“One word…Mazie.” What a shocker.
“What about the girl?” My tone was indifferent. I already knew what was going on with the girl, but it seems that Conner hadn’t figured it out yet.
“She’s still not giving him the time of day and he can’t seem to figure out why she closed herself off,” His wolf let out an exasperated huff. “It’s driving him crazy and in turn, he is driving the rest of us there as well.”
“Tell him to suck it up. Her detachment is temporary. It will all work out when the time is right.”
“What makes you say that?” Dane’s massive wolf head turned toward me.
“The girl is just scared. She has no family history and therefore has no way of knowing if she is truly a Potential until her eighteenth birthday. If she doesn’t transition well…” I looked to my brother and waited while he worked it out himself.
“You think she’s afraid she won’t be his mate and will have to give him up.” I nodded in agreement.
“If we have learned anything from your little mental soap opera,” I growled a warning that my brother ignored. “We know that our wolves sense something before the transition. We just have to listen…”
“Aye,” I scanned the yard again. Even with the current distraction beside me, I will not fail my mate.
“You could see all of that but not when it came to yourself? How did that happen?” I didn’t respond right away. Mostly because I had no idea. I was completely in the dark for the first time and it could have had dire results. Dane must’ve sensed where my thoughts had turned and nudged my shoulder.
“It’s fine, brother. I don’t blame you for your reaction. Honestly? I shouldn’t have touched her. I had this gut feeling that something was going to happen. Low and behold, I was right.” He pushed harder at my side. “Who would’ve thought?”
“Tá tú ina amadán, deartháir beag. You are a fool.” He nipped at me, his wolf wanting to play, but I just growled. Some things will never change.
“Rialú do mac tire, hóga. Control your wolf.” I waited for Dane to rein in his rambunctious beast. I had something to say and he needed to focus.
“I want you with her at all times.” I looked him in those dark brown eyes once more. “At all times, Dane. You are in the position to be with her when I can’t. She trusts you and so do I.”
“Mar a deir tú, deartháir. As you say.”
3
CHLOE
“Chloe…”
“Chloe,” someone whisper screamed while they nudged my sleeping form. “Wake up!”
I groaned and turned toward the urgent sound of my cousin’s hushed voice. “What time is it?”
“That doesn’t matter. We’re getting out of here.” She grabbed my arm and yanked me from my laying position before turning away. My mother was already awake and looked to be throwing miscellaneous items into a duffle bag.
“What are you talking about?” My mind was racing. How were we supposed to get out? We’ve been imprisoned by the panthers for five years! “Are you crazy? We will never make it. Even if we made it through the house, they would track us down before we made it half a mile.”
“We have to try,” my mother gave what I can only guess was meant to be a reassuring smile. “Let’s move quickly and quietly.”
And just like that, we were on the move. The door to our room, which was always locked from the outside, opened without difficulty. Aribelle went first and my mother pushed me out behind her. She joined us in the empty hallway and soundlessly closed the door.
“Quickly girls,” We hustled down the hallway and into the living room. The house that we were currently being held in was a single story ranch style home with an open floor plan. The hallway we just exited made way to three bedrooms and a full bathroom. From where we stood the living room, dining room and kitchen were visible. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
Seeing that the house was indeed empty a small ray of hope seeped into my soul. With newfound energy, I was the first to make my way to the front door. Once I stepped out into the cool night air I was transported from the porch into the cover of the forest. I was running. My mother was gone, Ari was gone, but I was not alone.
I could hear him as he crashed through the underbrush. The sound of his snarls echoed around me. The beat of his massive paws, tearing up the earth as he closed the distance between us, was thunderous. And just when he got so close I swore I could feel his hot breath searing my neck, an ear piercing howl rang through the darkness.
The sound should have been daunting but brought with it a sense of comfort. It was my mate, and he had come to save me from the monster that was hunting me. I shifted directions, running straight to where the howl emanated. I pushed and pushed my body to continue until I thought I would surely collapse. That’s when I saw him.
“Choimeád ag gluaiseacht. Tá tú beagnach ann.” He told me to keep moving, that I was almost there. But, I didn’t know were “there” was exactly.
I kept moving. The fear that the predator chasing me was close to sinking his claws into my flesh was the only thing propelling me forward. When I was only mere steps away, my mate leaped over my head and changed into a giant silver wolf midair. His massive body collided with my pursuer and a savage battle ensued.
I cried out for him, though I didn’t know his name. My eyes locked on the wolf as he tore into the throat of his foe. With one final shake, the panther’s limp form dropped into a heap of black fur. My eyes followed the movements of the victor as he turned his intense gaze upon me. His stare was like a sweet caress that made me shutter, despite the feral scene I had just bore witness to.
“Beidh mé tú a chosaint I gcónaí, Mo mhuinín.”
I slowly coaxed myself awake, surprised to find my breathing level. Yet again, my subconscious granted over six feet of pure intensity a leading role in my dreams. The nightmare turned fantasy seemed to play on a loop anytime sleep found me. I gave myself a mental shake and let out a sigh. I had every intention of burrowing myself back into my blankets, subconscious be damned. I was nowhere near ready to face the woes of high school. Hell, I was nowhere near ready to leave the bed. Monday mornings were tortuous. They needed to die a fiery death.
