Page 4 of Treasured

I rub my temples. “I don’t want to go to town,” I finally admit.

“Why?” she asks, though we both know she knows the answer.

“Because I don’t want Creed and Jake to know I’m here,” I say.

“Well, if you were just kids and the arrow of love doesn’t mean anything, then I’m sure that running into them won’t be any different from seeing one of your other friends, would it?”

She brings over buttered toast and joins me at the table. Taking hold of my hand she says a quick blessing over our meal and then looks at me with an expression that leaves no doubt that by lunchtime, I'll learn to knit. Or die trying.

CHAPTER2

Jake

I clickthrough the screens on the old desktop computer in our home office. While WiFi is limited in Eagle Canyon, it seems the wired internet connection is almost worse. Usually I do my serious internet searching at the Library where there are plenty of computers, but it's also a gathering place for everyone in town and what I'm looking for isn't something I want anyone else to know about.

Though my heart pounds and my palms sweat a bit as I grip the mouse and maneuver around the aged computer screen, I'm not looking for porn.

No, this is an even worse addiction that I can't seem to kick. It's been three weeks since I've snuck off here to do my stealthy, shameful searching. All in all, three weeks is pretty good. There was a time when I barely did anything but search for the information that eluded me. Occasionally I got lucky and found a snippet and that was almost worse than finding nothing, because it kept the addiction going. Clawing at me, day and night.

My eyes scan through the screens, desperate for any tiny sliver of information or even a picture.

Slam!

I jump and turn toward the door. Creed, my twin brother, stands there, glaring at me. I quickly close the screen I'm viewing but it doesn't matter.

"Again?" he asks, and the disgust in his voice hits me hard. "It's been six years. She's forgotten about us. She left and hasn't looked back. Time for us to do the same. Well past time for us to do the same."

"But, she's our fated mate," I say, my voice tinged with desperation.

"We were just kids. She said as much herself. When she rejected our offer of marriage. She was right."

"So you're giving up on her?"

"I gave up a long time ago," Creed says, still standing in the doorway, looking at me like I'm an idiot.

I probably am an idiot. But I just can't help it. I believe in the legends and the arrow of love. I know Tracy is our fated mate, whether she's willing to admit it or not.

“I-I had a dream about her last night,” I confess. “It felt so real.”

“Was it a dream about her breaking our hearts and sneaking off in the middle of the night?” Creed’s voice is hard.

“No, it was sort of the opposite of that,” I say, and feel myself blush like an idiot.

“You had a wet dream about Tracy? And now you think that means something? Maybe it means you’re horny and we need to find someone after all these years. That’s all it means.”

But Creed has a funny expression on his face. He can’t hide everything from me. I pause for a moment and then point at him.

“You had a dream about her too!” I accuse.

He looks away.

“I knew it! We both did. Dream sharing. That’s a thing, right?”

“I didn’t say I had a dream about her and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. The last thing you need, the last thing either of us needs, is to continue putting our life on hold waiting for Tracy. It’s been six years. Six. Years.”

I blow out a breath and my shoulders sag. “But, she’s our fated mate,” I say, though this time it sounds pretty lame.

Creed shakes his head at me like I’m a fool. Maybe I am.

---