by JJ Anderson
Aside from eating a protein bar, he’d not stopped for anything. The sun was starting to drop low, leaving the area in the tall pines in almost full darkness. He needed to find a safe place to sleep but would anything ever be safe for him again.
The sounds of the forest shifted, and a sliver of fear sent ice through his blood. A few seconds later, a faint howl cut through the forest. Was that a shifter? Had his dad sent out the hounds of hell? Were they already close? He didn’t want them to catch him, and he sure as hell couldn’t go back to his father’s house.
Ronan picked up his pace though darkness was closing in. He caught the scent of water and headed toward it, hoping to hide his smell again.
Dark shadows hid the ground, but he made out a stream. For a second, he thought the stream disappeared, but it had to be the shadows. He took a step into the water and then another. The dirt gave way. He dropped to his bottom, arms and legs pinwheeling as he searched for something to hold. But there was nothing to hold onto as he slid down mud and rock, water splashing over his head and shoulders. Ronan landed with a whoosh of air and a splash into shallow water at the bottom of what must have been a low waterfall.
For two seconds he thought he was okay. Then a roar split the air, nearly deafening him. Ronan stilled as the hair on the back of his neck rose. Goosebumps raced over his shoulders and down his arms.
He glanced up, shock filling him. A beast towered over him, his massive paw raised to take a swipe.
Ronan cowered and ducked his head, trying to make himself small and avoid the beast’s claws. The urge to shift wove through him, and he was about to transform when the creature paused and leaned in, his nose at Ronan’s neck. Loud sniffing and snuffling from the beast made his muscles clench.
Nothing happened. The beast blew out a breath, warm snot and spit splatted on Ronan’s face. A violent shiver raced down his body. He gulped in a breath, praying the creature didn’t change his mind and attack.
The thing plopped down in the creek, splashing water on Ronan. He lifted his head, peaking at the animal which turned out to be a bear. He drew in a sniff and shivered. The bear was a shifter.
Fear grew even larger, and Ronan tried to move out of the water. He stood but his ankle gave way, and he fell into the mud at the bank. The bear shifted, and the man held up his hand.
“Hold on. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Ronan drew in a shaky breath, unsure about the big bear. Too many shifters were owned by his dad. This man could work for his father even though he was a bear.
Alpha pheromones hit Ronan hard, and he shivered again. The guy’s scent was overpowering, making his omega glands swell. He hated this about himself. But fear of his dad ruled everything, and though the man was alluring, Ronan backed away.
“Really, I won’t hurt you. Let me look at your leg.”
Ronan drew his foot back, fearing this man’s touch. His muscles clenched and then he started shaking.
The guy smiled and then chuckled. “You’re a skittish little wolf. I swear, I won’t hurt you.”
The bear reached out and touched his leg, running his warm hand over Ronan’s ankle. The shaking in his body grew as warmth and goodness spread over him. The bear gave him another smile through his thick, black beard as he rubbed over Ronan’s ankle.
The sun dipped further, sending shoots of yellows and deep oranges, even some purple through the clouds above. The forest was quiet, no wolves howling, no birds chirping. His yell and the bear’s growl must have frightened off the animals.
The bear leaned in, his thick brows bunched, making his brown eyes appear even darker. A frown etched deep lines around the bear’s mouth. Was he angry? Ronan didn’t need another angry shifter in his life.
He drew in a long sniff, not sensing any anger from this bear. Ronan watched as the guy studied his leg. When the large shifter turned his eyes on Ronan, there was kindness in the bright depths, not the dark dullness of anger like his father’s eyes.
“You have bruises. Lots of bruises.” The deep voice rumbled over Ronan.
He shivered at the sound, but Ronan wouldn’t divulge his secrets to a stranger, even one with a smooth voice and kind eyes. He’d learned the hard way not to trust anyone. Trust opened him up to weakness and right now, he couldn’t afford any weakness.
The bear huffed out a breath and his scent darkened with anger. Again, the guy leaned in and sniffed, invading Ronan’s space. He tried to scoot away, but the bear still had hold of his ankle.
“Those bruises on your neck—” The guy got so close the little lines next to his eyes—smile lines his mom called them— were visible to Ronan. “Those bruises are from fingers.”
Ronan shook his head, denying first before even thinking. He reached up, touching his neck. His scarf was gone.
The bear stood, accessing his full height. “What happened?”
The words were spoken as a command, demanding him to reveal the truth. Reminded of his father, fear blasted through Ronan like a bomb, and he shrank away. His father had spent a lifetime demanding obedience from him. The beatings he’d suffered filled his mind. He wouldn’t cower again. Ronan stiffened his spine. He wouldn’t answer this alpha or any other alpha for that matter.
No more!
The big bear shifter bent at his waist, and Ronan cringed. He was trapped since his ankle was injured. There was nowhere to go, so he pulled his legs in and wrapped his arms tighter, trying to shrink into a sopping wet and muddy ball. The memory of his dad’s last beating was too fresh, and pain shot over his ribs and down his back as he squeezed.
The guy moved fast, scooping him up before running from the creek. Ronan clutched the man’s arm and shook his head.
