[Rosalynd]
It’s late by the time I’m ready to stop for dinner. I’ve been driving for almost 10 hours, only stopping to get gas. It's easy to forget, sometimes, how long the state of California really is until you find yourself traveling from the bottom to the top of it. My poor car has never seen this many miles in one day, so when I stop into the parking lot of this quaint restaurant just off of Hwy 101, I hear it make a faint wheezing sound as I turn off the engine.
That’s not a good sign.
I walk into the backyard garden to order my food. It is beautiful, oversized sunflowers are taller than me as I walk through a path of wildflowers and native plants, buzzing with life. A grandmotherly figure takes my order and her husband, a kind old cowboy, brings my food to my table, bringing me a large cold glass of cola.
“On the house,” he explains. “You look like you could use something to perk you up.”
“Thank you,” I gratefully take a sip. “Oh gods, this is good.”
“May I ask you a question, Dearie?” he asks hesitantly. “It’s totally okay if you don’t want to share.”
I swallow another gulp of soda. “Um, sure.”
“Where are you going to stay tonight?”
“Stay?”
“Yes,” he motions to the fading twilight. “It’ll be dark soon and I heard there might be some rain.”
I shake my head, swatting a fly out of my face and I reply, “I'm not afraid of a little rain. I have friends waiting for me. I'll be fine."
“If you need a place to stay, we have room here. It would be safer than having you go out in those woods alone.” He looks around before adding quietly “The woods aren’t safe at night.”
I laugh. “Who am I going to run into out there? Sasquatch? The Big Bad Wolf?”
He doesn’t laugh.
“Maybe.”
I blink. He’s serious.
“All I know is, young people disappear on that road all the time. I just want you to be safe.”
I smile at him. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” I mumble as I take another big bite of my burger.
He shakes his head. “As you wish,” he begins to walk away. “Just know the offer still stands.”
I nod my thanks and return my attention to my food.
I have been driving for about an hour when the road becomes dark and the fog begins to roll in, dense like fallen clouds. An hour later, rain begins to fall and the winding highway becomes slick with water. As I continue north, the rain soon turns into hail as this freak summer storm turns colder. The windows fog up and I find myself wishing that I had taken the nice gentleman on his offer to stay at the restaurant.
At some point I make a wrong turn. I’m not sure where, but the highway gives way to a bumpy, barely paved road that winds through the trees. My wheels are soon stuck in a puddle of mud. I try to back out, but that’s when the engine decides to die.
Everything goes completely still. The forest is dark, the sound of rainfall hitting my roof is a gentle pitter-patter. I open my door to assess my situation and find myself ankle-deep in mud.
I walk for a few minutes before I find a sign. Apparently, the nearest town is a place called Alderpoint, which is 5 miles away. Not wanting to walk that far in the rain, I go back to my car, lock the doors, and tilt my chair back. Nothing more is going to happen tonight, so I figure I might as well get comfortable. I can’t exactly go anywhere until the rain stops and the sun comes up. It's impossible to see in that complete darkness, untainted by city lights.
I’m not sure when I fall asleep, but I do know when I wake up to the sound of a howl. My glasses are still on my face, having stayed in place as I dozed. Looking at my phone I can see that it is 3:58am.
Strange. There are no wolves in California.
I hear another howl, this time closer.
Saying a silent prayer, I double-check the doors and hunch down lower in my seat. I hear a sound like sniffing around the door. I stay still, holding my breath. I’m not sure how long I stay like this, I just know that every breath feels like an eternity.
Then, as suddenly as it starts, it all stops. The world becomes completely silent again. I let out my breath only to start hyperventilating. I try to calm myself down, but my heart is beating so rapidly that my chest hurts. I don’t believe in sasquatch or bigfoot or whatever, but wolves, mountain lions, bears--those are all very much real and much bigger, faster, and stronger than I am.
I stay like this, crouched down, eyes wide awake, until sunlight begins to streak through the windows.
Just as I am about to sit up and check to see if I am safe, I hear a knock on the door.
“Hello, Miss, are you okay in there?” a deep, masculine voice asks from the other side of my steamy window.
I roll down the window just a little bit.
Smiling down at me is the friendly face of a tall, well-built man with the most amazing shade of hazel eyes I have ever seen.
