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Over the next week Jodie tried several times to get in touch with her gran, but Irene refused her phone calls. The nurses told Jodie that she was resting, in the shower, or some other barely plausible excuse. Jodie knew that given the times she’d phoned, at least some of those claims had to be lies. She would have to go down there if she hoped to get any answers.
Upon arrival the staff told her that Irene didn’t feel well and didn’t want any visitors. Well that’s just fantastic, the only person who could help me doesn’t seem to want to know about it. Jodie had assumed that since she’d seen her in leopard form, Irene would be more receptive. Did she really think I wouldn’t figure it out? Jodie couldn’t make up her mind. Not that it mattered; if she couldn’t talk to Irene, everything was moot anyway.
Danny took Jodie to the movies Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday they went to her parents’ place for lunch. She’d hoped that they would get a romantic evening somewhere in the middle, but Danny’s two jobs kept him busy. The next week proved quiet at home and busy at work for Jodie. It felt as though things had reached some kind of normality at last.
A couple of weeks after Irene’s leopard visit at the house, Jodie got a call from Danny telling her of General Lancaster’s impending arrival on Friday. The Furnace would be closed to the general public for the night as the entire Urewera Unit would be there, along with a few other people from Head Office and the new recruits. Jodie’s nerves twitched at once.
The event required formal dress, so Jodie borrowed an evening gown from Ainsley. It cast a long silhouette in a very pale shade of blue, the fitted bodice area accentuating her curves and bust-line, while the slinky skirt cascaded to the floor with a regal elegance. She wore a sterling silver necklace with a small sapphire pendant, and earrings to match. Everything coordinated, down to the silver strappy heels. Jodie had never felt so glamorous.
Ready with time to spare, Jodie sat at the dining table to wait. Zach kept glancing at her over the top of his newspaper and Jodie wished he would stop because it made her feel uncomfortable. After what seemed to be an eternity, the sound of tires on gravel could be heard. A car came up the driveway but it couldn’t be Danny, she’d have heard his car before it even neared the house with its low rumble.
Rushing to the porch, purse in hand, Jodie stared at Eddie’s SUV. Why was Eddie picking her up? Where the hell is Danny? With her heart rate accelerating, Jodie jogged over to the car and found that Adam and Doug were also in the vehicle. Adam gave her a friendly smile from the front passenger seat as she hoisted up her skirts and climbed in.
“Hi,” she greeted, trying to act casual.
Adam and Eddie both returned the greeting but Doug didn’t seem himself at all, behaving in a very strange manner. He lay plastered against the back of the seat as though he wanted to sink right into it, his eyes screwed closed. Under his breath he counted to twenty and as soon as he got there, he started right back at the beginning and repeated it.
“Danny had to get there early. Official kind of stuff,” Eddie explained.
“Your dress is beautiful,” Adam said from the front passenger seat Jodie could tell he wanted to alleviate the tension in the vehicle. “You look like a princess.”
“I’ll bet she is a princess.” Eddie grinned, flashing Jodie a wink before turning his eyes back to the road.
Jodie blushed a little, half her attention staying on what Eddie and Adam were saying, but the rest was on Doug. “Are you okay?” She asked as he began another numerical repetition.
When he didn’t answer and just kept counting, she whirled around to face the front again, eyes seeking Adam.
“What is he doing, what’s wrong with him?”
“Doug is agoraphobic,” Adam answered. “He’s taken some meds but it’s still hard for him to be outside the house.”
Jodie’s eyes widened in alarm, though she sucked up all the discomfort as fast as she could and reached for his hand. Doug flinched as he felt her touch, but didn’t open his eyes. His voice trailed off into a moment of silence as his fingers curled upward, squeezing her hand. Clutching it tight, he began again at zero, the rhythmic rise and fall of his tone the only sound as they travelled.
Parking in a side street, they used the back entrance to the club and waited for Rufus to open the door. Impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit, he cleaned up well even if he did look uncomfortable. His serious expression held firm as he stepped back to let them in. Jodie had no idea what Lancaster had planned, but she could tell how nervous the guys in the Unit were. On display in front of Head Office and all the new recruits, they wanted to make a good impression. Then there was Jodie... she didn’t quite know if she fit in around it all.
