Love and Deception

Chapter Fifteen

Noah

Noah sat in the hospital room with his son playing yet another game of battleship. The hospital staff provided a few board games for the kids to play with and this was the only one that caught his attention. Noah made a note to bring some more things to entertain them if they were going to be here longer. The doctors were trying very hard to keep Luca here until they could unravel the mystery. Yet Noah’s mother was subtly working her wiles on them and even after the one meeting, Noah could see the inevitable acquiescence. She really was a force of nature. Luca was nearly enamored with her already. She’d brought back a soft blanket to replace the hospital one, pillows, a stuffed animal, and a stash of snacks to offset the hospital food. He was certain the two books had come from his father but he’d made no claim to the gifts.

The minutes turned into an hour and then another. By the end of the second he started to get nervous about Carlie. Surely it shouldn’t be taking her that long? He wasn’t trying to be cruel but he was pretty sure that entire apartment could be broken down and packed up in two hours. He was also sure the majority of things she planned to bring belonged to Luca. He had spent his few moments of free time texting Elizabeth a list of things he knew he needed for the condo before Carlie and Luca could stay there. The non immediate items could be taken care of later. As a family. He turned back to his son, deeply engrossed in one of his new books being read by his Nana and smiled. Family.

He certainly had never thought this was going to be his life. Even when it had been him and Carlie he had never envisioned anything beyond the two of them. It wasn’t that he didn’t want children of his own. Quite the opposite. He just hadn’t ever tried to picture it. Perhaps he wasn’t very creative. Yet now that he was sitting with his parents and his son he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to that future. Did Carlie want more kids? A big wedding? Any wedding at all? Should he make a big proposal? He figured it would be best to let them all adjust and settle into their new lives before mentioning any of it. Still, they were all possibilities now. Life had opened so many doors for them. He might even be able to find a place in his Dad’s company. Maybe take some of the load off of him. Not that he could ever tell him that of course.

One of Luca’s many doctors poked his head in and requested Noah for a conversation. Noah managed not to roll his eyes as he nodded and followed the male into the hallway. It was difficult to try and be less imposing around humans on a good day. He was starting to lose patience with the incessant interruptions and not knowing where his mate was and what was taking her so long. Still, he tried not to tower over the well-meaning human. The doctor rambled on about the generally unknown nature of the ‘episode’ affecting Luca. Noah nodded like this was news to him. The doctor pushed him for authorization to run more exhaustive testing. Noah tried to walk a thin line between refusal to allow genetic testing and pretending like he was concerned about the expense and stress on Luca. The doctor was very pushy so it was a difficult task. Life would be so much easier if he could just bite irritating people.

As if he was summoned by Noah’s less charitable attitude, Wade turned the corner into the hallway then stopped upon seeing the doctor. He made eye contact with Noah, who gave him the slightest of exasperated looks before smiling briefly. Noah continued to parlay with the doctor, getting increasingly more frustrated as the time passed, when the subtle tingling in the air announced a bit of magic being cast by the sorcerer at the other end of the hall. Seconds later a page went out for the doctor in his space. The man frowned and then made apologies as he no doubt went to find the source of the call. Wade approached once the doctor had cleared the area. “You would have been extremely useful in high school.” Noah informed him with a chuckle. Ah, the high school days.

“I’m sure. Public school always seemed to be a much easier systemto manipulate.” Noah looked the sorcerer up and down.

“You were homeschooled?”

“Magic school. Sorcerers come into their power at varying times in their lives and it is very difficult to control initially. The Council set up a school to teach magically gifted children so that we’d present less of a danger to regular humans.” He smiled ruefully.

“I’m guessing there are some good stories there.” That earned a bigger smile.

“Oh do I ever. But, duty and revenge are pressing at the moment.” That got Noah’s attention. Finally some action. “The Council has decided that threat presented by Lucius Varros outweighs any kind of moral need to bring him to them for a formal hearing. I have been authorized to determine and enforce his punishment as I see fit. Immediately.” Noah couldn’t help the giant smile that threatened to crack open his face. This was the best news he had heard in...like...a few hours. Everything was going to be settled and he and Carlie and Luca would be free. His wolf rumbled happily, eager for the hunt. “Now obviously I’d like to try and remove the spell attached to Carlie first in case Lucius has some sort of fail safe that kills her when he dies.” Noah ground his teeth together. More waiting.

“But we are going to kill him right?” Wade nodded sharply.

“Most definitely. He’s far too risky. And the Council left it up to me which basically means they want him dead without actually needing to issue the order themselves. That kind of bureaucracy would take even longer and they’d rather it get fixed now. If they catch any blowback they can pin it on me and give me a slap on the wrist for insubordination or something.”

“You don’t sound concerned.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been on the outs with the Council.” They both smirked at that. Noah gave Wade a new appraisal as he tapped out something on his cell phone. He really wasn’t that bad. Noah could even see the two of them becoming friends. They probably would once he and Elizabeth decided to acknowledge what he’d already figured out. Noah was pretty sure his Dad had too and that was the reason for the increase in presence coming from Luca’s room. Wade managed to give an air of indifference to the obviously hostile reaction to his arrival. He might even make it in the family if he kept it up.

