by Bryce Evans
Reed picked up the cooler and headed toward the treehouse. While on the path in front of the construction, he saw a pair of legs dangling from the structure. He smiled at the sight of Greer leaned back, swinging her legs, eyes closed. When he got to the top, her smile told him she was happy even if for a moment. He was thankful that the alpha allowed him to build her the treehouse. She loved it and he was pleasantly shocked that he was loving it too.
“I take it you like the changes I made to the deck?” Reed asked, setting the cooler on the wood. He plopped down beside her and leaned back.
“Like is not the word I would use, because I love it. I never want to live anywhere else. The windows flip out. It’s like the whole house is open to nature. Reed, you are a master at building.” He turned his head looking at Greer. She stared at him with her arm propped up under her head.
He did the same, turning toward her. Her beautiful blonde hair blew across her face. He had thought about it all day. Her beauty kept him up all night and every night since he had first seen her. She didn’t move as he lightly touched her face and brushed her hair to the side. It was like pieces of silk. So light that you barely knew it was there.
“Your hair is so soft. I’ve dreamed of touching it.” Reed flinched when he realized what he had just said out loud.
“You make me feel so—”
“Beautiful, because you are.” He touched the side of her face where her cheek heated with the prettiest shade of pink. “You don’t even know it. How...how you make me feel.” Reed could hear her heart beating faster as he spoke to her. It was magic to his ears. A possessive instinct came over him so fast, it took his breath.
“You make me feel special, but I...”
“Because you are, Greer. You mean more to me than I could ever say. I know you said that we couldn’t, but I…”
His finger touched her lips, stopping her as his lips strummed, “Shhh. It’s okay. Just take it day by day. Let’s enjoy today.”
They laughed as Greer’s stomach growled. “I guess I’m hungry.”
“So am I. We got a lot done today and I worked right through lunch. I’m starving.”
Greer gestured to the cooler he was holding. “Whatever is in that cooler smells divine.”
“Can you guess what it is?”
Greer leaned forward and inhaled. Closing her eyes, she smiled. “Fried chicken.”
“Your favorite from what I understand.”
Opening her eyes, she leaned up. “How did you know?”
“A couple of birdies told me. I’m pretty fond of it myself. Now if you are ready, we can eat while I talk. You just listen.”
They sat cross legged and ate fried chicken while he read the words she would learn today. He showed her each word then he got a small book out and asked her to read from it. “If you don’t know a word, just point at it.”
“Did you write this? It has my name in it.”
“I like to write so I’m making a story that includes each word you learn.”
Greer put her hand over her mouth. “I...I don’t know what to say. You—” She grabbed his head and pulled him to her. Her lips were so soft as he allowed her to take over and, boy, did she ever. He pulled her closer and moaned as her tongue touched his. This wonderful woman tore him to shreds on the inside.
Every nerve went up in flames as she continued biting his bottom lip. If she didn’t stop, he would… Reed pulled away. He was breathing like he had ran for hours.
“Your eyes are glowing, like fire from the sun,” Greer whispered.
“They glow for you and only you,” Reed said, still breathing hard. Every time she touched him, a spark of electricity bounced to every part of his body. He felt like a pinball machine and he loved every moment of it.
“Maybe we should eat,” Greer said, smiling.
He could tell that she felt the same spark inside. But that was what he wanted. He just needed to stay in control long enough, so she saw how good they were together.
“Did you make this chicken?”
“I could lie and tell you I did, but I must say that I asked Raven to pick it up for me at Get Your Grub.”
“Ooh, you better be glad Quinn isn’t here. She would still be laughing,” Greer said, giggling.
“I know. One time we were at the store and somebody just mentioned the restaurant and she laughed for about an hour. I had to walk away from her. I mean it’s funny, but you know, she’s lived here for years.”
“The name is funny, though.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Reed pointed toward the new work he had done. “What do you think about the treehouse so far?”
“I love it, Reed. It’s better than my imagination. So much better than I even thought was possible. But I was wondering...how are you going to put in a bathroom without water?”
“Who said it won’t have any water? Just you wait. I’ve found a way to pull water from the river and it will be up there. Right beside your house will be a water tower. It will be enclosed, and nobody will even know it’s there. You will have a shower with running water and a sink. Everything in a house will be in this treehouse.”
“You are so smart. You made the rooms so huge. I could have a king size bed in there.”
“Not only that, but you will be able to hit a switch and the doors will open and the outdoors will be right there for you to enjoy from the comfort of your bed. You could lie in bed and listen to the rain,” Reed added.
Clasping her hands together, Greer smiled as she looked around her treehouse. “This place, this town is special. But...I’m scared, Reed,” slowly she exhaled loudly, “that one day it will all be taken from me.”
Reed grabbed her hands and held them to his chest. “Nobody will take it away. I promise you that I will protect you.”
“But you can’t guarantee that the other mages won’t try to take me again. I hate knowing I almost had it all and they took it again.”
Kissing her hands, Reed looked up at her. “Never.”
“Thank you for all of this and for being the friend I need. You never push me.”
