by A. Mashburn
She doubled over and held in a scream as another lightning bolt of anguish shot through her brain and traveled through her body. She clawed at her coat and pulled the offending garment away from her as she grasped her abdomen in a feeble attempt to halt the torture.
Grunting, she unsteadily leaned against the building and felt brief, fleeting relief from the cool brick against her back. Breathe, just breathe through it; she coached herself silently. As she regulated her breathing, she looked to the sky. What in the actual fuck? She thought to herself as she closed her eyes and reveled in the chilling wind as it grazed across her skin. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. What the hell is happening to me? This shit is getting ridiculous.
She thought back to the restaurant and tried to hold back the cringe at what had just transpired.
Gretchen looked at her phone as the ringtone blared. As she glanced at the offending device, Jeremy’s name flashed on the screen. She didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now but knew he would be upset about the ruined dinner. A wave of pain coursed through her, there was no time to contemplate his feelings right then. The fire ran its course through her veins, burning her alive from the inside out. She couldn’t take it anymore; the phone fell to the ground as she dropped to her knees with her arms wrapped around her midsection as if that would help to hold herself together.
“What the fuck!” her scream ricocheted through the alleyway as it felt like every pain receptor in her body went off simultaneously.
Gretchen’s ringtone went off again; she knew who it was but couldn’t speak; couldn’t even breathe. I’ve got to get home, she thought to herself. Her body was doubled over and trembled from the severity of the pain; every move and breath were unbearable. I just need to get home, she thought. Make it to the street, hail a cab, easy. She scoffed at her internal monologue. If only every movement didn’t feel as if she were being filleted alive. Fuck. Another scream filled the air. Her body convulsed, and she heard her phone go off again.
She forced legs straight as she steadied herself against the cold brick of the building and begged her feet to move. Pain, fire, her body was engulfed in flames; she just knew it. Yet, as the heat licked over her skin, she could see her limbs, and to her surprise, they were not the raging inferno she assumed they were. She wiped the sweat from her upper lip, shit, I need to get home.
Anguish scorched through her as if every nerve in her aching form had been triggered and her body revolted as she attempted to step towards the street. Instead of the one-two-step she anticipated, she toppled forward; the unforgiving ground connecting with the delicate skin of her face. As darkness crept in from the corners of her vision, she thought, Fuck, what a way to go. She must’ve done something awful for the fires of hell to rise up and swallow her whole in the middle of the city. As she laid there fighting for consciousness, her body gave one last shudder, shadows rushed in and darkness engulfed her.
Chapter Two
I love the smell of the city after a good storm, Nicoli thought to himself as he breathed in the air from six stories above ground. He stood upon an old brick building, one of the oldest in the city, that once consisted of a warehouse and several office spaces. Since then it had been converted into an apartment building. It wasn’t much but it suited his needs; four walls, a roof and the view. From there, he could look over the entire city and most importantly, Gretchen’s apartment building.
“Fuck off, Mitch,” a woman yelled, breaking Nicoli from his thoughts.
Sounds like they’re at it again. Nicoli rolled his eyes at the sound of glass as it shattered below.
“You dirty slut! You did it again, didn’t you? I knew I couldn’t trust—” A loud thud was heard, maybe a shoe that time? Nicoli played the game, what was that sound? At least once a week thanks to his less than favorite neighbors.
Oh, the beauty of paper-thin walls, Nicoli thought to himself. That was precisely why he took specific measures to make sure his apartment was soundproof. But from where he stood, the sounds of the continuous screaming from the human couple, if you could call them that, echoed through the night.
“I didn’t do shit Mitch; I stayed with my sister last night.”
“At your sisters, eh? That’s why you couldn’t answer the phone?” Mitch said accusingly.
“No, I didn’t answer the phone because I heard you were out last night and to be quite frank, I didn’t want to talk to you,” the wife retorted; her name was… Nicoli tried to remember her name… Tonya? Tella? No, that’s not it… Tara, yes, I think that’s it.
