Just a Walk
I stood there, staring at my reflection in the full length mirror on the back of Ashley’s bedroom door. I was wearing an older pair of worn out, slim fit jeans. The knees were frayed into holes, and the ends of my pant legs were tattered. They didn’t look bad, they looked stylishly frayed, even though the look was a result of wear and tear not a store bought finish. I matched the jeans with a long sleeve black t-shirt that had white lettering that read, “I see the assassins have failed.” I paired the outfit with running shoes, since Mikael mentioned our date would take place mostly outside, and involved lots of walking.
I tossed my hair up into a ponytail and didn’t bother with the makeup. I looked over at the clock on the wall, it was 10:30, and Mikael was supposed to be here in an hour to pick me up. “Thanks for letting me get picked up here, Ash. I really didn’t want to be stuck riding in a car with Mikael for 25 minutes each way into and out of town from my parents’ place.”
“No, worries,” she called back from the kitchen, where she was studying at the table. I didn’t want to disturb her, because I knew she was cramming for her upcoming exam, but I couldn’t stand here staring at myself in the mirror for the next hour, so I headed to the kitchen anyway.
“What do you think?” I did a quick twirl to show off my very casual outfit.
“Honestly?” A smile quirked up the corners of her mouth. “The shirt is hilarious, and even though you thought it would be insulting, I think Mikael is going to love it. You look like you’re dressed for a date with him. I like it. This is the Jess that’s always lounging around my apartment, watching TV, and making fun of scary movies with me.”
“Maybe I should change then?” I backed up, but Ashley jumped up and caught my hand.
“Oh, no you don’t. It’s perfect, and this is what you’re going with.” She glared at me then. “Don’t make me go all bad- ass werewolf on you!” I laughed, but before I could say anything my phone started ringing.
“Hello?” I answered the phone to a ragged intake of breath on the other end.
“Hey, Jess.” Evan’s deep voice pulled at my heartstrings. It had been forever since we just had a nice conversation between the two of us without all the fighting. “I um, wanted to say I was sorry for how I acted yesterday. I know things aren’t easy on you…” His voice trailed off, and the silence went on for a few heartbeats before he started up again. I don’t know if he had been expecting me to say something, but I just didn’t know what to say to that. He had been a jerk, and he did need to apologize. “I’m going to try to do better, okay?”
“Fine.” I managed to croak out. “Evan, I hate all the fighting. What’s the point if that’s all we do?”
“I know.” Another sigh escaped him. “Believe me, I know.” There were another few minutes of silence that I didn’t bother to fill before he started talking again. “Listen, do you have anything planned for today?” I didn’t answer as guilt twisted my insides. “I thought maybe we could sit down and talk about whatever you and Mikael decided yesterday when I left like an idiot.”
“Evan, I…” How the hell did I put this without setting him off? “Um, Mikael’s picking me up soon for some outdoorsy thing. It’ll be a few hours.”
I heard the low level growl through the phone, even though he was clearly trying to keep it down. “I should have known. I left it open for him to jump right in. He did, and you agreed to it, of course.”
“Don’t.” I stated evenly, not wanting to lose my patience with him again today.
“No, you know, this is what I get for walking out yesterday. You punish me by jumping right into a date with him.”
“Oh my God! Not everything is about you, Evan! I didn’t watch you walk out yesterday, and think, ‘hey, I’m going to screw with him and date his brother.’” It was my turn to growl, and there was anger in it. “I can’t take the headaches anymore. I need to get this date over with so that they will stop, but you’re too much of an ass to see that. And guess what? You didn’t try hard enough to be understanding-AGAIN!” I hung up the phone. This was getting out of hand, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be able to keep it up. The fighting was becoming too much already, and I hadn’t even had an actual date with Mikael yet. I wondered what Evan would be like when I did go on a date with his brother, and then came around with his scent on me. My phone started ringing again. I looked down, and saw it was Evan calling, and I tossed down on the table unanswered.
“I don’t know why he’s being such an asshole! I mean, how many ways do you have to tell a guy that you only want him? Not to mention, he knows how you feel about being forced into these dates with Mikael. I swear, if he was here I would punch him in the face for you!” Ashley was livid. These weren’t even her guy troubles. She was angry for me.
“I don’t even know what to do anymore.” I flopped down in a kitchen chair, completely defeated.
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You, my dear, are going to get your ass up, put a smile on that pretty little face of yours, and have a good damn time with Mikael today. Forget Evan, forget about Antoine’s forcing you to do things, and just go enjoy yourself for one day. There don’t have to be strings attached. Just let yourself have a good time. You deserve it, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can deal with me!”
“Okay, fine, but take my mind off of it. I still have a little over thirty minutes to wait for him to get here. I’m nervous. I have no clue what to expect from Mikael.”
