Chapter 4

Sara stared at the door in front of her and felt like a complete idiot.  She knew they were aware of her presences.  Hell, a couple of them had followed her up the long driveway, not even trying to be discrete, but now that she was here, now that she was about to be face to face with the person she had ran from not that long ago, she couldn't make her hand knock on the door.  All the preparation she had, all the training she went through, everything was for nothing.  She could never have really prepared for this situation, never could have thought she'd be here again.

"He's in his room."

She jumped, her claws coming out, but when she turned towards the voice, she instantly backed down.  Ally, standing there looking more amused than threatened, held a little girl in her arms.  The gold hair on the girl was a shock, but what Sara couldn't even begin to understand was the knowledge in the baby's brown eyes, a shade that only one other leopard shifter had.  "She looks like her dad."

Ally beamed at her proudly.  "Doesn't she?"  The smile dropped a little as Ally let out a sigh and stared at the door in front of them.  "I was out walking in the woods when they told me you were standing here."  When Sara raised an eyebrow, Ally chuckled.  "Zoë loves it in there."

"Odd child."

"Special child," Ally corrected as an expression of concern flashed across her face.  "A child that many people need to protect, whether they realize it or not."  She shook her head, and the worry disappeared.  "He's in his room though.  I think he's just as afraid to see you as you are to see him."

"I'm not afraid."

Another chuckle left the Leopard Queen's mouth as she pulled open the cabin door.  "You can say that if you want to, but I can feel the fear flowing off you."  She paused, studying Sara a little too closely for her liking.  "You can hate me for what I'm about to say, but it doesn't change a thing.  In my opinion, you should be the one on your knees begging for his forgiveness.  You are the one who hurt him."  Sara opened her mouth, but quickly snapped it shut when Ally shook her head.  "He may have kept things from you, may have scared you at one point, but that was who he was, not who he is, and for you to treat him as if he is the same person..." She shook her head, not finishing her words.  "Namir will show you to your room."

Ally disappeared into the cabin, leaving Sara standing in the same place she was moments before.  There was nothing she could do to change the woman's opinion.  For one, it was obvious how protective Ally was towards the ones closest to her.  For another, she was right.  Sara had run all those years ago, she still viewed Barron as she did all those years ago, but she had been there.  She had seen the things that man could do, and no matter how many times she tried to forget, she couldn't.

"I have a feeling that standing here all day long wasn't what you planned to do when you agreed to come."

Sara narrowed her eyes at the man who had once been her sparring partner.  "You never told me your name."

Namir shrugged, not looking slightly apologetic.  "You never asked."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue, before realizing something.  "I never did, did I?"  A sigh left her mouth as she rubbed her free hand across her eyes.  "God this is going to be the worse time of my life.  I show up, bag in hand, and the first person that I see is Ally."  She dropped her hand away from her face and saw the warm smile on Namir's face.  "Not you too," she mumbled with a groan.  "What is it about her that everyone loves so much?  The woman forced me to kneel in front of her the first time I met her."

"Someone already told me what you were thinking when she did so."

Sara couldn't stop a small laugh from escaping her lips.  "Okay, maybe I deserved that one, but what about that wild goose chase to find Marcus, huh?  That was just ridiculous."

"She wanted to see which one of her guards you were meant for.  When you returned, called her out, and then helped them defeat the man, she instantly knew."

Her eyes narrowed on him once more, but his expression didn't change from the small amused smile on his face.  "How do you know all of this?"

"We are connected, her and I.  Once I found her again, her memories became mine."

"That," a new voice said, "is creepy as hell."

Sara turned towards the person and smiled when she saw who it was.  "Ned."

He nodded at her before motioning down to the little boy in his hands.  "This is Noah.  He wanted to see you, but Ally was afraid that he'd attack you if she took him."

"What could a little guy like him—" Her words were cut off when a burst of energy hit her in the middle of the chest.  She stumbled back and would have fallen down the stairs behind her if Namir hadn't grabbed her arm.  "Son of—"

"Do not finish that!" Ned yelled, making Sara jump again.  "Ouch," Ned cursed as he held Noah away from him.  "What did I tell you about scratching me?  I swear to everything that if you do that again, I'll drop you."  A small protective bubble surrounded Noah.  "Yeah, yeah, and you'd bounce like a ball.  It'd be hilarious."  Noah smiled at Ned, and Ned shook his head and smiled back.  "Man, I love this kid."

