by Ruby Forrest
"And when it was coming towards her, I closed my eyes and a second later it was gone and you were there. How the hell do you explain that?" Her voice cracked again.
Darcy sighed and frowned. He was staring into the fire light, an intense look in his eyes, and a dark look on his face as he shook his head slowly, "Look, I don’t know what to tell you, Isabella- Fae. You wouldn't believe me anyway, so what am I supposed to say?"
Isabella- Fae bristled, feeling tense. So he was hiding something from her, "You tell me the truth!"
"You know what, I think I'll just show you." Darcy pushed himself up, to his feet, staring her straight in the eyes. There was a tense feeling in the air, like electricity was cracking between them, strong and shaky and volatile, burning and shuddering, like a drug, like a prayer, like a promise. She could feel it building and building and building, like it was finally about to give way.
Then it happened. Before he very eyes, Darcy changed, his body shifting and morphing into something else, something different. He shuddered and suddenly, Darcy was no longer standing in front of her. Instead, there was a panther staring back at her, eyes glittering like darkness, glowing in the dim afternoon light.
Then Darcy was back again, standing a few feet away from her with his hands up, "Don't freak out. I have enough to deal with and I can't be trying to chase you down too. I'm a shifter." His words came out in a rush, "A shifter, a panther. It is why I was chosen to protect your father, and it is how I've been tracking him." He swallowed, "I'm not one of the bad guys. I'm here to help. I promise."
Isabella- Fae couldn’t believe what she was hearing could not believe what he was saying. A shifter? It sounded absolutely insane. If she hadn't just seen it with her own eyes, she would not have believed it. Even now, she was having trouble getting herself to accept what he had said as truth. She could not believe that all of this insanity was real. The stress about her father was already coursing through her veins, the near death experience acute and sickening. This just left her reeling more and more.
Again, she felt it, the tense feeling in the air, like electricity was cracking between them, strong and shaky and volatile, burning and shuddering, like a drug, like a prayer, like a promise. She could feel it building and building and building, like it was finally about to give way.
"You don't have to like it, and once we are done, you never have to see me again." Darcy's voice was cool and focused, "But we need to find your father and this is our best chance. We have to move now, before I lose their trail."
His words drove his point home sharply and Isabella- Fae knew that he was right. She needed to make sure she did what she set out to do, no matter how crazy things seemed to have gotten now, no matter how intense things seemed to be at the moment. She needed to keep moving.
"Okay." The word was out before she had a chance to consider. She knew that she needed to get over this, get past this, so that they could save her father. And no matter how crazy the situation was, Darcy had never been anything but good to her. He had saved her life, more than once. He had kept her safe, taken her with him, made sure that she was protected. He had risked his life for her more than once. He had lied to her about this, yes, but not directly and Isabella- Fae couldn’t blame him.
He barely knew her, and to reveal something that crazy to a woman you did not know, without knowing what her reaction would be...well, Isabella- Fae probably wouldn't have releveled it any more readily than he had. She could not blame him for it, and could not find it in her heart to be angry at him about it, could not find it in her heart to hate him for him, or find anything other than respect for him.
The initial anger, and incredulous feelings that had risen inside of her, the panic and fear and uncertainty...they all seemed to fade away, to ease into nothing. Isabella- Fae swallowed, feeling a little sick at the roller-coaster that her emotions had gone through. She swallowed and turned towards Darcy, "Let's go."
He nodded and she could see the surprise in his eyes, "This way."
Isabella- Fae grabbed her bag and followed Darcy as he hurried through the jungle. Suddenly, the ache in her body did not seem important. They were so close that she could taste it, so close to her father that she could almost feel him. She swallowed back the fear, the aches, all of it. Nothing else mattered. Finding her father was all that mattered and she needed to make it count.
As they approached, Darcy gestured for her to be quiet, to move slowly. Now that she knew more about him, she was noticing things that she hadn't before, noticing the way he moved, the way he shifted, so catlike and predatory, so much like the animal that he could change into.
It was insane, but she was comforted by it. She had watched him fight and she did not doubt his ability to get her out of here alive. Hopefully, they could get her father out too. Her chest ached at the thought of him but she pressed onwards.
