Runes of Destiny

by S. C. Winters

  Taking a few steps back so that I have a better view of the door, I finally get a good long look at the new guy and boy am I not disappointed by the view. He stands about 6’1”, and muscled out like a wide receiver. He has tattoos up and down his arms; they look to be celestial and tribal designs. I’ve decided I like a man with tats, just something about them calls to me.

  “Aleric, why don’t you step up Vi’s training? You know she can do the more advanced work,” Gabriel questions him. “What is it that you wanted to talk about anyways? Was it advice on how to handle Vi? Because out of the two of us, you’ve always done that better than I ever could.” I huff at his snide remark.

  “No, Gabriel, that is not why I wanted to talk to you. I was going to be nice and ask if you and your friend…” turning to his friend Aleric asks, “what’s your name by the way?”

  Gabriel’s friend finally stands up from the wall to full height, stretches out his hand to Aleric, and says in a deep baritone Southern voice, “Johnson, Grayson Johnson.”

  Aleric takes his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grayson.”

  Gabriel, looking bored, turns to Aleric. “What did you want to ask?”

  “I was going to ask if you and Grayson wanted to meet Vi and I at one of the new places in town. We have two: The Honey Hole and The Ring, but I see now that you’re already entertaining.” It is at that moment that The Elles come from the ladies locker room, no signs of tears of course and migrate, like a flock of geese, to Gabriel and Grayson. I chuckle to myself - geese.

  Hearing my chuckle, Grayson turns towards me with those piercingly violet eyes. He gives me a wink and a sly smile. Well shit. I’m never going to hear the end of this. As he turns back around, he decides to speak for both himself and Gabriel. “Gabe and I would be honored. What time and which place first?” Honored, really? Who talks that way anymore?

  Aleric looks between me and them and just shrugs. So I just answer for him, “Meet us at The Honey Hole, say about 8:30.” Grayson turns back around to face me. He nods his head in acknowledgment and starts walking towards the exit. Gabriel, seeing that Grayson has left, jogs to catch up with him. It’s like that guy is a buffer or something. Soon after they leave, the Elles do as well - thank The Great Mother. There is only so much of them I can take.

  5

  Viola

  Aleric and I walk to Dad’s office and knock on the door before we enter. Dad looks up and rubs those beautiful emerald green eyes. I do love his eyes. That is the one thing I know I get from his side of the family. “All done, squirt?” he asks.

  “Yes. Ric and I are going out tonight.” At this, dad turns his gaze to Aleric. “Boy, you’re like a son to me. I would hate to have to bury you in the backyard because you didn’t protect our girl here.”

  “No need for threats, Mr. Magee. I know the drill. Promise I got it covered. Why don’t you go home and get some rest, sir. You look like you could use it.”

  Dad glares at him but sighs, “I probably should. You will both be at Sunday dinner, right? You both know the rules Katheryn set.” Katheryn was my mother and my heart still aches every time I hear her name. We answer yes in unison as if there was any other answer. After I add, “love you, Dad.” To which he replies like always, “love you too, squirt.”

  Sunday dinners were a mandatory family event, you never could be too sick to attend. Aleric has been an honorary member of the family for years, so he has to attend too. Not that he minds, he likes those dinners more than I do. You wouldn’t think to look at him but Aleric is a complete family man; the woman or man that ends up with him is one lucky person.

  As we leave the gym Aleric nudges me and winks, “my place or yours?” I bring my hand up to my chin like I have to think long and hard about where we are going to get ready. Finally I answer, “well yours, duh. My place doesn’t have that glorious view your guest bathroom has. Plus your bathrooms are bigger than mine.”

  My place is a small studio close to Dad’s gym. I love the open floor plan of the place; it makes it so that when I open my door I can see everything at once. When I bought the place Aleric helped me paint, set up all the furniture he made for me and even was nice enough to set up my cable and wifi. That man will make a good ‘wife’ one day. I’m sure whoever he marries would also love him in that french maid’s outfit I have been saving for him. The bad part about my place is that the neighbors are loud and noisy. I also don’t think they like living next to me because of my “abnormalities.” It can be uncomfortable when I’m there. So, I’m often found at Aleric’s, I really need to talk to Aleric about moving into his place officially. Dad doesn’t even bother to ring my home phone when he wants me anymore. He always tries Alerics place first.

