6. Chapter 6
“What happened?” Isla asked as I climbed into the truck, rubbing my hands together and blowing on them as I attempted to thaw out.
“Are you sure that the necklace isn’t a red herring?” I asked, not answering her question. The woman smelled unusual, but it could just be a pack variation.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is it some sort of fashion thing? Could the woman I saw not actually be related to the dead body?”
“That’s impossible. The symbol isn’t common and I doubt they were purchased in a store, the craftsmanship is too fine.
I’m absolutely positive that the necklace you found comes from the same place as the one on the body.
” She exhaled, shaking her head when she saw the determination on my face.
“I’ll run a check on the symbol and find out exactly where it’s from; that could give us some additional information. ”
“Let’s go down to the beach.” She’d seen me in my wolf form before, but it always disturbed me to have her see me shift so I walked behind the truck so she couldn’t watch, then trotted out and she smiled.
I knew it didn’t bother her, she’d told me that fae also had shifters, but I always worried that she saw me as less this way.
It was hard to explain and we were here to do a job, not therapy.
I led the way down the rocky cliff, my nose guiding us as we picked over the sandy shoreline and the frozen air blew through my fur. The usual scents greeted me, dead fish and kelp, nothing out of the ordinary and I began to feel like we were chasing a ghost.
“Over there,” she said as she stared at the photo and I walked through the wet sand towards an outcrop of rocks.
A piece of torn fabric clung to a branch and I pushed my nose against it.
That was when the scent hit me. It was so familiar and I closed my eyes, inhaling as it triggered something buried deep inside — something I’d tried so hard to forget.
Hide. Stay quiet. Don’t let them know you’re here.
No, it couldn’t be. I inched back, stepping away from the spot, then lowering my nose again. I had to be wrong. There was no way he could be here. I backed away, then glanced at Isla.
“What is it?” She knew something was wrong, but I lowered my nose again and tried to ignore what I suspected.
There was nothing else. I told her the same when we got back to the truck, but the scent nagged at me, pulling me to a place I didn’t want to go.
I turned the ignition, shifting into gear and we started the long drive back to town.
“What did you see back there?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure how much to tell her without proof.
The other cases we had worked on were strangers, situations that didn’t concern me, this one was striking close to home in a way that made me intensely uncomfortable.
“I need some time to figure it out, but I’ll tell you when I know something, I promise. ”
“I’m holding you to that,” she said. The rest of the ride was in silence.
When we got back to the hotel, I opened her door and helped her out.
I was sad that she had to go, but knew that she was busy with the uptick in activity.
I was only aware of a fraction of what was going on, barely above the humans.
Maybe it was better that way, I’d rather not get dragged into the nonsense.
“There’s something awful happening here, I know you feel it too.” I looked across the open landscape, then back at her.
“It’s not just here, Max. That’s why I have to leave.
Ten years ago finding something like this would be a massive cause for concern, but the truth is that we’ve had reports of multiple anomalies flowing in over the past few months.
Power is shifting and we’re struggling to find the catalyst.” She paused, then stared at me, her beautiful features forming into something almost recognizable, but slipping away when I focused too hard.
“I trust you and I know that you’ll tell me whatever you find. Just…”
She paused as someone walked by and looked down at the ground before continuing.
“Stay safe, okay? No unnecessary risks. I have a feeling that whatever we’re dealing with here may be more powerful than we understand.”
“I promise,” I said, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead before leaning down to kiss it. She had a job to do and so did I. It was time to go our separate ways.
We walked inside, into the warmth of the lobby. Eileen was waiting behind the front desk. She broke into a smile when she saw us and I knew she’d have questions I couldn’t answer.
“Everything alright out at the array? Culver saw you heading in that direction this morning.”
“Yeah, it needs quite a bit of work.” I said, then followed Isla upstairs, leaning against the door and watching as she gathered the rest of her things, then secured the suitcase.
“Help a girl out?” She laughed, pointing at the bag and I grabbed it, hauling the thing downstairs, then tossing it into the back of the truck.
It was already getting dark, even though it was only three.
The road to the municipal airport was better than the one to the array, but still slow going and as we waited for a herd of pokey muskox to cross in front of us, Isla told me more about Albert, our contact at the Peerage offices.
“His family is from Aran and he has a minute amount of fairy blood, just enough to be dangerous.” Isla laughed.
I’d only met him a few times, but he seemed like a nice enough guy.
I preferred to stay away from the offices and mostly kept to myself outside of assignments.
