My arms swayed at my sides as I walked, picking up pace. Maybe leaving the safety of Liam’s cabin wasn’t the best idea. I should have stayed until he came to check on me or sent someone else to.
Something moved along the edge of my vision.
I kept my pace without glancing in its direction. From my peripheral vision, I could tell it was something big, but I tried not to react. Maybe it was Liam or another from his clan. I knew it couldn’t be Corbin. He was dead. It couldn’t be Ezra or someone from his pack either. They wouldn’t have been able to get through Liam’s patrols.
Would they?
My heart kick-started at the thought, and I quickened my pace until I was almost running. I knew I shouldn’t. Liam had once told me to never run from a shifter, but I couldn’t help myself.
Fear had control of me.
My brain urged me to run. To get to Ruby, gather my things, get in my Jeep, and get the heck out of here. My gut, on the other hand, told me to stay. It told me to trust that Liam had everything under control, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
It was my gut I listened to.
Maybe I was foolish because of it. Maybe this was another choice that would come back to bite me in the ass like accepting that first date with Corbin had.
Time would tell.
My heart pounded as I forced my legs to continue at their frantic pace even though nothing seemed to be chasing me. Ruby came in to view and so did my Jeep. Again, my brain tried to get me to pack up and leave this place behind, but I resisted.
That added bit of resistance was all it took for my brain to switch gears. Instead of focusing on fleeing and making an escape plan, I began to think of reasons to stay.
One—I had no place to go and very little money. Ruby was already paid for. I’d rented her for the week, and so far, I’d only stayed there one night.
Two—I was safer here. If Ezra and his pack found me here, I at least wouldn’t have to fight them off alone. I’d have bears to back me up. There was also safely in numbers.
Three—Liam, and whatever the heck this thing was between us, wasn’t something I could just walk away from. A part of me wanted to explore it, even if I knew the timing was crap.
Four—I needed time to come up with a plan of attack against Ezra and his pack. While I knew the chance of them not knowing I was the Mystic was probably slim to none, considering I was a beacon now, I also didn’t know how that worked. Was it a signal that was sent out telling every shifter my name and location? Could only the ones closest to me feel my presence as the Mystic?
Five—the girls Ezra already held captive in his search for the Mystic weren’t going to be released. He’d kill them flat-out instead of draining them dry. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to go back to Opal Pine and rescue any girls he was holding. They were only there because Ezra and his pack had been looking for me.
Determination slithered through me. If I wasn’t going to run, then I was going to fight.
Chapter Three
The key to Ruby was still in the front pocket of my shorts. Thankfully, it hadn’t been lost in all the hoopla. When I stepped inside, I immediately felt the tension drain from my muscles. This little RV already felt like home.
I changed into clean clothes and swiped on some deodorant. It wasn’t a shower, but it was something. My thoughts shifted through ways to take down Ezra while I grabbed a cup from the cabinet by the sink and filled it with tap water. Once my thirst was quenched, I grabbed a Pop-Tart and my cell. I checked to see if I had any missed calls or text messages as I made my way to the door, but what jumped out at me was that it was after 11 p.m. and Sunday. My heart hammered.
I’d slept an entire day? How was that possible?
I thought back to the last time I’d slept so long and remembered J.D. Harper’s party from two summers ago. Penny and I had gotten wasted. Everyone had really. We’d all partied from the second the sun went down to the instant it came up out on Sarah Taylor’s family property near the west end of town. It was thirty-two acres of land in the middle of nowhere and the party of the summer. Everyone talked about it for months after. Some had tried to top it, but no one was ever able to.
It had been legendary.
I’d danced until I could hardly stand. Drank until I no longer cared about the way my mom’s current boyfriend looked at me when he didn’t think she was watching. I’d smiled and laughed until my cheeks hurt. And when I’d finally made it home the next morning, I slept for fourteen hours straight.
