Tomak wanted to warn her not to run. It was in his instincts to give chase, but she had reacted so fast, all he could do was steel himself in place as she fled the house.
He knew it was the right decision, telling her to leave, but watching her from the window as she ran down the beach with fear plainly seen in her eyes was more painful than being consumed by a pack of dittos.
A mixture of rage and regret filled his veins at the realization that he might have just lost Rae's trust forever.
It was all because his body fiercely responded to her seductive voice and teasing touch. He had to physically remove himself from her otherwise he had no doubt that he would have torn through her clothing and claimed her body with or without her consent. The urge to mate had never been so strong.
Her scent was intoxicating, and he could understand why. Her scent was so sweet because she had been fertile. All females exhibited this particular scent that would lure males in to breed. Rae's fertile scent drew him more than any yautja female ever had.
Instinctively, he wanted to breed her, create life within her womb, but those thoughts were driven by uncontrolled lust drawn on by the mating season. They were not his thoughts. But he could not deny it, the thought of her round with his child tempted him. Imagining her with a swollen belly spurred on his lust.
At this point, he couldn't help himself from thinking about their position in bed. It would have been easy to divest her of her clothes and lift her slender legs over his waist. It would have allowed him to see her face as he rutted her. He was desperate to know what expression she would make in excruciating ecstasy.
He knew he could pleasure her, he had no doubts in that, he only feared losing all restraint and breaking her in the heat of the moment. She was so small beneath him, but she didn't seem to mind that. Her eyes were filled with emotion as she went from being too shy to even touch him, to deliciously intimate.
He shuddered in remembrance. Her breathy voice in his ear, whispering soft words that served to rile him up, her small fingers eager to glide over his face and then there were his spines. The memory of how she gripped them, not knowing how pleasurable that is to a yautja. He was surprised he hadn't given in right then and there. No, it wasn't until she began pleasuring him with her mouth that he couldn't hold still any longer.
Paya, he had never known that her soft plush lips could evoke such a feeling. In previous years he had thought such characteristics on alien species were pointless, a flaw in their anatomy, but now he understood.
Tomak's grip on the window sill tightened further with his anger. It was his fault. He should have told her how sensitive his neck was, a vulnerable and rarely touched area. All the nerves were sensitive there and she had innocently explored it, similarly to how he found himself exploring her.
What was Rae doing to him? He felt as if he could explode with his growing desires. And now more than ever he wondered how human males have not spontaneously combusted with an all consuming need to mate with such a teasing specimen as herself?
And he knew she was desired by more than himself.
On more than a few occasions he had followed Rae on her usual outings. There he had witnessed more than a handful of males give his female hungry looks as she passed them, something that translated universally. He hadn't appreciated it and Rae, much to her annoyance, found that when she returned home he would be hovering over her incessantly.
Little did she know he had been trying to cover her scent with his own, his natural instincts ramping up with the smell of others clinging to her clothes.
As much as she claimed she disliked his closeness at those times, it did not escape his notice that she would avert his eyes and chew on her bottom lip, a small smirk always playing at the corner of her small mouth.
The moment he realized that she not only enjoyed being the sole individual of his attention, but that she would be almost giddy to have him near, made him unbearably prideful, more than pleased to know that she found him appealing despite their stark differences. Still, she did not make things easy as he had hoped.
Then again, he was unaware of any courtship to be easy in the pursuit of a worthy female.
Out of nowhere Gaun's stupid face appeared in his mind, his mandibles fluttering mischievously. He was sure if his friend had been here, he probably would have said something along the lines of, "If you are finding her to be too much of a challenge, I would be more than happy to take the hit and break her in for you brother."
Having an even shorter temper than usual, Tomak knew he would have knocked the younger yautja onto his back and given him a beating he would not soon forget. The thought made him dizzy and he chuffed in humor at his helpless state; his own musings were winding him up.
Taking a shuddering breath, he stared out at the crashing waves to center himself.
He could see why Rae liked it here. The waters were calming, despite their violent movements, it had a tranquil effect, something she claimed she needed. What Tomak found interesting about them was the sounds they made. Oddly enough, they gave him more energy when he trained, but when night came he found they helped ease him into sleep, something he had been getting less and less of these past few days. It was puzzling, but he greatly appreciated this natural phenomenon.
More relaxed and somewhat relieved of tension, Tomak released his harsh grip on the window sill, his claws having left deep indentations in the wood.
His body swelled in anger as he imagined those indentations to be blood red. That would have been Rae's hips, scarred by his carelessness. He could have seriously injured her, maybe even far beyond what she could handle.
She had told him of her past, the torture she endured. He didn't want to add to that, to add to her pain. When the time came for him to stake his claim, he wanted her to know that she would never have anything to fear from him. He wanted to be her safe haven, his arms to be the place she would find comfort.
But now was not that time. The mating season was at its height. It would only be a few more days before it would fade and the bursts of testosterone in his blood levels would decrease.
Whenever Rae decided to come back, he needed to be in control and find some way to make it up to her without putting himself in another wickedly cruel position.
That was if she ever came back.
He continued with those dangerous musings as he stood under the ice-cold spray from the showerhead. Every stinging patter of the bitter cold water as it beat against his shoulders and back, served as a reminder of the control he lacked.
What could he say to her to amend this? Would she even listen? What he would give for La'mech's wisdom right now.
La'mech was very skilled with his words, always knowing what to say at any given time. He had to be, he was life mated to one of the most ruthless females in their clan. A feat neither he nor Kish'on got over, but no one could question La'mech's abilities. He was a great help to the clan, choosing to lessen his time in the hunt and devote his life to healing practices. It was not something he would have chosen, and he couldn't understand what made such a female decide to choose him above other choice yautja. He was happy for him though, La'mech had found his match.
Just as he found his.
Stepping out of the shower, he toweled himself off and stood in the bedroom. He stared at the bed for a long while thinking of how she felt beneath him. Her warmth felt good, and her touches were so soft and careful, as if she had been afraid to hurt him. He had never felt such tenderness before.
Yautja females were rough and demanding. The one time he had given of himself in the mating act, he recalled the rivulets of blood streaming from long claw marks on his back. In the heat of the moment he hadn't been aware of them, but later when she had left, he remembered not being able to lie on his back for a while.
He could never imagine Rae doing that, and if she wanted to, she could cause more destruction with her hands than a yautja female could.
She was nothing like the stories his elders told. She wasn't the monster they painted.
