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  As if she knew she was being watched, she awoke. “Oh.” She smiled at him. “It’s morning already?”

  “It’s only six. You can sleep late if you want.”

  “Nah.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “I haven’t had a good sleep in a long time. I don’t know why.”

  “You must be tired.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Or maybe because you know I’m protecting you,” he teased.

  “Cocky, aren’t you?” She sniffed the air. “You made coffee?”

  “Yeah.” Tristan shuffled to the kitchenette. He poured coffee into a mug and emptied two packets of sugar. He stirred it and handed it to Molly.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  Tristan made a mug for himself and retreated to a small table by the window. Molly joined him, sipping her coffee.

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  “Not really. I’m not a breakfast person. Are you?”

  “Maybe later. I think we’d better grab some energy bars on the way to the office instead of going to the diner for breakfast. It’s better if you aren’t seen in public.”

  Molly nodded.

  Tristan tried his coffee. It was as awful as instant coffee could be, but Molly drank it without complaint.

  “Sorry, the coffee is horrible.”

  “It doesn’t taste that bad.”

  “Don’t drink it. We’ll grab some lattes from Starbucks in Mayberry.”

  “I don’t mind ’cause you made this for me.” Molly gave him her sweetest smile.

  It made him pause. He knew he should be flattered, but he wasn’t. A simple sadness slipped into his heart. Had her ex brainwashed her so bad that she’d conditioned herself to show gratitude to every little thing people did for her?

  Oh, babe…

  No more.

  He vowed to himself that he’d protect her, and keep her away from that piece of shit man. He wanted to see the old Molly back. The girl he remembered, who was sassy and had a defiant spirit in her eyes. No matter how bad he teased her, she never whined or cried; she always gave him a deathly glare. There was fire in her eyes. For some reason, it thrilled him to the bone. He liked to see her that way. Feisty. And later on in their junior school year, she just ignored him no matter what he did to attract her attention. It made him want her more and more.

  “I think I’ll take a quick shower first,” he said. “Don’t answer the door, and stay away from the windows, okay?”

  She gave him a faint nod. “Dude, you’re paranoid.”

  “I’m concerned. I don’t want him to hurt you while you’re out of my sight.” He caressed her hand. “Hey, wanna take a shower together so I know you’re fine?” he teased again.

  “And who’s going to protect me from you?”

  Damn, she’s right. Tristan silently cursed himself. She had no idea just how much he wanted her. Her voice and her demeanor exuded such alluring femininity that it drove him insane. Maybe he could understand why David Castle was so obsessed with her.

  She was special.

  There had been an explosion at the Oak Hollow Police Department, and it had destroyed the front of the building. It had happened about fifteen minutes before Tristan arrived. He thought he’d heard some rumble falling as he pulled out from a convenience store parking lot, but he hadn’t thought much about it. His cell rang like crazy ten minutes later. His partner called. His captain. And a few more concerned citizens.

  Some uniformed officers barricaded the street in front of the building. Fire trucks had just pulled up, and ambulances weren’t far behind. The flurry of activity from the firefighters and medics made the scene look like a battlefield.

  Tristan had a sense of déjà vu, and he hated it. He took off his jacketand clipped his badge on the front of his belt so he wouldn’t be hassled for identification.

  Molly had a stricken look on her face. He knew what she was thinking. After the drive-by shooting last night, this explosion in the police department building was no coincide. The perp must have been desperate. After he’d failed to terrorize Molly, he’d attacked the people who protected her. The cops. How stupid could he be?

  “Tristan…” Her voice trailed off. She was tugging the end of his sleeve.

  “Stay close to me.” He grabbed her hand and steered her toward his captain. Civilians weren’t allowed at the crime scene, but Tristan didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

  His boss, Captain Radcliff, was talking animatedly to Esposito and a sergeant who’d been manning the front desk. The uniformed cop was covered with soot—his hair and shirt tattered from the blast, but the man didn’t appear seriously harmed. He was a werebear, and it would take the perp more than simple explosives to take down a fully grown grizzly shifter.

