by M. L. Briers
“This conversation is beyond that now Whit- I’m not saying my idea was a good one or the right one-“ She glared back at him, still trying to yank her upper arm away from him. “- I’m saying- I do not like dictatorships- it’s not how I want to live my life.” Her voice was pitching with the anger running through her at not being able to get away from his hold on her and the fact that, in that moment, she realised that no matter how much she loved Cade- this might not be the life she could live.
CHAPTER NINE
Whit looked as though she had reached out and slapped him- hard. His eyes grew softer as his fingers eased against her flesh, before slipping away from her arm and she took a long backwards step away from him, watching as the wheel’s turned in his brain and he regarded her with contrition.
“If I played a part in this-“ He started towards her and she took a step back from him again, unwilling to be that close to him right now, the animosity was running in waves through her, he was just the catalyst.
“It’s not you- or Cade- it’s me Whit, it’s all me.” There was an air of hopelessness in her voice, when she was with Cade, nothing mattered, it must have been part of the mating, the bond that drew them together- when she was without him, she could see things a little plainer, things seemed a little more stark out here in the real world, when she wasn’t in Cade’s embrace.
“If you leave, it will crush him-“ Whit’s words were almost a whisper to her ears, but they hit her hard.
Vicky wrapped her arms around herself for the comfort of that touch- she needed it to be Cade’s arms, then everything would be alright, she wouldn’t feel doubtful that she could live this new life with him, but wasn’t that wrong? Wasn’t that ignoring what was right in front of her eyes, the logic inside her brain?
“That’s not fair Whit-“ She muttered, she regarded the nothingness of the white snow that stretched out at her feet, a pair of boots appearing in her line of vision as Whit grew closer.
“When Marcus’s mate died, he crumbled for a long while- we didn’t know if he would ever get through the loss- but his mate was dead- it was a finality that couldn’t be changed-“ Vicky flicked her eyes up to Whit- his expression was gentle- there was no hint of coercion, but she saw a hint of fear in his eyes.
“To have your mate alive, but out of reach-“ He stopped and considered that for a long moment- with a shake of his head he settled on the facts. “- I can’t imagine what that would do to him.”
Vicky turned away from him, closing her eyes in the hope that would take the pain away from inside her, if she could just not think, not feel, not be. The thought of Cade being in pain, a deep seated pain that would be directly caused by her actions, was like a knife within her chest, it weighed so heavily in her heart that she just couldn’t push it away.
“I don’t want to leave him Whit- but what if I can’t live this way- what if it hurts him more by my staying-“ She felt his hands on her shoulders, a warmth that seeped into her very bones, he made no effort to turn her and she made no move away, or to turn to face him either.
“A day at a time- live and learn- come to me if things are getting too much Vic- let me help you-“ His voice was so soft- even the depth of his tone was a comforting rumble that washed through her nerves. What with everything that was piling up on her- the possible attack from the Were’s that hung around her neck like a noose- maybe she was just having jitters- nerves before the proverbial wedding day- although she was already bonded to Cade- shouldn’t she be in the honeymoon phase now?
“What if someone dies tonight because of me?” He spun her on her heels this time, her feet moving easily over the snow and he had her chin in the palm of his warm hand before she had even blinked, easing her head up to see her eyes, his face showing the strain of the conversation they were having.
“That’s what’s brought this on isn’t it? Why you’re so desperate to go against Cade? You think this is your fault?” He waited for her answer but he didn’t need any, he could see it in her face, the strain was showing more clearly than any words she could give him, a wave of relief washed over the Beta. This was less about Cade and the hierarchy and more about her clutching at straws in the hope that the war that threatened, didn’t happen.
“If I hadn’t of come here- if I had never met Cade and he didn’t know me as his mate- if th-“ There was a hopelessness in her voice, she was lost in the regret of her own decisions.
