Coveted (8 page)

She cleared her
throat. “Let’s take a look at your injuries.” She busied herself, rummaging
through her pack in the hopes that if she searched long enough, medical
supplies would magically appear.

All she had was the
bottled water.

With a sigh, she
straightened and turned toward him.

And nearly swallowed
her tongue to see him pull his shirt off over his head. In the dying light,
shadows played peak-a-boo with his torso. Muscles rippled when he shifted, mesmerizing
her with his sheer power and sexuality, and her gaze took its own sweet time to
drop lower.

She sucked in a sharp
breath at the brutal wound in his side. Blood trickled lazily over the sharp
edge of his hipbone.

“Why didn’t you tell
me you were bleeding?”

He shrugged, his face
stoic. “There was nothing we could’ve done.”

Shayla stomped
forward, her pulse stuttering. “Idiot man. We could’ve stopped sooner.”

But he was right in
one respect. They didn’t have the supplies they needed to help him. “Give me
your shirt.”

When he didn’t move,
Shayla glanced up to see him watching her with those green eyes of his. It felt
daring…almost forbidden…to be so close to him. She held out her hand in demand,
dropping her gaze when the threadbare material rested in her palm. Very
conscious of being watched, she busied herself shredding the shirt, trying to
banish the half-naked sight of him from her mind.

If only it were so
easy.

By the time she looked
up again, there was no special gleam in his eyes, and her spirits deflated a
bit. She washed the injury with the remaining water then quickly wrapped the
wound, taking care not to brush against him. Her battered emotions couldn’t handle
it.

Each of his ribs was
clearly defined, his stomach hollowed out. She had been right. There wasn’t an ounce
of fat on him. And in spite of his gaunt frame, each and every muscle begged
for her touch.

A light brush of her
fingers.

Just to confirm for
herself that he was real.

The effort to resist
the impulse actually made her ache.

The surrounding darkness
amplified her emotions, notching up the intimacy. Her body didn’t care that the
intimacy wasn’t real.

 She nearly caved when
she remembered the look in his feral eyes, like the big, bad wolf, ready to
take a bite out of her. Wicked pleasure heated her veins as she imagined his
teeth nibbling on her skin.

But he wouldn’t be
satisfied with a taste; he would consume her. It effectively curbed her
willfulness. She fumbled knotting the bandages, shaking so badly that she was
surprised she didn’t tie her fingers in as well.

“You need a doctor.
James would know how to fix you.”

“I only need you.”
Shayla shivered at his possessive tone.

Neither of them
moved, as if each was balanced on some invisible edge. Then, very deliberately,
she stepped back and knelt to rearrange their meager supplies. She refused to
throw herself at a man she didn’t know just because she was attracted to him. No
way was she going to be caught kissing some guy she just met…not in a bar or
gym like normal people…no, she apparently went for the dungeon type.

She had more sense
than that.

Or at least that’s
what she firmly told herself. She’d bet if saw him in the light of day, without
that beard covering his face, he’d be was a troll. All that rugged manliness
was an illusion to lure some unsuspecting woman like her into falling for him.
When the sun rose, he would turn out to be some creep without a job who lived
with his mother.

Liar.

Yeah, even her mind wasn’t
convinced.

She needed to keep
her distance. He’d made his low opinion of her very clear. She didn’t need a
background search to know he was emotionally unavailable, the last man she
should want.

So why did his
rejection hurt?

“I’m going to get
some firewood.” Shayla expected a protest. When she glanced over at him, she
saw that her tough warrior had passed out.

Her first impulse was
to leave him. She could use her gift to find her way back to the inn and
safety. Who knew what kind of place he was taking her? She hesitated, fearing
that if she left, she’d never see him again.

Would never know if
he made it back home.

It shouldn’t matter,
but she couldn’t make herself leave.

It was stupid, but even
on the run, she felt safer with him then she had in months.

Watching him sleep,
she began to suspect there was something wounded about him that would crumble
if she didn’t tread lightly. She couldn’t bear to see him broken, not after what
he’d survived, and all the effort she’d put in to save him. She’d see him home,
then hitch a ride into town.

