Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
P iper wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting by the pond, replaying everything Bruce had said in her mind. The absurdity of it all hit her again. Bruce was a cat, yet she was reflecting on his words like they had come from anyone else who wasn’t a cat. She had always felt something different about the woods, and now she knew. But what other secrets were hidden, she wondered. And more importantly, what was Talon? He wasn’t a vampire. She was pretty sure of that. He had no fangs, and he walked in the daylight. Her brain went to his shirtless torso glistening with sweat in the afternoon sun. Cursing, she shifted her attention away from that memory. Could he be a Shifter? A Warlock? She snorted at her thoughts, the ridiculousness of everything making her shake her head. She had been right all along, and Talon had tried to hide it, deceive her, and keep her from the woods.
Looking up at the sky, the stars seemed close, almost within reach. Her gaze drifted back to the pond. The day had been unusually warm and humid for this time of year, and the night had only cooled off slightly. She realized she wanted to take one last swim before the warm days disappeared entirely. Winter was coming, and she hated the cold.
She quickly scanned the area to ensure Bruce, the talking cat, wasn’t lurking around. Usually, she wouldn’t care about undressing in front of a cat, but a talking cat was a whole different matter. Once she felt confident that she was alone, Piper stripped off her clothes, leaving only her bra and panties on, and waded into the water. The chill hit her thighs and climbed up her stomach; she didn’t flinch. Instead, she dove in, letting the cool water wash over her, clearing her mind from the confusion and chaos of the day as well as the heartbreak she was trying to deny.
Floating on her back, Piper’s thoughts kept circling back to the sting of betrayal she felt when she realized Talon had ulterior motives for being around her. It hurt more than she wanted to admit. Once again, she had opened herself up to someone who only wanted to use her. She already knew she had fallen for Talon, and she cursed herself for being so na?ve. She should’ve seen it coming. A man like Talon would never look at her twice unless he had something to gain. Yeah, that’s where her self-confidence was...in the toilet with her life at the moment. She would give herself a few more minutes of self-pity before she pulled herself out of it. She earned at least that.
Talon was good; she had to give him that. He reeled her in like a fish chasing a sexy, well-built worm. The thought made her snort, and she rolled her eyes. Maybe he was gay, she mused, not that there was anything wrong with that other than the good guys usually were. After all, the last guy she had really liked, someone she thought might be “ the one ,” had eventually come out to her as gay. They were still close friends to this day, but he had moved to California. Suddenly, she felt the urge to call Gary. He always had the best insights into the mess that was her life. He had gotten her through the loss of Pops by flying to be at her side. She could really use his wisdom about now.
Her teeth began to chatter, a clear sign for her to get out of the water. She had no clue what time it was, and she honestly didn’t want to go back to her empty house. Then again, Pecker was probably planning her murder by pecking since she hadn’t fed him yet.
“What in the hell are you doing?”
Piper spun around and saw Talon standing at the edge of the water. She gasped, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of water, and began choking. Talon moved as if to come in after her, but she held up a hand, shaking her head while trying to control the coughing and sputtering. Once she managed to stop choking, she frowned at him.
“What are you—” She coughed again. “Doing here?”
“Looking for you,” Talon said, his eyes narrowing as he took her in. “You’re turning blue, Piper. Get out of the water.”
“I’m fine. Or I was fine until you scared the life out of me.” She glanced to where her clothes lay, then back at him. “Just go, Talon. You don’t owe me anything. Just leave, please.”
She heard him curse, and he glared at her. “Either you walk out on your own, or I’m coming in after you.”
Realizing Talon wasn’t joking; she was cursing under her breath. “Are you going to look?”
“Probably,” he said without apology, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth.
When Piper didn’t move, Talon waded into the water, where it was deep enough for her but not for him. Without a word, he reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her against him. Lifting her effortlessly, he carried her out of the water.
“Are you crazy? You’re going to get yourself sick, Piper.” He hissed as he moved through the water.
“From what everyone says, yes, I am crazy.” Piper pushed on his chest to be set down, but he continued to hold her. “I swim here all the time,” she mumbled with a frown, wondering why she even bothered to answer.
Piper wiggled to get down, and he finally set her on her feet. She crossed her arms over her bra and made a beeline for her clothes, but he stopped her. Talon rubbed his large, warm hands up and down her arms. Her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or because his touch set her on fire.
Unable to take his touch any longer, she pushed away and headed toward her clothes, not caring if he looked at her. Her biggest fear was caving, throwing caution to the wind, and jumping into his arms. But Piper still had enough self-respect to fight that urge.
