Wolf Spell 1 (23 page)

He slipped his hand into his jeans front pocket, pulling out his keys. I glanced away, not wanting him or Ailaina to catch me staring. Pressing the unlock button he opened the passenger door and helped me up. His hand was warm and held mine a little longer than he needed to, making me hot despite the cold air.

“Scoot on over beautiful.” I did as he said, not minding at all. He helped Ailaina climb in too, but I noticed how he touched her elbow instead of her hand.

He shut the passenger door and jumped in too. The truck came to life with a deep rumble. A silver beast that would growl down the road, daring other trucks to piss it off. I straddled the stick shift and blushed when Jarak grabbed it, making me all too aware of his closeness. His body heat radiated out, and his arm brushed against the side of my chest as he placed the truck in reverse, causing flutters in my stomach, and backed out of the garage.

I sucked in a short breath, a man who could drive a stick excited me, and sitting next to him was even better. His shirt was unbuttoned half way, revealing a white tee underneath, with his sleeves rolled up about two folds. His tight jeans moved with his thighs as he shifted. Oh, I loved how he moved.

“So how far is your house?” Ailaina asked.

“It’s a ways away. Like I said, it’s secluded.” He smiled and winked at me at the last part then he turned to head up the highway.

I asked Ailaina to roll the window down a tad, needing fresh air. I inhaled the sweet mountain air. The freshness invigorated me.

Warmth spread over my hand as he took it into his and squeezed. It felt so right to hold his hand. The sunlight warmed my face through the windshield and I leaned my head back, soaking it in.

I opened my eyes and looked over at him. “How long till Nicholas finds us here?”

He took a deep breath. “I found
him
pretty easy in Barcelona.” That’s all he said, but it was enough.

“But, how long do you think we have to find what he needs?” I persisted.

“…Hard to say. He might be here in a week or two, but it might take only a day. Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you again. You’ll find what you need.”

I swallowed the lump of fear that formed in my throat. I was more worried about Jarak and Ailaina getting hurt than myself.

Thinking about what he said when he told me about him being a Guardian gave me hope. “You remember the night we stole away to McDonalds?”

He guffawed. “Yeah, how could I forget our first date?”

Ailaina giggled
‘McDonalds…’
under her breath. I glared at her with my best shut-up look and she pretended to zip her lips with her fingers.

I smiled back at him. “Well, you said something about a gift of magic. If you had that…”

He cut me off. “No. It’s too dangerous for you to do. When a witch gives a gift of magic, they give a part of themselves away. You need everything you have.”

I sucked in my bottom lip and bit down. He was being difficult. “I think I can do it without taking anything away from myself. It won’t hurt me.”

“Es, I can’t let you risk everything—your life, just for me. Save it for the one you spend your life with.”

I slid my hand out from under his. The last words he spoke shouldn’t have hurt, but they did. It was as if he said, ‘
I want to be with you, but I don’t see us lasting
.’ It was as if he already set us up for definite fail. Maybe we weren’t even becoming what I thought.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “We’ll talk about it later.”

He turned off the highway onto a one-vehicle dirt road, maneuvering around all the bumps and holes. I would’ve had to slow down, but he drove as if he knew where each one hid, waiting for unsuspecting drivers.

We traveled up the mountain for about thirty minutes before the road ended, or what I thought ended. I was wrong. He shifted down into four low and used a trail that switched back up the mountain. It was as if the nose of the truck pointed straight up at the sky.

My arms sprung out as I reached over Ailaina, trying to grab the handle above the door, but failed. Realizing I wouldn’t be able to climb over her and hang like a monkey, I braced myself with my hands on the dash. I wasn’t some rough four-wheeling cowgirl-hick from the hills. Yes, I grew up in a small dessert town in Nevada, but that didn’t mean I rode horses and said ye–haw. The closest I ever came to four-wheeling was when Ailaina and I watched the boys up on the summit with their dirt bikes. We always came home covered in mud because the boys who flirted with us would get close and spin donuts, making their tires fling mud at us.

I looked over at her. She had a broad smile and her eyes sparkled with life. I should have known. She loved to live a little wilder and have fun, even if it meant scaring me.

“Hold on, it gets a little rough,” Jarak warned.

I wanted to glare at him, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the hundred–foot drop off right out of the window. “Ya think?”

Ailaina laughed, so I elbowed her, causing her to get louder.

Jarak chuckled too. “About fifteen more minutes and it’ll level out somewhat.”

You’d think that would’ve made me feel better, but the
somewhat
ruined every chance my nerves had to a happy ending. “What does
somewhat
mean?”

“You’ll see.”

“Please just make this ride stop.” Then I made a mistake, I opened my eyes and shrieked because the edge looked too close.

Jarak’s laughter filled the cab of the truck. Oh, I was so going to smack him as soon as I could let go of the dash, but fear immobilized me.

“Oh, Es, loosen up, he’s obviously done this before. You think you can fight warlocks and vampires, so this should be fine.”

“Great pep talk Al.” I wanted to puke.

The road settled down and became flatter and not such a steep grade. My stomach lurched as it caught up to my torso.

I moved my shaky hands away and let them fall to my lap, watching as the dash returned to normal coloring. I thought for sure it would have permanent impressions of my fingers embedded in it. “I’m never leaving.”

“I hoped you’d say that, but I didn’t expect it so soon.” He teased and smiled at me as he drove down a small trail through the bushes and trees.

“Yeah, well, to leave means I’d have to go
down
. I about died coming up. There’s no way I’d make it downhill.”

Branches and brush swiped the side of the truck as we ventured deeper into the forest, making noises like nails on a chalkboard.