“No, my scent, they’ll know.”
They stopped moving, and the big man turned, his gaze scanning the forest.
“Who? Who will know?”
Revealing anything to this bear shifter would bring risks he couldn’t take. What if this Alpha knew his dad? He stayed silent, and the man finally grunted before turning back to the stream. A desperate howl of a wolf went up, and Ronan stiffened. The man’s eyes narrowed as he met Ronan’s gaze.
“Are they the ones who hurt you?”
The bear’s scent changed, his presence no longer menacing. Instead, a peaceful calm flowed from him. Ronan had to trust this man a little—only long enough to survive. He couldn’t hide from the truth out here. Screwed with no way to escape, he’d be forced to stay until his leg healed.
“Yes,” Ronan said as fear pinged around his head warning him to run, but his body was too injured, the other wolves too close.
What would this huge alpha do to him?
The bear grunted and set him down with his feet in the water. Ronan’s leg gave out, and the guy caught him, holding him upright.
“Can you trust me?”
The question was uttered softly from the giant. Ronan’s fear decreased.
His ankle had started to throb, and he was freezing. He was too damaged to run and had no way of escaping now. In days, maybe hours if the howling wolves were a part of the crew searching for him, his dad would find him. If he didn’t trust this bear shifter, he would be dead soon. He let loose a shudder, desperation filling him.
“I have no choice but to trust you.”
In a flash, the bear partially shifted. His fingernails lengthened and became claws. The beast moved before Ronan could lift his hand for protection. Slicing through his skin, the claws went deep. Blood sprayed, and pain spread. He gasped as his brain fuzzed from the strike. He fought to stay awake, but it was no use. The pain was too much when added to the exhaustion from running. He knew better than to trust another, and now he would die because he’d trusted this bear. But was this death any worse than dying at home by his father’s hand?
He needed to get away from this maniac who had attacked without warning. If only he had more strength, he could fight his way out. He had to try and shift to escape, but shifting would leave his scent, and the
goons his father had sent after him would be able to track his movements if he turned to his wolf form.
Ronan focused everything he had and attempted to shift. Pain filled every cell and the energy to shift drained him. Everything went black. He was at the bear shifter’s mercy now.
Chapter Four
David Vincent squeezed blood from the Omega’s wound then shifted his hand back into a claw and wiped the blood on the rocks, smearing it over the area. He prayed this worked. He wasn’t sure who or what was after this man, but the bruises added to the skittish personality made him fear what this shifter was going through.
David stayed in the creek, moving quietly, letting the forest absorb his sounds. A distant howl went up, breaking the silence. Those wolves weren’t moving closer. Instead, they headed away. When he’d struck, the kid had let out an ear-shattering scream. It had sounded like he was dying. If any shifters had been near, they would assume the worst.
David’s home was safe, no question. Few could find him easily. After everything that happened in Canada, he had to escape and ensure his privacy. This place in Virginia had been perfect.
He’d expanded on the old house, creating his current secure home. He’d built a new entrance, the only one he used now, and allowed the vines and bushes to grow over the driveway from the main road.
The young man he carried had come to a few times, blinking open his eyes more than once, but he hadn’t stayed conscious long before passing out again. It couldn’t only be the pain from the swipe he’d taken. The guy hadn’t lost that much blood. There had to be more to his unconsciousness.
As he approached the entrance to his home, he carefully exited the water, leaving as little trace as possible. Before he walked past the two huge boulders he’d moved into place, blocking the view of his house from the creek, he sprayed the rocks and the creek bank, ridding the area of as much of his scent as possible.
He had footpath lighting installed, illuminating the ground, making it easier for him to walk without tripping. He’d built a security wall and installed a door, making it even harder for strangers to approach his land. The door at the end of the path had come from a warehouse in Boston. It was strong, able to withstand a blast from a shotgun because of its solid metal core. He was prepared for almost any attack. It was overkill, but he needed to feel safe when he was home.
He keyed in his entry code to get through the first layer of security. The cameras were active, recording his image with the young shifter, but he was the only one who would view the tape.
Though his home looked rugged from the outside, he had an advanced security system which would rival most banks. He paused and adjusted his hold on the young man before he typed in the code to shut off the alarm and then another code to enter the next area that led him to the next door which had an entry code too. But this door looked more like something on a house.
He stepped in and wiped his feet on the mat in the mudroom. Usually, he’d go out the side door from here and wash in the open-air shower attached to his house, but with this young man in his care, he headed straight inside to his big bathroom where the temperature was a warm seventy degrees.
It had taken him years to get this house just right. In designing the flow based on how he lived, he’d made the mudroom bigger, allowing him access directly to his bathroom. If he did happen to want a shower inside, he never had to traipse mud across his den.
Once in the bathroom, he had no choice but to lay his charge on the bath mat before he turned on the water. He took a quick shower then used a cloth to clean up the poor man he’d cut. The guy was filthy, so David chose to get him undressed. He removed his shoes and socks. The guy’s ankle was angry red and swollen. It would bruise. David hoped the bones weren’t broken. They’d know more once he woke up.
