by Julia Crane
The town was quiet as he walked the streets one by one, going into the bars, and not seeing Donald. When he made it to the third rundown bar, he heard raised voices and thought his luck had changed. No one noticed Rourk when he walked in. They were too focused on the commotion in the corner.
The bar was dark and smelled of cigarettes and cheap perfume. Three guys had Donald backed into a corner. His eyes were wild, liked a caged animal, and Rourk knew his instinct was to shift. Rourk couldn’t allow that to happen.
A hush fell over the patrons as Rourk walked confidently up to the three men. A man with a goatee had a beer bottle with broken, jagged edges and was holding it by the stem.
“Leave him alone,” Rourk called out evenly.
“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” A bald guy with bulging muscles glanced over at Rourk with a laugh.
“Let’s just say it won’t be pretty. Let him go now and you guys can all walk away unharmed.”
“Get out of here, Rourk. I don’t need your help,” Donald spat.
“I told you to keep your mouth shut, punk.” The guy holding Donald against the wall punched him in the face.
Donald wiped the blood from his mouth and glared at Rourk.
Rourk said nothing. He watched the largest man with tribal tattoos walk towards him.
“Oh so you think you’re a tough guy, huh?”
He must have been at least 6’2” and over 200 pounds. He had on a worn leather jacket. He looked like he had been in his share of fights in his day. His nose was crooked from being broken too many times. As soon as he was in striking distance, Rourk sprung. He knew better than to hesitate. The large man threw a punch, which Rourk blocked easily. Rourk slammed his head into the guy’s nose and blood poured out. The man seemed dazed and started to fall forward. Rourk swiftly turned the man to face his buddies. Rourk had the guy’s elbow pressed against his own back. He groaned.
“Let my friend go,” Rourk said calmly.
“I’m not your friend.” Donald glared at Rourk.
The two men that had Donald looked at each other and the one with the broken bottle dropped his grip on Donald and moved forward. Rourk kneed the bald one hard in the back and as he dropped to his knees, Rourk slammed his elbow into the guy’s temple. The man dropped to the ground. Rourk then went after the other man, who was still advancing towards him.
He had a crazed look in his eyes as he rushed forward, ready to strike. Rourk sidestepped and raised his arm to block the glass and rammed his other hand into the man’s throat, crushing his windpipe. The guy’s brown eyes widened as he dropped the glass, and his hands flew to his throat.
The last man standing fidgeted nervously. He was much smaller than the others. He pushed Donald towards Rourk. “You can have him. Just make sure he never comes back to this bar again.”
Rourk nodded at the man and grabbed Donald’s arm to lead him out.
Donald yanked his arm away. “Don’t touch me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t ask for your help. Why are you even here?” His words slurred slightly from too much drink.
“I know what you are going through. Trust me. It’s not too long ago that you took Keegan from me. Not that I blame you, I would have done the same thing.”
Donald stopped walking and stared at Rourk. “You have no idea what I am going through. I feel empty. I just want to feel again. When I was with Keegan…”
“Let her go. She is not coming back and you know it.”
“What do you think I have been trying to do?” Donald hung his head.
“Shifting in public is trying to let go? You are putting everyone in danger with your recklessness. I would expect more from someone who had earned Keegan’s affection. You can’t fight magic, shifter. If Keegan had chosen you over me, I would have walked away and let her be happy. If you cared for her half as much as you claim, you will do the same.” Rourk turned and walked away.
Chapter 16
Keegan woke up to the ding of her phone. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and was surprised to see it was from Donald.
I’m sorry for being such an ass. I need to go away for awhile and get myself straight. Tell the guys I’ll be back next semester. You deserve to be happy. Rourk is a lucky man.
Keegan fumbled to reply. Are you ok? Do you want to meet?
I’m long gone. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Someone talked some sense into me.
I’m glad you are ok. I’m sorry I hurt you.
