Damon didn’t know if Milos had pieced his life back together, even with his friend’s help, but he had seen improvements over the last year. The wolf shifter had been quiet and sullen when he first came here, but after some time, he began to talk. Part of Damon’s job in the rangers before he became chief was to bring Milos supplies, and they would always make small talk while having coffee.
“How is everything?” Damon asked as he took a sip of the coffee. “Were you okay during the blizzard?”
“Yes, do not worry about me. I may be from the islands, but the snow did not bother me.” Milos frowned. “Our friend, though …” He looked outside the window, deep into the thick line of trees. “I have not heard from him in a while.”
Guilt poured through him at the reminder that there was one other person living in these parts, even more isolated than Milos. “Is Krieger … all right?”
“Maybe you should check for yourself. I have not seen him since before the blizzard.”
Damon knew he should go. He owed it to Krieger. Things had been busy the past six months that he hadn’t even had the time to see his former squad mate since his promotion.
At least, that’s what he told himself. It was easier to ignore the guilt. As much as the incident had messed him up, it had nearly destroyed Krieger. And it had all been Damon’s fault.
“Maybe I should.” But some other time, when he wasn’t in a tizzy up like this. Krieger tended to be sensitive about the moods of people, which was why he lived all the way up here. He abhorred company even more than Damon or Milos, though he and the wolf shifter seemed to get along well enough. Again, he knew it was because broken animals could sense each other.
They talked for a few more minutes before Damon said goodbye, and promised to have more supplies sent over the next week, including Milos’s favorite donuts from the local bakery.
The trudge back to HQ took another hour, and it was already so late, that he expected the station to be nearly empty. So the sight of Gabriel, waiting for him by the door, took him completely by surprise. They hadn’t spoken since their blowup, and they had mostly avoided each other during the party. Perhaps it was a good thing, since now Damon realized he had been acting like an asshole.
“Hey,” Gabriel greeted.
“Hey.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Why are you up here on a Saturday night?”
“Why are you?” Gabriel asked. “Even you don’t work on weekends.”
“I had a lot of stuff to do, plus I wanted to go see Milos.”
“Oh. Is he all right?”
He nodded.
“And Krieger?”
“I didn’t get the chance to check on him.” Another awkward silence stretched between them, so he decided to just take the bull by the horns. “Gabriel, you were right. About last week.”
“I was?”
“Yeah. About Anna Victoria. Last Friday, what I said to her was personal, and I should never have said them. And what I said to you, too, that was way out of line.”
A myriad of emotions passed over the lion shifter’s face. “I don’t want her in that way. Anna Victoria is a sweet girl, and all J.D. and I wanted to do was help out someone in need. But,” he scratched his chin, “what is it about her that’s got you all up in knots? Do you really despise her that much? What did she do to you?”
Damon considered his options. He could lie to his friend, but the thought turned his stomach sour. He and Gabriel had always been open with each other, and there was no one he trusted more. So, he decided on the truth. “Anna Victoria is my mate.”
“Excuse me?” Gabriel’s jaw dropped down, then closed again. “Your mate? As in, your mate, mate?”
He nodded.
Gabriel looked truly shocked. “I mean, from the beginning with the way you acted around her … I thought maybe you finally found someone who caught your eye, but I never thought you guys would be mates.”
“Don’t lions believe in mates?”
“It’s uh, a little more complicated with prides.” He rolled his shoulders back and rubbed the back of his head with his palm. “In my pride, anyway. We marry based on wealth and status. And who our Alpha chooses.”
Damon had heard that certain types of shifters and groups had arranged marriages, but never really thought to ask Gabriel about the Russel Pride. “Oh. Do you already have a—”
“No,” he said quickly. “But … someday, Genevieve will probably find me a suitable lioness to marry. Anyway, let’s not talk about me. So … Anna Victoria, huh?” He chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Congrats, man. I heard mating was a special thing.”
