by Leela Ash
Max arched his brow, stifling an unkind laugh. “Well,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t know what kind of freaky fucked up things you guys are into these days, but I’m pretty sure the Council wouldn’t approve. What are you trying to pull, anyway? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’ve heard about the portals. I know you visited Oak Mountain and talked to some of the bear shifters out there. It’s kind of that sort of thing, you know?” Milo said. “Except, this is going to help us, not the bear shifters and not the dumbass wolves who try and persecute our pack. They will never get anything. We’re going to find our way back to the home world and leave all this bullshit behind us once and for all. And killing you is going to help us do just that.”
“Killing me?” Max asked, laughing out loud now. “You guys can hardly string together a sentence, so what makes you think you can actually kill me?”
The truth was, he was disturbed by the intention, and their words, even though he was pretty sure he could take out most of these guys by himself. He was nervous about the hybrids, though, and knew he would have to wait for backup before that the situation might turn around in his favor.
“I know you’re trying to talk a tough game right now, Max, but it isn’t fooling anybody. We know you’re scared. And you should be.”
The energy in the air started to crackle as the wolf and hybrid shifters began to change shape, their bodies contorting gruesomely until he was surrounded by several wolves and two grotesque looking hybrids.
A deep growl formed in the back of his throat, and Max arched his back, shifting into his wolf form. It was a direct challenge, but it was one he was willing to face. Especially if it meant these pieces of shit would finally start to leave him alone, and maybe, just maybe, Sadie would finally be safe from Milo and his inappropriate fixation.
It was an obsession that made Max sick to his stomach, but frankly, he hated the idea of doing anything to hurt Milo. He knew he hadn’t had much of a chance in life, not any more than Max had had himself.
But when it came to Sadie, well, that changed everything. He would be willing to go to hell and back to make sure she was safe and sound, and if his life was at stake, there was no way he would be able to protect her. He had to make sure he took care of himself too. He would be no use to her dead.
It was probably a mistake to get himself into this, but what other choice was there? He had to fight for his life now. And he had to do it without any reinforcements whatsoever. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but he had no choice.
The first attack was launched by two of the shifters Milo had brought with him. They both had deep black fur and smelled really similar. They were probably brothers. Max recognized one of them as the one who had a grudge against his parents. And who the hell could blame him? His parents had been pieces of shit. But all this talk about energy had only left him feeling more confused than ever. What the hell did any of that have to do with anything? He probably would never really understand it, and that was just going to have to be okay.
The snarling and gnashing of teeth snapped his attention away from his thoughts of the bizarre energy currents that these shifters had been fixated on and primed his body for battle. He let out a sharp cry when the jaws of one of them sank into his back legs, and he kicked it away, lashing out at the other wolf, who was aiming for his throat. He was far too outnumbered to survive this, especially if they all decided to attack at once. But there was an honorable way of doing battle, and they probably wouldn’t overdo it. Wolf shifters were well known for their strategic fights, and rarely attacked one target with more than three wolves at a time.
This was for two reasons. The first reason was because if a target was too strong, it was simply stupid to have the pack’s numbers wiped out right away by a single opponent. The second reason was a little bit more obvious, considering it wasn’t a very sportsmanlike thing to do.
Even though the wolf shifters were often at odds with each other, shifter life was valued highly. It was coveted, really, and considered a source of ancient primordial magic. If that magic was desecrated, no matter who did it, there were repercussions. And fighting unfairly tended to lead to many instances of bad luck in the future of whatever shifters had been stupid enough to break those unspoken rules.
But he didn’t have time to think about that. As soon as he felt his teeth make contact with the neck of the shifter in front of him, Max felt a searing pain in his ribs. The other wolf had attacked.
With a sudden burst of strength, Max ripped the throat out of the shifter he was gripping and whipped around to snap at the wolf that was tearing into him. He could vaguely sense some new energy coming into the area and was relieved to smell the distinct scent of Terry, who was taking on some of the bigger shifters. Terry himself was a hybrid and had always been loyal to Max for the way he never made him feel less than he was. Other wolf shifters were always wary of Terry for the fact, but he looked and acted more like a wolf than a bear. Max had never seen any reason to leave him out, and because of it, he had gained a friend for life.
The two of them fought viciously as the rival shifters attacked, until a sharp cry snapped Max out of it. He gazed across the yard, shocked to see Milo, who had shifted back into his human form. He was gripping Sadie by the throat, and she had her gaze locked on Max pleadingly.
A deep growl of rage escaped Max’s lips and he lunged forward, breaking free of the wolf that was attacking him. Luckily, Terry was right there and kept the attacker from pursuing Max as he lunged at Milo, who was turning away and dragging Sadie along behind him. She was fighting to free herself with all her might, but Milo was strong, and had apparently finally snapped. With Max back and now that he had his posse of thugs with him, it seemed that Milo’s obsession had escalated into something genuinely dangerous. Damn the Council for not listening to him! He had tried to warn them and now, Sadie was in danger, just as he had always feared she might be.
