“Yep, I know what you’ve found. Tell me how much you’ll pay and then I’ll explain.” Roxi cracked her gum, the sound annoyingly loud.
He named an amount.
“We’re not dealing in cash here but you’re a good customer so I’ll trust you this time.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m generous that way, right?” She laughed and then launched into her explanation. “During a full moon, witches will often bathe in the light. The energy given off can cause a growth spurt in nearby plants.”
“I understand.” He looked down at his hand, the tingle almost gone. “It’s not dangerous though, is it?”
“Nah.”
Curious about what he’d seen earlier, he crouched down and touched the circle again. A vague image of Gwyneth appeared once more.
Roxi was still talking. “It might give you a scare, though, if you walk through the circle unawares.”
“A scare? How so?” He answered absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the hazy figure of the woman in the middle of the circle.
“Depending on the power of the witch, an animated ghost-like image can appear if someone walks through the circle and disturbs the residual energy. Sort of like stirring up dust. When people report seeing ghosts in the woods, it’s often because they’ve disturbed a witch’s circle.”
“Interesting. Thanks for the information.”
“When are you going to pay me? And don’t say the cheque is in the mail.”
He arranged to drop the money off the next day and quickly ended the call, wanting to investigate the phenomenon before him. When he stepped back, the image disappeared and when he touched the circle with the toe of his boot, it reappeared. Boldly, he walked into the circle and the image became even clearer. It still had a ghost-like quality but was much easier to see.
The not quite real Gwyneth was seated on the ground, her legs tucked neatly beneath her, her head bowed as if meditating. Eyes closed, she was completely still, an ice carving except for the barely perceptible rise and fall of her chest.
Eventually, she looked up and raised her arms, stretching languidly before beginning to unbraid her hair, the red tresses slowly untwining and spilling over her back and shoulders. The action made her breasts more pronounced and he couldn’t help but notice how the cool air affected her nipples, the gossamer thin white shift doing little to hide her lithe body. Unexpectedly, Dante’s mind took a flight of fancy and he imagined himself sitting behind her. He’d run his fingers through the silken strands of her hair, then clench his hands in it and kiss her nape, trailing his lips down the column of her neck, turning her so he could access her mouth. The long tresses would brush over his skin, the whisper-like touch stimulating his nerves…
He blinked and harnessed his carnal thoughts. Focus on what’s happening in front of you, not some fictional scenario, he chided himself. Gwyneth was kneeling now, raising her arms to the moon, tilting her face up towards the cool rays. A smile curved her lips and she stretched sensuously before undoing the bow at the neck of her gown. The material slowly slid down her body, catching at her hips before giving way to gravity and pooling at her knees leaving her naked.
The sight was like a kick to his gut. He inhaled sharply, his body hardening in response to the nude woman before him. His gaze traced her moonlit frame, noting the curve of her hip, the indent of her waist, the jut of her breasts and slope of her shoulders. His hands clenched into fists as the throbbing of his body responded to the vision in the clearing. The urge to step closer, to take her in his arms was strong, and when she finally stood and turned his way her face was radiant with contentment and joy.
She opened her eyes, blinking slowly, almost sleepily before she noticed him. Her gaze locked on his, seeming to reach into his soul and tug at something elemental. A connection formed between them, travelling the invisible bridge of their locked gazes, hot and needy, urging his feet to move.
He took a step closer, unable to resist. She lifted her arms towards him in a welcoming gesture, a smile parting her full lips, her long red hair spilling over smooth, white skin. A small imperfection caught his attention, a crescent shaped scar over her heart; the blood spell mark Roxi had mentioned.
Abruptly he stepped back, exiting the circle and the image faded from sight. The scar had reminded him he had a job to complete. And even though Gwyneth wasn’t really there he had no right to spy on her. He forced himself to turn and walk away, despite his body’s protests.
Sometimes having an attack of ethics sucked.
Sam pushed her way through the crowds at Club Mystique. Now that she was pregnant, alcohol was off limits and, with her friend Tina no longer working at the club, the place no longer held much interest to her. She did, however, have business here.
Matt was supposed to have stopped by the pack house today to go over some renovation plans. Ever since her grandfather’s death last year, she and Damien had slowly begun making changes to how the pack was run, starting with housing arrangements. Even though the pack was small, privacy was at a premium when everyone lived under the same roof. Subdividing the rambling house into separate units was now being considered and, when they could afford it, others were hoping to purchase homes in the neighbourhood.
All that was on hold though, since Matt hadn’t shown up for their appointment. She hoped to be able to talk to him tonight and reschedule. Plus, it had been a few days since Gwyneth had contacted her making inquiries about Dante. Unfortunately, no new information had surfaced yet. That was no excuse not to keep the witch informed, though. An Alpha had a duty to respond in a timely manner.
That thought brought her to Reno. He hadn’t replied to the message Damien had left that morning. Even if he was still investigating Dante, a quick email wouldn’t have taken long. An unexpected mission, perhaps? Or something to do with Brandi?
