Ashwood Falls Volume Two (9 page)

Like a good submissive, she sat in the middle of a patch of wildflowers and watched the sun fade into night.

“Addyson, you should go inside now,” Hayden said softly as he came to a stop next to her.

She didn’t want to, not until Keegan came back safe. She didn’t know why, but she’d had a bad feeling since he left earlier that evening. Her nerves were like tiny live wires under her skin, sending pulses of unease and fear to every part of her body.

“In a little while,” she said without looking away from the tree line.

“Ten minutes,” Hayden barked and walked off.

She felt her lips form a small smile. She liked Hayden. Underneath that hard-ass, iced shell of his, there was a heart warm and loyal. She’d seen him with the youth of den. It was true that all Pack members looked after and protected the younger and more vulnerable members, but she’d seen Hayden give a little more, spend more time, and comfort in a way she hadn’t expected from the large, dangerous wolf Marshal.

A familiar scent drifted on the wind moments before Keegan emerged from the forest. She stood and waited. His gaze locked with hers, and damn if her body didn’t heat up as her stomach did flips. He stalked toward her and stopped mere inches from her.

She cupped his face with both her hands then frowned. “You’re bleeding.”

Keegan pulled out of her grasp and said, “It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not nothing. Come on, let me look at it.”

****

H
e let out a soft growl but followed her inside. The truth was that her stern words and the fire and spirit she’d shown pleased him. Hell, it was a damn turn-on, just like the sight of her slightly curvy hips as they swayed with each step she took into the living room.

She turned to face him when they reached the sofa and narrowed her eyes at him, as if knowing where his thoughts had gone. How was it that this woman could soothe the pain within him? She knew how to get inside him and ease the hurt he’d buried from losing his mate.

“Sit,” she commanded as Will entered the room. He had his nose buried in the tablet in his hands.

Keegan peered over at the boy, making him look up. They locked gazes for a brief moment before the teen smirked and sat in the over-sized armchair across from them.

Shaking his head, Keegan sat on the sofa and watched Addyson as she left the room, only to return a moment later with the first aid kit. He was about to point out that he was an alpha leopard shifter and didn’t run the risk of infection like humans did, but he refrained. There was no need to inflame her little temper by pointing out something she already knew. The temper she only showed around him, he mused.

Plus he liked the idea of her caring for him.

Her eyebrows drew together as she dabbed a cotton ball with a salve from an amber-colored jar. “What are you thinking?” she asked while focusing on her task.

He barely contained his flinch when she touched the cool cream to his wound. “How beautiful you are.”

Will snickered from behind his tablet, but Keegan ignored him and continued to watch the way Addyson’s cheeks colored. Although she tried to hide the way his words affected her, he saw it.

“Stop trying to get out of trouble.” She fell silent, and her scent changed, indicating she was worried. He didn’t push. She’d ask her questions when she was ready.

She placed a small bandage over the cut on his forehead then closed up the first aid kit. Without meeting his gaze, she said, “You fought with a mutant.”

His heart stilled for a spit second, and he placed a finger under her chin, lifting it so her violet eyes stared into his. “I did.”

It was his turn to look away, but he didn’t remove his hand from her chin. He needed the connection. Addyson had always grounded him on a level he’d never known. “I have a daughter.”

Will stood and stretched while yawning loudly. The teen came over and kissed Addyson on the cheek. “Good night.” When he straightened, he gave a short nod to Keegan and went to his room.

Keegan studied Addyson as she watched the kid walk off. “You’ve become attached to him,” he said.

She peered at him, a flash of panic crossing her face before her expression became blank. “He’s a good kid.”

“I know. I’ve known since I first met him.” She cocked her head in question, and he spoke before she could ask. “He needs to be challenged and questioned. It’d make him the strong Scribe I know he’ll be some day.”

She nodded and scanned his face. Silence surrounded them again, making him twitch with the need to do something, anything.

“I have a daughter,” he said again.

She blinked. “Yes, I know Shay.”

He shook his head. “No. I have another daughter. Felix stole her from me and Cate.”

