Prodigy

by Natasha Brown

Before Ana could reciprocate, there was a click on the other end of the line. I guess puppies outrank sisters. At least she didn’t need to worry about her sister feeling alone back home.

  Arms wrapped around her as she was dipped sideways off the chair and Chance’s face lowered over hers. She let out a squawk and heard her blood pounding in her ears. He coaxed her chin back and dropped a line of kisses down her neck. Goose bumps rose on her arms and chills rocked her body. While he stared into her eyes, he lifted her upright and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

  Ana blew her breath out slowly, trying to calm her nerves. “Got me that time. Didn’t know you were there.”

  Chance grinned a little too brightly and said, “You’re getting hard to surprise.”

  He scratched his wet hair and sent a shower of water droplets onto her.

  “Nice. I’m going to get you back, you know. You won’t know it’s coming either. You’ll be doing your thing, and then, bam!”

  Chance’s brow lifted and an amused smirk slid across his face. He pinched his lips shut and turned away from her for a moment. Talking to the wall, he said, “How about now? I’m not expecting it.”

  Ana jumped up and swatted his shoulder. In one deft motion, he reached behind him and spun her around his body until she faced him. She was surprised to see he was serious. “So, everything okay back home? You’re sad.”

  She was only momentarily surprised at his observation. He was so attuned to her moods.

  “Well, I think everything’s going to be okay. Mom wants me to call my old cardiologist when we get to Denver. I told her I would, but I don’t see the point. I just wanted to make her happy.” Ana shrugged and said, “Also, Mom just got Eva a puppy. She never let us have one before.”

  “What, you think she’s trying to make you feel bad or something?”

  “No, that’s not her style. It’s nothing. I think she’s just trying to make Eva happy. Oh, and Mom went on and on about how unsafe it is to drive through Mexico. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I’ve got you with me.”

  Chance remained quiet for a moment. She had expected him to side with her but now she wasn’t so sure.

  “Your mom might have a point.”

  Ana withdrew and sat down on her chair again. She brushed her hair in silence while trying to decide how she felt about Chance’s new position. She shook her head and reminded herself it was because he loved her.

  His hand touched her shoulder and she set her brush down. His soft words breezed past her ear. “I’m sorry, Ana. Never mind. How ‘bout we talk about it when we get to Denver? You know how I feel about you. Just want to keep you safe.”

  She reached up to touch his hand and said, “I know.”

  “You okay? About your mom and all?”

  Ana nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I’m relieved she isn’t as upset with me now. Just sucks it had to be like that to begin with anyway.”

  A loud creak came from the kitchen, followed by some footsteps. George came around the corner. He pulled his hat off and smiled.

  “Gosh, it’s nice having company round. Y’all interested in beef stew tonight?”

  Chapter 7

  The broad night sky stretched over their heads as they lay in the flatbed. Parked just outside the barn, a brisk seasonal wind brushed past them, chafing their still bodies. Chance grasped Ana’s fingers in his hand and felt her healthy rhythmic pulse just below the surface.

  He knew how important stargazing was to her and after the call to her family, he figured an evening under the stars was in order. Through the dark, he could see a soft smile play at her lips.

  After more thought, Chance was beginning to think Melissa was right. Ana may not be suffering from a heart condition any longer but that didn’t mean her life wasn’t just as fragile as it always had been. She didn’t have the power to heal herself if she got hurt, unlike Chance. He knew he had an edge on anyone who wanted to harm her. Well, maybe not anyone. They hadn’t discussed the fact that there were other shifters around. But soon enough he hoped to be training again, building strength and gaining new abilities.

  His painful memories of his grandfather had kept him from shifting, but he decided it was time to get back to work. He glanced at Ana and after laying a quick kiss on her cheek, hopped up and flipped over the edge of the truck.

  “Chance?”

  “It’s been too long since I’ve shifted,” he called out.

  He threw his shirt into the back of the Ford and heard Ana squawk in surprise. She quickly responded and worry was evident in her tone. “Just don’t shift into something George will want to shoot.”