“Duh, that’s because you don’t know him. Not really, anyway.” Ashley looked thoughtful for a minute then changed the subject. “So, Asi and I are trying to decide where to go from here. I mean we spend most of our time here, since he shares that place with Evan right now, but we were thinking about trying to get into a place out on the pack lands. Maybe, not until this semester of school is over with though.”
“Wow, you’re going to move in together?”
“Well, we are all already bonded.”
“I know, and if you had grown up a wolf, I wouldn’t think twice about it. You grew up with all the human concepts of relationships though. Are you sure you’re ready for that step?”
“I think so, and honestly, I’m hoping if we get a place all set up that even if Evan decides to run off, Asi won’t have to go with him this time. You know?”
“Why would Evan run off?” A near panic caught me in its grasp, thinking that maybe Ashley knew something I didn’t.
“I’m not saying he’s going to, but with the way things have been going between you two lately, I just worry that if you decide he’s not the one for you that he’ll take off and Asi will be stuck by his side, which leaves me with a crazy choice.”
“I hadn’t even thought of all that. I guess I didn’t put any thought into things not working out between Evan and me. I mean, he’s been pissing me off lately, but…” I didn’t even finish the sentence before Ashley was up on her feet, around the table, and hugging me close to her.
“I didn’t mean to give you another worry. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. There are some things that I’m unsure of with the pack structure. We’re a bonded pair now, so I wasn’t sure how that would work. Would I have to go with him? Would I be forced to? Could he stay if he wanted, or is his bond to Evan more important?”
“Oh, God, Ash. I’m sorry, these are things you should be learning from the pack, or at least from me. Why didn’t you come to me sooner instead of keeping it all to yourself?”
“Are you kidding? Look at the mountain of shit you’re already wading through. I didn’t want to add to your troubles, or worse, say something that would affect your decision.”
“Why would it affect my decision?” Then it dawned on me. If I chose not to be with Evan after all, he left, and took Asi with him, I would lose Ashley. “Man, this sucks. It was all good when we were best friends who were in love with best friends.”
“Yeah, and I caught the past tense you used there, so maybe you’re not as sure as you keep thinking you are.”
The doorbell rang, and I looked up, thankful for the interruption until I remembered who was likely waiting out on the stoop. I was suddenly nervous all over again as I went to open the door. Mikael was there with a big grin plastered across his face, as his dark brown hair fell over green eyes that were nearly as bright as my own. He was wearing rough jeans, a zipped up black leather motorcycle jacket, black boots, and he had a helmet in his hands.
“Nice shirt!” He commented on the heels of a full, rich laugh. I just stood there like an idiot, my wolf was basking in the resonating sound, and I was staring. Finally, Mikael called out over my shoulder, “Hello, Ashley!”
“Mikael,” she walked over and nudged me out of the way. “Jess sometimes forgets her manners. Would you like to come in?”
“Actually, we have somewhere to be,” he looked at me, and raised his eyebrows in a questioning way, “if you’re ready?”
I finally snapped out of it. “Yeah, um, let me grab my wallet.”
“You really won’t be needing that, but if it makes you feel better…”
As I walked off I heard Ashley try to speak quiet enough that I wouldn’t hear her. “You better treat her right. She’s had a pretty shitty week, and if I find out you made it worse, bad things will happen!”
“Just for curiosity’s sake, what kind of bad things are we talking here, Ash?”
“Oh you know,” she mimed grabbing balls and ringing them tightly in her fist, “really bad things.”
Mikael cleared his throat. “Well, lucky for me, I don’t think that will be necessary, but I will definitely keep that in mind.” He backed up out of the doorway as he saw me coming closer, tugging my own leather jacket on. “Here,” he said as he handed me the helmet, “this is for you.”
“Where’s yours?”
“It’s on my bike, but I wanted to make sure this would fit you before we left. Humor me, and try it on.”
There was no way that thing would fit over my head with the high pony tail I had, so I handed the helmet back, reached up, grabbed the hairband, and pulled it from my hair. Mikael’s eyes never left mine as I did. He cleared his throat again, and instead of handing the helmet back to me, he moved forward, and gently worked on placing it on my head for me. Standing so close, his naturally woodsy scent wrapped around me. I had to fight the instinct to lean in closer, and roll around in that scent. Damn. My. Wolf.
As soon as he finished fastening the chin strap, I took a step back. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad at all.” His husky voice trailed across my skin like a light brush of fingertips, and I had to remind myself that I didn’t like Mikael.
“Um, maybe we should just get going then.” I offered, and he held out his hand to escort me over to the motorcycle he had parked at the curb. I ignored the gesture, pushed past him, and walked over all by myself. He trailed behind me, giving me space, or maybe feeling rejected. As he came around the other side of the bike and threw his leg over in one, steady, graceful motion, I saw the look on his face. No, he wasn’t feeling dejected at all. He was taking up a challenge. Mikael patted the back of the bike with his right hand, and I obliged by hopping on the back. I left as much space as I could between the two of us, but he reached back, with both hands, grabbed me around the waist and pulled until I my front was flush up against his back. Then he took my hands and put them around his waist.
