57. A sister's call

Back inside the alpha's private quarters, Danika stood where he'd left her, gapping at the closed door. Her mind still struck dumb by what happened downstairs, unable to escape what'd happened. Again she found herself thinking about the moments that followed the door opening up uninvited. As Justin had walked into the room, there'd been shock and horror on his face at the scene he'd witnessed.

Only it wasn't Justin's reaction to the scene he stumbled upon that'd gained the shock registering on her face. No, it was Shane's reaction to that instance. The second the door came open to Justin talking to him, his arms immediately wrapped around her. As if he'd been afraid of Justin being able to see her in such a state of undress, trying to shield her body from him. That reaction in itself was responsible enough, the same way anyone would've reacted if they'd been in their shoes. Hell, she'd have done the same thing.

No, it wasn't that particular reaction that'd determined her. No, in an attempt to avoid the widening eyes of the man gaping at them, she'd focused on Shane instead. When those arms of his wrapped around her, shielding her from view, she'd heard the growl rumbling in his chest. Granted, a lot of men were capable of growling when angry, but not the way he'd been doing. No, it wasn't a human growl. It was savage and primal. A predatory creature that was marking its claim on the woman, ready to pounce on anyone who challenged him.

And then those eyes came. Danika's head had jerked up at the sound in his chest, trying to comprehend what could be going on. To make sense of it somehow. Only the color completely drained out of her face as she stared into his, gasping in shock at the eyes. Only it wasn't the eyes she'd grown used to these last days together, those had long since gone. In their place were eyes of intense red, glittering like two rubies catching the sun just right. They were glowing too.

Danika had tried to deny the evidence of what was happening, assuring her there was nothing to concern herself with. She couldn't of seen them. Only she had. Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes she'd tried to blot out the image of those pair of eyes. None of her attempts to dislodge the image from her mind was capable of working. For those eyes were still there, glittering so brightly they were glowing, taunting her with the truth. A reality she'd been trying to run from for days now, but could no longer deny what her eyes saw.

Those eyes were real. They'd been stalking her. Almost hunting her. Those were the same eyes that'd been glowing brightly in the woods the night she'd tried to escape during dinner. Staring back at her from the darkness of night, having served as a silent warning of the dangers in this place.

Oh gods, what was happening to her?

Was she really losing it?

Growing frightened at the thought of what could be going on with her, Danika scrambled up on the bed. Curling up in a tight ball on his side of the bed, the blanket wrapped around her, she tried to block out the world. Danika had no desire to confront the truth those eyes served as, the reminder of the reality she lived with. So in typical fashion when she couldn't explain away the things she saw, she pretended ignorance to them. Knowing that in all due time, if she pretended for long enough, then they'd disappear into the backdrop of her mind.

Yes, ignorance was bliss.

Snapping awake from a dream she didn't want to think about, Danika slowly crawled out of bed. Half stumbling half walking to the bathroom, she stepped into the shower stall to wash her body. Watching as the water rained down on her she couldn't miss the filth leaving her body, the evidence of their foray. Another reminder of the frequent fucking between her and Shane, that'd grown in numbers and intensity.

She gnashed her teeth at the thought. Disgusted at her own show of weakness when it came to the man and the yearning he created inside of her. Danika knew she shouldn't be sleeping with the man, he was a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. A danger to both her and her future child. But no matter what she said, the number of times she rejected the thought, she never had the ability to say no. The second Shane was within a fifty-foot radius, seeing the desire in his eyes her body reacted to it. It was an undeniable sexual attraction she had no power to stop, too overwhelming to be ignored.

Gnashing her teeth at the direction her thoughts had taken her today, Danika cut off the source of water. Stepping out through the sliding glass doors of the shower, she stepped out onto the soft bathroom mat. Wrapping a soft plush towel around her body, Danika walked out into the bedroom, making a beeline for a closet. The same one where all of her sources of clothes came from, spying the new outfit hanging up for her. Changing into the clothes that'd been left for her use, Danika lowered to the corner of the couch, deep in thought.

