Spirited Legacy (Lost Library) (3 page)

“What the hell did Harrington say?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he said, “Lizzie, take a breath. Calm down.”

He avoided the question and told her to “calm down.”
Calm down?
After she’d just been told her decisions were not her own, her life was not her own. That she needed permission to travel, from a man she’d known less than a month. That she was expected to live by rules she hadn’t known existed a few weeks ago, rules she still didn’t actually know. Lycan society, Lycan rules, were just as new to her as magic, as new as John was in her life. It was all too much.

Calm down?
She didn’t think so.

“I’m leaving for Prague. As soon as I can make arrangements with Harrington for a flight.”

“What? Why? What’s happened?” John said, his voice shaded by confusion.

“He’s offered me a job.” As John’s face tightened at Lizzie’s words, she revised her statement, reason compelling her to be more explicitly truthful. “A temporary job, just for a few weeks. I’m taking it.”

His tone cold, John said, “You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question. He seemed certain. “You’ll damage my reputation and harm your relationship with the Pack.” Not just cold—icy.

Lizzie’s breath caught in a small hiccup. She didn’t want to leave
him
; that hadn’t been the point.
Damn.
She was going to cry. She forced a slow, even breath as the sting of unshed tears prickled her eyes. She wanted to make her own decisions. No, she needed to. She couldn’t lose herself in this new world, in her newly acquired magic. Not even in John.

As much as his chilly anger hurt, she knew that going to Prague was a good, if rash, decision. And John was the Alpha of his pack. Even if he didn’t influence every move of his pack members, he still played an important leadership role. She didn’t think he could pack up and leave for a month. He’d already been gone for too long—he’d said it himself.

She needed to go. So she replied to John’s unasked question. “I’m going.” What she didn’t say, what her anger prevented her from saying, was that she wanted him to go with her.

He’d nodded, picked up his keys, grabbed his wallet, and said, “I’m checking in with the Pack. I’ll be back tonight.”

Chapter 3

A
fter Lizzie called Harrington to accept his offer, he’d instructed her to take whichever flight suited her schedule and just drop him a note with travel details. He would arrange for pickup on the Prague end. So she’d hidden herself away in her office and booked the quickest flight she could find. She was scheduled to leave for Prague the next night. With any luck she’d be able to sleep for a good portion of the flight to London. She hoped to arrive early in the morning feeling, if not great, then at least human.

Last minute, while she was still on the phone with Harrington’s travel agent, she’d decided to schedule a layover in London. A long layover. She’d have enough time to make a local visit if she didn’t hit any major travel delays.

And that left her with the rest of the day and all of tomorrow to pack, deliver the dogs, and regret the ongoing dissension between her and John. The time stretched out before her, seeming both too long and not long enough. She mentally girded herself for some errand running and travel prep. She didn’t really want to think about John—so she wouldn’t.
Right.

First up, it was time to call her best friend, Kenna McIntyre. Probably past time. She was in on all the super-secret stuff—magic, Lycan, spell casters. Lizzie rolled her eyes. When had her life gotten so weird? Oh, yeah—when a spelled book mysteriously showed up in her mailbox. Someday, when she wasn’t running around like a manic Chihuahua, she’d have to figure out who put that book in her mailbox.

Kenna was sure to be curious. Lizzie hadn’t spoken with her since the private plane, the one Harrington had dug up to bring John and her home after the Prague incident, had landed. She’d given Kenna a quick “hey, I’m-alive” call. She might also have hinted at a need for some alone time…or maybe not hinted, just said, “Don’t expect to hear from me for a few days.”

“Well, hello, sex kitten. How have you been?” Kenna said.

Lizzie swallowed. What should she say?
Really shitty, but thanks for asking?

“I have an internship,” Lizzie said, infusing as much enthusiasm as she could into her voice.

“Um, that’s got nothing to do with sex and your hot Lycan. And it makes no sense—you already have a job.” Kenna’s voice turned skeptical when she mentioned Lizzie’s current work. “And for someone who hasn’t had any loving in ages, you should have sex on the brain, not a new job. Especially when you already have your own business.”

