Page 13

S omething is different this time. Unlike that morning back at my cabin after the first heat peak, I don’t feel awkward anymore. Wearing Madoc’s clothes, since mine are covered in dried cum and dirt, we walk down to where his truck is parked, hand in hand. It feels like the most natural thing in the world, to be connected to him like this.

No one seems surprised to see us together. In fact, Madoc’s neighbor Mr. Jones offers us a friendly ‘Good morning!’ as we leave Jeremy Biles’s apartment.

Jeremy will be back in a few weeks and I don’t know what Madoc’s thinking, but I’m not ready for him to go home yet. Is it too soon to ask him to move in with me?

He must've hypnotized me with that dick of his because I didn’t normally cling to my partners like this. With him, there was this strange feeling in my chest and every time I look at him, my heart hammers away and the feeling grows, swelling until it feels like it might seep out through my ribs and explode out of my skin. That wasn’t normal, was it?

We take Madoc’s truck to my cabin, since I'd left mine with Tuesday when the unexpected heat episode hit two days ago. He hated driving stick shift, so he was probably cussing me out the entire drive home. Serves him right, I think to myself with a chuckle. That’s what he gets for showing up in Aurora Pines unexpectedly.

The plan for today was to let Madoc get to know Tuesday a little better, make a late breakfast and then perhaps head back into town, firstly to apologize profusely once again to Shep. But also to see if he needed any support with the lunch shift. I know how incredibly lucky I am to have a boss like him, but for the past couple of weeks, I’d been pushing the limits of his kindness.

When we pull up to the cabin, my truck isn’t parked outside like I expect. The curtains are all still drawn and everything is weirdly still. The only sounds are the lazy waves from the lake as the water licks at the shore.

A little voice in the back of my head is screaming ‘danger!’, and if I was in my hare form, I would spend more time watching, waiting, listening, however in my human form, I let logic override my instincts. And that’s why it isn’t until I push open the door that I realize how fucking wrong I am.

There’s a stranger standing in my lounge, dressed in all black. He’s huge, with dark brown hair and a smug grin. Rushing towards me, he attempts to tackle me backwards, but he doesn’t count on Madoc entering behind me.

It doesn’t take much before the two men are grappling, crashing into my furniture and against the walls as I’m trying to dig out my phone to text Tuesday. I need to know that he’s safe and warn him to stay away.

The stranger pushes Madoc into my side table, smashing my lamp as they fall into it. Madoc punches him in the face and blood spurts up the wall. The man goes down with a wail. When he gets back up, he shoves Madoc against the front door and over my porch railing. With Mad out of the cabin, the man approaches me again.

Darting across the kitchen, I pull open the bottom drawer of my island counter and yank out the false bottom to find my gun. Turning the safety off, I lift it and aim it at the intruder, who stands, grinning at me with blood pouring down his face.

“Who the fuck are you?” I snarl, keeping my aim steady as I see Madoc get to his feet out of the corner of my eye. He staggers back inside, a low growl in his throat as he stands behind the man and we cage him in.

The intruder steps forward, rolling his sleeves up, and I see it—a mark on his inner arm. He’s a Buck, a guard dog for The Husk. Fuck.

“The High Leap has come to collect you personally.” Abiel was here? How could I be so stupid? How could I ever think I was finally safe? How many of them were out in the woods? “There’s no escape for you now, Zaichik.”

“Stay fucking there.” I hiss when the man steps forward.

Another man with black hair runs in from the other side of the cabin, grabbing Madoc by the back of his jacket and tossing him against the wall. I hold firm as he crumbles to the floor, winded.

I’m never going back. They would have to catch, kill, and mount me on a plaque first.

Mad kicks out, taking down the closest intruder to him, the one with the black hair, while I use the distraction to shoot the other in the leg. It brings him to his knees with a grunt, but he isn’t down for long. Why won't they just stay down? Pushing back to his feet with a feral growl, he tries to rush at me again, but I dodge out of reach of his outstretched hands.

The thing about omega hares is that we’re often underestimated. We’re usually quicker than the others. As the birthing parent, the survival of our species depends on our instincts and the ability to fight off predators, including our own kind.

Ducking closer, I hit him across the face with my gun. There’s a satisfying crack as something snaps, and I hope it’s a cheek bone or his jaw. I hit him again. And again. My anger pouring out in waves as I dart and weave closer, delivering another hit, pulling away and then coming back for more. He lands a hit or two of his own, but they don’t stop me. I spit out a mouthful of blood with a grin.

The Buck drops to the floor with my next strike, his face a bloody, pulp mess. I don’t make a habit of killing people, but when it comes to survival, only the strongest and the smartest make it through the night. Putting him out of his misery with a clean shot, I turn my attention to Madoc and the remaining intruder.

“Run!” Madoc screams as he takes another punch, this one to his stomach. “You need to get out of here now, before Abiel arrives!”