“I wasn’t anywhere but here, Jenny,” Mitch tried to reassure the female. Smash, the sound of more glass shattering and Nicoli couldn’t help but wonder how much glass they possibly could have left.
Oh yeah, Jenny. That was her name, oops. Tara was one of the mistresses. Nicoli couldn’t keep the women that Mitch had in and out of there straight.
“Who’s Tara, Mitch? Is it Tyler’s wife?”
“I don’t know what—” the sound of flesh against flesh put a stop to any rebuttal Mitch may have had.
“I’m so tired of your lies, Mitch, so damned tired. You were in the shower and left your phone by the bed; texts kept coming through, and I was going to bring your phone to you when I saw her messages. You are such a dumbass—I’m done. I stayed with my sister because I am over your bullshit. I’m just here to get my things and I’m out, for good.”
“Please…” Mitch pled.
Oh, goodie, he was figuring it out. Nicoli snickered at the man’s self-made catastrophe.
“Tyler has been nothing but good to us,” she screamed. “I work my ass off and pull extra hours, and you—you just—” she let out a frustrated groan. “I can’t do this anymore. I don’t even owe you an explanation, Mitch, you,” there was a moment of silence before she began to speak again, “you did this to us—not me!”
Goddess have mercy, Nicoli thought. It’s like being able to listen to my very own soap opera, live. So far, Nicoli knew that Mitch was married to Jenny. Jenny was friends with a guy named Tyler, who had helped them out several times because Mitch couldn’t seem to hold a job. Tyler recently found out that Mitch was banging his wife, Tara. Jenny didn’t believe it until she saw the texts, but little did she know that Mitch was also messing around with the waitress from the pizza joint down the street, Melinda.
Melinda was over last night, and that was why Mitch had been trying to get a hold of Jenny, she seemed to only know about Tara, though. The sounds of arguing and things being thrown continued. To be honest, from what Nicoli could tell, Jenny was a good woman. She just got stuck with a guy who was a lazy, unfaithful cur.
“And this is why I’m single,” Nicoli muttered aloud while he lit a cigarette.
Liar, his wolf, Xander, whispered in their shared mind, you’re single because you won’t admit we’ve found our mate asshole.
Nicoli paced the roof and felt the cool wind against his skin. He rubbed his face with his free hand while he looked to the sky and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The air was thick in his lungs and there was a constant nagging in the back of his mind that accompanied an urgent pull towards Gretchen. There’d been several times he rushed to her aid and found nothing amiss; he would track her movements for hours with no indication as to what had pulled him to her or why.
The tether he felt towards her tightened to the point where he could no longer resist the urge to go to her. He ground his cigarette out as the decision was made to check on his ward. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop undetected above the city. About fifteen minutes later, he spotted the restaurant where Gretchen was eating dinner. The air was heavy with tension, and he could still faintly scent her on the breeze. As he sat, he mused about how he came to follow this alluring woman through her life.
Sitting high above the city, Nicoli listened as it came alive. Time continued to pass, and he lit another cigarette thinking that this was yet another wild goose chase. He took a deep
drag off the stick of tobacco and looked to the sky. As much as he loved the city, he missed Scotland and the Highlands. He’d been in Bylorville for thirteen damned years watching over Gretchen from the shadows, providing her with safety from the things she didn’t even know existed. Not a day passed where he didn’t miss home; the way things once were. The memory of the freedom he had there with the forests and mountains made his heart ache. Not that he didn’t have freedom here, it’s just he couldn’t run; he couldn’t be free in his true form for too long, there were too many damned humans.
Unlike much of his species, he didn’t hate humans. He accepted the fact that the knowledge of his kind would turn their lives upside down and wars would ensue just because they were different. Even if essentially they were the same, most of the time. He frowned at the thought of the looks on peoples’ faces if he were to shift and walk along the streets and shook his head. He stood from his sitting position, his long body stretching and cracking as a flood of anxiety overwhelmed him.
What the hell? Gretchen’s scent hit him, he looked around, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She hadn’t exited the building since he’d been there, so her scent shouldn’t be this fucking strong. Yet, there it was, lavender and vanilla, but it held the undertones of something rancid-fear.
