The Calling

by Lily Graison

  He turned his head and grabbed the back of his shirt, lifting it up and turning toward the filtered light coming from the door. Rayna gasped when she saw the scars. Deep, white lines ran from his left shoulder down the length of his back. They were wide, the claw marks still visible. "How long ago did that happen?"

  "Ten years ago give or take a few months."

  Jacob looked up suddenly and in a blur of movement, darted from the door, ducking behind the wall before turning his head to her. He held a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet. Peeking around the corner, he looked out, scanning the area before looking back at her.

  His eyes had bled to amber.

  "Stay here. Do not leave under any circumstances."

  Rayna froze. "Don't you dare leave me here," she whispered.

  "I won't go far. Something's out there. I need room to shift in case its one of the others."

  He left without another word and Rayna stared at the empty doorway. She couldn't see anything beyond the rotted planks on the porch and backed up until she hit the wall. Seconds turned to long minutes. When Jacob didn't return the fear worked its way back up her spine. She edged her way to the door, peeking out into the darkness. Nothing moved. Not even the trees. It was completely still.

  When her heart started pounding, she grabbed the edge of the door. The desire to run outside and find the only person halfway possible of saving her was strong, but she knew better. But what if Jacob didn't come back or wasn't able to? What if the others found her? A glance around the cabin showed her what she already knew. There wasn't anywhere to hide.

  The sound of rustling bushes caught her attention and Rayna turned back to the door, her worst fear realized when she saw a wolf standing in front of the cabin.

  She jumped back and screamed, her lungs aching from the strain. The wolf stepped up on the porch and walked through the door toward her. She stumbled and fell, hitting her head on something that caused her ears to ring and bright flashes of light to burst in front of her eyes.

  The last thing she saw was the wolf reaching for her.

  Chapter 5

  "What the hell did you do?"

  Garrett turned to the door and growled, crouching low over Rayna's body. When he saw it was Jacob, he straightened and said, "I didn't do anything. She saw me and freaked."

  "I wonder why?" Jacob said, raising a brow at him. "Did you bleed every wolf you came in contact with?"

  "Not nearly enough of them."

  Jacob grinned and walked across the room. "Is she all right?"

  "I don't know. I don't want to touch her."

  "Why?"

  Garrett held up hands that barely looked human. They were covered in blood with bits of fur and flesh under his claws.

  Jacob grimaced when he looked. "Good idea," he said. He knelt beside Rayna and grabbed her shoulder, giving her a light shake. "Rayna? It's Jacob. Can you hear me?"

  She didn't move. Jacob shook her a few more times before moving her head. "Damn," he said. "That's going to leave a knot." A broken rock from the fireplace was under her head. She wasn't bleeding but Garrett knew she'd have a hell of a headache when she woke up.

  "I think she'll be okay," Jacob said. "Probably just knocked herself out."

  Garrett nodded. He stared down at her, noticing the mud covering her body. A quick glance at Jacob and he grunted. "Came across the river?"

  "Yes. How'd you know?"

  "The mud."

  "Oh." Jacob tossed the rock away before giving her shoulder another light shake. "Rayna, it's Jacob. Come on now, wake up."

  Jacob looked up and raked a gaze over him, sniffing the air. "Can you shift back? It's probably not a good idea to look like that when she wakes up."

  Garrett looked down at himself and nodded. "Probably, but her waking up and seeing me butt-ass naked and still covered in blood won't help either. Besides, if they find us, I won't be able to shift back."

  Jacob sighed. "Fine," he said, "but I wouldn't be hovering over her when she wakes up. She's not handling any of this too well, especially the furry-you parts."

  That's what he'd been afraid of since the day he met her. Her reaction to him when she found out what he was. Garrett stared down at her for long moments before walking to the far side of the cabin, trying to stick to the shadows. He didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was. He could still taste her fear on the back of his tongue. It was probably the only thing that kept him fighting the pack so viciously instead of doing the smart thing and fleeing when he realized he was outnumbered. Of course, he'd never backed down from a fight and for the first time ever, he actually had a reason to. They'd threatened his chosen mate. Tried to hurt her and scared her half to death. For that fact alone they all deserved to bleed.

