Love and Deception

Chapter Eleven

Noah

Lucius’ lair was exactly what he expected. It looked like a set straight out of the Godfather movies. Was lair the right term? Given his father’s history with the breed, he had never been given any information that didn’t paint them in the most villainous of lights. Yet Wade didn’t seem too bad. Maybe lair was too nefarious for it. The sorcerer in question moved stealthily about the room. So much so that Noah was impressed. He used a spell cast on his own hand to scan the room for any signs of dark rites and their leftovers. Residual essence. Noah thought her remembered him saying that, or something close. “I can’t find anything.” Noah frowned and moved up next to him.

“There is no magic after taste in the house of a sorcerer? Come on.” Wade sighed angrily.

“I know. And before you ask, no. There is no way to hide the essence that would be left here from so much dark magic.” Noah nodded in understanding.

“Maybe it’s just not in this particular part of the house that he does it?” Wade pursed his lips and turned his gaze to the walls.

“You’re right. He must have a secluded place that is protected to keep any nearby magic users from sensing his works. Not to mention to muffle the screams.” He said it so offhanded. The more Noah learned about this Lucius, the more he wanted him out of the picture. Permanently. He studied Wade as he moved through the house again, muttering some strange language to himself. He didn’t seem evil. He was certainly tense being in here but that could be chalked up to fear of being caught. Who knew when the psycho sorcerer would return. After yet another sigh of frustration Noah decided he could try to help. He closed his eyes and focused only on his sense of smell, creating a sensory map of the structure as he did so. Some smells were typical of homes and he focused on separating those out first, assigning them to their proper places.

There were so many layers of lived in scents that it was difficult to peel them away. He wasn’t aware of the time passing, only the second of triumph before the actual scent registered in his nose and made him recoil. “Did you find something?” Wade’s voice interrupted and had Noah opening his eyes.

“I smell something that doesn’t belong. It smells like the air after a lightning strike.” It also bothered his nose and made him want to leave. It tingled and was repugnant.

“That sounds like something we should investigate.” Sadly yes it did. With a quick nod he honed in on the scent again and moved through the space as he followed it. Unfortunately for him that just meant the stench got stronger the closer they got. They moved through the living and eating areas until they approached a solid wall that hid the underside of the staircase. The scent trail stopped there. Noah looked at the wall with a frown.

“It’s stops here.” At a blank wall. He was about to get frustrated himself when he felt the gathering of electricity in the air that signaled Wade’s magic. Depending on the scale of the spell, his skin either tickled, itched, or burned. This was somewhere between the tickle and itch. Still, curiosity got the better of him and he watched as the hidden door pushed in to the wall and then slid to the side. It was seamless. His uncle would have loved it for his fort. Noah had just barely finished the thought when the air from the space behind the door assaulted him. That burnt air smell intensified to a nauseating level accompanied by blood, pain, and suffering. He physically recoiled and placed his hand over his nose and mouth. Even Wade’s expression soured. “What the f**k?”

“I’d say we found what we were looking for.” Great. That meant going further into the olfactory hell zone. He gritted his teeth and moved into the darkened doorway when Wade’s hand on his arm stopped him. “I should go first.”

“I’m a lot more durable than you.”

“I can detect and diffuse any magical traps.” Hmmm. Good point. Noah stepped to the side with a flourish earning him a smirk. They descended nearly two stories beneath the house before coming out into a wide open space. As soon as he set foot on the even ground Noah felt the hairs on his arms rise. The wolf began to pace and growl in the back of his mind as if it’s territory were being threatened. And the stomach churning smell was impossible to escape. Noah looked to Wade and saw the man fixated on the symbols drawn into the floor. They looked carved there but Noah was having trouble with the whole stone floor part of that equation. Yet he supposed there was some kind of magic that could help. Wade still hadn’t moved. Noah stepped around him and found a pull down light switch.

The illuminated room was somehow more menacing than his night vision one. Maybe the clearly visible blood stains was the issue. Noah’s nose wrinkled again but he was searching the various books, tables, and random ass objects for some trace scent of Carlie. After a few moments of nothing he turned back to see what Wade had got and saw him still standing completely still where he had come in.

