Chapter Thirteen

*Reggie*

The sight of cars behind us does odd things to my stomach. Fear, confusion and joy all fight for dominance but fear wins out. The cars don’t quite look like cars as they get closer, and I realize I am looking at something alien. The construction doesn’t match anything human, nor does the unhindered movement through the streets. With a squeak of alarm, I turn forward once more, holding Floofy tightly as I wait for Ragnar to move.

My old self wants to take charge, to demand action but this isn’t my world anymore, and I am stunned when I realize I trust him explicitly. It isn’t in my nature to defer to another, to give them complete control but with Ragnar, it comes easily.

With a squeak, I grab onto his flattened sail when he leaps forward, lunging for the nearest building, a huge box store that we already looted. He doesn’t even hesitate to dash towards the door, using his momentum to slide through the small space before climbing to his feet. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know where he is headed.

Shelves and debris go flying as he runs for the employee break room at the back of the store, the sound of the vehicles growing to an alarming volume as they come to a screeching halt at the front of the store.

The boom of a weapon makes me scream, shelves and a cloud of dust exploding around us as the round hits the floor directly behind Ragnar. Unphased, he dashes forward, shifting on the run before diving into the break room with me in his arms. Another boom shakes the building and the door shatters apart, throwing us both to the ground.

A scream of pain and terror lodges in my throat as I am tossed to the ground. Protectively I wrap my body around Floofy, taking the impact on my shoulder with a jarring crash into the concrete floor. My momentum sends me sliding backwards. When I hit the wall, the scream finally frees itself from my throat, raw and loud in the ensuing silence.

“I heard a human! Cease fire” An eerily familiar voice shouts and my muscles tense. Wildly, my gaze flies around the room before it lands on Ragnar. His sides are heaving, green blood dripping to the floor. My heart clenches in panic when I see his sail along his back obliterated by the blast that sent us flying. Bone and muscles are all that is left.

Resolutely he begins to climb to his feet, a snarl escaping him as he prepares to face this newest threat. I can’t let him. More voices echo around the abandoned store, each one hitting a different nerve within me. Despite the bone deep aches that throb, I lurch to my feet. Floofy gives an alarmed huff, scrambling out of my arms as I lunge for Ragnar, dragging him back to the ground.

He turns to me, a question in his eyes. A question that I can’t answer. Not yet. The past has begun to mix with the present as the voices gain familiarity, until I can put faces to the voices I am hearing. Faces I never wanted to see again.

“You have to stay down!” I hiss at him when he tries to rise once more. This time anger creeps into his gaze, anger that I will not allow him to fight for us. Anger that I will not let him fight for me. The knowledge of who hunts us, as well as the weapons they have will not allow me to let him go.

“Regreee must be safe.” He hisses back, his ears perking up as the approaching humans get alarmingly close. Again, he makes to rise but in desperation I fall onto him, using my body to block him. Guilt fills me when he winces, the contact of his destroyed sail to the floor must be agonizing.

“Regreee isn’t in danger. Ragnar is in danger.” I whisper-shout, wincing at how loud my own voice is. Confusion crosses his scaly face, uncertainty making him hesitate to throw me off. It isn’t much, but it is enough for me to rush out the rest of my explanation. “I know these people. They aren’t going to kill me, but they WILL kill you. Let me save you.” My voice is pleading, and I pray that he can’t hear the uncertainty hidden within.

The truth is…I no longer feel safe with the men on the other side of the semi-destroyed wall. They shattered any sense of trust long ago. Regardless, I have to try. Ragnar can’t die and he is already grievously injured. For a moment I think he is going to deny me, to be the macho man like normal. It's there, in his eyes. The desire to deny me, to give his everything to free me from this situation.

Fear from my past morphs with the fear for my future. Ragnar is my safety and the men on the other side would kill him without a shadow of a doubt. They weren’t understanding when dealing with humans, I have no disillusionment that they would handle Ragnar with any sort of grace. Though it is dirty fighting, I use the only thing I can. Desperation to save my future from my past makes the words tumble from my lips without thinking.

