Hidden Creek

Chapter Fourteen

Nik

I checked my watch for the tenth time. It’s been twenty minutes, where the hell did she go? My leg bounced anxiously as I sat on a hard bench in the hallway. “Sorry about that.” Haven came around the corner, eyes narrowed. “Bammiuk has a lot of opinions he should keep to himself.”

“Is everything taken care of?” 

“Yeah, it should be.” She smiled sadly and sat heavily next to me. “Sometimes I want to get away from here so badly I can’t stand it.”

“Then let’s go.” I interlaced my fingers through hers and pulled her up with me. 

She chuckled as she followed behind me. “Where are we going?” 

“Anywhere but here.” 

“And how am I supposed to know where to take us?” 

I shrugged. “You’re not. I’m driving, beautiful.”

“Oh.” She got on the back of her bike, motioning to me to get on in front of her. “Sko’den.” 

***

“Where are we?” She asked as she turned in a slow circle.

“Well, you took me to your favorite place. Here’s mine.” 

“An abandoned warehouse is your favorite place?” She chuckled. “I hope you didn’t bring me all the way out here to murder me.”

The first time I saw you, you were covered in blood, but somehow you’re still standing. I’d be an i***t to try to hurt you.“No.” I smiled at her, butterflies taking flight in my stomach as she smiled back. “My dad is an abusive d**k. My parents live about twenty minutes by bike from here. Whenever my dad would start in on us, I’d take off. One night, I found this place. Turns out, the owner moved to a bigger space in Anchorage and couldn’t sell the building. How many big business are there around here that need a space like this, you know?” I shrugged. “So I dubbed it Fort Warren. Whenever things got bad, I would bike over here and hide out until things calmed down.”

“That’s so sad, Nik...” She wrapped me in a hug with a sad sigh. 

I rested my chin on her head. “It’s okay. I was in therapy for a while and dealt with my feelings.”

“So, what do we do here?” She pulled back far enough to look up at me, but didn’t let me go.

“Come on, I’ll show you.” 

***

Haven

Why did he have to bring me to human territory? My nerves were frayed as we walked through the abandoned warehouse, every noise making my skin crawl. “It’s through this door.” He murmured. He yanked hard on the door three times before dropping his hand to his side with a huff. “It’s always been pretty tough to open.”

“Here, let me try.” I grabbed the handle and tested the strength of the bolts. Sturdy enough. With one yank, the door popped open.

“Hell yeah.” Nik looked at me in astonishment. 

“You loosened it.” I shrugged.

Nik chuckled as he rolled his eyes. “Sure I did.” 

Peeking inside behind him, there were lights strung up haphazardly. Cushions were strewn in the corner underneath a canopy, and a small table with a mini fridge sat a few inches away. “Wow, Nik... You did all of this when you were a kid?”

“Mostly when I was a teen. I brought the pillows over when I was a kid and take them back to my place once a week to clean them. The lights were when I was fourteen.” A light blush spread over his cheeks. “I thought it would make girls like me, but no girl wants to come to an abandoned warehouse with a weird, pimply fourteen-year-old.” He shrugged. “I hung the canopy when I was seventeen. Same reason. At that point, I didn’t like any girls enough to bring them here.”

“That’s adorable.” I whispered as I pulled him over to the neatly arranged pillows. “So, I’m the only girl you’ve brought here?” I asked as we reclined on the surprisingly plush and brightly colored puffs.

“Yeah... Not entirely by choice, but I’m happy it worked out this way.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up under the dim fairy lights.

“You should add some candles... Or... Maybe you should buy the warehouse and turn it into an industrial modern house. I mean, it’s not that big, and it’s been sitting here empty for years. The owner would probably be happy to sell it.”

He sighed and leaned back, pulling me to his chest. “I wish I had the money for something like that. Buying it would be less of an issue than funding a remodel.”

“Well, you would need a construction loan for some of the bigger projects. A plumber, a contractor, an electrician... Yeah, this would be a pretty extensive job...” Maybe I should buy it...

“I wish I had the money. There’s no one around for miles, and it sits on like fifteen acres.” 

“What if I bought it?” I sat up, pulling away only a little. 

Nik stared up at the ceiling, and after a long silence, he asked, “You have enough money for a project like that?”

“It’s family money, but yes. Most Native Americans don’t have much due to g******e, but my family was more resourceful than the average tribe. Much more brutal too. When the colonizers tried to take us out, they didn’t find it as easy. Eventually, they left us alone. We refused assimilation into colonist culture and held onto our old ways.” I smiled absentmindedly, thinking about my grandfather's stories that his grandfather had told him. “Eventually, our people were more empire than tribe. For a very long time.” Sighing, I leaned back into Nik. “Some bad s**t went down, though. Our tribe was decimated. We went from thousands of brothers and sisters down to twenty.”

“That’s horrible. What happened that killed that many of your people?” 

“Genocide.” I hissed. “White men aren’t the only ones who want to see great nations conquered.”

“This white man will do everything in his power to protect you. You’re terrifying and I’m sure you could take on anything in this world, but I promise I’ll be by your side no matter what it costs me.” Nik sounded so resolute, so certain. It broke my heart a little.

“Even if it costs you your humanity?” I whispered.

He laughed, shaking my head with each rise and fall of his chest. “Why do I get the feeling your completely serious?”

“Because I am.” I shrugged.

“Like I said, terrifying.” He tilted my head up with his finger. “Humanity is nothing. I’d give it all up for you.” Without a second thought, I pulled myself on top of him and kissed him deeply. All I could smell or taste was mint, and it was the most exhilarating thing I could imagine. “You smell like sunshine.” He murmured against my lips. The kiss deepened until all I could think about was ripping his clothes off. I split his shirt in half, tossing the tattered rag aside as he undid his belt. Our clothes littered the floor as I gazed down at him. 

Are you sure you want to do this? My stupid inner voice, always trying to take the fun out of life. It was euphoric, finally being with someone again after nearly five years. And it being someone who smells so divine... It was better than I could have imagined. Mark him. Mark him. Mark him! My inner wolf was screaming, begging me to make him officially and forever mine. No... I can’t turn him. Not without his permission. It’s not right... I collapsed next to him, sweat dripping down my chest. “Wow...” I whispered, completely unable to wipe the smile from my face. 

“Wow is an understatement. That was the most amazing s*x I have ever had in my life.” He chuckled breathlessly. 

Pulling my underwear on, there was a nagging at the back of my mind. Ven, we have new recruits here. Lyla is really coming through. Davidee severed the link, leaving me alone with Nik.

“I’m so sorry... I have to take you home. I need to get back to my brother.” I sighed.

“Oh... No, it’s okay. Was it... Was it not good for you?” Nik wouldn’t meet my eyes as he pulled his pants on. 

“I swear to god, it was amazing. My brother sent me a message that something is going on back at the house and I have to go deal with it. I’ll call you when I’m finished.” I stood on my toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Sorry about your shirt, by the way.” I blushed, looked down at the ripped blue tee.

“Totally worth it.” He smiled down at me. 

“Good. Let’s get you home.”