Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1

by Tonya Royston

  “So I’m curious,” I said, desperately trying to distract my thoughts away from his gorgeous arms. “What did your parents think about your tattoo? My parents would probably ground me for life if I came home with a tattoo.”

  As he stood up, he stretched his arms through the backpack straps. “First of all, it’s just my dad, and secondly, a tattoo is pretty tame compared to all the other trouble I could get into, believe me.” He finished securing the backpack into place, but neither one of us was eager to continue hiking up the mountain right away.

  “Like stealing a car?” I asked as we stood on the trail.

  “I was afraid you’d remember that.”

  “It’s kind of hard to forget. That’s not exactly something you hear every day.” I wondered how much I could get him to tell me about that. I was still curious to find out why there was no record of it. “Why did you do it?” I blurted out, meeting his gaze.

  He shrugged flippantly. “I was bored. So I hot-wired a neighbor’s Porsche and took it for a spin. It was really fun to drive.” He smiled wistfully at the memory.

  “But was it worth the risk?”

  “Probably not. It wasn’t one of my better judgment calls.”

  “What happened when you got caught?”

  He looked away with a sigh. “I returned it without a single scratch, so the owner decided not to press charges. But my dad was pretty pissed. It wasn’t exactly a neighborly thing to do. Not that we were great friends with our neighbors to begin with.”

  “And then he moved you here. Guess that was a pretty hard lesson to learn. No more surfing.” At least now I had an explanation for the missing police record.

  Xander’s eyes whipped back to me, meeting my stare. “It’s not that bad here.”

  “It’s not?” I asked incredulously.

  He smiled coyly. “No, not as long as I’m with you.”

  I blushed, nervously averting my eyes away from his. “Oh, please. Your California charms aren’t going to work on me,” I stated.

  “So you think I’m charming?” he teased.

  I rolled my eyes. Eager to end this conversation, I gestured up the hill. “We need to keep going. We’ll never make it to the top if we just stand here.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I took the lead as we resumed hiking up the mountain. Xander followed closely, at least I was pretty sure I felt him less than a foot away.

  “What happened to your mom?” I asked between deep breaths.

  A few seconds passed before I heard his quiet voice. “My mom died in a car accident shortly after I was born.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around. “Xander, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Of course, you didn’t. It’s okay, really. People ask me about her a lot when I first meet them. I’m used to having to explain.”

  “How did it happen?”

  “Drunk driver. But it was a long time ago and I never knew her. It was a lot harder on my dad than it was on me.”

  I nodded, not sure what to say. Xander set off again, passing me as he took the lead. I watched him walk away for a minute, still shocked by his heartbreaking past before realizing I couldn’t let him get too far ahead. I launched into a jog to catch up.

  “Your father never remarried?” I asked when I reached him and slowed to a walk.

  “No. He dated some, but he always blew it because he spends too much time working.”

  “Really? What does he do?”

  “He makes jewelry.”

  “He makes it? You mean, like, by hand?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Wow. I didn’t know people do that.”

  “Most don’t. But this craft has been in our family for generations. It’s in our blood.”

  “What kind of jewelry does he make?”

  “Mostly diamond necklaces.”

  “That must be lucrative. How does he sell them?”

  “Through a broker in LA. They usually end up being sold to movie stars, music executives, athletes, and the like.”

  My jaw dropped as I imagined Xander mingling with gorgeous movie stars. No wonder our town seemed so boring to him. “Have you ever met anyone famous?”

  “Naw. That never interested me. There’s only one thing in California I ever cared about.”

  “The ocean.”

  “That’s right. You catch on fast.”

  Silence suddenly fell between us as we focused on our ascent up the mountain. After a few minutes, Xander stopped and spun around. He watched me intently as I closed the distance between us. “What?” I asked.

  “I would feel better following you. That way I don’t have to worry that I’ve lost you somewhere behind.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I scoffed. “But I’ll still take the lead.” As I passed him, I felt his stare on me. I got the distinct feeling that he wanted me in front of him so that he could keep his eye on me, all of me. At least my jacket covered my backside below my waist, limiting what he could see. “But don’t you get lost back there,” I said over my shoulder as I marched ahead at a brisk pace.

  “You couldn’t lose me if you tried,” he retorted.

  I glanced back to see him keeping a close distance. When I returned my attention to the trail ahead, my thoughts wandered to the first day of school when Xander had ridden into the parking lot on his motorcycle. If anyone had told me I’d be hiking with him barely two weeks later, I never would have believed it.

  We continued up the mountain without stopping for the next hour. Few words passed between us as the terrain grew steeper and rockier. I couldn’t afford to keep up a conversation when I needed to pay attention to each step I took, making sure to keep my balance. The rocks were tricky as some were loose and shifted under my weight. We crossed a stream about halfway up, carefully jumping from rock to rock to stay above the flowing water, before climbing a steep incline right after it.

  When we finally reached the summit, we emerged from a cluster of pine trees onto a small rocky clearing. We stopped short of a steep drop-off, admiring the scenery. Beyond the cliff spanned the vast blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds. Rugged mountains stretched out before us, abundant with thick trees and patches of red, orange, and yellow.

