Chapter Two
A view of the familiar, flaking walls in Roman’s hall greeted her, as Helena opened her eyes. At first, she didn’t want to admit that Monica’s short speech had affected her in any way. Still, only minutes afterwards, she caught herself wondering if Raul’s mate was right. She had bailed the Bradford’s out many times already; she had risked her life for them, and nearly got herself killed in the fight against Azazel. Of course, given the circumstances, Helena wouldn’t think twice about doing so again. She would do all of her actions, over and over again, to protect her loved ones. However, she had a life of her own, one that she had neglected for far too long. Had the time really come for her to find someone new? Could she afford to date anybody, knowing that shifters throughout the States envied the peace and tranquility found in Paxton? She didn’t know. What she did know, was that she had missed having a private life. In particular, she missed the rush of meeting someone new. Helena was one hundred and eight years old; she had met her fair share of men in her life, but her current emotional state was perhaps the strongest and the safest she could get. A new man in her life could turn out to be unworthy of her attention; yet, the tingles down her spine on her first date were always welcome. She also desired intimacy; but that was as easy as it was secondary to the first. All she had to do to get intimate with a man was dress up, go out, and be a flirt. Helena was still a beautiful, curvaceous redhead, who could still turn quite a few heads.
The following morning, she strolled out of Roman’s sanctuary, willing to stick to her everyday routine. She would go to the Bradford’s estate, and enjoy a hot cup of tea, in the company of her friends. But, a quick glance up at the downhill road that led to the town overthrew her plans. Two black SUV’s were speeding towards Paxton. In an instant, slivers of fear sliced through her. It had been a week since the pack had stormed the science facility. The local sheriff had declared this an accident, but, it seemed that at least one government agency did not agree with his assessment. Her initial thought was to alert the brothers. They had to be made aware of this development. However, notifying them would take much too long. Furthermore, they couldn’t be seen anywhere near the burnt-out facility, as that would raise suspicion. Helena was forced to investigate this by herself. Unfortunately for her, she could not be spotted around the building, for the same reasons that the brothers couldn’t. Neither could the government agents see a woman in black attire, gripping a staff. Therefore, she changed to a pair of jeans, a red sweater and a black coat, at the same time wondering exactly what had brought these people to her town.
The two SUV’s were already parked outside the facility, as she found herself surrounded by the towering trees of Lockhart forest, on that cold, early-March morning. One man was pacing up and down the driveway, as he talked on his phone.
“I wish I had a wolf’s hearing, just this once,” she thought to herself, as she made her way towards the building. Not too long after, three men walked out of the entrance, holding small, plastic bags, adding to the tension that had swept across her senses. Before she could reach them, the agent she had spotted first, turned around and faced her. He was at least 6’2”. His short, black hair was neatly parted to the side. The man in question was young; no more than thirty years old. His strong jaw, and his light-green eyes would have appealed to her on any given day; just not this day.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice a deep, lazy gruff. “My name is Cliff Daniels and I’m with the FBI.” He continued, while pulling his ID out of the inside pocket of his jacket, asking, “Do you live in the area?”
“I’m Helena Lockhart.” She introduced herself, feeling her heartbeat escalate, as he took one step closer to her. “Actually, no, my house is a little over a mile east from here. Why?”
“A mile away?” questioned Cliff as he raised an eyebrow. “Then what are you doing here?”
“I put up some deer traps, a couple of days ago,” Helena claimed, struggling to prevent her nervousness from creeping into her voice. “I just wanted to see if I had caught anything.”
“I see,” he said with a nod. “Ms. Lockhart, you didn’t by any chance see anything out here, did you?”
“It looks like a terrible accident to me,” she shrugged her shoulders, as she forced her gaze away from his stare, to glance up at the building. “There was a thunderstorm in the area that day. We get those a lot here.”
“Thank you,” Cliff’s voice lost its nerve, as his face twisted in an expression of disappointment. “Well, if you remember anything else, call me,” he continued, handing his card over to her. Helena was intrigued, as she returned her attention to him. His eyes had narrowed. The greenness that graced them had turned into a hollow blackness, as he stared into the void. There was a slight tremor in his lips, as he heaved a long, deep sigh. Something was bothering him. She could tell, but, she could not ask. Cliff Daniels was the enemy; the enemy who could utterly destroy life in Paxton as she knew it. She couldn’t care less about his well-being. Nevertheless, it occurred to her that her latest stunt had been pointless. It might have fooled the local sheriff, but the FBI was not as gullible as him. Now, Helena had the grim task of notifying the Bradford’s, in the hope that one of them would come up with an intelligent plan to face this new adversary.