by T. Cobbin
Chapter 24
“Shawn?” Ben’s voice interrupted Shawn’s thoughts.
“Yes, Doc?”
“We have a problem, It’s Chris’s son.” Chris was one of the village enforcers. “He’s had a nasty accident, and I need to get him to the hospital in the city. Even with our healing there isn’t anything I can do here. Both Harris and Belle are busy, and I can’t interrupt them. So I thought of you.”
Shawn started running toward the village surgery. For Ben to ask for his help and to take a shifter to the hospital, it was urgent. “Glad to help. I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” he said, relief sounding in his voice. “I phoned ahead, and an old shifter friend is waiting at the hospital for us.” The doc carried on, filling Shawn in with what had happened.
Finally reaching the building, Shawn ran inside to see the pale face of Chris beside his unconscious son who was laying on a bed. The boy’s right arm was covered from shoulder to fingers in a heavy bandage. Blood seeped through in spots.
“Glad you can help me,” Ben said, coming up beside him. “The seats are laid down in the back of the jeep. Chris, can you lift Jake into the vehicle?”
Chris stood and looked warily at his son.
“It’s okay,” Ben comforted the man. “He’s out for the count. You can’t do any more damage to him just by picking him up. Well, unless you drop him on his arm, of course.”
Chris bent over his son and lifted him up. Holding him as close to his body as he could, he carried him outside and placed him in the doc’s jeep.
“Why didn’t you call an ambulance, Ben?” Shawn asked.
“One, it would take too long for them to get here and then to explain when we can move him now. And two, shifter healing.”
He didn’t need to say any more. Shawn could only imagine with the boy’s arm as busted up as it was, he was in for some pain. His bones would have to be reset before they could heal properly in their right positions. Shifters also tended to burn through meds faster than a human, which at times like this didn’t help.
“What about the air ambulance?” Shawn asked. “You know it’s an hour’s drive at least.”
The village was so far out in the sticks it was a long drive. If anything happened like this and someone needed hospital treatment fast, then normally the air ambulance was called out.
“Bad luck for the boy I’m afraid. The winds are pretty rough so no helicopters are flying tonight. That’s why I sedated him, I knew it was going to be a trip and a half by land.”
Crap. Getting into the driver’s seat, Shawn started the engine. He could see the reluctance on Chris’s face as he jumped into the passenger seat while Ben climbed into the back and fussed over Jake until he was happy the boy was comfortable. Once all were belted in Shawn drove toward the nearest hospital in West Morland.
A little over an hour later Shawn pulled up outside the hospital. An old, white-haired doctor was waiting outside with a team of nurses. Throughout the trip Ben had called the doctor to let him know how far they were and the condition of the boy. Ben climbed out of the vehicle and shook hands with the doctor as they watched the nurses shift the boy from the jeep onto a gurney and then wheel him into the building. They followed after him with Chris beside them.
Shawn stood by the jeep, now alone. Now, as the adrenaline from the drive seeped out of his system, he realized he was standing in front of the hospital with no idea if he was to wait for the doc or not. Shit. He looked around in a panic as it suddenly hit him that this was the first time he’d been out of the village since Rosie had attacked him. The scents around him brought back memories of him waking up in the hospital.
Images flashed through his mind. Rosie screaming at him. Rosie hitting him. Rosie… Rosie… Rosie… His chest tightened. Why was he panicking now? It had been so long since he had felt like this. The world suddenly seemed a whole lot bigger. Being in the village had created a safe bubble for him to cope and live happily in. Now he was out in the big, wide world and Belle, his safe haven, was nowhere in sight.
Fuck! Come on, Shawn, pull yourself together. He bent over, his hands on his knees. He couldn’t pull in a breath.
I here.
His tiger’s deep, somber voice brought a small tad of calm, enough for him to fill his lungs. Shawn pushed another breath into his lungs and released it. After a few more it felt easier. The edges of his vision slowly lost their fuzziness.
I here, his tiger repeated, sending a flow of love and reassurance.
Thank you, old friend.
