Chapter 15

Someone smacked him on the side of the head, effectively waking him from the tired sleep he was experiencing.  The first thing he saw as he opened his eyes was a pair of glowing, angry eyes.  Letting out a sigh, he rolled the opposite direction.  He didn’t want to know if he had killed Adam, didn’t want to know if the man was dead because of him, but as a swift kick hit him in the back, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hind from the news.

A growl escaped his mouth as he jumped to his feet and faced Ally.  Her hair rose a little too much on the edges as if it was rising on its own, which wasn’t possible.  Ally couldn’t move things, unless… “You didn’t.”

Her chin tilted up, answering his question before she could herself.  “I did.  What did you expect me to do, Zeke?  I couldn’t let one of my men die.”

His eyes didn’t leave hers as relief flowed through him.  What Ally had done was wrong, but it had saved Adam’s life.  “Are you sure this is what he wanted?”

“No,” she mumbled, plopping to the ground and finally showing how worried she was.  “I didn’t know what to do, Zeke.  The idea popped into my mind, and I acted.”

Settling down beside her, he turned until he could wrap an arm around her.  She leaned into him, letting him comfort her.  “His mate is dead.”

“I know, which means that he might have wanted death himself, but how could I be the one to choose something like that?  How could I let him die?”

“You’ll have to ask him about it.  Tell him how you felt, and let him decide whether he is happy with the situation or not.”

She titled her head up, allowing him to stare down on her.  “Can’t you just tell me how he is feeling?”

He shook his head before thinking of a reply.  She didn’t need to know that once he used his powers to that magnitude that they would be gone for hours.  The first time he had done something of this caliber, he had been frightened, panicked, but now, he knew that he wouldn’t be reading anyone’s minds for quite some time.  “He has a strong block,” Zeke mumbled, “and I think it is something that you should talk to him about, not make me pull from his head.”

“I could pull in from his mind,” she whispered, pushing her chest into his face.  “I could command him to let me know what he feels.”

His hand rubbed up and down her shoulder.  “You wouldn’t do that though; you’re Ally.”

“It’s strange,” she admitted.

Zeke nodded along with her statement as something came into his view.  He wanted to tense, ready himself for the fight, but when Seb came into view, he nodded at the man.  Sebastian froze, staring at his mate before closing his eyes.  Zeke knew that the man was having an inner battle.  Newly mated shifters were fiercely protective, if not a little possessive.  So, as the man turned and stepped back into the woods, Zeke’s respect for him rose.

“He’s amazing, huh?”

This time, he did tense.  “You can read me.”

It wasn’t a question, but she seemed to want to answer anyway.  “I can, and I know why I can.  Did you forget who I am, Zeke?  Did you forget that I know so much about you?  Why you try to hide things from me is a mystery.  I just wish that you would trust me.”

“I trust you,” he told her in an even tone, “but I don’t want you to know some of the things I have done.  Remember, Ally, I haven’t always been part of your life.  Before then, I had a past that I’m not proud of.”

“Don’t we all,” she mumbled before pulling away from him slightly.  “Tell me what the bond is all about, and then I’ll tell you something that has been on my mind for quite some time.”

Knowing that she had the upper hand, that he couldn’t just pick the thoughts from her mind, he snarled under his breath.  “Don’t get too used to this situation.”  She didn’t say anything in return, giving him the go ahead to continue.  “Your powers will be stronger, and you might even pick up on each other’s powers, which explains the fact that your hair seems to be sticking up in all directions.”

She gasped, clasping her hands to her head.  “First the spots and now this?  I’m going to look ridiculous.”

“No you won’t,” he lied, letting out a laugh in the process.

“Remember, I can read you,” she growled.

Rolling his eyes at her, he cut his laughter back.  “Also, if you are shot, he’ll feel it.  If he is shot, you’ll feel it.  It only works for life threatening situations, not like you and Seb are.”

“That means,” she mumbled.

He nodded at her unfinished statement.  “When you die, he’ll die, but when he dies, you’ll still have your bond mate to keep you grounded.”

“I won’t,” she hesitated, and he knew the next question was hard for her to ask.  “I won’t feel anything towards him, will I?  I won’t, you know, desire him in any way?”

“No,” he chuckled, “you will only feel what you feel towards him now.  The bond doesn’t change how you feel towards one another, just makes you connected until death.”

“That’s great,” she whispered before jumping to her feet.

Standing above him gave her an advantage, one that he was willing to let her take.  “Now, tell me what is on your mind.”

“I want Charlie and you out of here,” she blurted.  “The two of you almost got one of my men killed, and I can’t keep bonding people to me to keep them alive.  If neither of you can follow my rules, I want you to leave.  Never mind, ignore that, I want the both of you out of here.  It will be safer for the both of us.”

He sat there, completely shocked at her words.  Ally wanted him gone?  Ally, the one who had understood him when no one else did, wanted him gone?

“It’s not like that,” she whispered, leaning down towards him.  “You’ll eventually understand, Zeke.  I promise you.”

Her hand went out, offering him help up.  Grabbing her hand, he let her pull him to his feet.  As soon as he was settled, she launched at him, wrapping her arms around him.  “I love you.  You know that, but for right now, our best solution is for the two of you to leave, for you to hide her from our enemies until I can become ready for this fight.”

“Under one condition,” he said, tightening his hold on her.

“Name it.”

“Marcus’s crew—”

“They’re yours,” she interrupted.  “I’ll let them live, I’ll let you take care of them, as long as you promise me to be safe.”

His arms dropped from around her, but she took a moment to drop hers too.  Wishing that he could read what was really on her mind, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I promise, Ally-Cat.”

“Good,” she croaked, wiping at her eyes.  “Now, get out of here before I kill you.”

Letting out a laugh, he turned his back on her, knowing that Sebastian would soon be the one to hold her in his arms.  He took a deep breath, letting different scents fill his nose, but he was only looking for one, Charlie.  They had somewhere to be, somewhere away from here.