“Don’t congratulate me,” he said. “I’m not planning to bond with her. Or even tell her.”
“What?” Gabriel’s voice rose a few decibels. “Not bond with her? Why the hell not?”
“You know why.” Gabriel knew the whole story. And had been there for the aftermath. “I can’t … not with anyone.”
“But she’s your mate. Surely it wouldn’t happen again. Not with her.”
“I can’t risk it.” His hands tightened into fists.
“That was a long time ago,” Gabriel pointed out. “It has to be better by now, right? Your animal—”
“Is exactly the same.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Nothing’s changed.”
“But you said you were better.”
“I am … except for that.” How could he even begin to explain to Gabriel what it was like? “I can’t go through it again, and not with her. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I hurt her.”
“But—”
“If there was even a chance I could harm her, I don’t want to take it. Would you?”
“I wouldn’t just leave her, not without giving it a chance.” Gabriel scratched at his head. “For God’s sake, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You don’t get another mate.”
“She’s human, she’ll get over it. Hell, she doesn’t even know. She still has a chance to find a husband and have kids.” The Demon did not like that one bit and clawed at him, making him grit his teeth in pain.
“But—”
“But what about you?” Damon really didn’t want to fight with Gabriel again, but he was pushing again. “If you found your mate but she wasn’t a lioness your eldest sister picked? Would you give up everything for her?”
Gabriel’s jaw hardened. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“For one thing, you deserve happiness after everything you’ve gone through.”
Now that stunned him into silence.
“You don’t want to bond with her?” Gabriel said. “Fine. Stay away then, and stop hurting her because you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you change your mind, I’m going to the Winter Carnival with J.D. and Anna Victoria. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll find someone else who’ll take care of her and cherish her the way she deserves.” With that, he turned around and stomped off.
Goddamn my fucking life!
It was hard to breathe, hard to think. The Demon was furious at him, but it wasn’t trying to take over. No, it wanted him to go to her, and claim her and bond with her.
But he couldn’t do it. Not after what happened the last time.
The Demon roared at him in denial and shook its block head, as if saying, no, we won’t harm her. I promise.
His heart slammed into his rib cage. The Demon had never done that before. Never promised him anything. Violence was its usual form of communication and bargaining. It never wanted anything as much as it wanted Anna Victoria, and it was as if it finally understood what had to be done.
But, could he risk it?
Chapter Eight
“Wow,” Anna Victoria exclaimed as she looked at the sights around her. “This is amazing. I’m so glad you brought me here.”
“It’s only the second year they’ve done it,” J.D. said. “But it was such a big success the first time, I guess the businesses decided t
o bring it back. It’s a great way to get people to go out and spend after the holidays.”
The Blackstone Winter Carnival was in full swing, and Main Street was dressed to the nines. The road was closed to vehicles, and various booths lined the street, selling everything from handcrafted winter wear to homemade baked goods and hot drinks. It was crowded, and everyone was in good spirits. Couples walked by holding hands, families flitted from booth to booth excitedly. As if on cue, snow began to flitter down from the sky.
“It’s so magical.” Anna Victoria closed her eyes, taking in the clean scent of the cold air.
“There’s no snow where you come from?” J.D. asked.
“We do get snow,” she explained. “Albuquerque’s actually a desert in high elevation, but around this time, we’ll get one to two inches the whole month. Less than ten the entire season.”
J.D. guffawed. “The whole month? You should have been here two weeks ago! We saw a record snowfall. Over thirty inches high up in the mountains, I think.”
“Wow.”
“C’mon.” J.D. dragged her toward one of the booths. “I want to try this hot chocolate wine.”
“Ooh, I’m in!” Thank goodness her paycheck finally came through yesterday. It was a relief, finally having some money to spare. It wasn’t much, but she was able to set aside half of her rent, plus, she could afford to splurge on a few treats tonight. They lined up at the booth, chatting as they waited their turn.
