Page 15 of Watch Me Burn (Sanctuary #1)

CHAPTER 14

DEAD BUNNY

I t’s been two weeks already. Maybe even a couple of days more than that. I don’t know. I’m not really keeping count, and I left my calendar back in Clarity.

In some ways, they’ve been pretty eventful. In others—like how our trips to the cave still have us coming up empty-handed—they haven’t.

I’m getting used to living in the sanctuary. It’s not that bad, really. We even had a movie night, organized by Mayor Lou and Beatrice, the sweet mink that runs the canteen, the other day.

In Dyea, there are very few children. In fact, I think there are only about three, all of them shifters, belonging to two of the mated couples. We let Kimmy, a three-year-old hedgehog, pick the movie.

To my absolute delight—and Elise’s fixation on watching anything that has to do with vampires—Kimmy picked Twilight . Just knowing that audience-watching would be more entertaining than watching the film itself, I invited Conall to join us.

The movie was shown on a large screen via a projector that Gertie smuggled in with her when she came to Dyea ten years ago. She also brought her DVD player and movie collection, and I found it hysterical that the ornery porcupine loved all things romance.

I didn’t think Conall would come. I arrived with Elise, and I saved the chair on the other side of me just in case. Right as Bella was going to Forks, I heard a slight disturbance in the canteen as Conall entered, dropping himself down into the seat next to me.

The audience was whispering when he showed up, but Gertie threatening to throw quills around if they didn’t knock it off got them to cool it pretty quickly.

I’d made a joking bet with him when I invited him that there wouldn’t be a single vampire left in the room by the time it was done—except for Elise, who I know for a fact loves to hate-watch the sparkling vampires in Twilight … only now I know why —and it amused me even more when Conall begrudgingly passed me a twenty after the credits started to roll without saying a single word to me or anyone other than Mayor Lou.

After that, the villagers started to pay a little more attention to me. Instead of being just Elise’s pet human, I’m the newcomer who managed to pull Conall Hunt off of his perennial patrol. Even if for only two hours or so, he stopped being the gruff head of security, and that caught people’s attention all because he sat next to me.

Well, why not? I’ve lost track of how long we’ve spent exploring the caves together. At first, Conall seemed to prefer quiet while we’re down there. His wolf uses all of its senses to navigate the darkness with only the flame hovering over my palm to guide our way. He needs his nose to make sure it’s safe, and his ears to hear the nearly inaudible sounds of rocks shifting before I start falling again.

With Conall as my guide, there hasn’t been another close call as bad as that. But, hell, I’m not a quiet chick. I like to talk, and I like to have someone to talk to. Elise isn’t down here, but Mr. Grump is, and no matter how I try to follow his lead, I inevitably strike up a conversation.

To my surprise, as long as he isn’t clearing a cave, he’s willing to chat.

Elise is still my go-to when it comes to asking about supes. Like how I’ve pestered her with questions about mate bonds—including a vampire’s blood exchange—as well as how a shifter might recognize his fated mate. Conall, though, is a treasure trove of expertise involving the different kinds of shifters out there.

There are predators, like Conall’s wolf, large cats, and bears. Then there are weaker, less dominant prey shifter; basically all the other residents in Dyea. Lizard shifters. Water shifters, including dolphins and sharks. Basically, if it’s an animal, someone out there can shift into it.

But mating? For some reason, whenever I try to get more details about fated mates, he’s quick to change the subject. I don’t push it. He couldn’t make it any clearer that, as a wolf, he’ll wait as long as it takes for his Luna-given mate, the one female born to tame his lone wolf.

He’s not cruel about it. And if his super sniffer has picked up signs that I’m becoming a little more attracted to him after all the time we spent together, he doesn’t rub it in my face that I’m not his type. He just kind of awkwardly asks me a question about myself, and though I can’t see why he would actually give a shit about my favorite flower, when my birthday is, what my dream vacation would be like, and my favorite meal, I go along with it anyway.

He even asks me whether or not I like to cook. I admit that I do, and I often cooked at home when Elise wasn’t bringing some take-out home for me, but that it’s a lot easier to just eat at the canteen since it’s not like we have an actual grocery store in Dyea.

Why would we? All of the fresh food is either imported into the sanctuary for the commissary or—more likely—foraged from the wild. I stopped asking what the meat of the day is after Beatrice brightly told me it was moose once, and if there are a lot of berries served at breakfast, at least it’s affordable and sustainable.

Conall was thoughtfully quiet after my answer, and I didn’t think anything of it.

Until now.

Elise’s supernatural senses are as impressive as Conall’s, even if they’re different. Once I knew the truth about her being a vampire, I learned that she can smell a drop of blood from across the room. Whenever I was on my period, she could tell, and it’s the reason she would pick up extra chocolate to leave out in the kitchen for me. I just thought we were on the same cycle. Not quite. As a born vampire, she only gets her period once a year, and it’s the only fertile period she’ll have with her eventual beloved. Other than that, no bleeding, no cramps, and no pregnancy scares ever.