But first, they needed
a fire if they wanted to avoid dying of hypothermia. All she had to do was to
gather some wood, in the dark, without breaking her neck.

Easy peasy.

She’d taken two steps
when the caveman latched onto her ankle with one of those big hands of his. She
glanced at him in the meager light, barely able to make out his features. When
he didn’t say anything, she broke the silence. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

He relaxed, sweeping
a finger across the exposed dip in her ankle with a lightness that spread goose
bumps over her skin. Only when his hand fell away, his breathing evened out,
did she finally release the breath that had somehow become lodged in her throat.

And despite the
barricades she’d spent a lifetime building, her wounded warrior had somehow found
a chink in her armor. She had always believed she wanted the kind of all-consuming
love her grandfather spoke of, but the possibility now frightened her silly.

She didn’t want to tie
herself to someone so tightly that it would leave her vulnerable.

She just wanted a
little romance.

Find a nice man.

Settle
, her
mind whispered.

She tromped around in
the darkness, focusing at the task at hand, circulation returning to her feet
painfully. She blew on her fingers, trying to restore feeling. Everything was
pitch black. No way would she be able to find anything unless she tripped over
it.

Peering over her
shoulder, she saw nothing but more darkness. When she was sure there was enough
distance between her and the caveman, Shayla called upon her gift.

Since she wasn’t searching
for a specific object, there was no focal point to center on. She concentrated
on finding kindling. Like when she used her gift for directions, she cleared
her mind and started walking. She had taken only a few steps when she was drawn
like a magnet in another direction.

Her hair lifted, and static
sizzled painfully under her skin until she felt like one big lightning rod
ready to zap. Shayla stopped. She squinted in the surrounding darkness and spotted
a bank of shrubs less than five feet away. It took her ten minutes to gather an
armload, suffering a few scratches for her thanks.

A mournful howl
lifted in the air, snapping her spin straight.

She didn’t question
the urgent need to get back to Aiden. Her gift didn’t need to refocus, her feet
automatically taking to the man who never seemed far from her thoughts.

When Aiden came into
view, the tension in her body melted away. She hadn’t known that she’d been
terrified to come back to an empty camp. Aware of him watching her, Shayla did
her best to ignore him while she built a small fire. Heat swamped her face like
a kid facing her first crush. She stuck the tip of the torch into the kindling
and watched the flames take hold until her cheeks had time to cool.

She sneaked a glance
at him, and noted the stiff set of his shoulders had eased. She suspected that
he would have hunted her down if she hadn’t returned quickly. A little unnerved
by his brooding stare, Shayla asked the question that had been hovering in the
back of her mind.

“Tell me about your home.”

He only stared at her
suspiciously. Shayla rolled her eyes, doing her best not to drool over his bare
chest. “It’s not like I won’t see it in a few hours, anyway.”

Nothing.

Not even a peep.

“Fine. Tell me what
you miss most about your home. You’ve been gone a while. Do you have someone
there to watch over it for you?”

A small smile quirked
his lips, as if her question amused him. Shayla gave a huff, disgruntled by all
the mystery.

He finally exhaled loudly,
giving in to her badgering. “I miss Ava Moore. Her beauty. The peace that
always comes when I’m around her.”

Her stomach gave a
queer lurch at the longing in his voice. A woman was the last thing she’d
expected. Lovers, sure, but not a steady girlfriend, not with his Neanderthal
ways and suspicious nature.

And from his
description, she was beautiful.

Heat burned her face,
the warmth having nothing to do with the fire. She took the torch and jabbed
the flames. Wood settled. Sparks floated in the air. It was foolish, but
despite all her protests, she’d kind of been thinking of Aiden as hers.

Shayla watched as
sleep claim Aiden once more. She chipped away at the mud caked around her
nails, wondering what he must think of her. Her impromptu mud bath ensured no
square inch of her remained clean. Worse, she would meet this paragon he spoke of
looking like a pig after a good wallow. She could never stack up against the
other woman.

Shayla put the torch
down, watching the fire consume the tip, exhaustion catching up to her for the
first time since the adventure began.

