Destined to Run

by J. Kearston

  She manages a watery smile, resting her cheek on top of his head. “Maybe we can still pick one up while we’re out, no point ruling out the option yet.” When she glances up at me, my instincts just scream at seeing my mate crying and not knowing how to fix it. “Can I come too? When you visit?”

  “Always. Who knows, maybe you’ve seen something like this before and we’re worrying for nothing.”

  Thirteen

  Rin

  We pull off of the main road and follow a long, winding driveway through the trees that I’m surprised the massive truck even fits on. When we come around the final bend, the truck slows to a crawl and we barely inch our way forward.

  As if he can read the question on the tip of my tongue, Ares explains, “The cubs run rampant out here and it’s difficult to hear over the engine. Last thing any of us want is to squish a kid.”

  We stop in front of a large brick home with a few bicycles lying on the ground by the front steps. Though it’s surrounded by forest, there’s a center clearing that stretches on for well over a mile each direction; a hidden community surrounded by trees that act as a fence. Ten homes, all arranged along the outskirts to leave ample room in the center, where several small figures are running and wrestling. My vision isn’t nearly as impressive as the guys’, so the best I can make out from here is furry blobs.

  Cole helps me out of the truck, Ozzy darting off to scare the hell out of the children, just to let them tackle him and melodramatically fall to the ground in defeat. “He likes kids, I take it?”

  Cole raises an eyebrow at me. “You don’t?”

  I shrug. “No clue. I really haven’t been around any. Only child and I had a tutor come to the house rather than attending school.”

  They both give me a shocked look before Cole throws an arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple. “Well, you never have to be lonely again.”

  I lean into his touch as my stomach flips. “Maybe I enjoy my privacy. Too much attention can be suffocating.”

  “Nah, because you know you can just lock Ozzy out of the house when he’s smothering you.” He mimicks pawing at the door with his free hand. “Can’t turn knobs, so you’re safe.”

  Chuckling, I step away from him. “And the two of you?”

  Ares grabs my hand as he starts walking towards the house. “You can just tell us to fuck off,” he grins, bringing my hand up to kiss the back before keeping it captured at his side. “Might hold us off for a few hours at least.”

  He winks before approaching the door, not even knocking before it’s pulled open. Perks of shifter hearing, I suppose.

  “Was wondering when you might grace us with your presence,” an exhausted looking woman snipes, arms crossed and face pulled into a scowl.

  Her blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail and there are bags under her eyes that only come from far too long of too little sleep. I doubt even a solid three days of rest would put a smile on her face, and my chest tightens as I hazard a guess that this is Sarah’s mother. Raising children sounds hard enough without one of them being sick, and by the bikes out front, she must also be torn every which way trying to take care of people.

  “Freya,” Cole greets, and she turns her sharp glare on him instead.

  “You especially I would expect to know better. I have to find out Osiris is alive from the rumor mill in town? You couldn’t pick up a damn phone?”

  I involuntarily tighten my grip on Ares’ hand, grateful for that comfort now as things become increasingly awkward and tense.

  “Things have been a bit chaotic,” Cole tries to defend, but she just unfurls her hands to place them on her hips.

  “Don’t go preaching to me about ‘chaotic’, Cole Larken.” Her amber eyes flash with her temper, making her look like a fiery warrior of the sun. “You think it was just eating away at you that he might have gotten himself killed trying to help Sarah?”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” he mutters, contrite and looking at his feet.

  Appeased, she focuses that fire on me next and my breath hitches in my chest before skipping over me just as quickly to address Ares. “This the human he brought back?”

  A woman comes up behind Freya, wrapping an arm around her collar from behind, resting her chin on top of her head. Dark hair is pulled into a top knot, only a few shades darker than her skin, and her eyes are a golden brown that don’t miss a single thing despite her easy going smile.