  “Wow,” Xander gasped beside me. “This is really beautiful.”

  “You should see it in about three weeks. The only green will be the pine trees. The mountains will be lit up with color,” I told him, breathless from the final climb. My leg muscles burned as I sat down on the flat expansive rock, my fleece jacket providing a thin cushion against the hard surface.

  Xander eased down beside me. “Does that mean we can do this hike again in a few weeks?”

  I smiled at him. “You can come here any time you want now that you know where to go. You don’t need me to come with you.”

  He returned my smile. “But it wouldn’t be as much fun alone.”

  Our eyes met, and I quickly looked straight ahead at the panoramic view. “You could always bring Carrie.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think she’s the type to enjoy this sort of thing.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. She might break a nail.”

  Another moment of silence passed as I savored the sunshine. I cherished these last few warm days of summer as they were numbered. The snow and ice of winter would be here before we knew it. I leaned back, resting my hands on the smooth rock and tilting my head up toward the sky with my eyes closed.

  I heard Xander rustling beside me and opened my eyes to see him sliding the backpack off his shoulders. “Thirsty?” he asked as he unzipped the bag, pulling out two water bottles.

  “Yes. And hungry too.” I took one from him, noticing the water condensation that slicked its sides. As I opened the bottle and drank from it, Xander reached back into the bag for the granola bars. He handed one to me.

  We ate and drank in silence, both of us admiring the mountains from our perch upon the rock. Surprisingly, in spite of my earlier apprehension about today
, it was a comfortable silence.

  Once we finished our water and snacks, Xander stuffed the empty bottles and wrappers into his backpack. “So who do you usually go hiking with?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “No one. I go alone most of the time.” Except when I was with Dakota, but I couldn’t exactly tell him I had a wolf.

  And I often took my camera to get pictures of moose or bears, but I didn’t want to tell him anything more about myself. He already knew too much.

  “Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

  “No,” I said with a smile that quickly faded. “At least I never thought of the mountains as dangerous until...”

  “Until they found the body of the guy who took that little boy?”

  I nodded as darkness swept over me, despite the blazing sun. “Yeah.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

  “It’s okay.” I glanced at him. “I bet that kind of thing happens a lot in California.”

  “There’s more crime if that’s what you mean. But that doesn’t mean you get used to it.” He paused. “Do they know why that guy took the boy?”

  “No, at least not yet.” I frowned, desperately wanting to change the subject.

  Xander must have read my mind. He slid the straps back onto his shoulders and looked over at me, his blue eyes nearly transparent in the bright sunshine. “Ready to head back?”

  Not really, I thought with a sigh, remembering the college brochures on the kitchen table at home. But I couldn’t stay out here all day. I still had homework to finish. “Sure.” I scrambled to my feet and brushed off my jacket.

  As Xander rose to his feet, I felt a faint flush race through me at the sight of his tall muscular frame. His tanned arms glistened in the sun, and the tiny piece of metal that fastened the shark tooth to the rope of his necklace glinted from a blinding spark of sunlight.

  “Your turn to lead,” I told him, thinking that it was my turn to admire his backside. Where did that come from? I thought, immediately scolding myself for having such thoughts, especially after kissing Noah last night.

  I was about to change my mind and offer to lead when he agreed. “No problem. I don’t have to worry about you keeping up when we’re going downhill.” He flashed me one last smile before setting off through the small trail opening between the pine trees.

  I followed, welcoming the shade from the canopy of trees overhead. I fell into step behind him, returning my attention to the steep rocky terrain as I carefully calculated each step. I had to work hard to keep my balance. The last thing I wanted was to fall down the slope and crash into him. We hiked down the steepest part of the mountain in silence. The scenery of all pine trees slowly transitioned to a variety of leafy trees as we descended. The forest sounds of chirping birds and drilling woodpeckers resumed the farther down we went.

  When we approached the stream we had crossed on our way up the mountain, a black shape darted through the trees deep in the woods. I stopped, staring at it, my heart racing with fear. My first thought was of the wolf, but the shape was too large and round. It had to be a bear. It moved through the trees, coming a little closer before it halted and watched us.

  Xander didn’t notice that I had fallen behind. He was about fifteen feet ahead when I called out to him. “Xander!” I said in a loud whisper.

  He heard me and stopped quickly, turning around.

  “Over there in the woods.” I nodded in the direction of the bear. It stood still, studying us curiously. “A bear.”

  His eyes followed my gaze and widened as soon as he saw it staring at us. “Oh great. Now what do we do?”

  “Nothing. Just don’t move.” I focused on the bear and suddenly noticed a line across its snout. A scar. This was the same bear that had found Ryder and kept him warm. A smiled worked its way across my lips as an idea formed in my mind. I glanced at Xander who was completely unsuspecting of what was about to happen.

  ‘Hi,’ I thought as I looked back at the bear, meeting the gaze of her soft brown eyes. ‘I don’t think I thanked you for helping with the little boy, so thank you.’ She watched me as understanding registered in her eyes. ‘This is my friend. He won’t hurt you. But I need a favor. Can you come closer?’

