Chapter Eighteen
Emberlyn side-eyed the wolf in the driver’s seat. The atmosphere in the truck was tense. Anger was rising off Ripper like steam, and he was all but overflowing with protective energy.
Oh, she was pissed too. She just hadn’t thought he’d be equally so. His hackles weren’t just up, they were on fire.
Neither of them had said much. But he would occasionally rest his hand on her thigh as he drove, silently checking in touch-wise in that way werewolves did.
Maybe it was silly of her not to have expected him to react quite so fiercely to what had happened earlier.
But he hadn’t done so on the last occasion she’d had a run-in with a Rabid.
They hadn’t been enjoying sexytimes back then, true, but it wasn’t as if she and Ripper were together.
He never stayed at her place overnight or invited her to sleep at his – a telling point.
Werewolves only slept beside someone they were serious about.
Ripper was a protector, though, wasn’t he? That someone who wore his scent would be targeted was bound to put him in such a furious state.
She flexed her fingers in her lap, feeling . . . twitchy. Which was unusual for her. But though she was calm, her hold on her temper was frayed around the edges. Her rage kept trying to claw its way out of the hole she’d buried it in.
No, she wasn’t going to give the masterminds of the recent bullshit the satisfaction of getting her all riled up.
Finally arriving at his lake house, he parked his truck and shepherded her up his path, sticking close with every step as if he might need to jump between her and a bullet.
Inside the building, he guided her through to the kitchen and urged her to sit at the island.
Wordlessly, he retrieved one of her homemade herbal tea balls from a cupboard and began preparing her a hot drink.
Ordinarily, Emberlyn would have offered to take over. Today, though, she said nothing, sensing that he needed this. He needed to feel he was doing something for her, angered by the fact that he was unable to avenge the attack on her.
Finally, he set a steaming mug in front of her. It was a week ago that he’d asked her to bring some of her tea balls here for whenever she visited. Each time she’d made a cup, he’d watched closely, intent on learning how she liked it. This incredibly gruff wolf could be sweet at times.
Lifting her cup, she asked, ‘Are you any calmer yet?’
His gaze met hers, hard and flinty. ‘Well, let’s see .
. . you were attacked by a Rabid. Again.
Someone evidently wants you dead. And I don’t know if that someone is going to cut their losses or persist in trying to make it happen.
So the answer to the question is hell no. How can you be so fucking calm?’
‘Would you rather I was ranting and raving? Not in my nature.’ Emberlyn sipped at her tea. ‘Emotions cloud judgement. Case in point – you’re not seeing what I see.’
The corners of his mouth dipped down. ‘Which is what?’
‘This person wouldn’t have felt confident that a Rabid would kill me.
Injure me, yes – maybe even badly. But not kill me.
I’m nothing close to an easy target, which they’ll be well aware of.
They’ll also know that, since my ex-mate turned Rabid, it would infuriate me for a werewolf in such a state to be used like an attack dog.
‘They want me to be angry, Rip, because they want me off my game. It galls me that they thought I wouldn’t see that. It’s quite frankly insulting.’ She leaned toward him. ‘Whoever did this is not worth any of the emotions you’re feeling right now. They’re a coward, just like Logan said.’
Digesting that, Ripper said nothing for a long moment. ‘Who do you think it was?’
Oh, the possibilities were endless. ‘A great many people in the coven don’t like me.
We’re not just talking Reena, Tyra and my family.
We’re talking anyone who felt “wronged” whenever I sought vengeance – that list is long.
And there’ll be witches who aren’t happy that I’m sitting pretty in the manor, shitting all over Reena’s housing development plans.
Then there’s the rebel faction to consider. ’
‘Nothing about the spell itself clued you in to who might have cast it?’
‘As Marvin said, it was a simple one. Which doesn’t mean that the culprit couldn’t have worked a stronger spell – they might have just stuck to something easy so that any of the coven could have seemed responsible for it.’
‘The suspect pool just got a little smaller, though. They used a goat last time – anyone could have caught and killed one, witch or wolf. This time, by utilizing a spell, they’ve exposed themselves to be a witch. Why do that?’
Chewing on it, Emberlyn drummed her nails on her cup.
