Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: Shadowmaster\Running with Wolves (45 page)

* * *

Malcolm was decent enough to turn his back while Shay transformed back into her human body. She quickly donned the robe, but it didn't matter, she saw the blood. It was all over her. Jason's blood? Jaya's? Or her own? It didn't matter. She started to shake as she stared at her hands, then the tears came once again.

“Shay,” Malcolm said softly.

She ignored him and rubbed her hands back and forth across her robe. She had to get it off.

“Come on.” He put his arm around her shoulders, but she jerked violently away.

“Don't touch me,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I'm just going to show you to your room so you can get cleaned up. Okay?”

“No, it's not okay. Thanks to you,
nothing
is okay.”

He nodded, acknowledging her words, then turned and walked toward the house. Reluctantly she followed him through the back door and into a large great room filled with multiple leather sofas, a giant-screen TV and a pool table. Bar stools lined a large granite counter that separated the room from a kitchen filled with top-of-the-line stainless-steel appliances and a hanging rack of gorgeous copper pans.

She followed Malcolm across the slate tile floor until they reached the towering front entryway. He continued down a hallway of plush carpet to the first bedroom on the right.

“Feel free to shower. I will leave some clothes for you outside your door.” He left, shutting the door behind him.

Grateful to be alone, she walked into the large spacious bathroom, locked the door behind her and turned on the shower. Dropping the robe, she stood under the hot spray, letting it wash over her, washing away the dirt and the blood and the soreness, but it couldn't wash away the image of Jaya lying there, staring up into the sky, or of Jason bleeding all over the ground next to her. Her stomach clenched, turning and twisting. She bent over, collapsing to the floor, and succumbed to her tears.

They continued to come in heart-wrenching sobs until there was nothing left and she felt exhausted and hollow. She climbed out of the granite shower and wrapped herself in a deep brown plush towel. Jason was right; Malcolm did like the finer things. The thought of Jason brought fresh tears to her eyes. She still couldn't feel his presence anywhere. She blinked back the tears. She had to stop crying. If he truly was gone now, then she was stuck here in The Colony without him. She had to make the best of it. For him. For her dad. For everything they'd both sacrificed.
For her.

Even if she had to stay married to Malcolm, she wouldn't live here with him. She would move into her father's house and get to know her grandparents, and try to find where she fit in this community. And she'd do it alone. Just like she always had. Just like she always would. She walked out of the bathroom and saw a pair of women's white sweats on the bed. “So much for leaving them outside the door,” she muttered.

As she put them on, she couldn't help wondering whose they were. The missing Celia whose heart Malcolm had broken? She felt sorry for the poor woman. She'd lost the man she loved, her home and now her mother. But how could she have loved Malcolm in the first place? Better yet, how could Jason have trusted him? Have called him a friend? The man was a pig.

On top of the dresser sat a silver tea service with a steeping pot of Earl Grey tea, cream, sugar and two cookies next to a porcelain teacup. The spicy aroma of the tea filled the room and called to her. She poured it into the cup, but set it back down before she took a drink.

She didn't want it. She didn't want anything from that man.

She sat on the bed and lay back for a moment, staring at the ceiling, wondering what she should do next. She looked around the room for a phone, but realized it wouldn't matter if there were one. She didn't know her grandparents' number. There was no one she knew here whom she could call.

She rolled up into a ball on the bed, hugging her knees, replaying every moment of the day in her mind. Her eyes drifted closed and she let them. She wanted to lose herself in sleep. To stop thinking and disappear.

But she couldn't.

She sat up. She had to be strong; she had to find a way out of this house and into town. She had to find Buddy. And most of all, she wouldn't let Malcolm get away with what he'd done. Not to Jaya, to Jason or to her. Someone in town would be able to help her find her grandparents or this council. She found a pair of flip-flops in the closet, slipped them on then opened the door as quietly as she could and peered out. She saw no one.

She walked down the hallway toward the front door. Again, no one was in the great room or the kitchen. Where was Malcolm? Maybe he was taking a shower. This might be the only chance she had to get away from him. She slid out the front door and hurried toward the front gate.

And heard raised voices.

Keeping to the side of the house, she crept forward until she could see around back. Malcolm was sitting at a table by the pool with another man. A man she recognized as the second man from the cave.

“Your marriage is no longer valid, Malcolm. It no longer matters. Everyone who witnessed it is dead. But what's worse, Jaya is dead.”

Malcolm ran a hand down his face. “I know.”

“Where is Celia?”

“No one knows.”

“We have to get her back here. Jaya never finished energizing the crystals. If Celia doesn't get back here to finish the job, the barriers are going to fall.”

