Broken Chains

Part 4

Chapter 4

"Jessie Jessie JESSIE." Carl's insistent shouts woke me with a start from my blood drenched dreams. I sat upright panting heavily, "Are you alright?" Carl said placing a hot hand on my cheek. I shook my head.

"No." I said brushing the film of sweat off my forehead I could feel myself trembling," I don't think so."

"Bad dreams?" he asked gently,

"Aren't they all?" I said in a whisper,

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked innocently I averted my eyes,

"No." I said still in a whisper as I rubbed a hand over my forehead across my forehead trying to rub away the lingering images of my dream.

"You should try and get some more sleep." He said kissing the top of my head platonically "it's only been a few hours. "I nodded it was still dark and had clearly not been long. We had left the bungalow and simply spent hours wandering Carl patiently and persistently seeking some sort of trail while I tried desperately to find dome sort of hint as to where they were. I had never truly understood the bond that had existed between me and Derek and nobody else had seemed to know enough to care to explain it to me, but right now I was desperate for it. I needed that sense of where my Derek was but there it was completely elusive I had no clue where he was. But I didn't know one thing he wasn't here anymore. But that wasn't through my bond that was through the knowledge that Derek wasn't suicidal and he knew the pack he knew if he stayed here we would find him so he was gone. I could tell Carl knew this too but we weren't mentioning this and I knew why we didn't know where else to go.it was late afternoon before we finally gave up and Carl suggested we 'Acquired' a car. This wasn't a problem but deciding where to go had been more of a problem. Carl had asked if I had any idea where to go. When I had just shook my head, Carl had nodded placidly accepting this but I could see a quickly stifled look of disappointment cross his face. He just smiled at me,

"I guess we head out of our territory huh?" he asked I smiled at him

"Seems like as gooda plan as any other." Which he had accepted and so that gave us a direction which was enough. By nightfall we were just beyond the fringes of pack land and stupid as I knew it was considering everything I had seen and done recently the thought of again heading out of pack land terrified me. We had found a roadside motel and our combined cash hoard would have easily paid for two rooms but since we didn't know how long it would have to last we went for economy and just got one room. chivalry won out to the point that Carl insisted I took the bed while he slept on the sofa even though one eye always seemed to be locked on the door just in case. I actually began to suspect that our combined room was more due to Carl's nervousness for my safety than being completely about economy.

"What time is it?" I asked rubbing a hand across my sweaty forehead,

"2:32 am." Carl said consulting his watch. I smiled

"So too early to get any early start then."

"Just a little." he said echoing my smile. "Get some sleep." He said flicking my nose and pushing himself up away from me.

"Carl." I said gently he looked across at me, "could you stay with me." He frowned averting his eyes looking anywhere but at me as though embarrassed by the question.

"I ...I really don't think that's a good idea jess."

"Why? I mean we always did on film nights and me and Ash and Jamie we did it all the time. I'm not looking for an opportunity to come on you you or anything like that."

"I know but that's different." I frowned at him "anyway your all mated up now... Derek catches us cuddling up in my bed he'll rip my arms off and you know he will."