She reached the back fence and propelled herself up and over it, leaping with the ease and grace of a wild thing. Then the wind shifted, and a scent was carried to her nose in mid-air. She heard the snatch of a voice. Was it her Alpha? She couldn't be sure, but it came from the house. She had only a scant few minutes before they realized she was gone.
Jaime hit the ground hard on the other side of the fence, having misjudged the distance. She grunted and staggered, almost crying out as pain shot up her leg, but she caught herself on a tall pine tree. She bit her lip and took a second to regain her balance, then forced herself to keep moving. There was a small island of trees directly behind the house, and through the trees she could see hints of a road and more rows of houses. It appeared that she was being kept on the outskirts of Black River in a poor residential district; she recognized the area. Sighed in relief. At least she was close to home.
Jaime pushed her way through the trees until she was on the road, a ribbon of cracked asphalt leading her through the winding neighborhood. Only a few blocks away she could see where the forest ran straight up to the back of the houses, leading into the high mountains. She was practically already in the trees. Her instincts told her that would be the way to go; she very well couldn't run through town wearing a jumpsuit from the police station. Most likely the cops were out looking for her at that moment.
Without looking back, she took off running down the street, as fast as her injured leg would allow her. She kept to the bushes and shrubs between houses and didn't move out into the open until she had turned down the next block. Then she took to the sidewalk and sprinted for all she was worth.
She was desperate, in pain, and losing energy... but she had to get away. Remaining his prisoner would get her nowhere, except perhaps in his bed, and she would die first. She would not become his mate. Never.
Gasping for air and grimacing in pain, she continued her way toward the forest.
* * * *
Sirus was halfway through the kitchen when his bags dropped to the floor. He paused abruptly, eyes dilating, sniffing the air carefully for the draft that had just tickled his nose. No, impossible. Unless somehow her smell had drifted through the very cracks in the floorboards....
“Oh no, back so soon-” Darren's voice started wryly from the living room, but Sirus cut him off with a glance. Instead he strode quickly through the kitchen to the hallway, where he walked to the basement door and yanked it open. Her smell—it was everywhere. He breathed deeply, an intoxicating scent that clouded his head with heat, made his skin tingle and his hands itch to touch. She was so close to her wolf-moon... it was even more obvious than the heaviness of her perfume and the heady overlay of her fear.
And yet... something wasn't right.
His gut settled in cold certainty. Sirus took the stairs two at a time, leaping easily to the bottom and spilling into the basement, already knowing she was gone. He came to a halt and looked around the cement room, at the bed that stood broken and empty against the far wall, illuminated by the thin beam of light from the high window. No trace of her; not so much as a hair.
Smiling wryly, Sirus walked slowly across the room, eyeing where she had broken the bed post to free herself. He traced his fingers over the sheets, feeling the residue of her warmth. The grin pulled wider on his lips, and he let out a low laugh, shaking his head.
“Nothing? Not even a note goodbye?” he muttered. Somehow, he had figured this would happen. He expected nothing less from his future mate... from the girl he had tracked for the past four years, who had eluded him again and again. Why had he thought it would be easy this time, just because he had finally decided to come for her? To make it real?
“I suppose it's more interesting this way,” he murmured to himself, turning from the bed and heading back upstairs. Yes, more interesting, and more of a challenge, which was unexpectedly welcome. He hadn't been forced to use his hunting abilities for a long time, not since his Tracking days.
He climbed the stairs quickly and exited into the hallway, her trail now crystal clear to him. No wonder her smell was so fresh—she must have just left. In fact, he was surprised they hadn't bumped into each other at the door.
Darren and Aiden met him in the hall; both men paused at the look on his face. Sirus glanced at them, his expression dark. They both looked wary.
“Something wrong, Alpha?” Darren asked, sniffing the air, obviously noticing Jaime's strong scent.
Aiden, the older, burlier werewolf who owned the house, took a puff of his cigarette. He blew it out into the hallway. “She's gone, ain't she?”
Sirus didn't bother to respond. He looked down the hallway in the direction she had ran, memorizing each footstep: out through the back yard, probably over the fence.
“We must move quickly,” he said, and started down the hall, walking fast. “Apparently she's used to this kind of thing.” He passed the kitchen and glanced into it regretfully; it was a shame she had run. He had brought home soup.
He reached the back door and exited the building, beginning to run, moving at a speed faster than any normal human. He took the fence in one smooth leap.
Which way had she gone? He tilted his head to the wind — there, toward the forest. Her trail was so strong that he could practically feel the laboring beat of her heart, the heavy pant of her breath. But there was something new about her scent now, a texture that was thicker and fuller... blood. Her wounds had opened. It filled him with a sudden surge of anger and strange anticipation; it made the hunt more instinctual, more feral. He started off in that direction, moving quickly but not at his full speed. Something about the chase satisfied him in a deep, primal way. The wolf longed to hunt down and claim its prey.