Not your fault. Take care, and thank you for the time we had together.
Keegan wiped a tear from her cheek. We had fun. You’ll always be special to me.
But I’ll never be your chosen.
No, I’m sorry he was picked for me long before we met.
I know. Bye Keegan.
Stay safe. Keegan sat up in bed and stared at the phone. She truly hoped he was ok. She wished she could tell him what Thaddeus had told her about the white tiger, but she knew that would be crossing the line. He had to find her on his own. Let life take the course it was meant to take.
Anna and Lauren were stirring. Once they were awake, Keegan filled them in on the texts.
“I wonder what changed his mind?” Anna murmured, stretching under the covers.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say.”
“There’s nothing else we can do,” Lauren said. She was lying on her stomach, hugging her pillow with both arms.
Anna smiled. “I guess it’s time to go home, then. Our job is done.”
Keegan decided she would just stay there with Rourk since he only had one more day. There was no sense in having him pay for another plane ticket. Anna and Lauren packed their things and said their goodbyes, followed by Spencer, Sam and Calvron, who were angry Donald hadn’t contacted them.
Keegan got dressed and knocked on Rourk’s door. He opened it with a welcoming smile.
“Wasn’t sure you were ever going to show up.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in.
“Just had to say goodbye to everyone. It’s just me and you left.” She bit her lip and smiled up at him.
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” Rourk’s grey eyes twinkled in the sunlight.
“Donald texted me that he had to get away to get himself right again.”
“That’s good.” Rourk’s expression didn’t change.
“He said someone talked some sense into him. Do you happen to know who that was?”
“We might have had words.” Rourk stared down at her, his face stoic.
“Whatever you said seems to have helped. He said you were lucky.”
“I am lucky.” Rourk tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up for a kiss.
Keegan loved the feel of his lips on hers. He tangled his hands in her hair, intensifying the kiss until she was breathless. She always got so caught up in their kisses.
Grudgingly, she pulled back, and stared into his grey eyes that she loved so much. “So, what do you want to do today? And please don’t say hiking.”
Rourk laughed loudly. “Ok, well, that was my first thought. There are tons of trails around here. What would you like to do? Shop, play tourist, or just hang out in the room?”
“As much as hanging out in the room sounds appealing, I think I would want to attack you. We should probably play tourist. I’ve never been to California before. This town looks pretty neat; we can go explore. If there is nothing of interest, we can always take a long drive to the next city.” Keegan ran her fingers up his arm. It made her fingertips tingle.
“Rourk, I want to get married,” Keegan blurted, and then blushed.
He took a step back, his hands on the side of her arms as he looked at her closely. “Where is this coming from?”
“I want to be with you always. It’s killing me being separated from you.”
“You will always be with me, and we would be separated regardless because of the military. I will soon be in Washington w
ith you.”
“I know but I want to wake up with you every morning, and greet you when you get home from work.”
“Does this have anything to do with Donald? I don’t get the sudden change. You know I would marry you today, but I need to be sure this is what you really want and not some whim.”
“Well, it does kinda have something to do with Donald.” She felt Rourk’s body tense up.
“Not in a bad way. You’re the only one for me. We’re meant to be together. I’ve just been stubborn. I don’t even know why I tried to go against tradition. It was just sprung on me so quickly.” She gazed into his eyes. “I want to be your wife. I want to grow old with you and someday have little elf babies running around.”
Rourk grinned widely. “You have made me the happiest man in the world.”
“That’s a little dramatic. But I like the sound of it.” Keegan leaned up and Rourk kissed her.
“So how soon are you thinking? We could fly out to Vegas tonight.” Rourk raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“It’s fall and I’ve always wanted a fall wedding. I really want to get married on the property at my favorite spot. My mom is going to freak out.” Keegan was starting to get excited about planning the handfasting. Her mind raced with all the things they would have to do. Elves tended to have large weddings. Any excuse to throw a party was a good one.
