by Jade White
**
Egan crouched in the shadows, watching the house for signs of movement. So far, he’d counted seven men coming in and out. They carried supplies in and out, some loading cars up before driving away, others doing cursory perimeter checks, more than once one of those men passed within a feet of Egan without being aware of him.
He hadn’t seen a woman yet, but he knew she was in there. The pull of the house was strong, and he couldn’t turn away from the structure without excruciating pain. If she weren't there yet, she would be.
Egan ducked, backing further into the bushes when a sleek, black car slid into the driveway. A single man exited, his stride hurried a purposeful. When he stepped into the glow of the porch light, Egan snarled under his breath. Laskin! He thought he was dead.
Laskin strode up the stairs and into the house. His voice was loud, though Egan couldn’t make out the words from where he hid. Within seconds of Laskin walking into the house, men piled out of the house and into the bed of a large pick up. Bringing up the rear was Laskin, heading towards his vehicle once more.
A tiny figure, no more than five feet tall, hurried after Laskin. Egan’s breath whooshed out of him painfully. It was her, she was here -- with Laskin.
“But I can help!”
Laskin paused as he was entering the car, regarding the young woman with disdain and a touch of amusement. “You need to stay behind and be ready.” Without another word, he sat down in his car and drove away, leaving her standing in his dust. Angrily, she kicked a rocked with the toe of her boot, sending it sailing in the air. She stomped back into the house, stopping for a moment in the doorway to survey the woods beyond the well-kept yard.
The soft, yellow light kissed her smooth skin, casting an angelic glow on the angry woman. She turned quickly and walked into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Egan crept forward, eager to get into the house before the men returned. The woman wasn’t more than nineteen or twenty, but Egan could see that she was full of fire. She was small but feisty, reminding him of the pixies in Morgan’s storybooks. A hostile pixie, but a tiny, fairytale creature, nonetheless.
He circled the house slowly, peeking into each window before moving on to the next. When he’d completed the circuit around the building, he quietly slipped into the house via the unlocked front door. His feet were silent as he moved from room to room, making sure there were no stragglers left in the house. Satisfied they were alone, he quietly walked through the house and to the room in the center where he heard a television blaring.
The woman sat on the sofa, arms crossed angrily in front of her. The news flashed images of civilians clashing in the street across the screen while the news anchor read the words on the teleprompter with little emotion.
Egan stood in the doorway for several seconds before his presence registered with the woman. When at last she noticed him, she turned to give him a look of rage, as if she assumed he was one of the men returning from the field. In an instant, her demeanor changed. She jumped up onto the sofa, sailing over the back of the tattered chair in search of a weapon.
Egan lunged at her, diving over the sofa and landing on top of the woman. She had her hand outstretched, reaching for a rifle propped up against the wall. Wrapping his arms around her, he pinned her to the ground.
“Wait, wait. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
“That’s what they all say.” Her voice was high and melodious, with a slight hint of an overseas accent Egan couldn’t quite place.
“I’m not going to hurt you, please, just listen to me.” She stopped struggling briefly, and he took that as a sign that she was willing to talk. He moved off her, close but giving her room to breathe so they could talk.
She pulled up her knee, catching him in the groin and running as he struggled to stand up in spite of the pain. He hobbled after her as she ran. He was surprised she didn’t cry out for help, but she knew as well as he did that all the men had left with Laskin. Better to save her energy and not give away her position with helpless screams.
Pushing through the pain, he smiled as he ran. Feisty didn’t even begin to cover it. If he could just explain to her who he was and why he was there, he was sure she would-what Egan, he thought, ride off into the sunset with you? He scoffed at his own errant thoughts. Even once he explained himself to her, it was doubtful she would fall into his embrace and live happily ever after. She’d been hiding out with the human resistance, and Laskin. There was no telling what this woman had been brainwashed into believing.
Egan hobbled onto the porch and down the stairs. Something hit him in the back of the head and he went down hard, stars exploding behind his eyes. His knees hit the ground and he heard her tiny footsteps as she ran into the woods. He went after her, stumbling in the dark.
He shook off the pain in his head, terrified of losing her again. He’d risked everything to find her; he wasn’t about to let her go. She crashed through the trees and onto a sandy trail, slender legs pumping frantically as she ran.
Egan hit the path and picked up speed, calling out to the woman. “I just want to talk.”
She flipped him off over her shoulder without breaking stride. Egan laughed in spite of himself. He didn’t even know her name yet, but he knew he liked her. Every step brought him closer to catching her, and her labored breathing told him that she was well aware of the fact.
They ran for a while, with the woman keeping several yards between them the entire time. Over their strained breathing, Egan heard a scream in the distance, and a mighty roar. The woman’s steps faltered as she pulled up short. The sounds of a fight drifted towards them from directly ahead. Undeterred, Egan closed the distance between them and grabbed her, clapping one hand firmly over her mouth to keep her from screaming.
