by Ava Frost
“Oron!” she called out to him as she sped towards him, “They know!”
Just then a garbage truck pulled onto the road, separating him from the Ronuls which gave him the time he needed. Alison pulled up next to him and he took over control of the bike.
“Hold on,” he said and turned the bike around, skidding on the tar. Here and there a few locals popped their heads out to see what the commotion was about. At least that too was some deterrent, as the Ronuls had a vow of secrecy they had sworn too and neither of them would attack him in broad daylight with so many witnesses around.
Even over the loud rumble of the engine he could hear the loud thrumming of Alison’s heart, and he could scent the adrenalin raging through her veins like a flash flood, leaving destruction in its wake. They rode until the fuel tank was empty and they were forced to stop. Oron knew for a fact that the Ronuls would waste no time in finding him, and with Alison tagging along, it would slow him down even more. They got off the bike and he shoved it into the bushes and covered it with branches, hiding it from plain sight.
“Come, we’ve got to hurry,” he ordered as he grabbed Alison’s hand, literally dragging her into the forest.
“I’m so sorry Oron,” she whimpered, “I didn’t know he would…”
“It’s done now, and it’s not your fault. Have you seen Maurice?” he asked as he trudged ahead.
“No, I haven’t. When I got to the Teddy Bear, it was all closed up,” she said breathlessly as she stumbled over the uneven terrain. She was only going to slow him down; she realized and tugged her hand free.
“Run, get out of here. They aren’t looking for me, they are looking for you and I’m just slowing you down.”
Oron stopped and turned to her, his eyes dark, “I’m not leaving you behind,” he muttered and closed the distance between them gathering her up and flinging her over his shoulder.
They trekked throughout the night; Alison’s body was aching as she hung over Oron’s shoulder.
“Let me down.” She demanded and tried to elevate herself, but with nothing to hold onto but bare skin, it was almost impossible.
“Once we’re out of reach, I’ll let you down, otherwise the Ronuls might catch up with us.” he said blankly. It was pitch black around her with only the sounds of footfall shuffling through detritus and the breaking of branches. It was obvious to her that he knew exactly where he was headed.
“Please, my hips are hurting,” she countered, this time trying a desperate approach. “And I have blood rushing to my head, news flash, I’m human.” she retorted sarcastically.
He finally ground to a halt and then carefully lowered her to the ground. All she could make out was his silhouette against dim light in the distance, which she assumed was a village of sorts. Was that where he was headed? She wondered as she stretched and rubbed her lower back.
“Look, they won’t do anything to me, why don’t you let me go the opposite way and distract them from you. It will give you a chance to get ahead.”
“I can’t do that. You’re my mate,” he said and dragged his hand through his hair.
You’re my mate, the words repeated in her head and a strange sense of panic mixed with excitement flooded her, but even though those words sounded like he was claiming her as his, she knew it was not possible.
“Please, I won’t tell them where you are, I hardly know where I am. And besides I’ll just slow you down. You need a head start or they will find you.” she tried to convince him, but he was having none of it.
He looked up at the sky; presumably trying to navigate by the stars, but the treetops were dense and only brief patches of sky was visable through the trees.
Not far behind her, she heard a loud crashing sound, almost like tree falling, and in an instant Oron lifted her in his arms and sprinted further into the dark forest, this time he was moving stealthily, without as much as a sound. Her head tucked against his chest, she focused on his heart beat, and was amazed that there was no acceleration. He was super fit, and he didn’t even appear breathless.
She had no idea how far they had gone, or where they were when she woke up to the sound of people talking. She peaked out of the tent and spotted Oron talking to a man with long hair. She didn’t even know people still lived this primitively.
“Can I have a moment please?” she asked, interrupting his conversation.
“Yes?”
“I can’t go with you, I’m going to put you in too much danger. Leave me here if you must, but I can convince Gareth to let it go, I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
Oron looked at her and his lips curved up slightly, and then he stepped aside and gestured to her. “You’re free to go.” he said, throwing her off her game.
“I am?” she asked, looking past him at the tent village.
