by Maggie Bandy
Hunted
A Shifter’s Magic Series
Maggie Bandy
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is coincidental. © 2019, Maggie Bandy All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author. ISBN: 978-1-792-941-726
Table of Contents:
Title Page
Copy Rights
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
This book is dedicated to my family and friends who have always supported me and my dreams. A special thanks to my sister Tabby and my mom and dad- my husband Dallas. And I would also like to dedicate this book in memory of my cousin Crystal who always told me I could do anything I ever wanted. I love you Chrissy <3 And I a shout out to my two beautiful boys.
cover credit: Muhammad Asad Ali – covers by creative
Chapter One
Don’t Go Into The Woods
As if this year hasn’t been crappy enough with my parents being gone, my aunt Linda is dragging me to the middle of no where Texas. So middle of no where I’ve never even heard of Oak Grove. I guess I should be happy she agreed to take me in but leaving all of my friends behind really sucks. At least I only have to stay for the summer- I turn eight-teen in a few months.
No sooner than I step off the bus, my aunt wraps me up in a tight hug. “Cant. Breathe,” I get each word out in between breaths. She sets me back down and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I just haven’t seen you in so long,” she says then looks down at her feet. “How are you holding up? I know things have been hard since the accident…”
It was a shock to see her standing there, she looked just like mom with her emerald eyes and her long raven hair. Mom was aunt Linda’s older sister. I guess that’s where I get it from. Everyone always said I looked just like my mom when she was my age. Besides the eyes of course, mine were a sky blue. Thinking of my mom made my chest go all tight. I must have zoned out because next thing I know aunt Linda was calling my name. “Sophie…Sophie? Are you okay? I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have brought your parents up,” she said wrapping me in a hug again.
“No, it’s okay. I’m fine… it’s just, I miss them you know?” I say wiping a tear from my eye hoping my aunt hadn’t noticed. She pulled back so she could look at me and smiled, “I know hun, I miss them too. Every day.” I just nodded and she seemed to get that I didn’t want to discuss it anymore. She grabbed my bag and said, “Here, let me help you with that.” We loaded up what bags I had and headed for Oak Grove. Most of my stuff had been sent ahead of time so that wasn’t much.
We pulled into town and my heart sank. This place was going to blow. What was I going to do in the middle of nowhere? There was miles and miles of just fields. At least I was only stuck here for a few months. After that I can go off to college and leave this backwoods town. I guess there was one upside to being out here, I’m sure there are plenty of places to hike here. That makes it suck a little less.
Finally, after about half an hour of driving we pulled into aunt Linda’s driveway. I almost face planted on to the asphalt scrambling to get out of the car. I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. I hated being cooped up, it made me feel restless. Aunt Linda stifled a giggle and helped me up. “Come on, let me show you to your room,” she said leading me inside. Aunt Linda’s house was a beautiful Victorian two-story house. It was really old though, so it sort of gave off this creepy vibe. I had that creepy being watched vibe going on when I walked in up the drive-way. I looked around but nothing caught my eye. I shrugged my shoulders and walked inside. Maybe it’s just my nerves, being in a new place and all.
I was instantly hit by two warring emotions as I took in the pictures lining the walls. Happiness at seeing the smiling faces of my parents in all the family pictures and sadness at not being able to see them in person. I tried to unclench the knot I felt forming in my stomach and followed aunt Linda through the house.
She led me up the stairs and down the hall to the right. “This one is all yours,” she said smiling. “I had your bed and other stuff you sent ahead set up for you so it would be ready when you got here. I figured you would want to go out and see the town, not have to worry about unpacking and setting everything up.” I gave her a grateful hug and told her thank you. “Alright, well I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” she said and shut the door leaving me alone to get settled. She’s not one to hover, which I was grateful for.
I put my bag down on my bed and sighed. Looking around my room, everything looked familiar yet foreign. It was all my stuff, but this wasn’t my room. I missed my old house and my old room. Mainly I just missed my mom and dad… I just wanted this nightmare to end. But sadly, there was no waking up and realizing it was a dream. Mom and dad were gone, and they weren’t coming back...
I wiped the tears from my eyes, trying to push back memories of that horrible day. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head, nature always had a way of doing that for me. There’s just something peaceful about walking in the woods. I walked down stairs and called out, “I’ll be back, I’m going out for a walk.” Aunt Linda called out from the kitchen asking me to wait a minute before I left and handed me a small, black rectangular box.
“Here, in case you need to call me. The reception here sucks, but it’s better than nothing. It has my number programmed into it already and a few other numbers you may need just in case. I put Paul’s number in there too in case you can’t reach me. Please be back before dark- it’s not safe to wander around by yourself at night around here,” she said giving me a serious look. I wrapped her in a hug and thanked her for the phone. “I will, I promise. I just need to clear my head a bit, it’s been a long day,” I say with a tight smile. Releasing me from the hug and smiling back she said, “I’ll be out with Paul later but tomorrow we are having dinner together just you and me.”
