Destined to Run

by J. Kearston

  “I’m not that level of weird. Yet. But we don’t want to leave any more evidence of us being here than necessary. Fingerprints are bad enough, but they’d be hard to get in a place like this that sees so much traffic. Semen on the other hand is pretty hard to explain away.”

  I fix the short skirt of my dress, blushing as I feel the air caressing every naked curve. “Someone’s going to get an eyeful of my ass on the stairs when we leave.”

  Ares traces the bite mark on my shoulder with his fingertip, orange eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them. He looks every bit the predator he’s concealing right now, danger radiating off of him in waves. There’s a small, instinctual part of me that wants to hide, but a much larger one that wants to surrender control and submit to him.

  “I’ll take care of that, don’t worry.” And for once? I don’t give it another thought, trusting that he wouldn’t lie and things will be alright.

  “It’s the alpha thing,” Cole assures me, tracing his mark with his tongue before kissing it. “Not in the sense of how wolves tend to create their hierarchy, but the term ‘king of the jungle’ came from somewhere. The strongest shifters occasionally get into fights over who’s really the top of the food chain, but all of the felines in our section of the wilds know Ares could destroy them if he wanted to,” he purrs in my ear, getting hard again as he runs his hands over me, like he can’t help but to touch me right now. “He’s been too close to going feral for years and they can sense that, know better than to risk it. Trust me gorgeous. You may be human, but you have the instincts of a shifter too; they’re just diluted.”

  I swallow, feeling the truth in his words. “We should go check on Ozzy and regroup; come up with our next move.”

  “He’s going to be impossible after this,” Ares points out with a smirk. “So expect him to smother you more than usual.”

  We make our way out of the room and down the hallway. When we get to the main area, Selena catches my eye and smirks, raising her glass in my direction and I feel my cheeks heat. Gently, I trace the teeth marks that I know will certainly bruise.

  I may not be a mage, but I wear my own marks on display here, and not a single glance in my direction shows anything other than envy or amusement.

  When we get to the stairs, I blurt out a surprised laugh as both of Ares’ hands slap down to cup my ass, staying close to my back to block anyone’s view from below. “See? What did I say about being too perfect? You’re going to give me inadequacy issues here,” I chuckle as we head outside onto the street.

  “Says the most amazing mate I’ve ever met,” Cole protests and I snort.

  “Hopefully I’m the only mate you’ve ever met.”

  He winks. “So there’s no reason to worry; it’s not even a competition.”

  As we step onto the sidewalk the levity drains away as we fall into a typical routine of caution. Human-shifter relationships are still sneered upon here, even if they aren’t outright illegal, and it can bring out some really hostile crazies. Someone bumps into my shoulder on the sidewalk and I grab Ares’ arm before he retaliates.

  “It was an accident, it’s fine.”

  He cranes his head behind us still and I follow his line of sight. “It’s the middle of the night, the sidewalk isn’t that crowded.”

  I frown as I watch the man walk away, glancing over at Mystics with disgust before carrying on. That in itself isn’t registering as odd to me, but his outfit is. Even this late at night the weather is mild compared to what it’s been the last few weeks. I only have a slight chill in this getup, and it’s more from the breeze against my naked ass than anything. This man on the other hand, is in jeans and a simple t-shirt with a scarf draped around his neck.

  If you’re cold enough for a scarf, you wouldn’t be walking around in a t-shirt.

  “Should we follow him?” Ares’ voice responds, and both of our gazes whip to one another before breaking out in matching smiles.

  “See, Rin? You’re so amazing that you fuck a pack link into creation. You’re obviously way out of our league here, and we’re the lucky ones,” Cole humors me and I roll my eyes. Still, I can’t hide my massive grin.

  Yes, we should follow him. Cole, why don’t you go get the truck while we keep tabs on him?

  Cole departs casually, yet quickly, while Ares and I fall into step behind the man. He’s young, mid-twenties if I had to guess, and has earbuds in, not paying attention to what’s happening around him. He keeps his head down, like he’s not trying to draw any unwanted attention either, and I wrestle with my instincts.

