Chapter 8

Beck didn't want Lydia anywhere near Boyd, even if she had been trained to fight. When she mentioned having a sword, she fussed with the silver bangle bracelets she always wore. It was something she did often. They didn't look special, so maybe they were a touchstone. Sitting across from her at the café gave him time to study her. She no longer wore her diamond studs. She had swapped them for basic silver hoops. Instead of the straight ponytail, Lydia's hair was loose and wavy. Her makeup, while subtle, was heavier than it had been the day before. She was stunning both ways.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

Lydia craned her neck to frown at him. "Why? Do I not look like it?"

Beck squeezed her against his side. "You look beautiful. But it was late when I left, and you had to drive two hours to get to Seward."

"I didn't even try. I was too wired. I did a little computer work. I'm a freelance graphic designer when I'm not off on wild adventures."

"Have many of those, do you?" Beck didn't miss the way Lydia tensed. He wondered if she was thinking about whatever happened she didn't want to discuss. He hadn't liked seeing the haunted look behind her eyes earlier. "Hey." Beck turned her so she was pressed against his chest. He tipped her chin up, garnering her full attention. "No matter what it is that has you spooked, it's in the past, yeah?"

Lydia didn't respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his chest. Beck kissed her hair and held her tight until their ride pulled to the curb. He opened the door and followed her into the back seat. They were quiet on the short drive to Dooley's. When they arrived, he took her hand and led her to the door. It opened as they were ascending the steps.

"Hey, Beck." Kennedy gave Lydia a quick wave and a welcoming smile.

"Kennedy, this is Lydia. Kennedy is Dooley's mate."

Kennedy's eyes widened. "She knows?"

Lydia answered for Beck. "I do. I'm also a shifter."

"Oh. That's… uh, Dooley's in the cave. You want some coffee?"

Beck wanted to laugh at the female's patent words. She was ever the gracious hostess, and Dooley was always downstairs. "Not right now, but thank you."

Beck tugged Lydia's hand toward the door leading to the basement. He had texted his buddy earlier to let him know they'd be stopping by.

"What's doing Beckett and Beckett's female?" Dooley asked. Usually, he didn't bother turning around, but he was facing the stairs when they got to the bottom.

"Beckett's female has a name. Lydia, this is my good buddy, Dooley. He came to Alaska with me from BC."

Lydia removed her parka and draped it over her arm. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, would you listen to that accent. Where are you from? Georgia or Tennessee?"

Lydia leaned against Beck's arm. "Georgia. I swear I didn't realize it was that bad."

"Oh, it's not bad at all. Just different. And different is good." Dooley sniffed the air. "Speaking of different, you aren't like us, are you?"

"Nope. I'm a Gargoyle."

"The fuck you say. I thought all shifters were of the animal variety. You're not going to turn to stone at midnight, are you?"

Lydia huffed out a laugh. "No stone creature here. Those were created to be a symbol of sanctuary for our kind hundreds of years ago. As for other shifters, all the ones I know of besides Goyles are animal shifters. Even the Gryphons have animal counterparts."

"Gryphons?" Dooley slumped back in his seat. "Like the mythological beast?"

Lydia giggled outright. "Yep. Since we're being open about this, is it rude to ask what Kennedy is? She didn't smell like a bear."

"It's not rude since we're family. My mate is an arctic fox. Cutest little bugger you ever did see when she shifts."

"Did she come from BC as well?"

"No. We met a couple years later when both of us were out in the wild, but that's a story for another time. Now, come sit and tell me about your cousin who has been making my life hell."

Beck and Lydia took the empty chairs, and Lydia launched into the same information she had shared with Beck last night. While she gave Dooley the whole story, Lydia fiddled with her bracelets. "Ever since Agent Stallings lost his shit with Alyssa, the Trio set up alerts for any type of chatter relating to shifters. That's what led me to Alaska."

"Now that you know I'm one of the good guys, can you call off Carleigh?"

"I can do you one better. I'm going to put you in contact with her so you can work together. Since Amara still hasn't surfaced, we need all hands on deck to find the Empress."

"You think she's missing and not hiding out somewhere?" Dooley asked Beck.

"At this point, yes. Also, Chloe hasn't been heard from since yesterday after her last flight. The GPS on the helo was turned off, and Delaney is losing her mind."

