by Moira Byrne
"But we weren't hunting." George rushed his words together in his haste to explain himself. "We didn't have no guns or nothing."
"We just wanted to do some tracking," Emery said in a whiny tone. "There are so many big critters, you see. We didn't want to get rusty. But we know not to hunt 'round here. We learned."
"Right," George agreed. "People are funny about huntin' around here. You'd think they'd be worried with all the big critters, but they got those laws."
"But I don't get why somebody would go about and kill a bunch of tiny critters, just leave 'em dead like that."
"Yeah, and why tear off bits and pieces?" He shivered. "What about the ones that weren't dead? Some of 'em had broken bones so bad they couldn't move. Like somebody hurt them for the fun of it."
"That's what really gave me the creeps. The ones left dying that we had to take care of. What kind of monster does that?"
A cold chill ran up my spine. That sounded like the sick things Edward used to do for fun. I picked up my speed and reached out to touch Emery on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, where did you see this?" I asked.
He looked at me blankly. "What, ma'am?"
I glanced at George, and his expression was as confused as Emery's. If I didn't know better, I would think I hadn't heard them correctly. Nadine's face had paled and her lips tightened. I didn't have time to reassure them; I had to find out where these mutilations took place.
"The animals you were just talking about," I clarified.
The men exchanged a look and I could tell from Emery's expression that he planned to lie to me.
"Well, ma'am, animals are all over the place."
"There's a lot of forest around here," George added.
"And critters like the forest," Emery said with a nod.
My eyes narrowed. Did they think I was stupid? Before I could respond, Nadine spoke up, "George, Emery, hush." She met my gaze. "You have awful good hearing, ma'am, to listen in on our conversation."
"I do."
Her eyes narrowed with purpose. "You related to Maddox by any chance?"
I knew we didn't look anything alike, but she seemed a lot sharper than her brothers. There was something pointed in her voice that told me she knew the secrets of Fayoak. Or at least had her suspicions.
"You could say that," I replied vaguely.
Nadine studied me for a moment, slowly arching a brow. "This something you're looking to take care of?"
"Very much so."
"Tell her what she wants to know," Nadine ordered her brothers.
"Oh, well, ma'am, uh . . ." Emery's eyes grew wide, then he gave George and Nadine a helpless look.
George looked around furtively, then stepped closer to me and whispered, "We weren't supposed to be there, ma'am. We don't want to get in no trouble."
My brow furrowed. "You weren't supposed to be where?"
They exchanged another look and Emery said, "In the woods, ma'am."
"Don't be mad. We was just exploring."
"Tracking. Keeping our skills up. But we didn't plan to shoot nothing."
My eyes bounced back and forth between them as they spoke. For whatever reason, they were terrified that they'd gotten themselves into trouble. I need to get them back on track.
"Look, I just want to know where you saw the dead animals. The ones that looked like something tortured and killed them for sport."
"We ain't gonna get in trouble?"
"Just tell her where you saw them, Emery," Nadine said, her tone echoing the exasperation I felt.
"Off Old Aspen Way."
My heart sunk. That was close to the orchard. Not in the area I patrolled, but close enough. I'd have to go out there and scout around. If it wasn't Edward, someone was hurting animals and needed to be stopped.
Shifter business was for shifters to take care of. Although, I mused, it could be a coven. I'd heard dark witches do nasty things for some of their spells. If that was the case, I'd tell the sheriff and let him deal with it.
"You know where that is?" George asked when I didn't respond.
I forced a smile on my face. "Sorry. Yeah, I do. I'll go check it out later."
"We, uh . . ." Emery looked at the ground and scuffed the dirt with his foot.
"What did you do?" Nadine asked before I could. "I swear, you two are constantly getting yourselves into trouble."
"Well, we couldn't leave them like that," George whined, wringing his hands together.
"We sort-of took care of it all," Emery added.
"What do you mean?" I was so confused.
"Well," George said, "we weren't supposed to be there. We couldn't leave those poor critters in misery. They weren't gonna live, you see. Just die slowly, and in a lot of hurt."
"So, we took care of them. And then went back with a shovel and buried them 'cause we didn't want to get in no more trouble."
They looked so worried, like a pair of schoolboys who got caught trying to fix something and were afraid they'd get in trouble for it.
"Thank you. That was the decent thing to do. How long ago did you find them?"
"Yesterday."
"There hasn't been any rain. I'll be able to find it. Can you give me some markers to look for?"
My eyes grew wide as the men gave detailed markers, the type I used when navigating in the woods, but then I remembered they were hunters. They might come across as incompetent, but their details were very thorough. I'd be able to check it out tonight.
A phone alarm chimed, then Emery and George exchanged a look. "We're sorry, ma'am, but we gotta go or we'll be late."
"No problem," I said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for your help."
The three of them hurried away and I stood on the sidewalk, staring after them. My feet felt like lead.
What kind of monster does that? I knew that was a stupid question. I knew exactly what type of monster would torture and mutilate innocent animals. Edward.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my sister's number before I continued walking to the clinic.