She’d gotten into
this mess by daydreaming about love. Her family was right, her gift brought
nothing but trouble. First, she gained a stalker, then almost gotten herself killed
a handful of times in the past few hours. Apparently there was such a thing as
too much adventure. Funny how running for your life put things in perspective.

It was time to grow up
and put this foolishness aide. Aiden was attractive but all wrong for her. It
was time to stop believing in fairy tales.

A low hum caught her
attention. She jerked her head up and cursed herself for staring into the
flames. Her night vision had been destroyed. Yanking the torch out of the fire,
Shayla launched to her feet, turning to keep her back to the flames.

The moon peeked out
from behind the clouds, sending the shadows dancing. Her gaze strayed to Aiden,
but she refused to wake him because she had an overactive imagination. She needed
proof first.

A scurrying sound
startled her, and she flipped around like a cat, sure someone was sneaking up
on her.

Was that a shape?

Shayla twisted to
follow the movement, sending the flames of the torch swaying.

Whatever was out
there was too big and fast to be human.

The silence bothered
her most. It was bad enough to be stalked, but stalked by something you
couldn’t see or hear was petrifying.

A dark shape skimmed
along the ground, heading directly toward her, too fast for her brain to
register what she was seeing. Shayla swung the torch on instinct. The impact
slammed up her arm, and she nearly lost her hold on their only weapon.

Cinders soared
through the air.

The animal yipped and
retreated.

For now.

The beast was huge,
with angry yellow eyes that gleamed in the darkness. When the creature charged toward
Aiden, Shayla lifted the torch and stepped directly in his path. “No you
don’t.”

Arms wrapped around
her from behind, forcing her weapon down. Shayla struggled, jammed her elbow
back and connected with something solid. Her captor gave a satisfying grunt of
pain, and the grip around her loosened enough for her to suck in a lungful of
air to scream.

 Chapter Nine

“
S
ettle down.” The voice
was just a rasp of sound. “They’re my…hounds. My clan won’t be far behind.”

It took Shayla
precious seconds to realize it was Aiden who held her, not some monster. She immediately
stopped struggling, worried she’d reopen his wounds. He lowered her until her
feet touched the ground, but didn’t release her, for which she was pathetically
grateful when even more of his overgrown hounds emerged from the darkness.

“Why didn’t you say
so sooner?” Exasperating man. The warmth of him eased some of her nerves. Then the
whine of a machine caught her ear and grew louder. One of the enormous dogs
turned toward the noise, lifted his head, and emitted a spine-chilling howl.

In minutes, a number
of ATVs circled the fire before coming to stop, their lights blinding her to
everything. Only Aiden’s nearness prevented her from bolting.

“Aiden?”

A large man lumbered
forward, a big shadow outlined by the beams from the ATV headlights. Shayla
tensed, uncertain if he was friend or foe. Aiden released her and very
carefully settled her between him and the fire.

Protecting her.

“I never expected to
see you again.” The two men hugged, pounding each other’s backs so hard she
winced.

“You either, Mac.”
Aiden stepped back first. The ATVs shut off and the rest of the men, giants
all, surrounded Aiden. They shook hands, touching him as if to reassure
themselves he was alive. Her gaze jumped from one man to the next, marveling at
the awesome size of them. They also were the most physically fit group of guys
she’d ever seen.

Like a slap in the
face, things began to make sense. He was their leader. Coupled with his
investigation, she could only assume they were some kind of military or private
security.

Feeling like an
interloper, Shayla broke camp, trying to ignore her disheveled state. None of
them were paying any attention. When she turned to retrieve her bag, she came
face to face with a wolf. His ruff stood at attention, a low rumble vibrated in
the air, and he crouched, advancing one slow inch at a time.

Menace pooled around
him.

Stalking her.

Waiting for her to
run.

A very crispy wolf.

“Sorry.” A pang of
remorse for hurting him kept her from backing away.

Until he bared his
very long, very pointy teeth.

Suddenly running felt
like a very good idea. She carefully backed up a step.

“Nice doggie.” Her
voice emerged as a squeak.

