The Alpha's Search (The Craven Trilogy, #1) (5 page)

“Lassiter is still out there. He won't give up.”

“The vampire? Oh yes, I'd forgotten about the vampire. You must think I'm stupid. Just take me to the nearest town. I want to leave right now.”

“No.”

“What do you mean—
No
?”

“I haven't spent the last forty years searching for you just to let you commit suicide. You're staying right here with me!”

“And if I don't?”

“You have no choice. You're going to stay until I can make you understand.”

“Understand what? Which bit of the crazy do you want me to understand? That we knew each other forty years ago before I was even born? That we were mates? That we are being chased by a vampire? I believe it all—totally—every last word. Now will you let me go?”

*********

I
was back in the bedroom. It was pointless talking to Craven. The man was obviously off his head; he had no intention of letting me leave. I'd have to bide my time, and wait until an opportunity presented itself. Maybe I'd be able to sneak away when he was asleep, but I'd no idea where we were, or how far away we were from the nearest town. I figured there must be a road somewhere near by. If I followed that, I was bound to find civilisation eventually. If I could get to a phone, I could contact the police. They must have found Alison by now, and would be looking for us. Just thinking about her made me want to cry. She'd been caught up in something that had nothing to do with her. It was my fault she was dead. That psycho, Lassiter, needed to be caught and put behind bars.

Outside, the light was fading. I didn't like the idea of travelling at night, but it was my only chance to escape. It was some time since I'd heard any sounds from the rest of the cabin. I walked on tip-toe into the main living area—there was no sign of Craven. The kitchen was deserted too. I hadn't heard the main door open, so he had to be somewhere inside. The second bedroom was at the opposite end of the cabin from mine. The door was ajar, so I pushed it gently. He was lying on the bed—still fully dressed, but fast asleep. This was my chance—maybe my only chance. If I opened the main door he'd hear me for sure, so I hurried back to my bedroom. The latch on the window groaned when I pulled it open. It was now or never. I slid the window down, pulled over the chair, and clambered onto the ledge. The muddy ground provided a soft landing. I had to get a move on; it would be easy for Craven to follow my footprints.

The tyre tracks, which we'd made on the journey in, were still visible. I followed them down a narrow track, which was bordered on either side by trees. After about ten minutes, I'd lost sight of the cabin. The track led to a road which was only marginally wider. I wasn't dressed for the weather, and was beginning to feel the cold. Great move, Jackie—escape the crazy man only to die of hypothermia!

“Shit!” I'd lost my footing and fallen onto my backside. While dusting myself down, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye—something just beyond the tree line. I stared at the forest. Had I imagined it? There must be any number of small animals living in the undergrowth. I tried to convince myself it was nothing to worry about. The sooner I reached the nearest town the better, so I increased my pace.

The sound stopped me dead in my tracks. What the hell was that? A howl? I listened—hoping upon hope not to hear it again. Maybe I'd imagined it. Maybe it was the wind rushing through the trees. Maybe it was—. The second howl was much louder.  Something moved beyond the tree line again—this time I was sure I'd seen it.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Why hadn't I stayed in the cabin? I wanted to move—wanted to run, but I was frozen to the spot—my legs were no longer receiving the messages my brain was transmitting.

It was huge, and its eyes were fixed on me.

––––––––

I
'd seen wolves in zoos, but never one as large as the one in front of me. I was shaking from head to toe, but not from the cold. The creature had broken cover of the trees, and was no more than fifteen metres from where I stood. It raised its head and growled. I could see the teeth which would soon tear my flesh apart. The creature sniffed the air—smelling my fear? He growled again, and started towards me. I tried to close my eyes, but my eyelids refused to shut.

“Fuck off!” I screamed. “Leave me alone!” From somewhere, I'd found my voice.

The creature was unaffected by my words. He took another step towards me. I had only moments to live; I prayed the end would be quick and painless.

“Louise!”

Was this another dream? Someone was calling that same name again.

“Louise!”