He partly wondered how he could safely secure her into his clan, if he ever got off this planet, that is. If they ever knew what she was, she would be treated with hostility.
For being an elite, he had more troubles securing a female than most other yautja. It was like the gods were against him.
He needed to hunt. He needed clarity and focus, not these muddling thoughts.
Strapping on his armor and fastening his weapons, Tomak left. And despite what he felt was godly intervention, he prayed that when he returned Rae would be back.
As much as he hated it, she needed to know the reason behind his actions earlier. She needed to understand the strain the mating season put on him. It was because of his pride that he held back from telling her the truth, foolishly thinking that he could control it long enough for it to pass.
He only hoped that he could mend the rift he may have caused between them.
Breathing deeply, Naomi found herself staring at the clock on her stove. Rae said to wait twenty minutes before leaving, but she couldn't wait much longer. As soon as she heard her bestie pull out of the drive, she was already making her way outside.
Her mom was out with the boyfriend, spending the day together. But they took the car.
A mischievous twinkle shone in her eyes as she took in the sight of the pristine blue pick-up truck left by the boyfriend. She recalled the man's unwillingness to take the car, if she could only understand why. A smirk played over her lips as she twirled the keys he foolishly left behind.
Stepping up into the truck, she momentarily admired the height of the vehicle as she inserted the key into the ignition. Starting the engine, she released a pent up breath as she backed out of the drive.
A nagging voice in her head told her to follow Rae, make sure she was okay, but she had to keep reminding herself of the way her fingers were able to burn through that sapling. The poor tree had to have been at least three or four years old, its bark formed and its trunk about as thick as a whiteboard marker; small and yet equally impossible to pass one's fingers through. Rae went through it as if there had been no resistance at all. It blew her mind! She couldn't begin to understand the physics behind it, and honestly she didn't want to.
She still had so many questions though.
How could her fingers produce such heat? How did it not hurt her? How did she control it? Was it like a switch for her or was it always present? Was it just her hands? Could her body potentially go supernova? And would she burn through the surface of the earth if she did?
Maybe the most important question was how she became this way. How can someone go from being normal to being superhuman? It wasn't like the movies or comics, that didn't just happen by fate, could it?
She shoved it in a box. They were a waste of time to consider when Rae wasn't here to answer them. She didn't even know if Rae had all the answers herself. Most of them were mindless questions anyway.
Staring ahead at the road with strict focus, Naomi knew she had more important things to consider. The paper Rae had written on was not meant for her, but the guy she was meant to meet. Tomak.
When Rae had left, she had sucked in a sharp breath and bit her cheek to prevent herself from unfolding the paper and reading the contents. She really wanted to find some juice in it, but she reminded herself for the hundredth time that it was beyond rude to read something that seemed personal.
Okay, maybe she read the first sentence when she was back at the house, but she stopped there. And that first sentence had only been five words. Five stinkin' words!
Tomak, I am so sorry.
Rae appeared to be so scared to lose this guy, so much so that she started off the message with an apology. She didn't start with, 'I'm going head to head with some psychopaths,' no she was more concerned about securing her relationship than her life.
Whoever this Tomak was, he better be good for her. He certainly sounded like a dream, if she recalled Rae's expressions correctly as she had gone into detail about him.
But her friend had been through so much emotionally with her idiot brother, let alone the trauma she carried from her past, she just wanted what was best for her. She could feel herself growing angrier at the debasing words Rae used to describe her hidden past.
I'm a lab experiment Naomi. An abused experiment that escaped its cage years ago.
She ground her teeth as an unfiltered image entered her mind of her best friend being kept in a cage meant for an animal. What sort of things did they do to her in her youth? Had they shown any heart at all? Did they ever question what they were doing to a poor little girl?
Rae had finally opened up to her regarding her years as a kid before she had been cured, it was heart-breaking.
When she had been out playing on the playground's monkey bars, her best friend had been lying in a sick bed. When she had competed in a little league softball team in elementary school, Rae had been struggling to learn how to walk.
Naomi couldn't imagine the life Rae had lived before. How did she have such a positive outlook on life? How was she not depressed by her past? She would have been if their roles were in reverse.
She dearly hoped Tomak served to be the light Rae so obviously needed in her life.
Nearing the public beach, she parked in most available parking space, one that would hopefully be easy enough to reverse out of. She didn't want to risk scratching the truck. As much as she didn't like her mom's boyfriend, she didn't dislike him that much. He was a nice guy, she supposed.
Shoving the keys in her back pocket, she looked over her shoulder as she walked down the sidewalk that rode closest to the trees bordering the beach and the ice cream parlor Rae had referred to earlier.
As she was entering the wooded area, she breathed deeply, letting the fresh air relax her. Maybe it wouldn't be as long of a walk as her friend made it out to be. Immediately, she had the thought of jogging.
That idea was short-lived though after almost face planting thanks to the circuitry of roots covering the forest floor. This was not one of those hiking trails that were groomed and checked regularly. This was sprain-your-ankle central.
"Rae, this better be worth it," she huffed, continuing through the woods. She had to keep checking for the sound of crashing waves to make sure she wasn't straying too far from the coast.
It could have been worse, she tried to think optimistically. Had this been that time of the month for her, this would have really sucked.
To pass the time, she decided to imagine what Rae's mystery boyfriend looked like. She would like to say she knew her best friend's taste well.
Not far off from her own taste, she knew Rae was into taller men. She also preferred men that were fit, which showed they were concerned enough to take care of their own body and health. Not all men, but some who made it a routine to go to the gym showed commitment. And if they showed that kind of commitment to their body, it was a possibility that they would show that same commitment with their relationships, at least that's what she always figured.
Race however, was difficult to say. She didn't think Rae would have a preference.
Though she was certainly more judgy about her own appearance than other people's. She had heard her make stupid comments more than once about her own skin, saying she was 'too white' or she needed 'more color.' Sometimes she would make it a joke, but other times Naomi wondered if it was glimpses of self hate.
Naomi didn't really see an issue with her friend's complexion. She thought her skin tone was beautiful with how it blended different textures of freckles and tiny birthmarks or as her mama always called them, 'beauty marks.' Then there was her hair. That girl had amazingly thick dark curls that contrasted beautifully with her light skin. She always felt it made her stand out more. And if she was being honest, Naomi was willing to say she was a little jealous of Rae's hair. It did not nearly require the work hers did and she didn't have to worry about whether her hair got wet, in fact, she swore Rae's hair got curlier after a rainstorm, like the soft strands thrived in water. It was ridiculous and completely unfair, something she always brought up to her friend. She needed to see the good in herself.
