B008IJW70G EBOK (3 page)

      “Go with Hunter. He’ll look after you. You don’t need to be afraid of him.”

      Riley twisted a lock of her long black hair around her finger. Nervous. She wasn’t afraid of what he’d do to her. That he wouldn’t look after her. Not if Sophia trusted him. 

      A shiver hit Riley’s spine. But she was grieving, not looking for a date. She shouldn’t even be thinking about him like that. 

      But if he could give her answers…

      “And then you’ll tell me? Actually explain all this to me? Tell me what your riddles mean?”

Sophia nodded. “I promise. If Hunter can’t tell you everything you need to know, satisfy your curiosity, then you can ask me anything.”

      Riley tilted her head back, eyes to the ceiling, frustrated, before meeting Sophia’s gaze. “Where do I find him?”

      Sophia’s face lit up, like she hadn’t expected her to cave in so soon. “He’s waiting outside.”

      Of course he was. 

      “Just keep an open mind, Riley? I’m counting on you.”

      Riley waved her hand in the air as she walked out the door. She wanted to know what the hell was going on. If this Hunter could tell her, if she could question him, then it was worth meeting him. 

      But why couldn’t Sophia just tell her? And how the hell was this
Hunter
guy supposed to know the link between Sophia’s sister and Claudia?

CHAPTER THREE

Riley was having a hard time concentrating as she walked toward him. Describing this guy as cute would be an understatement. 

      Hunter was waiting, just like Sophia had said. In the same chilled out, casual way as before. Like he didn’t care how long he had to stand there. Or what anyone thought of him. 

      It made her feel awkward. And she sure as hell wasn’t used to that. 

      “Hi,” she said.

      He smiled. “Hey.”

      “I’m Riley.” She stuck out her hand. “Sophia said you wanted to meet me.”

      He stepped away from the tree, killer smile still firmly in place. 

      “Hunter.” 

      He shook her hand, his palm wrapping around hers in a firm grip. 

      He was more like a man than a boy–harder and with a tougher edge. More graceful than a ballerina, more masculine than a grizzly bear, and fitter looking than an all-star track athlete. 

      And he was smart. She could tell, just from the way he was assessing her, looking at her. From the unsaid words behind those eyes. 

      Hunter’s eyes twinkled as green as an emerald when she found the courage to meet his gaze. She found it hard to look away and she bet her knew why.

      Riley liked the look of him. A lot. She doubted there was a girl around who wouldn’t. But she wasn’t that type of girl. The kind that batted eyelashes and flirted. Especially not now. 

      “Nice ride?”

      No, it had been terrible. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. 

      “Fine, thanks.”             

      “You look tense,” he said.

      He reached out to her, then dropped his hand. As if deciding they weren’t yet familiar enough to touch.

      Riley laughed. The kind of hysterical burst of laughter that could easily have turned to tears. “Yeah, funny that. When I’m riding a horse and a big cat crosses the track it tends to make me jumpy.” She paused, trying hard not to scowl, because she knew he was in on whatever her gran was keeping from her. “Although I’m told you were out there somewhere keeping an eye on me,” she said sarcastically. 

      “Huh.”

      
What the hell kind of answer was that?

      Hunter was too casual for her liking. Too unfussed by meeting her. Unworried, unbothered that he was disturbing her. And why was no one reacting to her seeing a giant wild cat.

      Riley looked away, when all she really wanted was to trace her eyes along his face. Drink in the buzz cut of his dark, almost black hair. 

      She stopped herself from thinking about him.
Tried
. Or more importantly she tried to focus on his eyes looking back at hers and nothing else.

       Hunter had a white T-shirt on, but his tanned biceps were on display.
Just what she needed to notice when she was trying to ignore how good he looked. 

      Hunter grinned at her when she looked up again. Like he could read her mind. She wished they weren’t just standing here. She was awkward, he at ease. She didn’t like the balance of power. Or lack of power, in her case.

      “So are you ready?”

      Riley pushed her shoulders up into a shrug. “Ready for what?”

      “For a walk through the forest. I need to explain some stuff to you.”

      “Not really.” She wasn’t interested, no matter how cute he was.

      “Sophia wants you to. You know that, right?”

      Yeah she knew. But she was less than happy about the circumstances. It was too… what? She didn’t even know what it was her grandma wanted her to do. To learn. 

      Why did they have to go into the forest anyway? It didn’t look like he had any weapons, and given the animal she’d seen before, she wasn’t exactly keen on going back in, especially without a weapon.

      “I’d rather stay here.”

      “Scared of a little cat?” he asked.

      His face was mocking her but she couldn’t help but react. 

      “I think you’ll find that it wasn’t exactly a
pussy cat
.”

      That made him laugh and it only infuriated her more. 

      What happened to being in charge of her own destiny? To wallowing in her grief, alone? She hadn’t planned on being bullied into making friends or having to brave it in a forest filled with predators. 

      “You’re not thinking about him, are you?”

      That made her head snap up.

      “About who?”

      “The boy you were dating back home.”      

      What? How did he even know? Had Sophia known she had a boyfriend? Her parents had hardly even known about him. In fact, they
didn’t
know about him. 

      “Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”

      They’d broken up just after her sister died. It had been nothing special, he was cute, they’d gone out a few times, but now? Hunter made him look like a child.

      Not that she wanted him to know that.
But seriousl
y? Hunter made the boys at her school look like pre-schoolers in comparison. 

      “Good,” he said.

      Why was that good? And why was he interrogating her? Like he was some kind of clued-up stalker?

      “I’m sorry?” she asked.

      “It’s just that you’re best to be focused while you’re here.”

      She was sick of this conversation already. The type that went around and around in circles. Same conversation to the one she’d just had before with her gran, and still no answers. 

