Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction (68 page)

“Listen to me, you little bitch. I’ve been waiting to get m
y hands on you for years. I never understood why EJ was keeping you to himself, but now . . .” He brings his other hand up to my face, dragging his long nail down my cheek. “Now I see why, but unfortunately for you, he’s not around anymore to protect you. It’s time for you to give me those little wolf babies he promised me.”

He pulls away with a shitty grin on his face. “While we wait for them to bring me your mate, you will make yourself useful around here and earn your keep. I expect these floors to be clean enough to eat off of and the wood in here to be polished every day. Now you best get busy, I let you sleep in today.”

After ten hours of nonstop cleaning, I’m relieved when Father Luke returns to the sanctuary and dismisses me back to my tiny room, where a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk wait for me. I quickly scarf down the food and then crawl onto the cot and curl into a ball. Unable to stop the tears steadily flowing down my cheeks, I know I need to get out of here.

I can’t do this.

I’d rather die.

• • •

I’ve been in the church for a little over a week now, and I’m no closer to escaping this nightmare than when I arrived. I spend all day, every day cleaning the chapel, which doesn’t really bother me much; I just wish I knew who these men are that come in and out of the back offices with Father Luke.

Each day when I awake, I’m afraid it will be the day my chosen mate shows up. I don’t want to be mated, and sure as hell don’t want to have any pups. To be quite honest, I don’t know much about that stuff, which kind of embarrasses me, but I know enough to know that I don’t want any part of it .
 . . especially if it’s anything like the torturous acts that the Man used to put me through. Just thinking about it causes me to shudder and my legs to instinctively close.

I do know that when a male and female are together as a couple, it’s supposed to be based around love, like it was with Momma and Pop. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to experience that; I never want a male to touch me again. The Man ruined me for the rest of my life.

Sunlight pours in as the main door opens, allowing a gust of crisp December air to flow through the center aisle that I’m kneeling in, polishing the wood at the end of the pews. A woman’s unique scent reaches me before I even raise my head, and whatever it is sends my brain spiraling into a befuddled mess of confusion. I hear the door close, followed by footsteps moving down the aisle toward me. I want to turn around so badly to see who it is that is approaching, but I am frozen with fear.

“Excuse me, sweetie. Can you tell me where the confessional booths are?” Her voice calling out to me is like the sound of heaven in my ears. I have not been in the presence of another female since the day I was captured ten years ago.

Sucking in a deep breath, I muster up all my courage and twist around on my knees to face her. When our similar green gazes lock, she stops walking and we both gasp loudly. I am completely taken aback by her beauty. She is both exquisite and ethereal, but there is something else about her. She cocks her head at me, obviously perplexed. She stares as if she knows me, and I feel like I should know her. There is something so familiar about her, but I can’t put my finger on it.

Muttering under my breath, I plead, “Please be here to save me.”

“Did you say something?” she asks curiously. She is still standing a good distance from me, and I wonder how she heard me.

Finally finding my voice, I reply softly
, “I, uh . . . I was just talking to myself. I apologize, ma’am.” I look down at the floor, scared that I am being rude for staring.

She walk
s purposefully toward me again, but I don’t move. When she reaches me, she kneels down on the floor in front of me, placing her hand under my chin and forcing my gaze up to hers. Her voice is barely more than a whisper as she asks, “Who are you? What are you doing here? What is around your neck?”

Again, her scent is swirling in my nose and I’m completely perplexed as to why she smells so different. Is it just because she’s a woman? Why do I feel so connected to this stranger?

“My name is Lelah and I’m not sure,” I say.

“Are there other shifters here? Are you part of a pack?” Her gaze darts around the chapel, looking for I don’t know what.

“How . . . how do you know?” I ask, dumbfounded. I don’t know why, but I feel completely at ease in her presence, even though she knows my secret.

Laughing softly, she lightly strokes my cheek. “What do you mean, little one? Can you not smell me?”

I feel my eyes grow wide as realization dawns on me. “You’re one, too?” I squeak. “Who are you? What are you doing here? Do you know Father Luke? Are you here to get me? Can we leave now?” The questions tumble out of my mouth.

She shakes her head. “I’m Savannah and no. No, sweetie. What are you talking about? Who is Father Luke and why would I take you?”

Now it’s my turn to look around, making sure that we are still alone. I’m certain there are cameras watching us, and I’m praying that no one is monitoring them right now. “Miss Savannah, you need to leave right now. It’s not safe here. Hurry before they find out you’re here. They’ll keep you, too.”

“Keep
me
? Who’s keeping you, Lelah? What’s going on?” she asks with extreme concern.

The sound of a door closing back behind the altar startles us both. “Go!” I urge
h h
her frantically. “Now!”

She quickly scrambles to her feet, but before she leaves, she looks down at me with a compassionate smile. “I’m gonna find out what’s going on here, and I’ll be back to get you, little one. I promise.”

She is out the door before I know it, and despite the fact that Father Luke is stalking toward me, his face bright red with anger and his eyes piercing a hole in me, my face holds a smug smile. I know our encounter was brief, but something tells me that Savannah will keep her word and come back for me.

“Who were you talking to? Who was that woman that just left?”

He barks questions at me as he yanks me up by the arm, then shoves me toward the altar without letting go. His grip is sure to leave a bruise on my arm, but I refuse to answer him. Slamming me against the wooden structure, he pins me with his body. My belly is pressed against the heavy piece of furniture, his chest flush against my back. He releases my arm and moves his hands to my hips, and I shudder with disgust at his touch. I can feel his breath on the back of my neck and his words send a chill down my back.

“Tell me who that was, Lelah, or I swear, as God as my witness, that I will take your sweet pussy for myself right here.”