Sleeping so long without a hangover being the cause was new though. No wonder Liam hadn’t been there when I woke. He would have been sitting around for forever, waiting.
I glanced at my cell. There were three missed calls. Two were from my mom and the other was from Penny. I tapped on my voicemail to listen to my messages and put the phone against my ear as I opened my Pop-Tart and broke a piece off. I crammed it into my mouth. The sweetness burst across my tongue as Mom’s worried voice filled my ear.
“Hey, honey. Just wondering where you are. I haven’t seen or heard from you in days now. Can you just give me a call when you get this? Please. So I know you’re okay.”
She hung up without saying I love you, and my voicemail rattled off a timestamp before switching to the next message.
“It’s me again. Look, I know you’re still upset with me for the things I said. I’m sorry. Okay? I know it wasn’t right to say the things that I did. Please, just call me. Stop being so damn stubborn and let me know you’re all right.” She hung up. Again without saying I love you. But all I could focus on was her half-hearted apology.
It was the best she’d ever given.
Stella Abbott only ever said she was sorry to her boyfriends that beat the crap out of her for stupid reasons. She apologized for making them angry. For saying whatever she’d said that had set them off. But never to me.
Ever.
The desire to call her festered inside me, but not knowing what I would say to her stopped me from giving in. She’d have questions I wouldn’t be able to answer. Not because I didn’t want her to know where I was, but because it was best not to pull her into this mess.
I opened up a saved thread of text messages with her. Sending a text was far less risky and much easier than making a phone call to her.
I’m fine. Everything is fine. I’ll call you soon.
I didn’t say I love you either. Honestly, I wondered if I ever had. After I sent the text to my mom, I popped back over to listen to my remaining voicemail. I tapped on it but my phone was being wonky. It took numerous taps before it played the message. It was from Penny. The sound of her voice made me smile. I missed her.
“Hey, chick! Just calling to see how you’ve been. I haven’t heard from you in a while and I wanted you to know Ezra—yep that’s right—that sexy specimen of a man asked if I wanted to go to a party at his place tonight. I know what you’re thinking—he’s too old for me. We’ve already been through this though.” She paused and my stomach tightened. Damn her and her need to date older guys. “It’s like you opened a window to their secret clubhouse and now they’re letting others in. Anyway, I’m super excited. I’m supposed to meet up with Ezra at seven. I wanted to see what time you were heading over. Maybe we could get picked up together? Call me when you get this, okay?”
When she hung up, I checked the time again. It was eleven thirty. Well after seven. Shit. Penny would have already been with Ezra for four and a half hours. So much could’ve happened to her in that span of time.
She could be dead. My blood ran cold at the thought.
My fingers couldn’t move fast enough to dial her number. I needed to warn her about what Ezra was. What they all were. I also needed to know that she was okay. The phone kept ringing, but Penny didn’t answer. After six rings, her voicemail finally picked up.
“Hey, this is Penny. Say what you want after the beep,” her chipper voice said in the recording.
“Hey, it’s me. Call me when you
get this, okay? If you’re at Ezra’s, you need to leave. It’s not safe to hang around him or the others in his group. Trust me on that, okay? Please. When you call, I’ll explain everything.” The words rushed from me in a panicked tone. Penny would know I was serious. She’d leave if she could. She’d call me too.
Still, I sent her a text in all caps telling her to call me. Now. Then, I waited. My eyes fixed on my phone, willing it to ring while I paced the length of Ruby. Penny never called. My stomach somersaulted with what her silence might mean. I tried her again. It rang until her voicemail answered again. I didn’t leave a message this time.
I squeezed my eyes shut, unbelieving this was happening, as dread pooled through my stomach. My mind spun with thoughts of what I should do. Should I hop in my Jeep and head back to Opal Pine right now? Go to Ezra’s shitty farmhouse and see if there really was a party happening? Or should I head straight to the old sawmill and search for Penny there? That was where Corbin and Chase had been taking me, so I assumed it was where they’d taken all the others before me.