Addyson dropped shoulders and her eyes filled with unshed tears. “That’s a terrible thing to do.”

Keegan nodded and took her hand in his. “I believed all this time she was dead. The baby Cate birthed died right after birth. We buried our daughter... at least we thought we had.”

Cool fingers touched his cheek, making him look into Addyson’s face. “Felix is a bastard to the core.” As soon as the words left her mouth, her eye widened. “Oh, God. No wonder Cate’s image looked so familiar.”

Keegan tightened his fingers around hers. “You’ve met Ana?”

Addyson shook her head. “Felix made sure I never made any kind of contact with her, but I saw her in passing during my captivity.”

Anger bubbled up inside him. He knew from Kieran that Ana had been raised as one of two of the Onyx’s princesses. That information gave Keegan hope that Ana had a somewhat happy life, if that was at all possible living inside a Pack that’s main mission was to destroy others’ lives.

“I met her.”

Addyson let out a small gasp. “Did she...?”

He shook his head. “She doesn’t know who I am.”

He went on to tell her about the mutant and Ana killing it and his vow that he owed her a debt. By the time he finished speaking, they were both relaxed on the couch with Addyson snuggled into his side, her head resting on his chest.

Her scent tempted him like nothing else, made him crave things he hadn’t in a very long time. He couldn’t fight it any longer. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted, no, needed.

His leopard refused to back down and became edgier with each denial. Both the man and cat were growing inpatient. Addyson Lewis belonged to him, and he was going to have her.

Soon
.

A
ddyson sat at the kitchen table and watched the steam rise from her coffee. She couldn’t sleep. The prior day’s events kept replaying in her mind. Her heart ached for Keegan. He still held on to the pain of his loss, or was it the so-called betrayal?

Something just didn’t settle right with her. Keegan’s mate couldn’t have turned her back on him and the Pack. Addyson refused to believe it to be the case.

The sound of shuffling feet drew her out of her thoughts. She turned her head as Will sat down next to her. “Morning. Did I wake you?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“Are you hungry? I made muffins.”

His eyes brightened, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “Blueberry?”

Addyson laughed softly and ruffled his hair as she stood to go get the tray of muffins and pour him a glass of milk.

“Where are you from?”

She stilled briefly, surprised by the question. “What do you mean?”

“Where did you grow up?”

Addyson closed the milk carton and put it back in the fridge. “I don’t remember my childhood.”

Will drew his eyebrows together. “Not at all?”

Addyson shook her head. “Nope. Nevan, the Pack Empath and psychiatrist, said that my mind may have locked up my personal memories to preserve my own sense of reality.”

A tic formed in his temple, and he took a breath before asking, “How long were you there?”

She shrugged. “About a hundred years.” He fell silent, making Addyson peer over at him after taking her seat next to him. He picked at his muffin, and she could tell he was deep in thought. Covering his forearm with her hand, she said, “Now do you understand why my mind is broken?”

His gaze snapped up to hers. “You are not broken. You’re just scared and need time to heal.”

She meant to argue but stopped as she caught Keegan’s oak-and-spice scent wrapping around her. A moment later she felt his hands press gently on her shoulders. Leaning down so his lips were inches from her ear, he whispered, “You’re a very strong female, Addy.”

Her heart fluttered rapidly behind her ribs, and for a second, she almost forgot how to breathe.

Keegan’s weight lifted from her, and when he moved to walk around the table, she let out a breath she didn’t remember holding. Sitting down across from her, he took a muffin from the plate and met her gaze with brown eyes so dark they looked black.

“Why don’t you have Jared see if he can help you remember?” Keegan said casually.

Jared was the Pack Justice and possessed the ability to read people’s memories through touch. Although it was possible that Jared could unlock her memories, there was the little issue she had with skin-to-skin contact.

Addyson shook her head. “I don’t know if I want to remember.”

Keegan narrowed his eyes at her. The stare was so intense she had to look away, her cat too much of a submissive to hold the connection.

