Her Anchor (12 page)

Chapter 2

They soon made their way to the couch. The man was bleeding everywhere and surely he would stain Valery’s sofa, but right now she wasn’t thinking about it. The only thought in her mind was saving him. “Let me call an ambulance.”

Valery looked around the house for her phone. She didn’t have a land line and so, she depended on her mobile for all and any calls. Of course now, of all times, it would go missing. She looked all over the house for it, but couldn’t find it anywhere. She cursed under her breath, trying to figure out what to do. “Damn…” She muttered as she turned her bedroom upside down. “Where is it?” If she didn’t find the phone soon, surely the man would bleed out. She shuddered to think of that possibility. She certainly didn’t want anyone to die under her roof.

All of a sudden, she heard a loud meow behind her. It was Nala. She spun around, looking at the cat who meowed at her again, trying to get her attention. Valery stepped forward, making her way toward the cat when the feline fled in the opposite direction. Valery followed her, thinking the cat was trying to tell her something.

Nala led her to the bathroom, where the sink was filled with cosmetics and the shower with various half-empty hair products. To say the least, the bathroom was a mess. Nala jumped onto the sink, balancing on the few inches of unused space. Valery looked at her curiously. What was her cat up to? “What is it, girl?” She finally asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

The cat jumped up on its hind legs and pawed at the medicine cabinet, looking back and meowing loudly. Valery’s face distorted in confusion. She grabbed the cat, holding her under her arm, before opening the medicine cabinet. To Valery’s amazement, her phone was there. How it had gotten there was beyond the girl, but she was just grateful that she had found it. “Good kitty.” She praised, before placing Nala down. She shook herself off and licked her paw in a smug gesture. Sometimes, it seemed like the cat was too smart for its own good.

Valery, with her phone in hand, now felt like she had the solution to helping the dying man downstairs. She tried dialing for help, but of course, there was no signal. It sucked living on the outskirts of town, near the woods. She tried calling from different rooms, hoping she would get some reception, but to no avail. She cursed under her breath. What was she supposed to do now? She felt helpless.

She would just have to treat the man herself and then rush him to the hospital. She grabbed the first aid kit, stowed away under the sink and rushed downstairs. She didn’t know how much time she had to help the man, but, either way, she knew she had to act quickly. With every passing moment, he was losing more and more blood, which was never a good thing.

But as Valery made her way downstairs, the man was no longer there. “Hello?” She called out, thinking maybe he had just moved or something, but as she searched the house he was nowhere to be found. Reaching the kitchen, she saw the back door covered with a bloody handprint. Had the man left? Why?

“Hello?” Valery opened up the door and called out for him. When she opened the door, Nala shot out again. She stopped for a moment and looked back at her owner, meowing loudly as if she wanted Valery to follow her. Valery sighed, stepping outside. This was turning into one crazy night.

Nala dashed forward, disappearing into the darkness. Since Valery’s phone was good for nothing else, she turned on the flashlight feature and followed the cat into the woods. She began to worry. It wasn’t safe to wander through the woods at night. Who knew what was lurking there. Fear crept into her mind.

“Nala… I don’t think this is a good idea…” But even as Valery said this, she knew she couldn’t let the dying man suffer out here all alone. Stumbling through the thicket, she roamed deeper and deeper into the woods, constantly following her cat. At some point, she thought she was lost but they finally stumbled on the man.

He was sitting up against a tree. He seemed delirious with pain. He was muttering something under his breath that Valery couldn’t quite understand. His face was deathly pale and his eyes were closed. For a moment, Valery wondered if he wasn't already dead. She moved forward and touched him. His eyes shot open, looking at her curiously. He didn’t recognize her, being too numbed with pain.

“C’mon… you need help…” Valery helped him up and once again helped him inside her house. This time, she locked the door and armed the security system. She didn’t want him wandering away again.

This time, she also brought him up to her bedroom. There, she started to tend to his wounds to the best of her ability. The gashes in his side were deep, but they seemed to have already clotted. He had an amazing recovery system it seemed. She had never seen someone heal this quickly.

It did, however, make her work a little easier. After dressing his wounds, she stared at him. At some point, he had passed out from the pain. In this position, Valery took a moment to admire him. He had a rugged attractiveness to him, especially with the thin layer of dirt and grime that seemed stuck to his face. Seeing this Valery got up, walking into the bathroom to wet a small wash cloth.

