by Dannika Dark
The moon glinted off a metal object in his hand, and I braced myself. A piercing light suddenly blinded me from an LED flashlight switching on, and I shielded my eyes. His light shone on the spikes behind me.
I kicked one of them. “Is this your trap? You missed.”
“Yes,” he said, as if contemplating his mistakes. “Perhaps I need to arrange them differently or add another. Which way did you fall?” He swung the light upward and tapped his chin with it. “Never mind.”
This guy looked like he’d been living in the wilderness for a thousand years. His dark brown hair was unkempt and touched the ground where he knelt. His beard was long, and his eyes were light. One problem? This guy was definitely Breed. Humans had weak energy in comparison. At least he wasn’t a Vamp.
“Is this your hole?” I asked him.
A chuckle rolled around in his throat before he threw back his head and laughed.
“Look, I need to get out of here.”
The laugh died. “Why? So you can catch up with your lion friend?”
“Who?”
“I don’t like trespassers in my territory.”
“I’m not trespassing on purpose. I was hiking and got lost.”
He twirled the flashlight.
“And what are you talking about with lions? There aren’t any lions around here. This isn’t Africa.”
His eyes narrowed.
“My mom’s probably worried I haven’t called her. Just help me out so I can go back to my car.”
The light settled on me. “There isn’t a road for miles.”
“I got separated from my camp.”
He turned around and sat down so all I could see was his back.
“Please!” I cried. “Help me out.”
The man shined the light on the trees above. “When you tell me the truth, I’ll let you out. But if you continue the charade, you’ll be in there for a long time.”
“You’re really scaring me!”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “You try my patience. Admit you’re not human.”
I folded my arms. “Fine. What gave it away?”
He got up and circled around. “Your shoes aren’t practical for walking in these woods. And I haven’t seen a gimlet in many years.”
“A what?”
He shined the light on my dagger. “It’s very small, and you have another on your belt. Why would a hiker need such weapons?”
I kicked at the wall. Who did this guy think he was?
When I heard a chain rattle, I staggered to the center and looked up. The man had moved out of sight, and I listened anxiously to a metallic tapping sound, like a hammer hitting a spike. Moments later, a chain ladder rolled into the hole. Not all the way down, but low enough for me to grab. I put on my backpack and reached for it.
“Hold on tight,” he said, pulling me up with impossible strength.
I tried to use my feet, but there was no footing. Once out, I crawled past where he’d spiked the ladder into the ground.
“Do you normally carry that around with you?”
He crouched in front of me. “When I check my traps, I do. How else would I get out?”
I lifted the flashlight and shined it on his face. He didn’t just have light eyes; they were yellow. His tattered clothes were layered, the long sleeveless coat made from real animal fur of different colors. When he stared at me, he really stared at me. My hair stood on end, and I knew right away he was a Chitah.
“Is my dark hair unsettling?” he asked.
“No more than the Overlord’s.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a Chitah, right?”
He dipped his chin.
“Then you know the Overlord.”
“No leader would have dark hair like mine. It would be an abomination.”
I huffed out a laugh. “How long have you been living off-grid? It’s rare, but for whatever reason, you guys voted for a dark-haired leader.”
“They don’t vote,” he replied matter-of-factly. “It’s a challenge. Do you mean to say that a defect won the title of Overlord?” His gaze grew distant as he processed the idea.
I really didn’t have time to swap stories with this guy. “Thanks for your help, but I’ve got a lion to track. Do you know which way he went?”
“You’ll never find him on your own, female. My name is Matteo Leone. Come with me.”
Chapter 19
Matteo filled my cup with more water before sitting across the table from me. “It’ll get cold.”
“I’m not hungry,” I said for the fifth time.
He glared at my bowl of tomato and fennel soup. “Is it not to your liking? I grow everything myself.”
Matteo’s home was rustic but spacious. The entire cabin was constructed of wood, and he probably had a massive garden in the back. This homestead wasn’t just a getaway; this man had lived here for a very long time. Contrary to my first impressions, Matteo wasn’t a filthy mountain man. He didn’t have any kind of relationship with razors or trimming shears, but he was strong and looked like he took good care of himself. He obviously ate well.
I sipped the soup to be cordial. “It’s good.”
When he smiled, only one side of his mouth curved up. “I’ve often wondered if the food is good or I’ve just gotten used to the way I cook it.”
I noticed a shelf filled with carved wooden figures. “Lived here long?”
He hooked his arm over the back of his chair and stared at the candles on the table. “Eat more.”
“You didn’t drug it, did you?”
His eyes locked on mine, and I gazed down to the soup. Matteo didn’t have any motivation that I could see to poison me, so I ate the delicious meal. What I didn’t like was the way he watched me. Chitahs have a thing about cooking for and feeding their mates, but I was neither a Chitah nor his mate, so his long looks made me uneasy.
I set down my spoon. “I appreciate your hospitality, but I can’t stay.”
“You won’t survive the night.”
“I’ve survived hell. One night in the woods is a walk in the park.”
