by A Lonergan
Crawley pulled me onto his back effortlessly. His movements and the growing pain in my stomach soon had me fading into darkness again.
I dropped to the ground shaking. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious, but Crawley had carried me the entire way up the side of the mountain until I woke. Snow covered my hair and my teeth were chattering. The winter weather was finally getting to me and seeping into my bones. I almost thought it was in my soul, but I figured that was a bit too dramatic. My fingers burned where they touched the ground. I could feel the snow melting under my knees.
I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen once more. The agony wracked my body. I dry heaved, which didn't help the pain just below my belly button.
Crawley staggered over; blood had stopped dripping into his eyes and mouth. He lifted my shoulders and turned me onto my back. He swore.
"Stupid! I’m so stupid! I can't believe I didn't see you were hurt this badly; I was too focused on getting us to safety."
Blood was barely noticeable on my dark gray sweater. It just looked a little damp, like I had been sweating. He tore the material away from my entire stomach, assuming it was worse.
He let out a gasp and his eyes grew wide. I had never seen him surprised. Not much got past him.
"What? What is it? Please don't tell me I need stitches! I don't think I've ever had those before." I nervously let my hand search down my body. I knew it was bad based on how much blood I had lost, but I had been too focused on Crawley to even think about myself. I had also been too afraid to check. I had a tendency to avoid things due to fear or nervousness. It was one of my worst traits.
"Nothing. Don't touch." He grasped my hand in his and helped pull me up. My stomach felt tight and it hurt to stand, but I managed. I looked down at my belly and found a gold, jagged line stretching across my skin.
Gold. Freakin’ gold.
I didn’t know if I wanted to question it, but what I saw made me wonder if I was completely sane. I was sure I was still dreaming and would wake up on the plane again any second.
"We’ll worry about that later," Crawley said as he shrugged the backpack back onto his shoulder and looked at me expectantly. His lips turned up into a smile and he held his hand out to me. It was probably the only good thing about the day. I took his rough hand in mine and we continued up the mountain.
Chapter 6
Crawley
I didn't know much about the mysterious Jessa. In fact, I knew very little. I had been thrown head first into her life without much to follow.
I had been sent to find her by my mother. I didn't know why, but I knew that it was my duty to protect her and I wasn't doing a very good job of it by the looks of the golden scar across her abdomen. I felt awful. We had left a long trail but I knew we would be in a safe place soon.
I thought about the scar for a moment and caught myself turning to look at her. The scar matched her, but she had been hurt and could have died. It was beautiful and I knew it was there because Artemis had stepped in. I was incredibly grateful for it. It looked like someone had melted gold and poured it into her stomach, but when her abs flexed, it moved fluidly as if it was skin. It was a beautiful and confusing sight.
I didn’t want to focus on my feelings but I was worried, and I knew that if I didn’t rein it in, she would catch on. I was worried about many things, starting with the fact that we were about to be in the valley that her grandmother had been living in for years, but Jessa hadn’t been able to. That was why the safe house had come into play; at least I imagined that was why.
I wasn’t sure why she couldn’t be in the valley; there were many Demi children living in the valley, and they had never been affected by the sickness like Jessa’s mother had been when she was born.
I shook the thoughts away. There was no point in dwelling on it. We had crossed most of the rough terrain with her on my back. The snow was beginning to turn to ice, but Jessa kept up fine despite how cold she was and how loud she was shivering. I could hear her teeth chattering behind me and felt guilty over the fact that the cold didn’t bother me. The jackets and coats I wore were just for show. My beast hated the extra weight, but I didn’t need any mortals to get suspicious of me either.
Jessa’s strong legs carried her almost as quickly as mine did. By the time we got through enough hills and foliage, I knew it was time to show her the valley. I was confident no one had followed us.
I brought her to the entrance of a cave and paused. She gave me a funny look – the look of someone that no longer trusted me. I couldn’t handle the wishy-washiness.
