One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (10 page)

Impeccable timing,
I thought to myself. If Charlie walked out and I never saw him again, I would have regretted not having called April to witness this unexpected appearance.

It took her a minute before she recognized Charlie, and her smile withered, replaced with shock. When she didn’t speak, he stood up and cleared his throat.

“April, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman. But I can still see that young girl who used to hide her romance novels in the cabinet beneath the register. You’ve embraced the natural beauty of your hair. I much prefer it that—”

Without warning, April threw her purse at him, and he flinched. “How
dare
you!”

He held his hands up. “Let me explain.”

“Explain how you pretended to have cancer and
die
? Now you show up and want to compliment my hair? I don’t understand. You lied to us! I cared about you, Charlie. I looked up to you like a father.” Tears swam in her hazel eyes, and her lip quivered.

Trevor approached her with open arms. “Come here, babe.”

She tried to fight him, but he stroked her upper arms and calmed her down. A smudge of eyeliner crawled down her cheek with a teardrop, and he wiped it away. When Reno wasn’t around, Trevor guarded April like a watchdog.

Charlie’s feet were rooted in place, and I remained seated, still reeling from shock myself. Maybe I’d whacked my head on the floor harder than I thought.

April pushed Trevor out of the way and approached Charlie with alarming speed.

He backed up a step. “You might want to hold on to that anger, because what I’m about to tell you will change everything you thought you knew.”

She hesitated, her hands clenched. “What do you mean?”

The tension in the room crackled like fallen electrical wires.

Charlie locked eyes with her and kept his voice steady. “I’m the one who hit your father’s car.”

April blanched.

“What the fuck?” Trevor hissed.

“It was an accident,” Charlie admitted. “I was stupidly driving drunk and had a collision. He died instantly; there was nothing I could do. I panicked and called the only person I knew who could make the scene look like an accident. You have to understand that the last place a Mage wants to end up is in a human jail.”

She shook her head. “You’re a
Mage
? You—”

“I got a new identity, closed my hot dog shop, and leased out some space for a candy store. Driving drunk that night was the worst mistake of my life, and not a day passes I don’t think about it. But you see, I couldn’t get involved with the human police. I’m immortal, and a life sentence would be long enough to raise suspicion. My prints were all over the car, my paint embedded in his… I panicked.”

April’s gaze drifted down to the patterns on the tile floor. “Is that why you hired me, because you had a guilty conscience and thought you’d do me a favor?”

“No,” he said woefully, stepping closer. “I didn’t know he was your father—not in the beginning. I once asked why you never talked about your father. When you told me about the accident, I made the connection. Same date, same location. After that, I planned my exit from this life. I could have sold the shop like I’d done a million times and used that money to start over, but I wanted to leave you two something. You were always a motivated young lady, and I knew you’d recognize a good opportunity. I gradually stepped back and gave you two more responsibilities. It was the right thing to do. Staying would have meant deceiving you. To tell you the truth, seeing your sunny face every day filled me with the worst kind of guilt.”

My heart broke for April, but somehow she managed to hold herself together with a resolve I didn’t understand.

“My father’s death was a long time ago. Eventually every woman has to let go of the pain that will keep her from living a fulfilled life.” While there was conviction in her words, I certainly didn’t hear it in her voice—not in that moment. April was fighting off a rising emotion that quickly took hold, and she burst into tears. “You killed my father!” she screamed, her voice cracking.

April’s knees gave way, and Trevor held her up from behind until she steadied herself. Dark liner smeared down her face, and she gave way to the pain.

Charlie’s voice broke. “It wasn’t intentional.”

Trevor caged his arms around her from behind and stared daggers at Charlie.

I finally rose to my feet and stood between them. “Why are you back? Because this is a little traumatic for everyone. We would have been just fine living the rest of our lives thinking you were fertilizing a tree somewhere. Is it the store you want?”

“I don’t want the store.” He clasped his hands before him and regarded me with critical eyes. “I live on the East Coast now in Cognito. Rumors are spreading fast about a pack war, and we’ve noticed rogues leaving the city over the past few months. I don’t know if you’re aware of what’s developing, but I didn’t just come down here to warn you; I came to help. You might not want it after all the deceit, but this is bigger than any grudge you’re holding. I didn’t mean to take a life all those years ago, and seeing the aftermath of that destruction made me realize how every choice I make affects someone. This is a choice I’m making because turning away would be a sin.”

