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  “Asher, we have already discussed this. The packs have agreed to not disclose who we are until the war with the Hunters is over. Our goal is, that once they see we are working together and we didn’t leave to form our own band of Vampires, they will leave us be,” his dad said. “Asher trust us,” his dad pleaded as he placed his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Our secret is safe until this war is over.”

  I watched as Asher slowly relaxed and embraced his father's hug. “I hope you are right, dad,” Asher exhaled loudly.

  Glancing around at the many faces surrounding us, I could tell that Asher’s words rang true to all of their thoughts. We all could only hope that we would make it out of this alive.

  “We have our plan, Elle. It is time for you to trust us now. Be a teenager. Be vigilant and stay close. I will call the coffee shop, you are not to work or go out until the Huntress is found and destroyed,” my dad said, as he stood. “We have to track their steps now. Find their scents and locate where they are hiding now. Elle, you are to stay here until further notice. You may hunt with Maddox or with other members of the pack, but you are never to be alone,” he said, before jumping into the air and shifting into a large, black crow.

  “But I have plans this weekend with Melanie to go ice-skating,” I argued, as I was reminded of my normal plans that I so desperately needed.

  “You will have to cancel them for now,” my dad ordered.

  “But…” I tried to argue but was cut short.

  “This is not up for discussion. You placed yourself in danger once, it will not happen again,” he stated with finality.

  I knew there was no need to argue further.

  Other members began to shift into wolves and other wild animals. Turning to me, my mom looked at me with a pained expression. “I will go hunt with the pact too. Your dad will be able to see more ground by flying while the rest of us can sniff out their scents and follow tracks. Maddox and Asher will remain here with you, I love you,” she said, before turning and running out the door. I saw a glimpse of her shift into a sleek, black panther before she disappeared into the woods.

  They expected me to sit here and not use my gift or my senses to help them fight this army. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. I will just have to devise my own plan to save the family and the love of my life.

  Chapter 14

  Thanksgiving arrived, and it appeared more like Christmas than the Fall holiday we loved. White, fluffy snow covered the ground as my mom prepared a lavish turkey dinner for our pack and Asher’s family. Since learning about Asher and his family uniting with ours, nothing seemed more appropriate than joining our families for a Thanksgiving meal. My parents had gone out hunting for the perfect turkey and other members of the pack hunted as well. What we ended up having was two turkeys, a large ham, potatoes and other delicious vegetables from Asher’s mom’s garden, and several pumpkin and apple pies.

  As we all sat down to enjoy the festive meal at our large, country style kitchen table, my heart filled with joy at seeing so many people I cared about in one room. Sitting between Asher and Maddox, I ignored their tension and just enjoyed being seated next to my two favorite boys.

  Once all the food was placed on the table, I could feel my mouth watering as I took in the sight before me.

  “Thank you all for joining us on this holiday,” my dad began as he stood and addressed the room. “Now it is important more than ever for us to gather as one and show our unity. We are giving thanks today for the land we hunt on, the animals that provide our nourishment, and each other. Everyone enjoying this meal and our time together,” he finished, as he held up his glass and toasted. Everyone around me lifted their glasses as well and we all shouted, ‘cheers’ together.

  Even though we all talked and laughed, there was still the looming fear of the Huntress over our heads. However, no one spoke of armies designed to kill us or shifting, or the battle that was bound to happen soon enough. And I, well, I didn’t speak of my small notebook I kept nestled in my pocket that held my plans to save my family.

  ***

  After begging, pleading, and pouting like a baby, my parents finally agreed to let me go ice-skating with my friends like we had planned. Thanksgiving had proven to be a stress-free holiday and with everyone being on alert, there wasn’t much danger to be seen. A month had passed, and my friends and I were dying to have some freedom and thankfully, my parents agreed we deserved it too. Only, I had to agree to be supervised the entire time by members of the pack. I felt like I had bodyguards watching my every step as Maddox and I drove to Asher’s house where we would leave to go pick up Melanie and Laura.

