“We belong there,” I snapped back. I hated how he kept saying your woods, and quite a bit of yours. Had he forgotten where he came from? “I was born there and so were you, like most of the members of the Rooks! The Jackals are trying to steal our land and our prey because you split our numbers.”
“Lume.” Thagen held up a hand, a warning in his voice. “Don’t. You know why the pack split in half. It was smarts over brawns, damn it! I had the brains to lead them out. Even all together, our pack wasn’t the size of the Jackal pack. Theirs was growing and still is to this day. As more and more pups are born into their pack, they need room, and Rex is never going to share territory. It’s only a matter of time before they attack full force, with or without us all together.”
I glared at him, shaking a little from the mix of nerves and rage I felt. He wasn’t going to help us—that’s basically what he said. I had been dumb enough to hope otherwise.
“That wasn’t the only reason why you split the pack,” I mumbled.
Thagen’s gaze filled with ice. He leaned away from me, nearly flashing his fangs. “Don’t bring that up. I gave you the chance to be with me and you didn’t want it,” he rumbled. “You could’ve left Rex and his stupidity behind. You would’ve been happy.”
His words tore at my heart. “I would’ve been a traitor.” That was true in more ways than one. Not only would I have betrayed my pack and my homeland like the others he led, but I would’ve betrayed my sister. “How is Leslie, anyway?”
“Fine.” Thagen shrugged, totally brushing the subject off.
Another uneasy silence. Finally, Thagen stood up, pulling his leather jacket on. “I can’t help you, Ilume,” he declared. “The Rooks need to leave Canada behind. You either find another home to settle into, or you die in the spar it will create. You know Rex doesn’t negotiate. He only fights.”
“No.” I stood up. Thagen turned to motion to the wolves, and I took my chance to get in his face. A growl rumbled in his throat, our bodies inches apart. “You won’t help me. There’s a difference.”
He scoffed. His warm breath hit my neck as he looked away, a faint line of blush on his cheeks.
My heart gave a painful thud. “If you love me,” I added, “you will help me protect the Rooks, protect my pack, should the Jackals come.”
He shook his head. “I don’t love you anymore.”
It shouldn’t have hurt. His words shouldn’t have pierced my heart so deeply. The wolves came to his feet, wiggling between us. My hands curled, nails cutting into my palms as I stepped away. It wasn’t often I had to suppress tears.
“I’ll give your regards to Leslie when I get home,” Thagen said over his shoulder. “Goodbye, Ilume.”
Curse you, curse you, curse you. I watched him head toward the front doors. He slipped out casually, head held high, like he hadn’t just condemned dozens of lives.
I remained in the dark corner of the club, feeling old wounds reopen. Before tonight, I had questioned whether my hatred for Thagen was totally reasonable. After all, he had a right to take a different mate. I had gotten over his leaving, at least I thought so. We had gone our separate ways because of our political views and because of my sister. I thought I’d been okay with that.
I wasn’t. Now I had a new reason to hate him. He intended to let my pack, his original family, suffer. He would let the Winter Court or the Jackals pick us off one by one. We meant nothing to him. I meant nothing to him.
We’re screwed. I fought the pain. Moving to the bar, I decided to try and fool the bartender, or maybe seduce him into giving me a drink. I was seventeen, but damn did I need something right then. Anything to fog the memories of this dreadful evening. I didn’t want to remember tonight.
I took a stool near the counter’s end, away from the humans watching the flat screen as it played some sorrowful music video. I tugged my dress down, cleavage popping, but just as I was about to address the skinny guy with multiple tattoos . . .
I smelled nymph and laundry detergent.
No freaking way. I stiffened, peering around the club. If that little shit followed me in here, whoever or whatever he was, I would tear him to pieces. Bad time to piss me off, punk. Really, I should’ve been outside—my temper was so close to breaking the surface. If I transitioned in here, it would be all over the local news.