I freeze as we both realize what’s just been said.

For a moment, Madoc looks as if he wants to say something else, but that’s the only opening the second Buck needs as he wraps a big meaty arm around Madoc’s neck and squeezes him until he starts turning red.

Rolling my eyes, I lift my gun, keeping my hands steady. One shot right between the eyes is all it takes for the intruder to fall backwards and onto my rug, blood pooling beneath him.

Fuck’s sake.

I liked that rug. Ciro had helped me choose it as a yard sale a couple of months ago.

“Are you hurt?” Madoc demands, limping over to cup my face, checking me over before tugging at my arm. “We need to leave!”

I stare at him. His face is like a revolving door of emotions and suddenly, I know why everything was too good to be true.

“Let’s go!” His fingers dig into my skin as he clings onto me, trying to pull me towards the truck.

Feeling sick, like my heart has been ripped out of my chest, I peel his digits off one by one. There’s no emotion in my voice as I say, “You’re working for them, aren’t you?”

He licks his lips before running a hand through his hair. There’s blood drying on his skin and matted in his hair.

“They hired me to find you, but I haven’t told them anything. I never betrayed you.” I don’t know why, but I want to believe him. My stupid little deluded brain wants to trust the same man who lied repeatedly to my face.

“Goddess, you’re a fool. You think they weren’t keeping tabs on you ?” How could he have worked in the intelligence services and not thought that they would track him? He led them, like a trail of breadcrumbs, right to me. Was he that confident in his own skills that common sense went right out the window?

I shove him, pushing hard on his chest, but he barely moves. The reality of the situation sinks in as I look at the two bodies on my floor and my ruined home.

It was always the same.

“Do you know what you’ve done? I’ll have to leave. Again. Start over. Again.”

He steps closer, his hand outstretched, but he pulls it back when I snarl at him, baring my teeth.

“It was all fun and games when I thought it was just Agent Stirling looking for The Ghost. I should have known better. The Husk never gives up.” This time he doesn’t retreat, stroking my hair and trying to pull me into an embrace, but it’s too late. I’m shaking with rage. “Let go Madoc.”

“You know who I am...” I watch as he finally begins to slot the pieces of our fucked-up jigsaw together. “I heard you call me Mad earlier, but I thought I was imagining it. Wishful thinking. How long have you known?”

“I won’t go back. Ever.” I vow.

He paces back and forth, limping and favoring his left side as he obviously tries to process what the fuck has just happened and where we go from here.

“Does this have something to do with The Gho—”

Madoc’s words die as I hold out my hands as if to say ‘Ta-dah! Here I am.’ and I don’t miss the way he winces. I hate how he looks at me as if I’m a stranger, but it must be the same expression mirrored on my face. “They said you stole something from them and that’s why they’re looking for you.”

“I only took what was owed to me and an insurance plan.” I scoff, checking the bullets in my gun before grabbing some extra ammunition from the drawer. Using weapons wasn’t my style, but I wasn’t going to let another Buck lay a finger on me. “I paid in blood sweat and tears for their greed.”

Still trying to calmly rationalize everything, Madoc checks over the bodies of the two dead men. “I’m sure we can work out something. If we just return the diamonds or whatever you took...”

“No.” It’s a complete sentence.

How can I make him see that I can never go back? The people hunting us will never let us live if they can’t capture us. My body doesn’t belong to me when I’m with them. How can I make him understand that?

“This. This is only a small part of what they did to me.” Lifting my shirt, I figure that while we’re airing all of our dirty secrets, I have nothing more to hide. “Am I still beautiful, Madoc?”

His eyes widened before narrowing on my scars and the black marks on my sternum. I wait for horror, for disgust, for him to turn away from my ugly chest, but instead Madoc looks like he wants to cry.

“Is that a—”

“A fucking brand. Because to them I. Am. Property. ” I laugh. It’s a hollow, grating sound that echoes around the cabin, skittering out across the lake like skimming pebbles. “What are a few vintage diamonds to them? They have Warrens all over the world, siphoning funds in through whatever means necessary. That’s not what they want.”

He thinks this is only about the diamonds? What I tucked away in my vault is so much more than pretty gemstones. I have records and detailed evidence of every job I’ve ever worked on. I have a forest of paper trails Tawny uncovered, linking them to so many other incidents globally. I only managed to get my hands on those because I was in a position of trust. Because I was a chosen vessel, selected to bear the next High Leap.

“I can’t return my freedom, Madoc.” The Husk wanted to own me in every way possible. To break me until I was nothing but a biddable shell. They wanted to put me in my place, and handing back a few shiny rocks wasn’t going to satiate them. “That’s what I’ve ‘stolen’ from them.”

Something in the distance creaks and I know we need to leave. We’ve lingered here too long. Grabbing his arm, I drag Madoc out into the woods in the opposite direction of the noise, towards the hiking trails.

