Chapter 15 #2
“Come on. I’ll show you,” he said.
I waited in the cab for him to jump out and walk around to help me out. It wasn’t that I needed him to get out of the truck, but it was such a knight-in-shining-armor kind of move that I loved it.
He took my hand and escorted me inside.
“Please let this go okay,” I heard him mutter under his breath.
Brady was the first person we saw.
“Oh shit! You’re back early. We were hoping to be out of here. Hey, Daisy. I’m not sure you really met my mate. Tricia!” he yelled.
She peeked out of the kitchen and then excitedly ran over to us.
“Hi,” she squeaked nervously.
I kind of recognized her from the diner, but there had been so many people there at once that I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her or anything.
“I’ll be right back,” Cruz said as he and Brady disappeared down the hall.
“I’m happy to meet you,” Tricia said. “But not for the same reason everyone else keeps gushing over you. I’m just excited to see Cruz happy.
He deserves it. I’m not really a country music fan, though.
I mean, of course I know who you are, and you’ve kind of transcended beyond country, it’s just not my style. ”
I laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s actually nice to hear. Cruz doesn’t like country music either. Actually, he doesn’t seem to like music at all.”
“It’s funny how things work out. Opposites attract, I guess. I’m from New York City Pack and mated a cowboy. You’re an international superstar and mated a cowboy. I doubt anyone ever suspected such matches. But it happens. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“What do you mean?”
She gave me a look that told me she was about to say something I didn’t want to hear.
“For me, it was a no-brainer. I was already running away from my Pack. That made it easy to stay. But you? What’s your story, Daisy? Why’d you end up out here?”
“You’re from New York City. Why’d you come out here?” I countered.
She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the living room. We sat down on the couch.
I knew there were others in the house and wondered how much they could hear over the noises. Clearly, they were building something, but I had no idea what or why. And I had no idea where Cruz had gone with Brady.
“How much do you know about witches?” Tricia blurted out.
My jaw dropped. I knew witches existed. They weren’t like the TV and books made them out to be, or the humans that practice real witchcraft. In the shifter world, witches were those with extra powers.
All shifters, or at least wolves, had heightened senses, speed, and other physical enhancements compared to normal humans. But witches had more unique powers. I heard of one who could heal people and another that could disappear and reappear.
I didn’t know to what extent any of it was true. I didn’t know any witches personally, and if I did, they hid it well.
Witches were scary, and I was raised to alert the Alpha if I came across one. Sometimes I wondered if they were just myths to scare little kids.
I hadn’t heard anyone openly mention witches since I was a small child. It wasn’t something discussed so freely.
“Um, I know about witches. I’ve never met one, but I know to alert the Alpha if I ever do.”
Tricia snorted. “When was the last time you spent any real time with shifters?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. When I was twelve, maybe thirteen, why?”
“There’s been a lot of changes for witches since then.”
“Really?”
“Really. And you do know a witch,” she insisted.
I strained to think. “No, I don’t.”
“You know me now, so yeah, you do.”
I gasped and looked around the room uncomfortably.
“Relax, Daisy. Everyone here already knows that. And you can notify Thomas, but he’s well aware too.”
“And they just let you stay here?”
“Like I said, a lot has changed since you were a kid. I thank Kelsey Westin for that.”
“Who’s that?”
“Wow. You really have been living under a rock, huh?”
“No, just on a bus surrounded by humans that know nothing about any of this,” I reminded her.
“Fair enough. Well, Kelsey is the Westin Pack Mother and she’s a total badass.
Westin Pack protects witches. It’s kind of a sanctuary for my kind.
So, when they started hunting witches in the city again, I got the hell out of there.
I was headed to California to seek sanctuary in Westin Pack when I stumbled across this place and, well, Brady. ”
“And everyone knows what you are and just accepts it?”
I was struggling to believe that was possible. People were terrified of witches . . . weren’t they?
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I ran away because my life was in danger. Why did you?”
“Who says I ran away?”
She laughed. “I already know you did. No one’s going to end up out on that range by foot unless they’re running from something.”
I sighed. “I don’t know that I was necessarily running from something. I just wanted a little freedom for once. The bus driver stopped to take a quick break and pee outside.”
“Don’t you have like a bathroom on your bus?”
“Of course we do. I don’t know why he did it. Maybe he was getting tired and wanted some fresh air. Maybe he always did it. I don’t know. I was usually drugged by then, but that night I only pretended to take the pills.”
“They were drugging you?”
“Yes. Ronnie said it would keep my wolf suppressed because we couldn’t risk me wolfing out in the bus or at an event.”
“So he just kept you drugged all the time?”
“Well, yeah.”
“That can’t be safe.”
“I don’t know. I just thought that was the way things were for a long time.”
“What changed?”
“I started remembering life before music, when I was part of the Pack. Plus, the boys have been traveling with me more this year while their bus has been in the shop. They didn’t think it was normal either.”
“Because it’s not.”
