by Mason Sabre
It should have angered him. It should have brought rage to feast on what was left of his soul, but instead, his heart strummed with delight, with love … she was more Mary than she ever realised, more his than she would ever know. Only love would act the way she had. Only love like they shared would force her to give her body over to someone else just to protect the one thing she loved more than anything in the world … him.
Anyone else watching Gemma and the shifter would have seen two newly mated tigers out in the lands … two young tigers in the prime of their lives consummating their union, their passion, their heat. Their mating would have been mistaken for love, for bonding, for something more than mere obligation. She played it well. She had played him well.
She lay on her back, and the male didn’t even realise she had turned her head away from him, the way she stared out into the darkness with that lost gleam in her eyes. This was not a woman in the arms of her true lover.
Her union with this other man was nothing more than lies … nothing more than hiding.
Henry crawled forward, his long fingers curling around the edge of the tree roots as he tried to see her better. She cast a glance over in his direction almost as if she was looking directly at him, but there was no way she could see him from where he hid. She could sense him, though. She would be able to feel him like an anchor pulling her home. Just as he could feel the same with her.
“I will find him,” he whispered into the dark. “Soon.”
Chapter 31
Gemma
It was all too much of a dream … a deep, dark dream that Gemma couldn’t pull herself out of no matter how many times she woke. She stared at her clothes. Someone, probably her mother, had come and put their clothes into bags and then left them near the stone for their return. They were strange, almost to the point of unfamiliar in her hands, but maybe it was her hands themselves that had the strange oddness to them.
The run back to the shifting stone had been hard enough. Her head had tried to take her out, put her somewhere safe. Her mind … protecting her. Or maybe it was her tiger, coming to the rescue and taking over, knowing the woman … that Gemma was incapable of being in a form of logical control. Her own movements were an echo in her head. She looked in from the outside … a statue behind her own eyes.
“Is everything okay?” Karl asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Yes …
She tore her focus away from the woodlands behind them and looked at him with half blurred eyes. “Hhmmm?” She was standing, naked, the bag of clothes still in her hands. Henry was out there. She felt him the same way she felt Cade—a strong pull to go to him, a desire that meant she could pinpoint exactly where he was. He hadn’t followed her, though, but she had felt him watching, felt the weight of his gaze against her fur, but she had also felt that longing inside when the distance had grown between them.
“Gemma?”
“Sorry. I’m fine,” she said, after a moment, but even as she spoke, her voice was floaty.
Karl frowned at her, his strong features drawn together in concern, but all Gemma did was smile at him. “I promise.”
She turned from Karl so he couldn’t say anything more and dressed. She was sure he wanted to speak. She saw him nod, but whatever it was, he said nothing about it, even as they drove back to her parents’ home.
Malcolm’s car wasn’t in the driveway when they arrived, but Emily was at the back of the house, pottering in the section she had taken for her herbs. She spent so many days there, so much time just tending to her plants and medicines. She was trimming off small cuttings and putting them in her basket when Gemma popped her head around the glass door. “Dad out?” she asked, not daring to step in and ruin something. There were so many herbs growing in different places, it was like trying to roam through a wild garden.
Emily glanced up, her eyes going first to Karl and then to Gemma. She didn’t smile as much as Gemma would have expected. After all, she had given both of her parents what they wanted—her cooperation and a mating to a tiger, and as far as Gemma knew, her mother liked Karl, yet there was something there, something under the surface.
It was only a fool who would mistake Emily Davies as a weak, insignificant shifter. Something itched behind those brooding eyes—a sadness, perhaps. She liked Cade … loved Cade. Saw him as a son, but she hadn’t disagreed with this. “He’s with Trevor,” she said, “There is a meeting this evening. Your presence is requested. They’ve a wolf needing reprimand.”
Gemma’s heart lurched at the words and images of Cade flashing instantly to her mind. She tried to quell them. If this was Cade, it would have been described as something bigger than a wolf needing reprimand. And even if that was the case, her mother wouldn’t let her walk into that one … she hoped.
“Oh?” Gemma raised her eyebrow in question. The part of her that held Cade close needed outside reassurance.
“I’m not sure what for,” Emily said. “I didn’t ask, and your father didn’t tell me.” She rose from her knees, unconcerned about the wolf. This gave Gemma more hope, more peace inside her that her father wasn’t carrying out his threat and that she had done enough to save Cade’s life. Emily took off her gloves and gave them a shake before hanging them on the hook at the back. She handed Gemma her basket. It was filled with different cuttings that Gemma had no way to identify.
“Dad doesn’t need me at Trevor’s?” It was another good sign, but the protective tiger in her needed to cover every base and she couldn’t ask outright. Not with Karl there.
“Not yet.”
If her father didn’t need her, it meant it was something low key, something that probably wouldn’t even warrant an hour in the cage. “Council or Society?”
“Council,” Emily said, confusing Gemma. Council meant big … very big. If it was Society, then it was something that would be dealt with quickly. Someone had done something bad. And even though Gemma knew she had abided by her father’s wishes, part of her darkened with the weight of concern.