  “Play nice, Freya,” she decrees. She keeps her body languid, but by the tightness around her eyes, I imagine she could lash out faster than I could blink if it came down to it. “Any insight is welcome.”

  “Zora,” Ares greets, “meet Rin; our mate.”

  I stretch out my hand to be polite, accustomed to being in countless awkward situations throughout my life and needing to hide behind my manners anyway. Both women blink a few times before starting to relax, and Freya takes my offered greeting.

  “Don’t let these boys walk all over you. Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take a mile. Don’t be afraid to speak up and give them hell; lord knows they probably have it coming,” she warns.

  I nod, nervous, but try to settle my rapidly beating heart. I’m not sure what it is about this woman, but I don’t feel nearly as safe around her as I do my guys. Even Goldie and Vin didn’t incite this reaction, so I don’t think it’s the whole ‘mate’ thing, but rather that of an already strained mother desperate to protect her child from any perceived threats. And right now, I’m an unknown and it puts us in a sort of tense stasis.

  Ares’ hand tightens on mine, offering assurance that I’m not alone or trying to loan me some of his strength via diffusion, I’m not sure. A shiver runs down my spine and I feel Osiris approach more than see him, so when he rubs against my leg a moment later, I don’t jump.

  “Humans aren’t very trusted around here,” Ares explains. “Not like they never come to town, but we prefer to keep to ourselves. I told you though, it’s different if you’re our mate. Prides look out for one another, and being our mate offers you the same protection.”

  I swallow. “He did bring me here, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

  Better to get this out of the way now before they start expecting me to perform any miracles. I give them the bullet point version of events and by the time I’m finished, they both just look defeated.

  Zora gives Ozzy an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, Osiris. But we’re relieved that you made it home; even if it wasn’t in one piece.”

  Cole interjects from where he ended up leaning against the porch railing by my side. “Au contraire, he came back improved, if you ask me. Found our mate and is quieter than ever.”

  Ozzy growls and I grin, appreciating the effort in taking the conversation away from the depressing turn it had fallen into.

  “We’re heading into the bigger towns today,” Ares informs them, “but were hoping to see her before we left? Let her see Osiris was alright.”

  Both women share a look before agreeing, opening their home to us and through the cluttered mess inside. It’s homey, just full of scattered toys and clothes. We make our way through the living room and down a hallway lined with several doors. Zora gently knocks before opening it, making sure she’s awake so we don’t intrude.

  It’s a crowded fit, all of us gathering in Sarah’s room, but not impossible. She’s sitting up in bed reading, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she just wasn’t feeling too well. That is, until she turns her grey-blue eyes on me, the color dull and muted.

  “Osiris!” she gasps, breaking into an elated grin and setting her book aside. He pads over and puts only his front paws on the bed to stretch up to her, nuzzling her arm before she wraps her arms around his head. “I was scared you weren’t coming back.” They break apart and she looks from him to me and my heart sinks to my stomach with her next, hopeful statement. “You really convinced a human to come all this way from the city?”

  Cole sits on the bed at her feet. “We told you, Sara
h; we’re not giving up. But don’t get too excited, because we knew this was a long shot going in,” he warns and absolute dread fills my veins.

  I’m surprised I don’t break the bones in Ares’ hand with as fiercely as I’m gripping it right now. Mentally I scream, but on the outside I keep my expression neutral. I may not have any experience with children, but I certainly know better to steal hope from someone that desperately needs it to cling to.

  Why the hell did I ask to come with them? Of course she would think I’m some goddamn doctor. I just make everything ten times harder by being involved, don’t I? I don’t belong out here, bring nothing to the table. Such a goddamn burden; no wonder my father tried to pawn me off on someone else.

  “This is Rin,” Ares informs her, pulling me out of my internal spiral when it’s clear that my words are frozen in my throat. “Our mate. And we have you to thank for that, Sarah.”

  She blinks up at him, canting her head to the side in confusion and scrunching up her face. “I didn’t do anything.”

