Wolfsbane, A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy (The Maurin Kincaide Series) Read online

  Wolfsbane

  Rachel Rawlings

  Wolfsbane

  A Maurin Kincaide Novel

  Written by

  Rachel Rawlings

  Copyright © 2012 Rachel Rawlings

  All rights reserved under the International Copyright Conventions.

  Published in the United States by:

  R Squared Publishing

  http://www.rachelrawlings.com

  http://www.hallowread.com

  Even a man who is pure in heart

  And says his prayers by night

  May become a wolf

  When the Wolfsbane blooms

  And the moon is full and bright

  ~Gypsy Poem

  1

  I woke in a cold sweat to the sound of heavy gun fire. I grabbed the Retaliator from the empty side of the bed and bolted out of my room. My front door was open and I was out in the little stairway that led to my third floor walk up before I was awake enough to realize there was no danger. My first clue should have been Conry- a Cwnn Anfwnn, gift from my father and personal guard "dog"- just rolling over and burying his head beneath his massive paws. The sound of grenades and Dempsey's voice coming up the stairs told me it was just my new neighbor playing COD Zombies with the TV full blast at three o'clock in the morning again. I was still in boy shorts and a tank top but I didn't bother to go back in my apartment to change. He'd seen me in less. I stormed down the flight of stairs to Cash's apartment with my sword in hand.

  "It's going on four in the morning! Turn that shit off or I'll send some real zombies to your apartment!" I yelled while I pounded on the door.

  How the guy on the first floor slept through it I'll never know. But it had been me stomping on my floor and banging on Cash's door every night for the last month.

  "What's the big deal? I figured a fanger like you would be used to staying up late." Cash casually replied upon opening the door.

  "You can be such a jerk." I said with more venom than the insult commanded.

  "Jerk? That's the best you could come up with?" Cash said through his laughter.

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not at my wittiest when I wake up to the sound of World War III at three in the morning." I said tartly.

  "It's Modern Warfare, not World War III." He smirked.

  I rolled my eyes. "I'm not the only other person who lives here you know. I can only imagine what it sounds like downstairs. The poor guy probably has to sleep with ear plugs in." I scolded.

  "Mike works third shift. He doesn't get home until after seven in the morning. " He was still smirking.

  "He's only lived here for like three weeks and I haven't even talked to him. You two are what, like best friends already?" I asked, irritated.

  "What can I say? People just like me better than you." He was past smirking and into a full grin.

  I probably shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. I swung the Retaliator around until the tip of the blade pressed against his Adam's apple. "Just turn the TV down or we'll see how good of a gamer you are without your thumbs."

  I stomped away. "And stop staring at my ass." I said as I started up the steps. If the challenge for Alpha of the Salem pack didn't happen soon Roul was going to start getting wake up calls at three in the morning. I didn't know what the holdup was anyway. He was too busy to help us with the Inquisitors and the demon they unleashed a few weeks ago because of his "pack business" and now it's delay, delay, delay. It's been unusually quiet in Salem but I haven't had a decent night's sleep in four weeks because of my new neighbor.

  Well, it wasn't all Cash's fault. Aidan had a little something to do with it - too bad it was just talking. Aidan made his feelings for me clear but was still insisting we take our time. Vampires could be very patient. Having spent most of my life living more like a "norm" than an immortal I found it infuriating. He wanted to be sure the effects of Mahalia's spell were gone. I assured him that any feelings I had for Oberon died the minute I found out he hadn't. I thought I had killed him, pulling too much power through the tie that bound us. In order to save himself, he broke the connection and the false feelings for him Mahalia had spelled into my heart.

  I tried on more than one occasion to convince Aidan that I hadn't felt more like myself since Mahalia's magic had been broken. That had been a monumental waste of time. It takes powerful magic to control someone's heart and mind, he explained during one of our all night conversations. I had had other things on my mind, things that didn't involve so much talking. I used all my feminine wiles to persuade him - unsuccessfully. He was convinced lingering magic would try to latch itself onto the next person to vie for my affections. His conviction to determine my true feelings made for more than one long and frustrating night. Not to mention my temper was becoming increasingly short. Which might explain why I was down here threatening to cut fingers off my irritating neighbor's hands.

  "No kiss good night?" Cash asked sarcastically.

  I didn't bother with a response. Cash was one of the few people I knew who had as many smart ass comebacks as me. If I didn't walk away we'd be going at each other until the sun came up.

  "How about a kiss for good luck then?" He called out as I was half way up the stairs. "The challenge is tonight."

  I turned around slowly. How weird was that? I was just ranting to myself about how Roul was dragging his ass. If I didn't know better I would have thought Weres had suddenly developed the ability to read minds. Thankfully they hadn't or my thoughts about Roul wouldn't have been the only thing Cash would have glimpsed. He didn't need any more ammunition when it came to aggravating my vampire. If Cash even suspected my frustration with Aidan it would be like arming a nuclear war head.

