Howl (Witches & Warlocks Book 4) (9 page)

It also feels really hard to get comfortable in my home when I keep getting that awful feeling of being watched. I’d almost think the place was haunted, except, knowing me, I’m sure I’d already have seen any ghosts if there were any ghosts to be seen. But between Twinks freaking out at the window, and my heebie-jeebie factor being pretty much huge all the time, it’s really hard for me to relax and want to call this place home.

Like now, it’s time for me to get ready for the gym and I keep finding myself looking over my shoulder. Constantly uncomfortable. Constantly interrupting what I’m doing to be still and listen for whatever it was I might have just heard. And let me tell you what, it’s getting really old. Before I go outside, I’m gonna have to do a really thorough check of my wards. And then maybe go a little deeper than that. Maybe I need to try another set of tracking spells or something.

Given how cold it is, being that it’s basically almost January…

My stomach falls to my feet at that thought. What day is it? Christmas is just around the corner and I’ve most definitely not gotten in contact with them and finalized our plans. I honestly can’t believe that they’re not pounding down my door, laying the guilt on hard for brushing them off for so long.

That thought makes me a little uncomfortable. I mean, what if they’ve been silent because something’s wrong? What if the vampires got to them? Lucy did it once, just because it didn’t work the first time, what’s to stop her successor from trying it again? Maybe learn from Lucy’s mistakes and do a better job?

I’m scrambling for my phone.  I slide open the messaging app and shoot my mom a text. Fidget with the phone while I wait for a reply. Try to smother the building worry with practical thought. Mom’s just giving me space after Becca’s funeral. Trying not to be a busy body. Trying not to push me. Right? She’s that kind of person. Caring. Thoughtful.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I let loose the breath I’d been holding to see my mom’s contact photo on the screen. “Thank God,” I whisper and Twinks comes around the corner, looking as if I’d called his name.

Turns out they had been giving me space, but they’d also been getting a little tired of waiting. If I hadn’t gotten in contact with them today, they’d have called this evening and if I was relieved to see my mom’s name on my screen just now, I’m super double relieved that I didn’t wait long enough for them to have to call me. The guilt would have been heavy and the guilt would have been thick, and they’d have laid it on me with a shovel. We make plans for me to come spend Christmas with them and at the last moment, Mom invites Noah. I smile at the thought of Noah at a Tate family gathering and promise to pass along the invitation.

I finish getting ready and pack my gym bag. Slide on a coat and grab a bottle of water. Promise the kitten that I’ll be back for him tonight. Then I head outside, lock the door, and start a quick check of the perimeter of the house while my car warms up in the driveway. The snow’s melted completely, but the ground is still frozen. My feet crunch across the frosted grass and little jets of steam blast through my red nose. It’s cold. That’s for sure. I don’t see anything that looks too suspicious. Check my wards and find them intact.

But that’s not going to do anything to alleviate my fears. Because I keep checking and I keep finding nothing and yet, day after day, I keep feeling like I’m being watched. The hairs on my arms keep standing up. My stress levels keep rising. I can’t get ready without wanting to look over my shoulder. Plus, something’s freaking my sweet little kitty out and I promised him I’d make him a safe home.

Closing my eyes, I summon my magic, work it into a revelation spell. It’s very generic, as I don’t really know what I’m looking for. “Revelabit occultum verum,” I say — reveal hidden truths. When I open my eyes, there’s a ball of energy in front of me, glowing faintly blue in the winter sun. I send it around the perimeter of the house, looking for anything that might stand out and I’ve gotta admit, I’m almost frustrated when nothing shows up.

There’s gotta be something. Some reason that I’m so uneasy. Some reason for Mr. Twinklebottom to puff up like an enraged cactus when staring at the window.

And then the spell makes its way to the front of the house, I gasp and instantly regret feeling frustrated. There, on the very window that had Twinks freaking out last night, are handprints. And below that, footprints leading up towards the window and then back away again.