“I love the idea of getting married there—it seems right.” Rourk couldn’t believe she had changed her mind. He had been prepared to wait years.
“We’ll all have time off for Thanksgiving. Is that too soon? I don’t know if I’ll be able to find a dress that quickly since it’s only a little over a month away.” Keegan felt a sudden urge to call her mother. She wished Anna and Lauren hadn’t left they could go in search of a dress. Her mind was running a mile a minute.
“It’s not soon enough as far as I’m concerned.”
Keegan laid her head down on his chest and could hear his heart beating loudly. “I love you,” she whispered.
Rourk pulled her tight. “Go call your mom. You know you want to.”
“You read my mind.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone.
Rourk smiled as she paced back and forth, chattering away to her mother. She finally ended the call. “She’s over the moon, and she started ticking off a list of things we had to take care of. I didn’t realize so much went into planning a wedding. As far as I’m concerned it could just be us and my family. I’d be happy. I don’t need anything elaborate.”
“I’m sure it will be perfect. I guess I’ll have to ask Tommy to be my best man.”
“Oh goodness. I wonder if I can have two maids of honor? I can’t pick between Anna and Lauren!” Keegan could feel the panic rising in her chest.
“You’ll figure something out. They’ll understand no matter what you decide.”
“You’re right. I’ll deal with that later. For now, I want enjoy spending the day with you before we have to be separated again.” She reached for his hand and they headed for the exit together.
“I wonder how Athena is doing? I hate that I had to leave her for so long.”
“I’m sure she is doing fine. It was just a few days. You can always call and check up on her if you’re worried.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Keegan scrolled to find the kennel’s number and dialed. She talked on the phone for a couple of minutes before thanking the person on the other end and hanging up. “She’s fine. All the kennel workers love her. The little runt probably doesn’t even miss us.”
Rourk laughed.
“Let’s walk instead of taking the car. I saw they had a bike rental shop; we can really be tourists,” Keegan said.
“That sounds like fun.”
Keegan wrapped her arm around Rourk’s waist as they walked, their feet in perfect rhythm. She shivered at the chill in the air, but it was nothing compared to Alaska. The cool air felt refreshing. She randomly pulled Rourk into some of the little stores and picked up some knick-knacks. Keegan found a beautiful green amber necklace for her mother. She pulled out her phone and looked up the meaning on Google. She smiled when she saw it was rare and often a favorite for healers to help with chronic ailments.
Pushing the door open to the bike shop, they were met with a loud bell as they entered. Keegan laughed when she saw the bikes were all bright orange, old-school cruisers. She asked for one with a basket in case they found more shops. She wouldn’t let Rourk take off without getting a photo of him on the bike. He looked so out of place riding it.
He led the way to a bike trail that meandered along the coast. The view was stunning—rugged cliffs that lined the coast so that the ocean crashed against them. Keegan skidded the bike to a stop over and over to take photos. She couldn’t wait to add them to her travel collection. There was just something about seaside towns that she found so relaxing, and being with Rourk made it perfect. They spent hours riding around and enjoying each other’s company. As usual, the day went too quickly.
Saying goodbye was not getting any easier.
Keegan’s heart felt like it was tearing in shreds when they separated at the airport. She glanced at her watch—she still had an hour and twenty minutes before her plane would leave. Of course, she and Rourk were on different concourses. She was hungry, so she slowly trudged to a little shop to grab a snack. She noticed a wedding magazine on the rack and flipped through it. Unable to resist, she added it to her purchases. She still couldn’t believe she was going to get married in a little over a month. What she really couldn’t believe was the idea didn’t freak her out at all. She was young, but so what? So were all the other elves that got married. They seemed to be doing fine. She couldn’t imagine her life without Rourk in it.
Keegan picked up her phone and called Anna to fill her in on the news.
“Guess what?”
“No idea. You saw the yeti?”
“Close. Rourk and I are going to get married next month!”
