Chapter 3

Dannie passed through Otsoa towards her parents’ house. The little town wasn’t much. There were just a few locally owned stores and the basic public services like a school or fire station. Every building had that dusty, worn down, Wild West look to them. It was a setting perfect for Eastwood or John Wayne to come swaggering down Main Street with a six-shooter on their hip.

Most people passed through Otsoa without even realizing there was a town there. Though, considering Otsoa was a hundred percent populated by werewolves that were probably their intention. As Dannie drove, she noticed more than a few of the locals watching her. She took a right off the main road onto a small two-lane road leading. Now that she was out of the cool, piney national parks the hot, dry air was starting to lull her into drowsiness.

The first thing Dannie was going to do when she got there was to take a long shower and nap. But first, she would have to get through the gate guard first. Halfway to her parents, Dannie slowed to a stop at a guard station and an imposing brown painted steel gate.

She didn’t recognize the lithe, but small guard as he stepped out of the guardhouse. Not good. She watched him stop in his tracks, his hand falling to the firearm on his hip. Here we go, she thought, keeping her hands in plain sight. His fear washed over her like a tsunami. Dannie took in his fear and sent it back to him in calming waves. Had no one given him a heads up about her?

Finally, the guard took a step towards the car, but as he did so, he drew his firearm. That would be twice in a week someone drew their firearm around her. She didn’t think that was a good sign. Fearing she might get shot at, Dannie spoke up. “I’m the praetor’s daughter. I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

He jumped so badly when Dannie spoke, she ducked, half expecting the gun to go off. “I-is that so?” The guard’s voice shook, but she had to give him points for staying true to his job.

“Yep,” Dannie said, trying not to make any sudden movements.

“If you’re his daughter then how come I’ve never seen you before,” he demanded, getting braver.

“I lone wolf it,” she explained. “Look, I’m tired and sweaty. I’m sure your boss can confirm who I am.”

His lip curled in a silent snarl as he glared at her, but picked up the radio with his free hand. “Gatehouse, this is Gate A calling in. We’ve got someone here claiming to be to the praetor’s daughter.”

The radio crackled to life. “That is the praetor’s daughter, Ted. Let her in before she decides to tell him you’re hassling her,” the familiar voice of Lee, Dad’s chief enforcer, sounded over the radio. There was no mistaking Lee. She spoke with a Midwestern accent mixed with hints of her Asian heritage, though Dannie didn’t know where the heritage came from. She never asked, fearing it’d be too rude.

The guard jerked at the command and again Dannie ducked.

“But…” he started but Lee cut him off.

“Now, Ted!”

Scowling as if it was all Dannie’s fault, the guard re-clipped the radio back on his belt. He sniffed, keeping the firearm drawn as he backed up into the small guardhouse. A moment later the gate squeaked as it started to open. When Dannie drove past, she waved at him. “Bye Ted.” He continued to glare at her with a scowl on his face. “Ah, home, sweet, home.”

Her parents’ estate slid into view as she rounded a long slow curve in the road. The pavement gave way to a smooth gray brick driveway almost the size of a three-lane interstate curving into a U shape. The house itself was two floors, gray stone with rich dark wood molding just under the roof. The windows, doors, and other decorative matched the same dark color.

Dannie parked her rental on the left side of the U, and got out, surprised that both her parents were waiting for her. Despite the heat, her father stood straight and stiff in a dark suit. His lips were into a straight line, his eyes narrowed either from the sun or irritation, she couldn’t tell which. He still wore his light hair in that almost too long to be a buzz cut style. The only sign of casualness in him was the fact he wasn’t wearing a tie.

Her mother on the other hand wore a black tank top, tucked into knee-length tan khaki shorts. Her dark hair, wild around her shoulders, and a happy smile on her face. Her skin was a deep olive bronze, in part of her Spanish heritage and the other spending her days outside either training or giving Dannie’s dad gray hairs as she bungee-jumped from a bridge or went dirt biking down some dangerous trail.

Dannie got out of the car and walked over to them. “Hey, so I get the royal welcome huh?”

“We’re hardly royal,” her mom said, rolling her eyes.

“We heard you were going to be arriving so we decided to wait on you before going to the festival,” her dad replied.

“Thanks, but you shouldn’t be late on my part. We can catch up later,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“Oh no you don’t,” her mom said taking her hand. “There is no later. The sparring is about to begin.”

“But—”

“No,” her dad said.

“Seriously, not even a shower?”

“Nope. Your sister is trying out today and she insisted you be there,” her mother said, linking her arm around Dannie’s and led her to the expensive-looking black BMW.

“Great.” The festival was the last place Dannie wanted to be, but as always, what she wanted didn’t matter when it came to her parent’s plans.

The drive to the festival grounds was short, and a surprisingly smooth one considering it was pretty much all dirt roads to get there. It looked like your typical county fair. There were multi-colored tents everywhere with loud, annoying games, fried food, or arts and crafts.

People parted, like peasants for their king as they walked. Everyone looked at her parents with awe, but when they saw Dannie that awe turned to uncertainty and they took a step back. The makeshift sparring arena was a fifty by thirty-foot dirt patch with wooden benches along three sides.

At the northern part of the rectangle sat a square wooden platform with two elegant wooden chairs and an obviously improvised wooden lawn chair. Dannie thought it had a very medieval or Romanesque feel to it. All that was missing was a pair of jousters in full armor or Russell Crowe, shouting if they were entertained.

Her parents took their seats in the elegant chairs, looking as regal as any royal couple. Dannie didn’t even try to match their grace. She sat in the lawn chair, her forearms resting against her knees. Like any blood sport, the sparring drew in a crowd. There wasn’t an empty spot on any of the benches. While the sparring was ultimately tryouts for her father’s personal security otherwise known as enforcers, it was also one of the biggest shows of a werewolf’s physical potential.

Which was why Dannie hated it. It was yet another reminder of what she wasn’t. The only reason she hadn’t put her foot down was for her sister. If Cass wanted her there then she would be there.

Dannie blew out a breath as she waited for the fights to begin. She was becoming sweatier by the moment and scanned the crowd, already bored. Her eyes stopped on a man standing on the edge of the benches to her left. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, leaning against a wooden electrical pole. His angular, rugged face had an almost bored expression. With his long wavy brown hair, tied back away from his face, and long stubble desperately trying to become a beard, he had a definite fuck with me and die vibe going on.

Usually, Dannie didn’t go for the bad boy types, but he had her curiosity. She wanted to know what he was doing there when he looked like he would rather be anywhere else. As if he knew she was watching him, he looked towards her. His dark eyes met her brown ones. A streak of an electric zing shot through Dannie and into her toes. She sucked in a surprised breath. Her pulse quickened. Swallowing, Dannie tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

His expression nor body expressed what he was thinking or feeling. The guy was unreadable, but Dannie felt as if every dirty little secret, every dark, sour part of her soul was out on display for him to see. She ducked her head, moving to brush her hair back, but it was still trapped behind her ear. What was going on, she thought as she waited for her pulse to go back to normal. Looking back up at him, Dannie frowned when she couldn’t find him in the crowd. An odd disappointment fluttered through her.