Crimson Sunrise (13 page)

“I miss you,” I said breathlessly.

I heard rustling and voices next to the phone. “I have to take this call.” He sounded far away, as if he put the phone against his chest to muffle the sound.

Waiting with the phone pressed against my ear, I trapped it between my shoulder and face while tracing my fingers along the picture. Caleb wasn’t as bulky, his height and youth making him appear lanky and thin. His hair was longer too, brushing past his shoulders. I missed his long hair and was relieved it had finally started growing back.

“Tell him I’m on the phone, I’ve been waiting on this call,” I heard him snap at someone before his voice came through the line, softer this time. “Emma?”

“Hey,” I said and pushed the frame behind other pictures, gently tilting it back until it stood upright.

“I was getting concerned. Didn’t Mom tell you I called?”

“She did, I’m sorry. I was, err,” I stammered, thinking of an excuse. “Uh, I was doing some spring cleaning.”

“It’s December.”

I glanced down at the huge orange T on his thick sweatshirt.

“Really? I didn’t notice.”

“Are you going to make me come out and ask? Because I know you, and I know you’re avoiding something.” He spoke softly but the warning was clearly implied.

“Tell me about Sammie first.” It was a tactic to change the subject, as well as to find out what was going on. “Did you find anything?”

He hesitated. “There’s a place Rosco wants us to check out tonight. We’ve combed over most of the city and a good portion of the state. If we don’t find anything we might just have to give up and come home. There just isn’t much to go on. No one else has gone missing, and there isn’t a scent to follow.”

“What’s so special about this place?” I kept the worry from my voice, forcing myself to sound curious.

“Some people were asking questions in a bar outside of town that caters to”—he lowered his voice to whisper—“all kinds of things. We’re going there to see if they come back around looking for some action or asking anymore questions. Right now, that’s all we’ve got.”

“If you don’t find anything, you’ll be coming home?” My heart lodged into my throat, but I managed to keep my tone the same. I wanted him home, but I knew the minute they left it meant Sammie was really gone.

“Yes.” I never knew it was possible to sound both relieved and despondent at the same time, but Caleb had just uttered a word that conveyed both emotions perfectly.

“I wish I was there with you.” I walked to the bed, flopped onto the mattress, and pulled the pillow into my lap.

“Me too.” He chuckled and the welcome sound wound through my ear and wrapped around my chest.

“I’m sure there are plenty of women there to keep you occupied until you get home.” I said it teasingly but frowned when I pictured all the women who would undoubtedly swoon when they got a look at Caleb. I had the same reaction the first time I saw him.

“They are nothing in comparison to you.”

“Pretty words.” I laughed, pressed the pillow closer to my chest, and inhaled.

“It’s the truth—” He stopped midsentence and asked, “What are you doing?”

I blushed, realizing the phone was directly next to my nose. “I was smelling your pillow.”

“You were, huh?” he asked in a husky voice.

“Mmm hmm.” I sniffed again, and snickered when he grumbled something obscene through the phone.

“I’d give anything to smell you right now.”

“And what do I smell like?” I asked, knowing good and damned well that I didn’t have a smell. I didn’t wear perfume, and I didn’t have a wolf living inside of me.

“You smell like white linen dried in the warm sunshine, with the faintest hint of honeysuckle and lilac.”

My breath caught, I never knew I smelled like anything. “I do?”

“You do.”

He exhaled loudly into the phone and growled, “Hang on.”

I heard him snapping at someone again followed by the ruffle of cloth against the speaker as the phone was lifted back into the air.

“Emma, I’m going to have to let you go, but I’ll be calling back. Be there when I call.”

“I promised Sarah I’d go with her to get something from Haven’s, but I can tell her no.”

“No.” He sighed. “Go ahead. Call me when you get home.”

“What if you’re busy? I don’t want to interrupt.”

“You are never an interruption. Call me when you get home.” He waited a moment and added, “Please.”

“I’ll call as soon as I get home, I promise.”

