Finding Wisp

by Noelle Marie

  “Yes,” Derek confirmed, “he told me. Apparently, Henry Vanderbilt, the patriarch of the family, was running some sort of human trafficking scheme, and he and my father were onto him, so he silenced them.”

  “Human trafficking?” I repeated dumbly.

  “Of the supernatural variety. Essentially, they were kidnapping young bearers and selling them off to the highest bidder.”

  My entire body stiffened, nausea swirling in my belly at the realization that I probably wasn’t the first girl Felix had “conditioned” for her future husband.

  I swallowed down the urge to vomit. “Abram told you all this?”

  Derek nodded, but he didn’t look up from where he was focused on my wrists. He had moved on from applying salve to wrapping them in some bandages he’d found in the first aid kit. “He told me something else, too…” he admitted, his eyes finally flickering up to meet mine. “He told me that you were a bearer.” He paused. “Apparently, he could smell it on you.”

  For a moment, all I could so was blink.

  Derek knew I was a bearer? I had assumed he’d had no clue when he’d referred to Cornelius as my father in the basement.

  It was a lot to take in, and a hundred questions buzzed around my head. Bearers smelled? Why hadn’t Derek noticed that I was one then? Or had he, and for whatever reason, had decided to lie about it? The question that buzzed the loudest, however, was…

  “Is that why you came for me then?” I asked weakly, disappointment causing my stomach to sink. “You found out that I was a bearer and-?”

  “What?” Derek exclaimed, interrupting me mid-sentence, like coming to such a conclusion was ridiculous. “No!” he denied.

  “Then why?” I snapped, ripping my wrists from where Derek was still holding them, fingers wrapped loosely around the bandages. “Why did you come for me?”

  Derek jerked back as if I had hit him. “What do you mean why?” he demanded. “You think I would just leave you with those people after finding out who they were… what they were responsible for?”

  “So… what? You felt bad then?” I pressed. “You needed to save me to ease your guilt-ridden conscience?”

  “Yes!”

  I froze, whatever else I had planned to say falling right out of my head. It was one thing to suspect that Derek had only come for me because he’d felt guilty about giving me away to what was, essentially, a murdering madman, but it was quite another to have it confirmed aloud.

  I was crushed.

  I mean, I had assumed… well, I’d just thought…

  What? That Derek missed you? That maybe he realized he had feelings for you, after all, and the man wanted you back so desperately that he was willing to do whatever it took to do just that? Is that what you thought? A sardonic voice prodded.

  Yes.

  “I mean, of course, I felt bad!” Derek cried, shooting to his feet. “How could I not?”

  I tensed when he suddenly took me by the face, hands cupping either cheek. “But, Wisp,” he said, voice nearly as beseeching as his eyes, “that’s not why I came for you.”

  I bit my lip. “Why then?” I asked hoarsely.

  Derek sighed – a tired sound – and ran his calloused thumbs over the shadows under my eyes. “I came for you because I love you, silly girl.”

  “I don’t love you.”

  I swallowed. “But back at the cabin, you said-”

  “I lied!” he exclaimed. “Don’t you get it? I lied through my fucking teeth because I thought that by sending you away I was protecting you.”

  I frowned. “Protecting me? Protecting me from what?”

  “From me!”

  Derek ripped his hands away from me, running agitated fingers through his hair and tugging uselessly at the roots. “Look at me! I’m a surly, bad-tempered, anti-social bear. And you! You’re just this… perfect, fragile little thing.”

  Almost as much as I wanted to tell Derek how resilient, caring, and so very generous he was, I wanted to point out that I wasn’t nearly as fragile as he thought I was. But I couldn’t speak around the sudden lump in my throat.

  “But I wasn’t protecting you, was I?” Derek continued, allowing his hands to fall from his hair. He interlaced his fingers with mine. “Look at you,” he muttered, staring at the nude-colored bandages wrapped around my wrists. He brought my right wrist to his mouth and kissed it where the bindings met my palm. “I’m sorry, Wisp,” he whispered before giving my left wrist the same treatment. “I’m so sorry.”