Though they got there fifteen minutes early, they were still the last to arrive. She didn’t feel so happy about that. It meant every gaze in the room followed them as they walked in. As she felt the weight of so many eyes upon her, Jodie gulped in a breath. It almost seemed as though they’d turned up late. What if that had been intentional, what if Danny had decided to parade her in front of everyone like some trophy? Nooo I’m being insane she tried to tell herself, but it didn’t present a very convincing argument.
A tall, broad shouldered man approached them just a few feet into the room. His expensive tailored suit looked picture perfect and not a single greying hair on his head dared stray out of place. Though older, there remained an air of tenacity about him. As he gazed at her, his distinguished features drawing into a smile with all sorts of hidden implications, Jodie knew that this had to be General Lancaster.
When Eddie made the introductions, Lancaster startled Jodie by embracing her and kissing her on each cheek. A few tendrils of power snaked across her face. The general was Therian and he wanted Jodie to know it. Such an intimate greeting by a complete stranger felt awkward and she could feel herself flushing before he’d even had the chance to speak.
“It is good to finally meet you, Jodie.” He said.
Jodie had expected him to sound British like Danny, so his South African accent surprised her. Interesting... Jodie had so many sudden questions and no chance of getting answers. Glancing across the room her eyes settled on Danny talking to a group of very well dressed and important looking people. As if sensing her gaze upon him, he looked up and smiled. Giving her a wave, he went right back to the conversation he’d been having.
Why is he all the way over there? Why doesn’t he come over here to say hello? Jodie didn’t like it at all. Instincts started kicking in and she began to worry, something seemed wrong. Having no idea what might have been spurring on such feelings unnerved her.
Eddie took her hand to lead her over to one of the five long tables in the center of the room. He pulled out a chair for her, sitting down in the adjacent seat. Rufus sat on the other side and made a small fuss of repositioning his chair so that he could sit closer to Jodie. What the hell?
Other people began to sit down too, the people closest to Jodie from Head Office, twelve men and five women. The other end of her table soon filled with the remaining members of the Urewera Unit. At a smaller table with the people he’d been talking to earlier, Danny could not have sat further away. What on earth is going on? Jodie looked down the line of guys she thought she’d started to belong among and none seemed the slightest bit surprised or concerned. What kind of dinner is this?
An assortment of people occupied the other tables, all large well-built guys with attitude who looked like they’d walked right out of the nearest army base. Though Jodie knew that these were some of the reinforcements Mark had spoken of, she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with any of them. Moreover, she didn’t feel the least bit reassured by their presence.
General Lancaster stepped up onto the makeshift stage and strode over to the podium in the center. Switching on the microphone and clearing his throat, he prepared to address the room. Jodie stole a quick glance at Eddie, who noticed and reached for her hand under the table. Holding hands with Eddie felt both weird and wrong. She knew that he wanted to reassure her but the more effort he put in, the more worried she became.
The general welcomed everyone and introduced the ISIC officials. As their names were called each stood up in turn, all from Danny’s table. Lancaster talked a little about the local situation, and then he called all eight members of the Urewera Unit up onto the stage. They each introduced themselves, giving their animal and their rank. They started in reverse order, Leon first and then the medicated Doug. Adam came next, Jarvis was the first of the alphas, followed by Rufus and Eddie. Jodie had expected Eddie to outrank everyone with his Royal blood, but seemed that some clans just had more power than others.
Also included in the short speeches were an agent name and a number. It seemed a very strange introduction and Jodie knew there had to be a deeper meaning to it all. Doug had the smallest number claiming to count two globes. What the hell is a globe?
After Eddie who counted eighteen, and Rufus who counted twenty-seven, came Mark. By the time he reached the podium, Eddie and Rufus had seated themselves again. Adjusting the microphone down to his height, Mark introduced himself.
“I am Lieutenant Mark Dion, also known as The Bloodhound. I claim Kodiak bear, alpha status. I’ve served ISIC for twelve years and I count sixty-seven globes.”
Sixty-seven was much higher than twenty seven or eighteen and the new recruits showed their approval with a round of loud applause. It seemed that his reputation had preceded him, for they’d started to look impressed as soon as he’d mentioned his agent name.
