63. Leviathan
LEVIATHAN
Iwoke the next morning with a bitter, sharp disappointment burning in my chest. I’d dreamed I was back in Hidden Grove, and everything with June had played out differently.
There’d been no obsession with Naphele; I never spoke her name in my sleep, and June had stayed with me.
Life was good, and the day was warm. Instead, I woke in a bed that wasn’t mine, with no warm body beside me, and outside the weather had again turned cold, with the tiny hiss of sleet pattering on the windows.
Winter simply would not release us from its grip.
As I sat on the edge of the bed and tried to force myself to get ready for the day, I stared out the window.
There were no women scheduled to come by today—of course, that didn’t mean none would show up.
That should have been a good problem to have, but it didn’t stir my excitement.
Everything about my search for a mate rang hollow now that I knew—or at least highly suspected—that June was right.
Naphele’s spirit was demanding justice before she could reincarnate.
The search was pointless for two reasons; Naphele was still discarnate, and there was a woman alive right now that I loved but couldn’t have. June.
Eyeing the storm outside, I grumbled to myself as I got dressed.
I’d go to the shop first and see if June was there.
I told myself it was to talk about the case, but deep down, I simply wanted to see her.
Our interaction the night before had been refreshing and made me think there might be the tiniest glimmer of hope.
Would she leave her home or her paired mate?
Probably not, but perhaps I could still be part of her life.
My wolf didn’t like the idea of only being her friend because he wanted her, but I was more pragmatic about things.
Sometimes people had a duty and made promises.
June was the type of person who would do what she needed to do.
The run to the store was miserable. The tiny ice beads hurt even through my fur, and the air was a blustery wet cold that was nothing like the mild and unseasonably warm weather from the day before.
When I finally got to the store, I made sure I was under the awning before shifting back.
In my human form I was dry, but the cold still seeped in, and I shivered when I stepped inside.
My irritation at the weather vanished when I saw June.
She was crying, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen, her cheeks flushed.
A sudden and violent anger filled me, and I wanted to break whoever or whatever had made her cry.
“Shit,” she muttered when she saw me and grabbed a tissue from under the counter. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“Why are you crying, June?” I had to force myself not to round the corner and take her in my arms. “What happened?”
She blew her nose, then shrugged one shoulder. “Anders and I had a fight this morning. I called him about… about something, and he flipped out.”
“Something? What does that mean?”
She threw the tissue in the trash can. “Eugenia,” she hissed.
My heart lurched. I knew I’d seen her the night before. I’d hoped I was mistaken, but I hadn’t been. I’d even planned on searching for her today, so I could confront her before telling June that Eugenia was in Idlewild.
“Did she hurt you?” I asked, the muscles in my jaw flexing as I thought about the woman doing anything to June.
“Not really,” June said. “Not physically anyway. She’s become buddies with Anders.
She was at his house last night for dinner with his friends.
She was making jokes at my expense, flirting with Anders, treating me like dogshit, and Anders didn’t do anything to stop her.
” As she spoke her eyes welled with tears again, and her voice cracked.
“I really thought he was changing. I didn’t know it was going to be this hard. ”
Unable to stop myself any longer, I strode around the counter and finally did the thing I’d been wanting to do since I walked in. I wrapped my arms around her, and to my immense pleasure and relief, she didn’t fight me. She sank into me, burying her face in my chest.
“I called him this morning,” she explained, her voice muffled by my shirt. “Told him how upset it made me, and he basically brushed it off. He called me jealous and immature. We had a big fight about it.”
Once she’d gotten herself under control, she looked up at me, embarrassment written all over her face.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m blubbering about a guy, and we have more important things to talk about.”
“You are important,” I said. “If it matters to you, then it matters to me.”
The words were out before I could stop them, and the meaning behind them was easy to interpret.
June locked her red eyes on mine, searching.
For one long moment, the tension between us was palpable, and I wondered if I should kiss her.
I wanted to, because I still remembered the way her lips had felt on mine after her last vision.
Her hands moved up and down my back, slowly stroking me.
There was something intimate about the gentle touch.
My mind was bombarded with images of her face when I slipped into her, of the way her chest flushed pink when she orgasmed.
My cock stiffened, but if she noticed, June didn’t react. She just kept holding me.
My wolf whined at me to touch her, to kiss her, to do anything. But after that brief, intense moment, she pulled away and reached for a small box on the counter. A sigh of disappointment slipped from my lips as I watched her wipe her eyes and nose.
“I think I came up with an idea on how to force myself to have visions,” she said as she opened the box.
“What’s that?” I said, suppressing my disappointment that the interaction between us hadn’t gone farther.
She took an old wristwatch out of the box. One side of the leather strap was completely missing, and the other was dry and cracked. The glass face was shattered as well, and the metal around the edges looked corroded.
