Chapter Twenty-Two
A week passed with no news from Finn. Every time she saw him, he would shake his head and ask for more time. The anxiety was really starting to build up in Cat, and she found the only way to buffer it was to spend time in the gym. It had become therapeutic. A way to manipulate her energy into something meaningful and exhausting.
The elevator opened quietly in front of her, and she moved through the narrow hallway. Tiny spaces still bothered her sometimes. Even now she could feel the walls closing in on her, but as long as she focused on the door at the other end, she knew it would be over soon. She focused on the machines behind the other door, which she now knew held a small security room. The whole sanctuary was rigged with motion sensors and cameras that detected intruders.
She walked into the gym and sighed at the comfort just being there brought. She set her water bottle and towel down on the outskirts of the gym and looked around. Maybe today she’d work on her balance. Lots of legs, abs, and oblique workouts to bring her around, followed by some yoga. Planning her workout in her head, Cat threw her hair up in a ponytail.
A loud sniffle echoed in the quiet room.
Alarmed, Cat searched for the source. A familiar shade of red hair bobbed up and down by the ring, drawing her nearer. Aurelia? What would she be doing in the gym? In the weeks that Cat had been working out down there, she’d never once seen Lia there at the same time. If she ever did come, it was in the evenings with Jamie.
Cat slowly walked around the edge of the ring, her bare feet making no noise across the floor.
And there Lia was, but in a state Cat had never seen her in. She curled in on herself, her short hair falling over her face. Her knees sat tucked in close to her chin. And held in front of her by two shaking hands was a piece of paper. Or was it a picture? Cat stepped closer.
“Lia?” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
Lia’s head snapped up, her expression shocked. Her eyes were wide, and tears spilled down her cheeks. Black mascara stained her face and ended around her parted mouth. When she noticed that it was Cat standing over her, she scrambled up from her position.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled, gripping the paper in her fist. Cat’s gaze lingered on the woman who had given her nothing but trouble. She looked anything but fine. A woman who took pride in her appearance looked like a disaster, with her rumpled gym gear and makeup streaming down her battle-worn face.
“Are you sure? Why don’t I go get Jamie, or maybe Kelly—” Cat offered, already stepping toward the exit.
It was amazing how quickly Lia’s face could turn mean. It must be some hidden talent that could change beauty to beast within a split second. Her silver eyes narrowed, and her mouth twitched into a snarl.
“Don’t try to play all goodie with me,” she hissed, stepping forward. “You took it from me. My only chance, my only hope, was ripped away from me. Because of you.” The words were laced with all the venom a person could muster. Pure anger and agony laced every syllable.
“I didn’t take anything from you,” Cat whispered. “Because he was never yours.”
Lia’s mouth dropped in shock, and her eyes widened, as if the reality of Cat’s statement had slapped some sense into her. She sucked in a deep breath and stared back, her eyes scanning every inch of Cat’s face. She moved her lips as if to say something and then shook her head instead. When she looked back up, her expression was once again the cold, heartless Lia Cat knew.
She walked away, bumping her shoulder into Cat’s, and left the gym.
Cat swallowed and let out a heavy breath. Her wolf growled, but the woman in her only felt pity. A flash of white caught her eye, and Cat looked down at the floor. It was the crumpled piece of paper Lia had been holding on to.
Cat grabbed it and undid every fold and crinkle. It hadn’t been a piece of paper, but a photo. Staring back at her were three beautiful little girls. The eldest in the middle was obviously Lia, with her red hair and enchanting eyes. The other two held such a resemblance in their features, Cat could only guess they were all sisters.
Cat glanced back at the door and decided it was best not to give it back yet. The way Lia had looked at her, she was sure there would be a fight coming. So she walked over to where she’d placed her things and set the photo beneath her towel.
Lia was always a mystery. She came off coldhearted, bitchy, and a little delusional. But somebody who could cry over her family, whether dead or alive, had to have some heart. Sadly, Cat wasn’t sure there was anybody who could bring it back to the surface. Not with the cold, dead eyes that had glared at her.
* * * *
“Killian, I did it!”