Malcolm stood up and leaned over the table, both hands braced on the glass. “Don't you think I know that?” he hissed.

“You know her better than anyone—where would she go?”

“Hell, I don't know, Louis. She was furious at me. You know how she gets. She is more hot-tempered than I am.”

“What the hell was Jaya doing there in the first place?”

“I don't know.” Malcolm straightened and collapsed back into his chair. “I will find Celia. I promise. I'll fix this.”

“You're going to leave? Now?”

“Do I have any choice? Who else am I going to send? There is no one. Jason is—”

His words cut off. It was just as well. Shay didn't think she could hear any more. She wrapped her hands around her middle and did everything she could to keep the anguished sob inside her.

“Jason is still hanging on,” Louis said.

Shay gulped a surprised breath.

“Right after you left I loaded him into my truck and took him to Manny's. I checked on him before I came here. It's dicey. At this point, he could go either way, but right now he's still alive.”

Shay gasped a breath as her heart heaved in her chest.

“Thank the gods for that,” Malcolm said and actually sounded sincere.

“What the hell happened, Malcolm? He wasn't supposed to get hurt. No one was. And what about Mitch? What could Scott have possibly promised him to betray us like that?”

“I have no idea. But Scott would never have been there if Mitch hadn't clued him in to our plans.”

“I hated to bail on you like that but I had to stay hidden, I couldn't let on that I was there and once I saw them attack you, I called for reinforcements.”

“I get that. I do,” Malcolm said. “I don't know how everything got so out of control.”

“That's the understatement of the year.”

“I'm just glad you were able to save Jason. Now, listen, I'll find Celia. I'll make this right.”

“You know Scott will take over while you're gone.”

“I guess I'll have to deal with him when I get back, but I have to go. I caused this mess, I have to try to fix it.”

“Celia won't be too happy to see you, especially once she hears about her mom and the role you played in her death. Are you sure you'll be able to get her to come back?”

“Celia might hate me, but she loves this colony. She won't let everyone die.”

“I hope you're right about that.”

“Me, too.”

“So, how's Dean's girl?”

“Shaken. Badly. I've given her a sedative. Hopefully she'll sleep for a few hours and we'll be able to talk before I go without all the tears and hysterics.”

“What are you going to do with her while you're gone?”

Shay thought of the hot tea and was thankful she hadn't touched it. Not wanting to hear any more, she retraced her steps back to the front of the house and to the front gate and slipped through. She had to get to town and find this Manny before Malcolm discovered she was gone. Right now there was only one thing that mattered to her.

Jason was alive.

Chapter 19

S
hay kept to the woods as much as possible, afraid to step onto the road and have one of Malcolm's men find her. She thought of Jason and mentally reached for him, trying to let her instincts guide her. Wasn't that what Jaya had told her? To trust her gut? She stopped next to a tree, placed her hand against the bark to steady herself and closed her eyes.

She focused on Jason's pale blue-gray eyes and the intense way he looked at her—no, looked
into
her. As if he really saw her. Which now she was sure that he did. Her lips curved up into a slight smile as she thought of him, and she almost felt him, a tentative pressure deep inside her. It was his warmth, but it was weak. Very weak.

“I'm coming, Jason. Hold on,” she whispered, hoping he could sense her, too.

She continued to walk, thinking about the rich tone of his voice, his soft touch and easy smile. She loved the way he grinned and winked at her. He must have known when he did that, no matter how scared or upset she was, her heart would soften toward him and she'd be lost. She couldn't help it, any more than she could stop herself from loving him.

She wished she had something of his to hold in her hand, but she had nothing but the taste of his kiss on her mouth and his earthy scent filling her mind. She continued forward, reaching for him, for their tentative connection. She must believe in it, like Jaya said. Feel it. Trust in it completely. Only then would she be able to find him.

She continued through the forest following that connection for longer than she'd hoped, but soon she heard something ahead of her. She slowed, keeping to the trees, when she came across two boys fishing in the river.

“Hello,” she said, stepping forward out of the thicket. “Can you help me?”

Surprised, they turned and looked at her, their adolescent faces breaking into toothy smiles.

Twenty minutes later she was standing in a general store telling her grandparents everything.

“Malcolm did that?” Kate asked, disbelieving.

“And Scott, too. There were a lot of men and they had guns. I didn't see who fired the shot that hit us.” She looked down at her arm, now scabbed over and almost healed. The same bullet that had hit her had killed Jaya.

“What are we going to do?” Kate asked her husband, her eyes filled with fear. “They almost killed Shay, Robert. And they killed Jaya. Jaya!” She emphasized, horror filling her voice.

Robert put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her to him. “We'll figure it out,” he said. “Shay, we need you to come to the council and tell them everything you just told us.”

