by LeAnn Mason
Allya’s answering smile was almost lazy. She made sure to take a long drag of her thinning dessert drink before deigning to answer. “Bring it.”
“Ladies, how about we take our aggression outdoors, hmm? Somewhere a little less… breakable?” I did a double-take at the gentleman who’d come to our booth to deliver the politely termed eviction. So, too, did Risa. The guy couldn't have been any more than four feet tall. I’d never seen a dwarf in real life before. They were referred to as Nelwyns in one of my favorite movies. Short curly black hair and a scruffy, curly beard dominated his features. Though he was small, his attitude brooked no argument from me.
I was surprised when Risa conceded with a curt nod and pushed to a stand though she couldn’t just leave without delivering one last warning. She was too good at clichés for that.
“One of these days, you won’t have someone there to fight your battles for you, human.”
Ugh. Again with the human thing. I might have rolled my eyes. Allya might have laughed.
Confused that her threat wasn’t being taken seriously, she hissed—hissed—before spinning on the shiny linoleum floor and flouncing back toward the diner’s entrance.
When the bell over the plate glass door dinged, announcing her retreat, Allya turned back around to face me. “You’ll need this.” She plunked her silver-handled dagger onto the worn table with a resounding thunk. The metal knife looked heavy and opulent. I picked it up to inspect the piece more closely because it was gorgeous. Yep, definitely heavy.
A wolf was carved into the hilt, its head and snout at the pommel. “This looks awfully fancy for an everyday dagger. And big. It’s more like a sword for me,” I joked with false brightness. I didn’t have the first clue about how to wield a weapon. I’d probably hurt myself before an assailant.
“Fair enough. I’ll have Jason find you one more appropriately sized. A lesson or two in self-defense probably wouldn’t hurt, either.”
I’d absolutely need lessons if she actually expected me to carry something pointy.
“Hey, B! Mae’s going to take some knife lessons, perfect time for you to come show us those katana skills you got going. We could make it part of our girls’ night. Yeah. Boom. Done. Let’s go,” Allya rattled in the direction of both myself and our server, not waiting for any kind of an answer. In her mind, it was already done. The plan was in place.
Bonfires, smores, and knife fights. Totally my idea of a good time.
So it wasn’t a girls’ night because the guys decided to crash the party. Jason and Nick, the guy we’d brought home from the jail in Winchester, were bringing in logs from downed trees while the girls, being Allya, Bianca, and me, went for more manageable things like sticks. Branches at most.
“I’m kind of nervous, you know? I mean, I’ve not been formally trained in the art of katana swordsmanship. I’ve watched some video demonstrations though, and I feel like I have a good handle on the concept, you know?” Bianca babbled while we roved the swath of woods closest to Elsie’s cottage. Jason lived in the vicinity as well. Allya told me she usually met him to walk to their designated Sentinel post for the day.
Joined at the hip, they were. I was surprised that they got along as well as they did, considering how much time they spent together, of which a large portion was spent with amped up senses and emotions. It’s a wonder they hadn’t killed each other. They were both very strong-willed. Watching Al’s stern features soften when she watched him, when she thought no one saw, let me know they would be fine.
Now, Nick? That guy appeared to have a “water off a duck’s back” kind of mentality. He, like Bianca, came off as affable and quick to smile. Maybe because he was just such a large specimen of man, he tried to make sure his size didn’t scare people off. I noticed he watched Bianca like Al watched Jason. Like I watched Rory. I wondered if Bianca had any idea. She was sweet but like the girl might live in her own world, one even further removed than this one.
“So, you’re going to swing a blade around a bit too, right?” Bianca bumped my shoulder with a hip when I bent to grab another stick for our “bonfire”. The opposing force sent my weight toppling to the dirt, the impact sending up a small cloud of dust. If the leaf and pine needles debris hadn’t blanketed the ground, the mushroom cloud would have been much more noticeable.