There was no need to rush; he would catch up with her inevitably, she was too badly wounded. He already knew where she was headed, after all. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter 4
Jaime had finally made her way through the residential blocks and now found herself confronted by a wide, open lot of land, half laid with cracked concrete. It looked like at one time it had been a train yard, but it was now long abandoned, only a few scattered shipping cars and a set of empty railroad tracks at the back of the lot. On the other side of the railroad tracks was a thick border of forest.
She paused at the top of the hill leading down to the empty train yard. Every breath labored in her lungs; her energy was almost completely drained, her wounds stinging and burning as though they were on fire. She could barely put weight on her leg, and each step was accompanied by a heavy limp. But there — so close she could practically feel the shade of the trees — lay her salvation.
She started down the hill, moving as quickly as possible, using fallen branches and debris to help her descent. She bit her lip so hard it bled, forcing herself to focus through the pain. Just a little ways longer and she would be in the forest, then she would use what was left of her wolf abilities to disappear into the wilderness. She knew he was already following her, but she was sure she could lose him in the trees... there were rivers and thickets she could run through, caves and burrows she had discovered over the past two years, every full moon while out exploring the mountain. Once she had lost him, she would figure out what to do.
Jaime reached level ground and started across the train yard, now able to move more easily. She tried to stay as sheltered as possible in the exposed area — there were few shrubs or rocks to hide behind, and the majority of the old train cars were on the other side of the yard. There was a good half-mile between her and the border of the trees. She would have to hurry.
She was barely halfway across the open space when the wind shifted again, and a sudden smell assaulted her nose. A finger of ice slid down her spine and her gut clenched; she struggled to stay calm. She could recognize that smell anywhere.... He was so close that it was hard to breathe, like the wind had been knocked out of her.
Slowing to a stumbling halt, Jaime turned and looked behind her, unable to do anything el
se. Her eyes widened and she had to stop her hands from shaking — there, silhouetted on the hill that she had just been standing on, was an unmistakable figure. His tall, muscular form was easily outlined against the sinking sun, casting him in an eerily bloody glow. Two others flanked him. There was a silent pause as they stared at each other.
Abruptly the wind shifted and a new scent reached her nose, one she hadn't expected; a distant rush of noise caused hope to bloom in her chest. She glanced behind her, stunned, as a train whistle blew from somewhere in the forest. The scent of steel and fuel was unmistakable. A train? Now?
It was almost impossible to believe, too good to be true. With a split-second decision, Jaime changed course and turned to run straight for the train tracks nearest to her. She burst into a sprint, overwhelmed by a rush of desperate adrenaline; she knew he followed. Her leg weighed her down like an anchor, but she forced herself to keep going. She had to move faster than him; she only had a small head start and she had to make it to the train before he reached her.
“There! Quick!” a voice called; Darren's voice, she thought. It made her heart race, her feet pounding the ground, each step causing a jolt of pain through her body.
The cement came to an end and she reached a long stretch of gravel, leading to a rusted, crooked wire fence; it served as a barrier between the yard and the tracks. Her eyes searched the fence desperately, looking for any kind of opening... she was running out of time! The train was working its way closer, still invisible though the rhythmic chugging was now loud in her ears. She could practically feel her enemy's hot breath on her neck, his strong hands reaching for her, his presence thick and dominating....
Finally she spotted a small gap between the bottom of the fence and the ground, half-hidden by weeds, where loose wires had caused it to curl up slightly. Yes! Without hesitation, she threw herself towards it, diving low to the ground and rolling on her shoulder. She skidded through the harsh gravel, scrambling under the fence and barely slipping her thin stomach past the jagged wires.
Wham!
“AAH!” she screamed, shocked when a body hit the fence right next to her—he was so close! She continued to scream as she twisted across the ground. For a moment her leg caught, and she kicked and writhed, lashing like a caught fish, shrieking when she thought she felt a hand grab her foot — but then she was through, free of the wiring, the sound of ripping fabric echoing in her ears.
“Dammit!” she heard from behind her, but it was drowned out by the roar of the train as it burst from the trees, chugging full steam down the steel tracks. Jaime dragged herself up the slight incline and paused, the train tracks a mere foot from her back. She was so tired that she could barely move, her whole body shaking. She looked below her at the fence, eyes wide, heart hammering.
Her eyes landed on her pursuer. Her breath caught. For a moment, she couldn't think.
He stood on the other side of the fence, gazing up at her as though he, too, was transfixed. He was only a few yards away. This was the first time she had ever seen him in broad daylight; the man who had taken her family, who had destroyed her entire life, who had stolen her first kiss....
He was... beautiful.
Dark hair, sculpted eyebrows, a sharp jaw and blue eyes so intense that she thought they were made of ice... and a long scar on his cheek, partly concealed by a five o'clock shadow. She pegged him in his late twenties. Suddenly a burst of heat ran through her, straight from her toes to her breasts, settling low in her belly. Her legs grew weak. For a moment she forgot why she had been running.
And then he grinned at her, a sickly look, almost mocking; it broke the spell. His teeth were sharp, elongated... his queer blue eyes were filled with tense, feral excitement. Hatred surged.
