Forget Me Not (#2, The Mystic Wolves) (19 page)

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t get my mind to relax.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I tried counting sheep, but I kept eating them.” His throaty chuckle sounded like heaven, and I snuggled deeper under the covers.

“Hmmm, maybe I should’ve tucked you in before I left. Read you a bedtime story … or something.”

“The
or something
sounds pretty interesting. Care to elaborate?” I flirted, my voice soft.

“What? And make you blush? I only like to do that when I’m there to see how cute you look doing it,” Mason replied.

“Ahhhh, so I guess it must be something boring then. I think you should tell me because I bet it puts me to sleep. Gee, I already feel a snore coming on ... wait… there it is!” I laughed as I made a noise with the back of my throat.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, sweetheart.”

For the next ten minutes, I thought I was going to burst into flames as Mason described in excruciating—delicious—detail what he’d like to do if he was here with me. It was a competition between the heat of my cheeks, and the turmoil of my raging hormones, to see who won, and in the end I begged for him to stop. It was torture—pure and simple.

Of course he loved it. I could hear the longing in his voice as well as feel his hunger through our connection. Every now and then, I was blasted by an image that caused my mouth to go dry, and the temptation to drive home grew stronger. I tried reminding myself that three weeks wasn’t far away, but I couldn’t deny I wanted him then and there.

“You are dangerous, Mason O’Connor,” I stammered, placing my hand over my heated face.

“How red are you right now?” He chuckled, and I answered him with a groan. “I still can’t get over how you can be so incredibly sexy, but still blush at the drop of a hat. You’re irresistible.”

“Did you have to go into so much detail? You don’t fight fair.” I still felt flushed as my mind kept focusing on the erotic images his words roused.

“Of course, I’ve got a wonderful imagination. I’d hate to see it go to waste.”

“Well, it won’t be much longer.”

“Thank goodness.” I laughed as Mason’s comment mirrored my own thought.

“All teasing aside, what are you thinking about to keep you awake?”

“Nothing. Everything. Amber, the meeting tomorrow, missing you,” I paused before I added the final thing that had weighed on my mind. “Jasmine.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the call, but I knew he was still there. We hadn’t talked much about the death of his sister, and my best friend—there hadn’t been time. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d been on his mind as well.

“It’s strange, her not being here. I catch myself wanting to go talk to her, and then it hits me.” His voice was low, barely a whisper.

“I know.” It was all I could say, our grief hanging heavily between us.

“There was no way she would’ve tolerated Amber had she been here.” Mason let out a bitter chuckle. “She would’ve dragged her by the hair and kicked her out the first night. Jasmine was so excited about you and I mating. She wouldn’t have let anyone come between us.”

I smiled over the image of my sister and best friend getting rough. She was one of the sweetest people I knew, but she also had a fiery temper, and heaven help those who ever threatened her or the ones she loved.

“Do you know what’s weird?” I asked without thinking.

“What?”

“Saying
was.
She
was excited.
She
was
protective. She
was
amazing.” I felt the beginning of tears welling up in my eyes as a lump formed in my throat. “Mason, it hurts my heart.”

“Mine too, baby, mine too. We’ll get through this, it’ll just take time.”

“I’m sorry, Mason.” I cried softly.

“It’s not anyone’s fault.” I heard him release a slow breath. “Sometimes bad things happen to good people. It’s beyond our control, and all we can do is be grateful for the moments we had—for the memories we get to hold on to.”

“You know, this is my job.” Hearing the pause, I continued. “I’m meant to be comforting you, and making sure you’re okay.”

“We do that for each other. We’re a team.”

“I love you so much. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.” I knew I was beginning to sound sappy, and as I let out a small yawn, I knew a lot of it was due to being tired.

“Well, luckily, we’ll never need to find that out. I plan on being by your side forever. I love you, too. Now close your eyes.”