Lizzie replied, “Harrington offered me a job at the Library.”

“Way to avoid the sex question. Who knew you were such a prude?” Kenna teased. “But that is exciting that you’ll be working in the Library. I know how much you loved those creepy books.”

“Um-hm. But I wouldn’t say creepy,” Lizzie replied, knowing the other shoe would drop any minute now.

“What about John? You guys finally got together. Well, not that it took long—but it
seemed
like it took a long time. I mean, a lot’s happened since he showed up on your porch. Is he going with you? Are you guys still together?” Kenna had started curious, but near the end she sounded worried. “Wait a minute—did that bastard break up with you after screwing you to Sunday?” Kenna was practically yelling into the phone. “I’m coming over there right now.”

Lizzie couldn’t help it, she laughed. Wildly, with no reservations. After a few seconds, left hand on her side pressing against the stitch she’d developed, gasping for breath, she said, “Sorry. It’s just—oh, Kenna. Thank you.”

“He did break up with you?” Kenna asked more cautiously.

“No. At least, I don’t think so.” Lizzie inhaled slowly, trying to catch her breath. “No,” she said again but with certainty.

Lizzie had needed that. She’d allowed too much tension to build up around the questions facing her and John. They had issues. They were both mature—okay, maturish—adults. They’d had their own lives before meeting each other. It wasn’t surprising those lives wouldn’t immediately mesh and intertwine without complications. The question was—could she and John overcome the complications?

“But?” Kenna prompted.

“But he’s not exactly happy with me right now. And honestly, I would seriously like to kick his ass.” Lizzie chewed on her lip. She hadn’t actually called to unload on Kenna. It was all a little too new to share. Normally she shared everything with Kenna, but the timing seemed wrong. All of her feelings were simply too new to take out and discuss.

“We’ll sort it out,” Lizzie concluded.

“Uh huh. While you’re in Prague and John’s in Texas. Let me know how that goes. Where is he now? He’s not there, is he?” Kenna asked.

“He’s out of town, visiting the Pack. So I’m sure he has stuff—Lycan Alpha stuff—to take care of.” Lizzie scrunched her nose up in annoyance. Even
she
thought she sounded defensive, so Kenna would definitely pick up on it.

It wasn’t her fault John had picked up his keys and walked out the door after she’d announced her plans. Okay, maybe it was a little her fault. She’d started pacing at some point during the conversation, Kenna’s agitation rubbing off on her. But she stopped mid-pace now. He hadn’t yelled. He hadn’t even looked pissed.

Weird.
Weird enough that maybe she should be worried.
Well, shit.
Why hadn’t that occurred to her at the time? Maybe she could have stopped and asked—what? “Are you plotting something nefarious, sweetheart?” Sure. That would have worked.

“How long do you plan to stay in Prague? I assume internship means temporary—or I would be begging you to take me with you. Life without Lizzie would be too boring for words. And everyone knows where you go, so goes adventure and mayhem.” Unfortunately, Kenna wasn’t wrong. Mayhem
did
follow her. The difference between Kenna and her was that Kenna thought that was interesting and exciting. Well, until someone got hurt—then it sucked.

“Humph. Only recently. But I’m only gone a few weeks. As for John—I told you, we’ll work it out. It’ll be like the blink of an eye. There and back again. Did I mention that Harrington has offered to act as my mentor while I’m there?” Be vague, deflect, cross her fingers. That was Lizzie’s best strategy.

“Hmm.” Lizzie could hear Kenna’s disbelief in the hum of her voice.

“Uh, any chance you want to give me a ride to the airport later today?” Lizzie made a last ditch attempt to divert her attention.

“Sure. And I’m visiting, of course,” Kenna finally said. And that was as close to a stamp of approval as Lizzie would get.

As soon as she hung up, she made arrangements with Kenna’s mom to take the dogs for the whole month. The few face-to-face client meetings she had scheduled over the next month she rescheduled as teleconference meetings. She wouldn’t be able to accept any new clients, but she could manage maintenance on current accounts for the month. She spent the rest of the day catching up, trying to squeeze in a little work before her departure.

