Chapter Twenty-Seven—Lucas

Lucas' mouth dropped at the sight of Thomas. He'd know that face anywhere. Putain de merde. Tu rigoles. He couldn’t make sense of why Jaxson stood on the other side of the room, in 1910, with a gun pointed at his face.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas barked.

Sweeny pinched him from behind.

Thomas looked at him stupidly, lowering his gun to point at the floor, he asked, "Who the hell are you?"

So he didn't recognize Lucas, which how would he? Lucas hadn't been born yet. Had he? It wouldn’t surprise him he if had at this point.

Mena stood up slowly. "What's going on here? How do you know Thomas?"

Sweeny stepped in front of Lucas. "He's part of Lucas' pack back home, but that can't be right, can it?"

Mena looked interested. "Reincarnation at its finest. Is he still good-looking in 2022?"

"Wait a second," Lucas whispered. "Do mates have the same mates in each life?"

Realization came over Sweeny's face. Hattie couldn't be Jaxson's mate, could she? Momma cleared her throat. "Mates never falter. You have the same mate in each life. I've seen in, but not everyone reincarnates in the same time period."

Sweeny gave Lucas a serious look. Why hadn't Hattie mentioned it, or why didn't Jaxon know Hattie was his mate? They had a nonverbal conversation until Mena stood up and slammed her fist on the table. "I'm tired of this. Who sent you?"

Lucas wasn't sure if he should tell any of them about Hattie. He was sure Thomas knew who his mate was in this life, because Hattie said Mena stole him. "Where is your mate?" he asked.

Mena turned to look at Thomas who looked torn. He was much more composed in 1910 than back home.

She chuckled. "That little girl?" she asked. "Thomas is going to leave her when we ditch this gin joint in a few months. What about her? Why does any of this matter? If someone doesn't tell me something soon, I'm going to kill you both."

Sweeny interlaced her fingers with his, and tugged. He wasn't sure what she wanted, but he let her lead. Before Lucas guessed what her move was, she did some spell-y crap and smoke surrounded them.

When he opened his eyes, they stood in the alleyway outside. Sweeny tugged Lucas toward the back of the building, while he coughed on the puffs of smokes still in his lungs. They ran until the nearest wood line and collapsed against the bottom of a huge oak tree.

"Oh. My. Gah—?" Sweeny gasped. "I thought I would feel invincible being a wolf. I'm so out of breath."

Lucas chuckled, and drug her head onto his lap. "It gets better over time. What is going on, cher? I mean—Jaxson and Hattie? What kind of sideshow is this? Jaxson doesn't know, or he'd go crazy getting to her. We have to find Hattie—or whoever she is in this life—and figure out what to do."

Sweeny kept quiet for a long while, only the sound of the night around them. "You don't want to kill her, do you?" Lucas asked.

She opened her eyes and gazed up at him. "Is that bad? I mean, I know she's psychotic, but she's my family. Plus, what if we kill her and it sets events into motion. What if I'm never born?"

Lucas hadn't thought about it. Obviously, he didn't know too much about time-travel. He brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I hadn't thought about it. If we don't kill her, we're stuck here, cher."

Sweeny closed her eyes. "I know."

"I think we need to find Hattie—or whoever. The only way I know to do that is to follow Thomas. I have his scent. You up for another run, cher?"

She nodded and stretched before getting up. Lucas laughed at her skirt. She'd torn it in their mad dash to the woods, and only a small piece of fabric clung to her hips. She followed his gaze and shrugged. "Who cares, right? We've already stirred up enough trouble in this town, why not show a little leg while we're at it, huh?"

Lucas stood up. "You know I don't mind some leg, cher."

She chuckled. "I'm really sorry about the wolf thing."

He knew what she meant but asked anyway. "What about your wolf?"

Sweeny gave him a give it up look. "I felt how it made you feel with me not wanting my wolf, Lucas. I was just scared—still am—but I don't want Hattie to take away my powers." She stepped forward. "I don't want to lose you."

