Chapter 34

Her heart pounded in her chest as he left the room.  Had he really said what she thought he did, or did she want to hear the words so bad that she imagined them?  She was half-afraid that when she opened her eyes, she would find out that she had been dreaming, that Zeke hadn’t told her that he loved her. 

Opening one eye, she looked over at Lilly who threw her thumbs up.  Letting the other eye pop open, Charlie glanced around the room a sighed.  “Where are the other children?”

Lilly bit her lip, and Charlie knew that the little girl was trying to form the right words.  As she struggled, a loud sigh escaped her mouth before she finally reached out and touched the side of Charlie’s head.  “It won’t work,” she mumbled as images flashed through her mind.  “I take that back; it will work.”  She didn’t know how, but she saw the kids from Ally’s old pack.  They were all in a room with annoyed expressions on their faces.  Charlie smiled.  “Ally locked them up?”

A large smile flew onto Lilly’s face as she nodded.  Charlie let out a chuckle.  “I’m just waiting for Barron,” Charlie said with a shiver.  “Once he gets here, I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”

The smile on Lilly’s face only brightened when Charlie mentioned Barron.  She frowned at the little girl.  What made her like Barron so much?  The man scared the hell out of Charlie, and she was a grown woman. 

“He’s nice,” Lilly whispered, her eyes connecting with Charlie’s. 

The little girl tapped the side of Charlie’s head and new images appeared.  Barron was throwing someone up into the air; laughter echoed through the room.  When he set her down on the ground, his expression became grave. 

“No matter what, I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered to her, before smiling again.

The image faded away, leaving Charlie feeling just as shocked as she had when the man had smiled at Ally.  It was a genuine smile, one filled with warmth and happiness.  Maybe, if the man would smile like that more often, he wouldn’t be so scary.

“So,” Charlie said while clearing her throat, “you’re showing me memories of yours?”

Lilly nodded, opening her mouth as if she were going to say something.  It snapped shut, though, as the door opened.  Standing there, Barron smiled at the little girl before looking towards Charlie with a blank expression.  “Go,” he demanded.  “I have Lilly.”

She couldn’t help herself.  As she rose from the bed, a small smile flew onto her face.  “I know.  No matter what, you’ll keep her safe.”

A growl vibrated from low in his throat.  “Careful,” he snarled as she walked out the door. 

Now that she knew the man had a soft side, she didn’t take his warning as anything more than playful banter.  That was the problem with Barron; he didn’t know how to joke.  Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stepped outside of the room.  A man standing beside it held out a black object for her to take.

Reluctantly, Charlie gripped the gun in her hands.  She hated to use it, but if she had to, she would.  She grabbed it like Carrie had taught her and continued outside where Zeke was.  Ally should already have the major threat taken care of, but the other part was up to her.  If she wanted this to work out, she would have to plan everything exactly on time.  One second too late and someone would die.

As she reached the front door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  This was it.  This was what she was waiting for.  Pushing the door open, she snapped to the left and shot.  The shifter standing there fell to the ground.  Turning, she shot the other man standing guard for Ally.  His eyes widened as he fell too.  Neither of the shots were a mortal wound, but they would put the guards out of commission for long enough. 

Jogging down the stairs, she ignored the shifters standing there, under the command of either Ally, Sebastian, or Andrew.  Charlie couldn’t tell the difference, but she could guess that the set of female shifters staring at Andrew longingly had heard the man’s voice for at least a moment. 

Her eyes pinpointed Zeke.  Not wasting any time, she ran at him.  When he sensed her presence, he turned, an angry expression crossing his face.  He grabbed her arm when she neared.  “What the hell are you doing?”

Reaching into her pocket, she kept the wince off her face even as the metal burned into her skin.  “What do you mean?” she asked, trying to keep his attention off what she was doing with her free hand.

“You’re hurt,” he growled.  “You’re not supposed to be out here.”

She leaned closer to him before glancing around.  “It looks like the battle is almost finished to me.”

His eyes darted away from her, and she took her chance.  Jerking her arm free, she snapped one silver handcuff around his wrist before snapping the other around hers.  He froze when he heard the clicking noise, or maybe it was when he felt the silver burning his skin.  Turning narrowed eyes on her, he frowned.  “What are you doing?”

She gripped his handcuffed hand in hers.  “Making sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“I can’t read anyone when you’re holding my hand,” he grumbled as he tried pulling his hand away.  She winced, making him immediately stop moving.  “Ally’s suggestion?” he asked with a little bit of amusement.  “If I try to break them, I risk hurting you.  The only way I can get them off us is if I have the key, which I’m guessing is with her.”

Charlie shrugged.  “At least you can’t use your powers.”

“Dammit,” he growled.  “This was her entire plan, wasn’t it?  What was it that was really in that dart in your neck?”

She winced.  “Sugar water, it makes me a little energetic, but it’s cleared out of my system already.”

Someone jumped at his back, and Charlie raised her hand and shot the shifter in its head.  She winced, but this time, she managed to keep her lunch down.  Zeke shook his head at her, but she didn’t mistake the small amount of pride in his eyes.  Was it sad that he was proud of her for shooting a shifter?  Probably.  Did she care?  No.

“I can still try,” he told her while pulling a knife from behind his back.  She stared at it, wondering where the hell it came from.  She didn’t have long to wonder, because the knife was soon embedded in a shifter’s side.  Zeke pulled it out before tugging on their connected hands.  She was jerked forward, falling into him.  His arm darted around her, and she heard the sound of another body hitting the ground.

“You can try,” she gasped as she let off another shot, “but it won’t work.”

Zeke pushed her away slightly to look down at her.  “Why shoot the guards?”

“One of them wasn’t having great thoughts, and Ally couldn’t be sure if the other was going to try and betray her or not.”

She saw the one come at them from the side, but before she could get a shot off, Zeke threw the knife.  It sunk into the woman’s chest as she hit the ground.  “Don’t waste your bullets; you’ll need them.” 

He reached down, pulling something from his ankle.  When he straightened, another knife shone in his hands.  “How many of them do you have?”

Pushing her head down, he swiped above it.  “Enough,” he mumbled as blood hit her back.  She grimaced, as the body touched her while falling to the ground.  “How much longer?”

She covered her mouth with her free hand.  “Two minutes,” she mumbled through her fingers.  “He’ll be here in two minutes.”

Helping her stand straight, he stared down at her.  With the look in his eyes, she knew she didn’t mistake his words earlier.  The man actually loved her.  “You’re an idiot.” Or maybe he didn’t. 

“I love you too,” she snapped.

He smiled.  “Took you long enough.” 

His hand jerked, and Charlie followed the movement.  The knife that was once in his hand was now in another shifter.  Sighing, she shook her head.  When she was younger, she had imagined falling in love, had imagined how happy of a day it would be.  Never did she think that she would be dodging knives and claws while the man she loved the most killed everyone he set sights on. 

“Say it,” she demanded. 

His smile widened.  “I love you,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth before pulling away with another knife in his hand. 

She stared at the thing, knowing not to even ask where it came from.  Shaking her head, she admitted that her childhood imagination was a letdown.  This, even with the carnage around her, was exactly what she wanted.