“Your body needs to heal, go to sleep my angel. I’ll be right here keeping watch over you.” He kissed my head as I snuggled down in the sleeping bag and held my hand while I dozed off to sleep.
After a few hours, I awoke, hearing voices outside, but Nate just pressed a finger to my lips and I shuddered. He leaned close to me, touching my forehead with his as his words formed in my mind.
“They don’t know where we are baby. It’s okay, go back to sleep.” I tried to sleep, but it eluded me so I decided to switch over with Nate. He needed to sleep too.
“Babe, you go to sleep. I’ll keep watch for a while”
He nodded at me, kissing me softly as he passed over the torch and lay in his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. “Wake me if something happens, okay?” he whispered as I turned away from him, shaking in the darkness. “Sure, thing.”
For a while, I just sat staring into the blackness and eventually I nodded off. My head was on my arms as I dreamed that they found us. Nathans dad coming first, they broke in and grabbed him, pulling him outside and tying him to a tree. My whole body shook as they prowled towards me and I woke Nathan up screaming and writhing as they tore at my skin while he watched helplessly.
A hand shook me awake and I sobbed onto Nathan’s chest, “Oh my god, they found us.” His arms tightened their hold, as he spoke soothingly into my hair, “no, they didn’t babe, we’re still here. It’s okay, we’re okay.” His hands rubbed my back in circles as I calmed down and my breathing returned to normal.
He didn’t speak to me for a while, just sat on the cold floor holding me and I closed my eyes, knowing that he was beside me and that we were safe however temporarily it seemed. “Jas,” Nate’s voice broke into my thoughts as I began to drift off once more. “Yeah, Nate?” I answered sleeping trying to force my eyes to open.
“I love you. Now why don’t we both go to sleep since all’s quiet? I’ll be right beside you and when you wake up, I’ll be here holding you okay?” He kissed me softly on the forehead, on the nose and finally on my lips. “I love you too, Nate. Thank you for saving me and for everything.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, baby. You are my whole world and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you.” He helped me up and tucked me in, zipping my sleeping bag up and kissed me gently before stepping back and pulling his bed right beside mine. I fell asleep as he curled his hand around my own and woke up with the noises from the birds outside in the early morning.
Nate slept soundly beside me and I looked at his face, he was tense, but in sleep he seemed more relaxed and more at peace than I’d ever seen him before. It was amazing watching him as he slept.
“Jas, are you being a creep and watching me sleep?” He peaked over at me and smiled as I answered, “yeah, Nate. I guess I am.” His eyes turned hungry and he closed the gap between us, running his hand up my neck and pulling my face to his. As his lips met mine, he sighed, “god, I missed you every single day I was away, don’t let me leave you again.”
He pressed more firmly to my lips and I met his tongue with my own. There was a sudden noise and Nathan fell onto the floor, his camp bed collapsed and at his wounded look I burst out laughing. He stared at me angrily for a moment, before he joined in, pulling me down to the floor beside him.
He tickled me and I laughed, looking into his eyes as he smiled down at me. His eyes shone with the love he had for me and for one moment I saw our futures together, entwined as though our future was a tapestry yet to be written, but one where we always found each other and had to be together.
There was a loud cracking sound from outside and Nathan jumped up and ran to the window. We were well hidden in this shack, but his spine stiffened and I made to move towards him, “stay there. They’ll sense you.” His tone was ice as his words shot into my mind and I shivered, rocking back on my heels until the danger had passed.
Nathan walked back towards me, shaking as he moved and his eyes darted around and around. He sat on the chair as far away from me as he could get and looked out the window, watching without glancing at me once.
“Jas, we need to be careful. I let my guard slip there momentarily, and they almost found us. We can’t be intimate until this is over, because our love acts like a beacon and they are drawn to us. I need…” he took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing softly, “God, I want to, but we can’t risk it.”
His eyes closed as he swallowed and I nodded at him, but I could respect that. “Okay, Nate. It’s okay; we won’t go any further until it’s safe.”
Over the next few weeks the temperature plummeted even more and we ended up sharing our sleeping bags to keep warm, but that lead to more temptation, although we coped well with it, never straying and knowing what would happen if we did, but just being with each other was enough and as the shack became colder and snow fell, we were both exhausted and sleeping without trying because my nightmare about Nathan’s family finding us became more a more frequent and I worried that it would eventually become a reality.
Running was harder than I ever imagined. I couldn’t believe it had come to this. What were we thinking? The shack was just so damp, old, and risky. I felt like at any minute we could be caught. I had to stop myself right then. I definitely did not want to jinx our temporary safe haven.
Some of the past few months had been the best of my life. We had been so happy and content. We lived off of the land and only shopped when we had to. Nate usually went and came back loaded with tins to last us until the next shop.
Nate had gone to get a few thistles and leaves to make some sort of potion and I felt extremely on edge. I just wanted him to come back straight away. I knew the shack was protected, but I felt as if they were closer than they had been before. We had been hiding for a few months and we hadn’t been caught yet, but still it felt as if they were somehow closer.
