Skin Walkers Conn (21 page)

He studied her for long moments.  The
n
his strong hand lifted and clasped around the halo before it released.  He
pulled it
slowly pulled it
free
and winced as the hiss of burning flesh grew audible.  He throat was branded as the halo slipped free.

“Conn?” Aries’ tone was laced with concern as her eyes studied the red band tha
t now circled his throat.

Conn thrust the halo forward,
quickly
clamping
it around
Aries’
throat before he could talk himself out of it
.  O
nce it closed into place it flashed brightly with an ethereal light and a high-pitched whine. 

Aries gasped and her eyes fluttere
d closed as her body went limp.  He knew it would happen.
  The physiological mutation began instantly and rendered
the recipient unconscious. 
For non-Walkers the ‘transition’, as the Walkers referred to it, could last up to days, often leaving the newly claimed angel with flu-like symptoms for weeks after she finally woke from the claiming.

For
Walker
’s who were claimed, the change wasn’t as severe and typically lasted mere hours. 

When Aries next awoke, she’d bear his scent the very essence of her marked by his own.
 

Unsure how long she’d be out,
Conn pulled her to his chest and was going to stand to lay her properly on the bed when he was swamped by overwhelming exhaustion.  His muscles melted
into liquid
and he lost all
strength. 
Falling
back against the bed
he pulled Aries tightly
into his chest ensuring her safety over his own. 
Aries sprawled across his chest
when he landed on his back on the thick mattress
.  Panic flared to life with the knowledge that they would both be incapacitated, lying naked on the bed in his bunker for God only knew how long.  He tried to fight the sleep, but it took him against his will.  His eyes closed with the
stark realization
that he had claimed his true and rightful angel.

***

Aries woke to find herself
lying
naked
on
Conn’s chest.  He was sleeping beneath her
, his chest rising and falling steadily beneath her
own
,
and she smiled knowing their plan had worked. 

Easing herself off him she quickly dressed and considered trying to pull him up the bed to make him more comfortable.  She ultimately decided that she didn’t want to chance disturbing him so she threw a blanke
t
over him instead
then stood to watch
him
sleep
. 

He was gorgeous even in sleep.  His typically stern features were softened and he looked almost boyish.  Her lips quirked and she bent to brush a kiss across his lips.
  She let a hand smooth down
his chee
k to his throat and then to his broad shoulder.  Her eyes followed the path and she felt herself getting turned on
just by touching him
.  Snorting she turned and flicked off the light before exiting the room. 
Get it together girl!

She knew he’d be ravished when he woke so she set to work preparing a meal fit for a king.  Problem was, they were in an underground bunker that while well supplied, wasn’t stocked with
anything that was
particularly appetizing let alone fit for a proper meal.

After long minutes of rummaging through the cupboards she eyed the jar of spaghetti sauce, package of crunchy bread stick
s
, and box of spaghetti noodles that would comprise their dinner.  She turned to rummage through the freezer in search of some burger when a hard pounding on the door made her freeze.  Her heart hammered in her chest.  Could it be Monroe? 
Tyce
?  The pounding sounded again and she raced to the bedroom.
 
Is the door locked?  Can they get in?

Still lying prone on the bed, Aries shook Conn.  “Wake up!”  When he didn’t stir she shook him harder, “CONN!  WAKE UP!”

“Let him sleep love.”

She gasped and turned to face the intruder.  It wasn’t Monroe or
Tyce
.  Her eyes dipped to the halo around the man’s neck and sh
ock tore through her as reco
gnition hit.  It was him!  The
Walker
who’d been chasing her.
  She eyed the room, but there was nowhere to run.

The
Walker
cocked his hea
d, “Don’t be afraid love.”

Moving to place her body between the Walker and Conn, Aries asked tremulously, “W-who are you?”

The Walker
smiled revealing even white teeth as his eyes seemed to twinkle with delight.  “I am Remy McCabe.”  He took a step closer,
“And you are Aries
EnemyHunter
.” 

“No.”  She backed up a step, “I’m Aries Bracken.”

His smiled faltered a
moment, “A ruse?  I know you’re
Mason’s sister.”

“I’m not.”  Her mind was reeling, his name sounded familiar. 
Remy, Remy?
  “I am not Mason’s sister, he’s met me, he knows this.”

Remy’s smile was back full force, “So you’ve finally met your brother.  Clearly he’s instructed you to lie to me.”  He took another step toward her and Aries nearly fell onto Conn as she backed into the bed.  “Get your things, you’re coming with me.”

“No,” Aries held up her hands, palms out.  “I’m staying with Conn. 
He’s claimed me.  I’m his.”  She prayed their deception would work
even as she pointed to the halo that encircled her throat
.

Remy’s expression darkened, but when his eyes flicked to her throat he smiled broadly.  “I see no double-helix.”

Aries shook her head. 
Double helix?
  “What does that mean?”

