Chapter 8 - Fisher

I lean against the workbench in David”s garage, admiring his new bike, a sleek, black Ducati Monster 821 he got this past winter. Reaching out, I brush my fingers over the chrome handlebars, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

”It”s definitely a nice ride,” I remark, catching David”s eye. ”How does it handle?”

David looks up, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. ”Don”t change the subject, my friend. I appreciate that you wanted to spare Leah the gory details, but now it”s just us. What”s going on, Fisher? You look like hell, and that poor girl in there looks even worse. Out with it.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. ”Straight to the point, as always. All right, listen, I didn”t just stumble on Liz with a bunch of assholes like I made it sound in there. It”s a bit more complicated than that. She... um… fuck, I can”t even say it.” I cover my eyes for a second with my hands, trying to take deep breaths and collect myself before dropping my hands and letting out a shaky breath.

My demeanor must catch David”s attention because he straightens up in an instant. I”m never anything but confident and sure of myself, so his concern is warranted. ”What happened?” he prompts, but then his expression gentles and he steps closer, patting my shoulder.

I take a deep breath, the memory still vivid in my mind. ”I found her at a traders’ auction.”

”You found her at a what?” His eyes are wide, his mouth agape, his hand frozen in midair. And then he curses. Loudly.

”A shifter auction,” I admit, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. ”I was heading home from that errand for Ram when I came across it. I didn”t know what it was at first, but curiosity got the best of me, and I wandered closer. It was disgusting. Women—shifter women—just hauled onto the chopping block to be auctioned off. Where the fuck do those humans get off?”

I move to the fridge and grab a bottle of whiskey I know Leah keeps stashed in there before I bring it to my lips, drinking it down like I haven”t quenched my thirst in days. It burns on the way down, a fire that wreaks havoc on my insides but helps calm the rage I feel coming on.

”They”re sick is what they are,” David agrees, turning away. ”That”s fucking horrendous. Who would even come up with something like that?”

“Best I can tell one guy runs the whole show. He’s not the most intimidating guy, but everyone there sure seemed eager to stay on his good side. And there was no shortage of patrons, so I imagine the money he’s raking in is enough to pay for whatever protection he needs to keep it going.”

“The things people will do for money,” he remarks, shaking his head.

”Then when they brought Liz out... something inside me snapped. I couldn”t let them take her.”

”So you bought her?”

I nod, the memory of that moment still clear as day. ”I had to. Not just because it was horrifying to see shifters treated like commodities, but because I felt this... pull. This inexplicable need to protect her.”

David stares at me in disbelief. ”How much does a shifter set someone back?”

I take another gulp. This is the hard part. ”Ten million dollars, in my case.”

The look on his face is priceless. ”Did I just hear you say ten million dollars?”

David turns away, walking back towards his workbench. He grabs a nearby white cloth, using it to rub his hands vigorously. The silence that follows stretches between us like a chasm until I can”t take it anymore and start talking again.

”I knew the minute I laid my eyes on her that I couldn”t let anyone else buy her. Call it irrational, call it crazy, but if I couldn”t have her, I couldn”t stay there.”

”You mean to tell me you paid ten million dollars? Ten fucking million dollars for a slave shifter? How do you even have that kind of money?”

I rub the back of my neck. ”That”s the thing. I don”t. And to make matters worse, I signed a blood oath that I would get them the money within the month. By any means necessary.”

”Blood oath?” David scrubs his hands across his face. ”Jesus, Fisher.”

I nod. I already know how bad things are. I don”t need reminding. The frustration is mine and mine alone to feel. I did this. I stepped into this clusterfuck, and now I have to clean it up somehow.

”Yeah,” I say. “I didn”t have a choice. I had to act quickly, or she”d have been sold to someone else.”

David frowns, but I can see him putting the pieces together. ”No choice at all. They would”ve ruined her.”

”Right. So I did the only thing I could—I lied. I told them I was a Nightrunner so they would just assume I was good for the money. Then I grabbed her and ran. I planned on just getting the marriage annulled, but the blood oath complicates things. As long as I owe them something, she isn’t safe.”

”You need to tell Ram,” David says. “He”s our alpha. He needs to know. He”ll know what to─”

I shake my head, cutting him off. ”I can”t, David. Not yet. I need to handle this my way.”

”What do you think they”re going to do once they don”t get their money?” David asks slowly, hesitantly.

”Bastards will probably come looking for us,” I concede, “but like I said, they think I”m a Nightrunner, so they”ll start there.”

David opens his mouth. I can already guess at the reprimanding remark that”s on the tip of his tongue, but a cold stare halts his words in their tracks. I grip the bottle of whiskey tight, holding his gaze and hoping like hell he won”t open his mouth and spout any more shit. I”m tired and grumpy, I have a raging headache, and my mind is in turmoil over what the future might hold.

I rub my temples, the weight of my decisions pressing down on me like a ton of bricks. ”Look, David, I”ve covered our tracks well. Those traders won”t find us. At least, not easily. I just need some time to sort things out.”

David studies me, his eyes searching mine. ”You sure about this, Fisher? If Ram finds out you”re keeping this from him, he won”t be pleased.”

”I know, I know,” I sigh. ”But I can handle this. I”m not one to ask for help lightly, you know that.”

He sighs, nodding slowly. ”All right, man. I trust you.”

”But first, I need to get some rest. Speaking of asking for help, can you watch over Liz for a bit? Make sure she doesn”t... you know, run off? She can”t shift right now, and I don”t want her wandering alone in this unfamiliar environment.”

”What”s wrong with her?”

”According to the auctioneer, they basically tortured her to the point that her wolf is in submission mode. She can”t get her wolf to move.”

