by Ruby Forrest
Instead, he had always been there to keep her safe, keep her secure. She knew that it was his job, but she sensed something else, sensed something lurking beneath the surface. He was helping her in ways that went above and beyond his job description. He had all but admitted that to her when he was talking. He didn’t want a temporary fix. He wanted her to be safe and to feel safe even if he wasn’t around.
The thought sent a rush of warmth threw her, which thawed out the lingering ice and anger that she still held towards him. She felt better already. She took a long sip of her coffee, relieved that it was still hot, and Alister did the same.
They didn’t have much time to talk, before the waitress arrived with dinner. Mary-Ann felt her stomach growl with hunger and she was reminded quite firmly that she hadn’t eaten all day and that she really needed to have something. She started on her dinner and Alister did the same. They ate in comfortable silence for a long while, neither of them willing to pause for long enough to start up another deep and meaningful conversation. Mary-Ann was especially grateful for this, grateful for the fact that she had a moment to breathe, a moment to collect her thoughts and refuel her body.
She felt better when she had worked her way through the plate and finished off her cup of coffee. She was feeling more awake, more alert and a lot more comfortable.
The nagging discomfort and sickness had eased and Mary-Ann was feeling more herself than she had for most of this day. She knew what was going on now, at least the basics. She had an idea of what she was up against and why all of this insanity had happened and she finally felt like she had someone on her side, there to help her.
She felt safe with Alister and, when she remembered how he had fought off her attacker not once, but twice, Mary-Ann felt a flood of warmth within her. He was strong. He seemed to be stronger than her attackers, which was a very comforting thought. She frowned in concern as something suddenly hit her.
“Alister…” He looked up at her from his coffee.
“Alister, are you okay?” Her eyes were filling with concern, “I mean, you….” She sighed and lowered her voice, “You were just in a big fight.”
Alister shrugged it off, with an easy roll of his shoulders, “I’m fine. A bit bruised, but he didn’t get in any good hits.” He smiled and Mary-Ann wasn’t sure if he was lying or not. Still, nothing looked obviously broken and he wasn’t bleeding out, that she could see, so she had no choice but to go with it, to just work with what she had and hope against hope that he would be okay.
She realized that she wanted desperately to get through this, but she also wanted Alister to get through this. He was becoming important to her and she couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt and injured, especially not after everything that he had done for her. She wasn’t sure what would happen if he got hurt, wasn’t sure if he would heal better than a human would, or if it would be harder on him.
She didn’t know a lot about him, not really, but she knew that he was a good guy who was here for her and that was enough, that was more than enough to help her through the night.
Alister smiled and pushed himself up, “You want anything else?” He was fishing his wallet out of his jeans.”
Mary-Ann nodded, “Maybe a bottle of water… hey, Alister, do you want me to help with that?” She was startled that he was going to pay.
He shook his head, “its fine.” He headed over to the counter, grabbing two bottles of water as he went. He paid for the bill, grabbing a couple more things from the shelves and returning to her with a bag.
At her curious look, he shrugged his shoulders, “Not sure when we’ll be stopping next. It’s just better to make sure that we have some food on us, in case.”
Mary-Ann nodded and felt, not for the first time, very grateful that he was here with her. She probably wouldn’t have thought ahead like that. She’d never had to and she was finding it to be a very steep learning curve, a lot to take in.
“You ready to go?” He was smiling, but there was a serious look in his eyes, a look that said he meant business. Mary-Ann was comforted by that look and she nodded, making to stand herself, “Yeah, ready to go.”
He offered her his hand and Mary-Ann took it.
Chapter 12
Once they were back in the car, Alister turned the heat on and roared the engine to life. He still didn’t turn on the lights, and Mary-Ann risked asking, “You don’t need the headlights on?”
He shook his head, “It’s one of the benefits. I can see just fine in the dark. Besides, these roads are almost deserted this way, so I doubt anyone will see us. It’s just better to keep under the radar right now.”
Mary-Ann nodded slowly, considering hos point. At least he could see where he was going, or at least, she assumed that he could. More questions were pulling at her mind, persisting at her thoughts, “How did you find me?” She murmured, her voice quiet as they pulled onto the road.
Alister shrugged softly, “It’s not hard to track someone, and I’ve been keeping you in my sighs for a little while…”
Mary-Ann nodded, “But we were in a car, and so far out. How did you catch up to us?”
“I know shortcuts and it’s easier to just go undetected through the forest.” Mary-Ann felt a little dizzy with awe, “So…you ran?”
Alister nodded and Mary-Ann bit her lip, “That…that is insanely fast.” She felt a sudden pang of dread, “Does that mean that they can track and follow us the same way?”
When Alister didn’t answer, Mary-Ann felt the sickening realization flood her system. She knew, without a doubt, that yes, that was exactly what it meant. It made sense that Alister was in such a hurry to drive, to get where he needed to go. It also made sense why he had covered up the side window and shut the air vents to cycle.
He didn’t want their scent to be detected as easily as he had and he wanted to get out of the way of any potential danger. She felt sick and she bit her lip deeply. They could catch up with them at any moment. If it wasn’t for Alister’s thoughtfulness and the way he seemed to be planning for this, Mary-Ann wasn’t sure what would happen. She wasn’t sure that she would stand a chance, and the thought was sickening.
