Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

***ARCHIE***

I t had grown late by the time they'd worked out all the plans for the wedding the next day, and Archie could see how tired everyone was. "Well, I think it's time for us to head back to our cabin," Nancy said, stifling a yawn. "It's been a very busy day, and I could use a good night's sleep."

"I'll second that," Tom said, getting to his feet. "Are you girls ready?"

"We do have to be up early in the morning," Brittany said, getting up as well. "Archie, do you need some help cleaning up the rest of these dishes?"

"I'll help him," Felicity said. "You three go on ahead."

Tom looked like he was going to argue, but Nancy got to her feet. "That's fine. I'm sure you two would like a few minutes alone," she said. "We'll see you both bright and early tomorrow morning for breakfast."

When they were gone, he pulled Felicity into his arms, "It looks like this is really happening," he said. "Are you nervous? "

"About marrying you?" she asked, smiling up at him. "Not even a little bit. I know we belong together, and this is the right step for both of us."

"I'm glad we're in agreement," he said, then kissed her. "I'm so tempted to take you inside and make love to you right now, but……"

"I know, it seems wrong somehow with my parents here now," she said. "I guess we never quite grow up, but it's just one more night and then we can be together all the time."

"Sounds like heaven to me," he said. "I guess I can make it one night."

Felicity stretched up on her toes and gave him a kiss, "I love you," she said. "Now, let's get this mess cleaned up."

"I love you too," he said. "I'll wash, you dry."

When they were finished with the dishes, he decided to walk Felicity home, trying to postpone being without her for as long as he could, even though he knew it was silly. They were deep in discussion about the merits of Thailand over Africa for their year of travel, or he would have seen the man standing in the trees by the trail, but he was so distracted by their plans the man managed to surprise them both.

"Well, isn't this cozy," the man said, stepping into their way. "And here I thought you were pining away from me while I was in jail. Guess I was wrong. Who is this jerk, and what the hell do you think you're doing with him?"

Felicity let out a little gasp and began to tremble with fear. "Joe, you don't belong here," she said. "How did you get out of jail? You're supposed to be there for a long time."

"No one has ever built a jail that can hold me. It pays to have friends on the inside," he bragged. "I think the reason I'm here should be obvious; I came to get you; we've been separated for long enough. Now come along, I've got a boat waiting for us on the other side of the island. We're going home, Felicity. "

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, lifting her chin in the air. "You seem to forget that you almost killed me. If those people hadn't stopped you that night, I'd be dead right now."

"Felicity, you're doing it again," Joe said, narrowing his eyes at her, a look of displeasure on his face. "Stop blowing things out of proportion. All I did was slap you a few times, but you deserved it. You were trying to run away from me; it was your own fault. Now come along before I have to punish you again. I have people on my trail. I need to get off this island."

"You must not have heard me, I'm not going with you," Felicity said. "I don't belong to you; I don't ever want to see you again; you're nothing more than a bully, Joe. You beat up on women but cower if a man ever gets in your face. You're the worst kind of man, and you need to leave me alone."

Archie could see the madness in the other man's eyes and looked around, hoping someone was around, but the trail was deserted, the nearest cabin too far away to hear them even if he yelled. Sizing the other man up, he knew that he could take him in a fight, and would shift if necessary to protect the woman he loved, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Shifting slightly in front of Felicity, he pushed her back a step, wanting some more space between them, but Joe snarled at him like a rabid dog.

"Keep your hands off my woman," he shouted. "Move away from her, or I'll kill you."

"I'm not your woman," Felicity shouted back. "You won't win this fight, Joe; you just can't. Go back where you came from, and leave us alone."

"No one tells me what to do, especially not a woman," Joe said, pulling a gun out of his pocket. "Now get over here, or I'll shoot him, and I really want to do it, so don't push me. "

Felicity looked over at him, a look of panic on her face. "He's got a gun, Archie," she said. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't look at him, look at me," Joe screamed, then aimed the gun at Archie and pulled the trigger. "I told you I'd shoot him. It's your fault, you little bitch. If I can't have you, no one can."

He felt the bullet burn its way through his shoulder; the impact sent him flying backward, and he landed with a thud on the ground, pain radiating through his entire body. Slapping his hand over the wound, feeling blood pouring through his fingers, he tried to get up, but fell back to the soft sand with a groan of pain, then lay panting for a few seconds, his vision filled with stars.

***Felicity***

Felicity ran over to Archie, the sight of blood pouring from the wound in his shoulder making her begin to panic. "Oh, Archie, I can't lose you, I just found you," she cried, tearing off her shirt and covering the wound. "Don't you dare die on me; I need you too much."

"I'm not dying, I promise," he said. "It's just a little flesh wound, I'll be okay."

"You're bleeding a lot, Archie, we need to get you help," she said, almost forgetting that Joe was still behind her with the gun.

"Shut up and get over here. I meant what I said, if I can't have you, no one will," Joe screamed. "The next bullet will be yours, Felicity, the choice is up to you."

