My body warmed with his touch. That heat moved through me as I looked at his lips. Okay, he might be right… “Okay, I’ll go to my tent. But first I want to make sure you’re okay.”
His hand moved to the back of my neck. “Come here.”
I lay down half across him, my head on his chest and his arm around me. I rested my hand on his chest again. He pressed his nose into my hair and took a deep breath.
“You make it quiet,” he sighed.
“You told me that before.” My voice was soft as I smiled to myself. “Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?”
“If you’re here, I won’t fall asleep.” He lifted my hand off his chest and pressed a kiss against the back of my knuckles.
I smiled.
Footsteps in the grass had me sitting up. Miles bent lower so I could see him, his lips were pressed together.
“Miles is out there. Isn’t he?” Zeke asked.
“Yeah.” I smiled down at him.
Zeke’s arm dropped from me. “Fuck off, Miles.”
“Zeke?” Miles frowned.
“I’m fine. She pulled me out of it for now.” Zeke squeezed my fingers before letting go. “Go to bed.”
Not thinking, I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Sweet dreams.”
I crawled out then zipped up the tent as he started shifting around on the bed. Probably taking his pants off to be comfortable. I got to my feet and moved out from under the overhang.
When I straightened, we started walking toward camp.
“What did he say?” Miles put his hands in his pockets.
“Something about its thirty-eight days away, shouldn’t have been drinking. Something is too close.” I turned to him. “What’s he talking about?”
Miles wrapped his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why did you follow us to his tent?” Please tell me he wasn’t jealous…
“When Zeke drinks a lot, he has flashbacks.” Miles met my eyes. “He’ll have a couple of beers once every few months but that’s usually it.”
“Because of the flashbacks.” They must be about his dad… Zeke’s father had been an abusive son of a bitch. He abused his family before killing Zeke’s mom and then committing suicide. Zeke had found them. He was eight.
Miles nodded. “That will probably be the only time you’ll see him drunk in at least two years.”
“Damn it, Zeke.” He didn’t have to drink for us to have fun. He could have just drank a soda… “I’m yelling at him tomorrow.”
Miles grinned. “Good.”
* * *
Blood. Pain. Terror tore through me as Clay held me down. “You’re mine.”
No, no, no! I hit him across the face but it did nothing. His hand pinned my wrists down as his other punched me over and over. The cold from the snow seeped into my back as blow after blow rained down. Desperate, I pulled on my wrists, I screamed, I tried to get away but it was no use. I was pinned under him. Then I reached for something else…
Shouting had me bolting up in my sleeping bag, my heart hammering as sweat ran down my face. Ordin. Nightmare… Fear tore through me, was he here? I took a deep shaking breath as the shouting outside grew louder. I jerked open the zipper on the tent, something jammed and the zipper wouldn’t budge. I crawled out into a nightmare. The twins and Miles were backing up away from the fire ring as something prowled toward the light. My eyes grew wide, my stomach dropped as two gold flames came into the light.
Bone. A blood covered, brown skull. Attached to something huge on four legs. Claws… teeth. My throat tightened. It… it was moving. The huge skeleton moved around the chairs.
“What’s going…?” Tara climbed out of Rory’s tent followed by Hades, and screamed.
Miles grabbed her, pulled her further away from it and covered Tara’s mouth to stop her from screaming again. “Lexie, you need to put it down.”
Hades placed himself between Tara and the skeleton, his fur up and a growl coming from him.
“Huh?” I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“Angel, that’s the skeleton of a black bear. It’s dead. You raised it. You need to tell it to go back,” Miles said in a smooth calm voice.
My teeth chattered as I looked in the eyes of what had been an animal. “Go.” My voice was barely a whisper. “G-G-Go back to your grave and rest.” The bear continued to come toward me. “I don’t know what to do, Miles.”
Hands went to my shoulders, limes filled my nose. “Breathe, Red. Deep breaths. If you freak out, it might too.”
