Taken Ch. 04

Adele wasn't stupid, she noticed the way the men Gabriel came to town with looked at her. She knew that look all too well and it said she didn't belong.

Gabriel growled in frustration. "I told you, Adele, none of that matters. Don't you trust me?"

Adele bit her lip. She loved Gabriel, she really did, but he could never understand what it was like growing up in the Deep South being colored. Even worse was having a grandmother who practiced what the good Christian folks of Jasper County termed 'Black Magic'. Funny though, those same people who shunned her in public were the same ones who sought out Mama Lucy for her services.

She wanted to believe in the fairy tale, that they could go and live happily ever after, but it just wasn't possible. Her Gran had even said so. Turning around to face him, she placed her hand on his chest. Gabriel wanted her complete trust and up until a couple of days ago, he had it. Before she had been too afraid to ask, but if she was going to consider risking everything for him, she needed to know the truth. Looking up she asked softly, "What are you, Gabriel?"

His face paled. "What did you say?"

She lowered her eyes. "My grandma told me to stay away from you, that you...you weren't natural...What are you, Gabriel?"

***

"What are you, Gabriel?"

Gabriel sat up to look at Alicia. He had been holding her while she slept, when he heard her mumble something, and then she said it again. He could tell by her breathing that she was still asleep, but what the hell could she be dreaming about to make her ask such a question? He glanced at the mark on her shoulder. Was it possible she knew? He was sure she hadn't seen him when he bit her shoulder, if she had, he could only imagine her reaction at seeing him in his half-beast form. How she didn't notice it was beyond him, but then again she was out of her mind with pleasure. Yet, she had called to him, begged him to take her, which shocked him. It was the way she had said it, as if she knew what he was going to do.

He closed his eyes, his beast was sated but his mind was restless. Once again, he lost control and ended up doing things ass backward. First, the kidnapping, now mating with her before explaining what the hell he was to her. He was really starting to question his sanity when it came to Alicia. Whatever it was, it was too late to change what was done; he would just have to explain everything to her in the morning.

Leaning back onto his pillow, he thought about the mark, remembering what he felt the exact moment he bit her. Granted, he had never been mated before so he didn't know everything that came along with the process, and he supposed the experience was different with each couple, but in all his years, he never heard of anyone feeling what he felt after being mated. Dread.

When he first marked Alicia, he could identify all the feelings one would associate with being mated, love, happiness, joy, but just as those emotions hit, he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of loss. It was an unspeakable pain that felt so real, almost as if he was dying. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, all he could do was feel the pain, the sadness, and the loneliness. It felt so real that he almost shed tears. Was this a sign of what was to come? Did his brother not warn him about taking a human as a mate? His chest tightened and his hands balled into fists at the thought of losing her. He couldn't lose her.

****

Alicia groaned, feeling stiff, her body felt like she had a serious workout. She tried to turn to get in a comfortable position, but something was weighing her down. Opening her eyes, she craned her neck to see what the hell was on her and damn near had a stroke at the sight of Gabriel's sleeping face. She told herself not to panic, but it was getting harder not to do just that as the memories of what she'd done came flooding back.

How could she? She was a virgin and instead of giving her virginity to someone she loved, she'd given it to Gabriel, a man she knew nothing about aside from the fact that he was crazy possessive. Alicia had told herself she would not give in, no matter what, and what did she do? Not only did she give in, but she had to go and beg for it, and worse, she loved every minute of it. What the hell did that say about her as a person? She should have fought, she should've... Alicia felt herself starting to choke up. She was literally losing her mind, nothing made sense anymore. She couldn't explain it, but something had changed within her when she slept with Gabriel. The emotions that flooded her, from love and pain to heartache, it was all too much to take, and then there was the dream.

