Lacing Shadows Read online

  Lacing Shadows

  An Anthology

  By

  Andrea Stanet

  Tina Smith

  Laurie Treacy

  Lee Ryder

  Alexia Purdy

  Copyright 2014

  Tina Smith, Andrea Stanet, Laurie Treacy, Lee Ryder, Alexia Purdy

  Smashwords Edition

  ©July 2014 All Rights Reserved

  Cover Image Copyright Tina Smith. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold, reproduced or transmitted without express consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book may not be given away. Each reader is required to purchase their own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.

  Contents

  Spirit of the Wolf

  Eternal Guard

  Into the Dark

  The Unspoken Truth

  Spinning Scars

  Spirit of the Wolf

  Andrea Stanet

  1.

  The mid-October chill summoned each of Asia’s cells, compelling her out into the dawn light. Her body and mind recoiled, yet she couldn’t resist the mineral tang in the air as the mist over Lake Minnewaska retreated from the sun’s emerging rays. Bending to check her sneaker laces, she stretched, jogged in place for a few seconds, clipped her Android to her waistband, popped her ear buds in, and took off through the state park’s lot.

  Since she was recovering from an ankle sprain, this was Asia’s first run in a couple of weeks. She’d already been sidelined for the rest of the cross-country season, but that was no reason to get out of shape. She usually ran with Jesse, her boyfriend. Today, she was glad he had a meet and couldn’t wear himself out ahead of time.

  She could only stand so much togetherness. When they started dating back in August, she expected that an upperclassman would be more casual about a relationship with a mere freshman. Maybe he was lonely after transferring to Chinook University from a community college out west. But jeez, mealtimes, studying in the dorms, team practices, and any time they could manage in between—sometimes Asia wanted—no, needed—a break.

  A solo run would give her plenty of that, even if a big part of her wanted to stay curled under a blanket in her suite room.

  Her breath took its sweet time to regulate, but once it did, she paced her steps to the little puffs of steam that escaped from her nose and mouth. Along the apple-scented path, brown leaves swirled lazily with the breeze. The fall colors boldly shrieked their reds, yellows, and oranges, blinding in their brilliance.

  Asia checked her GPS watch. She’d gone the first half mile and hadn’t seen or heard another soul along the trail. She could hear her mother’s phantom voice in her head, accompanied by a vision of a wagging finger. What if a crazed killer’s hanging out in those woods? Ya got no business out there alone.

  Her own mental advisor noted that her mom’s voice was probably right. But a crazed killer could also shoot up the campus, but she still had to go to classes. So she lifted her knees and pumped her arms, jogging up another incline, thankful for the temporary absence of Jesse’s competitive egging-on.

  The air cooled her face, now warmed from the inside. Her breath flowed smoothly, and she could visualize oxygen feeding her muscles. The zone was a great place to be on a Saturday morning.

  After cresting the hill, she skidded to a stop, almost stumbling toward the cliff face to her right. She barely avoided the jaws of a large dog.

  “Whoa!”

  The dog barked once and bared its teeth. Asia’s hands flew up, shielding her face. The dog didn’t lunge. After her initial shock, she noticed that it wore a collar.

  “Cut it out, Anubis.” A short, young woman, with honey-toned skin and the longest, most amazing amber hair Asia had ever seen, emerged from behind a tree. The dog sat. Its tongue lolled out as if nothing unusual had happened.

  Asia’s heart thudded. “Holy cow, you scared me half to death. Sorry about running up on you like that. I didn’t think anyone else was out here.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone so early either. You shouldn’t be out here by yourself, you know. At least I have this guy.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Asia rolled her eyes, smiled, and shrugged. “Sometimes a girl just wants some solo time, you know?”

  The young woman nodded and half smiled back. “I get that. Haven’t I seen you around campus?”

  Asia tilted her head and studied her new acquaintance for a few moments. “Yeah, I think so. You’re not in the freshman dorms though. Anyway, my name’s Asia.”

  She stretched her hand forward, replaying the conversation in her mind. Had she said or done anything to let on that she found this woman attractive? Asia didn’t think she had.

  For the past few years, it had been awkward making friends with women, especially the ones who appealed to her. If any of her high school classmates had figured out she was drawn to females and males equally, she would have been virtually crucified.

  “We live in town, and I’m in my second year. Nathifa. Just call me Nati. You’ve already met Nubi.” She reached down and scratched the dog behind the ears roughly. Its tail thumped wildly.

  Asia, wanting to say in Nati’s presence a while longer, latched onto the dog as a safe topic. “He’s beautiful. Sorry, is it a he?”

  “Yup,” Nati said, crouching down next to the lush, golden canine with its bright green eyes. “Asia’s a nice name.”

  Now that Asia had been standing still for a few minutes, her face felt flushed, and she was glad for the breeze that kicked up. She looked closer at the dog and avoided making eye contact with Nati.

  “I’ve never seen a dog quite like this one. Can I pet him?”

