Chapter 30 - Watch Your Back

*“By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me.” ― William Shakespeare*

***Phoebe***

My fingers tapped over the polished exterior of tumbled amethyst sectioned off on the table. Sage and incense perfumed the air as I bounced from one table to the next. Sodalite, amazonite, grey jasper—so many crystals to choose from for the ideal gift for Nuria.

Heat crawled up my neck to my cheeks.

*Oh, sweet Goddess, I’m so infatuated, am I*?

“Found anything yet?”

Mara asked when she walked up to me, carrying bundles of sage and white candles in their slender arms. We took a trip to the local metaphysical shop in town, Alchemy Arts, to restock on our dwindling supplies. Her thick blonde hair flowed behind her in a high ponytail with curly tendrils framing their face.

“Not yet.” I admitted. “I want to gift her with the perfect crystal, but I’m not having much luck.”

“Anything you pick out, I’m positive she’ll love it,” We strolled toward the glass case filled with tarot decks. “You’re looking into it too hard.”

“I have to. Nuria is the first person who ever made me feel…special. Is it possible to miss someone this much when you could just teleport into their bed for cuddles?”

Mara giggled. “I don’t think so. But I understand. I spent hours and days searching for a gift for Darien before we officially mated. I can recite my crystal bible front and back because of it.”

Mara and Darien officially mated almost two years ago. Deeply in love, those two overcame so much adversity to get to where they are today. I’ve never seen a man defend his partner so fiercely with valuing their identity and ensuring everyone was using Mara’s correct pronouns. They love each other so much.

I know Nuria would defend me just as fiercely. The desire to visit her in Oregon bubbled in my heart, but the fear pulled me away. Sure, I did once when Kiya was in trouble, and I know I can do it again for my lover.

But old habits die hard.

“What did you end up gifting him?” I asked, reaching my hand toward the flasks of blended oils on their presentation stand.

“I gifted him a tiger’s eye necklace with the stone fashioned into the shape of wolf’s fang.” Their sunset-hued eyes shined in remembrance. “He loved it. He wore it when we officially bonded and…”

She averted her eyes, their cheeks matching the carnelian stones behind them.

“The rest is history.” I finished with a grin.

“You don’t have to get Nuria a fancy crystal.” Mara reassured me. “She’d love anything and everything from you.”

Oh, she loves *everything* from me. I thought back to the kisses we shared on my couch, right down to where she was daring enough to pamper my chest.

I involuntarily squeezed my thighs. Mara stared at me, blinking twice. “W-What?”

“You should try to not get turned on in the presence of wolves.”

*Good Goddess*.

I shooed her away frantically, and she veered to the cashier with soft laughter. Despite my obvious embarrassment of my body having a mind of its own, Mara was right. I shouldn’t be putting so much pressure on myself searching for the perfect crystal.

I should get her two perfect crystals instead!

Sucking in a deep breath, I picked up silver jewelry wire and chains before selecting the stones of my choice: malachite and rose quartz. My grin didn’t leave my face when I arrived at the cashier with my items at hand. Once I get home, the jewelry process will begin then.

“Here you go.” The raven-haired cashier said with a smile, shoving the receipt in my bag. “Enjoy your new items! Don’t be a stranger, now.”

“Thank you!”

As I reached for my bag, the bell jingled from the front entrance and a giant chill slid from the base of my spine toward the small of my back, arresting every ounce of bliss I had in my body. I wavered a bit, jerking my head toward the exit. Mara was inspecting the mini cauldrons with her bag hanging off the arm when she angled her head to me.

My throat dried up like the Sahara Desert, but all my senses flared like gasoline to flame. I sensed *everything* to the extreme, and it made me want to crawl back to my home and hide in the darkness beside my altar.

The person who entered the store was wearing all black dress with her hood obscuring her face. A strange choice of dress considering the hot weather. The store’s windows allowed for natural light to flow in, but some candles were alight. When the contender passed by them, the flames snuffed out, hiding from the destructive energy she held.

