Father might have his thugs patrolling the area. When he said he’d let them have me, it wasn’t an empty threat.
As I turn on some lights and head to the kitchen, I weigh my fear of the wedding against being taken by Father’s dogs, and the wedding measures up as slightly less frightening.
So far, Shawn’s been pretty nice. I don’t buy it, but it might be worth finding out a bit more about him.
As he follows me inside, I struggle not to look back over my shoulder at him. I can feel my cheeks flushing with heat as I try to suppress the urge to check him out.
Okay, I admit it, the guy is cute. Any girl with eyes would notice that. I can finally understand how girls risk their sanity for a man—but that doesn’t mean I will! It’s only a matter of time until he shows his true colors. And he’s going to be just like Father, or worse.
I sit down at the kitchen table and watch Shawn enter the room. He’s tall and muscular, with a faint tan as if he works a lot outdoors. He moves with light, easy grace and doesn’t make any sound, even as his feet touch the floor.
Kind of like Father. He has to sneak up on everyone just for kicks.
When he turns to look at me, my heart flutters in my chest. His sharp, high cheekbones define his face, sweeping down to the hard line of his jaw, sprinkled with dark stubble. When he comes closer, I can see that his eyes are an incredibledark green, like the moss that grows around rocks at the banks of a stream.
Silence stretches out between us as we look at each other, and it doesn’t feel awkward. I’m grateful to have a few moments of quiet to appraise him, and it’s like he’s studying me, trying to work me out. I’m actually surprised he’s going to this much trouble.
Surely, all he wants is a house slave and a baby-making machine. The old laws dictate getting me pregnant as soon as possible.
“Should we have something to eat?” he asks, sitting down across from me.
Here it comes.
“I’m not sure what supplies will be here,” I answer. “I don’t think anyone’s been through the place since Talon and Jess died.”
“What can you tell me about Talon?” he asks.
As my memories rise, a little smile curves my lips, and I have to look away from Shawn to compose myself.
“He was very kind and fair. I often came here after school. He and his wife were very nice to me.”
“I haven’t been told much about him,” Shawn says. “But it sounds like he kept the pack isolated, and poor. Do you know why he’d do something like that?”
I look up at Shawn, ready to make a cutting remark to defend Talon and his actions, but before the words can leave my lips, an old memory cuts through my thoughts.
Why don’t I want to lie to Shawn? Surely, my loyalty to Talon is greater than a sense of duty to a man I’ve known for a grand total of five minutes?
“It’s true that he kept us isolated,” I say, “but there was a reason. The Clover pack has been isolated up here for generations. Our ancestors ran from a great, destructive force. We don’t really know much about it. When I was very little, Jess used to take us to preschool. There was this old rhyme she used to sing. Something about a snake made of fire.”
“What?” Shawn looks sharply at me. “Really?”
“Yes,” I say, a bit shocked by his reaction. “It’s just a fairytale.”
“It might not be,” he says, his eyes unfocused as if he’s thinking about something. “As a matter of fact, I think Clover is just outside the blast radius.”
“What?” I ask, fear rising in my stomach. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Look, I can explain, but I’m just not sure how much detail I can share at this point. Can you tell me anything else?”
“Like what?” I reply, indignant now.
“The words of the rhyme, maybe.”
“I don’t know…something about how the peak keeps us safe from the angry fire, and we only survive by living in secret.”
“That’s it?”
“My memory isn’t great. It was a long time ago.”
