Love and Deception

Chapter Six

Noah

Noah pulled his car into his sister’s driveway and killed the lights more than a little surprised not to see his father’s Aston Martin parked ahead of him. He had been waiting for Carlie in her apartment when he’d gotten the text to come here. He’d naturally assumed his father had decided that now was just as good as later and was driving Liz insane. Or Liz was contemplating p*******e. But the little red Volvo was definitely not something his father would be caught dead in. Even if he could fit in it. Noah looked back at his phone and gritted his teeth. Still no message from Carlie. He’d been sitting on the edge of her bed and then pacing the length of her room for almost an hour before Liz’s text had come in. Had he scared her off? He’d thought they’d been doing good and then she’d just bolted. Sheer terror had gripped her to the point where he’d seriously considered going after her.

He growled and wrenched his door open, paying the protesting metal little heed. Mates didn’t ignore each other or just take off from each other. Maybe he could call Connor later and see if Olivia ever pulled that crap on him. He opened the door to Liz’s and had the intruder up against the wall by his neck seconds later. He kicked the door shut, witnesses and all, before using his strength to dangle the man off the floor. He smelt his sister and her amusement before her voice dryly cut through his low growl. “Noah, this is Wade. Apparently he can help.” And that meant what to him exactly? Noah eyed the other man’s throat that was conveniently at eye level. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to do so if his face gets any bluer however.” Noah turned to look at Liz who was leaning against her door frame. She was still in her pink scrubs and smiling at him like he wasn’t strangling this guy. She shrugged her shoulders to his unspoken question so he dropped him.

The choking and gasping was ignored by Noah and greeted with an even wider smile by Liz. “Thought you knew about werewolves?” She asked the gasping man smugly.

“I do.” He managed to get out.

“Guess you just forgot the bit about sneaking up on us.” He cast her an unpleasant look that had Noah seriously reconsidering strangling him.

“Must have.” He stood up and straightened to his full height which wasn’t that much shorter than Noah’s. He smoothed back his brown hair and looked Noah right in the eyes. “Wade Harper, Mr. Drayvin.” He said formally and even stuck out a hand like he expected Noah to shake it. Noah looked at the hand and then at Liz. She tried to stifle a giggle and failed miserably.

“Why would I need your help witch?” Noah asked instead of shaking the hand. Wade’s eyes widened but then the corner of his mouth quirked up. Noah didn’t actually know why he would need his help either but dominance games didn’t allow for that kind of gap in knowledge. His nose told him the witch part.

“Strictly speaking I’m a sorcerer, not a witch.” Wade corrected. Proving the man was either incredibly stupid or had a backbone. Probably a combo. “And you need my help because you’re up against one of my kind. I know them a lot better than you do.” Noah frowned.

“And you’re offering your assistance out of the goodness of your little witch heart?” Wade sighed and shook his head.

“My ruling council sent me to deal with the problem. When I arrived and realized you were already here I thought perhaps a makeshift alliance might be beneficial to us both.”

“Well just because I set it up for you to talk to him doesn’t mean I’m okay with you using my brother to help take down your little rogue sorcerer.” Liz interrupted.

“I’m not going to use him.” Wade snapped at Liz. “We are going to go in together, under false pretenses, so we can get an accurate sense of exactly what is needed to resolve this problem.”

“Snap his neck. Easy peasie.” At Wade’s pained expression Noah raised an eyebrow. “Or are you spell casting types not allowed to do that?”

“If it was that simple I imagine the council would’ve seen to it by now.” Noah and Liz snorted simultaneously.

“That almost sounded like a challenge.” Wade’s eyes blinked and then narrowed.

“I would’ve thought given that he has god knows what kind of hold on your mate you would’ve been a little less inclined to rash violence.” Noah’s wolf woke with a vengeance and nearly lunged for Wade. A red haze clouded his vision. Actually the knowledge that anybody dared to put his mate in any kind of danger made him a little more on board with the neck snapping plan. Liz’s voice once again broke through the shudders of repressed rage rippling through him. Or maybe it was the start of the change. He couldn’t really focus enough to tell.