“It’s. A. Fucking. Zombie. Bear.” I slowly shook my head. “I…”
“How long has it been up?” Miles asked, moving Tara even further away.
“Since we saw it?” Ethan made a flabbergasted sound. “Two minutes? Three?”
“It shouldn’t last much longer.” Miles said.
The energy from the bear finally hit me. It was cold. Like dipping into a freezing pool of water. But the way it moved over my skin… like electricity crackling. I was rooted to the spot, my feet unable to move.
The flames in its eyes went out. The skeleton dropped to pieces. The energy from the bear washed back into me. I gasped as I dropped to my hands and knees, my fingers digging in the dirt as I experienced a high I’d never felt before. Everything was good, happy, all the fear and sadness was gone. I was just me… I rode that energy like a wave.
Eventually, it faded away and the world came back.
“You guys are fucking psycho!” Tara shouted, the tears obvious in her voice. “How could you even help her?”
Miles’ voice was calming. “She doesn’t have a choice-”
“Bullshit! Keep that freak away from me!” Tara shouted. A car door slammed.
“At least she’ll shut up now,” Isaac murmured as he nudged the pile of bones with his shoe.
“What the fuck happened?” Zeke jogged into the campsite.
“Lexie raised a dead bear.” Miles’ voice was soothing and calm as he moved beside me.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the skull and its empty eyes.
“Beautiful, what do you remember?” Ethan knelt between me and the bones.
I looked up and blinked. “Huh?”
His hands went to my face, they were really warm… “What do you remember before this happened?”
My nightmare flashed through my mind as I wrapped my arms around myself. “Nightmare,” I whispered as I met his eyes. “I just wanted to get away.”
His filled with understanding. “Was it an Ordin one?”
My vision blurred as I nodded. Something was wrong, it was cold. The others seemed fine… why was I cold?
“What the hell is going on?” Asher ran into the camp, sweating bullets. “I heard shouting all the way across to the other campsites.”
“Notice the bones, Asher.” Isaac gestured at his feet.
“What the... Huh?” Asher was getting his breath back.
“Lexie raised a bear.” Ethan looked up at him behind me. “And she’s not talking.”
“Get out of my way.” Asher shoved Ethan away from me before he squatted down and lifted my chin so he could see my eyes. “Ally, are you cold?”
I nodded slightly.
“She’s going into shock.” Asher brushed my hair off my face. He pulled me close and lifted me off the ground. Vanilla and cinnamon surrounded me, I buried my face into his shirt. He was so warm…
“Hand her over.” Zeke reached out to take me.
“Go to hell.” Asher’s chest rumbled as he carried me away from him and to the fire. He sat down and shifted me in his lap. He let my legs hang over the arm of his camping chair as he held my face. “Come on, honey. Look at me.”
I rested my cheek against his shoulder as he tried to rub some warmth back into my arm. Something covered me, wintergreen tickled my nose.
“Knock it off.” Asher shoved the hoodie down.
“When she’s upset, she likes wearing our clothes.” Mi
les’ voice was strained as he reached out and pulled the hoodie back up. I caught it between my fingers and pulled it up to cover me.
“Isaac, what are you doing?” Ethan asked.
“I’m getting our stuff from her bag.” Isaac snapped. “She usually brings them on trips.”
“Everything burned in the fire.” Miles reminded him.
Isaac cursed.
I don’t know how long it was, but suddenly I was aware of where I was. I looked up at Miles who was standing near my feet. “How’s Tara?”
“Hades is with her,” Miles sighed. “She’s scared and she said some things I’m sure she doesn’t mean.”
I met his eyes. “Yeah, she did.”
“She’s in my truck at the moment and refusing to come out.” Miles turned to the others who were standing around Asher’s chair. Everyone clearly worried. Except Zeke, he wasn’t there.
