HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  But instead I nodded, grinned, said, “Thanks, hold on a sec,” and kept walking to my room.

  I changed quickly and went back out. Sky had lit candles and set out the take-out in a pretty, whimsical way, and I laughed.

  “I like the ambiance,” I said.

  “That’s good,” she responded grimly. “The power is out.”

  “Oh, really?” I hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights in my room, I could see in the dark after all. But now that I gazed around I could see the city was under a blanket of darkness.

  “Yes, so weird! Never happens.” She was on her phone, frowning at it. “It better come back on by tomorrow or I’ll have to work in the office.” Her face twisted. “I hate writing in there.”

  “Power is probably out there, too,” I pointed out as I sat next to her.

  She smiled over at me. “I like the way you think, Campbell.” For a little while, we chatted about innocuous stuff, her day, the weird weather and so forth. Then Sky suddenly rushed to say, “Cree, you don’t have to tell me anything or come with me to that gala.”

  I put my plate down and leaned back, regarding her meditatively. “This morning you were hounding me about it. What, getting cold feet? Is this about your book?”

  She twisted her hands together. “No, no. But I shouldn’t have been hounding you about it. I feel bad about that. Sometimes I let my nose for a story get the better of me.”

  “We shook on it, Sky A. Hess,” I said in a solemn voice.

  “Are you sure?” she asked softly, even as her eyes gleamed with anticipation. “I don’t want to pry.”

  Throwing back my head, I laughed. “Yes, you do. But I appreciate you being considerate.”

  Pulling her feet up, Sky turned to me and gave me a thoughtful look. “Palm, please.”

  “Oh, we’re doing this now?” I asked. “Okay.”

  A little zip of energy went up my spine as Sky peered at my hand. “Lots of upward ticks on the life line means good changes, but a lot of them. A big one a couple of years ago and a bigger one coming up soon. It’s deep, though. A good life.”

  “Wait, you actually do know how to read a palm?” I asked.

  She shrugged, her eyes twinkling. “In high school, my friends thought it was cool. They wanted me to predict if they’d marry someone rich and famous.”

  “Oh, am I going to marry someone rich and famous?” I asked.

  “I’ll keep you posted. Let’s see, the head line. You like to hide those deep thoughts of yours, pretending to be a goofball when you’re actually brilliant. A bit of a mad genius. You’d rather lose an argument and keep the peace than be right. A natural mediator.”

  “Well,” I said modestly, “I definitely have kept Ben and Wes from coming to blows.”

  “An absurd sense of humor, a penchant for pranks and given to not caring about consequences as well,” Sky continued. “I’m guessing you spent a lot of time in detention.”

  I opened and closed my mouth. “What’s a lot?” She laughed. “Wow, that’s weird. Are you really getting this from my palm or are you like a super psychologist?” I asked.

  Sky merely gave me a mysterious smile. “Heart line.” Pulling her finger gently across the center of my palm, she frowned and then glanced up at me.

  “That bad?” I asked.

  “No, weird. It’s faint, then it becomes pronounced. I’ve never seen that before. It comes from under the index finger, so you’re a selfless, big-hearted person.” Again, she hesitated.

  “Am I going to wind up alone with forty llamas?” I gasped. “Sky, you gotta warn me.”

  “No, you’ll be fine,” she said absently. I raised my eyebrows about to make a comment, when she said, “It’s the earlier part of your life – it was cold and loveless.” She paused and looked up at me. “Have you ever been in love?”

  Pulling my palm from her hands, I forced a laugh. “Okay, spooky, that’s enough. Yeah, I had a pretty cold childhood, but of course I’ve been in love. Duh. A hundred times.”

  “I was right about your childhood?” Sky’s eyes were big and troubled. “I’m sorry.”

  “Ah man, Sky, I didn’t want to bum you out. I wouldn’t have let you voodoo my palm if it was gonna make you feel bad.” I glanced down at it and closed it into a fist.

  I’d never told anyone except the Hotshots and the Elders about the stuff from my past. And certainly never a girl who I wanted to think well of me after only a few short days.

