by Lola Gabriel
She sighed. It was all too much to think about, too much to take in. Why couldn’t Archer just be a normal student? Why couldn’t she feel for Mark what she felt for Archer instead?
Of course those were questions she couldn’t answer. Not now, maybe not ever. All she knew was how she felt in that moment: confused. Lost. And it wasn’t like she could even talk to anyone about any of it.
Her heart sank when she saw Mark walking back towards her, and she knew for sure that she wouldn’t be able to put Archer out of her mind by dating someone else.
“Are you all right?” Mark asked, sitting back down beside her.
Brianna nodded and forced herself to smile, reminding herself none of this was Mark’s fault. She was the bad guy here, not him. She was the one who had issues, not him.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I was just miles away for a moment there.”
Mark looked at her and smiled, and then he reached out his hand towards her. She jumped back like he’d burned her, and he snatched his hand away, looking hurt.
“I… I’m sorry. I just…” Brianna trailed off. She didn’t know what to say to save his feelings, only that she couldn’t let him kiss her.
“You have a piece of grass in your hair. I was just going to get it out,” Mark said, looking down at the blanket and then out at the greenery. Anywhere but at her.
Sheepishly, Brianna reached into her hair. She found the strand of grass and pulled it free. She kept it in her fingers, twiddling it back and forth, hardly daring to look at Mark. He hadn’t even been going to kiss her, and she had overreacted massively.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
Mark finally looked up at her, a sad smile on his face. “You thought I was going to kiss you, didn’t you?”
Brianna thought about saying no, but she owed him the truth about this, if nothing else. Besides, how else would she be able to explain her reaction?
“Yes,” she replied. “I overreacted, and I really am sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I had no idea I was so repulsive,” Mark said.
Shit.
“You’re not repulsive at all,” Brianna said. “I just… I’m not looking to get into anything, and…” She trailed off again. Mark looked at her for a moment, and then he burst into laughter. Brianna frowned, totally thrown by his reaction.
“Sorry,” Mark said when his laughter had calmed down a little. “That was cruel, but your face was a picture. You’re a nice girl, Brianna, and I’d very much like for us to be friends, but to be honest, I’m not really feeling it, either.”
“You’re not?” she asked, fearing it was too good to be true.
“You sound surprised.”
“No, it’s not that,” Brianna said quickly. “I just… Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Make you feel better? No. If I was into you and you savagely rejected me that way, then I think it would be you who should be trying to make me feel better,” Mark grinned.
Brianna studied his face for a moment. He regarded her with amusement, but she could see he wasn’t hurt.
“Yeah,” she smiled. “I think you’re right.”
“So to take advantage of that situation, if we do hang out again, you can bring the picnic,” he said.
“Or seeing as we’re both kind of over the whole dating thing, we could go to a bar, and I could buy the drinks,” Brianna suggested.
“Now you’re talking!” Mark chuckled.
They sat quietly for a moment. Brianna couldn’t believe how well this had worked out in the end. Mark was funny, and she was enjoying his company, and she was happy he felt the same way. He would make a good friend.
“So, after this, I had a romantic boat trip planned,” Mark said, cutting into Brianna’s thoughts. “There’s a lake on the other side of the park, and they have those pedal boat things. I think we can both say that’s going to be a bit of a bust now. But if you’re up for it, we could still have a walk over that way. There’s a great little coffee shop there, and I think you’ll like the lake.”
“Sounds great. It would be a weird day if I turned down a chance for good coffee.”
They gathered their things together and put their trash into a bin before Brianna followed Mark across the green. They cut into a narrow mud track that ran through flower beds and trees on either side.
“It’s really nice here. I can’t believe I haven’t been through here,” Brianna said, looking around as they walked.
“Well, you’re not from here, are you?” Mark asked. “This isn’t an official path. Only locals know about it. But it’s so much quicker to get to the lake this way.”
“You’re a local?” Brianna asked, surprised.
“Not really,” Mark said. “But I’ve been here a good few months now, so I know my way around the place. I’d offer to show you the sights, but honestly, there really aren’t any.”
Brianna laughed. From what she had seen and heard so far about the town, she had to agree.
10
Archer sat at his desk, knowing he had work to be doing but unable to focus enough to get on with it. His thoughts were consumed by Brianna, which was nothing new.
After he had sneaked out of her apartment the other morning, he had told himself they were done, but that hadn’t been enough to make him believe it. He just couldn’t get Brianna out of his head. Her kiss, the way she tasted, her scent, and the more days passed, the more he thought about her. He had known it wouldn’t be easy to let her go; he just hadn’t anticipated it would be this hard. His plan had been to throw himself into work, and he hadn’t banked on not being able to think straight enough for that to be feasible.
A knock on his door pulled his attention off Brianna for a second, and he sighed to himself, glad to have a legitimate distraction.
“Come in!” he shouted.
When Sven walked in, his face was lit up with a beaming smile, laughing at Archer’s frown as he sat down opposite Archer on the other side of his desk.