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” My scream pierced the room. Startled, my body flailed at the sound of her voice. The problem was that I had somehow become tightly wrapped within my sheet and blanket. The jerky movement against the constriction caused me to fall. A yelp squeaked out, along with all the air in my lungs, as I crashed to the bedroom floor with an audible thud.
“Wow, are you sure your middle name isn’t Grace?” Aribelle barked out a laugh at the ridiculous display in front of her. A frustrated growl tore from my throat as I kicked out of the heap of confining fabric. Once I regained my bearings, my eyes sought her out. She was sprawled across the window seat. A look of boredom overtook her features as I did my best to appear as peeved as I felt.
“Someone needs to get you a bell or something. What are you even doing in here?”
“Being bored out of my mind waiting for you to join the land of the living. Did you know that you drool?” The side of her mouth turned up into a smirk and I leveled her with the best glare I could muster.
“What do you want, A?” I pulled myself up from the floor and plopped down on the bed with an exasperated sigh. There is only one topic that would have my cousin stalking me while I sleep. I didn’t want to get into it either. Not with her, not with anyone.
“I thought that was obvious. I want to have a little chat about how big of an idiot you are.” And here we go. I didn’t need to chat about it. I was already aware of my foolish decisions. The problem was that it didn’t matter.
“No need. It won’t change anything.” Aribelle leveled me with a disbelieving look.
“So, you’re just going to continue to let Cyrus win? Come on Chloe. This isn’t you. The girl I know wouldn’t just roll over without a fight. It’s fine to be scared. But to give up?”
&nb
sp; “I’m protecting what’s important.” Why doesn’t she get that?
“And what exactly is important to you, Chloe? Because it seems that you need to allow yourself access to your backbone.” Now that pissed me off a bit.
“Cyrus is out there, Aribelle. He's a deranged psychopath that makes James look like a fluffy kitten and he's just biding his time. That knowledge is like a little gnat flying around my head, except for when I try to swat it away I realize too little too late that it wasn't a gnat at all but a raging yellow jacket and I'm down for the count.”
We stared at each other, neither of us breaking contact. It was a battle of wills, so to speak. I wanted her to finally understand where I was coming from and she wanted me to throw caution to the wind. Anger, frustration, sadness, defeat, and finally understanding flashed through her blue eyes.
“I get why you feel that way but we can’t keep running.” She let out a tired sigh before giving me a sad smile. “It’s not going to help.”
She was right. Running won’t help and no part of me wanted to anymore. But now I realized that she thought I did. She thought I was angry with her, angry with the pack, angry with Falcon because I wanted to run.
“I know that, I do. I don't want to run.” She lifted a brow in moderate disbelief. “No, I’m serious. It never mattered anyway. It has always been an extended game of cat and mouse. They always found us. After meeting the pack and your connection with Connell, I guess that in a way it was good that they kept pushing us to move. It brought us here, and it's where we should be. It’s where you should be.”
“It’s where you should be as well.” I smiled at that but I know it hadn’t reached my eyes. We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before she stood and headed toward the door. “By the way, Dane is giving us a ride. Connell it taking the Nissan for maintenance or something. I guess they have an open morning at the garage and he wants to make sure our death trap is a little less death trappy.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. She was completely right. The car was definitely on its last leg. I couldn’t remember the last time it was looked at by a professional, if ever. We have had that car since being on the run. My mother bought it of someone who had it parked in their yard with a for sale sign taped to the windshield. It’s done its job though, kept us mobile.
“I am sorry, you know.” Ari peered back at me, her face was void of humor. One look and I knew she was being sincere. “I wish things were easier for us.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. It will all work out as it should.” She gave me one more searching look before she disappeared into the hallway. Everything is going to work out. Just not the way I wish it could.
4
CHLOE
“They just pulled in, C!” Ari called up the stairs. I stood before my closet, wrapped in a towel, still trying to decide what to wear. My morning hadn’t been going smoothly and if that was a precursor to the day ahead, I was in for a doozy. The shower knob broke which resulted in a refreshingly cold start. Once that was over, I stubbed my toe on the bathroom cabinet. Finally, I was stuck staring at my favorite light blue cable knit sweater. It now sported a huge snag down the front of it. I assumed it must have lost a fight against the washer. Evil machine.
“I’ll meet you outside!” With one final glance at the tattered material, may it rest in peace, I reached in the closet and pulled out my hunter green sweater dress. That, with my black leggings and knee high boots, will do in a pinch.
I dressed quickly, grabbed my books and bag, and headed downstairs. Of course I almost took a header at the bottom of the stairwell but thankfully caught myself. I really should have stuck to my guns and stayed in bed today. Feeling like a graceless dimwit, I searched for my keys to no avail. Just before I threw in the towel on this day and cautiously made my way back to the sanctuary that was my comforter, I noticed them wedged between the bookcase and the wall. I grabbed them up and made a beeline for the front door before the roof decided to cave in on top of me or something. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.
