Chapter 13
BAILEY
“My brother’s cousins are experts at great sleepovers,” I say, sipping my coffee at the breakfast table with Vivi, Ronnie, and Jessie. They’ve put on quite a breakfast spread, though I haven’t had an appetite.
“Since he’s your brother, I’d say we’re your cousins, too,” Ronnie tells me, spreading butter on a muffin.
“I like that,” I say, then add, “A lot.”
“Well, cuz… consider yourself in possession of an open invite for sleepovers whenever…” Jessie adds.
“Yay!” I clap my hands.
Vivi picked me up at the airport and we came back and watched a movie while they decimated the contents of a coffee table junk food charcuterie board. And I did my best to be good company, but my mind has been scattered all over the place, especially with the stress of thinking about going home.
Jessie is staying behind to take care of their store, but me, Vivi, and Ronnie are leaving for Arcana Falls shortly. Not just to get me home, also because the Young sisters are coming to help. Because of what’s happening with Cicely and Jared, which has been a lot to wrap my mind around.
My best friend was claimed by an alpha who I’m told has no control over his wolf.
He has no scent and his wolf is horrifically violent.
Cicely made it through meeting her fated mate in wolf form with only a small wound before that wound was turned to a mating mark when Jared shifted and went into rutting mode, but they’ve got Jared restrained.
He wants to leave, get far away from Cicely to protect her, but the council voted to hold onto him while the Young coven and Cat Savage investigate for solutions.
Because Ronnie Young gleans facts by touch, she plans to put her hands on him after they bring me home to see if they can figure out why Jared’s wolf is so violent, so disconnected from him.
I tried phoning Cicely, but my calls went straight to her voicemail. All I really know is that Jared has claimed her, they’ve mated, and she’s not remotely resistant, but it’s sounding dangerously complicated.
Boy, can I relate. Or I could, if I allowed myself to think too long on it, which I can’t.
Every time I begin to let thoughts creep in about my situation, I get angry and I want to cry and scream, and neither will help, so I make myself think about something else instead.
I know one thing – the idea of ‘the rut’ terrifies me and makes me want to beg for a magical scent mask so I can run and hide from Jase.
“You okay?” Jessie asks, putting her hand on my arm.
No time like now…
“Maybe Ronnie should touch my arm and help me make sense of everything I’m feeling and tell me what’s going to happen.”
Ronnie gives me a kind, sad smile. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen. I don’t see the future. And I would prefer not to touch you with the turmoil you’re feeling as I’m sure it’d consume a lot of my headspace and that needs to be clear for me to help Cicely and Jared.”
“I understand,” I say. “And I was only half-serious.”
“That’s not to say I feel like Cicely’s situation is more important than yours, but my sisters can help you where I’m the best one to help Cicely at the moment.”
I wave my hand. “I get it.”
“And we are going to help you,” Jessie says, squeezing my forearm affectionately.
“Gonna make me a scent mask so I can hide from Jase?” I ask.
“Not exactly,” Vivi pipes up, “But when we fed him the toggle strip, Dani worked something in there that’ll give you at least a temporary reprieve. Jase is on his way home now. Should be home a few hours after you.”
I wince.
“He won’t be able to lay a hand on you today, Bailey. And we’re having a meeting about it. We’ll see what we can do.”
My mouth drops open in surprise.
“People shouldn’t piss Dani off,” Ronnie says before popping the last of her muffin into her mouth.
“What happens after the meeting?” I whisper.
“A lot can change in a day. Imagine what can change in three,” Vivi says, sagely.
Three?
And I wonder if she knows something I don’t know. And I’m chiding myself for it because it’s obvious that Vivica Young knows lots of things nobody else knows.
“But there’s that whole…nobody gets between an alpha and his mate thing,” I say.
“That’s their rule. We never agreed to that,” Jessie advises with a big smile.
“Is it all going to work out?” I ask. And I don’t know what ‘working out’ looks like.
Vivi reaches over and squeezes my hand before releasing it and rising from the table. “Should we hit the road?”
My heart stumbles and staggers for a few beats before I force myself to move.
***
I walk into my silent house and find my father sitting on the couch, staring into space. No television, no radio, just silence.
When the door snicks shut, he doesn’t even blink. It’s like he’s somewhere else.
“Dad?” I call out and this jerks him out of it. He gets to his feet and rushes toward me, wrapping his strong arms around me.
I hold back the tears, try to hold back all my emotion, because if I let it out, I don’t know how long it’ll take for the flood to stop.
