Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Ibelieved that fish tacos were an abomination — fish did not belong in a taco — so Lilac had taken to making steak tacos on the same day for me. Galen always laughed at my inability to even look at a fish taco, but he unsurprisingly chose the steak tacos because he was a beef guy.
After I’d filled my stomach on tacos and chips, he walked me outside. He seemed perturbed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Normally I could read him well, but he was a mystery this afternoon.
“Why do you think something’s wrong?” He backed me toward the wall of the bar. “Maybe I just want to make out with my fiancée.”
“You don’t have your make out face on.”
“I always have it on for you.” He grinned, as if to prove it, before leaning in for a kiss. It was almost chaste.
“Galen.”
The sigh he let loose was long and drawn out. “I just wish I’d been with you when you went to Declan’s house,” he admitted, throwing me.
“Why?”
“Because it must have been jarring to see your mother in that mural.”
“It was. That’s not why you wish you would have been with me, though.”
“Oh, really?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“You’re worried Julian flirted with me.”
Surprise registered on his face before he turned sheepish. “Sorry. That’s probably a little too alpha for you.” At least he didn’t deny it.
“You’re not worried that he’s going to try to steal me,” I said. “You’re worried you’ve never had a little brother, and shifters are territorial by nature. You think he’s going to turn this into a competition.”
“I didn’t say that,” he countered.
“You didn’t have to. I’m familiar with how shifters work. I’ve done a lot of research.”
That nudged a crooked smile out of him. “Is that so?”
“You know I don’t like being in the dark.”
“Yes, you’re a busybody.”
I glared at him. “I don’t like being in the dark,” I repeated, correcting him. “There’s a difference.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He glanced away, then back at me. “I trust you. Heck, I trust him. It’s just a weird situation. You’re right. I am concerned that I’ve missed something and he’s actually a bad guy.”
“He’s not.” I shook my head. “I think he’s struggling with the same things you are. You can’t force a bond. It needs to grow organically. It won’t be easy to get there, but if you both put in the effort, it’ll happen.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m a sunshine girl.”
He burst out laughing. “You’re a rampant complainer. You’re spoiled. You’re a good person and I wouldn’t change anything about you. You are not, however, a sunshine girl.”
“I could be if I wanted to.”
“That’s not who you are. I’m good with that. I’m not a sunshine guy. We fit perfectly.”
I grumbled. “I could be a sunshine girl. I choose not to be because that would ruin my street cred.”
“Good point.” He leaned in for another kiss, this one sultrier, then he gave me a swat on the behind as he pulled away. “Have fun with Jareth.”
“Why aren’t you worried about him hitting on me?” I challenged.
“Jareth has never hit on anyone as far as I know. Even if he did, you’re not his type.”
“Because he’s gay.”
Galen looked taken aback.
I patted his chest as I edged around him. “I really hope he can help me.”
“If anyone can, he can. My mother wasn’t any help?”
“She knew things, but when I questioned her — like how could they be sure Declan was the killer if they never found proof — she just shrugged it off.”
“We’ve all heard stories about Declan over the years. We were taught that he was guilty. I’ve never looked at his file.”
“Could you have a more thorough file than the DDA?”
“It’s worth a look. I’ll bring it home and we’ll go through it together.”
“You’re taking me out for a big dinner tonight, right?”
Galen’s lips swished. “Are you going to stay away from Wesley’s ranch for the rest of the day?”
“You’re extorting me,” I complained.
“I’m trying to keep you safe, and I’ll never apologize for that.”
“Well, the good news for you is that I’m not in the mood for an argument.”
He shot me an over exaggerated thumbs-up.
“I also can’t go cross over until I know exactly what we’re dealing with,” I added. “I might only have one shot to save Wesley. I’m going to make sure to give myself the best shot I can.”
“That’s smart, and I’m not just saying that because I’m desperate to keep you from crossing over.”
That made me laugh. “We’ll figure it out. I am feeling better at the thought that this creature — whether it’s Declan or not — won’t want to kill Wesley because he’s a bargaining chip. That’s all I have going for me right now.”
Galen nodded. “It makes sense.” He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, lowering his voice. “We’ll get him back. I promise.”
We both knew he couldn’t make that promise. Not realistically. I nodded all the same. “See you soon. You’ll be buying me a huge dinner.”
“Crab legs?”
