Luke's Dream

by Melissa Haag

  Her head shot up, hitting my jaw. I grunted as my mouth closed with a snap on my tongue. She grabbed my face between her small, cold hands.

  “What did you say?” she demanded. “What did you tell them?”

  The sting in my tongue faded in the intensity of her focus.

  “That we would be here and needed an Elder and a few others to help escort you back to the Compound.”

  “When?” Her impatience was palpable.

  “A few moments before I woke you,” I said.

  She dropped her hands and hopped off my lap. I watched her check the road in both directions before she turned on me again.

  “Go get a room. Hurry!” She waved toward the hotel. When I was slow to get off the bike, she started walking without me. I hurried to catch up to her.

  In the lobby, she acted like the happiest person on the planet as she asked for a room. I’d thought I was used to her mercurial mood, but this was a new level for her. While she filled out the forms and provided her fake ID, I quietly paid and continued to wonder what she was up to. She wrote the hotel and room number on her palm, took the key, and strode down the hall. I trailed behind her.

  When she reached the room, opened the door and paused to wipe her hand over the door jamb. She studied it, leaned closer, then licked it. Odd didn’t begin to describe Bethi at the moment.

  She didn’t step further into the room. Instead, she closed the door again and walked back the way we’d entered. She waved at the receptionist then went outside.

  “What are we doing?” I asked when we reached the bike.

  “We’re leaving, but you need to keep quiet about it.” She motioned for me to sit, and quickly got on behind me once I was settled. “Don’t tell anyone. If I’m right, that room will have visitors soon.”

  I glanced toward the hotel, understanding her implications. Did she really think that Joshua would send men who were interested in challenging me? Yes. She did. I could smell her certainty mixed in with her fear. I wanted to be a good Mate and believe her, but still held my doubt. Sometimes fear clouded the way we saw things.

  Yet, I couldn’t dismiss the way those unmated males kept finding us. I knew she believed Joshua was betraying us, but what if it wasn’t him? I’d assumed he had a Mated male who was willing to help. Perhaps the “friend” he’d sent for us was unmated and the one who couldn’t be trusted. He could be the reason we’d been found? Hadn’t I helped my friends when we’d heard about Gabby?

  Either way, I needed to keep moving with Bethi. Safety and answers would only be found at the Compound.

  I started the bike as Bethi looped the strap over my head and chest. I removed the slack and pulled out of the parking lot heading west.

  She tapped my shoulder. “Go south!”

  It wasn’t the direction I wanted to go, but I humored her. Taking the next turn, we headed south. She remained awake enough that when she suggested a main highway, I took it.

  For the next two hours we drove, until she tapped my stomach.

  “I think we can stop,” she said.

  I signaled at the next exit, and we took the northern route to the next town.

  I turned my head and asked, “Are we getting a room?”

  “No, not yet. We just need a pay phone.”

  I pulled into a gas station that had a phone near the road. She ducked out of the strap and hopped off the back while I cut the engine. Using her shoulder to hold the phone to her ear, she dialed the hotel’s number from her palm. When a man answered, she started peppering him with questions about their recent break in. I stood and moved closer to hear his responses.

  “The two men walked in and went straight down the hall. They seemed to know where they were going so I figured they already had a room. I’d just started my shift, you know? But then they stopped at the door and one of them kicked it in. One kick. Our doors are solid. As soon as they disappeared inside, I called the police. The two who went in never came out again. When the cops got here, the window in the room was broken. It looked like they’d jumped out. And, I heard one of the police say something about this happening a state over, they’d found a bo—” There was the sound of the phone changing hands.

  “I’m sorry,” a new voice said, “we’re not taking any questions at this time. The police have asked us to direct all questions to their office.”

  Bethi hung up without saying good-bye.

  “Did you hear most of that?”

  I nodded, clenching my jaw. How could Joshua be so foolish? My esteem for Elders dropped. They were supposed to protect us and our females. I had been forced to kill three times because of his stupidity.

  “Someone is betraying you,” she said softly. “I think we need to be more careful with the route we take to the Compound. They know where we’re headed and will be waiting. It should be safe to get a room in the next town. No more communicating with anyone.” She rubbed a hand over her face, exhaustion slowing her moves.

  I stepped forward to wrap her in my arms, but she quickly side-stepped and walked toward the bike. Fear coated her.

  “Bethi,” I said, frustrated she still didn’t trust me.

  She didn’t turn back. “We need to keep moving. The dreams are calling again.”

  * * * *

  We drove until just before the sun set. She’d managed to stay awake for most of the ride, but it was costing her. She staggered when she finally climbed off the back of the bike to check into the motel. Once I walked her to the room, she kicked off her shoes and landed face first on the bed, completely ignoring me.

  I hesitated in the doorway. She was pulling away from me again. She didn’t trust me to protect her and her fear was the problem. The dreams made her feel powerless. Having a measure of power and control might help her feel safe, and perhaps she would be able to forget the dreams. But, how could I give that to her?

  Taking the key, I stepped back out and locked the door. When we’d pulled in, I’d noted a sportsmen warehouse down the road. If my presence didn’t make her feel safe, maybe owning a weapon would.