It was like she was watching a scene play out. She could see Gabriel clearly, but something was different about him. He looked a little younger and the way he was dressed was funny, like something from the nineteen twenties or thirties. The girl, on the other hand, Alicia had been unable to make her out. It was obvious they were lovers from their body language. At one point during their conversation, it occurred to Alicia that Gabriel was in love with this Adele person. He wanted this woman to come away with him, and as much as she hated to admit it, it made her angry to see Gabriel so loving and comforting to another woman. It was clear he wanted Adele, so why was she here? Alicia closed her eyes at her ludicrous thoughts. After all, it was just a dream, a figment of her imagination, and the fact that she was jealous over a dream was all the more reason for her to get the hell out of there.

More determined than ever, she carefully extracted herself from Gabriel, with him asleep, she'd able to sneak out of room and maybe find someone to help her. At one point, he must have felt her move because he pulled her closer to him, tightening his hold around her waist. Alicia waited several minutes, making sure he had fallen back into a deep sleep. Slowly, she inched out of the bed, breathing a sigh of relief that he was still asleep. Grabbing her shirt, she quickly threw it over her head, then all she had to do was find her pants and shoes and she was out of there.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Alicia froze in mid-step at the sound of his voice, before turning to face Gabriel. Her instincts said run, but she already knew how that would go. "Um, I was headed to the restroom. Or is that not allowed?"

Gabriel sat up, throwing the cover back. The man had no shame, but then again, with a body like his, why would he?

"Alicia, you and I both know what you were about to do."

Trying to play off the fact that she had been caught, she squared her shoulders. "So, not only are you a kidnapper, but you're a psychic too. Aren't you a man of many talents?"

Alicia waited, expecting one of his usual witty remarks, but instead he said nothing. As a matter of fact, he looked upset, worried even. Her chest tightened and her breathing became shallow as her mind ran wild. What if he regretted last night? After all, wasn't sex the reason why he kidnapped her in the first place? And if it wasn't good, then what would he do with her?

"Why don't you sit down?" he requested, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Sitting down was the last thing she was going to do. If he was going to try anything, she wanted to be able to see it coming.

"Alicia," he huffed, "you might as well sit down. It's not like you're going anywhere anytime soon."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it with me standing."

"Fine, suit yourself."

He ran his fingers through his hair as he contemplated what to say. "Alicia, there are some things you should know, things that I should have told you from the beginning. I never meant for it to get to this point without you knowing everything first. However, when it comes to you, I seem to have no self control, hence our current predicament."

"What are you talking about?"

What more could he possibly have to tell her? Kidnapped, check. Uncle who you thought loved you sold you out, check. For God's sake, what else could there be?

"There's a reason why I brought you here, and no, it was not to have you be my whore, as you called it." He spoke quickly to keep her from interrupting.

"Then what is it?" she asked, getting impatient.

"When I first saw you, I knew you were the one, even though I didn't want to admit it. I thought maybe I could stay in town, maybe seduce you with my charms," he smiled, "have a little fun and be on my way. Yet, when you left the dinner table, I felt the uncontrollable urge to go after you. The thought of being away from you did something to me. You see, my kind rarely finds the person who's meant to be their other half, but when they do find their one true mate, the connection is instantaneous. There's no mistaking it. One might try to deny or prolong the inevitable, but there's no fighting what is meant to be."

My kind? Mate? What did he mean by that? A cold chill came over her and her mind immediately flashed to her dream, but she quickly pushed it aside. It was just a dream, but still she felt compelled to ask anyway.

"What are you?"

"I'm what you humans refer to as a werewolf."

Alicia just stood there, mouth open, eyes wide. What the hell do you say to someone who thinks they're a wolf, correction, a werewolf? Oh she knew he was crazy, look at the situation they were in, but this was ridiculous. The thoughts in her head ranged from 'What the fuck?' to 'Why, why, why?' Why was she abducted? Why did she have to go and sleep with a mad man? And why in the hell was he looking at her like that? What did he expect her say? Clearly he forgot to take his pills.

"Umm...yeah...I..." she stuttered as she tried to find something, anything, that would pacify his delusions. Gabriel was obviously mentally unstable and the last thing she wanted to do was set him off. Right, just pretend like you believe his crazy ass and as soon as you get a chance, run.

