Not a bad trick if it was true, especially if it meant that someone wanted to reach out to me. I wouldn’t mind hooking back up with Thorn, but he wasn’t free. And with all the burdens I had to bear, a little calming magic on demand wouldn’t hurt.
The continuous line of customers distracted me from my thoughts, in particular the shape-shifter couple that entered the restaurant and sat across from us. They nodded briefly in Nick’s direction and ordered from the waiter.
We watched the other customers until our food arrived. Now, most folks might think that werewolves growl and snarl when they consume their meals. But, well, as someone with an obsessive disorder, I eat like I’m dissecting my meal in a biology lab.
I ate my pizza with a fork and knife to keep my hands from getting greasy. If I’d ordered the lasagna, I would’ve cut every piece for the perfect fit in my mouth. At Archie’s I’d gotten eating a burger and fries down to an exact science of cleanliness.
Across the table, Nick did the same. A wide grin spread across my face. He smiled too and added a wink. For once, I didn’t feel self-conscious about my actions. Great minds think alike.
The therapy group went well—the first three minutes anyway. Besides Nick and me, the gang from before was there: Abby, Raj, Tyler, Heidi, and Lilith. Dr. Frank used the first three minutes of the session to prepare us for the arrival of our newest member.
“Now I want you all to take a moment to feel calm and prepare yourself for a new member.” As in the last session, Dr. Frank worked his white-wizard magic to woo us into a serene state.
I wished the man bottled the stuff so I could hoard it.
“I wanted to wait until everyone was present and seated before I introduced you to Starfire Whimsong.”
Oh, this had to be good. A few people here would need more therapy just to get over the stress caused by parents who couldn’t just name their kids Will or Betty.
Mr. Whimsong, as I shall call him henceforth, came in after Dr. Frank left the room to fetch him.
The appearance of our newest member elicited a laugh from Lilith; she covered it with a hand. Apparently, even the desperate had standards. Mr. Whimsong was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and jean shorts. Never mind that the weather outside was cold enough for a jacket. With his cheeks rosy from the outdoors, a bright smile, and a long mane of blond hair, Mr. Whimsong resembled a husky Norseman. From where I sat, I immediately noticed his hands, or should I say, the lack of hygiene they exhibited. A layer of black dirt was caked under his uneven nails. Accompanying him into the room was the scent of forest magic—on top of his deodorant-free “natural smell.” Heidi scrunched her face. Hell, even the mermaid knew he stank.
He nodded to everyone and went around the circle trying to shake everyone’s hand. Not the smartest choice with this group.
“Hey, thanks for letting me come by.” He held out his hand to Tyler and the dwarf shook it with an uneasy smile. Heidi and Abby didn’t have cleanliness issues, so they shook his hand and mumbled their names.
Then Mr. Whimsong came to poor Raj. Our visitor reached for the Indian deity’s hand, but Raj’s didn’t move. “Nice to meet you,” Raj mumbled with a nod. His gloved hands gripped the box of antibacterial wipes I’d recommended. From the look on his face, he appeared to have high hopes of not needing it.
Mr. Whimsong chuckled. “Oh, that’s all right, man. Some folks like their personal space in this universe.”
I could’ve avoided the handshake like Raj, but I wanted to be cordial like my grandmother had taught me. I briefly shook Mr. Whimsong’s hand before he took the empty seat between Dr. Frank and Raj. Thank goodness I had some hand sanitizer.
Watching me apply a generous amount of Purell to my hands, Nick gestured for me to toss the bottle. I pretended I didn’t understand.
Dr. Frank said, “Starfire is here with us today to begin group therapy. I appreciate you taking the time to welcome him.” He turned to Mr. Whimsong. “Feel free to tell the group whatever you like. We have a supportive atmosphere here.”
From across the group’s circle, Nick gestured again with a growing frown. I mouthed the word, “What?”
