by Jade White
“Is that food even good?”
“I snuck in and supplied it while you were napping earlier. Everything is fresh and I made the bed this afternoon. Terrence didn’t have the most eclectic collection of DVD’s but I think I got enough to keep you occupied while we’re gone. The room is completely self-contained. The house can burn down around you and you’ll still be safe. No one can open this door except you.”
Olivia looked around the bleak room, hoping they’d come back sooner rather than later. Her bottom lip quivered but she breathed in deeply and stood straighter.
“You can handle this, Liv. And I’ll be back before you know it.”
She nodded. “I’ll probably sleep anyway.”
He kissed her, capturing her soft mouth with his. “I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”
He pulled the door closed behind him, and Olivia hit the lock pad. Several mechanisms locked inside the door, barricading her in until she punched in the code to unlock it from her side of the door. The phone on the wall rang and Olivia reached to answer it.
“The password I’ll give you when I call later will be Morgan’s middle name and the name of the town we live in back home. Got it?”
“Yes.” She paused, “Sable?”
“Yes?”
“Sable, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The phone clicked in her ear and Olivia hung up the receiver. The pullout sofa bed sat in the middle of the bare room. She popped in a DVD from Terrence’s collection and crawled onto the bed, pulling the covers around her and snuggling in. The lights dimmed shortly after she stopped moving, not turning off entirely but fading to a level that was comfortable for sleep. Within minutes, she was out, exhaustion dragging her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 16
The man walked briskly into the room and set Grace down roughly. He shoved her into the room, causing Grace to stumble and fall to the floor. The heavy door locked tightly behind her and the room plunged into darkness once again. This time, they’d tied her hands behind her back, rendering her more helpless than before. Unable to break her fall, she had landed hard on the dusty floor, cheek burning from the impact, dirt creeping up her nostril with each breath.
She listened for his footsteps retreat before she moved, afraid that he’d rush back in and catch her when she was at her most vulnerable. Satisfied he was gone, at least for a little while, she angled her legs under her to get a better angle. She leaned to left and rolled hard to the right, using her momentum to sit up as she rolled. Her hands were still stuck behind her, but at least she was sitting. She scooted against the wall and braced herself against the rough wooden wall.
There was nothing to be done. Sable and Olivia were going to walk into a blood bath, and she had no way of warning them. Her attempt to escape had failed miserably, leaving her more vulnerable than before. Grace felt completely defeated and hopeless. She was trapped in a nightmare from which she could never awaken.
Tears threatened, pooling in her eyes, a single blink from spilling down her cheeks. Crying wouldn’t help either and would only reduce her beyond her current level of pathetic. She wished she’d never called Olivia back. At least then her friend would be safe and she could die in peace, without taking their entire family with her.
Grace laughed humorlessly. If she’d never called her back it wouldn’t have matter a bit. She knew Olivia and Sable would have come for her regardless. Olivia was nothing if not loyal, and Sable lived to see her happy. No, Grace should've fled to Canada with them when she had the chance, instead of begging them to fly her home so she could go back to her old life.
It had been immediately apparent that nothing would ever be the same when she’d returned that day, five years before. She was greeted with hateful words in graffiti on the side of her house, and her answering machine had been filled with hateful messages. Even then, she’d still refused to run, thinking the violence and the hatred would be short-lived before her world returned to normal.
Five years later and nothing had gotten better. She was foolish for thinking she could come home and things would be exactly as they were before.
Heavy foot-steps fell outside the door. The lock clicked open and the door swung inward. A large shadow blocked the doorway, his breathing heavy and his smell almost overpowering. She fought the urge to gag on the dense air that fell off him in heavy waves.
“I’m armed. If you try anything I’ll shoot you dead.”
Grace held perfectly still, her face hidden in the shadows the setting sun cast about the room. From where he stood, all he could see was her cheek, and maybe an eyebrow. He wouldn’t know her face was twisted in disgust at his very presence. Wouldn’t be angered by the green cast to her skin his stench caused.
“You don’t have to talk, just listen.”
The man was the same one that had been with Laskin, she was pretty sure she’d heard him call the man Gary. Laying over his shoulder quietly as he labored down the trail had been torture. His thick, matted body hair had poked through the fabric of her own clothes. He had sweated profusely while he carried her, briefly making her wonder if he would drop dead from a heart attack before they reached the rustic wooden house.
“This isn’t going to go well, and I hate to see a pretty girl like you on the wrong side of the War. Laskin has been leading the brotherhood for years, and things are finally falling into place. When the shifter and his whore come to save you, Laskin is going to make an example of them to show the world who they are and what they’ve done is not okay. They are an abomination. Humankind will rise to power again, and the shifters will serve our needs or be killed.”
He walked further into the room, kneeling beside her and speaking close to her ear. He smelled of sweat and alcohol, his breath a rank mixture of his latest meal and bad dental hygiene. Grace had to force herself not to shrink away from the man, instead lifting her chin in defiance and staring him straight in the eye.
