THREE MONTHS LATER
March 25th
It's been a busy week. Thankfully, today is Friday, and we have the weekend off to relax. I'm still in training to be a park ranger, and Cedric is a wonderful mentor. With tourist season coming up soon, we've had to put in the hours to ensure the trails are safe. Having my earth magic has come in handy. I've been able to restore fallen trees and dying shrubs, something I wasn't capable of before. Every day, I learn something new about my magic. I can do so much more than I ever could. A part of me worries about what that might mean to the dark fae. Dorian is still out there somewhere, but we can't find him. Cedric still talks of revenge, but I don't think it's smart to hunt him down.
"What are you writing about?" Cedric asks from the doorway.
I gently close the journal with a heavy sigh and set it on the nightstand beside our bed. "Just the usual," I reply. I slide off the bed and walk over to him. "You know, our day at work and what's going on in our lives."
He opens his arms, and I slide mine around his waist. "Did you write how sexy your mate is?"
Laughing, I lean up on my toes and kiss him. "I'll be sure to add it."
"Good." He nods toward the hallway. "The burgers are off the grill, and everyone will be here soon." His hands slide down to cup my ass. "We could always get a quickie in if you want."
With Bailey and Tyla both closer to having their babies, there's been a lot of talk about us having one too. I'm not pregnant yet, but that's not from lack of trying. I'm sure it'll happen at the right time. Taking his hand, I pull him toward the bed and push him down onto the mattress. Before I can unbutton his jeans, I hear a car closing in. Cedric groans and then laughs. "Of course, they decide to come early."
I help him up. "We always have tonight after they leave. That is, unless you, Colin, and Micah decide to get drunk and pass out like you did last week."
We started a new tradition a couple of months ago. Every Friday, Amelie, Faith, Micah, and Colin will come over, and we'll eat dinner, play cards, and have a few drinks. Colin wasn't originally on the invite list, but Faith brought him one Friday, and it ended up being the turning point with him and Cedric. They got along great and have become good friends. Even Beck has slowly found a way into the pack. Tensions have eased between him and Cedric now that we're mated. It's nice being able to embrace both sides of who I am. We've even met several of Beck's warriors in the winter army. I learn more and more about the fae every time Beck visits.
Cedric tilts my chin up and smiles. "Tonight, I'm all yours. No drinking with the guys."
I wink. "Sounds good to me."
"Knock, knock," Faith calls out. "Hopefully, we're not interrupting anything."
Cedric snorts and shouts back. "Oh, you'd be able to hear us."
Faith bursts out laughing. "TMI! I don't need the details."
I smack Cedric's arm. "I'm never going to hear the end of this now."
Cedric waggles his brows. "What? You like to scream."
"Seriously," Faith grumbles. "We can hear you."
Chuckling, Cedric walks out of the bedroom, and I follow him down the hall. Micah hands Cedric a beer while Faith and Amelie stand by the kitchen bar next to a fantastic charcuterie spread with crackers, cheese, fruits, vegetables, and a couple of different dips.
"Wow, that looks amazing." I look down at the food, and my stomach growls. The fruits are cut into different shapes, and it's all laid out perfectly.
Faith beams. "I worked on it this afternoon. Thought I'd do something different."
"I'm impressed." I look out the window to the driveway, and there's only Micah's car. "Where's Colin?"
Faith shrugs. "Still working, I think. I'm sure he'll be here soon."
Grabbing a carrot, I dip it in her homemade ranch dressing. "That's fine. We'll wait for him. Beck is supposed to come tonight too."
Faith's eyes light up. "Good. We need to beat the guys this week. Micah and Cedric can't complain that it's three against one now." My cell phone starts to ring, and since it's at the other end of the kitchen counter where Faith is, she grabs it for me. "It's my brother," she says, handing it to me.
I look down at the screen, and his name is there. Usually, he calls Cedric unless it's something about work. "Hey, Colin," I answer.
"Hey. I know I'm running late, but I'm over at a friend's house. Her name's Meredith. She works over at the gem store in town. You might know who she is."
"Oh yeah, I do. I love her store. I've meant to get by there again."
"Well, she just closed on a house, and she wants to have it decorated. I told her about you, and she wants to know if you can come by for a few minutes. It won't take long. I'll be here with you."
