My Alpha, My Bodyguard

5.1 Vivienne

As soon as the threat of danger had passed, Vivienne felt her knees begin to shake as the shock wore off. Adrenaline that had flooded her body and dulled her terror, now had nowhere to go and was now stuck churning in her stomach and filling her throat with the bitter taste of bile. Thankfully officer Darryl, for all his flaws, knew not to say a single word while Vivienne processed the fact that – had Marcus not been there, had he been a second too slow – she would be dead.

They would both have been dead.

The taxi ride home was an eerie silence, the city's bustling afternoon sights visible through the window contrasting sharply with the tense atmosphere within the confined space of the backseat of the cab. Every time her eyes shut the actress couldn't help but replay the horrifying encounter in her mind. The flash of fire and searing heat, the breath knocked out of her by the force of the expulsion. It all combined with the memory of those photos and the stalker. The unsettling feeling of being watched, the threat of being violated by some unseen perpetrator.

Though Marcus sat beside her, his towering presence providing a modicum of reassurance, she couldn't help but sense his watchful eyes on her. Every so often, she caught glimpses of his stern profile, his stubbled jawline set in determination, and his forest-green eyes scanning their cramped surroundings for any lingering threat. His silence mirrored her own, as if both were lost in their own thoughts, the echoes of danger still ringing in their ears.

Vivienne's fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the strap of her purse, her gaze fixed on the passing cityscape outside the taxi window. The swarm of people clad in brightly coloured, fashionable attire had once inspired her, lured her in with dreams of being just like these successful men and women. Now that allure was replaced by a lingering sense of vulnerability that seemed to follow her wherever she went. It felt as though their eyes were watching her, even with their heads turned away. It was the kind of vulnerability that came from knowing someone had been lurking in the shadows, fixated on her every move, invading the privacy of her life as though they were entitled to every single part of her.

Wasn’t it enough that Liam had control of her life, now some unknown freak was trying to grasp the little pieces she’d struggled to keep for herself?

As the taxi pulled up to her front gate, Vivienne took a deep, shaky breath, her heart still racing so much that she barely heard Marcus pay the cab driver before slipping out of the car and to the other side where he opened the door. Thickly muscled arms curled around her back and scooped her off the faux-leather seats and into musky, forest-scented embrace.

“Sh, I’ve got you, baby,” Marcus murmured into her ear, seemingly unaware of the pet-name that had slipped off his tongue. Silently, Vivienne decided not to mention it either. This one thing. She could have this one thing for herself.

The house was just as they’d left it, and the perfectly untouched interior filled Vivienne with a sense of vertigo that didn’t abate when Marcus placed her on the couch. The clock on the wall ticked down the hour, and Vivienne stared at the hands pointing at the time. Had it truly been an hour? So little time had passed, and yet it felt like a week. It didn’t make sense that nothing had changed when so much had happened.

“Here. Drink this.” Vivienne stared at the cup of water that appeared in front of her eyes, the delicate glass held by hands so big that they practically covered the surface. Through the gaps in his fingers, she could see beads of condensation slipping down the chilled glass, and beyond that was Marcus’s concerned expression.

The man was kneeling in front of her, one knee propped up like one of those pictures of medieval knights or Victorian gentlemen paying their greetings to a frail noble lady. As charming as it was to see, Vivienne was a little put out to realize that she was the consumption-ridden ingenue in this scenario, but at least she had collapsed from a legitimate reason. Unlike the characters in those novels who fainted from such things as hearing a rude word, seeing a poor person in public, as well as all the copious amounts of arsenic, asbestos, and lead that were in their homes.

Dumbly, Vivienne allowed Marcus to deposit the cup in her hands, cupping his fingers around hers when it nearly slipped through a nerveless grasp. “Careful, please. Take small sips until you feel better.”

“Thank you,” Vivienne murmured inaudibly, but she couldn’t bring herself to drink. Not when she could barely breathe without feeling nauseous. "Um, Marcus," she began hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper, "I’s like to know…why did the police officer detain you back there?"

