Chapter 19 - Dan
While Grace greets the other women, I address the men who have gathered.
I don’t want our average citizens getting panicked about the snake, so I send the guys off to do repairs or help the girls with heavy lifting.
With a few quick gestures, I let my military buddies know we’ve got far more important things to discuss.
I manage to keep my shit together until the women and other pack members walk away, but the second I’m alone with the guys, I collapse onto one of the low bench seats and sigh like I’m trying to lift the weight of the world.
“Jesus, buddy,” Luke says. “What the fuck happened to you? I’ve never seen you this bad, and I’ve seen you stagger out of bolt holes you were trapped in for over a month.”
“The first thing I should tell you is that I went head-on with the snake last night,” I say.
Luke’s eyebrows shoot right up into his hair, and Brad lets out a low whistle.
“Why are we only hearing about this now?” Brad asks.
“I was a little busy last night getting melted into a pile and then put back together.”
“Okay,” Brad says, pulling out his phone and typing furiously. “I’ve updated Rex. He’s going to want to talk to you. I’m guessing it wasn’t a major breach?”
“It didn’t go for anyone else or attack the town if that’s what you’re asking,” I reply. “Just Grace… and me.”
“How the hell did you wriggle out of this one?” Luke asks, amazed.
“Grace went out for a walk,” I say. “After we sort of had a fight.”
“Oh,” Brad mutters. “What kind of fight?”
I shake my head. “I’m not even sure. We kissed and fought again. Honestly, I know the snake should be my biggest concern right now, but it’s just not. I’m too twisted up over what happened with Grace.”
“So back up,” Luke says. “You had a fight, kissed, had another fight, and she went out for a walk?”
“Yeah,” I reply, deciding not to tell them about how paranoid I’ve gotten about her “walks.” “I’m not sure how I found her, but I saw the light in the trees. She was getting attacked by the snake, and I just jumped in.”
“You weren’t injured?” Brad asks, astonished.
“I was dead, actually,” I reply, looking at my hands. “Or I should have been. I saw my body melt. I just begged for the pain to end. Then Grace grabbed my hand…”
I don’t know how to explain the strange charge that passed between us, or the power that took me over, and the feeling of being healed, so I just shake my head.
“All I know is, my body healed, and Grace held onto my hand while some awesome power flowed through her and attacked the snake until he turned on his tail and ran.”
Brad’s phone buzzes, and he starts texting furiously. “It’s Rex,” he explains. “I’m just giving him a rundown for now; he’ll talk to you later about this. I’ve let him know that you also have woman trouble, and he’s very sympathetic.”
“I bet,” I chuckle. “Has there been anything official on the snake since last night?”
“We have the record of the heat signature moving around last night,” Brad says.
“That’s actually kind of why we’re here.
Alisha didn’t have any dreams, though. Neither did Sara.
But Rex wanted us to check in and see if there was any action on the ground.
Looks like there was a lot more than what we counted on. ”
“So, you guys actually beat it?” Luke asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “We got him on the run, that’s all. It’s pretty scary, actually, because Grace unleashed enough power to compete with a volcano, and it didn’t do a whole lot to our scaly friend.”
“Not good,” Luke mutters. “Is there anything we can do to fight this thing?”
“I think we’ve made progress,” Brad says. “The two of them actually made it retreat. I’d call that a win.”
“We need to get our heads together, though,” Luke says. “Too much is going on, and we have more people than ever in the blast zone.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “He could be luring us all in for a big hit on the population.”
“Doesn’t the thing need to hop into an alpha to leave the area?” Brad wonders. “Or a sorcerer, or something? I don’t know much about it.”
“Neither do I,” I reply. “And it’s hurting my head. Like I told you, I know the snake should be my biggest worry right now, but I’m having trouble focusing on that.”
“Oh, right,” Luke says. “Something happened with Grace?”
“Right after the snake took off, we went at each other so hard, we practically took off a layer of skin.”
Brad whistles. “Wow. So, your marriage is good and consummated now? Should be happy sailing from here.”
“No,” I groan, shaking my head. “No, no. I can’t get close to her. This was a mistake. I know we’re bound together by marriage, and we have to rule the pack, but I can’t get my heart involved in this. I will lose my head if I do.”
I look between Brad and Luke, and I’m surprised by their blank faces.
“What?” I ask.
“Are you telling me you had amazing, magical sex, and then you strolled off like it was just a one-night stand?” Brad asks.
“Well, not quite that bad,” I answer. “But I definitely put distance between us this morning. You don’t understand how different we are. In the light of day, I realized how badly this could go, and that we should definitely just back off and handle this without too much emotion.”
“That’s not it,” Luke mutters, shaking his head. “Well, it might be part of it, but not the whole thing. What’s your actual problem?”
I look from Luke to Brad, and both of them are giving me the same ruthlessly searching look.
“Oh, alright,” I groan. “If you’re going to force me to say it out loud. It was the magic, okay?”
