Lincoln turned to leave, confused by Lexia’s ability to get under his skin, to affect him in a way no other woman had before but then she laughed again, flirting with the boy on the phone and causing Lincoln to pause, his skin bristling in anger. Get a grip, Linc, she’s the enemy.
Lexia stood talking to Dan for a while on her porch and laughing at his jokes. She was completely focused on his carefree voice that she’d forgotten all the madness in her life. For just a moment she was like every other girl laughing with a friend; life was easy, simple.
When Lexia hung up she was laughing hard at Dan’s persistent to bring her a coffee on Monday, she’d surprised herself by flirting with him. Distracted, she went to open the door and never noticed the tingle of power in the air, the way her hairs had all stuck up on end.
She saw the flash of sharp claws sailing toward her too late, pain burst through her skin as the panther’s claws connected with her shoulders, piercing her skin. His mouth closed around her neck, his sharp teeth sinking into her flesh, and she let out a strangled cry. Lexia fell to the wooden floor of the porch with an “oomph”, the air leaving her lungs.
She tensed, waiting for him to bite further into her neck, waiting for the moment he’d end her life but he let go. Her instincts kicked in immediately and she rolled up her legs flipping back over whilst flinging the cat away. He hissed and leapt at her again but she was ready this time and as he neared her body she spun to the side bringing her leg around and slamming it into his side. The panther fell back sliding across the floor slightly but he jumped back up and prowled toward her with a gleam in his eyes.
Lexia had her knife strapped to her leg but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to cut his beautiful, black velvet fur. What was wrong with her? This panther was obviously not friendly and yet she had an almost uncontrollable urge to not hurt him.
He leapt again and she didn’t move as quick this time earning a nice slash across her side. Crin seeped from the wound but she ignored the pain and went for the cat, knocking him to the floor. She barrelled a kick into his side whilst he was still on the floor and he lay momentarily stunned. She used that time to dash into the house and close the door. He landed on the porch and let out a low, deadly growl that made goose bumps break out across her skin before he turned and disappeared into the dark night.
“Fuck,” she muttered to herself in the dark as her side and neck stabbed in pain. She could feel blood trickling down her shoulder collecting in the crease of her breast. Walking quietly into the kitchen and switching on the light, Lexia found more medical supplies and started to patch herself up; she’d not been hurt this badly before and wondered how fast she’d heal.
Chapter 8
When Lexia woke the next morning she hurt everywhere; the wound on her stomach had closed but dark purple bruises covered most of her side. This was easily hidden but the nasty holes on her neck still stood out, a stark contrast to her milky skin. Each hole from the panther’s sharp teeth had nearly closed but the skin on her neck was dappled red and purple.
Not only did Lexia feel sore and bruised from her fight but she felt mentally bruised. Too much had happened over the last week and everything was finally catching up to her. When she finally dragged herself out of bed, Lexia took great care in wrapping a scarf around her neck; she couldn’t risk her dad seeing the marks.
But when Lexia entered the kitchen in search of food, he was nowhere in sight. No note lay on the table to inform her when she would see him again and Lexia tried hard to not let this hurt her but that little voice in her head wouldn’t be quiet. Something was wrong; they’d always been close and ever since she’d fallen in front of his car that afternoon, he’d been distant. Does he know I’ve changed? How can he?
Lexia knew she had to find more information on the supernatural world. She wasn’t sure what was real or fiction on the internet but it was all she had right now. Her Saturday flew by in a blur of words and images; the wolf man could be a werewolf or even a shape-shifter. On the TV werewolves had only ever changed during the full moon and when she had been attacked it wasn’t even fully dark.
From what she found on shape-shifters, they could either turn into any form they imprinted from or they could only turn into one animal. She found so much information about different legends and myths, but what was real and what was make believe?
Lexia jumped at the sound of banging. For a second she felt like hiding, but when the banging grew louder she jumped off her bed and hurried down the stairs.
