Hector
He was committed now.
It likely wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever said. Telling Rachel that he would try to come see her that night would have been a much better thing to do. Especially considering he had exactly zero idea how he was going to accomplish his theoretical plan of sneaking out of his quarters to go see her. It was a kink in the plan. A big kink.
“You’re an idiot.”
He didn’t speak loudly, but the sound reverberated around his little bathroom anyway, acting like a reminder he didn’t want. With a grimace he finished shaving, cleaning the razor and putting it back in its tray while he washed his face. The last several days’ worth of stubble had been irritating the piss out of him, but now he was all clean again.
He was going to have to go out the window. It was the only logical way. Although Gray had slipped him the phone, and neither he nor Andrew had said anything about him pitching in with the repair efforts, that hadn’t been enough to rid him of his guards. Once he’d realized that, Hector had begun to grow irritated with Andrew.
He understood his boss was only doing what he felt he had to, so that he could show his superiors that discipline was being maintained, but Hector knew better. Relieving him of duty was punishment enough. The confinement to quarters was a shot to his honor. Hector would no sooner run away from the situation than he would purposefully cause it. The guards just added insult to injury.
All of which meant that his desire to see Rachel was seriously impeded by the fact that Andrew hadn’t trusted him. Now, if he couldn’t manage to avoid getting caught, Andrew would have an actual reason not to trust him as well. Whereas if he’d just trusted him from the start, Hector wouldn’t have had to sneak around. It was a shitty spot to be in, and he wished it were any other way. But it wasn’t, and he needed to see Rachel.
Throwing on a black shirt to complement his pants and boots, he took one last glance at the door.
“Sorry boys,” he said softly to the guards, knowing that if they decided to do a spot check on him at some point, they would get in trouble. It wasn’t their fault, and they didn’t deserve it, but he wasn’t about to let that slow him down.
Moving to the window, he slid it open, feeling the rush of summer air come in. It was starting to get cooler at night, but he barely felt the difference. Working quietly, he removed the screen and set it inside. Peering out, he took scope of the layout of the roof. This was the first time he’d ever had to worry about sneaking out of his own room, so he’d never bothered to actually look at the layout.
It wasn’t pretty.
The drop wasn’t the issue. The embassy was only two stories high. Hector could simply jump and be just fine. It was the sound of his landing that would impede him. Three hundred pounds of shifter doesn’t land very quietly. The embassy still had an air of smoke to it, though that was now being mixed with the ever-present plaster dust, and as such many of the residents kept their windows open to take advantage of the fresh air.
He could hang from his fingertips and drop; that would hopefully be silent enough. But that was about his only option. There was no ledge or anything that he could use to help him either.
“Well shit.”
Quickly slipping off his boots, he tied the laces together and hung them over his neck before climbing out the window. He lowered himself as far as he could after ensuring that no one was watching. Then with a breath and a quick prayer, he let himself drop to the ground below. His socks barely made a noise as he crouched to absorb the impact and quickly darted across the open grounds to the storage shed where he’d first been told to wait. The door was unlocked and silently slid open. Once inside he put his boots back on, took some calming breaths, and prepared to move out into the city beyond.
But before he could slip back out the door, a shadow loomed up, blocking the ambient light from the various windows and streetlamps that was visible through the doorway.
“What are you doing out here?”
Shit.
“Uh, hi Martin,” he said lamely, standing up.
“You’re not supposed to be out of your quarters. Why are you outside the building?”
Hector rolled his eyes. “Come on, Martin. You know as well as I do that the confinement to quarters was a snap reaction on Andrew’s part. That if he could go back he wouldn’t do it again, but now he’s stuck and can’t rescind it or else he looks bad to his bosses. Just drop it, man.”
The other shifter didn’t move from the doorway. “Maybe you’re right, Hector. But the fact remains that he did give that order, and now you’re disobeying it. I have to take you in and report that.”
Trying to contain his irritation at the new guy, Hector kept his sigh small. “No, you don’t, Martin. I’m not running away, I’m coming back shortly, and I’ll be back in the room by morning. Absolutely nobody will know of this.”
