Touch the Sky

by Kari Cole

  “It’s just...you were really mad at him. I thought you were going to fight.”

  Vaughn blew out a breath. “If we did, you would have just been the excuse, not the reason. There’s a lot of history between us.”

  “Did you kick his butt in a dominance challenge? Rub his face in the dirt?”

  He tried not to laugh. It was hard. Her tone was so...gleefully ruthless. “Dated his little sister.”

  “Ooooh. Classic blood feud motivation, right there. Did you break her heart?”

  Okay, not so fun anymore. “Kind of, yeah.”

  She sniffed. “You feel guilty.” Sometimes being with another shifter was a pain in the ass.

  He nodded. “I hurt her. Not physically, though I know that’s what Diego thinks. But I...yeah, I hurt her.”

  He pulled into the grocery store parking lot. He wished he could turn back time. Not because he wanted to be with Elena, but because he didn’t want Cassandra to look at him the way his ex-girlfriend had. Yeah, Cassandra knew he was mixed-blood, but what would she say if he told her the eagle was a real presence in his life?

  “Did you cheat on her?” she asked, her voice quiet.

  “No. Never.”

  She nodded as if to herself. “Didn’t think so. I shouldn’t ask. I know I have no right since I’m hardly Little Miss Forthcoming with the personal details, but...what happened?”

  Vaughn parked the truck and turned to look at her. A part of him screamed to not answer. The cowardly part. He met her eyes. “I told her that while I had never shifted, I could hear the eagle inside me. Her mother is the clan Luna. She told her mom about me, and...well, I was given a choice.”

  “What kind of choice?”

  Just thinking about it made his skin prickle with shame. “The Luna told me I could leave on my own, or she would tell the Alpha and the rest of the clan about me. My mom...that was her home, her clan. I couldn’t do that to her.”

  “Do what?”

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Make things harder. She already lost her mate. I didn’t want her to lose her clan, too.”

  “Oh, Vaughn. What have you done to earn their scorn?”

  He opened his mouth and nothing came out. She didn’t understand. What it felt like to have people—people you’ve known your entire life—look at you like a lit fuse, just wondering when you might go off. The suspicion, the fear... He tried to ignore it, to not let it get to him, but sometimes...sometimes he wanted to shout right in their faces. He never did, though. It would just play right into their hands. That was something he refused to give them.

  “Have you killed people?” she asked, shocking the hell out of him.

  He wouldn’t lie to her. What kind of male would that make him if he did? “Yes.”

  She paled. “Traitors and rogues?”

  “Yes.”

  “Anyone else?”

  The weight of the copper cuff on his arm seemed to grow exponentially. He met her gaze. “Yes.”

  “Who?” she asked. Her hands shook, but her voice was rock steady.

  “A drug dealer in Seattle. He had my partner pinned down.”

  “Okay, we’re done,” she said. Acid burned his gut. She was running from him, just like Elena. Far, far away. But then she captured his gaze with hers. “You know, Vaughn, I’m worried you actually believe this crap.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The whole dual shifter thing. And it makes me want to shake you. Well, what I really want is to smack the living daylights out of your ex and her mom. That Diego guy, too, damn it. You didn’t do anything wrong. There is nothing for you to be ashamed about. You didn’t use black magic to steal anyone’s abilities—and notice I didn’t ask you about that because it’s a ridiculous superstition.” She rolled her beautiful eyes as if she couldn’t think of anything more stupid. “You were born this way. That’s all. And if your ex couldn’t handle the truth like a decent, non-idiotic person, that’s her loss. Because you’re awesome.”

  Suddenly, she kissed him, quick and hard, on the mouth. Before he could gather his wits, she opened the passenger door and hopped out. “Come on, Frost,” she said.

  As the wolf jumped out the door and sat politely while she hooked a leash to his studded collar, Vaughn stared after her in shock.

  She popped back into the doorframe. “Are you coming? I’m starving.”

