Chapter Twenty-Six—Sweeny

Time portals sucked. As if Sweeny hadn't experienced enough, now she flew through time, which made her feel like the wicked witch of the west. At least they put her out of her misery with the house landing on her head.

Sweeny was stuck with an agenda that she wasn't sure she could do. Not to mention forced with a commentary inside of her head that wanted to jump Lucas.

Not that she disagreed, because he was smoking hot, but could we tone down the thirst for one second? Sweeny sucked in a huge breath as she fell on top of Lucas, who caught her with steady arms.

His dark green eyes met hers and then moved over her shoulder. He tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes. "A brothel? Your witchy aunt seduces men at a brothel, yeah? Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Sweeny stood up, wiping off her T-shirt, which she forgot was all she had. "God," she hissed. "Couldn't Hattie have given me some pants?"

Lucas gestured toward his bare chest. "That makes two of us. We need to find some clothes." He looked at her. "Can't you like … I dunno, conjure some up?"

Sweeny narrowed her eyes at him. "Right, because the virgin witch is who you trust to conjure anything up."

Lucas grinned. "You not a virgin anymore, no?"

She glared at him. "That's not what I meant by virgin."

She sighed heavily when Lucas pulled her closer to him. "Cher, calm down, yeah? I'm here and I won't let anything happen to you." She nodded, but he didn't let go. "You really want to get rid of your wolf?"

The shame in her chest weighed her down. "I don't know, Lucas. I'm some kind of freak. I never wanted any of this."

Lucas shoved his fingers into her hair. "I know, but it's your destiny."

Sweeny kept her mouth closed even though she wanted to scream. She jumped when a loud crash came from inside of the brothel. Lucas pulled them into a dark alley next to the building, and they watched a man fly through the air and land on the sidewalk.

She could smell the alcohol on his clothes from the alley, which was most likely from her wolf sense, but it felt strong. He stumbled upright, straightening his pinstriped suit jacket, and snatching his derby hat from the ground.

A few moments later, a cane was tossed out to him. He grumbled and picked it up, walking down the street as if nothing happened.

Sweeny looked over at Lucas. "I'm assuming Mena is inside. I don't know how to get inside, especially dressed like this."

"We could try one of these stores? I mean, they're closed, but we could break in and grab us some clothes, yeah?"

Sweeny shrugged. "Why not add breaking and entering to my current track record, we can list it under supernatural mess."

Lucas pinched the tip of her chin. They slunk against the wall to keep from sight, but judging by the hour, and lack of people, she didn't think that anyone was out.

They made it down to what looked like a clothing shop. Lucas turned toward her and gestured forward.

She lifted a brow. "What?"

"Do your magic, cher."

"I told you I don't know how."

He sighed. "You just want me to use my muscle in front of you, huh? That wolf got you all hot and bothered."

He wasn't wrong. Her wolf wouldn't shut up about how hot he looked and the way he smelled. It wasn't news to Sweeny, and she wished her wolf would get over it already.

She slowly crossed her arms, noticing the way his gaze lowered to the edge of her T-shirt. "Nope," she said, stepping backward. "Open it. Break a window. I'm sure they don't have security alarms in 1910."

Lucas gave her a mischievous smile. He seemed very calm for the current situation, but someone had to be, right? "Alright. Here we go." He grabbed the door handle and twisted so hard, it broke off, and the door swung opened.

Sweeny nodded in appreciation. "Nice."

Lucas leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Ladies first."

She walked inside of the store and into a different decade. An array of skirts and dresses lined the racks. The only pants in sight were on the opposite side of the store meant for men.

Oh crap …

Lucas whistled. "Oh, this is going to be good. I can't wait to see you in one of those dresses. You have to get the matching hat too." He snagged a wide brimmed hat with a large feather.

"Knock it off. At least I don't have to wear a pinstriped suit or one of those lame bowler hats."

He walked over toward the suits. "I look good in anything," he mumbled unsure.

