“Sure thing,” he answered. “And Awen?”
“Yeah?”
“Just be careful, alright?”
Awenasa hung up the phone and sped up. Her thoughts raced with ideas.
If Mati was guilty of murdering Rhodes, then it may have been to protect that girl. What about the others? she thought. If they were also up to no good and he killed them...
Her thoughts were cut off as a large animal ran across the road. She slammed on her brakes, hard, careening her car into the ditch. Her head slammed off the steering wheel. She took a moment to get her bearings and opened the car door. Steam rolled from under her tires as she looked around for the animal that caused the accident.
“You alright?” a deep husky voice asked from behind her. She spun around to face the source. There stood the tall and handsome Mati, dangling a lantern in his hand.
How did he get here so fast? she wondered, rubbing her head gently.
“Looks like you cracked your head pretty good,” he observed. “Need me to drive you somewhere?”
“No!” she answered him, grabbing the gun resting in her holster. “What was that?”
“I was tracking an elk this way,” he explained, stepping slowly closer. “A pretty big one, I might add.”
“I didn't get a good look.” Awen relaxed slightly.
She didn't feel at all uncomfortable with him. In fact, she felt safe and that alarmed her.
Her head spun and she stumbled. Mati quickly stepped in and steadied her, putting his big hands on her shoulders. Awen braced herself against his chest, taking note of how solid he was beneath his thin cotton t-shirt. Suddenly, she was very aware of his closeness.
He smelled earthy, like pine trees and smoke. His hair tickled her nose as she inhaled his scent, it too having a unique leathery smell. Instantly, she was reminded of home. For a moment, she let herself be vulnerable.
“Are you sure you don't need me to take you somewhere?” he asked gently, tucking her hair behind her ear. “We should really get you looked at. I don't mind taking you to a hospital.”
“Uh...” she trailed off, trying to clear her head. “I need to get to Tim's.”
“You really are a hard ass!” Mati chuckled. “Tell you what: we'll both go after we get your head checked out.”
“That might be good,” she admitted, stumbling toward the driver's seat. “Yes, that’s a...a better idea. You drive.”
She climbed over to the passenger seat as Mati set the seat back and threw the Jeep into drive.
“You have a license, right?” she asked as an afterthought.
“What are you going to do?” he asked, sparing her a look. “Give me a ticket? I don't think you're in much of a position to do that.”
“Good point!” she answered as she began to fade from consciousness.
“Hey. Hey!” Mati said, tapping her arm. “Don't fall asleep on me.”
He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and the Jeep dug its way out of the ditch, throttling down the road.
“Hey, hey! Keep talking,” he ordered as her eyes fluttered open. “I've never slapped a woman before, but I’ll have to if it keeps you awake.”
“No hitting,” she answered, her head lolling to the side. “I'll be fine.”
“We'll see what the doctor says.” The Jeep flew down the road. “You got lights on this thing?”
“What?” she asked, confused. Nothing made sense to her right now.
“You know, lights,” he explained, swirling his finger around. “To tell people to get the hell out of my way. You have those?”
“This is my personal vehicle,” she told him, slurring her words as if she were drunk. “No lights.”
“Great,” he said as he saw the first traffic light in town.
He kicked the Jeep into fourth gear and hauled ass down the center of the road, flying through the red light as multiple cars beeped their frustration.
“You still awake?” he called over to her. When he heard nothing, he began to panic. “Hey! Wake up!”
He shook her arm until she smacked him.
“I'm awake,” she answered doggedly. “Just closing my eyes for a minute.”
“Well, don't do that,” he chastised, putting an arm in front of her as he took a sharp left onto the hospital road.
“If I don't, everything spins,” she argued. “I might get sick.”
“I'd rather you get sick!” he bellowed loudly as more car horns blared at him.
He reached the hospital in record time, screeching to a stop in front of the emergency room. He jumped out quickly and yanked open the passenger door. He cradled Awen in his arms as he ran quickly into the building.