When she came back, she started to clean up his face. She smiled and ran her fingers through his dark hair for a moment. Even though it was a little dirty from the natural elements, it was still exceedingly soft. Valery smiled. She liked it, brushing it back and out of his eyes. As she continued to look at him, she noticed his crooked nose. It seemed like somewhere down the line, he had broken it. It was actually a little endearing.

His cheeks were hollowed out like he had spent most of his life in hunger and maybe that was indeed the case. Valery noticed his almost savage appearance. She had no idea who this man was, but there was something about him that conjured up a sort of primal urge inside of her. There was a stirring inside of not just her heart, but also her loins. What was going on? Why was this strange man having such an effect on her? She didn’t even know his name.

“I hope you’re okay.” She whispered softly before getting up and preparing for bed. She could have slept on the couch, but she wanted to make sure he was okay, so she slipped in beside him, glad that his breathing seemed steady. She wondered what had caused him these wounds and if she would ever figure out who he was.

***

In the morning, Elliot woke up in a dazed state. His body felt like it weighed a ton as he tried to move. His arm was slung over something as if he were holding it close to his chest. He focused his vision and almost jumped back in surprise. Right in front of his eyes, laying right beside him was a beautiful girl. Her face was void of all makeup and she still had this classic beauty to her. A natural beauty that didn’t need makeup. He felt his heart flutter as he looked down, admiring her.

He had never seen someone so beautiful. He had an urge to run his fingers through her gorgeous strawberry blonde hair but thought better of it. Elliot grew even more smitten once he saw her rosy cheeks, giving her a delicately innocent look. Who was this woman with her angular, yet soft looking face that he wanted to kiss? Inside of him, his wolf whimpered softly, the instinct to mate coming to the forefront. Elliot did his best to keep these urges in check, but it was hard since she was in such close proximity. His body reacted as he felt a bulge form in his pants. He bit his lip, not wanting to hurt her in case his instincts got out of control.

Suddenly as she woke up and her light blue eyes looked up at him, he lost control. He pushed her away and got up quickly, wincing as he opened up some of his wounds. Valery woke up with a start, sitting up. “What’s going on?” She asked in a daze before her eyes settled on the stranger. “Oh… you’re awake…” She muttered softly, holding the blankets against her body. She was in pretty modest pajamas, but she still felt strange to be sitting in night clothes with him around.

“What do you think you’re doing sleeping with me?” He snapped, as he clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to control the emotions that were now raging inside of him. His wolf wanted him to lunge forward, pin her down to the bed and make her his, but Elliot couldn’t do that. He didn’t know who this girl was. He couldn’t take advantage of her like that.

He bit his lip and glared at her. “Tell me!” He demanded in a harsh voice as his shadowy eyes darkened even more, turning an almost black color. “What were you planning?” His voice took on a cruel edge now as he started to hold his side.

“Are you hurt again?” She asked in concern.

“No.” He snapped, refusing to ask for any help. He didn’t need her. He needed her to leave him alone or she would get hurt. And if he managed to hurt someone so beautiful, he would never forgive himself.

“Why are you so angry?” She asked.

“You don’t know who I am. I could hurt you.” He said suddenly, his voice taking a softer tone.  Valery’s eyes went big as she heard his words. Was he intending to do something to her? She backed up a little, moving toward the headboard of the bed. “Stay away from me if you know what’s good for you.” His voice was a warning.

Valery stared at him, not knowing what to do. She thought she should have felt afraid, but at the same time, she felt this inner attraction to him that she couldn’t quite explain. “I… I don’t understand…” She stammered staring at him, her big blue eyes innocent and sincere in her confusion.

“Good. Stay away from me. And the forest.” He added in as a final clause. With that, he limped his way out of the room. Valery watched him go as she sat in her bed. What had just happened?

Nala followed the man, rubbing against his legs. Elliot stopped in the kitchen, looking down at the cat. “What the hell do you want? Get away from me.” He snapped, pushing the cat away. Nala gave him an almost offended meow, glaring at him. “You stay away from me too, you pesky cat.” With that he snarled at her, letting some of his wolf come to the surface.

Nala hissed in response, swiping her paw in his direction. Elliot growled a little louder, before making his way out of the house and back into the woods. He had escaped Stanton’s clutches and that was all that mattered for now. All he had to do was lay low for a while, regain his strength, become stronger, and forget about the girl with the strawberry blonde hair. But he hadn’t even gotten her name and that was killing him.

As he walked away he could hear the faint sound of the girl’s alarm system go off. He sighed and pushed her to the back of his mind. Such a distraction could only get him killed. He needed to focus on Stanton and maybe then, he would be able to redeem himself.

