by C. R. Jane
“Daxon owns the other half of the town, and Arcadia almost made him lose everything. We all hate the bitch, but she continues to prance around like she’s the ruler of us all.” Miyu’s tone dripped with venom every time she mentioned Arcadia’s name. “She thinks she still owns them, and maybe she does, but I’d love to see them get away from her.” She looked at me meaningfully, raising her eyebrows in a way that I didn’t understand.
I frowned, thinking over her story. “Daxon and Wilder seem a little young to own any part of any town. They’ve got to be what…mid-twenties?”
She snorted again, and there was that small weird smile. “Daxon and Wilder’s families both founded this town back in the day. Leadership in this town is sort of passed down the family tree, if ya know what I mean.”
A thought hit me then, one that left acid on my tongue. “Have you screwed Daxon?” I blurted out.
Miyu threw back her head like that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “I’ve got a man. And he doesn’t share. Not that I do either. I’d cut his balls off if he ever stepped out on me. You’re working at the diner, right?”
I nodded.
“Then you’ve met him. Rae. He cooks for them.”
“He’s great!” I told her eagerly.
Suddenly the scissors were against my neck, and she was in my face. I gripped the arms of my chair, scared stiff.
“Don’t get any ideas,” she growled.
I just stared at her in shock.
Suddenly, she was back to normal, cutting my hair again like nothing had happened. She laughed loudly, the sound of it ringing around the salon. “You should have seen your face,” she cackled.
This chick was certifiable.
“Rae will take care of you there. Just tune out his bad jokes. He thinks he’s funny, but he’s not.”
She continued to chat away as she picked up her hair dryer and began drying my hair with a big round brush. I was a little too out of sorts to contribute much. Between her story about Daxon and Wilder and the crazy look in her eye when she threatened me with the scissors, I was just going to be quiet for now.
Miyu lifted up the bottom of my hair to dry it and then abruptly dropped her hair dryer. I jumped at the noise
“There are bruises on your neck, like fingerprints,” she said softly.
We watched each other through the reflection in the mirror. Her gaze was all too knowing. I opened my mouth to give the standard excuses I’d always given in the past when someone out in the public noticed an injury Alistair had given me. I fell…or I ran into something…or I tripped.
I caught myself just in time.
“My ex was a bad man,” I said simply, and she nodded, a haunted expression on her face like she knew from experience about bad men. She squeezed my shoulder softly and then picked up the hair dryer and got back to work.
It felt freeing to say the truth for once. The feeling overwhelmed me, so much so that my eyes started to prick as this was never anything I’d spoken to anyone. Those in Alistair’s pack knew what he did to me, and most ignored it. Except for Nelly, and in a way, Miyu reminded me of her.
“Tada!” Miyu announced, and I realized I’d been sitting there, lost in my head for quite some time because my hair was done. I looked up.
All I could do was gape at my reflection. My hair was cut in face-framing layers. With the dead ends removed, my hair seemed shinier, brighter…almost unreal. It was still long, hanging more than halfway down my back, but it had volume and shape now.
“You look good,” Miyu announced, and I just nodded, still stunned at the transformation. It was amazing the effect a haircut could have, even on the way your face looked. I swore my eyes even seemed brighter and livelier.
“Thank you,” I said, emotion leaking into my words. I wiped at my eyes, embarrassed, but Miyu mercifully didn’t comment on my tears.
She took off my cape, and I stood up, fumbling for the little purse I’d brought with me. “How much do I owe you?” I asked in a stilted voice, unable to look her in the eye.
“This one’s on the house,” she replied firmly.
I dragged my gaze to hers in shock. “I can pay you,” I told her, those irritating tears coming back full force.
“Consider this my contribution to your new start. We all need one sometimes.”
My heart melted as I stood there, and I just nodded gratefully.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“And besides, with how good you look, you’re like free advertising as you walk around town. Just tell everyone who did your hair. Ira across town is always trying to poach my clients, and this will drive her nuts.”
I giggled and then nodded. “I’ll tell everyone you’re a master at your craft.”
She winked at me. “I’m counting on it.”
I said my goodbyes and walked out of the salon, feeling somehow a thousand pounds lighter than when I’d gone in.
I was back at work, my beautiful new hair pulled back in a ponytail unfortunately, so that I didn’t drag it through everyone’s food. There had been no sign of Wilder, thank goodness, and the place was so busy, I didn’t have time to think about anything else.
The bell on the door chimed, signaling that a new customer had just come in, but I didn’t bother looking up until I noticed that the chatter in the restaurant had suddenly dimmed.
Looking around confused, I stiffened when I saw that Daxon was standing by the door with a sexy smirk on his face.
I momentarily lost the ability to think as I stared at him.
He was so fucking beautiful.
Daxon strolled right towards me without even looking at Eve, who’d just rushed up to seat him. He settled himself down in the chair at the counter, right by where I’d been frantically rolling silverware since we were about to run out.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he drawled, his use of sweetheart having a far different effect on me than Wilder’s had.
