Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (6 page)

Hayden whirled around, highly insulted. “I didn’t let him bite me!” she exclaimed fiercely. “That was Nicolas. No matter how much I struggled, he was stronger. I couldn’t do anything.”

She added the last part quietly, doubtfully. His restraining hands on her arms had been unendurable, she hadn’t been able to shake off his hold, or even move an inch. Her arms were still tingling, the memory of his touch burning her skin.

Gregory stooped abruptly on the sidewalk. “Nicolas?” The whites of his eyes showed, like that of a frightened horse. He looked over his shoulder at the restaurant and huddled closer to Hayden. “Tracer must have sent word to Nicolas that you were under Cole’s protection. He saw it as a threat and decided to come here.” The boy’s eyes then fell on Hayden’s hand that covered the bleeding mark. “Naturally, he came to hunt you down. But why would he let you get away like that?”

Dropping her hand from her neck, Hayden began quickening her pace with Gregory hot on her heels. Craning her neck around, Hayden tried to scope out Nicolas. The rogue Alpha had yet to exit the restaurant.

“It’s all a game to him,” she replied unhappily. “He knows we won’t be able to hide from him, not when he can sniff out our trail. But he gets enjoyment out of hunting us down.” It was a predator’s simple pleasure. The hunt was almost as satisfying as the victory.

“I don’t suppose you have any money for a taxi?” He turned out his empty pockets. “I spent all of mine on the subs.”

Seeing Hayden’s crestfallen expression as a negative answer, Gregory pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number with trembling fingers. Hayden divided her attention between watching her companion and searching the nooks and crannies they passed by.

Several scenarios were running through her mind, aiding her with anything that would help their current situation. They could enter a public store or business, to seek protection in front of the many witnesses, but she quickly eliminated that option.

Not only could Nicolas follow their scents, but Hayden also had her suspicions that the rogue Alpha wouldn’t care about causing a scene in public. She didn’t have any guarantees that he wouldn’t hurt innocent bystanders just to get to her, and that included Gregory.

“Blake,” Greg addressed weakly in his phone. His tongue moistened his cracked lips in agitation. “Nicolas is here in New York and he’s on our trail. We’re heading toward the main road that leads to our apartment.”

From Hayden’s position, she could clearly see the unshed tears in Gregory’s eyes. He kept the fear and the desperation out of his voice, but there was an obvious tick to his jaw, indication of his mental strain. She felt immensely guilty for putting him in this position. He’d done so much for her this far, and now he was in danger because of it. 

“Leave without her, Greg. She’s not worth your life.”

She stiffened as she overheard the words coming from the other end of the phone. Next to her, Gregory narrowed his eyes in dismay. The suggestion was callous, but it was a reminder of how truly alone she was in this situation. Her family was powerless, Gregory was powerless, and the legal authority couldn’t hold up against a werewolf, especially if they didn’t believe in their existence.

“I can’t do that,” Greg explained hotly into the receiver. “Hayden is worth it, Blake, trust me. She’s not like the other newborns.”

“Just stay away from her until Cole and I can hunt her down ourselves. We’re already on our way. Just find a safe place to hide until then.”
It was clear that Blake was exasperated with Gregory for arguing with him. Without another word, the other end went dead

Hayden didn’t wait for Gregory to react. Before the boy could comprehend that his brother had hung up on him, Hayden turned her back on him and began jogging down the sidewalk.

She clenched her fists as she tried to get a steady hold on her fear. She
had been promised
a home with the werewolves, but apparently, that would be too much trouble for Cole and Blake to relocate her. Blake said he would hunt Hayden down himself. If that didn’t sound like an impending death threat, Hayden didn’t what did.

“Wait, Hayden!” Gregory ran after her.

Ignoring him, Hayden hurried past the pedestrians on the sidewalk with stubborn resolve. If no one would help her, then she could take care of herself.

