by Caris Roane
She shook her hands in the air. “I heard my wolf bark, then followed the line of her intent gaze. Then there he was. Did I make a mistake saying what I said?”
He spoke the truth. “I don’t know. It might have been better to keep Kryder ignorant of your knowledge of his presence. Whatever the case, it’s too late now.”
She pressed both hands to her face. “Okay. Okay.” She blew the air from her cheeks several times.
He glanced around. “Where’s your wolf now?”
“With me. I need to figure out what to do next.”
Something about the way she’d just framed her thoughts didn’t sit well with him. “What do you mean?”
“If you tell me where I can find him, I think it’s time your pal, Kryder, and I have a little chat.”
“Are you kidding?” Her words were a blow to his chin.
“Of course not.” She began saying something else, but her earlier statement about talking to Kryder herself had made him deaf.
His thoughts drew instantly inward and he was back in the Graveyard with Renee in his arms and her blood spread over him like a blanket. Somehow, in the space of two short nights with Natalie, she’d started to mean something to him. Because he hadn’t felt this way about a woman in a long time, suddenly he couldn’t breathe.
This time, he saw Natalie’s blood covering his arms and chest, her life leaking out of her until there was no air left in her lungs, no ability to bring air back into her body. It would be Kryder’s doing.
Again.
What swept through him was a powerful sensation to which he responded without thinking. He leapt toward her, caught her in his arms mid-sentence and flew her straight up into the night air. As soon as he cleared the tops of the trees, he angled toward Revel Territory to the north and added some speed.
He felt her struggle in his arms and thought maybe he was holding her too tight. His hearing opened as well perhaps due to the fact she was yelling at him telepathically. What are you doing, Grant? Let me go? Where are you taking me?
He answered the last question. Back to Revel?
Why?
Because you’re no match for Kryder and you sure as hell don’t belong in this fight. This is my battle with my alpha. I don’t want you here. I want you back in your own territory and safe.
She continued struggling against him. Let me go. Now. Do you hear me Davis Grant? Get your hands off me. You have no right to dictate what I can and cannot do.
He glanced down and saw they’d cleared the broad barbed wire border between Savage and Revel. Since she was still pushing at him, he released her.
She fell through the air and he was just pivoting to go after her when she caught her levitational balance, righted herself and aimed both hands straight for him.
She caught him awkwardly off to his left side and gave a push which sent him spinning. When he regained his equilibrium, he saw that she floated in the air twenty feet away, arms crossed over her chest. Something in her smug expression fired up his temper. Didn’t she understand he was just trying to help?
He angled in her direction, then shot forward like a bullet. He had to get her home safely.
But the damn woman was quick. She twirled in the air and did her own gun-firing maneuver and had the audacity to laugh at him. The next minute was spent in a chase like nothing he’d experienced, through the air, darting toward her with what he was sure was enough speed, only to find the air empty when he grabbed for her.
Once, she was below him and caught his boot with both hands, tugged hard and sent him spinning off toward Savage.
At that point, he settled down and took his time. He wasn’t about to let her win this battle. He reined in his emotions and flew steadily in her direction.
This time, he watched how she moved, intent on detecting her flight patterns.
She was good and something about her ability lit him up all over again.
Still, he was careful until finally he saw how her quickness gave her a moment’s blindness when she spun, and her back was turned. He set up his plan, shot toward her only this time, as she started her spin, he reversed direction then came up right in front of her.
He caught her with both hands on her arms. As soon as her brows rose in surprise, he released her. She was breathing hard. He was, too.
This time, she didn’t move away. She remained floating in front of him. She even drew close and put a hand on his shoulder. “So, what’s going on because I could swear you wanted to work with me.”
He shook his head slowly. “I can’t let you do this, Natalie. I can’t let you get anywhere near Kryder. I don’t want you to return to Savage. Ever.”
“Maybe you’re forgetting. He sabotaged my strawberry pie all the way in Cave Creek. I think his reach is well beyond Savage.”
“That’s not the point. I don’t want you involved, not like this.”
She gestured with a wild thrust of her hand into the air. “Don’t you get it, Grant? I’m already involved.” Of course, the abrupt gesture flipped her off to the side, but she righted herself easily enough and resumed her place in front of him. She continued, “If you think I’ll be safer in Revel than in Savage, you are out of your mind.”
Once more, she settled her hand on his arm. Her touch was warm and gentle. Female. “Listen,” she said softly. “Why don’t you take me to my home. There’s something I want to show you.”
The fight went out of him. At least they were moving in the right direction, away from Kryder and Savage. But he knew she wasn’t done having her say. He also had the worst suspicion she was right.
Because it was closing in on dawn, the canal section of Revel was very quiet. They were high enough in the air that he could see the network of canals and higher-end homes and condos that lined the waterways. The last of the tourist boats had long since left for the night.
