Chapter 14
Taking a dozen fully armed werewolves in three SUVs to Simon’s house was probably a bit of overkill on Gray’s part, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances. Six of his pack members guarded the perimeter of the house while the rest of them went inside to pack up Simon’s belongings.
He watched as Simon looked around for a moment. Gray didn’t think he knew where to start. Aunt Maggie stepped up beside him. “Let me get your clothes,” she offered. Simon nodded and led her back to the bedroom. Gray followed to see if he could help.
“Just grab whatever, Aunt Maggie. There’s a suitcase in the back of the closet. Let me get it out for you.”
“Don’t worry, hon. I’ll take care of it. You go on and get the rest of what you need.” She gave him a quick hug and shooed him out of the room. Simon waited until she put the suitcase on the bed, ready to pack, and started to open the dresser.
Gray took his hand. “Simon, let her do this for you. Come on.” He led Simon back into the living room. Gray longed to hold him, but it wasn’t the right time. He tried to ease Simon’s worry with a smile and a quick wink. When Simon didn’t respond, he gave Simon a little push. “What next?”
“Grandfather’s journals.” Simon ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I don’t want to leave them here. Just in case.”
“Okay, we’ll grab those,” Gray said. “What else do you need?”
“Probably some of the books from the library. I don’t know. I don’t like leaving here. This is my home, Gray. I don’t want to abandon it.”
“I know you don’t like it, but you aren’t abandoning your home, Simon. It’s just for a little while. We’ll bring it all back, I promise. Once we know you’re safe.”
“Okay.” Simon still looked lost, but it was all the encouragement Gray could give him. None of them knew what was going to happen next, but Gray wasn’t willing to risk Simon being attacked again without the pack as protection.
Gray turned to Liam. “Go grab the boxes from the SUV and start in the library.” Liam and Cade both left and returned a few moments later with the empty security equipment boxes they’d taken from the trash. They made a big pile in the middle of the room.
“Simon, any books you want me to make sure I get?” Liam asked.
“Um, some of the history books. And the herb books. Hell, I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry, man. We’ll just grab what we can.” Liam left a few boxes for Gray, patted Simon on the arm, and went into the library. Cade and two of the other men followed him.
“Come on, let’s grab the journals and get this done.” Gray turned to the last wolf remaining in the living room. “Chris, keep an eye outside, and let me know if there’s any trouble.”
“Yes, Alpha.” He moved to the front door to keep a lookout.
Simon led Gray into the workroom. Gray looked around at all the plants and herbs carefully labeled and hung to dry above them.
More lined several shelves in small glass containers.
Simon took a key off a hook inside the door and went to an antique cabinet.
He unlocked it and handed Gray the stack of journals.
Gray loaded them into a box, surprised by how many there were.
They quickly filled the first box, and Gray started on the second.
When the cabinet was empty, Simon closed and locked it, even though there was nothing left inside it. He returned the key to its hook on the wall, then looked around the room and let out a breath. “I want to take some of my herbs too. Is that okay?”
“Of course, Simon. Bring whatever you need.”
Simon pulled a small satchel from under one of the cabinets. It was made to carry the little glass jars Gray had noticed earlier. He loaded them up and seemed to be carefully selecting the ones he wanted on hand.
“Okay, I think I’ve got everything. We can come back if I’ve forgotten something, right?” Simon sounded completely heartbroken, but Gray knew he understood why they were doing this and that he shouldn’t be left here alone.
“Yes. Simon, this isn’t forever. You’ll be back.” Gray took the opportunity to pull Simon into his arms. Simon held on, and they stood there for a moment while the others finished their packing.
They returned to the living room just as Aunt Maggie was wheeling the suitcase down the hall. “I think I’ve got what you need, sweetie,” she said. “I gathered up stuff from your bathroom too. You’ll want to grab some shoes, though. I wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
Simon got one of his reusable grocery bags from under the sink in the kitchen and put a few pairs of shoes inside it.
Everyone started loading the vehicles while Simon wrote the note for the mysterious vampire.
He discussed with Gray what he should say, and they decided that vague was best. “Grandfather, I need your assistance. Please call.”
Gray provided a cell phone number, and Simon added it before taping the note to the front door.
