Chapter Five
Grant watched the chapel doors close. The air conditioning switched on at the same time and his nose twitched. His wolf was at the fore. He could have shifted in a split second.
Neil remained in place, his gaze fixed on Grant. The world of the warlock was very different from Savage. But Neil’s instincts were spot on since he didn’t move a hair’s breadth.
He felt Natalie squeeze his fingers. What’s going on?
Her words might as well have been in a foreign language. They didn’t register. He seemed to be having this problem lately with his mind fixed one direction and his wolf another.
He addressed Neil. “You should tell Natalie what to expect. Let’s start there.”
Neil shifted his gaze to Natalie. Grant growled and took a step toward Neil.
Neil backed up and lifted both his hands at the same time.
Seriously, Grant. What’s going on?
He heard her this time. I’m not handling this well.
Handling what?
He needs to touch you.
At that, Natalie turned into him and met his gaze. “You won’t even let him within three feet of me. How is he going to touch me?”
Neil waited. He didn’t try to speak or explain. It was a good thing. Grant had to figure out how to manage his possessive instincts or nothing was going to happen.
“Fine. I’ll rein it in.”
Natalie turned back to Neil. “How does this work? I take it you and I need physical connection.”
“Normally, I hold the client’s hands. This gives me a powerful connection to the space around them. Not all warlocks can do this, but I’m able to sense what spells have been near them, both good and bad.”
“Okay. I’m more than willing. I want to know if this presence Grant told you about is real or just in my mind and what if anything, he or she intends for me. I guess what I’d like to know first is whether or not invisibility spells even exist.”
“They do, and they have for many years. But they’re only constructed at the highest levels. Some very powerful witches can create them as well as wizards. The results can be problematic, uneven and unpredictable. In addition, they’re very expensive. Rumors have it that some wizards put a timer on the spells and charge for continuing the magic. The longer a person wishes to remain invisible, the more money they charge.”
“But you can’t create spells like this.”
“Not yet. But one day I will.”
“You’ll be a wizard soon.”
“I’m in a transition period.”
“I see,” she said. “I’ve heard it can be painful.”
“Very. At times.”
“But not right now?”
“No, thank God. I couldn’t be here otherwise. But I should add, I don’t have much more time. If you and Grant want to do this, we should do it now.”
Natalie glanced up at Grant. “I want to. But maybe you should leave the room.”
He ground his jaw. “The hell I’m going anywhere.”
“Fine, but you’ll have to let go of my hand.”
Grant felt as though he was letting go of a lifeline when he unclenched his fingers from around hers.
Still, Natalie waited, watching him carefully. She reached up and rubbed the tip of her forefinger across he cheek. He’d sprouted fur again. He wasn’t surprised.
But her touch eased him. He finally met her gaze. She even smiled up at him. “It’s incredibly moving in a way I hadn’t expected. I know your reactions come from your wolf and it moves me. Let me know when we can proceed.”
Grant forced himself to acquiesce with a nod.
Natalie responded with a dip of her chin, then once more slowly turned to face Neil. She extended her hands with painful care as though moving in slow-motion.
But the moment she placed her hands in his, he lost it. He threw his head back and howled, a long, primitive howl as though he’d just been separated from his entire pack.
Neil didn’t just step backward. He levitated swiftly and flew toward the doors clearly fearing he would need to make a quick escape.
Natalie threw her arms around Grant’s waist. I’m here. He’s not touching me. I’m here.
Grant clutched her arms and forced himself to breathe. Fuck. I don’t know what to do.
I have an idea. She craned her neck to look up at him and meet his gaze.
At that, he finally looked at her. You do?
Why don’t you put your arms around me from behind, make a full circle around my waist? That way, you have the greater possession.
You’re willing to do that?
Yes, but we need to hurry this along.
Fine.
Natalie called to Neil. “Come back. We think we know how we can make this work.”
As Neil floated once more in their direction, Grant moved in behind Natalie. I apologize for the hard-on.
