Jaelle’s mouth drew in a thin line as her mind went to the singular shard in her bra. Perhaps all this pain could turn out to be in her advantage after all. If she played her cards right and didn’t get lost in the torture, maybe she could find her silver lining.
Maybe.
*
There was no drug on earth that could disguise the agony that wracked every fiber of her being as she warmed. The only thing they could do was take the edge off, resulting in her shuttling along the line of passing out from shock and being kept awake by the excruciating burning of her entire body.
After being so cold for so long, she would have thought she would love the warmth, but it was quite the opposite. As her mind was absorbed more and more by the flames within her, she found herself wishing she was back in the cold. At least there she was numb. At least there her mind shut down to only the barest of functions.
She was back to thinking about the strange nature of time as it went funny again. She felt like she was probably making great, philosophical points, but they were getting lost in the waves and waves of pain that made the minutes seem like hours.
Not for the first time, Jaelle wondered if she had kicked a puppy or ate babies in a previous life. What had she done to deserve all the pain? There was only so much a single person could be rightly asked to endure, and she felt like she was long past that line.
But eventually, the pain began to fade and the itching set in.
Oh, the itching.
She found herself wishing to go back to the pain. That wasn’t nearly as maddening as the itching! It was as if particularly vindictive little ants were marching up and down every fiber of her being until she wanted to throw up from the sensation.
Except she couldn’t throw up. She couldn’t even move. She could only sit in her drugged stupor as the wolfsbane slowly drained from her system, flushed by the IV hooked up to her arm.
At least she had momentary reprieves from consciousness when she would slide back into a stupor that was a mix of past memories and delusions. There, the itching couldn’t get her. Only the haunting montage of terrible decisions that she had made throughout her life.
…so maybe it wasn’t better at all. But at least it wasn’t itchy.
As she laid there, entombed in her own body, acutely aware that she needed to escape, but completely unable to do so. And as she rotted in her prison, she couldn’t help but wonder what Bradley was doing. Had he turned tail? Head he come to his senses and abandoned her to her fate?
She could only hope so.
Chapter Nine: Remembrance
Bradley
Bradley paced back and forth in the sands. It had been at least three hours since Jaelle left and he was going out of his mind with worry.
Who would have thought he would ever be in such an impossible situation? The past ten years of his life had been dedicated to hunting down criminals, psychopaths, Wendigos and Aberrants. He had seen countless slides and read case files that could give even the most hardened of Hunters nightmares for years. He had dedicated his everything to completing every mission an elder had sent him on.
And he had turned his back on it all.
Bradley couldn’t say exactly when it happened.
He had been sure of everything while he had been hunting Creed. He had felt time hanging over his head like a guillotine as the Aberrant crisscrossed the country leaving bloodbaths in his wake. But then Bradley had met Jaelle, and suddenly all the hard, dark lines that defined his world weren’t so defined anymore.
It had started in that crummy little mechanic’s office in that town in the middle of nowhere. She was wearing what was supposed to be a formless jumpsuit, but even it couldn’t contain the obvious curves packed onto her body. While that had been certainly nice to look at in such a depressing landscape, that actually wasn’t what drew the Hunter to her.
There was this expression in her eyes, something he couldn’t quite explain when he first saw her. She had been looking them over with such intensity that he could see practically an entire world in her eyes. That had intrigued him, and that interest had only continued when he had walked her home.
That night had been full of plenty of passing thoughts that were inappropriate for a woman who had very politely turned him down, and when morning came he was eager to see her again—if only for a chance to hear more of her low, rasping voice as she diagnosed their car troubles.
But then the world had turned upside down. The Hunters had found the place coated in blood and thick with the scent of Creed. He had been about to order a perimeter when he saw Jaelle land and shift into a human.
That was supposed to be impossible. She didn’t have a Shifter’s scent. So, he had followed her, keeping a good distance as she disappeared into the quaint little cabin she had built herself. When she had taking on a different animal form to escape, it felt like the ground had fallen out from under him.
She was an Aberrant.
How could such a beautiful, well-spoken, fascinating woman be a blood thirsty monster? And how was she so old?
Well, old for an Aberrant, that is. Their average lifespan was somewhere around fifteen, if one was being generous, and in reality, was closer to thirteen.
The thought had been mildly upsetting but always a matter of course before. Yes, it was a necessary evil, but it was just the way it was. They were born under a curse that would end up in the death of hundreds of others, they had to be contained before they could hurt innocents.
Or at least that’s what he had thought.
It felt so wrong to chase her down. And when he saw her take that flying leap down into the rushing waters below, his heart had sunk just as quickly as she had.
Bradley had never felt pain putting down an Aberrant before. But there was something about her. The haunted sort of resignation she had to her fate. Like she knew there was nothing more she could expect, but she had hoped that she might be spared. It made him feel… guilty.
He had tucked all of those thoughts away and went back to his job. Which of course had lead the group on another wild good chase into the great, cold wilds of Canada.
