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“I need to get ready to go.”

“Go where?”

Yes. Go where?
She pinched the bridge of her nose as she struggled against the fog clouding her mind.

“I have to…get…ready…to go.” Feeling a slight twinge of nausea, she placed her hand over her stomach to ease the queasiness. She started walking toward the bathroom.

“Go where?” he prodded gently.

She stopped and turned.
Go where?
Staring off into space, she moved her head side to side as she tried to remember…tried to remember. She became absolutely still.

“The university!” she shouted triumphantly. “I have to go the university.

I have a meeting with…with…Dr. Samuels.”

“Who is he?”

“He is heading the wolf study at Porcupine Mountain. He’s meeting with me and two other vets to go over the repopulation plan.”

Jonathan nodded his head at everything she had remembered. Since strong memories came back first, this project must be very important to her.

“All right. We’ll go,” he said as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket and started punching numbers. “But first, I want to call in a little backup.”

Richelle placed the empty tray at the foot of the bed as she got up and headed for the bathroom with Shadow trailing close behind. She could hear Jonathon on the phone through the closed door.

“Hey Stefan. I need your help. Yeah, I’m here with Richelle. She wants to head over to the university, and I was hoping you and Roman could tag along… No, Val’s on the hunt. Stuff happened. I can’t. Val will tell you, if

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he wants. She seems okay. And I want to keep it that way, so I’d appreciate it if you guys could come along.”

Richelle paid no attention to the conversation as she removed the robe to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Running her hands over her hips and the rounded part of her belly, she moved her hands upward until she could run them over her firm breasts. She lowered her arms to her sides so she could look at her face in the mirror. It was a face she barely recognized.

She pulled her hair back and fastened it with a clip sitting beside the sink. She noticed faint dark circles under her eyes as she washed her face.

She allowed her tears of frustration and emptiness to wash away the depressive tension weighing down on her. After she patted her face dry, she looked at her eyes reflected in the mirror. They were a sparkling bright green but somehow empty, like a garden with no blooms. Shadow

whimpered, and she gave him an understanding smile.

“If you could talk, I bet you could tell me everything I want to know, couldn’t you, boy?” She reached down to scratch behind his ears as he growled contently.

“Don’t worry; everything will be okay.”

Startled, Richelle turned her head abruptly to see who had come into the bathroom. The door was locked.
Then where did that voice come from?

She looked around and then her eyes settled on Shadow, his tail wagging and tongue hanging out. It almost looked as if he was wearing a half-cocked grin. With a knowing smile, she stroked his head and gave him a quick peck on his nose before she got ready for her shower.

“Thank you.”

* * * *

Jonathon paced as he continued his phone conversation.

“This meeting with Dr. Samuels is very important to her. I’d hate to disappoint her by keeping her incarcerated here like some convict… Nooo!

It’s not like that! I mean she is very sweet and lovely, but she’s Val’s woman. Just tell me if you and Roman are gonna help… All right… Yeah, it’d be great if you could convince Pieter to help, but I thought Guardians had their own territories… Okay, probably about an hour. Thanks, Stefan.

See you then.”
Click.

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Jonathon went and cleared the tray into the kitchen, wiping the dishes to place them in the dishwasher.
All the comforts of home,
he thought wryly.

Immortals did partake of mortal food on occasion, not for sustenance but for the mere taste of it. And Val kept his cupboards fully stocked with dishes, glasses, and utensils, mostly for the comfort of his mortal friends, mainly him.

As solitary a life as Guardians were supposed to lead, Jonathon always found Valya a considerate and amenable host. Oh, there were times when his anger and frustration from a hunt turned him into a cranky sourpuss, but who, Immortal or mortal, didn’t get that way when things didn’t go right?

According to what Nicolae had told him, being a Guardian was the last step for redemption before an Immortal turned Vampyre. It was their chance to find their mate or find the resolve to make the Final Sacrifice. Over the years, Valya had proven himself to be more than a Guardian. He was a good and true friend who Jonathon would die for.