She opened the door to find Alice, tears streaming down her face.
“Oh my god, Alice, what’s wrong?”
“Alec dumped me!” she sobbed.
“Oh babe, come here.” Alice barrelled into Lexia squeezing her tight; she winced as Alice pressed against her side.
“He said he just wasn’t feeling it anymore... I gave up my virginity for that guy, I hate him!” Alice’s voice turned into huge, heaving sobs.
“Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
Lexia left Alice crying under her covers and went in search of junk food. As she stretched to reach the top shelf, pain stabbed in her side.
“Ouch!” When Lexia lifted her top she found the claw marks torn open and bleeding.
“Shit,” she mumbled and headed for the first aid kit. I really need to replace this stuff before Dad notices.
By the time Lexia returned upstairs Alice had stopped crying and sat on her bed, the covers up to her chin. Lexia’s laptop sat open next to her.
“Took you long enough,” Alice moaned.
“Sorry, Dad had hidden the junk food.”
“What’s this you’ve been looking at?” she said, reaching for the laptop.
Lexia dashed out and snatched it away before Alice’s fingers had even brushed it. “Nothing,” she said, snapping it shut.
“Jeez, Lex, chill.”
“How about you sleep over and we can have a girly night? And look what I found in my dad’s liquor cabinet!” Lexia said, waving a bottle of whiskey in front of Alice’s face.
“He’ll kill you when he finds out you’ve taken that!”
“So what? You’re worth it,” she smiled.
“Well, when you put it like, give me the bottle! Let’s get wasted! Where is Mike anyway?”
“No idea, he was gone when I woke up.”
“You two still fighting?”
“Mmm but let’s not talk about me... what do you want to watch?”
“No lovey dovey crap! Too depressing; give me blood and gore!” she laughed.
“Blood and gore coming up!”
Two movies and half a bottle of whiskey later, Lexia and Alice were feeling pretty drunk; they were giggling and stumbling around Lexia’s bedroom when her dad walked in. Thankfully Lexia still had a few brain cells left and managed to hide the bottle of whiskey she had in her hand.
“Dad, hi!” His brows creased for a second then he noticed Alice.
“Hey Mike,” Alice said with a small wave.
“What are you girls up to?”
“Oh, Lex here is cheering me up, you see my ass of a boyfriend dumped me and I was just so sad and well, if it wasn’t for Lex...” Alice broke off into huge pretend sobs.
“Babe,” Lexia whispered, then glared at her dad.
“Oh erm, well, Alice, I... Well...” Mike turned and almost ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Lexia looked back over at Alice who was laughing. “Alice!”
“What? Did you want to get busted for drinking? Dads can’t handle tears,” she giggled.
Lexia took another swig of whiskey then burst out laughing, too. “Here, drink up you crazy woman.”
They finished off the bottle and eventually passed out. When Lexia woke next, the night was pitch black. She turned her head and looked out the window which they’d never closed before falling asleep. From her position on the floor Lexia could see the moon, bright and full in the clear night sky. She moaned quietly as her head pou
nded. What woke me?
Lexia lay there in silence listening to the world around her and then shot up. The night was quiet, too quiet. She swayed on her feet and waited for the world to right itself then staggered over to the window.
And there he was; the reason why the night had grown deadly quiet and the reason why she’d woken. “Hello, pretty panther,” she whispered.
The cat looked up and slowly started to prowl towards the house. His golden cat eyes glowed in the dark, the bright full moon reflected off his soft fur.
“I’m not coming out, drank too much, I wouldn’t be much of a fighter and there’d be no fun in that, huh?”
He stopped and growled then twisted sharply around. Lexia gasped as he leapt onto the shed roof, his light paws barely made a sound on the tin. He moved so fast and nimbly and Lexia’s numb brain thought about how she should be frightened by this cat’s power and speed but all she could think about was how beautiful he was; the way his lean, muscled body moved with such grace and those eyes, the way he looked at her... “What are you?”