Sara stared at the two of them, her eyes wide with shock, but no one around her seemed to notice or care.  "What was that?"

"Ally's kid," Ned answered slowly as if Sara were the child.  "What did you expect?  A smiling, cooing baby?  I wouldn't be shocked if the kid grew fangs."  When Noah smiled again, Ned narrowed his eyes.  "You better not."

"That," Sara started, "is creepy as hell."

Noah growled at her, and beside her, Namir chuckled.  "Come on, Ally did want me to show you to your room, and if you want to get there before Barron goes for his run, you better hurry."

Not needing anymore encouragement, she followed them into the cabin, and just like before, she paused a minute to take it all in.  Off to the left, a large living room displayed multiple mix-matched couches, all seeming to be associated with a different person in the compound.  To the right was the dining room, and she shook her head in amusement.  With as many people that were there at one time, the table reminded her of the medieval tables she'd seen in movies.  Two chairs at the head of the long table with eight chairs on each side of it.

Ahead of her was a hall way, leading to different areas, but to be honest, she had no idea where some of the other halls led to.  The only one she had gone through, the only one she had been able to go through was the one with the rooms, and as Namir led her through that hallway, she had a feeling that she wouldn't get a tour.

"Later," Ned said as he began walking down a different hall, "I'll give you a tour.  Right now, I have a kid that wants his Momma."

Her eyes narrowed on his back as he disappeared before she turned a questioning look towards Namir.  He chuckled slightly.  "Your walls aren't up, Sara.  You cannot blame me for your projection thoughts."

"This place has my mind on other things," she admitted as they walked further down the hall full of doors.  Behind some doors, loud music blared, behind others, feet padded against the floor, and behind the rest there was no noise.  She eyed the rooms, wondering which one she'd be staying in and more importantly, which one Barron was in at that exact moment.  "Maybe, when you're not busy here, we can train some more."

"You know who would be a great sparring partner for you, both mentally and physically?"

She groaned, already knowing who he was going to say, but he chuckled, surprising her by his answer.  "Not Barron, Ally.  The woman has protective shields unlike anyone who hasn't had training should have.  She's what we like to call a natural."

"We?" Sara asked, hoping to get more information out of the mysterious man. 

He shook his head at her, catching and dismissing her fishing for answers.  "You will know who and what I am when the time is right."  An emotion she had never seen from him flashed through his eyes.  "First, I need to focus on Ally and her family."

"Why are you so sad?" she whispered as they stopped in the hall.

His eyes didn't look towards her as he motioned towards the door in front of them.  "I missed years with her, and now that I finally found her again, I'm not sure how easy it would be to make up for everything that I wasn't there for."

Sara studied the man in front of her with a frown on her face.  He was a little older than her, but not old enough to hold that responsibility on his own shoulders.  He couldn't control what had happened to Ally; he couldn't have changed destiny.  "Do you ever wonder if the reason why you weren't there was because those things made her into the amazing leader that she is today? If she was raised differently, if she would have been treated differently, she wouldn't have this sense of mercy about her.  She knows what it's like to have a hard life, and because of this, she's ended battles not with blood but with a different type of victory.  The type that comes from knowing you did the right thing."

Namir blinked at her, seeming surprised that the words left her mouth.  "For a person who claims not to know why people are drawn to Ally, you are strangely admiring."

"I didn't say I didn't like the woman," she said defensively just as the door they stood in front of opened.  Glancing to her left, her eyes widened when she saw who had opened that door.  Her gaze snapped back towards Namir, but he disappeared with a smile on his face and a zing in the air.

"Sara."

"Barron," she whispered, knowing that her voice sounded weaker than she wanted it to.  Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders and turned towards him.  "Namir was supposed to take me to my room."

A sarcastic smiled pulled at one corner of his lips.  "Ally thinks she can push the two of us together, but we both know she can't, don't we, Sara?  I've tried that before; it doesn't work."  She bit her cheek to keep the snarky comment at bay and felt blood pool onto her tongue.  His eyes looked down at her mouth, a frown pulling down his eyebrows.  "You shouldn't do that," he whispered with a sigh as he rubbed one hand through his hair.  "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Like you care."

