Chapter 10
The Light of Day
The world moved around her, but she couldn’t open her eyes to process it. Then, some people talked animatedly near her, but Willow knew she couldn’t listen to them. All of her attention was on the one task because she trusted Nolan to get her back to her home. Her job was to hold it for as long as she could.
When she felt something touch her chest, Willow knew she could finally relax. Physically and mentally exhausted, she couldn’t even open her eyes.
Willow managed to murmur, “Thank you.”
The feel of something soft on her forehead was accompanied by words she couldn’t quite make out. The low voices of people talking were some of the last things she heard as a pair of hands tucked her. Now that she didn’t have to focus on containing metal in her body, Willow was too tired to do anything besides sleep. However, for the first time in a long time, she fell asleep feeling safe and that things would get better.
When she woke, she couldn’t remember ever feeling so well rested. She sat up and immediately noticed that she was still dressed in someone else’s clothing. This got her moving quickly, and she sprang out of bed and pulled off her shirt, knocking into her dresser. Seconds later, the door opened. “What’s wrong?”
Nolan stopped when he saw her standing on one leg, jumping up and down, her shirt hanging off her arm. They stared at each other for a second, and then Willow saw his face flush as he turned and shut the door. He kept apologizing, even after the door was closed.
Feeling incredibly embarrassed, she put the shirt back on and grabbed some clothing, not bothering to pay attention to what she held. She limped over to the door as quickly as she could. Peeking out, she ensured no one was paying attention so she could go to the bathroom. To her horror, three people sat in her studio apartment's living room. She only knew one of them. Nolan looked like he wanted to say something, but his face was still pink.
Standing up as straight as she could, Willow strode to the bathroom, hoping the limp wasn’t entirely noticeable.
Just before she disappeared through the doorway, Nolan asked, “Is everything okay?”
She looked in his direction but found it impossible to look directly at him. “Um, yeah, I just want to get cleaned up.”
“I heard a loud thump.”
“Just stubbed my toe. We can talk after I get cleaned up.”
She didn’t wait for an answer as she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door. Usually, she kept her showers short, partly to save money, but Willow wasn’t in a hurry to see Nolan or talk about what had just happened. There were going to be questions – a lot of questions – but she didn’t have the answers. Everything she did came naturally, usually instinctively. Trying to explain that to Nolan and a couple of strangers seemed like a nightmare.
What if he reverts to his old self—the one who has no qualms about belittling you and making you cry?
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt with the situation. Now, he had a lot more information to use against her. The longer she took, the less Willow wanted to leave the bathroom.
She had just finished wrapping her hair up in a towel to dry when a knock at the door startled her.
“Willow, are you okay?”
“Fine.” Her voice betrayed her, though, because it cracked. Clearing her throat, Willow tried to recover. “I’m just, you know, happy to be home. Trying to enjoy it.”
“I understand. What’s your favorite food?”
She turned her head and looked at the door in confusion. “Um, I …” Willow’s voice trailed off, and she was unsure how to finish answering that question. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Okay, well, is there anything you don’t like then?”
“Meat.”
“You’re a vegetarian?”
She pinched her eyes as she remembered him making fun of her back in high school after one of the people in her class asked her about it. “Yes, I’m still a vegetarian, Nolan. It was never just a phase.”
“Oh, right …” his voice trailed off. “I’ll take care of it.”
He wasn’t interested in sticking around because his shadow disappeared from under the door. Willow took her time finishing drying off and getting dressed. Her mind started to look for ways out of the current situation. The relief and security she felt when she fell asleep were gone, and the paranoia and apprehension returned.
At one point, she heard the front door open and close, something she hadn’t experienced since Willow had never had company in her new apartment. Still, she could identify the sound and figured Nolan had ordered food.
If he did, he and the men should be preoccupied with food. That gives me a chance to slip away. I’ve got the cash I need, and they should have everything they need to take care of the facility. Perhaps this is my turning point, and they’ll keep the … whoever is running that place preoccupied so they won’t look for me. This is my chance just to slip away and start fresh somewhere else. And he doesn’t know that I changed my name. To Nolan, I’m still Willow Addler. What am I even thinking? He’s not going to care about hunting me down. He’s got other things to do.
Walking through the wall back to her room, Willow crept. She got on the floor, opened the baseboard's loose part, and reached into it. Pulling out everything in the tiny space, relief flooded through her as she saw that the money and almost everything else were still there. The only thing missing was the little vial on a necklace.
Willow shoved the cash in her pockets and the rest of the items into a small bag. Then she looked around the room for the vial.
I don’t want to leave without that. What if I need it again?
She could leave the room and ask about it, but then she would have to answer a lot of questions.
No, I don’t need it that badly. They can probably use it better since it’s meant for people like me. If they are working with a lot of them and that can help other women, that’s worth leaving it behind.
Willow looked toward the hallway, wishing that things could have been different. Nolan seemed like a decent guy when things were bad.
Leave, Willow. Just leave. There’s a better future out there, and holding onto the past has never done me any good.
