Coveted (6 page)

Shayla blinked as she
drew closer to the giant wall, watching it loomed larger and larger with each
step. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re fit. Even malnourished, you’re all
muscle. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m packing a few extra pounds.”

When he turned, she almost
swallowed her tongue. His detached expression grew into a blaze as he scanned
her from head to toe and every inch in between. “You’re just a little bit of a
thing, but you pack a wallop. You’ll go up first. I’ll follow and guide you the
best I can.” He tipped his head from side to side, the bones in his neck
cracking. “I won’t let you fall.”

The intimate way he
spoke those last words made her breath catch. Shayla shook her head in denial,
but there was a softness in his eyes that made her pulse flutter.

The hounds chose that
moment to renew their racket, and his face closed down, brutally cutting the tentative
connection.

“Give me your bag.” He
slung it over his back and seized her arm, hustling her toward the wall. He followed
closely, bumping into her with each step, almost as if he needed the touch as
much as she did. Knowing she wasn’t alone bolstered her courage.

“They caught our scent.
We have to move. Now.”

He grasped her hips
and heaved her three feet in the air. She gave an embarrassingly girly squeal,
and flailed like a ninny.

“Grab the wall. There
is a handhold a foot above your head. Use it to pull yourself up.”

She did as told,
clutching the wall like a fabled superhero…only without the cool powers that
kept them from falling and breaking their necks. When she turned her head to
watch his progress, she saw three dogs race toward them.

“Climb.” Hands landed
on her ass, boosting her another two feet.

Those large hands prodded
her so intimately she shivered, relishing the way his touch lingered a little
too long on her butt. Then cursed herself for a nitwit. This was not the time
or the place. Needing a distraction, Shayla blurted out the first thought that
popped in her head.

“If you’re going to grab
second base, at least tell me your name.” Her fingers and toes hurt as her
weight sagged on them, the cold making them feel brittle as she hauled herself ever
upward.

She heard a snort,
then a reply. “Aiden.”

She looked behind them.
“Shit. You have less than twenty feet between you and those dogs. Get off the
ground!”

She reached for
another ledge without prompting. She heard rocks tumble as he lunged upward, heaving
himself up by his fingertips. Envy made her grit her teeth.

Then there was a deep
rumble. Shayla twisted around and saw Lassie race toward the dogs.

“Lassie, no!”

Shayla frantically
searched for a way down, but the path she’d taken had vanished completely.

The vicious sounds of
dogs fighting assaulted her ears.

“No, you don’t.”
Aiden stepped over and pinned her to the wall, leaving her nowhere to go.

“They’ll kill him.”

“And you dying with
him will gain us nothing. He’s buying us time. Look.” Aiden eased away from
her. “He’s holding his own, but there are too many for him to hold back. The
dogs are hunting us, not him.”

Twice the size of the
dogs, Lassie tore into them. A distraction that ended too quickly. Two dogs
circled around Lassie and raced toward them.

She didn’t need to be
prompted and scrambled to get out of reach.

The beasts leapt
higher than should have been possible. The large one snapped at her ledge, clawing
at the ridge as if he would follow her up the cliff.

Panicked at the sight
of the slobbering hounds bearing down on her, she kicked out. And knocked the
one paw away. The movement unbalanced her, and she teetered precariously. Her
grip on the slick rocks slipped. She would’ve tumbled into their waiting jaws
if Aiden hadn’t reached over to steady her. He pushed her higher, waiting for
her to reach for the next hold, his arms shaking under the strain.

“I got it.”

A growl came below
her. The menace curled into her brain and froze her to the spot.

That did not sound like
any dog she’d ever heard.

Unable not to steal a
peek at what was chasing them, she twisted her head and discovered the sound had
come from Aiden. A little unnerved, she glanced down and saw the same hound had
managed to sink its teeth into his leg. “Aiden—”

“Get your ass moving,
woman, or I swear I’ll leave you hanging from to the side of the cliff.”