He cocked his head then sprawled out on the shed roof; his paws hung over the edge and his tail wrapped around his back legs. He looked up one last time then let out a roar. Lexia jumped. “Ssh!”
The panther laid his head between his paws then closed his eyes. Lexia sat looking at him for a while then whispered, “Good night, pretty panther,” before falling back to sleep, her head resting on the window sill.
When Lexia woke in the morning, her head felt fine and she quietly went through her drawers for some running clothes, then slipped out of the house, careful not to wake anyone. Looking at her watch she realized it was only 6am, the sun hadn’t quite risen past the tree line and morning dew still covered the ground.
She paused as she walked past the shed and wondered if she’d dreamt seeing the panther last night; he wasn’t there anymore.
Jogging into the forest Lexia took a deep breath releasing her tension with a sigh. She knew she shouldn’t run in the forest but jogging on the streets just didn’t clear her head the same.
The sun streamed through the edge of the trees, shards of light casting them into silhouette, dust particles danced in the beams of light and an eerie orange haze covered the forest before her.
She was in a fairy tale. Out here, alone in this forest, Lexia imagined she could be anyone. If she just kept on breathing and listened only to the music of her feet, she could even imagine no one hunted her, that she hadn’t changed at all. Yes, within the magical walls of this forest she could imagine anything...
Lexia smiled to herself. When she finally escaped this town to a big city, this would be the one thing she’d miss, stepping out into another world, one filled with life and freedom. Out here in this forest she was free.
“What ya smiling at?”
Lexia screamed as she jumped away from the rough whisper on her neck. She stumbled forward, her feet tangling around each other pitching her towards the uneven forest floor.
“Fucking hell, Lincoln, you asshole!” She felt her anger flare as she looked into his amused golden eyes.
“Sorry, I’m surprised you didn’t hear me coming.” The laugh lines around his twinkling eyes contradicted his statement as Lexia breathed out, dispelling her anger before it took hold.
“I was too lost in... Ouch!” Lexia pulled up her knee and looked at the deep cut she’d made by falling.
“Shit, sorry. Will you be alright?” Lincoln held out his hand for her. Lexia looked at his hand then his face and there within the infinite depths of his eyes, she saw concern.
Clasping his hand she let him pull her up. “I’m fine, I’ve ”
“Lex, your neck!”
Lexia lift her hand to her neck. “Shit, I forgot to cover that up.”
“Cover it up! Lexia, who did that to you?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you; leave it, I’m fine.” She searched for a change in subject. “What are you doing out here scaring me to death anyway?”
“Okay, I’ll leave it.” I know who did it anyway. “I was out for a run like you and saw you smiling. It suits you, you know, smiling... So what were you smiling at?”
Lexia couldn’t answer that question while looking at him. Seeing this side of him, so charming and sweet, it chipped away at her defenses, made her question her reasons for not trusting him. She started to run again, slower than before; she’d gone cold while she’d stopped and her knee stung.
Glancing at Lincoln running by her side, Lexia thought over his question. Why was I smiling? “I was smiling because I was happy. I can get lost within this forest, it makes me feel free.”
“Oh... I can run on ahead if you don’t want company?”
She looked at him again, into his golden-brown eyes and felt her heart race. “No, it’s fine.”
“So I’m good company then?” he said with a glint in his eyes.
“Don’t push it.”
Lexia pushed her worn out muscles harder, determined not to have Lincoln holding back because of her. They both ran in silence, only the rhythm of their feet could be heard; it echoed off the densely packed trees as they ran higher into the hills. Lexia thought it was strange that the birds had grown silent and no more small animals scurried out of their way but she wasn’t afraid; Lincoln made her feel safe. Safe with Lincoln, I’m such an idiot!
