There was a pause, and then Melinda got serious. “You okay, Rebecca? I mean all kidding aside, I know you’re under a lot of pressure. So much shit hit you all at once. I understand your hesitation. But you have to know that no matter what else happens, Miles and Griffen are a constant. They will be by your side for life—possibly to the point of annoying at times, but always with you even when you’re physically separated.”
Rebecca nodded, sobering enough to ask some hard questions. “I know you believe there’s a spirit trying to communicate with one or all of us.”
“I know it to be true.”
“Yeah. And I’m getting there. It’s hard to ignore. But weird things have happened that don’t seem related, and I’m…well, scared.”
Melinda set her glass down and turned from her end of the couch to face Rebecca, her legs crossed. “What things?”
“I’ve had a few threats tossed at me.”
“Threats?”
“Yeah. I don’t think spirits can move shit around and send e-mails.”
Melinda shook her head. “I don’t think so, either.”
“So you see my concern.”
“What do Griffen and Miles think about this?”
Rebecca cringed. “I haven’t told them.”
Melinda blew out a breath. “Lord, girl. Why the hell not?”
“Because every time something happens, they wig out on me and go all Rambo.”
Melinda forced a short giggle. “Rambo?”
“That’s what it feels like. They suffocate me. They don’t let me go anywhere alone, including work or for a run. They’re always by my side.”
“I see.” She hesitated and then continued, “What you have to understand is they’re worried too. You’re their life now. Your safety is their top priority. I don’t think under normal circumstances, when things calm down, they’ll smother you as much. For a while maybe, but not forever. This spirit situation is stressful, for all of us, because we’re helpless to know what it wants.
“We have no way of knowing if it means ill or good. Is it sending a warning or making a statement? Griffen is as new to the concept as you are. But Miles…that’s another story. He’s spent his life surrounded by discussions about spirits. My grandmother had shifters from the pack traipsing through our house with all manner of stories from the time we were very little.
“He takes this stuff seriously. And he isn’t going to risk one hair on your head, even if it means pissing you off to do so.”
“I kinda get that. I do. But who knows how long this will last? What if it’s indefinite?”
“It’s not.”
“How can you be sure?” Rebecca looked at Melinda and saw the woman’s face, knowing there were things Melinda hadn’t told her.
Melinda seemed to be hedging in an attempt to decide how much she should say. “I’m gonna be blunt with you on two things you’re not going to like.”
“Please.”
“First of all, you need to tell Miles and Griffen about the e-mails and stuff. If there’s human or shifter involvement, they need to know.”
“Yeah, figured you’d say that.”
“And second—” she paused, squeezing her eyes shut for a second before she met Rebecca’s gaze again and spit it out, “—you can’t go to that race next Saturday.”
“What?” Rebecca’s voice rose an octave.
“Listen. I know what I do is foreign to you. And I’ll admit there’s no exact science to anything in the world of a shaman. Almost everything we know is from intuition. More of a feeling. It’s not like I have a solid picture in my head of some specific future incident. It doesn’t work like that.
“And unfortunately, sometimes I never know why I gave the advice I have to give to someone. I just know.” She leaned forward and grabbed Rebecca’s arm. “I’m so sorry, but I’ve known from the moment I met you that you can’t be at that race. My grandmother knows it too.”
Rebecca’s heart sped. “I’ve worked so hard for this.”
“I know. And there’ll be other races. But this one is not for you.”
“Have you told Miles that?”
“No.” She shook her head. “And I won’t. But I need you to do it. Please. Don’t put me in a position that forces me to betray your trust. We just met. I want us to be close. We’re family now. I don’t want to start out our relationship with me going behind your back to thwart your plans.”
“If you tell Miles I can’t race, he’ll forbid it.”