Caeden pushed the door open. The first thing I noticed about Bryce’s room was that it was green. The next thing I noticed was that it was a mess. I had been taking Caeden’s neat-freakiness for granted. Clothes, shoes, soda cans, and food wrappers littered the floor to the point that there was no floor. Caeden glanced back at me with an apology written on his face. Bryce was sitting on his bed with some kind of game controller in his hands. The sound of gun shots rang through the room.
“What can I help you with?” asked Bryce never taking his eyes away from the screen that his game was playing on.
“I need the keys to your Jeep,” said Caeden.
“Her name is Stella,” said Bryce pulling out a chain of keys from his pocket. He tossed the keys in Caeden’s direction. “Take care of her,” said Bryce waving us away.
Caeden chuckled and closed Bryce’s door.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Caeden led me down the winding staircase to the main floor.
“The woods,” he answered. “That’s why I needed Bryce’s Jeep.”
“The woods,” I repeated.
“Yep, come on,” he said taking my hand and leading me out to the garage after we stopped to bundle up and put our shoes on. We climbed into the old green Jeep. It croaked shakily to life. He backed out of the garage but instead of heading towards the gate he veered to the left and down an unmarked, nearly invisible, road. The car bumped along and I worried that my head might hit the ceiling if we hit a bump to hard. I held on for dear life but Caeden was clearly enjoying himself. I thought it was a miracle that good ole Stella didn’t lose her balance. I worried that I might get sick with all the bouncing that was going on. There seemed to be no real road that Caeden followed. He just drove and tried to avoid the trees while I tried to not squish my eyes shut and scream.
We drove for about an hour before he stopped the car.
“Are you okay?” he asked me.
“Fine,” I mumbled.
“You’re green,” he said.
“Really? No wonder with all the bumping that was going on,” I replied. I opened the door of the Jeep and jumped out. I inhaled the crisp, clean, air like my life depended on it. Which I guess it did. Slowly, I began to feel my head clear.
“Better?” he asked.
“Give me another minute,” I said.
“Sit with your head between your knees,” he said and guided me towards a stump of a tree.
I ducked my head between my knees and sighed. “That is better,” I commented taking a couple more deep breaths. Air flowed freely through my lungs clearing away the remaining nausea. A small brown rabbit scuttled by my feet. It was completely unafraid of me and Caeden. It stopped and twitched its small pink nose at me. I smiled at the critter as it scampered away. Satisfied that I wasn’t going to get sick I sat up. Caeden was leaning against a tree watching me. I blushed. “Sorry,” I said. “I don’t have much of a stomach.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m used to rough terrain. I should have warned you.”
He held out his hand and helped me up from the stump. He pulled me against his chest and held me for a moment.
“You’re really going to hate me in a second,” he said.
“Why?” I questioned, leery of his answer.
“We have to hike from here,” he said with a sheepish glance.
I smacked his arm. “You know I suck at that kind of stuff,” I said. “I can’t even stay upright on a treadmill and that’s flat,” I cried.
He chuckled. “That was only because you were distracted by my amazing abs,” he said patting his stomach. I smacked his arm again. “Ow,” he said rubbing the spot.
“You better lead the way,” I said, “if you want me to make it to wherever it is we’re going before I go all wolf on you.”
He laughed and took my hand again. “Don’t worry. It’s not that far. About a mile,” he said.
“A mile!” I scoffed. “This isn’t gym class!”
He tugged on my hand so I would trudge along. Which I did; albeit grudgingly.
* * *
The terrain wasn’t too hard to trek but I did fall a couple of times. Scrapes littered the palms of my hands and the skin of my knees. Caeden assured me that when I shifted they would heal. Finally, Caeden held back a branch and we broke into a clearing.
I gasped.