His scent grew pungent. Among the hundreds of odors in the air, I knew he was coming closer, approaching at last. I folded my hands under my chin, closing my eyes. Deep breaths, Ilume. Patience and a calm mind was the key. After all, I could always take him once he walked out of the club, where there would be no witnesses.
A stool squeaked a few feet away. I opened my eyes.
He leaned against the counter. Disdain lingered in his blue eyes as he watched me, but there was something else, too. Curiosity? Dark bangs brushed to the side, his hair fell in shaggy layers around his neck. His jeans and flannel shirt were the source of the nymph smell.
I stared back, something I don’t usually do. He was an attractive young man, I guessed somewhere around my age. I felt antsy all of a sudden and shifted in my seat. Something about him unsettled me. He looked human, but was he?
Before I could peel my eyes away, he said, “Hi there.”
I startled. Oh, crap, now look what I did. What to say?
“Hi,” I replied.
“Rough night?”
I shrugged. He must have watched the scene between me and Thagen.
The boy nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been there.” He shifted, moving a seat closer. Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Jared.”
My nose twitched. I couldn’t help it. I sniffed at the scent coming off his arm. “I’m . . . Mya.” Humans and faeries—those were the two species you should never give your first name to. Give them a middle name, but never your first.
“Mya.” The name rolled off his tongue. The way he said it sounded like I was going into his long term memory. He withdrew his hand, seeing I didn’t shake it. “Nice to meet you, Mya.”
I forced a smile, unable to say the same. “Well, um, I’ve got to get going.”
“You’re not going to stay for a while?”
“Nah. Not my scene.” I stood up.
Unfortunately, he did, too. “Oh. Yeah, same here. I was just leaving, actually.”
“Oh. Well.” I started backing away. Jeez, was he trying to make this awkward? “Goodnight.”
He bobbed his head. “Night.”
I strutted across the dance floor through the pink and green lights. His eyes trailed after me—I could feel it. Bizarre, I thought, not daring to glance back. What was up with that kid? Never have I met someone that I couldn’t pinpoint. Let’s face it—you know when you meet a human versus an abnormal. The looks, the aura, it’s all there; except with him.
He seemed to be in the middle, not human but not creature.
The late-summer air swirled around me as I stepped outside. It was soothing, at least ten degrees cooler than it’d been in the club. I took a breath of fresh air while standing in the parking lot. So much better. I hated crowded, human places.
I began to relax when a splash of red caught my eye. I ducked into the shadows, near the side of the building.
Jared sauntered out of the club, glancing around the lot. Something told me he wasn’t trying to find his car. He tilted his head, sniffing the air. Could he be? No, he couldn’t smell me, right? As I watched, he left the main crowd up front, heading toward the left side.
Headed toward me.
That’s it. Okay, I’d tried to be civil, but this kid was clearly trouble. The Rooks had enough problems to deal with as it was. I dropped into a crouch, knuckles popping against the pavement. My heart doubled its speed. Just a little closer. That’s all he had to do, come a little closer into the shadows. Just far enou
gh so no one could see him. Two seconds—that’s all it would take me to pounce, shift, and snap his neck. He wouldn’t even have time to scream.
He kept coming, around thirty feet away. Twenty feet. Fifteen. I rocked on my haunches. Come on. His sneakers had barely touched the shadows when he stopped. I hesitated. Why didn’t I leap? Sure, he was still in full sight, but I was fast. No one would see him disappear—guaranteed. It was a long leap, but I’d jumped farther.
Suddenly he spun around, hustling back toward the club’s entrance. I dropped forward onto my knees. Huh. Apparently he didn’t like the dark. Or maybe it was the woods.
Or maybe he’d seen me and sensed that I was about to kill him.
It wasn’t likely. His head hadn’t even moved in my direction. I got to my feet, brushing the dirt off my legs. Why do you care, anyway? He went the other direction, away from me. Who cared what had scared him?