Our little exchange didn’t prevent Mr. Whimsong from telling us his harrowing story. “I’m glad to be here with all this positive energy. I mean, man, this city is practically overwhelming, with the pollution and chemicals. But then I come in here and all I see is positive people trying to help each other.”
The mermaid sighed in agreement. From across the room, Nick flicked his fingers and the antibacterial bottle flew out of my hands.
“I thought the east coast would be a good place to work—whoa, flying stuff there.” He chuckled again and then continued. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to be a nymph with all those companies poisoning the environment. All these dying kids without food, the melting icebergs—all of this has gotten to me, and I’m kinda having trouble coping.”
We all fell silent and nodded in sympathy. Even super-naturals deserved to live free from their anxieties. My problems seemed trivial in comparison; poor Mr. Whimsong had the weight of every melted iceberg on his mind. (Should I be a good girl and not mention the growing global warming problem?)
“Have you taken any steps to lower your anxiety?” Heidi asked.
“I spent some time in India to find my center and refocus. But it didn’t work.” His head swiveled to Raj. “Awesome country you got there, brother.”
Raj rolled his eyes and suppressed a laugh.
But Nick couldn’t hold his laughter in. He covered his outburst with a cough as Lilith chimed in, “I agree that finding your center doesn’t work. Have you tried to let it go and tell yourself that shit happens?”
All of us turned to Lilith with wide eyes. I guess she didn’t see Mr. Whimsong as a potential date.
Dr. Frank said, “What we’d like you to do today is talk through your problems, and then talk about the solutions you can find to face them.”
Mr. Whimsong lowered his head. Now his long blond hair covered his rosy cheeks. “I face these problems every day, man. I head out there and try to bring down those greedy corporations.”
“I think he meant facing your problem via non-protest-related activities,” Lilith said.
Nick leaned back in his seat. “Could you shut up for ten minutes?”
“Now, now, Nick. Lilith, are you having a rough day today?” Dr. Frank asked.
She grinned and revealed a line of toothpaste on her teeth. “Actually, no. I have a date for tomorrow night.”
“God help him,” I mumbled.
After that, each of us discussed our exercises and offered support—real support that let us laugh and even allowed Abby to cry. It’s amazing how baring your soul to a small group of people can make such a difference.
After the session, I declined to talk further with the new representative for SETA (Supernaturals for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) so Nick could escort me home. According to Dr. Frank earlier, we’d successfully completed our exercise and were now ready for our next one.
“I think you’re both ready for another exercise. But I need you to be on your best behavior this week,” Dr. Frank said. He eyed us both with suspicion. Did he know about the Statue of Liberty commemorative ornament hidden within the folds of my purse?
“You guys need to head over to a pawnshop in Brooklyn this week or the next. Nick needs to face the prospect of returning an item, and Nat, you need to resist your urge to acquire new things. I think this will be a low-stress exercise, since you aren’t being asked to remove anything from your home.”
I bit my lip. Sounds easy enough. And it wasn’t as if the pawnshops in Brooklyn even stocked halfway-decent ornaments. (Should I tell Dr. Frank that I’d already scoped out most of the establishments on a biyearly basis? Nope, I thought not.)
Dr. Frank gushed with approval. “Great work this week, Natalya. I’m proud of your forward progress. Nick told me how cooperative you were when he wanted a piece of your property.”
Then it would be wise not to tell him that I wanted to bite Nick’s hand off when he refused to return the ornament.
As we headed back to the building in Greenpoint, a feeling of dread came over me. “Do we have to go into that room again? With the bad smell?”
“Unfortunately, we do. That’s the jump point that takes me directly to your home. There are other jump points to Jersey, but we’d have to hike for a while, and I don’t think you’d want to do it in those shoes.” For some reason, I had a feeling Nick took pleasure in my pain. I knew he didn’t like the jump point, but he tolerated it much better than I did. From the way he vigorously used the baby wipes and alcohol I had in my purse, he hated germs about as much as I did. So he either used his magic to hide his fear, or he’d somehow conquered his anxiety over filth. Perhaps it was a guy thing.
