Chapter 4 - Alek

"All right, all right," Iris said. "I have no idea where we are at this point. Just put me down."

I almost didn't. Not necessarily because I was afraid of her running away, but because I liked being this close to her, smelling her. But I could tell she was getting annoyed, and I gently let her slide down.

We were still in the woods, but not far from Brixton or my house. Iris's eyes still darted all over the place, her body coiled as if she was about to run. I braced myself, waiting.

"You do realize you just kidnapped me, right?" she asked.

"It was either that or let you stay somewhere where people mistreat you." I shrugged. "I'm not going to feel bad about that."

It was true. It might have been a bit impulsive, but I didn't have any regrets. I wasn't going to let her get hurt anymore. And, on a selfish level, I wanted her near me. I liked having her around. Her scent was just as incredible as it had been when we'd first met. Her hair was tousled from where I'd carried her, giving it a "just woke up" look that was more appealing than it had any right to be.

She huffed and brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead, shooting me a glare that made me laugh.

"What?" she demanded.

"Sorry," I said. I wasn't about to tell her that she looked adorable when she was angry. "It's just good to see you."

She blushed. "And I'm guessing there's no way you're going to show me the way back home?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to?"

The words hung between us, dangling like a knife on a string. She glanced away, looking down as she bit the inside of her lip. She kept quiet, looking anywhere but at me. I wished I knew what she was thinking. I didn't have any regret about what I'd done, but I wanted her to understand why I'd done it. That she didn't need a family who treated her like shit.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "You're better off without them, Iris."

"It's just…I don't know." She pushed her hair back from her face. "Dad and Justin always went on about how I wouldn't last an hour out here on my own. They kept talking about how some creature or other would snatch me up in a heartbeat and said I was better off at home because I wouldn't be able to handle myself."

I didn't want to mention that she had, in fact, been snatched up by one of the creatures her parents had warned her about. I still had no idea how to break it to her that I was a shifter when I knew she would stop trusting me the instant she found out. I remembered the stories she had told me she'd heard about shifters from other humans. We weren't anything better than monsters in their book, and I knew it would take some time for me to be able to break it to her in a way that she could accept.

But there was something else that bothered me more at the moment.

"They're awful to you, but they still want you to stay with them?" I asked. "Why, so they can keep bullying you?"

She flinched and looked away. "I don't know," she said. "It's not exactly easy to leave what you've known your entire life."

"I understand," I said, nodding. I crouched slightly so I was looking at her, our faces inches apart. She gave a short inhalation at my proximity but didn't flinch away. Just the smell of her was enough to make my wolf wild with need, enough to make me want to pull her toward me and kiss her right then. Our mouths were so close. It would be so easy.

But I held off, my better judgment winning out over primal instincts. Doing anything of the sort would have been a horrible idea, given the circumstances.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. My hands were on her shoulders, and I wasn't sure when they'd moved there. "I only want to make sure you're safe. And you weren't safe there."

She sighed.

"Stay with me for a few days," I said gently. "If you still feel this way in a couple of weeks, I'll take you back. Okay?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

I smiled. I wanted to pull her into a kiss, but again, better judgment prevailed.

"In that case, let's get going," I said.

***

I had always liked my house. It was a bit big for one person, but it was away from the noise of town, and the log cabin feel of it fit in perfectly with the woods and trails that ran beyond it. The fact that it came with a hot tub on the back patio that overlooked a large swatch of forest didn't hurt, either.

When we reached the house, I started walking up the path to the front door. It took me a minute to realize I was walking alone. I spun, expecting to see Iris darting into the woods. But instead, she was staring up at the house, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide.

"Iris?" I asked.

She blinked, shaking her head. "Sorry," she said, glancing uneasily at the house.

"Don't like the décor?" I joked.

"It's not that." I didn't like how shaken she looked. "It's just…never mind."

She followed me to the front door, that bewildered expression never leaving her face. When I opened the door, her eyes went big as saucers, and her face blanched.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She blinked, then gave me a dazed smile. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing's wrong." But something flashed across her face as she scanned the massive foyer.

"All right," I said slowly. "In that case, your room is up the stairs and to the left. First door."

Again, that uneasy look.

"Really?" she asked.

I frowned. "Are you sure you're all right?" I asked. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're acting a bit…"

"Odd?" she filled in, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"No," I said. "I was going to say uncomfortable. I mean, I guess that's understandable, all things considered, but—"

"Oh." She frowned, clearly genuinely taken aback by the statement. "No, no, I'm fine. If I'm supposed to stay here for a while, though, I might as well take a shower."

I nodded and was about to tell her to go ahead when another thought occurred to me. "I, uh, don't have any clothes for you," I said. "I can get some in town."

For a moment, I thought she was going to argue with me or ask to go with me, and I was frantically trying to figure out an explanation for why that would be a terrible idea and why she should stay here. Because if she did go into town with me, she would know almost instantly that she was in a community of shifters. And I had no idea how the hell to explain that to her without giving away that I was one as well.

