With her arrow knocked and her string pulled taut, Senka could barely contain her rage as she watched the exchange taking place below her. Why the hell is he bowing his head to those assholes? Fighting the overwhelming urge to send an arrow flying right into the yellow eye of the grey snarling beast, she breathed through her rage and waited for some sort of signal from Duncan telling her what she should do. Surely he isn’t just going to stand there and let them bully him.
But the signal never came. Instead, she watched confused as all of a sudden the grey wolf attacked one of his own, while the other two cowered nearby. It was more than clear from the way they all glanced back and forth from one another there was some type of communication going on between them. And though she had no way of knowing what exactly was being said, it appeared for a brief moment that things were going to settle down and the wolves were going to leave.
Lowering her bow she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking somehow Duncan had managed to talk his way out of this mess. When suddenly all four wolves turned on him snarling and baring their fangs. Panicked they were about to attack, she raised her bow and aimed for the largest of the four, thinking surely if she took him out Duncan could easily dispatch the others. But mere seconds before she released her arrow, a subtle shake of Duncan’s head caused her to hesitate.
Unsure if the gesture was meant for her or not, she held her aim and watched to see what would happen. She hated the way the wolves were looking at Duncan as if he was one of the vilest creatures they had ever laid eyes on. And though it vexed her to no end to do nothing as these wolves continued to treat her kind-hearted friend as nothing more than a lowly criminal, she did just that. Recalling her own words begging him to trust in her, and considering the kind of hypocrite it would make her if she did not trust in his judgement as well, she resolved herself to do the same.
And to her delight, her faith in him paid off. Barely able to contain her excitement, she watched the pack of wolves turn and disappear into the darkness of the forest. Tossing her arrow back into her quiver, Senka threw her bow over her shoulder, and was about to descend to the forest floor to speak with Duncan when he once again shook his head. Confused, she watched as he turned and headed into the forest without so much as a glance in her direction.
They continued to travel through the forest for over an hour and not once in that time did Duncan look up to check her whereabouts or acknowledge her presence in any way. Trying not to be hurt by his aloofness, Senka tried to rationalize his behavior as his way of protecting her.
He’s just wanting to make sure it’s safe before I come down. She convinced herself as she followed behind him in the tree tops. Once we get to where it is safe, I’m sure he will be more than willing to answer my questions.
With that thought in mind, Senka decided once again to have faith in Duncan’s decisions, even if she found those decisions a bit odd and rude. However, as minutes eventually turned into hours, with still not a single gesture or grunt in her general direction, Senka’s patience started to wear thin.
Picking a spot on the ground only a few feet in front of him, she flashed down and blocked his path. Forced to come to a halt, Duncan’s bear stared at her as if she had lost her mind. Using his giant head, he motioned for her to get back into the trees.
“I don’t think so.” She snapped. “Not until you tell me where we are going and what the hell the plan is.”
Cocking his head, Duncan’s bear arched his brows.
“Don’t you dare look at me like I am the one being ridiculous.” She argued, shaking her finger at the massive beast. “I had to sit by in that damn tree and idly watch as you and that slobbering pack of mangy wolves had some sort of silent moody chit-chat. Then, as if my being out of the loop wasn’t torturous enough, I then had to endure the cold shoulder by a giant bear who is now looking at me like I am nuts.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Senka glared at Duncan, “Now I think I have done pretty good considering I have been following you around for over three hours like a stray dog. But enough is enough. The sun will be up soon and I will lose my ability to flash. And while I trust that you have some sort of plan to deal with this issue when it arises, I would sure appreciate it if you kept your promise and told me what said plan is.”
To her utter dismay, Duncan continued to look at her as if she’d lost her mind. After a few minutes in a silent stare down, he motioned with his head once again, telling her to get back in the tree.
Refusing to back down, Senka planted her feet firmly in place. “No, Duncan. I am not going back into the tree until you answer my question.”
Grey eyes stared back at her blankly, as his lowered jaw worked. It appeared to Senka he was trying to work out what he should do with her. But after several minutes of pondering, he huffed and shrugged.
Knowing she had won, Senka smiled slightly as she watched Duncan begin the process of shifting back. It was an amazing, but shocking sight to behold, and she grimaced, listening to the bones in his body snap and pop as they realigned to transform him back into his upright form. But it wasn’t until the thick brown fur that once covered his body slowly began to vanish that she finally realized her mistake.
Naked as the day he was born, Duncan rose to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. “You said you wanted to talk?” he asked with a cocky grin.
