Chapter 31
After parking the Jeep in Uncle Henry’s driveway, I ran to Willow’s Point. I made my way through the woods, eager to talk to Kaleb. Seeing him today had confirmed what I knew deep down. He hadn’t killed those girls.
He stood on the shore, gazing at the lake. His head lowered as I wrapped my arms around him and leaned my head against his back. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“I’d never miss a chance to see you.” I choked back a sob and released my hold on him, feeling the weight of everything that had happened this past week.
He led me to the log near the edge of the woods. We sat on the ground, and leaned back against the log, holding each other’s hands.
“I can’t believe your father thanked me,” I said. “What did you tell him?”
“I convinced him you weren’t lying.”
“And?”
“He was angry you were getting on the ferry when I caught you.” He shook his head. “What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. When I saw Carter last night, I—”
“What do you mean you saw Carter? I thought Ethan had told you about his plan.”
I shook my head. “Carter was at Drina’s birthday party last night. That’s how I knew about the plan to kill you. I tried to get more details, but Ethan wouldn’t tell me anything else. That’s why I went to the dock today. I knew you were coming home, and I had to warn you.”
“You’re not allowed on Norwood Isle.” Kaleb sighed. “Next time, tell Bill. He’ll get your message to me.”
I nodded, trying to figure out which question I wanted to ask him next. We had a lot to talk about. “Why didn’t you tell me about the new agreement? Drina said the other wolves would come to Woodlake if you don’t sign. Is that true?”
“That’s what the Romanies believe.” He looked at the lake as a raven flew overhead. “Did she tell you what the Elders want?”
“She didn’t give me any details, but isn’t it the same things your grandfather agreed to?”
“No. They’re asking for an alliance with the Norwood wolves. They want our protection from the witches.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why do we need protection from the witches?”
“They’re worried about a prophecy.”
“Marie’s prophecy?”
“I don’t know. We don’t believe in that stuff.” He squeezed my hand. “Markus told me about the conditions of lifting your mom’s banishment. It makes no sense. Are you sure she agreed to you getting engaged?”
“I haven’t talked to her, but yes. She had to, or the Elders wouldn’t let us move back.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Romani girls get married young, remember?”
“You’re right.” He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. “Ethan plans on marrying you, doesn’t he?”
“How did you know?”
“The way he acts around you, like you belong to him. Do you want to marry him?”
“No.” My throat tightened. Was this some kind of test?
He kissed the top of my head.
“Markus said you had a plan. What is it?” I asked.
“We’ll run away together.”
“You’d leave your pack for me?” I sat up straight, trying to figure out if Kaleb was serious. This couldn’t be his plan.
“I’d do anything to protect you.” He lifted my hand and kissed my inner wrist.
My arm tingled. Maybe running away together wasn’t such a crazy plan. But I needed to talk to Mom first. I wanted to see her face when she explained why she’d sold me to Ethan’s family. “Did the Kingsley wolves know anything?”
“No. We searched outside Woodlake, and every single scent is familiar. We even searched in town again and found nothing. It’s why none of this makes any sense.”
I leaned against the log again and rested my head against his shoulder. “Do you think Carter did it?”
“He might act stupid sometimes, but he wouldn’t go that far.” Kaleb shook his head. “Trust me. He didn’t do this.”
“Maybe the killer wolf moved on?”
“That’s what my father said, but something doesn’t feel right. I saw the bodies at the morgue. The wolf didn’t kill them because it was hungry. It looked like a deliberate kill.”
“But. . .” I didn’t want to say what I was thinking. If the Norwood wolves had searched every square inch of Woodlake and its surrounding areas and found only familiar scents, then there was only one logical answer. “If all the scents are familiar, doesn’t that mean—”
“A Norwood wolf did this.”
“But killing on sacred ground is punishable by death. Why would a Norwood wolf take that risk? Why Jenny? She never bothered anyone.”
“I don’t know. Maybe she saw something she wasn’t supposed to.”
“What did your father say?” I asked.
“He was furious.”
“Maybe he’s right. The wolf’s moved on, and that’s why the scent’s gone.”
“Maybe.”
I lifted my head off his shoulder as Kaleb closed his eyes. He probably hadn’t had much sleep last week and needed to leave soon. I leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. “I missed you.”
He grinned. “You did?”
“Every second.” I climbed into his lap, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. He tasted as sweet as I remembered.
Kaleb lowered me to the ground, kissing me harder, slipping his tongue into my mouth. He growled as his lips moved from my mouth to my neck, hands gliding over my body. They made their way to my hips and lifted my shirt.
My body shivered, and I pulled him toward me. I wanted no space between us, and I never wanted to let him go. I didn’t care if Kaleb was a wolf. I didn’t care how different we were. At this moment, I knew I loved him—loved him more than anything, and I wanted to be with him.
He kissed my bare stomach, and I ran my hands through his hair, moaning. This felt exactly like the last time we’d made out, only different, better.
“I want you,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes. Why had I stopped him last time? Because I’d needed to let him know I was a virgin. I wasn’t as experienced as he was, but he already knew that. He said Romani girls were supposed to remain pure, or no one would marry them.
