“Oh shut up! You’ve caused all this. I should let them take you!”
“Father!”
“Look,” Cole pleaded, trying to keep things calm. “Because of the circumstances of events, and Kaleb has claimed satisfaction on her behalf, I’m sure we can persuade Agent Vane to drop the charges on both counts should you drop yours.” He silently pleaded with me. “Can’t you?”
“Why are you asking her?” Theodulf said, exasperated. “You’re above her in every way, son! This is beneath you!”
“Father,” Cole said, his tone stern, “I am Enforcer Chief. And what I ask of her now goes against all the PCA stands for. Be grateful there is an opportunity for compromise here.” He lowered his voice. “There are witnesses to both charges.”
Light shimmered in Theodulf’s eyes, like a light bulb turning on in his irises. About two steps away from a seedy wink, he seemed to realize the weight behind Cole’s words. His pack looked on. “Very well.” He adjusted his robes. “We will allow you to leave these lands if you drop the charges against my son.”
“You’ll allow her to leave these lands unharmed, I’m sure you meant to say,” said Kaleb, his tightened jaw the only evidence of the anger he bore against his father.
Eli didn’t seem to like that. “You’re going to let them leave? Just like that?”
“Pipe down, boy!” Theodulf snapped. “I think it’s time we call it a day—all of us. We’ve been up for several hours now. They’ve got satisfaction. And your mother doesn’t have to see one of her sons die. Go see to your injuries.”
Eli took a step toward me. “I’ll make sure—”
“I said, go see to your injuries!”
Eli cringed, his eyes filled with poison, just for me. But he did as his father said.
“Cole, stay with us.” Theodulf waved him forth. “Our people need comfort. We shall feast!”
Cole frowned but nodded. He threw both Kaleb and me a look of apology, silently pleading for me to let him deal with the aftermath.
“Come on,” Kaleb said, an edge to his tone. I let him lead me away. Bernard, Mayra, and Zax followed behind us, all eager to get away from ‘the land of treachery’ as Bernard called it under his breath.
We solemnly trailed back to Caladonia Moor to get our things, and I was more than ready to say goodbye to the land of the wolves, collecting Libby on the way.
37
The second we reached the guest cabin on Brent and Anya’s land, Kaleb said he had to speak with Brent. He whispered a few words to Bernard, then disappeared out of sight.
After watching him retreat with worry, I pulled myself together to pack our things.
Mayra and the others helped, Libby on a lust high after we’d pulled her off the smiling wolves. She’d giggled the whole way back after we’d collected her, and I let Bernard have the role of den mother.
Once we’d gathered all of our belongings, Bernard and Mayra took Libby with them to help Zax pick up his equipment while I said goodbye to Anya. I found her leaving her cabin, a look of worry on her face when her eyes caught mine. She looked at the bag I dumped at my feet while I spoke with her.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I think it’s time.”
“Ethan told us about the challenge,” she frowned, “Brent wanted to intervene, but his beta stopped him. It would have caused more problems for you.”
“And for you. I would have hated that,” I said in all honesty. “But we made it through unscathed.” I shrugged. “In a way.”
She put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Want to tell me what happened?”
I did. A high-level summary at least, telling her enough so she had the heads up. But not too much where she’d have to lie or hold anything back should Theodulf come sniffing on their lands again. Once I’d finished, I said, “I’m sorry for bringing so much shit to your door, Anya. Especially regarding Theodulf Cipher.”
“Bullshit,” she snapped. “You came because one of ours asked you to. You saved us from the threat to our lands. You jumped in the lake to save one of our own. We owe you.”
She pulled me into an embrace and I held on tight. I may not have known her long, but she’d brought me into her fold without a second thought. Her embrace comforted me.
“Thanks, Anya.” I leaned back. “And I’m sorry to cut and run, but I think the longer we stay here, the more trouble it will bring. It’s best we leave now and go back through the portal to continue with our assignment.”