  He'd torn into the pack without a care for his own safety. He saw red by the time the last one fell. The others, the ones who knew they were no match for him, left as soon as he attacked. The Alphas who thought they were strong enough to take him found out quickly how wrong they were. Caleb had gotten away but not unscathed. He left a trail he'd been tempted to follow but making sure Rayna was safe, and that none of the others had reached her, prevented him from even looking.

  He didn't see Carmen once the fight started.

  He heard Rayna make a small sound in the back of her throat moments later. Her head moved to one side and he saw Jacob lean down over her.

  "That's it. Open your eyes," Jacob said.

  Her body jolted all of a sudden and she gasped. Jacob grabbed her shoulders and said, "It's okay. You're safe."

  She pushed his hands away and sat up, wincing before looking at the door. "I saw a wolf."

  "Yeah. It was just Garrett."

  "Garrett," she said, turning her head quickly and scanning the room. She looked past him, only to glance back a moment later. He knew the instant she saw him. Her body stiffened and her eyes widened.

  He locked gazes with her and she held it, unmoving. The hair on his back bristled and he scented her on the air. The soft fragrance of flowers was faint, masked by mud, but it was still there. Fresh, clean. His Rayna. It affected him the same as it always did. Caused his body to ache. Covered head to toe in mud and he still wanted her. He inhaled again, savoring the delicate scent of her but smelled fear this time. It overpowered everything else. He realized then her fear was of him.

  "Can you stand?" Jacob asked her.

  She nodded before finally climbing to her feet with Jacob's help. When she continued to stare at him, Garrett leaned back into the shadows.

  Rayna was torn between running like a frightened cat and crossing the room to get a better look at Garrett. He was trying, not too successfully, to hide in a darkened corner. Her heart was racing as she stared at him. He stood well over six and a half foot tall, the hair covering his body washed away by the inky blackness engulfing the darkened cabin. His eyes were the same as the others' had been. Glowing, wolf amber. They looked like two pinpricks in the dark. He was impossibly big, scary even from across the room, and her heart ached as she stared at him. How had he kept this secret from her for so long? How could she not know?

  Seeing Jacob out of the corner of her eye she glanced over at him. His eyes seemed to glow out of his mud-covered face. Seeing him reminded her of her own muddy state. She raised a hand, feeling her stiff chunks of hair and cringed, darting a glance to the corner. In all the time she'd known Garrett the worst he'd ever seen her look was when she crawled out of bed with her hair a mess and no make-up on. She could barely see him now. If it weren't for the eerie glow of his eyes, he'd be lost in the shadows, but she had no doubt he could see her. Tearing her eyes away from him she leaned toward Jacob and whispered, "He's here now. Can we go? We need to find Mitch and I want to shower." As vain as it was, she didn't want Garrett to see her looking so shabby.

  Jacob smiled. "There's no need to whisper," he said, whispering back. "He can hear you regardless."

  She blushed. The heat burned hot on her cheeks and dow
n her neck. She straightened and looked at anything other than the corner where Garrett stood. When he moved and started across the room, the soft clicking tap of his clawed feet hitting the wooden floor echoed in the stillness.

  "She's right," Garrett said. "We can't stay here."

  Rayna did look up then. Garrett's voice was rough, tinged with a rasping gargle that sounded otherworldly. It was much deeper in tone than his normal speaking voice and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but stare. As he neared her, she took an involuntary step back.

  He stopped and looked at her. "I'm not going to hurt you, Rayna."

  The voice sounded different and the eyes looking down at her weren't familiar, but she knew as she looked up at him that he wouldn't. He might be an ass, and cut her with his barbed comments, but she knew he wouldn't' physically hurt her. If he had wanted to do that, he'd had plenty of chances in the past.

