Instead, he was waiting to tell Stone about the conversation with Gwyneth. That the older witch had been pissed off had been an understatement. While he didn’t know the exact extent of the woman’s powers, he knew better than to scoff at any threat she made.
After their phone conversation, he’d researched her background. It was incredibly scant. All he really knew was that she had owned the club for the past ten years. Sure the ‘human’ government records had her date of birth, educational background and even her social security number but those facts were easily manipulated. Just look at how Lycans and other shifters managed to stay under the radar. The advent of computers had made adjusting government records easier than ever thanks to a few good hackers.
There was something ‘off’ about Gwyneth O’Donohue but it would be Stone’s decision whether to call her or not. The man certainly didn’t need to be dumped on by the witch; he felt guilty enough as it was about Tina. Anyone who saw the dark circles under his eyes and the strained look about his mouth would realize Stone was blaming himself. Reno understood how the man felt. He’d had a similar experience years ago. Only time would help him heal.
The door opened and Stone appeared being pushed in a wheelchair by an orderly.
Reno raised a brow. “Something wrong?”
“Hospital protocol.” The orderly explained as he set the brakes.
Stone stood up, a scowl on his face. “Satisfied?”
The orderly nodded and quickly left, no doubt pleased to be rid of the surly patient.
Stone stalked to his bed. “Reno, get me out of here before I lose complete control.”
“I’m working on it, believe me.”
“Work faster.”
“I’ll do my best. In the meantime…” He hesitated, loath to mention a sensitive topic but knowing it couldn’t be avoided.
“What’s up?”
“I was talking to Gwyneth. I told her about Tina.”
“And?” His whole body tensed as if preparing for a physical blow.
“She’d like you to contact her.”
Stone gave a stiff nod. “Fine. Leave her number on the table.”
“You don’t have to talk to her. She was rambling on about hexes if you didn’t phone her but I can contact Lycan Link. A call will be sent through to the Universal Coven telling her to back off.”
“No need.”
“I know a lot of the witches are blowing hot air when they talk hexes but there’s something about her…”
“She can hex me if she wants. It’s not like I don’t deserve it.” He stood up and moved to the window. “Looks like a good day for a run, don’t you think?”
“Stone, you have a concussion.”
“We’re Lycans. We heal quickly, remember?”
Stone let the water pound down onto his neck and shoulders hoping it would relieve some of the tension that had gathered there. He hadn’t really slept since waking up in the hospital. As soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see was Christina, all he could hear was her voice calling his name. The run he’d attempted had been a fiasco, his wolf suddenly becoming recalcitrant and refusing to shift. Ever since returning from Cantala, the animal had been in mourning, moping and uncommunicative. It blamed him for leaving her behind.
Blame. That’s likely why Gwyneth wanted to talk to him. Actually, there’d probably be no talking. The acerbic witch would likely shout and curse. It was what he deserved. No matter how many times he went over what happened, he still felt there should have been another solution, a way of saving both the pups and Christina.
“I’m sorry.” He hoped, wherever she was, she could hear him. “I shouldn’t have let you go with me. I should have anticipated the men on the path, somehow taken the bullet for you. I should have found a way to get all of you on that chopper or I should have found a way to stay behind with you.”
Should have, should have, fucking should have.
The words echoed within the confines of the shower stall. He turned off the water and towelled dry. He’d better call Gwyneth and let her rip him a new one. At least it might make her feel better.
“You impertinent, swill-guzzling scut, what did you do to my witchling?”
“Christina?” Stone forced himself to answer Gwyneth, even though saying her name tore at his gut, stirring the fires of pain and guilt. “I left her behind to die.”
“Did you now?” Acid dripped from the woman’s voice. “She was injured, so I’ve learned. Unable to fend for herself.”
“That’s correct.” He held himself ramrod straight even though they were speaking over the phone.
“You know, the minute I saw you at the club, I knew you were trouble. I should have kicked your ass to the curb before she ever set eyes on you.”