"Before you get sassy or ask me a million questions, just know that I can't answer any of them. I don't even know the reason behind much of the magic here." She opened her mouth to speak, but I held up my hand. "Please, your grandmother will answer all your questions in a few short minutes. I promise." I knew I hadn’t been very serious with her, but I hoped that the tone of my voice would give away just how serious I was now.
She seemed to accept my words and chewed on her lip, lost in thought. It gave me the opening I needed. I turned back to the entrance of the cave and started to chant slowly and quietly under my breath.
The darkness pulled away from the opening in wisps like smoke. It always fascinated me, and I found myself lost in the tendrils drifting around me. Jessa cleared her throat and gave me a confused look. I shook my head and focused on her. The darkness was still in place for her eyes and she probably didn't understand what I was staring at. I didn't have time to teach her the spell. I grabbed her hand and yanked her into the darkness that only she was experiencing. I watched her eyes search around the cave in panic. It was pitch black to her but to me, but I could see her as clear as day.
“Don’t be afraid,” I said. “I have you and I can see. It’s better for both of us this way.” I heard her scoff and felt her punch my arm through my heavy coat. “Focus on your other senses and trust your instincts. They’ll teach you a lot more than I can. Remember that."
I could feel her unease and I knew she didn't trust me. But it didn't matter. I didn't have time to argue or explain more. We still weren't completely safe. I didn’t tell her it was an hour hike either. I knew the lecture I’d get, and she would probably never shut up. I needed her to focus.
Jessa continued to surprise me by staying silent the entire time and following me blindly. I wondered if she trusted me yet or if she just had no other options. She only cursed at me the few times she fell, but in my defense, it was completely her fault for not following her other senses. I was not to blame for her clumsiness. Though it was pretty funny to hear her swear under her breath.
We came around another bend and I saw the opening to the other side of the cave. I smiled to myself, relieved that Jessa would be able to see soon. There were probably bruises on my arm from all the times she had gotten frustrated and let it out on me. It had been fine the first few times, but it started to hurt the more she did it. It was like she was wearing down the material on my coat. It also didn't help that she was a lot stronger than she looked, which was always the case with some of these women.
I paused abruptly. We would be at the edge soon and I didn't think she was ready for what I was about to reveal to her. It was overwhelming for most outsiders that had been introduced to the valley, instead of being born here like the rest. "Maybe this is an awful idea," I muttered.
She pressed her palms against my side to steady herself. "What are you getting your panties in a wad about?" I could hear the smirk in her voice and I knew she was getting way too much enjoyment from my internal torment. I bit the inside of my cheek and pushed her toward the opening of the cave, deciding that I didn't care how overwhelming it would be for her. Maybe she would learn her lesson about picking on me.
"This," I said.
Her reaction was everything I suspected it would be. Shock, love, and anger flashed across her face all at once. Witnessing it was certainly interesting.
The cave opened up on a cliff that looked down
on the huge valley. I had lived there most of my life, but I had never been privileged enough to see the reaction of someone seeing it for the first time.
I couldn't stop looking at her. Her skin glowed and her cheeks were flushed from anger and probably a little from exhaustion. I had spent every moment with her for a while now and didn't know how I was going to manage being away from her.
I could feel my shoulders starting to sag under the realization. I shook the thoughts away. She was going to be fine without me, and she certainly didn't need me. I wanted her to though. Sadness filled my heart and I couldn’t help a frown from touching my lips.
Jessa turned away from the ledge and raked her fingers through her hair. "So... this is it, huh?" She wouldn't look at me even when I moved in front of her. "This is the mysterious place where my grandmother has been living. I have a feeling there's more to it, but honestly, I don't think my brain can handle any more. Nothing would surprise me." She let out a quiet cynical laugh. "I guess being a goddess makes more sense than all of this.”
“Well, technically you’re a demi-god but you got it partially right.”