Their lips twisted up into a smile, displaying their perfect row of teeth with sharpened canines.

Then our eyes met.

And my heart plummeted to the floor.

I was right back in *that* place. Scared. Alone. I couldn’t *breathe*. I couldn’t *think*.

No.

No!

**NO**!

Panic took the reins of my limbs. The contender turned her back to me, examining the wall of candles. I grabbed my bag from the cashier and grabbed Mara by the arm.

“Phoebe? Are you—”

“We need to go. Now.” I urged, pulling her toward the exit. Mara squeaked in confusion but followed behind me. I couldn’t be in the same place as that woman. Her violent energy stifled me. It reached out in ghostly tendrils, threatening to strangle me to death.

We needed to go back home. I need my *home*. I need to be *safe*.

I need…*I need Nuria*.

The street I parked my car on was strangely barren, but I didn’t have time to examine why. Pulling Mara to the car, I frantically searched for my keys in my purse, my fingers trembling.

“Phoebe, is everything alright?” She asked. “You’re scaring me.”

“W-we just need to get home, Mara.”

*Home*. *Home*. *Home*! *Get home*!

I found my keys, but they slipped from my fingers to the ground. However, when I bent down to pick them up, the hairs on the back of my neck stood in full salute.

Then, I was *blinded*.

A prodigious force threw my body backward with an ear-splitting, sonic boom bombarding my eardrums. The wind was knocked out of my lungs when I landed on the unforgiving ground on my back. Glass rained over me like violent rain and the ringing in my ears made my head spin. Dark, sickly energy crackled in the air like electricity to dry air.

I pushed myself off my elbows to see my car completely obliterated, with smoke rolling from the broken windows.

There were no signs of a crowd, commotion, or the voice of a good Samaritan looking to help. The silence spoke louder than the vocal smoke.

Mara and I were the only witnesses.

“Ow…” I grunted, gradually rising to my knees. “Mara, are you okay?”

She didn’t respond.

“…Mara?”

A violent scream tore from my throat when the smoke cleared.

Mara was sprawled on her side, covered in dust and glass, with a thick arrow pierced into her waist. Her white blouse greedily drank her blood, leaving the extra to add to the swelling pool of red beneath her body.

“MARA!”

I crawled to them, ignoring the glass stabbing into my knees. Mara released a guttural groan, attempting to shift on her back, but I pressed my hands on her arm to stop her. The thick crimson arrow was heavy with an acrid odor I recognized wafting from its body. Tears blinded my eyes as I resisted the urge to pull the arrow from her.

“Phoebe…” Mara moaned. “It’s not every day where you get shot by an arrow, huh?”

“Shh. You can joke from your hospital bed.” I choked, dusting glass and debris off her hair. “Don’t move, okay? I’m going to get you help.”

“I can’t even if I want to.” She laughed before wincing. “Please, hurry. Ariel isn’t doing too good.”

There was no way I could drive back to Garnet Moon. I had to teleport us out of here.

Guilt banged in my chest like a hammer to a nail. The desolate street forced an eerie feeling in my gut.

This wasn’t random. This was a planned attack.

Chills ran through my blood. Mara wasn’t the target.

*I was*.

Waving my hand in the air, the air rippled like invisible steam, lugging in molecules of energy delineated in deep violet. A portal whirled in front of us and swallowed us whole. In seconds, I was on the green grass of my pack, shrieking for help. Activity whirled around me like a tornado as Mara was transported to the pack hospital. A group of nurses stayed behind to check my injuries and to pick glass out of my knees.

Darien will know what happened to Mara through their mate bond. It didn’t make any of this easier.

Blood stained my hands from cradling my fellow witch. A headache pounded against my right temple, encircling my head and tightening like a band. My thoughts raced back to the woman who entered the metaphysical shop.

Her smile. Her aura.

*Her face*.

