Claimed by the Claws

by Laura Wylde

  I was coming to grips with the bear and starting to believe that I wasn’t going to be attacked. I hadn’t moved, mind you, but I was content to at least stand where I was.

  When the second bear came bursting through the bush though, I was unable to control myself. One bear that just ran up and stopped, not doing anything was bad enough, but I thought that imagining another would do it was just pushing it.

  I moved back because I was trying to get away from the two beasts and I slipped on something, falling back. I just saw black, the last idea in my head was how I was going to be eaten by these two bears in front of me. I was just so damn sure of it.

  When I came to again, I was not outside, on the ground, next to a wrecked car like I should have been. That’s the last place that I had been and as soon as I’d opened my eyes, they’d went in the direction to find the bears. I knew that they were coming for me and I had to get out of there.

  It wasn’t long before what I could see finally started to occur to me and I was in some sort of house or something. It wasn’t a place I’d ever seen before.

  I remembered my injuries and I wondered why I wasn’t in a hospital. I should have been in one, surely. Surely someone had called the police and an ambulance would have come and taken me to the hospital. So why was I here? Where here was? None of it made any sense and again when I tried to get up, my head just throbbed more than I could have ever imagined and I was lost in the moment. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, only that I wasn’t going to stay where I was.

  I groaned out loud when I sat up. My head was already hurting again and when I lifted my hand up to touch it, this time it didn't come back with blood. Instead, I felt a wet cloth on me and I knew that I was bandaged up. Someone had taken care of me.

  I had thought at first that it was a dream because it just didn't make sense. But as I looked down and touched the top of the blanket on top of me, I could feel how soft it was. The colors were rich and the fabric was rich as well. Where the hell was I?

  No matter how nice the place was, I wasn't too worried about that. It didn't matter how it looked around me, I wanted to know where here. That was all that mattered and then there was the fact that I had to find Sandra. Last time I’d seen her, she was in the car behind the wheel and not doing well. I was worried that something horrible had happened and I was never going to see her again. It was all my fault.

  I got my feet on the ground and I winced as I used my hands to stand up. Everything about the movement hurt and I grimaced again. I can't get over it. I've never felt this bad or hurt this much. I felt like, well I'd been hit by a truck. It wasn't that far from the truth, but it was a tree instead of truck.

  “You can't get up. what are you doing?”

  “Who are you? Where am I?”

  I didn't know who the man was that was walking towards me. I did know that he was big and he looked rather rough though. He looked like one of the guys from the biker bar and my mind immediately went to Greg. I started to worry that Greg had somehow got me here, even though I didn't know where here was. All I know for certain was that Greg had to be behind all of it. Who else could it be?

  “Leave me alone. I’m warning you!”

  The guy just sort of chuckled and told me that everything was fine.

  “There is no need to over react. I am just here to help.”

  I didn't believe anything that he said, because I was for sure that he worked for Greg and he could not to be trusted. I wanted to speak to Greg and when I asked him to bring him to me, he just looked at me like I was crazy. I had been hit in the head, but I was pretty sure that I hadn’t lost it yet.

  He kept coming towards me, putting his heads up, telling me to lay back down, but I didn't want to listen. Last thing I wanted to do was stay where I was, when I was around by this is man. I needed to get away from here, I needed to get away from Greg for good this time.

  It was going to be hard to get away from him and because I was moving so slow, I didn’t think I had a chance. Everything hurt and when I stood up, I got a wave of pain and nausea that threatened to take me over.

  “You don't understand, you're safe.”

  He said that several times, but I wasn’t going to believe it. Why else would I be here if it wasn’t for Greg? I kept looking for him to pop up. Why the hell was I here? Where was here?

  I had far too many questions that were unanswered to trust anybody. I just needed to get out of here right now.

  Moving away from him, I was almost to the door when another man came through and my heart beat out of my chest. I could maybe have gotten away from the first one, but there's no way that I was going to be able to get away from two, not the way I was feeling. It would have been a damn good time to have Sandra around. She would've kicked their asses.

  “Bree, you have to come down. You're safe.”

  It was the same words that the other man had spoken, but this time I believed it. The only reason I did was because it was coming from Sandra. She was standing in the doorway and she was smiling at me. It was almost like she was proud of me and I didn't know what to think or say. She looked like she was just fine, not even in a car accident and while I was happy for her, I couldn't understand how that was. She had been on the side of the car that was hit. Most likely she had more trouble than I had. so why was she standing up walking around like nothing was wrong?

  Chapter 10

  Charles

  “You shouldn’t have brought her here, Sandra. You know that it is a delicate subject and you brought her here? I don’t think that you really thought this through.”

  “No dad, I didn’t. She’s my best friend and I need you to help her. She is scared out of her mind and now that she is up, don’t you need to evaluate her or something? Can you just make sure that she is okay? We got in a bad car wreck and she doesn’t have the protection that I have. I need to make sure that Bree is going to be okay.”