“Sorry, guys.” My face burned as I shifted to sit up on Asher’s lap. “I don’t know what happened… I was asleep…”
“Then you had a nightmare.” Miles knelt in front of Asher. “One about Ordin?”
I nodded. “All I remember is wanting to get away and reaching for something.”
“Your ability must have reacted to your fear.” Miles’ voice was calming, making those scattered pieces in my head softer.
“I know Rory’s been burying dead mice every morning before I came downstairs.” My body felt hollow, like a pit or an empty shell.
“There was a squirrel under the hammock this morning.” Miles met my eyes. “I’m going to call Evelyn and Atticus. And see if they could help.”
I nodded. Miles got to his feet and stepped away.
Isaac took his spot.
“I should talk to Tara.” All my strength seemed to drain out of me. I leaned against Asher’s shoulder, my forehead resting against his throat.
“I’ll talk to her, Red.” Isaac reached over and touched my knee. “See if I can calm her down.”
I nodded, my eyelids getting heavier. “You might need Ethan too.”
“We’ll take care of her.” Isaac got up and went toward the parking lot.
“Where’s Zeke?” I wanted to look around but I couldn’t seem to lift my head.
“He’s getting rid of the bones.” Asher’s arms moved around me again before he got to his feet. “I’m taking you to bed, Ally girl.”
“Hmm?” I was barely aware of anything more than his arms and body heat.
We were moving. Something soft was under me. Something rustled and zipped. Strong arms moved around me, pulling me back against a hard body. “Sleep. I’ve got you.” Cinnamon and vanilla surrounded me, I slipped under.
Miles
I hung up my phone and sat staring at Lexie’s not even almost closed tent flap. It looked like Lexie broke one of the zippers in her rush to get outside. The flap was stuck halfway up the right curve of the door. Asher had taken her into her tent while we were taking care of everything else. Ethan said he thought he saw Asher’s eyes dilate or something but he wasn’t sure. He was aggressive, and angry. I started tapping my fingers on the back of my phone. Hell, it sounded more like Zeke. Something was wrong with him.
But what the hell was going on? He’d been running every morning and every night. He was still not sleeping well.
Zeke strode back into the campsite with the shovel over his shoulder. He scanned the campsite then turned back to me. “Where is she?”
“Asher put her to bed.” I made a point to keep my voice calm.
His jaw clenched and unclenched. “Where is she?”
I gestured to her tent and its closed flap.
He followed where I was looking. “And where is he?”
“In with her.” I watched him carefully as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Zeke set the shovel against a tree. “You’re worried. What’s bothering you?” He turned away from the tent and took Asher’s seat across from me.
I met his gaze. “Besides the bear?”
He leaned back in the chair. “What did Evelyn say?”
“She said help was already on the way. Apparently Astrid and Ranulf brought someone up to meet with Lexie while they help some of the displaced supernaturals from New Orleans settle in at the house.” I met his eyes. “They’ll be here in two or three days.”
“Good.” Zeke watched Lexie’s tent. “The sooner the better.”
“We were expecting it.” I’d had several conversations with her about it. But the reality…
Zeke turned back to me. “Nothing as big as a bear.”
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. I was expecting something the size of a dog maybe. “She completely froze.”
He sighed. “She has no clue how she even raised it, she wasn’t going to have any idea how to put it back.”
There was a long silence.
“Asher went after Tara.” I leaned forward.
His eyes narrowed at me. “What do you mean ‘went after?’”
“The twins said he was all but yelling at her and walking toward her.” I still couldn’t believe it. “Ethan and Isaac got between Tara and Asher. He didn’t seem to know what he was doing.”
Zeke grew still. “And Lexie is in there, right now, with him?”
I nodded.
Zeke shook his head. “They can’t have the flap closed.”
“It’s not.” I gestured over his shoulder. “Lexie broke it in her rush to get out here.”
“Good.” Zeke sighed. “What the hell is going on with him?”
“Ethan thinks his eyes were pinpointed.” It was an indication of opioid use.
