Page 37 of The General’s Captive (The Rift #1)

T he second I heard him confirm my theory, was the point when my head injury, mixed with the shock, must have been too much and I started to stumble back. And for such a big guy he couldn’t half move quickly because I never hit the ground.

“Whoa! Easy, girl,” he said, picking me up effortlessly in his arms and this time I let him. He walked over to the beat-up truck and swiped out the glass on the part of the hood that wasn’t crushed in. His beefy arm was unaffected by the damage and making me ask,

“Does nothing hurt you?”

“I told you I was hard to kill,” he said with a grin, his fangs making me shiver, and it was a reaction he ignored as he placed me down. He still towered above me, but it put me at an easier height because I no longer just came to the tops of his legs.

“You told me many things, none of which were true,” I pointed out bitterly.

“Like what?” he argued.

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t from around here.”

“Technically, I am. I have been living in this state for the last three years.”

I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle, and it was so like the Aster I was used to that it took me off guard.

“Are you like, a Shifter or something?” I asked, making him scoff.

“You’re going to bombard me with questions now, aren’t you?”

“Well, you are the first Myth I have ever spoken to. Other than that werewolf that one time, but he was also trying to eat me, so that doesn’t really count.”

He shook his big head, as if he wanted to say something.

“What?” I pushed.

“I’m just questioning how you’re still alive.”

I huffed before admitting, “Yeah, most people do.”

His eyes then glanced at the bag on my back and he asked, “And what tricks did you have up your sleeve when faced with a Lycan?”

“A Lycan?” I asked instead of answering, watching as he opened the first aid kit. One he balanced on the roof of the truck so he could easily reach stuff.

His height was insane and made me feel like a damn child!

But like this, I could see more of his features and pieces of his human form peeking through.

Like the way his eyes were no longer red once the rage had left him, now back to being the colors of the forest and bringing out a softness in him despite his intimidating size.

I could also see the rings in his nose, only these piercings were significantly bigger, with the one in the middle giving him the appearance of a bull.

“The actual name for them,” he replied as his big fingers fumbled for items that seemed tiny in his large shovel-sized hands.

“Oh, right,” I mumbled, prompting him to ask again,

“And as for how you killed it?”

“How do you know I killed it?” I asked in return, and his eyes slid back down to mine.

“Werewolves are fast, and they never give up the hunt. Which means the only way to outrun one is if one of you is dead.”

“Well, it’s funny you asked me what tricks I had up my sleeve when killing it,” I remarked with a grin.

“Why?” he queried.

“Because I stuffed my silver bracelet down its throat, that’s why.”

He laughed and muttered, “Yep, that would do it.”

Then he took out a pad of gauze and brought his thick fingers to my forehead, making it look tiny in his hands. I hissed the second he touched it, actually making him apologize.

“Sorry about this.”

I nodded, surprised when hands that big could be so gentle.

“You know, you’re not that scary like this.”

He grinned and teased, “I doubt you would say that if you saw me crushing a man’s skull in my bare hands.”

“Yeah, please don’t,” I replied, making him laugh.

“We are not all monsters, you know,” he said, making me sigh.

“Yeah, I am starting to see that” I agreed before countering, “Although, in my defense, I have been attacked a lot by your kind.”

“Not my kind. The dark ones have no control.”

I frowned before asking, “What do you mean?”

He started to look uncomfortable and said, “That’s a conversation for The General.”

I frowned before pointing out, “Well, that’s a cop out if ever I heard one.”

“Be that as it may, I have my orders,” he replied sternly, which contradicted how gentle he was being as he cleaned the blood away.

“And those are?”

“Protect the girl,” he replied without a second thought.

“So, you were sent to the base to spy on us?”

“On you, no one else,” he answered.

I shook my head when he went back to the kit and I was free to move.

“But why? What is so special about me?”

He looked down at my wrists and pointed out, “You never ask yourself about them?”

I followed his gaze and pulled my sleeves down further so my scars they were hidden.

“I haven’t had much reason to,” I lied, making him scoff as he called me out on my bullshit.

“I doubt that.”

“So, what were The General’s orders exactly?” I asked, changing the subject and deflecting it off my scars.

“Pretty much to make sure you don’t end up dead.”

“And Tiffany?” I asked, making him jerk back a little, as if the question unnerved him.

