“Will there be bad people at this event?” She looked down as he slipped on a pair of black leather boots that almost reached her knees.
“Yes. Dangerous and deadly.” He shoved the second boot into place, not liking how perfect she looked in the gear. Like a librarian out for a wild time. “Are we clear on the rules?”
“I don’t obey well.” She didn’t seem to be bothered by that.
Hewasbothered by the statement as he zipped up the jacket. “You don’t obey and there will be consequences you won’t like.” He let the beast inside him show.
If anything, her lips twitched. “Okey doke.”
A lesson would need to be taught, he could already tell. Fair enough. He wanted her with a hunger that should prompt him to leave her here, showing what a bastard he could really be. “There’s something else. I want to help you, and I will. After the run, we’re pivoting and heading north to my hometown. There I’ll take you to a doctor who can heal you, if it’s at all possible. But that’s all there is for us. Even if we fuck like rabbits, it’s temporary, and we’re done when I move on. There’s no hope for a future between us.” He chose the expletive on purpose to show her who he was, and it wasn’t some savior. “Tell me you get me.”
“I most certainly agree.” She held out her feet, admiring the boots. “Even if your doctor is a miracle worker, there’s no future for the two of us.”
Should it piss him off that she was so accepting of that fact? “Why the hell not?” God, he was a moron for asking the question. He knew why not—she was human, and he wasn’t anywhere close. But she didn’t know that.
“Don’t be silly, Garrett.” She gestured around them at the rough-and-tumble riders. The woman didn’t even know that most of them were grizzly bear shifters, but her instincts were spot on.
He settled her back and straddled the bike. “Arms around my waist.” She complied, and her small thighs pressed against his. Fire speared through him, and he fought a groan. Maybe he was the one who should see a doctor. His other hand snagged a helmet out of the air thrown by a Grizzly riding by. “Just plaster your body to mine and let me move us both.” He handed it back to her. “Put this on.”
She obeyed and then settled closer against him, doing as he’d ordered. Her hands were tentative and clamped together near his waist.
He unclenched them and pressed them against his shirt beneath his jacket, her touch almost undoing him. Then he concentrated on the road and pulled out with his brothers.
This ride might actually kill him.
Chapter Five
Dessie had thought she was free before, but she’d been wrong. There was no sense of freedom as strong as riding with Garrett on a motorcycle down an open road. The wind blew into her, and she snuggled against him, feeling wild and safe at the same time. Exhilaration rode her, and for the first time, she knew it was okay to die.
No matter how good Garrett’s doctor might be, Dessie had seen the medical images of the mass in her head. It had tendrils that extended in every direction, and the only way to take it out was to remove her entire brain.
One of the reasons she’d agreed to the ride was to avoid the man who had probably been following her. He’d been stocky and bald, and she’d seen him too many times. There was something not quite right about him. Although he hadn’t approached her, so perhaps she’d just read him wrong. But why had he been following her?
At the moment, she no longer cared.
She turned her head to the side, her ear picking up Garrett’s strong heartbeat through his leather jacket. Strong and sure, just like him. Then she closed her eyes so she could just feel and was drawn back into the night. That night when she met him—or somebody who looked just like him.
It was a time of mystery, a time of depth. The sea crashed mercilessly beneath the cliffs, spraying onto the rocks with dark glee. Oh, it was a time of destiny.
She glanced at the rising moon to gauge the time. A time of destiny? Nope. It was just another darn Tuesday. A chuckle escaped her at her fanciful thoughts, no doubt brought on by a fantasy story she and a couple of the other girls had dreamed up that morning at breakfast before the headmistress had arrived in the dining hall.
Now Dessie sat on an ancient stone bench only a few yards from a drop-off to the churning sea far below. It was an area off-limits to everyone in the enclave, but sometimes, she needed space. Trees behind the forgotten spot hid her from view, although she’d need to report for bedtime soon.
Her lessons had been unusually tough that day, and her body hurt. Even her brain ached. Worse yet, her heart hurt. Right in her chest, pain radiated out, proving to her that freedom was only an illusion. She’d turned twenty and had now graduated. It was time for her to venture into the world and find her way.
But she’d been chosen.
Why? She wasn’t remarkable in any way compared to some of the other girls. In fact, it had taken her two extra years to graduate, but she’d shown potential with languages, so two years had been added on. She’d completed them without complaint and now wanted freedom. A life.
Yet she’d been chosen for four more years of education, so she could attain the equivalent of a college degree and study the languages of the world. Because she had an aptitude.
There was no refusing.
She was trapped, and she could barely breathe. There was no way out of the enclave without permission, which for her had never been granted. She felt like a cat trapped in a world of turtles. Nobody wanted to play, and there was no laughter. Not really. Hopelessness was a new feeling, and one she didn’t much appreciate. Plus, she was always exhausted. No matter how much sleep she got, she was still tired. It was the gloomy weather. Had to be. What if she finished her four years and they tacked on three more? Or ten more? Perhaps she’d never leave the island.
Fog rolled up from far below, its fingers crawling over the rocky ground and winding up into the trees.
A chill arrived with the uncoiling mass, and she shivered, watching the moon through the haze. She couldn’t stay here another four years. Her legs wobbled, but she stood, inching toward the edge. Perhaps there was a way down the cliff. Even though this was her spot, her very secret place, she’d never ventured too close to the edge. The ground softened as she approached.
