by Macy Farmer
Once again I felt the tingly sensation run through my chest. “Bradley. We’re close. Andrew is right behind us.” I wasn’t sure if I was delirious or if I really felt his presence.
Cheryl stopped dead in her tracks. I heard snarling and growling coming from all around us. It sounded as if there was a fight going on behind us.
“Give her to me, NOW!” I heard Colleen growl. I felt myself being placed on what felt like a soft fur rug, except it moved and had a heartbeat. “Nat, grab hold of my fur and hang on.”
I tried to do what she said but my one arm didn’t do what I told it to do. I couldn’t get my hand to move.
I heard someone say, “Her arm is broken she can’t hold on. You’ll need to change back to your human form and carry her.” It was Seager. I started to cry.
“Seager…”
“Please, I can carry her. It will be better if you stay a grizzly. We can make it back to the house safely if we do it together.”
“Fine, but so help me Cheryl, if you try anything I will kill you!” Hearing Colleen threaten Cheryl I almost felt safe. Cheryl took me back in her arms and started running. I could hear a heavier set and a softer set of footsteps next to us.
“Seager…”
“I’m here, Nat. We’re almost home.”
“Is Bradley okay?”
“Don’t worry about him, he’s fine. He’s with the guys going after Andrew.”
Sobbing uncontrollably I mindfully cried, “No!” We didn’t talk again, my mind was too fried to keep a conversation. I couldn’t focus on anything.
My body went limp the second I felt the safety of my home. Again, I could hear my surroundings but the voices and sounds seemed far away, out of reach.
“Colleen, something’s wrong. Her body just went limp.”
“Give her to me so that I can lay her down in her room. You have some serious explaining to do, Cheryl. We know it was you that took her to that sadistic bastard.”
“I know. I’m so sorry.” Her voice sounded apologetic, full of regret.
“I’m not sure if you should be here when the guys return.”
“I’m not leaving until I know everyone is okay. I’ve made a mess of things, I know, but I’m going to make it right before I leave. Brad and Dave need to know what Andrew is planning and what he has already done.”
There was silence for the longest time with the exception to the sound of footsteps pacing back and forth. I could only assume that it was Colleen doing the pacing.
The front door opened with a thud against the adjoining wall to my room. My heart racing, rapidly beating against my chest, as Bradley neared. On the other side of my bedroom door he stood, talking about me to the others.
“Where is she?” my angel asked.
“Wait, Brad! It’s really bad. You need to calm yourself before you go in there.”
“Colleen… Please move out of my way. I’m not going to hurt her.” His voice shook but I wasn’t sure if it was anger or fear.
“No, you need to trust me now. First send Jesse and Dave in. She was badly beaten and is bleeding. You’d never forgive yourself if you hurt her unintentionally.”
“Fine, we’ll do it your way, but hurry. I need to see her,” he demanded.
“Okay first let me put some clothes on her…” There was a loud furious roar before everyone fell silent. Everyone except Bradley. He was still growling, but now it was low and menacing. I could actually hear his body tremble as he fought to keep control.
With a hard raspy voice he asked, “Why do you need to dress her?”
“She didn’t have any clothes on her when we caught up with Cheryl. Maybe Cheryl should fill you and Dave in while Jess and I tend to Natty.”
Cheryl started to explain everything that happened including what she had done. There was some growling from Bradley and a lot of ‘whys’ from Dave.
“I pretended to be knocked out so that he would stop beating me. That didn’t work he just kept pounding on me. It was Natalia that got him to stop, she asked him to stop and he did. He chained me up and went over to her. At first he was kind to her…” She went on and explained how and why Andrew changed both Anthony and Dave, but Bradley interrupted her.
“WHY IS SHE NOT DRESSED?” he hollered so loud it made me gasp for air.
I couldn’t hear over Jesse and Colleen, especially after I gasped for air. They thought they hurt me. If I could speak I would have told them I was okay, and to be quiet because I wanted to hear. Finally, they stopped talking and just tended to my wounds and I could hear Cheryl.
