The table was scattered with empty pizza boxes and burger wrappers. Someone had pinned up a town map on the wall and beside it was a jumbo pad of white paper hanging from an easel. Since Aidan had gotten back from the useless meeting with my dad, they had been mapping out each area they had searched for the cougars. Aidan pinpointed each spot he’d sent Trevor to as well. They marked each location with a red X and then went on to place a blue X on every place they had found tracks.
I’d thought we had made progress, but as I scanned the map from my seat, all I could see was how much territory we still had to search. Dog Mountain was secluded, surrounded by thousands of acres of bush and there was also the entire mountain to cover. There were three times as many blue marks than there were red.
Aidan’s fingers moved up my neck again, working the muscles along my spine, and I released a long groan when they hit the tender knot. I wasn’t really sure how we had gone from barely speaking to this in less than twenty-four hours, but I didn’t really care. Since seeing him yesterday, a longing, deep and close to unbearable, had settled within me, and having him close eased it a little. He leaned forward, resting his chin on my shoulder. “How you holding up, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart. It sounded so perfect and at the same time so weird. His fingers kept working at the kink in my neck and his breath tickled along my cheek.
“I think my brain died about five hours ago,” I said with a groan.
Aidan chuckled. He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, “I’m taking you home.”
Home. Another way too perfect sounding word. His hands dropped from my neck and his chin lifted from my shoulder, and then he was in front of me, taking my hands in his and pulling me up from the chair. He fired off a bunch of quick commands, telling everyone to get some sleep and to meet back here at eight tomorrow morning, and then he led me out of the building and to his car.
I must have dozed off in the car and Aidan must have carried me inside. The last thing I remembered was buckling up my seatbelt. Now I was tucked in a big bed, surrounded by Aidan’s scent. My jeans were gone, so were my hoodie and socks. All I had on was my underwear, bra, and tank.
A number of sensations struck me all at once: the emptiness of the bed, the coldness of the room, Aidan’s scent clinging to the sheets. But above all that, I felt a bitter stab of loneliness. I shivered and a sharp roll of needles chased down my spine.
The room was black as pitch, not even a stitch of light came through the drawn curtains. It took a few blinks for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, I tugged on the comforter, wrapping it around my shoulders, and then wiggled off the bed. The last thing I wanted right now was to be alone.
The upstairs of Aidan’s house was as empty as it felt. There was a bathroom just off to the left of the room I’d been sleeping in, the door open and lights off. I kept moving, tiptoeing down the hallway. A bit of moonlight streamed in through a small window, casting shadows that I swore were trying to jump up and trip me. I picked up my pace, passing another bedroom that was again, empty, not even a stitch of furniture, and I kept going, sneaking down the stairs as quietly as I could.
I found Aidan snoring on the couch. The curtains were drawn. The only light coming into the living room was through the tiny frosted peek-a-boo window on the door. He was on his back, one leg on the floor and one arm draped over his eyes. There was a blanket pulled up to his waist.
I stood at the base of the couch, and tugged the comforter more snuggly around me, cocooning myself in its warmth, as I watched his chest rise and fall with each steady breath. My chest expanded, my heart warmed. He looked … happy in sleep, a soft smile on his lips, his muscles relaxed and loose.
I sighed. My chest expanded a little more. I didn’t know exactly what it was that I was feeling, but it felt a heck of a lot like love. I sighed again and smiled as I turned away from him. I figured I should probably go back to bed even if I could have stood there all night and watched him sleep. I took a small step, a floorboard creaked, and Aidan’s soft snores stopped. He didn’t move, but his abs and pecs flexed. He pulled in a loud breath and his muscles relaxed again.
I waited for him to say something, but he didn’t, as if he were waiting to see what I would do. I hesitated for a second, watching him pull in breath after breath and then I sat down, squeezing myself into the small space on the couch between his bent knee and stretched out leg, pulling my feet up underneath me.