**
She kicked and fought, but Egan held fast, carrying her in front of him towards the sounds of the fighting. Several yards ahead, Egan could finally make out the scene in the darkness. Sable and Laskin were fighting, though only Sable was in the process of shifting as the two pummeled each other. The men had piled into the truck stood mere feet away from Egan, eyes riveted on Laskin and Sable. The woman attempted to scream through Egan’s hand, kicking and twisting in an effort to break free and run to Laskin and his supporters.
She suddenly stilled when Laskin began to shift, her screams dying abruptly as she and the others noticed Laskin’s transformation. She started trembling, moaning forlornly through his hand, tears streaming down her face. Like the others, she was apparently unaware of Laskin’s real identity. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“Things are about to get really bad. We need to leave, okay?”
She nodded behind his hand, her eyes wide as she watched in horror the man she’d followed for the last few years turn into the very thing she was fighting against. He grabbed her hand and ran the opposite way, heading for the place where he’d hidden the rental car. She stumbled behind him, struggling to keep up and trying to yank her hand out of his.
They burst out of the tree line several hundred yards north of his rental car. She planted her feet, yanking her hand out of his. “I’m not going with you.”
“And where will you go? To your family? To those men and Laskin? The one’s that left you alone to fend for yourself.”
She stared him down, arms crossed, stance defiant. “I don’t have a family. I only have myself, and I don’t need you.”
“We don’t have time for this. We’ll talk later. Right now, we have to get out of here before this place is crawling with police.” He bent down and threw her over his shoulder, his strong arm locked around her tiny waist. “The trunk or the passenger seat. Your choice, but if you haven’t chosen by the time we get to the car, I’ll choose for you.”
“Gah! I hate you!”
“Trunk it is.”
“No, no the passenger seat.”
“I thought you’d see it my way.”
He jogged to the car, ignoring her
protests as she hung gracelessly upside down over his shoulder. He opened the driver door and set the automatic locks before pushing her across the driver’s seat and into the passenger seat. She didn’t bother trying the lock; she knew it wouldn’t budge when locked from the driver’s side.
Egan turned over the engine and threw it into gear, growling at her to buckle her seat belt before he did it for her.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll figure it out when we get there. Right now, I’m taking you away from this mess. Somewhere quiet. We have a lot to talk about.”
She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but thought better of it and closed her mouth. Arms crossed tightly across her body she leaned against the window, moving as far away from him as she could get.
“I’m Egan, what’s your name?”
She stared daggers at him, but said nothing.
“Suit yourself. It’s going to be a long trip if you’re going to act like that.”
She turned and stared out the window, giving him the cold shoulder and making her intentions clear. His heart tore in pieces when he realized she had turned her head to hide her tears. He knew she was scared, but he didn’t know what else to do; she wouldn’t talk to him and he couldn’t leave her there to die.
The miles stretched before him, giving him plenty of time to figure out what to do. She had no family and no one to turn to but him. He felt like a complete ass for taking advantage of that, but if she only knew what he knew.
The woman’s head rested against the cold glass. Egan drove in silence, glancing at her every few minutes. Slack-jawed and obviously feigning sleep, Egan resisted the urge to reach out to her. To stroke her soft cheek, and move the chocolate colored tendril of hair out of her eyes. Her hair was shoulder length and thick, with soft waves framing her tiny face.
Looking at the woman caused Egan physical pain. He wanted to hold her, to touch her. But he knew she wasn’t ready, and he didn’t want to push her. She was angry enough, not that he blamed her.
He’d been driving for hours and had no idea where he was going. He assumed he would figure it out when they got there. In a few miles, they would cross the border into Alabama. He had no plan and no idea when they would stop.
She stirred beside him, at some point having falling to sleep. Her eyes flew open, shock registering on her face as she realized where she was. Egan prepared himself for the barrage of fists, but she sat quietly in her seat.
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
Egan regarded her suspiciously. “I can’t risk you getting away.”
“Look, I’m not going to run. I have nothing to run to. The rest area at the state line is up ahead. It’s the middle of the night so there won’t be anyone there and I have nowhere to go. You can come in the bathroom with me if you want, but I need to go.” She looked at him, pleadingly.
“Please don’t run.”
“I won’t. Not this time. I’m too tired. I’m going to run eventually, but right now I’m exhausted, I’m hungry and I need to get somewhere more populated before I make a run for it.”
He had to laugh at her honesty. She was a firecracker that was for sure. He didn’t doubt she would run when the opportunity presented itself, but for now, he was the lesser of the two evils.
He exited the highway, pulling into a parking spot and killing the engine.
“I’m going to use the restroom too. If you’re not at the car when I finish, I’m coming after you.”
“Geez, okay. I’ll hurry.”
He walked briskly to the men’s room, taking care of his business and listening to the water run through the wall that separated the men’s and women’s bathroom. He washed his hands thoroughly and dried them on his jeans. He was surprised to see her leaning up against the car when he walked out. She arched an eyebrow at him, her face rigid and angry, but her posture suggesting she was slightly amused.
“I will run, but when you least expect it. If I run every time you stop the car, you’re just going to throw me in the trunk.”
