“Don’t be ridiculous. Gen would have my balls on a silver platter if I didn’t make sure you got home all right, besides, I think she borrowed your truck. She might be a little sharp around the edges, but she’s got a big heart and cares about you a lot. Besides, Gen will be there…I hope. You’re family, J, and family sticks together.”
I tipped my head to the other side of the car. Justin’s face was marred with indecision, but after a beat, he relented and strode around the back of the truck and hopped in the other side.
The ride to his house was a quiet one. Neither of us spoke during the trip, and the atmosphere felt like it weighed two tons. Justin’s eyes changing from their warm blue to the feral amber of the tiger as the beast was born within him played over and over again in my head. I’d never forgive myself for putting him in harm’s way. I kept wondering what I could have done differently or what I would have changed to ensure both Justin’s and Gen’s safety. The guilt gnawed at me, fueling the nausea growing in the pit of my stomach. I worried Justin might not overcome this obstacle, despite his resilient personality.
I pulled the truck to a stop in front of his cabin and shifted it into park. He didn’t move to get out right away, hesitating with his hand on the door handle.
“Justin?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s going to be alright, man. If anyone can turn this into something beneficial, it’s you. You’re not alone in this. You’ve got Gen and me and your sister, Harlow. Your dad’s been gone a lot of years and I know your mom’s not much of one, but you’ve got family and we’re here for you.”
Justin sighed deeply. “But does any of that mean a thing if I don’t have anyone to share it with? Lanie’s not coming back. I know that. Y’all thought I was just some dumb idiot for pining away for a woman who’d left me in the rear view mirror, but I knew. She didn’t want the simple life, wasn’t cut out for it. If I wanted her back, I needed to make something of myself. Now, I’m a fucking animal.”
“If something you have no fucking control over is too much for Lanie to handle, then she isn’t worth the time of day you’ve been giving her for years. She was always a quiet one, and I didn’t know her all that well, but she left, man. I watched you shut down and push everyone away. It took a long time for you to reconnect with people. I just don’t want to have to sit back and watch you go through all that again.”
Justin’s eyes flashed amber before settling back to blue.
“I know, and I appreciate your concern. I know I’ll have questions and I’ll need help sometimes, but this is something I need to figure out for myself,” Justin said with an air of finality.
He was going to push us away again. I could see it in his eyes. That was his defense mechanism. When shit got tough, he’d try his damnedest to deal with it on his own, and he built those walls around his heart so thick that it would take a real force of nature to knock them down.
Justin pushed the door open and climbed out. He didn’t pause or look back but marched up his front porch and into his house like nothing was amiss. You could lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try or give the guy some incentives to move forward and not let this control him.
Then there was the enigma that was Genevieve Mendoza. She’d come back. The eagle was restless to lay eyes on our mate again.
Turning the truck around, I headed straight for the motel she’d been staying at. My nerves and anxiety ramped up the closer I got and the longer I was apart from her. I craved her company like I craved the sun’s light on a warm summer day. She was the soothing balm for my soul, despite having so much that was still up in the air and unanswered between us.
The rickety sign of the old motel came into view as I rounded the corner. Its neon letters were practically a beacon for any traveling along the road with the exception of the letter O, which flickered on whenever the wind blew just right. Leaning forward in my seat, I scanned the parking lot searching for Gen’s truck.
It wasn’t there. No one was there, other than the stoner running the front desk, Jimmy. His grey junker of a car sat beside the front office entrance.
My stomach dropped down into my toes. When she and I had parted ways on the mountain, I had been under the impression that things between us weren’t out of the woods yet, but they weren’t done and there wasn’t an inkling that she’d leave again. Sitting in an empty parking lot, I analyzed every bit of our conversation. Had she tried to apologize and say goodbye in her own way? Did she come back for closure? It felt like the kicker for the Denver Broncos had practiced kicking field goals right to my chest. Breathing felt tight, and my blood pressure was rising. The eagle was close to the surface, and I needed to get out of there before I lost all control and shifted in my truck.
I spun the truck around, spraying loose gravel as I peeled out of the parking lot, and tore down the road again. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. Without making a conscious decision, I steered blindly down the roadways of Elk Springs until I was out of town and heading toward my house. The eagle needed out.
Pulling into my driveway, I climbed over the gnarled tree roots and deep ruts until I came to a stop in front of my house. Justin’s truck sat in the empty space beside my usual parking spot. Throwing the car into park, I stumbled out of the vehicle and pulled my shirt off as I prepared to shift. I was hit by a familiar and calming scent that emanated from the house. I spun toward the house, seeing the tailgate of a truck half hidden and sticking out from the side yard. After a moment, I knew I wasn’t alone. That was Gen’s truck.
I knew my eyes couldn’t pass for being human, and I was too close to a shift to pull myself back by sheer force of will. The pain of my impending shift was my focus as I tried to keep my skin.
My gaze landed on the front porch as Gen emerged from the house. She was wearing one of my old white t-shirts and a pair of black leggings that clung to her just right, accentuating every luscious curve. Gen crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door jamb.
“Hey,” she said shyly.
