Chapter 4: Threats

        The next morning Jane woke to sunlight and the smell of coffee. Ara must have come sometime in the night and placed a heavy blanket on her because it was not there when she had fallen asleep. Toll was also lying on the floor next to her bed. As soon as she moved the slap of his tail on the wood floor indicated that he had been waiting for her to wake. Ara had also done her laundry in the night, and it was folded atop the dresser. She blushed thinking about him washing her underwear, but she recovered quickly in the relief to be in clothes that fit her properly. Anatol’s nails clicked on the floor as he walked with her downstairs.

            At the bottom of the stairs, he paused looking out toward the door, letting out a low growl. Jane, curiously went to open the door, and she found Quincy and Ara outside standing tensely facing one another in the gravel driveway. The two turned to look at her, and she was grateful that Quincy was fully clothed this time in a bright seafoam green shirt and jeans. It made him look younger, and his green eyes blazed with anger.

            “Good morning,” she said breaking the silence. Quincy turned about to face Ara, who began inching himself towards the porch. The atmosphere was tense, she could see the muscles in Quincy’s shoulders tens and shift as he turned back to look at her.

            “Who are you? What pack do you belong to?” He asked Jane brazenly.  

            “Oh, no I am not a shifter,” she said as gently as possible, trying to diffuse the tension.

            “Bullshit. Out with it, where are you from?” He pressed.

            “No really, I am just a human” she felt slightly disappointed saying so too. Quincy turned to stare down at Ara in disbelief.

            “I can feel her, so out with it, or I will consider this an act of aggression. That was my kill last night, you know that I need a solid resume to present the king with. I just never imagined you would sabotage that for me. Do you want to form your own pack then? Stupid way to go about it” he shot aggressively.

            “No. Quincy, I don't even have friends. You know this. No, she has her own grudge against Abe, it has nothing to do with you or me. She and I just coincidentally met once before. I only interfered to be sure she was not hurt, and she deserves to take her revenge.” His hands were out in a ‘calm down’ gesture, and he was hunching and continuing to take steps sideways till he was standing at the base of the stairs between Quincy and Jane.

            “You are such a fucking liar. I can’t believe I have helped you all these years and just let you do what you want. I have compatibility with her. I can feel it, so either I am losing my mind or you are lying.”

            “I know, I can feel it too,” Ara said in a more defeated tone.

            “Feel what? What are you talking about?” Jane snapped angrily at Ara. Obviously, there was something going on here that she had not been privy to, and she did not appreciate being talked around.

            “Ok everybody just stay calm. The best way to sort this out is for Jane to be tested. I will take her to a lab today. We will give you the results and we can put all of this distrust aside, ok?” Ara said diplomatically, looking from one to the other more nervously now that Jane was feeling angry too.

            “Fine. But she is your responsibility, she cannot leave your site until I have those results. No leaving town, no attending rallies or anything until I see her pack. Anything funny and I am coming after you Ara” Quincy threatened pointing at him with an angry finger. He turned on his heel and walked down the driveway to where he had parked his fancy German car and he drove off. Only when he closed the door to his car did Ara breathe again in a huge sigh.

            “Come inside, we can talk there where it's warm” He gently took her hand as he walked past, clearly hoping some benign contact would loosen her anger. She was shivering with anger, maybe some cold, but mostly anger. Nothing made her angrier than being talked over and actively excluded.

            “What the fuck is going on, Ara” she snapped at him, arms crossed sitting stiffly at the table. For some reason adding his name made her anger seem more directed.

            “I will explain, but before that. Pancakes? Coffee? I also have some apple juice. You need to eat something” she frowned at him. He was being nice and it was working, because she could feel herself frown like a petulant child.

            “Pancakes, please, And Juice” she managed to grind out.

            He made her wait until there was a steaming pile of pancakes in front of her. He only started talking when she started eating. He was watching her closely from his spot leaning his behind against the countertop. He had a kitchen towel thrown over one shoulder.

            “He has gotten the wrong impression of you. He thinks you are a shifter because both of us can sense you like we would an omega. It’s not totally unheard of, but sometimes genes can be recessive and a child who cannot change is born from shifter parents. That is what I think anyways, maybe you have an ancestor or something that gives you an incredible smell.” He breathed in closing his eyes and leaning towards her slightly.

            “Smell?” she went to whiff herself, she smelled like his plain soap and detergent.

            “I don't understand,” she said slack faced.

            “It’s just my guess. There have been shifters who have taken human mates, but it's not common and usually, these couples live amongst humans. Sometimes humans never know their partner is a shifter. So maybe you have an ancestor like that. When shifters have high compatibility, we smell good to one another. I think humans have this too, where you can scent the mates that will give you more healthy offspring. With shifters it's strong. The higher the compatibility the more extreme the symptoms or instincts become.” He had maintained eye contact with her and explained gently, as she continued to shove sticky mouthfuls of pancakes in angrily. She chewed and swallowed, taking a deep breath.

            “How long have you thought I was a shifter?” she asked uncertainly.

