“It will take us that long to get everything handled. You can ride with us back to the station, and I’ll drive you home.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Raising the forgotten phone back to his ear, Elvis said, “Gene?”
A swear word indicated the alpha’s displeasure. “What is going on now? Where is she?”
“She’s disappeared, and the firemen put out the fire. Ty is going to take us home.”
“Just go long enough to pack some clothes and go stay at Samuel and Amber’s house tonight. We’ll keep you safe there. She won’t take you again, Elvis. We’ll put a watch around your house. I’ll alert the Council and the Sheriff’s Department.”
“I don’t know if Ty can wait that long.”
“Walter checked in earlier tonight. I followed him to your place and we dropped off Charlie’s Jeep. You can drive that back into town. I’ll have pack members at your house before you get there to make sure you’re safe.”
“All right.”
Elvis hated the fear that still flooded his system.
He would not go with Virginia again.
He would never let himself be captured again.
The evening had gone by in a blur.
The huge fireman had driven them to Elvis’s house, and Charlie had packed her stuff, then they’d loaded everything up — including her parrot and cage — and she’d let Elvis drive her Jeep past Gene’s house and over to Amber and Samuel’s.
Amber had welcomed her with a hug, and even Samuel had hugged her.
A little white dog barked and wanted to be petted. Charlie knelt down and scratched him behind the ears, and he wagged his tail.
Amber told the little dog, “Now, Wolf, it’s time to get ready for bed. Go get into your pajamas.”
Charlie realized this was their little boy and she scratched him again. “I’m very glad to meet you, Wolf.”
The little dog raced up the stairs and Amber shook her head. “Kids.”
Charlie smiled. “And pups.”
Samuel motioned for them to come in. “We have rooms upstairs. Just put your bags by the door and we’ll carry them up later. Dad said there are extra wolves keeping watch both here and at your house.”
Charlie was still shaken from the fire, and from the tension she’d felt rolling off of Elvis all night. For the first time, he wasn’t bringing her calm. Instead, she felt an overwhelming fear. She tried to just feel it and let it go, hoping that it helped him in some way for her to carry it.
What was he so afraid of?
He didn’t seem the sort to be afraid. He was six feet tall, strong, and probably weighed just under two hundred pounds.
What on earth could have frightened him like that?
Elvis said, “We have Charlie’s parrot and cage in the vehicle.”
“Bring it on in. We can set it up in the hallway.” Samuel motioned to a spot.
The men went back out and retrieved Lorito and they set up the cage and got him settled. Then she covered the cage with the covering.
Samuel led them into their family room and asked if they’d like drinks. She and Elvis both accepted Pepsis and took a seat. The sectional couch formed a semicircle facing a wall with a huge flat-screen television that was currently off.
Their adorable little boy came into the room in his pajamas, and Amber smiled. “That’s better, Caleb.”
Caleb walked over and smiled at her. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Charlie smiled. “It’s very nice to see you again.”
He went over to Elvis, who raised a hand, and they high-fived again. Then Caleb plopped himself on the couch beside Elvis. “Can I watch a movie with you?”
“Not tonight, sweetie,” his mother said. “Grandma is going to read you a story and put you to bed.”
“Is she sleeping over, too?”
Amber nodded. “Grandma and Grandpa both. They’ll be in the room next to yours.”
There must be a lot of bedrooms, Charlie thought. But this was a werewolf home, so it didn’t surprise her overmuch.
After Amber walked Caleb upstairs, Charlie said, “I need to know what’s going on.”
Elvis and Samuel exchanged a serious look.
“Well?” said Charlie. “Something is going on that you haven’t told me about. I deserve to know if I’m going to be in the thick of things.”
“She’s right,” Samuel said. “And my dad didn’t tell me the backstory. I think, if we’re going to help you, that you need to tell us both what’s going on.”
Gene walked in then, and said, “I’ll tell you.”
Elvis breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to tell the story because it was hard, but he wanted them to know about it. “All right. Thank you.”
Gene sat down and leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. “You might have wondered why the entire world thought Elvis Presley died at Graceland, when you know he’s right here with us still.”
Samuel said, “I wondered.”
Amber came back down and sat by Samuel, then Gene continued, “He had a deranged fan who also happened to be a rogue werewolf. She planned the entire thing. Back in 1977, she found a man who resembled Elvis, drugged him with an overdose, and put him in the bathroom at Graceland — and kidnapped the actual Elvis.”
Charlie looked at Elvis and then back at Gene.
Elvis said, “I was an 8th degree black belt and it didn’t matter. She shot me with Tasers from fifteen feet away.”
“That brings back bad memories for me,” Amber said.
Samuel put his arm around her shoulder.
Amber explained to Charlie, “My stepfather kidnapped me and thought I was my mother and that he was going to marry me. Luckily, Samuel saved me.”
“How horrible,” Charlie said, then turned back to the alpha. “So what happened next with Elvis?”
Gene said, “She turned him, against his will — something that is against the Council’s laws — but then, because she wasn’t a strong enough alpha, she couldn’t help him control his wolf. She kept him in a cage.”