As I was headed for the door, she grabbed my arm to stop me. “Be careful. And Sophie… stay out of the woods.”
Well that was ominous. I half-heartily nodded and headed out the door. Despite her warning, I headed straight for the woods anyways. What was it going to hurt? I’ve never been afraid of the woods, I’m not about to start now. It’s the one thing I actually enjoy about being here, the woods are my happy place. I used to love hiking back home.
Thinking of home made my stomach in knots again. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on where I was going instead. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t paying attention long enough for me to get lost. I looked around and didn’t recognize anything. I pulled out my cell phone- no signal, great. So, I was stuck trying to find my own way back out. I sigh. Might as well enjoy myself while I’m out here, then I’ll start looking for the way back.
I walked down towards the small stream getting ready to dip my toes in the water when I heard a low growl from somewhere in the distance. I turn around and see an over-grown wolf running through the trees straight for me. I was about to scream when someone threw their hand over my mouth.
A boy about my age with icy blue eyes and honey blonde hair stared back at me. “Shh,” he whispered in my ear pulling us behind a big oak tree. I hear the crunch of leaves close by and hear another menacing growl. The boy
holding onto me pulls me further behind the tree pressing my back into the tree behind me.
We were standing so close together with my chest against his that I’m sure he could feel my heart beat. I tried not to think about how good he looked with the tight black t-shirt he was wearing. I could see every little muscle and all I could think about was how I wanted to run my fingers along those muscles.
At that moment our eyes met, and I saw the amusement in his eyes as if he knew what I was thinking. I’m sure it was written all over my face. I blushed at being caught staring and looked away. What is wrong with me? We were being hunted by a monstrous wolf and here I am thinking about some stranger I just met. Pull it together Sophia.
The wolf- if you can even call it that- the thing was huge, sniffed around and growled. A howl let off in the distance and it shot one last look our way and took off. Whatever else was out there must have scared it off. Thank God. I did not want to die in the woods after promising aunt Linda I wouldn’t go in the woods. She would be pissed.
A few minutes go past, and he lets go of me and steps back. “He’s gone,” he says starting to walk away. Seriously? He’s just going to walk away and act like nothing just happened? Not in this lifetime buddy. I ran to catch up to him.
“Wait, who’s gone? What was that?” I say trying to keep up with him, but the dude is fast, and my short legs can’t keep up. He turns and looks over his shoulder. “You really should head back home. It’s not safe out here,” he says trying to get me to leave. Not happening. He will soon find out I can be a lot more stubborn than him if I have to be. I walk faster trying to catch up. “Wait- aren’t you going to tell me what the hell just happened back there?” I say out of breath.
He stops walking and seems to be thinking hard about something. He opens his mouth as if to say something then changes his mind. “You aren’t from around, here are you?” he says playing with a strand of my hair. I should be mad that he’s being so touchy but weirdly I’m not. He takes his other hand and cups the side of my face gently. I lean into his touch unconsciously.
“I just moved here today actually,” I say looking up at him. Geez, I need to get ahold of myself and stop staring at this guy- even if he is insanely gorgeous. I can barely get a sentence out when he’s so close to me. He let’s go of my hair and smiles. “I can tell, I would know if I had seen you before. I wouldn’t forget a face that beautiful,” he says winking and dropping his hand from my face. I blush not knowing what to say. I don’t blush, what the hell is wrong with me and why is this guy affecting me so much?
He grabs my hand and says, “Come on, I’ll get you back home safely.” Then he gave me a serious look and said, “Then no more playing in the woods for you.” I don’t reply to that because I don’t want to ruin the moment. I am definitely coming back though, but he doesn’t need to know that. I just nod my head, smiling and follow, letting him lead the way.
We walk in silence for a few minutes before I decided to break it. “What was that back there? I’ve never seen anything like it,” I ask looking up at him. He hesitated for a moment before he answered, “A wolf.” I stared back at him blankly, “That was bigger than any wolf I have ever seen. Geez, how big do they get up here.” He snorted. “Pretty big, and they are very territorial. So, promise me you won’t go back out there, I may not be around to save you next time.” I rolled my eyes at that. I’ve never been afraid of the woods, I’m not about to start now.
“What is it with everyone and the woods? My aunt warned me to stay away too. So, there’s wolves, so what? There’s animals everywhere in the woods it doesn’t mean we should be afraid of the entire woods because of one animal,” I say annoyed. I wasn’t about to let anyone, or anything scare me out of enjoying the woods. “I hiked the woods all the time by myself back home. I’m not afraid of the woods nor will I let this stop me from coming back. This is the only thing to do around here,” I say stubbornly crossing my arms. He stopped walking and looked at me. “You are not coming back out here alone,” he said looking at me intensely.
I glared back at him. “And who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? Look buddy, I don’t even know you,” I say poking a finger at his chest. He looks genuinely surprised. I don’t know why because I don’t think anyone would have taken well to being told what to do by a stranger. I certainly didn’t.
