by Michelle Fox
"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?" Lia asked as she tracked the healer's movements.
"No, but I'm sure if I do this that she'll be free and clear of his hold on her. If I don't do it, we'll always wonder." She shot a dark look at Davian. "He could call you from anywhere at any time and you would have to go. Is that how you want to live your life?"
Adele looked at Davian with such longing that Lia's heart hurt. Bloodstained tears tracked down both her cheeks. "Don't you understand? I want to be with him. Please just let me go."
"No." Davian held up a hand. "Stay with your pack. I can't guarantee my safety let alone yours. To them, you're dead, remember? If we're seen together it will blow my cover. We still don't know who's behind the ring."
"What about after?" Adele's voice cracked. "When it's all over?"
"You'll have returned to your life." Davian stepped forward and cupped Adele's face with one hand. "I'm dead, not your mate."
A sob wracked her body. "I meant nothing to you, then?"
He leaned into Adele, pressing his forehead against hers. "I will always remember you. You're not nothing, but that's not enough. Not for us." He stepped away as she sagged in her chains, her sobs loud and gulping.
"Liar," she shrieked. A chorus of bats answered her.
Davian turned his back on Adele, but Lia saw the pain in his face. Walking away from her sister cost him.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" He gave her a surprised look.
"For saving her and letting her go." Davian wasn't half bad, she decided. He appeared to have a conscience, at least.
"The living are never ours to keep," he said with a bitter twist of his lips.
"So you're just going to disappear into the night?" Ryder crossed his arms, his biceps bulging. "This blood slave ring blows into town and tears up lives and that's it?
"I'll make a full report to your Pack Council. We had hoped to resolve this privately and with no harm done to any of yours, but—"
"Instead, it was a blood bath, "Ryder finished for him.
"Unfortunately, yes." Davian squared his shoulders. "I was too late to save anyone but Adele." He started to turn toward her, but caught himself and stayed facing Ryder.
Ryder ducked his head so he and the vampire were eye to eye. "If there's no report, I'm going to find you, understood?"
"Understood."
"Go. Do what you need to do."
Adele yelped and Davian closed his eyes at the sound. Then, with resolute steps, he walked away into the night which swallowed him up in its darkness.
"No." Adele threw her head back and keened. In the distance, another wolf answered, followed by yet more, all lifting their voice with hers until dozens shared her grief.
Lia had a flash of memory that crowded her vision and made her unsteady on her feet. She'd heard this before.
Ryder came and caught her elbow. "I've got you. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, just a strong memory." She leaned into him. "They howled like this for my parents. Someone told me that packs all up and down the west coast grieved with us." If she focused, she could hear the howls from back then. She could recall how comforting it had been to know the pack was with her.
"Shifters never mourn alone," Ryder said.
Her sister's howl cut off abruptly, replaced by a hissing gasp. While Lia had been caught up in remembering a new piece of her past, the healer had acted. She'd sliced Adele's flesh up and down the torso.
"What are you doing?" Lia went to jump between the healer and her sister, but Ryder held her back.
"Wait," he said.
Marie made a cut across Adele's throat. "We have to get rid of the bad blood."
Lia watched with alarm as blood went from dripping to running down her sister's body. "You'll kill her."
"No. I won't. I've never harmed anyone yet. Although some people might mistake the cure for intentional malice." She ran the knife across each of Adele's shoulders and then pointed to her stomach. "Look. She's already healing."
Sure enough, the wounds had started to close and the red hue to her sister's eyes had lightened. Lia relaxed a fraction. This wasn't like her injury, which had been brutal and violent enough to kill. The healer hadn't cut so deep that Adele's natural healing abilities couldn't cope.
"That's not to say she won't be weak and need to build her blood back up," said Marie as she bent down and wiped her knife clean in the grass. "But she'll be okay."
"How long do we have to leave her like this?"
