~Nikki~We’ve been over the plan again and again. Lynn and I will attend the party. I will find time to slip away while Lynn makes sure she keeps an eye on Imogene. I will go through Paul’s house and see what I can find out about her. I will return to the party, and no one will be the wider. We decided that I get 45 minutes to look around, no more than that. I’m nervous about this, but there is no other way to go about things. We need to figure out why things are so crazy, knowing that things changed the minute Imogene came to the pack. We have to find out if she’s a threat or not. She doesn’t talk to people, so snooping through her stuff will be the best way to go about this. I’m not a spy…..not a sneaky person……I’m not a warrior. I’m just a simple doctor, and I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. Lynn is much better suited for this, but needs to be seen. Her absence will draw suspicion, and mine will not be noticed. As scared as I am, I know I need to be the one to do this, and
~Imogene~I’m actually nervous, like seriously. This party has me a bit shaky, and I’m not sure why. All of this is a means to an end, yet I feel as if I’m doing this for real. Maybe it’s the fact that there will be a lot of people here. Perhaps it’s me being worried that I’m stepping into something that I won’t be able to step out of later. I smooth out the skirt of my bright red dress. It’s sleeveless with a slit on both sides that goes up to my hips. I keep my hair down and minimal makeup. I really don’t need to do much; actually, I could wear a potato sack, and things would be fine. There’s usually a spell for anything, and I sometimes like to dabble. I reach the bottom of the stairs, where Paul awaits me. I have to say that this spell has taken a real toll on him. I had to employ a glamour spell so people wouldn’t be able to see how worn out he really is. We won’t have to keep this up much longer with any luck. I’m putting my pieces into position to get what I want to live how
~Imogene~All of these people coming up and greeting us is already getting tedious. I wish I could be done with this party already, but I have to play the part. I remember to keep a hand on my stomach as if protecting my precious package. I never thought I’d be in a room filled with mutts, but sometimes, we can find a lot in the most unlikely places. I noticed the doctor as soon as we walked over, then I got bombarded with well-wishers. I’m surprised that she showed her face at this party. I can’t tell if she’s brave for that or pathetic. Either way, I know it kills her to watch me with Paul, which gives me some satisfaction. I swear if one more person tries to touch my stomach, I’m going to scream. So many of these women keep putting their hands on my stomach to congratulate us on our pending arrival. It’s really annoying, and not just because there’s nothing really in there. Paul places a hand on my back and guides me to the table so we can eat. Suddenly, I feel pain in my gut, a
~Imogene~I continue to attack her with my phantom wolves, making sure they bite everywhere, ripping her skin apart. I can feel the power flowing through me, and I love it. I flex my fingers, watching the blue spark on my fingertips. I point to a rock and watch it float in the air. I move it over her head and let it drop. It didn’t hit her as much as I wanted; the edge clipped her. I will take what I can get. I glide over to her body and kick at her side. She doesn’t move or groan. Her body is covered in cuts, some deeper than others. The wound on her head is deep. I can see white in the center, so I’m guessing that might be skull showing through. All the cuts are leaking profusely, and I’m glad about that. The blood is pooling beneath her, the puddle getting bigger and bigger. I set my feet on the ground and turn, walking back through the woods. I take my time to get back to the party. Just as I figured, everything is as I left it. I walk to the back of the packhouse, standing in t
~Nikki~Have you ever had a dream where you are on the edge of something, a building or cliff, and you fall off? My body is falling; it feels like the wind is flashing by me. It makes me think of that movie, you know the one. That guy was wearing that stylish black jacket throughout. Something about a red pill and a blue pill: he could fly through the air, and he was often doing that or jumping off of things. I swear I’m bad with movie names.Well, anyway, it’s like that. I remember watching that movie and wondering what flying would feel like. I wondered what it would feel like to have that wind rushing over me like that. This is like that, but only……only it’s very different. It’s pitch black here, with no lights and no sounds. There’s no color, no grey areas, just black. I keep reaching out, trying to grab hold of something, anything to stop my falling, but there’s nothing. There’s no rope, no fabric, no branches….nothing. I keep expecting to come crashing down onto a surface, but
I take a step back and look at my work. Everything looks to be in place; the grass is vividly green, the trees and bushes are lush, and tranquility has settled across everything. The only thing missing is my child. I sit on a big rock overlooking the river and wait. I don’t know how this will go, but I’m optimistic. I know there may be anger and animosity toward me; I’m used to it. Many times, they don’t understand the restraints we have on us. As a deity, there are things I simply can’t do. I have my own limitations that I have to abide by.Honestly, things wouldn’t be interesting if we could run everything. We would have everyone acting the same way and doing the same thing. There would be no individuality, and that would be tragic. I always hope that my children care for each other, but I know I can’t force them to do so. As hard as it is to watch, when they go against the grain, against what’s right, all I can do is sit back and watch. There is no time here, no night and day. Ev
~Stuart~I wipe her brow again; the sweat keeps coming. I lean in close and hold my breath. I can hear her breathing, so that’s a good sign. I just wish she would wake up.I may have been an asshole to Nikki while we were together, but I paid attention to her and learned a few things. Once I picked Nikki up from the borders, I brought her back to my place. The clinic would have been good, but I can’t be on packlands, and they would have thought that I was the one that put her in that position. I cleaned up her wounds and applied first aid. That is what I learned from Nikki: how to keep someone alive as best as possible. I have no idea what Nikki went through, but I had to do everything I could to keep her alive. I owe her so much that this is just a tiny task. We’ve been here for four days; Nikki has been like this for four days. I was able to get a former doctor to see her. He said I cleaned her up well, and there should be no worry about infections. He gave her some stitches and d
I’m up early, still sore from what happened. I suspect I will be sore for another day, at least. I jump in the shower, going over my visit with the Moon Goddess as I soap up. It’s hard to wrap my head around what she told me: Imogene is not Paul’s fated mate, but I am. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be fated to such a man. I knew this thing between Paul and me would be temporary, and if it did last, it would be because he chose me. I never thought the Moon Goddess would actually pair us together. As selfish as it sounds, I want that; I want what the Moon Goddess has blessed me with. I let my fated mate go so long ago because I’d already created a life with my chosen mate. I never considered a second chance mate, and now I have one that is from a dream.Paul is smart, kind, considerate, sexy, and just, all of the above. I don’t know what I did in my life to get so lucky, but I’m genuinely grateful. Now, I need to focus on getting Paul and the pack free from Imogene