“So we’re going to find Carlie’s totem?”

“Lucius will have moved it by now and I don’t know enough about him to guess where else he would think safe enough to put it. I could possibly track it magically but that would take hours if not days. No, it’s better to get right to the source. It means he has to be alive long enough to break the connection.”

“But he doesn’t necessarily need to be conscious or all in one piece for that to happen. I like this plan.” Noah nodded firmly in agreement. Wade looked like he was considering disagreeing with him but changed his mind. Good choice. Noah’s wolf was willing to be moderately patient with the actual kill but the violence needed to happen and soon. Too much more confinement and he was liable to take over and force the issue. Now that Noah thought about it he’d put off going for a run for nearly a week. Life had gotten crazy and he hadn’t had time. He felt bad and understood a lot of his rapid fire mood changes over the past few days. His wolf needed out in a bad way.

“Are your parents alright to stay with the boy while we go finish this?” The response through the pack link from his father was an immediate affirmative. Noah could also sense the frustration his father was feeling but didn’t comment. He was trying to let Noah handle it so Noah wasn’t going to exacerbate his already stretched patience.

“Of course. Where to?”

“Well actually I was hoping Carlie could point us in the most likely direction since she knows him best.” Noah frowned. Well that would be helpful if she was here. He took out his phone and dialed her number. Maybe they could meet there to save on time. Noah’s frown deepened into a scowl as the phone continued to ring. “Where is she?”

Carlie

Carlie looked around her old apartment with a mixture of relief and nostalgia. She had brought Luca home from the hospital here. This is where he’d learned to crawl, eat, taken his first steps… So many firsts. She had taken some photos and a few videos but she hadn’t really had the means to capture it all. Not that she really could have anyway. So many of Luca’s achievements had happened spontaneously. She hadn’t been able to have the camera permanently in hand. She felt bad now that she was awash in a flood of the memories of Luca’s first years while knowing that Noah missed it all. He’d get to see the meager physical memories she’d been able to catch but it wasn’t enough. It never would be. That thought made her frown hard and her wolf growl. Time that was cheated from them for the sake of subservience.

Luca was the only one with anything worth saving. She had snagged an armful of cardboard boxes from behind a grocery store on her way home. Belatedly realizing that her master plan had neglected to take into account her mode of transportation. Her motorcycle. She wouldn’t be able to bring the boxes back to Noah. That meant she’d have to have the final showdown with Lucius elsewhere. Very disappointing as her home turf would have given her a distinct advantage. Not to mention making it more efficient. Her wolf was impatient to be done with the past and focus on the future. The future she now had with her family. A smile spread across her face as she put all of Luca’s toys into a box. He could sort them out later.

Her mind wandered between the past, present, and future as she worked. What did Noah want for the future? He had mentioned getting married in the heat of passion but was that what he wanted or was he seeking to gratify her? She didn’t really need the piece of paper telling the world that they were mated. But perhaps it meant something to him. Would he want more kids? Did she want more kids? That was definitely a subject for a later discussion. Maybe after things calmed down and she was able to find a center again. Albeit a different center than she’d previously had. Life was not only about to increase exponentially in happiness but it was also about to get a ridiculous amount easier. She could work a real job again. Hell she could go to school finally and have a career.

The reality of the massive change taking place in her world was suddenly overwhelming and halted her packing in its tracks. She struggled against the sudden loss of breath and rapid heart beat. The wolf went quiet against the onslaught which she appreciated. Sometimes when a panic attack hit the wolf thought it was from an outside threat and forced a shift to protect itself. That s**t was painful and took even longer to get control back. She wrenched her thoughts away from the trap of further panic and focused on something simple. Counting. She’d read somewhere that if you forced your mind to count and then intentionally switched some numbers around it forced your brain to focus on that instead of the panic, thus breaking the cycle. It had always worked for her. “Going somewhere?”

She froze. Panic turned into outright fear that gripped her hard. She had to clamp her muscles onto her bones to keep the shift from happening. She recognized the voice and didn’t need to be afraid. In fact she had wanted it’s owner to come. She had no choice but to wrestle the response to her inability to sense her intruder until he was within touching distance down so she could face the new threat. Wait. Not threat. She shook her head against the confusion. She managed to make the interval short before she turned a slightly hostile glare over her shoulder at Lucius. The sorcerer was reclining against the door frame to Luca’s room as if he’d been there the whole time. Yet there was no way he’d come in through the locked door without her hearing it. Even in a panic spiral. Which meant he’d used magic to enter her apartment without her permission.

“You know I don’t like it when you do that.” He knew what she was referring to. He didn’t respond to her comment, merely continued to stare at her with a carefully distant expression. It was his usual reaction to her hurting him in some way. She sighed heavily. She’d had so many plans to end his life and yet here she was with a golden opportunity and all she could muster was pity. He had helped her and Luca through so much. Didn’t he deserve something in exchange? And he wasn’t stupid enough to stop her leaving with Noah’s family. They’d rip him to shreds without even blinking. “Yes. Luca and I are leaving.”