            “Well, I could scent you from the very beginning. One of the reasons that I found you was because I can smell you. I bet that sounds so weird to you. I assume that you don't smell anything from me?” he had cocked his head to the side like a curious bird.

            “We use the same soap to wash our clothes. But outside of that, I don’t smell anything. What do I smell like?” her curiosity was killing her. God, I hope it’s nothing gross.

            “Humm, it's a mix of smells actually, and it changes depending on how you are feeling. One part is a strong sweet flower, like a Jasmine or a Lilac. That is strongest when you are relaxed, so like when you sleep. Basically, the whole upstairs smells like flowers to me. There is also a citrus fruit, it’s more like yuzu or bergamot, something not super sharp. There is also a woody addictive thing, sort of like raw tobacco. But that one is the weakest” he looked up towards the ceiling while he explained, blushing. Jane knew that smells were as important to shifters as sight was for humans, but how intimate they were she had no idea till the largest man she had ever known blushed like a schoolgirl, in his own kitchen.

            “Is it weird to ask that? Is my smell the same for Quincy? Or is it different for each person”

            “Mm I imagine it's the same smells, but stronger or weaker depending on the compatibility. And yes, it’s totally weird to explain a smell to someone who cannot smell that thing. Imagine explaining the sky to someone who can’t see, how would you describe blue to someone who has never seen the sky?” this made her smile. It was ridiculous to ask such a thing, plus by the sounds of it, the emotional part made her feel a bit naked. She did not like the idea of anyone knowing if she was calm or sad just by her smell.

            They had jointly agreed that Jane would be needing a few things from her home. Quincy’s threat made the next step easy. The pair found themselves parked outside of the student housing, looking at the windows on the 4^th floor, where she and Danielle shared a corner space. The lights were off, and there was no sign of life. Then again it was mid-morning, and Dani was not known for her productive morning habits. Particularly with the introduction of Travis into her life, Dani was at his frat house as often as she was home. It was not totally unusual, but with how nervous Jane was feeling, everything felt unusual and heightened.

            Her phone had long since been out of battery so they were walking in blind. They slipped into the propped open building door and climbed the stained carpeted staircase. Ara having never seen a university dorm or university housing started slowly exploring. The sheer multitude of smells was like a punch to the gut. Sometimes crowds of humans were hard for shifters because of their lack of awareness when it came to smells. In this building tho, it was more than just people's smells there was mold, old sugary liquor, blood, and a multitude of waves of garbage. He had to hold his breath until they were safely inside Janes's corner apartment. Her jasmine smell seemed to wash the others away.

       Fascinating. He thought to himself trying to take in all the parts of this space one by one. Jane wandered off to organize her things, and he was left loitering unwatched. He felt mischievous, starting with the front closet. There was a mound of shoes on the floor all mixed and squashed together. He quickly picked out a nice pair of Sorel boots that smelled new. Then he quickly found some comfortable leather walking shoes, definitely Janes. Picking out another few pairs that seemed like she liked them or they were going to be useful he separated out a little pile.

        He had packed his own duffel bag into his backpack. Just in case. He had thought as he left his own house, and he was sure glad he had. Packing the shoes, he moved up to the coats. There were so many coats and sweaters and long-sleeved things that looking at them was a challenge. He had to shove everything to one side and peel through one at a time. He took one coat for each season, plus a few well-loved things he was sure Jane would find comfort in. Atop the closed were plastic bins crammed full of hats, gloves, and scarves, and in the other all kinds of bags. Using his own judgment and sensibilities he picked out one of each category, and more if they seemed to carry Jane's smell thickly. 

Wandering into the living space that had a lovely view out into a cross space for students to lounge or walks. He started to liberally take things he thought would be of sentimental value. A family photo, a worn stuffed rabbit. He kept pausing with some of the more eccentric items, but easily rationalizing that he could always bring it back, he packed it. He wanted her to feel comfortable at his house, perhaps he was too eager to share his space but he did not want to think about that too much. Anyways, he did not want to have to come back for a good long while. He kept thinking she might need this and tossed whatever it was into his bag.

          Jane was messy, or at least messy by his standards. He had only what he needed and it was never colorful or creative, just functional, and he liked the symmetry in designs. He had been raised under conditions of scarcity. His grandfather used this frugality to shape him into a cold but well-prepared person. Looking around this space now, where Jane and Dani clearly felt safe and free to do as they pleased was new and enticing for him. This was also a great excuse to poke around the apartment and to learn different sides of Jane. Like what seemed to be her favorite color, he was going to guess teal or light orange. He could also see what kind of styles she liked and that she tended to choose simple and comfortable clothing over flashy. Even if her clothes were quieter than Dani's they were made from fine material, and some of the brands even he had seen before. She comes from money, he noted.

         Jane had plugged in her phone and leisurely gone into the bathroom to pack everything and anything. She tended to overpack, she was an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink kind of gal. She had many trinket things that she would re-find while packing and bring them along. She moved into her room and started on her dresser. It felt good to be back in her own space again. She was humming to herself while packing her toiletries into smaller more selective bags, which she would then put all together in one bag. Her bags had bags, she smiled inwardly thinking about how Dani would tease her for treating her things like a Matryoshka Doll.