“If you let me handle this, I will be your wife. The way you want, however you want. Let me save you.” I beg, fully aware of what I am promising now that it has been said…yet I do not care. The men who even now are calling out their next moves, are more monster like than the alien beneath me. I made the conscious decision to embrace this moment with Ragnar and I fully intend to keep my promise.

His body tenses beneath me, his eyes searching mine to see if I mean what I say. Unwilling to flinch away and hide, I let him see it all. The truth that hangs between us can no longer be denied. The balance has shifted, and we are teetering on the edge of something new and scary, yet not unwanted. A war is waged behind those azure eyes. His two desires are fighting for dominance. A desire for me and a desire to protect me.

“Regreee is my life. If hurt, I kill.” He murmurs, putting as much feeling as he can behind those chilling words. One clawed hand comes up to caress my face, his forehead pressing into my own as he fights to let me go, to honor his words. His words give permission, but refusal is in every line of his magnificent body. His meaning is clear. If I can’t fix this mess, he will fix it for me.

A shiver of appreciation skims down my spine and a flash of heat hits my core unexpectedly. There is something to be said for a male who is willing to do anything for you. To kill for you. Our bubble is broken when the men are close enough for us to hear their words. It's now or never.

“Surround the door. I swear I heard a human scream. If there are people in here, we can’t afford to just start blasting. Take up formation.” The sheriff was always a smart man. Taking a deep breath I push away from Ragnar, moving towards the busted door.

“Hold on! I’m coming out!” I shout, making sure they can hear me. Their murmurs of confusion urge me forward, to confront them before they find Ragnar. As if to prevent me from forgetting him too, Floofy crawls from his hiding space until he is seated next to my mate. The term is foreign but feels so right.

“Who is there?” Sherif Sam demands, his voice loud and in charge. Part of me wants to hold my name close, a cherished secret until I emerge, but doing so won’t help our case. With one last look at Ragnar, I answer.

“Reggie Brooks.” The name rolls off my lips with the power of a bomb. Silence reigns through the derelict store and then cursing takes its place. Quickly I weave through the rubble until I can see them, the holes in the ceiling providing just enough light. I refuse to look back, afraid my bravado will fail. Fear that I will ask Ragnar to fight this battle for me.

Eight faces come into view. Eight damned, monstrous faces. The faces of my nightmares, my pain and my past. They might have the skin of men, but their insides are far rottener than most beasts I have seen. The sheriff and his deputies. My ex-coworkers.

My heart begins to pound faster when I see a particular face, a face I would like nothing more than for it to be ripped off and fed to the nearest monster. Elijah. The cause of all my suffering, the sole reason I was forced to leave my dream job. No one believes the victim when they cry rape, especially not when the one accused holds such a powerful position.

Images of the past threaten to overwhelm me. The attack in the locker room. The pain. The following ER visits. The diagnosis. The fallout once I came forward, even with proof. The broken trust when I wasn’t believed. The residual emotional and physical pain from being raped. All of it is a jumbled mess in my head and threatens to steal the hard-won peace I’ve achieved since it happened.

“How the hell are you here?” Sam brings my attention back to him, a scowl on his face. He hasn’t changed much despite the apocalypse. He is still tall, dark and handsome. And still a massive asshole apparently, his impatience growing as I simply stare at him instead of answering.

“Monster got your tongue? Must say, you are looking good Slim, the apocalypse has done you well.” Elijah jokes, his voice as slimy as I remember. It matches his appearance. Short, stout and ugly. Ignoring Sam, I whirl to Elijah, the knowledge that Ragnar is hiding a few feet away emboldening me.

“If only the monsters had done us all a favor and eaten your ugly ass. Shut the fuck up.” Shock registers on a few faces but I only shrug, not willing to take the words back. Not when they have been festering inside of me for far too long.

“Now Reggie let’s keep pea….” Sam starts to say but Elijah cuts him off.

