Consumed (13 page)

K
eegan’s phone kept buzzing on her night stand.

She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she rolled over and answered. “Hello.”

“Keegan?”

She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock: 3:33 in the morning. “Lauren, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry to call so late. It’s Donald. He’s out of control.”

Keegan’s heart dropped, and she sat up in bed. Athena rolled over on her back and growled in her sleep. “What do you mean? Is he ok?”

“Ok, is a relative term. He’s drinking all the time. I think he’s even doing drugs. Plus, he’s sleeping around with every girl he meets. And tonight he shifted into his tiger form on campus.”

Keegan’s hand flew to her cover her mouth. “Oh my god. Did anyone see him?”

“A couple of guys said they saw a tiger running around the campus. But everyone blew it off as they were drunk and didn’t believe them. Thankfully, the campus is surrounded by woods so he wasn’t visible for too long. The guys are at their wit’s end with him. They don’t know what to do. Calvron thought maybe if you came to talk to him it would help.”

“He won’t talk to me. I’ve sent him several texts and tried to call him, but he never responds.”

“Do you think you could come here and try to talk to him in person? Keegan, this is bad. He can’t be shifting in public.”

Keegan sighed and rubbed a hand over her eyes.
First, Tommy, now Donald…
She pulled Athena close. “I don’t know Lauren. I really don’t think it would help, but I guess I can try. Anna was talking about coming to visit you soon. I will talk to her in the morning and find out when we can get a flight out.”

“Thank you. I’m going to tell Calvron. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“K. Bye.” Keegan ended the call and sat back in her bed. She couldn’t believe Donald was losing it like that. It wasn’t like him. She knew he was upset, but she never knew him to lose control. He had always been the one to calm her when she was losing her temper. She really hoped she could do the same for him. But, she seriously doubted there was anything she could do. He couldn’t stand her. She wrapped herself in the blankets and tried to fall back to sleep but spent the next three hours thinking about Donald.

When she saw it was a decent time, she picked up the phone and called Anna.

“Hey, do you want to go see Lauren in the next day or so? She called me last night and told me Donald was out of control. He shifted on campus!”

“Are you serious? Yeah, I wanted to go see her soon anyway. I don’t have classes tomorrow, and I can skip today. Want to see if we can get a flight out today?”

“Sure, I’ll get online and see if I can get us tickets and call you back. Talk to you in a few minutes.” Keegan ended the call and went straight to her computer. First, she got a flight to Seattle and then purchased tickets for both of them to California. Good thing for her dad’s American Express, she thought wryly.

Keegan shrugged into a robe, then walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. She needed to let Rourk know, and she was worried he would be upset. She couldn’t hide things from her chosen. Keegan closed her eyes to check on him. He was sitting in a small room surrounded by guys in uniforms.
Goodness, he looks hot in uniform
. Keegan grinned to herself. She watched as he looked up and tried to hide the smile forming on his lips. He knew she was thinking of him. She sent him a text that they needed to talk. She watched as he stood up and walked out of the room. A minute later, her phone rang.

“Rourk I have to tell you something that might not make you happy.” Keegan paused as she sat on the couch and cradled a mug of coffee against her chest. Athena danced about on the rug in front of her, pulling a trail of toilet paper across the floor.

“You can tell me anything. Nothing will change the way I feel about you.” Rourk tensed he had no idea what she was going to say and wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it.

“I’m going to California today. Lauren called me and told me that Donald needs help. He has gotten out of control—he even shifted on campus. I’m not sure there is anything I can do to help him, but I need to try. He helped me so many times when I was about to lose my temper.” Keegan paused briefly and hurried on. “You have nothing to worry about. I don’t have feelings for him in that way anymore. I just want to try to help him as a friend. You are the only one for me.”

She heard Rourk take a deep breath. “I trust you, Keegan. If you feel you need to do this, then I understand.”

“You do?” She could hear the shock in her own voice.

“Yes, it’s who you are. Your friends are important to you. I’m not going to say I am thrilled about the idea, but I will not try to stop you. How long do you think you will be there?”

“I’m not sure. Just a couple of days I think. I will be back before you come to visit. If anything keeps me there longer, you can meet me in California.”