With a quick laugh, Bianca reached out to help me back up. “I’m so sorry. My timing sucked on that. Oops!” She smiled brightly, her white teeth looking even starker outlined by the apple-red lipstick gracing her full lips. Every time I saw her, I marveled at her beauty. She was one to deserve the nickname, not me.
The reminder of Rory made me sad all over again, and I trudged back to where Jason and Nick were beginning to arrange the pile of wood into what would be our fire pit. The diameter looked to be about three feet wide at the base, tapering up to a point probably about three feet off of the ground. The thing looked like an upside-down ice cream cone. I watched as they tucked pine needles and leaves into the gaps at the bottom of the structure before pulling out a little green lighter to spark the kindling and get the fire blazing.
I had wondered if being around the fire would upset me, make me think about my home burning, but it didn’t. Not yet anyway. Smoke might, but there was a distinct difference in scent of a healthy, wood-burning fire and that of either burned food or say an electrical fire. Burning plastic is a very potent stench that burrows deeply into fabrics, keeping the stink melded to a person until long after the fire has burned out.
Bright laughter reached me, the sound able to pull me from my dour thoughts. Nick had scooped up Bianca and thrown her over his shoulder like a caveman and was running circles around the catching fire. She smacked his butt in mock anger from her up-ended position while laughing like a loon. “Save me, Hunter,” she called on a squeal when Nick reached up to tickle the back of one of her knees. She caught his chin with a flailing foot as she laughed that horrible laugh of someone not able to escape the torture. “Ha! Serves you right, you oaf. Put me down,” she chided merrily.
I just watched. I hoped that one day Rory would be able to have moments like these with people he considered friends. Everyone deserved a little happiness, especially Rory.
No one moved to chase me around or tickle me, thank God. No one knew me well enough to know what they could get away with. There was definite tiptoeing going on, but I didn’t mind. The only shoulder I wanted to be thrown over was one I couldn't have. I didn’t even know if I would see Rory again. Would he wander around town? Would he start having friends over? Would he have a bonfire night where he and Risa sat around and laughed, roasting marshmallows and making googly eyes at one another?
Why did my mind conjure Risa? Probably because I knew it was exactly what she wanted. She saw herself as his queen, but whether that was because of Rory or the power he represented, I wasn’t sure. I knew the answer in my case.
I wanted Rory. I couldn’t have cared less that he would be king. But then, I wasn’t a Shifter.
“Earth to Mae,” Allya waved a hand in front of where I stared at the now roaring fire, lost in thought and watching the little embers fly away from the impressive center of the pyre. The heat now enough to scald at my current nearness. Lifting my folding chair without taking my rear out of its hold, I backed up several feet.
“Okay, so are we doing dessert or training first?” Allya clapped, looking between Bianca and me.
Looking at each other, the server and I gave a small nod of agreement before turning back to our friend. “S’mores,” we said in unison then burst out laughing.
It felt good to laugh. Even if the feeling only lasted a moment. I hadn’t done enough of it. Even before… everything. Laughter hadn’t come easily to me. Maybe I could change that now, here. Rory or no.
CHAPTER 27
“Wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up," Allya chanted between jumps. My bed bounced violently, the springs creaking in protest and the headboard thumping the wall with each heavy depression.
“When you sleep in,” she quipped. “It's ten, and there's something for you at the door. I think I heard your phone beep a few times, too…”
“It's ten?” I flew across the bed to grab the phone from the nightstand. Sure enough. There were also two missed messages.
Both from Rory.
I'm sorry. 11:56 PM
Tell me what you name him. 9:49 AM
“What…?”
“What?” Allya asked before snatching the phone from my hand and sticking out her tongue at me.
“I don't remember you being so bratty,” I griped with a smile as I threw off the sheets to get ready for the day. Apparently there was something at the door in need of naming.
What did he do?
Curiosity was going to kill me instead of the cat, and my haste was like a comedy of errors in terms of getting the right appendage in the right hole of my clothing.
