The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (16 page)

“Why? I’m not. It was nice. But I agree, we can’t. Not until—”

“I know, but that’s not why I stopped. I saw something. It looked like you were glowing blue.”

She looked off to the side. “My mom briefly mentioned something about my Wendayan father emitting a blue light when he was…um…excited.”

He’d never heard of that. Talk about embarrassing. Just then his cell rang, giving him a much-needed distraction. One look at the screen caused him to let out an audible groan. It was Tawny. Damn. Her call couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Ainsley asked with one brow cocked.

He was staring at his phone, trying to figure out his next move. If he didn’t pick up, it would look like he didn’t want to speak with his
girlfriend
in front of Ainsley. “Sure.” He answered. “Hey, Tawny.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“Yes.” Damn, his lack of enthusiasm must have shone through. That sucked for her. She was a great gal, but he wasn’t interested anymore. Out of instinct, he turned his back, not wanting Ainsley to overhear what Tawny might say.

“I just called to tell you that one of the two bids I told you about on the Donaldson property went through.”

“It sold?”

“Yes.”

His gut soured, and he dropped down onto his chair. “I thought Donaldson wasn’t interested in selling.”

“That’s what he told me. The offer must have been something he couldn’t refuse.

Everyone had a price. “Who did he sell it to?”

“That’s the strange part. It’s a corporation. I didn’t broker the deal, so I can’t find a name.”

It didn’t matter. He’d never be able to dig there now. On a positive note, neither could John Ernst—not unless he was the corporation. The man was an account, with ties to many lawers, so anything was possible. Shit. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Let me know if you want to grab a drink.”

Jackson refused to string her along anymore. “I’m sorry, but I’m seeing someone else.”

“You are?” The pain in her voice tore at him.

“It’s a friend of the family. I’m sorry.”

“Sure.” She disconnected.

Ainsley slipped a hip on the desk. “A family friend?”

He shrugged. “I had to tell her something. If you must know, I was dating Tawny before I met you.”

Ainsley stepped closer, and his inner bear took notice. When she placed a hand on his chest, heat seared him. His teeth lengthened, and the hair on his face thickened.

“Are you saying you’re attracted to
me
now?” she asked.

He clasped her hand and lowered it to her side. “We’re mates—or rather we might become mates if you behave yourself. And only after the ceremony.”

She laughed. “Well, then, we’re doomed, because I never
behave
myself.”

Damn. He stepped away from her. “Let’s go back to the war room.”

She chuckled, and the sound resonated deep within him. “Can’t handle being so close to me, can you?”

Why did she have to be so damn perceptive? “Are you saying your inner wolf is totally calm right now?”

Two could play at this game, or so he hoped. Steeling himself against her allure, he stepped closer and lifted her chin with his thumb. As expected, she lowered her gaze. From the way her breaths were coming out faster and faster, she was affected.

“No, I’m not immune to your scent or your bear. Far from it.”

Good, but they had other things to discuss beside their intense need for one another. “Come on then.” He placed a hand on her lower back to prove that he was in control. Hopefully, she didn’t see through his sham.

They returned to the seating area in the back of the large room. Something about her being invited to John Ernst’s house didn’t sit well with him. Was Ernst looking to recruit her? “How did you meet John Ernst?”

She drank her coffee that by now had probably turned warm at best. “He came to the clinic.”

That didn’t sound good. “Why?”

“He was in pain from a birth defect. He limped.”

His senses shot to high alert. “Kalan mentioned that the third man involved in his mate’s parents’ murders had a limp. If that’s true, John Ernst witnessed two people being killed or even participation in their deaths, so I’d be careful around him.”

She set her mug back on the table. “That’s good to know, but just so you know, I never took him for being a good soul.”

“As much as this information was really helpful, I’d prefer if you didn’t go back to his house again.”

She stared at him. “Are you always this bossy?”

“Only when it comes to your safety.”

Ainsley looked off to the side, probably trying to decide if she could handle an over-protective bear. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I think I’ve proven that I can handle myself. I always have.”

Arguing would get him nowhere. “Understood.”

She leaned back and watched him. The casual way she dragged her gaze up and down his body caused more inner turmoil. Damn, woman.

“Now that your treasure hunting didn’t pan out, what do you think the other dots on Mr. Ernst’s map represent?”

“I don’t know, but I sure as hell would like to find out.”

‡

O
nce Ainsley left
Jackson, she rushed back to work. Before her next client arrived, she straightened up her workroom, trying to take her mind off Jackson’s allure. The more time she spent with him, the more her inner wolf wanted to say
fuck it
, and just jump his bones.

Stupid wolf
.

She had more important things to do at the moment than pine over what wasn’t going to happen in the next few hours—like count the days until Naliana would perform her magic and cleanse her.

Two days
. That was all she had to wait.

Oh, crap, she should have asked Jackson exactly what she needed to do to set up this cleansing. She could call him now, but she didn’t want to bother him. James said that she should wait by the lake. While that was all well and good, didn’t she have to tell them when she’d be there? And
where
by the lake?

Tomorrow she’d deal with the logistics. Ainsley’s three o’clock appointment was about to arrive. She inhaled a few times to help center herself.

I will function. No, I must function.

It would be hard to concentrate though, since her head still spun from that kiss. Holy hell on a stick… Jackson’s scent had invaded her body so deeply she feared she’d never survive if she didn’t have her Changeling blood altered. If he decided he didn’t want to be with her after all that, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Not that she would blame him if he decided not to mate. After all, she was stubborn to the core—and fiercely independent. Furthermore, she didn’t need a psychic to tell her that she and Jackson would butt heads constantly if they ever ended up together.