She heard the click of the hammer on the gun and swiveled her head around to look at Joe. "I mean it, Felicity, get up and come over here," he said, leveling the gun at her. "Or you'll both die tonight."

"Go with him, I'll come after you as soon as I can. I heal really fast, Felicity, it's part of the magic," he said, trying to push her away. "You've always trusted me, sweetheart, trust me now. I won't let Joe hurt you, but you have to go with him right now."

"Ten, nine, eight, seven……" Joe began to count down behind her, but she still didn't move.

"I love you, Archie," she said. "You know I trust you more than anyone in the world. I'll try to stall him, but please hurry."

"I love you too, Felicity," he said. "No one is going to take you away from me."

Joe had reached two when she jumped to her feet. "I'll come with you, just leave Archie alone," she said, taking a step toward Joe even though everything inside her was fighting it. "You can put the gun away. You won Joe, I'm yours."

After sneering at her in triumph, Joe stuffed the gun into the waistband of his pants, and she took a couple more steps toward him, stalling for time, still unable to leave Archie. Joe stomped over to her, grabbed her by the arm, and started dragging her down the trail, and she looked over her shoulder at Archie, lying alone on the ground, bleeding from the wound in his shoulder, then turned away, hoping it wasn't going to be the last time she saw him alive.

She tried to slow Joe down as much as she could, stumbling and tripping, then falling to her knees as he shoved her along a path that skirted the village and led down to the beach. When they reached the shore, Joe grabbed her with fury in his eyes and began to shake her, but when he raised his hand to hit her, she spun away, only making it a few steps before he grabbed her again.

"Did you let him touch you?" Joe screamed in her face. "You did, didn't you, little slut? I'm going to reclaim what's mine; I'll teach you to let another man have what belongs to me."

When he started fumbling with his pants, it was the opening she'd been looking for. Making a fist, she gathered all her strength and hit him, channeling all her anger and frustration. Her entire body shook when her fist connected with his face. Joe screamed, and to her horror, an ugly red wound had opened up on his cheek from her engagement ring. He lifted his hand to the wound, then brought it back down, roaring when he saw the blood, but she was already turning away from him.

She sprinted down the beach, realizing that she'd fight until she was dead before giving in to him, and ran even harder, but Joe was catching up to her. The sound of his footsteps hitting the hard sand was almost her undoing, but she focused on putting one foot in front of the other until it passed. Joe was beginning to tire behind her; she could hear it in his breathing, and she began to think that she was going to get away until she stepped into a hole in the sand.

Barely able to keep her balance, she stumbled a few steps, giving Joe the advantage he needed, and she turned to face him, determined to hurt him as much as he was going to hurt her. She set her stance like her self-defense instruction taught her, ready to do some damage, but before Joe could reach her, there was a screeching cry above their heads, and a huge dragon flew into view.

Joe came to a skidding stop, nearly losing his balance, his eyes bulging out of his head, blood dripping down his face, then began to back away when Archie landed on the sand between them. Folding his wings into his body, Archie leaned forward, opened his sharp beak and let out another screech of warning, then snapped at Joe. Now screaming, Joe backpedaled in the sand, his eyes filled with terror, and Archie followed him, his huge talons leaving footprints in the sand.

Joe began to shake his head and mumble, then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed onto the wet sand and lay still. She raced over to Archie and threw her arms around his feathery chest and hugged him until she felt the air begin to stir around them, and she was holding the man she loved again.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, but I cut him on the cheek with my engagement ring," she said, the irony of that not lost on her. "Serves him right, I can't believe he shot you. Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, I'll have a nasty scar for a while, but the wound is healed," he said. "Shifters heal really fast. It would take a lot more than that to take me out."

"I thought……" she started, then shook her head. "Never mind, we're both here, safe and sound. What are we going to do with Joe?"

Archie looked over at the unconscious man. "I think we'll leave that up to Max," he said. "He should be along any second now, I saw him running this way earlier."

Only a few seconds later, Max burst out onto the beach, followed by Brittany and her parents. Her heart nearly broke when she saw the fear in their eyes. "Mom, Dad, we're over here," she called, breaking free from Archie. "We're okay, Archie……well, he took care of Joe."

"Oh, Felicity, we're so glad you're okay," her mom said, hugging her. "When we heard that gunshot……."

"Don't scare us like that again," her father cut in, wrapping his arms around both of them. "Your mother and I aren't getting any younger, you know."

She laughed, "I don't think Joe will be bothering me anymore," she said. "In fact, I don't think he'll be bothering anyone ever again."

They all looked over at Joe, who was curled into a ball, babbling about dragons. Her father looked over at Archie, then shook his head. Letting go of them, he walked over to Archie. "Son, I'm not sure what I just saw, but any man who would take a bullet for my daughter is okay in my book," he said. "Welcome to the family. I think you and I are going to get along just fine."