17
JOANNA
I screamed.
I screamed obscenities as the Jones brothers led Arix through the clearing, somehow controlling what he did. I screaming when they were out of sight, hoping against logic they might change their mind and return. And then I screamed for help, a raw, wordless cry that left my throat in the same agony Arix had felt.
Tears streamed down my face as I knelt in the snow, powerless to do anything else.
I could feel what Arix felt in those awful, eternal moments. The molecules of his body being ripped apart against his will, an atomic rape for a shifter like him. I felt it through our connection, the pain in his body and mind.
He's doing it to protect me. Arix felt guilty for bringing them upon me, the uprooting of my life he thought he'd caused. Turning himself in would not have fixed that, but he'd done it anyways because it was the only way he could see to help me.
It was a terrible mistake.
Killing Max and Liam would have been, too. The intensity from that moment still lingered in my mind as I knelt in the snow. It was an impulse more than a logical thought, the desperate desire to protect my Karak man with whatever means I had at my disposal. Shooting two men with my shotgun. Fleeing Wyoming. Anything. I would have done it.
I love him.
It was ridiculous to love someone after only a few days. The logical part of my brain knew that. But there was nothing logical in love, and I knew what I wanted.
I didn't even care that he was from another planet.
Touching my consciousness with his was an incredible and new sensation. Instantly I could see what was in his mind, laid open for my inspection. There was no human comparison to such a knowledge. No amount of dates and small talk and even deeper post-coital pillow talk could replicate that feeling.
That intimacy.
I allowed myself to weep then, because when I was done crying I was going to fucking do something about it, and there would be no time for tears then.
I knelt in the snow, and thought these things, and wept quietly to myself.
Finally whatever it was that Arix had done expired--I abruptly fell forward onto my face, the frozen ground pressing wetly against my cheek.
I leapt to my feet and jogged back to my truck, shotgun in hand. The Jones brothers hadn't slashed my tires or anything else, which I'd half-expected. Good.
They'd taken my man, had caused him excruciating pain, and by God I was going to make them pay for it.
I floored the accelerator, bouncing along the road toward town.
*
Leslie's police cruiser was parked in front of the office, to my immense relief. I slammed on the brakes, skidded to a stop across three parking spots, and sprinted inside. Leslie jumped up from her desk when she heard my commotion.
"They kidnapped Arix."
Leslie blinked, opened her mouth, then blinked again. "Do what now?"
I was panting. It felt like I'd been holding my breath the entire ride over. I took a moment to collect myself and said, "Max and Liam. They kidnapped Ar--umm, Eric. The man at my cabin."
"Oh good frigging God, are you kidding me, Jo?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
Leslie opened her drawer and pulled out her pistol belt, quickly tying it around her waist. "What, do they think he's a little green man?"
"You joke..."
"With those idiots, that ain't a joke." Leslie nodded. "We'll take my cruiser."
Leslie drove out of town and then floored it, turning on her siren and lights.
"I'm assuming they're armed?"
I gave a start. I hadn't thought this far ahead: how much should I tell Leslie? She was my closest friend, but the stranger I've been sleeping with is an alien wasn't the kind of thing you immediately believed, even from someone trusted.
"I think so," I said, which wasn't precisely a lie. "I only saw them as they were leaving with Eric, but they had something pressed up to him. Probably a gun."
"What I'm tryin' to get at," Leslie said while keeping her eyes on the road, "is whether or not I should be calling for backup. But that'd mean waiting the better part of two hours for officers from Casper to arrive."
"Two hours is too long to wait."
"The danger presented by Max and Liam is what determines that," Leslie pointed out. "And their intent."
I punched the dashboard, ignoring the bolt of pain shooting up my knuckles. "They have Eric! They're going to hurt him, Leslie! You can wait for backup if you want, but I'm going after him now. So either come with me or slap some handcuffs on my wrists, because that's the only way you'll stop me."
Leslie stared straight ahead.
"I thought today'd be peaceful," she finally mumbled. "Cozy up in my office with a book. No fuss."
I looked out the window and muttered, "Sorry to drag you into this."
"I'm a cop, Jo," she said, turning to smile at me. "And more importantly, I'm your friend. I wouldn't want it any other way."
The sirens wailed as we wound our way along the road.