We were going along fine until the strap pulled tight.  I knew Bethi was out when she started to twitch.  Slowing below the speed limit, I kept driving.  The car behind us honked and passed, the driver raising his middle finger.  Ignoring him, I focused on Bethi and balancing us as she jerked in her sleep.

When I found a sign for a hotel, I turned off the road and eased into the parking lot.  Grabbing Bethi, I pulled her onto my lap.  Her eyes shifted back and forth under her lids and her heart stuttered.  Fear coated her scent already.

She needed sleep, and I needed to put more distance between us and the men I’d left behind.  From experience, I knew how possible it was to follow her scent trail.

Pulling out my phone, I called Joshua.

“Luke.”

“Joshua.  We’ve run into some more trouble.  One more death I couldn’t avoid and two wounded.  I think I need to take you up on your offer to have your guy meet us.”

“Certainly.  Where are you?”

After I gave him the name of the town and hotel, he promised to have a car to us within an hour.

“I know it’s asking a lot, but if you could arrange to escort us to the Compound, she will feel safer.  These challenges have her shaken.”

“Of course.  I will make plans to meet you as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I exhaled slowly and looked down at Bethi.  Her eyes shifted under her lids, and the delicate muscles along her jaw tensed rigidly as she twitched in my arms.

“Bethi,” I said, tapping her face.

She immediately opened her eyes, the black of her pupils almost obliterating her blue irises.  It took a moment for her to focus, but the wide-eyed fear didn’t leave her.

“Why didn’t you lean against me?  The dreams aren’t as bad then,” I said.

She blinked and her eyes watered.

“Betrayer,” she whispered.

I tightened my arms around her.  “I would never betray you.”  Betrayal wasn’t possible.  “Never.” How could I help her understand she was mine?  My only priority?  She wasn’t some trivial piece of my life from which I could walk away.  What I felt for her couldn’t be set aside or momentarily forgotten.  In the last few days, she’d branded me.  My beautiful broken girl had doubted me from the beginning.  I couldn’t let her continue.

Gently smoothing back her hair, I cupped the back of her head.  My heart raced with anticipation of my intentions.  Her eyes held mine as I leaned forward.  Her breath caught, and her mouth opened slightly.  Her scent changed, fear dissipating as surprise and hope surrounded us.  My gaze dipped to her lips.  Her heart skipped a beat.

“I will protect you,” I said.

Closing the distance between us, I brushed my lips against hers.  The flavor of her teased me, and a tremble shook me at the innocent contact.  Hours of laying with her pressed against me demanded more.  But I retreated so she could see my eyes and know she was truly safe with me.

“You are everything I am,” I said.  “Without you...”  I would be nothing.  Just like I’d been nothing before finding her.

She wet her lips, the action tempting me.  As if reading my thoughts, she quickly leaned up and pressed her mouth against mine.  The taste of her flooded me.  My hand reflexively gripped her arms tightly before I quickly pulled back.

Frustration showed on her features.  She took a deep breath through her still wet and parted lips.  I pulled my gaze from hers and stared out at the road ahead.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why what?”  I kept my eyes on the road.

“Why protect me?  I’m not your Mate.”

That brought my gaze back to her.  She was my Mate.  We just hadn’t made it official yet.

“Do not mistake my patience for disinterest,” I said, gently threading my fingers through her hair.

She lifted her lips to mine hopefully.  I smiled at her persistence but dropped my hand.  She’d already tempted me too much.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to stop yet,” I said with a nod toward the hotel.

“No,” she said, struggling to get off my lap.  She shuddered and fear clouded her scent once more.

“Shh,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.  “It will be okay.”

“No.  It won’t.”  She pushed me back and met my gaze.  “They won’t give up.”

Her doubt in me hurt.  "Have you died in this life?  Not this cycle, but this life?” I asked, showing that I’d paid attention to her explanations and fears.  “No.  Do you know why?" I leaned in close.  "Because you have me.  Because I won't let you die.  I’ve already sent a call asking for someone to meet us.  We don’t need to—”

Her head shot up, hitting my jaw.  I grunted as my mouth closed with a snap on my tongue.  She grabbed my face between her small, cold hands.