My eyes flew open—that was my answer!
I slid my hand down, unbuttoned the top of his jeans, and fumbled with the zipper. “I think your zipper’s stuck.”
“My what?” His jaw twitched. “You shouldn’t—”
“It’s okay. I want you to be my first.” I gave him what I hoped was a sexy smile. “Are you afraid you’ll hurt me? Or shift while we’re . . . well, you know what I mean.” I blushed at the thought of Kaleb shifting into a wolf while we made love.
“You don’t want this with me. I’m a Norwood wolf.”
“You could be a vampire, and I’d still want you.” I pulled at his zipper again, determined to get his jeans off.
“We can’t do this.” He pushed my hand away and got to his feet, fastening his jeans.
“Yes, we can,” I insisted. “It’s perfect. Then no one will want to marry me.”
“What?” He looked at me, confused. “Wait . . . This is about your marriage to Ethan? You’re willing to have sex with me so he won’t marry you?”
“It’s a great plan.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “You get to see me naked.”
“No.” His tone was serious. “They could banish you, Sienna.”
“Who cares?” I pulled on his arm, refusing to stand and accept defeat. He needed to get back on the ground so we could have sex. “What do you think they’d do if I ran away with you? Or if I refuse to marry Ethan? They’ll banish me.”
“What do you mean if?” His eyes narrowed. “You said if you refuse to marry Ethan? Are you thinking about marrying him?”
“That’s not what I meant.” I stood, not liking how upset Kaleb was. “Don’t you want to have sex with me?”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t, or you don’t want to?” I balled my hands into fists, demanding an explanation. He’d slept with tons of girls. How could he turn me down? “Answer me, Kaleb.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I don’t believe you.” I choked back a sob. “Why are you acting like this? You said you’d do anything to protect me.”
He folded his arms and looked away. “I want you to marry Ethan.”
I flinched. How could he even suggest such a crazy idea? “How can you say that? You know I want to be with you.”
“I should’ve stayed away from you.” He shook his head. “Called one of the other girls—”
“Like Jenny?” I snapped. “Cole said you two had a date. Do you know what happened to her?”
“You think I hurt Jenny?” He turned to look at me as a tear slid down my cheek.
I bit my bottom lip, trying to hold it together. “You lied about talking to her at the party, and I heard you gave Paige a private tour of Norwood Isle.”
“Jenny propositioned me at the party. I didn’t tell you because nothing happened. Cole asked me about Jenny that night, and I lied. I said she and I had a casual thing. And yes, I gave Paige a private tour, but I didn’t kill her, or Jenny.” His eyes softened. “I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, but you had to know where this was going. Our families would never accept it. You don’t belong with me.”
I wiped away my tears, thinking of how Lexi had kissed his cheek this morning. “You belong with Lexi.”
“You’re right.” His gaze shifted to the lake again. “I told my father I’d choose her as my mate. It’s why he thanked you. He knew I wasn’t serious about you.”
My chest ached as more tears rolled down my cheeks. Kaleb had chosen his mate, and it wasn’t me. Mine wouldn’t be the first face he saw every morning.
Wiping the tears from my face, I walked toward the dirt trail as the trees swayed above us.
I wanted him to stop me, say this was all a mistake. I turned around, surprised to see him watching me. Realizing this might be the last time we talked, I took a deep breath. “I want you to sign the agreement.”
“Why?” He stood in the same spot, arms crossed, and with hardened eyes. “You never cared about the Romanies, and if—”
“I’m a Romani.” The words warmed my throat as I finally accepted the blood flowing through my veins. Woodlake was my home. “I understand now, your connection to the pack. You’d do anything to protect them.”
“Are you saying you’d do anything to protect the Romanies?”
I nodded. “Drina, Victor . . . I’d rather die than let something bad happen to them. You need to sign the agreement.”
“You don’t understand what they’re asking. The pack won’t like it. They won’t—”
“You’re the next pack leader. I know they’ll follow your orders. They always do.”
“Is this really what you want from me?”
“Yes,” I said. “You said everybody wanted something from you. Well, I want you to sign the agreement.”
“Would that make you happy?”
I nodded, even though I no longer knew what would make me happy.
“If I do, will you quit your job at the café?”
I gritted my teeth. Was he trying to blackmail me into quitting my job? “I thought you were different. You’re just a jerk in sheep’s clothing.”
With those last words, I ran home, wishing I had never fallen in love with Kaleb.
Chapter 32
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bill placed his hand on my shoulder and glanced at the door, as more hunters entered the café. “You can talk to me, Sienna.”
“Everything’s fine.” I grabbed the lunch menus and pasted a big smile on my face. No one knew Kaleb had ended things between us three days ago, and in doing so had broken my heart into a million pieces. “Hi, boys. What can I get you today?”
Wendy glanced at me from a nearby table, where she served hamburgers and fries to the wolf trackers. Like Bill, she was worried about me. Every day she asked if something had happened with Kaleb and demanded I tell her the truth, but I couldn’t talk about what had happened. Not to her. Not to Bill. Not to anyone.