“You’re going to want to hang on tight, Jess. I don’t like to go slow!” With that he turned the bike on, revved the engine beneath us, and took off.
Oh. God. He was going to be so much trouble. All I could smell as we breezed through downtown, heading north, was him. I didn’t dare stop holding him tight, but I tried not to think about the fact that my legs were straddling him, and my arms were wrapped around his middle. To top it off, he smelled so delightful. Thankfully, our jackets were a buffer against what I may have felt there. I was trying very hard to remain detached, even thinking of Evan to calm the hormones that were betraying me. My wolf didn’t care how I felt though, she was all about the feel of Mikael’s body on ours and the smell of him tantalizing our senses.
Thankfully, the trip didn’t take too long, but I was certainly surprised at where we ended up. Once Mikael parked, I slid off the back of the bike, unfastened the helmet, and put it down on the seat. “What’s going on?” The run-down brick building in front of us was not where I expected to end up.
“Come on, it’s a surprise,” he offered his hand, and this time I took it. “They were having an event here today that I didn’t want to miss, so I factored it into our date. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” I offered, still puzzled as to why Mikael would bring me here. “You do know this is an animal shelter, right?”
“Well, the paw prints on the signs, and all the barking from out back were a pretty big tip off.” His words were dripping with sarcasm, but he wasn’t making fun of me, just making light of the situation. It was obvious I was stunned that he would bring me here.
“I don’t think it’s safe to ride that,” I pointed back to his motorcycle as we continued advancing on the building, “while holding a puppy.”
“Who said anything about riding a motorcycle with a puppy? That’s just silly, Jess! Come on. The sooner we get in there, the sooner your curiosity will be appeased.”
“Okay, fine. Just so you know, I’m not going near the cat side. They don’t like me.” I shivered at a memory from my childhood. When he looked at me quizzically I offered up the story. “I was little, maybe six or seven, and I found a stray cat near our school. I’m not sure what possessed it to come so close to the pack lands. Normally, felines have an instinct to stay away. Anyway, it looked horrible, half starved, and filthy. I tried to coax it out at lunch, using bits of my chicken nuggets. When I finally got it close enough I pounced on it, and tried to love it. The damn thing clawed the hell out of me, and then it bit the tip of my nose.” I pointed to a tiny little wisp of a scar that was still visible, and he leaned in to get a better look. Before I knew what was happening, Mikael nipped my nose with his lips, and backed away quickly as I smacked at him.
“Aw, come on, you had to see that one coming?” Mikael was laughing at me.
“Clearly, I did not.”
“Mikael!” A short, older, blond woman called out as we walked through the door.
“Ah, Jackie, you look lovely, today!” He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She pulled back, clearly blushing.
“Oh stop!” She played at pushing him away from her, but I noticed she allowed her fingers to linger on his chest a bit longer than necessary. I couldn’t blame her. Most woman would probably do the same in her position. I might have been forced to date him, but I was pretty sure there were plenty of women who would have traded me positions in a heartbeat and not had a problem with the circumstances one bit. “Who’s your friend?” Jackie asked as she looked around him, towards me.
“This is Jessica St. Marks, my date for the day.”
“Well, now, she is lovely.” I was starting to get a bit perturbed by the fact that they were both talking about me as if I wasn’t there. “Is this the one you were talking about last week?” Now, it was me turning a quizzical eye on Mikael, waiting for an answer.
“A man has to keep his secrets, Jackie. Do I need to school you on discretion?”
“Okay, fine.” She said, playfully touching his arm this time. “Well, dear, it was very nice to meet you. Make sure this one treats you right!”
“Thank you, I will.” I offered as another woman stuck her head out of a doorway calling for Jackie.
“Why don’t you take her to see the puppies, Mikael? I have to run and rescue Sarah.”
“Shall we?” Mikael held his arm out for me, offering his escort services. I decided, what the hell, and played along, lacing my arm in his. It was worth it when I saw the surprised expression cross his face.
“So, clearly you come here often. Either that or you’re secretly dating Jackie behind my back.”
“Jealous?”
“Not in the least.” It was true, but only because my wolf hadn’t seen Jackie’s advances as threatening. They were more of a playful annoyance.
As soon as we walked into the area of the shelter known as ‘the puppy room’ the strangest thing happened. Every single puppy in the place got quiet and moved over as close to the edge of their cages as they could, trying to get closer to us. I had never seen anything like it. Mikael bent down at the first enclosure and started talking softly to the four little lab mix puppies that were there. “Okay, settle down you guys, you’ll each get some loving, no need to climb all over one another.” As if by magic, the pups stopped what they were doing, and waited their turns.
