by S. L. Hess
Her voice brought Devan’s head around. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and the expression on his face was downright feral which perhaps should have had Laney experiencing her first real fear of Devan, but she didn’t; she was too happy to see him.
Devan stepped back releasing Jarrod and his body collapsed into to a tangled heap of limbs on the ground. He stood there in a frozen state the fury on his face transforming into agonized sorrow. “Are you okay?” He asked hoarsely.
Laney tried to rise but after hours of walking and then being sedentary her legs refused to work. Devan broke out of his stationary mode and rushed over to lift her up. Laney latched her arms around his neck as he bent down to help her. She squeezed hard and the stress and exhaustion of the last hours finally hit her causing tears to leak from her eyes.
“I knew you would come, I just knew it.” She mumbled into his chest.
Laney pressed herself into Devan’s body wanting to feel his warmth and strength; wanting to feel safe again. Devan lifted her in his arms and hugged her into his body and Laney sighed at the embrace. Her feet dangled in mid-air, but she was utterly content. His face was planted in her neck and she felt him sniff her. She shivered slightly at the sensation and it reminded her of when they been at The Diner and he’d said ‘he could smell her all day’. Had he just said those words to her last night? It seemed like days ago.
“Are you alright; he didn’t hurt you, did he?” Devan whispered in her hair. His voice sounded grim at the word ‘hurt’.
Laney shook her head her stomach clenching at thoughts of Jarrod. “He didn’t hurt me.” Laney tilted her head back slightly. “Thank you for coming for me. I knew if anyone could find me it would be you.”
Her gaze got caught in the dark depths of Devan’s eyes. His pupils almost swallowed the golden color of his iris, but she could see the deep emotion in and around his eyes and Laney felt herself drowning in the intensity of them.
One of his hands moved to brush her hair away from her face leaving one arm to hold her against his body…her weight seemed to be no problem for him. Goosebumps spread over Laney’s skin at his touch and not from being cold.
Devan’s gaze traveled over her face and stopped on her lips. Laney watched in amazement as his pupil’s contracted and expanded. His arms squeezed her tighter and Laney gasped at the pressure; not in discomfort but from the unfamiliar and intense sensations coursing through her.
“Devan.” Laney exhaled his name in wonder.
His gaze rose to lock with hers once again and there was such longing there; Laney knew the same thing spilled from hers. She cupped his right cheek with her hand and his eyes closed as though savoring the feel of it. His head actually tilted and pressed into it her palm.
Laney’s emotions swelled even further at his actions. His lids opened and the heat spilling from his eyes warmed her from the inside out. Without even realizing it her chin lifted as his head dropped and their lip met and melded.
The touch was at first shocking; Laney had never kissed anyone before, at least not like this. They initially just meshed and moved their lips together, but she knew the basics and slowly opened her mouth and shyly licked at his lips.
Devan’s hand moved to the back of her head threading his fingers into her hair to get a firmer grip as he opened his mouth and took charge. His mouth seemed to devour hers and she moaned at the passion behind it. The pleasure were electrifying, beyond anything she’d ever felt before. All Laney wanted to do was get closer, and Devan seemed to feel the same thing as his grip around her became unyielding and his mouth moved more feverishly.
His mouth consumed hers, leaving her breathless and quivering. A well of emotion bubbled inside of her, making her head spin and her heart pound uncontrollably. Never before had she felt this way about someone, especially someone she barely knew. Laney clutched at his broad shoulders and biceps, reveling in their strength and reassuring herself that she wasn’t dreaming; that his were arms were actually wrapped around her.
Abruptly though, Devan ripped his mouth from hers. Breathing hard Laney forced her eyes open to stare up at Devan in dazed wonder…and watched as his face morphed into a multitude of emotions. The ones she indentified were; incredulity, agony, longing, and unhappiness. Laney wasn’t sure if she should feel hurt for herself or for him…probably for both of them.