Sunset was descending on the sky and the pinks, oranges, and gold turned the clearing into a place of majesty. The skeletal lines of the trees were far from menacing when they were hit with this light. The leaves that crunched beneath my feet were bathed in a shimmering gold. And in the middle of it all was the most spectacular sight I had ever seen. A waterfall fell soundly into the clearing. The roaring of the water filled my ears with a comforting sound.
The water rushed down into a river. It was cold enough that diamond icicles had formed and were glowing in the waning sunlight. Trickles of water dripped off of the icicles as they slowly melted. The affect was breathtaking.
“This is so beautiful,” I gasped.
Caeden grinned and his dimple peaked out to greet me like an old friend. “I thought it might make tonight more tolerable if you were able to experience it somewhere beautiful.”
“How did you find this place?” I asked in complete awe as I turned in circles to take it in.
“I was out exploring one day and heard the roar of the water. I came to investigate and found this. It’s amazing what Mother Nature can accomplish when she goes untouched by humans,” he said entwining our hands together. “Come on,” he said pulling me to the back of the waterfall. “I have something else to show you.”
I couldn’t help but let his excitement rub off on me. It was contagious. He brushed away some broken branches of a bush and motioned me ahead of him. I could see that he was leading me into some kind of cave. I had to get down on my hands and knees and duck my head to make it through the narrow opening. It was a tight squeeze and an even tighter one for Caeden. I could feel the rock pressing against my sides and my claustrophobia began to kick in. I inhaled deeply with my nose and exhaled with my mouth. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see anything but I trusted Caeden with my life so I kept going.
A gush of air breezed across my face and I inhaled it hungrily. I still couldn’t see anything but there weren’t any rocks pressing against my sides anymore. I felt Caeden move past me and it sounded like he was walking. I lifted my hand up to see if my fingers would skim rock. When they met blissful nothingness I hesitantly stood up.
I heard a click and then the cave was filled with a bright yellow light. Another click and another light joined the first. My eyes began to gradually adjust to the sudden light. Caeden came back to stand beside me and took my hand.
One more blink and my vision cleared.
Stalagmites surrounded us and I could see water running down their sides. The ceiling surged above us. I looked up and was almost lost in its depths. The lanterns created a yellow glow over the whole place. For some reason the walls seemed to glow deep blues and purples, oranges and red. I felt like I was inside a jewelry box. Various mosses were growing on the rock walls adding green to rainbow of colors. Even through the rock walls I could still hear the roaring of the waterfall. With a gasp I realized that we must be inside the waterfall.
In the corner were plastic bins filled with various objects. It looked like food, clothes, and maybe a couple of sleeping bags.
“How did you find this place?” I asked; my eyes finally settling on Caeden although it was hard to keep them from wandering and taking in the simple majesty of this place.
He chuckled. “Just like I did the waterfall. I stumbled upon it. I thought it was beautiful. Untouched,” he said.
I sat down on a natural ledge and patted the space next to me for Caeden to join me. I looked back up and the ceiling and saw a sliver of night sky. Inky blue-black was replacing the earlier gold’s, oranges, and pinks. My wolf was getting closer to being released.
“Are you okay
?” asked Caeden. Obviously he had picked up on where my thoughts were taking me.
I swallowed and turned to look at him. Even in the terrible light that the lanterns provided I could still see the glow of his blue eyes. I traced the contours of his face with the palm of my hand. The scruff of his stubble rasped against my hand creating a pleasant burn.
“I’m fine,” I said. “How many times are you going to ask me that?”
Caeden grinned. “Before the night’s over or for the rest of your life?” he countered.
“Both?” I smiled.
“A lot,” he answered.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “Can we get this show on the road?” I asked with a laugh already knowing his answer.
“No,” he sighed. “We must wait for the moon. In the meantime,” he said jumping down from the ledge and moving over to the clear plastic bins, “I made us a picnic.”
“A picnic?” I asked hopping down from the ledge as well. His hand snaked out to steady me when I teetered.
He popped off the blue lid and set it aside. “Yeah,” he said. “I brought all this out earlier. I wanted tonight to be special. It should be something that you look back and remember with a smile,” he said pulling out glass containers of food.
