by Moira Byrne
Seeing my alarm, Maddox yelled, "Charlie!"
The hammering immediately stopped. A man in his thirties with bright orange hair and freckles appeared from around the side of the house. He smiled when he saw us, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
"What's up, bossman?" the man asked in a voice that was obscenely cheerful for eight o'clock in the morning.
"Sophie's landlord didn't tell her we'd be here this morning."
"Oh, darn. That must've been a heck of a wake-up call, ma'am." He tilted his head toward me, as if commiserating with me.
I nodded as I tried to figure out what Charlie was. The primal part of me classified everything as either predator or prey. It made me uneasy not knowing where he fit. Charlie winked at me, as if he could sense my confusion and it delighted him.
"I'll try to hammer softly," he said before he went back to his task.
I returned my attention to Maddox, but he was staring at the location where Charlie disappeared. The banging started up again.
"Well, I was going to ask him to pause so we could talk. But when he gets on a task, it's hard to get him to stop."
"What is he?"
I couldn't keep myself from asking. My primal side had to know. My cat peered out through my eyes, trying to assess the threat or lack thereof. When Maddox met my gaze, I knew he saw the telltale blue of my cat's eyes. His eyes shifted to panther-green as his own cat appeared.
"He's not a threat to us if that's what you're wondering."
"Fine. He's not a threat to us. Great. What. Is. He?" I leaned forward anxiously. I wished he would just tell me. It would drive me nuts if I didn't find out.
Maddox yelled, "Charlie!"
The noise stopped, and Charlie's grinning face appeared. Maddox looked at him but didn't say a word. The smile on Charlie's face grew wider. When I met his gaze, something wild looked out.
It reminded me of Alex, but more distant. In the same way that a house cat reminds you of a tiger. I wasn't sure which of them was the lion or the kitty cat, though. Alex could swing either way.
"Never met one of my kind, eh?" Charlie asked gleefully.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. He had to have incredible hearing to listen in on our conversation over all that hammering.
"I can't say that I have."
My cat was still in my gaze and my claws pressed against the tips of my fingers. It was on guard, ready to defend its territory against this unknown threat, even if Maddox insisted he wasn't a danger.
Charlie chuckled. "I'll give you some clues, alright? Here we go. We don't go into civilized areas much—it's odd that I do. We're strong. Usually solitary—it's weird that I like company. Come to think of it, I'm just strange all around. You got it yet?"
I shook my head, still in the dark. His clues weren't helping. I was only getting more frustrated.
"Charlie," Maddox chided, "it's too early for Sophie to play twenty questions."
Charlie laughed and nodded. "Right it is, right it is. I'm an ogre, ma'am."
He tilted his head and touched the brim of an imaginary cap before he slipped back around the side of the house. The hammering immediately resumed. I wondered if he even realized he had just dropped an information bomb that left me reeling. I had a feeling that he did and was pleased with himself about it.
"Ogre," I said slowly, feeling out the word. "I thought they were really big. How is he not? I don't get it. He's nothing like an ogre is supposed to be."
My cat wasn't ready to attack anymore, it was simply confused. Ogres were big and destructive and known to be strong predators. I'd never seen one, but they were supposed to be at least ten feet tall and as wide as an elephant.
From what I had heard, ogres broke things—they didn't fix them. They were dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. But Charlie wasn't threatening; he was like a mischievous kid.
Maddox shrugged. "Part of their magic. Somehow, they can fit into cars, houses, all of that. It's like shifting, but not. I don't understand it, either."
I ran my hand over my face. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I needed coffee. And breakfast. Really, I wanted to go back to bed, but that wasn't happening with all that hammering going on.
"So, how long will you be working here?"
"Couple days, but we'll be done with your place soon." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "In fact, I'd better get back to it if I don't want the work to spill over to three. We'll be onto the main house after today."