I was speechless. What did you say to something like that? Mikael opened the cage, reached in and grabbed out the one puppy that had been ignoring him, and staring off over his shoulder at me. “I think he likes you.”
I reached down and took the puppy, cuddling him close to me, nuzzling his furry chocolate-brown face with my nose. “Oh, you are so sweet, and soft, and cuddly.” Just like that, all my reservations left me. I lost myself in that puppy. One after another, Mikael introduced me to all of them. There were fourteen puppies in the puppy room. They were all equally adorable, and by the time I finished meeting them all I wasn’t sure I could part with them. “Oh my God, they’re all so sweet. I just want to move in, and take care of them.”
“Don’t let Jackie hear you say that. She will absolutely take advantage of that statement.”
“So, what’s up with this anyway? Not that I don’t appreciate the puppy playtime, because I do. I think this is exactly what I needed! They know you here though, and clearly the puppies are used to you too.”
Mikael smiled, a genuine smile that crinkled up tiny little lines near the corners of his eyes. “Well, this is just something I do, no matter where I am. I work with animals, and probably for the same reason it was fun for you today. It’s soothing.” He shrugged, then grabbed my hands and tugged me up to my feet. “Come on, I actually had some other plans for us today too.”
“Well, I don’t know how you could possibly top the puppy love fest, but I’m willing to go find out.” And just like, I was rewarded with another of his rare, full smiles, and a slight blush that bloomed across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. I wondered how that was even possible. Mikael was the last person I would think of as a blusher, standing there in his rugged jeans and t-shirt, even without the biker jacket he looked too tough to ever blush. “What’s going to happen to these guys?”
“They’re puppies. They will all get homes. It’s the big guys that have it rough. We’ll come visit them another time. They’re fun in an entirely different way, I promise.”
“I’d like that.” I found myself actually meaning it. I was beginning to learn a little something about people. You never really got to see everything about them with a first or even fifth impression. It took a series of moments to finally dig past the layers that they wanted to show people, down to who they really were. I had a feeling I was just starting to see the deeper layers of Mikael.
On our way out, we stopped by the front desk, where Mikael asked to speak to Jackie again if she was available. Before long the woman came, practically bouncing out of a back room. “Are you guys on your way out, now?”
“We are. I just wanted to leave you with this.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket, and handed it to her. It took me a minute to realize it was a check. “This should keep you guys covered for a couple more weeks. The crew is behind, so I’m not quite ready to start taking some of those guys in yet. I thought this might help, in the meantime.”
“Oh goodness, boy, get over here.” She walked around the counter, practically pushed me out of the way, and gave him a hug. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she kept thanking him over and over. She then turned to me and gave me a squeezing hug too. Jackie was surprisingly strong for an older, human woman. “You are one lucky young lady. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep this one close!” Jackie smiled and walked away then, swiping at the tears that had already started running down her rosy cheeks.
“What was that about?” I asked as we turned to leave.
“I just dropped off a donation. I, um…” he hesitated, and seemed almost like he was trying to decide whether or not to divulge a secret.
“Never mind,” I said. “It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just, most of our kind think less of me when they find out what I do with my spare time.” I quirked up and eyebrow in question. “I’ve been paying the shelter, in large donations, to keep from terminating the lives of any of the dogs that are brought in. Today’s venture was supposed to help find the older ones homes. That’s why I kept you in the puppy room today. It’s off limits to the public, in the hopes that some of the older dogs can find happy homes to go to.” He was talking fast, like he wanted to get it all out and face my judgment sooner rather than later. “I’m building a rescue, a private one, that won’t kill the animals brought in. Jackie is going to work in tandem with it, and send us the dogs she can’t re-home or keep here, so that we can help them.”
My jaw had fallen somewhere between my face and the floor, as I stood looking at him in complete wonderment. “Seriously, that’s what you were afraid to tell me? That’s amazing, Mikael! My God, I can’t believe that underneath the asshole I first met, you’re a good guy.” He flinched a little, clearly offended by the fact that I had called him an asshole, but relieved that I thought he was a good guy for doing what he was doing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” He just shrugged at me.
“I am what I am, good and bad.” He turned, climbed right on his bike, and held my helmet out to me as I approached. This time, when I climbed on, I didn’t try to keep a mile in between us. I just scooted right up behind him, and wrapped my arms around Mikael. I thought I felt the tension just slip away from his shoulders when I did. Moments later, we were flying down the road again. I had to admit, riding on the back of his bike was kind of exhilarating. I love riding in my Jeep in warmer months with the top down, but this was almost like flying. The rush of wind reminded me of when I let my wolf take over and go on a good, long run. It was freeing. I decided then and there that I really enjoyed motorcycles. They weren’t just there to look cool, after all.
