Chpt. 7 APOV:
"Christian," I sigh. "I don't belong here… I'm not one of you."
"So?"
"How many humans live here?"
"None."
"Exactly. You all live together, in your pack. You just said that the pack keeps to themselves, that you all are leery about humans, you don't trust them —"
"I trust you," he growls which coming out of anyone else would probably frighten me but from Christian it doesn't. It makes no sense though, considering he's a wolf after all.
"You might but I doubt the rest of your pack will. They won't accept me and I don't blame them for that; they have every right to be leery of me."
"It's been done before."
"What has?"
"A human living with a pack," he explains quickly. "Not here, but in other packs. A human and a shifter… they were together and the human joined the shifter on the pack's land."
"Really? I just assumed… I mean…"
"It's not common, but it happens especially when there are so few shifters in the world. Every so often one mates with a human… "
"Mates with a human? That sounds so… "
"Yeah I know," he chuckles. "It's a term we use because shifters mate for life."
"There's no divorce?"
"No," I cringe knowing that's exactly what led me to where I am right now.
If Tony had agreed to an annulment right away it wouldn't have gotten to this point. I know there's no way he'll grant me a divorce, even now that I've left him. I'm better off changing my name, my appearance and just trying to hide from him. Maybe at some point he'll grow tired of looking for me and just give up. Though I don't see that happening.
"It's not like you're thinking," when I glance up I find him looking at me somehow knowing exactly where my mind went. "Divorce doesn't exist because our marriages aren't unhappy ones. Not to say that arguments don't happen, but we're committed to spouses so we work those issues out. Marriage is until death parts us, a vow taken very seriously."
I shake my head at what he's suggesting. To him this sounds perfectly normal but to me it sounds like a nightmare. Not having an option to leave is how I landed here in the first place.
"Look I'm just saying you don't have to leave, I mean, if you don't want to," he says. "I won't force you to stay here, not like your ex did. But if you want to, you can."
"I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to decide right now, maybe take some time and think about it. It's going to be a little while before you can get around safely on your own anyway. Your ex… he's not going to be looking for you here."
"You're right," I giggle. "This is probably the last place he would look for me."
"Come with me tonight, it'll help take your mind off of everything," he suggests. "Plus you'll get to meet some of the pack."
"You're sure they won't mind?"
"They won't. Gail always makes a ton of food because it's not abnormal for someone to drop by while we're hanging out. And if they don't, she has enough to send home with me so I don't have to cook for a few days. Between you and me I think that's the real reasons she cooks so much."
"You don't cook much?"
"Not often, sometimes it just seems pointless to make a huge meal for myself. Ever try cooking for one? You end up with a ton of leftovers."
"True."
"So you'll come?"
"I'll come, I don't have anything else to wear but this. Do you think—"
"It's fine. Maybe tomorrow we'll go into town and pick you up some other clothes. I have to swing by my office to pick up some files to work on this week so we can do both in the same day."
"You're sure it's safe for me to go out there?"
"I'm sure," he voice is full of confidence. "If anyone says anything, we'll say you were in a car accident but I doubt anyone will. You're far from Vegas Ana, even you said this would be the last place he would look for you. But just in case, you can wear one of my hats with your hair under it."
"If you think it'll be safe," I find myself hesitantly agreeing.
I want to believe him and part of me does, but the other part still worries that someone in the town will be watching for me and will report back to Tony. The chances of him having someone this far from Vegas is slim, but I learned a long time ago never to underestimate Tony especially when it comes to his job. For now though, I'm going to go to the cook out with Christian and try not to worry about tomorrow. Maybe he's right, maybe getting away will help take my mind off of everything even if it's just for a little while.
The rest of the day passes by pretty quickly, I think in part because of my nervousness over tonight. Surprisingly I'm not nervous about leaving Christian's house and the possibility of Tony finding me because even I know he can't get to me while we're on the pack's land. Instead, I'm nervous about meeting Christian's… friends? Pack mates? I have no idea what to call them. I don't know what to expect from them or what they will expect from me.
