The Huntress (An Olympian Fallen Shifter Novel)

by J. A. Culican

  “My sister was born after me as well. It is amazing that we have so much in common. We are both twins, we both love to hunt, and we hate those who prey upon the helpless. If I had to guess, I’d say there is even more. It is a shame you will be leaving. I am really enjoying getting to know you.” He stopped and turned to me.

  “Would you do me the honor of joining us for breakfast? I must take Xena to the diner. She has to work today.”

  “I thought we agreed that she would be staying off her feet and not working again.” My lips pursed together, and my hands balled up into fists.

  “I asked her not to go, but she assured me she was just working the cash register today and not serving tables. Today is payday, and she said she needs to be there to get paid. She will need the money for diapers. Even though she might not seem like it, deep down, she is very independent and doesn't like to be indebted to me or anyone else. I do respect her for that, but sometimes a person needs to let their guard down and let those around them care for their needs.”

  “Even though it is against my better judgment, I will come back with you. I am not having any luck out here. If you promise to take me to that other spot, I will.”

  “That deal I can work with.”

  Chapter 10

  When Xander had asked me to join him for breakfast, I’d anticipated eating at the cabin again. Instead, Xena forced me into the shower, a fresh dress, and a pair of sandals. Sandals, I could work with since we wore them on Olympus.

  Nothing had prepared me for the ride in Xander’s pick-up truck though. Sure, I had driven and ridden in plenty of chariots in my time, but those were drawn by horse and stag. He mentioned something about the truck having horse power, but from what I could see, there were no horses involved in propelling us along the blacktop streets.

  Most of the route we traveled still consisted of dirt roads and was very rural. More so than I could have really fathomed. Olympus was by no means as populated as Earth, but because our homestead was nowhere near the same size, our population was much denser. A lot of Olympus felt like a city over anything else.

  “Xander, you know I love you and your truck, but it is getting harder and harder to get into this thing,” Xena mentioned from the back of the cab.

  “These bumps are not going to help you any either. For the record, which I am sure my opinion means nothing since I’m pretty much a stranger, I still strongly believe you should be home resting. It isn’t only your pregnancy you’re jeopardizing by pushing too hard, it is your own health and well-being.”

  Even though going to breakfast with them meant moving farther away from my target, a part of me felt better knowing I would be close by to help Xena if she needed me.

  I wanted to take her away from that place. She needed more than her brother could offer. She needed medical attention for her and the babies, and not the kind they forced on human women in the hospitals. The kind that only other women could offer.

  Having a baby, let alone two babies, was going to be a challenge for her. Who would care for them when she went back to work? I shuddered at the idea of her traveling in that big metal vehicle with them. How could it possibly be safe?

  “This is my last day, I promise. Jane knows I am at the end of my pregnancy. Boy will she be surprised when she finds out I am having twins.”

  I didn’t need to see her to know she was rubbing circles around her full belly.

  “Hey, did Selene tell you she is a twin too?” Xander mentioned as he pulled into a gravel parking lot off the main stretch. The only other establishment around was a place that said, Trucks stop here - food and fuel.

  “Wow, what a coincidence. We are twins, she is a twin, and I am having twins.”

  There were certainly several coincidences. And, when they started to mount, that usually added up to something. The only question was to what.

  Xander parked the truck, got out, hurried over to my door, and opened it. It was a good thing too, considering I didn’t have a clue as to how to get out. He gave me his hand and guided me down.

  “Watch your step,” he said as I got down. After he shut the door, he opened Xena’s. She was going to need a lot more help than me.

  “You guys take any table you want when you get in. I am going to tell Jane that breakfast is on me.” Xena suggested.

  “Why would you want to have breakfast on you?” Did she mean she would dump it on her or she would lay there for us to feast from her swollen body? Neither made much sense to me.

  Xander glanced over at me, raised one brow, and started cracking up. He actually had to grab his belly he laughed so hard.

  “You are so cute and funny. I don’t know how you come up with this stuff.” As he held the door open for Xena and me, he smiled so hard I could see his molars.

  A small bell hanging from the top of the doorframe dinged as the door closed behind us.

  “Do you guys want coffee? I will just bring some over. My shift doesn't start for a few minutes,” Xena said as she stuck her small handbag behind the counter adjacent to the front door of the small and very old looking restaurant.

  There wasn’t much of anything appealing about the place. The seats had holes in them, and the floors were worn down from years of traffic. Back in Olympus a place like this would have been burned, although it would never have lasted long enough to show such wear and tear.

  Xander and I slid into a booth and sat across from each other. An awkward silence fell upon us for the first time. We had been alone in the woods together and hadn’t run out of things to talk about.

  I guess a part of me was apprehensive about being around so many humans or shifters. Maybe Xander and Xena knew, but I still couldn’t distinguish them from any other mortal. Xander and Xena had given me the impression that the locals did not care much for outsiders. Hopefully, the fact that I was with Xander would help minimize unwanted attention.

  “I assume you both take full strength, right?”

  I looked up, and Xena was standing there with two cream-colored mugs filled to the brim with black coffee.

