The Vow: Dangerous Suggestions Book 1 (21 page)

“
Just go see him. I am not
saying you have to get with him or anything. Just go talk to him. I
don’t see how you two can’t be friends. Besides, the pack really
needs you. You are supposed to do the whole human deterrence
thing,” he said, trying to sound firm, but I knew better. Mason
knew the only chance he had of getting me to do what he wanted was
through pestering me until I did it just to shut him up.

“
I doubt Dawson wants to
see me. We didn’t end things on very friendly terms,” I said
quietly. I wasn’t about to go make a fool of myself.

Mason moved up next to me. He leaned
against the counter, keeping his eyes on me. It was very unnerving.
I felt like I was guilty of something; maybe I was. “Go to him,”
Mason said softly.

I looked at him, trying to figure out
what his motives were. I couldn’t believe he was pushing me toward
Dawson like this. There had to be a reason for it. “I don’t have
the ability to love Dawson like he deserves,” I said after a few
minutes. I took another sip of my drink.

“
Then don’t love him. I am
just saying, go see him. The pack needs you. The humans are getting
brazen. They are a growing threat. The best way to show Dawson you
care is by protecting his people,” Mason said firmly. He was really
trying to convince me to go back to the pack.

“
What if he doesn’t want
me back?” I asked softly. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the
rejection. In fact, I knew I couldn’t.

“
He will. Please, just
come with me. Don’t give up on our kind yet,” he said playfully as
he nudged me.

I sighed and downed the rest of my
drink. “Fine, I will go with you,” I muttered, as I set my glass on
the counter.

“
Cool. Let’s go, then,” he
said, obviously in a hurry.

I followed him out of the hotel room,
and into the elevator. “Are you sure about this?” I asked again, as
we stepped out into the parking garage.

“
Positive. We need you now
more than ever,” he said as he walked quickly toward his vehicle. I
realized it was Dawson’s truck that he’d driven here. It didn’t
really make sense. I didn’t see why Dawson would let Mason use his
truck. I decided not to question it. I climbed in and hoped once I
made it back to Dawson, he wouldn’t reject me like I
feared.

Mason drove past the biker bar where I
met Dawson for the first time. It seemed like it was ages ago, but
it wasn’t really that long ago at all. Hell, I felt like I hadn’t
seen Dawson in forever, but it had only been a week. The bar seemed
vacant, which was a little odd, considering the time of night. “Why
is the bar closed?” I asked curiously.

Mason shrugged. “There are a couple
different reasons. It will be easier if Dawson explains,” he said,
sounding nervous.

He was acting like there was something
wrong. The tone of his voice made me worry a little. I didn’t
understand how he went from confident and upbeat to nervous. I was
debating whether or not I should question him. I decided against
it. I would just wait, and talk to Dawson. Dawson’s house came into
view, but Mason drove by it. I turned in my seat, trying to catch a
better glimpse of the house. It looked like it had been burned to
the ground.

“
Mason, what is going on?”
I asked, starting to worry. My question came off a little harsh; I
had a feeling he was keeping something from me.

He glanced at me, then back at the
road. “I think it is best if you wait and see,” he said softly. His
voice was strained, like the thought of what was coming bothered
him.

“
What happened to Dawson’s
house? It looked like it was burned down,” I said, trying to get
him to talk. I figured if I questioned him enough, he might say
something.

“
Things happened once you
left; bad things. The hunters came in and chased us out of our
homes. The bar and house were burned down. Every pack member lost
their home. They drove us into the woods;” he said
softly.

The pained sound of his voice made my
chest tighten. I couldn’t help but feel some of this was my fault.
What if I never left? Maybe I could have prevented some of what
happened. I didn’t have much time to think about it, because Mason
pulled off the road. “We have to walk from here,” Mason said, as he
parked the truck. He climbed out of the truck, refusing to look at
me.

I climbed out and followed him into
the woods. The pack lived in the mountains as it was, but we were
heading deeper into the wooded mountainside. I had no doubt the
pack figured they would be safer where hunters didn’t dare to
venture. In wolf form, the pack would rule the woods. No one would
get past them undetected.

“
Why didn’t you tell me
about this sooner?” I asked, slightly annoyed. I thought they would
have come to me if they were in danger.

“
Do you have any idea how
hard it is to find someone no one notices?” he asked, matching my
tone.

I knew he was right; it was partially
my fault. I didn’t say anything else. I continued to follow him
over the rough terrain. I just wanted to get to Dawson. I wanted to
see him for myself so I would know he was okay.

* * *

After almost an hour of walking we
came to a clearing. The clearing led to the mouth of a cave. There
was a fire in the center of the clearing, and the pack members were
gathered around the fire. Their attention turned to Mason and me as
soon as we stepped out of the woods.

Dawson stood when he saw me. He glared
at Mason. “Why is she here?”

“
She is here to help,”
Mason said defiantly. He was getting braver. He was actually
standing up and voicing an opinion.

Dawson’s angry gaze shifted to me. I
had a feeling he did not know Mason planned on bringing me. “I
didn’t realize you didn’t know I was coming. Mason just filled me
in on what happened.”

Dawson scoffed. “And you care? Why?
Our problems don’t affect your perfect little world.”

“
Dawson, I know you are
angry with me, but I do want to help. I never wanted anything like
this to happen to you, or your people,” I said softly.

He watched me, trying to decide what
to say next.

“
What is it you think you
can do for us?” Lena chimed in, standing next to Dawson.

I had to admit seeing her next to him
hurt a little, but I wasn’t going to let it distract me. “You know
what I can do. I can make them go away,” I said softly.

“
You don’t even know if
your power works on the hunters,” Dawson said, trying to be as
defiant as possible.

