Reaper

Sawyer ran through the night, completely unsure of where he was going.

It was highly unlike him to run – he thought it was a useless sport, especially when he had been forced to in elementary school – but now, with the feeling of Charlotte pumping through his veins, he relished the feel of his legs beating a jagged rhythm under him. It drowned out everything else. The air rushed past his ears in torrents and his heart began to thrum, faster and faster.

Sawyer simply wanted to expend his energy somewhere other than Charlotte.

He knew that, given the opportunity to be that close, that vulnerable to her again, would ultimately spell disaster for him. He could barely keep his hands to himself as it was, but – being in that hungry state, in such proximity to her, with so few clothes on… And she wasn’t afraid. She was no longer afraid of what he could do in his heightened state.

And that terrified him.

How the hell was she supposed to stay out of trouble if she could overcome her instincts to be afraid of him? It was like putting her head in a lion’s mouth – she didn’t know the danger associated with what she was asking for. He could kill her in an instant.

Sawyer could feel the cold biting at his throat, so he slowed down. He wasn’t sure how far from the motel he had gone, but he was still close to a freeway. He had a way back to civilization, he noted as he watched multiple pairs of headlights streak past him, about 50 feet away. He stood in a clearing next to a stream that gurgled and wound its way to a tunnel. A thick forest rose up around him, blocking out the stars from above.

At this point, there was very little doubt that Charlotte was his mate.

Though he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to feel like, he was almost certain that Charlie was his. His world revolved around her, even though he hardly knew her in comparison to normal human relationships. His thoughts were consumed with her, the way her hair hung around her cheeks, the way her nose flared when she was lying, the way she sighed his name in pleasure. She was an assault on his senses. He was thankful that she couldn’t read his mind – he couldn’t control the fantasies that trickled into his brain.

But he hated himself for it. In loving her, he wanted only for her safety and happiness. It had taken until recently for him to realize that they were mutually exclusive. He had decided initially that her safety was paramount, but his self-control was beginning to wear itself thin. He wanted her in a way that he never intended to want her. And he knew that she felt the same way. It killed him to know that – that she was willing to give herself to him completely.

He could feel the blood rushing hot underneath his skin – the burning feeling that he needed her. He knew he needed her now. He was like an addict, and she was his high.

But he wasn’t ready to let himself go yet. He still held onto the hope that he could control himself where she was concerned – at least for a while longer. He could never forgive himself if he hurt her, or offended her, or worse.

Sawyer stood on a large rock, staring out at the freeway as the cars rushed by. He knew he was hungry, but he didn’t want to Feed. He was content with his fill for now, and he could hardly live with himself knowing that he could kill a human and so easily to back to loving one.

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap in the direction of the line of trees some feet behind him. A distant howl.

“Wolves,” he cursed.

He caught the smell of the incomer just before the wind was knocked from his lungs. With a grunt, the mass of fur and sweat pinned him to the ground before he could react, even with his heightened senses. Sawyer kicked and punched as hard as he could, but he was quick to figure out that his assailant was not alone. And, as true to their kind, werewolves tend to travel in packs.

When he was punched once, he wasn’t surprised. His head whipped to the side and he felt the first drops of blood begin to ooze from the searing pain in his cheek. When he was punched the second, third, and fourth time, he couldn’t muster up the strength to react.

After the fifth punch, however, something lit a fire inside him.

With a guttural roar, Sawyer heaved his legs up into the faces of the wolves restraining his feet, swiftly knocking the two of them away. They whined in protest, cradling their bloody snouts. He would have found it amusing how easily they were hurt, had he not been so severely outnumbered. He let his fists fly, one after another, and watched with a sinking feeling as they began to fall to the ground. It couldn’t be this easy.

With a swift kick, he knocked down the last one. Wolves were much like puppies, especially the younger, inexperienced ones – one good kick, and they would whine and leave you alone. But Sawyer knew that this had only been the first wave, the newbies, and the more experienced wolves wouldn’t be far behind.

He ran as fast as his legs would take him toward the tree line, hoping they would at least offer some kind of cover. His lungs burned, bitten from the cold. He could feel his heart pounding loudly in his ears, trying to push back thoughts of Charlie and everyone else. He couldn’t let himself think about them, not at the moment. Not when he was in so much trouble.

In a moment, however, a hard hand had gripped him by the throat. Before he knew what had happened, Sawyer was slammed into a tree, and had come face to face with the largest werewolf he had ever seen.

He let out a strangled noise as he raised his hands to his neck, trying to free himself from the wolf’s grip, but he was terrified to realize that no matter how hard he struggled, the hand wouldn’t budge. The thing’s face was inches away from his, a grizzly muzzle covered in matted hair and blood. His mind suddenly flashed to the night of the subway attack, the night he had had Charlotte in this same situation, dangling helplessly at the end of his hand. He realized only now how terrified she must have been, how much it had taken for her to overcome that initial fear.

But his guilt was stifled as the werewolf pressed down on his throat, growling loudly. Its yellow, ugly eyes stared into his, daring him to move. Sawyer could see that it had a human-like face, but it was covered in hair, and its nose and mouth had been fused into a mutant-looking muzzle. He could smell the blood on its breath, the stench of rotting meat – it made him nauseous.

“Oi,” a low, rumbling voice echoed from somewhere among the trees. “Relax, Benji.”