“…he laid her on the bed and locked her in his gaze. He was sniffing her, telling her how wonderful she smelled, then he kissed her cheek and she spit in his face.”
I heard Jesse and Colleen laugh quietly. “Nice!” Jesse cheered with a whisper.
“She also said something about if he wanted her to scream with pleasure that he’d better call you.”
“That’s when he untied her. Furious now, he aggressively grabbed her chin and kissed her so violently she started choking. Then he ripped and tore her clothes off…”
Bradley stopped growling and roared, “NO!” The growling started steadily again. I wanted to try to comfort him but I couldn’t reach him.
“…she tried really hard to fight him off. She kept telling him she’d rather be dead then to allow him to touch her in any kind of way. He beat her worse than I did. Then his rage ended and he took off.
“He said he’d be back to finish what he started, so I broke free, picked up Nat and started running as fast as I could to bring her back here.” There was a long pause. “I am truly sorry to all three of you. There is no excuse for my behavior. I hope that one day you can forgive me.”
I can only assume that she turned to leave because I heard Bradley tell her to stay. She agreed. I’m not sure why he made such a request, I would rather she leave and never return.
There was a knock at the bedroom door, “Can I come in now?” Before anyone replied I heard the sound of the door opening followed by Bradley yelling, “NO!” A combination of horror and anger were evident in his voice.
“I told you to wait until we got her dressed,” Colleen frantically hollered back.
I felt an ice-cold hand on my forehead. It wasn’t the temperature I was used to but I still knew it was him. He had no more blood running through his veins. I wanted to see him. His voice and touch had changed, what else had?
“Natalia, my love, please be okay.” It sounded like he was crying, his voice low, shaky. I tried to open my mouth to say something, anything, to comfort him but couldn’t. My jaw hurt when I tried to open my mouth. Opening my eyes, relief swept through me when I saw his body remained the same, beautiful and handsome.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes pained and full of anguish. I tried to speak again but the only thing I could manage was a teardrop.
“Bradley…” Unsure he’d hear me, I waited for him to respond before continuing.
It was evident in his eyes he’d heard me. He looked adoringly into my eyes and replied simply, “Yes?”
The tears started to fall from the corners of my eyes. My body was shaking from my sobbing, causing me even more pain.
“I was so scared. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I love you. I didn’t think it could be possible, but it is. You are even more beautiful than you were before.” Lifting my hand to touch his face, it felt cold, smooth and hard, but his still the same. Taking hold of his shirt I pulled it with all my might, which was next to nothing, to draw his lips closer to mine.
Following my lead, he leaned in closer to me, consumed with worry.
“Kiss me, Bradley. Please.”
He shook his head, disapproving.
“Please.” My sobbing made my inaudible voice crack.
“Natalia…” he said with painstaking affection before he leaned down and pressed his cold lips on mine. Electricity surged through my body, allowing me to ignore the intense pain I felt in my jaw.
He pulled away too soon, but with a smile. “Mmm, I missed that.”
I sort of smiled in return. We gazed into each other’s eyes until Colleen interrupted us by telling Bradley to leave.
“We need to clean her up.”
“Please make up some of that healing poultice so I can put an end to some of this pain.”
He nodded then walked out of the room.
“Jess, sometimes I think they speak to each other telepathically.” Looking at me, Colleen spoke to Jesse, but the comment felt more like a question that was being directed at me, not him. I tried to smile but it hurt too much. She must have caught a glimpse of it because she winked at me.
When Bradley returned they both watched him. “Do you want me to have them leave?”
“No. You may need their help. Please shut the door I don’t want anyone else to hear or see me.” Before now I hadn’t realized that I’d been completely naked in front of Jesse and Colleen. My poor Bradley, the thoughts that must have been running through his mind filled my heart with sorrow.
“I’m sorry that you have to see me like this. Maybe you should go?”
