Territory - Prequel

by Susan A Bliler

  She’d been fine earlier in the day. She’d eaten, slept as well as could be expected, but when she’d gotten near Dell. It was him! Something about him triggered her episode and it only worsened when he touched her. Maybe it’s my animosity. She’d never hated a family more in her life. That must be it. Her hatred coupled with the recent loss of her brother and being back home. It had to be a culmination of everything. She sighed heavily, not entirely convinced she’d accurately diagnosed the source of her fainting spell. Regardless, there was little else that made sense. It couldn’t have been triggered by Dell or his touch. That was ridiculous. Right? She was still trying to figure it out when her mother finally called her down to dinner nearly an hour later.

  Chapter 7

  The next day was spent consistently confirming to her mother that she wasn’t ill or injured.

  “For the hundredth time ma, I’m fine.”

  “Healthy people don’t just faint for no apparent reason Chloe. It’s not normal. You’re sure you won’t go see a doctor, if even just to appease your mother?”

  “It’s been a long stressful week mom. I forgot to eat after my run and I haven’t been sleeping. Please just give me a few days to get back into a routine and if anything like that happens again, I swear I’ll go get checked out.”

  Bea eyed her daughter doubtfully and huffed in obvious displeasure, “Well, if that’s as good as I’m gonna get I’ll have to take it.”

  By that evening, Chloe couldn’t stand to be holed up any longer. She threw on her tennis shoes and snagged the grocery list from where it hung by a magnet on the fridge. “Ma, I’m heading to the grocery store.”

  Bea was settled in front of the TV. Some sitcom was blaring, but Bea wasn’t watching it as she knitted a long woolen scarf. “But we went yesterday,” she protested.

  “Yeah, but you only got enough stuff for dinner when we had to rush out. I’ll just go grab the rest of the items on your list.”

  Bea set down her knitting and hooked her pointer finger through the wire bridge of her glasses to tug them lower as she dropped her head and peered over the lenses at her daughter. “Maybe I should come with you.”

  “No ma, I’ll be right in and right out.” Chloe snatched her jacket off the hook and hung it over one arm.

  “What if something happens?”

  Chloe rolled her eyes, “Like what? I drop a jar of pickles? Clean up on aisle seven.”

  The joke was lost on her mother, “What if you have another spell and neither Dell nor I are there to save you?”

  Chloe gritted her teeth at the mere mention of his name. She hated how her mother used it so casually in a sentence, like he was part of the family or something. “He didn’t save me mom.” She jerked open the front door, talking rapidly as she went to keep her mother from cutting in, “Look, I’ll be back in twenty-minutes. If I’m going to take longer I’ll call. Plus I’ve eaten today and slept well last night so I should be fine.” The lies rolled off her tongue smoothly as she stepped out the door and closed it behind her.

  Christ! What’s a girl gotta do to get some shopping done? Honestly, the shopping wasn’t her true agenda. She simply couldn’t bear to be in the house any longer. She felt useless just sitting around sulking in her misery. It was even more offensive because she couldn’t stop thinking about her encounter with Dell.

  At the grocery store, she winced as she strode past the area where she’d fainted the day before. Images of herself being carried across the parking lot in Dell’s arms instantly flooded her even as she tried to force them back.

  Inside she grabbed a cart and pulled the grocery list out of her purse. She’d made the list herself upon her arrival at her mothers. Her mom had a terrible habit of buying groceries as she needed them rather than stocking up all at once.

  Halfway through her shopping, she stopped in the frozen food section. She grabbed a box of frozen waffles and a bag of pre-formed dinner rolls when something had her bristling. Despite the cool temperature of the freezer she stood in, her elbow propping open the door, she was suddenly flooded by a familiar warmth. It was the same warmth that had consumed her the day before. Panic struck, Oh God, don’t do this again. Not now! She turned to eye the aisle. Not here! When she turned she tensed. Her escalated breathing fogged the chilled glass of the freezer door. Did I just see what I think I saw?” She lifted a hand and swiped it slowly down the glass clearing the foggy glass to reveal Dell standing at the end of the aisle staring directly at her.