All too soon we were pulling into a state park. I’d never been before, because we had our own large expanse of nature to enjoy over on the pack lands. This day was definitely an experience for me. After dismounting the bike, I twirled around taking everything in. Granted, we were standing in the middle of a parking lot, but everything here was so quiet. The large, log cabin style ranger station looming in front of us was gorgeous. There were very few moments in my life where I had pictured my future, and in some of those imaginings I lived in a house that looked very similar to this.
“I’ll be right back.” Mikael said to me, bringing me back to the present. “Stay here, okay?”
“Sure.” As he walked away, I felt my phone vibrating in my inner jacket pocket, and took it out to check. It was Ashley, texting.
Just checking on you. Everything good?
All good here. Played with puppies, and now we’re in the woods. I’ll fill you in later. I sent back to her.
In the woods? Are you running, or what?
Don’t know. Just got here, but it’s a state park, so I doubt we’re running. Probably a good thing, considering my wolf has a mind of her own. A very dirty mind.
ROFL Ok, I want all the details later!
I flipped my phone closed, and tucked it back in my jacket as the door to the ranger station opened, and Mikael walked out holding a large basket in one hand and had a blanket draped over his arm. “What’s all this?” I asked him as he drew closer.
“I’m a planner. Come on.” He walked right past me, heading for a trail that started on the far side of the parking lot. My comment about him being an asshole when we first met had apparently struck a chord, because he was definitely distant now as he marched past me, damn near ignoring the fact that I was even there. Suddenly, I felt exhausted and just wanted to go home.
“Look, we don’t have to do this. I can call Ash to come get me or something.”
Mikael stopped in his tracks. He didn’t bother to turn around, but I saw the tensions seat itself firmly back in his shoulders. “If you don’t want to be here, you’re free to go. You’ve met your obligation.”
That tugged at my heart a little bit. I wasn’t supposed to care about Mikael. I was just doing this to stop the headaches, and appease Antoine. Me being here was pissing Evan off and driving us further apart. There was a part of me that knew I should take the out, turn around, and call Ashley to come get me. The other half of me, the bleeding heart part of me that couldn’t stand to see Mikael’s shoulders sunk low like that, started following him deeper down the trail instead.
We walked on for damn near twenty minutes, and ten of those we were off the trail, but when we got there it was so worth it. The trees opened to make way for a sparkling, cool, pool of water that flowed into a slim river, running away from us. That wasn’t even the best part. The pool was perpetually filled by a magnificent waterfall. It spilled water over the ledge above in three sections. The middle section was the heaviest, the one closest to us was only slightly more than a trickle of water tumbling down the rough edges and then free falling into the pool below.
“Wow,” I said as I finally released a breath. I turned to see Mikael looking up at me. He had been busy laying out the blanket and putting the basket on top of it. How did you find this place? It’s gorgeous.
“I came across it when I was out for a run. This is where I come to let the wolf out at night.”
I turned and walked back to the blanket and parked my ass on the edge of it with my legs pulled up to the side of me. “You know that little filter most people have between their brain and their mouth?” Mikael just watched me and waited for what I was about to say without acknowledging the question. “Well, I don’t have one. Shit just tumbles out of my mouth, and sometimes I regret it later. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I mean, I did. You were an asshole when we first met, considering you attacked Ashley, and threatened me. But I meant that…” I took a deep breath and let it out. “You know, you’re different. Today, you were really different.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Jess. I may be playing this thing out, but I am not delusional.” He wasn’t looking at me as he said it. He was twirling a twig between his fingertips.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’ve said it yourself. Evan is who you want. Being here,” he flicked his hand around to indicate where we were currently. “This is because you have to.”
“In fact, it’s not. You’ve already given me the option to leave, in case you forgot. I’m here, right now, because I want to be.” There was something in his eyes when he looked up at me then. The way their emerald beauty sparkled as he seemed to bore his way deep down into me with just that look, it was mesmerizing. “I know Antoine put us all in this position, and I will always hate him for it, and certainly never thank him, but I am seeing things I never would have. Like you with those puppies today. Or…” I just let the rest of it go, because I didn’t want to think about Evan and how much his attitude was pissing me off, but Mikael was waiting for me to finish, so I changed what I was about to say. “Or, how much I love riding on that bike!” I smiled at him now. “Seriously, it’s almost like a really good run. I felt like I was flying for a minute.”
The smile on his face just then was incredible, heart-meltingly stunning. Where Evan had one dimple on his left cheek, Mikael had one on each side. The slight stubble on his face didn’t hide them, and the combination made for one hell of a sight. “One day soon, when it warms up some more, I will take you for a much longer ride. We didn’t even really get to open her up on the way here.”
