by Juniper Hart
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of headlights nearing and he turned, blinded by the light through the rain.
“What the hell?” he yelled as the Jeep barreled toward him. Abruptly, the vehicle slowed and Xander glowered at the woman in the passenger side. Confusion swept through him as he eyed the raven-haired female. She didn’t belong around there any more than Laurel did.
“Hallo! Talar pu ensku?” she asked pleasantly in flawless Icelandic.
“Yes, I speak English,” he answered slowly. “What do you want?”
He kept his tone purposely unfriendly but that didn’t seem to faze the woman in the least.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine,” the woman said. “Red hair, green eyes. Very pretty. Have you seen someone like her?”
A dozen emotions flooded Xander in a torrent. If he thought he hadn’t trusted Laurel, this woman was an assault to his instincts. He wanted nothing more than to turn and run as far away from her as possible.
“Nope,” Xander lied. “Sorry.”
He turned to trudge away, heading in the opposite direction of the house, but before he could, the black-haired woman called out to him again.
“Are you sure? She’s quite distinctive.”
“I said no,” Xander shot back without turning.
Suddenly, a man appeared in front of him, eyes flashing with fury, and cold terror shot through Xander’s body.
“Interesting,” the man growled, reaching out to grab the canvas bag off his shoulder. “This looks like her bag.”
Xander immediately realized his mistake but as he spun to sprint into the woods, the man shifted into a huge, wolf, gnashing his teeth as he fell back onto all four legs.
Oh no. No, not shifters, Xander thought, panic rising in his gut. We came here to escape all the crazy of the world.
“No sense in running, dear,” the woman called, still in the protection of the Jeep. “It’s hard to outrun a wolf.”
Xander’s bowels turned to water and he shuddered as he slowly turned to face her.
“What do you want?” he rasped, painfully aware of how closely the animal loomed in his face.
“What we told you, dear. To find Laurel. Get in and take us to her and maybe we’ll let you live.”
14
By mid-afternoon, the rain had tapered off and Laurel knew it was going to be time to leave soon. She stared out the window as the clouds finally parted, making way for the sunshine that had been longing to break through for two days.
“Are you sure you have to go?” Nicoy asked, his voice husky as he joined her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.
“I wish I didn’t,” she sighed. “But there are people looking for me.”
“People or shifters?” he asked.
Laurel turned and eyed him warily.
“Does it really matter?”
“I’m not sure,” he confessed, chuckling. “Am I in danger knowing the truth?”
He doesn’t know the truth. Not the real truth. He barely knows the tip of the iceberg.
“Mortals know about us,” she assured him, understanding what he was asking. “It’s not that big a deal. The world is a bit more accepting.”
From a human standpoint anyway, she thought.
“Laurel, are you sure you don’t want to tell me why you’re really here?” he pressed. Her spine tensed.
“I’m sure,” she replied quietly. “And it’s not because I don’t want to tell you, Nic. It’s because—”
“I get it,” he interjected, hugging her closer. “I just want you to know that whatever it is, I can handle it. I don’t want you to think I’ll be scared off if you tell me something.”
She gave him a tentative smile.
“I think we’ve established that already,” she agreed, chuckling. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and turned to fully face him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen after I leave here,” she said honestly. “I won’t be able to come back for a while, not without…”
She paused, rewording the sentiment in her head.
“Not without a significant amount of time going by. There are going to be questions as to where I was and who I was with. I won’t bring you or Xander into this, but I will need to be careful for a while.”
“How long are we talking?” Nicoy asked worriedly.
At least until Anatoli leaves, she thought grimly.
“I honestly can’t say. I hope it won’t take too long but once I do return, we’ll have to figure out a way to see one another discreetly. Honestly, I’m a little concerned about Xander. Maybe we’ll have to find a way that he won’t know I’m around.”
Nicoy nodded understandingly.
“Whatever it takes, we’ll figure it out,” he promised and a wave of relief washed through her.
“I know we will,” she told him, brushing her lips against his. She pulled back and sighed, lowering her head.
“I should get ready to move out. I’ve already been here long enough.”
“But the roads will be washed out,” Nicoy cried by way of an excuse. She gave him a wry smile.
“I don’t need the roads,” she reminded him.
“Right. Of course.”
It was Nicoy’s turn to sigh.
“I’ll see if Xander is finished sulking in his room,” he said, untangling himself from her. “Despite what you might think, I believe Xander likes you. I think he really believes he’s got my best interest at heart when he acts like a weirdo.”
Laurel laughed.
“You’re lucky to have a friend like that,” she told him truthfully. She watched as he retreated into the house to find Xander, leaving her to ponder the next few hours.
What am I going to tell Preston and Anatoli about where I was?
She would need to come up with something solid to ensure she didn’t rouse suspicions, but she was drawing a blank. There wasn’t a possible good reason she could think of for not returning to the unit after healing.