As we entered the building, he asked, “What do you think Dr. Frank will ask you to do next?”
“I’m sure it’ll be something even worse than giving up an ornament. I suspect that I’ll have to buy something and return it, or else I’ll have to give you an entire box.”
He opened the door to the basement. “Are you ready to do that?”
Fear bit into me. So far, I felt like I’d made progress in recovering. But my voice shook a bit. “I think I’ve improved a bit. I’ve done things this month that I wouldn’t have done on my own.”
Our footsteps echoed on the rough, dirty metal stairs.
“I’m glad one of us has improved,” he said after a brief laugh. “By the way, you can keep my rose.”
He reached for the doorknob and I stopped him. In the receding darkness, I saw his eyes. Apparently, he wanted to do the right thing. He hid his anxiety behind a wall, and I couldn’t smell it. Fear has a scent similar to body odor. Depending on the person, it either excites me or fills me with anxiety. In this case, I didn’t know how to react.
“You don’t have to do that. I have friends around.”
He opened the door. “With the rose on your property, you’ll be protected. I can stand my torment if it means you’ll be sleeping safe and sound.”
From the way his stern voice echoed through the room, I knew he meant for me to let it rest. Apparently even wizards felt a need to swing their magical staffs around and exert some kind of machismo.
I covered my nose with one hand—as if it helped. The room’s smell bordered on putrid. “I think it smells worse now.”
Nick placed his hand on my stomach and pushed me back. “Someone else is using the gate.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Back up.”
“I don’t smell anyone.”
He pushed harder. “If you could smell it, you’d be dead.”
His fingertips on my body tingled, as if he was preparing to do something. I searched the darkness for movement. But all I could discern were shadows along the walls. Then a slight movement at the end of the room startled the wolf within me, but it was only a mouse.
We were slowly stepping backward when I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise. A growl tickled the back of my throat, but I clamped down on my panic. This wasn’t the time to fight. Nick had some serious powers, but if he was running, it had to be bad.
“Shit!” he muttered.
“ ‘Shit’ what?”
He stopped me ten feet from the door. “They’ve surrounded us.”
“They? You haven’t told me what we’ve run into. How about a clue so I can defend myself?”
Something slithered toward us and knocked me in the mouth. I stumbled backward but Nick caught me before I hit the floor. I touched the side of my mouth and tasted blood. From every corner of the room we heard grunts and hisses. Something inside me snapped and I growled. No one hits a werewolf without consequences.
“Not now, Natalya.”
My body shook as the urge to change gripped me.
“Clamp it down. This is not the place. I can’t control both you and them.”
He placed a hand on my heart. The cool sensation flooded my senses again. Wave after wave of calming energy brushed against my cheek and caressed my torso. Meanwhile, he used his other hand to reach into his trench coat and pull out a long black staff. He flicked it and the room burst into flames. Swirls of orange, red, and yellow danced around the room torching the boxes and anything that hid around them. So bright, yet so deadly. I closed my eyes when the light became too much to bear.
As soon as the fire disappeared, the room fell into the silence of a tomb. I tried to back away from the smoldering boxes around us, but Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the gate.
Smoke filled my lungs, yet Nick managed to stumble toward the jump point and activate it. He coughed, then leaned over me. Within seconds, our bodies were whisked away from the burning basement into the field near my home.
With a wet plop, we landed in mud next to the rock. Rain fell on our soot-covered clothing. I touched the sore spot on my face and then reached for Nick. He lay facedown and didn’t move. How had a trip to New York for therapy turned into an attack?
“Nick?” Faintly, I heard his heart beating. I turned him over and watched for the rise and fall of his chest. Slow yet steady. The man sure knew how to scare the crap out of people.
