by Katie Dunn
I nod. "Yeah. And because he knows, he broke up with me."
Dad stands from his chair. "Are you okay? Do you want me to go straighten him out?"
I expected this from my dad. He's always been protective of me. I shake my head and gesture for him to sit back down. "No, Daddy. It's okay. I'm okay."
Dad slowly nods. "All right. I know I'm not the most sensitive dad when it comes to that kind of stuff, but I'm here if you need someone to talk to. And you've always got your mom and Riley."
I nod. "I know."
I stand and make my way to the door. When I reach the doorway, I stop and turn back to my dad. "Oh, and Dad?"
He glances up at me. "Mmm-hmm?"
"The candle's lit," I point out.
Dad peers around the computer to the candle. When he sees that it is lit, he stands up. He stares at it like it grew wings or something. "Whoa."
I smile at him. "I guess you are a warlock."
He gazes up at me. "I didn't even know."
"The boys and I may have most of Mom's traits, but we inherited something bigger from you."
TWENTY-ONE
THE CREEK IS CALM and soothing. Since today is a nice day, the boys, Troy, Riley, and I decide to trek through the woods out to it. Troy and I walk at the back of our little group.
"You seem pretty all right, considering you were dumped," Troy says.
I told everyone about my break-up last night. They would all find out sooner or later, so I chose to go ahead and tell them. "It's because I am all right. I guess on some level, it's kind of been over for a while. It seems like I'm always getting caught up with other things."
A chilly breeze rushes through the forest, making my nose, ears, and fingers cold. I stuff my hands into my jacket pockets. "But it doesn't matter." I glance at Troy and smile at the sight of him. "I have a feeling I'm gonna be moving on soon, anyway."
Troy meets my gaze and smiles, as we venture deeper into the woods.
We make it to the creek and from there we follow the creek with intentions of reaching the waterfall. The waterfall is fairly large, about twenty feet, and drops to a small pond.
On our way up there, Troy and I continue to hold back from the boys and Riley. Troy walks close to me and takes my hand. I smile, and my heart flutters. It's a small thing, and it's a huge thing at the same time. I lace my fingers through his. His hand is warm and a little rough, but I don't care—I'm just delighted that he's holding my hand.
We walk side by side for quite a while. The trail up ahead narrows, and we have to walk single file. I refuse to let go of Troy's hand and walk right behind him, so we don't have to.
Down the path, I can hear the waterfall. It grows louder, as we come nearer. Right before we reach it, Derek finds a long but slender stick and begins using it as a hiking stick.
Every time we come down here, some sort of obstacle always lies in our way. Today, it is a tree. One of our gigantic trees has obviously fallen from last week's thunderstorm. Since it is on a hill, it does not block the creek. It simply rests from bank to bank. Derek, Lenny, and Riley climb over with no trouble, but since the twins are much smaller, Troy and I have to help them.
When we finally we reach the pond and waterfall, Derek aggravates Kendall by pretending like he's gonna push him over the side. I know Derek would never do it intentionally, but I don't want to risk an accident. "Hey, hey, hey. Quit it. We don't want anybody to get hurt."
Derek sighs. "Okay."
Lenny chuckles. "I, for one, would never do anything like that."
Derek glares at him. "You little suck up."
Lenny shrugs, and then the two laugh. I shake my head and roll my eyes.
Casey notices Troy and I are holding hands. "Ugh, gross."
Troy and I exchange glances then turn back to Casey. "A guy and a girl holding hands is gross?" Troy asks him.
Casey nods.
To the twins and, until recently, Derek any kind of affection between two people is disgusting and always receives an "Ew, gross." Now that Derek is older, he doesn't mind affection as much, especially now that he is starting to experience it for himself.
"I used to be like that when I was your age," Troy says. "You just wait until you are a little older. Then you won't mind when girls hold your hand." Troy shoots me a meaningful look as he finishes. The adoration in his eyes makes my heart skip a beat. I think I blush a little too.
"Whatever," Kendall groans. "C'mon. Let's keep going." He and Casey take off through the woods. Derek, Lenny, and Troy exchange glances, then chase after them. Riley and I slowly follow.