  Chance chuckled while he unzipped his jeans and kicked his shoes off. “No worries. I think I’ll stick with an owl. No peeking.” He put his clothing into a lumpy pile near the Ford’s tire and heard Ana giggle nervously.

  Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he sat down on the cold, prickly earth and focused on an old, familiar form. He realized the last time he took the shape of the nighttime guardian was before Niyol had died. His mind relaxed and he envisioned the wide yellow eyes, nutmeg feathers and sharp talons. It took a moment for the blue mapping, a glowing crosshatch of lines, to ignite around the regal silhouette. At age sixteen, his shapeshifting powers had manifested while he watched squirrels scavenge around the forest behind his home. Each species had a unique pattern that he needed to familiarize himself with to be able to shapeshift into its animal form. As he focused on the owls sapphire mapping, he realized that its dim glow wasn’t as bright as it once was. Wary, Chance tried to harness the static energy around him and pull it inward. It reacted as if he was paddling through a river of peanut butter.

  “Chance? Anything wrong?”

  “No,” he answered quickly.

  He clenched his fists and the veins in his neck throbbed. The strain gave him a headache, which made it even harder to focus. Determined, he made one last push and felt the extra boost he needed to make the final transition.

  Feathers rippled down his chestnut skin as his body tingled and shrank, changing in shape. His vision was suddenly sharp in the darkness. Pivoting his head around, he spied a mouse scurrying along the edge of the barn. He stretched his beak open and snapped it shut. He was awkward at best as a bird—he preferred being a mammal to anything else—but Ana’s warning was realistic. A bullet between the eyes as a cougar, bear or fox was extremely probable on a cattle ranch.

  He stretched his wings and allowed the breeze to comb over his feathers. With very little effort, he lifted off the ground. In the first moments of flight, his heart squeezed and he teetered while getting used to flying again. After a few minutes, he tilted his wings and let the air currents carry him upward. Although he was never entirely relaxed soaring above the ground, he had to admit it was amazing, an entirely different way of seeing the world.

  His keen eyes focused on Ana lying below. She was winding her long dark hair around her finger. Her expression was almost melancholy as she tracked his flight through the sky.

  Even though he would rather be lying beside Ana, he couldn’t bring himself to come down yet. He didn’t want to think about how hard it had been to phase into the owl. It shouldn’t have been that challenging. Shifting into a smaller animal was easy, or it used to be. How long had it been since he last shifted? He thought back to when he took the thunderbird form for Ana after Niyol’s death. It had been particularly challenging to do. Since then he’d avoided shifting and had only tried a couple times in the last two months. Each instance had been hard, and he was unsure what that meant.

  The cool breeze pushed him downwind and he flapped hard to fly back over the truck. His wings were growing tired, but he wanted time to think in private. Voicing his concerns to Ana would be admitting there was a problem.

  Was he having issues because he missed his grandfather so much? Was it because he blamed himself for Niyol’s death? If he hadn’t saved Ana, his grandfather would be alive, but he himself would have lost his reason fo
r living. It’s still your fault.

  A thought teased at the corners of his mind. What if I’m losing my powers? That singular and terrible fear kept him flying for another twenty minutes, trying to hold onto every moment. He clung to the hope that Balam would know how to help him. Because if he couldn’t, he wasn’t sure what would happen to his powers.

  Chapter 8

  Ana gripped the steering wheel and craned her head as she read the passing road signs.

  “We’re getting close.”

  Chance quietly watched the passing scenery out the window. Rolling prairie had accompanied them along their entire trip and now warehouses and industrial buildings cluttered his view. He was pleased to see the Rocky Mountains weren’t hidden behind the surrounding cityscape. They rose tall and proud, as if they were ancient sentinels protecting the inhabitants below.

  Ana kept her eyes on the road and said, “We should get a hotel. But I don’t think we should stay downtown—too noisy.”

