Huntress

Chapter 72

Time passed gently. Some days were better than others. Sometimes, I saw my scrawny arms and I cried. Sometimes I thought about my parents and I couldn't force myself out of bed. Sometimes, Ryder had to remind me to eat. But things were progressing and I always tried to remind myself that healing would never be linear. My body was getting stronger, my mind more resilient. The nightmares came less often. I learned to embrace the tears for the release that they were when they came over me.

And finally, I felt ready. I told Ryder that I wanted to see Ajax and Keiko again.

Ryder was quiet on the drive over, unbuttoning and rebuttoning the top of his plaid overhsirt. Something was on his mind, but we had been together long enough that I knew not to push. I drove my old beat up Subaru, humming along to my own music. Waiting.

Halfway to the royal lands, he finally said, "I know that you said that you wouldn't let this go, but I think we need to re-evaluate that idea."

I said nothing, letting his sort out his thoughts while I guided my car onto the gravel. Ryder had offered to drive like he always did, but it felt good to be in control. It felt good to be capable of something again. Even if my arms wobbled when I gripped the steering wheel too tight.

"I understand your need to solve this. I understand that this has affected you beyond anything that anyone else could really grasp and I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to invalidate that. But I also want to know that there will be an end to this. Spending the rest of your life searching for an answer you might never find, it sounds like its own kind of hell."

I nodded along, but kept my gaze focused on the road ahead. "And what would you think that the end would look like?"

"Well, ideally, all of this gets resolved, we find the cause of wolf-drain and those with wolf-drain will have access to a cure. But I'm worried about the unideal side of things. I want to give this an honest try. But what are we going to do if it's dead in the water? Then we're both too old to enjoy the life we could have had or even just miss out a few good years."

I knew where he was coming from. So much time had been dedicated already. We had both taken on so much risk and there was always a chance that I could get wolf-drain again, that the elixir couldn't be replicated or that it wouldn't be as effective the second time around. This wasn't a studied topic, there were so many unknowns.

And life was knocking at my door. Ryder was still earning a pay cheque from Ajax and Keiko, but I no longer had any income. The expensive education that my parents had paid for could finally be used for something. Groceries needs to be bought, rent needed to be paid. And I wanted to enjoy life. Even if this never got resolved. I deserved to live too.

"Let's give it two months," I offered. "If we don't see significant progress in two months, we walk away."

Silence for a moment.

"What does walking away mean to you?"

I didn't have to think about it. "Kamloops sounds nice." It was a little city hundreds of kilometers away. When I thought of it, I thought of a fresh start. "There is tons of wilderness around so you could still do all your mountain biking and skiing and such, but there is enough population that I could find a job in my field without having to really settle I think. How does that sound to you?"

Ryder smiled a little, tipping his head to one side. "I've been out there a couple times to help packs. It's a nice area. The packs there are friendly."

"Could you consider settling down like that? Is that a thing you can do if you don't actually have a pack?"

"I'm sure we could figure it out," he assured, settling his hand on my leg.

And with a deadline looming over me – also a light at the end of the tunnel – I was even more driven to get this solved.

I felt a little ill pulling up to the royal lands. Despite how well I had been taken care of here for the most part, the dark memories bled through. The shed. The hours in front of the television. Listening to conversations but never being able to speak. The bond being yanked out of my fragile heart.

But all of that was pushed out of my mind when I got out of the car. A dark shadow leapt out of the tree line on the other side of the house. My hunter instincts told me that it was a wolf before my eyes did. I hadn't even felt myself shift into a defensive stance or that I was feeling my jean pockets of a knife until Ryder wrapped a hand around my wrist, bringing me back to the moment.

"It's just Keiko. And look, there's Ajax."

Sure enough, a second wolf followed her through the opening. Significantly larger and a blend of white and auburn. His legs flew as he moved, but he was too heavy and too bulky to keep up with her. I watched as there was a shift of pace. She slowed, swinging her midnight body around, teeth bared. Ajax dug his paws into the soft earth then rolled onto his back.

It was a peculiar thing. I had killed creatures like those two. I had killed them and hadn't blinked only to go home and want to tear my hair out just to feel something. but now, I glanced up towards Ryder and his gaze was trained on them, on the two of them playing on the fallen leaves, and there was pure longing on his features. Longing for what he could have had. What he should have been given.

"Come on," he murmured, pulling his gaze away. "Let's go inside and make ourselves some coffee or something."

In the home, suitcases were spread all over the main floor. Some were cracked open, others were not. I tried to keep my eyes off the mess, but it was difficult. Everything from shimmering dresses to expensive lingerie was put on display. Passports were on the counter where Ryder was boiling water and prepping two mugs. Carry-on bags were sitting on the bar stools.

I tried not to glance at the TV where my brain melted for hours when Ryder handed me a steaming mug of black coffee.

"Hey, sorry, I know you texted that you were coming over, but we got carried away," Keiko announced when she burst into the home. Her cheeks were flushed red, her black hair as wild as I had ever seen it, but she was blissfully human. Even if her shirt was half tucked into her grass-stained pants.

"You'll have to excuse the mess," Ajax added when he entered after her. years of being a royal seemed to have trained him how to hide his feelings a little better. a grin was still tucked in the corner of his mouth, but he was calm and sure while she was giddy. "Now that Georgia is no longer here all the time, we were able to go back home to Denver."

"How is everything there?" Ryder wondered.

"Oh you know, the usual, but Hades is handling everything discreetly," Ajax said with a casual shrug. "And how are you guys? Georgia, look at you! You're up and walking and looking absolutely wonderful." His words were a distraction as he went to clean up the sprawling suitcases. But as he wheeled a designer bag away, it cracked open like a fragile little egg, all of the contents spilling onto the flooring.

A book tumbled onto the floor. A blue leather cover, the perfect shade of a dark sky, a seething sea. Silver streaks crossed it.

And I realized that I had seen this book before.

In a place that was far from this earth.

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What season would you be?