We don’t get far when I hear a familiar clicking sound, followed by a rhythmic thumping I’d recognize anywhere.

Dropping down into a crouch, I yank Madoc’s T-shirt, dragging him down with me. From where we’re hidden in the overgrowth, I can just about see my home through the trees.

“Wha—” I slap my hand over Madoc’s mouth, lifting a finger to my lips to remind him to be quiet.

Abiel steps out onto my porch steps, looking into the forest. He’s naked, having shifted, until a Buck comes behind him with a long black cloak and drapes it over his shoulders like he’s some sort of king. Two more stand on guard nearby. Seeing him standing by my home makes my gut clench, and I swallow back a silent sob.

“I know you’re out there, Gwyn.” His voice rings out, stretching between the trees like smoke chasing me down. “You have until sundown to return home and end this nonsense. The fox can’t protect you.”

We stay in the mud, watching as Abiel shifts into a giant brown hare before leaving with his little entourage.

Finally pushing to my feet, I brush the dirt off my knees and start striding towards town. I don’t want to go back to my truck. That’s a risk I’m not prepared to take, but I need to find Tuesday. Then I need to call T and get out of Aurora Pines before anyone else gets hurt.

“How could I be so stupid? I let myself get sucked into this bullshit.” I spin and point an angry finger at Madoc. “I thought you might actually care about me. I’m such an idiot.”

“I do! I want to keep you safe. I love you.” His words stopped me dead in my tracks and I can’t help it, but I laugh. I cover my face with my hands and I laugh and laugh until there are tears streaming down my face. Love me?

“Listen to me, Blue. I love you. You’re my Fated Mate. I would do anything for you.” He screams, and I pause as he charges through the foliage.

Grabbing my arm he turns me to face him. Gray eyes that hold so much hope and determination, that it’s almost painful, stare down at me. He pulls me into an embrace and I push at his chest, trying to shrug him off, but he holds on firmly.

“Keep your lies Madoc, I don’t want them anymore. All you’ve done is lie to me,” I spit, the accusation heavy in my words. I don’t want any more of his secrets. They make my heart hurt. His lies make me wish for a life I can’t have and I think that’s the cruelest thing of all.

“Stop being a brat,” he grunts as I elbow him in the stomach. “And what about you? I hunt a runaway all the way here to Aurora Pines and it turns out to be the most beautiful man I have ever met. Not only that, but he’s my Fated Mate. It turns my life upside down, but that’s not enough fuckery from the universe because then I find out that the same person is also a jewel thief that I spent years of my life tracking. He’s the one that got away.”

I huff petulantly, squirming and wriggling, but he tightens his grip around me.

“Well, love, that’s not going to happen again.” His voice is all growly in my ear, and I shudder. “If you want to talk about liars, don’t forget to include yourself in that too. Neither of us are innocent, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

My resolve is cracking the longer his hands are on me. I can feel his warmth seeping through my clothes, and I want nothing more to lean into his touch. But it’s a trap. It has to be.

“Let go.” I twist my body, trying to use my weight as leverage, but he’s like a marble statue.

“No. If you’re angry, be angry. If you’re hurt, lash out. Hurt me too. I can take it.”

Crying out, I can’t listen to his words anymore. He’s wrapping me in his love and pheromones, trying to calm me and soothe the ache, but it’s not enough. Sinking my teeth into his skin until I taste copper on my tongue, I silently beg him to let go.

But he only squeezes me tighter. “I am not going anywhere, and neither are you. We belong together.”

Closing my eyes with a heavy sigh, I stop. Forcing my jaw to unclench and my shoulders to drop, I take a big, deep breath.

Exhaling slowly, I open my eyes.

“Good boy.” He relaxes his hold. “Now let’s talk about—”

I seize the chance and slip under his arms before darting off.

“Don’t you dare run away from me Blue!” The frustrated sound he makes scares away some nearby nesting birds and I use the distraction to change direction. Lowering my body closer to the floor, I weave through the bushes and foliage, making it more difficult for him to track me. This is my domain, and I was raised to run.

“Fuck you for making me feel this way.” I holler, flipping him off through some trees before I start moving again. “And for playing dirty.”

“Last chance little hare,” he shouts in warning, and the corner of my mouth tugs up into a smirk.

Would you like a fun little nature fact?

Hares are faster than foxes.

Throwing myself forward, I shift mid jump, losing my clothes in the dirt before landing on my paws and darting through the trees.

Somewhere behind me, I hear Madoc swearing as he begins to strip off his clothes and for a moment I pause, and go up on my hind legs to watch as he begins his shift.

With a tilt of my head, I realize the noises he’s making are pain. For him, becoming his other self doesn’t come naturally. I spend too long fascinated by his shift because a few moments later I hear a growl and a pair of amber-colored eyes stare at me through the bushes.

Shit, it looks like it’s time to run.