  Chance glanced over at her and noticed a rosy blush touch her cheeks. He entwined his fingers through hers and kissed each fingertip. “Money is no object. Where do you want to stay?”

  “All right, Mr. Moneybags. There is a place I’ve always wanted to stay. It’s in the foothills, a bed and breakfast. I think you’ll like it there. It’s close to Red Rocks.”

  “Red Rocks? Sounds familiar.”

  Ana pointed toward a series of peaks in the distance.

  “Right there in the front range of the Rockies. Above the city of Morrison, there’s an amphitheater built into the red rocks. Wait till you see it. Mom took me to a concert there once. It was amazing. The acoustics are fantastic, and the view is out of bounds.” Ana slipped some loose hairs behind her ear and craned over her shoulder to change lanes.

  “Sweet. Sounds nice.” He paused. “Hey, doesn’t Denver have a pretty decent zoo? It could be a good opportunity to map some new animals. What kind of beast should I add to my collection?”

  Ana’s eyes darkened and she avoided looking over at him.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked, sensing her mood shift.

  “Let’s not talk about beasts. Reminds me of Markus. Something I’d rather forget.”

  It had only been a couple months since she’d been abducted and dragged up to a mountaintop to die by his cousin. Her heart had stopped, but not for long. Chance wouldn’t let her go without a fight.

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “S’okay. But, no more talk of beasts.”

  He nodded in agreement and remained quiet. He instantly regretted his innocent comment.

  They headed west toward the mountains and the setting sun. White clouds glowed against the orange sorbet twilight. Commuter traffic engulfed them and they trudged at a slow pace until they reached the foothills. The radio’s music filled the silence.

  Taillights on the road ahead of her glared like angry red eyes. She tried to keep the painful memories at bay but they haunted her.

  A sour smell made her flinch and she realized it was only a memory, the memory of the beast that threw her into the back of the van. Markus in his distorted werewolf form was an image that would forever be ingrained in her mind. Goose bumps rose on her arms and she suppressed the tears that threatened to spill out. She mentally scolded herself for letting his ghost upset her.

  She refused to give him power over her. He was dead. Niyol had killed him. You are strong, Ana. He can’t hurt you anymore, she reminded herself. He was gone but there wasn’t a day she didn’t think of him. She hadn’t told Chance because she didn’t want to upset him. She wondered what had made Markus so dangerous and worried that the same thing could happen to Chance. An insatiable hunger had gripped his cousin and it was one Markus hadn’t been able to control. He’d craved power and taken it. In his sinister pursuit, no one was left unhurt. The only one who hadn’t survived the attack was Niyol.

  Ana clenched the wheel and took a shuddering breath to calm herself. They were still here. Despite the fact she was still angry with him for giving his life to save hers, she was thankful to be alive. And to be sitting beside him.

  She knew the loss of Chance’s grandfather was like a wound that wouldn’t heal. It was festering and she worried that his anger would turn against him. As if he knew she was thinking about him, he turned and met her eyes. No, there wasn’t evil there. Only love.

  She shook off the sad thoughts and reached out to him. He grasped her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. His hot breath on her skin kindled a fire and its warmth spread throughout her body.

  A passing road sign snapped her back to reality. “Oh, that’s our exit!”

  She whipped her hand back and navigated them to the off ramp. The foothills ran alongside them now and shielded the craggy peaks of the Rockies. Large pointed stones jutted up behind the darkening ridge and she pointed them out to Chance.

  Soon, they were driving along a one-lane road. Small shops and stores lined the street. Ana turned at one of the two traffic lights in town and guided them into a quiet neighborhood. She pulled up in front of a Victorian home with a wooden sign hung amongst some boxwood, proclaiming it a bed and breakfast.

  Chance and Ana climbed out of the van and stretched. Ana’s legs were stiff and she felt as though her vertebrae had fused together. She reached her arms above her head in a stretch.

  “Come on, Grandma.”

  “What did you just call me?” Ana spun around and swatted Chance with the back of her hand. His muscles tightened at her touch and she imagined his chiseled body beneath his long sleeved shirt.

