by Lisa Daniels
“Oh, you know, the usual. Getting up every day and cleaning the same home, doing the same chores day in and out, all those things.”
Saffron gave her friend a look, “It isn’t just humans that do that. I think you fail to realize that the vast majority of humanoids tend to fall into routines and patterns.”
“I suppose you are right. It’s just that no one does it quite so obviously as humans do.”
Saffron readily agreed, “That is entirely true. And I fear I’m much more like you. Staying in one place and living a single day over and over again.” She shivered, “I don’t think I can do it for my entire life. What would I need to do to become a medic like you?”
Bree thought about it, “I think it would be best to go to Achaean. That’s where I became a medic, and Saskia is there, so you will have someone who can help you with things like living quarters while you train.” She looked over at her friend, “Just make sure you tell your father about it first. If I find out that you just went running off without letting him know…” The look she gave was a warning.
“I know! I know! Gods, sometimes you really sound like Annora.”
When it comes to things like this, I take that as a compliment.”
“Well you shouldn’t,” her friend pouted. “Speaking of enigmatical people, why were you dodging that incredibly handsome man? He seemed like the perfect gentleman.”
“Sometimes you just want to avoid people you’ve encountered.”
Saffron gave her a knowing look, “Does he think that you two are dating or something? Bree, did you catch that poor man and fail to tell him that you were releasing him?”
Bree scowled, “It’s not like that.”
“Ah, I see. That was it exactly. Gods, but you are predictable sometimes. I feel so bad for him because he was so sweet, and his eyes.” She shuddered. “If you would just tell him that you were done, then he might be able to move on.”
Bree continued to scowl, “Are you hoping to catch him yourself?”
Saffron shrugged, “I think he seems like the kind of man worth catching. I don’t know. If I had someone like that, I may not mind being in one place so much. I mean, waking up to the view every morning would be a gift all on its own.”
Bree clicked her tongue, “You have no idea about him. It was a single encounter of a couple of minutes-”
“20 minutes,” her friend interrupted.
“What?” Bree looked at her.
“We flirted for 20 minutes before I finally told him that I needed to get back home.”
Bree had not responded to that. It suddenly seemed as though he wasn’t looking for her at all.
“As soon as I left him, I headed out of the town and well, here you are.”
Bree took a deep breath and tried to say that it was a good thing that Calixto was not trying to find her. He had just been a distraction. Their night had been incredibly enjoyable, but it was nothing more than that. A brief moment in time that reminded her that she was alive. If she thought anything else about it, then she was being an idiot. Bree failed to hear the rest of what her friend said as she tried to convince herself that the feeling in her heart was not jealousy.
When Saffron asked her a question, Bree turned to look at her. “I’m sorry, Saffron. I really appreciate what you did for me, but right now I think I need to get going on my own.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. You just looked so distressed when you saw Teagan that I thought you should have a little company. You know to distract you.”
Bree looked at her friend, the question nearly coming out of her mouth before she realized Calixto had used a fake name. Her heart sank. It was possible that Teagan was his real name, not Calixto. For everything she thought she felt for the man, Bree knew barely any more than Saffron about the man. Bree squeezed her hands into fists at the idea.
Despite the way she felt, Bree gave Saffron a gentle smile, “I really appreciate everything you’ve done. If there is anything I can do, let me know. And before you go running off to become a medic, please take some time to consider what is required. You won’t be sewing material, you will be sewing human skin, and much worse.”
Saffron took a deep breath, “That is definitely not something I had thought about. Thank you, Bree.” Her smile was so sweet and genuine that Bree felt a pang of guilt for having been jealous of the girl. After all, it wasn't Saffron’s fault that she had a good father, a safe home, and a positive outlook on life. Nor was it her fault that Bree was a different kind of creature.
Suddenly Bree felt exhausted. Keeping herself together for her friend, the red head pulled Saffron into a warm hug. “Take good care of yourself and don’t give your father any trouble. I’ve already offered to let him adopt me if you go disappearing too much, so keep that in mind too.”
Saffron rolled her eyes, “More like he would adopt you and Annora and try to build a new wing on the house to fit all of you. It would be heaven to him.”
“That may not be such a bad idea in a decade or so when we have outlived our purposes and don’t have a place to call home.”
Saffron gave her an odd grin, “Well, I don’t think that would ever happen because I think you will both have a change of heart someday. I just have to hold out so that I can say I told you so.”
“Hey you brat!” Bree gave her friend a small smack on the arm, “Not all of us lived pampered lives.”
“And that’s why it is taking you longer to come around to the same way of thinking as most people. I don’t doubt that you would both settle down if the right man came along.”
“Alright, if that’s the case with us, why are you married with three kids alright?”
“Because I have some very wild friends who have taught me there is more to life. Someday I will settle down, but for now I just want to live for the moment.”