She had a premium lot on the corner of a canal that flowed east then turned to run north. The street side of her home had no other houses since the lane bordered the canal. Tall sissoo trees gave the area a park-like feel. The main street formed a T with three more residential streets. Her location plus the size and quality of her home told him her futurist business served her well. But it was also one more sign she was a woman of exceptional ability. If her affluence was a reflection of her skill in seeing the future, then Kryder was no doubt smart to pursue her. The only thing he didn’t understand was why the alpha hadn’t gotten to her already.
She led him to the backyard and made a gradual descent onto a wide gravel path. He remembered the layout from the time he’d seen her home. He had a closer view now. Italian Cypresses and junipers lined the walkways as well as a few flower beds. There were lemon or lime trees in big stone pots on the patio.
He touched down beside her and as she moved toward the back of the house, he glanced around. The garden had a symmetrical feel, European maybe. Even in the cool days of the desert winter, it would be a green space.
He found the layout soothing. Black-framed windows ran the entire length of the house. A covered patio did the same. Off to the right was a double row of closely planted cypresses screening a more private garden perhaps.
“You like to look outside.”
She looked up at him. “As much as I can.”
When he reached the porch, he noted the steel shutters that would close off the patio with the house. She would have a view of the patio as well as the potted plants during the day but protection from the sun. “This is a sweet design.”
“The shutters? Yes. In my first house, I remember feeling almost claustrophobic during the daylight hours. I wanted something more here.”
“I’m impressed. This was very well thought out.”
She opened the sliding glass door to the kitchen then moved inside. Cool air washed over him as he closed the door. His gaze was drawn to the fireplace of what was the family room off to the right. Above the mantel was a landscape of dark, shadowy hills and the milky way above.
A doze
n memories rushed over him, of seeing the milky way for the first time as a child and his father telling him about stars and galaxies. Later, in college, he’d travelled to a park in Potter County, Pennsylvania where he’d seen the Milky Way’s nucleus. But the most memorable was making love to Renee at the Grand Canyon in the open air beneath all those stars.
Now here was the same extraordinary sight in Natalie’s home. The artist had captured the beauty and majesty of earth’s galaxy.
“What is it?” she asked.
“The Milky Way. I think it’s the last thing I expected to see in your house.”
“Why?” She even chuckled.
“I don’t know, but I love it.”
“The astronomer that you are. Well, I do, too. There are more landscapes with lots of stars in the hallway. You can have a look while I locate what it was I wanted to show you.”
She waved him forward and he followed. He drew in a slow deep breath watching her long, curly brown hair moved across her back as she walked. Who was this woman who loved the stars like he did?
The living room was to the left, a collection of white furniture set on an Oriental rug. The flooring was large gray stone squares. She turned right down a hallway. Though she kept moving, she swept an arm along the right wall indicating the paintings she’d referred to. It was nothing short of a gallery. Opposite the wall were a couple of bedrooms.
When she disappeared into a room at the far end of the hallway, and to the right, he took his time and viewed each painting. She hadn’t been kidding about the stars. Several were done by the same artist. All were of night scenes showing the moon and stars or just the stars as well as different regions of Arizona. He recognized Sedona and the Mogollon Rim, the Grand Canyon, and the White Mountains. The land was lit in a glow, a bit dimmer than his own night vision. The aesthetics were stunning.
When she reappeared, she carried a framed photo in her hand. The frame was silver.
She handed it to him. “This is Aaron and me.”
Her husband who had died during his transition, was a good-looking young man with a faint black beard and black hair combed straight back. He had thick brows and a nose that looked crooked but not in a bad way. He would have made a handsome wolf.
In the photo, Natalie leaned against him. She looked incredibly happy. Her hazel eyes shone with love and laughter. Aaron had his hands low on her abdomen, too low, unless…
Oh, God. “You were pregnant.”
“Almost four months. This was a week before the serum stole my life. And theirs.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t you see, Grant? Kryder didn’t just take my husband, he took my daughter, too. I watched Aaron leave. To this day, I don’t know if it was real or if I was hallucinating, but when he left this earth, he carried her in his arms and named her Grace.” She swallowed hard. “My family.”
Grant stared at the photo for a long time, his throat aching. Natalie hadn’t aged a day since her transition. She looked the same except for a present, persistent tension around her eyes and the compression of her lips. Always on guard watching, searching the sky, the horizon, the shadows.
Theirs was a world of suspended state, of waiting for the other shoe to drop, then drop again, and again, ad infinitum. Even more so right now since they were both caught up in something inexplicable, he with his fae qualities and Natalie with her iridescent wolf of many colors.
But this photo of her very human joy. “I can’t imagine this kind of loss. Renee was hard. But if she’d been carrying our child—” He broke off not knowing how to finish that sentence. His throat had grown all but closed up.
The photo didn’t lie. Their child was the start of a new level to their life and to their love. He’d wanted children with Renee, but she’d wanted to surf as long as she could then she would settle down and give him a dozen brats, as she used to say, if that was what he wanted.
He was a patient man. He could wait.
Now she was gone and every hope of a family.
“Grant, I know you’re trying to protect me, which is why I’ll forgive your ridiculous behavior when you hauled me into the air in the forest. But I need you to curb that kind of thinking because it won’t help. Now that I know the truth, that Kryder was the one who stole my family from me, I won’t rest until he’s imprisoned or dead.”