  Chance grabbed her hand, tugged her close and nibbled her ear. She was startled at how much he sounded like a bear. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see a furry paw nestled at her side. She smacked his shoulder before turning down the walkway.

  Chapter 9

  “Well, we have a room with two twins,” the woman behind the desk said as she tucked some loose hairs into her bun. Her eyes roamed subtly over Chance’s body and she blushed very slightly and adjusted a set of reading glasses on her nose.

  Chance pulled his wallet out and handed her a credit card. “That should work, right, Ana?”

  Ana nodded and then glanced around the formal sitting room. She turned and sat on a sun-bleached claw foot sofa. Striped blue wallpaper made her vision blur and she rubbed her eyes, realizing just how tired she was from driving. The weight of her head was too much so she dropped it back and stared up at the ceiling. A creeping philodendron’s leaves hung down the wall beside her and the soft ticking from the grandfather clock nearby gave the room a heartbeat.

  Chance’s face stared down at her and she realized she must have closed her eyes for a moment. Grinning, Chance lifted her off the couch, handed her the key and said, “So, how ‘bout you go check out the room and I’ll get our stuff? It’s upstairs on the right—the Angler’s Room.”

  “Sure.” Ana gave him a light peck on the cheek and watched him dart outside. She turned and clutched the thick mahogany banister. Glad to have some support as she went up the steep stairs, she coaxed herself to the second floor, where she scanned the door labels.

  At the end of the hallway, she spotted the Angler Room. She slipped the key into the lock and with a jiggle and push, she entered the bedroom. It was too dark to see so she flipped the switch and a vintage table lamp lit up, saturating the space with a soft yellow glow. She dropped the key onto a nearby nightstand and sat on one of the beds while her fingers outlined the pattern of the quilt beneath her.

  If she weren’t so tired, she would have focused on the fact she was sharing the same room with Chance for the first time. Instead, a wave of exhaustion overcame her and she lay down.

  Minutes later Chance breezed in, carrying their bags. He dropped them with a thud and closed the door.

  “You all right, Ana?” He sat down on the bed and rested his hand on hers. “My love?”

  Ana said with a groan, “I don’t know what came over me. I’m just so tired from the l
ong drive. Not even hungry or anything.”

  “Roll over. I’ll rub your back.”

  With great effort, Ana turned onto her stomach, pulled the pillow under her head and closed her eyes. Warm hands pressed down on her back and the tension in her spine released. The enjoyment of having him touch her soon dissolved into unconsciousness.

  Ana squinted as she adjusted to the sunlight pouring into the room from an open window. Confused, she bolted upright and the sheets tumbled down around her waist. A fishing net and an old fly rod hung from one wall and a strange flowery scent mingled with a musty odor. She crinkled her nose in disgust. The covers on the bed next to her hung onto the floor and pooled in a heap.

  “Chance?” she called as she slipped her feet to the wood floor and stood up. A cold chill curled her toes. Where are my pants? Her eyes fell on a pair of wadded-up jeans on her bag. The tip of a white sneaker stuck out from under her bed.

  A door behind her opened, Ana spun on her heel and pulled down the bottom of her shirt. Chance stood in the bathroom doorway with a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth, his bronze skin glistening with droplets.

  “Good morning,” he said, laughing, clearly amused by her embarrassment.

  She scurried over to her things, snatched up her wrinkled jeans and slipped them on in a hurry. Now that she didn’t feel on display, she was able to focus. “What happened? I don’t remember going to bed…or taking my clothes off.”

  Chance stared at a mounted trout that hung on the opposite wall and a deep blush traveled from his cheeks to his ears. He pulled the toothbrush from his mouth and disappeared into the steamy bathroom. Ana heard the water running and a couple minutes later, he came out wearing a shirt, jeans and a sheepish expression.

  “You fell asleep and I didn’t think you’d be comfortable with your jeans and shoes on.” He paused to run his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t look. Uh, well, not too much.”