When Dannon had picked up on Jaelle’s unique lack-of-shifter scent again, his heart had stopped. It had taken the whole of his professional being not to let on that he was happy. And then he ridiculed himself for quite a while for actually being happy. Finding her again could only end a single way.
Her death.
Bradley managed to negotiate with his team that she was the lesser of two threats, and that if they had Creed in their sights, they would follow that lead no matter what. Unfortunately, that son of a bitch proved to be more elusive than ever, and he managed to take off while stranding Jaelle behind.
It was right around then that he realized the bastard was using her as a pawn and none of them could do anything about it. When he broached the subject of leaving her behind to dodge the obvious delaying tactic the monster was trying to exploit, the rest of the Hunters had brought up the point that they couldn’t let the oldest Aberrant any of them had ever heard of slip through their fingers.
So, they had chased her down yet again. She had been so tired, so haggard when they faced off. And yet, she was completely different from when they had first pursued her. At the time, he didn’t know what it was, but it was like she had found life. Like she suddenly had a hope and desire for more and was finally going to fight for it.
But she could fight all she wanted—the ending was inevitable. She was too exhausted and outnumbered. As valiantly as she tried to take them on, she soon fell and was completely in their custody.
Once she was secured and properly dosed with mugwort and wolfsbane, their duty was clear. There was no debating after that. No internal philosophizing or arguing why this woman seemed to matter so much to him. His hands were bound—although much more metaphorically than hers.
It was a day’s drive to the village charged with the responsibility of executing Aberrants. The entire time, Bradley debated releasi
ng her, or formulating some plan that could end up with her freedom. But in the end, he behaved like a good little soldier and dropped her off to meet her doom.
They sped away, eager to get back on Creed’s trail since he had another considerable lead on them. During the quiet lulls, Bradley found himself wondering if Jaelle was happy for once. Rumor had it was that the village went out of its way to make Aberrants comfortable, to give them a proper send off for their sacrifice. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t going to have to run anywhere or hide. Sure, she was marching to her death, but maybe she could find some peace in it.
That thought did little to comfort the Hunter, however, and he was actually relieved when they got the call that the village had been attacked. The message had been broken and choppy, so when they arrived and saw the true magnitude of what had happened, Bradley distinctly remembered being a bit blown away.
Sure, after so many months of following Creed, they had seen their fair share of horrors. But nothing quite compared to the village. The entire landscape was ash and blood, fire and destruction. Where there once might have been houses, there were now only charred remains of scaffolding. Where had once ben vehicles were only melted and warped pieces of scrap. Almost every adult male wasn’t just murdered, but also completely eviscerated and defiled, with most of the adult women right behind him.
The mood had been grim as they had picked through the wreckage, looking for survivors. At first, Bradley had been confused by the lack of elders or children in such a vicious assault. But then their group was informed that it was Jaelle herself who had saved over a dozen people, running from safety and back to the village over and over again until she collapsed from the strain.
That had boggled his mind in the moment, although it made so much sense now. Bradley remembered wondering how could someone who had been slated for execution put herself in such grave danger for those who had meant to kill her. Could this beautiful, relentless woman really be a monster if she was willing to do all that?
That had been the first seed of doubt. And when he found her in the healer’s tent, face blackened with soot and burns on her hands and legs that were still repairing themselves, Bradley suddenly knew that he couldn’t leave her to die.
But what could he do? It wasn’t like he would get far if he defied the elders and just absconded with the oldest known Aberrant in history. No, he needed them on his side. He needed their permission. There had to be something that could convince the Elders to let her go.
Or maybe… just borrow her for a bit. Long enough to get the heat off of her and let her slip off into the ether like she had done for the first half of her life.
He remembered the exact moment the idea had come to him. And like the bull-headed man he was, he ran with it.
At first, his plan had seemed utterly ludicrous, and all of his men were against it. But she had managed to run into Creed twice while they had been struggling to catch up with him. In the end, he had convinced all of his men and then the Leaders were just another step after that.
Bradley could recall with alarming clarity the first moment they set out. She was obviously nervous, every muscle in her curvaceous body tense, but she kept her cool as best she could. He had wanted to ask her a million things, but hadn’t known where to start. She was a forbidden mystery wrapped in a conundrum and he was absolutely intrigued.
But he kept his mouth shut. He was her enemy, after all. She had been terrorized by his kind since she was a child. If he was smart, he would have buried the attraction he felt for her deep, deep down where even he couldn’t find it again.
Bradley guessed he wasn’t very smart after all.
But then that man had showed up. Who knew that a single human could be such a thorn in his side. Somehow, David had known Bradley’s feelings before even the Hunter did, and they hadn’t exactly gelled. Of course, the leader of the group had respected the man for fighting so hard for his best friend and lover, but Bradley also resented him. There was no way he could possibly know what it was like for Jaelle. No way she could ever make satisfactory love to someone she always had to worry about hurting.
But the love between them was palpable. It was hard to resent the man when he seemed both decent and able to make Jaelle happy. So, after a whole lot of effort, Braldey finally managed to dismiss the moronic attraction within him and move on with the mission.
