“Something changed after we,” Hunter grunted, the beginnings of a blush stealing across his neck, “I don’t know what but can we just go back to how things were? I miss you, Colette.”
He had noticed. It didn’t surprise me. He observed with great care. He caught everything. I wasn’t being entirely subtle, at all, but I hoped he wouldn’t bring it up. My distancing us.
“Okay,” I answered still afraid to look him in the eye.
“Good, go get ready, we should leave soon.”
I left to go get dressed in Hunter’s room. I saw his gray shirt sitting on the top of the dresser and I couldn’t stop myself. I draped it over my shoulders. It was a little large to wear outside like a normal top. It pulled heavily to one side, showing a great deal of my collar bone through the neck. And it lopsidedly favored one side. It also went a little past the top of my thighs.
I looked ridiculous, and yet I didn’t care. Something in me demanded I keep it close. So I tied the bottom, and tugged the top into a scoop neck shape. I grabbed an old, black, loose fitting vest of mine and put it over top. Black jeggings came next. Yeah, whatever, I’m a jegging girl. Who can argue with comfort? They even look exactly like jeans. They just don’t have any actual zippers, or buttons.
I came out to find Hunter had already dressed in dark jeans and a different gray shirt. He had trimmed his beard so that his scruff hugged his cheek. It was my favorite look on him. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his head hanging low. The look on his face was one of pain and frustration.
I didn’t want to believe it was me that brought him to this. He looked like he was losing everything, and I knew why. I was pulling away and without any reason. If I told him what I knew, he might hate his Alpha, and one of his best friends. I couldn’t do that to him. I knew what it was like not having family. I’d rather he hate me instead.
My apology balanced on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t want to do this. To tell him. That the night we spent together was the product of love, and while I couldn’t say it out loud, I felt it. I felt it right down to my very core. I was in love with him.
It happened slowly. It happened without realizing it. Hunter had become my best friend. He was someone I could tell things in the middle of the night. I could share almost anything with him. Putting his happiness first had already become second nature.
“You ready?” I asked, the smile on my face wooden and strange. Last time he did this I had made up my mind about staying with him. He was home.
“Yes.”
Hunter took my hand and we headed outside towards the parking lot. We didn’t speak as we walked through the compound. The gravel beneath our feet crunched. I kept my eyes down for most of the walk. I looked up when the glare from his bike shone into my eyes. As we stepped up next to the bike he held up the helmet. I let him strap the helmet on me, and he leaned in to give me a light kiss. As he pulled away all I wanted to do was follow him. A stab of pain went through my heart as I let him go.
Hunter helped me after he climbed on. We fled the quiet compound and went on our own adventure. I kept my face pressed in his back and my arms wrapped around him.
The ride seemed to last forever with scenery slipping past us in a blur of trees and buildings. We finally started to slow down as we exited the expressway. We were driving through a town roughly the same size I was used to. Hunter turned down a dirt road. In the distance, a Ferris Wheel crested the surrounding trees.
It was the parking lot of a fair, if it could even be called that. This was a field. Workers were directing traffic to unmarked “spots.” But it was half empty. And the workers weren’t even trying that hard. I knew it was earlier in the day, but it still seemed like a weak turn out.
Hunter parked at the end of a row, in what I was sure wasn’t a parking spot. I didn’t say anything, trusting his instincts and climbed off the bike with a lot more grace than my first few times. I fiddled with the strap, but I was distracted by the carnival in front of us and my own crushing fears that I wasn’t paying close attention to what I was doing.
Hunter’s chest brushed mine as he stood in front of me. He lifted my chin up with a finger and the bottom of my stomach fell out. His eyes were covered with the sunglasses he always wore in public. The heat in his eyes still pierced right into me. Ever since our night together, I was ultra-sensitive to him. I swallowed hard, wishing that I didn’t feel an uncomfortable friction between my legs just then. He had a power over me that I couldn’t deny.
“Let’s just fun today, okay?” Hunter asked as he worked the strap.
I nodded causing his hands to jumble. I stopped when he laughed. He even graced me with a small smile. Not the one I wanted, but it was good enough for now. He locked the helmet up and we headed towards the entrance, hand in hand.
Other couples and families were filtering in. Hunter wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I pressed my head on his chest right above his heart, which was racing. I wasn’t sure if wolves hearts beat faster than the normal humans, but I was convinced he erratic heartbeat because of me.
I looked over the gated entrance. Red and white tents rose high above, lights twinkling even in the broad daylight. It reminded me of an imagined childhood, one I never really had. Wasn’t this were children always begged to come in summer? They got cotton candy and elephant ears, two things I had never had before.
The Lupen pack never really went out to do things like this. We had our own parties, our own carnival-free adventures. Nick, Liam, and Griffin took me to the movies and the mall, but it was rare we did stuff like this.
The air was filled with the laughter of children and happy screams from those on the rollercoaster. A whiff brought the scent of salt and butter, sugar, and an earthiness that I was both human and animal. Port-a-potties were lined up near the entrance. I looked back up to Hunter.