“And I never will, Greer. We can take it as slow as you want.” Reed hated every word he was saying, but he couldn’t chance her running, and he would do whatever it took to keep her here with him. But with kisses like she gave, it was harder and harder to stay away from her.
He watched as Greer started scratching her arm. “Hey. Did something bite you?”
“I don’t know, but it’s driving me crazy.” Reed watched as her fingernails tore into her skin.
“Hey, stop.” He picked her arm up and poured water over it then he pulled his bag over to where they were sitting. He reached in and pulled out a bottle and smoothed a gel on her skin.
“What is that?”
He turned her arm over and then picked up her other arm and then stared up at her. “Has this been happening a lot?”
Greer nodded. “That...feels better. What is it?”
“Just some stuff I made up. I’m going to make you some and when you feel your skin itching you need to rub this on it.” Reed took great care with her arm. After he was done, he blew on it. This man was one in a million. “Greer, I don’t like this. If nothing has bitten you then why are you scratching like you are? You shouldn’t. At least not as bad as that.” He motioned with his eyes toward the scratches she had on her arms. “When does it happen the most?”
It wasn’t a sound, but something drew their attention to the woods. Greer shook her head, she stared into the woods stopping him from talking.
Reed pulled Greer up as they both scanned the property. It was just getting dark and the crickets and frogs were singing. Then it went silent. Reed pulled Greer away from the edge.
“They stopped singing,” Greer whispered.
“I know. Do you feel that?”
“Yes.” Greer jerked away and shifted midair jumping off the deck hitting the ground chasing whatever it was.
“Shit.” Reed shifted and took off aft
er her. Whatever it was, Greer was on its trail.
Chapter Eighteen
Greer could feel the magic pulling at her. Something was out there, and she was gaining on it. At least that’s what she thought. She was close, but she still couldn’t see it. The briars swept across her face and arms, the sharp thorns going deeply into her skin. She could feel the blood trickling down her fur. There was no time to feel the pain. She was tired of whatever was spying on her. She had felt it before but didn’t think much of it.
This time, the magic felt bigger, but whatever it was had slowed down. Her head whipped back and forth trying to locate it; she knew it was there. It was tired whatever it was. Fighting to keep the magic strong. She shifted and held her hands up feeling the direction of the magic.
She turned to see Reed coming up beside her. He didn’t shift but continued to scan the area. That’s when she felt it, the tingling of magic, the dark kind on her right side. She knew the spell, but she had never used it, but she had to know who was watching her.
Whispering the words, she called on the spell and shot her hands in the direction of the magic. She watched as pieces of red cloth fell to the ground and the watcher was on the run again. This time it ran faster. Reed was in the lead, his bear tearing up the ground, but the trail disappeared into the thick brush.
Reed shifted and grabbed her pulling her backward before she could chase it farther. When she looked down, she saw why he had stopped her. The brush covered the edge of the ravine and the long drop down the mountain. She hadn’t even noticed how far they had been running. Guards came out of every direction and looked around, scanning the area.
“Did the witch fall?” Leo asked, leaning forward, staring at the bottom.
“No, she...disappeared,” Reed answered.
“We could hear you both running hard up the mountain and knew you were on to something,” Kit said, looking at her. His hand reached out toward her face, but before he could touch her, Reed’s hand grabbed his arm.
“Don’t touch her,” Reed growled. His bear was still close to the surface. She could see it in his eyes. The bright gold color narrowed as he stared at the hunter.
Holding up his hands, Kit smiled. “Nothing personal, man. Just trying to get the briar out of her skin before it got infected.”
Leo glanced at him and shook his head. They both started to walk off and she heard Leo say, “Don’t touch another man’s mate. Don’t you know anything? Boy, you have so much to learn.”
Reed took in a deep breath and then released it. She could see how worked up he was. Not wanting to make it worse, but she needed to know. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just hate losing the witch. It had to be. I saw the outline of his or her cape. Whoever it was has been checking the area out. They knew exactly where to lead us,” Reed said, lightly touching her face. “I need to get that out before it gets infected. Will you let me?”
Greer nodded and stood still as Reed got closer. She could scent the wildness of his bear as the breeze blew across her body. He smelled wonderful. His fingers lightly touched her face as he pulled the briar out of her skin. It stung but all she could think of was how soft his fingers were and then the way he stared at her. If he asked, she would let him touch her forever.
“Did I hurt you?” Reed asked, searching her eyes for an answer.
“No, you could never hurt me.”
She closed her eyes as his lips touched the side of her face where the scratches were the deepest. The wounds would soon close with her shifter healing, but she sure liked how he touched her. Then he kissed the other side of her face and then the top, until finally his lips touched hers. Her arms wrapped around him as his tongue mingled with hers. His taste was all Reed. Her whole body went up in flames as they kissed. She could feel his skin rubbing against hers. They both pulled away when they heard the noise.
Opening her eyes, they looked down. They were levitating above the ground, high in the trees.
“Uhh, how are you doing that?” Lennox asked. Arden Dixon stood beside him, both had an oh crap look on their faces.
Greer asked the magic to take them down. Reed was still holding on tightly even after they came to the ground. “You okay?” she asked him. He looked freaked out.