Lucky.

She also can sense things I can’t. Now that she doesn’t have to mask what she is around me anymore, we could just be sitting on the couch only for her head to snap toward the door as though she knows instinctively seconds before we have a guest.

Sometimes it’s Mayor Lou checking on us. Other times it’s one of the other vampires in Dyea using their human donors to pass along a message to Elise.

Tonight?

It’s Conall.

It’s my turn to pick a new show. I’m leaning toward streaming Supernatural just so I can get a crash course in a different version of supe lore, but there’s also this funny cartoon about a family living in Alaska that might be fun. However, before I can decide, Elise does that weird head-snapping thing, her eyes flashing from pale green to blood-red for a moment as she hones in on the front door.

I’ve begun to recognize that as a sign that someone’s out there. I’m already out of my seat, walking toward the door so that I can answer it as soon as they knock.

Only they don’t, and isn’t that weird? I don’t doubt Elise’s instincts at all. Someone is out there, but maybe they got distracted. I don’t know. I just shrug and pull the door inward.

“Conall? What are you doing?’

He’s crouched down, but at my questioning tone, he hurriedly rises. “Oh. Hey, Red. I was just leaving this for you. Didn’t want to disturb you, though.”

“You didn’t. What do you have? I’ll take it.”

No, I won’t.

I was looking at the flush rising high on his cheeks when I said that. It caught my attention because I’ve never seen Conall look so frazzled before. Besides, he’s a wolf shifter. With his built-in fur coat, the cold doesn’t touch him. His cheeks are red because he’s cold.

Is he embarrassed?

Or nervous ?

I don’t know, but he lifts his hand, offering me something, and as soon as I see what he’s holding in his grip, I gag.

He frowns. “Red? You okay?”

No.

It’s a bunny. A big bunny. Kind of like the ones you get from the pet store around easter but way larger, it’s not just a bunny.

It’s a dead bunny.

Conall has his own monster-sized hand wrapped around the bunny’s neck. I don’t see any blood on it, though the way it dangles makes it undeniable that he… what? Hunted it?

He’s a wolf, Bridge. That’s what they do.

But why is he bringing it to me ?

My stomach tries to escape through my open mouth. Clamping my mouth shut, struggling to keep the bile down, I glance at the dead bunny hanging from his grip again and now I’ve gotta be turning green.

Now, I’m not a vegetarian. I eat meat, but as hypocritical as it may sound, I’d rather not look at freshly killed.

Is that why he brought me the dead bunny? Am I supposed to eat it?

My hand flies up. Conall makes to give it to me. Nope. I need my hand to cover my mouth before I hurl all over his boots.

Elise reaches around me. “I’ll take that.”

I goggle over at my best friend. Then, speaking through my fingers, I ask, “You eat bunny? I thought the only meat you’ll eat is chicken and shrimp.”

“I know, but someone has to get rid of it and you’re gagging. Conall, if you would.”

She extends her hand.

Conall frown deepens, but he passes the bunny over to Elise.

“Thanks. I’ll take care of it.”

I don’t even want to know what she means by that. Unlike me, Elise does not cook. Makes sense now that I know she’s a vampire, but if she’s not going to cook it, then?—

Nope. Still feeling queasy here.

Elise vanishes into the kitchen. Me? I stand on the porch, not sure what I’m supposed to say as Conall just stands there with me.

He clears his throat. “It’s not a bunny. It’s a snowshoe hare.”

Whatever he wants to call it. That dead thing had white fluffy fur, long ears, and big back feet. It looked like a bunny to me, and I have no idea why Conall thinks that I would ever have skinned and cooked and?—

My stomach twists again.

Conall starts to reach for me, but thinks better of it before the same hand that was holding the bunny lands on my shoulder. Instead, he moves it behind him, scratching his thick neck.

“I thought you liked ‘em,” he says after a moment. “That’s the third one I’ve left this week and they keep disappearing. If you’d like, I could hunt you up some caribou, but that might be too much meat for you, Red. I figured your friend wouldn’t want any.”

I’m not so sure about that.

Three bunnies? What the hell is Elise doing with these bunnies?

On second thought, I don’t want to know. Though I wouldn’t mind understanding just why Conall’s bringing me dead animals…

“I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Conall… and, uh, I appreciate the gesture… but I like meat when it’s prepackaged at the grocery store. Not when it was hopping around the woods right before you gave it to me.”

His expression falls. If I wasn’t looking at him, I don’t think I would’ve noticed it before he resumes another of his flat expressions, but I did and, whoa, what was that about? I said I didn’t want to hurt his feelings!

I didn’t want to, but I think I did .

“Conall—”

“So you weren’t accepting my food?”

Look at that. I get the return of Mr. Grump

“Is that what this is about? You’re trying to feed me?”

Instead of answering me, he tightens his jaw.

Oh, good lord. He’s serious. For whatever reason, he’s decided to take it upon himself to provide me with food.