      “You want me focused on you, you mean. Is that it?” Her cheeks flushed burning hot. She’d always had a quick tongue, gotten into trouble with her smart mouth, only she’d never been attracted to the people she usually argued with. 

      He showed off those perfect white teeth again. “If you want to be.”

      “Argh! I’m not coming.”

      His laugh, deep and arrogant, rang out behind her. “I’ll be waiting.”

      Riley flicked a look over her shoulder as she stalked off. He was leaning against the big tree again, his tall body braced against it. 

      
He was driving her insane.

An hour later, Riley looked out and he was still there. Just hanging out, daydreaming, like he had all day to wait for her. Like she was just going to give in and go with him. 

      Even Sophia had kept her mouth shut when she’d stormed inside past her. But Riley had a feeling she couldn’t get away with ignoring him for long. 

      She stalked outside and back over to Hunter.

      “Okay.” She glared at him as she spoke, tried hard not to notice his smile.

      
It shouldn’t have been so hard.

      “So you
want
to come now?” he asked.

      She hated him. She actually hated him and she’d only just met him. 

      “You want to walk, let’s walk.”

      He mocked her, face serious. “And talk.”

      Riley shook her head, annoyed that he seemed to find their exchange so funny. 

      “Fire away,” she retorted.

      Hunter grinned before walking down a beaten, narrow path, not waiting for her to follow. “This way.”

      She felt like he was leading her to her death. Seriously. He was so hot she could hardly stop looking at him, even though he was driving her
insane
, and he was treating her like some stupid kid. She hoped Claudia was looking down on this. She’d be getting some serious kicks. 

      
And probably enjoying the eye candy
.

      Argh. 

      “Question time?” he asked her.

      Riley didn’t even bother to look at him, her eyes scanning for danger. She wasn’t going to let a leopard or anything else catch her unawares this time. 

      “Shoot,” she mumbled, too drained to fight him with words. 

      “Actually, I was thinking you could ask me a question first.”

      She
so
wasn’t up for playing games. Riley sighed, hoping he got the hint. 

      “Like what?”

      “You wondered about the leopard before, right?”

He had her attention. “And the fact that no one seems to care.”

      Hunter stopped and sat down on a fallen tree in the clearing they’d come across, tanned forearms resting on the ripped knees of jeans. Riley stayed away from him on the other side of the path, not wanting to be any closer to him than she had to be. 

      “This is going to sound kind of weird, but that was me you saw before.” He paused, a lopsided smile taking over his mouth. “The black cat.”

      Riley laughed. She actually laughed out aloud. But the look on his face made the noise die in her mouth with a gurgle. Like she was drowning, being choked with water.

      
What the hell did he mean by that?

      This was just too weird. Her grandma was obviously a crackpot and so was this guy. 

      She wished she had a weapon. Something to protect herself with. He was insane, there was no other explanation for the crap he was spinning. Definitely insane.

      “So you transformed into a leopard and then just
happened
to saunter out as a human after my ride.” Riley tried to keep her voice as non-hysterical as possible. “Like some, some, I don’t know.
Creature
?”

      He shrugged. “Yeah, something like that.”

      Riley got to her feet, hands on hips. “I don’t want to play games. I’m heading back.”

      She was trying not to admit it, but she was scared. Bone rattling, bile rising in her throat kind of scared.

      “We’re the same, Riley. You are what I am,” he called after her.

      “Crazy you mean?” she shot back. This was going from weird to ridiculous. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” She didn’t know what he was talking about and she didn’t want to know.

      She turned to leave again, but Hunter’s low, calm voice made her freeze. Like a hand grasping her arm, forcing her to stop, even though he never touched her. 

      “Ever wondered why you don’t like to swim?”      

      Riley didn’t turn back, just listened. Her breath started to thud in and out of her lungs. She
hated
swimming. 

      “How do you know that?” she asked.

      “Well, do you?”

      “I can’t swim. I don’t like water.”

      She spun around. Hunter was looking at her with a smug look on his face. “You can swim, we just don’t like to.”

      No.
No, no, no
. This was not happening. She was imagining the water, hating it. Riley shut her eyes, tried to pull herself from what had to be a dream. Hunter was lying to her,
tricking
her
, trying to make her believe something that couldn’t be true.
He was getting in her head.

      “I can’t swim,” she insisted.

      “Want me to throw you in the water so you can find out? We’re actually not half bad at it, if we have to get wet.”

      She glared at him. “Okay, so let’s say I believe you.”

      Her hands were starting to shake. A damp line of moisture was inching its way across the top of her lip. 

      Riley hated it, but part of her, a little niggle in her brain, was telling her to listen. That he wasn’t actually insane.       

      Or maybe he was and she was starting to believe him anyway. Maybe
she
was insane.

      He raised an eyebrow. “About you being a leopard shifter too?”

      She should have run back to the house screaming. She should have run so fast that he couldn’t catch her. But something was making her stay. Something was interested in his theory, his story. Her feet wouldn’t move.

      
She didn’t even know what a leopard shifter was.

      “We aren’t pure human, Riley.” His voice was softer now, quieter. “We’re shifters. Changers. We’re equally as comfortable as our animal, as we are in our own skin.”

      Her eyes narrowed, assessing him. She was surprised with how honest his expression was. There was no humor there, just a raw openness. Could he be faking that? 

      Could it be real?

      She shut her eyes, tight. 

      
It wasn’t real. He was manipulating her, tricking her. 

      She needed to remember that, as convincing as he might sound with his crazy theory. “How exactly will I find out if I, you know,
can
then? If I am what you say I am?”

      “Watch and learn, pussy cat. Watch and learn.”

      “Don’t call me that,” she snapped. 

      His green eyes twinkled, the seriousness gone. It was all mischief now. “Or what?”