N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

He reached out and brushed a smudge of dirt off her cheek with his thumb. She was obviously exhausted, hot and sweaty. Her sweatshirt was stained and dirty, her boots scuffed and dusty. She wore no make-up and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen and he hated that he was going to add to the fear he saw in her beautiful gray eyes.

“Bounty hunters,” he began softly. “There are many who want to eliminate our kind from the face of the planet. They kill as many of us as they can, but it is the young and the elderly who are the most vulnerable.”

“Oh my God,” she cried. Her eyes were huge against her pale skin.

He inwardly cursed all hunters for bringing that look of fear and disgust to her face, but he continued. She had to know the truth, if only for her own protection. “They hunt with silver bullets, with heavy steel traps coated in silver, and skin whatever unfortunate wolves they catch whether they are in human or wolf form.” He closed his eyes and swallowed as memories of friends and loved ones he’d found too late washed over him. The children were always the worst.

Sounds of Alex retching pulled him out of his memories. She’d turned away to a dark corner and was bent over at the waist with her arms wrapped around her stomach. He quickly went to her side and held her until she was finished. Not that there was much in her stomach to lose, but she continued to heave long after it was empty. Finally, she stopped and her legs buckled. Swinging her up into his arms, he carried her over to the window.

“We have to leave, Alex.” Comfort would have to wait. They’d already wasted more time than was safe. He needed to get her far away from this area.

“I know.” Her voice was weak, but determined. “Is that what I have to look forward to? Hunters wanting to trap me and skin the flesh from my body simply because of an accident of birth?”

His arms tightened around her. “That won’t happen.” He would not allow it to happen.

“You might not be able to stop it.” She rubbed her hands over her face and took a deep breath. “Put me down.”

He stared at the window, trying to figure out how he was going to get through it with her in his arms. He’d have to tear off a few more of the boards, but that meant he’d have to put her down, which he didn’t want to do.

“Joshua.” She cupped his face with her hands, turning it toward her. “You have to put me down. I’m fine.” She cut him off with a sharp shake of her head before he had a chance to speak. “No. You know I’m right. You need to have both hands free in case you have to fight. I need to be on my feet in case I need to defend myself.”

Giving into the inevitable, he released the arm tucked beneath her knees, letting her body slide over his as her feet touched the ground. “Stay close and do exactly as I tell you.”

He knew she didn’t quite like his order, but she nodded. Then her face softened once again. “Thank you for coming to look for me.”

“I’ll always come for you, Alex.” He forced himself to release her and ease himself through the window. He looked back and she was still standing there watching him, an unreadable expression on her face. He held out his hand to her. “Come. We have to go.”

Taking his hand, she allowed him to help her climb out of the building and into the night that had fallen over the city.

“Where are we going?” She kept her voice pitched low so that it was barely a whisper.

“We have to hide somewhere safe while I try to round us up another means of transport.”

She hesitated, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He almost groaned as the unconscious action sent a bolt of lust through him.

“I can get us something to drive. A car that won’t be tied to either dad or me.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. I can get us another vehicle. I’ve got contacts in the city.”

“You do?” Surprise tinged her voice.

He ignored her unspoken question, keeping his eyes, ears and nose open as he led her behind a large group of buildings before heading back out to the sidewalk. They walked in silence for several blocks and then jumped on a bus, riding it until the crowds grew thicker as they moved into a more heavily populated area.

Getting off the bus, they assimilated with the crowd of people, many of whom were on their way to dinner and then on to the clubs to dance and drink and maybe find a partner to fuck for the night as a way to forget their problems.

“Joshua?” she prompted again.

“We’ll talk when it’s safe. I’ll answer your questions then.” He could sense her irritation with him, but ignored it. Nothing was more important then her safety.

“You bet your ass you will,” she muttered under her breath. But he heard her and it made him smile.

Alex kept pace with Joshua as he led her down one street and then another. It was dark now and she was glad that he seemed to know where he was going because she had no idea where they were headed.

She was still shaken from nearly coming face-to-face with one of the attackers from this morning. For a while, she’d almost allowed herself to believe that the morning attack was a one-time thing. That somehow her life might be able to go back to normal. Seeing him was a brutal reminder that this was now her reality. These men would kill to have her.

And others might just kill her. She shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her as she thought about the bounty hunters. What kind of men hunted and killed children just because they were from a different species? She shook her head at the naiveté of her question. There were always individuals that preyed on those who were weaker or different. She saw it in her own neighborhood. It happened every day around the world. People feared anything, or anyone, who was different.

Alex swallowed, tasting the sourness in her mouth from where she’d lost what remained of her lunch. That had been weak. She needed to toughen up if she was going to survive. She straightened her shoulders and kept her eyes on Joshua. He’d killed a man today. Snapped his neck with his bare hands. While she couldn’t get the wolf she’d shot out of her mind, she didn’t think that Joshua had given the man he’d killed a second thought.

Not that Joshua was cold blooded or cruel. He was the exact opposite. Joshua lived by a code of right and wrong. His goal was to protect his people and he’d do whatever it took to do so. He didn’t go looking for trouble, but he wouldn’t walk away from it. She knew without a doubt that he’d give his life to protect her.

How did a man get to be like Joshua? What life experiences had shaped his character, making him what he was?

He exuded a bone-deep confidence in his ability to take care of himself and her. There was almost a feral quality in the way he watched the world around him. He was definitely the predator. It was in the way he held himself. In the way he walked. Men would fear him even as they wanted to be him and women would just want to be with him.

Joshua was an enigma. One minute amorous, the next totally controlled, seemingly almost indifferent. The man had more layers than an onion and she was determined to get under his skin. What did he mean that he had contacts? Did that mean he wasn’t here alone? Why hadn’t they gotten help before now if it was available? She had so many questions she was beginning to get a headache. Her stomach was still queasy and she desperately needed some water to rinse her mouth out.

Glancing around, she saw a convenience store that was still open. “I need some water.”

Joshua turned to her and searched her face before nodding. “I should have thought of that.”