As I watched from around the corner, it suddenly dawned on me. Something was familiar about him. Was this the same kid who’d been here last night? The one who’d looked straight at me as I headed back to the den?
“Hmm,” I purred in thought. I bet it is.
Chapter Five—Jared
It was a stupid idea from the start.
I was just inches from the woods, about to follow her trail, only to realize her trail didn’t lead into the forest. That one was an old scent path, from maybe an hour ago. The newer one took an abrupt turn to the left.
She was in the building’s shadows.
I could hear her heart pounding, her knuckles cracking, but that was it. She wasn’t moving. I didn’t dare turn my head, but a black lump on the ground caught my peripheral vision. It was her for sure, and it looked like she was crouching.
Oh, crap!
I stumbled backward. She was going to jump me! Now you did it. I could hear coach’s words in my head, scolding me for another dumb choice. No weapons, no way to protect yourself. What were you thinking, Ferlyn? I hurried back toward the club entrance, the fear kicking in. Was she following? I glanced back. No. Not yet.
On the other side of the parking lot, standing near the road, I called Peter. Of course, the idiot didn’t answer his phone. I waited a few minutes. He never called back. I tried the twins’ phones then Harney’s and even Eli’s. Nothing.
“Damn you bunch of horn dogs,” I muttered, jamming the phone back into my pocket. I needed to go back and find them, but with that Mya chick hanging near the woods, I didn’t dare.
After a solid thirty minutes, my phone vibrated. I flipped it open, a text message from Peter popping up. Basically he said I’d interrupted him and I better have a good reason for calling.
I texted him back.
I met that untagged Otherworlder from last nite. She’s here at Whirlwind. Zip ur fly and come get me. Now.
“Let me get this straight.” Peter’s eyebrows furrowed as he pulled away from the club. “You’re sure it’s her? The girl from last night?”
“Yes, sure. It’s the same girl. She had the same scent, the same hair, skin, and eyes. She said her name was Mya.”
“Oh, you got her name. Why not ask for a phone number while you’re at it? Jeez, talk about useless info,” he scoffed. “That’s all you got?”
“Shut up. And no, that’s not all I got,” I retorted. I knew he hated being called away from a perfect evening but seriously, was this not more important? An untagged, predatory Otherworlder was on the loose, for God’s sake.
“Listen, when I got there she was inside talking to someone. I’m almost positive it was another Otherworlder. He had two grey wolves disguised as Great Danes. When the light hit them just right you could see through the illusion—they kept switching forms as I watched.”
Peter hummed. A moment later he began to show more interest, saying, “Did he smell like an Otherworlder? If he knows about illusions and all that . . .”
“I couldn’t smell him from where I was. I tried to stay back. All I know is she had some kind of relation to him, and their conversation looked intense.”
More than intense, actually. Mya looked really pissed when that guy walked away from her. I sighed, leaning back in my seat.
“She smelled like dog. Dog and dirt and woodland. We don’t have some kind of canine fey around here, do we?”
“Like dog?” Peter wrinkled his forehead, stumped. “I’ve never heard of canine faeries. There are fox maidens. And coyote shape-shifters. Oh! Dude, maybe you saw a skinwalker!”
I considered this. “You know, that’s a thought. It would explain why I can’t figure her out.” Yeah, it made sense.
Creatures like skinwalkers or shape-shifters are hard to peg because of their changing forms. They were the Otherworlders closest to humans, and when they changed from animal to person, all the magic and paranormal genes in their body went neutral. In Theories class, our teacher said this was probably a defense mechanism, a survival technique developed over thousands of years to hide from predators like us Finders. If they looked like humans, walked and talked and smelled like them, we would have a hell of a time seeking them out.
“I’m guessing you didn’t tag her?” Peter’s words brought me back to reality.
I threw him a look. “How was I supposed to tag her? My stun gun and tracking bracelets are on my dresser at home. I planned on shagging nymphs tonight, not chasing down and nearly getting killed by a skinwalker.”
