The Hunt

Narrowing my eyes at the space Adira had occupied, I vowed not to be her puppet.

After sending a quick reply to Eugene explaining the Council’s message, I marched to my closet, grabbed some clothes, and called Megan.

“It’s not just Uttira,” Megan said in lieu of a greeting. “My mom heard it where she’s at and made some calls to find out that it happened in other Mantirum towns as well. But get this; it’s still happening. Like a ripple effect, Uttira was the first, and it’s spreading outward.”

“What does that mean?”

“Dunno, but Oanen and I are heading home.”

My heart seized, and I sat down heavily, struggling to come up with a reason to keep her away before recalling last night’s conversation.

“I overheard the Council. They’re worried you or one of the other furies might be what the warning is about.”

“What? Why?”

“They haven’t done bullpoopy about all the stuff you told them to do. No library. No human rights changes. I mean, the humans were going to school, but after the Council warning, they’re back under house arrest for their safety.”

“While that does annoy the piss out of me and pokes my fury temper, none of it sounds so bad that I’d willingly drag a mass number of creatures to hell. And according to Oanen, for a warning of this scale, that’s what would need to happen. So, it’s not me. But I kinda like that they think it is. I’m already picturing Adira pissing herself when I show up in a little bit.”

The sound of her chuckle quickly faded when she realized I wasn’t laughing with her.

“What’s wrong? Are you still worried about your mom?”

I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t be a lie.

“Please don’t come back. Not yet. You won’t do any good here, but you can out there. The Council has their heads so far up their behinds they won’t be looking for any real answers. They mentioned Zayn last night, Megan.”

She was quiet for a moment.

“I’m trying not to take this personally, but it’s getting a little hard.”

I closed my eyes against the tingle of impending tears.

“I know. And I’m so sorry. I miss you every minute of every day. I hate this place without you. Fenris is the only one I can stand being around lately. He’s trying so hard to get me to look at things differently, like this place isn’t as awful as it is. But, do you know what Adira just told me? She’s bringing dinner home for me tonight.

“I hate this place. I hate it so much that some days I would welcome whatever disaster the banshees are warning us about. But none of that changes my answer. The people here need you to find the answers the Council will be too blind to see.”

“Well, that makes me feel a little better.” She sniffled, and I smiled, my heart truly aching with how much I missed her.

“Good. You might want to let Zayn know they’re throwing around his name, too, since Oanen isn’t the only enforcer the Council has on speed dial.”

“I will. Keep calling me, okay? I didn’t think the ‘every twenty-four hours’ rule was going to expire as soon as our job in New York was done.”

“Sorry. I’ve been distracted.”

“Fenris?” A sly note had crept into Megan’s voice.

I rolled my eyes. “Fenris, Piepen, Adira, my mom, my dad, the stupid mermaids, Eras—”

“Hold up. What are the mermaids doing?”

“Like I told you, trying to stir up trouble. They think they’re going to bait you back home early for some revenge by being a pain in my backside.”

“I hope the Oracle eats them all,” Megan grumbled.

“That reminds me. Apparently, you were even crazier to face the Oracle than I thought. The Council mentioned her last night as a means to figure out what exactly the banshees were singing about, but they all decided against it, saying the Oracle’s price for information was going to be too high. They agreed she’s last-resort-only material.”

“Hmm. I think they just don’t know how to work with her.”

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned. “Oanen would never let you go back there. Not after what almost happened the last time.”

She made a non-committal noise.

“I’ll see what I can come up with outside of Uttira. Seriously, though. Keep me posted. Especially about all this Fenris time. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you changed the subject.”

“You’re like a little dog with a big bone.” I sighed. “Time with Fenris is nice. He’s being a great friend, and I feel bad about all the pressure his pack is putting on him to find a mate. I guess there’s some big meetup in Uttira tonight for all the unmated in the nation.”

“That sounds like a lot of wolves in Uttira. Hopefully, this banshee thing threw a wrench in those plans.”

It was my turn to make a non-committal noise since last night’s warning sure hadn’t thrown a wrench in Adira’s plans for dinner.

“I better go. Piepen stopped in for another visit, and I still need to get ready for school. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow, okay?”

“You better.”

Twenty minutes later, I walked through the Academy doors and headed for the pool bathroom. I’d managed to arrive early enough that there weren’t many cars in the parking lot yet. There were still a few mermaids in the pool who hissed at me, though.

Ignoring them, I let myself into the bathroom and found the druids facing off with Miranda.

“You’re done using our bathroom. Get out now or I’ll let Adira know what you’ve been doing.”

Lauv laughed.

