Wolf at Her Door: BBW Paranormal Romance (15 page)

She picked up her basket and I followed her along the path to a grassy clearing. In one corner, I could barely make out the outline of a house that once stood there. Faith set her things down and sat cross-legged in the grass. I sat on the trunk of a tree that looked like it had fallen long ago.

"Okay now, so tell me," she said. "You guys really don't think we're silly, weak creatures who are always getting into trouble?"

"Well, I think almost everyone is a silly, weak creature. Shifters included," I said, laughing. "But seriously, no. I can guarantee that if you ask, you'll see that's far from the truth. Yes, we're overprotective, but it's only because we don't want to lose those we've taken so long to find."

I looked down as I thought about Heather telling me to leave earlier.

"So why are you here and not protecting your mate? Did you have a fight?" she asked.

"I guess you can call it that," I said. "She told me to leave. It's complicated."

"And I'm sure you didn't do anything at all to upset her," she said, laughing.

Her smile quickly changed as confusion crossed her face. Then she winced and grabbed her head as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, rushing over and kneeling next to her.

Keeping her eyes closed, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. Pain shot through my head for an instant then the world drifted away and went black, surrounding me in darkness.

Slowly, the blackness lightened and cobbled stone streets appeared before me. When I realized Faith was still holding my hand, I turned and looked at her, knowing I had the same look of confusion I saw on her face.
 

The lit street lamps were kerosene and cast shadows on stone buildings with tall gabled roofs that cut into the nighttime sky. No one else was around. Although I didn't know where we were, I knew we weren't in Leeds Point anymore.

A cool breeze blew past with the soft scent of roses mixed with heather. There was only one place and one person who carried that scent. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Gracelin?" I said quietly.

A shuffling sound came from behind Faith and I. I turned around and saw an elderly woman in a black cloak with her hood up. Long grey wisps of hair peeked out from the hood. Faith let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.

"You've never seen a banshee before, have you?" I said with a smile.

As I walked over to Gracelin, she lowered her hood and spread her arms wide for me. I held her tight as we hugged, then kissed both her cheeks.

"I got lucky when I tracked you down with a witch," she said. "But this doesn't last for very long so we don't have a lot of time."

"You know each other?" Faith said as she came closer.

"Yes, Faith. This is Gracelin. She's family. She's the closest thing I have to a grandmother," I said.

"You don't know your family?" Faith asked as she grabbed my arm.

"My mother raised me with Gracelin's help. I never met anyone else from my family until recently, when my parents found each other."

Faith was rapt. She looked from me to Gracelin sweetly with her eyes wide. I could tell she had a lot of questions, but now wasn't the time to answer them.

"We don't have much time," Gracelin said. "I saw what happened at Heather's. That was Niall in that man. He's let his soul join with a demon."

"Niall? Is he in Leeds Point?" I asked.

"Not yet, he must have been drawn to that man for some reason, and he was able to send his spirit to overtake him. You're lucky he was weakened."

"How do you know Gavin was weakened?"

"The blue eyes," Gracelin said. "Just as your eyes can glow amber when you're in wolf form, when a person has bonded or is attacked by a demon, you'll see their eyes glow red. But when an angel uses their power over a demon, it'll turn the demon's eyes blue."

I remembered seeing Gavin's eyes glowing blue when I attacked. I wondered why he didn't fight back, why he was frozen, and now I had my answer.

I turned away from Gracelin and Faith as I thought about what happened earlier that night. What I told Faith was true. I didn't know her, but I was sure her love saw her the same way I saw Heather. Heather was far from weak, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. I wanted to do anything I could to protect her. And six months ago, I made a choice to help a man who felt the same way. Hearing Gracelin's words, I realized Abram's sacrifice wasn't in vain.

"What happens when it's not just Niall's spirit?" I asked. "What happens when he's there in the flesh?"

Gracelin smiled wistfully and transformed into her young woman form. It was the form she used to play with me as a child and when she traveled with my mother and I. But I knew her well enough to know she also changed into that form when she was remembering Niall. Despite everything, she still loved him.

"I don't know," she said, turning away from me. "He's older than both you and Bran. That makes him even more powerful even without the help of the demon."

"So you're saying there's no hope?" I asked. "My mother and Bran are together right now. Their love flies in the face of the very curse Niall is protecting. Heather and I are apart so she's safe from him, but what about my parents?"

"That's why I used Faith," Gracelin said. "I needed to speak to you. I had to warn you and Ainsley. I was on my way to Leeds Point, but Niall is blocking me. I don't know where he is, but he's coming."

"Then we have to get back now," I said. "I have to tell them they're in danger."

"What can I do to help?" Faith asked.

"Stay with him," Gracelin said. "I'm bonded to Callen and his mother Ainsley. I can always see them, just as I can see Niall if he doesn't block me. If you're near either of them, I can speak to you or even pull you to me like I'm doing now."

"Can you give me a warning or something next time?" Faith said with a grin.

