by A. Z. Green
But even after all that, she still couldn't stop thinking about that damn kiss.
Her gaze that had been fixed on the slithering river, shot up at the faces of her friends.
Their eyes were studying her in an invasive way she did not like. A knowing smile was on all their faces. Apart from Ronnie who was too busy working out if a small blue stone he held in his hands was worthy of his collection or not. She focused on him, avoiding their inquiring eyes -her cheeks hot with embarrassment- as she watched him squatting by the edge of the river, oblivious to what was going on. She pretended to appear the same.
Alf practically jumped on her, wrapping his muscular, bronze arm around her shoulder like a big brother teasing his smaller sibling. He squeezed her into his firm chest playfully as he questioned, “Who were you thinking about, Skin?”
Skin was her shortened nickname now. It was something they'd all become accustomed to saying, and she'd gotten so used to being addressed by it, that now it was strange whenever she heard them refer to her as Jaz outside their circle. Only Skye called her Jaz amongst her little group of friends.
“Only you Alf. Always and forever,” she goaded, playing Miss Unfazed. He grinned his flashing-white teethy smile. She rolled her eyes.
“If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on someone?”
She eyed him warningly, her playfulness swiftly turning dark. Alf wiggled his golden brows challengingly and suggestively. Jaz gnawed on her sulky lip in response.
“A crush?! Ooooo. Who's he talking about Skin?” Kenna cried, rushing towards them. She grinned widely and expectantly at Jaz.
“His dad. I think he wants me,” she muttered.
Alf froze in astonishment and Kenna sniggered behind her hands at his face. Kelda bit down on her top lip suppressing a laugh.
Skye was eyeing her brother, not focusing on the conversation.
No. Not at Ronnie.
She was looking somewhere else, beyond his head. Something about the way she was standing, so stiff and alert made Jaz watch her intently.
“Cheap shot Skin,” Alf was saying by her ear but she wasn't paying attention. “You've met my old man once. I don't even think someone as pretty as you could work your magic that quickly.”
Skye's eyes were fixed on the edge of the forest across the river.
What is she looking at?
The current was so strong that the sound almost drowned out voices that weren't raised above normal level. Jaz then noticed Ronnie wasn't playing anymore. He was staring in the same direction too, his eyes wide and wary.
“Skin, what is it?” Alf questioned, his voice low and alert as he sensed the tension in the air. She took one step forward, towards the river's edge, shortening the space between herself and Skye and Ronnie. “Skin?”
“Shhh!” she shushed him.
Alf grabbed her arm. “What is it?” he hissed.
“I don't know,” she whispered in a high, distracted voice.
He sniffed something in the air and his nose wrinkled. “Shit.”
The sound of his voice made Jaz snap her head round to gape at him. She'd never seen him show fear. But right then she saw it in his eyes and it sickened her to her stomach.
She swung back round towards the river, hearing the footfalls before she was overwhelmed by the sight of the twenty or so strange, threatening Weres lining the length of the trees across the river.
The Weres had the five of them completely outnumbered, though it was clear Jaz and the others weren't the main target. It only made sense that a Pack of that size planned to attack the Deer Creek village.
“Kelda,” Alf whispered, barely moving his lips. She heard but made no sign of acknowledgment beneath her thick, blonde fringe. “Go. Now.”
It took her half a second to make up her mind and as fast as she could, she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, ripping through the trees back towards the village.
Jaz gawked after her, then quickly swivelled round again expecting an attack.
A dark haired, olive-skinned man standing in the middle had his arm out to stop his comrades chasing after Kelda. She saw his mouth form the words, “Leave her.”
She frowned. Something about this was very, very wrong. Worse than she had at first presumed. Why didn't he attack? What was his intention?
She could feel something foreboding in the air, creeping up her spine.
Skye was inching towards Ronnie. Ronnie was gripping hold of his blue stone so hard his hand turned white. When Skye tried to step forward again towards him, some of the Weres stirred. She froze.
