by Abby Niles
Her eyes were gorgeous. Green with flecks of gold. Expressive, too. And so innocent under her tough-cop exterior.
Why had he never noticed that before?
“Thank you for finding me, Britton.”
Clearing his throat, he shook his head lightly. “Yeah, well, I thought about letting the mountain lions have you, but I figured the High Council would frown upon that.”
Keep it light.
Her answering chuckle was exactly what he needed to hear, and the tension inside him finally eased. After bandaging the cut, he said, “Let’s see if you can stand.”
He rose and gently helped her to her feet. When she swayed and tilted, he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her close to his body. She looked up at him. The air between them changed, became thicker, as he stared down at her upturned lips.
Holy hell.
He wanted to kiss her. To feel her mouth fused to his, and the soft puff of her breath meld with his own.
Shaking the crazy notion aside, he moved away from her. Man, her disappearing act had really fucked with his head. He was thinking all kinds of insane shit, but wanting to kiss Val Calhoun was downright madness.
“You think you can walk now?” he asked, looking back at her again.
She refused to meet his gaze. “Yeah.”
She had taken no more than a couple of steps before her knees buckled. He lunged forward, grabbing her before she fell, then swept her up in his arms.
“You can’t carry me all the way down the mountain, Britton,” she protested, wriggling to get down.
“Yesterday I would have agreed with you, but not now.”
It was like carrying nothing more than a feather. He felt no strain or exertion, and he walked easily with her. His sense of smell and his strength had returned. He couldn’t contain his smile. Dea, it felt great.
“What are you so happy about?” she asked grumpily.
Glancing down at her, he was surprised by her quick intake of breath. “What?”
The muscle in her jaw worked. “Women swoon over those blue eyes of yours, but if they ever saw the violet ones they’d keel right over.”
He blinked. What was up with that animal? Normally it wasn’t so keen to blaze its existence through his eyes. Most likely everything inside him was still off-kilter, making his transition back to full-blown shifter precarious. When would it all straighten out? How long would it be before he could shift?
“Ah,” she murmured, understanding. “You’re getting all your abilities back. No wonder you’re happy.”
And he was. Happier than he’d thought possible. He’d spent years convincing himself that it wasn’t a big deal being merely human. But after feeling his beast move within him, he had to acknowledge how much he’d missed this. It. And now he had it back.
Temporarily.
His smile evaporated.
Her face softened. “I’m sorry, Britton. It’s so unfair.”
He didn’t even have to tell her why his mood had suddenly changed. She just knew.
He lifted a philosophical shoulder. “Might as well enjoy it while I have it. But the serum hasn’t worked completely yet. I still can’t shift.”
“How do you know?”
“I wanted to heal your injuries from the fall, but I couldn’t shift. Couldn’t do it.”
He still wanted to heal her, to keep her safe. He’d do anything to protect her.
He stumbled over his feet and had to catch himself before he face-planted.
Holy crap. Where in the hell had that thought come from?
Chapter Six
Dr. Miles Bradley flicked a penlight across Val’s pupils and straightened. “Dilating nicely. You knocked your head pretty good and that headache you have will probably last a while, but you’re in the clear. I’d take it easy tomorrow, though.”
Val refrained from rolling her eyes. First, because it hurt like heck, and second, well, as if taking it easy was going to happen. When Britton had called in about her injury after she’d insisted he put her down to rest for a minute, Harwood had a conniption, as expected. Britton hadn’t backed down though, saying if the councilman wouldn’t let them make the ten-mile trip to see Miles Bradley, he was taking her back into Carnal Ridge to the hospital instead, knowing the council didn’t want Val back in town until this case was solved. Val was supposed to be out of town,and he was supposed to be home in bed hurt. The bluff worked. The elder then made arrangements for Miles to meet them at the cabin to check her out.
It seemed the High Council could be backed into a corner. Who’d have thought?
The doctor pocketed his penlight. “I know you’re on an assignment, Val, but seriously, take it easy tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure she does,” Britton said, straightening from the doorjamb.
Miles glanced over his shoulder. “Good.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Val asked. “You did drive all the way out here.”
A muscle tensed in Britton’s jaw, confusing her. What was his issue with Miles? The shifter doctor was an icon in their community. He ran the Bradley Clinic, a medical facility about an hour outside of Carnal Ridge. Though he also worked with humans, he had the perfect setup in the center’s basement for whatever might ail a shifter.
Heck, Britton had gotten along just fine with the doctor when they’d taken Liam’s mate, Ava, there a couple of months ago. Val had always thought he and Miles were friends.
The doctor sent her a dimpled smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I have to get back to the clinic. Rain check, maybe?”
Was that a hint of interest in his tone? Most of their previous interaction had been while she was on a case and she’d been focused on the task at hand, but she stopped now and assessed the man, not the doctor. He really was good-looking. Datable. Square jaw. Wavy brown hair that made his light blue eyes pop, but they weren’t that electrifying, bright blue like Britton’s. Shame.
She blinked. Where had that thought come from?
Britton cleared his throat and stepped between them. “I don’t think we’ll be here long enough for that.”
