“Works for me,” Angel replied, trying to sound calm, even though the idea of being trapped in a car with him for two hours was a little scary. “My car or yours?”
“Mine, if that’s okay,” Caleb said. “I’ve got some extra stuff I need to bring, and I don’t think it’ll all fit in your car.”
“Okay, pick me up at about eleven?”
“Perfect, see you then. Call me if you have any more questions.”
“Will do.”
“Goodnight.”
“‘Night.”
Angel hit the “End Call” button on her phone and resisted the urge both to jump up and down and throw up. It was going to be a very interesting week. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Angel set down the phone and decided it was a good time for a run.
Chapter 13
“Stay here. Stay quiet.”
Alice stayed. She had no other option; she couldn’t disobey, and on the few occasions they hadn’t explicitly told her to stay put and she’d tried to run, they’d found her easily. Besides, there was nowhere for her to go. Not after what she’d done. Not after what she’d become.
Others were there with her. Others like her. The man next to her had been an addict living on the street. She spotted a woman named Mary, who’d been a waitress at a twenty-four hour diner. They talked when they were left alone, and they all had the same story. They’d been out at night when they were attacked. When they woke up, they were different.
The people in charge kept them secluded in basements, shipping containers, sometimes even sewers. They brought them food - Alice shuddered at the thought even as her mouth watered - but they still had no idea why they were there. What their captors actually wanted from them. Then last night everyone had been loaded into a transport truck and driven for hours. Now they were in a large warehouse, and more people were arriving by the hour. She had no idea what was going on. No one did.
Another truck arrived, and as the doors opened, Alice was nearly overwhelmed by the smell. Death. That’s what her overly sensitive nose told her, which was why she was surprised when people started shambling out of the truck. No, not people. These creatures couldn’t possibly be people. They moved awkwardly, like they were drunk or sick. They didn’t make a sound, didn’t look around. They shuffled towards the corner they were directed to and just stopped dead. The truck pulled away, and still they didn’t move. Most of them were just facing the wall, but there were a few whose faces she could see, and what she saw was unsettling. Blank, vacant stares set into pale faces. Whatever had been done to these people, there was nothing left of who they had been.
Chapter 14
Sunday morning dawned bright and chilly. Angel was up early, mostly because she’d been unable to sleep very well. She went for a quick run, showered, ate, then spent two hours figuring out what to pack. Her suitcase and almost every piece of clothing she owned was laid out on her bed. At first she’d tried to pack just work clothes, then she realized maybe she wouldn’t need her leather pants and vest, so she pulled out everything and threw in jeans and T-shirts. Then she started worrying about what Caleb would think of her clothes, so she threw in some pretty blouses and a pair of dress pants; and then she thought he’d realize she was dressing differently and figure she was up to something.
Ripping everything out of her suitcase, Angel started over. After a little more deliberation, she decided to bring one set of her usual work clothes, just in case, a couple pairs of jeans, some T-shirts, and a few nicer looking outfits in case she was expected to dress up for the job. Her utility belt went in as well, though it was lacking a few key components. Her handcuffs had been confiscated, as well as the healing potions she was used to; they were reserved for use in law enforcement and hospitals and weren’t available to the general public. In their place, Angel had bought a half-dozen vials of the strongest publicly available healing potion she could find. It was still about half as effective as the ones from work, but since she was a hybrid, Angel figured she could manage. She’d been able to keep her gun, but her badge had also been confiscated.
When she was finally happy with what she’d packed - or at least as happy as she could be - Angel hauled her stuff out of her room and piled it in front of the door. Looking to kill time before Caleb showed up, she tidied her room, washed the dishes, and cleaned out her fridge so she wouldn’t come back to anything unpleasant. She was just finishing up when she heard a vehicle approaching the house.
Caleb drove up in a large black SUV with tinted windows, put the vehicle in park, cut the engine, and hopped out. He was wearing jeans, with a flannel shirt over a black tee, and he looked really good. Angel took a few moments to admire the way he moved as he approached the house. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and the sun reflected off his blond hair. Her wolf growled in approval as Caleb reached the front door, and Angel took a deep breath, trying to maintain control. A knock came on the door, and Caleb opened it a moment later. Removing his sunglasses as he stepped inside, his eyes found hers, and he grinned.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Angel replied, “just finishing up here.”
Caleb gestured to the suitcase and backpack at the front door. “Can I take these out to the truck?”
“Yeah,” Angel replied, “thanks! I’ll be out in a minute.”
“No problem,” Caleb told her, scooping up her bags and heading outside.
Angel took another deep breath to calm herself, finished cleaning the last dirty dish, and pulled the sink stopper. She pulled on her shoes, grabbed her jacket, purse, and keys, then turned to survey the room. She knew by the time she came home again, things would likely have changed, and drastically.
“Well,” she whispered to herself, “here goes nothing.”