  But at the same time, I couldn’t deny there was something about Sky that was so comfortable and familiar. She’d said I was easy to talk to, but I thought it was the other way around.

  It was a nice feeling – that one of meeting someone and instantly connecting. Like you’d been friends in other lifetimes and recognized each other without realizing it. I’d had that with my brothers, with the Elders, and even their girls.

  “Cree, I think it’s part of the bestie code that you have to tell me everything,” Sky said in a lilting voice, calling me back to Earth.

  I gave her a quick grin. “Told ya.” Blowing out a breath, I gave her a look. “This story ain’t pretty or funny or anything like that. But a deal is a deal.”

  While I’d long accepted what had happened and made my peace with it, it wasn’t exactly fun to dredge up. I preferred to live intensely in the present moment, not letting the past get its hooks into me and try to drag me down.

  “I guess I have to start at the beginning,” I said after a moment. “My parents never got along. Mom was a really high-spirited, artistic soul who’d basically sold that soul to live in a fancy house. It sucked all the light and love out of her, I think. Dad was all numbers and the bottom line. He never smiled. Never. Both of them worked late and were never around. I spent most of my time being babysat by my grandparents and my Uncle Si.

  “So, I love my Uncle Si, but he has some mental handicaps. It didn’t bother me growing up – I didn’t even know, to be honest. To me, he was like a kid in an adult body to me.

  “But my dad was really scathing of him and once when I was pretty young, I got heated and defended him. And my father beat the crap out of me. No broken bones, but enough that I was afraid of him and getting hit. That’s when I learned I was supposed to be never seen or heard in my house.

  “My grandparents tried to make up for it – and I used to beg them to let me live with them – but what I didn’t know then is that they were afraid my dad would put a stop to our visits altogether.

  “Between that and being afraid of my dad, plus being hyperactive and imaginative, as a kid in that house, I couldn’t take it. I started having nightmares and panic attacks – it was awful. I tried to hide it. However, my dad found out, but all he said was ‘suck it up.’ Never got treated.”

  Sky reached out and gripped my forearm. “Cree,” she said. “Oh my God.”

  “Hey,” I said, loosening her grip and putting an arm around her. “Look at this guy. You see how happy-go-lucky I am? That’s not a mask, darlin’. I genuinely am, down to my bones. Don’t worry, it gets a little better. In school, I was popular. I had trouble staying still, so I was always causing a ruckus by running out of class or letting a squirrel loose or something like that.” Sky laughed. “But I was also a good student and the teachers in my school – I think they kinda knew what was going on.

  “My Gam – that’s my grandmother – was a retired schoolteacher and man, those ladies gossip. So, they kinda looked out for me and turned a blind eye to the ‘shenanigans.’ As much as they could, anyways. When I pulled the fire alarms in fifth grade, though, the principal stuck me in extracurricular activities and community service instead of expelling me. That’s when I started playing in a band, planting trees, and cleaning up the beaches.

  “Then I found track. Oh man, Sky. Running for me was the answer to everything. I’m kinda bulked up now but I used to be just all legs and arms. I could run like hell. Sprint, long distance, long jump, high jump – didn’t matter, I was an all-star. I�
�m not trying to brag, but we were state champs every damn year. High school was more of the same, except I buckled down a bit.”

  I blew out a breath. Now we were getting to the meat of it.

  Sky put her head on my shoulder. “And?”

  “And I started to realize I was almost out of my parents’ house. I knew it was a matter of time before they got divorced anyways. Soon I’d be in college and free. I wanted to double major in music and literature. I had big plans and all sorts of crazy ideas. I didn’t tell my parents – didn’t think they’d care. I applied everywhere and got in most places. But I wanted to go to Stanford.”

  “Stanford?” Sky asked, looking up at me. “My dad is a professor there! Of literature!”

  I nodded. “I know, weird how life is like that, right? Well, I got in. Almost a full scholarship, too. But my dad found out. I’d made the mistake of telling my mom and she threw it in his face in some argument. He was enraged. Screaming at me at what a waste I was, that I wasn’t going to use his money to study something worthless like music and books.