Will they be leery of me like Christian says they are of all humans? Of course I can't blame them especially given how I arrived here. What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm only here to expose them? What if they think…
"You're worrying too much," Christian says as we pull out of the driveway.
"I know," I admit.
"He won't find you at Taylor's."
"I know."
"If you want to go back home at any time just let me know. No one will think anything if you need to leave because this is too much on you. In fact I probably should have checked with my mom before bringing you out here. She said you needed rest, but maybe this will be too much —"
"I'll be fine," I quickly interrupt. "Other than getting in and out of the car, I'll be sitting down which is just what I'd be doing at your house anyway."
"Yeah, but what if—"
"Now you're the one worrying too much," we both laugh at that.
"You ready?" he puts the car into park and I nod.
The cabin in front of us looks very similar to Christian's, with only a few small differences. I love the front porch that they both have, it's something I always wanted on a house when I was growing up. I never considered myself a country girl, but after living in Vegas for those few months, I know I'm not a city girl. A house with a front porch to sit on and watch a sunset is far more appealing than a condo in a large building surrounded by strangers where your view is other buildings.
"Taylor will be around in a minute, he's going to grab your chair while I carry you to the backyard," Christian explains.
"I'm sure it could get around the rocks," I glance down at the driveway.
"It probably could, but I'm worried it might jar you too much. It definitely wouldn't be a smooth trip."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Not that I'd admit it aloud, but part of me doesn't mind when Christian carries me. There's something about being in his arms that just makes me feel so safe and cared for. It's odd because I never felt like that with anyone else, not even with Tony.
"I don't mind," he growls.
My face blushes in response to the heat in his eyes and if it wasn't for the movement that I caught out of the corner of my eye I think we might have kissed again. I shouldn't be thinking about kissing Christian or how good it feels to be in his arms, especially since technically I'm still married and only left Tony a few days ago. Yet, I can't stop thinking of Christian.
"That's Taylor," Christian must have caught the movement at the same time I did.
"He was there… that night?"
"Yes."
Christian hops out of the SUV and crosses the front of it to meet Taylor. I'm guessing they must have talked about this plan ahead of time and worked out the details of how I would get to the backyard. I hadn't considered it until we pulled up and Christian said something.
"Ana this is Taylor," Christian introduces us after opening the door.
The man in front of me looks nothing like the wolf, I only have a vague memory of, from the van ride that night. Though, Christian doesn't look like his wolf either except for his grey eyes which are definitely the exact same as his wolf's. Taylor's dark hair is much shorter than Christian's and his eyes aren't the same grey as Christian's which answers the question if all shifters had that unique color in their eyes.
"Thank you for helping... me that night," I say.
"No thanks needed," he firmly replies. "I'm just glad we were nearby when… it happened."
"Me too," a shiver goes through me at the possibility of what could have happened if they weren't so close.
"Ready?" Christian asks and I nod in response.
"I'll grab the chair from the back and will meet you guys," Taylor says.
Christian slips his arms under me and once again easily lifts me from the car until I'm resting against his chest. I think I hear his breath hitch when he tugs me closer to him, but I could be imagining it all.
"You'll be fine," he says quietly and starts walking down the driveway. "If you want to leave at any time just say the word."
"I will."
In only takes a few minutes to reach the backyard where all talking seems to stop the moment we round the house. I look over to find several pairs of eyes on me, or maybe on us, but Christian pays them no mind. I don't think I will ever get used to just how normal everyone looks; I keep expecting them to look different or something but they don't.
"I set up a chair over here Christian," a young blond woman gestures towards a large wicker chair with a small stool in front of it.
"Will this work or do you want to sit in your chair?" he asks.
"No this is fine, thank you."
"I'll put the chair over here," Taylor gestures towards the back of the house.
"Do you need anything?" Christian asks.
"I'm good, you can sit down," I giggle.
