Chapter 4

My headache worsened the more I thought about returning to the city. I was not ready and I knew it.

I left my tent, upset that I couldn’t say goodbye to my friends. I didn’t think I would return. I wasn’t sad about it; I was angry. They would quickly forget about me.

A gunship waited. There were five men on board. All were oversized Neanderthals with too many muscles said no girl ever. I was handed a headset. I rested it on my knees while I adjusted the flight straps. I put the headset over my ears and positioned the mic in case I was asked a question. Two men manned M61 Vulcan six-barrel rotary cannons, each facing an opposite doorway. I may not be able to shoot, but I hung out with the rangers and listened when they talked guns and ammo. A third soldier stood in the middle to keep the ammunition rolling if it were needed. A pilot and copilot sat up front. I chose one of three empty seats directly behind them.

I wondered why they thought all this firepower necessary but didn’t ask. The vampires and werewolves left the military alone for the most part, but there were contingents of humans who did not. It had never occurred to me that humans outside the military would be well armed. I hadn’t left the camp since the first day I walked into it and asked for a job. I was a scrawny kid of eighteen. Captain Davies took pity on me. I still had no idea why. I also didn’t understand why he wasn’t here to see me off. I shrugged his absence away, refusing to be upset.

Like the captain said, a backpack waited in one of the seats. It would easily slip over the sheath on my back. I opened the pack and discovered a change of clothes, including socks, a metal water bottle, and a large sack that took up most of the space. I opened it and saw smaller sacks. They were filled with black powder for bullets. Six bags total, about two pounds. They would sell for a small fortune. Guns were easy to come by, but bullets and powder were another story. It was a good choice for the black market.

I couldn’t help wondering how the city had changed. From conversations I overheard, things had calmed down, but gangs ruled throughout the human sector. I had hoped the vampires and werewolves would remove them but so far that hadn’t happened.

My father had made money by hiring out his sword to business owners who didn’t want gang protection. He was gone more than he was home. When I was four years old, he no longer left me with a sitter. He said I was safer on my own. Looking back, I realized I’d had trouble containing my power and he was worried the sitter would notice.

Tears built behind my eyes. I hated thinking about the past because it inevitably led to thoughts of my father’s death.

“They’ve found us and they’re coming after you,” my father said as he lay dying with a wound to his chest. He didn’t say who had found us. “Hide outside the city. You’ll know when you can come back. Say goodbye to Mira and Kenner but don’t linger. You will place them in danger.”

Mira and Kenner were our friends and the only people my father trusted.

He gripped my fingers tightly. “Promise me.”

Those were his last words. He died within minutes, his hand going limp in mine. I barely remembered his face now. That saddened me. He’d been my world and he was the only safety I’d had. I thought my life was over. The only thing that kept me going was my promise to leave the city and wait for something unknown to happen. I’d waited six years and the only thing different now was the tingling of energy that wouldn’t go away and was getting harder to hide. My limited magic, and that’s what I’d started thinking that it was, didn’t provide comfort. It scared the hell out of me.

I found the map Davies mentioned. The rangers had last been seen in a very dangerous section of the city. It was my father’s stomping ground and I was familiar with it. The businesses there might remember him and offer me a small bit of safety if Kenner and Mira were no longer in the city.

My head throbbed to the whoosh of the blades. I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. We would arrive outside the safe zone in about forty-five minutes. It was enough time for a nap.

If I’d known the dream would come, I would have vetoed sleep.

My second dream man was the star of this one. He was wilder than the other, slightly disheveled but equally as dangerous. His chestnut hair was unkempt and fell slightly past his shoulders. Where dream man one was hard lines of wiry muscle, these muscles bulged and I had trouble believing he could contain them under a shirt. He’d never worn one in the dreams so maybe I would never know.

I didn’t name my fantasy men. I’d tried but nothing suited them. If they continued doing delectable things to my body, I was okay with their namelessness.

The dream took place outside. He had never taken me indoors. I hid in the tall grass beside the river, but he found me like he always did. I wasn’t sure why I behaved like a scared rabbit until he touched me. This man loved the hunt and finding me was part of his game.

I lay still, barely breathing when he leaped over a large log and landed feet from my hiding place.

“Come out, little rabbit,” he said huskily.

I continued shaking until his hands lifted me by my arms. He held me up so I was facing him, his lips inches from mine.

“You can never hide from me,” he said.

I couldn’t and I wasn’t sure why I tried other than he liked the game.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I whispered.

“Will you cry if I hurt you?” he asked with a smile that made my heart beat faster.

“No,” I said. “You cannot make me cry.”

“Oh, little rabbit, I will make you scream,” he promised.

He moved backwards, carrying me like I weighed nothing. His back hit a tree and he lifted me higher. Using his teeth, he angrily tore my shirt so it hung open in front. In another move too quick for me to follow, my pants were gone with a small burning pain from where they ripped from my body. He forced my legs around his waist.

“Keep them locked or you won’t like the consequences,” he breathed against my skin.

I was braless and his mouth latched on to one of my breasts. He used one hand on my back to keep me in place while the other seared down my body. He wasn’t gentle when his fingers entered me. They were large and rough. He nipped my breast and the sweet pain had me grinding against him. His other hand moved from my back and found my ass cheek, his fingers digging into my flesh.

A deep growl left his throat when I tried to unlock my legs. This too was part of the game. He released my ass and jerked my head back, exposing my throat. His kisses had small nips with his teeth. I groaned and pressed harder into his fingers.

“No,” he said. “I control your body.”

His fingers punished me and I writhed in unfulfilled need. I pulled his hair and he laughed. I bit him much less gently than he did me and he moaned. Tears trailed down my face but I remained quiet. His hand returned to my ass and one of his large fingers rammed inside me while two punished me relentlessly.

I screamed to the sound of his laughter and my eyes jerked open. I sat up straight and looked around. No one was paying me any attention. I was surprised I hadn’t cried out in the small confines of the helicopter. The gunship landed. Sparks of power sizzled on my fingertips. I pushed it back. I’d learned to hide it when I was young, but it was growing stronger.

I glanced outside. The area was sparsely filled with vegetation though a tumbleweed rolled past.

“Get out,” said the captain.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I grabbed the pack and jumped four feet onto the sandy dirt. The blades never stopped spinning and as soon as I was outside, the chopper lifted into the air and flew away.

Just great, I thought to myself as I looked at the barren landscape.

I had a long hike in front of me, so I took the water bottle from the pack. My headache had not improved. I took a few swigs and put the water away. After adjusting my baseball cap, I started walking toward the tall buildings in the distance. They were deceiving. I had at least ten miles of walking ahead of me.

The dust settled from the chopper blades and I noticed more spewing behind the low hills. It seemed strange that the guys in the helicopter hadn’t noticed someone coming. Maybe the people ahead were here to accompany me into the city. It was a weak optimism.

I stared into the distance. Friend or foe?