Sticking to her decision should have made her satisfied, especially since there were no strings attached.
So why was she so bothered?
Her spoon made a thudding sound, and Deana looked up in surprise, realizing that she finished her ice cream without even noticing. Shaking her head, she went to throw it in the trash, trying to think of what else she could eat to ease her thoughts. Not that it would help, but at least she would have the semblance of enjoying thinking.
She was just about to get herself another glass of water when it happened—that stilling in her body before the hair at the nape of her neck stood up on end. She knew, even without looking, that whatever it was, it was somewhere outside her house, and that was just the poorest timing in the world right now.
Trying to act casual, she took a knife from her kitchen and slid the hand holding it behind her. Then she walked towards her front door, opening it and looking around.
Her porch was safe, and so was the pathway Evan had created for her. But that didn’t stop her heart from beating fast as she scrutinized her surroundings and tried to identify what was wrong with the picture. There was nothing, really, because her yard looked the same—with hints of flower bushes growing now, as Evan accompanied her once to get the ones she liked from the forest and replant them here. The flower shop was quiet, too, and so was the field beyond her yard.
Then a sound came—a curse, followed by a familiar voice muttering before Joan came into view.
She looked the same as always, wearing a black dress this time that looked like she’d been poured into it. Her curves were wonderful, and the relief on her face indicated that she was glad to see Deana. But the chill was there, and it was the first time Deana felt it when she was faced with Joan.
It was the same chill she felt in the forest.
The wariness came, quick and heavy.
“There you are! All these things I have to bypass in your yard are really annoying,” she complained. “Can you let me in? There’s someone stalking me, and I need a safe haven.”
That was ironic coming from a vampire. Belatedly, Deana realized there was a scratch on Joan’s arm, one that was recent because still looked pretty deep. It was healing already, but not very fast, and she really did look like she’d just run in her high heels. Despite Joan being a vampire, Deana could already pick out the little details, something that surprised her as she only spent time with them for a few months.
That was a long time in her book, especially in a place where the days crawled by. But how much did she really know about Joan?
The doubt came, something that must have shown on her expression as Joan stared at her incredulously. Deana took a tiny step back, one that had the vampire’s eyes widening.
“Are you kidding me? I’m your friend. We’re friends, aren’t we? Let me in, please. Before the enemy gets here.”
Before Deana could respond, another sound came. Then Ana stepped into the yard, and the sight of her had Deana gasping. She was bleeding on her ankles and looking at Deana with dazed eyes, the whispered words from her mouth short but clear.
“Help me,” she said. “She tried to attack me.”
The sight of her made Deana’s heart lurch, and she spoke without thinking. “Come in, Ana.”
Joan’s eyes widened, then narrowed, as she tried to throw herself in the porch but was met by an invisible wall. Deana stepped out the door to the porch, watching as Ana slipped in with a gasp, barely missing Joan’s sharp nails. The vampire’s fangs came out.
“Deana!” she hissed. “What are you doing? Don’t trust her!”
Deana shook her head, putting a supporting arm on Ana.
“Deana! I’m serious! Get out of there—”
Before Deana could usher the girl in, Ana moved in a blur—
Back out into the yard, shifting her hands into claws and jumping on the still-talking Joan. Those claws sunk into Joan’s neck, who was caught by surprise and wasn’t able to move away quickly. There was a snap and more movements, right before Joan’s body slumped to the ground, her head almost off her body. Her dark eyes were still open, unstaring straight into Deana, and her heart…it had been ripped off her chest.
The chill that was in Deana’s body increased two-fold, even with the vampire already dead. It only meant one thing.
She looked up to stare at Ana.
“You?”
Ana growled, her eyes flashing. “Yes. Me.”
Deana remembered the soft Ana from the flower shop, working so hard even until closing time—never making any unwanted noise and never speaking unless spoken to, polite girl that she was.
Always listening in, whether Joan gossiped about town happenings or the dissatisfaction between the vampires and the shifters.
Or when Joan talked about Deana and her eventual support for Deana’s growing interest in Evan.
“Was it…was it because of Evan?”
The girl’s face transformed, turning harsh. Something flashed in her eyes, speaking of a hurt that Deana hadn’t seen before but felt deep in her heart. It was so bizarre but so real, and the girl’s next words were so bitter that it reverberated in her tone.
“He should have been mine. Evan is supposed to mate with a shifter, and next week is my birthday. I’ll be twenty and old enough to make my moves on him without anyone interfering.” She spat. “But you just had to come along.”
“The vampires?”
“The teenage one was a coincidence. The other one was my friend. You needed to be warned, but you just didn’t listen. I could see how Evan was looking at you, and I couldn’t have that.”
“So, you resorted to stalking me in the forest? Why not just kill me in the shop?”
“I’m an honorable person, and I wouldn’t kill you in a place you let me work in. But with what you’ve done, how you took Evan away, now you’re fair play. I can no longer be nice.”
“You were never nice,” Deana whispered. “You killed Joan.”