She adjusted the bag on her shoulder as she set her resolve.
She grabbed a pair of sneakers out of her closet and slipped them on. Then she walked through the wall from her room into the hallway outside her apartment.
“Running away isn’t going to fix anything. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
The calm voice startled her, and Willow touched her chest. “You scared me,” she said.
She turned, thinking that a neighbor might have seen her but not thinking that none of them would have any idea what she was doing. Or the fact that they would probably be freaking out if they saw her walking through the wall.
The man standing leaning against the wall was slightly taller than her. His curly blond hair framed a cherubic face that did not fit the intense green eyes looking at her.
“I’ve been told – often and with great relish – that I have that effect on people.” He pushed off the wall. “I won’t stop you from leaving if that’s what you want. In fact,” he put his hand in his coat pocket and pulled something out, “I’ll even return this to you, mostly because I can’t believe you would so willingly part with it. Perhaps you don’t know its worth.”
He held the vial by its chain.
“My memento!” Willow took a couple of steps and held out her hand. “Thank you! If you guys were helping people like me, it was best left in your hands. But if you are willing to return it, that is one of the few things I still have from my biological family.”
“Did you know them?” He dropped the trinket into her hand, but his eyes did not leave hers.
“No.” She pulled her hand back to her chest. “I didn’t. I only have the word of my adoptive family – well, former family is probably a better way to describe them – they said that it came with me.”
“You don’t know what it is?”
She shrugged, “It’s what I need it to be during extreme emergencies. It’s saved my life on a few occasions, but that’s all I know.”
He nodded. “That’s a very basic understanding of it, sure.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Do you know what it is?”
“Yes.” He walked past her and back to the door of her apartment. Then the man had his hand on the door as he looked at her again, “Well, are you coming or going?”
Willow looked down the hall, but she couldn’t just run away. She turned to the stranger again, “When I was a teenager, Nolan used to bully me. He’s almost the last person I would expect to help me.”
The man nodded. “Indeed. He was quite horrible when he was younger.”
“Did you know him?”
“Of course. There’s a connection between all of our families, so even if we don’t have much interaction with each other, we at least know of the others.”
“So, you only know his reputation then? And he wasn’t particularly liked within your social circle?”
“His reputation?” The man’s lips quivered as he reached up and pushed his glasses up his nose. “I’ve known him personally for several decades, and he bullied me, too.”
Willow looked at him with sympathy. “He was quite awful. How do you deal with it?”
“I have a lot of older brothers, so I didn’t notice.” He opened the door. “So, are you coming back inside?”
Without pausing, she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll come back inside. I’m Willow Forte. In case Nolan hasn’t told you.”
“He did. Come on.” The man walked back into the apartment without introducing himself.
“Well, okay,” Willow said, unsure what to make of that exchange.
She went through the open door and heard Nolan talking. “What did Alina say?”
The stranger just pointed behind himself and continued walking toward Willow’s kitchen. Nolan looked, and the surprise on his face was evident. “What happened? Did they find you?”
He moved over to her before she had even closed the door. Nolan placed a hand on her shoulder, then looked up and down the hall. After closing and locking the door, he seemed to fuss over her, ushering her back into her own place. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine. Yes. Sorry. Just, had a … I felt a little …”
The stranger stood in her kitchen, his curly hair hiding part of his face as he said, “She was running away, Nolan. You can’t expect her to get over years of cruelty so quickly. She doesn’t know your history like I do.”
Nolan frowned at the man, but the third man spoke as he rose from her couch. He was tall and well-built, but the man moved with a grace that was more like gliding. His hair was dark and wavy, but unlike Nolan’s, which seemed to shine, this man’s hair was more like a shadow. He also had green eyes, but they were a much calmer green than the cherubic-looking man’s, and he smiled easily.
“Hi, Willow.” He approached her and held out his hand. “I’m Levi, and I will be the voice of reason among egos today.”
Both Nolan and the stranger said, “Cats.” The stranger then sniffed, his eyes still looking at something, and Willow thought it was probably a cell phone. “I think you just made it clear you have the biggest ego here.”
“Cat?” Willow looked around. The stranger pointed at Levi but didn’t say anything.
Nolan leaned over and said in a mock whisper, “He’s a cat shifter.”
“What?” Willow looked at him, thinking he was making fun of her again.
But Levi sighed melodramatically. “I offer to help, and this is how they treat me. I can see why you were ready to walk, Willow. But Nolan has whipped up quite a nice meal, so you should at least try that before you decide if you want to leave us all behind.”
Nolan looked down and scratched the side of his face. “I packed it up so we can go outside. After the last week or so, I figured it would be good to get some fresh air.”
“What do you mean a week?”
The stranger rotated something in his hands as he replied, “Nine days, actually. You were in the facility for nine days.”
“How is that possible? I thought it was just a couple.”
Nolan placed his hand on her shoulder. “We can talk about this at a park or something.”