“Do you honestly think she doesn’t know? She has eyes everywhere. Why do you think the Council’s keeping Megan away? They know half of Uttira is doing shit that would piss the newest fury off. But the Council continues to let us use this room. Do you know why? It’s better to make mistakes here, where they can cover up for any missing humans, than it is to make mistakes out there where it could cost us more than our lives.

“What do you think the humans would do if they found out that a lake full of mermaids existed? They’d shock your asses, collect your unconscious floating bodies without resistance, and make a Lake World exhibit where you’d be jumping through hoops all day for a fish head and applause. Is that what you want?”

Miranda hissed and took a step toward the three druids.

Meg lifted her hand and blew some powder in the mermaid’s face at the same time the other two murmured a chant. All the aggression visibly left Miranda’s body.

“We argued with you, but you made your point clear,” Lauv said. “We aren’t welcome here. However, we were able to negotiate a deal, which you loved. In exchange for the continued use of this bathroom, we agreed to leave a packet of fish food at the pool door every morning. You understand that you spoke on behalf of all the mermaids at the Academy when you agreed and will defend your deal so you don’t look like an idiot in their eyes.”

Meg blew some more dust at Miranda.

“Thank you for agreeing to work with us,” Lauv said.

Miranda narrowed her eyes and reluctantly reached for Lauv’s proffered hand. Just as they shook, the door behind me swung open and knocked me aside.

Janette hissed at me before noticing Miranda and Lauv.

“What are you doing, Miranda? Mark them. Mark them all. There’s no way Adira will miraculously show up before the poison kicks in again.”

“No.” Miranda released Lauv’s hand and grabbed Janette by the arm. “Plans changed.”

“River’s not going to be happy.”

“River’s going to need to learn to deal with it.” Miranda glanced back at Lauv. “Payment starts today.”

“We just made the deal. We’ll bring two packets tomorrow morning to make up for today and to pay for tomorrow.” Lauv crossed her arms, looking angry.

“Fine. First thing.”

The mermaids left, and I looked at the druids.

“What was that about?”

The three girls started snickering.

“They think they’re so smart with their journals to remind themselves if they get memory wiped. So we upped our game and implanted a reason why she changed her mind. They’re going to be so busy fighting amongst themselves this week that they should leave us alone for a while.”

“Does Adira really know what we did?” I asked.

Lauv snorted.

“No. Fish are gullible. Come sit down. We have everything ready.”

I exhaled and moved to the circle. Before they joined me, I sent a quick text to Fenris.

Me: If I go missing, it was the druids.

“An unnecessary precaution,” Anne said with a roll of her eyes. “Ashlyn was a one-time fluke.”

“I don’t care if it was a fluke or not. It needs to be undone. Have you figured out how to do that yet?”

The three exchanged looks.

“We spoke during the spell when we shouldn’t have,” Anne said. “That’s what messed up the spell, but we’re unsure how.”

“So we used a spell to view the past last night,” Meg said. “It took more supplies than we could afford to use. Thankfully, with our barrier spell done, we can get more once we leave. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just come with us and stay out there? Considering the banshees’ warnings, it’s the safer option.”

The door burst open behind us, and we all turned to look at Fenris.

He was barefoot and shirtless, steam once again rolling off his torso.

“Damn,” Anne whispered. The scent of her lust clouded the air.

“Tone it down, Anne,” Meg said. “You know what she did to your brother.”

I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at Anne, and blushed.

“I didn’t—”

Anne waved a hand at me.

“Don’t bother explaining. He told me what he was going to try to do. His failure taught us a valuable lesson.”

“They won’t underestimate you like he did,” Fenris said.

“So, about our offer? Are you sure you want to use the spell supplies for this instead of escaping Uttira?” Lauv asked.

“What’s the point of leaving when she’s tracked?” Fenris asked.

Instead of questioning me further, they each picked up a bowl.

“Ready?” Lauv asked.

Fenris leaned against the sink and watched me with an impassive expression. Knowing he’d run from wherever he’d been, just to be here to support me, did weird things to my insides.

I gave him a small smile then faced the druids.

“I’m ready.”

“Focus on the flames. Whatever you do, don’t look away.” Lauv put a match to the central bowl, and purple flames danced to life.

The low murmur of a chant filled my ears. Then, the druids repeated the verse. This time, I felt it on my skin. Then in my skin. The flames licked higher in the bowl. The words became the flames. Inside of me. Heating me. Burning me.

Sweat broke out on my brow.

The druids’ voices grew in volume, murmuring the same words again and again.

A small whimper of pain escaped my lips, but I didn’t look away from the flames. I didn’t want to end up like Ashlyn, a casualty of a spell gone wrong.

