Primals (Reverse Harem 1)

“Clarissa?”

At the sound of the familiar voice, I stop in my tracks and lift my head, my eyes meeting warm, blue ones that immediately send joy and relief washing all over me.

“Kyle!”

Chapter Eight

~ Kyle

I TAKE A STEP BACK as Clarissa throws herself into my arms then wrap them tightly around her, fighting back tears as I bury my face in her hair.

I thought I would never see her again.

When I got word that the plane she and Teresa were on had crashed, my knees had given way beneath me. The only thing that made me decide to get on the next available plane to Alaska was a glimmer of hope, hope against all hope that she could still be alive.

The whole plane ride was a battle between hope and fear, fear sometimes winning, numbing me and driving me to tears. Still, I clung to hope and now that she’s in my arms, alive and well, all fear is gone.

Clarissa’s alive.

“I’m glad you survived,” I tell her, looking into her eyes, thanking the stars I’d been given the chance to do just that. “I thought you were dead.”

“I know.” She sighs, and her eyes grow sad. “I could easily have died. Teresa and the pilot did. Frankly, I don’t know how I survived.”

“What matters is you did.” I pull her into my arms again. “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost my best friend.”

She pulls away. “Wait. They didn’t tell you I was alive?”

“No.” I shake my head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You called?”

“Yes.” She nods. “As soon as I got to Anchorage. I would have called sooner but you have no idea how hard it is to get to a phone here.”

“Well, I left the Lab as soon as I found out about the accident,” I explain. “I was at the airport waiting for a flight. Several were cancelled because of the storm. I had to wait for hours before I could get a seat out.” I’m just now realizing that if I’d waited only a few more hours, I would have gotten her call and realized that everything was going to be OK. It could have saved me the absolute panic of the last several days.

“I was trying to call you.”

“You were?” I get my phone out of the pocket of my jacket but I already know what I’m going to find. “Dead.” I’d left my charger at home. I’d meant to get one at the airport, but then I’d spaced it until now.

Besides, with her gone, who else would have called me?

“It died while I was at the airport. I was too worried to notice.”

“It’s fine.” She places a hand on my cheek. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m so glad to see you.”

“Not as glad as I am to see you.” I place my hand over hers. Intimate. A look passes between us that feels more than friends. Suddenly awkward, I step back, letting my hand fall to my side. I’m realizing that my whole greeting has been...a little over the top. Certainly more than I’d intended to let her see.

She smiles, not seeming to notice. “So, how soon do we leave?”

“Leave?” My eyebrows rise.

“You are taking me back home, aren’t you?” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean I know the Lab sent someone to fetch me but they’re taking so long and I’m sure they’ll still have stuff to do here when they arrive. I want to go home, Kyle.”

The plea in her eyes, echoing the one in her voice, melts whatever resolve I might have had..

Poor Clarissa. She might still be able to smile but I’m sure she’s hurting. And she might have survived, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t go through hell.

The deepest cuts are the ones the eyes cannot see.

“Alright.” I follow her, not letting go of her hand. “Let’s get you home.”