He looked up at me with worried, blood shot, blue eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Maria called,” he rubbed his eyes.
“Oh.” I waited for him to continue.
“She got the results back.”
“And?” I prompted when he didn’t continue on his own.
“They didn’t get much but it was enough… The DNA came back as shifter… which would be Travis… and human… several different humans, in fact.”
“What?” I gasped. “What does that mean?”
“Well… Maria told me something else.” He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. “She just finished patrol with Keith and they found something…”
“What did they find?” I asked.
“A body.”
“A body?”
“Travis is killing humans.”
eighteen.
“He’s murdering humans?” my voice squeaked from shock.
“Yes,” Caeden rubbed his face. “He’s completely unstable. I… I don’t know what to do.” His eyes met mine and I could see how much it pained him to say those words.
“What about the strange smell?” I asked.
“All that came back was what I told you.” He paused and looked out the window at the darkening sky. “He’s definitely up to something.”
“You have an idea. I can tell.”
He looked up at me and placed his hands on his knees. “It’s not possible. There’s just no way,” he muttered to himself.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Caeden. Tell me!” I screamed. “He almost killed me! I deserve to know! You can’t just keep me in the dark all the time!”
“I can, if it means I’m protecting you.”
Anger coursed through my body. I felt my nails elongate from human to wolf. My teeth lengthened to deadly, needle-like points, causing my words to come out in a hiss. “Damn you, Caeden! I’m not some weak flower! How dare you decide what I can and cannot know! Do not come to bed tonight. I can’t… I can’t look at you right now,” I turned and fled the room. I crashed into Nolan, he righted me and was about to say something, but I took off running.
I stormed up the steps and slammed the master bedroom door closed before sinking to the floor and bursting into tears.
Now, not only was Travis still alive and out there, but he was also killing people. Innocent humans who know nothing of this paranormal world that exists along theirs. As if the killing wasn’t bad enough, Caeden still thinks Travis is up to something else.
Is this ever going to end? Are we ever going to have a moment of peace and normalcy or will our lives always be filled with fear and drama?
The sobs raked my body to the point that I couldn’t breathe.
My body began to shake out of my control.
Everything went dark.
* * *
“Sophie! Sophie!” Caeden’s voice reverberated around me.
Was I under water? The words I had heard seemed so distorted, like ones you might here if you were below water and someone was calling to you from above.
“Soph!”
I wanted to yell, “I’m here,” but my body wouldn’t respond.
It felt like there was this heavy weight on top of me, keeping me from moving or saying anything. Blackness surrounded me and I knew if I could just force my eyes to open it would go away but they wouldn’t cooperate.
“Sophie, please open your eyes. Wake up, baby, please wake up!” The voice pleaded with me to no avail.
Someone else said something but they were too far away from me to understand.
Both voices disappeared and I felt like screaming, “Come back! Don’t leave me alone!” But I still couldn’t control my body.
And then, I really was in water.
Or at least covered in it.
Sputtering, I came to.
I blinked my eyes open and looked around me. I was lying on the master bedroom floor and covered in water.
“Thank God!” Caeden sunk to his knees and wrapped my very wet body into his arms.
“Told you the water would work,” Nolan sighed, bending down with a towel to wipe up the mess.
Caeden ignored him and took my face in his hands. “What happened?”
“I think I passed out,” I wiped the water from my eyes.
“Told you,” Nolan muttered again. He glanced at me. “Dumb shit,” he pointed at Caeden, “thought you were dead or something.”
“Hey!” Caeden snapped, turning to glare at Nolan. “When it’s your mate, we’ll see how you react.”
“Whatever,” Nolan said, mopping up the last of the water. “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Sorry about the water,” he said to me before ducking out of the room and closing the door.
I began to shiver and Caeden picked me up and carried me into the bathroom. He set me on the counter and started a hot tub of water in the bathtub. It was huge, the size of a small swimming pool. He added bubbles and some of my vanilla scented bath salts.
He strode back over to me and placed his hands on the top of my thighs. He bent so that his forehead was touching mine. I shivered again, but for an entirely different reason.
Darn him, when he looked at me like that, I could never stay mad for long.
“I’m sorry, Soph,” he whispered, our lips brushing together in an almost-kiss.
“I’m sorry, too,” my hands seemed to have their own mind as they grabbed his sides and held him close.
“I hate fighting with you,” he murmured, his voice husky.
My heart stuttered. “I hate being mad at you.”
His lips lifted at the corner. “Good,” he said and then kissed me. I soaked in his kiss, marveling in how good a kiss felt when you were making up with someone.
He lifted my wet shirt up and over my head and then started on my shorts. My hands slithered up under his shirt, over the planes of his stomach and up to his shoulders. He pulled away and stuck his thumbs in the back of his shirt, pulling it off. He tossed it into the corner of the bathroom.