With a soft click, the bathroom door opened, and Richelle emerged, fresh as a daisy in her white and yellow suit and white pumps. Her hair, freshly washed, hung in damp curls as she clipped it back. She smiled at him shyly as she did a pirouette.

“Do I look all right?”

“You look beautiful,” he said, his voice full of longing. When she looked at him dubiously, he looked away and busied himself by going into the kitchenette and wiping some invisible dirt from the counter.

“I, um, got hold of Roman and Stefan,” he stammered, trying to repress his embarrassment at his schoolboy adoration. “Pieter, another Guardian, will be coming with them.” Richelle walked over and gave him a light peck on his cheek. Her smile was warmer than a spring day.

“Thank you for your help. And thank you for allowing me to attend this meeting. You have no idea what it means to me.” And she walked away, just like that, leaving Jonathon trembling in his shoes.

She kissed me,
he thought as he touched his cheek with his fingertips.

The enormity of his feelings for Richelle flooded through him, everything from pride, admiration, compassion, adoration, and back. Being with her made him want to be a better man, and he would not disappoint her or the Immortals.

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He had given his word to Val to watch over Richelle and he intended to keep his word, no matter what. And he hoped Val would beat the odds and be able to complete the bonding with Richelle.

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Stunned after her meeting with Dr. Samuels, Richelle walked in silence down the hallway not waiting for Jonathon. Her heels on the tile floor ticked like a time bomb waiting to explode. She threw open the doors and exited the science building out to the parking lot where Shadow was waiting. The overhead lights were coming on as the evening sky darkened. Her infuriated pace made her companions stride double-time to catch up with her.

Jonathon pulled up short so as to not run into her as she stood at the head of the stone steps, staring off into the distance, misty-eyed with her lip quivering slightly. Shadow instinctively sidled up beside her, nearly knocking Jonathon off his feet, rubbing his head against her leg. She dropped to one knee and hugged him fiercely around his neck. He nuzzled and licked her cheek as a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

“Don’t cry, Richelle. Samuels is an insensitive ass who doesn’t deserve to head up this program.”

Sensing his agitation, Richelle looked up and gave him a lopsided smile as she wiped her eyes.

She couldn’t believe it when he referred to the plight of the gray wolves as if their dwindling population was of no consequence, just an “acceptable loss to the diminishing habitats of wildlife to the progression of man,” or some such bullshit.

“I’ve admired Dr. Samuels and his work for the last two years. I can’t believe it didn’t mean anything to him. That he was only heading up the project for the grant money.”

“Samuels is an egotistical, pseudo-intellectual who must have a relative on the board who got him the position. You have every reason not to like him.”

Richelle gave a half-hearted laugh. “Was I that transparent?”

“Only to someone who knows you.”

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“And you think you know me?” She arched her brow at him.

“I’m beginning to,” he reassured her as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“The wolves have done so much me for me,” she idly commented.

“They took care of me, comforted me when I was scared, and kept me company when I was lonely. They are my friends.”

“So what will you do now?”

“I know what I won’t do. I won’t work for a man who is spending his time and grant monies simply documenting the extinction of a species instead of doing something about it.”

“So what are
you
going to do about it?”

She knew
exactly
what she was going to do about it.

“I’m going to report him to the Foundation…let them know how he is conducting his
research.
”

“And then?”

“This project means so much to me and means survival for them.” On the verge of tears, her voice quavered. “How can I just give it up and walk away?”

“You can’t. That’s what makes you so special, because you care for your friends.”

For so long she hid from the world. As her memories returned, she had an inexorable sense of loneliness lingering from her past. She found she truly enjoyed being in the company of others. She didn’t want to give that up.