“What did you say?” she demanded.  “What did you tell them?”

The sting in my tongue faded in the intensity of her focus.

“That we would be here and needed an Elder and a few others to help escort you back to the Compound.”

“When?”  Her impatience was palpable.

“A few moments before I woke you,” I said.

She dropped her hands and hopped off my lap.  I watched her check the road in both directions before she turned on me again.

“Go get a room.  Hurry!”  She waved toward the hotel.  When I was slow to get off the bike, she started walking without me.  I hurried to catch up to her.

In the lobby, she acted like the happiest person on the planet as she asked for a room.  I’d thought I was used to her mercurial mood, but this was a new level for her.  While she filled out the forms and provided her fake ID, I quietly paid and continued to wonder what she was up to.  She wrote the hotel and room number on her palm, took the key, and strode down the hall.  I trailed behind her.

When she reached the room, opened the door and paused to wipe her hand over the door jamb.  She studied it, leaned closer, then licked it.  Odd didn’t begin to describe Bethi at the moment.

She didn’t step further into the room.  Instead, she closed the door again and walked back the way we’d entered.  She waved at the receptionist then went outside.

“What are we doing?” I asked when we reached the bike.

“We’re leaving, but you need to keep quiet about it.”  She motioned for me to sit, and quickly got on behind me once I was settled.  “Don’t tell anyone.  If I’m right, that room will have visitors soon.”

I glanced toward the hotel, understanding her implications.  Did she really think that Joshua would send men who were interested in challenging me?  Yes.  She did.  I could smell her certainty mixed in with her fear.  I wanted to be a good Mate and believe her, but still held my doubt.  Sometimes fear clouded the way we saw things.

Yet, I couldn’t dismiss the way those unmated males kept finding us.  I knew she believed Joshua was betraying us, but what if it wasn’t him?  I’d assumed he had a Mated male who was willing to help.  Perhaps the “friend” he’d sent for us was unmated and the one who couldn’t be trusted.  He could be the reason we’d been found?  Hadn’t I helped my friends when we’d heard about Gabby?

Either way, I needed to keep moving with Bethi.  Safety and answers would only be found at the Compound.

I started the bike as Bethi looped the strap over my head and chest.  I removed the slack and pulled out of the parking lot heading west.

She tapped my shoulder.  “Go south!”

It wasn’t the direction I wanted to go, but I humored her.  Taking the next turn, we headed south.  She remained awake enough that when she suggested a main highway, I took it.

For the next two hours we drove, until she tapped my stomach.

“I think we can stop,” she said.

I signaled at the next exit, and we took the northern route to the next town.

I turned my head and asked, “Are we getting a room?”

“No, not yet.  We just need a pay phone.”

I pulled into a gas station that had a phone near the road.  She ducked out of the strap and hopped off the back while I cut the engine.  Using her shoulder to hold the phone to her ear, she dialed the hotel’s number from her palm.  When a man answered, she started peppering him with questions about their recent break in.  I stood and moved closer to hear his responses.

“The two men walked in and went straight down the hall.  They seemed to know where they were going so I figured they already had a room.  I’d just started my shift, you know?  But then they stopped at the door and one of them kicked it in.  One kick.  Our doors are solid.  As soon as they disappeared inside, I called the police.  The two who went in never came out again.  When the cops got here, the window in the room was broken.  It looked like they’d jumped out.  And, I heard one of the police say something about this happening a state over, they’d found a bo—”  There was the sound of the phone changing hands.

“I’m sorry,” a new voice said, “we’re not taking any questions at this time.  The police have asked us to direct all questions to their office.”

Bethi hung up without saying good-bye.

“Did you hear most of that?”

I nodded, clenching my jaw.  How could Joshua be so foolish?  My esteem for Elders dropped.  They were supposed to protect us and our females.  I had been forced to kill three times because of his stupidity.

“Someone is betraying you,” she said softly.  “I think we need to be more careful with the route we take to the Compound.  They know where we’re headed and will be waiting.  It should be safe to get a room in the next town.  No more communicating with anyone.”  She rubbed a hand over her face, exhaustion slowing her moves.

