Chapter Twenty-One
He found her in an intense discussion with Miz Rose and a bunch of elder magic users. Bob’s wife, Nancy he’d learned her name was, lay sprawled in a chair but someone had tucked a coat around her and she was breathing, so he’d just leave that be.
Her gaze found his and he saw it, the fear, and it broke his heart a little. Instead, he smiled. “So about my family, huh?”
“I didn’t know. I swear to you,” she said, coming toward him.
He pulled her to his body, hugging her long enough to assure man and wolf that she was all right. That they were all right.
“I love a weirdo witch who’s a badass but not malicious about it. That’s what matters to me. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it. I found out just hours ago and I’ve been trying to track my dad down ever since. I didn’t know about it before today, I swear to you. I wouldn’t have allowed it.”
“Never even occurred to me to think you were part of this mess.” She rested her forehead on his chest for a moment.
“Okay, so we got an unconscious human who was brought here without sanction,” Miz Rose said, moving Aimee to the side to poke the spot her head had been.
“Yes, ma’am, I know and I apologize on behalf of the Pembry pack.”
Her face went very serious then. “You know we have to file an official complaint. Your father and brother have broken our most important law. I’m going to have to use magic on this woman’s memories. But her children know about the cheating so we can’t take that away. That’s a lot of messing around in her head. We have rules too and you make us bend them to protect everyone else in town. I don’t like having my back up against the wall like this. Especially because your daddy and brother made this very big mess to start with.”
Damn, she was scary for such a sweet-looking old lady.
Fortunately for Mac, he was used to sweet-looking women being totally strong and in charge so he’d managed to get himself maneuvered to jump away if she decided to get mean.
Mac said, “You can fix it, right? Even if it takes a lot of magic, you can wipe her memories of this place enough to keep us all safe? And the kids? Do I need to get them?”
“Jeez-a-lou, no! Leave the children wherever they are. At least if they’re with their daddy, he can’t be out with one of his girlfriends. We’ve been working out just how to do this so we can accommodate as much of her actual memories as possible. A memory alteration will be better than a total wipe of what happened. She’ll have to live knowing her husband is a total moron and her kids will too. I’ll do what I can about making sure she doesn’t remember Diablo Lake, but I can’t erase Dwayne and Darrell though I’ll do my best to make it fuzzy. One of the cats will help us get her back to where her car is parked so we’ve got the heavy lifting and sneaking covered. It should work, because who in their right mind believes there are towns in the mountains where werewolves run city hall?”
TeeFaye jumped in, “Not for long. The city council will be voting tonight to use an emergency order to suspend him from office. The election will go as planned next week and my daughter will be mayor in this town. And if your parents know what’s good for them they won’t show their faces in town for a good long time,” she said. “I like you, Mac. And I know my daughter loves you. But no one will be allowed to do this to my child without punishment. You can do it, or I can do it. But it’ll be done. Are we clear?”
“Don’t you think he’s got it hard enough?” Aimee asked her mother as she came to stand at his side, taking his hand. “Imagine if you had to go and punish me and maybe even kick me out of town?”
TeeFaye was unrepentant. “I don’t need to worry about his feelings. I’m worried about you. That’s my job and I can’t help it if his parents don’t do theirs.”
Mac wrapped an arm around Aimee’s shoulders and squeezed. “It’s okay. She’s right to be mad. I’m mad too. And I will handle it for the pack and then for me. Because your daughter is everything to me and what Dad and Darrell did, just on that level, means they’ve pretty much destroyed our family.”
“Let’s get moving on Nancy over there. I want her back home before she’s gone long enough for anyone to call the authorities,” Miz Rose said, snapping out orders and getting people moving.
Leaving him alone with Aimee.
“Thanks for defending me,” he told her.
She took his hand in hers, kissing his knuckles. “Thanks for defending me. I’m sorry you have to do this with your family. What can I do to make it better? How can I help?”
He took her face in his palms and kissed her. “You already do make it better. This is Pembry business. It’ll be ugly and I don’t want you to see it. Call me selfish. Are you going to get Nancy home?”
“No. I’ll stay here. I need to help get the witches calm and get everyone home before too long. Miz Rose will take Nancy to her car, which is in a mall parking lot somewhere. I want to check on a few of the older folks in town who were here tonight. Lots of excitement and I don’t want anyone having a heart attack if I can help it.”
“You do realize everything you just said was about you taking care of everyone else. Like my brother, Samuel. I hadn’t known you’d been so good to him but I wasn’t surprised. Thank you. He’s the one who tipped me off today.”
Her expression brightened. “He did? I knew he meant it when he said he wanted to turn his life around. He idolizes you, you know. Oh, and hey, I guess I should leave off checking in on any Pembrys? Will you all be out at your pack meeting?”
“Just the elders tonight so pack wolves will be home. But...if you go visiting anyone, will you take a friend along?”
“You don’t think anyone would hurt me?”
He shook his head. The ones he didn’t trust would be the ones getting punished. But he couldn’t be everywhere at once and he didn’t know the extent of this plan between his dad and brother. If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself or his wolves.
“I don’t, no. But things are unsettled. Wolves are upset and you know our control is at its lowest when we’re worked up.” It had just been a full moon a few days prior as well. No use tempting fate. “If you want to go tomorrow and check on Pembrys, I’ll come with you.”
She looked up at him and he knew she understood. Knew he’d been warring with the need to take over and the knowledge that it was something that’d change his relationship with his parents forever.
