61. Leviathan
LEVIATHAN
Heat. That was all I could think of. The heat of her lips, the heat of her body pressed into mine, the warmth of my skin as blood rushed through my body.
When she kissed me, all I could think of was having her right then and there.
It had been like being cast under a spell, and I’d allowed myself to be bewitched in a moment of weakness.
Angry at myself, as well as her, I sprinted down the street to the rental house, wishing I could turn back time if I ran really fast. When I got back, I found three women waiting outside.
Had I been in human form, they would have seen me rolling my eyes in irritation.
Right now, there were more important things at stake than finding Naphele’s reincarnation.
Especially when, if June was right, Naphele had yet to come back due to her murder being unsolved.
This was pointless, and a waste of time for me and these women.
Though, I was a gentleman and didn’t want to wear out my welcome in town.
After shifting, I brought each of the women inside and spoke to each of them for fifteen minutes.
Of course there was no connection, no spark, not even a whiff of them being my mate.
The only good thing that came of the wasted hour was that it helped get my mind off June and what had happened in the store.
By the afternoon, I’d calmed down enough that when she sent me a text, I wasn’t stressed looking at it.
June: Levi, I’m sorry for today. It wasn’t me. I had another vision. I really hope you can believe that.
Staring at the message, I thought back on what had happened.
The glazed look that had come over her eyes.
How she’d moved almost like a zombie, until that last second when her hands had snapped out and pulled me in close.
She had acted strange. If she was right, then she hadn’t kissed me as some sort of cruel joke, but because her mind had been taken over by visions of Naphele.
Sighing, I tapped out a message to her, my thumbs clumsy as I continued to get used to the device.
Levi: I understand. We’re good. No worries.
Once I hit send, I wondered if that sounded too cold, then added another message.
Levi: Can we try to work on the case tomorrow? You said you had a vision. We could talk about that and maybe see if you can have another. Did today’s vision have anything to do with Naphele’s death?
As I waited for her response, I looked out the window at Idlewild. How strange it looked compared to when I lived here. So much had changed, yet so much had remained the same.
June: We can. I need to tell you something first. Anders knows about the sight. I told him. He needs to know exactly what’s going on. I hope that’s okay.
I blinked at the message in confusion. What did she mean? Hadn’t she already told him that? Wouldn’t she have told her paired mate that she had this gift? If she hadn’t, did that mean she didn’t truly trust him? I pushed those thoughts away.
Levi: I get it. That’s fine. How did he take it? Is he good?
June: He is, but he wants to be involved. I’m not sure if he wants that because he actually wants to solve a murder that happened a hundred years ago or if he wants to keep an eye on you and me. Either way, it is what it is, and I hope you can respect that.
Levi: I can.
Could I, though? I’d have to. Having June’s help might be my only way to find out what happened to Naphele. I ran my hand across my face, scrubbing at the stubble on my cheeks and then added another message.
Levi: So, we can meet tomorrow? See if we can get another vision to happen?
June: Sure. Meet at the store? Around noon?
Levi: I’ll be there. Bye.
I added that last bit because I couldn’t do more emotionally.
This method of conversation was exhausting.
How did I know what she was thinking or feeling if I couldn’t see her body language or hear her tone of voice?
This modern world was difficult to get used to.
Though, there were some benefits, I decided, as I slowly traversed the internet to order myself a pizza delivery for dinner.
When I walked into the store the next day, I did so with as much confidence and outward calm as I could muster. The moment I laid eyes on Anders, however, that vanished.
“Howdy,” the other man said, tilting his chin up in a greeting nod. “Glad you could join us for the…seance, or whatever.”
“It’s not a seance,” June said, swatting his shoulder. I didn’t like how casual they were together. Hated it, in fact.
“How are we doing this?” I said, approaching the counter.
“A man who gets right to business,” Anders said with a smile. “I like that.”
June glanced from Anders to me. “I thought we’d use the storeroom. My grandparents are out to lunch. We should have an hour before they get back.”
As she spoke, my eyes drifted down to see that the necklace I’d given her was missing.
Out of nowhere, I experienced a hollow pit opening in my stomach.
