She could feel where he was more than see him. Pushing her back harder against the brick wall behind her, she froze, holding her breath in panic. He was so close the hair on her arms was tingling. Certain her pounding heartbeat could be heard in the nighttime silence, she closed her eyes and willed herself to be one with the wall.

He would find her. She knew it.

She could feel his breath heat the air near her cheek. Mentally praying with urgent fervour, she silently clenched her jaw.

"I know you are here," his voice whispered roughly beside her ear. He huffed, a sound rife with irritation. She cracked open one eye a sliver and almost shuttered with the realization he was almost pressed up against her. There was no escape now. It was going to be too late. His claws would slowly slip against her throat and she would be done.

Abruptly, he threw himself backwards and hissed in frustration.

"Come out!" he snarled, swishing one hand in her general direction but missing her only by inches.

Sensing this as her only opportunity to escape, she bolted, forcing her legs into instant action despite the agony they screamed in return. No time for that now. She must run. Or she would die.

Behind her, he bellowed his rage and clamoured noisily to follow.

Her lungs were on fire. She had to run, had to.

'Keep moving!' she screamed at herself, desperately trying to make a plan, any plan, that might save her from this. Nothing. There was nothing. She had done everything she could. Her last attack had left him without his immediate sight and keen sense of smell but that would be almost over. All she had left was to run. Run until she couldn't any longer. Until he caught her. Until….

He was gaining. She could tell by the steps pounding behind her and the ragged breathing that filled the air. Closer. Too close. She forced her mutinying body to keep moving.

A sudden and unexpected flash of light sparked to her left and she threw herself onto the ground painfully, rolling hard before coming to a jarring stop under a bush. She heard him scream and looked out to see him rear back his head and claw angrily at the air around him. His arm was pierced with a lightly feathered dart which he ripped out and threw viciously to the ground. Across from her, she could faintly make out two figures. One was red, the other green. They stood tense, on the defensive, prepared to react to the beast if he attacked.

Gasping for the air that her lungs craved, she lay there, her body refusing to move.

He continued to roar and fight with the power of the wild animal he was. His eyes narrowed on the team that approached him tentatively in somewhat terrified silence. She watched in horror as his claw sunk into the arm of the closest hunter. The man in green pulled away quickly, releasing his limb from the grasp. The beast was going down, snarls turning into sleepy growls before he collapsed to the ground.

The minute he was still, the team moved quickly, tying his arms and legs before dragging him to the back of a waiting van.

Grunting slightly, she pushed herself to her feet and forced herself to join them. Everything hurt. She dropped to the ground beside the van, still waiting for her heart to return to its normal rhythm instead of this angry, racing beat.

"You ok?" a voice beside her said softly as an arm carefully slid across her shoulders for comfort. She nodded slightly and the arm squeezed in response.

"We need to move. Can you get in?" her friend murmured, reaching across to pull open the door near her head. Nodding again, she dragged herself to the seat and pulled the door closed. She leaned back in the chair, taking some slow deep breaths.

She was alive. Barely.

It took so much of her willpower not to turn around and look at him. Right now she had to focus. They weren't done yet.

The van lurched to a skidding stop and she grit her teeth. Back to action. Everyone moved at once, jumping from their seats and out onto the pavement. She followed and moved to the back of the vehicle where he was being held. She didn't want to look but she had to. They were counting on her. This was something she had to do. Everyone knew that was the fact of it.

Steel resolve glinted in her eyes as she reached forward to grab him. He was still unconscious, head bobbing gently as she pulled him out and threw him over her shoulder. He was heavier than she had expected. A single grunt escaped her as she followed the other members of the team to building in front of them. They had all agreed this was the best plan, even though it made her want to throw up and cry hysterically. How could she be doing this? For one brief moment, she almost gave in to her secret plan of taking him and running. Her step faltered and she staggered slightly under his weight.

A hand gently touched her back in silent encouragement. Taking a slight breath and shaking her head as if to dislodge the fleeting thought she kept moving, plodding forward through the waiting door.

The room they had set up was bare other than a simple mattress tossed on the floor with a single pillow and a pile of blankets. It was safer this way. Safer for him. For them. For her.

Gently, she lowered his body onto the mattress and took a slow step back, crouched at floor level.

For the first time, she allowed herself to take a look at him.

Oh, how deceiving that look could be. Her heart twisted painfully as she studied his sleeping face. So peaceful and childlike, a soft smile on his lips. His blond hair lay messily across his brow and, without a thought, she reached over and gently brushed it to the side. His reaction was unexpected. A soft sigh and unconscious turn of his head into her hand.

"Oh, Chat. What did he do to you?" she whispered painfully.

Suddenly, his eyes slammed open and she threw herself backwards, crashing onto the floor with a startled gasp. Her blue eyes locked with his green ones and she couldn't move. Those emerald eyes that once looked at her with love now rent through her soul with more malice and hate than she could even fathom. It tore her in two. He let out a low and rumbling growl.

"Chat…" she gasped, and his eyes narrowed slightly. The growl increased in volume.

Hands grabbed her and started dragging her to the door, pulling her away from the wild beast in the room.

"MOVE!" yelled a voice, half dragging her scrambling body to her feet. She made herself obey. She willed herself through that door and listened to them slam it behind her. Then she broke.

AUTHOR: **This is a preview of the story that is to come. I am taking the month of June off and will begin adding updates starting in July.**