Dire

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  He kissed me on the top of my head. “Most truly beautiful things are more so in the flesh.”

  My picture? How had she seen my picture? I kept the questions to myself for the time being, but I was going to need answers.

  “Well come in, please.” She gestured for us to enter the cramped entryway. “Isaac is in the den.”

  Hunter kept his arm tightly wrapped around my waist as we walked inside. I glanced over my shoulder at the waiting vehicles. Gage was in the SUV. I wished he were with me.

  “Can I take your coat, honey?” Jocelyn asked.

  “Oh. Sure.” I didn’t actually want to take it off, but I figured refusing the offer would be considered rude. “Thanks.”

  She accepted my parka. “Pretty.”

  “Thanks.” I knew she didn’t mean it. She seemed like the type of woman who’d wear fur—although maybe she had her own fur coat. Hunter hadn’t told me what these associates were. From the looks of the peeling wallpaper and worn wood floors, they didn’t live very differently from the Dires.

  “Hunter!” A man greeted us in the hall. He wasn’t as tall as Hunter, but he was definitely what I’d call built. He was wearing a sports coat that made him look so formally dressed compared to Hunter. “You made it.”

  “Yes. We’re here.”

  “And this is your mate.” He took one of my hands and brought it to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mary Anne. You’ve chosen wisely.”

  Chosen? Not exactly. I kept those sentiments to myself and smiled. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “And I see the rest of the pack is with you outside?”

  I wasn’t sure how he saw that. The cars were all off without the lights on. Maybe he’d noticed them when we first pulled in.

  “Yes. We’re all making this journey. Of course.”

  “I assume that you left them outside for a reason.”

  “I didn’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. We appreciate what you’re doing.”

  “It’s our pleasure. I have all the new documents you need.”

  Documents? What was he talking about? My mind was spinning with questions.

  “Great.”

  “Are you ready to tell us why you’re leaving again so soon? I don’t mind doing this for you time and again, but this was a fast relocation even by your standards.”

  “I—” Hunter opened his mouth.

  “Please, Isaac. It’s obvious. Look at how young she is. You’re what nineteen?”

  “Eighteen.” I looked at Hunter as I said it, hoping I wasn’t saying anything wrong.

  “He’s running from the parents. He’s got to get her away, because they are asking too many questions. That’s what happened to my brother when he settled with a human.”

  “It was brave of you to disobey them.” Isaac turned to me. “You made the right decision. When you’re meant for so much more, it’s a waste to give it up for some short sighted reasons.”

  I smiled tersely. I wasn’t very good at pretending, especially when my parents were being discussed. I was already missing them like crazy.

  “No more of this glum talk. Let’s get some drinks in our guests.” Jocelyn took my arm and towed me down the hall. “Isaac, why don’t you call the rest of Hunter’s pack in? They’re all staying the night.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Hunter said quickly. “We’re a large pack.”

  “You’ve stayed here before. Or have you grown more?” Jocelyn said excitedly. “You found more Dires?”

  I still wanted to know what these people were. Why did Hunter trust them so much?

  “Not exactly.”

  Isaac’s face darkened. “Oh no. You didn’t, Hunter.”

  “I had to. He’s a friend of my mate’s and he would have died otherwise.”

  Jocelyn looked at me. “Do you realize the sacrifice he made for you?”

  I nodded. I didn’t know all of it, but I was beginning to understand how significant it was.

  Jocelyn gritted her teeth, but then her face relaxed. “You can bring him in, but I’m holding you responsible for him.”

  “He’s fine. We’re watching him closely.”

  “How does the pack feel about him? Is Chet okay with him? There’s little worse than having a second in command who feels wronged. If you can’t trust him to have your back, you’re in trouble.”

  “He has my back. He understands the situation.”

  “Then invite the new Dire in. Any member of your pack is welcome in our home.” Jocelyn played with one of her dangling earrings.

  “I’ll get the pack. Want to come with me, Hunter? They might not listen to me.” Isaac turned toward the door.

