Adam's Pulse

Part 32

Chapter 32

As he cleared the forest, the first thing that Adam smelt was blood, and surprisingly enough, it wasn’t his own.  He recognized that smell though, call him odd, but after being force-fed someone’s blood, he couldn’t really get the smell out of his mind.  He instantly went on alert as he walked closer to the small house that Ally was staying in.  It was her blood that he had smelt, but he knew that if she was hurt, he would have been able to feel it.  If she were in danger, he would have been in danger also.  Still, that thought didn’t make him relax as he came closer to the house; if anything, he became more tense when he saw what exactly was causing Ally to give up her blood.

“Do you think that’s smart?”

No one made a move as if they weren’t surprised by his presence, which either meant they were expecting him or he was slacking.  A couple of months ago, he had been able to sneak up on anyone, shifter or not. 

“It’s the only way,” Ally said with a shrug as if the man latched onto her wrist was an everyday occurrence.

A sigh left Adam’s mouth as he walked closer to her.  “How do you know it’s the only way?  How can you know that binding him to you isn’t what starts the war?  Ally, we never really know anything, no matter how many people claim to see the future.”

She pulled her wrist away from Lucas’s mouth, and they all watched as the skin instantly healed over.  “I know the future can change, that one small pebble in a pond can cause many ripples, but what am I supposed to do?  Sit back idly and hope that things turn out as they should.”  She shook her head at him.  “I can’t do that; I’ve never been able to sit back and watch things happen.”

He smiled at her words, not able to keep the expression off his face.  “That’s why we follow you, Ally, because we all know that you do everything that you can to keep us safe.  You go beyond what’s expected from you to make sure that we don’t have to go through any hardships, but sometimes you have to let things happen.”

“She was trying to let things happen, but none of you can stay away long enough,” Barron said, as he stepped out of the cabin.

Everyone but Ally and Sebastian jumped at his words, and Adam shook his head in mild exasperation.  It looked like he was the only one losing the ability to sneak up on others. 

“Barron,” Ally snapped, but the usual annoyance wasn’t in her voice.  If anything, she sounded tired, sounded as if she fought to keep herself standing.

He pushed at the mental bond, trying to see what was happening inside her mind, but before he could attempt to break passed the wall a hand was around his throat.  Red eyes connected with his as a low growl escaped Barron’s mouth.  “You’re hurting her.”

“Barron, stop.”

Barron slammed Adam’s back against a tree, not listening to a word that left Ally’s mouth.  “Every time you push,” Barron said, his teeth longer than they should have been.  “Every time you borrow her power, you hurt her.”

“Barron,” a different voice snapped, one that Adam was shocked to realize belonged to Sebastian.  “Let him go, now.  Do you honestly think that this is helping Alex at all?  Do you think that seeing the two of you fight is going to make her better?”

The grip around Adam’s neck slackened, making Adam fall to the ground. As Barron took a step away from him, Adam gasped for breath.  A low growl escaped his mouth before he could keep it back, but Barron stayed silent.  Barron’s body shook, his eyes flashed red once more, and Adam readied himself for a fight.  He never got one though.