He handed the photo back to her, then drew close, because he needed her to hear what he had to say. “I want you to look at me for a moment, at my physical power. I want you to think about my ability to build and maneuver dreamglides, to take you to the far ends of the earth. Do you see how much power this entails?”
“I do.” She bobbed her head. Her lips were still compressed, her jaw in a jut.
“Then understand this: All that I possess is still not enough for me to unseat Kryder, to challenge him in any way. If I met him in a dominance fight tonight, he would take me down. I’d leave him bruised, maybe even with a few broken bones, but I’d be dead and that’s the difference, that’s why I don’t want you in Savage right now.”
Her chin remained elevated. “I understand what you’re saying, but it’s irrelevant. I might even have a death wish at this point. But I’m going after Kryder, whether you come along for the ride or not.”
“Bold words.”
Her gaze slid off to the side as her thoughts drew inward. She tugged at a loose curl at her shoulder. “I’m not bold. I’m deep-water angry.”
“What do you mean?”
She met his gaze once more. “This isn’t a surface rage, Grant. The way I feel is that nothing else matters until he’s gone, however long that takes. If I die in the process, so be it. People like Kryder, male or female, need to be rooted out of Five Bridges and exposed for what they are so no one else can ever be hurt again. I’m under no illusions. If he dies, others will take his place. But for now, for this point in time, Kryder is my responsibility.”
He’d never heard it put like that before.
“Let me say it another way, in case I haven’t made myself clear: I’m going after Kryder whether you’re involved or not. This isn’t about you ‘letting me’ do anything.”
He saw her resolve. Hell, he felt it in waves coming off her. What right did he have to tell her what to do one way or the other? What he felt was all about him, his fears of losing her when he now realized how important she was becoming to him.
Yet, he understood better than anyone the resolve she had. “You’ve made your case. I was reacting to a need to protect you which is my job as an alpha wolf. But your path is your own.” These were some of the hardest words he’d ever spoken. Every wolf-cell in his body wanted to ensure her safety by whatever means he had possessed.
She gave him a measuring look. “We could try to work together, you and me. If you wanted. We might even have a chance if we joined forces.”
He nodded slowly. “You may be right.”
“You think it’s a possibility?”
This wasn’t his first choice. He’d rather she stayed out of the picture. Given Kryder’s investment in her, she was in more danger than she understood. “I see and accept your resolve. I don’t approve of it, but I accept it. I also agree that we might have a chance if we team up and I’m willing to do that.
“But you have to understand, Natalie, that it’s in my wolf nature to protect you with every tool I’ve got.”
Her lips curved. “So, this won’t be the last time we quarrel.”
“Not likely.” He smiled. “I’m okay with that, too.”
She dipped her chin. “So am I.”
There was one last issue to address and it was a big one. He doubted she’d agree to it. “All right, then.” He caught her arm with his hand. “You need to be open to something, however, and you’re not going to like it.”
“What’s that?” Her chin rose once more, an angled jut of dare-me-and-see-what-happens.
“You’ll need to start accessing your future, if we’re to have the smallest chance.”
Natalie’s chin rose a fr
action higher. “I told you, I avoid knowing my future. Too many nightmares.”
“Then you have a choice to make because I’m convinced it’s the only way. Kryder ruined your life because he has access to the future. I’m convinced he has a fae, a very gifted one, engaged in spying on you. She’s no doubt been dipping into the future for a long time. Maybe she’s even seen our conversation here. It’s my opinion that the only way we can do this is if we fight fire with fire.”
The line of her compressed lips grew grim. “I can’t do it, Grant. Don’t ask me to.”
“Then it’s simple. I’m not going forward unless you’re all in. That you would hold back what could be your most significant weapon, is unacceptable. I’ll leave now, or you take all that willfulness of yours and open up to the future. Your call.”
He waited but she made no move. Her expression didn’t change either.
“I have my answer. I wish you well, Natalie. Take care.”
He didn’t hesitate but turned on his heel and headed back up the hall. He’d seen this a dozen times with younger wolves. No good ever came from a wolf holding back. The equation, especially here in Five Bridges, could not support an attitude of ‘I’ll do everything…except’. The ‘except’ part of life got you killed every time.
This was Natalie’s ‘except’ moment.
She called after him. “I can’t do it, Grant. I won’t.”
He didn’t look back at her. He lifted his arm in farewell. When he reached the end of the hall, he turned left and crossed the tile toward the sliding glass door.
Just as he was reaching for the door handle, she cried out, “Grant, wait.”
He still didn’t turn to face her, though he let his fingers rest on the handle.
~ ~ ~
A ball of fear sat deep in the pit of Natalie’s stomach, a tight knot built from past experiences and nightmares. Each time she’d reached into the future on her own behalf, images had returned to her that had shaken her to her core. She’d seen herself shot and falling from the sky. Terrified she’d see her own death, she’d refused to follow the future event.