Christian pulls a chair closer to me, so there's no space between our seats. My leg is propped on the small cushioned stool in front of the chair keeping it elevated like Grace suggested. Christian introduces me to his brother Elliot (who is a younger version of Christian) and his wife Kate. I'm relieved it's just the six of us here, sort of a little less pressure than if there were a couple dozen people with us.
"I'm going to grab the food from the grill, give me a hand Christian?" Taylor requests a few minutes later.
"I should stay—"
"Go," I interrupt. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm fine, go help Taylor," I urge.
When I look up, I find Gail and Kate staring at us in… I don't know, surprise maybe. Christian squeezes my hand before getting up and following Taylor and Elliot inside.
"Wow," Kate says.
"What?" I ask.
"Taylor was right," Gail smiles.
"About what?"
"He said Christian was different with you, very protective."
"I've never seen him act like that with anyone," Kate agrees.
"It's just because of all this," I gesture towards my injuries.
"I don't think it is," Gail smiles.
"Me either," Kate agrees.
"He was with what's her name for a few months and wasn't like this with her," Gail says to Kate.
"Not even close," Kate shakes her head.
"I'm telling you guys, he just doesn't want me to get hurt worse than I already am."
"I don't think so, he looks at you differently," Gail points out.
Maybe those few times I've caught that look in his eye actually does mean something and it's not my imagination? I glance towards the sliding glass doors, almost expecting to see him there but of course I don't.
"I don't think he's the only one," Kate whispers loudly.
"Things are… complicated," I shrug.
"The best things always are," Gail smiles.
"So tell us about you Ana," Kate requests and immediately a knot forms in my stomach.
I was so worried about meeting everyone that I didn't think beyond that. I didn't come up with a story about my past or even who I was before Christian and Taylor found me that night in the woods. It's hard to believe that was only a couple of days ago. Somehow being here makes it so easy to forget about the part of my life, well except for the bruises and broken bones.
"What… what do you want to know?" I ask cautiously.
"Taylor's been real quiet and hasn't said much," Gail explains. "All he said was that him and Christian ran into you and they brought you here."
"Pretty much," I laugh at the simple explanation.
"Are you from around here? Did you go to school nearby? Did you —"
"Ladies," Taylor hisses from only a few feet away. "Stop playing twenty questions with Ana here, let her enjoy her visit or she'll never come back."
"We weren't–"
"It wasn't like that —"
"You'll have to excuse them Ana," Taylor says. "They can be chatterboxes normally, but after they've had a couple glasses of wine they can be nosy."
"Taylor!" Gail growls.
"You know I'm right sweetheart," he leans down and kisses her, the anger immediately disappearing.
"I brought you a bottle of water," Christian appears next to me. "I wasn't sure if you'd prefer soda or something else. I figure it's not a good idea to mix the alcohol with your pain medicine."
"Water is fine, thank you."
"I'll be over at the grill with Taylor," he leans closer to me. "You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to. Taylor hasn't told them what happened to you and Elliot doesn't know either."
"Thanks," I glance up and once again find all eyes on us.
"I'm sorry Ana, Taylor's right we can be a little nosy," Gail apologizes.
"It's fine," I reassure her.
"Have you been into town yet?" Kate asks.
"Not yet, but Christian said we'll probably go tomorrow."
"There's not much there, but it's a cute little town. "
"You should stop by and see me tomorrow if you're nearby!" Gail exclaims.
"You work in town?" I ask.
"I have a small natural store on main street," she points out a very large fenced in area in the yard. "I grow my own herbs and then make natural supplements."
"Wow, your garden is huge!"
"It's mostly herbs, but there's a few vegetable plants in there that I use for cooking."
"What do you make with the herbs?"
"I specialize in natural remedies, by combining certain herbs sometimes antibiotics aren't needed for common illnesses. Everything from colds to sore throats to bug bites, I have a rub or spray that will help."
"Really?"
"Obviously it's not going to cure something more serious but by not constantly relying on antibiotics for smaller illnesses, we're preparing our bodies to accept antibiotics when we do need them. There's been a lot of research on how we're becoming antibiotic resistant because we rely on them too much."
