(Sur)real

My back burned fiercely. Landing on the floor, having Jim run with me, and then his wild driving had ripped some of Winifred’s bandaging loose. I could feel something tickling down my lower back. It was only a matter of time before Jim noticed the scent of my blood.

“Blake’s people tried to attack the hotel, but Mom stopped them,” he said.

“Was anyone hurt? Are all the Judgments okay?”

“Gabby, Mom, and Michelle are fine. Isabelle and Bethi are still on the mountain.”

He paused for a moment.

“According to Gabby, the Urbat were in clusters to the north before the attack. Now the Urbat are moving south. Isabelle and Bethi will need to go through a cluster before they’re in the clear. Gabby also thinks Blake’s flying into Salt Lake City.”

I exhaled slowly and focused on Blake’s location. That feeling of close, yet still far away, now made more sense. As soon as his plane started to descend, I’d feel his presence grow stronger.

“The rest of our group’s heading to the national park that Michelle saw in her dreams.”

“Is it getting dark out, yet?” I asked. We’d eaten breakfast and those pastries, but I wasn’t sure if that had been a snack or lunch and if the restaurant would have counted as dinner.

“Yes, the sun’s just starting to set.”

“Ask Michelle if it was day or night in her images.”

The noise of the tires filled the car in his silence.

“Day. She said the sun looked like it was right overhead in most of the images.”

I felt a bit of relief at knowing we still had more time. I wasn’t yet ready.

Jim inhaled deeply.

“You’re bleeding.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The car started to slow.

“Don’t stop, Jim. We need to get as close as possible to that park. I’ll be fine until then.”

“I’ll just stop to get—”

“You will die, they will take me back, and the Judgement will fail. We cannot stop.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“We have four hours until we reach the park.”

“Look for somewhere for us to stay when we’re an hour away. Make sure we’re not close to the rest of our group.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, not that it did any good. The Others continued to swirl around, filling my vision with the passing cars, passing trees, and the man beside me.

Have courage, daughter. You will not be alone.

No, I wouldn’t. But I didn’t want to think about that. I focused on today and my time with Jim. In my mind, I could still see the shops and the people he’d described. If I concentrated, I could recall the taste of the pastries and the way his husky voice had made my insides flutter. The attention and consideration he’d given me would never fade.

“Thank you for today and the memories,” I said.

“Just the first of many. I’m sorry you were hurt again.”

Those words made me ache to tell him the truth. That this would be the end of my fun days. That this wouldn’t be the last hurt I would suffer before we completed the Judgement.

Instead, I concentrated on the sound of the tires and Blake’s increasing nearness and anger, neither of which worried me any longer. The end was near, and he knew it. He still wanted the Judgements under his control. Now, instead of catching us like he’d hoped, we’d scattered.

Blake was growing desperate, too. More dangerous. It was time to control him like he’d tried to control the rest of us. I knew what to do and glanced toward Jim. The Others moved around him, only giving his shape a general outline.

How would he react to what was coming? To what I would soon ask of him?

Noticing my attention, Jim reached over and held my hand. The feel of his thumb smoothing over my skin gave me a measure of peace. I treasured each quiet moment as the tires slowly covered the miles to our destination.

As soon as I felt Blake grow closer, I released Jim’s hand and dialed Blake’s number. It immediately went to voice mail. On the second try, he picked up.

“Olivia.”

“Hello, Father.” I clasped Jim’s hand again.

“Where are you?”

“South of you, as you know. Michelle’s visions show that we’ll meet tomorrow at noon in the Canyonlands National Park.”

“That no longer matters.”

I laughed, ignoring the anger filling my mind.

“Of course it matters. I’m not with the others, Father. They know when and where to show. Without them, without me, there will be no Judgement.”

He growled.

“Then I’ll settle for you,” he said with soft menace.

“No, you won’t. You’ll wait and meet all of us there. Gabby is watching. If you or any other Urbat gets close to me, I’ll—”

This time he laughed.

“You’ll do nothing. You’re useless and blind.”

I exhaled slowly, knowing it was time to prove just how smart and useful I could be. Heart hammering, I turned my hand in Jim’s and lifted his hand to my breast. He jerked and turned his head toward me.

