“We have to go there and see what the hell is going on.” Sam decided. He’d been on the phone all day working out the kinks.
“Are you even sure she’s there?” Beverly asked, unable to speak without crumbling into tears. The strain was wearing her down. Chris remained silent, his emotions equally raw.
“No.” Sam exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping. “But it’s a lead we can’t ignore. Rosco said he’ll rendezvous with us, safety in numbers, so we can search together.”
Rosco, the alpha of the Miami pack. The name alone was unforgettable. Sarah said his temper was even more violate and every bit as vicious as Caleb’s.
“When do we go?” Caleb asked quietly, obscuring his emotions, so like his father.
“The sooner the better,” Derek growled. “No time to waste.”
“I think Derek’s right,” Sam agreed. “We can’t allow too much time to pass. Even if Samantha isn’t with them, there are too many common factors we can’t rule out.” His gaze rotated around the room. “I want everyone to get what they need. We’ll head out in the morning. Beverly and Chris, you need to stay here in case something develops.” He glanced over at me, then Caleb. “I think it’s best if Emma remains behind. She’s not equipped to handle herself if something bad goes down.”
Caleb nodded in agreement, as I knew he would. I didn’t argue. As long as I remained here on the farm, Caleb felt I was safe. This was his home, his one true place of solace, and this wasn’t about me or what I wanted. Sam was right. I couldn’t defend myself if something occurred. I was still human, bound by my weak and frail body.
“Haven, who do you have coming?” Sam asked.
“Nathan, Jacob, and Katy. They’re waiting for my call.” Haven pulled a phone from his pocket.
“Then call them,” Sam instructed. “We leave in the morning."
****
Caleb’s arms were solid, holding me closely against him. Any other time I would have felt embarrassed about sleeping in a room with his parents so close, but in light of everything it seemed trivial. He was distant, prepared for the worst, too terrified to hope for the best.
I was beginning to believe nothing would ever be normal. The incidents that continued to transpire never seemed to end, one tragedy or narrow escape after the next, like suffocating in quicksand.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Caleb told me, interrupting my thoughts.
“I don’t want you to leave,” I responded honestly, keeping the part of my terror at something happening to him to myself. I didn‘t want to cause or add to his stress.
“You still think it has to do with Decimus, don’t you?” Caleb stroked my back and I shivered at the contact. He’d been so distant, and I ached for his touch.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe my personal fears are dictating my thinking. I’m still frightened of him, but he’s a world away, and Dad promised he would never break his oath. His own enforcer would come for him if he did.”
“Enforcer?”
“He’s the justice of the houses, able to delve into the mind to punish those guilty of breaking trueblood laws. He’s also impervious to vampiric abilities, meaning Decimus couldn’t use his necromancy against him.”
“Sounds intimidating.”
“Let’s hope so.” I burrowed into his chest. “He’s the only thing keeping the prince in check.”
“You don’t need to be afraid, Emma,” Caleb vowed hoarsely, and I looked up. “My parents would defend you with their lives.”
“I don’t want anyone defending me with their lives.” I closed my eyes and battled fresh tears. I wasn’t afraid for me. My heart was attached elsewhere, existing outside of my body, beating for someone more substantial than myself.
“Just come back to me.”
“I will,” he promised, bringing his mouth over mine and easing my fears by blocking out the rest of the world around us.
****
It looked like a full-swing-ass-kicking convention on the Blackney front lawn. Everyone was dressed in black, shit-kickers were out in force, and leather jackets were the outerwear of choice. Dark, unmarked vans were parked on the grass, blocking out the gravel and fence just past.
I sat on the porch, watching them prepare. Caleb had asked Sarah to stay and she was reluctant to do so until she comprehended the level of my distress. She didn’t like being apart from Derek, but being a consummate friend, she said yes. She and Derek retreated into the house to spend time alone together before the pack departed.
I couldn’t say I blamed her.
Haven stepped up on the porch, his broad body blocking out the sun, before he plopped into the rocker next to me. “This is hardly the time or place, but I have something for you.”
