MERIBELLA

The room spun about her as the man's chilling voice seeped through the speaker. The walls closed in and sound became muffled, but the world burst back into focus as a familiar, throaty chuckle broke through.

    "Hey darling girl. Sorry about that. Chad doesn't know how to behave."

    "Mom? What the hell? I've been trying to get in touch with you all day, and then some random dude answers the phone. Who is Chad?" Meribella's shouts drew the attention of customers, but she was too upset to care.

    "Meribella- that's no way to speak to me. Besides, we spoke not that long ago. What's the rush?"

    She blanched at the callous tone. Gods, how had it never bothered her that her mother cared so little about her only child? "You're right, but in my defense, you usually answer the phone on the second or third try at least."

    The male speaker spoke, but his words were unintelligible. Whatever he said seemed to make her mother titter like a school girl and when she spoke again, she sounded breathless. "Is there a purpose for this call?"

    All the worry and fear from earlier was beginning to vanish, replaced by rage, but Meribella couldn't push away the vibe that something was wrong. "Where'd you meet Chad? How come I haven't heard about him?"

    "Meribella-- I really don't want to do this right now."

    "Mom, just answer the question, and then I won't bother you for another month."

    "Fine. Your Mam and I haven't been getting along lately so I decided it was time to put a little distance between the two of us. She stayed in Oregon, and I took a vacation in California, which is where I met Chad. We've been together for about a week."

    "Wow, Mom. A whole week. Better be careful, last time you had a man, it took less time than that to get knocked up."

    "Good lord Meribella. How did I raise such a prude?"

    "Oh I don't know, maybe the daily speeches from you and Mam telling me all about the evils of men... how they were good for nothing but heartbreaks and orgasms. Guess I took the first part of that sentence to heart while you focused on the second. That was an error on my part."

    "Maybe if you did the same, you'd be less of a pain in the ass. Look, if this is about you not finding the skin, don't take it out on me. I told you to give that up, but no, you packed that damn diary and map up and moved across the country. Forgive me if I choose to make something out of my--" her mother dropped to a whisper, "human life."

    "You're right, mother. I'm so sorry I even bothered with worrying about you." Her eyes remained dry, but she couldn't keep the tears out of her voice.

    "Meribella." A deep sigh. "Look, maybe I can ask Chad if he has any friends. He's about your age." Gross. "And he's actually from the town you were staying in last. Babe, what was it called again? Oh yeah, Cutler. Didn't you say you were staying there?"

    That one word set fire to the panic that had diminished when she heard her mother speak. "Mother--"

    "I'll talk to him and give you a call back later. We were in the middle of something very important. Bye."

    Dead air greeted her as the call ended. She let the two halves of the phone snap shut and tried to control her breathing. Herrin hadn't lied to her, but she'd almost rather they'd kidnapped the woman than this. She'd never manage to convince her mother that Chad was dangerous; she'd just call Meribella sexually repressed and advise her to get laid before throwing allegations around. Unless Chad actually physically hurt her, the woman would be in his control as long as they were sleeping together.

    "Motherfu--"

    "Now what kind of lady uses that language?"

    She spun around to find Raff's hunky Beta brooding behind her. Arms folded across his impressive chest, he watched her with dislike and distrust. Wanting nothing more than to tell him the truth, if for no other reason  than to have him end her life so she couldn't hurt Raff, she managed to arrange her features into a neutral position.

    "What kind of gentleman eavesdrops on a conversation?"

    "Babe, it's not eavesdropping if you're shouting in the middle of a public space. Problems with your mother?"

    "Piss off. I don't have time for you."

    "Funny, really," Lincoln continued as she maneuvered through the crowd to reach the stage. Joe had asked her to sing a set tonight, and she'd readily agreed.

    "Oh, what's that?"

    "Do selkies have waterproof phones?"

    Freezing, she mentally cursed. Stupid girl. Stupid. "This question coming from a man who turns into a dog?"

    The air shifted as the man behind her bristled, and her nose picked up on the sour smell of indignation. "Don't ever call me a dog again."

Clenching her hands in a tight fist, she summoned the courage to continue playing her part. She needed to make him focus on anything else but her slip up. Pushing away the feeling of Raff's arms around her, the feeling of his lips on her, she swung around and poked the beast. "But I  like dogs. Especially puppies." She ruffled his sandy hair. "Do you turn into a fluffy puppy?"

    The taunting worked. Amber eyes began to glow and his canines lengthened. He pressed forward, backing her up against the wall. Nervous that she pushed him too far, she searched the smoky haze for Raff's looming frame, frowning when she saw that he was no longer hanging out near the bar. He and Vivian had both disappeared, leaving Mariah alone. But the dark skinned young woman had her attention pinned on Meribella, and her full lips were twisted in a smirk.

