He took her arm and led her to the park. She wanted to stop, to turn around and go back to the safety of the crowd at the bookstore, but she couldn't seem to make her feet obey. There were in the park, Josh was talking to her but she couldn't hear what she was saying. A flash of light exploded in the night and the sound of a roaring was the only sound she could hear.
Josh cried out and crumpled to the ground beside her. Blood bloomed on his shirt and she frantically put her hands on it.
“We need to get out of here.” She tried to lift him but he was too heavy. “Oh God, help me. Someone please help me.”
The night was silent around her as she felt the warmth of his blood under her hand. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it happened.
She tried to get him to move, but he wouldn’t budge. She looked into his eyes, which stared up at her and her heart pounded inside her.
“No, you live through this, I know you do.” But no matter what she did she couldn’t get him to move and she watched in horror as if it was happening to another person when she saw the light of his life slip from his eyes.
With a gasp, Harper’s eyes flew open and at first she was confused about why she was laying in bed with a warm male body beside her. The dream had been so vivid as she hung there somewhere between sleep and wakefulness that she was shocked that Josh was alive and whole next to her in bed.
She slowly sat up, and her eyes roved over him. Her heart rate slowed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she saw the even rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took. A tightness banded around her chest and made it difficult to breathe. She wanted to shake him awake, to make sure that he really was alive, but she stopped her hand when it was halfway toward him.
He’d already told her that he wasn’t in any danger, and she desperately wanted to believe him. He would think she was silly for being so paranoid. But she needed to get out of this room, to get some air so she could breathe. The dream had been so vivid that she’d still felt the lingering pain that had been inside her when she’d watched him die while she’d been sleeping.
Not wanting to disturb him, and knowing that she would not be able to go back to sleep unless she did something about the restless energy that was bouncing around inside her, she quietly slipped out of the bed. She froze when he made a noise and rolled over. The fear inside her was her problem, not his and she would not burden him with it. She would get over the dream, she just needed to get some air and clear her head.
She quickly pulled on the clothes that she’d been wearing earlier and slipped from the bedroom. Moving on autopilot, she slipped on her coat and boots and quietly left the apartment. A walk to clear her head was what she needed.
The town of Lenox was sleeping quietly around her as she forced herself to remember the dream. When the shooting had first happened, she’d relived it in her sleep for weeks after. But since she’d come back to town and seen Josh alive and healthy, her sleep had been untroubled by the event that had terrified her so much. So why was she dreaming about this now?
Had some of the anxiety over her growing closer to Josh been the cause of it? Ever since they’d first slept together, she had felt herself growing closer to him. She couldn’t imagine what her life had been like without him. She suspected that she was starting to fall in love with him. Was that feeling of vulnerability the reason that her mind had decided to show her, her worst fears when it had replayed the events of that night, but had changed the outcome?
She knew that she’d never really dealt properly with Jack’s death, she had gone through the motions of living, burying herself in her work to avoid dealing with the pain of it. Was this her mind's way of showing her that what she feared the most had not happened, and it was now time to let go of her fear that she would lose Josh too?
She didn’t have the answer, and she realized that she’d been so lost in thought that she’d walked a lot further than she had planned to. She was on the dirt road that led to the Shadowbrook Estate. Had she been so troubled that her body had automatically pointed her in the direction of Lana so she could talk it over with her?
It was the middle of the night and there was no way she would be welcome at Shadowbrook at this time of night. She stopped in the middle of the track as she looked around. The trees on either side of the road were thick, blotting out a lot of the light from the moon. She shivered as the world surrounding her took on an ominous tone. She needed to get back to the apartment.
She was about to turn around and go back in the direction that she’d come from when a low growling sound came to her. A wave of cold washed over her body as she froze in place. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she swallowed hard. She needed to get out of here before whatever had made that sound decided to show itself.
She was in the process of spinning around when a gray streak came flying out of the woods. A scream ripped itself from her throat the biggest wolf she’d ever seen came out of the woods and directly into her path.
Its fur was standing up, its hackles were raised as its lip curled back to reveals its vicious-looking teeth. She froze in place as terror paralyzed every muscle in her body. The wolf stalked toward her, as if it was intent on making her its next meal and she found that she couldn’t make herself move as it growled at her.
18
Josh
Josh stepped out of the woods and moved so that he was standing in front of Harper. He’d woken almost immediately after she’d walked out of the bedroom. Something had disturbed her and when he’d heard her leave the apartment he knew that he couldn’t let her wander the night alone. He’d followed her at a safe distance, not wanting to stop her from working through whatever had driven her from the apartment in the middle of the night, but he’d wanted to make sure she was safe. He was glad that he’d given in to the instinct to keep an eye on her. Who knew what Tyler had planned when he’d come running out of the woods. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good if his threatening posture was anything to go by.
