Hidden Truth

Chapter 8

Blake

It was quiet as we walked back to the house. This girl nearly got herself killed by ferals if I hadn't gone to check on her earlier in the night. When I got up to grab a drink, I decided to check on Claire before going back to bed. It was a habit now to make sure she was doing okay. Looking at her empty bed I almost lost it. I couldn't believe she managed to escape right under our noses. She probably planned this all day.

When I found her under those two ferals my heart dropped. I lost it as I ran to her side and tackled the feral sitting on top of her. She tried to help me when the second feral came after me, but he got a good hit in. What surprised me was when she put up that barrier to protect my back. That's when I knew I had to be honest with her. She needed to know who she was before she hurt someone.

I also couldn't get our close encounter out of my head. Having her against that tree, it made me feel things I shouldn't be feeling. I felt my body relax against her, a kind of relaxation I haven't felt in a long time. She made me feel wanted. Like I belonged and wasn't some monster. Resting my head on her shoulder, I could feel her pulse. I wondered what she tasted like. I heard her kind had sweet blood, which is why ferals like to keep them as prisoners.

I tightened my grip as I pulled Claire's body closer to mine. It relaxed me knowing she was close by. I felt her eyes look up at me, but I just kept walking. I couldn't lose her too. Soon the house came into view, and we walked around to the back door. Sliding it open I gestured to her to enter before I followed. Flipping the lock, I walked past her and headed for the stairs. Her footsteps followed me as I walked upstairs.

"Blake your back," I heard her whisper behind me.

"It's fine," I shrugged it off and walked her to her room. Opening her door, I walked in and stood in front of her bed.

"No, let me look at it." She shut the door and tried to go around to my back, but I turned to stop her.

"Claire, really I'm fine."

"Blake sit your ass down and let me look at it," she growled out. The only person to talk to me like that was my mother. There was something attractive about Claire ordering me around. Slowly I sat on the edge of her bed, and I watched her walk into her bathroom. The water ran for a few seconds, and soon she walked out with a damp washcloth.

Without saying a word, she crawled in the bed behind me. I felt her knees brush against my lower back, and she pulled herself closer to me. She placed her left hand on my back as she dabbed the wet cloth over the wound. Feeling her skin on mine left a weird feeling in my stomach. I wanted more.

"It looks pretty deep," she winced as she wiped up the dried blood. Her hand left my back and I felt cold. She climbed off the bed and stood in front of me. I glanced up to look her in the eyes. She looked worried, and I tried to reassure her that I was going to be fine.

"Here, let me clean up that blood," she whispered and knelt down in front of me. Slowly she took the washcloth and ran it over my chest. I leaned back on the bed, using my hands to hold me up. I watched as she went lower and wiped the little bit of blood above the hem of my shorts. Her hand lingered there for a few seconds before pulling away. "I never thanked you," she said as she stood up and looked at the ground, "for saving me tonight."

I stood up and reached out to her. Grabbing her chin, I forced her eyes to meet mine. "I would gladly do it again." Her eyes lowered, landing at my lips. I knew what she was thinking. "I promised I'd explain, but you should get some sleep first." I let her face go and turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm.

"Don't leave," she pleaded, "stay with me, please." Looking over my shoulder she gave me a pleading look. I knew she was probably just scared after being attacked, but I hoped it was more than that.

"Sure," I nodded and walked over to the couch. Taking a seat, I rested my arm over the back and watched her walk to her bed. She slipped her shoes off and unzipped her coat, throwing it to the floor. Claire glanced from the bed to the couch and back to the bed before walking towards me. She took the seat next to me and leaned her back against the arm rest, facing me.

I raised my eyebrows at her, and she just shrugged saying, "I'm not tired." I looked at the clock checking the time before smiling at her.

"Want to go watch the sun rise," I asked. Her face lit up as she nodded happily. "Come on," I said as I stood up and started walking to her door. I heard her rushing behind me and she wrapped her little arm around mine. Glancing down her eyes were brightly locked on me, waiting for me to lead her.

Walking through her door I turned towards my room and led her inside. Shutting my door, I looked down to make sure she was okay. I didn't want her feeling uneasy being closed in a man's room, alone. "You good," I asked. She nodded and I led her to the balcony.

"That is such a pretty view," she exclaimed as she let go of me to stand by the balcony railing. She looked out over the forest as the sun slowly started to rise over the peaks. The sun was shining over her hair, making the golden streaks shine brightly. I saw goosebumps rising on her arms and turned back into my room. I grabbed the throw blanket off my recliner and brought it out to Claire. I draped it over her shoulders, making her jump a little.

"Sorry," I said as she pulled the blanket tighter around her body. "Here take a seat," I pointed to the little patio couch as I took a seat in my chair. She walked over and sat down pulling her feet up to her side and she leaned against the side. Her eyes are focused on the rising sun, as the sky changed from dark blue to a mix of pink and yellow. I could see her body finally relax and the past few hours became a distant memory.

I was hoping she wouldn't ask any questions. I wasn't ready to talk about it until I spoke with my brothers first. I was dreading telling my father, I knew he would be disappointed if I let this happen. For some reason I always screwed shit up. Looking back at Claire she seemed content sitting here in silence.

After a few minutes I broke the silence. "Hey Claire," I called out. She turned her head to glance at me before I asked her, "would you like something to drink? Tea or maybe coffee."

"Tea sounds good," she smiled and thanked me before turning back to the sunrise. I got up and was about to walk out when she stopped me. "Just a little milk, please."

"You got it Doll," I smiled and ruffled her hair. She swatted me away and tried to fix her hair as I walked out laughing. Shutting my door, I looked over to my brothers' rooms to see if they were awake yet. All seemed quiet as I walked down the hall, closing Claire's door on the way.

Walking into the kitchen I grabbed a cup and the tea pot. It has been a while since I made tea but how could I fuck that up. When the kettle started to sound, I poured the hot water into the cup and let the tea bag sit.

"Well look who's up," Tony's voice sounded from the kitchen doorway. I looked over to him and shook my head. "You look like shit bro," he said as he took a seat at the counter. I turned around to grab the milk from the fridge when Tony shot up.

"What the hell happened to your back," Luke yelled from the doorway.

Shit, I sighed and turned back to my brothers. "Some shit happened last night. I'm glad you guys are up so we can talk." I poured the milk into Claire's glass and squeezed the tea bag as my brothers sat down. "So, Claire tried to escape last night. I found her in the woods heading towards the old cabin. There were two ferals on her, but I took care of them."

"Is she okay," Tony asked.

I nodded and continued, "but we have a problem."

"What kind of problem," Luke asked. "Is it more ferals?"

"No. While I was fighting them off, she used her powers to form a barrier around me."

"Shit," Luke breathed out. "We have to tell dad."

"I know, I plan on calling him later." I put the milk away and stirred her tea. Placing the spoon in the sink I grabbed her cup and headed for the doorway. "I have to bring this to her," I called out and left.

I thought about what I was going to tell my dad as I made my way back to Claire. Opening the door, I called out to her but there was no response. I quickly ran to the balcony hoping she wasn't gone again, but she was still on the little couch. Her breathing was slow, as she let out a little snore. Smiling down at her I sat in my seat and sipped her tea while I looked out over the horizon. Hopefully she stayed asleep long enough so I had time to make a call.