Taming the Wolf
Page 38
“Well you guys spent all that time trying to convict me of murder, and it turns out I’m innocent.” I smiled smugly.
Wade’s lips turned up, setting the paper down and resting his arms on the table. His dark hair looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower.
“Do you have proof that Eve and Anthony killed anyone?”
My mouth dropped to the floor, my heart stopped, and the air in my lungs thinned. They were still accusing me?
Wade chuckled. “Kidding, Anna, geez. Did you lose your sense of humor while you were away?”
I frowned, not in the mood to make light out of my latest near death experience. If Adam hadn’t rushed in like a white knight and saved me, my body would’ve been delivered on his doorstep.
Wade had the decency to look ashamed. “The fact is, you’re off the hook, but now we have an entirely bigger mess to deal with—one that you may be able to help with.”
I sat up straighter, my eyes widening and a smile growing on my lips. Adam wouldn’t be happy about it, but could he do anything if my orders came from a leader?
“Have you had anymore visions?”
I pursed my lips and shook my head.
“I see. Would you be up for some experimenting?”
I shrugged. “I guess, but I still don’t think they’re visions. Maybe they’re just relapses of the dreams. Being accused of murder takes a toll on a girl, maybe the stress made me bonkers.”
Wade laughed, a smooth rumbling coming from his chest. “Perhaps, but I’d still like to test the theory.”
“Are there a lot of psychic werewolves?”
“I said seer, not psychic.” Wade took a sip from his coffee cup.
“What’s the difference?” I stood up, deciding I should eat something before Wade ran tests on me. I needed all the energy I could get. Opting for a microwavable breakfast sandwich, I opened the film and heated it.
“There’s not much difference, most believe they mean the same thing. But the term I used—seer—means a person capable of reading a person’s history. They’re able to see the past, not the future.”
The microwave dinged, and I removed my plate. “The past?” I asked with skepticism as I sat down. That didn’t sound as cool as predicting the future. “How’s that helpful?”
“In a lot of ways, all of which you don’t need to worry about until we prove you are in fact one. Eat up. We should leave before your alpha gets back.”
*
“Close your eyes,” Wade ordered.
We snuck into Adam’s house, and Wade handed me Eve’s stuff, hoping I’d be able to discern something useful from the items. I was starting to believe Wade was a wackadoo and all this hoodoo malarkey was just that—malarkey. I kept my opinions to myself though, it was better than being locked up at the house.
I closed my eyes, per Wade’s instructions, and hummed the theme song from The Twilight Zone.
“What do you feel?”
Like you’re using me for entertainment and laughing at my expense. “Nothing,” I told him.
“Are you concentrating?”
No. “Yes,” I lied.
A rumbling sound came from Wade’s chest. Snatching the shirt out of my hand, he said, “Open your eyes.”
He stomped out of the room, disappearing around the corner. I eyed the king size bed against the wall, a vision of Adam and Eve’s naked bodies twisted in passion popped into my head. I so did not want to be in here. My eyes traveled around the room past the log walls, wood plank floors, the oak dressers, and then stopped at a corner shelf that held pictures. Walking over, I bent down and studied the photographs. Some were of Adam holding up impressive sized fish, teeth gleaming in his smile as he showed the photographer his catch. Another one was of Adam in wolf form, pitch dark except for his citrine eyes, perched atop a rocky cliff looking out onto the horizon. Even in the picture you could tell how powerful he was. His alpha status exuded from him, demanding respect. The last frame was on the bottom shelf, hidden and covered in a layer of dust. Adam, Eve, and Anthony stood with their arms around each other’s shoulders in front of a building that looked like a ski lodge. Upon closer inspection, I noticed Anthony’s hand was wrapped around Eve’s waist, his fingers gripping her hip.
“Anna,” Wade called, scaring me.
I placed the frame back on the shelf and set out to see what other ridiculous items he wanted me to “read”. I thought about the picture as I made my way through the house. Most families have baggage, it’s just life, but I couldn’t imagine being in Adam and Anthony’s position, of course I didn’t have siblings to rival with. But I couldn’t imagine allowing my mate to sleep with my brother. Sadness filled my chest as I thought about how lonely Adam must have been, pretending to be united as the alpha couple when he was miserable behind closed doors. Eve had Anthony. I hated her, and I didn’t understand him. Anthony looked like Adam. What did she find in one brother that she hadn’t in the other? I guess I should’ve been happy. If Eve and Adam were in love, then I’d be the pathetic loser admiring him from the sidelines. I smiled because that wasn’t the case.