Okay, I didn’t even bother to hide my excitement at the prospect of taking a longer, faster ride with Mikael. My heartbeat picked up in my chest, when that nagging voice in my head started in on me. ‘What about Evan?’ I shut the thought down. I needed today. It was uncomplicated in and of itself. It was sweet with the puppies, dangerous with the bike, and just laid back out here listening to the waterfall’s trickling melody playing behind me. I was going to focus on the good of today, not the worry I would have later. “I’d like that,” I finally managed. “So, tell me about the dogs. How did you get involved in that?”
He actually looked a little embarrassed by my question. “That’s a much longer story.”
I pointed out that we were in the middle of the woods with nothing to interrupt us, and he smiled.
“Well, I was the middle child. Malachai was always under my dad’s wing, since he would one day inherit the title, and everything else. When Evan came along, he was the baby, but more than that, he was this special baby. You know the miracle that shouldn’t happen. So, I was the trouble maker. Just about the only time my dad had a minute for me was when he was yelling at me for doing something stupid in sight of other clan members.” He plucked at the blanket a little. “So, my dad hates the idea of people keeping pets, especially our kind. You know, I guess it’s a little too close to home for him since we shift into the cousin of a dog. Not that he would ever even come close to belittling our kind by thinking about that kinship. Pets were a way to get under his skin, in the beginning. I would go out in the surrounding towns, looking for trouble, and I’d end up having a stray dog or two follow me home. My dad always made me take them back. After a while, I stopped bringing them around, because once they follow you, it’s hard to get rid of them. Once, I couldn’t make this dog go away. He was a hound dog, probably someone’s hunting dog that had gone astray. Anyway, I couldn’t shake him. He was attached to me.” Mikael was faraway, lost to his memories as he told his story. “My dad had him killed. This poor hound dog latched onto me because he had no one else, and I got him killed. I didn’t mess around with the strays much after that. Not because I was afraid of my dad, but because I didn’t want to see them hurt.” He sighed there, but kept going.
“A few years went by with me being a complete asshole. I was terrorizing everyone and everything. My step-mom was at her wits end with me. I think she understood to an extent, but she couldn’t figure out what to do to calm my ass down. Then one day, she came to my room, all flushed and frantic, begging for my help. I followed her down to the stables. We didn’t have horses or anything, they were already there from a previous owner of the land. Anyway, most of the stalls were used as a sort of storage facility.”
“So, we get there, walk to the back of the barn, and here’s this dog giving birth to puppies. She’s already gotten two out, and there’s a third coming, but it seems like it’s stuck. I leaned down, immediately, wishing I knew more than I did about these things. I had no clue what to do. I was part fascinated, and part horrified. Eleanna said that we needed to help her birth the pup. She talked me through how to gently put my finger in there, and make sure the pup wasn’t caught up on a cord or something. We finally got the pup free. The mom didn’t make it though, in the end. So, Eleanna got me supplies. I camped out in that damn barn for three weeks playing nurse maid to those puppies, and making sure they all made it.” He paused so long there, that I thought he was going to end his story.
“What happened next? Did they all make it?”
“No, they didn’t.” Mikael shook off the dark look that crossed his face, and continued on. “After three weeks, my father finally realized he hadn’t seen me at meals, or any other time in the house, and he came looking for me. Finding me in the barn, living in squalor with these three pups pissed him off. I had been sound asleep when he came in and grabbed one of the pups. I remember him just bellowing out. ‘So this is the reason you’ve been absent from the house? You wish to be a momma to some pups? Well, boy, I think it’s time for another lesson.’”
“I screamed myself hoarse as he snapped that little puppy’s neck. It was the one I had helped get free of its mom. Eleanna came in just in time to see him toss the puppy at me, and reach for another. She yelled at my dad then, ‘don’t you dare harm that puppy! Your son did this for me. You will leave him to it, because it has kept him out of trouble.’ She fought hard for me that day, and didn’t come away unscathed either. Finally, my father relented and allowed me the indulgence of having my pets. I cared for those two dogs until they died of old age not long before I came here to find Evan for my father.”
“So, you decided to start a shelter?”
“Yeah, well, a rescue. I wasn’t sure if I could get another dog that was mine just yet, but I wanted to at least help other people know what that bond is like, and you know, save a few more dogs along the way too.” He smiled.
I had to stop myself from going to hug him at that point. Mikael looked up at me, his eyes locking with mine. I swallowed hard, and was the first to break eye contact. There was no denying that a part of me was very intrigued with Mikael, but I was also full of love for Evan, and mixed feelings about both of them. My head was spinning, so I did the only thing I could. I took a deep breath, peeled my shoes and socks off, and went to sit by the water. Yeah, I was running away from my crazy feelings, but at least I could make it look planned. After a few minutes, I looked back over my shoulder at Mikael, whose eyes hadn’t left me, and I tipped my head in an invitation for him to join me. He walked over, stood beside me, and looked down at the water.
“I bet that’s cold.” His deep voice resonated through me.
