Sirous wanted to confront her, but there were two things stopping him.Brew was first and foremost in his mind.Brew would kill him and make him suffer if he so much as looked at his mate in the wrong way.He’d also make him suffer in ways that he had not thought of, too.Then the second thing was that she was his queen.Touching her or saying a cross word to her would bring down the council on his head, and while he’d be dead, he would suffer in ways that would make what Brew did to him seem like a walk in the park.They had been around forever and had perfected making vampires suffer at their hands.Or so he’d heard all his life.
They enjoyed their evening, and he was glad for that.While they’d been talking, Yosef had joined them, and they were all there now.The six of them had grown up together and had fought in so many wars together that they were more like brothers than friends.And he loved them more than he thought possible right now.
When he was shown his room, he was happy that he’d been told that he could enhance it in any way that he felt he needed.All he wanted was to have more room when he paced and to have lighting when he read.The bed was comfortable enough, but he changed it out for his own, knowing that he’d sleep better on it than the new one in the room.He also brought some of his paperwork with him to the new room so that he could finish up whatever he had going before next week.
He had a hard time remembering why he wanted to do this when he’d been around his friends and brothers.But as soon as he was alone, he felt the loneliness all over again, and it depressed him deeply.Next week, he’d be dead, and he found that he wasn’t looking forward to it as much as he’d been before.But knowing as soon as this trip was over, he’d go back to wondering why he was still hanging around if he didn’t do it.It was for the best that he went through with this now rather than put it off anymore.
~*~
Tabby knew that the wolves surrounding the property weren’t wild ones.She knew that they were shifters and an old lot of them, too.But so long as they didn’t bother her, she didn’t bother with them either.They had allowed her to get a much-needed good night’s sleep and had even shared their meat with her when they had it.Today, she was going to venture out of the woods and try to find herselfsomeplace that would keep her safe from her mother.She was out to get her, and Tabby just wanted to be left alone.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”She knew the pack master for what he was and bowed before him.“You’ve been taught well, and I like that, but you’re not supposed to be here.My men said you’ve been hiding out for the last several days now, and I’m only just now hearing about it.”
“I meant them no harm, and it’s not their fault that I’m here.I am hiding out and plan on finding myself other accommodations today when I make my way into town.”He asked her who she was hiding from.“My mother.She has it in her head that I’d be better off dead than alive since she thinks that I have things and money that she could get off my dead body.I assure you that I have nothing more than the clothing on my back, and some of it was given to me yesterday by the pack you have here.”
“They also told me that they’d been feeding you when you didn’t have anything to eat.Is that true?”She asked him to not blame the men around the land, as she’d been the one begging for a meal.“So they said.I appreciate you being so honest with me, but for the third time, you’re not supposed to be here.”
“I promise you what I’ve said to you is true.I’m hiding from my mother.”He said that he believed her, but why in the woods?“She’s deathly afraid of the woods and what might be inside of them.The last time she tried to find me in some wooded area, she’d been nipped at by some animal, and now she swears that all woods are contaminated by wild beasts.I believe she still holds the marks of the animal now, and it has marred her looks.According to her, it’s all my fault and just one more thing that she wants to kill me over.”
“I have a feeling that it’s more than that, but I’m afraid that it will have to wait for another day.Today I’ll take you to a house that sits on the property that we rent, and you can stay there.If she is so afraid of the forest and what’s inside of it, she’ll never find you unless you venture from it without my protection.”She asked him why he’d go to so much trouble for her.“I was hiding away at one time from someone, and I know what it’s like to have nothing but your fear to keep you company.If you’d like a job too, I have some things around the pack house that you could do as well.I pay a fair wage.”
“I’ll take it.”He laughed, asking her if she wanted to know what it was.“Not if it pays a good wage.I’ll do anything to be able to support myself while on the run.I’ve been beaten up so many times that I’m fearful that I’m all scars and nothing more.”
“You’re quite beautiful, as I’m sure you know.”She shrugged, telling him in her own way that she didn’t think that at all.“I’ll take you there now, and we’ll see about getting you some supplies.Like I said, so long as you stay in the wooded area around the building, you’ll be fine.Beyond that, that’s the best that I can do.”
They talked about the building that she was going to be using as they walked across the creek bed where she’d been hiding.He told her that there was running water as well as a fireplace she could use to keep herself warm.He cautioned her about using it until they had a chance to have a look at it, and she agreed with him.There was no point in burning down the forest just because she wanted a warm bowl of soup rather than one straight out of the can.
It wasn’t just a building but an old house.It had a good roof over it, and there was a wraparound porch that still had a couple of chairs on it.The windows were all dirty and green, but she didn’t care so long as she could have a place of her own for a time.Even the bed, which looked new to her, was something that she was looking forward to resting on.She nearly hugged and kissed the big wolf, but didn’t.She didn’t want her scent on him so that others might find her.Her mother wasn’t above having others look for her while she was hiding.
After being left alone to her own devices, she took a much-needed long, hot shower and used the equally new towels that had been laid out for her.The man must have worked very hard to have gotten the place ready for her, and she would forever be grateful to him for seeing to her needs instead of tossing her out of the first safe place she’d been in for years.