She gave me a mock smile and her eyes flashed to mine before she pushed me out of the way to look for a way down the cliff.
"You won't find it without my help." The entrance was made that way, so if a trespasser made it through, there would be almost no way they could make it down, and if they tried, they would probably fall to their death. It had never happened; at least not that I knew of. Things like that weren't discussed, especially not with me. The Elders were a very small circle and they each handpicked the person that would take their place if something were to happen to them. I had never been good enough; plus, being part beast made it hard for you to be part of a club.
I looked down at the little cottage-style homes and smiled. Happiness coursed through me as I thought of seeing my mother again. It had been too long. I went down the side of the cliff first and found the footholds that would be impossible for someone not from the valley to see. I had learned to climb up and down the cliff at a very young age. I was shocked that my mother had had that much faith in me.
I guided Jessa's boots into the small crevices as we descended the cliff. I could hear small voices waiting for us at the bottom and I knew we were going to have a very curious audience soon. I could hear most of the conversations as I stretched my hearing outward.
"It's her... She's not supposed to be here... Forbidden... That's what the Elders said..." The older children were known for scaring all the others. I knew the Elders had been talking, but I doubted the little monsters waiting for us knew even a little bit of the truth.
They had probably eavesdropped on their parents or other people in the little community. I smiled at the memories of my brother and me doing the same thing. We had been the worst before I was sent away.
"Wait... It's Crawley! Crawley is back!" Some of the little girls were giggling.
"No, it's not.... Crawley isn't that big or that handsome!" I rolled my eyes at that one and heard Jessa giggling above me. I let her foot go and she swung out unsteadily.
Chapter 7
Jessa
I let out a girly squeal as my foot met the side of the cliff and bounced off. I lowered myself a tad bit, even though it was killing my arms to do it, and kicked Crawley in the shoulder. It didn't faze him.
Of course not. Nothing ever did.
I could hear the little girls giggling about Crawley's looks down below and found myself smirking. How typical. Maybe that was where he got his cockiness.
He wasn't even that good looking.
Crawley finally decided to help me down, and soon I was looking at glowing tan faces with bright blue or vivid green eyes. They were all beautiful. The smallest girls standing in front of me all had honeyed brown hair combed back into long braids or long, wild, white blonde hair. A few had shockingly dark black hair pulled up high on their heads.
There was nothing dull about the children I was staring at. Their features were striking; it was hard for me to concentrate on one of them at a time. The littlest ones had two braids on either side of their faces, while the older ones let their hair go wild. There were a few little boys and they were just as beautiful with big dark eyes, sharp jaws, and defined cheekbones.
The boys had immediately jumped on Crawley and the girls hid behind each other, stealing glimpses of him and, occasionally, me.
“Long time no see, Crawley," a voice purred from behind me.
Crawley looked up in shock. "Ana, man, you've sure grown up." He raked his fingers through his hair as he looked at the girl behind me. I felt my mouth go dry.
"You've been gone over two years, what else was I supposed to do? Wait around for you in pigtails?" A short blonde made her way around me and stopped just inches from Crawley. Her skin was light and her lips were a god-awful, unnatural red color. "We sure missed you around here."
I rolled my eyes again. At this rate, I was pretty sure they were going to get stuck up in my head if I didn’t stop. Anger and jealousy took ahold of me tightly as Crawley gave the girl an very exaggerated once over. I felt my eyes go big and my jaw go slack at the way he was staring at her.
I cleared my throat just as she turned her light eyes onto me. If looks could kill, I would have died immediately.
"Well, Crawley, I don't know about you, but I've been missing my family!" My voice sounded flat. I tried to smile but was pretty sure I was just baring my teeth at this point. I hoped I looked as feral as I felt.
It took him a minute to realize I was talking, and by then, I was already walking toward the town or whatever it was. I didn't have time for his hormones. I hadn't had a real meal in a freakin' long time and bozo back there was too star-struck to realize I was exhausted. Good for him; I hoped it all worked out. I didn’t want to be a part of their little group, so I picked up my pace.