"That's fine. Just text me the address." I'm not about to turn down a job. After we hang up, he texts me the address, and I plug it into my GPS.
Faith crosses her arms over her chest. "Did he really just ask you to do work on a Friday night?"
Cedric walks over. "What's going on?"
I grab my purse and keys off the counter. "I won't be gone long. Colin asked if I'll look at his friend's house. It turns out it's for Meredith, the owner of the Blue Stone gem shop. She just closed on a house and wants my help decorating it. Colin's over there right now."
Cedric nods. "All right, I'll go with you."
"No," I say, placing a hand on his chest. "Stay here with our guests. I'll be back in a few minutes."
I can feel his inner turmoil. He doesn't like me going places by myself, but I refuse to be scared for the rest of my life, wondering when something terrible will happen.
"I can't help it, Laila. You are all that matters to me. I've lost too many people I love."
His pain makes my heart hurt. I cup his cheek and smile. "I'll be okay. Stay here and have fun."
He bends down and kisses me, his lips warm against mine. "Hurry back."
"I will."
I run out to my car and head toward Meredith's, which, according to my GPS, will only take twelve minutes. Her house is just outside of downtown Jackson Hole, not far from her shop. Colin's car is in her driveway when I get there, and they're both standing together, talking and laughing.
I park behind Colin and grab my notepad before getting out. "Hey, you two."
Colin grins and waves me over. It's been a while since I've seen Meredith, but she looks the same with her long, black hair and bright emerald eyes. She waves back and smiles. "Thanks for coming, Laila. I know it was last minute."
"No worries at all." I look up at her new house. It's an old colonial-style house with dark blue siding and white shutters. Very elegant but still with the classic charm.
Meredith motions toward the front door. "Shall we go inside?"
When we get inside, it's immaculate. The hardwood floors look brand new, and the walls are freshly painted. "I love this house. It's gorgeous."
Meredith beams. "Thanks. It took me forever to find the right one. I think I looked at over a hundred houses." She flourishes a hand around the living room. "So … what do you think? I have no clue where to start."
"Do you have anything in mind?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No clue. I'll go with whatever you concoct in your mind."
"You sure?"
Her grin widens. "Yep. I trust you." So many ideas run through my mind. I walk through each room and jot down my notes while Colin and Meredith follow me. Once done with the main level, I move to the upstairs. "I want you to figure out something for the basement as well," Meredith suggests. "I'm thinking of converting it to a movie theater."
"That would be fun."
Colin agrees. "When I finish building my house, that's exactly what I'll be doing too."
I take my notes of the upstairs, and Meredith leads us down the stairs to the main level. She opens the door to the basement, and I follow her. It's dark, and all of a sudden, my stomach starts to feel sick. Colin shuts the door behind us, and I'm stuck on the stairs between them, sweat breaking out over my skin. I've never felt this way before. Meredith reaches the bottom of the stairs, and the closer I get to her, the sicker I become. I want to throw up, but I know there's nothing in my stomach.
"Laila, what's wrong? Where are you?" Cedric asks through our bond.
Dizziness overtakes me, and I have to hold onto the stair railing. Meredith rushes up to me and takes my hand. "Laila, you okay?"
I shake my head. "I don't feel so good."
She pulls me further into the basement, and I feel worse with each step. "We need to sit you down."
The room is dark, but I can see with my shifter eyes. The basement is cold and musty with a dungeon-like feel. I sense death all around me. There's also a familiar smell that used not to bother me, but now it makes my body feel like it's turning inside out.
"Laila! What's going on?"
My consciousness starts to slip away, darkness creeping in. "I don't know."
"She's talking to her fucking mate," Colin growls, only it's not his voice. My legs are like Jell-O as I turn around to face him. He pushes me into the dank room that smells of mold and blood … and wolfsbane. Wolfsbane used not to bother me, but that's not the case anymore. Everything is blurry, including Colin's face, but as I lay on the hard, cement floor, I can see his features morph into someone else. Colin's body shortens just a couple of inches, and his skin turns pale. What was once blond hair is now jet black. I've never seen this man before, but it's not hard to guess who he is.
The time has come.
Dorian found me.