“Where are you?” I called. I’d been lost in my thoughts and wandering aimlessly around Adam’s house.
“Upstairs bathroom.”
Hiking up the knobby wood staircase, I headed down the hallway, peering into rooms and stopping when I found Wade. He held a hairbrush, Eve’s if the hot pink color was any indication.
“Hold out your hand,” he instructed.
Outstretching my arm, palm side up, Wade pulled the hair from the bristles and dropped them into my hand. I frowned, but my mouth went slack when pins-and-needles prickled through my skin.
“You feel something?” Wade asked expectant.
“It feels like my hand’s asleep.”
“I’ve been wondering something,” Wade said, so quiet I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or me. He looked up, meeting my eyes and said, “All along I assumed you could be a seer, but what if because Eve made you a werewolf, you’re just attune to all things that include her?” He leaned against the sink counter, wrapping one arm around his waist while the other bent at the elbow. He ticked off theories to support his idea.
“You dreamt of the murders, and we’re pretty sure it was Eve who’d kill the humans.”
“How do you know exactly?” I interjected. I figured I’d take advantage of Wade’s willingness to talk.
Wade hesitated. I leaned my head forward, brows arching in my best out-with-it-already stare.
“We found bodies at their compound. It looked like they’d stuck a bunch of humans in a room and let their wolves go to town.”
I shivered, closing my eyes at what that must have been like, what those people went through in their last moments alive. There was a part of my brain that couldn’t fathom anyone being that monstrous, but I’d seen the gleam in Eve’s eye, and it spoke volumes to who she was.
“Where’s their compound?”
“Uh-uh,” Wade said, shaking his head. “I don’t have a problem telling you the details, but I’m not going to draw you a map so you can get yourself in trouble again.”
I ground my teeth together, pressing my lips into a hard line. “Can I let go of this now?” I nodded towards the clump of auburn hair in my palm, changing the subject. I’d gotten more information out of Wade than I would have Adam. I’d celebrate small victories for now.
“No.” Wade stood up straight and walked in front of me. “Close your eyes and concentrate.” He was silent for a moment. “Do you still feel something?”
I nodded, the sensation getting more and more annoying.
“Okay, good. Now think about Eve. Picture her face, her voice, the way she walks.”
“And why do you think I’m connected to Eve again?” I asked, annoyed I was being forced to think of a woman I loathed.
“Because she turned you. Sires and their children share a bond, linking them together.”
My skin itched thinking about being linked to a woman like Eve. The only gratitude I had was that if she hadn’t attacked me, I never would have met Adam. Or, if the myths were true, I still would’ve met Adam since he was my chante. The book said the earth guided the two halves towards each other. No matter, I didn’t want any type of connection with her.
“Are you concentrating?” Wade asked like a teacher disciplining an unruly student.
“Yes,” I told him exasperated. At the moment I imagined introducing her pretty face to my fist—over and over and over. As my imagination ran wild, inventing cool new ways to inflict pain on my ex-alpha female, the picture in my head wavered. I furrowed my brows, confused by the sudden change. I saw Eve walk down the hall and disappear into the third door on the right. Once inside, she walked over to the closet, opened it, and slid some boxes aside. Removing a piece that was cut out from the wall, she reached inside and pulled out a scroll of paper. She stood up, turned around, and smiled directly at me, a cold devious smirk that promised awful things.
My eyes snapped open, my body jumping back. I dropped the clump of hair and instantly felt at peace. It had been the most bizarre episode I’d had, and I still didn’t know what to make out of it.
“What’d you see?” Wade questioned, bending down and retrieving the hair I’d dropped. I repeated everything I saw, squeezing my hands into tight fists.
“It was like she saw me, like I’d been caught spying on her,” I explained a little flabbergasted.
“You saw the past. There’s no way she could’ve seen you. Someone probably came in while she was in the room and that’s who she was smiling at.”
“It was still creepy.”
“Let’s go check that room out,” Wade said, leaving the bathroom. “You said it was the third door?”
“Yeah.”
We went into the third bedroom. It looked like what I’d seen, though I’d never been in there before. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being a seer. It was both creepy and fascinating. If it helped take down Eve and Anthony, I couldn’t hate the gift too much.