It had hit her last night that Devan thought he had nothing to offer her, or anyone, because of the danger surrounding his life, and he was obstinate enough that she might not be able to change his mind before he made plans to disappear. Just the thought of Devan disappearing from her life where she might never see him again caused a dark feeling of desolation to settle on her soul.
Devan slowly lowered her to the floor and made to step away from her, but Laney’s legs wobbled under her from the long rough night…the kiss hadn’t help either.
Scooping her up Devan crouched and gently placed her back on the floor. “Rest here for a minute; I need to take care of Jarrod.” Standing he made his way over to Jarrod.
“He’s still alive, isn’t he?” Laney asked anxiously. Even after everything Jarrod had done she didn’t want him fatally wounded or anything. She didn’t believe he was really dangerous, just a little disturbed in the head.
Devan crouched down and his expression turned coldly furious as he retrieved the gun that had dropped on the floor beside Jarrod’s fallen body. “He’s alive. I only broke his nose.” From Devan’s tone he’d wished it was more. He flipped open the guns chamber and shook out two bullets. The sight of the ammunition sent a chill down Laney’s spine. She’d wondered the whole time if that gun had been loaded and to actually see that it was staggered her.
Would Jarrod have truly used those on her?
“He deserved that, I guess.” Laney said sadly.
“He deserves a lot more than that.” Devan growled. He replaced the bullets and stuck the gun in his back waistband. Bending down he began frisking Jarrod, none too gently, confiscating the bowie knife strapped to the back of his belt, and the cell phone in his back pocket.
“I don’t understand what…I mean; we’ve been friends for so long. What did I…?” Laney broke off, unable to articulate Jarrod’s actions and her feelings into words.
The look Devan threw her way before he went back to looking through Jarrod’s pockets was agonized and full of guilt. “Laney, you said yourself that he changed overnight when I came on the scene, so if anyone is to blame it would be me.”
Instant anger filled Laney that he would take any blame for this. “Don’t even go there.” She snapped. He looked at her in surprise. “Whatever was wrong with him has been there for a long time and even though he focused on you it could easily have been something else that set him off. He was carrying some sort of fixation for me and our…” Laney flushed and pointed back and forth between her and Devan. “…friendship tipped him over the edge.”
A look of discomfort crossed his face. “So, it was my fault in a certain way.” Devan mumbled.
Laney rolled her eyes. “No, it could have easily been someone else showing an interest in me triggering his volatility, or just realizing that I didn’t like him like he wanted me to.”
Devan’s eyes flared and his features hardened in ferocity. Laney wondered at his reaction and then realized he didn’t like the thought of someone else showing an interest in her. Her heart lifted at his response and what it could mean.
Reaching into one of the many pockets on his vest Devan pulled out some zip ties; flipping Jarrod over unceremoniously he began tying his hands and then his feet together.
“Are we going to leave him here all tied up? A wild animal could find him.” Laney looked on with trepidation.
Devan’s head was bent over his task but Laney saw his jaw clench. “I’m going to have to leave you both here. Jarrod had his phone on him and there’s just enough signal for you to make a call. I’ll give you the exact coordinates so the search party can find you as soon as possible, and I’
ll observe from a safe distance to make sure they arrive.”
Laney’s heart sank at what Devan was telling her. “This is another one of those situations you can’t be involved in, isn’t it?”
Devan stood and reached into his vest for a water canister and handed it to her. His eyes were poignant. “Yes.”
“Those are all the situations we seem to have; first the mountain lion, then the wolf, and this.” She choked out a laugh. “How are we going to explain this one away? I don’t think anyone is going to believe that I broke Jarrod nose.”
“They will if you tell them you used a branch. I didn’t allow Jarrod to get a look at me when I hit him, and I hit him so hard that it might even make him confused about how he got hit altogether.” Devan smiled grimly at that thought.
“First a wolf and now Jarrod; I’m pretty impressive.” Laney remarked in misery. She did not like taking credit for what Devan had done. He’d rescued her, twice, no three times counting the bridge, and he wasn’t able to be recognized for the hero he was.