Danny came last, outranking the others. He’d always had dominance at the fortress, but the Unit functioned like a family, treating each other like equals. For some reason Jodie hadn’t expected him to be the one in charge. Her eyes would not stray as Danny strode toward the stage. His glossy caramel hair had been neatly braided and the blue silk shirt under his charcoal suit drew even more attention to his eyes than usual. For the first time they didn’t have a mesmerizing effect on Jodie.
“My name is Captain Daniel Archer and I am known as the Mercenary.”
At this point a murmur went through the crowd as though nobody could believe this beautiful and harmless looking man could be that particular agent. When the fuss had died down Danny looked at Jodie, meeting her eyes at last. The cold truth of all that Danny had become, reflected back from his gaze and it took her breath away. Not a single hint of emotion lurked beyond those eyes, the warmth he had shown her gone completely.
“I am the Mercenary, I claim snow leopard and Siberian tiger, alpha status. I have served ISIC for eleven years, and I count one hundred and twenty-eight globes.” Little expression remained on his face as he finished, returning to his table in silence.
Every single person in the room stood and applauded. The words went around and around in Jodie’s head. She knew that Mark possessed exceptional tracking skills, his title being the Bloodhound. Rufus had been dubbed the Butcher, Jodie had seen his knives and they didn’t need any further explanation. If Danny was the Mercenary, did that mean that he’d killed a hundred and twenty eight people? Is that what ‘globes’ meant? The mind boggled.
At his fancied up official table, Danny accepted the compliments and praise being given to him. Jodie fumed as she watched on, Danny had said he planned to tell General Lancaster that they were in a relationship. What kind of couple ignored each other at events such as this? What if he’d been told he couldn’t see her anymore, would he listen? Jodie couldn’t imagine having him in her life without being his lover. “Jodie.” Eddie said briskly from her left.
“Huh?” Blushing again, she knew that she’d been behaving like a prized idiot.
“Do you want chicken or fish?”
“Chicken... or fish...” Jodie echoed. She couldn’t make that kind of decision with so much else on her mind.
“Give her the chicken,” Eddie told the waiter and turned to Jodie again. In a low voice he continued. “Are you alright? Danny worried you might not take the introductions well, we had to do it that way babe, to assert our authority before we work with the new recruits.”
“Globes are deaths aren’t they?” Jodie couldn’t stop hearing the sound of the applause when Danny had declared a hundred and twenty eight globes. “How can that be something to be proud of?”
“We don’t celebrate the lives lost, we celebrate the skill required to achieve it. We feel proud that we’ve survived that many battles, but in private at home, we mourn the loss of life. We hang the globes on the wall to remind us of what we have done, then we pray for forgiveness.”
Jodie remembered the beads in the living room. She’d wondered at the time why some were short while others were so long. She’d wondered why eight men would hang beads on the wall at all. Chewing her lip, Jodie tried to wrap her head around it all.
Eddie signaled another waiter and ordered some drinks. His behavior would have been on par with a date, except that he wasn’t her date. He reached for Jodie’s hand under the table again. She wanted to resist, but also didn’t want anyone else at the table to know just how insecure and confused she felt. It should be Danny making sure I’m ok, why is it not Danny?
On the other side of Jodie, Rufus had been talking to Mark. He turned just as Eddie took her hand and the words died on his lips, he met Eddie’s eyes and they exchanged a ‘look’. Without any sort of forewarning Rufus grabbed her other hand. Excuse me? Jodie looked at Rufus, puzzled.
“We’ll explain later.” He murmured.
Jodie had never heard Rufus use such a gentle voice before. Was that an undertone of regret she’d heard from the toughest guy she knew? Rufus didn’t seem like the holding hands type of man.
“You weren’t part of the introductions.”
Across the table, the woman from Head Office hadn’t spoken a word until now. Jodie found her abrupt tone more than a little intimidating, the strength in her aura of power pushed at Jodie as the woman threw her an expectant gaze. Jodie had no idea what to say to someone like that, so she looked down at her lap. As her eyes fell on the large dark hands protectively entwined with her own, Jodie sucked in a breath and tried to find somewhere else to park her gaze.
