But eventually, sensations started to trickle in, disturbing the peaceful darkness that swaddled her. Thirst tickled at her throat while a dull, but persistent sort of pain crawled up all of her limbs, and her spine. Then came the hunger, first rumbling in the pits of her stomach, then increasing in furor until it was an all-out roiling grumble.
Carefully, she let herself float upwards until the last vestiges of slumber fell from her mind and she was awake.
She couldn’t open her eyes at first, both of them solidly encrusted over by a layer of gunk. Gross. Wiggling her eyelids, she worked up enough tears to weaken the crust, until she could finally open her eyes and see where she was.
Naturally, her vision was blurry at first, and it took several beats for it to clear. But the first thing she saw was a grey roof, unremarkable for the most part, but completely recognizable.
She was in a car, wrapped in blankets and propped up with pillow on the back seat, coolers and sleeping bags in the well of the seat so that she wouldn’t fall down into the crack if she rolled.
The situation brought on such a sense of déjà vu, she almost wondered if everything she had been through recently was just a manic, horrific nightmare from the depths of her psyche, and she was still recovering from her torture in the ice cell.
“Oh, she’s awake.”
No. It was impossible. She knew that voice, but there was no way they could have found her in the middle of the woods before the Clan Leaders reacted. Unless they hadn’t reacted at all…
That horrible thought alone told her that she needed to rouse, to ask questions and figure out just how much of her plan had worked. She started by turning her head, and even that required far more effort than she thought it ever would, sending a wave of throbbing soreness through her entire being.
“Whoa, careful there,” Dannon continued from the front seat, making eye contact with her despite his inability to see. “I can hear your heartrate spiking. You’re all right. It’s safe.”
She wanted to ask him how any of it was possible, but her tongue was practically stuck to the roof of her mouth, and when she moved her lips to form words, the bottom cracked.
“Here, let me get you some water. Hold on.” He turned to the front for a moment, fishing for something between his feet, before twisting back to her with a water bottle in hand. It was wet, and the liquids dripping down the side looked absolutely delicious to her parched self. “Yeah, it looks good, does it?” he asked, no doubt hearing her breath hitch. “Let me just get you a straw.”
He unscrewed the top, then rooted around in the glove compartment until he found what he was looking for. A couple of seconds later, he had the straw in and was holding it in front of Jaelle.
She wrapped her chapped lips around it and tried not to suck it down all at once. She didn’t want to make herself sick on accident, especially since she was feeling more and more like hell with every passing moment.
She guessed that she had pushed her body way too hard when she still hadn’t recovered from her stay at Creed’s first prison take over. Well, payback was a bitch, apparently.
“Easy now, not too fast.”
She wanted to tell the blind man that she knew that, but that would mean taking a break from drinking, and that was unacceptable at the moment.
To Dannon’s credit, he held it there the entire time until he was finished, then he quickly put it in the small trash bag under his seat.
With the added moisture, her tongue began to work again, although she still couldn’t turn her head further than that. “How… how did you find me?” she wheezed, voice raspy and thin.
“That’s the easy part,” the blind man said with a smile. “It took us a day and a half, but we were able to pry where you were going from the doctor lady. We were already almost to you when you sent that message out.” He shook his head, smile growing wider. “Man, I cannot believe you done finished it all. We’ve been hunting this guy for what seems like forever, completely unaware that there might have been a deeper plan going on, then you sweep in, and in just a couple of months unearth everything that bastard was plotting and end him for good. I can’t decide if you’re incredible or crazy.”
“Probably both,” another voice cut in. One that made Jaelle’s heart squeeze, and sink, and soar all at the same time. An impossible combination of reactions, yet that was exactly what it felt like.
Bradley.
Somehow, after everything that had happened to them, they had found each other again.
“Not to mention idiotic, reckless, dangerous—” Ah, here it was, the tongue lashing she deserved. She couldn’t blame him, and in fact, she had expected it. But that didn’t stop it from stinging. “—and all together utterly amazing.”
That last part surprised her, and she risked flicking her eyes over to the driver’s seat. She couldn’t see much beyond the back of his head, but a quick glance to the rearview mirror revealed his familiar eyes staring back at her.
They filled her with a bubbling feeling that she couldn’t describe, but it was warm and soothing and all sorts of wonderful. She tried to smile, but the muscles of her face just were complying. She managed a sloppy sort of half-grin, and she could see the corners of his eyes crinkle in response.
“I can’t believe it worked, either, to be honest.” She sighed. Scenes of Creed and her night together started to play again in her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut as if that would lock them out. “What day is it? How did you find me? You just wandered around the forest until you stumbled on my body?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We all were running around looking for your scent, when Javi caught a trail. It was difficult, considering that there was at least a dozen or so men fleeing through the landscape, trying to escape the fire you caused, but we managed.”
“The real troops came speeding in basically as soon as we were pulling out. Any longer, and we might have had to fight through them, too.”