“The lions will hunt you.”
“I thought you only saw one.”
He stood up and moseyed to the kitchen behind me. His house was one large open room with a huge fireplace in the center that you could enjoy from both sides. And it wasn’t just for warmth—he’d put my soup in a kettle and hung it over the fire. There was no refrigerator or electricity. The kitchen space had cabinets and tall shelves filled with jars of all kinds of different foods. They were stacked in deep rows from floor to ceiling. Hopefully the large barrels contained something innocuous like rice instead of pickled bodies.
Matteo returned with black licorice in his hand. “Before dusk, a group of men passed through. The leader had a blond mane of hair and walked ahead of the others. I followed them and discovered they were a pride of lions when I saw them marking trees.”
“Did you confront them?”
He chewed off a piece of the dark candy. “Do I look foolish?”
I sat back. “They set up camp within walking distance?”
“They were letting their animals out for the night. They’ll be hunting for food.”
The way he looked at me, he thought I was going to be the food.
“Did you happen to see anyone else hike through here?”
He sucked on the candy, drawing it slowly past his lips. “I picked up several different scents.” He reached across the table and tapped my bowl with his licorice. “Finish your meal.”
I lifted the bowl and polished off the lukewarm soup so we could put an end to the constant shift in subject. His pupils dilated as he watched me gulp down something he’d grown, harvested, and prepared with his own hands. When I finished, I stood up and appraised his home. My fingers ran across the soft fur coat that hung from the wall close to the fire. “I take it you hunt?”
“Those pelts weren’t for meat.”
&n
bsp; My hand recoiled as if I’d touched a rattlesnake.
Matteo still had his back to me as he nibbled on his candy. “That’s what happens when Shifters cross into my territory.”
“Is that what the traps are for? Catching intruders?”
“A man has to protect his land from all sides.”
Great. Just what I needed. My only two options were sitting here until morning or falling into another death pit and impaling myself on a metal spike.
I glided past embroidered wall hangings. “Nice needlework. Have you thought about buying a television? It’s a great way to kill time.”
When he spoke, his voice dropped an octave. “You may critique anything in my home except for those.”
When I looked back, his body had tensed like a lion about to pounce.
Interesting.
I crossed to the other side of the fireplace. A small bed tucked in the corner had a fur blanket over it, and blankets hanging from rods covered all the windows, insulating the cabin from chilly drafts. “So… you live out here by yourself?”
He grunted an affirmative sound.
When I reached my bag, I quietly lifted it and moved toward the door.
“What’s your Breed?” he asked, rising to his feet. He crossed the room in five easy strides and leaned against the door, arms folded, eyes on me but his mind on the bag in my hands.
If a Mage had one natural enemy, it was a Chitah. Just because he’d fed me didn’t mean we were pals. Many of my past enemies had bought me drinks or invited me to parties. While Matteo’s venom didn’t pose a threat, that wouldn’t stop him from finding another way to kill me.
“Well?” he pressed.
“A Relic.”
His nose twitched. “Lies.”
“Maybe your nose is off.”
“My nose is never off. I can always smell a lie.”
I set my bag on the floor. “Care to make it interesting?”
He turned his head away as if uninterested.
“I’ll say something, and you have to guess if I’m lying or telling the truth.”
“Balderdash.”
“Are you chicken?”
“This is a silly game.”
“If I can fool your nose, you have to tell me where the lions are camped.”
His golden eyes slanted toward me even though he was still looking away. “And if you can’t trick me?”
“I’ll… I’ll pay you a thousand dollars.”
After a beat, he slowly shifted his full attention toward me. “If I win, you wash my hair.”
His hair was brown, like the mud on my clothes, and much longer than Niko’s. “When’s the last time you washed it?”
When he kept staring at me, I realized the request had nothing to do with cleaning his hair. He wanted the intimacy of all that scalp massaging and close contact. I’d rather just dump a bucket of water over his head, but sensing that wasn’t what he had in mind, I decided to make the deal before he got specific.
“It’s a deal.”
Amusement danced in his eyes. “How do you know I won’t deceive you to get what I want?”
I stepped closer. “Because you’re a Chitah, and your word is your bond.”
He inclined his head.
This was going to be a cakewalk. I rocked on my heels and smirked. “I’m a Vampire.”
Matteo’s nose twitched, and he suddenly pushed away from the door and loomed over me. He stared deep into my mismatched eyes, studied my flawed skin, and yet couldn’t seem to figure out why my words smelled like truth. “Say it again.”
My smile dimmed, and I repeated myself in slow words. “I am a Vampire.”
His canines punched out as he drew in my emotional scent. “You’re obviously not a Vampire. How do you do it? How do you say it with such conviction and belief that I can’t scent your lie?”
“Years of practice. Well? Time to pay up.”
“North,” he replied. “The lions are a two-hour walk, just past a stream.”
I grabbed my bag and reached for the doorknob, but he blocked it.
“You promised,” I reminded him.
That roguish grin appeared on his face. “Yes. I promised to tell you their location, but you didn’t ask me to let you go.”
