Conquest of the Alpha (5 page)

The only advantage that Tanner had was that he had a little bit more maneuverability than they did in a car. What was most worrisome was that he had to lose them before they had aerial support. If that were to happen, there would be virtually no place that they could hide and it would be almost inevitable for them to be caught. That wouldn’t do, and the secrecy behind the werewolf existence had to become a priority, no matter the cost or what it would mean to their own personal safety.

“Julia, this is going to get bumpy, and I don’t want you to let go no matter what you feel or see happening in front of you. In fact, I would suggest that you close your eyes and just hold on, because I’m going to do some very dangerous things to get away from these police officers.” Julia did as requested, feeling the bike lurching and leaning to the side. If she had seen how close he had come to crashing the motorcycle, she would have had her heart in her mouth at this very moment. She grabbed onto his waist as hard as she could, tearing into the fabric of his leather jacket and into the very skin of his body.

Tanner grimaced, but wasn’t about to tell her to loosen her grip, because what he was doing was putting them both in jeopardy for the sake of the secret that couldn’t be allowed to get out. A woman named Calley was the only person that he could trust, but first he had to get there still in one piece. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the police officers vehicles were getting closer, but he now saw ahead of him a possible means of escape.

There was an accident up in front, keeping cars gridlocked, allowing Tanner to speed by them with a blur of motion that soon had him racing past a wide eyed police officer holding up his hands to stop him from coming any closer. The officer ahead leaped out of the way at the last minute, feeling the rush of air as the motorcycle past, as the other police cars came to a complete stop behind the other vehicles. There was no way that they could stay on the motorcycle, because they would already have radioed ahead for reinforcements.

He was going to miss driving his baby, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made for the good of everybody. He felt different, and looked up to see that the clouds were coming apart, which meant that he had to find someplace safe in order to change. There was an underground garage, and he breezed through the toll taker, tossing a couple of quarters, before driving down into the bowels of the building. He parked beside two big trucks, pushing the motorcycle in, so that it was virtually undetectable.

“You can open your eyes.” He climbed off and helped Julia off the motorcycle, leading her into a corner where he had to fall down onto his hands and knees. She instinctively moved down and put her hand on his forehead, with him looking up with a state of shock and confusion. Somehow she was able to stop the change from happening, blocking his transformation and keeping him his human form. “I don’t know how you did that, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. We need to find another vehicle, something that would not be missing for quite some time.” They began to walk back and forth, looking at various vehicles and trying to ascertain which one could be used better to their advantage.

“What about this one?” Julia was now standing beside a white panel van, still not knowing what came over her and how it was even possible for her to know to kneel down and touch his forehead. It was so natural that she thought it was part of what she was, but the way that Tanner was looking at her was convincing her that none of the others had that power. “It has a layer of dust, and I would say that it has been here for a few days at least. I think that means that whoever parked it here is not coming back for quite some time.” It was like a hidden part of her was coming to the forefront, able to see things for what they were and making the right decisions.

“You have a good eye, and if I didn’t know any better I would say that you were a private investigator in a past life.” He took off his jacket, rolled it around his fist and then smashed through the glass of the van. Reaching through, he cleared the broken shards, before opening the door and climbing inside. Julia went around to the passenger door, where he opened it and started the engine by bending down over the console and playing with the wires. “Don’t ask, and you might say that I have a unique skill set from a misbegotten youth. I wasn’t exactly the poster boy for good behavior, and sometimes I let my good judgment get away from me. I suppose that’s what got me into this situation in the first place, as I just couldn’t leave well enough alone.” Seeing that there was a ballcap on the dash, he tucked his hair back and made sure that his facial features were covered when he went through the locked partition.

The toll taker didn’t even look up from his paper, only reaching out his hand and being presented with a few coins that Tanner had found in the console beside him. Not wanting to press his luck, Tanner pulled back into traffic, looking into the rearview mirror to see that two police cars were now coming down the block. He had to hold his breath, hoping that they wouldn’t see them inside and decide to make a discreet stop to find out if they were the ones that they were looking for. Thankfully, it looked like the stars had aligned in their favor, as the police cars passed them without even giving a second glance. Tanner believed that they were concentrating on finding the motorcycle, having no idea that they had ditched it for another mode of transportation.

“I want to explain, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why I did that back there. It was almost like I knew that if I touched you I could stop the change from happening.” Tanner saw her as an enigma, some tiny puzzle that needed to be solved. Something was definitely not right, and there was more to her than he could see. He could only hope that Calley would be able to help, but he wasn’t even sure she was going to open the door. They didn’t exactly leave things in the best way, with him slipping out the door in the middle of the night after a night of lovemaking that had them both out of breath and breathing deeply. He had a deep seeded need for his freedom, and it wasn’t as if he could actually tell her what he was.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, and I’m sure that it’s just a latent power.” Tanner had never heard of such a thing, and he didn’t even know that there was anything out there that could stop the change from happening. This was entirely new territory, and way out of his league to deal with. “My friend is a practitioner of the black arts, and if anybody can uncover the truth, it will be her. She might be reluctant, as we have a checkered past that goes back a ways. I won’t let that deter me, as we need to know what we’re dealing with.”

Julia wasn’t sure what she was, only that there was this feeling inside of her that wanted to escape. It wasn’t the same red hot rage of the beast inside of her, but more animalistic and wild that couldn’t be contained. She felt it was so close to the surface that it was a wonder that she didn’t lash out and do the same thing to Tanner. “I just want to know what’s going on, and if that means dispelling my beliefs, then I guess I have no choice.” She could feel this urge building within, and Julia looked over and could hear his heart beating the lifeblood through his veins.

