“Is it so wrong to want happiness?” She bent closer to him. “Or love? Is that something that should be denied to me because I was born to Arawn?”
“No, it’s not, but we have an obligation to the world.”
“I also have an obligation to you. I failed you once. I won’t do so again.”
“Yeah?” He raised a brow, triumph in his eyes. “Repeat what you said to me earlier. How did you fail me?”
She shoved out of his embrace and strode toward the boathouse. It, along with most of the outer buildings on the property, had been in shambles when they’d arrived. Rhys had taken it upon himself to clean it after he’d found Allie there a few times, sleeping. She’d told him it was too loud in the house. Rowan had to agree. Her brothers could be rambunctious. Since only a handful slept, there was always someone being rowdy.
She was glad Rhys had cleaned the place. It made swimming in the lake more convenient. She didn’t have to lug a towel and a change of clothes with her. Everything was right there in easy reach. Plus, she could shower before dressing.
A nice dip in the lake sounded wonderful. It would cleanse the salt from her skin after her little breakdown and ease the tightness that had settled into her muscles. Five minutes, ten minutes tops, then she’d call forth her horse.
She’d let Grief carry her into the city. As long as she held on to the power of the Hunt long enough to obscure her mare until she faded back into the Underworld, she could land in the park. There were enough trees in the spot that it wouldn’t seem as if they’d just appeared out of nowhere.
Rowan entered the building and tugged her top off, tossing it to the side. Trevor’s hand wrapping around her wrist stopped her from yanking the zipper down on her skirt.
“Tell me again how you failed me.”
He was going to use her words against her. Well, she could do the same. “I didn’t fail you. I failed Kai.”
He stared at her without speaking, but the demand was written in his eyes. He wouldn’t allow her to avoid the topic.
She shoved his hand off her and stepped back. Arms crossed over her chest, she gave him what he asked for. The only other option was to lie. She’d rather cut off her own hand. “I didn’t treat him as my equal.”
“Exactly. You didn’t listen to him when he said he wanted to join the Hunt. You embraced your fears and ignored his wants.” Trevor stepped closer. “You’re doing the same now.”
She clenched her jaw. The denial sat on her tongue. She couldn’t utter it. She shoved at his chest. “Move. I’m done with this conversation.”
He grasped her hands and twined their fingers. “Tough. I’m not done with you.”
The softer tone he used and the intensity in his gaze cut through her temper.
“Yes, okay, maybe you’re right, but what about my wants? You’re ignoring those.” She waited a moment to judge his reaction. Didn’t he understand where she was coming from? His lips pressed into a thin line. “We hunted Dar for a century without capturing him. That was with the ability to sense the Chaos he carries from miles away and all my siblings searching for him. You are one man. Unless we’re lucky, you’re not going to find Harley’s redcaps quickly. Or at all. With modern technology aiding them—”
“I get it. We’re both being stubborn.”
“Shall we compromise, then?”
He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “What do you have in mind?”
“We wait a couple of weeks. If you don’t find the redcaps in that time, you accept the mark.”
“Weeks?” He snorted. “You just said it might take a long time. How about five years? I’d only be thirty-five, and if I take after my dad, I won’t even look it. He still looks good, and he’s in his sixties.”
She didn’t care how he looked, but five years seemed as if it were an eternity. “Five months.”
He chuckled. “We could play this game all night. What about three years, but we reevaluate if your worry for me is stopping you from overcoming your challenge?”
She’d almost forgotten about her challenge. She pulled off the long glove. The mark had grown since the last time she’d looked at it, reaching to her elbow, but her tan skin showed through in spots. Tegan’s mark had done the same, appearing to crack as she got closer to making the choice that had saved Ian and their love.
She met Trevor’s gaze and grinned. “I’m making progress.”
“We make a good team, baby.” He kissed her, a soft brush of his lips to hers. “So, is it a deal? We give it some time but reevaluate if we have to?”
“Yes, it’s a deal.”
“Perfect.”
He captured her mouth with his and kissed her deeply. Completely. She arched into him, pressing her breasts against his chest. Need spiraled. Lust built. She wanted to feel him loving her, reminding her he was hers. She reached for the edge of his shirt. He grasped her wrist, preventing her from pulling it up, and broke the kiss.
“As much as I’d like to strip you and celebrate our little victory, we have a redcap to catch, and I want to get my hands on Craig before he decides to skip town. Without his stash of sluaghs, I don’t know if he has a reason to stay.”
Of course, he was right. Indulging in Trevor would have to wait. She stepped out of his embrace. “Then let’s get moving.”
She snatched her shirt, but Trevor’s hand on hers stopped her from tugging it on. She glanced at him, letting the question show in her eyes. He’d just said they didn’t have time for loving. The lust sparking in his appreciative gaze didn’t match his words, however.
“It’s going to be chilly tonight. You can’t walk around the city in summer clothes. It’ll draw the wrong type of attention.”
She fingered the edge of her short skirt. “But I’ve grown fond of my summer clothes.”
He slipped his hand up the back of her thighs and under the elastic of her underwear so he cupped her ass. “Wear them around the estate, then. I won’t complain.”
