by LeAnn Mason
The breeze blew into the presence, so smell wouldn’t help me, unless… I lifted my nose—eyes still clamped shut—letting Ebony taste the air for Jason’s presence. When she didn’t smell his alluring scent or hear his heartbeat, we guessed that the “presence” in the trees was most likely him.
“Why’d you move so far away, Hunter?” I asked, using his preferred moniker. He didn’t take the bait and speak, letting us know for sure where he positioned, but fabric brushed against bark. Leaves crunched between careful footfalls.
My head snapped to the left, where the sounds emanated from. I couldn’t determine an accurate distance, seeing as the breeze could affect how the sound carried, but he was there. I took a cautious step and another, testing each landing for a sense of obstacles. “Marco!” I called out playfully as I moved carefully in the direction Ebony indicated. “It’s hard to keep my peepers shut, ya know. Not sure how much longer I can humor you. Ebony wants to see.” I opened my eyes and pinned the hunter with my stare, knowing exactly where to find him.
“Ebony, huh? How’d you come up with that name?” he asked with a small smirk as he stepped away from the tree he’d been lingering behind. Of course, he wouldn’t applaud me.
“It’s what she liked. I was calling her Wolfie, but once I learned that we were bound…” I shrugged. “I figured she should have a proper name, and she seemed to like this one.”
“Well, I’d like to meet her one day,” he answered tightly, kicking up dirt and leaves in little clouds ahead of us. “Maybe if you can get a handle on being a unit, I’ll get to.”
“Well, I guess that all depends on you now, doesn’t it?”
“Does it, now? Do tell.” There was a playful haughtiness to his question that contradicted his previously stiff demeanor. Man, this guy would give me whiplash if I followed his emotions.
“My success at shifting is in the hands of your tutelage. I have absolutely no knowledge of what I am now, of how to exist with a Wolfie counterpart. I depend on you and what you teach me.” I threw up my hands in defeat. “Hell, it’s the entire reason I stayed in Grimm Hollow with all the creatures of lore.” I probably looked like a crazy person, wiggling around like I talked about the Boogie Man.
At my not too subtle reminder, all mirth evaporated from his handsome face. “You’re right. Let’s get back to it, then.”
CHAPTER 18
“Y our screams indicate your fight against Ebony, Allya. Your transition is being stalled by your fear,” Jason admonished… again.
“I’m trying!” I had no idea how long we’d been at it, how many times I’d tried and failed to bring Ebony to the fore. Did she not want to take it, or was I holding on too tightly and failing to relinquish my hold? Scrubbing a frustrated hand across my sweaty forehead, I took a moment to recover. A dirt-soaked bead of saltiness somehow leached into my eye, a sting of pain being my reward.
“Take a breather. Grab some lunch. We’ll move on to physical training for the afternoon. Maybe if you’re in better shape, use Ebony’s senses to guide you, then shifting will come.” Jason said in a very matter-of-fact tone, like he knew something about something, though I wasn’t sure if he actually did. “Meet me back here at noon, fed and refreshed. Do you think you can do that?”
“Well, I was lucky enough to get lunch money from my Grammy this morning before I came, so I think I can accomplish that task,” I said in a saccharine southern tone, my eyes batting like some star-struck fangirl, which at least succeeded in flushing some of the dirt-sweat from my eye.
“Cute.”
I continued my over-the-top performance. With an over-bright smile plastered to my face, I dipped into a shallow curtsy. “I’ll make use of my allotted time, sir.” I gave him a two fingered salute as I turned away, more than ready to escape my torture session with the too-pretty Hunter.
“Ya know… I’m hungry, too. Maybe I’ll join you,” Jason chirped as he trotted up from where I’d left him.
“Oh. Come. On!” I whined, my feet dragging and my head tilting to the sky in petulance. “It’s because of the sarcasm, isn’t it?”
No matter where I’d gone in this little magicked town, I seemed to get back to that main drag in just a few minutes. This time was no different. Grimm Hollow couldn’t be that big, then, could it?