“I will.”
“Well, yes,” he said, growing increasingly frustrated. “But if you don’t tell anyone, then it’ll be fine. I’m not going to rat you out. That’s not what friends do.”
Martin seemed to consider that for a moment, his body language relaxing a little. Hector relaxed too, relieved that he’d gotten his friend to understand the situation and go along with it. Nobody would get harmed from his little departure, and he would be back before the sun rose to start working on the repairs again.
“I can’t let you go,” Martin said, his shoulders straightening in the dark. “I’m sorry Hector, but orders are orders.”
Angrily, Hector stepped forward. “Get out of my way, Martin.” He didn’t have time for this. Rachel was waiting and he needed to be there. With his mate. She needed to know that he would come when he said he would, that he would keep his word. There was no way that Hector was going to lie to her twice.
But was he ready to fight Martin if that’s what it came to. The other shifter didn’t seem willing to back down either. Hector had never hit a fellow guard, someone he considered a friend, but it seemed like he was going down that path now. When push came to shove, could he do it?
“I’m not moving. You’re coming with me to see Andrew, who will decide what to do. I’m not willing to disobey his orders.”
Hector sighed, dropped his head, and stepped forward, ready to acquiesce and follow Martin.
“I’m sorry,” he said as they exited the storage shed.
“For trying to escape?” Martin asked, pointing toward the nearest door inside.
“No, for this,” Hector replied as he spun, his left hook snapping Martin’s jaw backward.
The blow had been completely un-telegraphed. There was no warning. One second Hector was walking, defeated, the next he pivoted and swung. It should have been impossible for Martin to get out of the way. But he must have been expecting it, because he was already ducking away from Hector, greatly reducing the damage of the blow. It still rocked him back and out of range, but it gave him time to recover as Hector came charging in.
The two grappled, but Hector kept his friend off balance. He took a glancing blow to the temple, trading it in return for the chance to get in close and pummel Martin’s midsection, driving the air from his fellow guard.
“Oomph,” Martin grunted, doubling over in surprise.
“Sorry,” he hissed, and drove his knee up into his friend’s face.
Martin’s eyes rolled up into his head and he wobbled. Hector grabbed him and lowered him slowly to the ground. He was ready to hit him again, but Martin was out for the moment. It wouldn’t last long, but Hector pulled him off the pavement and dumped him back in the storage shed, closing and locking it behind him, more out of spite than anything.
With one final glance over his shoulder, he flung himself over the fence that surrounded the rear loading dock of the embassy and headed southwest into the city on a direct line to the complex where all the Institute women were quartered. It wasn’t far, and his booted feet, no longer concerned about needing to keep quiet, pounded heavily across the pavement as he ran at a speed that would have left even a champion sprinter in the dust.
The city was bathed in darkness, only sparsely lit by the odd streetlight or neon sign that never seemed to shut off. It wasn’t the pure darkness of the forest that he’d grown up with, but it didn’t matter to him; he could see just as well in either. Hector simply jumped over any obstacle that he could, such as cars, fences, and other smaller obstacles, while he darted around houses and shops, moving as fast as he could. It took him no more than five minutes to cross the distance at a full-out run. He emerged from a small woodlot just up the road from the complex and came to a slow jog as he closed, allowing his breathing to recover. Even for a shifter that had been an exerting sprint.
By the time he got to Rachel’s door, he wasn’t even breathing heavily. His fist rose and he made sure he tapped on the door. Gently. There was no need to risk waking up the neighbors, and he had a feeling Rachel would be standing nearby ready to—
The door opened to reveal her smiling face. Leafy green eyes bracketed by high cheekbones and eyebrows with a lovely natural curve to them greeted him with delight at the sight of him. Rachel leaned on the doorframe and ran a hand through her short pastel-pink hair in a nervous gesture he doubted she truly realized she did.
“Hi,” she said, letting out what was likely a long-held breath.
“Hello. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Rachel’s smile became a grin for a moment. “Better late than never,” she replied, looking out at him as light washed out into the darkness, outlining her short, stocky frame for him.
