Angel's Touch [PUP Squad Alpha 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

“Find anything interesting?” Benjamin asked as he handed Devlin a cup of something that smelled like fruit punch.

“Nothing to report,” he said, biting back the “Sir” at the last moment. Benjamin smiled as if he heard the word anyway.

“It’s a hard habit to break,” he said, “but you’ll get used to civilian life eventually.”

“How long did it take you?” Devlin asked curiously. It was obvious that Benjamin had been a soldier at one time in his life, but he’d been the commanding officer of PUP Squad Alpha for over five decades now. Despite their military-type training and mission protocols, the PUP squads worked mostly undercover and therefore used a less formal structure than the human military.

“Only about a decade or so,” he said with a wide grin. “Relax, Devlin. Try to enjoy the par—”

Benjamin’s words cut off as he reached for his weapon. Devlin did the same, turning and dropping low to the ground, minimizing his exposure and maximizing his aim.

The swirling vortex was like nothing he’d ever seen before. It didn’t belong to a witch, warlock, or dragon, but no other form of transport that he knew about looked like this thing.

The pretty blonde that appeared a moment later had him wondering if he’d lost his mind.

“Lillian?” he asked as the woman glanced around the tense group of people. Devlin was vaguely aware of the tearing of fabric as people urgently changed into werewolves and surrounded the intruder. She looked at Devlin blankly, apparently more concerned with her own mission than the wolves that seemed ready to attack or the man she should probably have recognized. It had been more than four years, but surely the woman would notice a man she’d been involved with for several months.

The woman spun in a circle, seeming to search the crowd of wolves still in human form before muttering a curse and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

One of the larger wolves morphed back into human form and gave Devlin and Benjamin a hard stare.

“Would somebody like to explain to me what sort of creature can step into the middle of a pack of wolves and not even notice?”

“I’m sorry, Xavier,” Benjamin said, addressing the pack alpha with the deference the werewolf deserved, “but I’m not even sure what type of travel she used to get here. I’ve never seen a jump vortex or bounce tunnel like it.”

“Me neither,” Devlin said, still trying to process what he’d just seen. “But she looked a lot like a human woman I once knew.”

“You said Lillian,” one of the other wolves, now in human form, said with a curious smile. “Old flame of yours, Dev?” Daegan and Isaac both stepped closer to shake his hand. Despite the tension, Devlin smiled at the two men he’d known in college. Being the only three paranormals on campus and surrounded by hundreds of clueless humans had been way harder to cope with than Devlin had anticipated. Just knowing Daegan and Isaac shared his paranormal secret had made the longest years of his life almost bearable.

Of course the twin werewolves had studied computers and then come back to the pack and literally made millions of dollars, while Devlin had gone on to join the Navy SEAL teams and risked his life for low pay instead. He was about to explain why he’d said what he said when the vortex appeared once more.

If the woman who appeared wasn’t Lillian, then she was a damn good copy.

“Damn,” the woman said as tears filled her eyes. She scanned the crowd once more, apparently unfazed by the dozens of naked people dropping onto all fours and turning back into wolf form.

“Lillian,” Devlin called loudly, hoping to catch the woman’s attention before she could disappear again. She turned sharply, her eyes widening when she saw him. That, unfortunately, was also the moment she noticed the wolves that circled her.

“Devlin?” she asked without taking her eyes off the wolf in front of her. “Where am I?”

It seemed a rather strange question, considering the woman seemed to be in control of whatever type of transport she was using.

“You’re in the middle of a werewolf party,” he said. Daegan quirked an eyebrow at him, but the wolf in front of Lillian turned back into a man and stood in front of her. She seemed more embarrassed that Xavier was completely naked than surprised by his shift between forms.

“You’re in the middle of my pack, lady. It would be a good idea to explain yourself.”

“Explain what?” she asked with a wry grin. “How I appeared out of thin air? How I ended up apparently at the wrong address? Or how five weeks ago I was just an ordinary waitress happy to live out my life in a small town.” She sighed tiredly, obviously at the end of her emotional fortitude. “I was looking for an old friend of mine. He might be able to help explain how I ended up here.”

“What’s your friend’s name, Lillian?” Andrea—Xavier, Isaac, and Daegan’s mate—asked in a kind voice as she pushed her way through the three men. “Maybe we can help find him.”

“Jed Mathewson. He was a regular customer at the diner where I worked. I was hoping he’d be able to help me understand what was going on. He used to talk about magic like it was real, so…” She let her words trail off as Devlin stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. It didn’t matter that everyone else was on high alert. He knew this woman, and she wasn’t dangerous. Hell, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body.

* * * *

Lilly held on to the man who looked like her ex and tried not to cry. The past few weeks had been a blur of strange behavior, weird perceptions, and even weirder happenings. It didn’t help her state of mind that she seemed to be seeing people turn into wolves and wolves turn into people. Nothing that had happened to her made a lick of sense, and quite frankly she was very tired of it.

If there was the slightest chance that the man holding her was the man she’d known years ago, then she was holding on until someone explained what the hell was going on.

“Why didn’t you come looking for me?” Devlin asked in a perfectly reasonable voice. Unfortunately all it did was piss her off. Considering that the man had refused a long-term relationship on his assumption that she wasn’t strong enough to endure his absences overseas, it was kind of insulting for him to think she should have run to him with her problem.

“Because swirling vortex transport thingy-stuff is not something I expected an arrogant, know-it-all, pain-in-the-ass Navy SEAL to know about.”

“Well you’ve got him pegged correctly,” a man said with a laugh as he stepped into the circle of people surrounding her. He was rather handsome, around thirtyish, and bulging in muscle. Devlin stiffened when the man stepped closer, but he didn’t let go of her. “I understand you’ve been looking for me, Lillian.”

