Calan didn’t think any more about that as he set about taking out the undead. He caught the first by the head with his teeth and ripped it from its decaying body. The next, he tore apart with his sharp claws. The others didn’t react at all. To them, he was invisible.
He went through the rest of them, ending their existence. The smell of dead blood filled the air. It was a scent Calan had grown used to over the years. Once the last one had fallen to his teeth and claws, he gathered the remains into a large pile and shifted to his human form. With a wave of his hand, a blue-green fire engulfed them. The heatless flames burned them to ash before he took on his wolf form once more. Leaving that area, he headed back in the direction of the settlement in a wide arc to make sure there weren’t other zombies to be found.
It was full dark by the time he arrived at the gates. There hadn’t been any more of the undead. He sat on his haunches, threw back his head and howled to alert the guards of his presence. A face appeared over the edge of the high wall for a few seconds before the entrance was opened for him. Calan loped inside and didn’t stop until he reached his cabin.
He shifted when he saw a couple baskets covered with cloth sitting in front of his door. A quick inspection showed they held bread and dried meat. Calan brought it all inside before he sat to a meal of it. He’d have to find out who’d given him the food so he could return their baskets and thank them. The settlers might treat him differently, but there were always a few who were generous enough to provide meals for him.
As Calan ate, his thoughts turned to Jerrica and how she’d acted before she’d left the fields. If she treated him the same way tomorrow, he’d find out exactly what the hell was going on.
* * * *
Jerrica waited until dinner was almost finished before she told her parents about Austin coming over. They wouldn’t have any problems with that, but she wanted them to know ahead of time.
“Ah, Austin is going to be here in a little while. He asked if he could come spend some time with me, and I said yes.”
Her dad chuckled. “So much for your assumption that he wouldn’t ever come to the cabin. I still promise not scare him off.”
Jerrica shook her head. “Thanks, Dad. I’m sure Austin will appreciate that.”
Her mom smiled. “Looks as if you’re getting a lot of attention lately. First Calan singles you out to patrol with him, now Austin wants to spend time with you.
She stiffened at Calan’s name, then shrugged. “Calan didn’t single me out. Mathias asked him if it’d be okay if I kept watch with him. As for Austin, I guess he finally noticed me.”
“Well, you could do a lot worse than the Conrad lad. I understand he’s a hard worker in the fields and can be relied on when needed,” her father said.
Jerrica couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Dad, those aren’t the reasons I said he could come over.”
“No, she let him because she thinks he’s good looking,” her mom said with a laugh.
After she finished her last mouthful of food, Jerrica pushed back her chair and stood. “That’s it. I’ve had enough. I’ll be outside waiting for Austin.”
The sound of her parents’ laughter followed her out through the door. Jerrica shut it firmly behind her. She shook her head as she walked to the porch swing that her dad had built for her mom a few years back, then sat. With a push of her foot, she got it moving.
Jerrica looked out over the yard. Because of how she’d left things with Calan, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing him the next day. She doubted she’d be able to let her guard down around him again. She was too afraid of what he might tell Becca. The girl had already found enough ways to humiliate or make fun of Jerrica as it was. She didn’t need to give her anything more to work with.
The thought of Becca and Calan being friends sort of sickened Jerrica. She’d thought he would have had better taste than that, but maybe he was the type of boy who could be charmed by a pretty face. If he was, it was better to leave things between them as they were, especially if he really did think of her in the way Becca had said he did.
It was a few minutes later that Austin arrived at the cabin. He called her name and smiled when he walked into the yard. Jerrica stood and met him halfway.
“You made it,” she said.
“Of course. There was no possibility that I wasn’t going to show up.”
Jerrica chuckled. “I guess not. So what do you want to do?”
“We could sit on the porch swing and talk.”
She thought of how her parents were just inside the cabin. They were already teasing her. If she and Austin stayed that close, Jerrica was sure her dad would think up some excuse to come outside and talk to them. She didn’t think it would be to act as a chaperone, but just to get to know Austin better. She wasn’t ready for that yet.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather not,” she said.
“All right. We can go for a walk around the property.”
“Sure. And I know a perfect place to go. There’s a natural clearing in the middle of the trees past the barn.”
“Sounds good. Lead on.”
Once they were behind the cabin, she found her gaze drawn to the targets and remembered how she’d spent last evening with Calan. She ruthlessly pushed that thought away. She was with Austin now.
At the barn, she took the lead after they stepped past the tree line. She followed the same path she used every time she went to the clearing, which was quite often during the warm months. It was the perfect spot to be alone. Her parents knew about it but rarely visited the place.
After they arrived, Jerrica headed for the large flat boulder that was in the middle of the clearing. It was a perfect place to sit and was big enough for both her and Austin. She took a seat and shifted over to give him room to join her.
Austin looked around. “This is a nice spot.”
“I’ve spent many hours here, mostly when it’s warm. When I was younger, I’d wanted to build a little shelter or lean-to and sleep out in it, but my dad wouldn’t go for it. He didn’t like the idea of me being alone in the dark. I think I was six at the time.”