“Hi,” he waves. “My name is Axel. Do you need help?”
“Maybe…” I don’t know if this guy is safe.
“It looks like you’re having a bit of car trouble too. If you’d like, I can get a bit of breakfast into you at my place while you call a tow truck to come to pick up this…” he pauses as if trying to be careful with his words,”...car”
I roll my eyes at him.
"Let me think about it." I roll my window all the way up and pull out my phone. Wiping off the front windshield, I take a picture of his license plate and send it to Slone.
Rolling down my window a little bit, I ask. “Can I take your picture?”
He raises an eyebrow.
"I want to send it to my friend so that she can check to see if you are a serial killer."
"Seriously?"
"Yup."
He rolls his eyes, but then says, “Sure.” He stands still for me, his chin slightly raised “Does that mean you’re coming with me?”
“No,” I mumble.
I roll my window all the way up and send the photo to Slone as well. Less than 10 seconds later I receive a text.
SLONE: Holy hell, girl, he’s FIIIIINE!
ME: But is he a serial killer?SLONE: Nah, he’s way too hot!ME: So was Jeffrey Dahmer.SLONE: Would Jeffrey Dahmer let you take his photo?ME: Fair point.SLONE: If you don’t take a slice of that beefcake I will!ME: OMG!!SLONE: He he! (winking devil)Taking a deep, steadying breath, I cautiously step outside.
Axel takes a step back, giving me plenty of room.
“Let’s try again,” Axel holds out his hand. “Hello, my name is Axel Addams. I live in Rio Dell.”
I look at his outstretched hand for a moment more before I reach across to shake it.
"Hi, Axel" This all feels very cheesy, but I decide to play along. "My name is Rosalynd, Rosalynd Reid. I just drove from LA yesterday."
We smile at one another. I can tell he is checking me out, so I do the same.
Standing this close to him, I catch a bit of his natural scent, a clean smell of soap and freshly cut pine. I look him up and down. He is well built, with a long auburn mullet that extends down his back. He is tall, almost ridiculously so. I’m a bit petite, but he is large even compared to most men. He is easily 6’4” tall and his shoulders are so broad they barely fit in the oversized flannel jacket he wears open to reveal a clean, white henley. His jeans look poured on, barely containing his well-muscled legs. I look away before he catches me staring at the impressive bulge in his pants.
He is different from Hunter in EVERY possible way.
“Rosalynd” the sound of my name on his tongue has me melting like warm butter as he draws my attention to his honey-colored eyes. “Let’s get you out of this rain and back on the road again.”
He smiles at me again and my breath catches. I wonder if he knows the superpower he contains within such a simple gesture. I feel a sudden urge to do things I probably shouldn’t do with a stranger. Instead, I return his smile, blushing.
“Welcome to Humboldt County, Rosalynd Reid from LA.”
At that moment I realize that even though he might not be a serial killer, that doesn’t mean I’m not in trouble.
Deep, deep trouble.
[Axel]She barely says anything as we drive through the forest. I can hear her little heart beating like a caged bird. I hate that I am unable to make her feel at ease. There is something about her, something different which draws my attention. She is both fragile and strong simultaneously.I feel torn. My wife and Luna, Alexa, left us a year ago and I have not been able to move on. I think part of me is still wishing she’d come back, even after the divorce papers arrived on my doorstep. So I feel a little guilty as I sit here, lusting after another woman. Rosalynd smells amazing, like juniper and sandalwood. She isn't even a wolf, but I feel a connection to her, almost stronger than anything I ever felt with my mate bond. It was that connection that led me to her as she huddled frightened in the night, curled inside her car. I know she must have heard me and I realize that the experience must have been traumatizing. Not a great way to start a potential relationship…but I am getting
[Rosalynd]It's weird, standing in some strange man's kitchen, trying to remember what he said about tea. Especially when you were too busy watching him walk away…Good God! I don't know why I'm suddenly all hot and bothered. My heart is still broken over the hurt I received from Hunter's betrayal--I’m not ready to start something new, but here I am, fantasizing about someone I hardly know. Yes, he’s manly in ways I’ve never experienced, animalistic and raw, while still tender and considerate. He’s nothing at all like the little punk boys I dated back home. He is a man with a life, a home, and a son. Wow. That means the boy has a mother somewhere, which means he might still be married.I’m also not 100% sure he isn’t a serial killer.Can serial killers also be good fathers?Shaking my head at my silliness, I take a look around as I wait for the tea to brew.Axel’s house is simply stunning. Set on a hill overlooking the river, it is made of wood and glass, with exposed beams overhead a
[Rosalynd] "Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in.." "NOOOOO Dada!" a small voice laughs, followed by the sound of chasing feet around his living room. "I wanna be the wolf this time." I am lying in a small bed in a guest room tucked underneath his stairs. Axel offered it to me as a place to rest while I waited for my car to be repaired. After a quick shower, I soon fell asleep. But now I am awake, wide awake. I lie there for several minutes, not sure if I should interrupt their scene, or wait for it to simmer down before coming out and asking
[Slone] Rosie called me. Her voice sounded light and carefree. So very different from the day before. I didn’t want to tell her my news when I was speaking with her on her trip up north, because I knew how much stress she was experiencing. Which might be why she was standing in front of me, her face tight with shock. “So…” Rosalynd's face barely moves as she grits out the rest of her sentence “You’re telling me now, right now, after I traveled almost 700 miles, risking rain and wolves and serial killers on my way to live with you, after several phone calls where you could have explained your situation, that there is no place for us to stay…at all.”