I flung my hands out to blast him, but he gripped my wrists and held them tight.
“I can’t read your mind,” he said, squeezing my wrists, “but I can smell a spike in adrenaline faster than you can blink.”
“I’ll just wait until you go to sleep. Did you plan on holding me captive forever? It’s only a matter of time before we kill each other.”
He leaned close and bared his teeth. “I’m saving your life, female. Danger lurks in the dark woods.”
“Danger lurks in a woman’s anger.”
A laugh bubbled in his throat, and when it finally grew too much to contain, he tossed his head back and shook the room with the noise of it.
I turned away and mulled over my predicament. I wasn’t blind. Matteo knew the perils in these woods the same way that I knew the dangers of the city. I would probably get lost, and I had no way to fend off a lion attack in the dark. I needed him.
“Be my guide.”
Matteo strode away and settled at the table. He lifted his licorice and bit off another piece. “And why would I do that?”
“Because you’re a trading man, and I’m sure you can come up with a fair deal.” I approached the table and spun my chair around, straddling it. “I can pay you.”
He waved his candy in a circle. “What use do I have for money?” After swallowing his bite, he set down the licorice. “I haven’t spoken to a female in a long time. I want your company.”
I chuckled. “I’m the last person you’d want to keep you company. I’m not washing your hair, and I sure as hell don’t plan on cleaning your house or cooking your meals. Do you want to hear about all the men I’ve killed?”
With an enigmatic look, he sat back.
My social skills weren’t great, so I needed to figure out a way to get this guy to help me. Maybe through small talk. Matteo had long locks, and that made me curious. “I thought Chitahs only grew their hair long when courting a woman.”
His piercing gaze forced me to look away.
“If you’re lonely, maybe you should move into town. Find yourself a girlfriend.”
“I have no wish for a friend.” Matteo abruptly stood up and crossed the room. When he reached the cedar chest next to his bed, he lifted the lid and placed a folded quilt on the floor. Then he set a pair of tiny shoes on top of it before pulling out a pair of boots. After returning the shoes and blanket back to the cedar chest, he strode over to the table and set the boots in front of me.
“These should fit you.”
I lifted a tan boot and felt the padded lining. They had thick treads for hiking, but they were too small to be his.
“I can give you thick socks if they’re too big. It’s not good to have your feet sliding around in a boot, but you’ll need these. You can burn your flimsy shoes in the fireplace.”
I unlaced my sneakers and set them aside. “These are practical in the city for running.”
“And those are practical in the mountains for surviving,” he countered, easing back into his chair.
I slid my foot into the boot, and it fit nicely. “Whose are these?”
“They once belonged to a remarkable woman.” He gazed pensively into the kitchen.
I put on the second boot. “She left you?”
“Not by choice.”
I sensed a story. “Did she die?”
“Yes.”
“So you locked yourself away in the woods as punishment?”
He shifted sideways in his chair, propping one elbow on the table. “My kindred spirit is gone. What is the purpose of my life without the other half of my soul?”
I walked around and tested out the boots. “Maybe your purpose is to help me out. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I’m on a mission. Those
lions are after children, and you don’t want to know what they plan to do to them.”
Matteo’s golden eyes flashed up, and they were volcanic.
“If you help me, you’ll be helping those kids.”
“Why would you bring young out here?”
I was used to the nuances of Chitah lingo. Many referred to children as young. The trouble was, I couldn’t give him a straight answer, so I rubbed at a mud stain on my sweatshirt.
His nose twitched. “Secrets. Everyone has them. Even me.” Matteo traveled to the kitchen. He filled a kettle with water and set it on the woodstove, which was still hot from the bread he had baked that was still cooling on the counter. The black pipe funneled the smoke up through the roof. “There’s a place in these woods they take little ones. Is that where you’re going?”
I swallowed hard. He knew about it? Nobody was supposed to know about it.
“I smell your doubt, female.” He removed two cups from the cupboard. “I’ve seen them taking children to this place. I never scented malice, so I didn’t interfere. Not my business.” Matteo stood up and pulled tea bags from a box. “Perhaps the fates brought us together for a reason.”
I sat in my chair to face him and crossed my legs. “What do you know about those kids?”
“Nothing,” he replied, watching the kettle. “The world moves around me like mechanical parts moving inside a clock. I’m not part of that clock anymore. I’m just the man sitting in the hall, staring at the face and watching the time pass with every swing of the pendulum.”
I’d felt that way before, and it was a dark place to be. The isolation had almost destroyed me. If Viktor hadn’t come along, I don’t know what kind of monster I would have become.
A handsome smile crossed his expression.
“What’s that look about?” I asked, curious.
“I’m not around people much. Only when I do simple trading with a Shifter a few miles from here. I suppose I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in a room with a person and scent their constantly changing emotions. You say nothing, but you say everything.”
Steam blew from the spout on the kettle, and just as it whistled, Matteo lifted it off the stove and filled the cups.
He strode over and handed me a blue cup with a white string dangling from the side. “Let it steep.”