As we approached our private dock, we passed Sunken Rock lighthouse and Boldt Castle.
“My God,” I whispered into Bodhi’s ear. “I think I forgot just how beautiful this place is.”
“I know, right? I say we strip down and catch the sunset in the hot tub.” He nipped at my ear and tingles danced down my neck.
“I say, yes,” I whispered back.
Eleutian cut the engine and eased the boat inside the boathouse where Zephyr and Colten were waiting to greet us. Everyone got up at once and while Zephyr tied off the lines. Colten lifted me from the boat and spun me around. He was almost as tall as the professor, but he was much more solid with the shoulders of a linebacker. I inhaled the smell of his testosterone. The man was the sexiest ginger I’d ever met—like Benny from Dazed and Confused, if Benny were a tatted-up UFC champion in army fatigues. His kisses stole my breath away, but that was Colten. He was more a man of action than words.
We all marched single file into the Hideaway via the back French doors. I was lost in the beauty of the island until the scent of home cooking hit me.
Zephyr sidled over and wrapped his arms around me then Colten completed the sandwich hug from behind. I couldn’t stop the tears then, so they squeezed tighter—so tight I couldn’t breathe, but I managed a small squeak.
“Sorry, Midnight,” Colten said and let go.
“Well, if I’m going to die of suffocation, that’s the way to do it,” I said smirking. “So, which one of you handsome men cooked?”
“What’s going on?” Grimm asked through a yawn, as he approached from the hall.
Zephyr blushed and ran a hand through his tangled dark hair. “I did. I started it right after Bodhi got the call. I didn’t know at the time that the girl was your friend because you never talked about her, but I figured you would be upset regardless, so…”
I smiled, and he flashed his fangs. He was just so cute. My first real crush. “Thanks. That was really thoughtful. Maggie…”
“It would be, except for Evie hates chicken and noodle stew,” Grimm blurted out, interrupting me.
“Grimm!” I turned and stomped on his foot.
Eleutian tossed the boat keys onto the counter, and also hollered at Grimm.
“What?” Grimm looked unapologetic as usual.
I turned to see the hurt look on Zephyr’s face.
“Honestly Z, I don’t hate it.”
“It’s okay if you do,” Zephyr said, walking to the stove to stir the pot. “I can make you something else.”
“No, absolutely not. Grimm’s just teasing because in the Delphine house growing up it was a running joke. The rest of the world thought anything to do with chicken and noodles was comforting but for us it was peanut butter on homemade bread or tomato soup and tuna sandwiches.”
“Yuck! What a strange combo.”
“Right?! That’s what my friends all thought too. Anyway, I’m not a kid anymore and I like chicken and noodles just fine. Now, as I was saying… Maggie, my friend, she didn’t want me to talk about her to anyone. Which is a little weird now that I think about it. But, anyway, thank you for dinner. You’re the sweetest!”
The other guys in unison yelled, “Hey!”
Zephyr added, “I brought some of the ingredients from New Orleans through the portal, so hopefully we don’t have a Brundle fly situation going on.”
I felt my face scrunch up and said, “I’m not sure what you mean by that but eeew!”
“You know, like the movie. Never mind. We’ll watch it sometime.”
A few of the guys snickered.
“So, what’s a demon got to do to get some attention around here?!” Grimm said. I was about to go and hug him when Eleutian wandered over and whispered into his ear.
“Okay, everyone, let’s get chow. We need to have a meeting,” Demas said. “So glad you could join us, Psycho-pomp.”
I walked over to the wall of windows and watched a ship pass by. “Can we have the meeting in the pool area? I could really use that breathtaking view right now.”
“Actually, Evie, it’s kind of serious,” Demas replied.
I turned and studied his face. He was standing in front of the massive stone fireplace with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. Hmm. He really was serious.
Grimm broke the silence with the pop of a wine cork and Demas shot him a dirty look.
“What? I’m supposed to abstain from alcohol ‘cause you’re being a Debbie Downer.”
Demas just shook his head and walked to the stove.
After we’d all settled at the harvest table, our plates heaped with chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side, Demas scanned the room. There was an overbearing silence, pierced by the clatter of forks on china. His gaze seemed to linger on each and every one of us before he found a chair and sat down. No one looked up but me. Everyone’s heads were down, shoveling food in as quick as they could get it. Demas flashed me an uneasy smile and then took his own first bite. After several minutes he spoke.
“Alright everyone, if you’re done licking your plates, I need your attention.”
I looked around and everyone’s plates were clean except for Demas’ and mine. Something was really affecting him.
“Evie, feel free to keep eating while I talk. I know you can multi-task.”
He winked and I nodded before he continued.
“So, I know some of you noticed my unusually aggressive behavior today, and I need to explain, because it could affect the case,” Demas said. “I’ve talked to Aurora and she is behind me one hundred percent, but I need to make sure you all feel that way, too. Evie, I want to apologize again for my violent reaction when you surprised me.”
I heard swift intakes of breath from the three guys that hadn’t been with us.
I held my hand up. “Demas, please don’t even go there. You were upset, and to be honest it makes me feel like less of a teammate when you treat me like some fragile china doll.”
