by Amanda Perry
Todd didn't stick around to hear what the Beta had to say for himself. Instead, Remy watched as he strolled in her direction. She hid once again, not wanting to attract attention to herself while she waited on her brother. He walked right up to her while whistling a lively tune.
She snorted and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Good lookin’ out, little brother.”
“Get off me, you stink,” Todd teased, pushing Remy lightly.
As the two siblings walked away from the smelly scene, they heard the Beta bear hollering behind them. “What the fuck is wrong with that family?”
9
Remy
Once again, Remy found herself lying low in her house, not daring to venture outside. With Bruce on the prowl, a chance encounter was the last thing Remy needed. Her death by a bear was imminent. She should just open the door and meet her demise head on, but she wasn’t that brave. Like a coward, she hid out. More from guilt than from terror. She felt bad about the day before. When she ran for help, she never envisioned the night ending up with the cranky bear bearing the brunt of a stinky skunk attack and a ball bashing from her baby brother. Granted, if Todd hadn’t interceded on her behalf, Remy probably would’ve flown out from her hiding place and attacked Bruce herself. After all, a woman needed to stand up for herself but that was beside the point. She hadn’t needed to, and she shouldn’t feel so guilty for the actions of others when she was trying to help. No malicious intent existed on her part, so she didn’t understand why she felt just the tiniest bit to blame.
With a sigh, she pushed her unsettling thoughts away and grabbed the cleaning supplies from the closet. Maybe concentrating on such a mundane task as scrubbing the cabin from top to bottom would help keep her thoughts off her impending doom. If the bear didn’t get to her soon, she was sure the Alpha would come knocking, or perhaps the skunk family out for revenge from her misguided rescue.
The cabin had only been lived in for less than two weeks, which meant cleaning didn’t take much time. An hour after beginning her task, she moved around the kitchen, broom in hand, dancing to the music booming from her portable speaker. Shaking her hips, she swept the last of the almost non-existent dirt into a dustpan, shaking it off into the trash can before replacing it and the broom back in the small utility closet attached to the kitchen.
Still swaying from side to side, she sang along with the music as she contemplated the spotless surfaces of the kitchen and living room. She was out of distractions. At this rate, if she didn’t find something to do, she’d be climbing the walls by mid-day. Her dad was at the pack house meeting with the security team. After that, he had a lunch meeting with the Alpha. Her brother disappeared shortly after waking up. He’d mumbled something about a youth center in town filled with hot chicks. With his absence, she couldn’t pass the time torturing him.
Dejectedly, she moved into the living room, fully intending to binge watch a few horror movies. It would take her a while to compile a list of movies she hadn’t gotten around to watching the week before. She spent the better part of that horrid week avoiding anything that may have made her already crazy emotional state even worse. She wasn’t happy in the least, so comedy was out. Romance and drama were big no-no’s, as they brought on the dreaded waterworks. Action and crime only made her want to hit something or someone. Horror was the only genre that sufficed, the only companion she could tolerate which suited her fine. It was her favorite type of movie after all.
Remy dove into an extensive search of her Netflix account while continuing her one-woman concert in the living room. The majority of shows listed under the horror category she'd already watched, but she was sure there were a few good ones buried deep. While engrossed in her hunt for a good scare, she suddenly startled as movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head towards the large, curtain-covered windows in the living room. A shadowy figure was hunched over, trying to peer through the window.
Alarmed, Remy’s skin prickled with goosebumps. She searched about the room frantically, trying to find a weapon. The fireplace poker seemed to be her go-to as of late and today was no different. She tried to act casual, as if she hadn’t seen the intruder in case he could see in. She walked slowly towards the fireplace and subtly plucked the poker from its stand. Holding it down by her side, she walked across the room, over to the front door and waited. One hand on the doorknob, the other wound tightly around the fireplace poker, she caught herself holding her breath in anticipation. As the shadow moved away from the window, she flung the front door open and charged at the intruder with a loud war cry. The person on the porch gasped in shock, stumbling backward. Remy watched, partly in amusement and partly in dread as a familiar faced man stumbled backward down her front steps, knocked his head into the stair rail, and landed in a heap on the pavers.
“Holy crap, I didn’t mean to almost kill you!” Remy thundered down the steps, poker still in hand.
The handsome face of the man from the market blinked up at her while pressing a hand to his forehead. Even while injured and shocked, the man’s blue eyes twinkled and Remy blushed, recalling the feel of his firm bottom under her hand. “Do you answer the door like that for everyone?”
Remy reeled back defensively. “What the hell are you doing snooping around my house?”
“I knocked twice,” he shrugged, wincing when his hand moved on his forehead. “I heard loud music, so I assumed someone was in there.”
"Shit," Remy sighed, watching a line of blood drip down the side of hot, twinkle-eyed butt wallet guy’s face. “Come inside; let me clean you up.”
She started to reach for him to help him off the ground, but he ducked away. She frowned in confusion for a second before realizing she still had the poker in her hand and had he not ducked, he’d have a much bigger pain in his head. “Oops, my bad.”
