Sneak Peak of Double Desire!
Always on the run…in case he tracks me down. He’s relentless. He’s evil. He’s the devil incarnate. He’s my father.
Peri’s eyes popped open, her skin tingling uncomfortably…then fear entered her sleepy consciousness. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the dream she’d been rudely awakened from. One that had been plaguing her more and more of late. The vision of a man with a large Wolf by his side still lingered, she couldn’t see the man’s face in her dream but she got the feeling he was handsome…every time. How she knew that was beyond her, it was more of the way she felt when she dreamt about them…again, strange, but it was a dream after all. She sighed thinking of them but when another shiver ran along her skin quickly followed by pain, she shot up and promptly fell to the side, tangled in her sleeping bag.
“Shit,” she couldn’t help the curse slipping free as she fought against the zipper, fear lapped at her belly and she hated that they could cause terror to invade her entire being and stop her resting. But she knew first-hand what they were capable of and she couldn’t waste any more time, she had to get away before they found her.
She’d thought she felt them the previous day, her magic ward sending tingles along her skin. When it stopped, she thought she’d been wrong and that she was safe. How stupid! She should’ve known better. Not taken any chances and moved on.
Now, while she struggled as dawn started to make an appearance, she hoped she hadn’t left it too late. Her only wish right now, was to let Daiki know she was leaving. Her one and only friend and the owner of the dojo whose backdoor she could see from the dank alley she was sleeping in. He worried about her, she knew that, so she didn’t want to simply disappear without speaking to him. A quick “Good-bye” would suffice even if she longed to stay and make a life here in San Francisco.
“Not happening,” she mumbled as her skin warmed up to alert her to the impending danger.
She finally managed to get out of her bag, rolling it up quickly and tying it to the top of her backpack. Her senses now on high alert as her eyes scanned the area around her. The alley was still dark, and it was filthy and smelled damn awful, but it had been safe for the past couple of weeks. Now, not so much, not if her instincts, and her magic was right.
Peri paused, uttering a quick spell of detection, and waited impatiently, tugging on her boots.
In less than a minute, she had her answer: they had found her and were close. Too damn near for comfort. She took one last, longing look toward the dojo before taking off as fast as her legs would carry her. She could feel their magic tendrils as they skimmed her back, searching, probing, in an attempt to halt her.
“Not a fucking chance,” she snarled, throwing a spell of her own over her shoulder. One she hoped would send them on a wild goose chase. One she prayed would give her just enough time to make her escape.
The alternative was not an option. She’d die before she’d allow them to get their filthy hands on her.
Her back stung for an altogether different reason as memories flooded her of her time at the hands of those that hunted her. Excruciating pain, both mental and physical were a daily occurrence for as long as she could remember. Her childhood nothing but a living hell. Torture, plain and simple, and she had the damn scars to prove it. No way was she going back there.
She picked up her pace, pushing herself to her limits. Her daily training regime came to her aid as she flew along alleyways like an Olympic athlete, although her terror always helped too. Adrenaline fueled her flight while her magic worked to conceal the noise she made as her feet crushed bottles and cans with haste. She ran full pelt around a corner, knowing the area well and heading towards the highway where she hoped to get a lift to anywhere that wasn’t here.
Careening in and out of alleys, she hurtled around yet another corner, checking behind her as she ran…and her body crashed into an immovable mass. Almost six foot of muscle barring her way.
“Hey there.” The large man grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “What’re you running from, little girl?”
She stared up into a face covered almost entirely by a bushy beard, friendly eyes staring down at her with concern. She gasped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bump into you, but I gotta go.”
He looked around, scowling. “Is someone trying to hurt you? ‘Cause if they are I’ll whoop their asses good.”
Peri pushed herself away, she didn’t have time for this. She had to get away. “I’m all right, just got somewhere I need to be and I’m late.”