Horrified, Charlie said, “A cage?” No wonder he hated the parrot’s cage. She turned to Elvis. “I’m so sorry.”
He looked her in the eyes and seemed to gain some strength from her. She reached out and took his hand — and he let her do it, squeezing back.
“He lost everything when he was turned. First, he lost five years of his life while in the cage, and then, after we rescued him, he had to give up his family, and hasn’t been allowed any contact with them, nor will there ever be.”
“Not even my daughter or my grandchildren,” he said, and she realized how heartbreaking that must have been for him. How terrible it must still be. “I can read about them, but I can’t see them.”
A shiver ran up Charlie’s spine when she realized what Gene had said. “When you rescued him?”
Gene nodded. “You helped us. That’s the woman you helped distract, and Elvis is the werewolf we rescued that night.”
He squeezed her hand.
Stunned, memories of that night flooded back — she’d entranced the woman by singing. She could still picture in her mind’s eye the werewolves racing in and bringing out a wolf wrapped tightly in a blanket. It must have been necessary, because Elvis had been like a wild wolf.
She shuddered. How horrible it had to have been for him.
“The werewolf who kept him captive is named Virginia Kennedy. She’s the one who started the fire tonight.”
“She’s here in town?”
No wonder he was so afraid. The woman had basically killed him, destroyed his life, and turned him into an animal in a cage.
Elvis wouldn’t want pity, so Charlie blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes. When she turned her gaze back to his, she looked him calmly in the eyes and said, “You’re very brave.”
He squeezed her hand again.
“Yes, he is,” Gene said. “He’s facing his own personal demon. We’ve ke
pt him hidden from her for thirty-five years. And now we will capture her and you will never have to worry about her again, Elvis.”
Elvis nodded. “Good.”
“Now,” Gene said, “I think you should relax a little — watch a movie, laugh with friends.”
Elvis said, “I’m up for that.” There was a slight tremor in his voice, but he seemed to be better than he had been earlier.
“And I suppose you want to watch Patton,” Gene said. “Again.”
Elvis laughed shakily. “Maybe another one.”
Samuel said, “Dad told me you memorized every line from that movie.”
“Which one?” Amber asked.
“George C. Scott's 1970 war film about General George Patton.”
“Ahhh,” Amber said.
“Before your time, whippersnapper,” her husband said.
“Maybe I’d better go upstairs with our child.”
That brought a laugh from everyone.
Gene went upstairs to watch over Caleb with Nancy, and Charlie, Elvis, Amber, and Samuel ended up watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Apparently it was another of Elvis’s favorites, with enough laughs to lighten the mood for everyone.
Charlie held Elvis’s hand throughout the movie — and it was wonderful. Sweet. He’d run his thumb along her fingers, sending little tingles through her. And slowly, the fear she felt from him receded until she felt calm emanating from him once more.
Elvis let go of her hand when the movie was over.
They carried the popcorn bowls and glasses into the kitchen, and Amber rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher while Samuel and Elvis carried the suitcases upstairs.
The women finished cleaning up and followed the guys upstairs. At the top of the stairs, everybody said goodnight and Amber and Samuel went to their room. After they were gone, Elvis smiled at Charlie.
“I’m glad you’re safe now,” she told him.
He stepped toward her tentatively. “Thank you for saving me. All those years ago — and again tonight. Somehow, you helped calm me just by holding my hand. Your singing is what I’ve remembered all these years.”
“I’ve never forgotten that night, either. I knew I’d saved a werewolf and, no matter what else was going on in my life or how bad it might be going, I could always look back to that night and know I’d done something good.”
He stepped forward and kissed her, his lips soft and gentle, and she kissed him back — she’d never tasted anything so sweet in her long life! It was like chocolate and salsa and strawberries, all wrapped up into one delicious Elvis burrito.
Stunned at his actions, Elvis pulled back, away from Charlie’s soft, sweet lips.
Her eyes opened slowly and she looked a little dazed.
Heck, he felt a little dazed, himself.
He forced himself to smile at her. “We’d best say good night, darlin’, before we go too far.”
She nodded, but looked disappointed, and that did wonderful things to his ego.
Reluctantly, she said, “Good night,” and went inside her room, closing the door most of the way, then giving him a little wave.
He grinned, in earnest this time. “Night, darlin’.”
She closed the door and he let out a breath.
What was he thinking?
He stumbled to his own room and shut the door behind him, leaning against it and breathing in quick gasps.
How had he let her inside all his walls so quickly? All the walls he’d erected to keep himself — and others — safe, and she’d just waltzed inside with her pretty little face, big eyes and lips that were made for kissing.
Now Virginia was back and she would want to capture him — and hurt anyone who meant anything to him. And Charlie meant something to him now. Virginia would know. She knew everything.
He had to keep Charlie safe at all costs, even if she thought he didn’t care for her. Even at the risk of not exploring this beautiful new relationship he’d been blessed with.
He’d have to ask Gene in the morning if Virginia had seen Charlie, if she knew who she was, knew that she’d been the one to rescue him.