“You’re looking real pretty today.” One of the hunters winked at me.
“Thanks.” I smiled, pretending I cared what he thought. “Burgers and fries again?”
He nodded as they placed their shotguns on the far end of the table, against the window. Luckily, the shotguns safeties were on, considering they spent more time lying on the café’s table than anywhere else. There had been no sign of the wolf. The Town Council accepted that the wolf had left town, but the trackers insisted they’d found tons of wolf markings. No doubt from the Norwood search party.
“Someone’s here to see you,” Wendy whispered in my ear. She motioned her head toward the front counter, where Markus sat with his back to us.
Not someone I’d expect to see inside a café filled with hunters. At least Markus had stopped by, not Kaleb. I couldn’t handle seeing him right now.
I walked to the front counter and set a cup of water in front of Markus.
“We need to talk.” He sounded upset and looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.
“You shouldn’t be here.” I wanted to say more, wanted to ask why he was here, and why he looked like crap. But I needed to keep my distance from him, and the rest of the Norwood wolves.
“I didn’t have a choice.” His body stiffened, as a group of nearby hunters talked about skinning the wolf alive and putting its head on a totem pole.
“Did he send you?” I glared at Markus, angry that Kaleb had made him come to the café. “He can’t do this. He can’t make me—”
“Tell me what happened,” he pleaded. “What did you do to him?”
“What did I do?” My eyes widened. Markus didn’t know. He had no clue what had happened. “Kaleb didn’t tell you?”
“He won’t talk to me, but I know something’s wrong. He’s not the same. It’s as if he doesn’t care about anything. He’s following his dad’s orders. That’s not like him.” He paused. “Are you marrying Ethan?”
My heart tugged in pain. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does.” He jumped to his feet, knocking over the cup of water.
The cup fell onto the floor as water splashed everywhere; silence filled the café. Several hunters stood, waiting for a sign I needed help, but Markus wasn’t a threat.
“Everything’s fine.” I waved my hand in the air and smiled at the hunters. They sat and went back to their conversations.
Wendy looked at Markus as she picked up the cup, and then wiped the counter. “Should I be worried? Sienna’s been acting weird all day, and now you show up pissed.”
“I haven’t been acting weird,” I said. “I told you I didn’t get much sleep last night. I didn’t—”
“Sienna.” Wendy’s voice sounded nervous. “Isn’t that your cousin?”
I glanced toward the front door, thinking she must be seeing things because I only had one cousin. No way would Drina come to the café, but there she was, standing outside.
Drina entered the café, along with Victor. When her gaze rested on Markus, she froze, with fear in her eyes.
“You need to leave,” I muttered under my breath to Markus, and then rushed to Drina. I pulled her into a hug. “What’s wrong?”
With a killer wolf lose in Woodlake; Drina had refused to leave the house, like most of the other women. If she and Victor had come into town, something must have happened. Something bad.
“What’s he doing here?” Victor glared over my shoulder.
“He came to see Bill.” I didn’t need to follow his gaze to know he referred to Markus. When the café’s side door slammed shut, I knew Markus had left. “Did something happen? Is it my mom? Has she—”
“Everything’s fine.” Drina pulled a plastic bag out of her purse. “I brought this for you.”
&nb
sp; I held up the plastic bag. It looked like satchels of homemade tea. “What’s this for?”
“Victor’s mom made them. I told her you’ve been having a lot of headaches lately. It’s an old remedy of herbs and stuff.” Drina glanced around the café, fidgeting with her purse strap.
“You could’ve brought this to the house tonight.” I sighed, wishing I hadn’t been lying to Drina these past few days.
The night Kaleb ended things between us, Drina and Victor came over for dinner, but I stayed in bed with a fake headache. She wanted to discuss my upcoming eighteenth birthday party, but I didn’t want to. I couldn’t, not when my birthday party was really an engagement party.
Drina came over the next day, and the next, insisting I needed to decide on color schemes and make food choices. I faked more headaches, saying they always happened in the evening.
“I was worried about you,” Drina said. “Steep the bag for five minutes and then drink the tea. It might taste a little funny, but it’ll help with your headaches.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, feeling even more horrible. “Why don’t you come over tonight and we’ll watch a movie?”
Her eyes lit up. “That sounds perfect. I’ll bring over your party binder.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to look at the huge binder Drina had put together for my birthday party. She had already planned every little detail, including what I should wear. “Sounds good.”
A huge smile crossed Drina’s face, and she pulled me into a hug, before leaving the café with Victor.
“Are you a gypsy, like them?” one of the hunters asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m a Romani. Is that a problem?”
The hunter shook his head.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” one of the wolf trackers asked. He bombarded me with questions about the Romani community, wanting to know if I could get them access.
“I’ll talk to the Elders, but I can’t make any promises.” I grabbed a wet rag and wiped the front counter, to ensure Wendy hadn’t missed any droplets of water.
“Now I know something’s wrong.” Wendy folded her arms. “You’ve never done that before.”
Romani Blood (Shifter Blood: Romani Curse Book 1) Page 21