No need. I get it. Right now, if you said, ‘I’m coming for you’, I’d say ‘Get here fast’.
A shudder ran through him as he slid his arms around her waist. He connected his groin to her buttocks and wouldn’t apologize that she’d be able to feel all ten inches of him in a thick, hard erection pressed between her cheeks. We need to talk. Once we’ve got the answer, there are things I need to tell you.
I think that’s a good idea.
Neil descended to land in front of Natalie once more.
You good to go, Grant? she asked.
I’m good. This works.
Aloud, Natalie said, “Let’s go for it, Neil. This should take care of the problem.”
When she held her hands out to Neil this time, Grant’s only response was to tighten his hold on Natalie. She’d been right. His more significant physical connection to her was all he’d needed to satisfy his wolf. He could even feel the fur on his cheeks disappear.
Neil must have felt confident as well because he took Natalie’s hands. “All you have to do is relax and let me get a sense of you. Try focusing on the last time you felt the person nearby. Closing your eyes might help. Is there only one?”
“Only one and I think it’s male. I was shopping at the Cathedral in Revel a couple of months ago. I’d just bought some roasted almonds when I felt him nearby. I had the impression he was tall as he stood next to me. I even tried to communicate telepathically but he didn’t respond.”
“You aren’t mistaken, Natalie. I can feel the spell. It’s powerful and bright, like it’s full of sunlight. That tells me which wizard created it. His signature is light. But I can also feel the presence of the man. It’s time to secure his identity. Are you prepared to know?”
“I am.”
The situation helped Grant’s arousal to diminish for which he was grateful.
Neil addressed Grant. “Are you good with this? Because I’m going to invoke a spell of my own. It will pass through Natalie and you’ll probably feel it as well. But it should show us who’s been dogging her heels all this time.”
“Do it.”
Grant watched Neil. The warlock, with shadows deepening beneath his eyes, murmured soft words. Each word sent a shock through Natalie and into him. It wasn’t so much painful as disconcerting. His wolf wanted the warlock to stop. But he stayed open in the same way Natalie was open.
When Neil stopped speaking, it was as though a rush of air moved through his feet, as well as Natalie’s and kept flowing up toward the ceiling. The air above the pews began to spin, a light appeared and in it was the shape of a man.
Faster the air flowed, the light began to illumine the features. Grant could even see the underground food court where Natalie had bought her almonds.
He could feel Natalie in that moment, well into the past because of Neil’s spell. Then just like that the man’s features came into view.
Holy fuck.
It was Kryder.
His pack’s alpha.
The madman of Savage had been tracking Natalie for how long?
Natalie pulled her hands from Neil and the vision vanished. “It’s Kryder, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“Jesus,” Neil muttered.
“All this time?” She turned into Grant and planted her hands on his chest. “All this time? Grant, was he with me in Cave Creek? Did he put the fae serum in the strawberry pie? Why? Why would he do that?”
It was Neil who answered the question. “It’s the latest trend.” He was sweating and had grown very pale. “To use powerful fae women to fix the future. He intends to use you.”
Natalie’s voice sounded very small. “He took everything from me. Everything I loved.”
But Grant barely heard her words. Instead, he was stunned to find two lines angled across Natalie’s cheeks. They were glowing, iridescent, and it was the sign of the wolf. “Natalie, your cheeks.”
“What?” she looked confused. Tears ran down her face.
He wanted to comfort her, but in that moment, Neil uttered an anguished cry and collapsed unconscious at their feet.
~ ~ ~
Natalie swiped at her tears then dropped to her knees beside Neil. Grant joined her.
She felt for a pulse which she found strong and steady. “He’s alive. What’s wrong with him?”
“It’s the transition process. He’s becoming a wizard. It appears to be a difficult, painful process.”
“What should we do?”
“I’ll get Agnes to get someone to take him back to his house. I know she has a van.”
“Right.”
He stood up and pulled his phone from the pocket of his leathers.
As Grant walked up the aisle and talked things over with Agnes, Natalie took Neil’s hand in her own and spoke quietly to him.