Wade’s lips turned up, setting the paper down and resting his arms on the table. His dark hair looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower.
“Do you have proof that Eve and Anthony killed anyone?”
My mouth dropped to the floor, my heart stopped, and the air in my lungs thinned. They were still accusing me?
Wade chuckled. “Kidding, Anna, geez. Did you lose your sense of humor while you were away?”
I frowned, not in the mood to make light out of my latest near death experience. If Adam hadn’t rushed in like a white knight and saved me, my body would’ve been delivered on his doorstep.
Wade had the decency to look ashamed. “The fact is, you’re off the hook, but now we have an entirely bigger mess to deal with—one that you may be able to help with.”
I sat up straighter, my eyes widening and a smile growing on my lips. Adam wouldn’t be happy about it, but could he do anything if my orders came from a leader?
“Have you had anymore visions?”
I pursed my lips and shook my head.
“I see. Would you be up for some experimenting?”
I shrugged. “I guess, but I still don’t think they’re visions. Maybe they’re just relapses of the dreams. Being accused of murder takes a toll on a girl, maybe the stress made me bonkers.”
Wade laughed, a smooth rumbling coming from his chest. “Perhaps, but I’d still like to test the theory.”
“Are there a lot of psychic werewolves?”
“I said seer, not psychic.” Wade took a sip from his coffee cup.
“What’s the difference?” I stood up, deciding I should eat something before Wade ran tests on me. I needed all the energy I could get. Opting for a microwavable breakfast sandwich, I opened the film and heated it.
“There’s not much difference, most believe they mean the same thing. But the term I used—seer—means a person capable of reading a person’s history. They’re able to see the past, not the future.”
The microwave dinged, and I removed my plate. “The past?” I asked with skepticism as I sat down. That didn’t sound as cool as predicting the future. “How’s that helpful?”
“In a lot of ways, all of which you don’t need to worry about until we prove you are in fact one. Eat up. We should leave before your alpha gets back.”
*
“Close your eyes,” Wade ordered.
We snuck into Adam’s house, and Wade handed me Eve’s stuff, hoping I’d be able to discern something useful from the items. I was starting to believe Wade was a wackadoo and all this hoodoo malarkey was just that—malarkey. I kept my opinions to myself though, it was better than being locked up at the house.
I closed my eyes, per Wade’s instructions, and hummed the theme song from The Twilight Zone.
“What do you feel?”
Like you’re using me for entertainment and laughing at my expense. “Nothing,” I told him.
“Are you concentrating?”
No. “Yes,” I lied.
A rumbling sound came from Wade’s chest. Snatching the shirt out of my hand, he said, “Open your eyes.”
He stomped out of the room, disappearing around the corner. I eyed the king size bed against the wall, a vision of Adam and Eve’s naked bodies twisted in passion popped into my head. I so did not want to be in here. My eyes traveled around the room past the log walls, wood plank floors, the oak dressers, and then stopped at a corner shelf that held pictures. Walking over, I bent down and studied the photographs. Some were of Adam holding up impressive sized fish, teeth gleaming in his smile as he showed the photographer his catch. Another one was of Adam in wolf form, pitch dark except for his citrine eyes, perched atop a rocky cliff looking out onto the horizon. Even in the picture you could tell how powerful he was. His alpha status exuded from him, demanding respect. The last frame was on the bottom shelf, hidden and covered in a layer of dust. Adam, Eve, and Anthony stood with their arms around each other’s shoulders in front of a building that looked like a ski lodge. Upon closer inspection, I noticed Anthony’s hand was wrapped around Eve’s waist, his fingers gripping her hip.
“Anna,” Wade called, scaring me.
I placed the frame back on the shelf and set out to see what other ridiculous items he wanted me to “read”. I thought about the picture as I made my way through the house. Most families have baggage, it’s just life, but I couldn’t imagine being in Adam and Anthony’s position, of course I didn’t have siblings to rival with. But I couldn’t imagine allowing my mate to sleep with my brother. Sadness filled my chest as I thought about how lonely Adam must have been, pretending to be united as the alpha couple when he was miserable behind closed doors. Eve had Anthony. I hated her, and I didn’t understand him. Anthony looked like Adam. What did she find in one brother that she hadn’t in the other? I guess I should’ve been happy. If Eve and Adam were in love, then I’d be the pathetic loser admiring him from the sidelines. I smiled because that wasn’t the case.
