Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (2 page)

 Sometimes Kat would
find a piece that inspired her and she would repurpose a rusty old piece of junk
into something beautiful, kind of like the piece she was bringing in today. What
had once been some kind of old farm implement was now going to be someone’s new
end table. Their customers went crazy for things like this.

 The key was to not
clean them up too much. People loved the look of the original patina in her
pieces.
Ha, patina!
Kat thought with a laugh as she lowered the tail
gate of her 62’ Ford pickup. Yes, her poor old truck was just full of “patina”
but still retained most of its sky blue paint and white roof. Kat knew she was
strange but she loved her old truck.

 The truck she had kind
of inherited when she bought her place in the valley. A little old man had
lived on the property for most of his life until he had passed away a few years
ago. Kat had taken one look at the run down mess and fallen in love. People
thought she was nuts but she just had a knack for looking at things and seeing
the potential in them.

 The old two bedroom house
had come with ten acres, one sad old barn that leaned to one side and as a
bonus one rusty old pick up. The neighbor a few miles down the road had rebuilt
the engine for her and although it still looked a little rough it ran great and
was perfect for hauling her latest masterpiece.

 With a heave, Kat slid
the heavy piece across the tailgate and lowered it to the ground. Slamming the
tailgate shut again Kat took a minute to scan the alley behind the shop. The
backside of the old buildings lined the street of the historical shopping district
and a handful of cars were parked along the cobblestone covered street.

 A little chill ran
down Kats spine and a strange feeling of foreboding crept down the back of her
neck. Something just felt… off. She could feel a tingle of energy start to hum
just beneath her skin. “Argh! Not now. Stupid hot flashes.” Maybe Patrick was
right. Maybe it was time she went to see a doctor. Her hormones had been all
over the place lately.

 With one last glance
down the alley, she grabbed ahold of the heavy end table and carried it to the
back door of the shop. It was a heavy piece but Kat lifted it easily. The
weight wasn’t a problem but its unusual shape made it hard to hold on to. It
was a bit of a struggle but she managed to get it through the back door of the
little shop. With a groan she settled it on the floor of the backroom.

 “There you are! I was
beginning to worry that old truck of yours had broken down or something.” Patrick
walked into the back room in a huff and posed dramatically in front of Kat with
his hands on his hips and one expensive Italian loafer tapping the floor in
annoyance.  He looked adorable as usual in his button down shirt and fitted
vest.  His dark hair was casually tousled but Kat knew that he had skillfully
arranged every hair just so.

 “Sorry I’m late. I
didn’t sleep well and was moving slow this morning.”

 “Girl, just don’t
worry me like that. It’s bad enough that poor Ava has gone missing. My poor
heart just wouldn’t be able to take it if you went missing too.”

 At the mention of
Ava’s name Kat’s excuses froze in her throat. Ava was one of Kat’s best
friends. She was the closest thing she had to a sister and she had worked in
the shop with her and Patrick. Two days ago she had simply disappeared.

 They had all worked late
a couple nights ago, putting together a new window display. Kat had seen Ava
get into her car and drive away from Serendipity that night but that was the
last time Kat had seen her friend. She hadn’t come into work the next day. Kat
and Patrick had tried calling her when she hadn’t come in. When no one answered
Kat had left the shop and gone to Ava’s apartment but there was no sign of her.
Her car and purse were both gone too.

 Knowing her friend
would never just take off like that she had immediately gone to the police. Kat
had felt like screaming when they hadn’t taken her seriously since Ava had only
been missing for half a day. She knew her friend and knew something was wrong. Kat
and Patrick had immediately started asking around town and talking to Ava’s
neighbors but they had come up empty handed.

 They were both out of
their minds worried about her. Now that she had been officially missing for forty
eight hours the cops had finally decided to help out. Stupid jerks. If they had
done their jobs when Ava first went missing maybe they could have actually been
helpful.