"Speak, sister." Aly's cheerful voice came through after the second ring. I heard a lot of noise of people talking in the background.
"Hey, Aly, you have a minute?"
"Sophie, to what do I owe the pleasure of an early afternoon call? Evening interrogations not enough for you anymore?" She sounded like she was about to burst into laughter at any moment. Quite a difference from our talk yesterday. I wondered what had changed. I hated that I was about to ruin her good mood.
"Aly, I need to ask you a serious question."
"Oh, okay." Her voice immediately sobered. "Just a sec."
Her voice grew muffled, but I could still understand her as she told someone she'd be right back. A chorus of voices answered.
"Let me get someplace a little more private." I heard a door open and close. The background noise abruptly died. "What's up, Soph?"
"You said you hadn't seen Edward recently. Has he shown back up again?"
"Nope, he hasn't. But I was thinking about it, and I think you may have really pissed him off before you left, Soph."
"Why?" Chills ran up my spine. I knew why he might be angry at me, but what had she heard?
"I didn't think much about it until you said something, but before he left he'd been asking a lot about you. If I knew where you went, that kind of thing. And he had this angry look in his eyes."
"Aly," I asked urgently, "did you tell him where I went?"
"No," she said, outrage echoing through her voice. "I told you before I wouldn't do that. Especially since it took me months to get you to tell me where you'd gone."
I let out a harsh breath. I'd been so afraid someone would follow me after I left.
"You thought I was stupid for leaving. I was afraid you'd tell them if they asked."
"Give me a little credit, would you?"
"Sorry. You're right. And I did tell you, so calm down."
She laughed. "Yeah, like two weeks ago."
My stomach clen
ched. Had it only been two weeks since I told her I was in Fayoak? Edward disappeared about a week ago.
For the past several days I'd had that creepy feeling of being watched. Was it possible that Edward had found me?
"Aly, do you know where Edward went?"
"No, he has no reason to tell me. But . . ."
"But what, Aly? What do you remember?" I couldn't keep the urgency out of my voice.
"You know," she said, hesitant, "I remember after I hung up with you not too long ago . . . I turned around and he was standing there, right outside the house. He had this livid look on his face. I was super surprised to find him standing right outside, you know?"
"Did he say anything?" My hand clenched, nails digging into my palm.
"No, nothing unusual. Just that he was keeping an eye on me. You know, keeping me safe."
I felt like I was going to throw up. My sister innocently saw his words as kind, but I heard the implied threat. Edward didn't 'keep an eye' on someone for benevolent reasons. My heart raced. I had to figure out what I was going to do.
"Soph, you okay?" Aly's concerned voice sounded in my ear and I realized I hadn't said anything.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered automatically.
"Look, I gotta go to class. You need anything else?"
"No. Have fun in your class. Stay safe."
"You, too. Love you."
"Love you, too."
I hit end call and my hand dropped down to my side. A knot of dread had taken root in my stomach. Edward was here in Fayoak, I knew it. I took a deep breath, then another. My personal nightmare had come to visit.
The sound of a car horn from the street blared and snapped me back to myself. I had to get to the clinic, my patients needed me. As I started walking, I pulled up Alex's contact information on my phone.
I was about to hit dial but hesitated. What could he do? What good would it do to tell him a dangerous animal was roaming on the border of the orchard? He couldn't grow fangs and claws to defend himself.
I would have to go out hunting for Edward tonight. I had to make sure we were safe from that monster. It was all up to me.
6
Alexander
The grass curved toward me as I stalked around the Galinsky's grounds. The blades grew higher and higher as my concern built. It was like the field of green wanted to wrap itself around me to soothe my agitation. I didn't know whether I wanted to be mad or worried and that only made things worse.
Sophie didn't show up at the Moon Festival last night.
At first, I was upset. I was Alexander Greenhaven. I made women melt with a single whispered word. I didn't get stood up. But why would Sophie stand me up like that?
That was when my anger abruptly cleared. I started to get worried. I tried to call her and left a voicemail. About that time, the admission staff started giving me looks of pity.
I finally bought my ticket and went in, but kept glancing at my phone. I was waiting for a call to tell me she had an emergency delivery or something. Anything. I got nothing but a single text shortly after the festival ended.
Stay away from me.
I had recoiled as I read it. What the hell was that for? I tried to call her again, but she didn't answer. I sent her a text, but she didn't reply. I played our conversation over in my mind. I knew she was hesitant to go with me, yet I had been persistent and look where it got me. That was when I got mad again, but my anger was directed at myself and nobody else.
The ground churned as roots started to coil up from somewhere deep within the ground. I was so lost in my thoughts that I couldn't even pinpoint what plants they belonged to. My agitation simply made them grow.
"Hey, whoa, what's the deal?" Maddox's startled voice cut through the upset clouding my mind. "This might be Fayoak, and we might be out of sight, but that's still risky. Tourists are everywhere."
I blinked down at the gnarled knot of roots curling around my feet. "Damn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Just . . . put them back."
I nodded and crouched down. I narrowed my focus and held a hand out to carefully guide the roots back into the ground. The earthy scent of the soil was soothing and helped me cool down.
