by Lia Bevans
Her act was convincing. He almost believed that Chantal genuinely wanted to be around him. Wanted to protect him. Wanted to be there for him. For a split second, he entertained the thought that maybe he had stimulated her heart and not just her libido.
But, boy, was he wrong. A sucker. That’s what he was. Desperation had never been a good look for him and with Caldon in serious danger, he’d lashed out when it was unnecessary to do so. He regretted rough-handling her. That wasn’t the kind of man he wanted to be.
I didn’t have a choice.
Chantal’s words pricked him. Badgered his head when he tried to focus on the road. She didn’t have a choice. Everything she did, every sweet word, kind gesture, look of concern—had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her wolf’s thirst.
She might as well join the ranks of Cecil. No, Cecil was better. At least she didn’t play games with him.
In the back of his mind, Blaez knew he was favoring an old woman who may or may not have severe mental issues. He knew he was trying to rationalize his hurt and blame Chantal for his deepening feelings. He knew it. It just didn’t pierce his haze of fury.
Blaez pushed the drama with Chantal to the back of his mind and pressed on. He’d figure things out with her later. They had plenty of time. The person who didn’t was Caldon. Blaez pulled over and fished his phone from the passenger seat. He dialed the number he’d added a few minutes ago.
Timmy picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, Timmy. Where did you say your hideout was?”
Thirty minutes later, Blaez cruised into a seedy part of town. It was still early in the afternoon and the drive had calmed him down, but not to the point of stupidity. He put his top up and wound his windows tight. No need to flaunt his convertible’s full capabilities here.
The address Timmy gave led him to an abandoned house that looked two gusts away from caving in. The faded sign above the front door read ‘Rockie’s Rastling Ring’. Clearly Rockie couldn’t spell. Maybe that’s why his business went under.
Blaez parked his car and hopped out, surveying the exterior of the building with a pained heart. Caldon had called this place home? He had a bedroom decked out with everything his brother could want, every amenity at his fingertips and this was what Caldon chose?
He shook off the indignation and walked up the stairs. His boots crunched against broken beer glass. Looked like the fight had spilled to the porch. Blood stained the wooden slats and splattered against the doorknob. He pictured a crowd of werewolves mauling each other. What could possibly spur them to do that?
Blaez stepped through the broken door and let his eyes adjust to the dimness. A huge wrestling ring with thick red ropes sat prominently in the middle of the room. It was the only structure that remained in one piece. Wooden chairs, tables, beddings and even shoes lay in shredded, scattered heaps all around.
Blaez snooped in the crew’s belongings until a silver medallion caught his eye. He brushed aside fractured glass and picked the chain up with the tips of his fingers. It was carved in the image of a crescent moon.
Caldon had treasured the necklace more than anything else as it was a gift from his late mother. He never took it off, wearing it under his shirt for safe-keeping. The feeling that his brother was in trouble intensified.
According to Timmy’s story, he’d only been gone for a few hours. There was no way Caldon wouldn’t notice his necklace was missing and return for it. If he was still alive...
Blaez couldn’t think like that. Caldon was strong. Stronger than whatever invisible enemy had attacked. First he had to figure out why his brother had gone crazy and turned on his friend in a fight. Was it a drug? Some kind of poison?
His phone rang, a chilling sound in the dark room. He answered quickly. “Caldon?”
“Sorry. It’s not your brother,” a feminine voice said.
“Hazel.” He let out a breath of disappointment. “What do you want?”
“Chantal told me to call you. Said it was important and that we could help each other.”
The mention of Chantal’s name caused guilt to flood him. He shuffled and ducked his head even though he was alone. “Did she... say anything else?”
“Why?” Hazel’s voice rang with suspicion. “Was she supposed to?”
“No.” He turned around. “I’ll text you the address. You need to see something.”
Blaez ended the call and sent the message. Fifteen minutes later, he saw Hazel’s outline in the doorway. “What happened?” she asked, picking her tennis shoes through the mess on the floor.
