Quinten took the pills and swallowed them dry. “Thanks, that’ll help. I guess I’m not in very good shape.”
“Don’t feel bad, lots of people who are in perfect shape would be sore after a couple of days on a horse. We’ll take it slow for a couple of miles,” Penny said, then kicked her horse back into a walk.
As the morning progressed, Quinten did begin to feel better, the ache in his muscles not quite so sharp. It was almost lunch when he became aware that the forest around him looked strange. There were burned spots in some of the trees, huge branches laying on the ground, and the closer they got to a clearing he could see up ahead, the worse it got.
He was just thinking that he’d never seen anything like it when they came out of the trees and stepped into the clearing. It took him a few minutes to absorb the damage and even longer to realize that the damage hadn’t been done by mother nature. Penny stopped her horse and jumped down, then looked around the clearing concerned.
“Someone’s been here,” she said, looking back at him where he still sat on his horse.
Quinten looked around. “How can you tell?”
“See all those places where the snow’s been disturbed; animals didn’t do that. Someone was looking for something.”
“Here? What could they possibly think would be here?” Quinten asked.
Penny paced around the clearing a few times, then said, “The amulet; it has to be the amulet they’re after.”
“But I thought you said it was destroyed.”
“It was; when Annabelle deflected its power away from Justin, it bounced back to the amulet, and it exploded along with the wolf-shifter. They were both just gone; everyone who was here saw it. That’s when the rest of them turned and ran; we think they were getting power from the amulet, that it was the reason Justin’s wound didn’t heal,” Penny said, with a shudder.
Quinten nodded his head. “Yes, that’s entirely possible. But where did it come from, and how did the shifter get it?”
Penny knew that they were getting close to something she didn’t want to talk about; this was about Annabelle and Justin, not her family. “We never found out,” she said, evasively.
Then he asked the one question she’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask, had been worrying the entire way here that he would. “Who were these shifters, and why were they after your family?”
Penny danced around his questions carefully; it really wasn’t any of his business, and her father had made it clear that if anyone asked, they weren’t to talk about it. “They wanted to take over the valley, thought that by killing Justin they’d be able to get control, but Annabelle stopped them,” she said, trying desperately to bring the discussion back around to Annabelle and Justin.
“And destroyed the amulet in the process. What made those burns in the trees?”
“That was Joslin and her fireballs,” Penny said, shrugging her shoulders, “She didn’t even know she could do that before that night. Without them, the shifters would have won. Annabelle and Joslin saved all of us, not just Justin.”
Quinten was beginning to get a very different picture than the one he’d had before; suddenly he could see how everything had happened. He looked around the clearing, picturing that night in his mind, then he walked back to his horse and swung himself up into the saddle.
“I know you thought that this was a waste of time, coming up here, but it wasn’t,” he said. “If you’re ready, I’ve seen enough.”
Penny went back to her horse and swung up into the saddle, kicked her heels into its flanks and left the pasture, glad to leave it behind. After they’d ridden for a while, she said, “You know I was just thinking that this is a strange little expedition, kind of macabre or something. Going from place to place like this is a little weird, and I’m not sure I like reliving all of it this way.”
Sympathy washed over Quinten. “I’m sorry to make you do this, but I thought it was for the best at the time,” he said, feeling bad that he’d put Penny through this. “We only have one more stop, and then we can go home,” he added, wishing they could skip the last place, but knowing that he had to do his job, no matter how unnecessary it seemed now.
Chapter Thirteen
***Penny***
Penny liked the sound of that; this trip had begun to wear her out in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Not only was it hard to relive some of the events of the summer, but her attraction to Quinten had blossomed and changed from simply physical to something more.
She wasn’t sure when it had happened, when exactly she’d stopped seeing Quinten as the enemy, but somewhere along the line that’s exactly what had happened. Letting him comfort her that day in the clearing had been her first mistake, and the kiss had been her second. But as they rode, she promised herself that there wouldn’t be a third mistake; it was time to get him out of the valley before he started sticking his nose in their business.
The last thing they needed or wanted was the witch’s council getting involved in what was happening here in South Park. It was old business that had nothing to do with the Simons or the witch’s council. Although she now wished that they hadn’t been quite so quick to assume that it was over, quite so eager to let the appearance of a supposed half-brother go unquestioned.
Deepening her resolve to see this little tour to a speedy end, she began to push them harder, determined to see that they made it to the upper pasture before dark. At least there, they’d have the comfort of the little cabin, but then she remembered that she’d promised Quinten a surprise and her heart sank. When she’d mentioned it earlier, she’d been feeling a bit sorry for him, and if she was honest, a bit flirty.
But that was before they’d discovered that someone had been searching the clearing, before she’d realized that their problems hadn’t come to an end that night. Now she was stuck with Quinten when she really needed to be figuring out who had come looking for the amulet and what they hoped to gain by finding it. The words of the wolf-shifter kept playing in her mind, his claim that they shared the same father difficult to accept.