Chapter 3

Valery finally got out of bed and composed herself. Quickly she disabled the security system that was blaring around the house. Had the man really stormed out? Why was he so mad at her? Valery couldn’t figure out what she had done to earn so much hatred. She just wanted to help. Maybe she should have slept on the couch after all.

Sighing, she knew there was nothing she could do now. The man didn’t seem to be in grave danger, so he could probably fend for himself as far as she was concerned. Still, her mind lingered on him as she tried to think if he was okay or not. She was worried and didn’t actually know why, since she had no idea who he was.

“I just need to forget about him…” She murmured under her breath, before grabbing her phone and checking the time. It was ten till nine. She still had an hour before she had to open up shop. She laid back in bed for a moment, trying to get her thoughts in line, but they were a jumbled mess and it was a wasted effort. Stuck in her daze, however, Nala jumped into the bed with her. She laid down, lounging about and looking majestic.

“At least, you’re in a good mood,” Valery said looking at her pet. She reached out and scratched behind her ears for a moment. Nala purred loudly as she rubbed against her owner’s hand, enjoying herself. She was a very pampered cat.

“I guess we should get to work, huh?” Valery thought out loud. With that, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the closet. She picked out her outfit for the day: a cute, yellow sundress. The sun was shining outside and she was going to enjoy it. Doing her hair in a messy bun, she made her way down the stairs. Even though she had a plethora of beauty products in the bathroom, she didn’t actually wear any makeup. She preferred a natural look.

She grabbed some toast and made her way out the door, waiting for Nala to follow. The cat, of course, took her sweet time, toying with her owner. Valery rolled her eyes. Nala was always like this. She was such a strange animal.

As Valery opened up her car door, Nala jumped inside as if this was the only thing she could have done. She settled herself onto the dashboard and laid there, soaking up the sun. Valery chuckled and ignored the crazy cat as she sat down, starting the car. After a short drive, she was pulling into the parking lot of her café.

She opened up the back door and all the cats that lived in the café greeted her happily. Leaning down, she showed them a little affection before going into the kitchen and started the long process of feeding them all. Once they were fed, they started to find their own respective places in the café. Some of them laid by the window, others were less lazy and climbed all over the cat trees. Each one had its place in the café dynamic.

As it got closer to opening time, some of Valery’s employees began showing up. She smiled as the men started to come together. By ten o’clock, they already had people at the door, waiting to come in. Valery opened up the front door and her workday started in a rush. She was glad that she had managed to keep this place alive, even after Liam’s passing. It made her feel like a part of him was still alive, fueling this place with the energy that kept it going.

***

Nearly a month had passed since Valery’s encounter with the strange man. She had almost forgotten about him. Her mind was occupied with many other things, like her business and the increase in profits they were making. It seemed like soon, she would have enough money to open up a second cat café or expand and the thought alone excited her beyond belief. It made her happy to know that people really enjoyed themselves when they had feline company with their morning coffee.

Valery was not, by any means thinking of Elliot when she closed the shop one day. Her car was at the mechanics, waiting for repairs, so she was forced to walk home. Her town was relatively safe, so she didn’t mind all that much. The biggest danger she could face were wild animals, but she kept to the main roads, knowing that animals tended to keep away from the more densely populated areas.

So she walked along, feeling relatively safe as Nala followed close by. All of a sudden, Nala began to meow, sitting down. She refused to get up as she looked at her owner and then at a nearby figure that was now approaching them. Valery got a little scared as the unknown person got closer and closer and yet she couldn’t quite will herself to move away. It was like she was frozen in place.

Nala, however, moved forward, meowing again as if calling the figure out of the shadows. The figure, in turn, seemed to obey the cat’s command as it stepped into the light, revealing its identity. It was Elliot. Valery gawked, distinctly remembering the strange man’s face. It was him, there was no denying it.

“It’s you…” She murmured more to herself than to the man. As soon as Elliot saw her, he turned around, about to walk away. “Hey wait. Come back!” Valery suddenly dashed forward, wanting to talk to him. She couldn’t quite understand what this urge was, but she needed some answers. At the very least, she needed to know what his name was.

In Valery’s excitement, she did not pay attention to where she was going. She suddenly tripped on a tree root that had forced its way through the sidewalk. She closed her eyes tightly when she felt herself falling, her hands moving in front of her to break her fall. Before they could make the rough contact with the ground, she felt a pair of powerful arms wrap around her.

