Found and Forged

by Ivy Asher

  “Vaughn, walk with me,” I instruct, and we both make our way toward the rocks. I dismiss my uneasiness over his dead eyes and his ability to do as he’s told. It’s weird that I’m not bothered by it when Sorik is in command of my father. But when I am the one who has to direct him, reality sucker punches me every time, without fail.

  “Vaughn, sit here on this rock,” I tell him, pointing to exactly where I want him to be.

  He sits, and I take a seat on the rock next to him. I’m quiet for a while as I watch the guys work. They move like well-oiled camping machines these days, and it’s captivating to watch.

  “So how was today?” I ask Vaughn.

  Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t answer.

  “Sorik says we’re getting close, which is awesome and equally fucking terrifying,” I admit. “Any of this look familiar to you? I know my mom talked to Sorik about this place, so you probably knew about it too. I wonder what landmarks she used to explain how to get here?”

  I look around at the surrounding trees. The landscape has seemed the same for the past week or so. No major signs that we’re headed anywhere other than a wandering trek out in the middle of nowhere, but Sorik says this is the way. I probably look like an idiot out here, talking to a man who we don’t even know if he’s in there anymore. Maybe the Sentinels will have some way to help him.

  It’s a hope I try not to look at too closely, but an ember of it glows in the center of my chest, nonetheless. But just in case that never happens, and this version of my dad is all I will ever have, I’m trying to get to know him and help him to get to know me. I figure if the roles were reversed, I’d want someone to be tender and kind to me that way.

  I slip off my rock and kneel at Vaughn’s feet. “Dad, lift your left leg and set your foot in my lap.” He does as he’s told, and I begin to unlace his hiking boot and pull it off. His thick sock is next, and then I check his feet for blisters or areas that look like they could break down soon because of rubbing. Sorik showed me how to do this our first night camping. I hadn’t given any thought to the fact that if Vaughn were hurting from a blister or pressure sore from his pack, he wouldn’t be able to tell us, so a nightly routine of checking him over started.

  I rub the bottom of his foot for a minute and then send some Healing magic to fix a spot on his heel that’s a little too red from today’s walk.

  “So where did we leave off?” I ask and tilt my head in thought. “Oh that’s right, Beth had just decided it was time to leave New Mexico. Laiken and I didn’t know that Beth had already decided that Nevada was our next stop, so we would take turns spinning this ratty old globe that she had found at a garage sale. I mean, the thing was barely hanging on, but that didn’t stop us from giving it a spin, closing our eyes, and sticking our finger on a spot. Wherever our finger landed was where we decided we were moving next. The rule was that the chooser had to tell the other person a story about how life would be in our new home.”

  I put my dad’s sock and shoe back on and switch to his other foot.

  “Laiken landed in the middle of the ocean one time. I was sure she was going to tell a story about mermaids or something, but I should have known that Little Laik would never go the predictable route. She spun a story about an underwater city that felt so real, I swear I could smell salt in the air. She spent a week telling me all about it, and I was riveted.”

  I chuckle at the memory and fist bump the melancholy that accompanies it.

  “The story ended up taking a weird turn when the city broke down and we had to become cannibals to survive, but I’m telling you even that didn’t make me not want to crawl into that fantasy world she created and live there. That was when I knew Laiken had a gift. She could make you see things in a way you never thought about. She had been doing that for me her whole life, but in that moment, I realized just what a powerful gift it was.”

  I smile wistfully up at my dad as I continue to catch him up on my life.

  “I’ll probably always wonder what she would have done with that gift; the possibilities were endless.” I go quiet for a bit, thinking about her. “I hear her in my dreams still,” I admit. “It’s not often, but I catch her from time to time. Does mom still talk to you?” I ask, and I find myself searching his face despite its blankness. “Sometimes I get the urge to ask Sorik about her, but I don’t want to make him sad, so I don’t.”

  Silence stretches between us as all the questions I have about my mother and him and Sorik go unvoiced. I watch as the last of the tents go up and the sun dips lower toward the earth. The gray clouds that have been hovering all day take on a purple hue as the night slinks its way in to replace the day.

