AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 20
“Blake, what is it?” Tanith found him red-faced and scowling, though not at anyone in particular. Ursalina, the mystic who had read Tanith’s tarot cards and predicted happiness in the face of misfortune, stood before him. Tanith stopped suddenly and glanced back at Ivo, who nodded to her unasked question. Of course Ursalina was among the shifters. Tanith had met the woman in Espie’s presence, and she’d always given Tanith a bit of a weird vibe. She’d already guessed as much.
“I’m so sorry,” Blake muttered, pulling her in with an arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. Not today. I should have taken you home.”
“Well, I’m here now,” she said firmly as she untangled herself from his hold and crossed her arms. Around him, several others appeared flustered and distressed, and she wasn’t about to just let him brush her off because he felt bad for getting her involved. It was a little too late for that now.
Blake exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment, and then shook his head. “It’s as I suspected—the cougar clan was responsible for what happened to your gallery.”
A flood of emotions washed over her, ranging from rage to fear to sadness. Tanith didn’t know how to recognize a cougar shifter, any more than she had known which of the people were bears. She had no idea what she could have done to make the cougars hate her enough to destroy her business as they’d done.
“Oh,” she managed shakily.
“And they did it because of…me,” Blake admitted, his gaze darkening as he looked to Ursalina, who nodded.
“Why?” Tanith demanded. “Whywould they do that?”
“There’s a new theory going around,” Blake explained as whispered conversations erupted around her, familiar faces murmuring with each other.
Tanith suddenly wondered just how well she knew these people—her Angel Fire neighbors, her customers, her fellow art enthusiasts. Blake seemed not to notice the others; his stare was fixed only on her, and when she met it, Tanith felt like the only person in the room. She nodded slightly, prompting him to continue.
“Angel Fire has had problems with cougars ever since Willard Vesper used them to attack the town,” Blake explained, “and we thought we’d gotten rid of them last year when we ran them out of town. When they reappeared, we assumed they were here for vengeance. And we were right, but it’s taken us a while to analyze their behavior and track their patterns. It seems, however, that they are targeting the clan medics.” He paused, as if waiting for her to say something, then cleared his throat and added, “And that would be me. I’m their target, along with several others in the other clans.”
Rage coursed through her at the news—and not for herself. Of course, it was the oldest play in the book: hurt your enemy by destroying the ones they loved. Her involvement with Blake, should all this business with the cougar shifters be true, meant both Tanith and Hayley were in danger. But in that moment, all Tanith cared about was that someone out there wanted to hurt Blake—the sweetest, most patient man she had ever had the good fortune of loving. No way would she stand for it.
“That’s insane,” she snapped. “All of this is.”
“No one ever said these people were reasonable,” Miguel Ruiz interjected, sidling into the group, his burly arms crossed. “Eliminating our medics would severely weaken all the clans. When they’ve accomplished that, our theory is that they will move on to the mystics among us next.” His dark eyes darted to Ursalina. “You’re in danger.”
She waved him off, and in a deep, hypnotic voice remarked, “I’m never in danger, Miguel, but your medics most certainly are.”
“Then what are we going to do about that?” Tanith demanded as she clutched Blake’s arm. “Should he leave town?”
“Only if you come with me,” he said softly, then shook his head. “But I can’t leave the clan behind. I’m honor-bound to heal them. These people are my family now, just as you are. I have pledged myself to take care of them. I can’t—”
“Then what?” Emotion made her chest tight. “Do we just sit around and wait for them to finally get you? What’s the next step up from burning my gallery? Murder?”
“Blake and Tanith should stay in one of the rooms here,” Ivo insisted, though Blake quickly shook his head as those around them agreed. “When we figure out what the best plan is, we can go from there.”
“Not a bad idea, Ivo,” Miguel said, which made her friend grin.
“Thanks, I just—”
“We don’t need to hide,” Blake announced, though everyone around them continued to talk in hushed conversations, like he didn’t deserve a say in it. “Ursalina and I have already come up with a plan. We just need time to enact it.”
“I’ve yet to hear or approve of this plan,” Miguel told him with a frown. “Why is that?”
Blake shrugged. “I’ve been working off a theory, one I didn’t want to believe, but the mounting evidence suggests it’s fact now. We must act.”
“And we will.” Tanith watched Miguel calm everyone within a ten-foot radius of him; that man seemed to have a special power over these people. Hell, even Tanith felt somehow reassured by him. “But until I know exactly what’s going on, you need to be kept safe.” His eyes wandered to Tanith for a moment before returning to Blake. “Both of you need to be safe.”
Blake appeared as though he wanted to protest, but a quick glance at her and he gave in. “Fine. We’ll wait. Text me when you realize my plan is the right one.”
Then, without another word, he grabbed Tanith’s hand and tugged her deeper into the cave.
