Beginnings - The start of Hunted.

Chapter 9 - Betrayal

A/N - Warning... this is the one where she's captured for the first time and taken away for the ten months of full on stuff. So it gets dark at the end. There's an assult as well... so if this topic makes you uncomfortable, you can probably skip this chapter. It's covered in the first few chapters of Hunted. :)

Remember Anne remembers pretty much nothing of any of this.

______________________________________________

I woke again to find him throwing things into his suitcase, somehow doing it nearly even in his haste, and I saw that almost all my stuff was already packed up. I'd forgotten we were moving today.

"What about the food?"

"We're taking that too. Can't waste good food." Nick gestured towards the plastic bags on the table. "Can you carry somethin-"

He froze, climbing into the bed, pulling up the arm that the man had grabbed. Nick's face darkened as he stared at the swelling red and purple blotches there. "Damn. I should have put an ice pack on that."

"It's not that bad." Well, okay, it wasn't that good. But he'd done enough last night to make me feel good. "Ice pack at your place. I can carry stuff with my other arm."

"All right." Nick stroked across the tender skin and brushed my hair out of the way to check the bite. It wasn't that bad either. "Want a shower first?"

I nodded and stood up, slowly, Nick's eyes drifting down to between my legs where there was a trail of dried blood down the inside.

"Was I too rough?"

"No." I shook my head, standing up, Nick's arm coming to help. "It's okay. I'll shower and wash it off."

I made my way into the shower before he could argue, cringing as stepping into the bath made parts of me ache like they'd never ached, aware that maybe he and I had gotten a bit carried away last night. Not that I really minded, exactly, I had no memories of it hurting. It had only been good. The skin was a bit swollen though and it was still bleeding, just a fraction.

Yep. We'd gotten a bit carried away.

Nick came in with clothing for me, watching me shower, his lips twitching as he openly took in my naked body now. That smile increased when I went red and shut the shower curtain on him.

He waited till I was done, not budging, and when I stepped out, made it clear he was helping me dress. Then we headed downstairs, hailing a cab, and the taxi driver waited patiently as Nick had to go back upstairs for another armful. I stood there for a few minutes while he went up for the of the plastic bags.

I saw him then. That man, from last night, standing there across the street. He was just watching me, no expression on his face, but it terrified me all over again.

He'd said he'd hunt me down.

Just as it looked like he was about to cross the road, Nick came, and we slid into the taxi. I didn't tell him who I'd seen. I didn't know why, fear maybe, but we left him behind. Nick helped me unpack my stuff into the spare room before heading off to help Clayton with something. There was a bar he'd meet me at, later that day, and I could help myself to the fridge and movie. He trusted me to stay in his home, on my own.

Not before Nick tugged me into his bed though so he could 'properly' say goodbye. Again I forgot about the pain, or not getting carried away.

Afterwards, Nick slid off me again, rolling over so I was resting on top of him, our sweaty skin cooling, the sound of a front door slamming and someone coming in.