”Damn, that sounds painful. How long is she gonna be like that?”

”I have no clue, man. Hopefully not too long. She”s been through enough.”

”Whatever I can do to help.”

”Thanks, David. I owe you one.”

I head towards the door, pausing for a moment to look back at him. There”s a lot on my mind, swirling like a goddamn tornado, a cyclone that threatens to tear me apart if I”m not careful. Thank God I have David and my sister to lean on. It sounds like that”s more than Liz has ever had. And now I guess I have a wife, too, not that I expect the situation to become that kind of relationship. You can”t expect a woman to fall in love with her captor, no matter how noble his intentions are.

With that, I make my way to their guest room, each step heavier than the last. I can”t shake the feeling that I”m walking on thin ice, but for now, I need to rest. I need to recharge, to gather my strength for the challenges that lie ahead. Liz may not trust me yet, but I”m determined to prove to her that this is the right place for her, that she”s safe here with us.

As I lay down on the bed, exhaustion washing over me like a tidal wave, I can”t help but think about Liz. She”s been thrust into this new world against her will, and the least I can do is give her a fighting chance. I close my eyes, hoping that when I wake up, I”ll find the words to convince her to stay. To trust me.

But for now, I need to sleep. Even if it”s just for a few hours, I need to shut down, to forget about the chaos surrounding us, if only for a moment. And so, with a heavy heart and a mind full of worries, I drift off into a restless sleep, praying that tomorrow will bring some semblance of peace and understanding.

***

I wake up groggy and not nearly as rested as I”d hoped. My limbs are heavy, but my headache is gone. The sun is still shining bright, so I can”t have slept that long, but it feels like it. Pushing myself off the bed, I rub my eyes and try to shake off the remnants of sleep. A glance at the clock tells me I”ve only been out for a couple of hours, but it feels like I”ve been hit by a truck.

My sluggish movements only echo the sentiment. Getting dressed, I can barely summon the energy to pull a shirt on before heading to the bathroom. I don”t even glance in the mirror as I splash some water on my face. I”m sure I look like shit, anyway.

Stepping back into the hallway, I note the complete lack of noise in the house, so I decide to investigate. I don”t get far. My stomach growls, a dull roar reverberating through my torso and telling me that I should have fed the beast earlier. Deciding to look for sustenance first, I head to the kitchen.

As I open the pantry, movement outside the window catches my attention. Turning, I see my sister and my new wife chatting in the backyard like old friends. I notice how the sunlight illuminates Liz”s brown hair and brings out the color in her cheeks. Even from this distance, her beauty is arresting. There”s something captivating about her, going beyond her physical appearance. It”s a magnetism that draws me in, making me want to get closer. To learn more about the woman behind the stunning fa?ade.

Leah says something to Liz, and when she tosses her head back and laughs, my heart seizes in my chest. It”s the first time I”ve seen her laugh, truly laugh, and I can”t help but stare at the pure, unfiltered joy on her face. It”s a sight that could rival the warm rays of the sun itself. Something shifts deep inside me, and I feel like I”ve been sucker-punched. Never in my life have I felt a pull so strong, so immediate. The thought of losing Liz terrifies me, and as I stand there, frozen to the spot, the realization hits me like a ton of bricks: I can”t lose her. Ever. And certainly not to those awful traders. I”ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, to protect her.

A voice behind me breaks my trance. ”She looks like she”s settling in, doesn”t she?”

I turn to find David leaning against the doorway with a knowing look on his face. ”Yeah,” I admit, still captivated by the scene outside. ”She does.”

”Leah said she”s never been a part of a pack before,” he muses. ”Did you know that?”

”Can”t say I did,” I admit. Then again, there”s a lot I still don”t know about Liz. We”ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, though.

”It”s going to be a transition for her, you know. Are you prepared for that? If she”s not from a pack, Stardust Hollow will be completely different for her. She”s lived a solitary life, which is highly unnatural for a wolf. We”re social creatures, and we don”t know how that”s affected her. Add in all the trauma she”s gone through, and it”s going to be a rough adjustment for her. I guarantee it.”

He”s not telling me anything I haven”t already figured out. “That”s part of the reason I bought her,” I say. “So I could protect her. Help her adjust to a better way of life.”

”You think you can save her?” David raises his brow. ”Are you prepared for that, my friend? To shoulder that burden on top of everything else you”re carrying right now? This isn”t just a light load, Fisher. This is damn near a freight train.”

I understand David”s concern, but I”m determined to do what”s necessary. I nod, resolute. ”Whatever it takes, man, I”m going to try.”

He shakes his head, almost as if he”s exasperated, but his tone is patient when he speaks again. ”You and your bleeding heart.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and pats it lightly. ”Okay. Do what you must. But you know you need to talk to Ram about this. At the very least, you need to let him know that you”re married. Liz is technically part of this pack now, and they deserve the chance to meet her. Even if you plan to get it annulled when this is all said and done, it has to be done through him.”

”I know.” I let out a long sigh. ”But I”m worried about how that conversation is going to go.”

”Look, Fisher, this isn”t just your problem,” David reminds me. “This is about the whole pack. He has a right to know.”

”I know, I just... I need to find the right time. This isn”t something I can blurt out. I need to ease him into it.”

David doesn”t look convinced, but he doesn”t push the issue. Instead, he gestures to the back door. “How ”bout we take Liz for a little walk? See the land a bit? I”m sure she”d like to stretch her legs after being cooped up in the house all day.”

I hadn”t thought about that. ”Good idea,” I agree. I hope seeing the area will make her feel safer and reduce her urge to flee.