“A bit.”
“Good because we have twenty more kits to put together. I’ll make you dinner if you’re a good girl and don’t complain.”
“Deal.”
When I finally threw my last kit bag of yarn in the box, Annalise happily high fived me and picked up the box to stow in a corner of the room.
“You know you could sell this stuff online,” I pointed out, looking at the heap of boxes with Annalise’s latest creations. I didn’t know how she managed it all. It wasn’t just the selling of it, it was the motivation to create such volume of skilled craftwork repetitively that awed me.
“Don’t you start too. Gage has been bugging me to do that ever since I started this business, but I like getting out and meeting people and seeing them pick up my stuff and love it.” Annalise turned to me, waving a finger. “It stops me staying at home at any rate. I may be a homebody but I don’t want to be a hermit. Speaking of which, you need to get out more.”
“Oh, thanks.” I could pretend to be chagrined all I liked but she was right. I was restless. I wasn’t working. I wasn’t in education. Yeah, I had money but I didn’t want to blow through it, especially with a house – not to mention taxes – and a never ending list of things to fix in it. I thought again about Evan’s offer of living with him and getting enrolled in the university there. It was tempting. I thought about enrolling in a local college here. Temptation struck again. I had options and that was a good thing, if only the magic business would butt out.
I ate dinner with Annalise that night and I was helping her clear the dishes as Gage rushed in like a whirlwind, slamming the door behind him. I saw his jacket fly off and hit the couch in a heap then the thud thud of his boots kicked off by the door.
“Annalise, we’ve been called to the Loup. We have to go now. I’ll drive,” he shouted from the front door.
Gage had half unbuttoned his shirt while walking through the living room and was just in the process of pulling it over his head, revealing a tanned swathe of muscle, when he caught sight of me. That didn’t stop him. He just pulled his shirt off and grinned at me while I couldn’t do anything but get an eyeful of his torso. I didn’t know if the universe was telling me that life could be easy, or when I thought about Evan, very hard.
“Evening.” He grinned at me while I bit my lower lip.
“Hi, Gage.” I nodded at him, turning away to dry my hands on a dish towel. I took my time folding it onto the counter, keeping my eyes to myself.
“We have to go now?” Annalise asked, with a slight hint of dismay in her voice as her eyes flicked towards me.
Gage shrugged, sending his muscles up and down in a rather eye catching way. “They’ll wait ten minutes.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, wrenching my gaze away from his abs which I most definitely shouldn’t be looking at, never mind feeling anything close to lust. It was anger I told myself, anger at Evan. Not Gage. Not much.
“Oh, just this thing we have to go to,” Annalise replied dismissively.
“At the Loup?” I asked. “The Loup Garou? That’s the bar down the road?”
Gage nodded. “I’d invite you but it’s not my call.” He didn’t look like he was about to invite me, or that he was even that sorry that he couldn’t.
“Oh, I wasn’t asking myself along,” I backtracked. “I need to be heading home anyway.”
“It’s not a very nice place anyway, Stella. You won’t be missing anything,” Annalise added, then to Gage. “Stop posturing and get changed already.”
When Gage laughed, his muscles heaved lifting firm pecs that were right in my eyeline. Sigh
“I saw you outside there when I was driving back a few nights ago,” I said.
Gage looked surprised, then shrugged. “I go there sometimes.”
I didn’t tell him I saw Annalise’s car. It was a given; if I’d seen him and her car, then she was there too.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” said Annalise, steering me towards the door. I wondered what was so important that they had been called there, something so important that they didn’t even seem to want to tell me.
“Sure. Let me know if you want a hand with any more stuff.” I said to Annalise as I picked up my jacket and zipped it up. “Have a lovely evening.”
“Oh, we will,” said Annalise but her cheery smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and I thought I heard the hushed start of an argument form just as I closed the door.
