As I stared at Lainey’s fingers gripping mine, gratitude and emotion tightened my throat. I was so thankful for my ability to see my next day. I would keep her safe. Pulling her into a tight hug, I sniffled. “Thank you so much, Lainey. Your gift is perfect in every way.”
When I leaned back and we locked eyes, her lips were set in a determined line. “I should go with you.”
“You can’t leave Lochlan.” I glanced at her dog, who was snoozing in his bed by the fireplace. “He’ll try to walk on that cast if you go outside too.”
She heaved a grunt of frustration, then walked beside me into the kitchen where she opened the back door.
While I jogged down the deck stairs, she called after me from the doorway, “Hurry, Nara. I don’t like this at all!”
The moment I crested the small hill just outside the entrance of the woods, I knew I was cut off from Lainey’s line of sight. I jerked the red hat from my head and just as I started to tuck in into my jacket pocket, I remembered that hunters wear bright colors so they are seen. Then again, Lainey was wearing my bright red hat when she got shot. As the next thought, Isn’t the center of a bull’s-eye red? flitted through my mind, I quickly pulled off the red scarf, then shoved it in the other pocket.
My breath plumed in puffs of frost as I jogged deeper into the woods. Lainey wasn’t kidding about the temperature, I thought wryly and shoved my hands into my overstuffed jacket pockets to keep my fingertips warm.
Pine and the smell of moist underbrush assaulted my senses as I walked in the direction of the creek, scanning the ground for the missing glove. Sunlight shined through the canopy of leaves above me, briefly brightening the fall colors that had faded to duller yellows, reds and oranges. The leaf coverage wasn’t near as thick now. Winter’s harsh bite would soon strip them all from the trees, shriveling them to brown husks.
Leaves crunched under my boots as I scanned the underbrush on the forest floor. It didn’t help that the dead leaves were the same color as the glove I was trying to find. Why couldn’t it have been bright red? I sighed and kept scanning.
The crack of a branch echoed in the woods in the direction I’d come. My feet locked in place. Heart racing, I jerked around, looking for the source in the stand of trees behind me. Was someone lurking behind one of them? My eyes skipped from tree to tree within my periphery, touching on any one that was wide enough to hide a person.
Nothing.
I tried to slow my breathing, to focus my hearing, but all I heard was the rustle of leaves in the trees. Blood rushed in my ears as I quickly spun in a full circle, checking each trunk for the edge of a shoulder, the bend of a knee or the straight line of a leg. Anything that was out of place.
When a group of birds took flight from a tree to my left, my attention shifted to the trees below them to see a shadowy blur zip away from the trunk. It was so fast that I blinked, wondering if I’d actually seen anything or if it was just my imagination.
Kaun, kaun, kaun, kaun a raven squawked somewhere in the trees, but to me it sounded like run, run, run, run. I didn’t need any more prompting. I took off toward the creek. If the glove was anywhere, that’s where I’d find it. Digging my boots’ thick soles into the moist ground, I pushed toward the hill that led to the creek. I thought I saw a shadow to my right, so I veered to my left, still heading toward the hill that led to the creek. I’d come out farther down and would have to follow the creek bed to make my way back to the area we’d found Lochlan, but at least I’d moved away from the shadow.
My feet scattered the crunchy leaves and underbrush, making it impossible to hear if anyone was behind me. I desperately wanted to check over my shoulder, but doing so would slow me down. I’d check once I reached the hill.
At the top of the hill, I halted and glanced over my shoulder, doing a quick scan of the woods. A hundred feet away, a couple of deer had stopped grazing. They stared at me with wide-eyed apprehension, as if they were debating if they should abandon their feeding area for safer ground.
I waited while my breathing quietly sawed in and out. The deer would hear any type of disturbance in the woods far sooner than me. I’d take my cue from them.
When they began to amble in an unconcerned fashion down the hill toward the creek, I breathed a heavy sigh and followed at a much slower and quieter pace. My dream had spooked me into imagining all kinds of scary intent-to-kill scenarios. Lainey getting shot was probably an accident. Plus, I wasn’t anywhere near where Lainey had been found.