He brought his lips down to mine, and they pressed lightly against mine. I got on my tippy-toes and pressed a little closer. Hunter’s arm tightened around me as if he already knew and that I would leave him. I didn’t want to think about giving him up, not when he kissed me like he was. I felt it through my whole body. A warmth spread through me like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day.
“A-hem!”
Someone cleared their throat rather loudly behind us.
I pulled away blushing. I looked ahead of us. The line had moved drastically while we were caught up in our own little world. I flushed and almost turned back to look at the lady I was sure that was giving us the stink eye.
But Hunter nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck and in my hair. I loved the tingles he gave me. We moved together towards the ticket booth. The guy inside looked positively bored out of his mind. Hunter paid and we walked in.
There were performers juggling as they wandered through the park, but I think a majority of them were near the front, to awe and amaze the newcomers.
Hunter dragged his hand across my shoulder blades and down my arm where he captured my hand in his. Some of the performers were dressed in multi-colored outfits, their faces painted, some of the male jugglers were shirtless. Hunter noticed my eyes take them in. They were glorious. Hunter growled quietly, but what did he expect? I was a woman, after all. I elbowed him lightly in the ribs to make him stop. I looked away from the male jugglers and we headed deeper into the park.
Hunter seemed as eager as I was to try everything. We headed to the right and started to work our way through the park. We visited the first tent, which had even more performers in it. They ranged from acrobats to clowns to small animal trainers! When the dogs in the performance caught scent of Hunter and I, we headed out knowing it was best we leave.
Dogs didn’t hate our kind or anything, but they became defensive if they could sense but not see our wolves. But at this point our synchronized stomachs grumbled together. I bent my head down and suppressed a giggle.
“I think it’s time to find food.”
We headed to a food stand. Hunter got pre
tty much one of everything, meal-wise, and I got myself a slice of pizza. We headed to some nearby picnic tables.
“Have you ever been to the carnival before?”
I watched him cautiously sniff at his Coney dog.
“No, I haven’t. After my father lost my mother, we didn’t leave the woods much. I spent more time in my other form than I did in this one. Then with Damien, he was training me from the moment I moved in. He was trying to help me control my wolf after the witch cursed me…”
I reached over and held his hand in mine.
“You never told me…”
“It’s not a memory I’ve shared with anyone.”
He paused. I could see emotion flicker across his face. That surprised me. He normally kept close reign over his emotions.
“It was right after the attack on my mother. I went after them. I wasn’t very old. I was stupid, and I wanted revenge. The witch who attacked laughed at my attempts. She toyed with me before cursing me to be more wolf than man. Not half and half, like the others, but more one and less of the other.”
His voice grew quiet.
“The pain was unbelievable. The spell itself felt like it was ripping my insides apart.”
His voice was now gritty with emotion. I couldn’t hear anything else. Only his words and my own heart breaking.
“I was taken to the hunters, and I remembered one of them. He was a real nasty fuck, who enjoyed watching us being tortured, even more when he got to do it. He broke my arm.”
Hunter and I stared at each other for a while. We had shared painful memories that had solely belonged to us before. I felt the tears building in my eyes. I felt my stomach hollow out. I finally understood. Hunter wasn’t the way he was because of being raised by a rouge, but because he had been magically abused. He had been cursed by of my kind. Or half-kind.
“Have you ever tried cotton candy?” I asked honestly curious, and trying to get my mind of those thoughts. The way he spoke about his childhood, he had always been training. He never told stories about leaving the compound and going to a human carnival.
We were supposed to forget our problems for the day. I didn’t want to lose this day with him. If he ever found out, I knew he would hate me. I wasn’t sure how I expected him to look at me the same if he knew about my other half. Even Keith and Griffin were apprehensive when they found out. I couldn’t take any risks. But it wasn’t only about his never wanting to be Alpha. If he took me as his mate completely, we would be mated forever, and how could I do that to him when I wasn’t sure he’d be able to tolerate that part of me. I wouldn’t only be Colette, I would be half monstrosity. Half of what he hated. There was only one option. But today felt like the last chance I would have to enjoy my time with Hunter. It was okay because today, we were forgetting.
“I haven’t,” he answered looking up at me, love in his eyes. I swallowed down the lump in my throat. I was dying on the inside, every part of me yearning for him even as I pulled away. I needed to put a little distance between us before he realized that I was upset for a much different reason than him never having tried cotton candy.
All it would take is for him to ask me why I was upset and he would know if I lied to him. I stood up and held up my finger. I didn’t trust my voice.
And I just took off.
I headed towards a vendor that sold freshly spun cotton candy I tried to compose my emotions. I got one pink, and one blue, and I handed him the pink to see how he’d react. He gave me a glare, but took it. I sat down and waited for him to peel off a piece. I took my own, biting my bottom lip and looking over at him.
“Are you ready?” I asked with all the excitement in the world. I felt like a kid again. There could be no cares if one but had some candy at a carnival! Hunter smiled at me. He brought his hand up to my face. His thumb pressed under my bottom lip, pulling it free from my teeth, parting them slightly.
“Always,” he leaned across the table to place a sweet kiss against my lips.