His irrational side—his wolf—loved the idea of her keeping her wolf. The other side wasn't sure. "Let's get back to present day before we decide, yeah? We've got other things to worry about."

He wouldn't be the reason she kept something she never wanted. Lucas loved Sweeny, but he didn't want her to resent him.

She seemed sad at his answer but followed him out of the woods. He tracked Thomas within thirty minutes, proud he'd impressed Sweeny with his nose, as lame as it sounded.

Thomas' scent led them to a one-story house in the heart of town. A chain-link fence surrounded the small front yard. Flowers lined the walkway to the house, and the smell of home-cooked food. "This doesn't scream Hattie to me," Sweeny mumbled. "Where are the stakes with impaled heads?"

"Maybe they're around back?" Lucas suggested.

Lucas grabbed Sweeny's hand and tugged her toward the front porch. Thomas would smell them out quickly, and Lucas didn't want to get into a fight. He didn't have any backup clothes.

They looked inside of the front windows, only an empty living room and an encased furnace sat there. Sweeny eyed Lucas. "Are you sure he's here? I don't want to doubt your nose or anything—I'm guessing that's the equivalent of doubting a man's sense of direction."

He gave her a look. "You'd be right, yeah. He's here alright—"

The sound of a gun cocking stopped them both. "I knew you two would follow me. Now tell me why you're here?"

Sweeny turned around first, maybe hoping he'd be that classic southern gentleman, and not shoot a woman. "Put the gun down—"

"No can do," he barked, poking Lucas in the back. "Turn around and face me like a man." What's up with everyone doubting my manhood today?

Lucas turned, the sight of him still made him cringe. Jaxson's hard eyes leveled with him. "Tell me why you're here."

"Hatt—your mate sent us."

"Horse crap," he spit. "She doesn't know anything about time-travel. She's human."

Sweeny gasped loudly. "What do you mean she's human, Thomas?"

His gaze jumped between the two of them and then to the front door. "Honey, what's going on?"

Sweeny turned and made eye contact with her. Lucas looked over his shoulder and knew Thomas told the truth. Hattie wasn't born an immortal, she'd been human, the question was when had she changed, and what changed her?

"Thomas," she asked, again.

He mumbled something softly. "This is … I, don't know their names, they were just leaving—"

"Actually," Sweeny said, ignoring Thomas' curse. "My name is Sweeny. It's nice to meet you—"

"Susie," she said sweetly. "Can I offer you two some sweet tea or a cookie? They're fresh."

"No—" Thomas started.

"Absolutely," Sweeny said. She gave Lucas a look that said fix this. "Why don't you two stay outside and talk."

The front door shut behind her, and Lucas cursed beneath his breath. When he looked back, Thomas scowled at him. Not too much had changed, apparently. "Tell me why you messing around on your mate, huh?"

"You don't know nothing about me—"

"I know you're a rougarou, and that girl in there is your mate. I can smell it. Now you tell me why you're messing around with Mena. She's bad news, no? You know it."

"It's not that simple. She—why do you even care? I don't know you."

Luca rolled his eyes. "Where is your pack?"

Thomas slid his tongue across his teeth. "She killed 'em."

Lucas' gut hit his stomach. Mena killed his pack? "Your alpha look like me?" he asked.

He shook his head. "No. He didn't."

"Why did she kill 'em?"

Thomas took off his hat, and ran his fingers over his smashed hair. "She wanted to take over the parish. When we tried to stop 'em, she killed the other ones. I said I'd help so she'd spare me."

Coward.

"So, now you're sleeping with her?" Lucas asked. "How convenient."

Thomas shoved from the railing of the porch. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I was—I was supposed to spend my life happy with Susie. Now I'm doomed. She seduced me, I don't know what happened, now I'm bound to her some way. She says she'll kill Susie if I don't leave her. Whatever spell she put on me, wasn't powerful enough for me to forget Susie, because she's my mate. I just want to leave with Susie, and be done with her."

Lucas looked over his shoulder. "We might be able to help you. Hattie—uh, Susie from the future—sent us here to kill Mena."

