Page 26 of Awakened and Betrayed
“You crossed a fucking line. What are you thinking? I was being friendly. Not giving offmake a movevibes. Can no one tell the difference in this town?” I shout at him.
I throw my hands up in the air like I’m waiting for the universe to answer my question. When it doesn’t, I turn back around and continue to stomp my way back in the direction of my Jeep.
“Vinna, I’m drawn to you.”
I round on him. “Don’t say that. Don’t you fucking say that! I am not available. I’m not interested in drawing anyone else in. I have Chosen. I don’t know where any of them are today, but that’s beside the point. They’re mine. I’m theirs. That’s it. You need to go find someone else to scratch your witch itch, or whatever it is that has you interested.”
Torrez doesn’t look deterred at all by my rambling declarations. In fact, he just smiles and dares to take a step closer to me.
“I thought casters liked to share. I’m failing to see the problem with being drawn to you?”
“I’m not a fucking free-for-all. You flea-bitten ass licker. This is not a Vinna buffet.” I motion to myself with a sweeping hand, but I’m pretty sure my point doesn’t sink in when Torrez’s brown eyes bank with heat. “You have to go to my Chosen to get to me. Wait, that’s not right. Go through them? Go to them? Fuck, which one is the threat? I mean the threatening one because they will kick your ass. Fuck it; I’m going to kick your ass.”
Torrez puts his hands up palms out when I step towards him with clenched fists. “Okay, I’ll back off until I can go to them.”
“No. That’s not what I mean. This…” I gesture from me to him, “is not up for discussion.”
His smile gets bigger, confusing me even more. Why is he not getting it?
“What the fuck? Don’t wolves mate for life? As inonemate for life. If you got involved with a caster, that would pull you away from your pack. You’re what, second in line to take over? I think the moonshine has addled your brain. Or maybe you need a snickers; you’re not yourself when you’re hungry—or at least that’s what the commercials say.”
I slam a hand over my mouth to keep any more dumb shit from dribbling out.
Motherfucking moonshine!
No more gummy-bear flavored alcohol for me. Ever. A laugh escapes him, and I can tell that he’s trying hard to keep more in, but he’s fighting a losing battle. Dick. A howl tears through the night, and then suddenly the air fills with the beautifully haunting sounds of other answering howls.
“Are you going to run with us, or run away scared, Little Witch?” Torrez challenges me.
“Please, are you going to double-dog dare me next and call me a sissy?”
He laughs again and shakes his head at me. “You might want to change into something that you can run in, unless you want to go naked. That’s how we’ll start; you could consider it embracing your inner wolf.”
I glare at him, but his smile just widens. I look back in the direction of Mave’s house. I should really leave, but judging by the word vomit I just spewed, I might be a little more under the influence than I thought.
“I’m sure Mave won’t care if you raid her closet real quick.” Torrez offers, as if he can read the debate going on in my mind.
A run might be my best bet at sobering up enough to get the fuck out of here.
“Fine.” I agree. “But you stay out here while I change, and keep your hands to yourself from here on out. That is the only warning you’re going to get from me.”
I turn around and close the distance between me and Mave’s cabin. Here’s hoping we wear the same shoe size because these sandals are not going to cut it for a run.
15
The night feels even colder than it did before, but I dismiss the bite of the chill knowing that as soon as I get moving, it will feel good. Everyone around me starts to casually strip down to their birthday suits. I train my eyes on the sky in an effort to avoid all the body parts that are none of my business. After a couple of minutes of looking like an immature idiot, I deem the situation safe and pull my head down and try to keep my eyes from landing on anything for too long.
A good portion of the shifters have already shifted into their wolf forms, where they eagerly wait to get going. I focus on them, and the different features and colors of fur that mark them as individuals instead of looking too closely at those who are still standing around in the buff. Apparently, they like to shift more last minute or mid-run, Torrez informed me.
The wolves all vary in size and color, but each of them exudes a wild power and an undeniable predatory prowess. With each individual that shifts, more wild magic permeates the air, and I feel it start to soak into me. The feral power mingles with my Sentinel magic, and the swirl sends a chill running down my spine and urgency through my blood. I find myself feeling restless and ready to put my muscles to work. A wolf scuffle breaks out next to me, and the horse-sized gray wolf that is Torrez, growls out a warning that puts an immediate stop to the aggression.
A distant howl rings out and rises to the stars, and all the wolves tilt their heads back and answer the call. Abandoning all self-consciousness, I point my face to the sky and let out my own answering howl. Torrez’s gray wolf bumps up against me, and I push at his huge frame and grumble about him keeping his hands and paws to himself. I wonder offhandedly where Mave and Pebble are, but I have no time to focus on that, as the wolves around me begin to lope in the direction that their Alpha leads the pack.
The pace starts out slow. The wolves in front of the group begin to lengthen their strides and pick up speed and soon the whole pack is hurtling through the densely clustered trees. I run full out, but their four legs easily outpace my two, and I start to fall behind. I call on some extra power from my runes, and as it spurs on my muscles, I start darting through the wolves that are bringing up the rear. Torrez stays with me the whole time, and I can feel his excitement as I push more magic into my legs and pick up speed.
Brisk wind whips my hair back behind me, and I feel a flush rise in my cheeks. All around me wolf paws hit almost silently against the forest floor. The sound of fur brushing against trees, the thudding of my steps, and panting, are the only sounds that surround me, as I find a steady pace in the middle of the pack. Out here, in the moonlight-streaked forest, I feel the pack’s connection to each other and to the land, in a surprising way.
My glimpse at their connection fills me with a keen sense of longing and accentuates how much of an outsider I am. Frost-kissed air moves in and out of my lungs and I pump my arms and legs in a soothing tempo. The smile on my face is automatic, I love pushing my body, but this is so much more than that. I feel wild, predatory, and free in such a unique way. With each press of my feet into the rich soil, with each mouthful of crisp mountain air, I let go.
