“You did really good, kid…you trusted your instincts. You knew there was something wrong and didn’t stop until you found it.” He patted her shoulder, bringing her out of her train of thought.
Win didn’t want to say she was following what Grayson had told her to do. He trudged up the porch steps, clutching the box under his arm. He turned and held out his hand, which she took, waves of exhaustion ebbing over her. He led her up the steps and back into the house and out of the rain.
The rain blew over, turning the yard into a muddy bog as night crawled in. Win ate pizza with her family, pulling her knees tightly up to her chest, huddling next to her father when Evan suggested a board game. The lamps cast a warm yellow glow across the living room, the coffee table cleared of yesterday’s newspapers and used mugs as Rowan and Evan set out the ancient, faded scrabble board.
“Come on, Win,” Rowan chided her when she tried to sneak off stealthily. Win didn’t like games at the best of times, and right now, her brain felt scrambled and her body depleted.
“Let her go, Rowan. She is probably exhausted.” Evan nudged the older redhead when she made a disappointed face.
Ben caught Win’s arm before she could duck upstairs to escape the forced family fun. “Get some sleep,” he said, pulling her in for a tight hug, but gently she pushed away, the creeping sensation of suffocation too much to stand. He narrowed his eyes when she folded her arms across her chest, her expression downcast and sullen.
The truth was she was hurt and drained. And right now, she couldn’t take another moment of her family. It didn’t help that Evan kept looking at her as though she were expecting Win to grow fangs and leap across the table at them. Her close observation made her skin prickle. Win gave her father a chaste kiss on his face before darting up the stairs to the safety of the darkened landing. Wandering the corridor, she passed her grandfather’s room, the door slightly ajar. Peeking through the gap, she saw the lamp was still on. He was asleep sitting up in bed, his hair tousled over the pillows. His book was upturned on his chest.
Win crept across the room; her feet light as she made to reach for the book before it would inevitably tumble to the floor and lose his page. She switched off his lamp, hearing him snort, a deep animalistic growl erupting from his chest. Jarring in surprise, Win crept back out of the room and closed the door.
The veil between her grandfather and the wolf was blurring. She realized the wolf was taking hold, stamping its meaty paws on everything John Hickory was, and eventually, it would win. What was it keeping the two apart? And when would the wolf take over?
Sinking onto the edge of her bed, Win deflated her heart and gut-wrenching. Her eyes flicked up for a moment, catching a tiny glimpse of movement at the window. She ran to the window and yanked it upward, rainwater flying in and making a puddle at her feet. Grayson sat perilously on the ledge outside, his boots dangling over the low-hanging roof. Silently, Win caught his arm and dragged him inside, making a gesture for him to be quiet. Careful not to slip, he stepped inside, his back pressed up against the frame. Win stood on tiptoe, pulling his mask down. Taking hold of his hood, she yanked him forward, so their mouths met in a hard, bruising kiss. Grayson barely had time to react; she curled her arms around his neck, her kiss possessive and urgent. He was wet and cold, but her skin burned, his mouth hot on hers. Her hands greedily snuck under his coat, coiling up his back, hands seeking out the contours of his shoulder blades.
He panted and pulled back, taking a breath. “I came to see if you were alright….”
She kissed him again, he responded fiercely, his hands roaming her waist, hips, and sneaking up the front of her shirt. Fire scorched through her, a jolt of need, a deep ache exploding inside her as he danced his hands up her back.
Gently, he peeled her off him; she sank back down onto the flat of her feet. “Win, no. Not here.”
“Then take me away,” she begged, a sob in her voice. “Please. Can’t we run away?”
He smiled. “You can’t leave here. Not now. It’s too dangerous for you.”
“I don’t want to be here. I won’t stay here and watch him die.” She broke and sobbed into his chest. He curled his arms around her.
“If you leave here, you might not survive your calling,” he pleaded with her.