  When Nati bobbed her head, Asia stepped forward and extended her hand forward for Anubis to sniff. He took a whiff and rubbed his face against her palm.

  “Sweet.” She dug her fingers into Nubi’s soft, lush undercoat. “What breed is he? He looks a little like a German shepherd, but he’s fluffier, almost like a Husky.”

  “He’s a mutt.”

  Anubis woofed. Laughing, Nati plunged her fingers into his luxurious pelt. “He’s only friendly to girls. If you were a guy, he’d try to rip your balls off.”

  “Good thing I’m not then.” Asia couldn’t help glancing over at her new, potential friend.

  “Yup, good thing.” Nati’s face was less than a foot from her own. Big, green eyes with golden flecks scattered through the irises found Asia’s.

  She knew she shouldn’t stare, but for several seconds, she was awestruck, unable to look away. Her hand brushed Nati’s. An electric shock made her jump.

  Holding Asia’s gaze, Nati smirked.

  Asia stood up on shaky legs. “I’d better get going before my muscles get cold. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  Nati waved. “See ya.”

  Asia’s earlier sense of clarity and focus evaporated. She worked her way back to her car, wondering if she might run into Nati on campus sometime.

  Back in the dorm, she showered. Ten minutes later, in gray sweats and an oversized hoodie with HUSKIES in big, block letters, she heard her phone beep. She picked it up and swiped down the screen to view her message. It was from Jesse.

  Pick you up @ 1?

  Asia sighed and texted him back. Sure.

  Asia met Jesse before classes started, at the first team practice. He had waited for her to leave the locker room and asked for her number. He’d been persistent—very persistent—and funny. Not that she
hadn’t noticed his long-legged stride and orange bandana from across the field as the team warmed up.

  Up close, Jesse had a crooked smile, a dimple in one cheek, and a mop of straight, dark hair that fell over thin, arched eyebrows. His wide mouth looked like he was always smiling, like a less creepy version of the Joker. They’d been together ever since.

  They had a good time together, most of the time. He made an excellent running partner, always encouraging her to push herself. Sometimes they would come up with weird challenges—“beat your best 5K time by five minutes,” or “see how many sets of 800-meter sprints and 200-meter recoveries you can do in twenty minutes.”

  Aside from that, he was a great kisser—confident, not messy, just the right amount of heat without making her feel pressured to go further. Or he hadn’t until recently. Lately, it seemed that he was never satisfied—always wanting more time, more commitment… any amount of sex. At first, there had been something flattering about a guy wanting to spend so much time with her, but a little more time to herself would be nice.

  Still, the relationship was comfortable. Mostly.

  *

  The gray wolf snarled as it tracked the lone, doe-skinned girl trotting down the hill. After drawing her out into the morning with its mental howl, it was rankled to see its quarry getting away. All because of the intruders’ interruption. It should tear the other female’s throat out and rip her canine companion’s gut open. But the gray wolf would wait. There was still time to claim its mate. Soon, she would come. Willingly. She would merge with the spirit within her, and together she and the gray wolf would form a new pack.

  *

  Nathifa sighed as she kicked her sneakers off and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Jiddo, her grandfather, still snored from his recliner where he slept most nights. She tiptoed to avoid disturbing him.

  The image of the new girl would not leave her memory. “Asia,” with the smooth skin and kinky curls corralled at the nape of her neck, threatened to haunt Nati’s dreams for days. There had always been something enticing about runners’ legs. The long, lean muscles that rippled with each step could wrap around her like an anaconda and squeeze—

  With a rough shake of her head, Nati pushed the image away. A tap at the door helped her wrangle her thoughts and expressions back toward decency. She knew who was on the other side. Her twin could read her as if he lived in her mind.

  “Yes, Asim?”

  “We going or what?”

  It was their Saturday ritual to have breakfast at the local diner before tackling their weekend chores. They would bring back a double stack of pancakes with bacon for Jiddo and chuckle affectionately as he ordered them around for the rest of the day. At ninety-eight, his body had grown somewhat frail, but his mind and tongue were as sharp as ever.

  “Yeah, one sec.” Her hand hovered over her laptop, which was nestled among the varicolored papers and anthropology texts on her desk. It won’t take long to check the student directory. She pulled her hand away as if the silver device had burst into flames. No, she wouldn’t stalk this girl like some creep. She’d just have to wait and see if they crossed paths again.

  In the meantime, Nati scrolled through the images on her phone until she found the one she’d snapped of Asia jogging downhill.

  2.

  Jesse picked Asia up on time as usual. They drove back to the park where they had discovered a favorite picnic spot, just off the hiking trail. They had to tramp through tall grass to reach it, but the same grass gave them privacy. Not that the park was crowded. Cloudless as the sky was, the temperature hadn’t even hit fifty.

  Asia reached into the picnic basket. Jesse had packed sandwiches, a big thermos of coffee, and three fleece blankets. He spread one on the ground, wrapped one around Asia’s shoulders, passed her a ham and cheese sandwich on a roll—no seeds, extra mayo—and scooted next to her.

