His praise meant the world to me, but it was also a bittersweet thought. Me being a leader meant that he wouldn't be. And the only way he wouldn't be leading the Q'lapa was –
“Yeah, well, you're not Walking anytime soon, dad,” I said. “So, let's not rush things, okay? Can't lose you and Luke at the same time now. The clan needs you. I need you. So, no, you're not Walking anytime soon. Get that thought right out of your head.”
My dad nodded. As much as I loved the idea of leading the clan and the family business, the idea of my father leaving my life killed me. It was tradition, of course, and one that was supposed to be celebrated rather than mourned. My father had led the clan for a lot of years. Had made us prosperous. Vital. Had done more good things for the clan – and the town of Black Salmon Falls – than I could count. He deserved the rest and the freedom the Walk would give him. But selfishly, I wasn't ready to let go of him just yet.
My father would have the opportunity to live out the rest of his life in the woods, where he belonged. Where he could be happy and wild and free in his bear form until his final days. He would be happy. At peace.
Still, knowing that didn't make him leaving any easier for me though.
Chapter Six
With the death of my cousin and everything else that seemed to be going wrong lately, I needed something to smile about. Something to take my mind off of everything happening. Maybe it was wrong of me, but I stopped back in at the bookstore with a coffee and scone in hand, hoping to find Rose working.
It was early, right after the store had opened, and she was alone, putting some books up onto the shelves. When I walked in, she smiled at me and I felt my pulse race a little. Many would probably think I was crazy for letting myself feel a little bit infatuated with someone else when I had a fiancé like Mariana. But Rose was different. Yes, she had more curves to her than Mariana, a little more roundness to her hips. Her auburn hair fell in natural waves over her shoulders, and she wore very little – if any – makeup. She was a natural beauty. And I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since that first day I'd met her.
Her blue eyes looked startled when I stepped into the bookstore. But she still smiled brightly showing off the dimples in both her cheeks. She was a beautiful woman. Not in the made-up, almost artificial way Mariana looked sometimes. There was something wholesome about Rose. Something natural. She definitely had that girl-next-door vibe about her and it was something that was incredibly appealing to me.
“Well, welcome back,” she said as she put some books on the shelf nearby. “Finished with the book already? Looking for something else?”
“Actually, I've had a lot going on lately and not nearly as much time to read as I would have liked,” I said, putting the coffee down on the counter. “But I was in the neighborhood and thought I might stop by to say hello and bring you a little something to thank you for your help the other day.”
She looked down at the coffee, her smile fading slightly. I could see the discomfort in her as her body tensed, as if she was afraid of something. Afraid of me? Of course, it wouldn't be the first time, I tended to have that affect on women, especially more timid women like Rose seemed to be. Which was why I'd approached with caution.
“Let me guess, you're more of a tea drinker?”
“No, it's not that,” she said, taking the cup from me. “Thank you. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. I love coffee actually. That was very thoughtful, so thank you.”
“Smart girl,” I said with a wink and handed her the scone. “The place down the street makes the best pastries. You absolutely have to stop by if you get a chance. Donna is an absolute wizard. And pro tip, they're even better first thing in the morning – fresh out of the oven.”
“I probably shouldn't wait to try it then, huh?”
“Probably not,” I said.
Rose took the pastry and the coffee and motioned for me to follow her to a small table in the corner of the bookstore. We sat down as she took dainty, delicate little bites from the scone. Her eyes widened slightly and she nodded, a smile spreading across her face.
“Wow, that is really good. Thank you,” she said.
“You're very welcome,” I said. “Thank you for helping me find my book the other day.”
“I didn't really help with anything. It was just sitting right there –”
“Don't sell yourself short Rose,” I said. “You helped me, and you made my day on top of that. It's not too often that I can talk astrophysics with someone. Most people have no idea I'm even interested in the subject. Most of them wouldn't be interested or able to actually speak intelligently about it. So, it was nice to find a fellow nerd.”
“Yeah, I understand,” she said. “It happens to me a lot too. Since I'm a woman, they assume I couldn't possibly want to read about science. Or even worse, understand science. Even though I was a science teacher –”
“You were a science teacher?” I asked. “Where at?”
She looked down at her hands on the table. “Uhh – in Seattle,” she said.
“Very cool,” he said. “Why did you leave?”
“I didn't really have a choice,” she said, a bitter, haunted look in her eyes. “But I really don't want to talk about it, if that's okay?”
She still didn't look me in the eye and I could hear the emotion choking her voice. Whatever happened to her had to have been bad.
“I'm sorry,” I said. “I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. You're here now though. And you seem happy, so that's good. That's a step in the right direction.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling a little for me as she glanced up and blushed. “I guess I am.”
My phone buzzed – Mariana's ring tone. I reached down and silenced it.
“I can let you go if you –”
“No, it's fine. Probably just a telemarketer.” I said, meeting her gaze and giving her a gentle smile.
Her eyes were so clear and blue, I couldn't help but stare into them. She was so sweet, gentle and modest. After months of being with Mariana, it was nice to be with someone who seemed down-to-earth and so – real.