  “There are creamers in the basket on the table, and if you need more, you can let me or Jane know. Do ya’ll want me to take your order now?”

  “Xena I thought you weren’t going to be serving tables today,” he questioned with a stern, paternal look.

  “Just you guys. Then you don’t have to worry about leaving a tip or nothing.” She winked, and her cheek rose to close her eye the same way Xander’s did.

  Ding. Ding. The bell on the door chimed again. In walked a man about the same height as Xander. He wore a red and black plaid shirt and a puffy quilted vest. His jeans were nowhere near as flattering as Xander’s, and they were streaked with mud.

  Although there was a gruff handsomeness to him, something about the look in his eye and the energy he gave off didn't sit right with me. I instantly did not trust being in his presence.

  Xena ran over to him. “Bruno, hey.”

  “What’s up, Xena? Why don’t you go fetch me some coffee? The guys are meeting me here soon. I don't have time for chit chat.”

  “Um. Okay. I can do that.” Her voice was low and small as her shoulders seemed to fall inward, and she looked as if she’d shrunken down a few inches.

  A low, rumbling growl vibrated my arms from where they rested on the table. Xander was pulsating as a venomous rage simmered at his core. An overwhelming need to calm him came over me. For the first time, I had a soft spot for a man. I wanted to ease his pain and suffering. However, his turmoil was for his sister, and not himself, so that may have had something to do with my increased level of compassion for his gender.

  On the flip side, the way Bruno spoke to Xena had unnerved me as well. It wasn’t so much what he said as opposed to how he had said it. My inner radar was keen to latch onto him, and take him out.

  “What’s good to eat here? Would it be too much to ask for you to order for me?” I asked Xander, trying to take his focus off Bruno. I understood and appreciate
d his protective nature. Hopefully, I would be enough to keep him from making the situation any worse.

  “Hmmm… Most things are good here, except the oatmeal. It has to be one of the easiest things to cook, and somehow, they royally screw it up every single day.”

  “Okay, so no oatmeal.” I nodded, hoping that Xena would come back to take our order soon so we could get out of there. I shouldn’t have agreed to breakfast. The amount of time being taken away from looking for Ceryn was starting to cause a tight pressure around my chest.

  “Xena, get your fat ass over here. I told you I was in a rush, and I still don’t even have my coffee. I should already be eating. You are ruining my day, again. Can’t you do anything right?”

  Xena turned with a pot of coffee and a mug in hand only to drop the mug on the floor, shattering it. My heart sunk as everyone turned to watch the commotion.

  “See. You can’t even serve a cup of coffee. That’s why you will end up alone the rest of your miserable life.”

  Xena’s eyes glistened as Bruno’s words cut into her like a thousand blades at once.

  I couldn’t take another second of it. I stood. At the same time, Xander leapt up and raised his palm to me as if to hold me off. On any other occasion, I would not have stood for a human to do such a thing. But, in truth, I didn’t belong there and would be leaving in little more than twenty-four hours. He was her champion, not me.

  I followed him as he stalked across the small dining hall. No one would find me threatening, but I would not stand by and allow any harm to come to Xander or Xena in my presence.

  “I think it’s time for you to leave, Bruno.” His shoulders squared off, his chest puffed forward, and the small veins pulsed across Xander’s forehead.

  “You and what army are going to make me? You have been out of the game too long, my friend. Maybe you should go back to living it up with your human city friends.” Bruno didn’t even turn to make eye contact with him.

  Behind the counter, Jane helped Xena clean up the broken mug. All else in the room was silent.

  “I won’t ask you again. I prefer not to disrespect Miss Jane, but I won’t stand by and allow you to speak to a woman like that. Least of all my pregnant sister. Who, I might add, is caring your children.”

  “Is that what she told you? I banged her, but I ain't going to have no babies. Not now and not ever. I suggest you and your stupid sister get that thought out of your heads.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I forbade her from allowing you to even see her or her unborn. You don’t deserve such a thing. Now take your sorry excuse for a man out of here before I do it for you.”

  The small plate and silverware that sat in front of Bruno went crashing to the floor where Xena and Jane were working as he flipped everything on the counter up into the air.

  My stance shifted, as did Xander’s. I was about to pull out my bow and shoot that monster dead on the spot. I cared less and less about my mission to find Ceryn and more and more about protecting Xena from this miserable excuse for man.

  He’d said that he wanted nothing to do with her and the babies, but I had seen that plenty of times. Men like him always said that until a son was born and they got some great notion in their head that they could teach their sons to hate women as much as they did. Xena deserved better. She deserved a man that could respect her and be a true father to her children. I had no doubt in my mind that Xander would do everything in his power to provide that for them. It just might not be enough.

  “You better watch your back, Xander. You and your piece of trash sister.” Bruno stormed out of the diner and got in his truck. The rocks kicked up loudly, pinging off the metal siding as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  I rushed around to the other side of the counter to help Xena. “Child, I am so sorry. Let me help you up. Please, go sit. I will help your Jane here clean everything up.”

