What's Beyond the Trees?

Chapter 14 Cat and Mouse

Raine's POV

I walked out of the cave to get myself some fresh air, but honestly I just need to take myself away from him. Cole seems like a great guy and any woman would be lucky to have a stud such as himself, but that's just not in the cards for us.. I have to figure out where we are going next to hide and he needs to figure out how to find his brother so he can get back to the shebear he is meant to be with.

This isn't the way I planned for today to go by any means, but being the girl on the run, I'm used to things happening unexpectedly at the drop of the hat and having to adjust with it.. But the positive person I try to be, keeps making me think that I will finally find a happy ending for myself within all the chaos.. It doesn't have to be with a handsome young man by any means. I just want to be happy and not chased after, whether I'm alone or with someone special.. I of course would prefer to have someone special, but I enjoy my own time as well and don't mind being by myself.. Like when Orion runs off to be with the men he likes, leaving me alone for a night. Those are some fun nights doing what I want for once..

I really enjoy the silence and tranquility of sitting by myself and just doing what I want to do, I just wish every day could be tranquil like that. I just want to be able to have a relaxing life, not a relaxing couple of hours, days or months.. When on the run, I don't have the luxury of not looking over my shoulder no matter what I do.. I just crave to have that.. Have someone to really feel safe with so I don't have to look over my shoulder or never trust anyone ever again.. Orion has done a great job protecting me thus far, but he gets greatly distracted with the sexy men around, trying to find love. I don't blame him, I long for the comfort of another as well, but maybe it's just not in the cards for us. But one could stay positive, hoping for the holes in our hearts to be filled.. and maybe some day it will happen.

I walk out of the comfort of the sheltered cave, letting the cold rain drops pour over me like a shower. Every last drip makes me feel slightly better even if it's just a little bit. So I walk straight out leaning against a big boulder corned by a couple trees. Leaning my head back and enjoying the rain cascading over my porcelain skin, taking my negative thoughts with every last one of the drops. I pull out my hash pen that was left in my pocket of my jacket taking a deep breath of that mar*juana-filled smoke, that helps calm the rest of my mind. I slowly blow it out above me as I watch the wind take it away as if it didn't even happen.

No matter how many puffs of this smoke I take, I can't get the tinge of jealousy out of my heart at the thought that Cole has someone waiting for him.. Of course he does.. How stupid of me to think a man like that wouldn't have a woman waiting for him, let alone think that someone like me could have a shot with someone like him. I just thought I felt something between us.. An electricity.. I don't know.. We are from two different worlds and there is no way we could combine them. How would that even work?

I'm sure there is no way he would like to live his life on the run with more targets on his back with me around.. Especially when he has had a wonderful caring family that he has been living with and helping through all this, who would want to leave that? No wonder he wants to get back to them soon enough.. I would too.

Really thinking about it now, there is no way we would be able to have any alone time with Orion always around and he was hitting on him anyways.. I know that would piss me off to no end.. So that would make things incredibly weird between all of us.. Yeah so there is no way this could possibly work.. no way.. Yeah, that's what I have to keep telling myself in hopes he won't shatter me when he leaves doing what I expect him to do.

I huff out, knowing I'm not even convincing myself with this explanation.. I know that if a man like that ever wanted to be with me, that I would do everything I could to be with him.. without complaint.. So I'm just making stuff up to try to make myself feel better. But sadly enough, it is not working at all. I take another hit as I let the smoke slow down my inhibitions, just enjoying the moment out here for a little bit longer before I go back in.

"Hey.. there you are." I hear from besides me as I look over to see Dawn. "Dawn.. hey.. what are you doing here?" I ask her completely confused on why she would be all the way out here at this time of the night. "I could ask you the same thing." She states circling me as I let out another puff of air, lying straight through my teeth. "I was going for a walk and smoking, just enjoying this calming weather.. The rain is my favorite."

"So where is Orion then? Is he with you? Or are you just all by your lonesome?" She asks me as she keeps walking around me, looking all over the place. "He stayed.. He doesn't like this weather. I told him I would be right back anyways.. Speaking of, we should probably head back before he gets worried.. I would hate for him to send out another search party for me, because he would be expecting me back any minute." I explain, not liking her attention to the details around me along with everything to do with me.. She has been a little too nosey lately and it's making more nervous than I thought it would.

"Oh come on, we don't have to head back right this minute.. How about we just hang out and smoke, getting to know each other a little better because I like the rain too." She says to me, surprising me completely because she looks cold and uncomfortable out here. She is fidgeting, maybe shivering, in the slippery mud as she reaches out grabbing the hash pen out of my hands and taking a hit of it, before blowing it out.