“Huh?” Mouth agape, Senka was left speechless as she stared at the muscular perfection standing on display before her. Sure, she had seen him earlier when he stripped out of his clothes to shift and thought then he was nothing short of god-like, but seeing him now, up close like this. Well, it was all Senka could do to keep herself from drooling.
Every single square inch of his towering physic was carved with deep lines, highlighting the thick layers of muscles that covered it. A sparse layer of salt and pepper hair decorated his broad chest, which did nothing to hide the old battle scars that littered the skin underneath. And while many may have found the raised imperfections repulsive or unattractive, for Senka they only added to his appeal by making him more rugged and masculine looking. Actually, in all her life, Senka had never seen a man look so damn hot. And not just for a man of his age, no Duncan’s body easily put to shame many of the much younger men back at their camp.
Unable to resist the temptation, Senka allowed her eyes to roam lower, but when they fell below his waist, her jaw dropped. “Oh my stars, Duncan! Put some clothes on!” she shrieked, turning her back to him.
“I thought you wanted to talk.”
“What? Yes… I mean no.” Frustrated to the point of not being able to form a coherent sentence, Senka ran her hand down her face and took a moment to steady her nerves. The way she was acting you would think she had never seen a naked man before. Sure you have, just not one that looked like that!
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Senka tried her hardest to block out the dirty thoughts now joyfully dancing in her traitorous mind. “Duncan, please put some clothes on.”
“I can’t.”
“Duncan, I can’t have a conversation with you while you are standing in front of me like that! I-it’s… distracting!”
“Still, I can’t…”
“Why not?!” She shouted interrupting him. And in her anger spun to face him. “What could possibly be preventing you from having some decency and putting on your clothes before you talk to me?”
Glaring at him, she struggled to keep her eyes from wandering from his. It was more than clear he was finding amusement in tormenting her and it only angered her more. “Seriously Duncan, how would you feel if I was standing here in front of you naked and trying to carry on a serious conversation?”
Arching an eyebrow, his grin grew. “Wouldn’t mind at all actually.”
Heat filled her body, flushing her face, the reaction a mixture of anger and… something else. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Surely he isn’t hinting that he finds me attractive in that way, she mused. But what if he is?
The question caused her pause. What would she do if Duncan told her he was attracted to her as more than a friend? Was it possible that she could feel the same way for him? Sure she found Duncan sexy as hell, but he was her friend… her only friend if she had to be honest with herself. And she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the one lasting relationship she had managed to build with someone, besides her sister, since her brother and father left her.
And then there was the age difference. Senka, nor anyone else in their camp, actually had any idea how old Duncan really was. But given the fact that Shifters aged at half the rate a species with a mortal life span did, the number had to be pretty high. Silenced by her confusion, she stared at him unsure of what to say. Thankfully Duncan saved her the trouble.
“I’m just giving you a hard time Senka.” Softening his smile, he gestured toward her. “But seriously, I can’t get dressed until you give me my clothes.”
Furrowing her brow, she followed his gaze and jolted upon seeing the bag strapped across her chest. “Oh my gosh Duncan! I-I’m so sorry! I completely forgot I had all your clothes.” With shaky hands she plundered through the canvas bag, pulling out his pants and shirt. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? I can’t believe I was standing here yelling at you when all this time I had your…”
“Senka it’s ok.” Duncan soothed. Stepping forward he took his clothing from her hands. “Besides, I kind of like it when you’re angry.”
Blushing, Senka averted her eyes while Duncan hurriedly pulled on his pants. Leaving his shirt unbuttoned, he took her chin in his rough hand and forced her to face him once more. “If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”
Heat flooded her body under his touch. “No, it’s fine.” She gulped. “That’s what I get for being a jerk. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t seen a naked man before.” A flash of what looked like anger sparked in Duncan’s eyes, making her frown. “Are you alright?”
“No.” he growled. “I don’t care for the thought of another man’s hands touching you.”
That caught her off guard. “Well you didn’t think I was a virgin did you?”
Again he growled. “No… but that doesn’t mean I like to hear about you being with other men.” Closing the distance between them, Duncan towered over her as he leaned down and whispered into ear. “The only lips I want to think about touching yours are mine.” And with that said, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Stunned, Senka jolted, causing Duncan to quickly retreat.
“W-what?”
“I’m so sorry Senka.” He apologized. “I-I don’t know what came over me.”
Hating how uncomfortable he looked, especially over a peck on the cheek, Senka decided to not broach the subject and instead smiled back. “Don’t worry about it!” she laughed, “So tell me old man, where are we heading to?”
