by Cheree Alsop
“I think you need to see a real doctor.”
“You are a real doctor,” I pointed out. “And I’m healing.”
He gave me a tolerant look and nodded his head toward my throbbing side and the bruises that spidered away from the scar. “A specialist, then.”
“In the internal workings of werewolf organs? The specialist would probably be a Hunter,” I replied dryly. I glanced at Nora and regretted the statement. “I didn't mean it that way.”
She smiled sadly. “Unfortunately it's true, at least for my Dad's faction. He'd probably heal you, then kill you just for the sport of it.”
“Sounds pleasant,” Traer said, his voice tight at the thought.
I tried to find a more comfortable position on the couch, then winced when another sharp pain surged through my side. Nora set a hand on my arm and Traer stepped closer. I rolled my eyes, but felt touched by their concern. “I'm alright, really.”
“I'll believe it when I see it,” Traer replied, but he turned away at my look. “I'm going to see if Seth's got dinner started.” He smiled at Nora. “Maybe it'll actually be edible thanks to your tutoring.”
“Who would have thought werewolves would be such eager students?” she asked with a laugh.
“We get a little bored here,” Traer replied. He nodded at me and left the room.
I leaned against the couch and thought vaguely that the blood from my shoulder was going to ruin the leather. Nora watched me for a moment, then settled next to me and stared at the wall. “Why did you agree to go running with them?” she asked after a couple of minutes had passed.
“It sounded like fun,” I replied as more of a question than a statement. I could feel her disapproving stare and sighed. “It's an Alpha thing.”
“So because I'm not a werewolf I couldn't possibly understand it?” the accusation in her voice covered the hurt she felt at being left out.
I tipped my head to look at her. “Alphas grow up knowing that someday they'll be in charge of the protection and wellbeing of their own pack. We normally test our strength against our fathers and other members of their pack, making sure that we're ready for when we set out on our own.”
“But you don't have a pack here,” Nora said with dawning understanding in her voice. “You're left to pit against your peers. What were your parents thinking?”
I shrugged, then clenched my teeth at the resulting pain. “Maybe we would grow out of it, or they could put it off until we had our own packs and they wouldn't have to deal with it.”
“They're shrugging off their responsibility.” Anger touched her voice.
I felt a sudden need to defend my mother. No matter what I had gone through, she still acted like my mom long after Dad quit the charade that had become our lives. “They see it as protecting us. We safe here, fed-”
“If you can call it that,” she cut in.
I continued, “We have clothes, food, shelter, and access to the finest schools by the internet as well as the connections to attend any of them electronically. Our needs are taken care of.”
“Except emotionally,” she pointed out.
My voice dropped. “Emotional security comes when Hunters are killing off every Alpha they can get their hands on and you're safe because your parents have the foresight to hide you away.” I took a calming breath and said quietly, “Even when their friends are being killed.”
She closed her eyes for a second; when she looked at me again there was something unreadable in them. Her hand reached up and she set it gently on my jaw. “You are their emotional security,” she said quietly. “You tolerate this for them.”
“They care in their own way,” I replied past a tremble through my limbs that had nothing to do with pain. I closed my eyes and turned my face into her hand. “Like I care.” Her scent filled my nose and my head clouded past any other thought.
Her other hand touched my dark blond hair hesitantly, then her fingers tangled in it, brushing my ear and sending a surge of heat through my body. “You care so much,” she whispered.
I opened my eyes and tried to think past the fog in my mind that came from being so close to her, but my brain refused to process anything but the nearness of her lips and the way her eyes peered into mine with such intensity, but also with a touch of fear that showed she was afraid of what could happen. An echoing surge of emotion rushed through my chest and it was all I could do to keep from kissing her. “We have to be careful,” I breathed out haltingly.
“You're never careful,” she replied with a smile that melted onto my lips.
The taste of her kiss sent such a strong surge of need and want through me that I could barely breathe. I kissed her back and felt the need echoed through her touch. Her hand drifted from my jaw to my chest and felt so hot against my bare skin I imagined that it left a red outline. I didn't care if such a mark lasted a lifetime.
My cell phone rang and jolted us back to reality. Our lips separated and we stared at each other, amazed at what had happened, at the gulf that had been crossed. The fact that she was a Hunter mattered little to me anymore. I saw the same realization in her eyes and the bashful way she lowered them to her hand on my chest.
She pulled it back and I longed for her touch again. The phone gave another insistent ring. “You better take it,” Nora said quietly.
I didn’t want to. I had never wanted to ignore the phone more. Nora picked it up and handed it to me, expectancy and a touch of humor in her gaze. I shook my head. She laughed and flipped it open. I sighed and was about to hit the speaker phone button by habit, but remembered Mom's previous opinions regarding Nora and lifted it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“I'm calling to apologize for our conversation the other day,” Mom said in a voice that sounded resigned and apologetic at the same time.
I smiled because she sounded the same way about every other time she called, usually because we both ended up saying things we weren't proud of. “I'm sorry, too. I have a knack for pushing your buttons.”
