Skinned Read online

  "Is there an empty room somewhere?" I asked Joshua, not bothering to hush my tone.

  He shook his head, angry that I had the audacity to act as if his situation was better than mine.

  Gage rounded the open door adjoining our rooms. "Thank you, Mother!" he boomed up to the heavens. His habit of thanking his dead mom was old hat to his roommates. Others found it...unsettling. "If we get bored with the candidates, we can rock out or watch television together. I brought face masks," he encouragingly shared. Gage had a penchant for yelling aggressively at Jeopardy while declogging his pours. "Don't worry, Josh, you can join us if you get sick of Lyds and Warren."

  "You know," Joshua pondered, a smirk on his face, "I think spending time with them will be sort of relaxing. Headphones and a thick book." His attention shifted to me as his smile tapped into the vein of insanity, growing wider by the second.

  "Okay, get out of my room," I ordered. "Both of you."

  Just then, the door swung open and the same curious expression from the back of the bus scanned everyone in the room before settling on me.

  He motioned to shake hands. "Name's Cody." His dark hair was hidden under a wide-brimmed hat. Tanned skin accentuated his crows-feet and laugh lines. As his arm remained extended, I could see that his muscles were in better shape than if an artist had sculpted them with precise care. But these muscles were lean, built through hard work, not wished into being by artisan tools.

  I inhaled the air around us. It didn't take a shifter to know what he was. I stalked over to Cody, his odor engaging my kitty cat senses. Grabbing the front of his shirt as if he were a child being scolded, I practically offered him up as evidence.

  "He's human!"

  Not wanting to make eye contact with me, Joshua nodded. Gripping his elbows in his palms, he said, "The new king doesn't necessarily have to be an existing serpente."

  "And if he's not their king, then what? A human with shifter knowledge cannot exist."

  I wasn't threatening to kill him, I was concerned. It was damn wrong for someone to include a human in shifter games. There was no outcome that did not involve ruining every aspect of his life. If he was king, he would be expected to walk away from life as he knew it. If he wasn't... There is a strict rule that no humans know our secrets. This is a death sentence, to put it bluntly.

  Releasing Cody, I spat, "There are seven other candidates. Do you honestly believe this human is the new snake king? The odds are against him."

  "I like to believe the odds aren't in till the day is done, Miss." Cody tipped his cowboy hat in my direction, a wry smile playing against my scowl.

  "What is this bullshit?" I reeled. "A fucking cowboy?"

  "Do cowboys bother you, Miss?" he asked sincerely.

  "Everything bothers her," Gage chimed in a serious tone, unsure if he approved of Human Cody just yet.

  "I can't help being human," he interjected between our grimaces of outrage.

  Joshua tugged Gage's arm. "Let's go. You still need to meet your charge."

  I could hear Gage say, "I hope it's a cowgirl," as they disappeared into his room, shutting the door between our two rooms.

  Standing in awkward silence, I watched as Cody sat his bags on the round table in front of the window. When I did not move or speak, he settled into one of the chairs, propping his feet up next to the bags on the table.

  In a smooth voice, he addressed my concern. "I'm here. I'm ready to be or not be whatever the future brings. If I'm not this king of snake-men, well, we'll deal with that when it comes."

  I turned, offering him my full attention. "Why?"

  "Why what?" he asked, honestly confounded.

  "Why do you want to live with a bunch of snakes?"

  "I can't damn them yet. I haven't even met them. What if it feels right?"

  "What if it doesn't?" I countered.

  He sat, rolling my words around in his head as I unpacked my bag into the top two drawers under the television.

  "These are mine. You can have the bottom drawer."

  "I figured that out." When I glared at him, he simply shrugged. "Deductive reasoning."

  We were silent for some time. He remained in his window seat, hat on the table next to his legs and bags. I reclined on the bed, already anticipating the long night ahead. Not the snakes, the nightmares. Who thought entrusting me with a human in the midst of my wildest nightmare flare-up was a fucking Einstein idea?

  A knock on the door startled us both.

  Lydia's sharp voice broached the cheap door quite easily as she informed us, "The serpentes expect us to dinner. Get ready to board the bus."