“Hey,” I croaked, sounding barely comprehensible.
She smiled warmly, and I knew in that very moment even without the eagle inside claiming her as its mate, the man would love her until my last breath.
“How’s Justin?” she asked, pointing to the empty truck.
“All right considering the circumstances. He’s going to need some time to adjust, but it’s a road he’s going to have to travel alone. Justin needs to learn to be okay with himself. When he’s ready, he’ll reach out to us.”
Gen nodded sympathetically, “I can definitely understand that. Look…I, shit. André bit Justin and turned him. What does that mean for me?”
“Only a bite can turn someone, but I want there to be no confusion on the matter. I love you exactly the way you are, and I don’t need you to change for me.”
Gen nodded, letting that soak in. I could practically see her mind working as she pieced things together.
There were so many questions that had been left unanswered running through my head. I didn’t know where to begin or what to say. Every single thing that came to mind felt like it would lead straight to disaster.
The sun was dipping below the treetops, casting long shadows and darkness around the property. Looking past Gen, I noticed the lights on inside the house and could smell something delicious cooking away in the kitchen.
“You cooking?” I said, lifting my chin toward the door.
“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Domesticity isn’t usually my thing, but I can cook when I have to. Who knows, anything is possible when you’re involved.”
We both fell quiet, listening to the deafening roar of the evening crickets. The buzzer on the dryer blared abruptly. Gen jumped a little and bolted into the house. After a second, the buzzing disappeared. She re-emerged a moment later, her cheeks beautifully flushed.
“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind. I did some laundry,” she quickly explai
ned.
“It’s no problem at all, but you really don’t need to be picking up after me.”
“Oh! No, I, uh, needed to wash my clothes. They were covered in grass stains and mud after I took care of André.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d left her to clean up my mess, and it wasn’t like it was something as simple as mopping up some spilled milk.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve been here to do that. You didn’t ask for any of this.”
“Talon? It’s okay. I’m okay. I think you forget that I spent five years with the FBI. André wasn’t exactly my first rodeo with a dead body. Although, usually I would call the coroner to cart the person off to the morgue for an autopsy instead of burying him where no one would find him.”
“I know you’re completely capable of taking care of anything thrown at you, but that doesn’t mean that you should always have to. This was my mess, and I should have cleaned it up and for that, I’m sorry.”
She gave me another small smile and I couldn’t help thinking of waking up to that same smile every morning. I’d never tire of it. The lighter flecks of amber in her rich chocolate eyes were bright in the fading light of the evening.
The eagle was still lurking just beneath the surface, yet he wasn’t as eager to tear out of me as he had been when I’d first arrived. Gen crossed her arms over her chest defensively and ran her fingers over her bare arms. She was trying not to shiver. The need to make sure all her needs were met drove me back to the truck where I fished my winter coat out of the back seat.
Turning, I nearly ran right into Gen, who had done the almost impossible by sneaking up on me. My body was practically vibrating with her close proximity. There were so many things I wanted to do in that moment, none of which were the gentlemanly thing to do. I didn’t miss her drawn up nipples that pushed against her shirt, driving me wild. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from overstepping any boundaries. There was still so much that had been left unsaid, and I didn’t have the first idea where to begin.
“Are you cold?” she asked, her teeth knocking together as she tried to be nonchalant about the near freezing temperatures.
“Oh! No, this is for you,” I said, slinging the coat around her small shoulders.
Her mouth lifted on one side in an alluring half smile.
“Thanks,” she murmured, snuggling deeper into the warmth of the coat.
“Your welcome.”
A chunk of hair came loose from her messy bun and fell into her face. Reaching out, I gently brushed the hair back, sweeping it behind her ear. I let my hand linger a little longer than necessary, and to my surprise, Gen pushed her cheek deeper into the palm of my hand.
Taking it as a good sign, I moved in. My lips crashed against hers, and her hands trailed up my bare stomach as she pulled me closer. Gen responded to my touch with as much eagerness as I felt. My fingers twined into her hair, and I knew we were playing a dangerous game. My tongue darted out, tracing the seam of her lips and begging for admittance. Like something out of a dream, her lips parted, and her tongue peeked out to dance with my own. Gen’s hands gripped the back of my neck, pulling me into her with as much desperation as I felt. My dick strained against the fabric of my jeans until it was almost painful. As though she’d sensed my desire, she shimmied her body closer, making sure we touched as much as possible. Pheromones flooded my senses, and I could practically taste the sweet aroma of Gen’s desire. In the back of my mind, a tiny voice of reason spoke up, dousing the fire of my need like a campfire in a downpour.
If one of us didn’t slow things down and take a step back, we’d end up in the back of the truck and letting our baser needs take over. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life, but if I didn’t know where she stood on the topic of our relationship, then I was only setting myself up for heartbreak.
Slowing down a little, I broke the kiss as naturally as I could manage, given how worked up I still was. Giving her one final kiss against her bottom lip, I pulled back enough to rest my forehead against hers. Both of us were breathing heavy and clinging to each other though neither of us made a move to break the moment. When my breathing calmed, I decided there was no better time than the present to address the elephant in the room.