Making it out the front door I took a deep breath. The crisp air filled my lungs and some of the tension I held disappeared. Fresh air always seemed to put me at ease, though it was short lived. I turned away from the house and froze. My heartrate accelerated as I surveyed the scene before me. When Aribelle told me that Dane was giving us a ride because Connell wanted to do maintenance on the Nissan, I guess I just assumed that they would be the only two out here. Well, you know what they assuming does.
Yes, Dane and Connell were here, but they were not alone. He was here. Colton and Conner were as well but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Falcon. He leaned his imposing frame against the side of their huge extended cab Chevy Silverado. His arms were laced across his chest, causing his biceps to bulge. Lord help me, but I noticed. I noticed every detail as he stood stoically. He wore a plain white t shirt that stretched tightly across his shoulders. The front was tucked into the top of his jeans giving a glimpse of a black belt with a plain silver buckle. His jeans were faded and well-worn with a hole in both knees and multiple oil stains coating them. His usual black work boots donned his feet which were currently crossed at the ankle.
My eyes took everything in. I was powerless to stop my perusal and if I was perfectly honest, I didn’t want to. It had been three weeks since I had the pleasure of witnessing his human form and I had to admit that I missed it. My uncontrollable eyes racked over him once more before they made it to his face. He was staring right at me and from the heated look he was giving me, I knew that he was well aware of my internal thoughts.
It took a moment before I could catch my bearings enough to shake myself from the staring contest he inadvertently locked me into. Once I tore my gaze from Falcon I took in the rest of my surroundings. The hood was up on my little white beater and Connell and Colton were both bent over the engine. Ari stood next to Connell and laughed at something either Dane or Conner said to her. They stood in from of her, both sporting amused expressions. It didn’t seem as though anyone else had noticed my arrival. Well I guess it’s a good thing that no one else witnessed my little show of weakness.
“It’s not weakness, mo mhuinín.” His voice vibrated throughout my entire body. I had come to expect him to speak to me before I fell asleep at night. He always did. But I was not prepared to hear him now and it startled me. I let out a little squeak of surprise and dropped the keys that were in my hand.
“Hey Chloe,” Dane hollered over from his position in the driveway. “You alright there?”
“What?” I gave him a questioning look and he gestured toward my keys that still laid at my feet.
“Oh,” I scrambled to retrieve them before I made my way over to him. “Yeah, almost slipped on the step and lost hold of them.”
It was a lame excuse but seemed to placate him. He gave me a friendly smile as I reached his side. Out of the corner of my eye I could just make out Falcon’s form. His head was angled toward the ground and his shoulders seemed to be shaking a bit. Was he laughing at me? Falcon Tonalee has a sense of humor, who would have thought?
“We ready to get out of here? We’re going to be late.” Conner skipped backwards toward the truck.
“Since when are you a stickler for attendance?” Colton asked his twin brother as he wiped his hands clean with a rag. He tossed it to Connell who did the same after he shut the hood with a loud slam.
“Since he has someone to stalk.” Dane answered with a grin.
“What he said,” Conner pointed to Dane wearing a large, mischievous smile on his face. He gave a little shrug before he disappeared into the back seat of the truck.
“Your brother has no shame,” laughed Aribelle. I turned toward her just in time to see her plant a loving kiss on Connell’s lips. He easily returned the kiss and I admit that I was envious of their relationship.
“None at all,” agreed Connell as he pulled away. “I’ll be waiting for you after your classes let out. The car should be d
one by then.”
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, thanks Connell.” We didn’t speak to each other all that often. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. I thought he was absolutely perfect for my cousin. After all, he did save her life and I loved seeing her so unbelievably happy. But, anytime we were in an interactive situation it was undeniably awkward. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the reason either. Never the less, I cared about him, about all of them, and I appreciated everything they did for us.
“Not a problem. It is what we do after all.” His eyes shined of mirth as he poked fun at the fact that he was a mechanic by trade and Ari playfully pushed his shoulder. He chuckled at her as we turned toward the big black truck. I smiled due to the lightheartedness that seemed to flow easily between us all. It faltered some as Falcon made his way in my direction. As the car behind me came to life, we passed each other. Our arms brushed and heat enveloped every inch of my skin that touched his. The contact was brief, but goose bumps erupted over my entire body. That one touch did crazy things to me. I couldn’t help but to look back at him before I opened the door of the truck. He spared me one more intense glance before he folded his large form into our small sedan. Despite myself I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.
“What’s so funny?” I hadn’t noticed until know but Ari was poised at the back door. She had her hand on the handle but had yet to open it.
“I was just picturing Connell and Falcon squeezed into that tiny car. They have got to be smooshed up shoulder to shoulder.” She let out a giggle of her own.
“Oh, you know they are probably grumbling with their knees pushed up to their chests.” With a shake of her head, she jumped up into the lifted monster as I took one more fleeting look toward our car. The car that contained the most important people to the both of us. Whether he realized it or not, that’s what Falcon was. For some reason, no matter how much I cut myself off from him, I truly believed that he did.
Intended (The Potential Series Book 2) Page 2