  “Detective Cadreinth, I’d like to have a word with you,” said Captain Radcliff.

  “Sir.” Tristan then turned to Molly. “Wait here where I can see you. I’ll be just a minute.”

  “’Kay.” She was compliant today. Her big brown eyes glanced around nervously before settling on him.

  She didn’t take her eyes off him as he had a serious discussion with his captain and his partner.

  Chapter Six

  Molly stared at the smoking building with dread. It was surreal. The Oak Hollow PD occupied a lone structure on Baylor Street surrounded by an ample parking lot. The fire was quickly extinguished before it could spread to the nearby florist or lawyer’s office. Onlookers gawked at the scene behind the yellow tape where a few paramedics bustled around. No one seemed seriously injured; it helped that the explosion happened early in the morning before most businesses officially opened.

  Tristan finished talking forty minutes later. “The mayor gave her permission to have Oak Hollow on lockdown until we catch this bastard. Hunters are being rounded up. We’re going to have a big hunt after dark.”

  “Hunters” was code talk for Oak Hollow’s eldritch residents with a prey instinct. Weres. Dragons. Ravens. Vampires. Demons. Every year during the Harvest festival, Hunters of all ages participated in a “Big Hunt” game. The pixies usually played the prey, doing their best to elude the hunters, and they did a great job at it. The hunter that could catch a pixie won big prize. When Molly still lived in town, the Big Hunt prizes were big-ticket items like a brand new truck, an ATV or a fancy home theater. Most of it was donated by the Cadreinth family.

  “A real hunt,” Molly echoed, feeling uncertain.

  “Yeah. It’s been decided by the Elders.” Elders were the real authority in Oak Hollow, comprised of several Alphas and Primes from the many eldritch clans that shared the same territory in the area. The mayor and the high-ranking government employees all reported to them.

  “That fast?”

  “You know the eldritch community doesn’t take kindly when a mundane threatens our kind. This is no longer a police matter. The Elders want the sanctity of Oak Hollow restored.”

  Molly suddenly felt chilled. “What’s going to happen to David?”

  Tristan threw a glance at the smoking façade of what used to be the reception of Oak Hollow PD. His expression hardened. “He’s fair game.”

  She shuddered inwardly. That meant whoever caught him in the Big Hunt could do anything they wished to David. The laws of humans no longer applied. Oak Hollow was one of the few eldritch communities left that lived among the humans. Most mundanes weren’t aware of their existence, and the community liked to keep it that way.

  Molly swallowed an invisible lump in her throat. “How did it happen?” She glanced at the building.

  “Someone left a package in the front office. Sergeant Wilkes wasn’t paying attention to it; he was making some coffee. When he picked it up, it exploded—just like that.”

  “Is he okay?” Molly stole a glance at the uniformed cop with a tattered shirt. He was being checked by a paramedic.

  “He’s fine,” Tristan snorted. “Wilkes is pissed, though. He’ll be participating in the hunt. If Wilkes catches David
, or whoever did this, it won’t be pretty. You know how grizzlies are.”

  “Did he see who the package was addressed to?”

  “It said for the Oak Hollow PD. That was why Wilkes tried to open it, but before he could peel off the tape it detonated.”

  “Why Oak Hollow PD?” Molly frowned. “David must know who you are, since he shot at your house.”

  “It’s a warning—plain and simple. He doesn’t want anyone meddling in this. The explosive was powerful enough to kill anyone in the room and start a fire. Luckily, Wilkes isn’t an ordinary person.”

  “But that’s just idiotic. Sending a bomb to a bunch of cops is just as stupid as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

  Indeed. “Anyway, we need to get ready. The plan is to smoke the perp out of his hiding place and drive him toward the mountain. I’d participate in the hunt, but my priority is protecting you. I need to get my camping gear and some supplies.”

  “The mountain?” Molly got a sudden creepy feeling. Cheekawet Mountain was sacred to Oak Hollow residents. It was where the wolves went for their monthly change. The place where ravens flew freely without worrying about the prying eyes of the mundanes. Rumor had it that some old pagan gods lived there as well—the bloodthirsty ones. The ones that liked to eat people. Ugh!