 The police hadn’t been
able to help her when her mom had gone missing seven years ago either. Kat’s
mom had been the only family she had. Her dad had died in a car accident when
she was only three. Kat was eighteen when her mom had disappeared. She had just
started her freshman year in college and hadn’t heard from her mom in a few days.
After several phone calls she had left college and driven home to check on her.
Nothing at her house had been out of place, it was as if she had just left to
run an errand and never came back.

 The hard part was not
knowing what had happened. She had so many unanswered questions. Someone had
suggested that maybe it was better not knowing but Kat disagreed. Now poor Ava
was missing.

 Walking over to
Patrick, Kat wrapped her arms around his stiff shoulders in a tight hug and
kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry Patrick. I didn’t think.” Kat sniffed at the tears
that suddenly gathered in her eyes.

 “Oh, sweetie. Don’t
cry. I’m sorry too. I’m sure the police will find something soon.”

 Kat stepped back from
him and wiped at her eyes with her fingertips. “Right. I better get to work. Falling
apart won’t bring Ava back.”

 “Okay sweetie. So what
did you bring me today?” Patrick peered around Kat’s shoulder at the end table.
Kat stepped aside so he could see her latest creation. “Ta da!” She presented
her piece with a dramatic wave of her arms. “It’s an end table.”

 Patrick looked at the
piece with a frown, studying it with one finger pressed against his lips in speculation.
“Uh huh. End table.”

 Kat put her hands on
her hips in a huff. “Now Patrick. Don’t you start.”

 “No, no. It’s lovely. If
you say it’s an end table, that’s good enough for me.” Kat growled low at the
expression on Patrick’s face. The two of them didn’t always see eye to eye on
her pieces.

 “Come on Patrick, you
just have to have a little vision!”

 “Now girl, I’m not
saying you don’t have vision. I’m just not sure that it’s twenty-twenty.”

 Kat had to restrain
herself from snapping at him. She really didn’t want to start the day with a
fight. “Patrick, just find a place for it.”

 Patrick muttered under
his breath at her as she stomped out into the store. “Oh, I’ll find a place for
it. I have a nice dark corner all picked out.” Walking over to the piece
Patrick bent over and attempted to pick it up. After several tries that
involved a lot of grunting and groaning he finally gave up and went in search
of the hand truck they kept in the storage room. “What the hell is she making
these things out of, lead?”

 “I heard that!” Kat
sang as she pushed open the door to the storeroom. Stifling a scream she
suddenly crashed into a hard male chest. The man in question wasted no time in
taking advantage of the collision and wrapped his arms around her small form. Kat
barely restrained herself from kneeing her attacker in the jewels. Realizing it
was Eric’s arms that were around her she almost did it anyway.

 “Eric!”

 “Easy there cowgirl. Where
are you riding off to in such a hurry?”

 Shaking his arms off
of her in a huff, Kat contemplated how nice the pointy end of her boot would
look sticking out of his…

 “Eric, what are you
doing here?”

 “…and hello to you too
beautiful. I just had a few minutes before I was needed at my shop and thought
I would check in with you to see if you would like to get some lunch later.” Kat’s
green eyes glowered at him from beneath her lashes while she struggled to form
a polite response. Eric actually owned two of the shops in the little shopping district,
a fact he loved to remind everyone of. Kat had to admit, if you could look past
his arrogant smile and enormous ego, he was actually an attractive man with his
wavy blond hair and strong jaw.  He just really wasn’t Kat’s type. He was just
a little too… pretty. Unfortunately he thought of himself as the playboy of the
little historic district and was working his way through most of the sales clerks
who worked on their block. Apparently it was her turn. Oh lucky day.

 Taking a deep breath
Kat prayed for patience and struggled to think of something polite to say. Patrick
had told her she had to play nice with their neighbors. They didn’t want any
trouble with the other shops. “Um, I actually already have plans but thank you
anyway.” Kat plastered a smile on her face that she reserved for her more
annoying customers.