I felt him tense again, and then relax. He kept an arm draped over his eyes, but lifted the other and wound it around my waist, pulling me closer. He kept tugging until I shimmied around, and then he tugged some more until I was settled on top of him, my comforter still snug around me. I buried my head at the hollow of his neck. I could feel him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing against my forehead. He tightened his arm around me. “Thank you,” he said.
I leaned up, tucked my comforter under my arms, and planted my forearms on his chest. “For what?” I asked.
He smiled but still kept his arm over his eyes. “For forgiving me.”
I grabbed his arm, lifting it so I could look at him. My heart skittered within my chest as he settled his beautiful brown eyes on me. “I’m really glad you stuck around long enough for me to come to my senses,” I said.
Aidan cupped my cheek. “I would have waited forever,” he said.
I sighed and once more, my heart expanded. I really didn’t know how this was going to work out, but I was determined to try. He let his arm fall back over his eyes and I put my head back down on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. He lifted his leg from the floor and I wiggled around, tugging at the comforter, until it loosened enough that I had one of my legs on either side of his thigh. I thought about telling him that we should move, head to the bed where there was more room, but I was too comfortable wrapped up in his arms, lying on top of him, and frankly, I didn’t want more room.
We lay there in a perfect kind of silence for a few moments when a thought surfaced that effectively rocketed my blood pressure up about ten notches and set my skin on fire. I planted my forearms back on his chest, lifting myself up again to look at him. “Did you undress me?” The question came out as a whisper.
“What?” he asked. He slid his draped arm from his eyes to his forehead and squinted down at me.
“Did you undress me?” I asked again, louder this time. The butterflies in my belly became soaring birds, and my skin heated just about everywhere.
Aidan shifted, scrubbed at his face, and groaned. “Don’t get all modest on me, Jade. I’m too tired. It’s not like I left you naked. You’re still covered. And I’m pretty sure I saw more of you that day when you were in that little towel than I did tonight.”
“Chill out, alpha,” I said teasingly, settling my head back down on his chest. “I was just asking. I don’t remember coming in.”
He chuckled. “I tried to wake you up, but you were completely out,” he said and finished it off with a long yawn. “We’ve got to be up in a few hours.” He lifted his head from the armrest that he had been using as a pillow and pressed a light kiss on my forehead. “Are you staying down here?”
“Would it bother you if I did?” I asked, snuggling deeper into his arms.
He squeezed me tighter and whispered, “It would bother me if you said no. I love having you this close.”
I smiled. I was sure we would both be seriously cramped in the morning, but I didn’t care. I closed my eyes, breathing in a deep drag of his scent, and the world softened and then dissolved as sleep took me.
CHAPTER 18
~ AIDAN ~
Two days after Jade moved into my house her dad asked for another meeting.
I probably shouldn’t have been relieved that Jade refused to come with me to see her dad, but I was. I needed a break. I never thought living with Jade would be easy, but I also never imagined that it would be this hard.
The biggest problem: Jade wouldn’t let Jared go. He had been MIA for the last two
days. The team said he needed some distance, and frankly, I was glad for it, even if we could have used his help with the hunt. I didn’t want to see him and I didn’t want Jade to see him, either. I had promised her that I would leave him alone and I planned to keep my word, but it was seriously getting harder and harder to do.
All Jade could talk about was Jared. She claimed she was just worried about him, but I knew it was more than that. Even after I told her everything Tommy found out, she still held onto him. She cared about him — a lot. I knew we had agreed to move on, forget about the past, and start over, but I just couldn’t do it. Maybe I didn’t trust her; I knew she still didn’t trust me. And I was sure that our trust issues were the reason we still hadn’t moved forward, why we still hadn’t made our mate status official, and it made the whole living together thing seriously tense.
I’d lost track of how many times over the last few days I’d found her outside trying to call him. It wasn’t that I cared that she was checking in on him, it was more that she felt the need to sneak outside and hide it from me. How was I supposed to move on when she was sneaking around? I even asked her as much this morning. Her response: an intense kiss, a cute smile, and then she told me I worry too much.
