"Come tell me what happened, Nadya. Let's get inside where it's safer, and you can explain what happened to us." He ushered me inside the front door, almost carrying me, and brought me to his study. He put me down on the couch there and called for his brothers to come and bring Aurora.
"Tell us everything that happened, Nadya," Cassius spoke as the rest of the family settled into the study.
"I have to leave. He's here. He's come for me, and he will kill you all if I don't either return with him or lure him away from you. I shouldn't be here. It will only bring the danger to your front door like I want to avoid." I stood up. I needed to leave.
"You are safe for the moment, Nadya. Just tell us what has happened." I sighed and walked over to the window to look over the gardens as I recounted the day's tale.
I breezed past the festival happenings until the last dance, where I had spotted Dustin. I shared how I had run and my vision had been fulfilled, how Spencer had shown up, prepared to fight Dustin alone when the other wolf had attacked him, giving Spencer time to get me out of there, and how he had brought me to the mansion to be safe, how I needed to leave. Cassius was suddenly there in front of me, holding me. He kissed the top of my head.
"You are family, Nadya. We would never abandon you to Dustin. If we come together, we can defeat him."
I shook my head, disagreeing with him. I wasn't worth the price that would have to be paid. My heart clenched at the thought of how I had almost agreed to marry Spencer. I wouldn't have been able to run then. I needed to leave; I didn't belong here. I didn't belong anywhere.
"Nadya, no." Cassius's hands stroked my head again as he disagreed with my thoughts.
I loved Spencer, but I wouldn't marry him. I wouldn't stay. Cassius sighed his disapproval as he listened in. I stood in his arms, tearing up, looking out the window. I sat up in surprise. I could feel a presence I hadn't thought ever to feel again.
"What is it, Nadya?" I didn't answer.
I looked out the window and gasped, covering my mouth with a hand. I turned and ran from the room out the back door. Cassius spotted what I was running toward and stopped at the backdoor, letting me run across the gardens to him.
As I neared my goal, my feet flew across the cobblestones that made up the garden pathway. I couldn't breathe. He was here. I finally closed the distance between us and threw myself at him as his huge arms caught me up in an embrace. He buried his face in my neck, and I started crying again.
It had been him. He had helped save me, giving Spencer the chance to carry me away to temporary safety. He held me, snuggling into my hair, breathing in my scent, I knew.
"I've missed you," he whispered into my ear.
I tightened my hold around him, unwilling to let him go. How had he gotten here? How had he known that Dustin was attacking me? I felt him pull back from me a little, so I eased my hold on him. His hands came to frame my face, delving his eyes into mine with a look of wonder and deep affection.
"Still as beautiful as ever," he whispered as he looked at me. I smiled at him, reaching out to touch his face as well.
"Hans," I breathed out. He smiled at me then, wrapping me up in another big bear hug.
"Nadya, my little Chivute, you are a hard one to track down!" He released me from his arms but took my hand to guide me over to the closest garden bench for us to sit down on. "I've been looking for you from the moment I heard you had fled your family. I wanted to bring you back to be with me, so I came here to convince you to leave and return with me. I wanted to ensure it was safe to approach you first, so I started to watch you, observing your new life for a short time. That's when I saw how happy you are here, how this really is your home now, how you had fallen in love, and I knew I couldn't ask you to come back with me.
"I picked up on Dustin's scent and knew he had come for you as well. I determined to stay in the shadows, tracking him very carefully, waiting until he tried to take you. After watching your life, I know now that you are meant to be here. You are meant to be with another wolf."
I looked down when he said this. He was wrong. I was meant to leave and be alone.
"You cannot run from Dustin forever, Nadya. I have watched you with him, you know, the man you love. You belong with him."
"How can you belong with someone when you feel like you don't know them at all?"
"Nadya, he is still the same man, even if he is a werewolf. It is not easy for us to reveal our true nature to another. It is the greatest risk of all and has to be done very carefully. Even I wouldn't have shared that with you if you hadn't already known when you came with me. It takes time.
"You're scared, Nadya. Just like you were too scared to open up to me truly." He held a piece of folded paper out to me and whispered, "This is where you belong."
I gently took the paper he offered me and opened it. My tears gathered in my eyes as I looked down at a drawing. It was the image of me throwing my arms around Spencer, a smile on my face, and a ring on my finger. It was from when Spencer had asked me to marry him.
I looked up at Hans. He reached next to the bench, pulled up my picture frame with his other drawing inside, and handed it to me.