“Aren’t you being a bit cavalier? It seems like you guys have managed to keep things quiet since people don’t know about … um, shifters?” She was more asking than stating that part. Then Nolan nodded reassuringly. Willow frowned. “Then shouldn’t we stay inside so people don’t hear what we discuss?”
“People don’t pay attention to us too much,” the stranger said.
“Yes, thank you, Elliott. I’ll explain it to her.”
Willow looked at the blond-haired man, who just shrugged, his interest clearly more focused on whatever he was doing than the conversation. Nolan got her attention again. “Do you want to stay inside?”
“No, but … it would be nice to get some answers.”
“Do you guys mind staying here for now?”
As if on cue, there was a buzzing from Levi’s pocket. His face looked stunning as a wide grin spread across his face. “That’s got to be Sybil. Hopefully, she’s almost got her old pack fixed up because I’m ready to start our family.”
Finally, Elliott looked up, “Is that why you are here? Because she’s taking care of her old pack?”
Levi beamed. “You guys needed help; I was bored, so.” With that, he turned and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He strode into Willow’s room and closed the door.
Elliott sighed, then returned to messing with something metallic. He held it at an angle so she could tell it wasn’t a phone. Before she could ask about it, though, he said, “Make sure you tell her about being the bait. Otherwise, we’ll have to go in and drag him out.”
“What?” Willow turned and looked at Nolan, a look of shock and worry on her face. “I’m supposed to be the bait for what exactly?” In her mind, she was starting to feel like the unassuming man in her kitchen had just played her all too well.
“Thank you, Elliott. It will be so much easier to talk to her about it now. Your inability to use tact or read the room remains unrivaled.”
Elliott looked up at him, then walked toward them, making Willow worry about his intentions. Then, the man just strode past them and out the door.
Confused by the whole situation, Willow asked. “Where are you going?”
“Away. I’ve seen this setup enough times, and I’ve no interest in being around to watch it again.”
“What setup?” Nolan asked, but Elliott simply left the apartment, closing the door behind him.
“You don’t know what he meant either?” Willow asked, looking up at Nolan with a half grin.
“He’s hard to understand on his best days. Something’s clearly under his skin, but I’m not exactly someone he opens up to.”
“He said you bullied him, too.”
Nolan looked down at her, his expression pained. “I’m sorry, Willow. I want you to know that if I could go back and treat you well, I would. You didn’t deserve all of the pain.”
“If it makes you feel better, my parents were worse.” She tried to lighten the mood, but her words did not hit the mark. “It’s fine. Really. It’s in the past, and we can just leave it there. A fresh start because you’ve proved you aren’t the man you were back then.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Thank you. Come on. I’ve got a picnic and a lot to discuss.”
Less than five minutes later, they were outside, snowflakes drifting lazily past them. Willow laughed, and Nolan looked at her quizzically. “No one else is going to be out here picnicking, so I guess there isn’t anything to worry about.”
He offered his arm. “Shall we go make some good memories?”
Willow put her arm through his, a grin on her face. “That sounds good to me. Although, I will say that the whole part of me being bait has me wondering how sincere your intentions are.”
Squeezing her hand, Nolan said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let any harm come to you. You have my word that you will be just fine when all is done and dusted.”
“What about you?”
Nolan smiled down at her. “I’m hoping it has a happy ending for me, too. But I will leave that up to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see. Now, if you don’t mind, I have some questions about what happened back at the facility.”
“I … I’m not sure how much I can answer.”
“You give yourself too little credit. The toxins were in me, and I still couldn’t detect what they were.”
“Like you said, you weren’t trained with that kind of poison, so how could you?”
“You did, though.”
“Ah, well, yeah. I’m able to manipulate things like metals and other substances. Not all of them, since my parents could fortify their house so that I could pass through anything there, but most of them.”
“So, you could sense the metals in my bloodstream?”
Willow shrugged. “I don’t know how I knew. I just knew.”
Nolan chuckled and shook his head.
“I know. It’s stupid, and I’m not clever enough to …”
Nolan stopped, causing her to halt mid-step. “You are not stupid. Please don’t insult yourself in front of me.”
Willow blinked at him, not sure what to say. It crossed her mind to point out that he had said similar things, but there was no need to bring up the past. The Nolan in front of her deserved better than to be haunted by his teenage self. She certainly didn’t want to be reminded of her behavior back then, or worse, from college. It was a very different time, and as Elliott had said, Nolan wasn’t the same person now.
She smiled softly. “Okay. I’ll keep my insults to myself.”
His eyes were locked on hers as he slowly shook his head. “Not good enough. But I suppose, for now, I’ll need to help you see through whatever negativity you have about yourself.” He tapped her forehead as he said the last part.
Willow giggled. “You have your work cut out for you. As the family screwed up, I’ve got decades of that mindset.”
“If you are willing to stick around, I will work with you for decades to help you see yourself the way I do.”
She cocked her head, “And how’s that?”
“An amazing woman who saved my life. Come on, the food is getting cold.”
The conversation turned to lighter topics as they headed to a park as the snow fell around them.