Coveted (14 page)

Aiden picked up his
shirt and came toward her, his reluctance obvious in the way he took his time.
She couldn’t blame him, not after the way she’d behaved.

Not that she minded,
since it gave her time to enjoy the play of muscles as he strode toward her.
Instead of pulling the shirt over his head, he wiped his chest. Each move drew her
eyes until she had a hard time lifting her gaze above the glistening skin so
openly displayed.

He stopped five feet
from her. His hands dropped to his sides, and he seemed confused as he studied
her, completely unaware that he performed the equivalent to a stripper runway
show.

And she was very
susceptible, squirming at being caught all but panting at his feet.

That’s when she saw his
shadow. Like smoke, the big beast filled Aiden’s body, almost seeping into the
air around him as if it wouldn’t be contained. She detected a curiosity from
the beast as the shadow pushed against the cage of its human form.

Trying to get to her.

Then the shadow
melted down into the shape of a ginormous wolf, nearly twice the size of the
others. He gave her a grin that was all teeth. A large tongue lolled out, with
all the eagerness of a puppy wanting to play.

“You shouldn’t be
here.”

The harsh words snapped
her out of her second sight like a slap, and a whisper of unease oozed through
her. They could never discover that she knew the truth. She couldn’t stomach
seeing them turn on her, seeing their opinion of her change to distrust. To
disgust. Her throat tightened as if a giant fist had grabbed hold of it when
the real reason became clear. Aiden’s opinion of her mattered. Mattered too
much.

Then Shayla scowled
as his command penetrated. “Am I your prisoner?”

A dangerous-looking snarl
curled his lips, as if to say that he could do whatever he damned well pleased.
Not wishing to be escorted back to her room, Shayla raised her hands in
surrender before he could put any thoughts into action. “I came to apologize.”

Aiden just stared at
her, and that lost look came back to his face.

It disarmed her,
lured her a little closer than might be wise. “For the way I acted. For what I
said.”

He shrugged, muscles flexing
and rippling, and her gaze dropped back to his chest. Her face heated to
realize she’d inched closer to him without realizing it.

“Stop it.” The growled
command sent a shiver down her spine.

“Stop what?” She’d
somehow had lost the thread of conversation.

“Looking at me that
way.”

Shayla blinked,
finally meeting his gaze.

His eyes glowed, the
shadow congealing inside him as the human and wolf came together for one
purpose.

Pure lust.

Aiden leapt forward, all
that ferocity and hunger directed at her.

Shayla fell back with
a gasp, slamming into the cold wall of the castle. He towering over her,
crowded closer, never touching as he very deliberately placed his hands against
the wall on either side of her head.

Blocking her escape.

Not that her legs
could move. Her body lit up at his nearness, craving the heat he generated. She
anchored her hands against the stone behind her, desperate to grab onto something,
anything, but the oh-so-scrumptious, half-naked man inches from her.

Aiden dipped his head
until his face filled her vision. Some of the hunger had faded, but not the
intensity. His face softened, a slight curve to his lips that said he enjoyed
her predicament and meant to torture her with it as long as possible. 

The change in him
sent her heart tripping into overtime. It was her turn to protest. “Stop.”

Or she would forget
everything—all the reason why being with him was such a bad idea—and kiss him
senseless.

Aiden leaned in
closer, the scent of his musk swirling around until her lips tingled.

“I want a kiss.”

“What?” A blush heated
her face, mortified that he must have read her mind. She shoved at him, but the
hard rock of his chest didn’t budge. Now that she was touching him, she couldn’t
seem to drop her hands, couldn’t stop from brushing her fingertips over his
sculpted torso, and she shuddered at the thought of all that power focused on just
one thing.

Seduction.

A groan rumbled up
his chest, and heat curled into her gut, asking her to explore more.

Take more.

“I’ll accept your
apology in exchange for a kiss.” He ducked lower, ready to take what she hadn’t
offered.

Shayla leaned forward,
licking her lips, almost able to taste him, and spoke quickly before she lost her
last shred of her sanity. “Down, boy. I’ll agree, but we have things to discuss
first.”

 Chapter Fifteen

A
iden paced his room,
calling himself all kinds of a fool for allowing Shayla to flee without taking
the kiss she’d promised. Hell, he should have just seduced her into giving him
what he wanted.

