No Crones About It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I don’t know anything about the foster care system, but the things you’ve told me make it seem awful,” he continued, holding up his hand when I indicated I was about to lodge a protest. “That wasn’t meant to be a blanket statement.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from arguing. “Most of the people in the foster care system are saints. They’re good people trying to help. It’s only a few who make things difficult, taint the system. I had both good and bad foster parents growing up. I don’t want you to think I’m scarred by them.”

  “Aren’t you?” Gunner shot me a challenging gaze. “You are without a doubt the most frustrating person I’ve ever crossed paths with. You speak before you think. You pick fights at the drop of a hat. And your ego, honey, well ... it’s a thing to behold.”

  I narrowed my eyes. The date had taken a turn I wasn’t expecting. “You’re the last one who should talk about ego.”

  “I know. Your ego is actually bigger than mine. That’s a Hawthorne Hollow miracle.”

  I didn’t want to laugh. It would only encourage him. I couldn’t stop myself, though. “I’m just saying that most foster parents are good. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”

  “Duly noted.” He reached over and snagged my hand, causing my heart to skip a beat. His proximity always had this effect on me. I couldn’t explain it. “It makes sense for you not to trust. I can’t help but feel you’re missing out on the best things in life because of it.”

  He edged closer to me. Not so much that he was invading my personal space, but near enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off his body.

  “You deserve to find a place to call home,” he prodded. “I think deep down you want that. It’s probably difficult for you to admit, more difficult than it should be, but it’s true. This could be your home if you just open yourself up to it.”

  What he said made sense, but I wasn’t always rational. “What if I find I can’t live in the country? I mean ... I like going to the movies in the middle of the night. You can’t do that here.”

  He snorted. “Is that the hill you’re going to die on? Movies?”

  “It’s just a symptom of the bigger problem here,” I admitted. “What if I’m not geared for country life?”

  “You won’t know unless you give it a try. You’ll always have questions if you leave without giving this your best effort.”

  “And what if I do that and still want to leave? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m a big boy. I don’t want you to leave. I can say that without hesitation. If, in the end, you can’t stay here, I won’t fight you. I wouldn’t ask you to sacrifice your happiness for mine. It’s way too soon to tell if you’ll like it here ... but I think you actually do like it and you’re fighting the notion of staying simply because you’re stubborn.”

  I shot him a challenging gaze. “You’re stubborn, too. That might be another potential powder keg. Have you considered that?”

  “I’ve considered it all.” His eyes were sincere. “I’m attracted to you – like you wouldn’t believe. My skin sometimes feels as if it’s humming when you’re around. I want a chance to see if we can make something out of this. I would rather try and fail than not try at all.”

  And we were back to him daring me to stay. “I’m willing to give it a try. I just ... don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “If you go into this assuming you’ll disappoint me, the odds of it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy are huge. Open your heart. Give it your best shot. I think you’ll be surprised by what happens if you simply give in to your urges.”

  “Are we talking about sexual urges?”

  “Eventually.” His full smile was back. “Right now, I’m fine with this.”

  “And what is this?”

  “A walk on the beach. I want you to tell me more about your dreams.”

  I was taken aback. “That doesn’t sound very romantic.”

  “Not everything between us has to be romantic.” He was sober. “I want to help you. If these dreams are memories, there might be a clue in them. Whether you want to admit it or not, you need answers. I want to help you find them.”

  I hesitated, but only for a moment. “It’s a long story.”

  “Then I guess it’s good we have a big beach and nothing but time on our hands.”

  I TOLD HIM ALL OF IT. Everything I could remember. He listened, held my hand as we splashed our feet in the frigid water, and offered the occasional comment.

  “None of the dreams have identifiable characteristics,” he noted. “I mean ... it’s always the same woman. That’s good. The memory is from twenty-three years ago. If she’s still alive, she probably wouldn’t look the same … and it doesn’t sound like you picked up a name.

  “The thing is, you’re not actively remembering these scenarios,” he continued. “They’re coming at you in dreams. I can’t help but think that’s on purpose.”

  “How so?”

  “I think you’re not supposed to remember. I think someone spelled you not to remember. At five, you were old enough to form memories and impressions of what was happening around you. The fact that you have no memories, only dreams, indicates that your subconscious is trying to fight what was done to you.”

  I had never considered that. “I ... .”

  “If you want to try to break the spell, I know a few people,” he offered, squeezing my hand. “Think about it. There’s a very real chance that you’re better off not knowing.”

  He had a point, but still ... . “I’ll think about it.” For once — and I could rarely say this — I was tired of talking about myself. “Are you looking forward to Raisin’s play?”

  He laughed as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Hit your limit of talking about serious stuff, eh? I understand that. When you’re ready to talk again, just let me know.”

  I sighed. He had a sweet nature that was often buried under a thick layer of sarcasm — something we had in common — but he managed to be tough, too. It was an interesting blend of masculinity and emotional grounding that made him all the more appealing.

  “I thought maybe you would want to talk about something else,” I hedged.

  “I’m fine talking about anything. Getting you to open your mouth for anything other than snarky comments is sometimes difficult.”

