Page 23

Riley

Curiosity & the Cat

“We really shouldn’t be doing this.” I held Dobby pressed against my chest as I tested the door handle to the second bedroom—the room Lucan said didn’t have a bed and held his special treasures.

He didn’t exactly forbid me from entering this part of the house, but he hadn’t shown me it himself either.

The door was unlocked.

I was bored from sitting around all day waiting for Lucan to return. There wasn’t anything good on TV. The major news networks broadcasting the stay-home and lockdown orders for the rest of the world were too depressing. I wanted to explore and stretch my legs a little bit.

Dobby was the perfect scapegoat.

“Oops.” I placed my cat on the floor as I pushed open the door.

Dobby sat down and meowed, not moving.

“Don’t be a scaredy-cat,” I laughed. “It’s not like he can get mad at you for being curious.”

I gave him a little nudge with my foot.

Dobby climbed dramatically to his feet and stuck his tail in the air as he walked inside.

I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.

That’s not true.

The old, old me wouldn’t have taken so long to investigate every place that’d been closed off. It was only the jaded adult version of myself that refused to take risks and cause some trouble.

Apparently, dragon-peen made me bold.

I missed not being afraid of everything.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door wide enough for me to step foot into the room. “Here kitty, ki—”

I gasped. “Oh, no. Dobby you can’t be in here.”

No wonder Lucan closed the door.

Baskets of yarn filled the shelves. A row of multi-colored needles was organized in a wood rack against the wall. On the corner chair sat the yarn we’d picked out at the store and the beginnings of what looked like a scarf lay across the arm of the chair.

I should’ve guessed what was in here.

I scooped Dobby up as he made a beeline straight for the dangling string, scolding myself for letting the cat inside.

He hissed at me.

I hissed back, laughing.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket and I dug it out with one hand, kicking the door to Lucan’s treasure hoard closed behind me.

Dobby bolted to freedom and I was still giggling as I pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Sounds like I’m interrupting something fun.”

A stone sank to the pit of my stomach at hearing Drew’s voice.

My smile fell. Stupid, Riley!

“Don’t hang up,” he said.

I was going to be sick.

Slowly, I pulled the phone away from my ear.

“If you hang up, I’ll have to drive to the cabin to see you.”

I froze with my finger hovering over the ‘end call’ button.

Tendrils of fear laced their way around my neck and squeezed. I pressed the speaker button instead.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do.” His laugh was raspy and harsh, nothing like Lucan’s deep-chested rumble. It brought back old, disgusting memories.

That laughter. I hated it. Hated him.

“Good plan you girls had getting out of the city before they locked it down. It took me weeks to get out myself. I had to tell them my fiancé was waiting for me here in the mountains.”

Vomit rose up my throat. “I’m not your fiancé.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering the night I’d left. The one where he told me we were getting married. My life had flashed before my eyes and it was horrible. I’d said I was leaving.

He didn’t take it well.

And I took a fist to the face.

I’d never thought he’d go that far—far enough to leave bruises where people could see them.

A few hours later, after he’d cried and apologized, I slipped an Ambien into his soda and called Ember to pick me up.

“I get it now,” Drew said. “I was coming on too strong. But you’ve always known that you’re it for me, babe. We can wait a few months if you need more time to get on board with a wedding.”

Time. Just like Lucan and this mating mark…

No. It wasn’t.

The voice in my head was a liar.

It was my instincts I was supposed to trust.

Because I’d been together with Drew for years and I still didn’t want to be his wife. But I’d only known Lucan for a few short weeks and I already felt it deep in my soul that he was the one.

“Wait.” I opened my eyes. “How do you know about the cabin?”

I hadn’t told him. He was always talking about his conspiracy theories and how he wanted a piece of property ‘off-grid’ one day. The little part of my intuition that I couldn’t ignore said to keep Ember’s cabin a secret from him—just in case.

Drew made a condescending tsking sound into the phone. “You’re so trusting. I had to make sure I knew your friend’s backgrounds so I could keep you safe. Ember’s cabin is public record.”

“No, it isn’t.” My back hit the door behind me.

If what Kieran said was true, the government seized Ember’s ranch ten years ago.

That meant…

I looked at the phone in my hand.

“You’re tracking me.” How is this possible?

“I care about you,” he said.

“Bullshit!” I seethed.

I raced to the windows, looking through the blinds. Lucan said the wards would protect me. Did he mean against humans too?

Those were the real monsters.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down. I was safe here. “If you’re really tracking me, then you’ll know I’m not at the cabin.”

The minute the words left my lips, I regretted every choice I’d ever made in my life.

Drew’s raspy laugh reminded me why.

“You didn’t know that,” I whispered. “Because you can’t track me anymore.”

I didn’t know if it was the wards or if he’d tracked me to the cabin another way. He might’ve mapped it out when he was at home and now he didn’t have the equipment to pinpoint my location.

I could go down spirals trying to discover the how and why with him. It was always mind games—always trying to stay one step ahead and backtracking enough to make me crazy.

“There’s my smart girl.” His praise made me angry. “Since you’re not at the cabin, why don’t you tell me where you are so I can stop by for a visit?”

“No.” I stood taller, feeling Lucan’s love and protection surround me. I was safe here. Drew couldn’t hurt me anymore. “You can go fuck yourself. We’re done. Leave me alone and get the hell out of my life.”

The sigh on his end brought chills.

I shouldn’t have made him mad.

“You hurt me, Riley. Since you don’t want to be at the cabin, maybe I’ll go visit your friends instead. Are Ember and Willow there with her little girl? I wonder if they have enough room for me to stay.”

“Stop,” I growled. “You leave them out of this.”

“What do you care?” He baited. “Some friend you are. You’re not even there.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

How do I fix this mess? I wanted to ask.

Tears blurred my vision. I did this. If I hadn’t been so stupid, then he wouldn’t be in our lives. I’d brought him here. It was all my fault. I had to make it right.

“I’m just messing with you.” He sounded so earnest it confused me for a second. “All I want is to see you again. I have some of your stuff with me anyway. I figured you should have it.”

Lies!

“Will you go away for good if I meet with you?” I knew I couldn’t believe whatever he said, but I needed to stall so I could think this through.

“If you still want me to leave, I’ll go.” No one could sound as defeated as Drew.

“Where are you?” I walked to the kitchen, seeing the keys to Lucan’s bike hanging on the hook by the garage door.

“I thought you’d never ask.” His tone was smug again. I knew that voice. He thought he’d won. “There’s an old motel on HWY 10 right outside of Christmas. I’ll be waiting for you in room twenty-three. Oh, and Riley, don’t bring anyone else. You know how shy I can be.”