What's Beyond the Trees?

Chapter 17 BodyGuard

Raine's POV

I try to catch my breath, in hopes it might calm my rapidly beating heart, but the constant of being at the top of the hunting list, while always on the run, makes it very hard to calm down. I find myself not letting go but squeezing Cole's hand tighter between my two little hands, at least compared to his. He makes me feel better for the moment, or at least as good as I can feel right now. I scoot closer to him, feeling as if he is my last lifeline to seeing the morning, especially with all these men running around searching for me.

Maybe I just want him to be my last lifeline after that mesmerizing kiss.. I do talk too much sometimes and have been told to shut up in more ways than one, but that wasn't one of the ways used before and I just want to keep talking so he will shut me up again.. I know this is a life or death situation, but if this is the last moment of my life, I would rather be kissing him then scared and running for my life.

I can feel his hand tighten around mine before his thumb rubs gently over the top of my hand. I wrapped my other hand and arm around his strong muscle-filled arm, almost hugging my body against it. I can't help but lean completely against it just loving these nice affections that don't feel forced.. Who knows if he actually means any of this with me, but like I said, This is nice and I'm going to enjoy what I can when I can. I close my eyes trying to calm my heart with his amazing woodsy smelly musk that calms my soul on contact with my senses.

I feel as if I'm being stared at so instinctively, I open my eyes to see a smirking Orion. He wiggles his eyebrows at me playfully, silently making fun of me in this embrace I have made on my own. I roll my eyes, watching his eyes leave mine and traveling up, I get nervous, but don't let go of my lifeline. I look up, following Orion's gaze, that's now on Cole. He is staring straight down at me smirking, as I blush and move away, feeling embarrassed.. I try to let go of his hand, but before I can, he squeezes his hand tighter around mine before pulling me back into his side, just to wrap his arms around me.. and I let him.

Men that are yelling about tracks they can see slightly in all the mud is heard, but father down the hill where we just came from. I hold my breath as I feel Cole move us more into the darkest corner of the hut to hide as much as we can, being sitting ducks at the moment. We can hear the men getting closer and closer around the exposed side we came from, possibly about ready to come in so Cole presses me in more and more across the hut and farthest away from the door they would enter from, as we hear Orion state, "Take her Cole and protect her with your life.. The edge of the property is practically right above us, the mountain leads right to there.. Now go.. You have to make her or she won't go.. now go." He demands this, showing there is no room for negotiation.

My eyebrows furrow at that comment, causing me to shake my head as I try to let go of Cole to go to him, but he doesn't let me. "Orion you can't do this.. We can give them a run for their money." Cole tries to negotiate with him as he crosses his arms across his chest. "How many wolves do you smell out there? Because I'm catching a whiff of six, seven, maybe more. and I can hear some coming in the distance." Orion states in a soft whisper as we continue to listen to the men outside of the hut following our tracks around it. I can hear Cole sniffing in the air before looking around the hut then back to Orion.

"Yes at least eight, and I hear multiple coming as well." Cole responds as Orion instantly replies. "You're a strong man Cole, but you're injured so that would be sentencing you to death and we need someone to protect Raine.. She trusts you and obviously likes you whether she will admit it or not.. and I'm the only one capable of really taking these guys out, but I don't know if I can take them all out.. I just want to give you both enough time to leave this area.. and if I can, I will rejoin you.. but don't wait for me and please don't stay here.. I have dedicated my whole life to her and I won't stop now and I definitely won't let them have her.. Now go.. please."

"No no no no.. Please Ry don't do this please.. I can fight.. I can help.. So can Cole.. I won't leave you... I won't." I state feeling the tears brimming my eyes as he steps closer, saying to me. "Ray, you mean more to me then you will ever know, that's why I have to do this.. I won't let them use you and r**e you like a breeding b*tch.. You have no choice. I'm ordering you and putting my foot down.. Please go with him.. You know you feel within you, that he is a good man." I let out a wavering deep breath as the tears instantly fall. "Of course I can tell he is a good man.. But.. Ry, your all I have left, you can't leave me please." I whisper beg and plead with not just my words but eyes as well, showing him how much this is really going to effect me.. His iconic smirk appears across his face as he thinks for just a moment before leaning in kissing my forehead lightly then states, "You're the best annoying little sister I ever asked for and remember I won't ever leave you.. I will always be in your heart and mind.. and in the scar I gave you when we were sparring." He says playfully as I chuckle and nod before he adds. "Go Raine, you don't have much time.. I love you." I shake my head as I feel my heart beating out of my chest at the thought of leaving him here with those men out there, about ready to do what they can to him, just to get to me. I suck in sharp breath before trying to walk back to him but he just shakes his head and looks at Cole. "Go Ray.. protect yourself.. and Cole... You will have to do it.. You know what I'm implying." I look up to see Cole looking torn as he swallows the lump in his throat but nodding.. The confusion must be evident on my face, because I have no idea what they are talking about. I vigorously shake my head as I feel the grip around my hand tighten.