Duncan hesitated, his expression unreadable as he studied her closely. “We are going to the trader town of Rio. Since it’s the only city within a day’s travel from the border, every scheming business man and scumbag in Zerdanda who has any dealings with the other side comes through there.”
“Do you think we will find Chloe there?”
“Hopefully. If not, at the very least we should be able to dig up someone who knows something about non-Shifter women being smuggled into Shifter territory.”
“Yeah, and I’m especially curious as to how the jerks got past those patrols.” Senka huffed. “It took them less than an hour to track us down, so I find it hard to believe these guys smuggled two non-Shifters through the border without catching someone’s attention.”
“Yes, I would be interested to know the answer to that as well.” Pausing, Duncan glanced up to the first hint of daylight breaking through the canopy overhead. “But first, we need to find a place to hide and rest for the day.”
“Any ideas?”
“There’s a small farm on the northern edge of the town, just a few miles out. I know the people who live there and I am pretty sure they will give us sanctuary until night falls again.”
“Pretty sure?” Arching her brows, she glared at him questioningly. “That’s not very reassuring.”
Duncan shrugged. “You got a better idea?”
“You know I don’t know anything about this land. If I did I wouldn’t have asked you to tag along with me.” Blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face, Senka watched out of the corner of her eye as Duncan tried to suppress a grin. “So how much further away is this supposed safe place anyway?”
“About another fifteen or twenty minutes by foot.” Holding out his hand, Duncan motioned for Senka to pass him his boots. “Which shouldn’t be an issue now that we are past the main border and its magical thorns.”
Senka watched as he slipped his boots back on and laced them up. “And are you certain we will be safe there? I mean, how do you know they won’t turn us in?”
“I don’t.” Lacing up his last boot, Duncan rose and buttoned up his shirt. “After all, I haven’t seen these people in over twenty years, I just know it’s a safer option than roaming around the city during the day.”
“I don’t know Duncan, this sounds awful risky.”
In the blink of an eye, Duncan closed the gap between them. Raising his hand to her face, he ran his thumb gently down her cheek. “You know I would never do anything I felt would endanger you... right?”
Caught off guard by the intimate gesture, all Senka could muster was a weak nod in response. Beneath his touch, her skin warmed, sending a calming sensation down through her core. Savoring the feeling, Senka closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, suddenly feeling as if she could do anything as long as he was by her side.
“Let’s go shall we?”
Pulling his hand back, Senka instantly felt the loss of his calming touch and immediately yearned to have it back. What is happening to me? She wondered as she watched him slowly walk away from her. Falling in step beside him, the two of them continued on in silence, neither one willing to address the strange tension building between them.
Just as Duncan had said, it took them less than fifteen minutes to reach the edge of the forest. Squatting down amidst the last of the darkness, Senka stared out across the open field to the sprawling city beyond.
“That is Rio?” she gasped, openly gaping at the countless towering buildings glowing in the distance.
“Yes, why?”
“It’s just so different than I thought it would be.”
Turning to face her, Duncan furrowed his brow. “How so?”
“I don’t know? I guess when you told me it was a trader town, I expected something smaller and a little more rustic… you know, like our camp. Not a massive city completely powered by electricity.” Smoothing back a few of her fly away hairs, she sighed. “I mean seriously, I have never seen a city so bright outside Lanoria’s capital. How the heck are we going to get me through all that without being noticed?”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure.” Duncan sighed. “But I’m sure we can figure something out. First though, let’s get you out of the daylight before we are seen.” Moving out from under the cover of the trees he gestured for her to follow. “Come on, the farm is just over that hill a couple of miles from the northern edge of the city.”
“You want me to stroll through there? Out in the open?” she challenged as he took off across the field without her. “The sun is coming up. What if we are seen?”
“It’s still very early in the morning. And since Rio is a night city, pretty much over run with wolves, things don’t really tend to get going until late to mid-day. So we should be able to make it to the farm without anyone noticing us.”
“If you say so.”
Reluctantly following him out of the safety of the trees, Senka kept her body as low as possible, using the tall grass to her advantage. Before long, a quaint two-story white farm house came into view. The picture of quaint country living with its bright red barn and white picket fence, it looked oddly out of place amongst looming buildings serving as its backdrop.
“Kind of a strange place to build a farm don’t you think.” Senka commented off-handedly.
“Farm was here first. City came later.” Duncan answered without looking back. “It’s been owned by the same family for generations. When the city started growing, the big shots in charge tried their hardest to get them to give up their land, but the owners refused to sell.”
“So what happened?”
Duncan hesitated. “They finally gave up I guess.”
“That’s strange.”
