Chapter 3 - Brad
“Hey, put me down, you fucking jerk!” Alisha yells.
“No fucking way,” I growl, trying as hard as I can to hold in my frustration. “You have no idea how dangerous it is out here, and if you aren’t going to listen to me, then you’re giving me no choice!”
It’s bad enough that she’s out here alone, in savage wilderness, potentially getting chased down by a dangerous ex, but she was also running straight towards the incursion site!
“Brad!” she cries. “Stop!”
She wriggles, pounding on my back with her fists, but I just wrap my arm even tighter around her thighs and keep her against my shoulder.
“You’re not getting down, and it’s going to be a very uncomfortable walk for both of us if you don’t relax and let me help you.”
“Relax! How the fuck am I supposed to relax? You’re kidnapping me!”
“Alisha,” I sigh. “There is stuff going on that you aren’t aware of. I’m not leaving you out here to fend for yourself under any circumstances. I’m also not going to allow any possibility of your nasty ex finding you. Added to that, there is some immediate danger in the surrounding area.”
“Yeah, like what? Volcano about to erupt or something?”
If you only knew.
“It’s not something I can discuss right now,” I grit out.
“Oh, here we go. Mysterious Bradley with all the secrets. I can’t believe I ever found this cute.”
“You think I’m cute?” I quip.
Alisha thumps me in the back and tries to kick her legs. “Not anymore,” she mutters.
I pick up my pace a little, making good time moving through the trees even with Alisha over my shoulder. I try to avoid the steeper hills and make my way through flatter areas, which takes slightly longer but is more comfortable for us both.
“Okay, Brad. You can put me down now.”
“Are you going to run again?”
“I’m tired of being stuck on your fucking shoulder, okay? My feet are going numb, my head is pounding, and my guts are getting bruised. Even if I do run, you can catch me pretty quick, anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” I agree. As well as being a lot faster than her, I’ve got her scent all over me now, and if she somehow managed to move a few miles away from me, I’d have no problem tracking her.
I stop and put her down, gesturing that she should walk in front of me. Alisha puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.
“Where are we going?”
“Home.”
“You have a home?”
“Everyone has a home.”
“It doesn’t mean we can all go back to it,” she mutters.
“What?”
“Never mind. Can you be more specific about where we’re going?”
“It’s a small town called Eccles,” I answer. “Shifter town. It should be shielded from human view, and I’m not sure how you got so close. It must have looked like dense bush to you.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I saw the lights.”
“What?”
“All the little town lights. I definitely knew it was a village.”
Her words make me very uneasy. The idea of innocent humans stumbling across the shifter towns and potentially running into the ancient snake is not a pretty one.
This is exactly why Wolf’s Shadow exists. To prevent breaches like this. What the fuck is going on?
“Hello, Brad,” Alisha snaps. “You’ve gone off planet. Come in, Brad.”
“Sorry. This is just really odd. Anyway, that’s where we’re going. It’s a nice place.”
“So, it’s your home? Like, you have family there?”
“No, not that kind of home. I recently retired from my work, and I’ve become alpha here to help the people.”
I cut the sentence off the second I realized what I’m saying. Alisha’s eyes widen a little, and she looks purely innocent and a little surprised. It softens me a little, but I keep my guard up, too.
I can’t reveal everything to her. Even though my time at WS has ended, it’s still all secret stuff, and I remind myself that I really have no idea who she is or what she’s doing out here.
And how she was able to find the town. Is she an agent? This can’t be random.
“How far is it?” she asks.
“Not far now,” I answer, gesturing up the track. “A couple of miles.”
“Okay, then,” she says, turning to walk ahead of me.
As I follow her, I notice how disheveled she is. Her clothes are smudged with dirt and torn in places. She looks tired and hungry, as if it’s been days since she had a proper meal or a shower.
If she’s an agent, this is a hell of a push.
Even though I try to keep my guard up, I can’t really believe that she’s out here to infiltrate Eccles. The more I look at her, the more convinced I am that she’s lost, hurt, and in extremely deep trouble.
And it’s my fault!
Even though I can’t be responsible for all the choices that led her here, I know damn well that if I hadn’t left her, none of this would have happened. At the time, I did what I had to do, and I knew that I was protecting her by leaving.
I just never really thought about what would happen after I was gone.
The woods begin to thin out, and I can see the first line of buildings ahead.
I direct Alisha to a narrow street at the edge of town, and then to my small cottage.
As I take her inside, I get ready for another verbal battle, but she just looks up at me with her wide, violet eyes, her pretty pink lips pressed together as if she’s holding back a scream.
My guilt rises, so powerful that a hard lump forms in my throat.
She looks so fragile. I can’t believe I did this to her. I will keep her safe now at any cost—even if I have to do it against her will.
