Chapter 19 - Maddox
I found Jillian sitting in the kitchen with all the lights on.
I frowned, hating how I could tell her emotions without having to even look at her.
It was only a little after six in the morning, and all the lights were on, which told me that Jillian didn't feel safe, which I understood considering her nightmare last night.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as I rounded the island. Jillian looked exhausted, and I knew she hadn't fallen back to sleep after her dream.
She shrugged, rubbing her fingers along the rim of the mug. "I'm tired."
"You can go back to bed."
She offered a sad smile. "I'll be okay."
I wanted to drag her back to bed, but she had tossed and turned so much that I knew she just needed to get out of bed.
"Do you want some breakfast?"
She shook her head. "I thought you were leaving to do some border patrol?"
"I was, but if you're not okay, I'm not going to go."
"No, the pack needs you to go."
I leaned forward onto the island and offered her a tight smile. "Jillian, I can stay home if you need me. I don't have to go on parole."
She shook her head. "No, you go. I have Nina, who's coming, and we're going to spend time together. I'll be okay."
I reached for her hand, wanting to let her know that she didn't have to constantly stay strong for me. She could be weak and vulnerable if she needed to be.
"Are you sure?" I asked, "Because I don't have to go."
She nodded and gave me a soft smile. "I'm okay. I'm just a little shaken, that's all. But I'll be okay. Just give me a little time."
I nodded, deciding to give her what she wanted. If she changed her mind, she could call me and I would come home.
I ate some cereal and headed out, finding Frank waiting at the edge of the border. He was looking into the woods, but his head turned as soon as he heard me walking up the road. He waved a hand, and I sighed. "Whose idea was it to get up at the crack ass of dawn?"
He laughed. "That would be everyone."
"You all forget what sleep is like now that you have kids."
Frank raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, you certainly don't look like you've been getting any. Have you been staying up late, having fun?" Frank wiggled his eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes.
"No, Jillian just had a hard time sleeping last night. She had a nightmare, and with her visions…things have been different."
Frank nodded. "Nina was telling me about that. Sounded like that was a shit fest with the Council."
"Jesus, they wanted her locked up."
Frank nodded. "Yep, that sounds right."
"You know I understand wanting to protect everyone, but isn't it a little…much? I don't remember the Council being so…. rough like this."
Frank nodded. "I'm not going to argue with you." Frank rolled his shoulders and moved his neck. "And this is why we go out on patrol. Let's work some of that frustration off."
I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't been able to shift in a while, and I looked forward to it. I missed running freely through the woods. It brought me back to being young, and my only problem was growing up rather than worrying about everyone in my pack.
I tossed my shirt onto the ground and stripped off my pants. I moved quickly, shifting into my wolf form and shaking out my fur. I moved each of my legs, allowing myself to enjoy the sensation of regaining my form.
Frank and I both took off through the woods.
Frank stayed a little ahead of me. His footsteps lit.
I followed just a few steps, making sure to pause and look deeper into the woods.
The woods were quiet today, and the wind was light, ruffling the trees as we moved.
Frank and I moved fast, clearing ground quickly.
We paused when we reached an area that bordered right next to Aaron's land. We both paused to catch our breath when Frank's nozzle hit me and pointed his nose towards Aaron's land. I spotted that Aaron was also out on a run in his wolf form. He spotted us and howled, prancing right over to us.
I shifted back into my human form and smirked. "Look who decided to take his job seriously."
Aaron shifted, flicking me off. "Oh, shut up. I could say the same to you. You look like absolute shit, by the way."
Frank's laughter filled the space, and I glanced at him. He shrugged. "You do."
"I already told you I didn't sleep well last night."
"How is Jillian handling house arrest?"
"She's doing fine, but no one likes to be stuck in one place. She's eventually going to go stir crazy."
"How long were they going to be monitoring her?"
I shrugged. "They didn't give us a definitive answer on that. Like always, Ralph just dismissed us without another word."
"Sounds right," Frank said with a nod.
"Have either of you found anyone that fits the description of the father yet?" Aaron asked, seeming hopeful.
I shook my head. "No." I'd looked into it, hoping and praying that no one popped out to be looked at under a closer microscope, but no one came to mind. Everyone in my pack had a history, and I knew it.
"Damn," Aaron said. "I was hoping someone would."
"Well, it's a step towards finding out who this is."
Suddenly, the space felt different, and we all tensed up. We could all feel the air was tighter, and I scanned the woods. But what I didn't expect was a man to be standing just a few feet away from us.
He was a middle-aged man with a deep brown beard. His eyes didn't look normal, almost entirely black. He didn't look like anyone I knew, but I felt all the hairs on my body rise.
"Aaron?" I stepped closer to him. "He's in your land. Who is that?"
Aaron looked just as thrown as I was feeling. "No idea."
The man took a few steps towards us, and a smile pulled at his lips. "I heard you were looking for me."
My eyes widened. My wolf went on alert, growling, ready to bounce.
Frank growled, baring his teeth at the guy. "What do you want?"
