And it worked. For three years, it worked. Until those photos showed up on my doorstep and I realized it was all for nothing. They found me anyway.
I sit on the edge of the king sized bed, my go-bag empty now, and feel the familiar weight of loneliness settle over me.
But then I remember, this time is different. This time, I have Keric and this entire commune of powerful orcs who don’t even know me but are willing to protect me because Keric asked them to.
This time, my secret is out. Keric knows I’ve been running and people are after me. He knows I’m dangerous to be around and he chose to help me anyway. For the first time in three years, I don’t have to lie every single day. Don’t have to create a fake backstory and remember all the details and pretend to be someone I’m not. Keric knows who I really am: Dr. Anna Lee, former associate professor of literature, running from people who want me dead and he’s still here, looking at me with those dark, intense eyes like I matter.
I’ve been running and hiding for so long. I forgot what it felt like to have someone in my corner. To have a partner, even if our partnership is... complicated.
You’re my mate, he said at the bus station. I still don’t fully understand what that means. I’m starting to think it might mean I’m not alone anymore.
But with that thought comes the guilt, my mind flooding again with images of Jonas.
Dr. Jonas Webb, my colleague in the literature department, Head of Special Collections and the rare books archive. He was a food friend, a brilliant scholar, and the married father of two daughters. I can see his face so clearly, that bright smilewhen he’d show me a rare first edition, his excitement about the collection infectious. His deep laugh echoing through the archives. Framed pictures of his ten-year-old twin daughters and his wife were always on his desk.
The last time I saw him alive, he was focused on our ethical obligation. “We’re doing the right thing, Anna. These are priceless cultural artifacts. We can’t let them steal our history.” I’d completely agreed to his plan, because he was right, it was the right thing to do. Neither of us had realized the lengths people would go to keep their lies hidden.
And then the phone call. “Dr. Lee? This is campus police. I’m afraid there’s been an incident...”
I close my eyes against the memory, but it doesn’t help.
Jonas is dead because of what we found. Because we were going to do the right thing. Because I wasn’t fast, smart or careful enough and now more people are in danger because of me. Ellie. Zoe. The Irontrees. This whole commune could become a target because they’re protecting me.
I can’t let that happen. I can’t let anyone else die because of what I know. But I don’t know how to fix this. Don’t know how to make it right.
I open the bedroom door as quietly as possible and make my way down the hall.
It’s time to tell Keric the truth.
Chapter Six
Ican’t sleep.
It’s been a long day, taking a flight across the country, then driving to the commune and getting my female settled inside my cabin.
Anna is in the bedroom now and I’m on the couch staring at the fire, trying not to think about the fact that my mate is twenty feet away and I can’t claim her. Not yet. Maybe not ever, if she decides this isn’t what she wants. The thought makes my chest tight.
I should be exhausted, but my mind won’t shut off. Can’t stop replaying the moment at the bus station when she took my hand and chose to trust me.
I shift on the couch, trying to get comfortable. It’s too small for my frame but I don’t care, Anna needed the bed and she needed privacy. I can handle a few uncomfortable nights on the couch. Hell, I’d sleep on the floor if it meant she felt secure.
The fire crackles and I watch the flames dance, letting the warmth seep into my skin. This cabin has always been my refuge, now it’s hers too. The thought should feel strange considering I’ve lived alone for years and used to prefer it thatway. But having Anna here feels right, like something that was missing finally clicked into place.
The bedroom door opens and my body goes on alert. I turn my head slightly. Anna hovers in the doorway, backlit by the lamp she left on. She wears an oversized t-shirt and leggings, and her short dark hair is mussed from lying down.
Beautiful. The sexiest female I’ve ever met.
“Can’t sleep?” I ask quietly, keeping my voice gentle.
“No.” She hovers there, uncertain. “You either?”
“No.”
My female moves slowly across the room and sits on the other end of the couch, as far from me as possible while still being on the same piece of furniture. The fire crackles between us.
“I was about to make myself some hot chocolate,” I tell her. “Do you want some?”
“Oh yes, thank you.”