I shrugged. “Well, that night I only pretended to take the pills and then spit them out in the trash. When the bus stopped, I got off. I don’t even know why.
The driver had his back toward me, and it was so dark.
I could see all the stars in the sky. It was magical.
And there was something in the air that spoke to me.
So when he got back on the bus, I just stood there and watched it disappear into the darkness.
Then I ran like I’d never run before. I took off my clothes to be able to carefully carry them in my mouth and shifted.
It was amazing. I just kept running until I hit the Pack line. That’s where Cruz found me.”
“Like it was destined to be that way,” she sighed dreamily.
“I never really thought about it like that, but yeah.”
“So what’s next? Are you just done with music and staying here forever?”
A tear streamed down my cheek as I shook my head. “I have to finish out this tour. There’s only a few more concerts.”
“And after that?”
“I don’t know. I think I imagined it would just all work out somehow.
Then today Cruz mentioned not going to Cheyenne and it just hit me so hard.
I have no idea what I’m doing here, Tricia, or how any of this is supposed to work.
And I have no idea why the hell I’m telling you any of this.
Is that your witch power or something? Are you commanding me to talk? ”
She laughed. “I can command animals. It makes me a threat to the Grand Council. They actually have issued a kill on site order for me.”
My jaw dropped. “What? Aren’t you scared?”
“Nah. They can come and try but they don’t have the balls to cross both Westin and Collier Packs.
I’m safe here, and so are you for as long as you want it.
But honestly, I can’t control you in your human form.
Until the Grand Council’s memoranda I didn’t even know I could command shifters in their animal forms. I thought it was just animals.
Thomas had me tested to see what he was dealing with.
It’s cool though. It’s not like I’m going to do it or anything, at least not without being seriously provoked. ”
“But the Grand Council is scared you will.”
“I guess so. I’m a Level 5 witch. They categorize us now. But I’m in good company at least.”
I stared at her like she was crazy.
“Should I be scared of you?”
“Are you?”
“No, but that’s kinda creeping me out.”
She grinned. “We’re going to be great friends—and not because I command it.”
“Tricia, it’s time.”
She looked up as her mate entered the room.
“Great. Well, my job here is done.”
“What’s your job?”
“To distract you—not command—distract, and I’d say I’ve successfully done that. Now come along. I have something to show you.”
My head was still spinning over everything she just admitted.
I wasn’t sure if I should trust her or not, but I was a little scared not to. So I got up and followed her down the hall to the basement stairs. She held open the door.
“Well, go on. A bunch of the guys pitched in to make this happen for Cruz. We all adore him, and it’s about time he has some good in his life. So do me a favor and don’t break his heart. Find a way,” she warned.
I wasn’t about to ask what would happen if I did.
Instead, I walked down the stairs. I recognized a bunch of the guys standing around as I sought out Cruz. He was standing in the middle of the room grinning with a couple dozen guys behind him.
“Daisy, I don’t know how we’re supposed to make this all work, but hopefully this is a small step in the right direction. There’s still plenty to do, but I hope this is a start.”
“What’s going on, Cruz?” I asked.
I was used to being the center of attention, but this felt very different.
He made a motion and everyone started walking upstairs.
My jaw dropped when I saw what they’d been hiding.
Right there in the corner was a room that definitely hadn’t been there earlier.
It was framed out with a glass window to see inside.
They had carpeted the entire room and there were wires hanging from the ceiling that had been run for equipment to be hooked up to.
“What is this?”
“You know what it is, or at least I hope we got it close enough,” Cruz said.
“You built me a recording studio?”
“Honey, I’ll build you anything you need if it means you’ll come home whenever you can,” he said.
Tears filled my eyes, and I ran over and threw myself into his arms.
Here I’d been bracing for goodbye, and he was busy preparing for a possible future for us.
“It’s exactly as I imagined.”
I kissed him, not even caring that others were around.
“We’ll need to order the right equipment, but no way was I going to do that without you. And you can design the rest of the room however you want. Oliver can literally build anything.”
“We’re heading out for now, but when you’re ready, we’ll sit down and design the rest of the room,” Oliver said from the bottom of the stairs. And then he walked up and disappeared with the rest of them.
“I can’t believe you did this.”
“I don’t know how our future will look, honey, but I want you to know that I’m serious about finding a way. You are mine.”
He kissed me hard, making my head swoon.
Mate, my wolf growled.
“Mine. Do you hear me?” he said. “And I’m not giving up on us just because you’re some international superstar that needs to share your beautiful voice with the world and sometimes live in the human world.
We’ll figure it out together if you just give me a chance.
But also, I’m much better with actions than words.
So just know I’m never going to try and suppress your talent.
I’ll stand by your side through it all. And you’re going to have a place to practice, record, or whatever it is you do in a studio, but you can do it right here, or at least I hope you can. ”
“It’s perfect. I love it.”
I almost said, “I love you,” but I caught myself at the last second. I wasn’t sure if I was actually falling in love with him or just caught up in the moment. Either way, I knew it was best if I kept those feelings to myself—at least for now.