After seeing her
reaction to his bare chest, he knew he could do it. He’d strutted around,
preening for her, enjoying how flustered she became at the sight of a little
bit of skin.

His wolf chuffed,
almost like a snicker, and Aiden ignored him. He’d awakened that morning almost
convinced that their attraction could be something more…until she’d shown her
true nature.

She was right about
one thing.

Last night had been a
mistake, but not for the reasons she stated.

He refused to permit
history to repeat itself by falling for another human. He wouldn’t allow his
need for her to weaken his resolve, couldn’t allow her to creep in under his
skin. He would do the sensible thing, forgo their kiss, and ask for her help in
finding his men as he should have done in the first place.

With that plan in
mind, Aiden marched next door.

He was the one in
charge. The levelheaded, calm one of the pack, able to think clearly and
decisively under pressure.

He paused before
knocking. There was only one flaw in his sound reasoning.

Shayla.

His mouth went dry remembering
her perusal of him in the courtyard, the way her eyes had darkened to that
wonderful blue of a stormy sky, and all his hard-won restraint vanished. The
smell of her desire had made him forget his own name, and he would’ve granted
her any request.

Until she’d apologized.

He’d gone cold in an
instant. In his experience, women like her only apologized when they wanted
something.

He’d decided to beat
her at her own game.

He’d meant to demand
she tell him about her ability, insist that she help find his men. Instead, he
all but begged her for a kiss. He’d hardly dared to breathe as he waited for
her refusal.

But she hadn’t backed
down. He’d misjudged the situation entirely.

That hadn’t been
calculation in Shayla’s eyes.

It had been pure
lust.

Now he couldn’t think
of anything else.

She wanted him. For
now. But maybe he could use that to his advantage, seduce her into helping him
before she grew bored with him.

He scarcely
remembered how to seduce a woman. In his dealings, he made sure they understood
up front that he wanted a physical relationship, nothing more. Shayla wouldn’t
let him get away with that. She would demand more.

He knew how to pleasure
a woman, but seduction was a far cry from sex. He needed her to want him for more
than a day. If he could convince her she loved him, she’d stop trying to leave.
He would be able to keep her safe, and she would offer to help find his men
when she found out how bad the situation was for them.

It was the best
solution for both of them.

But when he stood
outside her door, he could only stare at it, frozen, the enormity of the task
nearly making him tuck tail and run. Everything he wanted, needed, was behind
that door. He wasn’t going to let his weakness for her stop him, not when he
was so close.

He lifted his fist to
knock when a hand gripped his wrist. Aiden whirled, grabbing the intruder by
his throat and pinning him against the wall. Recognition came slower.

“Mac.” Aiden lowered
the man. His wolf bared his teeth, not wanting to release its prey. “What the
hell are you doing loitering outside her door?”

Claws threatened to
burst from his fingertips, but the desire to tear into the man he trusted most
in the world, over a woman, had the power to rein in his emotions.

Mac raised his hands
in surrender. “I haven’t bothered her.”

Fur sprouted along Aiden’s
arms, bursting through his skin, then retreating as he battled for control.
“That’s not what I asked.”

“I came to invite you
both to dinner.”

Aiden didn’t believe
that was the reason for even a second. “Try again.”

“I came to talk
reason into your thick skull. You know as well as I that the danger to her
increases the longer she remains with us. If you care for her at all, she must
either be claimed or released.”

Every muscle clenched
in protest at the thought of her being taken from him. “They are hunting her.
She’s dead the instant we release her. We can keep her safe here. No one would
ever suspect to look for her within the pack.”

“Except for the men
who captured you.”

“They wouldn’t dare a
direct attack, especially not for a human.” Aiden dismissed it out of hand,
then paused, his instincts sharpening. “But that’s not what’s bothering you
though, is it?”

“If she’s one of the Beloved,
it’s only a matter of time before she discovers the truth. We have to be the
ones to explain it. Imagine what would happen if someone else were to tell her
first.”

“No. We don’t even
know if she is Beloved. I will not risk it.” Aiden shuddered as if a ghost had
plunged its hand in his chest and squished his heart.

It was too soon.  

