by H. D. Gordon
Her tone wasn’t accusing, just very matter of fact. I smiled at her blunt statement; it was something I would say. “Why is it stupid?” She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, the expression making her look very much like her uncle. “Because you guys are made for each other, you’re a Warrior and he’s a Libra, possibly the last of your kinds.”
I was afraid she’d say that. She must have seen it in my face, because she added,
“And he likes you, really likes you. The last time he was here, a few weeks ago, I could tell something was different about him. So, I bugged him for over an hour about it until he finally told me about meeting you.”
I looked down at me feet, unable to resist my curiosity. “What did he say?” She smiled her crooked smile, and I thought it made her even more adorable.
“You should ask him that,” she replied.
I smiled and narrowed my eyes, earning a laugh from her. She held a hand up in surrender. “I’m just saying, as much as you want to see him, he wants to see you.” I chuckled. “How do you know I want to see him? Who are you- cupid?”
“Because, it’s almost like your soul lights up when I mention his name,” she replied. “Your eyes brighten the same way his did when he talked about you.” I nodded slowly as a realization hit me. “You’re a Searcher aren’t you?” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Half, but I’m also half Brocken.” That struck me as strange, and for a moment, I couldn’t figure out why. Then something else dawned on me; no one I had met back at Two Rivers was a mixture of races.
They were all either Wolf, Brocken, or Searcher. “Is that common?” I asked.
“No, most people like to stick to their own races, but I guess that sometimes, you can’t control who you fall in love with,” she replied, sounding wise beyond her years. “But most prefer to keep within their race, as half-breeds, like me, tend to be weaker in our specialties than the full-bloods are.”
I squeezed her tiny hand. “I don’t believe that for a second. There’s no way you’re weak at anything. Actually, you’re pretty tough for a six year old.”
“I just turned seven.”
“Whatever, you know what I mean. Besides, look at me, I don’t even have a race.
From what I understand, I’m as mixed as they come, and I may be many things, but weak isn’t one of them.”
She considered this. “True, but at the same time, you’re a mixture of perfect genes, which is why you’re appealing to all the races. Having a child with a Warrior, no matter what race you are, would be like winning the genetic lottery.”
“Our races don’t dictate our actions,” I said, repeating her mother’s words. “Our choices make us who we are, and perfect genes or no, the choices we make are what really matter.”
“Wow,” she said. “Only an hour with my Mom and you already sound like her.” I laughed and picked her up into a hug because we had reached the point where we needed to part ways. She kissed my cheek and glanced at the sun. “You’ll have to move quickly,” she said. “But if night falls before you make it back, pay attention to your other senses, Alexa. You’ve lived with humans your whole life so you probably never noticed how strong your ears and nose are. Just be careful.”
Giving her one last squeeze, I set her back down on her feet. “Thank you,” I said.
“I’ll see you soon.”
She smiled broadly. “I hope so.”
I headed into the trees after that, the compass once again clutched in my hand. I started out at a light jog, nervous that I wouldn’t beat sundown before making it back. I’d spent more time than I’d intended at the village, and probably only had about two hours before the trees blocked out the sinking sun. However, even with the bread and apple in my stomach, I was still weaker than usual. I could probably clean out a Vegas-style buffet all by myself right now, so it wasn’t long before I was walking instead of jogging.
Eventually, I thought that I was starting to near the end of the trip, and I noticed that it was nearly dark outside. Picking up my pace, I began jogging again, checking the compass to make sure I was still going the right way. When darkness finally fell, I figured I was only about an hour out of the city, and even with my good eyesight, I could barely make out the shapes of the trees and branches surrounding me. I ran my finger over the edges of the compass and pushed a tiny button I found there. The face of it lit up, and I could see that I was still heading north. This was comforting, but I still felt uneasy being in the dark forest all by myself.
In an attempt to take my mind off of my fear, I concentrated on my sense of smell and hearing, as Soraya had suggested.
And that’s when I heard it.
Chapter 50
A low growl that could only come from the vocal cords of a large animal. And I had a pretty good idea of what kind of animal it was. I wished suddenly that I had brought my Gladius with me, but it looked like I would have to rely on my own body if the animal was to attack.
I kept up my pace and sniffed the air, hoping to catch a whiff that might give away the creature’s position. To my astonishment, I was able to pick out a scent in the midst of the strong pine smell. I thought that it was a vaguely familiar scent, though I couldn’t recall how I knew it. I concentrated harder and sniffed the air again. I certainly was no pro, but I could tell that the animal was moving closer, and when I listened hard enough, I could tell that it was approaching fast.
I stopped in my tracks and clenched my fists, tensing for the attack. My heartbeat hammered and a cold sweat creased my forehead. A second later, I saw something leap through the air, straight toward my throat. I ducked just in time so that the animal flew over my head.
Spinning around quickly, I saw something that made my hammering heart screech to a halt.
It was a wolf.
A pretty big wolf too, with pale blond fur and glowing golden eyes. It bared its teeth at me and released a growl that sent a shiver of fear down my spine. A realization hit me only a split second before she leapt through the air again; I knew who this was, and I was pretty sure she was trying to kill me.
