Walking Wolf Road (Wolf Road Chronicles Book 1) (22 page)

“Reading my new book.” I replied and cracked another nut, “You know, I’ve got something for you if you wanna swing by.”

“Oh… Uh, sure, I’ll be over in a minute.” He hung up and I almost set down the phone, but I paused and then punched in a series of numbers.

The phone rang once, “Hello?”

“Hey Geri, its Jimmy.”

“Oh hey, Merry Christmas dude. Funny, I’d just picked up the phone to call you.”

Damn Pack mentality…

Fen arrived a few minutes later. The warm weather surprised me when I opened the door, and Jake begged Mom to let him play outside.

“Stay out of the puddles!” she called as he bolted past us, dinosaurs in hand.

I shook my head and led Fen into the living room. I pulled his presents out from under the tree and handed them to him, “Merry Christmas.”

He stared at the present in his hands with a blank expression. When he finally looked up at me and smiled, it looked both sad and angry; but he quickly hid it all behind a mask. I wondered what he was hiding, but smiled back anyway when he thanked me.

He sat down in the chair by the window and tore the crimson paper; slowly, almost hesitantly. I swallowed hard and worried.
Did I do something wrong? What if he already has it? Is he unhappy with me, or his presents?

He finished unwrapping and just stared at it a moment, then flipped it over to look read the back? “Where did you find this?” he whispered.

I have my sources,” I said, and winked.
Google, mostly Google…
“Open your other one.” I prodded, nervous.

Like you’re trying to impress him?

‘Shut up!’ I mentally hissed at the internal voice, which sadly wasn’t wrong.

You want him to like you…

I tuned it out as he picked up the book from the new age store in the Springs and opened it. His brow creased when he recognized it, “Wait, isn’t this—how’d you—?”

“You shouldn’t underestimate my powers of observation, I nabbed it when Loki dragged you away.”

“Wow Jimmy, this is…” he looked at me with a genuine smile this time, the corners of his eyes crinkled a little, “This is amazing, thank you!”

Whew…

“Merry Christmas Fen.”

“Merry Christmas Jimmy…” he sighed and shifted in the chair so he could reach into his pocket, “Here, this is for you. I know it’s not much, but—”

“Thank you,” I interrupted, and was a rewarded with a small smile.

“Here, Merry Christmas.” he handed me a small package with Santa’s head folded over the corner on the paper.

I tore the paper off and lifted the lid on the black box inside and something glimmered at me when the sunlight fell inside. I poured the box out into my hand and a supple chain flowed through my fingers like water; a small cross pooled in the center of my palm. Awareness tingled up my arm.
Pure silver…

“It seems Loki was playing both teams. When she dragged me upstairs, she suggested this. You’re Christian like Geri, so we thought it’d suit you better.” Sunlight glistened on the slightly flared ends of the cross’s arms. “This one seemed to have a rather potent effect on shifting energy. I figured it’d be good for you since you’re progressing so fast.”

“Wow, thank you…” I spoke quietly. Considering his reaction to the price tag on the book, this must have cost him dearly. My chest felt tight, but I didn’t want to show too much emotion and embarrass him. I lifted the pentagram he’d given me over my head and held it out for him. I’d grown so accustomed to its presence and weight that for a moment I felt ungrounded, disconnected. I pooled it in my hand and handed it back to its rightful owner. I was only borrowing it after all.

He looked at it for a moment, “Keep it.”

“Are you sure—?” He interrupted me with a hand.

“Yes, I’m sure. But put on your new one, I want to see how it looks on you.”

Blushing a little, I slipped the pentagram into my pocket and tried to pull the new necklace over my head, but the chain was too short. I looked at it puzzled.

“It’s a choker Jimmy, it’s supposed to be that short,” Fen laughed.

I frowned and started working on the clasp. I cut myself under my fingernail as I tried to fasten it behind my neck.

“Fuck!” I hissed as it slipped again, and a fat crimson droplet formed under my nail. Fen laughed as I sucked the blood off and glared at him.

“Instead of chuckling your ass off over there, how ‘bout you give me a hand instead? Jackass…” I snapped.

Still grinning, he held out his hand. I gave him the necklace and turned around. He reached around my neck to hook it when there was a knock on the door. Automatically I yelled, “Come in!”

The door opened and Loki’s voice came around it before she did. “Hey Jimmy, Merry Christ—oh!” Fen’s hands froze behind my neck. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with surprise as an embarrassed flush spread through her cheeks. I realized how Fen and I looked together right now, and turned red as well.
Please God, don’t let John come downstairs right now and see this…

“Uh, hi Fen,” she said like she’d just been busted doing something bad. Her hands toyed with the wrapped box she carried. “Merry Christmas.” She said almost questioningly and flashed a nervous smile; I could almost see her ears laid back.

“Merry Christmas Loki.” Fen replied with an unusually cold undertone. His hands moved again and within a couple seconds he was done. I angled my head down as far as I could to look at my new silver necklace, but could only feel it in the hollow of my throat.

“How’s it look?” I knew right away that Fen was pissed about something, but his face didn’t look it at all. He smiled and everything, but I could almost taste his annoyance and frustration in the air.
Weird
.

“It looks good on you, that chain’s a good length, so it shouldn’t get caught on anything and snap.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Uh, here Jimmy,” Loki stepped forward and handed me her package. “But don’t open it yet, I need to run out to the truck and grab Fen’s gifts,” she blurted and dashed back out the door.