The olive-skinned man Jaz presumed was the Pack Leader, swaggered forward, ahead of the scattered line of his comrades. He called across the rushing water in a booming voice, “Which one of you is Nikolas Driver's mate?”
Jaz stared, trying to keep the trepidation from erupting into her limbs. Skye and Kenna looked at each other in confusion. Jaz thanked whoever was watching over her that they hadn't drawn any attention to her.
His mate? She questioned herself. Does he mean me? Does he think I'm his mate? But I'm not. Am I? No. But he thinks I am. Why? Who told him? She cursed as she raced through ideas, not knowing what to do.
The Leader scanned with his black eyes between the four of them. He gazed slowly, one at a time between Jaz, Kenna and Skye as if he was a cat toying with mice. He fortunately paid no attention to Alf who was standing in front of Jaz -a little too protectively for her liking. She wanted to mutter to him to back off but whatever she did, she was afraid it would push the Leader into doing something that meant death for them. She kept her mouth shut and her body a stiff as a plank.
Kenna glanced back at the forest, obviously worrying about her little sister. She then, for a short moment, drifted her gaze over Jaz's face; they locked eyes and Jaz could see what Kenna was thinking.
She knew who Alf had been teasing Jaz about. She'd seen the look on Jaz's face at the Leader's question.
Something that they had been teasing her about only moments ago, was suddenly not so funny. It was deadly.
Kenna gave her a slight, hardened look with her smoky-green eyes to show she understood and she had Jaz's back. Jaz wished with all her heart she could have embraced her at that moment.
“Don't make me ask again!”
“What do you care, Kain!?” Alf shouted back.
Jaz wasn't the only one to look at him worriedly. He didn't seem to be aware of anything but Kain at that moment. Not the twenty men that very clearly outnumbered them. Not the danger or the chance one wrong word could mean death. It was just him and Kain.
Kain smiled. If it wasn't full of menace, his smile could have been described as handsome. “I've heard he's taken a fancy to a new comer, and I wanna get a glimpse of her. Before I rip out her heart and hand it to him,” he snarled.
Jaz tried not to gasp, her whole body was wound so tightly she thought she'd snap apart. She wanted to run, but seeing Ronnie and Skye in front of her, she couldn't do it.
How could she leave them?
Alf played the part of a 'Don't mess with me' bad boy perfectly and gave a bemused scoff. “Why not just kill yourself? It'd be much quicker. And less painful,” he retorted in a cold, threatening voice that Jaz couldn't believe she was hearing from the fun, lovable and teasing Alf's mouth.
Kain smiled unflatteringly. “Fine. I guess we'll have to get his attention another way...”
The feeling of impending doom was not lost any of them.
Skye whispered edgily to Ronnie to come to her .He was transfixed on the Weres. The moment Kain mouthed the dreaded command and all the Weres lunged forward towards the river, Skye yelped frantically to Ronnie, “Come here! NOW!”
He jumped up and out of his daze, startled by his sister's terrified voice, and rushed towards her. She didn't think twice about grabbing his hand and racing towards the trees.
Kenna's dark blonde hair whipped past Jaz's head and before she had thought about moving her own legs, sti
ll in shock, Alf was tugging violently on her arm and in seconds they were sprinting through the trees.
Skye was ahead with Ronnie to Jaz's left side, Kenna was up in front and disappearing fast, she was quick, like her sister.
Jaz was panting madly, from fear more than exertion. The blood in her legs was like liquid fire. Every movement hurt, but she could not stop. The thundering sound of boots against earth urged her on. Alf was a fast runner, too fast for her to keep up. She tried to run at his pace and when he was pulled back again by her inferior speed he also slowed down.
“What-are-you-doing!?” she panted. “I'm-slow-ing-you-down!”
“Keep moving!” He ordered tugging her arm forward.
Her breaths were ragged and her chest felt like a knife was sticking into it every time she breathed in. After a few feet she cried, “Just-let-me-go! Run ahead!”