Finn’s voice rang through the gym after he shoved the door open, sending it crashing behind him in his haste. After the moment with Lia, Killian had come down to spar. As much as Cat didn’t want to admit it, he was winning. He had just been in the motion of sending her flying with a side kick to the face but paused at the sound of his name. Which Cat took advantage of, of course. She delivered a swift kick right between the legs and watched him fall pathetically to the ground. The air wheezed out of his lungs, and she couldn’t help but relish the feeling of momentary accomplishment. He deserved it for always kicking her ass in sparring. While he lay with his hands between his legs and shooting daggers at Cat, she turned to Finn.
“What’s going on?” she asked between ragged pants. They had been at it for two hours, and he was winning three out of five. She reached down for her water and chugged it, keeping one hand at the cramp forming at her side. If only Shifters really did have inhuman strength.
Finn climbed into the ring and stopped in front of her, his usually immaculate dress shirt and pants disheveled.
“I got a hold of Evelyn,” he gasped, holding on to the sides of his surprisingly fit body.
The color drained from Cat’s face. All feeling left her fingertips, and her water dropped to the gym floor. She had almost given up hope that Finn would ever find his ex.
“How—how did you find her?” Cat whispered, ignoring the water now splattered all over her shoes and the mat of the ring.
He waved his hand. “An old mate from school remembered her. But that doesn’t matter. When I called her, she mentioned she knew the descendant of Torcuil Mckinney.” His eyes threatened to bulge out of his head in emphasis. Cat had never seen Finn so worked up over anything.
“So did you get his information?” Killian asked, having recuperated from Cat’s sneak attack. He grabbed Cat’s hand, and when she looked up at him, he gave her a look that screamed I’ll get you back for that later.
The older man nodded. His black hair had fallen loose from its usually perfect style, and a lock of hair curled down his forehead. He fumbled around in his pants pocket before extracting his smartphone.
“I e-mailed him. His name is Aidan Wood, and he lives somewhere up in Seattle. When I explained what was going on, all he replied was where do you live, so I sent him the address,” he mumbled, sliding and tapping his finger across the phone screen with his eyebrows wrinkled in concentration.
“You did what?” Killian roared, causing Cat to step back sharply. Killian looked outraged; the bulging whites of his eyes encircled his fiery golden orbs, and the tendons around his neck pulsed. His whole body stiffened like he was holding back the instinct to punch Finn square in the jaw.
“What—” Finn began before Killian cut him off.
“What were you thinking? You gave our address to some Warlock, who now knows we probably have a powerful Shifter amulet. What’s to stop him from showing up and—”
A loud ding sounded from the phone in Finn’s hand, and both men looked at it. Finn gulped, glancing up at Killian nervously before he opened the notification on the phone. Cat stepped closer to see what the phone said, and all three fought to catch a glimpse of the e-mail Finn had received.
I’ll be there in 10 seconds.
Her heart raced, and panic set in. Ten seconds? How in the world did a man show up in ten seconds from Seattle?
“Killian, I’m so sorry. I obviously wasn’t thinking. I just got so excited—” Finn pleaded with his Alpha.
Killian cursed, an angry growl from both wolf and man that made Finn wince. Killian looked around the gym as if searching for something and finally settled on the weapon wall. His stride ate up the gym floor, and he grabbed a couple of throwing daggers from their spots before standing in wait.
“Killian, how in the world is he going to—”
“Shh.” He shushed her, looking around the room with wild eyes.
Was there something she didn’t know? Again her lack of knowledge felt stifling. Her parents had never told her about Witches and what kind of magic they were capable of doing. This whole situation was insane. As if a storybook had flipped open and sucked her in.
But…well…she did shift into a wolf, so there was always that.
“Really, though, I don’t see how—”
A loud whistle filled the room, similar to the sound of an old teapot boiling, followed by a loud pop. He wasn’t there, and then he was. A man stood tall at the entrance of the gym, looking like he had been there all along and not like he had just appeared from thin air. His hands were tucked in his black jeans, and he was relaxed beneath his olive-green Henley and black parka.
Before Cat could react, Killian let out a bellow and threw a dagger across the room. It tilted through the air directly toward the Warlock. He didn’t move away from his impending death but instead kept his hands tucked within his pockets. He moved his lips as he muttered beneath his breath.
It vanished.
