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Wesley was quite the wordsmith but he had another use for his tongue which had opened my eyes to possibilities. All three of them were my best friends growing up but I could see it turning into something more with only a feather-like touch to fan those flames.
Smoke drifted into the air and the stones kept the flames from expanding to the dry forest. There was a frost advisory and I could feel the drop in temperature. The night was my friend and I wasn’t afraid of what went bump but maybe I should have been. Understanding was half of the battle but it left me shaking at the prospect of what they were expecting of me. I didn’t want to admit it and I would deny it, but dying for any one of them was foremost on my mind and sacrificing everything to protect them was ingrained into my psyche.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt they felt the same way.
“I have questions and nobody to ask. Hearing them out loud takes away their power. Talking to you is therapeutic but I have to wonder if my words get lost in translation.” I had stripped down feeling more natural without any fabric of clothing touching my skin.
They were right there piled beside me.
Those three guys had this way of getting to the meat of the matter with very few words. I suspected they were watching and waiting for me to come to terms with my fate. It didn’t matter how far I ran, there was no escaping my destiny. This was my neighborhood with only the sound of wildlife scurrying in the distance. A bubbling brook was nearby and this was my favorite spot to get away from it all.
“I thought you could use a friendly face,” I turned with the homemade walking stick clutched in both hands ready to defend myself.
It was crafted from a
piece of driftwood from an old boat sacrificed to the sea.
“I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance. It’s interesting, you’re not exactly what I envisioned from your voice. Walk into the light of the fire. Crosby, it’s nice to finally put a face to the voice.” I lowered the walking stick but didn’t try to cover up, knowing that he had probably been watching for quite some time before making his approach.
“I would’ve come sooner but I think you know the reason why I didn’t. I just want you to know that I wouldn’t have done anything differently. My injuries kept me on the shelf. I shouldn’t even be here but I felt you needed to hear from me in person. I respect whatever decision you make.” He was a different breed of an animal, wearing a hunter plaid jacket and black leather driving gloves.
His black jeans were form-fitting and his masculine presence was literally mind-blowing. I stopped from hyperventilating by taking long and deep breaths. I had this license to touch them and they were waiting for me to jump their bones. Crosby had the same dark hair but it was naturally curly without any product. His physical attributes rivaled his brothers and there was the faintest sign of a very long blood red dragon tail ending at his neck with the rest hidden underneath his shirt.
His blue eyes were able to see right through me. The man wasn’t shy about licking his lips and fanning the flames of desire between us. He grimaced slightly and his teeth clenched with his hand holding onto his side. It didn’t stop him from coveting a physical relationship with me, even though I was most likely going to have to do all the work.
“You don’t have to repeat what your brothers have already told me. I have a few hours to make peace with my decision. I want to gather the Clan alphas. They want their chance to plead their case and I feel it’s necessary to hear them out.” I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs to be heard but soft-spoken with a little bit of honey would go a long way to soothe the savage beast.
“I figured you might say that and it has already been arranged. I’m here to take you to them. We still have about an hour so there’s no reason why we can’t get to know each other a little better. I gave you the tools to fight those that want to do you harm. I should have trusted the training I gave you. I just couldn’t stay away,” Crosby was referring to what had happened at the university campus but without him, the young woman would have perished.
“I doubt the woman you saved feels the same way. She might not be able to thank you in person but let me do it on her behalf. She lives to see her future unfold in front of her. Life is fragile and could be over with the snap of a finger. Need I remind you what happened to Daniel? I forgive him but I will never forget.” We both turned at the same time when we heard the rustle of leaves.
Something was out there and it was drawing closer with each breath. I wanted to run but the flight or fight instinct was causing me to stand my ground. Crosby was right there with me and I had no doubt he would fight to the last breath to defend me.
“You know better than to do something rash without thinking it through. Don’t act until you know for certain it’s a threat. Mistakes happen all the time and I’ve done my best to give you a fighting chance. Sometimes it’s better to turn the other cheek and use your words to defuse the situation. I know how it sounds and the three of us feed on one another almost as if we are connected through space and time.” He admitted even though it probably killed him to think Wesley had this kind of effect on him.
The awakening had me bedding down with three men at the same time. It was a little scary but also made me realize how superficial these feelings of lust were. I had to make a conscious decision with the information provided without letting my body dictate the terms of my surrender. It wasn’t going to be easy when my head, heart, and libido were fighting to see which one was going to end up in control.
“We should split up and attack this from different angles. You know the maneuver I’m talking about. There’s no reason to discuss it, as there’s no telling what this adversary might hear. Why take the chance when we know what to do.” I barely had the words out of my mouth when the whistle of an arrow came out of nowhere.
The tip nicked my chest but I had caught it in midair. Another one was sent on the heels of the first one. This one was caught by Crosby and we both looked at each other with a shrug of our shoulders. Somebody was hunting and I was the target with Crosby playing my protector. He couldn’t help himself and then he was gone with only the scent of his masculine presence left behind.
I circled the perimeter and heard somebody grunt in pain when they found my warning to stay away. I advanced on their voice and they were calling me every name in the book. He was upside down hanging from the tree with his weapon lying out of his reach on the ground a few feet away. He was one of many and I could hear their breathing when I concentrated.
I visibly cringed when I heard two different heartbeats stopping. Crosby wasn’t playing around. It was hypocritical of him to talk about using words to defuse the situation when he didn’t listen to his own advice. It was easy to understand his motivation. I was his charge and he was tasked to bring me back to the fold before the stroke of midnight.
“Do you want to tell me what this is about? I have no interest in killing you and I would rather not have your blood on my hands. We could go our separate ways and there’s no reason why we have to be at odds.” I was doing my best to give him an alternative to hunting me down like a wounded animal.
There was something quite inviting about being the predator instead of the prey.
“You are an abomination and must be destroyed. Nobody is safe until you are in the ground where you belong. We won’t stop coming for you even after the awakening. The world would be safer without you in it. I’m going to enjoy killing you with my bare hands.” It was a rather strange thing to say considering he was in no position to make such claims.
His anger had gotten the best of him and he was spewing his rhetoric. His position was dire, I could easily slice his throat where he was, dangling upside down. I was reminded mercy was for the weak but I was still holding onto what was left of my humanity. There was no telling what I would become and nobody was clear about anything concerning the awakening. It was possible to become the wolf and there was no way to swallow that bitter pill.
“I would think you would have better sense than to threaten me. You should feel lucky that I’m the one that found you. Crosby has the mentality of warfare and doesn’t believe in asking questions before taking action. Being the only survivor is going to haunt you for the rest of your life. I should put you out of your misery but I want you to take a message back to those that you take orders from.” I thought about the message, it was going to have to be short and sweet.
“It doesn’t matter what you say. It’s not going to change anything. We are hunters given the honor of ridding the world of atrocities. Knowing there is evil and doing nothing about it is a sin. Take your life and end this before it becomes something you can’t stop.” I was about to say something but I didn’t get the chance to.
Crosby attacked with the animal doing most of the work. The wolf ripped out this man’s throat and his hand limply fell dropping the gun in his grip. He literally had his finger on the trigger and was using the distraction of unnecessary communication to lull me into a false sense of security. It had almost worked. I was trying to stop the bloodshed, when he was ready to shoot me dead where I stood.