“Stop!” Sadie’s voice shouted, ringing out suddenly. Both Max and Milo froze, and she squirmed out of his grasp as Milo gaped at her, furious. “I don’t want this! I don’t want either of you!”
The words stung Max, but to Milo, it was as if she had just said the most hilarious and rewarding thing of all time. It was infuriating, really, and Max glared at Milo, wishing more than anything that he could tear the man’s throat out finally, once and for all, after all this time.
“Hold it,” Milo said, his voice ringing out commandingly. The fight broke up and all eyes turned to Milo, who was grinning down at Sadie with a disturbing look on his face. “The lady is right. She doesn’t want us, so maybe we should just try to get along, right, Max?”
Max stared at Milo, his hackles raised, and swished his tail menacingly. He wanted so badly to leap over Sadie and take this guy out. He would do anything to protect her. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.
“You know what, guys? I think this is a little bit too easy. You might have taken out a few of my men, but you know your days are numbered, don’t you? And I think living with that weight on your shoulders is just the kind of vengeance I would love to reap. So maybe you should get yourself nice and comfortable, because you don’t have a whole lot of time left to live, do you, Max?”
Sadie turned to Milo, her face drawn and dark in an expression of rage Max had only seen one other time in his life; the day she had driven him away and told him what a selfish good-for-nothing he had been acting like. She hadn’t wanted to see him again for the rest of her life.
Max took those types of words to heart and remembered them even now with a pang of pain in his chest. And yet, it was thrilling to see her move to Milo, swift like a lioness, and stare him in the eye.
“You may be a lot of things, Milo, but you will never be the man I love,” Sadie said coolly. The words were sharp enough to kill, and Max would have laughed at the flustered look on Milo’s face if he had been in his human form.
Finally, Milo laughed and shook his he
ad.
“You’re both going to regret this day,” Milo said, snapping his fingers. The other shifters followed him as he disappeared into the alley.
Max and Sadie watch them leave in disbelief, the remaining shifters filing away and dragging their dead behind them. Once they were finally gone for good, Terry and Max looked at each other. Terry shapeshifted back into his human form.
“Do you want me to take you home, Sadie?” he asked. “I don’t know if I like the idea of you traveling on your own right now.”
Max’s eyes flashed at the thought, he clearly did not like the idea any more than Terry did.
“No, I don’t want to be a burden on anybody. I can get myself home.”
Terry looked strained and looked to Max for a solution. Max gave him the nod that it was okay for him to leave without escorting Sadie. He would do it himself. Even if she didn’t want him to.
“All right, if you’re both sure. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Max. You two stay safe.”
Terry left reluctantly, and Max settled his gaze on Sadie, sighing inwardly. This was going to be a long night.
19.
“Are you okay?”
Sadie was startled by the question, still half in shock about what had happened behind Max’s store. The situation had left her feeling shaken up and concerned, not only for herself but for the situation Max had found himself in. What the hell were they talking about? She had overheard them saying something about blood magic, and it was a bit over her head, but it sounded terrifying.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sadie said quietly. “Thank you.”
It was strange to be here with Max like this. They hadn’t spoken since the night she had told him to get out of her house. She had thought at the time that he hadn’t even tried to contact her at all over the years, but now she knew better. And as soon as she was able to, she was going to try to find all of his correspondences.
“I’ll get dressed and then we can get you home,” Max said, heading to the back room where he apparently kept his spare clothes.
“Wait,” Sadie said suddenly, gripping him by the arm. Max hesitated, but stopped moving, and stood in front of her, his thick brow quirked.
“What is it?” he asked, clearly uncomfortable.
He was probably remembering all the awful things she had said to him and wishing there was something he could do to get away from her for good. Maybe he cared enough to protect her if he had to, but that didn’t mean he wanted anything to do with her. Why would he after the way she had treated him? It made no sense.
“I… I don’t think I want to go back right now. I don’t want to be alone.”
Max sighed and Sadie kept her eyes on the floor, begging herself not to feast her eyes on Max’s perfectly sculpted body. She had never been able to get used to the way the shifters always shifted back in their fully natural state. It was disconcerting, being faced with the full force of Max’s incredible abdomen, and the slope of the thighs that made her blush even when he wasn’t in the room. The mere thought of them could sometimes profoundly affect her, whether she was in the process of hating him or not.
“You don’t have to be alone. Come on back with me if you want to. We can talk a bit before I take you home.”
“Okay,” Sadie said quietly.
She followed Max into the storage room, doing her best to keep her eyes glued ahead of her. They bore into the well-defined grooves of his shoulder blades and back muscles that were powerful enough to lift a grown man and carry him all the way across Stonybrooke. He was an amazing specimen, objectively speaking, and if her mother was right and he had been sending her letters all this time, then perhaps he was actually a lot more amazing in ways she had never given him credit for.
