"I'm a Military Intelligence Officer. I interrogate people." He said it simply, as though it were an everyday, common kind of job.
Chloe gulped and looked at him in a new light. No wonder she felt like she was spilling her guts to him. He was trained to find secrets.
"With your skill set, you'd certainly be good at it," Dr. Turner mumbled. Chloe sent him an annoyed glance, wondering if he was going to participate in the conversation or just make comments.
Jackson gave her a warm smile that made her tingle down to her toes. "I have a knack for being able to tell what people are thinking. It makes me very good at my job."
"You know what? I'm hungry," Dr. Turner suddenly announced. The change in subject surprised both Chloe and Jackson. "I know of a great little sandwich shop just around the corner. We can sit and discuss this as well as get something to eat. I know I think better on a full stomach."
There was a knock on the door and a student wearing glasses pointed at his watch through the rectangular door window. Dr. Turner smiled. "Also, our reserved time here is over."
"Um, okay." Chloe said, standing up and picking her coat off the back of her chair and gathering her things. Jackson held open the door and Dr. Turner and Chloe filed out, allowing a student with an armload of books to scurry in. The three of them walked in a strange line down the stairs, Chloe and Jackson following Dr. Turner like ducklings.
The cold winter air hit Chloe like a punch in the gut. She shivered and wondered how Jackson and Dr. Turner managed to look so warm. Neither one of them was wearing more than a light jacket and seemed unperturbed by the cold wind whistling through the quad. She sighed. Her brother never seemed to get cold either. It must be a guy thing.
Now that they were all out of the building, Jackson walked beside Chloe as they followed Dr. Turner to the sandwich shop. Jackson was close enough that if she had reached out her hand she could have held his and walked hand in hand. Instead, she tucked her hands into her coat pockets, afraid that her body would betray her.
The sidewalk narrowed as they walked by the mathematics building and Jackson's arm grazed hers. It was if a circuit had been completed and she felt a warmth rush through her, tingling down to her toes. Chloe's face went hot as she glanced over at Jackson, but he just stared straight ahead as though he hadn't felt a thing. A small twinge of disappointment went through her, but she shrugged it off. Maybe it was just static electricity from her coat and she was imagining the whole attraction to the soldier standing next to her.
She sighed, tucking her hands a little further into the coat pockets. She had never been this immediately attracted to someone before. The dream from the night before, and the fact that she hadn't seen a single thing to contradict it, wasn't helping. He sighed as well, looking up into the gray sky as if he were waiting for snow, when he suddenly stopped cold.
He held out his hand, stopping her from walking further as they approached an alley way behind the art building. The campus was deathly quiet this far from the main part of campus on a Saturday. Dr. Turner stopped as well, peering down the alley at something only the two of them could see.
"We need to get out of here," Jackson growled. His voice was low and full of calm assurance of violence. It made the hair on Chloe's neck stand up. She looked over at Jackson, their eyes meeting. He had felt something when they had brushed together, she could see it. She could see everything in those liquid pools of gold.
Dr. Turner made a soft noise that made her turn, seeing four men step out of the alley, their faces covered in masks. Something about the way they stood made her blood run cold. They were definitely not students. And they were definitely not going to let them pass.
Chapter 13
Jackson turned away from her captivating green eyes to see four men in dark clothing emerge from the alley. Their faces were covered with ski masks, but he could smell the violence building on them. He had smelled that same scent, heard that same heartbeat in Afghanistan. It was from a suicide bomber walking into a town square with the detonation trigger in his hand.
Jackson's eyes flashed golden. There was no way these thugs were going to hurt a hair on Chloe. He would rip them to shreds before they could ever even lay a finger on her perfect skin. He turned back to Chloe, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm going to need you to do exactly as I say, do you understand?"
She nodded quickly, fear starting shimmer in her eyes as she glanced over his shoulder at the approaching me.
"Good," he said, taking her chin in his fingers and drawing her attention back to him. "I need to you stay behind us. See that dumpster over there? I want you to go to it. Protect yourself at all costs, do you understand?"
She nodded. Her face was pale but her eyes were bright and determined. He smiled. If they managed to get to her, those men were in for a surprise. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. He pushed her gently and she backed away, heading slowly toward the dumpster without taking her eyes off the four men.
Jackson turned back to face the men. Turner hadn't moved yet, his posture defensive as he waited for Chloe to get to safety. He turned and nodded to Jackson. And it began.
The four men pulled out weapons, small handguns concealed in the back of their waistbands. Turner howled a blood-curdling cry before leaping forward, knocking one of the guns to the ground before the man even had a chance to raise completely remove it from his pants. Turner spun, his eyes glowing golden in the gray winter light, snarling and snapping at the second attacker with teeth growing longer by the second.
