“Come on,” Jen said, waving me inside.
I followed after her, my determination fading fast. I didn’t know what I did wrong. I meant what I said. I looked to my friend as she moved around the kitchen and pulled down a jug, shooting me inquisitive glances.
“Are you okay?” Jen asked as she started to brew some tea.
I felt a range of things and okay wasn’t one of them.
“Yeah, I will be.”
Jen was quiet for a bit but I could see the thoughts flickering over her expressive face.
“What are you thinking?”
“Why would you tell him that?” Jen turned to me her eyes about as hard as Hunter’s before he left.
“I meant what I said.”
But the regret of telling him in such an open place started to sink in. I hadn’t been thinking of him. I was being selfish.
“And I am sure you did mean that but,” Jen paused looking down at the ceramic mug in her hand, “Hunter is different. He is very private about his life. I mean, he lives away from the rest of us, even though Damien has made it very clear he wants Hunter to take over. But you announced something special, something intimately private between the two of you in front of everyone, and the scents are you giving off are…wrong. It would take a nose-blind werewolf not to be able to smell you.”
Jen looked up from the empty cup in her hands and looked at me. She looked betrayed and I wasn’t sure why.
“I care about Hunter. He spent a lot of time with my family when Damien brought him here. He might not say it, but the twins and him are like brothers. I honestly see him as a brother as well. I don’t know what happened Colette, but you coming to him seemed more out of desperation than anything else.”
****
Jen made ice-tea for the both of us but I wasn’t in the mood to hang around, so I said a goodbye and headed back to the cabin. On the walk there, I couldn’t get what she said out of my head. I didn’t mean to come off that way. Wasn’t I freeing myself? Not that I was desperate. Right? I had to fix this, but I wasn’t sure how to fix the problem.
I arrived back to the cabin but Hunter wasn’t there. I didn’t leave the cabin waiting for him to return, so I kept myself busy. For once I was too restless to read. I instead cleaned. Once everything that I could possibly distract myself with was done, I was left alone with my thoughts.
When I went to Hunter, I had been completely selfish. I knew him better than that. Hunter was a private person, it something I had always respected about him since I came here, and then I blatantly disrespected that and ignored it during something that was meant to be special.
I bit the inside of my cheek. I was scared. The moment Keith’s words had really snuck in, I was a ten year old girl again without a family to turn to. Shame swamped me. I didn’t want to think that was the only reason I had said that to him. But in a way it was. If I had meant it to be something real between us both I would have waited. It didn’t mean I couldn’t make things right though.
Night came and there was still no sign of Hunter. I was completely alone with my thoughts. Black thoughts. The kind were a pack my mind discovers my secret, betraying me one day. I ate a small dinner and headed towards the bedrooms. I stopped at Hunter’s door and looked down the hallway at mine.
I took a deep breath. Whatever he thought was wrong. I wasn’t giving up. I turned into his room and changed into one of his shirts and crawled into bed.
I took in his scent and fell asleep.
****
“Why were you so upset?” Hunter’s voice came to me in a gruff, annoyed tone. I smiled, cuddling closer to his warmth. Hearing his voice like this reminded me when he first found me. So grumpy.
“Hey you came to bed,” I replied, keeping my eyes shut, my voice thick with sleep.
“Answer me,” he grunted.
“I found out something that made it easier to let go of my old pack.”
Now I did open my eyes. I was relieved that he was pressed close to me. It was easier to talk to his concealed heart than it was to his open soul.
“Colette?”
“Do you trust me Hunter?”
He was quiet for a second before answering.
“Yes.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed a little closer, stealing comfort from him, worried that I might not get it willingly again.
“Today when I was talking to Keith. He told me that he, Isaac and Rose never discouraged the relationship Griffin and I had formed. They never stopped it from going as far as it had.”
“They weren’t trying to betray you, Colette.”
My head moved up with his deep breath.
“They were trying to give you a gift.”
“I want you to know that isn’t why I came to you earlier.”
“It was.”
I opened my mouth to explain, to tell him everything, but he went on.
“But I know that you don’t love him. Someday you may realize that too.”
Hunter was quite for a very long time. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
“Tomorrow will be better.”
****
Hunter was gone again when I woke in the morning. This time when I came out to the kitchen Hunter wasn’t there, instead on the fridge there was a note. I read it more than a few times.
When you wake up, get dressed and meet me in the parking lot.
I arrived at the parking lot. It was unnaturally empty for a Saturday. Hunter tight black pants. I could see the contours of his strong, thick thighs. My eyes trailed up he was wearing the gray shirt that I had stolen from him when he left.
Hunter leaned against his motorcycle. He held bulky black helmet with an open face. When I looked up at his eyes, I saw the smile there.
“No. No way,” I stuttered and backed away from him. While my tone was light, a touch of fear and excitement rushed through me.
“Yes,” Hunter moved quickly and stood in front of me in the matter of seconds.
“This is pay back, isn’t it?”
“I thought all girls had a motorcycle fetish? Hoping for that bad boy with a bike,” Hunter said with a half-smile. He was enjoying this entirely too much.