So now Jade was at home getting ready to meet up with the team, and I sat in the coffee shop, sipping a steaming cup of java. I needed time to clear my head before seeing her dad again and I needed some peace and quiet to review the latest email report from Tommy and Chris.
The faux red leather booths were lumpy and uncomfortable, and the coffee was burnt, but I sipped it anyway. The coffee shop was relatively quiet, with only a few tables occupied. The waitress rushed by with steaming cups of coffee and a tray of pastries.
I scrolled through my phone, bringing up the email from Chris, and scanned through it again. The report wasn’t much. Chris said the team had something they figured they should probably share with me. Chris was leaving it up to me on whether I wanted to hear whatever it was from the team or if I wanted to meet with them first. The email was clear that they thought I should let the team tell me. I didn’t know what to think and honestly, with all the crap going on at home, I didn’t think I could take many more confessions.
I hit the reply and was about to start tapping in my response when a woman said, “Aidan, could you spare a minute?” I glanced up to find a short blond moving over to my booth looking nervous and out of place. I’d seen her before, but I couldn’t place her. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, and she wasn’t part of my pack. She wore the typical fall Dog Mountain outfit: jeans and a heavy sweater. She smiled, showing a brilliant flash of white teeth, and stopped beside me.
I glanced back at my phone; I still had about ten minutes until I was supposed to be at Jeff’s. I gestured to the empty seat across from me and said, “Sure, what’s up?”
She slid into the booth and extended her hand to me. “Rachel,” she said, as I clasped her hand. “I don’t think I actually introduced myself when I ran into you a few weeks ago.” She had a firm, steady grip as she pumped twice, before letting go. “How are you liking Dog Mountain?”
I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. The look she was giving me was all business. “I know that look,” I said. “You’re not here to chat. What’s on your mind?”
She laughed and tucked a lock of her shoulder length hair behind her ear. “Oh, you’re good.”
“Well, I do live with Jade,” I said, and chuckled again. “She’s the queen of that look. I get it at least five times a day.”
Her expression sobered a little more and she leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. “Those guys at the bar,” she said, jutting her chin and keeping her voice low. “They’ve been in here a lot over the last few days. Asking a lot of questions about Jared and the enforcers.”
I glanced over my shoulder, spotting Tommy and Chris, and groaned. I hadn’t even noticed them come in. Tommy nodded to me, and Chris chuckled. “Morning, boss,” they chimed in unison.
I rolled my eyes and groaned again. “Please tell me you guys just walked in,” I said, hoping that was the case, because I seriously should have noticed their scent as soon as the doors opened and they came in.
Tommy laughed, a loud rumbling sound. “Been here for about ten minutes,” he said. He got up and made his way over; Chris followed along. “You had that I want to strangle Jade look again so we figured you needed the space.”
I shook my head, turning my attention back to Rachel. “Next time they pester you, tell them to screw off,” I said.
“Oh.” She brought a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened. “I didn’t know you had new members. Shit!” She blushed, a deep crimson, and glanced at Tommy, her cheeks reddening further, and then she looked back at me. “I’m sorry for giving them a hard time, then.”
I smirked. “Don’t be sorry, knowing them, they deserved it.”
“Hey,” Tommy said, punching my shoulder playfully. “Don’t give the lady the wrong idea about us, kid.”
“See what I mean?” I said to Rachel, rolling my eyes. “They deserved it.”
Rachel laughed, a nervous kind of laugh. “You’re nothing like Ray, are you?” she asked, arching a brow and tucking more of her thick hair behind her ear.
I wasn’t really sure what she meant by that, but I really hated how nervous she was sitting across from me, so I smiled the crooked smile that always worked to mellow out Jade and shook my head. “Nope. Nothing like him.”