  "The only lips she'll be kissing are mine, wolf." Aidan's voice carried up the stairway from the first floor. I'd hardly seen him over the last couple of weeks. Just hearing his voice sent shivers up my spine and I silently cursed him, knowing full well we wouldn't get further than second base again tonight.

  I'm sure Cash knew he was there, hence the kiss comments but I hadn't been expecting him. So why had he suddenly shown up on my doorstep? Curiosity over his surprise visit quieted my suddenly raging hormones. He had been working every night on some new assignment that he couldn't talk about. It was starting to piss me off actually - not the constantly working part, the not knowing part. To be honest, my increasingly bad mood may have stemmed more from being out of the action than Aidan staying out of my bedroom. Sure the time off from saving Salem from imminent danger was great. At first anyway, but it had been almost a month of peace and quiet. After only a week I found myself wishing for some sort of Armageddon. Whatever Aidan was working on seemed to be the cure for my doldrums - and pent up sexual energy - but Agrona had me on the sidelines with no intentions of letting me play in their vampire games.

  Cash mumbled some vampire related insults as he shut his door. Aidan took my hand and led me up to my apartment.

  "I didn't expect to see you tonight." I said after we got inside, trying to hide the desire for him in my voice.

  "Did I interrupt something between you and the wolf?" He asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

  "In his dreams." I said laughing.

  "I wouldn't doubt it." He grumbled.

  "Eewww." I shivered at the thought of Cash dreaming about me. More specifically me with him. It wasn't that Cash was totally repulsive I just didn't think of him like that. Ever.

  "Do you think you could put on....something more than this the next time you pay Cash a visit." He gestured to my clothes - or lack thereof.

  "Someth
ing tells me it's more than Cash that has you in a foul mood. What's going on Aidan?" I tried to hide the excitement in my voice.

  I knew the lull in activity was too good to be true. It had been too quiet. Something big was happening. Finally! I was practically salivating and too my surprise it had less to do with my delicious vampire and more to do with the opportunity to use my sword.

  "I'm going out of town." He said.

  "What?" I asked, surprised and disappointed. That wasn't the something big I was expecting.

  "It's the assignment I've been working on." He didn't elaborate.

  "The one you can't talk about." I said, hoping he would suddenly feel overwhelmed with the need to tell me everything.

  He just nodded. Damn it. What the hell was he working on?

  "Can you at least tell me where you're going and for how long?" I didn't expect an answer.

  "Reykjavik. I should be back in a couple of weeks." Aidan wasn't giving me any more than that. Being Council Liaison was not an all access pass to everything the Council was involved in. I didn't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out he was hunting someone. Aidan was the Cleaner. If he was traveling it was to chase down a naughty vampire, clean up their mess and convince them to behave. He could be very persuasive.

  "I might have asked to tag along if it was somewhere a little warmer and with a little less snow than Iceland." I said, trying to sound like I didn't care he was leaving.

  "Actually Greenland has more snow and ice. If it was possible for you to come with me I would have found a way to convince you." He pulled me into a hug.

  "When are you leaving?" I asked his chest.

  "Tonight, now. I was supposed to be at the airport already but I wanted to see you." He whispered against my neck, his fangs brushing against my skin.

  "Don't start something you can't finish." I warned.

  "I'm just trying to make an impression so you won't forget about me while I'm gone." He laughed.

  "Our get me all worked up and leave me alone with an Alpha contender right down stairs. Aren't you worried that your fears about my feelings for you are right and that I might just latch on to the next eligible bachelor while you're gone?" I teased, as if that would happen. I was sure of my feelings for Aidan even if he wasn't. "Kidding, I'm just kidding." I said when his expression darkened.

  "That's not funny." He was dead serious. His jealousy and anger suddenly a palpable thing.

  "I'm sorry." I said and meant it. It was childish and potentially dangerous to send him off angry and distracted. "You know you have nothing to worry about where Cash is concerned but if it makes you feel better to hear it," I raised my fingers in the Girl Scout salute. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior while you're away. Scout's honor."

  "You weren't a Girl Scout." He said, his anger and worry only slightly abated.

  "Yes I was. Until the incident." I chuckled.

  "The incident?" He asked.

  "That's what my mother called it. Let's just say that was the last time she tried to assimilate me with the Norms." I hid the resentment behind my laughter.

  He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. "I've got to go." His breath felt cool against my skin.

  "You're already late. What's a few more minutes?" It was getting harder to ignore the carnal desire I had for this man and I wanted to reassure him it was only him I wanted. I pressed my body against his.

  "Temptress." He laughed. His hands trailed along my arms, around my back until they cupped my ass. He pressed me closer to his body. "When I finally have you in my bed I will require more than a few minutes to ravage you properly." He let me go, distancing himself just enough to keep things from going further but not enough that I couldn't feel his desire for me. "I can't miss this flight. They won't hold the plane forever. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to arrange international travel for a vampire? It isn't like I can just take an aisle seat on a commercial flight."

  "Well the over head compartment must be torture for a flight that long." I teased.

  "Ha, ha. I'm hitching a ride with a friend on a vampire friendly jet but she has her own itinerary. If I'm not at Logan in forty-five minutes she's leaving without me." He explained.

