Hammer

10

Charlie turned around without saying anything, closed the door, and pulled her clothes on. The pants were long and warmer than the ones she originally had. The shirt was long-sleeved, thermal material. Hammer had even gotten her what looked to be a utility vest. She wouldn’t wear it now but would keep it for the morning.

When she was done, she toweled off her hair, walked back into the other room, and watched Hammer again. She felt silly, waiting for monosyllabic orders to come from his mouth, but the shock of the day and everything else that had happened in the last few hours made her vulnerable.

She wasn’t sure what to do with vulnerability, especially in front of someone like Hammer.

He turned to face her … or sort of face her … he hadn’t really looked at Charlie since he stood in his threatening manner in the woods. And barked. “Eat.”

Hammer pointed to the bowl with steam rising out of it. She walked over to the table, plopped down, and looked at what was supposed to be food. It was brown, bubbling, oatmeal-like. It smelled like cardboard, but she was famished.

Charlie picked up her spoon and scooped out a large heap of it. When she realized it didn’t taste like much, but she could keep it down, she shoveled more food into her mouth until she saw that Hammer was prepping a spot on the floor for himself to sleep.

She swallowed. “I don’t mind if you sleep in the bed with me. I don’t bite, and there’s plenty of room.”

“No. Finish eating, then go to bed. We have to move again in a few hours.”

Charlie rolled her eyes and thought, Well, that is that, no sexy time for me. She then crawled to bed.

Sleep pulled her under quickly and deeply. But she was jostled awake by the heavy pressure on her mouth. Her eyes flew open. Hammer had his hand over her mouth.

Charlie realized that Hammer was looking down at her and started to struggle. He held his finger to his lips, and she knew they were in trouble.

HAMMER

Hammer gave in to sleep easily. He was exhausted and had been afraid that sleep would be fitful. He had thought that his dreams would be muddied with memories.

But sleep came dark and silently. The only coherent part of his dreams were images of Charlie’s face. The beautiful image of his mate rippled across the surface of his subconscious mind.

Hammer woke instinctively from the dragon in him. His shifter reflexes alerted him to danger.

They were still in the hotel. He heard Charlie’s steady breathing on the bed. He sat up silently, turning to look at her. Then, as quietly as he could, he rose from the floor.

He had noticed two things about the townspeople upon entry. First, they were suspicious of anyone in positions of power. Second, most of them had been in prison at some point.

It still wasn’t safe for either of them. But Hammer knew they stood a better chance here than in the woods for the night.

He froze when Charlie turned in the bed. The bed frame creaked underneath her. At that moment, it seemed like the loudest sound in the world.

Suddenly, he heard what had triggered his reflexes.

The voice of a foreigner. Downstairs at the reception desk. The speaker was arrogant and authoritative. Hammer smiled grimly as he listened in on the conversation. They wouldn’t get very far if they kept at it in that tone … whoever they were.

“… anyone strange checked in lately?” the speaker asked. The man at the front desk snorted with derision.

“We’re a town in the middle of nowhere,” the man grunted. Hammer’s smile widened as the man continued. “Everyone who checks in is a stranger.”

“You know what I’m talking about!” The other man snapped the words. There was a pause.

All Hammer could hear were the sounds of the hotel staff cleaning up for the night. There was the clinking of dirty glasses. Hissing steam from a kettle. The dull thuds of folding towels.

“Sir,” the man at the front desk’s voice was hardened. Hammer realized that he hadn’t taken a breath since sitting up. He forced himself to exhale as the front desk attendant continued. “I don’t know who you’re looking for, but I can assure you, no one strange has checked in.”

Would this man make a scene? Hammer wondered. Would he demand that all of the guests show themselves?

If he did that, he’d be an i***t. It would be a terrible tactical move to make.

It was clear that the speaker was sent by Ajmal. And Ajmal did not hire idiots. For the most part, anyway.

He listened to the silence and tried to read it. The man at the front desk wouldn’t budge. And for a second, it seemed the man sent by Ajmal would barge upstairs.

But then the silence broke.

Hammer listened to the footsteps. He was walking away but would return with reinforcements. They would count on the fact that Hammer was wounded.

He flexed his shoulder. The bullet had just clipped his wing. And when he shifted back to his human form, the wound remained.

He hadn’t healed properly either because of the damned implant in his neck. But right then, there was no choice. He had to leave, injured or not.

Hammer took several deep breaths before turning. The deep breaths were a trick Ajmal had taught him a long time ago. Ajmal always maintained that nothing could be achieved under stress.

His old friend had been right in the end.

Something twisted in Hammer’s chest as he thought of Ajmal. Was it regret? Or was it grief?

He shook the thoughts away and slipped over to the bed.

Stay tight. Stay fluid. More maxims from Ajmal, who had also trained him to fight. It seemed that he was being haunted. Would he be able to live with the ghosts?

Charlie was deeply asleep, and all thoughts of Ajmal disappeared from his mind. His mate was so beautiful that it hurt. But she was also a balm to Ajmal’s ghosts.