by Lisa Edmonds
Then I noticed the headline. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me. ‘Storm Girl’?”
He frowned and took the phone back to look at the picture. “What?”
“They’re calling me Storm Girl,” I fumed. “Maybe the hoodie made me look young. I’m a high-level mage and a licensed private investigator. I’m on a first-name basis with five of the nine members of the Vampire Court. I’m thirty years old, for crying out loud. Storm Girl?”
Sean’s mouth twitched. “And?”
I crossed my arms. “Damn it, I should at least be Storm Woman.”
He couldn’t contain himself anymore and burst out laughing. I scowled and he kissed my forehead, still chuckling. “It’s a terrible superhero name,” he admitted. “We need to come up with something better.”
My scowl deepened. “I don’t want a superhero name. I’m not a superhero, or even a hero.”
“You are most definitely a hero, but we’ll save that debate for another day. I’ve got one more piece of news.” He took a deep breath. “I got a call from Cyro about an hour ago. A jet belonging to Moses Murphy took off from a private airport this morning headed for Baltimore. Cyro managed to get surveillance footage from the hangar showing them loading Catherine Atwood onto the plane. She was in bad shape, but it looks like she survived somehow.”
I went cold all over—much colder than when I’d shared my body with Malcolm. Next to Moses himself arriving in the city, Catherine being alive was the worst news I could have gotten. Actually, it might be worse than finding out my grandfather was here. She’d gotten a glimpse of me up on the roof, and if she recognized me as the woman she’d encountered at 1792, there was a chance she’d be able to figure out who I was. Even if she didn’t make that connection, she still might be able to track me down if she got a good enough look at me.
I must not have hit her directly with the lightning. It was nearly impossible to hit a target that small with a lightning strike; unlike a bolt of magic, which I could aim, lightning was an imprecise weapon. Even if I’d missed, though, Catherine had been standing in ankle-deep rainwater, a perfect conductor for the electricity in the lightning. She should have been fried to a crisp. I wondered if she’d been using some kind of protection spells, or if she’d just gotten lucky. Either way, it was not what I wanted to hear, not by a long shot.
There was always the chance she’d die from her injuries, hopefully without having a chance to tell anyone about who or what she’d seen on the rooftop. I couldn’t very well bank on that, though. I had to assume I was now in imminent danger of discovery.
What surprised me most about my reaction to the news was that I didn’t immediately want to run. Even six months ago, that would have been my first thought. Instead, I was angry that Catherine and Moses were threats to the life I had built here. Maybe defiance had overpowered my fear because I’d just summoned a thunderstorm and reminded myself of how powerful I was. Maybe it was because I had allies who I believed would have my back if I had to fight, or because I had so much more to fight for now. Maybe it was because Sean had told me he loved me—an important moment that I hadn’t even had a chance to really process yet. Maybe it was all of the above. Instead of mentally lacing up my shoes to run, I sensed myself digging in my heels.
Sean startled me by picking me up around the waist and kissing me fiercely. When he put me down, I was breathless. “What was that for?” I asked.
“For deciding to stay and fight instead of cut and run.”
I frowned at him. “You don’t know what’s going on in my head.”
He grinned. “Oh yes, I do. I’ve seen that stubborn look in your eyes a hundred times. Plus, you just smote someone with lightning. A woman who does that isn’t the type to turn tail and run, not when she has so many good reasons to stay.”
“The last time we spoke, at Jack’s house, you said you didn’t think you could do this.” I gestured between us. “I have to ask: what changed your mind?”
“I didn’t so much change my mind as come to terms with what I already knew.” He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. “What I figured out was that it didn’t matter if I thought I couldn’t do this; the fact is that I have to. You are part of my soul. I had so many people around me wondering if you were strong enough to be my partner that I didn’t think to ask if I was strong enough to be yours. It’s me who needs to be stronger, not you.”
When I started to object, he moved so he could see my face, his eyes softly golden. “I’ve always told myself that I wanted a partner and a mate who would stand beside me and who would fight with and for my pack, but I don’t think I ever really understood what that meant until now. The night I met you at Hawthorne’s, you sat across the booth from me and stared me down. It was your fearlessness that drew me to you as much as anything else. You are exactly what I’d wished and waited for, and I almost blew it because I didn’t know how to deal with your power, your courage, and your need to protect others. You face your enemies as though you were the alpha of a pack. You are fierce and you’ll fight until you have nothing left. I don’t know how, but you can even use shifter magic. Your strength knows no bounds.”
He squeezed my hand. “The other members of the pack already recognize your strength. I shouldn’t have advised you not to look Jack in the eye. Your place is at my side, within the pack hierarchy—not outside it. Like an alpha, you will never stop trying to save people, even if it means endangering yourself. It’s as much a part of you as your magic. The minute I figured out that I had to stop trying to force you to be someone else, the answers fell into place, and I knew I should never have sent you home the other night without talking everything through.”
“So why didn’t you come over or call me once you’d figured all this out?” I demanded.
He smiled ruefully. “I had that epiphany all of forty-five minutes before Patrick called to say he and Amanda were trapped in their apartment and their entire neighborhood was on fire.”