Something about that gave the impression of another tie between us being undone.
That intense moment we’d had, the kiss, and how excited it had made me faded to memory. Now all I felt was sadness and loss.
“Sure,” I grunted. “Sounds good.”
She led us back there, and we each took a seat on a box. Anders and I looked at June expectantly.
“What do we do?” Anders said with a chuckle. “Do we need to get a Ouija board out or something?”
“It’s not like that,” June said. Her impatience was evident to me, but Anders appeared oblivious to it.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Let me see if I can force it.”
For several long minutes the three of us sat in silence.
It didn’t take long for Anders to get bored.
Soon, he was fidgeting and sighing. I wanted to tell him to keep still, but I held my tongue.
Finally, June opened her eyes, looking anxious.
Her gaze flitted toward the box that sat directly next to me.
From there, she looked at me, an unspoken meaning in her eyes that I couldn’t make out.
I frowned and shook my head slightly. If she was trying to tell me something, I wasn’t getting it.
“Uhm, I think this seat is uncomfortable,” she said. “Hang on. Let me find a better spot.”
She stood and moved to the box beside me. Anders’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing when I did my best to lean away from her in a nonchalant way, putting a bit of distance between us.
More time went by, and Anders grew impatient.
“How long is this going to take?” he moaned. “I’ve got a call with some local alphas in a little while.”
“I’m sorry,” June hissed, and put her face in her hands. “I can’t figure out how to control it. I hoped after my vision yesterday, it would be easier.”
Anders snorted and shook his head. “You guys have no idea who the killer is? Nothing to go off?”
June and I shared a look. Neither of us considered it a good move to mention Rafe.
I hadn’t checked to see if Anders’s great-grandfather was still alive or not, though he’d be well over a hundred-and-thirty years old.
Ancient even for shifters, but even if he was dead like I thought, Anders didn’t seem the type who’d like a member of his family being accused of murder, even if they were long gone.
“We’ve got a few,” June admitted slowly. “But we’re still working on it.”
“Jesus,” Anders said, and stood. “I’m out. This Scooby-Doo bullshit is for the birds.”
Anders strode out, not even giving June a second glance. She hung her head, looking equally devastated and embarrassed.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, trying to comfort her.
“I think you should go,” she said with a sigh.
“Got it.” No reason to push it. Not right now, not with Anders standing right outside. “I’ll…uh, see you later?”
“Sure,” she grunted and rested her forehead on her hand, staring at the floor.
Anders stood outside the storeroom, like he was waiting on me. When I came out, he gave me that cocky wink and grin he liked to use, and it was all I could do not to break his nose.
“Is this for real?” he asked, lowering his voice to whisper, then nodding toward the back room.
“June, I mean? Her whole story about having the sight and seeing stuff. Seems like bullshit to me. You hung with her for a while. She’s always been a little…
different. She’s a lot better now, especially now that she can shift, but I kinda get the feeling this is all a cry for attention or something.
Is this something I’m going to have to work out of her?
I mean, this will be exhausting as her mate otherwise, right? ”
He talked about her like she was a tool or item that belonged to him, something that could be bent and twisted into a shape he thought worked best for him, rather than an individual he should be blessed to be with.
Instead of answering him, I simply shrugged and walked past him, shoving my way out the door into the cool air outside.
That night, despite my best intentions, I ended up walking to June’s place.
I hadn’t planned on it, hadn’t truly realized where I was going until I was less than a mile away.
I wanted to apologize for everything. She deserved a true apology, and I hadn’t had the chance to do that since I came to town.
It would be good to clear the air. Also, I had the sense that if the tables were turned, Anders would have rather died than apologize, and I wanted to stay the better man between the two of us.
When I turned the corner, I paused, almost stumbling as I stopped, shocked by what I smelled. A scent. Familiar. One that belonged to someone who shouldn’t be in town at all. A hint of pine needles, roses, and orange blossoms.
“What the fuck?” I hissed, craning my neck as I looked around to find the source.
When I spotted Eugenia, she was standing under the awning of a closed bookstore, staring at the Hollis’s store.
My hands involuntarily clenched into fists at the sight of her.