Gracelin laughed. "I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't realize what a powerful witch you were. Now I know," she said as she took Faith's hand and patted it. Gracelin then turned to me and patted my cheek. "Callen, I know you're hurting right now, but trust me, things will work out. Heather will begin to remember more of your past together. You'll be together again soon."

"And what about Niall? Is he the one who kills her this time?" I said angrily.

I didn't know what was worse, knowing Heather was alive and not with me, or having to see her die yet again. Gracelin was keeping secrets. She knew something, and I suspected her love for Niall was protecting him.

Taking Faith's hand again, I kissed Gracelin on the cheek. I understood too well how love could make someone do the wrong thing. Love had the power to make even the worst decisions seem right.

"Send us back," I said. "Get us as close to my mother's as possible."

Gracelin put her hand up and smiled before a mist covered the small town and wrapped Faith and me in darkness. I had to take care of my family, but my mind kept drifting back to Heather. If Niall was coming for my parents, I wanted Heather as far away from him as possible. Maybe our being apart was a blessing in disguise.

It was darker and later in Leeds Point than when we left. My mother's stone-faced cottage was ahead of us, and I pointed it out to Faith before we headed towards it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was glad Bran was there to protect my mother.

Oddly, as we approached the cottage, my mind returned to Heather more and more.
Was that her scent?
I felt my soul pulling me like it did whenever she was alive again. My instincts told me she was close, but it wasn't possible. I had to be out of my mind. Love was finally making me crazy, but if crazy meant feeling like Heather was near, I welcomed the insanity.

Chapter Nine

Heather

Moaning loudly, I woke myself up. I blinked, trying to figure out where I was, until I realized I was still on the couch in the same spot Callen had sat earlier.

That was some dream,
I thought. But I knew better. I had been having dreams like that for years now. My dreams would take me to different times and places, but the one constant in them was the man, my dream guy. And now he had a name, Callen MacCulloch.

I couldn't explain how Callen stepped out of my dreams, but I knew that's why I was so drawn to him. I felt like I knew him because he'd been in my dreams for so long. But why? And how was that possible?

I picked up my cell and noticed a missed call from Viv. Tapping the screen, it dialed her back. I knew it was late but she wouldn't care.

Viv mumbled something unintelligible as she answered.

"Sorry for waking you, Viv," I said. "But I really need to talk."

"Is everything okay? I tried calling but when you didn't answer, I thought maybe he was showing you a grrrrrreat time," she said as she laughed.

"No, Gavin showed up. It's a long story and I promise to tell you everything soon, but I just...I don't know."

"Seriously, Heather. If you don't spill it right now, I'm going to have to kill you. What's going on?"

"It's about Callen, the grrr guy you sent over here," I said. "I can't get him out of my mind. It's like I've known him forever, maybe longer if that's possible. I keep feeling like we're supposed to be together."

"So what's the problem? Give Gavin his walking papers and get your happily ever after with Callen."

"Gavin and I are done. If you only knew the night I had tonight, Viv. And I want to tell you everything, but it needs to wait. There just isn't time."

"Take a deep breath, honey, okay? Because you're not making any sense."

I took a deep breath and replayed everything in my mind. Something in me was telling me to find Callen, to go to him. My gut was telling me he needed me. But how could I? He killed my father.
Why don't I hate him?

Find him.

My father's voice floated through my head.

"I'm sorry, Viv. I know I'm not making any sense. I'm probably just tired. I'll call you tomorrow."

"You sure? I can come over if you want."

"I'm sure. Thanks for listening to me. I think I know what I have to do."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"What I should've done six months ago. I'm going to listen to my father."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said. "But like I've always said, your dad would never steer you wrong."

I hung up and headed to the door then stopped. I had no idea how to find Callen. I didn't know where he lived. Did he even live in Leeds Point?

I walked over to the corner of the living room to the small desk in the corner. The large screen came to life and I opened up a browser to start my search. I always joked I could find anything on the Internet. Now was my chance to prove that.

I typed in 'Callen MacCulloch' and got over 38,000 results. I didn't have time for that, I had to move quickly. I didn't know why I was in such a rush to find him, but Pop always told me to listen to my gut. Right now my gut said to find Callen now.

I added 'NJ' to the search and two results popped up on the screen. One had an address in Leeds Point, but said it belonged to an Ainsley Drummond MacCulloch. I stared at the name for a while. What were the chances that someone with the same last name wouldn't know him? They had to be slim.

"Pop, I really hope you can hear me," I said as I turned to face the room. "I want to be with him. I can't explain it, but I think I love him. I know him, I've known him forever. But I need to know why he killed you. I can't be with him until I know that."

I entered the address into my phone's GPS and grabbed my car keys. I wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to find me. I had enough with waiting around for my dream guy.

I drove practically in a trance as I followed the directions on my phone. As I pulled up in front of a small cottage-style house, I wondered how I managed to get there. I could hardly remember driving.

My mind was on Callen. I had to get there. I needed him to tell me why he killed my father. There had to be a reason for what he did to him.

I knew it was late, but I rang the doorbell anyway. After a minute, I heard footsteps inside the house. My heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. I chewed my lip nervously and wrung my hands as I waited for the footsteps to reach the door and open it.