Torn From the Shadows (3 page)

The Council had been Roe’s creation, but was stolen from him years ago when he was forced into servitude. Now, he wanted to get things back on track without their interference. With the Council now open for business, his aim was to keep the councilors from getting their greedy paws on any new catchers. He claimed networking was the key. Although I doubted Mace Clamber—Council talent scout and suspected leader of the
Obscurus
—was interested in anything but destroying me.

I didn’t even know if he was still alive.

“So, have you made a decision yet?” Ebony asked, sitting down.

I shook my head. Roe had offered me a partnership, but I was still thinking about it. I was taking too long, but he didn’t rush me. If I was going to become a part of his enterprise, I’d have to give up my own business and I’d worked too hard and long to abandon it without some serious consideration. There were pros and cons to both decisions and I had to take my time weighing them out.

“Have you?”

“I’ve already signed on the dotted line,” she said with a huge grin. “So have the other girls. We’re all going down to Melbourne in November to get our licenses.”

“That’s great.” And it was, but… “Does that mean you’re no longer my apprentice?”

“Even if you decide you’re not going to join, I’ll still help you,” she said with a snort. “But when I get certified, I will no longer be your apprentice.”

I turned to find Willow loitering in the kitchen, glancing out the back door and calling out to the dog. “Will, you heard Eb. She’ll drive you to the vet. But not until you’ve done your homework.” She was a bright kid and even after missing two solid months of Year 12 had no problem catching up. I’d arranged for her to do extra assessments to help bring her up to date with the curriculum so she was back on track and getting excellent marks.

Willow pouted, grudgingly waved at Ebony, called out to the dog and disappeared downstairs.

“So, Eb,” I said, now that we were alone and I was seated across from her. “How are you?”

“Good. I’m really good.”

“You haven’t moved back into your apartment yet?”

She shook her head, which was now mostly light brown. The blonde and black concoction she’d worn for years had grown out. It was nice to see her natural color.

“I’ve got someone staying there at the moment. He pays the rent and utilities while my name is still on the lease. It’s a bit risky, but I haven’t made up my mind yet about whether to stay or not. The lease runs out soon so I’ve got a while to think about it. Roe thinks I should stay with him and the girls permanently.” Her blue-gray eyes peered into mine. “He says I’m recovering well but doesn’t want me to get complacent.”

Time might have gone by and she did look and sound better, but I knew she’d come very close to self-destruction. Her recovery would take time and she might never be the same Ebony we knew and loved, even if she was trying really hard to convince us. But I noticed the faraway look in her eyes, or how she’d shut down for a few minutes and then shake herself off. She was getting really good at pretending, and that scared me.

“And do you agree with him?” I asked. “Do you think you’re doing well?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m starting to feel like my old self again.” A smile curved her lips. “Like a new and improved version, but with a spotty memory.”

“You still don’t remember him, do you?” I didn’t have to say his name because this was a conversation we’d had many times. I foolishly hoped that by talking about it she would someday miraculously remember Conrad Hicks. Having her memories erased by a vampire called Cam had made her forget the only guy she’d ever taken seriously.

“No, I don’t. And I really want to, y’know? He’s so nice and patient, and doesn’t get mad when I don’t remember something he mentions. He’s also hot, but…” She looked down at the tabletop, avoiding my gaze.

“But what?”

“Every time I feel like I’m ready to break the intimacy barrier with him, I freak out. I don’t know why, but when he reaches for me, I cringe.” When she looked up, her kohl-lined eyes looked haunted. “I don’t want to hurt him, or push him away but I know that’s exactly what I’m doing. He’s not going to wait around forever.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know it’s not, but then again…it is. Isn’t it? If I didn’t go looking for trouble it wouldn’t have found me.” We’d also had
this
conversation before.

“You have to give it time, Eb.”

Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. “Sierra, it’s been over six months! Don’t you think I should remember Conrad by now? I mean, Roe’s done the hypnosis thing on me and I can tap into just about everything and everyone but him. I can’t remember who he is, what we did together, how I felt about him. It’s driving me crazy and I hate it. I want to remember him so badly.”

“Maybe that’s why you can’t. Maybe you shouldn’t be trying so hard.” I sighed, and, attempting to be as delicate as I could, added, “Maybe you should get to know him all over again—”

“Did you hear what I just told you? I can’t stand the thought of him touching me!” She looked distraught, but calmed almost instantly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“It’s just so frustrating, and the dreams don’t help.”

I frowned. “What dreams?”

She placed both hands on the table, entwining her fingers together. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve already bored you shitless with all this angst. I feel like such a loser.”

“Eb, you’re not a loser. You just wanted to forget a really bad experience and instead got caught up in something else.” I licked my lips, ready to tread on territory I’d tried so hard to avoid since we rescued her from Cam. “Listen, what do you remember about your time with the vampires?”

She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I remember fragments. I think I was drugged out of my head most of the time.”

“Do you remember any of the vamps?”

Ebony shook her head. “They all blur into fangs and blood, a lot of pleasure. Oh Goddess, I feel like such a tramp.” She looked away. “How many vampires do you think I had sex with? Or let maul me so I could get high and forget my troubles?”

“Don’t say that—”

“But it’s true.”

“No, it’s not.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Anyway, it’s only in my dreams that I remember my ex.”

“Travis?” Saying the name made my skin crawl. Travis and Troy Slevani had been part of the
Obscurus
—the crazy and demon-obsessed group that was after me—and they’d targeted Ebony first.

Ebony made a face. “No, not that loser, the boyfriend I had after him.”