  Then, carefully folding my hands into my lap, he tucked a stray piece of damp hair behind one of my ears before cupping my cheek. He hesitated only a moment before pressing another kiss to the cut on my bottom lip.

  I inhaled shakily at the sensation of his mouth over mine. There was nothing sexual about it – the kiss hardly more than a sweet, chaste apology. But his lips lingered over mine for what had to have been close to a minute before he reluctantly pulled away.

  I fought the urge to grab him by the scruff of his beard and drag him back.

  “Will you ever be able to forgive me?” he asked so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.

  Didn’t he know I already had?

  Taking a deep breath, I grabbed him by his hands and pulled him towards me, indicating for him to sit next to me on the bed. I turned my body to face his. “Just promise me that you’ll never do that again,” I said. “Lie to me,” I clarified, “…make me believe that you don’t care.”

  Derek snorted. “I cross whatever’s left of my bitter, debauched heart and hope to die.”

  “Don’t say that,” I scolded, wrinkling my nose. “And, anyway, I don’t think your heart’s all that tough.” I trailed a hand down his chest, allowing it to come to a stop where his heart ought to be before hesitantly leaning forward and resting my cheek against him.

  And… there it was. A reassuring loop of lub-dubs beating against my ear.

  I glanced up at him without moving from my position. “In fact, I think I could sit here and listen to it forever,” I admitted.

  Derek ran his fingers gently down my spine. “Sweet girl, you’re going to regret saying that.”

  Before I could contemplate what that meant, Derek had his arms wrapped around me and was pulling me to him, arranging us on the bed so that he lay over the quilt and I lay over him.

  And cuddled up on the bed, draped in nothing but Derek’s reassuring body heat – it was better than any electric blanket – I managed to drift off into a (for once) peaceful and dreamless sleep.

  (In case anyone was wondering, I didn’t regret it at all.)

  * * *

  I woke slowly, a sleepy fog hovering over my thoughts as I tried to figure out why I was sleeping next to a furnace.

  A huge furnace covered in rippling muscle and adorned with big, fleshy biceps.

  I blinked open my eyes, taking in the form of Derek lying next to me – on top of me, really. Which was the opposite of how we’d fallen asleep last night.

  Last night.

  The memory of the past twenty-four hours – and the three weeks before it – came rushing back to me.

  I thought of Felix and the basement, Derek and the rescue he and Abram had staged. I thought of the motel and Thane, of finger-shaped bruises and the too-hot shower. I thought of what Derek had said to me.

  He’d told me he loved me.

  Yeah, and you didn’t even say it back, a voice in the back of my head snarked.

  I frowned, biting the inside of my cheek. To be fair, I’d been a little overwhelmed at the time. (And, maybe a lot afraid of getting the rug pulled out from under me again.)

  Anyway, I was pretty sure Derek knew my feelings on the matter.

  The man in question was still sleeping where he lay, half-draped over me, the warm puffs of his steady breathing hitting me on the temple.

  Even resting, he looked tired, a seemingly permanent wrinkle etched into his brow and a frown pulling at his mouth. Clearly, he had needed the rest as much as I had. />
  “ZZzz-ZZzz.”

  I tensed at the sudden sound coming from my right, whipping my head around… and immediately spotting Thane lying on the floor next to the bed. He was snoring, his head resting on his paws as he slept.

  Fondness swelled in my chest at the sight, and I smiled before settling back into bed, relieved my fidgeting hadn’t woken Derek.

  I wondered what had woken me.

  Just then, another rumbling sound reached my ears. This noise, however, didn’t come from Thane, but me. My stomach, to be more specific.

  Well, that answered that question, I supposed.

  “Hungry?”

  I shot up at the sudden sound of a voice, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest.

