Dangerous Lovers

by Becca Vincenza

  She smiled at me as though she could read my thoughts. “I think you know, but if it helps, Libra means balance.”

  I decided that this was important, but didn’t take precedence. I was sure that I would dwell on the information about Kayden plenty later on. Right now, information on the village and its captors was more important.

  I pushed my emotions aside and met her eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”

  She shrugged. “Talk to Kayden about it—”

  I shook my head and she stopped. “No, I mean what am I supposed to do about this?” I said, gesturing toward the door of the hut. “The village, how do I help?”

  She studied me for a long moment before speaking. “Do you feel that you must?” she asked me slowly. “You are not obligated to do anything. Your race does not have to dictate your actions, Alexa. You make your own choices, especially when they concern your own life and death.”

  My answer came quicker than I would have thought. It wasn’t as though I just all of a sudden believed in the prophecy that the journal had spoken of, it was Soraya who popped into my mind. Maybe it was my protective nature, the way I had grown up putting Nelly’s life before my own. Perhaps it was because I’d always had a soft spot for children. They’d always represented the only completely and absolutely innocent souls on earth in my eyes. Maybe it was just the fact that I was a Warrior. I couldn’t be sure why it was, but I felt absolutely certain that I had to help her. I had to help Soraya. I didn’t really care what the consequences may be. I had to try.

  I felt the truth of the words as I spoke them. “Yes,” I replied, still holding her gaze. “If it’s in my power”—and I wasn’t sure that it was—

  “I’ll do whatever I can.”

  She studied my face for a few long seconds, then, she nodded. “I had a feeling you would say that, but I honestly cannot say what it is you can do. Unfortunately, the stories do not tell of how the savior is to accomplish freeing our people. They just say that she will.”

  “The stories?”

  She smiled sympathetically, probably at my assumed ignorance. “What do you already know?”

  I told her about the journal, then added, “The people back at Two Rivers seem to think I’ll save them from something, too, but what is there to free them from? Things in the city are… much different than they are here.” I hadn’t wanted to say much better than here.

  She shook her head and smiled, but didn’t say anything. I raised my eyebrows and waited for a long time before she finally told me what she was thinking. “Many people here would not agree, because really, we wouldn’t know any better. But I have considered the possibility that maybe we are not the only ones enslaved. I think that maybe the prophecy goes beyond the village, beyond even the walls of Two Rivers. Perhaps it extends across the entirety of our races. But then, what do I know?”

  “How many of us live among the humans?” I asked. “And how many live in places like this, hidden cities behind walls in the middle of nowhere?”

  “How many of our kind did you meet when you lived among humans?” she countered. “You would know better than I the answer to that.”

  I thought about this. Jackson was the only other one I’d met in my entire seventeen years of life, before the night of the attack, that is. But then, I hadn’t even known what he was, so maybe I’d met more of our kind than I’d even realized. When I looked up to see that she was waiting for an answer, I said, “Not many. Not that I knew of, anyway.”

  Soraya popped her head in the door then, causing both Catherine and I to jump in surprise. “Mommy,” she said, “the others want us to get back to work so that we finish before nightfall.”

  Catherine nodded. “Okay, dear, just go on back out. We’ll be finished in a moment.”

  Soraya poked out her lip and darted her eyes toward me. She started to protest. “But—”

  “You may walk her back over the hill if you like,” Catherine said, holding up her hand. “Now go, we are nearly finished here.”

  Soraya didn’t look happy about being kicked out again, but the fact that she would be walking me back seemed to placate her. She left, and Catherine and I stood to leave.

  “Be careful, Alexa,” she told me. “The choices you make are entirely your own, but make sure you weigh the repercussions before you act. You don’t owe anyone anything. No one has the right to ask you to trade your life for theirs. You are no less important than anyone else.”

  She turned to leave, but I stopped her. “Catherine, you don’t have

  to answer me, and I apologize if I’m out of line in asking, but do you remember anything, anything about what your life was before coming here?”

