Roman Eliot

Four

Roman Eliot

“Well?” Roman opened his eyes, and looked into the face of Glinda North. The exceptionally pale, pretty woman smiled at him. “How’d your little summoning go?”

He smirked. “She’s coming.”

Glinda smiled. “Good.” The witch waved her hand, making the candles flicker out and the lights turn on by themselves. “It’s about time. You’ve been chasing this girl for far too long.”

He sighed. “You’re telling me.”

“Was the subway the first time that you’ve confronted her?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“What do you think was different this time?” Glinda asked.

Roman shrugged. “I’m not even sure. It was different this time. Before, if I got close, it was like she ran away. As if she sensed someone following her. But this time, I was able to get close.”

Glinda paused, and tilted her head to the side. “That’s strange.”

“Strange how?” Roman asked.

“It sounds like there’s something that is alerting her of what’s happening. Maybe something magical.”

“You think?”

Glinda nodded. “You’ve been in the same city for years. I know you hired me to find her when she was traveling for a bit, but she’s been in New York for quite a while now. You should have been able to get close to her.”

“When I tried, she’d leave before I could approach her. I always thought maybe she was more attune to werewolves because of what happened to her.”

            The blond made a face. “I don’t think so. That’s not something that happens. There’s no way for humans to sense werewolves. Unless they’re mated to each other. Maybe she did sense something, but she didn’t want to accept it. That I’ve heard of. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable about a mate bond, it can have consequences. But it’s fine. You’ve done something to make her come here, clearly.”

            “Yes, I lied.”

            Glinda raised an eyebrow. “You lied?”

            He nodded.

            “What did you lie about?” Glinda asked.

            “I told her that I could help her get revenge for her parents,” he answered, “Her parents were killed by a rogue werewolf, and we never found the bastard. I don’t even know where to start.”

            Glinda shook her head. “You might have to start searching for a way to get her that revenge.”

            “I’ve tried. I’ve looked into her parents’ deaths plenty of times, but I’ve never been able to find anything. Even my father looked into it. We have no idea who the rogue wolf was.”

            “Are you sure it was a werewolf?”

            He paused. “I was always told that is what it was.”

            Glinda stared thoughtfully at him. “Maybe there was someone that wanted to make it seem like it was a werewolf. I know there are some humans that aren’t particularly keen on humans and Powerists being together. What if someone knew that Nora was your mate before you did and was trying to keep the two of you apart and they somehow faked a werewolf attack?”

            “How could they do that?” he asked.

            “Werewolves aren’t the only Powerists that can shift, Roman. And you’re powerful enough in our community that someone might have had a vision about your future and didn’t like it. I can look into it for you.”

            “You really think I should?”

            Glinda nodded. “It shouldn’t have been this hard for you to confront her about you being her mate. There are other forces at play here.”

            Roman raised an eyebrow. “Witches?”

            She shrugged. “Anything’s possible in our world. You can’t forget that.”

            He hesitated. He didn’t like the idea of prying into something that could cause trouble for Nora. She’d already had enough of that in her life. His intention of claiming her as his mate was to make it so that the world knew that she was his. So that she wouldn’t have to go through something so terrible again.

            But if it helped her move on, if it got her in his arms, he would do whatever was necessary to make her his. Even if it meant delving into dark places that might unsettle him. Nora deserved to see justice for her parents. Rogue wolves were wolves that left their packs. That refused to follow orders. That still craved the old ways---back when being a werewolf meant being a creature of uncontrolled rage and power, and killing anything or anyone in your path. They rejected their packs and the rules put forward by them to survive in the modern world.

            “Yes,” said Roman, “look into it for me. I’ll pay you handsomely for it.”

            The blond witch smiled at him. “Consider it a favor. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. Good luck. I don’t think that girls going to be easy to win over.”

            He sighed. “Thanks. I think I’ll need all of the luck I can get.” Then, he left, off to wait for Nora to arrive.