Stop getting sidetracked.

Ainsley had a job to do. She refocused. According to her next client’s chart, Mrs. Claire was a human with back pain, an issue that often drew many customers to her.

Right on time, Mrs. Claire arrived. To her delight, once Ainsley asked her a few questions, she managed to focus—despite having her mind a million miles away. After the successful treatment, the next two hours went by quickly.

When it was time to leave, Ainsley hurried out, anxious to shower, eat, and then delve into the mystery of the red dots. She couldn’t help wondering what Jackson thought was buried under that well. One of the shifters on the path mentioned sardonyx. Maybe that’s what was down there.

Just for fun, she would do a little research on her own. It didn’t matter that even if she did learn what kind of treasure might be buried, Jackson would never be able to dig it up now that someone had purchased the property. Why he thought Mr. Donaldson would let him in the first place, she didn’t know.

She arrived home and dashed into the bathroom. No sooner had she stepped out of her shower than her doorbell rang. The vibrations coursing through her body told her who was there.

With a towel around her body, she stepped into the small living room and pressed her face against the closed door. “Give me a few minutes, Jackson, okay?”

“Sure.”

It wasn’t like he had a choice. Greeting him dressed in almost nothing would be asking for trouble. Quickly, she dashed to her bedroom and threw on jeans and a thick, baggy sweatshirt so she wouldn’t have to wear a bra. She looked a mess, but that was probably for the best.

Seconds later, she threw open the door. It didn’t matter she’d seen him this afternoon; her body went wild. He’d changed his shirt to a soft green colored pullover that brought out the streaks of gold and green in his eyes. Whoa. Her nails sharpened and her bones cracked. That wasn’t good.

She didn’t dare lower her gaze. Dangerous thoughts would crumble her resolve. “What’s up?”

“Can I come in? I have a few things I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure.” Ainsley stepped to the side, pleased she sounded in control, when she was anything but. “Can I get you something to drink?”

He held up a hand. “No, thanks. I need to keep my wits about me.”

She managed not to smile, totally understanding what he was going through. To make sure they didn’t accidently sit next to each other, she dropped down on the green leather chair while he took the sofa.

Jackson leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his fingers dangling. He looked sexy as hell. “Shamus will be cremated tomorrow, and his father has asked that either you or I fly his ashes home.”

Her heart jammed in her chest. Shamus. With all that had gone on in the last few days, she hadn’t thought about him often enough. “I want to take him to Scotland.”

Jackson nodded. “And I will come with you.”

She leaned back, her ire flaring. “I can do this alone. I don’t need a babysitter.”

His eyes narrowed. “Shamus was
my
cousin. He’s
my
family. I’m sure Uncle Gordon would appreciate it if a family member came over. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come too.” Thankfully, his voice had softened with the last few sentences.

Pushing aside the slight, her thoughts jumped toward the erotic. A shared hotel room, maybe? Hot sex? Heat swamped her, and her bones cracked.

Just as she was about to squash those ideas, she remembered she would be cleansed in two days and might not be able to go if he insisted on leaving tomorrow. “When would you go over?”

“I thought after the cleansing.”

She blew out a breath. He seemed to care about eradicating the Changeling part of her as much as she did. “That works for me.”

“So should I buy tickets for us then?”

She mentally went through her list of clients, checking to see if any of them had to see her. “How long would we be gone?”

He shrugged. “Maybe two days? Fly over on one day, give the ashes to my uncle, and fly home the next day. It’ll be hell on the body, but I don’t want to be away from work for long.”

Jetlag would be a bitch, but this was for Shamus. “I can go if we leave on a Friday afternoon. We’d arrive Saturday morning. If we leave early Monday morning, we’ll by home by noon.”

“It needs to be done. I’ll see what I can find ticket wise.” Jackson sat up. “The other piece of news doesn’t really affect you, but I thought you might like to know. I learned who purchased the Donaldson property.”

From the way his voice almost shook with excitement, this was good news. “Who?”

“My father and Connor and Rye’s dad.”

That didn’t make any sense, especially in light of the fact that a corporation bought it. “I don’t understand.”

He explained that his dad and Connor’s father used to own McKinnon and Associates. “When they retired, Connor took over. They now miss the action, but said that our place is too small for them to join the team again.”

His voice had risen with excitement. “That sounds amazing, but are you sure they don’t want the property for the
treasure
?” It was the only thing that made sense.

“No, they didn’t know anything about my map when they purchased the place. They claimed that they want us to have a bigger, better office—one with more room. Now that they understand what it takes to be successful, they want everything to be state-of-the-art. Part of the building might even be built as a safe house. Besides, if they unearthed the sardonyx they would just turn it over to the Clan anyway.”

She sank back against the chair. “That’s remarkable that they would do this for you. I can tell you my parents would never have done anything so wonderful. You’re lucky.”

“I am, but my folks aren’t Changelings; no offense. They plan to travel for a portion of the year, but when they’re home, they’d like to help out.”

“Will you tell them about the treasure?” This seemed important to Jackson.

He nodded. “I just told them, but I didn’t have the map with me at the time. I could tell they didn’t believe me.”

“But they’ll let you look first, right?”

He chuckled. “You are something else.”

She hoped that was a good thing, but she didn’t want to ask despite the smile on his face. “Blair told me stories about your life growing up, and while your folks were strict, they were really loving. They sure proved it today.”