Survivor

Chapter 25

Her inner clock jolted Nikita awake.

Adrenaline shot through her, making her tense up for a moment before she realised where she was. Taking a deep breath in, she had to forcibly calm herself. It would take some time before her body and brain would actually understand that she wasn't in any danger when she woke up. That she didn't have to fight anymore. Blinking into the dimly lit room, she turned her head and looked to her right.

Her breath caught at the sight. Ruby was laying on her front, facing Nikita, her fiery hair spread behind her on the mattress. The blanket must have slid down, while they slept, it was barely covering her ass. The light of the sunrise basked her naked back in gold, making her skin glow. Asleep, all the exhaustion and anger that had contorted her face before were gone. She looked so vulnerable and something deep inside Nikita wanted to keep her this peaceful. Protect her from everything that could hurt her.

Propping herself up on an elbow, she slowly stretched out a hand. The moment Nikitas fingers connected with Rubys skin, she felt her heart calm down. Nothing had ever felt more right than this. Like it was where she was supposed to be. She trailed her fingers over her back and the curve of Rubys ass, before following her spine back up.

"Don't stop."

The mumbled words were barely audible and slurred from sleep. Nikita froze for a moment, but besides the two words, Ruby didn't move. She hadn't even opened her eyes, but a content sigh escaped her when Nikita continued to drag her hand over her back. A smile pulled at the corners of Nikitas mouth. She lifted her hand and gently tucked a curl behind Rubys ear. Hesitating for a second, she moved her fingers down and lightly caressed Rubys cheek. A warm feeling curled in Nikitas stomach, when the woman leaned into her touch, a deep breath leaving her.

At the sudden, loud ringing of Rubys phone, both of them flinched. Ruby groaned, as she opened her eyes and rolled over to be able to reach the nightstand. Nikita couldn't help but stare. Freckles were darted all over her body and a few red lines had been pressed into her breasts from the mattress. Her gorgeous belly looked so soft, so different to her own, which was covered in scars. Her thighs were strong, meeting in nest of red curls and Nikita had to force herself to avert her gaze, swallowing hard. But it was Rubys smell, intensified by sleep, that made Nikita close her eyes in bliss. With every deep breath, she felt her insides relax more, until all that filled her head was the woman beside her. Ruby smelled safe. Like home.

The bed creaked when Ruby sat up more, leaning back against the headboard. She shot Nikita a big smile, still gloriously naked, before answering the phone and Nikita knew that was it. That was all it took, for her to realize that she was utterly smitten for this brave woman with the fiery curls and the pale green eyes. She had no idea how it had happened, especially in such a short time. But it didn't matter. She was totally gone for Ruby and the thought made her nearly flow over with that warm feeling, like the sun was inside her chest.

Nikita could hear that it was a man on the phone, faintly remembering his voice from back at the camp. She would have been able to understand what he said, but she didn't care enough to concentrate on the conversation. Instead she laid back down, scooting over to Ruby. Her nose was touching Rubys hip and she inhaled deeply, sighing at the peace that the woman brought her. Lifting her arm, she put her hand on Rubys thigh, trailing her fingers over her skin. Something inside Nikita had changed with her realization, like now that she knew, she was drawn to Ruby like a magnet. She needed to be close to her, to touch her, to breathe her in. It was totally out of her control, some old instincts, she never knew about. But even if she could have resisted this intense need, she wouldn't have wanted to. This was peace. Ruby was peace. Something she hadn't felt in so long.

Nikita had closed her eyes, listening to Rubys soothing voice, when she felt fingers run through her hair. A quiet, blissful sound escaped Nikita when Ruby scraped her fingernails over Nikitas scalp. The feeling was wonderful, lulling her into an even more relaxed state and after a few moments she began to purr. It wasn't a conscious decision, simply a reaction to being so content and peaceful. Rubys fingers came to surprised halt and her body shifted slightly on the mattress as she looked down at Nikita. After a moment Ruby continued her massage, focusing on the phone call again. Her surprise made Nikita smile. Seemed like the others hadn't told her that shapeshifters could make most sounds of a jaguar even in their human form.