 Clearly undaunted by
her brush off, Eric leaned in a little closer to her and had the nerve to pick
up a lock of her hair and twirl it around his manicured finger. “Hum, well
that’s a shame. I was hoping we could spend some time together. You know, get
to know each other a little better. Next time I simply won’t take no as an
answer.” His professionally whitened teeth sparkled at her in a smile that she
was sure he must practice in front of the mirror.

 Kat carefully tugged
her hair out of his grasp only to grind her teeth as he trailed his finger down
her arm from shoulder to wrist. Kat was someone who actually loved to be
touched. She was constantly reaching out to her friends and would rest her hand
on their arm while they talked and she was definitely a hugger but something
about Eric’s touch gave her the creeps. Stepping away from him she quickly
walked around the front counter, eager to place an obstacle between her and
Eric’s wondering hands. “I really should get back to work. I got in a little
late today.”

 “Yes, she did!” Patrick’s
voice sang out from the back of the shop causing her to roll her eyes in
childlike defiance.

 Eric reluctantly moved
towards the door. “Yes, I really need to get back to my shop anyway. Things
just seem to fall apart when I’m not there. See you later.”

 Kat breathed a sigh of
relief as he left the shop; the little bells on the front door chiming his
departure. The man was annoying. She didn’t know what the other women saw in a
slime ball like that but he seemed to be popular.

 “Kat, maybe you should
go out with him. When was the last time you were on a date?” Patrick emerged
from behind a display where he had been unashamedly eavesdropping on the whole
conversation.

 “Ew, really Patrick? Eric
Norris? No way.”

 “Kat.”

 “Patrick the last
thing I need right now is Eric Norris pawing at me. I can barely stand the
man.”

 “I’m just saying maybe
some sex could help with your little hormone problems you have been having
lately.”

 “Patrick! You know
what, sex really isn’t the answer to everyone’s problems. Especially not sex
with Eric Norris. I know this is hard for you to understand but the rest of us
are not wired like you are.”

 Patrick sighed and
fluffed at his dark hair for a moment. “Honey, don’t I know it, but wouldn’t it
be fun if you were.” He shot her a devilish grin and she burst into laughter.

 The rest of their day
passed by slowly until finally it was time to close up the shop. Kat carried a
box out to her truck, she had a few things she wanted to take home to work on. Closing
the tailgate she knocked the dust from her hands and headed back towards the shop
to help Patrick lock up.

 A slight breeze blew
across the cobblestone, teasing her hair into her eyes and scattering newly
fallen leaves. Kat closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep cleansing
breath of the fall evening air. Instead of relaxing her, the breeze sent a
tingle running down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck felt like it
stood up on end. Slowing, she scanned the puddles of light coming from the lamp
post down the street.

 Peering into the
shadows around the building she could just barely make out the silhouette of a
large man sitting on the curb next to the building. “Benji?” Kat spoke quietly
into the dark alley. The large homeless man had shown up a few days ago. Ava
had teasingly named him Benji and declared him one of Kat’s new strays after
she caught her bringing him food. What could she say? She was a sucker for
strays. Ava had wanted Kat to call the police and chase him off but something
about him had pulled at Kat’s conscience. She didn’t want to cause any trouble
for the poor guy and he wasn’t hurting anything. It was really strange but Kat
didn’t find him scary.

 Assured that it was
Benji who watched her from the curb, Kat went back inside to lock up with
Patrick. Having closed up for the night Kat and Patrick walked out to their
cars together. “See you tomorrow sweetie.” With a quick one armed hug, Patrick
said goodbye and got into his car.

 Walking to her truck,
Kat found herself searching the shadows for her stray. Strangely disappointed
when she didn’t see him, Kat hiked up her skirt a bit so she could step up into
the old truck and slid onto the well-worn leather bench. The old Ford started
with a grumble and she pulled out onto the cobblestone, headed for home. A pair
of glowing eyes followed her progress for a few moments before disappearing
into the night.