She looks at it between her fingers, as she tips it back and forth before taking another hit.. then passing it back as she asks. "What kind is that?" I smile and try to state nonchalantly, "Hide and seek diesel." She laughs out loud, louder than I ever expected especially since it's not funny.. Maybe it's some type of inside joke to her or something. I stare over at her as she continues to laugh something that sounds so forced. "Awe man.. ironic huh?" She states between laughs and grunts and casually wiping her eyes of the fake tears falling.

I'm completely confused at this point.. and it's not just for her to know, she expects me to know what she is talking about and I have no idea.. let alone how to fake it to get her on her way away from here. I smile a confused looking one as I ask her bluntly. "I'm sorry Dawn, I don't know if it's the weed or what.. But I have no idea what you mean or how the name of my weed is ironic." Taking another hit from my pen as I stare over at her suspiciously.

Her eyes lock on my frame as she steps closer and closer until she is only inches from me, before Taking the pen from me once again to take another hit. She holds in the smoke, staring deep into my eyes before blowing the hit out so it billows out around me. "It's ironic because you have been hiding and I have been seeking.. and look I finally won the game and got a little prize for it." She says waving the hash pen around in her fingers.

"I haven't been hiding, I have just been going for a walk and that's it.. I don't know what your talking about." I say to her, taking my pen from her hands as I stand straight up to walk past her, but she shoots her arm out and locking it on the tree besides us to block my exit. "Dawn this isn't funny, I don't know what's going on or what your talking about, but I have to get back." I say to her as I try to push past her to walk away but like before, it doesn't work.

"I don't know why you are playing this cat and mouse game with me Raine.. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She says to me as I look around with confusion, hoping that this might derail her from this conclusion.. I really don't want there to be issues with her, but if she figured out who I really am, then we are going to have problems. "I really don't know what you're talking about Dawn."

"About the electricity between us.. It's ok because I feel it too." She says pinning me against the boulder as she forces her lips to mine, her tongue without invite, pushes it's way between my lips shocking me completely. She presses into me rubbing over my soaking wet body before breaking our kiss and staring at me, waiting for me to say something.

I chuckle in a surprised tone. "That was sexy for sure and not what I was expecting you to say.. But I'm sorry Dawn, I'm interested in men.. a particular man.. and before you ask it's not Orion." Her hand lightly caresses over my side and down over my hip before saying. "Are you sure?" I send her a small smile as I say. "I'm sorry, it's not you, like I said that was very sexy and an amazing kiss, just not for me." She stares at me for a moment think about what I said as she nods but not moving a muscle from me.

"Well, that's too bad because we could have been great together Raine.. So what did you think I was going to say since that was not it." She asks me as I shake my head, looking around, realizing the rain has stopped. "Nothing Dawn, don't worry about it." I reply just hoping she will drop this now that we are past it. as I let out a deep breath, I guess I'm jus being parinoid.

"We should probably be getting back." I say to her as she chuckles and shakes her head. "Come on Raine.. tell me." She ask this with an even bigger smile on her face. "I was just letting my mind get the best of me, it can really be a prison sometimes with it running non stop.. but just don't worry about it." I say to her looking down as she inches closer to my ear and whispering. "Did you think that I was going to figure out all about you and who you really are? Because honey, I have known the entire time trying to figure out how to take you in to get the big amount of money offered for you.. Princess Raine."

With the words I never wanted to hear especially from her, someone I thought could be a friend, I feel my heart palpitating. I stare at her for a moment, swallowing the lump in my throat, before I try to bolt, But she quickly grips the back of my head and shoving it straight into the tree right next to us. I yell out as I swing my arm trying to hit her but she dodges it.

She shoves me back against the tree again before punching me in the face, "You should have just accepted me and maybe this wouldn't have happened." She states this not even sounding remotely convincing. I punch her in the gut as she groans out so I say right back. "I'm not a little princess you can just use, to your advantage.. get a new bargaining chip." She swings back up, hitting me in the stomach harder than I ever expected, taking the air straight from my lungs. I gasp for air as she laughs and states. "You're going to be whatever I want you to be princess."

I shake my head as she laughs and kicks me in the stomach. I'm down on my hands and knees after that hit, causing her to laugh more. I look up at her to see Cole is directly behind her, towering over her and she has no idea. "She is not yours and you won't have her.. Not if I have anything to say about it." He says in the most deep, rumbling, threatening tone I have ever heard that it sent a chill down my spine. Before I even know what's happening, He grips her head into his hands and twisting without a moment to lose. He lets go as her lifeless body falls to the ground besides me as I gasp and back up away from the body wanting no part in that.