She was independent enough not to roll on her back and beg for help. Even if she was in a situation she didn’t know much about, she would somehow manage, she always did. Bringing Gregory down with her was out of the question. This had to
be done
alone.

It was only a few blocks later when Hayden succumbed to her curiosity. Against her better judgment, she looked over her shoulder and watched as Gregory
Martin struggled to follow her.

Nothing seemed to register in his mind except reaching Hayden. Because of his tunnel vision, Greg tripped over a stranger, causing the woman to give a mortified cry. The grocery bag in her arms dropped, spilling the contents all over the sidewalk. Gregory sputtered out an apology and continued to run ungracefully after Hayden.

Sighing, Hayden slowed down. 

“I won’t let them take you, Hayden,” Gregory breathed passionately. Bending at the waist, he cupped his hands on his knees and tried to recover his breath. “Please, I’ve helped you this far. You need to trust me.”

“You look pathetic,” Hayden bit out. Her shoulders hunched as she watched the boy breathe harshly through his mouth. “I don’t know why you’re so persistent. If you come with me, you
could be killed
. Your brother was right, you can
hide
and Nicolas won’t be bothered to look for you. He’s after me.”

“You don’t know that,” the human argued anxiously. “He could come across me on his way to get you and kill me for the hell of it.” He shuffled on the sidewalk before continuing onward, a reluctant Hayden keeping stride next to him. “I know Blake will be here before Nicolas can get too far. And if I’m with you when Blake comes, I can protect you if he has the ridiculous assumption of killing you.” Here, the boy flashed Hayden an ashamed look. “He won’t kill you, Hayden. I won’t let him.”

His support was admirable and Hayden felt indebted to him.
But
if the werewolves wanted to kill her, they would find a way to do it even if Gregory stood in front of them. She didn’t think that Blake would think twice just because Greg was his brother.
And
Cole would have no qualms, no regrets in killing Hayden. After all, to Cole, she was just an uncontrollable newborn, Sired by a rogue werewolf and destined to join Nicolas’ ranks.

Not only would she be an easy puppet for the rogues, but she also had Nicolas’ mark on her throat. Tentative fingers brushed across the bite mark on her neck, noticing it had yet to heal over. She didn’t understand what he had done, or
why
he had done it. It was just a simple bite on her neck, wasn’t it?

As much as she wanted to remain ignorant, she knew it was more than a simple bite. Nicolas said he would claim her. The bite mark
was
his claim. She just didn’t understand how a simple bite mark
could be perceived
as a claim. No matter what it stood for, she refused to let it define or control her.

With a renowned sense of determination, Hayden reached over and grabbed Gregory’s hand. For once, the creature inside of her remained silent as her skin touched a human. He looked startled, blinking at her with uncertainty, though it quickly morphed to attempted confidence.

“We can do this, Hayden,” he encouraged. “We’ll get everything straightened out.”

“Of course we will.” She pulled at his arm, forcing them into a dead run.

As they ran in the direction of downtown, the pedestrians on the sidewalks began to thin out. The light drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour and the people were seeking quick shelter. The ones forced to travel by foot had umbrellas over their heads and only spared a quick glance at Hayden and Gregory as they raced through the puddles.

Within seconds, their clothes were clinging to their bodies, weighing them down significantly.

It felt as if they had covered good distance, but they couldn’t have been running for more than five minutes. Gregory was lingering a few steps behind Hayden, their clasped hands motivating him to keep up, but causing Hayden to slow down. His breathing turned labored and he began to wheeze.

It didn’t help that his suffering was beginning to have adverse effects on the creature inside of her. As if sensing a vulnerable prey nearby, it was acting up, eager for a chance to attack. As a result, Hayden dropped Greg’s hand and put a bit of distance between the human and herself.

Gregory gasped in
relief
as they broke apart, faltering, but somehow managing to stay on his feet. He stopped moving, gasping and clutching his knees. Hayden turned to watch him, reluctantly stopping and standing protectively over him. She was out of breath as well, but her adrenaline kept her standing tall.