“I don’t understand. It’s Council, but my father doesn’t need me?”
Maybe Emily picked up on what was worrying her daughter because she paused. “It’s just a wolf,” she said, gently touching Gemma’s shoulder. “One of the pack. Your father said we didn’t need to disturb you, and if you weren’t back by this afternoon, then we would come looking. You are needed later, though. So, don’t go running off.”
She didn’t thank her mother, but she knew … they both knew. The silent words under what she had said. It wasn’t Cade. That was all that mattered to Gemma. Any other wolf could be dealt with as they saw fit … any other wolf could be punished. “I have enough time to shower?”
Emily nodded. “You’ve a long while yet. Take your time. Karl can help me while you do.” She handed him a tool that looked like a pair of tweezers with a join in the centre before either of them had a chance to refuse. Gemma didn’t know what they were called, but she had seen her mother use them to strip the tiny leaves from the stems.
“I don’t know. Maybe—”
“I can wait here for you,” Karl said. He grabbed for her, his arm around her waist again, his skin touching hers in what felt like too intimate a place. She went to tense instantly at the feel of someone else holding her, but then his hand slid to her backside and she relaxed, reminding herself that this was for Cade. For both of them. She leant up to kiss him. He was smiling; tiger green eyes met hers and forced guilt to coat her tongue.
He kissed her back.
“I’ll not be long.” She gave her mother one last glance before she turned to leave, but something niggled at the edge of Gemma’s mind, something her mother wasn’t saying.
“We’ll be here,” Emily replied. “Everyone is safe.”
Gemma paused at the door to the main hall. Everyone is safe … Her mother didn’t clarify, and she couldn’t ask. Emily had already turned and started working, leaving Gemma to either stand there and gawp at them, or leave the room and go to the bat
hroom. She decided on the latter.
Each step she took away from Karl was like taking a breath of fresh air. Not that he was causing this in her, or doing anything wrong. They were joined now—mated. He belonged to her, as much as she belonged to him, but the weight of that burden … the promise to keep him safe, safe from her too, was a dark cloak holding her down. The Gemma she knew … the Gemma she had been had somehow stopped existing. Now all that was left was a shadow … a woman who looked like her.
The taste of Karl lingered on her lips. It was sweet, earthy, different to Cade’s. Karl had the right to kiss her, to hold her, to show the world they were one, but Gemma’s head hadn’t yet caught up with that, or anything else. Away from him, and away from everyone, she could pretend. She could dream. She could imagine that the man who was waiting downstairs for her, was someone else.
She didn’t stop by her room when she got up the stairs. Her body smelt like him … like them, like the love making she had pushed herself into. She went straight to the bathroom and turned on the water. Then she wasted no time in stripping off her clothes and throwing them into the basket. It crossed her mind, for one guilty second, that she could burn them … she could get rid of the scent that didn’t belong.
Shaking her head, she leant against the sink and gripped the edge. She would drive herself to the brink of crazy if she didn’t stop this constant fight in her head.
This wasn’t Karl’s fault. Not at all, but it was so hard to look at him and not feel resentment. So hard to see him and not wish he wasn’t there. If there was no Cade, then maybe this would work. Maybe she wouldn’t feel this way or feel that everything in her life was over.
If they had just left … if they had run after Connor had died. She bit down on her quivering lip and squeezed her eyes shut. They’d be together now. Cade had asked her. Even with their baby gone, even though she had failed him in the worst way possible, he had still wanted her. He still wanted that life together.
Forcing herself to raise her eyes to look at her reflection, she knew … one day Cade would look at her the way she saw herself. He would hate her. He would hate himself too, but mostly, he would blame her. The hurt she had created in him would be so much bigger than anything he had now. She pressed her hand to her abdomen, to the place over her empty womb. Maybe she’d fail Karl too.
The water for the shower was hot. Steam rolled out from it, fogging up the mirror and taking away her reflection, turning it into nothing more than a blur that had resembled her a moment ago. She backed up and got into the water and let it pummel against her skin. She put her head back and sighed.
She had made her choice, so had Karl, and so had Cade. Cade would have his life with someone else … someone who could give him what she couldn’t. But Henry was right in what he’d said, the way Cade made her feel. The way she felt whole around him. She felt that with Henry, too. She pictured him in her head, pictured him from long ago … another life. One she didn’t quite remember, but hadn’t quite forgotten either. There were fragments of memories, fragments of things she had done … not her, though … Mary.
“I wish you could tell me how to make all of this stop,” she whispered into the water.
Karl was sitting in her bedroom when she finally emerged. He was sitting there with his long legs out in front of him crossed at the ankles, and a look on his face of a man who was falling in love.
She could do this, couldn’t she? She could love Karl. Maybe not the way she loved Cade, maybe not with the same depth, but enough. She felt him, her tiger felt him. It burst in her chest now, seeking refuge from the hurt inside her, wanting to feel him. “Finished helping my mother?” she asked.
