Chapter 27 Running Away #2
“It’s good you followed your instincts. I’m not too sure on the exact timeframe, but Sodie and Darwin saw Boris lingering near the clinic.”
“Yeah. I got Sodie’s text so I took her somewhere safe and made sure we weren’t followed.”
“Good. Thank you. I got it from here. Why don’t you get some rest?”
“Sir, Marcus is after her because of me. I’m sorry for my part in this mess.”
“No one blames you, son. These assholes were raised to be criminals.”
“Sir, if they hurt her, I can’t promise you that I won’t—”
“If either one of them touches a hair on her head, you have my full fucking permission to end them. No questions asked!”
“Yes, sir.”
I hear the shuffling of feet. In a panic, I shove away from the door, grab a book, and plop in one of the chairs.
When Anders returns, he doesn’t ask why I ran back to the clinic. “Are you warm enough? Do you want some water?” We fall into our comfortable modes—him working, me reading. When the light of dawn breaks, Anders stands from his seat and stretches. “Let’s take a walk.”
I pull on my hoodie and follow Anders. We walk in silence.
He doesn’t say where we are going or what we are going to do.
When he stops. I notice a group of men running toward us.
Tugging my hood down, I cover my face and lower my head after I adjust my glasses.
The group gets closer, shouting and glancing sideways at us.
Anders folds his arms watching them in turn.
Charlie and Ean lead. Ean shouts another command, raising a hand in salute. Charlie smiles and winks. I try not to grin as Anders groans.
The rest of the men follow, saluting Anders and facing front as they pass, except for three.
I feel their eyes on me. I lower my gaze, as if I could make myself invisible.
I only glance up to catch the back of the group.
Sodie smiles, but Liam doesn’t look my way at all.
Does he regret telling me about his past and showing me his secret?
I peek at Anders, and he resumes our stroll. I follow Anders into a clearing. No one can see us here. He sits on the ground and waits patiently as I lower myself next to him. He rests both hands on his knees. “Close your eyes. Keep your mind blank, and focus on your breathing.”
I observe him for a minute, just sitting there, breathing slowly with his eyes closed. Then, I take in my surroundings before mirroring his behavior.
I lose track of time and awareness. Wind swirls around me, caressing my face and rustling my oversized hoodie. It whirls stronger, yet I don’t open my eyes. Rain begins to fall. But it doesn’t rain on us.
I listen in to the sounds of nature. The rain pounds heavier. The winds grow stronger, whistling and moaning as it whips around. Thunder claps, shaking the ground beneath me, and behind the thin lids of my eyes, I see a flash of lightning.
Don’t lose focus on your breathing, Anders says inside of my head. Through all the chaos surrounding me, I sit there. Without any hint of the storm slowing, the rain and thunder evaporate. No more flashes of lightning, and the wind dies. Silence, there is nothing more but silence.
The birds start to chirp, and I slowly open my eyes. The sky is clear. The ground is dry, no sign of the raging storm.
Anders stares at me. Not sure how to respond, I smile and shrug. He simply grunts and proceeds to stand. I follow his lead, but we remain in the clearing.
Dipping his chin and bending slightly at the waist. When he’s back in an upright position, he slides a foot forward and lifts his arms. His body sways in a slow, even rhythm.
I watch in curious fascination. His movements are deliberate and fluid, moving his arms out then back in, moving on the balls of his feet so his body sways in tune with his arm movements.
Then, he switches sides. His movements remind me of water, languidly rolling over smooth river rocks.
I want to move like him, but I’m not sure how or where to start. I commit each movement to memory. Finally, he holds the last position, brings his legs and arms back to center, and bows.
“I do this every morning, if you would like to join me,” he remarks.
I would like that. Thank you.
Turning on the balls of his feet, he begins to walk back the way we came. “I would like to talk about what happened while you were meditating.”
Did you see it? The storm?
“No. I didn’t see anything, but I could hear it in your mind—the rain, the thunder, the whistling of the wind.”
No flashes of lightning?
“You saw flashes of lightning?”
I nod. Then I heard your voice, telling me to focus.
“I didn’t say anything out loud. You heard my voice?”
Yes, in my head.
“Have you ever experienced anything like this before?”
I start to shake my head but recall my fall from the rock wall. Well, actually, last night or early this morning. Don’t get mad, please, and don’t punish Liam. I wait until he gives me his full attention. He doesn’t make any promises.
I show him my memories on the wall.
Shock, rather than anger, registers on his face. “You pulled Liam up with your magic?” I nod. “Did Liam show you or tell you what he can do?”
I glance down. It’s a secret. I try to clear my mind.
“Jessica, I know. It’s okay. He’s not in trouble.”
I turn my face away, unsure of whether to reveal the truth, but I trust Anders. He showed me.
“Okay. Do you think you can keep your magic under control?”
I don’t know. I didn’t know I had any.
He nods. “Fair point. Do you still have the journal I gave you?”
Yes. I’ve been writing in it.
“Good. Keep track of anything else that occurs. We can work on control and building on your capabilities. It’s important we keep this to ourselves, except for Nathan and Shakti, of course. I want you always to be honest with them. Is it okay if I tell them?”
I hesitate. What if they don’t want me, once they find out?
“Trust me. That will not happen.” Anders guides me toward the mansion. Instead of using the front door, we enter through the back.
Tater greets us and fusses over me, placing a smoothie and my supplements in front of me at the table where I sit. She’s in charge of giving me my injections now. I thought I forgot them at the clinic. She places a small bowl of scrambled eggs in front of me.
I smile. I haven’t been able to eat real food. Her smoothies have real fruit in them, disguising the taste of the supplement I was given in the clinic.
“I think you’ll like my special diet a whole lot better than what they served you in the clinic. I’ll think up different things we can try until the doctor says we can introduce you to regular foods again.”
“Thank you,” I rasp. My voice is stronger today. I wonder if the meditation helped.
“Oh, and Alpha Agnus insisted that I cook all your meals with water from her territory. Don’t tell her, but I’m only going to use it in your smoothie.” She sets a glass of water next to me. “Of course, I’ll also make you drink it as plain water.”
Joe strides into the kitchen. “Good morning,” I croak out.
“Good morning, Princess. The Alpha King will join you shortly. The Luna Queen took the boys into the city for some school event. They look forward to seeing you later this afternoon.”
I smile. Were they worried I wasn’t here this morning? I ask through my mind-link.
“Anders notified them you were with him. All is well, Princess.”
My tension and anxiety over disappointing them ease. I can focus on eating my breakfast. Anders and Nathan enter the kitchen, and after bidding Anders farewell, Tater lays a plate of breakfast in front of Nathan. He sits at the breakfast nook with me.
“So today is my favorite day of the week. It’s the one day I follow up on business with the pack. Would you be interested in tagging along with me.”
I nod enthusiastically.
“Great. Duck will join us, and he can share all about the pack’s history and how we came to be in the dairy business.”
We spend the entire day together. I fall in love with the territory, the pack members, the dairy, and the farms. I love listening to the two men share their beloved history of the pack business and its expansion into sustainable agriculture.
By the end of the day, I also fall in love with two more men, who accept me and love me as if I am truly one of their own.