by Jamie Craig
“Nothing’s wrong,” JD assured him quickly. “I just…I just wanted to talk to you last night. You know, one of our late-night bitch sessions. When was the last time we had one of those?”
“It’s been a while. You’re sure everything is okay, though?”
“Everything’s fine now, Josh. Really. What’s up with you?”
Josh sat on the edge of the bed and reached for the message pad by the phone. “Something unexpected happened last night. I’ve been called out of town.”
The announcement was met with silence.
“JD? You still there?”
“Is something wrong? Where are you now?”
“No…no, it’s nothing. I’m just not going to be online. And I may not always be accessible by phone either.”
More silence. Josh let it stretch for several seconds before adding, “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more right now.”
“But are you okay?” JD asked. “I mean, you sound tired. And let’s face it, Josh, it’s not like you to be away from your computer for longer than ten minutes at a time.”
“I’m fine. I promise. I’m just saying, don’t be surprised if you don’t see me for a while.”
JD sighed. “I understand. But…it’s going to be weird, you know? You’re the only one who understands what a psycho Dr. Rich is.” Josh smiled. Their shared nemesis since their first year in graduate school, their hatred for that man alone bonded them in a lifelong friendship. “I always thought once we finished our dissertations, we’d get free of that man. He is making me insane, Josh. Every day, I’m a little bit closer to snapping, I swear to God.”
“I’ll call you if I can,” Josh said. “But I can’t make any promises.”
“Try to, please. I worry about you, you know. Living in Delta…”
Josh sighed. It didn’t matter how many times he told JD he was perfectly safe and happy in Delta, she never quite believed him. “I will. I’ve got to go now.”
“Don’t forget to take care of yourself. I know you. You’ll get distracted by whatever is going on and make yourself sick.”
“I won’t,” he said softly. “Bye.”
Josh turned the phone off before slipping it into his pocket. He didn’t want it to ring again while Sara was trying to sleep, or worse, when she was awake. He needed to give her as much of his attention as he could. The overwhelming task of curing her would be on him, at least in the short-term.
Refocused by that thought, Josh began writing his list.
* * * *
As the picture faded to black, he didn’t even blink. “Again.”
The gaunt man seated next to him glanced sideways for the briefest of moments before his knobby fingers typed in the commands on the keyboard. The monitor stayed black for several seconds before the hum of electricity came through the small speakers and the room appeared on the screen again. Perspective came from the camera mounted in the ceiling corner near the doorway, and for the first time, Nolan regretted not approving the funding for the sound to be added to the picture. Because as he watched the man and the shapeshifter enter the room, he would have killed to know what it was they were saying.
It played out exactly as it had the first half-dozen times he’d watched. The man entered first, the gun that had killed Eddie still dangling from his hand. Then came the dog, pushing past the man, shifting to human form as he crossed the room to the bed. They spoke for a few moments over her unconscious body, and then the shapeshifter tore the manacles away like they were tissue paper, they stole the guards’ clothes and carried the girl out. The sole purpose for the last four years of Nolan’s professional career. Gone.
The pencil in his hand snapped with a sharp crack. All he had was a surveillance tape and bloody paw prints going up the basement stairs. Any clues where they might have gone disappeared as soon they exited the house.
Gone.
Without the girl, Nolan would be crucified. His boasts had been many, but his results few, and without the means to step up his experiments, he was going to look like a fool when asked to prove his findings. He would be shuttled out to the most inane of projects, and everything he had worked for would disappear. Worse, somebody else might try to pick it up and get the credit he deserved.
That was unacceptable.
The technician looked at him expectantly, his fingers poised over the keyboard. Nolan nodded and focused on the monitor yet again.
He’d find her. He had no other choice. And maybe this time, he’d take both of the animals. Having two shapeshifters to study would halve his efforts.
He smiled. These creatures weren’t smart enough to outrun him for long.
He would find them both.
Chapter 6
The first hint of nightmares drove Sara awake. The dreams were common enough—she’d had them often while in captivity—but always, she had fought against them, hating that she couldn’t wake up when she so desperately wanted to, hating that they forced her to live through them night after night after night. So when the shadows began to creep into her deep sleep, Sara did what she always did when they came. She fought back.
The difference was…this time, she woke up.
Her eyes shot open. She saw the orange glow filtering around the edges of the closed curtains first. In the dark room, it made the window pulse with life, and she had to blink several times, staring at it in confusion, before she remembered where she was.
Josh had come. He’d gotten her out of there. Josh and…
Her throat tightened, and for a brief moment, Sara squeezed her eyes shut again. It was still too hard to think about him, even if Josh insisted he would never hurt her.
Gradually, she became aware of the lean arm wrapped around her waist. Her heart thudded as she risked glancing over her shoulder, afraid of whose face she was going to see. The sight of Josh’s long lashes, smudges against his cheeks as he slept behind her, made her exhale in relief. He had stayed. He had kept his word and he hadn’t left.