The other man’s brows drew together and his gaze bounced between the two of them. Yeah, this had to be a bit confusing for Miles. The last time the doctor had seen her and Britton together had been just after they found Liam and had brought Ava into the clinic. Val and Britton had fought like cats and dogs that day. And every day since, for that matter. Until yesterday.
“If anything changes, call me immediately,” Miles instructed, handing her his card.
Britton snatched it from her fingers and herded the doctor to the door, almost stepping on him in his eagerness to get rid of the guy. What the heck?
When Miles was gone, Britton turned to her and said, “How about a bath?”
She rubbed one of her sore shoulders. “That sounds nice.”
Nodding, he went into the bedroom. A few seconds later the sound of running water drifted into the room. Okay, this was just bizarre. Why was he being so sweet?
Even stranger…Britton had wanted to heal her.
That thought had popped up constantly in her mind over the last two hours. Sounding just as implausible as when it’d come out of his mouth.
Not that a shifter wanting to heal was anything unusual. It was one of the more remarkable abilities their kind had. But to hear Britton say he wanted to heal her injury had been…well, shocking. Other than her brothers and her daddy, she’d never had a shifter want to heal her. And even though Britton hadn’t been able to follow through, his desire to do so had warmed her.
Not to mention how she’d wanted more than anything to feel the rough texture of his beast’s tongue glide over her wound. The mere thought made her shiver.
She was literally a jumble of new feelings she had no idea what to do with. The violet of his beast had sent her heart racing. The way he’d stared at her mouth as if he’d wanted to kiss her had rendered her incapable of drawing breath. And now he was doting on her like a de
voted boyfriend.
It was truly surreal.
As he came out of the bedroom, she tentatively stood.
“How’s your head?” he asked.
She touched her temple. “The pain reliever Miles gave me is kicking in, so it’s better.”
The moment the other man’s name came out of her mouth, Britton’s lips pinched together.
She brushed aside his odd behavior. No way was it jealousy, even though it sure looked like it. The last few hours had simply taken its toll on both of them. Most likely he was as exhausted as she was, and just as irritable.
Shuffling toward him, she winced at the stiffness in her muscles. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow.”
His face relaxed. “The bath is ready. Take a long one, it’ll help with the aches.”
The softness in his voice gave her pause, and before she could stop it, she murmured, “Everything has changed, hasn’t it?”
He had the decency not to pretend he didn’t know what she was asking. “Yeah. It has. I had a huge lightbulb moment yesterday while I watched you cope with your limitations.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve never been anything but an asshole to you.”
The corner of her lip lifted. “I’ve been a pretty big bitch to you, too.”
“But I provoked it. I didn’t give you a chance, Val. I came at you from day one with my teeth bared, which was really shitty of me. If one thing has come out of all of this, it’s that realization. I’m really sorry for the way I’ve treated you. It was unfair, and it won’t happen anymore.”
“You’re not the only one who had an epiphany yesterday, Britton. I’m sorry, too. For everything I ever said to you. I might have done it out of being provoked, but I could’ve targeted your hair or clothes, or your womanizing ways. What I focused on was something that was deeply a part of you, and every nasty remark I made must only have increased those negative feelings you had about yourself.” She bit her lip. “I-It’s why you always ended up storming off furious, wasn’t it? I made you feel worse.”
He regarded her. “How about we don’t play the blame game? We each take responsibility for our part in the turbulent past we’ve shared, and promise that as of this moment, that past is behind us.” He held out his hand. “Friends, Val?”
“Friends,” she agreed with a soft smile.
She slipped her hand into his to shake, and his eyes immediately went violet. Mouth going dry, she froze. Dea, it was breathtaking to see his beast overtake his gaze.
As she tugged at her hand, she was shocked when his hold tightened, refusing to release her. So they stood there, staring at each other, him gripping her hand in his. Finally, he cleared his throat, jerked his hand away, and crossed the room.
The tension in the room heightened and she could still feel the pressure of his fingers wrapped around hers and the heat of his skin against hers, still see the magnificent glow of his preternatural eyes staring down at her. Flexing her fingers, she let out a slow breath.
“I-I’m going to take that bath now.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll start something for dinner.”
Nodding, she closed herself in the bedroom.
Dea. When had things become so damn complicated between them?
…
Britton stared at the wood floor. The moment Val’s hand had slipped into his, he’d wanted to tug her forward, press her curves against his, and kiss the hell out of her.
Maybe he should just do it. Get it over with, and shatter this awkward, unbidden attraction he was feeling. Why the hell was he suddenly finding her so frickin’ appealing?
Maybe it was exactly what he’d said to her. Maybe in laying the past to rest, he was finally seeing her as Val Calhoun. The woman. Not the bitch on wheels.
Unfortunately, he was also seeing what a damn attractive woman she was. He hadn’t liked how Miles had looked at her, how he wanted a “rain check.” Yeah, Britton knew what kind of rain check he had in mind. The doctor’s reputation was as bad as Britton’s, and Val deserved better than that.
Wait.
He shook his head. She deserved better?