He nodded as he slid himself from the bed and came to her. He moved with such feline grace … the grace of a tiger on the prowl. “I’m not sure she likes me very much,” he said as he came closer. He slid a hand around the nape of Gemma’s neck, curling possessive fingers around her. He brought his mouth down to the other side, his lips grazing across her hot flesh.
“She’s protective,” Gemma said. She braced her hand against Karl’s solid chest.
“Maybe she knew what my intentions were.”
“Oh?”
She felt him grin against her skin as his fingers found the knot in her towel and unfastened it.
Chapter 32
Cade
Cade rapped on the door again, louder this time, loud enough that if Karl had any neighbours, they’d probably come out and see what was going on, or at least call the police. Cade didn’t care. He’d have woken the entire neighbourhood if he’d had to. Luckily, he didn’t. There wasn’t a soul nor building within shouting distance of Karl’s property. The closest living thing to it was the wildlife and the river that ran behind.
Convenient.
Staring at the door as if that itself was the problem, Cade ground his jaw tight enough to create a pressure in his temple and give himself a headache. He knocked again, sheer determination rooting him to the spot and blinding him to his choices and the logical reasoning that Karl wasn't home. He’d make him materialise if he had to.
The third time he pounded against the wood, hard enough that the old door rattled in its frame and threatened to come away, Avery came to stand near, though he seemed to have enough sense not to touch him. “I don't think anyone is home.” He had come with Cade. Cade had asked him to even though he would probably come along anyway—part of his job. But the verbalised question had been for Natalie to hear. For her to see that there was nothing to worry about. He wasn't going to see Gemma, and he certainly wouldn't be seeing her alone.
“No. I’m sure there isn't.” His wolf riled inside. He had been pacing since the name came up, and now it was worse. He roamed like he was caged and all he wanted to do was break free and run to Gemma-to protect her. His instincts to go to her were almost at simmering levels. Another notch and he’d be in full blown wolf mode and no reasoning would call him back down.
Sucking in a breath, he tried to fight against the wolf and focus himself enough to work and not do something stupid. Inhaling was a bad idea, though. He swore he could scent her. Her appealing trace in the air, teasing him. It was faint, a lingering waft of her that was enough to catch his wolf’s attention. It was possible, though, that the scent he could detect was nothing more than his own longing … the way he had seared her into his mind, his soul … every last corner of himself. Sometimes, when he thought about her enough, the memories would be so vivid that it would be like he could reach out and just touch her.
Stepping onto the slightly raised edging of the flower beds that ran under the main window, Cade balanced himself and peered in through the glass. There was a large bay window. It was grand, tall and the largest Cade could see on this side of the house. Logically, it was the main living room of the house, but inside, the room was empty—totally empty. Like no one lived in the house at all.
Jumping down, Cade stepped back so he could get a good view of the entire house. All the windows had curtains. All of them were dark, so dark that the gardens reflected in the glass and made the house stand with an eerie aura.
“We could call him,” Avery said. “He might be at work.”
“He mated yesterday. He isn't going to be at work today.” The words shot out faster than Cade could grab and stop them. His tone was harsh, but the harshness hadn’t been directed at Avery. No. It was at himself and the way he had let it get this far. It served him right that Gemma might be off somewhere now, somewhere with her new mate, doing what mated animals did—consummating.
“And you and Natalie?”
Cade raised a brow as he shot a look at his partner that spoke volumes without him needing to say a word. Then his expression dissolved into one of annoyance that confused Cade. He didn’t care what people thought, or for what things the law said he was supposed to happen. “That’s different.”
He left Avery at the front of the house, and gravel crunched under Cade’s shoes as he walked away. It was a good
alarm system for intruders, or anyone getting close to the house. From what he could see, the gravel went the entire way around—a moat of stones. There was no way to get to the house without making a sound. Humans used gravel around their homes, especially close to doors and under the windows. Mostly it was a way to hear someone coming closer, but shifters used them further away. Their hearing was sharper, keener, and they could hear anyone on their property before they were close enough to get to the door. Cade had never seen it like this, though. He’d never seen it covering every single path and entrance. “I’m going to take a look around the back.”
Avery tilted his head and opened the file, flicking to the back where they kept all the signed off documents. “You don’t have a warrant.”
“I’m only looking.”
Avery was younger than Cade. Not by much, but he had less experience. He’d got the job working for Cade not long after Cade had been promoted. He’d been working in the office opening mail and making sure it got to the right places, but he had got himself on report a dozen times for slacking off. In his own words, the job was boring and mundane. Cade had to agree. So this was Avery’s chance. Few shifters got that. Not many Others got the opportunity to rid themselves of menial jobs and try their hands at something that would be both rewarding and interesting.
It was clear sometimes, though, that this was a little out of Avery’s depth. He followed Cade like a nervous sparrow. His eyes darted around and took in the surroundings like a child about to be caught doing something wrong. He’d have been the target Stephen would have teased and not realised. Avery wasn't stupid, though. He was just quiet, a thinker, a reader, and someone who liked things with a little more depth. He’d have been better starting in a lower position and working his way up, but apparently, Avery had been the best candidate. Gemma had said that was because Cade could tell him what to do. Maybe …
