Werewolf and Vampire Mate [Book 1 Complete]

chapter nine.

April

I am barefoot and wearing nothing but a long t-shirt; I realize my mistake only seconds after I leave the parking lot, but I will not turn back...cannot turn back.

The sun has almost completely set and I am in an unfamiliar part of town, not fully dressed.

The city streets are quiet, some cars speeding past but there are little to no pedestrians. I run until my feet burn so badly that I have to slow down. I've shared my location with Nik through the cell phone. I don't know how long it's been.

Will he find me?

I feel a presence at my back, looming like a shadow and I quicken my pace again, glancing over my shoulder. Nothing but the empty, dimly-lit street greets me. Still, the feeling persists and I slip into an alley between buildings, trying to get away. It is dark and grimy down here, but perhaps has a nook I can hide in.

A sense of foreboding has invaded my chest. I begin to regret leaving the relative safety of the motel room.

There is a brush against my back, like the gentle touch of a feather and I spin. But the alley is empty. My heart is slamming in my chest like it is trying to break free, my breath coming out in short, panicked pants.

"April."

I spin again and there is Nik. He stands in an unrumpled suit, perfect against the disgusting backdrop of the filthy bricks and mortar.

I nearly keel over in fright at his sudden appearance. How did he get in front of me?

He pops open the button to his suit jacket as he slowly steps toward me. "It's alright. You're safe now."

It sounds true, coming from him. But something inside of me vehemently disagrees.

He slips his jacket off and places it around my shoulders. I realize I'm shivering. It's not too cold out, a minor chill in the air, but I shake like a leaf. He tugs his jacket snugly around me.

"You're hurt." His thumb feathers over the bruise on my forehead and I shiver closer to him.

"I just want to go home," I tell him, my voice breathy and unsteady. He looks me over, from head to toe, then draws me into his chest.

"Close your eyes," he instructs, his arms like a granite vice around me.

"Why?"

He lifts me off the ground and the world turns to a blur, wind rushing in my ears. We are moving so fast that my stomach dips and twists like I'm on a rollercoaster. I bury my face in Nik's shoulder, gripping onto him for dear life. I can't even scream; the force of the world around me won't let me draw in air.

Then, suddenly, it's quiet.

The gentle chirp of a bird. The soft stirring of leaves.

Panting, I slowly raise my head. We are back in front of his mansion, where this all began.

"No, no." I shake my head, trying to back away from him, but I can't move. He still holds me in the tight circle of his arms. "I want to go home. Not here."

"Come inside, April. Let me explain," he insists, though doesn't move to force me inside, despite the fact that he could. I can feel the strength in his arms, inhuman strength.

"I don't want to be part of this," I cry. "I don't want any of it."

"I can take you home, if that's what you want. But know that he will come for you if you're there, unprotected. And he clearly has no qualms in taking you without your consent," Nik says, his expression tight. "Or you can come inside and let me explain. And we will figure out what to do from there. Together."