His eyes flashed red, and she instinctively took a step away from him.  Something that looked like hurt flashed in his eyes before he covered it with that slightly evil smile everyone associated him with.  "You're right.  I shouldn't care anymore."  A laugh flew from his mouth, causing goose bumps to cover her skin.  "And Namir left me to find you a room?  I'll have to thank the man later for his botched matchmaking attempt.  Now, I can put you as far away from me as possible."

Pushing past her, he didn't stop for a second to see if she'd follow, and because of that, she kept her mouth shut.  She didn't apologize for her comment, didn't point out that he said he shouldn't care, not that he didn't.  No, she wouldn't bring up the past today, not when it would still be there tomorrow. 

They passed door after door until finally, he stopped at one.  Without knocking, he turned the doorknob, and froze when he saw what was on the other side.  "I'm going to kill her."

Sara looked over his shoulder, confused when she saw a man who looked a lot like Ally standing with nothing but a towel and a grin.  "Hey, Barron."

"Slator," Barron said with a growl to his voice.  "Why aren't you in Amaya's room?"

"Not enough room with Korbin in there."

"The one right next to hers?"

Slator's smiled widened.  "Owen was tired of sharing a room with Peyton."

"So," Barron said slowly, looking as if he was trying to hold back from punching the man in the face.  "She made it to where the only open room is the one beside mine?" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about."  But by the laughter that was spilling from the man's mouth, Sara knew that the opposite was true.

Barron growled again, and motioned towards Sara without glancing her way.  "Show it to her, I have a certain shifter I need to speak with."

Sighing, Slator began walking towards the door.  "Come on.  I'll show you."

"Put some pants on first," Barron snapped before stomping from the room.

Slator stared after him, amusement clear on his face.  "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Sara asked in frustration.  "Have any of you stopped and thought about how serious this is?"

"Yes," he replied as his smiled dropped.  "We think about it every single day, we feel what's coming towards us, we feel it taunting us, and we wonder what it is, we worry about who will be here the next day, but we don't stop living our lives.  We don't let that worry make our last days stressful.  We let our happiness come through.  We make sure that it's the last thing we leave this world feeling."  His smiled flew back onto his face as his hand moved towards his towel.  "Now, if you don't want a show."

She turned her back just as she heard his towel being dropped to the floor.  "Who are you anyway?"

"Adam's mate's brother," he explained as rustling noises echoed through the room.  "I met this crew by accident, and from day one, they felt like family."

"Even Barron."

"Not at first," Slator admitted as he walked towards her.  She chanced a look over her shoulder and was happy to see him fully clothed.  "But after a while, yeah, even Barron.  Everyone plays their part in this huge family, and just like a family, there are ups and downs."

He stepped out of the room, but before she stepped after him, she frowned.  "And you enjoy that, having them all around you all the time?"

Laughing, he motioned for her to start walking.  "We can leave, you know. This isn't a prison, and there are other shifters nearby that we can visit.  It's just not the same."  She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he shook his head and pointed towards the door right next to Barron's room.  "Here it is."

Without another word, he turned his back on her and began walking the same way Barron had gone.  "Wait!" she called out.  He turned around, jogged backwards, and threw an eyebrow up in question.  "Where am I supposed to go after I pack?"

"Don't worry," Slator said with an amused smile.  "Someone will come get you."

He turned his back on her once more and continued to jog through the hall, looking way too happy to be there.  With a sigh, Sara pushed the door open.  Just like the room she had visited Slator in, this one had little furniture.  A bed, a dresser, and a nightstand spread about the medium sized room.  Off to the left were two doors, one she guessed was a closet and the other a bathroom.  Tossing her bag towards the bed, she watched as it bounced once and fell to the floor.

She stared at her bag and wanted nothing more than to pick it up and leave this cabin as fast as she could, because she had a feeling that running might actually be the best bet this time.  Shaking her head, she marched towards her bag, set it on the bed, and began pulling her things from it.  She wouldn't run, not this time and never again.  She hadn't fought to become the person she was today just to give up and back down now.  No, she was going to fight this evil that was coming towards them, she was going to fight that urge to flee, and most importantly, she was going to fight her own fears.  Now, it was time for her to do as Ally had said.  It was time for her to stop living in the past and look at the present.  She just hoped that when the time came, she was strong enough to do so.