Jack put several pieces on Astrid’s plate and
poured her a cup of coffee. “Astrid, today we’ll talk, if you don’t
mind. I’ll ask you some questions, you’ll try to answer them. If
you’re uncomfortable with some of them, let me know. I’ll try not
to ask you anything that’s not relevant. Only what I need to know.
Try to cooperate, okay?”
“Okay,” she said and took a bite of her
sandwich. “Mmm... This is good.”
“Thank you. I packed some snacks to keep us
until lunch. There are a few nice restaurants in that area.”
He sounded distant and businesslike. The
magic of the previous night, no matter how unsettling it was, had
disappeared. Fine with her, Astrid thought, and felt a small,
painful pinch in her stomach.
They breakfasted in silence. Astrid kept her
eyes on her food, and when they finished, she put the plates in the
sink and cleaned the table. At seven o’clock they were ready to
go.
“My car or yours?” Astrid said.
“I’ve rented a truck. We’ll pick it up at the
rental lot and leave my car there.”
“Why?”
“My car has all-season tires. There could
still be some snow on the road in the mountains. Besides, I prefer
driving trucks.”
“We can take my Honda.”
Jack gave her a look. “There’s an inch thick
dust on your Honda. When did you drive it last, Astrid?”
“Well, a few months ago... Okay, fine. I like
trucks, too. I’ll drive, if you don’t mind. You can drive on our
way back.”
Jack nodded. “Sure.”
“And I’ll ask questions, on our way back. I
have them too.”
“I know. I’ll try to answer them.”
They picked up the truck and a quarter of an
hour later they hit the main road heading east. It was still early
and the road was almost empty, clean and dry. It was a cold, windy
late winter day, however, and the heavy clouds threatened to bring
more rain soon.
It wasn’t a great day for hiking, but Astrid
was glad to go. It was better than being stuck inside with Jack,
she decided, in his moody mode.
JACK WATCHED her driving. She drove a bit on
the fast side, but she was a safe and confident driver and she
seemed to be enjoying it.
He knew she used to go hiking often, before
she’d been forced to hide out in this godforsaken place. She was
also a decent rock climber. That had stopped, too, about a year
ago. Along with diving, horse riding, traveling... God, they’d
taken away so many things she liked.
Astrid was quiet and her eyes were fixed on
the road.
“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked,
breaking the silence.
Her lips slightly curved upward. “Did
you?”
“You have an annoying habit of answering a
question with another question. I didn’t. Your turn.”
She gave him a quick look. “I did. By the
way, your jacket is in my room. Why didn’t you sleep well?”
“You’re sure you want to know?”
“Well, you got what you asked for,” she
muttered. Before Jack could say anything, she added, “I’m waiting
for your questions.”
“What can you smell now?”
“Strawberry shampoo, some fancy body wash,
toothpaste, alcohol-free mouthwash…”
“Astrid...”
“Citrus, amber, spice... Let’s see... lime,
bergamot, lavender and sandalwood.
Aramis Tuscany
. Quite a
conservative choice. One of my favorites. Reminds me of—”
“Your description is impressive,” Jack said,
“but I really don’t think I want to know why you like
Aramis
Tuscany
, Miss Spock. Can you so accurately describe my natural
scent as well?”
Astrid briefly closed her eyes and inhaled
deeply. “Warm, spicy, musky; fresh and clear, lots of hormones,
hence that musky tone. How am I doing so far?”
“Excellent. Is that how you found me two days
ago?”
“You left your scent all over my place. You
didn’t actually try hard to mask it, did you? I wasn’t able to
smell those two that had been watching over me for months.
Why?”
“They were careful to neutralize their scent
and never physically come too close to you. They were instructed
not to, unless necessary.”
“Jack.” Astrid turned to him. “I want to be
open as much as possible, I really do. But this is getting more and
more crazy. I have a feeling I’ve been told just a part of what I
need to know and have a right to know. Tristan and Liv know more
than they say. My uncle sent some strangers to watch over me, and
nobody bothered to tell me about it.”
Jack smiled, “Alec Randall is actually your
second cousin.”
