The Chase: Book 2 in The Hunt Series

by Alainna MacPherson

  I sighed and nodded to Dad. I’d do my best to convince Maeleigh to allow her dad to teach her how to tap into her Druid, but I couldn’t make any promises. Glancing over at Bri, I nodded to her in a “see ya later” sort of gesture and walked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Maeleigh

  I took my time drying my hair with the towel. I couldn’t explain how it was cathartic in that moment, doing something completely every day. The pajamas I pulled on were cozy ones, maybe too cozy for it not being fully winter yet, but I didn’t care, I needed the comfort the soft fuzzy material gave me. Tossing the towel on the desk chair, I slipped under the covers and started to get comfortable. When I reached to turn off the light, he walked in. Through the door.

  Eyes wide, I started to sit up.

  “Are you crazy? Your parents might see you come in.”

  He stopped in his tracks, halfway to my bed, and looked at me like a deer in the headlights before he shook his head like something just occurred to him. “Oh, yeah, we don’t have to worry about that anymore?”

  “Excuse me?” I frowned.

  He proceeded to undress to his shorts, even removing his t-shirt, which, in the past, he’s left on before now. I couldn’t help staring at his bare chest, the moment feeling extremely intimate. More so than when we shared the bed any other night.

  “Yeah, my folks know.” His words jarred me out of my perusal of his tanned abs.

  “What? How?”

  With a shrug, he rounded the bed and started to slip between the sheets. I turned to him. “They just do. I guess I wasn’t as good at hiding it as I thought.”

  “Parents always know, I guess,”

  He propped up on an elbow and looked down at me. His closeness made my belly do flips and my lungs to pump faster. What is the deal? I thought. We’d shared a bed before, last night in fact, but for some reason, maybe it was his lack of shirt, or my newly emerged wolf, that had my blood burning warmer than usual this time around.

  “You okay?” He asked, brows scrunched together.

  My brain was on break and my body was only capable of nodding. He was quiet for a moment and then he slowly grinned.

  “Stop that!” I said aloud, irritated.

  “I can’t help it. Your emotions are projecting themselves.” The chuckle that shook the bed didn’t make his argument all that convincing. I glared at him, but it was halfhearted, and he knew it. Leaning forward as if to kiss me, I pushed at his shoulders.

  “No. I’m mad at you.”

  He gently took my staying hand in his and rubbed it with his thumb and it relaxed. When it started to caress the skin beneath, he slowly tried again and this time I let him.

  It was slow and oh so sweet. First, he only brushed his lips to mine. Then he did it a second time. His other hand gripped my hip and seemed to pull me closer to him. I could feel the evidence of the effect it had on him and I felt the same. My body grew warmer and the flush that coursed through my body nearly burned my skin from the inside. When his lips left mine, I groaned, and I caught him chuckling. I wasn’t embarrassed by it either, not in the least. Rather I wanted more.

  Just as I reached up to draw him back in, he says, “My dad thinks you should talk to your dad.”

  Jerking back, completely stunned, it took me a moment to switch gears. “What?”

  He could tell I would pull away because the second before I did, he gripped my hip to hold me there. Ugh, he knew me too well. When did that happen?

  “We need to know more about your Druid side,” he explained softly.

  I heard him, but my mind still argued. I wasn’t ready. At least, I didn’t think I was. I honestly hadn’t thought about things between my dad and me because I’ve been dealing with all the other crap that’s been happening…well, mostly. Okay, the rest of the time is because I was just plain avoiding it. That baggage was real and heavy.

  “Maeleigh.” That was it! One word. Just my name. How did he do that? How did he get under my skin and pull at my heart so fast?

  “Alright.” The idea had my nerves frazzled already, but he was right. His dad, too. I needed to know more, about my Druid blood as well as my wolf. One shift wasn’t enough. Luna had a strong presence. I felt her feelings, not always thoughts, on things throughout the day. It was surreal. She hates homework, for one. Which boggles my mind. How can one’s wolf be of completely different thinking on something like that. She felt it was tedious and a waste of time. Not like she was doing it anyway. But she would have much rather gone for a run. Which I didn’t think was happening anytime soon. At least not until my back completely healed.