  He clucks his tongue. “Of course you did. If it wasn’t for you, do you really think any of us would have ever stepped foot inside a city? We would have gone our entire lives without ever finding her.”

  Eyes far too wise for their age settle on me as realization dawns on her. “You’re not a doctor.” She doesn’t seem upset, just resigned.

  I bite my cheek before answering. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  She shrugs, carrying on as if it isn’t a big deal. “For the best. All of the doctors we’ve seen don’t know what’s wrong with me anyway, so I wasn’t convinced a city doctor would either. But I’m happy the trip wasn’t a waste.”

  I try not to get teary-eyed, but fuck, this kid is breaking my heart. “Maybe I can offer some insight still,” I throw out there, shifting on my feet and despising how useless I’m feeling right about now.

  Freya fills me in on her symptoms, but there’s barely any rhyme or reason to them. Fevers one day, lethargy, fine other days, just to lose all appetite and be bedridden for a week. Even when she eats she’s constantly losing weight, and the fevers come out of nowhere and stay for days.

  I frown. “When did all of this start?”

  Zora and Freya look at each other, yet say nothing aloud, so I assume it’s a pack link at play. After a minute, Zora answers. “Six, seven months ago?”

  “No, I mean what were you guys doing? Like, did you go camping the week before she got sick, eat something unusual? Anything out of the normal routine?”

  They just shake their heads, looking frustrated and defeated. “The usual. Zora went to and from work while I stayed home with the cubs; running them to school and back, errands, etcetera.” Freya bites her bottom lip, looking towards their daughter and it makes my heart hurt.

  Sarah cuts in. “We also went for my new bike. I only got to ride it for about a week before I started to not feel good.”

  “Where’d you buy it from? The same town you usually go to for shopping and things?”

  Freya looks skeptical. “One town over. But we’ve already asked around that one as well and no one else has gotten sick. Saw a couple of doctors too and they swore they haven’t had anyone come in with symptoms like hers and would call us if that changed.”

  I can’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind, but I don’t know if it’d be incredibly rude to ask or not. Still, I can’t help but think it.

  Her eyes.

  “What about them?”

  I jump, my other arm latching onto Ares like I can use him as a damn shield. “Holy fuck,” I breathe.

  “Language,” Freya chides, but I can’t bring myself to feel repentant right about now.

  I look between Ares and Cole, but both of them are just looking at me like I’m nuts. When I glance down to Osiris though, he’s looking right back at me, every muscle tense.

  “Did you just…?” a male voice sounds in my head and I stiffen so much a harsh breeze would be enough to knock me over.

  …Ozzy?

  There’s a lengthy pause before Cole jumps to his feet. “Is he serious?”

  “About?” I squeak, heart trying to leap out of my chest as I cling to Ares’ arm.

  “You can hear him?” Ares asks incredulously.

  “What about us?” Cole rushes out before going silent, but nothing happens.

  “That’s because she likes me best,” Ozzy brags, coming over to weave between my legs and purring.

  “Bullshit,” Ares snorts, but his grip gets noticeably tighter.

  Zora has her hands out, shaking her head. “Woah, woah, woah. Humans can’t have pack links.” She turns to Freya for confirmation. “Right?”

  The tension in the room rises to such insurmountable levels that I’m impressed I manage to draw in another breath. Not sure where to look, my eyes fall on Sarah again. She’s sitting there just grinning, and if it wasn’t for the pallor of her skin, I’d never imagine she was sick.

  “See?” She just holds my gaze, though I know she’s speaking to her parents. “Osiris said not to lose hope and he was right; apparently anything is possible.”

  Tentatively, I try reaching out to Ozzy, feeling about ten different shades of idiotic all the while. Is it rude to ask if she’s shifted since she got sick?

  “No, but what does that have to do with anything?” comes his instant reply and it’s only my death grip on Ares that keeps me standing.

