Chapter 16

They weren't the most romantic words Barron had ever said, but hell, the woman was supposed to be fully clothed after her shift. With a growl, he turned to make Namir leave, but only found two sets of clothing sitting where the man once was.

Snatching his hands away from the woman, he jumped to his feet, ignoring the water that slouched over the side of the tub. With his back to her, he held out a set of sweats. "Here. There should be a towel on the rack beside you."

"Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassment clear in her voice. "Do really torn clothing make it through the shift, because I completely forgot the lion who had torn them."

He heard the lightness in the woman's voice, and tried to control the growl that rumbled his chest. He failed. "Did you recognize this man?" Because Barron was going to kill him.

"Nope," she answered as she snatched the clothes from his hands and stepped from the tub. He turned further, before noticing a mirror directly in front of him. Snapping his eyes closed, he gritted his teeth. "But his name was Joseph."

"Great," he mumbled distractedly. "Joseph."

"Okay. I'm done."

He turned, almost bumping into her. Her wet hair lay plastered to her face as she stared at him with amused brown eyes. It looked like one thing hadn't changed in the shift. "Any shifter blood?"

"None," she answered with a smile. "I'm Molly."

"Barron."

"I got that."

Silence that should have been awkward but wasn't surrounded them. She still had that amused look in her eyes and the wide smile on her face. "You want to me step out so you can change?"

No, he didn't. He wanted to keep her in reaching distance to make sure she was okay. "If you wouldn't mind. Just stay near Namir. Whatever he says, he's a good guy."

She nodded before exiting the room. As fast as he could, Barron stripped down, toweled off and slipped the shirt and sweats on. It had maybe taken him two minutes, but when he stepped into the room, he felt like it had taken forever.

Molly sat at the little dining area, shoving a cheeseburger in her mouth while Sara glared at her from the other side, slowly chewing on a fry.

"So," Bryn started as she snagged one of Molly's fries with a smile. "I like her."

Her cheeks full of food, Molly sent his sister a bright closed mouth smile.

"I don't," Sara mumbled making that smile drop. Barron growled, and Sara threw up her hands in frustration. "Just because she walks in all cheerful doesn't mean we should trust her. Where did she come from, who had her, and if someone really did kidnap her, how comes she's so damn happy."

Someone sighed from the bed, and Barron soon realized the noise had come from Owen. "Can't you just accept the fact that you're jealous and move on."

Molly choked on her burger. Barron rushed towards her before she waved him off. "I'm good. Just swallowed wrong." Setting the burger down, she glanced at Sara. "Look, I honestly don't know what your problem is. I've been through a hell of a year. I fought every second I possibly could, and I'm tired. I'm sorry that you weren't raised to look on the bright side, but I was. Nothing and no one will keep be down for long."

"She's light," Bryn whispered to him even though everyone in the room could hear her.

Sara ignored the words as she jumped from the table. "That doesn't tell me anything. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why didn't you get out sooner? And why aren't you leaving?"

"Sara," Barron growled. "Stop."

She ignored him as she glared down at Molly.

Molly stood also, staring up at Sara with a small frown. "My name is Molly Rose Green. I came from a small town called Miston. You won't have heard of it, we keep it warded. I just finished telling you that I tried every chance that I got, but being drugged will kinda slow you down. And I'm not leaving unless he's coming with me," she finished pointing at Barron.

Silence met her words as everyone stared at her in shock. Her face bloomed a bright red as she shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but I'm not leaving him."

"Foxes," Bryn whispered with longing in her voice. "I should have kept mine."

Barron froze as the words left her mouth. Turning towards Owen, he opened his mouth. The young man's eyes flashed with something that Barron couldn't identify before he shook his head. "I don't want to know yet," he whispered. "I don't want to know what she was talking about. Later, when these voices aren't in my head and the people who are calling me are here, then I'll hear it. For now, deal with your own problems."

He hesitated, but when Namir popped into the room and tossed a fast food bag in Owen's direction, Barron decided to do as the kid had asked. He'd let Owen ignore the problem until it was screaming in their face's so loudly that the couldn't turn away. Clearing his throat, he raised an eyebrow at Namir. With a sigh, the man tossed the other bag in Barron's direction before popping out of the room again.

