“Summer,” someone else said.
“New friends,” Natalie called out as she lifted her beer. Her eyes were on me, same as everyone else’s.
I lifted my beer to toast with them all.
“To the future,” Liam chimed in. “Cheers, everyone.”
I chewed my bottom lip as I locked eyes with him, my beer still lifted. A chorus of clinks filled the night as everyone said cheers to one another and smiled. Liam bumped his beer to mine before taking a sip. I put my beer to my lips as a cold chill ran through me. Liam grabbed my chair and pulled me closer to the fire.
“I don’t know how you’re cold. The fire is too warm for me,” he said.
“I don’t know either. I just got a random cold chill.” I set my beer on the ground beside me and took a bite from my marshmallow. While I could feel the fire’s warmth, it didn’t ease the chill I felt. I popped the rest of the marshmallow in my mouth and held my hands out to the fire, palms up. The chill centered in my chest, cold and heavy, the way icy rain seeps straight to your bones.
Was I getting sick? Was that even possible as the Mystic?
“Plan on roasting the next marshmallow, or are you the type who doesn’t like them all warm and gooey?” Liam asked as he grabbed a long stick beside him and secured a marshmallow to the end.
“I like them both ways,” I said. “But, roasting my next one sounds good.”
Liam passed me his stick. “Here. This one’s ready for you.”
“Thanks.” A smile stretched across my face as a memory of the last time I’d roasted marshmallows came to mind.
“What’s so funny?” Liam asked, curiosity shifting through his eyes.
“I just remembered a bonfire party Penny and I went to last summer. Someone brought a bag of marshmallows with them and the stuff to make s’mores.” I held my stick out, hovering my marshmallow over the flames. “There was this girl visiting her cousin for the summer. She was from some city somewhere—I don’t remember where—but she didn’t look like she’d spent a day outdoors in her life. When someone handed her a stick to roast a marshmallow with, she asked if she had to sanitize the stick first. A couple of guys nearby, being the jerks they were, told her she absolutely had to. One of them said he had hand sanitizer in his truck she could use on it while another told her that she needed to go to the creek and wash it off.” I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t dim the smile twisting my lips.
“Oh, wow.” Liam chuckled. He skewered a marshmallow to the end of a new stick and placed it in the fire. “I’m sure you gave those guys a piece of your mind.”
“Oh, I did. Trust me.”
“Did she end up doing either before you intervened?” Liam asked. His marshmallow was already nearly burnt on one side, its white skin now bubbly and brown.
“No, I stopped her before she could.” I rolled my sick in my hands, making sure my marshmallow was evenly toasted on all sides. “She’d decided on hand sanitizer though, since she didn’t want to get her shoes wet. I told her if she was worried about germs to hold the thing in the fire for a bit.”
“I see you’re an even roaster,” Liam said, nodding to my marshmallow. “So was my mom.”
“Cool,” I said, liking that he’d shared something about his mom with me. “Yeah, I don’t like mine burnt to a crisp like yours is about to be.”
“Burnt is perfect. It’s charred crispiness and an ewwy gooey middle. The best,” he said before taking another swig from his beer.
I’d forgotten about mine on the ground beside my chair, but I was okay with that. It probably wasn’t a good idea for me to be drinking with how worked up I’d been, anyway. Marshmallows were more important.
“Yuck.” I laughed while continuing to spin the stick in my hands. The exterior of my marshmallow was barely brown, which was just the way I liked it. “Golden brown is the only way to eat them.”
Grunting sounded from a few feet away, capturing my attention. My heart sped up, startled by the noise. It settled when I spotted Rafe and Rhett arm wrestling at a picnic table on the opposite side of the firepit. Nash stood beside them, seemingly as their referee. Cato and Natalie’s husband stood to the side, cheering for their favorite twin. Rhett was clearly struggling. His face had turned purple, and he puffed his cheeks out. Rafe was talking crap. Although, it was clear from the strained look on his face he was struggling as much as Rhett.
“They’ll be like that for a while,” Liam whispered as he leaned closer to me. His arm brushed my shoulder and the same electrical jolt as always trickled through me. Even that couldn’t chase away the cold sensation in the center of my chest. “They do this at almost every bonfire we have.”
“Who’s going to win?” I asked, thinking he’d know since the two did this so often.
Liam shrugged and pulled his marshmallow from the fire. Flames licked it. He blew on it, putting them out and leaving a charred mess of a marshmallow. “They’re equally matched, so it’s a toss-up every time. Chances are, though, Rafe will cheat by allowing his bear to surface.”
My gaze drifted back to them. A smile twisted my lips. I loved this was something familiar enough to know how it panned out. I glanced around at the others in the clan while I continued to spin my stick, roasting my marshmallow to golden perfection.
Billie and Natalie were next to each other, talking while sipping their beers. Rayna talked with another woman I hadn’t met yet, each of them holding their sleeping little boys in their laps. The guys cheered as the match between Rafe and Rhett amped up. Dottie was even there, sitting close to the fire, watching everyone. These people—this clan—had such a laid-back vibe. They were all so calm. If anyone walked by right now, they’d think they were normal people—friends—just sitting around, having a beer by the fire and not the shifters they were.