“Oh. True.” He snorted then got serious again. “You know, you can never go back to Siren Lake now, bro. If you do, Nilydra will drown you after she’s rocked your socks off.”
“Oh, hell. That’s right.” I’d forgotten that part. You don’t ever lie to or walk out on a faerie. Disrespect in their culture is punishable by death. I’d lied to Nilydra, telling her I’d be right back. The next time I showed up at the lake, she’d remember me standing her up. I might get some, but I’d be bones afterward. She would devour me faster than I could devour a hot dog.
It was a long, dark drive home. Peter and I were silent. While he was no doubt thinking about slipping back to Siren Lake tomorrow, I made mental notes to check the Internet and school library. I needed find out as much about skinwalkers as possible.
Then, once I knew what I was up against, I’d go hunting.
Chapter Six—Ilume
The journey home was uneasy. Between facing Thagen and being followed by that weird kid from the club, I was exhausted as I headed back to the den. I didn’t even want to run, which was strange. The woods brought out the animal in me—I usually ran everywhere.
A fluttering sound called my attention. I stopped, spinning around. An owl perched in the branches overhead. She ruffled her pale feathers, settling into a nest. Her beady eyes blinked down at me, nervous. Poor thing. Animals are smarter than people give them credit for; they know my kind, and they don’t favor us.
I moved along. The night’s events had made me edgy. Another thing I never am. But could I really be blamed? That kid had succeeded in freaking me out. He was an anomaly, a puzzle with pieces that didn’t fit.
I should’ve killed him.
Goose bumps popped out of my skin. It was one of those decisions that you pray doesn’t come back to haunt you. This Jared guy knew I was abnormal, that I wasn’t human. That was bad. I imagined Rex in my situation, knowing he wouldn’t have thought twice about it—he’d have jumped the punk the second he left the crowd.
Let’s forget it, I decided, coming up on an old willow tree. At the base of the trunk, a metal plate was hidden under fallen leaves. If you see him again, you silence him. Kneeling, I pushed the plate aside, revealing a set of log stairs.
Yes. If I saw him again, I would kill him.
Safely down the steps, I pulled the plate back over the opening. The stairs spiraled downward into a hollowed-out room below the willow
. It had just enough space for some bookshelves, a dresser, and a pile of furs that made up the bed. The candles still burned in their bowls, down to the ends of their wicks.
I pulled my dress off, climbing into the furs. Gram’s crocheted pillows still smelled of lavender after all these years. When I was little, she lit incense on the full moon. “To warn bad omens away,” she’d say, and smirk when I asked why.
I curled up in bed, sniffing the pillows. I miss you, Gram. This had been her home once, before she moved into Canada with the pack. She was long gone now, a soul among the stars, yet she always seemed close when I was here. It was the only comfort I could find in Loralin.
My eyes closed. I’ll be home soon. I had failed my mission, but at least it was over now. I’d done what Rex had said to do. Tomorrow, I’d briefly visit town to grab some breakfast.
Then, I would start the run home.
Chapter Seven—Jared
It was one of those mornings where you just want to jam a pie in someone’s face.
I ground my teeth, hunched over a library computer. “Come on,” I growled, pulling on my face. The stupid thing was so slow. I’d been there half an hour and only seen four websites. Hadn’t the school board heard of Comcast? “Come on, come on, come on!” My pointer finger jabbed the mouse again. Nothing. I went on a clicking spree, hoping that if I tapped it enough, this website on skinwalkers would finally open.
A white page came up. Words popped up in the left corner.
ERROR:
Sorry, this page no longer exists.
“GAH!” I snarled, throwing my head back. Nearby, a blonde girl jumped in her seat, then threw me a dirty look.
Steam practically shooting out of my nose, I closed the Internet and stood up, grabbing my bag off the floor. Next time I’m doing this crap at home. I wished for my license. I could’ve surfed the Internet all morning from my room then drove myself to school before the bell.
Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance) Page 3