“She must be the special feature,” chuckled the man sitting next to Ms. Intimidating.
“What does he mean?” Jodie asked as she gave Eddie a panicked look.
“He means special guest.” Eddie replied, giving the man an instant icy stare.
Under different circumstances, sitting between Eddie and Rufus would offer security but Jodie didn’t feel the least bit safe. Relief came when their drinks arrived a short time after that and she realized Eddie had ordered her a glass of white wine. Despite not being a big wine drinker Jodie downed the whole glass in one go.
“Right then,” said Eddie without batting an eyelid. “You need this more than I do.” He placed his own glass in front of her.
“Oh.” Jodie’s cheeks pinked again. She couldn’t have made a worse impression on Head Office, everything she said or did only seemed to make it worse. “I’m sorry I’m not myself tonight.”
The woman opposite Jodie let out a scathing laugh. “I wouldn’t be either dear.”
Jodie recoiled though no further comments were made. It took her several seconds to compose herself and by this time the waiters had begun bringing out plates of food. Eddie and Rufus had to let go of her hands to eat their meals. Knowing how nervous she had grown, they couldn’t stop stealing glances at her. Their protective nature should have assured her, but if anything it made her even more concerned about what else might be going on.
After the meal, when all the dishes had been cleared away, General Lancaster approached the podium again, announcing the Urewera Unit had been working on a special project. Proceeding to describe the situation with Luke he told it all, leaving nothing out.
“Jodie, will you please join me to greet our guests tonight?” General Lancaster smiled at her.
Eddie and Rufus tensed at once and dropped her hands.
“Go,” growled Eddie.
His tone startled Jodie and she shrank back as she withdrew her fingers from his. Her eyes sought out Rufus but he wouldn’t look at her either. Forcing herself to move at a leisurely pace, she arose and pushed aside her chair. Trying to ignore the inner monologue telling her to flee and fighting not to react to the hundred or so pairs of eyes upon her, she walked toward the general. He extended a hand and helped her onto the stage.
A spark of static electricity passed between them and Jodie’s eyes widened as she looked at him with uncertainty. “This is Jodie Fletcher, the Lycan-Therian cross is her brother. You may not sense her power yet as she is exceptional at guarding, tonight however I intend to show you what you will be fighting for. You will see why so much focus has been placed on this region and this Unit.”
Jodie knew her expression would be one of bewilderment, she had no idea what the man spoke about and yet he expected her to stand there and smile in agreement. Something is wrong. Jodie felt like she was about to walk into some kind of trap and it took everything she had not to run away. Jodie had never felt more like an object instead of a person, she didn’t want this sort of attention. Something is wrong!
*** *** ***
IT TOOK EVERY OUNCE of concentration for Danny to keep his mask of calm. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Lancaster had insisted on keeping him and Jodie separated for the dinner, now he had to parade her around up on that stage like a dog in a damned pet show. Inside, Danny seethed.
She’s my Eros, damn it! She should have a position of honor at my side. It should have been me holding her hand to reassure her, not Eddie and Rufus.
Danny had seen Jodie’s reaction to his introduction, he’d noticed Eddie and Rufus take her hands to calm her. God, he just wanted to talk to her, tell her it would be okay.
Her gaze met with his and the hurt in her eyes felt like a kick in the teeth. She was upset with him and hell if he didn’t feel as though he’d earned that. Danny wished he’d refused Lancaster’s order that Jodie sit with the guys, what reason could he possibly have for keeping their Eros status a secret? What did it matter if Head Office or the new recruits knew?
Lancaster kept talking but Danny had stopped paying attention, far more concerned with the fact Jodie’s beast had started to rise. His eyes went wide with alarm as he watched her, Jodie didn’t seem to have noticed yet but surely Lancaster could see what had begun to happen? Why didn’t he just let her sit back down before she – All of a sudden Danny figured it out, feeling the stirrings of Lancaster’s power a millisecond later. No, hell no.
Danny had his jacket half off before he’d even got to his feet. The strange looks from the occupants of his table were lost upon him as he kicked off one shoe and then the other. Shit, this is taking too long, I don’t have time to undress! Furious with the General, Danny called forth his leopard, burst out of his clothes and bounded toward the stage as fast as his legs would carry him.