‘Maybe they saw no point in trying to implicate werewolves now that you and I are sleeping together and wearing each other’s scent – that in and of itself suggests that no werewolf would dare come at me, since it’s a hell of a lot more serious than us being allies. ’
‘Fair point,’ he conceded.
‘I think Marvin is right; I think that this was one person or a few acting in secret. No way would the entire coven remain silent about this.’
She might not be liked, but there was no prejudice against werewolves. Plus, plenty of witches were connected to them – whether through matings, family lines, business dealings or friendships. Not many of the coven would have agreed to overlook what was done to Lincoln.
Emberlyn took another sip of her tea. ‘I also don’t think Reena’s involved. Having me killed, or even badly injured, isn’t her style. She’s no coward. She’d want to defeat me in a magickal duel; prove herself to be more powerful.’
Ripper planted his hands on the island. ‘She also wants the manor, though. That could have motivated her to go off-script.’
‘Maybe. It just doesn’t seem likely to me.’ Emberlyn sighed. ‘Well, one good thing came out of this: Lincoln is now home. He was only Rabid for two years, so his mental state should return to its original one.’
Ripper’s expression turned grim. ‘He won’t ever be the same. Not really. But he won’t have lost himself.’
‘His family will for sure be elated that they’ll have him back.’
‘But they’ll also be furious that he was bespelled.
Every werewolf in town will be. Whoever did that to him seriously fucked up.
Before, it was the coven and Carver versus you and my clan.
Not anymore. Shane had intended to stay out of the matter, but Lincoln is one of his wolves – that makes it his business now; he’ll side with us.
Also, Carver will back down completely, because he won’t like this either. ’
‘You truly think he’ll withdraw his support from Reena and my family?’ Emberlyn wasn’t so sure.
‘I know he will. Trust me, the coven are on their own now. They just don’t know it yet.’
Dumping a carrier bag on the laundry hub’s reception desk the next afternoon, Laine puffed out a breath. ‘If you can help me with this, I will adore you forever.’
Emberlyn felt her lips tip up. ‘I’ll do my best.’ She waved at the infant in the stroller, who she knew to be Laine’s niece. The curly haired toddler shyly waved back.
‘I recently split up from my boyfriend,’ Laine explained. ‘His scent is all over my bedcovers, and it’s driving me nuts. I’ve washed them, but the smell won’t come off.’
‘I can get rid of it for you,’ Emberlyn assured the werewolf.
Laine’s entire body – facial features and all – seemed to sag in relief. ‘Thank God. Most of my wardrobe is drenched in his scent, so I’ll be bringing it here in dribs and drabs.’
‘There’s an alternative. I could come to your house and magickly cleanse it of every trace of him. It wouldn’t take me long.’
Laine’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God, yes, please do it. I don’t care what your price is, I’ll pay it.’
Paisley materialized at Emberlyn’s side.
‘Before becoming a werewolf, I wouldn’t have understood your desperation, Laine.
But now, I so get it.’ Blowing out a breath, she turned to Emberlyn.
‘Imagine a guy’s signature cologne being all over your home and embedded in every fabric.
A guy you want to forget and move on from. ’
Emberlyn grimaced. ‘I can see why it would be a mindfuck.’ Much as it had been to live in the house she used to share with Michael on his clan’s territory. The memories of their time together had been all over it, making it impossible for her to stay.
‘The sooner you can do your cleansing thing the better,’ Laine declared.
‘Is tomorrow any good? I can come after work.’
‘Tomorrow is perfect.’ Laine flinched when her niece threw a pacifier at her head. ‘Ow. What is your problem, Missy?’
Chuckling, Emberlyn swiped a complimentary sparkler from a tub near the phone.
They functioned like handheld fireworks – you ignited them, and they provided a temporary display of crackles and flames and sparks.
Only they weren’t powered by chemicals, they were fueled by magick alone and were perfectly safe for little ones to use.
‘Here.’ She ‘lit’ the fuse with a brief dart of her magick and then handed it to Laine, who gave it to the now-grinning pup.
While the little girl shook and swirled the rod, Emberlyn wrote a tag for Laine’s bedcovers and handed them to Paisley.
