I, on the other hand, found my feet growing colder by the second as my former buffers against packlessness—Harmony and Rosie—were encircled by my parents’ love. I swallowed with some difficulty, then forced myself to meet Dad’s eyes at last. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come home...” I started.
But Wolfie didn’t allow me to say words that would only break both of our hearts. Instead, he rifled around in the debris at his feet, then came up with a cardboard box that he handed over as proudly as if he was offering a crown to a new monarch. The courtliness was strange given words on the exterior proving that the container had begun life enclosing a takeout burger. Still, a sniff test promised sweeter contents inside.
I cracked the lid then tears began leaking from my eyes yet again as I realized Dad had made me another cupcake. Somehow, in the midst of driving hundreds of miles north, waiting for phone calls that never came, and hacking into a cell phone’s GPS data to determine my current location, Wolfie had carved out sufficient time and space to bake fatherly love into a treat to be delivered by his endlessly affectionate hands.
“You two are such softies,” Mom said from the other side of the center console. She reached across, wiping away my tears with the pad of one thumb, then smiled fondly as she elaborated. “You should have seen your father in that hotel-room kitchen. Every time the bond went wonky, your dad threw flour at the ceiling or clawed up the counter. We had to pay extra for damages when we checked out.”
And, just as Terra had intended, the image of my half-wild werewolf-baker father was enough to dry my eyes and bring me back down to planet earth. Meanwhile, Dad had gathered his own composure more closely about him before pressing his larger palms around mine—one atop the box and the other beneath my extended hand.
“Bond or no bond, you’re welcome at home whenever you choose to come,” Wolfie told me as the heat from his touch refilled a tiny portion of the gaping hole that had dug itself into my belly earlier in the evening. “In the meantime, eat this cupcake when you need a boost. And let me know when you land somewhere safe and sound.”
“I will,” I promised, agreeing to everything even though I had no idea where I would spend the night or even whether I would ever be safe again.
Then Harmony’s cell phone rang and the sound of irate Spanish filled the evening air. Rosie exploded into another round of “Kak, kak, kak!” And Harmony attempted to soothe both the older and the younger generations while gazing upon my parents with hooded eyes. Despite her earlier agreement, I could tell my sister wasn’t quite convinced that her best way forward was to enter a car full of strangers with her daughter on her hip.
“Later, Mama,” my sister said at last, clicking off the phone and standing uncertainly beside the still-open car door. The human’s muscles tensed, and for a moment I thought Harmony might grab her daughter and run...right into Andrea’s unfriendly arms.
“I know everything you’ve seen tonight is crazy....” I started. I wasn’t sure how to fix what had been broken between us sufficiently to get my sister into the car, but I did know I couldn’t let her run off into certain danger.
To my surprise, Harmony didn’t need further convincing. Instead, she pulled me in for a tight embrace that felt like the first sip of hot chocolate after walking miles through February snow. “Find your brother,” my companion whispered into my waiting ear. “And I’ll be alright.”
Then Rosie was wailing at being ignored and my sister drew back to soothe her. Jiggling the child into good humor, the pair slid together into the back seat.
My parents’ farewells were similarly fond but brief. Then car doors slammed, the engine roared to life, and brake lights glowed red as the final remnants of my pack faded away into the night.
For my part, I was left standing there in silence, chewing upon Harmony’s final words. Because I’d thought there were no stones left unturned surrounding Derek’s disappearance...but my sister’s faith in his continued existence suggested that perhaps I’d given up too soon.
“What am I missing?” I murmured, fingering the key that sat cold and hard in my pocket. And as I racked my brain, my memory finally turned up the missing piece.
Chapter 31
“Donuts,” I’d suggested twelve months earlier, not bothering to gaze into my cell-phone screen as I lounged on the sofa and ribbed my little brother about his favorite dessert—a mystery he’d yet to elucidate a year into our long-distance relationship.
“Because I look so sweet and fluffy, right?” Derek countered, a growl in his voice. Still, I knew my only sibling well enough by this point to be certain he was amused. So I refused to relent.
Grabbing the phone in one hand, I carried our connection into the adjoining kitchen and started pulling ingredients off the shelves with the other. “Oatmeal cookies? Vanilla pudding? Ooh, I know,” I teased. “Pecan pie....”
“...because deep down inside I’m really a nut,” Derek finished for me. His laughter was real this time around, a rarity from a male who always maintained a tough exterior even around his doting older sister.
In response, I gazed into the screen, enjoying this rare moment of solidarity. Behind Derek’s lanky form, plants draped around a sun-lit window, and the worry that always gnawed at my gut when I thought about my brother’s secretive nature eased. He was safe, he was happy. And, finally, he was in my life...virtually at least.
“I just want to feed you,” I said, only realizing I’d spoken aloud when emotions too numerous to count flitted across my brother’s usually closed-down face. Biting my lip, I prepared to backpedal. Better that than give Derek yet another chance to retreat the way he’d done every other time I’d tried to draw him closer to my home pack.