  I answered, "I was just waiting with bated breath!"

  "Dreams do come true," she mused before banging on Gage's door next.

  "You heard Lydia. Let's go, Buckaroo."

  Wordlessly, he gathered his hat and followed me out the door after I slid my shoes on.

  "You might want a jacket. The mountains are cold at night."

  He pointed out, "You're in a tank top."

  I pointed out, "I am a shifter," raising my hand high. "You are a human." I dropped my hand lower to show his ranking.

  Ducking back into our room for a black jacket, he emerged with it in his hand, joking, "I'm glad I'm at least on the ranking board. That would have hurt my feelings."

  "I thought cowboys are supposed to be stoic."

  Walking towards the bus, he didn't look back when he retorted, "I think you mean heroic."

  Rolling my eyes, I banged on Gage's door. "You ready?"

  He cracked it open.

  "You ready?" I repeated.

  "I don't know." He was rattled, completely unsure of himself.

  "What do you mean?"

  Opening the door wider, he turned sideways, allowing me to glance into his room.

  In the middle of the floor, a woman with cedar hair hanging haphazardly in her face was meditating, legs crossed. Her eyes were closed, and her green dress tucked and hugged all the right places or my intrusion would have been a peep show.

  "She is freaking me the fuck out," Gage confessed, not bothering to lower his tone.

  "Because she's meditating in front of the television?"

  I had taken ten steps into their room without realizing it. Turning back to Gage, who was still at the door, I tried not to seem as alarmed as I felt. This woman called to my leopard. No, her scent did.

  She smelled of ripe blueberries on a lazy afternoon, rolling through thick grass under the sun's loving touch. There was also a hint of fresh bark under my claws after a furious session of sharpening them, the breeze playing along my snout. And as I scratched my muzzle along a bulbous rock, the delicate lace of ferns brushed through my paws and up my legs.

  When I opened my eyes, I was on all fours, my nose practically touching hers. The stranger stared back, a smile of contentment on her face. Her eyes were three shades of blue, like the rippling water of a pond under the thumb of a driven wind.

  She saw there was no threat. I was not in the thrall of turning, of releasing my cat. It only wanted a closer look at this magnificent creature, who was the embodiment of our greatest love, Mother Nature.

  "I am Uwharrie Gaia. You may call me Arrie."

  "I'm Fray. Would you like to get ready for dinner with the serpentes now?" I asked as politely as I had ever been.

  "How delightful." She popped up and walked to the bathroom.

  Rolling onto my ass, I took Gage's hand as he helped me up.

  "You are rooming with-"

  "A walking air freshener."

  "I was going to say a nymph, but...yeah!"

  In no time, we were packed onto the white activity bus like sardines, the potentials in the middle while the rest of us sat in the front and rear. Naturally, there was a dispute as to who got to sit closest to Arrie. Only Gage and I opted for the back of the bus. We admitted to Arrie's natural allure, but that hold over us was the very thing that drove us farther away rather than closer.

  The bear shifte
rs, Sunyet and Borus, flanked the woodland nymph. They were enamored. After all, they were practically from the same area of the state as Arrie. It was a stark reminder that they were no longer in their protective corner of the woods anymore. Anything resembling home called to them. I only hoped it wouldn't affect their performance if we had to fight the outlier serpentes everyone was so concerned about.

  The bus ride was jolting and demeaning. I gripped the seatback in front of me to stop my ass from sliding across the cheap plastic every time the bus made a turn. It was ridiculous that we couldn't drive our own damn vehicles. I understood the dynamics, the safety of being wrapped into one big bow rather than scattered to a number of vehicles and locations along the way. But that was also my concern: being wrapped into one goddamn bow for the plucking!

  I strained as I pressed my nose to the window pane to see more than my reflection. The sun had set while we were at the motel.

  "Don't bother," Gage interrupted my thoughts.

  Leaning back in my seat, I crossed my arms. "This is bullshit. How can we protect anyone if we don't know where we are or where we're going?"

  "That sounds like a country song." Cody chuckled, turning to face us in the last two seats. "We're just going to eat dinner."

  "How many shifter attacks have you won?" I asked, matter-of-factly.

