Changing Hearts (16 page)

Moving quietly to the front porch, he stripped and changed in the corner then stalked around to the side of the house so he could see the driveway.

Joie stood by
Tante
’s side inside the cabin as a banged-up red pickup truck stopped in their driveway. She didn’t know the vehicle and a look at her godmother’s face told her that
Tante
didn’t know it either. Joie took a deep breath. Malcolm had disappeared, but she knew he wouldn’t be far away.

A subtle click announced the door opening, and the biggest man Joie could remember ever seeing stepped out of the truck. He looked Native American to her. Jet black hair braided away from his face to reveal a broad forehead, sharply chiseled nose and a strong chin. A white t-shirt covered a massive chest and jeans with boots completed his wardrobe. She noted part of a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve on one arm and a long earring shaped like a feather dangled from one ear.

As she took inventory, the stranger pulled his sunglasses off to hook them into the front of his t-shirt by one earpiece. He stared intently at the back door but made no move toward it.

At her side, Tante Kay took a deep breath. Joie reached out to take her hand as the two of them stepped closer to the door, keeping the screen between them and their visitor.

“Greetings, Grandmother, Little Sister.” His deep whisper of a voice seemed barely there yet it reached them easily. He inclined his head, somewhat regally, in their direction.

The older woman’s face broke into a smile. “What you doin’ here, Shaman?”

“Seeking.”

Joie thought maybe she felt his voice more than heard it, but shook her head at her silliness. Surely that couldn’t be true. The stranger still hadn’t moved from the side of his truck and Joie suddenly realized he wouldn’t, not until one of them invited him to do so. She glanced at Tante Kay then back at their visitor.

“Seeking what?” Annoyed that her voice sounded so uncertain, Joie cleared her throat. The stranger’s dark brown eyes turned to her, though he barely moved his head.

It hit her hard then. She knew, just from that one glance, what their visitor was. Like Malcolm, he was a shapeshifter. A shiver coursed over her. What if this was the shifter responsible for the deaths in New Orleans? If he sought Malcolm to kill him, Joie knew she would do whatever it took to prevent that.

Even as her mind registered the futility of her words, her body prepared for the inevitable. She knew how fast he would be but she also knew she could reach the shotgun quickly. She didn’t know if she could actually pull the trigger, but she might be able to give Malcolm a few precious moments to help him escape this man. She looked again at her godmother.

“Not what, who.”

“Yes, Grandmother, who. I am Micah Keeps Vigil. I know Slade has been here. His scent lingers. Has he harmed either of you?” He cocked his head to one side as he studied the two women.

“He wouldn’t!” Joie cried out before Tante Kay’s nails bit into her hand, silencing her. Tante Kay shook her head then opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. Joie tugged at her godmother’s hand tightly, but received a sharp yank in response.

“Don’t be silly, child. This Shaman, he’s not here to harm us or…”
Tante
peered closely at the man. “You here to hurt him?”

Those dark brown eyes stared hard at them both for a long moment before his attention shifted abruptly to the side of the house. Joie glanced to the side to see Malcolm stepping around the corner of the porch. He wore only his jeans even though she knew for a fact he’d been fully clothed at breakfast. She also realized Micah hadn’t answered
Tante
’s last question.

She could feel the tension rolling off Malcolm as he approached. He never took his eyes off the other man though she watched his hands clench into fists. Malcolm’s face held a sneer she’d never seen before. She moved toward him but stepped back at the quick shake of his head. Joie glanced at Micah to see him staring back at Malcolm with the same intensity though he kept his hands open at his sides. Malcolm moved so that he became a wall between the two women and Micah before he spoke.

“What are you doing here, Micah?” His voice rasped out in one harsh breath.

“Looking for you. You didn’t really think you could just disappear, did you?” The slamming of the truck door made her jump. Malcolm didn’t even flinch.

Malcolm growled low in his throat. The sound terrified her. The echo from the other man confirmed her fear that this shifter must be here to harm him. Joie reached out to put her hand on Malcolm’s back. Micah tracked her movement then glanced at Malcolm again.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Slade.”