“Speaking of epiphanies…” I took a deep breath. “I apologize for not thinking about how you and the pack would feel about me dying. I’m not sorry that I did it and I’d do it again, but not without leaving a note telling you what was going on, or at least apologizing when I woke up.”
“Both of those would have been good choices,” he said mildly.
Might as well tell him the rest of what I’d figured out during our time apart. “I know it comes across like I’m cavalier about my life, but I’m really not. The only reason I did what I did was that I knew I’d make it back. But I was cavalier about your feelings, and for that I am truly sorry.”
He wrapped me in his arms again. “Thank you for saying that. On the way to my house from the parking garage, Malcolm let me know that you and he had talked about some of this already.”
“That meddling ghost,” I muttered.
He chuckled. “More like matchmaking ghost. He doesn’t like seeing you unhappy, and I think he was afraid that one or both of us would bungle this conversation.” He squeezed me gently. “I don’t believe in giving ultimatums, but here’s what I need from you going forward. Remember your life has value and Malcolm and I care very much that you stay alive. Things that hurt you hurt us. I’m not asking you not to throw yourself on any more grenades, but before you do, remember you are loved and you don’t have to face anything by yourself ever again. That includes whoever you’re running from.”
“I’m not running anymore. If they come looking for me, I’ll be waiting.”
“And I’ll be waiting too, right by your side.” He kissed my temple. “You still haven’t brought up what I said to you in the tub, right before you passed out again. Nice Star Wars reference, by the way.”
“What Star Wars reference?”
Sean made a choking sound.
I laughed. “I’m kidding. Yes, I quoted Star Wars. Well, The Empire Strikes Back, actually.”
He heaved a sigh of relief. “That was going to be a deal-breaker for me, Alic
e. I can take a lot of things in stride, but missing obvious Star Wars references is just more than anyone can take.” He tipped my chin up. “I love you.”
“I might be too broken to love you back,” I admitted. That could have been the most honest thing I’d ever said to him.
“I know that’s what you believe, but I know you well enough to know you’re not as broken as you think. In any case, I don’t need you to say the words to know how you feel. I see it in your eyes and I feel it when you’re near me. That’s worth more to me than words.”
“Then let me put a couple of cards on the table.” I took a deep breath. “You saw me use shifter magic at Jack’s house. I don’t have any answers for how that might be possible, unless it’s related to what I learned from Esther’s magic mirror the other day.”
He waited while I struggled to force the words out.
Finally, I cleared my throat and continued. “The mirror showed me something that might have taken place when I was about six or seven. I overheard my parents talking. It’s possible the man I thought was my father wasn’t really my biological father. If it’s true, then maybe that has something to do with my ability to use shifter magic and the way I relate to the members of your pack. Maybe my real…real father was a shifter, or had shifter blood.”
He held me tightly. “That’s a hell of lot to process by yourself, and I know it was hard to tell me about it. I’m glad that you did. What are you going to do about it, now that you know?”
“I don’t know. If the memory is real, all I have is a first name. The situation is really complicated. I’m going to have to think about what I want to do, if anything. If I start nosing around, I’m not sure what I’ll find. I might be putting him at risk just by looking.”
“I think you’re right to think about it before you make any decisions. There’s no rush.”
Some of the tension went out of my shoulders. Sean’s reassurance had come to mean something to me.
That left one more card to put on the table. It was even harder to put down than the first one, so I spoke quickly, before I had a chance to talk myself out of it. “You said you know I’m not the same Alice Worth who grew up in Chicago. You’re right.”
Sean stilled.
“That’s who I am now, but once upon a time I used to be someone else, someone who got away from a cabal and needed a new identity and a new life. I had a chance to become Alice Worth, so that’s what I did. I’ve been Alice for more than five years. I am Alice.”
“And the first Alice Worth?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“Dead. I didn’t kill her,” I added quickly. “I had nothing to do with her death except be in a position to take advantage of it. That sounds cold, I know, but I was desperate to escape my old life.” I took a deep, shaky breath. “I’m not ready to talk about that other life, not yet, but I’m getting there. I have no right to ask you to give me more time on that, but that’s what I’m asking for.”
I didn’t breathe until he answered. “Take as much time as you need until you’re ready to tell me,” Sean said. I almost sagged in relief. He held me close and nuzzled my hair. “I can wait to hear the rest of the story because I know who you are, even if I don’t know who you were before.”
“Can I tell you something?” I asked suddenly.
“Of course.”
“Yesterday was my birthday, my real birthday. I turned thirty yesterday.” I blurted it out in a rush.
“Oh, Alice.” He kissed me hard, his hands on my face. When he moved back, he looked stricken. “I am so sorry. I should have been there with you. Did Malcolm know?”
I shook my head. “Nobody knew. Well, except Rogue. We celebrated my birthday on the bed with cookies and a dog biscuit.”
“Cookie and dog biscuit crumbs in the bed.” Sean shook his head with feigned disgust. He grew serious again. “We’ll have another celebration, you and I. A real date for once, with dinner and a movie, or whatever else you’d like to do. We’ll have a cake and ice cream too.”