“Well then you should realize that saying things like that incite certain responses. No stay back there.” Liz’s face in shades of red filled his vision. “Noah?” He growled not quite at the making coherent English words just yet. “If you shift in here you’re going to break my things. I’ll be very upset with you if that happens.” As usual, the ridiculousness of a statement like that calmed him right down. He rolled his shoulders and his neck in an attempt to rid them of the rest of the tremors. Wade was standing far out of reach with an interesting mix of awe and curiosity on his face. Maybe a trace of fear beneath it. Noah’s eyebrow quirked again but if Wade had a response it wasn’t forthcoming. “Let’s get something to drink.” Liz ushered both males into her kitchen and directed Wade towards a seat. “Now what would a sorcerer want with a woman who may be Noah’s mate?”

“She is Carlie.” Noah interrupted immediately. Liz’s eyes snapped to his and he nodded softly. “We talked. It still makes absolutely no sense but it’s definitely her.” His sister was suddenly right next to him and draped her arms around his neck.

“I’m so happy for you.” She kissed the top of his head and squeezed him once more before remembering their spectator and releasing him. “Anyway, that still doesn’t answer my question. I can’t think of a reason worth the risk of…bespelling? Yeah we’ll go with that. Bespelling Noah’s mate.”

“Can you really not?” Wade replied giving them both an incredulous look. When neither seemed to express what he was looking for he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Werewolves such as yourselves are the top of the line in supernatural bodyguards. They also make damn fine assassins but they’re slightly harder to control in that aspect. Werewolves are strong, fast, nearly unbreakable and heal from just about anything. They are also capable of great loyalty, come with an innate understanding of the chain of command, and never divulge secrets that are told to them. The problem is you’re a secretive lot and tend to travel in close knit family packs. It makes getting one of you to work in such a capacity very difficult. While lone wolves are not unheard of they aren’t very common and tend to not play well with others. This leaves the only other option of enslavement by means of magic. Which is forbidden.” Liz had brought over the cups during the sorcerer’s speech and was now sipping at it with an intense gaze.

Noah’s gaze was probably no less so as the implications of what he’d just heard ran through his mind. Was Carlie a magical slave to a sorcerer who needed a werewolf bodyguard? The idea made his beast growl unpleasantly but it was still an easy fix. Theoretically all he had to do was break the sorcerer’s neck, maybe after a game of chase, and then voila no more magical hold right? He lifted his eyes to the sorcerer across from him. Why would they send this man to deal with it if it were that simple? Clearly this council was no more appreciative of their rogue member’s activities than he was. “I think you better tell me everything. From the beginning.” Noah said calmly. The sorcerer nodded.

Carlie

She should’ve told him. God why hadn’t she? He was sitting right there in her house listening to a phone call he no doubt heard. She had no trouble hearing phone calls even when her ear wasn’t to the phone so it only stood to reason neither did he. She’d honestly half expected him to follow but he hadn’t. And then she’d arrived at the hospital and it had all flown out of her head. Reason often has no effect on the minds of distraught mothers. She watched helplessly as the team of doctors and nurses that her servitude bought raced to bring Luca’ vitals back up. Helplessness isn’t a state that werewolves find enjoyable. She had never enjoyed it even before becoming a werewolf and a mother. This was unpardonable. She watched and waited and watched some more until she thought she would tear her hair out from frustration.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun it stopped. Luca took one long stuttering breath and then resumed the natural order of breathing on his own. He did not awaken from his coma but he was back to the way he had been. The doctors said something that didn’t register but she nodded numbly and let them leave her in peace. She promptly sat on the edge of his bed, took his little hand in hers and stared at the repose on his sleeping face. So like his father. She had feared that with Noah back the universe would take Luca as payment. She couldn’t have them both. But that was ridiculous. She could no more blame the universe for Luca than she could have for what she thought had befallen Noah. In fact, the only person she could and should blame was the only person who seemed to benefit from it. Lucius. She growled as softly as she could manage at the thought.

