Forged by Greed (3 page)

“Are you afraid the Goddesses are going to get pissed at us? Because
we’re of the rival Races? Or because we’re both of the Royal blood of the rival
Races?”

“Yes to all.”
Her stomach gave a lurch,
and the corners of her mouth drooped. “I’m scared and I don’t even know exactly
why. The Summer Goddess is like the mother I don’t have. Maybe deep inside, I’m
worrying about what
the
Winter
Goddess would do. She’s so… I’ve
heard she’s terrifying.”

“Yeah, in fact she is. Crystal is very different
from Amber. She almost never comes to the Human World from her Realm. She just
summons us there. Your Goddess stays here, in the Human World, most of the time.
I saw her in a crowd once
. S
he
could easily pass for a human.” Jatred shrugged. “I wish Crystal was more like
your Amber.”

They locked eyes and sat motionlessly until he turned his head to
look at the street. The lights turned green, and Jatred moved his foot from the
brake pedal to gas.
 
The truck rumbled
and lurched forward. Jatred reached up and turned the music off.

“We will get through this—
”

“How? J, we can’t even tell my grandma or your uncle. We have to
hide. It’s insane,” she interrupted, exasperated.

Jatred chewed on his lower lip, frowning. Jasmira shook her head,
lost for words. They drove in silence for a few minutes.

“Should we join my friends? They are at Shilshole Bay beach today.”
Jatred’s eyes flickered to Jasmira.

“Do they know about us?” She turned her head to face him.

“They will if we meet up with them today.” He smiled. “Say ‘yes’.”

Jasmira’s lips twitched as she tried not to laugh.

“Is that a ‘
yes
’?” Jatred
asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Mhm. But if they’re mean to me you’ll have to tell them to behave.”

“They won’t be mean to you. They’re really cool. You know all of
them from school anyway.”

“Just barely. It’s a small school but you know, Winter and Summer
kids don’t usually hang out together. I know Bogdan and Lusia a bit, but I
never talked to the blond quarterback guy and his sister.”
 

“That’s Erik and Georgeta Johansson. They are awesome, trust me.”

“They won’t like me, J.
 
You
will see. And then I’ll say ‘I told you’.” Jasmira pouted.

Jatred laughed and chucked her under her chin. “Yes, they will.”

      
***

“Is he crazy?” Lusia’s eyes widened in horror. “She’s the Summer
Princess.
The
Summer Princess.” Lusia
bobbed her head as to emphasize her words. A small diamond earring shone in her
nose and multiple small hoops adorned her ear lobes. There was a large tattoo
of a running wolf on front of her right thigh and another—of snowflakes—around
her ankle.

Bogdan raised one eyebrow but didn’t comment, only nodded in assent.
Absentmindedly, he dug a hole in the sand, his eyes on the crowd playing in the
water. In the distance, Jatred and Jasmira splashed each other, laughing.
Jasmira squealed in delight when Jatred picked her up. He lowered her and
kissed her on the lips. She grabbed onto his neck and deepened the kiss.

“Hello,
anybody
?” Lusia
sounded frustrated. She punched Bogdan on the arm and glared at Georgeta.

“Hmm? What?” Georgeta looked up from her Kindle, a half-smile on her
lips. She pulled earplugs out from her ears.

“What’s with the earplugs?” asked Bogdan.

“I can’t find my iPod. I think Erik took it.
Again.
Someone’s playing country music and I’m not in a mood for
it.”

“That’s like at the other side of town. I can hardly hear it. Your
Shifter’s senses are running on overdrive.” Bogdan snorted.

“No, it’s only a mile or so away. Are you going deaf?” Georgeta
rebuked him.

“Argh. Enough with country music already. Didn’t you hear what I
just said about Jatred?” asked Lusia, exasperated.

“No, sorry. I think you had your mental guards up.” Georgeta looked
from Lusia to Bogdan. “What’s up?”

“Yep, you did, Lusia.” Bogdan leaned back to rest on his elbows.

Lusia motioned with her chin toward Jasmira and Jatred, who were
trying to push each other’s head under the water.

“I don’t know. I hope this is just a little fling, that’s all.”
Georgeta shrugged, her eyes back on the Kindle. “We need to move the blankets
more into the shade. The sun is creeping out from behind that tree, and I’m
getting way too hot. Maybe we should go to Ray's Boathouse for lunch?”

“Lusia, relax. Georgeta’s right—this might not last past next week.”
Bogdan looked from his girlfriend to Jatred and Jasmira, who now were
passionately kissing in the water.

“You think?” Lusia motioned at the couple with her hand. “He’s our Race’s
Prince. The Goddess will freak out.”

“Which Goddess are you discussing this time, people? Amber or
Crystal?” Erik asked, his tall frame casting a large shadow on the sand and the
blanket. He wore only shorts, a pale-green, washed-out t-shirt half-stuffed in
his back pocket. In his muscular arms he held a large paper bag filled with ice
cream bars.

“Both Goddesses, isn’t that obvious?”