But whatever she was thinking about was preoccupying all her thoughts. She just nodded idly. "All right," she said.

"Are you going to run?" I asked.

She laughed. "Of course not. I have no idea where I am or where I could go from here. Running into the woods without any idea where to go would basically be telling the wolf men that I was a meal on a silver platter."

I tried not to wince. "Right," I said. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable, then?"

***

I'd never shopped for a woman before in my life. But I tried my best, trying to remember what Iris used to wear and what might look good on her.

I wandered awkwardly through some of the boutiques, grabbing a wide variety from off the rack. One of the perks of being in special ops is the generous pay, even after retirement, so money wasn't an issue.

Even as I did this, I couldn't keep the stupid smile off my face. Iris was here. She was in my house. After years of not seeing her, of wondering what had happened, of why she hadn't shown up, I got to see her again. I hated the circumstances; she didn't deserve to be treated the way her family had. And kidnapping her the way I had might have been a bit on the impulsive side. But she was here. She was with me, and I wanted to keep her with me for as long as possible.

Walking back through the cobblestoned town square, my eyes caught on Dan across the courtyard. I waved, and he trotted over.

"How's it going, man?" Dan asked.

I shrugged. "It goes." I had decided it was best not to mention Iris until things got a bit more sorted out. "How about you?"

"Not too shabby. Hey, I was thinking about going to Taps tonight for some drinks and maybe to pick up a girl. You interested?"

"Nah, not really." I shrugged again, trying to figure out the best way to say no without arousing suspicion. "Thanks, though."

"Aw, come on. Be my wingman."

"I can't."

Dan frowned, folding his arms. "Why? Other plans?"

"Yeah. Look, Dan, I've got to get going. I've got things to do at home. If you want to hang out later, though, let me know. I'm always up for a hunt. I'm just busy today."

Dan's eyes narrowed, then flicked down to the bag. He snorted. "Anything to do with all those women's clothes?" he asked. "I didn't think you were into that type of thing."

I rolled my eyes. "You're hilarious." I tried to step around him, but Dan moved to block my path.

"Come on. Why won't you just tell me what's going on?"

"It's a long story," I said. I hadn't realized how stubborn Dan could be until I was trying to tell him to knock it off. I bristled in annoyance as I tried to move past him, not wanting to make this any more complicated than it already was.

Dan's lips curled in amusement, then his eyes widened. He leaned forward, sniffing, and his smirk turned into a scowl.

"Why the fuck do you smell like a human?" he demanded.

"Dan, just leave it." I tried to side-step him, but he moved in front of me, hand going to my chest.

"Did you see that human girl again?" he asked.

"It's none of your business."

But that, apparently, was all he needed for confirmation. He took a step back, shaking his head in bewildered disgust.

"Unbelievable," he said. "You're wasting your time."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I get that you made the mistake of hooking up with her years ago, but that doesn't mean you have to do it again. You're a good guy, could probably get any girl you wanted. You don't have to settle for a human."

Settle for a human?I growled, my grip on the bags in my hand tightening. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "I get it. You're horny and need to blow off steam. I'm just saying that there are plenty of willing shifters if you look for them. I know Sarah thinks you're hot. All you'd have to do is go up to her and ask her for a drink."

"I'm not interested in Sarah," I said. "I'm good with what I've got."

Dan frowned, blinking. Then his eyes narrowed. "You can't actually tell me you're with the human by choice."

"So what if I am?" I asked, bristling.

"Have you lost your mind? She's a human."

"And that's wrong because…?"

"Because humans and shifters shouldn't mix," Dan said. "Humans are self-important idiots. And they're so weak, basically walking meat sacks. We could wipe them all out in a few days if the council let us."

I frowned. I'd known Dan since I'd moved here, and up until now, I'd thought he was an alright guy. But hearing this sort of vitriol coming out of his mouth was something I never would have imagined.

"I think you need to chill out," I said. "One, this has nothing to do with you. And two, there's nothing wrong with humans in the first place."

Dan took a step back, shaking his head, undisguised disgust flooding his features. "You're making a big mistake," he warned.

"If you have a problem with it, Dan, then you can shut up and leave me alone. I'm not going to justify myself to you on this one. There's no reason for me to, anyway."

"She's going to make an idiot out of you."

I growled and bared my teeth, stepping within inches of the other shifter. "Leave it before I tear your throat out."

Dan scoffed, shaking his head and taking several steps back. But his eyes flashed with mild uneasiness.

"Does she know you're a shifter?" he asked. My silence told him everything he needed to know. "Jesus, Alek, what the hell are you thinking? That woman's going to make an idiot of you."

"That's my problem," I said, brushing past him. "Just leave me be."

"You're going to regret this," Dan called after me.

I ignored him. But his words trailed after me, looming over like a portent.