He rushed to the edge of the building and as he tested the air, other scents hit him. “Shit,” he muttered aloud.
As a guard, he was a trained tracker, so he could tell that his brothers’ men were slowly surrounding them. Fuck, if they find her, all is lost. Everything I’ve done to protect her will be for nothing. She’s not ready; she doesn’t even know who she is, let alone what she is, he ranted inwardly.
Protect her. his animal counterpart spoke within their shared mind.
No shit, Xander, he replied mentally, as the wolf growled in return.
He had the overwhelming urge to waltz into the restaurant, throw her over his shoulder and take her away from the danger these other scents posed. His brow creased at how that might work out.
Alley, Xander growled in their shared mind.
As the potent male aroma came closer, he knew he had to get her out of there, but how the fuck was he supposed to do that? Apart from catching a kidnapping charge, unless she came out, he was screwed.
He examined his surroundings and every face that came by the restaurant. No one seemed out of sorts, but he knew he could feel the males were less than a mile out and closing in.
Alley, Xander said again.
Nicoli ignored him as her scent became so potent that there was no way she was still in the building. The smell of lavender and vanilla was so strong it wrapped around his body like a cocoon and his animal side stirred to awareness in more ways than one. Fuck, he thought as his pants began to tighten, this is not good. If he could smell her, they would soon, too. Where the fuck is she? he thought.
Alley! Xander bellowed in their shared mind, finally gaining his counterpart’s attention. Fucking imbecile, Xander growled.
Nicoli rushed towards the opposite side of the rooftop to the alleyway and spotted her curvy figure leaned against the wall below. Her body was illuminated by the lamp post and his heart stuttered in his chest as he admired her form. He shook his head to clear the foolhardy notions of beauty and lust. Not the time, nor the place, he told himself. But damn, she is beautiful. Xander grunted in agreement.
It’d been increasingly difficult to remain a silent shadow through the years, especially when he saw her with that asshat, Jeremy. Any time Nicoli saw them together the man smelled of nothing but lust and greed. A growl vibrated through Nicoli’s barrel chest and he felt the familiar tingling in his gums as his teeth threatened to break free.
His eyes closed of their own accord as he struggled for control, when the smell of another male’s arousal filled the air. That scent he knew—Jade.
A scream that pierced the darkness from below was enough to break him free of his wicked thoughts. He released his pheromones to warn the other males away from her and cover up her alluring scent. Of course, they may recognize this unique mixture as his, especially since his brother was with the group; but it was a chance he would have to take.
Her pain was palpable, nearly unbearable for him to behold. He paced the rooftop as he witnessed the anguish that gripped Gretchen’s body and his blood began to boil, it shouldn’t hurt so bad, he spoke to Xander through their bond.
Xander grunted, acknowledging Nicoli’s worry, her binding is failing; I can sense her other half just beneath the surface trying to break free. Just as the thought entered his mind, her body jerked violently, another scream erupted from her throat, and she crumbled to the ground, her face hitting the cement.
Go to her, you fool, Xander demanded as he tried to take control of their shared body.
Fuck, Nicoli thought as the scent of blood immediately reached him. “Just fucking wonderful,” he said aloud.
Nicoli, Xander warned. We either need to re-enforce the binding or remove it. She is in pain. Genesis is trying to free herself and it’s hurting them both.
Suddenly, Nicoli saw Jade appear at the end of the alleyway. Fuck me in the neck and call me Sally. What the hell is this piece of shit doing here? Nicoli had recognized the woodsy scent of his brother but had hoped that Gretchen’s scent wasn’t the cause of his sudden appearance.
Gross, hard pass, my friend. Xander snickered in their mind. Nicoli rolled his eyes and focused on the issue at hand. He didn’t know why Jade was at one end and his entourage at the other, but he knew it wouldn’t bode well for him or for Gretchen.
Well, this should be fun, Nicoli mused as he stepped off the rooftop, landing in a crouch next to Gretchen’s unmoving form.