“No, most girls are stupid and don’t realize those things are death traps. And I shudder to think how many bugs will meet their untimely demise in my mouth!”
Hunter raised his eyebrows at me and held the helmet hovering over my head.
“You’re part wolf and you’re with me. I’m your mate. I’d never do anything that would put you in danger.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Still doesn’t solve the bug problem.”
Hunter placed the bulky helmet on my head and moved to snap the clasp beneath my chin. I lifted my head up for him. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the contentment in them. His beard was trimmed. For me? How nice. I watched as the lines in his face soften as he worked.
“If you keep looking at me like that I’ll never finish.”
His eyes flickered up to mine and a blush stole across my cheeks. I was paying too much attention to his lips and I forgot everything else. It felt silly, seeing how much time I’d spent with him, but butterflies took flight in my stomach. My nerves felt like they were on fire.
“I’m not.”
“You’re looking at me like a starved wolf. Trust me I know what it looks like.”
I knew I was blushing something fierce now.
“You’re a little cocky, aren’t you?”
Hunter finally snapped the strap with a loud, final click. I looked up at him again he looked determined.
“Not cocky. Confident. I know exactly how you are feeling.”
Hunter bent his head down. I swallowed trying to back up suddenly, a little nervous at this new bolder Hunter. He was unpredictable. His lips were hovering right above mine. Just barely a few inches away from him. I couldn’t breathe with him this close. His hands now owned my hip. He kept me close.
“I’ve felt that hunger from the moment I s
et my eyes on you.”
“Hunter…”
Why was my voice so breathy? What was I even going to say to him?
“I’m going to win you over, Colette.”
“I’m not a prize.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, you are the greatest prize of them all.”
Hunter grabbed my hand and kissed the knuckles, then he pulled me over to his bike. I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince him that he didn’t need to win me. He had me heart, body, soul, and wolf.
Hunter climbed on and helped me get on behind him. I felt self-conscious, holding onto him around the waist. We had been more intimate before, but something about the situation. Maybe it was the bike. As I sat waiting, he pulled my hand around him and kept it close. The bike turned on with a loud roar and he shot out of the parking lot. I held him a little closer.
Hunter drove fast. I felt sick for the first couple of miles. Irrationally I thought he was going to kill us, but he had great control over the bike. We got onto the expressway and I hid behind his back. How people could enjoy this?
The wind blew past us at sickening speeds. The sounds were tempestuous, even with the huge helmet on my head. Hunter’s hand pressed into my thigh. How long had we been driving?
He moved his hand atop mine around his waist. I sighed. He gave me the courage to finally open my eyes. We zoomed past other cars on the interstate. Inside mini-vans, I saw a kids with noses pressed against windows watching us. We didn’t stay level with them for long. Instead he raced forward. Hunter was cautious about how he got over, never once did he cut anyone off. He took his time, looked over his shoulder.
I guessed about an hour later we were getting off the expressway. We were within a huge, or what seemed to be a huge, city. The buildings towered over us and Hunter leaned toward an exit.
I wanted to ask where we were going, but I wasn’t sure if he would be able to hear me, even with his werewolf hearing. I watched as we moved slowly through the city. I didn’t visit many big cities in my life. The Lupen pack had lived in a smaller, rural area. ”Big city” for us was a town with a Wal-Mart and a Target. A town with more than two major retailers, well that was about as crazy as we got.
I stared up the buildings, wondering what they housed and why they were necessary. Hunter moved through the city like an expert. Hunter turned into a parking garage. My heart was restless. I knew from his announcement earlier about winning me he wasn’t about to set me loose in the city. I didn’t know what he was planning though, and that worried me.
He was, after all, too clever for his own good.
Hunter parked the bike and placed his feet on the ground, keeping it steady for me as I tried to climb off. I ran through all different scenarios on how to get off, aside from scooting backwards, I could only think of one way to do it. I planted one foot a little farther off and used Hunter’s shoulders as leverage. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at me. Momentarily distracted I didn’t lift my foot far enough off and caught it on the side. I tripped and recovered as quickly as I could. I didn’t look over at Hunter as I unclasped the strap.
I turned handing Hunter the helmet with a lingering blush still fading from my cheeks. He took the helmet a smile tugging at his mouth. When he turned to place the helmet on the bike I stuck my tongue out at him. As soon as he turned around I went back to being straight faced.
“What is the plan, Stan?”
“Lunch.”
With that, we were off in search of lunch. Hunter kept pulling me along. I kept glancing up and getting distracted by the buildings. A couple of times he would pull me close under his arm. I looked up at him and smiled. Hunter bent his head down and pressed a kiss to my temple.
We found a small burger place. The smells that were coming out of it were divine. Hunter and I didn’t speak much as we ate. I kept making faces at him. I over-exaggerated my love for the burger. I pantomimed burger seduction. By the time we finished eating lunch, it was later in the afternoon. I think it had taken us almost an hour and a half to get to the city.