A grin broke out on her face. Brandi had said they were hoping to start a family soon. Maybe that’s what was keeping Reno from his research.
She chuckled to herself, imagining Gwyn’s expression if she said that was the reason there was no news on Dante. Yep, it would go over like the proverbial lead balloon.
Pausing in a corner, she scanned the room once more looking for Gwyn but saw only a sea of heads. The bouncer, however, was nearby so she made her way over to him.
“Hey, Rudy.”
“Sam.” The burly bear glanced down at her and grinned. “Surprised to see you here. It’s been a while.”
“I’ve been keeping busy.”
His gaze dropped to her waist. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Thanks. Word travels fast.”
“A pregnant Alpha is something of a novelty.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Female Alphas were rare so she supposed she was a novelty, but she wished people would quit making a big deal out of it. She was happy about the baby, of course, it was just that as an Alpha she was concerned how the two roles were going to mesh. And what did she know about being a mother? Since she was a child, she’d been trained to be an Alpha; but motherhood was a mystery to her. It was supposed to be instinctive, wasn’t it? The only problem was those instincts hadn’t been stirring yet.
Her expression must have conveyed her feelings, or perhaps Rudy was perceptive to feelings as were many of the bears she’d met. Either way, he didn’t pursue the topic. She scanned the room looking for his cousin. “I don’t see Matt here tonight. He was supposed to stop by the house today and give a quote on some renovations we want done.”
Rudy frowned. “He didn’t show up for his shift either.”
“Perhaps he’s sick? Or there was a problem at another job site?”
“Matt always lets me know if he can’t make it to the club.” Rudy shook his head. “I called him. No answer. And his truck is still parked in the same place it was last night.”
“Do you think there’s something wrong?” Her Alpha instincts kicked in. “I could send a patrol out.”
“Thanks, but no.” He
rubbed the back of his neck. “I believe he and Gwyn have parted ways. She said as much when I asked if she knew where Matt was. Perhaps he needs some time by himself. It’s the way of our people to mourn alone.”
“Well, when you hear from him, tell him to give me a call.”
He nodded and took a deep breath then smiled at her. “Were you here just for Matt or can I help you find a table?”
“Actually, I’m looking for Gwyn.”
“Over there. Watch yourself though. She’s in a mood.” He gestured towards the back where Gwyn was helping clear a table.
“Thanks.” She nodded and began to make her way towards the witch. When a male patron tried to chat her up, she shot him a drop-dead look that had him quickly backing off.
Patting the slight swell of her belly, she grinned and murmured to her unborn child. “No worries there, baby. Mama’s got that part covered. If anyone ever bothers you, I’ll kick their ass.”
Noticing Gwyn was now heading to the bar with a loaded tray, Sam altered her path to intercept her target.
“Gwyn, got a minute?”
The witch looked at her and tightened her lips before nodding. “Follow me.” After setting the tray down on the bar, she led the way to a relatively quiet corner. “What do you want?”
Sam narrowed her eyes. “As pleasant as always.”
“I’ve no time for idle chatter.”
“Neither do I.” Sam hooked her thumbs in her belt loops and widened her stance. The other woman had come to her for help but you’d never know it from her attitude. At least she wasn’t gushing about the baby, as some in the territory had done. Sam was sure if one more person tried to touch her stomach, she’d punch them.
“Well?” Gwyn folded her arms and tapped her foot.
“I thought you might want an update on Dante.”
Interest flared in the woman’s eyes. “What did you find out?”
“He’s here on some unofficial Lycan Link business.”
Gwyn sneered. “I already learned that on my own.”
“Really? How?”
“He told me. Plus, there was an email from Lycan Link.”
“Email?”
“That’s what I said. Now if you don’t have anything more to say…?”
“No, that was it for now.”
Gwyn rolled her eyes. “I thought Lycans claimed to be so efficient and organized, always knowing where everyone was and what they were up to.”
“We try to keep tabs on our people but not all Lycans comply. Dante is one of the ones that likes to slip through the cracks.” Sam forced herself to reply politely. “I have someone looking into the matter but wanted to ensure you knew I wasn’t ignoring your request.”
“Fine.” Gwyn brushed past her and Sam frowned as she watched her walk away. An email didn’t match the initial information Reno had given Damien. It had sounded as if Lycan Link didn’t want to acknowledge an official connection to the man. Were they talking about two different Dantes? Not likely. It was hardly a common name.
She hoped whatever Dante was up to, it wasn’t going to cause problems and he’d soon be gone from their lives. Calm, quiet, ordinary; that’s what she wanted from life right now. Damien was skittish enough about her being pregnant. Adding Dante to the mix was the last thing they needed.
“Reno, what’s the matter? You’ve been staring at that report all night.” Brandi stood behind his chair. Sliding her arms around his neck, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Hmm?” He glanced up at her.
“That report. You’ve been reading it over and over, mumbling to yourself for the past two hours.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” He set the papers down in his lap and rubbed his eyes. “I’ve been looking at this so long I’m seeing double.”
“What’s so fascinating about it?”