“Not the reaction I was expecting when I came in smiling.”
“No, I don’t suppose it was,” Archer relented. “But so much has gone wrong, I guess I didn’t dare believe you’re bringing me some good news.”
“Ah, but I am,” Sven said. “In fact, it’s excellent news.”
Archer could feel his irritation level rising. Sven was a good beta. He got things done, and when there was a problem that needed to be brought to Archer’s attention, Sven always got to the point quickly. However, when there was good news, Sven had an annoying habit of drawing it out and making Archer work for it.
“Spit it out then,” Archer demanded.
“We’ve been following up on a few leads on the hunter, leads we got from an associate of Caroline’s, who incidentally had no idea she was a Matchmaker. Anyway, we don’t have a name or anything, but we were able to find the hunter’s last known address. He’s already moved on, but a couple of the guys posed as potential new tenants so they could get inside the property. They managed to get his scent. I have people working on it, and they’re confident they’ll have his new residence located by the end of the weekend. Probably by the end of the day. And then we just have to stake the place out.”
“Good work,” Archer smiled. He felt some of the weight leave his shoulders at the news. Now it was only a matter of time until the pack would be able to end the hunter, keeping the rest of them safe, and avenging their fallen brother. It really was the best news Sven could have given him.
Except maybe that Brianna was here and wanted to see him. But he really couldn’t think about that now. Not when victory was so close to being his.
Archer stood up abruptly, a big grin on his face, and moved around to Sven’s side of the desk. He clapped him on the shoulder and pulled Sven to his feet, embracing him. Sven gave him a quick squeeze, and then they stood back from each other.
“Let me know the second you have the address,” Archer said. “And we’ll move in
on it immediately.”
“I’m on it,” Sven grinned.
He walked back out of Archer’s office, leaving him full of hope. The only thing that could make this moment better would be having the chance to tell Brianna all about it later. Even though he knew it really wasn’t an option, he couldn’t shake the fact that even this huge victory for the pack seemed a little less sweet without someone to share it with. He had never felt that way before he had met Brianna, and he realized, with a start, that it was a form of loneliness.
Archer had never before missed having a mate, because he had never met anyone he felt so strongly about. Now, that had changed, and he found himself missing something he had never really had. He craved Brianna’s touch, her presence. He wanted her by his side every day.
He reminded himself again that it couldn’t work out between them, but the argument was starting to hold a lot less weight with him. Yes, she was a mortal, but she knew of his world, and she didn’t fear him or what he was. In fact, she had embraced it, telling him his wolf eyes were beautiful.
He had heard of shifters having relationships with mortals before, and now, for the first time, he was seriously considering the logistics of it. Brianna was only in her early twenties. They could easily have six, maybe even seven happy decades together.
The thought of her life ending hurt him inside, but surely it was better to spend her lifetime with her than to spend all of those years wondering what if. He didn’t know how Brianna would feel about the idea, though he knew she felt the same pull to him that he did to her. He had seen that much in her eyes. He had been able to smell the moment her scent changed as they connected. But that didn’t mean she was willing to spend her life with him. Only that it was possible.
Archer had to see her again. He had to suggest this crazy idea to her. Maybe she would reject him, and if she did, he would accept her decision. He didn’t want to pull her into a world she didn’t want to be a part of. But he had to know for sure, because there was a chance she was feeling the same way about him.
It wasn’t just about Brianna one day growing old and dying. It was also about her safety. Could he risk it? Would she be willing to risk it? He would lay down his life to save hers without a second thought. The pack kept to themselves. They didn’t bother anyone, and no one bothered them. It wasn’t like he had a town full of enemies. In some ways, being with him would keep Brianna safer than her wandering the streets alone. The whole pack would protect her life once she was his mate.
Archer stood up, ready to go and find her, but then he sat back down again. Not yet. First, he had to deal with the hunter. He had waited centuries to meet a woman like Brianna. He could wait another day or two to go to her. While the hunter was still out there, being seen with him would be dangerous for Brianna; a danger he wasn’t willing to put her life in.
He felt better already, just knowing that he had a plan to get the girl and protect her and love her for all her life. He turned to his computer, his heart lighter than it had been for days, and he found that he was finally able to concentrate on the work he had to get through.
11
“You were right about this coffee shop,” Brianna said after she’d drained the last of her coffee. “The coffee really is good!”
“It’s a hidden gem. Most people want to seek out a Starbucks or something, and they avoid these little places with real character. They miss out.”
She smiled sheepishly, knowing that without Mark’s insistence that this place did have good coffee, she would have held out for a Starbucks herself.
“And the view is pretty good, too, isn’t it?” Mark went on.
Brianna nodded, looking out over the lake. Pedal boats made their way around it in lazy circles. A water feature in the center of the lake shot a column of water up into the air, and Brianna watched a young couple heading towards it. The guy was laughing, the girl screaming at him to stop as he steered them through the spray. Their carefree laughter sounded across the lake as they got splashed.