  A quick glance around the room revealed that Abram was there, sitting at a dusty card table pushed into the wall near the door. He held his hands up in surrender when our eyes connected. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  I pressed my hands to my chest, trying to get my galloping heartbeat under control. After all, it was just Abram.

  Yeah, just a random man you don’t really know that can turn into a sharp-toothed predator at the drop of a hat. No big deal.

  I swatted the annoying voice – even if it did have a point – away.

  “No, um… it’s okay,” I assured. “I’m just a little jumpy, I guess.”

  Abram nodded. “Understandable considering the circumstances, I think.” He gestured at the table, which I noticed was covered in what looked like an array of fast food containers. “Do you want some breakfast?” he asked. “I picked up some sandwiches at the gas station down the block. I didn’t know what you liked so I got a variety.”

  It was an oddly thoughtful gesture from a man I’d built up in my head as a stony-hearted, anti-social forest dweller who’d abandoned Derek when he had needed him most.

  “Well?” he pressed when I didn’t immediately answer.

  “Oh! Um… yeah, breakfast sounds great.”

  Somehow, I managed to shimmy out of Derek’s arms and leave the bed without waking him before hesitantly approaching the table and perusing the food.

  “Which one do you want?” I asked, eying the containers.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said, waving off my concern. “I got these for you.”

  Five sandwiches for me seemed like a bit much, but considering I’d been living on one meal a day – served to me by Felix, no less – I wasn’t about to complain. I picked up the sandwich labeled “egg, ham, and cheese” before unwrapping it from its foil wrapper and taking a bite.

  I let out an involuntary groan when my teeth sunk into the grease-soaked croissant, relishing the taste of savory ham and melted cheese on my tongue. I licked my lips before hastily taking another bite.

  I was so focused on eating – as good as it was, the best part of the sandwich was that I got to feed it to myself – that I didn’t notice Abram was staring until the sandwich was half-gone. I was sucking the grease from my fingertips when I glanced over and happened to catch his gaze.

  He was frowning, and I fought off a blush when I realized how uncouth my actions were. “Sorry,” I murmured, taking another bite and making sure I chewed with my mouth closed this time.

  Abram’s frown deepened. “No need to be sorry. I was just wondering how long it’s been since you’ve last eaten is all.”

  I didn’t really feel up to answering the question disguised as a statement and racked my brain for something else we could talk about. Unfortunately, the only thing the man and I had in common was Derek. I bit my lip. “You know, Derek’s told me a lot about you,” I revealed cautiously.

  Abram’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh really?”

  It wasn’t until after I’d said it aloud that I realized how it sounded. After all, we both knew that anything Derek had to say about Abram probably wasn’t good.

  “Um… yeah,” I confirmed, before hastily adding, “but it’s nice to finally meet you, you know… in person.”

  The corner of Abram’s mouth quirked. “As opposed to as a bear, you mean?”

  I couldn’t battle back the blush this time and felt heat creep up my cheeks. “Yeah, that.”

  Luckily, Abram seemed more amused than insulted.

  He was… different than I’d thought he’d be. Not just in demeanor, but in appearance. I hadn’t really had a chance to take him in last night with everything else going on, but I did have the opportunity now, and I realized he was younger than I’d thought he would be. He was in his mid-forties if I were to hazard a guess, and while gray streaked his hair, it was still mostly dark brown. And thick.

  Almost as thick as the beard that covered his chin.

  Like Derek, he was undeniably handsome, with symmetrical features besides a slightly crooked nose. His eyes were brown, like mine.

  And they were staring at me as intently as I was him.

  I quickly returned my attention to my sandwich. “Derek says that you’re a bear a lot,” I blurted in a desperate bid to fill the silence. “He says it’s how you cope with everything that’s happened.”

  Abram didn’t deny it – he didn’t say anything, as a matter of fact – and I pressed my lips together before biting the bullet and glancing back up at him. “He’s really missed you, you know.”

  That prompted a reaction. Abram snorted. “Is that what he told you?”

  I frowned at his disbelieving tone. “He didn’t have to tell me anything. It’s obvious. I mean, you’re the only family he has left.”

