TAINTED RED

Part 3

I ran for hours without stopping. My mate could not find me. I knew that if my enemies found him, I would not survive his death. Leah hadn't stopped pining for him, but I just kept running. Finally, just as the sun peaked its head over the mountains, I slowed down. I had small, un-noticeable hide-outs everyone. And it just so happened that I had one in this particular town.

I managed to reach the run down house without drawing attention to myself. I slipped in through the back door and then barricaded it. Once I was satisfied with it, I made my way to the hidden door. If anyone followed me, the state of the house would through them off track. My true hideout rested underneath it. Everything in it was state of the art. Opening the fridge, I spot a bottle of pure wolf whiskey. As tempted as I was to get good and drunk, I grabbed the bottle of bud light beside it.

Popping a tv dinner in the microwave, I scarf down the food. I would be safe here for a few days and then I would have to move again. It was fatal to stay for too long in one place. Lying on the couch, I turn the alarm on and let myself give into sleep. I don't know how long I slept, but within a heart beat I was awake. Something was wrong. Keeping my breathing and heart rate slow as if I was still asleep, I listen to the silence. Something or someone was in my hide out.

Using my wolf vision, I quickly spot a fairy asleep in my lazy boy recliner. Silent as a ghost, I slip over to him. Then, as quick as a viper's strike, I grab him and throw him onto the floor. His eyes snap open and he jumps to his feet. I turn the lights on and growled at him. It was the bartender from yesterday. I glare at him and stay where I was.

"What do you want?" I ask. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. What happened earlier?"

"Why do you care? Your kind doesn't really tend to worry about me." His silvery white eye brows arch higher and I silently kicked myself for slipping. He knew nothing about me or who I was. "Is that so? And just who are you?" I didn't answer; instead I stood up suddenly and walked to my kitchen. I knew he was following me but I didn't care. I wanted something to eat.

"You know, I have never met a wolf quite like you before that's for sure." He said with a chuckle. A soft growl sounded from me and he laughed louder. "I didn't mean anything bad by that." I tried to ignore him. Fairies hate you Jewel. Just like the rest of our world. I told myself as I concentrated on cooking. Soon, the aroma of eggs, bacon, and fluffy biscuits filled the air. Pulling two plates from a small cabinet, I fill them up and sit them on the table.

Nodding towards the one in front of me, I sat down and waited until he joined me. "You didn't have to fix me anything. I could have just popped over to my house and ate." I look at him and he shut up. "You're not very talkative are you?" He asked as I bit into a biscuit. I just shrug my shoulders. After that, we ate in silence.

"Why did you run when Darius Stetson howled?" I just sighed. Does he ever stop talking? I couldn't help but wonder. Darius Stetson. My mate. I liked his name. It sounded strong and pure. "What do you know about Darius Stetson?"

"Not much really. I know that he's the current alpha of the Dark Knights, and has been for the past seven years. He's single and looking, or so I hear." He quickly added when I gave him a dark look. Instantly he understood. "I know that he's after the person who killed his best friend three years ago." Now that got my attention, but I didn't let on.

"What happened?"

"Someone lured him into an alley. They must have known that Rico was a vampire because they emptied a whole clip of wooden stake bullets into his heart. The poor guy never stood a chance." I had to restrain myself from flying across the table and hurting him. Rico wasn't some "poor guy". He had been a murderer, and he got what was coming to him. "Who killed him?"