  I felt bad about asking this, but I figured that if maybe I understood the events that would land someone in a place like this, then I might be closer to figuring out who was behind it. She stayed with her back to me and didn’t speak for a long time. I had just decided she wasn’t going to answer and apologize for asking, when she finally spoke. Her voice was small and pained. “A husband,” she said. “I remember I had a husband and I loved him very much. But… I can’t remember him at all, just that I loved him.”

  “Couldn’t you ask Kayden about him?” I asked, wanting to help her. “Wouldn’t he be his brother?”

  She turned to face me then, and even though no tears fell from her eyes, the pain ran deep inside them. “Sometimes, certain questions are better left unanswered,” she said, and then she pushed aside the blanket and exited the hut.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  I stepped out a moment later to walk back to the woods with Soraya. The villagers had more or less returned to their tasks; still, I could feel their furtive glances in my direction. Soraya jumped into my arms, and Catherine hugged me, suggesting that I hurry home. I thanked her, and she gave me a warm smile. I set Soraya down, and she began walking me back to the lake.

  “How is Uncle Kayden?” she asked as we walked. “I haven’t seen him for a while, and it always worries me.”

  I took her little hand in mine. “He’s fine, I’m sure.”

  Her nose scrunched up in confusion. “Don’t you see him often?”

  Not as often as I would like. “Well, sometimes, but usually just in passing.”

  Her head tilted up to look at me, causing her curly hair to fall away from her face. “Why? Don’t you like him?”

  I hesitated before answering. “Yes, I mean, I think he’s cool, but I have a boyfriend.”

  She almost came to a stop at this, but glanced at the position of the sun, and kept walking. She was silent for a long time, and I figured she’d dropped the subject. Finally she blurted out, “Well, that’s stupid.”

  Her tone wasn’t accusing, just very matter of fact. I smiled at her blunt statement; it was something I would say. “Why is it stupid?”

  She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, the expression making her look very much like her uncle. “Because you guys are made for each other. You’re a Warrior and he’s a Libra—possibly the last of your kinds.”

  I was afraid she’d say that. She must have seen it in my face, because she added, “And he likes you, really likes you. The last time he was here, I could tell something was different about him. So, I bugged him for over an hour about it until he finally told me about meeting you.”

  I looked down at me feet, unable to resist my curiosity. “What did he say?”

  She smiled her crooked smile. “You should ask him that,” she replied.

  I smiled and narrowed my eyes, earning a laugh from her. She held a hand up in surrender. “I’m just saying, as much as you want to see him, he wants to see you.”

  I chuckled. “How do you know I want to see him? Who are you—

  Cupid?”

  “Because, it’s almost like your soul lights up when I mention his name,” she replied. “Your eyes brighten the same way his did when he talked about you.”

  I nodded slowly as a realization hit me. “You’re a Searcher, aren’t you?�
�

  She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Half, but I’m also half-Brocken.”

  That struck me as strange, and for a moment, I couldn’t figure out why. Then something else dawned on me. No one I had met back at Two Rivers was a mixture of races. They were all either Wolf, Brocken, or Searcher. “Is that common?” I asked.

  “No, most people like to stick to their own races, but I guess that sometimes you can’t control who you fall in love with,” she replied, sounding wise beyond her years. “But most prefer to keep within their race. They say half-breeds, like me, tend to be weaker in our specialties than the full-bloods are.”

  I squeezed her tiny hand. “I don’t believe that for a second. There’s no way you’re weak at anything. Actually, you’re pretty tough for a six-year-old.”

  “I just turned seven.”

  “Whatever, you know what I mean. Besides, look at me, I don’t even have a race. From what I understand I’m as mixed as they come, and I may be many things, but weak isn’t one of them.”

  She considered this. “True, but at the same time, you’re a mixture of perfect genes, which is why you’re appealing to all the races. Having a child with a Warrior, no matter what race you are, would be like winning the genetic lottery.”