“That bitch deserves it for even attempting to sleep with Evan.”
“But—”
“And this is the last I will discuss it. Or you.”
Deana took a step back as Ana’s eyes flashed again, so much hatred radiating from her. The girl started transforming into her animal form, and horror filled Deana’s eyes as she finally saw the girl in full fox form.
Apparently, not all foxes were small.
And Ana was as big as any wolf—and dangerous.
There was another growl, but that was all Deana got before she was stumbling back and trying to get inside her door. She tried to close it, but the fox leaped and crashed into it, sinking claws against Deana that dug deep. Pain radiated through her body, and blood dripped, but Deana gritted her teeth from screaming so she could kick.
Her skin tore, and she did scream this time as she stumbled on the floor. Belatedly, she remembered the knife in her hand, momentarily forgotten during the earlier incident. Her leg was no longer working, and she slid back on her butt and tried to crawl off.
The fox leaped at her, teeth sharp and ready to kill.
Deana plunged her knife into the beast’s stomach—
Right before Ana was thrown off and into a wall.
Dazed, Deana blinked her eyes, watching as a bear thrashed around in her living room and wrestled the fox to the ground. The fox whimpered as claws dug into her belly, and she slumped on the floor almost immediately. Blood flowed from the orange-brown fur, but she was lifted again and choked.
Beside Deana, Bingo nudged her before nuzzling her injured leg.
“Don’t kill her,” Deana called out to Evan before he could do anything further. Her voice came out shaky, and tears fell down her cheeks. The tears turned into a sob. “Please. Don’t kill her.”
She leaned against the dog, his fur offering a comfort.
Then she felt herself losing consciousness and didn’t fight it.
Chapter 14
“You can’t stay here.”
The
words had been in his mind for days now, starting from when Evan found Deana in her living room trying to fend off the fox shifter attacking her, but almost losing her life in the process. Sure, she managed to injure Ana with her kitchen knife, but shifters healed quickly—and Evan was pretty sure that had he not arrived on time, he would have seen a different scenario altogether.
Namely, Deana just as dead as Joan had been.
The thought shook him, more than anything had ever shaken him in his life. After she’d fainted, Evan had called for backup, mostly to clean up the crime scene and report what happened right away. Then he rushed Deana to the town doctor, who patched her up good and told him not to worry because her injuries were minor. The doctor even made sure to use her potions on Deana, especially her broken ankle, so that would heal very quickly. But it wasn’t until Deana woke up that Evan felt the fear slink off, even while worry still stayed and constantly bombarded him with images of what could have happened to her.
It was that same worry that made him say what he just said, something he could see she understood as she looked at him.
After missing her trip that weekend due to the need to heal up, she opened the flower shop on that very Monday, acting like the most active woman in the world as she ran her business like nothing bad had actually happened. She acted so normal and cheerful, and if it wasn’t for the cops coming, no one would probably have heard about the incident.
Maybe.
But the townspeople did hear about it, and the reaction came in droves: some mad that a shifter killed a vampire, and a council member at that, others outraged that a shifter injured a fellow shifter that wasn’t even adult yet. It didn’t help that Evan was a cop and should have handled it properly—but then again, proper had been the last thing on his mind when he saw Ana leaping.
He’d seen red, basically, and acted without thought.
That got him suspended from work for two weeks, which was fine because at least he got to monitor Deana’s condition. Those days off work also allowed him to think about this deeply, and when it came to thinking, realizations came too.
“Why? Are the townspeople mad at me?” she asked softly.
Evan shook his head. The townspeople were actually very concerned about her, coming in flocks that morning just to sneak a peek at her condition. But they couldn’t deny there was some grumbling here and there about her being trouble, and some of the young ones were especially loud about it, having been friends with Ana and all. It gave Evan the idea that trouble was going to keep coming for Deana.
And he knew he’d be too selfish to want her here after all that.
“They’re not mad, but the whole incident has caused quite a ruckus for everyone involved…and everyone trying to get involved. Joan had been a pretty important part of the council, and Ana’s the daughter of a council member.”
“Wow. What a mess.”
“Yeah.”
A customer came in—a human being, interrupting their conversation. Evan watched her face light up as the man told her he wanted to get flowers for his missus’ anniversary, and they talked animatedly about flower options before she grabbed a variety from the freezer and created a bouquet that was both colorful and meaningful. The customer left happy, and Deana watched him with a smile on her face before finally turning to Evan.
“You’re right. It’s best if I leave.”
Evan nodded, ignoring the ping in his heart at the words. “I just want you safe, Deana.”
Deana’s expression softened, and she nodded her head. “Yes. Thank you. I think it’s for the best, too. It has always been my goal to go back to Los Angeles when enough time passed, and I think Orville just isn’t for me.”
She looked down after that, concentrating on writing greeting cards. It was a silent message that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and he wasn’t stupid to force more conversation.
It was a done deal, and Evan was just going to have to live with it.