My skin burned hotter and hotter, and my vision sharpened in response. I could see the edge of the pink centers of the purple flames and how the very outer edges of them had a hint of blue. I panted, feeling like I’d go crazy if I had to endure another second.

Then, the flames exploded. Inside the bowl and inside me.

I cried out and fell back into a shivering heap. Fenris was there, scooping me up.

“Is it done?” he asked.

Lauv sounded weak when she answered that it was.

He strode out of the bathroom, and without any warning, plunged into the pool. His arms kept my head above water but only for a second.

“Big breath,” he warned.

I inhaled and held it a second before we both went under. The water felt like heaven against my hot skin. Our gazes held as small bubbles floated between us. His dark hair drifted around his head like an angelic halo and made me smile slightly. He didn’t smile back. Instead, he pulled me close and hugged me as we resurfaced.

“Let’s hope you never have to go through that again,” he said softly.

“Agreed,” I whispered, hugging him back.

“Fenris, if you want to have water sex, any one of us would have willingly volunteered. No need to resort to succutrash.”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind for the next time,” he said with his usual grin. It didn’t reach his eyes, though.

He lifted me out of the water and set me on the ledge of the pool before hefting himself up beside me. Embarrassed by my wet shirt, I crossed my arms over my chest and stood, turning my back to him.

“This is an improvement,” he said. “Last time, you ran.”

“You’ve seen me in less.”

There were oohs from the pool that made me blush further.

“Tell Adira that I went home to change, okay?” I started for the door, my shoes squelching with each step. Fenris stayed with me.

“Are you sure you want to go home and change?”

I shot him a look as we left the pool.

“There is no way I’m staying here in wet clothes.”

“I mean, why go home? The spell’s gone. Why not do something else?”

My steps slowed as I considered what he was saying. Having the freedom to do what I wanted was the whole point of having the spell removed.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked finally.

He grinned and grabbed my hand.

“Come on.”

I shivered outside as I waited for Fenris to grab a blanket from my trunk, something I’d added after Megan’s time in the lake. He hurriedly placed it over the front seat so I could get in. My hair was frozen and my fingers numb.

“We really need dry clothes,” I said, teeth chattering.

Fenris grinned at me, and I noted the steam rolling off of him again.

“How can you be so warm?”

“It’s my inner fur.”

I snorted. But he did agree with my need to change and drove me home for some dry clothes.

“Think Oanen will mind if I raid his drawers?” Fenris asked as he parked.

“He won’t.”

The house was quiet as we let ourselves in through the kitchen. Fenris’s stomach rumbled at the aroma of whatever Mrs. Quill already had simmering on the stove in preparation for tonight’s dinner.

I grinned at him and stopped at the fridge to grab whatever I could find, which was some leftover roast and vegetables from the night before. Fenris groaned when I handed it to him but didn’t immediately open it.

“I’m taking this for the road,” he said softly.

We made it to the stairs before Mr. Quill’s office door opened, and Mrs. Quill stepped out. Surprise lit her face when she saw us and took in our sodden states.

“A small mishap at the pool,” Fenris said smoothly. “We’re just here to change.”

Her gaze flicked over his shirtlessness before settling on me. She smiled.

“Take your time. I’ll be in the kitchen. I’m sure there’s something more I can find you to eat, Fenris.”

A blush stained my cheeks because I knew what she was thinking. I opened my mouth to correct her. Instead of words, I emitted a squeak when Fenris picked me up and started up the stairs in a hurry.

Flames of embarrassment licked my face by the time he had me in my room with the door closed a few seconds later.

“You know what she’s thinking,” I hissed at him.

He grinned, popped the lid off the roast, and took a bite.

“Thought that was for the road.”

“That was before she offered to make me more food.”

I rolled my eyes and went to my closet.

“You should stop eating and go grab some clothes for yourself. We probably have ten minutes tops before Adira barges in.”

“Nah. She’ll give you longer than that in hopes that you’re feeding. Are these the infamous breast pumps?”

I poked my head out of my closet to see he’d found the “gift” I’d hidden under my bed.

“Do they work?”

“How would I know? And why do you care?”

He looked up from the plastic cone with a grin and shrugged.

“Go change, Fenris,” I said before ducking back into my closet.

“Whatever you say, my milkmaid.”

“Utter that pet name again, and you will be in a sack on your way to a river.”

“Utter or udder?”

I groaned and closed the closet door.

“Pack a bag,” he called. “You should really have a set of spare clothes for your car, too, if we’re going to keep using the pool.”

“We’re not,” I called back. But I still packed three sets of clothes into a bag before changing into something dry.

