Quiver arrowed book 3, p.1
Quiver (Arrowed Book 3), page 1
By Gryffin Murphy
Copyright © 2020 by Gryffin Murphy
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
www.gryffinwrites.tumblr.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Acknowledgements
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night”
-Sarah Williams
Chapter One
Sophia
It was cold and dark in the forest, and I struggled to make my way over the moss-covered roots that tripped up my feet. Even anchoring my hands on the cold bark of the impeding trees wasn’t much help in maintaining my balance. The ground was slippery and wet, and I was prone to clumsiness on much less treacherous grounds.
How did I get so lost? I wondered, taking a pause to look around me, Was I even headed in the right direction? One question prevailed over all others: Why had my boyfriend brought me out here in the middle of the night?
“Noah?” I called out to him, my voice breaking through the silence that surrounded me. A cold breeze brushed past me and I wrapped my arms around myself with a scowl. If this was another one of Noah’s surprises, it was poorly planned. As a human, I didn’t have the unnatural warmth he possessed as a shapeshifter, and Montana got chilly after sundown— even in August.
The more I pushed my way through the trees, the angrier I felt. I’d always had a quick-fire temper, and the thought of being lost in the forest at night had me grinding my teeth in frustration.
Where the hell was he?
I twisted around in a circle, looking for a sign of any life forms other than my own. I was starting to feel anxious, and my rapidly beating heart was showing it. Suddenly my foot slipped on a damp rock, causing me to fall and land harshly on my elbow.
Ouch. Now, I was really mad.
“Noah!” I yelled, clutching my arm with a wince. Maybe if he realized I was hurt, he would show himself and this stupid game of hide and seek would be over.
My eyes moistened as I stood up and dusted myself off. He was usually so quick to come to my rescue, even excessive in his protectiveness over me at times. Whatever game he was playing, it way past being fun.
I squinted in the distance, trying to discern some semblance of a guiding light. I couldn’t tell if I was going deeper into the forest or headed back to the edge of town. With a groan, I tried to focus on the path that I had come from. Both paths looked identical to me.
I threw my head back and clenched my eyes shut in frustration. I was tired of spinning in circles, it was getting me nowhere.
Suddenly, something distinct in the distance came into view. I felt relieved, until I realized what it was:
A large wolf.
“Hello?” I called out to it.
Was this Noah’s way of showing me his wolf form for the first time?
I had only ever seen a shifter turn into his wolf once before, and it was the most terrifying moment of my life. It was my introduction to the world of the supernatural and it almost scared me away from Noah forever.
He couldn’t possibly think the best time for me to see him like that would be in this creepy setting!
The large dog arched its back and let out a growl.
“That’s not funny,” I snapped, my voice wavering. I tried to sound threatening, but my usually steadfast anger was dissipating into fear.
The wolf reared its head back and howled, sending a shiver down my spine. The noise resembled a hurricane alarm and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in fear from the way the sound filled the trees. When the wolf’s head came back down, its yellow eyes met mine and I knew the truth instantly.
That was not Noah.
My survival instincts finally kicked in and I broke into a run. I could hear its paws hit the rocks behind me as it began to chase me. It was quickly gaining on me, and my eyes welled up with tears at the acceptance that I wasn’t going to get very far. Seconds after the thought dawned on me, I felt its sharp claws dig their way into my back, dragging down the length of my spine and tearing my skin apart.
I choked on my scream and fell to my knees, rolling over in the dirt to protect my back from more assault. I looked above, finally face-to-face with the monster. It placed its claws on either side of my head and leered down at me, a low growl rumbling from the depth of its throat. With a whimper, I turned my head away from the blood-stained fangs that dripped saliva onto my face. Clenching my eyes tight, I let out a final whimper.
Something gripped my shoulders and immediately I fought it off me, deciding I still had fight in me yet. I kept my eyes shut tight, punching and kicking wildly. I was fighting for my life with everything I had.
“Sophie!” a familiar voice above me yelled. I opened my eyes in surprise and squinted in the harsh sunlight that exploded into my vision. Flinching from the sudden brightness, I shielded my eyes and focused on the outline of a figure before me.
“You were having a nightmare,” Noah said calmly as his handsome face came into view. Though seeing him should have settled my anxiously racing heart, taking in his beautiful green eyes in all their glory kept my heart erratically beating.
He hugged me tightly, his hand cupping the back of my neck, and I let out a sigh of relief at the feeling of his warmth. The summer sun was streaming down on us, but nothing warmed me to my core like Noah’s arms wrapped around me.
I opened my eyes and looked over his shoulder at our surroundings. We were by the lake at Wolfsblood Ranch, surrounded by our friends for a day of fun by the water.
Everything was okay. I was safe.
“It felt so real,” I mumbled pathetically, trying to shake the memory of the darkness from my mind.