He snorted as he hefted himself off the ground. Remy led the way back into her house, dropping the poker into place on its stand. “I didn’t catch your name, by the way.” She glanced behind to be sure he still followed while she made her way into the bathroom.
“Elijah,” he muttered, glancing around the house.
“In case you forgot, I’m Remy.” She rummaged through the bottom drawer in the bathroom and found the first aid kit her dad always kept on hand. “Sorry about your head.”
“I’ve had worse.” He removed his hand when she gestured for him to do so and sat on the edge of the bathtub, remaining still as she cleaned him up with a large, damp cloth. “Though, if it means I get such a nice view again, I’ll gladly let you push me down more stairs.”
Remy frowned down at him, unsure what he meant at first. Her gaze followed his directly to her chest and she growled. “You’re a pervert!”
Elijah chuckled, shaking his head at her. “I’m not, I swear. But you can’t just set a hot girl in front of a guy and place her chest in his line of sight and expect him to close his eyes.”
“A gentleman would look away,” she countered, reaching for the band-aid to place over his freshly cleaned wound.
“I’m not a gentleman.” Elijah wiggled his eyebrows up and down, shooting Remy a devilish smirk.
Remy thought about telling him off, but as she picked up the band-aid from the counter, she got a much better idea. Instead of the plain flesh colored one, she would use the one she’d bought her brother as a prank; poop emoji band-aids were for shitheads after all. Placing it on him, she smiled innocently. “You’re all set.”
10
Elijah
Elijah sat up straighter, ready to have a real conversation with the human girl who had his attention. Ever since running into her at the store, he couldn’t get her off his mind. There was something about her that called to him. Maybe it was the mischievous look in her eyes or the easy way she smiled. Whatever it was, it was playing havoc with his emotions. He’d come over to her house to ask her out on a date, hoping to spend more time with her. He hadn’t expected her to attack him with a fireplace p
oker and he certainly hadn’t planned on getting caught up in the nice view she’d presented him unknowingly. He’d sat there, fighting the issue hardening in his pants. He ached to reach out and touch her, explore every inch of her exposed skin with his fingers, then his tongue. Rattled by how much control it took to keep his hands still, he played off his shakiness with a crude comment. Better she thought of him as a harmless flirt than a creepy pervert. If she knew how much she affected him, she’d probably whack him a few more times with the poker for good measure.
Just as Remy deemed Elijah ready to go, a wave of pure lust hit him like a ton of bricks. His semi-erect state rose to full attention, straining hard against his jeans. Luckily, Remy was busy putting away the first aid kit, so she didn’t notice his fight for control. Breathing deep, he realized the strongest of the lustful feelings were not his own. They came from Reid. He hated that he could pick up all intense emotions from his bond mates. It’d come in handy if they were ever truly in trouble, but in times like these, they were a real pain in his ass and his dick.
He shook himself, glancing over at Remy as he stood up. Her gaze was zeroed in on his crotch and he cursed Reid in every language he could think of for putting him in such a position. Remy took a tentative step away from him and her cheeks darkened slightly.
Elijah held up a hand, halting her retreat. “Wait, that’s because of Reid, not you.”
Remy’s eyes shot to his and widened to saucers. “Oh.”
“No,” he cringed, shaking his head frantically. “Not for him, it’s because of him. It’s not… Fuck!” Before he could make a bigger ass of himself, Elijah made a hasty escape, leaving Remy gaping in her bathroom.
Elijah stormed home quickly, slamming through the front door. He didn’t stop to explain himself to the suddenly frightened housekeepers milling about. Eli was generally a calm and happy guy despite his appearance of a hard ass. Most automatically assumed him to be an asshole, but after a few weeks of living in the pack house, the members were becoming well aware of his contradicting appearance and personality. The staff working today watched his every move as he stomped down the hallway to Reid’s office. They were likely wondering if he’d finally snapped. As he reached for the door handle, ready to tear Reid a new one, it swung open and the human council leader, Clive, stepped out of Reid's office. "I'll give you a call as soon as they send me the email," Clive called over his shoulder, oblivious to Elijah's presence.
Elijah stepped back, allowing Clive room as he turned around to exit the office. The human’s eyes widened after landing on Elijah. The Fae knew he looked pissed off, but he tried to school his features so as not to frighten the human.
Clive’s eyes darted from Elijah’s eyes to the band-aid on his forehead. He frowned slightly. “Hey, we haven’t met yet. I’m Clive Stevens.” He stuck his hand out.
Elijah placed his hand into the human’s politely. “Elijah Thornhill.”
When Clive didn’t say anything more, Elijah made a move to step around him, assuming their short encounter was finished. Clive clearly had other plans when he spoke again. “Do you know my daughter?”
The question took Elijah off guard, but he had no reason to lie to the man. He turned his head again, facing Clive. “We’ve met a few times.”
"I see." Clive nodded as if confirming something to himself. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you and I’m sorry for Remy. Her temper can be… Well anyway, have a nice day.” Clive’s eyes darted once more to Elijah’s forehead before he strolled away with a wide smirk.
Shaking off the oddness of the conversation, Elijah focused his temper back where it belonged. He pushed the office door open further and stormed inside. Reid had his head down on his desk, his fingers rubbing at his temples. He didn’t bother looking up at Elijah as he spoke. “Not now, Eli. I have a killer headache coming on.”