I looked up, and smiled at him. “Only one way to find out. Unless, of course, you’re scared.” I gave him a little pouty lipped face. “The big, bad, cold water might freeze your little toesies.”
He bent down, quick as lightning. I thought he was going to scoop his boots off, but no, he scooped me up in his arms, and made like he was going to toss me in. “Why don’t we find out just how cold it really is?”
I sucked in a surprised breath. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Wouldn’t I?” He quirked that eyebrow up at me in question again. His dimples were becoming more pronounced as the grin overtook his face. “Asshole, remember?” I didn’t even get to say a thing. He tossed me up in the air, and I squealed the whole time I was flying, then falling. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, preparing for the brutal burst of ice cold water hitting my body, but it never came. Instead, I ended up back in Mikael’s arms. He was laughing so hard, his body shook, and I was surprised he hadn’t dropped me. “You should have seen your face! Priceless!” He whirled around and sat me back down on the blanket, going back for my shoes and socks when he was done.
It took me a minute to make my mouth work. “I can’t believe you just did that. I had a mini-heart attack, you know!”
“I know! I was watching while you had your little pansy eyes squeezed shut tight.
I picked up a pine cone and threw it at him, hard.
“Ouch.” He dropped my shoes off by my feet, then flopped down on the blanket with me. The basket was opened, and he was emptying out the contents methodically, while I just sat there and watched. I was also willing my heart to slow itself down a bit. Then I really looked at what he was unpacking. He had little sandwiches, crackers, cheeses, and a big bowl of fresh fruit. Then there was the sparkling grape juice.
“What is that?” I pointed to the juice.
“I wasn’t sure you were ready to drink with me, so I opted for juice, instead of the real thing. I’ll let you know when you graduate up from the kid table!” I huffed indignantly, which only triggered more laughter from him.
“You think you’re very charming, don’t you?”
“Well, I’m not the one who brought it up, so I guess the real question is, do you find me charming?”
“NO!” I spouted out. Inside, my answer was a little different. I wasn’t about to admit that to him though.
“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart!” He grabbed one of the sandwich slices and offered it up to me. “Hungry?” There was a bit of a growl behind the natural gruffness in his voice. That word held a lot more meaning than it was supposed to. I was definitely going to keep telling myself that. I still took it and started eating, because I was actually starving.
We sat there, eating in a comfortable silence for a while. I was just taking a sip of my drink when I felt a tingling sensation. It wasn’t quite what I felt when another wolf of power was around, but something similar. I scanned the tree line, and thought I saw a shadow of movement across the pool of water behind me. Mikael must have tuned into my brimming anxiety, because he was on his feet in seconds.
“What’s going on, Jess?”
“Did you feel that too?”
“No, I saw you scanning, and you looked a little panicked just now.”
“I felt something, kind of like when we can feel each other’s power signature, but a little different. I thought I saw something move over there.”
He was packing everything up before I turned back around. When I did look at him though, he was on high alert watchful as he tended to the cleanup. I started helping him, but he shook his head. “Socks and shoes, Jess. I’ll get this.”
I stopped and put my socks on, then went to put the shoes on my feet too when I felt that burst of tingly power wash over me again. This time, I was on my socked feet, crouched for an attack in a split second.
“Jesus!” Mikael hissed out, caught off guard by my response.
“There’s something out there,” I whispered.
“I’m not feeling it, Jess, but I believe you. Get your shoes on. I have your back while you do.” He tossed the last of our lunch into the basket, on guard as I slipped the shoes over my feet and tied them tight. I stood and grabbed the blanket up off the ground.
“Let’s just get out of here. I don’t like that feeling I keep getting.” I was busy scanning the forest for threats as I said it, and thankfully Mikael didn’t question me for a moment. He just lead the way back to the trail. Instead of the twenty minute leisurely hike it took us to get there, we were back in the parking area within 15 minutes. I stood over by the motorcycle, waiting for him to deposit the basket back inside the ranger station.
“Oh no, I’m not leaving you out here alone. Come on.” He grabbed my free hand, and tugged until I was following him on my own. As I stood inside the doors, waiting for him to talk to the ranger, I saw a woman’s figure ghost out of the shadows of the trees. She was standing at the trailhead that we had just vacated. A smile was on her face, and she simply waved at me, and then she was gone. I was questioning my sanity by the time Mikael was done. “Jess?”
“I think I’m going crazy.”
“You’re not going crazy, Jess. It’s best to trust your instincts.” His gaze lifted from me, out to the parking lot. “Did you see something out there?”
I shook my head, and wasn’t going to tell him at first. “She just waved and then disappeared right in front of me.”
“Was it another wolf? Did someone shift out there, in the open?”
“No, I mean there was a woman standing at the trailhead. She waved. Then she just became mist and was gone.”
“Shit.”
“What?”
“Sounds like a witch.”
“A witch? What the hell would a witch be doing out here?”