But he’d already had her before Luca had fallen ill so why take that extra step? The thought had occurred to her, more than once over the past few months, that Lucius could be responsible for the quick and sudden illness of her son. But it just didn’t make sense. She hadn’t been thinking of leaving nor truly inclined to do so. Why take this extra step? Unless he knew Noah would be coming. In which case…perhaps she needed to have a good long chat with her employer. One that involved lots of pain on his part and many years of repression vented on hers. Luca’ hand spasmed, or at least that’s what the doctors told her was happening, and she smiled softly. For something that was supposed to be only a bodily reaction it seemed to occur only when she needed it most. Screw the doctors and their ‘limited brain function’. Her son was alive and in there. Wake up little boy. She sent a thought towards him as she always did. Your dad has come to take us home and you can’t be sleeping the whole time.

She waited for a little while longer and couldn’t help the sting of disappointment when her little ruse didn’t work. He’d always been a stubborn child. Just like his father. She smiled softly. s**t! His father who was still at her house. Damnit all! She cursed again this time out loud and kissed Luca’ forehead. She’d been there for hours. No call or txt to him about where she was or if she was ok. He was probably freaking out. Werewolves freaking out are bad bad bad. She shot him a text and left her…no their son with a blown kiss. She scooted past security and onto her bike, taking off into the night at nearly warp speed. She sniffed the night air as she rode and finding nothing amiss smiled in anticipation. Everything was going to change now. Lucius was still a problem but she had a feeling that Noah would be more than willing to take care of it.

Although, she shouldn’t let him. Despite being a jackass of the highest order he had helped her when she’d needed it. She could get Noah to pay him off and then she could just leave quietly. He’d probably try to put up a fight but with her debts paid she was free to be as menacing as she liked. Funny she’d never thought of herself as one of those girls who needed a man to make her feel secure but now that Noah was back that was exactly how she felt. Secure, protected, and something frighteningly close to hopeful. Noah’s family had more money than God after all. It wasn’t like the very possible best in the entire world wouldn’t be done for their son. Of course, she still had to tell him and he was going to be pretty angry about it. Still, even that little thought wasn’t enough to bust her happy bubble. She smelt Chinese food and her smile shrank to a grin. She could bring him some food to butter him up or at least occupy both hands and mouth before she told him.

She was waiting in line to receive her order still surprised that she knew what he liked after five years apart when she was abruptly pissed off. No, not just pissed. She was enraged. Like rip someone to pieces and jump around in the puddles of their blood enraged. She tried to think around the sudden angry haze but couldn’t find a cause. The people around her turned to look at her cautiously as if they suddenly clued in to the fact that a predator stood in their midst. Which of course did nothing to appease her instincts that had jolted to high alert for no damn reason…She frowned and thought harder. He’d said they were mates right? Something about being able to sense each other? Maybe she was getting blowback from him. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before tentatively reaching out blindly with her mind. Only to find the nearly vibrating ball of viciousness that was definitely coming from Noah. Unfortunately she got no clue as to why just that he was.

Thankfully her food was presented next and she thanked the man in Chinese before leaving. She strapped the food onto her bike and sped off again this time hoping her furniture was still intact by the time she got home. She pounded on the first stories door and barked that their music was too loud before climbing the stairs up to her apartment. She did a quick sniff while setting the food on the counter to locate Noah faintly impressed that he was still in her bedroom. She probably would’ve left and gone after him if it had been reversed. Then again, Noah always had been the more patient of the two of them.

She opened her bedroom door and was about to greet her obviously angry mate when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Lucius. She looked at Noah. Yeah he wasn’t going to let her disappear twice. So with a heavy sigh she ignored the call, turned off the phone and put it back in her pocket. Noah looked at her with burning golden eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. She sighed and came to stand in front of him then leaned against the wall. “So…you wanna talk about it or just sit there and glare at me?”

“Lucius. Varros.” He bit out each word as a separate sentence and she watched a tremor slide under the skin of his arm. Well s**t.