Bloodshade

by Isadora Brown

  "Biased?" I asked. I couldn't help but be offended even though I was scared shitless. Jon still wasn't moving. I hoped he was faking. I needed him to be faking because if he wasn't, this was going to end very badly for me. "I am not biased."

  "See, I don't think that's true." Asher started to walk toward me, one step echoing off the tile, off this white room. "Because, if it was, then this wouldn't upset you."

  Without warning, he kicked Jon in the ribcage. I let out a cry. I didn't even know what I said—if any actual words came out of my mouth. Jon, on the other hand, didn't react. He grunted, like anyone would even if they were unconscious and kicked in the gut. But his eyes didn't flutter open, he didn't grip his stomach, he didn't even turn on his side in the fetal position. He was unconscious.

  "See?" he said.

  Please, please, please just get away from Jon. I will do whatever it is you want, but please get away from Jon.

  "If you weren't biased, that wouldn't bother you." He continued to move away from Jon but started heading closer and closer to me. I couldn't help myself when I started to take a step back and then another. "But it does. If you ask me my opinion—"

  "And I didn't."

  He grinned at my interruption but didn't let it deter him. "I think you're in love with him," he said. He took his thumb and his forefinger and brought it up in front of his face and pretended to pinch the air while winking an eye. "Maybe only a little bit, but the love you have for him is there. It's obvious."

  I didn't even want to unravel that knot. If I responded in any way, he was going to use that to make a point. I could admit it to being true—which it wasn't—or I could get defensive. Either way, I would lose and he would win.

  "And," Asher continued, "if you're biased, then how can we trust anything that you say? And if we can't trust anything you say, then your role as an investigative journalist is moot."

  At that moment, I hit a wall behind me. I had nowhere else to go. I pressed against the wall with my hands, trying to figure out what to do now. Asher continued to move forward, pinning me in place with his stare. I didn't want to stay here, waiting for him to come closer and closer, but I couldn't move if I tried. I wanted to look over at Jon, to see how he was doing, but I couldn't do that from my position without making it obvious.

  "Why are you here, Lara Tucker?" Asher continued. His voice was low, almost a whisper. His eyes never left mine in a possessive, unnerving way. "Is it to chase down another one of your stories? Maybe something to redeem you? Maybe you think you can win over your editor and get your job back?"

  "How did you know I was fired?" I asked. I probably shouldn't have been curious. It shouldn't matter how he found out because Asher Grey seemed like the sort of guy who found things out.

  He stopped and his smile flickered, like a light that was almost out but not quite.

  Huh.

  "Don't worry about where I get my information," Asher said. "What's the phrase you journalists love to use? Protecting one's source and all that?"

  "Are you going to kill me?" I asked.

  "I haven't decided yet." He stopped and started tapping the point of his chin with his finger. "I do know you found some pretty damning information."

  "Like Segerstrom doesn't exist?" I asked.

  "Yeah, that wouldn't be good if that got out," he said. He tilted his head so his nose trailed down my cheek. "Is that…is that jasmine?"

  "I don't know," I admitted. "It's the latest Taylor Swift perfume, whatever that one is."

  He chuckled. "You're cute," he said. He curled my hair behind my ear and I felt myself shudder. He laughed again, letting his hand linger as though he knew how much this bothered me and didn't care. Why would he? I knew he was exerting his power, like some kind of peacock flaunting his feathers to let everyone know who was in charge. "Do you know what your problem is?"

  "I'm sure you'll tell me," I retorted.

  He slapped his hand over my mouth and got really close. "Your mouth," he said through gritted teeth. "I like when you write. I don't have to hear a condescending, judgmental, critical tone. I don't have to hear that you think I'm an idiot. I don't have to deal with stuttering and long pauses and trying to read your mind. Everything you need to say is right on the paper. So, do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut. I guarantee you, you won't regret it."

  I clenched my teeth together and pressed my lips into a tight white line. I curled my fingers into tight fists. I knew he was telling me to shut up. I could respect that. Sometimes, I said too much and it always got me in trouble. I couldn't let myself forget. He could kill me. He could hurt me.