This brought on a new characteristic to consider for this Tomak character; hair. She couldn't imagine him being bald, but whether it was short or long, she didn't think Rae would be too nitpicky about that.
Of course, as she well knew, he would need more than looks to woo her best friend. Rae was more interested in the character of a person, someone with a good heart.
There was no telling if Tomak would pan out to any of her imaginative ideas, though. For all she knew, she could be completely off the mark. Only time would tell.
Speaking of time, she thought. Turning on her phone she checked the clock. Had an hour really gone by?
Didn't Rae say she would call her when she was safe? She felt a pressure in her chest as she checked for any missed calls.
She hoped her friend was okay and doing better than she was.
Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, she stood still for a moment scouring the terrain ahead of her with disdain. Large rocks and boulders were being added to the equation. Wonderful.
After clambering over several boulders, she stared incredulously at the steep downhill. Looking beyond that, she made out the rock wall she was magically supposed to walk through.
Taking a deep breath she prepared herself for the descent. Grabbing smaller tree trunks to stabilize herself, she carefully worked her way down. Just when she thought she was getting the hang of it, her foot slipped out from under her, almost sending her the rest of the way. In her brief panic, both hands shot out, managing to grab a secure branch.
"Let's not break your neck, Naomi," she joked with a grunt. "But I suppose that's what I get for wearing Converse." Grumbling under her breath, she got down on her haunches and scooted down what was left of the hill, her feet landing firmly on the ground.
Wiping the dirt from her butt, she approached the wall with cautious eyes. Now how does this work? Did she touch the rock and it would crumble away and reveal a secret entrance?
A little nervous, she lifted her hand, "Open sesame." Just when she expected to feel the hard, cool surface of the stone wall, her hand disappeared beyond it. With a disbelieving gasp, she quickly retracted her hand, checking it over. "No way," she stared at the wall again.
Leaning forward she dipped her head through until she was looking beyond the rock. There were more trees and then a whole new beach front.
With a girly squeal, she hopped through the weird portal and turned back to check it out from the other side. It was weird because it looked so different from the inside. There was no impenetrable rock formation at all. She saw the hill she almost cartwheeled down and that was it.
Maybe portal wasn't the right word for whatever this thing was, more like a camouflage. She wondered how Rae came upon such futuristic technology. Surely, something like that would take a lot of juice to keep running twenty-four seven.
Looking toward the beach, she marched forward, intrigued to know if there would be any more fun surprises.
—
He knew the meat was unnecessary being that he still had the beast from the day before to finish, but he had to kill something, it was the only activity that forced him to hone his skills and zero in his focus. And the physical exertion relaxed him in the end, his endorphins running high.
As he entered back into the premises of his new home, he almost didn't detect it at first, but his senses were alerting him to something hidden.
He lifted his head, scenting the air. His eyes blazed as a foreign smell entered his olfactory sense and he growled ominously at what this meant.
Someone was here and it wasn't Rae.
Dropping his freshly dressed kill, Tomak followed his instincts and turned on his cloaking device, his movements blending in with his surroundings. Utilizing his mask, he scanned the area, taking note of footsteps that still had a heat signature attached. Whoever they were, they weren't far.
Following the fresh trail with careful steps, he exited the safety of the forest, seeing the physical indentation of the footprints in the white sand.
They were small, too small to be male, though a female was not any less difficult. With the proper training they could prove to be dangerous prey.
Taking no chances, he let his wrist blades drop from his gauntlet with an audible shing . Still perfectly invisible, he made his way to the house, the intention to kill still fresh in his mind. Whoever would dare to invade his female's space would pay with their life, the sex mattered not to him. This was a matter of honor.
Movement on the deck caught his attention, his eyes flicking to shadow cast on the ground near him. It was definitely female in shape. His hand had just wrapped around the deck's railing when he heard the sound of knocking followed by the intruder's voice. "Hello?!"
He stilled and waited. Why did that voice sound familiar?
Silently scaling the side of the deck, he had just pulled himself up, when she knocked again a little harder, "Is anyone home?!"
It was her.
He could recognize the creamy brown arms and tight curls hanging from her head, this was indeed, Rae's little friend. Granted, the two were similar in size, but everything was so small in comparison to him, centimeters and inches made no difference.
Now knowing she wasn't an enemy, he sheathed his blades, the sound alerting the girl to his presence.
She turned from the door then, her dark brown eyes passing right over him as she searched for the origin of the sound. As big as her eyes were, her vision appeared to not be nearly as good as his female's.
"Hello?" her voice went quiet, unsure.
If he wasn't concerned about what she was doing here and why without his little temptation, he would have found the girl's suddenly timid behavior to be amusing.
After a long stretch of silence the female seemed to grow impatient, her voice rising in tandem with the lowering of her brows. "If anyone's there, I'm looking for a Tomak? I–"
"How do you know my name?" he spoke up, his eyes following the female who backpedaled, her back smacking hard against the door.
Her eyes were darting around frantically, "Who said that?"
"I did," he growled, not bothering to uncloak, doing so would only make her more panicstricken then she already was. He wanted answers. "What are you doing here? Where is Rae?"
"Dear lord, Jesus Christ," she squeaked before dropping down on her knees muttering reverential words under breath.
Staring in bewilderment as he watched her fold her hands, Tomak began to laugh. "Are you praying, little one? Does my voice evoke that much fear in you?"
Wide eyes opened to him, her hands unfolding at her side before covering her face. "You're not real. You can't be real," she tried to convince herself, her hands smoothing over her face as she tried to take a much needed breath. "Ohmygod, this is insane. But wait a second," she dropped her hands with narrowed eyes. Suddenly standing on her feet she reached blindly for him. "Maybe this isn't real. Maybe I'm like John Travolta's character in that old movie and this is all because of a brain tumor." Walking forward with false confidence, she continued to try and reassure herself, "Yeah that would explain a lot actually. Rae's hands, the portal thing," she began a list as she took careful steps toward him.
Standing still for her, Tomak watched in mild annoyance as she aimlessly and almost clumsily searched for him. When her hands did come in contact with his abdomen, he growled and she gasped.
"Oh god," her hands were trembling as they rose above her head, continually maintaining contact as she tried to find where his shoulders landed. "W-w-what are you?" she whispered in awe. She felt her fingers slip from what she assumed was his skin to something more smooth and metallic. She frowned, "Is this armor?"