He snorted, surprised by her sudden entrance. “Did you fly here?”
“I rode my motorcycle. Why?”
He was impressed, but decided not to let it show. “If Chantal called you, then you must know what happened.”
“Only the bare minimum. The crew fought each other. Then disappeared. Did you find any evidence of external manipulation? Like a tainted water source or drugs?”
“I looked, but it’s not like I’m an expert in drug usage. I’ve never touched the stuff. I have found a lot of beer bottles though.” He peered closely at her face. “It... looks like you have an idea of what happened here.”
“I do,” she said, glancing at him. “But I’m really hoping that I’m wrong.”
CHANTAL WAS really bad at waiting. Exponentially bad. When she was younger, she used to sneak down the stairs on Christmas Eve and open all her gifts. Then she’d spend hours putting them back together so her parents didn’t suspect a thing.
She found out later that they all knew about it and that she wasn’t very good at wrapping gifts.
Even though she’d matured, the desire to get up and do something when she was anxious had not faded. Normally, Chantal would find solace at home, but things were a little chaotic there at the moment.
Cecil was still mad at her for ‘stealing’ Blaez.
Mae Ling kept trying to feed her ancient Chinese herbs in an effort to curb her wolf’s sexual appetite.
Ralph kept looking at her with discomfort, as if he still couldn’t believe she had grown up that much.
And Evie was gone on a mysterious trip without a clue as to when she would return.
So Chantal turned to her second home. Terry’s.
“I still don’t understand what the problem is.” Her sister plopped into the seat next to Chantal. The popcorn she held in her hands jumped but returned to the dish. “You like Blaez. Blaez likes you. If you don’t want to have sex, fine. What’s so wrong with admitting your feelings are real?”
“Because I don’t know if they are. I mean... how am I supposed to know if his are real, anyway? It’s not like he’s given me any indication that I’m anything but a plaything to him.”
“Sure, that’s why he keeps staring at you when he thinks no one is looking. That’s why he comes to work all-day, every-day. If he keeps this up, he’ll be finished with six-months worth of community service in two months. Not to mention how protective he is of you...”
“He is not protective—”
“And how much your wolf adores him. Look, I may not be a supernatural creature capable of transforming at will, but even I know that a woman’s instincts rarely turn her wrong. I’m guessing a wolf’s instincts is ten times more accurate.”
“I came here to bash on Blaez. You’re supposed to agree that he’s mean and nasty and a jerk...”
“My bad. It’s been forever since you’ve brought guy trouble so I forgot how this was supposed to go.”
“Very funny.” She touched Terry with her big toe. “Speaking of guy trouble, at least I’ve dated enough to have that. When are you going to give dating a chance? You’re a catch, Terry.”
“Yeah, well,” Terry stuffed her face with popcorn, “let’s sort out your love life before we get to mine. What are you going to do when Blaez comes to work on Monday? Are you sure you shouldn’t take him up on his offer and get it over with...?”
“Terry!”
“Hey, I
’m just saying.”
“That’s not what I want. I mean... it is. But not like that.” She groaned. “We have bigger things to worry about right now. Besides, Blaez threw my desire for him in my face. He hurt my wolf’s feelings. If he wants me to leave him alone, I’ll give him what he wants. See how he takes that.”
“Maybe I should save some popcorn,” Terry mused, staring at the bowl. “This should be fun.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BLAEZ SAT ACROSS THE street from Wildlife For Humanity, hunkering in his convertible for the fifth time in... he’d forgotten how many weeks. His conscience tortured him for the way he’d treated Chantal on Saturday and he didn’t really want to face her.
He’d almost skipped his community service in favor of spreading out the search for Caldon. In the end, he decided to stay close to home in case his brother returned. Blaez believed Caldon was still alive. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way, he wasn’t ready to give up hope.