“You’ll have to meet him sometime. The two of you would get along. ”
It was pointless chatter. I hated that. Her leaving this time was different, she knew it, but wasn’t interested in talking about it.
Fear that I’d never see her again simmered below the surface of my consciousness.
I pushed the notion away, hoping that I was being ridiculous.
It wasn’t like I had ESP or precognition, it was just a sinking feeling in my gut and I didn’t like it.
“You’ve changed, Max,” she said and I kept my eyes on the road. “I mean that in a good way.”
I didn’t respond. Deep down I was still the scarred teenager who'd lost everything, I’d just learned how to hide it better.
I changed the subject.
“How long’s the flight?” She knew exactly what I was doing and scoffed.
“I think about six hours.” She said, going along with it. “Have you ever been to Chicago?”
“Nope.” I laughed and so did she. Once again, avoidance was working. “What’s happening there?”
“We’re not sure. Albert sent over some files with almost no explanation, but I’m hoping…” her voice lowered to a hopeful whisper. “A portal may have opened.”
“Wow,” I whistled, knowing exactly what that meant.
She would finally be able to go home. She'd told me about the portal between her world and ours and how, when it closed, she’d been stranded.
The concern that I’d never see her again intensified and I tried not to look as upset as I felt. “Do you think…”
“I don’t know,” she said, cutting me off. “It would be nice to see my home, my family, but I…I don’t know what I’ll find.”
I'd always assumed that she'd grown used to life here, she seemed so comfortable, but of course she would want to be amongst her own.
Who wouldn't?
“Everyone could be dead.” She sniffled, then wiped her eyes angrily. We were almost at the airport, and I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close on the bench seat. She was a hardass, but no one could be immune to what she had experienced.
“They could also be alive,” I offered. “The war could be over.”
She wiped her eyes and looked through the side window as we rode in silence for the last few minutes. I wanted to go with her, to help her in any way I could, but I had to stay here, too much was at stake.
“Thanks for the lift.” Isla said as she reconstructed her steely exterior. “I’ll be in touch.” I pulled to a stop beside the tarmac, then turned to face her. I cupped her cheek in my hand, then leaned closer.
The kiss lasted a few seconds too long and when she pulled away, I was sad.
She smiled, then reached for the door handle, hopping out of the big truck as I walked to the back and retrieved her suitcase from the bed.
I carried it to the plane, handing it off to the pilot as she turned and blew me a kiss, then ascended into the Gulfstream and disappeared.
The weight of being alone was almost unbearable. I’d always preferred my own company, but saying goodbye to Isla was more painful than I wanted to admit. She was everything I’d ever wanted in a woman, but I knew that, like me, she was hesitant to commit. At least I now knew why.
I shook my head and rolled down the driver’s side window.
The air was crisp and dry and I inhaled as the frigid breeze blew into the cab.
My sense of smell was lessened significantly when I was in my human form, but I could still differentiate between minute traces of specific odors.
It wasn’t the sexiest talent, but eminently useful in situations like this.
I made a hard left from the main road, turning towards the house I’d seen this afternoon.
It was almost dark, but I wanted to take a look.
The lycan was involved somehow and even if she wanted nothing to do with me, she could have some information.
This case was hitting way too close to home and I remembered the scent from the beach, the memories it stirred, and shivered.
In my experience, no two individuals smelled identical. Those from the same family might carry similar markers, but there would be a divergence somewhere. People lied, scents didn’t, and this one was seared into my brain.
The road was dotted with abandoned trailers and wooden houses with smoke billowing out of the chimneys into the sky above.
A couple of people milled around outside, doing chores, waving as I passed and I waved back, wondering what it would be like to live in a place as desolate as this.
My cabin was outside a tiny town, but I still had neighbors that I knew and could reach a city in less than an hour if necessary.
This place was isolated, perfect for staying under the radar, nosy neighbors aside.
The squat structure could barely be called a house, most likely a hunting or fishing cabin.
It was old, older than almost anything I’d seen on the island and there were no cars parked outside.
Her being there was only a hunch and if she wasn’t, I hoped the occupant didn’t shoot trespassers on sight.
As I got out of the truck, I held up my hands to let them know I was unarmed in case they were watching.
I wasn’t in the mood to die right now.
“Hello?” I yelled, hoping that she was alone. “I have a few questions.”
There was movement at one of the windows and I stopped, not wanting to appear aggressive.
“Hello?” I shouted again. “I just want to talk.”
The bolt clicked. A few seconds later the door swung open, and a woman holding a very large shotgun stood facing me.
It was her.