“I do have a use, Father. A use you’ve been saving for yourself.”

Jim growled, his fingers twitching around my breast. I let myself feel. Not just his hot palm covering my bare breast through my sweater, but the flutter of anticipation he created in my stomach and the sudden jolt of desire that crept lower because of his touch.

Blake roared in my ear.

“What are you doing? Who is with you?”

Jim tried to remove his hand, and his thumb brushed over my nipple. I shivered and held his hand in place.

“A male willing to take everything you think you own,” I said, slightly breathless.

“You Claimed me,” Blake yelled. “You’re mine.”

“We both know a Claim wouldn’t stop me from having sex with someone else. You’ll just experience every moment of another male taking what belongs to you. Stay away, and so will he. Make a move in our direction, and he’ll have me on my back before you can howl.”

I hung up the phone, released Jim’s hand, and set the phone on the seat between us. It immediately began ringing, but I ignored it and the guilt that wanted to surge forward as I watched Jim’s shape.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. Blake’s anger still boiled in my mind. “Tell Gabby she’ll need to watch the Urbat. If any start moving toward us, she should let you know.”

Jim rubbed his chest.

“You know, we’d be safer if you just broke your Claim with Blake,” he said, his voice rough and with an angry edge.

I shook my head, thinking of the next twenty-four hours and what lay ahead. Fear threaded its way through my heart.

“No. I can’t. No matter what, I can’t release my hold on him. With it, he’s the one under our control.”

“Is that really the reason? Without it, he can’t find you.”

“Please, trust me,” I said. “This is the safest way.”

He didn’t say anything more, and I wondered what he thought about the threat I’d just delivered to Blake. Would the pull be enough to gain Jim’s willingness to help me, or had I just lost any hope of having his support?

JIM…

The idea of that monster crawling around inside Olivia’s head, feeling her emotions when I couldn’t, was killing me. I wanted him out. Now. But I refused to push her like he had.

Fisting my hand and setting it in my lap, I struggled for calm and control. Once I had a small measure of both, I reached out to Sam, the least likely to overreact at the latest news.

Sam, Olivia’s bleeding again. We need to find somewhere to stop and clean her up. If any Urbat start moving toward us, let me know.

Will do. Gabby’s watching everything now. We’ll meet you at Canyonlands in an hour.

No. According to Michelle’s visions, we don’t meet the Urbat there until the sun’s high. That means we should be fine for the rest of tonight. And, because of Olivia’s Claim on Blake, he knows right where she is. So, it’s safer if we stay separate until tomorrow.

It’s not smart to stop. There’s nothing to prevent Blake from taking her back.

There is. He doesn’t just want her as a Judgement to control; he wants her as a Mate. She’s already let him know that I would mate her if he took a step in our direction.

I could feel Sam’s panic before he even sent his message.

You can’t.

I didn’t try to explain that I thought I could. It would have only panicked him more.

Blake doesn’t know Olivia’s with an Elder, I sent back instead.

It’s just a bluff?

Let’s hope Blake doesn’t test it.

In the silence that followed, Olivia shifted slightly in her seat. The movement drew my attention to the lingering scent of her interest and the feel and shape of her breast that seemed burned into my palm.

Keep heading south till you hit Richfield, Sam sent, interrupting my fixation. There’s a hotel there and stores for whatever you might need. Gabby says it’s clear of Urbat.

He gave directions to the hotel after I promised to stay in contact throughout the night. Not long after that, Winifred’s message touched my mind. It felt larger and more open, and I knew she was communicating with all the Elders at once.

Gabby and Bethi have convinced me that we cannot face Blake’s numbers alone. I think it’s time we put out a call for help.

No one disagreed, and I listened to her message to all of our kind.

The time for shedding our shadowed existence is at hand. No longer can we hide in the eclipse of the humans’ numbers. We must step forward as one and face our true enemy, the Urbat, and their zealot leader, Blake. All werewolves should come to Canyonlands National Park at noon tomorrow.

“Everyone is stopping for the night. Michelle’s made arrangements for us.”

The scent of Olivia’s nervousness filled the car. I glanced at her and saw that pretty pink blush back on her cheeks.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s probably for the best we stop for the night.” She opened her mouth, like she wanted to say more, then closed it again. After a second, she reached over and took my fisted hand.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” she said quietly. “It was the only thing that would have made Blake hesitate.”