She tilted her head, studying me before taking my arm and leading me to the cabin steps. She sat and patted the space next to her. “Eli crossed a major line with you,” she said once I sat next to her. “Kaleb was well within his rights to challenge him. No matter who Theodulf thinks he is.”
“Brent isn’t pleased with me.”
She nudged me. “You’ve opened his eyes. Made him see sense. I can’t thank you enough for that alone.” She blew out a breath and looked out at the landscape. “Brent has tried so hard to step out of his father’s shadow, but he often doubts himself when the older wolves go against him. He wants to change things, innovate, but every time it’s as if he’s reminded he’d be disappointing his old man if he followed through with it. Theodulf took advantage of that, including the connection he had with Brent’s father. It sideswiped Brent, but you forced him into a direction. One where a weight has lifted from his shoulders. You may frustrate him, Terra, but only because you’ve dragged him out of his comfort zone and forced him to take a long, hard look at himself. In time, he will be as grateful as I am now.”
“Thanks, Anya. For everything.”
“Hey. You made it easy.” She laughed at my furrowed brow. “Okay. Maybe not. But even though you have human DNA, you have a wolf’s heart. And I wish you and Kaleb all the best in making it work. You deserve it.”
“I don’t think he’s happy with me at the moment either.”
“Give him time. He’s hurt, and he’s angry. But not at you. As a man, seeing you hurt in such a way enrages him. But as a wolf, and one who sees you as his mate, it’s a wonder Kaleb didn’t tear out his throat and play skipping rope with his innards.”
I shuddered. “Nice vision.”
“Yeah. But that’s the truth of it. It goes to show how strong Kaleb is that he not only stopped his wolf from trying to claim you while in the throes of passion. But to stop his wolf from trying to take out the one who harmed his potential mate…” She whistled. “I wouldn’t want to cross Kaleb, put it that way.”
“I hate the thought of him hurting or being in pain. And part of me wishes he’d pummeled Eli until he took his last breath. But I couldn’t let him take that burden upon his shoulders. No matter how much I wanted to see his blood.”
“That’s because you can see further ahead. Kaleb can’t right now. All he wants his blood and vengeance, and that’s not only from his wolf's side. The man in him will also feel like he failed to protect you.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “Since joining the IET, it’s been one thing after another. We lost a team member, met a potential replacement who might not get his head around it all. We’ve taken out some bad guys, almost died a few times. And out of them all, I figured Torroro would be the easiest because he didn’t want to cause harm. He didn’t want to escape from the prison. But here I am, proved wrong again, and in a whole different way.”
“Kaleb told us about Torroro,” Anya replied. “He explained how he was like a rogue shifter, not wanting to hurt anyone, not knowing any different. He told us how he came to you freely. How he let you tie him up to take him back to the prison. And how, even in his confusion, he wanted to do the right thing.” She hesitated. “He told me about the locket you wanted to give to his mother.”
“Yeah.” I felt the heat of it in my pocket where I’d stuffed it before fleeing to Kaleb.
“If you would like, I can take the locket back to her.”
“Anya…”
“I understand,” she interrupted, “
if you want to do it yourself. But Torroro died on our lands. We burned him on our lands. Maybe I can put his mother’s mind at ease and tell her we did it respectfully.” She put a comforting hand on my arm. “And we have. Brent quieted those who chanted earlier. My mate took on board what Mayra said about cleansing these lands. And she’s right. It’s important that we feel no hate. Brent made it known about Torroro so the whispers will follow. People may struggle to forgive, but at least they know there was no malicious intent behind the attacks. Maybe that will help with their healing someday.”
Digging into my pocket, I withdrew the locket. “They don’t like wolves in the Lands of Scala,” I told her, and she smiled.
“They don’t like humans either.”
Rubbing the locket, I put it into Anya’s hand. “There is a place called the Crossroads Inn that sits at the base of Giant’s pass, which borders the city, near the Industry Quarter. It’s not too far from the borders of Totem Talamh. There’s an innkeeper there called Melayna who knows Torroro’s mother. If she can’t arrange a meeting with Nuo, she’ll pass the locket on.”