"Barron's not a fox," Sara said with slight triumph in her voice. "He doesn't feel what you feel."

He felt the dark power of his magic flare through the room as his eyes flashed red. Sara gasped as she took a step back. "We're here together for a reason. We're here to help Owen find the people he's looking for. We're here to draw whatever in the hell is out there away from Ally and her kids. We're not here for you to attack a woman you don't even know."

"No one knows her!" Sara yelled in frustration. "She literally jumped from the woods yesterday. As far as we know she could be a trap."

Barron shook his head, but before he could say a word, Bryn took a step towards Sara. "My brother won't do anything to you except push a little power in your direction. Don't mistake his hesitance for love. You destroyed what he felt for you the day you called him a monster. He still cares for you. He'll always care for you, but he doesn't love you."

Molly's eyes narrowed at the woman as understanding dawned on her face. With a little noise that sounded like a growl, Molly stood between Sara and Barron, trying to keep the other woman from looking in his direction. If the situation hadn't been completely screwed, Barron might have laughed at the action. As it was, all he felt was annoyed and tired.

He glanced at Molly, making a clicking noise that her fox immediately relaxed to. Sara's eyes widened as she took a step towards the door. "You're a hybrid?"

"Fox and leopard."

Molly looked at him with a curious expression before shrugging. "Fox?" He nodded.  "And witch."

With those words, Sara lunged forward, only to be stopped with an arm against her throat as she was slammed back into the wall. "He won't touch you, but I will. Leave them alone, Sara, or deal with me."

Barron smiled at his sister before nodding towards Molly. "I know you have a history with them, and I wish we could have broken it to you a different way, but it is what it is. We need you here in order to find the others, but I can't let you harm Molly."

"Can't," she hissed, "or won't?"

"Both," he admitted. "Foxes know. I know you can't understand this because leopards aren't the same way, but foxes just know."

"Damn canines," Namir mumbled in a joking tone as he popped in the room. "Always have to be so romantic."

A fry hit the back of Namir's head as Owen growled. "I'll have you know I'm quite the romantic."

"And I'm not a canine," Molly said with a grin that showed some sharp teeth. "Apparently, I'm a fox."

"And a witch," Bryn supplied, still holding Sara against the wall. "So, you can do a locator spell for us, right?"

"Eh," Molly said with a sheepish grin. "I can only make healing water."

"We don't need a locator's spell or a leopard tracker," Owen said in a strained voice as he tapped the side of his head. "I can hear all of them. I don't know why, but I can."

Bryn opened her mouth, but Barron shook his head at her. The young hybrid didn't need to know he was Alpha yet. He could figure that out right before they told him he could have chosen to be either wolf or leopard – not both. "You know where they are?" Barron asked.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "we can get a night's rest. Tomorrow, we'll do like we did yesterday. Switch drivers every two hours until we're there."

"Where is there exactly?" Molly asked. Barron fought back a smile at the complete conviction in her voice. She was coming with them, no matter who thought differently.

With a sheepish smile, Owen shrugged. "All I know is East. I'll know more the closer we get. It's kinda like a radar. The closer we get, the easier it is to tell where I'm going."

"Not sure that's how radars work," Bryn said with a large smile as she finally released Sara.

Sara cleared her throat before looking at Barron with sadness in her eyes. "When you have time, can we talk?"

Barron clenched his teeth when Molly looked at him in question. "I need to talk to her. We have a past that is clouded in darkness. It was my fault things happened as they did back then."

Confusion marred her face, but she nodded. "I understand. Talk to her, clear the air. I'll be right here waiting on you."

The darkness that crept close to his heart lightened slightly as he shook his head with internal amazement. After all these years, knowing he would never find his other half, here she was. She was the light he had only wished to find. She was the balance that would keep the dark magic at bay, but she didn't even know him. She didn't know how he had reacted in the past. She didn't know who he once was.

Staring at Sara, clarity pushed at his mind. Bryn and Ally were right. He didn't need Sara's forgiveness. He needed his own. He had to accept what he once was and learn to deal with the past. But first, he'd speak to Sara. He'd let her have the closure he was already beginning to find.