Delaney Matthews punched the bag in time of the music in her ears. Sweat dripped down her face as she threw all her anger, sorrow, fear and more anger into the face on the bag.
The face of the man who scarred in many ways, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Her fist slammed into the bag one more time before she went to the bench where her towel and bottle of water rested. Pulling the ear buds out she turned off her MP3 player, wrapping the cord around the body. Sitting down, she looked in the corner where her faithful companion sat, ever watching her as she executed her 'therapy session'.
Patting her pant clothed thigh, beckoning the German Shepard.
"Come here Rock." The dog went to his mistresses side and laid his head on her thigh. He did this after every workout, he would just site by her side till she was ready to move again.
"Ya hungry boy?" She looked at the wristwatch that was on her left wrist. It read quarter to 6. "Come on buddy, I'll feed ya and then we'll go for a run." She scratch his ears, then draped her towel around her neck and grabbed her bottle.
Rocky followed as she went up the stairs that led into her kitchen from her basement/gym.
Alcide looked out his window as his neighbor Delaney or Del as she was often called exited her home with her dog for their nightly run.
It was like clock work every night, weather permitting, that they would run, then return home to which she would usually be up late working on her novels.
He was surprised when he learned his new neighbor was Del Matthews, the 'Anne Rice' of werewolf novels, as critics called her. He had read a few of her books and had to admit they were good. Worthy of their praise.
He watched as the pair ran pasted his house, her wearing loose workout pants and a tank top that showed little to no cleavage.
In the few months she lived next door he knew she kept to herself, worked out of her house, loved her dog, and rarely left the house. When she did leave, she was cautious; fingering her keys, scanning the street, checking her backseats before getting into her Subaru. Rocky, every at her side, jumped into the towel covered backseat.
She felt his eyes on his as they pasted his house, as they always did on their runs.
Alcide Herveaux. Her next door neighbor, who always greeted her and Rocky if they were outside at the same time. Always coming over to throw the tennis ball for her dog and one of the few men Rocky didn't bark furiously at. She took as a good sign but was still to scared to try and ask him over.
Every man, but her older brother Josh, her father, and Alcide, had his face. The one that haunted her dreams nearly every night, the one who carved his mark on her chest.
She was sure every one knew her story. It had been big news 10 years ago.
Man who abducted 13 to 16 year old girls, held them for several days, raped them and then killed them, but not before carving half a heart on their chests; on their right side. He had a other half on his own.
She had been his last. He had just finished his brand when the FBI stormed his hide out, wrestled the razor blade out of his hands while he screamed "She's mine! She'll always be mine!"
His voice still rang through her mind.
She slowed her steps, Rocky stood by her, panting.
"Sorry boy. I'm not up for the rest. Let's head home." He followed without delay.
Rocky had been trained by her Army Ranger big brother Josh to attack if she said to. Josh was only a few years older then her but was her best friend. He was the one who took care of her when their father worked late at the fire station. Their mother had left them when she was 13. She came back briefly after Del had been found, hoping to get a shot at the lime light, but their father had one of his cop friends escort off their front yard.
Stepping into her home, she triple locked her front door, then double check the back was triple lock as well. Rocky went out his doggy door to do his business. The flap locked automatically and when he returned, the chip in his collar unlocked it so he could enter.
She slowly went up the stair to her room to undress. Her window faced the woods that rested behind the house. Her office faced the front so she could work in either the moonlight or sun.
Rocky took his position by the bathroom door as she walked in stripping off her sweaty shirt. Her Italian heritage showed she stood in front of the mirror. Dark brown eyes blended with tanned skin, a few strands of brown hair framed her oval face. But her eyes fell on the thing she hated the most.
The half heart scar on her chest. His brand, forever on her.
Fighting back tears, she chucked off her pants and underwear and turned on the water full blast. Steam instantly fill the room. She slipped under the spray, ignoring how the water stung her body
'You've felt worse' she reminded herself as she used her 'Clean laundry' scented bar of soap to wash herself. Once the suds were gone, she grabbed the matching bottle of shampoo and lathered her hair. Her tears washed away with the suds.
Sitting down she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. She cried, as she usually did.
Sensing her duress, Rocky walked into the shower and sat by her side as the water continued to pour down. He nudged her elbow with his snout, letting her know he was there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his tradition brown and black fur.
After she had cried her eyes out, she wrapped a towel around her torso while Rocky shook the water off his coat. She grabbed one the older towels she used to dry him off with out of the linen closet and vigorously toweled off his body.
She dressed her usual sweat pants and massive sweatshirt she stole from Josh and climbed into bed, to exhausted to work, her dog sleeping at the end of the queen size mattress.
Alcide waited till the light in her bedroom went out then shifted into his wolf form and kept a vigil on the woods.
When he had heard gossip on her, her Google her name and saw articles on how she was the sole survivor of the 'Heart carver rapist/murder'. He nearly punched a hole through his wall when he learned she had been led for days, rapped and had the scar he gave all his victims.
He later read that the guy had said "she was the one and he would come back for her"
So every night he checked the woods and would watch her house.
He felt like he had to protect her, like it was instinct for him. It was as natural as shifting.
No woman had had this effect on him since Debbie.
He sat patiently in the yard, till his wolf ears pick up the scream lock in the house. He quickly ran back into his own house, redressed in his jeans and ran to the house.
Ok I know this a little different then what usually write. But the idea just sort of hit me other night and thought it was interesting.
For any of you thinking Rocky is a shifter, he's not. He's just a regular protective pet and can naturally sense Alcide means her no harm.