"Sounds good," I replied briskly. I still wasn't in a very good mood. I needed to wake up and have coffee before I clawed someone's eyes out.
I stepped back inside and closed the door. I shuffled into the kitchen and started up the coffee pot. It began to brew, and the wonderful aroma soon perfumed the air. While I waited for it to finish, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and added milk.
The hammering seemed like it never ended. What could need that much pounding?
I sat down at my table and shoveled in spoonfuls of cereal in time with the hammering. I added milk to my coffee, cooling it barely enough for me to slurp down. I knew that I had to get out of here before I lost my mind. My head started to throb in time with the hammer as I raced through the last of my breakfast.
My skin itched and felt too tight. I felt caged. I couldn't breathe. I needed to do something. Something that wasn't anywhere near the hammering. The pounding had become unbearable. I knew it wasn't as bad as it felt, but that didn't seem to make any difference. My cougar wanted out. Now.
Moments later I was at my back door. I stripped and threw my clothes into a pile, then opened the door a crack and shifted. Finally in my cougar form, I could breathe again. Colors muted and my vision expanded. The infernal pounding continued, but it no longer threatened to drive me insane.
Impatient to be outside, I used my paw to push the door open wide enough for me to slip through. Once I was out of the house and on the dirt, I stretched, my claws digging into the ground.
The breeze brought me Charlie's scent from the right, and I was able to pull out the subtle nuances now—things my human self had missed. A sound to the left caught my attention. I met Maddox's gaze. I gave him a greeting chirp and he nodded back.
I was off running a moment later. I lived near the Greenhaven orchard and liked to run through their trees. The pull I felt in that direction had only intensified after I'd taken Alex home months ago when he'd gotten a bit drunk at the barbecue. It was difficult to resist in my cat form.
It had taken me awhile to figure out the pull wasn't the orchard, but the man who lived on the orchard's grounds. I couldn't figure out why my cat was so fascinated by him.
I approached the fence surrounding the property. It was not too high for me to jump over, and I easily cleared it. Not that long ago they'd had a problem with coyotes damaging their irrigation lines, but I took care of it. They wouldn't be doing that anymore.
My ears pulled back in displeasure at the thought of those coyotes. This was my territory now. The coyotes were not welcome.
They were simple animals, not shifters. Back when I had first noticed their presence, I hunted down a couple of them and made it clear this was my territory. I would defend it.
Coyotes could be persistent, so I continued to patrol the area, carefully marking my territory with my claws. The deep gouges I made were a clear message.
Only once had I caught their scent back here, though it had ended at my marked border and had gone no farther. It wasn't worth challenging me, so they moved on to a more hospitable location. I could hear them calling at night, safely off in the distance.
My cat huffed in laughter as I remembered when Petunia Greenhaven had caught me marking my territory. I was scratching away on a tree when the branches had suddenly wrapped around me and hauled me in the air.
My heart had raced in my chest. Trees did not simply wrap their branches around you and hoist you up. I'd hissed in alarm and tried to slip out of the hold, but she had me good and trapped.
&
nbsp; It had been deep in the night and I had only recently chased off the coyotes. I still patrolled nightly back then. The stately woman with silver hair stepped out from behind a tree. Although hidden in shadows, I had no problem clearly seeing her with my cougar's vision.
Somehow she had managed to be downwind from me and I couldn't catch her scent. But given I was in the Greenhaven orchard and a tree had me in its grips, I had a pretty good idea of who I had encountered.
"Why are you damaging my trees?" she asked, her tone ringing with righteous anger.
Since I was in my cougar form, there was little I could do but chirp at her. I squirmed in the branches and let out a low growl, pawing at the branches with my claws retracted.
"I will release you, but this is my orchard. I expect you to shift and explain yourself. You will be unable to leave this area without my consent. My trees will stop you. Here I rule supreme."
Immediately after she spoke, the branches released me. I fell to the ground, easily landing on my feet. I shifted and stood before her, leaving my eyes unchanged so I could still see her clearly.
