Like jasmine flowers, blooming in a hedge of honeysuckle…
“Just calm down, okay?” she says. “Don’t attack me. We can work this out.”
Emotion builds in my chest, ringing through my throat as a sharp whine. Details bounce out at me—her incredibly long, thick black hair, curling all the way down to her hips. Her soft, wide curves, pale skin, and beautiful, deep violet eyes.
The excitement and surprise that surge in me are quickly replaced by a rush of shame and fear. My skin prickles with hot needles, and it feels like my tongue is stuck in my throat.
I never forgot this woman, even though my time with her was very brief. I knew I was a fool to get involved with her—I was on a mission, and I broke every rule just to get close to her, knowing the whole time that I couldn’t stay with her.
Circumstances changed in a blinding instant, as they often do during Shadow operations, and I left without even saying goodbye. I tried to forget her and what I had done to her, but I realize now all I did was bury the memory of her under my next mission and my sense of duty.
It’s been three years, and I haven’t thought of her once since the last night I saw her. When I held her in my arms and promised her it was forever, and disappeared in the night, leaving her to wake to the new day alone. Nothing but broken promises and heartache left in the room where we shared our hearts and opened our souls.
Under the scrutiny of her intense, violet gaze, I actually back up a step. She looks frightened, but steady and in control.
Just like I remember her.
I take another step back, seriously considering vanishing into the woods before she recognizes me. It’s only momentary, a shock reaction quickly replaced by excitement and a strong dose of suspicion.
I have to find out what she’s doing here. Did she come to find me?
Chapter 2 - Alisha
From Caliente, I struck out east into the woods, having no clear idea where I was going. The only thing on my mind was to keep moving, to stay ahead of Paul at all costs.
I’ve been running for so long, I can’t remember what it feels like to stand still!
The woods get thicker, and around me, steep hills begin to rise. The air is warm and dry, and I start to worry I’m heading straight out into pure, untamed wilderness.
I should have looked at a map. What was I thinking?
Grumbling softly under my breath as a branch whips back to hit me in the face, I know that I wasn’t thinking at all.
I don’t have time to fucking think.
My breath heaving in and out of my lungs begins to burn my throat, and suddenly, it feels like my heart is going to crack right through my breastbone. I stop partway up the slope to put my hands on my knees and gulp for air. I know this isn’t all from exertion—my body is practically seizing up with fear.
How long can I keep this up?
Despair joins the panic inside me, swirling my guts into a bubbling potion of pure nausea. The pain in my chest becomes sharper, and tears sting my eyes.
I can’t…I just can’t keep going!
Taking slow breaths, I manage to settle the pain, but I can still barely move. I’ve been on the run for over a month now, and I’ve quickly learned it’s nowhere near as fun as it looks in the movies.
Straightening up, I decide to walk to the top of the bluff and try to get my bearings. As I take small, careful steps through the low bushes and loose rocks, memories of Paul taunt my mind until I’m flooded with fear again.
We met in Vegas, in the crappy bar where I worked. My heart was bruised, and he was charming as well as cute. Before I realized what was happening, he’d taken over my life. Low-level emotional abuse escalated into full-on threats until I told him I was leaving him—and a couple of hours later, he burned my house down.
Even though I try to focus on the horrible, final weeks of our relationship, all I can think about is the early days, when he told me I was beautiful, smart, and special. His attention was exactly what I needed after coming out of a tough situation, and Paul played loving boyfriend to the hilt. He held me gently at night, brought me my favorite food, and learned all the things I was passionate about.
I know. It all screams “too good to be true,” but I was hurting, and I just couldn’t see it.
When I awoke to my house in flames, I was shocked to find Paul pulling me out of the burning building. At first, I thought it was an unfortunate coincidence, until he informed me he did it to force me to come with him. I managed to get away while he was trying to shove me into the back of his car, and I haven’t stopped running since.
Town after town, I’d stop for a rest, only to get the horrific feeling he was breathing down my neck. I don’t know exactly what alerted me, but I’d suddenly feel the need to hide. Not long after, he’d pass through, leaving me frozen like an ice sculpture until I could finally slip away and put some distance between us.
Paul being able to find me isn’t surprising. He’s a wolf, so tracking my scent wouldn’t be a problem for him. The real mystery is how I keep managing to dodge him.