  “Our races don’t dictate our actions,” I said, repeating her mother’s words. “Our choices make us who we are, and perfect genes or no, the choices we make are what really matter.”

  “Wow,” she said. “Only an hour with my mom and you already sound like her.”

  I laughed and picked her up into a hug because we had reached the point where we needed to part ways. She kissed my cheek and glanced at the sun. “You’ll have to move quickly,” she said. “But if night falls before you make it back, pay attention to your other senses, Alexa. You’ve lived with humans your whole life so you probably never noticed how strong your ears and nose are. Just be careful.”

  Giving her one last squeeze, I set her back down on her feet.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  She smiled broadly. “I hope so.”

  I headed into the trees, the compass once again clutched in my hand. I started out at a light jog, nervous that I wouldn’t beat sundown before making it back. I had spent more time at the village than I’d intended, and probably only had about two hours before the trees blocked out the sinking sun. Even with the bread and apple in my stomach, I still felt weak. I could probably clean out a Vegas-style buffet all by myself right now. It wasn’t long before I was walking instead of jogging.

  Eventually, I estimated that I was nearing the end of the trip. By now the twilight was fading. I began jogging again, checking the compass to make sure I was still going the right way. When darkness finally fell, I figured I was only about an hour out of the city. Even with my good eyesight, I could barely make out shapes of trees and branches surrounding me. I ran my finger over the edges of the compass and pushed a tiny button I found there. The face lit up, and I could see I was still heading north. This was comforting, but I was uneasy being in the dark forest all by myself.

  In an attempt to take my mind off my fear, I concentrated on my sense of smell and hearing, as Soraya had suggested.

  And I heard something.

  Chapter Fifty

  A low growl that could only come from the vocal cords of a large animal. And I had a pretty good idea of what kind of animal it was. I wished suddenly that I had brought my Gladius with me. I’d have to rely on my own abilities if the animal attacked.

  I kept up my pace and sniffed the air, hoping to catch something that might give away the creature’s position. I was surprised that I was actually able to pick out a particular scent in the midst of the strong pine smell. I thought that it was a vaguely familiar scent, though I couldn’t recall how I knew it. I concentrated harder and sniffed the air again. I certainly was no pro, but I could tell that the animal was moving closer, and when I listened hard enough, I could tell that it was approaching fast.

  I stopped in my tracks and clenched my fists, tensing for an attack. My heartbeat hammered and a cold sweat creased my forehead. A second later, I saw something leap through the air, straight toward my throat. I ducked just in time. The animal flew over my head. Spinning around quickly, I was face-to-face with a Wolf.

  A pretty big Wolf too, with pale blond fur and glowing golden eyes. It bared its teeth at me and released a growl that sent a shiver down my spine. A realization hit me a split second before she leapt through the air again. I knew who this was, and I was pretty sure she was trying to kill me.

  Waiting until the very last moment, I shut my eyes and spun to the side as quickly as I could move. Before she could leap again, a second Wolf flew out of the trees and hit the blond one hard in the side, knocking her to the ground.

  The blonde, whom I was pretty sure was Victoria, gave a yelp as the two hit the ground hard, snapping jaws and wrestling to get the advantage. I fought an impulse to run as hard as I could. If I was smart at all, I probably should have. I could reach the city in no time. But as my breathing came out in harsh gasps, I caught the scent of the second Wolf and stood rooted to my spot.

  It was Jackson.

  And he was fighting Victoria for me. He’d probably just saved my life for the second time, and I was not about to leave him and run off like some damsel in distress.

  The two stood snarling and snapping at each other. I could hardly believe what was happening in front of me. Victoria kept trying to get around Jackson to reach me, but he was much, much bigger than she was, and faster, too. In fact, now that I was just standing here, gaping like an idiot, I saw that he was bigger than any real wolf I’d ever seen. His fur was the same reddish-brown as his hair, and his eyes were glowing the same Wolf-gold as Victoria’s. His growl was deep and threatening each time she tried to make a move, and I wouldn’t admit it, but the sound of it scared me, too.