“You used to.”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I was a jealous, stubborn fool.”
“You’re not jealous any longer.”
“No. I’m not.” He pulled her close and kissed her again as if he too were fighting with his cravings. With fervent strokes, he caressed her, sliding his palms over her bottom and stirring her passion yet again. He eased back before she acted on them. “As much as I’d like to stay here and love you, duty calls. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us too, and I’m already tired.”
She licked her lips, uncertainty settling over her. A ride on Grief’s back would be quicker, but the Huntsmen’s horses rejected everyone besides their rider, even the other members of the Teulu. The only exception was for mates. Trevor had been hers in another life, but she didn’t know if Grief would recognize him the way Alana could.
“We can try to see if Grief will accept you. Riding on her back would be quicker.”
“Do you think your mare will? I thought the horses only accepted the mates of their riders. I’m not yours.”
“You’re my soul mate, though. That might count.” She worried her lip between her teeth. Maybe not knowing the truth would be better. She’d be disappointed, and it would give her another reason to feel guilty over Kai’s death. He’d often talked about how much he’d looked forward to riding with her.
“It’ll upset you if Grief refuses me, won’t it?”
She shrugged. “I’d understand. My horse might be bound to me, but she’s still an animal.”
Trevor held her gaze a moment more, then took her hand and walked with her to the door. “Tonight, we’ll take a car. I’ll approach Grief another night when we have more time to let your mare get used to me.”
“I’ll drive.”
He nibbled on her lip. “You sound eager, baby.”
“Mmm-hmm. I know just the car to take.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. Yours.” She couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of Trevor’s sports car again.
“Is that what happened to it the other night? You took it.”
“Yes, and I’ll be taking it anytime I want.” She fisted the waistband of his jeans and pulled him closer. “It does belong to you, and you’re mine. Driving your car is my right. Do you have a problem with that?”
Trevor chuckled. “No. Can’t say I do.”
“Good.” She tugged her shirt on and followed Trevor to the door. The sooner he caught his prey, the sooner she’d be able to celebrate snagging hers—Trevor.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Trevor spent the drive into the city sleeping. He hadn’t meant to doze off, but unlike the Huntsmen, he had to sleep. Unfortunately, life was getting in the way of his body’s basic needs. So was Rowan. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her long enough to grab some shut-eye earlier in the day. Whether it was concern for her safety or just the loss of her presence while she’d been in the Underworld, he didn’t know. The result was the same—he’d tossed and turned before giving up and prowling the estate. He was glad he had, though. Rowan had needed him.
“Are you awake?” Rowan whispered the question.
“Yes.” He didn’t sound too awake, however. More like groggy and worn down. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”
“Don’t be. It gave me a chance to think.”
“What about?”
“Getting you naked and sucking your cock.”
That woke him up, clearing the last of the fuzziness in his head. He glanced at Rowan, focusing on her face so he didn’t get distracted by her body. After dropping a statement like that, it’d be easy to give in to his hungers.
Ever since finding her by the lake, he’d wanted to get his hands on her and thank her properly for her gifts—the chess pieces and her partnership. That was what he’d always wanted—a lover and a friend. The women he’d been with before Rowan hadn’t fit his personality, and his female friends hadn’t aroused him. Rowan accomplished both. For that, she deserved to be treated like his queen. Too bad the timing sucked.
“Saying shit like that is cruel, Rowan. You know we don’t have time for that.”
“Not now, but we’ll have plenty of time once we get back to the estate tomorrow.”
Of course they’d be wasting two hours in the car. He should’ve let her call Grief from the Underworld. If the way the horse always watched him was any indicator, it too recognized him as the reincarnation of Rowan’s mate. He’d never given the mare’s attention any thought, though. He’d figured it was a protective reaction since he’d stolen glances at Rowan whenever he could.
“How about we stay in the city today, then? We’ll have all day to enjoy each other without your brothers hanging over our shoulders.”
She turned her head, meeting his gaze for the briefest of moments before focusing on the road. It was long enough to see the excitement in her eyes. “Yes. I like that idea.”
So did he. He couldn’t wait to strip her. The outfit she’d worn, while covering most of her body, stirred him more than the skintight dresses she often wore. A loose, black, long-sleeved shirt drew attention to her breasts, even without her cleavage showing. Each time she moved, the cotton stretched over the full globes, teasing him with the knowledge of what lay beneath.
She’d paired a short gray skirt with the simple top, despite his warning to dress appropriately. He supposed the thigh-high, black, knit stockings covering her long legs were her solution. All he knew was that those socks had the same impact on him as seeing her in that schoolgirl outfit she’d worn.
He flexed his fingers before he gave in to the urge to slide his hand over her inner thighs, caressing her skin right above the edge of her stockings. He wouldn’t want to stop his exploration there, however. Temptation was too close. It’d be easy enough to slip his fingers under her underwear and stroke her, getting her as hot as him.
With effort, he yanked his gaze from her long legs. The sight of her right arm captured his attention. Another pair of black, fingerless gloves reached to her elbow, but the black mark of her curse showed above the edge. Seeing the jagged line indicating the status of her curse angered him. He couldn’t shake the feeling they were living on borrowed time. That pissed him off. They’d just gotten together.