“I’m not playing anything.”

“Wrong. Do you really think you can hide from this? You’re still Alpha. You weren’t defeated. You ran away.”

Malcolm’s muscles tensed beneath her fingers. His breath came quicker, telling her how close his dangerous temper boiled beneath the surface. She brushed her hand lightly over his back. He shot a quick look her way, then stared at the other man again.

“I know Pack law, Micah.”

“Do you?” Micah leaned against the side of his truck, a faint smile on his face. “Then you know the challengers for Alpha will be looking for you. You’ll have to fight them, you have no choice.”

“Malcolm?” Both men stared at her and Joie swallowed hard before she continued. “Can’t you just resign? I don’t think you should be fighting right now.”

Malcolm pulled her against his side, wrapping his arm around her and resting his chin on top of her head for a moment. His voice sounded low, meant for her and no one else. “I have to fight, Joie. It’s the way things are done.”

“But you’re not completely well—” The rest of her sentence halted when Malcolm put his fingers over her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing against him.

“I’m fine.” He faced Micah again, raising his voice. “I’ll fight, but it will be on my terms.”

“You don’t get terms, Slade. You get challenges, and the sooner the better. The Pack is in total chaos and it’s your fault. Is this really what you had in mind when you took over? What happened to all your grandiose plans?” Micah stepped away from his truck, standing between it and the porch.

“Are you challenging me, Micah? Is that what this is about? You track me down then challenge me and go back to save the Pack? Has that been your plan all along?”

Joie stared at them. Both men bristled with tension suddenly as thick as the moss on the trees behind them. If they’d been in animal form, she knew she’d be seeing teeth and hearing them growl. Tante Kay remained silent as Joie leaned against Malcolm.

He wasn’t ready for any type of fight, especially not with someone as big as Micah. As though he’d heard her thoughts, Malcolm shot a quick glance at her. He pulled her closer so that he again stood between her and Micah.

“I’m not going to challenge you, Slade. I never wanted to be Alpha. If I’d wanted it, I would have taken over before Curtis got so sick. You, on the other hand, left a mess and no one to clean it up. I suggest you get back to New Orleans soon and take care of things.” Micah backed away from the steps, never taking his eyes off Malcolm.

The two men changed positions slightly so that they continued to face one another. Micah stepped to the side of his truck, his eyes still on Malcolm. He darted a quick glance at Joie, then looked back at Malcolm.

“By the way, Maggie is back with the Pack. I’ve a feeling she’ll be one of your challengers.”

Malcolm suddenly laughed. “A female Alpha? The Pack won’t go for that.”

“Don’t be too sure. She was already ruthless but you fine-tuned her. You taught her well.” Micah nodded at Joie and Tante Kay. “Take care, Grandmother, Little Sister.” He stared at Joie for a long moment then turned his back on them and walked to his truck. Again Malcolm stiffened beside her and she got the impression that Micah turning his back on them had to be an insult of some type.

They watched as Micah got into the beat-up pickup and turned it around. For some insane reason, the license plate caught Joie’s eye.
What on earth is Micah doing here if he lives in Wisconsin?
As the truck started down the driveway, the tension in Malcolm’s body slowly faded.

“Malcolm? Do you have to leave?”

“Soon, baby, soon.” He turned and suddenly his eyes were glowing at her. “Don’t be scared. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not to either of you.” He spared a glance for Tante Kay, then pulled Joie hard into his arms. She felt his heart beating strongly in his chest.

She sighed as she wrapped her arms around his waist again. Joie heard Tante Kay go back inside though she and Malcolm stayed on the porch holding one another.

Joie glanced up at him after a few minutes, biting her lip. Curiosity won, she had to know what was in that box. “Malcolm? Something fell out of your jacket earlier. A small box. Can I ask what it is?”

“Where’d you put it?”

“I left it on my nightstand.” She glanced at him, unable to tell if he was angry or not. Malcolm sighed deeply then led the way back into her room.

He picked up the box. It surprised him to realize she hadn’t opened it. He turned the knob. “These are my parents. This was taken on, I don’t know, maybe my fifth birthday. Before all the shit went down with them.”