*** *** ***
DANNY CAME RIGHT AT Jodie, but until the last moment she assumed he would stop in time. By the time she realized, the opportunity to get out of his path had gone. The impact knocked her backward as she hit the floor hard, all the air went out of her lungs in a whoosh and for a moment Jodie couldn’t breathe. Licking her bare shoulders and neck, he nuzzled her with his big furry head, emitting a soft growl. What on earth is he doing?
Scrambling around on the floor and trying to get up, Jodie couldn’t believe it. So startled by the public display of affection, she gasped as he continued the unwelcome greeting. Looming over her he continued to lick at her bare skin and though Danny’s claws were retracted, he still managed to tear the dress.
The burning sensation grew in her chest as Jodie felt her own beast rising. Damn it, doesn’t he realize what is going happen? Of course he does... Jodie felt sick to her stomach. This had been carefully orchestrated, her kitty would reveal herself for the first time in front of a room full of strangers and she couldn’t do a thing. Nooo, make it stop, please make it go away.
Dread consumed her. Jodie wanted to cry as the prickling sensation began to take hold, though she begged for Danny to stop, her pleas were in vain. Jodie closed her eyes, unable to look at him while her body shook with the anticipation of what had yet to come. Her heart rate sped up to the point where she feared it would be too much to bear, seeming so loud that the whole room must have been able to hear it. Her body temperature soared and her back arched as Jodie writhed around on the floor. She cried out as her leopard tried to break free, still resisting the inevitable.
Danny chuffed softly. He’s offering reassurance, now? It’s too late. Jodie felt both sad and angry. No, it’s more than that... She felt betrayed, how could Danny do this to her? She thought he loved her. Every piece of her felt like it was breaking apart and Jodie had no idea what to do. Hot angry tears sprang to her eyes as humiliation began to overwhelm her.
When he saw that his encouraging sounds were being ignored, Danny growled, a sound Jodie never thought she would hear aimed at her. Covering her face with both arms, she did all she could to prevent him from nuzzling her. Letting loose huge gut wrenching sobs, Jodie gave one last feeble attempt to break free and escape but she failed.
A rush of power exploded from Danny proliferating outward in all directions, leaving no corner of the room untouched. Even his comrades who had lived with him for several years seemed stunned. Jodie knew in that moment that Danny had never revealed his power to them in its full extent. She would have put money on the fact that General Lancaster had known exactly how powerful he was, he stood there like the cat that had the cream, enjoying every second.
The power grabbed a hold of Jodie and just like that, she lost control of everything. She felt her energy merge with Danny’s like a key fitting into a lock. The heart breaking reality settled over her, Jodie knew she had to accept that she’d passed the point of no return. Danny’s power had found her very core, wrapped tight around her beast unwilling to let go. He tore the leopard out of her, brutally yanking it from her grasp.
It felt as though Jodie’s skin had started turning inside out. Rufus and Danny had been correct, now that she had surrendered to the change, the pain melted away. That didn’t mean it was a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination, creepy unnerving sensations crawled up and down the length of her both inside and out. The dress split, ripping sounds echoing across the stage as her skin turned to fur, her limbs and body changing shape without any permission or guidance from Jodie. The beautiful necklace she’d been wearing snapped and bounced along the floor, forgotten in the chaos. Even her shoes had been unable to escape intact.
Sitting there in her golden spotted glory, Jodie stared at the room of speechless onlookers. Listening as General Lancaster explained to them that she’d never shifted before; Jodie dared to catch her breath. Danny had so much Therian power that as her Eros he’d been able to draw the leopard from her despite the lack of blood bond. He also declared that what Jodie had to offer would be a fraction of what Luke possessed.
What did that mean: what she had to offer? Am I just some prize to them? Horror began to set in, are they no better than the pigs? Lancaster asked if anyone in the room had any difficulty in taking orders from Captain Archer, nobody answered him.
Danny nuzzled her again as he tried to comfort her, Jodie didn’t want to hear it. Scratching his face, she hissed at him and jumped down off the stage. With no idea how to change back to human and unable to get out of the building without assistance, Jodie went to Eddie.