Anya squeezed the locket in her hand. “Then that’s where I’ll start.” She smiled meekly. “I won’t go alone. But I’d like to do this. I want to do this for you, and for the fresh start these lands need, including us stepping out from under Theodulf’s shadow.”
“He could bring shit to your door now. You know that, right?”
She shrugged. “I don’t care. I don’t trust him. Never have. And finally, Brent realizes how important it is to stand up to him, no matter how many wolves Theodulf strives to gain at his back. Brent will have to work harder at his pack relations. But he will. He’ll find strength in that. And he’ll find his worth.”
“He’s a lucky wolf to have you by his side.”
She grinned. “I’ll tell him you said that. Anything you would like me to pass on to this Nuo lady?”
I nodded. “Tell her Torroro didn’t suffer, and that he thought of her in the end. And how much he loved her. He loved his mama.”
“I can do that. Promise you’ll visit again sometime so I can tell you how it went?”
“I promise.” And I meant it. Despite all that had happened, I’d discovered a friend here, and I didn’t want to lose that.
“Great.” She beamed. “Don’t be a stranger, Terra Vane.”
38
When I found Bernard, he told me Kaleb had spoken to Brent and said his goodbyes. His wolf needed to let off some steam, so he’d run back to the portal.
I understood, but I also felt hurt he hadn’t hung around to tell me himself. If he was pissed at me, fair enough, but he didn’t have to be an ass about it.
“Here.” Bernard handed me something as we lugged our belongings off the lands of Totem Talamh.
From him, I took the branch and smiled. “From Dolly.”
“Yes. You’re on official stick sitting duty. It’s creeping me out.”
I laughed. “I dunno. Maybe we can make some wooden medallions out of it or something. Stop you from being so scared of a stake-wannabe.”
“Haha. You’re hilarious.”
“You fear a stick. I think you’re the hilarious one.”
“I’m only scared of a stick when it’s pointy. And that is far from being pointy.”
Shaking my head, I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and linked my arm through his. He’d taken Kaleb’s bag off me earlier, and I let him. He has superior strength after all. Carrying the branch in my hand, it warmed against my skin, and I felt a peace settle within.
The essence of Dolly. Love and serenity.
After all that had happened, it gave me a window of hope that what we were doing was making a difference. Irrelative of how many of the wrong people we annoyed along the way.
“Before we hit the city, I need to ask you if we’re doing the right thing.”
“With that?” Bernard asked me.
“With all this. Faraway was right before, how I’m making ripples, going at the big leagues. My name is tied to the death of Rudolf River. A big deal in the shifter world. Not only that, but I’m also linked to the death of Parris Avar and Florin Thorne, two even bigger deals in the vampire world. The djinn, Raven Moonshine, Lauz Magpie… they make sense seeing as we’re part of the IET, but combined I’m creating even more ripples. We all agreed they believe the IET will fail. That someone is corrupting things high enough in the Consilium. Now this with Theodulf Cipher. Even Dan told me I need to watch my back as they monitor my every step. Add in all the crap with my testing and me having potential Fey blood, and it’s bullshit big isn’t it?”
His lip curled into a smile, but I noticed the hesitation in it. “You have such a way with words, sweetheart. But yes. I think it’s bullshit big. And I don’t think returning to your day job in the PCA is an option for you anymore. If we keep catching the prisoners, a drama following you every which way, then something heavy will soon fall.”
“Bet you didn’t expect this when you signed up for the IET. I’m sorry for putting you forward for it. Dragging you all into this.”
“Are you kidding? I’m having the most fun I’ve had in years. Aside from you almost dying, of course. And Libby is having a field day. So is Zax. He loves being behind the computer screen, but with this, he also feels like he’s making a difference. And so does Mayra as she pushes her magic. We’re all on this journey with you for a reason, one that also suits our needs and growth. It’s not all about you, you know.” He nudged me and winked.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ll tamper down ego-central. But I’m worried, Bernard.”