“Be careful of the moment. It is followed by more moments until your life is nearly over.”
Saffron scoffed, “You are far too young to understand what it is like any better than me.
“Wrong. I have both heard and seen that look of regret a countless number of times in my life. There is nothing like death to make you assess life.”
Saffron shook her head vigorously, “I don’t know what you have done with Bree, but I expect you to return her soon.”
Bree laughed and licked her lips, “I know. I’ve not been quite myself lately, but it is just temporary. I think the job is getting to me a little bit. But don’t worry. I promise the next time we meet everything will be fun and games.”
“If I recall, those games were incredibly dangerous. I will expect you to keep that promise.” She hugged her friend again. Then Saffron turned and left Bree standing beside a fork in the road.
As soon as her friend was out of sight, Bree’s shoulder’s sagged. She really did not have time to stop and rest, but there was no way she could keep going. Promising herself that she would make up the time later, Bree moved into the woods and found a small grassy knoll. Lying down, she wrapped herself up in a wraith cocoon. Feeling adequately secure, the young woman closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.
Several hours passed in a fit full sleep. The nightmare she had had ever since she was a child played through her mind’s eyes causing Bree to wake with a start. Her heart was racing as her mind tried to remember where she was. Completely disoriented, Bree felt arms wrap around her from the back. Her brain went into overdrive, and the young woman immediately tried to calm herself. Panicking first thing after waking often resulted in something or someone catching fire.
A warm voice spoke calming words, “It’s ok. You fell asleep in the woods and now you are waking.”
“How long as it been?”
“I do not know when you went to sleep, but it has been at least 24 hours since you left Kildeer.”
Bree was on her feet in an instant. “Oh gods! They will have decided that I failed by now. I needed to check in last night. Shit! Shit!” Bree ran her hands through her hair. Failure was not som
ething she had ever experienced because the death was a strong incentive to succeed.
“You are a sorceress. What do you have to fear of humans?”
Bree stared at the ground, “Who said that I am dealing with humans?”
There was a pause. It was then that she realized she had no idea who had been holding her. A face immediately popped into her head. At first it made her smile, but that soon faded as she realized that had been the start of her failure. Slowly she turned. Leaning up against the tree was the man who had called himself Calixto.
All of the warmth was gone from his voice as he spoke, “Good morning my dear. I hope there is a very good explanation for what you have been up to.”
Chapter 7
A Devoted Companion
Bree’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the man. “I should have a good explanation? This from the man whose name I don’t even know?”
His brow creased as he took a step forward. “I told you I am Calixto. Dux Calixto if you want my official title.”
There was something about the title that struck a chord of recognition, but Bree was too angry to think about it as she looked into the man’s perfect face. She wanted to punch it. Since physical strength was not one of her skills, the young woman went for the next best thing, “And you told Saffron that you were Teagan. What other names do you use? And why the hell should I believe anything you tell me?”
A spark of realization flashed over his face and the corners of his mouth twitched as he watched Bree get angry. “Ah, so you sent her to distract me.”
“She volunteered,” the red head snapped. There were alarm bells going off in her head, but for the first time in years Bree found herself getting emotional.
“Ha. Volunteered. I would not be surprised, that human is a flirt that could rival you any day.”
Bree’s hands clenched as she glared at the man, “What the hell do you want? Or do you just like to stalk the women you sleep with?”
A look of anger passed over the man’s face as he looked down at her. For a moment, Bree felt a sense of victory. Then he burst out laughing. “I'm here to take what’s mine.”
“Then you had best get moving so that you can find it.” There was a threat in her voice that Bree had only used a handful of times before.
He gave her a no nonsense look.
Bree bristled, “I know that you don’t mean me.”
“Have you stopped to consider your body since you left me in a dark cave?” While her words were hot and threatening, his were cold and venomous.
“I don’t feel anything different after our night.” That was not true, but she was afraid of letting him know just how unsettled she had been.
He sighed and looked at her as if she were a child. Then he ran a hand over his face before answering, “I should have known not to get involved with you. I….” his eyes watched her. Clenching his teeth the man looked at her, “Take a moment to examine yourself.”
Bree spun on her heels, “I do not have time because I am currently being persuaded by a few demons.”
The man gave her a look of disbelieve, “You were working for demons?”
“Are you going to tell me that they are not worthy of help?”
“No. I would tell you that you are insane for offering help to a creature that will kill you for something stupid, like not checking in by a certain time.”
It was difficult to disagree with his argument in her current situation. She had accepted the job because she had been bored and it was a challenge that seemed likely to keep her entertained. Looking back over it, Bree could not deny that she had been getting increasingly reckless in her choice of clients.
Placing her hands on her hips, Bree looked at the man, “Sometimes there simply isn’t much work out there.”
“You have nearly unlimited power, so I’ve no doubt that you can be gainfully employed all the time if you wanted.” He tilted his head to the side, “Are you saying you took a job with demons because you were bored?”