The last time I’d seen her was after we’d fought over being Levi’s mate.
Why would a member of the Hidden Grove pack be here?
Had Anders taken her in? And if he had, was June aware of it?
Surely she wouldn’t agree to having that woman living in the same town as her, not after what had gone down between them.
I took a step forward, intending to approach and ask her what she thought she was doing, but she shifted and bounded off, running in the opposite direction.
As I watched, she was joined by two other wolves, both male from what I could see, and all three gazed back at the store, before vanishing from sight.
I cursed to myself. I needed to figure out what was going on with her. As much as I didn’t want to talk to Anders, I needed to know if he was aware of the woman’s presence in his town.
I continued to the store. Beside it, there was a set of stairs that appeared to lead to the living quarters above. I ascended the steps, took a steadying breath, and knocked.
After a few minutes, the door opened and an old man opened the door. His face was skimmed by a short white beard, and when he saw me, his eyes glinted, and he smiled.
“Wow,” he said, and even with his age, he sounded more like a little boy than an old man. “The Demon Wolf himself.”
I was getting very tired of being called that.
“Good evening, Mr. Hollis. I was wondering if June was in,” I said.
“She sure is,” the man said, and turned into the house. “June, girl? You got a suitor at the door.”
I’d have been mortified by that had I not seen the mischievous gleam in the man’s eyes as he’d said that, so I chuckled to myself and waited for June. She appeared a few seconds later, looking confused, but when she saw me, her face went blank.
“Levi? Why are you here?” she said.
“Uh…” I glanced at her grandfather. “Can we maybe talk outside?”
“Sure,” she said, but sounded weary and like she didn’t actually want to do that. Her grandfather winked at her as she grabbed her coat and stepped out.
“Grandpa, stop,” she groaned as she closed the door behind her. Looking at me, she said, “What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, deciding it was best to get it all out of the way as soon as possible.
“For coming here without telling you. I should have sent word before I came to stay in Idlewild. That was a dick move, and I’m a piece of shit for doing it.
I’m sorry. I made your life more difficult, more stressful, and more exhausting than it needed to be, and I want to apologize for that. ”
As I spoke, her eyes grew steadily wider, until I was done. For a few seconds she simply stared at me, as if unsure what to say. Finally, she gave me a single nod, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Thanks for that,” she said. “It actually means a lot that you acknowledged it.”
“I should have said that days ago.” I shrugged and leaned back against the railing. “I guess I’m either too dumb or hard-headed to do things when I’m supposed to.”
“You aren’t dumb,” she said, grinning at me. “Hard-headed? Yeah, you may have a point there.”
I burst out laughing. “Fair enough. At least you know me well.”
“Listen,” she said, jamming her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “I’ve got a thing tonight, but I’ve got some time before that. Do you want to go get a coffee or something?”
The offer, innocent as it was, felt like an olive branch.
It made my heart leap and my soul soar, but I had to remember what was really going on here.
As badly as I wanted to go with her, to chat over a steaming cup, to take her into my arms and drag her back home, I couldn’t.
She’d made her choice; I’d been the main reason she’d had to make that choice.
If Anders or one of his friends spotted us, things wouldn’t go well for June.
“How about we take a raincheck?” I said, trying to inject some levity into my tone and praying she didn’t hear how badly it hurt me to turn her down.
She held my gaze for a few heartbeats before giving me a nod of assent. “I’ll hold you to that.”
Holding the rail, I walked backward down the steps to continue looking at her.
“I’ll call that a deal,” I said, and stepped down onto the sidewalk at the base of the steps.
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked as I began to walk away.
Grinning, I pointed down the street. “I think I’m gonna try sushi. Never had it before, but everyone raves about it.” I shrugged. “I’ve had raw trout up in the mountains before, but this is supposed to be better.”
June laughed, which was music to my ears and filled me with hope and longing.
“Spicy crunch tuna roll,” she said as she opened the door. “My personal fav.”
“Duly noted. Thanks.”
She held my gaze for a moment, then waved. “Good night, Levi.”
“Good night, June.”
As I walked to the restaurant, I felt better than I had in days.