I stepped forward to wrap her in my arms, but she quickly side-stepped and walked toward the bike.  Fear coated her.

“Bethi,” I said, frustrated she still didn’t trust me.

She didn’t turn back.  “We need to keep moving.  The dreams are calling again.”

*    *    *    *

We drove until just before the sun set.  She’d managed to stay awake for most of the ride, but it was costing her.  She staggered when she finally climbed off the back of the bike to check into the motel.  Once I walked her to the room, she kicked off her shoes and landed face first on the bed, completely ignoring me.

I hesitated in the doorway.  She was pulling away from me again.  She didn’t trust me to protect her and her fear was the problem.  The dreams made her feel powerless.  Having a measure of power and control might help her feel safe, and perhaps she would be able to forget the dreams.  But, how could I give that to her?

Taking the key, I stepped back out and locked the door.  When we’d pulled in, I’d noted a sportsmen warehouse down the road.  If my presence didn’t make her feel safe, maybe owning a weapon would.

In the store, I walked around and considered my options.  Guns required permits and usually took time to process.  Plus, Bethi’s moods were volatile, and I didn’t trust that I wouldn’t see a hole or two in my hide.  I went to the knives.

The purchase took longer than I’d hoped, and it was a full hour later that I left the store with a wickedly long and very sharp hunting knife.

Before I reached the hotel’s parking lot, I heard her.  She was crying out in her sleep again.  Running, I made it to the room and quickly unlocked the door.

She lay on the bed, her arms and legs jerking as she struggled against the dream.

“Bethi!  Wake up!”  I gently slapped her damp cheek.

She sat bolt upright and flinched away from me as her hand clasped her shoulder, holding it as if it hurt.  Her gaze darted around the room, in time with her ragged panted breaths.  Panic gripped her features.

I held up my hands.  “It’s okay.  It’s me, Luke.”

“I know it’s you,” she said as she wiped the sweat from her temple with her free hand.

I slowly sat beside her.  When I settled, she pinned me with her gaze.

“Where were you?”

Setting the knife and sheath on the blanket between us, I hoped it would be enough explanation.  She glanced down at it with an odd mix of fascination and fear.

“It’s yours,” I said, ducking a bit to recapture her gaze.  “I thought it might help you feel safer.  I’ll show you how to use it.”  She remained silent.  “I want you to feel safe.  I want to see the fear fade.”

“It’s not just fear.  Imagine discovering you’re not who you thought you were.  That you belong to a dangerous hidden world.  Imagine closing your eyes and seeing yourself and your loved ones die again and again.  The fear in your eyes would be eclipsed by your desperation to stop it all.”  She glanced back at the knife.  “They are coming.  They always do.”

She touched the blade gently then stood.  “Thank you for the knife.  I already know how to use it.”  She slowly removed her hand from her shoulder.  “The knife might help,” she said, walking into the bathroom.

The skip in her pulse flagged the words for a lie.  As she shut the door, I fell back onto the mattress, lost.

From within the bathroom, I heard the water start followed by her soft sobs.  The sound devastated me.  If I didn’t help her feel safe and the knife didn’t, what would?  I’d thought stopping at the hotels so she could rest was helping her, but maybe I should have pushed harder to get her to the Compound.  With Gabby there to help explain things, it was the only place she might feel safe.

Getting to the Compound was proving difficult.  I pulled out my phone, needing advice.  The messages from Joshua had me frowning.

Where are you?

An hour after that text, he sent another.

Remember, you cannot Claim this female without Elder acknowledgement.

I stared at the words as doubt crept in.  Was this more than mistakenly sending unmated males to help?  Were the Elders trying to prevent another Forlorn from Claiming a Mate?  I’d heard that one of the leader’s sons, Emmitt, had found a woman early this year.  They’d kept her existence a secret until she was well attached to him.  It was also no secret that Charlene was doing everything in her power to pair their second son, Jim, with a Mate.

Growling, I clenched the phone.  Bethi was mine.  With a slow exhale, I responded to Joshua.

Understood.  We’ll see you at the Compound so you can acknowledge her interest.

His response was almost immediate.

Where are you?

On the road.  We’ll contact you when we’re close.