The urge to kiss and touch him was great, but Sara was paralyzed by fear. Fear of overstepping bounds, fear of his response, fear of waking him when he was so obviously tired. Even in the dim light, the shadows under his eyes were visible. Better to let him rest. There was no telling what the night held for them.
Lifting his arm as gently as she could, Sara slipped out from Josh’s hold and off the bed, her gait wobbly as she headed for the bathroom. It was odd how liberating it was to go to the bathroom of her own free will, without the need for begging for permission, without the shame when permission was denied. By the time she reached the dark doorway, her legs were a little more solid, and she groped for the light switch with an ounce more bravery.
The woman who greeted her when she found it made Sara’s blood run cold.
She stared at her reflection in the long mirror over the sink. That wasn’t her. That was a ghoul, a gaunt shadow of her previous self. Her pale skin molded over bones she shouldn’t have been able to see, and scars riddled her abdomen, reminders of only a few of the “exercises” she’d been forced into. Strands of gray shot through her hair, and it hung to her waist, thick and untamed though mercifully clean. That had to be Josh’s doing. Hygiene wasn’t a top priority with her captors.
What frightened her the most, however, was her face. She didn’t know it. Her already high cheekbones were even more pronounced, as was her strong jaw. Her mouth looked swollen without the balance of some of the fullness in her cheeks, but the eyes looking back at her made Sara want to smash the mirror. They were dead.
But she wasn’t. She wasn’t. As she watched, the eyes grew wet and shiny, and Sara stretched a trembling hand toward the cold glass, as if touching her counterpart would make it disappear like it was a reflection on the surface of a shimmering pond.
“Sara,” Josh said softly from the door. When she didn’t look away from the mirror, he stepped behind her, putting a gentle hand on her hip. She expected to see the same horror she felt in his eyes, but they were soft as he stu
died her reflection, his face lined with concern.
“How can you look at me?” she whispered.
He traced her face with his other hand, his fingers tenderly caressing her cheek. “Because you’re my girl. Because I’ve spent the last two years hoping and praying for the chance to see your beautiful face again.”
Her lip quivered, and she tilted her head into his touch. “You always did wear rose-colored glasses. I think I’m a little grateful for that right now.”
“No. I can see you clearly, Sara.” He slid his hand from her hip, wrapping his arm around her waist. “And a part of me still can’t believe you’re really here.”
“It has to be real.” She ran a hand over her hair. “I wouldn’t look like the corpse bride if one of us was dreaming.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I always thought the corpse bride was quite attractive.”
Sara lifted her gaze to meet his in the mirror. She saw nothing but warm appreciation in his eyes, and in spite of how odd it was to see the changes in his features, it was far better than witnessing the ones in hers. Reaching again for the mirror, though this time with a surer hand, she ran her fingertip over the reflection of his scar. “What’s this?”
“I was in a car accident.” Her eyes widened and he added, “A minor one. Everybody walked away in one piece. And it was the other guy’s fault.” His fingers traced the scar that spanned the narrow width of her abdomen. “What’s this?”
She couldn’t help it. She flinched. Josh immediately retracted his hand, and though he covered it quickly, she caught the hurt look in his eyes. The last thing she wanted was to be the source of his pain, so she swallowed the terror that welled inside to give him the answer he sought.
“They cut me open,” Sara admitted. “Near the beginning. They thought it was impossible for me to look human on the inside, too, and they didn’t trust their x-rays.” She swallowed the bile burning in the back of her throat. “They wanted to see it with their own eyes.”
“Sara. There’s one thing…I need to know, but I don’t want to ask. So, I apologize…believe me, Sara, I’m so sorry about this. But while…while you were gone, did they ever…” His lips thinned and he took a deep breath. “Did they ever…were you sexually assaulted?”
The notion was so ridiculous that she wanted to laugh. It was the stricken look on Josh’s face, though, that held it back.
“Look at me.” She said it, even though it was the very last thing she wanted. “I wasn’t human to them, let alone a woman. The only way the doctor ever touched me was to poke or prod or cut or stick me with a needle. And the only way Cam—the other one touched me, was to hurt me. So, no. I wasn’t. Not sexually.”
“Jesus Christ,” Josh whispered. His hand tentatively returned to her hip. “I’m sorry, Sara. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“But you wanted to know.” Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe she’d lost the ability to read him. Maybe they’d both changed so much that she couldn’t trust anything she thought she knew anymore. “Did you bring clothes for me?” she asked, changing the subject. If neither of them could see the scars, it might be easier not to wince every time they looked at each other.
“Yeah, we brought a bag. Cam left earlier to go back to Delta and gather the rest of your belongings. Come on,” he said, turning her to the door, “why don’t you pick something out and we can go get dinner?”
Sara hesitated. “You want me to go out? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“I want you to get something to eat, and I don’t think it’s healthy for you to be cooped up in this hotel room. I don’t think it’s dangerous. The diner is just across the parking lot, and I don’t think anybody followed us.”
She didn’t want to do it. Everything inside her crawled with terror, mostly at the prospect of venturing somewhere where they could get to her again. Staying inside, staying hidden, that was how she would survive.