Alister glanced over at her. He didn’t say a word, but he leaned back and rummaged around for something, before handing her the bottle of water, “Drink, and then rest.” He murmured.
His voice was soft and reassuring and he glanced over at her again, “I’ll keep driving, for a while at least. You get some rest in and I’ll wake you up when we’re parking. We’ll sleep during the day…” He murmured.
“During the day?” Mary-Ann was confused.
Alister nodded, “We’ll find a motel, a think there’s a few out this way. We’ll rent a room and catch up on some proper sleep then.” He glanced at Mary-Ann. Wolves are active during the day, if they choose, but they’re slower….” He smiled, “Slower, and it is much harder to speed along and track properly. It’s the best time to rest because there’s a good chance they will be doing the same thing.”
Mary-Ann supposed it made sense. Right now, she was far too tired to argue with Alister anyway. He seemed to know what he was doing, seemed to have a very good idea about how to best navigate this situation. Mary-Ann had a suspicion that if she had stayed home that first day, she might have been able to delay this madness.
But, at the very least, now she knew what was going on, knew what she was up against, and knew what she had to do to stay alive. She was hopeful that she would at least be able to survive this, although Mary-Ann still felt the nagging doubts.
She settled back against the seat and curled her legs up beneath her, “Wake me if anything happens.” She whispered.
Alister nodded, although there was a wry smirk on his lips, “Well, I am sure you’ll know if anything happens.”
Mary-Ann felt a shiver, but she could not deny that he was right. If anything else happened, there was no doubt that she would be woken roughly from her sleep. She curled u
p and snuggled down. A moment later, she felt a warm weight drape over her.
She opened her eyes to see Alister’s big leather jacket resting on her like a blanket. His eyes were fixed on the road, and Mary-Ann felt a surge of warmth inside of her, “Thank you.” She whispered.
He didn’t reply, but Mary-Ann didn’t feel like he had to. She knew that he cared, knew that he was there to help her and keep her safe, help her get through this terrifying ordeal.
She had faith in him, faith that he would help her through this, help her get through safely and in one piece. She snuggled beneath the warmth of his jacket, noting that it smelt like him. It comforted her and soothed her. She sighed and held his jacket a little closer, the warmth lulling her into security.
Mary-Ann’s fingers went to the pendant around her neck, the one that her mother had left her. She hadn’t touched it much today, hadn’t dared to move when she was in the car with her attacker, and her mind had been elsewhere when she was talking to Alister. It was only now, when the heat of the panic and confusion had passed, that Mary-Ann touched it to reassure herself, to help herself settle. She felt comforted having it close, comforted having the thought of her mother near.
She wondered how her mother would have acted in this situation, what she should do. Mary-Ann shut her eyes and drifted slowly into sleep, comforted by her mother’s necklace and Alister’s jacket, feeling as protected and loved as she possibly could, with the threat hanging over her head.
It would be okay. She just had to keep moving forward and everything would be alright.
Chapter 13
When Mary-Ann next woke, the sun was filtering into the car and lighting it up. She blinked, trying to take it all in. She looked around and took a deep breath. Alister was still besides her, driving the car, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of anything bad happening. She took a deep breath of relief. They had made it through the night. Alister was gripping the wheel tightly and Mary-Ann supposed that he must be exhausted. He had been through a lot too, and had driven all night, to top it off. She shifted and sat up properly in the seat.
Alister glanced over at her and smiled a little, “Sleep well?”
Mary-Ann nodded. She had, in fact, had a good rest. She had thought that her sleep would have been patchy and plagued with bad dreams, but that wasn’t the case at all. She had fallen straight asleep and had not woken up even once, sleeping straight through, and the deep and heavy sleep of exhaustion.
“Where are we?” She murmured as she stretched out the kinks and reached for her water bottle.
“Not far from the next motel. We’ll probably stop there for the day.”
Mary-Ann nodded and unscrewed the cap on the water bottle. She took a long, deep drink, and felt herself wake up a little more, the lingering, groggy feelings easing away. She sighed in relief and settled back a little more, “That sounds good.”
“If you’re hungry, the snacks are in the back.” Alister added with a smile.
He seemed to be able to read her moods perfectly. He knew when she needed rest and just when to offer something to eat. He was thoughtful and Mary-Ann was stunned that the most thoughtful man she had ever met was Alister, a wolf, a security guard, an ex-navy seal, with a body to match.
And yet, he was thoughtful enough to make sure she got a good meal, time to have her questions answered, some rest, more food, water and comfort. Not to mention that he had made sure that she felt safe and comfortable, something that Mary-Ann hadn’t thought possible, given the situation.
She rummaged in the back, grabbing a packet, “Would you like something?” She asked as she grabbed her breakfast.
Alister shook his head, “I’ll eat when we’re at the motel.”