  With that, she closed the door and sauntered toward the store entrance, her perfect, denim-covered ass swinging side-to-side, as she led a freaking timber wolf on a leash.

  Vaughn was beginning to think he’d follow her anywhere, too.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “Wow! What a view.”

  Cassandra’s breathless wonder brought a smile to Vaughn’s lips. A lot of things she did elicited that response.

  He slowed his truck and pulled it off to the side of the road. In front of them, a panoramic vista of the mountains opened up. Already black against the backdrop of the indigo sky, the Cabinet Mountains huddled over the moon-touched valley below.

  “We can get out and look if you want. The steak will keep for a bit,” he said.

  “Fantastic!” she said, blinding him with another one of her full smiles. She opened the truck door and hopped out, leaving him sitting there staring at her like a dope.

  Frost’s huge gray-and-white head blocked his view and Vaughn blinked at the creature. Maybe he really was losing it, but he could have sworn the wolf rolled his eyes. Then Frost was out the door, too, taking his place at Cassandra’s side.

  Well, the timber wolf would just have to deal with Vaughn’s awe when it came to Cassandra. Especially after slamming a wrecking ball through his fears. Shaking his head at his own nonsense, he got out of the truck, too.

  When he reached her, Cassandra hugged his arm. “It’s so beautiful. You live near here?”

  He pointed to the west. “About a quarter mile down the road.”

  “Do you have this view, too?”

  “A little different. My backyard faces more to the east.”

  She let go of his arm and he immediately missed her touch. “Do you mind if we just sit here for a minute? I want to take it in.”

  “Of course. I have a blanket in the truck.”

  “No need. These jeans won’t mind a little dirt.” She sank gracefully to the ground and crossed her legs. When she tugged on his hand, he joined her.

  Frost brushed his flank against her side, then looked at Vaughn. As if telling him he was on guard duty now, the wolf nodded once. Then he padded off, investigating the hillside.

  “Gorgeous,” she said with a sigh as she gazed out at their surroundings. “I’m guessing there’s a lot less light pollution here than in Seattle.”

  “Definitely.”

  “How long did you live there?” she asked.

  Leaning back to look at the view, Vaughn propped himself up on his hands. She was right. It was gorgeous and a hell of a lot more pleasant than his memories of being on a big-city police force. “For about eight years. Detective for the last four. Vice and then narcotics.”

  “Didn’t like it?”

  “I hated living in the city. It was too big and noisy. I got a place on the outskirts, but it didn’t change the fact that I was always playing catch up,” he said. “In a big city, people only call the police after something bad has happened. Here, though, I can be more involved in the community.”

  “Try to stop things before they become a problem?” she suggested.

  “Yeah.”

  A breeze blew across the valley, tossing her hair around in captivating waves. “So...” she said. “I take it Agent Moreno and his sister don’t live around here.”

  “No. Their aerie is outside Tucson, Arizona, in the Santa Catalina Mountains.”

  “Oh.” She took a moment to mull that over. �
�Your father’s family is from here, though, right?”

  “Yes.”

  She nudged him with a shoulder. “Anyone ever call you laconic?”

  “A few.”

  She laughed and he couldn’t help but chuckle, too. Talking was overrated. He preferred listening, and he could happily listen to Cassandra until the end of days. She had a way of surprising him. Still, for her he’d make an effort, if only to keep the conversation going.

  “How did your parents meet?” she asked.

  Lying back on his elbows, he looked up at the brightening stars. “My mom and aunt met in college in Denver. They were roommates. My dad went to visit one weekend, and according to them, that was that.”

  “Blown away by the mating dance, huh?”

  Vaughn huffed. “Something like that. My aunt says it was obvious from the moment my dad walked into their apartment, but my parents tried to resist the pull.” As if any were can withstand the goddess’s will when she shows them their true mate. “A werewolf and an eagle shifter? It was not the happiest of discoveries. But they loved each other. I remember that.” He felt her gaze on him and shrugged. “My father died in a car accident when I was nine. Drunk driver hit him. Knocked his truck over a guardrail. My grandfather...well, there was nothing he could do.”