My breath was short as he pulled away, a look of bliss on his face. It took us a moment to redirect our attention back to the sweet treat. Hunter pulled a piece off and I watched him fight with the candy as it began to stick to his fingers. He looked mildly frustrated as it refused to separate. I reached over and tugged it free for him, pulling my fingers back to lick off the residue. I peeked up at Hunter through my lashes, and blushed at his tentative gaze. He shook his head and popped the candy into his mouth. His featured grew pinched as dissolved across his tongue.
“You don’t like it?” I asked.
“It’s because you gave me the girly one.” He bobbed forward and took a bite out of my blue one. I tried to pull it away, taking his cue and keeping things light.
Brat!
He laughed, as I watched the blue started to crystallize where he had licked. I glared at him but the pinched looked stayed on his face.
“I am not a fan of cotton candy.”
I smiled taking another piece of my cotton candy. I handed it to Hunter.
“Wait here, I am going to go get you an elephant ear.”
I took off to the same booth as before and came back with two plates of the elephant ears. He eyed the food cautiously. I laughed and promised him it was fine. We ripped off pieces and ate them at the same time. I watched him closely, this time, instead of making that pinched face, he took another piece. I guess he didn’t like the cotton candy because it was way too rich for his sensitive tongue, along with the artificial coloring.
After we finished our sweet treats we started to look around the carnival. We played a few games before we decided to do any rides, fearful of what our stomachs might do. Hunter won me a small teddy bear. It was the size of my hand, and though I knew for a fact he could have won me a huge one, he didn’t. He knew I detested flashy things. They were nothing but show-offs. Even though it was kinda weird, I appreciated that Hunter had picked the small, overlooked prize for me.
Hunter and I made our way through the last ride by the time it started getting dark. The lights that had been running since we first got here finally started to illuminate the scene. The day had been perfect. Hunter and I had held each other, one way or another, all day, and he gave me kisses at every corner. I held onto him for dear life during the rides and kissed his cheek more than once.
“We should start heading back soon, Colette.”
I knew it. We had done every ride besides the Ferris wheel. When he suggested we try it that I had confessed my fear of heights. He pointed out that I rode the roller coaster just fine.
I explained to him the differences.
The roller coaster you are high up for only a bit, on a Ferris wheel you could get stuck. He laughed and dropped the subject. It was the first time he had laughed all day. I wasn’t sure what was different, but he seemed so loose today. We were walking back to the parking lot when fireworks started to go off.
I stopped to turn and watch, Hunter tensed. His nostrils flared, and I felt fear starting to churn my stomach. Something was wrong, his eyebrows pinched together, and his shoulders tensed. The skin in his cheek rolled as though he was seconds from shifting.
“Hunter?”
He looked down at me, his eyes practically glowing behind his glasses.
“Don’t you feel that? Smell it?” He snarled. “Witches and warlocks.”
A growl ripped from his throat and icy fear crept into my blood. I looked up to Hunter. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what he was planning on doing. There was a murderous look in his eye.
“Find somewhere to hide Colette! I’ll come for you.”
I grabbed at his arm before he took off.
“Can’t we just leave?” I asked feeling desperate. I knew he wouldn’t. Not only did I think his hatred run that deep, but this was wolf land. I was certain that those fireworks were not man-made. Either the witches were passing through with the carnival or they were trying to show off. I didn’t know which, but he would chase them out. Warn them just whose land t
hey were on.
I looked up at Hunter I saw the determination in his eyes. There was something that he wasn’t telling me. I was sure of it. I didn’t believe that he would go after a group of witches and warlocks that hadn’t outwardly attacked us.
“What aren’t you telling me, Hunter?” I whispered searching his eyes.
“He is here.”
My stomached turned over, and soured quickly. The urge to throw up was rising.
“Hunter, please.”
I couldn’t imagine what would happen if he found that warlock again. My fear was that if Hunter didn’t kill the warlock, he might find out about my secret. Somehow the warlock knew more about me. I didn’t want to see his blind hate aimed my way. I couldn’t handle that. Asking me once again to find somewhere to hide, Hunter took off. He promised he would find me and left.
My heartbeat was erratic, going way to fast as if racing like Hunter. But I knew if that warlock saw me again he would say those fateful words that might reveal me. He would point me out to the others, and tell them I was different. I was the one who was part witch. I’d lose Hunter in the worst way possible.
I turned to see a Funhouse and I ran for it. I could hide in the recesses of the building and I knew Hunter would be able to find me.
I walked through the rotating tunnels, trying to find the back of the building. When I got to the room of fun mirrors, I bunkered down there, close to a wall. I could still hear the fireworks going off. I jerked at the sound huddling closer to the wall. I was behind the mirrors hoping that no one came this way.
There was a shift in the air. My head jerked towards the entrance.
I heard the clicking of someone’s shoes. Hunter was wearing work boots, so I was certain it wasn’t him. They wouldn’t have made any sound, especially the way he walked. I peeked around and saw him. The warlock from all those months ago. I flattened myself to the wall, and controlled my breathing.
“I can feel your magic, it’s growing,” he called out.
Hexed Hearts Page 26