She loops her arm through mine. "So, you and Troy, huh?"
I smile at her, knowing very well what she's getting at. "What about us?"
She chuckles. "You know what!"
Together, we leap over a small heap of brush. "I don't know exactly what we are," I tell her. "I mean, I like him. I like him a lot. But we haven't talked about us or anything."
Riley nods. "I see."
I stop walking and turn to her. "What do you think? What's your opinion?"
Riley stuffs her hands in her jacket pockets. "Britt, I think you and Troy would be a cute couple."
I was hoping she would say that. "Really?"
Riley nods. "Yeah. If you like each other, then you should go for it."
I smile. "I'm so glad you said that, Ri."
͠
Tonight's dinner is a delightful surprise. Mom cooks fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and homemade biscuits—a Southerner's favorite. For dessert, there's pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mom always makes good food, but this meal is the family's absolute favorite.
My guess is, Mom fixes such a wonderful meal to celebrate. She and Dad have put the house in both of their names today. At least now, we don't have to worry about the D'yavol pack getting in. That is one less problem on my mind.
I climb the stairs to my beloved bedroom. After the meal I've just finished, I feel a bit full, tired, and ready for bed. Since I'm a relatively skinny girl, it doesn't take much to fill up my stomach. But when there's great food like tonight's dinner, even I can't get enough.
I open my bedroom door and step inside. Troy stands next to the foot of my bed without a shirt on. He glances up at my entrance. His shirt rests in his hands. I wonder why it's there and not on him. I don't ask, I just stare and question it in my mind.
Troy's bare arms and chest look pretty great. He could easily be on the front cover of a magazine. His arms and his body are fairly muscular—the right amount of muscle. Not too little, not too much.
I stare at him as if I have never seen a hot guy before. I have seen some pretty good-looking guys, but none of them were as hot as Troy. Even with Tom, I've never seen him without a shirt. I don't know if he has a six pack or a keg.
"Sorry, Britt," Troy says, pulling me from my slight trance. "I had to change my shirt and since you weren't in here—"
"It's fine," I interrupt. "I don't mind." I hope Troy doesn't notice that I've been drooling over him. Boy, that would be embarrassing.
"Why are you changing your shirt?" I ask.
Troy shakes his head. "I got some stuff on my other one." He slips the clean shirt on. "And besides, it probably wouldn't have been a good idea to wear a white shirt anyway."
My eyebrows furrow. "Why do you say that?"
Troy glances at the door. "We should close the door."
I shut the door quietly and walk up to Troy. He steps toward me, slightly closing the space between us. "I may know where the D'yavol pack has been hiding out."
My eyes widen. "What? Where?"
"Just before you get to the edge of town," Troy says in a hushed tone. "I think they're staying with a human."
I gape. "Seriously? A human?"
Humans housing skinwalkers. Could it get any worse? Humans knowingly and willingly helping the devious pack is awful. I wonder what's in it for them. There's gotta be something. And knowing the D'yavol pack, they are probably promis
ing things.
I raise an eyebrow. "And how do you know about all of this?" I ask.
Troy waves it off. "It's a long story. I talked to an owl and well… You can use your imagination."
"So you want to go check this place out, huh?" I guess.
"Just the outside," Troy says. "If we can, I want to find out if there're more pack members, how strong they may be, and see exactly what we're gonna be going up against."
"That's a good idea. But there's one problem."
My bedroom door swings open and Riley steps in. She stops when she sees Troy and me. "I'm sorry. Am I ruining something? I can leave."
"No," I tell her. "You're not ruining anything. In fact, maybe you can help us with something."
She stares at me with a confused look on her face, but doesn't question us. I close the door and turn to her. "Ri, Troy may know where the D'yavol pack has been staying."
Her face becomes surprised. She turns to Troy. "Where?"
A concerned look crosses Troy's face. "I am not going to tell you, Riley. If you go after them, you could get hurt. You haven't had as much training as Britt has."
Riley turns to me, tears welling up in her eyes. "Britt?"
