Tempest: The Moments In-Between (#1.5)

Chapter Eight: Hunter

Des Louvière

True to his word, Jack was there within ten minutes. I saw him the second he walked through the door. He greeted a few people as he made his way towards us. I spotted Hunter glaring at Jack as he came my way.

Idiot.

"Hey," I caught Jack staring me up and down, and for a moment, his yellow aura had wisps of red. I was flattered by his momentary attraction to me. If the situation was different, I felt like I might have dated Jack, but he is not for me to have. "How's it going?"

So sweet. I thought but then removed those ideas from my mind as I remembered Hunter was still around. "Let's just say, Penn is having a better time than I am, at the moment."

We both looked at Petite then. She was spinning in her stool but stopped when she noticed Jack. "Ohmygosh!" her words were nearly incomprehensible. "You're magic too!"

I almost laughed at that. Magic? Non. Non. He barely believes it. But then again, Petite did not see him become unnerved after her fight with Chaos weeks ago. Perhaps she needn't know.

Penn quickly stood up from her seat. But you could tell right away that she felt unbalanced as she put her hands out to steady herself. "Did you feel that?" she spoke in her outside voice. "Wejusthad an earthquake." Before I could calm her, she was yelling, "Under the table! It's an earthquake!"

Petite attempted to not-so-gracefully go under the little bit of counter that peaked out from the bar. She nearly slammed her head into it, but Jack and I caught her just in time to pull her away from it.

"Oh..." Realization seemed to strike her. "...the earthquake stopped."

Jack chuckled at Penn's behavior, and I might have joined him if this was a different situation. "I see why you called now."

"Hurry up, Des." Hunter whispered to me from across the room.

I simply stared at him as I tried not to squeeze Penn's arm. "Take her home please?"

"Nooo!!" Petite screeched as she yanked her arm out of my hand so hard that she managed to twirl herself around and land in Jack's arms.

Both their auras glowed pink when they touched.

"Why hello..." Penn smirked just as she sniffed him. "...Yousmell yummy."

Jack seemed embarrassed as he addressed her. "It's time to go, Penn."

"Ok." She whispered, grinning. "But onlyif you givemeh a piggyback ride."

Her knight-in-shining-armor laughed. "You got it, birthday girl."

Watching them, I felt a sting of jealousy flare up within me. I had that once... I stared over at Hunter—his impatience evident. As subtly as I could I glanced at my fellow Rougarou from head-to-toe. Petite's intoxicated instincts were right. Hunter Algernon was as good looking as I remembered. In fact, he might be more so now. His muscles bulged from underneath his clothes—more defined than my memory recalls—his hair was longer now, down to his shoulders. It looked much better short. And he wore a beard that he pulled off quite well. It was no wonder that women were offering to buy him a drink. But when I looked at his soul, it was the same. His inner core the silver of the moon—like all Rougarou—and his outer aura red.

All supernatural beings tend to have two core auras—or so I've noticed so far. Perhaps the same concept can be applied to Penn.

As if on cue, I heard Petite whisper-yell at me. "Byeeee, Des! Use protection!"

I shook my head, trying my best to hide my smirk before I waved goodbye to Jack and Penn.