The man held that smirk like he knew something we didn't. "You'll know soon enough. How's the kid, Frank? Beautiful little boy, you have. It would be tragic if something happened to him."
Frank lunged at the man, fully ready to take him out, but the man just vanished into thin air. His laughter filled the space.
"Always the one to fight first, aren't you?"
"Come out and fight like a man!" Frank yelled, turning around, scanning the area for him.
He reappeared a little further away from us now. "Why? This is so much more fun." He looked at Aaron. "How was your date last night? Did you peg the girl you brought home? I didn't think she seemed like your type."
Aaron looked utterly pale, like he wanted to vomit, and I was stunned. How did he know that?
The man looked at me. "And Jillian? One of my favorite puppets. So easy to use."
Anger built up, and I shifted. I charged at him, but he was gone just as he had done moments before. Suddenly, darkness filled the space, and the man laughed. "You are all so easy to read. Anger fuels you."
I looked to find the guys, but I couldn't see them, couldn't hear them. The darkness had taken all my scenes away. I howled, knowing I should be able to listen to them, but the sound was quickly taken away like it had never been made.
I turned around, trying to smell where they could be, but I couldn't. Nothing.
Then something hit me hard in the side and I fell over. But no one stood there. I pulled myself up as something seemed to slice at my side. I jumped back, fighting something I couldn't even see.
I snapped at the air, growling, trying to fight myself free. The darkness seemed one step ahead of me, though. I felt pain radiate over my side. I tried to take a breath in, but I felt like someone had their hands wrapped around my neck. I gasped for air, feeling my lungs begging me.
And then suddenly the darkness was gone. I brought in air, pulling a hand up and rubbing at my neck. I looked over to my left and found Aaron on all fours, gasping for air. I looked to my right, and Frank was looking around. "Where are you!" he screamed.
I felt like someone had taken my mind and scrambled it. My head ached like hell, and I was sure I was going to vomit.
I looked to my side, seeing a slice right down my ribs. "Jesus..."
"Fuck, you're bleeding," Aaron said.
I looked at him, seeing bruises forming on his cheek and his ribs.
"What…. what the hell was that?"
"Another fucking trick," Frank snapped, standing next to me now. "We have to tell the rest."
I nodded in agreement. I pulled myself up, wincing at the pain. "He knew stuff."
Frank looked pale, slowly nodding his head. "I know…the question is how."
I hurried home after collecting myself, needing to see Jillian.
I needed to know that she was okay. I hardly put the car in park before I was running inside.
The door slammed against the wall, and Jillian jumped into the living room.
"Jesus Christ, Maddox." She turned, dropping her eyes on me, but they widened as she did. "What happened to you?"
I moved away from the door and reached for her. I grabbed her face, scanning her for injuries. She looked at me, horrified. "Oh my god, what the…. Maddox, what happened?"
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I've been here. What happened to you?"
I sank against her, leaning forward, pressing my forehead in her lap, and gave myself a moment to know she was okay. Her hands landed on my back. "Maddox, what happened?"
I didn't even know. I thought we were fighting him, but it was like he was never there. The darkness just happened. But yet, something sliced me. Something punched me. Someone took Aaron out, and Frank had to be fighting someone.
"I don't know," I admit, pulling my head up and looking into her eyes. She looked worried, and then her eyes went to my ribs. "You're bleeding."
I nodded, leaning back on my ankles. "Yeah…"
She got up, rounding the couch, and headed into the kitchen. She opened a few cabinet drawers before yanking out the first Air kit. She came back and had me sit down on the ground.
"Who did this?"
"I have no idea."
"Is it the guy?"
I looked at her. "You know?"
She nodded. "The girls brought it up at the wedding. Is he the one doing all of this?"
I slowly nodded my head. "We were pretty positive, but I'm a hundred percent sure now. He was there and yet he wasn't. It was like we were fighting the darkness, but…"
I winced as she placed something on my side.
"Sorry," she said softly. "I want to clean it."
I inhaled slowly, leaning back against the couch as she cleaned the wound and wrapped it. She ran a hand over my hair, her face soft. "You looked terrified. I've never seen you like that."
I swallowed. "He knows stuff about us. He knew about Frank's child and that Aaron was on a date the night before. Even knew that he brought the gal home."
Her eyebrows went up. "Damn…. that's…yeah… that's terrifying."
What the hell were we going to do with that information? Jesus, what was the Council going to say once they found that out? They were going to lose their shit. They thought Jillian having a vision was bad. Wait till they found out what he knew.
I ran a hand through my hair. "It's a fucking mess."
Jillian moved closer. A soft hand landed on my cheek. "Yeah, but you're doing a wonderful job."
I opened my eyes and stared at her. I took in her soft gaze and the feeling of her thumb rubbing on my cheek.
I reached out, cupping the back of her head, and pulled her closer. I kissed her softly, needing to ground myself. Jillian's hand landed on my chest, her lips pressing against mine with just as much hunger.
And then I winced. "Fuck." I inhaled slowly as she leaned back, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."
I gave her a smile. "Worth it."