  “Oh, Vaughn...”

  He lay back, resting his head on an arm while she curled sweetly into his side.

  The sky darkened above them. He’d had a long day already. Tomorrow was destined to be just as exhausting. Yet he was in no hurry to get home and go to bed. Not unless that involved Cassandra spending the night safe in his arms. Intuition and the broad hints she’d dropped about packs being dangerous places told him she had escaped from something awful. Whatever had happened, she’d managed to keep a deep sense of generosity and humor.

  Kiss her, his wolf said.

  His eagle screeched a protest. Clumsy mutt. Dance for her. Images of complicated aerial swoops and swirls played in his head.

  Can’t fly, wolf pointed out.

  Eagle sighed.

  Vaughn was about to breath his own sigh—of relief—now that his beasts were through bickering when his eagle had another idea.

  Sing, he said. Sing!

  Holy hell, talk about a bad idea. He couldn’t carry a tune with a forklift. But...singing was just another way of communicating, right? If he wanted Cassandra to confide in him, he was going to have to make the first moves. Trust was earned.

  “I used to have long hair,” he blurted. Jesus, what a conversation starter. Had he really just said that? Guess so, because both his beasts groaned.

  Cassandra rose up on an elbow to stare at him. “What?”

  He was such an idiot. “My hair. It used to be really long.” He sat up and demonstrated, as if that made this conversation any less stupid. “Uh, down to my ass.” Her wide-eyed gaze followed his hand to where it tapped, yes, his own ass. “I cut it a few months ago.”

  She reached out a gloved hand and smoothed the hair at his temples. “Why?”

  “I did it right after I got these.” He pointed to the scars on his face and neck, then to the one on his side.

  In an instant, her eyes flashed wolf-gold and a low growl rumbled in her chest. Every time she got pissed on his behalf, a part of him wanted to shout it to the world.

  “Did Dean tell you why Luke asked me to move back here from Seattle?”

  “Your uncle and the Alpha were killed by traitors.”

  Well, at least Dean’s gossipy old lady ways were good for something. Vaughn let his own beasts show in his eyes. “One of the bastards offered me the chance to join their insurrection. I refused. Violently. When it was all over, I wanted...a change, I guess. I felt so different. In here.” He slapped his chest. “I wanted the outside to match, if that makes any sense to you.”

  Head tilted like the wolf she was, Cassandra studied him, her focus laser-tight on his visible scars. With a quick move, she straddled his legs and wrapped herself around him, arms squeezing his torso, head nestled in the crook of his neck. “Thank the goddess,” she said on a shaky breath. “A fraction of an inch. That’s all. Thank the goddess you survived.”

  As Vaughn held her, breathed in her sweet scent, and felt her warm breath on his skin, he thought that his mother was right. It was time he started doing more than just surviving.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  After the way her evening had begun, Hannah couldn’t believe her current emotional state. She might have to classify it as a miracle, because she couldn’t stop smiling.

  She hadn’t forgotten the sword of Damocles hanging over her head, but she’d spent the last eight months running, miserable, terrified, and getting absolutely nowhere. Since she’d come to Montana, she’d made more progress in a matter of days than she had since this whole godawful situation had begun.

  She totally understood where Vaughn was coming from on his hair. Her mother had taught her to never underestimate the power of a well-executed makeover. When she figured out the memory card’s password and was free from Apex, she was going to make some salon’s fiscal year.

  The best part of today, though, was Vaughn himself. For as stoic as he appeared in public, when they were alone, he was an excellent conversationalist. During dinner, he’d told her funny stories about his mother and aunt buying and renovating the pub, and even a few anecdotes about Jessie. He hadn’t been lying when he said he could cook either. Stuffed full of excellent steak and salad, she wandered around his living room, while he checked in with the station.

  Frost sank down on the cool stone in front of the hearth with a gusty sigh.