All twelve inches of cold, hard silver evaporated into thin air like it had never existed. The whole gym reeked of the overwhelming stench of rotten eggs, a similar scent to what Cat had smelled within the cabin that night. Yet he didn’t smell like Shifter…or cinnamon.
Killian’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened, but he reset his stance to throw another one. The stranger lifted a hand in a motion to stop.
“Please don’t. There’s only so many daggers I want to send to the Pacific Ocean. Imagine all the poor animals I’m killing off by letting that metal corrode in there. Ever hear of pollution?”
Everyone in the room froze, and Cat glanced back and forth between the three men. Finn hadn’t moved from his position of holding the phone, his finger still hovering over the screen. Killian dropped his hand with the dagger in it, but his gaze was narrowed on the intruder. And Aidan moved nonchalantly closer to Cat, keeping his eyes on the angry Shifter.
“I’m Aidan Wood. I got an e-mail from a Finn Monroe that said you had a little something we call the Faol Geal.” He paused in front of Finn, who stood completely astounded and unable to move. Cat understood the feeling. Aidan grabbed the phone from Finn’s hand, tucked it into the older man’s pants pocket, and nicked him under the chin with a knuckle to close his gaping mouth.
Laughter bubbled in her throat, and she tried to cover it with her hand. Killian shot her a glare and walked over to them, positioning his body between Aidan and his packmates.
“Maybe you’re mistaken.”
Aidan pursed his lips, and Cat couldn’t help but admire his handsome appearance. His hazel eyes glittered with mischief. He pushed a hand through choppy dark blond hair styled in some sort of faux-hawk. A carefully maintained beard of the same color moved with his smile.
“I don’t think so, Mr. Alpha.” He chuckled and shot a pointed stare at Killian’s sweats. “In fact, I happen to know it’s right there in your pocket.”
Cat glanced at Killian’s pocket in shock. He carried that thing with him even in here? This had to be more than just keeping it safe. It gnawed at her, and she wanted him to answer some damn questions.
“If you think you’re taking this…” Killian started, pushing forward with his body. His bare chest almost brushed against the smooth material of Aidan’s parka. Cat reached a hand out and grabbed his shoulder. She needed to stop this. Who knew if Aidan could transport a whole body to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as well?
Aidan let out a hefty laugh, his upper body shaking with the loud noise. He reached his hand up and pushed Killian away with one pointer finger.
“I don’t want to take it. I just came to help. What use would that thing be for me? Only a Shifter can use it.”
Killian finally backed away, and Cat linked her arm through his elbow. She needed to be grounded to him as the anxiety built up again.
Answers. She needed answers. Breathe, Cat. Stop stressing. Answers. Breathe.
“Only Shifters can use it?” she asked. Aidan’s gaze latched on to her, and his smile lit up.
“Ahh, Mrs. Alpha Wolf. Glad to have someone lacking testosterone present.” He shot a look at Finn, who no longer stood frozen with shock. He was tense, ready to help out his Alpha if need be.
“Don’t think that, Mr. Wood. I can assure you that, when threatened, I have quite a ferocious bite.” She raised an eyebrow at his assumption. It wasn’t a new one. Everyone assumed her petite, fair appearance meant she was useless in a fight.
Aidan’s eyes glinted as he flicked them down her body, scantily clad in nothing more than a workout bra and formfitting pants, then back up again. He rocked back on his heels, nibbled on his lip, and then grinned. “I bet you do.”
Killian let out a growl and shot Cat a narrowed look. He was beyond uncomfortable with the situation, his muscles tensed beneath her fingers.
“Back to the necklace. What can you tell us about it?” he said through gritted teeth.
Aidan clucked his tongue and met Killian’s pissed-off stare. “No introductions. No offer for some tea. Throwing daggers at me. I don’t think I’m much in the mood to give you anything, Mr.…” He trailed off, raising his eyebrows in question.
“Killian. Just Killian.”
“Right. Just Killian, why don’t we go up and sit down. The Faol Geal is not just a simple piece of jewelry.”
“Yeah. We got that,” Cat mumbled, looking at Killian’s pocket.
“Do you think we could turn on the heat? You guys do realize it’s freezing in here, right? It’s snowing outside, and you don’t have a fire or heater on,” Aidan complained as he moved toward the entrance to the gym, the three of them trailing behind the star of the show.