  Xander came around, helped her waddle over to a corner table, and sat with her. No doubt to lecture her some more about staying away from Bruno.

  “Who are you?” Jane, Xena’s boss, asked me. Her cheeks were rosy against her suddenly plum, pale skin.

  “I am a friend of the family, visiting for a few days. I came down to help Xena with the last few days of her pregnancy. My name is Selene.”

  She seemed unimpressed as she looked me up and down. I did my best to help her clean up the broken shards of ceramic and glass, but I started to get the impression she preferred to do it on her own. Which I had no problem with, considering I didn’t even clean up my own messes back home.

  As soon as I stood, Xena was waving me over to where she and Xander sat.

  “Can you do me a favor, please, and take him out for a run or something. I think he needs a hunt.” Xena was talking my kind of language.

  “The only thing I need is to smash Bruno’s face in once and for all.” His eyes were dark, and his lips crushed together as soon as he stopped talking.

  Xander was staring out the window, making it easy for Xena to look at me with pleading eyes. She didn’t need to say anything, I knew it was time to get Xander out of there before more of a commotion took place.

  “What time do you need us to pick you up?” I asked Xena.

  “I am only working for four hours. So, at this point, you might as well come back in three hours. I can’t work a full shift anymore. I am really just helping out today.”

  Instead of asking or telling him we were leavening, I grabbed Xander by the hand and pulled him to his feet and out the front door.

  Chapter 11

  Dragging a two hundred and something pound bear shifter out of a diner was no easy task. Sure, I could have picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, but one of those mountain hillbillies would have shot me on the spot.

  The tension flowed from Xander’s raised shoulders all the way down to the flexed muscles in his arm and into the palm of my hand. Our grip on each other was intense and inhuman to say the least.

  Whether he had too much adrenalin coursing through him to notice or if he decided to just go with the flow, I didn’t know, but a normal mortal hand would have been crushed under the pressure of his grip.

  “Gah! I don’t know whether to be angry at you or thankful that you pulled me out of there.” Air huffed from his nose. “I am beyond heated. Sometimes, this place seems to bring out the worst in people, myself included.”

  “Why do you say that? What is unagreeable about you right now?” I continued to pull him toward his pickup.

  “Anger, deep routed, raw boiling rage. I have fought my entire life to cap it so I didn’t do something I would regret. That is why I left here in the first place. People, animals, and some things in between—like Bruno—just don’t deserve to walk the face of this planet.

  “Let alone have the opportunity and the gift of being able to be a father. My sister deserves respect. Her babies deserve more, and I fear what they will learn to become growing up in a place like this. On the other hand, they need to grow and flourish in a place they can be themselves.”

  “Xander, I don’t see anything negative about those thoughts or desires. Your rage and passion are admirable. More men should be built with your standards.” Grabbing his hand, I pulled him in closer.

  His eyes rolled, and he let his shoulders ease down. Even though I had taken his hands, he switched the grip and pulled me against him. Our chests pressed so close together our hearts nearly beat as one, very loud and fast paced drum pounding between us.

  “Where on earth did you come from? My mind is still trying to unravel the fact that you shot me in my leg yesterday. Which is killing me right now. If Bruno knew how bad my leg was, he would have challenged me on the spot.

  “If you were not with me in there, had I not known you were watching, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself. It took every ounce of control for me to hold back from shifting in there.”

  “You may not believe me, but it took a tremendous amount of self-control on my part not to destroy him as
well. To be honest, I still have not ruled out the option to bury him in the ground. He has no idea the line he is treading.”

  Anger, power, lust, and determination all swirled into a forbidden cocktail I was ready to drink.

  I avoided his ‘where on earth’ comment, as I wasn’t of his Earth. His reaction to my secret was not something I was ready to discover. I would be gone before it mattered anyway.

  “Three hours.” The words rolled of his tongue, inciting so many questions and promises.

  “Three hours?” I echoed, tilting my head.

  “That is how long we have to spend decompressing. I say we get back into the woods and hunt for your stag. It will give me something to take my mind off things, and I want to help you. You have already given so much of yourself to my sister and me that I will feel awful if you can’t find him in time.”

  “Will you take me to the place with the wild berries? I could go for something sweet. Besides, we never did get that breakfast you promised me.”

  “Oh my gosh, do you want to go back inside and get food?” He pulled back, still not letting go of me.

  I shook my head. “Berries will do the trick. I’m just teasing you. I can always eat, and I can also go for extended periods without worrying about food. Roaming the forest with you sounds way more appealing than whatever was getting cooked up in there.”

  He leaned back in, this time looking down on me and lowering his head over my shoulder. “I can’t think of anyone I would rather share the woods with.”

  His voice rumbled in his throat. My knees went weak at the thought of being his prey. Something about the idea of him chasing me down had my hormones flaring. I never wanted to be caught so bad.

  ***

  Taking the truck off-road into the woods was a heart stopping experience. He spun the wheel, darting between trees and kicking up dirt behind us until we couldn't go any farther. The forest became too dense.