by CK Dawn
I guess a part of me was apprehensive about being around so many humans or shifters. Maybe Xander and Xena knew, but I still couldn’t distinguish them from any other mortal. Xander and Xena had given me the impression that the locals did not care much for outsiders. Hopefully, the fact that I was with Xander would help minimize unwanted attention.
“I assume you both take full strength, right?”
I looked up, and Xena was standing there with two cream-colored mugs filled to the brim with black coffee.
“There are creamers in the basket on the table, and if you need more, you can let me or Jane know. Do ya’ll want me to take your order now?”
“Xena I thought you weren’t going to be serving tables today,” he questioned with a stern, paternal look.
“Just you guys. Then you don’t have to worry about leaving a tip or nothing.” She winked, and her cheek rose to close her eye the same way Xander’s did.
Ding. Ding. The bell on the door chimed again. In walked a man about the same height as Xander. He wore a red and black plaid shirt and a puffy quilted vest. His jeans were nowhere near as flattering as Xander’s, and they were streaked with mud.
Although there was a gruff handsomeness to him, something about the look in his eye and the energy he gave off didn't sit right with me. I instantly did not trust being in his presence.
Xena ran over to him. “Bruno, hey.”
“What’s up, Xena? Why don’t you go fetch me some coffee? The guys are meeting me here soon. I don't have time for chit chat.”
“Um. Okay. I can do that.” Her voice was low and small as her shoulders seemed to fall inward, and she looked as if she’d shrunken down a few inches.
A low, rumbling growl vibrated my arms from where they rested on the table. Xander was pulsating as a venomous rage simmered at his core. An overwhelming need to calm him came over me. For the first time, I had a soft spot for a man. I wanted to ease his pain and suffering. However, his turmoil was for his sister, and not himself, so that may have had something to do with my increased level of compassion for his gender.
On the flip side, the way Bruno spoke to Xena had unnerved me as well. It wasn’t so much what he said as opposed to how he had said it. My inner radar was keen to latch onto him, and take him out.
“What’s good to eat here? Would it be too much to ask for you to order for me?” I asked Xander, trying to take his focus off Bruno. I understood and appreciated his protective nature. Hopefully, I would be enough to keep him from making the situation any worse.
“Hmmm… Most things are good here, except the oatmeal. It has to be one of the easiest things to cook, and somehow, they royally screw it up every single day.”
“Okay, so no oatmeal.” I nodded, hoping that Xena would come back to take our order soon so we could get out of there. I shouldn’t have agreed to breakfast. The amount of time being taken away from looking for Ceryn was starting to cause a tight pressure around my chest.
“Xena, get your fat ass over here. I told you I was in a rush, and I still don’t even have my coffee. I should already be eating. You are ruining my day, again. Can’t you do anything right?”
Xena turned with a pot of coffee and a mug in hand only to drop the mug on the floor, shattering it. My heart sunk as everyone turned to watch the commotion.
“See. You can’t even serve a cup of coffee. That’s why you will end up alone the rest of your miserable life.”
Xena’s eyes glistened as Bruno’s words cut into her like a thousand blades at once.
I couldn’t take another second of it. I stood. At the same time, Xander leapt up and raised his palm to me as if to hold me off. On any other occasion, I would not have stood for a human to do such a thing. But, in truth, I didn’t belong there and would be leaving in little more than twenty-four hours. He was her champion, not me.
I followed him as he stalked across the small dining hall. No one would find me threatening, but I would not stand by and allow any harm to come to Xander or Xena in my presence.
“I think it’s time for you to leave, Bruno.” His shoulders squared off, his chest puffed forward, and the small veins pulsed across Xander’s forehead.
“You and what army are going to make me? You have been out of the game too long, my friend. Maybe you should go back to living it up with your human city friends.” Bruno didn’t even turn to make eye contact with him.
Behind the counter, Jane helped Xena clean up the broken mug. All else in the room was silent.
“I won’t ask you again. I prefer not to disrespect Miss Jane, but I won’t stand by and allow you to speak to a woman like that. Least of all my pregnant sister. Who, I might add, is caring your children.”
“Is that what she told you? I banged her, but I ain't going to have no babies. Not now and not ever. I suggest you and your stupid sister get that thought out of your heads.”
“It doesn’t matter. I forbade her from allowing you to even see her or her unborn. You don’t deserve such a thing. Now take your sorry excuse for a man out of here before I do it for you.”
The small plate and silverware that sat in front of Bruno went crashing to the floor where Xena and Jane were working as he flipped everything on the counter up into the air.
My stance shifted, as did Xander’s. I was about to pull out my bow and shoot that monster dead on the spot. I cared less and less about my mission to find Ceryn and more and more about protecting Xena from this miserable excuse for man.
He’d said that he wanted nothing to do with her and the babies, but I had seen that plenty of times. Men like him always said that until a son was born and they got some great notion in their head that they could teach their sons to hate women as much as they did. Xena deserved better. She deserved a man that could respect her and be a true father to her children. I had no doubt in my mind that Xander would do everything in his power to provide that for them. It just might not be enough.