  “Dad, are you cold?”

  I stand up to go track down a jacket but freeze when his head swivels over to me. The blank look is still in place, but I’ve never seen him move without specifically being told to do it. I watch him for several minutes, my heart slowly settling down into its normal rhythm. Nothing else happens. I move to his other side to see if he’ll do it again.

  “Dad, are you cold?”

  He doesn’t move this time. Just stares off into the trees like he’s caught in their clutches somehow. It’s as though his consciousness is tangled in the branches so badly that if he just stares at it long enough, he can figure out a way to separate it all. I don’t know how long I watch him sitting on the rocks like a statue.

  “Bruiser!” Bastien calls, pulling me from my uneasy observation. “Dinner time.”

  I give him a wave and watch my dad for another beat. “Dad, stand up and follow me,” I instruct.

  He follows, and I try not to sneak wary glances at him over my shoulder as we both head back toward the camp in silence. I’m not sure what happened, but I need to pay closer attention to him. Maybe this is normal and I’ve just never noticed before. I make a mental note to ask Sorik when he comes back.

  I push back against the guilt that starts to steep in my center. I’ve wanted to keep Vaughn at arm’s length. I have no idea how to deal with this situation, and keeping him close while not getting too close has been working for me. But there are obviously things I’m missing in trying to keep my distance.

  I throw an apologetic smile at Vaughn over my shoulder. It bounces off his stone-like features and falls to the ground. I let out a resigned exhale and silently vow to do more for him, to do better. I lead Vaughn to the warm fire that’s already bright and blazing in the middle of the tents. I order him to sit down and watch him for another beat. I turn around, guilt and disquiet settling in my bones. My eyes land on Ryker’s, and he opens his arms in welcome.

  I step into him, and as soon as his arms wrap around me, I can feel some of my anxiety melt away. Ryker presses his lips to the top of my head, and I hold onto him like the lifeline he is.

  “You okay?” he asks, running his hands up and down my back in soothing gestures.

  I breathe out a sigh and nuzzle his chest. “Yeah, my eyes and wishful thinking are just playing tricks on me.”

  “Here.” Ryker directs me to sit in a fold out camping chair.

  He kneels at my feet and pulls a booted foot into his lap. He tugs at the laces, and I smile, recognizing exactly what he’s doing.

  “Ryker,” I protest and attempt to reclaim my foot.

  “Squeaks,” he mocks. “Let me take care of you. Don’t be stubborn. Besides, we both know you love it when I work my magic.”

  He winks at me, and I chuckle, unable to help myself. I lean back in the chair and run a hungry gaze all over his face and body. His blond hair is longer than it was the first time we met, and I reach out and run my fingers through it. Ryker smiles at me, his full lips and happy blue eyes doing all the right things for the butterflies in my stomach. He pulls my shoe and sock off and then starts rubbing my foot. I moan when he digs into a sore spot with his magic hands. Ryker grins.

  “Love that noise,” he teases and then massages another sore spot.

  “Love you,” I counter, and I lean forward with
pursed lips demanding a kiss.

  Ryker happily obliges and then leans back and gets to work rubbing my aches and pains away. We don’t talk. We just soak in each other’s presence and let it work as a balm for all the apprehension and strain this adventure is causing. I let out a relieved breath as he silently does his thing. His answering grin is filled with tenderness and raw affection.

  “Don’t worry, Squeaks, I got you.”

  My smile mirrors his. “Ditto.”

  Ryker starts on my other foot, and I chase away any emotion or thought that doesn’t allow me to just appreciate my mate and focus on how much I love him. I’m one lucky girl, that’s for fucking sure.

  7

  I wake up with a start. My heart is hammering in my chest with alarm, and my breath is cloudy from the cold air. I rest a hand on Valen’s chest next to me, but he’s sound asleep, his breaths deep and even. I sit still, activating the runes on the helix of my ears, and listen. The night is quiet other than the normal noises made by sleeping males in their tents. I deactivate my runes and slip out of Valen’s arms. I tuck the sleeping bag around him, careful not to wake him up.