Remy stalked closer, “I know you a
re a
Walker
Aries.  I’m the one that found you.  I wanted to ensure you were Mason’s sister before I claimed you, but you ran.”  He tilted his head, “You’ve been highly successful in avoiding me.”  Straightening his head he stopped inches from her, “When I realized I’d need help I put word in Mason’s ear where you could be located, knowing he’d send his best.”  His eyes flicked to Conn.  “He did. 
All I had to do was wait
for him to bring you to me
.”  He sighed, “I know
you’re not familiar with your
Walker
ties, but I’ll teach you.”  He hel
d
up a hand and motioned with his fingers for her to come to him, “First lesson love.  All Walkers wear halos.  Whe
n a
Walker
and a
Walker
bind, hi
s halo will twine with hers to create a double helix.”  His eyes dropped to the halo around her throat, “No double helix, no binding.”  He curled his lip, “You reek of him, but that’ll be easily remedied.”  He lunged and grabbed her then, pulling her roughly to him.

Aries screamed and tried to twist free.  “
COOOONNN
!”

Remy had her up and over his shoulder quickly as he stormed through the bunker with her
kicking wildly and punching at his back
.  Her fingers latched onto the door frame as the
y
passed, but were just as quickly ripped painfully free as Remy quickened his pace.

She tried to gain purchase on something, anything to prevent Remy from taking her but she only succeeded in destroying the bunker as she was carried away from Conn.  She found little relief in the fact that he’d at least know she was taken from him against her will.
  Screaming his name, she could only watch as he lay immobile on the bed as she was taken from him.

Outside she threw an arm over her eyes to block the blinding bright sunlight.  She tried to twist free and felt herself falling.  She gasped and reached out but realized Remy was adjusting his hold.  She squinted and tried to see what was happening but then everything was dark again.  She tried to sit up and her shoulder slammed painfully into a solid wall.  Feeling frantically with her hands she knew she was in the trunk of a car when she heard its motor start
.  She
slid with the vehicle’s movement
as it lurched away from the bunker
.

She pounded and pounded on the hood of the trunk, but the vehicle didn’t slow.  After what felt like hours of pounding, she finally slumped
her arms burning from exhaustion.  She whimpered as she cradled herself against the cold air that whooshed through the dark
trunk.  Apparently this Remy kne
w Mason so hopefully he wouldn’t hurt her.  It didn’t make sense though.  If he and Mason were friends why would he want to hurt Mason’s sister? 

After a long time, the car stopped.  Aries listened intently for any sound.  She sat up and started pounding on the
roof of the trunk again then gasped when it was jerked open. 

Remy stood over her.  He dropped a bottle of water into the trunk.  “Do you need to pee?”

Aries shook her head
and instantly regretted it when the trunk was
once again
slammed closed on her. 
Shit!  I should’ve said yes.  I could have tried to escape.
  She cursed herself when she felt the vehicle jerk back to life and they were moving again.

Remy was clearly concerned for her well-being or he wouldn’t have given her water and asked if she needed to relieve herself.  A small spark of hope
burned to life. 
She ignored the bottle of wa
ter
that rolled
then
bumped her elbow.  Tears flooded her eyes when she thought of Conn left defenseless at the bunker. 
What if
Tyce
finds him? What if he’s attacked?  What if he’s taken too?
  Her hand clutched the halo around her throat and it gave her some comfort knowing
that Conn had claimed her.  He’d said other Walkers would know she was his. 
Clearly Remy had been rushed and hadn’t paid much attention.  He’d have to realize soon that she belonged to Conn.  Wouldn’t he?

She curled tighter and was glad she’d opted to dress in the sweats and long sleeve shirt of Conn’s rather than her own thin slip.  Her teeth began to chatter and she reached out with cold fingers hoping to find something in the trunk to cover up with.  Her fingers brushed something soft and she pulled on it.  It felt like a folded blanket and she quickly unfolded it and pulled it over her body not caring if it was filthy or not.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the car slowed then stopped.  The engine was cut off and she strained to list
en.  The trunk was
jerked
open and she could see that t
he sun was no longer in the sky.  She didn’t try to fight when Remy reached for her, lifting her out of the trunk.  Her hip and shoulder ached from bearing the brunt of her body weight for so long and her mus
cles were sore from being tensed the entire ride
. 

“I apologize for your discomfort.”
Remy didn’t look at her, but he seemed sincere enough.  He carried her through the dark and Aries eyed their surroundings trying to make out any shapes. 

They weren’t in the city.  There were no street lights, or any
light for that matter.  She thought she heard the lapping of water and when an owl hooted she knew they were in the forest.  She didn’t know how Remy kept from stumbling.  She could barely see inches in front of her face.  She heard his feet thud on what sounded like wood then they were going up.  She counted three steps before he stopped.

“I’m setting you down.  Don’t run.  It’s too dark and you’ll only hurt yourself.
”

He placed her on her feet and she swayed.  Her legs sta
rted to tingle
as blood began to flow through them again.

“You okay?”

She nodded then realized that he probably couldn’t see her.  “Yes.”  She heard keys rustling then metal sliding before she heard the creak of a door.  His hand clamped around hers and she was sl
owly pulled along behind him before s
he heard the door close
and
a lamp was clicked on.

Chapter
21

The room Aries stood in was small and d
ank.  It
smelled musky, like wet wood and it she had to fold her arms together to ward off a chill.  A
small brown
sofa faced an empty hearth
, and next to the sofa
a
small table and four chairs
separated the sitting area from a small kitchen.  The cabin was clean
for the most part.
  A wooden rung ladder sat awkwardly against the wall. 
Aries
looked at it and wondered what it was for before she let her eyes drift upward until they rested on a small loft over the kitchen.  She could see a bed and a small dresser.  She shivered when her eyes drifted back to the bed.