  I turned to my other side and tucked my hand under my head, going over what I’m going to say to Dad. Gearden slid his arm around my waist and hugged me close, burying his nose in my hair the way he likes to. The comfort he gave me, the quiet support, meant the world. He knew that I didn’t want words. I didn’t want reasoning. I just needed him close. To be held.

  “I love you,” I told him. I didn’t mean to say it the first time, earlier this morning. It wasn’t a thought out, well, thought. It just slipped out and, though it was true, I felt like it was necessary to tell him again.

  He turned and pressed his lips to my shoulder. Then, slowly, he pulled my hair up and over that shoulder and bent down to place a longer kiss on his mark on the other one, sending a shiver through my whole body. “I love you,” he said back.

  I fell asleep after that. The next day, I messaged Dad to meet me at the McIntire campsite. Caleb said he’d come with us, Gearden too. At least that way I had a support system when we did— whatever it was we were doing to figure out what my Druid abilities were. I still doubted I had any. Though, I doubted I had wolf in me, too, and then Luna showed up all teeth and claws.

  There was still a good chance that nothing would happen but as Luna was proof of my denial, I prepared myself for anything. Disappearing, floating, lightning speed, turning boulders to rubble. Heck, I was even contemplating the idea of fireworks shooting from my fingertips. From what I’ve seen so far of Druid magic though, it was rather subtle. In the back of Gearden’s car, Caleb told me that everyone took oaths not to use their gifts unless absolutely necessary, and, so far, everyone around us took that very seriously. They believed that to use their magic without necessity could bring forth the Goddess’ displeasure. I think, when I frowned at him then, he understood that I worried this was some sort of Kool-Aid spiel, because he chuckled and said, “Our Goddess is different from the god you’re used to hearing about. This one still talks to us sometimes.”

  “Wait, what?” But we’d arrived. Gearden opened the door for me and Caleb got out on his own. Dad was standing at the fire pit waiting. A forgetful part of me wanted to run up to him and give him a big hug, hoping for one in return. The little girl in me stilled craved his love. I knew my resolve of keeping him at a distance was crumbling, but that was for a different day. Today I was there to learn how to blow stuff up. Maybe.

  Dad turned around as we walked through the small trees to the campsite.

  Signing, Dad said with a smile, “MAELEIGH, HOW ARE YOU?”

  Nervous, I glanced at Gearden, but he was no help. He kept his gaze fixed on Dad. “FINE,” I finally answered.

  Dad nodded and looked at Gearden, nodded in greeting, then to Caleb. “I hear you’re going to help me with her teachings today.”

  Caleb, though your classic geek looking guy on the outside—lean, glasses wearing, hair styled with half the gel needed to tame his wavy hair, polo shirt and khaki shorts, he gave Dad a challenging glare. “Yep.”

  Not blinking an eye, Dad turned back to me. “WE’RE GOING TO START WITH SOME MEDITATION.”

  “MEDITATION?” The bored expression on my face undoubtedly told him exactly how I felt about the idea.

  “YES. MEDITATION. DON’T ROLL YOUR EYES AT ME. NOW, SIT.” He sat on one of the log seats around the fire ring, making himself comfortable. Reluctantly, I did the same, trying to ignore the way
Gearden’s back went up when Dad ordered me to sit. He’d have to reel in his testosterone and alpha-ness if he wanted me to focus on this lesson, he’d forced me to have. Okay, so he didn’t exactly force me. But it was his and his dad’s idea.

  I found a log to plop my butt on and managed a similar pose as Dad. He didn’t look like your typical meditator. He just sat, relaxed, knees bent, splayed out just a little, with his palms down on his thighs. He had his eyes closed but when I finally sat down, he opened them and signed, “CLOSE YOUR EYES AND PICTURE YOURSELF SOMEWHERE CALM AND SAFE. DON’T LET ANYTHING ELSE IN. ONCE YOU’VE DONE THAT, THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DRUID. DON’T WORRY ABOUT NOT KNOWING ALL THE DETAILS. THIS IS YOUR SPACE. LIKE A VIRTUAL JOURNAL. WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS TO BE A DRUID.”

  I gave him a droll look and he sighed. “TRUST ME, PLEASE?”