My stomach’s a nervous mess and I spin, just to make sure no one’s staring at me right now. Of course, I’m alone. My instinct is to hop in the car and leave and never come back. Grab Twinks and say goodbye to this place and all the stuff inside. But I don’t. I fight it down. Maintaining the spell, I walk up to the window and study the prints. The hands are smaller than mine. The feet look like they might have been wearing boots. Also smaller than mine. But that’s about as much as I can discern. I take out my phone and take a picture, check to make sure that the little piece of technology was able to capture the image conjured by my magic and smile when I see it has.

I follow the footprints back down the driveway. Choke a little when I see they stopped near my car. Grimace to see the fingerprints on the handle and at the window. Thank God I lock my car. I urge my magic to check the vehicle completely. Send it under and inside, around the tires and into the trunk, seeking for any hidden truths that might actually be a bomb or, you know, a serial killer hiding in the back seat.

I find nothing but that doesn’t stop my stomach from turning in knots. Doesn’t stop me from wanting to grab my kitten and take him with me to the gym. Doesn’t stop me from casting a massive protection spell around the entire lot, hoping against hope that the person who’s been making me feel so uneasy wasn’t already on the property and therefore protected by the very spell I’d crafted to keep him out.

Noah’s waiting for me in the parking lot when I pull into the gym. He hops out of his car and bounds up to mine before I’ve even gotten my key out of the ignition. Sees my face and drops his smile.

“What happened?”

I show him the pictures. Explain what I’ve been feeling. Like I’m being watched. Tell him about Twinks freaking out last night and then again this morning.

“But I’ve got the house warded. I should have known if anyone was close. And no one should have been able to get that close.”

Noah just shakes his head. “You think it’s that guy? The wolf?”

“Or it could be a vampire. Ready to kill me because I might be able to kill him.”

Noah shakes his head. “You said the cat freaked this morning? Can’t be a vampire. Not out in the sun like that.”

“Guess that means it’s the wolf then.” I try to remember if Ty was smaller than me. “Think we should talk to Albert?”

“Can’t hurt.”

We wander into the gym, hand in hand and Xavier makes a face. “You guys ever
not
together?” He slides the signup sheet our way.

“You ever
not
at work?”

“Got me there.”

We stop at Albert’s office on the way and he waves us in, phone pressed to his ear. Indicates that we should sit while he finishes up. When he does, I find myself unable to speak. What do I say? One of your wolves is harassing me? I’d like to file a complaint…? This wolf knows about my super-secret ability, the one you probably don’t even know about, and he’s threatening to tell the vampires about it?

The silence gets awkward and Noah puts his hand on my knee. I can tell he’s about to ask for me and I’m really not sure that’s the best idea. I grab his hand and give it a squeeze. Open my mouth before Noah can speak and ask the first thing that comes to my mind. “So, I was wondering about running. Is it worth it when it’s cold like this?”

Noah’s confused and honestly, so is Albert. “Running?” Albert looks almost disgusted. “When is running ever worth it? People think running is the best way to get fit. You know what I call runners? Skinny fat. Have you gotten a good luck at a runner’s body?” Albert goes on, talking down the people who swear by cardio. Talking up the use of free weights and strength building exercises. I let him go on about it. Wear himself out a little. Thank him when he’s done.

“Sounds like I’m glad I asked. It didn’t sound all that appealing, but if you thought it’d be a good supplement to my workouts, I was gonna give it a go.”

“I’m glad you’re devoting yourself like this, I really am, but that little Allison already has you too cardio focused. If you find you have some extra energy to burn, I’d recommend some more CrossFit type exercises.”

I’d rather run than do any of the stuff I’ve seen labeled CrossFit, but I smile, thank Albert and pull Noah out of the office.

What the hell?
He asks me, using just the tiniest bit of magic to get his thoughts into my mind.

Got scared.

Why?

Don’t trust him.

Noah sighs. Pulls me close and presses a kiss to my forehead. He doesn’t say anything else, but I can’t help but feel like somehow, I’ve let him down.

Chapter Eleven

At first, I can barely focus on what Allison’s telling me to do. My thoughts are all over the place. Wondering if Noah’s disappointed in me. Wondering if I’m being silly for not talking to Albert about Ty. Wondering what Noah would think if I did end up talking to Albert only to find out that I was right not to trust the wolf after all.

