We sat on a bench by the lake and watched the people pass by. Blake asked me questions about myself. He was trying to get to know me better, but I wasn’t so sure that was a good idea so I kept my guard up and my answers short. I hadn’t gotten this far by being naïve, and I still wasn’t so sure I trusted this guy. I mean I wanted to trust him. I really did, but he had aligned himself with my enemy for life. Granted, he didn’t really have a choice, but it didn’t change that fact.
Later, he took me to Fill’s Diner for lunch. Tabby eyed us suspiciously. She was nervous about it too, but she remained polite as she served our food.
As Blake shared details of his hard childhood and losing his parents in a fire when he was six, I found myself studying his appearance. I mean after all he wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t already heard before, so my mind drifted off. He was actually quite handsome. His dark hair was cut short with more length on the top, and his dark eyes had a hint of the golden color associated with us were-cats—well except for me, mine were always green, unlike any other were-cougar I had ever met or seen. That was just another thing that made me different.
But back to Blake; he had a nice size build, not the hulk frame like Dane, but definitely a good size physique. I imagined that back home he probably had his share of girls. Did I think I was going to become one of them? I think he probably thought so, but for me, well, I didn’t think so. He just seemed a little too fragile for my taste. I liked a man who had confidence and strength about him.
“I’m so sorry about your parents,” I said in all sincerity as I took out my roll of Spree and popped a red one in my mouth. “I remember hearing about the fire when I was little. I really felt for you. It’s hard to lose parents.” I felt my shoulders slump forward, and I suddenly felt really sad.
“I’m sorry, Cali,” he said, taking hold of my hand. “I didn’t mean to bring up memories of losing your own parents.”
I gently pulled my hand away from his. “It’s okay, Blake. I know you didn’t mean to.” I stared him in the eyes and felt the fire growing behind mine. “It just makes me so mad that you are still with that criminal, Creed. You know he killed my parents. How can you still be with him?”
“It’s not that simple, Cali. You should know that. He will kill me if I try to leave.”
“He didn’t kill us.”
“Maybe not, but it really angered him when you guys fled. He’s done nothing but pace and stew about finding you ever since then.”
I jerked to attention. “He’s got people out looking for us?”
“Shhh. Yes he does.”
“Oh, Blake, you can’t tell him where we are! You just can’t!”
He glanced around nervously. “Calm down, Cali. I won’t tell him. You have my word.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, no offense, Blake, but your word doesn’t really mean that much to me right now.”
He smirked slightly. “I know it doesn’t right now, but maybe someday you’ll learn to trust me.” He took hold of my hand again.
About that time the bell to the door of the deli rang. I glanced up to see Dane walking into the restaurant like a man on a mission. He froze the moment he spotted me, and he inspected Blake’s hand resting on top of mine. Without thinking, I pulled my hand free. Why on earth did I do that?
He appeared to be angry, but it was a look I had become accustom to seeing so it could’ve been anything that angered him. Somehow I wanted to believe that it was because he was jealous, but I knew that was unreasonable since we both pretty much hated each other.
He seemed a little caught off guard, but then he righted himself and continued to the checkout counter where Tabby had his order waiting for him.
I felt let down. So that was why he was in there, and it had nothing to do with me. Of course it had nothing to do with me! I would’ve slapped myself right then and there if I wouldn’t have looked like an idiot.
I watched as he paid for his lunch and walked out of the diner without looking in my direction. I glanced over at Tabby. She gave me a wide-eyed expression and shrugged.
As Blake and I exited the deli, Dane was suddenly there, towering over both of us. “Are you okay?”
I had to look around to make sure he was talking to me. “Ummm, yes. Why do you ask?”
“You shouldn’t be hanging with this guy. He has dangerous ties. Don’t you know that? I thought you were smarter than this.” His voice was strong and sharp, just like always.
I felt my hair standing on end. “Excuse me, but you don’t know anything about me, Mr. Rude Much! You still think I’m a girl scout!”
“Girl scouts are smart enough to know when to avoid predators like this guy and the guys he runs with.”
Blake was about to say something when Dane stuck his face in his and we both heard a deep growl rumbling in Dane’s chest. It was something that instantly shut Blake down and made me want to run away. Dane’s eyes briefly flashed a scary deep gold. There was no doubt that his threat was real.
“Umm, I’ll catch up with you later, Cali,” Blake said barely looking at me, and then he was gone.
I felt slightly scared myself, but I put on a brave face. “You wanna tell me what that was about?” I asked, but I had to swallow my throat down.
He pointed at the running Blake. “You stay away from that guy. He is dangerous.” He took a deep irritated breath and added, “Now, I’ll take you home.”
I probably shouldn’t have allowed him to, but honestly, I was really curious as to what had set him off. Maybe I will finally get some answers about this guy.
As I walked to my side of the truck, I could’ve sworn I heard giggling behind me, but when I spun around there was no one there. I shrugged and got into the truck.
Chapter Nine
The drive home was once again quiet. I had ants in my pants. I needed answers, so I took a deep breath and began. “So, what are you exactly? A werewolf?”