“I wish you had. She might still be alive if we’d never met.”
“Hmph.”
Gwyneth was silent for a moment and Stone wondered what she was thinking. Perhaps she was casting a spell on him. Was a bolt of lightning about to strike him? She finally spoke again.
“I had a vision just before Tina left. It was about a witch and wolf.”
Stone wasn’t sure how to reply but he need not have worried as Gwyneth continued talking.
“The witch vanished in a blood red light, leaving only the wolf behind.”
He closed his eyes. Christina’s death had been predicted.
“I don’t hold much faith in visions. For the most part, they’re like will-o-the-wisps, no substance, not worth the time it would take to figure them out.”
“This one wasn’t though.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t.”
“I’d say I’m sorry but I know that isn’t enough.”
She didn’t acknowledge his apology. “You know, dog breath, a vision shows what might happen, what could happen, but ultimately it’s the action of those involved that determine its outcome.”
If name calling made her feel better, he could handle it. He ignored the slur and nodded. “My decisions caused this.”
“Rectal cranial impaction!”
He blinked. “Pardon?”
“Your head is up your ass. You’re blind, deaf and stupid!”
No response came to mind which seemed to confirm what she’d just said about him.
“I want her found.”
“Found?”
“Are you a dog or a parrot? You heard me. You took her into the jungle, you bring her home where she belongs. If not, I’ll set the misery of ten-thousand lives upon you, you filthy cur!”
Gwyneth ended the call and Stone stared at the phone for a moment before setting it down.
The misery of ten-thousand lives. If it could atone for Christina’s death he’d gladly accept it.
He moved to stare out the window at the ocean in the distance. Christina’s body was out there, somewhere in the jungle of Cantala. Her spirit was gone, of course, but her earthly remains still existed. A vision of the Duffys’ graves flashed before his eyes and he felt physically ill thinking that was likely what had happened to his beautiful Christina. Bones. A bit of hair. A scrap of clothing. That was all that would remain.
Return to Cantala and bring Christina home. Gwyneth’s request was a pipe-dream and yet…it was the woman’s only request. He should try to fulfill it. He furrowed his brow and considered the idea.
He couldn’t fly into Mercosta since he’d never officially exited the country according to airport records. However, he could take a boat across the channel and then hike through the jungle to the spot where the chopper had picked them up. If he found Christina’s remains, he’d find a way to bring them back for a decent burial or whatever ceremony witches performed. If he didn’t find her, he’d perish trying. And Dante was in Cantala, along with his ‘associate’.
A plan began to form in his mind and he reached for his phone. Time to access his network of contacts.
Later that evening, Stone stood in the doorway to the children’s room. They were already asleep which was l
ikely for the best. He didn’t know what to do with kids anyway.
Paul Jr. had fallen asleep, his thumb resting near his mouth. Stone gently eased it away and pulled the covers up around the boy’s shoulders before setting the teddy bear he’d purchased on the pillow beside him.
“No more thumb sucking,” he whispered. “An Alpha has to have a straight smile.”
Lily was sleeping soundly on her back. Clarice, the doll, had fallen on the floor and Stone stooped to pick it up. It was dirty now and somewhat misshapen but the colourful ribbons were still attached to the braids. He flicked one with his finger then paused and sniffed the doll. Christina’s scent was still present on it. Or maybe it was his imagination.
He held the doll in his hand recalling how pleased Christina had been when she purchased it, how the ribbons had seemed to match her hair. He’d scoffed at the toy, even tried to purposely leave it behind.
Leave it behind.
The doll had made it out of Cantala but Christina hadn’t. He trailed one finger down the doll’s cheek. It seemed to smile at him, a certain twinkle in its button eyes almost as if Christina were looking at him. Of course she wasn’t; she was dead but the doll would always remind him of her. His heart beat heavily, his sense of loss more acute than ever.
