Chapter 11 #2
A wave of guilt crashed over Felix, and he winced. “I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Jena and Chase to join us. You know, so we’d have a team,” he ad libbed quickly as Liam’s face fell.
“Oh, yeah. Sure. Smart thinking. That sounds great,” Liam said, shrugging into his coat. His keys rattled in his pocket.
“See you then.”
“Yeah. See you then.” And he was gone without a backwards glance.
Felix stood there staring at the door long after the Jeep’s headlights had cut across the kitchen and fled down the street. “I am such a fucking idiot,” he muttered, sweeping up his overnight bag.
Liam raked back his hair as he drove back to the compound faster than was probably advisable.
He should’ve kissed him. Yeah, it’d been less than ideal circumstances, but the moment had been there, and he’d blown it.
Goddamn it. He shook his head and slowed down as he got to the tracks.
If he went careening through here, he was liable to end up in a ditch, and it was too fucking cold to have to dig himself out.
He knocked his head back and sighed. Tomorrow.
If the opportunity presented itself, he was taking it, and he didn’t care who else was there.
He knew Felix was scared after what’d happened between them all those years ago, damn it, he was too, but they couldn’t keep circling around each other like this. His wolf was making him mental.
Liam pulled up to the house and tried not to slam the doors as he went in.
A shower. He needed a long, hot shower.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything to calm his racing thoughts. He tossed and turned until the night bled into the next day. He laid in bed until he couldn’t stand it anymore and got up. So much for his sleep meds. He downed his morning regimen, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen.
It was too early for anyone else to be awake, which was saying something. His dad usually had his first cup of coffee around three-thirty. Liam made a pot, then filled a travel mug and headed out to the pre-fab garage at the edge of the compound.
Thankfully, like most of the outbuildings, it had power. Based on the stovepipe snaking up the backside, it also had heat. He pried open one of the double doors at the end of it and fumbled for the light.
Jesus. It was packed with shit. Not a chance he was getting to the potbellied stove that he assumed was buried under the mouse-infested piles of crap shoved in here. Right. Well, nothing for it. He tugged on his work gloves and got the contractor’s garbage bags out of his Jeep.
The sun was just peeking through the trees when his dad appeared in the doorway.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, eyeing the mound of trash Liam had spent the last few hours evicting. He’d made better progress than he’d thought, mostly because everything was completely coated with mouse crap.
Plus, the harder he worked, the less he had to think.
Liam looked up from stuffing what he really hoped was papier maché into a bag. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
His dad grunted and set a lunch bucket on top of a relatively clean tote. “Your mom sent out breakfast, and I figured you could use another coffee,” he said, setting another travel mug beside it. “Think this is gonna work for what you need?”
Liam looked around the little garage. “I’ll make it work.
” It was going to be a bit tighter than he’d prefer, but if he didn’t give himself something to do, he’d drive himself crazy.
Despite sticking to his meds, the stress of the past few days was churning up inclinations he’d rather not dwell on.
Guess he was gonna have plenty to talk about at his next therapy session.
“Sounds good. I’ll haul those bags out there up in the truck and stop back around lunchtime.” His dad looked around, rocking back on his heels like there was still something on his mind.
Liam glanced at him askance. “I’m picking the kids up around six, if you guys are still okay with that.”
“Yeah,” his dad said. “Your mom is really looking forward to it. How did last night go?”
Liam closed up another bag and dragged the back of his hand across his forehead. “Okay, all things considered. Cruze called her mom, and apparently, she told her she wasn’t coming back.”
His dad shook his head. “Jesus.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, your mom’s got a slew of activities planned for them. Should take their minds off it, for a little while at least.”
Liam tossed the bag outside with the rest of them.
“Maybe the girls, but Axle…make sure you take him out to see the dogs. It was the craziest thing at Jerry’s.
He had those three Rotties sitting there like he was giving them instructions, and I’ll be damned if they weren’t paying attention.
I don’t think the kid is a wolf, but he’s got some kind of canine affiliation.
Maybe you can figure it out. Might make things easier for him. ”
“If I can, I will. Has to be hard living with a bunch of witches and not knowing what your other half is yet.” His father scratched his jaw. “Hopefully, I don’t have to break it to him that he’s a Schnauzer.”
Liam laughed, flicking open another bag. “Doubtful, unless it’s a giant one. He carries himself like a big breed.”
His dad grunted. “Well, it will be what it’ll be. How’d Felix make out up at the manor?”
Shit. “I didn’t even get to ask him or tell him about the car.
He was really shaken up after talking with Cruze.
” And as much as it’d sucked, Liam was pretty sure he’d made the right decision last night.
When he kissed Felix, he didn’t want the warlock writing it off as a moment of weakness, and Liam wasn’t about to take advantage of him. “You feel anything out here?”
“One hell of a wave of power went through around nine. Nothing like the last time, but enough to flicker the lights. Sure we’ll hear all about it as soon as Kelsey gets off shift, along with the rest of the town gossip.
” His dad slapped a hand against the doorframe and turned to go.
“I’ll let you get back to work. See you around noon. ”
“Yeah, see you.” Liam pulled out his phone as his dad left, his thumb hovering over Felix’s name. Fuck it. He shot off a quick text asking him about the spell and wishing him a good day.
Man, that was probably dumb—it buzzed as he was jamming it back into his pocket. He took it back out to glance at the screen, and a brilliant smile lit up his face.
His day was definitely improving.