“Conrad came after him.”

Ebony shook her head. “No, this guy was blond, tall, and all we did was have sex—really,
really
good sex. I just can’t remember his name.”

Ugh. As much as the thought repulsed me, she was talking about Cam the vampire.
 

“That’s not your ex-boyfriend, Eb. This guy you’re dreaming about is the vampire who took you. He’s the one that made you forget all about Conrad.”

She shook her head. “No, that can’t be right.”

“His name was Cam and he’s the vampire who took advantage of you so he could hurt Conrad.”

Ebony sat quietly.

“Eb, are you okay?”

It took her a few moments, but she finally nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…I’m still so muddled up. And it doesn’t explain my confusion about Conrad—”

“Cam messed around with your head.”

“Sierra, I’m just so fucked up at the moment. I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.” I reached for her hand and squeezed her thin fingers. She’d put on a little weight and no longer looked skeletal, but she’d always be thin. “Conrad really cares about you. He’ll be there when you remember.”

“And if I don’t remember?”

I shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll still be there.”

She nodded and pulled her hand out of mine. “Anyway, do you want to know why I came over?”

“Sure,” I said. “Though I hope you don’t need a reason to stop by.”

A small smile teased the corners of her mouth. “Did you see the notice of renovation in the abandoned part of town? Looks like they’re building apartment blocks.”

“What?”

“I was there last night attending church when I noticed. The fences are starting to come up and we’re going to have to stop using our chapel soon. We can sneak in and out for a while but I hear they’re demolishing everything and will start rebuilding real soon.”

“What? No!” North Serene Hills was the abandoned part of town and was filled with paranormal activity. I’d often wondered why no one had dared to build before, but now that it might become a reality I didn’t like the sound of it. Usually, when average people stepped anywhere near the area, they were repelled by the cool imprinted energy.
 

If they were going to turn this into some sort of housing estate, I hated to think what they were building on top of.

“Yep. You’ll see it for yourself when we go to our monthly meeting.”

“Shit, this isn’t good.”

“On the bright side,” she began, “we’ll be getting a huge surplus in business. There are going to be so many phone calls to our office, we’re going to be swamped, just like we used to be.”

“Yeah.” I was a spook catcher by trade, so I could see and interact with ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, orbs, and other beings under the spook banner. Most spooks were the energy of the dead—spirits not ready to move onto the next patch. They had certain rights within our society but if they broke the rules, it was my job to capture them. There were other inhuman exceptions to the rule, but I could handle them as well.

Work had settled into a steady flow, but wasn’t as busy as it used to be. Not since Mace Clamber forcibly sucked a multitude of spirits into the ghostly patch. But the cycle of death never ended.

“Anyway,” I said. “I’ll have to check it out, see if I can contact someone at the local council and try to stop this.”

“Doubt that’s going to work. I reckon the developers probably paid them a lot of cash to secure the site. There’s nothing we can do.”

I wasn’t too sure about that. Before any developments were approved, there was usually a meeting in the local town hall, and I intended to be there.

A knock on the front door interrupted my flow of thoughts.

I pushed my chair back and stood. “I’ll be right back.” I wandered into the hallway and opened the door to find a stranger standing on my porch. I tilted my head back to meet his green eyes. “Can I help you?”

“Are you Ms. Sierra Fox?” The man’s voice was deep and matched his muscular features. He was very tall and wide-shouldered, with a graying brown beard that blended into his shaggy hair. Dressed in a black-and-white flannel shirt and a pair of faded jeans, he looked like some sort of woodsman. There didn’t seem to be any air of malice about him, but I needed to be cautious about any strangers knocking on my door.

I narrowed my eyes. “Who wants to know?” My right hand was ready to seize the silver dagger tucked into my boot, my left near my thigh so I could grab the moonstone boline.

The man chuckled. “I’m not surprised he’s with you. He probably loves your attitude. My son was always attracted to strong women. I should’ve listened to him.”

I had no idea what this man was talking about. “Excuse me, but who are you and what do you want?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that’s probably how I should’ve started this conversation.” He seemed apologetic, which was hard to pull off when he resembled a bear. “My name is Hugo Papan. I’m Jason’s father.”

“What?” It took me several seconds to digest the information, and even longer to accept the large hand he offered.

He’s not a bear…he’s a wolf!

Chapter Two

“Uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” What else could I say? That there was no way I could have recognized him because I didn’t know anything about Papan’s family? We’d been a couple for months, but we’d been friends for years. Yet he still kept his werewolf heritage mostly to himself. It wasn’t until now that I wished I’d pressed him for more information.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Jason pretends he doesn’t even have a family,” Hugo answered with a shake of his shaggy head. When he looked down, I realized our hands were still joined. Well, my hand was engulfed by his. I could see where Papan got his stature and eyes, but his features were totally different.

I pulled my hand from his. “He doesn’t talk much about it.”

“But you know what he is?”

I nodded.

“And you still want to be with him?”

This line of questioning was getting a little too personal but I didn’t have anything to hide—especially not when it came to how I felt about Papan. I’d kept those emotions a secret for too long, and mostly from myself. I was done playing it cautious.

I nodded. “I have no problem with him being a werewolf.”

“Good,” Hugo said with a lopsided smile. “Jason’s very fussy and always denied the mates I laid out in front of him, but he’s very loyal. If he’s offered you his trust and heart, I have no doubt you deserve it. My son might be a pigheaded lone wolf but he’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. I really need to talk to him, but I can’t get a hold of him.”