Austin laughed. “I can see why he wouldn’t let you, if you were that little. I doubt I would have been brave enough to even consider doing it when I was that age.”
Jerrica smiled. “I was always looking for some kind of adventure, be it wandering off on my own or climbing the tallest tree on our land to see how high I could go. I think I just about gave my mom a heart attack with that one. And my dad hadn’t been too pleased, since he’d had to climb up after me.”
“Now that, I definitely wouldn’t do. I have a hard enough time getting up onto a roof. I don’t like heights. That’s part of the reason I wanted to work in the fields rather than the orchard. I wouldn’t be able to handle getting up on a ladder to pick the fruit.”
Jerrica turned and looked at Austin. “When we were younger, I always thought you’d want to work in your father’s blacksmith shop, like your older brothers.”
He shook his head. “I tried it, but it wasn’t for me. It isn’t my idea of fun, being in front of a blazing forge all day, hammering on metal. Farming is more to my liking, and it wasn’t as if my dad doesn’t have other sons who’ll gladly take it over once he’s too old to do the work.”
“You have a point there. I don’t think I’d like it either.”
They sat in silence for a bit before Austin asked, “So, what’s it like patrolling with the Werewolf Defender?”
She shrugged. “It’s okay.”
Austin met her gaze. “You don’t sound enthusiastic about it. It’s not every girl in the settlement who gets to ride on Calan’s back while he’s in wolf form.”
“It was all right in the beginning. I learned something today that sort of took the excitement away.”
“What happened?”
“It was something Becca told me that Calan supposedly said to her.”
Austin shook his head. “You know that you shouldn’t
take everything she says to heart. She likes to say a lot of crap about everybody.”
“I know. It’s just that some of what she said only Calan would have known, so that meant the information had to have come from him.”
“I won’t ask you what she said, because it’s not any of my business, but I’d keep away from her from now on, if I were you.”
She smiled. “Oh, I intend to. Not that I haven’t tried to avoid her for years, whenever I can. As I’ve told you before, she’s always had it out for me.”
Austin shifted so he faced her. “That’s because you’re better than her, and she knows it.”
Jerrica snorted. “Yeah, right. More like she thinks I’m an easy victim because I’m a bit of a loner. I won’t fawn over her like the rest of her friends do and give her whatever she wants.”
“And that’s what makes you better. You don’t put on a show and want to be the center of attention all the time. You’re just you.” He shifted closer. “That’s what I like about you.”
Jerrica knew Austin was going to kiss her even before he lowered his head toward her. She didn’t move as his lips lightly brushed across hers. He did it twice more, without touching her anywhere else, before he pulled away and smiled. She smiled back. The kiss had been nice, but in no way did it make her heart beat faster like the almost-one she’d had with Calan had done. Her breath hadn’t caught in anticipation, either.
Seeing where her thoughts took her, she gave herself a mental kick. She had to forget about Calan. Austin was with her, and he obviously liked her. He was the one she’d had a crush on for almost a year before the Werewolf Defender had shown up. This was what she’d wanted.
Austin reached up and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I like you, Jerrica. I want us to be closer. Would you think about becoming my girlfriend?”
Jerrica took her time in answering. At the age she and Austin were, there was more in his question than it would seem. If she agreed, she’d be accepting that he’d more than likely end up as her husband. They’d be expected to see each other for a year, and if their relationship lasted that long, at the end of that time period, they’d become wed. There was no being engaged after that, as would have happened during the pre-zombie period.
She ran her gaze over Austin’s face. He really was good looking. There was more than one girl in the settlement who’d jump at the chance to have him as their husband. Jerrica wasn’t sure she was ready to take such a big step in her life, even if he were the one she spent the rest of it with. Calan’s face rose to the forefront of her mind, and she pushed it back.
With that thought, Jerrica nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it. I need some time before I give you my answer.”
“I’m fine with that. We don’t know each other as well as we did when we were kids.”
She grinned. “True. To be honest, until a couple days ago, I didn’t think you even knew I was alive.”
Austin laughed. “And here I thought you didn’t like me all that much since you seemed to avoid me.”
“I wasn’t trying to avoid you. It was Becca, and you were always with her group.”
“I’ve kind of figured that out now.” Austin brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “If I’d been smarter, I wouldn’t have waited so long to single you out and talk to you.” His face grew serious. “I’ve liked you for a long time, Jerrica.”
Her cheeks warmed. She must be blushing. “I like you too.”
He gave her another quick kiss then stood. “It’s starting to get dark. I should probably head home.”
Jerrica looked around and realized Austin was right. The sun had nearly set and twilight had taken over. She stood as well. “I’ll walk you to the road.”
“I’d like that.”
Austin captured her hand in his, linking their fingers. They walked side by side through the trees and out to the back of the cabin. At the road he let her go with a promise to meet her there in the morning so they could walk to the gates together.
Jerrica turned and headed toward the cabin. Now that she’d said she’d consider becoming Austin’s girlfriend, she didn’t think it’d be a good idea for her to spend all day with Calan basically alone. She’d decided to talk to Mathias about being taken off patrol duty before the workers went out to the fields.
