JACKSON
God, would my heart ever stop beating so fast? I didn't think I could ever be so scared after hearing that Annabelle had disappeared. Turns out that fear could turn in to heart-stopping terror, as soon as I had seen what had happened to Annabelle and Laura in the stream. I had arrived too late to help rescue Annabelle, but thankfully Laura had managed it all by herself. Her bravery and courage shocked me, and my respect for her had grown ten-fold. My heart faltered when I thought about how close we had been to losing Annabelle. It was the first time her ability to manoeuvre undetected had actually become dangerous. Jasmine had been beside herself, and it had taken every ounce of my strength to persuade Noah to stay behind and look after her, while we went in search of Annabelle. She had only been missing for about 30 minutes, but it had been the longest 30 minutes of my life. When I had come across a crying Annabelle and an unconscious Laura, I had felt my heart drop in to my stomach, with it taking a good few seconds for me to calm enough to take charge of the situation. That never happened to me. I was used to seeing violence and anger, having experienced tragedy, so I presumed I was immune to it all by now and would be able to file my feelings away for another time. I hated to admit it, but Laura was affecting me more than was normal. Jasmine had told me that she had spotted a wolf in the woods, but had chalked it down to being in shock and scared. However, I knew by now all about Laura's inquisitive nature and I knew she wouldn't be kept quiet for long. If she stayed in town, I would have to tell her our secret eventually.
LAURA
The sun was shining and I was bored out of my brain with everyone fussing me, so I decided to take another trip in to town and take a look around. I'd like to say it was because I was interested in getting to know the people and my new home, but to be honest I was being nosy and trying to find out what everyone was hiding from me. The wolf I had seen by the stream kept playing around in my mind, even though I knew that realistically it was all in my head. The wolf had haunted my dreams last night and I had woken up feeling more confused than before; adamant that the wolf had actually been there. Of course, I could have just asked Annabelle if she'd seen the wolf, but there was something about questioning a child who'd just been through a traumatic experience that just didn't sit right with me.
I was just hopping out of the car - proud of myself that I had found the way to town all on my own- when a shadow fell across me and I jumped back in fright. I quickly smiled when I saw the gorgeous man leaning on my car like he owned it, throwing me the most beautiful smile full of dimples and everything. He had prominent cheekbones that models would kill for, a black t-shirt and jeans which moulded to his strong body, messy black hair slightly longer than was usual, but so sexy. I didn't know what they were putting in the water here, but they'd probably make a load of money using this place as a tourist attraction for horny women.
"Hey, beautiful. You must be Laura."
He reached out his hand for me to shake and I once again gasped at how warm he was to the touch. These guys were like human radiators. All I could think about was curling up against one during a cold, lonely night. Yeah, it's definitely been a while.
"Is it that obvious I'm new around here?"
He laughed and I smiled in response. This guy had to be the local heartbreaker around here, that's for sure.
"You could say that. Also, I'd have definitely remembered seeing your beautiful face before."
"Smooth. And you are?" I brushed off his compliment like he had no effect on me whatsoever, which of course was a total lie.
"I'm Blake. My brother's told me all about you." It was then that I noticed the small paw print tattoo on his left hand, although it was hard to see amongst all the other tattoos that decorated his hands and arms.
"Ah. I'm guessing your brother would be Jackson?"
"The one and only. I heard what you did the other day, rescuing my niece like that. I was just going to thank you and be on my way, but after seeing how hot you are I'm gonna have to ask you out for some food. Of course, a proper thank you does involve a kiss or three as well."
I giggled at his blatant ways to try and chat me up, before I locked my car door and headed towards the bank.
"So, that's a no then?" He shouted after me, smiling and throwing me a wink so I knew he wasn't offended by my brush off.
"Nice to meet you, Blake! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."
"You can count on it." I walked in to the bank, happy that at least one other person had treated me like a normal woman, rather than someone harbouring the plague.
****
Two hours later, I was no further on in to my investigation to find out what the hell was going on in the place. Although there had been a few people looking at me strangely, there had been no whispered conversations about me or hostile vibes sent my way. In fact, everyone had been fairly pleasant, offering to help me find things when they could see me looking lost, telling me all about the best places to eat in the local area. Although I was used to living in the hustle and bustle of the city, with streets full of restaurants and things to do, I found myself feeling an innate sense of peace here, quite liking the fact that everything was set apart. The people seemed quite happy, with the town so clean you'd have thought the Queen was about to pay a visit. The only thing that worried me, was the amount of Jackson's men I had seen walking around. I called them Jackson's men but I still didn't really understand their job roles, or why Jackson was so important here. They didn't seem to be heading anywhere in particular; they were just walking around and talking to the locals. They would take the time to talk to me, offering me assistance if I needed it, complimenting me enough to make me suspicious, but I presumed it was just because they were friends with Jackson and they had seen us hanging out together. I knew I'd never be able to remember their names, but I was going to try my hardest to put in the effort, because for some reason I really wanted to belong here. I found myself wanting these people to like me, which could only lead to heartache for myself I was sure.
I was just walking back to the car when my phone started vibrating in my back pocket. I groaned when I pulled out the phone and saw Craig's name flash up on the screen. I counted to five slowly before answering the call.
"Hello."
"Hey, baby."
"Baby? No Craig, you can't call me that now. We're not together anymore, remember?"
"Yeah, for the moment. You'll change your mind eventually."
"What kind of planet are you living on Craig? How many times do I have to tell you it's over?"
"Oh come on! Over something so stupid?!"
"Stupid?! You slept with my best friend! In my bed!"
"It was our bed, babe."
I screamed out in frustration, not even bothered by the amount of people who had gathered around and were listening to this embarrassing conversation.
"Look, just come home and we can sort it out."
"Craig, get it through your thick head. I've moved away, forever. There's nothing tying me there anymore, so don't wait for me to come back. You'll get the divorce papers soon enough."
"You're making a big mistake, baby."
"The only mistake I ever made was marrying you, baby." I ended the sentence with a shout, my face flushing red as I looked up to find not only most of the locals watching me, but Jackson standing to the side of me, clearly witness to my humiliation.
"Everything okay?" He asked with concern in his gaze and that voice that sent shivers down my spine.
"Yes! Everything's fine." I laughed and shrugged off my discomfort, turning to walk towards my car when Jackson's hand reached out to stop me.
"Drink?"
"Erm. I do, yes. Thanks." Confused by his question, I kept walking when I heard him laughing behind me. God, even that guys laugh can turn me in to a puddle of goo.
"No. I meant, do you want to go for a drink? There's a restaurant with a bar just around the corner. You look like you could use someone to talk to." Touched by his gesture, I was mortified to feel my eyes filled with unshed tears. This day could not get any more embarrassing.
"How much of that conversation did you hear?" I asked him.
"Do you want me to be honest, or to lie?"
Oh, great. "Honestly?"
"Honestly, I heard the whole thing. I know I can seem like a grumpy git sometimes, but I promise I'm a good listener, if you need it."