Ghosts are real. Ghosts are alive.

And this ghost was back to haunt me.

---------------------------------------------------

***Kiya***

“Well, aren’t you popular?”

Nuria pointed to my cell phone that has been buzzing for the past three minutes in my shopping cart. I broke the news in the group chat with my friends about Neron and me and they’ve been blowing up with text messages and video calls.

“Nah, they’re just nosy.” I admitted, with heat creeping on my cheeks.

We were in the art supplies aisle. Neron and Aiyana were ten feet from us, examine the plethora of coloring pencils, sketchbooks, paint, and other craft items. Aiyana hopped on her feet, shaking her fists in excitement as Neron handed her a stack of coloring pencils for her to look at. She cocked her head to the side, ran her fingers over the window on the packet, and shook her head.

“There aren’t enough colors.” I heard. Neron simply grinned and set the pack back on the shelf, shuffling toward the next selection. He looked so sweet with Aiyana, all smiles and laughter.

He looked like a dad.

“Kiya!” Alana dashed over and skidded into a stop, raising a box in my vision. “Can I have this?”

“A nail polish kit?” Nuria questioned.

The red-head nodded, her Viking-styled braids bobbing with her head. Eise and Aunt Essie styled her hair before we left because she wanted to have braids like Aiyana. “The colors are so pretty! See? I really want this sparkly green and orange.”

“Shouldn’t you get a kit more suited for kids your age?” My best friend smirked, leaning against my cart by the elbows. “I think there’s a case of kiddy nail polish in the toy section.”

“Those are for five-year-olds.” Alana retorted with an eye-roll. “And I’m almost a teenager, Nuria. I can wear nail polish like this.”

“Ah, don’t be in a rush to grow up, Lana.” I jumped in, taking the box from her hands. “I don’t see anything wrong as long as you take care of it. Same goes with your bracelet kit.”

Alana cheered when I put the box inside the cart alongside the stack of clothing for her and Aiyana. I picked out a few pieces for myself, as well. She turned and skipped toward her friend and my boyfriend, peering her head into the paint kit in their hands.

*My boyfriend*.

Wow, it has such an interesting ring to it.

Nuria and I walked side-by-side while we pushed the cart through the aisle, following Neron and the girls into the cosmetics and body care aisle. Mellow music played on the intercom and humans passed by us without a care in the world. I glued my eyes to the scene in front of me, watching the girls grab bottles of lotion and body mists, tossing them into the cart while Neron grabbed some items for his own use.

My phone stopped buzzing. I turned to Nuria because her eyes were burning holes in my temple. “What? Do I have something on my nose?”

She knitted her eyebrows in concern. A long, soft sigh flew from her nose as she reached for my hand. Her delicate, yet strong fingers caressed the back of my palm, tapping my knuckles like they were keys of a piano. “Listen. I know I’ve been giving you and the Jolly Green Giant a hard time about fucking—Goddess, he really had to go with green today, huh?”

Neron was wearing a simple button-up green top with the first few buttons undone. The mid-length sleeves stretched over his rippling biceps, sculpted perfectly against every groove. I nipped my lower lip, feeling the familiar heat swirl at the base of my navel, slithering down in between my legs.

All I could imagine was unbuttoning the rest of way down his shirt and running my tongue over his—

“Are you kidding me right now?” Nuria’s accusatory tone pulled me from my fantasy, my shame rising like steam from a geyser. “The nerve of you to make sex-eyes at my brother while I’m talking to you!”

“Sorry.” I murmured, kneading the back of my neck. *Goddess, I’m down bad*. “Please, continue.”

“Right.” She scoffed with a teasing grin before it fell. “As I was saying, I know I’ve been giving you two a hard time with what the humans call it, the devil’s tango. And I’m a little…worried about you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Well, sex tends to come up in romantic relationships.” Nuria propped her elbows on the handles of the cart. Her fringe flailed when she blew out a sigh. “Phoebe and I haven’t done it yet, and that’s because she wants to wait and I respect her for being honest with me.”