  "We can't take her back to the main house," Jacob said. "They'll be waiting on her."

  "I know."

  "Any suggestions?"

  Garrett looked at her and said, "Yeah. My truck is parked out by the creek, near the ridge. Get her to it and hit the highway. Don't stop until the sun comes up."

  Rayna's eyes widened. "No!" she said. "I can't leave Mitch here."

  "He's fine."

  "I'll see that for myself first," she said.

  "Did you see what they did with him?" Jacob asked. "Was he still alive?"

  "He was. They took him not long after the fight started."

  "We've got to go get him," Rayna said, looking from Garrett to Jacob. "I can't leave him here."

  "I'll make sure your boyfriend makes it back home, Rayna."

  She shot him a cold look. "He's not my boyfriend, Garrett, and you know it."

  He made a sound deep in his throat. Not exactly a growl but... something. She stared at him and even though he looked nothing like the man she knew, the way he was carrying himself now reminded her of him. You can't disguise that much arrogance no matter how much fang and fur you threw over it.

  "We'll get him," Jacob said. "But first, we've got to get you out of here."

  "I'm not leaving," she said, defiantly, crossing her arms under her breast. "Not until I see for myself that Mitch is fine."

  "This isn't the time for your stubbornness, Rayna."

  "And I have no desire to take orders from you, Garrett."

  He did growl that time and the sound rattled her bones. It also caused goose bumps to pimple her skin and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. He took a step toward her and it took every ounce of courage she possessed to not take a step back. Lord knew she was ready to piss herself having him so close to her looking the way he did.

  Jacob stepped in between them and said, "Let's just find a safe place to hideout at the moment. You two can fight when we're in the clear." He looked up at Garrett and smiled. "Do you think they would suspect your old place?"

  Garrett's eyes narrowed slightly before his chest expanded. He didn't say anything for long minutes, just stood there staring at Jacob.

  When he turned and started for the door, Rayna exhaled the breath she'd been holding and watched him cross the room. He was huge. The light shining through the door showed the hair on his body to be a deep, dark, midnight black. His shoulders took up most of the doorway and he appeared even taller against the height of the doorframe. He stopped and ducked under the doorway, stepping out onto the porch and looking back over his shoulder. His gaze found hers and held. "Take her. Follow the river. I'll be there when I can."

  He was gone in a blur of movement. Rayna stared at the spot he'd been standing, thoughts of talking wolves and humans for dinner running through her mind. When Jacob touched her arm and motioned for the door, she followed without a word.

  * * * *

  Rayna tucked the end of her towel into place and lifted her hand, wiping the steam from the mirror over the sink. She was scrubbed clean and she felt almost normal.

  The trek through the woods had been worse than their mad dash from the pack. They'd walked for what seemed like miles through the thick, overgrown forest. She'd stumbled on logs and got tangled in a patch of briars that bit into her skin and drew tiny pricks of blood to the surface of her skin. By the time they reached Jacob's cabin, Garrett's old cabin, she'd been ready to fall down and sleep right where she landed.

  She was exhausted, mentally and physically, but knew sleep wouldn't come anytime soon. The images playing inside her head wouldn't let her.

  Dropping the towel, she finished drying and grabbed the clothes Jacob had given her. A dark blue t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, which he'd found in Garrett's overnight bag laying on the front porch. The clothes smelled like Garrett and she held them to her face and inhaled his scent. Her eyes closed, his image flashing in her mind's eye and for the second time that night, tears burned behind her eyelids when she thought of him and what he was.

  She sniffed the tears back and slipped the clothes on, rolling the waist of the shorts down to keep them from falling and looked back at the mirror. Her clothes had been thrown in the wash, along with her underwear and she wished now she had her bra. Walking into the other room with her nipples shining through the thin shirt wasn't on her to do list, especially when a teenage boy was sitting in there. She shook her head and laughed. If Jacob had been telling her the truth earlier, a teen was something he wasn't. He was twenty-six.