Jason gestured for me to follow the young woman who led us to a bench-seated table by the front window. It was the “regular” spot for the hunter, if her words were to be believed. With how quickly her cheeks pinked, I would guess that she had a crush on the broody Shifter. At the least. His flirty smile made me wonder if something was there. Maybe why he’d wanted to accompany me?
“So, how many people or ‘mythical creatures’ are here in quaint little Grimm Hollow, anyway?” I asked to distract myself from my wayward and unhelpful thoughts. And I was seriously curious.
As Jason opened his mouth to answer me, the too-helpful hostess returned with a glass of water, which she set in front of Jason, and Jason only, before once again scurrying away after he thanked her. At my glare, he pulled the glass covered in condensation to his lips, taking a healthy pull before setting it back to the table with a heavy thunk.
“She knows I only drink water.” He shrugged. At my derisive snort, he shot narrowed eyes at me. “You don’t know anything about anything. Don’t judge.”
I threw my hands up in a conceding gesture. “Hey, man. You’re right. I know nothing. Teach me, Obi Wan.” When his attentions didn’t lighten, my skin began to itch. Ebony wriggled under the surface, whimpering. I lowered my eyes.
“What are you doing to me?” I seethed, jolting my eyes back to the intense hazel irises that had me pinned to the booth.
“Your wolf—”
“Ebony.”
“Right. Ebony wants to submit to me. If she’s a submissive bitch in nature, you’ll have a hard time using her in a fight. Guess that’s something to add to the list.”
“And the list is long,” I sing-songed sarcastically. Bring it.
“Hi guys—oh, hey, Hunter. The usual?” our waitress addressed brightly. Breaking eye contact with Jason, I took in the new arrival.
A genuine smile—one that reflected in her eyes—broke out across my face as I noticed our server was once again the pretty little Asian girl who’d assisted Elsie and me for dinner the night before. “Hi again, Bianca.”
“Hello to you, Allya! How are you? Is Jason showing you around?” Ice-blue eyes switched their focus from me to my companion and back again. “He’s a pretty good escort. Knows the place inside and out. He’s pretty handy to have around as well.” She winked at me, laughing when my mouth pulled into a frown. “I mean that he’s a good watchdog. No pun intended,” she assured Jason, palm out.
“How are you doing today, Bianca?” he asked cordially. “The guys treating you all right?”
“Pssh. They’re grumpy, tired, and sneezy. They run the gamut,” she laughed lightly. Her porcelain skin was flawless under the natural light filtering through the window at my side. Her apron sat below a deep red t-shirt that sported stitched lettering spelling her name. “But they care.” She looked over her shoulder toward the bar at the back of the space. Her face softened as she spotted an older man—who looked to be rather short—wiping down the bar’s gleaming surface, a scowl firmly affixed to his beard-lined face. It looked like he muttered something, or at least, his mouth moved slightly.
“Anyway, Jason, I assume you’d like your regular?” He agreed. “And what about you, Allya?” She turned her focus back to me, waiting patiently with a bright smile. It was kind of weird how cheery she was…
“I, uh…” I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. “Um, can I just get a cheeseburger? And fries.”
“Of course. What to drink?” She didn’t need to write down the order. It was simple enough. Especially if she knew Jason’s “regular.”
“Water, please.” I needed to recover from the morning’s failed activities. A moment later, she turned and almos
t skipped to help another table. “Now, there is someone meant to be in customer service. I couldn’t do it.” I shot Jason a meaningful look. “I don’t like people enough.”
“Ditto. Why do you think I spend all my time by myself out in the forest?”
I hadn’t thought about that. It was true, he was constantly within the trees. Or, at least he had been every time I had encountered him so far. “I guess that’s true.”
When our food came a few minutes later, we ceased our chatter to shovel the hearty meals into our mouths. Jason’s regular, as it turned out, was a double bacon cheeseburger. I had to admit, I approved. I would have probably thought a little less of him if they’d rolled back in bearing a salad or a plain chicken breast and veggies. He rose a peg or two in my estimation when he didn’t say anything about my choice in meal. No stupid man-like comments about how I should eat a salad or other non-filling rabbit food.