  “I don’t know why you do this.”

  “I’m not going to get into this with you right now. She’s my friend, just help her. It doesn’t have to be so complicated. You can help her, so you should. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I help plenty of them every day as a doctor. This is my downtime honey.”

  My daughter gave me a look that would have killed even the strongest parent and there was no way that you could ever reason with her. Sandra had always seen certain things differently than I had. I thought and knew that we were superior, but Sandra still didn't get it. Sometimes I don't think she ever would. I didn't think that Sandra would ever come to her senses and do what it was that her family needed her to do. What I needed her to do.

  “Well nonetheless, you’re going to help her. If I could, you know that I would come up, but I can't. so, I need you.

  Sandra was a proud woman and I know that it was hard for her to say it out loud. she hated to ask me for anything and to ask me in such a way told me that whoever this woman was in the room, was very important to her. I never could tell her no, not really. My indulgence made her this way now.

  “I will talk to her and assure her that she's going to be okay. She should be fine Sandra, you know, that right? I mean it looks bad with the cut on her head. but head wounds will always bleed more. It really isn't that bad.”

  “I know that you took very good care of her and I appreciate it. I really do. But I'm just asking for you to be nice. It isn’t going to cost you anymore and it will make all the difference in the world. she is already freaked out and I don't want to make it worse.”

  I just shake my head at her. She was basically telling me that she wanted me to be good. I didn't like my daughter telling me how to act, but I know that if I said anything about it out of the way, she was going to run to my wife and I was never going to hear the end of it. The best thing in this situation for me to do was try to go along with it.

  “I will be nice to your friend. She is a patient of mine and I treat them all well. No matter how I feel about them in the end.”


  “You just had to add that last part, didn't you?”

  “Yeah, I kind of did. Sometimes you have to remember who you are Sandra. It is just like when you were little, always bringing home strays for me to take care of. Do you member the bird?”

  Sandra waved me off because she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to remember it or compare the bird to her friend. I loved Sandra for her kind heart, but I worried that it was going to get her killed, this love affair she had with humans.

  They had come to me in the middle of the night, and pulled me from my sleep. If it would have been anyone else then Sandra, I would have turned them all away.

  When I got to the door, I should have gone straight in because this was my house after all. I tried to remember my daughter’s words and tried my best to be nice. It sounded easy enough, but I did have a short temper and it was hard for me to hold it in. The fact that she was even in my house was bad enough, but to be the one to reassure her that everything was going to be okay was a bit much to be asking me, as far as I was concerned.

  So instead, I knocked on the door and waited for the girl to answer. She had made a scene earlier when a couple of the crew tried to help her, and I knew that no matter what Sandra wanted, I wasn’t going to be able to deal with that. She was going to have to at least be civil with me or I wasn’t going to be able to be civil with her. It was just that simple. I wasn’t that nice after all.

  The girl finally said something, asking who I was. I was already thinking that she had a lot of nerve and now I knew for sure that she did. We had helped her, my daughter had saved her and her she was asking who was at the door. Typical human.

  I went into the room and smiled at the girl in the bed. She was laying with her head down and didn't even bother to sit up. This wasn't starting well at all.

  “Who are you?”

  Again she started with rudeness and I told her that this was my house.

  “How did I get here?”

  “My daughter brought you here last night. You were in pretty bad shape.”

  “Your daughter?”

  “She brought you here because she said that you needed help cleaning up the bandages. I don't think you're going to have anything permanent, just a few scars.”

  She had this strange look in your eyes and I wondered what was going on in her head. I could have found out what it was, if I hadn’t told my daughter that I was going to be nice to her. It would hurt the young human like hell, but she wouldn’t know it was from me… I was tempted. But then I told myself that I didn’t care all that much to find out.

  “Thank you for helping me.”

  I wanted to dislike her, but it was hard. She had the biggest brown eyes and the most innocent look that I had ever seen from a girl her age. I didn't know who this girl was, but I knew that she must mean a lot to my daughter. That was enough for me.

  “I will be able to leave soon?”

  “You can leave whenever you want to. I would ask that you not tell anyone about us, but beyond that you're free to go whenever you want. Sandra is worried about you and you surely should say goodbye before you go.”

  It was a perfect ending as far as I was concerned. Every moment that she was in the house, was a moment that could turn out to be a bad one. I didn't know how to keep her mouth shut without threatening her. It was the best way.

  She started to ask a lot of questions and I told her that I would go get my daughter. Sandra could deal with her and her questions, because I didn't have the time. And I certainly don't have the patience.

  I left the room as soon as Sandra got in there. I could see their little friend was outside and I could hear her asking the questions that she had asked me, but this time it was a little bit louder. Sandra was on her best behavior with me as well. I was wondering why such a nice girl is friends with Sandra, now I see why. Both of them were a handful.

