CHAPTER TWO
"K ass is keeping the guy busy at the Café, and he wants us to go through his motel room and see what we can find," Raul said as he grabbed his phone and the keys to his vehicle.
“Take Eli with you for now and I’ll catch up with you. I’m on a call with Caleb from Toledo regarding the disappearance of that young vampire they’ve been holding for observation. He thinks the guy might be headed in our direction.” Terrance explained.
“The one who was infected by some sort of blood witchery?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
"That's all we need." Raul drawled sarcastically. He gave Terrance the room number at the Starlight Motel and said he'd see him there, so he left. Terrance finished his call about fifteen minutes later and headed to the motel. It was odd that Kass wanted a stranger's room searched simply because he was a stranger in town. He trusted the man implicitly, but the whole thing was smacking of prejudice, and he hoped that wasn't the case.
They were miffed because the guy wouldn't give them his name or answer their questions. Terrance hoped they would find something that would provide them with a reason for this search. He was surprised to see Raul, Eli, and Lawson standing outside the unit, looking decidedly perplexed.
“What’s wrong?”
"Not sure, but none of us have been able to enter the room." Raul spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Terrance walked up to them, and Raul gave him a demonstration. He had already disengaged the locking mechanism, so he tried to open the door, but it would not give. The more Raul pressed, the more resistance was built. Then Eli tried, and Lawson, and neither of them could open an unlocked door.
Terrance looked through the window as best he could to try and see if something was blocking the door. “I looked from the bathroom window which gives a clear view of the door and there is nothing blocking the door.” Terrance said with a shake of his head. “It’s got to be something mystical.”
“I knew it.” Lawson erupted. “He’s some sort of fucking mystic.”
“What’s his name?” Terrance asked.
"Dakota Winters," Lawson stated with contempt. "I got that from the waitress at the café. He's hiding something because he flatly refused to give us his name."
“If he was hiding, he wouldn't have given his name to the waitress. I think he just doesn't like you, Lawson." Terrance pinned him with a knowing stare. "What do you have against the guy?"
"He's a cocky bastard," Lawson admitted, and everyone gave a chuckle in response.
"Well, we can't allow that now, can we," Raul added with sarcasm and an eye roll.
"I'm going to call the Sheriff and let him know it's a bust. It'll take another mystic to break this spell, or whatever it is he's using." Lawson was on his call when Terrance walked up and opened the door. It swung inward with ease at his touch.
Everyone stood still and watched as Terrance took a tentative step inside the room. The others approached, but Terrance waved them back. For whatever reason, he was being allowed inside the room, and he didn’t want their presence to ruin it.
Terrance stood in the center of the room and looked around. The scene was native and powerful. Dakota Winters’ protections were directly linked to the elements, and he should not have been able to walk in because such protections were ancient and absolute and yet he was allowed inside. As he glanced around the room the mood settled into his heart, and it was beautiful.
Then he took a deep breath, and the truth fell upon his senses. The limits and barriers that Dakota had erected did not apply to him. His power did not affect Terrance. The reasoning for that fact filled his heart and mind and a warmth spread through him affecting him mentally, emotionally and physically.
"He's a sorcerer." Lawson burst out, eager to accuse.
Terrance shook his head. "He's Native American, as I'm sure you're well aware, and he is being protected by a skillful Shaman." Terrance took another deep breath, taking in the heady and thick aroma of sweetgrass and honey, the amazing scent of his beloved.
This stranger in town was his beloved. The realization was a shocker and explained why he was able to open the door. The universe knew their connection and placed no barriers between them. Terrance turned and left, closing the door behind him.
"Why is he here?" Raul asked as Lawson tried opening the door, but once again, it would not open for him.
“Why did the door open for you?” Lawson cut into the conversation.
“He is searching for someone, and his search has led him to Mt. Pleasant.” Terrance stated and then turned to Lawson, but he wasn’t ready to make his announcement so simply shrugged as a response to his question and left it there.
"The fact that he's native is obvious, but what about the shaman angle? Is he dangerous?" Lawson was still searching for a villain in the piece.
"I doubt he's dangerous to us, but he's focused and determined from what I felt in that room." Terrance continued to keep it basic and cool, not ready to make any real declarations regarding the man. He needed to meet him and talk to him. "Where is he now?"
"Sheriff Keller was talking to him at the café, and then he arranged to have him followed when he left. The last report had him at the library."
"Thanks, Lawson. I think Raul and I will take it from here. We'll keep you informed." He had no intention of keeping Lawson in the loop, but it was the easiest way to get him to let go of the case.
Eli went with Deputy Lawson back to the police station to report to Sheriff Keller while Terrance and Raul headed to the library. Terrance had a lot on his mind, and he wanted privacy to discuss it with Raul. Dakota Winters was his beloved and he was eager to meet the guy.
Lawson inferred that he looked very native, but that didn't tell him much. He was aching to call up a photo on his phone but resisted as he wanted to see his beloved for the first time in the flesh and not in a picture.
"Okay, what is it that's weighing so heavily on your mind?" Raul asked as they drove together to the library on Union Street. Raul was behind the wheel and kept glancing speculatively over at Terrance. “You’ve been distracted ever since you entered that guy’s motel room.”
