Authors: Rebecca Abbott
“My ass,” he murmured. Then, “Yeah as if I believe that. Besides, you are here to kill a lady who lives next to me. I would not be acting as a good neighbor if I did not help her out. What, were you raised in a barn?” Kurt shouted back. He brought his rifle up to his shoulder. The windows were all slightly cracked open for a muzzle of as gun.
“If you are trying to be a hero you are wasting your time. She is not worth it,” the Big Guy called out. Kurt looked like he was focusing in on something in the scope.
“She gives a great hand massage. My arthritis has not been this good in weeks,” Kurt called back and then there was a hug bang, of his gun going off. With ringing ears Elizabeth saw the man to the Big Guy’s left fly backward screaming reaching for his shoulder.
“Freeze Big Guy! You do not want to know where I am aiming now, I guarantee you will not like it!” Kurt informed him as he rolled his head on his neck before sighting in again. He was so calm, it was helping Elizabeth from having a meltdown. Later, she told herself. There would be time later. The men standing in front of the cabin froze. She did not see why. Then she saw glimpses of people moving through the woods on either side.
“There are people circling through the trees. They have more men!” she told him.
“Shit, here we go!” Kurt said and then took three rapid shots. Three of the five remaining in the front went down screaming. The Big Guy and two others hit the ground too fast to get hit. The smell of gun smoke was intense as a cloud of it wafted through the room.
“Okay Beth, go the side window over there and keep an eye out. Shut that window first,” he said as he shut the window he was at. They did this just as the attackers opened fire at the front of the house. Staying down she crawled to the window he had indicated and he went to the other side.
“They are trying to distract us. Let me know if anyone on that side gets too close,” said Kurt.
She agreed shakily. She watched and tugged her tank top down. It always made her uncomfortable when her clothes did that. She thought she saw two guys in the woods getting closer. Fortunately the trees did not come right up to the cabin, she thought. At least she hoped that was good.
She watched them closely while bullets were still being fired at the front of the place. She heard Kurt’s gun go off three times in rapid fire. Then as she was about to turn, someone popped up from under her window, a black haired man with a mustache. He got a hand slipped into the crack of the window, and began pushing it further open. Elizabeth screamed and threw her weight against it, smashing his hand against the window jam. He swore and began shoving harder.
“Hold on Beth, hold on, ok, down!” he cried. She let go and rolled backwards as she heard the window slide open. Kurt’s rifle fired again. Once, twice, and at the same time she heard the third she heard another, different sounding shot and screamed as her shoulder felt agonizing pain. Several more bullets fired from inside the cabin and then Kurt was next to her dragging her back down the hall.
“God damn it Beth, I should never have let you do that. Shit, let me see it. Easy girl, I got you,” she heard him say through the pain.
“Oh Christ, ok, the bullet just creased your shoulder. It didn’t puncture or break anything,” he told her, wrapping a bandana around her shoulder. “Put pressure on it with your hand on it and stay put. I am done playing with these bozos.”
The look on his face would have terrified her if she thought it was directed at her. She watched him head back to the front of the cabin. He picked up another gun. This one had a long clip and a big barrel.
Uh oh
, she thought to herself. She glanced down at her shoulder and could see blood leaking through her fingers. She pressed down tighter.
“Just you three left Big Guy. Come on out and play boy. What are you waiting for, think you are out of your league! You don’t even know,” he shouted furiously out the front window. His gun came up and there were rapid fire gunshots.
“Now it is down to two of you. I can do this all day. You don’t have that kind of time though. You have to know the cops are on the way,” he told the mob men. Cops, Elizabeth thought. He called the cops? He could have told me, she thought. Her shoulder hurt and was throbbing badly. She was doing everything she could to just not cry when she heard the voice of the Big Guy in the suit.
“Now who is out of his league Marine Boy!” she heard him say. She saw Kurt turn and run towards her.