I turned my hand to grip hers.

“You gave me a favorite memory to beat all the rest.”

She blushed harder.

“If he does start toward us. We might need to…touch again. Will you be okay?”

The image of her standing naked in front of me clouded my mind for a moment. She thought I still suffered when she touched me. She didn’t know I could touch her all night long if she wanted me to.

“I’ll find a way to pull through,” I managed to say, not setting her straight.

“Thank you.”

I was an ass and completely unashamed of it.

Lifting Olivia’s hand to my lips, I kissed her knuckles then just held her hand as I let my mind wander to what would likely happen tonight. Blake had too much at stake to just sit back and wait. He’d try for Olivia. What would she be willing to do to keep him at bay? My blood ran hot at the thought, and I impatiently followed Sam’s directions to where we’d be staying.

I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later.

“We’re at the hotel,” I said. “Three stories, painted blue, well-lit from the outside. The place looks clean. There’s some spare clothes in the trunk. I’ll get them then come around to help you out.”

“Thank you.”

She waited for me, and I eagerly held her hand to help her from the car. Her pale fingers trembled in mine, increasing my excitement. With Winifred’s bag on my shoulder and Olivia beside me, I successfully navigated us through the doors and got us checked in.

She remained quiet as we walked down the hall to our room where I used the key card and held the door for her.

As she stepped past me and entered the room, I breathed deeply. The scent of her fresh blood slashed through my fantasies. What the hell was wrong with me? She’s bleeding like crazy, and I was imagining all the ways I could prove how much I loved her.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“Not really.” I followed her into the room. The door clicked shut behind me.

She stopped near the bathroom door, her back to me. I stepped close and helped her ease the jacket off her shoulders.

“Does this hotel have room service?” she asked. “I think I’d like to eat a big meal after I clean up. Could you order for me?”

I tossed the jacket aside.

“Yes. I’ll get us something to eat.” I gingerly lifted her shirt. “First, let me see what happened.”

The sight of her back had me growling at myself.

Several of Winifred’s butterfly bandages had come loose. Where the rest held together, the wound looked scabbed over already. Taking the sweater off the normal way would pull at the areas still holding.

“How much do you like this sweater?” I asked.

“The sweater doesn’t matter to me.”

“Good.” I shifted just enough for claws to form and split the sweater down her back. When she lifted her arms to start reaching for it, the wounds gaped.

“Stop. Let it fall,” I said. “You’re making things worse back here.”

She let the sweater fall to the floor, and I went to the bathroom to wet a washcloth. I hesitated then filled a glass of water and retrieved some pain relievers from Winifred’s bag.

Standing behind Olivia, I held out two pills over her shoulder. She surprised me by eating them from my hand. A bolt of heat shot from my palm, where her lips had brushed my skin, to my groin. Ignoring my response to her, I lifted the cup over her other shoulder. She turned her head and drank from the glass, not lifting her arms at all, an indicator of her pain. Her scent remained clear of it, though. Guilt ate at me.

For the next few minutes, I worked in silence, cleaning away the blood, disinfecting, stopping the bleeding and then finally reapplying the bandages like Winifred had.

“That should hold you,” I said, stepping back.

She started to turn, and I set my hands on her shoulders to stop her. The soft texture of her skin under my fingertips sent my mind down a tempting, dangerous path. I cleared my throat and removed my hands.

“Let me dig in the bag to see if I can come up with some fresh clothes for you. Stay right where you’re at.”

I turned my back to her and looked through the bag. Jeans and shirts. Probably my mom’s stuff. I grabbed out a clean shirt and underwear and put everything in the bathroom.

“You change, and I’ll order your feast,” I said, keeping my back to her. “And if it hurts to do something, don’t do it. Ask for help.”

Olivia disappeared into the bathroom, and I exhaled heavily before searching for the room service menu. It didn’t list much, but I ordered two of everything they had.

When I hung up, I watched the bathroom door with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Blake would make a move tonight. Although I dreamed of touching Olivia, I didn’t want to do it when she was so hurt or as a game to stop Blake.