“Seriously? That’s awesome, Keegan. I’m envious of you guys. I guess that means we won’t be roommates.”
Keegan hadn’t even thought of that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think of that. I was really looking forward living with you.”
“It’s ok. You’re a slob anyway and that would have driven me crazy.”
“I’ve gotten better.” Keegan laughed.
“I’ll just find a studio for myself. I have to get out of these dorms. At least we’ll be in the same city. So, what’s the big plan?”
Keegan told her how she wanted to get married on Thanksgiving break at her parents’ property.
“The timing is great since we all planned on going home for the holidays. Don’t make me wear a horrendous bridesmaid dress. I’m serious, no bright yellow or big ruffles.”
Keegan paced around the seating area. There was so much planning she hadn’t thought about. “I promise your dress won’t be ugly.”
“Make sure Rourk brings some of his hot military friends.”
“You’re too much, Anna. Ok—I’m at the airport. I’ll call you soon. I can’t wait to see you again.”
Keegan still had time to kill, so she opened her magazine. Most of the dresses were way too fancy for her taste. She pictured herself wearing a flowing, simple ivory gown in chiffon. She could feel the stress rising when she wondered if she would have time to find the perfect dress. Her body temperature was quickly dropping. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to center herself; she closed her eyes and thought of Rourk. Her body relaxed when she pictured him walking onto the plane. He stopped mid-step and smiled. She knew he realized she was thinking about him. Crisis averted—she didn’t freeze the airport. That would not be good, especially with all the cameras and security. Imagine explaining that to Mom.
Chapter 17
Keegan wasn’t sure how she made it through the week without Rourk. It felt like the longest week of her life. Her classes dragged on. The only thing that made time speed up was w
hen she volunteered at the wildlife shelter. Having the computers certainly helped, but it just wasn’t the same.
This weekend, they were meeting in Washington, and Rourk was bringing his friend Tommy so they could check out the area and the apartments Tommy had seen online. Keegan was excited to meet a friend of Rourk’s. She still couldn’t get over his close call with the accident and was very grateful that her mother was a healer. She was also a little nervous—she felt like she needed Tommy’s approval.
Anna was waiting outside the gate when Keegan came out of the security checkpoint. Anna had once again morphed her looks. Today, she had an ultra short pixie cut and her hair was almost black. Her crazy green eyes stood out even more with her dark hair and light skin.
Keegan squeezed her tightly. “Your hair looks amazing. I have no idea how you can pull off so many looks. You’re like a chameleon.”
“Please tell me this isn’t your attempt to hook me up on a blind date with Rourk’s buddy.”
“You wish!” Keegan laughed. The thought had crossed her mind, but she wanted to meet Tommy before she pawned him off on one of her best friends. She wanted to make sure he was good enough for her.
“You’re right, I was hoping.” Anna bumped Keegan with her hip. They laughed and headed to a nearby cafe.
They caught up and talked about the wedding plans. “I think we’ll just let Lauren pick out the dress, if that’s ok with you?” Keegan raised an eyebrow.
“Let me think about this. I could spend hours trying on dresses or let Lauren pick. I think I’ll go with Lauren.”
Keegan nodded. “As much as I hate to admit it, she does have the best taste out of the three of us.”
“You won’t hear me complaining.” Anna bit into a peanut butter cookie, and then filled Keegan in on the apartment she had just rented. Keegan couldn’t recall the last time Anna had been so exited about something. She was curious to see if the place lived up to Anna’s descriptions. One of her new witch friends had recommended it, and Keegan was certain magic had been involved in securing the apartment and moving in so fast.
Keegan was getting anxious to see Rourk. As much as she enjoyed seeing one of her best friends, time seemed to stop when she was waiting for her chosen. She kept glancing around and checking the clock on her phone. When she wasn’t with Rourk, it was as if the clocks stopped, and sadly, time sped up when he was around.