The Lion’s Curvy Mate: Shifter Romance

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The woods were winding, dark, and deep. Sadie was in the lead now. Declan was still powering along, but his eyes looked vacant. Almost like a zombie.

Sweat poured down his skin, which had taken on a gray pallor that Sadie found troubling. He would need to stop soon. But not yet.

It has been a while since Sadie had heard or seen the men who were chasing them. But she couldn’t assume they’d given up the chase. They had come after them for a reason. She didn’t imagine they would just walk away.

Her only hope was that her knowledge of the surrounding forest would give her the edge. She’d explored these woods for years as a child. She knew every nook and cranny, and every hiding spot. There were trails in these woods, but Sadie had avoided them, hoping the men would be unable to follow their tracks through the heavy undergrowth.

So far it had seemed to work, but the movement was hard going. The exertion had taken its toll on both her and Declan. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Sadie was feeling the effects of their wild escape from the Sanctuary.

Her hangover had returned with a vengeance. Her head felt tender, like it was about to crack open. And she was thirsty. So thirsty. But it was that thirst that gave her direction.

She knew of a small, clean stream that trickled down from the mountains. There was a small cave nearby that would serve as the perfect shelter from the night’s cold embrace, if they had to be out here that long.

It was deep enough in the woods and far enough away from the Sanctuary that they would probably be safe there. There were no guarantees. But it would have to do. If the men chasing them were able to find them at that distance, there was no hiding place in the forest that would keep them safe.

Declan stumbled beside her. Panic flared in her chest. If he didn’t have the strength to keep going, there was no way she could carry him.

She kneeled down in front of him and put her hand on his cheek. His skin was clammy and feverish.

“Come on, Declan,” she said. “Just a little farther.”

He closed his eyes but nodded. “I can make it. I just need to rest a second.”

“I know,” she said. “But we need to keep moving. We’re almost there. I just need you to be strong for a little longer.”

With a tired groan, Declan got painfully to his feet. He even managed a smile. “Lead the way.”

Sadie slung his arm over her shoulder, bearing some of his weight. She wasn’t sure if it helped him at all, but it definitely made her feel better. Having him so physically close was reassuring. Even in the state he was in, it was good to know she wasn’t in this situation alone.

Things had spiraled out of control so quickly her head was spinning. Her life had been plenty complicated before, with bills and debts and her responsibilities with the animals. Now, that old life seemed simple compared to things now.

It was too big to think about. A hidden world of shifters. Dangerous men with guns storming her home. A nightmare run through the forest that had once felt like home to her. The weight of it pressed down on her, heavier than Declan’s body.

She forced it away to the edges of her mind, not letting it in all the way. Otherwise, it would crush her. She kept her focus on the task at hand. One step and then another. She could do that much.

After what felt like forever, she heard the musical trill of a flowing stream. It was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.

She got Declan settled in the small cave. It wasn’t much, just a ten-foot tunnel of rock barely tall enough to stand in. But it was shelter. A different kind of sanctuary.

The bag she’d grabbed before leaving had some survival gear. A pot to boil water. A firestarter. Some beef jerky. Out here, these simple items meant the difference between life and death.

The stream might be clean enough to drink from, but there was no guarantee it was free from parasites or bacteria. Sadie might be able to handle it, but in his weakened state, the last thing Declan needed was to get any sicker. The water had to be boiled before they could drink it.

She set about making a fire. It would have to be small. The cave would keep the fire from being visible, but too much smoke might as well be a big red flag saying “Here we are. Come get us.”

“How are you holding up?” she asked as she got the kindling together.

“I’ll live,” he said, pausing. “Probably.”

She wasn’t sure about that from the look of him, but she didn’t voice her concern. “Hang in there. We’re safe for now, I think.”

He nodded. His eyelids drifting closed. “You did good out there. Your father would be proud.”

A warm feeling rippled through her at the comment. She hoped she was making her old man proud. Carrying on his secret legacy as a caregiver for shifters. “He’d be prouder if I could figure out how to make you better.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said sleepily. “Just need to rest.”

She didn’t doubt that, but she needed to get some water in him before he went to sleep. And maybe some food. She wanted to keep him talking. “So who were those guys?”

“Lowlife criminals. Although they were packing some serious firepower.”

“How’d you get mixed up with them?” she asked, still trying to get the fire going.

“I told you. I was looking for a friend from my military days.”

“Right. Garrett.”

“Yeah. We both got out of the service a few years ago. We kept tabs on each other. He told me he found some work out here. But that it might be dangerous. When I didn’t hear from him again, I came out here to make sure he was okay.”