  “So, we are sort of like prisoners you know,” Maddox chuckled, as he looked in the rear-view mirror at the trail of cars following us.

  “Yep,” I agreed.

  As we pulled up to the large, two-story brick home, I pulled the car next to the curb and cut off the engine. “Maddox, I hate that we have the pack following us like we did something wrong. But, if we want to have any fun and get out of our houses, it is necessary,” I said, as I tried to reason with him.

  Maddox was still pouting, and I really needed him to perk up and get out of his foul mood. If only for tonight. I needed to just be a teenager tonight before the rest of my world went back to fear and Hunters.

  “Fine, I will try to play nice and smile,” he said sarcastically.

  “Thanks,” I said, as I opened the car door.

  We walked up to Asher’s house and were greeted by Elliott and Gloria, Asher’s parents.

  “Elle, we are so happy to see you. Asher is getting his coat,” Gloria said, with a smile. In the gray air of the winter afternoon, her skin appeared even more pale than usual.

  “Great,” I replied.

  Maddox only nodded and offered a slight smile. I knew it was the best he could do.

  When Asher finally met us on the porch, we all waved goodbye to his parents and went to get Melanie and Laura. Once we were at the skating rink, I noticed that not only were members of the pack sitting on benches surrounding the rink, but other animals had appeared too. Wild ravens sat perched on a light poll next to the rink while a large brown and white dog stood on guard by the entrance to the pavilion.

  They had called in more members to watch us. The thought gave me an instant of worry as I thought that either they knew something I didn’t, or they were being overly cautious. I tried to brush those thoughts out of my mind as Melanie handed me a pair of skates she had rented for me, and we all began lacing up. Once on the ice, my mind returned to that of a carefree teenager. Holding onto one another, we all slid and fell a few times as we slid all over the cold, hard ice. Christmas was swiftly approaching, and the town was decorated in snow men, reindeer, and red and silver bows. I felt like I was living in a Christmas themed snow globe and the cheer it brought helped to calm my growing nerves. Music blared from speakers around us and lights danced and gleamed off of the white ice below us. The evening was magical and perfect, and I savored every instant of it as I watched my friends smile and laugh around me. I knew that the happiness I felt now may be short lived, but I would hold onto these memories forever.

  ***

  After our night out, Maddox, Asher, and I dropped Melanie and Laura off at their houses then came back to mine as instructed by the pack. I watched the embers glow from the raging fire burning in our fireplace.

  Sitting on the couch, Asher brought me a mug of warm hot chocolate as Maddox sat closely beside me.

  “I can’t believe they won’t let me go help hunt tonight,” Maddox pouted like a baby. “Instead, I am stuck here babysitting you. No offense,” he stated, as he gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “You think I like this? I don’t want to be sitting inside here while everyone else is out there,” I argued.

  “Then, what do we do?” Maddox asked, as he turned to me. A glint of excitement sparked in his eyes, and I knew he was ready to do something that could possibly get us in trouble.

 
“Hold on you two,” Asher argued as he stood in front of us. “No one is leaving here tonight. I just got a text from my dad. They spotted the Huntress and a few other men driving out of town,” he said, as he showed us the text from his dad.

  “Why would they do that? She just threatened me,” I said.

  Shrugging, Asher placed his phone back inside his pocket. “I don’t know, but maybe they realized they were severely outnumbered,” he added.

  “Possibly, but I am not sure I believe she would just run away so fast, especially if she has been hunting us for so long,” Maddox added.

  I had to agree with Maddox. Something about this did not settle with me. Without knowing what else to do, we all sat back and waited for the pack and Asher’s family to return. We fell asleep sometime later as our eyes could no longer remain open.

  When we awoke sometime later, everyone was talking in hushed voices in the kitchen. Slowly peeling myself out of the hold of both Maddox and Asher, I tiptoed to the kitchen entrance to hear what was being said.

