Chapter 14: Worth the Risk?

“Willow are you alright?” her grandmother asked, noting her distracted stare. Willow turned her eyes on her.

“Yeah, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts,” she replied, shaking loose the thoughts from the other day. She hadn’t seen Garin since they met his family in the woods. She was still shaken by the hate and venom in his father’s eyes. She knew hunters were their enemy. She knew it in her bones, but she had foolishly thought that those days were past. The treaty had been enacted a hundred years ago; her grandmother had penned most of it.

She had encountered other Red Hoods before, but they were more civil, just stopping by every few years to make sure the treaty hadn’t been broken and to share news with her clan elders regarding other parts of the world. It was tenuous at best, but it worked, and they never stayed. Until the Brochades came.

With a shiver she looked down at her plate and began gobbling up the eggs there, hoping to leave before Lyall wandered in as he had been doing lately.

“Slow down, dear. There is no rush!”

“I want to get to the library early. There is a book I’ve been waiting for and I want to grab it before the town gets too crowded with tourists,” she replied and crinkled her nose. While the festival was always a nice boom to her business, she tired of the constant movement of people everywhere. One of the perks of living here was that they were far enough away from the city that it still had the small-town feel, although the Brochades were wrecking that with each building they renovated.

“Okay, okay.” Her grandmother said, Willow realized she had been glowering.

“Sorry, work has just been busy, and I haven’t had a moment alone in a while,” she apologized, self-consciously.

Her grandmother studied her for a moment, hands on her wide hips. “You aren’t happy with Lyall, are you?” The color drained from Willow’s face.

“Why do you ask that?” she asked, her voice rising a pitch higher. Her grandmother leaned on her elbows across the counter in front of her.

“You avoid him at all costs, only interacting with him when you have to. You get a small frown between your eyebrows any time he is mentioned,” her grandmother gently tapped the spot between Willow’s brows.

Willow let out a large sigh.

“He is just, a bit much,” she admitted, not wanting to have this conversation so early in the morning.

“I know he is your intended but that doesn’t mean you have to marry him if you don’t want to,” her grandmother said offhandedly and turned to the dishes in the sink. A small spark of hope flared in Willow’s chest.

“I thought it was the law?” Willow ventured, not wanting her hopes dashed. Her grandmother laughed.

“We make the laws sweetheart, not them. Now, I like Lyall. He is handsome, strong and a hard worker, but I would never force you to be with someone you don’t want to be with. There are many other eligible men out there. Well, not many that the clan would approve of, but they are out there,” she hummed as she washed the dishes and Willow felt deflated.

Of course, she would still have to marry someone the clan approved of which meant another shifter. Or she could be a spinster, like her Aunt Bella, who chose instead to travel the world taking lovers as she pleased and never putting down roots.

But Willow wanted roots. She loved this town and her home. She knew nearly every inch of the forest here. Resigned, she stood.

“I’m going to get going,” she pulled her peacoat on over her cream sweater.

“Why don’t you take the car?” her grandmother said, glancing at the burgeoning grey clouds through the window.

“I don’t mind the walk. It gives me time to think. I’ll be back later.” She said and turned, stopping to shove her feet into her boots.

Her grandmother waved a soapy dish brush at her and went back to scrubbing, humming a tune as she did so.

The walk to town felt longer than it usually did. She wanted to see Garin. There hadn’t been enough time to talk to him the other day. His family showing up ruined that. She wanted to know more about him. She decided to cut through the woods a bit today, telling herself it was to avoid any passing cars but really, she wanted to get a glimpse of him.

His house rose from the trees as she walked closer, slowing her footsteps. She didn’t want to accidentally run into one of his dreadful brothers again. Their scent was stronger here, but she couldn’t separate Garin’s from the rest of the family. She wondered if he had left before the festival, freaked out when she said she could smell his family.

“He should be back today,” a silver voice quipped to her left. Willow startled and turned; her hackles raised. Audrey was leaning against a large oak, swathed in a cheery bright red raincoat and matching boots.

“I wasn’t…I was just avoiding the road,” Willow explained, backing up slightly. Audrey took a few cautious steps forward.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t believe in any of that hunter/wolf crap,” she said waving her hand, her blue eyes dancing. Willow cocked her head.

“Neither does Garin, not really. I mean we know but we don’t care, I guess is a better way to put it,” she smiled widely at her.

“Where did he go?” Willow asked, nervously, knowing her charade was up.

“Back to college for a few days. He needed to grab some things, I guess. I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Anyways, I’m sure we will be seeing you soon,” she deftly slipped through the gate, throwing another unsettling smile towards Willow.

Willow hurried the rest of the way to the library, feeling strange after her encounter with Audrey. She was a strange person but Willow kind of liked her bluntness. She was a sharp edge compared to Garin’s softer, rounded personality.

The library clerk gave her a nod as she pushed through the heavy wooden doors. She breathed in the heady smell of dusty old books and the sharper scent of the freshly printed ones. The library was one of her favorite places in town. Even though it was small, only a few rooms, it felt infinite to her.

She found her favorite private alcove on the second floor. The large window gave an impressive view of the town and surrounding mountains. Willow loved it because it was a small table and chairs tucked into its own corner, surrounded by high backed walls on both sides.

She had felt bad for lying to her grandmother earlier. She wasn’t here to get a new book but rather read the one Loriann had given her. The leather diary had been burning a hole in her bag for days now. Gently, she placed the book on the table in front of her and stared at it, as if it would burst into flames at the first touch.

Opening the cover, she began to read, devouring the history of the Red Hoods and one Weyland Brochade in particular.

Weyland Brochade, 1959-still living. Residence unknown. Whiteridge, house in Estates neighborhood. Over twenty known kills. (15 of which were known to be unauthorized.)

Appearance: 6’3”, 245lbs, light brown hair, blue eyes.

Wife: Ava Brochade m. Smith

HIGHLY DANGEROUS

Avoid at all costs

Willow felt the panic rise. She had been close to him. Her grandmother’s handwriting, usually steady and firm, was shaky when she wrote this entry. She had never known her grandmother to be afraid of anything. She was one of the fiercest women and shifters in their clan.

If Weyland scared Loriann Bittermane this much, he really must be their greatest threat. Willow closed the book, not wanting to stomach anymore. She drummed her fingers on the cover of the book, trying to figure out what to do.

She wanted Garin, she couldn’t deny it. But was he worth risking her life?