  “Eat too much?” she asked. He sighed again and rolled onto his side as if lying on his full stomach was just too much. She laughed. “Me, too.”

  She liked Vaughn’s place. It suited him, with its structured leather couch, mission-style chairs, and leather trunk for a coffee table. Everything was neat and tidy, but not fussy. A hardcover copy of a popular true-crime novel lay on the trunk and there were plenty more on the built-in bookcase. He also seemed to have a fondness for historical nonfiction, and—she grinned—British mysteries. But of course Sheriff Stern and Serious would gravitate toward law and order novels.

  Framed photographs were set here and there on the shelves and fireplace mantel, including several that showed his hair long and loose. Despite the unstructured look, he looked even more tightly wound than he did now.

  “Oh, my God,” she said, picking up a picture.

  “That’s never a good thing to hear when you enter a room,” Vaughn said. He padded in on bare feet. His low-slung jeans and plain gray T-shirt were way sexier than they had any right to be.

  She gestured to the picture. “Look how cute you were.” Obviously taken at a professional baseball game, it showed Vaughn at about thirteen or fourteen years old. His expression was serious, but there was a light of happiness in his eyes. “Aww, you were all stoic and enigmatic even then.”

  An adorable blush darkened his cheeks and he huffed a laugh. He pointed to the older man in the photo who had an arm wrapped around teen-Vaughn’s neck. “My grandfather took me to a Mariners game every summer.”

  His words were innocuous, but a shiver of unease ran down her spine all the same. Vaughn Ellis was an honorable, law-abiding—and enforcing—man. His charm and acceptance would disappear in an instant if he realized who she really was.

  Before he could pick up on her mood, she picked up a different photograph from the mantel. “Is this you and Luke?”

  He nodded. In the picture, he and the Alpha were standing with their arms braced against a split rail fence watching a man ride a horse. A small smile played at the corner of Vaughn’s lips as he looked at it. “This was taken about three years ago, I think. Don’t remember why I was here, but Luke conned me into going with him to check out some horses he wanted t
o buy for the Search and Rescue team. Worst bunch of nags I’d ever seen.”

  “Recruiting you even then, huh?”

  Vaughn seemed taken aback by the suggestion, then his eyes narrowed. “Maybe. Wouldn’t put it past the manipulative bastard.”

  Hannah bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She didn’t fool him, though.

  “You look like you feel better,” he said. He brushed the backs of his fingers over her temple. “No more headache?”

  “No. Something about you is strangely soothing.”

  “Strangely?”

  “You are a cop. Members of your profession tend to make people nervous. Oh, I know, only criminals should be worried, but aren’t we all a little?”

  “A little what?”

  “Criminal.” Good Lord, what was coming out of her mouth? Curse her occasional bouts of verbal diarrhea. “Come on. You’ve never driven above the speed limit? Maybe didn’t declare your lemonade stand income to the human government? No? My, you are a rule follower.”

  “Let me guess, you’ve never met a rule you didn’t want to break.”

  “That would be contrary,” she said with a sniff. “I abide by the rules. Most of the time. Oh, all right, when it suits me.” His uncertain expression was so endearing, she burst into a fit of giggles.

  “I like when you laugh,” he said. Without warning, he grabbed her into a dance hold, spun her around, and finished with a low dip. “It’s infectious.” Before she could catch her breath, he kissed her bared neck. His five o’clock shadow tickled, and she squealed.

  Cool night air whooshed into the room and the front door banged shut. Vaughn pushed her behind him, protecting her once again from an unseen threat. He looked down at the now empty spot on the hearth and back to the door.

  “My doors have knobs,” he said.

  “Told you. You’re much more impressed now, aren’t you?”

  “That wolf is not normal.”

  “I know, right? He’s so awesome. So, all quiet on the Western front, Sheriff?” She tossed him a jaunty salute.

  Quick as lightning on a summer’s afternoon, he snatched her up and gave her a swat on the butt. “What did I tell you about calling me that when we’re alone?”