  I just…I just wanted to go home. I wanted to get Jon, make sure he was okay, and go home. With the file safely tucked into my jacket, of course.

  "You don't know when to shut up." He raised his eyebrows. "Now, are you done talking? Because I would love to really look at you without having to hear you talk."

  I slowly nodded my head. He released his grip on my mouth and put it back to his side.

  And then, a big, black wolf jumped onto Asher Grey's back. Asher Grey screamed in pain.

  I knew it was Jon without having to look at him. I could tell by the intense brown eyes, nearly as dark as his pupils, as they narrowed in on his target. I could hear Asher's flesh being shredded into ribbons. I clutched the file closer to my body. I was scared. Fuck, I was scared. But not because I thought Jon would turn that rage onto me. I trusted Jon. I knew, without a doubt, he would never hurt me.

  But I was also aware that he was hurt and that this attack on Asher might be short-lived if I didn't think of something fast.

  I stepped away from the two. Asher was on the ground, writhing in pain. Jon stayed on top of him, the full amount of his weight crushing Asher. I wouldn't be surprised if Jon managed to suffocate him. I saw a vase with flowers in it on Yvonne's desk. Under normal circumstances, I would have thought she was one of those women who bought herself flowers to make her feel special. Right now, I appreciated the flowers because of the vase.

  I immediately threw the flowers off to the side, took the vase, and came back to Asher and Jon. Asher was still wiggling beneath him, and even though Jon was holding him in place, I would tell Jon was tired and in pain. Without warning, I held the vase with both hands and thrust it downwards until it smashed Asher on the head. Instantly, he stopped moving. A pool of blood slowly seeped out from under him. I dropped to my knees and placed my hands on his neck. He was breathing, but barely.

  I turned my attention to Jon. "We have to get out of here," I said. "Right now."

  The wolf nodded in return.

  "Can you stay a wolf?" I asked.

  He nodded again and then nodded to his back.

  "What?" I asked. I righted myself and checked to make sure I had the file. "You want me to get on?"

  Even as a wolf, I recognized the exasperated look on his face. I threw my arms up defensively but walked over to him nonetheless. I felt uncomfortable as I hopped on. Not because I didn't know how to ride a horse but because I didn't want to demean him in any way. Jon didn't like the fact that he was this beast in the first place. I could only imagine what he felt with me on his back, riding him like he was some kind of horse.

  There was a low siren in the distance. Judging by the way Jon tilted his head to the side, I was sure he could hear it worse than I could.

  Jon took off. With one hand on the folder and the other coiled tightly around Jon's neck while still giving him some space to breathe, I managed to hang on. I had no idea where Jon was taking us, but it wasn't the same way I came in.

  We went deeper into the building. Instead of offices, there were exam rooms and glass cells. I couldn't see anyone from where I was, but that didn't mean people weren't being kept there like some sort of experiment. Asher hinted that there were others here. Part of me wanted to look for them. Leaving them behind was not something I could fathom, especially after everything Jon went through.

  "Do you know where you're going?"
I asked to the wolf. I had no idea why I did that. It wasn't like Jon could respond.

  He kept going, though. I tried to keep my eyes open for anything. Both files were pressed against me. I had completely forgotten my briefcase. I just hoped there was no way for it to be traced back to me.

  We finally hit an exit. Jon pushed it open. His strength nearly caused it to rip from the hinges. I clutched to Jon's fur as tight as I could as he leapt forward and took me through the Black Forest. It was a small patch of nature on the outskirts of the city people liked to visit to hike and get away from the city life. My uncle and I used to come here a lot when I was a kid and camp. Now, I wondered if that was all a ruse because of its close proximity to what I had assumed was an innocuous government building.

  Now that he was gone, I would never know.

  Jon kept running through the forest. It was dark and I couldn't see anything, but it didn't matter. I trusted Jon. I knew he would keep me safe.

