by Thorne, Elle
There was only one option.
Gabriel Bonegate. He searched through his contact list until he found Bonegate’s Bonepile, the name of Gabe’s junkyard, though Jared knew it was actually Gabe’s cell phone the call was routed to.
The line rang once then picked up.
“Jared,” Gabe said by way of greeting.
“Hey,” Jared started.
A low moan from Darby pulled his attention. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, her face in a grimace which seemed to be borne of pain.
“What’s going on?” Gabe’s voice was calm on the other end of the line.
Calm was the last thing Jared could feel at that moment. She needed help. “I could use a hand with something.”
“This involve the woman from the other night? She still hurt?”
Jared cleared his throat. “No. She’s—shit. She’s hurt again. Fell down the side of Seeker’s Spot.”
“Damn. Well, I didn’t figure she’d have healed from the other night anyway.”
This made Jared wonder if she’d lost her balance and fell because of hitting her head on the window in his truck. That shouldn’t be the case; shifters healed fast.
His wolf howled in the recesses of his thoughts, reminding him he couldn’t find her wolf. She couldn’t have healed without her wolf.
Then where the hell is her wolf? he asked his inner beast. Why didn’t it heal her?
His own animal went silent.
Just freaking great. Did he know and he wasn’t saying? Or was the animal in the dark as much as he was?
“Jared.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Can you help me out? I can’t take her to Crooked Arrow. She’s from another pack. The implications would not go over very well for Keith.”
“I’m on the way. I’m bringing Devil.”
What the hell was Devil?
Not much after, a blood-red extended cab pickup came roaring through the flatlands and pulled up at the entrance to Seeker’s Spot. In his usual attire—duster and pulled down hat—Gabe stepped out. It occurred to Jared now who Gabe reminded him of. A giant-sized version of Stevie Ray Vaughan with that hat. It brought to mind something Luke had said once; he’d wondered what the hell Gabriel Bonegate was. After seeing him behead a wolf shifter during a skirmish, one thing Jared knew for sure—Bonegate was hell on wheels with a machete.
Gabe opened the back door and pulled out a stretcher, making short work of the distance to them with long strides. He paused over her, evaluating her injuries. He lifted one of her eyelids.
“Something about her,” Gabe said. “Something strange.”
“How so?” Jared wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell Gabe about how his wolf couldn’t sense hers. He felt like he’d be betraying her by revealing it, though a part of him wondered what Gabe’s answer would be.
Gabe shrugged. “Let’s get her on the stretcher.”
“Where are we taking her? You got a place?” Jared didn’t want to tell Gabe he was hoping he had a place better than the Bonepile, with its dilapidated, torn up mobile homes and crushed cars. “The Bonepile?” He almost cringed at the thought of Darby recuperating there.
“Nah. Can’t do the Bonepile. Not right now.”
“What are you thinking?” Of course, it only served to spur more curiosity about it. Why not the Bonepile? What was going on there?
“There’s a cabin on the river. About a mile from Judd’s.”
“Yeah. I’ve seen it. Who does it belong to?” The place was just off Crooked Arrow property. Somehow, the cabin and a few acres of land had been sliced out, but the owner was never discussed.
“Used to belong to your grandfather,” Gabe said, eyes hidden by the shadow from the hat’s brim, a close-lipped smile on his face as he pointed at Jared.
“And now?”
“It’s mine.” Gabe moved the stretcher into place. “Ready?”
There had to be a story behind why his grandfather would have carved out a measure of land and a cabin and given it to Gabe. “Yeah.”
They lifted her carefully and placed her on the pallet. Gabe strapped her in. “Let’s get her in the Devil.”
Chapter Ten
Darby stretched her arms then her legs. A stabbing pain in her right ankle made her yelp. She glanced down. A bandage held her leg in place, but not enough to keep her from feeling the pain from trying to move.
She glanced around. Where the hell was she? This was not Jared’s place. It wasn’t where she woke up the first time. And she found herself dumbstruck because, for the second time, she was awakening in a strange place.
Half-log walls, flat timber ceiling with dark-wood beams, and timber-trimmed windows. A hanging egg chair in the corner. A wood slab table with matching short benches perched next to the egg chair. The wall to the right was a window wall with tree trunks framing the glass. Through the door on the right, she could see an antique porcelain tub. Flames and embers were nestled in a stone fireplace in the corner.
A genuine log cabin, she realized. “All that’s missing is an antler chandelier.”
“It could be arranged,” said a voice from very nearby.
Too nearby for comfort. She whirled around, or tried to, which mostly seemed like she was craning her neck, and stared at the man sitting in a chair, out of sight until she had twisted into this ungodly angle. “W-wh-who are you?”
“Jared called me. Seems you took a fall.” He rose to his feet, coming closer. His hat was low, covering his eyes. He wore a duster over a black shirt and jeans.
“Where’s Jared?” Shouldn’t she be panicked? Concerned? Freaked out? And yet she wasn’t. There was something about the man that instilled a sense of comfort and safety.