            A loud crashing noise brought Ara out from the kitchen in a burst, he had a few different refrigerator magnets he was debating taking. Jane, instantly thought that Ara had broken something with his totally overflowing curiosity and enthusiasm. He tried to play it cool on the way, but no one would miss his wide excited eyes and playful curiosity to see and touch everything. He had even paused at the trash and recycle room on the way up. Bumping right into him in the hallway the two looked into the living space with shocked eyes.

           A Molotov cocktail had been thrown through the window and broken on the floor. Glass from the window and the bottle sparkling on the carpeted floor. Ara braced the doorway stopping her from dashing in and trying to grab anything. The liquid that had been in the bottle spread as a puddle of liquid fire quickly grasping the full curtains and consuming them into black flakey ash. It had happened so quickly, the fire seemed to leak onto the sofa, and under the coffee table blackening the room almost instantly.

            “Time to go” Ara declared. He threw the entire contents of whatever drawer she was going through, into the open bag and zipped it closed as he walked into her bedroom. Zipping the half-full suitcase shut, and sliding the bedroom window up. He tossed the suitcase right into the screen and the other bags followed unceremoniously crashing to the ground below. Jane was still transfixed in the hallway but by now the heat was rushing inward shocking her skin and eyes. The thick black smoke covered the ceiling as if it were made of water and the up was suddenly down. The smoke billowed like oil atop water suffocating and blinding them from above. Ara’s head and shoulders were totally obscured, and Jane was feeling dizzy and wobbly.

            In just a few smooth steps Ara scooped Jane up, careful to be gentle this time and holding her head and face into his shirt, so she would not breathe in the smoke as much. His other arm was under her bottom, and she was still processing the shock so she did not have the wherewithal to at least hold his shirt, her casted arm, in particular, flinging around with his movements. Pausing only for a moment to toss her overflowing dirty clothes hamper out the window in front of them. Without wasting any time, he leaped out the window feet first one arm grasping her body against his, and the other hand cradling her head, protecting her from a potentially rough landing.

          Jane had not even processed what was happening with the fire let alone the fact that they had jumped out a window from the 4^th floor. She felt the weightlessness and painful tickle of falling in the pit of her stomach. Whenever riding a roller coaster, she was a screamer, especially at the blind drops. She did not even have time to breathe let alone scream. Ara landed neatly in the grass. One more foot forward and he would have hit the sidewalk. He wondered briefly just how far he could jump without injuring himself. He had never thought to test it he thought as he eyed the concrete dubiously.

            Shaking off the impact he righted himself and checked the shocked Jane in his arms. He should have held onto her cast or tucked it in at least he thought looking at it hanging limply next to her body. he was lucky it had not caught on anything, and he admonished himself for not being more careful with her broken wing.

          He put Jane on her feet and scrambled about gathering the laundry that had burst out of the hamper like a cracked egg. Looking a bit silly burdened by the hamper 2 duffels a suitcase and his large backpack, he managed to deposit everything in the crawlspace behind the bench of the truck and return to the smokey scene to collect his shell-shocked companion. 

            “Jane!” he whisper-shouted at her, trying to get her attention while not wanting to get anyone else's by shouting needlessly. Jerking out of her trance and looking away from her first home away from home, she had a sickening rush of nostalgia. The weirdness of seeing a familiar place of comfort full of memories irreplaceably changed in seconds and knowing it would never be the same washed over her. Darkly, she thought it was an oddly appropriate metaphor for her life just now.

            Ara trotted up to her empty-handed and tried to gently herd her towards the truck, getting impatient at the end and all but tossing her into the cab, closing her inside, and turning to dash to the driver's seat. Before he was able to wrench the door open a ripple of air like a sudden tsunami, surged outward making all the windows jiggle and rattle, and the sound of a few in other buildings and cars filled the air. Then there was a quiet pause as if taking in a deep breath, and on the exhale, a loud explosion filled the air. Despite sitting safely inside the undamaged truck her ears were ringing from the volume, and as her hearing trickled back like the gentle clink and thud of her memories began to shower the quad.

          The fire must have reached the gas line in the kitchen. The grass and sidewalk were sprinkled with glass and other confetti debris parts of her life. Memories that she did not even know she should cherish until she saw them violently spewed across the lawn of her university. Part of a photograph, the arm of a stuffed bear she got at the fair, the lid to the kettle. People came oozing to the epicenter, not wanting to be caught running but certainly not wasting time to investigate. The fire illuminated the inside inconsistently and smoke billowed out the now black gaping hole that once was a window. Not wasting any time to ogle, Ara maneuvered the truck out of the lot and they had just turned out of the campus when the fire brigade passed in the opposite direction.

            Jane let out a few dry coughs, making Ara look at her nervously. He reached across her and closed the seatbelt across her lap. She just stared slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the scene receding into the side mirror. Even when they were clear across town, Jane thought she could still see the continuous ribbons of smoke slicing across the horizon. The pair sat in stunned silence, Jane blinking and tearing up from the smoke.