A cell phone rang.

Danika was languishing in the thoughts filtering through her mind, plagued by her own concerns and fears. Fears she'd fought against more years than she cared to count, desperate to convince herself everything was alright. For the month she gave into the fears, and faced the reality of what they could be telling her, then she couldn't run from the truth.

The ringing came again.

Yanked out of her chaotic thoughts at the insistent noises intent on gaining her attention, she glanced around the room. Spying the cellphone sitting on the bedside table, she couldn't miss how the screen was lighting up. Her phone, she realized. Leaping to her feet as she came to this realization, Danika hurriedly flew across the bedroom floor. She barely gave herself the chance to glance at the screen, when she was answering the phone call.

"Danny?" the voice asked worriedly.

A breath of relief shuddered out of her at the sound of the voice, overwhelmed with such intense emotion. "Allie," Danika smiled as she said the name, a wealth of love flooded her heart at the thought of the girl. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," she replied.

She paused. "Are you sure? You sound upset?"

"I'm fine," the teenager tried to convince her.

Instantly on full alert at the trembling sigh, knowing every facet of emotion this girl had in her arsenal. Having single-handedly raised her since Victoria's death, there was nothing she could keep from her. "Come on Allie, talk to me. I know something is wrong. Is everything okay at school?"

Aliciah sighed wearily at the series of questions shot out at in rapid fire, guessing she wasn't escaping. "No, school's great. I've been going to all of my classes and have even met a couple of girls that I made friends with."

That was a relief. Danika had always wanted to give her sister a normal childhood, of school and friends, but never could at home. Still, she was concerned. "Then what is wrong, Allie? Are the guys treating you right?" By guys Danika meant the guards Shane had sent along to accompany Aliciah while she headed off to school. Meant to protect her should either the thug Leo or their father uncover her current location.

"Simon and Nick are cool," Aliciah agreed, though she couldn't miss the sudden catch in her voice when she said Nick's name.

"Then what is it?" she pressed.

"I miss...home," Aliciah finally confessed the truth of the thoughts going through her mind, aware her sister wouldn't back off. She never did. "I miss you, Dad and our brothers. I know our staying at the house wasn't good for either of us, but neither is this. I mean I'm here at school all on my own, lord only knows what's going on with you and I don't know what Dad's doing."

Instantly relaxing in the face of her confession,, Danika sunk down on the edge of the bed. Putting on a fake smile to banish the truth of what was going on, she put a lightness to her voice she didn't feel. "Allie sweetie, listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. Like I already told you Mr. Blackwood is helping me out, he offered me a job that's paying quite handsomely. When the job is finished I will have enough money to pay for the rest of your school and give us a fresh new start."

"For how long?" she challenged.

"One year," she blurted.

"A year?" her sister demanded.

Danika forged on. "Yes. It will take me one year to finish the job, during which you will focus on your studies and get the best grades possible. Afterward, we'll be set, I can buy us a little house and will be able to give you the life I've always dreamed about."

"What about dad?" Aliciah wanted to know.

"I don't know sweetie," she sighed wearily, unable to find the words to make the situation better for the both of them.

Danika hated to hear the pain in her little sister's voice, wishing there was some way to wipe it away. Of course, there wasn't. Because no matter his faults Dean was still her father and she would always love the man. She only had the unfortunate luck of having a father who cared more about booze and gambling, than his children. As he had from the moment he received news of his beloved wife's death, his daughter and foster daughter were the only survivors.

After another fifteen minutes of them talking, explaining she still had more homework she needed to do, Aliciah got off the phone. Placing her phone back on the table and lying down across the bed, the weight of her situation hit her. Not only was she faced with a questionable mental state, but now there was Aliciah’s misery she had to think about. Knowing it was going to be a very long time before either of them were able to move past this point in their lives.