They were so close. At Darcy's signal, they approached the building. Isabella- Fae's heart pounded in her chest. She was so close.
It was time to move.
Chapter 7
They raced into the building, Isabella- Fae following Darcy’s lead, the way that he moved with such purpose and grace, the intension burning in him, the lack of doubt, the lack of worry and the certainty giving her strength where she felt like she had none. She could do it. She could get through this, move forward and claim what was hers- her father. And his safety. She could do it. Now that they were so close, the fears were all but gone, leaving nothing but a burning sort of determination in their stead, in their wake. She shuddered and hurried after him, as Darcy bashed down doors and kicked through partitions. He was not being gentle and he was' trying to be stealthy and Isabella- Fae felt like she could understand that. After all, if other people here were panther shifters like he was, she could only assume that their sense of smell was great, and that they would have known that they were coming by the time they entered the doors. The only way that they could get around this, that Isabella- Fae could see, was by just ploughing forward regardless of the consequences regardless of what might happen. The only way to move forward was to keep moving forward, to not stop, no matter what. It set Isabella- Fae on edge, but there was nothing else for it.
"When we find your father, get him the hell out of here. Call the police, let them know your exact location." Darcy's voice was sharp and controlled, "There's a GPS locator on the phone, so use it!"
Isabella- Fae nodded, feeling worry twist inside of her. They were so close, so close to finally ending all of this, finally getting out safety. She would just have to trust that Darcy knew what he was doing, that he would get out safely too. Suddenly, it was about more than just protecting her father, it was about making sure that Darcy got out in one piece too, that Darcy found his way out just as well as she would.
"Dad!" She yelled, deciding to throw caution to the wind and call out for him instead, "Dad, where are you?"
"Isabella- Fae?" His voice was a distant echo through the halls, but Isabella- Fae did not care. Her father was here! Her father was alive and she felt tears spring to her eyes, happiness flooding her and making her giddy.
"Dad, we're here to help!" She called out again, changing directions quickly to follow Darcy, who was now pelting through a second corridor. Isabella- Fae's breath was coming in quick, short pants, her eyes flooded with possibility and worry and hope. It did not take them long to find him, to stumble open a locked door. It did not seem to make any difference to Darcy, who rammed it with his shoulder, slamming it hard and pushing it open like it weighed nothing at all, like it took no force whatsoever.
Isabella- Fae raced in, her heart pounding her chest aching, only to come face to face with him, with her father. He was there! He was alive! Isabella- Fae felt happiness rise up inside of her like a wave, "Dad!"
"Move!" Darcy's voice cut through the reunion like a knife, slamming through it and preventing her father from doing anything at all. Isabella- Fae did not need telling twice. What good w
as a reunion if it did not last? If it did not mean anything and her father was whisked away again.
She grabbed him by his hand, glancing him up and down, relieved that he did not seem to be seriously injured, "This way!" She called as they raced through the corridors. Isabella- Fae did not think she could ever forget the way out, every twist burnt into her mind, from fear and determination and something else, something that beat tightly in her chest. They were almost there. Almost there! She felt the ache, the tension, the closeness.
Then they were bursting out the doors, the sound of yelling and snarling behind them, left in the dust as they pelted out, racing through the jungle. Isabella- Fae never let go of her father's hand, never let go of the tight grip that she had formed, the way that she held on so tight, for dear life. She was so close to getting them out of here. They ran and ran, tripping over roots and vines, smacking away any bit of plant or leaf that got in the way, pushing it out until they were both out of breath and too tired to run anymore. Isabella- Fae collapsed against a tree, her father clutching his chest and sinking down beside her.
With shaking hands, Isabella- Fae grabbed for her phone, desperate for this to finally, finally be over. She flicked through the GPS, found the coordinates and then dialed the emergency number. She was put through immediately. At first, she was surprised that she could get a signal at all out here, then she remember that they were close to a base, which probably had something connected to it. That just prompted her to move that much faster.
"Hi, yes, we're at the following coordinates and we need help now!" Isabella- Fae rattled the coordinates off, feeling the stress in her chest ease, "We're in serious trouble, and people are after us. Please help!"