Shock crossed her face as she took in my naked state. It occurred to me she must not have had a lot of interaction with shifters. Had she thought I could magically form clothes on myself?
"How did you know I was a shifter?"
"Please. You were acting too intelligent to be anything but a human in an animal skin. Now answer my question. Why are you damaging my trees?"
"I'm not damaging your trees," I answered, insulted.
"You are. You're creating those giant scratches in them." Her eyes glowed with anger. "Why are you hurting my trees?"
The trees around her violently swayed as if blown by a strong wind, and I could feel her magic like a heavy blanket around me. It was like a strong storm about to break. Alex's grandmother was one scary woman.
A shiver of fear worked its way up my spine and I quickly answered her, "I'm marking my territory. This is the only way to keep the coyotes out of your orchard." My fear turned to anger at the thought of the invaders. "They need to know this area is mine."
Her eyes widened in surprise and the trees immediately stopped whipping around. Whatever answer she'd expected, that clearly wasn't it.
"You do know that I am the owner of this land, don't you?" Her brows lowered and she looked perplexed.
"Of course," I said. I wasn't stupid.
"Then explain why you think it's yours."
I blinked at her as I thought about how to explain this to someone who wasn't a shifter. Saying a fae wasn't a predator was inaccurate, but her instincts were different.
"In the animal kingdom," I said, feeling my way through the explanation, "I am the top predator around here. If I say this is my territory, I claim it and defend it. I chase off other predators. Those coyotes," I couldn't stop the snarl from crossing my face, "are not welcome in my territory."
She slowly arched a brow. "That doesn't explain the scratches in my trees."
"That's how cougars mark territory. Your fences are metal so I can't mark those."
"Well, I guess it's better than urinating in the corner." She looked off into the distance for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Mark your territory. Keep the damned coyotes away. But not on the trees."
She turned around and headed away from me. I frowned at her back in confusion.
"If I'm not to mark on the trees, then how . . ."
"Come back in two days," she said over her shoulder.
My curiosity was so intense I could barely wait to see what she planned. Two days later, I had returned shortly after sundown to find thick wood poles firmly anchored into the ground around the perimeter of the orchard. I even climbed one to see how sturdy it was.
Now, I approached one of those poles and stood on my hind feet to set my paws up high. The feel of my claws digging in was immensely satisfying.
At first, I'd only come over to mark my territory in the dead of night, when there was no possibility of encountering anyone. These days, I came when the mood struck me, but I had to be careful. I kept a watch out for people as I didn't want to scare anyone.
Finished, I settled back to my feet and ran around the edge of the trees, then stopped when I approached the open area where her sheds were. My fur blended in with the shadows, and I knew I was practically invisible if I held still.
The breeze shifted and I caught the smell of plants and sunshine near one of the sheds. Alex. A moment later he stepped out into the sunlight, a smile on his face. I'd taken two steps forward before I stopped myself. My cat had no problems with wanting to be with him. My primal self didn't understand my human side's hesitation.
I stepped back into the shadows and forced myself to head back home. If I didn't, my primal side would take control and act out on the desire to be closer to him—a feeling that I felt each time I was around Alexander Greenhaven.
It didn't help that I'd had a lot of fun playing with him the other day. But he looked focused and I didn't want to distract him. Now was not the time for play.
I forced my mind off him and onto my run. The scents of the rodents, bugs, and earth. The feel of the wind through my fur. When my mind veered off into wondering what it would feel like to have his hands on my fur, I firmly shoved that thought away.
It didn't take me long to get back home. I circled my house but didn't see any vehicles other than mine, and couldn't smell Maddox or Charlie. A glance at the shadows told me I'd been out for several hours, so they must have gone for lunch.
I slid through my open back door, then went to my bedroom to shift and get dressed. I heard a car pull up and figured the guys were back from lunch. They'd knock if they needed anything.