Chapter Six
The next morning Austin knocked on her cabin door just as Jerrica was ready to leave. She said a quick goodbye to her mom, then joined him outside. She shouldered her bow and quiver as he held her hand. Showing up at the gates walking like that with him would tell everyone where their relationship was headed, but she didn’t mind. It was sure to piss Becca off, and Jerrica couldn’t wait to see the other girl’s face when she saw them.
As she expected, the others noticed Austin holding her hand. Becca seemed to stare daggers at her, which Jerrica did her best to ignore. She was rewarded with a scowl as well.
As she and Austin came to a stop not far from the other workers, Jerrica turned to him, and said, “I’ll be back in a minute. I want to talk to Mathias before we go out to the fields.”
He released her and nodded. “I’ll wait for you here.”
Jerrica took a quick look around as she walked to Mathias. Her steps faltered as her gaze landed on Calan, who stood in wolf form off by himself in the shadows of the walls. She hadn’t seen him there when she’d arrived. She looked away.
Mathias had his back to her as he loaded some supplies onto the wagon. “Mathias,” she said once she reached him.
He turned around. “Hi, Jerrica. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to talk to you about getting off patrol duty. I don’t think it’s necessary to have Calan and I both doing it. He’s capable of handling it on his own. It’s not as if any zombies have come anywhere near the settlement since he came. I’d think you’d need everyone who can working in the fields.”
Mathias silently stared at her for a few seconds. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I thought you and Calan made a pretty good team.”
“It’s not that. I just would rather be working in the fields. It’s not as if I’m doing much patrolling.”
“Well, if you’re sure you—”
“I want Jerrica to continue patrolling with me,” Calan said, cutting off Mathias.
Jerrica jerked her gaze toward Calan. He was in his human form. She hadn’t seen him come up to them or heard his approach. He stared at her with confusion showing on his face.
“No,” she said.
“Why?” He met her gaze.
“I think you can handle it on your own. I’m better off working in the fields.”
Calan scowled. “Or you feel you’re better off working alongside Austin instead of me.”
Mathias held up his hands. “Okay, I’m out of here. I’m not getting in the middle of this. You two work it out between you, and let me know what you decide.” He strode around Jerrica then climbed up onto the front of the wagon.
Calan took hold of her upper arm and walked her to where he’d been standing in the shadows. He angled her with her back toward the wall then stood directly in front of her.
“All right. Spill it. Tell me what the hell is really going on,” Calan said. “Something happened to make you want nothing to do with me.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything. I made my decision, and that’s that.”
“Oh really? I don’t think so. Whatever this is involves me, so I think I get to have some say in the matter.”
Jerrica was tempted to blurt out everything Becca had said to her, but she wasn’t about to say a word of it out loud, especially with Becca nearby. Jerrica didn’t need to see the other girl’s smug expression when Calan admitted everything was the truth.
Instead, Jerrica shook her head. “If you can’t figure it out by yourself, then I’m not telling you. And I’m working in the fields today, whether you like it or not. You may be the Werewolf Defender, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to boss
me around.”
With that said, Jerrica turned on her heel and walked to Austin without looking back at Calan. She fell into step with Austin as the gates opened and the horse and wagon led the way out.
“Is everything okay?” Austin asked.
“Yes. Calan wasn’t too happy with my decision not to patrol with him any longer.”
“You want to work in the fields again?”
Jerrica nodded. “I thought it’d give us more time to be around each other if I worked next to you.”
Austin smiled. “I’m not going to complain about that.”
When they arrived at the worked land, Jerrica informed Mathias of her choice and asked to be assigned to where Austin would be working. He’d given her a knowing smile and agreed.
As Jerrica worked next to Austin, weeding and breaking up the hard soil around the plants, she looked up from time to time to see Calan in wolf form, standing at the lookout spot. More than once she felt as if she were being watched, only to find him staring in her direction. He might not like her decision, but he should have thought of that before he’d said those things to Becca. He had to have known she’d eventually find out. Becca had made sure of that.
* * * *
The day seemed to drag for Calan. Patrolling wasn’t the same without Jerrica. He missed having her to talk to and her riding on his back as they went between the fields and orchard. He liked having her hands buried in his fur as he ran—maybe too much.
He could admit to himself that she’d hurt him with her decision to work in the fields again. Calan had thought they were becoming close friends, something he usually didn’t allow to happen. With Jerrica his list of ‘rules’ he’d made for himself when it came to settlers seemed to disappear. The few days she’d spent with him showed how lonely his existence had become, and he didn’t know if he wanted to go back to it.
It was hard watching Jerrica with Austin. The two worked side by side all day long, talking and sometimes laughing. The longer Calan saw them together, the more jealous he became. They had been walking hand in hand in the morning. It’d been a bit of a shock. In the back of his mind, he’d thought it was him Jerrica would want to be with. That she wouldn’t tell him why she suddenly thought differently about him drove him nuts. Her cryptic remark that he should be able to figure it out himself only made him crazier.
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