  Her eyes. They don’t look like the rest of the shifters. Have they always been that color?

  His head whips to her and back. “No, they’re usually much brighter. But that isn’t unusual when a shifter’s sick. The magic that lets us change forms is harder to access when we aren’t feeling well. Typically we spend a few days curled up in one form until we ride it out.”

  So if someone screwed with that connection? The mages did something to you and trapped you like this, but it had to be for a reason. I doubt they would have gone through all of that effort just to torture you, no matter if they hated your kind or not. They had to have an ulterior motive.

  “But I’m not sick, I just can’t shift,” he tentatively disputes.

  And there were multiple who also carved into you. But what if it was just one mage that didn’t know what he was doing? We know so little about them or how they work; their entire society is incredibly tight lipped and thinks themselves superior to all of us.

  “This is absolute torture,” Cole states and I startle. “No wonder you hate it when we do it. What’s going on? What are you guys talking about?”

  I bite my bottom lip as I face Sarah. “Any chance you remember if someone maybe bumped into your shoulder or something? Anything that made you feel annoyed or just…off?”

  She frowns, mulling it over as Freya cuts in, frustrated. “Just what do you think is going on?”

  My gaze whips between them and Sarah, unsure if I should say anything in front of her. But at Osiris’ urging, stating she deserves to know anything concerning her so she can be a part of the conversation and weigh in, I relent.

  “I think it’s worth exploring the idea that a mage did something to her.”

  Rushing out my theory, I realize what a conspiracy nut I sound like, but I can’t recall the words once I start. There are just too many coincidences not to consider it.

  “But why?” Zora asks, looking on the verge of angry tears. “We keep to ourselves, don’t bother anyone. Why sort of point could they make by hurting a little girl?”

  Ares’ chest rumbles and he releases my hand, beginning to pace like he has just far too much energy to burn off. And that’s when it hits me, the answer staring us in the face the entire time.

  “Energy. They can only do so much with their abilities because it drains them, but if they could steal energy from others?” I look pointedly at where Ares is pacing like a, well, caged beast. “And shifters have far more energy than any human I’ve ever met.”

  By the time we agree to stop for the night, I’m a jittery mess.
Not only from having someone literally in my head, but the closer we get towards the city the more nauseous I feel. Who knows what all my father or Jax’s family have done by now. Did they report me as a missing person? Should I dye my hair? Are they blaming Jax’s death on me or Osiris? The news has been scarily devoid of any mention, so it was easier to push to the back of my mind when I was so far away it felt like a different world. Now? It’s almost a constant state of looking over my shoulder.

  “Ares can take you home, you know,” Ozzy offers, head resting on his paws on the seat beside me. “Cole and I can handle this.”

  Was I projecting again? I can still barely wrap my head around this, let alone getting a grasp on the fundamentals.

  “Nah, you’re just easy to read. You’re as tense as Ares up there.” He tilts his head to where his brother has a death grip on the steering wheel to prove his point.

  I take a steadying breath, but don’t magically feel any more confident than before. And let both of you get killed? What happened to pride before the fall?

  He snorts, both in my head and out loud. “I was right. You’re worse than Cole.”

  “I should go check us in,” I state, unbuckling. “You guys stay here and out of sight, if possible.”

  Ares pivots in his seat. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

  I smile at the overprotective tone, but if there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s my decision to protect them. “We have no clue what could be waiting for us, let alone the fact we’re trying to pull off an abduction. The less memorable we are at any given place the better, and a shifter strutting around in any town will be not only pretty fucking memorable, but seen as a threat. Add in you two as well? We’ll be lucky not to end up in a confrontation just trying to grab dinner somewhere.”

  Ozzy whines low in his throat and Ares looks like he wants to argue. Cole, on the other hand, cracks the window and gives me a sad smile. “We’ll keep an ear out for trouble, beautiful. Just shout if you need us to swoop in and save the day.”