“It’s not your battle to fight,” Trevor said, stroking April’s hair.

“No, but ignoring something because it’s none of my business is the wrong thing to do. If you saw a human child wander into a busy street, would you keep walking? Didn’t think so. Sometimes we don’t have to be the same to feel compassion. You know the powers I have as a Mage, and I’ll fight for your pack.”

April wiped her face and stepped out of Trevor’s arms. “How do you know we’re in a pack? I’m human and—”

“And mated to quite an interesting man who happens to be a Shifter. I’ve been out of your lives, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been checking up on you.”

April moved around me until she was standing in front of him. In a flash, she slapped him across the face. Without a word, she spun on her heel and stalked out the door, leaving her purse behind.

Trevor picked it up and shot me a conflicted look. “You okay to drive?”

I nodded. “Go after her.”

When he rushed out the door, I gestured toward the table. “Why don’t you have a seat, and we’ll talk.”

Charlie rubbed his cheek, the skin turning a bright shade of red. He sat down, his gaze drifting around the store until he focused on the Parisian painting by our table. “You’ve done a fine job classing it up, Lexi. I thought you’d knock out the wall in the old store and build a coffee shop like you always talked about, but this was a smart move.” He sat down and lifted his cup. “Expanding on the Breed side of town, I mean. It gets tricky living in the human world and having to deal with their taxes, laws, and hiding what you are. On top of that, you risk regulars finding out when they notice you aren’t aging. You’ll always have to sell and start over.”

“Is that what you’re still doing?”

“Nah. I finally capitulated and opened a hot dog eatery in the Breed district. Call me old-fashioned, but I always liked selling hot dogs. It’s nice not having to worry about taxes.” He sipped his coffee, and his grey eyes lit up. “But I guess you know
all
about that by now. Ever thought about selling the candy store?”

I shrugged. “We still make good money, and it belongs to April. I own it, but it’s always been her store.”

Charlie set down his empty cup and pushed it away. “I need to talk to your Packmaster.”

I huffed out a laugh and tapped my fingers on the table, irritated with his demand. “What do you need to talk to him about? He’s not going to set you up with a room so you can fight with us.”

“I really don’t care for moving in with anyone. I’m here to offer you my help.”

“The war might not even happen. Not for years, so you’re wasting your time down here.”

Charlie nodded. “True. But if there’s one thing an immortal has, it’s time. I’m not a naïve man. April’s never going to forgive me, and that’s understandable. I’m not here to win her over, because she has every right to hate me. But I’ll never be square with the fates unless I atone for my sins. I’m a penitent man, and the window of time I have to make peace with her is a short one. Time stops for no man, and she isn’t getting any younger.”

“You could have told us you were leaving. Maybe if you had confided in us, we would have understood.”

He laughed richly. “That would have meant telling you about the Breed world, and you wouldn’t have been prepared for it. And then to just leave you with that information?” He shook his head. “It could have placed you in danger with the loan shark I was working with.”

“Yeah, Maddox isn’t a forgiving man.”

His brows popped up. “How do you know his name?”

“Well, Charlie, if you’d done a really thorough investigation, you might have discovered that Maddox and my mother are now an item.”

He tossed his spectacles on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I was hoping I wouldn’t run into him during this trip.”

I gave him a mirthless smile and carried his empty cup to the trash. “Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

Two weeks had passed since Charlie shocked us with his return.
Austin spoke with him privately, although he didn’t disclose to me the details of their conversation. He didn’t want to upset April by mentioning his name in our house. Aside from that, Maddox would probably skin him alive. We were certain April hadn’t told Maddox; otherwise, he would have been out for blood. God knows we had enough to worry about with the rogues. I hadn’t seen Charlie since, and that was probably for the best. For several days I couldn’t concentrate at work—constantly looking up each time the bell jingled on the door, thinking it might be Charlie.

I licked icing off my finger and set the butter knife on the counter.

“
Holy shitola.
It’s like Betty Crocker had an orgy.” Denver stood in the kitchen doorway, eyes wide at the cupcakes covering every visible inch of countertop and table available. “What the train wreck is going on in here?”

“Want one?”

A hysterical laugh bubbled out, and he raked his fingers through his light hair, examining the kitchen as if it were a crime scene. “I don’t think one cupcake is going to make much of a dent. Is this for a client?”