“Laskin has a score to settle with those two, and he’s not going to rest until they’re both dead. Sable nearly killed Laskin; threw him over an embankment like garbage after he tore him to pieces. I found him like that, bleeding and weak, barely clinging to life. I came to him just in the nick of time.
I carried him to safety and we hid while Sable bellowed his name like a fool. I followed Laskin to the forest that day, even though he’d told me to stay behind. And he was so grateful to see me. I’m his right hand man and the reason he’s still alive. He’ll give me anything I want.” He paused dramatically, licking his lips and looking down at her menacingly. “Anything.”
He took his filthy index finger and stroked her face, digging his nail into her chin and pushing her head up to force her to look at him. His other hand reached out and grabbed her breast, squeezing it forcefully, causing Grace to grind her teeth to avoid crying out.
Still clamping his hand down, he pulled her towards him, dropping her breast as her skin stretched impossibly and slapping her hard across the nipple while he held her face steady. Hot tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t voice her pain. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“When this is all said and done, you’ll either be dead or you’ll be mine. Laskin has promised you to me. Better get used to it now, sweetheart. I’m going to make you so happy.”
He licked his lips and leaned in to kiss her. She spit in his face and slammed her forehead into his nose, catching him off-guard and sending him reeling. He sputtered angrily, advancing on her. He backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling and then kicking her over and over again in the ribs and stomach before grabbing her pony tail and yanking her up off the floor. Grace sat up, spitting blood onto the floor, smiling at him defiantly.
“I’d rather die than touch you.”
“That can be arranged. Until then, know that you will be mine, and your little friends can’t save you.”
He stormed angrily out of the room and slammed the door. Grace held her breath as she
listened to his retreating footsteps. It didn’t matter what she did, but she had to get out of here. She had no doubt Sable and Olivia would come for her, but what if they failed? She couldn’t be the wife of a madman.
**
Egan and Morgan departed the plane, carry-on bags rolling behind them as the boy’s excited chattered continued non-stop. They’d packed only one bag apiece, so they bypassed the baggage claim and headed straight for the rental car kiosk. Egan held Morgan’s tiny hand in his, his grip firm in the crowded airport.
Finding a safe place to stash the child while he went after his mate was going to be challenging enough, it wouldn’t help matters if he lost the excitable kid in the airport first.
He could feel her, her pull on him growing with each passing minute. During the flight, it was all Egan could do to force himself to listen to Morgan rattle on about everything that popped into his head. Luckily, he’d been able to impress upon him how important it was that he not mention anything about where they lived or the fact that they were shifters. Somehow, that had translated to everything else being a topic of discussion for the little guy. He smiled and nodded, but on the inside, the fire was building within him. With every passing mile it grew stronger.
Landing in Florida had been almost excruciating, proving to Egan that they were definitely on the right path. Every mile brought him that much closer to her, stoking the painful fire within him. He had fought his urges for so long, his body had given in to her allure. Sight unseen, his body ached for her in a way that couldn’t be explained to those who had never felt it.
His pain permeated every facet of his body, all the way down to his very cells. His need for her wouldn’t be quenched until he found her, and even then he would always feel that attraction.
He’d seen it with Sable, the way he ignored everything else when he hadn’t seen Olivia in a few hours. Only the needs of his child could interfere with the pull Olivia had on him. Olivia loved him too, but as a human, she didn’t feel that overwhelming need to touch him that threatened to demolish him.
When she found out what he’d done, that he’d brought her child into the very city they were trying to avoid, she would be furious. There was no way she could possibly understand. But Sable would. Hopefully.
“Uncle Egan, I’m hungry.” Pulled out of his thoughts, Egan looked down into Morgan’s little face. He was startled to realize they hadn’t eaten since the flight that morning.
“Of course you’re hungry, it’s been a long day.” He scanned the restaurants, looking for something he knew he would like. He settled on a fast food joint, changing his course to walk through the crowds of people and get in line.
Morgan scanned the menu, trying to figure out what he wanted by the pictures alone. “I’ll have four cheeseburgers and some milk.”
Egan leaned down and spoke low into his ear. “Remember how I said we had to be undercover?” Morgan nodded, “You can’t eat four cheeseburgers in one sitting, people will wonder what’s up, and they’ll know. I’ll get you the meal with two, and I’ll get a few more you can eat in the car, okay?”
Morgan nodded again, trying his best to remain quiet and solemn like his uncle. He was doing his best to be good at undercover, but it was hard for him. Egan squeezed his hand and smiled at him.
“It’s okay, now you know.”
Egan returned his attention to the line and stepped into place in front of the register when the man before him moved out of the way. He ordered quickly, and moved aside to wait for their food. Their number was called quickly and Egan grabbed the tray in one hand, having Morgan walk ahead of him so he wouldn’t lose sight of the boy. A strange tingle ran up his arms, sending an electric current up his back and neck. The hair on his neck stood on end, and Egan knew he was being watched.
Trying to appear casual, he scanned the airport as they sat at the table Morgan chose. Could they have been spotted already? Egan’s gaze stopped on a man in tan slacks, his face oddly familiar. The man made eye contact and slipped behind a pillar and into a tiny store. Now he knew that he wasn’t imagining the feeling.