* * * *
The fire roared, and the heater was on, putting an end to Aidan’s endless complaints. It was only twenty minutes of his nonstop chatter, yet Cat had to wonder whether Killian’s teeth were going to have permanent damage from all the grinding he was putting them through. She felt surprisingly calm as she sat on the couch and watched Aidan take his coat off before he settled on the couch. Although there was an underlying feeling of anticipation, the stomach flutter of anxiety, curled into Killian’s arm she felt all was well. Even when his hand continued to clench and unclench over her hip bone.
“That is much better. Although I would have preferred tea.” Aidan’s lips pursed as he regarded the glass of wine Killian had set on the table.
“We can always get you water,” Killian mumbled, taking a hefty sip of his own glass.
“No need to be rude, Just Killian,” Aidan admonished, shifting his body on the couch.
Killian had told Finn to leave so he could go back to work, which Finn gratefully accepted. The poor man felt guilty about the whole situation and apologized profusely even as he shut the door behind him. Cat sipped on her water—eleven a.m. was just a bit too early for her to force down a glass of wine—and looked at Killian’s tense face with a tickle of amusement in her throat. He seemed affected by the very presence of Aidan, and that intrigued her.
“Can you tell us about the Faol Geal or what?” Killian said, putting his glass of wine on the coffee table.
Aidan scoffed. “Can I? What kind of insult is that? I’m the descendant of Torch Mckinney. Of course I can tell you about it.” He raised his eyebrows and sipped his wine, intentionally building Killian’s frustration.
Cat could sense the dam about to break within Killian, so she laid a hand on his arm. When he looked down at her in question, she mouthed, Stop it…which did not help the situation. His gaze darkened dangerously, like his wolf was fighting for the surface and she was only triggering it further. The muscles in her throat closed, but she refused to show fear to the domineering Alpha. So she raised her chin in defiance.
“Now, now, no need to have a lover’s quarrel over me,” Aidan said smoothly from the other couch. What used to be amusing was starting to get irritating, so Cat shot him a dirty look.
“Can you just tell us what we need to know?”
Aidan sighed wearily. “You two are no fun.” He shook his head and reached in his pocket, pulling out a small leather-bound book. It barely took up the space of his palm when he handed it over to Cat.
“What’s this?” Cat asked, taking the smooth leather into her hand. It had no title carved into it, and the pages were thin and brittle beneath her touch.
“It’s kind of like a Witch’s encyclopedia. Open it up to the page with the bookmark.”
She opened it, and it automatically flipped to the placeholder. The print was so fine she had to squint to even distinguish what it said. When she found Faol Geal, she read aloud so Killian could hear.
“‘In a small village in Scotland lived Fáelán Brennus, the top chieftain of the area and known to the locals as the best fighter. During a challenge from a neighboring chieftain, he was gravely injured and dumped in a nearby forest. His village assumed he was dead and never went to search for his body. A beautiful wolf instantly fell in love with him and his strength, drawn to the man like no other human had ever done to her before, so she nursed him to health.
“‘She protected his body from other carnivorous predators, brought him natural herbs to heal him, and comforted him during fevers. As he regained his strength, she fell even deeper in love with him, drawn to his powerful nature and affections. She prayed for the ability to be with him, which the goddess Artio of wildlife heard and took pity on her. Artio blessed her with the ability to transition between wolf and human.
“‘When she showed Fáelán her human form, he couldn’t believe it was the wolf that had nursed him, so she showed him her transition. He knew immediately she was a blessing from the Goddess just for him to start his life anew. He named her Aileas (noble) and bedded her.
“‘As their children grew, Aileas and Fáelán realized they lacked control. They were quick to anger and ran on instinct like a wolf, so Fáelán called upon a local Witch to fashion something to help. Our great Torcuil “Torch” Mckinney created the amulet from a piece of jade and named it the Faol Geal (White Wolf) because of the color of Aileas’s fur. It controlled the Shifters’ emotions. Whether to escalate the wrath or calm, it was entirely up to the user of the amulet.’”
The passage ended, and Cat stopped reading. Her finger remained on the thin paper, and she glanced at Killian. She felt empty. Her parents had protected such an incredible object. Had buried it underneath the floorboard of their kitchen, right under her nose. This was the reason for their deaths.