It wasn’t long before Neil’s eyelids began to shift about. His face twisted into a serious grimace and it seemed to her that his muscles began seizing, especially his arms and legs. It reminded her of what it had been like to become an alter as if the process of transitioning to wizard was similar. The thought that anyone in Five Bridges would have to repeat the experience made her cringe.
When Neil’s eyes finally opened, he pulled his hand from hers. At first, she thought it was because of Grant. But she soon realized her attempt to comfort him had added to his suffering.
Grant approached and kept his voice low as he dropped to one knee and addressed Neil. “Agnes is on her way. She’s got a stretcher and intends to get you home. She’s got a warlock driver who will see you safely into Elegance. A wolf, too, so you can cross through Savage without harm.” Revel, being directly across from Elegance, didn’t share a bridge with this territory. The van would have to cross two bridges and clear two separate checkpoints before Neil would be home free.
Neil only nodded. “This will pass.”
“I know.” Grant’s lips quirked. “Thank you for helping out tonight.”
The doors opened, and Agnes came in on a run with her staff behind her. Natalie moved back with Grant and let them work. Agnes had a fat syringe with her and to Neil’s protests, she uttered a sharp, “Shut up, spell-boy. You’re getting the juice. It’s my own concoction, though you’ll probably fall asleep within five minutes.”
Natalie liked Agnes a lot.
Agnes didn’t bother with an alcohol disinfectant. Alter species didn’t need protection from germs. Instead, she jabbed his arm and unloaded the contents.
Within seconds, his whole body relaxed. Neil was soon smiling and said, “Agnes, I think I should marry you.”
At that she laughed. She directed her men and had him loaded onto the stretcher. She walked beside him up the aisle and asked for his address and any pertinent security info her men would need to get inside his island domicile.
They moved swiftly to the doors, then passed through. Another staff member closed the chapel doors behind them.
The room was quiet once more. All that bustle, now nothing.
Except her own thoughts.
Natalie moved to the front pew, turned and dropped into the cushion. She planted her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She hardly knew which aspect of the past fifteen minutes to take up first.
Grant remained where he was and for that she was grateful. She needed time to think. Maybe he did as well.
There were a couple of hours before dawn, so there was no rush to head home. As it was, her house was only a few minutes’ flight from Agnes’s compound. She was grateful for levitation.
Besides, she wasn’t tired at all. Full of dread, maybe. Certainly, a growing rage. But not fatigue.
So, Kryder had taken the lives of her husband and her baby because he wanted the use of her fae powers at some fixed yet unknown point in the future. He’d pumped the strawberry pie full of fae alter serum. She couldn’t imagine the kind of mind that would plan six years in advance. Clearly, he’d seen something in the future where she could prove useful to him.
She glanced up at Grant. “Kryder must be working with an alter fae who in turn keeps tabs on me in the future.”
“That would make sense.”
Grant sighed heavily as he joined her on the pew bench. He didn’t try to take her hand or in any way connect with her physically. She was glad. Again, too much to think about.
“So now you know the truth.”
“Now I know,” she murmured. She leaned against the cushioned back and once more looked at the wood carving of the water. “Now I have reason to despise Kryder as much as you do.”
“To say the least.”
She narrowed her gaze, letting it fall to the candles. “He must be an arrogant man.”
“That would be just the beginning of a long list of flaws.”
“I don’t know how to process all of this.”
“Take your time.”
Heat radiated off his body. She realized he was angry. No doubt the discovery that Kryder was the invisible presence stalking her was bringing up his own set of memories.
She did, however, take his advice. She knew what she needed to do because it sat just beyond her confusion. Only, she didn’t want to explore her grief again. But there it was in the waters off Cape Town, with the penguins Grace would never get to see.
With her gaze fixed to the wood carving of water, she let the sensations of terrible loss roll through her and have their way once more. It was the only way to dispel them. She knew from experience that the tighter she held herself to avoid whatever feelings were troubling her, the worse she felt.