  I press my wool sock covered feet into my untied shoes and quietly unzip the front of my tent. I step out and gasp. Everything is coated in a soft blanket of snow. There’s a wet ring around the stones that surround the still burning fire, and I move toward it, putting my unprotected hands out toward the heat. It’s not snowing still, but the unmarred white covering twinkles up at me like it’s hinting at buried treasure. I’ve never seen snow other than in pictures. I take in the soft white landscape with wide-eyed awe.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Torrez’s deep voice wraps around me like a warm Snuggie, and I turn to find him stepping up to the fire next to me.

  “Something woke me up. What time is it?”

  “Just past three in the morning. Was that something Valen?” Torrez asks me with a teasing smile.

  I chuckle, white steam billowing from my mouth as I do. “No, he’s passed out in the tent, but something had me sitting up in bed with my heart racing.”

  “Bad dream?” Torrez asks, his warm brown eyes studying my face.

  “Don’t think so.” I shrug. “You on watch right now?”

  “No, just got off it. Ryker is checking the perimeter.”

  I rub my hands together, hoping the movement and the fire work to warm them up a bit faster. Fuck, it’s cold. Torrez throws an arm around me and pulls me into his side.

  “Here, I’ll help with that,” he announces as he tucks me tightly against him.

  “Why, thank you, kind sir. Nothing like getting felt up before everything freezes off,” I tease.

  Torrez chuckles and runs his hands up and down my arms. “I’ll have you know that I’m hot.”

  “Oh, I’m aware of how hot you are,” I tell him as I press in against him and roll my eyes.

  “Why are you out here without a coat?” he asks me as his hands continue to trace warm paths up and down my arms and across my back.

  “I was just going to stretch out and see if I can shake off this restlessness. Besides”—I slap his chest with the back of my hand—“where’s your coat?”

  “I’m practically a walking, talking space heater, and I was just about to work off some of my restlessness,” he counters.

  “Ahh, does Sabin know you're jacking off in the tent when he’s asleep?” I joke and then squeak when Torrez slaps my ass in mock punishment and faux outrage.

  “I was going for a run, you dirty Witch. But feel free to add me jerking off to your spank bank.”

  “I will, thank you,” I tell him with over-the-top appreciation.

  “You want to come?” he asks.

  “Well, with visions of you masturbating, how could I not?”

  Torrez slaps my ass again and nips at my neck. “Come on a run, not come on my dick, Witch. I mean, maybe you can have that too if you play your cards right.”

  He steps away from me and wags his eyebrows, his eyes sparkling playfully. The cold air immediately presses against me where he used to be, and a shiver skates up my spine.

  “But it’s cold,” I whine.

  “Once you get moving, it won’t be, but I understand if you’d rather cuddle up under the protection of your tent and another mate. You Witches do have such delicate sensibilities. We wouldn’t want you to break a nail now, would we?”

  Torrez smiles at me playfully, his challenge hanging in the air. He steps back and starts to take off his shirt. I appreciate the view for a couple beats, excitement and adrenaline starting to bubble up inside of me.

  “Fine, but last one to the trees has to be on the bottom,” I call out, and then I take off in the direction of the distant tree line.

  Snow crunches under my boots, and I realize too late that I never tied them. Fuck, I hope they stay on, because I do not want to run barefoot.

  “Cheater!” Torrez shouts at my back, and I shhhh him over my shoulder.

  “You’ll wake everyone up,” I whisper shout back to him.

  I laugh quietly as I face forward and run harder. He’s cursing quietly as he struggles to get his boots and pants off, so I press my lead. I shove magic into the runes on the back of my legs and haul ass. I suck the cold air into my lungs, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to have a solid layer of freezer burn by the time I kick Torrez’s ass to the tree line. I want to check behind me and see if he’s shifting yet, but I squash the need to perv on his nakedness and focus on the smooth snow at my feet and the trees that are quickly getting closer.