“You didn’t leave,” I remarked, regaining a little of my composure.
“No, I didn’t. Was I supposed to?” she asked, sticking her thumb out toward the door. “I can grab my stuff and go if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Her tone and body language suggested she was joking, but there was an undertone of seriousness and uncertainty.
“No!” I shouted a little more forcefully than I’d intended. “Sorry, no. I don’t want you to go.”
“Good. Me neither,” she murmured.
Gen pressed her body tightly against mine and slipped her arms around my waist. She ran her nails over my back lightly, making circles and melting the tension right out of me. The eagle tucked itself away, calmly watching as things unfolded.
“I went to the hotel…When you weren’t there, I just assumed-”
“That I left again?” she finished.
I nodded.
“That’s fair. What I did, it was a shitty thing to do. I thought about it the whole way back to California. I just figured it out too late.”
Gen laid her cheek over my bare flesh above my heart. My hands came to rest on her hips, ensuring she wouldn’t go anywhere and reaffirming that she was really there with me.
“I’m not complaining, but I have to ask. Why did you come back?”
I was almost afraid of her answer, but I had to know. Getting attached again just to have her walk away would gut me. I needed to know where we stood with each other.
“You want the truth?” she asked.
Shit, that didn’t sound too promising.
My fingers tightened slightly before I could stop it, and Gen’s grip mirrored my own.
“Yeah,” I answered begrudgingly.
“I felt sick the whole way back to California, and my head was a mess. Everything I’d seen, it was just too much for me, and I assumed that was my problem. My whole life had been spent thinking the world was one way only to discover it was something entirely different. By the time I got home, I’d thought I’d be happy to be surrounded by what was familiar, but I wasn’t. It took me all of about an hour to figure out the problem was you,” she explained.
She craned her neck back to look up at me. Her warm brown eyes stared right into me, and I felt like for the first time, someone was really seeing me, not the person I portrayed myself to be in public, or the friend who tried to be there for people when they needed it, not as the shifter who occupied the mountain territory, but as all of it. She saw the real me, flaws and all.
“I don’t understand.”
“It was you. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but you became my home, and I won’t be happy anywhere else unless it’s by your side. What do you say? Will you let me stick around for a while?” she asked, her eyes betrayed the hint of worry she held regarding my answer.
Leaning down, I pressed a firm kiss to her waiting lips.
“Do you know what that necklace means to someone like me?” I asked, running the tip of my finger over the delicate white gold chain until I came to the pendant.
She shook her head. “No, but I’m starting to feel like it might be a little more than just a gift to commemorate our time together.”
“Well, you’d be right. You see, I’m an eagle, and like eagles in the wild, we find that one person that we connect with on a different level and we latch on. We mate for life, and the first part of that mating process is giving your mate something precious to you, like this necklace.”
She didn’t look scared or put off in the least. Instead, she listened to what I was saying intently.
“There will never be anyone else for me. If you decide that this life isn’t for you, I won’t make you stay and be unhappy, but there won’t ever be another wom
an who could hold my attention the way you do. Things are different for me and you, though. I’ve known you were the one for me since the first moment I laid eyes on you, but you’re human. The mate bond doesn’t work the same for you as it does for me. I wanted to give you room and freedom to make that decision for yourself. This is me,” I said, stepping back from her and holding my arms out to make my point. “I’m a shifter, and there are challenges to living this life that you don’t have to deal with as a human, but there’s parts that make it so much better, too.”
Gen listened patiently, taking in everything I was saying. I couldn’t get much of a read on her body language, but her scent was sweet and lacked the trepidation or anger I was half expecting.
“I never should’ve left in the first place, and it was unfair. I’ll freely admit that. This is who you are, who you were from the very beginning, and who you’ll be for the rest of your life. Who you are hasn’t changed; it just took me a few to realize that. Being a shifter is a part of who you are, and I finally figured out that it’s a part of you that I love just as much as the rest of you.”
I’d never grow tired of hearing her say she loved me.
“My shifter status doesn’t bother you?”
“No, it doesn’t. At first, I was in shock and upset that you’d lied to me and not told me the truth from the get go, but in all honesty, you gave me a gift. You let me see the real you without all the extras. I even understand why you didn’t tell me. If I’d been in your shoes, I’d have omitted that bit of information too. It’s a big secret to burden anyone with. Just please, don’t lie to me again. I can handle a lot of things, but lying isn’t one of them. If you can do that, I can handle the War Bird.”
“War Bird?” I asked, surprised by how much I like the nickname.
“Yeah, War Bird. You are the kind of man who avoids violence and takes the peaceful route when you can, but I watched the way you went after André. There was no second thought for yourself. When your people were threatened, you turned into an instant badass and went after him with everything you had in you. There were no games, only certain death. You brought war on wings to that asshole. So, hell yeah, to me you’ll always be the War Bird, and I’m damn proud to be your girl for as long as you’ll have me,” Gen said, fingering the necklace I’d given her and lifting the pendant between her fingers.
Fly Me Home (Rescue Squad Shifters Book 1) Page 16