I could tell them I got caught in a bear trap and it took me that long to get out, she thought but that wouldn’t work either. If that were true, she would have bled to death. She considered using amnesia as an excuse and almost laughed aloud.
Look at how well that worked out for you here, among untrained humans. I need to protect Nicoy and Xander but how?
“Shit!”
The sound of Nicoy’s voice caused her to shake off her own thoughts and head toward him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, joining him in front of Xander’s room.
“That crazy bastard took off somewhere.”
Laurel blinked in surprise.
“Where would he go in the storm?” she asked. He shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
He held up a hand and hurried out toward the front door, presumably to check for the truck, but before he could throw open the door, someone banged with ferocity.
Laurel inhaled sharply and looked at Nicoy, her face paling.
“Are you expecting anyone?” she whispered. Before he could respond, someone banged on the door again.
“Anyone home?” Preston yelled.
“Oh shit!” Laurel swore. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”
She looked desperately around for a place to hide but it was too late. Preston would surely smell her in there the second Nicoy opened the door.
“Who is that?” Nicoy demanded.
Laurel felt like the world was growing fuzzy around her. If Preston had found her it meant that Anatoli would know too.
There was only one way to handle this.
She strode purposefully toward the door and threw it open before Nicoy could react.
“Hey,” she said evenly, meeting Preston’s eyes coldly. She sent him a silent message, one she hoped he could read. They had become partners over the past months. They weren’t as connected as she and Nicoy, but there had to be something there, she hoped.<
br />
Shut up, Preston, and don’t say anything that will give away our position, she thought, hoping that he could read her body language.
“Hey?” Preston choked, stepping back to gape at her. “You’ve been missing for two days and all you can say is hey?”
“Stop being a drama queen,” Laurel grumbled, shoving past him. “Are we out of here?”
She purposely ignored Nicoy’s confused and hurt expression, making her way toward the roadway. As Nicoy had anticipated, the area was flooded by the unexpected downpour, but Preston hadn’t brought a vehicle as far as she could see.
“What the hell?” Preston roared, running after her.
“What the hell what?” Laurel asked dismissively.
“Okay, seriously, Laurel, Ana is absolutely pissed. You have no idea what she thought you’d done.”
Laurel paused and stared at him.
“What did she think I did?” she asked, a flush of worry shooting through her.
“She thought you went to sell our research to the Cabal.”
“What?” Laurel would have laughed if the threat of upsetting the director wasn’t so grave. “Why would she think that?”
“Uh, maybe because of the attitude you gave us before you left and then went AWOL for two days.”
“I didn’t go AWOL, you tool. I got caught in a bear trap and that guy back there saved my ass. I wanted to leave but with the storm, it was causing too many issues.”
Preston’s brow raised but Laurel could see that her story rang true enough.
“It was bad enough that he saw how fast I healed,” Laurel went on. “I didn’t want him nosing around asking questions about what I was doing here.”
“Shit,” Preston muttered. “What a mess.”
He stepped closer to touch her face and Laurel stepped back, scowling.
“What the hell are you doing now?” she barked. Preston grimaced.
“I was worried sick about you,” he snapped. “Can’t you at least give me a hug?”
The idea of touching Preston made Laurel’s skin crawl. Through her peripheral vision, Laurel saw Nicoy in the doorway of his house, watching her with hurt and disbelief.
He thinks I’m blowing him off for another guy, she realized but there was nothing she could do now to change that. She needed to get Preston away from the cabin.
“Come on,” she grumbled. “I better get back to Anatoli before she orders a hit on me or something.”
She moved away, noting that Preston remained in place, a slightly sheepish look on his face.
“What?” she demanded. “Why are you just standing there?”
Preston hurried to catch up, shaking his head.
“I’m just thinking about that poor asshole we picked up on the road,” he laughed. “I guess he really didn’t know anything after all.”
Laurel felt her blood run cold as she stared at him uncomprehendingly.
“Who?” she choked. “What are you talking about?”
Preston shrugged.
“I don’t know. Some skinny bastard. He had your bag over his shoulder. We didn’t find him too far away from that house.”
Struggling to keep her voice even, she continued walking.
“Oh? What happened to him?”
“No idea,” Preston replied flippantly. “Ana took him somewhere, but I don’t have high hopes for his outcome.”
“Why not? I thought you said he didn’t know anything!”
This time she couldn’t keep the emotion from her voice.
“He didn’t,” Preston conceded. “But Anatoli didn’t like his attitude.”
With that, he fell forward, shifting into his wolf body, and leapt through the woods, leaving Laurel to dry heave into the sopping foliage.
If anything happens to Xander, I’ll never forgive myself, she thought, forcing herself to gather her composure. Nicoy will never forgive me either.
Preston had disappeared and Laurel morphed into her fox shape to bound after him. She needed to find Xander, no matter what the cost.
15
Long after Laurel had vanished, Nicoy stared at the spot where she had been standing, wondering what to make of what he’d just seen.