“Do you want to talk to me about it?” he asked, pulling back to search my eyes.
I eyed my friends, Mark, Dhruv, and Akemi, who were sitting close by and watching us with worried eyes. I couldn’t speak of giant wolves in front of them.
“I’d rather just forget it,” I said softly.
Noah furrowed his dark brows with worry, but complied. “Okay,” he said, “Well, if you want to go back to sleep, I’ll stay right here and hold you tight.” He lowered his voice, “I can fight the monsters for you.”
I flinched, shaken by how accurate his assessment of my nightmare was.
“How’s your shoulder?” Dhruv spoke up, calling over to us.
I looked over at my friend in confusion. “My shoulder feels fine,” I answered him, rolling my muscles to prove it.
“Not you. I’m talking to Noah,” he clarified as he nodded in his direction.
“What happened to your shoulder?” I demanded, turning back.
What had I missed?
“You punched the hell out of it when he tried to wake you,” Mark interjected.
I gasped, searching Noah’s eyes for the truth.
He looked at Mark disapprovingly before turning back to me with a smile. “I barely felt it,” he insisted.
I covered my face with my hands and groaned.
“You’ve got a hell of a right hook, Sophia,” Dhruv commended.
“Yeah, whatever axe murderer you were fighting in your dream, I think you got him good,” Akemi added lightly.
“I’m so sorry!” I whined to Noah, still hiding behind my hands.
He pried them from my face, kissing the tips of my fingers to ease my guilt.
“For real, though, man—you good?” Dhruv asked.
Noah gave him the thumbs up. “I’m used to her attacking me in her sleep,” he said casually, winking at me.
Mark visibly grimaced and I felt my cheeks redden. Noah had confirmed in the past that I had a habit of wrestling out of his grasp while asleep, but it was usually an unconscious defense mechanism against his overwhelming warmth and not a full-on offensive attack. I could see my friends were clearly baffled by it.
The sound of a soft motor broke through the tension in the air and I followed the sound to see Connall and Frankie down the hill together on a motorbike. She was seated behind him, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist and her chin proudly rested on his shoulder.
My heart warmed to see them finally be so open with their affection for each other. It had been a week since they had Arrowed on each other, but I had yet to grow tired of seeing them so happy together. For years, they’d hidden their love, not knowing they had truly been soulmates all along. Now they were free to show it to the world.
“Excuse me,” Frankie said, dismounting and moving her aviator sunglasses
to the top of her head, “but last time I checked, Wolfsblood has a policy where there must be a lifeguard monitoring the lake at all times.” She placed her hands on her hips with authority.
“You’re looking at the lifeguard,” I replied, flipping my hair off my shoulder in confidence. I helped lifeguard the lake once before; I could claim the title now.
“Some lifeguard you are, you’ve been sleeping on the job,” Noah muttered to me out of the side of his mouth.
I poked him in his side with a hush and he laughed quietly.
“I don’t see the required uniform bathing suit on you,” Frankie disagreed, “Connall, on the other hand, is sporting his hot red shorts.”
“French, come on,” he scolded under his breath, his face suddenly matching the color of the swim trunks he wore.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek in an apology. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he returned a kiss to her temple, whispering something in her dark curly hair.
I let out a happy sigh, resting my cheek on my hand as I took in the blissful glow that surrounded them. I ignored the incredulous look Noah was giving me.
➹➹➹
Noah
“Can you stop staring at them?” I murmured to Sophie, nudging her with my shoulder.
She turned her head sharply to fix me with a stubborn glare. “No,” she declared, “I’m happy for them.”
“I can see that,” I said, “but how come you never look at me with that goofy grin?”
“I do,” she replied, kissing my shoulder, “I just don’t let you see it, because your head would get too big.”
“Thanks for being so considerate,” I responded sardonically with a roll of my eyes, “and what about their egos?”
“Oh, I’m not too worried about that. They’re not as smug as you,” she replied simply.
“Yeah, we’re not as smug as you,” Frankie cut in, clearing overhearing our conversation.
“You are kind of being smug about not being smug,” Connall pointed out with a murmur.
“Ha!” I pointed a finger at her with indignation.
Frankie stuck her tongue out at me. “You’re supposed to have my back, Con,” she said, pouting to him.
He smiled with a shrug, and I couldn’t help but notice his hand slipping behind her.
“Oh, I’ve got your back, alright,” he said softly.
This time Frankie was the red-faced half of the couple.
I, too, felt uncomfortable. I had never seen Connall be flirtatious, and I didn’t think I’d ever get used to seeing my stone-faced friend act so soft, especially towards my cousin (who was more like a bratty sister to me.)
“How come you never have my back like that?” Sophie echoed my previous question, in the deep nasally voice she always used when doing a bad impression of me.