*****
She left town the very next day, closing her shop on a Tuesday to drive to the airport. There was a sign on the front of the shop indicating that she’d be back next week, plus the dates she would be open before she closed for good. Evan stayed at home that day, having worked off most of his sweat and frustration by running around his house’s back field in bear form, with Bingo at his side. It had been freeing as he enjoyed the breeze, and he knew Bingo loved the company.
But as soon as he stepped back inside his house, the restlessness seized him once more, along with a certain ache that settled deep in his belly. He tried to put it off as much as he could, but in the end, he knew he couldn’t deny its source.
He missed her.
It was insane, really. But he knew he also needed to get a grip, knowing she was leaving here was the best for her in the long run—so she could live a fulfilling life in the city away from creatures that couldn’t belong anywhere but here. That was a hard pill to swallow, but it was the truth. Their kind never really survived the city because of the harsh people there, but here, they found a sanctuary that would never judge them for their differences.
To get rid of his thoughts, he took a hot shower. When he got out, there was an insistent knocking on his door, and he only had enough time to don jeans and a shirt before hurrying to open it. The sight of a couple dozen familiar people at his doorstep had him blinking, and so did the sight of the frowns on their faces. Bingo barked once but wagged his tail when he saw some faces he recognized, like Sam and Mrs. Whitman.
Evan raised a brow. “What’s going on?”
“We’re here because we want to protest.”
“Protest?”
“Protest Deana’s leaving.”
“And why would you protest that?” Evan asked in confusion.
“Because we want her here.”
Surprise filled him.
“I thought she was trouble for you guys?”
“What trouble? Son, you’ve been listening to too many teenagers when you should listen to us—the adults,” Sam said. “Flowers are a very important part of this town, but even more so is a vendor who accepts us for who we are.”
“She has been nothing but kind to us,” Mrs. Whitman added, “And we would like to return the favor by protecting her from bad elements. And what are you doing here? I thought you were in a relationship with her?”
That had Evan blinking again, then shaking his head. “We’re not mates.”
Mrs. Whitman gave him a pointed look, and she wasn’t the only one. The others’ expressions were pretty much up there as well. Looking at them, Evan belatedly realized that it wasn’t just vampires who came for him. There was also a mix of shifters, as well as the witch doctor who helped with her sprained ankle.
“Well?” Mrs. Whitman asked, her elegant stature in contrast with her impatient tone. “Are you mates, or aren’t you? If you were just sleeping with her for the sake of sleeping with her, we’re going to have a very big fight.”
There was a certain sinking feeling that came in Evan’s stomach as he considered the thought, even while he tried to deny it. “She didn’t want to be here.”
That had everyone groaning and protesting, making statements that boiled down to two things: that Deana wanted to be here but just needed the extra push, and Evan was the most stupid mate in the world for letting her go.
He tried to pacify them. He told them they all needed to go home and stop stewing on his doorstep. He finally managed to get rid of them by threatening that he’d report them to the authorities for disrupting his space.
When the door closed, he slumped against it, trying to process everything.
Trying to process the grand mistake he’d just made in letting his mate go.
Chapter 15
The car breaking down in the middle of the road, where she was surrounded by fields and no reception to call anyone, was probably the worst thing to happen to her today…so far. Deana tried to take it positively as she got out of her rented truck, looking aro
und and trying to assess if she should stay on the road or go to the side. In the end, she decided to stay in the truck as it was still daytime and decided to eat her bag of chips and the fruit she packed while she waited for some other vehicle to pass.
Half an hour became one, then two, and the sun was replaced by dark clouds that worried her just a bit. She already missed her flight and knew she was going to need to stay the night in the nearby city, so she could book another flight tomorrow. But even the thought made her miserable. It was stupid because this was supposedly what she wanted: to leave and never come back, since her time here was done.
But again, it came down to the fact that Evan wasn’t mad or sad at all—had, in fact, encouraged her to leave because it was apparently good for her. She wanted him to ask her to stay, wanted so many things that she couldn’t voice, for fear that she would be rejected.
Now, she was regretting all of it.
The thought of Evan made her brood as a terrible ache settled in her belly. She missed him when she just saw him yesterday—an entirely laughable thing, really. But missing him was more than physical now, and while she wondered when it would run its course, part of her knew the answer already.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She wanted to sob in frustration but settled for quieting down as misery surrounded her like a wet blanket.
Two hours became three, and thunder grumbled now, indicating that it would rain any minute. The sound of a vehicle behind her had her ears perking up, right before she got out and frantically waved, just in case the vehicle would still miss her or ignore her.
It was weird how the arrival of the vehicle made things clear for her, and now the last thing she wanted to be was in the city, being lonely. She was willing to beg the driver to take her back to Orville, where she needed to fix things.
Where she needed to tell someone how she really felt behind all her fears and anxieties.
The vehicle stopped behind her—a black SUV that was sleek and looked like it was owned by one of the wealthy vampire businessmen in town. She worried at the thought but decided she could handle it, just like she could handle anything or anyone else. The door opened, and a leg stepped out—a familiar leg, followed by a familiar body, followed by a familiar face.
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