A soft touch on his leg drew his attention. Lily was awake and sitting up in bed.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Tina?” The little girl looked at him hopefully.
“Sorry.” He swallowed hard and then eased himself down so he was sitting on the bed. How did you tell a child someone was dead? “She’s…er…she’s gone.”
“Miss her.” The child’s face fell, tears welling in her eyes. One crystal-like drop rolled down her cheek followed by another and then another.
Stone stared at the tears, so heartfelt, so pure. He reached out and awkwardly gathered the child into his arms, cradling her as she sobbed. Her small body quivered against his chest and he tucked her head under his chin. Hot tears soaked into his shirt, small trusting hands clutched his neck.
Poor little tyke. First her parents and now Tina. A heavy sigh escaped him, the child’s tears touching some unfamiliar place inside him.
Ah, Tina. Why did you offer to help and why did I agree? She’d been so eager, excited about the adventure, marvelling at the flowers, scared of the spiders. A lump formed in his throat.
She’d been completely incompetent with the machete; he’d even had to show her how to use the rifle. Hell, she’d caught him with a fishing hook! A half chuckle escaped him but then his mouth turned downward, his lips beginning to tremble.
Why did that bullet have to hit you? Why did you have to be so brave and let the kids go first? He blinked, his eyes stinging.
Why did you have to die?
Tina…
Wetness coated his cheeks and for once he didn’t hold back. Right here, right now, he wasn’t a Guardian, he wasn’t a man of stone. He was just a man and his heart hurt, his very soul was bereft. Shudders shook his frame and he held Lily all the tighter, knowing she understood. In the dark of the hospital room, he and Lily shared their sorrow and cried for the beautiful spirit that was no more.
With tears came a healing of sorts. Eventually sobs changed to sniffles and then deep sighs. He still felt empty, raw, but the knot in his chest had eased a bit. Lily released her grip on his neck and he set her back in the bed. Using the corner of the bed sheet, he wiped her cheeks recalling the instructions Christina had once given him on cleaning little faces. Lily grabbed the sheet and returned the favour.
“Better?” She smiled up at him, her lashes spikey but her eyes bright. Just like Christina’s would have been.
He cleared his throat and replied gruffly. “Yeah. I feel better.” Recalling the original reason for his visit, he handed her the stuffed rabbit he’d purchased. She beamed, hugging it to her chest. Somehow, he found himself sitting beside her once again, listening to her garbled version of the spider and the spout song as she made the rabbit bounce about on his leg.
“The eensy, weensy spider…” The words felt foreign to his tongue, his voice too deep for the foolish rhyme but he tried to recall the words, murmuring them softly so as to not wake up the boy. Lily giggled as he stumbled over the phrases and he felt himself smiling, her joy contagious. Somewhere he’d heard that children were resilient. It would seem that it was true.
Soon she was yawning and Stone stood up, knowing he had to leave. He tucked her in, gave her the rabbit and then, almost reluctantly, handed her Clarice. The doll was his only link with Christina. He touched the ribbons one last time and cleared his throat. “Take good care of Clarice for me, okay?”
He blinked away the prickling feeling that returned to his eyes. Hell, what was wrong with him? It was stupid for a grown man to feel sentimental over a bit of rag.
Lily looked at him for a moment and then handed him back the doll. “Stone.”
He moved his gaze from the doll to Lily to the doll again. “You want me to keep it?”
She nodded and he swallowed hard.
“Thanks. I…” On impulse, he took a couple of ribbons from the doll and tied them to the rabbit’s ears. “There, now we both have a piece of her.”
Lily smiled widely and then curled onto her side and closed her eyes, the rabbit hugged to her chest.
Stone left the room, Clarice in his hands. He wondered if he’d ever see the pups again but knew it would be unlikely. The life of a Guardian was filled with passing encounters. Most of the time, you never knew what eventually happened to the people you helped and then left behind. Sometimes, it was better that way.