She linked her fingers together on the table and focused on them as she told the two of them what she did know about her den. “Once, a few years before I escaped the Onyx den, I found a small clay bowl. It looked familiar, but somehow I knew it didn’t belong to anyone in Onyx. So I touched it briefly with the tip of my index finger. I saw a younger version of myself holding the bowl while I sat propped against a large snow leopard. My father.”

Tears burned her eyes as her vision grew blurry. She’d held onto that small happy memory, cherished it. It was the only piece of her past she had and the only hint of who her parents were before Onyx slaughtered them all.

Keegan placed his warm hand over hers, forcing her to lift her gaze to his. This time she held it. He didn’t speak, just rubbed circles over her wrist with his thumb. It soothed her on a level that should have scared the life out of her.

Will set his empty glass on the table hard enough to snap Addyson out of whatever had just happened between her and Keegan. She peered over at the teen as he asked Keegan, “Can I go for a run? It’s been awhile since I shifted.”

Her leopard whimpered inside her head. She dropped her shoulders and glanced back at Keegan. He let out a sigh, stood, and held out his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s go let our beasts out to play.”

****

T
he relief mixed with excitement that passed over Addyson’s face made Keegan want to pull her into his arms and claim every inch of her. It also pissed him the hell off that she hadn’t been taking care of her leopard’s needs.

When she placed her hand in his, he tugged her close so their bodies touched. “Why haven’t you been taking care of this?”

It came out as a growl, and he sensed her cat wanting to submit to his. Damn it. With his free hand, he traced a finger down her cheek to her chin, where he lifted it gently to peer into her eyes.

Eyes that wouldn’t meet his.

He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, “Addy.”

She relaxed slightly against him. “I’d shift at home, but only while within the den’s protective wards. I was taken while on a hunt, caught in a net. So, I don’t like to go out alone.”

He hugged her closer, wrapping both arms around her. She was so strong; he knew that. He felt it when he was near her, but fear rode on her every action. She was too cautious. “You are free. Onyx will never have you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

Addyson pressed her hands against his chest and pushed. He let her go and allowed her to step back. Her brows dipped, and creases formed on her forehead. “I’m stronger than this, damn it.”

It came out as a low mutter, but he heard it. He leaned in and nipped at her nose, bringing a shy smile to her sensual lips. He grabbed her hand and tugged her to the door. “You’ll feel better after a good run.”

Outside, the rays of the morning sun filtered through the trees, making the dew droplets sparkle. Beside him, Addyson took a deep breath, as if taking in the fragrances of the forest around them. Keegan too drew in the pine, oak, and other earthy scents, although he also wanted to make sure there weren’t any rogues snooping about. As if on cue, Alec walked out of the trees and peered at the three of them before focusing on Keegan. “Anything wrong?” his son asked when he came to a stop beside him.

“No, just going for a run.”

Alec gave a short nod and walked over to sit in one of the chairs under a shade tree a few yards from the entrance of the cave. Keegan shook his head as his son popped a pair of headphones in his ears. Alec had a way of appearing harmless right up until he struck.

A flash of movement to his left drew his attention to the gold and black leopard. Will stretched in his animal form then ran a circle around Keegan and Addyson.

Addyson laughed. “I think he is enjoying himself.”

“It seems so.” He placed a hand on her lower back. “Ready?”

She nodded while she took in a long, deep breath. Then she stripped down to her bra and panties. As shifters they didn’t hold the same insecurities about nudity as humans. It was a fact of life, a natural state of being.

However, the sight of Addyson standing in front of him so incredibly beautiful and bare for the sentries Keegan smelled nearby to see made him want to cover her. His leopard didn’t like her so exposed to them.

She peered at him from over her shoulder and smirked before she darted off into the forest, shifting into a snow leopard just before she disappeared behind the trees.

Keegan heard Alec chuckle as he stood and called out to Will. “Hey, Will. Come run with me. You don’t want to be around the lovebirds.”

Will let a playful growl then charged at Alec.

Keegan sent his son a telepathic “thanks” and shifted into his leopard, giving chase. His heart thumped against his ribcage, and he zipped around the trees. The wind blew through his fur, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this great, this alive.