There was a long silent moment and Laney watched several emotions move across Devan’s face before a look of resolution settled on it. “We could come up with another story. We could leave him here and I could get you near one of the search groups; you could tell them you escaped.
Laney liked that plan a lot better because she would be spending more time with Devan, but it would still leave him out of be credited with her rescue. “I just don’t like taking credit for something I didn’t do. I want you to be recognized, but instead I look like some sort of…” Laney grinned at Devan impishly. “Super human.”
Devan’s looked astonished. “Is that what you think I am?”
“If the cape fits.” Laney quipped. “You have come to my rescue three times. Four if we count the lion.”
An expression of guilt washed over Devan’s face. “If not for me the wolves wouldn’t have even been at the school.”
Laney frowned. “What do you mean?”
Devan paced over to the door. “I knew from beginning that the wolves weren’t your ordinary Gray wolves. First of all, they were substantially larger than your average Gray, and secondly, their behavior was too methodical. They had no fear when they entered the crowded parking lot. They were focused entirely on the hunt; searching for what they’d been ingrained, probably from birth, to find. That’s why they headed straight for my jeep and then the storage building.” He turned to face her, his expression stony. “They were there for me. Hunting me; possible sent to kill me.”
Ingrained from birth? Hunting, killing! “What do you mean?” Laney asked, thoroughly confused.
“These wolves aren’t natural; they’ve been genetically altered and trained to find me. They have been hunting me for who knows how long and somewhere along the way they picked up my scent and tracked me here. They were at the school because my scent lead them there. I put everyone in danger, I put you in danger.” Devan’s tone was laden with remorse.
Laney felt her face lose blood at his statement, not because she’d been in danger, but because the wolves were sent to kill him. “Are you sure, maybe…”
Devan shook his head, stopping her. “We’re sure; a sample of the wolves’ marrow confirmed it.”
Anger and horror trembled through Laney’s body causing the blood to rush back up to her face. She was exhausted and all these emotions were becoming too much. “So this so called Company made these wolves for the sole purpose of finding you?”
More guilt crossed Devan’s face. “Yes.”
Laney knew what he was feeling guilty about and she wasn’t going to allow him take responsibility. “You need to stop blaming yourself, especially since it sounds like they’re only interested in you, and even if they weren’t it still isn’t your fault.” She growled, tired of him taking the blame for everything. Jarrod behavior wasn’t his fault and these killer wolves definitely weren’t his fault.
Devan’s expression was a mixture of misery and self-condemnation telling Laney that he wasn’t buying into any of her words. She gave him another aggrieved glare before asking the question weighing on her mind. “How are these wolves altered?”
“The Company must have been able to replicate one of Brett’s previous experiments; one that involved wolves mixed with the DNA of a bloodhound and a bear. That’s why the wolves are so large. When we escaped the facility I left behind a variety of things that held my scent, and bloodhounds are known to track a scent for weeks. They could have found my scent anywhere on the road between here and Oregon.”
Laney frowned.” Oregon? I thought you came from Michigan.”
Devan gave her a sheepish look. “We never tell our true previous location; it’s better to cut all ties.”
The anger inside of Laney reached its boiling point, but not from Devan’s lie. “These people are vile. That they would send out…these kinds of animals to kill you…they’re the animals…utterly despicable.” Laney’s words were coming out disjointed she was so mad. A terrifying thought hit her. “Oh God! The Company isn’t here in Silverton, is it? Is that how the wolf disappeared; were they trying to hide the evidence?”
An odd expression shifted over Devan’s face. “People didn’t come to retrieve the wolf’s body; it was the other pack members that broke in. They raided the vet’s on their own volition, razed the building to eliminate any possible evidence and then dragged the body away. I found it last night after dropping you off. The pack consumed most of the animal and crushed what they could of its bones.”