  And Garrett was fifty, not thirty-five like he'd told her.

  She shook the thought away and looked around the small bathroom. A robe hung on the back of the door and she grabbed it, slipping it on, before tying the belt.

  Opening the door, she made her way down the short hall back to the living room. Jacob was standing by the window looking out. Her pulse quickened instantly. "Have they found us?"

  He turned to look at her and shook his head. "No, but they will eventually."

  Her eyes widened at the admission. "Then why did you suggest we come here?"

  "Because we didn't have any other choice and this will be the last place they'll think to look. Knowing Caleb, he'll think we're halfway down the mountain, not hiding under their nose." He stared at her for long minutes before sighing. "Once Garrett gets back, we'll figure out what to do."

  "Garrett left before us," she said. "Why isn't he here already?"

  He looked as if he didn't want to answer before he seemed to shrug his whole body and said, "He had to feed. Shifting takes a lot of energy. Shifting back to human form takes more. Besides, I'd bet my tail he's over at Malcolm's seeing what they're up to. If there was any immediate danger, he'd be here."

  He walked across the room and stopped when he reached the hall. "I need to shower. The kitchen is stocked. Help yourself to whatever you like." And with that, he disappeared down the hall to the bathroom, leaving her alone for the first time all day.

  Rayna wrapped her arms around herself and took in her surroundings. Jacob had said this place belonged to Garrett at one time. It was nothing compared to the apartment he had back in Bluff's Point. It was hardly a shack but everything was so dark. There were only three windows in the living room. The sofas and chairs were covered in dark blue fabric. Two bookshelves sat on the wall opposite the front door, their shelves stuffed with broken spine books and magazines. A television sat between them and a recliner with a small table and lamp sat in the corner. It was rustic and one glance at the room told you a man lived here. There wasn't a frill anywhere.

  The kitchen was small but clean, with a table with four chairs around it. Her stomach growled the instant she looked at the refrigerator and she realized then she hadn't eaten since noon.

  She felt odd snooping but crossed the room to the kitchen anyway. Opening the refrigerator door, she looked at the contents inside before grabbing a bottle of water, twisting off the cap, and drinking half of it before stopping.

  Leftovers and lunchmeat for sandwiches was all the refrigerator offered. As hungry as she was, nothing
held any appeal. She shut the door and walked back to the living room, sitting on the sofa and sipped her water.

  The day replayed in her mind again and she still had a hard time believing it. Werewolves were real and Garrett was one of them. Her heart felt heavy with the knowledge. She'd spent months with him, even entertaining the thoughts of spending the rest of her life with him and then... he'd dumped her. Tossed her away as if she meant nothing to him.

  Why had things gone so wrong? First Garrett and then Malcolm. Just thinking of Malcolm caused her stomach to sour. How could she have been so gullible? Malcolm had been begging her for the past six months to visit his town. That alone should have thrown up warning flags but she let her boss, and Mitch, bully her into doing something she really had no desire to do. From now on, she'd trust her gut instinct.

  She wished she had done it earlier, back at the house. Her luggage was still there and waiting in a hidden pocket was a bit of protection she wished she had at the moment. Werewolves or not, unless they could move faster than a speeding bullet, she had all she needed to find Mitch and get them out of town.

  Sitting her water on the table by the sofa, she sank down into the cushions, curling into the corner and covering her legs with the end of the robe. Her mind was awash with images that she knew would give her nightmares for months to come, the biggest one was the knowledge that Garrett was one of the monsters.

  * * * *

  "Does he still live?"

  "Yes."

  Malcolm sighed in relief and sat down. "Watch him closely. With Ms. Ford gone, he's our only hope of getting her back. We've worked too hard to let this plan fall to pieces now. The others won't be pleased if we fail."

  "We'll find her. Caleb is the best tracker we have."

  "I know, but Caleb isn't in any shape to look for her at the moment and Garrett will more than likely move her as quickly as possible. They could be half way across the state by now."

  "No one is looking? Why not?"