Sawyer’s eyes flickered toward where the voice was coming from. Another wolf emerged, but this time it was smaller. It seemed more human, less feral, and more in control of itself. He must have been the leader of the pack, Sawyer guessed, judging by the way he carried himself. He tensed under the other wolf’s hand.

The leader smiled, baring a set of gnarled, ugly teeth. “The pretty lady wants this one alive.”

Before Sawyer could figure out what that meant, the world around him went black.



I sat curled up in a tight ball on the pillows, my knees pulled up to my chest.

Sawyer hadn’t come back, not for hours. I wasn’t sure how many hours it was exactly. Ten, twelve. I slept intermittently, but when he had been gone for more than an hour or two, I started to seize up with panic. I felt tears run down my cheeks in the beginning, but now I barely noticed they were there.

What had I said to him to make him so angry? He had told me not to touch him, and I hadn’t listened. But surely that wasn’t enough to warrant this. Leaving me. Deserting me.

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that something was terribly wrong. What if he didn’t come back? No one knew where I was. Or, at least, so I thought. Was I supposed to just sit here and wait for him? I would eventually run out of money to pay for the room. What then?

I eventually came to the realization that without Sawyer, I was in a strange city, alone, with nowhere to go.

I almost didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Maybe he was right – maybe it wasn’t worth it. I cursed myself for thinking it, but without him next to me to send my hormones raging, it was easy to wish that I wasn’t completely in love with him. I’d certainly be in less danger, and maybe so would he. It was like the universe didn’t want us to be together.

But I couldn’t deny how I felt about him, how much I longed to be with him whenever he wasn’t around. He couldn’t even deny he was attracted to me now – he had fought it for so long, and to see him give in, give himself up, let himself be vulnerable for once in his life… I knew how much that must have meant to him, to let me in like that, even a little. And I was starting to fall for him again, just a little.

Then came the knock at the door.

Sawyer.

I raced for the door, my heart pounding loud in my chest. Fumbling, I undid the locks, words of scorn already working their way up my throat.

“Oh my God, Charlie!” Lina gasped before the door was even fully open.

She leapt forward and hugged me hard, taking all of the air out of my lungs with her. I staggered backward, blinking stupidly, as she hugged me, whispering in my ear. Behind her stood Simon and Saphira, both with relieved looks on their faces. But I could see the worry that had been there before. They were all obviously upset.

“H-how did you find us?” I stammered, covering my half-naked body the best I could. With the door open, I was starting to realize that it was actually the end of October, and starting to get freezing outside. It looked like it was just about sunset.

Saphira pushed her way inside, dragging Simon in with her. “I’m a very good tracker,” she mumbled under her breath, shutting the door behind her. “Plus, Sawyer’s nothing if not predictable. It was just a matter of figuring out which way he went with you.”

Simon looked around, confused. “Where is he?”

I felt my heart in my throat. “I-I don’t know,” I admitted, running my hand through my hair nervously. “He’s been gone a while.”

Saphira’s eyes widened nervously. “How long?”

My mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of what to say. “Um, I-“

She took three steps toward me, grabbing my shirt violently. “How long?” she demanded, shaking my shoulders.

“Saphira-“

She whirled on her sister. “Sawyer’s been gone for hours. I sensed it the moment I walked in this room. He’s long gone.” She turned back to me, her blue eyes icy. “Do you have any idea where he went?”

I could feel the back of my eyes prick with fresh tears. I could see how angry and upset she was, but I was too frightened by her to give her the answers she wants. I shook my head mutely, letting out a strangled sob.

Saphira suddenly stopped pacing and froze, silent, eyes wide. “Wolves. They’re everywhere around here, and they’re just waiting for a Reaper to step out of bounds.” She looked between Lina and Simon, her face suddenly lit up with an idea. “I’m going to track him. I’m sure I can pick up the scent, especially if he’s found a pack.”

Lina grabbed her arm as she made for the door. “You can’t. You’re going to get yourself killed-“

Saphira wrenched it away from her, murder in her eyes. “If he’s been gone for as long as I think he has without coming back for Charlie, there is obviously something very, very wrong. I need to find him.” Her voice cracked. She gave me a look, then, the look of someone completely broken. I even saw what looked like a tear in her eye. “I need – I need to go.”

Lina and Simon just watched her bolt out the door, in pursuit of Sawyer on foot.

Lina immediately took off her coat and wrapped it around my shoulders, fighting back the cold that had crept into my limbs. “Come on, Charlie, let’s get you somewhere safe.”

“Wh-What? What about Sawyer? How will he know where to find me?” I stammered, suddenly nervous.

Simon crossed his arms over his chest, worry clearly written all over his face. “He will. Right now, the best place for you to be is safe, surrounded by people. Not here alone.”

As much as I wanted it not to be true, Simon was right. Alone, I was a sitting duck for whoever wanted me. I had no one to protect me without Sawyer. Saphira’s words sat uneasily in my chest, but I couldn’t let them get to me, not yet. Not while I still had to keep myself together. Because the idea that Sawyer might be in trouble was almost too much to handle at the moment.

Slowly, I gathered my few belongings and headed out with Lina, Simon waiting patiently in the car.

As we walked, she gave me another once-over. “Should I even ask about the hair?”

I felt my mouth go dry. “I’d rather you didn’t.”