"I love you too, but I can't go.. I won't." I say with a determination in my voice, knowing I have to fight to help all of us out of this. Believe me, I'm more than willing to take that bullet for him just as he would for me.. But before I can even object more, I can see that Cole and Orion are staring intently at each other before Orion states, "You know what to do with her.." Cole nods. He picks me up throwing me over his shoulder, as I instantly start to kick and hit.. I reach out for Orion to help me down, but all he does is shake his head then blow me a kiss.

I push more on Cole the closer we get to the only little broken window that we could possibly fit through. Cole tightens his grip as he peaks out this broken window before putting me outside of it and on my feet. I try to run as he quickly grabs my hand and I shake my head, as he jumps out besides me. I try to jump and pull myself back into the window but Cole without hesitation, wraps his arms around my waist to pull me away from the window.

Not missing a second, he flips me right back over his shoulder like that's where I'm meant to be. I try to wiggle out of his hold just to jump down, but it doesn't seem like that is going to be possible with how tight his arms are holding me there. As we got further away from the hut, I can see the men loading into the hut from the front door as yelling and fighting can be heard. I can't see anything but I can't help but let the tears pour down my eyes, feeling as if someone is squeezing it harder than ever.

The farther we get the weaker I seem to feel in this heart-wrenching moment. We get far enough away, that I can't even see the hut anymore. The tears are endless at this point, I feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest as Cole sets me down to my feet. He bends down so we are face to face as I look away from him feeling mad that he would do that to me and not just me but Orion. "Please don't hate me Raine.. please. I just did what he commanded me to do and that's protect you, it's what's best for you." Cole begs me as I shake my head before spatting. "He was all the family I had left.. he is dead because of me.. I could have helped him if you would have let me stay.. This isn't fair."

"That would have been your death sentence Raine, you have to understand that!" He yells this at me as I gasp for air and admit the one thing I haven't said out loud, but always thought. "It was only my life.. My life means nothing to anyone, not even me.. I have nothing to live for, I have no one and nothing.. Just him.. He was my big brother. He was my family.. I would have rather go out helping him like he has always helped me, then run away.."

"You mean so much to many people, whether you know it or not.. You can't throw your life away like it's trash..." Cole says to me with a desperation in his eyes as I gasp for air letting the waterfall of tears continue down my face because I don't know how to stop it. I don't know what to say to him.

I let out a deep breath before spatting. "I only mean anything to anyone because of what I can give them.. No one actually wants me for anything else and I'm so much more than just a baby-machine and a name. Orion saw that and was the only one willing to see that.. and then he just threw everything away like trash to send me away... like I'm nothing.. I would have rather gone down by his side.. Why wouldn't he just let me fight with him?" I ask the question I really know why, but not wanting to face the facts because I hating thinking about it..

I feel lower than I have ever felt before. This hurts worse than my family died when I was a child.. I know that sounds horrible, but I never got to spend a whole lot of time with my family because of who we were, being royalty.. So Orion, has been my family my whole life, even when my family was still alive.. and the moment they were killed was a moment I will never remember because of how horrific and young I was, my brain blocked the memory.. I had Orion to catch me up on any questions I had, but I put those memories to the back of my mind and left them there.. I was not that involved in the first place.. But with this, I was involved with all of it, so I feel like Orion ripped a huge part of my heart out when he told us to leave, staying behind for me.

"He was protecting you and I told him I would too." Cole tries to explain and I get it. I just feel so much anger building up inside of me that I don't want to believe it.. I shake my head and hitting his chest before retorting with so much pain laced through all my words. "You're protecting me by helping my best friend sacrifice himself?" He looks so sad as he says right back to me. "I know it doesn't fix any of this but I promise I will protect you. I'm not trying to use you.. But I will take anything that I can with you, not because of your name or what you can offer, but because of the amazing person you are." I can't help but cry out in pain as I crash my body to his just needing some type of comfort in this devastating moment.

I just lost the one person I was hoping I would always be able to count on for the rest of my life, not just part of it. I of course always knew there would be an chance of him dying for me, being my bodyguard and all, but I never imagined that would actually happen no matter how long we had to run for. "Raine, I'm so sorry.." Cole says to me as I cry more until we hear more voices and gun shots in the distance. It sounds like yelling as he looks down at me with concern in his eyes. "Raine, we have to go.. You can have all the time you want to hate me and mourn with the safety of my family, but we need to go now or we will both die and Orion's sacrifice will be all for nothing.

I nod at him as I turn around to walk up the hill but he doesn't take that, he throws me over his shoulder again just to try to jog up the hill and away from all the chaos that I can hear but not see with it being so dark out.