“You think so? Even with my message?”
Dannon shrugged. “We weren’t going to wait around to find out. Bradley says he knows a safehouse off the grid from the rest of the Shifter network, and we’re going to take you there so you can finally heal. Fully.”
She heaved a sigh of relief. This was it. She really and truly had won. Now, it was time for some well-earned relaxation. “I can’t wait.”
*
In the end, it only took them another ten hours to reach the house in question. She had no idea where they were, or even what state they were in, but she didn’t care. It was a surprisingly well-made structure, with a couple of floors and a simple, wooden exterior, but it was off-road and set so deep into the forest, she doubted even Creed could have found the place.
True to Bradley’s word, there was a well out front and two generators, one on each side of the house. The place was as obscure as it could probably be given the century they were in, and she couldn’t be more relieved.
Perhaps it was a bit ironic that, after so much time fighting to be free, she longed to find someplace to tuck herself away from society again. She was sure the feeling would fade as the days passed, however. The fallout from her action was no doubt going to be both convoluted and far-reaching, with multiple consequences that she had not anticipated. But those could wait. She had a lot of resting in store for her.
Embarrassingly enough, she couldn’t quite sit up to get out of the car when they arrived. Bradley didn’t seem to mind, however, and picked her up, carrying her over the threshold like a bride.
She blushed, the moment seeming incredibly intimate for it being so simple. She felt as if all of the men were staring at her, but realized that they were probably just concerned about her well-being.
No doubt when she had disappeared, they had written her off as either being gone forever or dead. It would have been foolish to think anything else.
The inside was just as cute, practical, and quaint at the outside. While there were plenty of windows, they were all covered with the same basic gre
y curtain. The floor was an unpolished hardwood, and the furniture looked to be a mishmash of handmade items.
But Bradley didn’t pause at all, heading straight toward the staircase that led to the second story. Jaelle looked around, her body having recovered just enough that moving her neck didn’t cause massive amounts of pain and muscle twinging.
The hallway branched to either side, another hardwood without a hint of carpeting. She was grateful for that, and wondered if she would ever want to see lush rug covering a floor again.
One way she could see an open door leading to a fairly large bathroom, considering the practical nature of the rest of the building. There was another open door kitty-corner to it, but it was at an angle where she couldn’t make out what was within. A bedroom, perhaps? It wasn’t like it mattered. But she found her mind wandering down each direction, not doubt still thrown through a loop from her miraculous escapades.
Bradley continued the opposite way, entering on of the open doors on that side. Glancing around, she realized it was a sort of master bedroom, but one of the Hunter-bachelor variety.
Furs and antlers were everywhere, along with pieces of furniture that looked like they were hewn out of a whole tree rather than pieced together with different sets of woods. A large bed dominated the center, and it was covered in what looked like warm and comfy Amish quilts.
He laid her down gently, looking over her with an expression that she didn’t deserve. God! He was so kind. So forgiving. She couldn’t have dreamed up a better man.
“You comfortable? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine,” she answered as he stacked pillows behind her. “Really.”
“Good. I can’t have the savior of all Aberrant-kind feeling uncomfortable in my home. Well, the closest thing I have to a home, I suppose. They’re going to write whole history books about you, you know that?”
She laughed awkwardly, but it just made her stomach hurt so she quickly stopped. “I doubt that. When’s the last time you’ve read a book that was actually written about any sort of Shifter History?”
A strange expression crossed his face. “All the time. Most clans have a library so citizens can check them out. They’re much more strict about property than human establishments, of course, but other than that, they’re mostly the same.”
Huh. It seemed there was still so much for her to learn about her own people. “I never knew that. Maybe some day you can take me to one.”
The corners of his eyes did that crinkling thing again, and that same warm feeling rushed through her. “Yeah, that sounds good,” he answered.
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she let the conversation drop. But Bradley seemed to need to say more, and he reached out to take one of her hands between his larger ones. “You could have told me,” he murmured, a pained expression crossing his face, although he did his best to hide it.
“If you knew, would you ever agree to such an insane plan that involved you standing back while I went into Creed’s lair, or would you insist that there had to be another way?”
He grimaced at that. “How do you know that there wasn’t a better way?”
She would have groaned, but she felt like he had earned her patience. “I don’t think it will help anyone to debate about this at length. What’s done is done. I did what I knew you would never agree to, and now Creed is dead.”
A sigh escaped his lips, but it did seem like he was letting it go. “You’re right. I just… I wish that you had trusted me.”
“I know,” she murmured. “But I have our entire lives to make it up to you.”
He laughed at that. “Given everything you’ve just done, I’d say it’s going to be an exciting life, indeed.”
“You have a good point,” she agreed, joining in on his mirth. Although it hurt, she still enjoyed it. It was the first time she had laughed freely in as long as she could remember. “And I look forward to every moment of it.”