“Long time no see, brother.” Jade’s deep voice traveled through the night.
Nicoli looked up from Gretchen’s still body to where Jade stood casually. “Been working out, Jade?”
“Nah, just filling out Nic. What brings you around here?”
“I could ask you the same—I thought you were still in the Highlands terrorizing the little people.”
Jade’s massive body shook with the weight of his laughter and Nicoli had to admit it was a thing of beauty when this man was joyous. He was a large son of a bitch, close to seven feet tall, with broad shoulders that tapered at the waist, his dark hair, much like his own, was pulled back from his face. As if his size weren’t intimidating enough, he sported a large, jagged scar that ran from his hairline to his jaw.
Nicoli hovered over the female's body below him, creating a cage around her so she couldn’t fully be seen. The movement caught his brother’s attention and Jade's smile faltered, “Get out of here, Nic; this doesn’t concern you.”
“So, I take it you’re not here for me.”
Jade rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb simultaneously, looking exhausted. “No, not today but that can change any time if you don’t get the fuck out of my way. Unless, of course, you’re going to tell me what I need to know?”
Nicoli just grinned at him, which pissed Jade off.
“Just leave the girl and go about your business Nic—I won’t tell you again,” Jade snarled.
Defiantly, Nicoli stood from the cage he had created around the woman and nudged her with his boot.
A growl reverberated through the alleyway, “Don’t—” Jade snarled.
Nicoli could see Jade’s nails coming to a point in the darkness and the emerald color of Jade’s eyes burning with fury, highlighting the impressive scar on his face.
“Testy, testy, my friend. She’s just a girl; what do you care?” Nicoli grinned at his brother.
Another growl, “Her scent—Nicoli, I am losing my patience. You know why I am here, and I don’t have time for your bullshit. If she were just a girl, as you say, you wouldn’t have intervened. You would have never let me know you were still alive.”
He paused a moment as he observed Nicoli’s reaction. “Yes, you have hidden from us well over the years and I
have no intention of telling Jayce you’re here. But I have to know—you know this. So, tell me Nicci, why the fuck are you here, standing in my way, again?”
Jade paused and waited for a response, when he got nothing but a deadly glare from his sibling he continued, “Listen well, brother, I will not repeat myself. If you value the life of freedom you’ve enjoyed, you will leave here and not turn back—understood?”
At this point, Nicoli could see the way Jade’s big body trembled with fury as he tried to fight his shift. Nicoli cocked his head to the side and observed his brother. He scanned Jade’s face and body posture, as he calculated his odds. Everything about Jade was off; he seemed almost unhinged.
“Leave—now,” Jade ground out as they locked eyes. As far as brute strength was concerned, Jade had that in the bag, but speed and agility? Nah, Nicoli was all over that.
Nicoli looked between the fallen girl who lay bleeding at his feet and his brother, who seemed a few cards short of a full deck. He couldn’t leave her, nae, he wouldn’t—that meant he had one option. He knelt by the girl again and watched as Jade took another step closer, Jade’s body shook with rage and his jaw snapped in Nicoli’s direction as the razor-sharp canines of his wolf gleamed in the streetlight.
“Leave,” Jade repeated again, his claws fully distended.
Nicoli smiled and unfurled his wings. “Ask, and you shall receive, brother.” Nicoli swooped Gretchen up in his arms and lifted off the ground as he heard Jade release a thunderous roar that shook the city.
Nicoli smiled and looked down at the woman in his arms. The blood that was oozing from the deep gash on her cheek hadn’t slowed and he knew he would have to stop to help her. She may not have entirely shifted, but the binding her mother put on her so long ago was beginning to break and at this point he wasn’t sure how long he could keep her hidden from his brothers.
The only good thing about this was that a partial shift would help with her healing, just not enough to prevent a scar if he didn't help. And no scar should mar her face, he thought. As he soared over the buildings and cut through the sky, Gretchen snuggled closer to him and sighed deeply against the warmth of his chest.