“She can fly,” Reed said, pushing her behind him.
“We’re not going to hurt her, Reed,” Lennox snapped.
Reed shook his head. She knew he was in protection mode and he was having a hard time stopping.
“He’s just worried,” Greer said, coming out from behind him. She grabbed a hold of his hand. He needed it right now. Anyone would be freaked out, but Reed looked troubled. His eyes were unfocused.
“Reed? Are you okay?” Greer asked as he swayed from one foot to another. She tried to catch him, but he was dead weight as he fell to the ground. “Reed?”
Lennox scrambled to him and held up his hand checking his pulse. “He’s alive, but what happened? Did the witch put a spell on him?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything or feel it.” She leaned over and kissed the side of his face. Her hands were shaking as she checked his body for any kind of injury. She didn’t see anything. “Reed, please wake up.”
“What is this?” Arden Dixon pulled something out of the side of his leg. He held it up.
“Is that a dart?” Lennox asked.
“Yes, and I would bet it has poison in it.”
“Poison? Who? It had to be the witch we were following. But how? I never saw her materialize. Nothing.” Greer did this to him or at least got him into this. “He isn’t going to die, is he? Please…” Her voice caught in her throat as she stared at his beautiful face. He meant the world to her and she hadn’t even told him yet.
“I don’t know. He looks bad and his pulse is weak. We need to get him back to the house. Scarlett has something. I hope,” Lennox said, picking him up.
The hope part made her sick to her stomach. She glanced around at the ravine and felt nothing. Whoever it was had just disappeared. She brought this on Reed. They were after her.
“We need to get him back quickly. I don’t like the way he is breathing,” Lennox said.
“Give him to me, Alpha. I will get him there faster. You get Scarlett.”
“How? I can run faster with him. You can’t.”
“Give him to me!”
“Let her, Lennox. Something tells me she can,” Arden said, narrowing his eyes at her.
He placed Reed in her arms holding him tightly as she let go of the magic, telling it to fly her to the house. Help me!
“Holy crap,” Lennox muttered as she held Reed close to her chest and let the magic flow through her. She was flying through the air and Lennox and Arden shifted following below. She was faster as she flew over the trees praying that Reed wouldn’t die.
She landed on the ground in Jade and Lennox’s backyard. Guards came toward her when they saw who she was carrying. Her arms gave out as Cosmo caught Reed, keeping him from hitting the ground. “Get him inside. He’s been poisoned. The alpha is getting Scarlett. We need her. She will know what to do.”
Her lips trembled as she followed Cosmo inside to Lennox’s living room. Jade came running from the other room. “What happened?”
“He’s been poisoned. We need Scarlett.” Greer felt worthless.
“Where?” Jade asked searching his body.
“A...a dart was stuck in his leg. The alpha said it smelled like poison. He needs help. His...pulse is too slow” Tears fell down her face as she struggled to talk. “Can somebody help him...please.”
“Scarlett is on her way. Quinn is bringing her and Minerva,” Leo’s voice broke as he stared down at his friend.
“Show me where the dart was stuck in him,” Jade said. She was holding a bottle and pieces of white cloth.
“Here.” Greer pointed where the alpha took the dart out. She could see the veins in his leg getting darker and darker until they were black. Whatever it was, the poison was traveling throug
h his blood stream. She watched as Jade poured the liquid on the wound. She didn’t know what it was, but she prayed it helped him. It had to.
“Quinn called and asked if you put...” Arden started to say, then saw Jade with a bottle and cloth. “Good, she said to put the liquid on the wound and try to get it down his throat,” the alpha said. “Here, hold his head up.”
Greer lifted his head and opened his mouth allowing Jade to slowly pour the liquid into his mouth. She put her lips to his ear as he coughed. “It’s okay, Reed. Just swallow the liquid. It will help you.”
“What is it?” Leo asked.
“I don’t know but Quinn and Scarlett made it. She said it would come in handy one day,” Jade said. “I figure this is that day.”
“His color looks better,” Leo said, leaning forward.
She put her hand over his pulse in his neck and Leo was right. “His pulse is better. Let’s try and get more of that down him.” She pulled his head higher and Leo got behind her and helped keep him up while she held his head straight as Jade poured in more liquid.
“I hear somebody pulling up. I’ll go get them,” Arden said, rushing out of the room.
“Please, Reed, wake up.” They all watched as she pleaded to him. This was her fault. The dart was probably for her and he got in the way.
“Let me look at him.” Scarlett came into the room followed by Minerva and Quinn. They watched as she leaned down and smelled his leg then smoothed her fingers over the dark veins. “I think you stopped it in time. Nasty, nasty this one is. Take a look, Minerva.”
Greer wanted to pull him away from this woman, but she watched as her eyes narrowed as she examined his leg. Then she smiled. “What is it, Minerva?’
“Wolfsbane, if I had to guess.” She leaned down to his face and sniffed his breath. “Yes, that’s it. It has a distinct smell. It was used in the old days but haven't seen it for a lot of years now,” Minerva said, leaning back. She glanced at her. “Are you sure you didn’t get hit too?”