Shayla clamped her
mouth shut, detesting him in that moment despite knowing that he was correct. If
she climbed down to help, she’d be the easier meal. There was nothing she could
do to help him.

Or was there?

She eyed the loose
rocks, then picked one up and pitched it at the dog.

The beast yipped as
it smacked his muzzle and he lost his hold, plummeting into the darkness. Aiden
scaled up the sheer face like it was stairs, giving her a hard look.

Of course, a thank
you was too much to ask.

Shayla ignored the
beastly man and began her own trek. True to his word, Aiden followed her
closely, sometimes even placing her feet when she slipped. By the time she
reached the top, her arms wouldn’t stop shaking. Wind whipped past, plucking at
her like prying fingers.

She glanced up at the
slick edge, and shook her head in defeat. “I can’t make that. My strength is
shot.” A touch of vertigo tilted the world around her. She clung to the wall,
rocks cutting into her frozen fingers and knees. Sand shifted under her grip,
and her fingertips tingled under the strain.

Without sparing her a
glance, Aiden passed her, effortlessly pulling himself over the ledge and
disappearing. If she weren’t so tired, she’d hate him for that casual strength.

A heartbeat passed,
then two, and Shayla realized he wasn’t coming back. Anger gave her strength.
She gained another foot before her limbs trembled under the strain. Exhaustion
flooded her. If she moved another inch, she feared her grip would fail
altogether.

Something warm clamped
over her wrists.

They found her!

Shayla panicked,
instinctively jerking away. Her feet slipped on some gravel, and she lost her
two-inch perch. Only her precarious grip on the narrow outcropping and the hold
on her wrists kept her from plunging down against the jagged ridges of the
cliff.

“Cease, woman, or
you’ll drag us both over.” Shayla looked up to see Aiden leaning over the edge,
those large hands of his clamped around her wrists. Her body went weak with
relief.

Then he began to
pull.

Her fingertips
slipped, and she dangled over the edge into nothingness. She flailed in the
instinctive urge to cling to the safety of the wall until a low rumble emerged
deep in his chest, something so primitive that she froze.

Strain shook his
arms, and Shayla knew he had reached his limit as well. She used what few
footholds she could find to help alleviate her weight.

Her head cleared the
ledge. Her shoulders. Her waist.

She expected him to
set her aside at any time.

When she would’ve
placed her knee on the ground, he refused to release her. Only when she was
plastered up against his body did he finally let her go.

“I thought you’d left
me.” She leaned against him, not sure she had enough strength to stand on her
own, taking comfort from his solid presence. Heat radiated from him, so warm it
almost hurt against her cold skin.

Too warm.

Shayla leaned back to
touch the side of his face, his beard brushing her palm. “You’re burning up.”

 Chapter Six

“
Y
our fingers are like
icicles. Why didn’t you say something?” Aiden sounded exasperated, brushing off
her concerns and focused just on her. The intensity of it made her feel
cherished.

His hands engulfed
her fingers, and Shayla shivered at the delicious heat, leaning into him and accepting
what he so willingly offered. “Freezing to death is a better alternative than
being torn apart by a pack of dogs.” She paused, more uneasy when she noticed that
she hadn’t heard them for a while. “Are they gone?”

The man shook his head.
“They moved inland. I can still hear them, but they’re some distance off.”

“Circling us?”

Aiden turned and
surveyed their surroundings with unreadable eyes. “Most likely.”

“And Lassie?” She
hated the tremor in her voice.

Aiden peered over the
edge. She gave a startled squeak and clutched the back of his shirt, terrified that
he might disappear over the ridge. He straightened so fast, she wrapped her
arms around his waist to keep from tumbling on her backside. Her survival depended
on keeping him alive, but that didn’t explain why her chest actually hurt at
the thought of losing him.

He stiffened in her
arms.

She didn’t think he
even breathed.

Afraid to find out what
he wasn’t telling her, she stepped around him and peered into the abyss. Blackness
looked back. Hell, she couldn’t see anything that wasn’t three feet in front of
her face.