“You frigid bitch, we can turn around right now and leave you here. Crawl back into whatever hole you came from. This shiny new backbone is as useless now as it was then.” As always, he compensates his wrongness with loudness. Before the attack, I used to think he was just forceful. Now I see it for what it is. Weakness.

“As useless as the word no was?” I shoot back, my heart picking up the pace as fear threatens to creep in. A confrontation wasn’t my original intention, but it has distracted them from their hunt, Ragnar almost forgotten in the heat of our words. Almost as if he is mocking my words, a vibration rattles through the wall into me. It heats me up and my fear is washed away in its wake. I wait for someone to comment on it, but only I am aware that it happened.

Distracted, I am caught off guard when Elijah lunges for me. Strong hands hold him back, dragging him away from me. Sam shakes his head, his handsome face lined and haggard from stress. Guilt eats at me, but I have a mission here. Two missions, actually. Save my sister and save Ragnar. These men didn’t factor in my future before the world went to shit and they don’t factor in now.

It crosses my mind to ask them if they have any antibiotics, but I refuse to be beholden to these people. She has enough medicine to last her as I search. It isn’t a dire situation…yet.

“Let the past be the past. We must move forward; humans have to band together. We followed a creature into this building, and it dove into the room you just came from. Did you happen to see one?” Sam questions, too smart for his own good. Scrambling, I try to think of a way to divert him. With Elijah contained, there is no obvious avenue of distraction. Though he chose to ignore justice in my case, he was always good at his job.

“You didn’t give a fuck then, you sure as hell don’t give a fuck now. If there were a monster in here, I would be dead. Besides, your damn weapons did more damage than any monster I saw.” I gesture towards the scorched proof. Sam shrugs as if it is of no consequence, following my gaze before turning back to me.

“The alien invaders decided to give us a few gifts in exchange for our help with the monsters.” He shrugs again, as if he didn’t just say the biggest red flag I’ve ever heard. Dread trickles down my spine, my mind switching directions.

“Your help with the monsters? Why would they need help with the creatures they brought here?” I demand, not letting up on my confrontational attitude even though internally I feel like a fraud. My insides are practically jello with fear. Fear that I will fail. Fear that they will demand to check the back for themselves. Almost out of habit, I palm the butt of my pistol. Collectively their eyes flash downward, watching my movements with wariness in their eyes. Shit.

“That is none of your concern.” Sam mutters after clearing his throat, his eyes glued to the gun at my waist. A creeping sense of satisfaction sweeps through me. Good. Let him stew over the memories of all the training we completed together, of how good of a shot I am. A heady feeling of power briefly makes a cocky grin ghost across my lips.

In Ragnar’s version of Earth, I am useless. Powerless against the beasts that roam the world. In Before Earth? I was a badass and not even the vile excuses for men before me could take that from me. I was a damn good deputy. A damn good shot. It feels good to be reminded of that, even if only for a moment. I haven’t felt that comforting confidence since the day I was attacked, when my view of the world and my view of myself shifted.

“It becomes my concern when you carelessly blast through the town. You could have killed me.” I snarl, letting the small shock of confidence lend a bite to my words. Guilt flashes across his face before it hardens. Casting a look around to his men, he nods to them before facing me once more.

“Damage is a price I’m willing to pay for the destruction of the beasts that run rampant. Regardless of what weapons were used, we came in here for a reason. Your presence doesn’t change that. Move her.” Like his words are law, two of the men surge forward with outstretched arms. Dodging their grasp, I back up quickly until I am almost plastered to the broken-down door. Quick as a flash, I draw my weapon and point it straight at the nearest man.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I mutter, not even registering who it is in fear that I might hesitate when it really counts. Because a decision is before me. Do I defend the monster behind me or do I accept the presence of the monsters in front of me. My promise to Ragnar weighs heavily on me, settling deep into my core until it almost throbs with fear and want. So many thoughts war within me until I grasp at the only thread of sanity that I have. Safety.