God, she was gorgeous, standing there in shorts that barely came to mid-thigh and a gray tank top. Rachel would never classify in anyone’s dictionary as curvy. She was cut from straight lines, with wide shoulders and a frame that could have worked for a weightlifter. She had large breasts over the top of the soft swell of her stomach. Thick legs that looked equal parts muscle and not supported it all.
She might not have been conventionally beautiful, but Hector couldn’t stop staring. He loved every part of her. The short near pixie-length hair, the nose ring, and little birthmark on her neck. The greens of her eyes and the slightly rosy hue to her cheeks that could be natural or could be a result of him staring. Even her little button nose just fit.
The silence between them grew longer as he simply stared at her beautiful features. Rachel was staring right back at him, neither of them wanting to be the first to give in and break the spell. He saw her throat bob up and down as she swallowed, and he took a deep, steadying breath in return.
Without thinking about it, Hector took a step forward into her house. He loomed above Rachel now, who hadn’t retreated as he came closer. She simply tilted her head to look up at him, her mouth dropping open slightly. He saw her pupils dilate and as he reached forward to touch her, the tips of her breasts began to push through her clothing.
“Stunning,” he said softly, and then before he could stop himself he leaned in and kissed her.
Rachel’s body froze in surprise as he touched his lips to hers, tasting her softness for the first time. She was exquisite, like fresh honey with a bit of cinnamon mixed in. The taste was addictive, and though she was still unmoving he went in for a second time. He lifted a hand to cup her chin, holding her trembling features still as he kissed her, and a moment later she began to kiss him back. Her body melted as she fell into the kiss, returning his desire with her passion, the two mixing together to form something intangible between them.
They parted but not for long. The boundary between them had been broken and now all either of them wanted was more. He stepped fully inside her house, the door at long last closing behind him, sealing them alone.
“How long do you have?” she asked as they parted.
He covered her mouth with his again.
“I have to be back before sunrise,” he whispered, stroking her face with his one hand as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Well, that’s a long way off,” she said. “Want to come watch a movie to pass the time?”
Hector grinned. “I would love nothing more, as long as I can be close to you.”
They kissed once more.
“I think we can manage that,” Rachel said, and this time as they came together one of her hands reached out to touch his waist.
That simple connection sent a jolt through him, despite it not being skin-on-skin. There was something powerful about being touched by another being, especially one that was cared for. It was a simple and often overlooked thing, but its power never diminished, the effect it could have on someone could make all the difference in the world. To Hector, right then and there, it signified that she was genuinely, truly interested in what was going on between them, and that any reservations she might have had were coming down around him.
Rachel took him by the hand and led him to the nearby gray microfiber couch. She grasped both his hands then and used them to move him until he was sitting in the corner of it, lying across the couch. She then let go with one hand, but not both, neither of them wanting to be apart from each other at that moment. Her free hand grabbed first a blanket, and then the remote from the glass and metal-framed coffee table in front of the couch. With those tucked into her arm she returned to the couch, sinking easily into the comfortable material between his legs, until she leaned back and snuggled up against him, her head resting on his chest.
Hector barely dared to breathe, unwilling to disrupt the beautiful tableau that had been laid out in front of him. This was far more than he had ever thought might actually happen while he visited and the last thing he wished to do was make a wrong move that would send Rachel away, or him out the door. He deeply inhaled her scent, though it was faint, a bit of fresh spring water perhaps, though it was hard to tell. The subtlety of it was intoxicating in its own way, making him want to smell deeper, to try and pick up more of it to identify what it was.
Her hair was laid out upon his chest in front of him, and he contented himself with slowly stroking his fingers from the front of her head back over the crown and down the back while she fiddled with the remote and spread the blanket over the two of them. Hector didn’t need the covering, and he knew his own body heat would probably render it useless to Rachel sooner rather than later, but he didn’t care.
It all happened in silence. Neither of them needed to speak, somehow already attuned to each other’s wavelengths.
The movie began to play, but Hector didn’t notice. His attention was focused elsewhere.