“Yeah.” Duncan mumbled, the tone of his voice giving her cause to think there was more to this story than he was letting on.
Still, she remained quiet and followed him as he jumped the fence at the back of the property and dashed across the yard. Finding it strange that they were hiding from people who were supposed to be friends of his, she was about to ask him more about his relationship with the inhabitants when suddenly the back door to the house flew open.
Grabbing her by her shirt, Duncan dove behind the barn, dragging Senka with him. Together they watched as a small child, no more than six or seven years old, joyfully dashed across the yard, and headed straight for a rope swing in a nearby tree.
“I thought you said these people were your friends.” She whispered angrily jerking from his hold. “If that’s true, why are we hiding behind this barn like criminals?”
Without waiting for an answer, Senka straightened her shirt and peaked back around the corner. From there she watched as the little blond haired girl spun the swing around in circles, twisting the ropes up until they could go no further, only to lift her feet up at the last minute and spin uncontrollably as the ropes untwined themselves.
Senka couldn’t help but chuckle as the little girl then jumped off the swing and stumbled around the yard like a drunken man heading home from the bar. “Cute kid.”
“She looks like her.”
The words, barely spoken above a whisper, dragged Senka’s attention away from the child and up to her visibly upset friend. “Like who?” she began, but stopped as the fine lines etched into the corners of his eyes deepened. If she didn’t know better, Senka would have been positive Duncan was trying not to cry.
Growing concerned, and slightly frightened by his highly unusual display of emotion, Senka took his hand into her own. “Duncan, are you alright?”
Duncan blinked rapidly, as if her touch had miraculously pulled him free of whatever sorrow he had immersed himself in. Glancing first to the child, then down at her, he tightened his hand around hers and began to pull her back in the direction they had just came.
“Duncan? Where are we going?” she asked, allowing herself to be pulled along behind him.
“We are leaving, this was a mistake.”
“Mistake, but you said…”
“I know what I said Senka.” He snapped harshly, “But things have changed, we need to go. Now hurry.”
“Is this because of the little girl? Who is she?”
“I don’t know.” He huffed, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions.
Realizing he was hurting, and not wanting to make it any worse, Senka decided to drop the issue. Together they were just about to jump the fence and head back to the safety of the trees when a teenage boy holding a pitchfork suddenly appeared out of nowhere blocking their path.
“Stop and let go of the girl.” He shouted, the tremor in his voice betraying his nervousness.
“Step aside boy.” Duncan, maintaining his hold on her hand, attempted to move around the young man.
“I don’t think so.” He growled back. With trembling hands, he aimed the pitch fork directly at Duncan’s chest and shouted to the house behind them. “Gidgit, get in the house and tell mom and dad the Horde is back!”
“The who?”
Senka could hear the sound of a door opening and slamming shut, only to swing open again seconds later, this time followed by the sound of heavy foot prints heading their way. “Hold them there Peter, I’m coming.” A man’s low gravelly voice called back.
“Boy, I’m not gonna tell you again. Drop that pitchfork and get the hell out of my way!” Duncan growled, but this time she could feel him unleash his Alpha power upon the poor boy, causing his eyes to widen.
Slowly dropping the pitchfork, his eyes darted back and forth between Duncan and his father. “Y-you’re an Alpha?”
“Peter! What are you doing?” the father called to his son, his voice filled with concern. “Raise your pitchfork, protect yourself!”
“Step aside Peter.” Duncan demanded. But Peter hesitated, torn between the demands of his father and the Alpha standing before him. Hearing the father closing in, Senka turned behind her and watched as a man, only slightly smaller than Duncan, charged toward them with an axe in his hand.
“Duncan, we got to go now!” Pulling her hand from his, she wrapped her hand around one of her knives.
Suddenly without warning something flew by her cheek. Spinning in the direction the object had traveled, Senka’s eyes widen in terror.
“No!”
With one hand still grasping the terrified boy’s shirt, who he was trying to move out of their way, Duncan collapsed to his knees with an arrow protruding from both sides of his left shoulder.
“No, no, no!” Rushing forward, Senka fell to the ground beside him, just as the boy’s father snatched him away.
Opening her bag, she pulled a shirt from inside and pressed it to the bleeding wound. “You’ll be ok.” she said reassuring both herself and him as she hurriedly inspected the wound. “It’s a clean shot, it’ll hurt like hell but it’s not life threatening.”
“Sounds like you are speaking from experience.” Duncan said with a short laugh, that caused him to grimace in pain.
“Yeah, well my childhood wasn’t filled with dolls and lollipops,” she retorted. Raising her gaze, she glared at the father and son. “This wasn’t necessary. We were going to leave, but your boy got in our way.”