There was more to the story than her mother just wanting her dead and whatever she had onher.While they both knew that there wasn’t any, it was the things that Tabby could do that her mother wanted her for.She’d been born with the gift of sight, and her mother wanted to use it for her own needs, like the races and ball games that were being played.She’d be able to bet on them and come out the winner every time if she were given the correct answers as to who won those games.Not only was she able to see the games and who turned out to be the winner, but also other games of chance, too, like the lottery.Her mother didn’t know about that just yet and was fearful that she’d find out sooner rather than later what she could do.
Making the little house her home, she was glad that Conri, the big wolf’s name, had found her.More than likely, he could taste her magic on her; she’d been told by other powerful beings that it was easy to do, and had felt sorry for her.She didn’t care, but she was going to do him a good job when she started working for him in the morning.Tabby didn’t care what it was, the job, she’d do it with the best of her abilities and hope that he’d allow her to stay there forever.It was just the perfect place for her to lay low and take care of herself at the same time.
After the chimney was checked, she was able to start a small fire in the hearth.She had cans of food in the pantry that had been left for her, as well as a loaf of bread and some lunch meat in the working refrigerator.She was about as excited as she’d been in a while for some of the comforts of home at her fingertips.
After a much-needed shower, she was able to sit in the living area and read a book.It had been so long since she’d been able to do anything that was restful, and she was going to enjoy it.As she was getting ready for bed, she found some more clothing for her as well as some toiletries that she could use.Having a place to brush her teeth felt like heaven, and she was all the happier for it.Once she was in bed, it took her no time at all to fall asleep and not wake until the sun was coming up the next morning.
Stretching, she decided to take another shower just to wash the sleep out of her eyes.The water was hot and the spray was strong, so she was able to work out some of the tense muscles that her good night’s sleep hadn’t.Tabby was ready when the pack was at her door to take her to the pack house so she could get in a good day’s work.
Hoping that the job was something she knew how to do, she was thankful for something to occupy her mind.It had been a long time since she’d been able to hold down any sort of job while looking over her shoulder all the time.Her mother had employed others to help find her, and they weren’t as good at scoping her out as her mother could.It was almost as if she had a sixth sense about where she was all the time.Going into the packhouse, she was ready to begin her day.She was also happy that she’d remembered to bring her a sandwich for lunch so that she’d not have to leave the area and perhaps get caught.She wasn’t going to jeopardize her new place to be safe for anything.
After a long day of filing things away for the big wolf, she headed home.She hadn’t worked in so long that she thought she’d used up muscles that she’d not been able to use in a while.Especially her brain.Having a slight headache made her want to rest when she got home, and she laid down on the big bed.It was comforting to know that she could sleep without worries and wake up refreshed.She was going to like working for Conri, and she hoped that he would keep her around for a long time.
Taking a walk after her supper, she decided to see how far she could go before coming to the end of the woods.But before she got too much further than her home, she found a large man practicing with a sword.He seemed to know what he was doing with it, and she stood mesmerized for several minutes just watching him practice.He seemed to be determined or pissed off about having to practice, and she wondered why he was doing it at all.There were better things to work with than a sword.He could just use a log should he want to build up his upper body strength.
After watching him for another half hour, he left.She did as well, following the path to her home to get to bed early.She would have to work again in the morning and found herself looking forward to it.It made her day go by faster, and she liked that.But she did miss talking to someone at the end of her day.It was nice having a conversation just before bed.
By the fifth day, she had gotten everything filed that needed to be put away.Conri was happywith the way things were going and told her that she had the job, should she want it.He said that his desk had never been so cleared off, and he could actually sit down with his family at night and not have to worry about the mess he had in his office.She told him that she’d take the job so long as she could live in the house, and he said it was fine by him.It was good to have someone in the house, as squatters wouldn’t be taking the thing over so long as she lived there.
“I have a group going into town tomorrow to get some supplies.If you make up a list of things that you need, I’ll have them pick them up for you.By the way, there is a woman in town looking for you.I assumed it was your mother by the description that was given to me.She’s asking a lot of questions.”She asked if he was going to tell her where she was.“No, I’d never do that.You’re here under my protection, and no one will say a word about you being here.Trust me when I tell you, she’ll never get to you while I’m around.”
“Why?Why are you protecting me like this?You don’t know me.For all you know, I could be a mass murderer and have killed several people.”He said there was something about her that made him need to protect her.Something about her said she was his sister.“You mean that I might be the mate to one of your brothers?”
“No.They’ve all been around here and know your scent now.You’re not related to any of them.However, they feel the same way.This need to protect you.It might just be because you’re a female down on her luck, but I don’t know.There are a bunch of vampires nearby that I’ve come to love like my own brothers, so perhaps it’s one of them.As I said, I don’t know.But I will do what I need to make sure that you’re safe.”She told him about the man with the sword that she’d seen a couple of times now.“That would be one of the vampires.His name is Yosef.He’s a good man.You should introduce yourself to him sometime.You’ll like him.He has a duty to do soon, and he’s not looking forward to it.”
“What sort of duty?”He told her that he was to kill another vampire so that he could end his life.“He doesn’t seem to want to do it as he’s forever pissed off when he’s out here practicing.I had no idea that he was going to kill someone.Is there any way that he can get out of it?”