  In the store, I walked around and considered my options. Guns required permits and usually took time to process. Plus, Bethi’s moods were volatile, and I didn’t trust that I wouldn’t see a hole or two in my hide. I went to the knives.

  The purchase took longer than I’d hoped, and it was a full hour later that I left the store with a wickedly long and very sharp hunting knife.

  Before I reached the hotel’s parking lot, I heard her. She was crying out in her sleep again. Running, I made it to the room and quickly unlocked the door.

  She lay on the bed, her arms and legs jerking as she struggled against the dream.

  “Bethi! Wake up!” I gently slapped her damp cheek.

  She sat bolt upright and flinched away from me as her hand clasped her shoulder, holding it as if it hurt. Her gaze darted around the room, in time with her ragged panted breaths. Panic gripped her features.

  I held up my hands. “It’s okay. It’s me, Luke.”

  “I know it’s you,” she said as she wiped the sweat from her temple with her free hand.

  I slowly sat beside her. When I settled, she pinned me with her gaze.

  “Where were you?”

  Setting the knife and sheath on the blanket between us, I hoped it would be enough explanation. She glanced down at it with an odd mix of fascination and fear.

  “It’s yours,” I said, ducking a bit to recapture her gaze. “I thought it might help you feel safer. I’ll show you how to use it.” She remained silent. “I want you to feel safe. I want to see the fear fade.”

  “It’s not just fear. Imagine discovering you’re not who you thought you were. That you belong to a dangerous hidden world. Imagine closing your eyes and seeing yourself and your loved ones die again and again. The fear in your eyes would be eclipsed by your desperation to stop it all.” She glanced back at the knife. “They are coming. They always do.”

  She touched the blade gently then stood
. “Thank you for the knife. I already know how to use it.” She slowly removed her hand from her shoulder. “The knife might help,” she said, walking into the bathroom.

  The skip in her pulse flagged the words for a lie. As she shut the door, I fell back onto the mattress, lost.

  From within the bathroom, I heard the water start followed by her soft sobs. The sound devastated me. If I didn’t help her feel safe and the knife didn’t, what would? I’d thought stopping at the hotels so she could rest was helping her, but maybe I should have pushed harder to get her to the Compound. With Gabby there to help explain things, it was the only place she might feel safe.

  Getting to the Compound was proving difficult. I pulled out my phone, needing advice. The messages from Joshua had me frowning.

  Where are you?

  An hour after that text, he sent another.

  Remember, you cannot Claim this female without Elder acknowledgement.

  I stared at the words as doubt crept in. Was this more than mistakenly sending unmated males to help? Were the Elders trying to prevent another Forlorn from Claiming a Mate? I’d heard that one of the leader’s sons, Emmitt, had found a woman early this year. They’d kept her existence a secret until she was well attached to him. It was also no secret that Charlene was doing everything in her power to pair their second son, Jim, with a Mate.

  Growling, I clenched the phone. Bethi was mine. With a slow exhale, I responded to Joshua.

  Understood. We’ll see you at the Compound so you can acknowledge her interest.

  His response was almost immediate.

  Where are you?

  On the road. We’ll contact you when we’re close.

  Not good enough. Where are you?

  I stood and paced the room until the water turned off. If the Elders wanted her badly enough, they would command me to tell them. Until they did, I’d get her to the Compound on my own. I’d use that time to help her get to know me, and hopefully, when we reached the Compound, she wouldn’t want to Claim me just to stop her dreams but because she didn’t want anyone else but me.

  When she opened the door, I’d made up my mind that we wouldn’t stay and had the bag in my hands. She glanced at the bag then went to the bed and picked up the knife from where I’d left it. She studied the blade, sheathed it, then came over to tuck the knife into the bag.

  “You all right?” I asked.

  “Honestly?”

  I nodded.

  “The answer hasn’t changed. No, I’m not all right. But the knife gives me”—she took a slow breath—“a tiny bit of power over my fate.”

  She didn’t sound any happier by the idea. Instead, she sounded a bit resigned.

  “Are you ready to leave, then?”

  “I think I’ve slept enough if that’s what you’re asking.”

  I let her shoulder the bag to keep the knife close and led the way to the bike. She didn’t speak as we left or several hours later when I stopped at a gas station for maps. We snacked on chips and protein bars and planned our route. She didn’t look happy when I pointed out the general area of the Compound’s location in Canada.

  “They’ll know this is where we’re going,” she said, tapping the map. Then, she traced her finger along the three roads that led to the entrance. “And this is where they’ll rally if they don’t catch us before we get that far.”

  “It’s claimed territory. There are too many Mated males and Elders at the Compound for them to try anything so close.”

  She shook her head at me but said no more. I continued to study the map and knew she was right about them trying. They wouldn’t rally just next to the Compound but at the three entry points leading up to the road. We needed help, but I wasn’t sure who to trust with something so—I glanced at Bethi—precious.

  Once we were back on the bike, she managed to stay awake until past midday. Although I felt her start to relax several times, she always resisted.