“Alisha,” I say. “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head. A sharp stab of frustration pricks through my guilt and misery.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower? I’ll leave some fresh clothes at the door for you and make something to eat.”
She shrugs and turns away, heading for the stairs. I feel empty and lost, knowing that her silence is so much worse than her fury.
After she’s safely locked in the bathroom, I hurry to the bedroom and leave an old sweater and soft sweatpants by the door, then hurry to the kitchen. Even though I don’t cook much, I do happen to have some sweet tomato pasta sauce and a packet of ravioli.
It used to be her favorite food. Hopefully, it will cheer her up a bit.
It doesn’t take long to throw the meal together, and I heat up some garlic bread to go with it. By the time Alisha comes into the kitchen, I’m putting everything on the table. As she sits down, I grab two ice-cold beers and put one down in front of her.
“Thank you,” she says, almost gasping with pleasure as she grabs the small bottle and twists off the top. Alisha gulps the beer down, and when she puts it back on the table, it’s almost empty.
“Thirsty?” I ask, chuckling.
“I haven’t had a beer in weeks. That was heavenly.”
“Want another?”
Her eyes narrow, and her mouth sets in a hard line. “Trying to get me drunk?”
“No! I was just—”
“Yeah. Just trying your luck. I get it.”
Alisha looks down at her plate, savagely spearing a piece of ravioli and shoveling it into her mouth. I feel pressure in my chest, then I realize I’ve been holding my breath and let it out slowly.
I watch her swiftly demolish the food, then tear into the garlic bread as she finishes her beer. I expect her to say something about me, remembering what she likes, but she doesn’t speak, or even really look up.
“Seriously, do you want some more?” I ask. “I can make something else, and I’ve got plenty of beer—”
“No.”
“But if you’re still hungry, I could make some dessert.”
“What is this, a five-star hotel?” she asks sarcastically. “If you brought me here to pamper me, why the fuck did you kidnap me?”
“I wish you would stop saying that,” I answer, my voice hard. “I didn’t kidnap you—”
“Oh, is there a different word for hauling a helpless woman over your shoulder and dragging her away against her will?”
“I told you!” I snap, getting mad now. “It isn’t safe out there.”
“I’ve been running from Paul for about three weeks, and he hasn’t caught me yet. Maybe I would have been just fine.”
“You were heading straight for the desert,” I answer, trying not to yell. “You wouldn’t have lasted a day.”
“You don’t know me,” she says, her voice low. “You don’t know me at all. You never took the time!”
“I know this is your favorite food—and your favorite beer!”
Alisha snorts softly with laughter, folding her arms across her chest.
“Okay, decent memory, then. I’m really surprised. We only spent, what, a few months together, and you remembered one thing about me. Great job.”
“Two things,” I mutter defensively.
“Wow,” she answers, giving a little clap. “Give the guy a medal.”
“Did you learn anything about me?” I retort.
Alisha’s dark, violet eyes fix right on mine, and her face sets into a hard expression. “I learned that you only care about yourself and what you can get out of people. Then, when you’re done, you bail in the middle of the night.”
I hold her gaze for a moment, but I can’t take the accusation glittering there, so I turn away, quickly gathering up the plates.
I deserve this. I deserve all of this.
Alisha finishes her beer as I stack the dishes. When I turn around, she’s holding the bottle, looking into it as if it has answers hidden in its amber depths.
“Let me show you the bedroom,” I say. “You must be tired.”
She nods, still not looking up at me. I wait for a few seconds, then go past the table towards the stairs. After a moment, I hear her following behind me.
When I get to the bedroom, I grab an extra blanket out of the closet and put it at the end of the bed. Alisha is standing in the doorway, glaring at me with her bright violet eyes.
She’s so beautiful…even more beautiful than I remember. How could I have left her?
Slowly, she comes into the room, keeping her eyes on me like she’s stuck in here with a snake ready to strike. I take a step towards her, and she jumps back.
“Look, Alisha,” I say, sighing. “You have every right to be pissed with me. I completely understand. But I have to keep you safe. I promise I won’t let any harm come to you, and for now, you’re just going to have to trust me.
It will be much easier on both of us if you don’t fight me every step of the way. ”
Alisha’s eyes flick from me to the bed, then back again. “I suppose that means you can’t leave me alone for a second, doesn’t it? If you think I—”
“Alisha,” I cut her off softly. “I’m taking the couch. The bed is all yours.”
I see her face slacken with shock, but I don’t hang around to enjoy it or talk further. I can’t really think of anything else to say—and I really do want her to feel safe and comfortable.
As I set myself up on the couch, I let my intrusive thoughts creep back in. She appears so innocent, but now I can’t ignore the fact that she’s appeared on two of my secret missions.
Is she really just an innocent girl, or is she my enemy?