Hazel had taken one of the beer bottles from the hideout and was working with the wolf pack’s lab to figure out if her hunch was correct. The alpha was keeping her suspicions to herself, but promised she’d let him in the loop once she got her test results.
Blaez had given her three days. She had until tomorrow at sundown before he’d storm the Council building and make a ruckus. Searching willy-nilly for Caldon was a waste of time and energy. If Hazel’s wolf pack could point him in the right direction, he’d hammer them until he got answers.
Suddenly, a fist pounded his window. Blaez jumped back and frowned when Terry’s face popped up in front of him. She laughed and pointed, holding a hand around her stomach as she tried to control herself.
I think I preferred her when she hated me.
“Hey, Blaez,” Terry said after she’d invited herself into his car. “Why aren’t you coming in?”
“How did you know I was here?”
“You have a shiny blue car in the middle of the warehouse district. I spot you the moment you park across the street. What? Do werewolves think they can turn invisible now?” She chuckled at her own joke.
He did not laugh along. “Is Chantal there?”
“Since early morning. She’s worried and when she’s worried, she goes into work mode. It keeps her mind distracted. Be warned. She’s going to work you like a slave today. You sure you want to sign up for that?”
“Worried? Why is she worried?
Terry blinked slowly and smirked as if he was the stupidest man in the world. “Because of you.”
“Oh.” He nodded and tried to swallow his disappointment. “You mean because her wolf is attracted to me.” It made sense that Chantal would be more irritated with her wolf’s lust now, especially after the way he’d treated her. She’d made it clear that it was her wolf’s irrational feelings that tethered them.
“No, you idiot. She’s worried about Caldon. She’s worried about how you’re holding up knowing your brother’s in trouble. She’s worried about you.”
“Really?”
“Gosh, you two are made for each other. Yes, really. She’s just trying to pick through what feelings belong to her wolf and what feelings belong to her. But trust me, the feelings are there. And they’re based in more than her desire to sleep with you, I’ll tell you that.”
“Thanks, Terry.”
“My pleasure. Just... apologize for Saturday.”
“I was going to do that already.”
“I know you were.” She patted his shoulder. “But if you can find it in your heart to go all out, you should probably do that. You didn’t just piss Chantal off on Saturday, you messed up with her wolf.” Terry sighed. “It feels wrong to tell you all this. You’re juggling a lot right now, but unless you find a way to get her wolf back to Point A, you’re screwed. At least with her.”
“Got it.”
She placed her hand on the handle and then glanced over her shoulder. “I’m sorry about your brother. If there’s anything I can do...”
“I’ll let you know.” He smiled. “Thanks, Terry.”
“Whatever.” She climbed out of the car and slammed it. He winced. Just when she was starting to grow on him...
Blaez shook his head and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. “It’s now or never.”
He got out and strode to the center. The bell jangled when he walked in. Terry gave him a thumbs-up from behind her desk and then pointed to the backroom. The sound of shredding paper drew him into the storage closet where Terry kept her old documents and files.
The door squeaked when he opened it and Blaez stuck his head in first to gauge the safety of coming inside. He got the sense that he should enter at his own peril. Ignoring the warning, he slid the door wider and walked in. It shut behind him.
“What do you want?” Chantal asked, not bothering to look up. Wisps of brown hair clung to her glossy cheeks. She wore a white T-shirt and cream-colored pants. He still found her beautiful, even with dust coating the crown of her head and no makeup on.
“I came to see what I could do to help.”
“Ask Terry. She has your assignment for the day.”
He bristled. That darn principal voice. “She told me to come to you.”
“I don’t know why she’d do that.” Chantal stood and brushed her clothes, intentionally driving the dust his way.
He coughed and blew the air. “And I also wanted to apologize for what I did—”
“It’s fine.” She cut him off with a swipe of her hand and started collapsing old cardboard boxes.
He stepped closer. “No, it’s not.”