“Sophia Rose, are you asking me to touch your butt more?” I asked, lowering my voice.
Her eyes widened and cheeks went pink.
“Because if that’s what you want, I have no problem whatsoever “—
“Oh, shut up!” she interrupted, burying her head in her arms, “I was making fun of you.”
“And yet, I’m the one having fun,” I raised a thoughtful hand to my chin.
“Those two will go on all day like this if we don’t intervene,” Frankie cut in, looking to Sophie’s friends while gesturing at us. “Anyone up for a chicken fight in the lake?”
“I should warn you I’m a wrestling champion,” Mark said, sitting up with enthusiasm, “No one gets pushed of these shoulders.”
“Those tiny things?” I scoffed under my breath. I couldn’t help it if I still didn’t like him. At the start of the day I had considered giving him another chance, but then I saw the way he looked at Sophie in her bathing suit, and immediately resumed resenting the guy.
“Hey,” Sophie pinched my arm to get my attention amidst everyone deciding on teams, “Go easy on him.”
“So he’s allowed to be smug?” I defended myself quietly.
“Not that, I mean during the fight,” she clarified, “You and Connall need to act human. No supernatural strength allowed. Fight fair. It won’t be fun if you two just win every time.”
“I’ll try,” I conceded, “But I can make you no promises. There’s no guarantee we’ll even win with your clumsy butt on my shoulders, anyway.”
Her eyes flared for a second before she flashed one my favorite smile of hers: the one that said, I love you but you’re going down a dangerous path by pushing my buttons.
I kissed the tip of her nose to quell her temper and stood up, turning to help her up as well.
“Okay who’s going first?” I asked, looking around.
“Akemi and, I versus you and Sophia,” Mark declared definitively. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “If you’re up to challenge ‘The Champion,’ that is.”
“I think I can handle it,” I replied, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. Sophia gave me a warning glance. I sighed.
As we started walking to the water and I found myself feeling conflicted. I wanted to go easy on him for Sophie’s sake, but the animal in me wanted to tear him down for even attempting to challenge me.
In the end, the outcome was mostly up to Akemi and Sophia, and the two of them were too nice to fight dirty with each other. After a couple minutes of them grasping hands and weakly pushing each other, I grew tired of looking at Mark’s smug grin. I side-stepped in a maneuver that gave Sophia the advantage over Akemi up top, and caused Mark to lose his balance below. She toppled over him, screaming as they both fell into the water with a splash.
“He tripped me!” Mark exclaimed when he came out of the water spluttering.
This time I allowed myself to roll my eyes. “No one likes a sore loser, Mark,” I admonished. I forced a laugh to make my comment seem more lighthearted.
He waded angrily through the water back to the shore, Akemi following behind him to ease his temper.
“I’m sorry, it was my fault, Mark! I’m just not great at chicken fights!” she called out after him.
Whap!
I raised my fingers to my forehead in surprise.
“Did you just slap me?” I asked bemusedly, tilting my head to look up at the furious goddess glaring down at me.
“I told you to go easy on him!” she said, slapping my crown again.
“I did go easy on him!” I retorted, “You didn’t say that meant I had to lose.”
“We were evenly matched until that little trick of yours.” She tugged on some strands of my hair and I had enough. I lifted her off my shoulders, dodged her spastic attempts to break free from my grip, and pulled her close to me. I crashed my mouth onto hers and instantly her thrashing ceased.
“Where were those wild cat moves during the fight?” I asked when I pulled away, “You were going easy on them too?”
“You’re not the only one with a couple tricks up their sleeve,” she replied with a wink.
God, that wink did things to me every time I saw it. I ignored the twinge in my lower gut and focused my thoughts on the competition.
“Who are we taking on next?” I asked, turning to the shore.
Frankie was wading into the water confidently, staring at Sophie with a smirk on her face and cracking her knuckles. I turned back to my girl and witnessed her visibly gulping.
“I forgot to ask Frankie to go easy on the humans too,” she whispered.
I threw my head back and laughed. “She’s not as tough as she looks,” I insisted. I looked back to see Connall walking in from the shore as well. There was no question he was going to be hard to beat. The guy was built like a Roman statue, even his pale skin resembled marble.
“Him, on the other hand…” Sophie said, echoing my thoughts.
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face me, “We got this.”
“We got this,” she repeated with a nod, her eyebrows furrowing in fierce determination.
Sophie crashed into the waters a mere three seconds into the round. When she came up for air she looked so angry I thought the water in her hair was going to turn to steam.
“That’s not fair,” she spat.
“Should’ve been born a shifter,” Frankie retorted with an impassive shrug.
I winced. Sophie’s humanity was a sore subject for her. As much as I tried to make her feel welcome in our world, she always felt inferior and left out because she was the only human. Frankie had just dug the knife in deep, and she hadn’t even realized it.