“Hey, J.D.! Nice to see you here.”
“Kate, you made it out! Glad to see you, too.” J.D. greeted the woman who had come up to them. “Is that Sofia?” She nodded at the dark-haired child bundled up in winter gear at her hip. “She’s so big.”
“Yeah, she’s getting big, my girl.” She kissed the baby on the cheek, making her laugh. Sofia grabbed a handful of her mother’s dark blonde locks which were tipped with aqua green and matched the studded jewel on her nose.
“By the way, Kate, this is Anna Victoria.”
“Oh, so you’re Anna Victoria. J.D.’s told me all about you.” She held out her free hand. “Kate Caldwell-Thalassa. It’s a mouthful, I know, but I didn’t want to totally get rid of my maiden name. My husband’s kind of traditional, so we compromised.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “And this is my daughter, Sofia.” The adorable baby giggled when Kate bounced her up and down.
“Hello, Sofia. And nice to meet you, too, Kate.” She looked slyly at J.D. “What did J.D. tell you about me?”
“All good stuff,” she said. “Actually, I’m glad we bumped into each other. If you guys don’t have anywhere to be, we should go have a chat with the others.”
“Others?” Anna Victoria asked.
“Yeah, we can come with you.” J.D. winked at her. “Trust me.”
With a shrug, she followed J.D. and Kate toward the parking lot behind the diner. Half of the space had been converted to a dining area with picnic tables scattered around. They headed over to one of the tables where a couple of women were sitting down, chatting and laughing as they sipped their drinks.
“Look who I found!” Kate exclaimed.
“Hey, guys,” J.D. greeted. “Oomph, it’s been a while. All your kids are growing like weeds!”
Two of the women held children in their laps. One of them was a pretty blonde woman who was wrangling a rambunctious older boy. “Tell me about it. I can’t keep my eye off Devon for a second or else.” She grimaced, then looked up at Anna Victoria. “Hello there, have we met?”
“Oh, sorry!” J.D. said. “Girls, this is Anna Victoria. Anna Victoria, these are the girls,” she announced with a chuckle.
“Hi, everyone,” she greeted.
“That’s Catherine, Devon’s mama,” J.D. began. “You’ve met Catherine’s husband, Matthew.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Lennox,” she said.
“Please, it’s Catherine,” she said. Her accent was posh and refined. “So, you’re Anna Victoria. You were at the ranger station, right? I’ve heard about you from Matthew.”
“I owe your husband a lot. I’m sure he’s told you how he helped me get my job.”
J.D. continued. “And beside her is Christina,” she nodded to the other blonde.
“You’re twins.” Her gaze ping-ponged between them.
Christina laughed. “At least our husbands aren’t here, though I still can’t believe people think they’re twins.” Catherine nodded in agreement.
“Christina is married to Jason Lennox, Matthew’s twin brother,” Kate explained.
Anna Victoria was introduced to the two remaining women—a pretty, petite brunette named Georgina Lennox who was also married to a Lennox brother, and Amelia Grimes, who held a sleeping, angel-faced baby boy named James.
“Where’s Dutchy?” J.D. asked, glancing around.
“You know, I haven’t seen her around.” Christina tapped at her chin. “But I’m sure she’s busy with work. Anyway,” she scooted over and motioned for Anna Victoria to join her while J.D. sat next to Georgina. “J.D. tells me you’re a fitness instructor.”
Her head whipped toward J.D. “You told them that?”
“You got your B.A. and all the certifications. And you led me through that awesome yoga workout. You’re an instructor, hon.” J.D. proclaimed. “This is the idea I was telling you about at the park last week. I talked to the girls,” she gestured at the women at the table, who all nodded along, “and we want you to start yoga, Pilates, and fitness classes. We’ll be your first clients, and eventually you can open up classes to other people in Blackstone.”
“But Blackstone’s a shifter town,” she protested. “Everyone here’s super fit. Would anyone even want to take classes with me?”