  He’s not acting like a typical mage, but I have such a strong feeling that he is. Yet, if I try to move his scarf to look, he’ll have the full opportunity to use his defensive abilities to escape. Though, if I’m wrong, this could end with us on the run for kidnapping without even having a mage to show for it.

  “What do you think?” Ares asks and I chew my lip so much I’m surprised it’s still intact.

  Why do I have to decide? What if I’m wrong and I fuck everything up? Can’t you just, like, smell him or something? Do mages smell different than humans? I bet they’re spicy, vampires probably think they’re a special treat-

  “Rin. What do you think?” he asks again; firm, yet patient.

  Taking a calming breath through my nose and out my mouth, I strive to listen to their advice and stop overthinking in favor of just feeling. I need to trust my instincts, because they’ve gotten me where I am. And if you ignore all of the countless problems, it’s actually pretty amazing.

  Let’s grab him. The alley up ahead; if you can direct Cole to the other side, and think you can trap his arms before he can retaliate, let’s go for it.

  I’m surprised to feel a thrill run down my spine that I know sure as shit isn’t my own, glancing over to see a predatory smile on Ares’ face. He’s been more reluctant than any of us about this plan from the beginning, but now that we’re face to face with it actually happening? I’m half concerned he’s going to shift and run him down as a tiger at this point.

  “Three, two,” he counts down before darting forward and banding his arms around the man from behind, dragging him off his feet easily.

  I race to keep up, quickly jerking part of his scarf up and over his mouth to muffle his shouts. He’s thrashing around too much for me to untangle it from his neck, and I jam my hand into his pockets, frantically searching.

  “Little rude to grope another man’s junk so soon after you came on mine,” Ares tosses out there and I mentally flip him off. He doesn’t appear to be having any issue restraining the man, far too at ease for the situation, but his joking helps keep me from spiraling.

  “Aha!” I pull out the phone that was wedged into his too-tight pants and rip the back off.

  The man struggles harder as I pull the SIM card out and smash it alongside the battery and phone, tossing the majority of the pieces into the dumpster as Ares hauls him towards the other side of the alley where Cole comes to a screeching halt.

  I open the back door and Ares drags himself and the man in easily, Ozzy there snarling and teeth bared. The man frantically struggles at the sight, but goes ramrod straight when Ozzy opens his mouth and leans closer to his throat, making his point clear.

  Shutting his door, I move to mine, hefting myself up with far less grace. Cole pulls away slowly, following all of the speed limits to the digit as we start making our way to the edge of town. None of us dare speak until we cross town lines, as if that somehow makes us less noticeable. It’s only after we’re well onto the highway that I breathe a bit easier, putting a hand to my chest.

  “Holy hell, I hope we never have to do that again.”

  “If he’s not a mage, what do we do with him? Dump the body on the side of the road?” Ozzy asks without remorse.

  “Fuck, man,” Cole asks, chuckling nervously. “When did you get so ruthless?” He shakes his head before glancing at me. “Honestly. He tears out one throat and now he’s got a taste for blood as bad a
s the vamps.”

  The man in the back squeaks nervously, but doesn’t fight. Short of trying to cause a crash at these high speeds, he’s smart to wait for a better opportunity.

  Time to bite the bullet, so to speak. “Mage or no?”

  There’s a clear moment where he mentally scrambles for whichever answer he thinks will result in his best chance at survival, but ultimately, he knows we’ll find out one way or another and goes for honesty. When he nods his head, I sag in visible relief.

  “Thank gods. Then I’ll make you a deal, alright?” He eyes me warily, waiting for me to proceed. “Help us, and I won’t let them kill you.”

  Seventeen

  Osiris

  We don’t head straight home despite how badly we all want to have the illusion of safety. It’s not worth the risk of leading anyone straight to our doorstep if we were followed, though. Instead, we voted to go way out of our way, driving through the night and the better part of the next day. The only stops we made were bathroom breaks and so that Ares and Cole could trade off.

