Branches of the Willow 3 (7 page)

“I love you, Ash!” I managed as Mikael continued to nibble down my thighs.

“You too, hon! Later.” Just like that Ashley hung up, and I tossed my phone aside as Mikael flipped me onto my back and straightened himself out against me.

“Hi beautiful. You ready to come downstairs and eat? I stopped by Java Joe’s and grabbed you a caramel macchiato and some blueberry muffins.”

“Blueberry muffins?” I bit my bottom lip in, trying to decide which was more important in that moment. Fresh, hot, blueberry muffins or my gorgeous, hard-bodied mate. It was definitely a tough call.

“Come on.” Mikael laughed at me, and hauled me to my feet, pulling my body tight against his and caressing my backside with his right hand while he kissed me and reached for my robe with his left. “Let’s get you food. I talked to your mom while I was out. She said she’s stalled for as long as she could, but that people are starting to get antsy about your being MIA so long.”

“Damn those people!” I whined as we made our way downstairs.

“Truly!” Mikael agreed with me.

The rest of the day was spent much like the previous few. We couldn’t get enough of one another, taking time out only to eat, shower, and watch a movie towards the end of the evening. I was already dreading the next day, when we’d have to go back to reality, and try to find a balance between our time together, and what we had to give to everyone else.

I started dozing off at the end of the movie, which is when we started to give up for the night, and call it a day. As I was beginning to drift off in bed, with Mikael spooned up behind me, I was suddenly bound and determined to take him with me to meet the white wolves in the dream world where they always appeared to me. Part of me wanted to show him off to them. The other part of me wanted someone else to understand what the white wolf dreams were like, so I didn’t have to feel like a complete nutter when I talked about them. I figured if I could pull him into the dream, he could validate things for me with everyone else who had a hard time believing I actually talked to our ancestors when I slept sometimes. Nobody likes the insinuation that they may just be a big ball of nuts.

I wasn’t sure I would be successful, even when I smelled the familiar scents of lavender and fresh earth. The candle light danced in my periphery as usual. Everything appeared as it always did when I first showed up, and the dream haze began lifting a bit.

“What the hell?” It was Mikael’s voice.

“Oh my God! I did it!” I screeched at him.

“Did what? Where in the hell are we, Jess?”

“I brought you along to see the white wolves with me.”

“You did what?” He questioned, but I didn’t get a chance to answer as laughter towards the center of the room boomed all around us.

“She is growing stronger.” The wolf voices commented aloud. “Jessica, you have introductions to make.”

“This is Mikael, my mate.” I spoke reverently, then I gestured to the dais in the middle of the cave. “These are the former white wolves.”

Mikael stood speechless for a few minutes, before he finally collected himself. Then he bowed down before them, going to one knee, as he did. “It is my honor.”

“The honor is ours, young man. For you are the true mate of our daughter-spirit. From you both, the cycle continues.”

I watched as Mikael tried to focus on what he was seeing upon the dais. Soon, he was looking away, and rubbing his eyes. “Apologies, the constant shifting is hard to look at.” When he looked up again, there was only one image, that of a young woman with beautiful auburn hair and dark forest green eyes.

“We forget sometimes, the spectacle we make. You have nothing to apologize for. I am Aislynn. You shall see only my visage now, but we are all still here-still one.”

“Aislynn,” Mikael repeated thoughtfully. “You were the first?” It was a question and a statement all at once.

“That is correct.”

I suddenly felt like a jackass because I didn’t know that. It made me appreciate the fact that I had Mikael by my side even more though. As they conversed some more I tuned them out and absentmindedly began moving closer to the dais. There, in the little square of turned earth before them was a tiny little sprout of green beginning to push its way forth from the dirt.

“How can something grow in here with no light?” I wondered out loud. Then, a tiny little pinprick of light slipped through the top of the cave, sending a kiss of sunlight to land upon the little sprout, giving it the nutrients it would need to grow. I was awed, and I wasn’t even sure why. The white wolves seemed pleased with my interest in the little sprout. Mikael came and put his arms around me, taking note of the tiny thing too. “Maybe when we come back it will be filled out a bit more.”