As it turned out I didn’t see anyone for two entire days. Gage’s motorbike was long gone by the time I got up in the morning – and it wasn’t like I was a late riser – and I didn’t hear him return in the evenings. When I called by on the second day Annalise didn’t answer the door but her car was sat where it always was while she was at home so I didn’t know if she was out with someone else, or if she was avoiding me. I hoped for the former.
I didn’t see Étoile, Seren or David and I wondered what they were doing and whether it involved Chyler and if she was okay.
Evan didn’t come back.
The fury I’d felt when Evan had walked out simmered into frustration before bubbling over to anger the longer I thought about it. Evan knew how terrified I’d been when they’d left me alone in those days after Eleanor Bartholomew’s attack and how afraid I’d been and I couldn’t imagine why he would leave me alone now unless... the thought was an unpleasant one. Maybe he wasn’t coming back at all.
I could have driven into town to confront Evan, but I wasn’t big on confrontations and as I’d never had relationship niggles, I didn’t know if this kind of behaviour was normal or not. I was veering towards not okay. Besides it wasn’t like I knew where he was and even if I scryed, it wouldn’t be specific enough to give me an address, just the general area.
Instead I stomped around the house like a stroppy teenager, wondering if I felt sick with sadness, with anxiety, or with the grief of the potential end of a relationship that really hadn’t been given a decent chance to thrive. On top of that I was mad that Evan hadn’t tried to understand where I was coming from at all. I just wanted him to have my back.
Above all that I worried about Chyler and how she was faring. She had come to me for help and so far all I’d done was keep secrets from my friends, hurt my boyfriend and irritate the spirit that was jostling for space inside her. At least I’d discovered one thing: there was a good chance Chyler was innocent of killing her mother. Unfortunately that probably meant she was sharing body space with the real killer.
I wished I had a computer so I could do my own research and eventually I decided that that was what I would do so I grabbed my bag and coat, added scarf and gloves, and drove away from Wilding so I could do some shopping. First I parked in a small strip mall that held a chain electronic goods shop. After an hour I had bought a small laptop and a little device that I could plug in to connect me to the internet. Then I bought a cell phone because I was tired of having no way to contact anyone. After depositing my bundles in the trunk, I went into the gift shop a few shops down and bought Christmas presents, which was such a rare treat for me to do that I spent over an hour browsing candles and photo frames and knick knacks. Eventually I bought some earrings for Annalise and a little trinket box with roses painted on the lid and a photo frame for Gage so he could frame one of his father’s pictures. I hesitated wondering if I should get gifts for anyone else then decided I’d done enough for one day, paid, and went home to play with my new toys.
With the rest of the day to my lonely self, I assembled my shiny new phone and set it to charge. Then I set up my laptop, fumbled with installing the software and checked out the lengthy instructions for the internet gadget. I wondered if I could have used magic to create a wireless connection, or if utilities was out of my capabilities. I wondered if I would ever be able to answer my own questions or if I’d always be a novice witch who stumbled her way through magic, hopeful but never one hundred percent sure. Eventually I packed everything up and curled up alone in my bed too tired
to think anymore.
~
When I was woken at midnight by a howl, high and long, I just cursed under my breath, shoved a pillow over my head and went back to sleep. In the morning I put my lethargy down to skipping a few days of running while I alternated between being cross, trying to think of ways to help Chyler, and, frankly, sulking. Back in London, I’d walked all over the city, not just to save money but for the health benefits too and I was out of my dingy flat almost every single day. By contrast, since I’d been in Wilding I’d been very static. I lounged around the house and when I needed to go into town I drove since it was too far to walk. The effects were going to very evident on my hips if I didn’t break the pattern.
So, when I stretched on the front porch just as the first light was breaking I was feeling good, positive even, that I was continuing in my resolve to get some exercise and keep myself fit. It was good for my soul, not to mention my thighs. Dressed in comfy sweat pants and a zip up top that fit like a second skin, I was already itching to get outside for my run to burn off the nervous energy building up inside me. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror I twisted my hair into a ponytail high on my crown and fastened it with a band. I was feeling pumped. My anticipation of a run was setting my adrenaline flowing and I felt like I could run for hours. Realistically I just hoped I could make it a few miles without passing out or straining a muscle.