  He crinkled his thick brows and let the crack in his cockeyed grin tell his truth.

  "None," I echoed his thoughts. Twirling my finger, I said, "Turn around. Let the big kids talk."

  Blatantly ignoring my instructions, he placed his forearm on the seatback. "I saw you fight in the parking lot earlier."

  "Bad ass, right?" Gage was unable to suppress his pride.

  "So?" I was growing aggravated.

  "So, could you take any shifter on this bus?"

  That thought appealed to me. Not because I wanted to hurt anyone there. It was the thrill of the challenge, the competition that awoke inside me. My eyes searched the tightly canned group. Three lions sat in front. I had already kicked Linay's ass. Bottom of the cesspool. Drey was a worthy fighter. One day, I would get my rematch, hopefully as friends rather than enemies. The third pride, Gable, was tall and thick, built similar to Drey. However, he had a menacing quality, like maybe he didn't like to play fair all the time. That stoked a different emotion, one that almost forced a hiss from between my lips.

  Glancing across the aisle, I settled on the bears. They were not much of a treat for my beast or my human form as I scanned them. Sunyet was lanky and soft, with a thick middle. If I were to imagine her in animal form, she gave the impression of being a master at hibernation, not warfare. The mix of auburn and chestnut hair softly gathered at the base of her neck, accompanied by her compassionate eyes, told me that Sunyet was too kind to do what had to be done if she were ever faced with a world-ending moment. And though Borus looked as if he could be tough, gauging his muscular outline, his rounds of laughter gave away his forgiving personality. Borus was a better friend to lift your spirits than a warrior to fight by your side when the hour was at its darkest. They were purely here to add girth to our force, to deter any possible violence with their bulky appearance, like bouncers in a club.

  The serpentes had ridden in the one separate vehicle in front of the bus, accompanying Tomas. Venus and Foust had no real charges of their own at the motel. It was their job to be added muscle, the eyes on the backs of our heads. But how much can you really trust a fucking snake? Their attitudes are venomous enough to charge a good street fight, but otherwise, we have nothing in common. It was their archaic need to fulfill this prophecy that would keep them in check during this trip. Maybe I didn't believe a fairytale dug up from a buried stone, but I would pretend to if it kept these assholes in the right lane.

  The only other shifters invited to our little party were the arachnea. They are the shifter equivalent to the weird cousin at a family reunion. If that cousin fancied squishing bugs between his teeth like ice cubes. The good ice. The soft squares that crumble with just the right amount of pressure before melting on your tongue. The difference being, ice doesn't leave a pile of legs and shells to crunch beneath the soles of your shoes. Morgan and Viviane were better than most at glamouring anyone at a distance. It was the closeness that exposed their beady eyes and insect-littered clothing. The arachnea are one of a handful of shifters who are never truly human, even in their human state. Forever the predator. I could kick their asses, but the repulsion I felt at the idea of getting close was greater than the thrill of the fight.

  I had spaced out, enjoying how it felt to size everyone up. To tick each one off of an imaginary list. It was Gage who finally broke the awkward silence. "She could take any shifter in this county," he answered for me. "That fight with Linay was nothing."

  "It was a snack," I added.

  From the front of the bus, Linay's head pivoted slowly until she gathered every ounce of hate in her shriveled, beating heart and aimed it right down the aisle like it was the barrel of a shotgun. I winked and blew her a kiss. Rigid, she faced forward. What had her brother threatened her with to get such a docile response?

  Cody observed the fleeting exchange, noting Linay's hesitancy. "Under your protection, I don't need to worry about what's out there," he pointed out the window before glancing around, adding, "Or who's in here."

  "Is that so?"

  He looked deadly serious. "If something has the power to take you down, we're all fucked. Pardon my French."

  Gage waved him off. "If you hadn't noticed, French is our first language around here." He chuckled at his own joke.

  My brother had started a swear jar last summer in the hopes that he wouldn't have to wash our mouths out with soap every hour. We use it in the kitchen to store the dish sponge now. A constant reminder to Darien that our combined love of foul language will overpower his brooding brother behavior every minute of every day. The motherfucker was outmatched. Pardon my French.