"Once the wounds heal, you can take her down." The healer packed up her knives, sliding them into a piece of deer skin with loops sewn in for each knife. Rolling up the skin, she said, "As for me, it's been a big night for this old body. I'm going to bed. Feed her some of the bone broth when you come in. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, she trudged off and disappeared around the corner of the cabin. Lia began to tremble then as everything that had happened hit her.
"It's over," Ryder said, his voice gentle.
"We thought it was over before. Are you sure?" She rubbed her arms, cold despite the heat of the fire.
Ryder wrapped her into his warmth. "Yeah, I'm sure. We've run out of bad guys."
"The vampires from the blood slave ring got away."
"Yeah, but that's Davian's problem, not ours. We'll tell the other pack alphas what's what and good luck to any vamp stupid enough to try anything."
"You really think so?"
"I'm sure of it." He kissed the top of her head and swayed with her from side to side. Lia relaxed into him and drank in his musk. Ryder smelled like everything good in the world.
He gave her a little shake."Hey. I think your sister is ready."
Lia stepped away and went to check on her sister, who sagged, lifeless in her bonds. She'd either passed out or fallen asleep as she'd bled. Save for some dried blood on her skin, she had no signs of any wounds.
"I think we can take her inside now," Lia said as she removed the silver chain from one wrist. Ryder nodded and worked on freeing her sister's ankles.
"Do you think she's okay?" Lia checked for a pulse, relieved to find a strong one.
"She's been through a lot. I'm not sure I would be conscious." He cast away the chain that had been used to secure Adele's feet and rubbed his hands on his thighs.
"They injected you with silver and you still won an alpha challenge. I think you would be okay." She moved to Adele's other hand while Ryder held her sister up.
"Mason wasn't much of an alpha," Ryder said.
"True." The last chain came free and she let it drop to the ground. Her hands burned from the silver and copying Ryder, she rubbed her hands on her thighs.
Ryder picked up Adele and headed for the cabin. "Come on, let's go inside. I've had enough of tonight."
Lia jogged to catch up with him and grabbed her sister's hand when she moaned. "Shh. It's okay. I've got you." That seemed to reassure Adele who sank back into sleep.
This is my family, right here. My sister and Ryder, the only two people who matter.
Chapter Twenty-One
They bundled her sister in blankets and left her to sleep in the guest bedroom. Lia tried to offer her sister some bone broth, but she couldn't wake up enough to drink it. Even in sleep, the exhaustion ravaged her face with grey shadows and hollowed cheeks. Lia set a mug of the broth on the nightstand and left her to rest.
Fatigue pulled at her bones and muscles, trying its best to coax her to the nearest bed or the floor, if a bed wasn't handy. She pushed it away, sighing with the effort it took to keep going. Returning to the kitchen, she and Ryder both drank several cups of the bone broth, soaking up its heat.
After rinsing out their dishes, they crashed on the couch in the cabin's great room, one blanket stretched between them and leaning into each other, shoulder-to-shoulder. The large window opposite the couch slowly filled the room with light as the sun rose. She blinked against its brightness, her eyes heavy. She'd barely slep
t at all. Ryder stirred next to her and squinted out the window.
"Morning." He squeezed her close.
She nestled her head on his shoulder. "Morning."
Ryder scrubbed his face with his other hand. "Seems too early to be awake, doesn't it?"
"The sun's up."
"Morning," came the healer's melodic voice behind them. She stepped in front of the couch and extended her hand to Ryder. "Here."
"What is it?"
"The key to my parent's cabin. It's about a mile north."
"You want us to leave?" Lia bit her lip, worried about her sister. The last time she'd left Adele alone with the healer there'd been way too many knives involved.
"Not leave. Just find a comfortable bed. And some privacy." Marie's mouth quirked in a smile. "You two have a lot to...talk about."
"Go," croaked Adele as she shuffled into view. She clutched her blanket tight around her shoulders and the shadows under her eyes had deepened into actual bruises.