“We have hopes that your sprout will flourish, indeed.” The white wolves said amidst a chuckle. Those girls always knew more than they were letting on. It was both infuriating and endearing. Before I could ask any questions about why the sprout was there the world was fading out again, growing hazy, as it always did to signal the end of a visit.

Mikael clung a little tighter to me, not knowing what was happening. “Relax.” I told him before we faded away completely.

BUSINESS

Our mini-vacation ended with a flourish when our phones started ringing off the hook the next morning. “Well, I guess that’s mom’s way of telling us it’s time to come back to work.” I groaned as I glared at the buzzing phone on my bedside table.

“Yeah, I know, Evan woke me earlier. I told him I needed a shower and coffee first, so I have to call him back in just a bit. Why don’t you hop in while I go get coffee started?”

I hadn’t even noticed Mikael wasn’t in bed with me when the phone woke me. That meant I slept through the call from Evan too. Odd. The smallest noises usually woke me. “Hey,” I called out to him remembering our shared dream. “I wasn’t imagining things last night was I?”

“I’m still reeling from that trippy episode. Do they shift like that all the time when you’re there?” He was smiling at me.

“Yes, they do. It was annoying at first, but I got used to it. I’m so glad I was able to pull you in. I feel like, now, at least one other person in the world won’t think I’m a nutter.”

“No one thinks you’re a nutter, Jess.”

“Well, I felt like one. It’s weird having creatures basically live inside your head that only you get to talk to. Come on, admit it, it’s crazy talk!”

“Okay, fine. But I thought you looked cute when you spoke of your imaginary friends.”

“Jerk!” I smacked his ass on my way through to the bathroom to grab my shower. “Make the coffee extra strong, please! I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mikael took off for the kitchen while I hopped in the shower and got dressed for the day. I was just putting on my shoes when my phone started buzzing again.

“Hello?” I answered as I held the phone between my shoulder and ear while I tied my shoe.

“Jessica?” It was Avery Daniels, and he sounded a bit frantic.

“Avery? Shit!” I remembered the two men we were supposed to drop off with Avery’s pack before Mikael and I took our impromptu honeymoon period. “We’ll be bringing those two wolves to you soon. Mikael and I just needed a break away.”

“What wolves, Jess?”

“The two I sent Andy to tell you about.” I told him.

“Andy? I haven’t seen Andy since your bonding ceremony.”

“I sent him days ago, Avery.”

“How many days, Jess? I was calling to tell you that my daughter, Annalise, has been missing for a few days. We found traces of blood near a hunter’s trap, but haven’t been able to locate her.”

“Shit! It was four days ago that I sent Andy.” I could hear Avery’s stuttered breathing on the other end of the line. “We’ll figure it out. Let me get back to the pack lands and see what I can find out on our side. I’ll have my dad send a few of his men to check between our lands too. Avery, I sent Andy through the pass. Maybe you can start there. If she was injured, maybe, I don’t know…” I was grasping for straws. “Maybe he found her and they’re hiding? Or…” I didn’t want to say what else I was thinking, that maybe they fell victim to the same hunters.

“Jess, just give me a call when you get there and let me know what you’ve found. We’re going to go search the cave pass now.” He hung up without further ado.

“Jess?” Mikael called out when he saw my face. “I brought coffee.” I took the mug and knocked it back like it was a shot. “What’s the matter, baby?”

“Our vacation was bad timing. That was Avery. No one ever bothered to see Andy made it there. He didn’t.” Concern flashed across Mikael’s brow. “That’s not all. Annalise is missing too.”

“Avery’s younger daughter?”

“Yeah, we need to get back to the pack, now.”

~*~

“Okay, Dad, fill me in on everything I’ve missed.” My father wasn’t looking at me. He was looking over my shoulder at Mikael, who was oblivious to my father’s death stare. “Earth to Jameson!” I shouted in his ear. He turned an incredulous eye on me then.

“I don’t know why you thought it was a good idea to take time off right now anyway. You’ve just launched new programs involving multiple packs, not to mention the man hunt for Malachai, Zach, and Sophia…”

“Jameson St. Marks!” My mother chimed in sharply. “You will not give Jessica any of your shit. This is an adjustment for everyone, and she deserved a few stolen moments with her new mate. I do recall you refusing to be pack leader once upon a time so you could be with me. Jessica doesn’t get the luxury of refusal, so you will cut her some slack while she adjusts.”