Win was hot, her skin prickling with friction. Her lips bruised from their kiss, she rested against him, trying to catch her breath. Tears escaped and scalded her cheeks as they ran, knowing she had to uphold her end of the bargain. Her promise to her family.
“Then I can’t see you anymore.” She wiped her eyes. “My family knows about you now, and they don’t trust you. If I stay here, we can’t see each other.”
Her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind. You never asked the questions. Had she really been so blind? Sighing, she admitted her wrongdoing, her wilful stubbornness. The truth was, she hadn’t wanted to know. She’d trusted him without hesitation. He’d saved her life more than once, he was gentle and kind, and for her, that had been enough. But she looked up at him through her lashes, her mouth going dry. “My family don’t trust you. But I do—you wouldn’t hurt me, would you?”
The color drained from Grayson’s face. “What? Of course I wouldn’t!”
Win swallowed, her nerves ramping up. “Tell me there’s no reason…not to trust you.”
A moment passed, his throat bobbing, a flicker of something in his eyes, and for one endless second her stomach plummeted. But then he shook his head. “You can trust me, Win.”
Win exhaled in relief and flung her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry!”
His shoulders tightened as he eased her away, his usual passive expression dropping. He looked crushed. She lifted her face to his, his pale eyes shining in the dark of her bedroom, ethereal and unnatural. “You know I had no choice. When you passed out, I had to bring you back home. I wasn’t about to leave you in the woods.”
“I know that.”
“What happened to you anyway?” he asked, eyes narrowing in concern. “Are you changing?”
“I don’t know. No one seems to know anything, apart from my sister’s new girlfriend, who conveniently seems to know everything about me. And us. My body isn’t reacting very well to stress, is the best guess. It’s causing my change to accelerate.”
“And meanwhile…your grandpa’s time is coming to an end?”
“Whatever strength or energy keeps the two entities apart is getting weaker. When he dies, he’ll become the wolf. He’s getting weaker, and I’m….”
“Getting stronger,” he finished for her through gritted teeth. “And our secret, not-so-secret relationship isn’t helping.”
Win sniffed, smiling. “Did you call it a relationship?” she teased.
He flushed and looked away, a streak of red crossing the bridge of his nose. When he looked back down at her, his eyes shone.
“You must know how I feel about you.” He stroked her hair. “From the minute I first saw you in the woods, I’ve wanted you.”
Win shivered, pressing the length of her body against him, feeling him tense at her touch. “I wish we could be alone.”
“I do too,” he admitted. “But not right now, it’s too dangerous…besides, how do you know I’d let you come back? I might keep you.”
She smiled, excitement bursting inside her. “I’d be okay with that.”
He deftly changed the subject. “Why don’t you like your sister’s girlfriend?”
“I don’t not like her. She seems to have shown up…right when we needed her. I don’t know if I trust her, that’s all.”
“Maybe she is here to help,” he tried to assure her while she curled a long tendril of his hair around her finger. He was trying to pretend she wasn’t getting under his skin, but Win could hear his heart beating frantically, the temperature of his body increasing in increments.
Win didn’t think she would be able to wait. Who knew how long it would be before she could see
him again? She knew one thing, she was meant for him. He was imprinted on her like a tattoo, like ink permanently etched into her skin. Her eyes blurred with tears again, trying to wipe them away before they fell. “Grayson… you better go. This is torture.”
“You know I’ll never be far away…if you need me.”
“I know.” She ducked her head, so he couldn’t see her crumpling face. “But I need you all the time.”
“You don’t.” He laughed softly. “That’s the thing. You are stronger than you know.”
“So everyone keeps saying, but it never makes me feel any better.”
He turned and hooked one leg over the window ledge, but Win caught him around the neck, raining kisses over his face, his chin, his mouth. He kissed her back hungrily. Gasping, they pulled apart, only because he had gently pushed her away.
“I can’t not see you,” she wailed, burying her face in his hood, hooking her arms around his neck, coiling about him like a snake.
“Let’s give it some time.” He kissed the side of her face, his lips grazing her temple. “Until things have settled with your grandpa.”