****
Jeff was sitting on the porch steps when I got out of the car. He didn’t look up as I approached. He was in jeans and a light gray fleece sweater and he wore a black baseball cap that shadowed his face.
The sun was obscenely bright without a cloud in the sky, but the wind was brisk and heavy. The chain links that held the porch swing creaked and cracked as it swayed in the breeze. The van was gone, the driveway empty, but then I guess I hadn’t really expected Pam to be home. According to Jade, she had been working like a dog since Jeff got back, furious at him for kicking her daughter out.
“My daughter didn’t bother to come?” he asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice, as he glanced back at the car as if he might of missed her at first. He kept his chin dipped, and his face hidden under the brim of his cap.
I took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. I figured he knew I didn’t like him; I was sure he could smell my distaste, but I didn’t really care. “She doesn’t have anything to say to you right now,” I said evenly. “You did kick her out of her house.”
He shrugged, as if kicking out his only child was no big deal. “You were going to make her leave anyway.”
A gust of wind hit my back as I stopped in front of him and my nostrils flared. The copper scent of blood was thick on the wind, and it carried the now familiar smell of cougars. It was an odd scent, almost like a house cat, but not. It was stronger, harsher, and had a hint of dried birch bark mixed with lemon.
“I don’t have time for this shit, Jeff. She’ll talk to you when she’s ready or she won’t,” I said, forging calm remoteness. I took another breath, trying to determine which direction the smell was coming from, but the wind was making it seriously hard to pin down. “What was so important that you needed to see me in person for?”
He lifted a hand, tipping up his cap with a fingertip, giving me a clear view of his blackened and swollen eye along with a busted up lip.
“What the hell happened to you?” I asked, scanning him over. There was a tear in his sweater, right at the neckline, and what looked like the remnants of a bruise on his cheek. His lip was healing, although it seemed slow for a shifter or maybe he just really got his ass kicked. Either way, I didn’t really care. The man deserved what he got.
“Jared came to see me this morning,” he said. “He’s on the outs with his brothers again. It never goes well when those boys are fighting. People get hurt.”
I narrowed my eyes, folded my arms over my chest, and glared down at him. “Jared doesn’t have an
y brothers and I doubt he could do this.”
Jeff smirked, causing his lip to split open again. “You sure about that?”
Was he joking? Damn, I couldn’t tell. His scent gave nothing away. I was pretty sure Jared wouldn’t show up here just to beat the crap out of him. If he was going to try and beat someone down, it would most likely be me. And I was certain he didn’t have any brothers. From what Dominic had told me, Jared was the product of a one night stand. He was the only enforcer that grew up in Dog Mountain. He’d never met his dad, and his mom died three years ago from an overdose.
Another gust of wind brought the scent of blood swamping around me. I breathed it in and turned, looking toward the tree line. The wind shifted, blowing from the other direction, and again, it brought the coppery smell back with it.
“He got a phone call while he was here and he took off pretty quick,” Jeff said and chuckled, a cruel sound that put ice in my veins. I shifted my gaze back to him and he smiled wide. “I’ll give you one guess who called him.”
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t need a guess. I knew exactly who had called him. “Jade.”
Jeff didn’t confirm it, but I guessed I didn’t really need him to. I’d known something was up with her when she practically shoved me out the door this morning. But I had really been hoping it had nothing to do with Jared.
Jeff stood up and walked to the door. He was still smiling, enjoying the pain he was inflicting on me; I was sure of it. “Before you go running off to track down that mate of yours, I called you here to tell you I finally got a full count of the cougars and I also picked up a little something for you that will lead you right to them.” He shoved the door wide open, and stepped back.
For a long moment, I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at. The stench of cougar and blood was suddenly so thick that I almost gagged. I moved up the steps, holding my breath as I did. Sitting on a chair, tied tightly enough to cut through the skin, was a man about my age. His eyes were closed, his head, lolled to the left. Blood dripped to the floor around his feet.