I instantly obeyed, and was grateful to feel the thin strands of sleep beginning to tug on me. Mason kept his voice low—the effects soothing—and I listened as he began to sing. It was something he liked to do as he held me on nights like this, and its familiarity was all I needed to gently fall asleep.

The last thing I remembered hearing was the beauty of the melody. For that moment, it was just him and I—the world melting away.

Chapter Twenty One

“You sure this is where we’re meant to meet her?” I looked up at the Starbucks sign. “Do we just go inside, or will she come outside for us?”

Devlin and I had arrived for our appointment with Morgan, and butterflies were flittering around in my stomach. I couldn’t help the way my gaze darted about, taking in the scenery, half-expecting someone, or something, to jump out of the shadows to attack us.

Pulling a small piece of paper from his pocket, he nodded. “This is the right address. I wanted it to be somewhere public and on neutral ground.” Looking over his shoulder, he bowed his head again, and I knew he was signaling the backup he’d brought just in case the situation became more dangerous than anticipated. I couldn’t see the other Enforcers, but I knew they were there. “Let’s go inside. Remember stick close to me, and if I tell you to run ….”

“I run. I got it. Trust me—I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to. Let’s see what she has to say and then leave.” I followed him into the establishment.

The aroma of assorted coffees filled my senses, and it caused my nose to crinkle. I didn’t really understand the fascination with the hot drink, the one time I’d tried it, the bitterness hadn’t appealed to me. The store was crowded with people trying to place their different orders, and glancing around at the tables as we walked through, Devlin lead us to a back table with a small framed woman sitting at it. There was an empty cup in front of her with a half-eaten pastry on the side plate.

“Devlin, right on time I see. It’s good to know I’m not the only one that values being punctual.” She didn’t bother standing to greet us, and pulling out a chair, I sat opposite the brown haired witch.

Sitting beside me, Devlin looked at Morgan before leaning forward to speak. “It’s been a while since we’ve met. I’ll admit it surprised me to find out you were involved with this.”

“Well, it was my fault for not researching the request fully. Had I known it would involve you and Vivien, I never would’ve accepted it. But times are tough, and the money was exceptionally good.” She shrugged. “So this is the infamous Darcy, is it?”

I felt myself come under scrutiny as Morgan stared at me, her glance studying my face before she looked me up and down.

“Yes, as part of our agreement, I brought her along. I also have permission from the Council to extend immunity to you for revealing the person who paid for your services and any other relevant information.”

Ignoring Devlin, Morgan waved her hand to dismiss him and focusing back on me, smiled. “You’re the one who’s captured the heart of the Mystic Wolves Alpha. You have no idea how much your existence infuriates the person who contacted me, and how desperately they want you out of the way. Personally, I don’t see the threat.”

I let out a chuckle, not buying the arrogant slouch of the witch. Just in the brief time we’d been sitting here, I could see this was an attempt to save face—a ploy to maintain control over the situation. She’d taken a job she shouldn’t have, one that had backfired and landed her into a whole lot of trouble.

“Whether she’s a threat or not, we’re here and you’ve seen her. Are you ready to reveal who hired you?” Devlin was all business. Even though he appeared relaxed, I had no doubt he was aware of everything that was happening around us, ready to defend at a moment’s notice.

“You already know. Why do you need me to tell you? You’ve known since you discovered something was wrong. Don’t tell me you’re losing your touch, Enforcer,” Morgan mocked, and nonchalantly lifted her cup to her lips. Blowing on the liquid inside, she added a sigh when she realized Devlin wasn’t going to fall for her taunts. “Must we jump straight into business so soon? I thought we’d enjoy a nice coffee together first.”

“Don’t try my patience. I agreed to do this your way, but if you think you can play games and waste our time, I have no problem dragging you down to the Council dungeons and interrogating you there. The name, Morgan.”

It was interesting to watch the bravado deflate from her, as she listened to his threat. I’d never seen the dungeons before, but judging from the way the color drained from her face, and the slight tremble that shook her hands, it was effective.