She finally opened up her eyes to see her face unnervingly close to his. Her heart fluttered in pure excitement. A fire stirred between her legs like she hadn’t felt in a long time. She bit her lip, trying to figure out where this sudden onset of lust was coming from. Was she just finding him attractive and her body simply reacting or was there something else? As she stared into his dark eyes, she felt like there was something much more powerful that made her want to close the gap between their faces and kiss him.

Suddenly he pushed her away, letting her fall back onto her butt. Valery gasped. “What the hell was that for?” She was confused. One minute he was protecting her and the next he was pushing her away. It didn’t make any sense.

“I told you to stay away from me!” He yelled, snapping at her, his dark eyes burning with a sort of vehement hatred.

“Why? I don’t understand. What are you going to do?” She asked boldly, her blue eyes sparkling even in the dull light of the street lamp nearby.

“I
will
hurt you.” He threatened, getting closer, his body hovering over her own. She shivered in a sort of fright and yet at the same time, she wasn’t afraid of him at all. She didn’t actually believe that this man would cause her any harm.

“What is your name?” She pleaded.

“Why?” He asked, a little taken aback. He didn’t expect her to ask something like that. He didn’t expect her to be so interested, or at least, appear to be.

“I just want to know…” She whispered. She didn’t really have a legitimate reason. She just wanted to know. There was a curiosity, nestled deep inside of her.

“Elliot…” He mumbled.

“Excuse me?” She asked. She hadn’t heard him.

“Elliot.” He repeated, louder this time.

“I’m Valery…” She whispered softly as she began getting up. He looked at her a moment, trying to figure out what he should do. In a month’s time, which he spent alone, he had learned to more effectively control his wolf powers, but they were still rather raw. He knew he could lose control at any moment and didn’t want to risk putting this woman in danger if she decided to get closer to him. “The day I found you…” She started.

He wanted to cut her off and prevent her from talking, but the intensity on her face stopped him. He sighed. He would listen to her and then leave. He shouldn’t be next to a human. At least not yet, they could only get hurt. “You had these wounds all over your body… but the biggest one was that gash on your side. It looked like claw marks… When I saw them, it reminded me of my fiancé.” Elliot cringed a little when he heard the word fiancé. For some reason, he felt a pang in his heart. What was this feeling? The wolf inside of him whimpered.

“A few years ago… he was killed by a wild animal… torn apart… it was gruesome…” Her voice was low and sad, conveying the hurt that she carried inside. Elliot’s whole demeanor changed. His body went rigid as he looked at her, staring with almost cruel eyes.

“Where? Where was he found?” Elliot demanded, taking a step forward. “Tell me!” He reached forward and grabbed her arm, squeezing it in his hand. His grip was powerful, hurting and bruising her delicate skin until she cried out. Her small yelp pulled him out of his trance, causing him to loosen his hold slightly, but he still didn’t let go. “Tell me. I need to know.”

“In front of Maggie’s. Corner of George and Charles.” She stammered numbly, trying not to make eye contact with this man that had suddenly turned almost violent toward her. Maybe he had been right. Maybe she would have been safer if she hadn’t been persistent to know more about him.

When Elliot heard these words, however, he pushed her away, slamming her into a nearby tree. She gasped, looking up into his face. He had this horrified expression like he had just seen a ghost.

“I… I killed him… I killed your fiancé…” He muttered, his voice feeling almost disconnected from his body. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that he had taken this woman’s love life away from her. He looked down at her fingers slowly, but there was no ring there. He tried to imagine an engagement ring and it made him sick to the stomach. He certainly had destroyed this woman’s life.

Valery couldn’t speak. She was frozen in shock. Was this man Liam’s murderer? Her whole world felt like it was turning upside down in that very moment. It didn’t seem possible. The police had tried for weeks to find the person responsible for his death, but they eventually pinned the whole thing on a wild animal. Valery had always assumed it was foul play, but after a while, she had come to accept that it really had just been some freak animal attack. But now, here was this man assuming fault for Liam’s death.

She felt angry. All of a sudden she dashed forward, hitting his chest as hard as she could, tears flowing down her cheeks. “You murderer! You killed him!” She wailed as she felt her heart break into a million pieces. Just as she was starting to heal from her loss, here was this man bringing old demons back to the surface.

Elliot looked down at her a moment, seeing the pain in her eyes. He felt sick to his stomach. All of a sudden he ran away, tears in his own eyes. If he had thought he was a monster before, he now felt like scum. Scum that could only be found at the lowest levels of hell.