  I rolled my eyes before shutting them, trying my best to follow his instructions. Closing my eyes meant I was now down two senses, but I focused on the air that I felt on my skin. It was chillier today. The sun had already burnt off the fog and low hanging clouds, but the moisture in the air seemed to hang around. The trees already looked bare around town, and Fall was nearly over. I breathed deeply and relaxed my shoulders as I felt my toes relax in my shoes. I didn’t realize it, but I guess I’d been clenching my calves too. Once I relaxed those, the rest of my legs and hips started to loosen. I started to take air in with my nose and out slowly with my mouth and imagined what Dad had instructed, a safe, comfortable place.

  The sound of water came first, an overwhelming rushing sound that seemed to hurt my ears. Wait What the hell? The sun, warmer than I remembered, danced between green leaves on the large towering trees surrounding the brook I now stood on.

  What the… I’d come back. The place I dreamt about when I spoke with Danu. I imagined myself crouching down and dipping my fingers into the water. Instantly, I pulled my hand back. My fingers were wet, water dripping from them. Quickly, I wiped them on my jeans and stared down at the water in horror. What the hell is this place?

  “Oh, you’re back!” Danu said from behind me. Startled, I jerked around, teetering a little and catching myself before I fell into said water.

  “What is this place?” I asked her, standing still for fear of what else I might discover to be real. Or feel real. Crap, what the hell is going on?

  “It’s my thinking spot.” She looked around with an air of pride and then smiled down at me. Catching my shocked stare, her smiled faded. “What’s wrong?”

  “Is this a dream?” I demanded as I stood up, trying to ignore the fact that I could still feel the damp spot on my jeans.

  Her frown grew irritated. “I thought we were past that.”

  “I’m about to go insane here, so if you could level with me, I’d really—”

  “Mind yourself, missy. I may like you, but remember who you’re speaking to,” she chastised.

  And that’s all I needed.

  “How is this possible?” I started to pace around her. Still unbelieving that the sounds of dirt and other organic forest stuff crunching under my feet was another nail in the fact that all the times I’ve seen and spoke with her, it’d been real. It changed things. A lot of things. I tried to remember all the things she told me in the last two meetings.

  “Focus, Maeleigh.” She snapped me out of my racing thoughts. I stalled in my fifth or sixth go around a group of rocks. “Why are you here? I didn’t summon you. And you didn’t summon me.”

  “No,” I murmured, catching up. “No. I’m… I’m training with Dad, at McIntire, right now. I was meditating.”

  “I see.” But did she? Did she really? I eyed her wearily, but I’m sure she didn’t notice.

  “He’s trying to train you, isn’t he?” She guessed.

  “Yeah.” I didn’t bother asking her how she’d known that. I really wasn’t sure I could handle the answer.

  When she turned to face me fully, I could feel all of me come alive with attention. I wasn’t missing this one, not on the assumption it was just a dream.

  “You aren’t like the rest of them, Maeleigh.” She didn’t say it like she was sorry, so I just waited to see if she’d elaborate.

  “Your father will have some challenges teaching you your special talents.” The way she folded her lips inward had me looking at her funny. I would swear she was telling me some sort of one-sided joke.

  “You’re not going to elaborate on that, are you?” I inquired, rolling my eyes before she even answered.

  “Nope!” Seriously, the giggle that escaped her reminded me of when Dad tells his stupid Dad Jokes. No one ever saw the hilarity of the punchline quite like he did.

  “Alrighty, then.” I huffed out a breath and looked out at the stream again. The tinkling of the moving water going around small rocks and twirling in small wakes, had me turning to her again. “How am I hearing all this?”

  She didn’t look up from the lint she was picking off her white slacks. Was she wearing those this whole time? “Because I want you to.”

  “What do you mean? I’m deaf. This shouldn’t even be—”

  She finally looked at me with a rude expression. “Um, Goddess.” And that should explain everything. Except it didn’t. Well, maybe it did, but it brought forth more questions too.

  “Can you tell me what this ‘talent’ is?”

  “Now, what would the fun be in that?” She didn’t hold back. “It’s something that you’ll have to see for yourself.”

  I felt myself fading, even the sounds around me were growing faint. “Wait, are you going to tell me who this Zerana is or why I have to find her?”

  But she just smiled at me as a sudden feeling of falling had my body jerking. My eyes opened, and I tried to focus on Dad crouching in front of me. I was back in the campsite. The sun felt warmer on my skin. How long was I out of it?