I nodded, listening.

“The sexual tension between you and big bro is ridiculous.”

My cheeks burned.

“But I want to know if you’re okay with it. I know werewolves are horny on the regular and there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t accidentally overhear a couple doing the dirty behind the fucking house—”

“I think the thrill of getting caught is a kink.” I laughed.

“We don’t kink shame around here.” While her words were meant for humor, there wasn’t any in Nuria’s eyes. I propped my elbows on the handles as well. “But, considering what happened to you, are you okay with the prospect of potentially doing *that*?” She asked, pointing to her brother.

I sighed through my nose, giving it some thought. “You can say I was raped, Nuria.”

“I don’t like saying it. It’s a disgusting word.” She replied. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay, you know? You’re like a sister to me.”

“Thank you.” I smiled warmly, draping an arm around her shoulders. A hard ball of worry landed in my belly with a loud thud, the thundering shock-wave fluttering my heart. “Um, if I’m being honest, I am nervous about it. Not so much with Neron, but just the act in itself. I know it’s supposed to be this fun and pleasurable experience, but it’s hard to imagine that when the only thing you have to compare it to is violence.”

“Oh, Kiki.” Nuria snaked an arm around my back and pulled me into a side-hug. “I hate it happened to you. You’ve never done it with anyone before?”

I shook my head. My eyes locked with hers. “I don’t know what pleasure is, Nuri. Yes, I’m attracted to your brother, and he arouses these feelings in me, but I just don’t know what it means to feel pleasure and be pleasured.”

Nuria was the first person I’ve ever told this too. I’ve never spoken about this with my friends back in my pack. It’s embarrassing to admit to a group of people who’re so well-versed in the art of sex and intimacy that you’ve never once were pleasured by someone else or by your own hand. I’ve familiarized myself with being in the position of listening, but never partaking. My ideas about sex and intimacy are exclusively from anecdotes from my loved ones.

I’m inexperienced. The idea of having sex—*consensual sex*—for the first time terrifies me. My eyes found Neron’s form again, trailing from the top of his head to his loafers.

This man loves me. He’s been patient with me. But how the hell can I make him feel good when I can’t make *myself* feel good?

And…

I sucked in a deep breath.

If we end up going that far, what if it hurts like before?

Nuria felt my tremors. Her hand shook when she took mine. Her warmth calmed the quakes down, but there was still a mild jerk or two. “Do you want to sleep with Neron?”

I bit my lip, looking down at my feet as I nodded. “Um, eventually?”

“Then, you need to talk to him about this.” My best friend ran a hand through my hair, twirling her fingers around a curl before slipping out. “One of these days, whenever it comes, sit down and have a conversation with him. That moose-sized palooka will bend over backwards to make sure you’re comfortable and safe, even with something as major as this.”

Nodding, I expelled out my anxieties and sniffled. “Yeah. I know he will.”

She beamed at me, leaning toward me to rub her cheek affectionally on my hair. “This is still a big step for you two, and I’m glad you’re doing this together. Destined or not, I’m glad you chose Neron.”

“I’m glad, too.”

“And you have me by your side in case things go awry.”

“I don’t think they will.” I replied, laughing.

“If they do, I’ll shave his head before I kill him.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?”

Suddenly, the smile on her face turned into a sly smirk. “Only about five hundred times. And I love you, Kiki. Have I told you that?”

“Only about five hundred and one times.” We shared one last hug before we walked closer to the three ahead of us. Grabbing my phone from the basket, I cleared the notification bar and went straight to the green chat bubble icon with the number fifty-five attached in red.

I scrolled through the group-chat and stifled my laughter as I read through the messages.