Isabella- Fae and her father sank down in the bushes, Isabella- Fae gripping her father tightly. He was here! He was alive! That alone made Isabella- Fae so happy she wanted to scream it from the rooftops, let everyone know what had happened.
And at the same time, she had to be as quiet as possible, or both her, and her father, were dead meat.
She held him tight and tried to stay silent. When the sound of helicopters fluttered overhead, Isabella- Fae felt a huge sigh of relief leave her. She only hoped and prayed that Darcy would get out safely too.
She did not want to lose him. Not now. Not when she had finally regained her father.
She waved down the helicopter, and prayed.
Epilogue
Isabella- Fae turned, feeling the warmth of Darcy beside her in bed. His arms were wrapped around her lazily, in the kind of comfort that came from having peace, stability and a loved one near. Isabella- Fae sighed in contentment, the dark of the room around them comforting, lulling her into a peaceful sleep, into the kind of rest that was only afforded to those who deserved it, to those who were truly there for each other when life's battles came. Isabella- Fae felt a warmth flood her system, a comfort and a serenity that she had feared she would never, ever reach. She needed this, needed to wake up with Darcy's arms around her, feeling the warmth of his breathing and the rise and fall of his chest, knowing that he was here, that he was here and everything that she had gone through.
She had been so worried about him. Memories of the fear and panic rushed back to her- worries that she wouldn't be able to find him that he had perished during the fight that he had never even had a chance to begin with. When the police had carried her and her father away, it was all that she could do to understand that he was not by her side that he might not ever be by her side again.
The panic and the pain had been too much, it had been so acute, so achingly intense, and so tight around her chest, like a rubber band, like an aching twist in her heart. Her father had tried to reassure her, but there was nothing that he could say that would ease the ache, ease the way her heart burnt for him.
Isabella- Fae had given a statement and they had both been taken to hospital and patched up. Isabella- Fae had just started to give up hope, to truly give up hope of ever finding him again, when he had shown up at the hospital. She had been so happy, so happy and relieved, feeling warmth flood her chest and a peace fill her with joy. He was here, here and alive and it was everything that she had hoped for, everything that she had been praying for.
He had told her that he had given a statement to the police that he had run away and hid. They had believed him, seeing as all of the injuries of the others had seemed to come from that of a wild animal attack, so it could not possibly have been him. His story checked out and he was free to go.
Isabella- Fae couldn't have been happier. Her happiness was even more acute when he had promised that he would return to her to America. When he had told her that he loved her, Isabella- Fae had felt like the happiest woman in the world.
And now, a few months later, they were here, lying in her apartment, which he now shared and helped to pay for. They both worked for her father's company now, in different areas, and Isabella- Fae couldn't be happier. Her father was safe and well, the country was back on an even keel and Darcy was here in her arms.
She rolled over, pressing lightly against him, kissing him with a soft and tender touch. Darcy moaned softly in his sleep, tired and sleepy. She kissed him again and this time he responded. She shivered, feeling pleasure rush through her at his touch, the way his arms wrapped gently around her, the way he pulled her in close and kissed her skin so tenderly, like a whisper, like a caress. It was everything that she had ever dreamed of and more. She rolled on top of him, relishing the fact that they never wore clothes to bed.
She ran her hands all over his skin, remembering the first night that they had been intimate and how explosive that had been, how it blew her mind and flooded her system with passion. How perfect it was now, now that they were lying together, both wrapped up in each other's embrace, feeling the connection pulse between them, flickering like a light, burning strong like a flame.
She shifted so that he pressed against her entrance, feeling her breath catch in her chest as she moaned, as she arched her hips, rocking softly against him, feeling him slide within her. She gasped, "Oh, Darcy..."
"Isabella- Fae..." His voice was a murmur, strained with the pleasure that passed between them. It was perfect. It was everything that she had ever wanted and more. Then he arched his hips, a soft thrust within her. She cried out, her body poised and trembling, as she arched back, gasping his name again and again.
He was here. They were home and he was not going anywhere. Isabella- Fae couldn't be happier, couldn't have wanted anything more, and couldn’t have felt more at peace. It was perfect. Darcy was here and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Darcy was here and she was home. She was home, in the arms of the man she loved, and it felt perfect. It felt like everything she had ever wanted.
THE END