  “YOU ALIGHT?” Dad asked. Surprisingly, I was calm. Weirded out, for sure, but I didn’t feel panicked. And something inside me told me maybe I should be.

  Dad’s concern didn’t override the curiosity in his eyes. I glanced at Gearden who was anxiously awaiting my answer as well.

  “I’M GOOD,” I signed and said out loud. Caleb came into view then, too, bent at the knee just behind Dad to smile at me. He was a good kid, I thought.

  “Ready to get this show on the road?” The toothy grin he gave me pulled a chuckle from me. I slowly stood up as they stepped back and took position in front of me, keeping distance from themselves as well as myself.

  “We’ll start with something simple, alright?” Dad started in, rubbing his hands together as he went. “CALEB, WHY DON’T YOU DEMONSTRATE WHILE I SIGN FOR HER?”

  “Sure thing.” Caleb spread his legs apart slightly and shook his hands out at his sides.

  “First, imagine yourself back in your safe place. Don’t go there, we aren’t meditating anymore, just replicating the feeling of safety you have when you’re there.”

  I nodded, thinking about the sound of the moving water, the leaves moving in the light breeze and the sun warming my skin. It wasn’t those things that gave me a sense of peace, though. It was knowing that Danu resided there. I couldn’t even explain it to myself, much less anyone else if they asked me why, but there it was.

  “GOT IT.”

  Dad glanced at Caleb, who gave a “ready” nod.

  “NOW, I WANT YOU TO HOLD YOUR FOCUS ON THE STACK OF ROCKS OVER THERE—” He gestured to the firepit. On top of one of the large rocks ringing it, he’d stacks two small rocks on top of one another. “PICTURE THEM MOVING. TELL THEM TO MOVE. BEGINNERS FIND IT EASIER TO USE THEIR HAND. WATCH CALEB.”

  Caleb stepped up, braced his feet slightly, shoulder-width apart, and held out a hand with two fingers extended. He looked like he was ready to play cops and robbers with someone, but all his focus was on the rock formation. The second he moved his fingers in a quick swiping motion, the two rocks crumbled from their perch and tumbled to the dirt.

  Swallowing m
y surprise - after all, that’s what we were here for, right? – Dad jogged over and returned the stones to their squat tower pose and then took a couple steps back. Caleb gave me an encouraging smile. I didn’t dare look at Gearden, I was afraid that if I did, my nerves would get all wrecked up. Maybe having him there was even more of a distraction that I anticipated.

  “GO AHEAD,” Dad signed.

  I took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to remember what he said before and hold onto the feeling of peace and safety.

  I closed my eyes briefly, and even pictured the small brook, the water breaking against small rocks in the shallows. I opened them again and lifted my hand like Caleb had done. Aiming my fingers at the rocks, I picture them falling.

  Nothing.

  I concentrated and gave it a minute more. Still, nothing.

  Deflated, I dropped my hand and let out a huff.

  Dad jumped in, though. “DON’T GIVE UP! IT’S JUST LIKE TEACHING YOU HOW TO SNAP YOUR FINGERS. REMEMBER THAT?”

  I side eyed him and looked at Caleb who nodded in agreement.

  “IT TOOK YOU WEEKS TO LEARN AND YOU WOULD GET SO FRUSTRATED WHEN WE WOULD TELL YOU IT DIDN’T WORK. BUT YOU KEPT AT IT.” Dad smiled, and I tried my best not to smile back. “YOU NEED TO BUILD UP THAT MUSCLE, TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.”

  “FINE,” I signed. Then gave my body and mind a shake before I held my hand up again. This time though, I shut my eyes and pictured myself at the brook. I imagined the rock pile on the water’s edge. Caleb and my dad disappeared as I concentrated on the rocks, I pictured them moving, crumbling to the water. Moving my fingers to the side I watched as they wobbled. Excitement coursed through me, but I didn’t stop there. I started again, taking myself back, blocking everyone else out as I steadied my hand again and imagined myself knocking them over physically. Like I would if I wanted to swat at a spider. Moving my fingers again, swiping left, they finally did. They tumbled to the ground. Opening my eyes, I looked at the real rock formation. The rocks were gone. I smiled and looked at the ground where they would be, except they weren’t. Looking around, I figured they’d rolled a little away, I found nothing again.