I tell you I not leave you again.
“Shawn?” Belle’s voice broke through their conversation.
“Oh shit. Fuck. I forgot to tell you. Shit, I am so sorry,” Shawn rambled, a stream of curse words filling his side of the conversation in his mind. He was still in the midst of Rosie’s memories. Panic, fear, and whatever else he’d gone through. He was automatically assuming Belle would be pissed he hadn’t told her where he’d gone.
“Are you okay? I came home and you weren’t here. I only just got a report from Larry—I’m soo going to kick his arse tomorrow for the delay. I know where you are, don’t fret. I was just worried about you.”
Shawn calmed a little more. Belle wasn’t mad at him. She wasn’t shouting. She was calm. Taking another deep breath, he relaxed even more.
“They’ve just taken Jake inside. Doc and Chris went with him. I’m standing here like a prat wondering what to do next.” In his mind a small, hysterical laugh left him. “Sorry. I panicked a little, and I feel kind of stupid.”
“Come home, my tiger, I’ll be waiting for you.”
He could feel her love. She sent him an image of them entwined together. It made him feel even sillier for standing there panicking. She wasn’t Rosie. She had never treated him as such either. Guilt now rolled through him.
Stop. She love you. You are hers, and she is yours.
Shawn sent his tiger a flow of love and thanks. Between his beast and Belle, Shawn felt stronger, and he pushed all the bad memories away.
“I love you, my tigress.”
“I love you too, my tiger. Come home to me. I’ll send Larry over to the hospital to wait for Ben and Chris. The fucker can do something useful.”
Shawn drew in a breath and released it. His thundering heart slowly begin to beat normally. He brought an image into his mind of Belle, which calmed him even more. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. Thank you for being mine.”
“Drive safe. I’ll be waiting.”
Shawn climbed back into the jeep and started off for home. His mind was still in turmoil over panicking. Stupid fucking memories, they always hit him at unexpected times. Scents, sounds, sights all kicked them off. He’d thought he’d gotten over Rosie, but it seemed the woman had certainly left her mark on him.
The roads thinned out to single file country lanes as he neared the village. The day had been long, and he’d grown weary. Rolling down the window, he allowed the cool breeze to flow inside the jeep to help keep him awake. He came to a stop at the final junction before the last few miles toward home, and the hairs on his neck rose. He looked around. No other vehicles could be heard or were in sight. Weird. Perhaps he felt the heebie-jeebies because he was tired.
He had placed his foot on the accelerator to cross the junction when from out of nowhere he caught sight of a moving shadow to his right. Slamming on the brakes, he again looked around. Seeing nothing, he shook his head. Perhaps he was more physically drained than he thought. A scent carried in from the wind prickled his nose. He looked back out of the windscreen and there in the middle of the road stood Rosie. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“No, no, no. You’re seeing things, Burr,” he told himself aloud. “You’re more tired than you feel. Drive, man. Drive. Get home and into the arms of your mate. She always makes things better.”
It her. I can smell her evil scent. Drive or let me eat. His tiger growled low. I eat even if she make me sick, his tiger added.
His animal pushed at
him underneath his skin. Claws racked across the inside his stomach, and fur started rippling over his skin. Even though Shawn was frozen with fear, he had just enough sense to place his foot back onto the accelerator.
“Don’t even think about it, you fucking pansy.”
Shawn recognized that voice. It was David, one of Rosie’s brothers. Shawn assumed by the press of metal against his temple, the man had a gun.
Let me out. Let me eat, his tiger growled deep in his mind, pushing further at him to be released.
No, my friend, please. He could kill you…us. Be patient. You will get your time, I promise.
You better. His tiger pulled back, but remained on alert.
Shawn placed his foot back on the brake. The passenger door opened and another of Rosie’s brothers, Paul, climbed into the jeep. He too had a gun in his hand.
“Get in the back,” he ordered, pulling the hand-brake up.
Shawn opened the driver’s door and climbed into the back just as Rosie did the same on the other side.