It was enough for Tomak.
With a growl he snatched both her hands with one of his, removing her completely from him. The harsh action made her flinch, and she took several steps back.
"You're… you're not human, are you?" she swallowed, her voice more than a little shaky.
He was silent. There was no point in denying it, but by saying nothing, he hoped that it would put off that teetering topic and preserve the little trust she had placed in him. But apparently his silence was deafening.
"Oh. My. God," she carefully backed away as the truth hit her hard.
Seeing the fear in her eyes, Tomak huffed gently. He took a step closer to her, the deck creaking under his weight. "Easy female, you are experiencing a flight or fight response. Neither would serve you well in this instance," he tried to calm, but her breathing was erratic as was her pulse. He didn't know what to do about this, his patience growing thin. He growled gruffly, "Relax human, I mean you no harm."
"Then why do you keep growling?!" she snapped, her reaction not unsimilar to a wounded animal that had been cornered. She was trying to preserve herself.
Sensing this, he breathed deeply. "I am not human," he explained, making an exerted effort to keep his voice as soft and as low as possible. "My vocalizations do not always mean anger. You are much too small and hardly considered a threat to provoke any action from me." The girl oddly looked unsettled by his words.
She wrapped her arms around herself protectively as she tried to control her breathing, her mind going a thousand miles a minute. "So what are you then? An– an alien?!"
Tomak was quiet before gently admitting, "On this planet, yes." He watched her swallow, absorbing this. "And you are Rae's friend," he added, urging her to keep talking.
She nodded, fisting her hands at her side. His rather gentle words helped some in calming her down, if only a little. "So she mentioned me?"
He chuffed, dismissively. "I have watched you interact," he corrected, curiously taking in her widening eyes. "Rae would always return with an improved mood. Your boisterous chatter seems to make her happy," he rumbled a small purr.
She blinked rapidly hearing the new sound. "Um… yeah. I mean," she straightened her slouched posture, growing more confident, "you seem to make her pretty happy too."
"You speak as if she told you about me. Is that how you know my name?" he tilted his head, watching her extremely hesitant body language.
"Well…" she looked away with a shrug, "I mean, it took her until this morning before she admitted that you were real. She denied your existence on multiple accounts for over two months, but I knew there had to be someone else in her life, she was leaving work way too happy to go home to no one," she felt comfortable enough to smirk at the last bit.
Tomak felt a purr stir up in his chest. An almost aching sensation was beginning to emanate from his chest as he thought of Rae.
How long had she been looking forward to seeing him? Had it really been from the beginning? Had he been that ignorant? When he was too angry and arrogant to even appreciate her sacrifices, had she really viewed him as she did now?
The foreign sensation in what had to be his heart was becoming increasingly painful. He should have been concerned by this and have his chest cavity checked for a kiande amedha embryo, but fortunately there was no need, already aware of this very human emotion he was being infected with and its similar symptoms. It was still a weakness, but one he was confident in facing.
"Are all people like you invisible where you come from?"
The question caught him off-guard.
Looking at the female again, fear seemed to be slowly crawling back into the recesses of her mind, her curiosity taking root as she boldly took a step closer to where she thought he was.
He chuffed again, rolling his eyes. "No, I am cloaked, it makes me invisible to most visions."
A frown slowly appeared on her smooth brown face, her arms crossing over her chest as she absorbed this new information. "Were you trying to sneak up on me earlier, is that why you're using it?"
Her tone was just shy of being demanding and he had to hold in another irritated growl. It was one question after the other with this one, but her accusation was not entirely off. Had he not identified her, he would have no doubt killed her, but now his cloak served a different purpose.
"My appearance would frighten you," he spoke gruffly, uninterested in this pointless conversation.
She surprised him yet again when she smirked, her hands brashly landing on her waist. "Well if you were trying not to scare me, you did a terrible job of it." Her eyes rose to where she thought his face would be, "At this point, I doubt your looks would phase me after everything I've witnessed this morning."
Fear long gone from her eyes, Tomak sensed a defiance in her, it was arrogant and he had to resist chuckling at her bravery. She truly did not know what she was dealing with. He folded his own arms, looking down at her with amusement, "I have had human males piddle at the sight of me."
She blinked slowly, more than a little surprised by this, but she shook it off, holding firm. "Well, I'm more gutsy than most people."
"Somehow I do not doubt that," he chuckled.
Her eyes brightened in a rather, dare he say, excited way. "So you plan on showing yourself then?"
"Not yet, I do not want to risk having your trust. I wish to know why you are here first."
"So you promise to show yourself after?" she pressed.
He cocked his head, "Why are you so anxious to see me, female?"
"The name is Naomi," she spoke with a little more bite, "and now that I know you're an alien, I'm very curious to know what you look like for my best friend to be so invested."
He snorted. "First, tell me why my female is not here with you, then I will consider it."
Naomi inhaled sharply, "Well, okay, just please don't take it out on me, okay?"
He grunted, telling her to continue.
She hesitated a moment, "Long story short, I set her up with this guy, Damon and–"
"I know of this male," he abruptly cut her off. The mere thought of the pathetic excuse of a male having anything remotely to do with his female put a bad taste in his mouth.
Taken aback by the evidence of anger in his voice she was hesitant to keep going. "Yeah well to be fair, Rae never mentioned you, so… anyway, he was kidnapped by these people that want Rae and she–"
"Say that again," he snarled, making the girl jump.
"Damon was k-k-kidnapped by people that want Rae."
A violent roar had Naomi clapping her hands over her ears.
Breathing heavily from his rage, Tomak took an ominous step forward, "Tell me she did not think to go after him!"
"Um… I-I mean… she um– she told me to give you this when she left," she pulled out the folded piece of paper from her coat pocket, as if it would distract him. But when she held it out for him to take, he didn't make a move to.
Still snarling, Tomak grabbed the girl by the shoulders, not caring that she flinched at his firm touch. "Where is she going?!" he demanded.
"I-I-I don't know!" she tried to pull herself away, only to sigh in relief when Tomak allowed her to do so.
Free from his palpable rage, she frowned, standing still for a moment in thought before suddenly whipping out her phone, "Unless she actually listened to me and didn't delete it," turning the device in her hands she bit her lip in an anxious way. Hopeful. "I might be able to find out, hold on."
Tomak hovered over her shoulder as she pulled up something on her phone.
While the app was loading, she explained it to him. "Rae had been so paranoid in the beginning, that I made her download an app on her phone that allows me to track her. It was just for safety reasons." Pausing, she lamented quietly, "Now I realize how much she trusted me to do that."