“What? Kurt what is—” said Elizabeth, her words cut off when he scooped her up and ran into the bedroom, diving down with her behind the side of the bed.
“Sorry Beth, they have a rocket launcher!” She felt the tears come then and he curled around her. Trying to protect her body with his.
“I wish I would have hit on you when I had the chance. If we get out of this I will court you properly,” he whispered to her and then he kissed her on the mouth. She returned it until they both heard sirens and a loudspeaker.
“Drop the weapons, this is NCIS. We have you surrounded.”
Then there was silence. Kurt and Elizabeth looked at each other in surprise.
“I thought you called the cops,” she told him. He shook his head.
“I was bluffing,”
*****
Kurt had not called the cops, or NCIS. His buddy who had warned him had. When his friend, whose name was Jack Low, found out exactly how much trouble Kurt was in he figured to let the people who look after SEALs handle it. He had not been positive the cops would be able to.
Apparently, according to the agents who had responded, the only reason the rocket launcher had not destroyed the cabin was that Kurt had shot the only guy who knew how to use it. When NCIS pulled up the Big Guy was trying to fire it, but he didn’t know exactly how and was trying to figure it out.
An ambulance EMT had bandaged her, but she had refused to go to the hospital. She knew as night approached, it would be Kurt’s last night of the month that he would change. She wanted to be there for him. She was not sure she was in love with him but she did know that some of the love songs she had heard all of her life were beginning to make sense. She thought that was a good sign. They watched the bad guys being driven away by the last of the NCIS agents, and they both sighed in relief.
“Do you think they will get a prosecution?” Kurt asked as he escorted her inside. The pain medicine she had been given was working well so her shoulder barely throbbed. He was treating her like she was fragile and needed help every step. She did not need help, but had to admit privately that she enjoyed the attention.
“Oh I think they will. I gave them my file from work when you were being interviewed. I made the suggestion they look in a couple of specific companies to prove what I was saying. In a few days they should have all they need to prosecute. I however will be out of a job. My boss was making a lot of money off of the mob. That won’t fly, no matter what he might say,” she told him honestly.
“Sorry about that. Considering the people he was doing business with I suppose it was inevitable things went south on him. Now you just sit here, I am making dinner. I need to work off some adrenaline anyway,” he chided her. He then went to the kitchen and she got to watch a man make her dinner. It was a first for her and she thought she could get to like it. If this was a real date with him, she could do more of them, without the shooting she reminded herself. She turned her phone’s music on and they sipped beer and he cooked.
The dinner was a chicken and rice dish with Indian flavors that smelled heavenly while cooking. He moved around the kitchen completely at ease with it and she decide she liked watching him cook. Or do anything really, she told herself with a slight smile. Despite everything that had happened she still found him incredibly attractive. Now that she knew him better she thought they might have a good shot at it.
“I hope you don’t mind me having to check out again tonight. You could have gone home and slept in your own bed,” he said. It sounded like he was feeling guilty.
“You fought heroically to save my life. The least I can do is be here for you. Besides, I hate hospitals and I would have been lonely.” As she said the last, she was surprised with herself. Elizabeth had not meant to say it, it had just came out. His eyes softened. Elizabeth continued. “I don’t know why. Just after everything, I still haven’t absorbed it. Even if you are a wolf and locked up, I will not feel alone. I hope you don’t mind, Kurt. I know I have probably been a pain in the ass this whole weekend,” she admitted to him.
Kurt shook his head while bringing the dinner to the table. He served her.
“Truthfully, as shocked as I was by your initial visit I was glad to see someone I know. It can get pretty lonely up here too,” he admitted to her.
They ate in silence and the food was excellent. She was feeling tired and knew she would not last long after he changed. They finished in a calm silence. As if nothing needed to be said right then. It was nice for Elizabeth and she enjoyed being comfortable with someone.