The only way to get over something was to go through it. She lived by that admonition.
She recalled being in the parking lot at El Pedregal in north Phoenix. The sun had already set. She remembered the joy of buying something her husband loved. She wanted Aaron to have his pie. She wanted to hear him make his peculiar grunt of enjoyment when he was savoring something he loved. He’d sometimes made that sound when he made love to her.
Then she’d felt a presence in the parking lot but had dismissed it. She’d looked around carefully. The pie had been in a taped box, so it couldn’t have been tampered with in the parking lot.
She recalled now that one of the servers behind the counter had slipped while taking care of her pie. It had been left exposed to the air. So, that’s when Kryder had infected her pie.
The grief she felt began to dissipate quickly. Another emotion, much more powerful began to surface. She already knew what Kryder had done to Renee and what he’d intended for Talya. Grant had also shared the nature of Kryder’s evil dominance rapes of his own pack members, feigning desire with seduction then ending with a brutal violation.
She couldn’t imagine what this felt like to wolves who relied on their alphas for leadership, for justice, and for community. How would anyone ever feel safe?
She thought about her own bizarre, iridescent wolf-sign, about Grant and about his pack. She knew with a clarity she rarely felt how she wanted to move forward, what she needed to do to make things right for herself. “I want to help you bring Kryder down.”
“What?”
She shifted in her seat, enough so that she could look at him in the face. “Your alpha took the most precious things in the world from both of us. I can’t even imagine the countless others he’s either killed or injured both physically and psychologically. He needs to go.”
“I appreciate the sentiment because unseating him has been my primary objective from the time Renee died. But exactly what do you have in mind?”
She huffed a sigh. “I’m not a warrior. Not even close. But I do have unusually strong futurist skills. I could be of use. Apparently, Kryder can attest to that. However, there’s something more. In fact, it was the reason I contacted you in the first place this evening and it has nothing to do with invisible alters.”
“Right, I saw your wolf-sign.”
“It started earlier and shocked the hell out of me. I don’t know what it is or what it can do. It makes no sense to me. Still, it is wolf, isn’t it? I mean you saw it.”
“It’s definitely wolf. I responded to the sign with instant recognition. But taking Kryder on won’t be simple. He’s cunning and he’s patient. He’s already proved both qualities in his actions toward you.”
“I know. I’ve been here six years and in all that time he’s never approached me.”
She looked away from Grant. Did she really want to do this? She had never been a vengeful person. Just the opposite.
Yet here she was talking about assassination. There was, however, an alternative. “At the very least, he should be tried and convicted then sent to Death Valley.”
“Yes, at the very least.” Grant overlaid her arm with his hand.
Sudden, unexpected tears stung her eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. Am I turning into a wolf? And why is my wolf iridescent and so colorful?”
He chuckled. “How long have you had these manifestations?”
“They first appeared at my home just a little while ago after I’d finished my studio work.”
The warmth of his hand still pressing on her arm soothed her yet excited her at the same time.
As she focused on his touch, she turned inward and sought the part of her that was wolf. With Grant so close, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to bring it forward. She could feel the lines of her cheeks grow warm, both wrists and a V-line down her chest.
“Your wolf is beautiful.”
She lifted her gaze to Grant. His eyes had lightened, and the beginnings of gold rings rimmed his irises.
The moment caught and held as though their wolves together had the ability to slow-time. He took her hand then rose to his feet, drawing her with him.
He leaned toward her, his head angled.
The wolf sensations deepened and spread. She knew he was going to kiss her and right now, with time stopped, she wanted nothing more.
As his lips touched hers, she swore she could hear her wolf howling in response. His arm slid around her back and he drew her close.
His lips pushed at hers, encouraging her to open for him. She parted her lips and he groaned as his tongue penetrated her mouth.
Again, her wolf howled. She forgot about the world and focused instead on the miracle of a man kissing her and how much, for the first time in six long years, she was enjoying being kissed. His lips were warm, and his tongue was making all kinds of erotic promises.