Thomas looked horrified. "Susie? That doesn't sound like her."

Maybe not like Susie …

Their voices from inside drew Lucas' attention, but Jaxson stopped him. "Susie doesn't know about Mena, please don't tell her."

Lucas nodded.

Sweeny walked out of the front door, a cookie in one hand and the other arm interlocked with Susie's arm. "They haven't killed each other," Sweeny laughed. "I was just telling Susie that y'all go way back."

Susie's smile reached her eyes, her soft black hair hit her shoulders in ringlet curls. A deep contrast from Hattie's bleached dreadlocks. The only thing, besides her face, that convinced Lucas it was really her, was her piercing blue eyes.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, reaching for Lucas' hand.

"You too, yeah?"

Thomas cleared his throat. "Sweeny and Lucas were just leaving—"

"Don't be rude, Thomas," Susie hissed. "I invited them to dinner. I made pot roast—your favorite."

The look of love on his face made Lucas feel like crap. How were they going to kill Mena—and break this spell? Maybe killing her would do it. "I'd love some pot roast, yeah?"

Thomas fumed his way into the house, followed by Susie, who didn't have any clue what was going on. Sweeny stopped Lucas on the stairs. "Susie is definitely human. And it makes me think Mena did this to her. Made her immortal. I just don't know why."

Lucas kissed Sweeny's hand. "Well, cher, that's what we're going to find out, yeah?"

***

Dinner was awkward to say the least. Sweeny and Susie did their best to keep the conversation going, but Thomas didn't take the bait. He kept to himself, pushing his food around his plate, like a kid being forced to eat broccoli.

"Do you not like the food, Thomas?" Susie asked.

It knocked him out of his daze, and he sat up straight. "Yeah, I was just thinking." He started eating, but Lucas could tell it was for show.

He probably felt sick to his stomach, and Lucas didn't blame him.

Susie pushed her plate back. "I'm stuffed."

"Me too. Thank you for letting us eat," Sweeny said. "But we better get going. It was so nice to meet you."

Susie hugged Sweeny and Lucas noticed the sadness in her eyes. Susie was a good girl, and didn't deserve what Mena planned to do. They walked outside, and Thomas gestured for Lucas to follow him.

They walked to the end of the driveway and Thomas stopped, shoving his hands into his slacks. "I can't lose Susie."

"I understand."

Thomas turned to face him with a steady stare but trembling bottom lip. "What do I do? Can you help me?"

Lucas wasn't sure if the plan he'd conjured up would work. Hattie seemed to think killing Mena would do the trick, which it would, but he didn't know if that was out of revenge, or it being the only option.

"Susie and you need to leave, Thomas. Pack up your stuff and leave."

Thomas shook his head. "I can't leave. What will I tell her is the reason? Her parents are here, and I can't ask her to abandon her job teaching—"

"Do you love your mate, Thomas?"

He nodded.

"And your pack is gone, right? You have no ties to this town anymore?"

"Right."

Lucas took a step toward them. "Then leave. I'm serious. Pack tonight, and in the morning, leave."

Thomas screwed his eyes shut but nodded once. "I don't see what other choice I have. Do you think she'll follow me?"

Lucas hoped not. "I can't say for sure, but if you have a head start, it'll help."

Thomas looked out over the darkened night. "I'll go tell Susie. Do y'all have a place to stay tonight?"

Lucas shook his head.

"Come on. You can stay in our spare bedroom." He started back toward the house where Sweeny and Susie stood on their front porch. "Lucas and Sweeny are going to stay here tonight. I'll help you get the bed ready."

Susie didn't ask any questions. It seemed southern hospitality ran deep in this time. Sweeny walked over and looked up at Lucas. "What's the plan?"

"They are leaving in the morning. I'm hoping Mena doesn't follow."

Sweeny frowned, obviously not thinking it would work, but she didn't offer another plan. Because ultimately, they both knew, someone needed to kill Mena, and Sweeny held the sword.