She turned the possibilities over and over in her mind, trying to picture her father as a young man. He’d told the story often enough of how he’d met their mother, but he’d never really talked about any other women he’d dated. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t see her father getting some woman pregnant and then leaving her, especially because she was sure that her father had barely even left the valley his entire life.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that they’d arrived at the upper pasture, but her horse recognized the barn when it came into view and broke into a trot. Pulling back on the reigns, she looked around relieved to see that they’d made it, then turned around in the saddle to make sure that Quinten was still with her. She’d been so lost in her thoughts she’d almost forgotten where she was and what she was supposed to be doing.
Slowing her horse, she waited for him to catch up, then said, “We made it, although I’m not sure what you think you’ll learn here.”
Quinten shrugged his shoulders and said, “Honestly, I’m not sure either, but we’re here, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
Penny wanted to scream at him; if she’d known that he didn’t really care about the upper pasture they could have just gone home. Instead, she pushed her horse forward, already planning to get them out of here and back on the trail as soon as possible. As they got nearer to the cabin nestled in the trees on the far side of the pasture, she began to realize that something didn’t look right.
Quinten must have seen it too because he asked, “Is someone else supposed to be here? It looks like the door is open.”
Penny shook her head. “We share this cabin with the forest rangers, but no one is supposed to be up here in the winter,” she said, her heart sinking when she saw that the door had been ripped from its hinges at the top.
Quinten looked around the pasture, then asked, “Did a bear do that?”
Penny knew that it was a possibility that a
bear had gotten into the cabin, but didn’t think that was what had happened, but until she was sure she wasn’t going to say anything. “Yeah, that’s probably what happened,” she said, jumping down from her horse.
When she headed for the cabin, Quinten jumped down from his horse and followed her. “Are you sure it’s gone?”
“Yeah, I’d know if it was still here,” she said, turning to look back at him. “But maybe you should wait here just in case.”
Even without seeing inside, she could tell by the smell that it wasn’t a bear who’d visited the cabin, and since she wasn’t sure what she’d find inside, wanted to go in alone. But as soon as she stepped up to the door, the smell of wolf-shifter became so strong that she was forced to pause for a second while her senses adjusted. Eyes closed, she took several deep breaths, resisting the urge to change and follow the scent.
It only took a few seconds for Quinten noticed her reaction, so he climbed up the steps to join her on the porch. “Are you okay?” he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I’m fine,” she ground out through clenched teeth, hating the fact that almost as soon as Quinten touched her, she felt better.
When she opened her eyes and looked through the cabin door, she couldn’t help but let out a little scream. She could feel Quinten tense up behind her, and wished again that he’d waited by the horses, that he wasn’t seeing what she was right then. The cabin was trashed, furniture overturned, dishes broken all over the floor, and the bed was completely trashed.
But that wasn’t what had produced the scream; it was the big red letters scrawled on the walls that had her heart pumping and her defenses on high alert. It didn’t take her long to figure out who the message was from, or that the family was still in danger. Quinten, on the other hand, was still staring at the message on the walls a look of confusion on his face.
“A bear didn’t do this,” he said, stating the obvious.
Penny had seen enough, she whirled around and started for her horse. “We can’t stay here.”
“You’re just going to leave this mess?” Quinten asked, still not completely sure what was going on.
“Yes, for now. Let’s go; we’ll come back tomorrow.” Penny said, mounting her horse again. “I know a place where we can spend the night.”
***Quinten***
Quinten didn’t think they should just ride away from what they’d found, but Penny was clearly very upset by it, and he didn’t want to push her just yet. He got back on his horse, trying not to groan when his muscles began to ache immediately and followed her into the trees. It wasn’t long before they came to a cave, and Penny stopped and dismounted.
“We’ve been using this cave for generations; it was all we had until we built the cabin a few years ago. There are bedrooms in the top of the barn, but they’re not very comfortable: too many drafts and the smell can get to you,” she explained leading him up the slope to the cave.
Once inside, he was pleased to find that not only was the cave nice and dry, but it was warm. “Oh, this is nice,” he said, stupidly.
Penny was upset, and the energy she was putting off was full of that anger. He wanted to ask her about the cabin, had a lot of questions, but he could sense that now wasn’t the time to ask them, so instead, he headed for the horses to begin unloading the gear.
They unloaded the horses in silence, Penny’s anger palpable in the air, and Quinten was glad that she wasn’t mad at him. When they’d finished, he finally asked, “Are you okay?”
“Not really,” she said, then when he opened his mouth to say more, she held up her hand. “I don’t want to talk about it. I think I need some time to myself.”
“Do you want me to leave, go find some firewood or something?”
“No, I’ll go do that.”
It was then that he understood what Penny needed, how she’d be able to release the anger she was feeling. “Okay, I’ll set up camp and get started on dinner,” he said, wishing that he could be the one to make her feel better.