The voice came from behind me. I recognised it now—it was Craven. I glanced around to see him standing some fifty metres up the road. The wolf growled again—it too was staring at Craven. I felt no sense of relief. Neither of us would be a match for the huge creature. Craven was walking towards me. He didn't appear to have a weapon. My only hope was if the creature attacked Craven first, and allowed me time to make a getaway.

“It's okay, Louise,” Craven said.

The wolf growled and began to walk towards Craven. He should have been terrified, but there wasn't a hint of fear in his demeanour. The wolf growled again, and then broke into a charge. Still Craven showed no sign of fear. The man was either incredibly brave or stupid. Either way, I was about to see him torn limb from limb.

When the wolf was no more than ten metres from Craven, it suddenly pulled up. It sniffed the air, shook its head, and growled again. Craven still hadn't moved. His gaze was locked upon the creature. The wolf turned and looked back at me. I saw something different in its eyes. It turned back to Craven, growled one final time, and then ran back into the forest.

I took a huge gulp of air. I'd been holding my breath—afraid even to breathe.

Craven was walking towards me. All thoughts of escape had long since evaporated. I just wanted to be back in the safety of the cabin.

“Are you okay?” he said—not the least bit ruffled.

“Not really. What happened? Why did it run off?”

Craven shrugged. “We'd better get back.”

“I don't think I can.” All the strength had drained from my body.

I didn't object when he scooped me off my feet. It was less than an hour since I'd tried to escape, but now I felt safe in his arms with my head resting on his chest. No words were exchanged on the walk back. Craven didn't break sweat despite the steep climb back up the road and track.

“You'd better get some sleep.” He lowered me to my feet. We were in my bedroom.

“I have to shower first,” I said.

“Okay, but then you have to sleep. Tomorrow, we move on. It's not safe here any longer.”

“Where to?”

The question went unanswered. He'd already walked out of the room, and closed the door behind him.

*********

A
s I showered, I ran the incident back and forth in my mind. Craven had saved my life—of that I was sure. What I didn't understand was how. Why had the wolf turned-tail and run?  Craven had done nothing which might have spooked the beast. I could have understood it if he'd had a gun and fired a warning shot. It didn't make sense, but then very little did at that moment. On my way down the road, I'd made regular checks to see if I was being followed. Not once had I seen or heard Craven. It was as if he'd appeared out of nowhere.

There was something else on my mind too—something which I'd tried to ignore, but could ignore no longer. When I was in Craven's arms, I'd had a sense of —it was difficult to put into words—a sense of familiarity. I couldn't explain it any other way. Ever since my accident, I'd felt adrift and abandoned. When we'd arrived back at the cabin, I hadn't wanted him to let me out of his arms. I'd wanted to stay right there forever.

As I rest my head on the pillow, I remembered Alison. Her death had been my fault. She'd been in the way—collateral damage. I craved sleep, but was scared of the dreams which might await me. Didn't I have enough nightmares to contend with while I was awake?

*********

T
he wolf's teeth were inches from my face. I could see my terror reflected in its dead eyes. I had only moments to live.

“Louise! Wake up!”

“Help!” I screamed.

“Louise! Wake up! It's okay!”

Craven was sitting beside me on the bed. I was so relieved to escape the nightmare that I didn't resist when he put his arms around me. With my head resting on his chest, I felt safe again.

“You were dreaming,” he said. “Everything's okay.”

“Is it?” I lifted my head, and looked into his eyes. It was the first time I'd noticed their colour. “I don't understand any of this.”

“You will. You'll remember soon.”

“Remember what?”

“We don't have time now. We have to hit the road.”

“Why did that wolf run away?”

“Something must have spooked it.”

“What though? You and I were the only ones there. I thought it was going to kill you, but then—”

“How did you feel at that moment?”

“Scared.”

“Is that all you felt?”

“Yes, that's all. I was shit scared. What did you expect me to feel?”

“It doesn't matter.”

“It does matter. Everything matters. I want to know what's happening.”

He turned his back to me, and walked over to the window.