When our lips connected again, we soaked each other up with a vengeance. Punishment by kisses… I could get used to this. He lifted me off the counter and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my fingers digging into his scalp. He set me down and finished stripping me and then he removed the rest of his clothes. He picked me up, I thought to go back into the bedroom and finish what we started, but instead he carried me into the bathtub. We sunk down into the warm depths and he pulled me against his chest before reaching to turn off the water. Caeden pushed my hair aside and kissed my ear, my neck, my shoulder, and then moved lower.
“Never scare me like that ever again,” he growled.
“I will, if this is how you plan to punish me.”
He chuckled and lightly bit my shoulder. “I didn’t know you were so kinky, Mrs. Williams.”
I blushed. “Don’t tell Bryce,” I laughed.
“It will be our little secret,” he grinned.
* * *
“I’m scared,” I admitted, cuddled against Caeden’s side. He traced lazy designs up and down my arm.
“I’m scared too,” he whispered, like if he didn’t quite say it out loud, it wouldn’t be true.
“Travis is capable of anything,” I said.
“I know,” he murmured.
“He could kill a member of our pack. If something happens to any of them… I won’t get over it,” my throat clogged with emotion.
He swallowed. “I won’t either. But Soph… Death is a part of this life. We have to except that not all of us might make it out alive.”
I squeezed myself tighter against his body. “I won’t accept that. I have to believe that we can all survive this.”
“And I love you for that,” he kissed the top of my head. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t lose someone.”
“I know you will,” I breathed.
* * *
“What’s the game plan?” I slid the plate of homemade waff
les in front of Caeden the next morning at breakfast.
Nolan was drenching his in syrup, his green eyes wide with excitement like a little boy.
“Nolan and I are going to check things out. We’ll be back around lunch time,” Caeden said.
“Of course,” I laughed, sitting down in front of my own plate. “I made dinner and breakfast. You two can figure out lunch,” I pointed at each with my fork before digging into my waffle.
“That’s fine,” Caeden wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him. He kissed my cheek, leaving it sticky with syrup.
Nolan made a gagging noise, “You guys are too sickeningly sweet.”
“It’ll happen to you, one day,” Caeden said, “and I can’t wait to see you mushy and gushy.”
“Never. Gonna. Happen,” Nolan glared at Caeden.
“We’ll see,” Caeden smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
Nolan glared at Caeden and opened his mouth to say something but I interrupted in the hopes of avoiding a fight.
“I think I might ask the guys to come over,” I told Caeden. “They can help me set up the nets and we can just hang out and play a game of soccer while ya’ll are gone.”
Caeden gave me a relieved smile. I knew it had nothing to do with Nolan and everything to do with the fact that he thought I was going to put up a fight about going with them.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Caeden took a bite of waffle.
“I’ll text Evan after I clean up from breakfast,” I smiled. I was already excited at the prospect of seeing the seven again.
“Don’t worry about clean up,” Caeden said. He leaned closer to me and breathed against my ear. “I recall a long ago conversation where you mentioned it was hot when a guy washed dishes. I’m more than happy to fulfill your fantasy.”
I blushed and ducked my head so that Nolan wouldn’t see. But he’d probably heard anyway. Darn shifter abilities.
Caeden chuckled huskily and went back to eating.
I finished my breakfast and left my plate on the table. He’d offered to do the dishes, which really only consisted of putting them in the dishwasher, and I was more than happy to let him do the grunt work for a change.
I ran up the steps and grabbed my phone off the bedroom table and texted Evan. I was surprised when he replied quickly.
We’ll b there. 11?
That’s perfect.
I put my phone back and ransacked the closet for something that I’d be able to move freely in. In the back of the closet, I found a pair of basketball shorts that had definitely once belonged to Caeden, but were too small now. I pulled them on, along with a jog bra and a loose white tank top that I wouldn’t feel constricted in.
I grabbed my white socks from the drawer and pulled on my black Nikes.
“Soph, we’re leaving,” Caeden came into the closet. He wrapped his arms around me and inhaled.
“The guys will be here soon,” I informed Caeden.
“Good, I don’t like the thought of you being in this big house by yourself. It scares me,” Caeden admitted.
I laughed. “I guess I can always hide in the panic room.” I shook my head. “I still can’t believe you put a panic room in the house. I mean, seriously? You act as if I don’t have claws of my own.” I grinned and lifted my hand, showing him that was I was not entirely defenseless.
He shrugged. “You’re my most prized possession. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“Caeden, you can’t keep me safe all the time. I’m not some delicate piece of glass that you need to bubble wrap. I can protect myself.”
He looked at me seriously. “I just hope it never comes to that.”
I swallowed. What do I say to that? He was so completely serious.
He rubbed his stubbly face and reached for my wrist. He pulled me to him and kissed me. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Remind Nolan, no shifter talk around the guys.”
“I will,” he yelled back at me, already starting down the steps. I heard the garage door open and close and then the security system beep.
I closed the closet door and found both familiars sitting on the bedroom floor looking up at me.