“If the sky wasn’t blue and the grass wasn’t green- Fate deemed you mates- Fate brought you to his doorstep and Fate will decide what happens next- we can’t outrun our Fate Vicky and we would be arrogant to try and believe we could.” It was as simple as that then, she thought- life had a plan and she would have to give up control and allow it to happen?- she’d been doing that a lot lately.
She yanked her head back and snatched her chin out of his grasp, “And if someone dies?” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“People die every day Vic- it’s the one certainty life holds for us all.” If Whit was trying to make her feel better, it wasn’t working. She sidestepped him and moved towards the felled tree- she needed to walk- pace- stalk- do something that didn’t involve standing still and it would be an added bonus if she could turn off her brain.
“Where are you going?” He was at her side in a heartbeat.
“To get the sleeping bags-“ She bit out between clenched teeth, deciding how best to get over the tree, when his hands came down on her waist, lifting her over the large trunk, making sure she was steady on her feet before he released her and made the jump in one easy glide through the air to stand beside her, his grin was back on his face as he nudged her arm.
“It’s about a mile straight up, you up for it little sister?” He mused and she felt a little lighter inside, just from the grin that Whit bestowed on her.
“I’d say race you, but that’s never going to work for me.” She shot back as she took off at a steady pace, determined to walk off some of that nervous energy that was within her.
“What the hell?” Whit’s head snapped around on his neck as he sniffed the air. “Damn it.” He was instantly caught in indecision. The smoke that had started to plume above the distant trees, pulling his mind in one direction, while having Vicky with him stopped him from acting on his desire to race through the woods.
“Go Whit, someone could be in trouble-“ Vicky berated him, she could see how torn he was and pained by his own inactions.
‘Cade, I’ve got smoke in the direction of Blue’s cabin- on foot with Vicky- you need to get someone-‘ Whit grabbed her arm and started off the path, cutting an instant path of his own through the trees for her to follow in his wake, he was jogging, she was running as fast as she could, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with him.
‘I’m close by Whit-‘ Marcus growled out into the pack collective. ‘Where the hell is Blue?’ The worry for his lover giving him no cause for concern if the other’s did hear it in his tone.
‘Blue’s at the main cabin- she’s safe.’ Cade’s voice stilled Whit in his tracks, Vicky almost collided with his back in her effort to keep time with him, but he spun out of her way, his arm going around her waist to stop her from going any further, pulling her to a stop against his hip as she gasped in ragged breaths.
“Blue’s not there, Marcus is going to check it out- let’s get back to the path.” Whit wasn’t even breathing heavily as he let her go and turned to walk back through his own tracks. Vicky bent double and braced herself with her hands on her knees, her eyes noted his boots turn back towards her, a slow chuckle escaping his lips and she really wanted to smack him one.
“We need to get you fit little sister.” He mocked and she raised her head to give him, what she hoped was a death glare, when she saw his head snap around to the left, his eyes narrowed and he listened intently past her gasps.
Vicky dragged herself upright, she yanked the collar of her coat up over her mouth to try to quiet her breathing, as Whit’s head turn
ed a slow turn and her heart skipped within her chest.
‘I’ve got boots on the ground here- I need to get Vicky to safety-‘ Whit could hear the feet in the snow, he thought two, possibly three human’s, not that far away from where he was- reaching for Vicky’s hand he brought his index finger to his lips to hush her, as he pulled her in close to him.
‘Where are you?’ Cade demanded, the menace in his voice telling Whit that, not only was his Alpha half crazy with worry for his mate’s safety, but that he had already shifted into wolf form and was on his way to them.
‘A mile from Milo’s cabin- just past the felled tree, went off the path towards Blue’s, five minutes into the woods on human feet-‘ Whit’s eyes were detailing every inch of the woods around them in the direction he had heard the intruders, he hadn’t moved a muscle and neither had Vicky, he didn’t want to give away his location if they didn’t already know he was there.
‘Be right there brother-‘ Marcus growled, the eagerness of his wolf evident to join the fight.
