The Recruit: Book One (12 page)

“Hannah, wait.”  He protested.

“It’s fine.  Really, Will.  It was very nice of you to let
me stay here but I’m sure you want your space back and – “

“Hannah – sit down!”  He shouted in frustration and,
startled by his sudden outburst, she plopped back down on the chair.  She was
wearing one of his t-shirts, and she smoothed it nervously over her bare knees.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to yell.”  He said contritely. 
“You don’t have to leave.  I want – I want you to stay.  Have you eaten anything?”

She shook her head no and he frowned a little.  “I’m just
going to have a quick shower, and then I’ll cook us something to eat alright?”

“Okay.”  She cleared her throat nervously and watched as he walked
towards the bathroom.

He paused at the bathroom door.  “Don’t leave, okay?”  He
said almost plaintively.

She smiled.  “I won’t.” 

He nodded and went into the bathroom, shutting the door
firmly behind him.

* * *

Hannah frowned as Will placed a huge slab of steak on her
plate.  “Will, I can’t eat all of that.”  She protested.

“Eat as much as you can.”  He insisted.  “You lost blood
last night.  You need to rebuild your strength.”

As promised, Will had started cooking as soon as he’d
finished showering.  He had come out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans
but hadn’t bothered with a shirt.  As he had started cooking, Hannah found
herself wishing he would put on a t-shirt.  She found his naked torso
incredibly distracting.  Watching the large muscles rippling under the smooth
skin of his back as he twisted and turned was making her girl parts tingle.

She had offered to help with dinner but he had instructed
her to sit down and relax.  He had started the steaks and then pulled a
container of strawberries from the fridge.  After washing them under running
water he had set them down in front of her.

She had smiled a little and bit into a berry, relishing the
taste of the sweetness against her tongue.

“I didn’t know you liked strawberries.”  She had smiled at
Will.  He had just shrugged and turned back to the steaks.  He didn’t want to
admit to her that Lycans didn’t eat much fruit or vegetables, and he had only taken
them from the cafeteria kitchen because they reminded him of her.

Now, as he sat down across from her she gave him another
tentative smile.  “Thank you for dinner, Will.”

He nodded and looked down at her plate.  There was a steak
on it and nothing else.  “Shit.  Um, I should have made you some vegetables.”  He
muttered.  He had watched her eating in the cafeteria, and she was always
eating salad or cooked vegetables of some kind.

“Oh no, this is fine.  Really.”  She cut into her steak.  At
her request he had cooked it medium rare but as he cut into his own steak, she
noticed that he had left his rare. 

“Lycans don’t eat many fruits or vegetables.”  He said
apologetically.

“This is fine, honestly.”

She took a bite of steak.  “It’s really good.  Thank you.”

She took a sip of water and stared at him thoughtfully.

“What?”  He took another bite of his steak.

“Do all Lycans cook or do they – “

She stopped, unsure of how to word it and afraid she would
come across as ignorant.

He grinned.  “Eat their meat raw?”

She blushed and he laughed.  “It depends on the Lycan. 
Nowadays most of us are civilized and cook our meat, but there are plenty of
Lycans who still hunt for their dinner.”

“Do you ever hunt?”  She asked him curiously.

“Yes, but usually just during the full moon.  It’s hard to
resist hunting when the moon is full.”

“What do you hunt?”

He shrugged.  “Deer, mostly.”  He looked at her, afraid to
see the disgust on her face but she was still eating her steak, the look on her
face one of curiosity, not repulsion.

“But you don’t need the moon to shift.”  She frowned.

“No.  I can shift whenever I want.  When the moon is full
there’s more of an urge to shift though.”  He admitted.

She nodded and he continued.  “People who were bitten,
rather than born a Lycan, have a harder time controlling their shifts.  Our
children are taught from an early age how to control it. They only have
difficulty when the moon is full, but if you become a Lycan as an adult, it’s
more difficult to learn how to control the change.”

He was nearly finished his steak, and he frowned when he
realized she had eaten less than half of hers.  “You need to eat more, Hannah.”
 He chided gently.

“I’m full.”  She pushed her plate away.