The way she’d walked past him, without so much as a goodbye, had been devastating enough but to see her in the arms of another man was more than he could handle.
Is that what she was hiding all along? That she was with someone else?
It had all been such a whirlwind, finding her and discovering emotions inside him that he never knew were possible. He was exhausted, his mind on override.
He didn’t even know where she’d gone or if he’d ever see her again.
Maybe that was her intention all along, he thought, a spark of indignation shooting through him. He suddenly wished that Xander was there so he could ask him what to make of the emotional turmoil he was enduring.
As much as he knew what he’d seen, however, Nicoy couldn’t reconcile that Laurel was in love with another man.
Why? Because you know her so well? he thought.
His confusion was suffocating him and eventually, he retreated into the house to pace the halls, waiting for Xander to return.
Hours ticked by and Nicoy’s anxiety reached epic levels as he realized that Xander had not returned.
I don’t need this right now, he thought furiously, wondering what his housemate had gotten up to.
Phone service had resumed and he tried to call out but Xander’s cell went directly to voicemail.
“I don’t know what stunt you’re trying to pull right now, Xan, but I need you to call me. Laurel’s gone and I could use your ear.”
He left the message and waited for Xander to return his call but by nine o’clock, there was still no word from his friend.
Several more phone calls proved fruitless and in the end, Nicoy’s irritation melted away to worry. With the sun still riding high in the sky, he headed out of the house to hop in his trusty truck.
The roads were still in bad condition but Nicoy didn’t care. Even if he ended up in a ditch, it had to be better than being alone in the house, waiting for word on someone.
As he drove, he found himself considering the timing of Xander’s disappearance to the arrival of the unidentified man.
A chill of fear shot through Nicoy.
It has to be a coincidence, doesn’t it? What could that guy possibly want with Xander?
Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized that nothing else made sense.
Dammit, Laurel! What have you dragged us into?
But the more important question was, Is Laurel in trouble too?
16
Everything about being back at the unit made Laurel shudder with repulsion. She couldn’t help but compare the steel walls to the warm paneling of the cabin she had just left, the tacky furniture to Nicoy’s cozy, rustic tastes. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the differences between Preston and Nicoy.
How could I have wasted so much time pining over Preston? she thought, bile rising to her throat as she considered it. Thankfully I came to my senses before anything happened between us.
“Where is Anatoli?” she demanded, unable to wait around for word on Xander. The hours had slipped by painfully and the director had yet to show herself.
“She should be back soon,” Preston said, sounding surprised by her tone. “Why are you so anxious to see her all of a sudden?”
Laurel thought quickly.
“You’re the one who told me that she had some crackpot ideas about where we were,” she said quickly. “I just want to set her straight.”
Preston’s eyes narrowed.
“We?” he repeated. “Who’s we?”
I really am the world’s worst liar. How did I ever think I could be a Sleeper? I’m going to get us all killed.
“Would you get off my case? I’m tired. I’ve been injured and with strangers,” she retorted, keeping a haughty note to her voice.
“Strange
rs?”
Why can’t I stop?
“Okay, seriously, stop analyzing everything I am saying. You need to give it a rest. When is Anatoli coming back?”
Preston laughed.
“She’s just letting that dumb human lose and she’s on her way back.”
Relief almost knocked Laurel to her knees.
Xander is safe. That’s something.
“I thought you said she was taking care of him,” Laurel said, trying to sound disinterested, but it was difficult when her heart was pounding so vibrantly in her own ears.
“Come on, Laurel. You don’t honestly think Ana is that much of a witch, do you? I told her what happened and she was sympathetic.”
Anatoli and sympathetic are not two words that go in the same sentence, Laurel thought tersely. I need to get out of here.
“Where are you going now?” Preston demanded when she jumped up from her desk. “I thought you were dying to see Anatoli.”
“We still need samples,” she reminded him, “seeing as the last scrounge didn’t go so well and it’s been pouring for two days, so I doubt you got any more.”
“I’ll come with you,” Preston volunteered, rising.
“Nah, I’m good,” Laurel told him, slipping toward the door.
“Laurel…”
“Seriously, I’m fine. I promise not to walk into any more bear traps.”
She forced a winning smile on her face that almost made her vomit.
“Laurel, you’re acting weird,” he told her seriously. “You better get it together before Ana gets back or she’s going to grill the shit out of you.”
“Noted,” Laurel said lightly, slipping out the door before he could offer up any more advice. Instantly, she shifted, padding along the foliage toward Nicoy’s cabin as if she were being guided by an unseen hand.
Are you out of your mind?! Don’t go anywhere near there!
Abruptly she stopped, heeding her own warning and turning to head northwest. Preston could say anything he wanted but Laurel had long suspected that her lab partner and the director had goings-on behind her back. For all Laurel knew, Anatoli was watching her right in that moment, waiting to see where she was going and with whom.