Chapter 2 - Tackled with Love
"Rhydian!" Shan cried as Rhydian leapt right through the narrow window, ignoring the jagged edges of broken glass. He hit the ground with a somersault and came up running. Maddy's scent was strong. He found her trail and started tracking her. Judging from the scent, she was still in human form. Had she been crazy enough to leap directly through the glass? Was she that unhinged with grief?
The wolfblood boy ran as the rest of the world slid by in a mix of sun-flecked colors. Soon he was in the woods behind Jeffries' neighborhood, and deeper shadows hid him from view. He sensed her now, closer. Yes, he was gaining. He struggled up a hill and hurtled over a stream, then switched course as he sensed her smell partly reversing direction. She was trying to lose him! But why? Nearly as frustrated as he was worried, Rhydian turned on the adrenaline and moved like a half-human blur.
Suddenly there she was: her short, slender figure shot between two trees. He was on her then, tackling her to the ground. She was still wearing her black sleep shorts and the cute pink camisole he thought hugged her just right. Of course it was hard to appreciate the skimpy shirt just now as she struggled underneath him.
"Mads, it's me. Calm down. Will you please stop? Maddy, stop!" He pinned her wrists and looked into her eyes, which were blazing yellow orbs. He leaned down as she snarled. Defying good reason, he leaned down further to kiss her. The instant his lips touched hers, she relaxed in his grip. She was still panting like she'd just sprinted up and down several mountains. Yet her breathing did gradually return to non-heart attack levels as her eyes turned back to the chocolate brown Rhydian knew and loved.
"Mads, look at me. Are you all right?" There were tears in her eyes, but she nodded anyway. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a series of coughs. Rhydian pulled her up to a sitting position. They sat facing each other while she tried to catch her breath. It gave Rhydian time to examine her. No cuts or bleeding. Good. So she hadn't just leapt straight through the window glass at least. She hadn't gone completely insane.
"Maddy, what the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you answer any of my texts today? Wait—let me back up. Why did you break your bedroom window and run from us?"
Maddy finally took a gulp of air, enough to actually speak. Tears stung her eyes. She brushed them away, but new ones came right back to replace the ones she'd just erased. Realizing he was probably acting way too forceful, Rhydian schooled his features into something resembling calm. He stood up and helped her to her feet. Then he enfolded her in his arms and pressed her face against his chest as he gently cupped the back of her head. He kissed her forehead, nuzzling her hair and marking her with his scent.
"Want to tell me what's going on?" he said softly.
"Mum would be so ashamed of me," she blurted. "And I don't want you and Shan and Tom and all the others pitying me. I hate those looks I get…from everyone, this whole town. Like I'm a lost puppy or something," Maddy choked back a sob. "It just makes me feel worse."
He sighed. "Okay, I get it. We didn't mean to pity you yesterday. We were just trying to be here for you. And that still doesn't explain the broken window. Did you not think to open it first?"
"The latch wouldn't work," Maddy said, sniffling. "I sort of threw the iron doorstop right through it."
"Wow, I can't wait to see Jeffries' reaction. Should be interesting to see what his face looks like when it turns purple." Rhydian's lips curled into a smile against Maddy's hair. She must have felt it, because he felt her relax against his chest. Her body heat and scent seemed to permeate his very soul at that point. He clasped her even more tenderly and kissed the side of her neck. As many kisses as it took, that's how many he would use to calm her down. He'd already decided that much.
"And why on earth would Emma be ashamed of you? Your mam was so proud of you. You were an alpha, just like her. She was always so fiercely protective of you. I wasn't good enough for you…that was the feeling I got every time she spoke to me," Rhydian teased, trying to lighten Maddy's spirits. "So what are you on about? Talk to me."
The pretty brunette pulled away. Tried to, anyway. Rhydian wouldn't budge, so she settled for leaning back and looking up at him.
"I revealed the wolfblood secret to Jeffries. I came back to Stoneybridge even though Liam knew about us…and still I chose to stay. I took all those risks. After Mum and Dad died, I was so keen on returning to somewhere familiar, finding comfort, that I didn't think about the big picture. About all wolfbloods. She'd see what I'm doing here in Stoneybridge and think that I'm being selfish. And she'd be right."