We window shopped and after a while I realized that Hunter was leading us in a particular direction. I pulled him to a stop. The sky was getting darker.
“Where are we headed?” I asked a nervous excitement buzzed. He had been wearing sunglasses for most of the day to hide his eyes, and when he did take them off people stared. When people asked him about them, he always answered a little too loudly that they were colored contacts. I could tell he hated saying it, but he couldn’t say the real reason.
“You’ll see.”
Hunter sounded so light and happy. I took for granted what he was doing for me at the beginning. Taking me on a date like this wasn’t normally the werewolf way. Most people took for granted the fact that I was only part were. Especially wolves outside of the pack. They assumed because I grew up with wolves, I only wanted to do wolf activities. Hunter’s thoughtfulness to bring me out on a date warmed my heart.
I reached up on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I saw behind his glasses. He looked at me intently, but did nothing else. We continued forward. The buildings started to decline the furthered we moved. At first the graffiti become more abundant, then buildings started to became dirtier. The windows that weren’t broken were dusted over.
Hunter led us to a small entranceway. The place seemed a little shady to me. The surrounding buildings were mostly boarded up, and the less than stellar graffiti was starting to worry me. I didn’t move closer to Hunter, but I was sure he could notice my creeping fear. It wasn’t overwhelming. Just something in the back of my head.
Once we entered the building, though, we were greeted with smiling faces. A group of people around our age were playing an old pinball machine. I watched them as they goaded the player on and slapped him on the back when he hit first place for high score.
Hunter touched my back reassuringly, then he went to the counter and got himself a beer. When he asked me what I was in the mood for, I asked for the same. I hadn’t done much drinking, but that was mostly because alcohol doesn’t affect wolves like it did humans. I found out pretty early, alcohol takes a lot longer to influence me.
Hunter led me through a small opening. Judging by the small stage and the folding chairs, I had no idea where we were. We sat down, Hunter made sure that I sat next to an aisle way, and he sat on the other side of me. I hid my smile, knowing the move well enough. Griffin had done it to me many times we went to movies. He was just being overly protective. It was instinct for wolves.
There was a small, scuffed up stage in front of us. It was more of a platform then a stage really. It wasn’t much farther up from the ground floor. The seating area became crowded fairly quickly, and a low murmur surrounded us. Others whispered or talked loudly to their friends. The room we had entered had a false wall, separating the bar, pinball machine and entrance way from sight.
A little while after the seats were filled, a hush slipped through the hall. Hunter had been quiet in his seat, but scooted a little closer, taking my hand in his. He brought my knuckle up to his mouth and pressed a small kiss against the skin there. I turned my head down hoping my hair covered up my blush.
The lights dimmed in the audience area and brightened on the small stage. A single man dressed in a t-shirt with the building’s name on the front stepped up. He had overly large glasses, and his mop of hair flopped on top of his glasses.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen. I am so pleased that you came to join us tonight. It’s Improv Friday!”
The crowd seemed to already know this, and started to clap and join in at the last second screaming ‘Improv Friday.’ The announcer went on to explain the rules of the night and welcomed all new customers and regulars.
The show began a few minutes later after the announcer explained that there were three troupes that were going to be performing. I was laughing hard after the first few minutes. I looked over at Hunter he would crack a few open mouth smiles. I wanted really hear him laugh. Interm
ission came and Hunter went to refresh our drinks. When he got back I smiled up at him.
“Are you having fun?”
“I am.”
He sat down and handed me my drink.
“Good. Thank you for this.”
Before he could answer, the show started up again.
“We would like the audience to give us a place, if you will,” the announcer asked the audience. A couple people screamed out a few things, but Hunter and I remained quiet watching the show. “Alright we will take the woods! So next up these will be scenes that take place in the woods. Enjoy!”
Different groups went on. When the last group took the stage I was sure that Hunter was going to finally crack a mega-watt smile. A group of three went up front and began their scene.
“I can’t wait to find the fairy that will grant us any wish,” the announcer who opened the show said. They came upon the third actor who stood waiting for them. “Are you the great fairy who will grant us our wishes?”
“Oh, I am not that kind of fairy.”
The crowd began an uproar of laughter that didn’t stop until the scene was finished. I even heard a few laughs leave Hunter. My heart lifted when I watched as his lips form a full smile. He had a smile that I knew I could love forever.
Hunter and I started to head out. He took my hand as soon as we exited the building. We walked quietly for a while. The overwhelming sounds of the city accompanied our warm silence. It was nice, and never once felt like it was strained or awkward.
I leaned my head on Hunter’s shoulder. Things felt different now. Perhaps it was the time we spent apart, or it had something to do with my announcement the other day. Things suddenly didn’t feel so hard. I wasn’t worried about saying the wrong thing.
Today though, Hunter had done something for me that I knew was out of his comfort zone. Even now, I knew that he was uncomfortable by our stroll around the city. He kept ahold of me, his tight grip reminding me I wasn’t the only one vulnerable. I smiled at that thought.
Hexed Hearts Page 23