  Aleric chuckles and walks to his truck, which is a thing of beauty. Ric’s truck is a 1995 Dodge 2500, white with teal seats. It’s been lifted and purrs like a kitten getting petted. He calls it the “White Bullet.” As I head towards my vehicle, I silently chuckle to myself at his name for his truck. Mine is not as fancy as Aleric’s, but I love Ol’ Yeller. She’s a 1995 Jeep Wrangler, yellow with black leather seats. She has been lifted a little and can climb any trail you put her up against. My favorite thing about her is that the top can come off - not that it does much good living up here though. Aleric is the first to pull out of the parking lot, so I follow him to his cabin in the woods.

  6

  Viola

  Aleric’s cabin is about five miles from the town’s outer border, nestled into the picturesque mountainside. The surrounding area is just as gorgeous and breathtaking. Miles of woodland surround the rest of Aleric’s property. It’s a perfect playground for his wolf to stretch his legs when he feels angsty or in a I want to be a serial bunny killer with teeth mood, which is nearly all of the time due to his level of dominance. No one comes this way unless they live out here or have family and friends up here, which thankfully, besides Aleric, no one does. I swear looking at his place is like looking at a picture from a National Geographic cover.

  We both park in the double bay garage and start heading up towards the kitchen and main living area. I turn to look at the space before me. His cabin is huge on the inside. The living area, kitchen and dining are all open to each other. As you pass the kitchen, there is a hallway with four bedrooms to your right. The one at the end of the hallway is Aleric’s room. The other three are guest rooms. Each room is also themed. The room I stay in is to the left of all the living spaces. Well Aleric calls it my room, but I don’t live here, not really; it’s still a guest room. There is only one room on that end of the hallway, which is also why I took it. It gives me the privacy I want but it still feels like a part of the house.

  “Water?” Aleric asks.

  “Yes, please,” I reply and take the already filled and offered glass of water. “Now I’m going to get all prettied up since you have invited The List and Grayson out tonight.”

  “Haven’t added Grayson to the list yet? How commendable of you, Vi. Who says the Elle Squad will be there tonight? I didn’t invite them.”

  “You know by now Aleric, that wherever Gabriel goes those bimbos follow.”

  “Yeah, I’ve started to realise that.”

  “Then why would you assume that they wouldn’t be there?”

  “I don’t know, Vi. I’m just trying to cheer you up. I know how much you and the Elle Squad don’t get along.” He almost looks pleadingly at me.

  “You can cheer me up by getting ready so we can get hecka drunk. You talked me into going out and I want to have a good night. NO DRAMA.” I feel like I should get that on a shirt, capitals and all.

  As if on cue, Aleric pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniels Sinatra Edition and pours each of us two fingers. We down them and bang our glasses on the kitchen island. “I’m hungry. Why don’t we make something to eat before we get dressed. That way we won’t dirty up our pretty clothes.” Aleric says slyly. I mean damn, I know wolves need a lot to eat but jeez, he is always hungry. But he is right, I c
an’t get too drunk tonight, I promised, so food is kinda necessary to soak up some of the alcohol we will consume later. It’s only 5:30 p.m. so we have plenty of time.

  “I’m kind of hungry, too. You did kick my ass in the ring today. What do you have in the fridge that we can eat? Or is one of us running into town to grab something?” I ask.

  Aleric walks over to his fridge and pulls it open, “It looks like I have steak, pork chops, steak, and more steak.” He turns to look at me and just smiles like a schoolboy.

  I giggle at him and walk to his butler’s pantry and see what sides he has. Looking around I see potatoes, green beans, rice, corn; it looks like a normal pantry. Then on the bottom shelf I see what I really want for dinner. It is a mix for carrot cake. I pick it up along with a few potatoes and corn and head back into the kitchen.