“You better watch your back, Xander. You and your piece of trash sister.” Bruno stormed out of the diner and got in his truck. The rocks kicked up loudly, pinging off the metal siding as he pulled out of the parking lot.
I rushed around to the other side of the counter to help Xena. “Child, I am so sorry. Let me help you up. Please, go sit. I will help your Jane here clean everything up.”
Xander came around, helped her waddle over to a corner table, and sat with her. No doubt to lecture her some more about staying away from Bruno.
“Who are you?” Jane, Xena’s boss, asked me. Her cheeks were rosy against her suddenly plum, pale skin.
“I am a friend of the family, visiting for a few days. I came down to help Xena with the last few days of her pregnancy. My name is Selene.”
She seemed unimpressed as she looked me up and down. I did my best to help her clean up the broken shards of ceramic and glass, but I started to get the impression she preferred to do it on her own. Which I had no problem with, considering I didn’t even clean up my own messes back home.
As soon as I stood, Xena was waving me over to where she and Xander sat.
“Can you do me a favor, please, and take him out for a run or something. I think he needs a hunt.” Xena was talking my kind of language.
“The only thing I need is to smash Bruno’s face in once and for all.” His eyes were dark, and his lips crushed together as soon as he stopped talking.
Xander was staring out the window, making it easy for Xena to look at me with pleading eyes. She didn’t need to say anything, I knew it was time to get Xander out of there before more of a commotion took place.
“What time do you need us to pick you up?” I asked Xena.
“I am only working for four hours. So, at this point, you might as well come back in three hours. I can’t work a full shift anymore. I am really just helping out today.”
Instead of asking or telling him we were leavening, I grabbed Xander by the hand and pulled him to his feet and out the front door.
Eleven
Dragging a two hundred and something pound bear shifter out of a diner was no easy task. Sure, I could have picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, but one of those mountain hillbillies would have shot me on the spot.
The tension flowed from Xander’s raised shoulders all the way down to the flexed muscles in his arm and into the palm of my hand. Our grip on each other was intense and inhuman to say the least.
Whether he had too much adrenalin coursing through him to notice or if he decided to just go with the flow, I didn’t know, but a normal mortal hand would have been crushed under the pressure of his grip.
“Gah! I don’t know whether to be angry at you or thankful that you pulled me out of there.” Air huffed from his nose. “I am beyond heated. Sometimes, this place seems to bring out the worst in people, myself included.”
“Why do you say that? What is unagreeable about you right now?” I continued to pull him toward his pickup.
“Anger, deep routed, raw boiling rage. I have fought my entire life to cap it so I didn’t do something I would regret. That is why I left here in the first place. People, animals, and some things in between—like Bruno—just don’t deserve to walk the face of this planet.
“Let alone have the opportunity and the gift of being able to be a father. My sister deserves respect. Her babies deserve more, and I fear what they will learn to become growing up in a place like this. On the other hand, they need to grow and flourish in a place they can be themselves.”
“Xander, I don’t see anything negative about those thoughts or desires. Your rage and passion are admirable. More men should be built with your standards.” Grabbing his hand, I pulled him in closer.
His eyes rolled, and he let his shoulders ease down. Even though I had taken his hands, he switched the grip and pulled me against him. Our chests pressed so close together our hearts nearly beat as one, very loud and fast paced drum pounding between us.
“Where on earth did you come from? My mind is still trying to unravel the fact that you shot me in my leg yesterday. Which is killing me right now. If Bruno knew how bad my leg was, he would have challenged me on the spot.
“If you were not with me in there, had I not known you were watching, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself. It took every ounce of control for me to hold back from shifting in there.”
“You may not believe me, but it took a tremendous amount of self-control on my part not to destroy him as well. To be honest, I still have not ruled out the option to bury him in the ground. He has no idea the line he is treading.”
Anger, power, lust, and determination all swirled into a forbidden cocktail I was ready to drink.
I avoided his ‘where on earth’ comment, as I wasn’t of his Earth. His reaction to my secret was not something I was ready to discover. I would be gone before it mattered anyway.
“Three hours.” The words rolled of his tongue, inciting so many questions and promises.
“Three hours?” I echoed, tilting my head.
“That is how long we have to spend decompressing. I say we get back into the woods and hunt for your stag. It will give me something to take my mind off things, and I want to help you. You have already given so much of yourself to my sister and me that I will feel awful if you can’t find him in time.”
“Will you take me to the place with the wild berries? I could go for something sweet. Besides, we never did get that breakfast you promised me.”
“Oh my gosh, do you want to go back inside and get food?” He pulled back, still not letting go of me.
I shook my head. “Berries will do the trick. I’m just teasing you. I can always eat, and I can also go for extended periods without worrying about food. Roaming the forest with you sounds way more appealing than whatever was getting cooked up in there.”
He leaned back in, this time looking down on me and lowering his head over my shoulder. “I can’t think of anyone I would rather share the woods with.”