“So, ask me anything,” I said. “I feel like I've pried into your life enough. At least for now. So, ask me something. I promise to answer.”
Her smile brightened a bit, and I could tell she had questions swimming in her brain. There were so many things she could ask that might get me in trouble if I were honest, so I knew that I had to tread a bit carefully.
I half expected her to ask about my family, our business or about what we were. Most people in town knew we weren't fully human, though they tended to look the other way. No one really talked about it, but it was the elephant in the room during most conversations.
The bottom line was that the clans had basically founded the town a long time ago. The clans were what kept the town prosperous. Kept the town safe. We wanted Black Salmon Falls to be an idyllic place to live and raise a family – for human and bear alike. And we bent over backwards – sometimes even did things I couldn't be proud of – to ensure that our town remained that way.
And because of that, the people of Black Salmon Falls didn't pry too deeply into our lives or our businesses. They accepted us as just another part of the town's charm and mystique. In other words, they didn't poke the bears with spoons. It was a beautifully symbiotic relationship.
But instead of asking me what I'd thought she was going to, she asked me something simple. “Why didn't you go into astrophysics if it interests you so much?”
Her question took me by surprise. Few women seemed to care about that. About what I was interested in or what I wanted out of life. Most of the women who put themselves in my path were pretty much focused on my money and family name. It was just another reason I liked Rose.
“To be honest? I had no choice in the matter. I was always slated to run the family business. I probably would have made the choice to do it anyway, it's a point of pride for my family,” I said. “But science is fascinating. I
absolutely love it, but part of me thinks it would lose some of its magic if I studied it for a living, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” she said.
My phone buzzed again, and instead of simply declining the call, I put it on silent. I knew Mariana would be pissed, but I didn't care. For the first time in a long time, I was having a conversation with someone who actually seemed to understand me. Someone who wanted to listen to my thoughts and opinions, who didn't automatically want something from me. Somebody who was interested in me as a person, rather than in what I could do for them.
I sat in the bookstore for several hours, talking to Rose on and off in between customers. I lost track of time, honestly, because for the first time in days, I felt happy again. We laughed, joked around and had some deep conversations about everything from astrophysics, to religion, to current events.
We moved so easily from topic to topic and the conversation never lagged. There was never one point where I found myself looking at my watch, wondering when I could check out. I found that the longer I sat there, the longer I wanted to sit there and talk to her. She was so smart, so witty – talking to her and bantering with her was something I genuinely enjoyed more than I'd enjoyed anything in what felt like forever.
In the back of my mind though, I reminded myself that we could only be friends. Not only was I to wed another, but even if Mariana and I weren't to be married, I could never be with Rose. Sure, maybe as a one-night stand or a fling – that was acceptable. We could have human lovers, but humans and my kind were not allowed to be together. Not officially, at least. We could never marry. We could never be a real couple. And she deserved more than what I could give her. She was not the kind of girl I wanted as my side piece – I already had way too much respect for her.
As I left the bookstore that day, I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't seem to get the smile off my face. I couldn't wait to come back in and talk with her some more. But at the same time, I knew I should stay away. Because she looked at me the way I looked at her – with a longing we were both doing our best to shut down within ourselves. And I couldn't hurt her. I couldn't let her down. Still, I was grinning like an idiot as I stepped out into the street, my head filled with thoughts of her eyes, her smile, the sound of her laughter. I was feeling great as I stepped back into the street.
That is, until I ran into Mariana.
Chapter Seven
She was pissed, I could see it on her face. Of course, to be fair, it didn't take much to piss Mariana off, but still. I would have almost thought she had tracking on my phone or was somehow stalking me, but Mariana was holding onto some bags – she'd obviously been in town shopping for the wedding.
“Did you lose your phone or something?” she asked me, arms crossed in front of her as she glared at me. “You better hope you lost your phone, because God knows, if you're ignoring my calls –”
She stopped and looked past me into the store. Her eyes widened, her face darkened with anger, and then she looked at me again.
“You just came out of there,” she said, pointing at the bookstore.
“Yeah, so?” I said. “I wanted to pick up a book. Didn't know reading was a crime. If we're going to get married, you're going to have to get used to seeing me reading.”
“Uh huh,” she said. “So, what book did you buy?”
Too late, I realized that I had nothing in my hands, and she could see that. “They didn't have what I was looking for,” I said with a shrug.
“So, you weren't actually in there talking to her all this time?” Mariana pointed at Rose through the windows.
“Sure, we talked, but –”
“Is that why you didn't answer my calls, Asher?” she huffed. She shook her head and held her hands up in the air. “You know what? We'll deal with that later. I was calling for a reason, Asher. It's really important and there is some bad stuff going down.”
“What's going on?” I asked.
“My father. He's been shot,” she said.
My heart dropped. “Is he okay?”
