Chapter 16 - Hudson
I got that fucker.
I could hear her cries as I took aim.
Then I saw the stains of blood on her lips through the scope as he rutted into her.
Never again will he hurt her.
Racing down the hill, I throw my full weight against the massive body.
“Jenny! Are you okay?” I push again to get the creature off of her, but they’re tied.
Shit.
She blinks up at me through the blood splattered across her face. “Hudson?”
This time when I try to lift her, she slips off the softening, violating cock of the beast.
Her brows furrow, and she turns to him?
“Lash?” Pain chokes her word as her fingers trace his flaccid snout.
“We need to get you out of here.” If there are any other wolves in the area, they’ll be drawn by the gunshot.
And the smell of death.
“You killed him.” Her voice is flat as she fights me to try and curl around the animal’s limp arm.
It’s a stab to the heart to see her grief over the monster.
“Jen…I had to. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up, then we can go.” I manage to get a hold of her and lift her from the ground.
But then she writhes in my arms. “I’m not going back,” she grunts, shoving against my chest.
“I’m not taking you back. I’ll go anywhere you want to go.” I hope she can hear the sincerity. I’ve broken so many rules for her, severed my last tether…I’m all in.
Her struggles fade as I carry her towards the rippling water.
“Hud,” she whimpers, burying her stained face against my neck. “I’m glad you didn’t die. But why did you have to shoot him?”
His smell on her is overwhelming and stings my nose.
“It’s okay, now. He’s done hurting you.” Setting her gently on her feet, my handkerchief makes a handy cloth to rinse the red from her pale skin.
Tears leave clean paths down her cheeks. “But he wasn’t.” She stands, shivering and huddled as I wipe her down.
It’s surreal having her out here in the wilderness with me.
Our entire lives have been trapped in the sterile halls of the compound. Every moment revolved around her suffering.
No more.
“I’m going to protect you,” I say quietly as I pull the soaked rag over her. “No one will lay a finger on you that you don’t want.”
Her blue eyes flick over my face, then beyond me to the body on the bank.
“I don’t know what I want anymore.” Goosebumps erupt over her arms and her nipples stand in rigid purple beads in the cool air.
What did that half-breed do to her?
Leading her slowly up the bank, her gaze is riveted to the hulking mass.
Her vacant look doesn’t leave even as I drop a spare shirt over her naked form. It’s like a dress on her. Cinching the waist with a spare piece of rope, I wish I had some shoes that would fit her.
“Can you walk?” I gesture remorsefully at her bare feet.
She nods, her lips thin.
I can’t resist pressing my own against her temple. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel when I saw her again.
But I don’t blame her at all.
She’s a survivor and had to do what she felt was best.
“I missed you, Jen,” I admit, tugging her with me to leave the clearing.
Her steps falter until she pauses, staring behind her with a sense of longing I envy.
Has she ever looked at me that way?
“Did you love him?” I’m confused. In a few short days?
Chewing on her bottom lip, she shakes her head. “No. Addicted would be a better word.”
That makes more sense.
“Because of your last monster?” I know her better than she realizes.
I’ve also been privy to her conversations with the shrink which may have given me some insider knowledge.
“Yea. It’s like they’re under my skin. I know I shouldn’t but…” As her thoughts trail off, the unmistakable smell of her lust permeates the midday breeze.
Fuck.
I have an uphill battle if I’ll ever be able to compete with that.
But I can be patient.
By evening she isn’t dragging her feet as much. Maybe it was the extra rations I was able to feed her at lunch?
When I get the fire started for our makeshift camp, she snuggles close to me, resting her temple on my arm.
“Hud, I’m sorry.” Her fingers rest on my elbow while she sighs. “I didn’t want to—”
“I understand. I’m fine, I promise.” Reaching behind her, I pull her closer to my side. “I’m pretty sure the list is long of things I’d forgive you for.” Chuckling softly, my thumb rubs a slow circle on her skin.
“I had to get out of there.” Her jaw clenches as she stares into the flames. “I want to find Michael. I couldn’t take another day of being…used.”
I want to kiss her pain away, but hold back. “You don’t have to explain, Jen. I was there. I saw what they did to you.”
Her spine stiffens and she pulls away. “You were part of it, Hud. You stood there while they—” A quaking inhale turns into a stifled sob.
“I know.” I’m not going to defend the choices I made for my own selfish reasons. “It’ll be different now. I’m not bound by any more secrets.”
Embers cast sparks into the darkness, settling into glowing piles before she speaks again. “Is it crazy I miss him?”
Scooping her up, I slide her across my lap to nestle between my legs, wrapping her tightly in my blanket. “I don’t think it’s wrong that you have such a forgiving heart. It gives me hope.”
The chill of night pushes her against me until her breathing levels and she leans heavily into my chest.
This is the part I always dreamed of, having her in my arms in a moment of peace.
No surgeries, or appointments.
Just the sacred silence of comfort.
Except it too comes with a trade-off. Any chance I had at finding my daughter disappeared the moment I told Ash to turn off those cameras.
That was the moment I knew my path changed.
A pang of guilt darts through me. I chose her over him.
I will every time.
He would have tried to drag her back. His own humanity was his weakness. The spark of truth was there in the fury of his eyes.
Jenny, and anyone like her, are an asset. A tool.
An object to be used without caring about her.
No more.
Her needs have become mine. This drive within me to be near her is unfathomable.
And I can barely contain the urge to purge his stink from her pores.
I have to give her the opportunity to mourn the bond.
It’s only after being away from her did I realize just how intense that tie really is.
Every second, every breath, every thought.
They all revolve around her.
There’s no way I could shake it if I wanted to. Knowing how strong it is changes my perspective on the years of confusion I felt watching her suffer at the memories of the monster she killed.
So no matter how violently I want to claim her, I can wait.
I’ll reforge her bonds to me.