But there was also a suffocating presence invading her mind—a terrible presence manifestation haunting her.
Luka
…his Immortal followers, Preacher, and the Believers. As much as she wanted to deny it, she sensed great danger as if Death were reaching out to touch her. She gasped, startled when Jonathon placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Whoa, it’s okay,” he said, holding his hands up in front of him. Slowly he lowered them to hook his thumbs in the back pockets of his jeans. “I can’t stay here anymore. I need to get away.”“You’re upset and you’re getting all mixed up, dwelling on Samuels’ misconceptions and inaccurate statistics about the sanctuary.” Jonathon blathered on, saying anything to get her to change her mind and stay. “We’ll get you home where you can get some sleep. Then you’ll feel better.”

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A foreboding chill had come up from the east, and Richelle had a disturbing misgiving. Death was getting closer.

She shook her head. “It isn’t just Dr. Samuels.” It was everything. She had lost everything and everyone she loved. And it wouldn’t end until the preacher and Luka were stopped.

“No, I’ve made up my mind. I need to leave. Go somewhere safe where they wouldn’t dare follow. I need to go back to Romania until Luka and his followers can be stopped.”

“You’re going alone?”

Smiling softly she shook her head. “No, I will go with Valya and live with his people until we can return in safety. Then I will return and help my wolves.”

He took her hands in his, holding them gently. She fidgeted under his intense stare.

“Are you sure?”

“I love Valya.”

A breeze kicked up, and she had the sense of icy fingers brushing the back of her neck. Pulling her hands away, she backed up against Jonathon.

“We need to get back to the apartment. Now.” She sensed an urgency on the wind. “Where are the Protectors?”

“We are here.”

Richelle gave a startled yelp as two men appeared before her. She should have known they were everywhere and nowhere and that the mere mention of them would elicit their materialization.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I know,” she panted, taking deep breaths.

“I am Roman. This is Stefan.”

Richelle stared at them noting the striking difference in their appearances but still, both extraordinarily handsome. Looking around the area, she directed her question to Roman.

“I thought there were three of you.”

“Pieter, a Guardian. He is near.” His tone was as stuffy as an English butler, but Richelle’s opinion of him went up when she saw him hold his hand out to Shadow. The big black wolf trotted over, standing beside him like they were old companions.

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“We need to get Richelle back to the apartment,” Stefan harshly stated.

“It seems there is a betrayer among the Immortals. We must get her to safety until we can return her to Valya.”

Jonathan took her by the elbow and scanned the seemingly vacant parking lot. His nostrils flared as he raised his head to the wind. Stefan, Roman, and Shadow followed suit, subtly pronouncing there was danger afoot.

“
You feel it too, don’t you?”
she asked, establishing a mind link with the Protectors.
“Death is near.”

Stefan nodded his head slightly while Roman continued to scan the area.

Shadow stepped in front of Richelle and growled low, his ears flattening back on his head as he bared his teeth. She listened in on the Protectors mind linked.

“
Do you feel it?”
Stefan inquired, knowing full well Roman did.

“Yes. There are six of them.”

“Can you sense where they are?”

“Three are on the far side of the parking lot, behind the building. The
other three are hiding among the trees to the left.”

“Divide and conquer?”

Roman nodded and turned to Jonathon.

“You need to get her out of here. Get in the car and take her back to the apartment.”

“No,” Richelle interjected, “I need to get to Valya. We need to leave and go to Romania, to the Immortals.”

“Return to the apartment. We will join you there and take you to the Immortals.”

“No. I want to be with Valya.” She was adamant. Truth be known, it was the only place she felt safe despite the presence of the Protectors. It may be their calling to defend an innocent, but Valya was her life mate. She didn’t just want to be with Valya, she needed to be with him and conveyed that thought to her Protectors.

“Take me to Valya.” She felt the uneasiness between the men. Roman and Stefan exchanged intermittent glances as they scanned the area for more intruders. Jonathon shifted his feet uncomfortably, switching between staring at the ground and stealing dubious glances at the Protectors. She