“Really?” She smiled, pleased. A cousin. That
was nice; a bonus she hadn’t counted on. But that could wait.
“Jack, can you give me some answers first, and then you ask me
whatever you want?”
Jack signed. “No. I can give you some
information, but James has to talk to you about your parents, who
you are and why you are so important for us. I know most of the
answers, but I’m here to keep you safe, to try to help you with the
change. Or at least do my best to figure out why you suffer so
much, and to take you safely to Red Cliffs and your family. I wish
I could be the one who would tell you everything you need and you
want to know.”
“So you are not authorized to tell me
anything? You didn’t strike me anyone who would blindly carry out
somebody else’s orders,” she said in a sharp voice.
“If you are ready to give orders, you need to
know to take them sometimes. I have no problem with that. But my
orders aren’t the reason why I can’t discuss some things with you.
You’ll talk to James,” Jack said in a low, controlled voice.
It started raining in a fine mist. A small
diner was visible in the distance. She wanted to suggest stopping
for coffee, but snapped again instead, bitter and disappointed, “So
your job is to deliver me, like a parcel. Well, James could have
sent somebody less important for such a humble job.”
“Pull over!” Jack said. “Pull the damn truck
over!”
Astrid pulled into a small parking lot and
turned the ignition off.
He got out and shut his door with unnecessary
force. As he walked around to her side, she caught a fragment of
his angry grumble.
“Damned if I know what’s going on...”
Before she had a chance to touch the lock,
the door swung open. “I need coffee. Let’s go.”
Astrid jumped out, grabbing Jack’s
outstretched hand.
Another loud slam and he closed her door.
Astrid tried to pass him, but Jack’s warm fingers circled her
wrists as he pushed her back—gently, in complete opposition to his
anger—until her back touched the door.
She was now trapped between Jack and the
truck.
“Why are you making it so difficult?” A quiet
growl came out of Jack’s chest. His amber eyes slightly changed
their shape and darkened. A gray shadow lurked beneath the solid
gold hue of their depths.
Jack’s hand moved up and lifted her chin,
forcing her to look right into his eyes. She stared without
blinking, mesmerized by their untamed beauty.
“What do you want from me, Jack?” she asked
quietly, turning her head away from his gaze. “You complicate
things, not me. You’re here to take me safely to Red Cliffs, not to
hike with me.”
“It’s been left to me how I would carry out
the orders,” he said in a throaty voice and moved his head close to
her. His sweet, hot breath brushed over her face.
“Is that how you decided to proceed, then?
You tried to seduce me last night. Today you barely talk to me and,
even worse, you treat me like an unpleasant job you need to finish
nonetheless. What did I do wrong? What happened?”
He rested his forehead against hers and
closed his eyes. “You, Astrid. You’ve happened to me, and now I’m
completely out of balance,” he said. “And I’ve happened to you,
Astrid, don’t you feel it?”
“I do, Jack, and I don’t know what to do,”
Astrid said quietly. “I’m not afraid of you; I’m afraid of myself
because I’m losing control. You came two days ago, and I shouldn’t
be feeling like this, if for no other reason than because two days
ago I barely knew you existed.”
Jack’s lips touched Astrid’s forehead,
eliciting a small sob from her chest.
“It’s going too fast, and that scares me. I
need more time, Jack. I’m not an impulsive person. I might have a
nicely developed emotional side, as Arnaldur likes to say, but I’m
also logical and a common sense-driven person. And my cool logic
and my common sense are telling me that I’m going too fast. Way too
fast. Zero to one hundred in five seconds.”
“I know that, Miss Spock.”
The wind picked up and the drizzle turned
into cold, heavy rain. Jack wrapped his arms around Astrid and
pulled her close to him.
“You’re shivering. Let’s get back in the
truck.” The gentle pressure of his hand on her shoulder stopped her
as she reached for the driver’s door. “I’ll drive.”
“What about coffee?”
He tucked a lock of her golden-brown hair
behind her ear. “I needed a break, not coffee. The truck cabin is
too small and you smell too good... I’ll drive this time.”
“What’s wrong with my driving?” she said
before she could stop herself.