  Hunter looked at me. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Ok.” I wasn’t ok. I still had no clue who this woman was and now I was being left with her?

  “Come on, honey. Let’s get you settled in.” She took my arm and led me further into the house.

  The house wasn’t much to look at inside. A few bare rooms were all that I saw before she opened a door. “We’re going downstairs.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mary Anne

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Hunter?” He trusted Jocelyn, but that didn’t mean I wanted to go down into some dark basement with her.

  She flipped on a light and moved to the top step. “They’ll meet us.” She smiled in a way that let me know she wasn’t taking no for an answer. I figured this basement couldn’t be much worse than everything else I’d faced in the past few days.

  With one last glance over my shoulder, I took the stairs slowly, hoping I’d hear Hunter’s voice before I reached the bottom. I didn’t, but I was too distracted to worry for long.

  I looked all around me. “Whoa. This is a nice basement.” I could have been standing in a million dollar house. Lush carpets covered the large living room area, while hard wood floors covered the dining room and kitchen. I saw a long hallway with five doors that I assumed led to bedrooms or bathrooms.

  “The upstairs is for human appearances. This is where we spend all of our time.”

  “This is beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled. “What can I get you to drink?”

  “I’m fine right now, but thanks.”

  “Do you have a favorite drink?” She strode over to a granite covered bar. “What do you order when you go out?”

  “I don’t go out much to drink.” My social life at school consisted of watching movies with my friends, house parties, and the occasional open mic night.

  “Oh yes. You’re underage by human standards.”

  “Is there a different drinking age for you guys?” I wasn’t sure what term to use. Hunter hadn’t explained much of the community to me.

  “We don’t have those kind of rules.” She turned her back to me and started pouring some liquids. She pulled a bottle of juice from a stainless steel mini-fridge. “I’m sure you’ll like this one. Almost all girls love a good Cosmo.”

  “This is really unnecessary. I’m fine.” I was uncomfortable enough already. Alcohol wasn’t going to make the situation any better.

  I reluctantly accepted the glass from her as I heard heavy footsteps and voices on the stairs. I was hit by a mix of relief and nerves. I was glad I wasn’t going to be spending too much time alone with this woman I’d just met, but I was going to have to face Gage. I promised myself I wouldn’t be jealous no matter how close he was to Marni. I also reminded myself to tread carefully. Even if Hunter already knew my true feelings about Gage, I still had to hide them from our host.

  Chet emerged first. “Couldn’t wait for the rest of us to start drinking?” He winked. He’d been much friendlier toward me since our conversation in the kitchen. I was hoping it lasted.

  “Ladies should always go first.” Jocelyn sipped a drink identical to mine. “Nice to see you though.”

  “Nice to see you too.” Chet smiled. Evidently they knew each other. I wished I had a better understanding of how all thes
e relationships worked and fit together.

  I watched as Semi and a few Dires I hadn’t met walked in. They were followed by Gage and Marni. My eyes went immediately to Gage’s face. He still looked like my Gage. He nodded at me before continuing into the room. I forced myself to stay calm. I wasn’t allowed to get upset. What was he supposed to do? Come over and hug me? Still, his quick glance left me feeling empty. Even anger would have been better than the emotionless look. Was it an act for Hunter, or were his feelings for me really gone?

  “Miss me, Firefly?” Hunter put an arm around me. Had I been so distracted that I’d missed his entrance?

  “Of course.” I played along. I was grateful for his arm at the moment. I needed something to anchor me so I wouldn’t fall over. The events of the past few days were starting to take their toll. I was still in a partial state of shock, and Gage’s brush off made it even worse.

  Jocelyn broke what was starting to feel like an uncomfortable silence. I’d never been in such a quiet, yet crowded room. “It’s nice to have all of you here. Please help yourself to drinks, we have plenty of meat.”

  Meat. So Isaac and Jocelyn were probably shifters too? Or were they just catering to Hunter’s pack?

