2
Niko
The strange manstood in front of me with an expression of grief, sadness and disbelief. He smelled unfamiliar - not like a Scarlet Ridge shifter. The hairs on the back of my neck pricked withunease.
Who was he, and what did he wantwithme?
“Niko, don’t you remember me?” he asked again, his eyes pleading me for something I couldn’tgivehim.
I looked towards Gunner, but he didn’t give me any sort of indication. I shook my headagain.
“No.”
I didn’t know this man, and I didn’t know why Gunner brought in a non-Scarlet Ridge shifter to talk to me. I didn’t know what was going on. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, averting my eyes and just wishing he wouldgoaway.
The man’s shoulders sagged. His expression was completely dejected, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know him - why did he caresomuch?
“Are you satisfied now, David?” Gunner asked thestrangeman.
David…I mulled the name over in my mind, but it meant nothing to me. This was getting stranger by theminute.
“No, I’m not,” the man named David growled. He gestured wildly to me. “This isn’t him. Youdidsomethingtohim!”
I flinched at hiswords.
Gunner kept his cool and merely shrugged. “We didn’t do anything. This is just whoNikois.”
David snarled and lunged for Gunner. I gasped and fell backwards against the wall. Instantly, Virgil and Delta held onto the strange man, grappling him back and away from Gunner. I stared at the scene with wide eyes. I hated conflict. I wanted David togoaway.
“Now, David,” Gunner said, “you and I made a promise. I held up my end of the bargain. I showed Niko to you, safe andsound.”
“No!” David snapped. “This isn’t right! You did something to him! He’s my mate! Why doesn’t herememberme!?”
I lowered my head and curled up into a ball, trying to get all of thistostop.
“David,” Gunner growled, “you’rescaringhim.”
David stopped instantly. From the corner of my eye I saw his horrified expression. Slowly he backed up. His voice cracked. “Niko…Please.”
I shook my head. I didn’t look at him. I just wanted him to leave. Whoever this man was, I didn’t want to see himanymore.
“That’s enough, I think,” Gunner said. He nodded to Virgil, who took David by the arm again. “Take him away to the armyquarters.”
“No!” David cried, fighting againstVirgil. “Wait!”
Virgil growled and elbowed David in the stomach. He gasped and went limp for a moment, just enough time for Virgil to physically remove him from my cell. I heard them struggling down the hall towards the door, then when he was finally gone from the building, I let out the breath I washolding.
With a sigh Gunner approached and sat next to me on my bed. He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, which made me feel strangely both comforted and frozeninfear.
“So sorry you had to deal with that,” he murmured. “I told David he didn’t know what he was talking about when he kept obsessing over you, but he didn’t listen to me. This was the only way I could get himtostop.”
I nodded. That madesense.
Gunner squeezed my shoulder. His nails dug slightly into my skin, but I didn’t say anything. “Hopefully he didn’t bother youtoomuch.”
“No,” I mumbled. “He was just… reallyscary.”
Gunner nodded sympathetically. “Of course.” He lowered his voice. “I’m going to tell you something about David, but you need to keep this a secret from the otheromegas.”