Rhydian sighed in frustration. "Mads, you were orphaned by a violent car crash in the blink of an eye. You had nowhere else to go. No one else to go to at the time either, since Shan, Tom, Jana, and I were all on holiday. You did the right thing." Rhydian cupped her face and badly wanted to literally shake some sense into her. "These doubts, they're not really you talking. I know you feel sad. I know you miss them more than anything in the world, and holidays like Mother's Day makes your heart feel broken, I get it. But you have to know, they would be proud of you. Emma would be so proud to see how far you've come."
Maddy looked away, biting her lip. "I don't know…"
"Well I do," Rhydian insisted. He cupped her chin and made the cute wolfblood girl look at him. "Who else but you could bring the human and wolfblood worlds together without things blowing up? Jeffries, Liam…they aren't revealing our secret to anyone because you've shown them that wolfbloods aren't monsters. That took incredible courage, Maddy. I'm 1000% sure your mum would agree with me on that."
Maddy wiped at the last trace of her tears and looked at Rhydian hopefully. "You really think so?"
"No, I'm just telling you what you want to hear," Rhydian cried. "Of course I think so. Now Shan and Tom are probably ready to scale every tree in Stoneybridge looking for you. We better—" As if summoned by Rhydian's words, there came the scent of a new wolfblood. Mads and Rhydian stiffened as Ceri landed nimbly less than ten meters away.
Her frantic eyes zeroed in on them and she stifled her wolf's urge to growl. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine, Mum. I've got this," Rhydian said with a glare.
"She's not hurt, is she?" Ceri's expressive blue eyes scanned Maddy up and down. Her son shifted as his glare reached the intensity of the sun.
"What part of 'everything's fine' slid past you, Mum? I said I've got this. We'll meet you back at the house."
Ceri put her hands up and slowly backed away with a mock look of fear on her face. "All right, then. Excuse me for breathing," she said before turning and disappearing into the gloom of the shadows.
Rhydian looked down at Maddy and gave her a fierce kiss tempered with tenderness. She returned it, her tongue moving with his as the kiss deepened—until they heard a crashing in the underbrush which sounded suspiciously like two less-than-graceful teens.
"Tom, do you still not see them?" Shannon shouted. "I think Ceri pointed the other way."
"No, Shan, we're going the right way," Tom snapped. "Will you just be quiet and keep up?"
By the time the two teens exploded into the clearing, Rhydian had picked Maddy up and flung her over his shoulder. She was pounding her fists against his back and protesting.
"Hey guys, I've got her. Let's get back to the house and I'll have my mum make us all something to eat. Then we'll force Maddy to take a shower. She smells."
"Rhydian! Put me down!" Maddy whined as the wolfblood boy grinned and broke into an easy jog.
"This is your punishment for nearly giving me, Shan and Tom a trio of heart attacks, smelly girl. Now stop squirming unless you want me to drop you on your head."
That made the petite girl go still in his arms, and Rhydian smiled. He sensed that she secretly didn't mind being carried. As if to reward her sudden lack of struggling, Rhydian shifted her weight until he was carrying her bridal-style. He loved the feisty frown on her face. Somehow it made her look even cuter.
"You can put me down now," she huffed as he crested the next ridge and began walking carefully down the steep slope.
"Not a chance. Until you're your normal self again, I'm keeping a close eye on you. After your dramatic escape earlier, I'm not taking chances. Besides, I have a present to give you—and you running off again would sort of ruin the effect."
Maddy rolled her eyes. "I promise not to run off again. Can you please just put me down?" she whined.
"We're almost there. Now stop complaining." She gave him an extra severe look, but Rhydian noticed the way her arms tightened comfortably around his neck. Maybe she was in denial and fooling herself, but she definitely wasn't fooling him. As they finally stumbled back to the front door of Jeffries' house, there was a face there to greet them and it was furious.
A/N - Hey Wolfblood brothers and sisters. I was in Florida the past few days, or else I would have updated sooner. I'm back though and looking forward to finishing up the story. Please review or comment if you can - it's always good to see reactions and get suggestions! I'm also looking forward to showing a deeper side to Ceri and Maddy's relationship now that Maddy's mum is gone and she needs an older female wolfblood influence in her life. What role can Ceri fill? And will Rhydian be okay with it? This could be a very bumpy ride…