  "Oh my god, how do you stand it? A private jet, that is awful. I cannot believe the Council is forcing you to work under these conditions. You should start a union." I joked. "Wait, what? She?"

  "You know you have nothing to worry about." Aidan said, throwing my own words back at me. "She's just the personal assistant of a long time friend. I wouldn't jeopardize what I have with you over a tryst in an airplane."

  He gave me a quick kiss and was out the door before I could ask any more questions about his traveling companion. I tried to go back to sleep but thoughts of Aidan joining a vampire mile high club with some secretary fresh off the set of Mad Men made it damn near impossible. I envisioned him feeding from her, one thing would lead to another and she would be personally assisting him, so to speak. The sun was coming up by the time I finally fell asleep.

  I woke up, for the second time, to Conry growling at my answering machine. 'At least it was a more reasonable hour', I thought as I glanced at my alarm clock. I laughed when I heard the voice coming through the speaker, amazed how Conry instinctively didn't like her. "Good boy." I said, scratching him behind his ears.

  "I hope you're in the shower. I have never understood why you can't seem to get yourself out of bed before ten in the morning. It is going on eleven and your sister's bridal luncheon is in a little over an hour. Obviously you forgot but for some reason your sister wants you to be there, so I expect you to be there. For appearances sake." My adoptive mother nagged through the answering machine. She couldn't leave the message without slipping that last dig in, reminding me not only about the luncheon but that she didn't really want me there.

  Unfortunately for her I had gotten a lot of press after helping SPTF solve the Witch murders. Her bridge club knew I was living in Salem now. She couldn't keep up the charade that I had moved to the West Coast and was far too busy working to make it back home for a visit. It hadn't been hard for me to avoid her and the Boston socialite scene. Until now that is. Still, my mother would probably give up her best diamonds before letting her snobby friends know the truth about her feelings for me, which bordered on hate.

  I was definitely the black sheep growing up but it wasn't until last month I really understood why. That's when Arawn told me the truth. He was my real father and my real mother used the last of her magic and life to hide me from the war in Elysium with my adoptive parents. Knowing the truth about where I came from explained a lot but didn't excuse the ostracism that was my formative years. Don't get me wrong, I didn't live in a cupboard under the stairs or anything. My adoptive parents kept me clothed and fed, everything that was expected except love and compassion. Once they realized I wasn't like them and never would be, no matter how many Norm activities they forced me to participate in, I was pretty much an outcast. Things only got worse when they got pregnant with my sister. I left at seventeen and never looked back.

  A couple years ago my sister looked me up. She was the collateral damage of my teenage years. It hurt to leave her behind. Francesca was the one person growing up that was always nice to me but I couldn't stay one minute longer in that house, not even for her. I think Frankie understood that. Just like I understood her not getting in touch with me until after she went off to college. I'd actually gone down to RISD to visit her a couple of times. When she told me she was engaged I secretly hoped it was to a starving artist and that she'd run off to Vegas to elope- causing a scandal in my mother's eyes and saving me an invitation to a big wedding. It wasn't of course. In Francesca's case pedigree won out. She was engaged to a charming young man finishing his law degree at Harvard and was having the wedding our mother had basically been planning since the doctor smacked Frankie's ass in the delivery room.

  I completely forgot about the bridal luncheon and the rehearsal dinner later in the even
ing. In fact I forgot the wedding altogether.

  "Shit." I said to Conry. "What do people wear to bridal luncheons anyway?"

  He just stared at me as I headed back to my closet, grumbling the entire way. I hopped in the shower but skipped washing my hair. There was no way I'd get it washed and dried and still make it to the stupid lunch. I stood in front of my bed staring at the three outfits I laid out unable to decide what was most appropriate for lunch at my estranged parents. A simple skirt and blouse combo won out. I would have preferred the fitted plum colored cashmere sweater but the high collar of my blouse would hide the brand on my neck. No need to give my mother another reminder of what I was or more importantly to her what I wasn't. I pulled my hair back in a low bun and slipped on my heels.

  If I traveled through the between I could skip traffic and still arrive at the luncheon fashionably late.

  ***

  Using my new abilities in place of my car probably wasn't what Arawn had in mind when he showed me how to do this I thought as I mentally deconstructed my apartment and visualized my childhood home in Beacon Hill. The federal style row home came into view bustling with people. I managed to move through the cluster of people lingering by the front door only to be accosted by the caterer.

  "Don't just stand there empty handed. Go get a tray and offer hors d' vours to the guests." The woman, who I could only assume was the chef by the white coat she stuffed herself into barked at me. Before I could object and inform her that I was a guest I was pushed into the kitchen. I opened my mouth to protest but was quickly informed I was not being paid to talk to her or to the guests. She shoved a large silver tray loaded with stuffed mushroom caps into my hands, spun me around and pushed me out into the room full of Boston's elite. I realized too late that I was on a collision course with my mother.

  "Mushroom?" I asked one of the women talking with my mother. "You just have to try one."