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After a few silent minutes, he drains the last of his coffee and rinses it out in the sink. He walks around the island, brushing past me on his way out of the kitchen. “If you’re planning to go to Darrold’s, you’ll want to get dressed,mia fiamma.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, staring at his broad shoulders as he walks away.
“It means get ready before you’re late.”
Glaring after him, I nurse the last few sips of my coffee before running upstairs and pulling on leggings and a new t-shirt from the pile of clothes Mila brought me yesterday and retying my bun.
It’s my first time driving through town during the daylight hours. The forest is thick here, but the main road that leads through town is dotted with the occasional home, two-stories with wood siding. Most have large front lawns, some littered with children’s toys. As we get further into town, it becomes more congested, and we turn at the only stoplight onto a street with a handful of almost identical homes—two-stories with a spattering of windows across the front facing walls, short gravel drives, and small covered porches. Pulling into the driveway of the white one, Gideon puts his truck in park.
“Here you are,” he says. “Just walk around to the back yard.”
“Wait, you’re not coming?” For some reason, being here without him, in the middle of his pack, makes me feel more vulnerable than him walking in on me with no pants on this morning.
He reaches out to brush a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “The new shifters get nervous, so I don’t watch them train. It can make it more difficult for them, and accidents happen when shifters get frustrated and lose control of their wolves. You’ll be fine,mia fiamma.”
I chew on my lip, looking from him to the edge of the house where it would lead to the back yard. “I thought you didn’t want me to go.”
“Mm, and I was told you’d go regardless.” A glint flashes in his eyes. “At least now I know you’ve made it here safely. Though, if you’re too afraid—”
I cut a look at him, and he laughs.
“Jaz will be there, so you won’t be alone. And Darrold will play nice as long as you don’t light his house on fire, little witch.”
I heave a sigh. “Fine, but stop insulting me at every turn with your stupid nicknames.” I push open the door and jump down from the truck. His bewildered expression almost makes me laugh as I slam the door behind me and walk toward the back of the house. That’ll teach him for using his stupid little nicknames all the time. Gods only know what the one means that he keeps using today… me-something.
With each step toward the house, my amusement at finally having the last word with Gideon fades. My palms start to sweat, so I curl my fingers into fists, tugging the sleeves of my borrowed sweatshirt to my knuckles. Entering the back yard, my eyes glance over the group of maybe fifteen kids with one man at the center of them. He’s tall, with a slim waist, and his blond hair looks like wheat in the early morning sun.
He must be Darrold.
I suck in a deep breath, steeling my nerves as I realize I don’t know what Gideon told them about me. If anything.
A small form runs over to me, and I quickly recognize Jaz and her brown hair.
“You came,” she says, smirking as she reaches out to take my hand.
I nod, letting her guide me to the edge of the group. Standing close to her, she only comes up to my shoulders, but her back is straight. She’s commanding her presence on purpose, and I try to hide a smile at the thought when I see how dwarfed she is by the rest of the shifters here.
“As I was saying,” Darrold says, his blue eyes catching my gaze as he gives a small nod to me, “today, we’ll be working in pairs. I’ll call you each over, one by one, to assess your skills personally. The next full moon is coming up, so we want to be ready.”
A cheer comes from the group, making me jump, and Jaz laughs beside me. I nudge her with my shoulder and make a face. “Are you going to be my partner?”
She shakes her head. “No, I was going to work with Semira.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I search the group for another person I might recognize as Jaz bursts into laughter again.
“I’m only kidding! Of course I’ll be your partner. Come on!” She pulls me to the edge of the yard, facing me and squaring her shoulders.
I look around the group, seeing each paired set of shifters facing each other. “Wait, what are we—”
A small hand slaps my face, leaving a sharp stinging on my cheek.
“Hey! That hurt!” I rub the tender spot on my face.
“Tune into your wolf!” She rolls her eyes. “She should have natural instincts. You should’ve seen that coming.”
“I wasn’t even looking. Or ready!” I stare down at her with my hands on my hips. “You could’ve warned me.”
A raven caws, and I search the branches above us until I find Kaylus. His laughter echoes in my mind.“Oh, I like her.”