His voice rumbled in his throat. My knees went weak at the thought of being his prey. Something about the idea of him chasing me down had my hormones flaring. I never wanted to be caught so bad.
Taking the truck off-road into the woods was a heart stopping experience. He spun the wheel, darting between trees and kicking up dirt behind us until we couldn't go any farther. The forest became too dense.
“This should be as good a spot to park as any.” He said as he hooked a stick next to the wheel in a position so that the truck no longer moved.
If we had been on real horses, we could have gone anywhere we wanted. The metal vehicles went a lot faster than our means of transportation on Olympus, but they also had their limitations. It seemed best not to bring these points up.
“You and me, alone in the woods again. This is starting to become a thing.” His brows wagged and an impish smile crept across his face as he opened my door.
“It would appear so.” I took his hand as he led me out of the truck. Chivalry appeared not be completely dead on this planet.
“Oh crap! What about your bow and arrow? I didn’t think to tell you to grab it before we left the cabin.” Tilting his head up, his eyes looked to the sky as if for an answer to the questions he was just realizing he had. “Come to think of it. Where did you put it? I don’t remember seeing it in the cabin.”
He was sharp, I had to give him that. I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to hold him off my truth or how long it would take for him to put all the pieces of my uniqueness together. An even better question I should have asked would have been why it mattered. What difference would it have made if he knew who I really was?
“I never go anywhere without my bow.” Skipping as fast as I could to the back of the truck, I pulled for my bow and quiver. Making it seem as if I had taken it from the bed of the truck before he followed behind me would be the challenge.
His eyes questioned my behavior, but he didn’t voice his thoughts. He knew, and I knew, that there was no way I had put my stuff back there. There just was no other explanation that would make sense for him.
“How about those berries?” Changing the subject and getting us deeper into the woods was my objective.
“Hunger is creeping in on you, isn’t it?” he joked.
Only it was no joke. My hunger was mounting to an uncomfortable level. Only it wasn't food I was craving. My hands twitched with the need to touch him in any capacity.
“You are kind of cute when you are trying to be funny.”
“Cute? I can’t remember the last time I was referred to as cute or funny, but I will take both.” He grabbed my hand and drew me toward him. “You ready to find your little guy?”
“Yes, but he is far from little. I am surprised we haven’t seen him yet.”
Sunlight glistened off his eyes as if they were bursting with energy.
“Would you feel more comfortable if you shifted? I don’t mind as long as you promise not to eat me.”
“Thank you for that. Having the freedom to be myself around you means a lot to me, but I am more than content to be in this form with you. And as for promising not to eat you, I can’t swear I won’t do that to you that in this form or in my shifter bear body.” He snapped his perfectly straight opal teeth at me.
My head fell back as I laughed and leaned into him. “You see, you are funny.”
“I’m not kidding.” His voice flattened.
The animal inside him shone through with all seriousness, and it gave rise to my endorphins instantly.
“Lucky for you, the wild berry patch is just past that big, fat, out-of-place oak tree. Can you see ahead? There is a small clearing.”
The big oak tree was easy to spot, and I could tell that the light was shining past it differently. I quickened my pace and started to run ahead of him.
“Oh, so you want to race? You don’t think you can outrun a bear, do you?”
“Depends on whether you think I am trying to outrun you.” I took off in a sprint fast enough he would have a hard time c
atching me, but not so fast that he couldn’t if he really tried.
Twelve
My feet thundered against the ground, and my heart raced as I darted between trees. The wind licked at my face, giving me a glorious sensation of freedom. To be like the wind was a gift in of itself.
The tiniest of creatures did somersaults in my belly as I felt Xander’s presence gaining on me. The clearing now only a few feet ahead, I decided I would slow my gait once we reached the opening.
Running around the big oak tree, I looked back over my shoulder. Amusement and frustration hid in the lines of Xander’s face as he shook his head.
I couldn’t resist the wink. When I turned back around the sight before me had me stopping dead in my tracks. The beauty of it, along with the massive arms that enveloped me, took my breath away. Our bodies twisted and tangled in the air before coming down hard on the ground.
He landed first, beneath me. And I took a rough bounce against his hard chest, but he held onto me, making sure that I didn’t hit the ground. Again, we found each other eye to eye, chest to chest, and nearly lip to lip.
He cried out in what seemed like pain. Not the reaction I had expected from our playful chase. I was ready to laugh about and roll around in the colorful field of wildflowers.
“Forgive me.” He grunted. “It was not my intention to scream in your face. I have a high tolerance for pain, but I am not looking forward to finding out what I just landed on.”
“Oh!” I pushed up and rolled off him. “Let me look. What is bothering you?”
“My leg. The same leg you shot me in.” Clearing his throat, he grumbled. “Damn that stings.”
“Can you roll to your side?”
He didn't answer, but he did as I asked.
Instinctually, I sucked in a breath between my teeth. My sound effects weren’t the best way to make him feel any better.
“What is it?” He reached down and twisted his body trying to look.