by Dannika Dark
We fell into silence again, and my heart clenched at the idea that he cared enough to ask.
“Does it ever get lonely on the road?”
“Sometimes.” After a thoughtful pause, his voice was rougher yet firm. “If you ever need me for anything, I’ll come. If you’re ever in trouble, if you ever need my help, I’ll come for you. Do you understand what I’m saying? You’re not just a friend of the family to me. Not anymore.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. Things change. People change.”
“I don’t care if you’re mated with children. None of that matters. My loyalty is a lifetime offer. On my word, I’ll come for you.”
Wolves by nature are loyal to the ones they love—to those they consider family. I’d known wolves who’d forged bonds, but their human sides didn’t get along at all. It was an honor for Lakota to offer that kind of unbending loyalty. I shared that same connection with Hope, but this was different somehow, though I wasn’t sure why.
“Lakota,” I whispered, but his name sounded more like a prayer on my lips.
He lowered his chin. “Did you say something?”
“No. Just breathing.”
“Can you do me a favor?”
I peered up at him. “It depends. If it involves a telephone pole, your answer is no.”
“Will you rub my back? I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder.”
Grinning impishly, I said, “I’m great with my hands.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it.”
After they had cleaned themselves up and chugged down a bottle of water, Lakota received the most pleasurable massage of his entire life. Melody sat astride his back and pressed the heels of her small hands into his shoulders, working her way down at a glorious pace. He loved the feel of her touch, how gentle and forceful her hands could be, and he smiled against the pillow when she rubbed the backs of his thighs. But his smile melted away as he became amorous once again. As much as he wanted to give in to those feelings, he didn’t. He had already known her in that way, and now he wanted to know her more intimately.
Melody sought comfort in his arms for close to an hour while they talked. He listened to her stories, some of which he’d heard before from his sister. Lakota liked hearing her version—she was a captivating storyteller. Not once did they reminisce over their childhood. Instead, they filled in the gaps of their time apart and pondered an uncertain future. Not just the immediate future but also what life held in store for each of them years down the road. Melody said she hoped that one day her boutique would flourish enough to become a chain, and she liked the idea of possibly traveling or living somewhere else for a while, especially after Lakota had talked about some of the places he’d been. He mentioned wanting twenty kids, just to make her laugh. She wished him luck finding a willing mate.
It made Lakota wonder what kind of woman he was looking for. Melody had drive and creativity as well as a sense of humor—all the best parts a man could hope for in a woman. He was beside himself. Who exactly is this unspeakably beautiful female in my arms, and why hasn’t she fled from me and my shameful past?
As he cradled her close, Lakota knew exactly what he and his wolf wanted: to protect her. He was usually wary around women, yet being with Melody felt so natural and easy.
He’d never imagined having such strong feelings for another wolf. When he was growing up, only one other Shifter lived in the house. Lakota’s family loved him unconditionally, and love transcended Breed or politics. The animalistic Chitah traits of his adoptive father had rubbed off on him. He mirrored their actions and understood why they protected their family with their lives. Even though he was in good standing with the Shifters in Austin, he’d never imagined that anyone would consider him a catch. His unusual living circumstances generated much gossip, and he wondered if his inexperience with packs might even hinder his chances of ever joining one. Packmasters were very selective, and he was still learning all the nuances of their ways.
Seeming half-asleep, Melody murmured against his chest, “Lakota?”
Hearing his name spoken in such a fragile voice made his wolf stir. “Yes?”
“Remember what you said about my hair and your parents?”
He had to stop and think before he recalled the conversation in which he’d joked about what his adoptive parents’ reaction might be to him dating a girl with violet hair. “Yes. Why?”
When she breathed heavily, he nudged her awake.
“What will your mother and Lorenzo think?” she murmured.
“Of your hair?”
Melody shook her head. “That I’m not like you.”
Lakota pressed a kiss to her head. He wanted to say it didn’t matter. To him it didn’t. But his mother and stepfather had always assured him that one day he would find a girl who belonged to his tribe, and they would settle in a pack. Maybe it didn’t matter which tribe, so long as his bloodline would carry on the traditions of the Native people.
While he had made the comment only in jest, Melody’s mind must have been working overtime in her sleep. Was she afraid that both families would shun her for different reasons? Family was important to Shifters. Family was everything.
Most of all, he wondered if her doubts meant that she wanted to get serious. It was all so sudden—too sudden.
“Shhh.” Lakota began to hum an ancient lullaby. He thought he felt a tear roll down his chest, but he never saw it. He didn’t like that other men had thrown her away. It had somehow jaded her and made her less receptive to the idea of soul mates. And that mattered to him—she deserved nothing less.
For a time, he played with the soft locks of her hair, noticing the dark roots beneath. Melody had always respected their traditions and honored them. She was devoted to her family, had a courageous wolf, and possessed a giving nature. Beneath the mismatched clothes, pale skin, and colorful hair was a woman with roots that threaded deep into his soul. He wasn’t sure what would grow from it, but he felt the change just as surely as he felt the beating of her heart.
