Book Cover created in acrylic by the extremely talented @therealpaul
If you have not read the first book of the series, "Reborn", it is advisable you do so before reading "Renewal" or you will be lost. This link will provide you with a series summary as well as all sixty-eight chapters of Reborn
Chapter Fourteen
The flight took three hours and she wasn’t able to communicate with the guys at all as once again weather was affecting reception. The only thing she had going for her was that the hot flashes had not progressed into anything worse.
She chewed her lip nervously wondering where Austin was and what they had told him. She’d never even mentioned “heat” to him since she had not wanted to tell him about the things she’d done with Jack.
When she got in to the terminal she spotted the brothers right away to her immense relief.
They rushed over. “How you doin’?” Will looked her up and down in concern.
“Okay so far,” she smiled weakly.
“Still coherent I see, that’s a good thing.”
“Right,” she said distractedly as she braced herself against another flash.
“We rented a car, let’s go.”
Will drove, of course, and Josh got in the back seat with Anna.
“There are a few things we’re dealing with now that were not factors the last time,” he launched right in when they were on the road.
She raised an eyebrow. “You mean Jared type things.”
“Yeah. Dad called Matthias figuring he’s been around for a long time and might have some insight, which he did. According to him no matter where Jared is on the globe he will feel this happen to you. I’m not sure if they explained anything to you before…
Anna shook her head, “Not really, not about this.”
“Well normally if he’s far enough away he can’t sense you. He’s still aware of you and his instincts should be telling him to get closer, but he can’t feel what you’re feeling or even know where you are if he’s outside a certain distance which varies depending on the strength of the bond and the male himself. But when you’re in heat, the rules change. The signal you’re sending will draw him to you like a magnet.”
Anna swallowed thickly. In the deepest part of her heart she wanted him to come for her. Despite the fact that she’d managed to push him out of her conscious mind for the most part, it seemed he had imprinted himself on her soul.
Josh gave her a moment to respond and when she didn’t, he continued. “The thing is we don’t know how long it will take him to get to you and that presents a problem.” He took both of her hands. “Anna we can’t help you like….like dad did last time.”
She shuddered, “I don’t want that.”
“Not right now you don’t, but you will when you’re no longer thinking clearly.”
She gave him a pained look as her situation sunk in.
Jared’s image filled her mind and she shook her head violently. “Will he be angry that you’re there? Are you guys in danger?”
Josh looked at Will who spoke up. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine.”
She pictured Jared shaking the ground with his fury the night she’d stolen his weapons, then recalled the first time she’d seen him looking like a warrior god…
“He ripped Jake’s head off his shoulders!” she said loudly. A horrifying image of him murdering her friends enveloped her brain. “You can’t stay with me, it’s too dangerous, I would never forgive myself if something happened!”
“There’s another option you know,” Will said quietly.
“W..what?” She quaked.
“Austin loves you Anna. And he’s a solid cat, you could do much worse.”
“Are you crazy, he’d be slaughtered!”
“Not if the bond was broken before Jared got near you.”
She blinked in confusion. “But Austin isn’t here.”
“Yet. His flight will be touching down in less than an hour. He was with dad when you called and we couldn’t wait for him because we wanted to make sure you got to the cabin before dark.”
Austin was on his way. She absorbed that information with a sinking heart. “So your dad told him,” she said quietly.
“Enough. He told him enough.”
She imagined Jack explaining “heat” to Austin and was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions that made her feel sick. She put her head in her lap forcing herself to concentrate on taking even breaths and Josh rubbed her back gently.
“What are you feeling?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she breathed. “I guess fate will be making my decision for me.” She sat up slowly and leaned into Josh’s warmth. “If Austin is with me when I lose my ability to reason….and Jared doesn’t get there first…I don’t know.” Maybe she was meant to be with Austin after all. She closed her eyes trying to decide how that made her feel, but the effort just made her dizzy.
The drive took several hours and by the time they pulled into the long driveway the phantom fingers had made an appearance. It wasn’t unbearable yet, but she knew her time was running out.
They got out of the car and she shivered. “It’s freezing,” she blew air and a puff of smoke appeared to emphasize the point.
The guys busied themselves bringing wood inside and building a fire while Anna huddled under blankets on the couch. She tried to force away the increasingly insistent ghost hands but when they found her core she made a sound of distress.
“Getting worse?”
She nodded, wishing there was a bedroom. Unfortunately the only place with any privacy was the tiny bathroom in the back. If worse came to worse she would lock herself in it and make do.
An hour later she was forced to make camp in the cramped space. She slid her hand inside her pants, an act she hadn’t repeated since the car ride to this place with Jack McClaron, and twenty minutes later she heard the sound of an engine coming down the secluded road. She tensed, stretching her senses out to determine if it was Austin.
She heard him come in. “Where is she?” he asked, his voice tense and upset.
She zipped herself back up and got to her feet unsteadily, waiting for the knock on the door which came a moment later. She put her hand on the doorknob and hesitated.
Her body was sated for the moment and she thought she still had time before the next wave of lust hit her, but she could smell Austin’s scent through the door and it was wreaking havoc on her senses.
“Anna, let me help you.” His voice was soft and coaxing and she opened the door pushing him gently back into the large room. Will and Josh were seated on the small couch by the fireplace and they got to their feet.
“Should we go someplace?” Will asked.
“No! No, don’t, I think I’m okay for a minute, I just need to…” she looked up at Austin’s neck and felt her eyes flash, her teeth aching with the need to drop down.
He looked down at her, his expression unreadable, then grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the other couch. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked quietly.
“I couldn’t. I couldn’t bear telling you what I did.”
“You told me about Jared.”
“I know, but that was different. I had to tell you that.” She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.
“Did you believe I would think less of you? That I’d be angry? Because from what I understand you have no control over what happens to you.”
“It’s not that, of course I knew you would understand but I just…it’s embarrassing and I really didn’t want to relive the details.” She found her gaze drawn back to his neck and the sound of his pulse distracted her. He was saying something back but she didn’t follow it. Her thoughts were starting to muddy and in them she knew if he pushed her she wouldn’t be able to resist him for long, especially when an ache began to build in her inner thighs.
“Anna?”
She forced herself to focus on his face. His brows had drawn together and he seemed to be waiting for something.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, “it’s getting harder to concentrate.” A full body tremor assaulted her and she grabbed onto his arm.
“Drink if you need to.” His voice came to her down a long tunnel and she grabbed the side of his head and brought his neck to her mouth.
She took long pulls from his vein and vaguely noted his arms going around her, pulling her in close.
“We’re gonna take off,” Will stated.
There was a weak protest in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t force herself away from the sweet liquid flooding over her tongue.
She listened to the brothers footsteps across the wooden floor and just as she was about to give in to her need completely a sound filled her mind and she stilled, all of her senses prickling with awareness. It was the rushing of gale force winds, growing louder by the millisecond, and her heart gave a solid thump as she pulled her head slowly away from Austin. She turned towards the front door, her eyes widening in fear.
Josh smiled at her, “It’s okay, we’ll be back,” he said gently, thinking their departure was the reason for her sudden angst.
As the noise became a full blown hurricane all of the saliva evaporated from her mouth and she couldn’t make her voice work to correct his assumption. Austin was gently tugging her arm and she turned towards him, her heart thundering.
“Holy shit, what is that?”
Anna whipped her head back around and saw Will backing away from the door fearfully.
Josh’s face had paled. “It sounds like….
The cabin shook violently as the storm landed on the porch and a second later the door blew open and slammed against the wall, splintering the wood and missing Will’s face by inches. He scrambled backwards as the entrance filled with an enormous and terrifying presence.
He came.
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