by Lane, Soraya
And think about Claudia. Claudia! Even thinking about the possibility of seeing her again had been exciting, but the fact that she was about to see her? It sent tremors through her entire body.
“Claudia.” She called her sister’s name in her mind, just like Hunter had instructed.
Riley kept her body still, absolutely motionless as she waited.
“Claudia.” She said her name again, louder in her mind this time, like she was ordering her to appear, desperate to see her, to believe that she was still here. Somewhere.
A gust of wind blew a hefty breath of air through the trees around her. Riley looked over her shoulder, mind alert with the worry of danger.
And then she saw her.
“Claudia.”
Riley had to blink. Twice. Three times.
But when Claudia laughed, turned her mouth upwards into that pixie-grin that Riley knew so well, she knew it was true.
Her sister was alive. Or at least here, before her. Somehow.
“Riley.”
She watched her sister’s expression change but it was in her mind that she heard her. Kind of. It was like a normal conversation but it wasn’t. Because they’d always kind of communicated in silence when they’d had to. That whole twin communication thing.
If she were human, Riley’s eyes would have been flooded with tears. She would have been so choked up she couldn’t have said a word or moved a muscle in her body.
Claudia stepped forward. Her feet seemed to float over the ground, whispered over the dead leaves below.
Her sister’s hands reached for her, both of them. They touched her fur, caressed her head as Riley leant in toward her.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she told her.
Claudia dropped to her knees and kissed her on the top of her head. Riley squeezed her eyes shut and nestled into her hold. Lapping up the feel, sight, smell of her sister at her side.
“Me too, Riley. You’ve got no idea.”
“But I saw you, Claudia. I saw you dead. I don’t understand.”
Claudia pulled back and knelt on the grass. “Me neither.” She reached one hand back out so they were still touching, still connected.
“You look beautiful,” Riley told her.
Claudia laughed. “So do you.”
Riley drank in the sight of her sister. Took her fill of her so she’d never forget her. Committed every inch of her to memory, worried this was an illusion that was about to be snatched away.
Claudia looked the same and yet she didn’t. Her hair seemed longer, like a red-brown, thick cape that fell over her back and shoulders. Her eyes were green, like her own, but sparkling. Magical.
And her face. Oh my. Her pale white skin, so much lighter than Riley’s own, was covered in pale violet swirls. Intricate patterns covered her forearms, tickled down her neck on one side, and met in a delicate swirl over her cheek and up over her right eye.
“When did you get so creative?”
Claudia smiled and stroked her fur. Like a mom comforting a small child. “I’ve got a lot of spare time.”
Riley didn’t know what to ask her first. What to say to her. What to tell her. “There’s so much to find out. I…”
Claudia raised her hand.
“We’ve got time for that later. We need to talk about you first.”
No. Riley didn’t want to talk about herself, not now. She needed to know what Claudia was doing, where she spent her days. What she was. How she existed.
“Do you live here?”
Claudia shook her head and shuffled closer, letting her cheek fall to Riley’s back. Riley closed her eyes at the gentle thrum of her sister’s hand over her body. At the closeness she felt.
They’d always had the whole twin connection going on. Knowing what the other thought, being able to communicate without hardly saying a word. What she’d missed most, more than the sight of Claudia or her presence in her life, was the closeness that had always been in her mind and heart. The closeness between them that had been there all their life, from when they’d been little girls.
When that had died, when her heart and mind had seemed hollow and alone, that was her lowest point. She’d started to deal with it as best she could, started to cope with the feeling, but now it was gone.
To be replaced by a warmth within her from having Claudia back beside her. In her life again. Like her internal light had been switched back on after being submerged in darkness.
“I did pass over, Riley. But I became something else. Something more.”
“Did it hurt? Are you okay?”
Claudia kissed her head again then stood, walking a few steps before turning back. Riley watched as her white cotton dress fluttered about her, making her look ethereal, otherworldly.
“Tell me about Hunter.”
Riley was pleased she was in leopard form. The blush in her cheeks would have given her away in an instant.
“How do you know about him?”
Claudia’s eyes sparkled, like diamonds had been crushed around her pupils and were vying to escape.
“I know everything, Riley. I’m your guider. I see everything.”
Okay, so maybe she already knew exactly how much blushing had been going on.
Claudia obviously picked up on that. On her thoughts, even though she didn’t mean her to. Damn twin sense!
“Okay, not everything, but I’m always here. You know, looking out for you.”
Riley looked over her shoulder, pleased now that Hunter had insisted on leaving them. “Can he hear us?”
Claudia nodded. “Probably.”
Riley didn’t care if he could hear them or not, she just didn’t want to embarrass herself by asking questions she didn’t want him to know about. There were some things, some hesitations and desires, that she wanted to keep to herself.
“I don’t know what to do, Claudia. I mean, I know what I want, but I don’t know if it’s the right choice.”
Claudia held her tight again. She looked too weak, too slight to be capable of such a hold, but her grip was firm. She managed to pull Riley’s large body toward her and comfort her.
“What do you see?” she asked her sister.
