Savage Hunt
Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter One: Calling Home

Tillie

Holding the phone up to my ear, I took a deep breath. I had spent the morning talking with my best friendand now I knew that taking a break was going to help me sort through everything that I had learned.

Shifters, mates, sex demons.

It was all so wild that these things were in my life and I hadn’t known about them.

I knew that Charity was worried that I wasn’t going to come back if I left, but I knew that I had to. Icouldn’t hide out at my parent’s lake house forever. Hiding from everything that I had learned about theworld forever, no matter how appealing that idea sounded. I had a job that I liked and while Tristian wascool with a lot of things; but I doubted that he would be cool with me never showing up to work again.

“Hello.” My stepfather said, answering my mother’s phone.

Damn, I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to talk to him. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Scott or anything. Mymom had married him when I was a teenager and he doted on her and treated me like I was hisdaughter.

He just tended to talk, a lot.

“Hey Scott, is mom around?” I asked, bringing my thumb up to my mouth and worrying my thumbnail.

“She went to the gym, kiddo. Accidentally grabbed my phone instead of hers. Anything I can help youwith?” He asked and I could hear banging in the background before he let out a low hiss. “Damn thathurt?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, dropped a wrench on my foot.” He answered and I moved deeper into my apartment to sit on thecouch.

“Ouch, let me guess you were barefoot? Working on your baby?” I asked, trying not to smile. Scott had aMustang that was older than I was that he’d been working for as long as I could remember but it stillwasn’t running.

“You know me too well, Tillie.” He chuckled and I could picture him in the garage hobbling over to sit onone of the metal bar stools that sat at his workbench. Tools spread out and the surface disorganized toeveryone but him.

“I was wondering if you guys were cool with me going out to the lake house for a few days?” I asked,worrying my thumbnail with my teeth before pulling my hand away. It was a bad habit and something thatI only did when I was stressed out and I knew that I needed to stop it or I wasn’t going to have any nailsleft.

“Sure, kiddo. Did you want us to come with you? I’m sure your mom would love to see you?” Scott saidand I shook my head before realizing that he couldn’t see me.

“No, I just wanted to get away for a bit by myself. I’ll clean it up before I leave.” I said, hoping that it wouldbe okay with him. While spending time with him and mom was always fun, I didn’t want to deal with herquestions right now.

Or her asking how things were with Jake. I didn’t want to tell her what happened between the two of us,or what I had happened afterwards. That was something that had me anxious. It was one thing to tellyour parents that you were dating one guy. It was another thing to tell them that what you thought wasgoing to be a one-night stand had turned into so much more and you were practically married to three.

-Let alone the fact that they were shifters.

“Sure, Tillie. You know you don’t have to clean it up before you leave. We know you’re not throwing anywild keggers out there.” Scott said and I could hear the smile in his voice.

“I don’t mind cleaning it up. Thank you, Scott, tell mom I love her.”

“Any time, kiddo. I’ll let her know you called. Drive safe and be careful out there.”

Scott’s words made me smile. It was the little things that showed me he cared. He had stepped up to fillin the father role and

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Chapter One: Calling Home

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though I had resisted it at first. I was glad that I had given him a chance. He loved my mom and me.

We said our goodbyes before I hung up the phone. Letting out a sigh, I leaned my back. Sinking into thewell-worn cushions of my couch. At least I could count on my parents to still be the same as they alwayshad.

I looked around my apartment. Jason had said that he wanted me to move my things into their house butI couldn’t picture myself giving this place up. It wasn’t big, just a tiny one-bedroom apartment witheggshell colored walls and beige carpet.

It was my space, though. I had decorated the living room with cheap white bookshelves filled with all ofmy favorite novels and plants hung up in front of the balcony’s sliding door. The paintings on the wallswere ones that Charity, Jake, and I had done together when Jake and I had first started dating. Therewere so many happy memories here for me and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them yet.

I didn’t have a television in the room. I preferred to read or if I watched movies, it was usually at Charity’shouse. She had her living room set up with an over sized couch and a television that was huge. Theblackout curtains over her windows gave it the feel of being at the theater and I loved spending time withher watching cheesy romance movies or super low-budget horror.

If I moved in with Jason, Ryan, and Travis, I didn’t know what I was going to do with my plants. I wasn’tgoing to give them up, that was for sure. The guys were just going to have to learn to live with them andmaybe a few more. It was something that had driven my mom crazy. Anytime she would go out, I wouldsneak in another plant until our kitchen was full of them.

They made me happy though and I mean, who doesn’t love pretty green things growing?

Pushing myself up from the couch, I went to the kitchen and filled up my water pitcher. I walked back intothe living room, watering my plants and talking to them. Telling them about the night that I’d had. Lettingthem know that I was going to be gone for a few days, but I would text Charity to come water them whileI was gone.

When I was happy with the care that they had gotten, I made my way back to the kitchen. Feeling lighterthan I had before. I grabbed a dish towel from beneath the sink, drying the glass pitcher off before puttingit back in place.

I made a mental list of all of the things that I needed to do before I left. The first thing that I needed was ashower. After that, I was going to call my boss and beg him for a few days off.

Maybe I could bribe him with the offer to work overtime when I got back?