Crap. I didn’t know what to do.
I paced the length of Ruby as my mind spun and my heart thudded. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to Penny because I’d neglected to warn her about Ezra and his pack. I needed to know she was okay. I needed to know something awful hadn’t happened to the only friend I’d ever had.
My gaze dipped to my cell as I continued to pace, willing it to light up with an incoming call or text from her. When it didn’t, I debated jumping in my Jeep again and heading to rescue her. I knew it wasn’t the brightest idea, though. Not being the Mystic. There was no way Ezra would refrain from bleeding me dry once he learned what I was, and there was no way I’d be able to fight him off. He was a freaking coyote shifter. His entire group of misfits were. I’d be delivering myself to them on a silver freaking platter if I left to help Penny on my own.
Damn it.
Pain pierced the back of my throat as my stomach twisted. I should have called her after I left town. I should’ve told her everything then. She might not have believed me at first, but I would have forced her to. Then, she wouldn’t be where she was; she would have known to keep her distance from Ezra.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I refused to cry. It wouldn’t help the situation any. There was only one thing that would.
I crammed my cell in my back pocket and left Ruby. My sneakers crunched against the gravel of the road that wound its way around the campground as I searched for Liam. I needed to find him. I needed to know if anyone had come looking for Corbin while I’d slept. If anything had happened. Then, I needed him to help me make a plan, because we were going on a rescue mission.
As I walked, I glanced at the RVs with new eyes. Some were the permanent residence for the bears of Liam’s clan while others were rented out by unsuspecting humans. The world I’d fallen into was insane.
A light in an upstairs room of the cabin just past the bathhouse caught my eye. Was that Nash’s cabin? I took a step in that direction but paused. Liam wouldn’t be there. He didn’t seem like the type to hover and worry over someone while they rested. Even if it was his brother. He seemed more like the type who preferred to do something productive while they waited.
My guess was he was probably out patrolling with the others.
A figure at the far edge of the pool caught my eye. They were too far away for me to make out who they were, but I headed in that direction anyway. There was a small chance I was wrong about where Liam was and it was him. Also, if it wasn’t him, maybe it was someone who’d know where he was. This campground was big, and I didn’t want to waste hours searching for him.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out the person sitting at the edge of the pool was male. As I stepped closer, I realized it wasn’t Liam but one of the twins. Either Rafe or Rhett. I wasn’t sure.
He sat at the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water while sipping from a clear glass jug.
“Thinking about trying out that skinny-dipping midnight swim idea?” he asked, his words a little slurred. A wide smile stretched across his face, and I realized he must be Rafe. Clearly, whatever he was drinking wasn’t water.
“Nope. Still not going to happen,” I said, returning his grin.
“A bra and panties cover the same stuff as a bathing suit.”
He had a point. However, enjoying a late-night swim was the last thing on my mind.
“Do you know where Liam is?” I asked as he took another swig from the jug he held.
“Patrolling. Which is what I imagine he’ll be doing until Nash wakes. He likes to keep busy when he has a lot on his mind. It’s how he pushes through.” He held the jug up and nodded to it. “This is how I’m surviving. Not the healthiest option, I know, but it’s what feels right for now.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I dang sure wasn’t about to lecture him. People handled tough situations differently. Who was I to judge?
The moment was awkward, though. As much as I wanted to head to the woods and try to find Liam, after what Rafe had said I felt as though it would be a jerk move to just walk away. I remained mute while I made my way through the fence that surrounded the pool to sit beside him on the concrete.
“I can’t believe we almost lost Nash,” he said, dipping his head to stare into the rippling waters of the pool as his feet kicked lightly beneath its surface. My stomach somersaulted as I reminded myself that I was the cause of Nash nearly dying. “And not to the sickness, but to a damn coyote nearly ripping his throat out.” His words were bitter. Cold. They pierced through me in a way I hadn’t expected.
