13. Greg
CHAPTER 13
GREG
“ Three ?” I all but shouted. “What did you see?”
Edgar reached out and snatched his wine glass from the coffee table. He drained it in one go. Setting it down, he wrapped his arm around his middle again and exhaled heavily. “I was in the back of a van, like a minivan with a bigger cargo area in the rear. There were three men—I’m just going to call them men based on their size in relation to the car seats. Two in the front seat and one in the rear passenger seat. They weren’t speaking. I didn’t even have time to try to see out the windows, because the driver looked into the rear-view mirror, and....” He hugged himself tighter. “I couldn’t make out his facial features of course, but I would swear he saw me .”
He swallowed and shuddered.
“I’ll get you more wine.” Cal jumped up and jogged to the kitchen.
I moved over and sat next to Edgar on the couch. I put my arm around him. “Do you want to talk to Bettina? Would that help? ”
Edgar nodded, so I picked up my phone with my free hand and used my thumb to find Bettina in my contacts.
When she answered, I said, “Hey, Auntie. Edgar had a disturbing vision and wanted to talk to you. Hang on.” I passed the phone to Edgar and got up to join Cal in the kitchen.
He was just coming back out with the wine bottle. I took it from him and pointed at the dining table. “Edgar’s talking to his wife. I’ll go refill his glass, and then I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and went over to pick up his backpack from one of the dining chairs. He’d put his laptop away while we ate.
After filling Edgar’s glass to the brim, I left the bottle on the coffee table in case he wanted more.
Cal was sitting at the table, staring down at the backpack in his lap. He picked at the frayed edge of the broken strap.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He shook his head without looking up. “We don’t know what these guys are, we don’t know how to fight them, and we don’t know how to find them.” He looked up. “I can usually solve any problem with some time on the internet, maybe a little light hacking.” He smiled faintly before sobering. “But I need a starting place. I need something. All we have is fog, and it’s not getting us any useful results.”
There was nothing I could say. Through our connection I could feel frustration and despair. I didn’t have any reassurance to offer.
My phone chimed with a text.
Lloyd
Silvia agreed to be my mate! I showed her my shifted form and we bonded !
Well that was some good news at least.
Congratulations! Please tell Silvia I expected her to have better taste though.
Lloyd
[eye roll emoji] Tomorrow I’m taking her to TWIST so she can meet everyone, and I’ll pack up my stuff since I’ll be moving here.
Good for you! I’ll be glad to have you close by
I stared at Lloyd’s message. He was going to TWIST, the very place that triggered every anxiety I had.
But where there was a room full of books.
Dusty, moldy books stacked haphazardly. A chaotic mess in a storm of even greater chaos. People everywhere, talking and shouting for attention. People arguing over things that could easily be solved if they’d just have a calm discussion with each other. People who told me they’d help me with my studies or teenage drama, but then who got distracted and forgot.
But the books might have answers we needed.
Edgar finished his call. He stood up and carried his wine glass over to us. “I told Bettina what was going on. She thinks she remembers one of the older Wonders saying there’s some kind of Elven weapon in the book room.”
Cal perked up. “A weapon we could use against the fog monsters?”
Edgar shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. If those creatures are actually changing into the fog instead of just generating it, we won’t be able to use a gun.” He eyed me cautiously. “We need to go to TWIST. ”
I pressed my lips into a flat line before saying, “Agreed.”
“You can stay here.”
I shook my head. “I won’t be of any use here. The more people going through those books the better.”
“Okay.”
I turned to Cal. “What time do you want to leave in the morning?”
I woke up Tuesday with a raging hard-on. Morning wood was one thing, but this was more like morning steel. I’d been dreaming of Cal, of touching his naked skin, so it wasn’t a mystery why my body was primed to get off. I’d leaked enough precum I’d have to throw the sheets in the wash before I left.
I didn’t have much time, but I could not be in a car with Cal for over an hour without dealing with my situation. I managed to keep my hands off my dick until I got in the shower.
Once under the spray, I filled my hand with shampoo and gave myself a good stroke. Fuck, that felt good. I closed my eyes and remembered my dream—how Cal’s soft body surrounded me, his arms around my back holding me against him. I imagined our dicks pressed together but unable to thrust because Cal was on top of me, cuddling me and keeping me safe. I pictured his hands inching down until his fingers breached my hole, and I came.
My brain kept the fantasy going, pretending to feel a faint echo of my orgasm through my connection with Cal, like I’d been told happened with bonded partners .
I sighed. Not that I wanted to be connected with Cal, much less bonded. I didn’t do well with chaos.
I looked ruefully down at my chest where the connection I didn’t at all want taunted me with its brightness and vitality.
Cal was waiting outside his apartment building when I pulled up at 8am. His building appeared to be a little nicer than mine, and his truck stood out in the parking lot for how old it was.
The drive to TWIST would only take an hour and a half, so we’d have most of the day to look through the books. Along with his tattered backpack, Cal also held a surprisingly stylish brown leather duffel bag. I’d warned him we might need to stay overnight.