I stepped off the porch, swinging my arms in circles to limber up my shoulders then stretched my legs. Across the road my neighbours’ house was dark and I guessed they hadn’t gotten up yet. Judging from the quiet I was the only awake thing in the whole area. The silence sometimes struck me as eerie but I brushed the feeling to one side and jogged out onto the road, turning away from town. As per usual I had the whole road to myself. This way led out to back roads that eventually connected to the interstate and wasn’t well used. There was a more direct route that led out of town that the locals preferred for the obvious time and gas-saving reasons. I could only assume that my parents had bought this house for the solitude because it certainly wasn’t for the swinging social life.
Starting off slowly, I eased my body into a rhythm so I could jog along the road at an even pace. Eventually I started putting distance, and speed, between me and my house, the cold morning air fighting with the heat I was generating. My muscles felt warm and willing though I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t feel the after effects for the rest of the day.
It was pretty out here, now that fall was turning to winter as fast as the leaves could slip from the trees and the quiet was so breathtakingly different from my city life that, though it had taken some time, I was learning to love it, to find it refreshing.
A mile in, I’d only just started to regret not bringing my music player when I heard a noise off in the woods to my left. I glanced over, saw nothing, and pounded on. The rustling stayed with me even when I increased my pace. Stray dog said my brain. When have you ever seen a dog around Wilding, said the rational part of my brain. Maybe it was bears? Oh, God. Bears attacked people. Did bears even live out here? I felt my chest constrict in panic as the rustling seemed to fan out. I was sure Annalise or Gage would have said something about big scary animals. I remembered when months ago I had been walking home and the world seemed to freeze around me, making me listen intently for whoever followed me. As it turned out the Brotherhood had caught up to me that night, but I’d been saved just in time.
The rational part of my mind told me they shouldn’t have found me here. Even so I started edging into the middle of the road just as I could see the tree line start to thin out slightly, putting space between me and the dense undergrowth and whatever it concealed. Not much further ahead were the broad open grassy plains that stretched on and on with not a house in sight for miles. What was I doing? I should be turning back to my house, not carrying on into the nothingness, but I was too freaked to stop entirely so I paused and jogged on the spot for a moment, then bent forward, hands on knees to catch my breath, tensing, ready to sprint.
Behind me I heard a growl, a plaintive rumbling noise that sent a shiver of fear down my spine, seeping through me. Slowly, I turned around and stared in surprise at my audience, my jaw threatening to drop open as I sucked in the fear.
A pack of wolves looked back at me. Half or dozen or so milled about in the road and I could see more edging from the woods, sniffing at the grass verges and the asphalt, watching me all the time. The biggest of the pack stepped forward. Thick black fur covered its head and its ears flicked forwards and backwards, a mantle of grey fur framed its chest and spread down its front legs. It seemed unfeasibly large for a wild animal. It raised its nose to sniff the air then focused its eyes firmly on me, a low growl erupting in its throat as its lips rolled back over gleaming teeth. I didn’t know whether to step back or stand my ground.
One of the wolves prowling by the tree line stepped tentatively onto the road and thrust its head to the sky, emitting a long, loud howl which stirred up the others, rumbling growls sounding from chests to throats. The big wolf in front of me, the alpha male I guessed, took another step forwards, barked once and silence settled over the wolves as they shuffled into a pack that milled across the road, cutting off my route home. There was simply no way I could get past them and I couldn’t keep running in the opposite direction. There was nowhere to go. Running wasn’t even an option – there was no way I could outrun any member of the pack.
