Turner (White Wolf Ridge 1)

I’m off today after a long day yesterday of patrolling the Wolfe Creek area. Most days there's not much to do, but randomly there's a fight or two between teenagers or guests at the hotel who have had too much to drink, or not enough. There hasn't been much trouble in the past few years since I started here, but there were a few incidents that took me by surprise, like the shooting of the sheriff. Erik miraculously survived being shot in the head, which made me wonder more about the whole superhuman thing. I'm not sure why, exactly, I am convinced there's something strange going on. Maybe it's all the television shows and movies that have me on edge.

Still, if I'm honest with myself, it has more to do with my dreams than anything else. For nearly six months, I've felt the pull to the same man. He's more than a man. It's written in his eyes and in his build. He's not as large as Hunter or Erik, but he's not small either. He's around six foot two, which still towers over my whole five two stature. Every night he visits me in my sleep, kissing and worshipping me until we’re both too exhausted to continue.

My entire life, I never expected to need a man, but this man, whoever he is, has created a hole that I know only he can fill.

I like working for Erik, but I can’t stand the nagging feeling that I’m being left out. My entire life I’ve been left out, mostly because of my size and sex, which only made me more determined to prove them all wrong. Although I’m not sure who I’m still trying to prove anything to; everyone around here actually respects me. I hadn’t gotten that reception initially, but then Mr. Wolfe put his foot down and everyone seemed to just go by his word. He appeared to have more pull than the sheriff himself.

The front door slams open, and my roommate, Jacob, enters. "Oh my God. What the hell happened to you?"

"Nothing. I got into a fight. I'm fine. I thought you would be at work right now,” he barks out at me. I know this is only because he got beat up, and when someone tough gets hurt, they take it out on others. He needs to chill out, though, or I’ll add to the bruising. I’m only trying to be nice.

He says it with an accusatory tone that pisses me off. I took the guy in when he needed a place to live. “No. I'm not. Today’s my day off.”

A knock follows, and in comes Hunter with Erik behind him. "Crabtree. We need to have a word with you in private,” Hunter orders.

"Maria, please excuse us." They walk right past me and into Jacob's room. Whispers start, and I can't hear anything. How the fuck can they even hear each other?

Since they don't care to share, I go into my room and get changed so I’m not just in my pajamas in front of my boss. Fuck it. I'm living with a young man because they said it was the best place for both of us, and it has been. Jacob's a good man, so it pisses me off that he's injured, but if he doesn't want to tell me what happened, then there's nothing I can do.

I come out after a shower and get dressed, and then Hunter and Erik walk out into the living room. “How’s Jacob? What happened?”

"He's going to be fine. Boys fighting over girls kind of thing."

“Okay. How’s the other guy?” I question. Obviously, this must have been some serious issue. I’ve never seen Jacob act that way with females. He doesn’t even seem to notice them.

“Same.”

“Well, I hope it’s over with.”

“It better be,” Hunter snarls. I’m taken aback by his tone as he looks towards Jacob’s room as if he’s the supreme authority in Jacob’s life. He grabs the door, yanking it open, and leaves with Erik following behind without another word. I sigh as I lock the door behind them and walk into the kitchen to get a drink, only to be caught off guard by Jacob sitting at the table.

"Are you okay?" I’m worried about him. He’s become a little brother to me, and I’d hate to see anything happen to him.

"I'm going to be fine. It's nothing. Please try not to worry about me. I swear it's nothing."

"I didn't even know there was a girl you liked,” I say.

"Well, it doesn't matter because I don't plan to see her for a long time." He runs his hand through his slicked-back black hair.

"Why were they here? To take a report of the incident? Where did it happen?" As a police officer, I can’t help but ask questions.

"It happened out of town. They were just worried about me because the girl’s father is the mayor."