Laney grimaced at the picture he painted and then her eyes narrowed. He’d known all this and hadn’t told her. Had he been trying to protect her or was it that he still wasn’t comfortable with revealing certain information? She couldn’t yell at him―even though she really wanted to―he had to be willing to share.
“Why would they do that?” Laney asked instead.
“They’ve probably been trained to destroy anything that could prove the existence of genetic experimentation. There was nothing left of that animal except for some fur and various broken bones.”
Laney grimaced again. “They ate their own pack member?”
A groan from the floor had both Laney’s and Devan’s head swinging toward Jarrod. She’d forgotten him while Devan had revealed everything that had been going on behind the scenes. It was unbelievable to her that animals could think and plan something rationally like that.
Laney suddenly found herself lifted up and everything blurred as Devan dashed out of the small shack. She grasped his shoulders tightly in alarm at how fast they moved. Once outside he closed the door and then bent over causing Laney to squeak and tightened her grip even more at the almost upside-down position, but Devan kept his firm hold on her. A second later she was back upright and Devan was holding a branch in his hand which he wedged against the door to hold it shut.
Reaching into one of his vest pockets Devan pulled out Jarrod’s phone and began typing something on it. Laney was going to ask what he was doing but he gave a shake of his head gesturing toward the door and she realized he didn’t want Jarrod overhearing anything if he was waking up. When Devan was done he tossed the phone into the forest.
It was quite a toss…at least fifty yards.
Picking up a crossbow that was set against the building he slung it over his shoulder, and after shifting her slightly into a more comfortable position he walked swiftly away from the building while scanning the area.
When they’d reached a safe distance she couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “What did you do on his phone?”
“I sent coordinates to his father and yours.” He answered gruffly.
Laney raised her eyebrows. She had a feeling he only did it because he knew she would have worried about Jarrod all tied up and defenseless.
“You know you would look really good in spandex.”
Devan’s eyebrows went up. “What?”
Laney grinned. “You know, for your super hero outfit. Something black
maybe.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully and then ruined it with a yawn. She relaxed the death grip she had on his shoulders.
The look Devan gave her was concerned. “Try to go to sleep.” He ordered.
Laney set her head against his chest wishing he wasn’t wearing the vest and she could feel the warmth of skin. The day had gotten warmer so she wasn’t as cold as she’d been last night. “I’m just saying…you would, but no cape. Maybe something like Wolverine.” The long night was definitely catching up with her because Laney could feel herself starting to babble. Her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep and she was having a hard time keeping them open. Suddenly her eyes flew open. “Wait, you can’t be carrying me, your arm is injured. Let me down right now.” She tried to wiggle out of his arms but it was like trying to get out of a boa constrictors hold.
“I’m fine. I told you I heal faster than normal.” He grunted, pulling her in tighter to his chest. The way he strode effortlessly through the woods while carrying her seemed to testify to claim, but she was still worried.
“You can’t carry me all the way back.” Laney protested; although, she had to admit this felt awesome.
Devan gave another small grunt. “You weigh barely anything. I’ve carried elk farther that weighed more than you.”
Laney still wasn’t reassured, but there really wasn’t anything she could do because she couldn’t budge from his grasp. “If you get tired you better set me down.” She grumbled crossly.
Devan didn’t answer her and after a while his smooth rhythmic stride lulled her into closing her eyes again.
“Laney?”
“Mmm,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Do you realize what the wolves signify?”
Laney’s sleep deprived brain was having a hard time comprehending what Devan was trying to tell her, but she did hear the sadness in his tone. “What,” she asked apprehensively.
“In all probability The Company is tracking them, leading them here.” He said solemnly.
A pain unlike anything she’d ever felt before arrowed through Laney’s body. She almost cried out in pain, ‘no, no, no’. She didn’t want him to leave. The words nearly left her lips, the only thing that stopped her was the thought that he would be in danger if he stayed, and the thought of anything happening to him elicited more pain than his leaving did.