“Damn it!” he shouted away from the phone and muffled the speaker again. “Give me a fucking minute!” After a moment, he returned to the line. “I have to go,” he said angrily, “but I want to talk to you tonight. Call me when you get home.”

“Okay. I love you.”

He chuckled. “You still didn’t tell me why you didn’t return my call.”

“I’ll tell you when I call tonight.”

“You’d better.”

The phone rustled again and Caleb really let it fly. I had heard him give someone an ass chew before, but not like this. He was in a foul mood, and I cringed as he barked viciously at whoever interrupted our call.

“I have to go,” he repeated, “but I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”

His curses rang out until the line clicked off. I let the pillow fall to the mattress and rose from the bed. Walking out of the bedroom and to the hall, I started making my way downstairs.

Beverly was waiting at the stove when I stepped into the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner. The poor woman seemed to live in front of the stove. It was the one place you could always find her.

She paused when she saw me and frowned. “That was fast.”

“He had to go.” I gave a weak smile and walked past the counter to collect the plates and silverware to set the table.

I glided into the hall, stepped into the dining room, and placed the plates onto the table, telling myself not to get upset over the two empty spaces situated across from each other. Once I had given up hope, believing nothing could prevent what was about to happen to me, and I’d been proven wrong. I had to believe that would happen again.

“Do you need any help?” Sarah’s question echoed in my ears before she appeared.

“I’ve got it, but thanks.” I glanced over my shoulder at her.

“How did Caleb take the news?” she murmured, walking around the table.

“About that.” I grimaced and peered up at her through my lashes. “He had to let me go before I could tell him.”

“Emma.” She gave me her most disappointed and disapproving look. The one that always made me feel like I was back in kindergarten getting busted for breaking the crayons or spilling the glue. I was such a rebel back then.

“I’ll tell him as soon as we get back from the cabin,” I told her quietly, adjusting the napkins on the plates.

“Do you want to go before or after we eat?”

“Do we have time to go now?” I frowned and looked at the clock. The drive to Haven’s was at least an hour away.

“Bev is making lasagna, and it’s not in the oven yet. Trust me, we have time. Besides, there’s something I need to do before I explode.”

She walked out of the dining room and yelled. “Bev, we’re going to the cabin. We’ll back soon!” Then she nodded at me. “Get your coat. Let’s go.”

Chapter 10—Indigo

Just as predicted, we arrived at Haven’s cabin when the sun was hidden around the bend of the earth, the sky turning hues of pink but not quite orange. The clouds basked in the final warm tendrils of the sun, ready to fade into the cover of the night. We had a little over an hour left before darkness would overtake the sky.

Sarah pulled directly to the front of the cabin and my stomach did a somersault. I hadn’t returned here since I’d left months before. This was the place that had started it all for me. I had fallen in love with Caleb here. There were so many memories in this place, all of them good, shoved into a matter of days.

I took a few steps toward the huge lake in the back, picturing Billy on his bucket reeling in fish and patiently teaching me how to do the same. I rotated to the right, finding the expanse of trees where Caleb had brought me after I was first introduced to Sarah. He asked me about my parents, my life, and encouraged me to share my secrets with his gorgeous smile.

“Emma?” Sarah’s voice interrupted my recollections, and I blinked, coming back to the present. “The mattress is in our room.”

She sorted through her keys, found the correct one, and climbed the stairs. The porch creaked as we walked across, the wood protesting under our combined weight. Sarah slid the key into the knob, twisted, and worked the handle with her fingers to open the door to the cabin. After she’d stepped inside, she flipped the light switch and covered the entranceway in a soft glow.

The cabin was the same. To the left was the pool room, complete with a clawed table with a faux zebra carpet displayed underneath, pool racks, and a jukebox. The insanely well-equipped kitchen was in the back, and to the right was the living room, complete with an enormous plasma screen television and wrap around couch that swallowed the room completely.

