Ashwood Falls Volume Two (14 page)

I, Keegan Andrews, have retired my Alpha status. My eldest son, Blaine Andrews, has graciously accepted his new title of leopard Alpha of Ashwood Falls. I have also decided to recreate the Council of Elders as Elder of Ashwood and appointed Kieran Michaels as my second. I would like to put a call out to all other Elders to come forward and join the council because my first proposal is to lay judgment on Felix Darwin and the Onyx Pack for their blatant disregard of our laws.

It wasn’t the most professional of addresses, but he’d never agreed to be professional. His closest friends and family could contest to that.

Putting his phone in his pocket, he said, “Now we wait. I just hope there are Elders out there.”

Blaine stood up. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to enjoy my mates before we storm the enemy.”

Mutters and teasing gestures filled the room as Blaine walked out. Travis was next to leave, and Keegan figured it was to get back to his pregnant mate, and Keegan’s adopted daughter, Shay.

Soon everyone filed out leaving him, Jared, and Addyson. He looked from Addyson to Jared and asked, “What is this?”

Jared nodded toward Addyson. “She asked me to stay. Well, texted me and told me to stay after the meeting.”

Addyson glanced at Keegan then averted her gaze to study the floor.

“Addy?”

She met his gaze and took a deep breath. “I want to see if Jared can unlock my memories.”

Keegan looked at Jared. “You can do that, right?”

Jared drew his brows together in thought. “I’ve never tried. I mean I suppose I could, in theory.” He turned to Addyson and asked, “Where do you want to do this?”

Hope lit up in her eyes, but quickly faded as fear crept in. “Um, I’d like to go to my home. It’s familiar.”

Keegan took her hand, trying to soothe the worry he could feel stirring inside her. He noticed how Jared’s gaze lingered on his and Addyson’s linked hands, but the jaguar didn’t respond, just gave a short nod and said, “I can meet you two there in about twenty minutes.”

After Jared left the conference room, Keegan drew her into him and kissed her forehead. “I’m proud of you for taking this step.”

She sighed and pressed her cheek against his chest. “I need to know who my parents were, where I came from. Plus I’m stronger now thanks to you.”

“I can’t take credit. You are the one with the will and desire to heal, to live. I’m just enjoying watching you bloom and become the woman I know you are.”

She lifted her head, met his eyes, and smiled. “Are you getting soft on me, my Alpha?”

He felt his lips twitch while his heart danced with a delight he hadn’t felt since Cate. “Only for you, Addy. We must never speak of it in public.”

She laughed then let out a squeal as he pulled her closer and captured her mouth with his.

****

A
ddyson had a million butterflies trapped inside her stomach. At least that was what it felt like as she paced her sunroom while waiting for Jared.

She felt Keegan watching in silence for several moments until he asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Addyson stopped pacing and faced him. “No. Maybe.” She dropped her shoulders and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I want to remember my parents. I want to know if I had any siblings.”

“Even if it causes you grief?”

She nodded. “Yes. Then at least I have a reason to grieve. Right now I have only you and Will. I have no past.”

A rustle of clothing followed by Keegan’s large arms wrapping around her from behind made her sigh. This male always knew exactly what she needed.

And why not? He was her mate and she, his.

Leaning back into his embrace, she took in the peaceful landscape of her backyard. Man, she was glad to be home. “It was nice of Shay to perform a cleansing ritual in the house.”

Keegan kissed her temple. “Yes, and without being asked. I’d have to punish her when she was little to get her to clean her own room.”

Addyson laughed, but it didn’t ease her nervousness. She was almost afraid of returning to her home. There had been so many people inside her house the night Will stumbled through the wards and into her backyard, bringing rogues and mutants with him.

“Keegan?”

“Hmm?”

“Where is Will?”

“Alec took him to meet Rhea and then Sammie and Max.” Keegan’s tone was soft as though he was enjoying the quiet he had told her she’d given him.

Suddenly, Keegan stiffened, the calm leaving his body, but not in alarm. She knew he sensed someone coming to disturb their peace. Yet, he didn’t draw away from her. He stayed right where he was with his arms around her, holding her close. A few moments later Jared entered the backyard. The butterflies stirred again. This time it felt as though they were trying to create a cyclone inside her belly.