She’d just committed herself to helping bring down a powerful alpha wolf of Savage Territory. She’d aligned herself with Grant. Maybe she could justify the connection because of Kryder, but she couldn’t pretend she didn’t understand exactly where this was going.
When he drew back, his hand slid possessively to the back of her neck.
“I want you.” He was breathing hard. “If we work together…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
She responded by sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him hard in return.
He groaned once more. She was about to suggest they go somewhere private, when suddenly she felt movement near her. She drew back and saw a flow of iridescence streak by.
Grant saw it as well. “What was that?”
She gasped softly. “My wolf. I can’t believe it.” As it began to slow, there, in sparkling color, was the most beautiful glowing wolf she could ever have imagined.
“My wolf,” she repeated softly. “I’m part wolf. A new aberration.”
Grant glanced at her. “We’re all aberrations. But your wolf is exquisite.”
She drew in a ragged breath. The wolf sat on her haunches, tongue lolling, waiting. Her wolf.
On instinct, she reached a hand toward the wolf and with a drawing back movement, whispered, “Come to me.”
The wolf disintegrated like sparkling snow. A rush of energy arrived, thumped her chest, then sped through her body as though a warm wave of water passed through her.
She breathed, deeply aware that even her eyesight was different as though she and her wolf looked out at the world together.
Grant’s cut-lumber scent had grown strong or maybe her ability to smell him had increased. Gold rimmed his eyes and fur lined his cheeks.
“My wolf wants to run,” she said. “Grant, would you take me to Savage, to your pine forest? I want my wolf to race through the trees.”
He smiled. “Let’s do it.”
After saying good-by to Agnes, Natalie left the compound with Grant then rose swiftly into the air. She’d met her wolf and accepted her. They were one.
Grant’s voice entered her head. I’ll need to shift. Would you like to ride on my back?
For a moment, she thought he meant for her to climb on his back midair which would have been awkward and strange. Then she realized he was asking if she wanted to ride him like a horse through the forest when he was in wolf-form. I’m not too big for you? She was a tall woman and no lightweight.
He chuckled aloud and took her hand as they flew. Not at all. He then drew her against his side. I want you close right now as we cross into Savage.
She had no problem pressing up against him, though it took some doing to coordinate their flight styles. Natalie had always loved that she had this ability. Levitated flight rocked.
It only took a couple of minutes to reach the forest in the middle of Savage Territory. Once on solid ground and just off the main running path, she stood back as Grant shifted. She watched him carefully, she and her inner wolf. He stood upright but didn’t remove his clothes or anything else he had on him. Even a wallet or a small weapon would be absorbed in his wolf transformation.
He winked at her then smiled. She could feel his shifting energy rise. Her wolf howled within her and sudden desire sent shivers over her skin. Her sex tightened. Her breaths came faster. The air streamed quickly around him as fur began to replace Grant all at once.
The transformation took mere seconds then he was before her, pacing and stretching, feeling his wolf.
He was a beauty of dark brown fur with a buff streak from his snout, over his head and down his back to his tail.
He was massive and at least twice the size of a normal wolf. No wonder he had chuckled when she expressed her concern about carrying her weight.
He drew up next to her and turned his head in her direction to meet her gaze. Hop on.
Another sharp intake of air. Was she really doing this? Hell, yeah! Maybe because she had her own wolf, but she knew what to do as she leaped on his back easily, grabbed the thick scruff at the neck and responded, Hit it, Wolf.
With a thought and a swell of her chest, she let her wolf loose. The iridescence was easy to track as it flashed by in quick streaks.
She forced herself to connect with her wolf and that was when the fun began. She saw what her wolf saw, and she could feel each loping stride.
Faster, she urged Grant.
Even though they were deep in the forest and the path was narrower, Grant sped up. My pleasure, pierced her mind in his lowest timbre.
The next few minutes were spent racing throws the woods. Her mind spun, and her heart pounded in her chest. She felt lighter than air.