  “Do you happen to have anything more appropriate for Mary Anne?” Hunter asked. I would have told him not to worry, but I was starving. I hadn’t eaten much of anything for days.

  “Of course. Are you vegetarian, or do you eat some meat?” She tapped her manicured nails on the bar top.

  “Vegetarian?” Semi asked. “You think Hunter chose a mate who won’t eat meat?”

  Jocelyn waved him off. “Men choose their women for various reasons.”

  “I eat meat. I just prefer it cooked.”

  Several people laughed. Jocelyn smiled. “Of course. How about I whip you up a stir fry with chicken and vegetables then?”

  “You don’t have to go through all that trouble. If you have eggs or something I can make that.”

  “You want an omelet then?”

  “I don’t want you going to any trouble for me.” Honestly, I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. I was so sick of everything. I wanted to escape this nightmare.

  “It’s no trouble. I’m going to have some too.” She smiled reassuringly.

  “Ok, then an omelet sounds great.”

  “Mushrooms? Peppers?”

  “Perfect.” I smiled, trying to express my appreciation. “Can I help?”

  “Sure.” She headed toward the kitchen. “I don’t get much help with the cooking.”

  “That’s because she won’t let me in there. Don’t let her fool you,” Isaac called.

  I laughed. It felt good to laugh.

  The kitchen wasn’t far from the living area, but a few columns separated it. I relaxed as I helped Jocelyn chop up some peppers. It was such a normal activity that it almost made me forget about the craziness of my life.

  “You’ve got a good man.”

  Her words broke the normalcy. Having anyone talking about ‘my man’ brought reality crashing back. “Oh. Thanks.”

  “I mean it.” She tossed some egg shells into the garbage disposal in the sink. “There aren’t too many men like him out there.”

  “What about Isaac? Is he a good one?” I wanted to push the conversation off of me. If I didn’t she was going to discover the truth.

  “He’s great. A wonderful mate. A little rough around the edges, but that just makes a man a better lover, right?” She winked.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Talking about lovers, what’s Hunter like?” She looked right at me.

  I went back to the peppers. “He’s great of course.”

  “Come on. You can do better than that.”

  I couldn’t. I couldn’t at all. This conversation was getting more and more awkward by the second. “It’s private.”

  “He strikes me as a man who would be very attentive in the bedroom.”

  “He is.” He paid a lot of attention when we slept in the same bed. That wasn’t what she meant, but it worked.

  “But he’s also demanding, right? Does he ever let you sleep?”

  “Yes. He insists I get rest.” Once again I’d skated the truth. I dared a glance at Jocelyn’s face. Was she buying any of it?

  She grinned. “I guess he wants you ready for him.”

  “I also think he worries about my wellbeing. He cares.” We needed to stop talking about sex.

  “How do you think he’d feel about mixing things up? I know Dires don’t usually do it, but we’re of a rare breed ourselves.”

  “Mixing things up?” My body tensed. She had better not be implying what I thought she was.

  “Yeah. Tonight. I know we’re always ready for a new adventure.”

  “Hunter doesn’t like to share me.” That was true. There was a lot I still needed to learn about him, but I doubted he’d want to add partners in the bedroom.

  “What about you? Would you want to share him?”

  “No. I wouldn’t.” I hadn’t given much thought to sex with Hunter, but no matter who the guy was, I wasn’t interested in getting involved in some weird paranormal foursome.

  “That’s too bad. We could have had fun.”

  “Yeah, too bad.” I couldn’t chop the peppers anymore or they’d be microscopic.

  “If you ever change your mind, let me know. Why don’t I give you my number? Do you have your phone on you?”

  “I don’t. Hunter doesn’t think I need my own.” In actuality he didn’t trust me with one, but telling her that would have set off red flags.

  “That’s ridiculous! Of course you do.” She shook her head. “Hunter! Come in here please.”

  I was taken aback. I’d never heard someone talk to Hunter that way.

  Hunter walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him, surprisingly relaxed by his touch. “Can I help you ladies with something?”

