Chapter Six
Alcide was up with sun. He checked on Madelyn as he pulled on his shirt. She was laying on her stomach sound asleep. Sometime during the night, she had captured his pillow and found it more fun to sleep with. He bent and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be right outside," he whispered into her ear.
He knew that she may not hear it. He didn't want her to wake up and find that he wasn't there. He knew that Debbie wouldn't try something during the day when everyone would see her. He wrote her a little note and walked outside. He took a deep breath, trying to catch all the scents. The ocean's was the most powerful one, but he did smell others. Debbie was the first scent that caught his attention. He walked around and at the edge of Madelyn's land, there was blood on the ground. He bent down and smelled it. It was Debbie's. Something had gotten a good bite on her. He only smiled a little, thinking about that. He wanted to thank the wolf who had help them.
Alcide shivered. He was going to be too late. The thought of that made him stop at the edge of the small coast. He took a deep breath. The air was enough to sober him up. If that other wolf hadn't showed, he would be cleaning up his fiancée. He thought for a minute about what the other wolf meant. Was there a local pack that had taken Madelyn under her wing? And it brought up a bigger question. Why? He shook his head when he felt warm arms slide around him. He spun around. Debbie was attached to him. She looked up at him with a grin.
"She's made you soft, baby," Debbie said leaning up to kiss him.
Alcide put a hand over her mouth and pushed her off. "I owe you for last night."
Debbie laughed. "Oh come on, baby. You know you don't want to be married to that human."
Alcide grabbed her by the shoulders and held her over the cliff. The fall most likely wouldn't kill her, but it would hurt her pretty badly. Debbie grabbed on to his arm and held on to him. There was a little bit of fear in her eyes which is what he wanted.
"You stay away from her," he growled. "Or I'll kill you."
Debbie felt him pull her back and then toss her to the ground. She looked up at him and wanted to attack him, but her whole body still ached from the night before. She had first thought the wolf was Alcide until the thing had nearly torn her apart. No matter the threats, Alcide would never kill her. This wolf wanted too. She only managed to get away when he seemed to sense something else.
"You are turning back on your own kind," Debbie suddenly screamed. "Marrying that whore."
"No," Alcide snapped. "I would have done that if I married you. Now, get off this land before I finish what started last night."
Debbie glared at him for a long time and finally got up. "This isn't over."
She spat him as she ran off. Alcide took a deep breath and turned back to the sea with a shiver. He knew why Madelyn loved it so much; it was very soothing. He heard something coming from the house. It sounded like pans. Madelyn was up. He walked back to the house and stopped. Madelyn was in the kitchen, dancing to a song on the radio. Her hair was a jumbled and dirty mess that fell in her face. He didn't mind though. She had even put on his button up shirt. Debbie was cute in her shirts, but Madelyn looked damned fantastic. He walked up on the covered back porch and just watched her. She looked over at him with a smile and quickly went back to breaking eggs for breakfast. Alcide walked in, grinning.
"You didn't have to stop," he said putting his arms around her.
Madelyn looked at the stove and pushed her hair back. "The bacon was burning."
Alcide kissed her neck with a smile. "I'll deal with the bacon."
"Good because I want to shower."
Alcide pulled her into his arms and gave her the best kiss he could muster. Her face was banged up from the fight, and he wished he could take that from her. He kissed her bruises as he sent her off to the shower. The house was a mess too. If it had been her house, he never would have minded. But this was her grandmother's house. He had only met her once. But he loved the woman. She had told Madelyn that she liked Alcide and would love to see them married. According to Madelyn, she had said told you so the moment Madelyn had showed her the ring. He would clean up the house after breakfast.
"Go," he said to her, giving her a quick kiss. "I'll see to the eggs and bacon."
Madelyn grinned and ran upstairs. She was sore from the fight and knew that a shower would make her feel better. She also wanted Debbie's smell off her. She could see that look on Alcide's face when he touched her. She climbed into the nice, hot water, letting it wash over her. She took a quick shower and got out putting on his shirt. She would get jeans or shorts later. Alcide was pouring her coffee as she sat down.
"Smells good," she said and grabbed a piece of bacon.
Alcide kissed her hair. "So do you. Now eat. Then we need to talk."
"Talk? About what?"
"You are coming to Jackson with me."
"No, I have to finish cleaning out this house and then sell it."
"You will be safer in Jackson."
Madelyn felt her jaw drop. He was telling her what to do. Usually, he suggested pointedly. This time, he was actually demanding something of her. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to Jackson. She didn't mind the place. She just couldn't leave right now. She looked over him and thought about what had happened last night. Going to Jackson meant actually being closer to Debbie.
"Alcide, Debbie is in Jackson," she said.
"I know and so is my pack. She won't come near you when you are protected by the pack."
The pack. She knew that they had accepted her. If they hadn't, she wouldn't even be engaged. They would protect her and Alcide. It wasn't really fair to her though. She was not a part of the pack, and they didn't need to fight for her. She kept eating and thinking. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen. She had to finish things before she went to Jackson.
"Alcide, I can't. Not right now. There are things I have to take care of."
Alcide looked at her for a long time. He really wasn't sure what to say to her. He usually was the one to come visit, but she made it for holidays and other important things. She didn't mind Jackson; she acted like she liked it.
"We'll finish cleaning out the house and put the sign up, and then we are going."
"What about my job?"
Alcide looked at her over his coffee mug. He gave her a sort duh look that he gave her sometimes. She stared back at him. She didn't know what he was thinking or why.
"What?" she asked.
"Dana can handle the place. She usually does."
Madelyn thought of that. Then, she remembered the vampire from the other night. Dana couldn't handle him. She barely did. She couldn't put Dana through that. The vampire was pure evil, and Dana hadn't been trained against their glamour. She thought about telling Alcide about the man but knew how he would react.
"I'll have to change the hour. I never make Dana work that late."
Alcide nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
Madelyn reached out and brushed her hands through his hair. She sighed. Going to Jackson wouldn't be such a bad idea. She could use a vacation and time to think about the wedding; they still hadn't set a date. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers. He smiled and kissed her hand.
"I'll get some arrangements made, and we can bring the truck if you want to take some things to Jackson."
Madelyn nodded and stood up. She had to at least start getting things in order. She knew that Dana was coming over sometime. They had another girl at the shop that worked a few hours a week. She probably would go in this afternoon to make some arrangements there. Then an idea hit her.
"How are the antiques in Jackson?" she asked.
Alcide gave her a grin. "Dad always says we need more."
Madelyn grinned and moved over to his lap. He pulled her close and gently kissed her neck. She could only lean against him for a moment with her eyes closed. He was so easy to love. She reached over and caught his lips. He returned the kiss easily as he looked at her. She felt his hands move up her back. She remembered the dream suddenly, but this reality was so much better. His hands were warm, skilled and gentle. Eric had seemed so cold and forceful as if he was used to every woman falling at his feet. She wondered then which one she really wanted. She pulled away a little.
"I need to go to work and talk to Dana," she said with a soft tone that hinted at something else.
Alcide let her go slowly. He could tell something was wrong. Madelyn wasn't a runner. He knew that he was asking her to run from this, but he couldn't live with himself if something happened to her. He watched her walk out to go get dress. He wondered if he was doing the right thing. He had smelled something that morning that he only smelled once before. It was very old, powerful and vampire. He shivered at the mere thought of who it was. If Russell truly was that close Madelyn was not safe, but taking her to Jackson put her right in his backyard. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about what to do. He could protect in her Jackson. He had his family and his pack there, but some part of him didn't want her close enough for Eric Northman to sense her.
