High Tempers
1270 Words
Kristen's POV
“Let me take you home,” he offered when he got to where I stood.
“You allowed the creature to escape,” I accused.
“I didn't. It disappeared,” he defended in irritation. It was obvious that he was unhappy about how everything played out but nor was I.
“How is that possible?” I asked. I had never seen anything like that in my life and I couldn't help but wonder if that would be the first and only time I would.
“How would I know? We both saw everything that happened,” he replied. He turned back to look at the river. “Are you sure it disappeared and not that it went into the water?”
“I'm sure,” I replied. “Something white appeared in its midsection and it was as if the white thing swallowed it.”
“That's crazy,” he said. “Now, we have no idea what it is, what its mission was or who sent it. Thanks to you.”
“Me? How is it my fault that you didn't pay attention to it when you were supposed to?” I asked in surprise.
In response, he held up his palm and I remembered where I had bitten him earlier. “I sensed it from the moment it was in the woods and I was trying to follow its movements but you wouldn't keep your mouth shut. That was why I had to cover your mouth,” he explained.
“You could have just told me to be quiet,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow at me and I remembered. “Oh. You did. Sorry then.”
“Yeah. Let's go,” he said and started walking towards the woods.
“Go where?” I asked but I didn't follow him.
He stopped and turned around. “Where else? I'm taking you home.”
“What makes you think I'll go with you?” I asked. “I came out here all on my own and I don't need anyone taking me back.”
“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He asked, obviously frustrated.
“I'm not,” I declared.
He gestured to my shoulder. “You'll lose a lot of blood if you don't attend to that soon. Stop being stubborn and let me take you home. It's no big deal.”
“I'll walk home on my own,” I said. I put those words into action but I barely made it past the tree that served as a cover for me earlier before I started feeling dizzy. The next steps I took moved me sideways instead of forward. Something solid supported me by the side and I turned to face him. Our faces were so close that I could feel his breath on mine. His lips were in dangerous proximity and it took every willpower I had to take a face away. I pulled away from him with such force that my injured shoulder paid the price and I groaned in pain as I drifted to my other side. His hands caught me and I knew better than to object this time. He put one hand around my waist and instructed me to put my uninjured hand around his shoulder. That got uncomfortable for both of us at one point and he offered to carry me which I accepted because I was too weak. Even though I would never admit it, I liked the way his hand felt on my butt. I stayed silent for most of the time it took us to get to my house and the exceptions were the few times I asked him questions about himself that he easily ignored. I didn't have the strength to argue with him so I let him be. We got to the front of my house and he knocked on the door softly. There was no response and he moved his hand to knock again but I stopped him. I tried the door handle with my free hand and it opened, just as I expected.
A huge figure was standing in the doorway and I looked up to see my father's face set in stone.
“What the hell is going on here?” He asked no one in particular.
“She's injured and I brought her home,” my savior replied. I squirmed in my arms and it took him a few seconds to realize that I wanted to get down. He let me go gently and I wobbled a bit when my legs touched the ground. I managed to steady myself with my hand on the doorway. Just then, my father noticed my shoulder and the expression on his face changed swiftly from irritation, to shock, to anger. But I could tell that not all of that anger was intended for me. He moved closer and supported me with his hands, carefully avoiding my injured shoulder.
“Where were you with my daughter and how did she get injured?” My father demanded in anger.
“I wasn't anywhere with her. I was swimming in the river by the woods when she showed up there,” my savior replied.
“Bullshit,” my father countered. He was visibly angry so much that the veins on his neck stood out. “You're Jacob, aren't you? The one who killed his parents.”
In all my life, I had never thought anyone's anger could match my father's, but the anger I saw in my savior’s eyes at my father's statement was even worse than his. He looked like he could strangle my father right there and then but from looking at both of them, I didn't think that was actually possible.
“I'm done here,” Jacob said and turned to go.
“You will stand and face me when I'm talking to you,” my father said in his usual authoritative tone.
Jacob turned back. “Or what? I'm not one of your pack members that you can toss around anyhow.”
“I can have your neck for that statement,” my father threatened. And I knew he meant it. The tension between both men was becoming thick and although I didn't know my savior very well, I knew my father well enough to know what would happen if the tension didn't abate.
I stepped in between them and said, “Dad. Please, stop. He's telling the truth. I ran into the woods after our argument and I met him swimming in the river. A creature suddenly appeared out of the woods and attacked us but he managed to kill it.”
“How come you are injured then?” My father asked, his attention still on Jacob.
“My fault,” I replied. “Jacob tried to protect me before the creature even attacked but I didn't know it and I got in his way.”
My father said nothing for the next few moments and watched his expression to see what he might do next.
“Fine,” he said, finally. “I don't believe your story but I'll let it go.” He turns to Jacob. “As for you, I don't want to see you anywhere near my daughter ever again. Ever. She's way out of your league so don't even dream of it. Be gone before I change my mind about letting you go scot-free.”
“Whatever,” Jacob said and walked away.
As it turned out, I did not see him for the next two weeks.
- Writer