  I wanted to argue with his assessment but couldn’t. “Yeah, well ... .”

  He laughed again, his gregarious chuckle bouncing against the waves. “You are ... something.” His fingers were gentle as they brushed against my cheek, and my breath clogged in my throat at the way he looked at me. It was obvious what was about to happen. The outside world had ceased to exist. It was only the two of us now.

  “Do you feel that?” His eyes never moved from mine as he shifted my fingers to his wrist. I could feel the steady beat of his heart, and it seemed fast. In fact, the rhythm matched mine. “You do weird things to me,” he offered. “I haven’t been this nervous about kissing someone since I was twelve and doing it for the first time.”

  I was understandably dubious. “Twelve?”

  His grin was back, sly. “I was advanced for my age.”

  “It doesn’t count if you kiss your sister.”

  He extended a warning finger. “Just for the record, incest jokes are never funny.”

  “Good to know.” I exhaled a long breath. “I ... .” I had no idea what I was going to say. It didn’t matter. We leaned toward each other at the same moment, our lips inches apart ... and then movement to the left caught our attention and we both jerked our heads in that direction.

  We might’ve been on a date but we were trained to recognize potential danger. What we found on the beach was something else entirely.

  “Hey!” Gunner took a step away from me. He grasped what was happening before I could wrap my head around it.

  In the city it was nothing to run into muggers. It was something you simply became accustomed to. Pickpockets were one breed of criminal. Mugge
rs were another. Overt thieves were something else. I hadn’t expected to have to worry about my bag while we were in the middle of nowhere ... and I was regretting that now.

  The man who stood next to the spot where we’d discarded our shoes and coats jerked his head up in surprise. He clearly wasn’t expecting us to look in his direction. As a shifter, Gunner had superior hearing. I realized it was his reaction to the sound that caused me to look.

  The thief had my wallet open and was pulling out bills when he heard Gunner call to him. He stood there, frozen, and then he dropped the wallet and turned on his heel and booked into the night. The reaction was so comical — almost like a scene plucked from a sitcom — I had to swallow the absurd urge to laugh. Gunner had a different reaction.

  “Wait here,” he ordered, putting his head down as he broke into a run. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Gunner, wait!”

  He was already disappearing into the night before I regained my senses. While I was disappointed about losing the moment we were sharing seconds earlier I was more worried about him giving chase. If the man was desperate enough to sneak up on us given the circumstances, he might be desperate enough to go after Gunner. It wasn’t that I didn’t think he could take care of himself — especially against a non-paranormal who looked a little worse for wear — it was more that I didn’t want him to waste his time. There was very little cash in the wallet. If that man needed it so desperately, I would willingly let him have it.

  “Well, that was exciting,” a voice called out, causing me to freeze.

  When I slowly turned, I found Flint standing near the shoreline, his gaze on me. “Twice in one day,” I noted. “That’s ... convenient.” I was mostly bothered by the fact that he’d managed to sneak up on me — much like the man who took my wallet — without me noticing. Either my senses were diluted or I was allowing Gunner to get to me. I had a feeling it was the latter.

  “It’s just a lucky coincidence,” Flint called out. “We were checking out the lake access when we saw you.”

  “And you just happened to run into me in a different town?” I wasn’t much for coincidences. I also didn’t believe Flint was the sort of man who traveled alone. He wasn’t strong enough to protect himself, which meant ... . I tilted my head to the side and smirked when I felt another mind join the fray. “Mr. Frost,” I announced. “Why am I not surprised that you’re here, too?”

  A quick flutter of surprise washed over Drake before he moved into my sightline. He shuttered his emotions quickly, masking his reaction faster than most, and offered me a quirky grin. “I wasn’t sure you were aware I was here.”

  “I’m aware of more than you can imagine.” I craned my neck and looked in the direction Gunner had fled. There was no sign of him. That meant things were about to become interesting between the three of us ... and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was purposeful. What were the odds of two different factions showing up at the same time in the middle of nowhere? They couldn’t be good.

  “Did you need something specific?” I asked, slanting my chin in Drake’s direction. Flint might’ve been the one in charge, but Drake was clearly stronger.

  “What makes you think we want something?” Flint challenged. “I told you it was a coincidence.”

  “I don’t believe in coincidences. This feels just a little too ... out of the blue.”

  “Are you afraid of us?” Flint’s expression was wolfish. “You don’t have to be. We’re perfectly nice men. There’s no need to be fearful.”

  “You’ve got that wrong,” Gunner announced, detaching from the trees between the two men. Somehow he’d doubled back without making a sound. That probably meant he’d been listening in the trees, trying to get a feel for our new friends. I wasn’t particularly worried about taking them myself if it became necessary. Still, I was glad to have backup in the form of another wolf. Gunner would be able to suss out their intentions faster.

  “We’ve got what wrong?” Flint asked, his eyes moving to Gunner. There was a challenge there and it made me nervous.

  “You should be fearful of her,” Gunner replied. “There’s no way she’s fearful of you.”

  “You sound sure of yourself.”

  “You have no idea.” Gunner’s eyes landed on me. “I take it these are the friends you made this afternoon.”