  Fuck! She stepped back, letting the door slam closed as she gripped her cart and steered it in the opposite direction. She kept her eyes down, hoping he hadn’t noticed that she’d seen him.

  When she cleared the aisle, her arms were literally shaking. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself as she skipped four aisles, opting to put some distance between herself and Dell.

  Clearly they’d both not gotten any shopping done yesterday and had decided to finish it up today. Great! She considered leaving and coming back tomorrow, but knew it would heighten her mother’s suspicion so much that she’d be forced to confess to a second encounter with Dell. I am not doing that!

  Deciding to stand her ground and just ignore him if she saw him again, Chloe cruised down the aisle at a supermarket sweeper’s pace. She snatched a jar of peanut butter as she quickly passed by. She didn’t stop to peruse brands or debate on chunky or smooth, she simply grabbed the first jar she saw and kept on walking.

  She finished three aisles in this manner. In the fourth, she grabbed a jar of cherries and froze as the warm sensation swept over her again. She looked up and was relieved to find the aisle in front of her empty.

  “How are you?”

  Dell’s voice behind her had her tensing.

  She didn’t answer at first, but turned to find him towering directly behind her. “What do you want?” She watched as his dreamy amber eyes slid up and down her frame, making her suddenly self-conscious about her attire. She hadn’t intended on leaving the house that day so she’d dressed comfortably that morning in a pair of old, form fitting jeans that were ripped high on each thigh. Her white t-shirt was just as old, and the way it stretched too tight across her breasts was a testament to her smaller size of yesteryear. The only thing that was even close to suitable for a day out were the new white tennis shoes that shone too brightly on her small feet. She fidgeted uncomfortably and turned away from Dell when his gaze lingered a fraction too long on her breasts. “Good bye Dell.”

  “Wait.”

  Chloe looked back just in time to see him reach for her. She jumped back and in doing so dropped the jar of cherries she held, sending a loud crash reverberating through the aisle. Her eyes were large as she scowled up at him, “Don’t touch me!”

  A store employee arrived in the aisle just as Chloe said the words. The employee was large, and thick, reminding her of one of the wise-guys she’d seen on a TV show about the mob. He wasn’t close to being as large and muscular as Dell, but he didn’t seem deterred.

  The employee stopped and eyed Chloe then focused on Dell. “You alright lady? This guy bothering you?”

  “I’m fine,” Chloe kept her scowl on Dell, “he was just leaving.”

  Dell tore his eyes from Chloe and didn’t even look at the employee as he turned in the opposite direction and stormed angrily down the aisle.

  Chloe watched Dell stalk away. Even with his jacket on, she could see the muscles of his back and arms bunch. Her belly fluttered. Why does he have this effect on me? She’d forgotten all about the store employee until he crossed in front of her and dropped to a knee to start picking up the larger chunks of broken glass.

  “I’m sorry, it just slipped.”

  “That’s alright,” the employee kept his head down. “Happens all the time.”

  She left the employee in the aisle and finished the rest of her shopping; stopping only to call her mother and
say she’d be slightly longer than the promised twenty-minutes. The call ended up lasting much longer than Chloe had hoped when her mother instantly assumed she’d had another spell. After five minutes, Chloe was successful in convincing her mother that she was fine, just taking a little longer than she’d anticipated. She’d been tempted to tell her mother that she’d run into Dell, but decided against it in the end. She knew her mother couldn’t possibly like the Blackbird’s after what they’d done to Donnie. Why her mother felt the need to pretend in front of her, she had no idea, but she knew in her mother’s heart, just as in her own, hatred for the Blackbird’s would live eternally.

  After the call, she checked out and pushed the cart to her car. The parking lot was dark when she finally popped the trunk with the remote on her key chain and began transferring her groceries. When she heard footsteps approaching, she assumed it was another shopper until Dell’s voice had her turning quickly.

