Free Shield's Submissive by Trina Lane

“Yes, you are, but no time for play right now. Go get dressed then we can leave. Besides, good things come to boys who wait.”
    She heard him mumble something about hating to wait as he walked up the stairs.

    * * * *

    They reached the trailhead shortly after eleven. It was still mid-spring and the park wasn’t yet congested. Erica stopped shortly after entering the tree line and, closing her eyes, inhaled deeply and let the scents of the forest surround her. She loved the smell of the clean mountain air and evergreen trees. She caught up with Mark who waited a few yards away.
    He looked down at her and took her hand as they walked side by side.
    The trail to Emerald Lake passed a series of alpine lakes. The first, named Nymph, was a short walk of only about twenty minutes from the start. Instead of stopping there, they continued on to the next one another twenty minutes up before resting. Called Dream Lake, it embodied the high alpine spirit of their surroundings. She gazed out at the lake and enjoyed the sunshine on her face.
    “You like it here, don’t you?”
    “I love it here. My parents used to bring my brother and me here every summer when we were growing up. We’d pitch our tents in one of the campgrounds, wake up with the sun and hike the trails. Then we’d go back, start our campfire and roast marshmallows before collapsing into our sleeping bags. My mom would cook dinner over the fire, and my brother and I would run around the campground, scavenging over rocks and climbing trees. This place was like a second home to me.”
    “Sounds like you have some wonderful memories. Is that why you moved to Denver after school?”
    “I guess, in part. I wanted to stay close to my family and didn’t have that connection back in Chicago.”
    “Isn’t that where you’re from, though? Where’s your family now?”
    She tried to stop the tears from gathering in her eyes but knew he had seen the pain that would always linger in her soul. “They’re gone. A drunk driver crossed the median and hit SHIELD’S SUBMISSIVE
    Trina Lane
    51

    them head-on when I was in college. Both my parents and younger brother were in the car.
    My parents died instantly, but my brother Tom, he…he was airlifted to the hospital. They initially told me he was just in a coma but, after a few hours, determined that there was no brainstem activity. He was declared brain dead.” Tears tracked down her cheeks and her eyes were focused skyward. “I had to tell them to take him off the machines.”

    He pulled her into his arms, his heart splintering at the thought of her dealing with such a tragedy when only a young girl. She’d been in college, supposed to be having the time of her life, spreading her wings and discovering who she wanted to become. He so wanted to comfort and express his condolences but sensed she would perceive them as empty platitudes so he just stayed quiet and held her.
    “He was so young, just a senior in high school. I always looked out for him, tried to protect him even when he didn’t want or really need me to.”
    A sweet longing smile graced her lips, and he saw a little sparkle in her eyes.
    “We had this deal. I would give him sage advice and he would appear to listen and follow my guidance then do exactly as he wanted. He was a tough and smart kid. Played varsity hockey, was on the honour role and had hundreds of friends. He even had a scholarship to play in college the next year. The accident happened when they were on the way back from one of his games.” She sat up and started picking at spines of pine needles that covered the ground. “They asked me to donate his organs. I knew that by doing so he could save others, that even though he is no longer here with me, his sacrifice meant other families could be whole again. In some way, it made saying goodbye a little less hard.”
    “Do you have other friends and family?”
    “No other relatives. Both my parents were only children and my grandparents died