“I’m sorry.” For whatever reason, saying those two words out loud made me feel even worse. Maybe it was because I knew they couldn’t do anything to fix this. In all honesty, they didn’t matter. They floated through the air on my breath and did nothing more.
Rafe glanced at me, his brows pinching together. “What for? You didn’t do anything besides help him. You saved him, Tris, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“It’s my fault Nash got hurt.” I pulled in a deep breath, trying to loosen the tightness in my chest. “I’m sorry for coming here. If I hadn’t, Corbin wouldn’t have tracked me here and none of this would’ve happened. You all would be living your lives without me interrupting the way that I have.”
There. The words were out. Even though they wouldn’t mend anything, at least they’d been said. The tiniest shift of weight lifted from my shoulders.
“You didn’t interrupt our lives. You gave us hope. And Nash didn’t die because you saved him. You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Rafe insisted.
My gaze dipped to the rippling waters of the pool. “Yeah, well, without me being here, Nash wouldn’t have needed saving.”
Rafe didn’t say anything for a while. Instead, he stared at me as though trying to figure me out. He lifted the jug to his lips again and took a long pull from it.
“It’s a circle, but that doesn’t mean it has to be never-ending,” he said once he swallowed. His breath, heavy with the scent of moonshine, burned my nose when he spoke. “Let that shit go.”
I chuckled, and he held the jug out to me. I took it against my better judgment and placed it to my lips for a swig. It was like acid dripping down my throat at first but soon turned to a welcomed warmth. One that was familiar. It reminded me of parties with Penny. Late nights, bonfires, and being carefree.
It was a lie, though. There was no escape resting at the bottom of that jug, only more ways for a person’s mind to torment them in their difficult time.
“What you just said, and the taste of this moonshine, all reminds me of my friend, Penny,” I said as I handed him the jug back.
“Cool. She sounds like someone I’d like to meet.”
I licked my lips, tasting the remnants of the moonshine that lingered as I pulled out my cell to glance at the screen. No missed call. No text. My stomach tightened. “I missed a call from
her earlier tonight. She left a voicemail saying she was going to a party at Ezra’s. He’s Corbin’s pack leader.”
While I wasn’t one hundred percent sure on that, I was at least ninety-five.
“It’s not safe for Penny to be there. He was having his pack abduct girls so he could bleed them out. I don’t know how much Liam told you, but he was looking for the Mystic.” The thought of Penny being dragged into this situation sent my pulse racing. “He probably doesn’t know I’m the Mystic, but he can feel one has been activated, right? Or is that something that shifters can only feel if they’re close to me?”
“Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to the stories and legends of how all that works.” He shrugged. “I didn’t need to. Liam is the oldest. He learned it all. Nash did too since he’s next in line for alpha if something happens to Liam. Then comes Rhett. I’m last on the totem pole. So, I just didn’t think any of that concerned me. Sorry.”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter how this whole being a beacon thing works. Penny is still with Ezra. She didn’t answer my calls, and she didn’t respond to my texts. Ezra could still be bleeding girls if he can’t feel that a Mystic has been chosen and realize what it means. Which means, he could bleed Penny.” My throat pinched tight. “I have to go back. I have to make sure Penny is safe and I need to stop what Ezra’s doing.”
Rafe laughed. I snapped my eyes to him, not understanding what was so funny.
“Oh, you two are perfect for each other,” he said while struggling to contain himself.
I arched a brow. Was he talking about Liam and me?
“I’m not sure who you’re talking about,” I said.
“I call bullshit on that. There’s something between you and Liam. We can all feel it.”
My eyes widened. “Feel it?” Did he mean like with their shifter senses? “That’s just creepy.”
“Call it what you want, but it’s there. Doesn’t change that.”
This topic of conversation was making me uncomfortable. Yes, I was attracted to Liam, but it didn’t go any further than that. It couldn’t. My life was too chaotic right now.
CAPTURED: GEM CREEK BEARS, BOOK TWO Page 2