I could hear them talking as they caught up with me. "Crawley, you look so nice; have you been working out?" No matter how fast I walked, they were still gaining on me. Their conversation was stinging my ears.
"I mean, really, I'll have to show you where I've been working out lately. It's a good hike but it's so worth it. Nice and quiet – away from everyone." Gee, I wonder what she’s insinuating.
Gag. Me. Please.
I couldn’t handle it anymore. I couldn’t handle the fact that Crawley was that into her. For a second I wondered why he hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend, but I guess there hadn’t much time for that.
I took off in a jog so I didn't interrupt their mushy nastiness, or rather, her nastiness. I soon found myself at the tree line and had managed to avoid everyone's curious looks. I was no longer hungry and was in no rush to meet anyone. My mood had turned foul rather quickly. When Crawley was ready, his weird senses would find me – or they wouldn't; I was starting to care less and less as Ana's voice drifted toward me. No matter how far I went, her voice somehow followed me.
I touched the trees tenderly as I walked through the wooded area. A twig snapped behind me. I whipped around and crouched low. I wasn't exactly sure where my new reflexes had come from, but I was starting to really like them.
A buck stood behind me. He lifted his head and angled it toward me, flaunting his thick muscles. Chills ran through my body. He lowered his head in submission as I walked toward him. I gulped and licked my lips nervously.
I didn't know what possessed my body, but I couldn't stop my legs. They carried me to the massive creature and stopped just a few feet in front of him. I reached my fingers out cautiously. He walked the rest of the way toward me with curious, big eyes. His breath washed over the tips of my fingers just as a low whistle blew through the air right next to my face.
The majestic animal fell at my feet. I frowned as blood pooled around the buck. I turned my head slowly to find the culprit. A man stood behind me with his bow held high. He was wearing a camo long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. His long brown hair fell across his shoulders.
; "That's quite a talent you have there. I've been stalking him for miles." His rough, low voice caressed me. I couldn't stop the shiver that washed over me.
"Not as much talent as you; you killed him immediately with just one arrow." My voice shook and I hated myself for it. The man came closer and towered over me. He was the epitome of an alpha male. I gulped; the air between us became heavy and my head felt oddly light.
"It is a gift from the Goddess herself; I must provide for my people." He stuck his dark palm out to me. "I'm Keenan."
He was definitely a beautiful specimen of alpha,that was for sure. "Jessa." I didn't take his hand and regretted it immediately. I backed up and stepped over the buck. "Truly a magnificent animal. Lucky hunter." I smiled at him before I turned away. He was certainly worth looking back but I knew it wasn’t worth it. I was involved in some type of games and I didn’t need any more complications.
I made my way back where I had come from and ran smack into Crawley; his large chest stunned me. I pushed myself off of him just as Keenan came back into view. He had the massive buck thrown over his shoulders and was carrying him effortlessly. Talk about a gift from the Goddess. I felt my breathing grow heavy and a blush touch my cheeks.
Keenan's face changed and I could see his straight white teeth. "Brother!" His smile was beautiful and radiant. I moved out of the way as Crawley went to touch his shoulder. Keenan smacked him back on the cheek.
They walked side by side, talking animatedly as I followed them back to the small group of houses and what I imagined to be little shops. I didn't pay much attention to the windows and the items displayed there; I was too focused on the brothers.
It made sense that they were brothers. They were both huge men that had a very strange effect on women. Not to mention they were both alpha males. I watched the girls as they passed by. Yep, they definitely had an effect of some sort. Crawley was handsome in a controlled businessman way, but Keenan was handsome in a wild way, especially with his long hair and the buck on his back. I wondered for a second if they were the only obtainable bachelors in the valley but almost regretted the thought. What did it matter anyway?