“Don't walk away! Talk to me! What did you expect me to feel?”

“I hoped—”

“What?”

“I hoped you'd remember.” He turned to face me again. “I hoped you'd remember
us
.”

“Are we back to that again? What exactly is it I'm meant to remember? That we were once lovers?”

“We were mates. We still are.”

“Mates? Lovers? What's the difference?”

“Wolves don't have
lovers
.”

“Wolves? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Do you remember I asked if you believed in shifters?”

“What's that got to do with anything? Wait a minute. Are you saying what I think you're saying?”

He nodded.

“You're talking bollocks!” I laughed.

“You'll remember.” His demeanour was deadly serious. “You just need time.”

“I'm going to need a helluva lot more than time. Let me get this straight because I might just be a little confused. You're telling me you are a shifter. That you can turn into a wolf?”

“That's right.”

“You are so full of shit. Go on then—turn into a wolf.”

“That wouldn't be a good idea.”

“Why not?  I'd have to believe you then.”

“We have to get moving.”

“I thought so. Everything that comes out of your mouth is bollocks.”

“You felt it. I know you did,” he said. “When I carried you in my arms. You felt the connection.”

“I didn't feel anything,” I lied.

Without warning, he grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me to him. His lips pressed against mine. I placed my hands on his chest, and tried to push him away, but my heart wasn't in it.

“Are you still sure you don't feel a connection?” he said when he pulled away at last.

I wasn't sure of anything any longer.

––––––––

W
e drove for hours through a million and one small villages whose names meant nothing to me. I had no idea where we were headed. Eventually, I asked Craven to pull into the next town, so I could buy a change of clothes.

“Buy enough to last a few days,” he said, as he handed me a handful of banknotes. “We're going to be on the road for some time.”

I'd lost all track of days.

“Day? It's Saturday,” the shop assistant informed me. She clearly thought I was crazy.

I bought jeans, a skirt, two tops, underwear and shoes. I added a small holdall to carry them.

Craven was waiting by the parked car.

“I need a coffee,” I said, as I dropped the holdall into the back seat.

“Okay. Over there?” He pointed to a small cafe across the road. The sign would have said 'Brenda's' if the 'r' hadn't been missing.

The jolly woman behind the counter, who I assumed to be Brenda, recommended the home-made apple pie. I needed no persuasion. Craven settled for just coffee.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked through a mouthful of apple and pastry.

“I don't know, but I'll know when we get there.”

I should have known better than to expect a straight answer from him.

The apple pie was delicious, and the coffee gave me a much needed pick-me-up.

“We should get going,” Craven said. He appeared a little on edge.

“I need the loo first.”

“Be quick.”

I gave him a mock salute, and then followed the signs. The loo was at the far end of a short corridor. I was a few paces away from the ladies when the door to the men's loo opened. Three young men piled out.

“Hello beautiful,” the tallest of the three said. He had ginger hair and acne. The three of them blocked the corridor.

“Excuse me, please.”

They didn't move.

“What's your name beautiful?”

“Can I get past, please?”

“What's it worth? How about a kiss?”

As Ginger came closer, I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Let me get past, please.”

“We're not stopping you. We just want a little kiss. Where's the harm in that?”

I was never going to be able to reason with these morons, so I turned back. As I did, one of them grabbed my arm, spun me around, and pressed me against the wall. It was Ginger.

“Why so rude?” He was right in my face now. “Do you think you're better than us?”

“I'm bloody sure I am. Now let me go.” As my knee connected with his balls, he let out a scream and doubled-up.

“Bitch!” One of his friends grabbed my arm.

“Let her go,” Craven said. Once again he'd appeared from nowhere.

“Mind your business,” the guy who had hold of my arm said.

“Let go of her arm and leave now while you still can.” Craven took two steps forward.

“She just kicked me in the balls,” Ginger said—his face still wracked with pain.

“I won't ask you again.” There was no hint of nerves in Craven's voice. I found his calmness strangely reassuring.