“I don’t need any of that. One thirtieth birthday was enough, thank you very much. But I’ll tell you what I do want.”
“Tell me.”
“I want to go to the pack’s cookout that’s coming up in a couple of days.” I took a deep breath. “And I want to go with you to the Bahamas.”
His grin made my stomach flutter. “When do you want to go?”
“As soon as you can get the time off. I got paid for finding Esther’s cup and mirror, so it will be my treat.”
He eyed me. “We’ll split it, fifty-fifty.”
I relented. “Fine. Don’t forget that you said you’d bring me all the umbrella drinks I wanted, whenever I wanted them. And food. And you have to put sunscreen on my back and shake the sand out of my shoes.”
“Your wish is my command, my lady,” he said. “Now, let’s go downstairs so I can fix you some breakfast. Your stomach is growling so loudly that I’m sure Nan can hear it from the living room, and I’m going to catch hell if I don’t feed you soon. Do you want to change first?”
I shook my head. “I’m enjoying being warm. I like the jammies. Whose are they?”
“Felicia’s, I think. Nan brought them.” He took my hand. “She’s going to fuss over you until it drives you crazy, so just be prepared.”
I smiled up at him. “I’m okay with that.”
He raised my hand to his lips, kissed my knuckles, and opened the bedroom door.
How many hamburgers can a pack of werewolves eat? I lost count at fifty, so the world may never know.
By ten o’clock, most of the food was gone and the pack was gathered around the bonfire, talking and laughing and drinking beer while the kids ran through Cole and Karen’s backyard chasing each other in some version of tag that involved climbing trees.
I’d socialized before and during dinner, but even with Sean at my side to make sure I didn’t get too crowded, it became overwhelming and I had to take refuge on our picnic blanket on the edge of the clearing. I’d worried that my retreat would come across as unfriendly or aloof, but everyone was good-natured about it.
Everyone but Jack, Delia, and Caleb, that was.
I wasn’t sure if Sean had warned them not to talk to me or if they chose to avoid me on their own, but the three of them stayed as far from me as they could get from the moment they arrived. Jack and Delia ignored me altogether, but Caleb glared at me throughout the evening. I didn’t let it bother me and had a good time talking and laughing with Nan, Felicia, Karen, Cole, and the others.
The older couple I’d seen at Jack’s house were Eddie and his wife Thea. They seemed lukewarm toward me; Sean told me that like Jack and Delia, they wanted him to find a shifter mate.
The other pack member I hadn’t met yet because he wasn’t at Jack’s that night was John, who came to the cookout with his husband Brandon and their three kids. John and Brandon warmed up quickly and we chatted all through dinner. All in all, I felt very welcomed by most of the pack, so Jack and Delia’s indifference and Caleb’s animosity meant little to me other than it irritated Sean.
Sean left the group by the fire and joined me on the blanket. He took a bottle of beer from our cooler and settled in next to me, his leg against mine. “Hey,” he said, bumping me with his shoulder. “Are you warm enough?”
“Yep.” Despite the warm summer evening, I wore a sweatshirt over a T-shirt and jeans with thick socks and boots and held a tumbler of hot tea. I was still not fully recovered, but with enough layers and a hot werewolf by my side—wink, wink—I felt plenty toasty.
I leaned against him and smiled as the kids ran past us, headed for the trees. “Don’t they ever get tired?”
“They’ll crash hard before too long. Even shifter kids run out of steam eventually.” He took a drink. “Do you remember having that much energy?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m sure I did at some point. I’m old now, though, so I’m just going to sit here and drink my tea.”
“Hey, wa
tch it,” he said with mock outrage. “I’m a decade older than you.”
“That’s why you’re over here with me. This is the seniors section.”
He kissed me hard. “Seniors,” he scoffed, reaching for his beer. “Hardly.”
We watched the others while I rested my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around me. Finally, he asked, “Did you have fun tonight?”
“I really did. I’m sorry I had to leave the group.”
“It’s all right. You handled everything even better than I thought you would. I know these things aren’t easy for someone who’s used to being on her own.” He ran his nose along my hairline. “I did let them know that you’ll need some time to adjust to hanging around a big group.”
“I figured you did. Thank you.”
I noticed that Jack and Delia were standing together with Caleb on one side of the fire. As Jack and Caleb talked, Delia watched us with narrowed eyes.
“Jack and Delia aren’t going to accept me,” I said quietly. “I don’t know about Eddie and Thea either.”
“They will accept you. They might not like you, but they will accept you.” Sean’s voice was firm.
I thought about telling him what Malcolm had overheard Jack say to Delia about getting rid of me, but decided against it. No need to stir up trouble unless it looked like Jack might actually be trying to follow through on the threat.
“By the way, I bought our plane tickets to Nassau,” Sean said. “And I found us a deal on a little cabana with its own private beach.”
“When do we leave?”
He checked his phone. “In nine hours.”
My mouth fell open. “Sean Maclin, when am I supposed to pack?”
“All you need is a swimsuit, a toothbrush, and your passport. We’re leaving everything else behind.” His voice was firm. He was obviously referring to more than just clothes and toiletries.