“Hey you!” Allison slaps my ass and I yelp, stumble a little on the treadmill and clutch the rails with both hands, desperate not to fall.

I scowl at her after I catch my balance. “Not cool.”

“Where’s your head, kid?” She calls me that all the time. Kid. Like she thinks she’s a decade or two older than me. “You’re not here today.”

“I’m totally here,” I say, struggling to catch my breath.

“Your body’s here, but your head’s not. That’s not enough.”

I sigh and fight the urge to say snap at her. Of course my head’s not here. I’ve got important stuff to worry about. Werewolves and vampires and stalkers, and freaked out kitties. Instead of saying anything I might regret, I just mumble an apology and try to count my steps as my feet strike the machine.

“We don’t carry our shit past the front doors. Understand?”

Actually I don’t understand at all and tell her as much.

“We’ve all got a lot on our plates. A lot in our heads. A lot weighing on our hearts. This place,” she gestures around the gym, “we don’t bring it in. This is our worry free zone, kid. You leave all the negative crap you’re carrying around with you at the door and use this time to focus on your body. You’re more than welcome to pick it all up again when you leave. If you want. You hear me?”

Turns out, I totally hear her. And it sounds wonderful. Every time I start to wonder about this or worry about that, I tune it out. Try to focus on whatever exercise I’m doing at the time. And slowly, I figure it out. By the time the session is up, I’m breathing easier and smiling naturally.

I stop Allison on my way to the locker room. “Hey,” I say, picking at my fingernails. “Thanks.”

She looks confused. “Of course! Just doing my job.”

“Ya, but your advice was great. I feel much better.”

Allison just smiles. Looks uncomfortable under the weight of my compliments. Of course, her unease makes me feel bad, so in an effort to make her feel better, I ask her about running. Her response is so different from Albert’s. “I highly recommend it. If you’ve got energy to burn and problems in your head, pound them to a pulp on the pavement.” She gives me some advice on running in the cold. I still highly doubt that I’ll ever willingly go for a run in the middle of winter, but I file the information away and head into the locker room to shower and change.

I’m a little nervous about talking to Daya. And I’m excited, too. I don’t know if she’ll answer my questions about my parents. I don’t know if she’ll know what to do about Ty or if I should even ask her about him. But throughout all of this, she’s been the one person who’s kind of guided me through it. Sure, her guidance was manipulative and self-serving, but out of all the people in my life, she knows the most about me with Noah coming in a close second. The thought of sitting in a room with the two of them and asking questions and getting answers warms me from the inside out.

I know this feeling. It’s hope. And I’m not so sure I should get too wrapped up in hope. Hope seems to have a bad habit of letting me down.

Noah’s waiting for me near the front door and I’m not ready to deal with him being all disappointed in me for not talking to Albert. I take a deep breath and thread my arm into his. Smile really big and wave goodbye to Xavier.

Turns out, I didn’t need to worry about Noah at all. “I was thinking,” he says as soon as we’re out of earshot. “You’re probably right to have kept the whole wolf stalker thing to yourself.”

I feel instantly better. “Ya?” I try not to smile like a moron.

“Yep. Albert seems so easygoing and unassuming, but he is the alpha after all. He’s probably way more intense than I give him credit for. And given what you learned about the Overseer and the splitting of the Supernatural Union … well … you were right. That’s all.”

I push myself into his arms, so ridiculously happy to hear those words. I’m so tired of second guessing myself, of assuming everyone else is second guessing me, too. Hearing Noah tell me I made a good judgement call instead of calling me crazy for not trusting Albert does my poor heart a lot of good.

After a bit of discussion, we decide to drive separately to Windsor because, as much as both of us would prefer to spend the time hand in hand, it just doesn’t make sense logistically to come back this way for a car. Before Noah opens my door for me, we do a little magical reconnaissance. Check the thing for tampering, bombs, serial killers. You name it. And as silly as it seems, the fact that it was Noah’s idea to check makes me feel a little better, too. Like maybe I’m not losing my mind for being so cautious. Like maybe, just maybe, I’m gonna be OK.