Not good enough.  Where are you?

I stood and paced the room until the water turned off.  If the Elders wanted her badly enough, they would command me to tell them.  Until they did, I’d get her to the Compound on my own.  I’d use that time to help her get to know me, and hopefully, when we reached the Compound, she wouldn’t want to Claim me just to stop her dreams but because she didn’t want anyone else but me.

When she opened the door, I’d made up my mind that we wouldn’t stay and had the bag in my hands.  She glanced at the bag then went to the bed and picked up the knife from where I’d left it.  She studied the blade, sheathed it, then came over to tuck the knife into the bag.

“You all right?” I asked.

“Honestly?”

I nodded.

“The answer hasn’t changed.  No, I’m not all right.  But the knife gives me”—she took a slow breath—“a tiny bit of power over my fate.”

She didn’t sound any happier by the idea.  Instead, she sounded a bit resigned.

“Are you ready to leave, then?”

“I think I’ve slept enough if that’s what you’re asking.”

I let her shoulder the bag to keep the knife close and led the way to the bike.  She didn’t speak as we left or several hours later when I stopped at a gas station for maps.  We snacked on chips and protein bars and planned our route.  She didn’t look happy when I pointed out the general area of the Compound’s location in Canada.

“They’ll know this is where we’re going,” she said, tapping the map.  Then, she traced her finger along the three roads that led to the entrance.  “And this is where they’ll rally if they don’t catch us before we get that far.”

“It’s claimed territory.  There are too many Mated males and Elders at the Compound for them to try anything so close.”

She shook her head at me but said no more.  I continued to study the map and knew she was right about them trying.  They wouldn’t rally just next to the Compound but at the three entry points leading up to the road.  We needed help, but I wasn’t sure who to trust with something so—I glanced at Bethi—precious.

Once we were back on the bike, she managed to stay awake until past midday.  Although I felt her start to relax several times, she always resisted.

Knowing she needed a break, I pulled into the next small town diner I found.  The smell of real food had my mouth watering before I even cut the engine.

Bethi groaned as she ducked out of the straps and stood.

“I always thought motorcycles were cool.  And maybe they are…for the first hour.”

“You’ll feel better after some food,” I said, grinning at her disgruntled expression.

She eyed the diner.  “You sure it’s okay to stop here?”

Anxiety and fear were such a normal part of her scent that I only noticed them when the scents intensified.

“We’re as safe here as we were driving past it.”

She seemed twitchy as we walked inside.  I held the door and eyed her face.  She was exhausted again, dark crescents underscoring her eyes.  She picked a booth and slid in.  I sat beside her, hoping my proximity would help ease whatever was bothering her.

“Relax,” I said as the waitress walked over.

The woman handed us menus and asked for our drink order, barely looking at us in her hurry.  That was fine with me.  The faster she served us, the faster we’d be on our way again.

When the woman walked away, I turned toward Bethi, draping my arm over the back of the seat.  My girl glanced at me warily, and I knew I’d distracted her from whatever thoughts were plaguing her.

“Maybe I should have bought you a gun,” I said.

She laughed.  “I don’t think it would have made a difference.  Well, maybe it would have.”

I loved her smile and the bright spark it brought to her eyes.  I wanted to see it every time I looked at her.

“I’d buy you an arsenal if it would help you feel safe,” I said seriously.

Her heart skipped a beat, and I moved my hand to gently touch her face.  However, the waitress returned with our drinks before I could.

I straightened away from Bethi and listened to the woman as she asked if we were ready to order.  She was terrible at her job.  The disinterest in her voice and the way she stared glumly at her pad of paper said just how much she didn’t want to be there.

Bethi seemed to notice too, and spoke to the woman briskly.

“A burger and fries.  Should be easy for you.”

The woman looked up and caught me studying her.  She smiled widely.

“What about you, hun?” she asked.

“He’ll have two burgers and an order of fries,” Bethi said, passing the woman both menus.

The waitress glanced at Bethi, took the menus, then walked away with our orders.

“Twat,” Bethi said under her breath in an unreasonably rude mood.  Yes, the service hadn’t been the best, but the name calling seemed a bit much.