“You saved her, and I’m guessing she wasn’t on the list, was she?” I added when he didn’t respond.

“You asked me to save her, remember?” he argued, making me roll my eyes and say,

“And you’re telling me that you’d have let her fall to her death if I hadn’t?”

His face said it all.

“Exactly. You like her,” I stated.

He bristled before telling me, “I think it’s time to stop talking now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did The General give you permission to shut me up?”

He gave me a pointed look. One that gave me the confidence to say, “No, I didn’t think so.”

“I’m sure he would understand if I turned up at the prison with you gagged.”

I laughed. “But not bleeding, right?”

“No, so do me a favor and quit with the questions so I can get this sorted,” he said, exasperated as he pulled out a bandage, and because I was feeling brave, I put my hand on his, my fingers all fitting around a single one of his.

He looked down at where I had willingly touched him in surprise, as if he was heartened by the action.

“It needs an antiseptic wipe first to prevent the chance of it getting infected,” I told him softly.

“So fragile,” he teased, his eyes shining with mirth, making me roll my own.

“Ha ha,” I mocked in return, no longer worried about what this giant could do to me.

If someone had told me that I would ever be joking with a Myth as they did first aid on me, I would have thought they were damn crazy.

Oh, but the questions I wanted to ask him!

I swear they were mounting by the second.

Although I didn’t want to push my luck either, because he might have joked about gagging me, but if I pissed him off too much, it might end up becoming a high possibility.

Of course, this kind of massively fucked up my plans in trying to break Riley out, making me ask,

“So, what was the plan the closer we got? I gather you had no intention of helping me break Riley out?”

Again, his look said it all, where his words soon followed.

“What do you think?”

I didn’t which was answer enough.

“Besides, The General isn’t a liar,” he informed me, but I frowned.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked as he put the bandage over my cut skin.

“Exactly that. I assume the reason you are on the way there now is because you made a deal with him, and it doesn’t take a genius to know what that was,” he replied in a knowing tone.

“Enlighten me,” I said, pushing for more and trying to keep my tone even and nonchalant.

“Your life in exchange for his,” he stated with indifference.

Yes, he was right, and my face must have said as much. Because he smirked down at me as he used his big fingers to smooth out the sides of my bandage, something made easier as his nails were so short.

“And you think he is just going to let him go when I turn up, do you?” The question came out sarcastic, but he took no notice of it.

“If that’s what he said, then yes, that is precisely what he is going to do.”

I huffed but before I could jump down, his big hands framed the entirety of my waist, lifting me down as if I weighed nothing more than an empty paper bag.

“Time to walk,” he said, before turning toward the city and along the highway that had been taking us to our destination.

“We should try and find some shelter. It will be dark soon,” I pointed out, but he just scoffed out a short,

“And?”

“And that’s usually when the dark Myths attack.”

He laughed and told me, “I doubt it.”

“Well, that thing would beg to differ,” I said, flinging a hand out toward the dead Manticore as we passed it, although it had only attacked at sunset, but either way, he got my point.

“That is what you would call a Class two, and it’s dead for a reason.”

I sucked in a startled breath hearing this.

“It was?” My astonishment was easy to hear.

“Yes,” was his short answer, making me try and jog to catch him up, although this didn’t help the pain in my leg.

“But you killed it… like… like it was… was…” I stammered and glanced back at the thing before looking up at him, as if I was doing a double take.

“Easy to kill? That’s because it was,” he finished off for me, and it was so matter of fact, it was slightly terrifying.

“But that would make you…”

“What you call a class one, yeah, but then again, it’s most likely why I am The General’s second in command.”

I gasped, stopping dead in the middle of the road as shock tore through me. And it was only when he saw that I had stopped walking that he sighed, as if annoyed that he had said too much.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this, Alex,” he said, making my mouth drop.

“Big deal… are you serious? You help lead his armies and you are…”

“What? One of your monsters? Just another big bad Myth that needs to be put down and shot? Tell me, Alex, if you had a gun in your hand right now, would you pull the trigger? Try and shoot me dead?”

I flinched back as if I had been struck.

“No, of course not,” I argued.

“And why not? I am the enemy, am I not?” He sounded so affronted, making my shoulders drop as I admitted,

“There is clearly a lot I don’t know and was wrong about.”