Sitting at the window, looking out into the forest, I could see nothing out of the ordinary when a face appeared in front of me. I almost screamed in terror. A face straight out of my nightmares! Oh my God, they found us. I could see them tying up Nate and I heard the wood of the door creak open. My heart raced and my breathing sped.
I awoke drenched in sweat, and shaking. I moved swiftly and quietly into the other room, trying hard not to wake Nate. I could hear him restlessly moving around. When he walked through a few minutes later, he found me curled in a ball on the earthen floor, crying. He said nothing but sat on the floor and pulled me into his arms, holding me until I stopped crying. I looked at my watch and could see it was three a.m. We were both exhausted; I had been having this exact dream for the past week and it was freaking me out.
Eventually he asked me, “What happened, baby?” His tone was soft, but his eyes were tense and I could see just how much this worry was wearing on him and I didn’t want to add to it. “I had that same dream where your dad finds us.” His eyes closed at my words and he ran his fingers over my cheek, breathing in and out and for a moment it was the only sound, until he broke the pre-dawn silence.
“I can feel it too. We’re leaving here at dawn.”
It was a freezing cold January morning outside, but as soon as dawn broke, we got our things together and left. He teleported us to a road a few miles away from where we had been staying and we then took a bus to take us towards the town centre, although we got off well before we reached the town.
Finally, after an hour of silence, I asked him where we were going. He didn’t answer my question but handed me a bottle of water and took me into the nearest McDonalds, just a few feet from where we were. He handed me a change of clothes, brand new by the look of them. “Drink the potion quickly, and then change your clothes.” It was very early in the morning with only a few people about and the server on the counter didn’t even look as we walked to the bathroom.
Going in separately, continuing the conversation in our heads, I asked him, “Why do I have to drink the potion?”
As he changed,
he answered softly, “This potion has added thistle and holly. It will change our appearance.” Just as I was about to ask where we were headed, he said, “We’ll head for Glasgow first and then head somewhere else after that.”
I stopped asking questions after that. I watched my face change in the mirror. My face was thinner than before, my skin darker, and my eyes changed from piercing hazel to dark blue. I was stunned and when I looked at the sizes in the bag, I noticed that my clothes were two sizes smaller than the ones I normally wear.
As I put them on, I noticed that they fit pretty well. I couldn’t believe how much thinner I was. Living on the edge with all that worry must do that to a person. I walked out of the bathroom and a stranger looked directly at me. Even though I instinctively knew he was Nathan, I still felt a little freaked out. He looked over at me, smiled as he said, “Are you ready to leave?” Even though he spoke with a voice that was strange to me, I could still hear Nathan through it. I just smiled, walked over to him, and took his hand. We walked out of the McDonalds, crossed the road, and began the next stage of our journey.
We were on the bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and as we passed the woods where we had stayed hidden for those few months, we both looked out, watching the cold morning drizzle. The bus ambled slowly along when we saw something that had us both tensing in panic. His dad’s 4x4 parked at the side of the road. I could see his dad in front of me, menacing and evil. My body started to shake. The bus stopped directly across the road from where it was parked and we both looked out the windows to see a crowd of people gathered at the edge of the woods.
Nate just stared at the group and put his hand around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.“Calm down, Jas.” His voice whispered in my head and he brought his lips to mine since my breathing was becoming a little erratic. I found it hard to calm down, but as Nathan deepened the kiss, I had erratic breathing for a whole different reason. I shuddered as the bus moved off, stopping at traffic lights up the road and I could see in Nate’s face how tense and worried he was. We both stared out of the window wondering if the bus would ever move away from those woods. Looking back, we could see his family shimmer into their demon forms, to find us.
Finally, after what seemed like an age, the bus moved and we stared back to make sure we were safe. I didn’t feel safe and I could tell Nathan didn’t either. If the way he held my hand was any indication, he was terrified. After about half an hour, we relaxed, and as we got closer to Glasgow, my heart stopped racing. I still felt on edge. We decided to go for breakfast and talk. We walked away from the bus, heading across to Buchannan Galleries, where we headed to the top floor food court. We ate in silence, just looking at each other. Eventually, I broke the silence, asking if he had a plan on where we were going. His answer surprised me.
“We need to find an internet cafe, and get out of here. It’s too close to the bus station and if they find us, we are both dead.”
Looking around, I could see a few computers and we decided to check them out. As we walked over towards them, I shook again and asked him then how long the potions were due to last.
“Thirty-six hours is all the cover we’ll get on these, baby.”
At the endearment, I looked questioningly at him and he shook his head gently. I saw a demon child staring at us. Nathan followed my eyes and snarled under his breath as the child walked away, making me jump.
Nate typed quickly, cursing under his breath the whole time he checked his alias email and as he found one from Joe, who was in hiding as well.
“Fuuuuuuuuuck!!” he muttered.
Nate,
We had to run, mate. We are hiding out in Glasgow, but I’m not sure how long we’ll stay here. Lisa is getting so worried. I hate this. Why can’t our families be normal?
Anyway, we are staying at a youth hostel in the city of Glasgow.
Let us know what you are doing
And take care of both u n Jas
Joe.