“I’ve been researching a girl Dante was involved with back when he was at the Academy.”
“A girl? What was her name?”
“Carlotta.”
“And?” She moved to sit on the arm of his chair.
“She and her entire pack were murdered.”
She stared at him aghast. “How could that have happened?”
“It was a very small pack. They lived south of the border in a very rough area. The official report says they were caught in a drug war.”
She cocked her head. “You don’t sound very sure.”
“It doesn’t feel right.” He flipped open the file again. “The autopsies put the dates of deaths of the members as much as a week apart. Quick executions were more in keeping with a drug war.”
“What do you think really happened?”
He shrugged. “At the time, the locals were whispering about an evil force, the return of the ancient ones, dark magic.”
“A bunch of rumours and superstitious stories from the sound of it.”
“The sort of stuff you use as a DC to hide the activities of careless Lycans.”
“Right.” She gave him a knowing look. “Of course, there’s often a grain of truth to rumours.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his neck. “The whole thing is odd.”
“How does Dante fit into this?”
“It seems she and Dante had an affair during spring break. Her family found out and banned her from seeing him. His official ranking was still listed as Omega at the time.”
Brandi nodded. Wolf pups took on the ranking of their parents until they reached adult status and found their own place within the pack. “How sad that they never got to see each other again.”
“We’re not clear on that. He went there directly after graduating from the Academy. The pack died shortly afterwards.”
A chill ran over her. “He wasn’t involved somehow, was he?”
“A young wolf taking on a whole pack, even a small pack is improbable.” He shook his head. “But here’s the big surprise. The girl had a pup.”
“Dante’s?”
“Uh-huh. He was listed as the father.”
“And the baby died, too?” She felt her eyes prickle with tears, thinking of the innocent child.
“That’s the mystery. A child’s body was never found.”
“So it might be alive somewhere?”
“Could be.”
“I wonder if Dante knows what happened?”
Reno didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he slowly closed the file, weighing his words. “It was a male pup. The name was listed as D. Carlos.”
“Carlos for Carlotta. The ‘D’ was probably for Dante, but since the family didn’t approve the mother only put an initial.”
“Or D for Damien.” He slid a sideways look at her.
“What?” She lost her balance and fell off the edge of the chair, landing in a heap on the floor.
“Are you okay?” Reno jumped up and lifted her to her feet.
“Yeah.” She rubbed her rear end and then hit him.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“How dare you drop a bombshell like that?”
“Sorry.”
She made a face. “I guess I’ll forgive you. Are you sure it’s Damien?”
“No. But that’s what I’ve been thinking about all night. The timing is right. The initials are right. Damien claims to have a recurring dream of someone taking him through a jungle, telling him not to go back. It fits.”
“Yeah, but Dante as Damien’s father?” She pursed her lips. “It’s hard to believe.”
“Damien hates the man. If this is true, I’ve no idea what he’ll do.”
“Then don’t tell him.”
“But he asked me to research his background and report back with anything I find.”
“You could say you didn’t find anything.”
“Lie to him? I thought you were the professional liar in the family.”
She hit him lightly again. In the early days of their relationship he’d thrown the insult at her. The words no longer stung, had in fact become a shared joke. “I only fabricate stories in a prof
essional capacity and you know it.”
He pulled her close. “I know and I’d never ask you to.”
“It’s okay.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin. “Sorry for hitting you.”
“I’ll carry the bruise all week.” He rubbed his chest.
“Now who’s the liar?”
Reno gave a mock growl and she giggled, backing away. “Help, I have a rogue ready to attack.”
“Oh, I’ll attack you all right.” He chased her into the bedroom and the night ended in a very satisfactory manner.
Chapter 18
Dante punched his code into the hotel safe in his closet. Lifting his tablet, he pulled out a carefully wrapped package. He couldn’t sleep, thoughts of Gwyneth filling his head, so he might as well make use of his time.
Setting the package on the bed, he unwrapped it, revealing an old book, a grimoire. The tooled leather cover was scarred and worn, many of the pages loose, the binding threads frayed. Carefully, he opened the cover and began to turn the thick parchment pages. They were brittle with age, tiny edge pieces flaking off. He took a picture of each one as he went, hoping to preserve the information before the book completely disintegrated. Occasionally, he paused, running his finger over the text, squinting at the faded ink and flourished penmanship. The unfamiliar spellings had him frowning but he persisted, sure the clue he needed must be hidden with the words before him.
He’d been trying to get his hands on one of the elusive books for some time. They were well-guarded, passed down from family member to family member, containing spells as ancient as time. Some even included snippets of family lineage or the history of a particular event such as how or why a spell was created or used. Finding this one had been a stroke of luck.
When passing by an estate sale the other day after his initial visit with Roxi, he’d felt the urge to stop and look in a box of old books. One had been in exceptionally poor condition, the spine damaged, some pages torn out or perhaps even burnt, given the black stubs that clung to the binding. But it had been the cover that had caught his eye. The pentagram and runes carved on the front had made him realize the worth of what he’d found.