“
You are right. I don’t,
but I also didn’t think I could control werewolves, and as it turns
out, I can. I am willing to find a way, but you have to accept my
help, or I can’t do anything,” I said, trying to reason with
him.

His fists were clenched at his sides,
and his jaw was tense. He looked, ragged like he hadn’t been
sleeping. My heart ached seeing him in so much pain. I knew most of
his pain was because he couldn’t protect his people. “Fine, you can
stay. Maybe you will make yourself useful,” he growled; then he
turned and stalked off into the woods. Lena looked at me, then
hurried after him.

“
He will warm up. He has
just had it rough lately,” Mason said, trying to reassure
me.

I glared at him. “You lied to me. You
and I are going to have problems if you do it again,” I snapped. I
walked away from Mason, towards the group gathered around the fire.
I figured the best way to help the pack would be to get to know
them. I had to get them to trust me, or we would never be able to
find a way to make things right.

I sat with the others huddled around
the fire. It was getting cooler at night. My mind was racing with
possibilities and scenarios. I tried to pay attention to the
conversations going on in the group, but it was hard for me to
focus. Dawson and Lena hadn’t reappeared. I hated to admit it, but
it hurt. I didn’t like thinking about Dawson with another woman. I
had never had him myself, and I regretted it. My thoughts were
plaguing me. I needed a break from the commotion of the group. I
walked into the woods away from the group, in hopes of finding some
silence.

I walked further away from the
clearing. I was careful not to wander too far. I would easily get
lost if I wasn’t careful. I leaned against a rather large tree and
closed my eyes. In the distance I could hear the laughter from the
group. I couldn’t believe they could find something to laugh about
in such a dark situation.

“
I still don’t understand
why you are here,” Dawson said quietly. His dark voice startled me.
My eyes flew open, and as I straightened, he was standing directly
in front of me. I never even heard him approach.

“
Mason asked me to come,”
I said, deciding to try to keep things simple.

“
He’s an idiot. You’re the
reason we are here in the first place,” he said softly.

I looked at him, confused. “What do
you mean?” I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I didn’t
understand why he was blaming me. I didn’t know how I could have
played any part in this.

“
The hunters came after us
because of you. They didn’t believe you were no longer in the pack,
so they destroyed everything,” he said angrily.

I suddenly understood Dawson’s anger.
Mason said he couldn’t find me. Maybe I could have done something
to stop this. Maybe I could have negotiated with the hunters. “I’m
sorry,” I said, trying to think of what else I could
say.

“
You should be,” he
snapped. He turned to walk away from me, but I didn’t want to let
him go.

“
Dawson,” I said quickly.
I reached out and grabbed his hand. In the past, he was the one who
always seemed to be stopping me; now I was stopping him. He didn’t
turn back to look at me, but he stayed where he was. He didn’t try
to pull away, he just wouldn’t look at me. “I don’t know what to
say. I will do whatever I have to, to make this right,” I said,
trying to keep my emotions in check.

“
You don’t belong here,
Larel. You should go home,” he said softly. He pulled his hand out
of mine, and started walking away from me.

I didn’t want him to leave. I could
feel the panic rising inside me. I was losing him; I might have
already lost him. The thought was painful. “You named me,” I said
quickly, for lack of something better to say.

He hesitated and looked back at me.
“So?” he said, looking a little confused.

“
No one cared enough about
me before to name me, but you did,” I said, hoping he would stop
pushing me away.

He looked away for a minute, then he
looked back at me. “You wouldn’t let me care about you, Larel,” he
said softly, then turned to leave again.

“
I was afraid,” I said
quickly. I wanted him to stay. I felt like it would be over for
good if I let him walk away. Whatever we had would be lost if I
just said nothing, and watched him go.

He turned and glared at me. “And you
think I wasn’t? I was terrified of what I felt for you, Larel, but
I fought my fear for you.”

“
I know you did, and I
didn’t fight hard enough for you, but I am here now. I will do
whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. Just tell me what I
have to do,” I pleaded. I didn’t want to lose him. The thought of
him never being mine made my heart ache. The loss would be
overwhelming. I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, but it was,
and now that I was faced with him I had to make my choice. I had to
fight.

He walked back towards me, closing the
distance quickly. “I don’t believe you,” he hissed. He was only
inches from me. I was looking up into his dark blue eyes. I felt
like he had my heart in his hands, and he was going to decide
whether to crush it or keep it. He knew the position he had me in,
and he was going to make me beg for mercy.

“
Please, Dawson. I meant
everything I said. I will fight. I will do whatever it takes to
make this right. I can’t let you walk away again,” I said, barely a
whisper.

His expression softened as he lifted
his hand and caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes, savoring his
touch. His hand dropped away from my cheek, and I opened my eyes.
His expression was back to being hard and unforgiving. “If you want
me back, then you will find a way to fix this, and maybe I will
consider it,” he said quietly, then he turned and disappeared into
the darkness.

I stood, unable to move. My chest was
tight with the fear of losing him. He didn’t shatter my heart
outright, but the threat was still there. He was going to make me
pay for rejecting his love. I would have to find a way to make
everything right again. I was going to fight for him like he fought
for me. I never had to fight for anything in my entire life. I
lived so selfishly, and everything came so easily to me, until now.
Back then, all it took was a simple suggestion to get what I
wanted; now I had no choice but to fight for what I wanted. For the
first time in my existence, I was sure of what I wanted. I wanted
Dawson. I would do whatever it took to help his people. I didn’t
care who I had to hurt, or if I died in the process. It would all
be worth the pain to know if I succeeded, he would be mine again.
In that moment of heartache and loneliness, I vowed I was going to
win him back if it was the last thing I did.