Man, his mind had jumped on the loco train. He and Val had just decided to be friends. Now he thought he knew what she deserved?
The loco train had just sped by the sanity station.
If she wanted to go out with the doctor, then what the fuck did he care? Maybe a wild romp would do her good.
A violent growl vibrated in his chest. What the hell? Unsettled by his beast’s sudden rage, he went into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets to find something for dinner. He settled on making elbow macaroni with Italian dressing. He grabbed cans of diced tomatoes, black olives, and mushrooms. He’d usually fry up some boneless chicken breasts and add to it, but the general store only carried nonperishables.
After putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, he went to the table and opened the briefcase with the case files, grabbing the map inside.
He spread it out on the table. With a black marker, he circled the cabin where Charlie’s scent had been found. Then he marked out the area to the southwest, and circled the area to the northwest. He shaded in the areas they’d already searched.
There was still a ton of mountain left.
He peered at the map. The nearest city was about twenty miles away. But in the sparsely populated areas all around it were many backwoods hidey-holes. Nothing could be overlooked.
The bedroom door opened. Every instinct in him wanted to snap his head up and watch Val emerge, but he refused, keeping his focus firmly locked on the map.
“Find anything interesting?” she asked.
“Not really.” He used the marker to pinpoint an area. “Charlie’s scent was still strong when I turned around. I was here.” He picked up a fine-point pen and drew a line from the area of the abandoned cabin to where he’d stopped hiking. It was a perfect line toward the northwest. “Tomorrow, we’ll pick up where I stopped.” He tapped the pen against the area even farther up. “I have a feeling they have him somewhere in this region. No roads and all deep woods. They’re shifters so they’ll be able to sense our approach once we get within striking distance of them.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with a frown.
“They know you are on the case. If they’re smart, and I have a feeling they are, they’ll be scouting around seeing how close we’re getting to their hideout. Right now the only thing we have in our favor is the element of surprise—the fact that the council lifted my sentence. Once they get wind I’m involved, things could get more difficult.”
“Do you think they have anyone with a heightened sense of smell?”
Not liking the way his body tingled at the sound of her voice, he shrugged. “Our ability is rare. I highly doubt they can tell it’s my scent specifically they’re sniffing, and not just a shifter. Still, that doesn’t mean they aren’t keeping an eye on me. Just because I haven’t caught wind of a shifter watching me yet, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. We’re sticking to one trail. There are trees and all kinds of cliffs. Eyes could be anywhere.”
When she pulled a chair across from him, he stiffened. This time it wasn’t from nausea or the urge to retreat, but from a desire to reach across the table and take her hand—to touch her. He kept his attention firmly on the map and his fists clenched around the markers.
She dragged a pile of papers on the table toward her, then placed Charlie’s photo in the corner and the evidence bag with the blanket beside it. “Okay. We know this has to do with Samantha Mills,” she mused, touching the photo.
He nodded, but remained silent.
“The one group that was the most verbal about her conviction was MASK,” she continued. “Mutants Are Still Kids.”
He pulled back a chair and sat down, grabbing a notebook and pen to take notes, needing to keep his focus on anything but her. “I guess that makes sense.”
“They’ve always been vocal about their outrage at how the High Council treats th
e parents of mutated children. After Samantha Mills, their ranks really swelled. A lot of parents looked at their own child and had those ‘what ifs’ start to whirl around their heads.”
“Do you think MASK is involved in this?”
Val pursed her lips. “It seems a little too obvious, don’t you think? That’s the only thing that makes me hesitate about focusing on them. They have always been very peaceful. This doesn’t feel like their style.”
“Is it possible they saw that peaceful means weren’t working and decided to amp up their efforts?” he asked.
She waggled her head. “It’s always possible. But it still feels far-fetched. These parents just want their kids back. They are trying their best to get the laws changed from within the system, and without resorting to threats. I can’t see them using explosives to break into a council’s quarantine compound and exploiting the condition of one of the member’s children to get what they want. It’s not what MASK is about.”
He liked the way Val’s mind worked, sorting through every possible scenario and eliminating those that didn’t fit. “Then who?” he asked.
“I’m worried we’re dealing with a new underground group we’re unaware of.”
He nodded. Exactly what he’d thought. “Could Samantha’s family be involved?”
He shot a quick glance at her. The haphazard way she’d tossed her hair up in a ponytail sent a jolt of lust rocketing through him. Shocked at his out-of-the-blue reaction, he jerked his attention back to the paper and gulped. “What about”—he cleared his throat, mortified by the husky timbre to his words—“what about Samantha’s sister, the one who called the High Council and reported the child?”
Thank the Dea, this time his voice sounded normal.
“Riley Specter? I could see her spearheading something like this out of guilt. She had no idea what would happen when she turned her sister and the baby over to the council. After Samantha was sentenced, she flipped out in court. Spent a day in lockup.”
“What made Samantha confide in her sister in the first place?” he asked, relieved that Val hadn’t seemed to pick up on the rising heat coming from his side of the table—the heat she was unknowingly causing him to feel. Fuck.