“Pirrrt?” She pleaded.
“Oh Jodie.” He sighed and stroked the side of her face.
She could feel his anguish and regret as she tugged at his sleeve, so Jodie chuffed a couple of times and padded over to the door, convinced he would help her. All eyes were still on her.
Everywhere she went, the whole room watched and Eddie did not follow. Somewhere beneath it all, she understood this. Jodie couldn’t be allowed to run off into the night looking like she did. Her leopard did not like this, she felt so very angry.
Danny approached her and tried again to subdue her, chuffing softly he placed himself between Jodie and the door. Jodie recoiled as he licked her, backing away until she felt herself bump against a wall. Once she had nowhere else to go, Jodie growled at Danny and scratched at him again. His thick furred tail swished back and forth, declaring his frustration.
Though he held his ground, he’d made clear that he didn’t plan to allow Jodie any sort of dignity at all. She just couldn’t figure out what he hoped to achieve by chasing her all over the room. Jumping over him, the frightened leopard darted between the tables as she ran back to Eddie.
When he wouldn’t help her, she went to Rufus. Licking at his hand, Jodie grew desperate. I have to get out of this place. I have to be somewhere, anywhere other than here! Rufus looked down at her, expression filled with sorrow. Jodie whined at him, a wordless begging as she fought to curb her desperation.
“Kia kaha.” Rufus whispered, as he withdrew his hand.
Be strong? Even in leopard form, Jodie could not get past what had just happened. Now inconsolable she looked for Danny, wary of his next attempt at placating her. Finding that he had followed her, Jodie spun around and ran. With nowhere to go she knew that she couldn’t get away, but her anger overrode her sense of reason. Leaping over the bar, Jodie sought to cower on the other side but ended up scaring the heck out of poor Summer. A Therian too, the fact that there were two leopards roaming about didn’t surprise Summer. She’d just been wary of Jodie attacking her in her panicked state and Jodie just wanted to get away from Danny.
Danny jumped onto the bar. He lay down on the smooth cold countertop and changed forms, sliding into his larger sleeker tiger shape. Now Jodie felt confused, her leopard held no anger for this beast and nor did she love him. Padding out from behind the bar Jodie placed her wide front paws on the countertop, she didn’t want to be near Danny but her leopard’s curiosity had overtaken her reason. Looking up at him, she sniffed at the air, startling when he gave a loud roar in response. Jodie shrank back with a hiss and cowered on the floor.
Danny dropped down and approached her. As soon as they made contact, Jodie forgot how to be a leopard. The beast retracted and she began to revert back to her human form.
Well aware of her nudity, Jodie burst into tears. Danny covered her with his body and growled at the room full of people but it was Adam who appeared with a blanket, causing Jodie’s estimation of him to go up several notches. He wrapped it around her and helped Jodie to her feet.
“I’m going to take her home,” he announced.
Danny let out another deafening roar. Jodie cringed and huddled against Adam, lacking the strength to endure any more.
“I don’t care if you kick my ass later, this is fucked up,” he snapped at Danny.
Eddie appeared beside them. “It’s for the best Danny,” he said, agreeing with Adam.
Adam picked Jodie up blanket and all, carrying her down the alley to the SUV, Eddie right beside him. Jodie thought she’d pulled herself together until the vehicle began to move away from the curb. She burst into tears again and this time she couldn’t stop. Her whole world had turned upside down, everything she thought she knew had vanished the moment she shifted. Nothing mattered anymore, she didn’t think she would ever feel whole again. Adam held Jodie as Eddie drove, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his chest.
Eddie turned down her street and Jodie had a panic attack. “I don’t want to go home, I can’t! Don’t leave me there!”
“We can’t take her to our place.”
Adam had a point, Jodie did not want to be anywhere near Danny.
“We’ll have to try Ainsley and Laura’s,” Eddie decided, making a U-turn.
Both Ainsley and Laura were home along with Jessie, who had friends over. Adam stayed with Jodie in the car, leaving Eddie to go in alone. He took a long time and Jodie started to fret again as the nights events replayed in her mind. When he returned at last, Ains came with him, an overnight bag slung over her shoulder.