  “I ignored him. I had money saved, I had the scholarship, and I’d be gone after graduation. But he and my mom were fighting worse than ever. She’d taken my side for the first time and it unhinged him.

  “The day classes were done, I came home and there were two military guys at the house. Mind you, my hair was pretty long back then and I was dressed like a sloppy musician. They were sneering at me along with my dad. Said they were MPs looking for one Cree Campbell who was a no-show for his first day of boot camp.

  “I laughed. I honestly thought it was a joke. That’s when my dad asked them to wait outside – ‘give us a minute, boys.’ And then I knew I was in deep shit. Dad explained how he’d turned down Stanford on my behalf. How he was doing this for me – that’s why he rescinded my application. Signed me up for the military instead. Wanted me to get my head on straight and get a real job. Be a ‘real man.’” I let out a bitter laugh. “‘A real man.’ Kills me to this day.”

  “He did what?” Sky wrenched herself backward, her cheeks red and her lips white. Her eyes were swimming with tears. “After you – you did all that work? Stanford is Ivy League!”

  “Yeah, yeah, but it’s okay. It turned out to be a good thing,” I soothed her.

  “How are you not angry about this still? I’d be livid!” Her face was incredulous.

  “I was, but I was also in shock. I was cold, down to my bones. Then I tried to run, but the MPs caught me, cuffed me, and threw me in the truck. Didn’t even get to say goodbye to anyone or go to my own high school graduation. I was in boot camp getting my head shaved and being told I’d be thrown in jail if I’d pulled shit like that again.” I tried to grin, but it felt stiff. I didn’t want to admit there would probably always be a wound on my heart from missing out on Stanford.

  “That’s how you wound up in the Navy? You were forced? But…” Sky’s hands were shaking.

  “My dad was a powerful guy. Key word being was. Now he’s in jail. Mom divorced him, ran off with some other loser. At least he’s nice, even if he’s useless. Doesn’t matter, though. I’ve got my Gam, Pop, and Uncle Si. And my friends in Montana – we’re a family. I don’t need anybody else.”

  “That’s so unfair,” Sky murmured and looked away.

  “Life’s unfair. What are you gonna do? For a while, I acted out like a fool in the service. I was trying to get kicked out. But then this black kid from Louisiana with a thick accent and zero patience got stuck keeping an eye on me. He talked sense into me. And now he’s my best friend. I would not be half the man I was without Wes Young in my life. I owe him a lot.

  “He’s an artist, too, an amazing one – and he’s into all the same kinda stuff you are, actually. Taught me about meditation and being present. I probably never would have learned about that stuff otherwise. Or…” I smiled to myself. Found my destiny in Montana. “Become a wildland firefighter. Which I love, by the way. Pays well and I get enough time off to practice my music.”

  “You never went back to school?” Sky asked.

  “No. Life kinda sped up a bit after the Navy. Maybe one day, though,” I said.

  Sky dove at me, then, hugging me around the neck and pressing her face into my shoulder. Her back shook as she began to cry and I gaped at her.

  “Sky, don’t cry! Jeez, it’s all ancient history. I mean, if you want to hear a sad childhood tale, I can tell you one about an orphan who escaped outta Minneapolis and hitchhiked his eleven-year-old ass to Montana. I mean, that’s a sob story. Although, don’t tell Burr I said that.”

  Leaning back, Sky rubbed her eyes and swatted me. “I’m not crying because it’s sad. I mean, it is sad, but damn, Cree.” She sat back, hands on my shoulder. “You’re making me feel so small – but in a good way. Most people would let that fester and eat them alive. You rose above it and made it something positive. You’re like an inspiration. A hero.”

  “Ah, ha, oh, I don’t know about that,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my head and looking away. My face was hot. “There’s a lot more to being a hero than that.”

  “Not to me,” Sky said, snuggling back up to me. “Thank you for telling me. You’ve reminded me of how small and petty and bratty I’ve been acting lately.”

