by Ovidia Pike
“What are you doing?” she asked in whisper.
“I don’t know,” I said to her, kissing her fingers again. “I’m touching you. I always want to touch you.”
“Gabriel,” she said, her hand trembling in mine. “When I kissed you the other night—I was just...feeling grateful. I was thankful that you saved me. It didn’t really mean anything.”
“You sure?” I asked her, peering at her intently.
“Yes,” she said, but the word trembled on her lips.
“So if I kissed you right now, you wouldn’t feel a thing?” I asked her, turning her palm upward, planting a soft kiss on her wrist. She shivered but didn’t pull away, as if she was captivated by the action.
“No,” she said.
“I think you’re lying, Sophie,” I said, leaning into her, brushing my lips over hers. She drew in a deep breath and I took her mouth with mine, a soft, lingering kiss that she pulled away from, cheeks flushed.
“I told you, it didn’t mean anything, okay?”
“Okay,” I said to her, letting go of her hand. I was amused by the look in her eyes, the clear longing there that she couldn’t hide, no matter how hard she tried.
“So tell me about these lion caves,” she said, beginning to walk again. I walked beside her, and this time she kept her hands folded together in front of her, out of my reach.
“There are about two hundred of them there. They’re ruled by a queen and her two daughters.”
“Why don’t I know about them?” she asked.
“They work hard to keep themselves a secret. That part of the forest is strictly off-limits to visitors and rangers alike.”
“Have you ever been there before?”
“No,” I said. “But I’ve met the princess Elina and the queen.”
“How?” she asked. I was glad that her voice was filled with curiosity instead of tension, that for once we weren’t fighting.
“The queen knew my father quite well. We almost joined together under their rule, the lions and wolves. In the end they decided against it—I think it was ultimately squashed by Elina. I saw them, they were here for a visit with my father.”
“Elina and—?”
“Selene,” I said. “I’ve never met her. I’m told she’s the sensible one in the family. I’m hoping to speak to her today, find out if she’ll let Jackson go.”
“It’s crazy to me that they’re holding him,” she said.
“I remember the princess well enough to know that she gets what she wants. And on top of that, she has the influence. I’d imagine that he’s not trying very hard to leave.”
“What’s the influence?” she asked. “What does that mean?”
“The royals—the lionesses have a certain ability to influence or I guess you could say hypnotize those of lesser rank. That’s probably what she’s done to Jackson, if she’s interested in him.”
“Is it just something sexual? Or—”
“No, it’s not. They can influence whatever they want, for the most part.”
“It’s disgusting that she’s doing this,” Sophie said with a grimace.
“It is,” I agreed. “Which is why we’re bringing him back. He’ll break from the spell when he’s away from her.”
“What if he doesn’t want to go?”
“We’ll take him anyway,” I said.
“And if Elina stops us?”
“I will speak with the queen or princess Selene. One of them will see reason,” I said, hoping it was true.
“She could hurt you. There’s going to be hundreds of lions there.”
“She wouldn’t hurt me, she knows better.”
“What if she...seduces you?” she asked, her voice having gone quiet. I looked over at her face to see worry there, along with embarrassment at having asked the question.
“She won’t. Elina was never interested in me, and she won’t be now.”
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“Her family has a long-standing feud with the Alarick pack. It’s not active but it’s there. When the wolf village was born, the first Alarick wanted control of the whole park. There was something of a war when he ran into the lions, and half of their royals were killed. There’s still tension there—a grudge. There always will be. Elina doesn’t want me.”
“Okay,” she said, a hint of relief in her voice. “I’m still worried she’ll try to stop us.”
“You have nothing to worry about. Nothing is going to happen to you,” I promised. She looked up at my face and gave me a little smile. She reached up and gently touched the cuts on my face, looking me over.
“What do you think?” I asked her.
“It’s kind of sexy,” she said. “Makes you look dangerous.”
“Does it?” I asked her. She nodded, chewing her lip as we started to walk again. When we got to the lion caves, we were greeted by two fully grown males, manes thick and teeth bared. I stood in front of Sophie and looked down at them, already feeling that extra power swelling within me.
“My name is Gabriel Alarick. I am the Alpha at the village across the park. Shift into human form, now,” I said in a firm voice. One of the lions growled at me but both of them shifted, their eyes narrowed as they looked Sophie and I up and down.
“What do you want?” one of them asked. “Alaricks are forbidden on this land.”
“One of my people is here and I aim to take him back. Take me to the queen,” I commanded. He looked affronted for a moment until I took a step toward him and he cowered backward.
“We will bring you to the queen,” he said coldly. “She can deal with you.”
“Thank you,” I said, falling in step alongside Sophie as we followed the guards.
“We have to climb, is that okay?”
“Yes, Gabriel,” she said. “I can climb. It’s not like I’m going to wait down here.”