[Rosalynd] I close my eyes, thinking about all the things I wish I could do with my life. I wish I could be strong and successful on my own. That I can follow where my heart leads me. I need a place to feel safe, loved, and wanted. I need to feel that for myself more than anything. I desire something real, something solid. A family. I send this thought out into the universe. I can feel the warmth of these thoughts wrap around me like a blanket, both comforting and gentle. I take a deep breath, and I feel the heat of a greater force, an energy beyond myself, fill me to the brim with energy and light. At that moment, I know that the universe hears me. I open my eyes. The crystals around me are glimmering with red, green, blue, and golden light, but none are glowing as brightly as the one in my hands, the large piece of uncut rose quartz, which is now warm to the touch, pink glowing from its center, magnified by the facets of the crystal. The warmth of these glowing stones fills m
[Rosalynd]“Rosie! You are magical!!” Slone says slowly, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me with each word as we leave Evander’s house, new keys in hand.“You just want to see magic everywhere,” I assure her. “I’m just me, Rosie Reid. Nothing special here.”“I have been in this forest a THOUSAND times and not once have I found that trail.” She points to the dirt path that leads to Evander’s lush garden.“OK,” I admit, shrugging, “Maybe I’m lucky….”“And,” Slone continues, “You found us a place
[Axel] Conner, my wolf, is pacing anxiously in my head. "When is she going to get here?" "Heel boy," I say quietly to myself, my heart racing. We are both excited to see Rosalynd again. It's crazy, a girl I just met last night is already working her way under my skin. The last time Conner paced like this was the night we marked Alexa. Not that it mattered in the end. She still rejected us, and our son. I can smell her before I see her. I have grown accustomed to her scent, a blend of roses and jasmine, but as I turn to make sure it is her, I notice something has changed about it, or maybe just come into the foreground. Sage. She now has the unmistakable aroma of sage blended with the other two. "Witch." I breathe. "Mate" Conner howls. "No! It can't be. How can a witch be our second-chance mate? The pack would never accept a witch as Luna." "MATE!!" Conner insists. "We must have our mate! I will fight them all to keep her!" As I watch her approach, the wind playing w
[Rosalyn] I’m freezing my ass off standing outside a bar that is not ironically called The Goat that is so popular on a Saturday night that it has a line around the door. Apparently, Karaoke Night is a local favorite. I guess there isn’t a lot to do in a sleepy, country town like this, especially for college kids. There is no shortage of overpriced restaurants that close down before 8 p.m., but real hangouts are scarce. This is nothing like LA. Also nothing like LA, this weather. It is FREEZING. Well, not technically, but 57 degrees feels like winter when I’m used to 80+ degrees at night in summer, especially in late August. Apparently in Arcata, August often means fog and sometimes rain. They blame it on living next to the coast but I call bullshit. LA is near the coast too and it doesn’t fog over in August. Why did I move here again? Oh, yeah. I wrap my little red cloak around my shoulders a little tighter against the chill. I’m wearing a borrowed white velvet minidress fro