“He's fine, the shooter didn't actually kill him,” she said. “Missed his heart and got his shoulder instead. He's currently at the hospital, but they're going to release him here soon. The wound was pretty superficial and with his healing powers, he'll be fine in no time. They have the shooter in custody now.”
“So, they know who it was?” I asked.
“Yes, they do,” she said, glaring at me. “Asher, it's Cameron. Cameron tried to kill my father.”
“Wait, what?” I asked her, my heart dropping into my stomach. “No, you have something all wrong –”
“No, Asher, he's been arrested. It was him. It was your best friend,” she said. “And now my clan is demanding answers. Answers I don't have, which is why I've been trying to call you all morning, to try and head off a disaster between our clans. And instead, I find out that you're in there flirting with – with – her. That plain, ordinary – human. So glad to know I can count on you when clan business needs to be handled d –”
“Mariana, stop,” I said. “I'll handle this. It wasn't Cameron. There's no reason he'd do something like that. Something is going on here.”
“Oh yeah?” she shoved me hard in the chest. “Then handle it. Because right now, it looks like a war is brewing. And you're too busy cheating on me to care.”
“You're next in line, after your father,” I said, trying my best to remain calm. “Call a meeting. Tell them we are not responsible for this. If Cameron did shoot him, there must have been something going on and it was an isolated incident. I'll handle it.”
“You'll handle it? Meaning you'll punish one of your own for trying to kill one of us?” She seemed doubtful.
“Yes, if that's what needs to be done,” I replied. “But I'm also going to get the facts of the case before I do anything. I'm not going to go off half-cocked. That's not how I do things.”
“Well, don't be surprised if my people don't believe you, Asher,” she said. “I mean, Cameron is your best friend after all. Your right hand man.”
She turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the street with my thoughts. And my thoughts turned progressively darker.
First, Luke had been killed and made to look like it was N'gasso. Now Mariana's father was shot, and it appeared to come from us. Sure, it could be retaliation for what happened to Luke, but if so, it didn't come from the top of the chain. Cameron would have acted on his own, and I knew my best friend. I knew he wasn't the type to act without permission from either me or my father.
Things were not lining up.
I needed to speak to Cameron, get some answers from him. Maybe then I could get to the bottom of this.
Something was definitely going on. Something was brewing, she was right about that. But it wasn't a war that was brewing. From where I was standing, it almost looked like somebody was intentionally trying to put us at odds. But who? And why?
~ooo000ooo~
“Where's he at?” I asked the moment I stepped into the police station. “I need to speak to him.”
The officer at the desk just stared at me, eyes wide. She was new, and I felt bad for her. She looked at her computer and then back at me, her eyes wide and filled with terror.
“A - are you asking about Cameron Hudson?” she stammered, her voice wavering and reflecting the fear I saw in her eyes.
“Of course I am,” I said. “I need to speak to him. Now.”
Sheriff Richards stepped out of his office and waved the other officer away. “I'll handle this, Sheila,” he said, looking at me with pure disdain in his eyes. “We're in the middle of questioning Mr. Hudson right now. No one but his attorney is allowed to speak with him at this time.”
I slammed my fists down on the counter. “I need to talk to him. Something is going down, Sheriff. Maybe something big. A storm is brewing, and I'm afraid he's caught in the middle of it. If you don't let me get some answers – and believe me, I'm going to get answers you wo
n't – there are going to be more dead bodies in this town, you hear me?”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Blackwood?” he asked, smirking as he asked.
“No, I'm warning you. Someone is behind this, and it's not Cameron,” I said, my voice low and cold. “And I need to find out who it is.”
“Okay, so you're just trying to do my job. Gotcha,” he said, turning to walk away. “Thanks, but like I said, no one can speak to the suspect at this time. Unless you have information that would aid in our investigation, I'd appreciate it if you saw yourself out.”
“So, you're just going to walk away?” I asked. “Not listen to anything I have to say?”
“Do you have information on why Cameron Hudson would try to kill Mr. Rockford?”
“No, because he wouldn't –”
“Then we have no reason to talk, Asher,” he said, shutting his office door in my face.
With my hands clenched at my sides, I fought the urge to drive my fist straight through the glass on the door. I didn't want to end up arrested alongside Cameron, and I was smart and aware enough to know that the Sheriff was looking for any reason to put me behind bars. And I knew I couldn't give him one.
Sometimes, being level-headed sucked.
I left the police station and called my father, who answered on the first ring.
“I heard what happened,” I said.
“Which incident?” my dad responded.
“What do you mean –” I almost didn't want the answer to that. “You mean there's more than one?”
“Yep,” he said, his voice sounding defeated. “I think it might be best if you came home, son. We need to talk. It's serious.”
I hung up and rushed home, afraid of what else might have gone down while I was in the bookstore for the afternoon. As I drove past One More Chapter again and couldn't help but glance inside. I saw Rose talking to a customer, a little girl, and they both had smiles on their faces. Seeing her made me smile too. It almost made me forget about the faint drumbeats of war that were sounding all around me.
Almost.
Rhani (Dragons of Kratak Book 3) Page 85