“I need a doctor!” he called out loudly as nurses rushed to his side. “She ran her car into a ditch and hit her head. She won't stay awake!”
A thick, frumpy woman pulled a stretcher into the area and he gently laid her on it.
“What's her name?” the receptionist called out.
“Awenasa,” he spat at her as he watched the nurses rush her back into the room. He began to follow them but was quickly stopped by a male nurse.
“You need to wait out here,” he said. “Your wife is in the best of care, but we really need more information from you.”
Mati looked at him incredulously.
“She's not my wife!” he objected. “I ran into her on the side of the road!'
“I'm sorry, sir,” the nurse continued. “We really need you to stay here.”
Mati kicked a chair in frustration as the receptionist walked over to him meekly. He buried his head in his hands and took a deep breath.
How did I end up here? he thought as the small woman tapped him gently on the shoulder.
“Sorry, sir!” the woman said, pushing her glasses up higher on her nose. “Could you spell her name for me, please?”
Mati shook his head in bewilderment and did as he was asked.
A couple hours later, an orderly walked out with a small bag and looked over at Mati.
“She's going to be fine, sir,” he said, handing the bag to him. “She's got a pretty nasty bump on her head and a bad case of whiplash. We want to keep her overnight for observation, but she's really fighting it. Could you maybe talk some sense into her?”
“I barely know the woman!” Mati grumbled, his stern voice making the orderly nervous. Mati sighed. “I'll go talk to her. Lead the way, man, before I change my mind.”
The orderly quickly ushered him down the hall, dodging doctors and nurses that stopped and stared at the large man.
“She's in here, and she's been asking for you,” the orderly explained as Mati entered the room.
He took in his surroundings and looked at Awen, who was hooked up to an I.V. drip. Wires covered her body, monitoring her vitals. Mati felt claustrophobic in such a tiny room. His inner bear began to feel caged. He calmed his nerves as he walked over to Awen in the bed.
“You didn't leave,” she murmured softly. “I figured you'd have hightailed it by now.”
“I leave no one behind,” he answered gruffly. “You should stay, as the medicine man says.”
Awen laughed at his choice of words.
“You're really old world, aren't you?” she muttered. She tried to sit up, but the room began to spin. “Bad idea. I just want to go home...I hate hospitals. I always feel—”
“Caged,” he finished for her. “I get that.”
She smiled softly at him. In this light, she got a good look at his face as he peered down at her. His dark eyes seemed aged and so tired. She wondered what made him appear to be so old, yet so beautiful. She wanted to lock her fingers in his hair and fall asleep beside him. She knew the idea was insane; they had just met, but at the moment she didn't care about the thoughts that swirled around in her brain. The pain meds were tossing her inhibitions out the window.
“Tell them to let me go home,” she whined to him. “I can't sleep like this.”
“I think that's the point,” he told
her.
“Please,” she pleaded with him, looking sincerely terrified at the thought of staying.
Mati sighed and took a few moments to think. He didn't feel comfortable letting her stay home alone...assuming she was alone. A few moments later, the doctor came in.
“Awen, has your friend changed your mind?” he asked sternly. “I really cannot recommend you going home alone in this condition.”
“She won't be going home alone,” Mati spoke up. “She'll be coming with me.”
“What is your relationship with the patient?” the doctor asked.
“I don't see how that is any of your business,” Mati answered, turning to face the doctor completely.
“She hit her head, sir,” the doctor explained. “I'm sure you can reasonably understand that I can't let her go home with just anyone.”
“Please, don't make me stay here,” Awen begged the doctor anxiously.
“You know if you leave it will be without the meds that are keeping your nausea down,” the doctor told her. “And no pain medication.”
“I don't care,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“So be it,” the doctor snapped. “I'll grab your release forms.”
Before he was able to leave, Mati grabbed the doctor's arm with enough force to cause discomfort.