He cleared his
throat, slowly tugging her away from the ledge until she was once again tucked
against his side. “He got away.”

She shivered at the
rough tone of his voice, wanting to believe him. “How can you tell? I can’t
even see the shore.”

He paused for so long
she didn’t think he’d answer. “Night vision. I’ve been in the dark for a long
time. My eyes have adjusted.”

That made sense.

So why did it feel like
a lie?

Shayla tore her gaze
away from his, unable to bear his scrutiny. For some reason, it was important
to him that she believe him, and until they were out of this mess, she had no
choice.

She’d just have to be
more alert, watch him closer.

“Come.” Aiden tugged
on her hand. “We can’t stay here.”

Without the shelter
of his warmth, the wind cut through her, stealing her breath. She couldn’t stop
shaking.

She had no idea where
they were. She’d only glanced at the map posted at the bed and breakfast,
unable to recall any sort of cliffs. She debated using her gift to get back
town, but she had a feeling they would have to survive the dogs first. “Do you
know where we are?”

She followed him
step-for-step, but ended up stumbling over the craggy surface, nearly taking a
tumble. Aiden reached out to steady her, not even giving her a glance, as if he
knew her exact position. Then he quickly dropped her arm as if disgusted by her
ungainliness.

Not wanting to be
more of a burden, Shayla reached for the strap of her satchel. “I can carry it.”

Aiden just nudged her
forward. “I can manage.”

Shayla cocked her head
at his gruff tone, a little taken aback at the rage that hovered around him. No
matter what she did, it only made it worse.

“My phone! Do you
still have it?” She bit back a groan, feeling like an idiot for not asking sooner.

She swore she heard
his teeth grind at her question.

He hunched his
shoulders, refusing to even look at her. “I dropped it in the struggle.”

And any thought of
rescue slowly faded.

He sounded so furious
that Shayla clamped her mouth shut to keep from asking more. He marched ahead,
a slight limp to his gait, and her brows furrowed in consternation. “Did that
dog bite you?”

Aiden clenched his fists,
cursing his weakness. He could not allow her to doubt his ability to keep her
safe.

The past few months
of inactivity made him slow.

Made healing sluggish.

The only way to
reverse the affects would be to shift. Impossible to do so while in her
presence unless he wanted her to run. He was so focused on listening to her
breathe, reassured by her light steps behind him, that his foot landed wrong
and he went down on one knee.

Agony shot up his
injured leg.

Aiden gritted his
teeth, mortified at the simple misstep. When he tried to rise, his arms shook
under his weight. Neither of them could go on like this. No matter how much it
pained him to admit it, how much he wanted to deny it, he was worthless to her
in his current condition.

He had to keep her
safe and that meant getting rid of the threat. For that, he needed a
distraction, a way to keep her busy and out of harm’s way while he dealt with
the problem.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” He brushed
away her hands when she reached for him, nearly shoving her off her feet. Heat
spread up his face, his humiliation complete. When he stretched out his arm to steady
her, she flinched. Shame tightened his shoulders, and he turned away.

She was a human, damn
it.

So why did it matter
that she thought him an oafish boor?

“You’ll be able to
move faster without me. Head north. Follow the path. We are at the perimeter of
my land. The hounds won’t venture beyond the border.” Werewolves were the
bigger predators. The scent of so many wolves would stop the search dead in its
tracks. “The patrols will find you. Tell them I sent you.”

Shayla was already
shaking her head. “You can’t ask me to leave you in the middle of nowhere.
You’re injured.”

“My men will come
back for me.” He peered into the darkness, unable to look her in the eye as he abandoned
her. Without her near, he’d be able to loop back and stop those who wanted to
harm her.

His wolf whiffled in
agreement.

He heard her rise and
tensed.

She slowly circled,
her dainty shoes coming into view when she stopped in front of him. He followed
the curvy line of her legs, past her lush hips, the nip in her waist up to the
gorgeous set of—

“Eyes up here,
mister.”

