Ouachita Mated(11)
Magic let out a hiss, and punched it again, making the stuffing bulge from the rip. Ryan shook his head, lip pulled up in a smirk, and Mason raised a questioning eyebrow as they pushed through the door.
Whatever. He didn’t have to explain anything to them.
Magic scanned the gym. It was just him and Josie, and one other human who was using the elliptical and singing along to some pop song playing through earbuds.
“That was an interesting sound you made. Sounded feral. You gotta teach me how to do that.” Josie strolled over to examine the bag.
He shouldn’t have hissed at Ryan. He knew better. Josie might be close to their clan, but for whatever reason, Beth had decided against telling her they were shifters.
He grunted a response. Less was more right now.
“I always wondered what was inside these things,” she murmured, picking at the scraps of recycled fabric pushing through the torn vinyl.
“There’s sand in the bottom.”
Her brow lifted. “Lint and sand. I never would’ve guessed.”
He wouldn’t have either, but he knew because one time he and Owyn took a chainsaw to a bag simply to solve the mystery of what was inside.
Magic stepped away, pulling at the velcro on his gloves.
“You going?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’m out of things to punch.”
Her eyes were some combination of blue and grey as they considered him. Light, the way the lake looked when it was frozen. And they weren’t going to let him off easy. They traveled slowly over his body. So slowly, touching on his shirtless chest and arms before moving lower.
Magic grit his teeth and struggled not to squirm, because her gaze felt like a touch, sizzling its way down his body.
He could’ve just walked away, but he didn’t.
“You’re so… angry,” she whispered low, almost to herself. There was no hint of the playful teasing he was used to from her. She narrowed her gaze, tipping her head to the side. “Why are you always so angry, Magic? It just…” She shook her head, searching for the word. “…seeps from you. You bleed it. What did the world do to you, anyway? Huh? To make you so angry?”
His defenses were up. Her words shouldn’t have had any effect other than giving him the urge to tell her to mind her own damn business. But it was the way she spoke to him so candidly. As if she expected him to answer. Like she was someone in his life who deserved an explanation.
But she wasn’t.
She wasn’t an employee or part of his clan or even a friend. She was… something else. Not that he had a name for what she was.
And maybe that was why he didn’t flip her the middle finger and walk out.
She waved her hand through the air. “No, don’t answer that. I get it. We all deal with shit.”
Turning, she walked to the row of treadmills lining one wood-planked wall. He watched her step up and balance her weight on the sideboards while she programmed the computer. Several beeps sounded and she started at a brisk walk.
“A little run always helps clear my mind,” she called over her shoulder. “You should try it.”
Magic glanced at the busted bag. That was what the boxing was supposed to accomplish. All it had done is leave him even more frustrated.
“Not much for an electronic sidewalk,” he grumbled. “Prefer the woods.”
“The trails?”
He nodded.
But his mind was bothered by the conversation she’d had with Ryan. Something was up with her. She’d come to the lodge without a reservation, Ryan implied she was in some sort of trouble, and she was unusually reserved when she’d been spunky as hell earlier.
She pushed the button to increase her speed. “The trails, yeah I can see that. You seem like the type who likes to embrace nature.” Her voice was off. No teasing. No sass.
Call it curiosity. Responsibility. Whatever the case, he felt compelled to see what trouble the female had gotten herself into.
Tossing his gloves to the floor, he stepped up on the machine next to hers and set the pace. She didn’t say a word and that was the real testament to her state of mind. Normal Josie would’ve given him the side-eye while quipping about her powers of persuasion or some nonsense.
Silence settled between them as they walked, and something miraculous happened. With each step, each rhythmic thump of their shoes upon the belt, the swirl of rage and frustration within him calmed. It wasn’t the sort of peace he constantly hoped for, that feeling that everything was just as it should be, but… it was a start. Enough that his shoulders relaxed. His muscles unwound, releasing their hold on his body. His chest loosened, allowing him to breathe easier.
Josie increased to a jog, and he adjusted his machine to match her. Pretty soon, they were running too fast to talk. But did he really want to hear about her troubles when he had so many of his own to worry about?