Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) (18 page)

“And even if we were, what makes you think
you can flirt with her all the time?” Declan demanded.

“Oh, come on. You can’t sit there and not
tell me how gorgeous she is. Plus, she’s a Healer. I’d say it’s a
win-win. If I have any chance with her, I’m taking it. I don’t care
who she’s with, she’s gotta know what she’ll miss out on if she’s
not with me.”

“Which isn’t much apparently,” Declan
scrutinized Chase.

“
She
is sitting right here,” Willow
said taking her hair and attempting to brush the ratty knots out of
her long, auburn spirals. She grabbed all her hair and combed it
over her right shoulder. Glancing sideways at Declan, she caught
him admiring what she was doing. He quickly turned away from her.
She looked to Chase, “Besides, I don’t know what the big deal is
with me. I’m nobody special. I’m not as pretty as you say.”

Chase came up to her and sat on her right
side. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Willow. You really don’t know
how amazing you are, do you? Are you one of those girls who don’t
know how attractive they are or are you just playing dumb and
secretly like the attention?”

She smiled and immediately changed the all
too sensitive subject. “Hey, you called me Willow.”

“Don’t look into it,” Chase said and nudged
her knee. “You’ll always be my Healer girl.”

“Is that what you really think about
yourself?” She heard Declan ask her quietly. She turned to him,
finding that he was staring intently at her.

Willow giggled awkwardly and stood up, “Oh,
you know how girls can be. One moment we like ourselves, the other
we don’t. You’ve been with several other Firsts, Declan, you should
be used to it by now.” She stretched her arms and legs. “Now how
far away is this inn? I do not want to sleep on the ground tonight
if I can help it and it’s already getting dark.” Declan was still
sitting down looking shocked by her words, but Chase jumped up
quickly and took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her shoulder
and started guiding her away from Declan.

“Not far now, can’t you hear the music?”
Chase asked her.

“Um…no,” Willow said wanting to slip away
from Chase’s hold, but also felt an urge to make Declan jealous, so
she stayed where she was.

“Oh, I keep forgetting you’re not a werewolf.
Things would be soooo much easier in our relationship if you
were.”

“You mean friendship, right, Wolf-Boy?”

“Right,” Chase smiled brightly to reveal his
pearly-whites. “For now.”

They traveled about another mile until
suddenly, the sound of exotic music resonated in the air. Stepping
around several close grown trees, Willow finally set eyes on a
large, two story cabin. It looked so lonely and strange in the
middle of the Everwild, where no one should even consider a place
to dwell. Several windows with dim yellow light cast shadows on the
ground that stretched towards her. A large wooden sign with white
painted letters designated it as the Neutral Zone.

Stenches of cooked meat and fresh bread
billowed out of the tall chimney and Willow’s mouth instantly
watered. To the left, a small mill wheel turned slowly bringing
water into the establishment. It felt warm and inviting and
everything the Everwild wasn’t.

Chase turned to look at Declan and Willow.
“I’m friends with the owner…um, sort-of. Just let me do the talking
and maybe we’ll get a room for the night.”

“Maybe?” Willow asked. “Like, you aren’t
sure?”

“Well…the owner’s still kinda sour about me
seducing his brother’s daughter a while back…”

“Oh great!” Declan said perturbed.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, my Alpha took care
of it.” He started walking away, “Oh, and a word of warning,
Healer. Be careful around the people in there. They may look
friendly, but…you never know. It’s called a neutral zone for a
reason. There are no fights or quarrels. Everyone there is just
trying to lay back and chill. Even if you had a vendetta against
another magical race, and they were there, you leave your issues at
the door or you don’t step inside.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” Declan
came up to stand beside her.

“Whatever you say, lover-I mean, warlock
boy,” Chase rolled his eyes and signaled for them to follow. Willow
noticed that Declan didn’t hold her hand. It was sad that she
noticed, or even expected him to do it, but she couldn’t help but
wish he would. She needed the comfort. She needed…
him.

They entered the inn and into a tiny room. It
was so tiny, that only a tall desk and two chairs were in it. The
smell of evergreen, wood, and apple spice filled Willow’s nostrils.
But where were the rooms and where was that strange music coming
from?