  “Don’t worry.” Tristan noticed her discomfort. “You’re with me.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.” Molly snickered.

  “Ouch. My feelings are hurt.”

  Tristan parked his car in the Cheekawet Hot Springs parking lot, and then they hiked towards the mountain with their backpacks. Tristan had bought Molly a new pair of hiking boots and some comfortable clothing, and they carried enough provisions for three days. Tristan said he didn’t think they’d stay that long, but it was better to be prepared.

  It was past noon when they got to the foot of the mountain. Two hours later, Molly felt like she was dying. She hadn’t exercised like this for the past few months and had very little sleep thanks to that dickhole David. The humidity making her shirt stick to her back wasn’t helping either. She had to pause here and there to keep up with Tristan.

  Of course, being ripped and fit, hiking was no big deal for him. He wasn’t even huffing and puffing like she was. To him, hiking this steep terrain was as easy as taking a stroll in a flower garden. She’d never seen Tristan so alive. For a big guy, his footsteps were light.

  “Do you want a piggyback ride?” Tristan asked with a teasing glint in his eyes.

  “What am I? A kid?” Molly rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you’d break your back. I weigh a ton.”

  “Tsk. Enough with that self-deprecating shit. I think you’re very sexy.” Tristan eyed her critically. “You’re totally my type.”

  She blushed. She couldn’t help feeling flattered. “Anyway,” she tried to steer the conversation toward neutral territory. Having Tristan shower his attention on her like this made her bubbly like a schoolgirl with a crush. It was totally out of character for her. “Where are we going? Are we meeting with the others?”

  Tristan started to open his mouth but was immediately distracted by the arrival of a messenger bird. A crow swooped down from the forest canopy and landed nonchalantly on his shoulder. Tied to its leg was a piece of rolled paper. The mountain was a dead zone for any electronic device. Cell phones, GPS or any modern gadgets didn’t work at all. For communication, the true eldritches used an old-school method—flying arrows or messenger birds. The crow tried to nibble on Tristan ear after he took the paper. “Go away.” He shooed the curious bird. It cawed before flapping its wings, lurching onto a nearby tree branch. Tristan read the message.

  “What does it say?” asked Molly.

  “There was another bombing attempt—at the motel we stayed in last night. Luckily, the package was a dud. The explosive failed to ignite. The manager called the captain about receiving a suspicious box.”

  Molly couldn’t believe it. “What?”

  “It’s all sorted out now. Thanks to that, they started the hunt early. It’s on now.”

  “Did they see who delivered the package? Was it David?”

  Tristan waved the paper. “They didn’t say.”

  A little fury sneaked its way into her heart. Damn David! She really hated his guts. She wanted to hunt that bastard herself and go medieval on him. She wished the wolves would get that dickhead first; they were a particularly nasty pack. She wanted David to experience the same terror he’d inflicted on her for the past few years.

  “I think we’d better get moving. We should get to the campsite before dark,” said Tristan.

  “Where is the site?”

  “At the waterfall.”

  It took them three more hours before they reached their destination. The terrain was uneven and dense with old growth where the tree tops were interwoven, making it difficult for sunlight to reach the forest floor. They rounded a small gorge and arrived at the foot of a waterfall.

  The view was breathtaking.

  The rock column seemed endless, rising high up in the sky, where a narrow stream plunged down against the bedrock. The air surrounding the waterfall was colored by a fine mist. Ancient boulders were strewn around the base of the waterfall, forming a private pond where the water was so clear, one could see the colored pebbles at the bottom.

  Her exhaustion quickly disappeared, replaced by awe at the magnificent sight. “I never knew this kind of place existed,” she exclaimed. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it’s the best-kept secret in Oak Hollow. Some of the Elders use this place for ritual purposes. The wolves use it for the gathering at the lunar change.” Tristan pointed to a clearing about two hundred yards from the waterfall basin. “We’ll erect our tent there.”

  “This is so exciting. I’ve never been camping before.”

