“You have to get back to Wolford.”
His words stopped me dead in my tracks, and I spun around. I didn’t want to plead or beg, and I fought to keep my voice even, but a bit of despair flowed into my words. “It’s not safe for me there.”
“And you think you’re safe here? Alone?” He shook his head. “What were you thinking when you left Wolford?”
That my survival depended on it. “Are you not aware of the harvester’s visit?” I asked.
“I was out on patrol that night. I didn’t see it, but I saw the results.”
It hadn’t registered until now that he hadn’t been one of the Dark Guardians in the clearing that night when Justin died.
“I heard it told you that you were next. We can protect you at Wolford.”
I shook my head emphatically. “No, you can’t. Safety there is an illusion. That’s where the harvester will search for me. It won’t know to look for me here.”
I knew I was being reckless. Going through my first transformation alone brought with it the possibility of death. But I’d been studying the ancient texts, and I thought I might have found a loophole. I’d experienced what another Shifter had felt while transforming. All I had to do was mimic the emotion, follow the path he’d taken.
Daniel hesitated for a moment, and I felt a spark of hope that he might relent, but then he shattered it with his next words. “I’m sorry, Hayden, but the elders sent me to bring you back. It’s my duty.”
Not willing to give up easily, striving to buy myself some time, I folded my arms across my chest and jutted out my chin. “I know all about duty and responsibility. When I took this job, I gave my word that I would work here through winter break. This is the last weekend. You see how crowded it is in there. It’s only going to get worse by tomorrow. I can’t just leave. It’s not fair to my employer; it’s not fair to the other workers.”
I knew that they probably could get by without me, but it was an excuse to buy me more time until I figured out my next move. I wasn’t ready to go back to Wolford. And I certainly had no desire to be escorted back as though I’d done something wrong.
As though he understood exactly what I was thinking, he shrugged carelessly. “Through Saturday night, right? Most classes start back on Monday, so people will be heading away on Sunday. Why don’t we talk about it when your shift ends?”
He sounded so irritatingly reasonable. I wanted him to leave and to leave me. I’d never flirted with a guy, had never tried to twist him around my little finger. But even if I had, Daniel didn’t strike me as the easily manipulated type. “Okay, where do you want to meet?”
“I’ll just wait for you inside.”
“The shop doesn’t close until nine. That’s a long time to wait.”
“It’s all warm and cozy inside,” he said. “I’ll be okay for a few hours.”
“Fine,” I ground out.
I spun on my heel and stormed back into the building, annoyed that, with the snow, I couldn’t actually tromp in order to make a statement. As I angrily removed my jacket and boots, I began mentally considering Plan B. And of course, thoughts of how best to evade Daniel made me think about him. My actions came to an abrupt halt.
Why didn’t his emotions reach me? Was it because he had none? Was he a psychopath? Sociopath? Devoid of feelings?
I’d never met a Shifter whose emotions didn’t come flying at me. I was a magnet for whatever they were feeling. So why not with Daniel?
The inability to access his emotions should have been comforting, but instead it was scary. It wasn’t natural. So what was wrong with him?
Or had a change happened within me? As my full moon approached, was I losing my empathic abilities? They’d seemed stronger than ever a couple of weeks ago. So why did they seem absent now?
It was all so weird. But I didn’t really have time to ponder all the ramifications or possibilities. I had to get back to work. I stopped by the storage room and grabbed a plastic bag filled with paper cups and lids.
When I got back to the counter, Lisa gave me a confused stare. “Took you long enough. What’d you do? Get lost?”
I almost responded, No, got found. But I just said, “Took a quick break.”
After arranging the cups on the shelf for easy access, I returned to my place at the counter. In the middle of the shop was a huge stone fireplace that was open on all four sides. Sitting areas had been arranged around it. I spotted Daniel lounging in a big stuffed chair, conveniently turned so I was once again in his line of sight.
“Hot guy was gone while you were,” Lisa whispered. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Turns out I do know him.”
“How could you forget a hottie like that? What’s his name?”
“Daniel.”
“Deets. I need deets.”
I must have had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look because she rolled her eyes. “Details. I need details. I swear that sometimes I think you were raised in a cave.”
Almost.
“I’ll explain everything later,” I told her, knowing that I wouldn’t.
I started taking orders, but the entire time, I felt Daniel’s gaze on me. How could he sit so still, so patiently? And yet there was an undercurrent about him, as though he was amazingly alert, completely aware of everything going on around him, could strike within a heartbeat.
Shifters had an animal quality about them. When you can transform into a wolf, the attributes of a wolf are never far from you. You have that whole pack mentality. The alpha, the dominant, the submissive. It’s a natural order for us. We mate for life. We hang around in groups. But sitting there, Daniel gave the impression of being a loner.
It made me want to connect with him, because I’d always felt like a loner among my own kind. Shifters weren’t comfortable around someone who knew what they were feeling. It was only with humans that I felt as if I belonged—but even then I knew that I really didn’t. They’d never accept a being who could shift. I had no place where I truly belonged. I straddled two worlds: the one that brought me peace and the one marked with danger that was my destiny.
But Daniel belonged in the world of the Shifters. Did he just give the appearance of being a loner when he was around Statics? He didn’t appear uncomfortable. He looked totally relaxed. Yet he was also alone.