“Okay, if you’d prefer that topic closed…”
I nodded, unsure what more to say. I hated their worried, overprotective looks but short of growing a penis there wasn’t much more I could do to prevent them.
“O-okay, if we’re done with that,” Demas said, unconvincingly, “I need to tell you all about some history between Razor Howl and myself.” He paused again. “You all know I’m a werewolf.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“But I’ve never told you about my pack.”
For some reason I was growing nervous. “This has something to do with Howl?”
Demas nodded his head and I set my plate aside.
Demas shook his head and walked away. “When I was a pup, I lived in the Ohio valley area with my father. He was the alpha of our pack, The Blackpaw Phantoms. My mother had died trying to birth twins when I was very young. Werewolves bear their young just like humans, so we don’t have litters like wild wolves or dogs. My father shunned any advances by females in the pack. Until this one day, years later, a woman shows up at our home wanting to interview my father. She was gorgeous and my father was a goner as soon as he met her.”
“Aurora,” I said.
Demas nodded. “She came from the Chicago office working her way up in the society, so she volunteered for a field trip of sorts to interview all of the alphas in the country regarding the society and what type of issues the werewolves had or if they thought things were well addressed.
“She had interviewed Razor prior to my father.” Demas stood and started pacing behind the sectional. “He apparently wanted her, too, although none of us realized it at the time. Anyway, my father and Aurora tried a long-distance relationship for several months, but it was hard on everyone, including the pack. Packs can suffer if the alpha isn’t happy. She had received a promotion after the interview project and my father felt he couldn’t ask her to move, so…”
I looked around the room and noted the looks of surprise and shock on the guy’s faces. The room was growing darker.
Glancing out the window, I noticed several dark clouds were covering the sun.
“So, you and your dad moved?” I asked, as I sat on the sectional sofa.
Demas stopped pacing to face me. “It’s not that simple, Evie. This was unheard of among werewolves. Packs stay where they’re started, always. But you’re right, except my father moved the entire pack to Illinois, south of the city. Near Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve. We still had to be careful being that close to a large metropolitan area, but at least we had trees and forest to run through.”
Demas sat next to me, his elbows on his knees. Rubbing his face. This was clearly hard for him.
“Aurora and my father mated and married right away, and everything was fine for a while. What we didn’t know was that Razor Howl hadn’t forgotten Aurora and used the move to cause dissension in the pack. He carefully placed snubs and doubts that my father wasn’t a true alpha since he followed a woman. Animosity spread quickly, especially to the older wolves. Granted, some of them were loyal to my father and they were the ones that told us–too late. Razor challenged my father as alpha of the Blackpaw Phantoms.”
“Challenged him for the pack? What does that mean?” I asked as I glanced around the room. I knew it couldn’t be good, but from the look on everyone’s faces, it was worse.
“Challenges are for control of a pack. To the death,” Eleutian said.
I wrapped my arms around Demas from behind and rested my cheek on his back. “Oh, Demas, I’m so sorry!”
He was holding his head in his hands and then suddenly jumped up breaking our contact and started pacing again. I saw his eyes were golden instead of their normal blue. I’d never once seen that in all the months we’d known each other.
“My father was a strong male still in his prime, but Howl killed him in fang and claw combat. I couldn’t understand it, so we had a tox screen done quietly with Aurora’s help and found out that he’d been poisoned with wolfsbane.”
I couldn’t believe that wolfsbane worked on werewolves just like in all of the supernatural books and movies. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at this point, after everything I had seen. I realized Demas was still talking.
“We couldn’t prove anything, but it had to be Howl. As if that wasn’t enough, he tried to force Aurora to mate him immediately, but the pack finally realized what they’d helped to create. So, the pack members loyal to my father protected Aurora and I until her family could arrange an escape plan. The Midnights were quite heavily connected so we were safe. Eventually, she took me with her to Chicago and worked her way up to head of the society while I attended school.”
“I’m sorry, Demas. Thank God for Aurora. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” I said.
“I guess that explains your behavior today with the phone and the werewolves,” Eleutian added.
“Shit, boss, I can’t believe you didn’t ever tell us this in all the years we’ve known you,” Bodhi said.
“I didn’t see the point. We weren’t part of my father’s pack anymore, in fact, the only item I have of my childhood is a wolf statue. My father gave it to my mother when they mated. He always said it looked like her in wolf form. It had a little compartment in the bottom. She always left treats for me there. It was a long time ago. Besides, as my stepmother, Aurora became my pack and now all of you. When Howl realized Aurora wasn’t part of the package, he went back to New York. We’ve had to deal with him on the council, but I stay clear unless absolutely necessary.”
“Until today,” Eleutian said.
I watched as Demas nodded. “Is this why you purchased the island under several layers of shell companies? So Howl couldn’t track ownership and know where we live?” I blurted out.
Demas and the others all looked shocked and my face reddened.
“How did you know about that, Evie?” Demas asked.
“Umm, well, I found the records when I was practicing my meager hacking skills.”
“Not so meager, Midnight, if you found that out. Excellent,” Colten added.