But either way, he was going to tell Charlie that he was going back home — without her.
He would put himself up as bait to draw Virginia out, and hope that Gene and the pack could keep him safe.
He was no longer a fragile human, nor was he a crazed new wolfling.
He’d ask Gene either to lend him a vehicle or drive him out to the house. He suspected his alpha would go with him, and he was glad for that.
Five years of half-crazed wolf time in the cage had instilled a terror of Virginia Kennedy that his rational mind had a tough time getting past.
But to keep Charlie safe, he’d face her. And then they could capture her, and he could finally get on with his life without the fear that had plagued him for decades.
And he hoped that new life could include Charlie Melodi.
If she’d have him after he made her think she didn’t mean anything to him, that is.
The Ghost Started To Boogie
CHARLIE WOKE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING. Outside the window, a light breeze was blowing and her heart was happy.
He’d kissed her, and what a kiss it had been. She’d seen in his eyes how difficult it had been for him to pull away from her, and heaven knows she hadn’t wanted to end the kiss. But he was, ultimately, the southern gentleman his mama had raised him to be.
She wondered if his mama could see him now, and if she was proud of the man he’d become. He’d obviously been through great fortune, followed by great misfortune, and he had come through it all, growing stronger and better with each year.
She rose and showered quickly, dressed, and did her hair. When she stepped into the hallway, she glanced at Elvis’s room, but the door was shut. She went downstairs, hoping to see him.
The first person she saw was little Caleb, his hair all mussed with sleep.
“Good morning, Caleb.”
He beamed up at her. “Hi, Charlie.” He raised his hand and she realized he wanted a high-five, so she gave him one. She was now officially one of the family, apparently. One of the pack.
Her heart swelled as the little boy took her hand. “Everybody’s in here. You got to say goodbye to Elvis ’cuz he’s leaving.”
What?
They entered the dining room. Seated at the table, the others greeted her with smiles.
Except Elvis, who stood and came around to pull out a chair for her.
“I hear you’re leaving,” she said quietly, sure all the werewolves could hear, though they pretended not to.
He nodded. “I’m going back home, but Samuel and Amber have graciously offered to let you stay here with them.”
“But why not take me with you?”
Lines formed on his forehead, and he said, “It’s better this way. I have things I need to do, and I need my house to myself. There’s just no room for you there now.”
Charlie saw Amber put her hand to her mouth, surprised, maybe appalled at the obvious rejection.
Maybe pitying her.
Charlie couldn’t abide being pitied. She straightened her shoulders and smiled at him. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I appreciate your help.”
Was it her imagination or did he wince a little at her words? Too bad. He was being a jerk to leave like this. Kiss and run, as it were.
Elvis was the first guy she’d trusted in a very long time, other than Hank, of course. She’d let her guard down for a pretty face, a crooked grin, and a feeling of calm.
So he didn’t want her. It wasn’t the end of the world. She’d get over it.
He might not want her, but she’d survive just fine.
She’d have trouble controlling her power, but Gene could help her with that — or line her up with the witches in town who could possibly work up a spell or potion for her.
Elvis drove Gene’s extra pack truck toward his home. He might be driving by himself, but he knew werewolves were
running into the woods around his home.
Gene had promised they’d protect him, that Virginia wouldn’t get to him.
He was definitely facing all his fears to do this. To protect Charlie. He would not let Virginia hurt Charlie.
He’d hurt Charlie, though. He’d seen it in her eyes when he’d told her it was for the best. She thought exactly what he’d wanted her to think, that he didn’t want her, because he sensed that had he told her anything less, she would have insisted on going with him.
He did what he had to do to protect her.
He arrived home and climbed out of the truck, scenting the air. His human nose was helped by his werewolf senses, though it wasn’t nearly as strong as when he was in wolf form. He sensed Gene and a couple of other wolves, faintly. But not Virginia.
He’d never forget her scent.
He went into his house and turned on all the lights, top to bottom.
The she-monster would know he was home and ready for the taking.
Only he wouldn’t be taken as easily this time. He’d learned a lot of tricks since the last time, and this time he had seasoned werewolf reflexes and senses on his side — plus years of working out with Gene at the pack’s combo workout, yoga, and martial arts center, affectionately called Downward Dog Dojo.
He heard a woman’s voice and spun wildly, crouching in defense, but the only woman in front of him flickered.
“Evelyn.” He grasped his chest when he realized it was only her. “You about scared me to death.”
She ignored his comments and went straight to the same old question. “Are you going to sing tonight?”
“There are two of you who want me to sing for you tonight.”
“Who else?” The look of surprise on the ghost’s face shimmered there.
“The woman who kidnapped me and kept me in a cage.”
Evelyn looked mournful. “That’s awful. I hate her.”
“You know what? I do, too.” Elvis smiled. “Would you like to help me, Evelyn?”
“If I do, will you sing me a song?”
He pondered that. “If you find the woman who’s trying to take me again, I will sing for you. Three songs of mine, of your choosing. A private concert for you, here.”
Elvis Gets His Groove Back (Moonchuckle Bay Romantic Comedy #5 Page 7