After speaking, a map opened up on her phone showing a bubble with Rae's face in it. She pointed to the bubble, noting the address. "The app says she's just outside of town. Maybe we can get to her in time."
"I will go," he planted his hand on Naomi's shoulder, pressing lightly. To clarify it for her he growled, "You will stay here."
She spun around, bravely smacking his hand away. "Like hell I will! You may be her boyfriend, but she's my best friend, and best friends rank higher than boyfriends in my book. So I'm coming with you!"
He released a rattling growl, not in the mood for this. "Coming with me would only slow me down. Stay here, it is safer for you."
Naomi was having none of it. "Rae told me to come here, and I don't think it was just because this place was hidden. I'm willing to bet there is no place safer than with you, so nice try buddy, but I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!"
"No, you will hand over your tracker and that will be the end of this," he growled, his face inches from hers.
Immediately she tucked the device to her chest, taking a step back. "Nope. If you want the map, I'm coming with you."
His whole body hardened in rage. This female was so frustrating!
Seeming to sense his agitation, she softened her voice, trying to sweeten the deal, "And if you let me come, I have a ride that can get us there faster than on foot." She pulled out keys from her sweater, her eyes twinkling as if she won.
He snorted in disagreement, "A puny vehicle has no use for me."
"Oh trust me," she spun the keys on her finger, with a smirk, "it's not puny."
Tomak heaved a heavy growl and considered just leaving her, having already grown tired of her exhausting presence. But something inside of him wanted to see her lose that annoying sense of confidence she had swiftly brought up in this short matter of time. Besides, if this vehicle was as big as she made it out to be, perhaps it could be of some use.
"Fine," and almost immediately he deactivated his cloak. He knew the second he was visible because the little female's eyes popped wide open, her mouth agape like a fish.
Her breathing hitched, "Holy shi– I mean…" she seemed to lose all sense of words. "Wow, you just," she blinked up at him, "...wow."
She began to laugh nervously as she took a couple steps back, "And here I thought your name was foreign, I didn't realize the whole package was too. Damn Rae," she continued to stare at his body.
This was not what Tomak had expected at all for a reaction. Part of him hoped she would scream and run. He always loved it when they ran, but openly ogling him was new. It bothered him.
He growled in disgust as he turned and leapt off the deck. He heard another curse in response, her tiny feet pattering down the wooden steps as she tried to catch up to him.
"Well now I can understand why Rae ran, I mean respectively," she tried to amend, "you are humongous. If you growl with her nearly as much as you do me, I would have ran too."
Tomak groaned inwardly. By the gods may this end.
Her eyes were glued to him, as she tried to keep up with his long strides. "I'm still in shock," she kept going, never seeming to have a conclusion to her endless talking. "This is a lot to process. Aside from you being an alien, you come across like a galactic bad boy and I honestly didn't think that was Rae's type."
They were moving much too slow he realized and there was only one way he could amend that.
Before Naomi could register the movement, Tomak spun around and grabbed her, hauling her small body over his shoulder as he took off running. She barely had time to scream.
"Woah! Geez!" he felt her hands grip the straps of his armor for support. "The hell, you could've given a girl some warning before handling her like a rag doll!" she screeched in his ear.
"Quiet," he snarled, his feet connecting with the hard soil as he barreled his way through the dense brush.
"Well excuse me for complaining about being thrown like a sack of potatoes! You could be a little less rude about it. I mean this isn't an abduction, right?" Her words came out staggered as her chest and stomach pressed uncomfortably against his armored shoulder with every jostling movement.
Barrelling through the brush like a freight train, Tomak held her tighter. "Female if you do not be quiet," he warned, "I will force your silence," he growled irritably. Growing tired of his load and the uneven terrain, Tomak launched himself up into one of the trees, moving faster through the branches.
Having not expected to be any further away from the ground, Naomi sucked in a quick breath, going completely stiff. She was in no mood to end this little argument. "Hey, I'm Rae's best friend so if you drop me or disembowel me, she is going to be very upset!"
Tomak's eyes squeezed shut. This had to be punishment from the gods. It had to be.
Although it wasn't long before they reached the end trails of the forest, it had felt like forever for the both of them. The second he dropped Naomi back on her feet, she wobbled a bit, feeling as sick as a dog at sea.
"Ooh," she groaned, "remind me to never let you carry me again," she held her stomach with a grimace. "Come on," she sighed, "the truck's this way."
Cloaking himself, Tomak followed her down the beach until they eventually reached a parking lot. He eyed the larger blue vehicle carefully.
"I'm not sure if you can sit inside, but if you're okay to keep that camouflage thing on, you can hop in the bed of the truck," she gestured to the back, watching as the whole truck shook and sank with his added weight.
She blinked in surprise, "Well alright then."
Hesitating briefly, Gabriel gave a nervous smile to one of the passing scientists, who didn't even bother looking up from their tablet. Waiting awkwardly for them to leave the corridor, he didn't miss the spark of excitement in the woman's eyes before she was gone. It was a look that made him uncomfortable.
In the past few hours, he watched what could only be described as a chemical reaction pass through the attitudes of every scientist in the whole joint. Something happened. Everything was chaotic. The nerds were buzzing with excitement and he was unsure what that meant for him.
Ever since he arrived here, they had been on him like white on rice, constantly keeping him in their peripherals. They had complete distrust for anyone new and he was only beginning to piece together why. Obviously an outsider had interfered before and they weren't taking any chances with him now. He used to have to use his breaks to even get word out to his superiors, but now, it was different. At the moment no one seemed to care where he was.
He had to figure that either there was a scientific breakthrough that he was unaware of, or someone important was paying a visit.
Whatever the case, the Colonel would want it reported.
Quietly entering into the closet with his cleaning supplies, Gabriel hurriedly dialed for the Colonel.
"Access code," the male voice commanded.
He was growing tired of doing this. "C7009, transfer me to the Colonel."
"Copy that C7009, transferring now."
Unlike all the times before when he usually waited for a response, the line picked up almost immediately. "This better be good, Brown."
The god-like voice yelling, "STOP!" almost killed her. Naomi was sure of it.
Slamming on the brakes she pulled off the road and put the truck in park. Whirling around in her seat she gave him her best glare. "What the hell man! You tryna kill me?!"
"We stop here and walk," the words were clipped, with no room for argument.