“Eileen,” my father started.

“Don’t you Eileen me! She’s here now, so fill her in.”

I gave my mom an appreciative smile, and watched out of the corner of my eye as Mikael hugged her. My father huffed his indignation, but let his lecture drop to fill me in on everything that had been happening. More to the point, the lack of anything happening.

“So, there hasn’t been a single sighting of Sophia, Zach, or Malachai? Anywhere? I just find that hard to believe.” I paced back and forth a bit, and then remembered my earlier conversation with Avery. “Avery’s daughter, Annalise, is missing. Andy never made it to meet Avery. They both seem to have disappeared on the same day, and the Daniels’ lands have been having trouble with interlopers trying to hunt there. I’m beginning to think that’s not all coincidence. Has he checked back in yet with updates for anyone?”

“Not yet.” My father answered. “I’ll give him a call though.”

“Okay, while you have him on the phone, let him know that I am calling a meeting of the nearest five pack leaders. We need something to give where Sophia, Zach, and Malachai are concerned. I can’t believe that no one has seen them. We do have people planted with the humans in places, right? Can’t we get them put on a watch list or something?”

“If we did that, then we wouldn’t be the only ones looking for them. Do you really want to risk an unsuspecting human approaching any of them?”

“No, I guess not, but there has to be something more we can do. I’m not just going to sit back and wonder if they’ll ever pop up again. I need closure, and so long as they are out there, our people remain in danger. None of them seem to have any qualms about hurting those who get in the way. Tom and Jack are proof of that.”

“I’ll call a meeting.” My dad agreed. “I’ll let Avery know, but he has his own worries right now.”

“I don’t expect Avery to show up. His priority is, and should be, Annalise. Have we heard from the guys that were sent out to scout between our boundaries?”

“Not yet. They should be checking in soon though. I’ll let you know as soon as they call in.”

My dad got ready to head to his office before I called him back. “Dad, the interlopers on Avery’s land…”

“Yeah?”

“I have a weird feeling. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our three fugitives are missing, and suddenly there’s a hunting problem on the Daniels Clan’s grounds.”

“You’re not the only one thinking that, Jess.”

“If anything happens to Annalise because of Zach and Malachai…” I couldn’t even finish the thought. What I wanted to do was crush them, worse than I wanted to for just messing with me. Annalise was such a sweet girl. I couldn’t imagine something awful happening to her just so those sadistic sons of bitches could taunt me some more.

“Let’s not add to our worries before we need to, Jess, even if we are all thinking it. I’m sure it will take a few hours for the others to gather here. You should go check with your Ancients you have in Jack’s place. They’ve been getting a bit restless over there, wondering why no one’s moved them to their new pack yet.”

“Of course.” I looked over at Mikael questioningly. “Walk with me?”

“Like you had to ask.”

Mikael and I did our rounds, checking in on the three Ancients. Brian and Nicholi were both chomping at the bit to get to the Daniels clan and get settled in. I was happy to see that Demetri was settling in with the guys working in the woodshop. They had wonderful things to say about him. Apparently, he was a natural, and had picked up a thing or two when he was watching Mikael’s uncle all those years.

It was close to five o’clock by the time everyone arrived, and we all met up at the meeting hall. I was surprised to see Avery Daniels there among the group. He noticed the look I passed his way, and excused himself from the conversation he was in to come speak to me.

“Jessica.” He acknowledged.

“Avery. What are you doing here? Has there been any word on Annalise?”

“She’s fine, Jess. We found her. We also located Andy. He’ll be staying with my pack for a time though.” I wasn’t known for my poker face, and Avery read the question there. “Can we discuss the details later, in private?”

I noticed that there were several people in the room who were trying hard not to look like they were eavesdropping. “Absolutely.” I moved away from Avery then, and took my place at the table. “I want to thank you all for coming on short notice. I know most of you were here a week ago about the Ancient Immersion Program, but we’re meeting for a different reason now. The last time Zach Brighton went into hiding we all shrugged it off, and discounted him. He may not be powerful, but he has a nasty habit of getting in bed with those who can help him cause a lot of trouble for our kind. I want him, the witch-Sophia, and Malachai found. I don’t care what kind of resources you have to put on this, we need to start seeing results.”