A Forbidden Love (5 page)

As it turned out, Alison didn't get much of a chance to mull her situation over after all. Shortly after Gareth left, she received a phone call from Jamie who suggested drinks and dinner. The man sure was eager, but Alison knew better than to complain.

Sure, he was supposedly the enemy, but Alison was a woman first and Sons member second. It was hard not to feel flattered to have a guy like Jamie fawn over her and call her just hours after meeting for the first time. She accepted his invitation and immediately started sifting through the contents of her wardrobe to find the perfect outfit to wear.

She wanted to impress him, and she didn't know for sure why. Alison had tried her best to justify her impulses by convincing herself that a successful date would give her a better chance to earn his trust. But she did sort of like him, and she certainly was attracted to Jamie. Perhaps the danger he represented had made him more enticing somehow.

Or perhaps she
had
lost her mind, as Gareth had accused her of earlier.

None of that changed the fact that she hadn't been out on a date in a while, and really could use the boost to her self-esteem. Jamie had been quiet earlier in the afternoon, almost a bit shy and awkward, which seemed unusual for a guy as hot as him. Hopefully that had been the case because Aidan had been there too, and when it was just the two of them, he'd loosen up a bit.

Alison had trouble reconciling her conflicting emotions as she got dressed and made up for her date. She wanted things to go well, because it would help her mission, but she couldn't ignore her ulterior motives.

In the past whenever she'd seen a scenario like this portrayed in movies and TV shows, Alison had not been able to imagine ever being in a situation like that, playing a femme fatale who seduces an enemy, just because it was her job.

She wasn't that type of girl, or so she'd thought. Never mind the fact that she wasn't slim or beautiful enough to play the role, she didn't think she was a good enough actress either. Her aversion to her mark would be written all over her face if she ever found herself in a similar situation. She never once had imagined the possibility of losing herself in the fantasy she was only meant to act out.

Eight o'clock came around and Alison was as ready as she would ever be. She'd chosen a flattering A-line skirt and heels, and a pretty blouse that she felt accentuated her best feature, her cleavage.

Alison's hair had always had a mind of its own so she'd given up on trying to tame it years ago. Tonight also, she had just brushed her curls lightly, and kept them untied. A final check in the mirror, and she was out the door.

She didn't think it wise to give Jamie her home address, so they'd agreed to meet at a pub of his choice. Like most things in the center of town, it was only a short walk away from where Alison lived, so she found herself wandering again the same streets that she'd just traveled earlier.

After what had been a cloudy, rather gloomy day, Alison was surprised to find the skies clear overhead. A sign?

The full moon lit up the streets, giving everything from the damp pavement to the historic buildings a mysterious, magical feel.

Tonight wasn't an ordinary date; it was more meaningful than that.

There was a chill in the air that filtered through Alison's long woolen coat and stung against her legs. The streets looked surprisingly empty for this time of night. Normally you'd find couples walking arm-in-arm, tourists rushing back to their hotels after finishing their sightseeing for the day. Tonight it seemed to be just her and the moon and stars up above.

Alison breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the lit up sign of her destination in the distance and sped up for the final stretch. Her heels clicked loudly against the cobbled pavement with every rushed step. She pushed against the door and felt the warmth of the pub interior try to escape around her as she stepped inside.

There he was. Alison's heart skipped a few beats when she spotted Jamie sitting by himself in one of the booths lining the wall. He gave her a quick wave and she forced a smile. Here goes nothing.

"Hi," she said, offering him her hand while bracing herself for the inevitable jolt that would pass through her as soon as they touched...

"Hope you found it okay?" Jamie asked while Alison opened her coat, revealing the outfit she'd chosen for the occasion. She looked breathtaking and smelled even better. Should he say so? Would that be too much of a cliché?

"I'm a local, remember?" Alison remarked with a smile that brightened up the entire room.

He'd felt uneasy about the date before she'd arrived, but all his concerns had melted away once in her presence.

"Of course, yes," Jamie mumbled. "Can I order you anything while you get comfortable?"

"Whatever you're having looks good to me," Alison nodded at the half full pint of draught beer in front of him. He'd arrived early of course, having been way too restless to stick around either the office or his home. His habit of finding comfort among crowds of strangers was a hard one to kick.

"Sure."

Jamie waved at one of the bar staff, who came over immediately to take his order.

"So I didn't expect you to call me so quickly," Alison teased. The way she looked at him when she'd said it didn't suggest she minded. If anything, she looked rather pleased to be here. Through the varied scents hanging around the place, Jamie couldn't ignore hers. Irresistibly sweet and intoxicating.

"Well... Life's too short to put a good thing off, don't you think?"

The incredibly efficient twenty-or-so guy who had taken his order appeared again with Alison's drink, placing it on the table in front of her. "Can I get ya anything else?" he asked.

Jamie shook his head. "Thanks."

"You're right. Life
is
too short," Alison repeated.

The scent of her arousal was more pronounced the longer she sat in front of him. If Jamie didn't bring up their history now, he'd never manage the presence of mind to do so later.

"I do have to admit, though, that I'm afraid I had a hidden agenda asking you to meet me here..." Jamie said.

Alison cocked her head to the side and folded her hands on the table. Those green eyes staring at him almost made Jamie lose himself again. A deep breath helped him regain focus.

"Applecross Bay, 1995." Jamie paused and observed Alison's reaction.

She pressed her lips together and all the color seemed to drain out of her face. Her eyes darted back and forth between Jamie's and random spots around the room. She reminded him of cornered prey, and although it was in his instinct to always maintain an advantage in any confrontation, he felt uneasy about putting her in this position.