“H-hi,” I stuttered nervously, my fingers fumbling with a spoon. He caught it right before it dropped to the floor.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked, looking anywhere but his face, since it seemed to have the ability to make me stupid.
“Dinner,” he responded with a low laugh that sent goosebumps across my skin.
My gaze snapped to him, confused, and I blushed at the way he looked like he wanted to devour me. “Here’s a menu?” I said haltingly as I tried to hand him one.
He threw his head back in response, a rich, throaty laugh coming out of him that had the unfortunate effect of making me want to jump him. No one was allowed to sound that sexy laughing. Especially when they looked like him. I found myself wondering what else I could say to elicit that sound over and over again.
“Dinner with you, tonight after your shift,” he clarified.
The butterflies I’d been feeling since he’d walked into the diner turned into bees as I stared at him uncomprehendingly. There was no way that this guy was asking me out. There was a certain way that the world worked, and it never changed. Men like him didn’t end up with girls like me. It was just how it was.
Especially broken girls like me who had nothing left to offer someone.
I closed my eyes thinking this must be some kind of joke.
“This isn’t funny,” I whispered.
His eyes widened in confusion at the tears threaded through my words.
“I don’t know what you mean, Rune.” His gold eyes stared at me earnestly, dancing all over my face like they had when I’d first met him. There was something in his gaze… It almost looked like awe.
I’d once imagined what it would be like for my fated mate to look at me like that. And then I’d realized a look like that was just a lie. Alistair had looked at me like that.
Right before he held me down, raped me, and then told me I’d never get the chance to meet my wolf.
The thing about men who got that look in their eye, is that they wanted to own you. And once they did, they didn’t know how to do i
t without breaking you.
“I can’t do dinner,” I told him abruptly, not caring if he was joking or not, but knowing I didn’t want anything to do with it. Besides the fact that I had enough emotional baggage to bury someone, I wasn’t about to start getting in the same situation I’d just gotten away from. And there was the fact that after meeting his crazy ex, or maybe ex, and hearing the story from Miyu today, that wasn’t a situation I wanted anything to do with.
His looks may temporarily stop my heart every time I saw him, but they weren’t worth the pain of a broken heart.
And that’s all a face like his could give a girl.
“Why not?” he asked as he got out of his chair and began following me as I walked back to the bar to pick up some drinks for a few of my tables.
“I just don’t want to,” I told him stiffly, grabbing the drinks and hoping that he would get the hint that I was done with the conversation.
I felt his touch on my arm, and I flinched, almost dropping the tray of drinks. I’d felt literal shocks at his touch.
The problem was I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad.
“Just one dinner and then you can never talk to me again.” I swung around to look at him, not surprised by the smug expression on his face like he knew that I’d never be able to stop at just one dinner.
“This is just a brief stop in my life. As soon as I get that car fixed, I’m done. I don’t have time for distractions like you,” I hissed, hating the way his eyes hardened at my words.
Hurt flashed through his gaze, and then he nodded, his face going blank in a way that made my heart ache.
“See you around, Rune,” he said quietly before leaving. I could feel everyone’s gaze on me as he walked out…including Wilder’s, who’d just walked in.
Needing a break, I grabbed the stock list from behind the counter and headed to the back where all the liquor and beer were kept to take inventory and give myself a break from all the eyes.
I no sooner had stepped inside the room when the door suddenly slammed open behind me and Wilder was there, his chest heaving as he pushed me against the wall.
“W-Wilder—” I stuttered, fear and something else I didn’t want to name shooting through my insides.
“Why was he talking to you?” he growled, and I swear his green eyes sparked as he stared at me furiously.
“Daxon?” I asked, confused. His face tightened when I said Daxon’s name, as if it was literally painful for him to even hear his name.
Without warning, his mouth claimed mine. The hard press of his lips forced my mouth open. I moaned when his tongue swept in, the taste of chocolate and mint mixed with the heady tang of desire overwhelming all my senses.
I’d never imagined a kiss like this… I’d never have been able to comprehend how the bold sweep of his tongue would feel as it teased my own. It was as if he were pulling the very breath from my body till it forced me to breathe in his own air to live. His shadow of a beard scraped against the delicate skin of my cheeks and chin, and I welcomed the pain and the pleasure it brought. If it hadn’t been for the shelf behind me and the hard press of his body against mine, I would have fallen. He was consuming me like he needed me to breathe…to live.
I couldn’t get enough of the feel of him. All rational thought left my head. All I could think was more. More of his touch, more of his kiss…more of him.
His tongue licked my lips and something felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, like it needed to be as close to Wilder as possible.
He pressed harder against me, and a handle of vodka clattered to the floor, bringing us both crashing back to reality.
Wilder ripped his lips away from mine as if the act physically hurt him and all but roared a loud “Fuck” that echoed through the small stock room.
And then he was gone, the door slamming behind him and sending another bottle to the floor that this time shattered.
I gripped my chest, trying to quell the ache inside of me.
I wanted to scream…or cry. I couldn’t decide which one.
All I could think in that moment though was when Wilder’s lips had been against mine, I hadn’t thought of Alistair, not once.