Mary-Ann nodded. She could really admire his dedication, the way that he focused on what he was doing, taking everything so seriously and working so hard. She could see, quite clearly, that his fast training had yielded fantastic results. She thought again of the wolf who had attacked her, and the way he seemed unable to control his own power, his own anger. Mary-Ann wondered if Alister’s training had done anything towards helping him with his, because his control seemed absolutely flawless, unnaturally so.
She settled back and started to eat, feeling better already after the rest and getting something into her. In the light of day, things no longer seemed quite so terrifying.
In fact, the night before seemed almost like a dream. If Mary-Ann wasn’t in the car with Alister, she might have started to believe that she had dreamt up the whole thing, imagined every bit of it. She rubbed her face and took a deep, long breath. She glanced over at Alister and managed a smile.
“So, not long now?”
He nodded and Mary-Ann felt a warmth fill her. She was suddenly sure that Alister needed this rest and that, for once, it was her turn to take care of him, her turn to make sure that he had time to rest, time to settle and breathe and regroup, just like he had done for Mary-Ann.
It didn’t take long for Alister to find the turn off and park the car in the lot of the motel. The building looked a little bit rundown and decrepit. Mary-Ann could understand why. She didn’t suppose that they got terribly regular traffic here, and the people who were stopping here probably didn’t care about the upkeep of the place.
Honestly, Mary-Ann found that she didn’t care much either. She wanted it to have the basics and not be crawling in bugs. Other than that, she really didn’t give a damn. Alister got out of the car and opened up the door for her, before shutting and locking it all up. He stretched and Mary-Ann got a glimpse of his tightening muscles beneath his shirt. She bit her lip and tried to ignore the feelings that he stirred within her.
They headed to the front desk and Alister rang the bell. An older woman arrived within five minutes and took the booking. Alister paid upfront, as well as the deposit and Mary-Ann heard him pay extra for discretion. She blushed deeply.
She understood why he was doing it- they needed privacy and discretion, especially if they were trying to hide from those who were chasing her, but Mary-Ann couldn’t help but feeling like this was a sordid sex affair. Still, she couldn’t blame Alister. He was thinking of their safety first and that was, after all, the most important thing.
They were taken up a long, rickety staircase, to a room on the top floor. Mary-Ann noted that Alister was keeping a close watch on everything around them, and only turned to thank the lady once they were settled. Then she left them alone and Alister didn’t waste any time locking the door firmly and checking all of the windows.
He seemed paranoid, but Mary-Ann didn’t suppose that she could blame him. It was his job to protect her, after all, and she hadn’t been making it easy thus far. Once he had finished checking everything, he took and deep breath and turned to Mary-Ann, smiling a little.
“Alright, we’ll stay here for the next couple of hours, get some rest and then we’re back on the road.”
Mary-Ann nodded and had a look around the room. It wasn’t bad, as far as hotel rooms went. It looked a little run down, with wall paper that was less that pretty, but other than that, it was serviceable. The bed looked clean and was big enough for two people. There was a pull out couch for extra sleep space, and a bathroom which, while small, had a toilet, shower and sink. There was a small kitchenette beside them and Mary-Ann felt the morality washing over her.
Alister was looking at her carefully, “Go shower, sleep….” He shrugged, “I’ll keep watch.”
Mary-Ann shook her head, “No, I think it’s your turn, Alister.”
Alister looked at her in surprise and she smiled, shrugging, “You’ve been driving all night, and you were running yourself ragged before that. I think it’s only fair…”
Alister chuckled, but there was concern in his eyes, “Look, I’ll have a shower, but you need the sleep more than I do.”
He headed into the bathroom, a bag slung over his shoulder and Mary-Ann settled into the sheets, leaning back. She shut her eyes a
nd just listened, listened in case she heard something untoward, in case there was a creak of a floorboard that might give away an attack.
She didn’t hear anything, which sent a wave of relief through her. All she heard was the shower and the sound of Alister moving around in the bathroom. She was okay with that, and she knew that she had nothing to fear while he was around, even if he was showering, or asleep.
She rummaged in the bag and grabbed something else to eat, downing her bottle of water too. She knew she would need her strength and she wasn’t about to get caught out again. She was starting to think like a survivor, starting to plan like one. She knew that this was second nature to Alister, but she was still learning, after all.
Alister didn’t take too long in the shower. She heard the door opening and she opened her eyes as he stepped out of the shower. Mary-Ann felt her legs go a little weak. If possible, he looked even better than he had before.
His hair was still damp from the water, although he had clearly towel dried it off. He was wearing his pants, but he had hung his shirt up on the shower door, clearly having washed it while he was in there.
His tattoos curled up his arms and there was a hint of a shadow across his jawline. He looked good and Mary-Ann felt a tingle shudder through her body. He was gorgeous. She could see the bruises blooming on her skin and was very relieved that they didn’t look as bad as she had feared. It was clear that the fight had been vicious, but he was still the very clear winner.
Mary-Ann shifted over on the bed, making room for him and offering the bag of food. He smirked and sat down. His posture was so easy, so confident and fluid. She was struck with how much he reminded her of a wolf, of a predator, strong and confident, fluent and at ease in his own skin. He was gorgeous, but it was more than that. There was more than that to him and Mary-Ann realized that, despite the rough day they’d had, she was enjoying learning about him and spending time with him.