Current

by Rian Harper

  “I just told him someone broke in while Emma and I were out to lunch. He seemed to buy it. He’s staying at a friend’s house until everything can be repaired.” She continued to stare forward at the mountain range as she spoke.

  “Did you tell him about the…”

  “No.” She cut me off. “And he doesn’t need to know. I wasn’t that far along anyway.” Jasmine turned and pointed to the other side of the house. “Firewood is on that side.” She wrapped the purple sweater she was wearing closer to her body as she made her way back to the front of the house.

  I watched Jasmine walk away until she disappeared around the corner of the porch. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling at the moment, or how she was dealing with the emotion coursing through her without her husband. Around the other side of the house sat a pyramid of firewood that had been neatly stacked next to a small tree. I gathered as many pieces as I could carry in my arms and went back inside.

  As I stacked a few of the logs together in the fireplace, Emma emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a red knit sweater. Her hair was still wet from the shower. I grabbed her hand as she walked by and quickly drew enough energy to create a stream of electricity that emanated from my hand, drilling into one of the logs. A fire sparked within seconds and spread through the rest of the wood, making that wonderful crackling sound.

  I stood and wrapped my arms around her. “Good morning.” I breathed in deeply trying to identify the scent of the shampoo she had used. Something citrus. Instead of wrapping her arms around me in return, she placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed me away.

  “What’s wrong?” I creased my eyebrows, confused as to why she wasn’t returning my affection.

  She pointed behind me toward the television. I turned around and saw a picture of a blurry black shape that looked ambiguously like an animal in the upper right corner of the screen. The large, white all capital letters sitting below the picture read: RECENT ANIMAL MAULING. I dropped my arms from around Emma and walked over to the television to turn the volume up while she got the attention of Jasmine and Everett who were both in the kitchen area.

  We gathered around the television and watched as the reporter relayed a story about a park ranger that was found mauled to death by an unknown animal in the next town over. The picture they had was taken by a camera trap that was used to monitor the activity of the black bears in the area. A dark cloud settled over the room.

  “They’re here.” Emma crossed her arms as she watched the screen intently.

  “How did they find us so quickly?” I pondered aloud.

  “Who knows?” Everett offered. “The fact is that they are in the area and it’s only a matter of time before we have to face them again. We need to talk about what we are going to do when that happens.”

  “Well we can’t leave Nate alone. He’s a sitting duck without us.” Jasmine made an excellent point.

  I walked over to the couch and fell back. “I just want this to be over with. I’m tired of waiting around to be assassinated.” Discontent over the situation bubbled up within me.

  Everett looked down at me with his steely eyes. “I don’t think you’ll have to wait much longer. With what we have seen you do, with what you’re capable of, those guys aren’t just going to walk away from the next fight.”

  Hearing that from Everett eased my mind slightly. I twisted my upper body around and looked out of the double window that the couch sat directly in front of. It had become dreary outside quickly. It was overcast with no discernable cloud in the sky nor a speck of blue. Just gray and dismal.

  “So how do we find them?” I questioned.

  “That’s nearly impossible.” Everett said as he came over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. “We are just going to have to hunker down and wait until they show up here.”

  I let out a low growl indicating my annoyance at the notion. Instead of being in control of the situation and leading the events of what was to come, we were going to have to anxiously wait it out. I slid my hoodie over my head and tossed it over the back of the arm chair next to me. The room was warming up quickly from the fire I built and I could feel myself starting to sweat.

  The coffee that Everett was sipping on filled my nostrils with that pleasant café aroma. I couldn’t resist but to indulge in a cup myself, especially since I didn’t get the best of sleep. Emma walked into the bathroom and I heard the sound of a blow dryer come on as I went to the dishwasher to get a clean coffee mug. I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand as I poured coffee with the other. My neck was stiff and aching from sleeping on the floor the past two nights. It was time to maybe convince Everett to switch sleeping spots with me so that I could get some decent rest that night.

  As I stirred the French vanilla creamer into my coffee, I had a weird feeling overcome me. That feeling you get when you know someone or something is watching you. I looked over at Everett, who was still on the couch watching the news. Jasmine had moved to the dining room table and was shuffling some playing cards. Emma was still in the bathroom with the hair dryer running. I looked out of the window that was set above the kitchen sink as I lay down the spoon I was using to stir my coffee. The leaves on the trees were dropping from the wind that had picked up slightly.

  I gazed out of the window, not focusing on anything in particular, so that I could see movement even out of my periphery. The sound of the carafe returning to the hotplate under the percolator snapped me out of my surveillance. Emma rested her hand on my shoulder.

  “You okay?” She lifted the red mug she was holding in her other hand and took a sip of the steaming coffee.

  I nod my head in reassurance as I looked into her beautiful azure eyes. She ran her hand down the length of my arm until our hands met and folded into each other. “Maybe we should go talk.”

  Emma pulled me along behind her toward the bedroom and sat down on the bed. I closed the door after I entered and sat on the opposite side, facing the window.

  “Talk to me.” She tucked her wavy hair that had fallen into her face back behind her ear.