Brianna had already decided in her mind that she would be coming back to the park regularly. It was in a good location for her; halfway between the college and her apartment, and it would be a good place to run. The area around the lake was busy, but the winding paths she and Mark had made their way through to get here had been deserted, and that suited her. She still sometimes found herself nervous around people after what had happened in New York.
“Brianna?” Mark called her. She realized he had been talking to her.
“Sorry,” she said.
“A million miles away again? What were you thinking about?” he asked.
“I was just thinking this would be a good place to come for a run,” she said, glad she had been thinking about something she could share.
“Yeah, it would be, but it wouldn’t work for me.”
“Why?” Brianna asked.
“Because the only time I run is when I’m late for class,” Mark laughed.
“Honestly, me too,” Brianna admitted. “It’s something I tell myself I want to do but never really get around to actually doing it. I do like walking, though, and I think this place will be just as good for that.”
“Oh, definitely,” Mark agreed. “Keep your eyes open as you wander, and you’ll find loads of little paths where you get to walk through nature rather than people.” He finished his coffee and looked at his watch. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have to get back,” he said.
“Oh, sure, of course,” Brianna said, getting up. They headed back towards the path they had used to get to the lake. “I really would like to do this again some time. As friends I mean.”
“Me too,” Mark told her.
Brianna got the impression he didn’t mean it, that he was just humoring her. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but his tone just sounded off. He seemed suddenly distracted, like he couldn’t wait to get away from her. He was walking a lot faster than he had on the way here.
She told herself she was being paranoid. It had nothing to do with her. He’d just realized he was late for something, that was all. And although she did think they could be good friends, if he chose never to contact her again, she could live with it. It wasn’t like she was into him, and she had no reason to be upset if he did just want to get this over with.
He seemed to be walking even faster now, and Brianna was having trouble keeping up with him. “Do you want to go on ahead? I don’t mind if you do. If you’re late for something.”
Mark stopped and waited for her to catch up. He shook his head.
“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was walking so fast.” He matched her pace, and she started to get her breath back a little bit. They were about halfway along the path when Mark gently pushed her to the right and pointed. “Shortcut,” he smiled.
Brianna allowed him to direct her, and she found herself walking through tall trees and thick shrubbery. The sunlight didn’t penetrate here as much as the rest of the park, and she felt a little chilly.
“Look,” Mark said. She looked where he was pointing upwards, rubbing the tops of her arms as she peered into the trees. “A kingfisher. Do you see it?”
“There are kingfishers in Nebraska?” Brianna narrowed her eyes and squinted. She couldn’t see anything but leaves.
“Yup. They’re rare, but they are sometimes seen here. Straight up.”
She tipped her head back further, and she felt her toe catch something. She went sprawling and found herself in Mark’s arms where he had caught her.
“Shit. Thanks,” she said.
Brianna went to straighten herself back up, but Mark held her tightly. As she looked down, she realized there was nothing for her to have tripped over except Mark’s foot. Before she really had a chance to process that, Mark whipped a pair of handcuffs out of his jacket pocket and clipped them expertly on her wrists.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Brianna cried. She tried to push herself away from Mark, but he was strong, and his grip
on her was unwavering. “Help! Someone help me, please!” she shouted.
Mark spun her in his grip and held her to him with one arm. He dug in his pocket again and pulled out a piece of white cloth. He quickly shoved it into Brianna’s mouth, and then he pulled out another piece, which he tied around her head, holding the makeshift gag in place. Brianna tried to scream, but all she could manage was a muffled sound.
“You really are wasting your time screaming. No one can hear you. The gag is merely to save my ears for now,” Mark said.
Brianna looked at him, trying to work out how the friendly student had turned into a total psycho in seconds. She tried to ask him what he wanted, why he was doing this, but all that came out was muffled nonsense.
Mark pushed her away from his body but kept a grip on her wrist so she couldn’t run. He lifted his jacket, showing her a gun inside of it. Her eyes widened.
“Try to run, and I’ll shoot you without hesitation. Sit down and behave yourself, and I won’t. Do you understand?”
Brianna’s heart was slamming so hard in her chest she could barely hear his words over the noise of her own pulse, but she got enough of the gist of them to nod her head. He released her wrist and indicated the ground. She sat down quickly.
Panic filled her. The fear of what he was going to do to her, and the feeling that she was choking where the cloth was pressed inside of her mouth. She was sure she would end up gagging if he left it in much longer.
“Now, you’ll understand soon enough why I’m doing this. And for what it’s worth, I don’t intend to harm you. Unless I have to.”
Even though the threat hung in the air, Brianna clung to the first part of his statement. She prayed that it was true, and there was some scenario where she got out of this situation alive. She couldn’t picture it, but she still clung to the hope of it all the same. If she lost hope, she would go to pieces, and then she might miss her chance to escape.
Mark pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and made a call. Brianna forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply, trying to stay as quiet as she could and hear what was being said. It was hard, what with panic threatening to overwhelm her again. She was also angry. Why did people keep thinking they had a right to snatch her like this?