Only, this time around, my timing must have been spot-on. Derek smiled back, eyes appearing older than my own despite the fact that I had a few years on him, but his stance otherwise remaining uncharacteristically relaxed. “How about a PO box?” my sibling suggested after a few seconds. “I’m not staying here long so the address is only temporary. But if you really, really have to mail me a....”
Derek paused, even then unwilling to relinquish such an important secret as his favorite flavor. “A moonpie?” I suggested, batting my eyelashes as I named the very last dessert Derek might possibly enjoy. My brother was definitely not a lovey-dovey marshmallow sort of guy.
“Not a moonpie,” Derek growled. “I’ll text you the address even though you’re a pest. But it’s temporary. Tem-por-ary. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!” I answered, saluting smartly. And, behind my back, I’d crossed my fingers, hoping this was the first step toward meeting face to face. I wanted nothing more than to give Derek a hug...and a safe place to call his own.
Still, a momentary sugar rush would have to suffice for now. To that end, I’d put together an assortment of varied desserts, hoping to hit the nail on the head with one of them at least.
But the care package hadn’t done the trick. Derek had evaded my questions about which, if any, of the pastries he’d enjoyed. And when I asked whether I could use the same address the next week, Derek told me he’d moved, that his old PO box had been canceled.
That I’d have to eat the subsequent mountain of moonpies by myself.
Now, sliding my brother’s key out of my pocket, I realized that Derek had changed PO boxes as promised. Because the number etched onto this small metal surface didn’t match the one embedded in my memory from twelve months prior. The post office in question had likely changed as well.
Still, I’d bet my last dollar that this was a mail-box key. And I had a feeling I knew which location Derek had chosen for his new stash as well.
My brother’s recent mentions of campus, his affiliation with Sebastien...every arrow pointed toward the row of metal boxes I’d walked right past the day before without realizing my brother’s secrets might be hidden therein.
Go. Now, my wolf demanded. And I obeyed. Retracing my footsteps into the darkened zoo, I shed clothes and kni
ves, cupcake and phone before rolling my possessions up as carefully as I could into the stained and ripped blouse that had seen better days. Then, using my bra to bind the ungainly bundle around my chest tightly enough that it would stay put even in lupine form, I relaxed into my wolf.
It had been too long since we’d run four-legged, and the night was terribly empty of other pack mates. So I couldn’t resist lifting my head and belting out a mournful howl bound to make human neighbors roll over in their soft, snug beds.
Then, putting my nose to the pavement and using my wolf’s direction sense to guide us, we took to our heels and we ran.
THE COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION building was locked up tight, but someone had forgotten to close a window on the eastern end. Leaping through the small aperture was easy in lupine form, after which I shifted in order to access the hall.
And even though I was anxious to discover whether the newest clue would bring me any closer to my missing brother, I toed the line anyway and wasted thirty seconds donning human clothes. Or, rather, donning most of them. Because it appeared that somewhere between the zoo and the college, my clever bra luggage carrier had slipped, with the result that I’d lost something quite important—my only pair of pants.
Biting my lips, I eyed the video cameras stationed at intervals along the junction between wall and ceiling. A red dot glowed at the base of each lens, suggesting that the surveillance equipment was fully operational...meaning that anyone noticing my lawless behavior would also get a good long look at my bare bum. To counteract that eventuality, I slid down the length of the hallway with my back to the wall. But then the bay of mailboxes came into view, and I forgot human dignity as I broke into a run.
Which box? Well, that question, at least, was easily answered. The key in my hand had a number etched along one side—404. And, as I turned the key in the lock, I realized that this notation had been another far-too-easily-overlooked clue.
Because Derek gave my father a run for his money in the geekiness department. Even I knew that a 404 error meant an internet address couldn’t be found...so why hadn’t I made the connection when picking the key out of the dirt during the Greenbriar hunt? I’d assumed my brother was being his usual cagey self and making me flail about for orneriness’ sake. Instead, he’d used the number as a hint that he expected to fall off the radar through no fault of his own...and I’d totally missed the reference.
“What’s done is done,” I murmured, allowing my own failings to flee into the night. Instead, I held my breath as the tiny door in my hands swung open and disclosed my brother’s rented space. And there it was—the faintest odor of moss and sawmill lumber promising that Derek had frequented this PO box in the not-too-distant past. Success.
The mail room on the other side of the box was dark, but lupine eyes easily picked out the curved shape of a sheet of paper within the intervening space. Removing the box’s sole offering, I carried the paper over to a window and read the words printed thereon.
“Box full—please come to the desk during regular office hours to collect your mail.”
Seriously? I’d traveled all this way, had finally figured out Derek’s elusive clue...and now I’d be required to return and talk to the mail clerk tomorrow because my brother’s box had overflowed?
“No, that doesn’t make any sense.” Retracing my footsteps, I peered inside the small rectangular receptacle once again. It was just large enough for my arm to fit through, not that reaching inside would do me any good. After all, whatever packages or junk mail had originally clogged the small space would be unreachable on the other side of the slender divider. Not even humans were so un-security-conscious as that.
And yet...my wolf forced me to stick my arm inside anyway. What can I say? Animal instincts are seldom willing to leave well enough alone.