“Eat some more strawberries then.”  He pushed the bowl in
front of her, and she obediently picked up one of the red berries and bit into
it.  He watched her lick the juice from her fingers and suddenly, the room was
too hot and he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He tore his gaze away from her mouth and concentrated on the
food in front of him.  When he dared to look up again she was staring solemnly
at him.

“I saw you get shot in the chest, Will.”  Her eyes dropped
to his bare chest.  His tanned skin was unmarked, without even a hint of a
bruise.

“Sometimes the rumours about Lycans are true.  If it isn’t a
silver bullet, being shot won’t kill me.”

“But it hurts?”  She whispered.

“Yeah, it hurts.”

“I’m sorry.  It’s my fault you were shot.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.  You were only defending yourself. 
That guy is lucky I didn’t kill him.”  His eyes glowed briefly.

“He did die, remember?”  She reminded him and he nodded.

“They all did.”  She whispered and shivered.

“How did you kill the vampire in the bathroom?”  He asked
and she relayed the story of what happened.

“Well done.”  He gave her a look of admiration.

“It was luck, and nothing more than that.  As soon as the
lights went out I didn’t even think.  I just grabbed Selena and ran and hid.”

“It’s what you were supposed to do.”  He said gently.

“I couldn’t really do it though.  I had seen the bag of
stakes in the van.  Selena and I were going to the van so we could get the
stakes and go back to help our friends.  I was so frightened I could barely think,
but I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had left them there to
die.”

She bent her head and he could see tears running down her
face.  He reached over and grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. 
“What you were going to do was very brave and incredibly stupid.  I know you’re
faster and stronger now, but without proper weapons training you’re still
helpless against vampires.  Do you understand me?”

She nodded and tugged her face free, wiping the tears from
her cheeks with the palms of her hands.  There was an awkward silence, and then
she glanced behind her at the overflowing bookshelves.

“You like to read huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”  She smiled.  “After I showered I –“ she paused,
“I used your shower and uh,” she tugged nervously at his t-shirt, “borrowed one
of your shirts.  I hope you don’t mind.  My clothes were covered in blood. 
I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

“It’s fine.”  He already knew she had used his shower.  He
had stepped into the shower stall and her scent, a combination of strawberries
and her own unique smell, had enveloped him.  He had spent most of his shower
trying to ignore his huge erection.

He let his eyes drift down her body.  He knew she was naked
under his shirt.  He had found her clothes, including her bra and panties,
balled up and thrown in the garbage under the bathroom sink. 

She was saying something to him, and he forced himself to
stop thinking about her naked body and concentrate on what she was saying.

“You and I have very similar taste in books.”  She smiled at
him.  “I love old mysteries.  My sister Sara used to tell me I needed to stop
burying my head in books and live in the real world for a change.  She would
flip out if she could see me now.”  Her smile faded and he could see the pain
in her eyes.

“I’m sorry about your sister.”  He said quietly.

“Thank you, Will.  I miss her very much.  We were completely
different and we fought often, but I’d give anything to hear her voice again.”  The
tears were close again and she struggled to control her emotions.

“I miss my parents too.  It’s a bit easier knowing they’re
safe, but I can’t stand that they think I’m dead.  Sara and I were their only
children.”

His cell phone rang and he glanced at it, giving her an
apologetic look.  “It’s Richard.”

She nodded and slid off the bar stool, going into the
bathroom and shutting the door.

“Richard.”

“Hello Will.  How’s Hannah?”

“She’s doing a little better.”  Will replied.

“You should probably send her back to the dorms for the
night.”  Richard said.

“Actually, she’s still pretty weak and shaken up over what
happened.  I think it’s best if she stays here tonight.  I’ll keep an eye on
her.”

“Will...” Richard paused.  “Are you sure that’s wise?  You
know how people like to gossip.  There’s already been talk about your behaviour
during the combat testing.”

“Let them talk.”  Will said harshly.  “Like I give a shit
what they say about me.”

“It’s not just your reputation.”  Richard said pointedly.

Will sighed.  “I’m not sending her back to the dorms.  Both
Selena and Alison are still in the infirmary and she’ll be alone.  She’s not
ready for that yet.”