“But how did my parents get it?” she whispered, looking at Aidan. He was her answer factory, the only person in this place besides the murderer who could give any information at all. A man she had met twenty minutes before was her only hope.
Aidan shrugged. He leaned back on the couch and rubbed a finger over the hair above his lip. “That’s the question, isn’t it? The Faol Geal is only handed down to certain descendants of Fáelán and Aileas. So either you’re one of the select, or they stole it.”
She couldn’t imagine her parents sneaking into someone’s house to steal. Or murder. But then again, she hadn’t imagined her parents hiding a centuries-old magic relic beneath their kitchen floor either.
“She’s a white wolf,” Killian mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. He lifted his gaze to Aidan’s in wide-eyed shock. “Cat. She has white fur, just like Aileas. That’s pretty rare.”
Aidan nodded. “There aren’t very many white Shifters.”
“And her being able to resist my control?”
“Another trait. What would be the use of a leader who could be manipulated by the first Alpha to cross her path?”
“Do you know who would go after this amulet? Who else knows about it?” Cat asked. She reached for Killian’s hand for the solid warmth of his touch. This was it.
“That…is where it gets a bit difficult. It’s hard to tell who knows about it. And Witches don’t”—he flitted a hand, looking for the right word—“mingle in other paranormal affairs. Unless it directly affects us, of course.”
He knew. He had information, and he didn’t want to share, was basically what he was saying. Suppressed rage ran hot under Cat’s skin, and a muscle twitched in her lip. Killian squeezed her hand in warning.
“So you know something; you just won’t help us,” she concluded. She watched as guilt flashed in the Witch’s hazel eyes. His lips pressed in a tight line, and his regret came off of his body in waves.
“I can’t. It’s a Witch law,” he said behind a clenched jaw.
“Fuck that!” Cat shot out of her chair, and before she knew it, her hands were grasping the front of his shirt, dragging him until their faces were inches apart. “I have waited six years to get answers, Aidan. Six long, agonizing years of not knowing who the hell ripped my world apart. You’re sitting here giving me some bullshit line about how you can’t help me because of some stupid fucking Witch law?”
Blood pulsed in her ears. She tried to stop the hot tears forming in her eyes, but her anger was so uncontrolled that they fell freely down her cheeks. Killian’s hands came to her shoulders, pulling her off the Witch and into his arms. She inhaled Killian’s scent, calming her shaking body before she turned around with a hazy gaze to Aidan.
“I’m sorry, Cat. I’m not allowed to help you. Do you know what the coven leaders would do to someone who aids another paranormal? We could go to prison. And not just a normal human prison either.” Aidan swallowed, fear, guilt, and apology shining back at Cat like a beacon. “They strip your powers and leave you in the darkness.”
Cat shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. “You were my only hope to find them, Aidan. They took everything from me.”
Aidan shook his head and looked away. Killian rubbed her back, trying to give her some comfort as her world collapsed in on itself. A whiff of Aidan’s scent triggered the memory, the pain, the screaming.
“He smelled like you. Why do you have that smell?” Cat whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion.
Aidan was brushing off the wrinkles on his shirt, courtesy of Cat’s clinging hands, when he paused and looked up at her with an appalled expression. “Like Armani?”
“No! Like that sulfur smell. When you made the dagger disappear.”
“That’s what happens when we use magic. Was he a Warlock?”
She shook her head. “He was most definitely a Shifter.”
“He probably had someone use magic on him. I wouldn’t be surprised, but it’s very expensive, and not every coven is willing to sell. Witches charge top dollar to use any magic on a person.”
The person had magic used on him? Who on earth did that? She hadn’t even known Witches existed until a couple of days ago, and there were Shifters who had magic used on them?
“Thanks for your wealth of information, Aidan Wood, but you should probably leave now,” Killian said.
Aidan glanced at Cat, worry and regret begging behind his dark lashes for her to understand. She imagined how shattered she looked. Did she look as numb as she felt? Like all of her world had ended in one denial of information? Did her eyes seem devoid of any life or energy?
“I’m really sorry, Catrina. I wish I could have done more for you. But just know…you may be better off not knowing who killed your parents.”
He vanished, leaving nothing more than the smell of sulfur and Armani cologne. Even the parka he had left on the back of the couch had gone.
