Beasthood (The Hidden Blood Series) (30 page)

“
You had an argument?”

“
You could say that.”

“
Want to talk about it?”

“
No.”

             
Usually Nik Driver would have said, 'Tell me what happened' in a demanding voice. But he'd given her some leeway.

             
He knew, however, how stubborn she could be. But he didn't know how bad she felt for being so abrupt. She closed her eyes regretfully and then she opened them, fixing her eyes on her path as she explained, “I got angry with her because she didn't stand up for me when Fraya got all psycho on me.”

             
She didn't see the tiny smile that brushed across his lips.

“
And?”

             
Jaz scowled. “And
what
?
She stood back
-I mean that figuratively, and
literally
, stepped
away
from me and left me to deal with her. Afterwards I yelled at her, asking her why she did it, friends don't do that -not like she's even my friend anyway- and then her explanation was, 'well I thought I was helping',” she mimicked Skye in a high, dipsy voice and Nik's bottom lip pulled in tightly as he forced back the urge to laugh. “I mean what the hell does that mean!?” She huffed and jogged a little faster.

             
Nik kept up the pace with ease. “She meant what she said.” Jaz gave him a 'yeah, right' look. “In Pack etiquette, when someone challenges another they have to protect their honour. It has to be one on one -like a duel- and if you turn it down you're considered cowardly, and if you turn your back on them or walk away, it's a huge insult.”

             
Jaz's eyes brightened as she understood why Fraya had been so furious and why the on-lookers had gasped when she'd refused to fight and had walked away. Also, now she understood why Skye and Alf, Kenna and Kelda had held back. “She was protecting my honour...?” she realized in a quiet voice.

“
You may not agree with it, and it must be very strange for you, but believe me when I say, she
was
sincere. She really thought she was doing the right thing. You have to remember she's lived here her whole life, and whenever she has left here, she's around those like her. She doesn't know anything else. You're from two completely different worlds.”

             
Jaz and Nik jogged in silence for ten minutes.

             
They reached the end of the forest, where it opened up onto the field marking the end of the track, and then doubled back.

“
So I must have really pissed Fraya off then, huh?”

“
About that. I came to tell you, she's been punished for her actions towards you.”

             
Jaz raised her brows in surprise. “How exactly?”

“
She's been ordered to be on full time duty in the stables, cleaning them out and tidying up after the horses, the animals, for one month.”

“
So she's shoveling shit for a month?” Jaz smirked. “Bet she wasn't too pleased about that.”

             
Nik's lips squeezed tightly together, the corners pulling upwards. She was watching him and couldn't help liking the way he tried not to smile. It made him look younger when he wasn't so serious, and she wondered what he looked like when he didn't hold back. She blurted out, “You don't like to smile do you?”

             
He stopped abruptly and she nearly skidded into a tree from the shock of her verbal vomit and his sudden halt.

Shit, shit, you idiot. You just crossed a line.

              She turned and edged a step towards him, trying to get a look at his face as he gazed down at the ground. Her movement made him snap his head up and his dark eyes were staring deep into hers. He looked astonished and in pain and then there was a flicker of amusement that happened so quickly she wasn't sure if she'd really seen it, and so she became very, very uneasy with not knowing what he was thinking. “I-I'm sorry, I really don't know why I said that.”

             
He regarded her intently for a long moment and then in a tone that suggested surprise amongst other unknown things, he replied, “You see me. More than anyone.” They gazed at each other, unblinking.

             
She was thinking how much depth this man in front of her had. More than she'd realized before. And she was beating herself up for not controlling her mouth.

             
He was thinking how much more kindly her eyes surveyed him now. The visible sign of disgust at the feelings she couldn't control around him, were no longer there. Not at that moment anyway.

             
He understood how it felt to feel two things at once. The inner Beast wanting one thing, whilst his mind wanted the opposite. He watched her with genuine understanding and curiosity and secret hope.

             
Then the link was broken by an odd, animal-like sound coming half a mile to the left of the main building, which they still couldn't see through the thick trees. They were only a quarter of the way there. Jaz squinted in the direction of the noise. It had sounded like an animal in pain.

             
Nik was watching her, his expression as solid as stone.

             
She eyed him warily, not missing his odd reaction. “What was that noise?” He looked at her, saying nothing. “
Driver
?” she demanded.

