Cabin Fever

HUNTER

Ela.

I missed her.

And not only because hers was the finest cunt I ever sniffed.

I wanted my nickname behind me, sure. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t think about Ela’s sweet scent…

~When we get back to normal life, Victoria will have her PR work cut out for her.~

I missed the way Ela rolled her eyes at my jokes.

The way her warm body felt nestled against mine…

It was enough to make a man sentimental.

Even a bastard as horny and callous as myself.

I was standing in the kitchen of the large house in bum-fuck-nowhere Maine, staring at Ela’s picture on my phone.

Wishing I was wherever she was.

This place made a summit on international politics sound interesting, which was no small feat.

I opened her contact and poised my finger over her phone number.

“Not a chance,” Ekon called from over my shoulder.

~Goddamn it.~

I recoiled, unaware that I was being watched.

“You know, I liked you better when you were blind,” I told him.

“What’s the bastard trying to do now?” Ryland asked as he strode to the refrigerator and began to drink orange juice from the carton.

The bastard he was referring to, of course, was me.

“He was about to call Ela,” Ekon told him, ratting me out.

“It’s not like I have cell service in the middle of nowhere, anyway,” I lied.

“Dude!” Ryland shouted, leaning over the kitchen island to get in my face. “We already told you. We can’t give away our location.”

“No one can know we’re here,” Ekon added.

“Devina is no doubt searching ~everywhere~ for us, cuntsniffer.”

I glared at Ryland. That asshole would never let me outgrow my nickname.

“My mother is the only chance we still have at defeating her,” Ekon went on, “and we ~need~ the element of surprise.”

I was about to point out that we were in this mess in the first place ~because~ of Ekon’s mother, but I thought better of it.

I knew the guy was struggling, even though he’d gotten his vision back. Bambi had lost hers. And if that wasn’t a mind fuck, I didn’t know what was.

Ekon was having a hard time. So I decided not to make it worse as I tucked my phone in my back pocket.

I was a changed man, after all.

ELA

“Goddamnit!” I cursed.

I stared in desperation at my phone as it once again failed to connect to Hunter.

“It’s not working,” Max called from across the room, as if I didn’t already know that.

We were only in Colorado, but I couldn’t help but feel that we were worlds away from the compound…and my mate.

“This Summit is becoming fishier by the ~minute~!” Hades exclaimed as he paced.

I groaned and collapsed back onto one of the three single beds in our shared room.

“If I have to live like this much longer, not knowing if Hunter and the compound are okay, I’m going to go ~crazy~!” I shouted.

“Cool it with the drama,” Kalindi warned in her big sister tone.

I stood up from the bed.

“I’m sorry, ~Kalindi~,” I said. “But I can’t cool it! None of us can reach the compound, which probably means something is wrong. And helping them seems much more important to me than this stupid Summit.”

Kalindi and Max exchanged a look. Hades smirked.

Finally, I was getting through to them.

“You’re right,” Max admitted. “I’ve been so caught up with the Summit, especially now that our new plan is working…”

He began to pace the room anxiously.

“But Bambi’s safety is more important than collaborating with President Nelson!”

“Hunter’s safety too,” I added.

Kalindi bit her lip. “The Summit won’t appreciate postponing our meetings…but if you guys think it’s worth it, I’ll be right beside you.”

“It’s worth it,” I said.

“It’s worth it,” Hades agreed.

“It’s worth it,” Max affirmed.

Max pulled out his laptop.

“I’m going to email Nelson,” he told us as he typed away madly.

Our next meeting was meant to convene in two hours, and I wondered how the President would respond to such an abrupt change.

But then again, I didn’t really care.

I had to make sure that Hunter was okay.

***

Half an hour later, the four of us were racing down the castle hall. We had packed up our belongings and were carrying our luggage with us.

As we hurried along, I was checking flights on my phone. We’d be able to leave Colorado for Alaska in just a few hours…

“In a rush, are we?” a deep male voice called from behind us.

I turned to see Barnaby Smit beside President Nelson.

The Director of Homeland Security had given me the heebie-jeebies the other day.

Now, as he flexed his arms in his tight, short-sleeve, button-down shirt, the feeling was even more acute.

“Rescheduling an international Summit…” President Nelson went on, walking toward us as he stared at Max. “A bold move for a man in your position.”

“Excuse me, Mr. President,” Max said diplomatically, “but there’s some…family trouble on the home front, and we must investigate immediately.”