The big wolf moved another step closer to me and I braced myself. Rooted to the spot, I couldn’t move backwards, I couldn’t move forwards, but I could drop my eyes submissively. I didn’t want them to think I was challenging them, especially when there was a good chance that they would... eat me. It wasn’t the cold that made me shiver this time; it was out and out fear. The wolf thrust its head forwards and sniffed again, its nose quivering as it locked onto my scent. Another wolf, a smaller one, stepped up alongside the black and grey wolf’s flank, its movements elegant and fluid. It took a long look at me before sitting back on its haunches on the cold road in a manner that made me feel slightly less terrified. Its coat was a lustrous grey and... was that flecks of pink edging its coat? Odd.
Forgetting that I didn’t want to give off any challenging signals I darted looks at the smaller wolf and its strange fur. It simply looked back at me, its tongue lolling over its lower jaw, panting. I couldn’t help the feeling that there was something awfully familiar about it. I felt my heart thud with anxiety and my muscles tightened as a familiar feeling started teasing my veins as I summoned my magic.
The big wolf sniffed the air again and took a step towards me. It growled and the smaller wolf nipped at its flank with a glint of large, white, super-sharp teeth. With another step forward the black and grey wolf closed in, leaving only a few paces between us. If I knelt down and stretched I could probably touch the tip of its nose. I didn’t, of course, because I wasn’t stupid. The pack were making no moves to leave; instead, more were stepping forwards and the road was teaming with wolves, some black and grey like the alpha, but some with solid coats and some much paler with glittering black eyes that calmly assessed me. I was so close to the alpha that I could see my reflection in his eyes.
There was no telling what they might do. If they attacked now, I’d never survive. I’d be shredded and my death would be slow and painful.
Around me I felt like the air was losing oxygen, leaving me dizzy as I tried not to hyperventilate with fear. Without thinking I stepped backwards and the wolf moved forwards again, his movements so graceful, like he knew he owned the road. It strained its head towards me and curled back its mouth to reveal a set of teeth that were brutal. I felt my magic tickle my skin as it reached the surface, then flow readily throughout me and finally dance on my skin. The wolf growled a low sound that rumbled through him and squared its shoulders, its legs tense, like it was poised to launch itself at me.
I took a deep, dizzying breath and got the hell out of there with a great surge of willpower and an even
bigger surge of magic that cracked like a whip in the space I left behind.
As soon as I materialised in my living room I lurched to the front door and tested the handle. Still locked and the keys were in my pocket. I leant against the door, rasping breath back into my lungs. What the hell had I seen out there? No one had ever mentioned a pack of wolves roaming in the woods outside my house. It struck me that the pack weren’t afraid of humans; instead they seemed to be making it very clear that they were marking control of their territory as if I was the invader. I guessed it explained why there weren’t any animals out here; they’d be dinner. At least I wasn’t dinner, or breakfast as the case may be. Relief swept through me that I had been able to use my magic to get out of there and even though it was something I’d avoided using on such a scale over the past few months, it had come to me swiftly and easy. At least I hadn’t lost the knack of it. Perhaps it was time to fully embrace what I could do.
I breathed slowly – in and out in even breaths – while I tried to organise my thoughts. I’d had the strangest thought while I was facing them. I thought, no, I felt, that I knew the wolves and that wasn’t possible at all. It simply couldn’t be possible that my senses seemed to register them on some level.
I was just shrugging off my pants and top and folding them on to the chair in my bedroom, clinging to my relief that I was home safe and unhurt, the thought percolating in my brain when several knocks, quick and sharp in succession, sounded at the front door. It was rather too early for visitors. I pulled on my jeans and a check shirt, buttoning it quickly and padded barefoot to the door as I came to a very strange conclusion. There was no way I could describe what I felt, what I was sure was true and it was so far out of my frame of reference that I almost laughed at myself.
When I looked through the peephole, my thoughts edging into what couldn’t be real, I realised I wasn’t all that surprised by who my early morning visitor was. I flipped the lock and opened the door.
Unruly Magic (#2 Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series) Page 17
