by Amelia Jade
He should have thought of it though. Fenris was so far away, it made no sense that all of the prisoners would be from Cloud Lake. In fact, that four out of five of them had been from nearby was almost ridiculous to consider. He wondered what the odds of that were.
“Well, we’ll find out where you’re from eventually,” he told her. “It might just take a little longer for word to get around. Somebody will come forward, to tell you that they know you, to explain who you are. You just have to keep believing.”
“I’m trying, Kiefer, I am,” she said, sagging into him, her head resting on his shoulder even as they walked.
He tried not to react to that, keeping his body as relaxed as possible, despite the sudden close proximity of Peyton, and how that made him want to react.
“I know,” he said, twisting his head so he could kiss her softly on the top of her head.
The move had seemed only natural, and although Peyton didn’t pull away, he felt the jolt go through her system.
“But what if there’s nobody?” she asked several minutes later, their long legs moving them swiftly through the city, even as they walked at a pace that was, for them, leisurely.
“Hmm?” he asked, his mind having been elsewhere.
“What if the fact that nobody has come forward to say they know me is because there isn’t anyone?”
“Nonsense. There’s someone out there who knows you, a family member, a friend, someone,” he assured her. “Maybe you were just a bit of a loner, and none of them are here in Cloud Lake, hmm?”
“That could be, I suppose.” She didn’t sound like she believed it. Truthfully, neither did he. It was likely she came from somewhere else, somewhere that might never realize she’d been found. The world was a large place, after all, filled with a lot of humans.
They rounded the corner onto the double-wide street that was one of only two such roads in town. This one led directly to the motel, and as they strolled down it in silence, Kiefer relished the closeness. At some point during their walk his arm had come up around her shoulders, holding her close to him, but not too tightly either.
He let it slip off now as they came into sight of the first of the lookouts, the early warning defenses for the base itself. They hunted out on rooftops of other buildings, or loitered idly in the alleyways lining the streets. The Green Bearets took their security seriously, and the last thing they wanted was a large force from Fenris to sneak up on them.
The soldiers guarding the steps at the main entrance nodded to him in recognition, letting the pair pass without hindering them.
“What do we do now?” she asked once they were inside, heading up the stairs toward the hallway that led to her room.
“I need to go fill out far more paperwork and forms than I have any desire to, and deal with the final punishment for that idiot,” he told her. “But after that, I was thinking perhaps dinner?”
“That would be lovely,” Peyton agreed. “Any idea how long you’ll be?”
He shrugged. “Could be several hours, truth be told. I’ll pick you up around…” he recalled the time from the clock in the lobby, “say six?”
“I’ll be ready,” she said, slowing as the door with her room number came close.
She turned in the doorway and extended her arms to give him a hug. Kiefer stepped forward automatically, doing the same.
He turned his head slightly, meaning to kiss her on the cheek.
Peyton did the same, and suddenly he found his lips pressed to hers as they kissed. Kiefer froze, uncertain of what to do. Should he keep kissing her? Pull away? Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This was not what he’d meant to do. Kissing her was supposed to be out of the question!
The poor woman had no idea who she was, and was trying to cope with that realization, and here he was kissing her like some brute who only wanted to take her to bed. Which wasn’t a complete lie! He did want to take her to bed, dammit. She was gorgeous, with her long hair parted to the side, flowing down over her shoulders. It was exposed with the white tank top she’d been wearing, paired with the sleek black windbreaker jacket. Her high-waisted jeans completed the ensemble.
Where she’d gotten the clothes from he wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter; she looked stunning. The only thing was, how did he communicate with her that he wasn’t only interested in bedroom activities with her? He was interested in her. All of her. Every inch of her brain, body, and spirit.
Which was ridiculous because neither of them knew who she truly was.
His brain kept going ‘round and ‘round in circles about that. Telling him he was crazy about the woman he knew—even if that wasn’t perhaps the true Peyton—it was the Peyton he was nuts about.
All of which did exactly nothing to help him out of the awkward situation he now found himself in. The pair stood there for several more seconds, and then at last Peyton pulled back.
They both looked away, unwilling to meet each other’s eyes as the awkwardness of the situation fully blossomed.
Leave. Get out.
Right.
“I, ah, I should go,” he said, tilting his head back toward the stairwell. “Forms. Paperwork. Y’know?”
She nodded jerkily. “Yeah. Okay. Um. Bye?”
“Bye.”
He turned and fled. Just as quickly though, she opened her door and hurried inside. The moment it closed behind her he let out a big sigh of frustration.
“Kiefer, you idiot.”
Chapter Fifteen
Peyton
“Peyton, you idiot.”
She fell back against the closed door, her shoulder blades hitting first, followed by the back of her head. Focusing on the pain, Peyton let it wash away the embarrassment of just a few seconds earlier. The two of them had stood there, lips pressed together, eyes wide open as they stared at each other.