“I know guys,” I said, scratching each dog behind his ears. “I’m worried too.”
nineteen.
Evan whistled as I opened the door. “This is one mighty fine place you got here, she-wolf.”
I laughed and motioned the seven guys inside. “I haven’t had a chance to set up the nets yet, so ya’ll will have to help me.”
“Of course you haven’t had time,” Evan grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
I paled, catching his meaning. I punched his arm, harder than I should have, and gave the guys a tour of the house, before leading them outside where Caeden had left the boxes of netting.
Even with all the guys helping, it took about an hour to put together the two nets.
I had yet to explore the backyard, and found that, just like at Amy’s house, we had a massive pool and even a hot tub. The yard was huge, several acres, so we were able to put the nets at the standard distance.
We divided into teams of four.
Me, Brody, Shane, and Riley versus Evan, Tyler, Kyle, and Cam. Oh, this would be fun.
The late summer sun bore down us while we played. Soon, we were all drenched in sweat but kept on laughing and playing. For a little while, I could pretend to feel human again. I’d never admit to Caeden how good it felt to just be normal.
We laughed and joked, not really playing a game, just having… fun.
Nobody kept score so we each taunted one another with who the winner was. Finally, we collapsed on the ground, laughing. I was in the middle surrounded by my human pack. I grabbed the hands of the guys beside me, I didn’t know who, and held on tight to this little piece of normalcy.
* * *
“I brought pizza!” Caeden called into the backyard.
We were all still lying on the ground, looking up at the clear blue sky.
“Pizza?” Tyler asked, sitting up and putting his hands over his eyes to block the sunlight.
“Hurry up, it’s getting cold… Or it will if Nolan hasn’t already eaten all of it,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Come on guys,” I hopped up, wiping grass from my shorts. “I’m starving.”
Caeden had bought six boxes of pizzas, all with various toppings, and had them open on top of the island. He’d also picked up several different two-liter bottles of soda. Instead of sitting, we all just stood around, shoving the cheesy goodness into our mouths,
“So, Caeden,” Evan said, swallowing a bite of pizza, “where do you get your money?”
Caeden choked on his drink. “Uh-” he struggled for recovery. “Family business.”
“Can I join?” Brody joked.
“Nah, sorry guys,” Caeden and I shared a look. I bet they’d be shocked to know that the family business was shifting from human to animal.
“Damn,” Brody chuckled.
Shane hopped up on the counter. “We need to do this again before classes start. After that, we won’t have as much time.”
“We really do,” I said. “Maybe, we can all get together and do dinner sometime.”
Caeden chuckled. “I’m sure my mom would love to have ya’ll over. She still talks about you guys from the party.”
“We’re just very memorable,” Evan put his hand over his chest and winked at me.
“She’s hot,” Riley said softly under his breath.
“Eww dude, that’s my mom,” Caeden gaged.
“Just speaking the truth,” Riley grinned, speaking louder this time.
Caeden grimaced and shook his head before grabbing another slice of pizza.
After we ate lunch, the guys stayed a little longer and we hung out in the family room. Even Nolan seemed to enjoy the seven guys’ easygoing presence.
When they left, I cornered Nolan and Caeden.
“Did you find out anything?”
&n
bsp; “No,” Caeden said and shot Nolan a look.
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”
Caeden sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s still the same scent.”
“Have any more bodies been discovered?” He wouldn’t answer me. “Caeden,” my words came out colder than ice, “I’m Alpha too. Tell me.”
“Three more,” he answered.
“Four total?” I asked.
“So far,” he said.
I swallowed, holding back tears. This wasn’t right. How could Travis justify killing humans.
“These were in -um- worse shape than the others,” Caeden wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“What do you mean?”
Nolan spoke this time. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Bad?” I asked.
Nolan looked out the window. “They were… unrecognizable. Only identifiable by scent.”
A sob escaped my throat and I put my hand over my mouth.
“What is he doing?”
Nolan shrugged and exchanged a look with Caeden. “Nothing good.”
Another sob raked my body. Fear of Travis, fear of what he was doing, and fear for the defenseless humans he was slaughtering flooded my body.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I declared.
Caeden disappeared and a moment later a trashcan was shoved into my hands. He held my hair back as I became violently sick, tears coursing out of the corners of my eyes. He rubbed my neck and murmured words of reassurance, but I was beyond being reassured. I knew what was coming. I didn’t need Nolan or Caeden to tell me.
War.
twenty.
Days passed and I began to wonder…
Who would attack first?
Would Travis make the first move or would we?
Would it matter?
Would we be ready?
Who would live?
Who would die?
I didn’t want to lose any members of my pack. I loved them all, even the ones that I didn’t really know. As Alpha, they were my responsibility. If we lose even one person to Travis, I will have failed.
I wasn’t going to sit back and let Caeden keep things from me anymore. I was going to figure things out. I was going to prepare myself, and in turn prepare our pack.
Fighter (Outsider Series) Page 15