After that pep talk, I gathered my courage and made my way to the spot we’d found Lochlan by the creek. Sure enough, lying on the bed of leaves still indented in Loch’s form, I found the other glove.
I picked up the glove, and as I shoved it deep into my pocket past my hat, I mumbled, “If you have any good luck in you, please make sure I get back to the house in one piece.”
Taking a deep breath, I took off running up the hill, the deer scattering with my sudden burst of movement.
I exited the woods, and as I approached the small hill, I slowed from a fast run to a brisk walk, my thudding heart stuttering and slowing down to a rapid thump with my relief. I’d made it out.
Just as I started up the slight incline, Drystan came running over the hill in full-on speed right in my path. He looked so intense, I froze. At the same time he yelled something, a loud boom detonated, ringing my ears.
Chapter Nine
Disoriented from the deafening sound, I tried to dodge out of his way, but my body moved as if I’d been dropped into a vat of molasses.
Drystan launched toward me, grabbing me by the waist. As we flew toward the ground, he curled inward, taking the brunt of our fall before we tumbled down the rest of the incline in a fast spin of flailing limbs.
We rolled to a stop with Drystan on top, his weight whooshing the air out of my lungs. Wheezing, I panicked and tried to push him off. Drystan gripped my arms and held me down, hissing, “Stay down, Nara. Just stay the ’ell down.”
It seemed like we lay there forever, Drystan breathing heavily in my ear while my ponytail dug into the back of my head. Just as my breathing shifted from frantic pants to stuttering breaths, a siren sounded in the distance. Tension eased from Drystan’s hard frame and he released his death grip on my wrists, rolling off me. “Thank God! The police are here.”
“I almost got shot, didn’t I?” I said quietly.
Drystan sat up and pulled me to a seated position too. In our current position, the hill still blocked us from the house’s view. “You knew you were going to get shot?” Shock registered in his green eyes.
I gulped. I hadn’t meant to say it like that. I’d blurted my thoughts before I had a chance to think of the right way to say it. “Um, I meant…did you just save me from getting shot? How did you know?” Drystan opened his mouth to speak, but two police officers, a man and a woman, came running over the hill, guns drawn.
“Let’s get you both inside and under cover,” the stocky red-headed woman said in a gruff voice. While the blond officer stared off into the woods, scanning for the shooter, the female officer escorted us into the house.
As soon as we walked inside, a babbling, hysterical Lainey immediately folded me in a hug so tight, I could barely breathe.
“I’m okay, Lainey,” I rasped. While I stroked her French braid to calm her, I saw the worried look in Matt’s gaze as he stood behind her. Fists clenched by his sides, torture reflected in his eyes when they flicked to Lainey, then back to me. I saw what he was thinking, It could’ve easily been Lainey.
You have no idea, Matt.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Nara. Drystan insisted we call the police. He thought he heard gunshots that sounded way too close,” Matt said, sounding shaken.
“Yes, thank goodness he was there just when I needed him,” I murmured. My gaze locked with Drystan’s over Matt’s shoulder, but he broke eye contact when the redheaded police officer asked him to give her a play-by-play of exactly what happened.
* *
*
Mom freaked the moment I walked in the door. She grabbed my shoulders and yanked me into a tight hug, breathing hard against my hair. “I was so scared when I got the call from Lainey’s dad. I let him have an earful that he didn’t call me until you’d left to come home. I would’ve picked you up.”
“I was fine to drive myself, Mom,” I mumbled into her shoulder, but that didn’t stop me from hugging her back just as tightly. I’d waited almost twelve years for my mom to show strong emotion and hug me with such intensity. I wasn’t passing this opportunity up for anything in the world.
Mom pulled back to look at me and mistook my tears of joy for fear. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay. You’re safe now.” Yanking me back into a quick hug, she huffed, “You’re not allowed to go back over to Lainey’s until they arrest this psychopath poacher.”
The unknown poacher was the only logical explanation the police could come up with for the shooting. I’d shivered when I heard Drystan tell the officer he’d heard the bullet whiz past, barely missing us. They’d scoured Lainey’s yard and house as well as the surrounding yards and houses, looking for the bullet, but didn’t find anything.
“Understand, Inara?” Mom said, bringing me back to the present as she tightened her hold.