“Fuck off!” she screamed in rage, and started scrambling backwards up the gravel hill. The train was coming closer and closer, and she made it up to the tracks, pulling herself unsteadily to her feet. There she staggered onto the wooden boards and metal railing, hovering and wobbling directly in the train's path. But she couldn't take her eyes off of him; she couldn't stop from looking down, gazing at his handsome, cunning face, even as a growl lodged itself in her throat. It was all she could do to stand; she was out of resources. Her leg throbbed every time she shifted her weight, and her muscles trembled from supporting her. She had almost nothing left.
The male wolves had managed to widen the gap under the fence and were now slipping under it. Jaime watched the Alpha warily; he slipped under first, but refrained from rushing at her. Even when his two underlings joined him, they didn't make any move forward. The message was clear — she was his prey to deal with.
“Why run?” he called, his voice carrying above the wind and the nearing rush of the train. “Do you think I won't follow you?”
“You sick bastard,” she growled, looking around for a branch or rock, anything to defend herself with. She glared helplessly. “I wish you would die.”
“Such passion,” he mocked. “Am I really so bad? How about this — you come with me now and I won't leave any bruises.”
He outstretched his hand, barring his teeth as though he was laughing at her. His smile unnerved her... it was threatening and completely insincere.
She spat at him, wishing she could rake her fingers across his cheek as she had the night before. She could see the cuts she had left on the cheek opposite of the scar — they seemed small and insignificant.
“Never,” she growled, her voice thick with rage. “I will never join you! You think I would ever forgive you for what you did?!”
His strange smile broke — he glared up at her, anger flashing. “I saved your life!” he shouted. “I rescued you, goddammit!”
“Saved it? You ruined my life, you asshole! You killed my family, destroyed my pack, and you think I'm just going to forget that?” The wind from the approaching train was whipping her hair around, and she could barely hear her own words above its roar. The tracks trembled beneath her. “I will never forgive you, never! And I won't stop until I've tasted your fucking blood! You think I would ever be your mate? I'd kill myself first!”
He didn't seem to hear her. Her captor leapt forward, his arms outstretched. “Get off of the tracks, you idiot-!”
A piercing whistle blew desperately, and her head whipped around, the body of the train so close now that she could see the conductor through the windows, waving his arms frantically. She could feel the power of the rushing engine against the tracks, the gnash and moan of steel teeth, the screeching wheels....
At the last second Jaime threw herself backward, releasing a surge of strength, the last energy she had left. Her werewolf abilities kicked in for one last time and she flew back, the train roaring past her like a massive bullet, so close that she could have reached out and touched it... which is exactly what she did. Landing briefly on the ground, she used the rest of her momentum to propel herself upward and forward, leaping blindly with her arms outstretched, dropping all pretense of being human and embracing her wolf instincts—
Wham!
The force of the train almost knocked the air out of her, but she wrapped her damaged hands around the steel handle and clung on tight, ignoring the blood that seeped through her fingers, focusing all of her strength into her arms. Her grip was slippery, but she would not let go. She clung on for dear life, knowing that if she fell, then her escape would be impossible. She would be at the mercy of a murderer....
She cracked open her eyes. The machine continued its rhythmic chugging, the wind whipping and yanking at her hair, her bones jolted with each shock of the tracks... but she had made it. She was on the train.
Moving carefully, she pulled herself along the side of the car until she reached the end. She managed to latch onto the handrail at the back of the train, and she propelled herself up onto the small platform, collapsing against the steel floor when she was safely on board.
Raising her head, she looked back the way she had come, catching the outline of three figures sta
nding on the tracks, shrinking rapidly as the train carried her away. She wanted to wave, to laugh and taunt them, but she had no energy for it. The train entered the forest again, pulling away from the abandoned yard, the three figures vanishing around a bend in the trees. The tracks continued to hug the border of the town, heading around the outskirts of Black River before they started up into the mountains. She had ran along these tracks many times over the past year in her wolf form — usually she used them to guide her way home during the full moon.
And despite the dangers, that was exactly where she needed to go. Jaime bit her lip anxiously, hoping the cops wouldn't be at her house when she arrived, or her foster parents for that matter... she needed to get in, change her clothes, grab her emergency backpack and catch the first bus out of town. It was her only chance at freedom. She would have to lie low for a while, stay clear of the law, but she would be eighteen soon anyway and all of her offenses would be erased. A complete second chance. A new life. If only she could get away from that Alpha....
Sirus, her thoughts murmured. Somehow the name fit the cold glint in his eyes... pale, intense eyes that pierced like a knife....
Damn him. It was unexpected and distracting, his intelligent face, his perfect features. His presence confused her senses, mixing hate with an unexpected surge of heat and longing. But longing for what? She couldn't be sure... only that while she fought, while she kicked and scratched and screamed, some part of her wanted to give in, to just collapse and stop running, to face her fears as much as she wanted them to face her....
She sighed, leaning her head back against the train, enjoying the breeze that cooled her sweaty forehead. The sun was growing low in the sky, though it would take at least two more hours to disappear completely... enough sunlight to grab her stuff and head to the bus stop, not that darkness ever worried her.