The drive began in silence, but Angel really didn’t mind. She was worried if they did start getting chatty, Caleb might take advantage of the fact that she couldn’t go anywhere and start asking her questions she still wasn’t ready to answer. They drove towards Waterloo, picking up the highway as soon as they could. The beast of a vehicle drove surprisingly smoothly, and Angel found herself playing with all the neat toys it had built into the dashboard. Turning on the built-in satellite radio, she searched the channels for something she liked. One channel spewed horrible rap music that hurt her sensitive ears, another was kiddie pop, and yet another was Christian rock. Continuing to search, she finally found a decent channel. Johnny Cash flowed into the cabin of the SUV, and Angel found herself drumming on her thighs along with the music.
“Country fan?” Caleb asked.
“Heck, yes,” Angel replied. “Johnny Cash is especially awesome. How about you?”
“Country is definitely one of my favorites,” Caleb told her, “but I could never get into Cash. He’s a little depressing.”
“Maybe,” Angel admitted, “but I don’t think his voice would work for happy songs.”
“Fair enough.”
“So,” Angel began, “you left Ryan in charge while you’re gone, I assume?”
“Yep.”
“You sure he’s not going to throw some wild party and burn the house down?”
Caleb laughed. “Nah,” he said, “Sara wouldn’t let him. Besides, he won’t have that much free time. I made sure to leave him lots of work to keep him occupied.”
“I kinda wish I had siblings,” Angel said thoughtfully. “It was kinda lonely growing up.”
“They have their good moments and their bad,” Caleb told her, “but in the end, I wouldn’t give them up for the world. Even Ryan.”
Angel grinned at him, then fell silent. They drove in silence for a bit, and she could tell Caleb wanted to ask her something. Eventually, he managed to spit it out.
“So, where’s your dad?” he asked.
“Not a clue,” Angel told him matter-of-factly.
Caleb held up a hand. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not my business.”
“No,” Angel reassured
him, “don’t worry about it, it’s a fair question. My mom was attacked, and she got pregnant, but she decided to keep me. As far as I know, she never figured out who the guy was, not that she was really interested.”
“Oh,” Caleb said, clearly not expecting that response. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Angel told him, “it’s not like it really affected me all that much. My mom might be a little crazy, but she loves me, and she did a great job raising me on her own.”
“That she did,” Caleb agreed.
Angel blushed slightly at the compliment, then fiddled with the temperature controls in an attempt to distract herself. Cooped up in a vehicle with Caleb, his scent surrounded her, and for once it didn’t make her edgy. Her wolf seemed content just to sit back and enjoy the ride, perhaps because she sensed her human half was starting to see reason. Angel had to admit, she was starting to think it might be worth the risk to just tell Caleb the truth. Even if he didn’t want to be with her, knowing the potential risks, at least then she (and her wolf) might be able to move on. Angel never really had imagined a happily-ever-after scenario for herself. No dreams of a white wedding, or even children for that matter. Her fear had always held her back. She wasn’t about to start hoping for a future with Caleb just yet, but this was probably as good a chance as she was ever going to get, so maybe she should at least give it a try.
Settling into her seat, Angel took a deep breath, then turned to Caleb. “You ever played the alphabet game?”
Chapter 15
They played the alphabet game for the rest of the trip. As expected, they both got hung up on “Q” for a while, until they happened upon several signs for a toasted sub place. By the time they reached Barrie, Caleb was stuck on “U,” but Angel had made it all the way to “X,” making her the winner.
“On the way back,” Caleb informed her as they pulled into a parking spot at the hotel, “I want a rematch.”
“Deal,” Angel replied, “but I’ll still win.”
“We’ll see,” Caleb told her.
They grabbed their things out of the car and headed for the lobby. Angel stacked their luggage onto a cart, while Caleb checked them in. After a few minutes chatting with the receptionist and handing over his credit card, Caleb was back, handing her a room key.
“Room 203,” he told her. “They’re gonna take care of our luggage, and were going to go straight up to see the Master Alpha.”
“Okay,” Angel replied.
After cautioning the bellhop to be careful with the bag that contained her spells and gun, they boarded the elevator. Caleb punched the button for the 4th floor, and the elevator lurched into motion.
“Anything I should know about this guy?” Angel asked Caleb as they watched the button for each floor light up as they passed.
“Just your basic werewolf stuff,” Caleb told her. “He’s a pretty laid back guy, a little less aggressive than most Alphas.”
“That seems a little counterintuitive,” Angel commented.
“You’d think so, but not really,” Caleb explained. “Most Alphas gain the position because they’re strong. They keep the position if they’re strong and smart; it’s one thing to be the strongest wolf in a pack, but if you aren’t smart enough to lead, the pack won’t follow you. To be Master Alpha, you have to be strong, smart, and able to recognize where each of those traits is needed. When dealing with other Alphas, a heavy hand can sometimes make things worse.”
“This stuff is a lot more complicated than I thought,” Angel remarked as the elevator dinged and doors opened.
They stepped out together, and Caleb guided them down the hallway to the left.
“Yep,” he told her as they stopped in front of room #412, “but don’t worry about it, you’ll do just fine.”
Caleb knocked twice, and after a few moments Angel heard movement behind the door, then the sound of the chain being removed. The door opened to reveal a very tall, very large man, with sandy brown hair and bright green eyes. He smiled when he saw Caleb and enveloped him in a big bear hug, clapping him on the back.
