WeresDigest (10 page)

“Yeah. Let’s get inside. Doctor Troth has waited for
us long enough.”

He shrugged but nodded and followed her to their
office, his mind deeply troubled…just as he knew hers was, and would be for
sometime to come.

Chapter
Three

“He’s too sick, he couldn’t make the trek,” Zi-Den
explained earlier to them. “He needs your blood, his father’s to survive. We
tried with Shaja, but Thane needs your DNA to overcome this illness, otherwise
he’ll never be able to shift and there is the possibility he could die within a
few years.”

Vek thought those words would never stop haunting him
when Zi-Den explained why he had truly come upon his journey here to seek him.
He and Letha thought for sure the reason he’d crossed the Between-lands was for
her, or something else. Until they had spoken to Trail Master Zavel earlier
today. Once they talked to the trail guide, they’d come back to the sheriff’s
office and almost parted but had overheard Zi-Den and Doctor Troth talking.
They’d only caught part of the conversation, but it was enough to know they
needed to talk to the man from Strank. And what a conversation it had been.

One in which Vek had learned he’d had a son. The
thought angered him that Shaja hadn’t told him, but upon learning she didn’t
know until a month after he left had eased his anger, but not his frustrations.
Then after the doctor left, Zi-Den had explained everything to them, and about
his son Thane’s condition. It had been a lot to take in. They’d concluded with taking
it back up in the morning and Vek had said they’d talk about the return trip.
It’d been an awkward, frustrating conversation, but they ended it as quick as
possible.

He slept in his own room that night, and was glad
Letha understood why. He needed time alone to assess all that Zi-Den had told
him. He’d wanted to slash the man’s throat at first, but upon hearing the whole
truth, he knew he could not. They’d only known each other a few years, after
Zi-Den’s own marriage had been dissolved. And for similar reasons he’d had to
not marry Shaja. Both their hearts had been broken by a society that needed
shaking up, that needed to be righted somehow. But he’d caved in and Zi-Den
promised to take care of her for him, to marry her, at least in name only.
Neither had known she was pregnant when he left Shaja.

With a broken heart and cause, he’d wound up here in
the small city of Auck with Letha. They’d come to know each other, became
friends, and eventually lovers, neither thinking they would return to the big
city ever again. Now that had all changed. He knew he had to return, if nothing
else to save his son’s life, a son that Zi-Den helped to raise with Shaja. The
only father and mother the child knew. At least Zi-Den had looked for him to
let him know the boy existed. Now life became hell and he wasn’t sure what he
was going to do. What he’d do when he saw Shaja again.

How would he feel towards her once they met face to
face? Would the old feelings surface once more? Would there be frustrations or
anger on her part, perhaps some on his? His heart lurched, and he partly knew
the answer to that question. It was the same one that Letha now had to answer
herself. Zi-Den was back in her life. Were her old feelings returning for him?
He knew only time and closeness would tell. What a fucking complication his
life had just become, once more. The years rolled back in his memory and he
thought of her again. Not Letha, but Shaja. Of what they once had together, and
wistfully, what they could have had, had they the chance…

* * * *

How could this happen? She wondered. What was he
thinking of crossing uncharted territories and various dangers all to find…Vek?
Not her but Vek. Perhaps it had hurt a bit, knowing she wasn’t the reason he
had done so, but his news, his reasons were frustrating, a bit astonishing
even. Vek had a son by his former lover. From nearly nine years ago. From the
woman who Zi-Den was married to.

A full-wolf mate. The reason she’d left him, the
reason he couldn’t stand up to society and claim her as his mate for life.  It
was a similar situation for Vek also. She felt compassion for him right now,
and more. It all confused her a bit, yet it made sense too, if complications in
life made sense.

Now here they were, getting ready to cross the
Between-lands to return to the larger city of Strank. It was an impossible
situation they all had to make the best of. Even with her being a border town
sheriff, and had seen a lot of things these last ten years, personal matters
were a helluva lot more aggravating to deal with.

Still, though he glanced at her wistfully, Zi-Den
hadn’t tried to touch her, to bring up their past. He must take his marriage
vows seriously, she thought. He hadn’t suggested that she go back with them.
Hadn’t really even talked to Vek either. One or two days more of rest, and her
ex would be back to his former strength Doctor Troth told them. In a few days,
the replacements would come and then she would be ready to make the trek back
to Strank. Hajin would take them as far as the outskirts of the land surrounding
Strank, then would go on to his next paying job, she knew. She’d given him
plenty to get them safely to the Border Mountains just a few miles outside
Strank. She remembered some caverns near there where she’d stayed the night
she’d left Strank around ten years ago. They had been abandoned and not a
tourist place either. Not many went into the mountains unless they were
naturalists. There were city woods throughout Strank where the full-weres could
change and romp, as was custom in the large industrial city.

Letha didn’t miss its tall towers or business—the
smaller city of Auck had been plenty for her. She’d miss Auck temporarily, but
knew she had to go back to the larger city to get rid of the haunts of the
past. She just hoped the visit there was quick and as painless as possible.
Letha knew the real reasons she had to go, but right now she couldn’t tell
anyone about them, not even Vek, her closest friend. Soon she’d have to, but
not right now.

Sighing, she arose from her desk and went to her private
chamber. She and Vek had agreed time alone from each other at night would be
best. She’d needed time to herself, time to think. What was about to come
wouldn’t be easy for either of them. Even after a hot shower, she knew a good
sleep would elude her this night, especially since she had bumped into Zi-Den
after she headed out of the bathroom.

