Impending Mate, The Moltiare Collection: Bk2 (Sample)(Available on Amazon/SW)

Prologue

They led her down a dark hall, chained and shackled, keeping her there for all the running she did, not the crime they thought she committed. Innocent until proven guilty and she was innocent to a certain degree. A year was what they wanted from her for all of the chasing that she made them do, and for that she couldn’t argue. In time she had even turned that year into eight months, eight extenuating months that had her wolf aching for a run.

Running was what she did, and she did it well, but over the past two years she had grown tired. Tired of all the hiding, the worrying, no family or friends to truly turn to, no shoulder to lean on.

She was ready to settle, to start over, to make something out of herself, and she supposed that she had quite a few people to blame for that, quite a few people that she hadn’t seen in months. She wondered would they recognize her when they noticed that there wasn’t a smile on her face, or that the scars had all but disappeared from the time that they had found her, bloodied, and broken on the forest floor. Would they recognize her when she showed up on their doorstep?

They didn’t know that she was being released. They didn’t know that after today, there was no more running, no more worry, and best of all? No record. The lawyer they found had struck a deal with the judge. Since she had been so young and without proper guidance, they had agreed to pardon her of all crimes if only she served the time without incident.

Other than having to answer a few questions, and listen to the toe-curling stories of her cellmates, keeping the peace had never been the problem. It was knowing that there was someone waiting for her on the other side, and know that he wouldn’t be there when she got out, but for that she only had herself to blame.

She had the chance to tell him, to tell all of them, but she chose not to. There was something that she had to do, someone that she had to see before she could go home. After all it wasn’t the authorities she had been running from. It was her past.

“Here’s your dress. You can change in that room on the right.” The corrections officer placed a small pile of clothing in her hands, “Someone will be here to let you out shortly.”

The chains and shackles were removed before they closed the door behind her, leaving her hands free to roam the fabric in her hands. She remembered seeing the yellow sundress before, though she had never worn it. Until now it had only been a picture in her mind, something that only appeared in a dream, but a dream that stood with her the more time passed. Now, as the smooth fabric glided over her midsection and stopped to sway over her knees, it had become a reality more prominent that ever.

“Right this way.” Another officer opened the door to the room and placed a hand on her arm to lead her down the hall.

The light grew brighter with every step that they took; leaving her to imagine that she was emerging from this pit of darkness feeling new and refreshed, but when the last door opened and the breeze blew past her, her heart ached.

She longed to break out in a run, to let her wolf take over, but that wasn’t an option for now. She longed for someone to be there to greet her with open arms and affection, but the only man that stood before her was the same man that had risked his life to save her, even knowing that he could not take the credit for it.

His black slacks had been replaced by a pair of dark wash, blue jeans, and his button up shirt was a light shade of green, but she knew that behind the reflective sunglasses, there were the same golden eyes. Under the clothing, there was the same strong arms and kind heart that had carried her back to safety and back to her mate.

“I thought vampires weren’t supposed to stand in the sun.” she began as the officer disappeared back into the building.

“We can, it’s just not recommended.” He gave a smile as his hands hid inside of his pockets.

Her lips slid into a grin, “Darrius.”

“Allison.” He nodded and motioned to the car behind him, “Shall we get going then?”

She returned the nod, “Yes, and thank you.”

His eyebrow rose above the rim of his glasses before she went on to explain, “You saved my life, without credit, and you came here today out of duty yes, but at my request you’ve kept it secret from my family. I don’t know how to…”

“Don’t.” he ordered softly, “You saved my life as well, and I am here because a friend asked me to be here. Duty has nothing to do with it, and though I haven’t always been on the best of terms with your kind. I am civil enough to know when one has earned my respect…”

He stopped to open the passenger side door, “And friendship.”

She grinned as she lowered herself into the seat. Friend was a strong word between a Shifter and a Vampire, and for him to consider her one meant a lot seeing as she had so very few at the moment. Even so it was strange to think that only months ago they had met each other in silence.

He had been waiting for her to talk, and at that time she had no plans to do so. She knew that he had expected her to open up just as her sister did, but she no longer worked like that. At the time she didn’t trust him, in fact she hadn’t trusted most people, but that had changed. Slowly, he shared bits of his story with her, and over time she had decided that she could share some with him.

“Darrius…” she let out a slow breath as he started the car.

“Hm?”

She stared out the window as she thought of how she had come to trust him with this, how she had come to trust that he wouldn’t speak of this with anyone that she held so dear, and how he stood patiently by her side during each visitation, waiting for her to give him the truth of her situation.

Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do it, to revisit both the darkness and the light of her past, but for what? So she didn’t have to worry about her demons knocking on her door? So she wouldn’t have to worry yet again about losing everything? So she wouldn’t have to admit how much her mate meant to her though she had strived to distance herself from him for so long?

Hiding from the past, she thought to herself as she shook her head, I’m tired of hiding.