Okay, Mr. Bossy , she silenced the truck's engine and slipped off the high seat, landing hard on her feet.
She peered around, wondering if Tomak had already left her behind. He seemed to be the kind that would. Rolling her eyes, she only made it two steps before the weight of a 15-pound bowling ball landed heavily on her shoulder. "AHHH!" she screamed, her hands instantly clapping over her mouth as her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.
The fingers that hung lazily over her shoulder, tightened into a vice grip. "I would not be surprised if the entire city knows where we are," he growled. His voice moved until it was directed at the side of her face. "From this point forward, you will do exactly as I say. I will go ahead and draw them out, stay behind me, and no talking." Uncloaking, she watched his green bulk run ahead of her.
Regaining her nerves, Naomi heaved a sigh of relief when she was sure she was alone. She was ninety-eight percent sure he had done that on purpose, trying to scare her. What an ass. For such a big guy, he sure was quiet as a mouse though. Maybe quieter.
Running after him, she kept her eyes everywhere around her. The road was silent, which was typical of a road like this one. It was probably hardly ever used, but what was scaring her was the lack of sound coming from the forest. There were no chirps or whistling tunes, no sounds of insects, and not even the ruffling of leaves of scurrying chipmunks. There was no sound. It was creeping her out.
After a couple minutes, she eventually saw a clearing coming up off to the side, a tarred path leading up to several buildings. Slowing down, she caught sight of Tomak skirting around the outside of the first building, his body tense and alert.
That put her on alert as well and quickly she slowed her pace, carefully walking through the trees, cringing as her shoes crunched on dead leaves and twigs. Her eyes lifted to Tomak, trailing behind him as he ran further in.
Not wanting to be alone, Naomi crept out into the open, moving to the side of one of the buildings. Peeking out to the large lot, her eyes widened seeing a large truck-bed emptied of trees, the giant trunks laying still on the ground beside it. That is where she found Tomak, walking away from the accident.
She checked the perimeter before running to his side, he was crouched low, the lenses of his mask glowing as he examined a set of tire marks.
"What happened here?" she asked worriedly.
He was silent, his masked face turning up to follow the tracks towards the main road.
Not getting any answers from him she backed away. "I'll have a look around," she notified him, knowing he probably didn't care. Heading to the logging truck first, she stared at the trees. They were big, and scattered as if they tumbled. She checked the straps on the bed.
They were cut. Burnt, to be more accurate, each end blackened where it snapped.
Rae, her brows furrowed. Turning toward the closest building she took note of the door that was left wide open. Turning her head toward Tomak, she found him where he was last, examining something between his fingers.
Taking a deep breath she ascended the stairs to what she assumed was the main office.
Entering hesitantly her eyes immediately flew up, drawn to the sunlight blaring through the roof, or what was left of it. The remains were scattered on the floor.
Stepping over the rubble, she saw a knocked over chair surrounded by chains. Getting down on her knees she lifted the chain in her hand, noting a similarity to the logging truck's restraints, each end was blackened from heat.
"My god, Rae," she whispered fearfully. Who were these people to provoke her peaceful friend?
Her eyes turned, looking for more evidence in the space around her. Her eyes lifted to the corner of the room where a dark hidden camera sat.
Of course, she stood up. The company was bound to have several cameras set up around the whole property. Maybe it caught something.
Turning towards the build-in desk, she stepped around the debris and went to the main computer. Thankfully it hadn't been damaged when the roof caved in. Other than a layer of sawdust, it was okay.
Wiping the screen with her hand, she shook the mouse, getting the screen to light up. The first thing that popped up was a request for a username and password.
She exhaled, looking around to see if there was anything she could use to go by. She opened all the drawers and cupboards, hoping to find a hint of something only to come up dry. Leaning heavily on the desk, about ready to give up, Naomi's eyes landed on a picture frame with two adorable smiling boys. Curious, she turned the picture frame over and a smile lit up her face as she found everything she needed all on a sticky note.
Moving to sit in the plush chair, she entered the identification and smiled as the computer accepted it.
"We're in business," she scanned the desktop, finding their camera system. When the application loaded she found it weird that the footage was paused, as if someone turned the cameras off. What's the point of a surveillance system if you only turn it on when you're here?
Scrolling through what was available, she frowned, finding that all it had was from the day before, and a little of this morning, but nothing with Rae or even Damon. No proof of anything.
Slowing the time, she watched the last free minutes of what was available, pausing the footage as a dark van entered the lot. This was the last frame.
She squinted, staring at the van. There were no license plates, not even giving her a clue of where these guys came from.
Groaning, she decided to at least take a picture of it before shutting down the computer. That had been a pointless pursuit.
Turning back to her phone she checked the app. It was still saying Rae was here, or at least her phone was.
"Hey Tomak!" she called, peeking her head out the door. His head whipped in her direction, his dreadlocks slicing the air around him. She blinked in surprise. Was he always so dramatic?
Smiling sadly, she gestured for him to come up, "You'll want to take a look at this."
The giant was there in no time at all, his large mass filling the doorway, forcing her to step to the side. His head turned up, assessing the state of the roof and lowering to the wreckage below. Naomi stood there, holding the chain. "Rae was definitely here," she held it out for him to see.
Reaching out and taking it, she watched his large clawed thumb smooth over the burnt blackened ends of the chain. A rumble sounded from his chest and Naomi was unsure of what it meant.
Stepping around him, she gave him some space as she left to scout more of the property, hoping for some answers.
Following her phone precisely, she was lead to a shed, the door was partially open, but not enough to see inside. She looked down at the app that was telling her she was right on top of Rae's position. She took a deep breath, hoping to not find a body, but as she shakily pushed it open the rest of the way, her eyes lowered to the ground.
There laying in the dirt was Rae's phone.
They really had been too late.
Naomi fell to her knees, determined to not let out a sob.
Somehow she knew Rae wouldn't be here, she knew the second she walked on the property. She just kept holding onto blind hope that her friend somehow made it out.
Picking up the black smartphone, she clutched it tightly, cradling it to her chest.
Rae was gone. And worst yet, they had no idea where.
Several Hours Later
A pained breath left her mouth as she opened her eyes. Bright lights blinded her as she looked around. Her head was killing her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even remember what happened.
She went to touch her head, but found her hands couldn't move. It was then that she realized she was lying down on a flat metal surface.
"Morning sunshine," a familiar voice forced her focus. There was an individual standing above her and as her vision adjusted to the light, she began to recognize him and it all came flooding back to her. This was the man that held Damon at gun-point, the one that had taken them captive.