He handed her a faded, much-folded picture. The woman in the photograph smiled at the little boy holding her hand. Her hair looked to be the same cinnamon brown as Malcolm’s. It was impossible to see exactly what color her eyes were but Joie would bet they were just as golden as her son’s. The man also smiled at the camera.

Malcolm looked a lot like his father, though he obviously got his coloring from his mother. The little boy in the picture had a huge smile on his face. A missing front tooth completed his grin and he looked like any child who was loved and taken care of. It broke Joie’s heart to think of how much he’d lost. How had that joyous little boy wound up as the hardened man in front of her?

“This belonged to Tonio. The first human I ever really trusted.” He handed her a medallion. It wasn’t very big, but it was heavy. Joie turned it over in her hand.

“Saint. Blaise?”

“I don’t know, Tonio said I needed it more than he did. Six weeks later he died. I found this next to his body.” Malcolm handed her the only other thing in the box, the slug.

Joie took it from him then looked up at him. “Do you know who Saint. Blaise was?”

Malcolm shook his head. Joie smiled as she turned the medal over in her hand. “Saint. Blaise was a healer and the patron saint of wild animals. Legend says the animals would find their way to him when they were hurt, though they would never disturb his prayers. Why have you kept these all this time?”

“Beats me.” Malcolm took the items back from her, not even glancing at the photo, and shoved them inside the box. He pulled Joie against his chest, wrapping his arms around her again. “Just pieces of the past, baby.”

He seemed content to just hold her, and then he stiffened against her.

Slade released her slowly, waiting until she met his eyes again. “I have to go somewhere now. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t worry? You’re kidding, right?” Joie stood and watched as he stripped again. Slade handed her his jeans as she trailed him to the porch, holding them against her chest.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I need to cover my tracks a bit. If Micah found me, others can too. Just stay close to the cabin or at least close to Tante Kay today.”

“Okay.” They stepped out onto the porch together. “Malcolm?” She put her hand on his arm then wrapped her arms around his waist. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” Slade tilted her head back, kissed her hard, then stepped out of her arms. He winked and shifted.

Hoping he wasn’t too late, he took off toward the road. There was still one small matter he needed to talk to Micah about. No way would he let Micah get away without answering one more question for him.

Slade covered ground fast, running full out for the road, hoping he’d be in time to stop Micah before he got too far. The roads around here were mainly gravel so no one who valued their vehicle, or their life, drove too fast. The main road was paved, but it took some time to get to it.

He rounded a bend and saw the truck just ahead of him. Releasing his animal more fully, he put on a burst of speed and caught up to the truck just five miles from the cabin.

Micah must have seen him in the rearview mirror because he jammed on the brakes. Slade stopped, breathing hard, to watch as Micah got out of the truck. His features wary, he stood beside the truck.

“What do you want, Slade?”

Slade took another deep breath, proof that he honestly wasn’t one hundred percent cured, and changed. “I want to know how the fuck you found me, and I want to know how the fuck you forced me to change during that fight.”

Micah simply stared at him. “It wasn’t hard to find you after you came back to New Orleans. Are you really that stupid? Did you honestly think you could get that close to the compound without someone scenting you?”

“Then why didn’t they tell Maggie? Why didn’t you tell Maggie?”

“They came to me because they trust me. I didn’t tell Maggie because I despise her more than I despise you. You’re Alpha, Slade. That still counts for something to some of us. I respect the position even if I have no respect for the person holding it.”

“You’re not even Pack. Why do you give a shit what happens to them?”

“Because I grew up in a Pack and I know what it truly means to be Pack, Slade. Do you? All your life you’ve fought to be part of something. Now that things have gone against you, you turn tail and run? I thought you were better than that, at least.”

“You never thought I was better than that. You never thought I belonged.” Slade knew he sounded like a two-year-old but what Micah said was so fucking true. He had always fought for a place to belong. No one had ever wanted him just to want him.

Not until Joie.

“Answer my question, Micah. How did you force me to change? No one has that kind of power.”