“You do,” she agreed without admitting that she was at fault for the conversation as well.
I took a shallow breath against a surge of pain through my side. “I'm kicking Ben and Brian out of Two today.”
“What? Why?” Mom demanded.
“They attacked me when we were out running. They're trying for leadership of Two.”
I could almost hear Mom's teeth grinding through the phone and knew neither werewolf wanted to see the look she had on her face. “I'm going to call their mothers,” she said.
I fought back a laugh. “They're not kids, Mom. They're eighteen. It's time for them to leave anyway.”
“Yes, but after all we've done for them, given them a safe place away from killers. . . .”
She paused and I knew the topic turned her thoughts to Nora. I spoke before she could. “I'm taking care of it, so don't worry. I'll let you know how it goes.”
I was about to hang up the phone when she said with more concern than I could remember hearing from her, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
I hesitated, then brought the phone back up. “I'm alright. Nothing a night's rest won't heal.”
“Traer told me your side is still giving you problems,” she said.
A grim smile touched my lips. “He worries too much.”
“You don't worry enough,” she replied.
I rolled my eyes at the same words Traer had said before the run. “Maybe so, but it's working out. Let their parents know they might be seeing more of their sons soon.”
“Good riddance,” Mom said the words I felt.
I hung up the phone and Nora leaned against my shoulder. “You're a good son.”
I shook my head. “Not really, but we both gave up pretending long ago. I think we understand each other better this way.”
She sat in silence for a few minutes, then sighed.
“What?” I asked even though my stomach twisted at the direction I guessed her thoughts had taken.
“I miss my dad,” she said, confirming my guess. “He worries, too.”
After my conversation with Mom I didn't feel that I could rightfully deny her unspoken request. I held out the phone and her eyes lit up. “Really?”
I nodded. “Just remember how many lives are in your hands.”
She sobered a bit, but dialed the number with a smile of anticipation. The phone rang twice, then a deep voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Daddy?”
“Noralie? Is that you?” Sharp relief colored his voice. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine, Dad, and I'm safe.”
“When the others didn't come back, we assumed the worst. We’ve been searching night and day, but it’s like you vanished off the face of the Earth. Is everyone alright?”
The sadness in her voice broke my heart. “They're all dead.”
His voice tightened. “What happened? Where are you? I'm coming to get you.”
Nora's eyes flicked to mine. “That's not possible.” She rushed on before he could argue, “We happened upon a werewolf hideout and Jerome thought we could take them. Everyone was killed and they were going to kill me, too, but one of the werewolves saved my life. He's keeping me safe.”
“You're being held captive?” The anger that laced his voice sent a surge of adrenaline through my body. I rubbed my knuckles together and tried to stay calm. “Do you know where you're at? I’ll find you and have them all destroyed. You'll be safe.”
“Dad. Dad!” It took a minute for him to calm down.
Tears glistened in Nora's eyes at the fear in his voice. The longing that shone in them was unmistakable, and I knew I couldn't keep her at Two any longer. “I'll take you to him,” I whispered. A pain close to that in my side ran through my heart at the thought of letting her go.
Her eyes widened and the tears that had sparkled in them fell down her cheeks. “Really?”
“You want to go home. I won't make you stay.”
I forced a smile at the way her eyes brightened and she told her dad, “Vance says he'll take me to you. I can come home!”
He fell silent for a minute and when he cleared his throat, I realized he had also been crying. I hated myself for the pain I had put them through, and felt equal pain for the families of all the Hunters that lay dead in White Horse Canyon. When her father spoke again, his voice was slightly unsteady. “Where can I meet you?”
She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I thought quickly. “Four Corners,” I said. It was hours away and would throw him off if he tried to search for us. “We can meet him at sunrise.”
“Sunrise at Four Corners,” she repeated with such enthusiasm my heart ached. She met my gaze and her smile faltered. “But Dad, I want your word that Vance won't be hurt and he'll be allowed to go back home without anyone following him.”
I frowned, but she waited for her father to reply. He took a breath. “He'll be protected; you have my word.”
“Dad,” Nora said with a sudden sternness that said she knew her father well. “He saved my life and I want to make sure he isn't hurt. If he'll be in danger, I won't come.”
I pictured him making a face like my mom when I argued. He replied in a tight, controlled voice, “He'll be safe. I promise.”
I didn't believe him, but Nora smiled. “Thank you, Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I'll be there,” he vowed.
She hung up the phone, then threw her arms around me with such vigor my breath caught at the pain. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I can't describe how much it means to me to see him again.” She realized what she was doing and dropped her arms. The blush touched her cheeks again. “Sorry. I forgot.”
I gave a weak smile. “It's alright.” I studied the red rock wall across from us. “So. Tomorrow, huh?” I said after a minute.
She smiled. “Yes, tomorrow.” She gave me a warm smile. “Thank you very much, Vance. I don't know how to repay you.”
My eyebrows rose. “Maybe by not letting your dad kill me?”
She laughed. “It'll be okay, don't worry.”
But I wasn't so sure.