An attendant behind the counter reading a
book looked up and regarded them curiously. He was an old, bald
goblin with a long white beard and reading glasses on his round,
full face. His pointy nose stuck out like a beak and his small
pointy ears twitched slightly. He looked down over his horn-rimmed
glasses at them. Goblins were naturally cunning and cruel, but this
one actually seemed decent, perhaps because of his age. Still, he
smiled maliciously revealing jagged, crooked yellow teeth.

“May I help you…” he asked hoarsely and
sniffed the air. “How intriguing. A werewolf and two magic casters,
and…what’s this?” The goblin narrowed his eyes at Willow and she
instinctively cringed into Declan’s side.

“Over here, Doc,” Chase said smiling and
stepped up to the counter. “We need a room for the night.”

“Just one?” The goblin asked him curiously,
and then glanced at Willow again sneering. “Do you share her?”

Declan open his mouth to protest when someone
said, “That can’t be right. Chase Hawthorne doesn’t share anything,
now does he?” A man stepped out of a hidden door behind the goblin.
Willow didn’t even know it was there it looked exactly like the
walls. The sound of music suddenly increased but then muffled again
when the door closed. The person who stepped out was an older man.
He was tall and thin with sandy colored shoulder length hair and
green eyes. He wasn’t human, warlock or werewolf, but Willow gulped
when she saw his pointed ears. Was he a Fairy? He crossed his arms
and his lips were set in a thin line as he looked at Chase with
utter hatred. Declan leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Elf.”
Willow actually exhaled slightly, but she was still on edge, making
sure the side of her body was brushing against Declan’s.

“Heyyyy Alex, my man,” Chase said coolly.
“How’s Elirana doing?”

The man narrowed his eyes even more at Chase.
“Fine now that her memory of you has been wiped out of her
head.”

“Ouch,” Chase said faking hurt by holding his
hand over his heart, “So she probably wouldn’t remember saying my
name…over and over and over again.”

“What the hell, Werewolf?” Declan said coming
up beside him. Just then, the man behind the counter noticed Declan
and Willow.

“Huh…magic casters,” Alex said and turned to
Chase. “So this is who you’re running around with now? A little too
classy for you Chase, don’t you think? Is he your slave or
something like that?” He asked Declan.

Declan smiled and nearly laughed. “Something
like that.”

“Puh-lease,” Chase snorted. “Listen A, we’re
in desperate need of showers, food and company, so…can you find it
in your heart to help us out?”

Alex glanced between Chase and Declan, and
then looked past them at Willow. His green eyes sparkled
extraordinarily at her, and once again, Willow felt vulnerable
under their strange stares. “One room for three people?” Alex shook
his head at the same time the goblin did. “No, no, no. I don’t
think so. Each room is only built for two. So that means you’ll be
buying
two
rooms for the evening.”

“What’s the rate?” Declan asked taking the
backpack off to search for something.

“10 silver pieces—”

“What!” Declan snapped back at Alex.
“That’s—”

“For each room,” Alex emphasized. “But for
you guys, twenty pieces. Each.”

Declan turned on Chase. “I will skin you
alive and hang your pelt on my floor so that everybody will walk on
it and get it really really dirty.”

Alex laughed heartily. The goblin beside him
also chuckled and coughed. “I like you! Hey for you and lady, I’ll
make it fifteen silver pieces.” He turned on Chase, “Still the same
for you, dog. Go ahead Tiny, give ‘em their room keys and let ‘em
have their-rest—but only for tonight.” Alex walked back through the
door laughing. He had cheated them and all because they were with
Chase. Willow was starting to learn very quickly that Chase was a
trouble-maker to the core.

Declan paid the goblin, who gave him two
silver keys. He gestured to the door behind them and they walked
through the threshold and into the Neutral Zone. Instantly, Willow
was wrapped up in the hypnotic beat of the music pumping through
the speakers. There was a wooden dance floor to the left with
several characters dancing slowly and twisted against each other.
There were plush couches and chairs and booths in the center with
low hanging red lights. A bar and grill was to the right, where a
bar tender and cook were making the delicious food and drinks.