I pulled my marshmallow from the fire and blew on it before taking a bite. Warm gooeyness melted in my mouth, and I moaned.
“Good?” Liam asked. His lips curled into a half smile. I glanced at him, noticing the heat in his eyes.
“Perfect.” The marshmallow. The moment. This place.
I enjoyed being here. I liked these people. I loved their sense of closeness and the way they all felt like family. I liked Liam sitting so close to me that his knee brushed against mine when he moved.
“You really like it here, don’t you?” Liam asked.
“Yeah. You’re all growing on me. This place is too.”
He licked his lips and smirked like he knew I would enjoy being here all along. I wanted to kiss him. My eyes dipped to his lips, remembering how they’d felt against mine. I wanted to feel that again.
Liam leaned in, erasing the distance between us, and pressed his lips to mine. They were warm, gentle, and soft. I responded to his kiss instantly, my lips moving in the slow rhythm he’d set. Silence bloomed around us. The sound of the fire crackling became deafeningly loud, until whoops and whistles filled the night air.
“We have an audience,” Liam said as he pulled away.
“That we do.” My cheeks heated. I hated being the center of attention.
“Aw, aren’t you two cute,” Billie called out. Rafe made kissing noises, and I felt my cheeks flame brighter. Liam chucked a marshmallow at him, hitting him in the forehead, and laughter broke out.
“Bonfire foul,” Rafe insisted. “We don’t waste marshmallows around here.” He scooped it up off the ground and wiped it on his shirt before popping it in his mouth.
I propped my stick up beside my chair and leaned back, crossing my legs. Another cold chill rippled along my spine. Liam held the bag of marshmallows out to me.
“Do you want another one?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Two is enough for me. Thanks.”
“How about another beer?” He tipped his back and finished it off.
“Nah, I’m good on that too.”
“You sure?”
I folded my arms over my chest, hugging myself to keep in the warmth I’d gained from the fire. I wish
ed I’d brought my hoodie or that I’d thought to blow-dry my hair. “Yeah. I didn’t even drink the one Rafe gave me.”
Liam’s brows pinched together. “Are you okay?”
“I just didn’t sleep well.” I shifted in my seat. “I had nightmares.”
“I would have been surprised if after everything that happened you didn’t have nightmares. I think that’s probably normal.”
I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and flashed him a smile, even though his words did little to comfort me. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
Having nightmares did seem normal after something so traumatic. What didn’t was the unrelenting twinge of coldness festering in the center of my chest.
Chapter Ten
Two days passed. The coldness in the center of my chest didn’t fade, but it didn’t spread either. No matter what I did, it was always there. There was a part of me that wondered if it was a piece of me that had died and refused to be revived.
Would I always feel it?
I rubbed the palm of my hand against the area. It did nothing to ease the coldness. My lips pursed together. In my gut, I knew this sensation had something to do with the second Mystic. I didn’t know what or how, but I could feel that the two were related. I’d made it a point to ask Liam each day if there was any news on her whereabouts. His answer was always no. No one had mentioned her, which had to mean no one had seen her.
I knew how important she would be to the shifters who found her first. Liam did too. It was why the area between his brows puckered and his eyes dulled each time I asked and he had to give me disappointing news. He knew as well as I did there was a real possibility she’d already been found and forced to join a pack, clan, or crew.
The problem was: It didn’t feel like she had.
She still felt like a beacon to me. Maybe that was only because we shared the same magic.
I yawned as I tied my Converse. I still wasn’t sleeping well. Horrible nightmares plagued me, and multiple coffees had become necessary to get me through the day because of it. I grabbed my cell off the table and crammed it into the back pocket of my jeans. Before I headed out the door to the general store for a coffee, I debated whether I should wear my hoodie. The sun was shining bright outside, and I knew the temperature would most likely be in the upper seventies even though it was only a little after eleven, but I couldn’t shake this cold chill.
A knock at the door startled me, pulling me from my thoughts. My heart sped up as I moved to open the door. I’d been on edge nearly every second today. I blamed my nightmares and lack of sleep. It was all catching up with me.
When I swung the door open, Liam stood on the step.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, surprised to see him.
We hadn’t hung out much since the night of the bonfire when we’d kissed in front of everyone. He’d been busy trying to get things back in order at the campground after having been gone. I understood. I’d also been dealing with my own stuff and preferred to do so alone.
Liam gripped the doorframe, leaning against it while he held my stare. His eyes were the color of honey in the bright light of the sun. “I wanted to see if you felt up to doing a little gem mining. I finished what I needed to do earlier than I thought and have some free time.”
“Sure. That sounds like fun,” I said. “Can I get some coffee first?”
“Yeah, if you want.”
“Definitely.” I started out the door, pulling it closed behind me.
The sun was bright; it warmed my face as I walked down Ruby’s steps behind Liam, but that warmth didn’t seep into my bones like I wanted it to.
“Still not sleeping well?” Liam asked. Real concern was reflected in his features when he slowed so we could walk side by side.
I shook my head. “Copious amounts of coffee have been helping me through the day though.” I flashed him a smile, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn’t work. Liam’s lips pursed, forming a thin white line and making it clear he was worried about me.