“Come on tough guy,” Nora said, rising from the couch. She held out a hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
I grunted with the pain of standing. Nora slipped under my arm and helped me limp to the bathroom. I stood in the shower, then jerked back as water hit me. I had expected Nora to go, but she stood behind me with a white washrag in one hand. “Don’t worry,” she said with a teasing gleam in her eyes. “I’m just going to help you wash off the worst of it.
The blanket around my waist hung soaked and tattered, but I kept a tight hold on it. Somehow, being in the shower with Nora at my back made me feel more vulnerable than I had ever been in my entire life. She waited a minute, then the soft fibers of the rag worked slowly over the tear in my shoulder from Brian’s teeth. The water that pooled around my feet turned red before rushing down the drain. My legs felt suddenly weak. I leaned my forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall and closed my eyes.
Nora stopped. “Are you alright?”
I nodded, but couldn’t find the words to speak.
“Want to sit down?” Nora asked.
I backed up and she helped me slide down to sit so the water hit my chest. I hated that I was so vulnerable and weak in front of her that I needed her assistance to sit down. She could kill me with a single shot, regardless of how bad her aim had been the last time. Yet she tended to me. The thought curled around my heart and confused my thoughts. I ducked my head on my knees, careful to keep the blanket in place. Nora knelt beside me, and after a minute she continued washing my shoulder.
“Sorry,” I said quietly. “I just got dizzy.”
“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” she replied. “Are you sure you don’t want Traer to look at these?”
I nodded and sat back. She moved to wash my face without care for how the water drenched her clothes and hair. Her sunflower and vanilla scent held the cinnamon and sage smell of the red rocks. It suited her, but I refrained from saying it.
I closed my eyes as she worked on the gash and fought back a smile when she muttered something about me not taking good enough care of myself. “As I recall,” I said quietly. “I found you in here not too long ago.”
I opened my eyes to find her watching me, a slight smile on her face. “That was different.”
Her searching look made me feel bare, exposed in ways I couldn’t hide. I studied the blood that pooled from the fang marks around my ankle. I forgot that it had been bitten. The blood trickled down my skin and touched the water with red before it swirled away and was washed out, forgotten. I felt much the same way before Nora came along. Now, her presence was too near and too real. I gave her everything without thought of how it would work out. Now she was leaving.
“I can take care of the rest,” I said quietly without meeting her eyes.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
When I didn’t answer, she rose and stepped out of the shower. She hesitated in the bathroom, then the door closed. A growl escaped my lips and I hit the floor of the shower hard enough to shatter a tile. I stared at the remains of yet another mess I had created. Water pooled around the dent and I imagined it seeping down into the sand below Two, giving life to something in need.
I rose and steadied myself with a hand against the shower wall when my knees threatened to buckle. I let the water run through my hair as I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Werewolves mated for life, but the girl who had stolen my heart was human. She wouldn’t feel the same pain at leaving me. I tried to convince myself that she cared, but the fact remained that she would be gone come morning, and Two would be an empty shell without her presence to fill it.
Chapter 10
Later that night, my lips curled back at the smell of Brian and Ben returning from their run. Adrenaline fueled by rage coursed through my body. I checked to make sure Nora was asleep, then stalked down the hallway t
o the main living area. I paused in the doorway to see Brian, Ben, Drake, and Max laughing together while Ben related a story to the others.
Ben's hand was raised mid-gesture when my scent finally registered. He froze and turned. I wondered how well he would do on his own, then realized I didn't care anymore. I had given them too much for them to turn around and attack me. It showed cowardice by both brothers, something I would never tolerate.
“Get out,” I growled.
Brian and Drake turned while Max jumped up from his chair so fast it fell over. Brian looked like he wanted to protest, but Two was mine and I wasn't about to be contradicted. I spoke in a low growl, “Get out, or I'll tear you to shreds and send you home in a box. It's your choice.”
“Is that any way to talk to a friend?” Ben asked, his face white but his eyes holding mine with an Alpha challenge.
“I would never talk to a friend like that,” I said in a dangerous tone.
Brian bared his teeth in a humorless smile. “It's not our fault you weren't up for a run.”
The fire that ran through my limbs chased away any pain. “You want to act like animals, I'll treat you like them.” I phased so quickly they didn't have time to react. A loud rumble tore from my throat to echo through the red walled tunnels. I could hear other werewolves coming to see what was going on, but all I cared about was that Two was my sanctuary to protect, and the Lopez brothers had dirtied it long enough with their trouble and unrest. I was tired of being patient, of sheltering those who didn't care how good they had it, and of watching my back knowing that someday they would attack. I snarled and both Alphas backed up.
“Fine,” Ben said, his tone light as he pretended he wasn't intimidated. “We'll go, but only because we're tired of Two and your pathetic attempts to act as everyone's parent to make up for your own.”
I stalked toward them slowly, my teeth bared, hackles raised, and a low growl that sounded like thunder grating in my chest. Both Alphas and the two grays behind them left the room to gather their belongings. I waited at the exit to Two, my chest tight and the wounds from their teeth throbbing in a constant reminder of why I was chasing out boys I had grown up with.