Sweeny grabbed a long red skirt with floral print, and a matching suit jacket. She felt like a grandmother stripping out of her T-shirt and into the heavy material.

When she finished, she turned to see Lucas leaned against the doorjamb with a loose-fitted suit and a derby hat on top of his head. She hated him for looking good in it, because she felt like she belonged in an episode of Little House on The Prairie.

He snickered. Sweeny went to punch him when she heard a growl come from the back of the store. An English greyhound walked from the back, hunched down, his teeth bared and eyes on them.

"Looks like they don't have alarms, but attack dogs," Lucas mumbled.

Sweeny eyed the door behind them. They could make it outside, but there was no way to lock the door behind them. Lucas gave her a look and winked when the dog lunged after them.

"Don't hurt the puppy," she said as Lucas grabbed the dog into a bear hug and lugged him into the back of the shop.

He came back a few seconds later. "You think I would hurt my cousin, cher?"

She laughed. "Cute. Now let's go do this so I can change. I'm sweating bullets in this."

They went toward the brothel, the streets empty, only the sound of crickets and the night wind blowing around them. Lucas stopped at the first step of the stoop. "Wait, do girls go to brothels?" he asked.

"Yeah, if they're the ones giving out favors."

Lucas growled. "No, you're not doing that."

"Then how am I supposed to get inside?"

Lucas gnawed on his bottom lip. "I have an idea. Wait here." She waited patiently as he knocked on the door and let inside by some man standing guard.

Seconds ticked by when Sweeny heard a woman scream. A stampeded of people bolted from the building, while she stood by the stoop, watching everyone rush out.

One man stopped on the step, looked at Sweeny, and hauled her close to his side. "Run, woman. There is a beast inside."

She tried to pry herself from his grip as he tried to drag her to safety, but he only tugged harder. "Let me be," she said.

"Are you deranged?" he asked. "I said there is a beast inside."

Sweeny reached over and knocked the guy in the side of his head, and he went down with a plop. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and raced back to the opened brothel door.

Lucas stood inside, pouring himself a drink from behind the bar, wearing a new suit of clothes she figured he stole from the bartender lying naked on the floor. She hoped he stayed out for a while. "Wow, I see you wasted no time filling up on free drinks."

He chuckled over the rim of his bourbon. "If we're going back in time, we might as well live it up, yeah?"

Sweeny's attention drew to the stairs to her left. "Someone is up there."

Lucas put down his drink and took the lead. Sweeny kept close behind him, listening to the creaks in the walls, and the distant sound of breathing. It felt unreal to be able to hear so far away, sensing life in the dark, made her feel safer than ever before.

They rounded the banister and onto the second story, which held a long hallway that traveled from one end of the building to the other. Lucas gestured toward the left, which was where Sweeny heard the most noise.

Someone screamed from inside a room, and a bare-chested woman bolted from the door, and tumbled toward the ground, looking at them with fear in her eyes.

"Get out of here," Sweeny said.

She nodded, not giving them another look on her way down the stairs and out of the front door. "I guess she heard the news late," Lucas mumbled.

Lucas reached back for Sweeny's hand. She appreciated the touch, because even though she knew how to defend herself, the fact that he cared so much about her melted her insides.

Lucas checked each room, opening the door with his boot, he stuck his head inside and led her to the next one. When every room was searched, they went back downstairs, not knowing why Hattie dropped them there with no Mena.

"Maybe we're wrong," she said. "We can check the other buildings."

Lucas pushed his fingers through his hair, his gaze landing on the stairs behind her. Before she could question him, he levitated from the ground and was slung against the bar, crashing into liquor bottles and causing a commotion. Sweeny spun on her heel to see them—both of them.

It felt unreal to see them in their youth, which hadn't changed their appearance, only their clothing. Momma was blonde, not that it suited her, with tight curls beside her face, and an up-do you'd see in old western movies.

The dress—or nightgown as it looked to Sweeny—sparked a memory for her. It was the one she'd pulled out of the box from her closet when searching for clues of her dad.