  My arms went around Sky of their own accord. I couldn’t help it. “You are not.”

  “No, I was. You’ve woken me back up to what matters,” she murmured.

  I wanted to ask her what that was but I felt like we were slipping into dangerous territory, crossing lines that would lead to more lines that couldn’t be so easily uncrossed.

  Yet I still hung onto her. It was too intoxicating. Holding Sky made all past wounds and future worries melt away.

  Chapter 12

  Five days later and the storms over Seattle were still lingering. In the meantime, the monster stories had taken on a life of their own, with police and politicians now getting involved instead of brushing it off. And every day, Joaquim and Mary had me writing a new angle on it.

  In my eyes, it was getting old, real quick. But people still gobbled it up – stories getting an easy five thousand hits within minutes of posting – even if it was only a fancy re-hash.

  Letting out a sigh of relief as I finished up my latest article, I checked the time. Noon. Cree had gotten back from the gym a little while ago and was now in the shower. I could hear the water running and my incorrigible brain kept picturing it trickling down his bare back.

  It clicked off and I shut my brain off as well.

  The last few days had been quiet and comfortable. Both of us seemed to recognize that night the power went out, that things could have gone differently. I knew I’d wanted them to. I’d all but thrown myself at Cree, but he’d politely disentangled himself after a while and gone to bed.

  Mortified, I’d rapidly backtracked. Rayner had asked both of us to keep it chill, and that’s what I was doing now. Although, with every passing day, it became a little bit more agonizing.

  I knew Cree wasn’t doing it on purpose, but sometimes, the way he smiled or looked at me – ugh. It made me crazy inside. I had to keep telling myself we were only friends.

  “Hey, you done?” asked that voice that made my insides melt.

  “Ahem, yes, I am, actually. Lunch?” I turned and heat flooded my entire body.

  I wasn’t sure what had possessed him, but Cree was wearing one of my silk bathrobes, which barely came down to the tops of his thighs and stretched wide open over his chest.

  “Forgot my clothes, sorry,” he said, picking up an apple from the bowl on the counter and biting into it. “And yeah, sure. Where do you wanna go?”

  I could only stare. The Calvin Klein underwear ad from my latest issue of Vogue flashed into my mind. That guy had been biting into an apple, too. Cree looked way better than that underwear model, though. Everything about him was so defined. I mean, his thighs looked like they were carved from freaking granite. Then I realized he was looking at me, wa
iting for an answer, and I hastily said, “Oh, I don’t care, you know, wherever.”

  “Okay,” he said, and vanished into his room.

  Getting up, I went to the kitchen sink and splashed cold water on my face. At least there were two good things about that. One, I would have that memory forever. Two, it reminded me that Cree and I were in very different leagues.

  “You warm or something?” Cree suddenly asked and I nearly fell. I had to grab the counter to stop myself. “Whoa, didn’t mean to scare you! I wanted a glass of water.” He paused. “I’ll, uh, come back.”

  Putting my head in my hands after he left, I tried not to whimper out loud.

  Two different sides of the universe kind of leagues.

  After lunch, I was thinking about how no one could talk quite like me and Cree. We had so many inside jokes now, it was hard to believe I hadn't known him forever. That gave me a sense of satisfaction. No matter what woman ended up with him, she’d be hard-pressed to keep up with the two of us.

  We talked about everything and anything. Usually it was light and funny, but sometimes it edged into the serious. And then other times we were quiet, like now, walking around Belltown.

  Cree had his arm slung around my shoulders and my arm was around his back. I knew we shouldn’t. Or maybe it was okay – we were friends. He was a physical guy.

  But I responded to that like a moth to the flame. Maybe it wasn’t okay.

  We were passing a little boutique when I saw a dress in the window and slowed down. “Oh, I have to remember to do that,” I murmured to myself.

  “Do what?” Cree asked.

  “Get a dress for next week. It’s more formal than I realized.” I winced. “Sorry, you’re probably going to have to rent a tux.”

  “Seriously?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I haven’t done that since junior prom.”

  I laughed. “No blue suits, Campbell. Black tie.”