I was about to head to the kitchen to fix myself some lunch when I heard my phone buzz. I hurried over and picked it up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the display read Aly. I answered immediately—I would never ignore my sister's calls, not even for a second.
"Aly, what's up?" I asked, careful not to ask her if she was okay. Our talk the other night still rang in my ears.
There was a moment of silence before she spoke, "Hey, Soph."
Her voice was soft, as if she was afraid to speak too loudly. My heart sped up. Something was wrong, I knew it.
"Aly, are you—"
"Soph, I'm fine. I'm sorry to scare you. I just . . . needed to hear your voice."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She sighed. "Nothing," she repeated, her voice a little stronger. It was as if she was trying to convince herself more than me.
"Do you need—"
"No," she said sharply. "I don't need you to come get me. I'm fine. I shouldn't have called."
There was something in her voice that told me she was lying, but I knew my little sister and she had a stubborn streak. She would tell me what was wrong only when she was good and ready.
"No, Aly. No. I'm glad you called. Did you get the money I sent?"
"Yeah, Soph, I did. Thank you."
"Aly—"
"I gotta go." Her words ran together like she was in a sudden rush. "I'll call you later. And, hey, Sophie?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
Before I could say anything else, the phone went dead in my ear. I pulled it away from my head to look at the screen. It told me she'd hung up.
My stomach churned. Why did my sister tell me to be careful? What was going on? Was she in trouble? Did she think I was? I wished I'd had a chance to ask her about Edward. Had he returned to the pack?
I felt my claws prick my fingers and carefully pulled them back in. I had control of my emotions, they didn't control me. I took a deep breath, then another.
I had almost convinced myself that there wasn't anything I could do when I heard a knock on my door. My agitation rocketed sky-high all over again. I spun on my feet and stomped toward my door.
I took two steps when the scent of my visitor hit me. Alex.
My cat purred. My blood raced. This was the last thing I
needed when I was already on edge. My cat didn't care. It knew of an easy way to calm my body down. It urged me to pull Alex inside and have my way with him.
Fighting my instincts, I took a deep breath. Alex's scent ran through me. Wrong move. Taking in more of his scent only made me want him more. I needed him to leave. Now. Before my primal side overrode my good judgment.
I flung open the door with a snarl. "What do you want?"
4
Alexander
"That was a hell of a way to say hello," I said with a confused laugh as Sophie glared daggers at me.
She looked like she was about ready to take my head off for knocking on her door. I saw her car was still here when I pulled up to work on her place and had been excited to see her again. Without thinking about it, I'd knocked to say hello . . . which was apparently the wrong thing to do.
"Well," she curled her upper lip a little, "I don't recall inviting you over."
I arched a brow. She was prickly today. Something devious inside me was delighted at the prospect. A slow, sly smile worked its way across my lips. She should have known by now that I loved poking the bear—well, cougar, I suppose.
"You should try that sometime."
She hesitated for a moment, trying to puzzle through what I meant.
"Inviting you over? For what?"
"I could give you a demonstration if you'd like."
"You wish, Alex."
"I do. With every shooting star I see, I wonder . . . won't Sophie ever sleep with me?" I ended in a sing-song tone and flashed her a big, playful grin.
"I can't believe you," she replied with a snort.
"Really?"
"No, actually, I can."
"That's more like it."
She huffed, but I caught the hint of a smile trying to force its way through. She quickly forced it back down, but she wasn't snarling anymore.
"You're impossible."
"I wasn't kidding, Sophie." I leaned forward, eyes searching hers. "That door is so open there's not actually one there."
She cleared her throat and looked away for a moment. When she looked back at me, I knew playtime was over. As much as I liked toying with her, I wasn't looking to make her uncomfortable. I had seen what could happen when I pushed too far at Maddox and Rose's wedding. There was a line drawn in the sand and I very carefully tiptoed along it.