Almost bumping into his hard body shook her up. They’d
stopped just fleeting inches apart before they’d actually touched. She’d been
totally frustrated and knew his empathic

were-senses
had picked up on that and her feelings. She tuned
herself out to his physical awareness. Then he’d tried to detain her, to
apologize. That sucked. She’d been a hair’s breath from reaching out to him.

Gathering her feelings and strength together, she’d
gotten the courage to break free from him. Nor had she missed the slight open
door to Vek’s room. Once she slammed the door of her bedroom behind herself,
she leaned against it and let her slight were-nails out. The door felt her frustrations
as she dug into it.

Sure, it was going to be hell being back around Zi-Den
and knowing what Vek had to go through. But they both would know, come morning,
she’d be going with them back to Strank. They didn’t either one need to know
her reasons for that, but neither would be able to stop her from going. She’d
already made the arrangements for their replacements here at their sheriff’s
office. Her superior told her take what time she needed to take care of what
was going on, as he knew she never asked for time off before. It made him
realize, she knew, that her need for it off was necessary.

She let out a low growl as it all became clear to her,
and why she needed to put a finalization on her past. Seeing Zi-Den back was
trouble. Trouble to what she had built up over the years – a life here and with
Vek. Her heart, body, and mind were in a lurch and she wanted it all untangled.
Going back to Strank would settle those old ghosts. At least she felt firmly
they would, but emotionally hoped it would put a stop to the torments that had
bothered her over the years. Groaning, she went to bed, but sleep eluded her
for hours later.

* * * *

Zi-Den felt his improvements to his body and somewhat
to his mind over the next several days since he’d awoke from his feverish
delirium. With constant care from the doctor and the two sheriffs, he felt
nursed back to his near former self. He’d need all the strength both physically
and mentally for the return trip back to Strank. He’d no doubt he could do it
physically, but his mind, he felt would constantly be in some kind of turmoil,
even if a tiny bit. Small bits of turmoil, he smirked at the thought.

No, they would be large ones. Why the hell had life
thrown him this curve? He’d settled in with Shaja nicely these last few years
until Thane had gotten sick. He loved the boy as dearly as if he’d been his
natural son. Part of him was torn up inside at the thought Thane could die if
he couldn’t shift, as was natural for a child of that age. Were-children
finally had their genes in proper order to be able to shift into were-beast
form during their tender ages of between six to eight years of age. But Thane
couldn’t at all because he was a partial hybrid. And because his DNA was
infected with a rare disorder that happened because he hadn’t been born to two
full-blooded weres.

That was an anathema to his society. They tolerated
the mixed breeds but sneered at them at the same time. Not all people in Strank
did that, but most, and that was more than enough for him to have caved-in many
years ago. What had caused him to lose Letha. He groaned with his stupidity.
But that had been ten years ago. Since then he’d married and come to care for
Shaja very much. They’d finally consummated their relationship, their marriage.
She’d come to care for him too.

Yet, underneath it all, their pasts haunted them too.
Just as he’d empathically sensed that Vek’s and Letha’s former lives still
bothered the two. Both, in his presence gave him mixed signals, of wariness,
disbelief, and mostly of intrusion into what they had now. The thought and
knowing of the two caring for each other bothered him deeply. But neither
purported a wedding bracelet as he did, hidden beneath the cuff of his long
sleeve, but it was there, and he knew they’d probably seen it when he shifted
his arm at some point.

He sighed and taking the clothes Vek had given him,
got up from the cot and went to go shower. He’d been able to move around for
the last day or so on his own. Now to get a decent shower and get the sickly
smell off of himself would be a damn leisure he’d love to do right now. Vek had
helped him to wipe himself down, but sponge baths sucked and he wanted a
full-blown shower. Earlier that day while he’d been up they’d shown him around
the sheriff’s office and their attached quarters. He’d had a meal with them
this morning before he got tired again and had needed a late day nap. Though
his strength and health were returning to normal, his system wanted the
recovering steps to get there. Not feeling puny this day made him realize he
was on the road to full recovery. And Doctor Troth had stated that yesterday
when he made his final visit to see Zi-Den.

Now he just wanted to get the sickly smell off
himself. He trudged slowly to the bathroom, hoping not to wake the others, as
he knew they’d retired early after their rounds. He was just at the door when
it came open suddenly.

Staring down he nearly bumped into Letha, their bodies
just a few heated inches away from each other. Dressed in a short robe that
barely covered her lush body she became slightly flustered at seeing him there.
For long seconds they stared at each other.

Then the past, the love he once had for her
aggravatingly surfaced. He growled with the remembrance and took his time
glancing over her enticing curves. Her dark hair was still damp, in long wet
waves, curling over her breasts, the cleavage of them showing and tempting to
him. His guttural growl must have shaken her for she took a side step away from
him and frowned at him.

“I’m done, it’s all yours.” She started to move away.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. She glanced at his
hand then up at him. They were at a standstill but he felt her frustration and
anger.

“I’m sorry for what was, Letha,” he half mumbled that
to her and dropped his hold on her.

“Yeah, right. But it wasn’t me you came back for.”
With those words she quickly left him and slammed her bedroom door behind her.

Groaning he started to enter the bathroom when he
heard another door creak. Jerking his head around he saw Vek standing in his
bedroom door. A fleeting look passed between them. One of territorial, with
other emotions laced within that short glance.

“You had your chance, Zi-Den, just as I once did.”
Then Vek stepped back in his room and closed the door.

“Yeah,” Zi-Den grumbled aloud, “I did have my chance
and blew it. But not again. I won’t let Shaja down.”

He shook his old feelings aside. Shaja was his wife,
it was her he needed to take care of, and their son. Groaning out his
frustrations, he headed in to shower. Once getting in, he was thankful for the
water as it poured over him and helped to clean his body and his mind.