While I knew I was not responsible for handling Darius' emotions, the last thing I wanted to do was to make a scene in the bar so I carefully disentangled my hand from under Liam's and went back to my job. While I walked around doing my thing, I could feel Darius' eyes on me and I knew that he was watching my every move to be sure that I did not step out of what he felt was acceptable. It was infuriating.
Liam didn't seem to be making matters any better because he was not leaving. He was comfortable just sitting at the bar and watching me for the rest of my shift. I had no idea how I got into a tug of war between two werewolves but I wanted no part of it. I just wanted to finish my job, go home and go to bed.
I was happy when my shift was over. I practically rushed out of the bar and gathered up my stuff. I was waiting for Serena to grab her stuff when I was approached by Liam outside the bar. He pulled his coat tighter around his body and walked over to where I was leaning by my car.
"I know you just got off but I was wondering if we could go out for a drink or something," he began almost hesitantly. "My car is just across the road. I know it is late but-"
"Thanks for the offer," I cut in not wanting the conversation to go longer than it needed to. "It is late and you know what happened with the girl. My family is going to be worried if I'm not home right after work."
"Come on, it's not like I can hurt you."
"I'm not willing to take the chance that someone else won't hurt me. You should also be preparing to return home. You did say that you were going back today."
"I was but I thought that maybe there was more to see here than back home. I have already seen a few things that make me want to stay. I was hoping you could-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a gust of wind blowing in our direction. I did not carry a jacket so I had to wrap my arms tighter around myself. As soon as the wind blew, Liam straightened as if he had been electrified. His eyes narrowed in my direction and for a second, I worried that I had done something wrong. His nostrils flared and he took a step closer to me.
I took one back almost immediately. "Is something wrong?"
He seemed to snap out of whatever reverie he was in and shook his head. I was still very wary of him so I kept my distance. He put his hands in his pocket, cleared his throat and without another word, he walked past me. As he walked past, however, I caught him taking a discreet sniff of my body. I wanted to say something snarky but I kept my mouth shut. Maybe it was a werewolf thing because I remembered Darius doing it.
I exhaled deeply to calm myself and turned to the door to see who had walked out. I had expected to see Serena or Darius but I saw Ian. He had a cigarette in his mouth and his lips were quirked up in amusement.
"I don't know if you go looking for trouble or if trouble always seems to find you," he drawled. "Although judging by what I know, you seem to always find it."
"What do you want, Ian?"
He took the cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it out with his feet. "Stay away from him. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."
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"I don't trust you as far as I can throw you."
"That's smart." He tipped his head in my direction. "Go home, Leindra. I'll take Serena."
Ian left me out in the cold and despite the thoughts running through my head, I got into the car and drove straight home. I wanted to know why everyone had asked me to stay away from Liam. Was there something about him that I didn't know? I remembered that Serena had called him a rogue so I spent the entire night researching on rogues.
I was not able to get much and I realized that if I wanted to know more, I would need a human source. Darius and I still hadn't spoken since the rump at his place and I wanted Liam to think I was unaware of his status as a rogue so that left Serena. So far, she was the only one who had given me any answers about werewolves and I knew she would not hesitate before giving me answers this time.
I fell asleep sometime after midnight and I had another nightmare. This time, it started with me on the beach. It was a particular beach that I had visited with my parents when
I was much younger. Chris couldn't have been more than five at the time and I remembered that particular incident because I had wandered off towards the caves and hit my head on a rock. My parents always told me that it was a miracle I was found because the waves could have washed me away.
In my nightmare, I watched myself go towards the rocks. It felt like something was pulling me in that direction. I wandered over there and found an assortment of sea shells. I was picking them up when I felt a shadow behind me. It blocked off all the light coming in from the cave. I turned instantly and was face to face with a sandy brown wolf. It watched me with curiosity and even cocked its head to the side.
Out of fear, I stumbled back and tripped over a rock which resulted in my cracking my head against the cave floor. Before I passed out, however, I saw the wolf walk over to me until it was standing directly over me. It sniffed me, howled and ran away. That was when I passed out and woke up with a gasp.
I checked the clock when I woke up and it was three a.m. I was about to leave my room but something compelled me to stay and go over to the window. My window had a large ledge that I used to sit on as a child and something inside of me compelled me to do it again. It was a lot more difficult than it was five years ago and I was terrified I would fall. I knew I wouldn't die but I would get hurt.
I managed to sit down and allowed the cold air to hit my skin. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back so I was facing the sky. The fresh air did wonders for my skin and my mind. I felt the remnants of my dreams slip away with the breeze. I couldn't help but wonder what prompted those dreams and if they were memories.
I was not aware of the presence of wolves until around sixteen but from these memories, it meant that I had known about them for a while. I didn't know what to believe. It felt like I had two separate realities at war within me and both felt like illusions. My life had taken such a turn since I returned to Lunarius and I began to wonder if returning was a good idea at all.
I let out a sigh and looked around the quiet neighborhood. All the lights were off except the streetlights and there was not a single sound save for the chirping of crickets and the breeze in the air. I was about to go back into my room when I felt a shift. There was no other way to describe what I felt in the air. It felt like everything had gone still and something was about to happen.
I looked around the dark and empty streets hoping to see something that could confirm what I had felt. I was sure I looked crazy sitting on the ledge of my window while staring at the open space. I began to doubt myself and whether the shift I felt was a result of my nightmare. I was about to leave when I heard a branch crack.
I froze because I knew what that crack meant. I waited with baited breath because I knew that if I could hear it then it could see me. I did not want to turn my back on any wolf for fear that it would attack me. My house was a bungalow so my ledge was close to the ground. A wolf could easily jump and grab me.
"What were you thinking, Leindra?" I asked myself. "A woman died and you're out here making yourself bait."
I began to doubt whether the wolf was going to show itself when I saw the pair of glowing red eyes from the forest. It emerged slowly and I realized it was not the wolf that attacked me the other day.
This one had fur the color of mud, but what had me freezing was the blood on its muzzle.