“You’re insane. Risking your life to recover a body makes no sense.” Reno faced Stone across the hospital bed. Stone was finishing tying his shoes, ready to leave on a hare-brained scheme back to the jungle.
“Gwyneth asked me to.”
“Gwyneth likely hopes you’ll be swallowed alive by a snake and die a slow painful death as you’re digested in its stomach.”
“Probably, but at least I’ll have tried to find Christina.”
“Stone, you know as well as anyone that her remains…” Reno stopped and coughed, not wanting to voice the grim facts. After three days, a dead body in the jungle… He shook his head at the image.
“I know, but if there’s even a chance of finding something, I have to do it.” Stone took a deep breath. “I don’t want to think of her alone and forgotten. I need to have the closure of her being in a final resting place. I want her remains to be respected and honoured. I want those two kids to one day visit her grave and know she gave her life for them.”
Reno stared at the other man. Stone by name, stone by nature; that’s what they used to say about him when the man had still worked for Lycan Link. Yet now there seemed to be an extra sheen to his eyes, a certain tone in his voice that belied the old moniker.
In his pocket, he had Stone’s new passport, conveniently forged and delivered express, courtesy of Lycan Link. There was also a debit card that granted access to a bank account with a substantial balance—his ‘pay’ from High Councillor Duffy—and an airline ticket back home.
Fielding was expecting him to bring Stone back to Lycan Link for a formal debriefing. The man would have a fit if Stone didn’t show. Of course, Fielding’s days must be pretty boring stuck in an office week after week. It wouldn’t hurt the old man to have something to bluster about; it might even do him some good, get his blood circulating, right?
Reno rubbed the back of his neck. If the positions were reversed, if, heaven forbid, it were Brandi who’d gone missing, he’d move mountains to find her final resting place. Just because Stone didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, and Christina was a witch rather than a Lycan, didn’t mean the feeling was any less.
“All right.” He nodded. “I’ll help you.”
“I don’t care if you—” Stone looked up, one brow raised. “Come again?”
“I said
I’d help you.” Reno pulled the passport out of his pocket. “Here, try not to lose this one.”
Stone flipped the passport open and scanned the contents. “Thanks.”
“This might be helpful, too.” He gave him the bank card. “Conscience money from Duffy.”
“Blood-money is more like it.” Stone stared at the card, his mouth set in a thin line. “I’ll use it though. Use it to find her and give her a proper burial.”
“Do you have your plans made? How are you getting there?”
They sat down at the small table and Stone outlined the steps he’d already taken. They were detailed, well thought out, though Reno hadn’t expected anything less. Before Deirdre had taken over Virtus, it had garnered a reputation as an efficient, top-notch organization.
“You know, when you get back, I could put a good word in for you. Lycan Link can always use someone with your skills.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. If I come back, I’ll find my own way.”
“When you come back, we’ll have a drink together. Ice water for you, right?”
Stone gave a brief huff of laughter. “I’ll hold you to it.”
Reno got to his feet. “Want a ride to the marina? My rental is parked out front.”
“Sure.” Stone pocketed the passport and bank card. “Do me a favour? Check on the pups? Make sure they’re okay?”
“Will do.”
“And if I don’t make it back, one day, when they’re older, tell them about Christina and what she did for them.”
“Don’t worry. Her memory will live on.”
Chapter 13
Stone’s wolf snarled as it gave an extra burst of speed, narrowly avoiding the venomous jaws of a snake. The creature had been dozing on the far side of a log and he’d accidentally landed on it.
This is the witch’s doing, his wolf muttered. She likely hexed the serpent and had it lay in wait for us!
Stone agreed. Misadventure did seem to be plaguing this trek. The boat he’d hired to take him across the channel had almost been swamped by waves during an overnight storm. Once on the shore, he’d had to sneak past a group of government forces who had been patrolling the area. A pack of wild dogs near the village had decided to challenge his right to pass through the area…
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