Oh, God, she was going to be sick.

As Jared got closer, and she pushed down the crippling fear, she noticed he had on a pair of loose-fit blue jeans and a black T-shirt. His hair was damp and looked towel dried, nothing like the usual hairstyle she was used to seeing. Was this what he looked like when he wasn’t working?

He opened the screen door and stepped inside, curiosity swirling in his expression as he met Keegan’s gaze. Unease seeped through her, and she started to move out of Keegan’s embrace, but he tightened his hold, keeping her in place.

She relaxed into his hold. They were mated now and she loved the male holding her and would do anything to keep him. That was why she needed to take this final step in healing. Nevin had urged her to ask Jared to unlock the memories her mind was protecting. Then Keegan insisted on it, but her leopard had given the final nudge. She had to do this no matter what memories were locked deep in her subconscious mind.

“Do you want to do this in here or outside?”

Jared’s soft, yet deep, voice broke through her thoughts. She studied him for a brief moment then looked out into her backyard. “Outside. I can ground myself if needed.”

Jared nodded and walked out the door, holding it open for her. Keegan kissed her neck, and she jumped. Damn she was nervous.

When Keegan released her, she stepped forward and carefully walked by Jared to avoid skin contact with him. She knew she’d have to touch him to unlock her buried memories, but right now she couldn’t handle it.

Once on the grass, she slipped her shoes off and walked barefooted to the middle of the yard and sat with her legs folded under her. The males followed suit, Jared taking the spot in front of her and Keegan to her left.

She met Jared’s cool blue eyes and smiled, but she knew it was a weak attempt. Jared smiled back, warm and inviting. It soothed her a little.

Jared cut a quick glance to Keegan then back to her before he asked, “Have you learned to build your shields?”

Addyson blinked and nodded. “How did you know?”

Keegan made a noise that sounded more like a muffled growl, catching Jared’s attention. Jared studied the two of them for a long moment. Finally Keegan said, “Speak your mind, Jared.”

Jared narrowed his eyes at the other male then focused on Addyson. “You can’t read him.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Never have,” she admitted, lifting her chin just a little.

Jared gave a short nod and held out his hands, palms up. “You can’t use your shields. I have to be able to enter your mind to unlock your memories.” When she nodded her understanding, he added, “My gift doesn’t work without skin-to-skin contact.”

She took a deep breath. “Yes, I know.” She lifted her hands and held them just inches above his. “Any dark secrets you want to share before I touch you?”

He chuckled softly. “Sable Darwin is...was my mate and is hiding my son from me.”

She stared at him. Was he joking? When his expression or his scent didn’t change, she knew he wasn’t kidding. They really were mates. “Were you bound? If so, who broke it?”

Jared let out a breath and closed his eyes. He had to know she’d see it, feel it, once their hands touched. His eyes opened, the blue a little darker than before, but it wasn’t out of anger. No there was a stronger emotion in those blue depths.

“I can’t do this. I can’t subject you to the pain, to the darkness I’ve tried to bury. Yes, we were bonded and lived together in secret for about six months before I found out who she was.”

Jared went to stand up, and without thinking about what she was doing, she grabbed his forearm to stop him. Flashes of images scrolled through her mind, bringing in a wave of emotions. First there was happiness then a feeling of betrayal and finally the agonizing pain of having his soul split in two when he broke the mating bond.

Just as fast as the images appeared, they vanished. She found herself sitting in Keegan’s lap while he held her close to his chest. “What?” she tried to ask around the huge lump in her throat.

Keegan brushed his fingers through her hair. “You started crying uncontrollably.”

She took in a shaky breath and looked around for Jared. She found him standing a few feet away, staring off into the forest surrounding her home. She wiggled out of Keegan’s lap and was glad when he didn’t protest.

She walked over and stood next to Jared, leaving about a foot between them. Even though the worst was over for her, she didn’t think Jared knew that. So she put some space between them.

After what felt like hours of silence, she said, “Sable isn’t like her father.”

Jared snorted. “She’s everything like him.”