Later when she had stroked Kurt’s paw until he went to sleep she fell asleep in the hall, and dreamed. In the dream she and Kurt were at a stream, having a picnic lunch and laughing. It was a peaceful rest they both had that night.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
THE END
“I’ll see you tomorrow then Steph,” I said. I waved to Alyssa on her way out of the office. The day had been hectic with the strange influx of emergencies. Usually many pet owners would go to the other, much larger, emergency pet hospital down the street from ours. But even they had a huge load of patients they couldn’t keep up with and consequently sent some over to us. Denver was home to many pet lovers and not just your usual cats and dogs either. In Colorado it was legal to own an exotic variety of pets, and all needed to see the vet at some point. So there was a lot of busy work for me as a veterinary technician.
My day was finally almost over though and it was pushing seven thirty at night. It was already pitch black outside since we were nearing the end of November and into December. I finished up with some paperwork and went to do some last checks on the animals before I closed up shop. Alyssa usually helped me close up at night, but she had to go to her daughter’s dance recital and I told her that I could handle closing on my own.
It was nearly nine o’clock by the time I left the building to head out to my car. Denver was pretty much just like any other big city, there was always lots of activity on the sidewalks and streets. I was thankful for that as I walked down the sidewalk that would lead towards the back of the building where employee parking was. However, the small lot behind the building was only lit by one light post and at night I always hurried to my car. Even though I was a twenty-six-year-old woman, I was still afraid of the dark, and what could be hiding in the shadows.
I made it to my little blue Honda Civic and breathed a sigh of relief once I was inside. I quickly turned on the car so I could get the heat going, and the car warmed up. Soon after I was pulling out and heading home towards Montbello. I lived fairly close to the wildlife refuge and it was always sort of peaceful in my neighborhood. I pulled up to my cute little two-bedroom house and parked in the drive like I always did. My house was fairly tucked away from the rest of the street; it was built towards the back of my lot and hidden by shrubs lining the perimeter of the house and a few trees. I started walking towards the porch and then I felt the hair raise on my nape. I glanced around behind me, but I couldn’t see into the shadows. I stared, but it didn’t appear that anyone was watching me.
I glanced across the street and saw that my neighbor’s lights were on inside, but there were no movements in the windows or anything like that. Plus, the Wilsons weren’t the type to spy on their neighbors. I just needed to chill. I’d had a hectic day at work and I hadn’t had a chance to really unwind yet. I took a deep breath and continued up to my porch and then into the house. When I stepped through the front door I realized that I’d left my purse in the car. I had only grabbed my work bag in the hurry to get inside. I sighed and walked into the family room to drop the bag on the couch and then I headed back out to the car.
As I walked down the steps of my porch I saw a dark figure walking up the drive. I stepped forward with caution and met the stranger halfway, by my car. He grew bigger the closer he got to me, both taller and more muscular. When we were standing in front of each other in the cold night air, I found it odd that he was wearing a skintight black t-shirt and dark jeans. Meanwhile I could see my breath in the air when I exhaled and I was close to shivering in thickly lined parka and Ugg boots.
“Hello, my name is Micah,” his voice was deep and had that sexy rasp to it. I looked up, and up, at his face. Of course he was handsome as well as tall, he had an intense brow and almost unnatural teal colored eyes. His hawkish nose led down to plump lips and a cleft chin. He had a square jaw that was speckled with brown stubble. I glanced up at his brown hair and saw it was styled into an undercut bun. His incredible good looks coupled with his height and build lent me to believe that he wasn’t quite real.
“Um…uh, hi. I’m Stephanie…” I said. Micah inclined his head in an almost old world fashion.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Stephanie,” Micah said with a small upwards quirk of his lips. I was growing confused and uneasy as to what he was doing in my driveway. Micah was also just staring at me, his eyes almost calculating as they roamed my body from head to toe.
“Ah, it’s good to meet you too?” I said in confusion. “Can I ask what it is you’re looking for exactly?” Micah tilted his head slightly to the left and grinned, his smile was predatory and it definitely sent a frisson of warning up my spine.