“You might wanna brush your teeth.” She was having way too much fun at my expense. I did as suggested while grumping under my breath, much to Allya's delight. “You going to tame that mane?” Another giant grin like the question was extra funny.
“Do I need to?” I asked drolly from the doorway, not sure if she was just being a turd. She shrugged lightly. “Brat,” I jibed, deciding a quick rebraid wouldn't be a bad thing, or take too long.
I headed down the stairs, still pulling the band into place at the base of my hair. “So, where is this package?” I huffed, tossing the now completed braid over my shoulder to slap between my shoulder blades.
Allya just smirked, thrusting an apple between her teeth and taking a huge bite, spraying me with juices as I came to rest at her side next to the closed front door. She thrust her head toward the door in a silent, snarky indication that I should check outside.
Slowly, warily, I reached for the bronze doorknob as if it would bite me the moment I grasped its metal hide. When it didn’t, I took a deep breath and yanked open the door.
“What…” I trailed, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Out in the front garden, Elsie stood holding a yellow rope and fondly patting… a horse. Or rather, a pony. Mini horse? My body floated toward what my eyes surely did not see.
“Dude. He got you a pony,” Allya laughed blithely from my side where I’d stopped a few feet from where the little orange and cream fuzz ball stood happily munching on the browning grass beneath his tiny hooves. Allya bumped my shoulder roughly. “Look, he’s about the right size for you, too,” she joked.
He was tiny. His head might have come to my shoulder if he lifted it and extended his neck like a giraffe. He was absolutely the cutest thing I had ever seen in my life.
“That boy owes you a great deal,” Elsie remarked, still petting the horse. “At least he realizes it.” She smiled at me as the pony pulled her forward, shifting her long silver braids against their usual spots over her chest. She handed me the bright rope with a small smile. “You haven’t lost him,” she soothed quietly, patting my shoulder as she passed me on her way back into the house, taking Allya with her.
“Hi, there. I’m Mae,” I whispered reverently, finally reaching out to touch a furry shoulder. It was just as soft as it looked, and I continued, rubbing back and forth across the long strands. I moved to his mane. It was buttery cream colored and coarse though untangled. “At least someone treated you properly. You look fat and clean.” He responded with a heavy blowing of air out his nose, into the grass he was foraging. The sound was remarkably like a snort of agreement.
Maybe I was projecting a tiny bit.
Funnily enough, I was reminded of the dwarf gentleman from the diner the day before and the fact that he’d reminded me of a Nelwyn from one of my favorite childhood movies. “Willow. What do you think of that, huh?” I thought it was perfect. “It’s either Willow or Phillipe.” He snorted again. I didn’t know which he was referring to, so I made the executive decision. “I like Willow. It has more meaning for me.” I rubbed the spot on his forehead between his pretty blue eyes. “Wanna go for a walk?” He let out another blow of air that I was taking as agreement.
“Allya, I’m gonna take him for a walk. Do you want to come?”
“You’re going to take a horse for a walk? You know he’s not a dog, right?” She laughed but ambled down the stairs toward me with bright eyes and an easy smile.
Willow took a nervous step back at her approach, and an actual snort, one that sounded more like agitation, left his nostrils.
“Maybe Ebony should take a backseat for a sec,” I suggested. It made sense that horses wouldn’t get along with a predatory species. I wondered if Shifters, in general, had problems with flight animals like horses. “Wait. Are there horse Shifters?” The thought was absolutely intriguing to me.
“Huh, probably. To both, by the way. I’m not sure if there are horse Shifters, but with there being things like bunnies and deer, I’d say it’s in the realm of possibility.”
“Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say to that. However, Willow seemed to have calmed to Al’s presence, so I tugged on the rope a little, hoping to get him to follow. He did. I patted him lightly.
“I can’t believe he got you a horse,” Allya scoffed again. “Where does he think you’re gonna keep him? I don’t think Elsie will take kindly to him eating all her plants.” Despite her words and attempted emotional distance, Allya couldn’t keep her hand from coming up to stroke and pat the cute little animal as he clopped along between us down the little residential street.