“So why did you come here?” Max asked, looking at her sternly. He was worried about her. That much was certain. Whenever he adopted that tone, it often meant he was about to chew her out for her recklessness. She had always managed to get herself into trouble. It wasn’t easy to be a human living in a shifter world, no matter who she had with her who was willing to protect her.
“I found something out that I needed to ask you about,” Sadie said, sidestepping the fact that Terry had told her previously about how Max was going to encounter some danger and that he was going to need her help. She had ignored his warning, had gone on about her day as if she hadn’t heard him. That mistake could have cost Max his life. Then where would she be? She would never get to see the man she loved again.
“Yeah,” Max said gruffly. “There’s something I need to talk to you about too.”
Sadie paused, frowning.
“What is it?”
Max sighed, his eyes flashing as he fixed his gaze upon her.
“I need to know that I can let you out of my sight, even if it’s just for a minute. How is it that every time I turn around, something terrible is happening to you?”
Sadie was shocked. It wasn’t like Max to act like this. Something was strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Still, the words hurt, and she couldn’t quite get herself to fathom why he was saying such things.
“It’s not my fault that you got yourself into this mess,” Sadie said, glaring at him. “Don’t blame me for it!”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m just telling you that you need to try harder to stay out of trouble. If you see a group of shifters gathering somewhere, you don’t just go in and try to talk to them or reason with them, because you can’t. You’re a human. It should be illegal for your kind to live here without fully understanding the implications of your actions.”
He was angry, and his anger was affecting Sadie. She wanted to be close to him; to tell him about the letters, about the way she had been pining for him ever since he had left, and that it had almost felt like a miracle when she had found out he was going to live close by again.
But now, all she could think of was what a jerk he was. How could she love someone who could be so damn unreasonable? It was better for them both to be done with it all once and for all. They clearly couldn’t stand each other. She had been nursing a delusion by thinking things between them were going to work out. Whether he had written her letters or not, it didn’t mean anything. Not when it came to being together in person. They could easily idealize each other and their situations without having to be together.
“I don’t know why I thought coming here to talk to you was going to be a good idea. It never is and never has been. All you ever do is make me wish I had never even met you!”
Max narrowed his eyes at her, clearly hurt, or angry, by her words. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, then let out a deep exhale. Sadie stared at him; the way his body curled over in defeat and the way his loose grey sweatpants clung to the broad muscles of his torso. Everything between them could have been so perfect if he hadn’t been such a jerk!
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Max growled at her, pushing past her and stalking out of the small storage room, into the open area of the store. “All I ever hear about is what a piece of shit you think I am. And then you get mad when you insert yourself into my life, get yourself into trouble, and I ask you not to do that. That makes a whole hell of a lot of sense. Thank you.”
Sadie’s cheeks burned at the words spilling from Max’s lips. It was no use trying to talk to him. Sometimes, it was better just to let sleeping dogs lie, and she always seemed to provoke him. Maybe he was right. Maybe she got herself into situations she couldn’t handle, and it was always up to him to get her out of them. But she would never have been there if Terry hadn’t mentioned just how dangerous it was for Max to confront the rival shifters.
“Look, it was a mistake for me to come here. I thought we would be able to work something out, maybe come to an understanding. But you haven’t changed at all and you never will. Maybe if you could, we would be able to be together and be happy, like we deserve, but you can’t even honor that aspect of our love. It’s unbelievable. I’m going now. Don’t ev
en bother to follow me because you aren’t welcome.”
Sadie stormed out of the store, her heart in her throat, wishing more than anything that she would be able to get what she really felt off her chest. She had wanted to apologize to him. To tell him how sorry she was for everything that had happened. She wanted to let him know she felt completely responsible and that if she hadn’t gotten in the way and alerted the bad shifters to his presence, then maybe he would have had a chance to make something of himself right in Stonybrooke, where they would be able to forge a deep relationship together and become the great couple they were truly meant to be.
She wanted him to know she hadn’t gotten the letters. That she wasn’t just ignoring him all those years.
And yet, in the heat of the moment, her stubbornness and pride and genuine anger nearly drove her over the edge. She had to stop saying things she didn’t mean, but part of her truly believed that everything would be better for the both of them if they gave up on this tarnished dream of being together and just focused on the more important things in life; like learning how to be happy alone.
She half-expected Max to follow her out, but he didn’t. He watched her leave, making no move whatsoever to change her mind. She had to admit that it hurt to be brushed aside like this, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt when facing herself. She had messed everything up. Again. She had gone in blind and ended up with nothing to show for it. How could she have been so stupid? Why did she always seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again?
She stalked out to the sidewalk, her hands stuffed deep in her pockets. She hadn’t even driven there; she had walked… more like ran… from her date with her mother. And now, she was stuck getting home on her own. But that was nothing compared to the pain of being stuck in Max’s store a moment longer. All of her hopes had been crushed, once again, by his harshness, and by the difficult reality that the two of them were never going to be able to connect romantically again.
