by Kim Fox
“That’s why nobody else can get involved.” She didn’t seem convinced. “Please Amanda. I’m going back there tonight. Just let me see what happens. Maybe I can convince her to run away. Maybe I can reason with Kai.”
“I don’t know,” she muttered, trailing off. “Just be careful. He sounds pretty scary.”
“I will.”
“So,” she said breaking into a huge smile. “Is she pretty?”
Jessica danced around the basement with a massive grin on her face. Music had been playing in her head since Finlay left the night before.
Or Finch.
What did he want her to call him? She had never asked. She liked Finlay better but Finch was cute too. They both sounded like music to her ears.
How long until he comes back?
Today was the longest day of her life. The sun didn’t seem to be moving in the sky.
She pulled herself up onto the window ledge and looked out the window. The sun had finally sunk behind the trees and the light in the sky was fading, quickly being replaced with darkness.
She smiled and dropped to the floor. She looked at her penguin pajamas that she had on for three days and sighed. How could she go out with him looking like this?
She smelled under her arms and winced. I need a shower. Bad.
Kai was usually out hunting in his bear form at this time of night. He liked to go on a nightly hunt. Jessica suspected that he needed to kill something at least once a day. His bear usually came back into camp covered in blood. He never brought his kill back to eat like the other Crew members did. He killed just to kill and left the poor body to rot in the woods untouched.
I’ll risk it.
She crept up the stairs and listened at the door for Kai’s voice. Maybe Ryder or Marcus would pass by and feel sorry for her. She always thought that Marcus had a thing for her. Maybe she could get them to throw her a wet towel and a stick of deodorant. A tooth brush or something. Anything.
She heard footsteps in the kitchen. They sounded light and agile, not like the vicious stomping from Kai’s walking.
She tapped on the door with her knuckles. The footsteps stopped for a moment and then approached.
“Yeah?” a voice asked. She didn’t recognize it. It must be the new guy.
“Nothing,” she said as quiet as a mouse and ran back down the stairs.
She looked up in horror as the door unlocked and opened. The new guy was standing at the top of the stairs looking down. Matteo was it?
He looked terrifying and Jessica held her breath as he made his way down the stairs. A grisly tattoo of a skull contorted in pain on his thick arm peeked out of his sleeve. His chest was massive. She exhaled as she looked into his eyes. He looked at her with sadness. With pity. He looked around the basement and shook his head.
He looked back at her with his lazy eye a step behind the other one. “How long have you been here?” he asked, rubbing his goatee.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I kinda lost track. A few days.”
“Do you need something?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She had no idea how this new guy would react. She had heard Clay say that he was pretty fierce. That he had fought Jack to be the number two and won pretty easily. And Jack was definitely no slouch.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Thirsty?”
“No,” she said looking at her fingers. “I just wanted…maybe…a change of clothes.”
“I think you may need a shower too,” he said. Jessica looked up at him and he was smiling. “Come I’ll take you up to the bathroom. You can shower and get some fresh clothes.”
“Really?” she asked. She wasn’t used to any of the members of the Flint Crew taking any initiative without permission from Kai. Either he was really brave or he just hadn’t seen the consequences of going against Kai’s wishes yet.
“It can be our little secret,” he said. He sat on the far corner of her bed and took a deep breath. “I saw what happened between you and Finch last week.”
Jessica locked eyes with him.
“Your bears bonded,” he said. “I saw it.”
She just stared back with her eyebrows raised. She was unsure of where this was going.”
“Has he been here to see you?” he asked.
She shook her head. A little too fast.
“I’m worried about him,” he continued. “He’ll be in big trouble if your brother finds him sneaking around here. I won’t be able to save him.”
“Do you know him well?” she asked. She was still unsure of this guy but she couldn’t pass on the opportunity to find out some information on her new mate.
He nodded. “We grew up together. Finch helped me out through some hard times. I had a mate once.” He looked down at his hand. “She left and it was…it wasn’t fun. He helped me through it.”
“What is he like?”
“He’s the best,” he said looking at her with a smile. “Kind, funny, a little bit absent minded but smart as hell. He’s very good with his hands. He can fix a plane engine with the contents of a garbage bin.”
“He sounds amazing,” Jessica said. He is amazing.
“I know what it feels like to be separated from your mate,” he said, turning towards her. “But you can’t let him come around here. If he does you have to tell him to leave and to never come back. Do that and then please let me know.”
Jessica nodded.
“Promise me,” he said, staring at her with intensity.
“I promise,” she said, her fingers crossed under her leg.
“Okay,” he said smiling. “Let’s go get that shower.”
Jessica spread out on the cot in the basement and breathed in her clean shirt. She forgot how good the smell of soap was. Her hair was damp, smelling of apricots and her breath was fresh and minty.
She chose her favorite jeans; the ones that hugged her shapely thighs and made her ass look nice and hard. Her shirt was more difficult to choose. She must’ve tried on ten before Matteo banged on the door and told her that she better hurry up. In the end she chose a loose fitting, light green V-neck that made her green eyes pop, and more importantly, made her breasts look perky and round.
