Sunlight

Chapter 5: Daniel's visit and bad news

I turned and saw General. The General was a Hawaiian hunk, his aging stopped at twenty, even though he was almost seventy, and his name was Daniel. His teeth gleamed snow white in the sun as he smiled at me and his board bumped mine.

“Spare me the details, I think I’ll just wing it and hope for the best.” I smiled back at him.

Daniel splashed me, “so have you narrowed your options of a best buddy down yet?”

I groaned. “I found out yesterday! But I have to admit it’s going to take me a while.”

A seagull flew low to the water and Tristan jumped in the air, did a flip, and caught the bird, then landed in the water. When he came up, he tossed the seagull back up then got back on his board. Daniel looked back at me. “Bryn, are you sure you are going to be able to find a mate in a year? I don’t know if you are going to keep your pack after a year. You aren’t exactly the ‘flirty’ type.”

I fought showing my canines at him. “Don’t underestimate me. I will find a mate… I will.”

He threw me a look that told me he wasn’t sure I would. “Listen, I don’t want you to lose your pack to some nutcase. Then what will you do?”

“I will fight to get my pack back. I am not losing my pack to anyone for any reason.”

Dax paddled over to where Daniel and I were sitting and grinned, “Daniel. Long time, no see man. What’s been going on?”

“Oh you know, leading a bunch of trigger happy morons into battle. Risking my life almost every day until it becomes a habit to. What about you?”

“First just let me say your everyday thing sounds fun. I stay around here hunt, fight, and surf with the pack. Not as adrenaline pumping as yours, but still pretty darn good.”

Daniel and Dax exchanged looks and I could tell they were blocking me from the conversation going to between them. I waved my hand in front of Daniel’s face; he smiled at me then looked at Dax and wiggled his eyebrows. Something showed in Dax’s eyes, I furrowed my eyebrows and tried harder to figure out what they were saying.

It was something about a Dax not having a mate… something Elizabeth said that was bugging him…

I sighed, and forced a smile. “So what brings you around here?’

“I came for at least one relaxed day and I need to talk to Calla. Speaking of Calla what is she doing? Or did she die unexpected?”

“Last I knew she was still sleeping. I’ll get her.” I paddled over to where Calla had pulled her board up on a flat rock out in the water. Pulling myself up onto the smooth, weather worn stone, I see Calla is still out cold.

“Wake up sleepy-head.” I told her. She kept up her quiet snoring. I rolled my eyes then pushed Calla of the rock into the water. She came up, coughing up water.

“What the heck was that all about?” Calla asked as she climbed back on the rock.

“General Daniel is here and they are wondering if you died…. So I came over to check your pulse.”

She rolled her eyes, “you rolled me in the water! You never checked my freaking pulse.”

I walked over and put my fingers to her throat, feeling her heart beating. “There, happy?”

We made our way to where Shay, Dax, and Daniel were talking. Daniel turned and smiled at Calla, “well hello, Sunshine. Back from the dead are we?”

He earned a smile and a playful punch in the arm from Calla. “Well ya’ know. I can only sleep until I feel a certain idiot is near.” She grinned wider, “and that somebody is about to get his butt whooped at surfing.”

“In your dreams, babe.” With that Daniel splashed Calla and began to quickly paddle away because he knew Calla hated when she got called names like that. I saw Sam and Jess holding hands again so I looked towards the horizon, and the thousands of miles of ocean, that spread farther than I could see.

My pack had spread out and were surfing or talking. I sat alone quietly and wondered to myself if this is what I was going to keep, or lose. Daniel got pushed into the water by Calla, Dax and Shay were riding a wave seeing who would last. I knew that it was not an option to lose my pack, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find the one thing I had been avoiding my whole life.

A mate.

Daniel had planned on staying a day or two… that was two months ago. We did normal things like surfing and going to school, neither Calla nor I had found mates yet.

I was sitting in the living room on a lazy boy, working on a final five page paper that was due the next day. Suddenly, Daniel bursts through the door practically yelling, “We have got a problem. There is a Keeper coming here in about the next three hours!”

I didn’t bother to look up from my book I was using for information, “so what?”

Daniel leapt across the room, picked up the book, and flung it across the room. I jumped up and stared at him, “what is your problem?! So what a Keeper is coming here? Yeah so what I don’t like them, but-”

Daniel grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “This particular Keeper is a favorite among the leaders, and he is very convincing. So when he gets here in a couple hours, and sees that neither you or Calla has even attempted to find mates, he could go back to his leaders and convince them to force you to give up your packs early.” He paused and waited to hear my reply.

I shook my head. “No. there is no way I am going to let that happen, and you know that. What do we do, though?”

“You and Calla need to fake being in love with someone in either of the packs’. And I mean you have to be amazing actors, hugging, pet names, sitting on their laps… and kissing. Lots of love is what it’s going to take to convince this guy.”

I had to take a deep breath before I answered. “Who? Who should I act this with?’

Daniel sighed, “I think Dax would be best. He is big and strong; they would expect you to go after someone like him. Plus he is a great actor.”

“Uh. Ok will he understand though? I’m not going to make him do this unless he is willing to.”

“I’ll go talk to him now. Don’t worry, he will understand.”

Crap. What have I gotten myself into?