“Wade.” No response. Except a furtive swipe of his tongue across his lips. Ohhh. Noah’s eyes widened for a moment as he processed the scene. Wade was tempted by the darkness surrounding him. Hadn’t he said something about all of them dabbling? What if it was like an addiction to them? They couldn’t help but sip but as soon as they did they were hooked. If that were the case this place was like a vat of booze to an alcoholic. Noah moved up closer to Wade, inserting himself in front of his face to block off his entire field of vision. Wade blinked but otherwise didn’t register the change. “She cross-stitches. Lizzie I mean.” That earned him a couple more blinks. “Yeah I know. You sit there thinking, what kind of hobbies would a werewolf have? Hunting? Forestry? Long nature walks? Nope. She like to hunch herself over some tiny ass fabric with even tinier ass threads and make pictures and words.”

“What?” Wade finally came back to himself and looked at Noah with an incredulous curiosity.

“Like the pillows man. Straight up eighty year old granny style.” Wade chuckled and shook his head.

“And the fact that your sister likes to embroider in her spare time is important because?”

“Cause I had a friend who was an addict and it always helped her get out of a jones if I distracted her with random shit.” Noah shrugged. “Figured I’d try it with you.”

“I’m not…” Noah held up a hand to stop the protest.

“I don’t hold it against you. Never have to mention again in fact. Just let me know if it’s getting to be too much.” Wade offered a brief awkward half smile. “In fact, tell me what I’m looking for and I’ll just call up to you when I find it.”

“I’ll be ok. It’s just...a lot. Like a wrecking ball to the face.” Like fresh Caribou meat waiting to be devoured while his father forced them to sit still and learn patience as young children. He could definitely sympathize with that. Wade squared his shoulders and started to look around the room. Noah followed his gaze, hoping to spot something but not really sure. Everything in the place smelt like blood, death, flesh and a subtle undertone of bone. It would be difficult for him to sort through the layers to find Carlie. Since it happened so long ago he was pretty sure it would be at the bottom of the pile.

“I would say to try and sniff it out but I’m sure that would be extremely difficult in this pit. Its safe to look closer as long as you don’t touch anything.” Noah started moving when Wade’s voice stopped him again. “And stay out of the symbols on the floor.” With a nod Noah made sure to move around the symbols carefully. Wade took one side of the shelves and tables and he took the other. Mostly there were books in languages he either didn’t know or wasn’t fluent enough to understand. Some of them looked older than ones in his parents’ collection. He moved past the tools with a curled lip and a barely stifled growl from the wolf. Humans could be so disgusting in their savagery. He almost passed over the altar inset in the wall behind the table before his wolf snapped to attention. A faint trace of Carlie lingered on one of the macabre sculptures. He reached out his hand to grab it only to be immediately stalled by Wade’s grip on his wrist. “Don’t touch it.”

“This is the talisman that binds my mate. I need to break it.”

“No.”

“No?” He used his tone to convey the dangerous territory Wade was entering.

“First of all, it’s trapped. You touch that thing and you’ll not only alert Lucius to our presence but probably end up ensnared somehow so he could torture you when he got here. Secondly, it's not so simple as physically breaking it. The magic binding it needs to be undone which is infinitely more difficult without the actual object to work on.” Noah frowned. Both good points but not what he wanted to hear. Magic was tedious. “Let me try to work on it Noah. I want his hold over her broken just as much as you do.” Noah cast him a skeptical glare. “Ok but I’m really close.” Noah snorted.

“What am I supposed to do while you’re over here chanting?” Wade rattled off descriptions of three books and two artifacts that the Counsel suspected Lucius to be in possession of. Nowhere near what he wanted to do but he supposed keeping busy and not crowding the helpful sorcerer was probably a good idea. It took a considerable amount of time and more than once Noah felt those unpleasant energy pulses streak across his skin. He managed to find two books and one artifact in the mess and wisely refrained from touching any of it. He also saw a few questionable objects that he had every intention of pilfering after Lucius was dead and giving to his Aunt for later study.