“Just leave me alone, Talon.” She sighed as she pulled on her clothes quickly. She turned to see he was, in fact, watching her; his eyes burned into her as they roamed up her body. “I told Bruce, and now I’m telling you again. Whatever secrets are in these woods will stay in these woods. I won’t even write about them, which I have a feeling is what brought all this on. And that is quite hilarious since it is only a dream of mine, not even close to being a reality. So, in truth, the joke is on you since you wasted your time with the crazy lady who lives at the edge of town when you didn’t have to.”
Piper knew the last part was spoken bitterly but was past caring. It was true. Her dream to become a writer was exactly that—a dream. Taking care of her home and the land and working forty hours a week didn’t leave much free time for wishful dreams.
“Are you finished?” Talon’s deep voice seemed to wrap around her like a warm blanket. Dammit. She didn’t want to have any feelings toward him at all other than anger. But she wasn’t even feeling that if she was being honest. Hurt was all she was feeling at the moment, and it sucked.
“Yeah, Talon. I’m finished.” She replied, her voice trembling with bitterness. She moved to walk past him, but he stopped her.
“Good.” He frowned down at her. “Listen to me and listen well. I was concerned when I realized you heard Bruce talking, but not just for myself. Those woods are a barrier between your world and mine, and if that is exposed, it could bring a lot of trouble to people I care about. Then, when you mentioned writing a book, my concern tripled.” He paused, his gaze softening as he stared at her.
Piper listened carefully, looking only at his eyes as he spoke. Her Pops always said that a person’s eyes were the gateway to their souls. You could tell if a person was lying just by looking into their eyes. So far she only saw truth, and felt it also.
“I went to my friend Thorne, and it was suggested I spend time with you, make sure you stayed away from the woods, and see if I could find out anything about this developer. There were rumors about someone wanting the land. So yes, I did deceive you. But what I realized quickly is that I wanted to spend time with you, and it had nothing to do with anything other than getting to know you better as well as keeping you safe.”
Piper frowned; her voice confused. “If you were so concerned, why didn’t you just ask me about the book, Talon?”
Sighing, Talon rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly? I don’t think I wanted to know.”
“You said ‘our worlds’—what other world are you talking about?” Piper asked, then waited for him to answer as he hesitated for a minute. “You can trust me. I think I’ve already proved that since TMZ or America’s Got Talent isn’t crawling around the woods looking for a talking cat.” She cocked her eyebrow as if driving that truth home.
“True, but you seem to be taking this all very well.” Talon frowned, then took a deep breath. “And what I have to say is pretty out there for a human.”
“A crazy human,” She reminded him.
“Stop saying that about yourself,” He growled, his eyes narrowed in disapproval.
“Stop beating around the bush,” She countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Talon narrowed his eyes at her, then sighed. “The world I come from isn’t the same as yours. I’m not just a man. I’m a Shifter, part of a hidden world that coexists with yours, but it stays separate to protect everyone involved.” He looked at her carefully, gauging her reaction. “Those woods you’ve been so curious about...they’re part of that barrier, keeping our existence hidden.”
Piper was beginning to grasp Talon’s perspective more clearly. As she thought about it, she realized she would have done the exact same thing to protect those she cared about. “What kind of Shifter are you?” She asked quietly, yet very curious.
Talon actually laughed, though it was more out of disbelief than humor. “I just told you, a human, that I’m a Shifter living in a world hidden from your own, and that’s the question you ask me?”
“What did you expect me to do? Run screaming out of the woods?” Piper replied with the question.
“Yes, actually I did.” Talon shook his head. “But once again, you surprise me.”
Piper shrugged. “I think, in some ways, I knew you were different. That those woods were different, I could feel it sometimes.”
Talon stood listening to her but didn’t respond, and he still hadn’t answered her question.
“So, what kind are you?” Piper watched him closely. He looked like a predator as a human with his wild hair and dark hooded eyes, but she had never once been afraid of him. She just hoped he wasn’t a cat.
“I’m a wolf Shifter,” Talon answered this time without hesitation, his head tilted proudly.
Just as she thought, a predator. “Can I meet him?” She asked, then smiled at the look on his shocked face. Yeah, Piper had the tendency to do that—shock people, but she was who she was, and even for this handsome Shifter, she wouldn’t change. “I promise not to call the pound.” She added, her smile growing when he tossed his head back and laughed loudly. Yeah, she was in deep trouble.