**SAPPHIRE**: *Our Kiki is in a relationship*?! *Say it ain’t so*!

**JACKIE**: *If that man doesn’t treat you right, I’ll suffocate him in his sleep*.

**ABIGAIL**: *Your union is going to be a blessed one*. *I’m happy for you, Kiya*.

**DARIEN**: *Eh, I think you deserve better, but I’m happy for you, regardless*. *You deserve to be cared for*.

**GALEN**: *I bet his dick is big, though*.

Phoebe didn’t answer in the chat, but I was blessed to have the support of my friends. I exited the chat and went to the second group chat that had Phoebe in it, as well as Violetta.

**VIOLETTA**: *Congratulations*! *I knew it’ll happen, eventually*! *My ship has sailed*!

I rolled my eyes, powerless to hide my grin. Violetta and her puns never ceased to make me smile.

Alana and Aiyana continued to stock-pile the cart when my phone vibrated again. It was an incoming call from Phoebe. Stepping away from the cart, I pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear. “Phoebe! What’s up?”

“*Something happened, Kiya*.” Her panicked voice shouted over the receiver. Just like that, the ball of anxiety returned, along with its partner, unsettling doom. I gulped, turning to the four behind me to see them occupied, before returning to the call.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

Phoebe told me everything. My phone almost slipped out of my hands. The foreboding trepidation I’ve felt long ago came back with a vengeance, now making the threat of imminent harm that more real. Phoebe was attacked, and Mara got hurt. She’s convinced that she was the true target and Mara was collateral damage.

The group chat messages were sent ten minutes before I’ve seen them. It has been radio silence ever since.

“Is Mara okay?” I asked.

“*They will be*. *The doctors said their healing ability helped slow the bleeding once the arrow was removed*. *It failed to nick a major artery, so she’ll be okay*. *Darien is with her now in the hospital*.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to my heart. “That’s good news. What about you?”

“*I’m fine*. *I just had to get some glass out of my hands and knees, that’s all*.”

“Did you tell Nuria at all?”

“*No, I haven’t*. *I don’t want to worry her*…”

“Phoebe, she’s going to find out something is wrong through the bond. You know that, right?”

She puffed out a defeated sigh. “*I know*…”

“Just talk to her, okay? We’re at the mall, but she’d drop everything to talk to you.”

“*Okay, okay*. *I’ll call her now*. *Thank you for listening, Kiya*.”

After the call ended, I huffed. This wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I’m glad Mara was going to be okay, and Phoebe as well, but the fact they were attacked after leaving the store and in broad daylight and in a public place…

Stuffing my phone in my pocket, I walked toward Nuria and pulled her to the side. She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but I beat her to it. “Phoebe is going to call you. Don’t freak out at what she’ll say, okay?”

Her smile fell into a frown. “You don’t tell someone to not freak out right before you give them something to freak out about.”

“Trust me, okay?” I pleaded. On cue, Nuria’s phone rang. She plucked it out of her pocket and flashed her eyes from the screen to me in silent suspicion. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Yes…” Nuria hesitated. “Let Neron know that I’ll be at the food court, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, she ran off with her phone in her ear. I was unsettled.

Was this the start of the madness? What am I going to do?

“Is everything alright?” I gazed up at Neron, returning to the cart with the girls. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, nodding while rubbing my upper arm. He arched an eyebrow and shook his head, setting more items into the cart. “I know that look on your face, Kiya. You aren’t alright.”

“I just got off the phone with Phoebe.” I confessed. “She and Mara got hurt, but they’re doing okay. Nuria ran off to the food court to check in on her.”

“Hurt?” He asked, knitting his eyebrows together in worry. “How? Should we be worried?”

I looked down at Alana and Aiyana digging through the full cart, chattering happily amongst themselves as they showed off what they’re most excited to use or wear. Biting my lip, I scooted closer to Neron and lowered my tone. “Not in front of the girls. I’ll tell you when we get home, okay?”

His mouth opened to say more, but he relented with a headshake. Neron kissed the top of my head and rubbed soothing circles on my upper back, forcing my pooling anxiety to scatter away like ants. “Alright, but not a moment after. I don’t like to see you so worried.”