“I’m not keeping you, you can go if you need to, but consider the dangers out there.”
“So you’re just going to send me off on my own?” she asked slightly panicked, and he simply nodded.
Unbelievable! He was seriously going to let her walk out of there, a woman alone in the middle of nowhere with two raging lunatics on their track. She bit her lip and considered her options. From where she stood, she could see a group of locals, huddled on a dilapidated truck carrying rifles; children played carelessly, kicking a make-shift ball made of cloth and plastic bags. Although their lives appeared simple, and somewhat peaceful, she knew what dangers lurked.
She stepped closer to him until her shoulder brushed his arm. “If I go with you, where will we go?” she asked hesitantly.
“You’re on a need to know basis, but once we reach my destination, I’ll arrange for your safe return.” he said and then turned and headed back to the man to continue his conversation.
“So fucking rude,” she mumbled under her breath as she went back to the tent. She knew she had no choice but to tag along, and if she had to be honest with herself, she couldn’t see herself without him.
While she sat in the small tent, contemplating her situation, chaos erupted outside. Gun fire echoed and people screamed. Too terrified to go outside, she fell to the ground, covered her head and held her breath. It sounded like a war zone, and definitely not like two hunters, but more like a whole army was attacking the village.
The tent flaps burst open, and she screamed in panic only to find Oron stumbling into the hut with blood staining the front of his shirt just below his chest.
“Hurry, they’re here.” he said hoarsely as he plucked her up from the floor. With one hand pressed against the wound on his stomach he crashed effortlessly through the tent and exited the village on foot. In a state of panic Alison looked back over her shoulder, her inner humanitarian cried for the poor souls that would inevitably die in the attack, but just then she heard someone shouting out orders to kill them and her entire body went cold.
Chapter 14
Alison’s chest was on fire, she was not built for this. She was supposed to be safely tucked away in the diner, serving customers cappuccinos and sandwiches, and now she was the one supporting Oron as they fled. He had lost a lot of blood and she wasn’t sure if he would make it.
As she stumbled through the forest with Oron leaning weakly on her, while being gashed by thorny bushes, the fear of being captured started to subside slightly. There was no sign of them being followed, only the serene sounds of the forest with its vast collection of birds singing above them in the trees.
Oron guided them in his incoherent state until they reached a cave hidden behind shrubs and vines. Alison was just thankful they managed to find shelter at all. She stumbled over the threshold of rocks into the hallowed cavern and slumped to the ground with Oron leaning heavily against her. The little chance of finding help was a grim reality, so she helped him sit up against a boulder then gently pulled the shirt he wore away from the bloodied wound. In the darkness she couldn’t see much, if anything, so she felt around his side to his back looking for an exit wound. There was nothing, which mea
nt that the bullet was still lodged inside his abdomen. The only thing left to do now was to cover it up and make sure he didn’t bleed out, at least until they could get some help.
“You need to find Askuwheteau.” Oron whispered hoarsely, “he’s somewhere inside.”
Oron seemed delirious; she had no idea what he was talking about and continued to bind a piece of her shirt around his waist. But he gripped her wrist firmly and spoke again.
“Askuwheteau is inside, he can help.”
“Who is Askuwheteau?” she asked confused.
“I am Askuwheteau.”
Alison spun around and scrambled back up against the stone wall at the sudden sound of the gruff voice.
“Why are you here Shifter?” he asked addressing Oron while hardly acknowledging Alison’s existence.
Oron groaned and rolled unto his side exposing the bloodied shirt and looked painfully up at Askuwheteau.
Alison moved closer to Oron to help him and looked up at the stranger. He was a Native American and in the dim light of the make-shift torch he held in his hand, she noticed that he was dressed in traditional clothing. Alison’s knowledge of this culture was vast and she knew that they practiced a form of natural healing, which she always considered bogus attempts to force herbal healing on the locals, but if Oron believed that he could help, who she to question him? Right now this Askuwheteau person was their only hope.
“We were ambushed and Oron was shot. Can you help him?