“I don’t know,” I say, frightened of what he was going to do, no matter what I reply. “Sh-she was asking for directions,” I stammer. “I to-told her that I wasn’t familiar with the area.”

The priest aggressively pulls up on my hip bones, forcing my chest forward and my ass to rub against his crotch. The taste of bile is threatening at the back of my throat as my gaze is fixed on the ornate reredos in front of me. His hands release my body for a moment but before I can pull away, one hand grabs my hair at the back of my neck and violently pushes my face into the table. Goose bumps blanket my skin from the draft of air as he lifts my long skirt up around my waist. I hear as he shifts clothing out of the way, his heavy pants and grunts as he anticipates what’s to come next, and
I brace myself for what’s about to happen. Then, as if God himself is intervening, the main doors to the sanctuary fly open and a series of angry growls fill the air.

Both Father Luke and I whip our heads around to see who or what has entered the chapel, and he gasps. There are no fewer than eight wolves huddled in the back of the large room.

It’s been forever since I’ve seen any of my kind in their animal form, and I’m in awe of their beauty. Massive in size, their thick coats have a lustrous shine and their eyes burn with an intensity that is palpable. Their presence fills the room in a way that can only be felt, not described, and I can feel the priest begin to tremble against my body.

Standing in the middle of the pack is Savannah, who is in her human form, but her eyes glow a deep, golden amber. “Release the girl,” she demands through gritted teeth. “I’m giving you one chance, and one chance only.”

Several of the wolves begin to slink to the side aisles, their sneers and growls continue as they slowly make their way toward us. The largest of the wolves holds close to Savannah’s side. He’s the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen, or at least that I remember seeing from my pack, and his tri-coloring is by far the most stunning. His imposing stature alone demands respect; he screams alpha without opening his mouth.

Father Luke scans the room. I’m not sure if he’s contemplating an exit or a fight, but apparently his pride clouds his better judgment. “Over my dead body,” he scoffs, jerking me in front of him as a shield. “She. Is. Mine.”

In mere seconds, the flanking wolves yank me away from him and carefully shove me in the direction of Savannah and the alpha. They pin Father Luke to the floor, keeping him alive as the two leaders purposefully stride down the center aisle toward us. Savannah stops at where I’m lying on the floor and scoops me up in her arms effortlessly; the alpha continues on until he’s hovering over the priest. He looks over his shoulder at us and she nods her head.

“You heard his request,” she spits out. “Over his dead body. Give him what he wants.”

Savannah turns and carries me out of the church, holding my face to her chest so that I can’t see what is happening. I hear flesh ripping, bones crunching, and muffled screams as we exit into the bright sunlight. She walks toward a waiting car, its back door open. Placing me on the seat next to her, but keeping me tight against her body, she gives the driver a nod and we are off. She grabs a tool on the seat next to her, then brings it up to my neck and cuts my collar off.

Bringing my hands up to the now exposed skin, I gently stroke my fingertips over the delicate flesh. I have dreamed of this moment for so long that it almost seems surreal.

I am finally free; I am unleashed.

• • •

Waking up in a real bed is a luxury I haven’t experienced in over a decade. I roll around in the plush bed linens as the silkiness of the satin sheets caress my petite body, welcoming me like a million ambassadors of comfort. Giggling softly to myself, I revel in my first morning of freedom, and wish I could hold on to this moment forever. I bring my hands up to feel for my collar, praying this isn’t a dream, and purr out loud at its absence.

“I see that you’re pleased with your room.”

The soft voice startles me from my private celebration. I sit up and see Savannah lounging in an oversized chair while sipping a cup of coffee, a smile spread across her angelic face.

I nod and gnaw on my bottom lip, embarrassed that she just witnessed my childish behavior. “Yes, I don’t even know how to express my gratitude properly. I don’t know why you came back for me, but thank you so much, Miss Savannah. You truly saved my life!”

Still beaming at me, she stands up leisurely and I am once again reminded of her exceptional beauty. A white tank top shows off her toned arms and stomach while hugging her full chest, and gray
p
pajama pants hang low on her curvaceous hips. Her dark hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and as she pads across the room toward me, I see that her eyes have returned to the emerald color they were when I first met her; however, I now take note of the gold specks that glimmer throughout her irises.

She joins me on the bed and takes my hand in hers without hesitation, as if we’ve known each other for years. Hugging me to her chest, she strokes my hair and shushes me. I haven’t felt kindness and affection like this in so long that I honestly forgot how wonderful it is.

“Shhh . . . there’s no need for thank-yous. As soon as I returned here to the others and told them about you, Ryker gathered the boys together and we got there as fast as we could. I could hear the desperation in your voice, saw that contraption around your neck, and I knew that you were in bad shape.”

Savannah leans back a little, putting enough separation between us to where she can look down into my eyes. “I have so many questions for you, little one, but I don’t want to push you. Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here.” She pauses briefly, rubbing her thumb gently across my cheek. “We would never keep you against your will, but know that if you need a pack to join, you’r
e more than welcome to stay here. There are a little more than twenty of us total, and we’d love for you to join us.”

Overwhelmed by her
compassion and kindheartedness, I stare mutely at her as my eyes well up in tears of joy. What I have been praying for night after night, year after year, has finally come to fruition. Even though this does not make up for or replace my family in any way, I am finally being given not only the opportunity to live freely as a shifter, but to be part of a family unit.

Trying not to sob, I dash away my tears and pull myself together. “I’m willing to tell you my story whenever you wish. There’s not really much to say as I’ve lived in captivity since I was ten, but whatever you’d like to know .
 . .”

“Ten
? For fuck’s sake! Where . . . how . . .” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Wait. Do you mind if I get Ry in here to listen to the story as well? He’s going to want to know all of it, too, and that will save you from having to tell it again.”