I nodded against her shoulder, basking in the warm, protective mama bear hug. The frantic fierceness, the I’ll-kill-anyone-who-tries-to-hurt-my-baby tension in her hold…there really wasn’t anything quite like it. I wished I could bottle it to save for potential future reassurance needs.
Mom and I had a great dinner, where I finally got to hear how her date with Mr. Dixon went. Listening to her talk about Mr. Dixon didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Maybe it was because I was distracted, but she seemed less stressed than she usually was, even a bit giddy. I knew she rambled for my sake, but her happiness helped me to forget about the close call I’d had today.
After we finished dinner and were gathering the takeout containers, Mom brought up the shooting while spooning leftovers into a plastic storage bowl. “I tried to call your aunt to let her know you were okay—just in case she heard about it on the news—but I got her voice mail.” Mid-scoop, her brow furrowed. “That was hours ago and I still haven’t heard from her. I hope she’s okay.”
I paused loading my glass into the dishwasher, my happiness for my mom taking a bittersweet turn with her inadvertent reminder that my aunt had left on a mission to find out what was up with her brother. Mom didn’t know Sage had kept in touch with him or that I’d requested a talk with my dad to learn more about my powers. After he’d left us with no explanation when I was five, it took Mom years to stop wearing her wedding ring. And it was just in the past couple of months that she’d started to show emotion around me like she used to when I was little. For now, it was for the best she didn’t know anything. “Oh, Aunt Sage flew to Florida for vacation yesterday,” I said.
Mom blinked, looking a bit hurt. “Really? I know Sage and I don’t talk often, but she usually tells me if she’s going to be gone.”
“She asked me to let you know. Sorry, it slipped my mind with everything that happened.”
Mom’s tense expression relaxed as she swept the crumbs off our placemats into the trash. “Well, good for her. It’s about time she went on vacation. She hasn’t had one in years.”
As I loaded Mom’s silverware into the dishwasher, I nodded my agreement, while mentally reminding myself to warn my aunt where I’d said she’d been while she was away.
An hour later, after a long hot shower, I crawled into bed. I was completely exhausted. It had been a very long, emotionally draining day. After I’d pulled my covers to my chin, I realized that I’d been so distracted by everything, I hadn’t checked my phone for hours.
Crawling out of bed, I grabbed my phone from my backpack, then dove back under the covers. When I saw I had a few texts, I bit my lip and scrolled through, expecting them to be from Ethan. He was probably freaking out again.
There weren’t any from Ethan. I was a bit surprised and slightly disappointed, but also relieved. He didn’t need to worry about me when he was so far away. Everything turned out fine…and for that I was very thankful.
There were three texts from Lainey and one from Drystan. Drystan? How’d he get my number? Lainey, of course. I sighed as I opened Lainey’s texts.
Lainey – 6:22 p.m. ~ Police protection?! Ack! I don’t want my dad’s buddies following me around everywhere. Can you imagine the crap they’d report back to him?
Lainey – 8:05 p.m. ~ Good news! They found the poacher who’d buried those illegal traps on our land. He’s in custody now. He had an unregistered gun that had been recently fired. I’m SO relieved!
Lainey – 8:18 p.m. ~ Dang! Dad said the protection stands. At least until they confirm if the poacher has an alibi for this afternoon, yada yada. Grrrr.
Me – 9:50 p.m. ~ Thanks for the update. Guess you’ll have to be on your best behavior. Am SO glad I’m busy tomorrow. *snickers*
Lainey – 9:53 p.m. ~ Just for that last comment, you’re also trying on dresses, not just watching me!
I grimaced at her last text, then opened Drystan’s.
Drystan – 8:45 p.m. ~ Just wanted to check if you’re okay?
Me – 9:57 p.m. ~ That was pretty close, but I’m fine. You?
Drystan – 10:04 p.m. ~ I wasn’t the one being shot at!
Me – 10:05 p.m. ~ Thank you for saving me! You ah, realize you’re going to have to tell me how you knew, right?
I expected a response back right away. After five minutes of silence, I set my phone down, frustration knotting my stomach. Guess I wasn’t getting one.