“Let’s not stick around to find out, all right?”
“Yeah.”
And just like that, we were getting back on the motorcycle, and headed back to town. My paranoia on the return trip kept me from enjoying it the way I had earlier. The sun was setting off in the west as we pulled up at Ashley’s place. Mikael walked me to the door, and was about to say something, when I paused with my hand on the doorknob. I could hear sounds from behind the door that had to be pissing Ashley’s neighbors off. Either that or it was getting them really hot and bothered.
“Damn! I guess Asi’s home.” I turned to go to my Jeep, and remembered I left my keys inside Ashley’s apartment earlier. “Of course I left my keys inside earlier!” I let the sarcasm drip from my words.
“Come on,” Mikael laughed. “I have a ton of movies at my place, and I promise to be a complete gentleman until it’s safe for you to come back and get your keys. Besides, I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on you, since you saw a witch earlier anyway. When they play hide and seek with people, it never bodes well.”
“Yeah, ok.” I walked with him, back to the bike. “So, what kind of movies do you have?”
“I guess you’ll have to see for yourself in a few minutes.”
In another shocker, Mikael didn’t live in town like I thought he did. I always figured he’d want to be closer to the action and the city. I thought of him as more like Evan in that respect, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, he was living in an old country house on the outskirts of town. It looked like one of those smaller versions of a plantation house, with the big wrap-around porch. The kind of house where you can imagine sitting on a porch swing, drinking sweet-tea, and watching the lightning bugs on a hot summer night.
“This is your place?” I questioned after we both got our helmets off.
“Now, I’m curious about what you were imagining.” His dimples were out again as he smiled easily. “Dungeon, maybe?”
“No, not a dungeon, but maybe something closer to town. An apartment or something like…” I stopped myself before I said Evan’s name, but the dimples in his cheeks disappeared along with his smile.
“I think you’ll find my brother and I don’t have that much in common, aside from the family obligations.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“Come on,” he offered his hand to me, even though I kept fumbling over the awkward parts of our being on a date. “Let’s get you set up with a movie. No judging. The place is still pretty sparse. I haven’t had a lot of time to get things together yet. I’ve been more concerned with what’s been going down with the rescue than what’s going on here.”
“I still live at home with my parents, so who am I to judge?”
Walking into Mikael’s house was an altogether different kind of experience. It was totally not what I expected. Everything was so down-home-country comfortable. The furniture, which was sparse, was all done in subtle earth tones. The electronics were the only thing that screamed, ‘a guy lives here.’ I realized Mikael was watching as I was taking it all in, and the smile was back on his face. “I like it.”
“I could tell. You’re actually smiling!”
“It’s not like I walk around every minute of the day with a frown on my face.”
“Well, let’s just say, I’ve grown used to the scowl when you’re in my presence.”
“Seriously?” I thought about it for a minute. “Well, I’ll have to work on that. How about this?” I made a goofy face, and stuck my tongue out at him. He picked a pillow up from the couch, and tossed it at my head.
“Why don’t you pick a movie out,” he nodded his head to the one book shelf that was filled with DVDs and Blu-rays instead of books. “I’ll go grab drinks.”
I just had to get my ‘idea’ of what Mikael was like out of my head, because I clearly had no clue. I expected to walk over to the movies and see all action adventure stuff, maybe some westerns. I was surprised, yet again. He had a very wide variety, including some serious chick flicks. The titles that shocked me the most was the part of the collection that had The Never Ending Story, The Goonies, and The Princess Bride to name a few. They were all favorites of mine. I ended up going with a safe bet and picked out The Avengers though. It had enough eye candy for the both of us, and we’d be able to enjoy the action. I put it on and got everything ready, taking a seat on his very comfortable, soft, inviting couch. I snuggled down into the corner, the suede cushions hugging my body, as Mikael’s scent billowed up around me. I closed my eyes for a minute, just letting myself relax while the previews played.
I knew when Mikael entered the room again, because I could feel him lingering just off to the side. Then, I felt a blanket being spread over me before I looked up, questioning him.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you fell asleep on me. You looked entirely too peaceful lying there with your eyes closed like that.”
“You’re couch is comfy! I was just relaxing.” I noticed his empty hands, and asked, “drinks?”
He pointed to the coffee table in front of me. “I set them down when I grabbed the blanket. The drinks he pointed to were a couple of Sam Adams bottles. “Sorry, I didn’t really have plans for us to come back here, so there are not a lot of choices in the house right now.”
“No worries. I like Sam just fine!” I patted the couch beside me when he just continued to stand there. “Take a load off! I don’t bite.”
“Now, that’s a damn shame!” He mumbled under his breath. I heard him anyway. I wasn’t going to acknowledge it though. Instead, we sat there, drinking our beers, and watching Loki taunting everyone. Secretly, I was rooting for Loki, even though I knew he wouldn’t win this round.