  We didn't stop until we were deep in the heart of it. Jon slowed down but didn't stop. Not until he crossed the entire length of it and got me closer to the city. He brought his head down to the ground, indicating I should get off of him.

  "What about you?" I asked.

  He shook his head and transformed back into a man. I gulped. I knew it was completely inappropriate, but there was something about Jon, standing against the cover of night with the moonlight on his naked body. He was tall and stocky, every inch of him muscle.

  Not that I looked at every inch of him. I forced myself to keep my eyes on his face and nothing else.

  "I'm not leaving you," I told him. My voice trembled. I could see my breath in the air.

  "Stubborn ass," he muttered before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

  Shit.

  Now what?

  I started patting my stomach, my butt, my chest. Where was my phone? I needed my phone.

  I finally found it in my jacket pocket even though I had patted the spot at least twice. I unlocked it and held it up in the air, hoping for a signal. I wasn't sure I would get one in these woods but I had to try.

  I yelped when I had three bars and immediately called Robbie.

  "I need your help," I said by way of greeting.

  He was at the forest in less than ten minutes even though he lived roughly fifteen miles away. I forgot that Robby liked to drive race cars in his free time, and since it was late, there wouldn't be any traffic. I wondered if he managed to get around cops because he had technology that could tell him where they were so he would purposefully avoid those places.

  "What the hell happened?" he asked when he saw Jon's crumpled frame. I had taken off my jacket and tried to cover him up without looking. I also wanted to make sure he was warm. In the forest at night, it got really cold really fast. My teeth were chattering by the time I got off the phone with Robbie and I had my arms wrapped tightly around my body, bobbing up and down, trying to keep warm.

  "He was at the building too," I told him.

  "Yeah, I figured."

  "I didn't know he'd be there." I stepped closer to Robbie, if only to try and suck up his body heat. "Robbie, he saved my life. We can't just leave him. Please."

  Robbie glanced away but nodded his head. "Get warm," he said. "I'll get him in the car. You go sit in there and thaw."

  "You sure?" I asked but I left without waiting for a response.

  It took a few moments, but Robbie managed to get Jon into the back. He was still unconscious but at least he had a warm, fuzzy blanket wrapped around his body.

  "That was supposed to be for you," Robbie said.

  I felt myself smile despite everything that had happened. "Thank you," I told him. "For everything."

  "Of course," Robbie said, keeping his gaze ahead of him as he began to zigzag through any of the few cars on the road. "I would do anything for you. I hope you know that."

  I shifted in my seat. The problem was, I did know that. And now that he had said the words out loud, there was part of me that worried I was using him. I was taking advantage of his generosity for my own selfish gain. There was a reason I didn't want to ask for help. There was a reason I didn't involve anyone. Part of it was because I didn't want anyone getting hurt on my account. But another part was risking someone for my own gain. I didn't want to be a selfish asshole. But I was.

  When we got to the building, Robbie told me to go in through the front and he would handle getting Jon in through the back. I figured that was a good plan and didn't worry about the logistics. I nodded at the doorman as I stepped through and got to Robbie's penthouse a few minutes later.

  I didn't have to wait long for Robbie to show up with a still-unconscious Jon. He all but tossed him on the bed in the third bedroom.

  "Now what?" Robbie asked.

  I shrugged. "We wait."

  Chapter 19

  "What the hell happened?" Robbie asked, the minute he emerged from the bedroom.

  I shifted my eyes over to Robbie and shook my head once. Not now. I wasn't in the mood to talk about what had just happened yet. He looked like he was going to argue by shifting his weight, but then stopped, nodded his head once.

  I needed to shower. I needed to get this grime off of me.

  I moved from the living room and headed to the bathroom. I was grateful that Robbie didn't try to stop me. At the very least, he seemed to know what I needed and gave me the space to do it.

  Once I was tucked safely in the bathroom, I stripped down. I turned on the shower and steam began to fill the air. Stepping into the hot water, I closed my eyes and felt my body relax under the water. I breathed in the steam. Tears came into my eyes. This time, I didn't try to hold them back. I let them out.