  Looking into Cody's calm, dark eyes, I scolded his arrogance. "You cannot depend on my cloak of protection. If I fall and you find yourself surrounded by deadly shifters, how do you save yourself?"

  He audibly swallowed, searching his brain for that piece of "ah-ha" information that could protect his future lineage from being snuffed out by one premature final breath.

  A young woman with medium length rose-blonde hair turned around, charcoaled eyes wide. "She's right! How do we protect ourselves?"

  Most of the nest believed the coming Savior would be a king, as suggested by the prophecy of the serpente elders. However, a significant number voiced the possible rising of a queen, which led to the charges being of either gender. Far be it for a king to go uncrowned simply because he was in the form of a woman.

  The lithe charge in front of us had allowed her panic to eat away common sense.

  "What if the excommunicated serpentes attack us at dinner? We should turn back, or scatter! Maybe we are better off at home."

  Sunyet spoke up from the front, barely bothering to sit up from her slouched position against the window. "Calm yourself, Petal. Inciting chaos is a condemning offense."

  "It's not chaos, it's the truth. Who says we're safer here, in the middle of a bunch of snakes who don't give a damn about us unless we turn out to be their new leader?"

  We were all exhausted and hangry.

  "Petal," Sunyet's tone grew sharp, "Control yourself. You will feel better once your belly is full and your mind has rested."

  It was clear that Petal had worn her welcome out back at the motel room with the bears. Part of me felt for her. The other part sided with Sunyet.

  We made it to Elder Kit's farmstead in one piece. I'm not sure what I expected from the old woman. She was a class above a class that you didn't know existed until you acknowledged just how far you had fallen from your own class. Everything about this serpente wreaked of old-world snake charmer. When she entered a room, her matted white hair and oversized robe added to the mystique. When she spoke, the ancestors sat
up from their graves to listen.

  "Please, eat what you may." Elder Kit made a grand sweeping gesture in front of a row of tables packed with food. The group of serpentes lined up with empty plates in hand made no mention of our presence. Many suffered from resting bitch face or ignored us altogether.

  "Thank you for the hospitality," Tomas ventured, addressing the lethargic crowd, his eyes falling on Elder Kit last.

  Once every last shifter had a full plate and a glass of wine, we sat in our given groups. Like shifters with like shifters, plus those we were charged with keeping safe.

  Elder Kit spared no time addressing the crowd. At the rate the snakes were eating, they would be done faster than a cat can climb a tree. It was grotesque to watch as hardboiled eggs were swallowed whole, shells intact. Handfuls of steamed crickets and fried worms were shoveled in with no worries of choking, as it's impossible for serpentes to choke. Just as a true snake has the ability to breathe while eating, so does a serpente due to an evolved respiratory system. Didn't make it any less disgusting to watch, however.

  Gage leaned in, forcing his look of revulsion into submission. "This might be the first time I've lost my appetite."

  "It is a sight," Cody added.

  I couldn't be sure if he was as put off as we were or mesmerized by the oddity. Truthfully, I didn't give a shit at the moment. All I had wanted since the fated car ride was a good meal, and that dream was dashed by gluttony and overextending jaws.

  Everyone fell silent as Elder Kit raised her glass of wine, swishing the robust liquid out of habit.

  "It is no secret that the serpentes, as a people, as a family, struggle socially, so I will speak for my brothers and sisters in attendance." An audible sigh of relief escaped the snakes before she continued. "I would like to thank the Collective in advance for your help. It is a gargantuan feat to come together, a blending of species, to protect and restore harmony." Looking directly at me, she added, "To answer a calling."

  Turning her attention to the audience, she shared, "Our people have waited for the mothers to bless us with the uniting force of a king's hand for hundreds of years. Through their immeasurable silence, we have waited. We persisted!" Her boisterous optimism was rubbing off on the serpentes, who had stopped eating to support her words with hoots and small sounds of victory. "The ceremony grows closer. As a Graeae, a protector of gorgon heritage, I am reminded that every serpente life, no matter how significant or trivial, has carried us to this moment. Even the arms of our detractors, the very threat of our apex, cannot obstruct the blessing of our great mothers."