Across Enemy Lines

Chapter 20

“Listen to me Grant. This is not your fault. You couldn’t have prevented my being taken whether you think so or not. I wasn’t paying attention and they sunk up on me. It’s my fault, not yours. The pain isn’t your fault either. Michael has it out for my dad. There is nothing any of us could do about it,” I said sternly, wanting my words to sink through that thick skull of his. I chuckled lightly before wiping his face with his forearm.

“Even now after everything you’ve been through, I don’t know how you are this strong Nia. Jaxson and I would have been crying like babies. I mean look at me. Here you are having been separated from the pack for so long and you are comforting me. It should be the other way around,” he said. I shook my head. He was overly confident in my strength.

“I’ve cried like a baby more times than I could count here,” I said rubbing my hand over my exposed arms remembering every time I had cried and why.  I scrunched my eyebrows together making my forehead crease. If I ever got out of here, they’d never be gone completely.

“I can’t believe you are actually here and by yourself. Why would you come here without backup and how did you find us? Are the others close? Do they know the location? How are my dad and brother?” I said rambling off question after as it floated into my mind. I don’t know what brought on the line of questioning. With someone from home being finally back with me, I couldn’t help but try to figure out how they were and if they were coming to rescue me.

“Slow down Nia. First I thought, like you know, that it was my fault so it was my responsibility to get you. Don’t even start,” he said giving me a look when I was about to say how stupid that logic was. “As for the rest, the pack is slowly getting back to normal. We rebuilt the houses a few towns over. We’ve been searching for this place ever since we realized you had be taken. We narrowed it down and I took a chance. Turns out the direction I picked was right which led me here. Your dad is holding up but he’s a wreck without you and Jaxson…well he is mostly angry at the hunters but I know he is hurting,” he said.

My heart clenched at the mention of my dad and brother. They were both hurting and missing me as much as I was  missing them. Sometimes I was surprised I didn’t shatter from the pain of being away from them and the pack. But at least they were close to finding me. They knew I was in one of their unsearched sections. It wouldn’t be long before they were here and I’d be home. If Grant could get out of here,  it might be even sooner.

Grant shifted next to me and took a sharp intake of air. Here he was in pain and I’m worrying about the pack. He needed the attention now. We’d worry about escaping later.  “Are you okay? I mean, obviously you aren’t but…what they do to you?” I asked shyly, not really sure I wanted to know all the gruesome details.

“Nothing I can’t handle. Don’t worry about it,” he said pushing my arm with  little force. He was trying to be tough but I know Grant. I had grown up with and he was practically a second brother to me. He was scared for me. He was scared neither of us would make it out of here. But if I learned something in the past few days, it’s that you have to have a little hope. Otherwise, what’s the point?

“So what now?” Grant asked after a few moments of silence passed between us. He looked around the room I suppose we now shared. The building was starting to awaken as hunters were beginning to move around for the day. The food should be coming up soon and hopefully, it wouldn’t be brought by Michael. Thinking of Michael brought me back to my thoughts when Grant was first brought in the room.

“How did you, you know, survive outside? I thought Michael was going to kill you for sure. I was beating myself up about it until you were brought in,” I asked completely ignoring his question. His question could be answered after I heard what happened.

He looked confused and then his expression cleared. “Some hunter, I think the one that was holding you, I heard him talk to his father. I was a little busy getting beaten up to catch every word but he had something to do with  it,” Grant said. He didn’t look very happy about it. Dominic was a hunter after all.

“Dominic is his name. He was the one that I ran into in town and then you and Jaxson had to act all tough. He’s also Michael’s son,” I said. His eyes widened at my statement and then anger formed on his face.

“He’s the leader’s son? That little prick. He lured you in that day and here he was taking a disgusted pleasure in bringing you pain. They’re lucky they drugged me and has me chained up or I would have shifted and killed them all,” he said his body shaking but not turning.

“Calm down Grant. It’s not like that. He didn’t know what I was,” I said trying to defuse the situation. We didn’t need him snapping and the hunters he pissed off beating him to near death. I still didn’t know what Michael was up to by letting Grant live for now but I know it wouldn’t be long before something happened.

He scoffed. “Yeah  right. He knew exactly what he was doing. Playing on your emotions and gaining your trust just to stab you in the back,” he said not believing anything. He was too far in his anger and his mind to listen to me.

The door jiggled signaling the food was about to be delivered. For once, I prayed that it wasn’t Dominic that walked through that door but luck wasn’t on my side. Dominic’s green found mine as he closed the door and then a growl caught his attention. I turned my head to see Grant standing up, pushing his pain aside.  “You’re mine hunter,” he seethed lunging at him.

“Grant, no!”