  The scent of sex clings to Rin as well as the evidence of claiming bites starting to bruise on her shoulders already, and all I want to do is add my scent to hers. The urge is so overwhelming it’s hard to fight, needing to claim her as mine despite the fact that she’s part of our pride in every way that matters. Hell, I never even expected a pack link was possible with a human and should be grateful for just that.

  But I’m not.

  I don’t want to look at the glass half full. I don’t want to have to be grateful for something as basic as being happy I’m alive. I want my fucking body back and I want to kiss my goddamn mate. It isn’t wrong to want more and I’m sick of pretending everything is okay.

  So rather than curling up on her lap, I stay in the back with our prisoner; torn between wanting him to fix me and hoping he gives me an excuse to tear his throat out to release some of this pent up aggression. The longer I spend as an ocelot, the more feral I’m starting to feel. My animalistic instincts are becoming louder and harder to ignore and a part of me is terrified that too much longer, I won’t even remember how to shift back.

  I’ll be stuck like this forever and I have no clue if I can mentally survive it. If my instincts are this amped up already, then what about a few more months down the road? As the years drag on and I’m relegated to a pet while everyone continues their lives happily around me, telling me to just be happy I’m alive?

  How can I stand by and watch my brothers live the life that should be mine too, and plaster a smile on my face for them day after day?

  “Let’s stop for the night,” Ares decides, pulling off of the main road and towards the woods.

  We’ve just left a slum town behind that I’m amazed isn’t overrun with mole people and rats, it’s so unsettling. Most of the towns have a semblance of normalcy; even the poorest of them. This one though, looked like something straight out of an apocalyptic horror film and I’m more than a little happy to cross the invisible border that designates the wilds. I don’t smell any others immediately nearby, not that I’m surprised. I wouldn’t want to establish my territory this close to a town like that either.

  “I’ll get a tent set up,” he offers, leaving Cole on guard duty. Rin attempts to help him and I watch as he smiles at her fumbling, showing her what to do. My heart lurches, wanting that.

  “I guess we should set up a watch schedule,” Cole tosses out there, not that the mage can respond.

  During the drive, they adjusted his gag and bound his hands behind his back more securely. Still, none of us trust a mage as far as Rin could throw one. The rest of us could get a little distance, and I don’t want to even give him that much credit.

  “You’re projecting,” Cole gently informs me and I growl, since I can’t fucking curse like this.

  I’m just… I trail off, not even sure where to start with as hot of a mess as I am. I’m drowning so much I can’t even see the surface anymore, Cole.

  “I know, brother. I know. But this will work; it has to.”

  There’s just so much riding on this panning out, and why the hell would he even agree to help? What’s to stop him from doing something to you guys too when we unbind him?

  He takes a minute to gather his thoughts, and all the while I continue to spiral. When he finally does speak I’m even more of a wreck, my nerves frayed beyond measure.

  “’What ifs’ get us nowhere worth venturing. One step at a time and if it blows up in our faces, I’m sure Rin will push him in front of a truck or something before moving onto plan b.”

  Snorting out a laugh, I feel just a bit better. Taking a page out of my mate’s book, I take a few breaths and try to calm down. I can hold it together for a little longer; I have to. When I shift back, I still need to make her fall in love with me. She loves Ozzy; but she doesn’t know Osiris. If I let myself go past the point of no return, I’ll lose her before I even have her.

  She’s worth fighting for, even when the person I’m fighting is myself.

  “Take a break,” Ares offers, dragging the mage from the truck and gesturing with his head towards the tent. “You two crawl in with her for a few hours and I’ll watch the mage. I’ll wake you when I need to switch.”

  As much as I try to protest, he puts his foot down. My instincts beg me to submit under the force of his declaration and I both love and hate him for it. Ares always knows when we’re standing in our own way and need a shove to see sense, and he doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to taking care of us. He sees what we need far clearer than we ever can, and as much as Cole calls me the glue in the family, I don’t see it for a second. Without Ares, we’d have curled up and died long ago when things were bad enough it was impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He gives us the tough love and kick in the ass we need from time to time, and I hope one day I’ll be able to return the favor.