“I don’t know how long that will be,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I can keep away.”
“You won’t find me, Win.” He pulled up his hood, pushing his mask back into place. “I’ve spent most of my life staying hidden. You won’t find me if I don’t want you to.”
Her eyes misted. “Don’t,” he said as he touched her cheek with his gloved fingers. “You know that’s not what I meant. I always want you to find me. Did you think it was a coincidence we happened to bump into each other in the woods? I was waiting for you.”
Win sagged, letting his hand drop away.
He gave her a wink. “See you around, wild cat.”
Cold snaking around her, she watched as he carefully lowered himself to the ground, his boots sloshing over mud as he dashed through the rain across the yard.
Win yanked the window down, shivering, teeth chattering as she grabbed a gown and sat on her bed. God, she wished she could have escaped with him. She crawled back in bed, staring at the door, wondering how long she could keep her eyes open before she eventually fell asleep.
Fourteen
“EASY, EASY…INTO the curb.” Ben’s voice rose in pitch as Win guided the old truck into the sidewalk, the stone skidding uncomfortably against the rubber tires. “Careful!”
Win stamped on the brake, and the truck shook, jolting them both into the air. It was humid, the storm having passed across the town, Win’s thighs stuck to the leather seats.
Ben breathed a sigh of relief when she switched off the engine and gave his child a cagey smile. Win bit her lip and grinned. “I’m getting better,” she offered.
Ben snorted. “Hmm, some,” he teased. “But you’ll need two new front tires by the time you go back to school. Where exactly are you meeting Ella?”
“At Milly's,” Win answered, referring to the new shake bar, which opened before the summer break. It had been popular with the school crowd, and she and Ella had enjoyed many varieties of shake since it had opened.
“And she’ll drive you home?”
“Yes, I guess. Or I can walk?”
Ben shook his head firmly. “No way. Not after everything that’s been going on. Call me, and either Rowan or I will come get you. Evan has offered to help out too.”
Win found herself scowling at the girl’s name; it was too late to pull it back. Ben frowned. “You don’t like her?”
“No, I like her.” Win sank back in her seat awkwardly. “She’s really nice, and I love that Rowan is happy.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “But?”
Win lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “I don’t know. It’s a feeling. She knows about us…she knows more than I’m comfortable with. And Rowan was with Spencer for five years, Dad.”
Ben laughed. “So you think she ought to have some time being single?”
“I don’t want her to be alone. But she has jumped from one relationship into another one. And she’s staying over! Spencer never did.”
“Thank god! He’d have probably killed you all in your sleep.”
Win had to admit a laugh. Ben gave her a heavy pat on the shoulder. “Trust your sister. She’s an adult; she knows what she’s doing.”
And I don’t you mean, Win felt marginally stung. Still, she plowed on. “So you’d be okay with any of my prospective boyfriends staying over in the near future?”
Ben pursed his lips, glowering at her, even though she was clearly teasing. “Don’t push it, Winifred.” Win threw her hands in the air, pouting.
“So you’d have a problem? Typical! Rowan can have her girlfriend for sleepovers, but I couldn’t have a boy over?”
“In your bed? No! There’s a very real difference, Win. Evan doesn’t own any equipment capable of getting Rowan pregnant.”
Win snorted with laughter, gleefully aware of her father squirming in his seat. “What do you think they do in their room? Play scrabble?”
Ben lifted his hands in defeat, his cheeks flaming. “Jesus, Win, get out of here!”
Laughing, she threw open the truck door. She slammed it shut, waving as he took off down the street, clearly vexed and uncomfortable. She breathed in the warm air, slightly cooled by the storms, her teasing mood evaporating as she saw the swinging pink and blue sign for the shake bar in the distance. Ella was probably waiting inside; her curse was to be early for everything, while Win usually ran in last minute. When Win had received the text inviting her out, her stomach had coiled at the possibility of confrontation. She didn’t want to be mad at Ella; she didn’t want anyone to be mad at her. Win only wanted to understand. She’d missed this huge event in Ella’s life and didn’t understand how she didn’t spot it sooner.