No one tells me what to do especially not some guy- even if he is insanely gorgeous and did just save my life. He looks confused for a minute then softens his tone. “I didn’t mean to sound bossy, look- I’ve lost friends out here in these woods. If you really want to come back to the woods, just call me and I’ll go with you,” he says reaching for my phone. He programed his number and handed it back.
I softened a little at the mention of his loss, I know that feeling all too well myself. I had lost both of my parents recently. I should be worried about the wolves- it was wolves that ultimately killed my parents… “I’m sorry for your loss. I didn’t know,” I say giving him an apologetic look. “And I guess maybe I could call you next time I decide to go for a walk in the woods. But you know I can handle myself, right? I don’t need you to play my knight in shining armor. I’m not some damsel in distress that needs saving all the time,” I smiled up at him and winked.
He grabbed my hand again and smiled, “I’m not saying you can’t, but you’re new here and there’s a lot you don’t know about these woods. And you may think you can handle yourself, but you can’t handle these wolves. Not by yourself. You saw how big they are.” His slow smile told me he wouldn’t mind playing my knight in shining armor if I’d let him.
“And how exactly do you plan on keeping me safe from these wolves?” I say challenging him. “How can you handle them if they are so dangerous?” He just grinned and said, “I have my ways.” I looked down at my phone where he put his number. “Well then Cole, I guess it’s a good thing I have you then isn’t it?” I said smiling back.
He chuckled, “Well that’s no fair. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.” I winked and said, “Maybe I’ll tell you next time we meet.” We had reached the edge of aunt Linda’s property. “Thank you for walking me home,” I say heading for the clearing. Cole grabbed my hand and said, “Wait, when will I see you again?” I pretended to think about it and said, “I’ll call you,” and smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
I looked back at him over my shoulder and saw him smile. “Later, angel,” he said before disappearing into the woods again. I smiled and headed back towards my aunt’s house, it was starting to get dark, so I headed inside. Hopefully my aunt won’t notice which direction I came from- I’ve had enough lectures on the woods today thank you very much.
“I’m home,” I call out as I walk in the door. Silence. Maybe she was out? She did say she was going out with Paul later, maybe she already left. “Aunt Linda?” I call out again walking into the kitchen to see if maybe she was in there. Nope, nothing. Just as I’m about to call her I see a note on the table. Curious I pick it up and start reading it.
Sophie,
Went out to dinner and a movie with
Paul -will be back later tonight. I left
money on the counter for take out and
your car keys are hanging by the door if
you need them. It just came in today. It’s
parked in the garage.
Love You.
xoxo Aunt Linda
P. S. Please be careful, call me if you
need anything.
Well, looks like I’m on my own for the rest of the night. Paul was aunt Linda’s on and off again boyfriend. They broke up and got back together so much it was hard to keep track- but at least she’s happy. She needed something good in her life right now, we all did.
I headed for the living room and plopped down on the couch and sighed. I pulled out my new phone and decided to give my friend Tabby from back home a call. She had been my best friend since we were babies and we were pretty much raised together. It sucked not
having her here.
She answered on the third ring. “Hello?” she said hesitantly. Oh, duh- I forgot she didn’t know this number. “Hey, it’s me,” I said before Tabby cut me off. “Sophie!” she squealed through the phone. “I was wondering when you were going to call!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, I loved how energetic Tabby was. She was always the more upbeat one in the relationship. She always knew how to cheer me up. I smiled. “Yeah sorry, I just got in a few hours ago.” Tabby started talking a mile a minute, “So, how is it there? And when can I come visit? Are there any cute boys…?” I laughed, cutting her off I said, “Slow down Tabs. One question at a time.”
We talked and caught up for the next hour. She told me about her plans to come visit this summer and I told her about the town- leaving the part about Cole out of course. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone about the hot stranger that saved me in the woods. For now, I just wanted to keep him to myself.
The inevitable subject of my parents came up and that was when I got off the phone. Tabby loved my parents as much as I did, and I know it was hard on her too when they died. I just can’t bring myself to talk about them any time soon. “You know you can talk to me any time you need to, right? I don’t care what time it is, I’m always here…” she said before letting me go. “I know Tabs, thanks. Love you,” I said before hanging up. “Love you too, Soph.”
My parents was a sore subject that I just can’t bring myself to talk about any time soon. There was still so much I didn’t understand…
***
I called to order a pizza, but the cashier said they don’t deliver this far out. I sighed and looked over the phone book for other places. None delivered out here, they all said it was too far out of their way.
I glanced in the fridge to see what I could scrounge up but found nothing but a gallon of milk and some old left overs that looked like they had been there a little too long. Gross. I walked over to the cabinets to look in there but found nothing as well. Well, other than some canned vegetables and some muffin mix. Aunt Linda really needed to go shopping, I guess she didn’t cook much. I’ll probably be the one doing most of the cooking from the looks of it.