She arched a brow when she saw me studying her.

“What?  There aren’t any kids around, and I was quiet.”

I turned toward her once again, and she did the same.

“You know they will be waiting for us, right?” she said, getting serious.

“Let’s talk about something else,” I said.  “I like it better when you have fire or laughter in your eyes instead of what I see now.”

“What do you see?”

“Fear.”

She narrowed her eyes, and I remembered her correction from the hotel.

“Pardon.  Despair.”

She slowly blushed.  The urge to touch her returned, and I found myself lifting my hand again.  Lightly, I ran the back of my forefinger along her soft, smooth cheek.

Her heart stuttered again, and I closed my eyes and tried to focus on our discussion.

“I see your despair and it makes me—”  I exhaled and opened my eyes.  “I want to hurt whoever put that emotion in your eyes.”

She shook her head slightly and frowned.  “I don’t get you.  If you feel that strongly about me, why can’t I Claim you?”

“Let’s talk about something—”

“Else,” she said, finishing for me.  “You’re a twat, too.”

I laughed hard.  She was angry and often rude, but her sharp tongue was entertaining.  She, however, didn’t look entertained by my laughter.  Her gaze shifted to something behind me.  I didn’t turn to look.  I already knew it was our waitress from her scent.

“Can I get you a refill?”

“He’s fine,” Bethi said, staring the woman down.

Bethi’s jealously was palpable, and I couldn’t be happier.  She might want to Claim me to stop her dreams, but she was starting to feel more for me.  I was sure of it.

When the waitress walked away, Bethi focused on me again.

“If we can’t talk about them or us, what should we talk about?”

“You.  What do you like doing?  What are your interests?”

Her mouth popped open.  “Are you serious?”  I nodded, and she rolled her eyes.  “I like breathing and am interested in staying alive.”

“Bethi,” I said in light warning.  She wasn’t even trying.

“Okay, okay.  So, interests.  Well, before I started losing my mind I—”  She paused and frowned.  “I was self-centered and immature.  My interests don’t really matter beyond that, do they?  Not after everything I’ve seen.”

“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

“That’s just it.  I don’t think I am.  I think the human society lets me be too easy on myself.  I have more responsibility to be a better person than what I’ve been in the past.  Sure, I wasn’t horrible, but I wasn’t great either.  Shouldn’t we all strive for great?  Shouldn’t we all strive to make a difference?  To impact the lives around us in a positive way?  To make our experiences count?”

The depth of my runaway astounded me.

“That is a lot of responsibility for someone so young.”

“See.  That’s what I mean.  No, it’s not.  If we held each other to a higher level of accountability, if we raised our children with those expectations and guided them with our own examples of higher achievement, it wouldn’t be too much.  We would be a better people because of it.  Instead, we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on Excuses-Are-Like-Assholes Boulevard.”

Before I could comment on her passionate outlook on childrearing, the waitress returned with our food.  I sighed and sat back so she could serve us.

Bethi reached for the ketchup and proceeded to obliterate any trace of fries on her plate.

“Can I ask why we can’t talk about us?”

I held out my hand for the ketchup.  “It makes me uncomfortable,” I said, putting a normal amount of ketchup on my burger and setting the bottle out of her reach.

“Not getting into details, but what part makes you uncomfortable?”

“All of it.”

I took a large bite of my burger.  The flavor of the meat wasn’t right.  I reached for the salt as Bethi suddenly reached for something too.

The back of my hand brushed the full curve of her breast.  I jerked back, unable to breathe as I remembered what had happened on the bike.  The remembered feel of her in my palm increased the temperature in the room by at least fifty degrees.  I quickly looked down as my vision started to change.

Bethi huffed beside me.

“It’s a boob,” she said.  “I have two of them.  They don’t do much.  They just sit there.  They definitely don’t bite so stop acting like they’re going to come after you.  Grow up.”

Talking about them just made it worse.  Things I didn’t want to think about kept creeping into my head.  Ideas took hold and wouldn’t let go.  And all of them included her, me, and another hotel room.

“Please stop talking about them,” I said desperately.