  After several tense moments of circling and growling, Victoria gave one last warning growl and took off into the trees. I stayed where I was, staring at Jackson, who had his back to me, still tensed for an attack. Slowly, almost cautiously, he turned so he was facing me. Facing him in Wolf form was as intimidating as anything I’d ever encountered. It took a lot of effort, but I managed not to take a step back.

  But when he began to approach me, I felt my heartbeat kick into overtime, and I clenched my fists tight to keep my hands from trembling. “Jackson?” I asked in a quiet voice, even though I knew it was him.

  Yes, darling, don’t be afraid. It’s me.

  It was his mid-western drawl in my head, and I felt certain that I had truly lost my mind this time. Just add hearing voices to my list of problems. Unsurprisingly, I laughed out loud at my loony thoughts. I was starting to hate that nervous habit.

  In front of me, Jackson tilted his head to the side. What’s funny? Only you would laugh at a time like this.

  I jumped at his reply, which was once again, just in my head. “Are you talking in my mind, or am I going nuts?” I asked out loud.

  Jackson’s laughter sounded inside my head. You’re not crazy. When we’re in Wolf form, this is how we communicate.

  I narrowed my eyes as a thought came to mind. “Can you read my thoughts too?”

  His tongue lolled out and his lips pulled back over his teeth in an expression that I thought might just be a smile. When I propped a hand on my hip, he spoke in my head again. Relax, I can’t hear your thoughts. Only Wolves can hear each other without speaking out loud, and that’s not mindreading, it’s just like communicating without speaking. I can talk to you like this, but I can’t hear you unless you speak out loud.

  “Oh,” I said. Now I was freaked out on more levels than one.

  When he began walking toward me again, I couldn’t help but tense a little. Even though I knew Jackson would never hurt me, it was unnerving to have something so big and intimidating so close to me. Judging by the size of him, I would compare it to getting up close and personal
with a lion.

  When he was only a foot away from me, I swallowed hard and did my best to remain very, very still. Like I said, he was more than intimidating in this form.

  Just don’t run, okay? He told me before closing the distance between us. If you do, it will be hard not to chase. I don’t think my Wolf would harm you, but he’s still a Wolf.

  I crossed my arms and snorted. “I don’t run.” At least not usually, but then, this was not the usual.

  His chuckle filled my head again and he stepped forward and pushed his muzzle into my hair. Again, I felt my heart beat out of my chest.

  But you want to. I can smell it. He nuzzled my neck, and surprisingly, goose bumps broke out over my skin. Your scent is so much stronger like this.

  I heard him inhale deeply, and his warm, wet nose brushed across my collarbone. Amazingly, I felt my eyelids flutter at his touch.

  It’s absolutely intoxicating, Darling.

  My hand seemed to reach up on its own and run my fingers through the fur on his neck. It was soft and thick, and I felt like I could fall into the warmth of it. I was seriously thrown off by this, but at the same time, it was… exciting. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the scent of him, letting Jackson fill my lungs.

  He pulled back a little and tilted his head again. It was actually really cute. His tone sounded shocked when he spoke in my head. Your eyes are glowing, Alexa.

  I furrowed my brow at that. “Umm, thank you.”

  Giving his head a small shake, he said, No, I mean they’re glowing. They’re glowing Wolf-gold.

  That sobered me quickly, and glancing around, I found that the shapes of the forest were no longer hard to make out. In fact, I could see everything almost as well as if it were full day outside. Another discovery. By this point, I was taking everything in strides.

  “Cool,” I said. “I mean, I guess it’s cool. I am part Wolf, aren’t I?” He chuckled again. That you are, and I think your Wolf likes me.

  I shrugged, embarrassed that I had reacted so strongly to him while he was in this form. “What’s not to like?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.