She shot him a grateful look then left the cave. He couldn’t stop himself from following her to the opening of the cave and watching as she walked off into the woods, his eyes never leaving her as her body began to shimmer and she became a beautiful cat.
It happened so quickly, it took his breath away; one moment she’d been Penny, the woman he was beginning to care about, and the next she was a huge mountain lion. As she disappeared into the forest, he realized that he wasn’t shocked or disgusted by what he’d just seen. Instead he found himself slightly aroused, a situation that didn’t sit well with him.
He’d been so sure when they’d left the clearing earlier that day that his investigation was over, that it was time for him to go home. Deacon had made Annabelle’s use of magic to save Justin into something that it wasn’t, and he was ready to tell the council that. Ready to admit that he’d been seeing something that wasn’t there because of his feelings about shifters.
But now, he’d seen that cabin and knew that Penny and her family were still in trouble, and there was no way he could walk away. His emotions were a mess, his attraction to Penny confusing and a little frightening, but he’d made himself a promise long ago, and he wasn’t about to break that promise.
There was more going on here than she’d told him, someone was still out there planning to hurt her and everyone she cared about, and now wasn’t the time to confuse the issue with romance. Especially a romance that might be doomed from the start.
Turning back from the opening of the cave, he walked inside and began to look around. A quick exploration showed him the source of the warmth of the cave, as well as piles of emergency supplies and the perfect place to put their bedding. He had no idea how long Penny was going to be gone, but he’d do his best to have them comfortably set up before she returned.
Then they’d have a nice dinner, and afterward, he’d ask her a few questions. Not as an investigator this time, but as a person who was concerned and wanted to help. It might not be the smartest choice to get involved, but he was powerless to stop himself, knew that he couldn’t just walk away from Penny: not now, maybe not ever.
That thought shocked him so much, he dropped the bag he’d been carrying and sat down on it wondering when that had happened. He’d known that it was a mistake to kiss her, to hold her in his arms, but that had all been about physical attraction; what he was feeling now was more than that. He cared about her, wanted to get to know more about her, not just about what had happened to her last summer.
Suddenly he realized that he was faced with a choice: stay here with Penny and help her or do the safe thing and leave. He could wrap up his investigation without out any qualms now; even to him it was clear that Annabelle wasn’t using black magic. It was also clear to him that he’d been wrong about the shifters of the valley in more ways than just one.
This revelation took his breath away and made him feel a bit insecure. For years he’d believed that shifters were bad, selfish creatures that only cared about their own wants and needs, but now he’d discovered that they were just like everyone else. It left him wondering how many other things in his life he’d been wrong about, a feeling he didn’t like at all. But instead of dwelling on those thoughts, he pushed them from his mind, determined to have the cave ready when Penny got back.
Chapter Fourteen
***Penny***
When Penny got back to the cave hours later, she knew that she’d been gone too long but didn’t care. It had taken her a long time to figure out that nothing was going to satisfy her except going back to the cabin. Now she was satisfied that it was the wolf-shifters who’d caused the damage, but the anger and frustration was still as fresh as it had been when they’d first walked inside.
It was a nice surprise to find that while she’d been gone, Quinten had set up everything they’d need for the night and had not only a fire burning brightly, but a pot simmering on it. But then she remembered that he was a witch, and some of her pleasure vanished. She
couldn’t explain why but knowing that he’d done it with magic instead of his own hands somehow lessened his success in her mind.
It was a small and petty way to feel, but she couldn’t help herself. She was annoyed with everything right now, Quinten for bringing her up here, the wolf-shifters for coming back when they’d so clearly been beat. But most of all, her feelings for the witch who’d been standing in the opening of the cave waiting for her when she got back.
Just the sight of him standing there scanning the trees for her had been enough to make her feel better, and she hated herself for feeling that way. Hated the fact that it would be too easy to slip into his arms and cry out her anger and frustration on his shoulder. Hated the fact that she knew that just touching him would make her feel better.
But he was an outsider, and a dangerous one at that; she couldn’t afford to trust him, especially since she herself wasn’t sure what was going on in the valley. She had to keep him at arm’s length, stay as far away from him as she could, and hardest of all, avoid answering his questions until she had a chance to talk to her father.
The truth was that Quinten wasn’t the only one who had questions that only her father would be able to answer; he deserved a chance to do that before she spread their business around the valley. Just thinking about that conversation made her head ache, and her stomach clench; her father had always been her hero, and it hurt to think that he might be just as human as everyone else.
She’d almost forgotten that Quinten was standing there when he spoke. “You don’t look any better than you did when you left,” he said, handing her a cup of coffee. “Sit down and drink that; you must be frozen since you were gone for a long time. I was beginning to get worried.”
Penny couldn’t help the thrill of pleasure she felt when she realized that he’d been worried about her. A smile crept onto her face. “Thanks, but I don’t get cold when I’m umm, you know.”
Quinten (Fairplay Shifters Series Book 3) Page 8