“Ok, keep me updated. Thank you for letting me know. I love you.”

“I love you, too. You’re the best! I’ll text you and keep you in the loop. I can’t wait to see you this weekend.” Keegan smiled, hoping he could hear it in her voice.

“Me either. When are you leaving?”

“I’m flying out in three hours, and then I’ll get a connecting plane with Anna this evening.”

“What about Athena?” Rourk asked.

Keegan glanced down at the ball of white rubbing its back on the fluffy purple rug. The puppy jerked to a stop and panted, her dark eyes staring up at Keegan. “Oh. I don’t know. I guess I could find a pet-sitter.”

“Check the phone book for kennels. You can put her up for a few days.”

Keegan nodded to herself. “Great idea.”

“Ok, I have to get back into work,” Rourk said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Oh, one last thing.” Keegan lowered her voice. “You are the sexiest man in that room.”

Rourk laughed loudly. “Bye, Keegan.”

Keegan disconnected and smiled as she refilled her coffee in the kitchen. She called Lauren and Anna to fill them in on plans before pulling out the phonebook to find a kennel. After the puppy situation was sorted, she packed her bags for the trip. She didn’t bring much since she didn’t plan to be there for long.

It was so good to see Anna. She had chopped her hair off: it was completely pink. Keegan hugged her tightly and didn’t want to let go. “You look great. I love the hair. It looks so retro.”

Anna fluffed up the side of her hair. “Thanks, I bleached it and it was driving me crazy so I went with pink. It was supposed to be red, but this is how it turned out.” She shrugged.

“Well, it looks amazing. You look like a hip art student.”

Anna was wearing skinny jeans and a long teal t-shirt with a belt cinched at her waist. Keegan definitely thought she looked like an art student; it was a look not many people could pull off, but Anna was stunning.

“You look fantastic too,” Anna said, leaning over to hug Keegan again. Keegan had just thrown on a pair of holey jeans and a peasant top, going for comfort over style for the plane ride.

“Thanks.”

“Let’s go grab something to eat. There is an awesome bagel shop near by, and we can catch up.” Anna laced her arm through Keegan’s and led her to the parking lot.

They chatted about school on the drive to the bagel shop. Anna had made a lot of friends, and even gone on a few dates—which made Keegan feel like a failure. She still wasn’t sure why she wasn’t making a lot of friends in Alaska.

They walked into the bagel shop, and Keegan glanced around. It was a great atmosphere for hanging out: College students with laptops and books spread across their tables were sipping coffee and eating bagels. The walls were brown and hung with local art sporting reasonable price tags, and the large, dark mahogany counter was scarred by time. Keegan could see why Anna enjoyed hanging out there.

The girl at the cash register smiled. “Are you getting your regular today, Anna?”

Anna seemed to have found a place she fit in. Keegan was happy for her.

“Yep, that’d be great, Erica.”

“What about your friend?” Erica turned her pale green eyes to Keegan.

“Um, do you have white chocolate mocha?”

“We sure do! What size?”

“Some things never change.” Anna nudged Keegan with her elbow and smirked.

After they received their drinks, and Anna’s bagel, they found a small table in the corner.

“We really need to get a place together. Living in a dorm sucks.” Anna flung her bag over the back of her chair and fell into it. “My roommate is so annoying. Half the time, she shows up at three am drunk or with some guy. Believe me, that is not something you want to wake up to.”

Keegan shuddered. “Ugh. I would say not. Well, start looking for a place for us. I plan on moving here in January.” She glanced around and motioned with her coffee cup. “This place looks much more happening than Alaska.”

Anna’s face lit up. “I’m so excited! I’ve really missed having you around.”

“So, what has been going on with you? Are you dating anyone?” Keegan raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her coffee.

“Keegan, there are so many hot guys here it is insane! I just want to gobble them all up.” She tilted her head towards a guy across the room.

Keegan glanced over, trying to be surreptitious. He was indeed nice eye candy. “Can’t you cast a spell on him or something?”

“Why yes, actually I can. However, I want someone to like me for
me
, not for a spell. I’m not opposed to using one if I get too desperate though.” Anna winked.

