Bayou Shadow Hunter. Debbie Herbert
âThat owl sounds creepy.â
âIshkitini,â Tombi grumbled. No good ever came of the horned owlâs cry. It often foretold death. But no sense troubling Annie with that information. Sheâd assume it was an omen about her grandmother, and then sheâd never agree to go with him. Plus, he had to admit, he didnât want to upset Annie.
âA dangerous night to be alone. Youâd be safer on the hunt with me,â he said.
Her eyes shifted to the woods and back to him.
She was weakening.
âBesides, you shouldnât be here alone tonight worrying about your grandmother. Go on the hunt with us. It will take your mind off your problems.â
âWhy should I go? Itâs obvious your friends donât want me around. At least at home, I wonât be insulted.â
Damn Tallulah and the others for their hostility. It had been a mistake to tell them heâd brought Annie to possibly find a traitor. Nobody appreciated a messenger with bad news. âYouâll be by my side during the hunt,â Tombi promised. âThe others follow their own path in the night darkness.â
She glanced over to the woods again. âI have to admit Iâm curious about your hunt.â Her eyes met his. âDoes what you do involve anything gruesome? You know, like, bloody stuff?â
âNot usually.â
âGood.â She pinned him with a hard look. âAnd in return for going tonight, youâll teach me how to control my hearing?â
âFor one nightâs work?â The words tumbled out, unfiltered. Oh, hell. By the look on her face, heâd lost any chance of getting her cooperation.
Annie marched back into the cottage, slamming the door shut.
He opened it and followed her inside. At least she hadnât locked him out. âHow about this? Spend time with us, and let me know if you have suspicions about anyone. In return, Iâll teach you what I can.â
Anger twisted her delicate features. âTeach me? I didnât think Iâd need lessons.â
âHow else did you expect to learn to control your gift?â
âI thought... I thought...â She sputtered to a stop.
âI never said it would be easy.â
âYou never said it would be hard, either.â She rubbed her temples. âJust how long will these lessons take?â
âHard to say.â He folded his arms and considered. âCould take weeks, could take months. That is, if you can follow my teachings. Not everyone can control their energy.â
Annie sat on the sofa and took a deep breath. âOkay, there are a couple of things troubling me about what you just said.â She held up an index finger. âOne, your people can guard against leaking their energy, making it difficult for me to hear their auras. So I canât guarantee Iâll be able to pinpoint this person.â
She held up a second finger, but Tombi interrupted, âLet me take your objections one at a time.â He sat across from Annie, their knees almost touching. Warmth radiated from her slight body, and he clamped down the passion she aroused as he cleared his throat. âAfter a night chasing shadows, we gather back at the campsite and fill each other in on the nightâs events. Weâll eat a light meal and then go to our tents and sleep until the heat of the day drives us out. Usually about noon.â
âI donât see what this has to do withââ
âIâm getting to that,â Tombi promised. âStay alert while they sleep and walk around the camp. See if you hear anything suspicious then.â
Her brow creased and then cleared. She nodded. âThey must let down their guard during sleep.â
âExactly. Now whatâs your next objection?â
âYou said you would teach me what you could. What the hell does that mean exactly? First you claimed you could cure me of this gift. Now it sounds like youâre waffling.â
âNo waffling.â
âThen are you saying Iâm unteachable? I can assure you, thatâs not true. Not at all. Thereâs nothing wrong with my intelligence.â
Tombi raised a brow and regarded her silently.
She had the grace to look sheepish. âSorry. Touchy point with me. I was teased unmercifully in grade school because I had to be taught in a separate room one-on-one with a teacherâs aide. The music from all the other students made it impossible for me to concentrate in a regular classroom.â She took a shuddering breath. âThey used to call me Crazy Annie.â
That must have been tough for a sensitive girl. âKids can be cruel. I promise I wasnât making a comment on your intelligence. What I meant was that Iâll show you how I block my energy. Itâs a skill my parents taught me, so it stands to reason that, with the right training, you can do the same.â
A wistful sadness shadowed her eyes.
âYou donât think you can do it?â he asked gently.
She bit her lip. âOh, itâs silly. But what I was really hoping is that youâd arrange for a shaman to remove it. You know, something quick and easy.â
He fixed her with a hard stare.
Annie flushed. âI know. Thatâs awful of me. I just want to get on with my life.â
âMeaning what? What would you do without your special hearing ability that you canât do now?â Annie was hard to understand. He could control his senses to some degree, yet it didnât change who he was, or his purpose in life.
She threw up her hands. âYou canât laugh.â
At his steady wait, Annie admitted, âI want to be a librarian.â
âThen do it.â He shrugged. âNow. No oneâs stopping you.â
âEven in a library, the noise gets to be too much after a while. Thereâs more peace and quiet there than any other public place, but it still grates. I canât see me working as a librarian forty hours a week.â
Annie stood and walked around the small den, picking up stray items and straightening stacks of books and magazines. âAnd itâs more than wanting to work a full-time job. Iâd like to have friends, a family, a social life.â
âThe music is that disruptive for you?â It might be hell for Annie, but this extraordinary ability could only be good for his hunters. And he would try to help her control her gift.
Eventually.
Once heâd gotten all he could from her. Duty first, always.
For the first time in days, a surge of hope fueled a fire within him. âThen what do you have to lose by helping me?â he asked. âIâll make sure no harm comes to you.â
She carefully placed a book back down on a coffee table. âI really, really, really hate snakes,â she said, dead serious. âSo youâd better protect me like you promised.â
âI will,â he vowed. âWith my life.â This he could say with no guilt or deception.
Annie picked up a picture of her grandma and bent her head over it. Her long, wavy hair covered her face, but her shoulders shook, and he knew she wept. Surprisingly, it made him long to put his arms around her and