“I can't. I have to go to Jason. I've already spent too much time here.”

“This is critical, Shay. You don't understand the implications of what Jaya's death means for The Colony.”

“You're right, and that's why it doesn't matter if I'm there. You can tell them everything I just told you. And honestly, I don't care about your rules or your laws—all I care about is Jason. And right now, he needs me.”

“We'll take you to him,” Kate said, when Robert opened his mouth to protest more.

“Thank you,” Shay said. “I know I don't have any right to ask, but after you talk to the council, if you could please—” Her voice broke over the lump in her throat. “If you could please check on my dog. I think he's still down in that...that pit.” Fresh tears filled her eyes as she thought of Buddy alone and scared down in that hole. She didn't even know if he'd been hurt. What if those men...?

Kate pulled her into her arms. “Oh, sweetie, don't you worry about a thing. You go to Jason. We'll take care of Buddy. We'll take care of everything.”

“Thank you,” Shay whispered, trying to speak through a throat tight with emotion. The moment her grandmother wrapped her in her arms, the shell that she'd erected around herself crumbled and hot tears pricked her eyes. It was such a relief to be able to share her pain, to have someone care and finally help. To have family.

Five minutes later, her grandparents dropped her off at a small white clapboard house two blocks down from the general store. A posted sign out front read Manuel, Healer.

She said goodbye to her grandparents and hurried through the gate in the small white-picket fence and ran up the gravel walk and up the steps to the front porch. The sign on the front door read Please Come In. She opened the door to the tinkling of bells and stepped into to a small waiting room. Two people sat in chairs along the wall, not speaking but looking at her with open curiosity. Shay looked around for a receptionist or anyone to help. She closed the door behind her and stepped into the room when a small man with long black, hair tied back with a leather strap, and deeply lined weathered skin hurried toward her.

“You must be Shay,” he said the moment he saw her.

“Yes.” She was somewhat surprised, though she didn't know why, not after everything that had happened to her today.

“We've been waiting for you.”

We?
Wariness instantly clouded her mind and she took a step back. Was Malcolm there? Had he discovered she'd left his house and come looking for her?

“Come,” he said, gesturing her forward. “Jason needs you.”

At the mention of Jason's name, relief crashed over her, washing away all her misgivings. “How is he?”

“He'll be better with you here to help him. You have strong energy surrounding you. Come. He's been calling for you in his sleep.”

Shay followed him into a back room and saw Jason lying on a small bed, a tall white candle burning by his head, the rich dark scent of incense filling the room. She rushed to his side and quickly took up his hand. His skin was pale and dark circles rimmed his eyes. His hand was cold to her touch. She placed it between both of hers and rubbed, trying to warm him.

He turned his head and cracked open his eyes. A small smile lifted his lips. “You came.”

She smiled back at him. “As soon as I could.”

“You all right?”

She sat in a chair by his bed. “I am now.”

His eyes drifted closed. Fear tightened her grip on his hand as she listened to him pull in a ragged, weak breath.

She sat with him all day and all through the night, refusing to leave his side while he slept and struggled to hang on.

Manuel gave her several smooth stones and instructed her on how to put them on Jason's pulse points, the words to say and how to open herself up to the Universal energy. She did as he instructed, wanting to do anything she could to help, though she didn't understand how it worked and wasn't sure she believed it would...until she felt a sensation of warmth entering her hands. As she placed them on Jason, focusing on her strength as Manuel had told her to, a tingling sensation swept up her arms and onto her scalp.

Maybe it would work. “You can do this, Jason. Be strong. Focus on us, on our love and on your promise to hold me in your arms until I fall asleep every night. I'm holding you to that.”

He didn't stir as she spoke to him, telling him how much she loved and needed him. She just prayed that somehow he could hear her and understand. That he knew. She continued for as long as she could, murmuring over the stones, conducting her energy and pushing her strength toward him until, exhausted, she laid her head against his cool hand, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Shay woke to Jason stroking her hair. She lifted her head and found him smiling at her.

“Good morning,” he said.

She grinned, wide and foolishly, loving the color that had returned to his face. “It sure is. You're looking better. Much better.”

“Yeah?”

“And your energy levels feel high, too.”

“You can feel my energy?” he asked.

“I can,” she said, somewhat surprised, yet pleased.

“Cool. What else can you feel?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Just seeing the sparkle in his eyes sent warmth surging through her and practically had her melting into a relieved puddle on the floor. Tears threatened, but she held them back. She was done crying. “I almost lost you,” she whispered, afraid to say it aloud.

“I'm not going anywhere,” he said. “I promised you, didn't I?”

For a moment they just stared at each other. “How much do you remember?” she asked.