Bree laughed, “That is exactly what I am saying. Now that you see what kind of girl I am, you can feel free to scamper away without giving me a second thought.”
“Except that I can’t.”
“Stop following me.” Her voice was low and threatening again.
“I. Can’t.” He responded as if she were being ridiculous.
“You mean you don’t want to.”
“No. I mean exactly what I said. Stop and assess your body and you will understand what I mean.”
Bree glared at him for a moment before closing her eyes. At first she was too annoyed to notice a few little signs, but as soon as her mind started to properly explore her composition, there were some obvious changes. Her eyes flew open, “What in the hell did you do to me?”
“I asked you if you wanted to be mine. Not only did you say yes, you thanked me for it. How was that not agreeing to be my mate?” His red eyes flashed like fire.
“What kind of backward creature takes that as a vow to be someone’s spouse?”
“You aren’t my spouse. You are my mate. And the fact that we mated after you agreed showed that you accepted it.”
Bree was about to take a step back, to turn and run away from him.
I really hope you find your peace and finally have a chance to stop running away.
Brandon’s words rang in her mind, and Bree decided to stand her ground. If she was going to find peace, she needed to stop running. She always played things off like she was ok, that nothing bothered her, but things did bother her, and she was not ok. Her behavior had been getting increasingly more dangerous, not just for her, but for everyone. Bree was bored, and she had no idea how to deal with it.
And now that she realized that, the young woman was starting to feel afraid.
None of this showed in her response, “Get rid of your mark.”
“I can’t.” The man’s perfect face was emotionless now.
“Are you so incompetent that you don’t know how.”
His nostrils flared for a moment before he responded, “I am not incompetent.”
“Are you being vindictive? Is this your way of getting back at me for leaving you?”
He blinked once, as if her question was ridiculous. His answer was slow as he said, “If I had known you were going to leave me the next morning, do you think that I would have mated with you at all?”
The question was like a punch to the gut. Bree was accustomed to men wanting to sleep with her. Even the ones who claimed they didn’t want to had always taken her in the end. The idea that anyone would actually refuse her seemed impossible.
Then she remembered her conversation with Leo. These were a different kind of shifter, the kind who did not take sex lightly.
“What kind of creatures are you that you fight the urge to mate?”
His cold look showed Calixto’s regret very clearly, “We do not resist the urge to mate. We are very picky about the kind of person we will allow to see us be so vulnerable.”
Again, Bree’s thoughts were knocked off kilter.
Calixto continued, “We are picky because we want to do what is best for ourselves and the world we live in. Desperate creatures with miniscule life spans are the only kind that mate with anything that moves. I had not realized that you associated with them so closely.”
Bree sneered at him, “So you regret it as much as I do. All you have to do is remove your mark, and we both stand a chance at being happy.”
He snorted at the idea but said nothing.
Telling herself that she was not running away, Bree turned and stormed off into the forest. A few moments later, she heard Calixto following her. She spun around and snarled at him, “Stop following me like some love sick little puppy.”
His only response was to watch her with disdain.
The woman raised her hand, a fireball at the ready, “I am warning you, shifter, I have just about-”
The ground erupted around her and the air became thick with debris and larv
ae. Bree extinguished the fire ball and immediately put up a shield around herself. From where she stood, the young woman could see Calixto trying to cover his face. The problem was that these larvae were a unique kind of parasite. If he inhaled even one, it would kill him. Without thinking, Bree reached out a hand and wrapped the air around him, her field stretched along the extended hand and carefully enveloped the man. Having to stretch her shield so thin was going to make the rest tricky. She would need to move fast because all magic had a time limit, and the more it was used, the faster it would be used up. Her feet lifted off of the ground a few inches, and Bree pushed the air so that it shot her and Calixto through the mess that was still erupting into the air. Keeping them suspended over the ground, the young woman began to sweat as the effort took a large toll. Still she kept pressing them further from the forest and the danger.
It was only when they reached a river that she finally dropped them to the ground. She nearly fell over, but strong arms stopped her. She felt a the voice through Calixto’s chest, “We need to get washed off.” He picked her up and began to pull her clothing off.
Struggling against him, Bree protested, “Get your hands off of me.”
“Sure thing.” The next thing she knew, she was falling through the air. The gasp she made at the initial release was soon covered as she splashed into the water. The young woman rose from the water, her face red from the cold and her anger on the verge of being released.
She saw Calixto standing on the beach undressing himself. He turned a bit so that she could not see his front. With caution he walked backward into the water. Bree knew that it was a sign that he had no respect for her. He considered her so far beneath him that she wasn’t even a threat.
In that instant, she wanted to attack him. Her hands pulled forth a giant fist and she was about ready to slam it into him when she noticed him pitch forward into the water. It was the first symptom that came with the infection.