  “Okay.” I wasn’t sure of exactly what she wanted to talk about. “What did you have in mind?”

  “How are you feeling about all of this? You just seem different since we arrived at the cabin.”

  I chose my words carefully. “Well, there have been a lot of changes going on. I have a power that I just discovered a couple of days ago.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “I haven’t been getting enough sleep. I’m just out of my element is all. Once I get used to everything, I’ll level out.”

  Emma nodded, then turned and placed her coffee mug on the side table next to the head of the bed. “How does it feel?”

  I raised my eyebrows indicating I needed more information in order to supply an answer.

  Emma smiled. “How does it feel when you are drawing power from us?”

  “Oh.” I took big gulp of my coffee, which had cooled off significantly at that point. “I feel tingly really. You know that feeling you get in your arm or leg when you’ve been sitting in the same position for too long and the blood has been cut off?”

  Emma nod, listening intently.

  “Well it’s like that, but all over. Is that how you feel?”

  “No, I just feel a warmth all the time.” Emma looked down and fidgeted with the sleeves of the light blue sweater she was wearing. “You said you felt different when you were drawing Keenan’s shifting power. What was that like?”

  This was the question I didn’t really want to answer. Not only because it was hard to explain, but because of the feelings it still stirred within me. I had to think quickly so as not to make Emma become suspicious for the delay in my answering.

  “It just feels different. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.” I threw my head back and finished what coffee was left in my mug.

  “I heard you last night. You were talking in your sleep. You kept saying Cade’s name over and over agai
n.”

  I swallowed hard. I didn’t think anyone had heard me. I tried to think of something to reply, but my concentration was broken when I noticed a blur move past the window. That uneasy feeling washed over me again. I still couldn’t say for sure, but I could feel it. He was stalking me.

  Chapter 21

  Waiting

  “I just saw him.” I pointed out of the bedroom window.

  “Who?” Emma swiveled her head around to where I was pointing.

  “Cade. He was right there!” I jumped off the bed and quickly walked over to the window so that I could get a better look. Rain was pouring down now, making it hard to see anything. Maybe I had imagined it. Maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me.

  I came out of the bedroom and into the common area where Jasmine and Everett were playing a card game at the dining room table. I went from window to window looking out at the whiteness, trying to see past the deluge. The only thing that I could discern was the car and a few larger trees in the background. I kneeled down on the couch and stared out of the double window situated behind it, hoping I wasn’t envisioning things.

  I heard the sound of a chair sliding across the laminate flooring as it was quickly thrust backward. I swiftly turned my head to look behind me where the noise originated and saw Jasmine staring out of the window in front of her.

  “Did you see something?” I made my way across the room and stood next to her peering outside, trying to catch a glimpse of what she saw.

  “Something moved across the window. It was fast.” She continued to stare ahead.

  Everett stood up as Emma came out of the bedroom and joined us. All four of us gazed out of different windows trying to notice if anything moved. The suspense was too much for me to bear. I wanted something to happen, not wait around like a poor defenseless piece of prey for a predator to stalk and kill. I let out a frustrated grunt and before I knew it, I was leaping off the front porch into the heavy rain.

  “Come on!” I shouted at the top of my lungs as the cold precipitation soaked me. I turned around in all directions, wiping the water from my eyes so that I could see clearer. All I could make out were sheets of rain.

  I caught something besides the rain moving out of the corner of my eye towards the tree line. I turned quickly to look and finally saw what I knew was taunting us. Shifter. I couldn’t tell who it was, but whichever of the three I was looking at was moving slowly around to my right side. A low growl came from behind the car, which was parked to my left. Another cat came around the back side of the car and shook some of the water off its pelt as it started moving in front of me. They circled me, keeping their distance.

  It was hard for me to keep my eye on both of them at the same time. A strategy I’m sure they employed on purpose. I swiveled to keep watch on the one that had emerged from the trees as it made its way closer to the cabin. Something moved above me. I looked up at the green tin roof and saw the third cat crouched, sliding down the slippery panels of metal. He roared when we locked eyes. It was Cade.

  “Jasmine!” I yelled toward the house, keeping my eye on Cade as he prepared to pounce on me. I needed someone and their powers, and Jasmine’s seemed to fit the situation. The cats started to advance toward me, knowing they had a limited window to attack.

  Jasmine bolted through the front door at the same time Cade leapt off the roof with his claws extended and his teeth bared, coming down directly on me. Jasmine lifted both hands above her head and misdirected him with a push of her powers, sending him into a somersault through the air. He landed on the top of her car, which dented the frame significantly. By the time Cade regained his footing, Jasmine had reached my side and latched onto my wrist.

  Declan and Keenan were nearly to us when I went to the ground on one knee and placed my fist in the mud. I built a shockwave as fast I could and released it in all directions. The cats flew back through the air away from us as Jasmine’s car flipped over a few times before crashing sideways into a tree.

  “Run!” I pushed Jasmine toward the cabin and we ran together as she kept a firm hold on my wrist.