“Yes, I’m looking for you. There is someone I need you for. I’ve been watching you for a few days now and upon closer inspection I’d say you’re the perfect fit.”
My eyebrows furrowed and I took a step away from Micah, but he only took a step forward in return.
“I don’t know what you’re saying, but if you’ve been stalking me I’ll call the police. I’d like for you to leave now, thank you.” I tried to make my voice as stern as possible, but Micah shook his head and sighed.
“You don’t have a choice Stephanie, I have a deadline to meet,” Micah said simply before he grabbed me by the arm abruptly and spun me around to land hard against his chest. All the air left my lungs as it felt as if I slammed into a brick wall. Micah’s hand covered my nose and mouth and I couldn’t breathe. His hand was hot, not like body temperature hot, but like accidentally touching the stove while it was cooling off hot.
My heart thundered in my chest as I struggled against him, but he had a vise grip on me and I felt that soon I would pass out from not being able to breathe. My vision tunneled around me and then utter blackness enveloped my sight seconds before I passed out, unconscious.
*****
I woke up feeling disoriented and with a sense of dread in my chest. Before I opened my eyes all the memories of Micah and his suffocating me outside of my house came pouring back. My eyes flew open and I bolted up straight in bed. I was in
bed
? I glanced around and saw that I was in an opulent room; it was decorated in warm colors and the modern furniture was all warm mahogany.
The large canopy bed was situated in front of a great fireplace. To the left of the bed, and along the left wall of the room, was a long window that looked out at a forest. There was a window seat that served as a little reading nook also. To the right of the room was a set of double doors and on the wall behind the bed, further to the right was another door that probably led to a bathroom or closet.
I glanced down and saw that I was no longer wearing my work scrubs and parka. I was wearing a long champagne colored nightgown that felt like satin and was a bit see through. I glanced outside again and saw that it was early morning as the sky was slowly lightening over the trees. I couldn’t really hear past the rush of blood in my ears and the pounding of my heart in my chest. Where was I?
I was startled and jumped when the double doors opened and
he
strode through, Micah. The man who freaking abducted me, he was wearing a black button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and dark form fitting jeans. His hair was in artful disarray as he didn’t have it pulled back into a bun this time.
“What did you do to me? Where am I?” I asked accusingly, my voice wavering with the fear I felt.
“I took you to your future husband’s house. We’re still in Colorado, only we’re near Minturn, so you aren’t that far away from home.” Micah tried to make his tone comforting, but it only came off as patronizing.
“Why would you kidnap me from my house? Why am I here!?” I was borderline hysterical and Micah gave that maddening sigh again, as if he were so misunderstood, and then stepped into the room and shut the doors behind him. My heart sped up in my chest and I became terrified at the thought of what he could do to me.
“You’re here because we need a bride for Prince Tristan and you are the perfect fit,” Micah said simply as he orbited closer and closer to the bed. I pulled my knees up and scooted back against the headboard in a protective ball. This guy was crazy; he wasn’t making any sense.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I said. I wondered how I was going to get back home, Denver was two hours away from Minturn. I didn’t have a car, I didn’t know where my clothes went, and I knew for sure that Micah would not drive me back. He’d kidnapped me!
“Let me explain, and quit acting like some endangered kitten. I’m not going to hurt you,” said Micah. He came to a stop directly next to the bed and I felt a strange heat radiating off of him, like he was a space heater or something. “I’m a dragon shifter. That means I can turn into a dragon, and yes I can breathe fire,” my jaw dropped and Micah crossed his thick arms across his chest.
“You can’t be serious,” I said incredulously and Micah smirked. He reached over to me and took my hand. He pulled me up off of the bed and then I was hurrying to catch up with him as he strode through the double doors and led me left down a long curving hall. We emerged into a brightly lit foyer, the white marble floor cold under my bare feet. The circular area was flanked by two more hallways and there was a wide set of glass panels directly in front of us.