Hearing the doorbell, Emberlyn looked up. Her pulse jumped in delight as Ripper stalked inside. As usual, her feminine parts did a little jig.
To be fair, what else was a girl’s hormones to do in the face of all that masculine supremacy?
He held the door open for Laine, who thanked him with a pretty blush and left the hub.
‘Oh, hi, Ripper,’ Paisley greeted, chirpy.
He grunted . . . as was his way.
Emberlyn smiled as he approached the desk. ‘What brings you here?’
His gaze took a lazy dip down her body – or as much as he could see of it, since she stood behind the desk – and then darted back up to meet her eyes. ‘I had a thought.’
‘Did it hurt at all?’ she teased, earning herself one of his mildly exasperated looks.
He planted his feet. ‘I figure we should arrive at the town hall together for the meeting.’
Emberlyn blinked. ‘Together?’
‘It’d be good for us to present a united front that can’t be ignored by the coven.’
Paisley pointed a finger. ‘This. I like this.’ She looked at Emberlyn. ‘Those assholes currently targeting you need to get the message that it’s best for their health that they leave you alone.’
‘I’m not sure how much of an impact it will have’ – the aforementioned assholes had ignored that message so far – ‘but I have no objections.’
Ripper grunted in satisfaction. ‘I’ll pick you up from your place around six-thirty.’ He tilted his head. ‘Have you had a lot of people asking what happened yesterday?’
Feeling her lips thin, Emberlyn nodded. ‘Nosy-asses have been waltzing in and out since this morning.’ All they’d been told so far was that Lincoln was captured in her backyard. ‘I said that all would be revealed at the meeting.’ She paused. ‘It’s good to hear that he’s doing well up to now.’
‘It’ll take another few days for him to be in a fully functional state, but he’s getting there.’
Paisley planted a hand on her hip. ‘Is it true that Emberlyn didn’t call you about the attack?’
His mouth tightened in annoyance. ‘Yes, it’s true. One of my wolves gave me a heads-up.’
Emberlyn gave her a pointed look. ‘See?’
Huffing, Paisley folded her arms and cut her gaze back to him. ‘When it comes to big stuff that happens in Emberlyn’s world, I always find out from other people. She never calls with deets.’
‘So I shouldn’t take it personally, then?’ he asked.
‘No.’ Paisley poked her tongue into the inside of her cheek. ‘Technically, neither should I. But I do.’
Emberlyn’s snort died as she caught sight of the Reeds passing the large window. They peered inside, their eyes hardening on her, before quickly looking away.
‘Are they giving you issues?’ Ripper asked, apparently not having missed the byplay.
‘Nope. I don’t talk to them much.’
‘They don’t like that she broke her mating tie with Michael,’ Paisley explained to him.
‘They lost their shit over it at first, but then they acted all sweet and understanding while still making comments about how Michael would be here for her if he could. They basically try to make her feel guilty for moving on.’
Ripper swiped his tongue over his upper teeth. ‘I see.’
‘And they definitely don’t like that she’s been rolling around the sheets with you,’ Paisley added. ‘They’ve been giving her the cold shoulder lately.’
Emberlyn gave her a wide-eyed look. ‘Okay, Chatty Charlie, you can hush now.’
Ripper cast Emberlyn an annoyed look. ‘You should have told me.’
She lifted her shoulders. ‘There’s nothing to really tell.’ It wasn’t as if the Reeds had said or done anything noteworthy.
‘And if there was?’ he challenged, flicking up a brow.
‘I would . . . I would tell you.’
‘Ha,’ Paisley burst out. ‘A total lie.’
Emberlyn gently poked her shoulder. ‘Hush, you. You’ve said quite enough.’
‘And you don’t say enough,’ Paisley sassed.
‘You’re both such whiners.’
Ripper frowned. ‘We just want to be kept firmly in the loop about important things that happen in your life.’
‘Exactly,’ said Paisley, sliding her a haughty look. ‘Forgive us for giving a damn.’
‘You’re forgiven,’ Emberlyn deadpanned.
Paisley only rolled her eyes.
‘I have to meet with Crew about something, so I’m off,’ Ripper announced, backing up a step. ‘Six-thirty, Emberlyn.’
‘I’ll be ready.’