Dangerous Lovers (29 page)

“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.