Ragnar has made me feel safe more than just physically. In our short time together, he has shown me his heart. Our words are limited but in their place is action and every action has told me that Ragnar would burn the world for me if I only asked him. The men before me burned me. There is really no debate. Hardening my heart, I steady my gun. To their credit, the men back up. Instead of a nuisance from their past they are looking at me as if I am to be feared. An unpredictable animal caught in their traps.

“What the fuck Reggie? Move. We have to check the back, if it is in there it could kill us all.” Sam shouts, anger twisting his handsome face into something ugly.

“Let me at the bitch! She is going to get us killed.” Elijah growls, renewing his attempts to get to me. My heart hammers in my chest. The jig is up. Swiftly I change tactics, going on the defense.

“If any of you take a step forward, I will shoot. How many of you do you think will die before you can get to me?” I snark, glaring each man down so that they can see my resolve. A thunderous growl shakes the ground beneath our feet, amping up the tension until I’m afraid one or more of the men will snap.

“She’s fucking protecting it!” A man says, his voice shaking with disbelief and anger. I don’t look their way, uncaring who said it. It is the truth.

“You’re damn right I am, and I’ll kill every single one of you if it means he lives.” I respond, watching the shock register on each face. Most are blinded by their anger. Disbelieving hat I would dare protect a monster, but Sam only stares. I can practically see the cogs turning in his brain.

“What are you doing Reggie? That beast has helped destroyed this world. It and its kind have killed the very people you took an oath to protect. Move aside.” I could almost roll my eyes as Sam tries to play mind games, using guilt as a tool.

“I’m doing exactly what I promised him. I’m keeping you at bay. You should really be thanking me. We both know that a cornered predator will strike out. I’ve practically saved your lives.” I keep my voice light, playing mental chess as I try to guess his next tactic. Almost predictably, he turns to his men and nods before making a quick jerking motion.

“Just because I was fired doesn’t mean I don’t remember the signals. If you take a single step forward, you will die. Turn around and leave. I don’t need your help and I sure as hell don’t want you here. Go back to patrolling until you find someone who wants or needs you.” Sam curses at my words, signally for the men to fall back instead. All comply but Elijah. He practically bristles with anger as he takes a step forward.

My finger twitches on the trigger as I debate shooting him anyways. As desperately as I want to, any sign of danger will bring Ragnar out of hiding and I’m trying to save him, not draw him to action. Another thought strikes me. Maybe they need to see how close they are to danger.

Letting my intrusive thoughts win, I press the trigger. Elijah gives a cry of pain as he drops to the ground, clutching his leg. It isn’t a fatal wound, but my point is made.

“If any of you try to harm us, I won’t hesitate to shoot. We are leaving and if you follow, I will let him loose upon you. Your big weapons are useless with you standing in the way. Let it be known that next time, my aim will be on the thoracic triangle, not your thigh.” I glare at them, challenging them to move. For every step I take towards them, they hastily take one back. Elijah doesn’t move from his spot upon the ground. “Ragnar, come here please.” I say, almost grinning at the fear that strikes them all.

The sound of scraping claws is loud in the otherwise silent store. Their gasps are loud as he emerges, his eyes filled with menace as he absorbs the space with his size and the promise of violence. Without taking my eyes off the men, I back up until I am beneath his snout, eclipsed by him but unafraid. An eerie snarl splits his maw as he hovers above me.

“Fuuuck.” Sam mutters, his eyes glued to the beast. I can’t blame them for their reactions. They are a mirror of the way I reacted the first time I saw Ragnar, but now I know. I know that actions speak louder than appearance does. I was never shallow, but I came from a world that very rarely considered what was beyond the stars. Humans have a terrible habit of considering themselves superior to everything. How wrong we were.

Now that I have accepted my weakness, now that I have looked my mortality in the face, I am able to see the beauty in Ragnar’s form. He isn’t even remotely human, and I love it. The men that huddle away from Ragnar in fear are considered attractive by our standards. They are the norm and yet they hide blackened souls.

