Barrel

8

BARREL

“Eva,” Barrel whispered.

His hands were coated in blood as he snuck around, sniffing the air at something that smelled more pleasant than the encampment. It smelled like perfume but was profoundly natural and human.

He knew somewhere, deep in his soul, that it was Eva. The woman he was there to save.

The scent of the sea called to him. It was the salt of the air, the soothing rush of sand against your toes.

“Eva, my name is Barrel O’Connor,” he continued. “I was sent here by your aunt, General Nydia, to retrieve you.”

Barrel could smell her, but he didn’t want to startle her. He was already a bit shocked by her scent and the rousing sensation it encouraged in his chest.

He hadn’t felt that way in a long, long time … if ever.

“Watch out!” He heard her voice call out just as a machete hovered over his head. He smelled the tang of the man’s sweat at the same time, then held out a forearm, colliding with the handle of the weapon.

Barrel managed to shove the man backward, making him stumble into a gate behind him. Another man came for him, but he had time to shift into his bear form before another machete managed to connect.

He burst out of his clothing, splitting it into tatters. He grew a few feet taller, his amber-accented fur sprouting from his pores. He felt like he could finally breathe as his jaw cracked into place.

He rammed his way into the man charging him, head-butting his gut, so he flew forward into his friend at the gate. Barrel took no chances and went for the men with all his might, his claws protruding like ten knives.

He swiped at their throats without thinking twice. Their necks had lined up, and all it took was one s***h to the supple, thin skin of their throats to end the battle. A slit ran across each neck, with blood pouring out a steady stream onto their clothing.

They fell to the ground like rag dolls, a subtle thud to the packed ground. Adrenaline pumped through Barrel’s veins, and it took all of his conscious thought to stop himself from rampaging through the brothel and murdering every person in sight.

Eva was there, vulnerable, enclosed in a round container just behind him.

He grunted to himself, then shifted back. He pulled clothing from the backpack he dropped before shifting and quickly dressed. He didn’t want her first impression of him to be in bear form … then he wondered why he cared.

“All is well,” Barrel whispered, his gritty voice permeating the evening dim.

Eva lifted the top of the wood cask and stood, the very sight of her full form taking Barrel aback.

A woman with long luscious black hair and beaming blue eyes stared at him, exhausted and relieved. She was wearing pajama pants and a loose T-shirt. Despite the lack of form-fitting clothing, Barrel could tell she was fit and lean, which sent a shockwave of attraction through his body.

He had to blink heavily and clear his throat before speaking.

“Are you okay?” His voice was breathy.

Eva nodded frantically and carefully climbed out. Barrel stepped forward a little too late to help her, taking one hand and using the other to touch her waist.

Her scent engulfed him at the most inappropriate time.

She leaned away and frowned as he lingered, hand on her waist. He took the hint and stepped back, having to clear his throat again to regain composure.

“I think we can sneak out of here,” Barrel said. “I’ve got a friend nearby who will keep us safe for a few hours. Follow me.”

“Okay,” Eva murmured.

Even in the faint dark, her voice was like music to his ears. He hated the notes of fear he picked up within it and tried to center himself before heading out past the guards.

Eva followed closely behind him, crouching and stopping whenever he held out his hand to her. He felt like picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. The mere thought of her getting even remotely injured plagued his soul.

But despite being in prison for so long, he knew that physical force wasn’t the proper etiquette to use with a lady he wanted to impress.

Did he think of her that way?

They emerged from the city but stayed crouching, moving slowly through the bushes and trees of rural Okar.

Eventually, Barrel felt it was safe enough to stand up but wanted to continue along steadily. Eva straightened and glanced back at the town.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Barrel asked.

Eva nodded, which seemed to be an instinctive response for her. Barrel could only imagine what she had been through while he had traveled from the States to retrieve her. Horrors he was sure she could barely think about.

“I think so,” she replied.

They made eye contact for the first time, and Barrel felt a rush of blood flow to his d**k. He tried to shake it off, thinking it had just been so long since he’d been near an attractive woman.

“We can talk more once we get to Ahmed’s,” Barrel said.

Eva looked away, nodding again, then followed through the grass.

Barrel led the way, criticizing himself internally, wondering if he could have offered to carry her since her demeanor was so exhausted. But it wasn’t long before he arrived at his old friend’s place … a secluded wooded home where the man lived with his wife and child.

Barrel knocked on the door quietly, and his friend, who was significantly shorter since he wasn’t a shifter, embraced him around his chest.

Barrel was taken aback, unaccustomed to friendly embraces.

“My friend,” Ahmed said. “It is so wonderful to see you again. I’m sorry it isn’t under better circumstances.”

Barrel felt Eva staring at them, but her expression was indifferent. He pulled away from his friend and asked for a bedroom and a place where they could wash up. Ahmed nodded happily and ushered them inside.

Ahmed showed them into a bedroom with a single bed and an adjoining shower. After saying goodnight, the door was closed, and Eva and Barrel stood in silence.