“Believe me, I don’t like it either.” I said, half-sighing and half-laughing. Aiyana suddenly tugged at my hand, pulling my attention to her.

“Kiya, can Alana and I use the bathroom?”

“Sure.” I replied.

“I’ll head to the checkout line with the cart. You and Nuria can meet me there.”

Nodding, we shared a brief kiss before leaving. I waited outside the bathroom entrance as the girls did their business, rapping my fingers against my thighs in a silent tune. It was a mild distraction, but it helped to focus on something else besides my buzzing head.

Alana and Aiyana ran out a few minutes later, but when I detected the fear steaming off them, I jumped off the wall. “Girls, what’s wrong?”

“Um…” Alana scuffed her foot on the floor. “S-Someone tried to talk to us in the bathroom.”

“What?!” Anger pulsed through my body so fast that my claws almost spouted from my fingertips. “Who was it?”

“A woman.” Aiyana answered, biting the chapped skin off her lips. “S-she told us to give you and Neron a message or else she’d hurt us.”

My blood ran cold as I pulled the girls closer to me. “W-what did she say?”

“Watch your back.”

Seconds later, I burst into the bathroom with the girls searching for that damned woman, ready to strangle her, only to find it completely empty. In order to leave the bathroom area, they would’ve need to exit through the hallway entrance where I was standing at.

No one left the hall besides the girls.

*We weren’t safe here*.

Danger was lurking around, and I couldn’t see it.

*We had to get back home*.

I left the bathroom. “Let’s go, girls.” I grabbed their hands, and we rushed toward the checkout area where Neron and Nuria had finished setting the shopping bags in the cart. They saw our panic, and I quickly told them what the girls had told me.

Nuria’s face contorted in shock, but Neron was *beyond* livid.

We left the mall and raced to the car without haste.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The hairs on my neck stood up in seconds and a fierce chill washed over me.

Neron paused, hesitating to open his car. His keys were inches away from the lock when he looked at me.

“Watch your back…” He spoke.

Nuria bristled beside me, her arms encircling the girls protectively.

A sharp suddenly whistle sliced through the air, alerting all three of us.

“GET DOWN!!”

Neron rounded the car toward us and slammed his large body into the four of us, his arms swallowing us whole, sheltering us from the car windows in their explosive arc.

Searing pain roamed up and down on my back. All sounds were absorbed into a high-pitched noise, puncturing my ears. The awful scent of burning metal filled my nostrils and smoke and black hair distorted my vision.

Time had stopped, resumed at high speed, and stopped again.

I felt shuffling on my chest from one of the girls, but I couldn’t remember which one. Someone shook my shoulder, but I didn’t respond.

But, when I came to, Neron’s eyes were peering at me with worry so powerful it choked me. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear him. The pressing weight on my chest was removed, but I struggled to stand on my feet.

“Kiya?” His voice seeped through the high-pitched wail. Finally, I could hear everything from the commotion of the surrounding humans to cars honking. I turned my head to face my boyfriend.

“We…” I muttered. “We were…”

The broken car with smoke billowing out through the broken windows, but there’s no fire. This wasn’t a bomb or anything that could be painted off as a terrorist attack.

Not when I saw the arrows pierced into the seats with black, sickly, living tendrils snaking out from the body. The smell permeated from the weapons sent chills down my spine.

Highly concentrated wolfsbane. Enough to kill both human and wolf.

I looked down to see Alana hugging my legs, burying her face in my stomach. Nuria had Aiyana hugging her in the same way. My head turned back to Neron, panting heavily as both righteous fury and heavy concern tainted his woodsy scent. He gathered me into his arms, pressing my head on his chest, but I didn’t have the energy to return his hug.

We were attacked. In broad daylight. In public.

Just like how Phoebe told me she was.

*None of us were safe*.