"Troy has a point," I say. "But you could still help us, Riley. Troy and I are gonna go and see what's in store for us with the pack. But my parents would freak if they find out where I'm going."
"And you want me to cover for you guys," Riley guesses.
"Will you?" Troy asks.
Riley nods and wipes the tears from her eyes. "Of course, I will. Just be careful. Both of you."
With that, Troy and I sneak out. Troy makes it out of my bedroom window and jumps from the roof gracefully. When I jump from the roof, I land on Troy and knock him to the ground. "Are you okay?" I ask him.
He smiles up at me. "Well, I do have a pretty girl in my arms." A smile breaks through across my lips. "We better hurry. We don't want Mom and Dad to know."
Troy nods. "Right." As we stand and run across the backyard, I glance at my bedroom window. Riley stands there, watching, and waves at me. I wave back.
Troy unlocks the gate, and we slip out. He takes my hand as we sprint toward the woods and into the darkness.
TWENTY-TWO
SOMEHOW TROY IS ABLE to guide us through the woods and knows where we are at. Any other night, I would be afraid to enter the woods after nightfall, but with Troy at my side, I don't fear a single thing.
I know I should confront him about what's going on between us, but I don't know how to start. I guess I should try beginning with how I found out about his feelings for me. "Troy, Tom broke up with me because he thinks you're in love with me."
Troy comes to an abrupt stop. He slowly turns to me. Pain lines his face. "I'm so sorry, Britt. I didn't mean to ruin things for the two of you."
I shake my head. "You didn't ruin anything. It was probably gonna happen sooner or later." Troy nods, but seems reluctant to believe me.
I can't help but ask my next question. "So is it like—?"
"Puppy love?" Troy guesses. He shakes his head. "No. It's more than that." I didn't know how much I want to hear him say that, until he does. "I love you, Britt."
Time slows in my world. My heart races and along the way, I think it skips a few beats. When my cheeks grow warm, I know it's because I'm blushing. I try to tell Troy I love him too, but I'm speechless. I tell him the only other way I know how. I love you, too.
When Troy smiles, I know he heard.
Troy slowly leans in toward me. I know he leans in to kiss me, and I patiently wait for it—except, it doesn't happen. Right before Troy's lips can touch mine, he jerks his head to the side. He grabs my arm and pulls me closer to him.
This frightens me a bit. I have no idea what exactly is going on. Sensing my unease, Troy leans down to my ear. "They're close." I force myself to take a silent but deep breath. Troy takes my hand, and we quietly progress toward some brush growing near the base of a tree. Troy and I duck behind the brush enough so we can't be seen.
Three men stand in front of a small mansion, deep in discussion. I don't know what they talk about, but it seems to be about business. Getting a good look at the mansion, I have to admit it is pretty nice-looking. I shouldn't expect anything less. I find it hard to believe Nikolai Eridov would be staying in a small, run-down cabin. Only the finest for the malicious skinwalker.
One man stands with his back toward Troy and me, another I don't recognize, and I know the third is a pack member. The man I don't recognize, I'm guessing the human, speaks, and I realize that he too, has a Russian accent. He says something to the other two men, and they laugh. I don't know what he says, but I have a feeling it isn't very funny.
The man with his back toward us turns around. Nikolai. "Took you long enough," he says.
A wolf emerges from the woods. He jogs up to them and leaps down from a steep hill. He turns into a man. "She wasn't there. And neither was the older skinwalker."
It doesn't take me long to realize that "she" and "the older skinwalker" are Troy and me. Troy and I exchange glances, then turn back to the D'yavol pack. "You're sure?" Nikolai asks.
The skinwalker nods. "The rest of the family was there, but not them. Why are we letting the family live?"
Nikolai smirks. "Because that is part of my grander plan. I want the girl and the skinwalker first."
Troy and I really need to be watching our backs. All it takes is one careless mistake, and the D'yavol pack can do whatever they want with us. Whether Troy and I live or die, things aren't going to end great—even if we take out the D'yavol pack in the end.