Marcus blinked at her, outwardly surprised to hear that question though he really shouldn’t have been Vivienne thought. Those officers had spoken to her bodyguard like they’d…not known him but known of him. Plus, there was all that stuff about the Blackmoon family and private protocol that non-shifters were not supposed to know off. It all sounded incredibly sketchy.

“It’s nothing you have to worry about,” Marcus replied, his green eyes softening when they met hers. “It will not impact my duties or my ability to protect you, I swear it.”

“That wasn’t what I asked!” Vivienne retorted, managing to surprise even herself with the force of her own anger. “Why did he talk to you like that, and what was all that suspicious s**t about the Blackmoons? I am so tired of sketchy things happening in my life that I cannot do anything about, so either tell me the truth or tell me to shut up!”

“I wouldn’t–!” Marcus started, and then he sighed deeply, his broad shoulders slumping in defeat. Vivienne could practically see him recalling the unpleasant encounter that had taken place right after she had left. It was so clear in the way his leafy green eyes, a gaze she had begun to see as a source of warmth and reassurance, were now filled with a mixture of guilt and frustration.

The brief flicker of pain that swam across his irises was so raw that, for a moment, Vivienne regretted asking at all.

"Listen," he began, his voice low and grave. "I don’t know how much Liam told you about…about me, and my circumstances.”

“Absolutely nothing,” Vivienne informed him wryly, feeling well enough to begin sipping from the water. It was such a small act, and yet the thick tendons in the man’s throat relaxed as though the sight of her hydrating was the weight of the world off his shoulders. “The only things I know about you are what you told me in the coffeeshop yesterday.”

In response to that, Marcus cursed under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. It looked like it hurt quite a lot. “Vivienne, I am no longer affiliated with a registered shifter pack.”

“Alright,” she nodded encouragingly, though her brows still furrowed with some confusion. “I thought bear shifters didn’t have packs. You’re supposed to be more…independent? I think?”

The left corner of Marcus’s lips tilted upwards in an uneven smirk, one that caused his nose to wrinkle and a devastating dimple to appear on his cheek. Vivienne might have forgotten the point of their conversation had he not continued talking. Marcus hesitated before answering.

"You’re right, bear shifters don’t really have packs. That’s more of a wolf ideal, but they are the most common of us and so their way of life is considered the default in most places. Other shifters are better at acclimatizing, but I chose to be unaffiliated which makes things harder for me.”

“You’re estranged from the other packs around here?” Vivienne inquired, and Marcus c****d his head to the left and right consideringly. “That doesn’t seem fair at all.”

“Estranged isn’t the word. Defected is a more apt description,” he informed her gently, even though this must have been painful to speak about he never once made her feel stupid for asking. Not the way Liam talked down to her, drawling his words and flaunting his ivy league college degree.

You only have a GED? Aw, that’s cute. Leave the thinking to the men, Vivi. It’s not like you’re any good at it.

“It means that I've chosen to live my life as an independent shifter,” Marcus went on, pulling her back into the moment. “I don't belong to any pack or shifter family, and I haven't for years. Not since I left the military. In many respects, it’s very freeing but it does mean that I am no longer under the protection or jurisdiction of a main pack. That's why they detained me. For all intents and purposes, I am a rogue alpha who overstayed his visit in a foreign territory. As rude as those officers were, their caution and suspicion were naturally warranted in this case."

Vivienne's eyes widened in realization, and a wave of worry washed over her. "I get it I think, but doesn't that put you in danger? Why didn't you tell me before?" Why hadn’t Liam? Actually, never mind, that was a silly question.

Marcus gave her a reassuring smile, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I didn't want to worry you, Vivienne. I can take care of myself. Besides, my main priority is and has always been protecting you. It’s my job. I'll deal with the situation and ensure you remain unharmed, no matter what. Rest assured; your safety is of absolute paramount importance to me."

The statement was sweet, but Vivienne couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment at the words. Was that really all it was to him? All that she was to him? A regular job?

Yes, obviously you dumb b***h, you just met him yesterday. Get over yourself!