“Yeah, well that fucking headache is going to be the least of your worries when I’m finished with you,” Elijah growled threateningly.
Reid finally looked up at his Fae bond mate, his eyes going straight to Elijah’s forehead. “What’s your problem, shithead?” Elijah paused, steps away from the desk. He had been ready to mangle the son of a bitch for embarrassing him, but the look in Reid’s eyes stopped him. He sighed heavily, dropping into one of the chairs in front of Reid’s desk. “You’re my problem. You and your uncontrollable dick. What the fuck, man? I was in the middle of trying to ask a woman out and your inability to control your prick had me springing up a woody right in front of her.”
Reid blinked once. Then twice. He looked over Elijah for a long second and finally couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer. “Holy shit, really?”
“Yeah, really! You’re an asshole, you know that?” Elijah pouted slightly. “I didn’t even get the damned date or her phone number. I ran out of that place like my fucking boxers were on fire.”
Reid dissolved into hysterics, unable to respond to Elijah.
The Fae rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, impatiently waiting for Reid to calm down. The office door swinging further open interrupted Elijah's pouting, and he turned in time to see Noah strolling into the room. He glanced from Reid to Elijah. His eyes searched over Elijah's face before he grinned devilishly. "Hey, shithead, what's Reid's problem?"
“He’s a grade A douchebag, that’s what his problem is. And why do you fuckers keep calling me a shithead?”
At Elijah’s question, Reid’s laughter got to the point where he couldn’t breathe, and he began to turn bright red. Noah snorted, attempting to cover his own laughter. “You haven’t looked in a mirror lately, have you?”
Elijah frowned deeply, not understanding the sudden change of subject. He searched around the room, finding a decorative mirror hanging above the fireplace. He jumped up from his chair and rushed to the mirror. His eyes shot directly to the band-aid Remy had placed on his cut. The small plaster was decorated with a dozen or so tiny piles of shit with smiling faces and wide eyes. Elijah narrowed his eyes, tearing the band-aid off quickly. “That little imp.”
He left the office and his two asshole friends to their laughter. Elijah spent the rest of his evening devising plan after plan to get Remy back for her little prank.
11
Remy
“You both need to get out of here and go meet some locals. I’ve made arrangements for you both to volunteer at the community center.” Remy’s dad looked at both of them, never breaking eye contact.
“Aw, Dad. Do I have to?” The whine from her brother was loud and distinctive. Remy, on the other hand, looked forward to meeting some new faces.
“Yes, Todd. You don’t have a choice. They’re expecting you there no later than noon. I circled the community center on the map hanging in the kitchen. It’s a short drive. Even though it’s outside the main village, there’s a trail for the ATVs so you won’t need to take a vehicle. Just don’t let your brother drive, Remy. I don’t need him attempting to play “duck, duck, goose” with an ATV and a bunch of Shifters. They’d scalp him, or worse, bite his ass and turn him.”
A snort sounded from Remy’s left. When she glanced over, her brothers soured expression almost made her laugh out loud.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll do all the driving. Besides,” she smirked devilishly at her brother. “Todd will be too busy checking out all the female Shifters to pay attention to the road. He’s been to the community center more than once to flirt with the girls.”
Remy ran from the house before Todd could reach her. He walked sullenly down the front stairs, his gaze promising retribution when she least expected it. Remy hopped on the ATV and spun toward Todd. “If you try to get me back, you’re walking to the center.”
Todd paused and pouted. He weighed his options for a moment but decided to be smart for once. She’d hate to have to kick his ass on such a nice day. “Don’t think you’re going to get off so easily,” he replied, climbing into the passenger seat. “I’ll get you back eventually, brat.”
“I r
efuse to fear you until you’ve at least grown taller than me, shrimp,” Remy shot back, knowing Todd hated his shorter height. He stood a good three inches taller than her but to him, that wasn’t enough. He’d hit a growth spurt soon, but until then Remy would have fun messing with him.
The trail to the community center was well traveled, with deep grooves on some stretches. Fresh gravel filled in the cracks, helping to maintain traction. The utilitarian building, two stories high, stood in stark contrast against the backdrop of the richly colored forest. A small dirt parking lot sat on the far side, though only a few ATV’s utilized it. Most of the occupants preferred to walk, shift, or run. Remy would have walked if not for her brother. She hadn’t felt like listening to him whine the whole way here. Todd did not share her love of the outdoors. He liked video games and spending his time on anything electronic. She was sure there were computers inside the community center Todd utilized during his few visits.
Parking next to a lime green ATV, Remy shut the engine off and turned to her brother. “When we get inside, please be respectful. This is their territory. We are guests. The last thing we want to do is make this harder on Dad. He gave up a lot for us over the years. Now he needs us to do something for him.”
Todd looked like he wanted to argue but thought better of it. Resigned, he shrugged his shoulders, “I hope you practice what you preach.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Remy questioned, stepping out of the vehicle.
Her brother watched her over his shoulder. “Seems to me like you are the one causing all the problems. I’ve been a fucking angel compared to you.”