“You’re so sweet,” I said and meant it. Not many boys would think to do something like this, to make tonight easier on me. But Caeden wasn’t most boys.
He smiled up at me and gently stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I love you,” he whispered.
I sighed at his words. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that,” I said.
“I certainly hope not,” he said. “Because I plan on telling you every day for the rest of our lives,” he said and kissed me. His lips were warm and firm against mine. My hands snaked around his neck holding him closer. He chuckled and pulled away. “There will be plenty of time for that later,” he said. “But now we eat.” He popped the lid off of a pasta dish, stuck a fork in it, and handed it to me. “Sorry, it’s cold but there’s no electrical outlets down here for a microwave,” he joked
I sniffed it hesitantly. The smells of basil, garlic, and rosemary engulfed my lungs. It smelled heavenly. Caeden twirled his own pasta around on a fork and waited for me to take the first bite. I slid the noodles in my mouth making a very undignified slurping noise in the process.
“Mmm,” I said. “This is really good.” I twirled another bite around and promptly stuck it in my mouth.
A smile lit Caeden’s face making his eyes glow like two blue orbs. “Thanks,” he said, “I made it myself.”
“Really?” I asked swallowing and taking the water bottle that Caeden offered me.
“Yeah,” he said and even with the yellow glow surrounding us I could see red flood his cheeks. “I like to cook.”
“Lucky me,” I said with a laugh.
Caeden laughed too and said, “I know you probably thought I could only make cupcakes but I am a man of many talents.”
“I won’t forget that,” I said.
He laughed. “I’ve just gotten myself in trouble haven’t I?”
“Yep,” I said. “Big trouble,” I demonstrated with my hands just how big.
“What am in for?” he asked.
I pretended to ponder. “I think I’d like to see you strap on some yellow gloves and up to your elbows in soapy water and dirty dishes.”
“What is it with women thinking it’s hot to watch a man wash dishes?” Caeden asked shaking his head.
I quirked my brow, “Why is it men like to watch women mow the lawn? Forget the dishes. I think watching you mow the lawn would suffice.”
He shook his head. “Why is that?”
I blushed and finally answered. “You. Hot. Sweaty. Half-naked.”
He laughed. “When summer gets here I promise to let you watch me mow the lawn. I really know how to tell that tractor whose boss.”
Our easy banter continued until it was almost midnight. At around eleven o’ clock I began to become very uncomfortable. My skin began to buzz and my senses became ultra-sensitive.
Twenty minutes away from the time of my shift Caeden grabbed some stuff from the bins and climbed out the opening. I followed behind him.
It was bad enough coming in but going out was ten times worse. With my newfound sensitivity everything around me was spiked. The brush of the hair on my arms against the rock wall felt like a knife scrape. The sound of our shuffling felt like drums being hit right beside my ears. It was too much to take. A small whimper escaped my lips. Everything was too loud. Too sensitive. Too something.
“Don’t worry, Sophie. We’re almost there,” called Caeden and his voice echoed back to me.
I certainly hoped so. It felt like my head was going to explode.
The sounds of Caeden’s shuffling disappeared and were replaced by the sounds of scraping and twigs snapping. Caeden’s hand flashed white as he reached into the darkness to grab me and help me out. My knees shook as I stood. The cold night air caressed my sensitive skin. My knees shook with the weight of the moon pressing on me.
“Caeden,” I whimpered.
“Don’t worry. I’m here,” he whispered into the night.
He took my hand and when he saw that I couldn’t move my legs he picked me up off the ground and swung whatever it was he had brought with him over his shoulder.
He walked around the side of the cave so we were in front of the roaring waterfall. The full moon turned the water white.
Caeden stopped before the rocky ledge and set me down. “Do you think you can change?” he asked.
“Change?” I asked confused. “I didn’t know there was any thinking about it. I thought I just turned into a wolf,” I cried.
