Hammer

20

Hammer always woke with the sun. He didn’t quite know why, but it had been a habit since he was a child. He had theorized that it was the dragon inside him, seeking heat.

The sunlight filtered through a small partition in the tent. It seemed that the rain had been blown away.

Charlie was still asleep in the crook of his arm. He looked down at her before covering her with his jacket.

Then, laying back and staring up at the top of the makeshift tent, he considered how he felt.

The night before had been amazing. But Charlie had been a virgin. Well, until they had kissed anyway. He wasn’t sure how to feel. A part of him, a very small part, was angry. She hadn’t told him, and he knew that a woman’s first time was never easy.

What if he had been too rough, too hasty? What if he had hurt her?

The other, larger part of him was happy. The dragon inside him purred with satisfaction that Hammer was the only one Charlie had been with. The truth was his feelings weren’t easy to figure out. And it was mostly because he could not read Charlie. And that infuriated him.

Sometimes he could feel her emotions through the mating bond. And other times, he could sense her thoughts from the way her brow furrowed or the way she chewed on her lower lip.

But she was an enigma to him for the most part.

Charlie stirred, turning onto her back. As though she could feel his frustration.

Maybe she could. Maybe she can feel you more than you can feel her. The thought terrified Hammer.

He did not need her to know him so closely. Even if she was his mate.

She was looking up at him sleepily, and he watched as her eyes changed color. In the early morning, her eyes were a cloudy gray.

But as she woke up, they became brighter, jewel-like.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her. She knew what he was speaking about. Charlie exhaled heavily and sat up.

“I didn’t think it mattered,” Charlie said softly. She was getting up, reaching for her clothes. “It was mine to give away. To whomever I wanted.”

A sense of urgency struck Hammer, and he knew Charlie was infected with it. As much as they wanted to stay there forever, they had to move.

He had to get Charlie to safety, and he had to go back for Ajmal. Hammer could not miss this opportunity. He couldn’t let Ajmal get away.

Not again.

They were both out of the tent, dressed, and packed within ten minutes. They consulted the map. And then Hammer and Charlie made their way out of the clearing.

Hammer had healed some, but Charlie still moved faster than he did. She was moving with more purpose too. It seemed that she understood the situation as plainly as he did.

After they had left their makeshift camp behind by several miles, they slowed. Charlie fell into step with Hammer.

“So you’ve always loved things from the past.” Hammer referred to the previous conversation. “But you could have become a historian or an archivist.”

Charlie let out a huff of laughter.

“I definitely could have,” she replied. “And I definitely thought about it.” There was a certain reverence in her voice as she continued speaking. “But considering how I dug up my parent’s hydrangeas when I was five years old, I thought my current position would be the better fit.”

When Hammer consulted the map again, he realized they were only a few miles away from a village.

“What about you, though?” Charlie asked him, holding her hand out to him.

He took it, allowing her to pull him forward.

“What was your childhood like?” Her voice was very soft. Tentative.

Something inside him clinched at the slight apprehension in her voice.

“My childhood was good.” His voice cracked, and Hammer winced. “But then, my father died. He was a soldier, and he was killed in enemy action.”

“Oh, my God.” The horror in Charlie’s voice was tangible. “I am so sorry. What about your mother?”

“Hmm.” He had not expected it to hurt as much as it did. Talking about the past. “My mother and sister died in a bomb blast.”

He had not been there when it happened, but Hammer could picture it clearly as though he had been.

“There was a bomb in a car on the street where we sold our handmade products. When it went off, they were caught in it.”

Without waiting, Charlie stopped and then pulled him into a tight hug.

He sagged against her, letting her cradle him. And even though she was ten inches shorter than him, she managed his weight.

“I’m okay now,” he said. But his voice cracked again. “I mean. … I’m better.”

“No, you’re not,” she retorted hotly. Then she pulled away. “But I’m here, so you will be.”

Did that mean she planned on staying? Hammer asked himself. The dragon inside him purred again.

“Umm, we’re about a mile away from this village.” He tapped the map. “We can stop there and rest. And get proper showers.”

“I’d kill for a shower right now,” she murmured. He couldn’t help agreeing. He felt sticky and uncomfortable. “And proper food.”

“Another half mile,” he said with as much encouragement as he could muster. The wound on his arm had scabbed over, but it was still uncomfortable. “Then you can have all the food you want.”

As they reached the crest of another hill, they saw the village in the distance. It was tiny and quaint. But large enough to settle in for at least one night.

Hammer heard voices as they passed through a field filled with tall trees. Male voices having a heated argument.

He slowed, pulling Charlie behind him instinctively. The voices had no particular accent, completely neutral.

Charlie had just heard the voices, too, and turned to him in alarm. He lifted a finger to his lips and pulled her behind a tree.

He could not tell what the argument was about. But then the voices fell away, leaving them in silence.