“Well,you guys enjoy your celebration dinner. I’m going to go see Sylvia aboutsomething,” I lied.
Mayalooked at me with concern. “On the night before your wedding?”
Inodded and left before she could interrogate me or pick up on my emotions. Hergift of reading people would work against me. I grabbed my pendulum and carkeys and got in my car.
Iwasn’t going to Sylvia’s. I drove my car a few minutes away from the cluster ofpack houses and pulled over. I opened the glove box and pulled out a map of thestate of Oregon. I positioned my pendulum over the map and took a cleansingbreath. Finder spells were simple and I had already done a few with Sylvia.
“Spirit,our friend Max has run away. Show me his location, so I may find him today.” Iwas impressed at how easy the rhyming thing came to me. The pendulum wasswinging wildly and then quickly stilled over an area. Sandy Ridge Cemetery.
Okay.…
Iput the car in drive and made my way there.
Igot lost twice but finally found it. Sandy Ridge Cemetery was across from alarge family farm. It was a wide open flat land with clumps of trees that Icould barely make out in the dark night. Being at a cemetery in the dark wastotally creepy, but I could make out Max’s human form. I locked the car andapproached him with caution. He was naked save for a torn pair of jean shortsthat he must have swiped from the farm next door. His back was to me and he wasbent over a gravestone.
Ididn’t try to sneak up on him. I walked loudly, my feet crunching on the rocks togive him warning. He would have smelled me already. It killed me that hesmelled rogue. No! He was ours.
“Iwould rather have lived my entire life alone than to have met her and had hertaken away like she was.” His voice sounded hollow.
Iwas close enough to touch him. I looked down at the stone. There was an adultwolf and a small wolf cub engraved on the head stone, a light shown on thewriting. Melissa McAlister.Mother, Mate, Best friend.Underneath that said,Infant, loved and lost too soon.
Tearsrolled down my cheeks. “Max, listen. I’m so sorry. Just forget about what Isaid. Come home. I won’t have this wedding without you there. We don’t everhave to talk about Tara again.”
Heturned to face me. His eyes were glossy and red. His expression looked lost. Maxwas a big, strong, guy. To see him crying was hard.
“Ican’t forget.” He stated plainly.
Isighed. “I can’t help what I see, my visions.”
Henodded. “I know, and you know what’s crazy?”
“What?”I asked cautiously.
“Tarasmells like goddamn vanilla and mint,” he admitted throwing his hands up andkicking the dirt.
Myheart raced. Did that mean he believed me?
“Well,maybe you could use that smell to find her,” I joked.
Concernetched into his face. “Find her?”
“Oh,yeah. She went missing after the–”
Maxran his trembling hands through his hair. “Shamus should be able to find her.”
“Yeah,”I agreed, “except that she has some chameleon power and can stay hidden as longas she wants.” An unmated female on the loose was not good.
Maxtook one long look at the grave stone. He caressed the etched wolves.
“Let’sgo. I’ll help you find her.” He walked to my car.
Ilooked at the grave stone and then to Max walking away. If the tables wereturned and it was Kai … I couldn’t imagine.
Maxand I pulled up to the house ready to help the hunting party find Tara. Insteadwe found Raj and Alexa. Her hands were tied behind her back. She was face downon the steps of our front porch. The porch light cast eerie shadows of theirfigures on the house. I threw the car in park and burst out of it.
“Cuther loose right now, Raj! She’s a friend,” I screamed.
Rajlooked at me with a dominating gaze. “She’s a human that was sneaking on to theproperty at ten o’clock at night. She said she is ex RAIDOS and knows of ourkind. Was I supposed it invite her in for Chai?” His voice was firm. I shiftedmy hand into a werewolf paw and clawed her binds loose, helping her up.