On the other hand, she had been locked inside for what felt like an eternity. She wanted to breathe fresh air, and she wanted to see the sky. And she had Josh at her back, strong and sure, ready to protect her as he’d promised. It was just a meal. She would eat quickly.
Sara let Josh guide her to the outer room, watching as he placed a suitcase she didn’t recognize on the other bed. He stepped back to allow her room to look through it at her leisure, and she lifted the lid with nervous fingers. The sight of her favorite skirt quickened her breath, but as she started to pull it out, she paused.
“I’m not sure they’ll fit me. Apparently, the kidnapping diet works wonders.”
“Put it on,” Josh prompted. “We’ll make do for now, and later we can go shopping. I know we passed a mall not too far from here.” When she still hesitated, he took a step forward. “I know all of this is hard for you, Sara. But I promise you, it’s not going to be easier to hide in here.”
“But if we’re not going home, aren’t we hiding anyway?”
Josh smiled. “Well, you’ve got me there. But I propose that we take small steps for now. Ease ourselves back into our own lives. And the first small step will be enjoying a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee.”
Her mouth watered at the mention of coffee, and Sara plucked out the garments she needed without any further pause. She dressed as quickly as she could manage, fumbling only a few times with clumsy fingers and awkward fits, until she stood there with the skirt swirling around her legs and her blouse hanging loose from her shoulders.
“Does it look all right?” she asked, fidgeting with the fabric. Fishing for compliments had never been her style, but right here, right now, she needed to believe for a few minutes that it didn’t appear as bad as she thought it did.
“It looks better than all right,” he assured her, reaching for his jacket to drape over her shoulders. “It’s probably getting a bit warmer out there now, but it was really chilly this morning.”
It wasn’t until they had stepped outside of the hotel and she saw the neon twinkling in the distance that Sara realized where she was. “Don’t tell me I was in Vegas this entire time.”
“No. You were much further north, in the middle of the desert. We thought Vegas was our best short-term option. We’re going to find an apartment. I was just going to use the newspaper and make some calls, but if you’d like, we can go out and find one you like sometime.”
He was using that word again. We. All three of them. The way it used to be. Except nothing was the way it used to be.
Sara hugged the jacket closer around her thin frame. “No basements,” she said, but his smile at her small joke faded when she added, “We can’t get two?”
“Would a two-bedroom place be an acceptable compromise?”
“Are you really going to give me a choice?”
Josh didn’t answer immediately. “Cam will agree to anything that you like. If you want him to be in an entirely different apartment, he won’t put up a fight. But you don’t want to talk to him, and I don’t think I can be the one to send him away.”
He held the diner door open for her, allowing Sara to enter first, but his hand returned to the small of her back almost immediately, and it stayed there while the hostess led them to a corner booth. Sara slid onto her seat, shivering at the cold vinyl, and waited silently while the menus were placed in front of them. She didn’t say a word until the waitress left them alone again.
“I trust you, Josh. What do you want?”
He studied the cover of his menu like it held the answers he needed. “If we can find a sufficiently large apartment or house that allows you the space you need, we’ll do that. If we can’t, then we’ll…we’ll find a second apartment.”
It would do. Tentatively, she dropped her hand between their bodies and settled it on his thigh. “Thanks. I know…I know what you said. About him, and…how he feels. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
He covered her hand with his and squeezed her fingers. “No, it isn’t easy. But it’s just one of the many sacrifices I’m will
ing to make to have you here and safe.”
She did it on a whim, probably because he looked so devastatingly sincere, and she was so hungry for real human contact, and for a host of other reasons. But without thinking, Sara stretched sideways and brushed her lips across his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth for more than a moment.
Josh froze. His eyes were closed and his lips were parted slightly. When he looked at her again, his eyes seemed a little unfocused. “Your lips feel the same,” he said.
She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “And you still taste the same.”
Josh was saved from answering by the appearance of their waitress. “Hi, guys. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Two coffees,” Josh said, without looking from Sara.
“Okay, anything else? Or do you need a few more minutes?”
“A few more minutes, please.”
“Can I see if you still taste the same?” he asked, once they were alone again.
The fact that he thought enough to ask first made her heart swell. “Please,” Sara whispered and held her breath while she waited.
Josh mimicked her, his mouth brushing across her cheek to linger a moment on the corner of her lips. He pulled back, licking his lips thoughtfully, “Yeah, it’s still the same.”
The inside of her cheek was tingling from the contact, and her gaze fell to his mouth, memories of how many times she’d lost herself in it superseding any from her captivity. “Do I look greedy if I ask for another?”
“Not greedy.” He tilted his head again, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. He didn’t linger, and it was almost chaste, except his mouth was against hers for a second too long. “I think I’m the greedy one.”
Sara’s head was spinning. She had gone so long with only pain for company that this solicitude was undoing her, second by second. Still, she managed to swallow once, and ask, “Why do you say that?”
“Because I want one more,” he said, caressing her mouth once more with his. And that’s all it was. The softest caress, a whisper of contact. He was still holding her hand, his fingers warm and strong around hers.