The joy I usually felt when using my magic was missing. I was too upset, and I had no idea why I was letting myself get so worked up.
If Sophie didn't want me, then so be it. I could deal with that. The roots tensed with my agitation, then started to coil upward again. I forced them back down.
"Honestly, what's the deal?" Maddox asked.
I winced at the concern in his voice. The tree behind me cracked and groaned as it shot up an extra foot. "I'm fine."
Maddox raised a cool brow. His eyes flickered from me to the tree, yet he said nothing.
"I don't know what it is, man." I placed a hand over my face. "I shouldn't even be this worked up. It's not like me."
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen you like this. What happened?"
"A woman. Never been this bent out of shape before. This is exactly what I've tried to avoid for so long."
Maddox mulled over his reply for a moment. "Is this about Sophie?"
My mouth opened then shut as I thought of an answer. I wasn't completely sure how he guessed it was her on the first try. Had I really been that obvious about my attraction toward her?
"Yeah," I replied slowly, "it is. We were going to go to the Moon Festival last night. No big deal, but—"
"Oh, only the Moon Festival? A softly lit Japanese Garden. A tea ceremony. Soft music in the air. Nothing romantic or special about that." He raised that damned brow again and smirked at me.
"C'mon, Sophie and I are obviously just friends."
"Then why are you so 'bent out of shape' about her missing your date?"
"That's the thing. She didn't miss it. She just didn't show up."
"Come to think of it, she kinda lost it on me for a minute the other morning." Maddox frowned. "You think she's alright?"
"Probably. I plan to check on her after we're done here." I hoped that I would be less agitated by then.
I saw her text in my mind again. Stay away from me. I would do just that, but I had to talk to her before I walked away permanently.
My gut said there was something else to this. I knew well enough by now that Sophie was the type to try to take everything on herself and not ask for help. I had to be sure before I could part from her for good.
I sighed and looked toward the other side of the property where Sophie was renting the guest house. We were working on the main house today. Once I got the old plants cleaned up, I would decide what to plant between the guest house and the main house.
The bushes and weeds around Sophie's place were already cleaned up. I could have started planting there today, but I really didn't want to work over there right now.
I was going to check on her, just in case, but I needed some time to sort out my thoughts. Even if she wouldn't answer my calls, I needed to make sure she was okay.
My thoughts circled back to the beginning. The way she made my heart pound like a drum when I first saw her. My thoughts fast-forwarded to the day at Maddox and Rose's wedding. The way she looked at me with fear and hurt in her eyes when I pushed too far.
Maybe this was her way of telling me she wasn't interested once and for all. If so, well, I would respect that, no matter how much my inner voice screamed at me to try to change her mind.
The tree behind me trembled, and I could feel it starting to surge upward again as I grew more upset. I quickly looked back at Maddox to see if he had noticed. Of course he had.
"If you're that interested in her, why not just tell her?"
I looked down and focused on moving the rest of the displaced roots back underground. "I don't know what you mean."
"You can't honestly think I'm that blind."
"Well, you know, that whole thing with Rose . . ." I flashed him a grin.
"That's not getting stale or anything." Maddox sighed, pulled off his g
loves, then took a seat on the ground by my feet, arms hanging over his knees.
"You two knew each other basically your entire lives."
With the roots firmly underground, I moved a step away from the tree and took a seat beside him on the grass. I raised my head to the sun, eyes closed. The warm rays brushed over my skin and, for a moment, everything was alright again.
"That's what made it so hard to tell," he insisted.
It was easy to distract him by poking fun at his laborious search for his mate that was right in front of him. And, honestly, it was probably one of my favorite activities. Aside from coaxing out Sophie's inner fire.
"Likely story."
"Hey, you think I can't tell you're avoiding the subject?"
I opened my eyes and looked back down at the grass. I ran my fingers over the blades. They arched toward me in a little dance as I moved my hand around in a circle. I knew he wanted me to admit that I enjoyed Sophie's company, and I did.
I had been surprised by how nice it was to sit down and have dinner with her. No expectations for anything else. Just good food and great conversation, plus a little flirting.
The kiss nearly blew my mind, if I was being honest. It was strange that she went from giving me one of the best kisses of my life to shoving me away. Maybe the wine was to blame.
"Look," I finally said, "I'm attracted to her, yeah, but relationships aren't my thing."
"Not your thing?" Maddox snorted. "I'm not buying that."
"It's true."
"Why?"
"I have my reasons."
"Lay it on me."
My gut clenched as my brain kicked into overdrive. I had to figure out a way to change the topic. He didn't need to know why I was like this. In fact, nobody needed to know. Those memories were best locked away where they couldn't actively torment me.
"How did we get here?" I fell back into the grass and stared up at the sky. "Can I get the old snarling Maddox back?"
"Nah, you've crossed the threshold into friend status, so I have to stick my nose in your problems."
"Great."
"Be glad I'm a cat, at least we give you some space. Not like the wolves." He shuddered. "They're always in everybody's business."