“So those guys. Was Garrett working for them?”

Declan nodded. “Not much work for old soldiers. Our skill sets don’t translate to civilian life too well. A lot of us end up like Garrett. Doing bad s**t for bad people.”

“That’s terrible. Seems like the government should do something to help you all.”

He shrugged. “Once we’re out, we’ve served our purpose. We’re not their problem anymore.”

“Well, someone should help them.”

“On that we agree. That’s what I’m trying to do for Garrett. Find him. Help him get out of whatever mess he’s gotten himself into. He’d mentioned a bar where he met his new associates. I went looking there, but it was like they knew I was coming. They got the drop on me. And the rest you know.”

The spark from the firestarter finally caught on the kindling. Sadie cried out triumphantly. “We’re in business.”

She blew on the smoldering embers, watching with satisfaction as the flames grew. Soon the fire was as big as it was going to get. Sadie sat back for a moment, drinking in the reassuring warmth.

“You’re something else,” Declan said, watching her from the other side of the flames.

“Oh, please. It’s no big deal.” The comment secretly pleased her. She was glad he couldn’t see the flush creeping up her cheeks in the dim light.

“I wish we could have met under different circumstances.”

“You mean instead of caged up and naked? I kind of liked it to be honest.”

That raised a smile on his lips. “No, I mean, this isn’t me. I’m not normally so helpless. So powerless. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

“It’s not your fault. We’ll get you back on your feet in no time.”

“We both know I’m dying,” he said softly.

“Don’t say that.”

“Just my luck. I meet a beautiful woman on the day I die.”

“Beautiful? Now, I know you’re delirious.”

He smiled and shook his head, but it was weaker now. His light was fading. “You are beautiful. Strong. Brave. It’s too bad.” His words trailed off and his eyes closed.

Sadie rushed over to him. “Declan, stay with me.”

But he was out. The slow rise and fall of his chest meant he was still alive. But the poison was taking its toll. He was unconscious.

Sadie fought back her tears. There had to be something she could do. She just had to think. Declan couldn’t die. She needed him. Needed him to help her out of the mess he’d gotten her into.

Besides, she felt the same way as he did. She’d finally met an amazing man. There was no way she was going to let him die in front of her.

The laptop held the key. Whatever medical secrets her father had were inside. Declan had been confident the answers were there. Sadie hoped he was right.

The cure had to be in there. If it wasn’t, it was game over for Declan. And Sadie would be screwed.

She pulled the laptop out of the bag and flipped it open. The screen lit up thankfully. But the battery indicator said the computer was at fifty percent power. And the computer was old. Fifty percent could mean she had a few hours, or it could mean she had a handful of minutes.

The clock was ticking.

The answer was in her hands. Right at her fingertips. So close but so far away. She just had to figure out the password.

She tried the obvious stuff. Birthdays, death days, anniversaries. Her name. Her mother’s name. The name of her father’s first pet. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Fine. It wasn’t something obvious. This was a fairly big secret. He didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands. So he had to go obscure. Something no one else would know. Something that couldn’t be found by looking at his life.

What did that leave?

She typed in everything she could think of. Every try elicited the same response. A red flashing warning that the password was incorrect, mocking her desperation. The words might as well have read “Declan is dying because you can’t figure this out.”

She wanted to throw the damn computer at the cave wall in frustration. She was at ten percent battery now. The damn thing was on its last legs.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pictured her father. Not just the way he looked in her memory, but the essence of him. How kind he was. How patient. How quick he was with a smile and a sympathetic ear.

After her mother died, raising a six-year old daughter as a single father was no walk in the park. Especially since little Sadie had been plagued with nightmares. She used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, chased from sleep by one imaginary monster or another.

To soothe her, her father began telling her stories about her mother in Heaven. How much fun she was having. What kind of adventures she was going on. And how she was watching over Sadie at all times. Her guardian angel.

In life, her mother’s name was Sara. But her father told her she’d been given a new name now that she was Sadie’s guardian angel. And he told her, whenever she was scared or lonely or when she missed her mother, she could whisper the name like a prayer, and her mother would be with her. At her side.

Seraphina.

Sadie typed it in. holding her breath before hitting the enter key. She whispered the name again, for the first time in years, praying that her mother was watching over her just then. She tapped the enter key.

Success.

She was in. She whispered a quiet thank you to her parents. Still looking out for her after all these years. Then she dove into the files headfirst, hoping she could find the answers she needed in time.