"I'm not crazy," he stated, as if reading her thoughts. Maybe he was psychic.

"Of course not," she assured him.

"You don't believe me," he replied.

Hell no. "I didn't say that."

"Alicia, last night we began the mating ritual. The hot flashes, the urges, it was all a part of the process. From the moment we met, we started a chain reaction of you needing me and I, you. You being in heat only exacerbated things. To fight it would be unnatural, not to mention drive us both crazy in the process.

I shouldn't have bitten you without telling you what I was and how it would affect you, but what's done is done. I know it's in your nature to question and rationalize things, but there is no questioning this. You are meant for me and only me. After tonight, we are forever bonded through that mark, and of course, our children." He ended with a pointed look at her stomach.

"What?!?" she shrieked.

Gabriel stood, walking towards her. Alicia tried not to look, but she couldn't help herself. Even though he was a few cards short of a full deck, he was still gorgeous. Licking her lips, she forced herself to focus on what he was saying.

"When I bit you, the mating ritual officially began. You didn't notice it because you were well... preoccupied, and afterward, I pinned you."

She looked confused, so he made an analogy, comparing werewolves to dogs, and would have laughed, if not for the situation, when her face dropped.

"The only thing that's left is for you to mark me during your final transformation, but, for all intents and purposes, we are mated."

Alicia thought about her shoulder and then dismissed it. She was not about to get caught up in Gabriel's crap. Just as that thought left, another popped into her head, the only one that seemed plausible.

"Wait a minute, just wait a minute," she said, blowing out a breath, "Let me get this straight. Not only am I supposed to believe that you're a werewolf, but also that I," she made air quotation marks, "was in heat, as you put it, hence the reason for the uncontrollable lust, and on top of that, I will start to change into a wolf. Oh, and let's not forget that I also may be pregnant to boot. Are you out of your damn mind?" she ended in a scream.

"I assure you, I am very sane, and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, you will become one of us," he stated, running his hand over her stomach.

Alicia stared up at him. His eyes had darkened to the point that they no longer looked blue, in fact, his pupils looked black.

"And you most certainly will bare my children."

She shuddered, and instead of addressing that comment, she changed the subject. "Us? Let me guess, everyone around here are wolves too?"

He nodded in answer.

Well, no wonder Kristen and Anita wouldn't help her; they were probably just as crazy as Gabriel. Unable to take the foolishness anymore, she decided to settle things once and for all.

"Okay, you think you're a wolf..."

"Werewolf," he cut in.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Werewolf, wolf, whatever. The point I'm trying to make is if you're a werewolf, then prove it."

Gabriel stared at her as if he was debating something, most likely how stupid he was going to look when he realized he couldn't change. Figures.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, as if he was concerned for her.

"Of course. After all, if I'm going to become one of you, I would like to know what I'm going to look like." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Alicia knew he wouldn't be able to do anything, and she just hoped when he realized he wasn't a wolf, that he didn't have some kind of mental breakdown.

Gabriel backed up, never taking his eyes off her, his hands balled into fists. He began to twitch and she almost chuckled, until she began to see it. Alicia watched in wide-eyed horror as his body began to transform before her eyes. His bones began to elongate, his face taking on the shape of a wolf. She stared as his eyes narrowed into slits while hair sprouted all over his body, much like thick fur. Gabriel growled as his body began twisting and jerking painfully while it bulked up at the same time. He was huge. He wasn't a wolf, he was a fucking beast.

"Impossible," Alicia whispered, backing up.

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, she had seen enough. As fast as she could, she sprinted into the bathroom, locking the door, as if that could stop him. Everything was spinning out of control and her heart was beating a mile a minute. What had she just witnessed? The man ... he just.... Oh God!

Her chest was heaving as she tried to take in air and black spots swam before her eyes. She was going to turn into that...and bare his children. She could hear Gabriel pleading for her to open the door from the other side, saying that he would never hurt her and that he only wanted to show her the truth.

