Inevitably Yours

QUINN

Michael’s surprise test took its toll on me. For a few days, my body ached, and I shuddered at the thought of any real physical activity. While the bruises healed quickly, I had a persistent ache in my back for days that I tried not to let Michael onto. I caught him watching me carefully a few times, so I would hurriedly pretend everything was fine; I didn’t need him worrying more than he already did.

With a new office, Michael was taking a lot of day and weekend trips out there. The kids were always waiting for him to come home, especially Belle. Priorities had shifted since having kids, and now Michael and I barely got time together. It made those moments much more precious overall but much more disappointing when they were interrupted.

Thomas got Michael interested in a club. I wasn’t against him joining; I was happy for him to make friends after all the uprooting M had when he was in high school. The process just seemed to take forever. Luckily for us, there was one of these clubs in Stary. Nic watched the pups one night so Michael and I could visit. We had dinner and chatted with their membership; everyone was very friendly and hospitable.

Life seemed to be moving at warp speed. The pups were growing every day, no matter how much I wanted them to stay small. Belle and Junior were both interested in fighting with their father; Michael frequently spent his evenings with Belle, Junior, and Diane all attacking him on the living room floor.

Working while the kids were awake was becoming increasingly difficult. When Michael was away, Nic and I had more things to take care of in his stead. All of the things I needed to do required focus on money and math figures which was not easy with toddlers running amok. I was spending more and more time up late at night so that I could give my attention to the pups during the day. My biggest relief was Adi a few days a week; she would come over after school and play with them until her mom came to get her or it was time for little warrior’s class.

During one of those windows of time, Michael came into my office. He looked dirty and sweaty, like he had been out running in his wolf for some reason. “Hey, beautiful,” he smiled.

“Hey,” I said distractedly, fervently trying to get our billing for the week taken care of so I could move on to the quarterly taxes.

“So, I know there is a lot going on, but what does your schedule look like tomorrow?” he asked, bringing the extra chair in my office to sit in front of me. I stopped what I was doing and gave him my full attention.

“This isn’t another surprise torture exercise, is it?” I asked. He smirked, his eyes going to the belt holder behind my desk. My black belt was folded neatly into it with a little plaque that had the date I received it on it. I could still easily pull it down to wear, but I trained in loose clothes more than my uniform since it was just Michael and me much of the time.

“No, you got the belt,” he laughed. “Remember the old guy that came to talk about joining the lodge?”

The men called their little club a lodge I had found out. From what I could tell, their main aims were brotherhood and charity. “Yea, the one that couldn’t believe his Luna really had blue hair?”

“Yea, that one. Well, Marshall is supposed to come by and interview us as well. He wanted to come tomorrow afternoon,” Michael explained.

I flipped open my planner book and scanned the pages for the next few days. “I’m supposed to have a phone conference with Wesley over some account discrepancies with a few of his clients,” I said. “If we can work around that, nothing else is time-dependent.” Marshall had helped with our first revival of Founder’s Day for the pack; he and Michael had become fast friends through this new club.

“I sign his checks. He’ll answer your call whenever I say,” Michael snorted. I just rolled my eyes.

“Sure, let’s meet with Marshall. These guys are serious about this stuff, it seems,” I said.

“Yea, not even the Alpha can just join,” Michael nodded. “Can I help you with anything tonight?”

“Baths,” I smiled. “They listen to you since you’re their favorite anyway. Junior has practically decided he is allergic to water.”

“Hose them off in the backyard, got it,” Michael teased. I breathed out sharply as he stood. “I know, I know. Pups will be cleaned of dirt before bed. Also, Judy has something delicious in the oven for dinner, so you don’t have to do anything. I wouldn’t mind climbing in bed together tonight.”

“Then let me finish this and take my quiz,” I smiled brightly.

“Done,” he said, leaning over the desk to k**s me.

MICHAEL

“You don’t have any questions for me about all of this?” Marshall asked Quinn. She sat on the edge of my desk, looking tired.

“Mmm, nope,” she said softly. “I think everything was pretty well covered. If I am not necessary, there really are things that need my attention.” Quinn had gotten up earlier than everyone else and snuck down to her office to get a start on the day. I felt slightly guilty for keeping her up so late last night, but I couldn’t help it; I never stopped craving her then Nic joined the fun.

“By all means, Luna,” Marshall smiled at her. “Thank you for giving me your time today.”

Quinn scooted off the desk, giving me a quick k**s before she sidled out of the room. “I really never thought I would get to meet someone with Fae b***d,” Marshall said as the door to my office closed behind Quinn.

I quickly stood up and checked to make sure the door was closed all the way, opening it to look outside and then closing it quietly, “How do you know?” I’d hissed the question more than asked it, and he looked taken aback.

“Oh… I’m a historian by education and trade. I’m known as a Masonic Scholar first and foremost, but given that we’re part of the supernatural spectrum, the history of the supernatural has always fascinated me.”