  The bear lumbered through the trees, nearing the trail. Xander glanced at me. “What’s happening?” he whispered nervously.

  “Ssh. Don’t make any noise. You don’t want to provoke it.”

  He glared at me. “I thought you said black bears were harmless,” he said in a low voice, his teeth clenched.

  I bit back a mischievous grin, returning my attention to the bear who had reached the edge of the trail halfway between us. When her gaze met mine, I envisioned her approaching Xander, nuzzling his hand with her nose. She seemed to understand exactly what to do. She looked at him as she ambled down the trail in his direction, closing the distance between them. His eyes grew bigger with every step she took.

  He looked at me, the panic on his face shooting a pang of guilt through me. But it was too late to call it off. I would just have to send the bear away quickly after it was over.

  “What in the world?” he whispered so softly that I barely heard him over the leaves rustling in the breeze.

  “Ssh.” I pressed a finger to my lips and watched in disbelief as the bear approached him. She gently sniffed his hand like a big dog greeting him. When she looked my way, I released her with a quick thought. She spun around and loped off into the woods. Within seconds, the black ball of fur disappeared from sight. The smile I had been suppressing finally broke out, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

  Xander breathed a huge sigh of relief as he glared at me. “What the hell was that?”

  I started marching toward him. “You must have forgotten to put on your bear repellent today,” I said with a stifled giggle. I felt his hot eyes following me as I walked by, but I ignored them.

  I focused on the stream ahead, but I didn’t get very far. As I passed him, he reached out, grabbing my wrist. He yanked me to a stop in front of him, pulling me toward him until we were inches apart. As I stared up at his mesmerizing blue eyes, he placed my fingertips on his sternum above the neckline of his black tank top. His heart was racing.

  “Feel that?” he asked, his eyes shooting sparks out at me.

  My devious smile and the urge to burst out in laughter vanished immediately, replaced by the electricity between us. Our eyes locked, like magnets stuck to metal.

  “How did you do that? That was one hell of a trick.”

  Despite the warmth in the air and the heat rising off his skin, goose bumps prickled my arms. I shivered inwardly. “I--I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered.

  “I think you do,” he stated with an overwhelming confidence.

  For a moment, I wondered if he knew about me, that I could talk to wild animals. But the moment passed quickly when I realized how absurd it was. How could he possibly know anything about me, much less the one thing I had hidden from people I had known all my life? “Are you crazy? I don’t know how that happened any more than you do. Maybe it smelled the granola bar wrappers in your backpack.”

  Xander’s wild eyes softened as he mulled over my weak explanation. “Maybe.”

  “You’re lucky it didn’t try to get them.”

  “Don’t remind me. I’d like to forget what just happened. I don’t want being flustered like this to tarnish my image as the cool new guy.”

  My lips curved slightly. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  I was relieved he had a reason not to tell anyone else about this. I didn’t want to suddenly be branded a crazy bear girl by some of the superstitious town people who actually believed in witches. And who knew? Maybe I really was a witch.

  As Xander’s heart rate slowed, his gaze left my eyes, traveling down to my chest. “That’s quite a nice necklace you have. I noticed it last night, but I forgot to say something.”

  He finally released my wrist and I instinctively moved my
fingers up to trace the pendant circles. “Thank you. My dad gave it to me for my birthday. Apparently, it’s some old family heirloom.”

  “It looks valuable. If you have time, we could run by my place before I take you home. I could show it to my dad. He loves to examine jewelry to see what it’s worth and where it came from.”

  “I don’t care what it’s worth. I have no intentions of selling it.” As I spoke, I remembered my mother’s insistence that I start looking through the college brochures piled on the kitchen table when I got home. I wanted to put that off as long as I could. “But I wouldn’t mind finding out the history behind it. My dad said it’s very old,” I said quickly.

  “Great. When we get back to the truck, I’ll text my dad to let him know we’re on our way. He’ll probably make us some sandwiches for lunch.” Xander smiled casually, seeming to have forgotten all about the bear. “What do you say?”

  “Sure. That sounds nice.”

  “Cool. I’m starting to get really hungry.” He nodded down the trail. “Come on. Let’s go.” He turned away, marching toward the stream.

  Great, I thought, rolling my eyes as I watched him walk away. More time with Xander. That’s all I need right now. Why did he have to turn out to be nice, after all? What am I getting myself into?

  I shook my head as another voice echoed in my thoughts. Stop worrying about this so much. You can just be friends with him like you are with Ethan. Nothing has to happen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t convinced. The electricity between us was unmistakable. No good would come from time spent with him if I expected to continue seeing Noah.

  “Are you coming?” Xander called from across the stream.

  With a quick shake of my head, I pushed the voices out of my head. Then I nodded at him because I couldn’t think of a good excuse for standing there as I silently argued with myself. I broke into a jog to catch up with him, thankful for the solid footing on this section of the trail. As soon as I hopped across the rocks to get to the other side of the stream, he continued down the mountain.