Micah led me through one of the panels that swiveled open and then we walked out onto a large green back field. Not a back yard, it was really a back field. Micah let my hand go. He stepped off of the short landing that led to the house, walked some ways out onto the grass, and then turned to look at me directly. As soon as he walked away from me I felt the chill of the early morning near-winter air. His teal blue eyes suddenly looked like they were lit from within and then I watched, wide eyed, as he started to
morph
.
Micah simply fell to a crouch and then he started to elongate and grow bigger. His skin turned scaly and wings started to stretch from his back. In under half a minute Micah was a huge dragon standing on the grass. His skin was almost black and I could clearly see the scaly pattern of it. His blue eyes were glowing and he was staring at me with a chilling intelligence. My breathing was way too light and fast, and my blood fell like it was thinning. Before I knew it my head felt like it was filled with helium and then I was falling to the ground as my vision tunneled and went dark altogether.
*****
“Stephanie…Stephanie!”
I jolted awake at the sound of Micah’s urgent voice. When I opened my eyes I found that I was in Micah’s arms and he was looking down at me with concern in his eyes. His face was so close to mine that I lost my breath all over again. Did he have to be so gorgeous?
“I’m okay…I just…I thought you were insane, there’s no way dragons are real, or shifters…or dragon shifters!” Micah pulled me up from the ground and kept his arm around my waist. He was really warm, which didn’t help my trying to recover from fainting.
“I’m not insane. Now how about we get you some water and I finish explaining to you why you’re here?” said Micah.
I nodded weakly and Micah led me back inside and then down another short hall where we emerged into a family room. The space was open concept and next to the family room was a modern kitchen. On the other side of the kitchen was the dining room that had a huge wall of glass looking over more of the fields surrounding the house. I could see the forest in the distance surrounding the clearing.
Micah sat me down at the breakfast bar and I wondered why it was so quiet in the seemingly large house. He puttered around the kitchen silently as he got a glass and poured me some water from the fridge. He set the glass down in front of me on the granite countertop. I took a sip and then realized I was parched and then took a larger gulp.
“Like I was saying, I’m a dragon shifter, a part of a small clan of other shifters. We live out here, separated from the rest of human society, pretty much. We do have a leader, the king, Lord Cyrus and his son Prince Tristan must soon assume leadership. The next generation of shifters are all matured and it is time for Tristan to lead. In keeping with our culture Prince Tristan must marry before he can become Lord.” Micah spoke slowly and clearly while his blue gaze held mine.
“I was tasked, as his second-in-command to be, to find him a suitable bride. You with your blonde hair, green eyes, and pleasing shape are a perfect fit,” Micah finished. I simply blinked at him, doe like, and then I took a long drink of the water. I almost wished it was something much stronger.
If there was ever a time where I cursed my good looks it was that morning. I had long wavy dark blonde hair with big bright green eyes. I had high cheekbones that were naturally rosy due to my fair skin and my full lips were also naturally red. I wanted to glue a paper bag to my face and then run away back to Denver.
“You want me to marry your prince…a guy who I haven’t even met?” I asked with a bit of hysteria creeping into my tone. The entire situation I was stolen into was completely insane. Micah nodded and I sighed deeply.
“This can’t be…
real
,” I said in exasperation. My hand fell down to my lap from gripping the then empty glass and I remembered that I was wearing the satin nightgown. “How did I get into this? Who undressed me?” I asked. My fear and hysteria was quickly dissipating and anger was replacing it. Flint entered my voice and my eyes cut into Micah’s. His eyebrows furrowed a fraction and then he smirked, of all reactions.
“It is real; Prince Tristan is on a private mission with his father at the moment. You will get to meet him later in the day, but I am to ensure that you understand that this is your life now. Most importantly that you understand there is no going back from this.”