  “Are you sure she is gone?” Greg asked.

  “Yes, we all saw them with our own eyes. I flew behind their convoy for several miles, they left on the interstate,” my dad stated, as he sat at our large kitchen table with the pack surrounding them. Asher’s parents stood nearby and intently listened.

  “The Huntress threatened Elle, why would she leave?” Asher’s dad questioned.

  “I am unsure. Maybe if she were tracking us, she saw that our numbers far outweighed hers. Either way, she is gone,” my dad stated.

  Everyone seemed content with this response, at least for now.

  Turning, I made my way back to the couch and fell back into my place between the two most important people in the world to me.

  ***

  It had been exactly one month since the pack had followed the Huntress out of Shady Oaks. With no more threat being detected, my parents had allowed me my freedom back. Well, for the most part at least. I could go back to work, school, and hang out with Melanie so long as Asher or Maddox were with me at all times.

  I didn’t argue, because I was grateful for the chance to live outside of my house again. The winter months had come and settled in and Christmas and New Years were right around the corner. The snow hadn’t stopped falling in weeks, and I felt like I was living inside some snow globe representing a winter wonderland of sorts. It all looked very magical on the outside, but even that could be deceiving. The frigid temperatures made it difficult to want to train or hunt and the ice-covered roads meant getting anywhere was almost impossible unless we ran on foot.

  “You know, I’m getting so bored that I almost want to go back to school,” Maddox stated as we sat inside his garage working on his old truck. With two large space heaters and several pounds of sweatshirts and jackets, we were almost warm.

  “Tell me about it,” I said, as I rolled my eyes. I handed him a wrench and watched as he began messing around with something on the engine.

  Even after all of the years watching him work on cars and motorcycles and go-carts, I still had no clue what any of the parts were or did. But, that didn’t matter. This was our time to be human. No shifting. No hunting. No training. Just two best friends hanging out and working on a truck.

  Just then, my phone chimed alerting me of a text message.

  Melanie: Hey, school is back in session tomorrow.

  Me: Seriously? The roads are still terrible.

  Melanie: Yes, but the state called in more salt trucks and plows. I guess parents have complained enough about having to deal with their own kids, so we go back tomorrow.

  Me: Ok, I will tell Maddox and Asher.

  Melanie: Great. I miss you.

  Me: I miss you too. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

  Watching me, Maddox gave me a sour look. “Was that your boy vamp?” he asked.

  Raising my eyes, I gave him a glare. “Boy vamp? What does that even mean?”

  “You know, your boyfriend who is a Vampire. Boy-Vamp,” he finished, like I was crazy for not knowing this.

  Throwing a small screwdriver at him, I showed him my phone. “First of all, that is a terrible nickname. Second, it was Melanie who texted me. Apparently, we go back to school tomorrow.”

  I held up my phone, so he could read the messages.

  “Oh cool,” he said, as he went back to work on his truck.

  Huffing, I put my phone away and slammed both of my hands down on his truck. “Maddox, you have got to get over this,” I stated.

  Glancing up at me as he continued to work, he just gave me a confused look. “What?”

  “Making fun of Asher. Hating him. He is in my life and so are you. I need you to be more mature about this,” I pleaded.

  My words were meant to sound harsh and demanding, but my true emotions escaped, and I couldn’t help but hear the sadness resignation from my voice.

  Realizing that I was hurting, Maddox stopped and looked at me. “I’m sorry, Elle. I promise to try my best. But don’t expect miracles to happen,” he stated.

  “Fine. That’s all I ask,” I replied.

  “Anyway,” Maddox began, as he tried to change the subject. “I guess now that we can go back to school, we can start training again. I know coach wants us to begin working on lifting weights soon to prepare for the season,” he finished, as he held up his muscles and winked.

  Laughing, I squeezed one of his biceps and was surprised at how strong he was becoming. “Wow, Maddox. You are really getting stronger,” I mused.