Grant only started to slow when they reached the edge of the forest. He finally stopped within sight of the path. Her wolf joined him, pacing and panting.
She dismounted, and Grant transformed back into his human shape. He glanced at her wolf as well, then at her.
All she could smell was the pine of the woods and a tall stack of fresh-cut lumber.
He’d retained some of his fur and it was like a magnet. She drew close and glided her fingers along his cheekbones, savoring the texture of his fur. It was soft but had strength, nothing silky. He was breathing hard and his eyes were fully gold this time.
He surrounded her with his arms. A hand traveled swiftly to her bottom and pressed. He arched his hips, so she could feel his arousal.
“This is what I want, what I need from you, Natalie, right now.”
“I’m all in, Grant. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
His lips crashed down on hers and his tongue slid deep into her mouth. She held him fiercely.
His hips ground into her. Every part of her body needed him.
I want my clothes off. Oh, God, Grant, take me somewhere. Anywhere. Please.
Suddenly, her wolf barked only not with pleasure. A growl followed
She drew back.
Something’s wrong. Grant said.
I know.
She pulled away from him and on instinct connected strongly with her wolf. Through her wolf’s eyes, she could see the shape of a man outlined in shimmery blue.
She directed her thoughts to Grant. Someone’s here. A man. My wolf can see him.
Re-focusing her vision to her fae eyes, she could now see the blue aura as well. She recognized the thick, heavy features and massive muscles.
Kryder. He’s here.
So, she really had been spied on all this time and Kryder was the man who’d forced her alter transformation and destroyed her family. Anger rose in a burning hot stream. She shouted, “Get out of here, asshole! I’m onto you.”
With that, he disappeared through the trees.
~ ~ ~
Grant looked around but saw no one. “Kryder was here? Just now?”
“Yes.”
“And you actually said those words to him?” He was unsettled by the sudden intrusion, yet at the same time, his lips curved.
“Guess I did.”
He stared at Natalie. Maybe it was her words. Maybe her attitude. Or maybe that her wolf was visible to him and had emerged as her protector.
Whatever the reason, Grant believed he was seeing Natalie for the first time. She was a woman of courage. She’d already proven as much. But that she would stand up to Kryder by provoking him head-on, brought even more fur lining his cheeks and the backs of his hands.
His desire for her sharpened once more, a strong need to put this woman on her back and make her his. Now.
He almost reached for her, but she whipped around to face him. “Did you see Kryder or the blue aura?”
“No.” Her questions and the fire in her eyes, brought him back to his senses and to the reality of the moment at hand.
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 dozen 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 fraction 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.
For months afterward, even with counseling she’d sought, she would awaken in a profound sweat from dreams where she was chased for what seemed like hours on end.
Now Grant was asking her to go back there, to start re-engaging with her own future.
She paced the long length of what she called her family room, the one with the Milky Way painting. She’d had the stone tiles laid because she wanted something solid underfoot in a world that could turn violent on the whim of a drug lord or uber-powerful, piece-of-shit alter, like Kryder.
She forgot Grant’s presence as she strode, as she thought about having to do the impossible all over again. Tears rushed to her eyes. She hadn’t wept so much in her life as she had in the past three days. She brushed away the few tears that dared to trickle down her cheeks. This wasn’t the woman she was, a weeper and freaker-outer. She prided herself on being able to keep her emotions in check.
But with the prospect of having to pry open things best left shut down, she didn’t know what to do with all that gut-twisting anxiety.
“What’s the problem here?” Grant asked, only it wasn’t harsh.
She was halfway back up the room when he finally left his position by the sliding glass door. He now stood a few feet from the end of the kitchen island. She lifted her arms up then dropped them to slap her thighs with her hands. “I had nightmares, Grant, for weeks after the first few times I looked into my future. I saw things I wish I could un-see. I saw myself getting shot while in the air and falling. I was in or near Savage at the time. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept my distance from your kind.”
He moved closer. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“It was a door I’d shut. I’d even had therapy to overcome the nightmares. I never thought I’d have to look again. I never wanted to.”