Once Melody was finally asleep, he sat up and watched her. She was breathtakingly beautiful and reminded him of a nymph or a fairy. Melody had always been assertive and strong, but she also possessed a purity and a femininity that captivated him. Her big green eyes would sparkle whenever she looked up at him, and he loved the way her mind worked. Lakota admired her soft curves, the shape of her breasts, and how her freckles captured the story of a little girl who’d spent her summers chasing butterflies in open fields.
As he reached down for a blanket, he noticed scars on her foot. He blinked at them for a moment before remembering the wolf attack during the Shifter war long ago. Strangely, in all the years since, he’d never noticed them when she ran around barefoot. Looking at them, he remembered her unbending loyalty to protecting her pack, the way he’d practically had to rope her to his horse to keep her from going back to fight alongside them. Those were the marks of a true warrior.
Lakota placed a kiss along the scars and covered her with the blanket. He fluffed a pillow and put it behind her head. She was a heavy sleeper, and as her eyelids fluttered, he wondered what she was dreaming.
After setting a glass of water on the bedside table, he collected the bowls and plates from the rug and placed them inside the basket. The leftover bread and beef jerky would be a sufficient breakfast, so he wrapped them tightly in a napkin and left them on the table on the opposite side of the room.
He cracked open a window to let in a cool breeze. Not wanting to lose the heat from the fire, Lakota poked the log until the embers glowed and a small flame reignited. It was tempting to return to the bed and fall asleep next to her, then possibly wake up to make love again, but another instinct was taking hold—one he could neither control nor contain.
Lakota shifted and settled down beside the bed to guard her. The instinct to guard this female was stronger than anything he’d ever known, and the compulsion for his wolf to hunt for her was growing. Not enough to leave her alo
ne, but it made him wonder what it meant. That was a gesture shared only between life mates.
He put the thought of hunting rabbits out of his mind and gazed upon the fire. Maybe it wasn’t wise to get so attached to a free spirit. Fated lovers didn’t always have a happy ending.
When something brushed against his back, he swung his head around. Melody’s arm was hanging over the side of the bed, her fingers lost in his silver fur. Lakota growled approvingly, the thrumming sound vibrating against her hand. He licked her fingers to let her know he was there and that she could sleep soundly while under his watch. It felt right and familiar. As he began to slip away, his wolf stood up and leapt onto the bed to curl up beside her.
Lakota wasn’t sure what the fates had in store for them, but he knew one thing—his wolf was willing to die for Melody.
Chapter 14
“I’m coming!” I slipped into my nightshirt and ran my fingers through my tousled hair.
The sharp knocks sounded again, and I squinted when the cabin door opened and sunlight slapped me in the face.
Tak leaned against the doorjamb, the sun shining on the tattooed side of his face. “Have you seen Lakota?”
“No.”
He smiled so wide it made me uneasy. “Funny. I could have sworn he would be in here.”
“That’s presumptuous.”
“He can’t sleep under our roof, and he knows better than to run the grounds during a burial. So…” Tak peered around me.
I opened the door and stepped back. “Look for yourself. He’s not here, unless I somehow managed to stuff the Big Bad Wolf into that basket.”
Tak scratched his jaw and studied the picnic basket by the door. “White men tell horrifying stories to their children. What do you call them?” He snapped his fingers. “Ah yes. Fairy tales. Did you ever hear the one about those wicked children who ate a woman’s house and then shoved her in the oven?”
I folded my arms. “Was there something you wanted?”
“I’m heading out and thought Lakota might want to come along.”
“What about all the brouhaha going on with the locals?”
Tak strode over to the table and pilfered a piece of jerky. He stood so tall that his head nearly touched the ceiling. “We had a few scouts check out the roads this morning. Looks like the Council stepped in and made them leave before the state police came to check it out. Not my concern anymore.”
I glanced outside. “What time is it?”
“Almost two.”
I waited for him to laugh and tell me it was a joke, but he didn’t. Did I really sleep the entire morning? Covering my face with one hand, I sat in the chair.
“You’re free to go,” he added, licking his thumb.
“Is everyone back from the burial?”
He widened his stance and scratched his neck. “I just woke up from a shift. Some are resting, I think. I can smell food cooking in the kitchen. The mood is lighter today. The elders say the sunshine is a good omen.”
I drank a sip of water from a bottle. “Except for the fact that a murderer is still out there.”
“Yes, but it’s no longer your concern.”
“It might be.”
He gnawed on his jerky. “How so?”
“It occurred to me that if the cops return to the crime scene, they’re going to wonder about all the fresh blood and my clothes. A lot of people saw me in those pants. They’re memorable.”
Tak strode toward the door. “You needn’t worry about that. I went back this morning before dawn, and your clothes were gone. So was the blood. Whichever rogue pack those wolves belonged to must have tidied things up. I’ll see if I can find something your size.”
“I don’t want to take anything else from your tribe. Your belt will do.”
He arched an eyebrow. Tak slowly unbuckled his belt and slid it out of his pant loops. After he flung it on the table, he headed out.