I knew Max was trying to keep the real reason secret.

It wouldn’t help for the government to know that the compound was unreachable. They had only relinquished their control a few weeks prior.

“Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that,” President Nelson said with a frown.

Behind him, Barnaby Smit didn’t look sorry. In fact, he looked rather pleased.

“But I’m afraid that today’s meeting cannot be rescheduled,” President Nelson concluded.

My stomach dropped.

But Max remained diplomatic.

“The Summit is of the utmost importance to us,” Max said with a smile. “But you understand, sir, that we will be the best collaborators we can be when our whole pack is involved.”

“Collaborators…” Barnaby Smit repeated, glaring at us evilly.

“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood, Max,” the president said, his face the picture of concern. “You aren’t working ~with~ us, you’re working ~for~ us.”

I turned to my sister. I knew my face betrayed my fear, but hers was hardened with resolve.

Kalindi stepped forward, tall and imposing.

We were going to leave this place, even if President Nelson didn’t like it.

But armed guards burst from a hidden doorway, blocking our path and pointing their guns at us.

~Oh, Goddess.~

I turned back to the president and his evil sidekick.

“You can’t keep us here!” I shouted.

“Oh, yes we can,” Barnaby Smit replied.

As the guard’s gun dug into my back, I was forced to accept the awful truth…

We were stuck here.

And I couldn’t help but wonder what they had in store for us.

~Could the government be behind the communication blackout at the compound?~

BAMBI

~How does Ekon do this?~ I wondered as I traced the wall with my finger to find the doorway to the deck.

When I’d met my mate, he’d moved around so easily—it was as if he could still see.

Granted, he had spent a long time strengthening his other senses, but at this point, I doubted I would ever reach that level.

But then I heard the call of a bird, and I knew I was heading in the right direction.

I was almost outside.

I breathed deeply, scenting the saltwater. Finally, my fingers found the absence of the doorway.

When I was outside, I knew I was safe to shift.

I didn’t want to break something inside as I didn’t know what was in the house.

I shifted, my body becoming lower to the ground…fur covering my skin…

And then, finally, I opened my eyes…and I could see.

Shifting into my wolf made me feel calm and in control. And also…

I felt at home.

As I stared out at Rose’s backyard, I was brought back to my childhood.

~Maine.~

Tall conifers bordered the yard, and robins sang in the trees.

I scampered off the porch and looked back at the house to find it was even bigger than I had originally assumed.

I would patrol its rooms and halls in my wolf form, taking note of everything, so that I could navigate it more easily without sight.

I passed back into the house. I was delighted and proud to see that the shape of the living room matched the picture I had composed in my head…

The couch faced the fireplace, and the walls surrounding it were covered in bookcases.

But I hadn’t been able to see the books…

I approached the shelves and stood on my hind legs to get a better look.

It was then that, between the titles, I saw a framed picture.

~Ekon as a boy.~

He sat in Rose’s lap, laughing with his mouth open wide. He couldn’t have been more than five years old.

I had never seen him look so carefree. My heart ached as I thought of all he had endured at war…

War had helped shape him into the man he was, but it had also stolen his youth.

Rose was laughing too. It was amazing how I recognized her.

There was something that was the same about her smile, even though she was in Tyler’s body.

It was always tinged by sadness…

As if even when she appeared happy, she wasn’t sure if she deserved to be…

ROSE

~Foxgloves. So pretty, no one would know they were poisonous.~

I stared at the delicate pink flowers in my palm as I made my thirtieth trip around the house.

~Also known as deadman’s bells. How appropriate, as they don’t ring.~

The dead don’t make noise.

That is, unless they’re lucky like me.

I closed my palm, crumpling up the delicate blossoms.

~Am I lucky? Is that what it is?~

I felt cursed, straddling two worlds, doing wrong in each one.

But that would end now.

I chanted under my breath, completing the protection spell that would secure the house.

I had said these very words in this very place hundreds of times, every summer, to keep Ekon safe.

He had been my whole world since I had given my other children away.

I knew now that he was all I had. There was no point indulging the fantasy I could win Devina and Matthias back. She had proven that to me.

Now, I would focus on protecting Ekon. And Bambi.

I was glad I had Holly to help me, as two witches working together are always more powerful even than their powers combined.

But as I reached out to her as I chanted, I couldn’t locate her.

I became nervous. As I located her aura, I grew even more uncertain…

~Where has Holly gone?~

It seemed that she was far away. So far that she might not be able to return…