Samantha had fainted in my arms and I was now sitting on the couch watching her sleep after I had gotten us out of that building and safely through the portal. I still couldn’t believe that I was looking at her.The sun would rise soon yet I wasn’t as tired as I should be. I guess the shock of finding her was enough to keep me wide awake. She lay there peacefully while an inner turmoil waged war inside me. Kane had returned an hour ago and so far he’d only been staring at her intently.“Is this real?” Kane asked me after a moment.“I don’t know,” I said to him.She stirred slightly and I sat watching her wake up. It was like I knew every stretch of her muscles, every groan as her senses awakened, the way her eyelids flickered lightly before opening, the smile tugging on the sides of her lips.“Griff…. Griffin?” she said questioningly as she sat up blinking a few times.“All these years I thought you were dead,” I said to her.“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered looking at me
I found Kane sitting near the jetty looking out over the lake. He seemed lost in thought and he hadn’t been in the house all day. I had brought his dinner with me because now I was worried. It wasn’t like Kane to act like this.“What’s up with you, big guy?” I asked him as I placed the container down in front of him.“Nothing,” he said and gobbled his food up.“What are you doing out here?” I asked him.“Waiting,” he said.“Waiting for what?” I asked.“Something,” he said.“I’m starting to worry about you, Kane,” I said and he looked at me.“I don’t know how to explain it. Something’s off, I don’t know what, something’s not right with Samantha,” he said.“What do you mean?”“Her scent’s different, she smells like them,” he said.“Them who?”“Hunters,” he said and looked back towards the lake.“I pulled her from a warehouse crawling with them,” I said.“No, her scent’s changed Griffin, how can you not smell it? She’s been here for a whole day and she still smells different,” he said.I
“Wake up Samantha,” I said as I sat on one of the chairs that I had pulled up close to the bed.“Griffin?” she asked questioningly as she rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily, “what’s going on?”“Why did you do it?” I asked her.“Do what?”“Why did you betray me?” I asked.“I didn’t, what are you talking about?” she asked me.“You knew that attack was happening, you gave your father information about me, about my family,” I said.“Griffin….” she said.“Where is it?” I asked her.“Where’s what?” she asked me looking somewhat afraid now.“Your hunter’s mark,” I said and her eyes widened just a fraction. It was so sudden that I almost missed it.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as her eyes darted to the door.“You smell different, I didn’t want to believe it at first, but Kane was right, I can smell it now,” I said to her.She darted up from the bed and pulled the door open to find Kane standing there growling at her. I stood up as she backed away and pushed her back tow
Have you ever been afraid? People are afraid of many things, sometimes just the idea of fear itself is enough to make you afraid. What was I afraid of? Nothing, at first. Then the fear came hurtling across the landscape towards me and it sucked me right in. I was afraid of only one thing. Me. I was never afraid of the dark, even as a little child, because I was blessed, later I called it my curse, but I when I was still young and innocent, I was blessed. My mother loved me beyond what is normal and my father was always there, right beside me. They loved each other completely, I looked at them and I wanted that for myself. I was raised in the clowder knowing my place in this world. I was the future Alpha and hopefully I’d be an Enforcer too, my father was my hero, the strongest man I knew. We had a large extended family but I was never spoiled. They taught me right from wrong and they taught me respect, but they also taught me never to back down, to stand against the world if I had t
“Griff!” I opened my eyes and turned onto my back. It was the first day of the last year of school. Last night had gone on late and I still had a slight headache throbbing at the base of my skull. Mac, Jett and I had gone out to the woods, the deep woods, to drink and spar. Alcohol didn’t affect us as it did humans but enough consumption could lead to foolish actions. I groaned as I got up when I heard Finley’s footsteps outside my bedroom door. “Are you up?” she asked as she pushed my door open. “Geez mom, some privacy,” I said as I stood in my underwear. Her gaze never wavered as she looked at me. She was a beautiful woman, weird and complicated, but she was my mother and even if she couldn’t physically beat my ass, she’d tase me. Oh yes, you read that right. She tased my dad too, a few times, and then she laughed as he lay spasming on the ground. “Why can’t you sleep in pajamas like normal people?” she asked me. “Normal? In this family?” I asked her and she smiled at me. “Ye
I watched Travis for about a week and during that time I found out everything I could about Samantha Cartwright. He hadn’t made his move yet although I saw that he started being nice to her friend, Jennifer. Samantha walked to and from school every day and they lived in the lower class area of Newport. She always had a book with her and she was one of the top academic students of the school. She never wore revealing clothes and opted for jeans, sneakers and hoodies in the winter and jeans and modest tops in the summer. She didn’t partake in sports although she did go for long walks, sometimes only returning after dark. Her parents didn’t seem to be in the picture and she lived with her older sister who was rarely home, which meant she was basically by herself. “What’s going on with you?” Damon asked me one night after dinner. “Just school stuff,” I said. Damon had brought me into his office because my father really knew me too well. He was an expert in reading people but with the
I dropped Mac and Jett at the packhouse and left without going inside. They both looked at me questioningly as I reversed the truck and drove down the tree lined lane back through the woods. I wondered briefly how long it would take before my phone started ringing. I knocked on the front door for a second time when I heard soft footsteps coming from the staircase and falter in front of the door, like they were waiting for me to knock again. “I know you’re standing right in front of the door Samantha,” I said and I could hear her intake of breath. She wasn’t expecting that one and this time I did smile. “What are you doing here?” she asked through the door. “It’s cold out here, come on, open the door,” I said to her. She unlocked it and slowly opened the door just slightly so she could look at me. She looked pale and sweaty at the same time like she had a fever and I just looked at her bundled up figure as I put my hand against the door and started to push it inwards. “Are you goi
‘Not going to school today’ – Samantha. I saw the text as I headed out of my room with my backpack and found Mac and Jett already stuffing their faces. I didn’t have much of an appetite and they both noticed as I pushed the half full plate away after taking a few bites. “What’s up with you?” Mac asked me. “Samantha,” I said and they both looked at me. “Bare your heart brother, I’ll be your Dr. Phil,” Jett said as I glared at him. “I went back to her house last night,” I said as Jett interrupted me. “Ah true to your rep brother, you move quickly,” he said suggestively as I smiled and shook my head. “Don’t be an idiot, Jett,” Mac said to him. “Anyway, she has no heating in the house or food,” I said and Mac stopped eating. “What?” he asked me as he looked at his plate. “That’s not right,” Jett said. “I thought she lived with her sister?” Mac asked. “Yeah but her scent’s very faint, she hasn’t been there in at least a month,” I said to him. “Is Samantha going to school today?