She jerked on the table, intending to attack the man, but was once again stopped by the bonds restraining her. Despite her subdued state, he still flinched, a small victory.
Her eyes traveled down her body, then, only to widen seeing that her clothes were different. A black tank and matching colored leggings. Her shoes on the other hand were gone, her feet left bare.
"Where am I?" her voice was groggy, still coming to. She looked to her right, noting that they were in what looked like an interrogation room with the mirror filling up the whole wall.
"Doesn't look familiar?" the man asked, and before she could retort, she felt the whole platform she was lying on tilt until it positioned her upright.
With a better view to the space, Rae noticed the gray floors, a contrast to the incredibly white walls. Unfortunately it was familiar.
"I'm sorry for the rough ride down, your system kept fighting off the tranquilizers. The boys were getting a little rough with administering them," and that was when Rae caught sight of the deep purple bruises on her arms. How many times did they administer?
"I did my job, but as of today, I'm retiring. I've seen way too much action and violence in my years."
Immediately Rae frowned.
Then a female voice spoke from behind him. "Director Price appreciates your service, Mr. McKenna. The transaction has already been made in regards to your payment."
The older man nodded to the woman before facing Rae once more. "Good luck, kid. I'm rooting for you."
A crushing sensation filled her chest as the man turned to leave, leaving her alone with the woman dressed in a white lab jacket. Her eyes hardened at the sight of the stranger.
The woman tentatively approached Rae, her eyes scanning over her. "Hi Rae, how are you feeling?"
She almost wanted to laugh if a bit dryly. "Peachy."
The woman smiled, before concern lit within her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to come to us like this. You have a bruise forming on the side of your face, are you suffering from a concussion?"
Rae was silent. Even if her head did hurt a little, she wasn't about to tell her that.
"Okay," she conceded. "I understand, you don't trust me, and I know this is probably not going to help."
She took out a small syringe out of her lab jacket, and after placing the kit on the table next to her, she put on some medical gloves and tore open an alcohol swab, wiping it over the venous area inside of Rae's elbow. Throwing it in the trash, she put together the blood collection tubes, talking as she worked, "I'm going to be taking two small blood samples. One to use for analysis and the other to use as an independent variable for some extra testing."
Uncapping the needle she held the pointed lumen to the largest vein she found. "You should only feel a pinch," she promised, being careful to position the bevel upward as she inserted the needle into her arm.
Closing her eyes, Rae prepared for the prick of pain. After several seconds with nothing happening, she looked down her arm, finding that Amanda was already drawing blood, the tube filling up with the red substance. Well at least she was good at it.
Pulling the needle out, she held a piece of gauze tightly to the bleeding area, putting pressure on it until she could place a long piece of tape over the gauze to keep it in place. "I'm sorry if that was a little uncomfortable for you," she apologized as she cleaned up her little station.
Rae watched her as she placed the two vials of her blood in a compartment that kept them standing upright.
Finally peeling off the gloves she threw them in the trash before turning to Rae. "I'm going to go take these to the lab, but I'll be back in later to check on you," she then pointed to the platform. "Do you want it in the down position, or are you okay the way you are?"
Rae stared at the woman. Why did she act so normal? Why was she being so nice? She acted as if she came in here willingly to just get a check-up or something. It made her suspicious of her true intentions.
Nodding her head, as if expecting her silence, the woman smiled, "I'll leave you as you are then." Pivoting on her foot, she exited the room, the door sliding shut behind her.
In silence, Rae willed herself not to cry. She wasn't about to show them weakness.
To take her spiraling thoughts off her situation, her mind drifted to Naomi. She hoped she found the house okay and she hoped she had given Tomak that message, it was imperative that she did.
Tomak had a potent temper. That she knew, though he had been showing less and less of it to her, she was still aware that when angered he would often act without thinking. She didn't want him risking himself by doing something stupid. Then again, maybe he was growing tired of her and her indecisiveness.
She wouldn't blame him if he did. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't care about where she was. He was yautja and she was human. There were so many reasons why this couldn't work. Surely he would do the math and figure it wasn't worth looking for her.
But another voice popped in her head. His voice. It completely drowned out her negative thoughts as his words filled her head.
It would be unwise of them to anger a yautja. Her face all the way down to her chest bloomed with heat, remembering his statement.
Why have you been hiding from me, gorgeous? That particular question pricked her heart.
But then, even in anger he cared. She recalled how he stood there waiting in her living room for her to return from her date.
Where were you? he growled, concern still evident in his voice. He had been so angry then, he actually cornered her against the wall. She had only touched him momentarily to get him to back up, but she recalled the power in his frame then
In so many instances, he showed he cared. She just had to fight that human tendency to try and find darkness when there was only light.
And even though they were hundreds and hundreds of miles apart, Rae swore to herself that she would get out. Someway somehow she would find him.
At peace with that thought, her eyelids went heavy and eventually they closed shut. Despite knowing where she was, she took a nap.
This happened a couple times. Her eyes would blink open to nothing and then she would go right back to sleep.
Several hours must have passed before the door to the room hissed opened. Her eyes snapped open and instantly she felt the buzzing in her arms. The lack of blood flowing to them was slowly driving her mad.
"I see you've gotten some rest," a familiar voice echoed in her ears and her attention was riveted on the man now in front of her.
"Hello, Rae. It certainly has been a long time."
Her hands tightened into fists. Price .
Unlike McKenna, Price didn't so much as blink when she jerked in the bonds, testing them.
"And it seems like you have your energy back. Wonderful," he held her gaze, his piercing ice-like eyes drilling into her soul.
All at once she felt cold, she felt fear, she felt like that fourteen-year old girl again.
Looking him over, she noticed that he hadn't changed, the only difference was that his once jet black pristine hair had streaks of gray in it. A sign of his age.
"I have with me, Amanda," he gestured behind him, "my assistant and the head of our lab department. She will be overseeing your stay."
Nodding in acceptance to her task, the woman stepped out from behind him and Rae recognized it to be the one who drew blood from her earlier.
Price continued, "Amanda has been analyzing your blood and is intrigued by the process you have made while you matured. And based on reports from the outside world, it would appear you have reached the full capacity of your abilities. Would you agree with this statement?"
Rae merely held his gaze, her eyes flicking to his assistant who watched on curiously.
Ignoring his earlier question, she asked one of her own. "Why am I here?"