Ragnar may not look like a GQ model, he may have scales and spikes, sails and fangs but he is infinitely more beautiful to me. His snarls affect me like the finest violin might, music to my soul as he confronts the threat. As he protects and cares for me. A balm to the broken. A song that haunts my soul.

“You will let us leave. If we hear so much as a peep from behind us, I will lead him straight into your lair and slaughter each and every one of you. If you even think you see us, no you didn’t. From this moment forward, we do not exist to you.” I shout, making my words clear even to those beyond the doors.

“You know I can’t make that promise.” Sam says, his voice giving away some of his exhaustion. Guilt flashes through me but I tamp it down. He doesn’t deserve my pity. We were friends once. Now we stand on two different sides of justice.

“Regreee will be safe.” Ragnar snarls, his monstrous voice booming through the space. Eyes widen and curses ring out.

“It can fucking talk?” A few ask, their agitation growing with their shock. Our time to escape is growing short and I do not bother answering them. Quickly I back up until I can feel one of his giant legs. Turning as fast as I can, I motion for Ragnar to kneel. When he does, I climb back to my spot.

Men shout and the boom of a gun is deafening. We must escape, the drive to get away blocking all sound, all thought from my muddled mind. No sooner than my ass hits his back, Ragnar takes off. Shouts echo around us, followed by more booming shots. Dust and debris kick up all around us as he runs full tilt towards a wall. My scream of warning is drowned out as we crash through it. Brick and stone fall in a rush but Ragnar doesn’t even stumble as the building gives way, running as fast as he can from the chaos.

My breaths come in panicked, painful bursts as I cling to his massive back. Garnering courage I look behind us, watching the store shrink away as we weave between broken down apartments and abandoned cars.

A small squeak has my gaze flickering down to the ground. Joy fills my heart when Floofy’s small body comes into view, his little face scrunched up in concentration, not wanting to be left behind. With a big leap he latches his teeth into Ragnar’s tail, holding on for dear life. To his credit my mate doesn’t even flinch, toting us both to safety.

For long, agonizing moments I wait for pursuit. When none comes, I try to stem the panic attack that I can feel building. A by-product of the jumbled mass of emotions. Shivers skitter down my skin and I feel a flash of cold and hot that alternates. My harsh breathing gains speed as the tornado of panic, fear, sadness and upset begin to spiral out of control. When our lives were on the line, I could control the effect of my trauma. Now that we are semi-safe? It comes crashing down.

“Ragnar!” I gasp out, holding a hand to my chest as if that will keep me from splintering apart. As if it can keep this storm at bay with my own strength. HIs big body jolts at the tone in my voice, one he has never heard before. A whine escapes him as he slows, throwing his massive head back and forth to assess the danger level. The distant roar of a vehicle has him shifting nervously.

“Regreee hurt?” He questions, his snout lifted to the air as if scenting for blood. My rapidly beating heart squeezes with adoration for this massive male who is injured beyond belief, dark green blood leaking from his own wounds, and yet he is only worried for me. Though my body feels like it is turning to ice from the inside out, and panic thumps through my veins I reassure him as best I can.

“Panic attack. Get us to safety.” I gasp out, holding my chest once more, unsure if the words will translate right, but willing to take the chance. Floofy, who has crawled his way to Ragnar’s back, whines worriedly, his little eyes flashing behind us with anxiety. Grabbing him up tight, I hold him to my chest. His little body thaws the ice gripping me marginally.

Despite the growing sounds of pursuit, Ragnar keeps his head tilted, one of his beautiful eyes trained on me as if he doesn’t trust my words. We both flinch when another booming shot can be heard.

“Please. Safe then help.” I gasp out, closing my eyes to shut out the fading sunlight. It feels like daggers to my brain as my vision begins to tunnel and I can only focus on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Another whine vibrates beneath me before we are off once more. I want to comfort him, I want to be strong like I have every other time our world fell apart, but I can’t. My demons have their hooks in me, and they aren’t letting go.