A Legend Is Born

Chapter 5 Part 2

Josh

I almost didn't recognize him at first. So much about him had changed, most notably his eyes. They'd gone from our trademark amber to a dark chocolate brown, appearing almost black from my position on the table. It wasn't until he spoke that I was convinced he was the one I'd spent five decades searching for.

I watched their exchange in silence, even allowing him to roughly stitch up my wounds without moving. I had no idea what happened between them, and it wasn't my business. However, the fear and pain in her eyes, as she stormed off, told me it that it was bad. It was the first time I'd ever actually hated my brother beyond the usual sibling rivalry.

Max began pacing around the table in the confined space of the back porch taking frequent glances through the glass that separated the room from the rest of the house. Lissa's footsteps faded, and a door clicked closed.

Max stopped pacing and stared me straight in the eye. "You can stop pretending now, Joshua."

I smiled inwardly, even after fifty years he still recognized me. I lifted my head off the table and looked at him with tear filled eyes. I tried to get to my feet, but his hand pinned me down by my neck. I sank back to the table, unsure of his reaction to my presence.

His eyes darted around the room, pausing often on the windows. His voice was low and menacing, sending a chill down my spine despite my thick fur. "Don't. Not here. Not now."

He must have recognized the confusion in my eyes because he immediately released the pressure on my neck. His internal struggle was evident in his eyes as he stared at me. I wanted to talk to him. His unusual disappearance left so many unanswered questions. But as long as he wouldn't allow me to shift back to my human form, I wasn't going to get any answers.

"I'm sorry. Nobody here knows the truth."

It hit me like a brick wall to the face, he'd been cursed. Which meant for whatever reason, he'd killed a human. His general demeanor suddenly made a lot more sense. As did the overriding scent of alcohol I got from him. I gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment and reached my paw out for his arm. Pain shot through my heart as he pulled his arm away from me before I could touch him.

His face turned hard, and he pulled a pile of old clothes and a pair of shoes from one of the cupboards. "I need you to do something for me. That girl that saved you tonight, you have to return the favor. The Alliance wants to erase her memories, and the Eraser they plan to use is one of the more brutal ones. I can't do anything without putting the entire house at risk, but they don't know you're in town. I can't explain everything right now, but know that I will tell you everything as soon as I can."

He sat the pile of clothes down on the counter and walked past me without a second glance. I stared at him in disbelief until he disappeared somewhere beyond my line of sight. I laid on the table for a few minutes wondering why he never told me. He had to know I would do everything in my power to protect him and search for the queen.

A quick glance at the clock brought me back to reality, I had to find a way to convince Lissa to let me help her. I dropped off the table and shifted back to my human form, careful not to let anyone see me. I quickly dressed and slipped out the back door. Max thought of everything. As I made my way down the driveway, a taxi pulled to a stop.

The driver seemed friendly enough, despite his inability to speak English. "Josh?"

I nodded and hopped into the back seat and gave him the address. His driving skills weren't much better than his English. Granted we made it three miles in under three minutes, but to do it he ran nine stop signs and two red lights. Despite being home in one piece, I couldn't get out of the car fast enough.

"How much do I owe you?"

The driver waved his hand and glanced at me in his mirror before looking away. "Is taken care of."

I slammed the door and headed to the keypad outside the gate. "Thanks. Have a good night."

I quickly entered the code for the side gate and headed toward the house. My side still throbbed a bit from the earlier injury, but I was determined to deal with Steven once and for all. My anger surfaced again, growing with each step toward the house.

The front door swung open, spilling light out across the lawn as I approached. Jane ran straight at me with red, puffy eyes. "Josh? Is it really you?"

I wrapped her in my arms as her body gave way to the relief. "Of course it's me. Where is he?"

She pulled away from my embrace and glanced over her shoulder. "Getting the third degree from Suzie. What happened out there?"

I headed straight for the door. That rotten bastard was going to pay for what he'd done. "I'll explain later, I promise. Right now, I have business to attend to."

I tore off through the door, letting my anger boil to the surface. The pained look in Jane's eyes was enough to send me over the top. That son of a bitch was going to pay. "Steven, get your ass out here. Now!"

Louise and Suzie appeared in the foyer, their amber eyes glowing with rage. Suzie nodded before returning to the living room, and Louise flung herself at me. "Josh! You're alive!"

I had to pry myself from her iron grip and pass her off to Jane, there would be time for a teary reunion later. "Jane, take her upstairs, please." Jane wrapped her arm around Louise's waist and led the sobbing woman up the stairs. "Come on, honey. Josh has some business to handle, and you don't want to be down here for that."

I stepped into the living room and had to suppress a laugh. All the furniture had been haphazardly tossed around the room, but nothing appeared to be broken. In the middle of the room was Steven. He was tied to one of the kitchen chairs, gagged with one of my ties. He had cuts and bruises healing across his face, and his clothes were shredded and bloody. Fear filled his eyes as he silently begged me for mercy.

I circled around behind him to conceal my smile. Pride soared through my heart at what my girls did to the traitorous bastard. I leaned in close to his ear and lowered my voice. "I could kill you for what you did. You know that, right?"

He gave a shaky nod.

"I probably should."

His body trembled as he shook his head and tried to plead with me around the gag.

Another smile of satisfaction tugged at my lips. "Unlike you, I believe in mercy. So I won't kill you. In fact, I'm going to do just the opposite. You have ten minutes to get out of my house once your bonds are broken."