“He ran out to Crooked Arrow to get your car. You’re at my cabin, not too far from there. He shifted into his wolf to go there, then he’ll drive it back. He figured you’d want your things, maybe a change of clothes. So, he mentioned your name is Darby Masters.”
She nodded, guilt weighing heavy on her mind at lying about her surname.
“And you’re from Oregon. Sumpter area. That’s Pete Moore’s group. The Silver Peaks pack. You affiliated with them? Is that your pack? By the way, I’m Gabriel Bonegate.”
She nodded. At least, that much was true, but his line of questioning was hitting too close to home. Gabriel Bonegate. The name didn’t ring any bells. He didn’t seem to be a shifter. But he was something.
“So, why is it you can’t shift?” He tipped his hat back, tilted his head, so his eyes were revealed.
She flinched at the question. It hit way too close to home. Then she startled at the sight of those atypical flat-gray irises. No lines, no striations. Simply a flat-gray pool surrounding a black iris. What was he? Who had eyes like his? What sort of being?
She turned her head away, unwilling to discuss the matter.
“I’m guessing you haven’t shared your status with Jared?” he probed further. “I think the question would be, why haven’t you?”
She studied the view from the window wall.
“Incidentally, when Jared brought your bag in, this fell out.”
She snapped her head toward Gabriel Bonegate then gasped when she saw the vial of Ellie’s love potion in his very large hand. “Give me that.”
He uncapped it and took a smell. His eyes narrowed to a squint, lancing her with a piercing stare. He brought the hat’s brim back down, hiding his gaze. “Care to explain why you have this?”
The creaking of the cabin’s door—front door?—opening interrupted their conversation.
“I’ll let you explain it to him.” He pocketed the vial and stepped out of the room just as Jared entered.
“I’d say she’ll be fine once her leg heals up. I don’t suggest she climb up any more hillsides, though,” Gabriel Bonegate told Jared. “I’m heading back to Bonepile. You know where to reach me if you need anything. I’ll make sure the side-by-side gets back to Crooked Arrow.”
“I already told David about it. He’ll
grab another hand and go get it. He’s bringing it here.” Jared held his hand out. “Thanks for your help.”
Gabriel Bonegate tossed a glance at Darby—she cringed—then he left her sight, and the sound of the door opening and closing with a soft click followed.
“Hey.” Jared stepped closer, looking better than a man should. “You had me worried there. Guess we’re lucky Gabe’s adept at some medic stuff.”
“Yes, lucky.” Not so lucky. He held the key to her secret. What would Jared think about the love potion? Would he hate her? What if he knew why she used it? What her ulterior motive was. It was one thing if she’d done it because she merely wanted to get laid, but no, that wasn’t it at all. She was here to spy on Jared’s people.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been asleep forever.”
“You were out for two days.”
“What?” She couldn’t believe it. How could she have? Her stomach rumbled. She grabbed her midriff and managed a smile which she was sure probably appeared more like a grimace, she was so embarrassed at the loudness.
“Clearly, your stomach knows how long it’s been. Hang tight. I’ll whip up some eggs and bacon.”
A man who cooks. Be still my beating heart.
“Oh, and I have something for you. Gabe brought these a couple of days ago.” He reached around the doorway and brought out a pair of crutches. “He said he thinks it’s just a bad sprain and you’ll be fine in a few days. But until then…” He held them up high. “These will come in handy.”
She turned toward the window so he wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. God, she was going to betray him and his pack? She hated herself fiercely at that moment.
“After you’ve eaten, I’ll set you up with a movie. Then I need to go out and check on Vix.” He glanced at his phone. “She’s going to need feeding pretty soon.”
“Have you been able to take care of her while I was out?”
“Yeah. Gabe kept an eye on you when I would go check in on her and the kits.”
“How’s she doing?” Darby’s thoughts traveled back to Seeker’s Spot and the beauty of the ravine, the way Jared had been with the foxes. It seemed like a lifetime ago. When she was a different person. Now, she didn’t like who she was all that much. She certainly wasn’t worthy of Jared’s friendship. “I have a question.”
He brought the crutches closer, held them out to her. “I’ll bring a bag from your car. I imagine you’d like to freshen up, get some normalcy back.”
Normalcy. She’d never had normalcy to begin with. The offspring of a shifter alpha, but not a real shifter herself. She was a shifter-recessive, with no wolf of her own. She was flawed, unwanted by her father’s pack. She’d never known her mother. Abandoned ages ago by the human female who’d been with the alpha. She was raised by random females in the pack as they tried to get her father’s affections. When they realized he didn’t care for her, they quit trying, too. One by one, she was rejected by almost everyone except Ellie. She was treated like a bastard child by most. Though she did have a relationship with her other half-sisters and half-brothers, they were careful not to let their feelings be seen in public. They didn’t want Peter Moore to see they had shown her any respect or warmth.
“You okay?” Jared had the crutches perched for her to hobble toward, but his face was filled with worry.
She still hadn’t spoken the question she had on her mind. “I was wondering why you didn’t take me back to Crooked Arrow instead of bringing me here.”
He ran his thumb over his perfectly kissable lips. Stop it, she chastised herself. There was no way he’d be interested in her. Not after the way she planned to betray him. Had planned, she reminded herself, wondering if she could even consider going through with that ever again. If she could betray him.