Zeke shook his head. “No… Remember when he found pot in Jessica’s laundry?”
I nodded. “He yelled at her and took her car keys for a month.”
“Besides, football practice will start in a couple of weeks.” He went to rub his face but cringed.
I pulled out my small container of hand sanitizer and handed it to him.
He used just about all of it. I couldn’t blame him. “They do drug tests before every season. He’d never jeopardize that.”
“Sorry you had to deal with the bones.” I leaned back as Ethan came out of our tent in his red sweat pants.
“It’s fine.” Zeke muttered as Ethan grabbed a chair and moved it to join us.
“Are you guys talking about Asher?” Ethan asked as he sat down.
“Yeah.” Zeke continued to rub the stuff into his hands.
“How sure are you that his eyes were pinpoints?” My head really started throbbing.
“Not completely.” Ethan leaned back in his chair. “It could have been a trick of the light. But he’s off. He shoved me out of his way to get to Lexie.”
“But is it the stress of our situation or is it something else?” I couldn’t seem to think. It was probably the alcohol. Why did we drink tonight?
“Why don’t we ask him?” Ethan rubbed his eyes.
Lexie’s tent flap opened on the opposite side of the broken zipper. Asher stepped out already fuming. “Do you guys have to be so loud?” He turned and strode toward the road.
“Where are you going?” Ethan turned in his chair.
“For a run.” Asher’s back disappeared into the night.
“That’s his third run today.” I started tapping my fingers on my leg.
“Did he just leave Lexie alone in her tent?” Ethan turned back to us.
I nodded. That was more than strange. With everything going on no one really got any alone time with her. And everyone was watching everyone else when we were together.
“She already had an Ordin dream tonight.” Ethan got to his feet as he frowned at Asher’s back. “I’m crashing with her.”
I wanted to argue and say I would, but I had slept in the hammock with her already on this trip. Jealousy was a rock in my chest. Zeke clenched and unclenched his fists as Ethan went into her tent and closed the flap as much as he could.
Lexie had been right, I really hadn’
t thought much past getting the guys to agree. This was going to be harder than I thought. Crap…
“I need a fucking shower.” Zeke got to his feet and headed toward his tent leaving me to wait for Asher.
Chapter 11
August 19th
Spicy cologne filled my senses making me smile. I brushed my nose against the skin of his throat.
“Hmm…” His fingers flexed on my butt.
“Huh?” I shifted, my thigh brushing against him.
“Mmm.” His chest rumbled under my ear. His hand moved down my leg to my knee. His lips pressed into my hair. “Beautiful…”
“Beautiful isn’t here, try again at a decent hour.” I didn’t even bother opening my eyes.
“Your knee is on my junk.” His fingers tightened on my knee then let go. His rigid length was nestled under my leg against his thigh.
“Sorry.” I carefully rolled over.
“I didn’t say move.” He rolled over and wrapped his arms around me. His body pressing against the curve of my ass. He buried his face into my hair at the base of my neck.
“I didn’t want to nudge you.” I smiled to myself as I pressed back against his chest, enjoying his warmth.
“Nudge away.” He chuckled against my hair.
I smiled, waking up completely. “When did you come in?”
“After Asher got pissed at us for talking at the fire, so he went for a run.” He squeezed me one more time before rolling on his back and stretching.
“Another one?” I shifted to my other side until I was facing him.
Ethan’s shadowed eyes met mine. “Something’s wrong with him but he’s not talking to anyone.”
I ran my fingers over his shirt tight against the muscles of his chest. “I’ll try to talk to him.”
His fingers stopped mine. “Lexie, he went off on Tara.”
No way… “Asher?”
He nodded. “I had to stop him from getting too close to her.”
My heart dropped. “Are you serious? I vaguely remember him shoving you, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But he didn’t seem to know that he was getting closer to her.”
That was… insane. “Asher? As in, won’t tell a girl he’s not interested because he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, Asher?”
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