I steered my gaze around the empty room and let it linger on the bed, visions of last night’s lovemaking appearing like a phantom dream. Funny how lifeless and hollow the cabin seemed without Lakota’s larger-than-life personality. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in his arms. By the looks of it, he’d cleaned up and erased all evidence of him having been here.
It was foolish to think we would wake up in each other’s arms, but a sliver of me desired it. My feelings for Lakota were changing, and it caught me off guard. People just didn’t fall in love that quickly. It had to be the sex talking, and I needed to get my head together and distance myself from this place.
Tak’s belt fit around my waist loosely, but at least with the long shirt it looked like an ensemble I could get away with wearing in the summertime.
My hopes of closing a deal with Shikoba were dashed. The man had just buried one of his packmates, and the last thing he needed was some stranger badgering him.
I made the bed, tidied up the cabin, and collected my purse before heading out. Instead of entering the main house, I circled around the side toward the front. The gravel hurt my feet, and the two men sitting on the front porch sipped their cold beers and watched with mild interest. When I reached my Jeep and opened the door, I noticed the keys weren’t there.
“Shit.” I set my purse on the seat and headed for the house. “Do you know where my keys are?”
One of them jerked his thumb at the door.
Before I could knock, both men abruptly set their bottles down and rose to their feet. There was nothing casual about it, and it made me turn around to see what had captured their attention. A silver car was heading toward us down the private road, dust kicking up behind it.
A cacophony of shouts and footfalls sounded from within the house as the pack became aware that visitors were on the property. I hid behind a wooden beam, uncertain what was unfolding before me. Kaota appeared and descended the steps, but instead of going out to greet the visitors, he stopped, his arms folded and a stony look on his face.
Two men exited the vehicle. One of them was a husky man with an anemic complexion and thinning hair the color of wheat. He squinted at the sunlight and dabbed a white handkerchief across his broad forehead.
The driver smoothed out his bushy mountain-man beard. His brown boots kicked around gravel as he approached Kaota at a leisurely pace. “I’m here to see Shikoba,” he said, his accent hinting that he’d lived around these parts for a long time.
Kaota’s voice fell flat. “He’s in mourning. What’s your business on our land, Robert?”
The bearded man took off his mirrored sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. “Jack and I came out here to have a conversation. Word is you’ve got a problem with your tribe.”
“We’ve got no problems.”
“And the dead boy?”
“That’s your problem,” Kaota bit out. “You’re the big man on the Council. What are you going to do to protect our rights?”
Robert scratched his head. “Word out there ain’t good, Kaota. People are sayin’ your tribe had something to do with the murders. I’d hate to find out there’s a cover-up happening right beneath my nose.”
Kaota stepped forward. “Did Koi’s death look like a suicide? Did the girl rise up from the dead and tear open his jugular?”
Stroking his beard, Robert said, “No, but someone slit that girl’s throat and stabbed her in the abdomen. Now, I’m not making any accusations, but it looks like maybe Koi and the girl were secret lovers, and one of your people found out and decided to teach them both a lesson.”
“And what of your people?” Kaota fired back. “Are they incapable of murder?”
Robert widened his stance. “Look, we’re only here to discuss what everyone else is talking about. If Koi did shift to protect her, we would have found his clothes on the scene. But we didn’t.”
“And what does that prove?”
“It leads us to believe one of two things. Either Koi stalked and attacked her, and they fought to the death, or Koi met up with her, and someon
e in your tribe caught them together. An outside Shifter committing the crime wouldn’t have stolen his clothes if he wanted to pin it on Koi. From his perspective, stealing the clothes would make it seem like someone else was there, and Koi had to shift to protect her. Make sense? Killers want to cover their tracks, not leave breadcrumbs.”
“And you think we’re stupid?”
Robert sighed and shook his head. “Comments like that make me wonder. They found a knife by the body but no clothes. All I can do is look at the facts and see who had motive. If someone in your tribe was the culprit, then his motive ain’t gonna be to pin it on the tribe. He probably acted on impulse. Who knows, maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe the killer was attacking the girl, and Koi’s wolf was close enough that he heard the screams. The thing is, I’ve worked out all the logical scenarios, and the one that doesn’t make sense is one of the local Shifters having something to do with it. Not given the evidence we have, which is more than a missing pile of clothes. I can promise you that.”
I gripped the beam while peering around the side. A gust of wind lifted my hair and caught Jack’s attention.
The pasty man narrowed his eyes. “Who’s she?”
My stomach knotted when Jack kept staring. Part of me wanted to ask for an escort out of town, but I didn’t know either of those guys, and I had a feeling my best interests weren’t their top priority at the moment. With Lakota’s truck gone, I remained quiet.
“What do you want?” Kaota pressed.
Robert flicked a glance my way but kept his attention on Kaota. “We can’t make arrests just yet, but it doesn’t look good. I think you have a bad apple in your bunch, and Koi was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong woman. If you know who’s responsible, I’m asking that you turn him over. Disobey the law and suffer the consequences.”
The door opened, and Shikoba came out. He knocked his cane angrily against the wood as he took his time descending each step. When he reached Kaota, he put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder. Kaota reluctantly turned away and came up the porch.