She finally looked at him, her eyes flashing sharper than butcher knives. “If that’s all you came to say, consider the message received.”
Blaez glanced at the locked door and wondered if he should just take a risk and hug her. His words were obviously not enough to sate Chantal or her wolf.
“If you touch me, I’ll bite your hand off.” He glanced over and found Chantal shuffling through the boxes. “That’s a message from me and her.”
He swallowed his disappointment and quietly backed out of the room. Maybe Terry was wrong. Maybe there was no coming back from his mistakes. Blaez hated to leave things like this, but what if it was for the best?
He was a loner at heart. The minute he finished his community service and found his brother he’d shake the dust of this place off his feet. Not even Chantal could hold him back.
CHANTAL WILTED AGAINST the nearest stack of files and held her head. Her wolf was howling its disapproval. In no way had the creature agreed to bite any part of Blaez unless it was a harmless nip in play. She’d taken the liberty of stamping her wolf’s name on her statement and it hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Mine...it said.
Yeah, well, you can’t always have what you want.
She was glad that Blaez had taken the hint. Her wolf had seen the closed door, the cozy space, and the submissive male and went immediately into reproductive mode. After a day of licking its wounds, Chantal found herself battling her wolf’s desires again.
Apparently, Blaez had a free pass. A whole bunch of them. He’d need to do a lot more than call her out on her motivations to tick the wolf off.
She sequestered herself in the storage room for the rest of the morning, but when she emerged, Chantal saw Hazel striding through the front door. Surprise swept her. Hazel and Terry didn’t have the best relationship and so Hazel normally avoided the center.
Terry shot to her feet, eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here?”
“Terry.” Hazel looked down her nose. “I’m not here to fight.”
“Get out.” Terry grabbed the shotgun she kept under the desk for emergencies. Even though they worked with shifters they trusted, her little sister insisted on arming herself just in case. “I’m not asking twice.”
“What’s going on?” Blaez emerged from the kitchen and spotted Terry’s gun. “Whoa. Where did that come from?”
“Terry!” Chantal yelle
d. “Put it down.”
“I can be over there swiping your head off your shoulders before you pull the trigger.”
“I’m loaded with silver bullets.” The click of the safety coming off shattered the air. Terry lowered her chin. “Try me. I dare you.”
“I don’t know what this is about,” Blaez said, shifting closer to the women. “But there will be no shooting and no tearing heads off shoulders today.” He didn’t stop moving until he stood directly between Terry and Chantal. “Let’s use our words.”
“How about ‘get out’?” Terry sneered.
Hazel scoffed. “You’re lucky Chantal is here or I’d...”
“You’d what?” Terry trembled. “Kill me the way you killed my parents.”
“Terry,” Chantal said firmly, “Hazel didn’t do that.”
“She might as well have. Her pack let that scumbag go. I grew up waiting for him to pounce on us again. Do you know what that’s like?”
“I’m sorry.” Hazel stood down, a crack forming in her armor of anger. “I can imagine how tough that was for you.”
“You can’t imagine anything,” Terry growled. “Why aren’t you out of my sight?”
“It’s important. I don’t have time to fight.”
“What’s important?” Blaez spread his arm out. “Would you lower that gun, Terry?”
“It’s Lucien.”
“What about him?” Chantal stared at Hazel. “Did he come back?”
“Can we... talk in your office?” She glanced at Terry. “All of us?”
Terry finally put the rifle down and Chantal made a mental note to replace her sister’s gun with a Taser. Terry had promised the gun was only a prop to scare off evil werewolves and buy time in case there was trouble. The way she’d handled it today proved her words a lie.
Everyone filed into her office. Chantal pulled her office chair around while Terry and Hazel took the plastic chairs she usually kept in there. Blaez dragged one of the chairs from the foyer and then closed the door.
“Why did you mention Lucien, Hazel?” Chantal leaned forward and wiped her sweaty palms together.