The low rumble just
stopped. The animal cocked his head as if listening to something only he could
hear. Fluffy ears perked forward in greeting, and he bounded closer.

“Connor!” At Aiden’s
sharp command, the wolf recoiled, tail down as he retreated. “I would prefer
you didn’t drool on the woman who saved my life.”

The wolf circled
around her, his sad eyes latched onto hers as if she were a toy he’d been
ordered to drop. She twisted to keep him in view, a little bit charmed by the
beast now he wasn’t threatening to eat her. The animal walked over to Aiden and
promptly sat by his feet, leaning against his master’s leg, but continued to
watch her closely.

When Shayla glanced
up, the gaze of every man was trained on her. It took all her self-control not
to fidget. With false bravado, Shayla lifted her chin. “Are we going to stand
around chatting the whole night, while your boss bleeds all over the place, or
are we going to move before they come after us again?”

The men gawked at her
a moment longer, then turned toward Aiden. He gave a sharp nod at their
unspoken question. “She comes with me. She is my…guest.”

Guest…so why did that
sound so ominous? Shayla watched the men efficiently finish breaking camp, eyeing
her with a bit too much curiosity for her liking. A group of men stood around
Aiden, their hushed whispers reaching her ears, but they were too far away for
her to understand their conversation.

Every time anyone
came near her, Aiden would stop talking and call them over. She couldn’t figure
out if he was trying to protect her or them.

Swallowing her
unease, Shayla wondered if she should make a break for it after all.

* * *

Aiden studied Shayla,
his body tense as he waited for her to flee. The primitive side of him wanted
her to run so he could give chase. He wasn’t sure how she’d come to be in his
life, but he wasn’t going to give her up without a fight.

As much as his
conscience protested at what he was about to do, he had no choice. Not only was
she too vulnerable without him, she was the key to getting his men back. They
were nearly extinct. They couldn’t lose any more.

“Let’s move out.”
Aiden strode toward the ATV and dug out a shirt. He sat, then stared at Shayla.
He didn’t want to ride with her, he needed time to clear his head, but the thought
of her sitting next to one of his men, her arms wrapped around them, had his
wolf snapping his teeth.

When Mac walked up to
Shayla, something in Aiden cracked. “She rides with me.”

Mac’s eyebrows winged
upward, but he didn’t speak, just retreated to his own machine.

“You’re wounded. I’m
sure you would prefer to ride on your own. I can hitch with one of your men.”

“No.” Never.

Her eyes narrowed, a
warning he was quickly coming to learn meant she was about to argue with him.
To forestall her, he gave a sharp whistle. The men mounted and took off in a
spray of mud. When only he and Shayla remained, he raised a brow. “Ready?”

The woman was filthy,
hardly a spot of her skin visible. He’d hoped being back with his men would
stop this attraction nonsense, but if anything, he was more agitated. The
instant one of his men came within three feet of her, his wolf went ballistic.

And despite
everything they’d been through, she had yet to complain once. She was tough,
he’d give her that, but she was still just a human.

“Bully.” With a huff,
Shayla stomped toward him, the sexy sway to her hips that causing his fingers
to curl into fists so he wouldn’t reach for her.

Only when she was
seated behind him did his wolf finally settle. The reaction unnerved him. How could
this little woman have so much influence over his wolf when he had so little?

He didn’t like it.

What he liked even
less was the way she clung to the machine, keeping as much space between them
as possible. He told himself he was glad. Several times. The more distance
between them the better.

Wolf chose that moment
to place his paw against the inside of Aiden’s skull and press down as if to
push out that thought. The pressure thudded through him, and he gritted his
teeth, just as stubborn.

The thing that
annoyed the crap out of him the most wasn’t his wolf’s actions. No, it was her decision
to keep him at arm’s length that hit a nerve. It was one thing for him to make
that decision, but what drove her?

Did she have a
boyfriend?

A lover?

A growl rumbled up
his chest at the possibility, and he turned the key to cover the sound. Eager
for the distraction, he revved the engine and took off for home.