  “Chloe, we need to talk.”

  “What are you doing?” she scanned the parking lot, hoping to find other shoppers near-by. There were none and panic flared to life. “Are you following me?”

  Dell’s dark brows pinched, “No. If you have a minute I’d like to talk to you.”

  She turned back to her task and worked faster moving her groceries. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “Chloe we need to talk, there’s something happening and I…”

  “Wait,” she finished moving her groceries and slammed her trunk closed. “I do have something to say to you.” She jerked the keys from her purse and stared at him. “Stay away from me.” She watched as his expression darkened. His typically amber eyes now nearly black, sparked with fury. He looked dangerous and she knew she should have been afraid, but once again, she only felt safe and protected in his presence, and she hated admitting to the feeling. She didn’t want to feel this way for him. God, anyone but him!

  “We will talk Chloe. Maybe not tonight, but our confrontation is coming.”

  She gasped and stepped back, “Is that a threat?”

  “No,” he responded. “I am no threat to you Chloe.”

  She eyed him, letting her eyes rove his features, wishing to God she could see the truth of his words. Instead, she turned from him, got in her car, and drove away. She watched in the rearview mirror as he disappeared from sight.

  ***

  Dell stood alone in the parking lot cursing himself as he watch the rear lights of Chloe’s car slowly dim from sight. Our confrontation is coming! He admonished himself. It did sound like a threat. What in the hell was I thinking?

  For some reason his logic seemed to fly out the window when he was around her. He couldn’t explain it and it certainly wasn’t his typical behavior. He wondered if his elevated Alpha status wasn’t having some adverse effect on his brain.

  She’d asked if he’d been following her, and he’d denied it but that had been a lie. He had been following her. He’d been outside her house all day, circling it to spy on her from whatever window gave him the best vantage point. When she’d taken out the trash earlier, he’d considered approaching her, but knew he’d have no way of explaining his presence. Finally, when she’d gotten in her car, he’d shifted and followed her to the market.

  He’d run through the town in his wolf form, which was asinine. He’d have killed any member of his pack that had done anything so foolish. If anyone called the authorities, he could’ve been shot. It was an incredibly stupid move, but one he couldn’t prevent himself from making. He had to follow her, needed to talk to her, hoped to touch her. Instead, he’d outright threatened her.

  After he’d made the mistake he’d expected to scent her fear. He hadn’t, but he had scented something else, something new. He’d been around her enough to know her scent. Hell, it was all he ever thought about, but it had been different this time, only slightly, not enough that any other shifter would have noticed, but he had. His lips quirked, it had been female interest. It was often emitted by the females of his kind when they wanted to be pursued.

  Chapter 8

  Sleep eluded Chloe again that night. ‘Our confrontation is coming’. The words played over and over as she tried to decipher their meaning. While the implications were terrifying, she was slightly relieved that Dell too had realized that something strange was happening between them. She couldn’t explain her sudden fainting spells when he touched her and that odd warm sensation that washed over her whenever she was in his presence. For the first time, she actually entertained the idea that he might actually be a shifter and that her reaction to him had something to do with the fact. “Great! Now I’m buying into their bullshit.”

  The remainder of the night was spent tossing and turning and thinking of Dell and for the following week, the days passed at an agonizingly slow pace.

  Chloe had taken all her vacation at once, knowing that her mother would need her for as long as Chloe could afford to be away from the office. She truly didn’t mind missing work. As an investigator for the state’s child support enforcement division her job was as monotonous as it was draining. She’d accepted the position with great enthusiasm. She’d had high hopes of doing work that mattered. Unfortunately, her heart just wasn’t in the work but it paid well and offered sick leave and vacation. Between both Chloe was able to take two-weeks off to spend with her mourning mother.