They went through some very unkempt roadways, some merely just two tracks leading into the middle of nowhere. It was like they had crossed through civilization and into a world that was never known before. The fact that Tanner knew where he was going was a testament to his tracking abilities, as this was a labyrinth of paths that not many people would be able to make heads or tails out of.

“Are you sure that you know where you’re going?” Julia’s question was only answered by Tanner turning around and giving her a smirk.

“Trust me, Julia, I could find this place blindfolded if I had to.” His memory of his time together with Calley was something that he would always treasure, and if it had been any other time in his life, he would have relished the opportunity to put down some roots. “I think that she is an amazing woman, and I will always have a special spot in my heart for her. I’m not sure she’s going to feel the same way, because I didn’t even leave a note to explain my absence.” Tanner was well aware of the risk of involving Calley, but he had thought of her from the very beginning and wasn’t going to start second guessing himself.

He parked the van in between a couple of trees, knowing that the rest of the way would have to be on foot. Calley was a very private person, she had decided to live off the grid, and only going into town for supplies when necessary. She didn’t need all that much, and Tanner had seen her kill a deer with just a bow and arrow, skin it, and cook it over an open flame. She was a type of woman that was very independent, and certainly didn’t need any man to help her.

They made their way through the forest, with Tanner sniffing the air and finding Calley’s scent and drinking it in, as if it was a fine wine to be savored before consuming the elegant aroma.

Tanner moved towards the house, and Julia was right behind him the entire way.

“Now, what exactly do we have here? I believe we have a couple of trespassers that need to be taught a lesson. Both of you turn around and put your hands up into the air, and maybe I will consider not shooting you in the back.” Calley didn’t know who these two people were, only that she had heard them coming from a mile away. Putting up traps had done their job, alerting her to their presence and making it easier for her to go around and catch them by surprise. She was smiling, thinking that she had the upper hand, when suddenly she had her world turned upside down in a matter of seconds.

A man from her past stood in front of her, and it was like looking at a ghost and wondering if what she was seeing was real.

“It’s nice to see you again, but I’m afraid this is not a social call. If you would be so kind as to put down the gun, maybe we can go inside and have a discussion like reasonable adults.” He wasn’t sure what he was going to find, as he left a huge hole in her heart and in his own as well. They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks, but it was enough for them to know that they had found their true soul mate amongst the billions of people in the world. “This doesn’t have to be awkward, and we’re just going to have to put the past aside, until we have to talk about it. For now, we need your help, and I know how preposterous that sounds to you.”

She walked ahead, going into the house and leaving the door wide open, waiting for his face to come around the corner into the light. He didn’t change, and even after all of these years he still looked like the same little boy that she had found shivering in the cold. It was surprising to find him naked, but he explained it by saying that he was roughed up and robbed of everything he had. Somehow there was more to that story, and she was hoping that this time would be a little different than last. Getting caught up in their love life had neglected an opportunity for them to finally get to know each other.

“I think you should tell me what you’re doing here, and let me decide if I want to go down this road with you again. I don’t think I have to tell you what losing you did to me, and it was to a point that I couldn’t make a lasting connection with another man.” The woman behind him was a little different, and she walked over and stood in front of her, feeling this weird energy around her body that shouldn’t be there.

“Calley, I’m going to tell you some things that you might not believe, but it will be the god honest truth. Trust me, I know that you are going to find this surprising, but I did leave for a good reason. You see, I didn’t want you to know that I was different than any other guy you’ve met, and I have something inside me that needs to get out from time to time. You might call it a rage, or manifestation of my emotions coming to the surface.” He wasn’t about to tell her the entire truth, because that was a secret that was best left buried where it was.

“You are not telling me something, and you are still being as secretive as you have ever been. I thought that you might have changed, but you are the same.”

“I killed somebody, and I don’t remember doing it, but Tanner told me that you might be able to help bring back those memories.” Julia saw no point in beating around the bush, and decided to put all the cards on the table. “I have that same rage the Tanner has spoken about, but mine comes with a blackout and becoming a cold-blooded murderer. I need your help, and I hope that you won’t let your past cloud your judgment.” Julia was trying to appeal to her sense of reason, making sure that she knew all the facts before moving forward.

Calley could see that there was something in this woman’s eyes, and it made her step back, unable to continue eye contact. “I don’t like this, and I’ve never felt such imminent danger coming from one person. I will help, but you’re going to have to give me time to research this in my books. It has been some time since I have practiced, and all I need is a refresher course before beginning.” She took a wooden ladder; put it up against the second landing, before climbing up until she was in a loft surrounded by old textbooks and incantations.

“I knew that you were the one to ask about this, and I suppose we’re going to have to talk sooner than later. I just need you to know that I was protecting the both of us, and it was never because I didn’t have deep feelings for you. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that with anybody else, present company excluded.” Tanner didn’t want to admit that his love was never ending, but there was something between himself and Julia that had opened his eyes to the possibility of loving another. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I only request that you listen to what I have to say before you kick me to the curb. I know that we can never be more than just friends, because what I did to you was unforgivable. You know how many nights I lay awake knowing that I had hurt you and feeling this deep loss inside.” He was unburdening himself, and for the first time he was honest and forthright, instead of secretive and not willing to open up.