When I emerged from the closet, the empty food container sat on my bed, the “gift” was once again hidden away, and the room was empty.

Gathering everything, I left my room just as Oanen’s door opened. I didn’t realize how close in size the two were. Oanen had been larger than life as my brotherly protector. And Fenris…well, I’d purposely never looked at him long enough to compare the two.

Fenris’s broad shoulders filled out the white tee-shirt he’d helped himself to. The thin material clearly defined his chiseled chest but wasn’t quite tight enough to showcase the impressive abs I knew he possessed. The jeans hung just a little lower on Fenris’s hips than they ever did on Oanen’s. Low enough that I could see that enticing indent that would lead to hours of—

I swallowed hard and looked away.

“Have room in that bag for a pair of shorts?” Fenris asked.

I nodded and lifted the bag. He packed the shorts and shouldered our things.

“Want another ride?” he asked.

“No,” I croaked. “I’ll walk.”

When we reached the kitchen again, my eyes weren’t quite back to normal, which Mrs. Quill immediately noticed.

“That didn’t take very long,” she commented.

“All we did was change,” Fenris said. “Eliana doesn’t like an audience.”

Nothing he said was a lie. Yet, the implication was.

“We need to go,” I said, grabbing his arm before he said anything more. I set the container on the counter.

“I made a few sandwiches,” Mrs. Quill said quickly. She grabbed a paper bag I hadn’t noticed on the counter and shoved it at me.

“Have a good day at school.”

Saying nothing, I fled with Fenris in tow.

“Can you please stop lying?” I asked as soon as we were in the car.

“Nope. I have no problems with letting people think what they will. Especially if it keeps them minding their own business.”

Frowning, I twisted in my seat to stare at him as he turned the car around.

“Have you lied to me? Or purposely led me to believe something that wasn’t true?” The idea that he might have robbed my words of any volume.

Yet, he’d heard because the smug amusement fled his expression. The silence that followed hurt more than I expected.

“About what?” I asked.

“Like I said in the caves, there are some things you’re not ready to hear. When you are, I’ll tell you the truth. I swear it.”

“Why do you get to decide when I’m ready? Tell me now. What have you not told me, Fenris?”

He gave me a side glance then slowly shook his head.

“It took you four years to admit why you’ve been avoiding me. I like spending time with you, Eliana. I don’t want to wreck that.”

“Keeping the truth from me is definitely not going to help with that goal.”

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove.

“I’ll give up my two daily hugs if you’ll agree to give me four more weeks before coming clean about everything I haven’t yet told you.”

My brows shot up in surprise. He loved hugs. That he was willing to give them up meant whatever he was keeping from me was big.

“I’ll double the daily hugs if you tell me now.”

There was no hesitation in his immediate rejection of the offer. His secrets weren’t just big, then. They were huge.

“Four hugs and five minutes of petting.”

The car swerved.

“On your head,” I said quickly before he thought I was hitting on him.

“I’m sorry, Fenris. You joked about petting so I thought—”

“Stop. Don’t talk. Just let me use my imagination for a minute.”

He gripped the wheel hard, and the muscle in his jaw ticked like it had when he yelled at Adira. The lust that filled the car told me just where his imagination was taking him, and I hurriedly rolled down the window.

“You’re going to suffocate me,” I said, trying to breathe in fresh air even as my hunger twisted inside of me.

“That petting offer is tempting. Regretfully, I’m going to have to pass.”

I considered him for a second.

“Is there anything I could offer for the truth?”

He side-eyed me again.

“Give me until we get to where we’re going to come up with something.”

Frustrated, I sat back and let the cold wind beat my face. We left town and headed toward pack territory. His lust didn’t fade like I’d thought it would as the miles passed.

“Can you tone it down?” I asked. “I’ve lost feeling in my nose.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, opening his window and turning up the heat.

Both helped.

“So, petting really is a thing for your kind?”

His lips twitched.

“I guess it is for me. I haven’t really asked anyone else. It’d give the girls the wrong idea.”

“I bet. Jenna mentioned she liked playing hide-and-seek with you. I don’t think she understands that you’re hiding so you won’t be found.”

He made a face.

“I really do feel bad for the girls. I’ve never meant to lead them on.”

“I know.”

A few turns later, and I figured out where we were headed.

“The caves?”

“You said you wanted to go.”

“I do.”

I grinned at the thought of spending a whole day doing nothing but lounging in the hot springs. That grin faded as I realized I hadn’t packed very smart.

He parked in the same clearing and turned off the car but didn’t immediately get out. Rather, he stared straight ahead at the snow-swept trees.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Not really.” He turned to face me. “I want to tell you everything, Eliana. It’s killing me that I haven’t. But you’re the closest friend I’ve had in a long time, and I’m not prepared to lose that. I can’t.”