“Lusia, Jatred’s a big boy. He can take care of himself; stop
worrying about everybody,” said Bogdan, caressing Lusia’s shoulder.

“Okay, he’s a big boy. We’ll see.” Lusia exhaled loudly. “Maybe we
should tell your parents, Bogdan? Winter and Summer people don’t date. Period.”

“Nah. Let go, Lusia.” Erik made a face and shook his head. “No need
to report to anyone.”

“Oh, you got ice cream. Did you get my favorite?” Georgeta clapped
her hands, looking at Erik, a big grin on her face. She stood up and took the
bag from him.

Erik sat down with a groan.

“What?” Georgeta fixed him with a look.

“Nothing, just my knee.”

“Maybe you should be at least somewhat careful when you show off on
your skateboard,” Georgeta murmured, searching the bag. “You got root-beer
flavor for me. Thank you.”

She patted Erik on the head, grinning.
 

                                                
                 
CHAPTER 3

Human World, August 1,
morning.

A very tall, slim woman was
crossing the street on the corner of 4th Avenue and Pine Street. To an average
person she looked about twenty-five. The late morning traffic was still heavy.
Several cars waited for the light to change. A tanned young man in a red
convertible honked and whistled loudly. “A goddess! I see a goddess! Baby, you
need a ride?”

She didn’t slow down but
smiled fondly at the man. Her long legs moved fast in the black Jimmy Choo
stilettos. A shimmering-gold Gucci mini dress elegantly outlined her body. She
carried a small clutch; large Armani sunglasses shaded her eyes and a part of
her face. Her movements were fluid, like those of a cat. She was Amber, the
Summer Goddess.

You have no idea how right you are
, she
thought.
 
Today her sunflower-blonde hair
was sleek and came down right above her shoulders. She hopped onto the sidewalk
and strode straight for a coffee house on the corner. The sign above the
entrance said “SUNRISE COFFEE”. There was a rising sun painted above the
letters.

Amber pushed the door and went
inside. The strong, pleasant smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her nostrils.
The sun was on the other side of the building, so the place was still cool but
already bright. The interior was tastefully arranged—there was no mismatched,
scuffed furniture, no weird posters on the walls, and no bicycles hanging from
the ceiling.

“Hello, Amber ,” said a
middle-aged man behind the counter. A large, sincere smile deepened the long
wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. “The usual?”

“Yes.” She sat down at one of
the window tables, crossing her legs. “How is your morning so far?”

“Can’t complain. It’s gonna
get busy soon.” He raised his voice over the loud espresso machine, “The place
always fills up with high school kids… and with all those gadgets they carry
with them these days. I rarely see any of them bringing a book anymore,” he
grumbled.

Amber nodded, smiling.

“That reminds me.” She opened
her Dolce and Gabbana clutch and took out a cell phone to send a quick text
message. “I’m meeting a friend here. I should check my emails before he
arrives.” She looked at the small screen and tapped it a few times with her sparkling-blue
fingernail.

 
A few customers had arrived and placed their
orders. Amber sat by the window, watching the traffic of cars and pedestrians
moving by. Her thoughts drifted to prehistoric times, some four hundred
thousand years earlier. She thought about her
leopards running free through the woods, chasing their prey in the
full-moon light. Since then, the two-natured had evolved so much that there was
little left in them from their ancestors.

Amber smiled to herself as she
marveled how they had learned to control their bodies and minds. They had also
acquired the skill to resist an urge to hunt and kill, until it had disappeared
completely. They had adapted to the low temperatures. Now they could live in
most of the places in the world, unlike their forefathers. The skill of
mind-communication had been greatly improved too. The Shifters lived among
humans, fully adjusted and comfortable.

She let them be free and
independent. Her Shifters loved, trusted, and respected her, and Amber knew all
of them. Many lived close to her, in Seattle, where she had one of her
favorite, of her numerous, Human World residences. Others lived wherever they
preferred: some in South America, some in Europe, Asia, or Africa.

Amber sighed and took a sip of
the hot, creamy liquid, marveling at the smoothness of its texture and the rich
flavor. She thought about Jasmira, and her eyebrows drew together.
Is she the right one?
                                 

CHAPTER 4

Human World, August 1.

A heavy rain drummed on the cabin roof. Jasmira sat by the window,
looking out at Hood Canal. One lonely sailboat bobbed on the water surface. The
Cascade Mountains stood in the background, their tops capped with snow. Jasmira
sighed and propped her elbows on the back of a sofa, resting her chin in her
hands. The door opened, and Jatred walked in, his hair and clothes soaking wet.

“Hey! Did you enjoy your run? I left a towel for you there.” She
pointed at the coat rack next to the door. “You’re drenched.”

Jatred took the towel and, kicking his running shoes off, dried his
face and hair.

“It was great. Too bad I couldn’t shift. Too many humans around. They
would freak out and shoot me or something.”

“They
would
freak out. I
can only imagine the headlines in the local paper. And since you guys don’t
look like the regular wolves, all impossibly huge and all, it would be a double
sensation.”