  “Part of the perks of being a shifter,” he smiled.

  I guess that was true. We used our arms more when we ran as animals than we did when we trained by running as humans. I had even noticed more definition in my arms, and my body was lean and toned, but I was nothing like Maddox.

  “Let’s just hope that getting back to school means our lives will go back to routines and practices and teenage drama,” he laughed to himself.

  “I sure do hope you are right. As much as we've had to deal with, I don’t think I can take anymore otherworldly drama,” I said, as I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes saying a silent prayer that we were both right.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning, I woke to the annoying, yet hopeful sounds of my alarm clock singing out Christmas carols. I guess that was one thing I had missed about not being in school-- no annoying alarms.

  As I rolled out of bed, I threw my comforter off of me and went to the bathroom to shower and, hopefully, help wake myself up. After spending more time than needed under the warm water, I dressed in a pair of denim jeans, heavy black boots, and one of my favorite gray sweaters.

  Stomping down the stairs, I could hear my parents in the kitchen. I was sure they were ready to see me head back to school too. The days had been filled with so many secret meetings and whispers that I know they wanted me out of the house as much as I too, wanted out.

  “Morning,” my mom chirped, as she handed me a fresh-from-the-oven apple muffin. “Are you excited to go back to school today?” she asked, with a large smile.

  “Surprisingly, I am,” I admitted, as I took the warm muffin and began to eat.

  “Good. I think it is important for all of us to get back to our normal lives,” my dad said, from the kitchen table. He was drinking a cup of coffee and watching me closely.

  “As normal as our lives are,” I stated with a sigh. “Besides, there is only so much reality television and texting I can handle. I need real contact,” I said.

  “Elle, we are just glad this scare with the Huntress is over. We need to focus on learning more about your gift and helping you evolve into a more mature Shifter,” dad said flatly.

  Nodding my head, I glanced at the clock above the stove. It was almost time for Maddox to pick me up. Before leaving his garage last night, I agreed to let him drive me to school. Being overprotective, he didn’t want me driving on the roads, even though we were assured that all roads were safe to drive on now. Still, he insiste
d, and I didn’t feel like arguing.

  A loud honk was heard out front and my mom leaned in and placed a soft kiss on top of my head. “Have a great day,” she said.

  “Thanks,” I waved, as I ran out of the kitchen.

  When I made it outside, the cold wind almost knocked me off my feet. Sure, the roads were fine, but that air might just kill you.

  “Cold?” Maddox laughed, as I jumped into truck.

  “A little,” I said, sarcastically through my chattering teeth.

  Cranking the heat, Maddox began to drive slowly away from my house. As we drove through town, I watched for any sign of distress or something odd. I knew better than to let my guard down, even if my parents had told me everything was fine. The secret meetings were enough to cause my senses to go on high alert, but my own fight or flight instincts were telling me to be aware.

  “What are you doing?” Maddox asked as he glanced at me.

  “Just keeping my eyes alert,” I said, as I kept my focus outside of the truck.

  “Ok, maybe that’s smart,” he agreed.

  When we finally made it to school, the parking lot was almost full. We rushed inside and were met by Asher, Melanie, and Laura. I was so happy to see everyone, that I almost knocked down Melanie and Laura when I ran to them and began hugging each one.

  “Girls,” Maddox said, as he walked past us.

  Ignoring him, I began chatting quickly with my friends as Asher stood next to me and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. Even through the snow, Asher and I had been able to see one another. I guess moving at lightning speed allowed for Vampires to roam through any weather.

  “Did you hear?” Melanie asked, in her super-perky voice that rose with excitement.

  “What?” I asked, alarm ringing in my voice.

  “Calm down,” Asher whispered so low in my ear, I doubt anyone could hear his words.

  “The school has agreed to continue with the Winter Formal Dance,” she said as she clapped her hands and began to bounce up and down.