Alicia held on to the sides of the sink, trying to fight the dizziness. She lifted her head and tried to focus on the face staring back at her in the mirror, but all she saw was the image of that beast. It was too much and she fainted.

****

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Adele turned at the sound of the voice and did her best not to groan her displeasure at the sight of Johnny Mayfield. The man stayed liquored up, was always in and out of trouble, and for some reason or other he had his sights set on Adele. Whenever she spotted him, she made sure to head in the other direction. Johnny's idea of courting involved groping and grinding, talking about all the things he would to do to her body. She may have been somewhat of an outcast in their small town, but she wasn't desperate. Why on God's green earth had she told Gabriel that she would meet him here instead of coming with him?

She sighed. It was because she needed time to think and she wouldn't have been able to do that with Gabriel next to her. Normally, no one came out that way because it was isolated and there was nothing but woods, which was why she and Gabriel always met there. Apparently their secret wasn't a secret after all.

"Waiting for your lover?"

Adele stared at him, ready to deny it, but he beat her to it.

"What? You think nobody knows 'bout you coming up here, givin' it up to that white boy?" Johnny shook his head, the motion knocking him off balance. "No wonder you never gave me the time of day, wasn't good 'nough, huh?"

"Johnny, you don't know what you're talking 'bout. I ain't been giving it up to nobody, so you best be leavin'."

Johnny chuckled, taking a swig of his beer as he stepped towards her. "Oh I knows alright, I knows you ain't nothing but a slut. What, I bet that white man is paying good money for that chocolate pussy," he slurred, his eyes taking on a murderous look, "or maybe you let him have it for free."

With them being alone in the woods and Gabe nowhere in sight, Adele figured her best bet was to get out of there as quick as possible. There was no telling what Johnny was capable of, now that he deemed her a whore.

"Where do you think you're going? I ain't finished yet," he said, grabbing her arm as she tried to leave.

Adele struggled to yank her arm free, but even for a drunk, the man was stronger. In a panic, she raised her free hand to strike him as hard as she could and when his grip loosened, she took off. Unfortunately, she didn't make it far before she felt him grab her hair, snatching it roughly and causing her to fall forward, with him landing on top of her.

Adele screamed and flung her arms wildly, trying to knock him off of her, but his weight pinned her down and one of his hands pressed her head into the ground.

"Shhh, baby, me and you gon' have ourselves some fun. Ain't like you don't want it," he slurred as he pressed himself against her.

Adele felt his hands inching up her dress. She began to cry out when they reached her panties; tears blurred her vision and she could taste the dirt as she screamed. Not knowing what to expect, she was shocked when she heard a loud growl and felt Johnny's weight lifted off of her. She immediately jumped up, but she made the mistake of looking back instead of running.

On top of Johnny was a huge creature that was ripping the man to shreds. It kept tearing at him, over and over, and all the while, Johnny was screaming for help. But there was no helping him. His screams soon stopped.

Adele stood there transfixed, she had never seen or heard of anything like it. This thing had to be over seven feet tall. It could have easily crushed Johnny and have been done, but it was as if it wanted him to feel every bit of pain. Once the initial shock wore off, Adele took off running before it turned on her.

Adele cried as she ran. Whatever it was that had killed Johnny would surely be coming for her next. She tried to focus on her surroundings. In her panic, she hadn't been paying attention and, as a result, was lost. Adele had just slowed down when she heard it, it sounded like a growl. She took off running again, not caring what direction she went in. She could still hear it. The thing, it was getting closer. She tried picking up her pace, but she was no runner. That was it; she was going to die in those woods.

Closing her eyes, she ran blindly, expecting to be snatched up any moment. Suddenly, she was lifted up off the ground, screaming and kicking, thinking she was about to be ripped to pieces as Johnny had been. She continued to scream until she realized nothing was happening. Turning, she hesitantly looked at her captor.

Gabriel.

"Oh my God...we have to get...outta here...it's..."