Lia threw off her blanket and went to her sister. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Tired. Really tired, but fine." Adele returned the hug Lia gave her. "There's no reason to watch me sleep. So take the key and go."
Lia looked at Ryder, torn. She wanted nothing more than to run off with the man who'd been her rock since she'd met him, but it all seemed too good to be true.
Ryder stood and accepted the key from the healer. "If you need us, just howl. We'll hear you."
"She'll be fine. Sheriff Garde will be by in a bit to take her statement. We won't be alone." The healer appeared to sense their concern as she moved into the kitchen and checked the pot on the stove. "He'll probably want to talk to you two as well. I would skedaddle while you can. Last night was hard on everyone. Sleep, rest, eat."
"Are you sure?" Lia whispered to her sister.
"You can stop saving me now. I'm good. I swear." She flashed a weak smile as she accepted the mug of bone broth Marie pressed into her hands. Looking into her cup, she said, "Although, the last time I drank something here things didn't go so well. Is this stuff safe?"
"We drank it last night and we're fine," said Lia.
"There's nothing in it but bones and water," said Marie.
"Okay. Just checking. I'm done with drugs and that includes being drugged." She took a tentative sip, which turned into greedy gulps. The gray pallor in her face faded, turning a pale pink.
"Last night was a one-time thing," said Marie.
"Did it work?" asked Lia.
The healer lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. "Time will tell. But I would expect so since the vampire also recanted his hold on her."
"All right. We'll be close," Lia said. "If you need me, I'm here."
Adele nodded. "I know. Love you, sis."
"Love you, too." They hugged each other tight. Then Lia took Ryder's hand, a broad smile on her face. "You ready?"
He grinned at her, a wicked amber light dancing in his whiskey eyes. "I've been ready since we met."
***
The cabin Marie had directed them to was tiny, but cozy. It consisted of one room with a bed, wood burning stove and a small table with chairs, both made of pine. There was no kitchen or bathroom. A ramshackle outhouse sat under a tree in the front yard while a small stream at the back provided water.
Ryder grabbed a bundle of wood from the cord stacked on the front porch and started a fire.
"I know it's summer, but I'm cold," Lia said.
"It's the stress. We've had a rough couple of days."
"You can say that again."
He shut the door to the wood stove and came to sit next to her on the bed. "It only gets better from here."
"It certainly can't get any worse."
"I sure hope not." He smiled at her.
She smiled back.
And the silence between them stretched out until it was awkward. She'd been thinking about him in the most carnal way since they'd met and now that she could actually do anything about it, she was all thumbs. Come on, Lia. Get it together.
"So." She drummed her hands on her thighs. "We met in a nursing home. How crazy is that?"
"Yeah, we did."
"And you bought me underwear before you even knew my name."
"I'd do it again if I had to."
"All of it?"
He brushed her hair aside and nuzzled her neck. "Yup. All of it. Meeting you was worth the worst of it."
"But—"
He put a hand to her lips. "Shh. Less talking, babe. We can do that after."
"After what?"
"This." He covered her mouth with his as his hands inched her shirt up. She shivered, loving the heat of his touch as his fingers skimmed her ribcage on their way up to graze the tips of her breasts through her bra. His lips nipped at hers and his tongue swept into her mouth, tickling and demanding at the same time.
Pulling away, Ryder said, "Let's get your shirt off."
"Yours, too."
"Mine, too," he agreed with a nod as he threw her shirt to the floor.
Lia took off her jeans while he removed his clothes. "Do you really think we're mates?" She didn't doubt her attraction to him, that had been constant, but her ability to synthesize it, to understand what it meant had been compromised by the amnesia. Trusting her instincts was difficult when she didn't know herself.
"Only one way to find out." He was naked now, his cock thicker than she'd imagined. A frisson of pleasure went through her at the idea of Ryder inside her.
"And if we're not?"
"We have a good time. No regrets, right?" At her nod, he added, "And Grandma Tillie will never live it down."
"I think your grandma is counting on us."