“If…” he inhaled sharply, panting.
“
If we can just get to my apartment, then we can get the gun. I don’t like holding it, but I can shoot well enough. Even Nicolas isn’t immune to silver bullets.”

Hayden raised her eyebrows. A part of her wanted to rejoice in his quick thinking, but another part of her was suspicious of his motives. His selfless protection was almost too good to be true. In reality, he could just be following his brother’s orders. He could easily lure her to his apartment and use the gun on her instead. It would certainly make his life easier. 

Her suspicions didn’t get a chance to take much root, for the smell of burning wood and blood suddenly hit her nostrils. Hayden stiffened, staring down at a soaked and exhausted Gregory. Next to her, taxis and cars passed quickly, spraying jets of murky water in their direction. Slowly, in a state of disbelief, Hayden turned and zeroed in on the man standing just a few feet away, taking shelter underneath a newspaper stand.

Nicolas casually flipped through the newspaper, not a single hair out of place. “A good plan for a human,” he murmured softly. The pounding rain drowned out his words to all but a creature with enhanced hearing. Nicolas folded the paper and set it back down on the stand. He turned to face Hayden, a grimace-like smile adorning his mouth. “Sadly, I grow tired of the chase.” He cocked his head to the side. “That is, if you could call it a chase.”

Wet blonde hair fell in Hayden’s eyes as she stared, speechless and dumbfounded. Nicolas didn’t look as nearly as winded as they did, but his wet coat was proof that he
had
traveled by foot. Somehow, he had easily caught up to them, looking almost as if he had been waiting for them for quite some time.

“Hayden,” Gregory called softly. The stench of fear came off him in waves. He tugged on her wet jacket, gaining her attention. “Look.”

For just a split-second, Hayden’s amber eyes turned away from Nicolas and toward Gregory’s gesturing hand. Across from them, figures seemed to peel away from the buildings surrounding them, looking every bit as intimidating as
Nicolas
. Their strides were slow and taunting, their smiles both sadistic and slimy. She even identified one of the figures as Tracer, her Sire.

Hayden ripped her gaze away and took an advancing step toward Nicolas, “You said you were all about fairness,” she growled furiously. Gregory’s hand clutched at the edge of her jacket, holding her back. “How is this
fair
? You hardly gave us a chance.”

Nicolas raised his brows, appearing both impressed and amused at her outburst. “I never had the obligation to give you a chance in the first place,” he countered smoothly
. 
“You had your chance, and you failed.”

Failure had just been a fleeting thought in the back of her mind. She hadn’t imagined
not
succeeding. Now that she was face-to-face with failure, Hayden refused to succumb. Reaching for Gregory, she grabbed him by the arm and made a quick, yet reckless decision.

Surrounded from every angle but one, Hayden chose to leap into oncoming traffic.

Wrapping her arms fully around Greg, she squeezed any sudden rebuttals he might have had. They barely dodged a car in time, the driver laying on his horn. Hayden laughed, delirious from the adrenaline and the fear. In her arms, Gregory whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut as they twirled around another car and further into the busy road.

The drivers were already having trouble seeing the road due to the pouring rain. Their headlights blinded Hayden, but she found her reflexes honed and sharp, aiding her in crossing the street. It was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be, as the opposite sidewalk was finally coming into focus. A busy coffee shop was across the street, a refuge Hayden would try as her last resort.

Gregory’s weight may have been a burden to her a few weeks earlier, but with the creature inside of her, the human was nothing but a rag doll, clinging to her like a dance partner that didn’t know the proper steps.

“Hayden,” Gregory breathed. His eyes squinted beyond her shoulder. “I hate to break it to you, but they’re following with much more ease.”

Looking over her shoulder, Hayden thought he was being overdramatic, but then she realized he was actually underestimating their enemies. The rogue werewolves weren’t following with ease, they were following with impossible simplicity.