I worried my lip and wiped a few crumbs into the sink. “No, I just wanted to bake some cupcakes. One dozen led to four, and the rest is history.”

“You’re a bag of nuts.” He lifted a red-velvet cupcake and licked the frosting. “Good thing the twins have been playing outside all day or else—”

“
Wow,
” someone whispered in awe.

Two boys with russet-colored hair stood in the open doorway, eyes as wide as saucers as they took in the unholy display of sugar.

“Too late,” Denver sang, gobbling up his cupcake in one bite. He wiped some icing on his faded, long-sleeved shirt.

“May we have one, Aunt Lexi? We’ll share, if that’s okay.”

I laughed inwardly at their politeness and held up a finger. “One each.”

They took their time, perusing the table and investigating all the different flavors.

“So what’s up with you lately?” Denver asked. “Does this have to do with why April’s been acting funny?”

When the boys began giggling, I peered over my shoulder and saw Spartacus standing on one of the long benches, licking a cupcake.

“Take him out of here,” I snapped. “I don’t need all my cupcakes covered in cat hair.”

They snatched their treats and raced into the living room, the cat under Hendrix’s arm.

“It calms me,” I replied. “I don’t know how to explain it, but baking is therapeutic.”

“You should let your mate work out some of those kinks.”

The next thing I knew, my face slammed against the floor, and I heard a high-pitched ringing in my ears. Denver was yelling far away, and everything around me had narrowed into tunnel vision.

“Call a Relic!” Denver cried out, his voice distant and muffled as if from a dream.

The sudden movement of people in my line of vision made me nauseous, so I shut my eyes. Someone rolled me onto my back, and slowly my hearing returned. I took a deep breath and looked up.

The first thing I noticed was Austin’s smell. Then it was the warmth from his hand as he rested it on my forehead. I concentrated on his eyes, drawing strength from his spirit wolf.

“Lexi? Can you hear me? What the hell happened?” Austin growled at Denver.

The look on his face frightened me.

Denver shook his head. “We were just talking, and she dropped like a stone.”

Austin lifted me into his arms and moved through the house. I nestled my face against his neck, drawing in his scent and using him as my anchor.

“Is something wrong with her?” Naya asked worriedly.

“We’ll be upstairs,” Austin said gruffly. “Make sure the stove is turned off.” He sighed and gave me a scolding glance. “Have you been standing over that hot oven all day? I knew I shouldn’t have left you this morning when I saw you pulling out all those bags of sugar.”

“You smell good,” I murmured. “Better than cupcakes.”

And of all the inappropriate times, I got the tingles.

He gently laid me down on the bed and began removing my shoes and socks. “When’s the last time you shifted?”

“Colorado,” I confessed.

“Jesus, no wonder. Why don’t you shift in here, and I’ll hang out and keep your wolf company.”

My shoe dropped to the floor.

“She doesn’t want to come out.”

He stood up with his fists planted on his hips, scolding me with his judgmental look. “Just as well; the Relic is on her way.”

“I’m fine.”

“Is she okay?” Trevor asked from the doorway. “Denver said she fainted again.”

Austin’s icy blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean
again
?”

Trevor backed up a step. “You didn’t tell him?”

With a flick of his wrist, Austin slammed the door and shut Trevor out of the room. “What the hell’s going on that you’re keeping secrets from me?”

I eased up on my elbows. “I didn’t do it intentionally; it just slipped my mind. That was the night Charlie showed up at the store. I didn’t want to worry you, and I’ve felt fine ever since. It was my first day back to work after sitting on my butt for a week; it’s no wonder.”

Austin climbed onto the bed, sinking his weight on my left and letting me stroke his chin. “Are you hungry? Maybe you haven’t eaten enough.”

“I’ve had plenty.”

“Cupcakes don’t count.” He inched closer, his hand sliding up my shirt and resting on my belly. When I saw his pupils dilate and that amorous look on his face, I decided to let Dr. Austin examine me instead of the Relic. After all, he gave the most thorough examinations.

I took his wrist and moved his hand until it rested over my sex.

He flashed me a roguish grin. “Let’s wait for the Relic.”

But I couldn’t wait. The heat from his hand was penetrating through my clothing, as was the smoldering look in his eyes.

I stroked my fingers on top of his. “This would make me feel so much better,” I said in slow words.

