A fat drop of rain landed on her bare shoulder and she reached up to adjust the thin strap of her nightgown. Another drop wet her nose. Lightning flashed in the sky, highlighting the area with a violent streak of brilliance. She counted to four before the boom of thunder followed.
She’d been promised that life would be better after being freed but things were just different. The chains that had enslaved her were gone but she was still alone. Memories of being locked inside the basement surfaced. She had once dreamed of leaving it to see the world outside but she wasn’t living in that world. The facts couldn’t be denied as she hugged her chest, pondering her reality. It was almost crueler to see what she could never have. At least in the past she hadn’t known what could be possible.
Lightning streaked across the sky again and she spun, her hands fisted, and she bolted. Her legs moved fast as she sprinted down the sidewalk toward the park. She needed to feel alive. Rain fell faster, soaked her hair and nightgown, and thunder boomed louder. Her heart raced and she almost laughed. She was running free and no one could take that away from her. Tonight she could go where she wanted, when she wanted, and that had to be enough.
She left the sidewalk and her feet sank into soft, soggy grass. She dodged trees, her vision adjusting to the darkness, which was broken only by the lightning. It was dangerous to be outside in a storm but she welcomed the feel of the rain on her face.
* * * * *
Shadow parked the golf cart and softly growled in frustration as he scooted to the center of the seat to avoid getting wet as the sky opened up. He was off duty and had hoped to make it to the dorm before the storm hit. He hadn’t succeeded. He could keep driving and be soaked by the time he got home or he could wait patiently for the downpour to cease.
Movement from the corner of his eye made him turn his head. A flash of lightning blinded him but it illuminated the area. He’d seen something. Thunder boomed. He blinked, his mind trying to make sense of what he’d just witnessed. It couldn’t be what it looked like. His eyes had to be playing tricks, otherwise he’d just seen a female in a white dress running off the path toward the pond.
Lightning flashed again and he caught another glimpse of her. The sight of pale legs, long dark hair flying behind her, and that white dress had been real. There was a female intruder at Homeland. He lunged straight out of the cart into the downpour. Heavy rain drenched him immediately.
His boots sank into the wet grass when he left the road and a snarl tore from him, his instincts instantly flaring to life. Hunt. Find. Capture. His long stride ate up the ground as he pursued her. He needed to find the human quickly and force her to tell him what she’d done that was bad enough to make her run that fast. Had she set a bomb that would detonate soon? The concept motivated him to increase his speed.
He narrowed his eyes and spotted a streak of white ahead of him. She was definitely fleeing toward the park. There was a place big enough for a helicopter to land if she reached the area near the pond. He glanced up for a second to search the sky but rain blinded him. He wiped his arm across his face as he snarled again. Someone had helped her enter Homeland to do harm but she wouldn’t escape. He’d catch her before she made the extraction point and make her tell what she’d done.
He dodged to the left through the thick woods, avoided slamming into any trees and broke through to the open, grassy field where they played sports. Lightning flashed and he saw her exit about twenty feet ahead. Her back was to him and the thunder hid his sounds of outrage as he closed the distance. More details became apparent. She wasn’t a big female and she’d ditched most of her clothing, maybe to make it easier for her to flee in the rain.
He dived and tackled her. The feel of her small waist in his hands made him instantly react. He twisted in the air before his back slammed hard into the ground. Her body landed on top of his as momentum made him slide along the slippery grass. The second their skid ended, he rolled, pinning her under his body. He was careful not to crush her. His elbows sank into the sodden earth as he braced his upper chest to make sure she could breathe. He yanked her wrists up and imprisoned her in his hold.
“Who are you? What have you done?” His voice came out more animalistic than he intended but he couldn’t help it. His heart pounded from adrenaline pulsing through his veins and the urge to snarl again was strong. “Tell me, female.”
He couldn’t make out her face. There were no lights in that section of the park. She panted heavily, assuring him she could breathe and speak if she wished.
“Tell me,” he demanded again, snarling now. He was enraged. The lives of his people could be at stake.
Lightning sparked above them and lit the ground. Her dark eyes were wide with fear as he stared into them. The light only held for a few rapid heartbeats but he glanced at her face. Astonishment made him curse.
“Shit.” Shock paralyzed him for a moment before he hastily eased his grip on her wrists. They were small and frail in his hands. Guilt filled him immediately as he tried to lift his weight off her.
She said nothing and he hoped he hadn’t injured her. The rain beat down on his back harder as the storm intensified. He hesitated to roll off her completely. She’d be at the mercy of the storm. Her only shelter at the moment was him.
“Are you hurt?” He forced his tone to lower to a calmer level. “I thought you were human. An intruder.”
“I’m not hurt,” she answered softly.
“I am so sorry.” It horrified him to know he’d just attacked a Gift Female. He didn’t know her but her features couldn’t be denied. He guessed her to be primate from the rounded shape of her eyes and her delicate little nose. It made what he’d done worse. Primate females were even more fragile than the canine or feline ones. “You’re safe. I will not hurt you.”
He turned his head, frantically searching for help. He needed a Species female officer on scene to handle the Gift but the park was empty. No one would be out in the storm taking a jog. It was just them and he had to fix the mess himself. He wanted to curse again but refrained.
“I’m Shadow.” He whispered, hoping it would make her feel less threatened. “I swear you are safe. I’d move but then you’d be in the rain. It’s really coming down. Am I crushing you?”
“No.”
She didn’t move her arms when he released them and adjusted his chest a little higher over her to make certain she was protected from the weather. He just needed to keep her from panicking until the rain slowed enough to move her. His cart and radio weren’t too far away. He’d have to call for emergency assistance.
Fury and Justice were going to hand him his ass. Hell, all the males were. He’d hunted a Gift Female. Not only that but he’d taken her down as if she were a deer. He was grateful that he’d recognized she was a small female at least and made certain he’d done his best to take the brunt of the impact with the ground when he’d tackled her.
“I’m Beauty.”
The female’s whispered words made him stare down at her. He could barely make out the shape of her face in the darkness.
“What were you doing out here, Beauty? Did something frighten you?” He tried to figure out why she’d been running in barely any clothing. A worse thought struck and he darted a searching look around them. “Was someone chasing you?” His voice deepened at just the thought of someone trying to harm her. His protective instincts came fully into play.
“No. I just wanted to feel alive.”
Her answer astounded him and drew his full attention to her again. He wished he could see her face. Thunder shook the ground under them. The storm seemed to be drawing closer. He knew then it would be safer to move her despite the downpour. They were in the open. Lightning flashed overhead brightly and his head snapped up to watch the jagged line of it. It was too close. Thunder followed almost immediately.
“I’m moving you. Just remain calm. You have my word as a Species officer that I’d never hurt you, Beauty. I know you must be terrified but there is no reason. I’m not a human.”