  Aleric looks at me with an eyebrow raised when he sees my hands full. Then he notices the carrot cake mix and starts to laugh. It is one of those full belly laughs and it makes all the horrible events of today seem distant. I give him a stern look and just lay everything I have in my arms on his island counter.

  “I brought other things and not just the carrot cake mix. I just want the carrot cake, too. Why you tried to hide it on the bottom shelf is beyond me. If you really wanted to hide it, you should have put it on a top shelf.” I snark at him as I walk to the cabinet that has the mixing bowls and take a few out to start making the cake. I am obviously the one that has my priorities straight.

  Aleric just shakes his head and turns on the stove top and starts making dinner. As he does, I set the bar side of the island up for dinner. Aleric looks over his shoulder at what I am doing and nods his head towards the dining table. I give him a quizzical look then pick up the dishes I have just laid out and take them to the table. I think it is odd; we normally don’t sit at the table, but maybe he just wants to shake up where we eat. I don’t really give it a second thought as I go and grab our drinks, trivets and all the utensils we need to have a nice dinner.

  As always, Aleric’s cooking is amazing, I can cook but who doesn’t wish for a man to cook for her. After dinner, I walk down the hallway and into my room - well the guest room - where my trinkets from when I was growing up decorate the dresser. I’m searching through the closet to find the perfect outfit for tonight. We still have plenty of time - well Aleric has plenty of time - I will probably cut it close, but I am female after all. I want something sexy but not overly so. I want Gabriel to regret his decision. So, I head to where some of my dresses are hanging up, hoping to find the perfect one. Then I see it, it’s a tea-length, one-shoulder, navy cocktail dress that has a slit up the side. I also find my navy pumps to go with it. I’m not short by any means, but being next to Aleric means I get to wear heels. I feel as giddy as a schoolgirl with a crush on her hot history teacher. I’ll show him.

  As I come out of the bedroom I hear Aleric whistle low. “Damn Vi, gonna make all them Listers hate you tonight.” I giggle at him and do a full turn. My blood-red auburn hair is in loose curls falling down to my mid-back and in this tight dress and heels I feel like a goddess. It’s nice to feel truly appreciated. I take in Aleric’s appearance. He’s in navy slacks, and a white button-down shirt with the top button undone. No, we didn’t text each other so we could match. He just has this uncanny ability to match what I wear and he always looks amazing. I walk up to him and kiss him on the cheek. He smiles at me.

  “You know I love you right, Vi.”

  “Yes, Aleric I know you do. And you know I love you too, right?”

  “Of course. Best Friends Forever.” He squeals in his best Elle voice. It makes me laugh even more. His face grows red as he holds out his arm and says, “shall we.”

  “Yes, we shall,” I reply as we walked through the main living area into the garage. He takes me to the passenger side of his truck. He stops me and, like a true gentleman, he opens the door for me. Then he rushes around to the driver’s side and climbs in. He starts his truck and sets off for The Honey Hole. It is about a thirty to forty minute drive, and of course I have to blast country music and sing off key. I can actually sing, but it hurts Aleric’s hearing and after that ass kicking he gave me at the gym today, I owe him one

  7

  Viola

  As we arrive at The Honey Hole, I look around to see if I can spot Gabriel or a car that looks flashy enough to belong to Gabriel or Grayson, but I don’t see one. They must have caught a lift with someone, either that or they’re late. Aleric parks and jumps out of his side only to come around the truck and open my door again. Twice in one night? A girl can get spoiled by this kind of behavior. He offers his hand up to me and I climb down from the truck. Once I’m down from the truck cab I quickly straighten out the skirt of my dress, and then stride into the bar side-by-side with Aleric.

  Zeke and Honey Rutherford are the owners of The Honey Hole bar. It hasn’t been open long. They have both worked extremely hard to find this space and get it ready to open. You can clearly see that their hard work has paid off.

  The Honey Hole looks like your average dive bar from the outside. On the inside though, it looks like a beautiful piece of art. It is a bit of a rustic cabin meets an old Irish pub. The amount of wood in this place would make a bear smile.