She leaned forward and spoke softly.  “You know, sometimes it helps to name the things you fear.  Let’s call the right one Everest”—I swallowed hard—“and the left one Fuji. Two mountainous ranges waiting to be....”

I bolted from my seat and cleared the door before she finished.  My hands shook and sweat coated my brow.

The cool air was welcome relief as I paced back and forth in front of the restaurant’s windows.  I glanced at her and quickly looked away.  She’d started something without meaning to.  I knew it wasn’t right to think the things I was thinking.  She was still too young.  Too afraid.  Too running away from anything right now to deal with what would happen if I gave into her and let her Claim me.

Holding her every time she’d slept had been a mistake.  It had shown me how good we felt together and just made it harder to keep resisting her.  And then kissing her…I groaned as I remembered the taste of her lips.  Using the word “a pull” to describe what I felt when I looked at her didn’t accurately explain the sensation.  It was like the need one would feel underwater, starving for air.  I needed to inhale her.  Resisting hurt.  It starved my body of what it was missing.  Claiming would give me the connection, the assurance she was mine.  But, what would it take from her?  Choice.  Freedom.  Innocence.  I couldn’t do that.  Yet.  I cared too much not to wait.

When I glanced at her again, she had finished her food and was watching me.  With a smirk, she reached over to my plate, lifted a fry, and ate it.  Some of the tension in me eased in the face of her antics.

Then, she reached for my burger.  I knew she couldn’t still be hungry.  She wanted me back inside.  Although I knew it was safer to stay outside, that I hadn’t fully calmed, I couldn’t resist her invitation.  She bit into my food.

I was through the door before she finished setting the burger back on my plate.

When I reached the table, I stopped.  She stared up at me, her amusement a siren’s song.

“Well?  Did you lose your appetite or not?” she asked.

Exhaling slowly, I forced myself into the seat opposite her and pulled my plate toward me.  I ate what remained of the burger.  The taste of her flavored the food and drove me crazy.

“Tell you what,” she said.  “I’ll let you have two closed subjects between us.  Two topics we’ll keep completely off limits.  Three is ridiculous.”

I closed my eyes and finished swallowing.  I should have known she wouldn’t let up.

“So which one are we going to talk about...our plan to reach the Compound, the reason you won’t let me Claim you, or my boobs?  You choose.”

There was no choice.

Taking a drink, I considered the journey that laid before us.  I still held out hope that only a few unmated males had learned about Bethi’s existence.  Yet, I knew better.  When it came to unclaimed women, word spread fast.  That was how I’d known Gabby hadn’t Claimed Clay and that his time was up with her.  That meant, because of the two I didn’t kill, getting to the Compound would only become more difficult.  Word would spread.

“They will be waiting for us on all three roads.  We could try to leave the bike and take to the woods, but I think they will have scouts ready for that as well.  And we’d be slower on foot.  Our best bet is to anticipate them and break through before they know when to expect us.”

“So the longer we take to get there...”

“The more likely they are to be ready for us.”

She remained quiet for a moment.

“Any word from that Elder?” she asked.

“He asked for an update, but I kept it vague.  He’s not pushing for anything more.  He did offer his assistance if we needed anything further,” I said, making Joshua sound more endearing than I now considered him.  When we reached the Compound, I didn’t want to add to her fears by creating doubt about the Elders.

“Okay then, wolf-man.  Let’s get going.”  She waved the waitress over for the bill, and I quickly finished the burger.

Bethi glared at the waitress while I paid, then perked up as we walked out the door.  Her jealousy was heartwarming.

“Tired?” I asked before we reached the bike.

“No,” she lied.

I turned to look at her.  “We can’t go far with you tired.”

“And if we take too long to get there, it will only be worse.”

“I could call Gabby and let her know.”  Her opposition of the Introductions had been well-known.  I felt she’d do everything in her power to stop the challenging males trying to intercept us.

“No, we don’t know who is betraying us.”

“You think she would?”  I settled on the bike and turned to study Bethi.

“No, she wouldn’t.  At least, not purposely.  But, who does she believe she can trust?  She could say something to the wrong person.  If we stay on our own, we might actually make it to the gates of the Compound.”  She sat behind me and held up the strap.  “I’ll do my best to stay awake.”