Though grateful to see her, Jodie sagged with disappointment. Ainsley wouldn’t understand what she had just been through, Jodie wouldn’t be able to talk about it and didn’t think she had it in her to pretend everything was wonderful. Why couldn’t he have brought Laura? Jodie could have told her the whole thing. Much as she loved Ainsley, Jodie didn’t think she would be able to help at all. Silly Eddie.
Ainsley climbed into the back seat, sandwiching Jodie between Adam and herself. Putting her arms around Jodie, she squeezed tight. Despite the level of her freak out, it did make a difference, Ainsley hugs were worth their weight in gold. Adam had done a great job of helping Jodie keep it together but he’d done nothing to repair her fragility, one hug from Ainsley and a large portion of Jodie’s sanity returned. Both Ains and Adam continued to hold her as they drove and by the time they reached the Fortress, Jodie had stopped shivering.
Nobody else had come home yet, so Eddie did a quick scout around before they got out of the vehicle. Satisfied that no immediate threats lurked nearby, Adam and Ainsley escorted Jodie into the house. They sat down in the living room and Ainsley dug around in her overnight bag. She must have brought something for Jodie to wear. Bless her heart. How could Jodie ever tell her what she’d done to the dress and jewelry she’d borrowed?
Jodie coped well until she saw the globes hanging above the fireplace. Beginning to hyperventilate, Jodie hiccupped and the tears began all over again. Eddie followed her gaze and understood right away.
“Ains, perhaps Jodie could do with a nice hot bath,” he suggested.
Ainsley nodded. Collecting up her bag, she linked arms with Jodie and made her way toward the door. Numb to the core, Jodie allowed herself to be led to the bathroom. Ainsley hummed as she poured in some bubble bath and filled the tub. She wrenched the blanket free of Jodie’s grasp and helped her to climb into the steamy depths.
Jodie lay back with her head on the bath pillow, bubbles up to her shoulders. Ainsley wet a facecloth and dabbed at Jodie’s hairline with it. The slow gentle movements relaxed her and the warm cloth felt wonderful on her sweaty, tearstained face and neck.
Ains kept dipping the cloth in the water, squeezing it out and beginning again. She never once asked Jodie to explain what she had been doing naked in a car with Eddie and Adam, she didn’t ask anything at all. The soft soothing sound of Ainsley’s voice in song comforted Jodie as she sponged her face. She had never appreciated Ainsley’s ability to block out trauma before, now she almost envied it. Ains had done a fantastic job of helping her get it together and while Jodie hadn’t opened her mouth once, neither had Ainsley. Jodie didn’t feel pressure to think about what she’d just endured, nor did she have to relive any of it by telling anyone what had happened. Jodie then decided Eddie had known precisely what he was doing by bringing Ains instead of Laura. He wasn’t silly at all; he was a very smart man.
Closing her eyes, Jodie lay back and tried to suppress the trauma she had suffered. Not allowing herself to fall asleep, Jodie blocked out her surroundings. At some point Ainsley stopped sponging her face, but by then Jodie didn’t mind. She felt content to keep resting with her eyes shut.
Jodie had no idea how long she lay there soaking in the steamy depths, the moment seemed endless. The sound of the door startled her out of her meditation and in that sudden moment of clarity, she opened her eyes. Ainsley had returned with a towel and some clothes, she waited as Jodie toweled off and dressed herself. Opening the door again, Ains put her arm around Jodie and led her to Eddie’s room.
“I’ve changed the sheets and tidied up a bit,” she told her. “And I’ll stay with you as long as you need.”
“Eddie...” Jodie began with a vague expression.
Sleeping in his room seemed wrong for so many reasons.
“Eddie will sleep in the living room.”
Ainsley threw back the covers and beckoned to Jodie. Climbing in, she scooted across the bed and waited for Ainsley to climb in beside her. Jodie watched as she busied herself with the covers, drawing them up around them both and fussing as she would over a child. Ains lay down so close that Jodie could feel the rise and fall of her breathing and draped an arm around her. It could have been awkward but Ains was like a sister to her and Jodie felt grateful of the comfort.