  The frigid rain stung as it drilled into my skin. After Jasmine and I crossed the threshold, I quickly spun around to close the front door behind us. I saw a blur of black fur leaping onto the porch. The door latched just in time for all four of us to throw our bodies against it so as to increase its fortification. My heart skipped a beat when Cade made contact with the door, raking his claws across the wood and growling in anger.

  “What do we do?” I looked up at Everett for an answer to my panicked question.

  “They know better than to try and get in here. They wouldn’t stand a chance. Not much room to maneuver and no place to hide.” He left his post at the front door and went to the window that was situated to his right. “They’re going back into the woods.”

  I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed my postured position until I had slid all the way down the door and was now sitting on the floor, trying to catch my breath. Once the excitement of what had just transpired abated, a shiver ran down my spine, reminding me that I was soaked through with freezing rain and cold to the bone. Jasmine, too, was in the same state I was. She was leaning over beside me with both hands on her knees, visibly shivering. Water was dripping from the end of her pony tail that was hanging next to her face.

  “Thanks for helping me out there.” I looked up and half-smiled through my chattering teeth.

  “Idiot.” Jasmine punched me in the shoulder before she walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I grimaced and placed my hand over the pain that was pulsating from my arm. I couldn’t be mad at her. She was completely within her rights to punish me for what I had just done. I couldn’t fathom what possessed me to run outside in the driving, unforgivingly cold rain straight into the claws and teeth of three shifters, but it was definitely the wrong decision. The fact that either of us made it back into the cabin alive was a miracle.

  Everett walked over to stand in front of me and extended his hand. “You need to get out of those wet clothes and warm up.”

  I obstinately sat on the floor with my knees folded up to my chest, shivering. “I’ll just wait until Jasmine gets out of the shower.”

  “Fine. Be cold.” Everett threw his hands up in the air and went back to the window, peering outside again to be sure the shifters had in fact retreated.

  “Don’t be so stubborn.” Emma crouched down beside me. I looked up and met her eyes. “Go sit by the fireplace at least.”

  I nod shakily as she looped her arm through mine to help me off the floor. Emma tossed a fresh log on the fire as I sat down on the brick hearth and wrapped my arms around my body. She disappeared around the corner and I heard hinges squeak as a door was opened. Emma returned with a couple of towels in her hand. She threw one at me, which I caught as it hit my face.

  “Take your shirt off and wrap that around you.”

  The shirt I was wearing was absolutely saturated and stuck to every part of my skin. I reached behind my head and grabbed what I could of the fabric just below my neck, then tried to pull it over my head. The handful of shirt that I was pulling relented slightly, but the remainder of the cloth stayed adhered to my torso as though it were glued on. Emma, taking note of my struggle, helped me peel the shirt from my skin. I enveloped myself in the fluffy dark green towel and inched closer to the flames, my bottom lip still quivering from the chill throughout my body.

  After a few minutes I heard the door to the bathroom open, but I was still too cold to even think about moving. My legs were numb from sitting in jogging pants and underwear that were wet through. I sat, trembling from the cold, staring at the flames that danced before my eyes. There was something calming about watching the fire as it burned before me. I thought about how amazing it was that fire could be so beautiful, and at the same time, so destructive.

  Jasmine walked by and smacked me on the head, breaking my trance on the fireplace. I looked up at her as she scrunched her hair in a towel
, ringing moisture from her locks.

  “Go.” She flipped her wet hair behind her and pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the bathroom.

  I slowly stood up, making noises here and there as my pants and underwear shifted, hitting me with frigid sensations up and down my lower half. I made it to the bathroom and turned the shower to the highest temperature that I could stand. The stream of hot water stung my skin when I stepped into the shower. When my body temperature was finally elevated, the water felt more soothing. I loitered in the shower because the warmth was so welcome. I stayed motionless under the showerhead until I could feel the water become colder, then turned it off and stepped out into the thick steam that now filled the room.

  As I dried myself off, I realized that I hadn’t brought any dry clothes into the bathroom with me to change into. The more I thought about it, I wondered if there were any clean and dry clothes for me to even wear. I wrapped the towel around my waste and cracked the door open. After calling out a couple of times, Emma came to the door and I explained my situation. She came back a few minutes later and told me the bad news. There were no more clean clothes, but she had found a robe in the closet of the bedroom, which she handed me through the door. I gulped down my anxiety about the situation, but tried looking on the bright side of things. At least the robe was something that covered me more than the towel I was wearing.

  As I slipped the thin robe on that was made from blue cotton, I realized that it was definitely not made for a man of my height. It was most likely a woman’s robe, as the bottom hem hit me about half way up my thigh, barely giving me any discretion. I decided it would be best to replace the towel around my waist before I walked out into the main area.

  The room had warmed up significantly from earlier that morning. I walked over to the fireplace and sat back down in front of it, careful of how I held my legs, so as to keep my modesty. Everett was moving from window to window, trying to keep a weather eye out in case the shifters decided to return. Jasmine was sitting in the armchair still as a statue as Emma stood behind her, braiding her blonde hair into a French braid. Everett finally caught sight of me wearing the towel and robe and sarcastically whistled a catcall. I could feel the embarrassment overtake me as my face burned from the blood rushing to it.