Askuwheteau knelt down beside Oron and removed the blood drenched padding from the wound and stuck his finger into the hole causing Oron to cry out in pain. And as Alison attempted to swat the man’s hand away, Oron caught her wrist.
“Adamantine laced bullets. The hunters found him. Follow me.”
“What is Adamantine?” she asked biting her lip.
“It’s deadly to shifters,” the old man said, but didn’t bother to elaborate.
Alison looked at Oron where he lay in agony. Sweat was beading on his forehead and she knew that if he didn’t get that bullet out soon, he wasn’t going to make it. Oron attempted to move and, with difficulty, she helped him up and followed Askuwheteau further into the cave.
Askuwheteau helped Oron unto the mat near the fire and started preparing a concoction while Alison sat next to him. This was unfamiliar territory to her, and she felt completely useless.
Oron groaned again, and she leaned closer to him, taking his hand in hers. Just the other day he was the mysterious recluse that made her smile when he ordered his usual lunch or dinner. And now, he was here practically dying. She was tormented by the idea of him dying in her arms. The mere thought caused her heart to cramp painfully. She rested her forehead against his shoulder. “Please don’t die on me now. I need you.” She said softly. It baffled her how her feelings could switch from night to day in an instant, she was never this hot-headed, not until Oron appeared in her life.
She stepped aside as Askuwheteau came to sit next to him and started what seemed like some ritual, and then he moved to apply a paste of some sort to the wound. The whole practice seemed unsubstantiated, but this was all she had to hope for.
*******
Oron was resting and Alison was seated across Askuwheteau by the fire.
“You care for the shifter.” he stated flatly and picked at the herbs in his hand.
“I don’t know what I feel,” she admitted and clutched her arms around her waist. How could she know? Most relationships built on crisis fail in the end.
Askuwheteau regarded her quietly, “You’re a hunter?”
“No, I’m not a hunter, I’m a waitress.”
“But you belonged to a hunter,” he stated blankly.
“No, I never belonged to anyone.”
Askuwheteau tossed the crushed herbs into the fire and a strong scent of incense filled the air.
“He is a shifter by nature, he can be nothing else. You are conflicted by your emotions, and you are yet to realize that all of this is real.”
Alison looked up at the elderly man and sighed, he was right. Even though she had witnessed more than she should have, and learned about Oron’s nature and Gareth’s role in all of this, it was still something she struggled to comprehend and she wasn’t sure if she ever would.
Chapter 15
Two days later Oron finally regained consciousness; the Adamantine that the bullet was laced with was lethal to shifters and he was lucky that they found Askuwheteau before it was too late. Adamantine to shifters was like arsenic to humans, a small dose could kill a shifter in a matter of hours and the fact that he survived was nothing short of a miracle.
He slowly sat up and looked down to where the bullet had penetrated his abdomen; all that remained was a scar which he would bare for the rest of his life, reminding him that death can come without warning. But he wasn’t sure what was worse; being shot, or losing Alison. When the hunters arrived at the village, his focus immediately shifted to her safety, which is what landed him in the line of fire. With total disregard for his own life, he raced towards the tent dodging the bullets, or trying to, just so that he could get to her before they did. Ever since the day he met her, he felt an unmistakable pull towards her, something he tried to ignore over and over, but the more he tried, the harder it became. When she first begged him to let her go, he considered it, and if she had left, he would have had no choice but to follow her.
He stood up and stretched, rotating his shoulders and then rolled his neck, his spine cracked all the way down and he instantly felt the tension dissipate, he scanned the cavern for a sign of life, Askuwheteau’s scent was at least a day old, but Alison’s was still fresh, and he was about to go find her when she ducked in under a ledge and appeared before him.
“Oron…” his name rolled almost reverently from her lips as she stilled and looked at him, her eyes darkened as she met his lingering gaze. The same desire that suddenly swept up like a raging storm inside him was mirrored in her eyes.