I sat back in my chair, my mind racing with questions, “You haven’t told anyone?”

“I didn’t think it was a secret, but I haven’t said anything to anyone about it. Are you okay?” Marshall asked, looking at me apprehensively.

“Only a handful of people in Stary know. We keep it quiet because we’ve been threatened over it,” I admitted. “It’s been passed down in her family, but it’s been so long since it presented in her bloodline, they’ve all but forgotten it. Her blue hair is just an oddity to them. I only know because my family has been keeping an eye on her ancestors to make sure they didn’t turn on us.”

“No one will hear it from me,” he promised, putting his hands up. “Can’t have anyone hurting our soon-to-be brother’s wife. We take that kind of stuff seriously.”

“I appreciate it,” I told him. “I take it seriously too. Masons care about our wives, though?”

“Well, yea,” he said. “We are obligated to take care of the widows and orphans of our brothers, but I’d rather keep them safe while you’re alive.”

“My entire concept of family was more or less turned upside down in high school. I like the idea of having brothers all over the world. I didn’t realize taking care of our widows and orphans was part of the deal.”

“It’s one of the most important,” he continued. “Our brothers paint their houses, help pay bills, fix roofs, tutor the kids, and whatever else they need. If a brother can’t trust that his family will be taken care of, we’re not doing what we’ve promised him.”

Any apprehension I had about joining the lodge disappeared in an instant. If taking care of my family was a priority for the lodge, they were a group of men I wanted to be around. I would happily do the same for them. Thomas told me there were many reasons to join, the most attractive to me being a network of brothers everywhere. He also loved the ability to meet with men of all stations; from Presidents to plumbers, everyone met on the same level as the other. Now, I could add this to the list of reasons why I wanted to be initiated.

“You know, I don’t remember why it matters, but there’s some reason her hair is blue specifically. Fae hybrids can have pink or white hair, too,” he said thoughtfully, looking toward the ceiling like he was trying to remember something.

“I haven’t seen that in our research or info on the Stary hybrids. They’ve all been blue-haired, but it’s only one family line. So, there are others?” I asked, trying to grasp at any new information I could.

“It’s been a long time since I dived deep into this stuff. I could look through my home library and possibly bring you some stuff if you want. I’m not sure how much help it’ll be,” he offered.

“Want to see something since you seem to be into this stuff?” I asked. I had no reason not to trust him, and he might know something about the book someone sent us for Quinn. I pulled the Fae book from its spot on my shelf, handing it to Marshall to marvel. His eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop.

“Where did you get this?” he exclaimed, excitedly looking through the book. “I’ve only ever seen pictures of one of these.”

“Someone sent it anonymously to us. I still haven’t figured out who or why,” I clarified. “I thought it was worthless, until-”

“Until she could read what you couldn’t?” he asked with a huge smile on his face. “It’s a Fae cypher!”

“What does that mean?” I asked incredulously. I couldn’t believe he knew what the book was. I would have to push him for as much information as he could give me.

“There’s writing only she can see, right?” he asked in return.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Yea, how did you-”

“It’s something that was really popular a few hundred years ago when magic wasn’t exactly something you wanted to admit to around humans,” he explained. “Fae, witches, and other magical races started hiding information in books like this to keep it from prying eyes that didn’t need to be reading them. We aren’t exactly broadcasting ourselves now, but it was much worse then. ”

“That makes sense,” I said, thinking back to the witch trials and other dark times in human history when they tried to kill anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Now, supernatural species either tried to reason with humans so they wouldn’t spill our secrets or took a more aggressive approach by taking them prisoner or threatening their lives.

“If you want to learn more about Fae, hybrids, or any of this sort of thing, I might have someone for you to talk to,” he said thoughtfully.

“Who’s that?” I asked. I would talk to anyone that could give me insight about Quinn; I couldn’t believe my luck with Marshall.

“There’s this professor I met when I was in college. She studies the occult and specializes in the supernatural. She was one of the most brilliant academics I’d ever spoken to, and she is probably the foremost expert on this stuff in the world.”

“Why would she talk to me?” I asked, my heart dropping. A foremost expert didn’t sound like someone with open office hours that I speak with.

“She’ll talk to anyone about this stuff,” he told me. “She travels and does lectures at colleges all over the country. They put up with the magic stuff because she makes so many discoveries and breakthroughs in the field. She was the prodigy of the former renowned expert, and her current assistant could very well be the next. ”

“Where can I find her?” I was determined to talk to this woman. She might be able to give us information that no one else could.

He pulled up her website and schedule, forwarding me the link, “Check her out and get out to one of her lectures. I’m positive she’ll talk to you. I could send her a message when you decide which lecture you’re going to?”

I looked down at the schedule and realized she’d be doing a lecture near our new office in about six months. It felt surreal, but in one conversation, I’d learned more than I had in years about magical beings like Quinn, and now I had an expert that might be able to answer my questions. I hoped the woman would help us, ”I guess I have a professor to talk to.”