“No, I’m staying.” He shut the door before kneeling by the side of the bed again. “I think we should start with the wounds that are still bleeding, what do you think?” His eyes looked a little wild, pained. I wondered, since the change, if my blood made him thirstier than before. And, although it pained me to see him suffer, I couldn’t heal the blood seeping wounds first. My jaw hurt the most, so I needed to start there.
“Please start at my jaw. I think it’s broken.” His jaw dropped as his eyes turned cold, filling with hate, anger and revengeful. Carefully he spread the poultice along my entire jaw. It hurt so bad that I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Halfway through, he asked me if I needed him to stop. Of course, to get it over with, I said no.
“Okay, it’s your turn.” He smiled softly but it didn’t reach his eyes, they were pained.
With my good arm I waved my hand over my jaw and started to chant the healing spell. It didn’t work the first time so I concentrated harder and said the words out loud over and over again. Saying the words out loud, although not very clear, increased the pain at first, but eventually with every completed chant, I felt my jaw healing. It took several minutes before I could speak clearly, before I could move my jaw easily without any pain.
“Okay that’s better,” I smiled at the three of them. Bradley’s lips were on mine before I could say another word. When he pulled away I said, “I know. I’ve missed you, too.” And we laughed together. His laugh having also changed was music to my ears. I stopped laughing just so I could listen to it.
“What?”
“Your laugh changed. So much of you has changed.” I stared in wonder, no in awe.
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
How could he ask such a thing? “Good. Well…” When I hesitated, he stood there gaping at me, worried. “No. It’s just that you take my breath away. I didn’t think it would be possible to love you more than I already did.” I smiled and felt my face getting hot.
His hand skimmed over my blushing cheeks. “You had me worried for a minute. Let’s get back to healing you so that we can show each other the love we feel.”
We spent hours healing my battered body. My arm didn’t take as long as my jaw thankfully. Bradley had to make several bowls of my aunt’s poultice. Luckily, we started stocking up months ago on herbs and the other ingredients needed. He said with my reckless ways he knew I would get hurt again. I’m happy to say that this time it wasn’t my fault. When we finally got to my ankle, I couldn’t heal it.
“I think while I mended my other broken bones, it may have started to heal itself.” I knew what had to be done and dreaded saying it aloud. “Bradley I think it may be better if you stepped out for a moment.”
“I’m not leaving you again, Natalia... Why?” The look on his face told me he had no plans of going anywhere, not in his mind anyway. But I knew he would not be able to stand by and watch someone hurt me even if it had been to help me.
“Fine, but you’re going to wish you had. Jesse, I need you to re-break my ankle.” I sat up and felt it. “It set itself wrong. I won’t be able to walk on it like this.” I kept my eyes on Jesse ignoring Bradley, who said there had to be another way. “Jesse, can you do this for me? If you can’t then we’ll need to go to the hospital. Either way it has to be broken or repositioned. I would prefer doing it here so that I can try and heal it afterwards.”
“And what if you can’t heal it?” Jesse asked anxiously.
“We’ll have to cast it after we set it.” I gave Jesse a few seconds to digest my request then repeated my question, “Jess, will you break my ankle or not?”
“Yes.” He turned and looked at Bradley. “Don’t hurt me, Brad. If you insist on staying here while I do this, remember she asked me to do this. Don’t do anything we’ll both regret.”
“Wait.” I was about to beg Bradley to let Jess do it, but he put his fingers over my lips and said, “You’re right I can’t watch this. I can’t watch someone hurt you and I don’t want to hurt my friend for fulfilling your wishes.” He kissed me gently and said, “I want to be brought back in the second it’s broken and not a moment later.”
We all agreed and he left the room. Jesse gave me a few shots around my ankle to numb it a little. Although I didn’t think it’ll matter, it’s still going to hurt. While we waited for the shots to kick in Jesse maneuvered my ankle around I’m assuming to see how to break it.
“Are you ready Nat?” He laughed and shrugged his shoulders as he said it.