I never thought I’d have to actually carry a man home, but with a mighty heave, I picked Nick up and hauled him across the field. If he’d been a suitor, my mother would’ve been proud to know I’d finally snagged a man.
When I reached my front yard, I found Aggie watching from the porch with worry in her eyes. “I tried to call your cell phone but you didn’t answer.”
She sniffed the air, and then she noticed the bundle on my shoulder.
“What the hell happened?”
“I got attacked by something and Nick rescued us.”
“If he rescued you, then why the hell are you carrying him?”
Once inside, I laid Nick on the couch—though not until after Aggie had thrown down a blanket. (She had proved a quick study in how much I hated filth.) “I wonder if he’s hurt, or if casting the spell just drained him after he rescued me.”
Even with me safe and sound back at the house, Aggie continued to appear worried.
“Did something happen while I was gone?”
“It’s Alex. He’s disappeared.”
Chapter 13
It was clear that either a gang of nymphs had kicked my brother’s ass or something had gone down with the werewolves. I put my money on the latter.
“Your mother called and said your brother hasn’t been answering his cell phone. So they checked on him at his apartment, and that’s when they discovered that he’s missing.”
I used a clean towel to dry my hair before I glanced at Nick again. His pulse was much stronger and I could sense that he’d awaken soon.
“How long ago did they call? Did it look like a werewolf attack?”
“Your mom didn’t say. She sounded distraught. I was scared you’d fallen into the same mix when you didn’t answer your phone.”
This wasn’t good. Perhaps the Long Island werewolves had switched targets.
“We need to go.” I grabbed my purse and phone. The darn thing was dead so I left it on the charger.
“What about the wizard?”
I gazed at Nick for a moment. A lock of his black hair had fallen over his forehead. Perhaps he shouldn’t play hero so often. “We can leave him a note. He’s a grown man. He can figure out how to open the door and leave by himself.”
I was rather disappointed in myself. Why hadn’t I remembered to charge my phone? For someone as anal as I was, a dead battery was uncanny. Perhaps everything that had happened over the past few days had distracted me so much I was coming undone.
Fifteen minutes later, we reached my parents’ home. When we walked in, I was reminded that, when things weren’t going well for my family—not counting me, apparently—the Stravinskys banded together for their brethren. Grandma and my mother sat on the sofa, waiting in silence. Aunt Vera brought ou
t several cups of hot tea.
“Mom, what happened?”
No one moved, as if I’d asked the worst question possible.
“Sasha’s missing.” My mother whispered the words and lowered her head.
“Are we going to look for him?”
Mom managed to nod. “He should’ve stopped by to take your grandma to the store, but he didn’t.”
All I could do was stand there hoping my mother’s words weren’t true. Maybe he’d show up any minute now and knock on the door. My parents would chastise him for a few hours, and then everything would be as it was before.
But I couldn’t completely reassure myself. Perhaps my brother had fallen into some woman’s bed, but somehow I doubted it. Alex would never forget an obligation to our grandmother. After all, the wrath of his aunts would be never-ending. They’d bark, “Shame on you, Sasha! You left your poor sad grandma waiting for you on the curb.” Of course, they’d embellish their remarks with every guilt-inducing statement they could muster. Alex had made mistakes in the past, and I expected him to make many more in the years to come, but he always put family first. That was why the unanswered calls and empty apartment raised the alarm.
Minutes turned into an hour. Finally, all the Stravinskys filled the house, the women preparing meals for the search party. Grandma had finished her tea. To occupy herself she murmured prayers every few minutes.
Meanwhile, the men huddled together trying to form a plan. First, we’d sweep the township. I had another idea, though. “Have you tried Karey?” I asked Mom.
“Yes. She hasn’t answered either.” My mother ran her fingers through stray curls that had escaped her ponytail. She always seemed composed, but this afternoon, after she’d taken a few shots of bourbon to calm her nerves, the calm Russian woman I once knew had vanished. In her place sat a mother with worry etched into her face.
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