Sun Catch Her (Book 1: Three Rivers Deep series) COMPLETE

Chapter Nine

I didn't sleep a wink that night despite the fact I needed to. Badly. I was far too anxious about the prospect of seeing Micah again. Would he be at the academy in the morning?

My toothbrush fell into the sink with a clatter and I leaned closer to the mirror to give the makeup covering the undersides of my eyes a quick inspection before heading downstairs.

"—going to figure it out." I paused on the landing when voices drifted up to the second floor. "She's smart. You said she's already asking questions."

My aunt's voice rang out clearly. "She just wants to know why she has more freedom now. That doesn't mean she suspects anything."

"She has a right to know," the other insisted. "I should be the one to tell her."

"You will do no such thing," Indy snapped back. "I can have your ass transferred faster than you can"—a chair scuffling across the floor drowned out her words. "Her mother wanted"—the chair slid back into place— "for her."

"Her mother isn't here to see how miserable she's become," the other retorted. "She's changing. It's clear now her other half is going to emerge. Gods! The incredible kinetic ambience of this valley is barely enough to keep her aura hidden."

A drawer opened, followed by the tinkling sound of silverware. "I am in negotiations with someone who is interested in training her," Indy said.

"Oh no. Hell no," the other growled.

"Keep your voice down. She's right upstairs."

"I am not handing her protection over to him."

"What? You think you have any authority here? You said it yourself: she's changing. I am not going to be able to keep that from her much longer. And she is almost of mating age, so"—the back door opened and slammed shut, and a sudden gust of wind rattled the windows on the back side of the house.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Indy greeted as I stopped in the kitchen archway.

She turned from a tiny television that sat in the corner of the counter, remote control in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Volume muted, the local news was on, showing a pretty reporter in a yellow blouse. The camera switched shots and I got a glimpse of what looked to be the charred, twisted ruins of a massive fire before Indy turned the TV off and set the remote on the counter. The caption below the news story had read "Explosions devastate a town in New Mexico" and my stomach clenched in remembrance of a similar news report on the car radio the night we arrived.

"You were watching TV?"

"Mmm hm." She smiled, taking a sip from the steaming cup.

Ri-ight. I could smell the sour lie mixing with the aroma of green tea.

Any conversation after that was kept light to almost non- existent as I went about making myself breakfast, pretty much how the rest of yesterday had gone after she dragged me away from Micah. It was obvious my aunt wanted to steer clear of any discussion that might bring up the subject of his appearance, let alone his unusual nature. After several failed attempts at getting her to open and having her shoot me down, I stopped trying.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I fidgeted in my new uniform, trying to figure out the best way to sit in the pinstriped, taupe-colored skirt. The thick wool stockings were snug around my knees. I had purchased them at another store, happy that they didn't show my scar.

Indy went to the cupboard to get a glass. Filling it from the kitchen sink, she produced a square of wax paper filled with red powder from her pants pocket. Mixing it in, she set the glass on the table in front of me and headed to the other side, sitting down to pick through the morning newspaper.

"What's in this?"

"Hmm? What are you asking about?" Indy glanced up from a section of newspaper.

"Ingredients? The red powder." I gestured at the glass. "What is it?"

Indy shrugged. "It's prescription. Do I look like a doctor?"

Her eyes returned to the newspaper, presumably the real estate section. "Huh, there's a nightclub foreclosure up for bid. Cheap, must sell."

Frowning at her obvious deflection, a piece of toast hung from the corner of my mouth. I eyed the vase overloaded with calla lilies sitting on the windowsill above the sink. It was the same type of arrangement that was in my bathroom. "Where did the flowers come from?"

"The landlord's son sent them over for you this morning." She folded the realty section, tossed it to the middle of the table, and then proceeded to study another section.

"The landlord's son sent me flowers?" My eyebrows rose.

"Yeah. I'm guessing they grow them in one of the greenhouses on the hill above his family's estate."

I bit into the toast and proceeded to pick up a section of newspaper. "Umm, that was...kind of him?" I muttered, chewing.

"The son is fairly engaging, once you get past his business façade. And he's smart," Indy went on nonchalantly. "I'll have to introduce the two of you sometime."

Again, I lifted my eyebrows, this time at the word "introduce." She was making it sound as though she intended to set us up on a date. My face became hot, and I hid my embarrassment behind the newspaper. My aunt was talking to me about boys? Seriously?

Eyes narrowed with growing suspicion, I kept my head ducked. But why not start discussing such things? After all, I was almost of "mating age." Good cheddar, the remark sounded as boorish as it was strange. Why was she going around saying weird stuff like that?

"Alexander BruLagoon attends the academy," she said into my stiff silence.

"BruLagoon?" I mocked.

"Yes, BruLagoon," she repeated. "As in BruLagoon Incorporated. The wildlife refuge."

We were renting houses from the save-the-animals people? What, the conservation gig wasn't busy enough? They also dabbled in real estate? "What are they running a wildlife sanctuary here for, anyway?"

"Black bears."

"Oh?" I said, peeking over the newspaper. "I wasn't aware the common black bear was that—uncommon."

"There is a specific type of black bear unique to this valley. They've died out everywhere else in the state except here, thanks to a small population that has survived within the factory fences."

It never occurred to me how animals might benefit from living on the grounds of a private corporation. I guess they would be safe from those who would hunt them for sport, so long as the company didn't mind bears occupying their land. "What type of bear do the BruLagoons protect?"

"Oh, it's a smallish, mocha colored black bear. I believe they call them dumplings." Indy picked up the real estate listings again and pushed away from the table.

As she put her cup into the dishwasher and exited the room, my eyes focused on the newspaper section I held, seeing it for the first time: the local news. In fact—I reached for the other sections scattered across the table and found none of them contained any national news. I guess I wasn't going to learn about the explosion out west from these. I pushed away from the table when my aunt called out she was leaving. I dumped the untouched glass of water-dissolved powder down the sink as soon as she closed the front door.

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Lions, tigers and bears; oh my!

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