Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance) (18 page)

Footsteps came trotting through the grass behind me. I picked up the pace. “Look, Ilume, please just—”

Fingers curled around my forearm, spinning me around. Before I could tell her to leave me alone, her arms came up behind my neck, yanking my face to hers. She kissed me, leaving the taste of rotisserie snake on my lips. My anger went out like a match. In shock, it was a second before I reached toward her, but just as I did she loosened her grip. A half smile crossed her face. She started to pull away.

I couldn’t help it. Grabbing her by the skirt, I tugged her back. I didn’t care that she tasted like snake. I didn’t care that the barriers between us just went down like the Berlin Wall. I did what I’d so long wanted to: I kissed her a second time, a third time. My arms locked around her. As she pressed against me, like that night in the woods, I realized—with relief—that I wasn’t wrong after all. She hadn’t been delirious, or loopy. We
were
on the same page.

All I could think was,
you’re mine.

I leaned against him, dropping my cheek to his chest.
You have to go back
. His heart hammered below my ear, and his arms came around me.
But just one more day
, the love-struck hound in me whispered.
It wouldn’t change anything if you were gone one more day
. One day, just me and Jared. Then I’d go back to reality, to the pack.

To the wolf who will never have my heart.

Jared sighed, cheek on my head. “Come on.” I gasped as his arms slid under my rump, lifting me off the ground.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he headed back toward the fire, carrying me like a child.

He smiled. “Just wait.”

I stayed in the clearing while he jogged over to Arasni’s den. He disappeared below the tree root. When he came back up, he dragged two rolled-up bear furs across the ground. “What are you doing?” I laughed. “We have to sleep on those.”

“I know. We are.” He dropped the larger one. It was a good distance from the fire but still close enough to deter the cold. As the second one unrolled, he tossed it over the first then peeled the corner back.

It looked like a giant, furry sleeping bag.

I shifted on my feet, unsure. Yeah, I had no problem sleeping under the stars—I did it a lot as a kid. It’s just that I usually did it by myself. Alone. Jared sat down, kicking his filthy sneakers off. He must’ve seen how stiff I was, for he offered me a hand. “Trust me,” he whispered.

It’d been a long time since I trusted anyone. My mother had some of my trust, but not all, and—although I’d loved him—I’d never had total faith in Thagen.

What the heck, I’d already broken the rules tonight. Plus, the way Jared watched me—eyes sweet, loyal—I slipped my hand into his. His fingers curled around mine, gently pulling me down beside him.

We lay with our legs half covered, the fire crackling as we stared up at the sky. It was the first time I just talked to him—not about chores or werewolves, but about us as people. He told me about his home, what it was like having houses all around, and about his little sister, Jess. He told stories about his human friends, some boys named Peter, Will, and Leo. He made me laugh when he described the first night he saw me, how he’d called the harvest moon a fat orange in the sky.

I wanted to stay awake all night and talk, but it’d been a long day. I was so tired, and eventually he told me to stop asking questions. I ignored him, mumbling about his school and what did Hunters High teach. He didn’t reply. He kissed me again then started running his fingers through my hair, which for some reason made me sleepier.

I passed out.

The sky was half purple, half pink.

I blinked and let out a yawn.
Where am I?
My nose twitched. The air smelled sugary, like fey flowers.
Oh, yeah.
I felt a slight pressure on my stomach. I rolled over to find Jared’s nose touching mine. He was out, his arm over my waist, but must’ve been awake enough to know I’d moved, for his grip on me tightened.

Why are you doing this to yourself, Ilume?
I shoved the question away, sick of asking it. Enough dwelling on the past; this was the present, and right now I was good. More than good. In fact, I was happy.

Smiling, I leaned in, gently brushing my lips against his. He stirred, mumbled something incoherent. A wave of hair fell over his face. I brushed the loose strand behind his ear, but it wouldn’t stay. His hair twisted this way and that from the static of the grizzly pelt, untamable.

Like a wolf.
The embers from last night’s fire had quit smoldering. The mushrooms had shrunk back into the ground, red tops pale again. I was roasting, so I crawled out of the furs, careful to not wake him. I had barely stood up, smoothed the wrinkles out of my skirt, when I felt eyes.

Arasni was out of the den, sitting on the curved root that hid the stairs. He watched me, unblinkingly, and a shiver went up my spine. The jolly man from last night had gone stoic. Intuition poked at me, saying he wanted a word.

I started forward. He hadn’t seen us kissing last night, had he? My cheeks warmed at the idea. Depending on how long he’d been sitting there, and it looked to be a while, he’d seen me kiss Jared this morning at least. I knew he wouldn’t be prejudiced, thanks to his background, but I still fidgeted as I sat beside him.

His gaze fixed on the furs, on Jared’s sleeping figure. “The dawn has brought silence,” he whispered.

I blinked. Was that supposed to mean something to me? “Yes. It has.”

I’d spent many mornings in the woods when there was no sound. Werewolves often turn prey immobile, quiet in the underbrush.

He shook his head, seeing I didn’t understand. “The birds did not sing on my morning hunt, and the geckos lay still in the leaves. What little breeze we had earlier has been tainted with the strong scent of fur and bloodshed.”

Bloodshed?
My heart skipped a beat. This didn’t sound like your typical bird-caught-mouse kind of bloodshed. Before I could comment, he continued, “I dreamt last night for the first time in months. Vivid colors, black and red and gold. In a forest surrounded by figures and agonized cries.”

A cold sweat broke out over my palms. I curled my fingers up. If he was just the son of O’Brien, I’d tell him to drink hot tea next time before he went to bed; but he was not just the son of O’Brien. He was Dragina’s as well, and that’s why it frightened me.

