Boundaries

Tish: race you

{Tish}

The hunters had no idea how lucky they were that I had been bitten by Conor and not by some other werewolf. Because I wanted to kill most of them even now. I hated the looks everyone gave me, how my former colleagues treated me. How Sasha patronized me. I had taken to wearing oversized hoodies so that no one could see my new muscles, and how they rippled when I clenched my fists tightly to keep from slamming them into others' faces.

They had put me in a room across from Grant, who had already been sporting the dumb glasses, so he was sympathetic but unable to do anything. The glasses didn't fit my nose and kept sliding down. All my complaints to Sasha had fallen on deaf ears.

"You nearly get used to them," Grant offered. "Nothing about any of this is right or fair. But the glasses are the least annoying part of it."

He rubbed his shoulder where he told me Sasha had placed a nerve stimulator to act as an internal cattle prod. I did not have any such thing installed, yet anyway.

"You know the moment they can justify it, they'll take this farther still," I told him. "Now that there's two of us, we can push back more."

"We have more to lose than to gain from pushing back," he replied quietly, in nearly as whisper. I wondered if our rooms and hallways were bugged as well. "I want to see Aidan again, Tish. I'll put up with nearly anything to make that happen."

"I suppose," I grumbled.

We couldn't really talk about it. I didn't want to accidentally let Sasha or anyone else know how much I missed the farm back in Montana. But I did. I missed making breakfast and coffee, and training with Susie Lynn. I missed Susie Lynn most of all.

"Where did you vanish to this morning?" I asked instead.

"I went to check on Conor. He doesn't leave Ralph's room, afraid of what the hunters might do in his absence. I don't blame him, but I worry."

"He's just over in the medical wing, right?" I asked. "I can go check on him then. See if I can get him to budge."

"He won't, I've tried for a week," Grant observed. "What might work is if we both go tonight. I can stay up with Ralph and you take him for the evening. Even a walk around the building would be more than he's done in days. If you really care about him, we'll find a treadmill somewhere."

"Please don't make jokes like that," I requested. "Someone will hear you and take it seriously."

He rolled his eyes. "Deal. So? Will you come?"

"Why does it have to be in the evening?"

"Because if Ralph's awake than even the two of us won't get Conor to leave," he replied. "Conor's serious about staying with Ralph. I don't think hunters ever really saw a pack bond up close before quite like this."

"Nothing is normal about Conor," I snorted. "He's a totally different creature than any other werewolf hunters have met. He's more human than most humans."

"This is true," Grant admitted and glanced down at his watch. "Damn it. Come on, we were supposed to be in a meeting like, ten minutes ago."

"Race you," I challenged, and took off running.

I was fast, faster than when I was human, but I hadn't a prayer against Grant's newfound speed. He laughed at me as we skittered through the doors. Gayle and Peter were already here. Sasha had her ever-present tablet and took notes as we entered the room abruptly.

Peter shot us a warning glare, but what could anyone do about us? They could collar us with drugs and electro shocks, but if Grant and I truly wanted to leave, there wasn't a thing that these humans could do. Of course, I didn't want the pack to suffer and I didn't really want to go on the run for the rest of my existence. But we always had a choice.

"Are we finally going out?" I asked. "Or did you buy me a new weight set? What was so important this morning?"

"Tish, I hope you know that not everything in this organization is about you," Gayle told me severely.

"Yet," I replied with a grin. "So?"

"The vampires have gone quiet again," Peter said. "We thought that maybe it meant that Stefa has settled, or whatever civil war was happening is over, but it...I've looked over the data too. It feels weird."

"Data?" I questioned, though secretly was glad we were getting more information before attempting to take on this vampire war.

Gayle nodded. "Last time there were just fewer questionable deaths, no open mutilations, a couple of blood banks robbed, such like that. No, it's... quiet. No deaths, nothing blood related at all. As much as I wish that all the vampires killed themselves, I doubt it highly. I was hoping that Conor had said anything."

"He hasn't spoken about Stefa at all," Grant offered. "But I know that their parting was not on good terms; he was upset for being separated in the first place."

I shrugged but knowing that I had Conor's cell phone packed in my bag. I hadn't figured out a good way to get to it with these glasses on my face showing everything I was doing.

"I could ask," I suggested. "Conor, I mean. We were just talking about maybe Grant staying with Ralph for a bit so Conor would leave the room. I could get him to teach me shifting, and lord knows I need a challenge to spar."

"You could always spar me," Grant offered sweetly.

"Bite me," I responded.

"Both of you," Gayle said sternly. "Do you think he'd open up?"

"Not, and I'm not just saying this, but not with these glasses on my face," I said. "Not to mention, they're just going to get crushed fighting Conor. He threw me across the room last time we fought."

"Last time? At the farm after we left?" Gayle questioned.

"Ralph and Mel have tournaments to blow off steam," I explained. "Don't worry. I beat him black and blue, but it still was a lot of effort."

Peter and Gayle seemed to share a look with Sasha, but they didn't say anything for a moment. I wished that Peter would be more forthright with Grant and me. I expected the two women to never say what they meant, but Peter had gotten me in this position. He had gotten Grant into this position. The least he could do was tell us what was going on.

"This isn't a terrible plan," Gayle said slowly. "At the very least, you'll get some fighting in that doesn't put other hunters in harm's way. Perhaps you'll learn to shift and maybe even learn something about Stefa. Will Conor go for it? He's been adamant about not leaving his alpha's side."

"He trusts me," Grant replied. "He knows that Ralph is safe with me. It does mean I have to be there the whole time. Ralph will tell him, and we break Conor's trust, we will never get it back."

"That I do believe." Gayle snorted. "That man is...the strangest person I have ever met. And I've met your boyfriend, Grant."

"Aidan is normal compared to the rest of the pack," Grant laughed.

To my ears, the laugh sounded forced. It was rude to bring up Aidan, and Gayle should have known this. Grant was handling it much better than I thought I would.

"Well, neither of you are leaving in the next few days, see what you can do," Gayle said. "Sasha will call you in for tests, but for now, we're waiting for word on the vampires. Once you two can go out into the field, I'm hoping we'll send you out to Kansas City to look around."

"I hear it's much nicer weather than here," Grant offered.

"If only. Kansas City has absurdly temperamental winters. Keep your phones on you and you're dismissed."

We left the room with less fanfare than we had entered. Grant gave me a sidelong glance once we were down the hallway a bit.

"Were you always this crafty?" he questioned. "Because that was smooth maneuvering there."

"I'd like to believe I was," I replied with a smile. 

____

Tish is very crafty. 

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