“I'm not sure. I... How's Jaya?”

She hesitated. “She didn't make it.”

Jason sucked in a deep breath in a whistling hiss. Before she could say anything else, she heard the bell ringing in the front room and Manuel demanding that someone leave his house. Seconds later the door burst open and Malcolm entered. Shay stood and placed her hand protectively on Jason's shoulder. “You can leave. I'm not going with you.”

“I know,” Malcolm said. “I didn't come here for you. I came to apologize to you both.”

“We don't want to hear it,” she said.

“And to tell you I'm leaving,” he added.

“Just like that?” Jason said. “After everything you've done, do you really think an apology is enough?”

“No,” Malcolm admitted. He looked terrible, like his face had fallen, sinking as his muscles went slack.

“What about the shipment?” Jason asked. “Are you just going to run off and leave everyone high and dry?”

“There was no missing shipment,” Malcolm admitted. “It was a ploy, a distraction, something to get you out of town so I could work on your girl here.”

“What were you hoping to accomplish?” Shay asked, stunned by the lengths this man had gone to get to her. Her grandparents had tried to warn her about Malcolm, but she hadn't listened.

“To win you over to my side. Get you to understand what was at stake and why it was so important that you at least give the impression that we were together. That you were aligned with me.”

“And for that, you had to send Jason away?”

“Yes. He is in love with you. If he told the council his intentions to marry you, the game would have been up.”

“And Mitch on the mountain?” Jason asked, his eyes flashing with anger. “What was that about?”

“I have no idea. Louis said he'd left Mitch alone for a few minutes when he heard the shot. He couldn't believe what had happened. Apparently, Mitch had been working for Scott for a while, undermining my operations, doing everything he could to sabotage me. I've been going crazy trying to figure out why everything has been going wrong. Parts from my shipments have disappeared. I've had funds misappropriated. Every move I've made has been met with a countermove. Now I know why.”

He rubbed his hand across his face and then looked at Shay almost apologetically. “You, Shay, were my last hope. Scott knew that. I think Mitch was trying to kill you that morning on the mountain. Maybe even you, too, Jason. If neither of you made it back to The Colony, everyone would have blamed the
Gauliacho.
No one would have ever known what he'd done.”

Shay shuddered.

“What's going to happen to them now?” Jason asked.

“I'm not sure how much can be proved. Mitch is dead.”

“How?”

“Shot in the battle yesterday.”

Shay remembered seeing him fall to the ground. She collapsed back into the chair next to Jason's bed.

“The sheriff is rounding up Scott and his men and mine. They're testing our guns, trying to determine which ones have been fired. They'll figure out who shot Mitch and Jaya.”

“You think Scott was the one who tried to kill me?” Shay asked as disbelief coursed through her.

“We're not sure yet if it was Scott or one of his men who fired the shot.”

“What about the sheriff? Doesn't he work for you? How can this investigation be trusted?” Shay demanded, not wanting to believe her cousin would go that far to get rid of her.

“Cal works for The Colony, not me.”

“But he came and took Jason yesterday morning.”

“He does favors for me because he's a friend. But he wasn't there when Jaya got shot. I believe when he finishes his investigation, he will discover that Scott killed Mitch to keep him from confessing the magnitude of what he's done. If he had, Scott would never have been able to stay in The Colony.”

“Do you think they'll figure it all out?” Shay asked. She didn't know why she believed a word he was saying. She knew she shouldn't, not after everything he had done, but there was a clarity of tone in his voice. She could hear his honesty ringing through in his words.

“I'm not sure,” he admitted. “Right now, they're making a lot of arrests and gathering testimony. It could take a while to get to the bottom of it. If they ever do. It's becoming apparent that Scott was the one who burned his own house down and planted evidence to try to pin it on me.”

“With his daughter inside?” Jason asked, shock raising his voice.

“People are speculating that he didn't know she was there. That her getting burned because of his vendetta is what drove him over the edge and made him come after us like he did.”

Jason's eyes narrowed. “What drove you to do the insane things you did?”

“Listen, Jason, I never meant for you to get hurt. You were just supposed to fall into that pit and hang out there for a while. That's all.”

“But I did get hurt and Jaya is dead, putting us all at risk.”

“I know that. I pulled you out of the pit, I had Louis bring you here.”

“After you insisted we marry,” Shay said.

“True,” he agreed. “But I tried to do everything I could to salvage a situation that went horribly wrong. And that's why I'm here. The pack is coming apart. I need to do what I can to fix it.”

“What more could you possibly do?” Jason asked, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

Malcolm smiled. “You look like you're going to make it. You need to step up. Both of you.”

“Geez, thanks for your concern.”