She lied easily, too easily. Peri didn’t want to be held up for more reasons than she could count but mainly she didn’t want to be caught by those hunting her. She also knew the man would be in great danger if he attempted to help her. That was something she couldn’t live with: an innocent’s death on her soul.
“Are you sure?” he answered as he scanned the area. “I can help you if you need it. Just say the word.”
“No, really.” Peri tried to step around the man and at that moment felt magic flying toward her. She knew it was futile now. It was going to hit and there was nowhere for him to go.
He frowned at her, obviously seeing her distress but he’d checked and saw nobody around so he couldn’t figure out who she was running from. If only he’d moved out of the way…but he hadn’t and now she felt something heading their way.
Energy sizzled around them, causing her skin to tingle and itch, but the Samaritan before her fared far worse. His eyes popped wide open as a strangled cry tore from his lips a moment before he collapsed to the ground.
Peri dropped to her knees, checking for a pulse and when her fingers felt the steady rhythm she exhaled loudly in relief before cursing. “Bastards!”
She heard running footsteps barreling toward her from the alley she’d vacated before the man on the ground stopped her. Her heart stuttered in her chest as fear and anger overcame her in equal measures. She wished she could stay to dole out some punishment to those who’d hurt her White Knight but knew that would be suicide so she glanced down at the man and did the only thing she could; a quick healing spell and a quick, “Sorry,” then she took off running as fast as possible.
Her feet slapped hard on the ground as she headed toward another alley on the other side of the road. She was familiar with the neighborhood so she hoped that would aid her escape as she darted into the mucky lane.
She could hear shouts behind her as her pursuers found the man they’d laid out, so she redoubled her efforts to get to the end of the lane. She also fought to voice a spell of her own, one to help hide her passage, gasping for breath as she did so.
The shouts grew fainter as she plunged headlong toward her escape, desperation helping her to speed up even more. She now ran like the Devil himself was after her, and truth be told, he was.
On and on she raced, not daring to stop for fear of being caught. Peri knew, without a doubt, she’d rather die than let them capture her. She refused to go back to that life that had her screaming awake from nightmares that reminded her of the horror of her life at their hands.
No. If push came to shove, this time she’d go down fighting.
When the truck stop came into view, she almost cried with relief, but she didn’t slow her frenzied pace until she slid along the side of a huge semi with its engine running. Peri took a deep breath, using her magic to influence the man in the cab before she stood on the side step and banged on the driver’s door. He shook his head as if to clear it before turning to stare at her.
“I need a lift.” She smiled, trying to hide her urgency and the fact she’d just run a damn marathon.
“Sure.” He nodded and she thanked the Goddess for her magic.
Peri jumped down, rushing around the front of the huge vehicle and got in as quickly as she could.
“Where you going?” the man asked with a look of confusion on his face.
“I’m not bothered, wherever you’re headed is good for me.”
“Weird,” he mumbled as he put the truck into gear and pulled away. “I never take hitchhikers.”
“Must be my lucky day.” Peri grinned as she settled down, her head resting on the glass.
She looked out sadly as she left behind the one person in the universe who’d looked out for her and prayed she’d be able to see him again. “Goodbye, Daiki,” she whispered as they joined the highway, on the road to goodness knew where.
Peri took a moment to gather her thoughts, and her magic, summoning a spell to hide her tracks. Once again, she’d evaded her hunters but she couldn’t help but wonder how long her luck would hold out. That had been a close call and an innocent had almost died because of her. She’d have to be more careful and ensure that never happened again. She knew she would drown in the guilt if anyone died because of her.
“Keep moving, stay safe, and don’t let anyone in,” she told herself aloud. Her mantra that kept her safe. Kept her alive. One that she had to live by because if she didn’t…the consequences would be fatal.
“What?” the driver asked, glancing over at her with a puzzled look. He was obviously still wondering how she’d ended up next to him.
“Oh, nothing, just thinking aloud.” Peri gave him a shrug before curling up against the window.
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