“Stay behind me.” If Harper was shocked to seem him come out of the shadows and step in front of him, she didn’t say anything. He didn’t bother to look at her, keeping all his focus on the angry wolf in front of him. And he knew could no longer keep his true nature from Harper. Once her fear dissipated, she would have questions and he owed it to her to be honest.
“Josh, what is going on?”
He ignored the question as he stared into Tyler’s eyes. “You aren’t wanted here. Go home and I will deal with you later.”
Tyler would be pretty sure of his chances again a lone, human female but he wouldn’t be so sure that he could defeat Josh. Josh made sure that his displeasure showed in his eyes and Tyler’s lip fell back over his teeth, his fur smoothed back over his body and he slowly back away. Once he was sure that Josh wouldn't come after him, he turned and ran back into the woods as quickly as he’d burst out of them.
“Josh?” There was uncertainty and fear in Harper’s voice, and he cursed Tyler for his impulsive behavior.
He knew that his friend was struggling with Eloise’s disappearance, but there was no excuse for this. Once he got Harper back safely to the apartment he and Tyler were going to have a long-overdue talk. But first, he needed to explain to Harper what she’d seen.
“I will answer all your questions when we get back to the apartment. I don’t want to have this discussion out in the middle of the road in the dark.”
He turned toward him and he could see the confusion in her eyes. “Why were you talking to that animal as if it could understand you.”
He didn’t answer, perhaps she could see in his face that he wasn’t going to explain anything to her while they were standing out in the cold. She turned around and started back down the path she had taken during her walk and he didn’t fail to notice that she was careful not to walk too close to him
God damn Tyler for forcing his hand like this. What he’d done was unforgivable, and it had rung the death knell on their friendship. And as much as he want
ed to blame his former friend for this fiasco, he knew that he was partially to blame as well. He’d been putting off having a discussion about Harper about his true nature, he’d made himself willfully blind to the big obstacle between them. He only hoped that once she learned the truth that any feelings she had for him would be strong enough to overcome learning that he was not human.
They got to the apartment, and once they’d removed with coats she snapped on the light in the living room and turned to face him.
“We’re here now, so do you want to tell me what the hell happened on the road? Why were you talking to that wolf as if you knew it and as if it could understand you.”
Josh took a deep breath and considered his words very carefully. She needed the truth from him, but how to explain something so fantastical that it would be difficult for her to believe.
“I was talking to him like he knew me because he does. That animal you saw on the road was Tyler.” He didn’t know how else he could say it. Tyler’s actions had prevented him from softening the truth and had forced him to reveal all to her without preparing her first.
“I don’t understand.” Her face was pale, and she looked at him incredulously. “How is that even possible?”
“It’s possible because Tyler isn’t human. He’s a werewolf.”
She shook her head as she slowly back away from him. “That’s crazy, there is no such thing.”
“Werewolves exist. They are here in this town. Didn’t you ever think it was strange that a group of people live in a big house on the outskirts of town, and keep to themselves? We aren’t all related but we still live in a big group together. We are a wolf pack.”
She looked dazed for a second, as if she couldn’t wrap her head around what he was telling her. “Does that mean that you…”
She couldn’t seem to finish her sentence as her eyes pleaded with him to deny what he’d just told her. He would give anything to be able to tell her that this was all a big joke, that the wolf in the road had been a figment of his imagination. The only thing he could do was tell her the truth, and so he left his true nature show itself in his eyes.
She gasped and stumbled back. Her hands moved up as if to ward him off, and his heart sank when she saw her fear of him emblazoned clearly on her face. He shuttered his eyes so that they would return to their normal color.
“It’s true, Harper. Tyler is a werewolf and so am I.” He stepped toward her with his hands out to offer her comfort. She moved away from him against, putting the sofa between them. He didn’t want to tell her that if he wanted to get to her, the sofa would offer her little protection. But he kept his mouth shut. She was frightened enough as it was, and he wouldn’t do any more damage than had already been done.
Her mouth worked but no sound came out.
“I was waiting for the right time to tell you. I’m sure you realize that my nature isn’t something that can easily be brought up in the normal course of conversation.”
She moved to sit on the sofa and stared straight ahead for a long time. It was a lot to wrap her mind around. He knew that he should leave her to sort things out in her head, but he was reluctant to leave her while things were so uncertain between them. He wanted to show her that he hadn’t changed, that he was the same man she’d allowed into her bed. But how could he do that when he hadn’t shared with her a crucial part of himself until he had been forced to? Would she even believe that he had every intention of telling her eventually?
“Thank you for keeping him from hurting me.” Her voice was subdued when she spoke and when she looked at him he couldn't read any emotion in her eyes. “But I think you should go. I need some time alone to process this.”
“I’ll go, but please know that I never meant to hurt you. I was going to tell you, I swear it. And I would never had done anything to hurt you. I’m the same person that I’ve always been.” She gave no reaction and he sighed. They weren’t going to get any further with this tonight. All he had left to cling to was the hope that once the shock wore off for her that she would realize that what he was saying was true. “I’ll let you have all the time you need to process this. I’ll go now.”