Rubys body suddenly tensed up, her muscles tightening under Nikitas fingers. She opened her eyes and peered up, meeting Rubys gaze. With furrowed brows she said a few more words, before hanging up. There was a moment of silence and Nikita sat up, facing Ruby.

"Nikita, do you remember Jack? Him and I are the founders of our organisation. He just called and told me that a family contacted him. They heard about the place where you had to fight being shut down and about the running investigation by the police from the news. They asked if we rescued any jaguars from that place and when he said yes, they asked him if he knew anyone by the name Nikita." Ruby leaned forward and laced her fingers with Nikitas, that were still resting on her thigh. "When he said that you were with me, they told him that they're your parents. That your family is waiting for you."

Nikita froze. She stared at Ruby, unable to move even a single muscle. Shock rushed through her and her voice was shaky when she finally spoke.

"What?"

"Your family is looking for you, Nikita. Jack gave them my number and they should call soon, so you can talk to them."

Intense guilt surged through Nikita. So much had happened since she got out of the fights, she hadn't even thought about her parents. Now though, Nikitas eyes teared up at the desperate longing that filled her, the kind that only existed between a child and its mother. Digging her teeth into her lip, she bit down hard, trying to hold back the tears. When Rubys phone rang again, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Ruby looked at her with a compassionate expression, as she held it out to Nikita. Taking it, she stared at the numbers on the screen and took a deep breath, before accepting the call.

"Nikita?"

The moment her mother's voice reached her, she full on sobbed. She couldn't even answer, as the tears streamed down her face, making her vision blurry. Her hands trembled from the sheer relief of hearing her mother talk to her. She never thought she would ever hear from her family again, let alone see them. That hope was lost a long time ago, but now it came crashing back, wrenching another sob from her lips.

"Nikita, ususiy, is that you?"

Taking in a shuddering breath, Nikita braced herself to speak.

"Yes, mamay. It's me. I- ", she forced herself to calm down, taking a few shaky breaths. "I missed you so much, mamay."

"We missed you too, ususiy. The thought of having lost you broke our hearts, but we never gave up hope. Come back, Nikita. We need you here, together with us."

Nikita immediately nodded even though her mother couldn't see her and felt Ruby squeeze her hand. She looked up and saw that the woman had put on her shirt, the blanket covering her lower half. Leaning towards her, Ruby gently wiped away the tears on Nikitas cheeks. A tiny smile tucked at the corners of Rubys mouth as they looked at each other, before she nodded as well. And with that Nikita knew that they would go together, even though neither of them had spoken.

After talking a bit more with her mother, Nikita told her she would catch the earliest flight that was available and that the woman who had helped her would come with her. Her mother was excited about meeting Ruby, wanting to properly show her gratitude for saving her daughter. It turned out her family never knew why Nikita had just suddenly vanished. They didn't know about the fights, until it was published in the news yesterday, the place being hundreds of kilometres away from their home. It had devasted them to learn about the fights, their hearts breaking at the thought of their child having to go through such horror.

Nikita hesitated, when it was time to hang up. It was silly, but she feared that if she ended the call her mother would be gone. That all of this had just been a dream and she would wake up any moment, laying on the hard concrete in her cage, surrounded by pain and death. The choice was taken from her when her mother hung up. She stared at the black screen, a single tear dripping from her lashes, landing on the glass. Gentle hands took the phone out of her clawing grip. Nikita lifted her gaze at Ruby who looked at her for a moment, before leaning forward and pulling her into a hug. For a second Nikita didn't move, stiff in the unfamiliar embrace. She hadn't been hugged in so long. But then she sighed, all her pain and exhaustion lingering in that sound. Nikita crumbled against Ruby, her arms wrapping around her tight. She pressed her face into Rubys neck, breathing in deeply. Her scent calmed her down, loosening the hard knot in her stomach.

They stayed like that for a long time.