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FLYNN

T he weekend had started so wonderfully but ended with us deciding we needed to be careful who knew about us. The next few weeks dragged by in a haze of suspicion and the never-ending urge to fuck Gunnar. He’d destroyed me for ever being with anyone else, and if I didn’t believe he was my mate at first, after a few weeks I knew for sure it was true.

“Ben is trustworthy,” I told Gunnar, and he nodded as we once again drove to town.

“He has been a good friend, but for now I will not risk you now that I have you. It would be far easier to kill you than it would me, and if they know you are my mate they would go after you.”

“Let’s not spend much time in Elder Ridge this week. I have a bad feeling. We’ll cash our checks then get groceries. We can go through a drive thru on the way back and do laundry next week.”

“We will do as you wish. I do not want to take any chances,” Gunnar said, but he’d been quiet the past few days and I wondered if he was worried too.

“Bo wouldn’t have come all the way out here to warn us if he didn’t think we were really in danger,” Flynn said.

“Gene Redmond had many chances this week to do something, but he didn’t. I think they have a plan already and they’re waiting. We need to be ready. You need to be ready,” Gunnar said. It was obvious there was more he wanted to say but he didn’t, and I was too afraid to know what it was.

“Should you go to the institute and tell them what we suspect?”

Gunnar thought for a moment before he looked at me as I drove along the bumpy road almost to where we’d turn to town. “It might be a good idea, but I won’t leave you alone as long as we don’t know where your uncle is.”

“I could go with you. I don’t know if they’d let me in, but I think you’re right, we’re safer together.” He agreed, and we drove through town and right up to the gate that led to the strange research institute I knew nothing about other than helping monsters integrate into the human world.

“You will go as far as they allow. Security is very high there, and I’m not sure it would be allowed. But I won’t leave you defenseless,” Gunnar said.

I followed his directions to the large facility that at first, I thought was a secret military base, and maybe it was. All I really knew for sure was that monsters were helped to integrate into our world here. I parked in the lot across from the massive gate and turned off the engine. We got out of the truck, and he held my hand as we walked up to the guards that stood at the gate.

“I need to speak to Doctor Ryan,” Gunnar said as he spoke to one of them.

“I need to see your ID,” he said and held out his hand. Gunnar took out a small pack from his back pocket and took out the ID they’d requested. “You too,” he said, and waited for me to take mine out of my wallet. The guard walked into a small guardhouse and tapped at the computer before making a phone call. “What’s this about?” He asked as he returned our ID’s.

“There is a human who wants to kill me and my mate,” Gunnar said, blunt as always. The guard’s eyes widened before he went back and was on the phone again.

“Doctor Ryan said he’ll meet you in the reception area,” the guard said and pressed a button that opened the gate.

“Is it okay I’m with you?” I asked Gunnar.

“If it wasn’t they would not have allowed it. There are many rules here,” he said, and led us up to the nearest building. “Do not leave me.” I nodded and gripped his hand.

We entered through a door that looked more like the side entrance to a warehouse rather than the entrance to a medical or biomedical facility. I still wasn’t sure exactly what it was or what to call it. Inside was a large open area with a desk to the left and a seating area to the right. The guard at the desk ignored us and another man wearing a lab coat entered from a side door hadn’t noticed. He looked to be in his forties with greying blond hair and black framed glasses.

“Gunnar how are you doing?” he asked before shaking his hand.

“I am well, since I left the facility there have been many changes in my life. I have found my mate,” Gunnar said and tugged me forward.

“Excellent, and what is your name?”

“I’m Flynn Davies, I work for the same lumber company Gunnar does,” I said and shook his hand.

“Oh yes, nice to meet you,” he said before focusing back on Gunnar. “I’m a bit surprised to see you so soon. Is everything okay?” He seemed in a hurry, and in a rush to find out what was wrong which annoyed me. Gunnar wouldn’t have come here if he didn’t think it was necessary.

“Something has happened, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I remembered you said if we ever felt unsafe or that there could be a conflict with humans we should contact the facility. So that’s what I did.”

“Come this way,” he said and led us back through the door he’d entered from. Inside was a small waiting room but it was empty. We sat down while Gunnar explained everything that had happened since he’d first arrived. “Has Vince Drummond approached either of you?”

“Not yet, but I can feel he’s planning something, and I know the leshy wouldn’t have approached me if there wasn’t a reason for doing so,” Gunnar said.

“I’m not sure what to think. It is strange that he would suddenly come back to town but I’m not sure it’s an indication that he means to harm either of you.”

“What about the logs that fell on Gunnar at work?” I asked.

“Do you have proof that another worker was involved?” he asked.

“No. We don’t,” I said, and realized how weak our evidence was.

“Look, I’m not telling you something isn’t happening. For all we know your uncle could still be hunting monsters but he’s not doing it here and that’s our main focus at this time. I’m not saying to ignore it. Be careful, be vigilant and if anything, else happens please contact me,” he said.

“If he threatens my mate . . .”

“I understand, Gunnar. But until we have more proof other than the word of a leshy and a worksite accident there’s not much we can do.” We spoke for a moment longer before Gunnar stood and after a rushed goodbye, we were out the door and walking back to the truck.

“What do we do now?” I asked Gunnar.

“We protect ourselves,” he said, and I worried about what that meant.