  Knowing she needed a break, I pulled into the next small town diner I found. The smell of real food had my mouth watering before I even cut the engine.

  Bethi groaned as she ducked out of the straps and stood.

  “I always thought motorcycles were cool. And maybe they are…for the first hour.”

  “You’ll feel better after some food,” I said, grinning at her disgruntled expression.

  She eyed the diner. “You sure it’s okay to stop here?”

  Anxiety and fear were such a normal part of her scent that I only noticed them when the scents intensified.

  “We’re as safe here as we were driving past it.”

  She seemed twitchy as we walked inside. I held the door and eyed her face. She was exhausted again, dark crescents underscoring her eyes. She picked a booth and slid in. I sat beside her, hoping my proximity would help ease whatever was bothering her.

  “Relax,” I said as the waitress walked over.

  The woman handed us menus and asked for our drink order, barely looking at us in her hurry. That was fine with me. The faster she served us, the faster we’d be on our way again.

  When the woman walked away, I turned toward Bethi, draping my arm over the back of the seat. My girl glanced at me warily, and I knew I’d distracted her from whatever thoughts were plaguing her.

  “Maybe I should have bought you a gun,” I said.

  She laughed. “I don’t think it would have made a difference. Well, maybe it would have.”

  I loved her smile and the bright spark it brought to her eyes. I wanted to see it every time I looked at her.

  “I’d buy you an arsenal if it would help you feel safe,” I said seriously.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and I moved my hand to gently touch her face. However, the waitress returned with our drinks before I could.

  I straightened away from Bethi and listened to the woman as she asked if we were ready to order. She was terrible at her job. The disinterest in her voice and the way she stared glumly at her pad of paper said just how much she didn’t want to be there.

  Bethi seemed to notice too, and spoke to the woman briskly.

  “A burger and fries. Should be easy for you.”

  The woman looked up and caught me studying her. She smiled widely.

  “What about you, hun?” she asked.

  “He’ll have two burgers and an order of fries,” Bethi said, passing the woman both menus.

  The waitress glanced at Bethi, took the menus, then walked away with our orders.

  “Twat,” Bethi said under her breath in an unreasonably rude mood. Yes, the service hadn’t been the best, but the name calling seemed a bit much.

  She arched a brow when she saw me studying her.

  “What? There aren’t any kids around, and I was quiet.”

  I turned toward her once again, and she did the same.

  “You know they will be waiting for us, right?” she said, getting serious.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” I said. “I like it better when you have fire or laughter in your eyes instead of what I see now.”

  “What do you see?”

  “Fear.”

  She narrowed her eyes, and I remembered her correction from the hotel.

  “Pardon. Despair.”

  She slowly blushed. The urge to touch her returned, and I found myself lifting my hand again. Lightly, I ran the back of my forefinger along her soft, smooth cheek.

  Her heart stuttered again, and I closed my eyes and tried to focus on our discussion.

  “I see your despair and it makes me—” I exhaled and opened my eyes. “I want to hurt whoever put that emotion in your eyes.”

  She shook her head slightly and frowned. “I don’t get you. If you feel that strongly about me, why can’t I Claim you?”

  “Let’s talk about something—”

  “Else,” she said, finishing for me. “You’re a twat, too.”

  I laughed hard. She was angry and often rude, but her sharp tongue was entertaining. She, however, didn’t look entertained b
y my laughter. Her gaze shifted to something behind me. I didn’t turn to look. I already knew it was our waitress from her scent.

  “Can I get you a refill?”

  “He’s fine,” Bethi said, staring the woman down.

  Bethi’s jealously was palpable, and I couldn’t be happier. She might want to Claim me to stop her dreams, but she was starting to feel more for me. I was sure of it.

  When the waitress walked away, Bethi focused on me again.

  “If we can’t talk about them or us, what should we talk about?”

  “You. What do you like doing? What are your interests?”

  Her mouth popped open. “Are you serious?” I nodded, and she rolled her eyes. “I like breathing and am interested in staying alive.”

  “Bethi,” I said in light warning. She wasn’t even trying.

  “Okay, okay. So, interests. Well, before I started losing my mind I—” She paused and frowned. “I was self-centered and immature. My interests don’t really matter beyond that, do they? Not after everything I’ve seen.”

  “I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t think I am. I think the human society lets me be too easy on myself. I have more responsibility to be a better person than what I’ve been in the past. Sure, I wasn’t horrible, but I wasn’t great either. Shouldn’t we all strive for great? Shouldn’t we all strive to make a difference? To impact the lives around us in a positive way? To make our experiences count?”

  The depth of my runaway astounded me.

  “That is a lot of responsibility for someone so young.”

  “See. That’s what I mean. No, it’s not. If we held each other to a higher level of accountability, if we raised our children with those expectations and guided them with our own examples of higher achievement, it wouldn’t be too much. We would be a better people because of it. Instead, we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on Excuses-Are-Like-Assholes Boulevard.”

  Before I could comment on her passionate outlook on childrearing, the waitress returned with our food. I sighed and sat back so she could serve us.

  Bethi reached for the ketchup and proceeded to obliterate any trace of fries on her plate.