She sprung up on the bed when she heard a soft knocking on the window. It was late into the night and it just had to be him.
She ran to the window and pulled herself up. “Hello?” she whispered.
White teeth lit up in the dark silhouette as he smiled. “I missed you,” he said. “Every second.” She could hear his bear purring inside him. Hers was purring as well, sending smooth vibrations through her body. They were talking to each other.
“I’m going to take these bars off,” he said and then disappeared.
Jessica chewed on her fingernail. She glanced back at the stairs as her pulse quickened. This was too dangerous. She thought back at Matteo’s warning. Maybe she should tell Finlay to leave. Tell him to never come back. If she really loved him she would let him go. She turned back to the window to tell him but the words dried up in her throat.
“One more bar,” he whispered. There was a soft clank and the steel bars were removed. He took off the screen, reached in through the window and offered his hand.
Jessica stared at his open hand perilously sticking into her world and then glanced back at the safety of her bed.
She stood there staring at his palm, his long fingers. She wanted to grab it but she was afraid. She was never one for taking chances.
“There is so much that can go wrong,” she said, biting her bottom lip.
He pushed his hand in further. “But there is so much that can go right.”
She took a deep breath and decided for once in her life to take a leap. To take a chance. She knew that Kai would kill her if he found out. She had no doubt about that. But she’d rather die young out at sea then live forever on the shore. She slapped her hand into his and he pulled her through the window and out of her comfort zone.
He pulled her into his
arms and wrapped them around her. She breathed in his masculine, woodsy scent as she nuzzled her cheek into his muscled chest.
“I never want to let you go,” he said. His bear rumbled, vibrating his chest.
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. They were sparkling in the moonlight. She ran her fingers through his hair just like she had fantasized about doing for the past week. He was so beautiful. His strong jawline ran down his narrow face to his knee-weakening smile.
“I feel like I’ve known you my whole life but we’ve never met,” she said. “How could it be?”
“Our bears can see things we can’t,” he whispered, running his finger down her jaw, giving her goosebumps. “They can see into souls. They can cut through all of the acts and masquerades that people display and go straight to the core of somebody. My bear can see you. The real you. And he knows that you’re the one.”
He lifted her chin up and gazed into her eyes. “I can see it now too.”
Matteo’s words came crawling back into her head like spiders ruining the moment. The warning. Kai was sleeping only a few feet away. She had to get Finlay out of here.
“You have to leave,” she whispered, pulling away.
He grimaced as if she just stabbed him in the heart with a dagger. She felt horrible causing him any pain so she held his hand and stroked the back of it.
“My brother Kai,” she continued. “He can’t find us. He’ll kill us if he does.”
“Just an hour,” Finlay begged, holding her hand to his heart. “An hour with you will be worth any fate.”
Her jaw tightened.
“I’m already dead without you,” he pleaded. “Just let us have an hour. And then if you ask me to, I’ll never come back again.”
Jessica’s heart panged at the thought. She glanced up at the house, biting her lip. The lights were off. Kai was probably out for the night. She was already out of the basement, which was the noisiest, most dangerous part. She could slip into the woods for an hour and then come back.
Lucas’ beaten body flashed into her mind. Could she let that happen to Finlay?
She stroked his long, muscled arms and sighed. Finlay wasn’t a sweet, helpless, little kid with a limp. He was a werebear. She brushed her fingertips over his vibrating chest. There was a tough bear in there who could defend himself. That could defend her.
Not against Kai. Her brother was too powerful. Too big. Too vicious. She couldn’t imagine an apex predator on the planet that could stand up to him. She didn’t want to meet anyone who could.
Finlay rose to his feet and pulled her up. She was terrified of the consequences but followed him into the forest anyways. She felt alive with this familiar stranger. She felt awake for the first time in years. She hadn’t realized how much her brother had kept her in the dark. How much he had kept her asleep.
She’d give him an hour. That’s it. Then she’d send him packing.
Every nerve in Finch’s body was tingling. He was holding her hand. He was actually holding Jessica’s hand.
He guided her through the forest, glancing back over his shoulder every five seconds to make sure that she was still there. The trees were alive with energy, dancing in the light breeze, tickling each other with their leaves. The stars were shining brighter than ever, stimulated by the excited full moon.
He wanted to hold her in his arms again. He wanted to kiss her. To tell her that he loved her.
Calm down Finchy. You’re going to scare her worse than her brother.
Which was saying a lot. She was terrified of Kai. What had he put her through during all of these years? He wanted to kill him for holding her prisoner. For causing her even an ounce of grief and pain but he knew that wasn’t possible. He had seen Kai fight once before, when the Crew broke into the mill to save Alexi. It had taken both Beckett and Keene to fight him back and even they struggled. They were unable to inflict any damage on him.
Finch was a medium sized black bear. Hardly a match for Kai. He knew that if he were to face him he would lose. It was inevitable. He had to think of something else. But right now he would put all of that aside and focus on the time that he had with Jessica, soaking up every detail of her luscious skin, her calming presence and her wondrous smile.