“Without even a goodbye? Do I mean so little to you?” She’d guessed right. He was hurt and angry. She sighed again and rose onto her feet to face him fully.

“Of course not. I was coming to see you. I wanted to do it face to face. You deserve that at the very least.” Her wolf growled softly in her mind, still not recovered fully from the onslaught of emotional turmoil the last hour had wrought on her mind. She moved closer to Lucius and motioned him towards the living room. She was surprised when he actually turned and strode to her pathetic couch and sat. Without making a show of it. He nearly flopped on it he was so angry. Her pity grew and she approached him feeling a surge of regret for what she was doing.

“Do I get to know where you’re going? And why?”

“Noah’s family came to the hospital. They sent the specialist once they learned of Luca and his condition. They want us to go back with them for awhile so they can get to know each other.” She watched Lucius tense when she mentioned Noah. Her wolf was rigidly against mentioning their mate was alive and here as well. Something warned her that Lucius was still capable of lashing out in anger. He may have been less of a villain in person than she’d allowed her mind to create him while she was in the hospital. But he was still dangerous. And he had still used magic to ensure her loyalty. The truly sad thing was she would have given it freely if he had only trusted her the way she had trusted him.

“I see. You don’t think that uprooting the boy will be difficult on him?” She shrugged.

“It’s not necessarily permanent.” Lucius pointedly looked around her at Luca’s room where he had come upon her packing. “I think it would be good for Luca to have other wolves to be around. I’m taking his things because like you said, the change might be hard on him.” He didn’t seem happy about her reasoning but he did appear less angry. And she wasn’t even really lying. She was just leaving out all the bits that pertained to Noah.

“Well...I’m sad that you’re leaving. Is there anything I can do to make you stay?” She smiled softly.

“Luca needs to know his family.” She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder feeling that pity swell in her heart again. “It might not be permanent. Being with them full time might be too hard for me.” She saw a rueful smile flit across Lucius’ face before he covered her hand with his own.

“That’s a lie of kindness but I appreciate it all the same. I’m never going to find anyone like you Caroline. I just wish I was enough.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened in shock while her wolf bristled and growled. Only her mate was allowed to touch her like that. The war of extremes in her mind was starting to get disorienting. Was she supposed to follow the wolf or the woman? It wasn’t as if she wanted to respond to Lucius in any kind of favorable way after all. She was just surprised by the sudden display of affection. He’d never given her any signs that he had feelings for her.

“Lucius…”

“I kept hoping one day you’d turn around and realize it and now I see I’ve waited too long.” She felt her face fall. Pity turned more towards remorse. Would she have accepted his advances if he’d tried earlier? How would that have affected Noah being alive? Would she feel as wretched as she did now? She wasn’t a heartbreaker by any means and had never enjoyed the idea of hurting someone this way. Especially unintentionally. “You don’t have to say anything. I apologize for letting my feelings get away from me.” He removed his hand and visibly straightened. He smoothed his shirt and then his hair before continuing. She admired his strength in that moment more than she ever had in their entire relationship. Her wolf remained hostile but she shoved it farther back in her mind. The wolf was too simplistic to understand something this intricate.

“I’m sorry.” She knew he was trying to regain composure but she wanted to make sure it was said. She didn’t return his feelings but she knew what it was like to want something that wasn’t a possibility. Except in her case it turned out it wasn’t only a possibility but happening as soon as she was done with Lucius.

“I know.” He cleared his throat pointedly. “Well, that’s that then. Is there anything you need? Money for your trip? A less uncertain vehicle to travel in?” He was of course referring to her third-hand sedan with questionable long term durability. She couldn’t help the skepticism that manifested on her face. “What?”

“Just like that? You’re going to let me go with no argument?” She wasn’t expecting a show of force but she had been prepared for an angry refusal.

“Let you go? Caroline you are a free woman and always have been. What kind of man do you think I am?” She pursed her lips as she thought about that. Had he ever really given her any reason to think he would have tried to force her to stay? She couldn’t remember any. Her wolf got quieter in her mind as it too no doubt failed to find a shred of evidence against Lucius. He was merely an awkward yet powerful man who had taken the less effective approach of expressing himself to her. He was a man who had given openly and asked for a very little in return. Man she was an ass for repaying him like this.

“I guess I just… I don’t know.” Why was she so confused? She’d spent the last five years with Lucius. She knew him better than anyone. That other sorcerer was afraid of Lucius’ skills and that’s why he was creating this narrative about spells and dark rituals. Lucius would never have done that to her.

“When do you go?”

“Soon. We aren’t sure when they’ll release Luca but I’m assuming as soon as they do we’ll head out.”

“Can I ask for a favor before you go?” He gave her such an earnest heartfelt look of hope that she knew she couldn’t have refused even if she’d wanted to. Noah could wait a little bit longer for her.

“Anything.”