He whipped his head round for just a second to bark back, “Never!” and gripped her hand tighter.
For whatever reason, it made her force herself to move faster.
The sounds of footfalls behind them grew quieter as they began to outrun them. But then Jaz noticed something else. She looked around the forest. Kenna had made it ahead. She caught a whiff of her scent, on the trail back to the village. Maybe Kelda would already be on her way back with support? Maybe she'd already found Kenna and they were both heading back here with back up?
But Skye's scent had stopped.
“Alf!”
“I'm not lett-”
“Skye's stopped!”
He immediately stopped dead and Jaz smacked into his back. He grunted. Jaz rubbed her forehead and cocked her head around, listening out for Skye.
He scanned the trees too, his nostrils flaring as he tried to make out her scent. “She's stopped about two hundred yards back. Ronnie's with her.” His soft blue eyes squeezed half shut as he concentrated. He inhaled and his nose wrinkled as if he'd caught a bad smell. But it didn't match the look on his face. His blue eyes were wide and anxious.
Jaz gripped his arms. “What is it?” she whispered edgily.
“Ronnie. Ronnie's blood.”
*
Driver jumped out of his chair.
The council members were gathered together in the usual meeting room when the sound of rampant feet coming from somewhere outside and the cries of a terrified girl, cut the meeting dead.
Nik's sense of smell was superior to his hearing, which was saying a lot considering. He smelt the scent of the girl's blood. He'd known everyone here for many years. He had a knack for deciphering who was who by scent.
“Kelda,” He said, staring at the double doors.
Her mother, Edda, stood up as if her chair had come alive and whipped her head round towards the doors. She composed herself just enough to get a silent look of consent from her Pack Leader and Arik, Head of Council, before she excused herself from the meeting and rushed towards the doors.
Several seconds later she was running back, Kelda on her arm. The young girl was panting in ragged, desperate breaths, her hands and face were scratched and bloody, her thick eyeliner had run.
Obviously something had scared her so much she'd been running like a bat out of hell through the thick forest.
Between each breath she said, “Dead. Tree. Pack. Attack. Friends. Still. Back. There. Pack. Coming. Here.”
Anyone else who wasn't already standing, sprang up from their seat.
“You're sure!?” Lamont, the Head of Peace Keeping between the Packs felt the weight of this more than most. His life was dedicated to keeping alliances between Packs. They all knew him and had a strong friendship with him. Knowing Kain was about to betray that trust made his blood boil. His dark skin took on a red tinge.
Kelda could only nod in an urgent manner.
“The land is uphill from there once they reach the golden fields off the forest. We will have the upper hand if we stay where we are,” Nessa, Second in Command of Construction and Land Usage announced in a confident voice that drew them all in. She had always been a quick thinker. She knew the land and the terrain like the back of her hand, even more than those who'd been living there longer.
She had organized the construction of the new barbecue area. Alongside her First in Command, Garth. She looked at him now for support and he gave a firm nod of agreement.
“Head Councillor Arik?”
The old man was the only member still seated. He stood up now, slowly. “You do what you do best Nik. I do not want this to get ugly.”
Nik bobbed his head in agreement. “Astrid?” Nik turned to the small, pixie-like creature to his left. Her brown choppy bob swished as she looked at him. Her hazel, pointed eyes settled on his face. “Get all the women and children, anyone unable to fight right now to the Underground. In case anything happens.”
“Yes Pack Leader.” She bowed and left the room.
“And what about us women? Y'gonna make us hide away too?” Tyra retorted, though it was just for play.
Nik clenched his jaw. Now was not the time for games. “The current Pack members will follow me. We'll stop about halfway if we haven't crossed their path by then. I don't want to be too close to the village,” he added cutting Nessa off as she was about to argue about the safety of the people. She lowered her chin, satisfied with his response. “See if we can sort this out before it gets ugly.”
“It seems we were misled about the day Kerk overheard then?” Swain announced.