“Sir, you better—” the doctor began, but Mati quickly interrupted.
“You better listen,” he growled, stepping close enough for only the doctor to hear. “You will be sending her home with everything she needs to be comfortable under my care. Do you understand?”
“How about I press charges for—”
“How about I split your skull?” Mati squeezed harder, his inner bear getting the better of him. “You do whatever you have to, but you make sure this woman has everything she needs. And quickly. My temper is very short tonight.”
Mati's eyes took on a strange glow and the doctor nodded his head quickly.
“Yes, sir,” he quavered. “I'll be right back with those.”
Mati released the young doctor's arm and watched as he left the room in a hurry. He took a moment to breathe. His inner beast was truly drawn to this woman and so was he. For once in his life, he felt something more than rage and anguish. When he looked at her, he felt hope.
They waited in silence as a nurse walked in and unhooked the I.V., assisting Awen to a sitting position. Mati looked at her as she tried to stand and grabbed her before she wobbled to the floor.
“My head is spinning,” she told him, leaning heavily against his chest.
“Just wait a minute,” he ordered. “Let the nurse do her job and bring a wheelchair.”
“I don't need a wheelchair,” she argued, trying to stand on her own. His grip tightened around her waist.
The world around her stopped spinning enough to look into his eyes. They were so dark she could barely make out his irises. His nearly black hair fell just past his shoulder blades. Her attention was drawn to his chiseled jaw. He was a perfect specimen of the male gender and exactly the kind of man that made her knees weak.
“See something you like?” He smirked, and she liked that too.
“Here we go, dear!” a cheerful older woman chirped, pushing a wheelchair. “You have a seat, and Mr. Mati can sign these release forms.”
“Thank you, ma'am.” He guided Awen to the chair.
“Shouldn't I sign those?” Awen asked, rubbing her face to clear her head.
“No, sweetie,” the nurse replied, handing Mati the clipboard. “We're releasing you into his care, so he's to take good care of you.”
Mati signed the clipboard, and the nurse handed him a few prescriptions and a few capsules in a bag to take with him.
“Administer these every six to eight hours for nausea,” she directed and handed him another bag. “These are for pain every four to six hours. The spinning should be much better by tomorrow. Try to keep her off her feet until then and she'll be good to go. You should be covered with those meds until you can get the prescriptions filled.”
“Yes, thank you,” he said, placing the items in his pockets. “I appreciate your kindness.”
“Oh, no problem, dear.” She placed a gentle hand on his arm. “The doctor you had a talk with is really just a smug bastard, but he'll learn.”
Mati's deep chuckle reverberated through the small room as he followed the nurse out, pushing Awen in front of them. When they were finally through the exit, Mati wheeled Awen to her car and lifted her inside. The nurse made sure she was buckled in safely and bid them both a good night.
Awenasa tilted her head back and let her arms sprawl out as far as she could to keep her bearings as Mati pulled onto the main road toward the reservation.
“Where are you taking me?” she questioned as she fought sleep.
“My place,” he answered simply as he slowed down for a pothole. “You shouldn't be alone.”
“You barely know me,” she argued. “Why would you even care?”
“Been asking myself the same thing,” he answered honestly, “but you're staying with me and that's the end of it.”
“Whatever,” she answered flippantly. Deep down, however, she didn't really mind. She wanted to get to know him better; he seemed like a good man. The thought of him killing Jason Rhodes or any of the others seemed more and more like a joke, but she still had a job to do, not falling for the suspect being a paramount requirement of that.
A half hour later, Mati pulled up as close as he could to his solitary cabin. He walked over and opened the door as Awen unbuckled her seatbelt. When she went to get out, he quickly lifted her in his arms, bumping the door closed.
“I can walk,” she objected. “I'm not a child.”
“You heard the nurse lady,” he grunted, stepping over some small branches. “You have to stay off your feet.”