Keegan laughed. “I’ve really missed this.”

Anna leaned forward and lowered her voice. Her sparkly blue eye shadow glinted in the low light hanging over their table. “So Donald really shifted in public? You must have done a number on that poor boy.”

“I feel horrible. Hopefully, we can talk some sense into him.”

They sat and chatted for a couple of hours before they went to Anna’s dorm room and picked up her bag; they had a flight to catch and a tiger to save.

Lauren, Spencer, Sam, and Calvron greeted them at the airport. They all looked older and more mature; it made Keegan kinda sad. She missed the days of them chasing each other around school like children, getting yelled at by teachers to slow down and grow up.

Calvron’s style had changed significantly. He was at one point as outrageous as Anna had been, but was more subdued now. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a plain red t-shirt. His messy blonde hair hadn’t changed.

Lauren pulled the girls into a hug. She hadn’t really changed: her dark hair was still long and curly and pulled back into a low ponytail. The pink sundress she wore showed off her toned arms and legs. Lauren was one of the most beautiful girls Keegan knew.

It hadn’t been that long since they had seen each other, but it felt like a lifetime. They were growing apart, and they all knew it. It was hard to let go of childhood.

Calvron cleared his throat. “We have a serious problem and even I am at a loss of what to do.”

Keegan was flooded by guilt. She knew she was the cause of the whole mess.

“Can’t you use magic to rein him in?” Keegan asked.

“I’ve been trying, and it has been helping somewhat, but not nearly enough. I think he has to hit rock bottom before we can help him. I thought maybe if we staged a sort of intervention, we might be able to get through to him.” Calvron met Keegan’s eyes. “I hope you can get through to him.”

Keegan shook her head. “I can try. Just don’t be surprised if he wants nothing to do with me.”

“Where is he now?” Anna wondered aloud.

“We have no idea,” Sam answered with a shrug. “He’s been gone for days, and we can’t find him anywhere.”

Anna spoke up. “I can find him. I’ll put a tracking spell on him.”

They all looked at Anna in surprise.

“Obviously you’ve been working on your skills.” Calvron sounded pleased. Keegan noticed the way he appraised Anna, as if he were seeing her in a new light.

“Yes,” Anna answered, blushing. “I’ve found a couple of solitary witches in Seattle. We meet up once a week for ritual and discussion. I’ve learned so much.”

“Let’s get out of here.” Spencer grabbed Keegan’s bag and carried it for her as they headed for the door. He was tall, with black hair and vivid green eyes. He bumped gently against Keegan and whispered, “It’s not your fault.”

She sighed. “I feel like it is. It makes me so sad.”

Blond-haired, blue-eyed Sam overheard and butted in. “You should feel bad. You shattered the poor guy’s heart.”

Calvron stopped walking and turned towards them, eyeing Sam sternly. “No one is to blame. It is what it is. We live in a world of magic. We have to accept that we don’t always have control of our life path. That’s something Donald needs to learn.”

This declaration quieted them all as they got Anna’s and Keegan’s luggage and walked out the door.

Lauren spoke up as they reached her car in the parking garage. “We’ll go to my place. It’s big, and I don’t have a roommate. Anna, do we need to stop and get anything for the spell?”

Anna shook her head no. “I have everything I need.”

Lauren’s apartment was in an old converted warehouse in an artsy district of the city. It didn’t look like much on the outside—just a big, concrete square—but inside, it was lofty and spacious.

“It’s mostly students,” she told Keegan as she locked the door behind them. “My neighbors are all really cool. There are parties almost every weekend somewhere in the building.”

“This is gorgeous,” Keegan said, and sighed as she thought of her tiny apartment in Alaska. The ceilings were high, with exposed ductwork and track lighting. One wall was nothing but windows that looked out over a busy street. The floor plan was open—the kitchen counter overlooked a centrally placed living room with a matching black leather couch set and television.

“You guys can stay in here,” Lauren said, opening a closed door down a small hallway. “It’s my only spare room, just the one bed but it’s king-sized. Do you mind?”

“Nope,” Anna said and flopped on the black comforter.

Keegan laughed, dropping her bags against the dresser. “I can’t believe how nice this place is.”