  I’m at a full Sentinel magic enhanced run as I break through the tree line first. I whoop my victory in my head. I activate the runes Torrez’s mate bite gave me while simultaneously activating the runes for my advanced hearing too. The night explodes into a feast for my new senses. My vision sharpens, and my nose fills with all kinds of new smells. The sounds of small animals skittering away is alluring, but I ignore it and race through the trees.

  I know Torrez is full wolf now, and his four paws are a hell of a lot faster than my two feet. I push myself harder and hope my untied boots don’t try anything funny. The night is quiet, and the blanket of snow absorbs sound in an interesting way. Everything sounds softer, and there’s a magical peace that radiates out because of that. There’s a crunch that sounds off as my running feet leave their mark in the pristine white floor, but the noise doesn’t disrupt the peaceful feeling out among the trees tonight, it complements it.

  My lungs stop protesting the cold air and start to appreciate it. Wind whips past me, the icy touch becoming a balm to my warming body. My hair trails behind me like a cloak, and I smile as the restless nagging that’s been growing in my gut the closer we get to Sentinel City, is forgotten in all the fresh air and freedom. I fucking love to run in the woods at night. I can just picture Torrez somewhere behind me, stalking and planning his next move. All while his tongue hangs out of his open mouth as he drinks in the same happiness that a good run gives us both.

  My breaths no longer puff out like smoke in the air. My skin is no longer offended by the cold. My boots are thankfully still on my feet, and soon I’ll have my mate inside of me, moaning my name and worshipping my body. And in this moment, that’s all that matters. The stress of Sentinel City and what it might drop at our feet sluffs off my shoulders, and I’m suddenly just a girl playing cat and mouse with a man who she loves.

  That thought flits through my mind just as I hear paws leap from the snowy ground. The crunch is distinct, and something in my instincts knows exactly what that means. I stop, drop and roll. Torrez’s big gray wolf goes soaring over me, flying through the air where just a second ago my body should have been. I somersault back onto my feet and tackle him. He growls at me, and I growl back.

  “Try harder, Two Socks,” I tease, and then we both slam into the ground.

  We’re a spinning ball of fur, teeth, claws, skin, hair and muscle. We both try to wrestle the other into a submissive position, neither one gai
ning the upper hand for long. The massive gray wolf nips at my shoulder, and I bite down on his ear. We both back off just to clash back again, the dance repeating itself over and over.

  Torrez almost pins me, but when he tackles me, my boot goes flying off my foot. It arcs high up and then comes falling back down to smash him hard in the back of the head. He gives a dazed shake, flinging snow, slush, and mud from his fur. The sheer oddity that my boot just did that sends me into a fit of laughter, the likes of which make the big wolf give an unamused huff.

  One second I have a behemoth gray wolf above me, and the next thing I know, a naked Torrez is now in its place.

  “Fuck, you have enough weapons on that body of yours, you don’t need to make your shoes do your dirty work too,” he grumbles and rubs at the back of his head.

  I laugh even harder. “It just flew up and then kapow.” I giggle hysterically, unable to get a hold of myself as the image keeps replaying over and over again in my mind.

  “Oh, it’s funny, is it? Getting brained by a hiking boot is that amusing?” he demands, laughter dancing in his brown eyes.

  “Don’t worry, I’d never let anyone know that the great Mateo Torrez was taken out by a shoe,” I offer as I fight off another round of giggles and wipe laugh tears from my eyes.

  “Oh, and what would you say then?” he asks, his fingers roaming over my torso in search of ticklish spots.

  “I’d say you never saw the Chihuahua coming!”

  I squeal when his fingers dig into my stomach, activating the tickle giggles and forcing me to squirm.

  “You wouldn’t! Take it back!” he demands as he plays my body like a well-known instrument, wringing out all the laughs he can from it.

  “What? They’re very vicious dogs; people would sympathize!” I insist on a squeal before I get a hold of Torrez’s only ticklish spot on his neck.