“I can’t break this here.” Noah was already glowering as her turned to face Wade. Which ended up being for nothing as his back was still turned. “It’s too much work and too tempting to draw on the power in this room.” Well this was just turning out to be a wasted effort. He wasn’t allowed to break it. Wade couldn’t break it. What the hell was he supposed to do now? “I can take it with us.” Noah’s ears perked up. “He shouldn’t notice it missing until I start to undo the binding. But by then, theoretically, we’ll be closing in on him and he’ll be too distracted with that.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Noah.” Noah’s breath left him on a heavy sigh. He was really starting to hate that tone of voice coming from the sorcerer. It meant something he wasn’t going to like was about to happen. Usually an additive to his already ridiculously balanced pile of s**t. He turned to the sorcerer and saw him holding two of the sculptures. “This one is Carlie.” He held it one out further. Noah raised a brow in response. Wade extended the other. “This one is Luca.” Noah’s jaw clenched so hard he heard his teeth creak. He reminded himself over and over that killing him wouldn’t accomplish anything. “I can only take one right now.”

“Why?”

“He’ll notice if they’re both gone. You might have noticed but he doesn’t have a lot to cover up the hole with. Not to mention I only have enough time to do one before we attack him. The other will have to wait for after.” Noah growled. Of course not. Why would anything be easy? And of course he had to choose. It bothered him to do so but it was an easy choice. With another heavy sigh he made the decision.

“Take Luca.”

Carlie

Carlie entered Lucius’ office in the back of the club without knocking. She didn’t need to. He’d been alerted to her presence by security, the cameras, and his magic. Since he hadn’t stopped her she assumed that meant he was up for a visit. Though it had been a long time since she had come here without a business reason. She hadn’t felt like the friendship between her and Lucius had slipped at all. Then again, it had never been particularly strong. The wolf in her chafed at the confines Lucius placed on her. The woman in her felt eternally grateful for his help and support during some of the most difficult times of her life. It certainly made for an interesting dichotomy.

Lucius’ door opened and she was struck by the change in decor. When had that happened? It used to be a study in black and white and now had a dark wood paneling and deep red carpets. The furniture was all earth tones and the lighting had been changed to a softer, almost candlelight glow. He’d even reduced the number of paintings and gaudy artifacts he’d had on display before. “Carlie. How pleasant to see you. I trust there is nothing wrong?”

“No, not at all. Are you busy?” A brief look of intrigue crossed his face before it settled back into careful distraction. He made a show of closing his computer and the ledger in front of him.

“Not terribly. What can I do for you?”

“I’ve just been wondering a few things. Spending time with Noah, the other wolf, has brought up some questions.”

“Such as?”

“How am I a werewolf? Noah said that they’re bitten or born. I was neither of those things so how is it possible that I’m sitting here, feeling the wolf move through the back of my mind?” Lucius leaned forward onto his elbows, now paying full attention. This was the Lucius she remembered from the beginning. Eager and willing to help when he could. He was well within his rights to send her away because his business needed his attention yet he pushed all that aside to help her with her problems. Existential or not. How could a person like that use magic to manipulate her? Magic on her son no less.

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve looked into it and I’ve never even heard of a werewolf who was turned in any other way than being bitten. My theory is that perhaps some of the other wolf’s blood got mingled with yours during the accident but I’m not entirely positive. I’ve always understood the virus to be transmitted through the saliva. But perhaps because the genetic differences are also visible in the blood it might have forced the change on you. Especially since you were so close to death. I mean honestly, you should have died. All of your doctors were repeatedly impressed that you thrived afterwards. Not to mention that your pregnancy survived.” He paused for a moment, looking introspective. “Being with this wolf has brought up these feelings?”

“He says he was born this way. I’ve never met a wolf like that before. He seems so...carefree about it all. Maybe because it’s all he’s ever known. But I figured I would take the chance to ask a member of the species not trying to kill or f**k me and he had no answers either. Of course, I didn’t tell him why I was really asking.” Lucius made a face of relief. She’d added that in at the last minute realizing it was immediately where his mind would go. She had to be more careful or Noah and Wade would end up being rudely uninvited to Lucius’ territory. “I just wonder sometimes what kind of life I’m giving Luca, you know? Noah says that wolves are all about pack and family. I have neither of those things to offer my son. Except myself.”

“And you want these things?” She hastily held her hands up in front of herself.

“Not for me. I’m happy as a loner. I’ve never really had family so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. But Luca? Should I be trying harder to find him a place to go? What if just us isn’t enough and he resents me for it?” Lucius smiled softly and eased back into his chair.