Chapter Twelve: A Very Thorough Recovery
Five days.
It took five days of just lying around for her body to get back to normal.
She supposed she shouldn’t complain. After all, she had spent basically two weeks being subjected to wolfsbane exposure, combined with some forced-shifting, and a whole bunch of adrenaline doping up her system. She was lucky that the consequences weren’t more severe.
She was also just as lucky to be surrounded by friends who actively babied her. It was borderline driving her nuts, but she tried not to be whiney that she actually had people to take care of her.
She always had a glass of fresh water on her stand, and someone would always stop by every few hours to make sure she didn’t need anything.
On the third day, she finally felt strong enough to walk, although she needed someone at her side while she strolled around, holding onto her arm and supporting her waist. Sometimes it was Bradley, sometimes it was Javi, occasionally even Micah. The only one who didn’t was Dannon, although Jaelle appreciated the reason why.
Her first time out of bed, she only made it to the bathroom to take a shower then back, and her return to the bed resulted in shaking legs and sore abs. She managed another one to the window later that night, leaving herself breathless and sweaty when Bradley helped usher her along for the return trip.
The next day had gone much better, with her only needing to hold onto her escort’s arm rather than requiring their total support. She managed three walks, another one to the bathroom, another to the window, and a final one to the end of the hall. She had briefly entertained the idea of the stairs, but her legs and head had quickly supplied that with a hard no.
But on her fifth day of recovery, and her third day of being ambulatory, her body seemed to start to get itself together. She managed her usual bathroom trip, and was surprised to find herself feeling confident in her abilities for the first time in days.
“Hey, Bradley?”
“Yeah?” he responded from where he was standing just a few inches away from her, hands ready in case she suddenly fell.
“I think I’m ready for the stairs.”
His eyebrows went up, and she could see the concern written across his features. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It’s time.”
He nodded and offered his arm. She wrapped hers through his, and allowed him to lead her back down the hall.
They reached the top of the stairs and she stared down. Was it bizarre that the steps looked intimidatingly high? It was just a normal staircase, and yet she found herself sweating slightly.
“You don’t have to,” Bradley continued to comfort. “We can turn around and go right back.”
“No, I’m ready.” She took a deep breath and moved forward, gripping the bannister with her other hand. “Let’s go.”
“Whatever you say.”
Slow and steady, she descended down the steps. Bradley never hurried her, and didn’t say anything about how long she was taking, for which she was eternally grateful. And when she finally did make it down to the landing, he let her sag against him for a long moment while she caught her breath.
“Where are the others?” she asked, looking around for the rest of the men.
“Out hunting.” He must have seen her startled expression because he chuckled. “Animal hunting, not Aberrant hunting.”
“Oh. right, of course. I should have known that.”
He laughed, and walked her over to the sofa. “Don’t worry. I imagine it’ll be quite a long time before you can hear that word and think what most humans do.”
“If ever.”
“True.”
He sat down next to her, picking up her legs and draping them over his lap. It was so normal… so couple-like, that for a moment she was completely caught off-guard.
“What’s with that expression?” he asked, chuckling.
“Oh, nothing,” Jaelle answered. “I was just kinda struck by how idyllic the scene is.”
“Is it?” he responded, looking around. “I dunn
o. I would like to think that any sort of ideal situation would involve you in my lap, post-haste.”
“No one says post-haste anymore,” she retorted with a light giggle. “But I think I might be able to handle that lap thing.”
“Oh, really?” He patted his leg and gestured for her. “By all means, make yourself comfy.”
Although her muscles were stiff, she managed to push herself up and crawl over to him, her knees sinking into the cushion of the couch. It was surprisingly soft for how utilitarian and rustic it looked, but she supposed she should expect Bradley to care about his comfort in one of the only places he ever had to relax and unwind.
She made herself at home, leaning against his chest. He was so warm and strong. I t was easy to feel comfortable there.
Her head fit right into the crook of his shoulder, and she listened to the powerful thrum of his heart. It was the perfect rhythm, and she thought that she could listen to it forever.
“You comfortable?” he asked, bringing one hand to run his fingers through her hair.
“Mmmhmm,” she practically purred, nuzzling into the gesture. “This is nice.”
“It is.”
They sat together for several long moments, just enjoying the experience. It was a type of peace she didn’t think either of them had known before, and it was that much more impactful considering they had no idea of what would come with the future of all Aberrants in question.
But the warmer she became, the more she felt like she was back to her old self. And her old self was absolutely, positively obsessed with the touch, feel, and scent of Bradley.
It started with just an innocent finger gently playing with the button at the top of his shirt. She fiddled with it for several moments until his hand caught hers. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I dunno,” she answered. “Just thinking that this shirt is blocking me from more of your skin.”
“Yes, that is how clothing works.” He spared her a crooked grin. “But I can take it off if you’d like.”
The Aberrants Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 56