I looked over at Nate and he shook his head before asking me to get him something to drink. As I walked over to the counter, I could see him typing furiously from where I stood, leaving me wondering why he didn’t want me to know what he was saying. Nate met me halfway as I walked back; leaving the three bags we had on the floor next to the computer.
He kissed me on the head and told me to go online. “There is still credit left. I have to disappear for a short while.”
I felt stunned by that since he hadn’t left my side since we had run. Why now? What did he say to Joe? Had we been made? All of those questions ran through my head as he kissed me softly, before turning to go, ignoring my questions.
I walked over to our belongings just to stop myself from thinking before the terror of being left alone incapacitated me. I could feel him watching me as he went down the escalator. I could see him from the corner of my eye. I saw him shake his head and look at the ground with a heartbreaking expression on his face. I turned back to the computer to distract myself and logged into an email account I hadn’t used in the previous two years.
I found an email from my childhood friend Gwen. I had met Gwen when I was in the children’s centre and we had become fast friends, but I hadn’t spoken to her in the longest time so her telling me that she had a boyfriend and a baby boy named Abe was a surprise. She told me she stayed near Glasgow and that I should go and visit her. The date on the email was two months previous and Gwen had given me her mobile number to call, if I fancied a meeting.
I wrote the number down and I noticed another email had just come through. I looked at it and saw that it was from Nathan. Seeing that email caused my heart to stop beating. My breath caught in my throat, making me sound like I was choking. My eyes burned with tears.
I stared at the screen for a moment. I couldn’t find the courage to open the email. I shook before finally moving my finger towards the button to open the email. I stopped halfway and thought, if I could take the beatings, monsters and hurt from before, I could open an email. No matter what it said, I knew I would be okay. I was lying to myself and I knew it; my head and my thoughts were in complete disarray. All I kept thinking was that he left me. Why would he do that? He didn’t want me anymore. What was I going to do?
After a few minutes of thinking like that, I mentally slapped myself and opened the email.
Jas
I love you so much, but I have a few things to do and I need to leave you for a time. I’m sorry for doing this to you, but I have to keep you out of this.
If you still want to be with me, meet me at the bus station on Saturday morning at half past seven.
Be safe, all my love
Nathan xxxxx.
I couldn’t think straight. I was deathly afraid and couldn’t understand what had happened to make him leave me, even if it was just as he said, for a few days. I had nowhere to go and I was in a strange city. What would I do? I thought he loved me. Why would he leave me here like this? Eventually, I realised I had to leave and when I looked down, I noticed that only my bag of clothes were there. It felt like a kick in the stomach.
Suddenly I felt sick. I walked towards the escalators. I noticed a letter sticking out of my bag. I sliced my finger as I opened it and tried to examine the contents — money, a note from him just saying to stay safe, and my alias passport. I walked blindly along, not noticing where I was going. I did that for a few hours before eventually crossing a bridge. I just sat at a bus stop in the pouring rain, not looking around. I felt too numb to take in that I was alone and I needed somewhere to spend the night. I shivered but I couldn’t even be bothered to move to warm up. I just sat there in this suspended stupor for over an hour.
I was so cold after an hour sitting like that, that I could barely think. My breath came in gasps and my fingers were bright red. I noticed a telephone box beside the bus stop. I remembered that I had written down Gwen’s number. I didn’t think it through any more than that. I called her, surprised that she answered on the first ring. I suddenly didn’t know what to sa
y. I started to speak, to say hello, but she cut me off.
“Oh my God, Jas, is that you? How are you? Where are you? How is your life going?”
I waited for her to stop. “I’m in Glasgow somewhere and I got lost.”
“Wow! Where are you? I’ll come get you and you can stay here.”
Because I was freezing cold, I didn’t think about how irresponsible it was or how it could be dangerous. I told her that was outside a train station facing a railway bridge as she said, “Stay there. I know exactly where you are. I’ll be there in a few minutes!”
I waited fifteen minutes and finally saw a blue Ford KA pull up beside me. I didn’t notice any other details and while she leapt out, looking around her. She didn’t recognise me, and I used my powers to allow her to see my true face. I stepped towards her and she ran over to give me a hug, I looked around, feeling more than a little sick. Eventually, I just looked at her and cried. She didn’t ask what was wrong with me, but looked at me curiously. I lied and told her it was because I was so incredibly happy to see her. Getting into her car, she started chatting at me, telling me all about her life now. How much she loved being a mum and how her wee boy was the light of her life. I didn’t talk, just listened in amazement at how her life had turned out.
I felt so happy for her. We got to her house after about twenty minutes and went in. She made us both a coffee and while we sat in her pristine living room, I tried to listen to what she told me, while I warmed up.
Suddenly I fell asleep and when I awoke, I was in a dark room, chained to a wall. I had no idea what happened, but I felt pain and began to get flashes of the day. I hadn’t really fallen asleep. I was charmed into unconsciousness, but I managed to stay awake. I remembered her partner coming in and hearing him say, “Ah, you got her?”
Ignition (Escaping Demons Saga Book 2) Page 15