“I get how that can be scary,” Brad says. “I know when I saw Alisha’s powers come out, it was confronting, but—”
“Brad,” I say firmly. “Don’t insult me. You know why I don’t deal with magic.”
As Luke and Brad stare at me, the energy shifts between us, and I see compassion in their eyes.
“I understand,” Brad says.
“No, you don’t!” I snap. “Don’t pretend that you do.”
“Okay,” Luke says, putting a firm hand on my shoulder. “We don’t understand. We couldn’t. But Grace has nothing to do with what happened to you.”
“Magic does,” I growl. “Magic is responsible for all of it, and I swore I’d wipe out evil magic wherever I found it!”
“This isn’t evil magic,” Brad says. “It healed you. It stood up against our enemy—and it sounds like it was born out of love.”
I shake my head. “Don’t say that. I swore I’d never love anyone ever again.”
Luke’s hand tightens on my shoulder, and for a moment, we sit in silence. My memories threaten to overwhelm me, and I stand up, shoving them away so I can pace.
“So, I’m guessing you fucked up?” Brad asks. “You didn’t wake up wide-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning?”
“No,” I say. “I practically bolted from the house, and I barely spoke to her.”
“You have to fix this,” Brad says.
“Yeah,” Luke agrees. “This isn’t cool, man.”
“What?” I almost yell. “I thought you guys would be on my side! Don’t get involved in missions; stay neutral. Isn’t that right?”
“Dan,” Brad says firmly, “you’re not on a mission. You’re in a marriage. I know the magic freaked you out, and that’s completely understandable, but you fucked up with Grace. It’s obvious to me you’ve got feelings for her, and you need to talk to her.”
“Oh, don’t,” I groan, sitting down again. “Don’t start making sense. I can’t take it.”
“Sorry, bud,” Luke says, sitting down next to me. “But I agree. You could have something real with this girl, and it’s not the magic scaring you—it’s getting close to her.”
I shake my head, but don’t bother opening my mouth. I know they’re both right.
“We’ve got warriors coming in,” Brad says, checking his phone. “New formations based on the snake’s movements. We need you to step up, Alpha, and rule your pack as well as your marriage. Are you going to step up to the challenge?”
A sigh eases out of me, and I nod, slowly standing up. “Let’s go and have this meeting,” I say. “This part, I know how to do. I can stress about Grace later this afternoon.”
Warriors begin to arrive, and we talk about our new maneuvers. Even though I’ve never been in a command position, I find it easy to coordinate my men and assign new tasks. It even gives me a sense of belonging, instead of feeling like an imposter as I feared it would.
We’re wrapping up with the warriors when I see the women and the rest of the men approaching. Grace looks cool and in control, her head held high with an almost regal bearing.
She’s so strong, like ice. But last night, I saw her melt. She was vulnerable, raw, burning with need. It’s this duality I can’t handle. It confuses me… and her magic scares the pants off me.
Grace walks straight over to me and takes my hand. We talk to the pack together, and I can see everyone is comforted by our unity. For a couple of hours, we eat and talk, listening to the concerns of our people and doing everything we can to ensure the members from all three packs are thriving.
It feels wrong keeping so much from them, but I know that hearing details about how close the snake was last night will only scare everyone and make them feel helpless.
If people panic, all this hard work will be for nothing. We have to protect these people at all costs—even from themselves.
I meet up with the kids again, and while I play with them, I realize how important it really is to keep the military operations secret.
They are counting on me. It’s scary to think of how much rests on my shoulders right now, but at the same time, I feel fiercely protective of all of them. I wouldn’t quit now if the snake melted out my eyeballs.
It doesn’t escape me that this is the literal truth, and my thoughts are almost a challenge to the big, scaly bastard.
Come at me again, and we’ll see what you’re really made of!
As the afternoon draws to a close, Brad and Alisha depart to go back to Eccles. I promise to update Rex later with all relevant information, and from there, hopefully, come up with a plan to lock the snake back in the rock for good.
The pack begins to break up to go back to their own homes, and Grace holds my hand as we say goodnight to them. When we turn to walk home, she keeps pace with me for the first time and doesn’t let go of my hand.
Hope sparks in my chest, and I wonder if she’s forgiven me for my behavior this morning.
Even if she’s okay, I still have to apologize. The guys were right, I need to examine this—both the event with the magic and my encounter with Grace. I’ve been a fucking coward, and I’m ashamed of it.
We cross the front lawn of the house, and I give Grace’s hand a squeeze, hoping she’ll turn and look at me. I realize I’ve missed her smile, and I’m dying to see it, as well as the way her eyes shimmer when she’s truly happy.
She doesn’t look at me, and I see her shoulders suddenly tense up when she feels the pressure of my fingers. She speeds up a little to get ahead of me and keeps her eyes facing forward.
I open my mouth to say something—anything—that might make her pause, but the words won’t come, and I know I’m too late. She turns away from me, and when she lets go of my hand, my heart sinks in my chest.