  She and her mother had spent the first week entertaining the stream of visitors that stopped by with cards or flowers. Donnie had been well known and even more well-liked. The townsfolk, like the family, were still having great difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was gone.

  When the second week came, Chloe preoccupied herself with cleaning her mother’s home, preparing meals, and helping her mother come to terms with the loss of her son.

  She awoke one morning to find Bea fully dressed and sneaking out the door. She confronted her mother.

  “Mom! Where are you going?”

  “To work.”

  “Work? I hardly think you’re ready.”

  Her mother turned a frown on her, “I hardly think you’re qualified to offer up such an opinion.”

  Still in her pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt, Chloe attempted to smooth down her disheveled hair. “You took two weeks off. You still have a few days. Why are you rushing this?”

  Bea reached around to lock the door from the inside, her car keys jangling in her palm. “Because when you get to be my age you have to keep your mind pre-occupied.” She took a step out the door.

  “Mom!”

  Bea halted, her shoulders sinking as she stared up at Chloe in resignation. “I’ve gotta keep moving baby. If I stall out now, I’ll never get re-started.”

  Chloe recognized the vulnerable truth in her mother’s words. She dropped down to sit on one of the carpeted stairs, her own shoulders slumping as the fight left her. “You sure?”

  Bea smiled, “I’m sure.” She eyed Chloe then, “Maybe just a few half days to start.” She eyed her watch impatiently, “Call me around noon, we’ll have lunch.”

  Chloe stood to quickly descend the stairs and place a warm kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Lunch. Noon. Got it.”

  Then her mother smiled and left for work leaving Chloe standing in the doorway wondering if she too shouldn’t cut short her leave and return to the office.

  Fuck that! I’ve got vacation days and I’m gonna use ‘em.

  Now that she didn’t have to make breakfast for her mother, and not hungry herself, she bounded back up the stairs to throw on her freshly washed running gear.

  Ten minutes later, she stepped into the woods. She opted to keep her I-pod in her pocket this time. Hoping that if she paid more attention, no wildlife would sneak up on her.

  She didn’t push a full on run, but settled on a steady jog. Thirty minutes in she’d broken a sweat and slowed to a walk.

  She heard the cru
nch of pine needles behind her and turned to eye the forest. Seeing nothing, but feeling slightly spooked she faced forward and resumed her jog.

  Movement in the corner of her eye had her stopping. Red fur? She focused and saw the movement again, verifying that it was in fact red fur. Fox. Too small to be any real threat, Chloe ignored the fox and continued her jog, but after a few moments she noted that it was shadowing her.

  She wasn’t some fanatical animal rights activist, but she did believe in not disturbing an animal in its own habitat. She veered left, hoping to leave the fox to its portion of the woods. She jogged a few minutes and didn’t spot the animal. Satisfied that she’d left it undisturbed she focused on her jog when she caught sight of the red fur again. Still on her right, the animal was a little closer. She ventured further left and jogged a little faster.

  Unfortunately, the fox seemed determined to shadow her. It pressed closer, forcing Chloe to go further off the path than was comfortable. She wasn’t familiar with this portion of the woods and knew she could easily get turned around, yet she figured a few more minutes of jogging then she’d turn and head back.

  She was just about to stall out and turn to head back to town when the fox crashed through the brush and lunged at her. Shock tore through her when she realized it wasn’t a fox at all. It was a small red wolf.

  The wolf nipped at her heels, forcing Chloe into a dead run. She looked back and saw the wolf giving chase.

  Shit! This wolf was nothing like the other she’d encountered. While smaller, it was more threatening. There was no calm serenity washing over her when she looked in its eyes, instead terror lanced through her when the wolf lunged at her feet.

  Chloe jumped and sprinted faster. She had no idea where she was heading, but pushed harder. She jumped downed logs and was slapped by more than a few branches as she ducked and raced through the foliage.

  She checked behind her again and the wolf was still there. It appeared to be restraining itself from attacking her. She knew it could outrun her and couldn’t understand why it didn’t take her down.