What she was doing was attempting to keep busy. Planning the upcoming tour, looking at maps of the various venues, hotels, et cetera. Training, always training.
She picked up a menu, scanned the page for the hundredth time, then put it down again. She was waiting at a small pub for the two men she’d contacted about joining her security team. She was missing out on a “family” dinner, with Mayhem’s permission of course. She wanted to feel relieved at the break from the band, but all she felt was restless, agitated, like that fifteen minutes of just being in Jaylon’s presence at dinner was sorely missed. It was ridiculous how much he invaded her thoughts, her emotions. For goodness sake, the man was practically a stranger.
Yeah, a stranger who you’d been deeply intimate with. A man you gave your virginity to. Ugh.
She shoved those thoughts away, trying desperately to keep herself focused on the task at hand. Hire security.
“Bree. Nice to see you again.”
She snapped her gaze up to find Chris—blond, built, and hotter than hot. She’d known him most of her life, his family being Order supporters just as hers was. Young, early twenties, he was part of her and her sister’s cohort of Hunter/Huntress hopefuls, training together at times, socializing together often. He was a trusted family friend—someone she could count on to watch her back.
“Chris,” she said as she stood and quickly embraced him.
“This is Gareth.” Chris nodded to the right, where another hulking young man stood.
Aubrey shook hands, knowing Gareth to see him but not ever having spoken. He was handsome as well, dark where Chris was fair, totally on par with what she liked. And yet she felt nothing, no spark, no interest. If anything, looking at Gareth made her miss Jaylon even more. She gave her head a minute shake, hoping to rattle her brain back into working order and dislodge Jaylon once and for all. “Thanks for coming. Why don’t we order some food?” She motioned for the men to sit. “And I’ll fill you in on the job details.”
Aubrey briefed the men as they inhaled their dinners. Big men, big appetites. She pecked at hers, not at all feeling the urge to consume anything, her thoughts stubbornly shifting to the band and how they were probably all sitting around the grand dining room table, eating, talking, joking.
“I heard about your sister,” Chris said between mouthfuls of his third burger. “Congratulations.”
Aubrey sucked in a deep breath and dropped the fry she’d been toying with, her appetite gone for good. “Yeah, she’s happy. Settling in and training.”
Chris nodded, “We all thought maybe you’d be called forth too.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sorry to hear it didn’t happen.”
Aubrey shrugged off the sting and took a sip of her water. “It is what it is. Can’t control destiny, I guess.”
“For what’s it’s worth, I think you should be. You’re prime Huntress material.” Chris leaned back and rested his hands on his stomach. “It’s good that you’re moving on, though.”
“Yeah, thanks.” She shook her head and forced a smile. “All that training can’t go to waste, right?”
Chris nodded toward Gareth, who was still mowing down on his heaping plate of food. “I guess we’re all in the same situation. We’re too old now for the mark. No use to the Order. Not directly, anyway.”
Gareth and Chris were both Hunter candidates, both coming from a long line of Hunters. Highly trained and loyal Order supporters, they lived off-site from the actual Order compound. Neither had been called forth. For Hunter hopefuls, the call only came when the mysterious wolf tattoo appeared somewhere on their bodies. A mark triggered by some kind of werewolf encounter. It seemed to depend on the sensitivity of the Hunter and the body’s readiness to receive whatever their particular magical ability was. When they got their mark, they joined the Order and began an intensive training regimen, which included not only mastering their special magical skill, but also learning the more secret aspects of the Order’s legacy and, of course, continuing with their physical training and fighting techniques. The inner working of the Order as well as which Hunter candidates actually came to be selected remained mysterious to those on the outside. Even though it was not totally understood, the initiation into the Order was generally believed to be reserved for the very young. Chris and Gareth had not been chosen. Duds in the Hunter world.
Outcasts. Aubrey bit back the word, but it was true. They were all outcasts.
“Never say never,” Gareth said as he popped something deep-fried into his mouth. “There’s nothing that says we won’t be called forth still. No age limit.”
Chris screwed up his face, looking like he’d just sucked on a lemon slice. “You’re living in delusion land, my friend. Everyone at this table knows that the mark, and in Bree’s case, the call, comes at a young age. Ain’t no Huntress or Hunter chosen after twenty-five.”