ALIEN SHIFTER ROMANCE: Alien Tigers - The Complete Series (Alien Invasion Abduction Shapeshifter Romance) (Paranormal Science Fiction Fantasy Anthologies & Short reads) (117 page)

Chapter Four

She woke in the hospital. He was at her side looking as though he had been there all night. His head was laid against the edge of the bed, his hands by hers as though he had been holding on to her before he had fallen asleep. Anne cleared her throat and his head rose as though he had been startled awake. He blinked sleep from his eyes and his expression turned to one of shock as he saw that she too was awake.
            “You’re…you’re awake.” He gasped as though he couldn’t believe it, “The doctors said you might be out for days.”
            “I feel awful.” She groaned as she felt the pain in her head. Her stomach ached along with her neck and her spine felt sore. When she moved her hand pain pulsed through her wrist and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from screaming out loud.
           “You shouldn’t try to get up until the doctor comes around,” the man told her, “You’ve broken your wrist and you’ve got a few cracked ribs as well as some cuts and bruises and a bang to the head.”
           “But I’m alive right?” Anne asked trying to smile. Her cheek burned as she did so and she remembered the way that Michael had hit her.
           The man nodded with a bright smile as he replied, “You are very much alive.”
           “I feel drugged.” She pressed her hand against her head as she felt her mind swimming. The man laughed again as though he found her hilarious.
          “The doctors pumped you full with enough pain killers to knock out a horse.” He told her. There was a loud knock on the hospital room door then. Anne turned all too quickly and her neck screamed in protest.
          Her heart pounded as she saw them enter. She body began to shake and she wanted to scream. Her mother entered first carrying a bouquet of her favour white roses. Michael came behind her with an impassive expression.
           “Get out!” Anne yelled at him as soon as his foot touched the threshold, “I don’t want you here! Get out both of you!” she couldn’t bare to see her mother either. There was no way she could forgive her again for sitting back and allowing him to beat on her.
           “I’m afraid I don’t know who you are but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Anne’s saviour pushed himself up from his seat and gestured to the door.
          “I am not going anywhere,” Ivy insisted as she placed the flowers in the vase beside the bed, “I am her mother and she needs me.”
          “I need you like a hole in the head.” Anne protested, “Get out now!” Michael stepped up beside his wife and took hold of her shoulder.
           “You will not speak to your mother like that,” he glared down at her, “Apologise right this instant.” Anne was no longer scared. Not with her coffee shop man beside her.
          “I don’t want either of you here,” she repeated, “Get out!”
          The man gestured toward the door again and finally Michael and Ivy turned to leave.
         “We’ll wait outside until you feel like you want to see us.” Ivy told her over her shoulder. Anne gritted her teeth to stop herself from yelling again. A doctor poked his head around the door as they left the room.
          “Is everything alright?” he asked as he straightened his white coat and stepped inside. Anne was still shaking and she couldn’t bring herself to speak as she watched the door to make sure they would not come back in.
          “I think she could do with some more pain killers.” The coffee shop man explained to the doctor as he took her file from the end of the bed and looked over her information.
          “Well Miss Fennel,” the doctor told her, “It looks like you got off lightly for not wearing a seat belt.” Anne turned to look at the man beside her and he blushed with guilt though he didn’t look away from her like her mother had in their living room.
          “She’s a tough girl by the looks of it.” he told the doctor, never once taking his eyes off Anne.
          “Yes well this tough girl is going to need plenty of rest to recover from her injuries.” The doctor explained as he took hold of Anne’s uninjured wrist and began to check her pulse. She felt uncomfortable with his fingers pressing against the small bones in her wrist.
           “She will get plenty of rest.” The man promised. Anne looked at him with a raised eyebrow as the doctor continued his examination checking her eyes for any sign of concussion.
             “Well it looks like your stable enough to leave,” The doctor told her, “Will you be needing a ride home.”
             “I…I can’t go…” she stammered but was unable to finish her sentence.
             “I’ll be taking her home.” The stranger with great hair told him. The doctor seemed satisfied and with that signed her discharge papers.
           “I had my sister bring you some clothes in.” the man told her as the doctor left. He lifted up a bag from beside his feet and placed it on the bed, “I’ll go and wait outside while you get dressed.” 
           “What’s your name?” Anne asked as he headed for the door.
           “Drake Howard.” He replied and then slipped from the room. Anne watched him go and only pushed herself up from the bed once he had closed the door. She felt naked even in her hospital gown. She could feel the breeze on her buttocks as she realised there was a long slit down the back. She struggled to untie the ribbon at the back of her neck and her spine squealed in protest as she moved.
          When she looked in the bag she was relieved to see a pair of cotton trousers and a long sleeved top that would hide all the cuts and bruises. She dressed as quickly as possible knowing that her mother and step father were only outside. She wondered how they had known to get a hold of them but then she remembered the type of town she lived in. Everybody knew everybody and it was likely that the doctor knew her step father, in fact they were probably the best of friends. It sickened her to think on it.
           When she plucked up the courage to open the door and step out into the corridor her mother jumped up from her seat that leaned against the wall. She wrapped her arms around Anne and squeezed all too hard. Anne squealed in pain and her mother jumped backward with her arms up in a sign of surrender.
          “I’m sorry.” Ivy bit her lip as she realised that she had hurt her. Anne did not reply. Instead she turned to Drake and asked,
          “Will you please get me out of here.” Drake nodded and turned his back on her mother. He placed his arm gently around her shoulders and began to walk her down the corridor.
          “Anne! Please stop! We need to talk about this.” She heard her mother call after her but she could not look back. She knew that if she did she would begin crying and screaming all over again. She didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone on the ward. She knew it would only make Michael angry and though she felt safe with Drake she could not subject him to such a scene.
           They were silent in the elevator and Drake only spoke once he had helped her up into his truck and was sat in the driver’s seat beside her.
           “So what’s the deal with your parents?” he asked as he pushed his keys into the ignition and pulled the truck out of the car park. Anne was almost confused by the question. She had never been asked anything like it before. She’d never spoken to anyone about Michael. She had never been around anyone without his presence making it harder for her to have a relationship with anyone that wasn’t him or her mum.
            “That monster is not my father.” She found herself growling harshly. Drake glanced at her before he turned his eyes back onto the road.
            “I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I didn’t mean to upset you. Has he done something to you?” Anne knew that it was finally time to tell someone. She could finally get everything off her chest that she had kept bottled up for so many years.

