Lost Tribrid

Chapter 3

It couldn’t be possible, I just knew it wasn’t true! Man couldn’t turn into a wolf, let alone a wolf turning into a man. The thought alone is absolute insanity! As though I had stepped foot in the artic my body was overwhelmed by the chills coursing down my spine. No matter what I thought I saw or didn’t, we still wouldn’t survive. Jeremy had speed that couldn’t be matched by any man, I was sure. Not that I had seen the man run, but the length at which he could cross a whole house in the matter of seconds. Told me that he would have us both trapped in this house without even the belief of escape. Poor Rick would be killed all because he was, what worried about me? I couldn’t be consumed with those thoughts, knowing I would never have the truth. Rick came and he could never spill the truth or lies as Jeremy would make me watch him drain the life from his body. When the cold damp earth touched my feet, I was brought out of the numerous thoughts invading my mind. Rick placed me ever so gently on the ground as he lightly held both my shoulders in place.

“You will run and don’t stop until you get into town.”

Jaw dropping to the floor, baffled by what he had the balls to even suggest.

“You have no idea the man that he is. You will not survive and I shall never be free.” The words flowed all too easily.

Looking around, I wasn’t sure how we had gotten so far away from the house and Jeremy was not even in sight. Begging Rick with my eyes to just listen to what I was saying. No matter the blow, his ego would feel he had to understand Jeremy was a born killer.

Though I had never seen him kill a single soul. Using my body as his daily punching bag gave me a front row seat to his body’s every feature. Though he wasn’t a muscularly large man, he had enough meat to be considered strong. I wasn’t tall by any means, so towering over my small form wasn’t hard. That didn’t mean I still didn’t notice his over-six-feet tall frame, one that clouded light from my view often.

“I can handle myself and you clearly can’t. I have no idea how no one knew but you will not be in such a marriage. Do you hear me Skylar?” Rick started to shout, “you are a divorce lawyer and should have escaped the first time he laid a hand on you.”

I couldn’t keep his gaze, the pity was a look that I couldn’t stand to see. I knew how worthless and pathetic I was, but that didn’t mean I needed a reminder. Being angry at anyone for pointing out your flaws were natural. Wanting to lash out and expose his flaws, I had observed over the year. I couldn’t bring myself to be so unkind. Hell he was risking his life to save me, right? This wasn’t being naïve to trust that he magically found me to grant freedom. Rick wasn’t playing me for a fool to give Jeremy a new chase game to bring new thrill to his seeming dual life, right? How does one decide what is monumentally stupid or blindly true? Not sure what to do or which answer would be the right course. All I could do was nod as I pushed all the pain to the furthest corner of my soul. I could deal with that when I made it away from this place, not that I had a clue about where it would be safe.

Rick smiled at me before I slowly turned and started to walk toward town. Walking this path many times to get back and forth to work. I would know the way even if I no longer had the gift of sight. Today it felt like a maze, no way was the right way. No matter the turn I chose, it was wrong. Walking in circles processing outcomes that were yet to come, hoping to lessen the blow before it struck. Once, a sense of settlement seeped in a hand lightly touched my shoulder. Trembling, I turned my head, knowing his horrific grin would be in my face. My breath frozen in my chest, willing my lungs to give out from the burn. Thankfully, I let go of the air when it was still Rick before me all alone in the small forest of trees.

“You aren’t going to get anywhere looking like that. Please tell me you can access at least some resources?” Rick inquired.

I didn’t have to reply because my face would say it all. Always giving way the response because I couldn't even fully form it in my mind. He just shook his head in what appeared to be frustration. He had no idea how frustrating it truly became.

“Take this and get as far away as possible. I will make sure that all your paychecks are held,” Rick smiled as he placed a small wallet in my hand.

Struggling to gain all the strength and composure I could muster, I leaned in to embrace his waist. The human touch still making my body scream to duck for cover. I couldn’t withhold the need for him to feel how grateful I was, because I could never put it in words.

Rick hugged back though it was a ghost of a touch not enough to even register. Loud growling shook the trees and I knew he was here. My body no longer registered any command I demanded. Rick’s face became more and more impatient the longer I stood frozen to my spot in the damp grass.

“Skylar, what the hell are you doing? Get out of here. You don’t want to see what happens.”

Rick pleaded as his words carried through the air. A whisper so far away, its muffled form couldn’t be understood. That was until a presence so dark took over the forest and my body began to burn. Death had descended and with him he brought his scourers to collect their debts. Expecting to see pure terror on Rick’s face, but it was all but a s**t eating grin. Wanting to react as though this proved he was in on the scheme this entire time. I couldn’t because my body was still blazing with heat. Had I caught a chill so fast just by the small amount of exposure to the chilled air? No, it couldn’t be that because I was sweating or freezing at the same time. It just felt like someone had lit my insides on fire. That carried hope, satisfaction, love, want, lust and desire to the fore front of my brain. What the hell was happening that the grim reaper himself could elicit such a reaction? All thoughts were pushed down when Jeremy came charging into sight, not sweating or breathing heavily. One wouldn’t even know that he had just run such a distance by his current appearance. When my grey eyes locked with his brown, it was all too clear that it was now or never. I wouldn’t get this chance again and we all knew I wouldn’t even make it to his house alive. Leaving it all too easy for him to murder and bury my body without a soul to question his actions.

One last deep breath and my body turned to the sight of which I knew would be pure evil once it stepped into the moonlight. A dark shadow as death, himself unsure of which soul he would be collecting. Most satisfied with three to pay his pence in greater strides, but my body didn’t seem to fear the black soul. Begging and drawn to be touched by this creature and it could only be from the year of wishing for his arrival. My soul and body creating a tether to death as I would know exactly how to prepare for the moment he lashed out. Growling sounded from behind me but I didn’t have the desire or stomach to turn around and watch Rick take a beating that wasn’t his to bare. Lost in the world of question and confusion, never to really know how to move, act or feel. Curiosity always wins when the sound of a tree colliding with the earth shakes the floor. I glanced behind to see both men in a heap on the forest floor, neither moving but both breathing. Sneaking away to make as little noise as possible in hopes Jeremy would stay down long enough for me to find transportation to the furthest corner of the earth. However, I collided with a tree as I never turned to see where I was going when deciding it was time to leave. My eyes slowly scanned the sight before me. As it was not a tree but a lean and muscular masculine body. Taking my breath away for more than one reason!

“Take this and ask for the first bus leaving in the next fifteen minutes,” the sexy draw made my body melt. “You shall never endure what you already have. As though it were a miracle, I need you to move on and you shall see just how beautiful you truly are.”

If his voice weren’t enough to put me into a puddle, those sexy and demanding blue eyes would. This man was so tall it hurt my neck to look up the full length of his body. He had just called me beautiful but more alarmingly, so he knew I faced trials of pain. The look was written all over his face and though I wanted to ask. I couldn’t because just maybe he could help Rick and then Jeremy could finally face judgement. The thought of never having to deal with him brought the first smile I could ever remember experiencing. Looking at those beautiful blue eyes one last time, as I knew these would be the start to fight away the nightmares at night.