“Caleb,” he exclaimed, “about time you got here!”
“Jesse,” Caleb greeted the other wolf with similar enthusiasm, “it’s been too long.”
“Come in, come in,” Jesse encouraged as he released Caleb and stepped back into the room.
Angel followed behind Caleb, knowing it was best to let him take the lead. Once they were inside and the door was closed, she got a good look at the room. It was a suite, with separate living and sleeping areas. They were in the living area, which had a couch, a couple chairs, and a large TV hanging on the back wall. To the left was a kitchenette with a mini-fridge, sink, and coffee pot, and to the right was a large set of double doors, currently closed, that presumably led to the bedroom. Another wolf was in the room with them; he was big and bulky, with bright red hair and a sour expression on his face as he watched her. Angel wasn’t surprised that she seemed to have found another wolf who didn’t like witches.
“So,” Jesse began, talking to Caleb but gesturing to Angel, “this is the witch you told us about?”
“Yep,” Caleb replied, “this is Angel Myers. She’s the WEA Agent who took out the black witch who was giving us trouble a couple months ago. And as of a few weeks ago, she’s the godmother of my niece.”
“Well,” Jesse whistled appreciatively, “I’m not sure which of those is most impressive; female wolves are pretty damn picky about who they let near their pups. Sara must really like you.” He grinned and held out his hand. “I’m Jesse. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Angel told Jesse, taking the offered hand, a little surprised a wolf would initiate a handshake.
“Jesse and his father meet with a lot of humans and witches,” Caleb explained. “They found it easier just to adapt and get used to handshakes instead of trying to break everyone else of the habit.”
“Oh,” Angel replied, “that makes sense, I suppose.”
“Come on in, and have a seat,” Jesse told them. “My father is just on the phone, and he’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Caleb flopped down on the love seat, and Angel sat next to him, while the red headed wolf continued to frown at her.
“This is Matt,” Jesse introduced the other man. “Don’t mind the grumpy look, he always looks like that. He’s head of security for the pack, and the conference.”
Angel nodded politely, and Matt grunted at her. Jesse took one of the chairs opposite them, and he and Caleb started chatting, catching up on things that had happened since they’d last talked. Angel tried her best not to feel nervous, but it was difficult with Matt giving her the stink-eye. She was really hoping the Master Alpha was as “laid back” as Caleb had said, because there was no way she was going to work there if the big boss wolf didn’t want her there.
After a few minutes, the bedroom door opened. Matt went from slouching against the wall to standing up straight, and Jesse and Caleb both stood. Angel followed their example and watched as a middle-aged, rather unimpressive looking man crossed the room to join them. He was still built like a wolf - tall and muscular - but he had an air of calmness that seemed almost contagious. It seemed Jesse had inherited most of his looks from his father; the two were almost carbon copies, the major differences being the bits of grey at the older wolf’s temples and fine lines on his face.
“Caleb,” the Master Alpha greeted, patting the younger man on the shoulder. “How are you?”
“Doing well, Jonathan,” Caleb replied, “and you?”
The Master Alpha smiled. “Doing well,” he said, “but I would be doing better if Matt here would stop being so damn paranoid. If he had his way, I’d have a guard watching me while I sleep.”
“What about Melanie?” Caleb suggested. “You’d have a hard time finding someone who would want to mess with her.”
The Master Alpha laughed loudly. “I’ll have to tell my Mate you find her so intimidating,” he said. Caleb stepped ba
ck, and it was Angel’s turn. “You must be Angel.”
“Yes, sir,” Angel replied. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Please,” the Master Alpha said, “call me Jonathan. Thank you for coming.”
“Thanks for having me,” Angel said.
“Please, why don’t we sit?” Jonathan suggested, and they all reclaimed their seats. Jonathan sat in the chair next to Jesse. “So, Caleb tells me you’re an Agent and you helped them take down a black witch a few months ago.”
“That’s right,” Angel answered, “but, uh, I feel I should probably let you know I’m currently on probation.”
Matt made a scoffing noise from behind Jesse.
“What for?” Jonathan asked.
“Well,” Angel began, “to stop the black witch, I had to make use of legal blood magic. The Agency doesn’t want me in the field until it’s worked its way out of my system and they’re positive there were no lasting effects.”
“‘Legal blood magic,’” Jonathan repeated. “I’m afraid I’m not sure how blood magic can be legal. Can you please explain?”
“Of course. Legal blood magic means you don’t kill anyone or anything to get the power; the blood is given freely by donors.”
“In this case,” Caleb explained, “the donors were myself, Ryan, and two other WEA agents.”
Jonathan nodded thoughtfully. “The black witch you were pursuing, I recall he had killed several wolves, including an Alpha’s son. As I understand it, that gave him the ability to use wolf magic, which made his attacks more effective against wolves, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Angel replied, impressed by his knowledge of blood magic. “When the option of using legal blood magic was first suggested, we initially decided it wasn’t worth the potential risk. Unfortunately, the black witch managed to take one of Caleb’s wolves captive, and blood magic became the only real option to get him back safely.”
Burned: Wild Magic Book 2 Page 6