Aiden refused to
listen further. If she were Beloved, she would be beyond his reach, and that
was unacceptable. The Beloved had their choice of a mate and, after his
treatment of her, he’d be the last man she’d ever select.

“She’s the first one
in hundreds of years. She’s too important to risk in any scheme you’re cooking
up. She needs to be tested so we know the best way to proceed.”

Aiden knew it was the
right thing to do, but everything in him rebelled. They were trying to take
what was his, and he wouldn’t allow it. “We can’t risk her being harmed. She’s
the key to finding the missing wolves.”

“The Beloved are precious.
Any wolf would willingly sacrifice himself to keep her safe.” When Aiden turned
back toward the door, Mac spoke softly. “You’re walking a dangerous line. If
you take one wrong step, she’ll be lost to us. Are you willing to risk that?”

“What do you expect
me to do?” All that should matter was his pack, but he couldn’t get her out of
his mind. She had become important to him when he wasn’t paying attention. Even
now, he ached to be near her. He didn’t know how to balance his duty against
the overwhelming desire to keep her for his own.

Mac sighed and
conceded defeat, nodding toward her door. “I hope to hell you know what you’re
doing.”

Aiden clenched and
unclenched his fists as he paced, his wolf pawing the ground in agitation. Marking
his territory. Power swelled, pressure building under his skin as his beast
fought to break free and answer the unspoken challenge.

He flat-out refused
to release her.

He’d take her as a
mate before he’d allow anyone to steal her from him.

The pressure inside
him eased at his decision, his wolf retreating in victory. Calm descended, and
he gave a quick knock on Shayla’s door. When the door cracked open, his good intentions
vanished, pure lust slamming into him at the sight of her waiting for him.

* * *

Shayla pressed her
ear against the door, blatantly eavesdropping while Aiden and Mac so casually
discussed her future. What the hell was a beloved? She wasn’t anyone’s savior,
and damned if she could recall hearing anything about them in her grandfather’s
stories.

The unsettling
reaction from the men in the training yard bothered her, and she wondered if
the castle might not be as safe a place as Aiden had claimed. What worried her
more was the ominous mention of a test, where pass or fail meant her life.

The knock startled
her so badly Shayla stumbled over her own feet as she backed away. Nerves bubbled
up at seeing Aiden again, mourning the loss of their promised kiss. She quickly
suppressed everything but the need to learn the truth. Afterwards, she was
pretty sure the last thing he’d want was to be anywhere near her.

She tugged open the
door, then stopped short, rattled all over again by the sharp, handsome angles
of Aiden’s face. It made no sense for her to be attracted to him. She lived in
the city, dated slim, sleek men who developed their muscles in the gym. So why
did the sight of this warrior of old make her crave more?

Hunger darkened Aiden’s
face, and he stepped into the room without waiting for an invitation. Shayla
took a cautious step back, her resolve to wrestle the truth from him weakening in
proportion to his proximity to her. One touch and she wouldn’t care about
anything.

When he took a step
toward her, she raised her hand to ward him off. “We need to talk first.”

Much to her surprise,
Aiden halted on the spot. His brows furrowed as if annoyed, but never once did
he take his gaze from hers. “What’s to talk about? I’ve come to claim the kiss
you owe me. Simple.”

Shayla swallowed past
her dry throat. There was nothing simple in what he wanted. If he touched her
now, nothing would ever be the same again.

He captured her hand,
his fingers warm as he drew her closer. There was no escape as he waited for
her to grant the kiss she’d so recklessly promised.

With the bite of
panic nipping at her and no finesse whatsoever, Shayla blurted out the question
on the fringes of her brain before she forgot about it altogether. “What is a beloved?”

Aiden stiffened like
a poker was rammed down his spine, suddenly unbending and unforgiving. The
warmth in his eyes turned to frost. The grip on her hand tightened. “Where did
you hear that name?”

Funny how fear had a
way of making lusty intentions fade. Shayla yanked on her hand until he reluctantly
released her. Then he stepped back and very deliberately leaned against the
door. He wasn’t going to let her leave until she answered him.

Shayla crossed her arms.
Fine by her.

If she wanted to stay
alive, she needed to know the truth. All of it. “You were speaking to Mac in
the hall. Maybe it’s time you tell me the real reason you brought me here.”