“I see you with Hunter.” Claudia answered without hesitation.
“So I’m right in wanting him?”
Claudia gave her a look she knew well. Oh yes, her eyes were saying, but she was keeping the thought private, just between them. Making sure it wasn’t available for any other listening in.
Riley wished she could laugh. It would feel so good just to roll around, laughing, talking, like they used to. To be in human form and feel like everything was back to normal. Even for just a heartbeat.
“If you had a choice, would you have gone through with it?”
Claudia didn’t answer her. Riley had a feeling like she wouldn’t tell her anyway. But her sister’s caress, the way she kneaded her fur, told her what she’d never realized, never thought of before.
Claudia had been changed in anticipation of Riley’s future. Of the position and power she was expected to fulfil. To be part of Riley’s own destiny. Whether she took on this existence or not wasn’t a question. Wasn’t something she had been expected to turn down. If she didn’t accept, her sister would be gone to her. Forever. Which meant Claudia would have died, given her life, for a cause that Riley had rejected.
She watched Claudia, their eyes burning into one another’s.
Riley understood now, her decision was made. There was no choice to make, because she wasn’t sacrificing her sister for anything. The die had been cast and her future had been decided.
Riley had thought that it would be hard choosing, but then she hadn’t understood the consequences. Now it was like a hefty weight had been removed from her, lifted from her body. Relieving her of a pain that had been niggling at her every hour of every day. Like she was finally at peace.
Claudia tapped her shoulder, made her look up. Like she was trying to tell her something without saying i
t. But Riley didn’t understand. Claudia sighed, stroking Riley’s leg as she spoke.
“Your only decision is whether to take Hunter as your mate. You need to choose, because it’s the only missing link now.”
Of course. She snorted. Riley hoped Hunter hadn’t heard that. Because he’d known that now it was about how she’d live the life she’d just accepted.
Everything rested on her feelings for Hunter. Her chosen one.
“He’s coming.”
Riley stood, ears pricked as she heard footfalls. He’d wanted them to know, wanted to alert them. Hunter could move through the forest without making a sound if he chose to, she already knew that.
“I’m sorry.” His words filtered through her mind.
Riley watched as Claudia moved toward Hunter, her bare feet once again barely touching the ground. Like she was gliding.
“Hunter.”
He stopped and let Claudia touch him, her hand skimming his head and down his back, before she stepped back. Riley watched as their eyes met, seeming to smile at one another.
“You have to go?” Claudia asked Hunter.
Riley’s mind screamed out, verging on hysterical, but Claudia was by her side again, comforting her. She didn’t want to leave her, not when she’d only just found her again.
“We need to get back. I’ve given you as long as Sophia said was safe.”
Riley wasn’t going to argue with him, but she didn’t want to go. It was like saying goodbye forever all over again, or at least that’s what it seemed like.
“Will I see you soon?”
Claudia exchanged a look with Hunter that he seemed to understand. He walked back in the direction he’d come from. Riley waited for Claudia to speak again.
“Once you take Hunter, you’ll be able to accept your place here. Then I’ll be here for you, freely. We won’t have to be careful any longer. But Sophia won’t let you take command until you’ve accepted him, or another suitable alpha.”
Riley didn’t miss that she hadn’t said mate. Accepted sounded so much more civilized.
“Would you?” She knew Claudia would know what she meant, that she was talking about Hunter.
“Are you kidding! Of course.”
Yeah, exactly what she’d expected her to say. Right from the day she’d first met Hunter she’d known Claudia would have been egging her on if she’d been here. Telling her to stop moping, to get herself together and hang out with him.
“Go now, he’s getting anxious.”
Riley ran to Claudia and pressed her face to her waist. She wished she could throw her arms about her, but this was the best she could do as a leopard.
“I love you,” she told Claudia.
She watched as her sister lifted from the ground and disappeared upward, through the trees and into the sky. But she could still hear her voice whispering to her. Like it was calling her on the wind. Like a ghost disappearing into nothingness.
“I love you too.”
Riley could have stared skyward for hours, watching the space through which Claudia had disappeared. But a gentle prod from behind made her turn.
Hunter’s eyes told her he didn’t want to take her away, but she knew he was acting on Sophia’s orders. Which meant he wouldn’t deviate from her instructions.
“Now?”
He gently tucked his head down and nudged her forward. Now.
Riley forced her paws to move, limbering up as she matched his loping stride.
“You feeling okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Keen for another spin on the Harley this afternoon?”
Right now, she would have agreed to anything he wanted to do. She laughed in her mind. She hadn’t realized he could read her like that, but his sideways look told her he knew exactly what she was feeling. Or thought he did, anyway.
“I think I can cope with another spin.”
“You know you loved it,” he teased.
Riley gave him a shove with her shoulder then darted away, moving fast past a tight cluster of trees.
Suddenly her future brighter, something to look forward to, rather than the black, uncertain hole that it had felt like before.
“Race you back?”