We talked a bit about the town while we ate. I learned that while the people were free to come and go as they pleased, they rarely ventured outward. A few people were designated to go and pick up needed supplies from nearby “Norm” towns—Norm being his term for non-magical beings, regular humans. The town was protected by a series of complicated layered spells provided by the Witches and Mages of long ago with the help of the Fae who no longer frequented the area. Basically, the people who performed magic put a barrier around the town. In the forest—which did in fact, surround Grimm Hollow on all sides—a Norm would be rerouted when coming in contact with the barrier.
Magical beings were let through, provided they meant no ill-will. When I’d kind of freaked out thinking Seth and his cronies could just waltz through the barrier, Jason had assured me that was not possible. Seth had been exiled. The barrier’s magic would repel him. Forever.
Thank God for that.
We were heading back to our spot in the woods, fat and sated. Probably a bad time to get tossed around…
“Were you planning on doing physical exercise right now? I’m pretty sure that if I did anything more than this-here walking, I’d hurl up my lunch. I’d like to keep that from happening if at all possible. What do you say?”
He tried to hide his grimace of distaste at the visual I must have caused, nodding in acknowledgement of the truth in my words. “That’s probably true. I want our first session to have you heaving from being out of shape, not a heavy belly.”
“And the asshat rears his ugly head. Thanks for reminding me that I’m not your biggest fan, just as you are clearly not mine.”
“Remember that this is not my job. I don't have to do this. I'm taking time out of my precious little free time to make you stronger. I can’t do that if I coddle you. I don't have the time, even if I wanted to, which I don't," he seethed.
“Well, Hunter, there’s a difference between being stern and being a dick. You, sir, are the latter.” Probably wasn't smart to poke the wolf, but my filter had clearly broken.
My thought proved correct when his red aura flared, as did his nostrils. The breath whooshed from my lungs when he suddenly crowded my personal bubble, my nose nearly touching his chest. My ogling eyes shot to the harsh lines of his beautiful face. Those light freckles once again called my attention. I stalled there, at his nose, not sure I wanted to see the fire sure to be burning in his eyes. Was it the man or the beast burning with intensity that would shine through those irises?
Swallowing was suddenly difficult as I forced my eyes to the predator’s. My skin once again itched. I was learning Ebony’s tells a bit better since this morning’s tutorial, and I inhaled deeply. Jason’s scent about knocked me over. He smelled like the forest but wholly unique. I knew I could pick out his musky scent from the hundreds that swirled around these woods. It called to me, to us, and that kind of freaked me out.
“Why are you in my bubble, Hunter?” I ground out, a paltry attempt to cover up how he affected me.
“You called me a dick.”
“I did,” I returned, a rise of my chin and my own bravado fueling the words. “This isn’t the army. I don’t have to be here.”
His stubbled jaw clenched, a line of tension visible in his cheek. “You’re right, it’s not, and you don’t have to be here. But this town, hell, the supernatural world, is not for the weak or faint of heart, little girl. If you don’t listen and learn? You will die.”
By now, my eyes should have been shooting killer laser beams at this false mentor. He was so incredibly arrogant and unyielding that I just wanted to… to punch him! Before I knew what I was doing, my left arm swung out. He was so close that the wind up was short, the impact dulled. But he couldn’t hide his surprise or quell the burst of air from his lips.
I knew I overreacted. There was no need for my outburst, but my years of captivity by Witches and wolves had me on edge more than I realized. It didn’t matter that I knew Jason wasn’t like them. I couldn’t just it shut off.
With a growl, he came to wrap his sinewed arms around my back, effectively trapping me and making my own arms useless. I didn’t think about what I wanted to do, about my options. I just moved. Stepping out of his hold in the nick of time—something I shouldn’t have been able to do—I backed away. I was lighter on my feet than I’d ever been, moving with little effort and even less thought.