“If you weren’t worried, then I’d worry more. But you’re not in this alone.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” I admitted, lowering my voice as the others continued to chat behind us. “I don’t know why Theodulf Cipher wanted to claim the glory of capturing Torroro. I don’t even know why he encouraged the packs to shut out law enforcement or why he hates me so much. But I think it’s safe to say he’ll come at me soon. He’ll gun for my badge.”
“But he won’t get it. Know that.” He smiled. “We’re all in this together, you know. In it until the end. Anyone who comes at you comes at all of us. Deal?”
Seeing the intensity in his eyes, I knew then that things had changed forever. But if I’m honest with myself, they’d changed the moment my gift had evolved and saved my life. Bernard was right, things wouldn’t go back to the way they were, and it was about time I accepted that.
Leaning my head against his arm, I whispered, “Deal.”
After we’d arrived at the portal, the Immigration Officer on duty told us Kaleb had already cleared through security and left the premises.
Asshole.
Annoyed he’d run off, yet again, I fumed the rest of the way home, trying both Dan and Grady on the way.
I got both their voicemails, leaving them messages to the effect that we were back and I’d give them an update over the next couple of days. That’s if Grady even wanted one.
When we got home, we dumped our things, and I placed Dolly’s branch on the sill of the kitchen window. Libby raced up the stairs whining that she needed a shower from so much tree exposure.
Mayra embraced me, but she looked exhausted, so I ushered her upstairs. Zax explained he wanted to document all that had happened so far so we could keep track of it. I agreed it was a great idea and then watched him sidle on out.
Bernard said nothing, approaching me, and hooking his hand around my neck to draw me close. He dropped a kiss onto my forehead, and I leaned into it, grateful he had my back.
After he’d left, I stared at the basement door, knowing Kaleb had made it home considering he’d had the forethought to take his keys with him. He’d thrown them on the hook, I’d noticed, and the anger spiraled through me at him hiding away. But my stubbornness overrode the hurt.
By the time I’d showered, my pride stepped aside, and the need to see if Kaleb was okay took precedence. Befor
e I changed my mind, I headed back downstairs and embraced the relief that assailed me when I noticed he hadn’t locked the basement door.
He hadn’t locked me out.
Once I’d entered and closed the door behind me, I flipped the lock, not wanting anyone to disturb us. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found Kaleb, lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, wide-awake.
“Hey,” I said. He glanced at me, giving me a half smile.
“Hey.”
“Can we talk?”
“Do we have to?”
Ah. Moody Kaleb. Him I can deal with.
“How about this?” I snapped. “You stop being such a moody asshole, and we hash out our shit. Or I come over there and kick your ass until you stop being an annoying little bitch. Your choice.”
“What?” He sat up.
“You heard me.”
He sighed. “I’m pissed. That’s it. I’ll get over it.”
Ah. So he was angry with me. I knew it. But I didn’t have to like it.
“Pissed at me for what? Doing what you would have done in my place? Giving you an out from a stupid, selfish decision you made? Take your pick.”
“A selfish decision?”
“Yes. A selfish decision. Putting yourself at risk like that. Throwing yourself into a challenge to kill your brother considering no consequences of how it might impact your future. Our future.”
Kaleb got up, tugging off his shirt as if it annoyed him. Agitated, he threw it down, and put his hands on his waist to face off with me.
It was then I saw it. How wired he was. All the hurt and frustration coming together as he boxed it in, trying to control it.
He needed an outlet. And I’d taken it from him.
Oh well. He’d taken enough of my shit over the years. Time to take one for the team.
I pushed hard at his shoulder.
“What the hell is that for!” he bellowed.
“For making me feel like shit on the way back!” I pushed him again. “For running away from me. Take your pick!”
Death Be Shifted (The Terra Vane Series Book 6) Page 24