“Hello, lover,” Rosie sneered.
Remembering about her injuries Shawn looked her over carefully. She no longer had any sign of the injuries that he had supposedly created. She actually looked good, even though she was on the run.
“It’s about time you left that fucking village. We couldn’t risk getting near you while you were in there. Little villages have a lot of eyes.”
Shawn finally came out of his daze. Rosie...Rosie was sitting next to him.
“How did you know where I was?” He’d believed he was safe in Stonesdale. No one but the police knew where he was.
Rosie laughed. “Oh, we have a friend who believed my story.” Her eyes filled with tears, her face changing to someone who was in pain. She even started wrapping her fingers around each other, like someone afraid to be where they were. “He hit me all the time,” she wailed. “He was always telling me I was fat and I should lose weight. I had to keep my job even though I hated it…”
She let the sentence trail off and looked at him, her whole demeanor changing to one of a predator instead of a victim. Even Shawn thought she’d looked convincing.
“You remember the nice detective Johnathon? He told me where you were, said my brothers might like to know. Wasn’t that kind was of him?” she asked, her voice all smug again.
Shawn knew the man didn’t like him, but to do this? After he got out of this—if he did—he would make sure he filed a complaint about the man.
“Why are you doing this?” He wanted to tell her to let him go, that he didn’t love her and she didn’t love him. He just wanted to live his life and put her in the past.
“You told the police, you fucking moron. They came after me! What the fuck did you do that for? I loved you, Shawn. I gave you everything. A car, a home. All you had to do was do as you were told,” Rosie screamed at him, spit flying from her mouth as she spoke.
“I’ll take it back. I’ll tell them I lied. Just please let me go. If you loved me like you say, let me go.”
Rosie shook her head, a look of disgust on her face. “You don’t get it, do you? I made you. You belonged to me. This Belle?” She sneered. “Is she your new fuck mate? A new lover? She likes sloppy seconds, does she? Well, guess what, if I can’t have you, she can’t either.” Rosie turned toward the front and ignored him.
Shawn knew he couldn’t risk shifting with a gun pointed at him. Shifter healing wouldn’t help if he was dead.
David climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the junction. Not in the direction of Stonesdale either. Shawn knew he was in big trouble. He had a small advantage though; he was a shifter who could talk mentally to other shifters, no matter the distance.
“Belle,” he called out.
Suddenly, he felt pain on the side of his head, caused by something coming from Rosie’s side of the car, and it had him closing his eyes tightly. Bile rose from his stomach as nausea rocked through him. Rosie had hit him? Yeah, that was normal.
He managed to open his eyes briefly before the darkness pulled him under, and his only thought was Belle. “I love you, my tigress.”
Chapter 25
“Wakey, Wakey, sleepyhead.” A shrill voice broke through his sleep.
“Belle?” Shawn’s voice came out gruff. He tried to raise his hand to his face, but he couldn’t move it. Huh?
Questions filled his thoughts. What day was it? Why was his bed hard, and who the hell was talking to him? He could smell perfume, wood, and dirt all rolled into one. Belle didn’t wear perfume. In fact, no shifter did, because it messed with their senses.
“Nope. Open your eyes, fucker.” A deeper voice had him opening his eyes. Nausea rolled through him as he did. He swallowed repeatedly until it dissipated.
“Finally!” said the shrill voice he’d heard earlier.
It all came back to him. Rosie!
Shawn looked around quickly. He was in what looked like an abandoned house. Paint was scraped off the woodwork. Old yellow wallpaper curled at the edges. Ropes were tied around his wrists, and from what he could tell his ankles too. He was sitting in a chair in front of a small table. Around it sat Rosie and her two brothers. Two guns lay on the table between them. The room they were in had sleeping bags in the corners. On the kitchen counter he could see an old camp stove with pans and cups strewn around it. It looked like the family had been camping there for a while.
He couldn’t hear any traffic outside, just the occasional bird chirping, so maybe they hadn’t brought him back to the city. How the fuck was he going to get out of this? The sun was shining through boards nailed to the windows, so he knew he’d been there overnight at least.