He frowned slightly. “How did the shooting incident end?”
“I didn’t stick around to watch. I honestly feared I’d be seeing my own death.”
She’d never seen him look so serious. “If you decide to continue, we’ll be in this together from this point forward. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I’ve always understood that the future was fluid, that what a fae witnessed wasn’t always what happened.”
He now stood directly in front of her once more. “That’s right. That’s how my therapist helped me to release the nightmares. I forced myself to believe what I saw would never happen. But one of the ways I did that was to visualize that if I avoided Savage, then I would never have an opportunity to get shot.”
He took her hand. “Maybe you should stick with that plan. Stay in Revel. Stay safe.”
His words disturbed her more deeply than anything else he could have said. Though he’d spoken kindly, she wondered if his true intention was to challenge her.
She’d never understood until this moment exactly how she’d been living for the past six years, like a turtle with her head and legs pulled in tight beneath its shell.
She could feel the frown between her eyes, the depth of the crevice. She wasn’t sure how it had happened, but she couldn’t go back to that life. She couldn’t ignore that her transformation to an alter fae had been intentional, that Renee had died by the hands of the same man, and that Talya had almost died as well just two nights ago.
She’d never believed that an individual only had one single destiny or fate. Life was about multiple choices all along the way.
Yet in this moment, she saw her destiny clearly, just as she had said before. She would breathe her last to take Kryder down, even it meant having to see her death from a gunshot wound, or if it meant renewed nightmares, or anything else the horrors of Five Bridges might soon rain down on her head.
She met Grant’s gaze straight on. He, in turn, scrutinized her face. “You’re determined.”
“More than I realized. The way I was living—” She didn’t need to finish the sentence. “But I will do as you’ve requested. I will engage with the future on our behalf, whenever and wherever that might be.”
“Good. I’m with you, Natalie. One hundred percent, nothing held back.”
“I know that, and I trust you. Just understand that this will be a physically painful process for me.”
“It will get easier.”
“Maybe.”
“So, how does it work, looking into the future, I mean?”
She moved away from him to stand at the nearest bank of windows. Her garden was in order, though not for the first time she wondered if she should bust apart some of the perfect rows and rectangles. Even her design had been about creating order in the chaos of the alter world. “Best if I show you, let you witness the process.”
“Where do you want me?” He asked.
The odd thought flitted through her mind, In my bed. But she kept it to herself. It wouldn’t serve at all if she started thinking about kissing Grant and not about her need to investigate the future. “Where you are is good. I need to focus.”
“Okay. Go for it.”
With her back to him, she forced herself to relax as much as she was able. She closed her eyes and felt the fae part of her begin to expand. The usual cramping took place along the small muscles beside her spine. She ignored the resulting pain that pulsed up her back and into her neck. No amount of therapy had been able to relieve her of these symptoms. She’d had to accept that her gift came with a certain level of pain and often a bout of nausea.
Her hands turned of their own volition, palms up. Her neck arched. In her studio, this would be the moment she would invoke her client’s name. Instead, she whispered, “Natalie. Now.”
But it was as though someone hit her on the side of the head. She listed and would have fallen. Grant was suddenly there, however, and caught her.
She opened her eyes and turned to face Grant. “Thank you for catching me.”
“What was that? What’s going on?”
“Not sure.” She reviewed what had just happened. It took her a moment to understand that she’d done this to herself. “I’m not allowing myself in. Oh, God, what if I can’t do this?”
“You can. I know you can. You just need to relax.”
“I am. I was just now.”
He chuckled. “You were standing on your tip-toes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She released a deep sigh. “This isn’t going to be simple.”
“What about life ever is?”
“Philosopher now?”
“Yes. Wolf-astronomer-philosopher. That’s me.”
She laughed, then he surprised her by pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She drew back and looked up at him. “What are you doing? This isn’t helping.”
“You’re wrong. This will help a lot because you need to get out of your head.”