Finch pulled Jessica out of the forest to a lookout he had come across the night before. A rock the size of a sofa jutted out of a cliff that looked down onto the forest below. The tops of the trees, lit up by the soft moonlight, swayed in the warm breeze. An owl hooted in the distance. They sat on the rock, their feet dangling over the edge, and held hands, gazing up at the stars. Gazing at each other.
“Thank you for getting me out of there,” she said, taking in the stunning, night scenery. Her bear purred. “I forgot how therapeutic it is to be in the forest.” It was important for a werebear to be in the forest. Being out of the canopy of trees was like being a penguin in the desert.
“There’s so much that I want to know about you,” he said. “But I forget all of my questions. You’ve left me speechless.”
“What’s your favorite color?” she asked with a smile.
“Green.”
She pulled her hand from his and leaned away. “It’ll never work between us.”
His stomach dropped. She smiled and he sighed in relief. “You almost made me jump off this cliff,” he said laughing.
“Your crew are smokejumpers?” she asked. “That’s so cool.”
Finch tried to hide his grin. He had never been called cool before. He rambled on telling her everything about his Crew, Beckett and the guys, how they parachute in and put out the forest fires. Naturally, he exaggerated his role and importance in the crew. He told her how he was the mechanic and practically built their airplane from scratch, emphasizing his brilliant mechanic skills and incredible cleverness.
“Wow,” she said, staring at him in awe. “You sound so smart.”
He felt heat rush up the back of his neck. “Well I don’t want to brag but…”
“Your life sounds so exciting,” she said, looking down at the trees. “Your crew sounds great.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
They looked at each other with a twinge of sadness. That was very unlikely to happen.
Finch wanted to lighten up the mood. He didn’t want any grief spoiling this perfect moment. “What is your life like?”
Jessica leaned back on her hands and stared up at the moon. “I like to read,” she said. “I get lost in books. It’s always a nice escape.”
She was silent for a while. Finch gazed at the side of her face lit up by the cosmos.
“I stay in my room a lot,” she finally continued. “It’s safer in there. There’s little risk of doing something to anger Kai. Once a week I go get some groceries. Once in a while I go down to the lake for a swim if Kai lets me. Usually he doesn’t. He says I look like a slut in my bathing suit and he doesn’t want me ruining the reputation of the family with my promiscuity.”
Finch was flabbergasted. He didn’t realize it was that bad. “Jessica that’s awful.”
“It’s not so bad,” she said. “It’s only really bad when he’s angry and that’s not too often. Most of the time he just ignores me if I stay in my room and keep out of his sight.”
They sat back in silence looking at the stars. Jessica’s words sent chills through Finch’s body. How could he leave his mate in such a horrible situation?
“Where do we go from here?” he finally asked.
She bit her fingernail. “I don’t know.”
“I can’t go back to living a normal life and you can’t go back to being a prisoner.” They both stared at the tree tops down below, thinking in silence.
After a few moments Finch turned to her. “I can talk to your brother. Maybe he’ll give us his blessing. It’s the only way.”
“Please don’t do that.”
Finch sighed in frustration. “Then what?” He tossed a small rock over the cliff. It plunged into the darkness below. “
Then what can we do?”
Jessica leaned into him. “We can enjoy this moment together and not let the future ruin it.” She strained her chin up and kissed his lips.
Her kiss was tender and soft, shy and reserved. Her lips felt like clouds, her tongue tasted like candy. Finch slid his hand around her, onto her lower back and pulled her into him. Her breasts hugged his chest and a warm glow flowed through his body.
She was incredible this Jessica. Like no one he had ever met before. Like no one he had ever kissed before.
“I’ve never done that before,” she said, pulling away and licking her bottom lip. “It’s nice.”
He kissed her again. He slid his tongue between her wet lips and explored her mouth. She kissed him back with more force, but still tender. Tender and deep.
She was like a flower. Beautiful and delicate. He touched her softly and gently. He kissed her light and slow.
Their mouths finally released and she curled up in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“Can I come back tomorrow night?” he asked. His body stiffened in fear as he waited for her answer.
“Okay,” she said. Finch exhaled in relief. “But it has to be the last time.”
Jessica climbed back through the basement window as the sun was beginning to send faint shivers of light through the dark sky. This had been the best night of her life and she was sad that it was over but excited to do it again tomorrow night.
Finch quietly screwed the bars back on the window. “I’ll be back tonight my love.”
He kissed two fingertips and held them to the screen over the window. Jessica kissed her fingers, reached up and touched them to his.
“Okay, now go please.” Kai would be up soon and she didn’t want her brother catching him.
Finch disappeared. She waited by the window for a few minutes holding her breath, trying to hear if he got into any trouble. After five minutes of silence she relaxed her shoulders and laid down on the bed. He would be in the forest and safe by now.
She hugged her pillow, imagining it was him, and smiled. That was the scariest, riskiest and most amazing thing she’d ever done before. And she had gotten away with it.