Torn Between Enemy Alphas

Chapter 42- Shifting

There was an alarm clock in the room right next to the bed. It was the kind of clock that had to be wound up to make sure that it ran, but not too tight or it would run too fast, and just tight enough that it didn't run out. 

Luckily, Alice had had one when she was a kid, with a princess in a yellow dress forever frozen mid twirl stuck behind the moving hands of the clock face, so she knew just how it worked, since Fin's experience with alarm clocks was limited to the digital variety and Alice's cell phone was now entirely dead.

When the annoying little metal hammer began to ricochet from one bell to the other Alice snuggled closer to her mate, pulling the heavy comforter up over her shoulder in an attempt to escape the sound. The bed was so very comfortable and the exhaustion of the last week had finally overtaken her. But after pulling her against his chest and breathing in the intoxicating scent of her hair, she heard Fin sigh. He reached for the clock and slid the lock into place that kept the hammer from striking the two bells before kissing her forehead again.

"It's almost night, Princess. You know what that means. Up and at 'em."

A hiss of air escaped from between her teeth in complaint and she snuggled closer to him, pressing her warm body against his side as she came more fully awake. The room was mostly shadows now, with only the faintest light coming in through the window. 

He was right, they needed to get up and leave. This house wasn't the safest place for them to stay, even in a world where very few places were safe. As much as Alice felt compelled to trust Lena, and she did feel a deep unexplainable draw to trust the older woman who she truly believed had been one of her mother's closest friends, she knew that the woman's relationship with Alpha Cadman was complicated.

Even though Alice did believe that Lena hated the man, possibly more than Alice did, she had helped him hide his crimes for the past decade. She had done it to protect the people she loved, particularly Alice, but that fact didn't mean that her home was safe from the monster who Alice now knew had taken the lives of both her parents.

With a sigh Alice pushed herself up into a sitting position, before rolling to the edge of the bed. She didn't have time to dwell on how frightening everything was if she slowed down to think about it. Because it really was. If she stopped and put the pieces together and really thought about how this was all coming together she would probably break down and right now they didn't have time for that. They needed to get on the road.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He'd slept in his underwear but now he was pulling on his pants and shirt before stuffing his feet back into his boots.

"I don't think we should. Not now. Later. When this is over, maybe." Her voice trembled when she said maybe and she looked over her shoulder to see him nod as he bent to tie his shoelaces.

"Okay. What do you think about stashing your bag under the porch here and shifting and running the rest of the way home that way?"

"You really think you're up for it?" She stood and turned towards him, surprised at how light and teasing she managed to make her voice sound. "You realize that you haven't shifted since you broke those ribs." She forced a smile as she lifted her eyebrows, gathering her long blonde hair up in a messy ponytail. There was no point getting dressed now if they were just going to go downstairs and shift. She might as well stay in what she'd slept in if she was just going to be throwing it back into her backpack before she shifted.

"Am I up for it?" His voice was filled with bravado and this time her smile was genuine. She let a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, as she allowed herself a moment to imagine what it would be like when this was really over and they actually had time to just be together and get to know each other without the pressure of life and death situations hanging over their heads.