Jack laughed, shaking his head. “For heaven’s
sake, Astrid, can’t you just listen to me for once without any
objection? I wish I could say ‘because I said so’ and you’d accept
it as a fact of life, but that approach doesn’t work with you, does
it? I need to keep my hands busy, that’s why. And we’re going back
home because this rain’s going to turn into a thunderstorm soon.
Any problem with that?”
He held the door open. Astrid climbed up and
moved to the passenger side. Jack turned on the heat, but didn’t
start the car. He leaned to Astrid and took her hand between his.
“I owe you an apology for this outburst, and I owe you another
answer, Astrid,” he said. “About last night. I didn’t sleep at all.
I fought with all I had not to come to your room.”
“And do what? I don’t sleep with somebody
I’ve known for two days. Don’t flatter yourself, Jack Canagan.”
“I’m not just somebody. And all your logic
aside, you would have made love to me, had I come in, you know
that.”
“So my virtue was saved because your
gentlemanly side won the battle? Jack, I fell asleep as soon as my
head hit the pillow and slept all night. Didn’t even stir,” she
said stubbornly.
“You slept across the bed, you didn’t even
touch the pillow.”
“That was an expression.”
“And you held my jacket. You fell asleep
because you didn’t dare stay awake.”
“My logical side won anyway, don’t you
see?”
“I don’t know about you, sweetheart, but I
don’t feel like a winner,” Jack said and pulled out of the parking.
“I’ll try to explain to you why I didn’t come to your room last
night. Why I won’t try to convince you to forget about logic and
reason, and let me take you to the nearest inn and make love to
you.”
“You’re still so sure I would go?”
“I can be convincing.” He paused and sighed.
“Astrid, I know that’s too fast for you, but please, trust me.
Please. I won’t hurt you. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to
do.”
“What about you? Is this normal speed for
you?”
“I was a bit shocked, but now I’m fine. I
know you need time. I said yesterday I wouldn’t rush you, and I
won’t. I’ll try to adjust to your pace. But I’ll use these few
weeks ahead of us, before I take you home, to court you, to make
you fall in love with me. I’ll use all available means I can think
of to make it happen. I’ll also try to get to know you better and
give you a chance to get to know me better. You need to know who
you’re falling in love with,” Jack said in a soft voice, pulling
her closer and kissing the crown of her head. “Miss Spock, you
don’t stand a chance.”
“And when you take me to Red Cliffs? What
then?”
“I’ll wait until you’re ready. You are mine,
Astrid. You might sense it, deep inside you might even know it, but
for now take my word for it. I just can’t have you now. Not until
you’re back home, not until you learn how to control your wolf. But
you’re mine, and I’ll have you, no matter what. Did I scare you
now?”
“I’m not easily scared, Jack Canagan,” she
said with a smirk. “It seems I’m left without a choice, but what
the heck. It could’ve been worse!”
Under any other circumstances, she knew she
should be scared or at least angry. But everything was upside-down
anyway, the usually clear borders between logical and irrational
had become somehow much less defined. Defying any logic, hearing
the simple fact that her heart belonged to that handsome man beside
her, whom she’d met two days ago, gave her a sense of happiness
that was not out of context at all.
Jack made a soft chuckle. “You make me laugh
and smile a lot, Astrid. You drive me crazy and you make me feel
good, at the same time. You make me feel I’m at home whenever
you’re near me... And Astrid, you’re not being left without choice.
What I’m trying to say is that, believe me or not, I am going to be
your choice.”
“In other words, resistance is
pointless.”
Jack smiled at her and brushed her cheek with
his knuckles. “I had the same thought two days ago. You’re right,
Seven-of-Nine. Yes, it is, but I surrender gladly.”
THAT NIGHT I told Astrid everything I could.
About her parents, why she was so precious to us, and why her
stepfather, who was behind those kidnapping attempts, wanted her so
desperately for his clan. I knew I should have left it for James. I
just couldn’t. All her life everybody had tried to shelter her by
telling her half-truths, or not telling her anything at all. They’d
waited until her first change to tell her about the magnitude of
the danger she was in. They told her that her mother had remarried,
but they didn’t tell her that she’d likely married her first
husband’s killer.