“I can carry you up the mountain on my back like a baby monkey,” I said to her, and she burst into laughter, causing the guard to shoot us a dirty look over his shoulder. She covered her mouth with her hand and looked at me with sparkling eyes as we made our way to the base of the cave. She climbed more easily up the mountain than I did, agile and quick. I followed her up and through the caves into the throne room, with three glistening thrones behind a crystal waterfall.
“Stay here,” said the guard, disappearing and emerging a few moments later with princess Elina. She frowned when she saw me, brow knitted.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I’m here to bring my man back home. I’m told you’re holding Jackson here.”
“Yes, I’ve been keeping him close,” she said.
“It’s time to let him go,” I said to her. She pursed her lips, seeming to think for a moment.
“No,” she said simply. “No, I’d rather keep him. He owes me for lying to me.”
“What did he lie to you about?”
“He said the doctor was his natural mate. Both of them lied to me.”
“So you’re holding him hostage?” Sophie asked in an incredulous voice. The princess’s eyes turned to her, a cold look on her features.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the ranger.”
“A park ranger?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, looking over at me. “Is this your mate, Gabriel?”
“She’s not my mate,” I said. “But she is under my protection.”
“Tell her to watch her mouth,” Elina said. Sophie laughed.
“That would never work,” she said. “He’s tried.”
“She doesn’t understand your way of taking a mate, your highness,” I said to her quickly. “She’s a human.”
“No, I suppose she wouldn’t,” the princess said. “But I’m still not giving him up, I’m—”
“What is going on?” came another voice from around the back of the thrones. Selene emerged looking between us and her sister.
“What are you talking about, giving him up?”
Elina cast a g
lare at her sister, then cleared her throat.
“I chose a mate, old blood. These two are trying to take him away.”
“What does that mean, Elina?” Selene asked in a slow voice.
“It means Jackson is not going back to the village,” Elina said.
“Elina, that is absolutely unacceptable,” Selene snapped. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I want an old blood mate.”
“Let him go,” Selene commanded. “If mother hears about this, she’ll be furious.”
“So don’t tell her,” Elina said.
“I will if you don’t let Jackson go right now. I mean it,” Selene said, then looked at the guard.
“Go get him,” she said. “Bring him here.”
“Fine,” Elina spat as the guard disappeared. Selene looked at Sophie and I, a tired look on her face.
“I am sorry, Mr. Alarick,” she said. “Truly. My sister has apparently lost her goddamned mind.”
“I have not,” Elina protested, about to say something else when the guard brought Jackson before us. There was an irritated look on his face, angry and tense.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah,” he said dryly. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sending you home,” Elina said. “You were never any fun, anyway. He wouldn’t even—”
“I told you, I’m not interested,” Jackson growled. Elina looked ready to slap him.
“Get out of here,” she said, then turned her eyes to me. “Your family is not welcome here. Don’t come back again.”
“I don’t plan to,” I said to her, turning to leave along with Jackson and Sophie. Jackson was silent as we made our way down the cave system and back to the ground. When we started into the woods, he looked over at me.
“Thanks,” he said. I nodded.
“I’m sorry she kept you up there. Did she—I mean, did you—”
“I wouldn’t touch her,” he said. “Once, I kissed her, but...that was it.”
“How did you manage to avoid it?” Sophie asked. “I thought she had the influence.”
“I don’t know,” Jackson said, running his hand through his hair as we walked. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about Alicia. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She made it back,” I said to him. “She’ll be glad to see you.”
“I doubt that,” he said darkly.
“You can explain things,” Sophie said.
“Maybe,” Jackson responded, then went quiet, staying that way for the rest of the journey. It was almost sun-up by the time we got back to the village, and we said goodnight to Jackson. I turned to look at Sophie.
“Walk me home?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said to her, my heart speeding up as we made our way there. She paused outside the doorway, turning around to face me, a coy look on her face. She tilted her face up to kiss me softly, then pulled back.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. I paused for a moment, desperately wanting to say yes, knowing how good it would feel to touch her the way she wanted. I knew I couldn’t, too, that if I bonded her to me like I was meant to it would destroy her completely. I took a deep breath.
“I can’t,” I said to her. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” she said, her face falling, looking away from me. “I’m sorry, I just thought—”
“I want to. God, Sophie, I want to,” I said to her. “But I can’t.”
“Okay,” she said, swallowing hard, turning away from me. “Goodnight, Gabriel.”
“Wait—” I began, but she cut me off by going inside and shutting the door behind her.
Chapter 12: Jackson
By the time I woke up, it was evening, nearly 6 p.m. already. I stretched, my head pounding as I got out of bed. I hurried to get ready, wanting to find Alicia as soon as possible in order to explain myself to her. I left the hut and headed straight to hers. I knocked on the door, waiting nervously, impatiently for her to answer. All I wanted was for things to be as perfect as they had been just before I’d seen the princess and she put me under her spell.
