skeptical. “Are you fucking with me?”
“I wish. Saber was telling the truth. It’s no longer corporeal. What he didn’t say, because he doesn’t know, is that I’m the one who has it.”
I studied Falon, searching for a lie in his silver eyes. Thankfully we were only swaying to the music, or I would have certainly lost my footing. It was tough to wrap my mind around his claim.
“How is that even possible?”
For the first
time since we met, I saw a glimmer of doubt in Falon. I wouldn’t go so far as to say there was fear there, but it was pretty damn close.
“Is there somewhere we can go to talk?” he asked, dropping the pretense of dancing. “I have a feeling you’re going to ask a lot of questions.”
“Yeah, there’s a place. I don’t think Arys will wait here though.” I put several feet between Falon and me, glad to be done with the dancing. Stopping by the makeshift bar, I poured myself a glass of whiskey before leading the way across the yard to the cemetery next door.
As I’d expected, Arys trailed along behind us. Coby and Shaz remained behind at his command, but neither of them appeared to be happy with that. They meant well, I knew that, but neither of them could do anything against Falon anyway. If he was here with ill will, I was pretty much screwed.
We crossed the large backyard and broke through the trees into the graveyard. The music and voices carried to us, but somehow didn’t manage to ruin the peaceful effect of the place. The cemetery was comforting to me. The energy was calm and peaceful. Traces of sadness flavored the atmosphere from mourners who came to visit, though that wasn’t very often. For the most part the energy of the graveyard felt simple and final. As if those whose remains occupied the ground were very far from this place. I liked that.
I perched on a headstone belonging to a William White and waited for Falon to continue. Rushing to believe anything he said would be stupid, and he was right, I definitely had a lot of questions already.
He leaned against a tall monument-like headstone across from me. “Listen up, Hound. I’m only going to say all of this once. If you’re too drunk to remember this tomorrow, it’s all on you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, taking a large swallow of whiskey just to annoy him. “Start talking. Tell me why you have the key to Lilah’s kingdom. If you do indeed have it, that is.” Irritation furrowed his brow. I enjoyed picking at him if only because he loved doing it to me so much.