  Walking away, shaking my head and trying to understand my daughter. She always got herself at all these situations and I didn't know why. Sometimes I think that she wanted to be human as well.

  Chapter 11

  Text and Daxton

  “So can you tell me about your friend?”

  Sandra knew exactly who I was talking about and she gave me this strange smile.

  “What about her?”

  “Don't play with me. You know what I want to know.”

  “You got a lot of balls talking like that after being gone for so long. You want me to put a good word in for you, don't you?”

  I smiled at her and agreed that I did. I had been gone awhile, but some things never changed. Meatloaf’s little sister was one of them. She was rough and tough and if women were allowed in the motorcycle club, I guarantee that anyone would be more than happy to have her.

  “Yes, you know I do.”

  I felt like I wanted to know everything, but I knew that I couldn't ask her that. It was already a rough day and she was already enjoying this conversation far too much. Sandra had something on me and she knew it.

  “Well, since I like you, I will tell you. Whatever it is you want to know, just ask me. I think the two of you would be good together.”

  Just when I thought she was going to have to take it easy on me, I realized that she had no intentions of that. Her voice and words were nice, but she wasn’t going to give me the run-down. I was going to have to ask for it, bit by bit.

  “Is she single?”

  “Yes. Is that all?”

  She was rushing me and I could have throttled her. Why was she messing with me like that and why the fuck was she so damn happy about it?

  “No, you know it isn't.”

  “How do I get in good with your friend?”

  Sandra shrugged again. I figured she was just giving me a hard time. When I told her to knock it off and just be straight forward with me she told me that she was.

  “I'm being serious Daxton. She has shut down and hasn't dated in a while. After Greg, I don't know if she will ever really date again. I keep trying to push her in that direction, but she doesn't seem to want to go. After what happened tonight, I doubt that she will want to go out for a very long time.”

  She mentioned Greg and it wasn’t hard to put two and two together about what she was talking about. The very idea that a guy like him even touching a women like her made my skin girl. I hated the idea that he had touched her. I was already claiming her in my mind and the last thing I wanted was a man like him, with a women like her.

  “You have to give me something.”

  “I don't know what to say Daxton. It looks like you two had a moment together. Maybe you should be in there talking to her, instead of out here talking to me. Have you lost your nerve while you were in the Marines? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous over a girl before.”

  I just shook my head and agreed that I should be talking to her. It wasn’t that I’d lost my nerve, far from it. In my opinion, it was more about the girl than it was where I was the last 4 years. There is just something about Bree that made me realize the idea of just walking up to her was not something I was prepared to do. I wanted a friend to help me, but it is becoming clear that Sandra wasn’t going to be the help that I’d hope for.

  Sandra walked away and went into the kitchen. She left me in the living room and I was looking at the door. I'm going to talk to her in a few minutes I told myself ,but I wasn't really sure if that was true or not.

  With no one to encourage me and push me alone, it took longer than I thought it would to push the door open and go inside. I don't know why I was dragging ass so much. Why was I so damn worried about this girl?

  I went to her room and knocked on the door. I waited to hear her response and after a moment of not hearing it, I pushed the door in anyways. My mind had made up the idea that she was somehow hurt or something had happened. I didn’t like her being attacked, especially by my enemy. I wanted to go take care of Greg right now. He’d done enough to the people I loved. I didn’t want to let him get away wit
h it.

  Bree was sleeping on the bed and I stood by the door for several moments, watching her chest rise and fall. Her face was so serene that it was hard not to stare.

  I moved to the side of the bed and bent down to shake her a little bit. I was about to touch her shoulder when her eyes popped open and she started to scream. I didn’t want people running in here and finding me here, so I covered her mouth with my hand and shushed her.

  “I was just coming to see if you were okay. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Her eyes were still wide and I wasn’t for sure that she wasn’t going to start screaming as soon as I moved my hand. I hoped that she wouldn’t, but I wasn’t really all that sure.

  “I’m going to take my hand off of your mouth now. Please don’t scream and get everyone in here.”

  She nodded her head and I wasn’t sure if Bree was saying that she wouldn’t, or if she was just agreeing so that I would remove my hand. I didn’t have a choice but to do so and hope that she didn’t start screaming anyways.

  I moved my hand away and I was relieved that she didn’t start calling out for help. I wasn’t here to hurt her or anything like that, but there would be questions that I wasn’t all that enthused to answer.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I was just coming to check on you. I tried knocking on the door, but you didn’t answer. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

  Bree told me that she was fine, but then she decided that she had more to say.

  “No, you know what, I’m not fine. I want to know what is going on. Why was I brought here instead of being taken to the hospital? While I’m glad that Sandra is doing well, how the hell is she walking around like nothing in the world is bothering her, while I can barely walk? She was bleeding in the car, I know she was, but I don’t even see a mark on her now. You know that this makes no sense, right?”