“Only if you love me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you know what I don’t get?” he challenged as I started walking away. “Why you love crab legs beyond all measure but think fish tacos should be outlawed?”
“Beside the fact that fish doesn’t belong on a taco?”
He nodded.
“Fish is gross. Seafood is divine. I don’t know how the two are so close yet so different.”
“You’re a pain in the ass, Hadley Hunter,” he called out as I kept walking.
“You love me anyway,” I called back.
JARETH WAS THE director of the island’s only funeral home. It was a little too on the nose for me. A vampire funeral director? That was straight out of a movie … and not a good one.
Still, I liked the man. He had an easy way about him. He was a little creepy — he looked ancient — but I never felt unsafe in his presence.
He met me in the parlor, his eyebrows hopping up his forehead. “Well, this is a surprise!” He broke into a wide smile that didn’t seem to match his facial features. “It’s good to see you.”
I took his hand, squeezed it, and momentarily marveled at how cold it was. When I released him, I was all business. “Are you alone?”
“That’s an interesting question.” Jareth’s eyes roamed up and down. “I don’t believe you’re here for anything that might make Galen want to beat me to within an inch of my life.”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. “Um … yeah, I’m not here for that. You’re not exactly my type. No offense,” I added quickly.
That made him grin. “You’re not my type either. I guess that’s a good thing.”
I gestured to the velvet settee in the center of the room. “Can we sit?”
“Of course.” Jareth ushered me in with a sweep of his arm. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I just had lunch at Lilac’s bar, so I’m good. I’m really here for information.” I clasped my hands on my lap and debated the best way to approach him. Ultimately, I decided that the truth was my only option. “I need to know about Declan Wilkes.”
Jareth’s eyebrows were thin. Had he plucked them earlier in life and they no longer filled out the same way?
I knew absolutely nothing about vampire grooming habits.
I had questions — oh, so many questions — but Galen had warned me against asking them.
Jareth was a stickler about manners. When Jareth’s eyebrows rose, they almost disappeared into his hairline.
He didn’t look uncomfortable as much as curious. “May I ask why?”
I told him the story. He couldn’t help me if he didn’t know everything. When I got to the part about seeing my mother on the other plane, he looked troubled. Then he almost came off the settee when I told him about my mother being in the mural.
“Are you certain?” he asked.
“It looked exactly like her.”
“Do you know when the mural was painted?”
I shook my head. “Is that important?”
“Well, if it was painted fifty years ago it could be a coincidence. May and your mother had a lot of the same features.”
“It could have been May.” It was a revelation. “Of course it could have been May. Duh!” I slapped the side of my head. “Except I talked to my mother on the other plane.”
“That may not have been your mother.” Jareth looked tortured to have to be the one to say it. “It could have been a spell of some sort. He could have been operating under a glamour.”
“Wouldn’t I have felt him?”
“You have no idea how magic works over there, so not necessarily.”
“She knew things. Things that Declan wouldn’t know. She said I had May’s sense of humor.”
“He was fixated on May.”
I deflated a bit.
“I’m sorry.” Jareth patted my shoulder. “I don’t want you to fall for something that might well be a trick.”
“I shouldn’t be this naive. I guess I can’t help myself when it comes to her.”
“You didn’t know her and you’ve longed for her your entire life. I can see him using that to his advantage.”
“You knew him.” I blew out a breath, trying to center myself. “I was hopeful.”
“I did.” Jareth’s smile flattened into a grimace.
“Do you think it’s him on the other plane?”
“It makes a strange sort of sense. Obviously we can’t know. You said you saw only a shadow.”
“The mural featured a giant shadow. It’s like a prophecy coming to life.”
“Perhaps.” Jareth leaned on the settee. “Tell me what you know about him.”
“Not much.” I ran him through what I’d learned, which was precious little. “Galen is going to see if they have another file at the sheriff’s department. We’re going to compare notes tonight.” I paused a beat and asked the most important question. “What do you know about Declan?”
“He came to the island when he was younger. That was about a century ago.”
“Was he a vampire?”
One side of Jareth’s mouth hitched up. “You’re a curious girl. That’s one thing I’ve made note of about you since the day we met.”
“I am curious,” I readily agreed. “Galen doesn’t particularly enjoy the trait.”
“Actually, he does. He loves everything about you, including the way your mind works. He wouldn’t change you.”
“You’re kind of skirting around the Declan issue,” I noted.