"That's it. That's why you looked familiar," she whispered.

Alison loosened her hands and rested her face in them for a moment, before looking up at Jamie again through the gaps between her fingers.

"I guess that's it then," she said, under her breath.

"What?" Jamie asked. His mind was racing. Although he was certain that he'd been dreaming of her every night since, it was still a shock to hear her admit that she'd been there. He hadn't lost his mind after all.

"The game's up, eh?" She blinked a few times and Jamie could see that her eyes had glazed over slightly.

She was visibly upset, and although he should be furious that this woman had had anything to do with what had without a doubt been the very worst day of his life, he couldn't muster anything other than sympathy. She'd been only a child back then, like him.

Jamie reached across the table, resting his hand on top of her arm. To ignore the intense attraction he had for her, especially while touching her was a tall order, but he managed to suppress it somehow. "Alison."

She sniffled and reached into her handbag, retrieving a pack of tissues with her free hand. After struggling to get one out of the wrapper, she dabbed the corners of her eyes with it.

"I can't explain it, I should be angry. I should demand answers. I should... I don't know. Really, I just want to know what happened," Jamie whispered.

"And I should be scared right now," Alison responded, a thoughtful, though still teary-eyed expression on her face. "But..."

"So let's talk. Figure it out." Jamie gently squeezed her arm, enjoying the warmth as it filtered out of her skin and into his fingertips. It was too easy to touch her, so tempting to do so much more...

"He's safe, you know. Your little brother. I don't know where he is now, but he's safe," Alison whispered.

"Matthew. That was his name. We used to call him Matty." Jamie took Alison's hand, threading his fingers through hers. He hadn't said his brother's name out loud in years, it had hurt too much. For some inexplicable reason it felt good to open up to
her
of all people.

"I know. Matthew." A lone tear ran down her cheek as she looked up from their entwined hands resting on the rugged wood of the table. "It was Dad's idea. I had no choice but to go along."

"I know. It's okay," Jamie tried to comfort her. His own pain paled in comparison to the regret and guilt emanating from her. It was heart wrenching, to sense her emotions so keenly.

"It was all part of an experiment. You see, Dad was convinced that every child is born innocent, and if introduced to the right sort of surroundings at an early age, they'd grow up exactly the same as any of us. Matthew was one of the first," Alison explained. "And my name isn't really Carter, it's Campbell."

Alison tried to pull her hand back, but Jamie couldn't bear to let go. "But then your name isn't really Abbott either, is it?" Alison asked.

"No. It's not. I didn't want anyone to look up my history when I joined the Alliance. Whatever happened in the past, it's none of their business." Jamie looked away and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off another one of his persistent headaches. "Campbell... Any relation to-"

"Lee Campbell. He's my dad," Alison interrupted.

As huge as that revelation was, it didn't surprise him. They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"When I get back to the office in the morning, am I going to find him where I left him?" Jamie asked.

Alison bit her lip, hard. "I haven't told anyone. I was supposed to, but I just couldn't. It doesn't make any sense."

In a way, it made a lot of sense to Jamie. She hadn't been able to do her job and reveal the location of the Alliance building, just like Jamie knew he wouldn't be able to reveal Alison's real identity to anyone within the Alliance. He'd rather take a knife and slit his own throat than to betray her. That could only mean one thing...

The more he thought about it, the more things fell into place, and it also explained why he hadn't been able to get her out of his head ever since that first meeting twenty years ago. They were fated. Back then he hadn't been able to shift yet, so he couldn't sense the connection as strongly as he did now, but his inner bear had seen her once and the memory had never left him alone. They were meant to be.

"What do you know about us?" Jamie whispered and leaned across the table. It was difficult being so close to her, surrounded by her scent, without taking things further, but he didn't want his eagerness to startle her.

"Only what I've been told. That you're half man, half animal. That human morality doesn't apply to you, only animal instinct."

Jamie let out a chuckle. "That latter part isn't quite true, but all right."

"Sometimes you turn into... a bear?" Alison asked, her eyes wide with either curiosity or apprehension. Perhaps a bit of both.

"Yeah. A bear. Let me guess, you people watch Wolf as a documentary?" Jamie joked. "True, we feel certain instincts a lot more keenly than ordinary humans do, but we're not immoral or out of control. Well perhaps in
some
scenarios we like to let go a bit... If you get my drift. But we don't go around killing people indiscriminately."

"It's hard to know what to believe. Most people don't even know you exist. I can't go to the library and do research, except in the horror section."

"Fair point. But then that's because when people do find out about us they tend to pick up their torches and pitchforks..." Jamie grinned.

Alison pulled away and folded her arms, scowling at him.

Jamie regretted teasing her so much, but he couldn't help it. It had been the only thing he could think of to try to cheer her up. At least she'd stopped crying.

"I'm sorry. It's just hard to know truth from fiction," Alison remarked.

"I'm sorry too. I'm not being fair to you. You're taking all this very well, I must say." Jamie smiled at her, and felt his excitement surge to new levels when she reluctantly smiled back.

"All this stuff you feel right now, there's a reason for it..." Jamie started. "I feel it too."

"Oh?"

"It's one of the main differences between us and humans, save for the turning into an animal bit. Our relationships work a bit differently than yours. When a bear finds his mate, they connect on a deep, almost subconscious level."

"Is that what this is? Does it ever fade?" Alison's eyes widened and Jamie was once again shocked at how green they were.