“You said you’re from Sumpter. It’s Peter Moore’s territory. Silver Peaks pack. He’s a territory-hungry son of a bitch. If word got out, he’d take any excuse to bring his mangy wolves—” He noticed her flinching at the word mangy and said, “Sorry. I don’t mean you, but…” A shrug. “He’d use it as an excuse to try to take Crooked Arrow from us. So, I figured it would be best if you recuperated here, privately, rather than risk having word get out and heat being brought down on my brother.”
“Makes sense.” She latched onto the crutches and followed him out of the bedroom, into a large room with a kitchenette in the corner. This part of the cabin was just as authentic as the bedroom. More half-log walls, flat timber ceiling with dark-wood beams, and timber-trimmed windows. A super-sized version of the wood slab table in the bedroom, with matching long benches perched. A leather sofa and loveseat. A flat-screen TV. Nice amenity. And again, a total window wall with tree trunks framing the glass giving a nice view of the river.
He was right about her father. He loved nothing more than getting an excuse to launch attacks on other shifters so he could gain their territory. And it was exactly what she’d been planning to give him. An excuse to attack—be it in person, with fangs and claws or through legal shifter means—by giving him the upper hand with dirt on the Crooked Arrow pack.
“It’s a nice cabin,” she commented.
“It used to be my grandfather’s.”
“So you’re related to Gabr—Gabe? Was that how he ended up with the cabin?”
“Nah. I’m not sure how it all came to be.” He helped her to a seat at the bench, facing the kitchen, and he proceeded to take out an iron skillet and to put on a kettle. “Tea? Or coffee?”
“What are you having?” She felt awkward, having him wait on her and serve her when she held such deception in her heart.
“Neither. I’ve already had my dose of caffeine for the morning.” He dropped three slices of bacon on one half of the skillet.
“Tea then, since you’ve got the kettle going already.”
He cracked a couple of eggs into the other side of the cast iron. “Over medium? So they’re not snotty?” He glanced up from the skillet, and her breath caught. His eyes were a crystalline blue, the sun’s rays from the tall window catching them, making them glow. The sunshine highlighted his physique. The way his muscles popped out against the thermal he was wearing, two buttons undone, giving just enough a glimpse of pecs to make a woman—this woman, specifically—feel the same sexual attraction toward him that she’d felt the night they met. The same fascination that had not waned an iota. She swallowed her desire down softly, trying to keep the sound away from his shifter hearing.
Moments later, an English Breakfast tea bag steeping in an oversized tan mug, a plate of bacon and eggs, with two toasted and buttered slices of bread, and her eyes were rolling in the back of her head with delight at the decadent meal. And to think, it was just breakfast, but it tasted like heaven.
Jared slipped outside then returned with her traveling bag. “Here’s this. The side-by-side’s outside, so I’m going to check on Vix.” He reached into the refrigerator and pulled several packages of meat out. “Help yourself to whatever you need. Shower’s in the bedroom. Make yourself at home. The TV has cable. I’ll be back in an hour, maybe two.”
Darby wondered if she could get into her car and manage to drive it with her ankle the way it was. She really had no business being in this place. She had no business accepting his kindness.
Chapter Eleven
Jared stepped outside and around the back where the ATV awaited. Next to it stood Gabe. He hadn’t told her Gabe had brought it back. She seemed uncomfortable about the big man’s presence, so he’d thought she didn’t need to hear anything which made her feel that way when she should be recuperating so she—
What? So she could return home?
The thought saddened him. Not that he didn’t want her to get better, but the idea she’d leave… It didn’t sit well with him. Because if she returned to Oregon, she’d probably end up finding a mate up there. Silver Peaks shifters tended to mate within their own ranks. He was surprised a beautiful shifter like her hadn’t a
lready been snapped up.
“What’re you doing?” he asked Gabe. “I told David to bring the ATV.”
“Yeah. I ran into them there. Let them know I’d be helping you out.” Gabe planted himself in the passenger side. Adjusted his hat, then peered toward Jared. “You’re driving, right?”
“Yeah.” Jared threw Vix’s lunch into the back in a large rear rack open cargo container.
They rode in silence, traversing the flatlands. In the distance, the Iron Flats Mesa made a stark backdrop. A solitary wolf on top observed them. Even from this distance, he recognized Luke, watching over the herd, Jared was sure. That shifter loved those horses. At the foot of the mesa, another ATV with a curly-haired blonde was taking pictures of Rocco and his mares. She waved at Jared. He waved back, though the whole human thing made his wolf growl.
He noticed Gabe watching him and turned his attention back to the path. What was on the big man’s mind? Not long after, they were at Seeker’s Spot.
“You coming?” Jared jumped out and grabbed the bag of meat.
“I’m good.” Gabe stepped off the side-by-side and leaned against it.
Again, he was left questioning why the man wanted to ride with him. Was there something he wanted to say? He glanced back, but all he could see of Gabe’s face was his jawline. And it seemed to be relaxed, as though they were just two friends, out in the country, running an errand.