"What the fuck is going on, Beckett?"

"That's what we need to find out. With Chloe in the wind, Delaney has demanded that I take on more flights while yelling at me in the next breath to find her mother and her sister. I can't do both."

"But you have Caleb and Damien." Dooley's computer pinged, and he held up a finger. He typed furiously for a few seconds before turning to Lydia. "Maybe you can call your cousin now before my system crashes?"

"On it." Lydia removed her phone from the parka and made the call. "Hey, C. Did you get my email? Good. I'm here with the hacker in Kodiak, and he's one of the good guys, so maybe don't crash his system. Yeah, I'll put you on speaker. Carleigh, I'm here with Beck and Dooley Moore."

"What's doing, Miss Stone?"

Carleigh snorted. "You may call me Carleigh. Do we know who Boyd was messaging in BC?"

"No, I haven't been able to pinpoint the address, only the general vicinity."

"I have the address. Coming to you now."

Dooley's computer chimed, and he swiveled back around. "That doesn't make sense."

"What is it?" Beck asked.

"That's Valerie's address. I know because it was Amara's old one."

"Do you think someone booted her out of BC the way she did Beck's mom?" Carleigh asked.

Dooley's fingers flew across the keyboard. "No. I would have heard about it if they had. Like I told Beckett yesterday, I still have contacts there."

Lydia rolled the bracelets on her right arm. "Are you certain your contacts aren't loyal to Valerie?"

"Positive. Amara led our pack there for over a century. She was a good Queen, even if she did think lowly of males, but that's our society for you. Valerie has no use for anyone, male or female, if they aren't bringing in money."

Carleigh hummed through the phone. "Could that be it?"

"Could that be what?" Lydia asked.

"Think about it. What two things cause most issues in the world? Money and power. Maybe she's having money problems since she's already in charge."

Dooley stopped typing and tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Say that's true, but why would she be speaking in code with Boyd? She did send him away."

Lydia reached over and placed her hand on Beck's arm. "Let's just go ask him."

"Hold up, Cuz. Dooley, do you see that?" Carleigh asked. "It's another message. This one from Sterling to BC."

The male returned his gaze to the screen. "What the fuck does that even mean? The porridge is just right?"

Lydia slid her hand down Beck's arm to thread their fingers together. "It's from that old fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. " Dooley stared at her, and when she didn't elaborate, he rolled his finger, indicating he needed more information.

"You don't know Goldilocks? "

"Can't say I do, but my mother wasn't the type to read to me as a child. Please explain."

"Well, the gist of it is that Goldilocks happened upon a home inhabited by three bears. A papa, a momma, and a baby. They had made porridge, but it was too hot to eat, so they went outside to let it cool off. Goldilocks let herself into the house and tasted all three bowls. Papa's was too hot. Momma's was too cold, but baby bear's was just right, so she ate it all. Same thing with their chairs and their beds. When they found her asleep in baby bear's bed, their voices woke her, and she ran out of the house, never to be heard from again. At least that's the version I heard."

Dooley's brow furrowed, enhancing the deep lines there. "If the porridge is just right, then they're referring to baby bear?"

"If they're making reference to that fairy tale, yes."

"Any babies in the area?" Carleigh asked.

"Not in our pack here. The last kid born was eight years ago," Dooley said.

"Oh, shit." Beck leaned forward. "Delaney is pregnant. Maybe Boyd found out somehow?"

"I'm confused," Carleigh said. "Or not up to speed on the inner workings of your packs. Lydia told me about how Valerie fought Amara for leadership, but why would they want an unborn child? Wouldn't there be, I don't know, quite a few years before that child grows up to fight for the throne?"

Dooley gestured for Beck to take this one. "In our culture, the oldest daughter takes over as Queen when their mother is ready to step down if no one has challenged them beforehand. When Valerie allowed Amara to leave BC, my mother moved us here to set up a new pack. If she is never challenged, Delaney will take her place when the time comes. Then, if Delaney is never challenged, her child will take her place, if that child is a female. With that being the case, you're right, going after an unborn baby doesn't make sense."

Lydia squeezed Beck's fingers. "I still say we go confront Boyd."

"Let's save that for plan B. Right now, you and I need to head back to Seward for the next flight."