At the last moment, I just shut my eyes and spun to the side as quickly as I could move. Which was pretty quick, but then, a second wolf flew out of the trees and hit the blond wolf hard in the side, tackling her to the ground.
The blond wolf, who I was pretty sure was Victoria, gave a yelp and the two hit the ground hard, snapping jaws and wrestling to get the advantage. I almost turned around and ran as hard as I could. If I was smart at all, I probably should have. But as my breathing came out in harsh gasps, I caught the scent of the second wolf, and stood rooted to my spot.
It was Jackson.
And he was fighting Victoria for me. He’d probably just saved my life for the second time, and I was not about to leave him and run off like some damsel in distress.
As I stood there, the two stood snarling and snapping at each other. I could hardly believe what was happening in front of me. Victoria kept trying to get around Jackson to reach me, but he was much, much bigger than her and faster too. In fact, now that I was just standing here, gaping like an idiot, I saw that he was bigger than any real wolf I’d ever seen. His fur was the same reddish-brown as his hair and his eyes were glowing the same wolf-gold as Victoria’s. His growl was deep and threatening each time she tried to make a move, and I wouldn’t admit it, but the sound of it scared me too.
After what seemed like several tense moments, Victoria gave one last warning growl and took off into the trees. I stayed where I was, staring at Jackson, who had his back to me, still tensed for an attack. Slowly, almost cautiously, he turned so that he was facing me.
Standing face to face with him in wolf form was far more intimidating than anything I’d ever encountered. It took a lot of effort, but I managed not to take a step back.
But when he began to approach me, I felt my heartbeat kick into overtime, and I clenched my fists tight to keep my hands from trembling. “Jackson?” I asked in a quiet voice, even though I knew
it was him.
Yes, darling, don’t be afraid, it’s me.
It was his mid-western drawl in my head and I felt certain that I had truly lost my mind this time. Just add hearing voices to my list of problems. Unsurprisingly, I laughed out loud at my loony thoughts. I was starting to hate that nervous habit.
In front of me, Jackson tilted his head to the side. What’s funny? Only you would laugh at a time like this.
I jumped at his reply, which was once again, just in my head. “Are you talking in my mind, or am I going nuts?” I asked out loud.
Jackson’s laughter sounded inside my head. You’re not crazy, darling, when we’re in wolf form, this is how we communicate.
I narrowed my eyes as a thought came to mind. “Can you read my thoughts too?” His tongue lolled out and his lips pulled back over his teeth in an expression that I thought might just be a smile. When I propped a hand on my hip, he spoke in my head again.
Relax, I can’t hear your thoughts, only other wolves can hear each other without speaking out loud, and that’s not mind-reading, it’s just like communicating without speaking. I can talk to you like this, but I can’t hear you unless you speak out loud.
“Oh,” I said. Now I was freaked out on more levels than one.
When he began walking toward me again, I couldn’t help but tense a little. Even though I knew Jackson would never hurt me, it was unnerving to have something so big and intimidating be so close to me. Judging by the size of him, I would compare it to getting up close and personal with a lion.
When he was only about a foot away from me, I swallowed hard and did my best to remain very, very still. Like I said, he was more than intimidating in this form.
Just don’t run, okay? He told me before closing the distance between us. If you do, it will be hard not to chase. I don’t think my wolf would harm you, but he’s still a wolf.
I crossed my arms and snorted. “I don’t run.” At least not usually, but then, this was not the usual.
His chuckle filled my head again and he stepped forward and pushed his muzzle into my hair. Again, I felt my heart beat out of my chest.
But you want to. I can smell it. He nuzzled my neck, and surprisingly, goose bumps broke out over my skin . Your scent is so much stronger like this.
I heard him inhale deeply, and his warm, wet nose brushed across my collarbone.
Amazingly, I felt my eyelids flutter at his touch.
It’s absolutely intoxicating, darling.
My hand seemed to reach up on its own and I ran my fingers through the fur on his neck. It was soft and thick, and I felt like I could fall into the warmth of it. I was seriously thrown off by this, but at the same time, it was… exciting. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the scent of him, letting Jackson fill my lungs.
He pulled back a little and tilted his head again; it was actually really cute. His voice was utterly shocked when he spoke in my head. Your eyes are glowing Alexa.
I furrowed my brow at that. “Umm, thank you.”
Giving his head a small shake, he said, No, I mean they’re glowing . They’re glowing wolf-gold.
That sobered me up quickly, and in glancing around, I found that the shapes of the forest were no longer hard to make out. In fact, I could see everything almost as well as if it were full day outside. Don’t get me wrong, this was a shock, but honestly, by this point, I was taking everything in strides.
“Cool,” I said. “I mean, I guess it’s cool. I am part wolf aren’t I?” He chuckled again. That you are, and I think your wolf likes me.
I shrugged, mildly embarrassed that I had reacted so strongly to him while he was in this form. “What’s not to like?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
I could hear the smile in his words . Amazing, you’re amazing. I’m going to shift back. Can you wait here for a moment? It should only take a few minutes.
I nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
He turned and trotted off into the trees. A few minutes later, he emerged and I stared at him with wide eyes. He had indeed shifted back to his human form. However, that wasn’t why I was staring. It was because he was completely naked.
As soon as I realized what I was doing, I jerked my gaze away. It wasn’t easy though, Jackson had the body of a gladiator. I had known that he was in good shape, but it was quite different seeing it firsthand. Also, I was just embarrassed; it’s not every day I saw a naked man. I didn’t even really watch television.
My cheeks flooded with heat as he approached me, and he laughed at the way I kept my gaze up at the stars. “Sorry, darling, my clothes aren’t far from here, but I didn’t want to stay in wolf form too long with you around. My wolf tends to run on instincts, and you invoke some pretty strong instincts.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay… How far are your clothes?”
He laughed. “Not far, but if you take off your shirt I can use it to cover up.” I shook my head and couldn’t help a smile. “Nice try.”
He threw his arm over my shoulder, further embarrassing me. “Suit yourself.” We found his clothes a few minutes later, which actually was just a pair of jeans.
After he slipped them on, I gave him a big hug and a quick kiss on the lips. “Thank you,” I said.
He wrapped his arms around me and I became acutely aware of the feel of his warm skin against mine. Pulling myself closer to him, I allowed my fingers to explore the hard muscles in his back. When he pushed the hair off of my neck with his nose, the same feeling I’d had a few moments ago came rushing back, only stronger. There was something enticing about standing in the middle of a dark forest with him so close to me. He inhaled deeply again and then pulled back to look at me. His eyes glowed once more, and I was pretty sure mine had lit up gold as well.
“You’re very welcome, my love. But what were you doing out here again? I told you it can be dangerous.”
I smiled, still very much wrapped up in his proximity. “I’ve never been good at taking directions, Jack.”
He raised an eyebrow. “But apparently, you’re good at evading questions.” I sighed and stepped out of his arms. I hated lying to him, but it’s not like I could tell the truth. “I’ve been stressing a lot lately… and the forest seems to give me some peace. I like to run out here, it helps me think.” That wasn’t a total lie.
He considered this. “Okay, but, for me, will you try to do it during the day? The wolves usually only run at night, so you should be okay if you stick to daylight hours,” he said, in a serious tone.
I nodded, understanding that he was just worried about me. “Okay, I’ll try.” He stared at me for a moment as if he wasn’t sure I was telling the truth. I guess he accepted my answer, though, because he took my hand. “Let’s get back in case Victoria decides to show up again. I think she was going for your throat.” I nodded, and a little anger spiraled in my stomach. “Yeah, I think she was.”
Chapter 51
We made it back to the city, exiting the woods near the school. Then, an idea suddenly came to me and I turned to Jack. “What time is it?” He glanced down at his wrist and saw that it was bare, like much of the rest of him. “Not sure, but it’s probably around nine. Why?”
I didn’t know what to say so that I could get away from him. It’s not that I didn’t want to be around him, it’s just that I wanted to do this on my own. “I need to go to the library,” I said. It wasn’t a lie, mainly because I couldn’t think of one fast enough.
“Okay, I’ll walk you… I didn’t know you did homework.”
I raised an eyebrow at that last part. “I read a lot.” That was true. “But it’s okay, you don’t have to come, because if I’m going to make it there before they close, I’m going to have to run.” That must have sounded cool; now all I needed was a pocket protector.
Jackson’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “You are going to ‘run’ to the library so that you can get there before it closes? Did they just get the new copy of Harry Potter or something?”
I rolled my eyes at hi
m. “The last copy of that came out years ago.” His expression turned a little impressed. “You do read a lot.”
“What? Everyone knows-,” I shook my head. “Never mind, I just need to pick up a book I’ll need for class tomorrow.” I was finding myself lying to him more and more. I didn’t like it, but I’d promised Soraya that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. So really, I was just keeping someone else’s secret, right?
“Okay,” he said slowly.
I hopped onto my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Thanks again, Jack. I won’t forget what you did for me tonight. I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow.” I took off after that. I’m absolutely positive I looked like a total idiot, but I really did want to reach the library before it closed.
As it was, I reached to front of the small stone building just as the librarian was locking up for the night. It was the same older lady that had given me the journal, and upon seeing me, she opened the door and ushered me inside. She locked the door behind me and her features flooded with concern. “Warrior, is everything alright?” she asked.
I ran the back of my hand across my forehead to wipe away the sweat. I ran every day, but I didn’t run my fastest very often, and I was a little winded. I pulled in a harsh breath.
“I’m fine,” I breathed. “I just wanted to catch you before you left for the night.” She smiled, but still looked mildly confused. “Alright, well what can I help you with, dear?”
I smiled back at her choice of an endearment term. She would remind me of my grandmother, if I’d ever had one. In fact, I think she was the only person I’d met at Two Rivers who could qualify for old, and even so, just barely. “Do you believe in what that journal said?” I asked, deciding to cut to the chase.
She nodded slowly and gave me a knowing, half smile. “Ahh, so that’s what’s got you rushing over here.” She studied me for a moment before continuing. “Yes, I do.”
“Then you know why everyone here seems to think that I am going to save them from something,” I replied.