  They may not have been related by blood, but in the grand scheme of things, that hardly mattered.

  Abram shrugged. “Not for long.”

  I blinked owlishly at the obscure statement. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “When, exactly, are you planning to tell him?” he asked instead of answering my question.

  Confusion growing, I quickly realized that I was losing footing in the conversation – not exactly an unfamiliar feeling, unfortunately. “Tell him what?” I demanded.

  Abram tilted his head, his eyes drifting off to the side. “Could she really not know?” he muttered, seemingly to himself.

  “Not know what?” I asked, exasperated. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  Derek hadn’t told me the man was crazy.

  Abram’s eyes refocused on mine, and I fought the urge to fidget when he ran them up and down my form, allowing them to linger on my stomach before they returned to my face. “I’m talking about the cub.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I woke slowly, vaguely aware of a comfortable warmth curled beside me.

  Wisp.

  Memories of last night came flooding back to me as I gradually grew more cognizant of my surroundings, and I didn’t want to move, content to stay in a pleasant, half-conscious state with Wisp by my side forever.

  But then the weight next to me shifted and something wet pressed against the underside of my jaw.

  I frowned. “Wisp?” I muttered, voice still thick with sleep.

  And there it was again, even wetter this time, leaving a trail of slobber in its wake. And a hint of dog breath. Nothing I would ever associate with the honey-scented girl.

  I blearily opened my eyes, and sure enough, it wasn’t Wisp lying in bed next to me, but Thane. The chocolate lab’s eyes were shining, his tongue – the source of the drool sticking to my cheek, no doubt – lolling out of his mouth. His tail was even wagging, further proof of his jovial mood.

  I didn’t have to wonder the cause.

  It was the same reason for the lightness in my own chest, for the ability to breathe freely in what felt like the first time in weeks – for the first time since I’d watched (forced) a beautiful girl with big, brown eyes to walk out of my life.

  That reason’s name was Wisp.

  I’d gotten her back.

  I tried not to fixate on the state I had found her in – on the sickly pallor of her complexion or the abrasions looped around her wrists. Instead,
I focused on our conversation from the night before.

  I’d apologized and admitted to my mistakes. I’d confided in her the truth: that even though I’d done it in a twisted bid to protect her, I regretted letting her go the second she’d walked out the door.

  I’d told her I loved her.

  It was the first time I had uttered the words since my parents had died when I was fifteen.

  And then, miraculously, Wisp had forgiven me. She’d allowed me to kiss her wounds, and she’d let me hold her until we’d both drifted off into the blissful oblivion of sleep.

  In many ways, it felt too good to be true… but then again, Wisp was the very definition of “too good”.

  Definitely too good for someone like you, anyway, a sardonic voice piped up.

  The voice was right.

  But I would do whatever it took to make sure she never regretted giving me a second chance. I would do better – be better – until I resembled someone worthy of her affection.

  I would reign in my temper. I would let her sneak bacon to Thane under the table every morning if she wanted and not say a damn word. Most importantly, I would tell her I loved her every fucking day.

  What better time to start than the present?

  “Get off me, would you?” I muttered, nudging Thane off my lap and pushing myself into a sitting position. I glanced around the room. “Wisp?” I called when I didn’t immediately spot her.

  There was no response.

  I frowned. “Wisp?” I tried again, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and starting for the bathroom. I cracked open the door, peeking my head into the dingy room.

  But she wasn’t there either.

  Willing away the panic threatening to wrap itself around my lungs and squeeze – I couldn’t lose her again, I wouldn’t. – I tried to think logically.

  Maybe Wisp had just needed some fresh air. I could hardly blame the girl for stepping outside for a couple minutes after she had been forced to spend the past couple weeks locked away in a dreary basement.

  With that thought in mind, I approached the front door. Twisting the knob, I stepped out onto the veranda. Unfortunately, a quick glance around the lot proved that Wisp was nowhere in sight.