He took three long strides and slid his hands under the canopy of ebony tresses that framed her face, then tilted her head back and as if she was anticipating the kiss, her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted slightly in approval. There was no turning back from this he realized as he pressed his lips against hers and kissed fervently. The intensity of the kiss was so profound that it felt as if he was coming apart.
“You’re mine.” He grunted into the kiss, the level of his arousal was almost brutal. His hands fell from her face to her hips as he tore her shirt off over her head exposing her silky smooth skin, her breasts were contained in a cotton bra and that too he quickly removed before cupping them with his hands. The soft moans that escaped her as she leaned into his touch lit up his senses even more. She was perfect; her body melded against his as if it was created for him, every indented curve of her supple body matched his like two precision cut pieces of a puzzle.
Alison’s eyes were heavy lidded as he tore his lips away from her again, and this time he reached for her pants, tugging them down over her hips and letting them pool at her feet, then he gently strode, moving her backward until he lowered her onto the straw mat on the cavern floor.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you…” she started, as he nudged her legs apart with his knee.
“I didn’t expect you to believe anything so ridiculous,” he said and smiled down at her while he brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek.
His erection was painful, but he was determined to attend to her needs first. And as he made his way down along her neck in slow deliberation, pressing hot kisses on her already blazing skin, he knew that she was always going to be his. He dragged open mouthed kisses over her chest, paying special attention to each perky nipple and then worked his way down over her flat stomach until he came to rest on his elbows with his shoulders between her knees. He looked up at her across the plains and valleys of her stomach and breasts, and met her eyes. The way she bit her bottom lip undid him and he slowly lowered his lips to the in
side of her thigh. He started kissing and teasing the soft skin at the juncture between her leg and her sex, she moaned, gripping a handful of his hair in her hands, she was begging him for more, and he wanted nothing but to please her.
“Please…” she begged him as she pulled him closer, her hips rising slightly. Her husky voice awakening the beast inside him, and with one hand he parted her lips with his fingers, and dipped one digit into her wet heat, causing her to moan loudly and buck her hips upwards. He inhaled her primal scent, and he ached with need. Desire and lust flooded him as he flicked his tongue over her exposed clit, causing her legs to tremble involuntarily locking his head between her thighs. Her moans were muffled, but by the way she twisted her hips he knew not to stop, and that in no time, her pure essence would cover his tongue. With one finger deep inside her, swirling around, he rolled his tongue over her clit and then sucked on it. He continued to torment her with perfect rhythm paying attention to her every gasp, and as her legs started to tremble, he knew she was about to climax.
“Oh my god, Oron…” she cried out as she tugged at his hair clenching her thighs tightly against the sides of his head. But that didn’t stop him from swiping his tongue over her sodden sex, pushing her closer to an impending orgasm. As her back arched and she dropped her head back, pushing her body up against the assault of his tongue, he lapped at her core, drinking in her essence. She was simply exquisite, and all his.
He pulled away from her sex and moved up until his hips were nestled between her legs and as he looked down into her eyes, there was a promise of forever and always behind those green soulful irises. With his hands braced either side of her, he lowered himself into her, one inch at a time, slowly and deliberately. He wanted to feel her acceptance, feel her silk walls as they enveloped his rigid length. The muscles on his back grew hard with restraint as he fought for control. But as she reached up to trace a delicate fingertip over his lips, he could stand it no longer, his captured her lips with his and drove his hips down into her. She wrapped her legs around him imprisoning him and he slowly started rocked back and forth. She met him thrust for thrust as he stroked into her smooth sex. And as she scraped her nails across his bare skin, his pace quickened. He tore his lips away from hers and met her gaze, he wanted to get lost in her eyes, see her face when he drove her over the edge. He leaned onto one elbow and dragged his hand down over her hip, cupping her ass as he thrusted relentlessly. Beneath the onslaught of his powerful thrusts, she finally cried out in ecstasy, her body shook, and the shudder that swept through her moved like an electric current through him. Every muscle in his body drew taut and with one last thrust, he buried himself deep inside her, filling her with his seed. In the dimly lit cavern, it was only the two of them, complete, and nothing else mattered.