Whit spotted the shadowy figure passing between the trees before he spotted him, he eased Vicky so slowly behind his back that she was hardly moving and she didn’t put up a fight, or question his actions, right now she was doing everything right, he was grateful for that, one less thing for him to worry about as the sound of crunching snow came to his ears further to the left of them.
Vicky eased her hand up under the back of her jacket as slowly as she could, her eyes fixed on Whit’s back and her senses on full alert as she tried to hear what he was hearing, but came up with just the light whistle of the wind through the trees around them.
Her fingers found the gun that Cade had given her that morning and she had carried around with her all day, like a lifeline to her own sanity. She felt better knowing she had it, she felt really good right now, knowing it was in her hand and she felt both worried but elated at the thought of having to shoot it, elated because it was just a little bit of protection, or at least, it felt that way.
It all happened so quickly then, no sooner had she pulled the gun from her waistband and dropped her hand down against her thigh, gun snugly in hand, than Whit’s arm seemed to come out of nowhere, catching her across the upper body and knocking her to the ground- the sound of a gunshot echoed out into the woods and she knew instinctively that she had not fired the shot.
The ground seemed to rush up towards her as she took a soft landing in the snow bank a few feet from where she had been standing, it took a long moment for her to shake off the shock and fear that had gripped her, before she rolled onto her side, her finger snapping off the safety and trying to identify a target to shot at.
Whit bit out a dark curse as his eyes took in their attacker through the tree’s. The snarl of a wolf as it launched with both speed and deadly accuracy at the shadow in the trees, the muffled sounds of the human cry as Marcus sunk his fangs deep into the Were’s throat, changing the sound of the cry to a muted gargle of blood, a moment before he snapped his jaws closed, the wolf violently shook its head and ended the fight.
Vicky didn’t move from where she sat, her eyes locked on the shadow play that she could make out through the trees, until Whit was in front of her, grabbing her upper arms and hauling her out of the snow- she was lifted against his body as he travelled the short distance to the nearest tree in a heartbeat.
When he dropped her to her feet, she made a determined effort to keep upright, her legs felt soft beneath her, as though her muscles had turned to liquid under her weight.
“Don’t move.” Whit growled down at her and she shook her head, not a problem for her, she didn’t think she could move, but she was wrong.
The muffled sound of a branch snapping beneath the snow behind her had her whirling around, her arm outstretched with the gun already up and aimed at whatever was there, her eyes searching the space to make sure it wasn’t a wolf and when she saw the human form, the barrel of a gun outstretched in her direction, she didn’t hesitate.
Her finger worked the trigger and two shots rang out into the silence of the woods- a third fired by the instinctive pull on the trigger of the attackers weapon as he was sent backwards by the force of her bullets, the heavy thud of his body as it hit the snow and Vicky gasped in a breath to steady herself.
“Damn.” Whit cursed, the harsh sound against her ear snapped her mind out of the fog that had descended within her brain, as she stared at the figure on the ground, her head snapping around at the sound of wolves snarling in the distance. Vicky thought she heard another cry of pain, but she couldn’t be sure- she couldn’t be sure of anything right at that moment in time, her heart was pounding in her ears and her brain was trying to reboot.
‘Vicky-‘ Cade’s voice snarled within Whit’s mind and he winced at the menace it contained.
‘Safe.’ Whit snapped out instantly, reaching for the weapon in her hand that she had an, almost, death grip on. It didn’t take a genius to see that she was in shock from having to fire the weapon- from being attacked- hell just from seeing Marcus rip that guy’s throat out- Whit thought it was probably a reaction to the whole damn thing.
“Let go sweetheart-“ He breathed down at her, his breath touching her ear from behind, careful not to get in her line of vision just yet. His hand had closed over hers, but she was having a real problem relinquishing the weapon. “Vic-“ He tried again, mindful of the sound of his brothers approaching in wolf form, he was uneasy about them approaching her while she was still armed, just in case.