There wasn’t a moment that went by that he wasn’t amazed by Jaelle. Whether it was her ability to forgive, or the strength she exuded, or how hard she fought to keep all of the group safe no matter the circumstance. She had the capacity to survive like no one else he knew. Whether it was gangs or Wendigos, she pushed and pushed and pushed harder than should have been possible for anyone.
Then, she did something that Bradley didn’t know if he would ever be strong enough to do. She put David’s needs above her own, and pushed him back into his normal, human world. Bradley had never seen heartbreak so evident in someone’s eyes. He had thought she might scream, or cry, or anything really. But she pressed on, like usual.
It was then that he realized she did these things because she thought she had no choice. She had never been given the chance to mourn or recover before because her life was all just one massive chase scene. Her very existence was illegal, which was as unforgiving as it was malicious.
Those seeds of doubt in the Hunter’s mind bloomed into full grown crops. It just didn’t make sense that she was a monster, or destined to be one. She was too… brave and giving and self-sacrificing and…well, perfect.
Never in a million years had he thought that there could be anything between them, however. How could she ever feel anything for him besides a mildly hesitant alliance? His kind had killed her mother. Figures not too different from his had haunted her nightmares like real-world boogey men. And yet, somehow, they had ended up naked and wrapped around each other in a desperate embrace.
Bradley had never been a celibate man, but he would be lying if he didn’t admit that she was nothing like any other woman he had ever been with. She was all fire and earnestness. She didn’t hide her need, didn’t play coy. She wanted what she wanted and she gave just as much as she got. She was both selfish and selfless. And every moment the two spent together was just as mind-blowing as the last.
There was no boredom with her. No getting used to anything or settling into a rhythm. And he loved it. He… loved her.
“Relax there, Bradley, you’re going to wear a path into the earth and that’ll make us that much easier to track.”
The lead Hunter turned to Dannon, who was sitting on an empty cooler, an easy smile on his face. How could he smile at a time like this? “You’re blind. How do you know there’s a line being worn anywhere?”
“After all our time together, it’s this you question me on?” His smiled dimmed just a little and Bradley felt him appraise his leader without seeing. “I’m worried, too. But what would be best would be coming up with a plan for the worst-case scenario rather than pacing around, wasting energy.”
Bradley stopped, rubbing his chin as he collected my thoughts. The man was right, of course. His mind was going every which way, switching between remembering Jaelle and his short time together, and imagining everything that could possibly be happening to her at that exact moment. Had she been caught? Were they torturing her? Could she already be dead? Or was she still traversing through the prison and learning valuable information?
“You’re right,” Bradley admitted finally with a sigh. “The only question is, what’s the absolute worst scenario?”
“I’d say a nuclear bomb hitting the facility,” Javi chimed in from where he was sitting on the hood of Bradley’s car. The Hunter didn’t recall giving him permission to do so, but the youngest of the team was always a bit… impertinent.
“What’s the absolute worst scenario that’s probable,” Bradley clarified.
“Oh. Well… I dunno,” the caramel skinned man answered. “Would that be she’s been captured by
Clan-allegiant guards who might not have the memo that she’s temporary on a no-kill list, or that the prison has somehow been taken over by that Aberrant bastard and we just delivered her right into his clutches?”
“Is that possible? It doesn’t look like the place has been ransacked.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Dannon answered, irony dripping with each of his words.
“And you would be an expert on that, I suppose.”
“You betcha.”
Bradley laughed, possibly the first bit of mirth he had in hours. “All right then, wise guys. Let’s say that they did take over, then why are their guards outside.”
“Maybe they’re decoys.” Micah offered. The bear Shifter looked to the man in surprise. He hadn’t been much for talking ever since they had to bury Jason. Bradley couldn’t be sure, but he had thought there might have been something that was brewing between the two of them. Whatever it was, it had died when Jason had his intestines torn out by a Wendigo.
But such was the life of a Hunter. You lived on the road and served the people until you were dead. If you were lucky, someone would be around to give you a funeral.
They all knew that. They were all aware that death was only a step away everywhere they went. Tomorrow was never guaranteed and so on and so forth.
But… even though Bradley had made peace with his inevitable death long ago, he couldn’t sit by and let Jaelle meet such a fate. If there was ever someone who deserved a chance to live and let live it was her.
“You think the prisoners are that smart? To somehow overpower the guards without destroying the place, then all stay in the prison as guards not to alert suspicion?’
“No, but I think Creed might be smart enough to convince them all to do that, and just scary enough that they might listen.”
“All right then.” Bradley’s mind spun as he put the pieces together. He often liked to ask his men questions as he thought aloud. Sometimes Jaelle seemed to take it as him not knowing what was going on, but it was his own way of making sure everyone was all on the same page with no miscommunications. “So, let’s say Creed has taken over. That somehow, he came into power and encouraged all the inmates to riot and then take over. Let’s also say that he somehow found Jaelle before she could get out. I’m fairly certain he won’t kill her -at least not right away. So where does that leave us?”
The Aberrants Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 42