When I’d told my mother we were coming, she’d tried hard not to shriek with excitement. I hadn’t been able to make myself go back to TWIST more than a few times since I’d left for college. Mom and my brother Dominic always had to visit me in Bent Oak.
Mom knew how hard it was for me, but I never got the impression she really understood why. But to her credit she never minimized my anxiety or pushed me to “get over it”.
I popped open the back hatch of the SUV so Cal could put his duffel inside. “Good morning,” I called, craning my neck around to watch his meaty pecs flex under his t-shirt as he lifted the bag into the car.
Today’s t-shirt read, “Pluto 1930-2006. Never Forget.” At least it didn’t say “Moist”. And it was clean.
Cal grunted a greeting then slammed the hatch shut. He walked around to the passenger side and got in next to me, slinging his backpack to the floor by his feet. Our connection glowed between us.
“You need coffee or anything?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m good. Unless you need something.”
I shook my head. “Maybe in a while.”
We drove in silence as I navigated out of town and got on the highway. I gestured at the radio. “Feel free to find some music or a podcast or something. Whatever you like is fine.”
Cal hesitated before saying, “Whatever I like? Because not many people listen to the same stuff I do.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you’re into death metal, then, yeah, it wouldn’t be too relaxing for me. But otherwise, hit me with it.”
He coughed a laugh. “No death metal, I promise. And it’ll be relaxing. But let me know if you want something else.”
He produced a USB cable from his backpack and attached his phone to the car. In a moment the unmistakable sounds of Neil Diamond singing “Sweet Caroline” came out of the speakers.
“Nice,” I said. It was a fun song for a road trip. The next one up was Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou”, and then Barry Manilow with “Somewhere Down the Road”.
“Is this a seventies playlist?” I asked.
He eyed me as if he was worried I’d make fun of his music. “Mostly.”
“How’d you get into that?”
He glanced out the window at the small hills covered in scrub trees. “I know you’ve met Felix, but have you met my friend Steve? ”
“I think so? But it was a few years ago at a party at Felix and Malcolm’s place.”
“Got it. Steve and I met in elementary school. His mom was awesome.” Cal’s voice warmed up exponentially, and his lips curled into a smile. “She had this old turntable, and a big box full of vinyl records.” He pointed at the dashboard. “Mostly from the seventies. She’d had them since she was a kid. I was fascinated with the turntable, and she let me play her records on it whenever I came over.” He looked out the window again. “When she died no one wanted the turntable and records, so Steve gave them to me.”
I felt his grief through our connection—the first emotion I’d sensed from him all morning. I searched for something to say. “I’m sure she’d be pleased you still love the music. How long ago did she pass?”
“Steve and I were thirteen.”
“Wow, that’s young. I’m so sorry.”
He nodded jerkily.
Crap, I needed a new conversation topic.
“Uh, Edgar left a little earlier than we did, so he’ll be at TWIST before we get there. You can meet Bettina, his wife. She’s a magic carrier, not a Wonder, but there are a large number of different species of Wonders at TWIST. And of course the exotic animals.”
Cal’s head jerked toward me. “Exotic animals?”
I smiled. “The organization is officially an exotic and wild animal rescue, and they do take in actual animals. The Wonders help take care of them.”
“Huh. ”
“And has Felix told you about our friend Silvia, who attends game nights at Craig and Foster’s place?”
His eyebrows raised. “Yes? She makes really good food, right?”
I nodded. “She also recently met a Wonder named Lloyd Carpenter. He’s a wolf shifter. They resonated.” I glanced over at Cal. “Meaning Silvia is a magic carrier and she and Lloyd are compatible.”
“Right. Uh, did you know she was a magic carrier?”
“I did, but when I mentioned reading books about shifters or Elves, she didn’t react. I met her daughter and granddaughter, and they didn’t inherit the magic, but I haven’t met her great-granddaughter yet. It can skip generations. Anyway, I talked to my mom, and we decided to just keep an eye on Silvia and only bring her into the campaign if she crossed paths with a Wonder.”
Chuckling, I told Cal the story of Edgar’s vision and how he’d made sure Silvia crossed paths with Lloyd in his sweater-wearing wolf form.
“So now Lloyd is moving to Bent Oak to be with Silvia. He’ll be there packing up his belongings. I told him I’d bring some of his stuff back with us.”
“Did Lloyd have a job at TWIST? Will his leaving cause a problem for your mom?”
“She’ll be fine. He was in charge of getting newly-rescued Wonders settled and acclimated. There are several other people who can take over.”
“Where do the Wonders get rescued from?”
“Some of them are just unaffiliated and need a place to stay for a while.” I grimaced. “But the others are victims of trafficking.”
Cal’s head shot around again. “Like human trafficking, but with Wonders? How is that happening and there haven’t been any photos of Wonders on the internet?”
“Because the perpetrators are always billionaires,” I said grimly.
“I’m sorry, what?” His surprise leaked through the connection.