Dooley stood and stretched his back. "Carleigh and I will keep at it on our end, and if we find anything, one of us will contact you."

"Sounds good." Beck leaned forward to shake his friend's hand. While he ordered a car to pick them up, Lydia took the phone off speaker and put it to her ear.

"Hey, C, can you contact Tabby and have her send some of her toys? Yeah, those should work. Yes, have her overnight them to the lodge please. Great. Uh huh." Lydia looked at Beck, blushing. "He really is. Okay, talk soon." She picked up her parka and deposited the phone into one of the pockets. "Ready?"

Beck snagged her around the waist and shoved his nose in her neck. After getting a good dose of her scent, he pecked a kiss on her lips. "Now I am."

Dooley's mouth twitched. "Please send my mate down here after you get your stash."

"Will do."

Lydia's smile faded. "Stash?"

"Mmm hmm. Only the best cookies this side of North America." Beck put his hand on her back and urged her toward the stairs. "What kind of toys were you asking for?" Beck whispered.

"Two of my cousins, Anthony and Tabitha, work as private investigators for a security company. They have all these spy gadgets Carleigh's dad created like listening devices. Ooh, I should have asked for some prosthetics. That way we could spy on Boyd incognito."

Beck had a million questions, but he kept them to himself since Kennedy was waiting for them. She held out the container to Lydia instead of Beck. "I didn't know what you liked, so I added several different types to Beck's usual."

"I'm not picky when it comes to sweets. I'm sure I'll enjoy them all. Thank you, Kennedy. I hope to see you again soon."

Kennedy's smile was so wide, Beck was afraid her face was going to split. "I'd like that. Have a safe flight back." She waved, then rushed down the stairs without them having to pass along Dooley's request. Dooley's loud umph was followed by Kennedy's sweet giggle.

"And that's our cue to get out of here." Beck didn't want to hear whatever happened next. He helped Lydia into her parka, then ushered her outside. "So, what are these prosthetics you mentioned?"

"Masks that can make you look like someone else. Did you ever see those old Mission: Impossible movies?"

"Yeah, where the lead character peels off a… Wait. You're saying you can get your hands on those?"

"Yep. My great-grandfather invented those and sold them to Hollywood. Several of my cousins know how to make them, and Carleigh's dad came up with a voice transmitter that allows you to sound like the person as well. It's all fascinating."

"It's scary as shit too. Have you ever worn one?"

"Only for fun. Now my mom? When her parents were kidnapped and taken to Egypt, she went after them. She wore several different masks, keeping the folks responsible from recognizing her. She even fooled my dad into thinking she was an old woman until she kissed him. At first, he was grossed out, but when she laughed and called his name, he figured out it was her."

"When you said your mom was fierce, you weren't kidding."

"All the females in our Clan are in one way or another. The twins' mom, Tessa? She's a total badass. Rides a Harley, is a pool shark, and she's not afraid of anyone. She even shot her mate when he pissed her off."

"What? Shot him with a gun?"

Lydia laughed. "She knew it wouldn't hurt him because of his impenetrable skin, but she got her point across."

"When you say fierce, I think you mean crazy." Beck ran a finger down Lydia's cheek. "I hope you never get pissed at me."

"Well, you did tell me the secret to taking down your kind."

"Sure, but do you have an ice sword hiding in your pocket?" Beck had never seen one. Honestly, he thought they were a myth.

Lydia glanced down at her arm. "Maybe."

Before he could ask what she meant, their ride pulled up to the curb. There was more to his female than met the eye. Once seated, Beck held Lydia's hand. There was a pull to touch her whenever he could. It wasn't sexual, although he wanted to be with her that way too, but this was a deep need to always have her close. He knew mated couples like Dooley and Kennedy. He saw how connected they were. How being in the same room made them light up. Beck had chalked that up to Kennedy being a fox since he had never seen bear shifters react that way to their mate. And Gargoyles had fated mates, so maybe that was the reason he was drawn to her. Whatever the reason, Beck had a decision to make. Lydia had a Clan full of family and friends she was close to. He wouldn't expect her to leave them behind and settle with him in Alaska. What did he have to offer her there anyway? Other than Dooley, Beck had no one he was close to. When it came down to the facts, it wasn't a hard decision at all.