His smile diminished. Austin slipped his hand inside my sweats and moved his fingers the way I liked—going deep and then circling right over the sensitive spot.

“Damn,” he breathed, and his eyes hooded.

The chemistry between us had always been intense. Sometimes the more I resisted him the stronger it became, as if we were two magnets drawn to each other.

“Please,” I begged, arching my back.

He nibbled my ear and whispered, “Baby, keep doing that.”

A flush of heat covered my body, and I wanted him to claim me. Austin consumed me with his alpha energy as he slipped his fingers beneath my panties.

One touch.

That’s all it took.

I felt it to the core of my being. It reminded me of our first intimate moment in this house, a thunderstorm crashing outside and Austin pleasuring me all night in every way but one. I trembled with desire now as I had then.

Desire rumbled in his chest. “I want to take you on a drive.”

Images flashed in my mind—erotic memories of things we had done under the privacy of a million stars.

I gasped, shocked by the intensity of my orgasm, which struck me out of nowhere. Austin massaged my inner thigh, moving his hand slowly up to my stomach and breathing hard against my neck.

“Jesus, Lexi. I can’t do this.”

He was trembling with need, so I rolled against his chest, swallowed up by his embrace.

“That’s okay,” I whispered. “I wouldn’t want to traumatize the poor Relic who walks in on us. She’ll think you’re the reason why I’m weak in the knees.”

Austin laughed silently and kissed the top of my head. “All right, smartass. Just lie still and let me know if you need anything.”

“I think I’m good for now,” I said with a smile in my voice.

***

“I do realize that you’re the Packmaster, but every patient I treat receives my absolute confidence,” the Relic told Austin in his proper British accent.

Austin was a tad jealous because, as it turned out, the Relic who had delivered Izzy’s babies had sent her partner, Edward, in her stead. Shifters don’t have much need for Relics since we don’t catch diseases and heal through shifting. They were only necessary if one of the kids got hurt or something didn’t heal right. Austin wasn’t thrilled to have a man giving me a medical exam, and maybe part of that was because Edward was rather dashing in a BBC Masterpiece kind of way. Dirty-blond hair with a stubborn kink, small eyes beneath brows sloped down as if he was deep in thought. His Grecian nose gave him character and made up for his thin lips, which were slightly angled. He also didn’t look older than thirty, so that didn’t instill confidence in my mate.

“Austin, it’s fine. Just let him do his thing,” I said from my seat on the bed.

Austin lingered in the doorway, staring Edward down. “I’ll be right outside the door. If I so much as hear one whimper—”

“I assure you, she’s in capable hands.” Edward swung the door shut in Austin’s face and whirled around. “Firstly, I would appreciate if you addressed me by my full name or surname, whichever you prefer. I never did care for Ed. Secondly, how long ago did you have your first spell?”

I scooted up while he dragged a chair to the edge of the bed and sat down, crossing his legs. “Two weeks ago.”

Without asking, he took my wrist and held two fingers over my pulse. “And you never had anything like this happen before?”

“No. I didn’t even faint the first time Austin did the dishes.” When Edward didn’t laugh, I said, “That was a joke.”

“Yes,” he replied, staring at his watch. Then he let go of my wrist and lifted each of my eyelids, shining a light back and forth in front of my pupils. “Any other unusual symptoms?”

“None that I can think of. What’s your last name?”

“Graves.”

“That’s not very inspiring for a Relic.”

He opened a black bag and took out a needle kit. “Back to your symptoms. When I ask if you’ve noticed anything unusual, I don’t mean in human terms. My partner has made me aware of your history growing up human, so I need you to think like a Shifter. Have you experienced any peculiar… behavior? Anything out of the ordinary. Let me assure you that anything you disclose will remain private.”

All I kept staring at was the giant needle he was prepping. After a moment, he placed it on a cloth and tied a strip of rubber around my upper arm. I winced, focusing on his question to avoid tossing the needle across the room.

“I don’t know. I’ve felt nervous lately, but there’s a lot of stuff going on right now in the house that could be the cause. I spent hours baking this morning, and I guess it wore me out.”

Edward slapped my arm and squinted, sliding the needle in. “You have beautiful veins.”

“I hear that a lot.”

He cleared his throat, focusing on the task at hand.

Hmm. Edward didn’t have much of a sense of humor. But he wasn’t unpleasant and kept a professional bedside manner.