‘Guy’s stay back a minute-‘ Whit cautioned, gently trying to uncurl her fingers from the butt of the gun, as she continued to take long deep breaths, staring at nothing and feeling an numb as she would if it were her lying in the snow- dead.
‘Problem?’ Cade wasn’t prepared to stay back, she was his mate, if there was something wrong then he needed to know about it.
‘Not exactly wrong-‘ Whit was working on easing her last finger free when she seemed to snap out of it, a long gasp of awareness had her spinning around towards Whit, his body instantly stilling as her eyes glared up at him.
“It’s over Vic-“ He rushed out as she opened her hand and let the gun drop to the snow- Whit’s hand shot out and yanked her towards him, pulling her against his hard chest as his arms went about her and she melted into the warmth of him, her eyes snapping shut as she fisted his jacket in her hands.
“You wanna tell me why you’re hugging my mate?” Cade growled out, shifted into human form, he was standing there buck naked in the snow- a dark frown on his forehead as he glared at his brother.
“She’s all yours brother- you might want to put some clothes on first, her nails are piercing my damned skin even though my jacket.” He shot back releasing his arms from around Cade’s woman, but she made no effort to move, she seemed stuck to his chest.
“What’s wrong with her?” Marcus growled, standing there just as naked as Cade, but with a curious look on his face.
“Err, I’m guessing the dead Were over there with the two bullets in him would be a good place to start.” Whit grinned back and Marcus brightened considerably.
“Nice.” He grinned, stretching his neck to check out the attacker that Vicky had killed as Cade stalked towards Whit, his hands reaching for Vicky as he breathed her name against her ear.
Her head came up from Whit’s chest and she spun around towards Cade automatically, her eyes locking with his dark gaze as she moulded herself against his naked body.
“Hey sweetheart- how you doing?” Cade breathed against her cheek and the world rushed back in at her, Cade was there, not off fighting Were’s or human’s or Human shaped Were’s, he was safe and she was in his arms- all was right with the world.
“I’m- good-“ She managed as her eyes opened and she took in the sight of Marcus naked and proud standing before her, he had a look of admiration on his face, but what he was so pleased about she couldn’t quite figure out, her brain wasn’t playing ball right now.
“Go
d Marcus- get some clothes on.” She ground out, turning her head against Cade’s naked chest and realising that her mate was also naked. She pulled back slightly and frowned first down and then up at him, taking him in from head to toe.
“It’s clothes are optional day-“ Whit chuckled as Marcus stalked past the group to check on Vicky’s handy work. Just in case the guy was still alive, he wouldn’t want him shifting and healing under the full moon- only to rejoin the fight.
“Three down- more to go.” Marcus growled nudging the body with his foot as he got to his feet. Turning back to them, he motioned towards the darkening skies with his head. “We need to get her back now.”
“Whit’s gonna take you back home-“ Cade tipped her chin up towards him and caught her gaze again, he could see she was still a little raw, a little dazed by what had happened, but she was getting there and when she nodded her understanding- Cade turned her back over to his brother’s care.
“We’ll walk you back to the truck, then shift and meet you down there, we’ll be doing recon all the way down the track- just in case there’s anymore wanting to try a pot shot at your truck.” Cade informed him as Whit put an arm around Vicky’s waist and pulled her to his hip, unwilling for her to be any further away than that, in case there was someone else out there with a weapon.
“She might want this-“ Marcus bent down to retrieve the gun, his finger flicking the safety back on before he offered it to her.
Vicky didn’t hesitate, she took the weapon from him as her eyes tried to look anywhere but at his naked body. One gorgeous looking Lycan was enough for her for one day, and this was her brother standing there in front of her.
She heard the snigger come from Whit as he leaned in closer to her ear, “You’re gonna have to get used to nakedness around here sis- it’s part of the Lycan way.” He teased and she tried out a low growl on him, it caused him to raise his brows at her.