  “Not that big of a deal. It’s just sleeping outdoors.”

  “Shall I gather some wood for a fire?”

  “Sure, why not? Don’t stray too far where I can’t see you.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  Tristan gave her a pained look. “You don’t take this seriously, do you?”

  “I do. I got you. With you by my side, I can face anything.”

  He was somewhat mollified by that.

  Molly dropped her backpack beside him and meandered to a nearby thick copse, gathering dried twigs and branches. When she returned, the tent was erected. Tristan built a fire and heated up some soup for dinner. She made some sandwiches with cold cuts and cheese. They ate by the crackling fire and washed it down with some warm beer. They’d ditched the cooler in Tristan’s car because it was too much hassle to carry it up here.

  Molly absentmindedly checked her watch but quickly realized it was dead. The mountain had really messed up any modern gadgetry. “When do you think the others are going to come?” she asked.

  “In a few hours..”

  “So, I have time to skinny dip in the pool, right? I’m badly in need of a shower.”

  Tristan leaned in her direction. “Oh yeah? Let me see.”

  “Ah, don’t come too close. I reek with sweat.” Molly jumped up. She collected the trash and shoved it into a plastic bag for later disposal. She grabbed her bag and hefted it on her shoulder. “I’m going to do some… woman stuff. I’ll be back.”

  Tristan only grinned.

  She guessed he couldn’t say to stay in his sight when she needed a private moment.

  The breeze from the waterfall swept through her and felt so nice. She threaded the path to the basin of the waterfall and dropped her bag on a dry embankment. She took off her boots, socks and clothes then jumped into the water.

  Oh wow! It felt so good. The water was cold and refreshing. The plunge pool was shallow on one side and became deeper toward the waterfall. Tristan said that the stream that fell from the rock cliff originated from an underground artesian line, and it seeped back into a crack deep in the earth that actually became the sourc
e of water for the city of Oak Hollow. Legend had it that the waterfall itself wasn’t a natural occurrence. Millennia ago, a long-forgotten deity had bent the flow of the water far beneath the surface to create a special bathing place for her own amusement. She disliked the ground water in Oak Hollow because it was rather sulfuric. The artesian line she tapped was pure and refreshing.

  Oak Hollow became a tourist attraction from being situated in geothermally heated underwater resource, which emerged natural hot spring. Many came to relax and indulged in its health benefits. There were at least five luxury spa resorts in town, tapping the town’s natural resources.

  Molly paddled near to her bag and reached for a bar of soap she’d placed on a rock. She washed her hair, face and body and felt a bit guilty about polluting the pristine water with soap suds.

  As she swam back near the waterfall, a big object leapt on a huge boulder and took an epic dive into the plunge pool. Eeep! Water rolled over her like a tide.

  Tristan.

  In his dragon form, he’d decided to join her.

  She didn’t think she’d ever seen Tristan like this before. He filled the pool with his beastly body—wings, tail and all. Dragon Tristan was intimidating, but she appreciated his beauty. His scales reflected the setting sun with an iridescent kaleidoscope of colors: teal, moss green, red and gold.

  Molly waded toward him and touched the dragon’s head. The shiny scales made him look slippery, but his skin actually wasn’t. The dragon eyes were the same color as Tristan’s, only with a reptilian slit. She caressed the beast and crooned, “Goodness, what big eyes you have.”

  Dragon Tristan snorted. The better to see you with, he spoke in mindspeak. All shifters had the ability to project conversation into people’s mind because their beastly form couldn’t accommodate an ability to speak in conventional manner.

  She ran her hand along his mandible. “What a big mouth you have.”

  The better to eat you with. Tristan shifted into his human form and pulled her toward him.

  Molly squealed.

  Tristan wrapped her body in a tight embrace, and her heart raced. Her naked body pressed against his—skin to skin. Nothing in between. Molly rested her head on his broad chest. Strange, but at the same time, it felt so right. Who’d have known she’d find the ultimate solace with the most unlikely person from her past? Tristan kissed the top of her head, and comforting warmth soon melted into her bones despite the spring’s cold water.