I looked at Fen and shrugged, and then pulled Loki’s gifts out from under the tree. She came back as I turned around, a couple packages piled in her arms. “Here Fen, I didn’t expect you to be here,” she said, breathless.

“Yeah, I guess not,” he muttered as he accepted the packages. He looked at them with an unreadable mask, and then tore the paper.

Loki and I watched intently, and I wondered why Fen was acting so strange.

Inside the first box was a t-shirt with a werewolf on it that said “Shift Happens” underneath, and inside the second was a beautiful bust of a howling wolf, almost a foot tall.

Fen radiated dark emotions, and I couldn’t even make sense of them all because his face was as benign as ever. Sadness, anger, and loss swirled off him as he thanked Loki. We stood there for an awkward moment until he muttered something about needing to go home and walked toward the door.

“You don’t like them?” Loki asked as he passed her. He paused at the door, but didn’t look at her.

“No, they’re very nice, thank you. You know what I really want can’t be bought with a credit card…” He spat the word ‘bought’ out like it burned his tongue, and then stepped outside and pulled the door closed.

“What was
that
all about?” I asked.

“Um, I think he’s just hypersensitive about money,” she muttered. “He usually hides it pretty well, but I know that he hates that we have money to spend on frivolous things, while he and his mother barely scrape by.”

My intuition nagged me, “Is that all?”

She winced, “It probably torqued him that I came to see you first, since he’s Alpha.”

“So why did you?” I asked, almost hopeful.

“I dunno, you were on the way I guess.” She flopped down in the chair and sighed as she buried her face in her hands. Rejection slithered through me but I hid it, and felt deflated. I looked down and realized I still held her gifts.

“Here, these are for you.” I smiled at her, and when she smiled back my heart pounded harder.

Way to go Jimmy, just go ahead and fall for two people at once. Only you could achieve something so insurmountably asinine…

“Thanks Jimmy, you’re so sweet. Oh, you haven’t even opened yours yet. Open it, open it!” she insisted and pulled her hair back behind her ear. I sat down in a chair across from her and absently tore at the paper of my box while I watched her open hers.

She pulled out her hoodie and squealed with delight. “Oh my God Jimmy, I love it! It’s so cute!” She scrunched it up in her hands and smashed her face into it.

I hid my envy of the hoodie’s affection and pulled the paper off my own package. I opened the box and looked at the unidentifiable black fabric within. I glanced up and noticed Loki’s expectant stare while she pulled her new hoodie on over her sweater. I reached inside and lifted out a black vest. It looked medieval, but with a gothic twist. And something was underneath it in the box.

I lifted out the colorful fabric and it unfolded onto the floor. I stood to open it and was startled to see a pair of wolves staring at me past the branch of a tree. One grey and one black.

“It reminded me of you and Fen,” Loki whispered, and leaned forward, “I figured you could probably use a tapestry in your Dungeon. D’ya like it?”

“It’s awesome!” I grinned at her.

“I’m glad,” she smiled back, “Now try on your vest.” she winked and sat back as though waiting for a movie to start.

“Okay, but you have to open your other one while I change.”

“Deal!” she shouted and grabbed the other box. I grabbed the vest and made for the Dungeon door. “Hey, where’re you going?” I turned and her face was in full pout.

“I’m not going to strip right here in the living room!”

“Aww!” she stuck her tongue out at me. I turned away and smiled as I walked downstairs. I pulled my sweater over my head and tossed it on my bed. I shrugged into the vest and pulled the snaps across to buckle it. I tried to swallow my insecurity as I went back upstairs.

You want her to like you too…

I ignored the voice and stepped into the living room. She stood when I came in, and then walked over to me and turned me around, eyeing me like a side of beef at the market. “Yeah, I’m awesome.” My heart stuttered when she came close enough to kiss, and lifted her hand. Her fingers felt cool as she ran them down over my cross, framed by the vest. “I knew these would go perfect together.” She smirked and looked up into my eyes.

“Did you like your gift?” my mouth was dry and my voice cut out on a couple syllables.

“I love it!” she pulled her hand away and I instantly missed her touch. “This was sort of overkill for a bumper sticker though, don’tcha think?” she held up the box and packing peanuts shifted inside.

“No,” I plunged my hand into the peanuts, my fingers searching. “It’s not.” I withdrew my hand, a couple peanuts stuck to me as I presented the small box captured between my fingers. Her eyes flashed with surprise, and then she took the box from my hand as her mischievous smirk fell back into place. She set down the other box and held the little one between us. It was obviously a jewelry box, and she couldn’t keep the curiosity from her face when she pushed the hinge open.

Her mouth fell open in surprise, “Oh Jimmy…” she whispered as she reached in, “Is this… moonstone?”

“Yeah.” The ring was slender, feminine, with circle of milky-white moonstone set in the center of a three-phase-moon symbol. Celtic knotwork wound the ring’s pewter band. “Do you like it?”

She nodded a tender smile on her lips. Then she looked into my eyes and her smile faltered, “But, this is awfully personal don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?” Worry blossomed amid shame.

“Something that you wear on your body is one of the most personal gifts you can
give…” she muttered, holding the ring but not putting it on. A tendril of anger slithered out of the dragon’s pit.

“Both you and Fen gave me things to wear on my body. What’s
that
supposed to mean?” I snapped. She sighed and closed her eyes. I felt my eyes harden as shame hollowed me out. “You’re not going to wear it, are you?”