“Billionaires, and usually not the newly-made kind. We’re talking old money. One of them a long time ago found out about Wonders and kidnapped some. Now it’s a global problem. The billionaires boast to each other if they have a Wonder, and they either try to kidnap more or buy them off one another.”
“That’s fucked up!”
“I agree. Part of what TWIST and the other groups like it do is find and liberate the captive Wonders. My brother Dominic heads up that part of the organization. We have a liaison at the FBI who alerts us if they or other government agencies come across any Wonders. One time a billionaire in Dallas captured a family of fauns. The DEA found them because the asshole had ties to a Mexican cartel. We got them out and relocated them.”
“Fuck,” Cal said. “And the DEA agents or whoever don’t tell anyone about the Wonders?”
“Not so far.”
We were almost to Blanco, where we’d leave the highway behind and travel the rest of the way on two-lane roads. I clenched the steering wheel tighter. A small delay wouldn’t make much difference .
“Uh, I need to stop and stretch my legs. You want some coffee or a Coke?”
“Sounds good. Do you want me to drive from here?”
“Nah, I’m okay.” Sort of.
I exited the highway and wound around a couple of streets until I reached Buchanans Coffee House.
“Cute,” Cal commented.
“It’s great.”
Cal offered to get the coffee since I was driving, so I left him to order and went to the restroom. Was I dawdling? Yes, yes, I was.
But I didn’t want Cal to worry I was indisposed, so I made myself go back out to the SUV. He’d put my coffee on the hood and was leaning against the passenger side, sipping his.
“Thanks,” I said.
“It’s good.”
I took an obligatory sip of my coffee, but it sat uneasily on my already roiling stomach. I put it in the cupholder, where it would stay until I remembered to throw it away. Cal’s cup smelled of chocolate and milk. Probably would’ve been a better choice for me than my Americano.
I didn’t bother getting back on the highway. I cut through town to the small road that would take us to TWIST.
“We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
Cal nodded. “How long has it been since you’ve been there? You grew up at TWIST, right?”
I inhaled and exhaled, staring forward through the windshield. “It’s been six years since I’ve been back. ”
He looked at me but didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Um, I don’t want to pry into your business, but will this be a difficult visit for you?”
I barked out a slightly manic laugh. “Yes.” Tension was crawling up my back.
Concern radiated through from him. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Hah. Not without enhancing our connection.” And at least with the way it was now, Cal didn’t seem to be able to feel my emotions like I could feel his. More touching could change that.
“Meaning what?”
I huffed. “Meaning at some point while we’re there I’m probably going to have a panic attack, and when that happens, I could really use a hug. Which will make our connection stronger.”
Cal turned in his seat to face me as best he could within the confines of the seat belt. “I don’t mind hugging you if you need it,” he said matter-of-factly. “What sort of things trigger your panic attacks?”
I focused on the feel of the steering wheel under my fingers. “TWIST.”
He paused, then said, “Well it must’ve been pretty awful growing up there.”
I lifted one shoulder. “Everyone did the best they could with me and my brother Dominic. But a lot of the time we were... overlooked. We had to learn how to raise ourselves. We weren’t near a real school, and I needed structure, which is in very short supply at TWIST.” I gave him a wry smile. “Dominic was two years older than me, so he had it easier. He left to join the Army as soon as he turned eighteen. But that wasn’t a life I wanted. When I went to college, it was heaven. Schedules and appointments. Due dates and rules. I had my first panic attack when I went back to TWIST at winter break my freshman year.”
“Fuck,” he said. Was that pity coming through the connection?
“Sorry,” I said gruffly. “I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not. If it gets to be too much, we can go back to Bent Oak.”
I shook my head. “We need to go through those books.”
Cal snorted. “We can load the books in the back of the car. Your friend Lloyd can make two trips to get his stuff.”
“That’s... not a bad idea.”
“Hang on, you own a pet resort. I mean, I was only there for a little while, but all the dogs running around, the clients in the lobby, that doesn’t bother you?”
I lifted one shoulder. “No, because everything is choreographed behind the scenes to run smoothly. We have hiccups here and there, but the dogs and employees are on a schedule. I know when and where everyone and every pet is supposed to be. Plus, you probably won’t believe this, but aside from the occasional accident, the inside of the pet resort is cleaner than most people’s homes.” I threw him a wry smile. “It’s actually pretty relaxing for me.”
“Craig said you let him keep his desk messy.”
I chuckled. “I had to learn to adapt. Craig’s brain doesn’t work the way mine does, and he can’t function as well if he has to keep his work area neat and tidy. So we compromised. He constrains his personal chaos to his desk, and I’ve taught myself to sort of not look at it too closely.”
My entire back tightened as I saw we were almost at our destination.
I pointed to the right. “This fence is the boundary of the TWIST land. There’s over 200 acres. If you keep your eye out, you might see some interesting animals.” I was pleased with my calm tone of voice.
Cal made Oooh noises as he spied some antelope, a zebra, and a moose.
I turned off the road when we reached the driveway, then I rolled down my window and input my code into the keypad next to the small sign that read, “Texas Wildlife Intervention and Support Team”. The gate swung open.
“Here we go.”