David tugged up the guy’s shirt and froze. The skin there wasn’t white. Instead, it was molted blue and purple. David lifted the shirt higher, revealing angry red marks. What had happened to this young man? The guy’s ankle had been injured in his fall, but the rest of the damage had happened some other way and earlier based on the color of the bruises.
Carefully, David removed the shirt from the young man and washed his back and shoulders with a warm cloth. The bruises on his ribs made David suspect he’d cracked a few. Sure enough, as he ran the washcloth over the area, the guy flinched. Shit, this poor soul had gone through so much.
David eased the guy’s pants off and hesitated. He couldn’t remove this man’s underwear. Taking off all his clothes would be wrong. David chose to keep the underwear in place. After sponging off the stranger’s arms and legs, his neck and back, David found a small shirt and sweats his cousin had owned. It was one of the only things of his cousin’s he had. Sadness hit from the memories, but David shoved them away. Dirk would have wanted to help this man.
After David dressed the young man, he moved him to the large couch in the den. The guy looked tiny on the oversized couch David liked to stretch out on. Why would anyone hurt this young man?
His stomach clenched then warmth spread through him. He shouldn’t stand here naked, staring at this very sexy, but incredibly vulnerable young man. David stepped into his room and slipped on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before going back to the den. The stranger hadn’t changed positions at all. His stomach clenched as he stared down at the guy. He shouldn’t have delivered such deep scratches. He’d just been trying to throw off the group chasing this man.
Herbs would help him heal. David stepped outside to his garden and grabbed a comfrey leaf to wrap around the herbs and honey mix.
He should have told the young man what his plan was before he’d used his claws to cut his arm. Maybe there’d been a different way, but the blood left on the rock would throw the chasers off their scent and give them time to come up with a solution to the problem. It would also provide time for his ankle to heal.
With the goop in a bowl, David knelt next to the couch. Blood still oozed from the cuts he’d caused, but the flow had slowed. David had made one broad swipe instead of a jagged pull which would have damaged his skin too much. The wound should heal nicely and leave only a small scar.
After he placed the poultice, David studied the stranger, his gaze traveling from his face and neck to his torso. The man was beautiful. He drew in a short sniff, loving the omega’s spicy scent. He leaned in, taking a deeper sniff. No question, the man smelled better than any other omega he’d ever encountered. David’s body heated and he was glad he had clothes on. The last thing this omega needed was to wake up and see him in his glory. David chuckled and drew in another sniff. He really should stop staring and sniffing. He tried to convince himself he was assessing the omega’s injuries, but his gaze on this man was so much more than an assessment.
He grabbed his hot water bottle and filled it before placing it on the man’s bruised ribs. The guy moaned and adjusted. David’s gaze traveled over his patient and his worry grew. Someone had beaten this guy within an inch of his life.
He could offer a safe haven. After he healed, David would find a relative who would take this young man. Maybe someone from his old pack in Canada. He had family there who were accepting of shifters outside their pack.
It wasn’t too late in the evening, so he dropped into a chair near his couch, opened his computer and grabbed his headphones. Violin music was his new passion. He settled in, keeping an eye on his charge as he searched the dark web for information about young shifters escaping the slave trade. Maybe he could help this guy get back to his family. Surely, they’d be happy to have him at home again.
There was information out there on the slave trade, but he hadn’t found any alerts for an escaped male slave. He found little information on who the slave owners were in the area. There were screen names, and call tags, but nothing real.
After he’d almost exhausted his search, he glanced up to see the young omega blinking open his eyes. David put away his computer and moved to kneel next to the couch.
“Hey, a
re you okay?” David whispered.
The guy shrank away, his eyes wide with fright. David had a lot of work to get this man to trust him.
“I’m sorry about the injury I inflicted. Listen, maybe I should have told you what I was doing, but I wanted your reaction to be real—believable.”
The guy shook his head. “What?”
“You are running from someone, right?”
The omega nodded as he reached for his arm, wincing before his gaze shot to David. Distrust, anger, maybe a little fear shown in those deep blue eyes. The guy’s nose wrinkled, and his eyes narrowed.
The scent from the omega grew darker. David pushed away all errant desire and focused on the young man’s injuries.
“There’s blood left at the scene. If they look there, it will appear I killed you. I walked in the creek for a long time. My scent was washed away by the water. They won’t track you here. What’s your name?”
The question earned him a blank stare.
“Well, I’m David.” Still nothing. “You can tell me your name. I won’t hurt you.”
The guy scoffed, and his lips turned down as he rubbed his arm above where David had cut him.
“Listen, about that, I’m sorry, but now your blood is back there. If they track you, they’ll believe you’re dead.”
The guy shook his head. “What about you? What if they track you and come for you?”
David’s lips turned up. “I’m safe. They won’t get close. This location is secure.”
The man lifted his eyebrows, doubt crossing his face. “Secure?”
David nodded. “It’s built in a protected area. Even if they do track me, they can’t get in. And the road up here, it hasn’t been used since I finished building and moved in. The lock rusted long ago on the gate, and trees and bushes block the path.”
The guy had no reply. Seconds passed with nothing from the man. David was ready to give up and head to the kitchen to warm up food or soup or something when the guy spoke.