By the time they’d reached the end of Lexia’s drive, she was bent over panting hard, sweat dripped off her face splattering into gravel at her feet, and her clothes stuck to her skin as if painted onto her body.
“Wow, I’m done in!”
“I’m actually surprised you ran so long with me.” He chuckled. “I don’t normally run that far.”
“God, I bet I look a right state,” she wheezed, pulling up her shirt and wiping the sweat from her face. She glanced at her watch. “Shit! I’ve been gone two hours, I hope Alice isn’t up yet.”
“Who?”
“Alice. She’s my friend. We kind of got wasted last night on my dad’s whiskey; she’d been dumped so she needed some consoling and I bet she has a wicked hangover this morning.”
“But not you?”
“No, I seem to have developed a high tolerance to alcohol. Not sure that’s a good thing, but anyway, I need to go die somewhere now.”
“Not going to invite me in?”
“Ha! I’m sure my dad would really approve, seeing me walk in the house with a grown man covered in sweat. I’m quite certain he won’t approve of you!”
“I can pull off harmless!”
That set Lexia off into a fit of giggles and she turned to walk away. “Sure you can. Later, Linc.”
“Later, Lex,” he laughed.
Lexia walked away from Lincoln. Despite the fact she’d put her legs through a small marathon and they throbbed with every step, she felt great. Being with Lincoln just made her feel good; they’d hardly spoken but just being in his presence was enough to make her feel alive.
She opened the door to find her dad in the kitchen making breakfast, the smell of waffles and maple syrup filled the air.
“Hey, Dad,” she called from the hall, careful to keep her neck angled away from him.
“Lex, there you are. Alice has just been down looking for you. She didn’t look too well, poor girl must be taking the break-up hard, huh?”
“Yeah, she is, bless her. I was out for a run.” She’s really hung over from your whiskey!
“I said I’d bring her up some breakfast, do you want some, too?”
“Please.”
“Strawberries, coffee?”
“You’re the best.”
She turned to go but her dad called her back, “Lex ”
“Yeah?” Her stomach rolled.
“You’d tell me if something was going on with you, right?”
Lexia stared in silence for a moment; panic gripped her like a steel vise constricting her chest. Does he know? He looked up from the pan, concern on his face. Should I tell him?
“Everything’s fine, Dad, don’t worry.” Lexia hurried up the stairs before he asked her anything else.
She found Alice passed out in bed again; she stirred as Lexia entered the room. Rolling over with a moan, her eyes cracked open slightly.
“I feel like crap, how are you even walking?”
“High tolerance. Dad will be up soon with food, you’d best look less hung-over. He thinks you’re feeling emotionally unwell from the break-up.”
“This is from the break-up, and since when did you have such a tolerance for alcohol?”
“I think you must have hogged the bottle. Anyway, I need to shower.” Lexia picked up a t-shirt and hung it around her neck to hide the mark on her neck.
Alice sat up and looked properly at Lexia for the first time since she walked in. “Hey, Lex, what have you been doing? And your knee!”
Lexia looked down having forgotten about tripping over. The cut on her knee had gone but dried blood still clung to her skin. “Oh, I tripped out running.”
“Jeez, Lex, what’s with you lately? All you do is run, you’re making me look so lazy!”
“Nothing, I love running. It clears my head and I’ve had a lot to sort out lately.”
“Dan?”
“And other things.”
“Need to talk?”
“I do actually, but first let me shower, I’m gross.”
“Mmm, not got the brain power yet anyway. Maybe after waffles?”
After breakfast in bed, Lexia and Alice put on another movie. They both laid out on her double bed pretending to the watch the film when both of their minds were really far off, thinking about boys.
“Hey, Lex.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to get with Dan?”
“I don’t know, I mean he’s nice and all, and cute but...”
“But what? What’s wrong with a nice guy?”
“Nothing, I ”
“Come on, Lex, I’m not stupid. You were constantly going on about Dan.”
Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) Page 5
