Chapter 5
The girl felt good on Cal’s back as he moved deeper into the woods. It was dark outside, but he could see just as well as he could in the daytime. His eyes had adjusted from the lights in the club, and he could have just followed the scent of the rest of his family back home. It was a strong smell, and Cal knew that Ali’s scent would blend in with the rest of them.
He hadn’t been completely honest with her when he told her that the vampires couldn’t attack the camp. They would once they located it. He was sure that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, but at the same time, if her presence brought them out of hiding and to his doorstep, he was okay with that. Cal just reasoned that he would be able to keep her safe easier there, knowing the extra problems that could arise. Cal was no stranger to enemies, and the vampires were a longstanding one.
Trenton had marked her for whatever reason as his own and Cal knew that he would be around shortly once he realized that he was the one that had her. He knew he would finally get the chance to take him out, something he’d been wanting to do for some time. Ali’s smell was going to linger with their own and Trenton would follow it back to them.
His thoughts changed as the ride went on and Ali’s body learned to move with him and she was sitting upright now, holding on from her legs more than anything else. Her hands were free and, in the air when he went fast. She’d gone from terrified and clinging on for dear life to enjoying herself. It didn’t take her long to go from one to the other. It hadn’t taken Cal long to think of Ali in other ways as well. Quickly his mind was going to what he knew about her and the part of her pressed against his back where he could feel the heat of her emanating.
Cal’s mind was where it shouldn’t be as he got close to the camp. He didn’t want to just go through the middle of it with a human girl. There would be protests that she was even there. She was bait in one way, and for some in the pack, he was going to have to convince them that was the only reason she was there. It wouldn’t help if Cal were thinking such things when he got there and strutted in with a hard-on.
He let her off when they got to the edge of the settlement, and he could see her eyes were everywhere at once. It was most likely a lot to take in for a girl like her. Ali had never even seriously thought about any of this before, and Cal could tell that by the way she responded to it. He wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay, but a newcomer was always looked at with suspicion for a while. Since she was with him, there was going to be even more speculation put on her. He just knew it, and Cal wondered if she was ready for it. He wasn’t going to be able to shield her from all of it, not from his pack.
Cal shifted back into his human form, and he slid some clothes on. There was always some in several spots around the village to give some people modesty. He found some that fit Ali as well. It was frowned upon in the town to walk around in such a way and right now, he wanted to cover his erection. Cal was far too excited now. It was a serious night, and he was going to have to speak to the pack. Cal couldn’t do that in his current state.
His plan was to get her through the west side of the village and get Ali into his house where she would be safe. She would be safe if they were attacked, as well as from all the prying eyes that were going to want to know who she was. He’d been pressured for years to find a mate, so curiosity was going to be high for the one Cal brought back. It was something that he never did.
Ali and Cal made it to the house, and he let her in. She was looking around, and he was happy to see that she liked it. It would be her home too as he figured out how to take down Trenton. There was no telling how long that was going to take, but if he was right about her, Trenton would be coming for her soon enough. All Cal had to do was ride it out. It was all going to take care of itself, and his enemy was going to come to him. Cal wasn’t going to have to do anything but wait patiently for him.
“This is your place?”
She was touching one of the covers on the couch and noticing how soft it was. “Yes.”
“Who else lives here?”
“Just me.”
Ali looked around once more and then commented on how big it was. “Why do you live in the biggest house here all by yourself? That doesn’t make much sense.”
“I run things.”
He didn’t want to get into the specifics because he had a big task ahead of him that involved more of the same.
“Oh.”
“I have to go for a few minutes, but when I get back, I’ll show you around. Just pick a room to sleep in, whichever you prefer. Leave the doors locked until I get back. Don’t let anyone in, okay?”
Ali looked a little afraid, and he tried to tell her that it was going to be fine. “I don’t think anyone is going to come or anything. I just want to take extra precautions until I hear about what happened at the club while I was sidetracked with you.”
She looked away, and Cal could tell that she didn’t like the last comment. But it was the truth. He shouldn’t have let Trenton get away, but he’d been so wrapped up in her that he had allowed him to get away, again. It was heartbreaking, and Cal secretly hoped that someone else caught him on the way out. It would certainly make him feel less guilty about Trenton getting away.
He left her after he locked the doors and strolled down the main path to the battle room. It’s where everyone was going to be after the escapades of today. Cal would go in and find out what the tally for the day was. He wanted to know how many vampires were taken out, as well as how many humans. They were a by-product of their fight with them, but Cal kept track. Their lives did matter after all, just not enough to try and make peace with the new recruits.
The noise that Cal heard as he moved the flap over instantly ceased and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He knew that he smelled like Ali, so there was going to be no point in keeping it a secret or trying really because Cal wasn’t going to be able to say that he didn’t know about her, not when information was so easy to come by. Cal knew it was time to come clean.
“Settle down everyone. It was a good night?”
That was Cal’s way of asking if there were any injuries or deaths on their side. He would get to the tally for the rest later, but his people came first. Cal had to make sure that everyone was back and accounted for. He wouldn’t be able to go on until he knew that for sure.
Everyone was there, and there was only a slight injury when one of his brothers was taking care of a human that had been tainted. He couldn’t help him, but the one he encountered had been strong. Caleb was going to have a mark for a while because of it, and everyone chuckled as the story was told.
That was how the next hour went. They were all more worried about how they were going to take care of Trenton, who had, of course, escaped. Calum should have known better, but he was trying to stay positive. He had to bring up Ali finally when he was asked outright about her. Everyone there could smell her as soon as Cal had come in.
“A birdie says that you took a woman up to your house. Are we to think that you’ve finally found your mate? It’s been long enough, brother.”
Abott was talking, and Cal had a feeling that he had told the others about the human in the woods. It hadn’t been like him at all, but there was more of a chance of that happening than what he was going to say next. How was Cal to explain how this was all just to get Trenton there? He was still looking for a mate. Ali had already said very clearly that she didn’t want anything more than help from him, so he was going to have to keep looking. Cal would have been the first to admit that he had thought about it, long and hard.
“Trenton has marked her, and I got her out of his clutches before he got away.”