  I wasn't sure if Robbie could hear me crying. I hoped not. I knew that no matter what happened, he would always worry about me. I just didn't want comfort. I wanted to be alone. To think. To really take in what had happened.

  Jon had almost died. Asher mentioned shooting him with silver. I hadn't thought Jon had a weakness. I didn't think the government would give him a weakness in case the enemy discovered it and used it to their advantage.

  I was wrong.

  Of course they would give him a weakness. What if their technology turned on them? They needed a way to control them.

  I turned in the shower, letting the water hit my back and fall over my body. My hair matted to my face. I didn't bother to push the strands away.

  Jon had almost died.

  I couldn't get the thought out of my head. My body went cold at it echoing around in my mind. I couldn't imagine anything happening to Jon. I didn't want to think of such a terrible thing.

  I breathed out through my mouth. It did nothing to calm me down.

  Asher Grey's face flashed through my mind. The glass that encased the shower fogged up. I didn't bother to wipe anything away. There was nothing I wanted to see in the luxurious bathroom. I just wanted to get the coldness out of my body. I wanted to be warm again.

  I had nearly been…

  I didn't want to think of the word. Would Asher Grey have raped me in his girlfriend's office? I didn't know. I had to think he wouldn't, with Jon's body right there. Jon could have woken up at any moment—and he had.

  But Asher was arrogant. I had met men like him through my job—my former job—and the paper. Nothing surprised me anymore.

  I grabbed the lavender vanilla body wash I had used when Robbie and I had been dating. I was surprised he still kept it here. I grabbed a loofa and began to scrub my body everywhere. All over. The rough material burned my skin, but I didn't care. It was a relief to feel the pain because I knew this was coming off of me. I needed to get it off of me.

  When I finished, I leaned against the wall, positioning my back underneath the heavy pressure of the shower. It almost felt like a massage. I closed my eyes and stayed there, getting a nice stretch out of it as well.

  I didn't know how long I had been standing there, but the water soon turned lukewarm, which had never
happened at any point in my relationship with Robbie, so I must have been in there for a while.

  I wrapped a towel around my body and was about to change into my old clothes when there was a gentle knock on the door. I cracked it open and saw Robbie standing there with a pile of clothes in his hands.

  "I figured you wouldn't want to sleep in those clothes," he said, "and I knew you hadn't washed your pajamas yet. Take these for now. We can get you knew clothes in the morning."

  I wanted to tell him that I was fully capable of getting my own clothes. I didn't need him doing everything for me. But I knew Robbie was just trying to be helpful. I nodded once and whispered a gentle “thank you” before taking the clothes and closing the door. I dried myself off, patted down my hair as best as I could, and pulled on the pajama pants the drowned my feet and Robbie's old Dave Matthew's Band T-shirt. They smelled like they were freshly washed.

  Clean.

  Just like I was now.

  I bundled my old clothes in my arms and stepped out. I headed to where Robbie was keeping Jon. I didn't even look to find Robbie, though I probably should have. At the very least, to thank him. But I needed to see Jon. I needed to know he was okay.

  When I got to the room, I slowly opened the door and let myself in. I probably should have knocked, but I didn't. I set the clothes on the dresser, forgetting them the second I got them out of my arms, and turned to look at Jon. Robbie had dressed him in another set of pajama pants. Robbie was shorter than Jon was so they were an inch or two above Jon's ankle. I had to bite my bottom lip when I saw that. I wondered how Robbie felt upon seeing it. The shirt Robbie put him in was probably Robbie's biggest shirt, but it was still tight on Jon, clinging to him like a lover might.

  Like I wanted to.

  There was an armchair placed next to the bed with a warm, fuzzy folded blanket placed on it. I recognized that blanket as one I had picked out when we went shopping one day at Target and had never found when I was leaving. It was my favorite blanket and I was so mad I couldn't find it. I wouldn't be surprised if this was Robbie's doing. He would know I would want to sit next to Jon. He knew I would want to ensure that Jon was all right.