Chapter Five
“
Michael Boardman has been beating me since the day he married my mother three and a half years ago.” She told him. The words were like a confession. Something released inside her and she found herself spilling everything to him, “I tried to leave when I turned eighteen but he found me and hauled me back and I’ve never dared to try again.” 
            “What about your mother?” Drake asked, keeping his eyes on the road, “Does he hit her?” Anne shook her head and sighed.
            “She keeps her mouth shut and acts like she doesn’t see any of it. She knows how to keep him happy even at the cost to herself and to me.” Anne remembered how her mother had bent to his will and never questioned him    whether she had doubts or not.
            “Why didn’t you contact the police?” he asked. Anne began to laugh then. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could someone not know Michael’s influence?
          “Are you new to town?” she asked turning in her seat to look at him. when he nodded she knew exactly why he was so clueless.
          “My step father is one of the highest ranking navy seals in this town and nobody speaks against him,” she explained, “He is well respected and has never had a bad word said against him.”
          “But if he has been beating you how could anyone respect him?” Drake both looked and sounded confused. Anne sighed as she realised this was going to be one long conversation if she had to explain everything to him.
          “He keeps me and my mum close. We are never allowed to be alone with anyone unless he is there. He stops us from talking about anything he deems sinful or that might harm him in some way.” Her heart pounded as she thought of the first time he had done it and she had snapped at him. When they had gone home from the social event he had hit her for the first time and she had learned that he was never going to be kind to her again.
          Drake reached over and placed his hand on her knee. She flinched away from his hand but he did not jerk away. Instead he moved slowly to place his hand softly on her knee and gave her a little squeeze.
         “You don’t need to worry this anymore,” he told her, “I’ll make sure he never touches you ever again.” Anne was shocked by his words. Nobody had ever been so kind to her. Nobody had ever had the chance to get so close to her. She found herself wondering what Michael would say if he saw her touching his knee. Then she caught herself and pushed the thought away with a mental shake of her head.
          “Where are we going?” Anne asked in an attempt to change the subject. Drake took his hand from her knee and placed it back on the gear stick.
           “I’m taking you back to my place,” he told her, “You’ll be safe there. If you give me your address I’ll go round later and collect some of your things.” Anne was instantly scared. She couldn’t imagine what Michael would do if he turned up on his doorstep. She wondered whether he might come out with as many bruises as she had.
          “You can’t do that!” she snapped sharply. Drake didn’t look shocked and Anne wondered if he had experience of being with other people like her. She got the feeling that he knew exactly what he was doing.
           “Fine, I won’t go round but we’ll have to get you some more clothes from somewhere. Those are far too big on you.” Anne looked down at the clothes his sister had given him for her and she realised he was right. The top hung off her so much that if she moved in the wrong way you could see right down the collar to her breasts. She blushed as she picked up the hem and held it to her chin.
            When they pulled up on to his drive Anne as relieved to realise that they were on the opposite side of town to where she had been living with Michael and her mother. They were as far from them as possible without crossing the town boarder.
          Drake pulled his key from the ignition, climbed out of the truck, and within a second was at her side of the vehicle. He pulled the door open and held out his hand to help her down from the high cabin. She placed her hand in his and gasped. She hadn’t felt the gentle warmth of another human’s touch for four years. It was a shock to her system as he heled her down from the truck and smiled at her gently.
           “Why are you helping me?” she asked as he slammed the door shut behind her and led her toward the small house at the top of the driveway.
           “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. When she looked confused he added with a wink, “You still owe me that coffee.” Anne blushed as he placed the key in the front door and pushed it open.    
           Inside the house felt fresh and she knew he hadn’t lived there long. There were still several boxes of unpacked belongings hanging around as he led her through to the kitchen.
           “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked as he flicked on the kettle that sat beside the oven. Anne shook her head and stifled a yawn, “Want me to show you to the guest room?” Anne thought of refusing but then she realised just how tired she was and nodded with some protest from her neck.
           Drake led her back through the house and up the stairs. He walked slowly and kept glancing backward as though he thought she might fall at any moment. Anne had to admit she did think of falling just to see how he would react.
        They came to the first door on the second floor and he pushed it open. “I’m sorry about all the boxes. I haven’t had a chance to unpack everything yet.” He told her as he led her inside. The room was as big as her room in her mother’s house yet it seemed instantly more inviting. The bed had already been made up as though he was expecting someone. There was a wardrobe, a chest of draws and a mirror all leaning against one wall on the far side of the room.
          “I’ll leave you to rest,” he told her gently as he slipped back toward the door his arm brushing hers as he went, “Just show if you need anything at all.” Anne smiled warmly at him as she watched him go.
           Then she sat down on the bed slowly. Every muscle gave protest and she gasped in shock as pain pulsed throughout her body.