Jackson charged the other two men, knocking one down with a sickening thud against the pavement. The remaining man backed away slowly, his eyes going wide at the fearsome beast transforming in front of him. Jackson's eyes were golden and his canine teeth were lengthening into fearsome fangs. Fur sprouted along the back of his shoulders. His hands turned into claws that he slashed at the attacker. With a powerful stroke, he caught him in the middle and sent him flying. He landed ten feet away in a crumpled pile that didn't get up.
Jackson turned to assist Turner, but he had already taken the man down. It had taken less than thirty seconds for the two men to take down four armed men. Turner shook his head as though he had water in his ears as his teeth receded and lost their dagger-like qualities. Jackson could feel the fur receding into his skin and his hands tingled as they returned to their human form.
The four men weren't dead. Jackson could still hear their hearts beating. They would need medical attention, but all four would live. He wondered if their bosses would believe their story of the two monsters that attacked them and foiled their plans.
What concerned him was that they were most definitely military.
Jackson turned around slowly, hoping that most of his transformation had returned him to human before he faced Chloe. She had been able to see the whole thing. There was no way to have prevented it and still keep her safe. There just hadn't been time. Whatever hope he had of impressing her with his charm and wit was gone. She had seen the beast. There was no way she would ever want to be with a monster.
She stepped out from the shadow of the dumpster, a large heavy stick hanging limply in her hand. She didn't flinch when she looked at him though and the hope that surged through him could have powered a city.
"Are they dead?" she asked, quietly stepping up to the two Weres. She was pale as a ghost and trembling, but she kept her voice steady.
"No. They're all still alive." Turner replied, stepping over to one. He knelt down and began rifling through the unconscious man's pockets. Jackson did the same to another man, but found nothing on his identity but a tattoo of a phoenix. He'd look it up later. Dr. Turner finally pulled out a piece of paper from the last man's pocket. The paper shook in his hand, and Jackson knew it wasn't from the wind.
"What is it?" Chloe asked, dropping her stick and wrapping her arms around herself. The fact that she hadn't bolted spoke volumes about her self-control. Or lack of sanity.
Dr. Turner rose and showed her the paper. On it was a printed picture of her. Her school ID photo, to be exact. She let out a small whimper, but that was all. She was shaking and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure how she would respond. Dr. Turner was impressed with how well she was taking this already. After all, she did just see her college adviser and another man morph into deadly killing machines to take out four men determined to kill her.
Chloe took in a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes before slowly releasing it. When she opened her eyes, she frowned at the four men still lying unconscious in the cold. She had obviously hoped they would disappear when her eyes had been closed.
"Well, I'm not really up for a sandwich anymore," she said simply.
Dr. Turner laughed, coming over and hugging her. She burrowed into his shoulder, and Jackson felt the tug of jealousy. He wished he could be the one holding her, putting a hand in her hair to soothe her fears. But she wasn't his.
"I'll buy you a pizza," Turner told her, looking down at her like a caring parent. She gave him a weak smile and he squeezed her into him.
Jackson shifted his feet slightly, uncomfortable at the emotions rolling around in his stomach. There was too much jealousy and want rolling around inside of him, especially toward someone he had only just met a day before.
"There's a cheap motel on Third Street. We can pay cash," Turner said, releasing the shaking girl. Her color was returning which was good. Dr. Turner put his hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, you are not going home tonight. I'm afraid they've found you."
Chapter 14
The three of them hurried quickly and quietly to Dr. Turner's car. Jackson opened the passenger door to let Chloe ride shotgun and she gave him a small smile. She wasn't sure how she felt about him yet, but the act of chivalry was still charming.
Once the car started, Chloe cranked the heat, letting it blast to try and make herself feel warm again. She was looking forward to a hot shower at the motel. Even if she didn't have any of her things, she would still enjoy the water and getting the cold ache out of her toes.
They rode in easy silence for the short trip to Third Street. Dr. Turner hadn't been kidding when he said it was a cheap motel. Chloe had never seen anything so rundown and sad looking. Suddenly, she was a little bit more hesitant about the shower. The place didn't even look like it had consistent running water.
Dr. Turner parked the car and hurried into the main office, returning after only a moment with a key for a room. Together, the three of them entered a very run down motel room on the second floor.
Jackson sniffed the air hesitantly as they entered, then shrugged. "Could be worse," he murmured.
"It's not pretty, but it's safe. I know the owner. He won't tell a soul you're here. His business depends on discretion." Dr. Turner pulled the threadbare shades over the windows.
Chloe stepped into the center of the room. At least it was warm. She looked at the two men standing in front of her and wondered if she really had seen what she thought. As much as she wished it had all been in her head, though, she knew it was true. She bit her lip and looked up at her mentor.
"Dr. Turner." Chloe paused as she took a breath and then let the words out as quickly as she could. "What are you two?"