"Blood raining from the sky? Weird-ass magic shit. You know." Krista had detailed it all, and she had no doubt that Luke remembered most of it.
They took off between two trees. It wasn't quite a path, but they made do, walking side by side when they could and in single file when the forest forced them. Luke held up a half-fallen log to let her pass under before he began to talk.
He kept his voice low, barely above the sound of the forest around them. "You know what I wish I could do?"
"What?" She'd understand if he wanted magic to roast Ava alive for what she was doing for Cassie. There had been plenty of times in Mel's life where she had wished for the same thing.
"I want to call my parents and ask for their advice." He spoke it as if it were a shameful secret. As if the thought of asking for help was anathema.
"Then why don't you call?" It wasn't something Mel could do. As heartless as it sounded, there were plenty of times when Mel didn't miss her parents or her family. When she was working, when she was eating a particularly good meal, when she fought or fucked. And even when she did miss them, she never thought of the things she could have relied on them for now if they were still alive.
Luke let out a hollow sound that might have been a laugh. "With Cassie hurt?" He shook his head. The forest narrowed before them and he let Mel go ahead. "I may be the alpha, but I doubt that would stop my mother from rampaging through the state and burning everything down until she rescues her precious babies."
Some righteous anger might be useful. "There are worse things she could do," Mel reasoned. "But why can't you just tell them that you've got it all under control?" Even if that wasn't exactly true. "Don't they trust you?"
This was where Mel got hung up on the parents thing. Even though Tina had rescued her, she'd never tried to be a mom. Mel couldn't imagine someone rushing in, guns blazing out of selfless protection.
But Luke didn't seem to understand her question. He sputtered a little, his sounds trying to form into a question that she couldn't decipher. Finally, he gathered his thoughts. "It's not about trust," he explained. "Cassie and I are her kids."
Mel shrugged. "Krista's mom would let us handle everything ourselves."
"Didn't she train you both to be lawless thieves?"
"Aren't all thieves lawless? Wait--" Mel stopped where she stood. She thought she spotted something under a large rock a little ways off the path. She stepped over and around several trees and knelt beside the underbrush.
"What is it?" Luke didn't follow. He trusted her to investigate.
Mel stood and shook her head. She made her way back to him. "I thought I saw something, but not so much."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
Mel didn't want to end their conversation. She felt like she was learning so much about this man. "So you've got a good relationship with your parents?"
"I guess I do. But Scott isn't an alpha, and my mom hasn't been an alpha in more than twenty years. They don't always realize the weight that I've got on my shoulders."
"That sounds--" She couldn't finish the thought.
A scream went up, ripping through the forest and sending both Luke and Mel running towards it.
Without hesitation, Luke sprinted towards the scream, and Mel was not far behind him. He recognized the cries as one of his pack members, even if he wasn't quite sure who. The forest blurred around him as he vaulted over fallen trees and around obstructions in the path.
If he paused to think about how he was moving, he would stumble, but this wasn't Luke's first run. After a minute he made it to a small clearing, barely more than six feet across.
A vampire held Mick close, fangs buried in the teenager's throat.
Luke launched himself at the creature, letting out a roar as he went. If Mick had been human, Luke would have never tried it. It was far too dangerous of a move for someone without the hearty constitution of a shapeshifter.
They both went down under Luke's
They took off between two trees. It wasn't quite a path, but they made do, walking side by side when they could and in single file when the forest forced them. Luke held up a half-fallen log to let her pass under before he began to talk.
He kept his voice low, barely above the sound of the forest around them. "You know what I wish I could do?"
"What?" She'd understand if he wanted magic to roast Ava alive for what she was doing for Cassie. There had been plenty of times in Mel's life where she had wished for the same thing.
"I want to call my parents and ask for their advice." He spoke it as if it were a shameful secret. As if the thought of asking for help was anathema.
"Then why don't you call?" It wasn't something Mel could do. As heartless as it sounded, there were plenty of times when Mel didn't miss her parents or her family. When she was working, when she was eating a particularly good meal, when she fought or fucked. And even when she did miss them, she never thought of the things she could have relied on them for now if they were still alive.
Luke let out a hollow sound that might have been a laugh. "With Cassie hurt?" He shook his head. The forest narrowed before them and he let Mel go ahead. "I may be the alpha, but I doubt that would stop my mother from rampaging through the state and burning everything down until she rescues her precious babies."
Some righteous anger might be useful. "There are worse things she could do," Mel reasoned. "But why can't you just tell them that you've got it all under control?" Even if that wasn't exactly true. "Don't they trust you?"
This was where Mel got hung up on the parents thing. Even though Tina had rescued her, she'd never tried to be a mom. Mel couldn't imagine someone rushing in, guns blazing out of selfless protection.
But Luke didn't seem to understand her question. He sputtered a little, his sounds trying to form into a question that she couldn't decipher. Finally, he gathered his thoughts. "It's not about trust," he explained. "Cassie and I are her kids."
Mel shrugged. "Krista's mom would let us handle everything ourselves."
"Didn't she train you both to be lawless thieves?"
"Aren't all thieves lawless? Wait--" Mel stopped where she stood. She thought she spotted something under a large rock a little ways off the path. She stepped over and around several trees and knelt beside the underbrush.
"What is it?" Luke didn't follow. He trusted her to investigate.
Mel stood and shook her head. She made her way back to him. "I thought I saw something, but not so much."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
Mel didn't want to end their conversation. She felt like she was learning so much about this man. "So you've got a good relationship with your parents?"
"I guess I do. But Scott isn't an alpha, and my mom hasn't been an alpha in more than twenty years. They don't always realize the weight that I've got on my shoulders."
"That sounds--" She couldn't finish the thought.
A scream went up, ripping through the forest and sending both Luke and Mel running towards it.
Without hesitation, Luke sprinted towards the scream, and Mel was not far behind him. He recognized the cries as one of his pack members, even if he wasn't quite sure who. The forest blurred around him as he vaulted over fallen trees and around obstructions in the path.
If he paused to think about how he was moving, he would stumble, but this wasn't Luke's first run. After a minute he made it to a small clearing, barely more than six feet across.
A vampire held Mick close, fangs buried in the teenager's throat.
Luke launched himself at the creature, letting out a roar as he went. If Mick had been human, Luke would have never tried it. It was far too dangerous of a move for someone without the hearty constitution of a shapeshifter.
They both went down under Luke's
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