Like a couple of teenagers kissing for the first time, she thought. Even as she recalled it her cheeks flushed, heating up. It hadn’t been a passionate, fire-breathing first kiss that had stolen her breath and made her insides warm, like she’d hoped.
No, it had been something out of a teenage romantic comedy film. Almost as bad as showing up to school naked, but not quite.
Yet despite all that, Peyton found herself unable to control the smile on her face as it spread, stretching her cheeks and threatening to split them open. Part of that same inexperienced schoolgirl was as giddy as could be over the fact that she’d just shared her first kiss with the boy she had a crush on.
It was unfortunate that she had no idea what the future held, whether they could move forward with their obvious feelings for each other or not. When her memories eventually returned to her—and the experiences of that day told her they would, in time—Peyton might have to give up whatever she had going with Kiefer, and return to her old life.
She couldn’t just up and abandon it.
Could she?
“Now there’s an idea,” she muttered to herself.
Sun streamed in through her window as she opened her eyes. It was still early. There was nearly four hours until she had her dinner date with Kiefer. If it was still on. The last thing Peyton wanted to do was be cooped up inside on such a lovely day.
Her eyes strayed back to the door. Nobody had been watching it when Kiefer brought her up there. Perhaps whoever was supposed to guard her hadn’t returned yet? If she was going to sneak out into the city before he returned, she would have to go soon.
Zipping her jacket up halfway, she stole from the room quietly, looking up and down the hallway to ensure that nobody had shown up in the minute or two that she’d been inside.
It was empty, and thankfully Kiefer was also gone, not having lingered to reflect on their first kiss either. Dinner was going to be awkward enough without having to run into him right now, so soon after it had happened.
If I kiss him again though, properly this time, then it might not be as bad.
It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to kiss—and be kissed by—Kiefer. She could st
ill recall the feeling of his hands upon her as their lips had met. Despite the trembling and less-than-passionate aspect of it, she still wanted him. That had to mean something, she was sure. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that, though, as she slipped down the stairs and headed toward the front door.
The shifters in the lobby were used to her by now, and as she walked toward the door, she did so with purpose, as if something was waiting for her outside. None of them so much as batted an eye, confirming one suspicion to her.
They weren’t aware that she was supposed to have an escort at all times. She’d only rarely seen him since coming to Cloud Lake, but that was because she’d spent so much time with Kiefer. So none of the guards would likely know any better.
Her hopes proved true as she exited the doors into the warmth of the spring day, almost bouncing down the stairs as she gleefully contemplated exploring the city on her own.
She’d not gone left yet, and so now she did, following the street toward a major intersection up ahead. Nobody paid her any mind, and for the first time since she’d woken up, Peyton truly felt free. Not that the bears of Base Camp had made her feel imprisoned, exactly, but she hadn’t felt completely free to do whatever she wished, as she wished it.
Now though, her legs carried her down the sidewalk, past people she didn’t know, some of whom smiled politely in her direction. Peyton made sure she smiled back at each and every one of them. She stopped when some clothes in a shop caught her eye, and lingered for as long as she felt she wanted to, wondering how the clothes might look on her.
I need to get some money. These donated items aren’t going to last very long.
Thankfully, because of her height, Peyton wasn’t much smaller than the few female shifters that had been assigned to Cloud Lake. Some of them had given her items, enough to give her a couple more outfits. What she really needed was underwear, though she wasn’t going to discuss that with anyone. So whenever she first came across money, that was her initial stop.
No more doing laundry every other day, please and thank you!
It was as she turned, admiring herself in the reflection of the window, that she realized she was being followed.
Peyton allowed herself to continue her slow twirl, never once letting the expression on her face falter from one of pure joy.
How do I know he’s tailing me? Wait, why is he tailing me?
She wasn’t sure how she knew. She just knew. The short man with beady eyes. He was lounging outside of the coffee shop next door.
He could just be admiring me, thinking I’m attractive. He’s not necessarily following me.
Even as she spoke it, Peyton knew that was a lie. Still, unsure of where the knowledge to spot a tail came from, or her ability to keep her face looking happy and uncaring, Peyton knew she had to do something.
Her steps continued on from the store, and she tried to infuse them with as much happiness and joy as she’d felt just minutes ago, before her entire day came crashing down. The man, perhaps four or five inches shorter than she, was wearing a dark blue jacket over a forest green shirt. He had blue jeans and athletic shoes on.
Not the most fashionable look, mister. That’s probably what made you stick out.
The tail continued to follow her as she walked down the block. Her eyes swiveled back and forth on either side of the road, hoping against hope she might run into one of the many patrols of Green Bearets that roamed the streets of Cloud Lake. But as luck would have it, the man had chosen his timing well. None of them were in sight.
She sensed more than saw him quickening his steps, and she tensed as he came alongside her.
“Are you stupid?” she hissed at him angrily before he could speak.
What are you doing?! She tried not to panic. Where was her mind going with this? Peyton felt like she was in the back seat as some unknown instinct of hers took over and guided her through it.