It was obviously not the norm compared to what the stores sold, and what Sweeny knew of that era. Which told Sweeny her mother was a woman of the night, for sure.

And Mena mimicked the loose clothing, too. Her satin dress hit mid-thigh with a robe to match. Her chocolate hair was styled short, angling toward her face, and oddly it suited her much more than she expected.

"What do we have here?" Mena asked, descending the stairs. Her slow walk screamed cockiness.

Nothing much has changed.

Momma didn't follow her, she stood against the railing, staring daggers into Sweeny from afar. Did she recognize her? She couldn't since Sweeny hadn't been born yet.

Sweeny boldly stared back and wished things hadn't come to this. "Some little girl and her dog." Mena stopped and eyed Sweeny. "Wait a second, you smell that, sis?"

Momma took the stairs slowly, stopping a few feet away from Sweeny. "Yeah, she smells like a dog, but she's also something else." She began walking a circle around her. "What are you?"

Sweeny swallowed her nerves. "I think you know, don't you?"

Momma stop in front of her. Her makeup made her look lighter than her usual color, which makeup seemed to be used for prostitutes and stage life back then, which felt appropriate since her mother made a living this way. You'd think a witch could conjure up money, or a way to make money other than pleasuring men, but who was Sweeny to judge?

"What's she talking about?" Mena asked.

Lucas made a sound from behind her, causing Sweeny's gut to drop. He still sat on the ground and wasn't getting up. "Let him up," she said. "He isn't going to hurt either of you."

"Tell me why you're here exposing yourselves," Mena said.

"As soon as you let him up."

Momma gave Mena a look. Mena rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. Lucas bounded up, blood trickling down his face from the glass of the liquor bottles hitting him. Lucas cleared his throat and took his place beside her. "Freaky, right?" he whispered.

"Extremely," Sweeny whispered.

Mena sashayed over to stand closer. "Tell us."

Sweeny didn't know if she should tell her or not. Telling someone you were sent to kill them probably wouldn't end nicely. "I'm from the future. I'm your daughter."

Momma lifted a brow while Mena laughed hysterically. "Time travel, seriously? You expect us to believe that?"

"Why is that so hard to believe, no?" Lucas asked.

Momma hadn't said a word, only stared hard at Sweeny, as if she wanted to believe her. "Who is your father?"

"Never met him," Sweeny lied.

She didn't want her mother to decide not to have Sweeny and change the course of anything, if possible. She wasn't up-to-date on her time travel rules.

Momma crossed her arms over her chest. "I've never wanted children; I find it hard to believe that'll change."

Feeling aggravated, Sweeny lifted her arms and dropped them dramatically against her thighs. "Well, believe it, because I'm standing right here."

"Why are you standing here?" Mena asked. "Why are you here, and why did you bring your little boy toy with you? Do you have some life altering news to tell you? The world is coming to an end in—what year are you from?"

"2022."

"Wow. It's lasted longer than I imagined," Mena said, kicking off her blocky heels. "This has been a day, hasn't it?" she asked Momma, fluffing her hair and taking a seat. The round wooden table wobbled when she placed her elbows on the top. "We're waiting."

Sweeny debated telling her the real reason, but she did want to get back to 2022 one day—soon, she hoped. Lucas pushed Sweeny behind him, and she realized why when a man stepped out from behind a pillar, his gun aimed toward them.

A derby hat sat low over his face, only his eyes visible behind the barrel of the gun.

"Oh," Mena said, waving her hand. "Thomas, calm down, they're harmless."

Thomas … Hattie was right.

Momma craned her head. "I'm not sure they are," she mumbled. "They haven't said why they are here yet."

Sweeny watched Lucas' shoulders tense in front of her. She couldn’t see Thomas as well as he could, but she sensed something wasn't right.

Thomas walked into the dimly lit barroom, and slowly lowered his weapon. Sweeny's heart stopped in her chest. She'd know that snarl anywhere.

Thomas wasn't Thomas … he was Jaxson.