“I’m sorry you have to do this. But I’m proud of you. It’s not often easy to do the right thing.”
Knowing she understood what it would take from him to do this next part was enough to bolster his choice. It had needed to be done for some time and he was the one to do it. Like it or not, the wolves were his to lead and sometimes that meant making really tough decisions.
“I’m going to be pretty late tonight. Maybe I’ll just sleep over at Huston’s.”
“I’ll be so pissed if you don’t come home. I don’t advise you try that. Not if you want to walk without a limp.” Her bright smile made him snort.
He gave up on arguing because he hated the idea of not being able to see her after the next ordeal was finished. “I like you in that dress. I’ll see you when I get home. I’ll try to keep you updated as I go. Don’t forget I love you, all right?”
“Only if you do the same. I love you too. Come home to me. I’ll be there.”
“Don’t make me worry. Lock the doors. I’m not joking around.”
“I don’t like this new tone. And I don’t like the worry on your face. So I’ll remind you my magic will protect me better than a lock ever could.”
“I could break into your house in under five minutes,” he said, trying not to patronize her.
And failing, given the slow raise of one brow that made his cock pretty happy. “You think you could. That’s part of the magic. But you can’t. You come inside because I allow you to. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t get over my threshold. In any way.”
“And I do like getting over your threshold,” he murmured as he hugged her.
“If you need me, I’ll be there. My phone will be on.”
He kissed her forehead and left, keeping that close to his heart.
* * *
“He’s going to have to punish his daddy,” she said as her mom came up behind her. “I hate that.”
“Me too, baby. Well, not that his daddy will get his. But that our boy has to do it. But Dwayne is so far out of line there’s nothing to be done but punish him. And Darrell.”
Aimee knew it. Understood it. Still hated it.
“Honey, come on over here,” Miz Rose called out. “I need you to keep her nice and calm while we finish up here.”
Aimee headed over, kneeling on the floor next to the chair. Nancy looked so sad, even unconscious. She wished she could take that away. Wished she could spare her the pain of discovering this terrible secret life her husband had. Wished even more that it hadn’t been someone from their town who’d done it.
She opened up to her magic, to the land and the connection between witch and earth. Opened up and let the power pour out through the hands she held Nancy’s in. Soothing. Calming.
The heat of it coursed through Aimee’s veins, leaving her sleepy and no small amount calmer herself as her magic swirled through Nancy, picking up and collecting all those bits and barbs. Anxiety. Guilt. Self-doubt. Bob had planted those seeds and Aimee did her best to respect what had to be a grieving process, while also helping just a little by clearing away the worst of it that had kept her looking the other way over the years.
At her side, she knew Miz Rose’s magic eased its way into Nancy’s memories as Nadine spoke softly, using her own magic to help. Katie Faith stood nearby, feeding the three of them more power as needed.
It took a while, but at last, Miz Rose tapped Aimee’s shoulder and she pulled back enough to realize they’d finished.
“I think this is the best it’ll get. Robbie Ruiz is here to help load her in and out of the car we take her back in. You stay here and away from any of the rest of this,” Miz Rose told Aimee. “You did good tonight. I know there’s still so much to deal with, but you held yourself together and I’m proud.”
TeeFaye grinned. “She did great!” Then to Aimee, “I think you need food though. Come home and I’ll make you a plate of something. We’ll wait for the all-clear from the crew taking Nancy here back home to her cheating pig of a husband.”
“I should check on some of the older folks. Just to make sure they’re all okay.”
“You’re off duty as of right now. Everyone will know where you are anyway so if you’re needed, they’ll contact you. They know you’ll help.” Her mom pushed her into her dad’s hug.
“I’m going to get this town locked down for the night and I’ll meet you back home shortly.” He kissed the top of Aimee’s head.
“Come on.” Aimee slung her arm through her mom’s. “Katie Faith drove over with me and we’ve got wine in the trunk.”
On the way out, there were several knots of shifters and witches, some arguing, most of them puzzled and hurting. Aimee started to blush, but Katie Faith pinched her arm really hard.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Aimee hissed at her friend.
“You will not feel bad about this. You didn’t do it. This is all Bob, Dwayne and Darrell,” Katie Faith said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Jace is telling Dooley wolves that right now.”
“The cats are always in your corner,” Bonita Ruiz said before she and her husband faded away down the street.
Not all cat shifters kept to themselves, but most in their part of the country did, much like their wild cousins. They weren’t secretive or hostile. Just cautious and private.
Aimee had made plenty of visits out to the area of town the cats had settled in and even within their neighborhoods, they kept to themselves with their houses dotting the land but never close together.
“That’s as good as a full-throated ‘I love you, Aimee’ from a cat,” Katie Faith said seriously.
It was nice that they’d noticed. That they’d understood her visits had been out of genuine concern and affection. Nice that not everyone in town thought she was a homewrecker.
They drove over to Aimee’s parents’ house and by the time they arrived, four cars were already parked outside.
“Just be aware there are several pissed-off, overprotective mommas in there. And that your most overprotective, pissed-off bestie is so close to knocking some Pembrys out Jace sent me to you because he knew you’d keep me out of trouble.” Katie Faith grabbed the wine.
“He’s a keeper.”
“I’m sorry this happened to you. My God, you were going to kick Dwayne’s ass and he knew it and so he did that to Nancy and to you! What a jagoff.”
“Okay, sis, let’s go inside before they send a search party or before you scamper off to try to start a fight with an old guy.” Aimee tugged Katie Faith up the walk and into the house.