  The bar is a full three station layout. The bar itself runs along the left side of the main area. It is made of thick oak wood and adorned with bar stools with tall-backed navy leather seats and oak legs to match the bar. Past the bar is a kitchen that does basic bar food and a hallway that runs to the office in the back. There are four booths and six tables around the main area. Across from the bar is a sunken dining area with more tables and booths and a stage for live shows. In the back corner of this sunken area is where patrons who have drunk too much spend an hour or so puking their guts into the porcelain throne. I would not be doing that tonight; Aleric had promised.

  Zeke sees us as soon as we walk through the door and offers us a warm smile and quickly waves us to two empty seats at the far end of the bar. Zeke is built like a lineman. He’s roughly 6’5” with dark black hair which is short on the sides and about an inch of length on the top, tan skin and silver eyes with a green ring around the iris. He’s a bear shifter, one of the few in this part of the country. He comes around the bar and gives me a hug and then goes to give Aleric one of those bro side-hugs.

  “What can I get y’all? First one is on the house.” Zeke beams at us.

  “I’d like a whiskey Old Fashioned, please. With Jack pretty pretty please. Where’s Honey at?” I ask as sweetly as possible.

  “I’d like a Godfather.” Aleric answers.

  “A Godfather and a whiskey Old Fashioned coming right up. Anything else while I ring, y’all up? Honey is around the back somewhere. The woman never leaves the office, I swear.”

  “For the love of all moon, can I please get some pickle-o’s?” Aleric asks.

  “One order of fried pickles coming up,” Zeke says while adding our order in the POS system. “HONEY!! WE GOT COMPANY,” he yells down the hallway to the office.

  You could feel the anger coming from the hallway as soon as he’d finished. She yells back, “ZEKE, WHO’S OUT THERE? I GOT PAPERWORK TO CATCH UP ON SINCE WE WILL BE GONE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS CAMPING!” I walk down the hallway next to the bar towards the office. They would never go camping with the bar just opening a few months ago. The next thing you see is this little head of black hair pop out when Zeke doesn’t answer her.

  Honey is roughly 5’3”. She’s tan with silver eyes and green ring around the iris, just like Zeke. That is how bear shifts identify their mates. It’s all about the eyes with them. I have to admit Honey’s eyes are gorgeous and I’m a little jealous. She’s a knockout, and yes her real name is Honey. I would have hit my folks if I was a bear shifter and they named me Honey. She just laughs about it.

  Honey screams in excitement upon seeing me. “Viola, my dear, what in the bees knees are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be resting for
classes? They start soon, don’t they?”

  “They do but I want to know what this camping is about. You and Zeke just opened this place. What is going on?” I ask quietly.

  “We were sent an invitation to a council meeting for the bear shifter community. Something is up. It is the kind of invitation you don’t refuse.” Honey whispers hurriedly. We walk back down the hallway to the bar.

  Honey is one of the few female friends I have in Druid Grove. Honey, Aleric, Gabriel and I used to be the best of friends. Now it’s just Honey, Aleric and I, and boy are we quite a group. If it wasn’t for Zeke I think we would get into more trouble than we already do.

  As we enter the main area, I raise my voice and say, hiking my thumb at Aleric, “Yes, Honey they do, but I’ll be okay, I was talked into going out by this big guy here.” It’s an attempt to cover for our secret conversation, though I’m pretty sure no one can hear a thing over the crowd. Honey leaves me and stops in front of Aleric’s chair.

  “ALERIC TYLER CAIN! You know better than to take advantage of this poor young lady. I know how long you two have been friends and it’s no excuse to take advantage of her like that.”

  Aleric looks sheepishly at Honey and sweetly says, “Yes, ma’am. I know. I just wanted to go out with her one last time before she gets all busy and forgets us little people.” Honey laughs at him and gives him a hug.

  I scoff. “Little people? Who is little around here and why would I forget them? You’re going to be working up in that big fancy workshop and won’t have time for me. Why do you think I stick close to home? You and dad are all I have left.”