             
He exhaled loudly, as if giving in. “I'll show you.”

~
Chapter 27-
Perch~

Thursday June 9
th
, 8:50 a.m.

“
What the hell is this?” Jaz craned her neck up at the two thick wooden poles, standing forty odd feet up in the air. Perched as still as statues on the top, were two men. They were stood up to attention like soldiers, stiff, unmoving, muddy and Jaz could see the tight-lipped pain etched on their faces. “What are they doing up there? They'll break their necks!”

“
Only if they fall.” Jaz glared at Driver but then her eyes became wide with shock. When he realized his joke had fallen flat he looked at her seriously. “They're being reprimanded.”

“
For what?” Jaz said in a voice that showed she didn't believe anything could warrant such a punishment.

“
They didn't follow orders.”

             
Jaz gave him a look, raising her eyebrows disbelievingly. He didn't say anymore so she cocked her head back and gazed up again at the dirty faces of the two men.

             
Both were dark-haired -though it was hard to tell under all the mud- and both were bare-chested, wearing nothing but shorts. It was summertime but the nights could still get pretty cool. Jaz frowned.

             
Something about the one on the right looked familiar. She glanced at the other and realized she'd seen him somewhere before too. It took her a long minute before she remembered. “They were the guys in the woods.” Driver regarded her silently. She elaborated thinking his silence was down to confusion. “When you stopped the car because I needed to be sick, they were the ones hiding in the woods.”

             
She couldn't believe how different things had been then.

             
Her fear had suffocated her when she'd discovered their true intentions. How terrified she'd been of Driver, even more so than the two lurking Weres. She wondered if she still felt that way about him now. She gazed back up at the two men, who were completely under Driver's authority -their current situation proved that- and knew that, yes, she was still scared of him. And with good reason.

             
He was a ruthless man. But she wasn't a timid pushover. So despite her fear of him, she told him what she thought. “Why the hell would you do something so cruel?”

             
Driver's eyes widened with bewilderment. “
Cruel
?”

“
This isn't punishment, this is torture.” She shot her arm in their direction. They were drowsy from exhaustion but they were listening; still as stone.

“
You're
defending
them? Even though they took part in your capture?”

“
By
your
orders,” she pointed at him accusingly.

             
He hid how much that upset him, easily. He was used to hiding his feelings when it came to doing things or giving out commands that he wasn't happy about. Because in the long run, it was worth it, in fact, it was necessary. She was here, safe and alive, and that was what was important. “True,” he merely stated.

“
So why do this!?”

“
Because they disobeyed me,” he said as if he was speaking to an invalid.

             
Jaz folded her arms skeptically. “
How
exactly?”

“
They were seen by you and I specifically told them not to let that happen. It made you distressed, frightened and caused the whole experience to be dangerous and -let's not forget- horrifying for you. It made you completely shut down from our help and the ability for you to trust us pretty much became impossible. You still don't. And it also meant that I had to put my hands on you just so I could restrain you. It wasn't my proudest moment. And it was because of them. So I took it to the council and it was agreed. They all accepted. Barry and Norm were more than willing,” he glanced up at the men, so Jaz knew he meant them.

“
I'm sure they were,” she muttered under her breath, adding in her head,
it wasn't like they had a choice.

             
After a short pause she grilled him. “So you're telling me that they get
this
for making a small stealth error and Fraya is on shit duty for a month? Now I find that hard to believe.” He didn't speak and she wanted to knock his teeth out for it. “What else did you do to her?”

             
He raised a dubious brow. “Do you really care?”

             
Jaz glared at him. “Of course I care! I'm not
you
!” She snapped. He bore a hole in her face. “What else was her punishment?” she demanded, unflinching on the outside, trembling on the inside.

“
Fifteen lashes,” he shot back.

             
All the surprise, shock and disbelief was very evident on her flushed, sweaty face.

             
Driver studied her critically, only just controlled by his extremely powerful forbearance. “You may not like our way of life-”

“
You're right. I don't. Some of it I get. And some of it I like, but this? No way. No way could I ever understand this, let alone
like
it.

“
And another thing I don't get. I've been here -like what?- over a month and these guys are being punished now?”

“
I've been busy. It took a while before their sentencing.”

             
She was relieved they hadn't been perched up there since she'd come here. “O-kay... so how long have they been standing up there?”

“
Five days.”