The bell rang above the door as she pushed it open with the flat of her palm, greeted by wafts of sugar and cinnamon. Predictably, Ella was sat in the window booth, her hands folded around an Oreo cookie shake, her favorite. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she was wearing a pretty white sundress. Win smiled at her as they locked eyes, noticing how her friend did appear changed. Her skin was tanned and rosy, her eyes gleaming, but her mouth was downturned, chewing on her lower lip. She looked apprehensive as Win meandered through the blue and pink booths toward her. Ella had a pile of books next to her on the table; she shuffled them out of the way as a waitress approached, putting another shake on the table where Win was about to sit.
“I got you a Reese’s, your favorite.” Ella stood as she got nearer. Her lower lip trembled, her eyes brimming. “I’m so sorry, Win!”
Win threw her arms around Ella’s neck and hugged her tightly. “You don’t have to apologize to me!”
“I do,” Ella sniffed, pulling out of her embrace. “I wanted to tell you so many times…but...”
Win slipped into the booth opposite her, letting her palms settle on the cool plastic tabletop. She smiled. “This is my fault, Ella. I know I’ve been difficult to be around. Bad-tempered? I want to know.”
Ella shrank back slightly. “Maybe…I wouldn’t say bad-tempered. Maybe pushy? Independent? We love you. You know that, right? This has been….” She looked like the words might catch, her eyes welled up again. “The best summer! I’ve been so happy. The thought I’ve upset you—”
“You haven’t!” Win insisted, twirling the straw of her shake around in thick, fluffy cream. “Listen—when I saw you both. It was a shock. I’m not going to lie. I was hurt, more than anything, with how you didn’t tell me.”
“I know.” Ella’s cheeks flushed pink. “I wanted to. But it was so exciting to have this secret. And when we got word, Spencer was being released, and Luke was getting emancipated, things got complicated. Especially if you add in Rosene.” Ella seemed to deflate, and Win could hear the low beat of her heart, how her insides seemed to crumple.
Win frowned in concern. “What’s going on with
her? They aren’t back together?”
“No.” Ella’s eyes welled up again with fresh tears. Hurriedly she wiped one away before it ruined her makeup, taking a moment to slurp up some of her shake. “At least I don’t think so.”
Win slumped, confused, sensing Ella’s sorrow. “Oh…but he’s sleeping with you? Surely you aren’t okay with that?”
Ella looked uncomfortable, shifting in her seat. “He hasn’t really said anything…like we aren’t officially dating or anything. I know he has met up with her a couple of times since she’s been home. He was asking Mr. Trent for advice.”
“Ah.” Win tried to wave it off like, of course, it was a perfectly reasonable explanation. But it didn’t sit well. “But …”
“Honestly, Win, it's fine. I’m positive they are just friends. It would be nice to know how he feels, though. This hasn’t ever happened to me before.”
Ella looked uneasy; it made Win feel uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to question her friend too hard after their fight, but it was a feeling, itching under the surface of Ella’s skin.
She’s worried he is using her…to pass the time. Until we go back to school, then he’ll go back to his old ways…the old Luke.
Ella was besotted with him. It was written all over her face; Luke knew it too. Win changed the subject. “So, I guess he’ll be looking for a place nearby?”
“Yeah, he’ll have to take more shifts at the bar to pay for it.” Ella looked relieved they’d moved off the topic of Luke’s sloppy morals. “He’ll turn eighteen in November. I only hope he gets a basketball scholarship— you know his grades are terrible.”
“But you could help him. You’re the smartest person I know.”
“It’s a mess, Win,” Ella moaned, tension leaving her body. “I don’t want him to leave.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “I’m so confused about everything.”
Win rubbed her eyes, fighting off a tension headache. “I’m sure they are friends, Ella, and nothing more. She made him miserable!”
Wild Spirit: Huntress Page 15