Kerk who was standing with his arms folded, leaning against the wall by the door – his regular spot- shot a menacing glare in Swain's direction. It hit the right side of his face, and as if he felt it, Swain only smiled wider. Kerk's frown lines deepened.
Swain was standing next to Tyra, and had been silently absorbed in the conversation until now. His presence was irregular and to the women, sorely missed, but when he was there he could move a crowd just by standing there.
“It would seem so,” Driver replied. “But Kerk has never been wrong about what he sees and hears,” he countered, giving his brother a warning look.
“There's always a first time,” Swain smiled. Tyra blushed as he eyed her for a fleeting moment.
Swain then focused on his scowling brother who replied with, “They may have said Saturday, only to confuse us.
“Kerk is very good at what he does, no one can doubt that, but if the other Pack Leader's have as good a sense of smell as mine, they may have caught his scent and played him. I'd appreciate it, if you cut the guy some slack.”
Swain only shrugged. And then flashed his brother a grin of truce. Nik's eyes eventually smiled back but his expression remained stern and authoritative.
“You don't understand!” Kelda barged in, now finally able to speak. “I was with Skye and Ronnie, Alf, my sister and Jaz! They've not come back! They might have been caught! Or worse...”
Nik drew in a breath.
“Nik?” Erica, who had been solemnly quiet ever since Jaz had denounced her existence in her life, finally found her voice. “We can't attack. Not like this. Not whilst my niece is in danger.”
“I agree.” Edda concurred. “My daughter is there. If she'd had the chance to run, she would have. And would've outrun them all. Something must be wrong if she's not returned.”
“Where did you leave them?” Maria, who was stood by Nik, questioned Kelda.
“At the Silver Back River.”
Before anymore could be said- or needed to be said- Nik Driver was marching out the door, his Pack pouring in line behind him.
Any one else who was not fighting, and hadn't gone to the Underground yet, held back to let them pass as the Pack made their way outside. Everyone inside and out on the grounds stood watching as their Defense Pack marched purposefully by.
They bowed their heads after them, their hands clenched into fists, crossing their chest in respect. Loved ones turned away before they lost their resolve and then ran to safety.
*
Jaz 's whole body felt the solid fis
t crack against the side of her jawbone before she saw it.
The force knocked her head back violently, her knees buckled as if the ground had suddenly turned to mush, her stinging eyes were momentarily blinded with salty tears, and it was only her powerful determination that kept her from falling to the ground.
She managed to kick the attacker in the balls before she was grappled back by Alf's surprisingly strong arms. She wanted to hurl abuse at that bastard who she was sure had broken her jaw, but because of the pain, she could only wince and cup her chin with her free hand as if she was holding the bone together. Her other arm was pinned into Alf's chest.
“You wanker! You'll pay for that!” Alf growled.
The man who had shoulder-length, golden hair and dark blue eyes that always seemed to sneer at their target, regarded him silently, all traces of pain inflicted to his groin had gone sooner than Jaz liked.
She was also surprised he wasn't the loud, mocking type to match his exterior.
As she studied him whilst locked in Alf's arms, he fixed his eyes on Jaz in a way she was unable to decipher, before the Pack Leader drew all of their attention.
“Put your girlfriend on a leash Alf and lead me to Nik. No one else has to get hurt.”
Jaz looked down at Ronnie who's face was smeared with blood. His bright brown eyes were watery as he did his best to hold back tears. Jaz's heart strings tugged painfully as she saw how brave he was being. Her hands were itching to embrace him.
Skye was kneeling by his side, in a set position of a runner. Her collarbone was strained, amplifying her visible urge to run. Her left cheek was bright, lobster-red from a eye-watering, skin-scorching slap. She'd obviously tried to take the most of the blows aimed at her brother. Though why anyone would want to hurt a child was beyond Jaz's comprehension.
She'd been so livid at the sight of Ronnie's injuries she'd run straight into three of the men's path kicking and punching like a wild animal. She'd caused some damage -thanks to Carr's lessons- though not as much as she'd like, before Blondie had nearly knocked her jaw off her face.