Belle...he had to tell Belle or Harris where he was; perhaps they could help him.
“Where are we?” he asked.
All three of them laughed.
“You think we would have knocked you out if we wanted you to know? Stupid fucker,” David said, shaking his head. “What you go get with a dunce for?” he asked his sister.
“Shut up. I can’t say much for your wife,” Rosie bit back.
Instead of blowing up at Rosie, David nodded his head and laughed. “Yeah, you got me there. I went back for some money last week and she tried to hide it from me. Stupid bitch. I showed her.”
Shawn tuned them out, trying to think of a way to get out of this mess.
I here still. Release me, I’ll show them. Guns aren’t in their hands now.
I’m glad you’re with me, old friend. I’m not sure we could shift quick enough. I need to find out where we are.
I tell our mate. She tell Alpha. They coming.
Shawn’s heart picked up a beat. He’d forgotten his tiger was able to talk to Belle’s. They don’t know where we are.
When you sleep, I tell mate directions car took. They scent the rest.
Oh God, he could actually get out of this alive. He sent a huge flow of love to his beast. Never in his life, not even when he was a teenager, had he not loved his tiger. When his beast had stopped talking to him before because of his relationship, he’d been heartbroken. It seemed his feline was making up for things now.
I tell you I never leave again.
Before he could send a message to Belle, Rosie brought him out of his thoughts and conversation with his tiger by slapping a hand around his face. He couldn’t even raise his own hand to the burn.
“I asked you a fucking question! Don’t zone out on me,” she ordered. “We need you to write a statement saying you falsely accused me of stabbing you. Will you do it?”
Shawn realized that although he was afraid of the situation he was in, he wasn’t actually afraid of the woman sitting beside him anymore. She’d spent years abusing him, physically and mentally, and he’d spent those years afraid and walking on eggshells. Now, though, as he looked at her, he didn’t feel afraid of her. She just looked like an average woman he’d meet on the street. Someone that he probably wouldn’t even notice since he’d met Belle.
Belle had helped him heal. Yes, he still had panic moments, but they were becoming less and less frequent. He was going to be a father; he had to live. The thought of Belle hurting because he’d died broke his heart. No, he had to get out of this.
He looked into the eyes of his former fiancée. He didn’t love this woman anymore. He didn’t even hate her. He pitied her more than anything else, plus any man she loved in the future.
“Belle,” he called out in his mind. Rosie could wait for his answer a bit longer.
“Oh, my tiger. I was so worried, but your beast kept talking to mine and we are nearly there with you. Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride so far.” He tried to mentally chuckle, but it came out a little limp. She was near. His mate had come for him. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? It was time he took this situation and turned it around. Another slap brought him out of his thoughts.
“For fuck’s sake! I’m going to shoot you myself,” Rosie screamed at him.
No hit no more. Enough! his tiger roared inside of him.
Instead of holding his beast back, Shawn pulled back in his mind and gave his body over to his tiger. Shawn opened his mouth and roared; it mixed in with Rosie’s scream of terror filling the small room. Orange and black fur slid out of Shawn’s pore. His fangs grew. His body changed. His clothes ripped, some of the material falling to the floor. The ropes that had been holding him down frayed and broke string by string, until finally his beast stood on all fours, growling at the three pathetic people in the room. His feline shook himself free from the rest of Shawn’s clothes.
“What the fuck? What the fuck, man?” David screamed, scrabbling backward. His chair went flying behind him, banging against the floor. The man looked as white as a ghost. His lips moved in silent prayer.
“Shiiiiiiiiiiit,” Paul yelled. He kicked the table as he moved backward, and the guns went sprawling.
Too scared to shoot. His tiger chuckled, licking his lips for show.
The average weight for his kind of tiger was about eight hundred and fifty pounds, but for a shifter, their body mass was bigger. Shawn chuckled mentally, watching the three people who’d kidnapped him and probably had plans to make him disappear, cower in fear in front of a nine hundred pound tiger.