And just this once, tenacity turned out to be a positive rather than a negative. Because a protrusion along the top of the box scratched a minuscule wound through the skin of my forearm, and fumbling fingers soon pulled out a thumb drive that had been taped there just out of sight.
“Huh,” I murmured, turning the small rectangle of plastic and metal over with questioning fingers. Derek had so much to say that he’d left me an electronic storage device to hold all the data? Not a memory card that I could slip into the back of my phone and access immediately, but a thumb drive that would require a computer to get the information out? Didn’t Derek realize I’d left any computer this thumb drive would fit into back home with my own clan?
Of course, campus was full of technology centers. There were publicly accessible labs in every library and dormitory, plus one just a few doors down from the coffee shop where I currently worked. None of the spaces were open on a summer evening...but I did know one person who was bound to have a computer close at hand. According to my tangled but very thoroughly present mate bond, the male in question didn’t live very far away either.
I could almost feel my wolf howling gleefully beneath my skin. She was finally going to get her way and tighten the tether that ran between us. She was finally going to give Sebastien an opportunity to solidify our bond.
I wasn’t so sure about the latter point. Instead, I was purposefully keeping my own expectations low, figuring I’d be happy if Sebastien didn’t close the door in my face when I showed up on his doorstep without the benefit of pants.
Chapter 32
As the wolf trots, Sebastien lived only five minutes away from the center of campus. Smart, my animal half decided. Easy commute.
Despite the short distance, my inner beast had forced us to shift and run here on four fleet feet. And now the wolf was so confident in her imminent acceptance that she padded up onto the darkened porch before I could even suggest a loop around the perimeter to ensure Sebastien was the only one hidden therein.
Because he was present. The mate tether told me as much, and so did the light streaming out the downstairs windows. Meanwhile, the porch smelled of nothing but mopping and Sebastien, proving that my mate was the only one currently in residence.
I didn’t accede to my wolf’s demand and ring the doorbell right away, though. Because I was far less sanguine about being granted permission to enter than was my enthusiastic animal half.
After all, wardrobe malfunction and current furry body aside, Sebastien and I hadn’t parted on the best of terms earlier in the evening. The human had admitted his responsibility for getting my brother snatched by DARPA, then I’d run off without any explanation. Wouldn’t it be smarter to catch some Zs, lick my metaphorical wounds, and beard the professor in his laboratory tomorrow? If we waited until the morning, I could even bake an apology cupcake to sweeten the pot....
But my wolf rebelled. Wresting control of our shared body out of my human hands, she plunked our butt down onto the floorboards and refused to get back up. At least she hadn’t rung the bell in lupine form—evidently, I should be grateful for small mercies.
Okay, I get it, I told my animal half, relinquishing the reins long enough for fur to recede and bare human knees to end up kneeling in front of Sebastien’s front door. I could feel the professor moving around inside now, awake despite the late hour. The male was ambling aimlessly from room to room, leaving me wondering whether he was as uncomfortable without me present as I was without him.
It was all I could do to prevent my wolf from pushing open the door without concern for clothes then barging inside to join him. Instead, I shook out blouse and underwear that had grown even more repulsive between here and the college, leaves and city grime clinging to every available surface while rips and missing buttons further marred the clothes’ structural integrity.
Dad’s cupcake was still intact within its protective box, though. And I’d lost neither phone nor knifes. So I guessed it was all good.
Tying the suit jacket around my waist to shield my lack of trousers from view, I ran trembling fingers through hair that saw no more reason to behave than my wolf had done a few moments earlier. Then I laughed at mysel
f for even trying. Sebastien would have to take me as I was, because there was no way I’d be wowing the human with coiffed beauty tonight.
So I was half dressed, filthy, and chuckling at nothing when Sebastien opened the door before I even rang the bell. “Ember?” he asked, blinking owlishly into the darkness.
Maybe human eyes aren’t good enough to pick out the minor details, I thought hopefully. Perhaps I could talk to Sebastien here on his doorstep then beat a hasty retreat. Find somewhere safe to clean up before tracking my mate down tomorrow when I looked more human and less like a two-legged wolf.
Except my mate reached behind him to flick a switch, and the abruptly glowing porch light soon illuminated me in all of my scuffed, streaked, and sullied glory.
I expected my mate to recoil. To shut the door in my face, or at least to edge away from a degree of filth that city humans rarely encountered. Instead, he reached out to take my arm.
“What happened to you?” the professor demanded. And as his fingers closed around my bare skin, the contact alone nearly dropped me to my knees.
Instead of succumbing to the seductive allure of our mating bond, though, I merely straightened my shoulders and looked directly into my partner’s dark chocolate eyes. “If you invite me in, I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Then, please,” Sebastien answered, “by all means, come in.”
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED Huntress Born! If so, the sequel—Huntress Bound—is now available on all retailers. But before you pick up book two, perhaps you’ll help lend this title wings by leaving a review?
Meanwhile, don’t forget that you can download a free starter library when you sign up for my email list. Or simply turn the page to dive into yet another shifter universe....
Incendiary Magic
Shifter Origins (Series-Starter Shifter Variety Packs Book 1) Page 50