Aiden blinked and
snapped his head up. A wave of heat flashed through him at being caught gawking
like an awkward teenager. The blush on her face eased his discomfort, and the
corner of his lips curled, ridiculously pleased to know that he had the same
effect on her.

Then he frowned.

Flirting when he
should be formulating a plan to keep her safe.

His wolf’s tale thumped
once in playfulness, before he went back to healing the damage his body had
sustained as best he could with what limited energy that remained. All the
restlessness of being imprisoned should have left him a raging beast. He’d
expected his wolf to burst out of his skin at the first opportunity, killing
anything in his path, but her presence kept him in check.

All because his beast
didn’t want to scare her off.

He floundered at the realization.
For the past fifty years, his wolf never had time for humans unless they were a
threat, something to hunt. Now he was acting like she was one of the pack.

Shayla stubbornly
crossed her arms. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t you
understand? I can’t keep you safe.” When she didn’t move, he gave into the fury
that had settled over him the last two months and roared. “What do you think
will happen if you stay? They will use you against me. Once they have you, we’re
both dead.”

“But—”

She wasn’t going to
give up. He had to make her leave. “You smell.”

A fiery blush filled
her face, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. He clamped his teeth shut against
an explanation, cursing his damned interfering mutt. That wasn’t what he meant
to say. She didn’t stink, though he wished to God she did, anything to cover up
her tantalizing scent and ease the hunger that continued to rage under his skin.

He was a step away
from losing control.

He had to get rid of
her before he did something stupid…like ravish her out in the freezing cold
with danger lurking in the shadows.

“You aren’t exactly a
bouquet of daisies either. I’m not your responsibility. Let’s not forget that
I’ve saved your life more than once. I can be useful.”

“Yes, by bringing
back my men. The people chasing us are ruthless killers. I can’t be holding
your hand anymore.” Aiden ignored the way his wolf bared his teeth at the impending
separation. He lifted the straps of her bag over his head, his grip tightening,
reluctant to let her go even though it had been his idea.

This was what he’d
wanted.

He should be pleased.

So why then did a
howl of denial scrape against his throat at the idea of leaving her alone and
vulnerable?

* * *

“Stupid, idiotic
man.” Shayla snatched up her bag and stomped away, fuming at his caveman
attitude. He pounded his fists against his chest, ordered her around, and
expected her to obey like some helpless twit. She wanted to demand he take her
the rest of the way, but his volatile mood warned her not to push or she’d find
herself trussed up and left behind like some prize to be claimed.

She had half a mind
to do what he asked and leave.

But that’s what he
wanted.

The man who’d saved
her life wouldn’t send a woman off alone in the wilderness without a reason. She
slowed her pace, racking her brain to figure out his plan. He wasn’t as stupid
or helpless as he wanted her to believe.

She should be furious
about being left in the dark.

Literally.

After another minute,
only one answer came to mind, but she couldn’t believe he’d be foolish enough
to go after the people chasing them. He was injured and weak from his stay in
that nasty prison. It wasn’t a fight he could possibly win.

She nearly stumbled
over her feet when she recalled one important fact…he was a man. Of course he
would go charging off into danger.

His gaze branded her,
urged her to turn around, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Maybe the more
important question was what kind of man needed patrols? Ones who were tossed into
dungeons, obviously. No way in hell was she going to allow herself to be managed
by him or his men. He was an idiot if he believed otherwise.

A large rock loomed
out of the vast nothingness around her. She sidestepped around it, half expecting
Aiden to come charging after her. The absolute silence preyed on her nerves.
The night seemed darker as she counted down the seconds. When she was sure that
he’d stopped watching, Shayla crept around the boulder and sneaked back.

Only to find her
caveman gone.

“I knew it!” Being
right did little to ease the anxiety pounding inside her skull. She almost felt
defeated, worried about what trouble he’d land in on his own, before her
natural confidence reasserted itself.

She’d just have to go
rescue him herself.