Page 4 of Secrets at Dawn
“And into guys?”
“He said he was bisexual when I asked him.” Marric wiggled his eyebrows. “I showed him a picture of you. He liked what he saw.”
Great. Someone thought he was attractive or whatever. That was good. Probably. “I’m looking for someone who wants a meaningful relationship.”
“So you don’t care that he finds you attractive?”
Griffin shrugged. “It’s good, I guess. But it matters the least.”
“Can I give him your number?”
“Sure.” What could one dinner hurt? “Your dad looks pissed.”
Marric frowned and then shrugged. “What do you mean? He looks normal to me.”
For the first time, Griffin chuckled. “Right.”
“That’s why everyone is behaving.” That was probably true. Whenever Kinnison ran the meetings, people stayed calm. A lot of it had to do with Kinnison’s strength radiating off him and across the clearing like a sound wave. Even Griffin wasn’t nearlyas sour with Kinnison there. Crowds were crowds, so he couldn’t avoid his bad mood entirely, but Kinnison’s alpha presence had a positive effect on him, even as a warlock.
“Maybe everyone’s ready to unite for the cause, too.” They were all ready to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had done battle with the Timeston pack a few months back, but it had been crickets ever since. Timeston had plenty of time to recover. Everyone, including Griffin and especially Iven, had expected an attack. The anticipation made everyone antsy and tense, which is why Griffin and Riley were needed.
Even Griffin, who really didn’t have a stake in the game, wanted Timeston to make a move already just to get it over with.
“Timeston was sneaky before. I know a lot of that was Merlin’s doing. He’s always been a sneaky bastard.” Marric shook his head. “Now that he’s not in the picture anymore, the pack needs to either regroup or get absorbed into Fortune Falls. I talked to my dad about it. Neither of us knows which it is.”
“We’ve been on pins and needles, and it might be for nothing.”
Marric smirked. “It’s the ultimate torture, isn’t it?”
“It’s not comfortable.” Griffin bumped shoulders with Marric. “Neither is watching you and Dad fawn all over each other.”
“Do you honestly feel that way?”
Did he? Some days, he thought maybe he did, but his dad was happy. That was all that mattered.
“I’m happy for you.” Griffin shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m just lonely.” That didn’t mean he was ready for someone to come along and invade his peaceful existence. It didn’t mean he wasn’t ready for that either. As long as it was the right person.
Chapter Two
Sometimes everything felt like unnecessary noise. Like the world had turned into one big yelling match. The noise festered inside Toby, making him restless. The only thing that blocked it out was running. Having a park with a running and bike trail was a definite bonus.
Cross Creek Park had a small creek running through it. The forest on the north side of it blocked a lot of the wind and even some of the snow in the wintertime.
Toby often took up residence at one of the scattered picnic tables, especially when he had a paper due. Oak trees shaded much of the park's grassy areas. The creek provided the right ambient noise to help Toby buckle down and focus, but in the mornings, he ran.
His thigh muscles burned, but he kept the same pace he’d set after he completed the first mile. He always punished himself at the end, only slowing down when he knew he only had a few paces left. And then he stretched, but he still had about a mile and a half to go before he went back to his apartment off campus.
Hearing his shoes slap against the pavement helped quiet his mind. At least most days it did, but he’d woken up feeling unsettled. He thought his morning routine would help. Watching the sun come up as he ran was always his favorite thing. It was even more magnificent that morning. The colors seemed brighter.
His father used to call Tobythe boy with many gifts. He’d meant his magical abilities, but Toby often thought of them as a curse. But sometimes, like that morning during his run, when he felt the weight of a premonition in his gut, he thought maybe Dad was right. Maybe it was a gift.
Not that he wanted to focus on the premonition. It could mean something, but it was probably nothing.
Toby tried his damnedest to empty his mind. He had another mile and a half before he had to think again.
There were a few other runners in the park. One was a fellow student who lived in his building. There was another woman who ran as often as Toby, except not on the weekends. She was friendly, always raising a hand in greeting or nodding, depending on how deep she was into the run. They never actually spoke to each other.
He hadn’t seen her around campus, so he assumed she wasn’t a science major. He’d have her in at least one class if she were. He doubted she was a magic user. Most wolf shifters weren’t. In fact, there were very few people like him in the world, and no others who could perform the type of magic he could. At least, no one he’d ever met.