Egan winked at her, drawing an angry look from her cute little face. “You’re so right.”
He opened the door and got in, waiting for her to adjust her seat belt and settle in before he started the car.
“I’m hungry too. Do you think we could run through a drive-thru? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Of course we can.” He pulled out of the parking space and merged back onto the highway. “So are you going to tell me your name?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Egan threw his head back and laughed. He was in over his head with this one, and he was already in love.
**
Grace rested comfortably on the sofa, her wounds cleaned and stitched, the sedative far from wearing off. Morgan curled up near her feet again, resting his head on her hip and settling in to sleep for the night. He hadn’t left her side since they first brought her in, and Olivia didn’t even bother trying to force him into his own bed for the evening. She didn’t want Grace to wake up scared and alone, and Morgan had appointed himself personal protector of their sweet friend.
Terrence and Sable retired to the kitchen with Olivia hot on their heels. The doctor had left more than an hour before, leaving an array of pills for Grace, each carefully labeled in its own pill bottle. Sitting at the kitchen table, Olivia glared at Sable from across the tabletop while Terrence moved about the kitchen, making sandwiches for each of them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t know what else to say.”
“What if something had happened to him?”
“What would you have done? By the time I knew what Egan had done, it was already too late to stop him. You couldn’t have stopped him either. There was no reason to get you worked up and distracted. Terrence had it under control.”
Terrence held up his hands, chuckling a bit as he shook his head. “Don’t throw me under the bus, Sable. This is between you and Olivia.” He leveled a gentle look at Olivia. “To be honest, it really is between you and Egan. None of this is Sable’s fault.”
Olivia glared at the man, but her anger quickly deflated and she conceded his point. She knew when she was wrong, even if she didn’t want to admit it. “It’s so late. Where is he? Has anyone heard from him?”
Sable shook his head no, his face broadcasting the worry he felt inside. Egan was out there somewhere, doing who knew what. And they had no way to get ahold of him.
Olivia reached out and squeezed Sable’s hand. For the first time since they got back. She realized Sable was really struggling to hold it together while he worried about Egan. His brother was more than a little headstrong, and obviously had no idea the danger that he had put himself in, as well as Morgan. He was off on a wild goose chase, looking for a woman who could be anywhere.
“You and your family can stay here until you find him.” Terrence set the plates in front of them, grabbing them each a beer from the fridge by the table.
A loud knock sounded on the door, pulling them out of their individual musings. Terrence stood to answer the door, checking the security camera before unlocking the deadbolt. Two men walked in, embracing Terrence briefly before stepping all the way into the kitchen. They nodded to Sable and Olivia, the first man moving to the tiny television on the counter to turn on the news. He turned the volume up loud, sitting at the table and taking the beer that Terrence passed to him.
An excited reporter stood in front of the cabin in the woods, several large tarps placed over bodies in the clearing. A larger tarp covered a body where Sable had last seen Laskin standing, though Sable wouldn’t be convinced the man was dead until he saw the body for himself this time.
“…blood bath here tonight, with human resistance members being betrayed by the very man who led them against the shifters for the past several years. While fighting off unknown assailants earlier this evening, leader of the resistance, Laskin, mistakenly revealed he was in fact a shifter. According t
o witnesses, he attacked members of the resistance, forcing them to…”
One of the men hit the mute button, filling the room with silence while the pictures continued to flicker across the bright screen.
The first man spoke, his voice soft but steady. “There’s more. Apparently, the revelation that Laskin was behind so much of the conflict has sent a few of the politicians on the human side into hiding. The conspiracy went much deeper than Laskin, and heads are about to roll. When the smoke clears, our side is going to need a strong leader to lead both species into the future.” He looked pointedly at Sable. Terrence and the other man joined him, silently waiting for Sable to speak.
“Me? Why would I lead? Surely there’s a better candidate.”
“You are your father’s son, and you are the best man for the job. Add to that having a human for a wife and a half-breed son and you’re perfect. You’re relatable on both sides, strong, kind and a fearless leader.” Terrence finished speaking and quietly regarded his sandwich. Sable had no reason to stay, but they needed him now more than ever.
Sable looked at Olivia, at the rest of the people seated around the table. “I’ll have to think about it. We’ve built a life in Canada. We can’t just walk away from that.”
Olivia slipped her hand in his, squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes. “We can stay here for now. It doesn’t have to be forever. We’re going to stay here until we find Egan, right? Why not rebuild the community while we’re waiting? I think you’d be perfect for the job.”
Sable was shocked. Olivia had seemed so happy in their new home.
“Home is wherever you and Morgan are, Sable. It doesn’t matter where we live. As long as I’m with you, where we are is not important to me.”
Terrence smiled. Sable wouldn’t admit it, but he was considering it. With Olivia beside him, and the shifter community backing him up, he couldn’t lose.
“With Laskin dead and the anti-shifter resistance shaken to its very core, now is the perfect time to set right everything that’s wrong in our world. Humans and shifters can and have lived together in harmony. We just need a strong leader to guide the process and rebuild the ties that were severed over the last few years.”