"Now you've started her," Kate sighs.
"You complain all you want missy, but I didn't hear you whining when you lost your voice last week and Dr. Grey refused to prescribe you something because it wasn't an infection," Gail snaps.
"True," Kate laughs. "That stuff you gave me to mix with water tasted horrible, but I'm telling you Ana within 48 hours I had my voice mostly back."
"That's amazing."
"Taylor didn't want me mentioning it and if you can say no, don't worry about hurting my feelings… "
"Mentioning what?" Christian said Taylor didn't tell Gail about that night so I have no idea what she's referring to.
"There's an herbal rub I can give you that… it might help with the swelling and bruising, if you want. You don't have to of course and I know that you don't know me so I get it if you don't want to. I just wanted to put it out there, that I've helped people with… similar issues before," Gail rushes.
"You have something that would help with bruising?" I ask.
The bruises are what bothers me more than my ankle and wrist, at least those are protected, but when something rubs against the bruises it's a constant reminder of what happened. I figured I just had to let it run its course.
"Several herbs can act as an anti-inflammatory, one my best sellers in the store is a rub that immediately helps reduce the appearance of bruising. You wouldn't believe the number of parents who buy it for their kids, especially around school photo time."
"I'd love to try some, I'll see if we can stop by tomorrow. Maybe I should check with Grace to see if it'll interfere with the pain medicine she gave me."
"It shouldn't," Gail assures me. "I mean of course you can check with her, but she's referred several of her patients to me from the hospital after car accidents or falls that leave bruising like yours."
I'm not surprised that Grace didn't mention it to me when I was at her office. She probably sensed that I had a hard enough time trusting her and Christian let alone someone who makes their own herbal medicines. I don't know how I would have reacted if she had suggested it then. Maybe I would have been open to it, but I don't think I would have. Now though, I find it hard not to trust Gail – she seems so genuine.
"Thank you, I'll definitely ask Christian if we'll be near your store tomorrow."
"I have a small jar inside that I'll give you before you leave tonight. I don't keep the larger ones here, but you can try it tonight and if you like it than stop by tomorrow. Or if you don't have time, just have Christian let Taylor know and I'll bring some by after work."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
"No problem."
"Hello? Anyone home?" a voice calls from the driveway a few minutes later.
"Ugh," Kate sighs. "I swear she only stopped because Christian's SUV was in the driveway."
"I know," Gail shakes her head. "She just can't get it through her head…"
"Get what through her head?" I ask.
"She was convinced that her and Christian were…" Gail glances at Kate who shakes her head ever so slightly. "That they were going to be together."
"Oh… she's his ex."
"I don't know if I'd even call it that," Kate chuckles. "They were… seeing each other for a few months, but it was never serious. At least to Christian it wasn't, everyone could tell that."
"Everyone except her."
"When did they break up?" I ask.
"I don't know that they broke up, like I said they weren't really together. Not seriously anyway," Kate explains. "But they stopped seeing each other, I don't know maybe three or four months ago."
"And ever since she stops by each time we're out here and Christian is here with us. If he's not here, she won't stop by, but if he is she has to stop," Gail rolls her eyes.
"Leila," Taylor nods in the young woman's direction as she walks around the house.
Without saying a word, Christian takes the seat next to me. I don't know what it is, but somehow I know that he doesn't want her here. Of course he doesn't come out and say it, but I can just tell. I slip my hand in his and he immediately takes it and smiles at me.
"Gail was just telling me about her store," I say but out of the corner of my eye I keep an eye on the newest guest as she talks with Taylor and Elliot. Gail and Kate both seem to be doing the same thing. "Do you think we'll be near it to stop by tomorrow when we're in town?"
"The town is not very big," he chuckles. "A couple of stop lights and a few stores is all that makes up town. Gail's store is in between my office and the place I was going to stop to pick you up a few things, so we could easily stop there."