“I don’t see that he would resent you. If you are open with him about your kind and how the majority of them live then he can make his own choices when he’s old enough. By then he should be able to understand why you made the choices you did. And as far as family goes, my mother always used to say that you have two families in life. One you are born into and one you choose on your own. You do have family Carlie. You have me and all of my employees here. We’ve been with you and Luca since the beginning and are all happier to know you. It may be unconventional but if you look I think you’ll find that we are as close as any family could be.” She frowned as she thought about that. She was close with Lucius, sure. But it wasn’t family like Noah was. He also had a large extended family that was closer than her and Lucius. Not to mention that she felt no more than a passing acquaintanceship with any of the other people who called this club their job.

But all of this wasn’t why she was here. She needed to know if Lucius was capable of using his magic against her. Without provocation. She knew very well he would use it to punish her but what other recourse did he have? She knew the deal when she signed on to be his muscle and she was far too strong to be able to attack physically. She frowned again. Was she actually making excuses for the violence she experienced at the hands of her boss? When had she become a stereotypical battered spouse? “This wolf seems to be affecting you negatively. Are you sure you should continue your liason with him?” Was that a flicker of anger flashing in those dark eyes?

“It's not him, I promise. He’s just a casual good time. And besides, I thought you wanted me to keep an eye on him and his master?” Lucius pursed his lips.

“I do, but not at the expense of you. The sorcerer is no threat to me. I doubt his wolf is either. Their stay in my territory should be over in a few days and then we can go back to our normal lives.” She smiled honestly.

“I’d like that.” Though for her ‘normal’ now meant Noah and Luca. No more debt and no more strings. It made her a little sad to think of it that way but she had no illusions that Noah would refuse to allow a continued relationship with him. If she was honest with herself she didn’t really want one. She was just clinging to the past and the security she had felt with the sorcerer before her.

“How is Luca?”

“No change. Though I meant to thank you for sending the specialist. He’s been great and seems to have some theories to test out. I’m hopeful.” She offered a smile. It was only natural that she would credit Lucius with sending Alex to help her son. He’d offered to find her the best care available on multiple occasions. She’d always deferred to letting the doctors they had exhaust all of the conventional options first. Lucius looked confused for a half a moment before covering it smoothly again.

“Of course. I’ve always told you that there is no objection on my part to any care that could help Luca.” She blinked a moment and swallowed hard. He’d lied to her. Not an inconsequential one either. He’d taken credit for something he’d had no control over. And she could smell the sudden spike in his adrenaline. The fear that rushed through his veins and sped his heart. He was worried that someone had called in the extra help without his say so. Why would he be afraid unless he had something to hide? Was it true then? She studied him as intensely as she could while his attention was diverted by the information she’d relayed. His tension only increased as the moments passed to the point where he started to fidget in agitation.

“Anyway I should go. You’ve got business to attend to and I’ve got a sorcerer to spy on.” She beamed a mischievous smile she didn’t feel. He absently nodded and ignored her as she rose and made her way to the door. Her own body started to feel the tension as the beast inside picked up on her struggles. It didn’t like the idea that Lucius had betrayed them. It didn’t like it at all. It wanted to stay locked in that office and force the information out of him. By whatever means necessary. But she was no match for him and even now she wanted to believe that there was a different reason for his panic. Like maybe he was worried that someone else had taken an interest and was hoping to lure her away with their fancy doctors. Maybe he was worried it was Wade trying to interfere in his dealings. Even though they sounded like possibilities, she knew in her heart that they weren’t the truth. Lucius was only ever afraid when he was in danger. The only reason he’d be in danger is if he’d done something worthy of angry, violent retribution. And in regards to Luca that could only be knowledge, if not being the cause, of his current comatose state.

“Carlie.” She froze at the door and turned back to him. “It was nice to talk like this again. We should do it more often.” She smiled weakly.

“We should. I’ve missed it.” That was also the truth. This time she opened the door without any interruption. She heard him picking up the phone before the room sealed shut and the soundproofing cut off any further eavesdropping. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek at the bitter sting she felt in her heart. Nothing about her life was what she’d thought. The lies, the missed time, all of the soul numbing sadness. It had all been for nothing. Just a manipulation to get a status symbol that set him far above the rest. She was such a fool. She wiped the tears away and walked out of the club with a new purpose. She would free herself from Lucius Varros no matter what it took. Wade had two days and then she was going to let Noah kill the bastard. Hell she might even leave him home and do it herself.