Price smiled, "Because I want you to be. I'm sure you have come to realize that it's dangerous in the real-world, especially for someone as unique as yourself. I brought you here to keep you safe."
Rae scoffed at his tone. "I'm not an innocent little girl anymore. Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me," she grit her teeth, "what you did to my father."
"What we did to you," his voice rose steadily, "was push you to your limits, we wanted to see what you could do. Now it's different," he assured. "Now we want to know more about the serum your father collected, the serum that is running through your blood."
"So experimentation, dissection," she spat.
Price was calm, once again shaking his head, "A partnership," he clarified. "All we want is to know what your father did to make you so special. If you tell us, then you will be greatly rewarded for your willing participation in the project."
Rae scowled, once again looking over to his assistant.
Following her gaze, Price gestured to the woman, "Or if you don't I will give all authority to Amanda to do what needs to be done to find the answers ourselves. It's up to you."
Despite the fear she felt for what could happen, she steeled herself and pictured Tomak. Just the thought of him gave her the courage she needed to hold her ground. "Even if I knew what my father did, I would never tell you," she met Price's eyes, seeing the exact moment they flashed in anger.
"I'll give you one more chance before I get serious," he leaned in. "What did your father do to create the serum?"
Rae pursed her lips and shot her head forward, spitting directly in the director's face. Amanda, who was still present in the corner of the room, gasped. But Price held stock still.
She could practically feel his anger blooming to the surface.
Turning slowly to his assistant, Rae watched as Amanda quickly pulled something out of her lab jacket for him to wipe his face with. Once presentable, he turned back to her, his demeanor dangerously calm, "I see you've made your decision. I'm only sorry it had to end this way."
He pulled something out of his pocket and before Rae could see what it was she felt the current through the bonds.
A scream broke through her defenses as she was violently electrocuted. Her body spasmed uncontrollably, her back arching off the metal structure in a feeble attempt to get away.
Then it stopped.
Rae slumped against her bonds, breathing hard.
"Are you willing to talk now?"
Rae felt heart beating rapidly in her chest. It hurt to breathe, but she tried.
Obviously too slow to respond to his question, Rae cried out at the second discharge of electricity, this one lasting longer, firing through every nerve in her body.
Unable to hold off any longer, she felt herself go, her world blackening once more.
Price stared at her for a moment longer, watching her body twitch limply before releasing the trigger. He put it back in his pocket then turned to Amanda. "Make a note of the current and number of electrocutions," he advised coldly. "And have her transferred to her new cell."
"Sir," she spoke quietly. "Are you sure this is the best way to go about this?"
"This is the only way. Fear is an excellent motivator, she will give in, eventually." Looking back to Rae's unconscious face one last time, he exited the room with a smile plastered over his face.
They were so close to cracking the code. It was only a matter of time before the serum was recreated and then nothing would stand in his way.
The pentagon will be begging at his doorstep for more on this ground-shattering discovery, all he needed to do was wait. But as he was well aware, time was not on his side.
—
Waking with a jolt, Rae sat up in a panic. Her head swiveled back and forth, expecting to still see Price looming over her. Even when she found that he wasn't there, she couldn't bring herself to relax.
She was in a different cell, a spacious one, which wasn't exactly comforting, it meant that she had no idea what to expect. There had to be a reason why they designed it to be spacious. There was always a purpose to everything Price did.
This set-up could mean multiple things, all of them generalizing to a test of some sort.
Sitting still, she closed her eyes, breathing through her nose to try and calm her racing mind, but the scent wasn't helping any in comforting her. It wasn't the salty air she was accustomed to but a sterile smell, much like the dental office she used to work at.
As unpleasant as it was, she at least convinced herself that it was clean, so touching the floor was probably okay.
Slowly standing, she stared at the walls individually. They all were white, with one strip of light splitting horizontally down the center. It might have almost been considered modern and beautiful, but it was nothing short of disgusting in her eyes. Just a glorified cage.
Muffled sounds coming from the adjacent wall caught her attention. Moving toward it, she leaned her ear against the wall and listened intently.
It was a male voice, familiar and warm. "Damon?"
The voice paused.
"Rae?" she heard his somewhat muffled response.
She smiled in relief, "Yeah it's me." At least now she knew the walls weren't completely soundproof.
"You okay?" he asked next, still being the gentleman she knew him as.
She didn't want to scare him with what happened to her, especially when they probably wouldn't use those methods on him. He wasn't a threat to them. So forgoing the horror, she decided to stick with the positive for his sake. "Yeah, I'm good. Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?"
"They just took a blood sample, but I'm okay. Where are we Rae? What is this place?"He sounded so tired, it made her want to cry for him.
Answering his question she sighed, "It's a lab. They run tests and experiments on different and unusual specimens."
"Is that why you can shoot fire from your hands?" he asked.
"Yes," she slowly responded. She forgot he knew about that, probably having seen her cave-in that roof.
"So why am I here, Rae?"
She lowered her head, regretfully. She had no idea. If anything, it was merely because he was linked to her, but she didn't say that.
"I don't know, but I promise you," she pressed her hand to the wall between them, I'm going to get us out of here."
"Do you really think it's possible?" he asked, hopeful.
"I've done it once before," she partially lied. She had escaped with help the last time. It was highly unlikely for someone to take their side this round.
She also didn't voice how much higher the stakes were if they were to escape. It wasn't just her life that was at risk, it was Damon's life too. If they were to successfully escape, they needed to take every chance they had outside of their cells to observe their surroundings. A weakness in the system had to be found.
"Hey, Rae?"
She leaned her head against the wall again, "Yeah?"
"I think there's something or someone else here with us, I keep hearing scratching on the opposite wall. I think there's another cell next to mine. Do you know anything about it?"
Another cell , that worried her. What if it was someone like her, but worse? She tried not to dwell on it. There was no point in worrying unless she knew for sure, she needed to save her energy for other things.
"No," she spoke truthfully, but she would find out. "Get some sleep, Damon. We're going to need it."
"Okay. Good-night, Rae," she heard him lay down.
Doing the same, she closed her eyes, resting her head on her arm, her legs curling under her. "Good-night, Damon."
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears to roll down her cheeks. Her body trembled with her silent crying. She was in hell and Damon was depending on her.
God please help us.
Author's Note
So happy everyone was enjoying the little bit of action last chapter. I can only assure you that chapter 26 will be answering some of those burning questions you had before. In fact, the title is going to be, Ugly Truth. So I will let you absorb that little tidbit for the time being. Stay tuned! And thanks for reviewing! XD