“Where are you?” I called. I’d been lost in my thoughts and wandering aimlessly around Adam’s house.
“Upstairs bathroom.”
Hiking up the knobby wood staircase, I headed down the hallway, peering into rooms and stopping when I found Wade. He held a hairbrush, Eve’s if the hot pink color was any indication.
“Hold out your hand,” he instructed.
Outstretching my arm, palm side up, Wade pulled the hair from the bristles and dropped them into my hand. I frowned, but my mouth went slack when pins-and-needles prickled through my skin.
“You feel something?” Wade asked expectant.
“It feels like my hand’s asleep.”
“I’ve been wondering something,” Wade said, so quiet I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or me. He looked up, meeting my eyes and said, “All along I assumed you could be a seer, but what if because Eve made you a werewolf, you’re just attune to all things that include her?” He leaned against the sink counter, wrapping one arm around his waist while the other bent at the elbow. He ticked off theories to support his idea.
“You dreamt of the murders, and we’re pretty sure it was Eve who’d kill the humans.”
“How do you know exactly?” I interjected. I figured I’d take advantage of Wade’s willingness to talk.
Wade hesitated. I leaned my head forward, brows arching in my best out-with-it-already stare.
“We found bodies at their compound. It looked like they’d stuck a bunch of humans in a room and let their wolves go to town.”
I shivered, closing my eyes at what that must have been like, what those people went through in their last moments alive. There was a part of my brain that couldn’t fathom anyone being that monstrous, but I’d seen the gleam in Eve’s eye, and it spoke volumes to who she was.
“Where’s their compound?”
“Uh-uh,” Wade said, shaking his head. “I don’t have a problem telling you the details, but I’m not going to draw you a map so you can get yourself in trouble again.”
I ground my teeth together, pressing my lips into a hard line. “Can I let go of this now?” I nodded towards the clump of auburn hair in my palm, changing the subject. I’d gotten more information out of Wade than I would have Adam. I’d celebrate small victories for now.
“No.” Wade stood up straight and walked in front of me. “Close your eyes and concentrate.” He was silent for a moment. “Do you still feel something?”
I nodded, the sensation getting more and more annoying.
“Okay, good. Now think about Eve. Picture her face, her voice, the way she walks.”
“And why do you think I’m connected to Eve again?” I asked, annoyed I was being forced to think of a woman I loathed.
“Because she turned you. Sires and their children share a bond, linking them together.”
My skin itched thinking about being linked to a woman like Eve. The only gratitude I had was that if she hadn’t attacked me, I never would have met Adam. Or, if the myths were true, I still would’ve met Adam since he was my chante. The book said the earth guided the two halves towards each other. No matter, I didn’t want any type of connection with her.
“Are you concentrating?” Wade asked like a teacher disciplining an unruly student.
“Yes,” I told him exasperated. At the moment I imagined introducing her pretty face to my fist—over and over and over. As my imagination ran wild, inventing cool new ways to inflict pain on my ex-alpha female, the picture in my head wavered. I furrowed my brows, confused by the sudden change. I saw Eve walk down the hall and disappear into the third door on the right. Once inside, she walked over to the closet, opened it, and slid some boxes aside. Removing a piece that was cut out from the wall, she reached inside and pulled out a scroll of paper. She stood up, turned around, and smiled directly at me, a cold devious smirk that promised awful things.
My eyes snapped open, my body jumping back. I dropped the clump of hair and instantly felt at peace. It had been the most bizarre episode I’d had, and I still didn’t know what to make out of it.
“What’d you see?” Wade questioned, bending down and retrieving the hair I’d dropped. I repeated everything I saw, squeezing my hands into tight fists.
“It was like she saw me, like I’d been caught spying on her,” I explained a little flabbergasted.
“You saw the past. There’s no way she could’ve seen you. Someone probably came in while she was in the room and that’s who she was smiling at.”
“It was still creepy.”
“Let’s go check that room out,” Wade said, leaving the bathroom. “You said it was the third door?”
“Yeah.”
We went into the third bedroom. It looked like what I’d seen, though I’d never been in there before. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being a seer. It was both creepy and fascinating. If it helped take down Eve and Anthony, I couldn’t hate the gift too much.