“Gran found this. After we came up with our list of suspects, she and Grandpa started digging through a bunch of their old stuff. They found a box full of his grandfather’s things. This was one of his most-prized possessions, but it got ruined at some point.”
“And that’s going to help with a vision?” I asked, frowning.
She nodded and touched her pocket. “The necklace you gave me belonged to Naphele, and when I wear it I see what she saw. I think maybe if I have an item of equal significance, it may help.”
“You want to try?” I said, glancing around. “Store’s empty. I’m down if you are.”
She chewed her lip, then nodded. “Okay.”
She held the watch close to her chest and closed her eyes.
Nothing happened, at least not that I could see.
The one time I’d seen her go into a vision, I’d noticed her shoulders had sagged as if in pure relaxation, and even the muscles on her cheeks and brow had softened as if she’d gone into a full trance.
Here, now, she looked tense like she was trying to force something.
Finally, after almost five minutes, she opened her eyes and groaned. “Damn it.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Don’t get discouraged.”
“That’s difficult, Levi. This is the only gift I have that can help, but I can’t seem to control it. It’s like…” she trailed off, a rosy blush rising to her cheeks.
“What?” I said, narrowing my eyes.
She sighed and shoved her hand into her pocket. “Don’t take this in a weird way, but my visions almost always happen when I’m wearing this necklace and you’re around.”
“Really?” A grin spread across my face.
June snorted and shook her head. “Don’t get any ideas, mister. I’m just trying to solve a murder. Can you put this on me?” She held the necklace out. “Maybe if I have it on while I hold the watch, it’ll jumpstart something.”
I took the delicate necklace and moved behind her. “Weren’t you wearing this the other day? I was there too, and there was no vision.”
June made a low growling noise in her throat that could have been frustration or embarrassment. “Uhm, yeah, but you weren’t… close enough. At least that’s my theory.”
“So you need me close?” I said, my voice low and loaded with meaning.
“Put the necklace on,” she snapped.
I chuckled and did as she asked.
Looping it over her head, I fastened the necklace at the base of her neck, my fingers brushing her skin. Almost instantly, her shoulders slumped, and her head lolled forward.
“June?” I turned her gently around and saw her unfocused eyes staring out at me. “Holy shit.”
She was clenching the watch, lips slightly parted, her breath leaving her in slow exhales. There was nothing I could do but wait. If this went on for too long, I’d take the necklace off. Hopefully, that would bring her back around.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to resort to any of that. After about three minutes, she snapped back to full wakefulness, the dull, glazed look leaving her eyes gradually with every blink. A massive, joyous smile broke over her face.
“I did it!” She leaped up, forcing me to catch her as she swung her arms around my neck and hugged me.
“You did,” I said, unable to keep from smiling along with her. “What did you see?”
June extracted herself from my embrace and held up the watch again. “It was still Naphele’s point of view, but Winston was there.”
Hope and terror blossomed in my chest. Hope that maybe we had a lead; terror that a man I’d known as well as Winston might be the culprit. He’d been the lone voice crying out that I hadn’t killed her, and for years I’d held a soft spot for him, even given his anger issues.
“What happened?” I asked.
June put a hand to her head, rubbing at her temple. “He and Naphele were talking about something,” she explained. “The vision started after they’d discussed whatever it was, so I have no idea what they were upset about, but Winston looked really agitated.”
“Agitated like he was mad?” I probed. “Or something else?”
She shook her head and sighed. “Not sure. He didn’t seem mad at Naphele, though, but he was upset about something she’d said for sure. He stomped off and shifted before running into the woods. The last thing he said before was that he needed to cool down.”
“That’s not a lot to go on. Anything else?”
“I could get a sense of Naphele’s mind, and whenever this discussion happened, it was the same day she died.
I could sort of sense it. And she didn’t have any fear toward the other man.
She wasn’t worried about Winston, even though he looked agitated.
Plus, he took off like a bat out of hell when he shifted.
She was thinking about how he’d always like to run for a hundred miles or more when he was upset.
I think Winston was nowhere near Naphele when she died. ”
“You’re saying Winston is no longer a suspect? We can mark him off?” I asked.
“I think so,” she said, nodding eagerly.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “This is huge, June.”
The proud smile on her face made her look even more beautiful.
Her eyes locked on mine, and a powerful tug yanked on my heart, begging me to lean forward to grab her and kiss her.
The same thought reflected in June’s face.
And for the briefest instant, I thought she leaned forward, moving close to allow me what I wanted so badly, but before either of us could act, the door of the shop opened, and a group of three ladies stepped in, ripping us from the moment.
June cleared her throat nervously. “Hi. Welcome to Hollis Haven.”
The women waved back and went about browsing. I stood there, happy about the exchange, but annoyed that we hadn’t been able to go further. At the back of my mind, my wolf gave a satisfied growl as we watched June walk over to help the customers. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost yet.