"You talk a lot."
"I'm nervous."
He pulled her into a hug. "Don't be. I'm the same guy you'd never met before a few days ago."
"And I'm the same girl."
He cupped her face in his hands. "We're under each other's skin. The only way to make it stop is to scratch the itch."
"I might never want you to stop." She pressed herself into him.
"That sounds pretty good to me." He kissed again, his hands going to cup her backside and pull her even closer.
She turned her head. "What if my wolf never comes back?"
"What about it?" He took her by the chin and forced her to look at him, his gaze searching her face.
"You're a pack alpha, and I'm...all kinds of messed up."
"I don't care. My wolf wants you and that's all that matters."
"It won't cause you problems, then? To have a mate who can't shift?"
"I won't let it."
"I'm scared," she said finally, tears burning her eyes.
"Of what? Me?"
"Of never knowing who I am. Of never being complete."
"I know who you are."
She gave him a look.
"No really. I know you, Lia. You're brave. You're a kick-ass sister. You saved my ass at the strip club."
"What's my favorite color? My favorite food? I don't even know these things."
"It doesn't matter. Those are details. What makes a person isn't a color or a food, it's when they stand for what's right, when they take care of their own no matter the cost. And by that measure, I know exactly who you are. You have nothing to worry about."
"You really think so?" It bothered her how much she wanted his reassurance. But in a way, he was a mirror that allowed her to see herself clearly. For some reason, Ryder grounded her and had kept her from totally losing it ever since they'd met.
"Yeah, I do. Now, listen to me." He cupped her face again, and this time pressed his forehead into hers. "You're also beautiful. You've been driving me crazy for the last few days. I want you in a way I've never wanted anyone. Let me in, Lia, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
"You want this, right? This is mutual, right?"
"Yes. Definitely. I'm sorry." She rushed to kiss him, afraid the doubt she saw rising in his eyes would win him over.
"I'm just in a weird place."
"Let me make it right." He walked her backward and pushed her down on the bed. "I'm going to do such good things to you, Lia."
"Yeah?' She sighed as he kneeled at the end of the bed, his hands lightly skimming her thighs. "How good?"
"This good." He nudged her thighs apart and lightly raked his teeth over her sensitive inner thigh just as he thrust a finger straight into her core.
Lia startled as pleasure burst through her nervous system.
"You're already wet. And hot." He slid his finger in and out and then added more. A second bite came on her other thigh sending a tsunami of goose bumps from her toes up to her neck. "Just trust your body, babe. It's telling you everything you need to know."
With that, he delved between her thighs, tongue sweeping over her in broad strokes that became smaller and more focused as he went. It didn't take long, but to Lia it seemed like an eternity before he zeroed in the sensitive nub at her core.
She hissed when he finally hit it, fisting her hands in the sheets. It had felt so right the first time they did this and the second time around was no different. All her earlier doubts fled, unable to stand before one truth: Any man who could touch a woman and make her feel the way Ryder did couldn't be ignored.
Everything she'd felt for him was real. She didn't have to question it anymore. Emboldened by this realization, she sat up and swung her legs away.
"What are you doing?" Ryder reached for her hips, but she twisted away.
Leaving the bed, she sank to her knees before him. "Sit on the bed."
He gave her a questioning look but did as she asked.
"I want to taste you." She moved between his knees and dipped her head down to kiss the tip of his cock. With short flicks of her tongue, she covered the head, tasting his salty, earthy flavor before opening her mouth to take in his entire knob.
Ryder fisted his hands in her hair. "Oh, yeah, babe. Just like that."
She took more and more of his length, bathing him and sucking in his essence. There was a moment of dissonance where she wondered if she'd ever done this before and couldn't remember. That almost caused her to panic and stop, but she steeled her nerves, refusing to give in to the unknown void that made up her memory. She wanted to do this for Ryder. It was about him, not her past. She'd almost lost him once. Letting him go, or worse, failing him was not an option.