He choke laughed and peered at me like I was crazy. “A werewolf? Really?”
“Well, what else has that kind of power and presence? You scared the crap out of Blake.”
“That guy is a weenie! Anything could scare him. He associates with real losers.”
“I know better than you the guys he runs with. His leader killed both of my parents.”
Dane looked over at me as if I had just told him his garden burned down. Then he jerked the truck off of the road and killed the engine. He gripped the steering wheel hard with both hands and lowered his head. Was he angry or upset?
“Um, Dane, are you okay?” I touched his shoulder and he straightened.
“I’m sorry about your parents. You should never have had to experience losing them that way. No one should.”
“Thank you, but it’s not your fault, it’s Creed’s.”
At the mention of his name, Dane slammed his fist into his steering wheel. “I hate animals like him! They make us all look bad!”
I nodded my head in agreement. Everyone knew Creed was bad news.
He peered over at me and his expression softened. A small smile even played on his lips. I knew that must’ve taken great effort.
“By the way,” he said, “I meant no disrespect toward werewolves. One of my friends leads a pack in the North Carolina Mountains. He’s probably the best man I have ever met.”
I nodded again. “Yeah, I think I’ve heard of him. Levi Drake, right?”
“Yeah. Now, that is the way a pack leader should act, with respect to his people and to the other packs, even if they are different than him.”
“Yeah, I agree.” I suddenly laughed. “Maybe we should go there and join his pack. I hear no other were-creatures live up there.”
He laughed with me. “He would probably take us in. I heard he took in a vampire once.”
Okay, I genuinely started laughing. “A vampire? Really?” And then I was doubled over, laughing hysterically. Soon, Dane was laughing as hard as I was. I mean who had ever heard of a werewolf pack taking
in a vampire? It was totally ridiculous. Everyone knew they have loathed each other since the beginning of time.
I was still wiping away tears from laughing when we pulled into my driveway. Something had happened today. My relationship with ‘the savage’ and changed, softened even. Maybe we were even friends, sort of.
Reaching for the door handle I said, “Well, thank you for bringing me home.” I opened the door and stuck a leg out. “And for being interested in my safety. Even if you did handle it like a monster.”
He nodded his head and rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome.”
I stepped out and closed the door behind me. He drove slowly out of the driveway. As soon as he pulled off, I remembered something. “Oh wait! You never told me what you are!” But he was gone…again.
* * * * * *
Dane’s POV
I heard her calling after me once I was out of sight. I had purposefully not told her what I was. It was better if she didn’t know. I could be dangerous for someone like her. It was already very hard to control myself around her. When I saw her disappear into the deli with that loser, I thought I was going to lose my mind, but when I saw him with his hand on hers, that almost broke me. And yet I wasn’t quite sure why I felt this way. I mean she and I had not had many nice or even calm moments since we met. I knew it was mostly my fault. I had purposed to be rude and nasty, but it still felt wrong—all wrong.
I could tell that this girl was more than meets the eye. There was something really special about her. It was more than her beauty or even her soft heart. She didn’t show it to me, but I saw it. I saw it in the way she handled the young couple with the new baby. She spoke to them as if they were family. She had softness toward my cat, thinking she was in trouble. She was even giving this Blake dude a chance even though he didn’t deserve it. This I planned to see come to an end. This guy would only bring harm to Calico. And I would die before I would let that happen. The girl with the green eyes and who always smelled like candy deserved happiness. That I knew for sure.
* * * * * *
Calico’s POV
It was Sunday and we decided to visit the local church, Appleville Baptist. As children, our parents had always taken us to church, but since their deaths we had stayed away. Now we were starting a new life, and we felt that included going back to church.
When we arrived, the parking lot was already full. I was nervous as we entered the traditional white church. We took our seats on the very back pew. I scanned the building. It was beautiful, with stained glass windows in every window and a pretty green carpet everywhere, even the pew benches were green.
As we gazed around, there were people from town we recognized. All the workers from the deli, the bakery, and the barbershop were there. Celia waved at me from the front row, and I recognized Dominique, the nice young cashier at the Appleville Drug Store. Did all the businesses around here close for church services?
The only friends that were not there were our little ghost friends. However, if it weren’t for them, we would have overslept and missed church. They had actually pushed me out of bed and onto the floor. I was puzzled as to why our ghost friends would want us to go to church anyway. This was something we may never know…and then the pastor came onto the stage and made an announcement, and then I understood completely.
“Good morning, everyone,” the pastor began. “It’s so nice to see you all here on this lovely first day of fall. It’s taken a long time, but I am proud to announce that our very own Dane Savage has finally agreed to lead us in worship.”
I froze. The girls all turned and glared at me, their eyes wide as plates. I’m sure mine matched theirs. And did he say Dane Savage?