Later in bed that night, all of the thoughts and concerns she’d pushed aside for the day came rushing back. She’d meant to talk to John about Harrington’s offer. He was her boyfriend, however new. She may not have agreed to be his mate in the sense that he’d intended it, but she certainly had meant to be his girlfriend. In her world, that meant having a civilized discussion about one’s plans before haring off to foreign parts.

She blinked up at the ceiling. Taking a month to intern with Harrington was a big decision that would impact her relationship with John. Of course, she’d meant to talk to him. But then Harrington had pushed her buttons with his comment about her needing permission. And then John had made it worse by telling her to calm down, like she was some hysterical twit—but she kinda had been. Mildly hysterical, she admitted to herself, but not a twit. She was dealing with huge changes in her life, changes that were happening at an alarmingly fast rate.

John hadn’t returned yet. Lizzie groaned and beat her pillow with the flat of her hand, venting some of her frustration in the guise of pillow fluffing. Her breath caught as she felt the choking press of tears at the back of her throat. And even that made her angry with him all over again. She didn’t want to cry about him. She
hated
crying. She sniffed. She wasn’t sure how to fix this without ceding him an authority over her life she wasn’t ready to give. She couldn’t let him unilaterally decide the when, where, and how of their relationship. She was an adult, and she’d managed to live on her own, making her own decisions, for—well, most of her adult life. She was thirty-six years old, dammit.

Lizzie experienced a flash of reason and calm, and she admitted that she was doing exactly what John had done—making decisions that impacted both of them without consulting him. Well, that was assuming he didn’t just break up with her. She punched her pillow again. Because it would be simpler for him to date someone who knew the rules of Lycan society. Someone who wouldn’t embarrass him in front of his people. Someone who wouldn’t have a problem being treated like a little girl required to ask her parent’s permission before making every decision. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of that image in this day and age. But she couldn’t. In fact, all she could do was think about how much she hated that imaginary girl, the one who fit better into his life and might take her place. She curled up on her side into a tiny ball and tried not to cry.

Chapter 4

“I’
m going with her.” John sat in his uncle’s living room, staring into the obstinate but well-loved face of the man who’d raised him. His uncle was far from pleased with the update John had just delivered.

“You need to get your priorities straight. Your first commitment is to the pack, not to some human woman who holds our society and traditions in such low esteem that she can’t even be bothered to show up for introductions.” Logan Braxton made this pronouncement in a scornful tone.

The former Alpha of the Texas Pack—his intimidating height, his physical strength, and his strong sense of pack loyalty undiminished since his retirement—was a formidable opponent. John had always been able to count on Logan as an ally, but perhaps not in this instance. This was much the same speech he’d heard when he first announced Lizzie as Alpha Mate three days ago.

“I understand your concerns. And you know my position. Lizzie and my alliance with her will both be advantageous to the pack in the long term.” Sitting in his uncle’s living room, only hours from leaving the country, he wasn’t sure he would be able to sway Logan to a position of support before he left. But he had to try.

“And leaving now? That’s a strategic error. You’ve just announced a new Alpha Mate and you’ve made a very controversial choice. A woman neither Lycan, nor known to the Pack. You fail to introduce her to the Pack, which hints at shame, embarrassment, or her disinterest in the Pack. And now, during this critical time, you plan to leave?” Logan crossed his arms across his massive chest. “You’re begging to be challenged.”

John replied with a hard look on his face. “So be it. I can beat any Pack member in a direct challenge.” His pack owed him some loyalty for his years of service. He found it hard to believe he had so little support. Either his uncle was being a pessimist—always a strong possibility—or his position in the Pack was much more precarious than he had realized.

“I would look outside the Pack for a more serious challenge. And you know what that would mean,” Logan said.

John sighed. An outside challenge would more likely mean a fight to the death, or serious injury. And the threat would be less predictable if it came from an outsider.

“Four to six weeks. I should be able to deal with some personal issues for four to six weeks without inviting outside threats. And the council is not without power. In my absence, the council should be more than equipped to handle anything pressing.” John was tired. At times, the responsibilities of the pack weighed heavily on him, and now was one of those times.