With a squeak of
alarm, she clutched at his hips. Muscles flexed at her innocent touch, and a
shock of static hit him like a fist. He hardened so fast it was painful.

“Idiot man, what are
you trying to do? Make me fall off?”

Any pain from his
wounds disappeared, stolen by the press of her lush curves against his back as
she leaned forward to berate him. That she would dare should’ve infuriated him.
He was the alpha. But he couldn’t work up any outrage while she clung to him.
He could almost pretend she cuddled up to him because she cared.

He heard her mutter
‘barbarian’ under her breath, and he hit the gas, spurring the ATV forward. Now
that she was touching him, he refused to let her retreat. He ran his fingers
lightly over her hand, ignoring the flaking mud, completely fascinated by the
silky skin beneath. It was a compulsion he couldn’t resist.

He knew the contact
was wrong, that spreading his pheromones would make things harder for both of
them later, but he couldn’t stop himself. She remained so unaffected that it seemed
fair that she suffer the same fate.

Only when he was sure
that she wouldn’t let go did he finally relax for the first time since their
escape. An hour passed in silence. She shivered against his back, her teeth chattering,
and he cursed that he had nothing to keep her warm.

Except him.

As soon as he
processed the thought, he knew it was his wolf. His beast was trying to protect
Shayla as if she were his mate and not a tool he planned to use for the good of
the pack.

His wolf prowled
under his skin, claws purposely scraping along his bones. That this might be
his last chance to feel her touch had his heart thumping heavily against his ribs.

His teeth elongated, and
his nails sliced the ends of his fingertips like a thousand needles piercing
under his fingernails.

Mine.

Breathing heavily,
fighting the change, Aiden finally relented. “Fine.”

He grabbed her hands and
tucked them under his shirt. She stiffened. He waited for her to pull away, but
much to his shock, she shivered and inched closer.

“Thank you.” The
words were so soft, only his wolf allowed him to hear.

Her hands were like ice,
the touch of her skin burned, but he scarcely felt the cold. He reluctantly
dropped his hold on her arm, relieved when she didn’t shift away. “We’ll be
there soon.”

Shayla shivered at his
husky voice. She shouldn’t be snuggling up to him either, not if she valued her
sanity.

One thought passed
through her mind.

Sanity was way
overrated.

She’d mourned a
little when he put on a shirt, wishing she had touched him when she had the
chance. Now she had the luxury, she took full advantage by trailing her fingers
over his chest. She’d expected to encounter a gaunt frame, all skin and bone,
not hot skin and sleek muscles. Shayla no longer felt cold. She was barely
aware of her fingers exploring him, bombarded with too many sensations to
process…except the pure pleasure that filled her every pore.

She waited for him to
flinch from her touch, but he seemed to lean into it, silently asking for more.

When they stopped
some time later, she jerked her attention away from her fascination with his
body to see they’d reached the summit of a large hill. Aiden cut the engine.

Shayla peeked around
him, expecting to see a house, maybe a small village.

“Holy shit. It’s a
frickin’ castle.”

Overlooking the
valley loomed an enormous castle chiseled out of sheer rock. Majestic turrets
thrust up against the sky defiantly. The castle pulled her back to an older
time. At least forty feet high, the surrounding wall stood tall and proud,
guarding the occupants like sentries. Beyond, a turbulent sea swelled and
crashed in rebellion, further protecting the castle from any threats.

The first rays of sun
spilled over the vista, a bright splash of color. The cold stone of minutes before
burst into vibrant warmth.

Breathtaking.

“Welcome to Avamoore.”

At the name, Shayla looked
everywhere, sure some statuesque woman would be waiting on the parapets to
welcome her man home. Wolves and men prowled about the castle grounds in equal
numbers.

No girlfriend.

Her brows furrowed.
“No women.”

As one, beast and man
alike tipped their heads back and howled in a weird harmony of welcome.

A shiver worked down
her spine. Memories of her Grandfather’s fanciful stories filled her mind. Vampires,
fae, witches…

Shayla swallowed
harder.

…and werewolves.

But that was just
childhood foolishness.

Fairy tales.

Right?