Hunter didn’t need to be asked twice.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Riley was pleased to hear Hunter’s motorcycle come up the drive. Waiting for him always seemed to take forever. Which was silly, because he’d never been late yet.
She called out goodbye to Sophia and headed out the door, grabbing the jacket Hunter threw her and jumping on behind him as soon as he slowed.
His body shuddered with laughter, but she didn’t care. Last night, she’d balked at even stepping closer to it. Today, she hadn’t let herself think about it.
Riley tucked against Hunter’s back. She was starting to think that the motorcycle wasn’t that bad. It was still a death trap, but being this close to Hunter had its advantages. She’d go anywhere with him so long as she could stay pressed against his body. Preferably not on two wheels, but a girl couldn’t be too fussy. At least he had wheels of his own, even if there weren’t four of them attached to an actual vehicle.
When she was behind him, she didn’t have to face his eyes. Didn’t have to wonder what he was thinking back, or that he might catch her looking at him too long. To wonder what was going to happen between them. Now and in the future.
She just got to hold him. No strings attached.
Riley listened to the motorcycle as it descended the gears. It was like music to her now, music she was starting to read already, understanding the way he drove it and the sounds of the engine. She held Hunter even tighter, her arms wrapped snug around his waist.
She sighed. Slowing down also meant that it was almost time to let go. Which made it her least favorite part.
Riley realized she’d had her eyes closed. She opened them. And her jaw dropped. Literally.
She didn’t need Hunter’s help to get off, didn’t wait for it, she just jumped off as soon as he stopped.
Wow.
Her feet could hardly keep up with her brain. They were at the top of a cliff, parked on a clearing that looked out over the water. She could see ocean as far as her eyes could stretch. Twinkling at her as her eyes searched its depths. The grass around them was green, trees waving like a lullaby as she stood. Immobile. Inhaling their surroundings.
It was perfect.
She spun around. Hunter was still seated. Long legs touching the ground on either side, slung over the machine like it was made to fit his body.
Part of her, just a tiny part, was starting to appreciate the Harley. It was kind of hot, in a chrome, pimped out kind of way. Or maybe it was just the sight of him on it that she liked.
Riley grinned at him. She couldn’t do anything else. “This is beautiful.”
He kept his eyes, on hers as he propped the motorcycle up on the stand and stepped off. He shrugged out of his jacket, leaving it discarded over the seat.
Riley couldn’t stop staring at him. His legs were clad in denim, faded jeans hugging his hips and reaching to touch the ground. Worn leather boots. Her eyes travelled up again, hitting his black T-shirt, tanned, strong arms hanging loose by his side.
She was too scared to look at his face again. He’d know she was watching him, and she didn’t want to see the recognition in his eyes. Not yet.
Riley turned back to the water. Her eyes searched the distance, tried to scan the view, but it was still him she could see. It seemed he was all she could ever see when she closed her eyes or tried to focus on just nothingness.
And then she could feel him. Sense that he was behind her. Close.
“I come here to think sometimes.”
She nodded, still looking at the ocean.
“After we arrived here, I found this place.” Now he was right behind her, so close she could almost feel his breath on her neck. “I used to look out and wonder if they could see me, my parents, wherever they were. Used to talk to them som
etimes and pretend they were listening.”
The fact that he’d brought her here, that he was telling her about his past, told her that he trusted her. “Did it help?”
“Yeah,” he said. “For awhile, I just needed to believe they weren’t gone, I guess.”
Hunter was too close. If she leaned back she would feel his chest against her back. She wished she’d taken the jacket off. His jacket. He’d given her his favorite again for the ride.
The wind touched her face and made her hair race back out of her eyes. But she still couldn’t turn.
They stood like that for what seemed like forever, not talking, both lost in thought. If she hadn’t been here with him, she probably would have thought about Claudia, perhaps. Her parents even. What she was going to do now she’d made the decision to stay.
But now that she knew Claudia wasn’t gone, well in the complete sense anyway, her grief had subsided. Almost washed away. Now she felt anticipation thrum through her veins like adrenalin.
Riley held her breath as Hunter’s hands skimmed her waist. She could feel the imprint of his palms, holding her, the heat from his skin hitting her through her jeans as they settled lower.
It was like he was waiting for her to react. Waiting for her to pull away or lean in to him, to make a choice, but she couldn’t do either. She was paralyzed by his touch. Wasn’t used to this kind of contact, to the casual, intimate way he touched her.
She closed her eyes as his hands moved, encircling her waist now, arms wrapping around her body. Cupping her to him.
Riley couldn’t move.
Until he shuffled forward, his entire body against hers, molded to fit. Then she relaxed, fell into him, letting Hunter take her weight. And somehow felt so right. Terrifying, new, unreal, but right. Like she belonged in his arms. Like saying no to him, to their future, would be a crime.
Hunter’s head dipped lower and his lips touched her neck. Just for a heartbeat, before he rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek against hers. It was even more intimate than his kisses.
“I’ve never brought anyone here before,” he said, softly into her ear. “I want you to know that.”
She breathed deep and pressed back into him harder, wanting him as close to her as she could make him.