“Who are you?” she asked, feeling even more confused than she had a moment ago. Maybe she was finally having that breakdown she’d been planning for days now. Admittedly she’d thought it would be more along the lines of physical exhaustion, but she supposed hallucination was probably an early symptom. Any moment now she was going to fall flat on her face and wake up in a psych ward somewhere.

“Sorry, Lillian,” the man said with a slow shake of his head. “I forgot that last time you saw me I looked about eighty years old.” He tilted his head and gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s me, Jed Mathewson.”

She nodded her head and could feel a strange, maniacal type of grin curve her lips before hysterical laughter burst from her throat. Seriously? That had to be some sort of record for delusional episodes. Who in the hell imagined the old man she’d flirted harmlessly with for most of her adult life would turn the clock back fifty years and be exactly what she wanted him to be? And the ex-lover who hadn’t changed a bit since she’d seen him would suddenly appear and hold her in his arms.

Fuck. She really was crazy.

Jed moved quickly to catch her as she lost consciousness. It was obvious Devlin had no intention of letting her go, but the reflex to protect the young woman was undeniable.

“Bring her inside,” Andrea said as she took control of the situation. Faster than Jed would have thought possible, the alpha female of the pack had everyone moving to clear up the mess of discarded clothing, dropped food, and spilled beer. Almost before they made it into the house, the party was back in full swing. Even most of the naked people had somehow managed to drag on some clothes.

Instead of laying Lillian on the sofa that Andrea indicated, Devlin lowered himself to a sitting position and held the woman cradled in his arms. Andrea gave him a knowing smile but didn’t comment.

“Who is she?” Xavier asked as he stepped into the room. Thankfully, he was once again fully clothed. The last thing they needed was Lillian waking up only to collapse again.

“Lillian Connelly,” Jed supplied. “She was a waitress at a diner I used to frequent. She left town unexpectedly about five weeks ago. She rang her aunt to let her know she was okay, but I don’t think she ever adequately explained her reason for leaving so suddenly.”

He glanced at the woman unconscious in Devlin’s arms. Jed had always cared deeply for Lillian. She was a polite and efficient young woman who offered everyone a bright smile and a warm welcome. Unlike many kids who grew up in small towns, Lillian had seemed quite content to stay close to her family.

He watched as she wriggled slightly. Despite being unconscious she snuggled trustingly into Devlin’s embrace. It was obvious that they knew each other, but it didn’t explain the green haze of jealousy clouding Jed’s thought processes. Yes, she was beautiful, loving, and sweet, but she wasn’t the reason he’d gone through the warlock regeneration process. He’d reverted to his thirty-year-old-looking self so that he could protect the Oracle’s receptacles, not so that he could find Lillian Connelly and claim the woman for his own.

“Is she a witch?”

“Not that I know,” Jed said as memories of the woman ran through his head. “As far as I can tell she’s human, but that sure doesn’t explain how she ended up in the middle of your party.”

“Lillian,” Devlin crooned softly as the woman began to stir. “Baby, wake up. You’re safe here.”

“Where’s here?” she mumbled adorably. She didn’t open her eyes, just snuggled closer.

“We’re in a friend’s home. If you wake up, I’ll introduce you.”

Lillian opened her eyes, glancing at the people in the room before coloring in embarrassment and pushing herself into a sitting position. “Sorry,” she said with a small smile. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Not a problem,” Andrea said as she handed Lillian a glass of ice water. “But we would love to know how you got here.”

Lillian winced. “I was hoping you could tell me. That’s why I was looking for Jed. He used to talk about magic all the time. I often thought maybe he knew something more than what he was saying.” She shrugged tiredly. “It was a long shot, but I didn’t really know who else to ask.”

“So you got here just by thinking about me?”

Lillian gave him a half smile. “The Jed Mathewson I was thinking about is over eighty years old, but that does seem to be the way it works. I think about the person I want to talk to and that swirling thing takes me to them. Most people don’t seem to notice it though. They don’t seem to see me for a few minutes either. It’s almost like I’m invisible for a little while.” She sat up and her gaze bounced around the room once more. “But you saw me.” She seemed excited, confused, and everything in between. “How did you see me? I mean, are you like me?” She shook her head. “No, I’ve never morphed into a wolf so you’re not like me, unless…I can change into a wolf, too. Can I change into a wolf?” She looked on the verge of passing out once more.

“Breathe, Lillian,” Jed said as he squatted down in front of where she was sitting. “We’ll figure it out. Just breathe, sweet thing.”

* * * *

Lillian stared at the man in front of her and tried to take his advice. She probably seemed like the most ditzy person on the planet, but after five weeks of searching for answers it seemed incredible to finally have at least some of them in her reach.

“Are you related to Jed?” she asked.

“Sweet Lilly, I know this isn’t going to be easy to understand, but I am Jed Mathewson. I
am
the old guy you knew from the diner.”

“You said that before,” she said, shaking her head, “but I thought I was maybe hearing what I wanted to h—I mean I thought I heard you wrong.” She stared at him, taking in every detail of his face, his mannerisms, the mischievous glint in his eye, and wanted to cry in relief. After everything that had happened recently, who was she to argue with a man who suddenly looked fifty years younger than she remembered? Of course that also didn’t mean she was going to believe blindly. He might look and act like the man she’d known, but if he really was Jed Mathewson, he’d be able to answer a question or two.

“How do you take your coffee?”

“Just coffee,” he said with the same grumpy inflection he’d always used. “With a slice of Ida’s famous pie.” He winked at her, and she truly could see the old man she’d waited on at the diner for years.

“How?” she asked reflexively, but shook her head quickly to cut him off. “Scratch that. Explain to me how I ended up part of some magical freak show.” She glanced at the woman whose house she seemed to be in and immediately apologized. She was probably a wolf also.