Troy puts his arm around me and pulls me closer. He knows what is running through my mind. For once, I don't care that he is reading my thoughts. I want him to know what I'm thinking.
"The girl is smart," Nikolai states. "But she would be in the way. She has to die."
Troy tenses at his words. A look of fury burns in his eyes.
Nikolai continues. "And the skinwalker? Well, it's a shame we have to kill him. He could make a good addition to the pack, but he's in love with the girl. And after we kill her, he would be uncooperative. He has to die as well."
I subconsciously grab Troy's jacket. Like maybe holding on to him will protect him. I know it wouldn't, but I still grasp his jacket anyway and can't bring myself to let go.
"Are you sure we couldn't convince the skinwalker to join us?" One pack member asks.
Nikolai nods. "I'm sure. He could very well do great things, but his love for the girl makes him weak. It will be his downfall."
Troy's patience snaps. Without even seeming to think about it, he takes a leaf from the ground, presses it to his lips, and blows it away. The leaf flutters for a second, then takes the form of a mean-looking insect. It takes off flying toward the pack at a ridiculously high speed. Hundreds of other leaves rise up off the ground, take the form of a bug, and follow the first. They attack the D'yavol pack like a bunch of vicious animals.
The insects make contact with the D'yavol pack. The pack members cry out in pain. One tries to duck, another uses his arms to cover his head, Nikolai tries to duck and swat at them, and the human attempts to creep inside. Hearing the hollers of his pack, the fourth skinwalker steps outside and almost immediately wishes he hadn't. The bugs begin to swarm him and attack.
Two of the skinwalkers try to help their friend, but Nikolai tries to find the source. His breathing is labored, and his skin is covered in tiny red blotches, but it doesn't affect him. His eyes check his surroundings. He takes in every tree, bush, and shadow, until his gaze rests on us. I know he can see us because he smirks.
"I should've known!" he yells. "Did you get what you came for? To make us hurt?"
Troy and I stand. "No!" Troy yells back. "This is hurt." Troy balls his fist and slowly turns his wrist. Nikolai screams in pain. His arms wrap across his stomach. I gaze at Troy. "What are you doing to him?"
Troy's gaze never leaves Nikolai. "I'm twisting and crushing
his insides."
I return my gaze to Nikolai. He now lies on the ground, squirming and hollering. The rest of the pack does some sort of spell on the insects to calm and kill them. Afterwards, they rush to Nikolai's side.
Troy drops his own spell and we run.
We hurry across the forest floor, jumping over fallen limbs and briars. I don't know where we are going, but I trust Troy's instinct. I know he'll get us to safety.
A howl sounds from behind us.
The D'yavol pack is hot on our trail. I glance over my shoulder, and see one wolf and three men chasing us.
I know I have to do something to lose them. Anything. The perfect idea comes to mind. I stop running. Reading my mind, Troy stops as well and turns to me. We take each other's hands, and imagine that we are invisible to those around us. It doesn't take too much time before it works.
"What the—?" one pack member begins.
"How did they do that?" another asks anyone that is listening.
"They're using a cloaking spell, you idiots!" Nikolai yells.
"How do we find them, now?" another asks.
Troy and I take the opportunity to make our escape. We run as fast as we possibly can, desperately trying to make it to civilization.
"I will get you for this!" Nikolai yells. "I will capture you and make you suffer!"
I have no doubts that he will if he can. Nikolai isn't real happy, and he is going to kill us if it's the last thing he ever does. Nikolai may have had plans of killing us before, but now he really wants the two of us dead. And something tells me Nikolai always gets what he wants.
Troy and I reach town. Luckily for us, MacKenzie's is still open. Troy and I sit in a booth. A waitress comes and takes our order, but other than that, we sit in silence until we leave. As we walk out the door, I check my phone to make sure my parents or Riley haven't called.
"Nikolai is wrong," Troy says.
I gaze up at him. "Wrong about what?"
"About my love for you making me weak," Troy says. We stop walking. I notice we have stopped in front of the Lyle's place. Their driveway gates are closed, but the lights on the brick posts are lit up.