Willow slowed, making the lead tighten as I continued taking steps before noticing. Looking back at the little orange and cream furball I noticed his substantial tail was flipped up, his legs stiffly taking slow steps. “What?”
“Hahahahaha, he’s taking a crap!” Allya hooted in laughter, sliding me a dubious look. “I wonder what the townsfolk will think of that addition to their sidewalks.”
My eyes widened to saucers. Willow, relieved of his burden, had joined me at my spot, the rope now slackened to loop toward the pristine cement. The poop was gone. Like, poof! There one moment, a steaming pile of brown manure and then, in the next, nothing but the unmarred pavement. “Magic,” I breathed in awe.
“Huh,” Allya chimed thoughtfully. “Well, it all makes sense now.”
“What does?”
“How this place always looks so stinking good,” Allya laughed.
She was right. I’d noticed from my first glance. The town was like a storybook. Even more every day. A rough nudge from Willow’s head broke the trance the revelation had pulled me into. “Okay, buddy, we’ll keep going.” We took off again. A quick clip-clop, clip-clop keeping time and making my strides appear long for the first time ever.
“Well, what do we have here?”
I let my head fall back in exasperation. Risa. I couldn’t escape the she-devil even when Rory was nowhere close. “Do you like him? He’s a gift.” I patted the pony’s soft neck before shifting my attention to the Shifter equivalent of a mean girl. “From Rory.”
“Oh, snap,” Allya pitched from my side with a chuckle.
Risa’s eyes glowed, and her fists clenched. The girls standing with her tensed. Was this going to be a flight or fight situation? Willow danced in place, clopping in a beat that would probably be a decent clog. I braced, but Risa didn’t advance. Instead, she stared right at Willow, eyes glowing, and delivered a feline noise that fell somewhere between a hiss and a yowl. Whatever it was called, it was threatening.
Willow, having decided that he was choosing flight, reared onto his hind legs, spun, and took off like a bat out of hell in the opposite direction. With me still at the end of the rope.
“Whoa! Whoa,” I pleaded with the tiny bulldozer as he ran as fast as his little legs coul
d carry him. Luckily, I’d planted my feet and leaned my weight back, hoping the resistance would make him stop. It hadn’t. Instead, I just appeared to be skiing at the end of a live carriage ride.
When this went bad, it was going to go really badly. All it took was a crack…
My foot caught, I tipped forward, and my hands released on instinct as my sight became consumed by the too-pristine cement rushing to greet me in a regrettably harsh manner. My glasses, not to mention the rest of me, were so not going to survive the impact. Palms are always the first thing to impact; it’s just reflex. They hit and then slid forward with the momentum, allowing my chin, chest, and knees to follow suit.
This crash gave real meaning to the term “road rash.” When I finally stopped my spectacular slide, it took a moment to absorb that the momentum had stopped. That I could get up. Well, I had the option to even if I couldn’t find the ability.
Raucous laughter burst into my ears over the ringing that had started after my chin impacted the ground. “I couldn’t have planned that much better,” Risa sneered as she sauntered to where I lay dazed on the pavement. “Can’t wait to see you again, human.” Then with a chorus of cackles, she and her cronies swaggered away, probably back to the Leone Estate. She’d fit right in with her queen.
I couldn’t wish a woman like that on Rory, but I’d bet his mother would.
“C’mon, the pony stopped up the street a bit. Looks like all you needed to do was let go. He stopped running just after that,” Allya informed me curtly. I knew she was restraining herself from raining hell down on the Shifter girls. For my sake or because she realized the odds were not in her favor, I couldn’t be sure.
Rising slowly back to my feet with a hand from Allya, I limped toward where my new pet stood quietly waiting for my arrival. Like he was in no way the reason for my current gimpy, stinging, and bleeding condition. “You’re lucky I love you,” I griped at the small horse, grabbing up his bright yellow lead again and limping slowly back toward Elsie’s cottage. “Think I could talk Elsie into getting me some ice?”