“Will – “ Richard started again.

“Jesus Christ, Richard.”  Will snapped, his temper beginning
to fray.  “I know the goddamn rules around here.  I’ll be sleeping on the
couch.”

“Fine.”  Richard gave in.  “Listen, I’m calling because we
need to have another briefing in the morning about what happened.  The Board
believes it was a random act but we need to go over the incident again in
detail.”

“Maybe it wasn’t so random.”  Will muttered.

“It’s time we talked to Mannie.”  Richard said solemnly.

“Yeah.”  He glanced up to see Hannah coming out of the
bathroom.  “Listen, I have to go.  I’ll meet you in your office at eleven
tomorrow okay?”

He hung up as Hannah stood nervously by the couch.  “Is
everything okay?”

He nodded and began to tidy the kitchen as she pulled
self-consciously at the hem of her shirt.  “Well, thank you, Will but I guess
I’d better get back to the dorms.”

“Actually, Richard wants you to say here tonight.”  Will
lied.  He kept his back turned to her.  He was a terrible liar, mostly because
he didn’t care what other people thought of him and had no reason to lie.  Even
this little white lie would be evident on his face.

“Oh?”  She said doubtfully.

“Yes.  We’re keeping everyone who was attacked last night
under close observation and since Barb and Richard are busy with the others, I
volunteered to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh right.  Yeah, that makes sense.”

He could still hear the doubt in her voice and he made
himself face her, pasting a large fake smile on his face.  “It’s only for
tonight.”

“Of course - no problem.”  He could see the blush rising in
her cheeks but it took a minute for him to understand.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”  He grunted.

She shook her head.  “No.  That couch is way too small for
you.  I’ll sleep on it.”

“It’s fine.”  He growled.

“You haven’t slept at all since it happened have you?”  She
accused.

“No, but Lycan’s don’t need much sleep.  I’ll be fine.”

“Either you let me sleep on the couch, or I go back to the
dorms.  I don’t care what Richard says.”  She said firmly.

“Hannah –“

She shook her head stubbornly.  “I mean it, Will.  I’ve been
sleeping in your bed for hours and I’m feeling much better.  I’ll take the
couch.”

He rolled his eyes.  “You drive me crazy.  Do you know
that?”

She smiled at his defeat.  “I know.”

Will opened his eyes and stared into the darkness.  It took
only seconds for his night vision to kick in and he frowned.  Across the room
he could hear Hannah moaning in her sleep.  It was what had woken him.

Wearing just a pair of boxers, he slipped out of the bed and
padded across the room to the couch.  He crouched down and placed a hand on
Hannah’s arm.  It was cold in the living room and he could see goose bumps on
her skin.  He cursed a little.  Lycans ran hot and so he kept the heat low in
his apartment.  He hadn’t thought of how it might affect her.

To make matters worse, she had thrown the blanket off in the
midst of her nightmare.  He tried not to notice how his t-shirt had ridden up
until it was barely covering her lower body, and shook her arm again.

“Hannah, wake up.”

“Sara?”  She moaned.  “Run, Sara.  Please.”

She moaned again and the despair in her voice sent a shiver
down his back.

She started to cry in her sleep and he couldn’t stand it any
longer.  “Hannah!  Wake up!”  He shook her roughly and she gasped and cried
out, bouncing up and swinging wildly at him with her fists.

He ducked and grabbed her arms, pinning them at her sides. 
“Stop!  Hannah – you were dreaming.  Stop!”

Gasping and shaking, she stared wild-eyed at him. 
“Dreaming?”

He nodded.  “Yes.  About Sara.”

“Sara...”  She whispered and started to cry.  He hesitated
and then gathered her into his arms. 

“Shh.  It’s okay, honey.  Shh.”  He lifted her and carried
her to his bed.  He set her down, tucking her under the covers, and crawled in
beside her.  He felt her tense and he tried to pat her arm in what he hoped was
a soothing manner.

“You’re freezing.  I just want to warm you up.”  He patted
her arm again awkwardly, and stifled a groan when she threw herself into his
arms and pressed her shaking body against his.