Part of him wanted to get up and follow the man, to confront him and demand to know what he was doing. But he wondered if that was the goal, to separate him from Morgan, leaving the child vulnerable. He wouldn’t do that. It was too much of a risk, even in the crowded airport.
There was also the possibility that the man wasn’t following them, and had only appeared to make eye contact across the vast distance. Egan conceded that the man really wasn’t close enough to tell what color his eyes were, let alone what he actually looked at before ducking into the store.
But Egan wasn’t convinced. Never prone to paranoia, he had to believe the feeling meant something. The man was here for a reason, and until Egan figured out how that pertained to him and Morgan, he couldn’t let his guard down. Not even for a moment.
“You need to hurry, buddy. We can take the rest with us.”
Morgan’s face fell. One burger in and he still felt as if he was starving. He didn’t know if he could wait until they got into the car. Egan packed the food up and put it in the to go bag with the extra burgers. He grabbed Morgan’s hand as the boy finished the last bite of his sandwich, pulling him with him towards the car rental counter.
**
Egan had reserved the car with his flight, filling out as much of the paperwork online as he could the night before. The agent was quick, seemingly unbothered by Egan constantly scanning the crowd as the man handed him a few papers to initial and sign.
Egan saw the strange man move into the crowd, head ducked slightly to help him blend in as he rode the human current closer to them. The rental agent handed Egan the keys and Egan all but dragged Morgan into the lot with him to find the car. To his dismay, the car was at the end of an impossibly long line of cars, and Morgan was losing steam. The child trudged along as Egan pulled him, mentally ticking off the distance from the door to the car, and from them to the car. His hair stood on end once more when the glass door opened behind them, closing with a lazy whoosh of air and an ominous click.
They were alone in the parking garage with the man, with nowhere to go and no way of getting help. Angry and left with no choice, Egan spun and walked towards the man, his face contorted with rage. The man stopped, surprised to see Egan advancing on him suddenly. He held up his hand, gesturing Egan to stop his advance. Egan continued and the man stood his ground.
“You always were just like your father. Foolish and headstrong, never willing to stand by and let things fall into place naturally.”
“How do you know my father? Who are you?”
“I’ve known you since you were just a little cub, Egan. I was at your parents’ funeral. You might not remember me, but I certainly remember you.”
The man turned his attention to Morgan, who was cowering behind his uncle, having realized something was really wrong with the situation. He put out his hand and offered it to Morgan, smiling widely at the little boy. “You must be Sable’s little guy, Morgan. You’re a handsome boy, that’s for sure.” Morgan took his hand shyly, pumping it up and down like he’d watched the men on the television do it.
“Who are you?”
“Terrence. I’ve come for the two of you, though I suspect I’ll only be leaving here with the boy.”
“You’re not leaving here with anyone.”
“On the contrary, Egan. Your brother is furious you’d put yourself and his child in harm’s way. I offered to come get you before Olivia finds out what you’ve done. I also realized you didn’t come for the human woman, so you must have something else driving you. I didn’t discuss it with Sable, but my money’s on a fated mate.”
Egan’s face was easy to read as he said the words. Terrence smiled at him, nodding in understanding.
“I’ve been there myself. It’s a strong force to fight, and the look in your eye says you’ve been fighting it awhile. I’ll take the boy to safety, and you can go off and find your mate. I won’t fi
ght you. I’m much too old for that. You can deal with your brother once you’ve found her, but don’t put Morgan in danger in the process.”
Egan struggled, but Terrence was right. He couldn’t protect Morgan and find his mate.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“How did I know the child’s name if I wasn’t sent by your brother?”
Egan couldn’t explain it, though he had his doubts. Something inside of him told him that this man could be trusted. But Egan couldn’t know for sure if that was his soul screaming to chase his mate or reality.
“Egan, we don’t have a lot of time to talk about this. It will be dark soon, and we’re a full hour away from the house. I’ll be pushing curfew as it is, and I don’t want to get caught out with the child. He’s been put in enough danger, don’t you think?”
Egan scowled at the man, offended by his implications. But he knew that Terrence had a point, and they all needed to leave before curfew was imposed.
“Do you have a plan Egan, or are you just hoping she’ll magically appear?”
“I’m going to follow my gut, and when it gets dark, I’ll stop and start again at first light. I’m not leaving without her.”
Egan kneeled beside Morgan, pulling him in for a quick hug. “You be good for Terrence. I’ll see you soon.” Morgan threw his arms around his uncle, hugging him tight around his neck and kissing his cheek.
“I will.”
Egan stood, handing the bag of burgers to Terrence. Morgan bounced beside Terrence as they walked away, pulling his carry-on behind him. Egan jogged to the end of the row and got into the car. Leaving Morgan with a practical stranger wasn’t in his original plans, but it was probably much safer than locking him in a hotel room. And if Sable sent him, than he must be trustworthy. Sable. He’d deal with that mess when he finished tracking down the woman of his dreams. Until then, he had more important things to deal with than his angry brother.