The girls mouthed the words ‘Dane Savage’ and will all burst into a whispered laughter. How is it that I had been calling him ‘the savage’ all that time and his last name turned out to be Savage? I’m not sure how it happened, but it struck all four of us as hilarious, and we struggled to tame our laughter. I was thankful we were on the back row and mostly out of sight with all our heads bent to our knees and hands over our mouths.
And then he began to sing.
My laughter stopped abruptly as I sat up straight and stared at the lovely man with the amazing voice. He was so handsome and it struck me breathless. He was wearing a black suit with a blue tie, and his hair was combed neat and off of his face. He was singing Amazing Grace, and I was captivated. I quickly glanced around and noticed that I was not the only one. Once he began singing there was no noise to be heard. The entire congregation went silent and still. We were supposed to be singing along with him but no one did, and he continued to sing, with eyes closed, as if no one but God could hear him. I knew right then and there that I was a goner. It wasn’t until the very last word of the song that he finally opened his eyes and looked right at me. I’m sure there were tears in my eyes, and I smiled my approval, and he smiled back.
We stopped off at the Oasis Restaurant for lunch afterward. Dane Savage was all we could talk about. Sure the sermon was good, but our hearts were still reeling from that song but mostly the singer. I could barely eat. All I could do was think about Dane and that song. He sang with such heart and peace. It truly touched me deeply.
I knew my opinion of Dane Savage had finally changed…and as a result I knew I was in serious trouble.
Chapter Ten
Monday morning, Blake was on my front porch offering to drive me into work. I’m not sure how he found out my work schedule, and I cringed at the thought, but I let him drive me anyway. My sisters didn’t have to be into work until later so it all worked out.
I felt a little guilty about letting Blake take me to work. Dane had seemed pretty serious about me staying away from him. Although I didn’t know yet what were-creature Dane was, it was obvious he was better at sensing things than I was. Maybe it was because he was older than me, or maybe it was because he was a powerful were, whatever it was he was really intense about Blake, and so maybe I should’ve been too. But there was something about Blake that tugged at my heartstrings. He seemed so vulnerable at times, like he was lost. I admit I felt bad for him with the situation he was in with Creed. He was forced to join him and really had no choice unless he wanted to die. Me, I would’ve chosen death, but that was just me.
We pulled up to the library and I was about to get out when Blake took hold of my hand.
I froze.
He peered at me with those dark soulful eyes and asked, “Can I take you home after you get off?”
What was I supposed to say? “Sure,” I said and regretted the words but exited the car and headed off to work.
Thirty minutes before my shift ended Dane came strolling into the library. He laid his book returns down on the counter and flashed me a gentle smile. I think I returned it. It was strange. Our relationship had turned friendly, and it still felt weird to me. It was easier hating him I think. I still wasn’t quite sure what to do with this kinder Dane Savage. He soon disappeared behind one of the bookshelves.
I watched the clock nervously as it inched closer and closer to my exit time. I really didn’t want Dane to see me leaving with Blake. There was sure to be another conflict and this time it might go further. I knew in my heart of hearts that Blake would not come out of it without injury, and I didn’t want that for him.
I was glad when he came to the counter with his books and sat them in front of me.
“How are you today, Calico?” he asked as I scanned his books.
“I’m pretty good. And you?” I asked, concentrating on my task.
“The same.”
“That’s good.”
We didn’t speak again but his mannerisms were friendly; at least no more friction. He nodded his head at me and then he exited the building.
I couldn’t help but watch him as he walked away and disappeared from sight. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.
I finished up the last of my responsibilities, clocked out, and then headed for the door, waving at Celia as I le
ft.
What I spotted when I stepped onto the sidewalk made my heart sink. Dane had Blake lifted off of his feet and into the air. Blake was swinging but with no progress and Dane was just holding him there.
I ran as fast as I could to meet them. “Dane! How dare you?! Put him down right now!”
Dane quickly dropped Blake and turned to face me.
“How dare you!” I raged. “I can ride home with whoever I want to! You are not my keeper, Dane Savage! Do you hear me?”
His face hardened and he stood straight, his chin lifted into the air. “I do, as well as everyone else within ten miles of here,” he snapped. He didn’t say another word as he spun and headed for his truck.
Blake and I both watched as Dane jumped in his truck, slammed the door, and sped out of the parking lot.
I turned to Blake. “Are you all right?”
He nodded and straightened out his shirt.
“I’m sorry about that. For some reason he thinks you’re bad news. Probably because of Creed.”
He laughed slightly. “Yeah, that’s probably it. I guess I don’t blame him for that. It’s no problem. He didn’t hurt me or anything.”
“Did you say something to him, you know, to set him off?” I had to ask.
“No,” he responded quickly. “He just jumped me the moment he spotted me.”
I clinched my fists tight, the anger boiling inside. Why Dane thought he had to protect me was beyond me. We hardly even knew each other, and we certainly didn’t like each other all that much. At every turn his behavior continued to confuse and annoy me.
When we arrived at my home, Blake walked me to the door. No one was home from work yet. I reached for the doorknob when Blake took a hold of my hand. Uh oh.
Calico Cross (Cross Series Book 1) Page 4