  “I wouldn’t call them friends, but ... yeah.”

  “What a fortuitous meeting of the minds,” he drawled, folding his arms over his chest. “I think we have some things to discuss, gentlemen, and there’s no time like the present.”

  Five

  I was familiar with male posturing, but the testosterone fog I found myself mired in was off the charts.

  I took a moment to glance between faces and considered crossing between the men to position myself next to Gunner should a fight break out, but then realized it was a bad move. We were balanced this way. If Drake and Flint decided to attack, we could easily take them out … as long as they were alone.

  With that in mind, I shifted to study the tree line near Drake. His full attention was on me, as if he didn’t even notice Gunner, and the way he stared made me uncomfortable.

  “We’re not doing anything,” Flint announced after a few moments of silence. “Whatever you’re thinking … .” He trailed off and I didn’t miss the disapproving look Drake shot him.

  “If that were true you wouldn’t feel the need to say it,” Gunner noted. His expression was hard to read as he studied Flint. I didn’t sense he was about to strike, but I couldn’t rule it out. “I find it interesting that you ended up here of all places. I mean … this place is off the beaten track.”

  “Not so far off the beaten track,” Drake countered. “There’s a restaurant right down there.” He gestured toward the direction we’d walked from. “I hear the food is divine.”

  I didn’t comment. Odds were he knew we’d eaten there. The notion that they were simply out here to enjoy the view was laughable. Besides, this was shifter business. It made sense to defer to Gunner. He had more knowledge than I did, which was something I was loath to admit in mixed company.

  “I’m familiar with your father,” Gunner noted, his gaze returning to Flint. “I think we probably met a time or two when we were kids.”

  “Perhaps,” Flint confirmed. “What’s your name?”

  “Gunner Stratton.”

  “I know of a Graham Stratton. He’s the chief of police.”

  “He’s my father.” Gunner was calm. “We share the same name, but I go by Gunner these days.”

  “Ah.” Amusement lit Flint’s dark eyes. “Then we have met. It’s been a long time.”

  “Yup.”

  I noticed Gunner didn’t bother with the handy lie that it had been too long. That was probably for the best because nobody would believe it anyway.

  I cleared my throat to break the tension. “Well, as fun as it’s been running into you guys … again … we should probably be going.” I pinned Gunner with a pointed look. “Are you ready?”

  He looked torn, as if he believed a fight might be warranted. Ultimately, though, he nodded. “We should get our shoes. We’ll be out of your way in a moment, gentlemen.” He held out his hand. A clear message was being sent with the move and I took it without hesitation. I wanted the message sent as much as he did.

  We were halfway back to our belongings when Flint called out to us.

  “I didn’t realize you were already spoken for, witch.”

  I didn’t slow my pace, but the words ratcheted up my ire. He was trying to throw me off, make me understand that they were aware of who and what I was. Well, they were in for a surprise.

  Gunner apparently agreed.

  “She speaks for herself,” Gunner offered, never looking over his shoulder. “If you plan to test her – if that’s what this was tonight – you’ll wish you’d kept walking.”

  “Are you blaming us for this?” Drake asked. “If so, you should know that we had nothing to do with it.”<
br />
  “For your sake, I certainly hope so.”

  WE MADE THE DRIVE BACK TO the cabin in relative silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable atmosphere, but it was hardly the heightened sexual display we’d been experiencing before we were so rudely interrupted.

  “I take it you didn’t catch our friend,” I supplied as he pulled into my driveway. “He must’ve been faster than he looked.”

  Gunner quirked an eyebrow as he put his truck in park. “I probably could’ve caught him, but I sensed trouble once I followed him into the forest. I felt an overwhelming urge to check on you, and because money is replaceable and you’re not, I went with my gut.”

  It was a simple statement and yet it warmed me all over. Still, I couldn’t let him turn all alpha. “You know I can take care of myself, right?”

  He chuckled. “I have no doubt.”

  “I can take care of you, too, if necessary.”

  “I have no doubt about that either.” He hopped out of the vehicle, leaving me flummoxed. I thought it was an odd way to end a potential argument until I realized that wasn’t what he was doing. He pulled open the passenger-side door and held out his hand. “Hopefully you’ll get to where you believe we can take care of each other.”

  I remained in my seat, unsure what to do. I couldn’t remember a man ever opening a door for me. I realized now that he had tried when we reached the restaurant, but I’d been too fast for him. I really should’ve seen this coming.

  “Scout?” Laughter laced his husky voice.

  I exhaled heavily and then took his hand. “You really didn’t have to open the door for me.” I hit the ground with a thud, my chest bumping against his in the process. He didn’t back up.

  “That’s what people do on dates.”

  “I’ve never been on a date where someone opened the door for me.”

  “Oh?” He cocked his head to the side, considering. “Perhaps you’ve been going out with the wrong men.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “It’s a good thing we’re rectifying that.”

  My cheeks burned at his mocking gaze. “You know what your problem is?” I asked when I’d regained at least a modicum of moxie. “You’re far too charming. No one should be allowed to have as much charm as you.”