Cynthia Cooke - Lying with Wolves

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He smiled and, for a second, it was hard not to want to smile with him. To just let go of the anger and the darkness growing within her. To succumb to the comfort she knew he could offer. But she wouldn’t. She had to be strong. If she let him in, even for a second, he’d only hurt her again. All she had to do was get back to the Colony without letting him back under her skin. Two days. Three at the most. She could do this.

And then what? The stones surrounding the Colony had to be rejuvenated every two weeks. If they didn’t find someone else who could do it, she would be stuck there. Always .

“There’s a truck stop a few miles up ahead.”

“Sounds good.” She grabbed a book out of her bag, hoping the story would absorb her and draw her attention away from him. As long as he didn’t talk to her. Look at her. Touch her. She would be fine. A few minutes later, she threw the book back in her bag. It was no use. She could smell him. His rich, spicy scent reached inside her and settled in. She could feel him, his warmth, his strong presence even from across the cab. It made her want to touch him. Obviously she was a lost cause. Pathetic. Hopeless. And when it came to Malcolm Daniels, she always had been.

“Things are going to be a little different when we get back home,” he said, thankfully breaking into her thoughts.

“Why’s that?”

“Jason is the Pack leader now. Losing you wasn’t the only mistake I made. Things got a little out of hand. I made some really bad—”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, interrupting him. She was curious and tempted to let him finish, to sit there and let him ramble on about his mistakes and how sorry he was. To find out what he’d done. But did she really want to know? All that mattered was Scott had shot her mother and she would make sure he paid for it. She needed to focus on that and finding another Keeper, so she could get back to her new home. And that meant not getting embroiled in Malcolm’s life again. So instead of letting him finish, she pointed at the diner up ahead. “Is that it?”

“Yes,” he said, obviously confused and a touch... what? She looked at the sadness on his face. Disappointed? Yeah, she knew that feeling well.

“Good, I’m starving.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Malcolm watched Celia from across the small laminated table, trying valiantly to ignore him. She was determined not to make eye contact or even to speak. He could see how much pain she was in, and it was killing him. He brought this on her with his stupidity and greed. And he’d lost everything because of it. Somehow he had to make things right. He could live without being Pack leader, but he couldn’t live without her. He wouldn’t. But how could he get her back?

“So tell me about Sedona?” he asked, breaking the painful silence growing between them.

She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with indifference. “It’s beautiful.”

“Sparse.”

“And yet incredible with the red rock mountains and canyons. I never knew a place like that existed. So different from home, and yet so beautiful in its own way.”

Their food arrived—two plates heaping with thick slices of bacon, fluffy eggs and fried potatoes that were actually quite good. Silence grew once more between them as they ate. A wide chasm he didn’t know how to cross.

As he finished his food, fatigue fell over him, pulling him down. He wanted to tell her about the Colony, about his role in what had happened to her mother. He should be the one to tell her. But she wasn’t making it easy on him. And he supposed he shouldn’t start a conversation like that now. Not when he hadn’t slept for almost twenty-four hours. For that he’d need all his wits about him. But he also knew that as soon as she stepped foot inside the Colony’s borders, someone would tell her. He sighed and his eyes drifted closed.

“So how did Jason become Pack leader?” she asked, her tone hesitant.

His eyes popped open. He groaned inwardly and took a deep slug off his coffee. “I’ve made more than a few mistakes,” he began. “Starting with wanting to marry Shay.”

“It was a stupid plan,” she interrupted. “And one I still haven’t forgiven you for. But I’m glad it happened.”

“You are?” he asked, stunned. “Why?”

“Because it pushed me out of my comfort zone and out of the Colony. I love Sedona. I love my new life and I’m not going to give it up. I’ll rejuvenate the stones, but you are going to have to find another Keeper. I’m not staying there. Make no mistake.”

A chill filled him at her words. “There is no one else. You know that.”

“There could be. We will need to test everyone now, just to be certain.”

He watched her as he finished his coffee. She was so sure, so determined, and he knew that even as a Keeper she couldn’t survive outside the Colony on her own. Not for long. It wasn’t just the crystals that protected them; it was something with the magnetic pull of the mountains surrounding them. There was nowhere else like it.

He scraped his hand across his face. “I want you to be happy, Celia, I really do. But I’m concerned about your safety. You can’t stay—”

“I can make it work.”

Steely determination filled her eyes. He decided not to push it. Not now. Instead he placed his hand over his mouth as he yawned. “Honestly, I’m not sure how things got so off track.”

“Oh, really?” she said drily.

“Everything was going so well...but then you left, and it all just snowballed after that. I wish...” He couldn’t say how he wished everything could go back to the way it was before he screwed it all up. “I just don’t know how it all went so wrong,” he said finally.

She stared at him, her gaze hard. “I do. Scott started making noises—criticisms and complaints—and as his number of followers grew you got scared and made some really stupid decisions.”

He looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

“Hard to imagine, I know. But you’re not infallible, Malcolm. You’re not perfect.”

Frustration surged through his veins. “Why couldn’t Scott and the others see that bringing technology to the Colony—computers, telephone, TVs, the internet, all these fabulous changes the rest of the world takes for granted—has helped everyone? The economy in the Colony is thriving. People have opened online businesses—we know more now about the outside world than we ever have before. We had become stagnated and inflexible, but with my changes, my vision, all that has changed. Look how much we’ve grown in just the past year.”

“True, Malcolm. But the downside is people can now see what it’s like on the outside. They know what they’re missing—places they will never be able to visit, jobs they will never be able to have. What once was a sanctuary now feels like a prison. Our window to the outside world, the internet, the television, did that to us.”

“I’ve heard that before, but I don’t get it.” He pushed out a clipped breath. “I’ve been out here and I can’t wait to get back home. It’s dirty. There are people everywhere, and frankly, they’re rude with no respect for their surroundings or each other. How could you stand living with them? Living on the outside for so long?”

Finally she brightened. A sparkle entered her eyes and his insides twisted at the sight of it. “It was unbelievable, Malcolm. I loved it. The freedom. The energy. The artistic expression through everything from clothes to food. I saw things I’d never seen before, hell, never even imagined before. Movie theaters! They’re amazing and breathtaking. Giant TV screens with sound so loud it moves right through you.

“Foods like you’ve never dreamed of. And you should see some of the houses, boats and cars. Unbelievable. The excitement, innovation and enthusiasm are intoxicating. People can cut loose and let their guard down and do things they might not usually do when they’re at home because they can actually go out to a restaurant or nightclub and not see a single person they know. Can you imagine how freeing that is? To be able to go out to dinner with a friend and not have everyone in town know who that person was and what you were talking about.”