And I hated that it felt like betrayal.
I needed to run. The urge was constant. The need bordered on pain as I paced my room, trying to walk the feeling away. I tried to do crunches…and then lunges. Nothing worked. If I didn’t get out of here…if I didn’t feel the wind whipping across my face as I pushed myself, I was going to go crazy.
Finally, I couldn’t control myself any longer, and even though I knew the danger, I found myself on the sidewalk, running as fast as I was able, smiling as I breathed in the fresh air that somehow smelled of flowers and sunshine…if that was even possible.
I wound my way through the town, finally getting to the dirt path that led to the river. I would just stay away from the woods, much farther away than yesterday, I told myself. I ran, faster and faster, until the world seemed to be a blur around me. All I could think of was that I needed to be free. I needed to move and feel that burn in my lungs that meant I was still alive…that I was still here.
I needed to run until I couldn’t remember what Wilder tasted like.
It came out of nowhere then, a sharp growl was all I heard before immense pressure, followed by a sharp bite of pain ripping through my thigh. The pressure abruptly released, and I fell to the ground, hot tears streaming down my face as something large and menacing hovered over me. I opened my mouth to scream, sure that this was the end. Right as the creature opened its mouth, something barreled into it, pushing it away from me. Sitting up and trying to get away as pain surged through me, I came to an abrupt halt as a raven colored wolf attacked the thing in front of me. It sank its jaw into the beast’s jugular as its growls slashed through the air around us. The creature let out a rage filled cry and somehow managed to tear itself away from the wolf, blood spattering the ground around it. It burst away before I could get a good look at it.
The wolf took a few steps after it, growling softly.
As I watched, its whole body began to quiver, and faster than a blink, where there had just been a wolf…there was now a man.
Everything went black after that, the mixture of blood loss and shock too much for my body to stand.
7
Rune
Soft voices around me. A whisper of a caress across my face. Consciousness came slowly back to me. I dragged my eyes open, everything around me hazy and out of focus.
“Rune,” a familiar voice called.
It took me a second to realize who it was. All I saw was gold at first. And then things sharpened until Daxon came into view, leaning over me, a look of concern written all over his perfect face.
I blinked a few times slowly. “What happened?” I asked in a scratchy voice as I just stared at him, confused.
“You were running, and you just tripped and hit your head. Someone found you on the trail by the river,” he answered in that smooth voice of his.
I blinked for a few times, trying to understand why that didn’t sound right. What had I been doing?
It all hit me at once. The images tumbled through my mind until I felt weighed down, panicky…like I couldn’t breathe.
I struggled to sit up, my hand automatically going to my thigh where I knew I’d feel blood. I saw Marcus standing a few feet away, looking at me with uncertainty.
I stopped for a second, shaking my head as I kept trying to get my wits back. I stared at my leg unblinkingly, not understanding why my leg was perfectly fine. I was wearing my black leggings… I mean, they looked like my black leggings. And there wasn’t a rip or a tear in them. There wasn’t any blood stain either. I timidly touched the area where I swore the beast’s teeth had ripped into my skin. No pain. No wound. Nothing.
“Rune?” Daxon questioned, and I drew my gaze away from leg.
“I was running, and then there was some kind of beast. It came at me out of nowhere,” I whisp
ered haltingly, again tracing the area on my leg that should have been missing a chunk. “It bit me. I swear it did. And I thought…I thought I was going to die. And then a wolf. It attacked the creature. It wounded it and saved me. And then the thing ran away.” A hiccupped sob came out of me as I relived the moment, as clear as if I was watching it happen right then. “And then the wolf, it changed into a man. Right in front of me. It was a shifter.”
I stared at Daxon, looking for any sign of recognition at the term shifter. Any sign at all that he believed me. His gaze was unreadable. He still had that same concerned expression on his face.
“Baby, none of that happened. You didn’t have a wound. You must have dreamed that after you hit your head.”
I shook my head viciously. “No, I swear it happened. I swear.”
“Then where’s your wound? Marcus didn’t see anyone else on the trail when he found you,” he told me gently, his hand touching my face softly, driving me to distraction.
“It’s true. There was no one else there,” Marcus said quietly.
“I…” My response faded away. I didn’t have an answer. As a latent wolf, I didn’t have supernatural healing abilities or anything else special enough to warrant the kind of healing that would’ve had to take place for there to be no sign of a wound like that.
I shivered, folding my arms around myself, fear dripping down my insides. Was I going crazy? Was that what was happening here? Because I didn’t understand how I could have imagined something like that. Had everything that had happened finally made me crack?
Another sob came out of me, and then I was in Daxon’s arms. And I suddenly felt warm…and safe. I could feel the heat of skin through his shirt. The steady thump of his heartbeat soothed my fractured nerves. I memorized the way his arms felt wrapped around me. I inhaled his scent of sandalwood and lemon. For a moment, it seemed as though I’d stumbled into heaven.
If heaven accepted crazy people.
I finally, reluctantly pushed away from him. For a second, I thought I saw guilt in those golden eyes of his, but he blinked and whatever I’d seen was gone.