  “Your mate needs her own phone. Every girl needs one.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Oh. I planned to buy her a new one when we settled.”

  Jocelyn narrowed her eyes at me. “Then why does Mary Anne think you don’t want her to have one?”

  Hunter covered for me. “Because I was going to surprise her.”

  “Oh. No. I’m sorry about that!” Jocelyn put a hand to her chest. “I didn’t mean to ruin your surprise. I wanted Mary Anne to have my number in case she wanted to gab sometime.” She winked. My stomach turned. Couldn’t one of these people turn out to be normal?

  “Oh. She can use my phone anytime.” He tightened his arms around me. “She’s always with me anyway.”

  “Of course she is. You’re a lucky man, Hunter.”

  “I know.” He kissed the top of my head. “The luckiest.”

  “I’m going to whip up our omelets. Mind getting some meat out for the boys? Oh and you think Marni wants an omelet to go with her steak?”

  Hunter released me and walked over to a large freezer. “Probably not.”

  “I figured. I’m kind of a weird shifter in that I prefer other foods most of the time.” She was explaining for my benefit I’m sure.

  “What kind of shifter are you?” I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask if she was being open.

  “A Saber.”

  “Saber?” I asked.

  “Think long teeth.”

  “Wait. Like a saber tooth tiger?” Now that was a cool type of shifter.

  “Exactly. We’re even rarer than the Dires are, which is why we live off the grid as well.”

  “You’re hiding from The Society too? Are they hunting you?”

  “Not for the same reason, but they’d keep us on a short leash. Can you image what would happen if a human saw us walking around in our animal form? They’d think saber tooth tigers weren’t extinct.”

  “Are they really? I mean aside from the shifter type?”

  “Unfortunately.” She sighed. “But that’s evolution for yo
u.”

  “That’s so cool.”

  “That Saber Tooth’s are extinct?” She looked at me like I had two heads.

  “No.” I waved my hand in front of me. “Of course not. I meant what you are. What you shift into.”

  She smiled. “Oh. Yeah. I’m glad you think so.”

  Hunter returned to my side and put a hand on my hip. “I’ll let you get back to cooking. I know Mary Anne is hungry.”

  “There’s no rush.” I didn’t need him putting any pressure on Jocelyn. I felt weird enough already having to rely on someone I didn’t know for a meal.

  “It will be done in a moment.”

  Hunter turned me around to face him and ran his lips over my jaw. “I don’t want to leave you hungry.”

  “I know.”

  “Let’s have some dinner and then we can catch up tonight.”

  “Sounds great.” Except we had nothing to catch up on. The person I needed to catch up with was across the room.

  “Hunter, I couldn’t help but overhear. Why don’t you two eat in the private dining room? I’m sure you could use a break from the pack.”

  “Thanks, Jocelyn. That would be wonderful.”

  Was he serious? Was he going to make me eat separately from Gage too?

  “Of course.” She beamed. Whether she felt confident putting Hunter in his place or not, she was glad to have his approval. “Anything I can do to help. We’re thrilled you stopped in.”

  I took a seat at the island as she finished cooking the omelets. Hunter pulled down a stack of plates. He knew his way around the Saber’s kitchen.

  I chanced a glance over at Gage and regretted it instantly. He was sitting nearly on top of Marni on a couch grinning. Evidently he’d accepted his new state and had moved on. I needed to do the same thing. I only wished it didn’t feel like such a betrayal to do it.

  “Here you go.” Jocelyn pulled my eyes from Gage. She was holding out a plate.

  “Thanks.” I accepted the plate. “This looks delicious.”

  “Looks great, hun. I’ve got my food.” Hunter took the plate from me. His use of the term ‘hun’ felt funny. It was too informal for him.

  “Enjoy you two.” Jocelyn smiled as Hunter led me down the hall.

  “You didn’t have to do this.” I waited as Hunter pushed open a swinging door to a formal dining room. Even holding two plates, he wouldn’t let me do it myself.