No. Don’t go there. She’s making progress. Focus on helping her figure out the rest.
He not only had to see her through the unknowns of their new relationship, but he had to help her deal with the failures of a previous one that just so happened to involve him.
Talk about pressure.
He rolled his shoulders, easing the tightness that had settled in them with his thoughts, and studied their surroundings. Rowan had taken the shortcut he’d used the previous day, but a street band had set up in the middle of the road, diverting traffic back to the highway.
“Turn down that alley.” He pointed at the narrow lane between a bakery and an all-night Laundromat. “It leads into the residential district. We haven’t explored this area yet.”
They’d focused their efforts on getting information, but with his dagger strapped to his calf so he could feel the vibrations it gave off, simply walking might help them too. In those years he and Ian had hunted without the help of the Huntsmen, they’d known how close they were to the Unseelie creatures by the intensity of the tingles spreading through their bodies.
Rowan slid her hand over his thigh, making his dick twitch in response. The woman undid him without trying. “We’re lucky you know this area well.”
“I’m not so sure luck has anything to do with it. The more this plays out, the more I’m thinking the Triad has arranged things so that we would be given the necessary clues at the right time. Why else would we stumble upon Minerva’s maiden, here of all places?”
“Or have her last task involve us.” Rowan squeezed the steering wheel hard enough to crack her knuckles. “I hate this game we’re being forced to play. The Triad is using me as its pawn. Nothing more.”
He took in the tight press of her lips and the way she worked her jaw back and forth. Her anger was clear. He couldn’t blame her. Knowing they were being manipulated wasn’t a happy thought. It was a downright infuriating one, but the Triad’s influence had brought them together. For that, Trevor was grateful. If he had to be an unwilling participant in their game, at least the prize awaiting him was Rowan.
Hoping to ease her, he covered her hand. “More like my queen. I do have the chess piece to prove it.”
She grinned, exactly as he’d hoped. “The queen is the most powerful piece in chess.” She cut him a quick glance. “At least now. The rules of the game have changed since the time Kai and I used to play it. Then, the queen had little value.”
“I can’t say I know much about chess. Will you teach me?”
Her smile widened into that powerful one that left him half-crazed with hunger for her.
“Yes. I’d like that.” She moved her hand to the shifter knob and dropped the car into a lower gear as traffic slowed to a crawl. The alley he’d indicated for her to take was still two car lengths’ away. “We’ll need a board, though.”
“There might be one in the attic. Harley’s mom had been a collector, or maybe a hoarder might be a better term. She’d buy things, sometimes dropping huge amounts of money on auctions, but she rarely displayed anything she bought. She’d stick her treasures in the attic or basement, then move on to obsessing over the next antique that caught her eye.”
“She was a maiden too. Maybe those things reminded her of past lives.”
“Could be. I always just thought Ian and Harley’s mom was crazy to waste her money on stuff only to shove it away. The number of boxes stored in the attic is ridiculous.”
Rowan frowned. “Ian left everything there when he moved out?”
“He couldn’t get a moving crew to go into the estate after his parents and brothers were slaughtered there. So he left it. I don’t think he cared what happened to it at that point. Harley had taken off, and he was a wrec
k worrying about her out there on her own.”
“Why wouldn’t the moving people go there? The estate is beautiful and peaceful. I love living there.”
“The locals claimed the place was cursed. Too many kids who’d thought to go up there and see the horror house, as the locals called it, disappeared.” He balled his fists. “They probably ended up being turned into sluaghs.”
The cars in front of them moved, and Rowan took the turn. She slowed the car to a crawl and pointed down another smaller road jutting off the one they’d taken. “Look. There’s a bar down there. Let’s stop in there first.”
He hadn’t known there was a bar tucked back here, but he’d been a kid when he’d stayed in this town. His earlier thought came back to him about the Triad leading its players to the situations it wanted them to face. Maybe that was why the band had set up tonight.
Or maybe he was reading into the situation, but with Rowan’s and his future on the line, he couldn’t help looking for the quickest way to finish this round of the Triad’s game so they could get on with their lives.
“Why not? We’ll find the nearest spot to park and come back.”
“Hey, we might get lucky and get the information we’ve been seeking on Craig here.”
He focused on the black line peeking past the edge of the glove Rowan wore. “We can hope.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The closest parking spot was three blocks away. If they hadn’t been in Trevor’s car, Rowan would’ve double-parked it and left the vehicle for the cops to ticket. She only hoped the woman she saw was still smoking a cigarette in that alleyway.
Granted, she hadn’t seen the woman’s face, but her hair, body size, and stance had reminded Rowan of Alana. Or Jen. Whatever Minerva’s handmaiden wanted to be called. If it was her, what was the maiden doing dressed like a hooker? The woman knew about the redcap, and Jen fit the profile of his victims.
The local police had put out a warning, specifically mentioning that black-haired, tall Caucasians were being targeted. Rowan had seen the news clip and read about the city’s violence. If that wasn’t enough, people were talking about it. She’d heard the humans’ conversations while hunting the bars before Trevor had taken over her nights.
Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) Page 18