It is said that witches and warlocks rarely dream. When they do the figures are fuzzy like watercolor paintings, blurred from the magic in their heads. Occasionally they’ll hone in on a figure. It will become clear for a moment, or they’ll realize who the blur is. One should never hope to be in a witch’s or warlock’s dream.

They dream only of real-world tragedies.

I swallowed, gathering courage before I asked the question. “Who was in it?”

Worry slipped into Arasni’s features. He turned to me. “I am only half magic, Alpha Ilume. My dreams are not as accurate as a full blood warlock’s are,” he whispered, but it didn’t help.

He’d dreamt of me—me or Jared or both of us. I sighed, running my damp hands over my skirt. It was a little ironic, wasn’t it? The night I finally let Jared in is the same night Arasni dreams. Antsy now, I knew my free day with Jared couldn’t happen. Not without me stressing the whole way. My heart sank as I realized it was time to head home, end my beautiful affair sooner than I wanted.

When Jared got up, Arasni fed us a grainy porridge with rose petals in it. I smiled, watching my boy make faces when Arasni turned his back. I was glad I didn’t tell Jared about my original plans to stay, for he didn’t complain as we packed the furs back into the den and said our goodbyes to Arasni. Arasni gave us directions back up the trail. I would never forget the old Jackal. I hoped someday to repay him for saving my life.

Jared and I were quiet as we left the meadow. He seemed distant in both mind and body. It depressed me, so I put a few meters between us, knowing soon there would be miles. It didn’t last; I glanced over my shoulder and found him practically on my ankles. I slid my fingers around his, deciding this was our time to be together. I would remember this someday when he was gone and Rex’s moon ring shined on my finger. Jared squeezed my hand, pecking my forehead. We didn’t leave each other’s sides after that.

We made it to the fence early afternoon. Starving, we pulled over to munch on the seared pheasant meat Arasni had wrapped up and sent with us. We left the remains for the coyotes. Beyond the fence, the climate changed. The warm air went cool, the songs of both frogs and crickets gone. The plants did not move except when the breeze rolled in, and the electric currents dissolved. Arasni’s enchanted home seemed miles away. Life in general seemed distant. It felt like we were the only two people in the world.

A trickling sound echoed in the distance. Jared, his Finder senses back to normal, pulled me toward the noise. We found the creek. I didn’t recognize the surroundings, however, so I knew we were far away.

The deadness of the woods continued for some time. It seemed to bug Jared, for he started to whistle as we headed upstream, walking in the water to avoid leaving prints. Not long after, I heard myself humming, mimicking his tune. His arms circled my waist, and I squeaked as he spun me around, my feet splashing the current. He kissed my shoulder, working his way up my neck. I couldn’t help but respond, kiss him back.

We went by the trail, the one that led up to the gates. My stomach turned, knowing what lie at the end . . . knowing what was lost there.
There needs to be a ceremony.
The pack always gathered on full moon after a death. We’d bring wildflowers from the meadows, or if it was winter the workers would bring bouquets from town. The petals would be deposited in hollow, wax boats with candles and then set in the river at high of the moon. Youth would carve intricate designs into trees with the deceased’s name, and if we had the body it would be buried below that tree.

“Hey.” Jared’s arm came around me, tilting my head away from the path. I wrapped an arm around him for support, holding in the waterworks. “It’s going to be okay.”

As we passed the trail, I suddenly wondered if what Arasni had seen was the spider attack. Black and gold and red: black arachnids, Rex’s gold fur, and red, the fixed color of blood.
Probably not
. Unfortunately, most magic dreams were future events. I would be on my guard these next few days.

Jared’s feet came to a halt. My arm still around him, I got jerked back. “Jared?” I said, facing him.

He frowned, eyes pained. “We’re almost there.”

I looked back through the trees. Sure enough, the trail’s end was visible, the mansion a brown speck in the clearing.
No, no, no
. We were back already? Sure, half the day was over but it felt so short. And now . . .

It was time for Jared to go. He shouldn’t have even come this far; his journey to town would take longer.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat, saying, “So . . . do you know where to go?”

He nodded, avoiding my gaze.

This was killing me. Funny to think that just this morning I’d been happy. I never thought it would hurt so much to let him go. Knowing it was time for our final goodbye, I stepped in for one last kiss. If I waited, I’d get all emotional.

Our lips had barely touched before he pulled back. “Ilume.”

“What?” My eyebrows pulled together.

He took a deep breath. “I can’t go.”

“Jared, don’t do this to me—”

“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go yet. I don’t care if I have to play your servant or your pet or whatever the hell, but I—”

“It’s them!”

A voice interrupted us. I groaned, seeing a batch of hunter newbies racing our way. There were six of them with Aspen and Holly in the lead, all in human form, wide-eyed.

“Ilume!” Holly crashed into me, arms spinning around my shoulders. “Oh my God, you’re okay!”

“We’ve been out for days searching for you guys.” Aspen stopped beside Jared, giving him a clap on the back. “I thought the Jackals got you.”

As Holly released me, a tiny girl with frizzy hair hugged me next. Her name was Anne-Lace, and she grinned like a clown. In fact, the whole group looked overjoyed. I was two-sided about this. It was a good sign (it should mean Arasni’s dream wasn’t yet a reality) but how could they be so jubilant when we’d had such loss?

“How’d you guys get out?” Aspen smirked at Jared. “Heard you were the hero for Ms. Alpha here.”

“Which Rex is totally pissed about, by the way.” Holly’s face twisted, going sly and fox-like.

“Weren’t you bitten, Ilume?” Anne-Lace stared, horrified.

I blinked at them. “Yeah,” I replied. “I was.”

This sent them into an array of questions and comments. Jared took his chance to slide in and answer each, going into detail. They listened, rapt. Starting back toward the mansion, Jared was the center of my wolves’ attention.