I expected Demas to comment, but he just stared at Zephyr’s bowed head. Zephyr slowly raised his eyes to meet Demas’ gaze. There seemed to be a conversation going on between them. I had a feeling there was more to the story, but how could it include a vampire? I looked at the others and they were scowling, even Grimm. Uh oh.
“There’s more. I’d have to be blind not to see it. Out with it!” I demanded.
“It wasn’t only my story to tell, so I need to get permission first,” Demas said. “Zephyr, do you want to tell it?”
He looked at me with sadness in his eyes and then shook his head at Demas.
“Fourteen years later, crime started hitting Chicago’s supernatural population. Specifically, vampires. Aurora had been elected president by this time; I’d graduated with my PhD and was sitting in a pub minding my own business when I overheard a conversation. It was between a couple of my old pack members, but they didn’t recognize me. They were discussing a raid on a vampire hive in a building near downtown.”
I glanced at Zephyr for a reaction, but he was staring into his drink. “So, let me guess, Demas, you followed them.” It was a statement because it was clear what had happened.
“I did because they moved quickly. I felt I had no choice. They met up with five more werewolves, but I didn’t recognize them. I hid nearby and listened as they discussed their entrance and exit plan. They set fire to the seemingly abandoned building where the hive lived. I heard their screams. I ran in the basement, but it was too late. Or so I thought. I heard this rustling sound and realized there was another small room about twenty feet away, —well really more of an alcove. That’s when I saw a young vampire looking at me with fear. Thank the gods they raided at night. I snatched him up and ran as fast as I could, all the way home.”
“Zephyr,” I said.
Demas nodded just as Zephyr looked up.
“Who needs a sandwich hug now? You, too, Demas?” I asked. “Like a giant hoagie sandwich with all the fixin’s.” I looked at everyone with my brows raised. They took the cue. The guys nearest Demas and Zephyr pushed them together and we all gathered around them and squeezed. From the sounds of it some of the guys competed for the title of tightest squeeze. I rolled my eyes. I stepped away and it turned into a scuffle, but I could hear some laughter.
“Alright, you guys, mission accomplished. Break it up before you smash the furniture,” Demas said.
They listened albeit with last-minute shoves here and there before sitting. Some at the table, some on the sectional with me.
“Demas, did you find out who ordered the raids?” I asked.
“It was that fucker, Howl!” Bodhi said.
“What?” I asked. “Why would he raid hives in Chicago? I thought he went home to New York?”
“Remember I told you I recognized those two from my old pack. I hunted them and followed until they were alone, then Aurora sent backup. The Supernatural Society can detain indefinitely if need be, without anything more than suspicion. Anyway, Aurora and I interrogated them because of our connection. They admitted right away that Razor Howl ordered the hits, but they couldn’t prove anything. It had been hell in the pack since Howl became alpha, he used fear and intimidation to ensure obedience. They said he threatened family members in the pack. At first, they thought he was just that way to the Blackpaw Phantoms because of the circumstances, but they had witnessed first-hand he treated the Redrum Rebels the same.”
Demas walked to the bar cart in the corner of the room and poured himself a glass of whisky. He slugged it back before he continued. “They said they would testify against Razor, but it wouldn’t be enough. They told us they had no family left and it was clear they were beaten down and terrified, so we offered to relocate them with the proviso they would return if needed. The raids stopped immediately, so we could never prove anything.”
“So, you took Z under your wing… err paw?” I asked.
“Yes, and we moved
to New Orleans because Aurora wanted to go home. Not long after, I was tapped for the hellhound position and wouldn’t go unless Zephyr was in too.”
Zephyr’s chair scraped against the hardwood as he got to his feet, gathering up the plates around him. Colten and I both stood as well and I took the plates from him.
“Sit!” I said. “The chef doesn’t clean.”
We all began to clean up while Zephyr took a seat on the couch. Colten shot Bodhi with the faucet sprayer. Demas yelled. I was drying the dishes when Eleutian winged his elbow at me and jerked his chin at Zephyr. Looking over my shoulder, I wasn’t sure if Z was reliving the memory or just enjoying the view. It had started to rain in the last couple minutes and the drops were slowly running down the glass.
13
The Vampire
H e sat forward, elbows planted on his knees, as Evie approached.
“Are you okay, Zephyr?” She ran her fingers through his hair.
He closed his eyes, it felt so good. “What?”
“Come with me.” Evie traced her fingers down his arm, then tugged once their hands intertwined. He didn’t budge. She pulled free and made her way to the French doors, watching the light rain. She glanced at the duffel bags and evidence piled on the floor, probably thinking they needed to get to work, but instead quietly slipped outside.
He immediately stood and grabbed her jacket off the coat tree near the front door. Returning to the back, in time to see her shiver at the touch of the cold mist-like rain on her skin. He followed her as she walked the path that wound through the trees. Their leaves were a beautiful gold-red, except for the conifers. The island itself wasn’t large, although walking through the maples, oaks and spruce imbued him with the feeling that he and Evie were the only two people in the world. That feeling was short-lived and faded at the seaway’s edge where all manner of boats glided by.
Sticks & Stones Spell Werewolf Bones: A Why Choose Academy Romance Page 6