“Amber Bracken approached me a few weeks ago. She said that someone had stolen something that belonged to her, and she wanted them permanently removed.”

“So you agreed to use magic to kill me?” I asked, unable to keep the incredulous tone from my voice. “Without a second thought, you just did it?”

“Like I said, the money was extremely good, and I figured it would set me up financially so I could retire. Plus, who are we kidding? I lost any morals I had years ago.” Tracing her finger around the rim of her cup, Morgan shook her head. “She had a need, and I had the power to provide it—a simple business transaction.”

I couldn’t believe how coldly she spoke of killing me, how it didn’t seem to register in her mind how wrong it was. The emptiness in her voice made it sound as though she’d agreed to go to the local store and buy a gallon of milk. It astounded me.

Not wanting to sit there any longer, I pushed my seat back and gestured for Devlin to leave with me. Shaking my head, I still couldn’t fathom what could turn a person into a blasé killer, but I knew I’d had enough.

A hand snaked out, taking hold of my wrist, and I growled. Glancing down to see Morgan with a tight grip, I tugged hard, and she quickly let go.

“That was a stupid move.” Devlin’s face was as dark as thunder, and he looked as though he was ready to attack. “Is there a reason why you’re tempting my patience?”

Taking hold of my arm, he guided me to stand behind him, shielding me with the bulk of his body. Everything had happened so quickly, but Devlin was now on high alert.

“How else was I meant to stop you from leaving?” Morgan answered, and cocking her eyebrow, she relaxed somewhat. Peering between us, she let out a chuckle, and then signaled to the two vacated chairs. “For goodness sakes, sit down. Call me crazy, but there’s more to share. You can’t go without hearing the good stuff.”

“If this is just a ploy to keep jerking my chain, I advise you to stop,” Devlin warned. “Pull another stunt like grabbing Darcy, and I don’t care what you have to say, you can do it before the Council. I’m sure I can dig up enough evidence to charge you with additional crimes. You’ve definitely lived a colorful enough life.”

Forgoing the appearance of ease, Devlin sat upright and strummed his fingers on the top of the table. There would be no more fooling around with him, and I could tell he was ready to snap into action.

Morgan let out a sigh, seeing she wasn’t able to drag the meeting out any longer. “Amber had a second request.”

“Which was?” I interrupted, impatient at the way she seemed to draw out her comment. I was starting to feel on edge as well, eager to put this entire business behind us.

“A second spell. She wanted one to kill and another to enchant. She worried that she wouldn’t be able to seal the deal with the person she was in love with, so she asked for me to create an obsession spell. One way or another, Amber Bracken is determined to become the mate of the Mystic Wolves Alpha.”

I felt the air rush out of my lungs. There it was. Not only had I been her target, but she was also going after Mason. This was the proof we’d been hoping for, and glancing over at Devlin, he nodded in agreement. All we needed now was to find the deceitful werewolf and bring her to justice.

“You will need to go on record, signing an affidavit that what you’ve shared is true,” Devlin stated. He lifted his hand, gesturing to someone, and I could see another Enforcer approaching the table.

“Of course, provided my immunity still applies.” Taking one last sip from her cup, Morgan stood, realizing the meeting was over. “I’d like to say it was a pleasure meeting you, Darcy. Maybe under different circumstances.”

Devlin took a few moments to confer with his colleague before the vampire began to escort the witch from the premises. I watched as she walked away, and she continued to hold her head high despite everything she’d done.

“Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say, and I slumped back in my chair.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Devlin began talking to someone, providing the information we’d learned, and I studied his face. Even with the proof we now had, it still wasn’t over, and I imagined the next step would be to go and arrest Amber. The weight that had parked itself on my chest since her first appearance on our doorstep began to lessen, and I tipped my head backward in relief. Closing my eyes, I waited for Devlin to finish his call.