He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and produced a small piece of yellow paper. He held it out between his fingers, waiting for me to take it.
“What’s this?” I asked and opened the paper to reveal an address. The handwriting was neat, the words clear.
“That is somewhere I think you should visit.” Haven looked out at everyone in the yard. “Her grandson is an old acquaintance of mine. Have Sarah take you while we’re gone.”
“And why would I want to see this person?” My lips pursed as I read the words written on the paper.
“My friend, John, always told me crazy shit about his mamaw. She claimed she could speak with spirits and commune with the dead. Of course, I thought she was as crazy as a loon and had seen
The Evil Dead
one too many times. Then one day she said she knew what I was.”
When my attention snapped to his face, wanting to be sure I heard him correctly, he grinned and nodded. “She claimed the ghosts around me told her. When I blew her off and got up to leave, she got pissed. She reached for her walking stick and the fucking thing flew across the room”—Haven made the motion of something flying over to his outstretched fingers before closing them into a fist—“and landed right in her hand. She proceeded to chase me out of the house, telling me she knew all about our kind. I never went back after that, but maybe I should have listened.”
“And you think I want to go toe-to-toe with this deranged person who chases people with walking sticks?” I frowned at him. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I think there are things that all of us need to be aware of here. I never told anyone about John’s mamaw. I was too embarrassed. And to be honest with you, I was too fucking creeped out by that shit. But after I saw you at my place, it came together. You did the same thing with those keys, the exact same shit.” He wasn’t relaxed anymore, his body tense. I imagined a random loud noise could send him rocketing somewhere into the Northern Hemisphere.
“Okay, I’ll go check it out.” I nodded and he relaxed.
“John’s a cool cat, you’ll like him. I called a couple days back, before all this shit went down. He knows to expect you.”
Caleb walked around the vans and Haven stood. Lowering his head, he nodded at Caleb as he strode past him and walked back to the waiting group.
“What was that about?” Caleb asked.
“Remember that little conversation we had at the Pit? When Haven wanted us to go see someone together?” Caleb nodded and I lifted the paper into the air. “This is the address to some crazy stick wielding lunatic granny Haven says I have to go see.”
He cocked an eyebrow, a smile crossing his face for the first time since our trip. “A lunatic granny?”
“It’s a good thing Sarah stayed behind to protect me. Otherwise I might be in trouble.” I grinned back at him, rose from the chair, and walked into his open arms.
I breathed in his scent and realized everyone would know we’d bonded officially and that Caleb had reinstated exactly what I was to him. His unique scent would be with me no matter where I went, warning other werewolves I was claimed, belonging wholly to another. I wished I had my own unique brand to share with him, something to show he was taken just as I was. Suddenly, I knew what I wanted to give him, what he could carry along with him on his trip.
“Wait here.” I kissed him and rushed into the house.
I ran into his bedroom and rummaged inside the inner pocket of my suitcase. I pulled out my jewelry box and sifted through the chains until I found one of the thicker white gold ones. My parents had lavished their attention on me, jewelry being one of their favorite gifts.
I hurried down the stairs and pulled the ring off my right hand before I thrust the front door open. Caleb remained where I left him. A curious expression appeared on his face as I approached.
“Come here.” I motioned for him to lower his head and he looked at me quizzically, doing as I asked. I clasped the necklace around his neck, ensuring my mother’s ring was dangling from it.
“This time,” I teased, eyes tearing up, “don’t send it back.”
Touching the ring, he kept his eyes trained on my face. He dropped the necklace. His warm hands grasped my arms and pulled me against his body. I buried my face in his chest, taking his scent into my nose.
“I’ll return it to you personally, how’s that?” he asked, voice thick.
“That’s perfect.” I wanted to laugh, but I sniffed pitifully instead.
A van cranked to life, then another. The voices behind us began lifting to speak over the engines. Caleb kissed me, his lips soft against mine.
“I love you. I’ll be back soon.”