“Um, what?” The reply came in an entirely too-bland voice.
“Approaching me on the street like this? What if we’re seen together, you idiot?” Her voice was infused with the perfect amounts of irritation and ridicule.
“Nonsense. There’s no Cadians around, and this is the first chance to make contact we’ve had since you got yourself out of that nest of degenerates,” the man replied.
His voice was devoid of all emotion, which Peyton somehow knew was a troubling sign. It meant he was good at what he did. Very good. Not that she had any inkling as to how she knew that. It was just like her martial arts skills; she seemed to just know.
This isn’t doing anything to help prove that I was a good person in a past life.
Peyton shoved that thought from her mind for the time being and concentrated on getting as much information out of the man as she could.
“Well duh. They’re not idiots, despite what some pigheaded fools might like to think about them,” she replied, keeping her voice down.
“Have you learned anything? Come across anything we can use?”
“Not yet,” she said, acting upset about it. “I was hoping it would be easier, but it’s not.”
The man looked across at her. “You had better find something soon, or else the boss is going to get upset.”
“Yeah?” she asked sarcastically. “If they want information that badly, tell them to come do it themselves. They sent me for a reason. I’ll get what they need.”
Which could be hard, considering I have exactly no idea what they need.
“Careful,” the man warned. “You are not irreplaceable to our organization, Raine. If the Institute decides you are no longer useful, you will be removed.”
She snorted. “By whom, you?” she said, making sure to make it seem like she was holding back a laugh.
The man frowned. “Of course. You know that.” He frowned up at her. “Unless… Raine, what is it you’re seeking in there?”
Shit. Her luck had just run out. Somehow the man had picked up on the fact that she’d been bluffing through the entire conversation.
Without thinking she lashed out at him, throwing a bladed hand at his throat.
“Bitch,” he snarled, ducking out of the way.
But her surprise attack had forced the first real sense of emotion from the man.
So, you are human after all. Good. She could use that.
He had been on her right side, and as he spun his left hand darted inside his jacket and came back up. Peyton feared he had a gun, but instead he had a knife.
She dodged his first swipe, and the second. She was forced to throw her arms up in a cross as he tried a different tactic, stabbing downward with the knife. The blade came closer to her chest than she felt comfortable with, but a quick twist of her arms sent the blade skittering away across the pavement.
“You must have been stupid to attack me here in public,” she said, stomping down hard on the man’s instep.
The unknown man hissed in pain, but his next blow caught her in the side. She winced, but it wouldn’t leave much besides soreness, she thought.
He came in with another combo, but she knocked the first blow aside, then the second. The moves left her with all her weight on her back foot, and both of them with their arms sweeping out to the sides.
Peyton never knew how she executed it, but without warning her front foot flashed up and the sole of her shoe smashed her foe in the face. The man’s eyes lost focus and he stumbled backward.
Without a further thought, she turned on the spot and dashed back up the sidewalk. Startled civilians all but threw themselves from her path, trying not to get in her way. Behind her she heard the man recover and come after her, shouting wildly for people to stay out of the way.
But her head start was too great, and she managed to turn the corner, coming back into sight—albeit distantly—of the Green Bearets’ motel. She cast a glance over her shoulder, but the nondescript man stopped short of fully rounding the corner, his eyes glaring angrily at her. She slowed and gave him a beckoning motion with her hand, turni
ng fully to face him.
“Come on,” she taunted, slowly backing away.
But he simply stared her down the entire time, not responding to her taunts.
She shook her head and jogged back to the motel and headed inside.
“Where’s Kiefer?” she asked the first Green Bearet she saw.
He looked at her confused.
“I mean, Lieutenant Hartmann,” she supplied.
“Umm, I’m not sure, ma’am. Try Captain Korver’s office perhaps?”
Right. He said he had to go do paperwork.
“Which one is that again?” She’d never actually met Captain Korver, only seen him in passing.
The shifter pointed it out to her and she walked down the hallway, trying to slow her pace as she went, gathering her breath to calm herself down after the exhilaration of her fight and escape from the unknown man.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Enter.”
She had the door halfway open before the person finished speaking, and stepped into the office.
An unknown man rose from behind the table, his green eyes focused intently on her. “Can I help y—”
He never got to finish his sentence, because Kiefer was on his feet in a flash as her face registered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, wrapping her up into his arms without waiting for her to answer.
So she told them both about the man who had approached her on the streets. Captain Korver shot Kiefer a look when she mentioned the Institute, but otherwise stayed quiet until she’d finished her story.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Kiefer said, still holding her tightly as they faced the captain side-on. “But that was a big risk you took, going out into the city on your own like that. From now on, I’d really appreciate it if you went with either myself or one of the others as an escort. Clearly not everyone in this city is friendly to you, and some of them recognize you.”
She nodded. Even that was hard to do, however, as the adrenaline began to wear off now that she was safe and sound. Her limbs began to shake, and only Kiefer’s strong hold on her kept Peyton from sliding to the ground.