“He’s my beloved.” He blurted and Raul looked at him and then back at the road and then back at him and then back at the road.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Terrance shifted his gaze to look out the side window as he remembered the feeling of that amazing aroma as it enveloped him. “Sweetgrass and honey it was intoxicating.”
“So that’s why you were able to open the door.” Raul nodded to himself. “His voodoo doesn’t work on you.”
“I’d like to keep the connection between us quiet until I figure out what we’re dealing with.” He asked and Raul agreed.
“Do you think he will know?”
"He recognized Lawson and Keller and went to the only part of town that is predominantly human. I believe he knows a lot more than we think."
"Lawson said he got the impression the guy knew what he was, and then he went by his expression to assume he recognized Keller." Raul pointed out. Terrance rolled his eyes and looked over at Raul.
“What do you think?” His sarcasm was barely noticeable.
"Yeah, you're right. Lawson is pent-up about this guy, but he's also a good deputy with good instincts. The guy might not know exactly what he's dealing with, but I'm sure he has a good idea." Raul relented, and Terrance concurred.
They pulled into the library lot and parked by the building and then just sat there for a few minutes. Raul turned and looked at him with a half grin on his face. “So, are you ready to go inside and get a look at your beloved?”
“My heart is beating out of my chest I’m anxious but also a little scared.” He admitted. “He clearly held no love for the wolf shifter, or the hellhound so how will he feel about the vampire.”
“You’re his beloved so whatever his issues they will work themselves out.” Raul patted him on the shoulder. “Come on let’s go meet your forever after.” He teased and they both exited the vehicle.
“Dakota Winters.” He said the name under his breath and sensed the importance wash over him. The minute they stepped through the doors he felt his presence and he breathed in the heavy scent of sweetgrass and honey. Dakota Winters was still in the building.
They stepped up to the desk and looked around. Terrance could feel his vibrations tingling along the surface of his flesh. He knew the man was nearby and then he saw him. He was standing at the end of the long desk speaking with a man and showing him a picture. As if on que, Dakota turned, and their eyes locked for only a few seconds but it was monumental. His dark eyes flashed with awareness.
He appeared surprised, not in a startled way but rather in a thoroughly shocked fashion. He obviously recognized them as supernaturals, but the look he gave them was more than that. Terrance was certain that Dakota knew there was more there he must have felt some of what bombarded Terrance at that brief encounter.
His heart was pounding wildly in his chest while his breathing was reduced to short, shallow pants. Dakota was stunningly beautiful beyond anything he could have imagined. His Native American background was obvious in the dark hair that hung straight and glossy to the center of his back. His eyes were dark brown and looked at him with curiosity and with an intensity that shook. His skin was tan and his bone structure solid and angular. Handsome did not go far enough in describing his incredible looks.
He appeared to be about five foot ten or maybe six feet, it was hard to tell at this distance but either way he was not short or diminutive in any way. He was a strong and solidly handsome man and Terrance ached to know him. They headed in his direction, but Dakota quickly ducked down an aisle clearly attempting to avoid them. He and Raul split up and tried to trap him, but he was out the back door before they could complete the maneuver.
"He really doesn't want to talk with us." Raul drawled, and Terrance nodded his head as he considered their next move. "He's going to keep running for whatever reason, he doesn't trust anyone he perceives as not human."
Terrance went back to the librarian with whom Dakota had been speaking. He used a glamour to get the guy talking because he did not have the patience to play games. “He was asking about a young Indian boy who disappeared. He showed me his picture, but I hadn't seen him, and I didn't recognize the name."
“What is the boy’s name?” Terrance prompted.
"Eric Blackbird. He was last seen in Traverse City with a young girl of the same age named Ivy Lee. There was evidence apparently that they'd headed in this direction."
“Did this man identify himself and explain why he was looking for the boy?” Terrance had his name but was hoping the man may have shared more with the librarian.
"He said he was Detective Lieutenant Dakota Winters from the Lac Vieux Desert Reservation in Watersmeet up north. He was sent to find the boy." Terrance thanked him, and he and Raul headed back to their car.
"That cleared up a lot, but it's still unsettling that he seems to be able to recognize us. How is that possible?" Raul threw out the idle question.
"He's a member of the Lake Superior Chippewas, which are known to possess spiritual and mystical abilities and insights. Based on what I saw in his motel room, he knew exactly what he was going to be dealing with here and prepared himself accordingly." Terrance stated, a bit disheartening. "By the shocked look on his face, I don't think he was prepared to meet his beloved." He threw out as he dropped into the passenger seat of the car.
Raul sat behind the wheel but did not immediately start the car. Instead, he turned to his friend. "You know how this works." He began. "Fate makes her design, and fight as you might, she always gets her way. He may not know it yet, but you, my friend, are his destiny, and soon he will understand that fact. He will be drawn to you just as you are drawn to him. Make yourself available." Raul nodded with a knowing smile and started the car.
"Make myself available. Is that all you got, Raul?" He mocked.
"It's all you need, trust me."