Sarah started walking up the stairs as I followed, remaining close behind her. She traveled to the bedroom she and Derek shared, pushed open the door, and strode inside. I had never been inside their private space before, so it made my heart ache to see the pictures of the two of them displayed on a dresser. I sauntered over, bent at the waist and looked into the glossy frames. A few of the pictures were recent, displaying Sarah’s clipped inky hair and Derek’s blond, nearly baldhead. However, two of the pictures were older. Sarah’s dark hair was long, falling to her hips. Derek’s blond waves were as long as Caleb’s used to be.

They smiled blissfully at the camera, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, her chin tilted down as if she were embarrassed. I knew the picture had to have been taken before they decided to separate for a brief period. There was a joyful happiness between them that I’d not seen before.

Standing upright, I looked around. The windows were covered by wooden blinds, just as they were in Caleb’s room. The faintest hint of light pushed through the slats. The walls were painted the same dark mahogany. The huge bed across from the door was hidden by a red duvet and pillows of various shades and sizes.

Sarah was digging around in the closet, crouched down, pushing boxes out of the way. Apparently, Caleb got the bedroom with the nice walk in closet. She and Derek got the crappy one with sliding doors.

“Here it is,” she said, yanking on something. She produced a box from the depths of the closet that appeared brand new. Pushing her fingers into the cardboard top of the box, she forced the plastic handle out of its slot and pulled it up for easier carrying.

“Before we go, I want to get something from Caleb’s room.” I quickly scurried out of her room, walked into the hallway, and rushed past the railing.

I pushed open the door and Caleb’s scent assailed me, assaulting all of my senses—
this
was his space. I could smell him and feel him as perfectly as I did the first time he told me I was taking his room for the night. But things weren’t exactly as I’d remembered. Instead of a neat and tidy room, the comforter from his bed and dirty clothes were scattered across the floor. A multitude of bottles and empty cans littered the dresser and nightstand.

“I wanted to warn you,” Sarah said from behind me. “He hasn’t been back here since he brought you home.”

“What happened?” I asked numbly, walking toward the CD case that had been carelessly thrown to the floor.

“I told you he didn’t adjust well to your departure. He didn’t care about anything but fighting, eating, and sleeping.”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. That was not Caleb, not
my
Caleb. He wouldn’t live like this. This was someone else, someone in pain.

Sarah walked into the room, surveying the damage right along with me. I didn’t waste a minute, tossing the comforter across the bed before I started tidying up. If I knew Caleb, the last thing he needed was a reminder of the person he’d become. He was terrible when it came to dealing with guilt.

Sarah chipped in, placing dirty clothes into the overfull hamper and picking up discarded CDs along the floor. Even after our effort, the room needed work. The trashcan was overfull, the closet was disgusting, and the floors were littered with garbage.

I took a deep breath and walked into the closet. I followed my nose, removed a flannel jacket off one of the hangers, and brought it into my face. Caleb’s scent was all over it. I shoved my arms into sleeves that were several inches too long and walked out of the closet, grinning at Sarah.

“It smells like him, huh?” Her eyes warmed in understanding.

“Is that strange? It’s the weirdest thing.” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug to indicate I didn’t care if I’d lost my mind.

“It’s strange because you’re human.”

“What do you mean?”

“Smells are different to us. Everyone carries their own unique scent. Humans don’t notice that. Their noses aren’t attuned to it.” She tilted her head and observed me curiously. “But you’re not entirely human, and you’re bonded, so I would imagine that is the most logical explanation.”

“Maybe,” I agreed and pulled the jacket as close to my body as possible.

She nodded, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. I glanced at her, frowning in concern. Sarah had been acting odd for days. Even if she tried to play it off, something was wrong.

I could feel it.

“What’s wrong Sarah?” I closed the space between us.

Her chocolate brown eyes met mine and she smiled. “I just need to get out of my skin. All of this tension is starting to wear me down.”

“Get out of your—” My eyes widened in understanding. Of course. She needed to let her wolf release all that unbridled energy.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured me, flashing a smile before bending down to retrieve the air mattress.

“Why don’t you take advantage of the woods? We have time. You could go for a run and no one would know.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” She paused midway to the box, speaking as if a huge burden had been taken from her shoulders. “I hate leaving you here while I go out.”