He chuckled. “That’s not what I meant,” he said. He held up some kind of dark fabric. “You need to change out of your clothes and put this on. Your clothes don’t shift with you, remember?”
“Oh right,” I said embarrassed. My legs still shook but I thought I could manage. I took the fabric from him.
“Why don’t you change over there,” he pointed, “and I’ll go this way,” he said and I saw that he had a matching cloak.
He disappeared into the darkness and I made my protesting legs move in the direction in which he had pointed.
I stripped my clothes and the rasping of the fabric made me feel like my skin was on fire. The word Liar etched into my skin glowed a pearly white in the moonlight. I pulled on the red velvet cloak and pulled the top clasp together. There were no other clasps and I knew the reason why. Anymore buttons would restrict my movement once I turned into a wolf. I decided to leave my clothes where they were for when I returned. I slid the ponytail holder out of my hair and let my chocolate brown hair cascade over my shoulders. I knew Caeden preferred it down. I held the red cloak tightly against my body. Hand me a picnic basket and call me Red Riding Hood. After all I was about to go meet the big bad wolf.
I tentatively stepped out from the cover of the trees. He was standing on a rock in the middle of the river. His feet were bare. His red cloak matched the one he had given me. It hugged his muscles and I knew it looked far more exquisite on him than it ever would on me. From the tilt of his shoulders and the twist of his head I knew he heard me but he made no move to turn. There were several smaller rock slabs leading to the larger one that Caeden was standing on in the center of the river. I hopped from one to the other until finally we were both on the same one. Slowly, he turned to face me.
My breath caught in my throat. The moonlight gleamed off of the smooth, tanned, naked skin of his chest. A light dusting of brown hair trailed down from his navel. I forced my eyes upwards to meet his blue eyed stare.
“It’ll be okay, Sophie,” he said.
With him there I knew that the words he spoke were true.
The orb of the full moon reflected in his azure eyes. I was riveted. I began to pant and my skin began to buzz. His strong arms gripped my shoulders.
My muscles c
lenched and I lost my grip on the cloak. But I didn’t care. The time for modesty had passed.
Pain coursed through my body. A pain like nothing I had ever experienced. My back arched and I thought I screamed but I heard no sound. Caeden’s arms continued to grip me as my beast tried to break free.
“Caeden,” I whimpered and was surprised that I could speak at all.
“You’re doing great, Soph,” he said.
“It hurts!” I cried as my muscles jerked this way and that. It felt like I was having seizure.
“I know, baby, I know. It’s okay though. This is normal. Just roll with it. Don’t fight it. Fighting it will make it worse.”
I whimpered again and tried to relax my body. It helped, like he said, but not much. My head arched back against my will taking in even more moonlit rays. A single tear rolled from my eye down my cheek. Caeden’s thumb gently caressed it away.
“Almost there,” he whispered.
My neck twisted in a contortion that didn’t seem humanly possible and I guess it probably wasn’t. I screamed and screamed and screamed. My muscles hurt and twisted into shapes that didn’t seem possible. More tears rolled from my eyes. How anyone made it out of this alive on their own was beyond me.
“Let go,” he murmured.
I snapped the leash on my beast and roared into the night. The periwinkle blue eyes of a gray wolf reflected back at me.
You’re beautiful. Sounded a voice that I recognized in my head as Caeden’s.
I did it? I thought but it came out more like a question.
You did it. He thought. You’re absolutely exquisite. He came forward and nuzzled his black nose against my throat. Mine. I heard his thought.
I looked down with completely new eyes and saw that I was covered in chocolate brown fur with a golden and red glint to it.
We can hear each other’s thoughts? I asked belatedly.
He gave me a wolfy grin, tongue lolling to the side. Of course. It’s how we communicate in this form. Distance isn’t an issue and we don’t hear every thought. Only the ones we want others to hear.
This is amazing. I thought.
Outsider (Outsider Series) Page 24