Why? No idea. I’m not Elise. I’m not the one who is struggling to keep up with what my body demands of me. There’s more than enough to go around at the canteen, but he’s clearly been hunting down some of the wild animals who live in the woods to feed me—and, I swear, he almost looked crushes when he realized that I haven’t been eating the bunnies.

Hell, I didn’t even know about the bunnies.

But now I feel bad. And while it just might be the most impulsive thing I’ve done in a minute, I look up at Conall and say, “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“Where? The caves?”

I shake my head. “It’s my turn. I’m going to feed you.”

His eyes flash. “What? You are?”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. I’m still not eating that bunny, but I will buy you dinner at the canteen. You coming?”

His jaw relaxes. “If you don’t mind the company.”

I use the back of my hand to slap his bicep lightly. “If I did, I wouldn’t have offered. Now let me just see if Elise wants to go, and we’ll head on over.”

No surprise that Elise stays behind at the cottage.

There still hasn’t been any sign of her missing blood delivery. That makes two in nearly three weeks, and though I offered to give her drinking my burning blood another try, she swears that she’s doing okay.

I don’t want to say she’s lying to me. I’m sure that Elise believes that she is. After all, this isn’t the first time she’s had to go this long without blood. Before she started trading dinner dates for blood, it wasn’t as easy to find a willing donor who didn’t want more than she could offer.

I mean, look at Peter. His obsessive nature was proof of that .

The bunny—sorry, snowshoe hare—was gone by the time I popped my head into the kitchen. I don’t know what she did with it, and if Elise had a little more color in her cheeks when I asked her to join us, I pretend not to notice.

So it’s just Conall and me.

This was my idea. I told him I would buy him dinner, but based on everything I’ve learned about him these last few weeks, I should’ve known he’d stubbornly insist.

He did, but I won that battle. That’s why, when I realized I forgot to grab a drink and Conall instantly rises to grab it for me, I don’t argue.

Then again, how could I when he was halfway across the canteen before I had the chance?

I’m not alone for long. The second he left the table, I’m joined by two other supes: Jenny and Ann.

Jenny is an opossum shifter. At least once a week, something spooks her enough that she can be found in the most strangest of places, looking so realistically ‘dead’, it freaked me out when I saw it happen the first time. Now, like the rest of Dyea, I just hope I’m not the one who finds her and has to stand watch over her until she comes to again.

I don’t know what Ann turns into. In the sanctuary, if it isn’t obvious, there’s usually another reason why they live here. I think Conall might be the only exception. He lives in Dyea because he’s an Alaskan wolf shifter, and his pack always claimed this territory. Eventually, they moved on, he left, and he joined Dyea when he realized that the sanctuary probably wouldn’t make it their first winter without him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Ann came up here because she’s hiding out from trouble, just like me and Elise. She gives me total mean girl vibes, and as she leads Jenny over to stand at my table, the smirk on her face has my fingers sparking beneath it.

“Looks like the rumors are true,” she says, hiding her obvious dislike for me behind a giggle. “You’ve got Conall Hunt wrapped around one of your human fingers.”

If she saw those sparks, she would know I’m not a human. Not anymore.

If this is how I have to deal with the other villagers now, I’d rather go back to them pretending I was just Elise’s shadow. But since she’s not here, and I don’t want to let these two ruin my dinner, I shrug. “He’s helping me with something. He’s a good guy.”

“He’s a predator,” Ann retorts.

And?

Her lilac-colored eyes flickers over to where Conall grabbed me a bottle of orange soda. I didn’t tell him I wanted that one, but either he noticed it was my preferred drink out of the options available, or he remembered when I mentioned I liked it during one his questioning sessions.

“Be careful,” she tells me, never taking her gaze off of Conall. “He’s not the kind of wolf to toy around with. Let him feed you and, next thing you know, he’ll have you underneath him.”

“Ann!” Jenny says, keeping her voice low even as her pitch is high.

“What?” is Ann’s ‘innocent’ retort. “You know it’s true. You’re a shifter like the best of us. Humans might not get it, but when a shifter starts providing for a female… feeding her, being her servant… he does it because he wants one thing out of her.”

Oh, I really don’t like Ann. “If you think that about Conall, you don’t know him at all.”

She lifts one eyebrow. “And you do?”

Another shrug. “I know him well enough to know he’s waiting for his mate.”

It’s Jenny’s turn to giggle. “You sure it ain’t you, Bridget?”

Yeah. I’m sure.

He starts heading back over, waggling the soda can as if showing it to me. When he sees that he has my attention, Mr. Grump smiles.

He fucking smiles .

My heart skips a beat, and now the two shifters are giggling together as they make their quick escape. I can only imagine what they think is going on, but I’m not Conall’s mate. So he brings me bunnies. So he fetched me an orange soda. They might not think a predator can be a decent guy, but maybe I do know him better.

And now that I do… I kinda wish I was his mate.