“I would have preferred not knowing when you were going to do it. That’s all right. Just remember that for the future.” I laughed half-heartedly.
He lifted his one eyebrow saying, “Do you plan on doing…”
SNAP!!
I didn’t mean to, but I did. I screamed in agony. The pain had been worse the second time around. Bradley banged on the door demanding to come in. Colleen held it firmly shut telling him Jess hadn’t finished yet.
“What… you’re not…” Jesse’s eyes were apologetic as he twisted my ankle around again. This time I did not scream. I heard a few more snaps and passed out from the pain. Much better.
When I came to again Bradley was sitting behind me with the upper part of my body leaning against his solid muscular chest. He had his cold hand on my forehead, which seemed to help immensely.
Jess and Colleen were making a cast for my ankle. I grabbed hold of Bradley’s pants, pulling myself up.
“Why are you casting it?”
“We won’t be able to touch your ankle without causing you more pain. There’ll be no way to spread the cream on your ankle. You’ll have to let this heal the old fashion way.” Colleen rubbed Jesse’s back trying to comfort him. Having to do that to me had really upset him. “It’s a clean break and I was able to reset it so it should heal fine.”
“Thanks, Doctor Jesse. You’re the best brother any little sister could hope for.” That brought a smile to his face. Resting my head against Bradley’s chest, I fell asleep before they finished casting my ankle.
Chapter 8
Rays of sunlight shining through our bedroom curtains woke me. Stretching, I felt a heavy weight anchoring my foot to the bed. That, along with the throbbing pain, reminded me of my broken ankle. Jesse did a good job. I could feel it healing and it felt like it was set right. In a few days I hoped to be able to finish the healing process with magic.
While putting on my housecoat, I noticed the house seemed awfully quiet. Even though the cast made it awkward to walk, I journeyed out into an empty living room, occasionally using a wall or two for support. Soft chatter traveled into the house through the front door, so I went out onto the porch hoping to find Bradley, but I found Cheryl instead.
When I first saw her, memories of her brutally vengeful attack rooted me to the wooden porch deck. My fear quickly turned to anger from her betrayal.
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“Nat, what are you doing up?” Lost in my nightmarish memories, Colleen standing beside me startled me when she spoke. “Sit down.” Taking my hand, she gently guided me towards the table where Cheryl waited. Colleen slid the chair next to her out and gestured for me to take a seat. The entire time I kept my distrusting eye on Cheryl.
Frowning, I watched as she got up and went into my house.
“What is she doing?”
Colleen dismissively shrugged her shoulders.
A few minutes later, Cheryl returned with two cups of coffee. Handing a cup to me, she sat back down in the empty chair bedside me.
A strong desire to slide the chair away from me weighed heavily. Actually, at that moment, I’d rather she not be here at all. We stared at each other for a few moments before she spoke.
“Natalia,” I cringed hearing her voice saying my name. “I’m so sorry for what I did. There’s no excuse for my behavior. You, no all of you, have been good friends to me. I know if it weren’t for you, Dave would have never given me the time of day. You were the first person to show me honesty by caring enough to tell me the truth. Everyone else, they never took the time.” Trying to get it all out at once, the words raced quickly from her.
“What are you doing here?” That’s a simple, understandable question. There were mean and unintelligent words running through my mind, but my question pretty much said it all.
“She tried to leave, Nat, but Brad made her stay. Even after everything she did, she still brought you back, then told all of us the gory details, including the pain she inflicted on you.” Shocked, I looked at Colleen in confusion. Shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes she added, “Brad said you’d end up forgiving her anyway so we had all better do the same.”
“I am sorry, Nat. I don’t expect you to forgive me. If you wish I can leave right now.”
“Is Dave here?” She nodded yes. “Are the two of you still together?” Another nod. “Then you can stay. You’re welcome here when Dave is here.” I was stunned that Dave was still with her. There had to be more to this then what’s being perceived. “Cheryl, if you ever do something like that to us again, I will kill you myself. Do you understand?”