"What do you know about wolves, Meribella?" he began his assault with a question, the glow brightening as he snagged her by the wrist.

"Let me go."

"See, most people think gray wolves when they think of wolves, but there's a group known as coastal wolves. They can swim for miles, and they really love seafood."

"Thanks National Geographic for that fabulous lesson."

"I'm not done," he said, leaning closer. "They even eat seal when they can catch one."

"You've made your point."

"Oh, I don't think I have. See, I've never been one who likes to eat in my wolf form. Don't really care to lose control like that, but if you continue to fuck with my Alpha, I will make an exception for you. I will go coastal on your ass. Do you understand me?"

She had to fight back the urge to punch him in his smug face, but beneath the surface of her female pride, Meribella rejoiced. Unlike the threats the sleazy Herrin had tossed her way, Lincoln's stemmed from a fierce loyalty to his leader and not from sexual perversions. If anyone was going to save Raff from her, it would be him.

"You can try." Pulling free, she tossed him a saucy wink and hopped onto the stage. The hot lights hid the crowd from her as she took her place on the piano stool. Fingers hovering lightly over the keys, she began to play, the notes full and clear. By the time she opened her mouth, all her attention focused on keeping the siren within silent, a plan had formed. And she prayed it would work.

***********************************

RAFF

"Sure, I know them Raff. But I don't know them. I just booked her, and the last time I called, I was told she was getting married and wouldn't be touring anymore. That was December, maybe? What's this all about?"

Raff studied the older woman, trying to keep the frown from his face as he sniffed the air for a hint of lies. But he found nothing. Literally, there was no scent coming from the waitress. She'd clearly cast a spell or taken a potion, but that would only be necessary if she had something to hide.

"Just following up on some tips I received, Viv."

"So that's how you're going to play this?"

He shrugged, deciding to call her out. "You've clearly got your own secrets. I can keep mine."

"What's the supposed to mean?" The wrinkles around her thin lips multiplied as she pressed them together.

"Why are you masking your emotions? Unless you don't want me to know something?"

The woman snorted. "You've not changed a bit. Still the same egotistical bastard."

"I'm not denying that, but what does it have to do with this conversation?"

She began to tie the apron in her hands around her wide hips: a sign she was done with the conversation. "Not everything is about you. You're not the only person in this town who is too nosy for your own damn good."

They grinned at one another, her snarky comment softening the tension between the two of them. "I see what you did there. Good one."

"This body may look old, but my mind is still sharp, son."

"I can see that. Would you be willing to give me the contact information for Serafina and her manager?"

She pulled a pad out of the apron pocket and jotted down a name and number. Ripping it off, she handed it to him. "I don't even know if that info is still good. But it's all I've got. Now, I've got to get back on the floor. That girl of yours is about to start singing, and lord if it don't bring in the crowds."

That girl of yours. He quite liked the sound of that. "Viv, another question?"

"Damn if you ain't full of em tonight. What?"

"Why did you let Meribella think you didn't know me? I mean, beyond the rumors? I'd have expected you to warn her away from the beginning. She told me you even encouraged the flirting some."

They were stopped in the hallway, the soft tinkling of piano keys swelling around them as she thought about her answer. "I suspected she was something more than human from the beginning. I wasn't sure she was all Fae, but I hoped. And I haven't seen anyone catch your attention since Meghan. I thought it would be nice for you to have someone, but when she showed up scared out of her mind, I realized I was wrong. So I helped her get away."

"To Cutler? You could've sent her anywhere but there."

The waitress stiffened and trained her watery brown eyes on him. "Did something happen to her there?"

He hesitated. She was still keeping something from him so he answered cryptically, "I don't know everything yet. But you know anywhere near the Starless pack is bad news. Not only are they cruel, but they're in the pocket of LeFay."

At the name of the Fae Queen, Vivian seethed. Witches had a long history with Morgan LeFay, banding with the Children to banish her during the Uprising. Needless to say, no love was lost between the two groups, but he'd never seen such outright animosity. He waited for an outburst, but she managed to get herself back under control.

"An error in judgment, certainly. But it seems to have all worked out."

Raff followed her out to the floor while steering his mind away from the months of darkness. Saying things had "worked out" was stretching it a bit, but as Meribella's crystalline voice rose above the racket and soothed the crowd, he couldn't help but consider Vivian's statement. Whatever the journey, as long as the destination had the sea-eyed beauty at the end, he would traverse it.