“It takes a lot longer getting down than it did to come up. You got to be careful not to flip the truck.”

Oh yeah, that made me feel so much better. I reached over and slugged him in the shoulder.

“Hey, what was that for?”

“For not warning me and nearly killing me on a mountain.”

Ailaina and he both laughed, but I just shook my head.

He maneuvered the truck up and over large rocks and deep holes just as before. Up ahead the trees cleared a little, and I could see a type of structure. He parked right before the tree break and turned off the engine. The window was still open from earlier, and I could hear the wind whistle through the trees and birds chirping. Other than that, it was peaceful and quiet. Ailaina opened the door before he came around and stepped out in awe. I scooted out behind her. Looking up, I could see the tall trees sway at the tops from their remarkable height. These majestic forms of nature surrounded us at every angle.

Jarak walked around and placed his arm around my waist. “Welcome home.” He took a deep breath.

“Home? Do you have a tree house you should tell me about?”

He smiled. “Come on.” He urged me forward, but kept his arm around me. We walked into the clearing, and I gasped. It was breathtaking. A large cabin was nestled into the trees, and I could hear the sound of water not too far away. Not what I expected, not that I expected much, but this surpassed all of my thoughts.

The mountains were jagged and rocky but didn’t withhold any beauty from the backdrop. The sun began to set in reds, pinks and blues. The eerie shadows from the trees made the ground look as if it moved. A drift of snow sat undisturbed by the porch of the house.

Drawing my attention back to the house, it was two stories. Large windows plastered the front of it and the biggest part of the house with all the windows hung out on what looked like stilts, overlooking the entire mountain.

“It’s incredible.” I stopped to watch Ailaina’s reaction.

“I’ll second that.” She still twirled around in circles, taking in the surroundings.

“Wait till you see the inside. The loft is my favorite.” He squeezed me in a hug.

He let out a whistle and both Maztic and Luna appeared in front of us. It startled me, but I tried not to show it. It would be something I’d have to get use to.

“Luna.” I smiled, bending down to greet her with a warm hug. Even though I’d recently met her, I could feel our connection.

“We’ve already looked around, he’s not here and there are no signs of any hunters,”
Maztic said.

“That’s good. Keep checking, I don’t want any surprises.” Jarak picked me up and carried me up the steps to the house.

Ailaina followed, giggling as she bounded up the stairs. “You guys are so cute.”

“Put me down.” I tried objecting through my laughter, kicking my legs, but just enough to pretend to contest.

He set me down right outside the front door and opened it. He was right. The inside was stunning. Looking out the windows to the spectacular mountainous view was much better than looking in. A leather and wood scent filled the cabin, which seemed perfect for his house. It matched him. Although, I’ll admit, I never pictured him as a mountain boy.

I ran my fingers along the wooden walls as I looked around. He went back outside to grab our bags. Two dark brown leather couches faced each other, and a flat screen TV sat between them.

The kitchen was off the living room and was open and spacious. It was incredibly modern with stainless steel and digital appliances. He brushed past me with our luggage, setting them down by the fireplace that sat nestled in the corner, in between the living room and kitchen.

“How did you afford this?”

“I inherited a sufficient amount of money. My father had his own business, and many supernaturals will pay extremely well for—
help
.”

I nodded and let my mouth fall open in an ‘Oh’… as if I understood everything. He lifted my suitcase up and gestured toward the stairs. “There’s only the loft with the one bed—so I’ll take the couch. I haven’t gotten a bed for the small room downstairs yet.” I was a little disappointed, but at least we were together. I watched as he climbed the stairs until he was out of sight.

Luna walked in. Her claws tapped the floor as she strolled over to the fireplace and lay down. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, where’s Maztic?” I asked.

“He’s doing the first watch.” Jarak chimed in before Luna had the chance. “We can’t take any chances with Nicholas showing up unannounced.”

I agreed, completely.

I gestured up to the loft. “We should unpack.”

“Ya, then I want to go outside and look around. Can you believe how pretty it is here?” Ailaina reminded me of when we were in kindergarten and everything intrigued her. Her eyes lit up, and she stared out the wall of windows as we walked up the stairs.

We’d been at the cabin for a week with no signs of Nicholas or his hunters. Standing outside on the porch, I relaxed in Jarak’s arm and rested my head on his chest. I wasn’t quite sure what we were, but it comforted me to have his arms around me. As soon as I thought we were a couple, he would get distant and push me away.

I sighed. I could smell the smoke from the fireplace, reminding me of the toasty heat that waited for us. We stayed with my head on his chest for a minute longer before returning to the warmth of the house.

“I’ll go make some hot chocolate.” He kissed the top of my head as he headed toward the kitchen.

Dozens of books and newspapers were open and spread out all over the living room floor. I read everything I could, but nothing stood out as a corrective for the cursed breeds. It surprised me that Jarak had so many mythological books in his house. It was like reading a history of all Witches and Guardians. The one thing I found particularly intriguing was a Seer. They were always around witches and were usually female. I picked on Ailaina, telling her that she probably came from a family of supernaturals too.

Her whole life she had dreams of unique experiences. I began to think she was a Seer, and naturally drawn to me when we were children because of our unknown abilities.

“Anything?” I asked Ailaina as she sifted through a book on Seers.

Her head lifted, but her eyes never left the page. “Hum?”

I grinned at her. “Did you find anything we can use?”

She put the book down and scrunched her face. “You said he told you that he’d need to kill more witches right?”

I sat down next to her on the floor, crossing my legs Indian-style. “Yeah. I thought it was a scare tactic to get me to do what he wanted, but now I wonder how much truth is in it.”