The man stared down at her with a confused expression. “You are with him of your own free will?”
Senka furrowed her brow. “Of course I am.”
“What do you want here?” a female voice interrupted. Turning around, Senka came face to face with a middle-aged woman holding a bow in her hand. She was only slightly taller than Senka, although a bit thicker and much more well-endowed. She was dressed in a simple cotton dress, much like the one Duncan had tried to get her to wear and her long dark-blonde hair, which she had pulled back into a neat bun, was beginning to show the first hints of greying. “I said, what do you want?” the woman clipped, impatiently.
“We came looking for shelter because he said we would be safe here.” She snapped.
Furious that this lady would have the nerve to make demands of her after shooting her friend in the back, Senka rose to her feet, pulling her blade free of its holster. “But obviously he was wrong.”
Immediately the entire family raised their weapons. Smirking, Senka reached to pull her other blade free, but was halted when Duncan’s hand fell on top of hers. “Don’t Senka.”
“But they shot you!” she screeched, gesturing at the woman with her blade. “In the back!”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s just get out of here.”
Using his good arm to push off his knee, Duncan managed to get unsteadily to his feet. Glaring angrily at the woman, Senka put away her knife, and slid under Duncan’s good arm to help support him. Together they managed to make it just a few steps, before he staggered and nearly fell, taking her with him.
“Duncan, are you sure we can do this?” she whispered, helping him to steady himself once more. “It’s a long way back to the forest.”
“What did you just say?” Dropping her bow, the lady took several hesitant steps their direction.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Senka snapped.
But the lady acted as if she hadn’t said a word. “Look at me.” She demanded, as she continued to move toward Duncan. “I said look at me!”
“Listen here lady. If you think you can…” Senka began, but was cut off by Duncan.
“It’s ok Senka.” Duncan said softly. Turning back to face the woman, he slowly raised his gaze to meet with hers. “Hi Andria.”
Instantly the woman turned white as a sheet. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she stumbled backwards as if she were about to fall. Seeing her distress, the man and the boy immediately rushed to her side. “Honey, are you ok? What’s wrong?”
But despite their questions, Andria remained silent, her attention focused solely on Duncan. Pulling free of her husband’s hold, she closed the distance between them. “Duncan? Is it really you?” she asked with tears in her eyes.
Bracing his injured shoulder, Duncan smiled weakly. “I’m afraid so.”
In the time it took Senka to blink an eye, Andria’s face contorted from sadness to uncontrollable rage. Closing the few steps between them she raised her hand and slapped him hard enough across the cheek to leave behind a mark. “You son of a bitch!” she cried, shaking her hand. “After all these years now you decide to show up? Do you know how long we searched for you? Cried for you?” Hitting him the chest, Andria’s tears streamed down her cheeks. “Damn you Duncan! We all thought you were dead!”
Stunned, Senka watched the upset woman continue to whale on Duncan, but when she raised her hand as if to slap him again, Senka drew the line. Pulling her knife once more, she stepped in front of her wounded friend. “That’s enough.” She warned. “I understand you are upset with him, but if you do that again you’ll have me to contend with.”
Dropping her eyes to the blade, Andria backed off. “Who are you?” she asked, as if seeing her for the first time. “Or should I ask what are you?”
“She’s a friend.” Duncan answered for her. Feeling his hand come to rest on her shoulder, Senka looked back into his saddened expression. “Put the knife away Senka, she’s not a threat.”
“Not a threat?! You have got to be kidding me!” With her arm extended, Senka gestured to the matronly lady. “She shot you with an arrow, slapped you across the face, then whaled on your already injured body. If that doesn’t make her a threat, then me and you definitely have two very different definitions of the word!”
“Trust me, I deserved it.” He sighed. “Now put the blade away, please.”
“Not until you tell me who the hell she is and why we are allowing her to beat the shit out of you!”
Heaving a deep breath, Duncan turned his attention away from her to watch as the crying woman was embraced by her loving family. “Because I deserve every hit and blow she has delivered.” Shocked at what was happening, Senka watched tears form in the corners of his eyes. “She once cared for me and I all I ever did to repay her was hurt her.”
A mixture of shock and jealously stopped her heart beating in her chest. Mouth agape, she looked back over her shoulder. The woman looked fairly close to Duncan’s age, was it possible she was an ex-lover or vexed sweetheart of some kind. “I-is she your ex-girlfriend or something?”
Dropping his gaze down to her, Duncan shook his head sadly. “No. She’s my sister.”