  “You’re projecting,” he chuckles and I snap my teeth in annoyance. “But trust me; you brought our mate home, brother. We are more than even.”

  I don’t bother arguing since he pulled the Rin card. Queen trumps knight every time.

  “A couple of cars pulled over a little ways back. I was waiting to see if they were stopping for engine trouble or a piss, but it’s been too long. We need to go,” Ares wakes me, sounding on edge.

  My ears perk up, as I’m pulled from my slumber. Groggily, I try to sift through the multitude of noises from the road not too far in the distance for the ones he’s concerned about. The polluted scent of exhaust overwhelms the timber of the forest, adding just one more thing to muddle through. When one scent in particular registers as familiar, I’m on my feet snarling and awake in an instant.

  “What is it?” Cole mumbles, face still buried in Rin’s hair as they gradually wake up since it can’t have been more than an hour.

  I ignore him for the moment, reaching out to Ares since time is of the essence. It’s Carson, Ares. Her dad. I’d recognize his cologne anywhere.

  He curses as I relay the message to the others, and Rin’s heart starts sprinting in her chest. They scramble to their feet, jerking the zipper open and clambering out in haste now. We abandon the tent and start running towards the truck not too far off, but it feels like a mile as a shot fires out, grazing my shoulder. Another hits Cole in the arm, pushing Rin out of the way in time.

  The next we’re all surprised when Ares jerks the mage out of the way and takes a bullet to the side in his place. The gag slips off of the mage’s face, but he keeps his mouth shut, rather than distract the only people keeping him alive right now.

  “Corinna,” Carson’s smooth voice snaps out like a whip. “Are you alright?”

  Her heart hammers as she tries to put herself in front of Cole. Naturally, he doesn’t entertain the ridiculous notion despite her best efforts. “She’s fine,” he growls, defensive and only making things worse.

  My shoulder burns and blood stains my fur, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve been
through now. The mages may have taken so much from me, but they at least taught me how to fight through the pain and keep a clear head.

  Easy. There’s at least ten of them, I warn.

  Having a front row seat to the sort of person Carson is, I hate him more than my brothers are able to. They despise him on principle from the stories they’ve heard, but I was forced to witness everything play out, watch his mask dissolve until showing his true face. Just the sound of his voice makes me ill, wanting to tear him apart. And out here, just into the wilds?

  I finally have the chance.

  “Don’t worry, Corinna,” he continues like Cole never spoke. “We’ll get you back where you belong. You’re safe now.”

  “Does he honestly think that would make me feel better?” she thinks, the three of us having open access to her thoughts whether or not she means to send them our way.

  I’m right there with her as she wrestles with the best way to walk away from this without anyone getting killed. Thank fuck she realizes if she were to go with him, he’d still kill us, so she doesn’t entertain the thought of sacrificing herself.

  “She’s staying with us,” Ares declares, drawing the focus of several of the humans spreading out to surround us. The mage pales, looking like he’s about to puke as guns are turned on him next.

  There are few enough of them that I know we could tear our way out if it were just my brothers and me, but not while trying to protect Rin and the mage. Our attention would be split and with this many guns in play, someone will undeniably end up dead. It’s just not a gamble any of us are willing to take when the stakes are so high. There has to be a way out of this, I just need some time to think.

  “Just what the hell are you even doing?” another man snaps, seeing the way the mage is bound. “You sick fucks just collecting people now? Not enough bitches to rut out here in no-man’s land?”

  “That’s not it,” Rin starts, but her dad cuts her off. “Let the men speak, Corinna. You’ve caused enough trouble already, don’t you think?” His voice barely holds the illusion of fatherly concern, the façade falling away faster than usual. “Making us chase after you all the way out here when you were so close to home?”