“I’m not a shifter,” Georgina said. “And neither are Catherine and Christina.”
“I could use some exercise,” Catherine said. “Soon I’ll be running after a dragonling who can fly.” She nodded at Devon, who was now trying to grab at all the glasses on the table.
“And I haven’t been to yoga in forever,” Christina added. “My job’s demanding, and the nearest studio is all the way in Verona Mills. I don’t have time to drive there and back.”
“Even though I’m a shifter, my neck and back still ache after a couple of hours at the drafting table,” Amelia said. “A yoga workout could help me out.”
“But where would we have it?” Anna Victoria bit her lip. “I don’t have a place.”
“We can do it at the castle,” Catherine said. “It’ll be great.”
“The castle?” Anna Victoria asked. “There’s a castle here?”
Catherine chuckled. “Yeah, Blackstone Castle. There should be enough space in the ballroom and it has a gorgeous view of the mountains. Just tell me what you need. Mats or towels or whatever, and I’m sure I can find some in storage somewhere.”
“It’ll be great,” J.D. assured her. “Imagine, charge each one of us a reasonable amount for the class, you can earn some good money.”
Anna Victoria was speechless. If she could get a couple of people to pay a minimum amount that could be enough to earn some extra cash. And then maybe eventually she could quit the job at the ranger station. “Th-thank you guys. I’ve only ever taught during my certification exams, but I won’t let you down.”
Everyone seemed happy and encouraging, and she asked them about what else they wanted to learn and their expectations. She felt giddy at the thought that she was actually going to do something she was good at and get paid for it.
“I’m starving. I’m going to go and get some food,” she declared a while later. “I might head over to the pretzel stand. Can I get you guys something?”
When no one asked for anything, she got up and headed back toward Main Street. Hmmm, where was that pretzel stand? They had only briefly passed by it, but she remembered it might have been in front of the hardware store.
Turning back toward Main Street, she saw that it was even more crowded than it had been earlier. So, she decided to
take a shortcut behind the book store and loop around.
She clutched her coat tighter as she darted between two buildings. There were no street lamps to illuminate the empty lot, but there was enough reflected light from Main Street that she wasn’t completely blind. Even so, there was an eerie quality about being alone out here.
A shiver ran down her spine. What the—
Her heart hammered in her chest as goosebumps rose on her arms. Swallowing hard, she glanced around. It was like there were eyes on her, watching her, but there was no one else here. But for some reason, her instincts were telling her to run.
Spinning on her heel, she made a mad dash toward Main Street. But something solid blocked her way and a pair of hands grabbed at her arms.
She screamed. “Get away from me!” Panic tightened her chest, and her muscles locked up. Oh God, she’d been too complacent. Let her guard down because Blackstone felt like a sleepy little town where nothing happened. And now she was in danger. Tears prickled at her eyes.
“Stop. Stop! Anna Victoria, it’s me.”
That voice …
A dizzy spell threatened to overwhelm her and her knees went weak.
“Breathe. C’mon, sweetheart, breathe for me.”
And she did. Opened her mouth and took in a big gulp. And then another. And one more until she felt somewhat normal again. “I … Damon?” Was she hallucinating? No, she wasn’t. It really was him. Joy and relief sparked in her chest as the tightness ebbed away. “What are you doing here?”
“Are you all right?” His mouth pulled back in a tight line. “You’re shaking. Are you crying? What’s the matter? What scared you?”
“It’s … it’s nothing. I—” Oh. His arms wound around her and pulled her to his chest. Damon’s body heat permeated through her coat and her clothes, and an odd, calming sensation ran through her. Memories of last week’s kiss came rushing back in her mind, but she didn’t mind. Not when she felt safe.
“I saw you running; you looked like you’d seen a ghost,” he murmured into her hair. “What happened?”
Blackstone Ranger Chief Page 9