As they left, Gray watched Simon stare out the back window, the pain in his eyes easy to see.
Gray hoped it would be over soon, for Simon’s sake if nothing else.
He quieted the little voice in his head that rejoiced at Simon being with them, where he belonged.
WHEN they arrived back at the compound, Aunt Maggie led Simon inside while Gray and the others stayed out in the yard to discuss heightening their security measures. She took him to a nearly empty mudroom at the back of the house.
“Gray thought you’d be comfortable working in here, even if it is a bit small,” she said.
Simon loved the space, even though it was different from the work area he used at home.
The walls here were a sandy taupe, and the floor was tiled in similar tones.
One wall was full of windows, and there were doors leading both inside the house and outside to the deck.
He guessed at one point it had been a screened-in patio.
“It’s great,” he replied, smiling over at her. “I love how much light I’ll get from the windows.”
“Be right back,” she said, and left the room, then returned a moment later with a broom, mop, and a bottle of window cleaner.
Simon swept and ran a damp mop over the tiles, grimacing when his still-sore arm began to ache.
He leaned against the mop for a moment to listen while Aunt Maggie wiped down the windows.
“This used to be where we kept the washer and dryer, but when Gray’s folks modernized the kitchen, they made a dedicated laundry room on the other side of the house.
” She paused when she noticed him rubbing his arm.
“You need more ice?” Simon shook his head, and she frowned at him a bit before continuing.
“You should have seen the mess when they were doing all that construction. The kitchen was torn to bits, and Gray’s mom couldn’t cook for months while the remodeling was going on. ”
Simon thought the kitchen was amazing, so he figured the end result was worth a few months of hassle. It made him consider doing some work on his cabin, which hadn’t been updated in years.
Since the remodel, Aunt Maggie explained, the mudroom had gone unused. It was too long and narrow for furniture, and when Gray added on the deck along the entire back of the house, they didn’t really need it as a mudroom anymore. Everyone came and went through the back door into the kitchen.
They were finishing up the cleaning when Gray and the other pack members arrived with the first load of boxes.
It didn’t take long for them to get everything unloaded.
They stacked everything along one wall so Simon could decide what he wanted to unpack.
It narrowed the path that led from the side entrance of the house to the door that went into the kitchen.
Otherwise the room was bare, save for an empty table that sat under the bank of windows.
“You’ll have to let me know if there’s anything else you need,” Aunt Maggie said as she added the last box to the stack.
“I’ll be fine,” Simon replied, looking around the room. “Actually,” he added, “a bookcase would probably be helpful.”
“I think we can find one. There used to be one in here. I’ll have to ask Gray where we stored it. I’m going to go on out there and check on everyone instead of using the—” She paused and tapped the side of her head with a smile. “Will you be okay for a few?”
“Of course. I’ll get some unpacking done.”
She left to go hunt Gray down, and Simon began looking through the topmost boxes. Now that he stared at them, he realized it was really crazy to have brought so much to the compound when he would be there for such a short period of time.
Gray came in a few minutes later, carrying an old bookcase from somewhere, and put it next to the kitchen door. Tall and thin, it looked like it was made for the space. “Mom used to put her laundry soap and stuff on here. It’s not fancy, but I can buy you something else if you want.”
“You don’t have to do that, Gray. This is just for a little while, remember? I’ll make do.” Simon kept reminding himself that, for a short-term solution, the small space suited his needs perfectly.
Gray looked over Simon’s shoulder into the boxes. With a smirk, he again offered to buy another bookcase for the room. Simon rolled his eyes and ignored the joking. “I didn’t bring that many.”
“You can bring as much as you want.” Gray wrapped his arms around Simon from behind. He nuzzled that spot, the one behind Simon’s right ear. Simon shivered when Gray’s soft whiskers and softer lips moved as he spoke. “I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to hang around for longer than a little while.”
“You know I can’t,” Simon replied. He couldn’t seem to force his actions to match his words, though, and stepped farther back into Gray, arching his neck a little to give him better access.
“Hmm,” Gray groaned against Simon’s neck. “Okay, but I want you to remember that you have options.” He licked and kissed one last time before lifting his head. “You need any help with this?”
“No, I think I’ve got it. Thank you, Gray.”