Jason’s arm struck out like a snake, but I just danced out of the way, batting the appendage with a hand. It was surreal, almost as if the world around me had slowed down. I saw the slightest movement in his body, a tell of what he intended, as if in slow motion.
He toyed with me. I could see that. I knew he was stronger and faster, but he held back. I guess the session was back on. A twitch of his fingers, the changing of his weight—everything was a clue. My eyes saw so much more. But then, my ears heard more, too. A twig snapping behind me pulled my attention from the threat before me to the one still unseen at my back.
How would I get out of this? I couldn’t take on two at once. Hell, I couldn’t even really take on one. I just evaded after that first surprise shot under the ribs. I needed to draw on Ebony’s instincts, to trust her. Even if she hated me, she’d want to keep herself alive and in-tact… right?
Please, tell me you have some self-preservation, Ebony…
I had to trust that she’d point us at the greater threat, but as I tried to focus my eyes in front and ears at my rear… I lost it. The oneness I’d gained shattered. Time sped back up, and I landed flat on my back when Jason’s fist finally connected.
CHAPTER 19
“W ow, Jay, you really laid the new girl out. And on her first day. You really don’t pull any punches. See what I did there?” My position, flat on my back, allowed for me to finally see the newcomer who’d broken my focus. He was huge, much bulkier than Jason.
“You’re enormous,” I blurted. “Ebony didn’t know who to point me at, but I’d wager you’re dangerous.”
“I’m Nick,” he chuckled, extending a hand to help me up. “Don’t mind Jay. He has no manners. As he proved with that hit.” Jason snorted an unamused chuckle when Nick cut eyes his way.
“Funny, that was pretty much the crux of the matter.” I dusted myself off with my hands after accepting Nick’s hand to stand. “I’m Allya.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Allya. Now, who’s Ebony? Do you have another girl out here, man?” Nick clapped Jason on the back with a meaty hand that nearly engulfed his shoulder.
“You know better than that. Just this one will have me running out to the woods in escape.” Jason laughed with the newcomer, completely at ease with the large man.
“Ebony is my wolf,” I interrupted. I was being a little pissy, but I couldn’t help it. This guy had destroyed my concentration, keeping me from my first success of the day.
My proclamation stopped Nick’s response to Jason’s escape comment mid-quip. “Your wolf? So, you’re a Shifter, then? Why didn’t you shift the other day? When the crazy Warlock was here?”
He seemed genuinely perplexed, his confusion re
minding me that my situation was not normal. I didn’t gain Ebony naturally. I’d stolen her. Shamed, I dropped my eyes to the dirt, unable to look at either man.
I opened my mouth to say just that when Jason’s honeyed voice sounded. “She wasn’t born a Shifter. Red here needs to learn to let go, to trust the wolf with her body. The problem reminds me quite a bit of Rory,” he informed his friend.
The mention of “Rory’s problem” seemed to spur an understanding in Nick, his longer brown hair swinging playfully as he nodded at the comparison. “I see. Well, let me know if you need any help in the matter.” Then, he turned to me and added, “I’m around if you need rescuing from The Hunter.” With a quick wink in my direction, Nick excused himself and ambled away, back toward town.
“All right. Enough ogling. Back to it. Are you done accosting me? Ready to continue with the lesson?”
“Who was that guy? How did he know about Colin?” I spun back to Jason. Was my misstep fodder for his friends to laugh over? The new girl being assaulted by her past… literally? Dang it, I was getting worked up again. Jason was about to get punched. Again. My senses heightened as Ebony prepared.
“That guy is the bear who wrapped up the dipshit Warlock while I tore out his throat.” Jason’s eyes glowed full-on gold, making me believe that he and his wolf were definitely together in the sentiment.
“That—? He’s—he’s the ginormous brown bear I saw?” Another thing for my mind to stumble over. “There are more than just wolves?” I don’t know why that surprised me, but it seemed to. “Are there little fluffy bunnies, too?”
I would be second guessing every animal I saw in these woods if he said yes. An image of the bunny from Griffin's ritual flooded my mind. The thought of that having actually been a person had my lunch threatening to come back up.