             
Jaz tried to keep her face deadpanned. “They haven't come down... for five days?” Driver shook his head. “What about food? Water? Sleep?”

“
That's kind of the point.”

             
Jaz gawked at him. “Bathroom breaks?”

             
He focused on the ground around the pole. Jaz turned and stared at the grass, noticing some of it had flattened. She could smell fresh and old faeces and urine now and couldn't believe how she'd not noticed it before. It was vile. She tried not to gag.

             
She then marched away, heading back into the forest, away from the clearing and the stench and the poor men up there. Driver followed several paces behind. She stopped at a point where the totem poles were hidden behind thick foliage. When he caught up, she turned to face him. It took all her willpower not to jump out of her skin when she found him standing closer to her than she'd estimated; at arms length rather than feet away.

“
You wanted to know. And now you know,” he said as if he was persuading her he wasn't in the wrong. She eyed him, unsure of whether to speak again. “I don't want to hide things from you. I want you to trust me.”

             
There was something in his eyes, in his whole presence, that made her feel uneasy. Her instincts were screaming at her that he was a very dangerous man - now more than ever, she knew he was- and yet, as a huge contradiction, she still felt safe around him.

             
There was something... wild and intimidating about him. Anyone could see that. But she still liked being around him and realizing this made her start doubting her own judgment. It was like playing with fire and enjoying the possibility of pain.

             
She didn't know what he was capable of.

             
If he could do something like this and still sleep at night, how far would he go if someone ever hurt him, or betrayed him? She shivered, not seeing Nik's penetrating eyes tighten with concern. Her anger had suddenly dissipated causing her next words to come out as a quiet croak. “How long do they- do they have to stay up there?” She swallowed, her throat and mouth were sticky, yet dry.

“
Their sentence is to stand up there without moving, no food, water, etcetera, for seven days.”

Two more days, and they'll be free.

              It saddened and horrified her that for five days, she had been blissfully unaware of the horrors being performed right under her very nose. And she felt partly responsible. Even if their intentions had been to kidnap her, they'd just been following orders. Driver's orders. That was a complex and conflicting statement right there. But it brought back her strength to fight off her fear and stand up to him. “So if I ever do something -like not do what you say- you'll put me up there for a week too?” she retorted haughtily.

             
His eyes swept over her fiery face and stubborn lip. He loved how it shaped that way, and how her eyebrows tilted down when she was angry. She looked wild and aggressive and sexy. Though he wished her anger wasn't aimed at him.

             
He blinked in the direction of the two men who he knew were listening. If he showed them -or if a spy happened to be watching- that he treated her differently to everyone else or gave her even an ounce of special treatment or favouritism, it would be the end of him. The rumours of his Achilles Heel would be spread to his enemies and it would be detrimental to the Pack, to him, and to Jaz.

             
So he sucked in his emotions and stuck on his Rational Business Mask. “You would be punished. Depending on what it is, would depend on the punishment.”

             
Jaz was stunned and a little hurt at how easily he'd said that. “So you wouldn't have any problem doing
that
,” she pointed in Barry and Norm's general direction, “to me?”

             
Driver's hesitation was quick, and went unnoticed by everyone but himself. “If you ever disobeyed a direct order, no, I wouldn't.”

             
Jaz stared at him in disgust. “You're a pig.”

             
Driver's eyebrows shot upwards incredulously. “
Excuse
me?”

             
Jaz stepped forward so they were close enough to feel each other's body heat. She had to crane her neck back to look him in the face but it didn't get in the way of her willpower. “You're a monster. This place and it's rules are just backwards and wrong. I don't belong here. I'd rather have fought this whole Change thing out alone, even if it meant
death
than be anything,
anything
like you!” She waited for the backlash but Driver just held still, gazing down at her with his unreadable eyes.

             
Now she was close enough to see the beautiful depth of green that ringed his pupils. She blinked, flustered, suddenly unsure of herself and the conviction in the harsh words she'd just stabbed him with. She then felt guilt and regret creep up her spine but it was too late to take it back.

“
If that's what you think...” He said nothing else.

             
She hated him for not attacking her, snapping, yelling, disagreeing at least! Showing her something other than his cold outer shell. She huffed and swivelled on her heel, running full pelt through the forest, out of sight and back towards her cabin.

             
She didn't realize until she stopped running and her face was burning from the salt of her tears, that she'd been crying.