“Okay, guys,” Chase called to them over the
music. “I’m gonna grab some grub and do some socializing. If you’re
as tired as you say, you can just go upstairs to the rooms and have
fun.” Chase pointed to a set of stairs past the dance floor that
led to the upper floor. There was a railing that went all around
the second floor wrapping the perimeter of the cabin. Past the
railing, she could see the doors where the rooms were. It was all
an open squared area and several people were leaning against the
railing to look down on the dance floor and the scenes below them,
watching the onlookers with whispered words and stolen glances.
Willow shuddered as several people turned curiously her way. She
really hated the fact that she was a natural attractant.

Chase left them to go talk to the cook.
Surprising her, Declan wrapped a protective hand around her waist
and pulled her into his side possessively. In her ear, he said,
“I’m going to get us some drinks and food over there. Do you think
you’ll be okay? It’ll only be for a minute.”

Willow nodded and suddenly felt empty when
Declan released her. Heart soaring from Declan’s touch, she made
her way over to a vacant couch. She sat down on the velvety, plush
couch, sinking into the soft cushions. She looked around nervously.
Her eyes were drawn to the people on the dance floor. They rubbed
and gyrated against each other in a very sexual way. It was
disgusting, but she was mesmerized and somehow couldn’t look away.
She noticed several shorter men sitting at the bar. They were
obviously dwarves with their strange hats and long beards. They
looked her way and then whispered. Willow shrank back in her
seat.

A slight breeze alerted her to a presence
very close by. She turned to see that where no one had been before,
a very handsome vampire sat next to her. Their hips were
practically touching, and she regarded him warily. This was the
first time she’s ever seen a vampire up close, but she’s heard of
their ferocity and, she swallowed as her throat went dry…their
constant blood thirst.

The vampire was young, pale, and extremely
attractive. He had short blonde hair that was close cropped on his
head, and high cheekbones. He had bright blue eyes that dilated
slightly when they met hers, and lips that could send her to heaven
and back. She focused on them. She couldn’t help it. Oh, those
lips. She could do damage to those full, powerful, yummy lips.
Willow tried shaking herself out of her stupor. What was she
thinking? This was a vampire! Here she was, unable to stop thinking
about how attractive he was. Somehow, she couldn’t take her eyes
off him. It was like she was staring at an angel descended from
above.

The vampire looked at her with interest and
then smiled, revealing sharp canines protruding from his mouth,
reminding Willow of what he was and filling her with dread and
something else that shocked her…desire. She looked for Declan and
Chase in the crowd. Declan was at the bar, waiting on drinks. His
back was turned from her, but a group of women were huddled around
him, trying to get his attention. She seriously underestimated
Declan’s sex appeal as several of them were extremely beautiful
dryads and nymphs. They touched and drooled over Declan like Chase
drooled over other werewolf females that had surrounded him. Chase
laughed and tugged on one of the girl’s hair playfully. Willow
rolled her eyes. He was such a flirt! She turned her attention back
on Declan. He was now smiling and talking to the girls and a wave
of hurt and jealousy washed over her. Declan never flirted with
her.

The vampire watched Willow watching Declan
and then turned to her. “Feeling lonely, love?” he asked in what
she thought was an Irish accent. Willow shifted uncomfortably in
her seat. Was it that obvious?

Suddenly, she felt soft fingers brush the
hair off her shoulders. Willow’s pulse sped up as his fingers
traced her ear, stopping on her earlobe and dangling the earrings
she still had on and had forgotten about. Willow turned to face the
vampire and her breath hitched. Their faces were close, closer than
she thought. If she went even an inch closer, their mouths would
touch. In some weird, bizarre way, she wanted to close the distance
and feel those smooth lips upon hers. Forget Declan. He was a
nobody compared to this dazzling creature.

Knowing this, the vampire smiled again and
licked his lips, making them shine. His pupils dilated and Willow
felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him. “I like these,” the
vampire’s entrancing voice said dangling her earrings again. His
fingers then proceeded to trace her jaw line, ending up stopping on
her neck where the pulse was strongest.