Vivi and Ronnie dropped me in the driveway and were going to pick up Erica and head straight to where Jared is restrained, in the woods in some storage bunker the council uses.
Ronnie wants to know what his history is, is wondering if she’ll see what defining moments in his past broke his wolf. If they know what did it, they might be able to determine how to fix it.
I’m worried about Cicely, and I’m worried about me. There are no texts or missed calls from her, so it’s clear she has her hands full. I don’t know if she even knows I left town. I doubt she knows what’s what with Jase and me.
On that last thought, I ask Dad, “How are things here?”
He gives me a peculiar look. “How are things here?” he repeats as if I’ve just said something utterly ridiculous.
“You and Mom?” I ask.
He looks irritated, but calls over his shoulder, “Carrie!” He does this loud and with annoyance.
“We’ve been worried about you, that’s what’s happening here. What in the world possessed you to follow him out of town?”
“Oh, my word!’ Mom rushes down the stairs toward me and her appearance throws me. She’s got bedhead and a strawberry jam stain on her pajama shirt.
It’s mid-afternoon! Mom is an early riser. Mom gets showered and dressed before she tackles making breakfast for Dad every day. She hasn’t showered. She hasn’t even brushed her hair. Things obviously aren’t any better here. In fact, I’d lay a bet that they’re worse.
I hug her.
“Hey,” I say. “Are you okay?”
“Jason Creed,” Mom whispers and looks at me with light shining in her eyes before she squeals. Quickly, her expression falls. Probably mirroring mine. She surely expected me to squeal, too.
“Catch me up. Come on, let’s go make and spill some tea.”
She tugs my hand and walks me straight past Dad to the kitchen. And that’s not good, either. My parents barely pass one another without touching. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
“What’s going on with you two?” I whisper once we’re in the kitchen.
Shit. The kitchen has dirty dishes in the sink and toast crumbs on the counter. The floor could use a sweep, too. My mother is a neat freak. This is not normal.
“What happened in here?” I ask.
Her face falls even further. “He’s dealing with some stuff. I’m letting him do that.”
“And what about you?” I gesture, giving her a once over.
She looks down at her disheveled self and shrugs. “I’m having some me-time, I guess.”
“Ho boy,” I mutter.
Mom fills the kettle and says, “Kathleen covered Cicely and Jared’s dietary needs for their honeymooning time. Guess I better clean up in here and get some groceries in for you and Jase, huh? Maybe I’ll call Val. But first, talk to me. Why did you come home without waiting for him?”
“What have you heard?” I ask, sitting down while Mom gets out the teacups and the teabags.
“We heard from Erica that that other coven abducted you two but that you were both safe, that Dani was on the way to help. We heard Jase identified you as his mate, but that he was under a magic protection shield and Dani would work to get him released. We were also told you two had a tiff and you were on your way home without him. Why didn’t you wait for him? Was the argument that bad?”
“I…” I burst into tears and immediately, Mom has her arms around me.
“Everything all right?” Dad asks.
I continue to sob into Mom’s clothes.
“You’ve wanted this for years, why are you so unhappy?” she asks. “What happened?”
I shake my head and wipe my eyes. “I wanted him to pick me. I wanted him to see me. Not just catch a whiff of something Fate tells him means he should want me. Does that make sense?”
“Not really,” Dad says at the exact same time as Mom says, “It makes perfect sense.”
And something unspoken is exchanged between them.
“What the heck is going on with you two?” I ask.
“I still smell like her,” Mom says with sadness.
Dad’s eyes narrow on Mom like she spoke out of turn.
“She can tell something’s wrong,” Mom defends, looking aggravated. “No point skirting it.”
Dad sighs and grabs the back of his neck, looking frustrated, looking tired.
“You still smell like her?” I repeat.
“Like his ex, yes. Soleil. He can’t stomach being too close to me.”
Dad says, “That wretched witch did it on purpose, believe me. If she wasn’t already dead, I’d wring her fuckin’ neck. Forget that for now.”
“Did you ask the coven for help?” I ask.
“Greyson is looking into it,” Mom says softly.
“Forget it for now,” Dad repeats aggressively. “What’s the story with you and Jase?”
“Dani was working on releasing him when I left. I needed space. I needed… to get my mind around some stuff.”
“He was still locked up?” Dad asks. “And you… left?”
“He’s gonna come straight for you,” Mom warns. “Best get your mind around things quickly, sweetie.” Mom looks at Dad. “She looks a little green.”
Dad says, “I’m feelin’ a little green myself.” Now he looks away.