Addyson clicked her tongue in irritation and turned to face his profile. “She’s the leader of a rebel shifter group that is plotting against Felix.”

Jared jerked around and stared at her. “What?”

Addyson rolled her eyes. “You heard me. If you don’t believe me, then ask Kieran.”

Jared cast a glance to Keegan. “You knew about this?”

Keegan shrugged. “I was going to tell you when the time was right. I wasn’t sure how you’d take it. She’s still an outlaw going against the Council of Elders and taking the law into her own hands.”

Addyson placed her hand on Jared T-shirt over his heart, drawing his gaze back to her. “I still need your help to unlock my memories. It’s the only way I can have closure.”

Jared glanced back at Keegan still sitting in the grass watching them then nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

This time when Addyson sat back on the ground she closed her eyes and grounded her energy to the earth below her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jared patiently waiting. “I’m ready,” she said, feeling much better connected to the earth. It wouldn’t dampen the pain or the flow of emotions, but it helped her relax to know she was grounded. She could use the earth to push away the ugliness.

Jared raised a hand slowly and laid it on her cheek. The new visions didn’t instantly appear, but when they did, they made her giggle.

A very young Cameron was crawling out of her bedroom window. When she’d made it out, she turned and ran smack into Jared. “Where are you going?” Jared asked, his tone firm like a father would use with his disobedient daughter.

Cameron didn’t miss a beat. She crossed her arms and looked him in the eye. “I dropped something out my window.”

Jared growled. “Try again.”

The vision vanished, bringing her back to the present. She smiled and said, “Cameron was a handful.”

Jared laughed. “Yes, she was. Can we start now?”

Addyson nodded. When Jared touched her cheek again, he didn’t give her ability time to dig into his past again. She felt a nudge inside her mind, warm yet soothing. She could feel Jared’s mind mingling with hers as, one-by-one, memories of her life before captivity spilled into her mind.

The images started to rush threw her mind faster than she could process them. She caught glimpses of her parents’ faces, smiling and so much in love. Her mother had blond hair, like Addyson and crystal blue eyes. Her father had light brown hair and violet eyes. Addyson’s heart filled with the love she felt for the two people who’d never know if their daughter was safe. Hot fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Then images of the den she lived in, and a few friends whose names she couldn’t recall, but figured they’d come in time. There was so much to try to process all at once, so she forced her eyes open and peered at Jared.

Jared removed his hand from her cheek, and she flung her arms around his neck. He stiffened then relaxed and hugged her back. “Thank you.”

K
eegan sat on the sofa in Addyson’s living room as she flew around looking for a notebook and pen. He’d never seen her excited. She was actually a little jittery, as though she didn’t know what to do with herself.

She laughed as she found a notebook and came to sit next to him. She took a deep breath and opened a hardback notebook with blue butterflies on the cover and stared at it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She dropped her shoulders and peered over at him. “I don’t know where to start.”

He held in a smile and ran his knuckles down her cheek. “You have a lifetime to shift through your memories. Don’t try to do it all in one day.”

Her smile reached her eyes, the same eyes that had held so much darkness they made him want to rip Felix apart inch by agonizing inch. Now the violet depths held a light he hadn’t seen before. She had hope.

He cupped the back of her neck and drew her in so he could claim her lips with his. She came willingly and opened for him. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, finding hers. He heard the notebook and pen fall to the floor as she twisted to climb up his body and straddle him.

Groaning, he slid one of his hands under her shirt, and the other he fisted in her hair. He broke the kiss and pulled back to peer into her desire-filled gaze.

God, he loved her.

The admission wasn’t a surprise. His leopard had known all along. It had just taken the man too long to see it.

His phone rang, drawing a growl from him and making Addyson laugh. He pulled the cell out and answered with a sharp, “Yeah.”

Blaine’s amusement filtered through the line. “Bad time?”

Keegan was not amused. “Speak.”

“Still barking orders like an Alpha.” Blaine’s voice faded a little as if he’d pulled the phone away from his face, and then Keegan heard Max’s voice right before Blaine came back to the phone. “Travis got a few replies to your broadcast.”