He kissed her again, only this time, she let him. She didn’t need a whole lot of encouragement to shift her focus or to slide her arms around his neck or to press her body the length of his. He held her tighter still.
The moment she parted her lips, his tongue slid inside, and her sex clenched. She wanted him bad, more than she’d wanted any man in Five Bridges for the past six years. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they were together, but she didn’t exactly think the timing was right. She had work to do.
Yet as he kept kissing her, gradually she began to relax and even to kiss him back, to nip at his lips and to use her own tongue to duel with his. She could feel him as well, his beautiful arousal and the promise of what it would be like to have him inside her.
She’d truly forgotten how wonderful it could be to have a man holding her tight.
Feeling as much as she did, it wasn’t surprising that her wolf made an appearance. She let herself experience this new expression of who she was as well. She released her wolf and felt her race in circles around the pair of them.
When her wolf began to bark, Grant drew back, though he still held her loosely in his arms. He watched the spectral run. “There she is. What a beauty.”
“I think she wants to go for a run. Why don’t you take her along the canal?”
His brows rose as he turned back to meet her gaze. “You’re okay with that? What about your neighbors? They might call in a patrol car if they see a wolf around.”
She smiled. “Well, why not? We’re about to enter the gates of hell. We might as well have some fun along the way.”
“Care for a second trip on my back?”
“I think I need to stay put. I may try accessing the future again.”
His smile broadened. “You’re more relaxed.”
“Then I admit you’ve helped me already.”
“My plan worked but just so you know, I’ll be doing more of that other stuff and soon.”
She laughed as he released her. “I’m counting on it. Now go.”
She watched him shift and for a moment wished she could do the same. Instead, she moved to the nearest sliding door and let both wolves out.
She closed the door at about the same time the wolves skidding across the gravel and headed toward the canal. When they disappeared, she became aware that with the smallest effort she could be in both places at once as well. She was racing in front of Grant and could feel him like a mountain following behind her.
She drew her consciousness closer to her physical form and was grateful Grant had gone with his instincts and had kissed her. She felt different now, better able to address her futurist issue.
She closed her eyes once more and let the cramping pain ride up her spine. Her palms turned up and her head arched. “Natalie,” she whispered. This time, she added, “And Grant.”
What returned was a sudden, intense vision of him in her bed and she knew it wasn’t far into the future. More tears, dammit. She remembered reading these books set in English history. There was a phrase that came back to her: watering pot. That’s what she’d become. A goddamn watering pot.
When Grant’s voice was suddenly in her mind, she realized the wolves had returned to the patio. The vision broke apart like sparkling light and she turned to open the door.
Grant shifted as he crossed the threshold. At the same time her wolf returned to her. “Sorry,” he said. “But Neil contacted me just now. He had a strong word of advice. He said we need an invisibility spell.”
“Where do we get one?”
“He said he knows the wizard he can ask to do it for us. But there’s something else.”
“What?”
“Renee was the one who told him.”
“Your wife?” Natalie was so surprised.
“Yup. My wife. She seems to be everywhere.”
“Are we supposed to go to Neil’s place right now?”
He shook his head. “No. Neil can’t do anything until after the day’s sleep. He has to make contact with the wizard then set up the meet, but he wanted to clear it with us first. He’ll let us know the timing which will be sometime later tonight.”
She could see he was uncomfortable with something that had nothing to do with Neil or his wizardry. “It’s Renee, isn’t it, that she’s here?”
His turn to sigh. “It’s made me miss her all over again, yet here I am with you and damn, I want to make love to you.”
In her heart of hearts, Natalie knew Renee wouldn’t object to what she was about to do. In fact, given Renee’s earthy quality and that she had truly loved Grant, she’d want it for him, for both of them.
Natalie caressed the side of Grant’s neck then leaned up and kissed him. “Your Renee, like Aaron, were wonderful people. But both are ghosts now and Renee is here to help, maybe even to make sure we survive. She’s not going to mind what we do, which leads me to this. Will you spend the day with me here, in my home? I want to be with you more than life itself right now.”