“I love you too.” I kissed him hard and pulled back to look into his indigo eyes. I forced myself to let go and step back.
He smiled sadly and turned for the van. The front door opened and Derek stepped outside with Sarah. He kissed her quickly, jumped from the porch, and jogged over to the others.
“Thanks for staying, Sarah.” I was grateful she had stayed and hoped she didn’t resent me for having to remain behind.
“Anything for you, Emma,” she said, her calming voice settling inside my ears.
She reached over, clasped my hand inside hers, and we watched everyone pile inside the vans. We stood together as they pulled away, fading from sight, leaving nothing but the white dust from dry gravel lingering in the air.
Chapter 5—Character Traits
Two days passed, and Sarah and I couldn’t take sitting around any longer. There were no leads on Sammie, and staring at the walls was slowly driving us to the brink of insanity. All of the Monopoly, Scrabble, and
Lifetime
movies in the world couldn’t pass the time quickly enough.
Even with Chris and Bev against it, we decided to contact John for a meeting with his stick-wielding grandmother. It seemed like a good time to take the trip. We could make it back before the pack returned and distract ourselves in the process.
Haven hadn’t been lying. John knew exactly who I was when I called and immediately provided detailed directions to the cabin where his grandmother lived. He also let me know she was anxiously expecting our arrival, having heard about it from the “ghosts” that visited her.
Unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, I only hoped she wasn’t planning on venturing into the woods to collect the most prime branches available to use on us when we made it there. I didn’t relish the thought of being beaten with a walking stick.
John eased that concern soon after, warning me his grandmother wasn’t as stout as she had once been, having recently celebrated her hundredth birthday. I guess life slows down once you commemorate a century of living.
The trip also meant we had to travel out of state. John’s grandmother lived in The Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. It seemed club-wielding granny met Haven during the brief period of time she cared for John while his mother acclimated to life without her husband after he died. His grandmother had returned to her home years ago. Now she was too old to travel.
We packed several days worth of clothing, and when we were set, I waited for Caleb to call to spill the beans on our little sabbatical. I didn’t want to upset him further, and I hoped he would understand our need for distraction—especially now. His voice calmed me better than anything else could, that husky southern timbre seeping past my ear and into my chest.
“I would prefer you stay home,” he spoke quietly. The background full of people talking and multiple loud noises nearly drowned him out.
“I know.”
I purposely avoided the questions I wanted to ask him—like where he was. I pushed aside any momentary jealousy. I trusted him, no matter where he went.
“Just wait until we get back.” His voice changed, as if he’d pushed the phone against his lips, and I knew he was walking. The noises seemed to lessen and fade into the background. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“You can’t be with me all the time, Caleb.”
“No, but I
should
be.”
The noises grew quiet and eventually went silent, meaning he must have stepped outside.
“Sarah is with me, we’ll be fine. It’s only a trip to see a one-hundred year old woman. What’s she going to do? Gum us to death?”
I heard his chuckle through the phone and wished I could see his face. I closed my eyes, picturing his smile and glorious shifting blue eyes.
“She just might.” He cleared his throat, laughter still in his voice.
“If I can’t handle a batty old woman, I deserve to be gummed. Besides, I have to see the woman that managed to freak out Haven of all people.”
I heard the sound of a door being opened followed by laughter on the other end of the line. Caleb waited until the sounds were gone before he spoke again.
“If you go, I want you to promise it’s directly there and back home. You have a god-awful knack of getting yourself into trouble. I’m beginning to think that anything terrible within a fifty-mile radius homes in on you.”
“I promise.”
“Does that mean you’ve decided to go?” he asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral. I knew the tone. He expected me to stay put.
“We really need the distraction.” I couldn’t give him the sad face, but I hoped my voice would convey the huge need to get away.
“You’re making the face, aren’t you?”
“Yes, is it working?” I asked, holding my breath.
“Apparently it works, even if it’s across digital phone lines.” He cursed under his breath. “All right, you win. But I want you to keep your phone with you. If you don’t answer when I call, I’m coming home. Do you understand?”