Maybe he should be. Heck, maybe I should be more worried about the nightmares and the things I’d been seeing too. Over the past two days, I’d thought I’d spotted Jessica more than once in the campground. Once, I even swore I heard Ezra laughing.
I was either losing my mind or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Maybe both.
“You need sleep. Everyone does,” Liam insisted as we cut across the RV park, headed toward the general store. “It’s a necessity.”
“Of which I’m getting some of,” I said without meeting his gaze. “Just not the usual seven or eight hours.”
“How much sleep are you getting?”
I didn’t want to answer him, but I knew if I didn’t, he’d continue to press me for one. It was the way he worked. “Like two, maybe three, hours a night.”
“That’s nothing,” he balked. “You need to be getting at the very least six. I know I need nine some nights.”
I plucked a white flower from a bush as we passed, feeling its smooth petals between my fingers. The sun continued to beat down on us, and for the first time in days I almost felt warm all the way through. Part of that was probably because of my embarrassment at my state of mind and the conversation we were having. I didn’t like admitting something was wrong.
“Everyone is different,” I said, fighting back a yawn I knew he’d notice.
Liam scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, but I think most need more sleep than that.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but the sound of someone splashing in water made its way to my ears and I froze. My body grew tense as I was tossed back to the moment with Jessica and the icy waters of the pond.
Panic seized me and I couldn’t breathe.
Water felt as though it poured down my throat, eager to fill my lungs. My ears became hyperaware of the sound of water splashing, causing it to echo through my mind. My pulse hammered in my ears as strong hands gripped my arms. I jerked away as a scream built in my throat. Before I could release it, I realized the person touching me was Liam.
“Hey, hey,” he said in a soft tone. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
I locked eyes with him and pulled in a deep breath. My fingers dug into his arms, needing to hold on to something that was real, something that was in the here and now before I became lost in my memories again.
“What happened?” Liam asked. I could tell from the way he looked at me he already knew.
“Nothing.” I released my death grip on him and forced some space between us by taking a few steps back. “I’m fine. How about that coffee?” I flashed him a smile, but it was forced and I knew he could tell. I was still too shaken.
“Tris.” He snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me close. I wanted to lean into him, to bury my face in his solid chest and cry, but what good would it do? He couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t fix me.
Hell, I was the Mystic—the one person who was meant to heal others—and I couldn’t even fix myself.
“Tell me what happened back there,” Liam insisted. “Where did you go? You had this freaked out expression and your eyes were glassed over.”
I licked my lips and sighed. “A flashback. A moment of paranoia. I don’t know. Whatever you want to call it, I guess.” I smoothed a hand along my forehead. “I heard the water—someone splashing in the pool—and I freaked. It took me back to the pond, to Jessica.” My words were barely above a whisper, but I knew he’d heard me.
Liam wrapped both his arms around me, pulling me flush against his chest. I inhaled his woodsy lemon scent and melted against him the way I’d wanted to seconds before. “Is this the first time something like that’s happened?”
“No.” I fisted the back of his shirt, hating how vulnerable I felt. How weak. Tears stung my eyes as they built.
“I wish you’d said something to me sooner. I wouldn’t have given you such a hard time about not sleeping. I feel like an ass.”
“Don’t. It’s okay.”
&
nbsp; He squeezed me tighter. It felt good to be held, especially by him. “You know you’re safe here though, right? Ezra is gone. Jessica too. And, I wouldn’t let anything like that ever happen to you again.”
“I know,” I said, even though I knew he couldn’t control whether something like that happened to me again.
After all, I was still unclaimed and unmated. Marshall and Demi were out there. They could be coming for me right now regardless of Liam’s threats, especially if one of them were sick.
I’d never be truly safe. Not as I was.
“Still want a coffee?” Liam asked after a long moment of silence.
I untangled myself from him and dried my eyes, glad he wasn’t going to lecture me more about how safe I was here. “Not really. I’m totally awake now. Let’s do some gem mining.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded. “I hope you like it. It’s one of my favorite things to do here.”
I arched a brow. “Really? I figured hiking or something else more solitary would be.”
“Gem mining is solitary. I mean, sure, it’s something you can do in a group. Ultimately though, it’s just you, your bucket of dirt, and a sifter.”
“Then why do you run the office instead of the gem mine?” I asked as we bypassed the general store and headed straight for the mine.
“Because I’m the oldest, which makes me alpha. I’m in charge of the place. I take care of the books and run the entire campground as a whole.” He grabbed my hand, interlacing his fingers through mine as we walked. I loved the feel of my hand in his. “However, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy gem mining from time to time.”
“Have you ever found anything good? Has anyone?”
“No gold, if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t think there’s any around here. Plenty of rubies, garnets, and sapphires though.” He leaned closer to me, narrowly avoiding a low-hanging tree branch. “Did you know that the sapphires in this area glow bright red under long wave UV light?”
“Really?” I was skeptical. My eyes remained on him, watching for any sign that he was pulling my leg. He didn’t seem to be.
Claimed: Gem Creek Bears, Book Three Page 8