His words tugged at my heart. He was struggling with so much in his life that I didn’t want to add to that burden. And, I knew exactly how he felt. His unwillingness to lose a friend was the same reason I kept rejecting his offers to feed me.

The tormented look remained in his eyes as I got out of the car and went to his side to open the door. It started to fade the moment I spread my arms wide and wiggled my fingers.

“I think it’s time for a hug,” I said. “This one’s on the house.”

He startled another squeak from me when he lunged out the door and hugged me so hard and fast that he lifted me off my feet. I laughed and held him close. He settled his head against my shoulder and breathed in deeply. I didn’t scold him or tell him to stop even though it stoked my hunger. Instead, I let him have his moment. He needed it.

Eventually, he released me and grabbed the two bags.

“Do you have a coat?”

I wrinkled my nose.

“Are you going to let me carry you? It’ll be faster.”

“The last time we tried this, I ended up on my back in the snow and left you to walk home. I don’t think—”

“I won’t carry you like that.” He shoved the bags in my arms and picked me up. “Like this.”

I huffed a sigh. “Fine.”

He grinned and started off.

“Two weeks ago, you wouldn’t have said fine,” he said. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you were ready to strangle me because I carried you so you wouldn’t have to walk in the snow barefoot.”

I remembered that day and how his touch had caused so much hunger and panic. It was odd that I could better tolerate him now. In fact, there was a lot that was different after spending so much time with him.

His scent, for example.

It was still mouthwateringly enticing and stirred my hunger, but not to the point that I felt like I was going to lose control. Or, at least, not as often. I wondered if being around him was helping me become desensitized.

“You like pushing boundaries,” I said. “I think you’ve pushed so much between then and now that you moved a few of mine.”

He chuckled.

“That’s music to my ears.”

“Not mine. It just means you’re going to keep pushing.”

“And here I thought you didn’t know me.”

I wrinkled my nose at him and rolled my eyes.

“I think I’m getting to know you better than your girls do.”

“They aren’t mine,” he said. “They never will be.”

“You sound pretty sure.”

“I am. I’ve been with them my whole life. If I was going to bond with one of them, it would have already happened.”

I thought of Jenna and felt bad for her.

“Are they going to be upset that you aren’t in class today?”

He shrugged, the gesture jostling me slightly.

“They know that Adira’s been messing with my schedule. There’s not much they can do about it.”

We fell silent the rest of the way to the caves. Without the distraction of conversation, his smell wrapped around me, getting under my skin so much that it was a relief when he finally put me down.

“You know the drill,” he said, humor dancing in his eyes. “It’s time to strip.”

I thought of what I was wearing under my jeans and long-sleeved shirt. Bikini underwear and a bralette. Had I known where we were going, I would have layered more.

Based on Fenris’s smirk, he knew the direction of my thoughts and the reason for my hesitation. That gave me the backbone to twirl a finger in his direction.

“Not with you watching. Turn around.”

“But if you do it while I’m watching, you can tell Adira you were practicing your skills today when she corners you.”

“She’ll be upset, regardless, due to the spell removal.” I indicated I still wanted him to turn around.

“I think you should be the one to turn around.” He reached for the button of his jeans. “I couldn’t bring myself to wear another guy’s underwear.”

My eyes went black, and I spun around.

“Not funny, Fenris.”

“It kind of is. Mostly, it’s cute.”

“Right. Shy and succubus are synonymous.”

“That’s why it’s cute.”

I rolled my eyes then listened.

“Are you even changing?”

“I was waiting for you to start.”

“You’re annoying me.”

He chuckled.

“Bet that’s not the first time.”

Shaking my head, I pulled off my long-sleeved shirt, tied it around my waist, then shimmied out of my jeans. Stripping in the middle of winter would never be sexy. It was hypothermic. A shiver stole through me the moment I untied the shirt.

Concerns about the temperature faded away as I turned and saw Fenris had already changed. He wasn’t smiling. He was shaking harder than I was.

“Fenris? Are you okay?”

He nodded.

“Fine,” he rasped. “It’s cold out here.”

He’d never had a problem wearing only shorts in the snow before. Worried, I agreed and gestured to the cave opening.

“You should go in. I’ll bring our things.”

He slowly nodded. “Yeah.”

The shaking started to ease the moment he walked into the steam-filled entrance. What did it mean if a werewolf, who was never cold, was suddenly shivering? It couldn’t be good. Did werewolves get sick? Maybe it was a sickness the banshees had been singing about.

Panic surged at that thought, and I grabbed our things to hurry after him.