Page 7 of Those That Are Lost

“I’m here, Red. I got away. I’ve been looking for you forweeks.” His voice runs over my body, I feel it all the way to my very core. His hands grip me tightly as I buckle, my knees giving out at the sheer relief flooding my system.

He’s not dead.

I’m no longer alone.

He found me. He came after me.

Without letting me go he pulls back slightly so he can look at my face. I trace every line of his too. I look for any pain or sign of what he’s been through. He looks a little paler than I remember, and his dulled blue eyes seem sunken and lined with exhaustion. He looks haggard but without obvious injury. He must be making the same assessment of me and probably the same conclusion.

He leans down and leans his forehead to mine, a few of those wild black curls tickling my skin. I feel the air between us heat as he inhales, then breathes out heavily.

“I was so scared I wouldn’t find you alive, or would find you trapped in some other pack,” he whispers to me.

“Alone. I’ve been all alone. Ty, I’ve been so scared.” My voice trembles. I fight back the onslaught of the emotions I’ve kept at bay for so long they threaten to hit me in a tsunami.

“I’m so sorry, Red. I’m so damn sorry.” His hands find my face, cupping each side gently as he strokes my cheek.

I’m almost so absorbed in this moment that I nearly miss the sound of feet approaching from behind.

I swing out of Ty’s grasp so sharply that he has no opportunity to stop me. Entering the alley is another male. A tall one, taller than Ty. I eye the length of the stranger as his scent catches on the evening air. All the relief that consumed me falls to my feet and shatters, fear taking its place. This male is another supernatural being. It's a safe assumption that he is another vampire.

I don’t remember seeing this male at the ranch, but mybrain is quick to assess the threat. I move further from Ty, putting my back to the wall so I can’t be jumped.

“Red, wait.” Ty reaches for me but I’m faster in my retreat, so his arm swings through empty air. I raise my hands as both males freeze. I feel my fangs descend as I prepare to fight my way out.

“Red, let me explain,” Ty says at the same time the stranger speaks for the first time.

“Woah, easy. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The accent tells me he’s not from Froan, but after how many people were displaced during the war, accents don’t mean a huge amount anymore.

It would be easy to believe him, his tone is completely unthreatening.

But I’ve been trapped before, I’ve ended up in chains for weeks because of it. Fear pulses through me as those images flash through my head, of how I got captured in another alley in what feels like another lifetime.

“Are you back in the pack?” I ask, my question directed at Ty even though I keep the stranger firmly in my eyeline.

“What? Gods, no!” Ty exclaims. “Red, this is Henry. Neither of us belong to any pack, Adicious or otherwise.”

I want to believe him, I do. However, the paranoia that’s kept me alive and free these past four months is the overriding force that wins against all the others. My instincts are all I have been able to trust, I won’t be ignoring them.

“Are you here to take me back to him?” I let the question fall from my lips. Ty takes a step back like I’ve struck him physically.

“Do you think I would do that?” His voice doesn’t mask his complete shock. That reassures me slightly, but he hasn’t denied it.

“How do I know you’re not blood bound once more and have tracked me down as part of his orders? They wouldn’thave let you leave alive as well as free. Is this your escort to make sure you bring me back this time?” I gesture to the random male who remains standing in the entryway. It's unnerving.

“Red, this is Henry,” Ty repeats. “The male I asked you to go to when you left.”

Oh.

I take a few seconds to fully take in the stranger. He looks well put together, even bundled in bulky winter gear he has a grace about him. Despite the padded jacket, I can tell he’s not overly muscular but I bet he’s still stronger than me, his size alone would give him an advantage. His face is kind though, his eyes show what looks like real concern. But experience tells me vampires are mostly vicious and cruel.

“It’s good to finally meet you, Aurora.” His voice is smooth, like deep velvet. He tips his head in a slight nod as he speaks, making his swept back chocolate locks fall forward. He immediately sweeps them back. “Maybe now we’ve found you, this one will finally stop being on the brink of causing mass destruction.”

My mouth opens but my tongue fails to form words. I look back to Ty. He does indeed look drawn and the creases at the corners of his eyes give away his state of stress.

“I needed to find you.” His words are so loaded that the world shrinks back. Suddenly it’s just us two, nothing else exists.