“You won't listen to the doctor, but you'll listen to his nurse?” she asked sarcastically.
“The doctor was an asshole,” he said, ducking under a tree. He knew the way so well it didn't matter that he didn't carry a flashlight. “You're the one that disobeyed the doctor. I just made sure he wasn't going to send you home suffering.”
“Yeah,” she admitted softly, remembering what he'd done for her. “Thanks for that.”
“Thank me later,” he said as he reached his front door, kicking it open with his foot.
He crossed the room and laid her down gently on his fur-covered bed. It was firm, Awen noticed, but oddly comfortable. Mati crossed the room and turned on a lantern.
“It's not much,” he told her. “Certainly not as good as what you're used to, but it's warm, it's dry, and its mine.”
“You know they invented electricity, right?” she deadpanned “And there's this cool thing the city people call cable! There's a box and people talk in it. It's amazing!”
“You're really funny,” he said flatly, handing her a bottle of water and beginning to rummage around in a small box in the corner of the room. He pulled out a little, old fashioned radio and switched it on. “Did you know about these things called batteries? They power things without a need for electricity.”
“It's better than silence,” she admitted, chuckling at him. “Too much quiet makes me nervous.”
“I understand that.” He sat on an old chair beside the bed as he began to tune the radio. “The calm before the storm.”
“Yeah,” she murmured quietly. “It was silent the first time I was shot. Ever since then, I've been terrified of the quiet.”
He nodded his head in understanding. He too had been shot at, by hunters seeing him in his bear form trying their luck. He got nothing but static on the device and switched it off. He got up and sat next to her on the bed.
“Sometimes,” he said, sighing, “what you think is silence is actually filled with all kinds of sounds if you learn to listen behind it.”
She cocked her head at him.
“Really,” he admonished, turning to look at her. “Try it. Listen fo
r that ringing in your ears and focus past all that. Hear the wind shifting the trees, the crickets chirping, the coyotes howling off in the distance. The forest is full of sounds if you open your ears to it.”
She smiled at his brief softness and did as he told her. He was right; she could hear those things, but more than anything and what she had been missing most was feeling them. She could almost feel the wind blowing through her soul, lifting her higher into the atmosphere. The connection she had felt to the forest as a child was the most empowering thing she'd ever felt—more powerful than the gun holstered at her side.
She looked at him as he watched her and laid a hand on his, squeezing it tightly.
“Thank you,” she said warmly as his big hands encircled hers. “It's been a long time since I've felt so connected.”
“We are children of the Earth,” he told her. His eyes seemed to travel back in time. “We must all return to it eventually. You may live an urban life, but this place will always be your home.”
He looked into her eyes. His inner beast pawed within him, excited by the tenderness he found there. Finally, it seemed that he and his beast were on the same page. They both wanted her, but Mati was feeling an emotion quite different from his inner animal. The beast was more primal, raw in his emotions; he wanted to own her. Mati, on the other hand, just wanted to love her unconditionally. The feeling itself was so overwhelming that he could barely contain himself when Awen stroked his hair, gently tangling her fingers in his dark locks.
It had been a long time since he had felt a woman's touch, but he reveled in it as she pulled him closer to her.
“I don't know why,” she whispered as his body loomed over hers. “but I feel like this is supposed to happen.”
Mati swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly very dry as she positioned herself under him, pulling his face closer to hers.
“It's powerful,” she said breathlessly. “The connection we somehow share.”
She dropped her hand between them, putting it under his shirt and rubbing against his chiseled abs as she rose up, kissing him softly.
Mati quickly responded, deepening the kiss, keeping his hands on both sides of her. They stayed like this for a brief moment, lost in blind passion. Mati felt Awen pushing against his shoulder and allowed her to overpower him as she climbed on top, lifting his shirt over his head. She straddled his middle, feeling his excitement beneath her, but leaned forward, locking their lips in a heated kiss.
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