When Gray left, Simon turned his attention to organizing the stacks. He needed the distraction from his whirling thoughts.
Simon hadn’t made much progress when Garon arrived home and offered to help. Garon was so excited that Simon didn’t have the heart to turn him away. They worked as a team, Garon pulling the books out of the boxes and handing them to Simon, who placed them on the shelves.
After a little while, Garon started asking questions as he removed the books. “What’s this mean, Simon?” He pointed to a stylized picture of a plant on the cover of a book.
“That’s a book on apothecary medicine. That particular plant is used to help people who have a cut or burn on their skin. It’s called aloe.”
“Oh yeah, like the stuff you put on when you get sunburn.”
“Exactly.”
“I didn’t know that came from a plant.”
“It sure does. When it grows, the leaves get really pointy and when you cut off a piece it’s full of this gooey stuff that you put on the burn, and it helps it get better.”
Garon seemed satisfied with that explanation and handed the book over to Simon. “You sure do know a lot about plants. Do all mages study plants?”
“Not all of them. My grandfather loved plants and used them to make his own medicine, and he taught me how to do it too. I can teach you, if you like.”
“That’s cool. I bet they taste just as gross as regular medicine, though.”
Simon chuckled and opened his satchel. He pulled out a container of dried rosemary and held it up to Garon, who sniffed it cautiously. “Hey, that smells like Mimi’s pork chops!”
“This is rosemary, and it’s great on pork chops. But it’s also good for treating sore muscles when you use the oil from the leaves. Herbs and plants are used for lots of things. You just have to learn how to use them the right way.”
By the time they finished unloading the books, Aunt Maggie was calling them in to dinner.
Garon asked question after question about plants and herbs, then switched to asking about mage magic.
When Aunt Maggie placed a large bowl of spaghetti on the table, Garon wanted to know what herbs and spices were in it.
Aunt Maggie blinked for a moment, clearly surprised by Garon’s unusual question. “Well, I just used sauce from a jar, but I’m pretty sure it has oregano and garlic.”
“Hmm. Simon, did we learn about garlic? I remember oregano. Wasn’t that the one you can use for toothaches?”
Simon nodded. “It was. We didn’t talk about garlic, but it can help with a bunch of different things. Problem is, it makes you stinkier than you already are.”
“Hey,” Garon protested, “I’m not stinky.”
Gray put a pile of spaghetti and sauce on his plate and passed the bowl around to Simon as they all chuckled over Garon’s response. “What else did you guys talk about, kiddo?”
Garon started to answer around his mouthful of noodles, but a quick glare from Aunt Maggie had him chewing and swallowing before he spoke. “Dad, did you know Simon knows how to make medicine that doesn’t taste gross?”
“I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, and he said that mages get a lot of headaches ’cause their magic is in their head and all, so he can make a poul—Simon, what’s that word?”
“Poultice,” Simon said.
“Right, he can make a poultice to put on your head that helps with headaches, and you don’t even have to swallow anything.”
“Garon?” Simon raised his brow, and Garon looked at his dad sheepishly.
“Well, Simon said that you still have to take gross medicine sometimes, and I have to do what you and Aunt Maggie say.”
Gray nodded his approval. “He’s right, Gar, but you know what? I’m willing to let you try what Simon recommends sometimes. But if you’re really sick, you will still have to take what the doctor gives you.”
“I know.” Garon sighed. “Hey, Dad, do you think it’s weird that mage magic gives you headaches? I mean, Simon says we have body magic that helps us shift, but it doesn’t hurt. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
It was funny how kids could get right to the heart of a matter. Simon looked around the table. “It doesn’t hurt when you shift?”
“No.” The three werewolves at the table answered simultaneously, not a moment of hesitation between them. “Well,” Aunt Maggie qualified, “it can hurt if the shift is forced, but that rarely happens. Our bodies know what to do and when we need to change.”
Simon munched on his garlic bread as he thought. Perhaps his problems with his own magic were occurring because he was forcing things too much. It was definitely something to think about.
A ringing phone interrupted his musing. They all looked around for a moment before Simon realized it was the phone Gray had given him. He had left it in the mudroom and jumped up to go answer it. Gray followed behind him.
“Hello,” Simon said after he pressed the correct button.
“Simon?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“It’s Cormac.”