The silence was too much. The weight on her chest was too much. Her body gave out, and she went to drop to the couch, but Killian grabbed her instead.
“Come on, let’s go take a bath. We stink.”
He braced her weightless form as she floated up the steps to his oversize bathroom. The claw-footed tub was just large enough for both of them, and Killian filled it up with water. It didn’t take long for steam to fill the expansive room, but Killian made slow work of stripping her out of her clothes. She stared at the tile pattern on the wall—how the different shades of blue and brown became misted with condensation. Or were those her tears?
He pulled her with tenderness until she sank into the tub. Her back lay on his chest, and she was between his legs, and the warmth was amazing to her freezing insides. Killian brought his finger up her shoulder, sending droplets of water down her flesh in single rivulets. They both watched as each drop fell to the bathwater in complete silence.
Her reality had become stationary. No movement, nowhere to go. Just…still. They were at the beginning again, with so little to go on. How could they find someone with answers without alerting the whole world that they held the most powerful object to the Shifter race?
“Don’t shut me out, Cat,” Killian mumbled, kissing the soft tendon between her shoulder and neck. “We’re past that, aren’t we?”
She shut her eyes and leaned her head against Killian’s chest, tilting to encourage the kisses that were taking away the numbness. “Are we, though?”
He paused, his lips hovering over her skin, and she tried to shift closer for the tender feeling again. Instead, she got his fingers pulling her chin up to look at his face. “We’re not?”
“I don’t know, Killian.” She sighed. He had apparently given up on working away her numbness. “I mean, you haven’t told me anything about you.”
“Hmm.” He paused, looking upward as if to think about his answer. “Well, I grew up in Wisconsin in the same pack as Jessica and Jamie. Kelly and Finn were there. They were friends of my parents.” He settled down deeper into the tub, and she was content to just lie with him.
“I didn’t know that. How come you don’t have an accent?” she asked and could feel him smile against her cheek.
“Jessica, Jamie, and I worked really hard at getting rid of it,” he said, bringing out the twang in his voice. “Kelly and Finn didn’t even bother.”
Cat laughed and closed her eyes, imagining a little boy with black hair and gold eyes. “Did you have siblings?”
He snorted. “Fallon, my baby sister. Last I saw her she was fifteen and quite a handful. God, she’s probably your age now, around twenty-three.” He chuckled.
“How old are you? You make me sound like a baby.” Her finger stroked lazy circles into the hair of his thigh, and Cat was grateful for the distraction of his past.
“I’m thirty. Such an old man.” His breath fanned against her head, now damp from the moisture building in the room, and sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
Cat bit the tip of her tongue, hesitant to ask the next question. She couldn’t help but think this might be her only opportunity to get him to open up. The question would push against his boundaries, but she needed to know more about the naked man behind her.
“Why did you leave Wisconsin?”
He paused, his body tensing beneath her, and Cat held her breath.
“My father and I had a…disagreement. So I left for college and got my business degree. I dreamed about this place, a safe haven for Shifters who have no pack, but it still took me a while to get funding.” He wasn’t telling her something. His body remained tense, and his voice faltered. She closed her eyes, desperate for a little more information. But she knew pushing him would only make him close off more, and she didn’t want him to stop talking. The sound of his voice and the therapeutic feel of his breath on her neck was distracting her from something she didn’t want to focus on.
“How do you get money for Wolf Creek?” Change the subject. Smooth one, Cat.
“Well, I write a lot of articles and books on wolves. That has given me quite a hefty sum toward my own personal account, but any money for the sanctuary comes from investors. That’s what I use for property maintenance and the travel to other states. There’s also the fund-raising, which is why I have to do the interviews. To get word out.”
They were silent for a while, content to listen to the drops of water and each other’s relaxed breathing. When he finally spoke, it was the quietest whisper in her ear. “We’ll figure something out, Cat. I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure we find whoever did it.”
She grunted in acknowledgment and realized she was dozing off. Her eyes were heavy and her body lax against his. He pushed her up to a sitting position and began washing her hair with gentle ministrations. Killian Stone, her fierce but gentle wolf warrior, famous for head massages and fights with Warlocks, among other things.
And she was falling in love with a man she knew very little about.