She made no move to acknowledge what he’d said, and he pulled his coat back on and left the apartment. He didn’t want to believe that this was the end for them. It was just a blip in their relationship and they would get back on track once she came to terms with what he was.
Until then he needed to deal with Tyler and what he’d almost done to Harper. He left the building as anger burned deep in his gut. Tyler was going to pay for this.
19
Josh
Josh stormed through the front door of Shadowbrook, and the anger that had burned in his gut after he left Harper would soon explode. All he needed to do was find his target.
It was all falling apart. He’d seen the look in Harper’s eyes when he had shown her what he really was. The fear had been there. He could talk about not hurting her until he was blue in the face but he feared it would make no difference.
And it was all Tyler’s fault. He ignored the tiny, nagging voice in his head that said Tyler wasn’t the only one to blame. He ruthlessly ignored it. He was in real jeopardy of losing his woman. A woman he was growing to love. If Tyler fucked that up for him because of what he had done, Josh didn’t know how he was going to be able to continue living at Shadowbrook without killing him.
What the hell had Tyler been thinking, coming at her in the middle of the road in the middle of the night like that? What would he have done to her if Josh had not had the presence of mind to follow her at a discreet distance when she had left the bed they’d been sharing? Had he planned to lash out and hurt her? He was a dead man if it was.
Josh stormed up the stairs and when he got to the door to Tyler’s room he didn’t bother to knock. He flung the door open so hard that it crashed against the walls d bounced back to hit Josh in the shoulder. It only served to add fuel to the anger bubbling inside him.
Tyler sat on the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands and when he heard the door open he looked up. His face was haggard. Did he regret doing what he had done tonight? It didn’t matter, the damage was already done.
“What kind of game did you think you were playing tonight?” Josh’s angry shout bounced off the walls and the house was so quiet that he was certain the others in the house could hear him. He didn’t care.
Tyler was up on his feet and stalking toward him.
“If you know what’s good for you, you will get the fuck out of my face.” There was a snarl on Tyler’s face and an air about him that seemed to be itching for this confrontation. It was a good thing, since Josh was eager to have it out with him as well.
“Not until you tell me what you were doing on the road. Were you threatening her? If I hadn’t been there would you have hurt her?”
“We will never know now since you came rushing to her rescue. Typical Josh, putting a human before his own kind. Why don’t you go running back to your human bitch and leave me alone.”
As soon as he heard Tyler call Harper a bitch, Josh saw red. He lunged at him with a snarl and they crashed against the dresser. Pain went through Josh’s shoulder as he hit the corner but he ignored it. This fight had been brewing for a while, and Tyler’s aggression toward Harper needed to be answered for.
Josh pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into Tyler’s stomach. His former friend bent slightly and Josh used that opportunity to hit him in the side of the head. Tyler shoved him and Josh went slamming into the wall. The mirror that hung on the wall next to him shuddered and fell to the floor, shattering on impact.
Josh straightened and charged back at Tyler when vice-like arms handed around him and pulled him away. The arms let him go and Josh saw that they belonged to his brother, who had a furious look on his face.
“I don’t know what the fuck started all this, but I am ending it.” As Josh straightened up he knew that tone his brother used. It meant that it was his Alpha spe
aking. Josh took a calming breath and prepared to make his case for why he and Tyler were trying to beat each other in the middle of the night.
“Why don’t you ask Tyler about the stunt he pulled tonight?”
Tyler lunged at him and Ben put his arms up and shoved him back. “I am prepared to overlook a lot considering what has happened but don’t push your luck.”
What has happened? What the hell was his brother talking about and how could he give Tyler leeway when he didn’t even know what he had done?
Tyler’s shoulders sagged and he went back to sit on the edge of his bed.
“What the hell is going on?” Josh looked from his brother to Tyler. Something was definitely wrong here.
Ben sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “Go downstairs and I will talk to you in a minute.”
The look on his brother’s face didn’t invite any argument. Josh thought better of saying anything more right now. He turned on his heel and walked out of Tyler’s room.
Several pack members were standing in the doorways of there rooms, looking at him. Was it his imagination that made their eyes seem hostile?
He ignored them as he went down the stairs and made his way to the office that Ben kept in the house.
He wasn’t long waiting for his brother to join him.
“I am sure you have a good explanation for brawling in the middle of the night.” Ben walked into the room and sat down in the chair behind the desk. “Tyler was pretty closed-mouthed.”
“I’ll bet he was.” Josh’s mouth gave a sour twist. Why was his brother putting up with Tyler’s sullen behavior. “Harper has a nightmare and went out for a walk. She was in the road leading to the house, when Tyler blocked her way. He was in wolf form and his posture was threatening. He forced my hand and I had to tell Harper everything.”
Ben swore under his breath. “I’ll discuss it with him tomorrow.”
Craved By The Alpha Wolf (Firefighter Wolves Shifters Book 2) Page 8