Nicky Charles - The Finding

By

NickyCharles

SMASHWORDSEDITION

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PUBLISHEDBY:

Nicky Charleson Smashwords

The Finding

Copyright 2011 by Nicky Charles

Other works bythis author:

Forever InTime

The Mating

The Keeping

SmashwordsEdition, License Notes

Thank you fordownloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with yourfriends but please do not post or archive without asking me first.If you like the story, please tell your friends, add the title toreading lists etc but direct people back to my officialdistribution sites. Please keep this book in its complete originalform, with the exception of quotes used in reviews. No alterationof the content is allowed.

Your supportand respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is awork of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, orplaces, events or locales is purely coincidental. The charactersare productions of the authors imagination and usedfictitiously.

This bookcontains mature content (language, violence, sexual situations)

and is intendedfor adult readers.

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Many thanks toJan Gordon, my wonderful and tireless editor. Out of the goodnessof her heart, she rereads, advises, encouraged and prods methroughout the entire writing process. Without her my stories wouldjust sit on my hard drive. Also thanks to all of the Gutter Girlsand my readers at Fiction Press who have offered their feedback,encouragement and allow me to practise my writing skills onthem.

This book is asequel to The Mating and The Keeping. You really should read themfirst for this book to make sense. Like all my stories, the ideafor writing The Finding began quite unexpectedly when Cassiesuddenly appeared in The Keeping. The concept grew in response tofeedback from my readers who were curious about what happened tothe young girl. This is her story, as well as that of my villains,Marla and Aldrich and my previous couples, Kane and Elise, and Ryneand Mel. I hope you enjoy visiting with them again.

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THE FINDING

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Prologue

Cassie stood atthe edge of an alleyway, staring out at the breaking dawn. A fewcars drove past but none of the drivers turned their heads in herdirection. Just to be sure, she stepped back a bit. The street waslined with stores and small businesses, and in the distance thereappeared to be a number of flashing, lighted signs. If she didntknow better, shed think it looked like Las Vegas, but that wasridiculous. The bus shed been on couldnt have travelled that far!She tucked her hair behind her ears and furrowed her brow,wondering where she might be, and how shed ended up in analley.

The last thingshe remembered was lying on a bed in a motel, having spent half thenight fleeing from the sight of her uncles death and the wolfattack. Shed taken her medication and tried to calm down bythinking of happier places; that was the last thing she couldrecall until waking up here, just a few minutes ago.

Blearily, shedopened her eyes, at first too groggy to even wonder why her bodywas wedged between a brick wall and a dumpster, her muscles crampedand aching. Then shed become aware of what had stirred her fromher sleep; a tickling sensation on her hand. Rolling her head tothe side, shed discovered a mouse was crawling over her palm.Screaming, shed snatched her hand back to her chest and skittereda few feet away, watching in a combination of horror and disgust asthe tiny creature ran into a hole under the metal bin.

Shed beenwiping her hand on her shirt, trying to erase the feeling of smallfeet and quivering whiskers when another shock hit her. Franticallyshe looked around, her brain suddenly acknowledging she wasnt inher motel room. Her heart had been pounding, panic wrapping aroundher like an iron fist as she took in the fact that there was nobed, no TV, no faded curtains; just brick walls, utility meters,bits of garbage and graffiti.

The strap ofher bag had been clenched in her hand; amazingly enough, when shechecked, there was still money inside it, so she hadnt beenrobbed. And her clothing, though filthy and wrinkled, was intactwhich probably meant she hadnt been assaulted. Her skin crawled asshe thought of all the things that could have happened to her whileshed been unconscious. Obviously something had occurredthough, otherwise how had she arrived in this place?

Wracking herbrain, she had no recollection of the events that led to her beinghere. She glanced fearfully at the shadowed areas around her,wondering if the werewolf had something to do with this; if he waslurking, waiting to attack. There was no sign of the creature, butshe couldnt relax. It might still be following her, ready to endher life as easily as it had ended Mr. Aldrichs.

Just the memoryof the large black wolf and its blood drenched muzzle had hershivering, despite the relative warmth of the air. She stepped backinto the alleyway and, wrapping her arms around her waist, hunkereddown by the dumpster where shed awoken. The smell of garbage andstale cooking grease assaulted her nose and she made a face.Striving to ignore the unpleasant odour, she leaned her head backagainst the brick wall and stared at the graffiti covered sign thatgraced the steel door straight across from her; Chinese and ThaiRestaurant, Deliveries Only. She furrowed her brow;hmm...apparently she was in a back alley behind a number ofbusinesses. Glancing to either side, she noted other similar doorsgiving support to her assumption.

Okay...a backalley, a restaurant, but where...?

At that momenta white delivery truck turned down the narrow passageway, roaringtowards her. Cassie pressed herself closer to the wall, feeling amoment of panic before realizing the dumpster provided her withsome protection. She exhaled in relief and adjusted her position soshe could observe the vehicle as it stopped a good distance fromher hiding place.

Eventually, aman got out whistling tunelessly. She watched him go about hisbusiness, taking cartons out of the truck and balancing themcarefully as he pounded on a door. The door swung open and hehanded the containers to someone who stood just inside the doorway.A few words were exchanged but she was too far away to make outwhat they were.

The man neveronce glanced in her direction, solely focussed on his early morningduties, but Cassie knew she had to move. No doubt other truckswould be through there in the near future and she didnt want to befound crouched by a dumpster. People would ask questions; questionsto which she wouldnt have any answers.

Cassie bit herlip, her mind racing, searching for possibilities. Shed never beenalone before; thered always been someone with her; guiding her,smoothing the way. Knowing she needed to do somethingto gosomewherebut being solely responsible for the decisions and theconsequences all seemed so overwhelming. How she longed to be backin the security of her uncles home. To hear him blustering away;to see Franklin, the butler, pulling faces behind the old mansback. To have Cook fussing and making her favourite meals... Herchin quivered. Oh God, how could her world have been destroyed soquickly?

A lone teartrickled down her face and she quickly wiped it away. Cryingwouldnt help or change facts. Her uncle was dead and she was alonenow with a crazed werewolf chasing her. There was no one to leanon, no one to come to her rescue. She had to handle this situationon her own and that meant finding safe shelter and food; she neededto hide, perhaps even needed to establish a new identity.

As she tried tocome up with a possible course of action, she gave a short, wry,laugh, realizing that her private tutors had never covered topicsrelated to running for your life while being chased by a werewolf.How remiss of them! Shed really have to bring that point to theirattention...