  He threw the last cover around both of them. “So what’d you do all morning?”

  She bit into her sandwich. “Came up here for a quick jog. Froze my ass off.”

  “Alone?”

  “Yes. I am capable of taking care of myself.”

  Jesse held a hand up in surrender. His mouth opened as if he might say more, but he took a swig of coffee instead.

  When they finished eating, he brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth, flashing the crooked, one-dimpled grin that always brought a warm sensation to the bottom of her belly. If he were a poker player, that would be his tell, and she knew exactly what was going through his mind.

  Putting the empty thermos down, she shifted to fit a little more snugly against his side and tilted her face up to his. “Thanks. This was perfect.”

  He leaned down, softly kissing around her mouth, over her cheeks, and down her neck. “I missed you today.”

  “Mmhmm…”

  He snaked a hand behind her back to pull her closer, teasing her with his butterfly kisses. Somehow, he rearranged the blankets around them. The next thing she knew, he’d lowered her to the ground beneath them.

  “I really missed you.” His voice rasped.

  Their kiss intensified, and soon, his fingers ventured down to the dip at her waist, around to her belly.

  She stopped breathing.

  His fingers traveled up her ribcage, stopping at her bra strap, stroking just under it, waiting for a signal. When she didn’t protest, even slower than before, he brushed his hand over one breast.

  An electric current crackled through every nerve of her body. She had an impulse to arch her back, pressing that electric spot into his palm. But her brain shrieked to pull back.

  He squeezed, tentative, as if waiting for her to slap him. Indecision paralyzed her.

  “Jesse…” No other words would come out.

  He’d stopped kissing her and only nuzzled her neck now. He grazed her nipple. She needed to let go of him, but her body rebelled. Her nails clawed the back of his shirt. Her leg tightened around his thigh, while an ache bloomed just below her navel.

  “Jesse… don’t.” She had to force the words out through panting breaths. Stars erupted behind her eyelids from squeezing them shut too tightly. Her body was volcanic, but the time wasn’t right. Not yet. How would she know when it was? As much as she liked him, was Jesse the one to take her across that line?

  He didn’t release her right away, but soon moved his hand back down to her hip. They lay there, breathing hard, clinging to each other.

  Several long minutes passed. Asia finally untangled herself from Jesse and sat up. Hugging her knees to her chest, she turned her face away from him. She heard him move closer to her.

  He repositioned the blanket around her shoulders. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have. It’s just—”

  “No, I should have stopped you sooner, but it’s rough. Part of me doesn’t want to.” She huffed, caught between amusement and frustration at herself. Whipping her head around to face him, she said, “I swear, I’m not trying to be a tease. Just to be clear, I’m not ready to go there. You should stop tempting me. You’re making it harder on both of us.”

  “God, you have no idea.” He grabbed her hand and brought it to a rock-hard bulge at his crotch.

  She pulled her hand away as if she’d made contact with a hot iron. “Jesse!”

  “I’m just saying. That was from one touch. I promise, I’ll behave better, but—” He shook his head, hugged her, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to be dreaming about your breasts for months.”

  Jesse grinned at her, and she softened, elbowing him lightly in the stomach.

  “Shut up. Lucky for you, there’s not a lot up there.”

  “What? They’re perfect. Or at least, one is. Maybe I should check out the other one to make sure?” He held his hands up like claws and laughed.

  Asia smacked his hands away, but smiled with him.

  Touching him there might affect her dreams for a while, too. Lately, her dreams featuring Jesse had become intense and erotic—not that she would ever l
et him know about them. They were the most harmless way to revel in the hard planes of his lanky body and in the strength of his ropy muscles. In her dreams, there was all the passion without the pressure of real life. Or the guilt and uncertainty when she put on the brakes.

  He brought a deck of playing cards out of his backpack. “Maybe we should do something safer.”

  She took the cards from him and began to shuffle.

  *

  That night, Asia dreamt of her afternoon at the lake with Jesse. In the private recesses of her mind, she didn’t stop his explorations. The last image she recalled was his face swimming over hers. But instead of their usual gray color, his eyes were green with golden flecks radiating from the irises. Instead of his masculine growl, a feminine voice moaned her name as Asia bolted upright in a sweat.

  The sun had not yet considered rising. Sheets had tangled around her legs. She should have felt a chill but was oddly warm and juiced up instead. A dull throbbing between her legs agitated her. She rolled into a ball on her side, smashing the pillow over her head. When that didn’t calm her, she turned to her belly and buried her head under the covers. It was no good, so she got out of bed. The clock’s blue LED display read 5:00.

  The dream had faded, all except that last image of Jesse’s face. Pacing around her room was pointless, so she opened her laptop on the desk. When the screen lit up, she checked the upper right corner for the weather application. The square mini-window had a picture of clouds and a big 33 in the corner.