"I found this." I stroked the frame with my fingers and looked up at Hans. His eyes were kind, and he gave me a half-sad smile as he said, "And this." My engagement ring was there, held out to me by him.
"It is the greatest risk of all and has to be done very carefully," Hans' words echoed in my mind as I looked at the ring.
Spencer had tried to tell me, had wanted to, but had been prevented by circumstances that weren't his fault. The question remained; could I risk his life to be with him, though? Spencer's own words came back to me,
"Don't you think it should be my decision whether or not I take that risk?"
"Go to him, Nadya."
I looked up at Hans, and he looked over at the tree line, nodding his head in the direction where his eyes were. I turned and looked. Spencer stood there, watching us. I looked back at Hans, and he smiled at me.
"Your home is here, and it's time to stop running. I'm willing to help make you safe. Go to him."
I looked over at Spencer and started to rise when Hans grabbed my wrist. I looked back at him for a second as he slid the ring back on my finger and released me, giving me a knowing smile and a nod. I turned back to Spencer.
I took a few slow steps, then I was walking fast, and then I broke out into a run. Spencer watched me come to him, opening his arms as I neared. He caught me up in them as my outstretched hands framed his face, bringing his face to mine for a deep kiss as he held me in the air above him.
My heart ached as I kissed him, but not from betrayal or grief; it finally felt whole after our time apart. My bleeding heart was whole again. His arms were my home; it was where I belonged.
I pulled back to look into his beautiful eyes below mine, and my engagement ring sparkled where it rested on his face.
"I love you, Spencer." I brushed his hair from his face before resettling my hands there. I leaned in and kissed him lightly before whispering on his lips, "Will you marry me?"
He laughed, and the most beautiful smile spread across his face. He set me down so he could cup my face and kiss me. I kissed him back, and his arms wrapped around me again, holding me up against his muscular chest.
"As soon as you're safe, Lenny." He kissed me again, communicating just how much he had missed me.
I closed my eyes and rested against his chest, surrounded by his strong arms. I breathed in his woody scent, listening to his heart beat out its steady rhythm. He slowly started moving, dancing with me as he held me, looking at me with such love. I laughed and smiled up at him, loving his closeness.
Just for the moment, I felt a sense of peace, forgetting the troubles and danger surrounding us. I wanted to hang on to our moment forever.
Spencer kissed me and whispered, "So, were you planning on introducing your friend?" I flushed, embarrassed that I had forgotten that Hans was watching us. He put his arm around my shoulders as we walked over to Hans.
"Spencer, this is Hans. Hans, this is Spencer." Hans smiled broadly and offered his hand to Spencer, who took it and smiled back.
"It's so nice to meet someone who influenced Lenny's life so much," Spencer said as their arms fell back to their sides.
"And it's a pleasure to meet you. It's nice to know Nadya found someone who makes her happy, who's good for her."
"Thank you for helping save Lenny. You probably saved my life as well, and I can't thank you enough."
"I'm just glad that it worked out. If he hadn't been so distracted trying to track and find Lenny while disposing of the supernatural creatures in the area, I'm not sure I would have been successful."
"How did you ever find me, Hans? Do you know how Dustin did?" I asked. Hans looked at me and smiled.
"Your picture was in a local newspaper that got picked up by a wolf I knew in the area. I had spread the word that I was looking for you, so when he saw the picture, he sent a copy to me, so I came. I assume the same photo somehow made its way into Dustin's hands. The article was about multiple colleges and mentioned the other town with that college which is why I believe Dustin started his search there; his killing spree being centered around that town. It wasn't until later that he located you here instead and zeroed in on you. I had found you first, so I was able to help keep an eye on him and even distract him as needed here and there." He had been here all along, then.
"Hans, thank you." On an afterthought, I looked at him and asked with a suspicious smile, "Was that you by my woodpile the other night?" He laughed at me and winked.
Spencer looked down at me, asking, "When was that, exactly?"
"When you were recovering." I looked back at Hans with an apologetic look, blushing, and said, "I'm sorry I swung my lantern at you and 'shooed' you away."
Hans laughed, "It's alright. You didn't know, and all I could do was smile at your spunk."
Spencer thought aloud, "Well, it makes more sense to me now why I found a bunch of scents on old newspapers featuring that alleyway." Hans nodded and looked down at me.
"Let's go meet your vampires, shall we? We have some things that we need to talk through, mainly that bastard of a Chivute."