Drystan – 10:15 p.m. ~ Only if you tell me how I was able to see myself saving you from getting shot in the chest; that’s where the bullet probably would’ve hit you if I hadn’t gotten to you first.
Way to sugarcoat it, Drystan! I blinked at his message, my heart racing. Obviously I hadn’t seen myself get shot, so did he have some kind of ability too? I blinked at his message several times, processing as my mind raced between surprise over his revelation and the idea I’d almost been shot. God, I’d almost been shot! The knot in my stomach turned to nausea.
How was me getting shot possible? Lainey was the one who was shot in my dream. Yes, I’d prevented the shooting and therefore changed how the rest of my day would unfold. I’d been surprised Fate didn’t shock me when I tried to stop Lainey, but Drystan’s comment sent a chill of dread slamming through me. Was I the intended target the whole time? Lainey had been wearing my red hat while traipsing through the woods. She also had on her black wool pea coat and her hair was in a braid, making it hard to tell it was red from a distance. She could’ve been mistaken for me. Was that why Fate let me stop her, because I was supposed to get shot? Twisted bastard!
But wait…in the chest? That meant that whomever had shot at me wasn’t in the woods at all, but had been located either beside Lainey’s house, or possibly in the woods across the street from Lainey’s house. Was Lainey the target or me?
Drystan – 10:18 p.m. ~ You there?
I stared at my text screen. I knew Drystan had some kind of ability. At least my subconscious knew. He’d found that misfiled microfiche in no time, as if he’d known exactly where to look. He was also the one who’d found Lochlan. We could’ve been in those woods for hours looking for the poor little Jack. Jack! Drystan’s comment from that day in the woods came back to me.
“I was just thinking that Lochlan’s an interesting name for a smallish dog...but I suppose it probably suits a Jack.”
How had Drystan known that Lainey’s dog was a Jack Russell? Neither Lainey nor I had told him, and he hadn’t been in Lainey’s house to see pictures of her dad hunting with his dog on the fridge.
Even though I wanted to know how his ability worked, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share mine with him.
Me – 10:20 p.m. ~ I’m here. Not sure what you’re talking about with your earlier text. Tha
t’s freaky, which reminds me…how did you know Lainey’s dog was a Jack that day we went looking for him? We never told you what kind of dog he was.
Drystan – 10:23 p.m. ~ Distraction? That’s your answer? The only way I knew he was a Jack was because I saw myself laying him in Lainey’s arms! Seeing myself…in the future, those are both new to me. The only common factor in both cases (the shooting and Loch) was YOU.
I bit my lip, dying of curiosity to know what his ability was. And why did being around me change his? When I didn’t respond right away, Drystan sent another text.
Drystan – 10:26 p.m. ~ I’ll share if you do. In person. Otherwise, according to my uncle, I’m brilliant at denial. See you tomorrow.
Chapter Ten
My planned visit with my great aunt Corda, whom I’d always called Gran, made a great excuse to avoid seeing Drystan in the parking lot at the end of the day. Drystan might be “brilliant at denial,” but he’d soon learn that I was “phenomenal at avoidance.” Lainey was too distracted by her new bodyguards and her ongoing flirtation with Matt to give me a hard time about leaving early.
On the way to Westminster’s Retirement Community, I stopped by Mocha Java’s and grabbed a very large latte. Last night, I’d been so keyed up from everything that had happened and then Drystan’s revelation, I didn’t fall asleep until three in the morning. I’d only slept for a couple of hours before Patch’s morning window pecking woke me.
After I took a drawing gulp of my coffee, I mumbled, “Here’s to the adventure at Gran’s. I hope she’s having a sharp day.” I had no idea how she’d react to my surprise visit. I usually let her know when I was coming. At seventy-eight, Gran had memory lapses and moments of non-clarity, but she could also be so sharply keen, where nothing got past her. Guess we were both in for surprises today, since I’d only dreamed as far as school ending before Patch woke me.
Twenty minutes later, I knocked on Gran’s apartment door. “Be there in a minute,” Gran called out, but when she didn’t answer within a couple of minutes, and I heard sounds of heavy shuffling behind the closed door, I jostled the doorknob.
Lucid, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #2) Page 9