I waited for a moment before giving up, then hurried to the medical hut, hoping she’d be there despite the fact that it was after the time she usually went home. I knocked on the door there and one of the other doctors answered.
“Hello,” the woman said with a smile. “Did you have an appointment? I didn’t think we had anything scheduled.”
“No, no appointment,” I said. “I’m looking for Dr. Thomas. Do you know where she is?”
“She’s gone. She left this morning.”
“What do you mean, she’s gone?”
“She’s taking some time off. Went home to visit her family, I think. She left a note with the address and number in case we need to get ahold of her, but I told her I wouldn’t bother her—”
“I need the address,” I said to her. “I need to go find her.”
“Why?” the doctor asked.
“She’s—I have to tell her something. Please,” I said. The woman hesitated before leaving for a moment, bringing back a folded sheet of notebook paper.
“If she asks, you found this in the trash. I don’t want her getting upset with me for giving it to you.”
“Thank you, doctor,” I said to her with a nod, looking at the paper. I recognized the address as being in a suburb of the city. I nearly jogged to Sophie’s hut and knocked, praying she was there to take me back to the station. I was more than willing to walk through the woods on my own, but I knew it would save time to drive. I was grateful when Sophie answered the door.
“Hey, Jackson,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Not great,” I admitted. “I...need to go see Alicia.”
“She’s taking a break,” Sophie said. “She told Gabriel this morning.”
“I need to find her. I have to explain. I need to go to the city.”
She stared at me for a moment.
“Okay,” she said. “But you have to promise me not to bother her if she doesn’t want to see you. I’m not taking you there to stalk her.”
“I would never. I’m just going to try to get her to listen to me for a minute. I think I can explain, I just...need to see her.”
“Okay,” Sophie said, grabbing her keys from the table by the door. “I’ll take you to the station.”
“Thank you,” I replied. When we got to the station, I climbed out of the Jeep, thanking her again before going inside to call for a ride. I waited until a ranger showed up to take me to the entrance of the park, where I called a cab and was soon on the way to the address Alicia had left within a few minutes. I pulled up in front of the large house, getting out of the cab, looking up at the porch. I prepared myself as the cab pulled away, going up the porch and knocking on the heavy wooden door. A woman answered who I recognized as Alicia’s mother. They looked so much alike that it was striking.
“Hi,” I said to her. “Um, is Alicia here?”
“Who are you?” the woman asked suspiciously.
“I’m...a friend,” I said to her. “She disappeared from work and I was concerned—I thought I’d come find her.”
“Jackson?” came Alicia’s voice from over her mother’s shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just—”
“Is this your friend?” another girl chimed in, appearing next to her mother. She was young and looked just like her mother and sister, probably mid-teens with big brown eyes. She studied me curiously.
“He’s...not—I mean,” Alicia said. Her sister looked at her quizzically before looking at me again.
“Well, we should invite him in for dinner,” she said.
“No, no,” I said quickly. “I just thought I’d talk to Alicia for a moment, if you don’t mind. I’m terribly sorry to intrude.”
“It’s no intrusion,” the young girl said, looking up at her mother. “Right, Mom?”
“Of course not,” Alicia’s mother said stiffly. “We ha
ve plenty of food. Come in.”
“Really, I—”
“Come on, Jackson,” Alicia said, giving me an annoyed look. “I’m hungry.”
“Okay,” I said begrudgingly, following them inside and into a formal dining room, where places were set for four people. Alicia’s mother disappeared into the kitchen and returned with one more place setting, which she put next to Alicia on the table. I sat down next to her, noting how she avoided my eye. She looked stiff and tense beside me, and I wished I could get up and leave without looking rude to her family.
“So, Jackson,” Alicia’s father said. “What is it you do?”
“I’m...a bodyguard. I’m a guard.”
“A bodyguard?” her mother asked. “Why on earth would you need a bodyguard?”
“It’s because of the animals she works with. The shifters,” her father said. I felt my body tense up but tried to keep the irritation off of my face.
“Shifters aren’t animals, Dad,” Alicia said in a quiet voice. Her father took a bite of his steak, chewing deliberately, eyes on my face.
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Dad—”
“I am,” I said to him. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s a problem if you don’t keep your filthy hands off of my daughter,” the man said.
“Dad, stop it,” Alicia said, standing up. “He’s not touching me. We’re barely even friends.”
“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” her father said. “Seems to me like he’s interested. I can see that wild look in his eyes. I told you, they’re no more than animals.”
“Dad, Jackson is a guest,” Alicia’s little sister said.
“It’s fine,” I said, standing up and pushing my chair out. “Thank you for having me.”
“Jackson,” Alicia said. “Wait.”
“You’re not going with him,” her father said, reaching for Alicia, grabbing her arm and tugging her back so roughly she almost fell.